Post Wedding Get Together Sunday 10/25/09 1pm

The new Mr. & Mrs. Gabel will be hosting a pool party get together for all of their friends and family! Sun. 10/25, 1pm at their house, 5291 Tiffany Court, Cape Coral, FL 33904. Come visit with us before you return home!! Sloppy joes, chips and soda will be served. Don't forget your swim suit!

The Day After....

Last night was my first official personal training session. I'm very excited to do this and to finally reach the goal that I set for myself almost 2 years ago. My trainer urged that a proper meal plan is vital in reaching my goal. What do I have to loose? I'll be eating all of the food groups and high lean protein all day and no starch after lunchtime. He gave me a few samples to go by.... Below is breakfast for today. Oatmeal, egg whites and a piece of fruit. So far so good except that the only thing that tasted good was the banana. I'm sure anything that would make the oatmeal taste good isn't allowed....sugar, sugar or brown sugar...LOL Egg whites are just gross! Overall it was a lot of food for me to eat at one time. 2-3 hours later will be my mid-morning snack and I can't imagine even wanting to eat anything yet. However, I'll stick to the program & then the trainer can take the blame if my end result isn't reached as I will have done everything to the T. :)

I'm committed to completing my 12 sessions & achieving the outcome I desire. Stay posted for more updates on my progress!

ARGH....Personal Training Day

The day has come to officially stop eating crap in order to look my best on our wedding day. So far today I'm not doing well.... :( Toast and a lean pocket are not considered healthy eating I don't think. LOL I have a banana, yogurt, pork & a spinach salad but just don't feel like eating any of that stuff. So......

My first meeting with a personal trainer was a couple weeks ago and went well. So in order to obtain Buff Bride status I've scheduled 12 sessions with Tony & my first session is tonight. Wish me well as I have a feeling Tony is going to put me to work tonight. My free session was good but I think he took it easy on me so I would come back! I'll let you know tomorrow...

Spray Tan

Well, my spray tan is almost gone. It was nice while it lasted but definitely NOT something that I want to do all the time. I will however use it for special occassions to look my FL best if I don't have enough beach time in. The biggest issue is that the color wears off of your face sooner than the rest of your body because you have to wash your face with a washcloth to get the grime of the day off. If you try to use your makeup it is a different color too because it was for when you weren't so tan. The solution to this is to get new make up to use only when spray tanned. THAT is way too much work for me! Jonathan said that you really can't tell the difference between my face and body when dressed so it's not that big of a deal. Overall it was a great experience that I'm glad I tried. I have one more session left and will be using it just not sure when.

Personal Trainer

I've decided that now is the time to start getting serious about my workout routine. My first dress fitting is next Thursday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute right? Last night I met with a personal trainer and had a free session. I have to admit that my going to the gym & working out and the trainers workout are two COMPLETELY different things. The good news is that I feel great today and can't wait for more torture! My arms are a bit sore but nothing that I can't handle. My great fear is the lower body work out! I know for sure I've let those muscles go for too long. Every year I get older I notice that it takes more and more effort on my part to keep things looking good. I know that I've picked a good trainer though because he kept asking me if I was going to puke. Apparently the people he trains do that their first session. Not me! I felt winded but great the entire time! We worked on shoulders & tricepts (no chicken arms in my dress!), abs and cardio. Jonathan keeps telling me that day 2 is the killer. I guess I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out. :)

Hair Trial Run, Sewing Machines & Spray Tans

Today was my hair trial run and I'm really excited. My "do" came out great! My hairstylist, Debbie, tried a few different looks with my veil and tiara and after 3.5 hours the final product was awesome! Sure wish I could post pics but I want my look to remain a surprise :) You'll just have to show up on wedding day to see for yourself!!

