New Name, New Game!

Guess what I did last night?!

I changed my name!! Like...not on facebook, not on email, not on my voicemail. I trucked down to the registry office and "assumed" my spouse's name. Did you know that's how it works?! You just go down to the registry, hand over your marriage certificate, driver's liscence and another piece of ID, and they put you into the system as whatever you want your last name to be. Okay, not whatever, but I could have hypenated, or whatever else you do when you get married.

I was all prepared to go through a legal name change! Guess not!

I had to take a new picture for my lisence. Not pretty! They don't let you smile anymore!! Come on, I only look good in pictures when I smile. I probably look like this in it:

So...I am now, officially, a Roughley!

Yay!

Wedding Pics!!

Guess what, it's been ONE month since mine and Gareth's wedding!!! How crazy, man time flies, it's like it just happened. So just wanted to share a few pics of the beautiful, amazing, fun day we had. Here you are!

Getting married right on the beach in Alberta was pretty unforgettable. We had a lot of friends put in A LOT of work to make this happen.

For our guests to make sure they were cool and hydrated during the ceremony...so no beer, just water ;)

Daddy and me. I was holding on so tight!

The ceremony was so fun! We giggled and laughed and I hooted and made jokes through the whole thing. Why not right?! It suited us perfectly.

One of our 12 first kisses. I know...what?! It was the marriage commisoner's rule.

Mr and Mrs Roughley!

Mom and dad after Gareth and I sealed things with a kiss.

Check out our tent where we had the reception. Pretty snazzy hey?!

My dad hand carved the podiums for our MCs

The head table...check out the name tag holders...also courtesy of dad!

Our cake. unreal hey?! Our baker was crazy talented.

Our first dance...check out those moves!

I have some extreme hotties for friends...my 4 besties

My bro and me dancing...with a cup in his hand

And ya...I definitely jumped out of my uncle's boat the next day!! Everyone seems so shocked, but trust me, so fun! You only live once, so live it up! I'm pretty sure the water photos will be incredible.

So happy 1 month anniversary to us! Our day was just like us...amazing! LOL

Heres to love..ching ching!

Shauna

Tipping the Scales

I have a huge issue with my weight.

I'm always thinking about it, always checking it, and I randomly measure myself to see how I'm doing on the ol' inches.

I have been overweight off and on my whole life. My weight has flucuated by about 80 pounds since I was 17. And I was a fat kid. So things haven't been very constant for me, ever.

I came home from backpacking in Australia at about 200 pounds. I left here at about 160. It took me a while, a light switch was finally flicked on, and I got myself down to about 155 pounds after months and months of work. I stayed there for about 3 1/2 years, all through college.

Then came real life, the real world-a full time job, which meant full days sitting at a desk. And getting engaged, which meant lots of planning. And I was finishing up my degree. I'm sure I don't have to say it, but I didn't have much time for working out.

It wasn't the working out that got all though, because I did still go 2-3 times a week. It was the constant snacks and treats at the office. BBQs, donuts, popcorn, you name it, my office has it. I didn't even want these things a lot of the time, I was just bored, so I ate, and I ate, and I ate.

I put on 5, 6 pounds, getting me into the realm of the 160s. A dangerous slide, my friends, as this happened in a matter of months.

I put this weight on right around the time of my first dress fitting. I bought my dress at around 153, right after doing a cleanse, so going to a fitting at 160 was a massive shock to my system. I knew it was tight. I knew it was an issue. I subtly tried to sit down and I could barely breath. I got worried, and I got upset. The seamstress made the appropriate alterations so I would fit into it, but it was the wake up call I needed. I needed to make some decisions and make some changes. I only had about 4 1/2 months until the wedding.

First thing I did was swear off all food from the office. I was only allowed to eat the food that I brought in. I got back into packing my breakfast and lunch the night before. I began eating 4 times at work-breakfast, snack, lunch, snack. Breakfast was 2 pieces of fruit or a hard boiled egg and fruit, snack was veggies, lunch was usually a homemade broth soup or a salad, and snack was a piece of fruit, but only if I needed it. I meant business. Dinner was chicken and brown rice and veggies, or fish, or a big salad. Good, healthy food that made me feel good.

Second thing I did was get my butt back to the gym. Twice a day. It might sound extreme but I needed to do it. I did an hour of cardio and abs before work in the morning, and then went back at lunch and did weights and abs. I did this usually 4 days a week. In total I was at the gym on average 7-10 times a week. I was getting my money's worth, that was for sure!!

My last dress fitting came when I was about 145. The seamstress even whispered to me at the end, you've done so good. That meant a lot.

By the time the wedding came around I was about 142 pounds. I lost about 18 pounds from that horrible day at the seamstress. My dress fit amazingly. And it was comfortable. I could move, I could sit, I could breath. And I was proud. I felt so confident, I was so happy with the way I looked. It's the first time in my life I felt like I was really, truly happy with where my body was at.

The honeymoon was relaxing. I only put on about 5 or 6 pounds. Which I think is pretty amazing considering I ate and ate and drank and drank for 3 weeks straight. I think that shows that I'm learning the balance.

I will write more about that balance tomorrow, but I feel like this post has gotten huge!! Stay tuned...

Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Shauna

Newlyweds

Here we are, Mr. Roughley and I, sitting at the kitchen table in the cottage where we are spending our honeymoon. We are in Vernon, BC, Canada, one of our absolute favorite places in the world. What more can you ask for when you are surrounded by vineyards and beaches with the sun shining down on you?

We have just gone and seen the movie, Julie & Julia, and I have been inspired, for the third time now, to start a blog. Correct that, to start a personal blog.

We already have a blog, for Gareth's photography, which has been neglected for far too long as the wedding date closed in. So just as we are going to get going on that one again, I am going to use this one to pursue my passion-writing. Since I still don't know what I am passionate writing about, I am going to use this space to try to figure it out.

Along the way I hope to document my new life, as a wife, and what that means. Mr. Roughley and I have big plans and big dreams for our lives, so if things go according to plan there will be a lot to write about!

We have been discussing what we want out of life, what we want to do, and how we plan to get there. As most people do, we have the best of intentions to live life to the absolute fullest. I am going to report about this quest on here, and I promise to be completely honest! Because let's face it, sometimes it feels more right to stay in your pj's all day watching movies than it does to explore a new city, so it all shall be reported.

Gareth, my new husband, and I have crafted up a list on the right of the blog detailing some of our plans for our life together. I'm sure this list will grow and change over time, but as of today, these are our plans, goals, hopes and dreams. I will report back monthly about how the Intentions have gone, as well as periodically when we cover one of them. I think you'll even hear from him from time to time!

A quick note about the title of the blog. I wanted to inlude my new last name in the title, and also emphasize how I view life. In short, life isn't always easy, it isn't always pretty, but Gareth and I want to have a blast working through it all. So we will roughly get through everything life throws at us, and we will love every minute of it.

So please sit back, relax, and enjoy as we embark on this crazy thing called life together.

Much Love,

Mrs. Roughley