Favorite vacation to date....

Just a tid bit....to my 15 followers...God love you...and to anyone new who finds my humor enjoyable feel free to hit the Blog lovin button at the bottom of this post...apparently they are doing away with google reader...BOO...although I am not going anywhere ;)...Google is just being silly! (Anybody else had issues with their blogs they follow showing up anyway?)

So I am a day late and a dollar short buttttt here is my link up with one of my favorites!  I LOVVVEEE vacations!!

Since I am going on my in T- minus 2 hours ( WAHOO- in a screech aka Samuel Powers voice) I thought there was nothing more fitting then to share my favorite vacation with J!

I think it says a LOT about a relationship if you don't want to kill each other after a 13 hour drive of just the two of you...together...in a confined vehicle....with ME driving half way!

Yes I knew after that trip that we could survive any kind of fight...the man is a saint for dealing with my serious Road Rage....and I MEANNNN road RAGE!

I'm like the hulk behind the wheel of a car when people drive in the left lane on a 2 lane interstate....or go 10 mph UNDER the speed limit....you get the picture!

This is why I live in the country people..less cars..means less traffic..means LESS ROAD RAGE!

I swear I am a nice person

So are you ready to know where the vacation took place....those of you who know me may be guessing a beach somewhere...and normally you would be correct-amundo....however in this case you areeee the weakest link...no? Sharon Osborn anyone?...crickets....

After we had been together about 5 months, J wanted to take a trip out to South Dakota ( I had never been there).

He wanted to see his best friend, his wife (his best friend's wife...he's not a polygamist) and their little boy.

So we drove...13 and some odd hours..with about 15 bathroom breaks ( hey when I drive I make the call on whether or not there are pit stops!)

We finallly get into South Dakota, it was late, I was tired..and I had to PEEEEE!

What the hell is it about a car ride that makes you feel like you have a bladder the size of a pea?

When I say I had to pee, I mean I had to PEE when we got INTO South Dakota, we still had a bit of a drive to get to their house.

I tell J that I have to go to the bathroom, he says we'll be there soon can you hold it?

note to self ladies...if you haven't dated a man very long..MAKE SURE YOU GET HIS DEFINITION OF soon!!!

An hour later..still not there...I still had to pee...and I thought my damn bladder was going to explode...so again I ask seriously how much longer til we get there?

We will be there really soon....20 minutes later STILL not there...I see a gas station and I told him to pull the damn truck over I have got to pee!

His response.."Hun we are in town, they are about 5 minutes from here...."...Yeahhhh I really want my first impression to your best friend to be Hi My name is Lindsay Peepants.....that sounds fantastic!

We finally get to their house...he was right about 5 minutes later...when I would have peed my pants...and had a few beers and chatted before bed!

I learned a LOT on this trip....if you are not from an area that has a high altitude...PLAN on getting drunk off of 2 beers.... I am a light weight anyway and this just clinched the deal for me!

I woke up with a splitting headache and thought WTF...did I seriously get drunk on 2 effing beers....

So it was a great trip....we went on a "winery" hop...ya know like a bar hop only with Winery's...what you haven't done that? Well you are MISSING out!!

We even went to a Naked Winery...cool it...you don't ACTUALLY get naked... they use naked grapes! ;)

I finally got to see Mt. Rushmore...it was the most fascinating 5 minutes.......what was I talking about...yeah its neat to see in person but definitely not something you need to see every year for the rest of your life!

I saw them "working" on crazy Horse....it has been a work in progress for a long...LONGGGG time!

Crazy Horse

this is what it should look like at the "end"...whenever that is!

The best part of the trip was the four wheeling with a cooler of beer and great company. Life doesn't get much better than that!

No body knows how to party like country people!

We did go up the Mountain behind their house....and I feel I should tell you that I have issues with Ladders that are 6 feet off the ground...we are talking 100s of feet....SUPER!

<3 up high but I didn't know it :)

so pretty!!

