Cupcake, anyone?

Some lady was just nonchalantly wheeling this cart out to her car in the grocery store parking lot. I had to stop and take a picture. :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Boy/Girl Shopping

ONE GUESS AS TO WHERE WE ARE GETTING READY TO HEAD OFF TO?!?
Oooohh yes. You guessed right :) We are leaving this rainy town and heading down to
Las Vegas!

We are going down for some sun and relaxing, and also to go to the Manny Pacquiao/Shane Mosley boxing match. (Am I a good girlfriend, or what?)

My planner mode kicked in, and I thought. Hmm. I am pretttyyy sure that our Washington, rainy clothing attire won't do the trick down there. Drew THEN told me, "Umm... Jay Z will probably be at the fight. Famous people Lindsay. We have to dress up."

Okayyy... Dress up. So. We hit up some shopping to get some Vegas appropriate attire (weather and style wise)

Drew needed some new swim-shorts. Okay. Easy enough. So I thought. I always thought the difference between bathing suit shopping for girls and guys was SO unfair. It was enough to send a girl into a nervous breakdown, while guys got to wear shorts with more cloth than our whole OUTFIT. But anyways. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PICKY GUYS ARE ABOUT THEIR SWIMSHORTS? I thought color and design was the main criteria. Umm.. No... Drew's had to have a mesh layer inside. Some were a little too short. Some were a little too long. Too tight. Too saggy in the butt. At one store he wouldn't even open the dressing room door to show me :) We settled on a nice pair from Abercrombie. (Considering we both hadn't been in there in years, that was an experience all on it's own. SEE BELOW)

Am I losing my memory in my old age or are the ads a little more risque around the store? Yeah. That is a BRILLIANT ad to have hanging next to the swim-suits. Yeah, now I wanna try one on. NOT :)

And the guys? Oh la laaaa. :) So yeah. Billboards like this were ALL around the store. Between that, the overpowering cologne and the 80 re-mix songs, I felt like an 80 year old woman. :)


But of course, I had to try on some stuff too. Enter these jean shorts. I tried to find the longest shorts in the entire store and this is the best I could come up with :) Really cute, but then when I couldn't decide and showed D, I realized once again why girls and guys are NOT good shopping partners. We put those poor boys in a lose/lose situation. He smiles and whistles, we get mad and say they are dumb and assume the shorts are too scannddoouuloouusss. They say, "yeah, I like them." We get mad and say they are lying and are just trying to be nice. They say they don't like them and we assume they make us look fat :) Well, I know I am generalizing but this is my blog so I can say what I want ;)

So. I decide against the shorts.

Now, since Drew is the one that said we need to dress up for this shin-dig in Vegas with Jay-Z, I decide he needs a few new shirts. He likes to wear T-shirts, which is totally FINE, but I figured for a dress-up situation he should maybe get some button-ups. Once again, I was mentally complaining about how EASY it is for guys to pick out clothes. Off we go to the next store.

(I also must say, I always thought guys shirt sizes were pretty much the same. I mean small is for obviously smaller guys, but medium, large, extra large. Eh. I feel like my dad rotates between all the sizes in different brands, and Drew too.) WRONG. AGAIN. Too short. Too wide. Oh. my. goodness. Since he isn't a big of the v-necks and the plaid button-ups we tried on he said "where is my pocket protector and calculator?" I finally convinced him to try on a lovely "henley." :)

The shirt was the right width, the right length, perfect tightness in the shoulders (which I learned is also important :) I can tell on his face something is wrong.

"Does it make my chest look weird?"

umm kinda. I think it's just wrinkled weird and needs to be ironed.

"No. There is definitely something going on up here."

"Does it look like I have man-boobs?????"

I giggle. Well, kinda. WRONG. THING. TO SAY.

"DO I HAVE MOOBS??''

Dressing room door closes. Shirt comes off and we storm out of the store :)

Car ride home: "I think it could be because I worked out today. I am puffy. Yeah."

"Why didn't you TELL me I had man-boobs?"

and my personal favorite when I wasn't understanding what all the fuss and commotion was about

"LINDSAY, MAN-BOOBS ARE THE EQUIVALENT TO MUFFIN TOP FOR GIRLS!"

So. We both now are much more sensitive to one another's feelings when trying on clothes ;) and if you see a couple people walking around the Las Vegas strip looking funny in their Washingtonian rain gear, it's probably us. We gave up. :)

Perspective

Should You Relocate for a Boy??!

