seaprincess

Quote: Originally Posted by Vikki How are you doing with this so far? I decided to look into it as well and started on "Cooler 1" today. For me the sweet cravings are going to be the worst so I bought some agave nectar to add to my green tea or whatever else if I need a small boost of sweet. Hey, thanks for asking! Its going really well - today is day 24....and apart from some weak moments at Starbucks, it is going really well! I have had less headaches, not nearly as bloated and I'm down a few pounds. I think the biggest change is that I have sooo much more energy. I have gone pretty much sugar free, except the occasionally chai tea with organic cane sugar. I haven't found the agave nectar in either of the stores I shop at, so I am still on the search. I actually got my free trial of the Clean Eating magazine in the mail today, so I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes. My hubby is enjoying the recipes but he is complaining he's hungry b/c he is not eating every 2-3 hrs so of course he's going to be hungry. I am absolutely not hungry, and I am not looking at it as a diet. I am enjoying the way I am feeling and being more conscious of my food choices. I will probably continue beyond my 100 day goal b/c I am committed to the philosophy.

Ugg...drove to gym to do the 9:30 spin class....got there and they are doing spin instructor training all weekend so there was no class :-( And, I only brought my spin shoes so I couldn't do anything else! So, I picked up some coffee and now I'm chillin' on the couch with DH trying to decide if I can motivate myself to go back later on.

That's so funny you guys are talking about it, b/c I just tried Zumba for the first time tonight! My gym finally offers it at a time when I can make and holy smokes was it a good workout! I was sweating at one point like in spin class! Definetly a good way to spice up the boring old routine of spin, weights and yoga! The moves were surprisingly challenging at times. I have a bit of dance training so I wasn't totally lost, but there were a few ladies there who were doing alot of arm and leg flailing, but what counts is they were moving and having fun. Poohshek you should definetly give it a try to see if its for you! Do they offer classes at your gym? Quote: Originally Posted by poohshek I have heard so many great things about Zumba and would love to try it out too!!!

Here are some pics of our frame:

We brought our sand home in our carryon and we were not stopped at customs and the sand was fine. Ours was in the Umbra frame mentionned earlier and we made sure it was filled right up with sand before closing the lid and then I wrapped it in paper and put it in a plastic bag, and then put it in my carry-on and kept it upright. When we came through customs, the officer was so interested in finding out how our wedding went, she barely asked us any questions....and we used coloured sand mixed with Punta Cana sand, so...she probably could have taken it away. Maybe keep the packaging from your sand bags to prove you bought it in Canada/US and that you used it for the wedding? Unfortunetly I don't think there is any guarentees...

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover aww ok... i was hoping someone else has done it will be doing it, to give me an idea on where to do this. Hopefuly Carolina will allow this somewhere. Thanks! I wouldn't worry too much about what Carolina will allow if I were you....she comes to the dinner long enough to make sure it is set-up for you and then she is gone....if you want to do it at dinner, just do it, I doubt that anyone would stop you. If you want to do it after at the disco, do it there! We didn't introduce our bridal party, but I did my bouquet toss at the disco with just the single ladies at the wedding and it it went well. Good luck sorting out all the details, but try not to stress over it b/c it will all get worked out when you are there!

Quote: Originally Posted by Debs I have a signed copy of the Eat-clean diet! My MIL is her banker (ya hoo for her, LOL) I knew you had to be CDN, because her (and her books) are Canadian too! haha! Yep, I'm a Canuck! I'm super jealous of your signed copy! Tosca is such an inspiration and her philosophy just makes sense to me. Update: I'm on day 10 and have done really well so far, although I found the weekend tougher than Mon-Fri b/c thats when I do most of my socializing. I have cut out the large 1/2 coffee, 1/2 hot chocolates from Tim Hortons that I would have 2-3 times a day, so I have also saved some cash. Instead I am having Green tea...not quite the same, but I am actually not really missing them as much as I thought I would. We have tried some new recipes and my favorite right now is chicken burgers with diced red peppers and onions inside!Mmmmm! So far, the biggest change is that I have soooo much more energy, no more falling asleep on the couch at 7:30pm. Probably b/c I am no longer crashing from all the sugar/caffeine during the day! Plus I am back to working out regularly again, so that helps too! I'll keep you all posted on my progress as I go, but right now I haven't found I've had to make any huge sacrifes so its really not that bad!

Saturday I did an hour of weights, followed by an hour of yoga. Tonight I did an hour of yoga all by itself.

Did an hour of spin last night (wanted to try out my new spin shoes!) and then did an hour of yoga to stretch it out!

hmmm....I got an email at work stating it went into effect Sept 1st....but maybe it was just a rumor b/c the info online only states Fall 2009. It is called Bill 118....if anyone can find the details please post! In the meantime, I'm going to get in the habit of not pulling my phone out for any reason while I'm driving.

