Lindsey

Bare Necessities

2011-02-04T10:17:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I made a Facebook comment requesting a snow day. I hadn't looked at the forecast in a while and had no clue what was to come. I checked out Weather.com and couldn't believe the future. Our predicted snow days are mostly false. By Monday, I was convinced and totally bet that the world would not function until Saturday. Well folks, this girl was right, and I apologize. I'm no wizard, I promise I wasn't trying to make it happen.

I've always dreamed of a 4-day required vacation to my house. I love snow days. I guess I never realized how much I would NOT love FOUR snow days. I'm as lazy as they come, but I am going insane. We have made it out of the house 2 times. I only went because I figured that if Brian were to die in a terrible car crash, I would rather go down with him. Brian just HAD to take a trip to Rosa's, Family Video, and Whataburger.

Like I said, I predicted this war with Santa Claus and his North Pole weather, so I prepared. I bought groceries to prepare meals at home for the entire week. Well, I didn't really consider that Brian can't go more than a couple of days without Whataburger, so we still had to get out. When we went to Whataburger, Brian ordered our usuals, #1 with cheese plain and dry. Then I was unprepared and he threw in strawberry and apple fried pies. Of course I had to jump on that train and joined the strawberry fried pie of goodness.

If you know me, you know that I need some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla scooped onto pie. That led us to pick up a few bare necessities at Walmart Neighborhood Market around the corner. That place was insane. It was very interesting looking around at the panicked shoppers in line trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. That joint was packed. Most people just had an armful of groceries. Some folks had a cart with a good amount. Then SOME people had a cart completely full.

As I waited in line, I judged these people. Really?! This family just HAD to have a cart completely full of junk?! I mean, sure, my checkout only consisted of a pint of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, a pint of their newest flavor Krazy Kookie Dough, and break and bake Chocolate Chip Lovers Cookie Dough, but my stuff was REALLY needed. I looked at everyone's items, Psshhh waffles? Psshhh chicken nuggets? Psshhh toilet paper? Really guys? You just HAD to get these items in terrible conditions? Then I finally got a look at the guy in front of me as he stepped up to the plate. He had 3 items. 2 Liter of Pepsi (yuck), frozen shredded hash browns (I could go for that)...and...a pregnancy test.

Alright, he wins. If there is any Bare Necessity that is worth fighting the ice skating rink of a parking lot, I would say a pregnancy test would be at the top of the list. I guess my Krazy Kookie Dough pint of ice cream could have waited till Saturday. So here's a shout out to the Neighborhood Market dude in scrubs, I hope you got the results you wanted.

After I picked up a package of chocolate chip cookie dough...only oatmeal raisin packages were left.

I guess we weren't the only one with an emergent need for chocolate chip cookies,
Lindsey

Just a Memory

2010-09-18T16:23:00.001-05:00

Like many of my 28 year old friends, this year is my 10 year high school reunion. Unlike many of my 28 year old friends, I had less than 30 people in my graduating class. We had one hallway in our school. I was third in my class academically but wasn’t in the top 10 percent. I knew everyone’s name in our whole high school. I probably even knew their siblings’ and parents’ names as well (I wasn’t a stalker, I promise). It was a small high school experience, but I loved it.

As I approach this 10 year mark, I reflect on my experiences and my perception. I recently ran into an old high school friend. I asked her about our upcoming 10 year and her attendance. Her response was, “High school is over and I’m thankful for that. I don’t need to relive those times.” That statement stayed with me. I explored my thoughts on the subject and she was right. As much as I thought I loved high school, its high school, and it’s just a memory.

Diving back into those memories surprisingly brought insecurities I didn’t realize ever existed. I never felt like I was cool enough or rich enough for people (like EVERY teenager). I wonder, did the people who WERE cool enough and rich enough, ever feel like THEY were? Probably not. Today, as I step back into that world, I know I’m still that girl. I’m still that girl that everyone views as a Goody-Goody. I’m still that girl who puts her heart into everything and gets hurt when rejected. I’m still that girl that will wear an ugly costume because it just fits the theme too well. I’m still that girl who may put more into the friendship than the other side. I have no idea exactly the view people had of me in high school, but I can guess. Well, and that’s fine, because I know who I am.

As I’ve been looking forward to my 10 year for a while now, I think everything happened exactly the way it should have. It played out like high school, I just didn’t realize it till now. I had such fond memories of high school, because of the people I shared it with. Sure there were teachers and activities that were a huge contribution, but it was those dear friendships that kept me going. I wasn’t “cool” then and I’m DEFINITELY not now! I was completely awkward and felt out of place as I stepped on the campus, but walked out in laughter as I spent a couple of hours at a table with two of my closest high school friends. That WAS my high school experience. I loved high school because I had some great friends that kept me laughing through any awkwardness. Thanks for the memories folks, I love to look back but happy to move on.

Brian may have hurt his broken arm by giving in to the Right-Handed Handshake,
Lindsey

The Great Film Retrospective

2009-07-29T15:48:00.004-05:00

By the age of 15, I realized that there are some popular movies that every teenager needs to see in order to be cool. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "The Princess Bride" are two movies that every teen (in my day) quoted. They were older movies that were just cool. I watched both of the movies, mainly because I wanted to be cool and they were pretty funny. Along with those two movies, "Top Gun" makes the list. I never saw "Top Gun" and I didn't care enough about being cool to watch that movie. It had zero interest to me, except it would increase my pop culture knowledge. Since I realized this rarity, I purposely tried to not watch that movie. I attended parties and gatherings with "Top Gun" in the background. I've had my chance at least 20 times, but I wanted to keep this accomplishment. I could always find a small group to play spades in the other room or talk to a group of girls enough to distract them from the main purpose of the gathering. So today, I am 27, and I have never seen "Top Gun," along with many other classic movies that I should have seen by now.

On July 3, 2009, I married a guy that is obsessed with the movie world. I don't love movies. I love TV, not necessarily movies. It's all about my attention span. I appreciate movies, but I will pick a TV show over a movie any day. Througout our dating career and now marriage, Brian continues to say "WHAT?! You haven't seen......?!" Just fill in the blank with any classic drama or action movie. I'm all about comedies, but get insanely bored with action and drama. I can't follow the stories. Everyone looks the same to me and I never have a clue to what is happening.

While I may not know anything about some of these "classic" movies, Brian somehow missed a huge chunk of pop culture during their 80s and 90s. I think he refuses to acknowledge that the 80s ever occurred in pop culture. I could live in the 80s for the rest of my life with complete happiness.

Due to our differences in movie taste, Brian and I have compiled a list of about 30 movies each that the other has not ever seen. I have included all my favorite movies as a kid (and today). I admit, a lot of these are TOTALLY lame, but I still quote from them, so I want Brian to be able to get my jokes. Seriously, I know that a lot of my list is by no means considered to be a "good movie." About 3/4 of his list appears to be complete torture. I need to take up knitting or something, so that I have something to do while trying to pay attention to these movies. Over the next months, we will tackle our two lists and discuss the experience on a new blog that we are writing together. We would love for you to join in on our discussion or even sit in on a viewing. Our movies include:

Brian's List: 300, 61*, Blues Brothers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Crash, Die Hard, Friday Night Lights, Heat, I Am Legend, Into the Wild, Iron Man, L.A. Confidential, Memphis Belle, Monster, Inc., Raising Arizona, Road to Perdition, Rounders, Serenity, The Alamo (2004), The Ghost and the Darkness, The Goonies, The Incredibles, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Shawshank Redemption, The Sting, The Untouchables, The Usual Suspects, Tombstone, Unbreakable

Lindsey’s List: April Fool’s Day, The Babysitter’s Club, Better Off Dead, Big Business, Breakfast Club, Burnt Offerings, Camp Cucamonga, Camp Nowhere, Can’t Buy Me Love, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Ever After, Godspell, Grizzly Man, Happy Birthday to Me, Life is Beautiful, Rockin’ with Judy Jetson, She’s Out of Control, Sixteen Candles, The Chipmunk Adventure, The OC, Troop Beverly Hills, Waiting for Guffman, Whatever it Takes, White Christmas, Wish Upon a Star

View our blog http://thegreatfilmretrospective.blogspot.com/ to check in on this project.

Brian may die after watching "The Babysitter's Club,"
Lindsey

I'm ENGAGED!

2009-01-21T00:20:00.000-06:00

The day has FINALLY come. I am an engaged woman. That's right folks, off the market, I have promised to marry Brian Gill. So I'm totally not the type to write all over the internet about my relationships, I like to keep my romantic life a little more on the private side :)

I'm not going to give you the whole history of our relationship, I'll just cut to the exciting part. I know all you people don't like to read blogs longer than like 20 sentences. So, since day 1 I've been really attracted to Brian through his writing. It was one of our many common bonds. Our relationship totally started because of our desire to write. I secretly blog stalked him, he secretly blog stalked me. I found myself completely absorbed in every email he sent me. Throughout our whole relationship, we've spent a lot of time expressing our love through notes and such.

Earlier on in our relationship, Brian left to go out of town for a weekend so he left me a little present to remember him while he was away. I was supposed to open it that next morning, but I totally opened it that night once the door closed. He gave me a journal with a letter written to me every day in it. The journal was completely full of our whole story. I finally got to find out what he was thinking during those times when we were just "talking" and then as it progressed to more. Here's the weird part, I did the exact same thing. We started writing letters secretly to one another on the EXACT SAME DAY. I had been keeping a journal for him. I kept my journal a secret from him forever so that I could give it to him for Christmas. I was just so incredibly shocked. When I received that journal, I knew without a doubt that he was the one for me.

So, writing has played a huge part in our relationship. Today I came home from work and there was a box sitting on my apartment floor. Inside the box were all of these envelopes with dates on them, starting with the day that we first had our "I want to marry you" talk. He had written me letters all along the way. I read through all the letters. Then when I got to the end, he arrived at my apartment. The last letter was dated today and inside it said "Will you marry me?" He proposed and put the ring on my finger and of course I said "Yes!"

I'm just so incredibly thrilled. Brian is my best friend and has just made my life a million times better since he stepped in it. I've never had anyone care for me like the way he does. I never believed in soul mates, until I met Brian. He is perfect for me in every way. God definitely knew the desires of my heart better than I did, I couldn't have created a person more perfect for me. Praise God for His blessings! Keep us in your prayers as we begin planning a wedding and begin that journey towards marriage. I love you all and I so appreciate the prayers from many of you as I've waited for God to bring that right person into my life.

I'm SOOO not used to wearing a ring,
Lindsey

Yay! Happy Engagement!

I had no girl to admire my ring, so Jason volunteered for the job.

Dancey Dance

2009-01-07T16:11:00.002-06:00

Back in October, I visited the dance studio that I had been taking dance for the past year over in my area. It was my first and only time this school year to go to dance class. It was a new group of people in the class and the same combinations that were taught last year. I left the studio and for the first time, really did not love dance.

That next day, I just sucked it up and called the dance studio that I grew up going to, Nancy Brown's Dance Connection. I never considered even searching out their classes because it's a good 30-45 minutes away from my apt on a weekday. I just left a message, didn't really expect to hear anything. It's been 12 years since I've taken dance there. I never really think that people will remember me if it's been longer than 5 years since I've seen them last. Later that day, Nancy called me and I talked to her for at least 30 minutes on the phone.

I always loved my dance teacher Nancy. Now that I'm 27, I have a whole new respect for her. She remembered everything about me. She talked to me like I was a long lost friend. She asked so many details about my family, my home friends, my old neighborhood, etc. She remembered it all and I haven't seen her in 12 years. I don't think she will ever know the impact she has made on the lives of her students. If it wasn't for her, I would be such a different person. Her genuine spirit kept me in dance class. I was surrounded by snobby girls, but Nancy always made me feel welcome. She wasn't strict, she was encouraging and motivating.

Last night I was able to take a visit to my old dance studio to take a hip-hop class. It was a long drive, but it was worth it. I wish I could go every week. I love the challenging dance moves.

I think every kid needs a hobby. Dance, was my thing. Dance has opened up so many activities for me. My training gave me the ability to lead others and to constantly work to achieve a goal. I was such a shy girl growing up (well I'm still shy in some settings) and dance helped boost my confidence. My heart is pretty happy all the time, but man does it get happier when I'm dancing.

I'm ready for technology to move to Jetson's Cars,
Lindsey

The Wheel

2009-01-01T21:29:00.001-06:00

In college, I was often called "Grandma". There are many reasons that led my friends to call me Grandma, but one reason, was my love for Wheel of Fortune. Before the days of DVR, my life revolved around The Wheel. If at all possible, I wanted to be home to watch Pat and Vanna. Today, I still love this show, but thanks to DVR, I can watch at my convenience.

Brian and I are huge nerds we watch Jeopardy and The Wheel every night. Fine, laugh at us, but we're working our brains and when we're old, we will be less crazy than you. I love these shows for the competition, because I love to win. BUT now, my favorite thing about these shows are the interesting lives of these contestants.

Some of the oddest humans come on these shows. I'm amazed by their craziness. Brian and I are a little mean, so we like to have a good laugh at some of these crazies. We rarely call them by their real name, we quickly give them a nickname and it is used the rest of the thirty minute segment. I love it when the craziest contestant on The Wheel gets to the finals, because THAT'S when we get to see their closest friends and family in the audience, as they cheer on their loved one. Sometimes it's shocking because the group is nothing like the individual or most of the time they are very fitting. Then there is the rare occasion (like tonight's episode), that makes me like THE hugest jerk, The Crazy...has no one. Man, do I feel bad when I've been laughing at The Crazy the whole segment, then they don't have a single person in this world who wants to come and support them on The Wheel. Who in the world would pass up on that event?! Exactly, no one. So it must mean, that The Crazy has no friends, and I'm a terrible human for laughing at The Crazy with no friends.

I never want to be alone in a room with Pat Sajak,
Lindsey

Six Flags

2008-11-25T07:43:00.000-06:00

Brian and I went to Six Flags with Josh and Suzie a few weeks ago. It was the best day ever! There were no lines, except for chicken tenders. Every year when I visit the beloved Six Flags, I consider getting a season pass. I stare at the website, I think about the prices, and I never get around to it. One of these days, I'll get one again, so that I don't have to stay the entire day. I get tired after three hours.