After my hair appt. I dropped off my Mom's sewing machine at a repair place to see if they could get it up and running. Apparently 10 or so years ago my Mom took it apart and couldn't get it back together. I seem to have tons of pants that need to be hemmed. I have high hopes that I can do that task on my own without professional help. We'll see!! I'll know next week if Mom's Singer can be save or if I'll have to give up my dream of reliving home economics class. LOL

I also decided to try a spray tan today. So far so good but for the first day I can't get wet otherwise the "tan" will run. I'm sure glad that I decided to try this out before the week of the wedding. For anyone who has never tried it there are quite a few instructions you have to follow to the T otherwise you may end up looking like an oompaloopa or worse streaky & splotchy. All I could think of while I was in the booth was Ross on friends when he forgot to turn around. I have to be careful today so I don't rub off on anything....made the mistake of kneeling on my white carpet....and tomorrow I can take a shower. I'll be able to get a better idea of if I like this or not then. So far it seems to be quite a pain in the butt however I am noticeably darker without an orange glow & the damaging effects of the sun.

While I've been running around Cape Coral Jonathan & his brother, Justin, were in Orlando at the Richard Petty Driving Experience. They left last night around 9pm, stayed overnight & reported bright & early to the track for their 18 lap experience. Justin's birthday was last month and the driving experience was our gift to him. Of course Jonathan couldn't just sit there and watch Justin so he got one for himself too. Boys!! Jonathan arrived home around 6pm tonight with a plaque & stat sheet showing his top speed at 127 mph. There was also a HUGE grin plastered to his face!

Well, that's all for now. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

New Laptop :)

Hi all! Finally, after 2 months of being without a laptop, mine was shipped off for repair but couldn't be repaired. I'm back baby!! I am the proud owner of a new mack daddy laptop. I've been on it for the past 2 hours and am in heaven. I'm a nerd I know......you just don't know what it's like to go without until you have no choice. Of course I could have always used Jonathan's desktop in the dark, dreary, cave of a room we call an office but that just wouldn't have done. I'm in a windowless room all day 5 days a week (my office) so the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit in another dark room separated from my love. So with this being said prepare yourself for more posts to come on a regular basis. Hope all is well with everyone! Sending our love!!!

Wedding Hotel

After a long delay I'm posting pics of the Embassy Suites hotel that I have a blocked rooms for the wedding. This place is beautiful and almost brand new! Not to mention that there is a complimentary cocktail hour each night, complimentary cooked to order breakfast each morning - not just toast, bagels, cereal and yucky scrambled eggs like those other places. To top off all of that The Embassy suites will pick you up at the airport and take you to the wedding if needed. How could I pass this place up?? Hope you will love it too! Don't forget to make your reservations!! The link is to the right.

Back to Civilization

I just received a phone call from Jonathan and he is out of the woods!! They are headed to Santa Fe and had a awesome time. Even got hailed on last night! Details to come with lots of pics I'm sure.

Mom's July Visit

My Mom came to visit me for 10 days to help with the wedding planning. Lucky for me she was a woman on a mission and almost single handidly printed, addressed & stuffed my wedding invitations. Funny how quickly the need to control something disolves once the pressure it taken off of my shoulders. I was sure that I would HAVE to be the one to address the invitations so that they looked pretty. Who cares! That's what I felt like after she started. I didn't even care that she didn't use a special pen. They all look very nice and it doesn't matter that I wasn't the one who addressed them. I'm just so releived that it is one more thing that I can cross off of my list of things to do. I love her so much and really appreciate the time she took out to come help me. While she was here we also purchased my veil, tiara & shoes! I have pics of them but want everyone to be surprised when they see me at the ceremony. So.... if all else fails I'll be fully dressed for the wedding!

Backpacking in NM

Two weekends ago Charlie & Chiara, Charlie's wife, invited Jonathan & I to join them for 3 days of backpacking in the North Carolina mountains. We had to decline as I'm saving all of my vacation days for our wedding and honeymoon. Jonathan was bummed as backpacking is right up his alley. Me, not so much! I would prefer camping to backpacking and a weekend in a spa to camping. LOL If you're not familiar with backpacking you basically have to carry everything you need in, set up and tear down camp each night & most importantly sleep on the ground. Sounds okay until you see what a pack weights!! I swear Jonathan's pack weighted at least 40 lbs. and that was without an air mattress and pump. Not to mention that water for drinking is obtained from filtering water from a stream. REALLY not my idea of a good time. Maybe next year honey! Luckily for Jonathan there was another "guys only" backpacking trip planned for the following weekend in New Mexico. Charlie & Jonathan headed out on Fri. morning (7/17) and arrived safely in Phoenix at Charlies parents' house. Sat. morning they headed out. Last contact was at around 11am. I have strict instructions to call the authorities if I don't hear from Jonathan by tonight. At the airport on Fri. both guys decided to stop shaving until the trip was 100% over. Charlie already had a head start since he didn't shave during his first trip. Here's their before photo! Do they look tough enough to survive the wilderness?? Bear Grylls you've got competition!