We got to an area where I could see down ( I was fine when we were in the trees and I didn't realize how far up we were), when I had to start climbing to the top...panic sat in and my legs no longer worked like human legs should.  J was being a butt and wouldn't help me with anything...so his buddy's wife yelled at him (her husband) to help me...haha...I just love her!

well you can sort of tell we are having a "discussion".....

yeahhhhh....gotta love him!

So here are a few shots of our trip that I didn't mention.....

State Park

State Park

Bear Country....right next to our vehicle!

Bear Country...Santa's reindeer chill in South Dakota after Christmas!

Bear Country

Cozmos....standing up straight...gravity is all sorts of freaky there

again standing up straight!!

Royal Ball Run- What Autism means to me

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I was going to do a weekend round up, but I thought this topic was much too important to not have its own post!

Saturday not only marked the 2nd 5k EVER, but also the first one I have actually put effort into running.

It was HARD Y'all!

I haven't been training as well as I should..meaning I haven't run very many times since the last one, so for me to get in under 50 minutes while running only half Id say that's a good place to start!!

I picked up my packet Friday evening, and the shirts are that amazing soft stuff that doesn't hold the sweat...BONUS!

Saturday morning was race day and there were people dressed up in "royal" costumes and such and I was starting to get nervous!

My nerves were just sitting in my stomach...I turned on my Nike plus app and waited to press START!

I have to tell you guys, I am a pretty emotional person, and when it comes to me doing things I never thought possible for myself, I get kinda sappy.

I hit mile 1 and thought ok, I am tired but this isn't too bad, then I rounded the corner and my shins were hurting as well as my ankle, but then a little boy popped in my head that sad keep going..this is bigger than you!

I went up the hill to the trail and thought wow I am actually doing this...I am doing this by myself....even better!

I was almost to mile 2 when I started to get really tired, my legs felt like Jello, and I wanted to just walk the rest of the way..and then my music did what it does best and plays a song that pushes me on!

The song was "Outta My Mind" by Anthem Heights. Its a contemporary christian group, normally I listen to Nelly or try to shake it for Luke Bryan while I run, but I have this song on there because it reminds me that you have to take control of your mind back.

Most of the time our bodies can withstand more than we think, but our minds say...STOPPPPPPP eat a cheeseburger...NOW damn it!

At this point I started to tear up...I was running, ME...Lindsay I was doing it, I was racing and not because people told me I could, but because of those who thought I couldn't.

For all of those people who talked about me behind my back growing up ( girls can be bitches), for those people who doubt that I am serious this time...mostly for myself...to know that THIS time is it...no more excuses!!

I almost lost it, I finished out the race running/walking...and I ran the last .10 of a mile...I had to run through the finish and although there weren't many people there....the feeling of those people cheering you on is amazing!

My mom was waiting for me at the finish line, she has had her fair share of struggles and I told her "your goal should be to do this with me!"

I won't give up until she does it with me!

After the race I was HUNGRRRYYY! I ate a banana before but obviously those calories were burned off ( score), we went to HY VEE which was next to the finish line and ate breakfast with my gparents...not the best place we could have eaten but it did in a pinch. I may have cheated and had a piece of bacon...sue me!

Now some of you may be wondering who the little boy was that "spoke" to me, no its not a spirit..he is real!

He is my soon to be nephew and such a complete joy.

This is a much younger picture of him than he is now, but it works (isn't he a cutie)

He is so smart, I am talking GENIUS!

He is the sweetest little boy you could ever dream of meeting, but some people become confused by his sudden outbursts and think "what poor parenting" when in reality its not that at all, things trigger him that wouldn't trigger a kid who is not autistic.

It could be a noise ( be it too loud or too high), it could be the number of people, it could be the type of people ( lots of little kids).

If the stress or feeling in the room is chaotic he will lose it, and it is not his or anybody else's fault, it is simply because his brain doesn't work the same as the rest of us.

You know what that's ok, because he is a pretty awesome kid.

If you don't know anything about Autism I encourage you to find more information ( there is a lot out there thanks to the Internet)

Most importantly, don't always assume that the kid having a fit in the store or the restaurant is a bratty kid or that there is someone to blame...it may just be that his/her sensitivity to the surroundings has been heightened and he cant take it.

