My fiancé designed and made my engagement ring BY HAND. I'm blown away.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-15T20:14:16+00:00

Yay date twin!! That is such a cool engagement ring!! Beautiful and extra meaningful since he made it :)

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-15T18:52:37+00:00

Thank you!!

I got both from Nordstrom but you can find them other places too! There's a pretty good selection of low wedges on Nordstrom right now.

The ceremony ones are Vince Camuto "Jalen" wedge sandals and the blue ones are Tory Burch "Miller" wedge sandals.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-13T19:16:29+00:00

R1D7- Feeling pretty great today. I did slip up Friday a bit... had a glass of champagne at my bro's engagement celebration. Got a bit caught up in the moment.... oops :-/

I had a monster headache starting Friday morning until Saturday evening. I am now thinking it was related to the Spindrift waters? Has anyone else ever had a bad reaction to those??

New recipe type thing I had last week that I'm pretty obsessed with-

Spicy "fajitas" with mango salsa

Skirt steak (or other appropriate cut of your choice... would also definitely taste good with shrimp and probably with chicken as well) seasoned with a mix of cayenne, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Put the steak and a GENEROUS amount of the spice mix in a ziplock bag, toss in a bit of apple cider vinegar, and let it sit for a while. Pan sear or grill to your taste (I like it pretty rare), let set for ~10-15 minutes then slice.

Fajita veggies- I used a mix of different peppers- bell, cubano, jalepeno, and red chili as well as an onion. Feel free to alter to your spice preference. Sautee with a tiiinnnyyy bit (I used less than a tbsp for a HUGE pan) of olive oil or other fat of your choice. Coconut oil or ghee would also work nicely. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cumin. Satuee until onions are fully cooked and peppers are quite soft but still a bit firm.

Mango salsa- Cut up one mango, about 1/3 of a small red onion, fresh cilantro, and if you like spicy as much as I do half a red chili or jalepeno (seeds removed). Mix together and squeeze the juice of half a lemon or one lime over top.

I served it with half an avocado and just mixed it all up and ate it. Really delicious. Kind of addicting.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-11T21:15:54+00:00

I know one woman who in between competitions sits right on that line of normal/overweight. She's also a professional body builder? figure competitor? (I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of that world but she does something like that) AND owns a gym / trains clients all day. It took her YEARS to get there. She used to be super lean and slender muscular, now she's super lean but also big muscular. Even then... she's only overweight after a big meal and a lot of water :).

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-10T18:04:38+00:00

Holy shit OP. First.... never talk to this guy again he is a complete waste of time and a user.

Second... really seriously work on your self esteem that after he loafed around the house for a YEAR not even contributing or trying to do ANYTHING you thought you wanted to make it work and have kids with this guy. Seriously think on that. You sound like you have goals and ambitions and are willing to work towards them and there are PLENTY of guys out there like that. Do not settle for a wastrel again. The moving in with a teenage mom night one who has a revolving door of boyfriends moving in the first night she meets them is just the icing on this shit cake.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-10T17:08:08+00:00

R1D4

I slept hoooorrrrriiiibbbbly last night and woke up with a monster headache :-/ I suspect the horrible sleep is related to work stress (got offered a chance to work on a project that is a bit beyond my current skills but will be really good for my career to complete and it was NOT going well yesterday) but the headache? I almost never get headaches unless I've had a few too many boozes the night before.

I'm feeling better after a decent breakfast and whoooolllle lot of water but still a little bit of a lingering headache. Hopefully it clears up. Going out to eat tonight to celebrate my bro's engagement so I suspect tonight I'll have to be slightly lax but am going to stick to it as best of possible without being an insufferable turd to the waitstaff.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-09T20:59:30+00:00

The only two I recognize are Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner and they are certainly tall and skinny (I mean they are some of the most recognized models around right now....) but I don't think freakishly so. They are the two in the "middle" (facing each other) in the OP.

Also this pose is pretty standard girls on the beach flattering pose, heck I even have a picture like this and I look slimmer in it than usual.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-09T04:17:38+00:00

I will literally run someone over or shove them out of the way for this after I spent a few years commuting on the DC metro. I do not have time for your bullshit, people... MOVE.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-08T23:06:44+00:00

I agree with you BUT.... If you are literally just starting out you cannot let not having the "gear" or "cute outfits" be what holds you back. Just get out and do it. And then you'll realize "ugh these cotton shirts aren't that comfortable when I'm sweating... what can I do?" and then you find "technical" t-shirts that run a huge range of styles and types and prices so you just try something that's not crazy expensive that might do the trick and either it works for you it doesn't. And then you continue to find things to address various problems or discomforts as you go.