There are so many great improvements at Six Flags, compared to the Six Flags experience that I had as a teenager. Now there is a rule that you have to wear all clothing items, no more gross women walking around in a bikini top. I also love those misters, they make the heat just a little better. Now I also have the confidence to not give in to peer pressure. I'm never riding the Texas Giant again, for as long as I live. You heard it, never again, even if all the cool kids are doing it. When I ride the Texas Giant, I feel like I've gone through about 10 car crashes, in 20 seconds.

Six Flags will always have a special place in my heart, even if their mascots creep me out. Tweety over there, I believe was trying to hit on Brian. Not cool. Maybe this next year, I'll actually get a season pass. Anyone up for Holiday in the Park?

Six Flags has about 3 layers of ABC gum on all tress and rides,
Lindsey

New Baby!!!

2008-11-12T22:58:00.003-06:00

Kim and John had their baby boy on Tuesday! Here as some pictures of their precious Baby Gev to enjoy. I'm off to bed! :)

Upward Football

2008-11-02T06:21:00.005-06:00

Brian is the director for Upwards at our church. So this weekend, we wrapped up football season with a coaches game. My friends and I were the cheerleading coaches so we switched places too. Umm...I definitely can't fit into my cheer uniform anymore. I'm going to throw a big party if I'm ever able to fit into that thing again. Maybe next year ;)

As you can see from the pictures, my sister and her family came to cheer us on. I think this may have been Ivy's first sporting event. She didn't care much for the football game, she just wanted to play with my megaphone or hold onto my leg.

Saturday felt like July,
Lindsey

Halloween Party

2008-11-01T21:28:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween folks! If you are my friend, you know that I love to dress up and I have a million costumes. Well this year, I've been so busy, that I really didn't care about dressing up for Halloween. So, Brian and I went as the fall-back 80's Nerd Costume. We worked up at the church for the first half of the evening. Then, I hosted a party with a friend, for our singles group during the second half.

All night, after people saw me, they made some kind of joke that was an attempt to say that I'm a nerd in real life and didn't have to wear a costume. It's not like I heard 3 jokes, I heard at least 10. I wasn't annoyed, I just felt sorry for the people. Some people just can't pull of being the Joker. I could tell what they were trying to say, but their joke was not funny, in the least bit. It's sad when I feel the need to give the pity laugh to someone who's making fun of me, because I feel sorry for their attempt and I want to avoid awkwardness.

Some of these costumes from the evening were pretty amazing. My favorite were Kid Sister, The Robot, and Strawberry Shortcake. Maybe next year, I won't be so busy and I'll take the time to actually plan a costume.

Fanny packs are so convenient,
Lindsey

NKOTB

2008-10-25T23:19:00.003-05:00

So, I've been away from the blog world for a long time. I doubt anyone even looks at this thing anymore, but in case you do, I'll be posting for a little while.

My dream finally came true, New Kids on the Block are back together. I thought this day would never come. I thought I would never see Jonathan Knight on stage ever again. I was wrong, it happened, and I got to witness it.

I went to their concert last week and it took about 48 hours for my hearing to be restored back to its normal state, which is only deaf in one ear, not both. I've never heard so many screaming women in my life. The last time I heard such noise, was when I saw their concert in elementary school, but those were half screaming girls with the accompaniment of their parent (not screaming).

I'm always so interested to hear about a girl's favorite New Kid. Everyone had their favorite. No one just liked the New Kids. If you find out that one of your friends was a fan as a kid, your first question normally is "Who was your favorite?" Then you have a whole conversation about why you voted for him. Mine was Jonathan Knight, which is rare. You can tell a lot about a person by which New Kids were their fave. I should test that theory. Now that I've grown up and my personality has changed a bit, I've switched over to Joey.

I've been dreaming that Joey proposed to me,
Lindsey

A Day at French Lake

2008-03-19T21:37:00.005-05:00

When I was little, we went to French Lake just about every day during the summer. My mom would run, while my sister and I rode our bikes with bags of bread in our hands. I have many memories at this "lake".

Back in January we had a Day of Solitude at church. I decided to spend my day by myself, at French Lake. I sat there next to the pond praying and sharing a day in conversation with God. I was so joyful just thinking about past memories and those that I hope to have in the future.

Today we took Ivy for her first French Lake experience to feed the ducks. She was adorable as she said "duck" numerous times and ate their bread. I can't wait to bring my own children to this park one day, but until I have a family of my own, I'm blessed to share a new memory with my favorite niece.

Why would you ever go fishing at French Lake,
Lindsey

Spring Break

2008-03-15T23:21:00.004-05:00

It has arrived. Spring Break.

I always feel like Spring Break requires something amazingly fun. I almost feel like I'm not human if I stay at home instead of going on some extravagant trip to Disney World or skiing. Last year I went on a ski trip (see above pictures), but I didn't go skiing (lame, I know). The year before that I came home and decided to treat Fort Worth as if I were a tourist. This year, I'm home again. I have no grand plans. I want to do something that I will remember. I want to be able to look back at Spring Break 2008 and say "Oh yeah, that was the year that I..." I like making memories. I tend to treat every week like that, but Spring Break should be the ideal week for memories.

Right now my amazing Spring Break plans include:
-get my hair cut
-try out a Mystic Tan
-sleep on the couch
-watch How I Met Your Mother Season 2
-make To-Do Lists
-clean my closet and room
-play Tetris
-learn how to perfect the curl with a curling iron
-research the rules of recycling
-take friends to the airport (I'm pretending like I'm Emily for a day)

So as you can see, my Spring Break is full of fun and excitement. If you have any suggestions, I'll take it. I need a mission or a theme for Spring Break.

I've decided, it would be really fun to marry a teacher. Then we could have all of these random holidays together. I'm terrified that I will marry someone boring, who will continue to make my Spring Breaks uneventful. I'm getting tired of people who aren't willing to do something fun. I would die if I had to live my life like that forever.

Will someone else just provide the fun for me this time,
Lindsey

Remembuh

2008-03-10T22:03:00.003-05:00

I'm a speech therapist, all I do is listen to children speak wrong, the whole entire day. Every once in a while, I run across an adult with a speech problem. To be honest, it stresses me out. I can't talk to the person, I sit there and think "How did this person go through life without being identified? This grown adult can not say his 'r'!"

As I'm nearing the end of the year, I have several kids close to dismissal. Which makes me so proud but sad at the same time. I love every single kid. Even the mean ones. I love my baby preschoolers as they run up to give me hugs. I love my 4th graders that are so hilarious as they do impersonations of Dr. Phil. We start off each session just in conversation so I can hear how they're transferring their skills over to conversation. They slip, a lot. I've decided that I need an alarm. This is where you come in.

I've warned them for a couple of weeks now that I'm going to bring a bell or something so that when they mess up, I'll alarm it. As I look in my game/costume closet, I have many choices. Lets vote. Which source of alarm shall I choose to identify my children's speech errors:

1.The buzzer from Taboo
2. The school bell dinger from the game Pit
3. A New Year's Party Horn
4. Kazoo
5. Mr. Burns that says "excellent" when you push a button on his chair
6. A Taplight

Put in your votes. Until the results come in, I guess I'll have to just hear them say "remembuh" for the rest of my life. I promise, out of all the words in the English language, that's the one I correct them on the most. I now have two little boys that think the word "remember", has to be said "Re-mem-BERRR".

They even correct their mom,
Lindsey

Try it Edward, you'll like it!

2008-03-10T00:18:00.004-05:00

As most of y'all know, I'm a fan of Blue Bell. Back in the day, I created an Ice Cream Club to taste all of the amazing Blue Bell flavors. I miss my dear Ice Cream Club. I know my body doesn't miss it, but my taste buds do. Every once in a while, I'll walk down the freezer aisle to check out the newest happenings in Blue Bell World. I came across a new flavor that I just had to try. Let me tell you, it has now locked in to my Top Five Flavors.

I can't really choose a favorite flavor. I have a bunch of favorites, much like my friends. They just get bumped into a category of my Top Five. My Top Five include Key Lime Pie, Birthday Cake, Cookies and Cream, Banana Split, and now.....drumroll please.....Centennial Cupcake.

It's like eating a cupcake, but it's ice cream. I promise you will be amazed. It's cake batter ice cream, with chocolate icing, cake pieces, and shamrock sprinkles. I've had four bowls in the past 24 hours. Grab your keys, get in the car, drive to Albertson's, and get ready for the best purchase you will ever make. Seriously, right now. I don't care if your kids are asleep, they won't know if you sneak out for a minute. Wal-Mart is 24 hours, don't make excuses.

You're welcome,
Lindsey

p.s. The above picture is not with Centennial Cupcake. Look for a container that makes you think of Girl Scouts.

Recent Pictures/Quotes from the Day

2008-03-06T22:06:00.005-06:00

So my kids haven't been THAT funny this year. Well, till today. I felt like the whole day I was just watching my kids as they entertained me. I guess snow brings out the weirdness. These were some of the comments that made ME laugh, you may not find them as amusing as I did. Well, and these were the only ones I wrote down. I didn't think to write down the first half of the day, I've forgotten them all by now.

Bobby: "I can't wait till this summer, I'll be hot and sweaty."

Jake: "I know who left the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...Jesus."

Bobby: "Umm...do we have to draw a picture of us playing in the snow now? Can I draw a picture of me playing in the snow when I'm a grown up?"

Bobby: "Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Ricky was breathing really loud. Like this whooo hooo whooo hooo."

Ashley: "Today's my birthday, I'm now in the double digits," as she hands me her birthday Little Debbie snacks for the class.

Lindsey: "Whoa! You're ten? You're a pre-teen."

Ashley: "Well, you know, 13 is the new 15. So I guess 10 is the new 13. So REALLY...I'm a teen-ager."

Strong Arm: "When you turn 100, you have to die."

Cannibal: "I'm scared of girls."

Strong Arm: "Why don't you listen BOY?!"

Cannibal: "I'd go outside without my shirt on."

Strong Arm: "That is so man-ness."

Strong Arm: "Oh yeah?! You wanna arm wrestle?!" (this skinny six year old girl whips out her arm to the table to arm wrestle this boy and beats him twice. She also beat me last year, that's why I gave her the name Strong Arm. Hey, she does gymnastics, ok?)

Strong Arm: "Who's the strongest now?!"

Cannibal: "Your momma!"

Strong Arm: "Oh yeah, I'm the best!"

Cannibal: "You can't say that."

Strong Arm: "I'm a girl. I can say whatever I want!"

Cannibal: "I can too, because I'm a hot boy."

Strong Arm: "You're not hot. Don't mess with me BOY!"

I hope your day was as entertaining as mine. Well, I'm guessing most of y'all don't talk to 6 year olds all day.

I love Little Debbie's Cosmic Brownies,

Lindsey

Nobody's Perfect

2008-03-04T16:34:00.004-06:00

I just finished up my stuttering group, which is very special to me. Working with stutterers is much like being a counselor. We talk a lot about our feelings because usually, kids are pretty harsh and make fun of stutterers.

I have these young kids, I refer to as Strong Arm and Cannibal. Cannibal began telling me about his recent TV show watching. He starts talking about fighting and asking me a TON of questions about fighting. Then Strong Arm talks about how she's going to fight some girl after school. Strong Arm is THE nicest girl, so sweet, and would NEVER hurt a soul, so I don't know WHAT she was talking about. I think she just wanted to be a part of the conversation.

Cannibal continues and it ends up he got all of this knowledge about fighting, form America's Most Wanted. Yeesh, c'mon parents. Then we talked all about what the guy should've done in the show and what they should do in that kind of situation. Fighting is bad, blah blah. So of course I turned this conversation into a productive stuttering situation. Cannibal asked if they could act it out. I changed it to, a bully making fun of their stuttering, and they had to figure out how to respond. I gave them tips for come-backs, like "Everyone stutters sometimes" or "I may have bumpy speech, but I know there's some things that I'm good at, and you're not" or "Nobody's perfect. Are you perfect?"

Then Strong Arm responds, "No one is perfect?" I said, "Nope. There's not a single person on this planet who is perfect." Cannibal jumps in, "Well God is perfect." Of course I was surprised with that response since all he talks about is fighting and watching bad shows. Strong Arm continues, "God is perfect, Baby Jesus, AND Jesus." Oh this is interesting. Cannibal replies, "Baby Jesus and Jesus are the same thing." Strong Arm argues, "No, you have Baby Jesus who was perfect. Then you have a grown up who was also a Jesus." I thought people just got confused with God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus connection, never would I have thought to clarify Baby Jesus and Jesus. What a conversation, we began with America's Most Wanted and ended with Baby Jesus.

Dear eight pound six ounce newborn Baby Jesus,

Lindsey

Travel Dreams

2008-03-02T21:26:00.003-06:00

I have a lot of dreams for my future. Several of my dreams started at a young age and I've held onto them. When I was little, I had a computer game that had a game show style to it. I don't remember a whole lot about it except that it used the phrase "Nice try, but no cigar", which I really didn't understand.

In this game, it had prizes like something you would see on a Showcase Showdown. My favorite prize of all, an RV. I'm much like a 45 year old, living in a 26 year old's body. I would love so much to have a mini-van, or even better, a 15 passenger van. A van would be awesome, but think about the fun AN RV could bring to the table!!! As a kid, I would stare at those RVs that we would pass on the highway. I would stare, envious of that vehicle that I'm sure was filled with people having a party inside.

Oh the places I would go in my RV. First stop...Brenham, TX. I've always wanted to visit the Blue Bell Creamery. I'm tempted to go down there during my spring break this year.

After my stop at Brenham, I want to go visit that huge dinosaur. You know the one, on The Wizard? Oh, The Wizard, the first time we laid eyes on Mario 3. That was an exciting day for us elementary children obsessed with Nintendo.

After the big dinosaur, I want to visit some real dinosaurs. We'll take a trip to Bedrock City to see The Flintsones. My mom has these home film strips from her childhood. Her family drove to Alaska, and filmed part of their road trip. There's a nanosecond shot of a real life Bedrock. I thought it was too good to be true. Lucky me, it's still there. It may not be the same one, but I'll take it. Now, if they could only fly us up into space to visit The Jetson's.

I think that's it. Sure, I haven't ever been to California, Las Vegas, Washington DC, or NYC, but who needs that? I need to visit these other huge landmarks in my RV first, this is where the REAL excitement is.

