October 22, 2011 (Updated February 1, 2023)

Gearing up for Shenanigans

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

39 comments

Happy Saturday! I’ve been having a wonderful weekend here in D.C. so far. My mom and I took a nice hour long walk this morning around our hilly neighborhood, and I just whipped us up a quick lunch. My dad is out of town for work so it’s just us ladies!

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Big salads with mixed greens, spinach, avocado, yellow pepper, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and some cracked pepper.

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Plus a slice of toasted Great Harvest bread with some hummus (also topped with cracked pepper, in case you were wondering what that weird stuff on it is…):

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And some refreshing palate cleansing strawberries for dessert. 🙂

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All together now! Oh man, how I miss having a dining room table with amazing natural lighting for photos. My parent’s dining room is so nice and bright!

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Other adventures so far this weekend have included getting my ring resized:

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(Question for those who wear rings a lot — it’s still a bit too big (will move around some, but won’t go past my knuckle) — especially when my hands are cold. I’m worried about making it tighter because then it might be crazy tight in summer or when my hands are hot. Thoughts? Leave it? Go smaller?)

I also met up with my college friend Sarah for lunch yesterday at Sweetgreen!

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It was really fun to catch up and it’s a good thing we had lunch because we discovered we were planning on wearing the exact same dress to the wedding today! Ha. That would have been awkward/funny. I just bought it from Macy’s on Thursday — apparently she got it a month ago and already wore it to another wedding, and since she lives here and has other dresses around (I didn’t pack another one!), she was nice enough to say she would wear something else. 🙂

I had the Santorini salad — one of my faves. Mixed greens/spinach with roasted shrimp, feta cheese, grapes, fresh mint, and chickpeas, topped with a cucumber basil yogurt dressing & a fresh lemon squeeze. Delish! Plus an Honest Tea.

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Last night was the rehearsal dinner for the wedding. Matt is the best man — the groom is his best friend from childhood, so his parents and his brother Chris and his wife Jess are here, too. They were excited to see us in person and see the ring! 🙂

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Real men wear pink

The bride and groom are also part of our big crew of DC friends, so it’s fun to see everyone. In addition, I went to college with the groom (yes, so many weird connections), so there will be a bunch of college people in attendance today, too!

It’s really fun because when Matt and I started dating back in 2004 here in DC, he was living in a house with 3 other guys in a sort of Animal House type situation. All the guys had girlfriends by 2005 and all of us used to go out on the town together all the time — it was a really fun big group. And now — after many years and a couple small bumps in the road — all 4 of the original girlfriends from the 2004/2005 crew are engaged to those 4 guys in the house! Here we all are:

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We’re spelling our “419” — the house # that the boys used to live in back in the day — although we did it backwards by accident, ha — the 4 is on the right!

Janice, in the white dress, is the bride this weekend. Megan (in the purple) and Erin (in the green) are getting married in the spring. And then there’s me! So fun. We were laughing thinking back to those crazy days that we NEVER would have thought all those boys (or all of us girls, for that matter) would be settling down!

Anyway! The rehearsal dinner was tasty — the photos don’t really do it justice. We were at the Columbia Firehouse in beautiful Old Town, Alexandria.

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We had a set menu, but with options for our entrée and dessert.

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First up was the roasted beet salad — you guys know I was all over this!

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For my entrée, I had the Pan Seared Cobia with succotash:

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And dessert was a Apple Crisp!

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I also sampled Matt’s Mint Ice Box Cake — yummy. I love mint and chocolate together.

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I’m off to get pretty — the wedding ceremony is at 3! I’m SO excited to see everyone — it’s going to be one of those awesome weddings where you know literally everyone in attendance. Have a great day!

