Love Well

That One Time I Gained Weight and Gave Up

2012-01-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry y'all.

I did that thing where I disappoint myself and then withdraw from the world and don't want to talk about it. I binged a few weeks ago and gained three pounds in one night. I am an educated woman and have read everything possible on having a happy, healthy lifestyle. That means that I know that I shouldn't be defining my self-worth by a number on a scale. However, that same day I gained three pounds, all of my workout clothes were disgusting and dirty (we don't have a washing machine, and I am quite lazy when it comes to toting my laundry elsewhere) and for some reason I took that as a sign that I was never going to lose weight and maybe I should just eat all the chocolate in the world.

Then the holidays, traveling, and hot tub rashes happened. I gave up for a while.

The good news is, I'm back in action. I think you just have to decide, and keep on deciding, how your life is going to be, and make it that way. Right now I'm at 163, and I can't wait to get and STAY below 160. That's goal #1. The other good news is, I legit crave working out now. Last night, I faced sooo many obstacles (mostly self-inflected) to working out. This is how it went:

I get to the gym late. I have to squeeze in a workout between work and the Orange Bowl (no comment there).
I have my entire contents of my gym bag sprawled across my back seat. I gather everything up and march to the door.
When I get to the door, I realize I am without a ponytail holder and bobby pins. Everyone knows you can't work out with your whipping back and forth.
I head back to my car in the freezing cold and dig through the depths of my bag and car for at least 5 minutes before finding a ponytail holder. The bangs will just have to flop.
I head back into the gym.
I get in the dressing room and start stripping, only to realize that I have no shorts. I may actually be able to work out with my hair down, but there is no way that I am working out in my undies in front of God and everybody. I almost start crying at this point.
Then a revelation happens. I realize I have new Tempos that I got for Christmas in my trunk. Sweet save. I put my clothes back on, carry my bag outside and past the puzzled dude that just checked me in, and run (because it's cold and I need a warm-up) back to the car, grab the Tempos, and run right back into the gym.
I change, I find a treadmill, and I conquer it while singing Nicki Minaj and smiling like a crazy fool with a hot tub rash.

This is how I know I crave the gym. The old me would have used every opportunity as an excuse to drive away to my warm apartment and my cute husband. But my gym time is my me time, and I love love love it. I am slow, I get sweaty, and I probably freak people out with my singing and gasping for breath and gross people out with my weird skin and hairy legs, but whatevs. It's just me and the treadmill. And Nicki Minaj.

So I'm trying to find a happy place between obsessing about numbers and patiently savoring my me time. I am still trying to maintain a calorie deficit through diet. That was another part of my temporary downfall--I just stopped tracking my calories one day. And the day after that. And the day after that. That one day turned to a few weeks.

I have found a few different programs to try, and I'm really excited about them. I have been conflicted about running for fat loss and running for endurance. You can do that, you know--run for different results. Obviously this girl wants to lose fat, but I also want to be able to run a half marathon this year. So I've decided to do both at the same time. I run 2x a week for endurance, and 2x a week for fat loss. This means twice a week I follow my own little training program (I call it "Slowly But Surely") for race-running:

It's run-walk-run. I add one minute to each run segment and keep the walking to three minutes. Simple, huh? Before my temporary setback, I was doing 14min- 3min- 14min on an incline of 1, and sometimes another round if I'm feeling feisty. I was supposed to do 15-3-15 yesterday, but because of time constraints and a loss of fitness, I did a faster 8-3-8. I will continue to work my way up, and hopefully increase my time and my pace. I have definitely learned that I am a walk-break kind of girl. Dangle a walk-break in front of me, and I will do anything you request. Does that mean I'm lazy? Probably.

Then, twice a week I do this:

For intervals/fat loss, I follow a pace and incline program I found on livestrong.com. It's a super fun 20 minutes!

I have found that structure and consistency is good for me, but I also really relish trying new things. That's why I'm going to start 10-minute Trainer tomorrow in the mornings! I really can get up 15 minutes earlier and hop around the apartment to burn some calories. It can and will be done. No excuses. It's ten minutes. That way I will always, always have done something during the day, even if it is just ten minutes. It's like a little bonus!

I leave you now with our Christmas card picture and a picture of our tree in all its glory. Be glad it's not a picture of my hot tub rash:

Week 7

2011-12-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

The numbers this week:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 159.5 lbs.
Weight lost this week: 1 lb.

Total weight lost: 6.5 lbs.

Weight left to lose: 39.5 lbs.

I lost a whole pound this week! So excited!

Keep an eye out for a Christmas update! Cameron and I definitely burned some calories trying to wrestle our Christmas tree into the stand, but we finally succeeded. Pictures to come!

BEFORE

2011-12-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

So remember the before picture I mentioned (aka me at my highest weight wearing nothing but a sports bra and shorts?)

Get ready, because here it is:

February 2011. Around 177 lbs:

Sexy, right? It's actually scary. I'm smiley and sweaty because I just finished my first P90X workout. But even my toes look chubby. Geez Louise.

Anyway, I uploaded this for accountability, honesty, and authenticity. That is/was me. Right now, I'm only about 17 lbs. lighter, but feel a heck of a lot better. As much as I want to, I have to keep looking at this picture, because looking at it doesn't make me feel fat or disgusting--it makes me feel unhealthy. My diet was actually not bad; Cameron and I started to eat vegetarian in January 2011, and I was cooking and enjoying food in a good way. The thing is, at least for me, that exercise is vital--in every sense of the word. I need to be fit to live...for life. I will eat. I will always eat. I will always eat chocolate. But I will be fit, as well. It just feels good, man.

In other news, Cameron and I are getting our Christmas tree tomorrow! This girl is thrilled beyond words. Christmas trees, to me, are the centerpieces of the season, and I can't wait to have one that will kick-off our first-ever married Christmas. We shall take a Christmas picture ASAP, and send out Christmas cards. We have so much to be thankful for...not the least of which is our health : )

Week 6

2011-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

I experienced some challenges this week. Ready? Here they are:

Thanksgiving
My period
Clemson losing to Carolina

I know none of these are life-changing, but for me, they all involve food. I did pretty well on Thanksgiving, mostly due to being a vegetarian and not really enjoying fruit and/or nuts in my dessert. Those two "rules" kept me from over-indulging in a major way, but the frustration that came along with not knowing the recipes/calorie counts for every dish I encountered was immense. I just tried to fill up on good veggies. I gave up on calorie counting on Thanksgiving, which lead to a relapse later in the week. Which lead to overeating.

As for #2? I know it may not be a legit excuse, but I bloat. It happens. My body really likes swelling at this time of the month.

Number 3 equals one thing for me: emotional eating. Whenever there's football and food, I partake. Whenever there's football and food and Clemson is LOSING, I binge. Who knew a girl could be so emotionally connected to her team? I made Oreo balls with orange (colored, not flavored) chocolate--I called them Tiger Turds (not my best naming job)-- and Muddy Buddies (or Puppy Chow, or whatever you call them) with the intention of using up the Rice Chex and Oreos in the house so that I wouldn't eat them, but ate WAY too much while in the kitchen, and WAY too much while ~~sobbing~~ watching the game. Oh the irony.

Solution here? Pretty dang simple. My guess is I have an oral ~~addiction~~ fixation when I'm around yumminess, and my lovely mother let me in on an ancient Chinese secret about how to avoid sampling/taste-testing whatever it is you're cooking ten thousand times:

Chewing gum. This one's my favorite:

For me, Big Red means childhood. My mom always had some when I was growing up, and it was like a rite of passage every time I put one in my mouth. Did it burn? Oh yes. But I was a big girl and I was going to conquer this feisty cinnamon gum if it was the last thing I did. Awesome, right? It's like a challenge to a duel every time. And I always won. So, for 10 calories a stick, I think I'll keep packs of this around (especially in the kitchen...and anywhere I watch the Tigers play).

So the numbers this week look like this:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 160.5 lbs.
Weight lost this week: .5 lbs.

Total weight lost: 5.5 lbs.

Weight left to lose: 40.5 lbs.

Not too shabby. I'm looking forward to an awesome week next week!

P.S. I am 12% of the way to my final goal. Heck yes! I can do this.

P.P.S. Check out my sweet ticker at the bottom of my blog. That's me running. Promise.

5 Pounds & a Workout Rundown

2011-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Although I celebrate every little pound and half a pound, I am so excited to finally say that I have lost 5 pounds! Saying that you've lost 5 pounds just sounds awesome. Obviously, I still have a long way to go, but I am incredibly happy with my progress.

Numbers:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 161.0 lbs.
Weight lost this week: 1.5 lbs.

Total weight lost: 5 lbs.

Weight left to lose: 41 lbs.

After doing some research on calories burned per hour for a ton of different activities, I went on the hunt for my favorite Jillian Michael's DVD: No More Trouble Zones. I had a copy, but it got lost in the shuffle between moving from my apartment at Clemson to my mom's house to my apartment with Cameron. I splurged and spent the $12 on it at Target, and as soon as I started it I remembered why I loved it so much. Jillian is badass, and doing this workout makes me feel badass, because even she gets out of breath and fatigued during it. It's a lot of strength exercises, which I love love love. I think, as a woman, feeling strong is super exhilarating and empowering. I was sore in all the right places after the workout--but not too sore to skip my workout the next day. I can literally feel my arms getting leaner, and I can feel my obliques getting firmer. Love handles no more! They just struggle with being covered up by a few inches of chub chub. Hence the cardio below

Here's what my workouts look like each week. I mix & match, depending on time constraints and how I feel. I do one bullet point a day, plus little things like taking the stairs, Kegels in my office chair, etc:

An entire Jillian workout (~ 1 hour including warm-up and cool down)
Intense cardio (~ 1 hour; usually 30 min. C25K on a treadmill and 30 min of intervals on an elliptical)
C25K and upper body lifting + abs (bench presses, chin-ups, & dips). Abs consist of medicine ball crunches, 60 sec. plank, around the world, Roman twists.
C25K and lower body lifting +abs (squats & dead-lifts)
Sometimes a short yoga or pilates workout at home (Did you know Netflix has them streaming? The 10-minute pilates ones are awesome!)