Yabbadabba dooooo,
Lindsey

Going Public

2008-02-28T22:49:00.000-06:00

So, I'm going public for a little while. I'll go back to private soon, but if there is anyone out there who would like to read my blog and I haven't given you permission, just let me know! Leave me your email and I'll put you on the list...

I feel like I've lost my Blog Community,
Lindsey

The Handicapped Guy

2008-02-28T22:43:00.006-06:00

So has anyone ever noticed the Handicapped Guy next to the Word Verification? Maybe everyone has noticed it and knows its purpose. I did not. Well I still don't really understand it. I clicked on it and I felt like I was on LOST or something. I felt like I was stuck somewhere, trying to figure out whatever it was they were saying to me over the computer. Click on it, listen to it, and someone explain to me what's going on. What kind of code are they speaking in?

It sounds like the Tower of Babel,
Lindsey

It's about that time...

2008-02-27T22:22:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged in a while and honestly, I'm kind of dying with my Lent sacrifice. I feel so out of touch with the world. I used to come home to a whole world of communication through the internet. Now I come home to look at Hotmail, my Wells Fargo Account, and Blogger. Sometimes I have an email, which is normally just an advertisement from Johnny Carino's, telling me about his new dish. I miss my internet socialization. I'm starting to feel like a loser with no friends.

Now lets get to the real subject of this post. Mystic Tans. I considered taking my blog off private, just during Lent season. Which I'm still considering, but it's posts like these that make me happy knowing who could possibly read it.

I had a rough year last year, so this year I've made lots of goals for myself. Last year was "Lindsey is Drowning" Year and I want this year to be a year where I take risks and do things to better myself. Of course, that starts with the original goal, get in shape. I've got goals with my job, family, friends, etc. One goal that has taken a huge amount of my time is dancing. I decided to get back into dance. Dancing is my passion, so I decided to get back into classes.

Along with dance classes, come the dance outfits. Which brings me back to the "get in shape" goal. Back in middle school, I hated wearing the dance outfits. Now, I REALLY hate wearing the dance outfits. I get in my class, with tons of other girls, and I stare at myself in the mirror. I can't concentrate on the dance because I'm so blinded by my skin. I'm AT LEAST five shades whiter than every girl in that room.

I'm considering going for a Mystic Tan. I don't really want it for fashionable reasons, I want it to help my concentration in dance class. I wish there was some way I could put on a Tan Suit over my whole body, just for dance class. Then take it off for my normal life. My body hasn't seen a shade darker than pale since I was 14. Maybe I'll just buy a lot of foundation and take a bath in it before each class.

You can laugh at me if I'm suddenly a nice shade of orange,
Lindsey

Go Team White

2008-02-16T13:06:00.004-06:00

Friday night was my first broomball experience. Well, umm, is that broomball? I thought broomball required brooms. Like I said, I've never played so I really don't know.

I was terrible, of course. I think I knocked the ball into our own goal on accident, more than blocking it. I DID score once. I was pretty proud of that. My favorite part of the evening was the America's Funniest Home Video-Like Falls that seemed to hit almost everyone on the rink. It's just like watching AFV, you watch a person totally wipe out, your first reaction is to gasp, but then you just can't help laughing afterwards. I'm THE worst at laughing at inappropriate things.

For example, I have a new kid in speech class. I'm teaching him the "sh" sound. He's terrible, absolutely terrible at figuring out the "sh". I've had him for a couple of weeks and he still can't just say "shhh". The other day I started laughing at him. He puckered his lips but didn't put his tongue on the roof of his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh and say "You're just blowing out air! You're not doing anything. You have to make some kind of sound." Luckily, he thought it was funny too, otherwise I would've offended the New Kid.

My helmet was so big,
Lindsey

Arthritis

2008-02-13T22:19:00.004-06:00

Top Conversation of the Day

Participants: Lindsey, Elvis, and Richard

Setting: Speech Class

R: I have something that's not very boyish to say.

L: Umm...ok

R: I sleep with 11 stuffed animals.

L: Ha, you do? Why?

R: They've been there for me through all my nightmares. I've had them since I was a baby. They were even there through my arthritis.

L: (laughing, I couldn't hold it in anymore, he's in the 4th grade for goodness sakes, he totally doesn't have any form of arthritis)

R: Oh wait, not arthritis. I mean, I pop my knuckles but I don't have arthritis yet. My stuffed animals were there when I had my adenoids taken out and when I had pneumonia. When I die, I want them to be buried with me.

L: That's kind of creepy.

Later on him and Elvis told me about how Richard almost got beat up by the whole 3rd grade. The way they described, it sounded like a movie. According to them, Some 3rd graders came up behind him and pulled his shirt over his head so he couldn't see anything. Then they tried to give him a wedgie. BUT then Elvis came in and saved the day. He told all "Twenty-five 3rd graders to back off." So Richard made a Valentine's/Thank You card for Elvis during speech class. While Elvis made a Valentine's Card/Paper Airplane.

A little girl told me she ate fox the other day,

Lindsey

Conversations of the Day

2008-02-12T23:24:00.003-06:00

Conversation #1 "Fruit Pizza"
Participants: Lindsey, Strong Arm, and Cannibal
Setting: Speech Class

L: Strong Arm, tell me something fun you did this weekend.
SA: I went to Incredible Pizza to celebrate my friend's birthday. We ate lots of pizza, every kind of pizza, even fruit pizza. Actually, I didn't eat the fruit pizza.
C: Well I'd eat that. I'm the kind of guy who will eat anything. (long pause) Well...I'd eat anything except pizza.
L: (I gave him a long stare with the "What the heck are you talking about?" look)
C: OH....wait...no, not PIZZA. I meant to say I'll eat anything except people. Yeah, I won't do that. I'll eat anything BUT people. I won't eat any kind of people, like dogs or cats or animals. None of those people.

Conversation #2 "Lindsay Lohan"
Participants: Lindsey, Al, and Raymond (fake name, not Schultz)
Location: Church

A: It's Lindsey with an "e"!
L: Oh you remembered! That was our first conversation ever! Aww... that was the first day I met you.
A: Yep, and you were the only name I could remember after the first day, because of our conversation.
R: Oh, Lynn asked me the other day, 'Who's that girl who looks like Lindsay Lohan?'
L: WHAT?! Are you serious?! I look NOTHING like Lindsay Lohan! Whoa, seriously? Lynn thought that?
R: Yeah, I told her, "Well actually her name is Lindsey, so you'll remember that one easily!"
L: Wow. Hey, how are you and Lynn doing? I heard that y'all were dating? Is that true?
R: Actually, I broke up with her today.
L: Hahaha, wait, what? Are you serious?! You're joking?
R: No, really, I broke up with her today.

"Fills a pair of jeans"

2008-02-10T20:42:00.000-06:00

There are lots of qualities that I of course hope for in the man I'm going to marry. About every week, I come across another quality that I think to myself, oh man, I hope my husband does that. Sure, there are the qualities that every girl hopes for: good with kids, helps around the house, a leader, responsible, funny, "will play with my hair", "has a cute wink", "will watch chick flicks with me", etc. Then there's the qualities that I like in a person, not just in a boy, but in a friend.

Like most people, I have lots of different groups of friends. I have lots of good friends that are rarely in my presence all at one time. I like people. I like all kinds of people, I guess that's why God has blessed me with so many great friends. When I'm interested in a guy, I often think about how he would fit into my life. Would he fit into my life? Would he get along with all of these people?

I often sit in conversations that I'm completely uninterested in. Honestly, I'm frequently around people that aren't necessarily the typical person I would hang out with. I'm happy to be there, but I know that most of my friends would have jetted out of the situation by now, due to the different personalities. I pray that I marry someone who's selfless. Someone that is happy to be around people that may not be his type. Someone who's never too good for a certain crowd. I think that's why I normally don't go for the "cool guys". I hate dealing with people who are too cool to hang out with some groups. My "cool" friends kind of stress me out.

Thank you Ashley for such good recommendations,
Lindsey

p.s. This picture has nothing to do with this post.

Arranged Marriage

2008-02-10T09:59:00.000-06:00

Being a single girl, sometimes I think to myself, life would be easier if I just got an arranged marriage. Of course, I don't REALLY want that to happen, but sometimes I think about it. I really don't know a whole lot about this custom, but do any cultures in the US practice this? I could never see this happening in my generation and my culture. I myself, am a little too selfish and independent to allow this.

For the past two nights I've had a dream that I did get an arranged marriage. I was shockingly ok with the idea of someone picking out my husband for me. Well, I was ok until I found out who he was. I was still willing to go through with both marriages but I argued it, for the man's sake, and for the sake of my unborn children. It's really awkward to have a dream about getting married to someone that you actually know in real life.

So I've been thinking about this custom a lot the past couple of days. If I let someone else pick my husband, would I be surprisingly pleased or would I hate my life? Am I laid back enough, where I could just deal with it? I'm interested to find out, if my friends and family had their pick for my husband, who would that be? I'd love to see how accepting I would be of their choice.

I just don't want ugly kids,
Lindsey

Lent

2008-02-06T16:41:00.001-06:00

I now have my full internet attention on Blogspot and Hotmail. I've said goodbye to Facebook and Myspace for Lent. It's kind of depressing. I'm already freaking out a bit. My weekday afternoons are normally spent looking at people on Facebook for an hour, then falling asleep for thirty minutes. Maybe this will completely change my life, for the good. OR maybe I'll just start watching Saved By the Bell and Growing Pains after school again like I used to do, before the internet was invented.

Luckily, I thought to delete my bookmark to Facebook and Myspace. Otherwise, I would've accidentally gotten on probably six times by now, just out of habit. I will say, I am still using the myspace websites to listen to music. I'm not logging on and looking at pages. I just recently was re-exposed to the Talking Heads, and I'm a little obsessed. So I just go to their page to listen while I'm going about my business with emails. It's way cheaper to go through my obsession through Myspace, rather than buying the CD, which I'm sure I'll eventually cave. For the past two months I've been a little out of control with my music desires. I've already bought 4 cds in the past month, which is at least 40 bucks that I really don't have, to spend.

Last year was my first year to participate in Lent, which I gave up Taco Bueno. I wanted to die. I had to drive past it at least three times every day. THEN they came out with breakfast and I couldn't have it. The "Now Serving Breakfast" sign just screamed at me every morning. After my season was over, I checked out the pictures and decided it didn't look that appealing after all. Maybe when I'm depressed with my lack of Facebooking, I'll just eat my feelings at Taco Bueno ;)

Mucho Nachos were too much of an idol to me,
Lindsey

p.s. Since it's so boring to just look at words on blogs. I'll post a picture with each post. It may have nothing to do with the post, but you'll just have to read to find out.

The Birds

2008-02-03T17:05:00.001-06:00

Normally when I write an entry I feel like my thoughts are pretty well organized and I have a main purpose to why I'm writing. Today, not so much. My thoughts aren't well organized, there isn't a flow that would clearly display what's on my mind. I have many emotions that don't all string together, which isn't normal for me. Normally I have one emotion that everything falls in line with, but not for today. So this entry may be a bit all over the place.

I've had such an overwhelming feeling of God's presence this week. It's like in every moment I knew where he was. I had an insanely busy week that I didn't think I would ever get through, and I did. Many little things happened that all fell into place.

Last week, I taught 2nd grade at church. I teach once a month, very little commitment. I never know what they're talking about, so I come in twenty minutes before class to quickly read through my surprise lesson. Every week, it's something that I need to hear. I feel like I get more out of teaching, than the kids do. This past week we were talking about stewardship and trusting God with our life and belongings. I was hit with so many small things to worry about this week. I found myself continually saying in my head, "Lindsey, God takes care of the birds and he's going to take care of me." I'm talking, I worried about really dumb things, and had to remind myself to give it over, and then it all worked out. I worried about jazz shoes. Yes JAZZ SHOES. I was worried about being a huge dork wearing ugly cheap jazz shoes since my new ones weren't in yet for my dance class. Then, out of nowhere, the lady at the dance shop called me to tell me they had my jazz shoes, so I didn't ever have to wear the ugly ones.

I found myself tempted to worry about speaking this weekend at our girls' retreat. The time had come for me to share all the amazing ways God has worked in my "Year of Tears," and I was scared. If God could be with me for survival in that year, why in the world would he leave me during the time I testified of His love?! Again, I had to remind myself, "Lindsey, he takes care of the birds, he's going to take care of me." This weekend, I don't know how God used me, I don't know if there was anyone in that room who went away with something, but I believe God completely spoke through me and I barely even looked at my notes. Yes, there were lots of tears, but I didn't boo hoo, which I was scared of. He was faithful during my moments of fear.

As I sit here, presented with new things I could worry about, I'm fighting that temptation. I'm so thankful for the people in my life and I want to take care of them, but I know there is only so much I can do. I continue to praise God for the ways he saves me in the big things and the little things. I praise God for the ways I beg him to save me from situations and then events are put in my life to give me that confidence to step away from that temptation. Praise God for His faithfulness. May I always remember the ways he cares for the birds and for me.

You're pretty

2008-01-28T22:28:00.001-06:00

I took a trip to Lady Nails today. It's actually "Lady's Nails", but everyone who works there, says "Lady Nails", so I'll follower their lead. I'd never been to Lady Nails before. I've passed by Lady many times and this Monday afternoon, decided to stop.

At Lady Nails, there are lots of pedicure chairs but few customers. At Lady Nails, there are two flat screen TVs playing two different shows, one of them being E! True Hollywood's story of Hulk Hogan. At Lady Nails, there is much conversation that I can't understand.

I sat in the fancy pedicure chair, with my book, and my experience with Lady Nails began. A man served me, which is sometimes a really good idea or really bad. I was silent most of the time, because I was reading my book, praying he wouldn't talk to me. Well once he start scrubbing my feet, I had to put down my book to concentrate on not kicking him due to my extremely ticklish feet. That's where the conversation began.

Since he's not a Lady to represent Lady Nails, lets call him Gentleman. So Gentleman starts the conversation that was so difficult for me to understand. This is normally the part where I sign up for fancy flowers painted on my toes and a seaweed wrap because I didn't know I was smiling and saying "yeah" to those questions. Gentleman asked me if I got off work early today. I said, "No, I'm a teacher, so I came right after school." He replies, "Oh you're a teacher? I thought you were a hair stylist." I was really confused, then he starts motioning at his shoulders, which I thought he was motioning at my hair and telling me that I had pretty hair, that's why he thought I was a stylist. So of course I replied, "Oh well thank you." Then he continued, "No, your outfit. Your jacket, hair stylist." Ugh, so I was totally wearing a jacket that COULD look like a hair stylist uniform. I just said thank you to him telling me that I look like I'm wearing a uniform. So embarrassing.