If you are claustrophobic imagine being in a mouse hole, if you have anxiety imagine the thing that makes you anxious ( if you have no issues congratulations you are perfect) if you have anything that triggers you be it a fear of something or whatever makes you worry or nervous..times that by 100 and you might come close to how an autistic child feels on an almost daily basis!

Ok there's my soap box for the day!! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend I know I did..here's a few shots from the rest of my weekend:

Grilled alll by myself...last time I may or may not have melted the siding on our old house...oops! Ps this was delicious!!!

Retail Therapy! THANK YOU TARGET!

well its not a complete trip with out a first aid kit and new nail polish!

my lovely bird dogs at work...this was HELL keeping them away from that little

 baby

can you see the baby bird?! :)

Air Show...talk about Swamp Ass...yikes!

popcorn made the right way...perfect Sunday afternoon snack/dinner!

Hey baby...I think I wanna marry you...

Well as I have posted before I am getting married in t minus 9 months and 22 days!

So today I am linking up with the lovely Holly and Mel...these two are super sweet and hilarious!! If you haven't checked them out, you probably should!!

 

Let me start out by prefacing we have been engaged for a couple months I wrote about HERE..and this girl is pretty much done...except for cake testing on Tuesday...UM yes please! (wait why did I decide to do my cleanse now?!?!?!)

 So I have been planning my wedding for ohhh 20 years?! Yeah that's about right....a lot has changed but a few have stayed the same...I love cake...and my bff is still my maid of honor just like I planned! (How often does that happen?)

On to the fun details!! :) I hope y'all are ready to see my redneck side! ;)

Location (church/outdoors/destination): We are getting married at the church J grew up in...we attend together now and plan on taking our children there...( aww how precious unborn children plans..imagine that) Its a small church, yet very pretty! I just love country churches! :)

Reception: Our reception will be at the River center in downtown davenport-lots of places for pretty pictures...its big enough to hold our ginormous guest list, but it is still gorgeous inside and fairly reasonably priced compared to other venues who hold 500.

Colors: ( this has changed a LOT over the years) So when I was 10 years old this would be in the 90's, we went to a wedding where they had purple hunter green and navy for their colors...omg I wanted those to by MY colors...I thought...now ummm no thanks...I chose colors that I am sure my children will think good Lord mom what were you thinking?! So colors are Slate Gray,Coral, and "Pool" Blue...its an aqua color and as close to Tiffany blue as I can get :) I am doing a very vintage/rustic "theme" so there will be lots of burlap, woodsy things, and vintage pieces. I can't wait to get the process going!

Bridal Party: Our bridal party is rather large I think, but I was informed it is actually pretty average anymore!...Who knew?...One of my best friends is my MOH, another bff (from grade school I might add) is a bridesmaid, plus my cousin, my brother's girlfriend (hopefully someday sister-in-law), one of my best friends from college (who I have mentioned here), The best man's wife (who I love to death, and wish they didn't live so many states away), and one Jr bridesmaid who is seriously the coolest 10 year old I have ever met! J's side has the same number with his buddies plus my brother but no jr attendant ( he's not as cool as I am). We are using his niece and nephews as the ring bearer and flower girl. Plus I am having another great friend from college be my personal attendant..aka my bitch...;) Love you W!

First Dance Song: J chose our first dance song..and claims he has had it picked out since he was 15..which I believe b/c this is a VERY 90's song..and that would be about right! ;) He's robbin the cradle ya know :)...haha jk but I love giving him a hard time about the fact that when he was in high school I was in grade school (it really freaks him out and is way too much fun to let go) The song is "Love of a Lifetime" by the Smokin' Armadillos ( see I told ya REDNECK!)  I would post a video of the song if I could find it but this song is so old that it does NOT have a Youtube video!...This should be fun seeing if the DJ has it! It would not have been my choice, obviously because I have never heard of it..but I figured it meant a lot to him so I will let him have it....I guess! :)

Honeymoon: This is a surprise to me, as J thinks its the man's "responsibility" to take care of this part!...I am not sure where he gets his facts...but as long as I have a beach with unlimited alcohol and food (insert all inclusive) I don't have a preference! ( this may be shocking to most..because I am OCD!)