I like to workout on weekdays, because my schedule is more consistent. I have CMA class one night a week, which I usually give myself off, unless I have been slacking on my diet. The other four nights, I spend anywhere between 20 min to an hour in the gym. Even if I only have time to run into the gym and hop on the treadmill for 20 minutes, I still do it, because it's so worth it. In those 20 minutes, I burn around 250 kcal, and run over 2 miles. It is so empowering to accomplish that, especially for someone like me. I have run before, but I have never really enjoyed the process. What I enjoy is saying that I ran two miles or a 5K or whatever. I do enjoy lifting and working on my strength. I can feel each rep building my muscle and making me tighter/leaner. Sounds weird, but it's true. I do cardio because I want to burn fat. I run because it's the most convenient form of cardio and it's the cool thing to do. (clearly, I am not immune to peer pressure).

So those are my workouts. I am still struggling with what to do on the weekends--I vacillate between wanting to sit on my behind and bake (and eat) tons of cookies and maybe possibly thinking that I should be active instead. I am thinking the solution is to bake the cookies, but them put them in pretty packages sealed with plastic wrap, duct tape, and Gorilla Glue, and take them to work on Monday.

Week 4 Update

2011-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

It hurts to write this, but I gained weight this week. Cameron asked that I bake sugar cookies. I did. I also ate half the batch in either dough form or cookie form. Binging sucks big time. My stomach was so bloated, and if I ever thought I was capable of making myself throw up, it was right then and there. The next day, I weighed myself and had gained 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS. As much as I have spent the last three weeks losing.

So I spend last week trying to take a couple steps forward after what felt like a million steps back. I cut calories and tried to make every minute of exercise count. Fortunately, I was able to make some forward progress, but I am still behind overall.

Here are the numbers:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 162.5 lbs.
Weight lost this week: +.5 lbs.

Total weight lost: 3.5 lbs.

Projected weight loss so far: 5.8 lbs.

Weight left to lose: 42.5 lbs.

Week 3 Weigh-in and De-caffeinating

2011-11-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

The numbers:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 162.0 lbs.
Weight lost this week: 1.5 lbs.

Total weight lost: 4.0 lbs.

Projected weight loss so far: 4.35 lbs.

Weight left to lose: 42 lbs.

Sweet! I am pretty much on track! This next week should be interesting. My goal/projection for the end of Week 4 is 160.2 lbs. My digital scale used to show any number in the tenths place (like .7, .4, etc), but after I changed the batteries, it has decided it really only likes .5 and .0. So my goal is to make the scale say 160.0 by this weekend. We shall see! I feel like I need to name my scale, and like bake it some cookies or something. I need to get on its good side!

I did very well with my workouts and portions/calories this week. I have been noticing, though, how hydration directly affects how I function. My eyes start to hurt if I'm dehydrated and have to stare at a computer screen all day. I get headaches really easily if I'm dehydrated. I can almost feel my body calling out for water (more than normal) when I work out. I have started bringing my water bottle with me to work, and trying to drink all of it throughout the day. However, I have a love affair with coffee, and it is just not conducive to hydrating the way I need to be hydrating. So this weekend, I did something I never thought I would do. I purchased decaf coffee beans. DECAF. Oh my. I have to say that, although I can taste the difference, I think that decaf coffee still does what I need it to do for me. I've always said that the keep-me-awake-until-I-crash caffeine effect was more psychological for me, but the dehydrating part? That's the real deal. My kidneys get really mad at me when I consume too much coffee. My poor nephrons.

And so begins the journey of limiting my caffeine intake. I am thinking no more than one cup of caffeinated coffee a day. If I need a hot drink, I will consume decaf coffee or herbal tea. I got some peppermint tea at Trader Joe's, and it is kind of wonderful. Plus, I think it counts as hydrating.

Week 2 Update & Kennedy's Birthday

2011-10-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

By the numbers:

Starting weight (10/16/2011): 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 163.5 lbs.
Weight lost this week: .5 lbs.

Total weight lost: 2.5 lbs.

Projected weight loss so far: 2.9 lbs (Yes, I'm .4 lbs behind!)Weight left to lose: 43.5 lbs.

I know, I know, no excuses, play like a champ. However, I do feel like I should mention that I had my period this week, and I could feel my little fingers swelling up like sausages...being bloated is no fun. I told Cameron that PMS was the cause of my not-so-great weight loss, and he believed me, so I feel like it's legit. Of course, even though he wants to be a doctor, his interests in my menstrual cycle are minimal outside of my emotional volatility and making sure I'm on time with my birth control. We both agree that now is not the time for babies, thank you very much.

Anyways, this week was a pretty good week outside of the hormonal fluctuations. There are a few things I'm proud of this week:

I worked out 5 times this week, and burned almost 2,000 kcal through exercise. I have been using the Noom weight loss app on my phone, and I keep a little calorie medal on my home screen to keep track of calories burned for the past 7 days. My goal was 1200-1300 calories burned through exercise per week, but last week I did exceptionally well. I know every week won't be that great, but just knowing it can be done is pretty awesome.
I did really well with my diet, keeping around 1600 kcal consumed per day.
I spent all week putting together decorations and food for my sweet niece's first birthday! I was really proud of myself for keeping the munching while I was baking to a minimum, and kept things under control at the party. [Note: I did eat my feelings a little bit during the Clemson game on Saturday night, though. It was so tragic.]

Here are some pictures of the party:

We had so much fun and it was wonderful to spend time with Cameron's family. We are so proud of Kara for being an amazing mother, and so happy to be a part of Kennedy's life!

I am thinking of adjusting my updates to Friday, since the weekends are sort of hit-or-miss for me and diet/exercise. So the next update will be this Friday, November 4th, and every subsequent Friday after that. Whoo! Get excited!

Week 1

2011-10-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Week one went pretty well!

Turns out I topped out at my total on Friday, and my total loss for the week was 2 lbs. This weekend was definitely a cheat weekend for me as far as diet goes. I had wine & brownies on Friday night, waaaaayy too much buttery popcorn at a movie on Saturday night, and a little too much sugar cookie dough on Sunday night. Cheating may have delayed some weight loss, but I think in the grand scheme of things it's actually beneficial, for a few reasons:

Hopefully I shocked my metabolism out of any sort of starvation mode or low set-point.
I reminded myself how uncomfortable and unpleasant it is to overindulge.
I earned the title of "Best Wife Ever" for baking Cameron said sugar cookies.

So today starts a new week, and I am incredibly excited. This afternoon I am signing up for a gym membership, and after much deliberation I decided that it would be best to get a membership at a gym that is closer to work than home. My commute is 35 minutes, and as soon as I get home in the evenings after being away for almost 12 hours, all I want to do is climb into bed. Or cook something (but not clean up, of course. Cleaning the kitchen is a special kind of hell for me). So I am joining a gym that is on my way home, and I am packing a gym bag every night so I have no excuse not to stop there on the way home. I plan on doing some interval training on the treadmill as well as strength training on the machines. I have a sweet circuit that I can't wait to try. I am so ready!

Summary:

Starting weight: 166 lbs.
Weight this week: 164 lbs.
Weight lost this week: 2 lbs. (1.2% of starting weight)
Total weight lost: 2 lbs. (1.2%)
Weight left to lose: 44 lbs.

Work and Weight Loss

2011-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Updates!

Note the blog title change. I am no longer in the midst of over 500 days of wedding planning, so I figured the name "500 Days of Wedding" was no longer relevant. I re-named the blog "Love Well" because of the most beautiful piece of advice I've ever received: Love each other well. We had a representative from national Kappa Delta come speak to our chapter one year, and she told us that that was the best thing we could do for our chapter: love well. I think it's so beautiful and so applicable to everything and everyone, so Love Well, it is.
I have a new job since I last posted! I have been working with a physician group in Charleston as an intern since August. That means I do whatever is needed, ranging from corporate projects to clinical work. The company offers a class to employees to become CMAs (certified medical assistants), and I have been loving it! It is one of the great ironies to me that someone who is pre-medical can get a bachelor's degree, but with it gets no clinical experience or certifications--which is basically what you need to work directly with patients in any way. I have been so blessed by this opportunity as I work on perfecting my vital sign-taking and my injection-giving and my blood-drawing, and so on. This class is so empowering, and for me is the first-and-a-halfish step to really getting patient contact and being a part of patient care. (I guess my first step technically was interacting with patients while volunteering abroad with FIMRC). Being a CMA and working as a CMA gives me exposure I never got by shadowing, and the confidence that I have the ability to learn how to do procedures, learn what exactly is going on in a patient's body and how to fix it, learn how to function within a healthcare setting, and eventually become an MD. I love it!
I have begun a weight loss journey! I know people say this all the time, but this time it's for real. My weight has gone up and down during my short adult life. I took a "before picture" at the beginning of this year (2011) when I was at my heaviest around 175 lbs, but it's not on my computer. I will hunt for it and post it, I promise. But, in the mean time, here's my story:

I'm a big girl. I have always been on the larger side of average--never obese, but always overweight. I have also never been consistently active in sports or other physical activity. In high school, I started to lose weight when I took a weightlifting class, and--why does this happen??--the summer Cameron and I first started talking, the weight just about fell off and I got close to 130 lbs. Then, after we were official, I gained it back. Oh, relationship. Good for the heart, but not great for my rockin' bod. I know the deal, though. When you're 16, the only thing you want to do is get away from your parents and spend time with your friends/love interests. Driving, having a boyfriend, having a part-time job so you have just enough money to spend on food, and having no physical activity created the perfect storm for my weight gain.

Junior prom! So shiny...so in love.

My freshman year of college (Go Tigers!), I weighed about 150lbs. Then I found out I was going to get breast reduction surgery, and decided I wanted my body to be worthy of my new and improved boobs. So ate much healthier and worked out more. This is the first time I remember looking forward to working out and enjoying running. I got the surgery, and kept at it throughout my sophomore year, excited to work out without back pain! At this point, I was down to about 140lbs I think.