If you have missed the beginning of my dramatic saga, here it is.

Part 1: HELLOOO SEATTLE AND FRAT BOYS!

Part 2: My first Clue it wasn't a good decision?

Part 3: The first year

The year got worse and worse. and I think this time is where my weird issues with eating/food began. First of all, college cafeterias are made by the devil. :) Mine had pretty much a 7-11 open on the first floor 24 HOURS A DAY! Then there was the normal dining hall section with the fries and burgers 24-7, the Asian station (i love me some sweet and sour chicken), the "deli" which I would frequently eat it since it was "healthy?" But at that station you got a cookie the size of your head with every sandwich. Anyways... Suffice to say, just like most college kids who are on their own, I gained the freshman fifteen. But then, I would panic since I was going home every weekend so starting Wednesday, I would barely eat. Odwalla bars and yoplait yogurt was my staple. I would go home on the weekend, come back and Monday morning I would eat away my anxiety with the pancake/bacon breakfast, chocolate milk and doughnut snacks etc. I literally think I tried to make myself so full with food, that I was physically unable to feel sad.

Anyways, I survived (getting REAAALLLYYYYYY good grades by the way, since I had so much time to study aka NO SOCIAL LIFE).

I had made my decision. I was going to transfer home my sophomore year and go to school with my boyfriend and all my besties. :) I applied for a transfer, got accepted and starting counting down the days. My best friend was dating this guy (from the college back home, of course. Did I mention EVERYTHING cool that happened that year happened in Bellingham? Yeah. Sucked.) and they had found a duplex we were all going to live in the next year. 4 boys on one side, me, my best friend and two other girls on the other side. Umm... Hellooo.. funnnn or what?

I could not wait. I then officially pretty much gave up on trying to make ANY friends in Seattle and just knew I had to get through until June.

Boyfriend, summer time, new school, family. What could be better?

So June came. I remember packing up SOOO fast and hitting the freeway back home. FOR GOOD. I met the boyfriend and my friends that night for a bonfire, and I STILL to this day remember how happy I was.

The end? Nope. The boy dumped me the beginning of that summer. How dare he, right? After I had TRANSFERRED COLLEGES to be closer to him. Hmm.

I was absolutely HEARTBROKEN. I remember laying in bed with the blinds closed as the summer shine GLARED in and telling my mom I literally felt ill. Huh. All those love songs know what they are singing about. A broken heart actually does hurt. I had completely WASTED a year of my life waiting and waiting and waiting for when I could move and be closer to him. We were supposed to meet in the library to study. We were supposed to work on homework in the computer labs together. Now what? I would be stuck in close quarters with 4 smelly boys (one of which who I didn't especially care for that was dating my best friend) and then two other girls I barely knew?

And when the gossip got out that we had broken up, how PATHETIC would I look? 'Ohh she transferred "home" (which already had a negative connotation, like "she couldn't swing it in the big city so she's coming home crying to mommy).'

My emotions had COMPLETELY done a 360. The thing I had literally cried and cried about wanting so bad was finally here, and it was now making me cry and cry?

So, here I was. Smaller school, new place. Boyfriendless....

Three Things Tuesday

1.) The Sun City Poms (Are they not the CUTEST things you have ever seen?)
This is just so cute. Real Simple did a feature this month on a group of 9 senior-citizen cheerleaders from Arizona. Their goal? "To inspire!"

1. 2. Jenna's Easter best :)
   
   

She pulled out all the stops. Waves in her hair AND the leggings and cowboy boots that you cannot see. :)






3.) My sister will be a great teacher.

You make me HOPPY?! Ha. Clever girl.

Apples

This might seem weird, but seriously for the last 4 months, EVERY SINGLE morning (except for probably 15) I have eaten oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. For lunch? The exact. same. thing. for the workweek everyday. Yes, people made fun of me, but I wasn't sick of it. I liked it, it satisfied me for the day. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? I was getting my servings of fruits and veggies, it was easier if it was just the same thing, blah, blah, blah. Like I have said, I have worked VERY hard the last year to establish healthy habits and it was working for me. I wasn't about to mix it up.

That, my friends, has changed. I am SOOO sick of those lunches I am not sure I will ever be able to eat Green Giant frozen broccoli and cheese EVER again. I seriously was in a funk. What in the heck do I pack for lunch? I was SOO used to doing the same things every night, that I felt lost. Pathetic, I know.

I was in the kitchen stressing out about how I should have listened in Weight Watchers meetings when they said sometimes people burn out and you HAVE to be flexible. (I always thought, eh, whateve)

"He's not finished with me yet."