This is the backpacking facial hair BEFORE pic :)

4th of July

For some reason I've neglected taking pictures recently. Below are all I have of our 4th of July weekend! Lame, I know. We started out the weekend with a party on the 3rd in Fort Myers at a friends house. That's where the sparkler pic came from. It's of me and a friends little boy enjoying our sparklers while the big boys light off the big fireworks. Jonathan had a blast putting on a grande finale for the entire street! Sat. was one of my best friends little boys 2nd birthday party - yes he is a firecracker baby and I can't believe that Trenton is 2 already. Libby had a cute Elmo party at her house & we stopped by just in time for cake & to sing to Trenton. He is 2 and wanted NOTHING to do with cake, singing or presents. It was so funny because to him it was just another day. Kids! Gotta love'em. After the party it was back in the car to head up to Tampa to see my girls. First we had to stop and restock our firework supply so Jonathan wouldn't feel left out later that night. I swear! What is it with guys and fireworks? Too bad I didn't get a pic because the entire back of the vet was stock piled. We arrived just in time for a float in the pool. My girls are working on getting rid of their tan lines so they don't look ridiculous in their strapless dresses at the wedding. Big pet peve of mine! Specifically Rachel because she has killer tan lines from all the accelerator she uses. It's a running joke with us and Joanne even had to buy her a strapless bathing suit top! My other love, Curtis, was cooking up a storm at the apartment and had lots of yummy food waiting for us when we got back. We ate, drank and were merry! The night ended with my snuggling a beautiful baby boy while his Mama enjoyed the fireworks. Don't worry!! I don't want my own.....yet ;) Glad I wasn't outside because one of they guys got too firework happy and we had a near miss in the parking lot when a tube tipped over and shot a firework under someones car. It richoceted all over but luckily no one was hurt. This was the first 4th of July that I've gotten to spend with Rachel, Danae & Joanne in Tampa. I had a great time & miss them so much!

I lovingly refer to this pic as The Chocolate's and The Vanilla's! Joanne is one of my longest friends and her husband Chris stole my heart when he stole Joanne's. Chris was home on leave from the military for a few weeks and lucky for us we got to spend the 4th of July with them.

Why are our legs so close together but not out chests???

I love sparklers :)

We met someone famous!! Sort of...

A few weeks back Jonathan and I went to a comedy show on Marco Island. The main attraction.... Andy Dick. I was not really into going because of what a train wreck he is portrayed as being on tv. I was surprised with a hilarious show and the chance to meet him. Andy put on a great show and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to see him live. Plus...we met a celebrity!! D list but so....

MS 150 Thank You!

Ok, so I totally don't know what I'm doing on this blog. All of the pics I just uploaded are backwards. So....the pics on top are the end of the weekend and ride. The begining of the post is at the bottom. LOL I've been without a laptop so long that I've forgotten basic social networking site skills. LOL Oh well! Enjoy :)

Authentic Columbian Dinner

Look at the size of that meat!

YUM - I ate it all too..except for the snake thing on the right (pork ring blah)

Halfway point!! Not gonna lie...I wanted to quit here.

Day 2 Start Line with my man

Day One - we caught the guys at a rest stop

Yeah I'm bad, I know it

Taking our time in the parking lot on day one. NO idea that everyone already left!

Posing for pics like we have all day LOL Meanwhile all of the food is gone and we haven't eaten.