What would you do different? I am still in the process of planning, and I have changed a few things, but really I am happy with how things are panning out. I can't tell you how many people have told me.."Don't do the big wedding, go off and have a honeymoon and get married there"...those people have all had the big weddings. I may think differently later..but for now this is what i have dreamed of and I am ok with that! We know WAY to many people, and that is a good/bad thing. Our guest list is one thing I wish I could manage better, but what do you do?! I'm sure a few months before I will start freaking out...because I am sure there will be things left to finish, but right now I am enjoying it and loving the fact that I have the DJ booked, flower lady is booked, church booked, reception venue booked ( catering there), cake  (testing on Tuesday), Our "ride" booked, dress is bought, photographer booked, and videographer booked. I just need my shoes (this could be a bigger task than the dress...i love me some shoes..and I will NOT buy ugly shoes), pick out paper for invites, figure out where I am getting Save the Dates, set up a date for engagement pics, and finalize cake!

I'd say I am doing pretty dang well. We are doing a LOT of the stuff ourselves, and I have it mapped out how I am spacing out the buying of things we need. I would share more details about all of the little things, but you will just have to wait until that post!

PS..I love my dress...but no more viewings until the day of! :)

7 More days...let the cleanse begin

So I am not sure if you have seen this commercial or not..but if not you NEED to, if you have you know you want to watch it again because its that awesome!

Time to do the humpty hump....

Now that I have just made your day better...lets talk about how many days I have left until vacay!

7!!!!!!!! 7 more days and at 5pm I will be on VACATION...holla at ya girl!....sometimes I think I'm ghetto..then I remember how white I am!

So can we just talk about how bad I am at procrastinating?!

Except for making lists...I love lists...lists are my favorite...I have done nothing to prepare for my 11 days off.

This is not so unlike me but at the same time very unlike me...I like to be prepared for shit to hit the fan so to speak.

So I have started making a food list- here's how I plannnnn to stay on track! I know I can stick pretty close to this with a few cheat meals/snacks- here's my grocery list so far....

Packing other things will come later...I'll keep you posted since I have 2 mini vacays...Woot Woot! (raise the roof)

On to the cleanse...I have done AWESOME with food today...and I am definitely NOT hungry...so why is my brain stuck on E? ( I did take measurements so I will be sure to do a post after I am finished and partially through to give an update!)

Check out my amazing breakfast though...yummmm

I have eaten just over my calories (1500) for today plus I ran this morning and have volleyball tonight...not tooo shabby!

So whyyy is my brain still thinking hmmm what are you going to eat next? How do I get my brain to refocus and NOT on food!

This has been a huge issue lately..constantly thinking about what I am going to eat next and when I am going to eat it....its a horrid obsession..but eating before you become hungry is such a foreign concept for me.

I am hoping that this cleanse will just do a total reset and I can get past the 2pm sugar cravings...which so far have not hit...Winning!

I have a long ways to go but I definitely know how amazing I felt this morning after doing an AM workout, so I know that will push me to continue.

I'm pretty nervous about Saturday morning, but I will touch more on that Friday! Tomorrow I am doing the linky link up with Holly and Mel..two of my faves!!

 

 So come back tomorrow if you want a sneak at some details....some you will just have to wait another 9 months!!

Baby steps are KEY to success

It has been 5 months and 16 days, and although I am not anywhere near where I was hoping i would be, I have made changes.

I am not quite ready to share my real weight with everyone...because well its embarrassing that i have let myself get to this point.

I have done a lot, and I mean A LOT of reading on all the "fad's" to lose weight quick.

We all know they don't actually work that way.

You know the ones I am talking about.

"How to be bikini ready by June"; "top 5 slimming foods"; "top 10 ways you are sabotaging yourself"...etc, etc etc. ( King and I anyone?...no? just me...I love musicals)

The thing is..those articles don't work on their own...but you can learn things from them.