My sister was playing a Brandon Heath song, and those words were getting stuck in my head.

I am a work in progress. There is no "date" when I magically have to have lost X amount of pounds, or if I backtrack a little or stall in my progress, all is not lost.

"He's not finished with me yet."

He is constantly working in me. While I like to see measurable (as in I can physically see with my own eyes :) progress, the idea that I thought I had the working 9-5 lunch down is now funny. What was I THINKING? That eating a yogurt EVERY. SINGLE. DAY at 11:15AM wouldn't get boring sometime in the next 35 years before I retire? Just because I never want to look at a yogurt again, doesn't mean I FAIL at a good protein/fiber snack choice in the mid-morning and all had been a waste.

"He's not finished with me yet."

So, instead of eating an Opal apple (YOU SHOULD TRY THEM! They are the bright yellow ones!) EVERY day, I decided to branch out a little. I bought 6 DIFFERENT kinds of apples, and am gonna try a new one every day this week. :) For someone who has ALWAYS eaten the same kind, this is a BIG step. I'll let ya know how those Pink Ladies compare :)

I am learning a little redirection doesn't mean FAILURE because "He's not finished with me yet" and that's a GOOD thing ;)

The Dinner Table

Jesus KNEW Judas was going to betray him and still invited him to dinner.

This weekend I could NOT stop thinking about this.

He KNEW his killer-to-be and still sat at the table with him and continued to witness. As one of my facebook friends put it, "it's like Jesus telling me despite the sin I have done and am about to do, he still has a place for me at his table."

Throughout all the Easter weekend activities (which was a JAM-packed weekend) I kept finding myself thinking back to this.

I was trying to fathom what Jesus did. What would I have done? Did Judas feel guilty eating dinner knowing what he was about to do?

Sometimes I go through times when I feel like Jesus is "mad" at me, or I have to do a few good deeds or have some extra "godly" days before I can buddy back up with him. Like I have to "earn" my relationship.

He wants us at his dinner table, no matter what our day activities were or what plans we have for the night.

It works both ways, though. He wants us there, but who are WE willing to invite to the dinner table?

At the grocery store tonight, I was picking up some bananas and skinny cow icecream. The cashier was a younger guy, probably in his early twenties. He was asking what I did for Easter, and I started to kind of complain about all the driving we had to do, the large quantities of food we had to eat, all the chit-chat we had to make and how I was soo tired and still needed to get organized for the upcoming week.

I made the polite/obligated/don't-really-care-but-have-to-ask "What did you do for Easter dinner?"

I then realized he probably had to work and my complaining was probably SUPER annoying to him. He looked up at me, smiled a HUGE grin and said "Oh I had to work most of the day, but this morning my dad and I had breakfast at I-Hop. It was awesome."

He was genuinely SO happy and content with his Easter morning, and I realized it doesn't even matter what kind of dinner table we have. It doesn't matter what flowers are in the centerpieces, how many gravy boats are at each end, or even if there isn't a tablecloth. The petty things I was stressing about and complaining about this weekend? DUMB. It wouldn't have mattered if my Easter meal was at the corner booth at I-Hop. It's all about the company and who we invite to our "dinner table," wherever it may be.

Who are you going to invite over for dinner this week?

Engagement Chicken

The nests are made.

The Easter tree I thought was soo cute and such a bargain at the dollar tree is hung up. Well. There is a reason some things are at the dollar tree and maybe should stay there...My dad asked what it was? hahaha. I like the springy colors :)

The eggs are dyed.

Fingernails are stained.

All the materialism-ness of Easter is in place :) Now what? Time to load up the car and head over to the farm for the long weekend! Whhaaa? Yep. Drew and I are heading to his family reunion/Easter extravaganza. On the agenda? Blindfolded tractor driving around a course :)

Okay. This is hilarious/ridiculous. Have you heard about the Glamour Engagement Chicken? I guess it all started over 25 years ago when the editor of the mag gave this recipe to her assistant. A month later? Her boyfriend proposed. The recipe spread to 3 other women in the office, who all also got engaged shortly after cooking it. Since then? I am not kidding when I read that 72% of women who cooked this chicken for their significant other were engaged SHORTLY after. They did not explain exactly what "shortly" meant, but hey. Someone try it and let me know. I am a horrible cook so it wouldn't turn out. It actually might sway D to change his mind about me ;)

My favorite part of the recipe? The top secret "marry-me juice." Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken. Want to try it out? Go here for the recipe and let me know the results!!!!