Finally I'm taking the time to post the link to the MS150 video our friend Charlie Bucket made. He of course is the funny looking one that is mostly behind the camera. I have to also point out the talent that it takes to ride 20+ miles per hour on a bike while videotaping & snapping pics. We had a great time raising money for a great cause. This was year three for Charlie and Jonathan, and the first for the rest of the team which is now 6 strong. Together we raised close to $4000 to help fight multiple sclerosis. Saturday morning when we got to the start/finish, most of the 3000+ riders had already left! The boys took it upon themselves to chase down the lead riders and by mile 35 had them in their sights! Chrissy & I rode at our own pace and made several friends along the way. To our surprise we caught up with the boys at a rest stop and were only about 30 mins. behind them at lunch. We saw our friends Janine and Tom, Trek reps for the South East, at the end of day one and met up with the Herreras for some S-E-R-I-O-U-S Colombian food in Miami at the end of the ride on day two. Here are some scenes from the weekend. Since Charlie was the designated photo guy you will see a lot of the boys ride. I don't think I was in any condition to be filmed anyway.. LOL this was definitely the most difficult challenge that I've had to do. WITH GRATITUDE!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a_6A3v13-4

Good Morning!! It's the day 1 of the MS 150 ride. I'm so thankful for all of your love and support on this ride. Keep all of the riders in your prayers today! I'll check in after the first 75 miles!!

We've arrived!!

In case you didn't know....bikes go in the room. Too much money invested to keep them in the car with the possibility of them being stolen. That would NOT be a good thing!

Unloading the car one bike at a time :)

Seems like we left HOURS ago but we finally made it to the hotel in Miami after a few wrong turns. A car full of technology and we still had to do a few u turns. A room full of bikes, an air mattress bigger than my bed and we're ready to turn in for the night. I'm very tired and a bit nervous about tomorrow. Heard that there will be 15 mile an hour head winds (blowing straight at us) which has me worried since that makes the 75 miles all the harder. Wake up call is set for 5:45am so I'd better get to bed. Nighty Night! Ok, so I'm a little excited too ;)

The Last Supper

The Sequoia is packed... 2 bikes & 5 bags inside and 3 bikes on the rack in back. Everyone is starving so we decided to stop at Carrabba's on the way to Alligator Alley (which is finally open after a few days of closures due to fires) We're off! After a nice dinner at Carrabba's the five of us (Dr. Will, Amy, Jonathan, John & Chrissy) jump back in the truck and discuss the events for tomorrow. Oh the anticipation!!

MS 150 Bike Ride May 2nd & 3rd

Only 5 days left until I take on my greatest physical challange up to this point in my life. I will be riding a bike a total of 150 miles over the course of 2 days. This is something I committed to do at first becasuse it was a challange for me. Then I received a phone call from my Dad with the news that he had very blurry vision in his left eye. So much so that he couldn't work for fear that he would hurt himself or someone else as he is a forklift operator. After a lot of tests and waiting my Dad was diagonosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Shortly after I got word that 2 of my cousins were also diagonosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is something that strikes without warning and can strip you of the freedoms most of us take for granted. For my Dad it was his vison. Thankfully, after receiving treatment, his vision returned 100%. For my cousin Howard it was his ability to stand and walk. Howard also regained his ability to walk and stand after receiving treatment. However, this is something that they will both live with for the rest of their lives, never knowing when the next "episode" will hit them or what part of their body it will affect. This is why it is so important to support the National MS Society in fighting back against MS. There have been so many medical advancements that it is only a matter of time before we find a cure. I'll do the hard part - riding 150 miles on a bike. Please support me in this by making a donation. My Donation Page

I've committed to raising $1000 and am almost there. Only $365 to go! Please help me! Any amount large or small will help when added to the fundraising efforts of everyone else. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

With Gratitude,

AmyXOXO

My 31st Birthday and Last As a Decker

Yesterday was my 31st birthday and my hubby-to-be surprised me with a biplane ride over SW Florida. It was an awesome 1 hour ride over a city that I have lived in for 22 years. What a different perspective from the air! This airplane was built in 1940 and is one of 600 that were built and used during WWII to train military pilots to fly. Later that night I was surprised with dinner at Iguana Mia where I was surrounded by 8 of my friends. I am truly blessed! Enjoy the pics!