Myself and Jill, my beautiful KD little.

And then I moved off campus and got L-A-Z-Y. Then I turned 21 and enjoyed going out along with late-night Lost marathons involving lots of pizza and beer. All this added up to some hefty weight gain, and slowly but surely I crept up to 175ish lbs in early 2011. Then, I realized my wedding was in just a few months, so I started working out and eating healthily again. By the time my wedding rolled around, I was about 155 lbs.

Dang, my husband is fiiine.

THEN I got married, was away from home regularly for 18 hrs/day, and was in a weird transition phase while Cameron and I got things figured out as far as living arrangements, school, and jobs. Now, we are more or less settled, and on Sunday, October 16, 2011, I weighed in at 166 lbs. What a cycle, right? As soon as I stop focusing on being healthy, I gain weight back.

So I know I can lose weight. I even know how [gasp!]. My issue clearly is converting a healthy lifestyle from a weight loss thing to just that--a lifestyle thing. I know what it feels like to enjoy running and working out, to enjoy knowing that I am eating and doing good things for my body, and I think I have found that feeling again. I am committed, and have decided to do things by the numbers this time. I really like math, so numbers work for me.

My goal? To lose 46 lbs by my first wedding anniversary: May 22, 2012.

By the numbers:
That's 1.45 lbs per week. (45 lbs over 31 weeks)
So I have to create a 5,075 kcal deficit every week.

How will I accomplish such things?

Working out at least 3 times per week (burning at least 400 kcal each time)
Creating a 400-600 kcal deficit through diet each day (depending on how well I've done with my workouts : ) My calculated BMR is around 1900-2000 kcal/day, so my intake is going to be around 1400-1600 kcals/day. Nothing too crazy. The goal is sustainability.

A few notes on food: I refuse to starve myself, and I refuse to deny myself something that makes me happy (like chocolate. like Starbucks. and like good, wholesome food cooked by my family or myself.) I intend to create the deficit by working on a principle of quality & quantity in terms of Calories: I will eat lots of things that are high in nutrition, and fewer things that aren't as great nutritionally. Portion control, baby. For me, homemade always trumps store-bought. As a vegetarian, I'll go for the high-protein option as often as possible. As a chocoholic, I will eat chocolate for breakfast. And also after lunch and dinner. But it will be small amounts of chocolate--not half a pan of brownies. I am blogging about this for accountability, for journaling, and for encouragement. That is not to say that any of you can slap my hand if I reach for a chocolate chip cookie. It is to say that you may slap my hand if I reach for a fourth.

And as of today, Friday, October 21, 2011, on the 6th day of my weight loss journey, I have already lost 2 lbs. I weighed in today at 164! Can't wait to update y'all on Sunday.

The Married Life

2011-08-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

"How's the 'married life'"? Hmm...good question...

People ask about "the married life" all the time--I understand it being asked, and I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself--but I'm still trying to figure out what "the married life" means. It could refer to a variety of things, depending on what marriage means to the one asking the question. Here are some things that I think people are referring to when they ask about "the married life":

living with each other (i.e., being all up in each other's space)

our sex life (haha, kind of the same as above)

all of our sweet gifts we got off our registry (we have a well-stocked kitchen, my friends)

the name change (eh, it's weird)

our adorable new apartment (perf. fect.)

being 100% committed to one person for the rest of our lives (that's the good part)

Anyways, I consider "the married life" to be just "life." Our lives together, our lives separately, our professional lives, our social lives--you know, just "life."

So life is good. Updates on life? Oh gosh, thanks for asking.

Home:

We have moved into an adorable one-room studio apartment in downtown Charleston. It is up 3 flights of stairs, so I get a sweet hammy/calf workout just walking in the door. It is in a really safe neighborhood, which is nice, and is within bicycling distance to just about everything we need. It has a sweet balcony and an adorable kitchen (wanna guess which one's my favorite and which one's Cameron's favorite?) and thank GOD it is not any bigger than it is, because I am already having anxiety about having to decorate the kitchen, the living area, and the bathroom. I know these things are supposed to be fun (and they are...kind of) but decorating takes time. and money. and brain cells. and creativity. Wanna know why the design of our wedding was so wonderful? We hired a professional. One day I will have a professional home decorator. One day. But our apartment is beautiful and it is feeling more like home every single day. And Cameron is fantastic. He really cares about keeping the place clean and somewhat organized and he washes dishes and is quite simply amazing.

Work:

By the grace of God, I now have a big girl job in the medical field. Before and for a little while after getting married, I was freaking out a little bit about us surviving on our own. Cameron has decided to go to medical school, so we are sort of re-grouping and trying to figure out a plan for the next couple of years to ensure that both of us:

(a) get into medical school; presumably the same one

(b) have money to live off of until we matriculate--which is when we start living off of student loans [muahaha]

A challenge? Why yes, of course. I even had a mini freak-out the other day. And I'm sure there are more mini freak-outs to come. The thing that I have realized, through it all, is that time is our most valuable resource. Time is what Cameron and I have together. Time is how we can show each other our love (quality time, that is : ). I'm kind of glad that we can't afford more than basic cable, because it is so likely that we would spend our time watching Sportscenter (me, of course) and Toddlers in Tiaras (Cameron-duh) than spending quality time with each other. I have been so busy working two jobs and trying to create another resouce (starts with "m" and rhymes with "honey") that I have been spending way too much time away from my husband, struggling to connect beyond little text messages and a kiss before I leave in the morning. I am so looking forward to having more time with him, even if it means having less money.

With more time together, hopefully we can get on the same page as far as medical school goes. We keep throwing ideas at each other. Most of mine consist of "Hey, wanna catch a plane to Uganda and forget all this mess? I know some cute kids we could hang out with!" His are a little more rational, and consist of actually studying and preparing for medical school. I have been a little gunshy of the whole admission/application/MCAT process since I severely disappointed myself last time around. The cool part, though, is that I didn't disappoint Cameron, I didn't disappoint my parents, and I have so many amazing friends that are incredibly supportive that I certainly didn't disappoint. With all of their support, I am working on building up some confidence and re-focusing and re-committing myself to becoming the best doctor possible. Now, I have the added support of Cameron and his passion, which is both a challenge and a blessing.

So, that's the "married life."

At least for now.

I still desperately want a dog. I still want to be a doctor. I'm still madly in love with Cameron Jones. Oh, and wedding/apartment pictures will be posted soon, because I'm still waiting to get internet.

Best Wedding EVER!

2011-06-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

So we got married! We jumped the broom, tied the knot, signed some papers...whatever you call it, Cameron and I did it. People ask me if I feel differently, and the honest answer is: not really. I don't feel any differently about Cameron--we've known for a long time that we were both in it for forever, so we are no more or less committed than we ever were. We just love each other, and now we share a last name and some swanky assets (yeah right). Whooo!

One feeling that no one told me I would have, though, is the overwhelming sense of pride and thankfulness I have for my friends (and family, of course), but specifically for one group of people:

our bridal party.

They, along with a few amazing others (you know who you are : ) truly made the day/week/whole experience AMAZING. I shall focus on the bridesmaids, since I spent the most time with them. My beautiful-in-every-way sister, Hannah, was my maid of honor, and she headed up the effort of coordinating the best bachelorette extravaganza you've ever seen/heard of/dreamt about. It was the coolest thing ever because I got to spend time with women that have shaped me in so many ways, taking some time to just be together and enjoy each other. They were so amazing at handling me, even when my blood sugar was low and I was missing Cameron hard core--that's nothing short of heroics, my friends. It was perfect, ladies. Absolutely perfect.

The best thing about having them with me as I went through all of this wedding business is just that--that I had someone there with me. Many someones. They distracted me from missing Cameron, handled dealing with the 6 different groups of families that came together for the wedding, helped me put my shoes on, fed me, kept track of my stuff, kept me from falling through the second floor of the Wickliffe House, danced all night with me, and hopefully had a lot of fun for themselves.

The men were pretty excellent, too, which I heard from Cameron as he was helping me fish bobby pins out of my hair on the wedding night. That was one of the best moments--when we sat down with each other and said, "Well, how was your day?" and filled each other in on the happenings of the wedding events. Cameron informed me that he didn't know he needed cufflinks until our most fashionable groomsman not only informed him that he needed them, but actually sent his girlfriend to go get some right before the wedding. My brother had to make a trip to our hotel on our wedding night to bring me my cell phone, which I had left at the reception. And I'm sure that there were countless other situations in which the groomsmen saved our behinds, and gracefully so.

Our bridal party was beautiful. I think every day about our wedding, and the one thing that sticks out in my mind each time is how thankful I am that they were there. I cannot express how much it meant to have such an amazing group of friends authentically and genuinely support us on our wedding day. No way would it have been the same without them.

So, my point here is...Cameron and I are so blessed! I had so many people--wedding guests, family--tell me after the wedding that the bridal party looked amazing, gave amazing toasts, and gave off the impression of being generally awesome.

Thank y'all so much.

25 Days!

2011-04-26T23:27:00.001-07:00

Let's just take a moment and think about the title of this post...

OH MY GOSH.

I am so freaking excited. Life is so so good.

I will be a college graduate and a wife to the most amazing person I've ever known in just 25 days.

I just have to get through finals and a thesis before then.

And I have to fit into my dress...hmmm...

Bring it!

100 Days

2011-02-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

There are less than 100 days until the wedding! Going from 500-something to less than 100 has been CRAZY but really fun, too. Cameron and I have both grown so much since we've gotten engaged. We've made some really important life decisions and celebrated what we have--which is a whole lotta love. We have been together for over 5 years now. FIVE YEARS. That seems like such a long time, especially for a relationship that started during the tumultuous period of high school. But our relationship just makes sense to me. If you think about it, marriage is such a strange, selfless act--so different from almost every other decision we make in our lives. We are humans. We are trained by society and natural impulses to put ourselves first, to feed ourselves first, to put the oxygen mask on our own face first. Why on earth would someone commit their lives, hearts, and responsibilities to someone else? The answer's pretty easy: It's love. I have been thinking about love a whole bunch lately--and not just because Valentine's Day is quickly approaching (I don't even like Valentine's Day). Love is this crazy thing. It's this God thing. It's this gift that no other species gets to experience like we do. What we do with it is up to us (whooaaa responsibility).