Forgotten?

My dad didn't want to run with me this last weekend. He had some excuse about how he wanted to save his energy up for his tennis match with his buddy. Whatev.

I was on my own.

My mom had filled me in on the hot scoop that our Costco had gotten a new shipment of Rock & Republic and Seven for All Mankind jeans. My dad was going out there to look for moss killer and a blender so I decided to ride along since I definitely can't turn down bargain jeans :)

My dad offered to pick me up on the way to Costco if I wanted to get my run done beforehand. Being sweaty at Costco was a small price to pay for me not having to run the big hill up back to the house :)

I got running clothes on and told my dad EXACTLY when to leave the house to pick me up. I made SURE he knew where I would probably be and if he couldn't find me to assume he had missed me and turn around. NOT go farther. :)

Off I went. The first mile was fine. The next one was okay. Then I started to find myself looking backward for my dad's truck. Red Jeep. White Honda. Nope, Nope. After almost getting maimed by a toddler riding their bike (Dear that kid's parents: Your child is beyond ready to take off the training wheels, by the way) and tripping on a tree root, I decided looking backward for him was too dangerous :) By this time, I was absolutely convinced my dad had forgotten to leave the house and pick me up. I would be all the way to the freeway before he realized his daughter was hitch-hiking and trying to get back home. A good ten minutes was spent in PURE panic. I think partially because I was getting tired and hungry and it was starting to rain (I mean, come on, he would have eventually realized I was gone. I always could have just stopped and walked home. Not THAT big of a deal. But for some reason, it seemed like the end of the world.)

"OK. My dad DID NOT forget about me. I am at max 4 miles from home. I need to suck it up and keep going. He said he would pick me up at a certain time. It must not be that time yet and I have to just keep running." I wiped away a big, hot salty tear that had dripped down my face (I told you, it felt like the end of the world :)

I turned it to my go-to treadmill song. Lady Gaga "Born this way" (don't deny, you love it too :) and starting trucking along. I started peeking back every few minutes just to make he wouldn't miss me...

I literally kept saying in my head, "He did not forget you. He did not forget you. Keep running, keep running. See how far you can get. He will be here before you know it."

Just when the tears had started again and my sideache was coming back and I swear I was getting a blister (sometimes I am a whiner) I was JUST about to stop and start walking. I was SURE I had been forgotten and would have to start hitch-hiking my way back, my dad's truck turned into the culdesac in front of me. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see him in my entire life :) He didn't forget about me!

The cool part? He wasn't late. He had left EXACTLY when I had told him too. I had just ran waaayyy farther than I had thought I would.

Sometimes the God as my "father" analogy is a little weird and hard for me to grasp. I like to think of him more as my friend :) Except this run, I was able to see some of the "fatherly" qualities of the Big Guy. He will NOT forget about us. He will push us and push us and push us until we can't go any longer. When we are about to start walking? He shows up. It's okay if we need to look backwards a few times to make sure he is still there, but we can go A LOT farther if we just trust that he is there, chugging right along with us. It might SEEM like he is late to pick us up or give us a little rest, but he isn't. He is always right on time. Just like my daddy was.

This weekend I watched a boxing match with Drew. The announcer was talking about how when one of the boxers was younger, he would go out for training runs. His dad would drive behind him in his car, actually NUDGING him with his bumper to make sure he was keeping his running pace. This cracked me up. I totally think God does this too. Sometimes when we don't wanna listen, He has to get serious ;)

Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect

So ya'll know I do Weight Watchers. I have lost over 50 pounds and this has been the best year of my life. (The last year's success is not ALL due to weight loss, but it is a HUGE part of it.)

Anyways. So these last two days have not been good. I have fallen off the weight watchers wagon and have been eating whatevvaaa I want. Not that big of a deal, except that this is ALWAYS what has happened. I get off track, maybe gain one or two pounds back and instead of just saying BUMMER DUDE, and getting back to it, I get SO. DOWN. ON. MYSELF. I am a perfectionist. If I can't be PERFECT, I feel like I have failed and just would rather sulk. So, these last two days have SUCKED. Well, I already screwed up, might as well finish off the day with some icecream and start fresh tomorrow. Ya'll know that mindset, right?

Enter Demi Lovato. Cute little thing who has been in rehab with some issues. I recently found out about a campaign she is doing along with the Jed Foundation.