- anne

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39 comments
  • Sarah
    Hey Anne, love your blog and congrats on the engagement! I wear rings every day and I would say that you should leave it. You fingers will definitely be bigger in the summer and your ring might be uncomfortable if you make it smaller. Usually, mine just spin a little on my finger during the winter, but you get used to it. I end up spinning it back into place with my pinky finger, ha ha
    Reply
  • Sara
    My fingers swell alot, in the heat, when I sleep, and when I run, so I like to leave it a little space for that. When it gets cold the ring might spin a little but I have giant knuckles that keep that sucker on my finger! What a fun weekend! I love going to weddings where I know so many people - It's always a blast!
    Reply
  • Rose
    I would wait to get it resized again. My jeweler told me that every time you resize it risks making the ring weaker. So, you need to put yourself in a humid situation (bikram? haahaha) and make sure the ring still fits your swollen fingers. My ring is slightly loose all winter and slightly tight all summer.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Ooo bikram is a good idea to test it out now that the weather is no longer hot/humid!
      Reply
  • Sana
    You guys all got the men! I think that is super cute, college men don't know what they are doing!
    Reply
  • Pat Elsberry
    I would suggest waiting before considering resizing any further. I have a couple of rings which do roll a little on my finger especially in the colder months but I just use my pinky finger to push it back over! :). Enjoy the weekend at home and the wedding. It sounds like a great time!
    Reply
  • Amanda
    What a fun weekend! And so funny how all four of you girls are engaged to guys from the same house! Makes for a great story. I just recently got married and as far as the ring - I find that my fingers tend to fluctuate a lot, so I'd say wear it for a little while and see how it feels when your fingers are more swollen. I think as long as it doesn't feel like it's going to fall off, you're good to go. ...it's a beautiful ring, by the way. :)
    Reply
  • Amy
    I'd keep the ring the size it is. In heat and humidity and while running, your fingers will swell - and also if you're expecting one day, they'll swell too! Better to have the ring a little roomy now, especially if it's not in danger of slipping off. Have fun at the wedding!
    Reply
  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
    How funny would that have been if you two wore the same dress!? My ring in the dead of winter when my hands are cold will slide a bit between my knuckle and the bottom of my finger. If it doesn't go past your knuckle I think it's fine. If it's sliding up and down a lot just when you move your hand around though, it's probably a bit too big. It's gorgeous, loved the close up :)
    Reply
  • Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel
    I agree on the advice to get a feel for the fit over the next few weeks, but definitely be careful with it being too loose! On a particularly cold day last fall, I went to reach suddenly for something in the car and my ring flew off, never to be seen again (we think it may have gotten into a little crevice and made its way into the engine area). Along those same lines, ring insurance is well worth it :) Congrats!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Oh my gosh! That's sad! :( Did you get a new ring? Haha and yes - ring insurance is happening ASAP!
      Reply
  • Brittany
    Gorgeous ring!! That is hilarious that you all were dating at the same time and are now all engaged. What a coincidence :) Have a wonderful time at the wedding!
    Reply
  • Jessica @ Jess Go Bananas
    That is so funny about the house sitiuation! Congrats again, you seem and look soooo happy to be engaged! :) Parties are the best, but I think wedding top overall in the category!
    Reply
  • Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete
    The hubs and I have been married for 4 years, and I had the same concern when he first proposed. I think as long as your knuckle keeps it from falling off, you are fine. My fingers are usually swollen when I wake up in the morning, and although the ring isn't too tight then, it is hard to get my rings off. When my fingers are cold though, the ring is loose and slides easily on and off my finger. Good luck!
    Reply
  • Renie
    The ring looks even more beautiful up close. I would leave it as is for a while. If it worries you then by all means make it smaller. What does your mom say about it? Mother know best you know. Rings will never be perfect on your finger, but do what makes you happy.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      She said wait and see - maybe when I'm home again at Christmas I'll resize if it's bothered me!
      Reply
  • Kelly
    I hate tight rings so mine are a looser fitting. They won't go over my knuckle but they definitely move around some.
    Reply
  • Rachelle
    I have the same issue with my engagement ring. It's an heirloom ring and I don't want to size it down only to have to size it back up do I wear a ring snuggie to keep it from spinning and being to loose.
    Reply
  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats
    the food looks delicious, and what a fun group! I hope you're enjoying catching up and have fun tomorrow! No wedding ring, so no advice, other than I'd keep it how it is for now or you might have a too small ring in the summer!
    Reply
  • Carla @ I Run, You Run
    My ring always turns some too (my knuckles are much bigger than the base). But, during hot summer runs, my hands swell up a lot, so I'm glad I don't have it tighter. Don't go tighter, as it will feel smaller when summer/hot weather comes along.