In the next 100 days, I would really like to:

fit into my bridal gown
organize my life (ha. right.)
go to costa rica for spring break!
get accepted to medical school
graduate from Clemson
find a place to live after the wedding
read good books
have earnest, authentic conversations
love more
marry cameron

And that's the short list.

yay for the next 100 days!

Very Vegetarian

2011-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard, I'm a vegetarian! Cameron has been talking about going meatless for years, and he at first decided to wait until after we got married, but then we talked it over and decided to do it as a New Year's Resolution. I only committed to a semester, but I feel like I will get so used to not eating meat, I may never go back!

Don't be worried about my nutrition. I am a Health Science major, after all, and am quite aware of nutritional values. And I personally think that people freak out too much about vegans and vegetarians, and way too little about all of the crap we Americans love to stuff our faces with. Ok, soapbox over.

I love veggies! There are a few seedy ones (ha. pun intended.) that I am struggling with, but I think discovering how to cook vegetables opens up a whole new versatile world (so this is what Aladdin was singing about...). I now have two vegetarian cookbooks, and they are AWESOME. I like to thumb through them and pick a recipe, any recipe, to test out on Cameron and me.

We had a successful venture tonight into the world of polenta. I baked butternut squash with agave nectar, olive oil, pomegranate juice, garlic, and parmesan to serve over polenta...then I felt like I was serving a plateful of starch so I sauteed some kale. Oh man. Delish.

I have also forced myself to try some new Asian dishes with veggies. I LOVE all Asian cuisine--I just always assumed it was a lot of work. But it's really not. I made a miso soup with soba noodles the other day. That almost tasted like a restaurant soup. Uh huh. I think that international cuisines (besides Brazilian) place less emphasis on meat, and focus on using natural starches and veggies a little bit more. I feel like a pro when I follow a recipe and it tastes like something I would get in a Japanese or Thai place. I'm making vegetarian sushi soon.

Speaking of restaurants, Cameron and I have avoided eating out (except for the Starbucks and the occasional Art Vandalay at Moe's) so far this semester. We have a little bit of room in the budget, so we are going on a date tomorrow!!! Can you tell I'm excited? It has been a while. The last really awesome date we had was a coffee date at Hope & Union in downtown Charleston. Sometimes all you need is a three-hour talk with your soulmate over coffee. And tomorrow all we need is some yummy Italian food from a Greenville restaurant.

So food. That's what this is about. My adventures with cooking, tasting, avoiding, and truly appreciating natural, good, food. I loved steak. I love (present tense) my dad's barbeque. but I don't miss meat in my daily life. I even forget sometimes that I'm only eating vegetarian foods, or, in fact, that I am a vegetarian at all. I actually called a Chinese restaurant to order takeout a couple of weeks when we were snowed in Cameron's apartment, and realized the only things I'd ever ordered had meat in them. I started to order General Tso's Chicken, then freaked out and told the woman "I forgot I'm a vegetarian! I have to call you back!"--much to the amusement of Cameron and his roommates.

The bottom line is: eat what makes you feel good. I feel really, really good about what I consume now (especially if Cameron or I cook it). And feelgood food doesn't have to be full of meat. If you think differently, let me cook for you.

My Christmas List

2010-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

So, after being asked what I wanted for Christmas a few times, I decided to compile a list (with links) and post it for all to see. I have recently discovered Prezi, which is like a powerpoint but BETTER. Cameron introduced me to it, and my prezi is the most basic possible, but I'm learning.

And now...I present to you my Christmas List prezi! Just use your arrow keys to navigate it:

My Christmas List on Prezi

Shoes & Other Updates!

2010-11-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

We broke 200! There are only 196 days left until the wedding!

Bridesmaid Shoes

So, approximately one week after I vented my little heart out about bridesmaid shoe challenges, Zappos literally exploded with perfect pink pumps. I have been checking Zappos on average once a month to check on what might be available for bridal party, and then, one day--BAM!--I had tons to choose from. I decided onsome mildly fuchsia ones with a ruffle embellishment and practically peed my pants when I saw they had a size 5 for my smallest bridesmaid. I ordered that pair, and when they came in a few days later I asked her (lucky for me, she's myroommate) to try them on. The verdict? SUPER CUTE. So there is joy in Mudville, my friends. So. Much. Joy. And that is only supplemented by Zappos' free shipping and returns. I ordered a pair for myself to wear on the big day, and am thinking about embellis

hing them with a little something extra to set them apart from the attendants. I have been spending some time with Etsy (my wedding planner would be proud : ) and have found marvelous SHOE CLIPS! Who knew such a magical thing existed? I shall explain in pictures:

First, my other roommate had her dress handy and tried on her shoes with it (and a random flower from my bedroom):

Here are the magical shoe clips! (I'm not fabulous at re-sizing images, obviously.)

I am not sure which sort of look I would go with yet, but I am pumped about all the different options and potential here. I am considering the shoe dilemma resolved. And that is a good thing.

Save-the-Dates

Save-the-dates are in my possession. Now they just have to get into the mailbox. Cameron and I are going to have an address party one of these days. Probably the same day I finish all my med school applications and term papers and research projects.

Babies!

Kara had her little one! Kennedy Elise Jones is my new niece (unofficially, I guess. It will be official May 22nd!). Cameron and I skipped classes last Friday before Fall Break to go visit her in Columbia. She is a cutie patootie for sure, and hopefully we will be able to watch her a little bit over Christmas break. Cameron doesn't think he's good with kids, but he is. He's just a big one himself, so I think he relates to them well. He's an awesome uncle, and is going to be an awesome dad one day...

Which brings me to my next point. I am itching so bad to adopt our own baby, Jozy. Cameron says that I'm more excited about that than the wedding (which is false. most of the time.). Every time I see a dog now, I start daydreaming about what it would be like to be a mom to an adorable wrinkly ball of love. Of course, Cameron set the let's-get-used-to-being-married-and-see-if-we-can-feed-ourselves-first-before-we-even-think-about-getting-a-dog time period at 6 months minimum, and I understand and respect that. However, I can't help but count down the days until we can bring Jozy home (one year and 15 days. yep.), and I may or may not have been perusing adoption websites and the humane society sites and doing lots of research about the specials needs and temperament of English Bulldogs. I just want to be ready when the time comes (in one year and 15 days).

Med School

So that Fall Break I mentioned? Cameron and I spent most of it looking at medical schools in New York, Boston, and Baltimore. I have applied to 6 currently and am waiting to hear about interviews. I also may or may not have had an emotional breakdown (with hormones partly to blame) in an Italian bakery in Boston about how incompetent I feel sometimes. I guess that's the beginning of this process I will be enduring for the next ten years or so. I know I am not the perfect applicant, but my desire to work in global health had to come from somewhere, right? So applying to programs that provide exactly what I'm searching for is also divinely determined, right? I like to think so. And I also like to think that maybe one of these programs will need a blonde-haired, blue-eyed southern woman who's got a husband and a bulldog. Affirmative action at its best.

The Wedding

2010-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have had to remind myself lately that there's a wedding coming up in my future. Not to say that I forget I'm engaged and madly in love with one soccer-playing English major, but I forget that I actually have to make preparations for the wedding. I have to wedding plan. Just a little bit.

So, updates.

Bridesmaid shoes:

My thoughts on this? Grrr... Frustration. I have always envisioned my girls in bright pink shoes and navy dresses. The navy dresses are accomplished. The shoes, however, have been frustrating. I originally order these from Nina Shoes:

Turns out they are WAY too raspberry in real life. So I had to ship them back, which included one awkward encounter with the FedEx man and plenty of re-stocking fees. Oh man. I want a fun pink pump that is classic looking, less than $100 and comes in a size 5 for my smallest bridesmaid. Is that too much to ask? I asked this woman at Nine West the last time I was there if there would be pink shoes anytime soon, and she informed me that I was a year late. Jerk. So the search continues...

Save the dates:

Are going out SOON! Cameron and I are perfecting the design and collecting addresses, and then they will be ordered and distributed accordingly. I kept putting these off to focus on things like my med school applications, but they have GOT to get done soon. Soon they won't even be save-the-dates. They'll be hey-come-to-my-wedding-next-weeks.

Ceremony:

We have an officiant and a venue, so that's great. We are just working on crafting the ceremony right now. We wanted to have our ceremony in a chapel so we could do our own thing, but now we have to figure out what "our own thing" is. We know we want some good music and honest vows, but that's about it. I personally feel (no offense to anyone) that sand and/or candle ceremonies are not for us-I think we want to do something that's more than symbolic. We'll see.

Right now, I am just so thankful for our planner. I don't know what we would do without her. If I'm stressing about these small details, I can't imagine what it would be like to plan the whole wedding. I can handle shoes, stationery, and ceremony. I can also attempt to get my body to fit into my unaltered dress, but somehow I feel like that is going to be the biggest challenge. Dangit.

Oh, random news:

Kara (Cameron's sister, and one of the bridesmaids) is going to have her baby soon! She's at 37 weeks already, so there's about to be another little Jones running around! It's a girl, and I am so pumped to spoil the mess out of her.

Back

2010-09-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have returned! Back to the US, back to South Carolina, back to Clemson, back to school, back to work, back to Cameron, back to my apartment, back to "normal life." Idioms are so weird in English--if a non-English speaker heard me say I was "back" in the United States, they would wonder why the rest of my body wasn't there, too.

First: 8.5 months until the wedding! That's less than a pregnancy, less than a school year...and we all know how fast those fly by (again with the idioms).

Second: CLASSES! Love my classes this semester. Love love love. My favorite? Why, International Health, of course. I am SUCH a nerd in that class--but I can't help if if I know how to make oral rehydration salts or how toprevent parasitic diseases--blame Uganda for that.