LOVE IS LOUDER THAN THE PRESSURE TO BE PERFECT

The campaign urges girls to write "love is louder than the pressure to be perfect'' on their hands, with lipstick on their mirrors, on their lockers etc, take a picture and then upload to either their facebook page or the foundation website. So cool. I love stuff like this. But the last couple days, I have found myself thinking about this quote. These are some of the cute ones that have already been submitted to the websites.

In my head, the pressure to be perfect is the LOUDEST voice I ever hear. It overrides God's gentle voice, my common sense, advice from my friends and family, advice I have paid big bucks for from my psychiatrist/psychologist (I said more on this later :). The pressure to be perfect takes over. I have spent the last year FINALLY learning to quiet down that voice. The last few days however? It has ROARED back, even louder than EVER.

"You suck Lindsay. You couldn't even say no to a little doughnut in the office. What kind of person are you?"

"Someone's birthday? And you decided to eat a little piece of cake? PSSHHH. If you can't even say no to that, you must be a FAILURE."

Normally I would get so down on myself because I would believe that voice. "Yep. If I can't even stick my brown-bag lunch. what's the point? I will never be able to do this."

But ya know what? Demi is totally right. Love is louder. Love from my bf. Love from my friends. Love from my God. Love for MYSELF.

Not everyone struggles with their weight.Some people feel like a failure when they can't control their finances or how much alcohol they're drinking. Whatever. We all have something. But LOVE is louder.

So maybe I gained 5 pounds with my little binge? So what? Tomorrow is a new day and I have some new size 26 inch jeans to wiggle myself into by this weekend;)

"In the Middle of My Little Mess..."

In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed.

Saturday involved some organizing and spring cleaning. Ya know the part when you are all excited about re-organizing and dump everything out of all the drawers? Then you look at the HUGE mess you have just made and realize organizing isn't quite so fun? While trying to get my ipod/ipad/ipod shuffle cords and chargers finally straightened out;

LOVE in the chaos...

I reallllllyyyyyyyy was craving mexican food this weekend and Saturday was supposed to be date night. The plan was to try out a new mexican restaurant that had just opened up. Date night didn't work out as planned...I was mad and to be honest I was acting like a brat about it. So I guess homemade mexican was as good as I was gonna get. Opened the cupboard hungry and crabby thinking about my margarita and carne asada that I SHOULDN'T OF HAD TO COOK;

LOVE in the disappointment.

Played some cribbage. I have won the last five games probably and I think I was getting a little over-confident. It was just getting too easy :). I got completely CRUSHED this game. Add to my crabbiness... But look... NO JOKE! This was my last hand;

LOVE in loss.

I barely EVER drink caffeine. Today I was just feeling kinda blah and water just wasn't doing it for me. I started to feel my 'stevia-> fake sugar is bad for you-> cancer' pep-talk crawling into my brain. I gave myself a break;

LOVE in moderation.

As Francesca Batistelli so creatively sings out in her catchy little tune,

"In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed.

It might not be what I would choose, but this is the stuff you use."

Hey, it worked for me this weekend. Take a look around, LOVE is everywhere :)

Three Things Tuesday

1.) I got this recipe/idea from my sweet friend and FABULOUS baker Krislyn a couple years ago. I remember making it and everyone just thought it too cute. So it's time to bust it out again since it's Easter Week. I usually just use chow mein noodles and mix them in a couple bags of melted chocolate chips and maybe butterscotch chips. Add a little vanilla. Form some little "nests" on wax paper. Add some Reece Peanut Butter eggs or Mini Cadbury eggs and let set in the fridge. (I have also made them a little healthier using Fiber One bran cereal!)

2.) When my darling friend Katie ordered a diet coke, she literally got it in a GLASS JUG. Look how big that baby is!!!!!!!!!!!! It was seriously like the size of her torso! P.S. At the Mariner game, I noticed you could get "unlimited pop" for $11 dollars. I wonder how much money the vendors make on that. I also would love to know how many people order it??????

3.) I LOVE bacon. Always have and probably always will. But Weight Watchers and bacon aren't necessarily the best of friends. INTRODUCING: TURKEY BACON. I was skeptical. I thought I would rather not be able to eat bacon than have some stupid substitution that tried to taste as good as bacon but wasn't. I gave it a try and I am hooked. You seriously CANNOT taste the difference. In the morning... for BLT's... Yum, yum, yum. While we are on the topic of bacon? What do you think about Denny's "baconalia?" On the menu? A bacon ice cream sundae. Maple-flavored ice cream, hickory smoked bacon, SYRUP and yes more bacon. Hmm... I dunno...

