be thankful for what you do have, not what you don't.

we are four months out from the day we say our vows and are untied as Mr. and Mrs. Michael McSherry.  i am overwhelmed with emotions about this countdown.  we started the planning process what seems a lifetime ago and we are only 8 months deep.  i have been having some anxieties and stresses recently and have been trying to pinpoint where they are routed from. 

since we have started planning i have been involved in my best friends wedding where everything went very smoothly and the whole day was beautiful! we got to see our photographers in action since Britt and I have the same one, which was an added perk :)  the outcome pictures of her big day really solidified our happiness with our choice of photographer.  Britt's wedding had a lot of special touches throughout that made it "theirs".  I am also currently hearing all the details of a wedding that is being planned by my second family, The Shaffer's.  Their son is getting married in 2 weeks and his mother (my mom's bestest of friends-my second mom) has really gone above and beyond for the couple.  when i hear these details, i can immediately think "that is so Jason and Maggie".  


that is what i want for our wedding.  this is what i don't think we have right now. i want that mother's touch.  i want those little details that people can see and go "yup! that definitely fits Michael and Kira!" And if they don't know us as a couple, they can look around see how it fits myself and how it fits michael as individuals.  


just like everyone else, i have good days and bad days. i have sad days that i don't have a mom; days where i know i am missing out on so much that mother's and daughter's do together throughout life.  these past few days, i am really missing my mom. i miss our bond.  i hate that she can't do the planning with me; that we can't bounce ideas back and forth, laugh at each other's ideas and make creative touches for the wedding (she really did love craft projects).  right now i am struggling.  i know i have a great support system around me but the people i need the most, don't seem to be there for me.


its so easy to get caught up in what we don't have so everyday (especially lately) i have been constantly reminding myself "be thankful for what you DO have and not what you DON'T."  i am trying to reroute my stress/negative thoughts/sad feelings and turn them into motivation to make this wedding EVERYTHING i want and everything michael wants.  so when i look back at our big day or when we have the pleasure of telling our kids about the day we got married, i will had no regrets and no sad feelings.


this is a very tough time for me but yet also a very beautiful time for me.  please bare with me and all my emotions. i just boarded another roller coaster of life and will learn how to deal with the ups and downs as time carries on.  ever since i lost my mom i have learned how to deal with and adapt to life changes in my own way.  this is no different.  


love to all.

Latisha Lyn Photography

for most of you that know us pretty well, you know that we love taking pictures!  although i do not have a very artistic side we still seem to take pictures of everything... and i do mean everything.  we take pictures of all our travel destinations, charity events we participate in, daily life, things we love (and even things we do not love), our pets, special memories/anniversaries, our families, and even our favorite meals at our favorite restaurants.  no matter what the occasion we love to capture our memories so we can forever reminisce on our entire journey together.  

we are very fortunate to have met such a talented person to do our photography for our engagement session and our wedding day.  we walked away from our initially meeting knowing that she was the right fit for us.  i loved everything about her as a person as well as her work.  we really wanted someone who was creative, modern, had a true passion for photography, and someone who could add her special touch on each photograph.

recently we had our engagement shoot with Latisha.  let me just tell you that i am obsessed with the outcome and can't stop looking at them!  i am not one to hang self portraits all over the house but with these pictures thats exactly what i want to do!  She truly captured our personalities and our love for each other.  we all shared many laughs during the session which really allowed us to relax, open up, and just be ourselves.  

after seeing all the pictures, i have more confidence that our photographer will capture every aspect of our special day the way it all plays out.  for those who are unable to make it will definitely feel like they didn't miss a thing :)  


Latisha recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy name Greyson, so i want to congratulate her, her husband and her twin girls on their new addition.

THE dress.

still am in total shock that i have found and purchased my wedding dress! i really wish i could post pictures and flaunt it to the world but as we all know i must keep this secret like i have never kept one before!  let's just say that i picked one that i least expected walking in.  keep in mind i really had no "expectation" about the actual dress... since my body is constantly changing with the weight loss and muscle toning, i am not sure what i look good in anymore let alone a wedding dress.  i no longer have a type or a set look.  what used to make me feel comfortable and pretty now makes me feel frumpy and blah.  i had a lot of fun trying on the different styles and materials mainly because i found confidence in myself that i haven't ever had.  i was able to have fun with this event instead of being critical and pessimistic.

my lady entourage minus 1 and a half
with "say Yes to the dress" signs
made by my sister, Danica & nieces!