I know I blushed with embarrassment, which I didn't think I was someone who did that, but apparently I am. Then he continued the conversation, "You married?" I had to do the nice smile, "No, I'm not married." "You boyfriend?" I continued, "No, I don't have a boyfriend. I'm completely single." Then, I thought he said, "You're pretty." Again I replied, "Thank you!" and smiled at the compliment. Nope, I was wrong. He even corrected me this time. He repeated, "No, you're picky?"

I went to Lady Nails thinking that I was getting complimented with my hair and looks. No, instead my feet felt like they were on fire with the surprise hot paraffin wax he put my feet in while I wasn't looking. AND now I look in the mirror as I examine myself...the picky hair stylist. Next time, I may start doing sign language, so they won't feel the need to talk to me. It might save me some embarrassment.

My big toes were trimmed too short,
Lindsey

Cherry on Top

2008-01-20T17:57:00.001-06:00

I'm a fan of the cherry, a big fan. I love cherry flavored items and the actual cherry itself. If I get a pie, it better be cherry. If I'm reaching in a bin to grab some Laffy Taffy, I'm praying that there's a cherry one hidden in there. The best part of a sundae is the cherry on top. When you go to Braum's and you get the Fudge Brownie Sundae, sometimes, just sometimes, you get TWO cherries. If I get two cherries, I have that incredible excitement. You know the excitement, much like the excitement when you get a couple of extra chicken tenders at Chicken Express or when the Lunch Lady gives you an extra roll in the cafeteria.

Recently I've been using up my Sonic gift cards from my birthday and Christmas. I like to treat myself to a nice beverage after school or while I'm running errands. It's a beautiful day when I have a Sonic drink and I'm just cruising listening to my latest Mix CD. I change up my Sonic drink every so often, but I can always count on satisfaction with the Diet Cherry Coke.

Sometimes you go to a Sonic that goes out of their way to make you happy. This kind of Sonic knows what's up, they fasten your cherry stem into the lid. You just pop the lid, and there's your cherry on top, waiting for you. Well, I do not have any incredible Sonics in my area.

I get the Diet Cherry Coke, only to realize that the cherry is trapped at the bottom. I'm not much of a drinker, I never finish it all, but man do I try so I can get to that cherry. It usually ends up with me forgetting about it, then about 3 hours later when the ice waters out the coke, I empty it out into the sink to throw away the cup. Then, there it is, my friend the cherry, laying in the dirty sink. I do it every time. I get so mad at myself. I end up shouting in the quiet of my home, "DANGITT! THE CHERRY!" Last time, I'm not going to lie, I went ahead and reached my hand into the gross sink, and ate the cherry.

I think I need a Cherry Fried Pie pronto,
Lindsey

First Impressions

2008-01-13T15:20:00.001-06:00

I admit, I'm someone who totally runs off of first impressions. I remember most first encounters with my friends. In the first conversation, I determine, is this someone I'm going to click with?

I love to watch people and try and figure them out, what kind of person they are. I notice all the little things, the details, for clues on this big mystery. When I can't figure a person out, it really frustrates me. There are people in my life that I can spend an hour around them, but still be completely clueless to who they are. I get on this mission to get to know that person, so I can understand what they're about.

Sometimes I'm totally off, but most of the time, I'm pretty accurate. This weekend I spent the night at a hotel in Dallas with a couple of my friends. The hotel was hosting a dog show, which I found hilarious. I want to rent Best in Show right now. Also, this hotel hosted many Cowboys fans. So with each person that walked into our hotel, I found myself in my head looking at these people and assuming who they are, if they're here for the Cowboys or the Spaniels. Some people were obvious, they were covered in Cowboys gear or they had a dog in their arms.

I'm interested in those people who don't just display who they are right away. You don't see some Cowboys jersey to give you the clue that they're huge fans. You have to dig deeper to figure out the interests. With facebook and myspace, it's pretty easy to glance at a page and assume who they are and if they're your kind of person. I've found myself getting lazy and disappointed when I can't get an All About Me page with each person I meet. I love the internet world, but it's nice when you do run across the individuals that you have to work towards knowing them.

Maybe I'll stop displaying who I am so easily on the internet. It leaves no mystery and people don't have to do much to get to know me.

I may start taking advantage of my Limited Profile option,
Lindsey

Anyone missing a couch?

2008-01-06T22:42:00.001-06:00

I had an interesting day, very interesting day. Lets back up a bit. Friday night, I received a random pizza delivery, that I did NOT order. Domino's pulled up to my house with 4 Large pizzas, hot wings, and 2 liters. I already had nine pizzas and 4 things of Crazy Bread sitting inside my kitchen. So yeah, someone was quite the trickster.

Saturday rolled by and then Sunday I woke up to get ready to meet my dad for lunch. I cleaned up a bit and took the trash out. I went outside and noticed my trash bins all in my neighbor's yard. My bins are in front of my side gate to the back yard, so clearly someone moved them to get in my back yard. I was all dramatic, freaking out that someone has been in my back yard. I moved my bins out of my neighbor's yard, then began peaking over the gate to see any trails of the person.

I'm totally dumb. As I was peaking over, something caught my eye, above me. What person doesn't notice a whole couch and a mattress on the roof?! There was a couch and mattress (actually box springs, but I like to say mattress, it's easier) on my ROOF! It was there for at least 24 hours and I never noticed. Someone should have video taped me. Then I see it against my satellite dish. ARRGH! They messed up our dish! That's why it hasn't worked the past two days!!!! Of course in my mind, I'm all, WHO DID THIS?!

I was late to eat lunch with my dad, so I just left the crime scene and met my dad. I immediately told my dad about everything. His response, "I'm sure it's some punks on your street. What person your age is still playing pranks? It's not like you're in college anymore! Do you have really immature friends who would still play pranks on people?" That's when I kept my mouth shut, agreed with him, and led him to believe that I'm still a responsible person who doesn't put a large amount of life size face print outs in people's yards.

He came over after lunch to check everything out. He went with me to check out the backyard, since obviously the Tricksters went back there. That's where we found THE worst part. The dead cat. The couch and mattress, hilarious. Domino's ordering, kind of mean on Domino's. The dead cat, that's just cruel!!! Who kills a cat and puts it in someone's yard?! I don't like cats, but I'm not about to kill them!

So if anyone needs a couch without cushions, a mattress, or a dead cat, I'm your girl. Just swing by the house, it's waiting for you on the curb ;)

The cat even had his eyes open,
Lindsey

Farewell Vacation Lindsey

2008-01-02T22:28:00.000-06:00

So tomorrow I go back to school. I forgot that I'm a human that works. I thought for a second that my job involved laying around and playing Sing Star on my PS2. No? What? I'm a Speech Therapist? Thaaaat's right. That's how I got all that money in my bank account.

My mind hasn't even ventured into speech therapy world once since I walked out of my school at 2:00 on Dec 21st. Now I have to all of a sudden over night, turn into Working Lindsey.

Vacation Lindsey stays up till 3:00 am, sleeps through breakfast, watches Fresh Prince in the late hours of the night, eats Nutty Bars and string cheese at 1:00 am, sleeps on the couch to give the Slumber Party feel, goes to QT for a Rooster Booster at an hour that girls shouldn't go out alone, lays around watching Flight of the Conchords while making chocolate covered Pretzels, and surfs the internet for recipes which only brings on hunger.

Working Lindsey wakes up at 6:45, drinks Slim Fast shakes for breakfast, talks to kids about their speech sounds and tries to throw in a speech about not doing drugs or cussing at any opportunity, wears fancy clothes that make it difficult to sit criss cross applesauce, eats a lame Lean Cuisine for lunch, listens to Stevie Wonder (he's acceptable) in the classroom, and still surfs the internet for recipes which only brings on hunger...but at work.

Tonight I say goodbye to Vacation Lindsey. I will miss her spontaneous pizza orders at 11:30 pm. There will be no dancing and singing alone in the room during the day while the rest of the world is working. Farewell Vacation Lindsey, I'm looking forward to your next visit to celebrate Martin Luther King.

I'll always have the couch ready for you Vacation Lindsey,
Working Lindsey

You know that feeling...

2008-01-01T23:19:00.000-06:00

I love that feeling when you like someone, when all you want to do is see that person or talk to that person. It brings this incredible high and it stays in your mind all day. It's that feeling that just puts you in a good mood because something really happy is a part of you.

That emotion is so hard to explain, but everyone knows what I'm talking about. The excitement just fills your soul and you can spend an hour alone, but it doesn't matter, because you've just experienced that awesome feeling and you're still on that high.

I guess that feeling is love, maybe not a "in love" kind of love, but a "this makes me really happy" love. It's that feeling that comes to my heart when I find just the right song. I don't know what it is about the song, but there are just some that give me that love feeling. When I'm away from the song, it's still in my head. I get excited at the thought of getting in my cold car, just because that song is waiting for me.

Only a special guy can bring me that "this makes me really happy" love, just like how only a special song can give me that love feeling. I don't know why. There are songs just like guys out there that I don't understand why I don't like them, I wish I did, they're great and should be loved by someone. My love feeling just isn't there.

Everything in life is just a little brighter when you have "this makes me really happy" love.

You make me merry make me very very happy,
Lindsey

Good Mail

2007-12-20T23:25:00.001-06:00

When I was little, I loved getting mail. Even if it was a stupid Scholastic advertisement, it was still mail, with MY name on it. Now as an adult, I hate mail. It's a chore. About once a month, I get what I consider Good Mail.

Now Good Mail does NOT include the obvious: bills, loan junk, credit card applications, and previous residents' mail. I can spot Good Mail pretty quickly, the handwritten addressed envelope. When I see handwriting instead of Times New Roman, I know I've gotten a prize.

I used to be fooled all the time by one piece of what I thought was Good Mail. Back in Abilene, I would receive an envelope from time to time with a boy's handwriting. I immediately got a little excited. It's not like I had any boy in my life that I was wanting to receive mail from, but I'm a girl, and I get excited over dumb things like mail from boys. It fooled me every time, that darn Hendrick Health Club. Hendrick was obviously too small town to figure out how to print off labels, so there was one person that always filled out the addresses. I'd see a dumb advertisement for my gym and throw it on the floor in disappointment.

This month, I've received THE most Good Mail I've ever received in my life. Apparently I'm friends with a lot of babies. Babies keep sending me their pictures. I've also received some great birthday cards. I think this is the first time since I've gotten out of college, that I received more Good Mail than Bad Mail in one batch.

I'm glad that I'm friends with cute babies instead of ugly babies,
Lindsey

Connector Four

2007-12-19T16:42:00.000-06:00

Today I was so incredibly bored at work. I'm ready for Christmas break, the kids are ready, so what's the point?! The kids are just out of control and our speech time is pretty much worthless. To make the day a little more enjoyable, I made my kids play Connect Four. It's my favorite of all my games. I actually gave kids pointers because they're soooo horrible at this game. It kind of frustrates me. The moment when one of my kids said, "Yes, Connector Four!" I almost lost it. These kids are so bad that they even think the title is CONNECTOR Four. Yeesh.

I have 30 minutes at the end of the day to sit around and do paperwork. Honestly, I had no desire to do paperwork. So I did what anyone does when they're bored at work, I read about Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy.

This may sound dumb, but I pray a lot for Britney and her family. Finding out this news just continued my sadness for their family and the downhill path they're on. I didn't want to get depressed over The Spears fam, so I stopped checking out the news tabber on Google. I examined the rest of the tabbers on Google, hoping a different tab would entertain my last few minutes at work.

I noticed "shopping". Now, I'm not a huge shopper but I thought, I'll give it a try. I clicked on it and up pops a list of items that were recently found on Google for shopping purposes. It's THE most random list of items you've ever seen in your life. I began laughing so hard, that I cried. I continued to push refresh for a new batch to appear. I even stayed five minutes after the bell rang because I was addicted to my new game.

I personally like to imagine that the list is all from one person. I imagine it's a Christmas shopping list. I must really be ready for school to be out, in order to think this is entertainment.

Check out my latest batch from Google shoppers,
Lindsey

birthday card
beach towel
cpu fan
fleur de lis brooch
bathroom rug
fire extinguisher
pregnancy test
belle and sebastian
mullet wig
scarecrow sprinkler
tag heuer watch
swiss army knife
potato peeler
truffles
nokia car charger
bottle opener
graphing calculator
popcorn
flower girl dresses
scrabble deluxe
wedding bands
electric grill
hair dryer
gas scooter
rubber chicken

A spoonful of cinnamon...

2007-12-17T23:39:00.001-06:00

Tonight my roommate Molly invited our church group over for a little White Christmas showing. Oh how I love Bing and that really skinny girl. When I was a little girl, I always pretended like I was the skinny girl. I still want to be like her, with her amazing dancing skills. Man, watching that movie brings out my desire for musical performance. I hate that I'm not currently in any kind of performance group. I wish I were still in high school or college, so I could perform in a musical.

After we were done with the show, we tried to convince some of the boys to perform the Sisters number, but had no luck. Instead a few of us decided to take on the challenge of swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon. Jeffrey claimed that it was impossible. Of course, when someone says "impossible" someone has to try.

I documented this all with my video camera, don't worry. We've got some nice footage of Derrick and Jeff doing the manly swallow, treating the cinnamon almost like chewing tobacco. Then Jeffrey got a good take of me, THE ONLY GIRL, attempting the challenge. I actually got it in my eye. Don't worry folks, I was victorious in the challenge. It was painful. Worst thing I've ever put in my mouth. Honestly, now, an hour later, I'm doing everything in my power to not throw up. So boys, are y'all keeping it down?

I may start keeping cinnamon in my purse for defense purposes,
Lindsey

Lindsey's Favorite Things!

2007-12-15T12:31:00.000-06:00

For the past month, I was really struggling with what to do about the holidays. With everything that's been going on in my life this year, I just really had no desire to do my birthday or the holidays. I just didn't feel like everyone giving me presents and such. I went back and forth on what I was going to say to people. After a couple of months of prayer, I decided to do something about this feeling I was having. Yes, there's been a bunch of junk going on in my life. Through all the junk, my close friends have stepped up in a way that just completely saved me this year. I decided to disguise my birthday, as a way to get the people who've saved me this year, into my house. Each of these people have served as a lifesaver to me this year, through their simple friendship and encouragement. These people are the ones who had to be patient with me.

