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After all, my single-girl adventures are over. :)

On Being a Boone...

Yes, I am getting married in just a few hours. Yes, I have a million things to do. Posting on this blog should not be one of them, but I have been "itching" to write. I am so excited to marry that Bryan Spann boy, but there is something I must confess.

I love being a Boone.

(I am already crying. I am a hot mess.)

I got up to do my quiet time this morning and was overwhelmed by God's love for me once again.

Here is today's verse:

You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy."
John 16:20

I didn't understand this verse when I "peeked" at it a couple of months ago. I was actually disappointed! I wanted a special and meaningful devotion for my wedding day and at the time, I just didn't "get it." I wept this morning when I read this verse because I felt truly loved by God. I am amazed that He cares even about my small worried, and today's quiet time proves to me that He does love me and He does care - even about the small things.

I have been grieving. I'm not sure if I'm grieving the loss of my identity, my "freedom", or something else but I definitely feel like I am giving up part of myself today.

I love being a Boone. I am so proud to be a Boone. I love hearing people ask, "You're one of those Boone girls - aren't you?" I love it when people tell me that I sing like Mama or that I have Daddy's eyes. In a silly, but small way it makes me feel famous. :-)

I know that I will always be a Boone girl, but it is an act of submission to "give up" your maiden name and take on your husband's last name. And I do this with a joyful heart. I am excited to be a Spann. I cannot wait to meet Bryan at the mill tonight at 6:00. I know that when I see him, my grief will turn suddenly to joy.

Thank you, Father, for showing me that you love me - especially on days like today. Thank you for giving me peace that today will go smoothly and I won't be a blubbering mess. :-) Help me to be a good wife - to shine Your light for Bryan and love him as You love us. Guide us as we travel together for the rest of our lives. Walk with us through the hardships and remind us to rejoice in you when we are blessed. Thank You for your Ultimate Sacrifice, Your Son. Help us to keep Him at the center of everything we do.

I love you. Amen.

Abigail Lee Boone

Suggestions, Anyone?

So I'm working on some of the finer (*read: fun for me, not Bryan) details for our big day. One of my "tasks" is to work with the ceremony musicians to determine what should be played before, during and after the ceremony.

Our ceremony musicians are members of Mama and Daddy's church in Arden, NC. It's actually a family - a dad and 2 or 3 of his daughters (the 3rd daughter is a maybe). I had the chance to watch them perform together over Christmas and I loved it. It made me miss being able to sing and play with my own family. It's all instrumental - guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, etc. I'm really looking forward to it.

I picked out some of my favorite hymns for them to play before the ceremony. I know we'll be walking "out" to "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" but beyond that I'm kind of stuck.

Here's where I'm asking for help from my faithful blog-public.

I need song suggestions! Particularly songs for the bridal party and yours truly to walk in to. If you can think of a sweet song for us to include I would love to hear from you. I'm open to sacred and secular music. I would actually love a good Beatles song in there somewhere.

So.... whatcha thinkin?? ;-)

She's Baaaccckk!

Hello peeps -

A quick update.

The Cleanse:

It was supposed to last 10 days. We made it 8. :-) Day 7 was definitely the hardest - it was also the big snow day here in Atlanta. All I wanted to do was make a big pot of homemade soup. We made it through the day, but there was lots of kicking and screaming on my part. Bless my sweet fiance and his patience. :-)

On the night of Day 8, we caved. I heated up some V-8 Tomato Herb soup, and sliced some Nine-Grain Italian Bread from Publix and relished every bite. It was the best freakin' meal of my entire life. We eased back into food pretty slowly. Breakfast and lunch for the next two days were strictly orange juice - again, heaven sent after drinking lemonade and salt-water-yuck for eight days. We ate alot of Kari's homemade 10 Veggie Soup as well. I highly recommend it. It's 0-1 points per serving, and really filling. I will be making another batch this week in an effort to keep myself on the right track before our big day.

Overall, I lost 11 pounds and Bryan lost 13. We have tried (fairly hard) to eat right since coming off the cleanse and have been pretty successful. We haven't gained any of our old weight back. In fact, Bryan is even down a couple more pounds since the cleanse. I am headed to the gym as we speak in an effort to whittle off a few more pounds before the wedding.

I think we may even "cleanse" again one more time before June. Bryan had more energy during the cleanse than I did, but afterwards we both felt an odd sense of "renewal" - like we had restored our bodies a little bit. Does that sound cheesy?