it's funny because going into this part of the wedding adventure i had some sort of different expectation beyond the actual dress... i didn't feel any pressure while trying on dresses and i listened to myself more then i listened to my entourage (but truly valued everyone's opinion)... but... i expected a certain reaction... THE reaction. yes i do watch a lot of wedding shows (probably too many) so i thought i was going to have this dramatic emotional response to THE dress.  i had my own reaction.  basically, i almost had a panic attack, haha!  i had hot flashes and couldn't breathe.  a feeling of wanting to rip the dress off and sit in an ice bath :)  that's when i knew this was my dress for our wedding day!

celebrating a victorious dress shopping
experience with Margaritas and Salsa
with a few of my favorite ladies!

i also learned something about myself during dress shopping.  i think everyone has a part of the wedding that is a their thing... their special part of it... their "have to be perfect's"... (for lack of better terms.) either the ring, the music, the dress, the flowers, etc.  i thought the dress and the process of dress shopping was going to be "my thing" and learned that it wasn't.  i do really love my dress and get more and more excited about wearing it but i don't find it being my main aspect of the wedding.  so far my main "aspect" throughout this whole process is our engagement and my engagement ring. the Seattle engagement is something i will never forget and relive it daily in my mind.  thinking about it and seeing our 1 million pictures gives me comfort, love, and true unconditional happiness.  every time i look at it i think about my personal future, my future with my soon-to-be husband, and love.

love for CedarFIT

for the past year or so i have always been talking about wanting to get healthy, in shape, and shed some pounds.  november 28th 2011 i wrote about how i was at the point where i didn't know what to do anymore so i was going to join Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. about a week later or so a good friend of mine offered me a groupon that she had purchased but could not use.  i was very nervous to try it out because it was far from my comfort zone and seemed a bit intimidating... but thank God i did!  


CedarFIT has been life changing!  i signed up december 12th 2011 and have now been there almost 4 full months.  after these four months i can admit that i am addicted... ok so i was addicted after the first month :)  this is not just about the workouts/bootcamps... its also about the help and resources that i was given with my eating habits. i have learned so much about food in general.  reading the nutrition facts is easy but i was taught what the information actually means.  what to look out for, what to stay away from.  every month i am changing something about my diet because there is always room for change to get better results.  i have learned what percentages of protein, carbs, and fat i need to stay healthy, loose weight, gain muscle and to be able do the workouts all over again the next day.


not only have i learned about types of exercises and nutrition but it has also really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  i am doing exercises that i thought i'd never be able to do; i am joining classes that i never thought i'd like; i am challenging myself more then i ever have (inside and outside of CedarFIT's doors); i am seeing results that i have tried to envision; i have accomplished personal goals and set more; and i have formed multiple friendships with different people across the board.  not only has CedarFIT help re-shape my body, but it also helped re-shape my life.  my lifestyle has done an entire 180 and it has all in a positive way.  i am stronger, more motivated, more confident and can manage stress better.

after four months of daily food journaling, water chugging, and consecutive sweat dripping bootcamps and spin classes, i am proud to say that i have lost 5.5% body fat and about 15 pounds of fat are gone!  i never thought i'd have to buy an entire wardrobe but its definitely looking that way.  


but trust me this road has not been just rainbows and butterflies.  i have had many high and low points.  i have a pretty limited diet but trust me when i say i can make a killer turkey sandwich :)  there are times when i struggle with cravings and temptations, but thats where the 1 cheat meal a week comes in.  cheating is bittersweet for me... it tastes awesome while eating it but then i feel icky and guilty afterwards.  since i am such a thinker it's hard for me to pick what my cheat is going to be because i love food so much that i am always craving something!  seriously, i think about food about 95% of the day- what am i going to eat next, what am i craving, what is my next snack, what is my next cheat, etc.  


this whole journey has been a lot about planning.  planning my meals/snacks and workouts daily is helpful for me so i avoid cheating and skipping meals.  sometimes i want to go nuts and eat everything insight but after seeing the results, feeling the way i do about myself, and learning healthy ways, i know that i won't give up or go back to my old ways.  


this is a lifestyle change... this is the beginning of my new life.  this isn't just because i am getting married or because i want to look hot when we go on our honeymoon... this is because i needed and wanted to get healthy and feel more confident and i finally took action.  i am the only one who can control what i do for myself and it was time to do something positive and lifelong.  

