Well, much has happened since I last posted. Number one is that I passed my Barre Certification!!! The course was really awesome, I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. My wonderful husband was my “student” for my video, and I am so very grateful that he volunteered himself to do that. Getting that letter that I passed was so exciting, and he and the kids actually surprised me that night with a card and cake to celebrate! Even more exciting is that my first apprentice class will be next Wednesday! I am going to be the only instructor teaching a strictly barre class, so it will be a new experience for everyone at the studio. The apprentice class has a max of 4 students which is perfect as I get a feel for things and work out all my kinks. I have to say it was actually a lot harder to put together a class outline then I thought it would be. I’ve been practicing it a ton trying to make sure I have it all memorized and that everything flows together well and makes sense. I can’t wait to try it all out on Wednesday, wish me luck!
Along with that, I have some even more exciting news! I will need need to give you a little background info first so it all makes sense. So… I was married before. My ex-husband is the father of my daughter. Obviously since we are divorced you already know that things didn’t work out so well lol. In fact, it was pretty awful. It honestly left such a bad taste in my mouth that I decided marriage just wasn’t something I wanted to do again. And then I met Mark. I had found the love of my life. And I was perfectly happy to just be with him forever and not ever actually get legally married. It just didn’t seem necessary. He felt the same way due to a similar experience in his past. So we just decided that we be married on our own terms, live as a married couple and do all the things that come along with that without actually getting legally married. I even changed my last name to his. (*Side note* People are often very surprised that I did that. I learned that you can literally change your name to whatever you want as long as you follow proper procedures and it’s not offensive. Pretty crazy!) So, that’s how we were living. Everything was going well. Then the kids started to get older and have a better understanding of the world and how it works. They asked questions. We had a lot of conversations. Eventually we decided that we wanted to really bring our family together and more than anything set a good example for the kids. We wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and have our family and friends there to celebrate that with us. So, he formally proposed to me with the most beautiful and perfect ring I’d ever seen. It was incredible and so special, a moment I will definitely never forget.
And of course, with an engagement comes wedding planning!!! It has taken over my life and I absolutely love it! I honestly didn’t imagine it would be so fun. I always hear these horror stories and about bridezillas etc., and I am very thankful that is not happening to me, at least not yet 
We’re going to be getting married in June so I feel like I have plenty of time to get everything taken care of, and I can’ believe how much I’ve gotten done already. My Dad and I are actually flying out on Monday to my wedding location so we can sign the contracts, see everything in person, etc. My fiance literally said to me “We’re getting married on X date at X place. You do the rest” lol. I’m really enjoying it though, and I have a pretty clear idea of what I want so that definitely helps. Of course, going through all of this has made my Mom’s absence so much more present. It’s really hard going through this without her. I miss her so much, and every time I come across a “mother of the bride” thing it feels like someone pouring salt in the wound.
So that is my update! Obviously I have been crazy busy with everything going on, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be blogging but I’ll try to get on here whenever I have some extra time!
xoxo,
Nicole