Emptying the bucket

Being engaged, planning a weddding, and prepping for marriage has many aspects to it. Most are really enjoyable and fun, but unfortunately, there are some not-so-fun things. Pre-marital counseling was something Tyler and I both had our hesitations about. The word "counseling" tends to have a negative connotation to it; we envisioned torturous sessions where we'd be forced to talk about our feelings, our relationship would be dissected, and all of our flaws would be pointed out to us so we'd know how difficult our married life would be.

Boy, were we wrong! First of all, our minister is incredible. He is a straight-forward, no frills, tell-it-like-it-is guy that is realistic about life, marriage, and young couples. We've only met with him a few times, and he's already taught us some great tools to aid in our communication. One exercise is called "Emptying the Bucket". To 'empty the bucket' you ask your partner 4 questions: What are you mad about? What are you sad about? What are you scared about? What are you glad about? That person answers each question one by one, the person asking the questions repeats their partners answers without commentary, and then you switch roles.

As silly as it may seem, it truly works! Simple questions like that open up so many topics for discussion. Even if you don't have anything you're particularly mad/sad/scared about, it's still nice to hear what your partner is feeling glad about! One thing that our minister told us that stood out to me was, "feelings buried alive never die." That is the absolute truth, and I hope that I always remember that.

Now we are to the point where we actually look forward to our counseling sessions, and plan to keep 'emptying the bucket' well into our marriage. :)

For the love of furniture...

It's official. Tyler and I have made our first "major" purchase together!

Monday was my dear father's 52nd birthday, so on Sunday me and the family went out for lunch after church to celebrate. Since it was his birthday lunch, Dad chose to eat at Texas Roadhouse - yum! Tyler was feeling sick that day and didn't come with us, so I was a little bummed out. However, I wanted him to rest and feel better so I still had a blast hanging out with my family. After we finished lunch, my sister and Michael mentioned they wanted to go to Mathis Brothers to look at some new furniture. Once we got there I decided to venture out and browse what they had. Long story short: I found a GREAT deal on a couch, loveseat, and chair set that I couldn't pass up. I sent Tyler a picture and as soon as he said he loved it, I said 'I'll take it!' I felt sad that Tyler wasn't there to share in the excitement of the moment but like my mom said, there will be plenty of other exciting purchases.

As I was standing there waiting on the paperwork to be finished, everything just hit me all at once. I thought, "Wow. This is happening. We're really getting married." It brought the biggest smile to my face! I absolutely love these little hits of reality. Although I love planning our wedding and I'm positive it's going to be a beautiful day we will cherish for the rest of our lives, sometimes it is nice to remember the bigger picture.

I can't wait to put together the rest of the future Wick home!

Cleanse or crazy?

A little known fact about me: I recently lost a little over 20 lbs over the summer. I was unhappy with a few areas of my body, so I started really watching what I ate and worked out about 6 days a week - the weight just fell right off! Then Tyler and I went on our fantastic vacation to Cancun, Mexico (where we got engaged!) and the rest is history. As soon as we returned I started school full time in addition to working full time. Life got hectic, my free time became scarce, and admittedly, I got lazy.

Luckily, I haven't gained any of the weight back despite my less than perfect eating habits the last couple of months. I do, however, feel really tired and sluggish all the time no matter how much sleep I get. I'm taking this as a sign from my body; time to get off my booty, get back into a regular work out routine, and eat healthier again. To jump-start my diet and workout program, I decided to try a 'total body cleanse.' This will be my first cleanse, so I did quite a bit of research. The one I chose promotes good digestive health, gets rid of toxins that break out skin and slow kidney and liver function, and allows the intestines to absorb nutrients more effectively.

The cleanse I purchased can be done in 48 hours or spread out over 4 days. I'm a little hesitant, due to the fact that you can't eat anything besides handful sized portions of fruits or veggies during the cleanse, in addition to lots and lots of water. And, most notably, NO caffeine. Yikes!

Despite my reluctance, I know I have the strength to complete this process. Most of all, I'm excited to blog about my first 'total body cleanse' experience - hopefully it's a good one!

My story begins...

First of all, I am entirely new to this blogging business, so please forgive my lack of knowledge as far as this site itself. It's going to be a learning process for me, just like all of my new endeavors, so I'll just add 'blogging extraordinaire' to my learning list!

Secondly, I have to give credit where credit is due. This blog is 100% inspired by my newly married and dear friend from my middle/high school days - Salem. Salem began her blog for the purpose of being able to document the incredible moments that come with being a newly wed and the changes that follow - along with just plain celebrating life! I think this is great idea - I am currently 4 months from my own wedding, and feel life's changes beginning already. A favorite song of mine is titled, "A Twist in My Story". I've always loved that phrase, as I've always viewed my life as a story, one that is being written day to day without knowing what the next page will hold - a story that will eventually come together as a beautifully written novel that will be cherished -hopefully- for years after I'm gone.

Just a little backstory on me: I'm engaged to the love of my life, Tyler. He is not the person I envisioned myself spending the rest of my life with - he's MORE! We are getting married February 12th, 2011. We plan to move in together after the wedding to a small house in our hometown of Owasso. Also, I am currently in college for my Business Administration degree, and working part-time at a local home decor/gift boutique called Surceé. The newest, most exciting news in my life...my sister and brother-in-law are pregnant with their first child! I'm going to be an aunt!

Needless to say, 2011 will be quite a year! :)