In the beginning...

My wedding is 89 days away.  I'm 32 years old, overweight, mother to one (mostly) darling six year old, soon-to-be wife of a locksmith, "mom" to two pushy Doberman Pinschers, and I now live in the suburbs with a big house with a fenced-in yard.  

Maybe I should become a Republican.  I'm joking, I swear.  Mostly.

My wedding:  I'm feeling completely unprepared.  All the big issues are sorted out, but I suck at decorating and I'm terrified of how the little details form the big picture of the wedding.  I'm also frugal out of long established habit, and I can't stand spending big bucks on frivolous non-essentials.  89 days to go.  I need a glass of wine just contemplating it.  I'm not scared of getting married, although it's an odd thought for me.  I've never been married but have had several long relationships (9 years, 5.5 years, 2 years, and I've only been in this one for < 2 years!)  I just never thought I'd find "the one" - but I was unwilling to ultimately settle.  It's the wedding stuff that's stressful!  My biggest stress is losing the weight to look good in my dress

I'm the one in the dress... obviously.

My weight:  I'm on a mission to lose 20-30 pounds before my June 2nd wedding.  So far I've lost 9.5 pounds in a month.  I'd be happy with another 11.5 pounds in the next three months - but I'm really shooting for more.  I've joined Weight Watchers to help, and was slightly deflated to see the new program.  It's emphasis on losing weight super-slow seems like a marketing ploy to me.  Get people to stay on the program longer, make more money... it makes sense to me.  So I tweaked my program.  I dropped my Points Plus daily target to 26 (I was set at 29), and I only use my extra weekly points for rum & cokes on Friday nights.  Hey - a girl's got to have some fun! 

My six year old:  She's what I consider a "precocious" child.  She's so smart.  Really.  That's not just mom-talk, the kid amazes me.  She reads at a third grade level (she's in first grade) and she argues like a defense attorney.  Right now we're going through child-boot-camp with the need for her to listen to direction.  I wasn't good at that as a child myself; but I believe children need boundaries, discipline, and positive reinforcement in order to become strong adults.  She's wonderful and trying, all at once.

My Doberman Pinschers:  I have an almost 9 year old male who is GIGANTIC.  He's way too big for his breed.  Like someone crossed a Doberman and a brontosaurus together.  He's so sweet, but his bark makes me feel like we'd be the last house in town to case for robbery.  My other Doberman is a four year old fawn female.  Most people don't think she's even a Dobie, since her coloration is so funky.  She's legitimately a Doberman though, papered & everything.  Here's the two of them:

Loki (black & tan) & Claire (fawn & rust)

We also have a cat, Monkey, who has to be separated from the dogs for fear of her furry life.

Monkey, the cat.  She needs WW too.

So, if you follow my blog you'll be diving into my little world of weight loss, wedding & honeymoon madness, friends & family, child-rearing, and pet life.