7 months=214 days!

time might not seem to be flying as fast for you as it is for me but at this rate i feel like the wedding will be here before we know it!


last week Michael and I attended yet another Bridal Showcase (making this our 4th and last!) but this time it was at our wedding venue!  It was so nice to see Sandia Resort dressed up in wedding decor since we haven't seen much except empty spaces.  We also got a silly picture taken with the view of our ceremony as the backdrop.  after leaving the bridal show i could truly envision what everything is going to look like on our special day and i walked away one very happy and confident bride :)

we definitely have been kicking butt in the wedding planning thanks to a fabulous company that is doing all our decor including our flowers and centerpieces!  this company is God sent! Distracted by Decor has lifted so much pressure and responsibility off our shoulders that we can key in on the more detailed aspects of the wedding such as bridal party attire, dress shopping, rehearsal dinner, stationary, bachelor/bachelorette parties etc. 
Speaking of dress shopping!  my lady encourage will be sharing this special experience with me.  even better, my bestest best friend and bridesmaid, rachael, is flying from las vegas just for this occasion! this truly means the world to me that she can be here for this because not only does her opinion matter to me but she is just such a great person i want everyone to meet her before all the wedding festivities begin! we go to try on dresses this weekend (sunday march 25th!)  Our first place is Brides by Demetrios.  if i don't find "the one" there i have a second place already in mind just might not be the same weekend.  i really do not want to get overwhelmed so i think one shop at a time is what will be right for me.  i think i know what i am looking for in a dress but because of my weight loss i am hoping this wont get the best of me. since my body is constantly changing i really need to just let everything unfold as its supposed to and make sure i bring my self confidence to the appointment!  i can't believe the time has finally come to hopefully say "yes to the dress!" 


another super exciting part of the process that is done is we have picked and ordered our Tacori wedding bands!  unfortunately i had to send in my engagement ring so they could custom craft the wedding band to match perfectly.  i knew i was going to miss it but i really miss not having it on my finger.  hopefully it will only take a few weeks and then it will be back where it should be... on my left hand!  


in 2 weeks from tomorrow, michael and i will be on our way to las vegas!  michael surprised me with tickets as an early birthday present to see my guilty pleasure Kelly Clarkson in concert, spend time with rachael again and to see the Wynns' show Le Reve.  for those of you who know me, you know that i love to celebrate my birthday for the entire month of april! :)

we are getting married THIS year!

With the holidays and life, its been a little while since we have made any decisions regarding the wedding and I am more then ready to get back on the train.  It's crazy that I can now officially say "we are getting married this year!"  That's such a wonderful feeling :)  A bit overwhelming though as well.  


One of our main priorities now is picking our color scheme.  This will help a lot when thinking about bridesmaid dresses, centerpieces, flowers, and just the whole "theme" of our big day.  This is going to be an interesting adventure because we have to make sure we are both pleased.  Plus we want something that matches our personalities.


For those who do not know I have recently started a new lifestyle change to get healthy and loose some unhealthy and unwanted pounds.  I am on a great start (thanks to CedarFIT) and get amazing motivation and support from Michael daily.  I am seeing results which is also keeping me focused and anxious to reach my goal.  Once I get to my goal weight, it's time for WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING!  I have been putting this off because I have been really unhappy with myself and my habits which of course effects my self confidence.  As I am loosing pounds I am gaining self confidence.  This makes me really excited and looking forward to saying 'yes' to the dress!


Another item on our agenda is picking an Officiant.  This is going to be a little difficult as well because neither one of us are active members in a church so we aren't really sure how to get started.  We are wanting a faith based ceremony but do not want something over the top (because that just isn't us).  More importantly we want someone who has a great personality, friendly, and warm hearted.  This is not just any ceremony... exchanging our vows is something we will remember for the rest of our lives and we really want someone who can help us express our feelings to all our family and friends.


I know that we have so much ahead of ourselves these next 9 months but we are still overly excited for everything to come together.


Stayed tuned for announcement and bio of our groomsmen! :)


love to all!

My Lifelong Sister.

Our bond started at birth.  Many families have good family friends, but Ashley and her family are my second home.  Our mothers were the best of friends and Ashley and I were very close growing up.  

We weren't 100% in each other's lives throughout high school/college but never forgot about each other and always tried to stay in touch.  We got back in touch after we both graduated college.  Recently Ashley made the move back to New Mexico.  I am so happy she came back and it was quite the coincidence that we both made our way back to NM at the same time after both being away from home for 10 years.  

I always have a blast with her.  I like to think of Ashley as a chameleon.  She gets along with just about anyone; she opens up to everyone; makes people feel very comfortable; keeps people smiling, and very adaptable.  She knows when to have a great time but also knows when to be a serious friend.  We are a lot alike that sometimes it freaks me out, haha.  We have so many memories with a ton of laughs and tears from when we were young children all the way up to where we are now.  We can stay up all night long and just talk the night away (oh trust me we have many many times before... even recently).  I love the advice she gives.  It's the truth and never sugar coated.  She understands that that's the type of person I am. I want to hear the truth straight up.  We both have been through similar situations in life (ash, you know the ones I am referring too, wink). 

Ash has been a huge part of me and Michael's relationship.  She moved back to NM right as Michael and I started connecting and turning a friendship into a relationship.  Not only has she supported me but she has also become a dear friend to Michael and that means the world to me.  
I call her "my sis" for a reason; we will forever be in each others lives.