If the Shoe fits....

I'm not sure I ever posted a picture of my chosen wedding shoe.

Betsey Johnson - Nelson
Back when I ordered the shoe, it was FLYING off Amazon's shelves - so quickly that when I got it, I knew it was a mite small, but couldn't order the next size up. I figured I'd deal with it since it wasn't that bad. The shoe was a size 9.

The other day, I checked Amazon's site on a whim and found that they had replenished their supply and immediately ordered the 9.5. It's worth having a shoe that fits properly. Having purchased a shoe that fit...sorta, I figured I'd post some advice for brides that are considering buying shoes online.

Buy two sizes and return one.

Seriously. I'm sure I'll be able to sell the 9, since whenever I post pics of it people get that cartoon tongue syndrome where their tongues roll out of their mouths and flop on the floor, but it would have been easier just to return the too-small size to Amazon.

Cake or Retirement?

Over the past few weeks, Dr. Light's been ribbing me about our retirement. As we'll be filing jointly next year, he's been trying to remind me to get my 401ks in order.

Yes, 401ks.

Source
I have two orphan 401ks out there that I never rolled over after I left those jobs, and while they've been slowly collecting money, they are in separate banks under separate types of investment, and I really didn't have a good handle on my money. In fact, I'd say I have money fear, leading me on a long-time campaign of sticking my fingers in my ears and yelling "La la la" at the top of my lungs.

I know it's ridiculous.

One evening, Dr. Light pulled me aside to show me the retirement profile he'd done online, and basically laid it out for me that I needed to get my butt in gear, since without my contributions doing more than sitting where they were, I was holding us back. He wasn't being mean or rude, just honest about the necessity of where our money was going.

Well, I had the chance today to call the two companies that hold my 401ks, figure out what information I needed, and then open an IRA through my bank - USAA. Despite many frustrations such as having to call three different companies and talk to four different people and STILL not be able to access one account online (I'm looking at you, ING/Morgan Stanley - it's the future, people, get with it!), I think I finally am able to consolidate my funds and help Dr. Light and me enter our marriage with a retirement plan fully intact.

I must stick a little "YAY USAA!" in here because they were so super helpful and informative. I'm really lucky my dad served in the Air Force so I was able to have them as my bank, my car insurer, and pretty much every other money-related holder under the sun.

Even if USAA isn't your bank, I recommend that before you say your "I do's," you and your fiancée look at how your retirement or other funds are going to work together once you're married. Consider this another item on that huge wedding checklist that includes more fun things such as cake tastings. However, you can afford a lot more cake with a good retirement plan.

Running in Circles

I am the laziest worker-outer ever. I mean it. I swear I'm gonna work out and do it for about two days, and then...nothing.

After I stopped doing the 30 Day Shred because my knees just can't take the squats, I pretty much haven't exercised. I'm coasting on my dad's genetics, and I know that's not really the answer since it doesn't get my heart going or help me stay healthy (and not just thin). I knew I needed to find something to get me motivated, but I wasn't sure what.

Last week my sister tweeted her intention to buy a video game after work, but then later reported she had bought something better. I checked her link and found this.

Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical Trainer
An elliptical machine that not only had great ratings but was affordable? I admit, I purchased it that day.

The little machine came a couple of days later because I'm an Amazon Prime member (totally worth it), and I immediately assembled it - and even THAT was easy. I hopped right on and gave it a ten-minute tryout.

Thoughts:

- Easy to use, though if you have balance issues, put it in a doorway.
- The stride is not quite as long as a regular elliptical, but that doesn't really matter. I still felt it in my calves the next day and it got my heart rate up.
- I love that I don't have to watch a video or stare at the wall in a gym. Instead, I can pick this little guy up and put him in front of the tv, my laptop, or what-have-you and let the minutes whirl away very quickly.

I did my first real workout yesterday (20 minutes, will do more next time) and it was over so quickly! Because I'm a nerd, I put on Farscape (which I had not seen before), and I plan on making this my workout entertainment.

I'm very happy with this purchase, and with the wedding in mind, it's going to be a very simple and fun way to hopefully tone up a bit more and also make myself more healthy overall. If you have the spare money and this looks appealing to you, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Gifts for the Bridal Party

HEY! Maids of Honor & Bridesmaids!

Don't look at this post, ok?

The Honeymooners

About 2% of you are probably wondering where Dr. Light and I are honeymooning. Well, now's your time to guess. See if you can figure it out from the following photos!

Source

Source

Source

No? Not clear?

Source

Actually, I'm kidding.

I have no idea where we're going.
Dr. Light approached me one day and asked if I trusted him enough to let him plan a surprise honeymoon for the both of us. It took me approximately .0876 seconds to say yes, and there it was. He's been making plans at work, when he's off and I'm at work, and generally any time I'm not there to bust his secret.

It's kind of a mutual deal on our part to trust each other. My wedding dress is currently hanging in our guest closet behind a pile of orange vinyl fabric, and he's under strict orders not to look at it. The honeymoon information resides in the second drawer of his bed-side table, and I'm under the same orders to avoid it at all costs.

The dress lurking in its natural habitat.
I love that we have a way to both prove we're in this relationship with utter trust, even if it's something silly like a wedding dress or a trip. We want each other to have these surprises, and we're willing to maintain them for ourselves.

I also gotta say: it's awesome. I never thought I'd be that girl who got the chance to take a surprise vacation, to learn on the way to the airport that I was jetting off to any number of surprise destinations. I don't even know if we're going somewhere hot, cold, muggy, tropical, arctic, or temperate. I don't know how to pack. The only thing I do know is that I needed to update my passport, and that's been done for months now.

The only person who knows where we're going (aside from Dr. Light's travel agent) is my sister. She's under strict orders to never tell me, and she's keeping that secret tight. At some point we'll be getting together so I can show her my favorite outfits for certain climates, and at some point when we leave for the wedding, she'll put together a suitcase for me.

So why joke about Detroit, you might ask? Because Detroit is our code word for the undiscussable honeymoon. It's also a destination people don't really dream about for their honeymoons, which makes it perfect for our humorous discussions. We've already "planned" several exciting day trips, including zip-lining through burnt out car factories, learning how to buy a house for five dollars, and seeing the sights without getting mugged.

In any event, I'm over the moon to have something so major be in his hands. He's a great planner and I know he's put a lot of thought into what we're going to be doing. Dr. Light is a bit worried that he'll pick something I won't like, and I keep having to reassure him that unless it involves having my skin peeled off by tiny kittens, I'll probably be ok.

But seriously, this is so cool.

Would you ever consider letting your fiancée plan a surprise honeymoon? Where would you want to go? Would you plan a surprise vacation for YOUR fiancée and be able to keep it a secret?