Third: Med School/MCAT/AMCAS/Stress about the future in general. As if figuring out grad schools for me wasn't enough, we are figuring them out for Cameron at the same time. I personally feel that he is an academic superstar and will get into the program of his choice, but I lack that same confidence for myself. I just think it's cute how we will potentially be two Dr. Joneses (Ph.D. and M.D.).

Fourth: It's senior year! Wow! I am working on soaking it all in, from the football games to the sorority functions, from the time I get to spend with my roommates to the crazy amount of love I have for this place called Clemson. A month has gone by already--only 8 left. Geez louise.

OH, and as of this Saturday, I am officially 21 years old! I had a great weekend celebrating with my friends and family, and I bought a glass of wine last night at dinner just because I could. It was delicious, but not worth the $6 I paid for it. I think I'll stick to water. It's free.

So I have a new driver's license that is supposed to last me for ten years, but is actually only going to last me 9 months what with the marrying and name-changing and moving and all that will be happening then. Can't wait to be Mrs. Jones!

Uganda Blog!!!

2010-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I made it here and have mastered the art of setting up the internet on my Mac. My blog about Uganda has been created!!!

The link is http://rabuninuganda.blogspot.com

Yes, I came up with that name all by myself. Enjoy!

I'm Learning

2010-06-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am over halfway through my internship at Greenville Memorial Children's Hospital, and man oh man I have already learned so much! Some days are slower than others, some more emotional than others, and some more mentally and/or physically demanding than others. So far, I have shadowed pediatricians in the following settings/specialties:

Neonatal ICU
Urology :)
Endocrinology
General peds
Newborn Nursery
Surgery
Infectious Disease
Urology again : )
Developmental/behavioral
Inpatient Wards
Urology Surgery : )
Cardiology
Pediatric ICU

I have a week and a half and 6 specialties left! They say that an internship like this can either confirm your interest in medicine or repudiate it...I am happy to report that mine has been confirmed! It's not awful to wake up in the morning and drive almost an hour to the hospital, because I know I'm going to learn something new and get this much closer to accomplishing my goal of actually being the one caring for patients one day. The other interns, med students, residents, and attendings are all inspiring. Gosh I can't wait to be a doctor.

Although the whole experience has been a learning experience, today I was exposed to a real life situation that has always made me cry in movies and books. When I walked into the pediatric ICU today, the resident pointed to a room and said, "That girl is really, really sick." I found out that she had just had a relapse of leukemia and was now in septic shock. Despite all the tests and labs, they weren't sure if she had a fungal, bacterial, or viral infection. As we moved through the day, it seemed like she had multiple infections--her immune system was basically nonfunctional because of chemotherapy. She was struggling to breathe and supply all of her organs with the oxygen they need, so it was either continue to let her struggle and most likely die, or put her on a ventilator to improve her breathing, and hopefully her health status. The problem was, she was "really, really sick." Once on, the chances of her coming off the ventilator were actually pretty slim. So, her family had to choose whether to put her on the vent with the knowledge that it might be the last time they communicated with her, or let her continue as she is, most likely deteriorating slowly. In essence, they were deciding which way to let her die. I had to fight tears while the attending was discussing this with her family. It really is not a decision any family should have to make. Ever.

I learned from this, though. I watched how much compassion had to be combined with science to treat this patient and her family. I watched how much that family was depending on the doctor to present them with scientifically factual and honest information, and how much they trusted his judgment of their daughter's present and potential health. I learned, not for the first time, how much of a responsibility it is to be a doctor, and it's one that I respect and pray I will be ready to take on one day.

Summertime & The Livin's Easy...

2010-05-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Not so much.

May: My summer is already 1/3 over! I can't believe it! Lucky for me, I spent that third studying for (and taking...ugh) the MCAT. Scores come out June 22--we'll just have to see what happens at this point, and the application process has already begun! Gee thanks, AMCAS.

June: A MUCH better month. I am spending June working as a pediatric summer intern at Greenville Children's Hospital. This means I get LOTS of exposure to LOTS of different types of pediatric practice. I have already worked more time with the pediatric urologist into my schedule, so I am super pumped about that! Apparently no one else really wanted urology...how strange... Anyways, we (me and the 11 other interns) spent the last two days touring the whole GHS campus, which was exhausting! That place is huge! But now I have some sort of idea of where I'll have to be at 8 am every morning. There's such a variety of inpatient and outpatient practices, and I will get my fill of adorable newborns in the nursery and NICU, so that will be exciting as well!

July: UGANDA! AHHHH! I am so pumped for this for so many reasons.
1) I get to wear scrubs all day every day. Comfy comfy comfy.
2) It's my first trip to Africa. It's a pediatric clinic. We get to do EVERYTHING. We will see acute care, emergency care, HIV treatment/prevention, malaria (ugh), public health education (whoooooo!) and so much more. YES!

OH. and my mom got me an el cheapo stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (who knows what that is?) that I can take and use and leave there! How awesome is that?!

So this is the summer time. I have yet to go to the beach (and I live 15 minutes away. and Cameron works out on Folly Beach now. no excuses) or the pool (which I live 2 minutes away from. no excuses). I have been studying, working, commuting, and volunteering. And honestly, I'm not sure I would have it any other way.

P.S. When I took my MCAT on May 22, it marked our -1 year anniversary! We are within a year now! AMAZING!

The Nerds in New Jersey

2010-05-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

The only thing I remember from taking an SAT workshop (it was offered free one day in like tenth grade, and I went to get out of class) is not a test-taking strategy, useful formula or mnemonic device. It is simply this: "Don't let the nerds in New Jersey outsmart you."

Our instructor was trying to find some way to appeal to a bunch of lazy 15 year-olds, and he decided the best way to do this is to take the position of a sports coach, pitting us (his team) against the Nerds in New Jersey. He described their game strategy to us, explaining that they sat around all day in a big SAT think tank to come up with questions that would keep us from getting into college. He let us know that they were unattractive (the farthest away from geek-chic you could imagine), bitter (probably from being picked on for all those years) and downright evil--with the intention of getting revenge by keeping the same types of people that picked on them out of upper academia. So, after describing them to us, we would go through practice problem after practice problem, conditioning ourselves to think like the Nerds in New Jersey and to ultimately defeat them.

So now, 5 years later and after successfully conquering the first gauntlet they threw down (the SAT), I am faced with a much more daunting and intimidating task--the second gauntlet (the MCAT). I can't help it--every time I am faced with some sort of standardized test, I think of the Nerds in New Jersey. It's definitely a love-hate (emphasis on the hate) relationship--I know it's a necessary evil, but then I think: do they really have to make the tests so hard?? The answer? Absolutely. Especially the MCAT. Doctors HAVE to be smart. They HAVE to know their stuff. They HAVE to excel--because they're holding people's lives in their hand every single day.

So I say to the Nerds in New Jersey (if they even really exist): Thanks for the challenge. I appreciate your efforts. But I would really really really like to get into medical school. Please. So in 3 days (May 22nd) at 1 pm, please send me your easiest MCAT. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I know not all New Jersey-ans are evil nerds. I have a best friend from New Jersey. She is kind of a nerd. But not an evil one. I love her. Here she is:

In With the New

2010-05-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

The semester is over! AHHH! I really can't believe it. For some reason, the end of this semester has brought with it lots of new things for me. I am so excited about these new things and I have decided to share them with you:
1) I have an herb garden! I've been meaning to grow fresh herbs this whole year. We have an awesome balcony/porch that gets full sun, so I've been eager to put some basil and other herb plants out there. So, when I had a break during finals week, I finally went to Wal-mart and got two basil plants and one oregano. If these grow well, I definitely want to add some rosemary, thyme, thai basil, arugula....the list goes on! Anyways, we've already made fresh pesto with the basil, and it was so incredible. I am eager to try (or let Cameron try) new recipes...things taste SO much better when you grow them : )

2) I have new J.Crew clothes! So, my wonderful friend Ginny learned from her wonderful friend about the J.Crew distribution center near Asheville, NC. They have warehouse sales monthly, and they had a "half-size" one Saturday. Pardon me while I scoff. Half-size?? There were no less than 500 boxes full of J.Crew clothes set out in this warehouse. I can't imagine a full-size sale! Ginny and I spent at least two hours bent over the boxes digging through everything. I tried to be really meticulous and thorough, and only made it through two rows of boxes before my huge trash bag was too heavy to carry. Ginny and I reconvened in a corner of the store and tried on the clothes for each other (we wore track shorts and tank tops--there are no dressing rooms!). The thing about this warehouse sale is there are also no mirrors, so I was so thankful to have an honest and beautiful friend there with me (thanks Ginny!). Anyways, I ended up with 20 pieces of clothing and I spent.....drum roll please.....$204.00!! That's just over $10 per piece for J.CREW clothing!!! AHHHH!! Obviously, there's no way I could spend that much money in one shopping trip on a regular basis, but it's just amazing. I can't wait for next time. Below is a picture of my bounty, as well as a picture of Ginny and me in our new dresses! We were so excited about them that we both wore them (without communicating) to a party later that night. I am so pumped because I got some awesome nice clothes for my job this summer, and some super cute tank tops to wear under my scrubs this summer. I also got some cashmere sweaters that I would never be able to afford otherwise. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I got J.Crew clothes on the cheap and got to spend time with Ginny. YAY!
3) I have a new CAR! After driving around for almost 5 years in a very small 2-door-no-power-anything (not even steering) 96 Civic, I have upgraded! My dad agreed to sell my car and put that money towards a newer, higher-off-the-ground car. He, my brother, and my uncle drove my 2001 Nissan Xterra up to meet me on Friday night! I am so excited about it because it's way newer than what I was expecting, and it's SO much more fun to drive! I absolutely love being high up off the ground, and I LOVE having power locks and steering...and 4 doors! AHHH! I feel thoroughly spoiled, and I am expecting this car to last for years and years. Whoooo!