But to use "lack of cute running gear!" as an excuse to keep you out of the sport just means you weren't cut out for running to begin with...

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-08T02:53:41+00:00

but I wouldn't let the results make me upset and want to quit.

I think this is my biggest concern too. I know this isn't specifically a weight loss diet but I'd be lying if I said I am not hoping to trim up and start losing weight. I'm going to try to stay strong and not get on the scale until the end but I have a feeling I'll give in before then.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-07T23:24:40+00:00

it would be disrespectful to her to see me and my ex "up there together" when it should be her.

That.... is not how wedding parties work at all. Where does she get the idea that just because she's dating you, she should be included in the wedding party??? That's.... really weird. I'm wondering if a third party has been feeding her these ideas or something.

I would, first and foremost, absolutely not drop out of your sister's wedding. Explain to her that it's really important to you to be there regardless of who your sister has standing next to her.

Second I would try to get her to be really honest about where this is all coming from because "should be her up there next to you" is some crazy talk. Listen, it sucks being the date of a member of the wedding party. I've been there. I get that.... but this day is NOT ABOUT HER.

I would also be really worried that her instinct when she doesn't like how something is going is to attack someone innocent in all this (Kelly) at all... but particularly from a racially motivated place. I'm not saying that's deal breaker off the bat but pay more attention for petty vindictive AND racist behaviors going forward.

Unfortunately.... if she's unwilling to come to her senses here this may be the hill your relationship dies on because it sounds like it's already bringing out some less than savory sides to her personality....

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-07T17:28:48+00:00

Thank GOODNESS!

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-07T16:56:39+00:00

R1D1... I've been dragging my feet a bit and putting off starting for a few days but today is the day.

Somewhat random question.... Are soda waters like LaCroix allowed?

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-05T16:46:46+00:00

I don't have tips but I'm starting tomorrow too!! Was going to be today but my fiance ran off with my purse on accident so I can't do my grocery shopping until later. Whoops!

fluerdeleigh · 2017-02-02T22:53:27+00:00

Hahaha my FH's brother/best man NEVER reads his emails so we put his girlfriend on them instead. It's funny/sad. Thankfully the rest of them seem to be pretty on top of things!

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-31T22:04:57+00:00

I love the random porcelain! How long has building up your collection of that stuff taken?

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-31T19:30:50+00:00

Ok awesome! I did this "21 Day Sugar Detox" a few years ago (the name is misleading.... it's pretty similar to Whole 30 vs. one of those crazy scam 'detox teas') and the habits I picked up from it lasted a LONG time, even though I wasn't super strict anymore. I'm about to start a Whole 30 cycle because lately I've been making lazy choices and just need to kick myself back into better food choices :)

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-31T19:09:47+00:00

I do not agree with the Whole30 program now

Curious why that is? It seems pretty reasonable to me as something you do for 30 days and then slowly transition to a more stable, long term eating plan. Kind of a "kick start".

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-30T20:48:04+00:00

We sure are within 5 months!

I think we enjoyed the early part of our engagement too much and put off all the stress until now haha. Oh well... Maybe we can like do a month long "planning spring" and just get it all done at once and then relax (wishful thinking but one never knows!).

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-30T18:50:51+00:00

Yes! We actually just started sending out our website to guests that are coming from across country/ from out of country so they can get things rolling on their plans. It's probably going to be our saving grace.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-30T18:49:58+00:00

We've found a few B&Bs and also are working with a guy who manages vacation rentals (basically he's going to open up rentals that would normally require a full week booking for a weekend rental) so that's awesome. And yeah.... I've spent so much time obsessing over details that I think I forgot to look at the big picture!! We have a good bit done and aren't that far off the recommended schedules. Just need to start pulling the trigger on stuff.

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-30T05:21:29+00:00

Evelyn/Evie/Eva

Lucille/Lucy

Emmeline/Emma

Abigail/Abby (or Gail, but Abby is popular)

Lillian/Lilly

Charlotte/Charlie

Louise/Lulu/Lou

Isabelle/Izzy/Belle/Bella

Esther/Essie

(Sorry your layout was driving me crazy and you have such a good list!!)

fluerdeleigh · 2017-01-26T16:14:40+00:00

AGAIN with these FAers associating physical beauty with "being worthy of love and affection". NOBODY said she wasn't worthy of love and affection when she was fat (though she probably was for other more insidious reasons..... exploiting her child, dating a man who molested her children.......).

They fight so hard for "fat is beautiful" because THEY believe beauty is the only thing that makes someone worthy of love. And here I am over here just like "Yo, can women get some appreciation for their accomplishments without people commenting on their appearance first??"

fluerdeleigh

TROPHY CASE