Kate

I so wish this was true about me.

But it isn't.

I mean yes, the Today Show's 90 day countdown to the wedding is a little much, but there is something about Kate's hair that gets me everytime. HOW IS IT SO SHINY???? So I did a little research. Kate supposedly uses Kerastase shampoo! Specifics? Kerastase Bain Satin 2 shampoo for dry hair. I AM SO THERE. Now. Where to find shampoo fit for a princess? Target? I'll let ya know how the search goes.

Gwenyth & Practice

Gwenyth Paltrow tells us her success as a mother, actress, singer and author hasn't come easy.

"Everything in my life that is good is because I worked my a** off to get it and maintain it. It's easier to not change, not to do something good for you, not work on a relationship, not make yourself a meal, not workout."

This was so refreshing to read in my US weekly... (Don't judge.) I have struggled in my life with being pre-dispositioned to being cranky, a tad pessimistic and overall just kinda depressed. I used to get so jealous and mad that it seemed like everyone else around me was cheerful and seemed like their "default" mood with positive. It would TAKE something to change them to cranky, where I felt with me I was stuck the opposite. I was just wired to be sad and cranky and it would take something POSITIVE to make me happy. I didn't think it was fair. Did I do something to feel like this?

{Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you} (Philippians 4)

The book I am reading talks about how when you think about practice, you think piano practice or practicing your multiplication tables. Rehearsing something over and over and over. It isn't necessarily fun. It's boring and hard. BUT. Paul tells us if we PRACTICE these good things (choosing to be thankful and choosing to dwell on the positive) we will feel peace.

This was SO freeing to me. Instead of not being "born" peaceful and not a worrywart and being doomed to feel this way forever, I realized I was not putting in the practice. Like Gwen said, she didn't get those killer abs by being jealous of everyone else's. To some people feeling positive may just come natural, but not to me. That doesn't mean however, that I can NEVER feel at peace. All these people that I used to secretly be jealous of because they got to be happy? MORE THAN LIKELY THEY WORK AT IT. What a concept. I think like this at the gym, but to my mood and worries? New to me :)

Russell Brand VS. Easter Bunny

I took these cutie-pies to see HOP. I figured it would be fun and they would be easy company :)

Even though I don't have kids, this 2.5 hour outing taught me 3 very important lessons about moms/kids, my mom/me as a kid and me as a mom/my future kids (AKA KIDS AND MOMS, ya still with me?):

LESSON #1: YOU FEEL PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE "BOYS" THEY HAVE CRUSHES ON. I was a little alarmed when Jenna (6 years old) grabbed my arm when Russell Brand had his cameo appearance and whispered, "Ooohhh, he is CUTE!!!" Yikkesss :)

I felt much better when E.B. (short for East Bunny) hopped up and she said, "ohh, but that bunny is MUCH cuter."

LESSON #2: I ALWAYS USED TO WONDER WHY A WOMAN COULD ALWAYS BE ON TIME AND THEN BAM! SHE BECOMES A MOMMA AND IS ALWAYS LATE. I mean, I understand getting another little person ready, fed, snacks and diapers packed and out the door is difficult, but it seems like it would become easier with time. I. take. it. back. We had TWENTY minutes to get from purchasing our tickets to Target to get some snacks for the movie and back. TWENTY minutes. Piece of cake. So I thought... First of all, they insisted on walking "only on the brown tiles." What happened when the brown tiles stopped? Ohh, they both stopped too and said they had no where to walk. Every store display caused a little girl to sprint up to the mannequin and try to touch them. They get distracted by the Cinnabon smell wafting through the air (so maybe I got a little distracted there, too). They played Red Light-Green Light, saw Build-a-Bear and took off sprinting .Then there's the zigzag over to the gum-ball machine, followed by the wanting to show off their Twinkle Toes Sketcher Light up shoes that light up when they jump. So instead of speed walking to Target, I am like a sheep-herder trying to lead little jumping bunny rabbits. :) After what feels like walking in circles, I finally think OH! HOLD THEIR HANDS! Good idea? No! Then they want me to swing them, but they didn't give me a count of 3 or anything. All of a sudden they just grab your hand, clench... and JUMP :) We finally made it to Target. I had definitely earned my Reese Pieces. I know will NEVER roll my eyes again when people with little kiddos are late. I will instead ask their tips and secrets :)

