Today I'm continuing our wedding story - the getting ready process & the ceremony. {I stole all these photos from friends on Facebook - I will share our professional ones once they arrive}

After the rehearsal dinner on Thursday, I slept like a baby which I wasn't expecting at all! To be honest, during this whole process I have never once been worried or nervous about being married to Nick - all the worry and anxiety came from making sure everything worked out logistically! My anxiety woke me up around 5 am and around 7 am I started to get everything ready for my 'maids to arrive to start getting ready.

A few of my maids and I stopped at Panera for a quick breakfast and iced tea (this is a must) before the hair and makeup artists arrived at 10 am. 

The whole morning was very relaxed - we had one hair and one makeup artist so the getting ready process was slow but this was the first time we had all been in one place for the first time since college. There was A LOT to catch up on! 

For part of their gift, I ordered these adorable and super comfy robes from Etsy (missing two more maids in this pic). Throwing our sorority sign :) I thought they turned out GREAT and I love wearing mine around the house now.

I can't tell you how much I miss spending time with these ladies. It brought me back to so many times in college when we would blast music, practice doing each others hair and makeup, and act goofy before a night out. I love that when we all get together, it feels like nothing has changed even when everything else has - when you're blessed to find friends like these, hold on for dear life!

Over the course of the morning, the flowers were delivered and the photographer arrived to take getting ready photos. There were only a few hiccups during the day and I was really the only one who noticed so overall, things when very well.

The 30 minutes before we left the hotel were probably the craziest - getting dresses on and directing everyone on where to go next.

When Nick and I got engaged, I knew I wanted to attempt the mismatched bridesmaid trend. I'm really not a matchy-matchy kind of gal and for some reason I tend to reject most of the popular wedding designs for dresses - satin, tulle, taffeta, etc. My friends all have totally different body types and I wanted everyone to feel comfortable and beautiful! Plus, we are all fresh out of college. I wanted them to purchase dresses and shoes that they could wear again ("You can shorten it and wear it again.")

Before the ceremony, Nick and I decided to do a "first look" which we were super hesitant about. In order to maximize our time at the reception, we got 75% of our photos done prior to the ceremony and I'm so glad we did!

We ended up have two spectacular, unique moments - the first look and the walk down the aisle. I highly recommend doing so! I felt much more relaxed and at ease knowing a lot of the pressure was off yet I still felt all the emotions of seeing Nick at the altar when I walked into the church.

After lots of photos at a location in downtown Cincinnati (the P&G Gardens), we headed to the church to get ready. Here's the finished product!

The ceremony was beautiful. We had a full Mass which apparently bothered a few people (really?) but we were so happy with how things came together. Two of my bridesmaids are Jewish and they did just fine! 

One of my favorite parts was the music! Our cantor sings beautifully. The bridesmaids processed to Canon in D while I entered to the Prince of Denmark March. During the prelude the cantor sand Ave Maria which is one of my favorites!

Prior to the wedding I was trying to decide who would walk me down the aisle. I decided that I didn't want to try to fill the role my dad would have filled so I walked alone. I talked with my mom and others and they supported my decision. That part of my life is super complicated - my dad's family didn't attend the wedding which I think bothered me more than I was willing to admit. Their loss.

One of most emotional times of the ceremony was when my grandpa (along with my aunt and grandma) brought the gifts forward to the priest (the eucharist and wine). My grandpa has always been a huge part of my life and a big source of inspiration for me. (He has had Multiple Sclerosis for over 40 years - one day I'll write his story). I was so happy to have him part of the wedding! 

The ceremony went a lot quicker than I imagined it would. Before I knew it, we were MARRIED! 

More pictures!

One of our adorable flower girls!

All of the flower girls! What Nick doesn't know: this is foreshadowing a future family photos - we're only having sweet little girls when we start a family (maybe ONE boy).

Mr. and Mrs. for the first time! 

Part III is coming soon!

Any questions or comments, leave them below!

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?

As you all are ALL aware by now, the last few months have been super crazy for us - I haven't been around much, mostly because of school, partly because I don't prioritize my life properly, and also because I was getting married! 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Mr. Nicholas and I, you can read our engagement story here & a fun little relationship survey here. 

We are high school/college sweethearts - it was all just a matter of time {7.5 years later!}. Despite our long-term relationship, it feels like there have been so many unique "phases" of our relationship that things seem to always be evolving and changing. We graduated from high school together (separate schools), moved away from home together, graduated from college together (Go Hoosiers!), etc. all while growing and changing into who we are today. We've been through A LOT together and I couldn't be happier or more optimistic about our future together - best buddies for life! 

The weeks leading up to the wedding were hectic to say the least. I finished school and exams at the end of May so I had about 3 weeks to get everything finalized before the big day! During that last week, I decided to run another half marathon which I talked about here. (Thank you all for your kind words on my last post. I realize now that I was pretty hard on myself and I'm thankful that so many of you pointed out that finishing was something to be proud about and not a reason to get down on myself.)

Through all the stress of moving and planning, I managed to have a lot of fun, too! Two of my very good med school friends live down the street from our new apartment with their fiances and we already have some friends from college in the area so family game nights are a go!

