Have you grown personally or professionally as a result of Iron Brides? Tell how you have grown.

I will never forget that dark wet night at Madeline’s Daughter in Portsmouth when my life was flipped, twisted and turned! I was completely taken by surprise when I ran into Joann who then asked me to follow her. As good ole George made the announcement my heart raced and my head became overwhelmed with “what ifs.” I was young, engaged, and ill prepared for what life was about to throw my way. Has much changed? Yes. Is it very apparent? No. I am still young, still engaged, yet I can now stand confidently and write with assurance that I am now prepared for the next chapter, for my up and coming marital moment.

Iron brides has helped me make that vital transition from young dependent adult, to a young independent adult. Through my time with the other ladies, self reflection, and other life experiences, I have grown to the point where I now feel as if I am ready to make this commitment. It has been emotionally difficult. Part of me doesn’t want to leave my family, to leave my parental security, or my womb of understanding. Over the past 12 months I have been somewhat apprehensive about leaving these people who have raised me for the past 21 years. Thankfully, I have been blessed to spend time with 7 other women who appear to have gone through the mental and emotional journey that occurs when one finally leaves the nest. It has been encouraging to hear these women’s trials and triumphs. It makes me feel like my personal battles are achievable. These past two months have been hard, really really hard, and being with 7 other women who are all competing for the same thing, who are all stressed, busy and competitive has also opened my eyes to life. It has shown me sides of myself and sides of others, sides that I didn’t want to see before. Iron brides has added more stress than I could shake a finger at, but it has also added laughs and memories that I will be able to tell my grandchildren one day.

Somos Novios

You are engaged….What are you and your fiances wedding daydreams?  Have they been amended with having the experiences given by presenters at Iron Brides?  Along with these questions answer each of the following in its own short paragraph form:

What are your best memories of real and movie weddings? The Wedding Crashers is an absolutely phenomenal wedding movie. The way they adapt to all of the different wedding cultures is hilarious. We attended a wedding last year that took place in a decorated greenhouse. They had it all lit up with Christmas lights and it was absolutely gorgeous. It just proved that an inexpensive wedding can be just as a fun and memorable as an expensive one, so long as you are surrounded by the right people.

 

What are your best romantic times spent together?

Well we have been blessed with 6 months and 6 weeks of romantic times because of our various study abroad trips. First we hiked up the pyramids in Mexico, and then we scuttled through the cobblestone streets of Dublin. Later Rob proposed under the twinkling fireworks in London. We watched the sunset on a high peak in Spain, we walked hand in hand through the snow in Germany, and we sunk our feet into the warm Portugal sands.

 

What is your favorite music? Worship Rock and Alternative Rock. The occasional R&B helps keep the dance floor moving though. Rob has more music knowledge than me. I tend to listen to whatever is on his ipod, although I must say that I sneak my broadway hits on his little mp3 player : ). I am incredibly blessed because Rob is one of those guys who lets me change the music in his car without asking. He never gets mad when I sporadically flip from song to song. 10 second here, 46 seconds there…he just smiles : )

 

Do you have favorite charity(ies)?  If so, what are they?

Every Christmas we give money to a charity called Foundation for His Ministries. It is an orphanage and school that’s located in Mexico. My sister worked there when she was in high school and it was a life changing experience for her. So we make it a point to donate to their organization during Christmas and then my parents contribute monthly. Did you know that 20 dollars will feed many many hungry children?? It just fills our hearts with joy to know that we are in some way impacting someone else’s life thousands of miles away.

 

Do you and your fiancee have favorite foods?

FRUITS AND VEGGIES!! I was one of those rare children who ate all their fruits and veggies without any convincing. Rob always makes fun of me because he says I’m so picky because I don’t eat processed snacks. I always say I’m not picky as long there’s a real piece of food involved! Rob’s favorite snack is oreos and milk. Rob also loves the effects of spicy flavors in his mouth.

 

What are your favorite colors? Rob’s is: Blue, Navy blue, Royal blue, and blue purple. Haha. And mine is green.

 

Do you have a favorite travel destination point? The Maldives Islands. They have phenomenal resorts and island waters. Every time we see pictures of resort destinations and tropical islands, it seems that all of the best pictures are of the Maldives Islands. That’s one of those places that I think is on our list of things to do before we die. Rob and I love to travel, so in reality, any new place is exciting, but the allure of the crystal blue water just ignites something in our souls.

 

What things have you and your fiancee decided “together” upon doing or incorporating into your special day? We definitely don’t have the luxury of incorporating too many extras into our wedding day. Most important is ensuring that we add some sort of twist to our introductions and first dance to keep away from a totally traditional wedding.

 

Have there been obstacles along the planning process that you may not have agreed upon? Not much! I make the decisions and Rob agrees! But that’s not always the case. Big decisions such as the style and formality of the wedding were something we both agreed upon. Rob wanted a much more casual event, like a backyard BBQ. However, me being the girly “loves to dress up when the occasion arises” girl pushed the tone of the wedding towards our current style. It’s been somewhat bittersweet because I think having a less formal wedding where everyone we love could come would be ideal; however, money has been deposited and items bought, so small and formal it is. I’m just glad we both agree on the honeymoon ; ) I’ll show up and be happy with whatever he’s planned!