If you have any questions, we'd be happy to answer them! I'll post again soon with a non-cleanse related update!

:-)

Days 6 and 7

There's not much new to report!

We're still plugging along...

Bryan has lost about 11 pounds, and I'm down about 9 pounds. The weekend has been a little easier than I thought it would be. We even went to my sweet friend Nicole's birthday party last night. Everyone around us was eating fajitas, drinking adult beverages and having a piece of really delicious-looking cake. HOWEVER, it didn't bother us! I could look at it and appreciate it without feeling like I was going to start foaming at the mouth if I didn't have some.

I went wedding dress shopping yesterday with my maid of honor, Sherry. It was fun! I will admit to procrastinating on this part of wedding planning. I haven't wanted to try on dresses that I would feel chubby in. I had some "chubby moments" yesterday, but I did find 3 dresses that I like. I want to try a couple of other boutiques that people have recommended before I make a final decision.

We have 3 more days left! I can't believe I've been doing this for a week now. It's nice to know there is real (healthy) food in sight, but I feel a real sense of accomplishment in knowing we've made it this far.

Check in with us tomorrow!

Right now, I'm sitting in our office listening to the rain and hoping it will SNOW! I could use a day off or a teacher workday. :-)

Days 4 and 5 - The Magic Lemonade Diet

This isn't getting any easier. :-) I had dream last night that I was eating, and I woke up feeling guilty!! Today (Day 5) has been the hardest for both of us, but we're plugging through! I'm excited when I think about the fact that we are halfway done.


A few more answers to your questions:

1. How much of the weight loss is water weight?

Honestly, I don't know. My best "guesstimate" is that at least half of what I've lost so far is probably water weight. And, that's what I'm expecting to "pop" back on once we reintroduce food to our diet next Wednesday.

2. How often do you have to pee?

A lot. Frequently. Thank goodness I have two other teachers in my room - my children would never get anything done.

3. When you can eat food again, what will your diet be like?

You are supposed to reintroduce food slowly to your body. On the first day, we can have orange juice for breakfast and lunch. I'll probably bring a little of my magic lemonade and water to keep me "full." For dinner that night, you're supposed to make homemade veggie soup. So, if anyone has any good recipes, I'm all ears. For the next few days, you add in more fruits and veggies - keeping it as "raw" as possible. You add in lean protiens and whole grains slowly, and in moderation.

4. What is this teaching you?

That I am much stronger than I thought. :-) That I can live without a lot of the foods I thought were "essential" to my well-being: cookies, crackers, chips, diet soda, WINE, etc. Even on Weight Watchers, I found a way to work those things in to my diet. I'll still indulge on special occasions, but I know now I can eat so much healthier than before.

Thanks for checking in on us! Let me know if you have any good veggie soup recommendations!!


PS -

I do not smell like death. Neither does Bryan.

And, I would make a very good pirate! I have newly acquired survival skills!

:-)

Day 3 - The Enlightening One Shares Her Enlightenments

Well, the author wasn't lying when he said Day 3 would be the hardest. I. am. hungry. I am actually craving specific foods - mainly cheese. Actually, I would eat anything you put in front of me right now - even the cafeteria corn dogs they served today at lunch!!

But I can do this!!

I wanted to answer a few more of the questions that you guys have asked...

1. What is the reason for the 32 ounces of salt water?

While it is absolutely - without a doubt- the hardest thing I have to do every day, it is essential to the cleanse process. It, um, makes things "move." Quickly. Like, within 30 minutes of drinking it. What a way to wake up, huh?

2. How much weight have you lost so far?

As of this afternoon, I've lost 7 pounds. That's a lot in 3 days. Bryan has lost around 8. Stupid boys, it comes off of them so much faster! It's also been really hard to do!! Keep in mind that wasn't the only reason Bryan and I elected to do this, but it's certainly been a benefit. 

3. Why this cleanse? Why ten days?

I'm actually not sure about the ten day time period, other than to say that the author recommends it. He says that doing it for a shorter period of time doesn't allow the body to rid itself of all the toxins that have built of over time. He actually recommends going for longer - up to 40 days!! (That, I can't imagine. I just couldn't do it.)

We actually tried a different cleanse that we found at GNC over the summer, but we had disappointing results. 

I'll look at my book and search the message boards tonight again to see if I can find some more concrete answers about the ten-day period. 

Keep checking in with us! :-)