So there's my new stuff. Not to brag or anything, but I was just thinking about how I have all of these exciting things going on. Life is so good. So so good.

Let's Embrace

2010-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Because we've been so busy lately, Cameron and I have recently started doing something new. We embrace! (And frequently say "Let's embrace!" because we're just that awkward). Hugging, holding--whatever you want to call it--is so therapeutic for us. Almost every time we see each other, we're on our way somewhere or we're rushed for whatever reason, and we forget to actually take a moment and be thankful for each other's presence. I don't know how many times in the past week we have caught ourselves arguing about (I prefer to call it "discussing") something, and either he or I will say "Wait. Did we embrace?" and that kind of brings our focus back to each other, and we usually end up discussing whatever it was in a more civil manner.

I think we also decided that embracing was a good way of greeting each other because it's more socially acceptable than kissing. We can hug in a classroom, grocery store, restaurant, either of our living rooms, wherever, and it's not an issue. If we kissed, my roommates would probably have something to say about it.

So we have had success with this practice so far. I think we are going to try to implement it for the rest of our lives, and try to teach our children, too. It just gets the interaction between two people who know each other intimately started off on the right foot, and that's important for those of us who can easily get caught up in petty, worldly things. The embrace says: I love you. I appreciate you. I thank God for you. How much better would the world be if everyone did this?

Anyways, for those of you who have a significant other or someone else that really really matters to you, I would encourage y'all to embrace each and every time you see each other. Just see if it works for you like it's worked for us. If it doesn't, at least you get a free hug!

Changing the Concept of Aid for Africa: Bono's Article

2010-04-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

I just read this article today. It's an op-ed piece written by Bono for the New York Times. He spent March in Africa talking to some powerful and inspirational people (including the one-and-only Nelson Mandela). I love this article because it illustrates how the African people have such a culture of their own (and each village/country/state/region has its own culture as well), and they're using that culture to attempt (and succeed) to be self-sufficient--even when combating political corruption. One African says "Soon Ghana is not going to be receiving aid, but be giving it." How awesome is that? It just shows that, given the resources, any people can grow towards eliminating poverty, and they can sustain it themselves. As Bono says, we are going to have to rethink "aid." And that makes me happy.

We Broke 400! And other things I'm excited about...

2010-04-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

We broke 400! Days, that is... Cameron and I are currently 397 days, 6 hours, and 15 minutes away from tying the knot! I am so amazed that ~120 days of our engagement have gone by already--it seems like just last week he proposed. I get asked all the time about wedding plans, and thanks to Katherine, pretty much all of the large decisions are made, and most of the major things are already taken care of! I am so thankful for that.
My student loan money came in today! I am NOT excited about being in debt, but I am excited about using that money to pay for my Uganda trip this summer. Hopefully I won't have to use all of it, but I decided it was worth it to be a little bit in debt. I have been fund-raising and trying to save, but the plane ticket alone is $2000! How do people afford to travel across the world all the time?
Tomorrow the class I TA for is presenting on the health care reform legislation to a group called the Association of Women Professionals. I am super excited about that--it will probably be our last presentation about the bills, so I'm going to wear my orange and hopefully be able to spread some enlightenment about the reform.
I donated to Partners in Health today! I donated right after the Haiti earthquake, and today I decided to donate to their global efforts. I was inspired by my amazing friend Anna Baur, who is doing a giveaway on her blog for donations to PIH. I would be lying if I said the Starbucks giftcard had nothing to do with my decision to immediately donate (does anyone want to guess where I am now??), but it definitely spurred me to do something I kept intending to do, but would find other uses for my money.

On a similar note, I am working on providing a Legacy Scholarship for Invisible Children. They came to our campus and we screened their movie and heard from some Ugandans (SUPER cool!) about what was going on. I really feel like I can handle the $35 a month (that's ALL it takes to send a child to secondary school), so I will be beginning that soon! Sa-weeeettt!
One last thing...I am potentially getting a new (to me) car. After some part of my air conditioning broke in my old Honda, I got really frustrated, because I would rather not pay (or ask my parents to pay) for a car that I would rather not drive. I know that makes me sound high maintenance, but I have just always been an SUV kind of person--I learned how to drive on SUVs and got so used to sitting high up that when I ended up with a car that sits (no lie) six inches above the ground, I also end up getting very frustrated. I am SO thankful that I have had a car for these ~4 years, and it has served me well, but I am so looking forward to being higher off the ground! It will be a bonus to also have power steering, four doors, and power locks/windows. We shall see!

My cute fiancé is blogging!

2010-04-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Cameron is an English major, so you would think that he has lots of prolific and poignant thoughts that he should include in a blog for the world to see. He started one a long time ago, but just posted his first post in over a year!

Click here to view his wonderful thoughts. And comment! It makes him feel good : )

Mating Season

2010-04-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

First of all...405 days left! Whoa!

This weekend has been awesome--mostly because this past week has been the busiest yet. Cameron and I, since we started talking/dating ~5 years ago, have rarely gone a day without seeing each other. The only times that that has happened is when one of us is out of town, or during freshman year when we went to different schools (for those of you who don't know, he used to be a gamecock. ew. but he's now a successful tiger convert : ). Anyways, we usually make a point of seeing each other at least for a couple hours each day, and currently those hours are mostly made up of the two things we have to do for survival: eating and studying. This past week was awful. Between tests, endless meetings, and research/work demands, there were a few days when we didn't see each other AT ALL. So, by the time the weekend rolled around, we wanted to spend the whole thing together. I am SO looking forward to being able to come home to him. Right now, when I go back to my apartment, I come home to my roomies (all of which are preoccupied with other things--everyone is busy this time of year). I love my roomies, but I am really looking forward to "going home" meaning that I am not leaving Cameron, but I'm instead going to him. That sounds awesome. Anyways, this weekend was great because I got to spend a solid two days with him without interruption (read: homework).

It's mating season. I noticed it first in high school, being a supreme people watcher, that this time of year (usually beginning around February) is mating season. Everyone starts to couple up/hook up, and so many people get preggers! Since I am currently satisfactorily hooked/coupled up, and will absolutely not be getting pregnant any time soon, mating season has affected me differently this year. Remember my last post?? Well, I still want to mother something...something furry and wrinkly and cuddly and slobbery. Something like this:Cameron and I already have a name for our future child. We decided that if Josie Altidore plays well in the World Cup, we are going to name our bulldog Josemire, and call him/her Josie for short. We figure we would introduce him as Josemire for posterity. You have no idea how excited I am for this dog! I might start looking at cute pet things for him/her on sale between now and 1.5 years from now...Oh man. Too bad I can't go ahead and get him now. If I did, I would be evicted, and that would not be good.

So updates! My life is crazy right now, but I will probably be saying that forever and ever:

This summer: I will be spending May finishing up some research at Clemson and studying for the MCAT in Charleston that I will take May 22 (one year from the wedding!) After celebrating with Cameron after the MCAT, I will move back up to my apartment in Clemson for an internship at Greenville Children's Hospital. I am really excited about this, because it will give me an awesome look at pediatric health practice, which is something I'm really interested in. This internship will present some challenges, though--it's a 45 minute commute from my apartment, and I will have to be there really early each day. I also will have to wear grown-up business clothes every day. For a girl who's used to going to class in jeans and a t-shirt, getting ready in the morning will be challenging. I really need a coffee maker that can brew cold espresso. Then I could make myself one of these every morning:I will be working in Greenville until the end of June. Then, on July 3rd, I will be heading to Uganda!

I will be working with FIMRC's Project Bumwalukani and will be spending 4 weeks there. Hopefully I will be able to perform clinic duties as well as participate in educational activities with the local community to prevent infectious diseases, especially HIV. I have frequently gotten the question "Why Africa?" and I have a hard time responding without getting really emotional. I feel SUCH a strong urge to visit this place, to experience this culture, and to make at least some minuscule difference in someone's life there. I LOVED spending time in Costa Rica last summer, and I LOVE helping out with the clinic here in Clemson. However, I absolutely can't wait to get to Africa. I prayed like crazy about my summer plans, and I am just filled with complete confidence and peace that this is the right decision for me. I will be traveling alone, and will be without a lot of things I'm used to--like hot running water and Starbucks--but I just feel so strongly that I should go. So I'm doing it.

I will get back from Uganda on July 31st, and will move back in to my apartment at Clemson on August 11th or so. Then comes my senior year. Then comes graduation. Then comes the wedding. Then comes med school/moving somewhere new. Then comes Josie : )

Wedding: We are signing contracts now for videography, DJ, and the florist. I am really excited about the plans, but they are honestly kind of on the back burner for me right now since there's so much else going on. Thank God for a fabulous planner!

Runningish: So I did the Bridge Run. I finished 12 minutes faster than last year, so I have a new PR! I decided I need to learn how to pace myself, because it is really impossible for me to do it on my own. Holly and I are trying to run barefoot more often--which is really cool and feels natural, but results in toe blisters--weird! Also, if you do it on a treadmill, you get to feel how freaking hot the treadmill gets under your feet. We are taking a marathon training class next semester on Wednesdays, so we'll see how that goes : ) From experience, the only time I am really motivated to work out is when I get a grade for it! I lost a lot of weight when I took weight lifting in high school--I think because I knew I was getting graded on it. So hopefully this will really make me stick to running! It is so good for you, and the goal is to run a 1/2 marathon by December. Yep, that's me running 13 miles. At once. Whooooaaa buddy. At least that means I can wear cute running outfits and hopefully look good in them.

Oh gosh. I think that's it for now. I can't believe there are only two weeks left of classes, and one week left for exams. Time seriously flies.

Spring Break: The Week in Review

2010-03-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

So this week went by incredibly quickly (which is not unlike any other week, but man, where does the time go?). Cameron and his dad went to New York for the week (and Boston for St. Patty's Day), so I thought I would have time to myself to study for the MCAT (as the test date is quickly approaching) and relax. I'm not sure who I was kidding, but I of course ended up filling the week with all sorts of things that kept me incredibly busy, and made my break go by so much quicker. Here's how it went:

Saturday: We took engagement pictures! Aside from it being the windiest day I've ever experienced, it was a really great day! Chelsey Ashford was our photographer--we found her through a friend and really liked her work, so we asked her to take our pictures. She had them ready just a few days later, and I am so excited about them! We re-enacted our engagement with the Starbucks cup (the same one :) and took some really great candid pictures downtown Charleston, which is such a special place for us.