I gave each person a certain amount of "money" to gamble with throughout the night. We had craps, Texas hold'em, video games, etc to use as a betting tool. At the end of the night, I made everyone grab their money and go outside. It was hilarious watching my friends follow my directions with such confused faces. We were all standing in the driveway, many of them leaning on the garage door. Then as I was telling them that we were going caroling, I pushed the garage door opener. In the garage were rows and rows of chairs, with little signs on the chairs, for an auction.

I used Oprah's idea, for Lindsey's Favorite Things. I gave away ten of my favorite things of 2007, through an auction with their gambling "money". I gave away lots of fun stuff like a panini grill, The Holiday, How I Met Your Mother Season 1, Guitar Hero, Rooster Booster QT gift card, etc.

This was the best birthday present I could ever have. Just getting to spend one night with the people that have been such incredible friends to me this year. I loved getting to see my friends get gifts that they wanted and just joking around with eachother. I'm so blessed to have these people in my life. Praise God for leading me to this. This was the perfect way to act upon the way I was feeling.

There's NO way I could ever top this birthday,
Lindsey

In my 25 years of practice...

2007-12-10T18:16:00.000-06:00

Today I went to the dermatologist for the first time in about 7 years. To those who don't know me well, I was diagnosed with melanoma when I was 14. The whole situation was a complete miracle, which I won't go into, because it's incredibly long. I'm sure you can find the whole story somewhere in my written notes of the past.

I was a little nervous as I was driving to the doctor. I went to a new dermatologist, so I had to go through the whole initial conversation about my medical history. Frequently when I give my medical history, the nurses and doctors don't believe me. They all assume that I don't know what I'm talking about. I could tell the nurse didn't believe me, then the doctor and his intern were both skeptical of my medical history. As he asked me more questions, he began to realize that I really knew what I was talking about, and that I wasn't an idiot.

He told me, "In my 25 years of practice, I've only come across one person at your age with melanoma. It's just not even heard of, so that shocks me to come across another young person with that history."

I began that appointment with fear of a possible new cancer discovery on my body. Then I walked out with such joy and an amazing feeling of blessing. Yes it stinks that I can't really be a normal human and enjoy the sun, but man am I amazed by the way God has saved me. Today I was reminded of His love for me. I will forever know our Lord because of the powerful ways he's been present in my life.

Praise God for His miracles,
Lindsey

Because I'm deaf...

2007-12-07T14:24:00.001-06:00

So from time to time, I discover things that are completely new to me, but old to the rest of the regular hearing world. Today, I just had one of those discoveries. I got an email from my dear old roommate, Jana. While discussing the name of her unborn child she said, "We've gotten some flak over the name but we wanted something short."

I thought to myself, "FLAK?! Doesn't she mean SLACK!" After looking up the word on Dictionary.com, little did I know. My whole life, I've thought the word "flak" was "slack". I can't hear the "f" or "s" sound. I've gotten used to the way sounds are said following the supposed "f" and "s", so I'm pretty good at guessing them. Well I can't tell the difference between the two sounds, except for visual cues. I guess my whole life I've just assumed what the word was and never noticed the visual production. So I've looked like a fool my ENTIRE life by using the word "slack" in inappropriate contexts.

I sure hope I haven't said that in front of parents of my students,

Lindsey

So You Think You Can Dance Tour

2007-11-13T17:01:00.000-06:00

For months, I've had tickets to go see the So You Think You Can Dance Tour. My friend bought our tickets so long ago that I forgot about it. As the date suddenly came upon us, I knew I had to act quick to make this THE best night.

I was emailing with my friend Bethany, arranging the carpool situation. There were six of us going, so we would have to take two cars. She made a joke about how none of us mini-vans yet so we were stuck with the two car option. I immediately began thinking of the great opportunities of surprise that could occur.

I called Emily and I didn't even have to persuade her to split the cost of renting a mini-van. She quickly dropped her real "work" tasks and began working on the more important tasks, making a SYTYCD CD and printing off pictures. I rented the van and got the supplies. By 6:00, we were rolling in a mini-van with posters hanging outside, pictures of the cast taped all over the window inside, a cooler with Capri-Suns, Rice Krispie treats, and SYTYCD music blasting the speakers.

It was great joy rolling up to our friends who couldn't find us in the parking lot. We had such an awesome time. If I won the lottery, I would totally get a mini-van for cruising purposes.

I loved the Mini-Van appropriate snacks,
Lindsey

Inside Out Day

2007-11-12T16:47:00.001-06:00

While I was trying to control the competitive game of Candy Land, I looked over to my right to see Frog DJ with snot stringing from his hand to his nose. I actually noticed his tongue licking something first before I realized what he was licking. Yes, the Snot String. I immediately jumped for a box of Kleenex.

Then I looked closer as I realized, he had his shirt inside out. It was a button up. How can you miss that?! Wouldn't it bother you that the buttons are on your skin? It took every bit of me to not say something in front of the whole group. I made myself wait till after class. Well it only took about 3 minutes till Snakes said "Frog DJ, your shirt is inside out." Snakes was real rude when he said it. Frog DJ quickly replied, "I KNOW." Then all the kids started asking him about it.

I panicked, I've got to cover up for this kid. Then I say, "Yeah, a lot of kids have had their shirts inside out today. I think it's Inside Out Day." Frog DJ smiled so big, "IT IS?! Wow. I didn't even know. I just accidentally put my shirt inside out today!" Then all the boys in the group said, "Oh! It is?!" then they grabbed the bottom of their shirt, to lift it off. Luckily I was able to stop them quickly. It's amazing how the Billy Madison trick works every time.

I also just had Lubby's come into my classroom after school to show me a dance move he's been working on. He peaks his head in every day as he's walking out to say, "Have a good day!" I'm sure a lucky girl to get to see his cool dance moves along with the sweet farewell.

I'm going to die if I have a child that licks the Snot String,

Lindsey

I Love the New Privacy

2007-11-10T21:00:00.001-06:00

My sabbatical is over. I'm back. I really don't blog much these days. I've spent the past year blogging on Myspace and Facebook. I came back for a few reasons:

1. I miss my Homies, meaning my Home Friends.
2. I just found out that you can make your blog private.
3. I've fallen down the cool ladder for not being on here and I need to make my way back up in the world.

In order to look at my blog, I have to invite people. So if you know of anyone that used to read my blog and would like to again, tell them to email me at LHolder16@hotmail.com. I'll send them an invite....if they're cool....and if they're not a stalker.

I do a lot of copy and paste,
Lindsey

Altoids Sour Apple Gum

2007-11-09T22:03:00.000-06:00

I'm a big fan of gum. I'm very picky about my gum choice. I try new packs from time to time. Recently I've tried a few new Orbit flavors like Orange Mint and Mint Mojito. Well today I ventured to a new brand, Altoids.

I've never had any kind of Altoids product, besides the famous mint. I spotted the sour apple gum. I've had a bad week so I thought I deserved a new pack. Believe me folks, you'll thank me later. Go to Albertson's right now and get it. Now.

It also comes in cherry,
Lindsey

I've Switched to Myspace

2006-09-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging on Myspace now. I prefer the privacy, great protection from the stalkers.

Rollin' with the homies,
Lindsey

Sabbatical

2006-08-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it's been nice blogging with you. I'm taking a break from Blogspot. He's been so great to me for the past year and a half, but I think it's time for us to spend some time apart. I will still be in the blogging world, reading everyone's life. Love you all!

Perrotti's pizza with Ranch is magnificent,
Lindsey

The Heat Chamber

2006-07-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

If you're in Texas, you probably feel much like me, tortured. I feel like I've been locked into the heat chamber, and it will never cool down. I've been doing a little yard work for my aunt. I know, it's pretty laughable that I'm doing work including pulling weeds, raking leaves, and sweating. I also find interesting bugs like the one in my picture (I should've taken a close up). So I wake up on an early morning to begin the sweating in the Heat Chamber. Thursday, I drove to my aunt and uncle's house, to only step out of my car and get right back in. I couldn't breathe it was so hot. It was already like 97 degrees and it was only nine in the morning. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm a wimp, fine, call me a wimp to my face, I'll shake my hook at you.
Now lets talk about the car. The REAL Heat Chamber of today. The sun bakes everything in my car to a sunburn crisp. My steering wheel is always too hot to touch and thank goodness I'm cheap, meaning no leather seats for me. How could ANYONE handle leather seats in this weather??? This morning I went out to my car in search for a missing DVD. I opened the passenger seat door and began the search. I had a stack of papers and mail sitting on that side. They were crispy....hmmm....maybe they REALLY WERE burned to a crisp. I lifted the papers and found a coke tab on the seat. I just started thinking, WHO in the world was in my car breaking off their coke tab and just LEAVING it for me to find??? Jerk. Then I look at my cup holder and find this....

Then it hit me.....

OH, the beloved Diet Coke exploded in The Heat Chamber. OH, that's where the coke tab came from! OH, that's why my papers are all crispy, they must have gotten wet with coke and then dried all crispy-like. Then I started thinking, MAN, dumb heat, now I have coke all over my car. So note to self....don't leave Diet Cokes in the car and don't attempt yard work while locked in this Heat Chamber we call Texas.

Don't leave Andes mints in the Heat Chamber either,
Lindsey

2006-07-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

Mamma Mia!

2006-07-19T00:55:00.000-05:00

Patty had an extra ticket, so I was lucky to be that gal to have a seat at Mamma Mia! She got these tickets with other ladies from the church, so we were sitting with a group of women from RHCC. Before the show started, I heard about the finale, the big DANCE NUMBER. I knew at that moment, I'm going to like this show.

I sat at the end of the group (well, so I thought). On the left side, I had Katie. On the right side, I had a little boy, probably about 8 or 9 years old. On the other side of Little Boy, was his mother. I watched Little Boy in the corner of my eye a bunch during the show, just to see his reaction to some of the sexual jokes. He laughed with the audience, probably because he had no clue what any of it meant.

The big Dancing Finale came and the crowd was clapping and moving to the music. We were all on our feet. Some were slightly moving and then there was my group, with the full out dancing. I couldn't resist. A bit hip shaking here, a little jazz handers there, and a bunch of shoulder action all around. It was great fun. During the dancing, Katie whispered into my left ear, "You should try and dance with that boy!" I'm deaf in my left ear, so my response was, "WHAT?" as I turned my RIGHT ear into her face. Then she repeated, not with a whisper, but a shout, "YOU SHOULD TRY AND DANCE WITH THAT BOY!" When she said boy, I was thinking like a real guy, I wasn't thinking Little Boy, so I look to my right to see what she's talking about. Then, I catch eye contact with the mom. OH, THAT boy. I looked back over at Katie once I realized what she was talking about, and laughed.

Then, I look over...Mom switched with Little Boy. She heard Katie, and I guess she was scared that I would dance with her son. I was shocked. After the show had ended, Katie and Patty realized what happened. They laughed as the family moved quickly out of the aisle. Then Patty tells me, "Yeah, that family goes to our church. They were with the group." GREAT. Now this woman may see me at church, grab her son, and run the other direction.

I love the Jazz Handers,
Lindsey

Dear Pepsi,

2006-07-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

I hate you, Pepsi. You're ruining my life.

Today I woke up with Long John Silver's in mind. There's one right by my apartment. I haven't attended this LJS yet, until today. My mind was set on the chicken planks, french fries, hushpuppies, and little fried crispies. I pulled up to order and noticed a sign, "We're now serving Pepsi!!" That's when I reversed my car and my dreams were shattered.

I hate you, Pepsi. You're ruining my life.

Saturday I drove over to the other side of the world for lunch with my sister. Kim requested Braum's french fries, so I made a stop by Braum's, the home of my favorite cookies and cream ice cream. I got a large Diet Coke. I got back to my sister's, pulled out some fries and my drink. One sip....not Diet Coke. I don't know for sure, but I think it was Pepsi. BRAUM'S, they got you too??? Not BRAUM'S!!! It may have just been THE weirdest tasting Diet Coke, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

I hate you, Pepsi. You're ruining my life.

Lindsey

The Roof of My Mouth

2006-07-17T20:41:00.000-05:00

I used to babysit a girl that loved Chef Boyardee's Ravioli. I would arrive in the morning and she would be SO excited about her lunch that she would drag me to the pantry to talk about it. Then when the clock turned twelve, lunchtime began. I began opening the can of ravioli and poured it into a bowl to be microwaved. Every time, the girl would stop me. She wanted that ravioli so badly that she didn't care if it was hot or cold, she just wanted it. So she would tell me that she couldn't wait any longer, she'll eat it cold. I slid that bowl in front of her and she chowed down on cold ravioli. This cold ravioli event happened often. I thought it was odd every time.

Now, about six years later, I look back at that girl and see a little bit of myself in her. She loved her food, she was passionate about that food, much like myself. Today I made my dinner, a French Bread Pizza by my personal chef, Mr. Lean Cuisine. I microwaved that sucker and placed him on a plate. I cut him in half and started to blow on the pizza. I wanted to eat is so badly, I just couldn't wait any longer, so I bit into that fiery hot pizza. I burned the roof of my mouth. Now I feel like part of my oral cavity is just hanging by threads, like a sunburn in the peeling process. Each time I make this pizza, I burn myself. I even thought about it before I ate, but I still did it. Next time, I hope I have the self-discipline to allow a little cooling time because I hate the way my mouth feels.

It's also a little numb,
Lindsey

What If?

2006-07-14T13:19:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up, put on the same clothes that I had on yesterday, pulled my hair back into a pony and brushed my teeth. I examined myself in the bathroom mirror, thinking to myself, do I look too gross to go out in public, should I go ahead and actually do the full out get ready for the day process? I of course did the close up look of my hair in the mirror to check out the grease factor. Then I noticed, I have a couple SLIGHTLY blonde highlights in my hair. I guess I have gotten a little bit of sun exposure to my hair while doing the lawn work.

I began my errands for the day and continued to think about the slight highlights. I miss those slight highlights to my brown hair. Then I just started thinking more and more about the subject. I've always been a fair girl but what would my summers truly be like right now if there was no such thing as melanoma in this world? Would I have at least a tan line? Would there be actual gold highlights in my hair? Would my hairy arms be blonde hair (not so noticeable) compared to the brown that consumes my limbs? Would I actually enjoy a dip in the pool? What if? I think about that a lot. What if there was no such thing as cancer? How would my life be different today?