Hotel Information

Finally, I have the hotel information for all of our out of town guests. I wanted to find the best hotel at the best rate that would accomodate everyone while they are in FL for our wedding. Click on the link at the top right of this page under HOTEL INFORMATION and you will be taken directly to the reservations web page. Remember to enter the group code DEC to get the reduced room rate. Rates are $109 for 2 people with a king bed or $119 for 2 people with 2 double beds. There is an extra charge of $20 per person over the quoted rate if more that 2 people are staying in a room. To avoid that extra per person charge Jonathan suggests only saying that there will be 2 people in a room if you are going to be sharing a room. That is entirely up to you though!

This hotel is AWESOME! Embasy Suites is an all suite hotel which means each room has a bedroom with a door, pull out couch, mini fridge, microwave and sink. This is a brand new hotel and included with your room rate is transportation to and from the airport, our wedding as well as several restaurants in the area. Also included in the room rate is breakfast each morning of your stay. This isn't your ordinary breakfast! I'm talking an omlet station and all the fixins'! You are also invited to a complimentary managers cocktail hour each day. Free wifi, flat panel tv's and much more!!

The special rate is for 10/23-10/25. Please let Jonathan know if you will be arriving sooner or staying later and he may be able to get the rate extended to accomodate your stay. Pics to come soon!!!

Wedding Planning 101 :)

My Mom, Linda, and sister, Laura, visited me mid March to help with everything and anything that has to do with planning a wedding. I was ready for them and had appointments scheduled almost everyday after work to ensure that before they left I had a florist, baker, DJ, reception menu, invitations and most importantly someone to marry me. I am happy to report that we were very busy and accomplished everything on my to do list except for sending in a deposit for the DJ. This is fine as I wrapped that up last night and will be putting the check in the mail as soon as the revised contract is emailed to me.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted and now I can relax a bit. Laura has the day off today and is working on getting the hotel information together for me. Check back soon for room rates and travel information! I promise that I'll post it in the next couple of days!

The fun part of their visit was getting to try on my wedding dress again!! This was the first time that my Mom or sister got to see me in my wedding dress in person as they weren't in town when I found it. Unfortunately, the store I bought it from has a terrible employee and I didn't feel as I was treated as a bride should be treated. No princess feeling for me that day :(

My bridesmaids came to town and we all went shopping for their dresses. I told all the girls that they could pick their own dress as long as the colors were all the same. Yeah! That didn't last too long because after seeing 2 of the girls in identical dresses I fell in love with the way they looked matching. This was the first time that I invoked "Brides Rule"...hehe... I changed my mind and all of the girls will now be in matching dresses that look stunning on each one of them. No, they won't be able to wear the dress again in case anyone was wondering. The Alfred Angelo store in Fort Myers was AWESOME!! What really impressed me was the fact that they had dresses in all sizes, not just 6-8, so all of my girls (who are all different sizes) got to try on "the" dress. I even got pics of all of them in the dress!! It was the wrong color but you got to see how the style looked on each one and they looked gorgeous!

Thank you to all of my bestest girls for a wonderful day!! I love you :)

Brian's Birthday - 3/20/09 - Goodbye Josh

I've been a busy lady since my last post. A lot of wedding planning to tell you about but I also suffered a great loss as well. Many of you who know me knew one of my brothers best friends since childhood, Josh Howard. On March, 20th, what would've been Brian's 27th birthday, Josh passed away after almost a week in ICU. This was a sudden passing and I'm not sure what happened. I feel comfort in knowing my brother was there at Josh's passing to guide him home. I was able to say goodbye to Josh, something that I didn't get to do with Brian, and I think that makes it a bit easier as well. Please say a short prayer for my brother and Josh, that they are without worry now and happily guarding us through our journey as angels.

The Troops Arrive

I'm happy to report that my Mom and sissy, matron of honor, Laura are here for a week to help me plan the wedding. While I've been at work they have been busy making phone calls for me. I can't believe that they have accomplished so much on the first day of their visit!! Boy do we have a busy week with most of the appointments after 5pm when I get out of work.

My brother-in-law, Ed, joined my sister on the trip to FL. I told him that this was a wedding planning trip and not a vacation so he will be on his own. Today has been spent trying to hunt down fishing equipment. Apparently, there are fish jumping like crazy in the canal behind my house and Ed is chomping at the bit to catch them.

That's all for now. I'll be posting travel details soon so keep checking back!!

Party Pics

Florida Pit Fire

Our new ring toss game. Looks professionally installed huh?

The guys thought "Just for Men" was the perfect gift for Jonathan since he found 2 gray arm hairs and one on his head.

Finally....someone else took our picture! I have way too many pics of the two of us with Jonathan's arm strectched.

The party was a huge success and a lot of friends came to celebrate Jonathan's birthday. For quite a few this was their first time to our new house. We got rave reviews which I love! Everyone was gone & the kitchen was cleaned up by 11:30. It was early to bed for an early rise this morning - especially since we lost an hour last night. I went for a 28 mile bike ride with a girlfriend and Jonathan & the guys hit the mountain bike park. I plan on finishing my everyday chores and preparing the guest bedroom for my Mom & Sister's vist. They arrive in 3 days and I can't wait!!!! That's all for now! Have a great Sunday everyone!

Jonathan's 28th Birthday

This week has been a busy one in the Decker/Gabel household. Jonathan's 28th birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with dinner at his brother Justin's house. Jess, Justin's girlfriend, made a wonderful lasagna dinner. Terry, Jonathan's Mom, made her special homemade birthday cake, a tradition since childhood, and we all enjoyed watching Jonathan struggle to blow out all of the candles. After dinner Jonathan and I headed to a local bar near our house simply named the Tiki Bar. There was a live band and best of all we ran into a friend of ours we hadn't seen in a while. Then it was off to Pearl Lounge to dance & people watch. There was more people watching than dancing going on but we enjoyed every minute of it.

On Thursday night I treated Jonathan to dinner on the Murder Mystery Dinner Train in Fort Myers. We dined with a great couple from West Virginia, enjoyed the yummy food & laughed at the show as it played out in the aisle between courses. Unfortunately, no one at our table could solve the murder. Jonathan & I were both a bit upset at not "winning" but got over that when we found out that the prize was a coffee mug. Although, I do need one or two more mugs to make sure there are enough to go around the next time Joe & Marti come to visit. :)

I have also been EXTREMELY busy at work this week. There didn't seem to be enough time in the day to accomplish all my tasks. I count my blessings that I have a job to keep me busy and try to remember that when I start to feel overwhelmed. This being said, there isn't time during the day to do much wedding planning. I'm sure that my boss would think that this is a good thing. I did manage to set up a few appointments to meet with vendors in the next 2 weeks. My Mom and sister will be here next week Wed. to get a lot of wedding details taken care of and I can't wait!! My Mom lives in TX & my sister lives in OH so they've missed out on the preliminary planning. They're going to be BUSY when they get here!! We're going to meet with the florist, reception site to finalize the menu, cake baker, area hotels & hopefully pick out our invitations. Next Sat. the bridesmaids & I are all getting together to pick out their dresses. I've already found my dress & can't wait to try it on again for my Mom & sister who weren't with me when I found it.

We're off to breakfast now and then Jonathan will head to his "project" house to continue the demo and remodel taking place there. In a weeks time he has filled a dumpster & is ready to start putting things back together. The demo consisted of tearing down a room that was built in place of the screen porch, tearing out the master bathroom shower as the walls were caving in from water damage, removing all of the baseboard & carpeting in the house & removing a wooden basketball hoop. To help with this I gave him an air compressor nail gun thing for his birthday that he's been drooling over at Home Depot. I know that it will go to good use!! We're having a get together at our house tonight at 6pm for Jonathan's birthday so while Jonathan is elbow deep in construction I'll be grocery shopping, cleaning the house & getting ready for company. One of my favorite things to do is entertain! I just love having a house full of people who are having fun and enjoying each others company. I can't wait!! We're even going to have a pit fire if it's cold enough tonight. Come one come all!!

We're getting married!

A few people have been on me for a while now to set up a wedding web page. I didn't like the idea of a page for the wedding and then having to start another page for the next chapter in our lives. A few friends have a blog page and I decided it was the right choice for us too. So from now on all wedding related information as well as tidbits about us will be posted here. Hope you enjoy!!