Monday: CAKE--probably my second favorite part of the wedding. I met with Lisa Sargent, my neighbor and a wonderful cook/baker, to talk about our wedding cake, and I am going to keep most of it a secret for now...the only thing I will say is that the cake was inspired by our proposal...okay fine: the flavors are STARBUCKS flavors!!! AHHHH I'm so excited. The bottom (and most plentiful) tier will be non-coffee flavored, but the rest will be flavored just like some of our favorite drinks from our favorite coffee place : ) Gosh I'm so pumped about this!

Tuesday: I met Katherine (our planner) at the Wickliffe House for lunch. I got to experience some really delicious food, just like we'll have at our wedding, and we talked about everything from rentals to flowers and more. We met with Heather from Ella Grey, and I think we've found a videographer (finally!). In the meantime, we are working on trimming the budget in other areas. This may turn in to a little bit of a DIY wedding after all!

Wednesday: The highlight of my day on Wednesday was showing my mom my gown! It actually zipped up, and although I felt like I was wearing a corset, I was really proud that it zipped up all the way! Because it's not exactly my size yet, that means I have to do what I can to make it fit me and vice versa. I feel like I'm in that movie Bride Wars, and "you don't alter the dress to fit you, you alter yourself to fit the dress." That isn't true to the extent that I will go on a crash diet or anything, but it is a great motivator to save money and effort and hopefully lose enough weight to fit into the dress as is :)

Thursday: I went downtown with my dad on Thursday, and we actually ate at the Wickliffe House so he could experience the food there, too. I think he liked it! We then went shopping downtown, where he bought me some awesome Costa del Mar sunglasses, some new jeans from Gap (since I busted two pairs of mine last week--how does that happen?), and a new battery for my laptop. It was great to just walk around and hang out with him. Later that day, my friend Karen and 3 of her friends came to visit in Charleston! I studied abroad in Costa Rica with Karen, and she actually graduated in December from Texas A&M and will be attending medical school in Houston this August! I am SO excited for her, and it makes me nervous that I actually have friends going to medical school--my time is just around the corner!

Friday: I got an oil change, I picked up concert tickets for my mom, I organized my coupons, I studied for the MCAT, and read some Harry Potter in preparation for trivia on Tuesday. My mom and I hung out a little bit and got to-go from Carrabba's before going to my cousin's softball game (they won!).

Anyways, this week has been insanely busy, but I honestly prefer it that way right now. I have been studying for the MCAT ~2 or 3 hours each day, and trying to run a little bit in preparation for the Bridge Run next weekend, so I have tried to be productive! I would love to have slowed down the pace a little bit, but that is proving to be pretty impossible until, well... after the wedding! The next 14 months are chock full of classes, traveling, an internship or two (hopefully :), wedding planning, research, and the whole med school admission process. I am nervous, excited, and feeling ready for it all!

Lately, I have been itching to mother something--not like I have time or anything--and no one get worried that I'll be preggers soon, but I really have been craving something to mother. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron's sister, Kara, just got pregnant, or that Tucker (my dog at my mom's house) has been clinging to me (he is SUCH a needy dog--just like a child) all week. Whatever it is, it has got me dreaming about mine & Cameron's future child, which he promised we could have after at least 6 months of being married: an English Bulldog! I am so excited for this dog, you have no idea! I will keep dreaming for now, but when the time comes, I am going to try to be the best dog mommy ever!

428 days left!

Just Grace.

2010-03-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

Oh man oh man. This semester has tested me in so many ways. I have had to think differently, prioritize differently, and challenge myself every day to live up to the commitments I make. One of the main things that makes me think is, well, the wedding. Another is my Women's Health class. Just wait--they're connected.

Now, I want to be a urologist. I have ever since I discovered what it was. For those of you who aren't familiar with the profession, urologists are surgeons that deal with male and female urinary systems and the male reproductive system. You can do all kinds of subspecialties, and it's actually a really diverse field, but, to be honest, one of the main things that drew me to it was the fact that most urologists are men, and most of the patients are men. I have realized more and more that I get frustrated with women much more easily than I do with men, and that is 90% due to me actually being a woman. Maybe I feel bitter about it because my woman parts are/were dysfunctional (I had a breast reduction in May 2008, I was diagnosed with PCOS (the same thing that Kate Gosselin has that made her have to go through fertility treatments) in August 2007). I just know from experience that women are incredibly complicated and men are just a little bit simpler (or so it seems). Anyways, the point of all this was to clarify that there were only two reasons for me taking this Women's Health class, and neither of them is my desire to learn more about my own womanhood or lack thereof. They are: 1) My advisor teaches the class, and she is really great, and 2) it fit into my schedule.

This class has turned into the most heart-wrenching experience I've ever had in a classroom. We do case studies, where we investigate everything from wartime violence against women to genital mutilation to sexual victimization. We learn about women who are shown absolutely no respect simply because they are women. We learn about women who are burned alive because their dowry is unacceptable. We learn about barbaric atrocities, and every single time I hear or read about them, I think, "Why them? Why not me?" What were the chances of me being born in the United States into an upper middle class family and having a family that loves me and a lover that respects me and knows me intimately and trusts me....what were the chances of me being exposed to Christianty? Why on earth am I here and not in the middle east, being beaten and having acid thrown in my face?

These questions surface a lot when I am planning the wedding...how the heck do I deserve this? Is it okay that my family is spending so much money on this one day for me and Cameron? It's not fair. I am way too spoiled, way too undeserving for this. I remember telling my friend Caleb that I felt ridiculous picking out gifts for people to give me (this was when we were visiting him in NYC, and I just had to go with Cameron to register at Crate and Barrel--so amazing!). Caleb told me that it was okay, as long as I was thankful. He is right. And I am so thankful! I am blown away every single day when I think about my life. Geez louise I have SO many blessings. Way too many to count, but I try to recognize them all the time, which can be difficult when I'm feeling frustrated with my reproductive system or a biochem test or the inconsistent weather in Clemson. How did I end up in this situation? I don't know, but it's gotta be a God thing. There is absolutely no other reason. No human logic can explain why I'm not one of those women who never get a chance to marry the one they love. Nope. No logic. Just God. Just Grace.

A Special Needs Wedding

2010-02-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

So I have been realizing more and more that my wedding is turning out to be a customized one. It all started with my engagement ring. Cameron and I randomly stopped by a manufacturing jewelry store between our friends' wedding and reception, and I picked out a ring from a catalog that was almost perfect. All it needed was a few changes: the center stone needed to be smaller and lower set so it didn't snag on anything, and the side stones needed to be removed because there was too much bling (oh yes, there is such a thing as too much bling). So Cameron took the ideas that I gave him to another jeweler that he knew, and had the ring of my dreams practically built for me (with no side stones and a low-set center stone). Turns out, of course, it was perfect--exactly what I wanted. Everyone comments on how unique it is, and I've had so many people say that it is so "me." I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I think it's a good thing, and I want to reflect "me" (and Cameron, of course : ) throughout our wedding. Now, as we are making more and more progress while planning, it's happening again! Here are some examples:

the menu: We couldn't just select items like normal from one of the packages Mediterra offers. We had some all-time favorites that weren't on the menu that we wanted to include, and we switched things around, removed some items, and of course added more to make it perfect. It's not final yet, but I am very exciting for a tasting!
the bar: Same thing! We are okay with beer & wine, but are also adding (if the budget permits) our own specialty drink during cocktail hour, which we will most likely create somehow.
the bridesmaid dresses: Turns out I am ordering them from Target and will be adding some things to them! The pricing works out really well, and again, we are ending up with a custom look! I will keep most of it a secret for now, but I am 100% sure that they will be precious.
MY DRESS: YES, I found my gown! There are no pictures of it because a) I don't want Cameron to happen upon them and b) it doesn't exist in its perfect, final form yet. I found it on the sale rack at White on Daniel Island, tried it on, and knew it had incredible potential to be exactly what I was looking for. I had probably tried on close to 30 dresses at other stores/boutiques, and couldn't find anything I was 1000000% in love with off the rack in my price range. I never thought I would be able to afford White, but the wonderful consultants at Bridals by Jodi suggested that I look there, because the owner, Jodi Moylan, does a lot of custom work. I went by myself (after my orthopedist appointment on Monday) and fingered through the sale dresses (50-75% off--amazing!). Because they were on sale, it wasn't possible to try a sample on and order it in my size, so I was hypothetically buying the dress as-is as far as size goes. I tried this one on, and it was a size 8 (which is like a 6 or less in bridal sizes--and I usually wear a 10!). It zipped up to my waist--apparently my chest size was causing problems, which is SO ironic. Anyways, we zipped it up as far as it could go, and when Jodi did that thing that bridal consultants do where they take the skirt of the dress and spread it out in one fell swoop, I fell in love! It was the silhouette that I had been envisioning in my head for over a year now--perfect! I asked Jodi if it was possible to let the seams out, and after looking we saw that there were like 4 inches extra in the seams that could be let out--which was more than enough (I will probably need around 2). Besides changing the size, I will be altering/adding a few other things, one of which I will give away--buttons! Jodi said she could put those on free of charge, and I think they are classic and beautiful. Gosh I am so pumped for the dress. I feel like everything else is almost inconsequential (almost) compared to my dress...I feel so at peace with it--it really is wonderful, but it of course has to be customized to be absolutely perfect for me--can't wait to see the final product!

So our wedding is special needs. We keep changing the "standards" that are usually set for weddings. We keep breaking the rules in some way--which makes it so much more fun! I am so excited to see how it will turn out--I know that it will be a reflection of us in so many ways, which is, I think, how it's supposed to be. 455 days!

Holy Cow! So much is going on!

