I just got done packing my life away…. literally 3 large bags packed to the top just enough so the seems don’t rip! Tomorrow I depart at about 6:15am (much later than the rest of my brides who I feel sooo bad for) for Nashua our pick up destination to begin this full 7 days of filming! My emotions are a whirlwind. I am so excited and anxious and can’t wait to see what we are doing. However I am scared to leave my family for this period of time, my dogs, and Sean. For one whole week I will be away from the entire life I typically have full control of… CRAZY. no cel phone, no email, no dance, no spa, no bill paying, no wedding stress ( well u know what I mean), no laundry, no cleaning…I guess its sort of a vacation huh??? well minus the tropical weather and sandy beaces.Anyways I can’t wait to begin this week long journey I hope you will follow our path and watch our show and enjoy watching as much as we have enjoyed playing 
Wish me luck!
Its time for an incredible journey… January 18, 2009
Click to make a difference! January 17, 2009
Simply by going to this site you can play your very small role in helping someone or something get the help they need!
Animal Rescue- Click to give free food and care
Rain forest- Click to Protect Endangered Habitat
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Its FREE all you have to do is play your part and click your causes once a day or even just once! You click and the sponsors pay!
http://www.charityusa.com/chausa/index.html
What are you most proud of in your Iron Brides involvement? January 16, 2009
I am proud that I have portrayed exactly who I am as a person, I haven’t lost sight of that at any point because I’m going to be on TV….what you see is what you get in person and on TV. I have been able to open my eyes and my heart a bit more to these total strangers and express how I feel… I’ve learned that we all have moments and they can be overcome!
I’m proud to be a part of a group of 8 amazing women that were hand selected for this opportunity. Not to mention a handful of really awesome directors, producers, cameramen, and incredible knowledgeable sponsors! This project is a baby.. that is going to continue to grow and surpass everyone’s expectations. Someday I’m sure you will see Iron Brides gracing the prime time slot of ABC or NBC or FOX but I am so proud to have been a part of the original IRON BRIDES… season one because no matter how big this show
becomes noone can take that away from us.
♥ While this is my last official blog for Iron Brides… Stay Tuned theres plenty more to come………
Each of you has grown through your Iron Brides experience. What are you going to do to continue your personal growth(s)? What action(s) will you commit to? What are you willing to change? What has your fiance’s, and your families reaction been to this committment? January 16, 2009
First and foremost I am so happy that I decided to audition for Iron Brides… my gut instincttold me to go for it and I did. I think being choosen for Iron Brides allowed us all to feel special… to feel that we had something that they wanted… something to offer. I’m sure we all went through the emotions of “o my god I can’t believe they picked me” and “Why did I get picked” and “What are we going to be doing” and “What will the other girls be like” and so on and so forth. However that very first morning at 9:00 when we sat in the lobby of the Raddisson it was very clear why we were all chosen. We clicked as a group almost instantly and our stories while all totally different all had a similar beat.
After each day we filmed, I learned something new and flew with it.
◊Finances
I’ve began getting my finances in order actively reducing our debt which will create less daily stress for Sean and I. I am currently taking the steps towards refinancing our house, cutting up credit cards, not using credit cards, and paying off debt. I have taken a look at several avenues that will help me to save money. Just a small example… by calling my insurance companies I have decreased my monthly payments drastically and have saved almost $300 per year. As suggested by my life coach I have detailed our monthly expenses and we are well on our way to creating a budget. We even sold stuff on craigslist!
◊Stress and Taking on too much!
I’ve taken active steps to allow time for myself and saying “no” if I just don’t have the time to help and realizing that the world will indeed go on if I do say no…however I am still working on this a little I am slowly learning how to manage stress… and while I create most of the stress in my life, I can also create the moments to stop and take a deep breath. I like to be busy, be involved, help, and work but I also need to allow myself to sit down and do nothing once in a while.
◊Complaining
The bracelet challenge for me has been eye opening. It is so much more than a purple bracelet and changing it every time you complain. While we are still working daily on it… I have taken on the pledge that everything happens for a reason and no matter what the situation there is always someone going through something much worst than I. If I need to vent or feel a complaint coming on I stop and take a look at things, I’m trying to approach things from a different angle.
Overall I went into this knowing I was going to learn about wedding planning and had no idea I was going to come out learning so much about myself. I feel different why I’m not sure… I can’t really put it into words but I think many of the things I have gained on this show I will take with me and continue even after this is all done and the cameras are off!
SPASCAPE Relaxation Retreat and Sun Spa January 16, 2009
I’m sitting here at work thinking of all the ways that I can possibly market the business that my mother and I opened in Septemeber. Opening a business in this economy has been challenging and taught us a lot along the way. On Wednesday evening we hosted a Business Afterhours we had an amazing number of professional people throughout the community and I think it went very well! However it is a daily project to research and discover ways to promote your business whether it be word of mouth, email blasts, direct mail, radio, newspaper, etc etc. If there is one thing I have learned in my short life its that networking is crucial in business, in life, and I think it plays a large role in people/businesses becoming successful. There is a lot of people to reach… so with that said why not blog about our business. I am very proud of SpaScape it was two years in the making, rigorous hours of research, painting, construction, marketing, stress, headaches, bumps in the road… however what we have now is what I think a beautiful oasis in the middle of our busy world for people to come and spend some time to escape from everyday life. The idea behind the spa was no matter who you were, what your gender, how much money you made or didn’t, how much time you had, you still deserve to take some time for yourself and relax!
We are a non attendant spa that is fully mechanized meaning we have no people performing services it is all done by machines and equipment (but trust me they make you feel great)! Our services ranges from $12-$60 most being under $25. We have created a gender neutral modern environment complete with relaxing music, rushing water, calming scents, and services to make you both look and feel great!