Quote: Originally Posted by ~*Kathy*~ Good luck! Eating clean is certainly more challenging than it sounds but I'm sure you're up to the task! I have heard of many people following Tosca's books and have experienced great results. Thanks Kathy! It will certainly be a challenge but I we have been working towards it for the last couple of weeks and getting rid of the stuff that would be considered unclean. The challenge will be for me when I eat out for dinner...lunch I can handle, but dinner will be tough!

Quote: Originally Posted by Chanti Hi there, I've been doing more or less the same thing myself but didn't realize it actually had a name :-) I've started making everything from scratch using non-processed foods, such as yogurt, ice cream, soups, salad dressing, cookies, etc... It does take a bit more time and organization, but in the end it's so worth it! And it also gives me an excuse to play with the new kitchen appliances we got as gifts :-) Good luck, and I'd be happy to share recipes! Chantal Good for you!! I'm just excited to start making soup from scratch, but props for making yogurt! I would love to share recipes so post your faves for sure!

Hello my fellow Ontario-ans(?)! Just wanted to update those who may too busy to pay attention the news that the cellphone bann went through as of Sept 1. No cellphone use while driving! Exceptions include handfree as long as the phone is not in your hand, or if you are pulled over on the side of the road. There is $500 fine if you get caught, which would be much better used towards something wedding related I'd say.

Hey ladies! I just wanted to share my new endeavor....to eat clean. To start, I have never been a fan of traditional diets and the concept of eliminating or restricting entire food groups. If you choose that route, I am not judging, but my opinion is that it is not a healthy approach food and I have trouble with them. Then, in the last month, I came across the concept of eating clean and the Eat-Clean diet. An excellent resource that outlines the concept is "The Eat-Clean Diet" book by Tosca Reno or Eat-Clean magazine....or you could Google it and figure it out that way. Essentially, I have decided that my hubby and I are overdue to clean up our diets. So as of September 1st, we are committed to eating clean! What this means for us is: 1) Eating whole foods, that have not been processed, or have been as minimally processed as possible (aka fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains etc) 2) Increasing water to at least 2500ml a day (10cups) 3) Cut out the white - white sugar, white flour, white rice 4) Reducing saturated fats by choosing lean meat and most cheese (the cheese will be the toughy for me...mmm...cheese); no transfats 5) Eating every 2-3 hours, but having mini-meals rather than 3 square meals a day The principles are simple, read labels, don't consume things you can't pronounce and eat a little protein, fat and complex carbs every meal. Basically, it is basic nutrition without the crap from take-out, fast-food, or pre-packaged items...oh and no alcohol....DH won't cut out beer, but I don't really drink much anyways so when I do I will choose heart healthy red wine instead. Wish me luck and I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on my progress and challenges!

Quote: Originally Posted by jenmyl CaribbeanLover, I'm thinking of wearing my dress for the whole thing, even though I know it'll be very hot. I'm just wondering if brides normally wear their dresses to the disco or if they change into something lighter... I will be having an AHR as well but I still feel like I want to wear my dress for the day in Punta Cana as that will be THE wedding day. Any thoughts on this anybody? Hey, I can speak for myself and say that I wore my dress from about 3pm till I took it off at the end of the night. It was pretty darn hot wearing it at the disco and I wish I had something light for dancing. And it got pretty dirty on the bottom from the disco sludge. I did my TTD in my dress also and the salt water cleaned all the grime away so I was able to wear it to my AHR back home as well (without even drycleaning in between!). So I got 3 wears out of my dress. If you have another dress to wear when you go to the disco I would suggest using it unless your dress is already really light.

Did 1-hr of yoga on Monday night, and then went to all-you-can-eat sushi last night...bad, bad me!

Quote: Originally Posted by trinak Hey everyone, Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying there planning. I am starting to feel the stress of it. We are just trying to figure out the all-inclusive packages. So far they seem a bit pricey but I don't want to wait to long and not be able to get booked. Is everyone all booked already? What resorts are you staying at? It seems like the Bavaro is the most popular and expensive resort but I don't know, I think they will all be great. Hi Trina, Don't worry about the sections too much. The Palace is actually the pricier section I believe (unless you really upgrade to the Royal Section) , but in the resort, you can't tell where one section starts and the other one begins unless you look at a map....it is all open. We even had guests that booked with us in the bavaro section, but b/c of room availability, they were given rooms in the PC section or the Palace section. It is a slight pain in the bum when you are not super close together, but we all booked in the Bavaro, so it would really need to be an issue negotiated at check in if someone gets sent to another section. But you can walk (15 min) or take the train (5min) from one end of the resort to the other. Good luck with your decision. Good luck also figuring out your package! My BM and MOH both flew from Vancouver (I'm in Ottawa) and their package pricing was about $500 more expensive b/c they are on the westcoast. We paid 1665/week, taxes in and they were quoted about 2100. They ended up taking the scenic tour down south with 3 flights and 20 hours of travel (not recommended), to save $400...they said they would not do that again b/c they ended up losing 2 full days due to the travel. Good luck too to all the other brides struggling with Carolina's replies etc. The frustration will all be worth it when you are marrying your FI surrounded by tropical flowers and the sound of the ocean

