kellygrrrl

woo, ok, so after four days of careful eating in cali and a half week back, I'm now about two weeks through INSANITY. I do my second fitness test today so am excited to see the improvement, but in the meantime, I've noticed my favorite jeans are fitting looser, my FI has commented on all the positive changes (me feeling great, having more energy, etc), and last night when I walked into my mom's house, she said warily, "You look thinner." leave it to mom... ; ) according to the scale, I've dropped 1.5 lbs, which is really good considering I'm only 2 weeks in and took a hiatus while in cali. it's probably just water weight, but I'm so happy with how I feel, and I do enjoy the dvds (even though they are grueling ; ). I'm 5' 4" and started at 124 lbs (now 122.5 lbs), but I'm most excited because when I work out, I typically gain weight because I eat everything in sight. maybe that part of it just hasn't caught up with me, but I'm determined to at least eat healthy food if I'm going to eat a lot. overall: yay! I'm happy with ANY progress only a couple weeks in. how's everyone else doing?

LOVED the La Sposa line and all the lace. if I was having a church wedding, this dress would've been IT. : ) this is the one in all the magazines (e.g. Martha Stewart Weddings). I think it's the Pronovias La Sposa Denia, and I was quoted a price of $1534. AMAZING dress. love yours, too muzikgrrl - great choice!!

and actually, I should mention that I bought a pretty simple DW-style sheath dress, so I'm not biased ; )

ooo, I love this - was this the one someone said was too busy? I think it's AWESOME. : )

hmm... sorry about that. thank you ladies for being so patient with me. : ) corrected below. kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup you can view star's current location here: http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?TripID=34009 User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Mochamakes3 April 16 - 27, 2011 Moon Palace Riviera Maya, Mexico Ontario, Canada NurseM May 18 - 26, 2011 Dreams Cancun, Mexico New Orleans, LA Susanna.Hanson June 14 - 21, 2011 Cabo del Sol Houston, TX Islandbride8 June 27 - July 4, 2011 Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Morgantown, WV Amara3CUS July 17 - 31, 2011 Moon Palace Cancun, Mexico New Mexico Mallory57 August 11 - 21, 2011 Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Philadelphia, PA Kathie October 24 - 29, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA JayKay January 9 - 23, 2012 Gran Bahia Principe Montego Bay, Jamaica Alberta, Canada Brenners February 8 - 15, 2012 Riviera Maya, Mexico Minneapolis, MN kellygrrrl May 1 - 15, 2012 The Royal Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Mexico Austin, TX

hey ladies - had a question for the group. out of sheer curiosity, how much are you paying per night for a junior suite (non-ocean view)? I was talking with another bride offline, and she mentioned her rate was $140/night, which seemed to good to be true, considering the lowest prices on the royal website are $320/night. does booking through a travel agent offer such a significant discount? are you all getting similar rate quotes? I was going to just have everyone book through our wedding coordinator (who offers an additional ~10% off the royal rack rates, even when discounted), but I'll definitely use an agent if the savings are so phenomenal. thanks for any feedback. : )

you won't have to worry - I'll keep it updated : )

got it. changing to excel format now. : ) User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Mochamakes3 April 16 - 27, 2011 Moon Palace Riviera Maya, Mexico Ontario, Canada NurseM May 18 - 26, 2011 Dreams Cancun, Mexico New Orleans, LA Susanna.Hanson June 14 - 21, 2011 Cabo del Sol Houston, TX Islandbride8 June 27 - July 4, 2011 Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Houston, TX Amara3CUS July 17 - 31, 2011 Moon Palace Cancun, Mexico New Mexico Mallory57 August 11 - 21, 2011 Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Philadelphia, PA Kathie October 24 - 29, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA JayKay January 9 - 23, 2012 Gran Bahia Principe Montego Bay, Jamaica Alberta, Canada Brenners February 8 - 15, 2012 Riviera Maya, Mexico Minneapolis, MN kellygrrrl May 1 - 15, 2012 The Royal Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Mexico Austin, TX

hey mochamakes3 - congrats on your upcoming wedding departure! less than 48 hours to go. : ) ladies, I was thinking of keeping track of the star here: http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?TripID=34009 - thoughts? it's a little clunky because it has a lot of blog-related stuff (posting dates/times, etc), but I'm excited to see the map in a year with red lines all over it. what do you think? oh, and if we ever come up with a name, I'll add that in, too. good luck, mochamakes3! : )

I was most sore after cardio recovery day, but that was also week one, so it could've been a fluke. I think it would be cool to do something like yoga or swimmingm on that day - something that's not degenerative and that would complement the cardio recovery exercise. I thought I'd try skipping the rest day because we're going to cali this weekend, and I knew I'd be away from it for a few days, but I couldn't get through pure cardio. again, could've been a fluke, but it could also be an indication that everything is planned just so.

oh yea - there's seriously no way. my finace can't do it, and he's been a cross country runner. if you take out some of the jumps and instead jog/march in place, you'll save yourself from some of the more demanding exertion and make it more do-able (like during the push-up drills, sometimes I just focus on the push up part or step into and out of plank position, rather than jumping). if the people on the video can't finish the routines, I don't think us brides need to be freaked out about not doing everything. : )

not sure what your budget is, but myglassslipper.com has several shoes similar to the rsvp Rains style. OR you can get the already-beaded ones for only $399: http://www.myglassslipper.com/wedding-shoes/benjamin-adams/charlize-6369 ; )

congrats, d! it's so thrilling when those first steps are done. you finally feel like you're getting somewhere. : )