I constantly reflect on my experiences and wonder how they've shaped me. I think about my personality traits and how my personality has changed due to the road I've traveled. I'm different now and I'm still trying to point out the exact reasons why I am who I am. I feel like I can figure out people pretty easy. I'm pretty good at figuring out if I'm going to be good friends with a person after the initial meeting. I just can't quite figure myself out. Sometimes I think about things too much. I can't change my road and the events that I've had to experience. All I know is that I've changed because of them. I wouldn't really say that my personality has changed for the good or the bad. I'm thankful for those changes, for those twists in the road. I think I've been able to experience God in a special way. I'm so blessed to be His child, even though my hair no longer gets the natural highlights.

Lindsey

Hungry Eyes

2006-07-13T23:44:00.000-05:00

So it's 11:40 at night. It's that time. My time for ridiculous cravings. For about three weeks now, it's been a Taco Bueno burrito. I mean, have you tried those things??? With a dip of salsa, that cheesy beaned tortilla goodness will make anyone happy. I live in walking distance of The Bueno. So every night, I sit in my living room, thinking about The Bueno. In my mind, my thoughts go back and forth, should I go.....it will take like five seconds....is it too late to eat....I HAVE already had dinner....it is such an amazing treat. Most nights end up with my lazy rear end stationed in my living room while watching one of my many DVRed episodes of The Office, without a visit to The Bueno.

Tonight is different. Well no, not that different, I AM sitting in my living room, watching The Office, but today, only today, I'm not thinking about a burrito. I'm thinking about my leftover Olive Garden. I ordered my favorite meal. Pasta with alfredo, marinara, and grilled chicken. It was beautifully amazing. Now my thoughts are, should I save it for lunch tomorrow...I have already eaten dinner....I did have dinner like six hours ago. What will I decide?

I think I may watch some Sixteen Candles,
Lindsey

Baby Ivy

2006-07-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

Slide Show Sunday

2006-07-09T02:02:00.000-05:00

Albertson's Trip

2006-07-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

After housesitting for the past few days, I came home to a bare refrigerator, with only ONE Diet Coke left. So I just HAD to go to the grocery store. I bought the much needed items in the household like Parmesan cheese, Resolve carpet cleaner, and Lean Cuisine's French Bread Pizza. I spent maybe a total of 15 minutes in the store. JUST long enough to find a shiny day turn into a hurricane. I self-checked my items and turned to exit, all I could do is laugh. You couldn't even see anything outside. The window was just a big blob of gray. All the other customers waited at the entrance, I didn't want to WAIT for the storm to go through. These customers weren't my friends, I wasn't going to stand there with them and try to be a friendly neighbor. I busted out with my cart and wheeled through the storm.

I entered in my apartment with a completely drenched bag of groceries and a totally soaked body. I was actually dripping, like I had been thrown into a pool. Now my TV dinners will be nice and frozen, the boxes will have a thin lining of ice around it. Eating those things will be like carving through an ice sculpture. I also checked on my new set of Dirty Diapers. They too got a glimpse of the hurricane.

I have 5 new Dirty Diaper friends,
Lindsey

Slide Show Sunday

2006-07-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

Diaper Dumper

2006-06-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

I wrote a few weeks ago about my lovely porch. Life has been busy, my porch has been neglected. Yesterday I walked out on my porch to check on my friend, the Lemon Tree. There it was. Dirty Diaper. Dirty Diaper was sitting on the grass RIGHT in front of my porch, just staring at Lemon Tree. Then I look over to the left, Dirty Diaper has a friend, there are now two of them.

About three weeks ago, I found Dirty Diaper actually on my porch. I of course freaked out, got a paper towel, then threw him away. I didn't think the Dirty Diaper visit would be this frequent! I just want to know, WHO in the world would have the guts to do such a thing. I'm guessing it's the person above me, just throwing it off the balcony. It's not like I live in trashy apartments. Seriously, what kind of population is this??? The Diaper Dumping Population??? I already have to deal with their loudness above me, now I get their diapers. Thanks. A big THANKS to my neighbors.

Looks like SOMEONE needs the Diaper Genie,
Lindsey

Slide Show Sunday

2006-06-25T00:24:00.000-05:00

IT'S A GIRL!

2006-06-21T06:13:00.000-05:00

Kim and David gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this morning. Baby Ivy is 3 pounds 15 ounces and 17 inches long. I videotaped, so I didn't get to take an actual picture this morning. Ivy is in good health, but in NICU for right now because she's premature, so I'll post picture when I'm able to see her next. Now I get to take a short nap and get ready for my Princess Class. I love my Princess Class, but definitely something that I don't want to be doing at the moment! Thank you all for your prayers!

I can't believe I'm an aunt,
Lindsey

Kimber

2006-06-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my sister is pregnant. She's been in the hospital since last Tuesday. Her blood pressure has been real high so she's been on bed rest and they've been doing a million tests on her. Kim and David would greatly appreciate prayers their way. The baby is healthy, it just looks like she's going to have to have the baby a lot sooner than expected. She's due on July 28th, so it's not ridiculously early. Harris Downtown has been Kim's world for the past week and she's getting pretty bored of the scenery. So just pray that the doctors make the best decisions for Kim and the baby. Thank you all for your love and support!

Lindsey

Lame

2006-06-14T00:37:00.000-05:00

There are things in this world that I have great passion for, but the more I think about it, I think these things are lame.

1. Communicating with people by typing words.
2. Facial expressions.
3. Diets.
4. Making your bed to only unmake it later in the day.
5. Fast food.
6. Wearing a watch.
7. Wal-Mart.
8. Working.
9. Make-up.
10. Social Security Cards.

Black Forest Cake

2006-06-08T00:07:00.000-05:00

I would like you to meet a good friend of mine, Black Forest Cake from the Swiss Pastry Shop. Black Forest Cake has been close to my heart for some time now. Since I was a little girl, I've always had a love for him. I'm normally blessed by his company about once sometimes twice a year. Dear dear Brad and Brenda are normally the two that can guarantee my meeting with Black Forest Cake. My mom bought one recently for our family baby shower for Kim. It was amazing. I of course cut a huge chunk of it and stored it away in my fridge.

I love Black Forest Cake for his creamy inside and crunchy wafery structure. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know my real excitement that Black Forest Cake brings to the table. His chocolate sprinkles. Sprinkles just automatically bring joy to life. If I get an inside square cut-out of the cake, the one with only chocolate shavings on top, no sprinkles, I go away a little unhappy. The full Black Forest Cake experience has to include the fabulous sprinkles on the side. Black Forest Cake will always be my favorite dessert. I don't think anyone could ever take his place. I love you Black Forest Cake, thank you for making me happy for so many years.

Lindsey

Slide Show Sunday

2006-06-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

O Lemon Tree O Lemon Tree

2006-06-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a new proud owner of a Lemon Tree. Josh has recently become the Plant Man. So Josh and Suzie bought me the fabulous Lemon Tree for my second housewarming gift. They already gave me the Pasta Express, what great friends! My Lemon Tree looks so perfect in my little apartment. I can't wait till it grows lemons.

When I get my lemons I will learn how to make fresh squeezed lemonade. I will have Josh and Suzie over to serve them a candlelit dinner. First I will make pasta with my Pasta Express. I will make my favorite alfredo sauce. I'll pour lemonade into a pretty glass, not one of those plastic Mazzio's cups that fill most cupboards. Then after our candlelit dinner we will watch SCS's performance of The Secret Garden. We will laugh and laugh as we make fun of our terrible attempts of acting. We will finish off the night by eating the sugar free popsicles with the jokes on the sticks. That will be a fabulous day.

Now I want some pasta and alfredo,
Lindsey

A Post from My Porch

2006-05-30T20:11:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted a porch. My dream is to have a big wrap around porch. I love being outside, but not in the sun. So the porch is the perfect place for me. My porch has now become my favorite part about my apartment. First, it was the largest closets in America. Now, it's the porch. I love technology, it has allowed me to have wireless internet, leaving me the ability to blog from my porch. I can't wait for the day that it finally storms here. My porch will be THE perfect place to watch all the drama.

Last night a saw a rabbit while lounging on the porch. It scared me. I just saw a quick movement in the corner of my eye. Then I saw the ears, it scared me even more, because I like to keep my distance from rabbits. Today a spider crawled up my chair. I love the outside, but not outside creatures. One day I'll be brave. I wonder what else I will see from my porch?

I love sipping lemonade on The Porch,
Lindsey

I'm Copying Trey, Because He Has Luscious Hair

2006-05-28T23:10:00.000-05:00

Trey wrote the best post about the weekend. I wanted to write a comment in response to his post, but realized it would be a ridiculously long comment. You have to read Trey's post before you read mine. I too had a FABULOUS weekend with the great friends. These are my cheers and jeers of the weekend.

Cheers to seeing Josh, Suzie, and Trey in Dallas.
Jeers to driving to Dallas.
Cheers to being reunited with my long lost love, Gardetto's.
Jeers to being reunitend with Gardetto's Bad Breath.
Cheers to the two Tootsie Roll Pops that I ate out of Josh and Suzie's Easter Candy.
Jeers to my locked jaw the rest of the night due to the harsh chewing.
Cheers to James Marsden being the actor who shoots out lazers out of his eyes. He was my eye candy for X Men.
Jeers to James Marsden who couldn't take off his sunglasses to see my favorite part of him, his eyes.
Cheers to Trey complimenting me on my paint job.
Jeers to my hearing loss that made me say a completely idiotic comment like, "Mr. Target"when my guests discussed my painted walls.
Cheers to Colter's french fries and barbecue sauce.
Jeers to the chopped meat sandwich, I felt like I was eating something gross like a McRib.
Cheers to Josh who was a prodigy Monkey Balancer.
Jeers to the helicopter man that kept flying away.
Cheers to my new drum game.
Jeers to Josh and Trey who are the biggest complainers I know.
Cheers to the cool transportation on X Men.
Jeers to their lack of helmet usage.
Cheers to my new friend Rogue. I'm much like Rogue, you touch me....you die.
Jeers to Rogue's southern accent in the first movie.
Cheers to random moments of singing.
Jeers to the random singing that happened to be "Dancing Queen".

Now just a few more cheers.
Cheers for Tyler, Haley, and Susan for meeting us for the evening.
Cheers to Josh not taking his Ritalin.
Cheers for Liz visiting me TWO weekends in a row!
Cheers to my new Lemon Tree that Josh and Suzie got me.

I wish people would visit me EVERY weekend,
Lindsey

Wheel of Fortune Auditions

2006-05-27T14:31:00.000-05:00

Katie called me and said the words I've been longing to hear, "The Wheelmobile is coming." All Saturday plans were immediately cancelled and I began preparation. I drove around my new area of town until I spotted a Gamestop. I purchased Wheel of Fortune for my PS2 so I could have Vanna at my side for practice. I practiced the things that every Wheel of Fortune fan would practice. I went through many rounds of puzzles, but the REAL thing that I had to rehearse was my announcing. "I'd like to spin!" "Is there an R?" I'd never rehearsed my announcing skills, because as a Wheel Watcher, you don't get that opportunity.

After many hours of talking loudly in an apartment by myself, I felt prepared. I was ready. I was going to blow those judges away with my enthusiasm and loud clear voice. Saturday rolled around and Katie and I jumped with excitement when we first viewed the Wheelmobile as we drove around the Convention Center. We stood in line with thousands of Wheel fans. We stood for hours, surviving thirst, hunger, weary legs, and the HEAT. It was a line of people very similar to the airport population. Some of these people are so odd and you would just never realize that so many types of personalities exist in our world. We witnessed seizures, people who cut in line, friends playing Yahtzee, crazies, and children captured in their strollers. It was an interesting four hours, but well worth the observation.

We finally made our way to the mini-game show where only 30 people out of 1,000 were randomly drawn to participate in the Mini Wheel of Fortune tryout. We sat at the edge of our seat while the names were called. The host called many names like "K.....ATHY!" or "LIND.....A!" It was quite frustrating. Our names were not shouted. We shuffled out of the Convention Center with just pictures. It was fun and quite an experience.

I just wanted to win a shirt,
Lindsey

Summer Work

2006-05-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

I'm in great need of some random summer work. I've accepted a job with a school disctrict so I won't begin working till August. I'm also working the summer camp thing for a couple of weeks in June. If anyone knows of any random jobs that I could do for the summer, let me know!

Lindsey

My Life is Back

2006-05-26T01:01:00.000-05:00

So I've been without a computer for over a month now. I was finally reunited with my laptop today. He's running fast now, but he's changed. He's not the man I used to know. He no longer shares my many saved docuements, music, and pictures with me. He has erased our memories together. I know our relationship will grow quickly again, and we will make new memories together. Here's a glimpse of a few events that have come into my life the past week.

CompUSA and I are no longer friends,

Lindsey

The Creepy Albertson's Guy

2006-05-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

Today I took a quick trip to my local Albertson's. I fetched a package of toilet paper and some paper towels. I proceeded to use the self checker outer. As I grabbed my bags and headed towards the exit, some guy said something to me. I of course didn't hear him the first round so I said, "What?" Then he repeated himself, "I like your hair curly." I like your hair curly? When has this strange person even seen my hair straight?! It was one of those comments that I hear from acquaintances at church that don't know me well enough to know that I have curly hair. I just responded with "Thanks" and walked quickly to the door. Then he said, "Is it natural or do you have a perm?" I told him that it was natural and seriously walked as fast as I could with my flip flop feet.

I know there was no harm in the compliment, but this guy just completely worded this in a creepy way. Now if he had just switched the order of his words, I would've been totally cool. If he had just said "I like your curly hair" compared to "I like your hair curly" then that would've been a different story. It would've been a bit weird, but not creepy. I may have to reconsider making Albertson's, My Store. Did this one occasion completely change my ways? I've always been an Albertson's person. Albertson's is my dear friend, not Kroger, not Tom Thumb. I love Albertson's and his fancy aisle decorations hanging from the ceiling. The Snack Central sign makes me feel like I'm at Epcot. I feel like the fruits and veggies will soon jump off their sign and do a song and dance. Should I let this one incident change me as a person? Maybe I'll just wear a hair net so Creepy Guy won't be able to tell if my hair is curly or straight.

