The Princess is Married and I am NEXT!

Well here we are May 1...21 days until I become Mrs. William Marcus Meeker. I wanted to share with you all the craziness that has been my life lately...

To begin here is a picture of my BEAUTIFUL cousin Stephanie. The new Mrs. Jeremy Burleson. I am so happy for her, but I have to say I am a tad jealous. She looks like she just stepped out of the Perfect Southern section of a Bridal Magazine.I mean...really...she clearly got a huge chunk of the "pretty" genes.

Now here is a shot of all of everyone. Do you see the chunky girl?  The one in the dress with straps? That's me! I never thought that I would be a heavy bride...and have considered calling this wedding off until I can reach a stunning 110 pounds (I'm really short so this is attainable) but is that likely to happen? Probably not!

I have recently become a vegetarian (well  mostly-I did eat meat at the wedding...Marc calls this Flexitarian) and I am strictly sticking to a workout plan. I am better looking today than I have been in years. Heck, my Grandfather said I didn't look like myself. This is good news...well until my other family members (the ones very closely related to the Princess) reminded me that I was fat. They even told me that I should eat better and work out. They told a vegetarian gym rat to eat better and work out. Something here is extremely off. Then they suggested I get my thyroid checked. I, just like ever other woman on earth would love to be able to blame my weight on my thyroid but I know it isn't true. I spent too many years doing horrible things to my body and what I see in the mirror today is a direct result of poor eating and drinking choices. I am proud of my progress but like everyone else would happily welcome acceleration to the goal!

I have searched for a few pictures to illustrate what I mean about the fact that I look better.

High School: I figured I would start with Senior Prom. Look! I am thin and very cute! Weight 125 lbs.

Early 20's: See here I am still cute, vivacious and adorable. But what's that in my hand? It is one of the things that caused my downward spiral. I do have to say that this is by far one of my favorite pictures of myself.Weight: 115
In this picture I am just shy of 22...this was taken about one month before I met Mike.

Mid 20's The Decline: It still blows my mind to this day that 1 year of dating Mike I went from the picture above to this. I am appalled that I spent so much time as a spectator in life. Letting go of control over the things you like to do will quickly make one look like this. When he and I were together all we ever seemed to do was sit in a bar watching sports or playing trivia. Couple a few beers with bar food daily and this is what you get. This picture was taken a few months after my 23 birthday. An interesting indicator of how fast you can start to spiral down.Weight: 165 (i think)

The Up Side of Rock Bottom: This picture was taken right after I made the leap of faith to be with the man that I will be marrying in three weeks. All that time that I spent sad and feeling hopeless about my future really shows. I had lost my Grandmother and my Father and was spending all of my time feeling sorry for myself. It really shows in your skin and of course in your jeans. WOW!!! Weight here: 179. Yep that's right...179 pounds! Pretty Darn Scary!











This was taken two years ago. Noticeably healthier looking but still heavy. It was a quick but gradual change that took me from a svelte early 20 something to the chunky soon to be 30 year old that you see today, but I am proud of the rise and excited for the future. Weight here 165 again.

Here is me today! I have really commited to my new lifestyle. This is an example of all the stuff I take with me daily. My water bottle, my purse, my gym bag and my food bag. Plus I am looking much better...at least I think I do! Weight: 157 and dropping!!!


So what if I am a heavy bride. I am turning 30 this year...and I am having the best year of my life. I am checking off the goals I set for myself January 1 one by one! I am healthy, energetic and best of all HAPPY. So what's a few extra pounds on my wedding day? Those extra LB's will just be around to bear witness to a woman who is getting and becoming more than she ever dreamed of. Maybe a congratulatory bikini shot could be in the works for my 30th?

I would also like to share a little bit of insight that I had this past weekend. I firmly believe that one of the secrets to a great life involve the Inlet Breeze, A Hammock chair, and Your very Best Friends.