 

 

Google Weight Gauging Gadgets

Oh the New Year! What a wonderful time to make those typically short lived resolutions!  Every time this season rolls around, I join the many who make the claim that they will get in shape this year.  Well, I have three great reasons to really follow through this year!

1. I want to feel more confident in my own skin.

2. Our long anticipated honeymoon is only 147 days away.

3. Iron brides should be buff brides!

So in order to reach my weight loss/ get in shape goal, I have sought help from the wonderful world wide web, or more specifically: GOOGLE.

Has anyone seen Google’s amazing features?? I have a gmail account which has enabled me to have my own igoogle.com homepage.  Every time I click that little mozilla button, up pops inspiration, weather, news, quote of the day, email AND my very own, weightloss tracker!  It is called a gadget.  They don’t cost money and it’s as simple as clicking on the right icon to add it to your homepage.  This thing is GREAT! Each morning I get on my scale and then run over to my igoogle and add it into my tracker.  Then, after breakfast, lunch and dinner, I write in what I eat.  For example, yesterday I had a grapefruit and coffee with coffee mate for breakfast.  I looked up both of these items, and the program let me enter in the quantity and then automatically converted the caloric content, depending on my intake.  For lunch I had a subway grilled chicken sandwich and I entered that into their search site.  It found it for me and told me how many calories  were in that! So now, I have a great idea of how many calories I’ve eaten, and I get a reminder every time I open my webpage.

Another option with the google gadget is the activity tracker.  This week my goal is to use this useful feature.  I’m not sure if it subtracts the calories from what you’ve eaten to how much you’ve exercised, but when I know, I’ll let you know!

So good luck to everyone with your New Year’s resolutions!  If you have any advice or hints, please don’t hesitate to post a comment!  God bless!

Making Marital Bliss

Question of the Week:

Sometimes engaged couples attend premarital workshops. Workshops include Engaged Encounters (http://www.engagedencounter.org/), Preparation for Marriage Program, With This Ring, Couples That Rock, etc.  Research at least 2 programs, contrast them, and explain why or why not you might choose to participate.

Want to drive? Fly an airplane? Teach classes? Adopt a dog? In order to do many any of these things, you must first prepare by reading, taking classes, and/or by practicing. How, may I ask, is marriage any different? Marriage is supposed to be a life long journey where one is constantly learning and growing. It is the most difficult and rewarding journey that you might ever encounter. So, why then, would someone not want to prepare for this “til death do you part” adventure?

Rob and I started preparing for marriage by asking couples we respected and admired what they thought were key ingredients for a successful marriage. Our next step in preparation was visiting a financial planner. Don Silk, a consultant out of Dover, NH, was amazing! He sat down with us for 2 hours and answered any and all of our questions, without any pressure to buy anything. We discussed loan repayment, individual retirement accounts, and investment planning. We greatly appreciate his time and energy!!

Our greatest investment in our marital future, however, was our Premarital Courses we took with Pastor Dick AuCoin and Martha through the Lakes Region Vineyard Church in Laconia, NH www.lakesregionvineyard.com. We did a six week course at our pastor’s home with two other engaged couples. The course is called The Marriage Preparation Course http://themarriagecourse.org/preparation/welcome/. The course was facilitated by our pastor and took place at night at a time we all chose to fit our schedules. Each couple took turns making dinner for everyone. When we arrived we would dish up and then go to separate rooms, that way we could have alone time to talk and catch up before we went to class. Then we would gather together and watch the videos. Each night had a different topic from finances, to values, to sex, to expectations. During the videos we would have question and answer sessions. All the couples were asked a question and then we’d go to separate rooms, answer the questions and then discuss it with our future spouses. One of our most eye opening questions was rating each other on various values/goals/ habits/ interests. Rob and I discovered things about each other we never knew. But the night I will never forget is the night we discussed life’s influences. Rob and I come from very different families, with very different cultures and values. As much as I would like to think that we are our own people, our parents, schools, towns, and life experiences all impact, at some level, each and every decision and feeling we have. Rob and I grew closer as we discovered how our pasts have influenced our current decision-making and our expectations for each other and for the future.

Another course that is available to engaged couples is the Catholic Engaged Encounter http://www.engagedencounter.org/. As opposed to a six week course, this is a weekend retreat where engaged couples get together and discuss their goals, expectations, and values. The weekend is led by two married couples and a priest. The couples discuss topics like ambitions, goals, attitudes about God, sex, money, children, family, and your role in the church and community. The couples discussions and answers to the questions are confidential.

Overall, I believe that the two courses are somewhat similar in the topics that they cover, which may be the case with many premarital courses. I believe the greatest differences that one may find will be 1. The way the courses are facilitated (weekend/weeklong/before and after wedding sessions) 2. The religious emphasis (whether or not it is a faith-based course and then different faith values) 3. Whether or not the courses are required before a couple is married by the priest/pastor/ or clergy. In my opinion, I believe that a marriage license should be at least equivalent to or more difficult to obtain than a driving license. As I mentioned earlier, marriages are supposed to be a life long commitment, so why would we not want to have the tools to make our journey smoother. Remember, premarital counseling is not simply for couples who need “counseling.”

Premarital counseling is a preparation, a precaution and an investment for those five little words, “til death do us part.”