I love coupon machines on the aisle,
Lindsey

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

2006-05-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

Katie and I have decided to teach a class this summer with SCS Summer Camps about being a princess. I got the brilliant idea a bit too late and the brochures were already made. So we made the fanciest pink flyers with silver bows to advertise the added course. Oh the class will be so fabulous with girly decorations, crafts, stories, dress up, tea party, etc.

We spent the majority of Saturday night slaving away on this flyer. What font to use, curlz, kristen, storybook? What color of ribbon, pink, white, silver, purple? What clip art to use, crown, princess, hearts? Eventually all decisions were made. Pink card stock. Silver ribbon. Some random font that I don't remember the name of. Crown clip art. The fliers were printed, the paper was cut, and the bows were tied.

Katie and I watched some quality TV while making these amazing invites. As we watched the commercials a familiar clip art popped up on the screen. It was the clip art that we used on our fliers! The commercial was not advertising some cute princess tea party like we were. It was advertising the one and only....Budweiser Beer. That's right, our preschool invitations has the Budweiser crown.

How would I know, I don't drink beer!
Lindsey

Motorized Wheelchairs

2006-04-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

I have a new pet peeve. That's right. The title says it all, motorized wheelchairs. You heard me, A MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIR!!!! I used to just laugh and laugh as I viewed the Hoveround commercials that took Grandma on a tour of the Grand Canyon. I used to be jealous of the people that got to ride them around in Wal-Mart. Now, they bring me great annoyance.

My first annoyance hit me in high school. I just HAD to have two annoying friends, lets call them Katie and Erin. They decided to ride one of those dumb things in Kroger just to make me mad. They began racing after me with Depends, like a bunch of idiot high schoolers. I kept walking away from them, but their 5 mile an hour wheelchair would quickly find me.

There's a couple in Fort Worth that drives the Rascal-type vehicle. You've seen them. They have flags busting out the top so you can see them coming from a distance. Sometimes their children even ride along with them. I love that they have transportation like this to get them all around Wedgewood. There are MANY motorized wheelchair drivers in Abilene. I don't love their driving. I don't understand their rules in the Scooter. They act like they're a 5th grade boy riding his bike. They drive all crazy-like. You never know which way they will steer. I've recently seen them just shoot across an intersection, not following any traffic lights. I'm waiting for the day when one of these Scooter People gets it. They will one day learn their lesson in a bad bad way.

Final reason for my annoyance towards the Hoveround began while I worked in the nursing home this summer. Some of these elderly individuals do not have the cognitive ability to power these vehicles. This leads to hit and runs. An elderly individual may be minding their own business, strolling around the facility, then BOOM. They're hit by the careless driver and the person behind the wheel has no clue they even hit someone.

My foot got ran over by a Rascal this summer,
Lindsey

For those of you who don't understand my post, I'm a supporter of the motorized wheelchairs for people that need them and that are cognitively aware of their surroundings. This post is talking about my annoyance towards those who shouldn't be operating this equipment. My life is dedicated to working with handicapped individuals, you should know my intentions.

Clubs

2006-04-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

As you all know, I like my clubs. It all began with Ice Cream Club. Then summer rolled around and I initiated Sno Cone Club. In the fall, my friends started Pizza Club. Are you seeing a pattern? Ice cream, sno cones, and pizza. What do they all have in common? It makes you fat. That's right, I've been encouraging people to join into my Fat Club this whole time.

Katie, Emily, and I did Weight Watchers last summer. The first week, I lost an amazing amount of weight. I complained every second of it, but I lost weight. Then the next week, I started Sno Cone Club. We wanted to be great examples of Sno Cone leaders, so we got them everyday, some days even twice. Then our Weight Watcher results weren't so hot. We couldn't figure it out.

I just got done reading Maggie's post about Atkins. Then I read everyone's comments. I especially liked Emily's, it hit home. So I'm proposing a new club. Fat Club. The first step in Fat Club is admitting that you've gained weight that shouldn't be there. All Fatties are invited. Fat Club members will weigh in every Monday. There's one purpose in Fat Club, competition. I'm a competitive person. The only way I'll lose weight is through competition. You're ranking will be done by percentage lost. Each Monday we will post our percentage lost and on the last Monday of every month, a winner will be rewarded. If you want to be Fat Club member just comment. Knowing me, I'll probably make a blog for this. We will post our percentage through the comment section. So what do you think? Any takers?

I'm going to win,
Lindsey

Funny Post

2006-04-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

For great laughter, go to Rachel's blog. She has a hilarious post about Peeps. I hate Peeps, those things are gross.

Spring Sing

2006-04-16T23:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks guys for all your prayers and support, I love you all. Everything is good, I'm moving on, and had a great weekend with my dear college friends.

While most people in my circle of life were at LTC, I was at Harding's Spring Sing. I was able to meet up with several of my close college friends. Most of my college friends are married, some have children, and others are pregnant. So many things have changed in our lives throughout the past two years, but we always pick up right where we left off. I've missed those girls so much, I'm so blessed to have them in my life. WELL, I of course, talked my friends into taking a bunch of dumb pictures on campus. C'mon folks, dumb pictures are what I do best. So here's a glimpse of my Harding Fun. I'm still waiting to receive an email of my favorite pic, that did NOT make it on my camera. Yay for Harding and fabulous friends!

I fell and scraped my knee while taking the pictures,
Lindsey

My After-School Special

2006-04-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

The past week I've been anxiously waiting for my scores from my National Board Exam to arrive. Well I found out my score on Monday night. I needed a 600 to pass. I made a 590. I missed it by one question. If I had just answered one question differently, I would've passed. If I had answered one question differently, I would be completely done right now. If I had answered one question differently, I would never again have to take a test in my life. The reality is, I didn't answer that one question correctly, and now I have to go through the whole entire process again. The whole process of studying, taking practice tests, taking this ridiculous test, and then waiting for another month to find out if I passed.

I found out my scores over the phone. The second I heard the robot begin my scores with a 5 instead of the 6 in 600 that I needed, I began to cry. I heard the dumb robot say, "You made a 590...you did not pass." I completely lost it. I sat in my car in the driveway of my house and just cried. I did the boo hooing kind of crying. I haven't cried like that in four years. I began the after-school special of shouting "Why? Why?" as the mascara came streaming down my face. It's quite laughable now, well actually I thought I was acting like a fool at the time. I continued to sit in my car for about thirty minutes just crying. I had prayed so much about this whole thing, I just really couldn't believe that I missed it by one question. I finally went into my house, boo hooed some more in the dark cave of my living room. I don't think I ever turned on the lights or the TV that night. All I could do was pray.

On Sunday at church I spent a long time praying during service. I talked to God about my anticipation of my test results and just my relationship with Him. After finding that letter that I wrote about in my Memory Box post, I had quite the reality check. I'm not where I need to be spiritually. I'm about as lukewarm as I can get. This Sunday I prayed for that lukewarm life. I just begged God to do whatever it took to break me. Monday night, I became broken. I became a complete mess. I became that over-emotional person crying for strength from God.

I'm still struggling. I'm constantly on the verge of tears. I can easily bust out crying with just the mention of a test. I'm normally not this person, but this week, I am. Just about every moment of silence, has been spent praying for strength and peace. I hate that I didn't pass. I hate that I'm having to deal with this during such a busy week. I hate that I have to face my other classmates that did pass. I hate that my eyes have been red for the past three days because of tears. I hate that I'm going to Harding this weekend so I won't have the alone time that I need to recuperate. Through all these things that I hate, I've been forced to realize some things. God answered my prayer. I asked Him to break me so I would become closer to Him, and he did. I asked Him to give me strength if I didn't pass my test, and he is. I'm slowly finding that courage and peace.

I know that this is just over a dumb test, but this has been my life for the past six years. I'm ready to move on and I thought I was about to. I have to take a different route than what I was planning, but it's not the end of the world. I know that most people don't say personal things on a blog. I do. Sometimes that right person isn't here physically to talk to, to confess to. I feel that confession is a strong act in our Christianity. It keeps me accountable. I've been beat up through this, I'm overcoming an obstacle, and God has shown His power to me through this. I don't want to forget how I feel right now.

2006-04-10T18:50:00.000-05:00

It would be great if someone could just do something to make me happy, right about NOW.

Memory Box

2006-04-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

Today I began cleaning for my move in the next month. I bought containers last night to begin weeding through junk and organize my life. I pulled down some of my boxes that I haven't touched since I moved here at the beginning of grad school. I finally threw away craft supplies that weren't being used and old toiletries. Then, I decided to go through my two Memory Boxes.

My Memory Boxes contain all the normal Memory Box stuff. I began searching through every letter I've ever received, ticket stubs, and pictures. I pulled out a few letters that I haven't read in years. Some were amusing, some were touching, and others were just plain embarrassing. I came across an envelope labeled "1-10-02 Don't open until 1-10-06". So yes, I'm one of those people. I used to write letters about my life, seal them in an envelope, then I would give myself a date that I could open it.

I was surprised to still find a letter like that, I haven't done one of those in a while. It was so interesting to look back on what was happening my sophomore year of college. I had such a different attitude. My desires seemed to be so focused. I was passionate about my life and much more reflective on my spiritual life. I wrote about relationships that were so important to me at the time. Some of those relationships are no longer in existence and some are still staying strong.

At the time of the letter, I was about to go through some huge events in my life that I had no clue were going to exist. I probably would've never guessed how my life was about to play out. Four years later, I'm the same person, but with different experiences than the girl who wrote the letter. The events in my life have shaped me for the good and bad. Today, I'm looking at who I was, who I am, and who I want to be.

Change in Roommates

2006-04-05T17:33:00.000-05:00

My roommate Heather, just recently moved back home for the last month of our stay here. She's really going back and forth. She got a job back home, but I'm sure she'll be coming back on the weekends to hang out with friends.

Sunday afternoon was my first day to experience living without a roommate. Not a single roommate. I don't have to clean up after myself if I don't want to. I can leave my pajamas on the bathroom floor. I can blast my music loud. I can deadbolt the door immediately after I enter in for the night. So this is what it's like to not have a roommate. Fabulous. I get to be selfish, and I don't have to feel bad about it. I forgot how much effort is needed to make rooming with someone work. Now I have all this freedom that I just don't know what to do with.

So after the first day of selfish-living, I was pulling the vacuum out of the laundry closet. There it was. THE roach. I gave you the close up version for the sneak preview. So of course I freaked out. I was by myself. No roommate to help. I didn't know what to do. In the past, I've always yelled for a roommate, then they performed the deed. This is it. I'm now in selfish-living. I have to decide. Either let it stay or I have to kill it. What did I do? I freaked out. Then stared at it for a few minutes. I began to contemplate solutions. Then I took a picture of it and left it there.

Next day, it was still there. Looks like I have a new roommate that I just stare at. It's in THE weirdest spot. If I attempted to kill it, it would probably just drop on me. Then I wouldn't be here to blog, because I would've had a heart attack and died, and no one would find me because I don't have a roommate.

Day later, it's gone. My new roommate is no longer in his corner cubby. Most likely he's found a new cubby within my house. One day I will find him and escort him out. He may not get the death clamper like my past roommate, Speedy the Mouse, but he probably will be poisoned to death by hairspray.

Hairspray is my exterminator,
Lindsey

Sneak Preview

2006-04-04T23:54:00.000-05:00

THE Sam's Block of Butter

2006-04-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

So we're finishing up dinner, as Katie announces her brilliant proposal. Katie says, "How much will y'all give me, to take a big bite of this butter?" It was on. I pulled out two bucks and Ryan put a ten into the stash.

Katie begins bragging about her college days. Apparently, she supported herself financially with cafeteria bets.

Katie and the beginning bite. NOTICE: She's still smiling.

Definitely, not smiling anymore. Her bite was a bit on the SMALL side, if you ask me.

At this point, Katie hasn't freaked out yet. She's thinking, c'mon it's just butter.

Here we have the real chew. Before, the chunk was just hanging out in her mouth. Now, her whole tongue is getting the tasty butter goo.

The bet turned ugly. Katie began to gag.

If you look closely you can see saliva drooling out of her mouth.

If you look REAL close, you will spot a pool of saliva on the table, accompanied by tears. Katie said that she "threw up" during the process. Luckily, she either swallowed it back down or my camera just missed that picture perfect moment.

Obviously, Ryan and I kept our money, Katie had chewed up butter and saliva all over herself, and Sam's Butter will always have a special place in my heart.

My 2 bucks bought me a Kid's Meal at Burger King,
Lindsey

Sneak Preview

2006-03-30T23:28:00.000-06:00

My next post will involve the following, and it will be fabulous:

1. Pictures
2. A Sam's block of butter
3. Katie
4. Puke/Saliva

Wait my friend, just wait.

Box of Junk

2006-03-28T22:16:00.000-06:00

My lovely sister sent me a box of junk food in celebration of my tests. She knows me well. She knows that junk food tugs on my heart strings. There's so much junk food in this world. As I opened my package, I began rummaging through the large selection. So much junk food, but such a small stomach. I can only eat so much. My box of junk is still sitting in my kitchen screaming at me.

The Nutty Bars are screaming, "Lindsey eat me. I have THE best kind of peanut butter squished between my layers. I'm so messy, you can lick the chocolate peanut butter goo off of your precious fingers." Then the Chex Mix screams, "Lindsey I'm the perfect salty snack. I have such variety. I know that you already ate all the good rice/corn chex and all I have left is wheat, but still my wheat Chex is ok." Mrs. Baird's Cherry Pies just stare at me. They're so fattening, they don't have enough energy to let out a word, they just sit there and stare. The Gushers have begun squirting out their Gusher goo at me. Gushers are so perfect. Chewy with that liquid surprise. I could eat a whole box of Gushers in one sitting. Oh gosh and don't even get me started on Pringles. HE'S a King Can. The perfect cannister to grab and fool me with the "reduced fat" label. The things are still like 1 gram of fat per chip.

Those jerks. Why must they stand only ten feet away from me? A Box of Junk, filled with all my favorite junk food. The only thing that I'm missing are some puffy Cheetos and Funyuns. What a cruel cruel world for making such fabulous junk.