    Reply
    • Carla @ I Run, You Run
      Oh, and I wanted to add that I never knew my hands would swell during summer long runs, it was only after I started wearing my engagement ring that I noticed! (The ring would be super tight!) And even if you don't plan on wearing your ring during runs (I never take my off from fear of losing it), it won't fit back in if your hand swells up!
      Reply
      • Anne P
        That's crazy! I'm not going to wear mine when working out, but now I'm curious to try it on afterward!
        Reply
  • Kristie
    I'll echo everyone else and say wait on getting your ring any smaller. In the winter, my engagement & wedding rings are so loose that once they even fell off (major panic moment because I didn't notice until later!), but in the summer, on long runs, etc. they are as tight as I would want them to be. It might feel weird at first when they are a bit loose but you get used to it - especially since before now you haven't really worn rings all that often, right? :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Yeah exactly - so not used to rings!
      Reply
  • Donna
    After being married for 13 years, I totally say leave it! Depending on the time of year (hot weather/cold weather), your time of the month (some people retain water/salt during their monthly cycle), and if when you get pregnant, your hands will swell. If it doesn't go past your knuckle right now, then I say it fits just right :) Now his...I got my husband's ring a size smaller, just to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. LOL I'm kidding!
    Reply
  • Megan
    I had the same thing happen with my engagement ring. My fiance got it as a size 6 and I soon figured out that I'm about a 4 1/2. They had to send the ring back and I had to wait about 2 weeks for it to be returned. This was very hard for me at the time. I just wanted to show it off to everyone! When I finally got it back I was a little worried because it was loose around my finger still. But I don't think I could go any smaller or else it wouldn't get over my knuckle. It's a little big in the winter and perfect in the summer.
    Reply
  • Elisa
    Hi! My ring was too big for the nine months between my engagement to right before my wedding when I did end up getting it resized. It was very annoying so I feel your pain. I decided to wait to see how it felt through the summer (it ended up still being too big ultimately). I would recommend asking your jeweler to put in two balls on the bottom inside of the band. They are called stability balls (usually made out of silver) and are pretty easy to put on and remove later if necessary by any good jeweler. They make your band a little smaller (though not much) but also help prevent the ring from spinning around. Which is also very annoying. If after summer it's still too big, def get it resized again! Hope this helps :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Good call on the stability balls - I think that's what I'll do!
      Reply
  • Kris S
    Love it! Hi Bitting :)
    Reply
  • katy
    definitely leave the ring as it is for now. mine was the same way when it was first resized, and i was terrified it would fall off - but it didn't ever slide, just sometimes twisted to the right or left, and if my fingers were a little swollen (like first thing in the morning, or in the heat) it was perfectly snug. it will be fine and you will get used to wearing it without being paranoid about damaging or losing it, i promise! haha one thing i recommend though is getting a protection plan through the jeweler, if matt didn't already. we have a protection plan on both my engagement ring and my wedding ring (both are white gold with diamonds) - it was a one-time purchase of maybe $50 and covers resizing, stone replacement, "redipping" to restore the silver look (my ring tends to get a little discolored after a while, i get it redipped about once a year), and anything else that might happen - for the rest of my life!! i had to use it twice in the first year to replace a tiny stone on the edge of my engagement ring that kept falling out - so it was TOTALLY worth the price. enjoy your engagement - i remember the excitement well - my husband and i have only been married for about 1 1/2 years now so it's still new :-) this is one of the best times of your life!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Thanks for the tips, Katy! :)
      Reply
  • Katie M.
    Beautiful ring! I'd hold off on resizing also. If there isn't any fear in it slipping over your knuckle it's safe. My grandmother when she lost weight wrapped thread around the bottom part of the ring to make hers tighter and prevent it from spinning. This is an option. Also, once you get your wedding band and should you decide to have the two rings sodered together it generally makes the bands tighter. Congrats on the engagement!
    Reply
  • Charise
    I love those kinds of weddings. So much more fun when it's all your friends and family instead of knowing only a handful of people! Glad it was fun. Count me in with all the other commenters are about leaving the ring the size it is for now, for all the same reasons.
    Reply
  • Sophie
    Anne - I have the exact same problem! I got tired of having my ring keep spinning and the diamond hitting my desk at work. So I had the balls put in, too. Works perfectly! The only time I notice them is when I do Body Pump, then they dig into my finger. But the jeweler specifically said not to wear my eternity diamond band (that i got for my 10th) when lifting weights, so I take them off then anyway. Your ring is GORGEOUS!!!! Let us know what you decide!
    Reply