2010-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, so, updates:

Wedding: We are wedding planning like crazy! Katherine (our planner) has been emailing us back-and-forth pretty much daily, and we are discussing all sorts of different options for the reception. I want to keep a lot of it a surprise, but just know that we are including a lot of personalized elements into the wedding day--this is not a mass-manufactured wedding, but is such an expression of my and Cameron's relationship and a celebration of us! We ran into a small snag in planning when we went home last weekend and Katherine had the flu (plus it POURED all day on Saturday). However, we have made up for lost time through all of our emailing! Cameron and I are headed home this weekend (Valentine's Day Weekend) to meet with Katherine and plan some more, so hopefully we will get a lot done! Friday night I am going to a bridal salon that I haven't been to yet to try on some more gowns. I am trying to stay under budget with this, but it just seems like I have such expensive tastes (it's not on purpose, I promise!). I just want a dress, like my ring, that is unique. I don't want a gown that I've seen on a bunch of other brides. I just have to find the right one. On Saturday, Cameron and I have an appointment with Whitney of Branch Design Studio. I never thought I'd say this, but I am so excited to talk about flowers! We of course have a small budget for flowers, and I didn't think I would care too much about them, but seeing some of Whitney's designs have me really excited. After that appointment on Saturday, we will meet with Katherine, which will be great because we haven't seen her in over a month! We will have so much to talk about. I am pretty sure that we are space planning and menu planning, which makes up a lot of the reception decisions. She has SUCH great ideas. I am really excited to get things done! I can't believe almost two months have gone by since Cameron and I got engaged.

Health/General Well-being: In other news, I am staying in Charleston an extra day because I have some kind of "abnormal skeletal protuberance"--basically a bone spur on my skull that results in headaches and chronic pain. I am going to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday, and hopefully he will be able to figure out how to fix this/where it came from. I am apparently lopsided, and I would LOVE to have that fixed before the wedding. I will try to upload a picture of my xray later--my neck curves backwards. Leave it to me to get these strange conditions.

Bridge Run: Also, Holly, Tiffany, and Ginny (some of my bridesmaids and best friends) and I are training for the Cooper River Bridge Run! Cameron and I "ran" it last year, finishing in 1:27 or something like that. This year, I obviously want to improve my one and only PR, so maybe under 1:20? We are using the training program on the bridge run website, which slowly increases our time/distance each week. Today, I am supposed to run 3 miles! I haven't done that since last year, but I am going to take it slow and steady and see if I can handle it. I am NOT a runner (or even slightly athletic) by any means, but I do think physical activity is important, and the Bridge Run benefits all kinds of local charities, so it's pretty cool.

Departmental Honors: I think I have a departmental honors project! I will be working with the Sullivan Center on campus and in the surrounding communities evaluating Spanish interpretation services in health care settings. I will be traveling with them to Walhalla to talk to migrant farm workers that are patients at their mobile clinic (which is often the only health care they receive) and interviewing practitioners and patients about the efficacy of interpretation services, and hopefully doing some research that will result in a better certification/training program for Spanish-speaking health interpreters. I am so pumped about this, because I will be in a clinical setting and I will be working with Spanish-speaking patients. Hopefully my research will really benefit the Sullivan Center--we shall see!

I think that's it for now (not hardly, actually--there really is SO much going on), but thus is life! I will hopefully have time to update after this weekend's activities : )

We Have Venues!

2010-01-19T21:11:00.001-08:00

So Cameron & I have finally made some bookings, which takes a HUGE weight off of our shoulders...

The first is our wonderful planner, Katherin e Miller, who has already helped us so much with her advice and suggestions, and has already served as our "legs" for reserving venues in Charleston.

The second is our ceremony venue! We are officially getting married at St. Luke's Chapel on May 22, 2011!

The third is, of course, our reception venue. It will be held at the Wickliffe House, which we are SO excited about. It took us a while to decide what type of reception we wanted in downtown Charleston. We considered some waterfront properties with gorgeous views of the rivers and the bridge, but we ultimately decided that we preferred the historic downtown feel of an old house. The Wickliffe House is pretty open on the inside, with plenty of room for seating and food (which will be catered by Mediterra Catering). There is a large piazza and an open lawn for dancing outside. Cameron and I really love how it combines inside and outside, and has plenty of room for moving around and exploring. Probably my favorite feature of the house is that we can use the upstairs for whatever we want--including for me and my bridesmaids to get dressed before the ceremony. St. Luke's is only two blocks down from the Wickliffe House, so I think it's a great fit for us and our wedding.

It's so crazy how all of this is coming together already! I am proud of us for making decisions, and so grateful for this event in our lives. It's gonna be awesome!

Something Borrowed...

2010-01-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

So, one of my bridesmaids is Anna Baur, who is such a wonderful person and friend. We lived on the same hall when she went to Clemson freshman year, before getting married and transferring to College of Charleston. Freshman year, we discovered that we share an appreciation for a lot of the same things, including a passion for healing people through medicine! Anyways, I was a bridesmaid in her wedding and actually caught the bouquet, which is kind of cool. I was recently telling her how I didn't really want to spend money on a veil because it is not a part of my day that is super important to me--I was planning to wear one simply for the sake of tradition. So, I was explaining this to her, and she offered to let me borrow her veil to wear on my big day! I am so excited, because not only is it a saved expense, but her veil can now be my something borrowed! It is so perfect! I am thrilled to not only have her as a bridesmaid on my wedding day, but to share something that she wore on her wedding day--which was so beautiful. I have shamelessly been trying it on, as you can see in the picture, and it is a little wrinkled, but I figure if it hangs in my closet for 16 more months and is also steamed before the wedding, it will be fine. It just makes the wedding seem so much closer--I absolutely can't believe we have been engaged for a month!

We are going to try to make the deposit for our planner and venues this week--this is such a fun process and I feel so wonderfully at peace with the whole thing...only 494 (ish) days left!

Progress! (Kind of...)

2010-01-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

So the spring semester has started! Let the fun begin! I am still working on developing a routine for the semester that includes class, work, studying, and extracurriculars, but I am pumped to get it started! I have been looking forward to this spring semester because I am taking 15 hours (with 12 actual hours of class and 3 hours of Creative Inquiry--research projects), which is such a change from the 19 hours I took last semester! Anyways, Cameron and I have gotten a lot (not really, but it feels like it) done for the wedding. We have established, first and foremost, that we want a planner! We both think that a wedding planner is well worth the money, especially because of the stress she/he would save us so we can focus on school. We have met with two so far, and I think we have found one that will work for us--in terms of budget and the services that she offers. I'll put her name on here once we sign a contract!

Here is some progress we have made in some other areas of wedding planning:

Date: Okay, so we are now pretty sure that we want to get married on a Sunday, simply because of the price savings. The Sunday before Memorial Day would be great, but many venues would charge the same on that day as they do on Saturdays. So the date very well may end up being May 22, 2011.
Ceremony Venue: We love St. Luke's Chapel because of the location and flexibility with the ceremony. We would be able to bring in our own minister, musicians, and decorations, which is great, because Cameron and I definitely want to create our own ceremony--including our own vows : )
Reception Venue: I think we have it narrowed down...we haven't signed any contracts yet, so I won't post that yet!
Website: We worked on our wedding website a little bit! I am quite proud of us: www.theknot.com/ourwedding/CameronJones&RabunHoward
Colors: Navy blue & a fuchsia-ish color, probably with some really bright, fun, accents.
Bridesmaid's dresses: Will be blue! I have picked out a design that I absolutely love (and I think my 7 attendants love, too), but we are waiting a little while to order them.
My gown: Also found one that I love, but I don't feel like I can commit to it yet. I have a hunch that it will end up being "the one," though.
Food: We definitely want to have as eclectic a menu as possible--anyone who knows Cameron and me knows that we absolutely love great food, especially really great ethnic food! It is just a matter of finding a caterer/menu that is budget-friendly, eclectic, and delicious! We almost certainly want to include coffee at the end of the night, and hopefully will be able to swing using Starbucks cups, since that was such a huge part of our proposal (you can read the story on our website :)

I think that is about it for now! I really feel like after we make a formal decision on a planner, many of the other things will fall into place. Stay tuned!

Wow!

2009-12-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

So I just got engaged. Yep. December 12, 2009. How amazing is that? After almost 4 years with Cameron (our anniversary is the 22nd), he finally proposed (and I said yes, of course)! We have been talking about getting married for about a year and a half now, and with that came endless conversations about our future...like where the heck we will be in a year and a half (we're still not sure about that one), how we're going to raise our children (yeah, ok, so we don't have that answer yet either), and what it is exactly that Cameron wants to do when he grows up (which is also still up in the air). The only thing we are 10000000% sure of is: We are meant to be together. God put us together because we need each other. We are each other's complement, biggest challenge and best playmate--and we have spent over 4 years figuring that out. So we are getting married. WOW!

This blog will mostly be my commentary about the next year-and-a-half. SO many things are happening between now and then. Here is a short list, in no particular order:

Planning an AMAZING wedding & honeymoon (Tentative date: May 21, 2011)
Graduating from an AMAZING university (that would be Clemson for both of us, May 13, 2011)
Taking the MCAT (May 2010)
Applying to medical schools (Summer 2010)
Completing my Health Science internship abroad (Summer 2010)
Getting accepted to medical schools (cross ALL your fingers for this one, early 2011ish)
Deciding which medical school to attend and where exactly we are going to spend the next four years of our lives (Spring 2011)
Finding an apartment in that area (Spring 2011)
Working as a TA for the Honors College (raise your hand if you love studying health care reform!, Spring 2010)
Completing undergraduate research (Spring 2010)
Completing Departmental Honors (by Spring 2011)
Five year anniversary with Cameron (December 22, 2010)

...and the list goes on. So I have 17 months to do all of this. In between it all I will be living, laughing, and loving the mess out of life...I am SO incredibly blessed. I can't wait to see what God has in store for myself, Cameron, and all of the wonderful people that surround and support us. And through it all, I will do my best to live La Pura Vida.