To do or Not to do - Engagement Photos?

I've been in a battle with myself since the Pre-Hubby and I got engaged.. should we do Engagement photos or not?

To me, I feel like everyone I know has some sort of photo session shortly after the engagement and before the actual wedding. But is it worth it? Is it cost effective? Remember, we're trying to have a fun but budget friendly event. So is this something we can cut for the sake of saving money?

And then I found the following photo and I realized we MUST do an engagement photo session.

The photos, by DWJ Studio, were just amazing and made me FEEL happy! I realized that I wanted that for myself! I wanted those photos, that memory, that happy moment before the crazy begins! I want it to remind us that we can have crazy fun together.

I immediately started looking up other engagement photo ideas! I was filled with ideas and thoughts, and so much wonder. I wanted pictures of us making a heart shape, pictures with the sunset, pictures on the beach, pictures running from zombies (so awesome, right?!) and so much more. Then I realized I had NO IDEA where to start!

So I emailed the above photo to my photographer friend at Luminous Photography, who we want to do our wedding day photos, and said this is what I wanted to do! At the end of our Washington summer (which only lasts 3 weeks here, so its gotta be planned perfect!) I want to do a small session with Pre-Hubby and have these wonderful memories to take us all the way to the big day! She said she would help find locations and I got so excited! I know for a fact that I want some photos taken at Kerry Park, the place that Pre-Hubby proposed!

Now, I just wait. I need to find a couple relevant ideas I like, order some awesome color powder, get white t-shirts, and plan a fun day at the end of summer for photo fun!

So let's hear it! Did you do engagement photos? did you do a theme, or just have fun with it? If you decided against them, why? I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts!
Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Angel Hair pasta with Pesto, Mushrooms and Arugula

This meal is delicious and super filling. The recipe calls for only 1 cup per serving, and it is definitely enough! I made this meal during the week and it is super delicious and Pre-Hubby loved it! Finding healthy things that he will eat makes me so happy! I will apologize now for not having a slideshow showing the whole process. My camera cord is broken, so I wasn't able to download my pics. I will make sure to add a photo as soon as I get the camera cord fixed!

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Kosher salt

8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta

1 TB extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup Pesto

3 cups Arugula

Freshly shaved parmesan cheese

First, fill large pot 2/3 full with water, add salt, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to boil, add pasta, and cook per package directions. Once fully cooked, drain the pasta and put off to the side.

Next, Heat a large skillet on high. After the pan is heated, spray with a bit of olive oil cooking spray and add onion. Cook for 4 minutes until onion is soft. Then, add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until liquid released from mushrooms has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the arugula to the mushroom mixture. I like to put a lid over the top to help wilt the arugula a bit faster. Wilted is fine for this meal.

With the veggies done cooking, toss the pasta into a large bowl and add the pesto. Make sure to mix it all together well. All that's left to do now is serve up pasta on a large serving dish or on individual plates and top with Arugula and mushroom mix and some freshly shaved Parmesan cheese 

It was so easy and quick to make and tasted so good! I even had left overs to bring for lunch so I can make everyone at work jealous :)

Let me know if you try this recipe yourself and if you enjoy it!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Let the Contest Begin... almost!

***OH NO!!! I just realized that this post was still in Draft mode and didn't post Friday night like it should have! My apologies! I'm posting now!***

So, today was an awesome day! I've gotten the full go ahead to do a Biggest Loser contest at work and today I sent out the rules email!  I'm so excited to get it started. My boss and I even went down to the 24 hour fitness on the floor below us and are working to get a couple prizes donated, as well as getting them to host a group fitness class or two during the duration of the contest!

Here are the rules for the contest:

• First – HAVE FUN! Eat Healthy, Exercise, and listen to your body. More than losing weight, this is about getting healthy! 
• First weigh-in will be Monday July 2nd (shoes off!) 
• The final weigh-in will be Monday September 3rd 
• There will be a $5 entry fee for all contestants that must be paid by the first weigh in 
• Weigh-ins MUST be submitted by 11AM on Mondays to the Moderator 
• Any weigh-ins NOT submitted on time, will be charged a $1 penalty 
• There will be a $1 penalty for each pound gained ($.10 for each .1lb gained)

The winner of the contest will be the person who loses the largest percentage of body weight, not pounds lost. I'm so excited for the contest and for the opportunity to get healthy WITH my co-workers. I keep hearing flutterings around the office of people wanting to lose weight and get healthy, and I'm so excited to be able to bring the opportunity to them! The owner has even  signed on to MATCH the buy in pot to get a nice prize for the winner! Its great to work for a company that really wants to help people get healthier!