Transitioning our lives from Cincinnati to Indianapolis has been really, really great thanks to our friends and family. Despite the fact that both of us would one day love to move back to Cincinnati to raise our family, I think we fit in nicely here. It helps that Indy and Cincy are very similar cities - large enough to have everything you could possible need (entertainment, sports teams, shopping, etc.) but with a small, hometown feel. I'm biased but I still think Cincinnati is the best :) 

{Great med school friends at L's Bachelorette Painting Party - Wine & Canvas}

We started receiving a lot of wedding presents in the month or so before the wedding and this was one of our favorites! You know you're getting old when you get excited for dishes and vacuum cleaners.  

The week before the wedding was craft time! For our favors we decided to do mason jar drinking glasses with a fun kraft paper tag. It was surprisingly easy (though time consuming!). I purchased a personalized stamp from Stamp The Envelope on Etsy and the rest I put together all by myself!

This is the finished product - no I'm not super crafty and I'm sure someone else could've done much better but hey, I'm free labor. 160 mason jars. It's safe to say I'm crafted out for a while.

Also had to make sure I got my bridal beauty routines in! (No, I'm not naked)

On Wednesday before the wedding, I finally made the trek back to Cincinnati to run a bazillion errands including picking my rehearsal dinner dress up from Macy's and meeting with the DJ/Paper lady to pick up our programs. Whew! Things went by SO QUICK and before I knew it, it was time for the rehearsal at the church and dinner!

Programs!

Last minute guestbook table decor from Hobby Lobby!

On Thursday it was rehearsal time so we had our bridal party meet us at a bar down the street from our church in Mt. Adams for snacks and so everyone could finally meet! All of my bridesmaids were my sorority sisters in college - I'm an only child and don't have any other females my age in the family so they were all natural choices and my best friends! Nick, on the other hand, had a wide variety of groomsmen - his brother, best friend from grade school, cousins, co-workers, and college roommate. Everyone got along great though despite never being all together before that time! 

Church rehearsal took about 45 minute and then we headed to Nick's parents house for a big family bash! Lots of fun appetizers to eat including a MASHED POTATO BAR in little martini glasses. Are you kidding me??? Clearly they know me well!

Presents from thoughtful friends! An old bottle that was turned into a drinking glass! Go Bengals!

Two of my bridesmaids!

I wish I had more pictures to share but a lot of them haven't been posted yet :) I stole these from Facebook!

After our rehearsal dinner, it was time to go our separate ways for the night. I stayed downtown with a few of my bridesmaids at our hotel and got some much needed sleep! I didn't have much trouble falling asleep but I certainly woke up bright and early the next morning...

 

<a href=" http://www.prettystrongmedicine.com " target="_blank"><img src=" http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/WIW-2014.jpg " width="240" height="350" alt="Weigh In Wednesday"/> </a>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

 Erin @ She's A Big Star

I'm a married woman, y'all!

{I love everything about this}

Can I just say how HAPPY I am right now? The biggest stress of my life so far is over - everything went swimmingly and now we're back to "reality."

Reality hit HARD this morning when I weighed myself.  Starting with the rehearsal dinner and ending with tacos, fake cheese, & homemade margaritas last night, the past week has been a wedding-related free-for-all when it comes to food choices. 

I'm just going to leave this here.

Yikes.

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last week: 201.2

This week: 206

Change: + 4.8

Total Loss: -30.2

You will notice I'm using a new scale {wedding present}. I'm compared it to my old one - that one has me at 204 (I've compared before and I'm always 2 lbs heavier on the new scale). Regardless of which one is right, I'm going with the new one. It's probably more accurate.

The weight gain I expected - that part doesn't bother me because I know I can lose it. Feeling bloated, fatigued, and having tummy issues for the past few days has NOT been worth it, however. It's amazing how much BETTER you feel when you are eating clean and working out. Right now I feel like a big ole blueberry.

Today is a new day - the hubby, husband, Hubs, whatever - is back at work so it's time I get back to work as well. Eating clean and good old fashioned hard work. 

{Good-bye friends}

{Good-bye Creamy Goodness}

This morning I went for a quick run - just a mile to gauge how my knees were feeling - it's been 1.5 weeks since my last half marathon and while the soreness has subsided, my knees are not feeling too friendly. Over the next week I'll be working back up to 3m-5m runs and sticking there for a while. No more long races until I start mini training up again in August.  

My next big goal for running is the Monumental Half Marathon here in Indianapolis on November 1st.  I plan to start training again at the beginning of August so for the next two months, my goal is to really LEAN out so I will be faster and lighter for my next half. I know carrying extra weight is killer on my knees and I want to be able to run for a LONG time.  Lots of cardio, lots of weight lifting, and some yoga/flexibility for the rest of the summer.  

{I should really work on my background choices}

Stay tuned for our wedding recap starting tomorrow - I have lots to share!

What are your fitness goals for the summer? 

How do you bounce back from a big gain?

I'm officially a Mrs.!

I CANNOT wait to share all the details here over the next few days! For now, we are getting settled in our apartment and enjoying one last day together before Mr. PSM goes back to work.

See you tomorrow for Weigh In Wednesday! Tell all your friends :)

{A sneak peek}

 

<a href=" http://www.prettystrongmedicine.com " target="_blank"><img src=" http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/WIW-2014.jpg " width="240" height="350" alt="Weigh In Wednesday"/> </a>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

 Erin @ She's A Big Star

Time sure is marching on - I just finished another round of exams for Pulmonary and now I'm finishing up the year with Renal and a TON of practicals. ONE MONTH. Which means six until the wedding. AHHHHH! Freak out mode!

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last week: 205.6

This week: 204.2

Loss: -1.4

Total Loss: -32

Another small loss, but a loss none-the-less! Inching closer and closer to that big 199 goal. I'm starting to see differences finally - mostly in my clothes. My jeans are getting looser, my tops are fitting better, and my energy levels are increasing. It's not a dramatic difference but at least I finally feel like I'm seeing results!

The past two weeks have been taper weeks - less mileage and more moderate activity. Today and tomorrow will be my last runs before my mini on Sunday. Then I plan to do yoga on Friday and Saturday, maybe a light workout on Friday. The nerves are officially setting in. I KNOW I can do this. I just hope everything goes in my favor. 

Secretly, I know I'm scared that I will get injured - my foot or my knees - something will go wrong and I'll have to stop working out until I heal. I don't want to lose momentum going into the summer - not when I'm finally building consistency. 

Self-doubt creeps in - Did I train enough? Did I skip too many short runs? Will I be able to handle the hills? Will I finish? All I can do now is do my best! Run, walk, or crawl, I'm going to drag myself across that finish line. I will finish.

This past weekend, we had LOTS going on and I finally got a break! After my exams on Friday, I decided to freshen up my hair color and start the process of going blonde again. I want to be blonde for the wedding because I've been brunette for a while now and I was blonde when Nick and I first met. I've been coloring my hair since 8th grade - this might be the first time I've actually seen my natural color in years but oh well! Later that night, a few of my friends and I went to see The Other Woman - it was a great girls night! 

On Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early to go run my medical school's 5K we sponsored in conjunction with the Health and Fitness Expo.  I'll recap this race in a later post because I'm quite excited! 

Saturday evening Nick came up to Indy because we were going to go apartment hunting and look at furniture for the big move in two weeks! Most of Sunday was spent furniture shopping and Monday morning we went to see our possible future apartment. Everything is coming together! 

When Nick comes to visit, I try to flex my chef muscles so he won't be worried about starving to death (and he needs to get used to my "weird" eating.) I'm not Julia Child but I'm getting there...

Eggs with veggies and salsa chicken, greek yogurt with strawberries and almonds.

My new favorite meal: salsa chicken, avocado, lots of hot sauce, and a side of veggies!

Hope you're having a great week!  Whatever your goals are, keep going!

 Hello family! It's been awhile since I've had much weekend happenings to "wrap up!" To finish my spring break out strong, my bridesmaids (minus the very missed Marguerite) came up to Indianapolis for my Bachelorette Party! They quickly put together a party with only two weeks to plan everything because of my limited schedule and I think it turned out beautifully! 

What I love most about our group is that we can go without seeing each other for months but when we finally get all back together in the same place, it's like we were never apart. 

We started the afternoon with lots of snacks (mostly healthy - hummus and pita, veggies, chips, etc.) and some delicious punch, wine, and yes - even jello shots. My friends really outdid themselves for being the middle of the day.

We played a couple fun games including Fiancee Jeopardy. My friend Mary had asked Nick to answer a bunch of questions about his favorite things, family, etc.  Wrong answers meant consequences - if I got it wrong, I had to do something (like truth or dare, take a drink, etc.) and if I got it right, someone else had to do it.  It turned out to be SOOO fun!  I didn't do too bad either and they were tricky questions!

We went to dinner later on in Broadripple and then eventually made our way downtown to Howl at the Moon which is a dueling piano bar. SO. MUCH. FUN. I must go back! At some point in the night, my friends signed me up to be on stage to have them play "We Are Young" by Fun. aka our senior year of college anthem. I may have ended up singing into a microphone in front of hundreds of people. Surprisingly, I did not overindulge at all during the night - I mentioned in my last post how having "too much" fun was a common fixture of my college experience. I'm slowly learning that I can still have a blast with my friends and be more responsible and because of that realization, the night was awesome!  It doesn't hurt that anytime we all get together, the night is just plain hilarious.

After HATM, we made our way home - safe and sound. Brunch this morning and now my Spring Break has come to an end, sadly. The end of my first year of medical school is quickly approaching which means the wedding is closer, too! (and my mini!)

There are so many things to look forward to in the coming months - a lot of life changes and a lot of stress. Hoping to make it through the best that I can. 

One of my favorite presents from the party!  I love it.

Leftovers at my house - the amount of wine is ridiculous. I won't be drinking this anytime soon, I have a dress to fit into!

At Howl at the Moon - some man decided to rudely jump into our photo.

Seriously the luckiest bride in the world to have the best sisters, friends, and bridesmaids!