LESSON #3: I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER MY MOM MAKING MY SISTER AND I ALWAYS SHARE DRINKS, EVEN WHEN WE SOOOOO BADLY WANTED OUR OWN. I remember begging for my own can of rootbeer and PROMISING I would finish the whole thing. She would never believe me and we would end up sharing. I used to think 'what's the big deal? If I think I can finish it, I am pretty sure I can finish it.' WRONG YET AGAIN. Jenna and Meg convinced me they could eeassssiilllyyy each finish a pop and remembering my childhood, I agreed. I think at the end of the movie, Jenna had taken two sips and Megan was mmaaayybbbee halfway with hers. I dumped them in the garbage, feeling myself becoming more like my mother by the second... :) love you momma

The movie was cute, I dropped the girls off and was ready for bed. Exhaustingg... I don't know how you do it ALLLLLL day.

But when these homemade thank-you notes appeared the next day, ALLLL was forgotten...

California Stops

I pass by this stop sign EVERY SINGLE DAY. And I probably have for 20 years of my life. Multiple times a day. THAT IS A LOT OF STOPS HERE. So, you won't be surprised that I have gotten used to slowing down checking traffic and pretty much just going for it. (Before you get all uppity, my boyfriend and his friends have recently named me the "best girl driver they know" a title that may or may not have been taken away this last weekend but whatever)

I usually do a "California stop" (do they really do that there?) and am on my way.

A few days ago, I was headed to the grocery store and did my typical coast to the stopsign and turn when I saw a BABY deer (picture Bambi but even cuter) like 3 feet from my car. I SLAMMED on the brakes, stopped breathing for a second and realized I had come 2.1 milliseconds away from making deer beef jerky.

I told myself I HAD to stop doing that. One of these days it was gonna be the neighbor kid on their bike, a dog or even a rare oncoming car.

I'll admit it took a few (as in several days) for me to remember to completely stop at this stopsign before turning.

And when I did, look what I saw...

The CUTEST little clump of daffodils. I had never seen them before in my 348,578,435 times at this intersection, probably because I was too busy changing CD's or thinking about my grocery list.

So STOP and smell the roses (err.. Obey the stop sign, and see the daffodils :) I think God placed these there to remind me there is a reason for all those pesky laws and signs :)

Public Service Announcement: CHECK YOUR THYROID

So freshman year didn't start well. And since I didn't get to go home the first month, when the weekend arrived to hit the road to visit home, I was ECSTATIC. Going home and going to visit alllll my high school friends and boyfriend at their college in my hometown. I went to their dorms, met all their new friends and was having a blast. Then Sunday rolled around and it was time to drive the 120 miles back to school. That literally was one of the worst days of my life so far. I remember literally feeling like my heart was breaking. Like I was so sad that I actually felt sick.

My dad dropped me off and I made a vow to myself. Self-talk like: "Seriously, come on. You don't date the high school quarterback in high school and not be able to make friends. It will be fine. This will be my week and I won't even need to go visit home for another month."

Toted my clean laundry done by mom up the elevators back to my not-missed dorm.

The next few weeks were worse. I literally could NOT get out of bed, and cried every night when I called my friends/boyfriend/family in the little studyroom/makeout room in the student lounge.

My parents felt so bad; they would tell me to just make it to Friday, and I could come home for the weekend. I think maybe they thought it would get better and I wouldn't want to take them up on their offer? Nope. Every. Weekend. They would drive down and back to get me, and down and back to take me home. (To this day I still can't listen to the Maroon 5 CD, because that's what my dad would ALWAYS play when it was his turn to take me..)

In between all of this, I went to the doctor at home. Was I depressed? Was it just typical small-town-girl-moves-to-the-big-city?

Well. My mom calls like 17 times when I'm in class. I call her back after.

"Honey, how do you feel?"

"I hate this place."

"Like, are you scared to cross the street?"

"Ummm........."

So the lovely doc had run my blood-work and I guess my thyroid was sooo out of whack that the nurse had immediately called my mom and told her to take everything I was saying seriously. But it is so weird. The cross the street example? TOTALLY TRUE. Hypothyroidism (when your thyroid doesn't make enough of the hormone it should be making) makes you:

• sleep alot (not ideal when everyone is college stays up reaalllyyy late and you start snoring)

• gain fat around your waist/love handles (not the best when there's hot frat boys around and a boyfriend you see once a week)

• crave carbs (uhh, maybe why I ate WHITE RICE with soy sauce every night for dinner in the cafeteria? No wonder I didn't have any friends.)