Check out our website www.spascape.net for pictures, descriptions, prices, services, and specials!
Below are some pictures of our facility.
My DANCERS!!!! January 15, 2009
Well this blog just wouldn’t sum up a thing about my life if I didn’t include a small shout out to my amazing dancers at the Academy of Movement. I teach students of all ages 3-adult of various levels, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. We share an incredible bond with our students, the parents, and amongst the teachers! My students have supported me on this endeavor from day one…from my youngest who brought the newspaper article about me in for “show in tell” to my older students who made sure they had every friend and friend of a friend and so on vote for me, are just great! They are the hardest working, caring, fun spirited,devoted kids I know and are a pleasure to work with. They are very special to me,inspire me, and I thank them for making my job not only fun but rewarding
HOW DOES IT FEEL?? January 7, 2009
Through the planning stages and actual wedding day, what do you imagine your wedding will feel like to you and your guests? Try to limit the feeling to ONE WORD that will, in a nutshell, describe what your wedding mood will be. Then, list characteristics that help define your w
edding mood such as:
MOOD- Carefree
“People don’t need new facts, they need a new story.” January 7, 2009
When I first heard the information about Iron Brides there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be on that show! It was perfect for me… I was determined (this was the reason I had to wait so long to get engaged). However I’ll admit going into it I wasn’t quite sure what to think, millions of questions raced through my mind and now even to this day (because the wonderful directors and producers keep us waiting in utter suspense) we still don’t always know whats going to happen, when, who, where, or how!
One thing I am certain of is that Iron Brides has created a new chapter in my life, it has educated me on several aspects of planning my wedding, but above all they have introduced many things to my life and taught me lessons that will only help to better me as a person, as an adult, as a wife, a teacher, a mother, a friend!
I think the true mission behind Iron Brides is to teach us and guide us to write our stories in the direction that “we” want them to go in. To always think in a positive state! While at this point it hasn’t changed me entirely as a person there has certainly been life lessons that I have already gained from this experience.
The complaint free world challenge has been great for Sean and I, I think before I speak more, and try to approach every conversation differently so I don’t come across as nagging! Of course we are not even close to the 21 day mark, the effort alone creates a happier relationship, more smiles, less arguing, and team work!
Working with a life coach allows me to express my ideas regardless of how crazy they are and be reassured they can happen. It has put many things into perspective in particular about time…. this is my time and if I don’t remind myself of that every now and again it will slip away. I have been confronted with my insecurities, my flaws, my accomplishments, my reality and been forced to take a close look.
Many of negative thoughts have been replaced by thoughts of success and happiness, you are the only one who can open the door to your future. I have been fortunate that at this time in my life this opportunity arose. I think after this is all said and done I will continue to view things a bit differently. I began a new chapter in my life and fortunately its not even close to be over…
Write about the ‘glass ceilings’ in your life. What things do you believe you cannot do because of fear or inability other than a physical limitation (examples: jump out of a plane, handle spiders, speak in front of an audience, become President, etc.). You must tell us why you can’t do this/these things, and if you had a previous experience with it (negative experience). In addition to this, include 1-2 totally awesome things you wish you could do before you turn 60 and why you have mentioned these things. January 3, 2009
Of course we all have glass ceilings in our lives. Some I’m sure are easier to speak of than others. For me its a combination of two things. My worries often get the best of me and lack of self confidence.
Its funny because I think most people who know me know my confident, outgoing, center of attention, funny side… what many people don’t know about me is that I’m very self conscious. I do care what others think despite my constant will to convince myself that I don’t. I have always been very uncomfortable leaving my house with out make-up on, I’m never comfortable with what I’m wearing or how I look or my size, and I hate hate hate my teeth. In fact Sean often questions why I care what he thinks…. its hard to explain I just do. I feel this often holds me back, it opens the doors for me to constantly doubt myself, my ideas, my ability to succeed! I almost always have a wall up thinking people are judging me or creating a vision about me that is not true. For this reason alone I think I often try to please everyone, and we all know that doesn’t always work out. I wish I could define where this lack of self confidence comes from but I can’t I think I have always accepted this is who I am and it will be an ongoing battle for the rest of my life.
Another glass ceiling of mine that often limits me is I have something I like to call “worry syndrome” some may call it paranoid. I’m afraid to put it bluntly of death. The idea of myself or someone close to me dying terrifies me. The pain caused when one passes is unbearable I hate to go through it and don’t want other to go through it. I constantly worry about everything and over analyze things and think the worst possible scenario that could happen at any given time. For example they other day I was stopped at a red light and I just happened to be under and overpass…. of course I worried myself to the point that I acquire and extreme amount of anxiety about it. While this is a minuscule example its happens everyday all day.
Unfortunately I have had to struggle with these two things for as long as I could remember, although I cannot find a reason why I feel this way, I have nothing in my past that has created these fears, I had a fabulous childhood all the way up to college and beyond with great experiences.
Two things I’d love to do before I’m 60
1. Live on an Island for a year. Hawaii, Bahamas, Grand Cayman anywhere to experience a different perhaps a better quality of life.
2.Travel the world and see as many places as humanly possible.
Well here it is a small glimpse into what you may not ever see of me on camera… although maybe you will! Your begining to learn more about me that I thought I’d allow my fears, my worries, my life…
This is as real as it gets ladies and gents!
My furry lil babies :) January 3, 2009
I just wanted to share some adorable pics of my favorite little creatures in the whole wide world…. because I just love them to peices and they are so darn cute Introducing Miller and Bailey!
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- me and the pups!