Well, I'll keep you updated on all the happenings of the contest! Hope you all have a great week!!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Searching for Wedding Venues

I'm gonna make this short and sweet and share with you all 2 of the venues I am leaning towards for the Pre-Hubby and I's wedding. Both are water-view venues and located in the Seattle area. They are both gorgeous and great fits for us, as well as our theme! I'm hoping we can make a final decision on one of these places within the first couple weeks of August.

First up is Golden Gardens Bathhouse. Located at Golden Gardens park in Ballard, WA, this place is my absolute favorite! Its RIGHT on the beach and is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures I've seen of real life weddings that are held at this venue are simply stunning. Its got the water view and beach setting I want, and that old school flair that I want. Back in March, right after our engagement, Pre-Hubby and I went to the park to take a look at the place. Of course there was an event going on when we got there, but we were able to wander around the outside, take a look at the open meadow where ceremonies are typically performed, and wander along the beach. I was in love!

My only concern is that this place is a hot venue and because of this, they have rolling lotteries for reservations. That means that since we want our wedding in August 2013, we have to submit our application before August 1st of this year. They will perform a lottery and if our application is pulled for that day, we have 3 days to submit the $250 deposit. If we don't get pulled, we just don't get it or we have to choose a different date. Also, this venue is a mandatory 8 hour minimum rental, plus a handful of other fees because for being a venue in a city park. Still within our price range, but slightly discouraging to think about. Here are a few of my favorite photos of this venue.

The second place that's hot on our list is Lake Washington Rowing club. This is a last minute find that never came up in my initial venue searches. The pricing is great, the venue is big, and its right on the water. This venue includes a large rounded patio/deck that the woman said many people have chosen to get married on. It provides a great view of the dock and the water and there is a small spark/walking trail nearby. The other advantage of this location is the picture opportunities. This place is 2 blocks away from the famous Fremont Troll. I think it would be awesome to have wedding photos taken there!
While this place is well within our budget, and allows for a rental for the WHOLE DAY (12+hours) with just one fee, they require a much larger deposit to reserve the space (1/2 of the rental fee and a $150 cleaning fee that is refundable as long as the place isn't trashed). That's a lot of money to come up with in a short amount of time, just to reserve the site. The plus for this site though, is that its not as popular as Golden Gardens, therefore we can potentially wait longer to reserve it and have our date still available. Here are some photos I love of the Lake Washington Rowing venue.

So there you have it. Our top two venues. I'd love to know what other people think of them, so let me know your thoughts. I'm really excited to take a second look at each of them in person and really narrow down which one we want to decide on. SO EXCITING!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes

Skinnytaste.com is a great website for finding quick and simple recipes. In my quest to find healthier recipes that fall within my diet guidelines (see Fitness Friday post about diets), I've found this website to be extremely helpful. This weekend I decided to try the Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes.

The meal is delicious and even the Pre-Hubby thought it was great!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced in 1 inch cubes

cooking spray

1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dried basil

kosher salt and fresh pepper

8 oz spaghetti

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

6 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

The first thing you want to do is get your spaghetti cooking. Follow the package instructions and get some water in a pot to begin boiling.

With spaghetti started, dice up the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Once complete, put in a large ziploc bag with pepper, salt, oregano, and basil. Heat a large skillet on high. After the pan is heated, spray with a bit of olive oil cooking spray and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, until there is no pink left.

While the chicken is cooking, cut your grape tomatoes in half and chop up the garlic. Your chicken should be done by now, so remove it from the stove and set aside. Using the skillet, respray with a light dusting of olive oil cooking spray and add the garlic. You will want to saute until golden brown, but do not burn it! Next, add the diced tomatoes and turn heat to medium-low. Add a dash of salt and pepper and saute the tomatoes and garlic for another 3-4 minutes.

By now your pasta should be done and drained. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss well. Add the fresh basil and the chicken to the mixture and toss together. Serve and top with cheese if you like!

Here is a slideshow of the process.

A quick and simple meal that everyone will love! Let me know if you try this recipe yourself and if you enjoy it!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly