3 and 1/2 days till Anna's wedding!!!

Hi,

I have had a lovely weekend, tim and I enjoyed the gorgeous summer weather by going to the bar and grill in town and drinking ice cold white wine spritzers and beers... bliss! The park was full of people, such a nice summery atmosphere. It did make Tim and I feel a bit envious of everyone who has a garden.. we want one so badly! It is just not the same in our garden when people (including lots of children I teach and parents!) walk past and park their cars... Not sure I would feel confident stripping down to my bikini and sun bathing whilst hearing "HI MISS PAYNE" every 2 mins... (remind me to get a job away from the school I teach in next year!)

We did, however, do lots of work in between - me with my marking and planning and Tim with writing up his PHD!! Madness! He is getting scared now I think about finishing... I can't believe he has been at uni for 7 years - it's about time he left!!

Diet going ok. I did have a biscuit or two at school today - so not my fault someone brought in chocolate covered short breads.... sooooo bad for me!

I went to the gym yesterday and the air con was broken so I really worked up a sweat! Surely that must be good?? I am also going to hockey again this week, I have bought myself shin pads and hockey socks and everything! How 'into it' am I?

I am also incredibly excited for my friend Anna, who is getting married on Saturday. I am in total shock it has come round so quickly, I am doing a reading so have butterflies for that too. I will be pleased when the wine is served.... she is holding her reception at a vineyard so it's free wine all day/evening.... I will try to restrain myself or I will end up with Tim tucking me into bed at 8pm!

I hope I look nice in my dress. I was hoping to have lost a few more pounds by this time but I haven't so hope it still looks nice. If I put photos of myself on here then I obviously liked what I am going to wear and if not you will know it is because I didn't..! We will have to wait and see...

No gossip from my end so I will stop boring you!!

Big hugs, gemma xxxxxx

I made these badges for everyone to wear all day, anna's having gerberas as her wedding flower so this was my attempt at them, we gave each other naughty names!

There were FAR naughtier photos than this but they are just far too rude for my blog!!! Me and Helen before clubbing, we are still glowing from the pole dancing and stripper!!!

Anna near the end of the evening with her special straw!!!

Helen, anna, georgia and kate

Helen blowing up her special balloon!!

Anna unwrapping all her fun hen night gifts!! She had some dare cards I made from old photos and she did most of them during the night, was lots of fun and surprisingly the men in the club were keen to oblige to some of them....!

Anna and her pole! She was a natural!

Anna and her cake, they were boobs and we sprayed whipped cream on them...

Anna's first dance with her stripper!

Hi there,

so this week has been one of the most stressful of my teaching career so far...

I think it may have something to do with the fact that I had about 4 hours of sleep last weekend at anna's hen do! It was so much fun but it totally wiped me out this week. I am so cr*p with no sleep now, I could so do it when I was a student!!! Maybe I need more practise at staying up late!

So anyway, anna's hen weekend was fab, I think she really enjoyed it especially her stripper... We went to Helen's on friday night and out to dinner, then saturday was the start of the fun... We had a 2 hour pole dancing lesson, which I was quite nervous about but was in fact SOOOOO MUCH FUN! I loved it, I was awful at it but the lady teaching us the routine was so nice and kept complementing us on our fantasic pole dancing moves - the photos tell otherwise.

From pole dancing we went on to high tea in a posh hotel near harrods, then back to rachel's to get ready and drinking games before the stripper arrived!!! It really was hilarious... I would have died if it was me but anna handled it so well and I think she quite liked it!!!

We then went clubbing till like 3am!!!

I travelled back on sunday and slept all afternoon, but then turned up at school on monday still tired and more unprepared than usual, I am usually so organised on a monday. I kept forgetting stuff and just felt wiped out in the evening. It is so silly, I really need to train my body to be a normal 25 year old and stay up late, rather than an old woman going to bed at 9 every night...

Diet sucks... I have however played hockey twice now and hav loved it. It really makes me sweaty and out of breathe so it must be doing me some good, I now need to build up going to the gym more and still eat less... which is so much harder than I have ever found it before. I can'tseem to stop eating, especially when I feel tired and hormonal, all I want is chocolate....!!! ragh!!

well no more news from me, chat soon,

Gemma xxxxx

Hi all,

dieting sucks still but am trying - ish. I went to hips bums and tums yesterday and am now in agony so haven't doen any exercise today!

It has been a great weekend - tim and I went to the pub yesterday to sit in the glorious sunshine then on our way back through the park we bumped into his hockey friends so played frisbee in the park with them for a while! Was fun but I realised I cannot catch or throw to save my life... was quite emabarrassing!

We also went out with the same hockey lot last night to the white horse and Moo bar which was fun! I had a cocktail followed by far too much wine... I had such a headache today and I was pleased we resisted Rios (dodgy nightclub)!

Today has been sooooo hot again, 26 degrees it said on our themometre!! crazy for april!!! I also had a lovely chat to my friend katie and we are getting excited about going to Preston to see Hannah and meet up with kath too in a few weeks time.

I can't believe I am back at school tomorrow, I have done loads of work at the beginning of the hols and then suddenyl couldn't get back into the mood of planning since this gorgeous weather started!

well no gossip from me, just enjoying my last few hours of freedom before the madness that is teaching begins again... only 6 weeks till half term... bring it on!!

Hugs, Gemma x

ant I hope you had a safe journey home - CALL ME!!! xxx

Me again!
here are the photos of my new haircut (for you mum! - do you think it is too short?)
They are not quite as exciting as your photos ant - looks like you are having a great time!!!

Hi all,

dieting officially sucks... so I am not going to talk about it...

I had my hair cut yesterday and I told the lady I wanted to keep the length but she was a new one and totally didn't understand curly hair and chopped loads off then said "Oh it is quite curly isn't it" when it jumped up really short... never mind. I quite like it, it's just I want to grow it for the wedding and curly hair takes soooo long to grow I need to give myself a year easily!

I will add a photo for you mum when I get the chance...

I am too busy at the moment getting ready for school on monday. I love being on holiday so much and could easily be a stay at home house wife! I have finished all my topic and literacy planning so am on to numeracy then will have to sort all my resoucres out.

well chat agin soon, big hugs, Gemma x

the 'healthy lifestyle' is BACK ON!!

Hello there,

so when I started my blogspot last year in May I wanted this to be a diet diary and I started at 10stone 9lbs and got down to 9 stone 12lbs then gradually ever since I have put each pound on month by month until now I weigh almost exactly what I started at.... SOooooooooo... I have to now think about trying again but this time loose the weight then maintain it...

I have 4 weddings this year to go to:-
anna and harry
kate and mark
fiona and adam
annabel and peter

And I want to look pretty and I also want to look sexy for tim in my bikini this summer on the beach.

I had a big chat to mum and tim and tall helen and they are all going to try and encourage me to have a go at loosing a few pounds again.

I now weight 10stone 8lbs and my aim is to get back to 9stone 12lbs and maintain it for my wedding dress fitting and right through to my own wedding and beyond!!! So really it is a lifestyle change not a diet...

I am going to try to exercise more and eat less. Paul Mckenna says I shouldn't deny myself anything or I will end up craving it so I have to just eat in moderation. Harder than it sounds I can tell you!!

Well wish me luck anyway and I will keep you up to date with how it is all going each time I write and maybe then it will inspire me to stick to it if I know people are reading this.

Mum enjoy your kir royale!! Tim and I are very envious we wish we were in your house in france too!!

Big hugs, (a very determined) Gemma xxxx

We had a lovely time down at Tim's family home in Kent. We lazed about in the sunshine all day every day, brushed the horses, went shopping in cantebury, cycled to the pub to sit in the sunshine and drink cider and had an easter bonnet parade! What fun! I made ours and Tim modelled it, ours was very popular as we filled it with chocolate eggs!!! The dogs were very cute and have made me all broody again for a pet but Tim says I have to be patient.
Tim, Pete, The Granny, Judith, Imogen, Annabel and Lisa

Lily looking rather bright in the sunshine!

Ben and Toupee after we brished them, don't they look very smart?

Toupee - I think I am a natural with grooming horses as I was much quicker than Tim (I guess it was a bit unfair as my pony was a tad smaller than Tim's!)

Tim brushing Ben, Toupee is looking like she would much rather be eating her grass in the field...

Me climbing over the fence looking a bit out of place... Tim will make a farmer out of me yet!

Sandy the gorgeous young horse that hasn't been ridden yet - she is very playful but very pretty.

The sheep came really close to us but ran away as soon as they saw we had no food, they have such beautiful eyes!

Well we are back home now. Tim is working hard and I am going to try to do some exercise to loose this excess winter weight I put on over christmas and haven't yet shifted!!!!

chat soon,

Gemma x

More photos!!

Tracey and I walking along the pine forest coast towards Jerbourg Point The little chapel

Paddling at Moulin Huet - it actually burned it was so cold!!!

Over looking L'Ancrese

Photos of our holiday in Guernsey

Tracey paddling at Moulin huet Me at Moulin Huet

Looking down at Moulin Huet bay

Me with my Pina Colada in Christies!!

Tracey with her cocktail in The Red Onion
Tracey and I on a windy day over looking L'Ancrese
Tracey overlooking the balcony outside my wedding reception wedding breakfast room

Tracey and I on the aeroplane!!

Me on the balcony outside the room we will have our arriva drinks in!! Guests can then walk arond the lake as we have some photos taken!! The beautiful lake...

This is the most stunning location for photos (as long as the weather is good enough - actually even if it is raining we can have some big white umbrellas and thsi view will still be stunning!)

Here are some gorgeous photo opportunities in the grounds of the hotel we have booked for our wedding reception!

The main room where we will have our wedding breakfast, it has a balcony all along the edge that looks out over the children's playground. Here is the little children's playground that is right outside one of the sides of our wedding breakfast room - great for amusing our younger guests! The smaller room we go into whilst the tables are cleared in the other room ready for our evening party! We are planning a cocktail hour with live music!

Same room from a different angle, this one also has a balcony along the edge.

Holiday.... celebrate!!

Hi,

It has been a long time since I last wrote because I had mum and sam to stay then I was ill and then I went to Guernsey for a long weekend break!

I had so much fun with mum and sam. I did lots of trying on wedding dresses and yes we did find 'THE ONE'!!!! It is very very exciting. So now we have to order it and wait six months, then I have fittings, then mum has to pick it up and take it home as she is doing a whole load of stuff on it which I won't go into details as it is a big suprise for tim, and I don't want him reading this and finding anything out!!! All I will say is that the dress is the prettiest one I have ever seen in my life and I wish I could wear it all the time!!!

This weekend my friend from work, Tracey, and I went to Guernsey for a bit of a holiday. It was great to see grandma and grandy and show off the sights to Tracey. We also went to spend some time at the hotel Tim and I are having our wedding reception at. We had a bit of a spa morning - gym, jacuzzi, sauner, steam room and I even indulged myself by having a back, nexk and shoulder massage!! heavenly!!

It also made me fall in love with St Pierre Park all over again, it really is such a lovely setting and I could totally see myself and Tim surrounded by all our family and friends on our wedding day!!!

Well I had better go, chat soon, Gemma xx