Un-friggin-believable!

My epiphany came today.. finally..maybe.. from an unlikely source.

The source? My mouth.

Hundreds and hundreds of dollars in doctor's bills. All I needed was a damn trip to the dentist to set me straight?! It's somehow not right!

I'm sorry officer, I didn't see that stopsign ahead..

.. I was too busy looking in my rear-view mirror.

I can't even put into words how tremendously frustrating, disappointing and embarrassing it is to take leaps (not steps, but leaps) backwards. It's compounded only by the fact that I had worked for months to begin moving forward. I suppose that's life and that there are just certain things that are far less easy to overcome than others.

With that, life has been intense recently. Rounds of testing for my license are complete, but the task of Physics and Classroom Assessment still loom ahead.. for at least one more month! I am happy to report that I kicked the crap out of Praxis II. I am still waiting for my VCLA scores, but am hopeful.

Wedding planning continues. We are one signed paper and a deposit away from booking the florist, but the biggest things are done - music, catering, venue, photography. Next on the list is officiant and (with luck) save the dates. Eventually that fabulous photog that I booked with FINISH our damn pictures. You think over a month would be enough time..

In other Heidi-related, though somewhat unimportant, news:
- Brian Nichols was convicted on Friday on all 54 counts for which he was charged, including the murder of our family friend, Dave Wilhelm (a coworker of my mom's). Deliberations over enforcing the death penalty will start Monday. I have my own views of capital punishment and I would say that a world where he is found to be ineligible due to mental illness would be an unjust world. My tax dollars have been keeping him alive and comfortable in prison while Candy and Mars suffer a worse punishment on the outside of those prison walls. Somehow, it just isn't right..

- Dad finally found a doctor that could detect the injury in his rotator cuff. He has surgery scheduled for Tuesday and will require about 6-8 weeks to recover. It's entertaining to watch him "practice" driving and eating with the wrong hand. Oh, my Dad...

- Steve shot a gun for the first time last week with Eddie. He's now wildly excited about purchasing his own, which makes the reality of his being in the law enforcement field all that more real. And scary.

- In other good news, training (which I wouldn't exactly call "training" anymore) is going well. With the recent assistance of a medical professional and the second beginnings of curbing a deadly disorder, I am still losing weight, but can really see more definition now. It's odd, but I have some pride buried inside of the disgrace. I'm down to 135 lbs. Thinking about how I was 160 just over 2 years ago brings a small (very small) smile to my face. Hard work continues..

- Danes came into town this weekend and we were able to catch the So You Think You Can Dance show at ODU. Unbelievable talent exists in the world of dancing and I'm so grateful to be a part of that world. I wouldn't trade being a dancer for anything!

I'm so far behind...

With training, wedding planning, work and all of those other things, it's easy to see why I haven't updated in months.

I think an update, albeit a condensed update, is overdue.

- I've made a bit more progress in my training. I'm down another 7 lbs. with 13 more to go to reach my goal. More pictures to come.. I promise!

- Wedding progress is being made:
*Reception venue booked - Contemporary Art Center of VA at the oceanfront
*Photographer booked - Scott Hayne Photography. He's ridiculously talented!!
*DJ booked - DJ on the Side
Many thanks to Becky & Mike for introducing us to Scott and Ryan with DJ on the Side. Their wedding rocked, so I know ours will too!
*With my type A, OCD personality, I'm obsessed with saving money and having my hands in
just about EVERYTHING. So, I created a boutonierre and designed some monograms for our
invitations and possibly our cocktail napkins. Take a look:

Exciting, right? I'm seriously trying to get a good chunk of things done before classes start in.. oh.. 5 days. Here's to Sugar-Free Red Bull, Starbucks and a good night's sleep!