I also have a box of Girl Scout cookies in the freezer,
Lindsey

Gopher Park

2006-03-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

During my crazy test period, I had quite the breakdown. I was stressed to the max and was given the assignment from a professor, to form a Lindsey Bubble. My Lindsey Bubble assignment was to stay away from people. I spent most of the week sitting in my car in random Abilene places or in the ACU library. One day I drove around looking for a park to sit at. I had heard that there was a park near one of the local churches, so I headed that way. Here I found, in my words, "The Gopher Park".

It was so incredible walking around the park by myself and watching the gophers. I loved my alone time so much, I even took joy in taking pictures of the small animals. To be honest, they scared me a bit. I caught their eye, then they started screaming at me. I totally thought that they were going to attack. I have a fear of rodent attacks, after my near death experience with a rabbit.

I met my study group that night and shared my discovery of the amazing Gopher Park. Well my friends informed me that they were prairie dogs, and that I'm an idiot. SORRY, it's not like a hang out with a bunch of gophers or prairie dogs to distinguish between the two! I love my Gopher Park experience, it's my new favorite Abilene thing to do.

They will always be gophers to me,

Lindsey

Check out my friend Rachel's blog. She's my ACU friend, she's way cool.

Convention

2006-03-26T18:29:00.000-06:00

OK so I'm too lazy to tell about my weekend at my convention. Here are some pics if you wish to see my Mavericks fun.
http://acu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009819&l=fa389&id=54600782

I am Woman

2006-03-25T16:21:00.000-06:00

I'm in a field with mainly women. Women tend to struggle with gossip and just complain about everything. I know this well, because I am woman (hear me roar), and I'm guilty all of these things. It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that I'm the example of what I truly hate.

I've been around school people (all girls) from Wednesday till today. Not one male, I did not have contact with a single male this week. I'm burned out. I forget how ridiculous I sound, until I'm surrounded by only women. I've heard (been a part) of so much gossip this week and I did not handle a single situation in a good way. I started it, I participated in it, and I didn't walk away from it.

I once had a good friend talk to me about a girl he liked. He told me that he started to realize that she wasn't the one because she was caught up in gossip. He said that a girl who doesn't gossip, definitely shows a life in Christ. That conversation has really stuck with me. Gossip is a sin just like every other sin, but I sure would love to get this sin under control. I participate in it, then I leave the group and think about it, then I hate myself for it. The cycle just repeats itself over and over. Without a good guy friend in my daily life, I forget how dumb and hurtful I sound by talking about every dramatic episode within my friends. Why is it so hard to resist?

I'm desperate for good guy friends to keep me grounded. I'm so thankful for my girl friends, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Just having us all together, for long periods of time, makes for a bad combination that I can't seem to control.

Cozymel's

2006-03-22T22:19:00.000-06:00

I'm currently in Grapevine staying at the Gaylord Texan for a convention. I get to do my exciting research presentation that I've been working on for a million years. OK let me tell you, the Gaylord is awesome, you must go.

My friends and I went to the fabulous Cozymel's for dinner. I hold Cozymel's close to my heart. Living in Arkansas for four years was quite the struggle. They did not have regular Mexican food. Searcy had like 4 Mexican food places, and not a single one served regular queso. As most of you know, I love Mexican food. Well, I love food.

My sophomore year at Harding, I lived with three other girls that loved food as much as me. We missed our good Mexican food. So on a Saturday morning, we woke up early, got ready, piled in the car, and made our trip to Little Rock for lunch at Cozymel's. We wanted to be there the second it opened. We waited at the door, ate, drove back to Harding, and then went back to bed. What a great way to spend a Saturday. Eating Mexican food and sleeping.

I ate chicken fajitas,
Lindsey

FW Field Trip Fun #4

2006-03-19T14:18:00.000-06:00

FW Field Trip Fun #3

2006-03-19T14:15:00.000-06:00

FW Field Trip Fun #2

2006-03-19T13:59:00.000-06:00

My second day of Field Trip Fun was spent at the Log Cabin Village. As a kid, I hated this field trip. I thought it was boring, except for the candles. I knew that I would love it as an adult because I love historical places. Sadly, there were no candle makers, I think that's just for the reserved tours. My pregnant sister and I made our way around all the cabin. Some of the characters were very informative, others just showed up to work and told us squat. I could've asked questions, but I guess I'm not quick on the creative questions. One lady was sitting there reading in a rocking chair. I thought it was part of her act, then I see her close her book and it was titled "Killer Bodies". She totally ignored that we were in her cabin, she must have gotten to a great part of the book.

I'm not the smartest gal, this whole time I've thought that the cabins were all originally at this location. I thought that was like a part of Fort Worth. When I got to the Log Cabin Village I started to think, maybe this is all fake cabins, not even the originals. I finally got the guts up to ask one of the characters. They are the original cabins but they moved them to this location from all over Texas. Y'all probably all knew that. Some of the cabins were taken a part, transported, and put back together. Others were just brought over on those Wide Loads.

The Blacksmith was VERY into his part. He told us all about his job, and it ends up they give classes like once a month there on how to be a blacksmith. I highly recommend the Log Cabin Village. Go to fortworth.com and get the half price coupon.

I feel ripped off for not making a candle,
Lindsey

Rerun

2006-03-16T19:19:00.000-06:00

I'm housesitting this spring break. As a housesitter, I enjoy my alone time. My time to have a whole house to myself. My opportunity to turn on the alarm to exclude outsiders, close the gate, view the backyard for myself, and dance with my reflection in the windows at night.

Last night I discovered a free DirectTV concert of the Black Eyed Peas. I'm a huge fan of this fabulous group. I love everything about their songs, they have such variety. This concert is only aired for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It's on one station, playing over and over all day. I have not changed the channel since I've found it. It has now been over 24 hours since my discovery. I've been able to listen to Justin Timberlake, my new favorite guy John Legend (look at my Ordinary People post), and some random Brazilian people. The Black Eyed Peas have stolen an even larger part of my heart. They're nothing fancy, but I love them so.

I wonder how many times I've seen this,
Lindsey

Litter

2006-03-15T20:28:00.000-06:00

OK so my Field Trip Fun posts will be written when I get back to Abilene. I have pictures for the places, so I have to wait till I'm at my computer to load the pics.

So last night I'm driving home behind a teenager. I couldn't see the driver, but I know it was a teenager. All of a sudden, I see a cup lid and straw on the road. I thought to myself, ok did that car run over it, causing it to fly up or did they just throw it out the window? I got mad. This kid probably just littered! I flashed my lights with anger at this car.

I continued to follow the car, they were heading my direction. Then a fast food bag is thrown out the window, along with a cup! I'm yelling at this point. Yes, I yell by myself, at cars. This DUMB teenager is throwing out all their Sonic! Idiot! DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS FOOL!!!! I flashed my lights and honked at them, they continued to drive fast. It was that moment that I had one of those, "If I were a bad person I would...." thoughts. The white car made a turn, and I continued on my route home. If you see some trash on Hulen in front of Braum's, I witnessed the crime first hand.

Watch out for the teenagers,
Lindsey

Field Trip Fun

2006-03-13T23:56:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day of Spring Break's Field Trip Fun. I've never gone somewhere fancy for Spring Break. I've normally spent my Spring Break recuperating from the craziness of school. My destination has been Fort Worth. This Spring Break, I decided to treat Fort Worth like I'm a tourist. I should experience Fort Worth and its grand self. I shouldn't spend my whole break sitting on the couch eating Gushers, I can do that in Abilene.

My first day of Field Trip Fun, took place downtown. One of my ACU friends met me downtown and we visited the old Fire Station that is now a historical Fort Worth exhibit. It was interesting. We pretty much walked all around, stopping in random fun stores, and also took a little trip to the courthouse. GREAT fun.

Being the college student, I brought home a huge basket of dirty laundry. I started my pants load last night and forgot to put them in the dryer. All of my pants were wet, leading me to the fashion choice of a skirt. A flowy skirt to be exact. Today was one windy day, so my downtown tour was quite difficult. Try walking downtown, talking on the phone, holding a purse, AND protecting yourself from the Marilyn Monroe show. It was awful.

My pants are now in the dryer,
Lindsey

Blonde

2006-03-12T22:58:00.000-06:00

As a young child, my hair was a dirty blonde color. Each summer my hair would get the golden highlights. Now my hair is brown, no blonde highlights. Sometimes I wish my hair was blondish like my early years. I'm such a pale gal that now I think I would look a little on the weird side. Why are the blondes the attractive ones? I don't quite understand the whole blonde hype.

I have friends that are blonde. I love my blonde friends. My blonde friends are not dumb blonde friends. There are the blondes in the world that are not dumb, but act like they're dumb due to their blonde profile. I don't get it. Why in the world would you try to get the attention by being a dumb blonde? C'mon people! Now my question for the few guys in this world who read my blog. Is it actually attractive to hear a girl brag about her stupidity? Someone please explain this to me.
If you could be born with a different hair color, what would it be?

I want black hair,
Lindsey

Finally

2006-03-11T22:47:00.000-06:00

I'm breathing again. The two extremely hard tests are now conquered (hopefully). I'll find out in a few weeks how I did on both of them, I'm praying that I won't have to retake either. This week I will be focused on my research. I like research projects, so my stress level has definitely been taken down a few notches. Thank you all for the prayers, I greatly appreciate it! I'm one lucky girl to have so many encouraging friends! Also, a big thanks goes out to Josh and Suzie for letting me stay with them while I took my Dallas test. Another big thanks to my roommate who provided celebration with roses, Birthday Cake ice cream, and Japanese food. The biggest THANK YOU goes to my sister. I received a box of my favorite snack foods in the mail the day before my test. Thanks again friends, y'all are the best!

I love you all,
Lindsey

If you want to be my friend

2006-03-02T10:24:00.000-06:00

I would greatly appreciate prayers my direction. I have the biggest test of my life on Saturday in Dallas. I'm taking our national exam to certify me as a speech pathologist. It's the hardest thing I've ever seen. Next Friday I have to take my comps for the graduate school, which consists of case studies. I will be writing essays from 8-5 on Friday, no lie. Then a week after that, I present my research at our state convention. I've never been so stressed, I can't sleep. If you want to be my friend, you will pray for me. You will not be hearing much from me in the next couple of weeks.

Lindsey

Kristen the High School Friend

2006-02-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend as I attended all the wedding events, I was able to spend some time with my old high school friend, Kristen Bradford. Kristen was the maid of honor at this fabulous wedding. Kristen and I haven't seen a lot of eachother since high school. We were sitting together on the pew during the rehearsal just chatting. Then Kristen randomly asks me, "So did you make Survivor?" I was all, "WHAT? How did you know I tried out for Survivor?!" Well it ends up, my long lost high school friend, is one of you anonymous readers of the blog. I thought for sure I knew by now who all reads my blog. So this post is dedicated to my friend, Kristen.

My strongest memory of Kristen in high school, backs all the way to my Freshman year of high school. Freshman year was THE year that I finally got the braces off. So, Freshman year was the year that I was introduced to the retainer. To my early readers, you've already read the story of how I permanently lost my retainer. You haven't heard the story of my first retainer scare.

A group of my girl friends were all sitting at the lunch table. At my little private school, we had fast food places cater because we didn't have a real cafeteria. Well this special day was Whataburger day. I know, you're thinking, mmmm.....Whataburger (well at least I am). Well when we got our food brought to us, it was always cold by the time we got it. Yummy Whataburger french fries, turned into cold mushy fries.

Before we ate, I made the retainer announcement to my friends. "OK guys, everyone look at me, this napkin, right here, is where my retainer is. DON'T throw this napkin away. I just got my braces off yesterday, my retainer is RIGHT HERE!" The lunch goes on, I check my teeth for any food, and I reach for the retainer napkin to retrieve my little friend. I open the napkin and there is a clump of chewed up french fries, and my bottom retainer. I of course grossed out as I pulled out my bottom retainer covered in Whataburger french fry goo. I noticed that my top retainer was not in the mess.

Kristen says, "OH, that was the napkin with your retainer in it? I thought this was an extra napkin. I spit out my french fries because they were cold and nasty." We begin the retainer search, you know the one, digging through the trash and all sandwhich bags on the table. The retainer was no where in sight. I have the clear retainers, so it was difficult to locate. After about fifteen minutes of the search, we surrendered. My retainer was gone after only having it for one day.

Kristen stood up and started to feel something in her uniform shirt. She began to shake her uniform, and there falls my retainer out of her uniform skirt down to the floor. Kristen had lifted up that napkin to her mouth to spit, the retainer fell down her shirt and continued to take a journey all the way down the uniform skirt. My retainer visited a world that it had never seen before. Kristen, my retainer thanks you for the adventure.

I definitely did some deep retainer washing after that event,
Lindsey

Wedding Weekend

2006-02-26T17:51:00.000-06:00

I've been out of town for my friend Angela's wedding. I didn't bring my laptop with me because I knew I wouldn't have a second free to do anything else. It was so great getting to spend a whole weekend with old high school friends that I don't get to talk to too much. We definitely had fun laughing about old memories and updating eachother on our lives.

The wedding was so fun. The reception was at the Fort Worth Zoo. The Zoo people brought out small animals during the socializing part of the reception. We got to see a porcupine, a hedgehog, a penguin, and a parrot. I took my picture with the penguin, I felt so special. OK, and let me tell you, porcupines are not the most attractive creature. Oh, it was creepy looking. Almost as creepy as a possum. Wait, nothing comes close to the ugliest creature in America, the possum, that thing looks like a huge pregnant rat.

I caught the wedding bouquet,
Lindsey

Song Obsession

2006-02-22T14:38:00.000-06:00

Friday night I went to ACU's Sing Song. I've never been a fan of Sing Song, I always just acted like I liked it for many reasons. Mainly because I knew people in it and I didn't want to be rude. This was the first year I actually enjoyed Sing Song. I really liked the host and hostess songs and this year they had some cool back up street dancers.

The first male host that had a solo was a guy named Shannon. He sang "Ordinary People" by John Legend. He stood in the middle of the audience with one of the other hosts playing the piano. It seriously was one of those moments that are just so beautiful, you think, oh I want to love you and your voice (girls, you know what I'm talking about). I had tears in my eyes and was frozen through the whole song because I was just so moved by it.

Since Sing Song, my song obsession has been "Ordinary People". It's one beautiful song. I love the songs just accompanied by a piano. I seriously listen to the same song over and over again. Today it is the dreamboat voice of John Legend, and he will probably be my choice of song for quite some time.

I want to learn the piano,
Lindsey