Quote: Originally Posted by Nonnie carribeanlover, let me know your email and I'll send you those pics as for dance, Carolina said no to Mark and I having our first dance at the restaurant, but she has suggested the gazebo or beach for this, which could be fun. I guess we just bring a CD player, some drinks and party under the stars FYI, you can't pick your music for the reception unless you book the whole place. Unless you hijack the CD player behind the bar, which is what we did, but there is no guarantee....this is also how we managed to do our first dance at the reception.

Did an hour of yoga last night!

Quote: Originally Posted by beachbum Hi ladies, Which of the bars do you think would serve as a good spot for welcome drinks? We wanted to have an informal meet and greet two days before the wedding so they guests can get to know each other, etc. and we'd give out the OOT bags IF they charge. We're staying at Royal Suites, but some of our guests are in the Palace section. Does anyone know if the resort will give out the OOT bags at the guests' check in? Beachbum, my recommendation for the bar would be Hemingways. It is the premium bar on the Bavaro section of the resort. It serves all the premium liquor (included in the package), as well as all the regular stuff, has lovely indoor seating and a fun terrace patio. I believe it is also a cigar bar if any of your guests enjoy cigars. I didn't have access to the Royal section when I was there, so maybe there is something equally/more beautiful on your section. As far as the OOT bags....I'm sure if you asked, they would do it, after all, you are the bride! Ask Carolina b/c she is also the manager of Guest Services!

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover Ah-good to know I am not alone. I'll do the same get a family member to read a script I found on the net. Pm me your e-mail address, I'll send you the link I have for the menus. Do you know if your having the reception at La Uva or the buffet? I have both. Hey Girls, just tell Carolina that you need a table for the sand ceremony set-up at the front of the aisle. You do the legal ceremony, she gives you the opportunity to say your own vows if you want, then the kiss and the sand ceremony. B/c the judge doesn't speak english and Carolina's english isn't very good, your best bet is to employ a family member/friend. I had my brother do our reading...funny thing is, I never explained to anyone how to set it up before the ceremony....so I sortof had to set it up for us right then and there (not romantic)...and it rained that day, so the sand from the beach was wet. Soooo it didn't pour out very smoothly.....funny looking back, but I would recommend somone you trust can set it up for you BEFORE the ceremony. So they gave my brother the mic and then we did the sand ceremony and then sand cermony stuff is moved out of the way so you can you sign the legal paper work on the same table.

Jerzshorstuff - There is already a thread for brides getting married at the Grand Palladium in Punta Cana. Check out http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t14643 to help with your planning. Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by dawnkyeknod The sand ceremony made me cry. Can I please use that one? I have looked around and this is nice and to the point. Love it. I love all the plans too - congrats! Aw thanks....I'm glad you like it. I wrote it by combining a few google searches and my own thoughts. Enjoy!

Quote: Originally Posted by Danielle77 you did a fantastic job Lindsay. Where did you get your guest book pages from, they are great! Thanks! I actually stole the idea from Hallmark, and then customized my own pages and printed them on cardstock.

Quote: Originally Posted by MilitaryMrs.s-to be How did you guys decide on the resturants?? Did she send you a menu?? Or are yas just picking one Just a tip for the restaurants....if you choose Arricefe, you can only choose your menu from there. It is a steak/seafood restaurant, and you only have the option of indoor dining. If you choose La Uva, you can choose your menu from any of the restaurants on the resort. So for us having the reception at la Uva, our appetizer came from the Spanish restaurant (Garlic Shrimp - SOOOOOO yummy), our main came from Arricefe (beef medallian, also yummy) and dessert came from somewhere else, I think it was the Spanish restaurant too. Arricefe has an excellent menu, we ate there 3-4 times b/c it was so good. For La Uva, you just get more diversity of your menu choices.... Finalyy, we were given the menu when we spoke to Carolina after we arrived, but she has them available on her computer if you want to request that she send you them to help you decide.