New Pursuit

For approximately 2 months now, I have been training with the goal of eventually competing in a fitness/figure competition. Granted, it's a long way off, but so far I am impressed with my results. While I couldn't compare myself to those amazingly beautiful women yet, I am pretty confident that I am ready for bikini season - a feeling I have NEVER had! About this time 2 years ago, I was almost 30 lbs. heavier than I am now. The weight loss has been, at times, achieved in an unhealthy way. With the support of my amazing fiance, I am healthier. I have also been blessed to meet an amazing friend - Brandon - who is an amateur body-builder. His guidance in the gym is unbelievable!

For the first time in a very long time, I am happy working out 6-7 days a week! Normally, I am completely humiliated at having anyone other than Steve see me in less than shorts and a tshirt. I still have slight hesitations in having anyone see my progress (in a bikini, no less), but I have been encouraged to take progress pics. So, here they are. At least the love handles have taken a permanent hike! Trust me, you could never be a more harsh critic than I am for myself. Forgive the blurriness .. I suck at using this new camera!
Progress: 2 months

Test anxiety!

It's a terrible thing to be worried about a test that I'm not even taking until this summer or in the fall. I am currently searching for a great test guide for the Biology Praxis II for my license and good lord.. most of these books cost upwards of $50. We aren't even talking about a huge, all-encompassing biology review guide with multiple sample tests and thousands of tips and tricks (something that Kaplan provided me for my GRE preparation). That huge chunk of change will buy me a 180 page book with ONE test composed of 125 questions. Have the people making these books completely lost their minds? I venture to say that the answer to that is "yes." Scary, isn't it?!

Textbooks can tell a similar story. Most textbooks put you out $200 (with a return of $20 at buyback time) and you use maybe 50% of the entire book throughout your courses. It's ridiculous!

I will likely be able to get a fee waiver when I actually have to take the test, which is fine. It will make up for the ungodly amount of money I have to shell out for a book just to take that damn test.

I don't sound bitter about it at all, do I?

The Bridal Circuit

For those who have not yet had the pleasure of joining/viewing this group, it consists of every type of bride possible - the Bridezilla, the Submissive Bride (and by this, I mean the bend-over-and-let-everyone-else-decide-your-day type of person), the Type A Uber Organized Bride and the Indifferent Bride. Dana, God bless her amazing Maid of Honor soul, drove down from Manassas to attend the first of many bridal shows to come. Together, we stepped into the world of this unusual, yet somehow off-putting, group of individuals.

I like to consider myself as falling in the Type A organized group of brides. After all, I have been extremely Type A my whole life (hello.. Virgo!). Even upon visiting the first potential reception venue, I had a 2 1/2 page list of questions for the coordinator. Organization will be my true best friend over the next 15 months. I am trying my hardest to get things done in as timely a manner as possible. The ungodly amount of choices make this task far from easy. There's an endless amount of entertainment options, cake options, favor options, invitation options, photographer options, videographer options, song options.. You get my point.

That being said, a bride's true colors will inevitably show when faced with any of the above options. I can't even count how many times I could hear the "But they won't take pictures how I want them to" or the endless whines of "That cake is absolutely disgusting. I would never have that at my wedding." It's pretty incredible how bitchy a woman becomes in the event of a wedding. Amazing..

Of course, I now have a greater respect for the mothers of the bride, the maids of honor and the bridesmaids that have to deal with the bullshit that brides can put out. God willing, my type A personality will allow me time to keep the stress (and the Bridezilla) under control.

A pat for myself on the back!

It's not such a bad thing, is it? I mean we all deserve a little praise for our accomplishments from time to time, do we not? Oh yes, we do!

I apologize right away for making this out to be like I did something terribly exciting or praise-worthy. Forgive me, but I tend to get slightly excited when I meet workout-related goals. The "feat"? I ran for 30 minutes straight for the first time since becoming deathly ill a few weeks back. Obviously I'm exaggerating that "deathly" part, but seriously.. it was bad!

Hm.. 10 more miles of running and I'm set for the half marathon in September! Word!