• hair thins/hair loss (HATED brushing my hair in the dorm bathroom cuz I knew everyone was in shock at the amount of hair that was on my hairbrush)

• feelings of "doom" (It's true. Like you seriously feel like nothing good will ever happen again.)

This disorder is really common among women, but I had a severe case. It was just so convenient that my thyroid problem decided to begin RIGHT when I moved away to college (Sarcasm)

I got a prescription for Synthroid (a synthetic thyroid medication) to bring my levels up to normal, and see if fixing that problem would change my attitude about UW....

SO, MAKE SURE NEXT TIME YOU GO FOR YOUR YEARLY EXAM/BLOODWORK YOU DO A THYROID CHECK! It's easy, doesn't hurt and can save you a looooooooooooooot of mental anguish (and unwanted muffin top :) Trust me. :)

3 Things Tuesday!

1.) Drew always tells me that he insists on washing all his new clothes before he will wear them. For girls? Normal. For guys? I had NO idea. I thought he was just being over-dramatic. Introduce the new shirt I got him (V-necks are a big step for my modest man :) He texted me and asked if I could wash it for him because he wanted to wear it that night. "Sure thing." Ehh. Throw it in the dryer, shrink it up a little, call it good. Scene later: "Are you SURE you washed this? Like with detergent?" Like a male could tell the difference between laundry soap and fabric sheets???

"YES! Stop complaining. What's the problem?"

"I just feel so itchy, I feel like I'm breaking out..."

"Well I washed it so stop complaining..." (Guilt seeking in...)

Never underestimate a boy and their laundry. (I eventually confessed...)

2.) CLEAR PONYTAIL HOLDERS So my mom is a sucker for gimmicks. I blame her for passing that on to me. Now, here are some good ole ponytail holders that every girl has all over her car, purse, wrist and house. Always there when ya need them. So imagine our excitement when my mom bought a pack of the black scunci thick pony tail holders in CLEAR! So cool, right?

NOT! They are actually the worst things EVER. As cool as they look, DO NOT BUY THEM. Wanna know why? YOU CANNOT FIND THEM ANYWHERE! Looking frantically in your gym bag for a ponytail holder? HAVE TO DUMP IT ALL OUT CUZ YOU CAN'T SEE THE STUPID THINGS. Today I was looking EVERYWHERE at my desk for a ponytail holder, when imagine that! I HAD A CLEAR ONE ON MY WRIST THE WHOLE TIME. You think I am overreacting. I AM NOT! :) You don't realize how often you look for these stupid little things until you cannot find one for the life of you.Ugh. Not cool. I will never again complain about boring black rubberbands.

3.) DRESSING ROOM FEES While we don't all leave a horrible mess, I am sure retail workers have some horror stories about the messes left behind in dressing rooms . That could be why some stores are introducing a new policy. DRESSING ROOM FEES! Yep, a fee to use the fitting room. If you do decide to purchase something, the fee is waived. Leaving empty-handed? Pay up. What do you think?

25 Club

This is a fun season. Most of my friends are turning 25 this year! Last night we went to celebrate one of these lovely lady's big quarter century birthday. We used to all joke around about we couldn't even imagine being 25, and how that is SOOO old. How by then we would definitely be married, have 2.5 kids, our dream careers and hot hubbies :) Last night, I looked around the table we were sitting at in the restaurant, and I just felt my heart fill with joy thinking about how proud I am of all these girls and what they have accomplished.

Sure, we may not all be married, have babies, love our jobs or even know what we want to do when we "grow-up" but we are changing the world for the better, for sure :)

These are some snapshots of some friends who have recently hit the big 2-5 and some highlights of their lives so far.

Some of us are married to the loves of our lives! This one has blessed the lives of sooo many children by being seriously the best nanny/role model a parent could ever wish. When families want you to take their kids to tennis camp in Florida, camel riding in Egypt and on their family vacation to Hawaii, I'd say you're quite the addition to the family :)

She works 60+ hour work weeks and STILL volunteers at church to help the less fortunate. (PS. She is a national champion JUMP-ROPER. I am not kidding. As in she can do back-flips and stuff like that while doing double-dutch.)

She lives in sunny California and models on the side :)

H does really cool things and is absolutely hilarious,

and if this smile doesn't show her compassion for life, then I don't know what does :)

I turn the milestone birthday in a few months. what picture will I have portraying the first 25 years of my life? I'm gonna turn to my amazing friends for inspiration :)