I believe the only reserved bungalows are those dedicated to the people who rent the beach-front rooms, and they have little placards with the room numbers on them. when my mom and I were at the royal, we'd occasionally use theirs until the true owners showed up (which never happened, and no one asked us to leave in the meantime). there were other un-reserved cabanas, but it was my experience most people wanted to be around the pool due to the music and activities there. the towel game is in effect, so if you're up early, you'll have your pick of the place. and honestly, I see no harm in using something that's 'reserved' with a towel until the 'owners' show up. it's silly, really.

from what I understand, P90X is crafted more around strength training, whereas Insanity is all cardio. I wasn't working out consistently before starting Insanity, and though I have to make some modifications during the workouts, it's ok, and I haven't had to turn the DVD off yet. ; ) just don't let the fitness test scare you off - it's SUPER tough. the workouts are better, maybe because you can choose to do some exercises and modify others. even the people on the DVD are dropping out of the routines, so it doesn't seem to be fully do-able by anyone, at any fitness level, and I think that's what they intended. if you like cardio, I'd vote for jumping straight into Insanity and know that the muscles and endurance will follow. it has only been one week for me, and I am feeling a zillion times better and stronger. : ) if you're looking for arms, they include a separate DVD. if you did selected workouts from P90X along with the Insanity to burn any residual calories, I'd think that would be best -- only because I don't feel like Insanity does enough for the arms outside of the occasional push up sets. again, it's just the end of week one, so maybe that part is to come. orange_peel mentioned her arms were WAY in shape afterward. maybe in some of the later DVDs...?

happy to help, katelynn. PM me with your email if you'd like for me to send larger files. : )

yay!! I'm so glad there are others out there. you ladies are going to keep me honest! : ) june11bride - we did start at the same time, although I'm going to cali next weekend, so I'm afraid all bets are off then. I figured I'd either start over or pick it back up after the long weekend and not have my expectations too high. for me, this is more of a prep for swimsuit season, as we're not getting married until next year, so I'm not super serious... yet. ; ) cardio recovery didn't feel like much, but next to the fitness test, I was the most sore after it. good thing I didn't do it twice (later I kept remembering those lunges and thinking differently. ; ) LOVE sparkpeople, too and agree about the time savings. I can work from home on occasion, so it's super convenient. I'm going to pick up my dress tomorrow (1+ yr in advance ; ) and have been sore, sore so I may make it my off day. or plyo. decisions decisions. ; ) good luck - so great to hear from you and definitely want to see how it goes.

oh AGREED about the pictures - SOOOO important!! they were what helped me truly decide. my mom and I would get in the car after the appointment, and I'd immediately flip through them on the digital camera. then, even the finalists became a quick 'nope'. it was a great way to see what not only looked good on but also what photographed the best.

hey, I'm so glad you wrote. it will be interesting to see if we find any others. : ) are you following the meal plan? I thought I'd try to do it loosely because all whole grains are so ick, but I'm totally down for the sashimi and had the bagel and lox today (admittedly without scraping out the center or having the whole wheat bagel, but I did eat a thin one, at least ; ). your shake doesn't sound bad, actually, and we've ordered samples of the shakeology one, so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm so happy to hear about you and your fiance's progress. it makes me feel a little better already, and I think I am getting stronger. please keep me posted! : ) and congrats on all the hard work thus far.

agree with the reccos for MAC. there's a thread somewhere that discusses what type of makeup (foundation, etc) photographs best, and I think MAC was at the top of people's lists (didn't hear too much about Sephora). they have studio makeup intended specifically for use in front of a camera. if you prefer a less-dramatic look, my fav for bridal makeup is bobbi brown. not sure how well their makeup does in outdoor/camera conditions, but it's certainly the prettiest and softest-looking.

ok, so I thought the girls who started the P90X thread had a great idea, and I'd really like to hear from any brides doing INSANITY out there. what do you think so far? I'm only four days in but can't believe the workouts. I've been sore constantly, even after yesterday's recovery. does that eventually go away? is anyone drinking the shakeology shakes or the recovery drinks? please let me know if you're out there, and good luck! : )

our turn!! : ) kelly + jd the royal playa del carmen cinco de mayo, 2012 (05/05/12 at 5pm)

you might luck out and not have to try one on. I escaped without having to do so, although my mom would have liked it, ball gowns are kinda known to drown smaller frames. good luck with the shopping! : )

it's on FB but reprinted on Tripadvisor: http://www.facebook.com/RealResortsMexico?sk=wall#!/RealResortsMexico http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150807-i8-k4374787-Royal_Cancun_Response_from_Real_Resorts_re_Music-Cancun_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I sent my question to the moderator on the Real Resort facebook page, and they confirmed that the activities will still be hosted near the towel area (e.g. close to the swing bar, on the left-hand side of the main pool if you're looking at the ocean), which is good because I imagine that still allows them to host things like bingo and ceviche cooking class, etc. there seems to be LOTS of feedback from guests disappointed about the lack/restriction of music, so it will be interesting to see if they change their mind about this entirely.