I know I don't look the way I want to, BUT the choices I have made are HUGE.

Here are some examples:

1. no more fried chicken on salads....and no more ranch- only Italian or Balsamic Vinaigrette ( this is huge for me people I love ranch with everything....even pizza rolls)

2. I am actually working out more..still haven't figured out a good schedule for me..but I have weights in my office...yoga ball in my living room..and ware on my running shoes...this is a HUGE deal for me!

3.So you know that thing about the ware on my running shoes...I did my first 5k people...you can read about it HERE.  And I'm not stopping there..I am doing another 5k Saturday...a real one ( the first one was just for fun) and I have signed up for the ..gulp...Bix 7...if you are not from the quad cities..then you may not realize that this race starts at the bottom of a very steep and LONG hill!!

4. I am trying different veggies so as to not get bored...yesterday I bought organic bananas for pre morning runs...Brussel sprouts ( never before in my life).. and zucchini..this isn't new but I do love it grilled mmmmm

Yesterday was not a good day at all for me....well I take that back...it had 2  bad moments...the rest was ok ( food wise).

I have learned that 2pm is the WORST time of day for me...I want sugar..and lots of it...I crave candy, pop, and Junk...I do fantastic until then but then all hell breaks loose and I want crappy food! WHY!? Well, that's when I start getting tired, bored, its when I worry about things, stress sets in, etc....so I am I going to try eating HIGH protein snacks at 2...like a grilled chicken tender with some celery and carrots with ranch...lets see if that helps :)

The whole reason I am writing this post is because I have been talking to one of my best friends this morning about races....ME...doing races...and BIG races.

I signed up for the Bix 7 today, and I am still trying to get the guts to sign up for the Half Marathon in Fort Wayne, IN.....nerves of steel I tell ya!

can't back out now!

As I was texting her, we started talking about fun marathons to do together...I saw this one and thought well OBVIOUSLY I need to do this race....what girl doesn't get called princess by her daddy!

This race is in California...so that would be an OBVIOUS girls weekend get away ( I am planning my vacations around running...this is a HUGE change)

Then she mentioned this one...Holla.....the beer tents at other races would never be able to compare after this one...

Why yes I would love to go to Vegas to do a Marathon..and then enjoy LOTS of festivities afterwards! :)

Plusssss...I have been talking about my vacation for awhile now...can you tell I need one..and can't wait to leave here!? I am signing up for the Firecracker run out in South Dakota, since I won't be home to run the one around here!

My life has definitely changed, and sometimes a good reminder is all that is needed to realize YOU are making progress! You control your future...don't let FOOD run your life like I have for so long!

Bring on the Advocare Cleanse tomorrow! I was going to wait until after vacation...BUT I am needing it now and I don't want to "wait until Monday" so to speak to get back on track!

So a big shout out to one of my bff's Steph! Thanks for giving me that reminder back! Good friends are important to success! They help keep you on track when you think you are too far gone!

I love that both of my best friends are HUGE runners! :) They motivate me to keep going! <3

Dear 21 year old Lindsay.....shits about to get real!

So I decided that I needed to do this link up with Holly and Jake for 2 reasons.

Reason number one being I love their link ups because I usually just about pee myself from their own stories.

Reason number two...I don't embarrass myself NEAR enough on this blog, nor do I share funny/inappropriate stories.

If I am gonna be real and honest with you all you need to know the side of me I like to call Hammered drunk Lindsay.

*Disclaimer, all facts are as close to real as I can remember.


So let me just set the stage for you. I was a junior in College, and my birthday is in September...yes my birthday is coming up soon. ( I have found that most bloggy ladies I follow also consider their birthday "month" a national holiday...weird...we like to write about our lives and think we are super awesome and deserve our own Holiday :))

I digress...My birthday is at the BEGINNING of September, and OBVIOUSLY I needed to make a big deal out of my 21st...I mean really...I have already been in college for 2 years...now all the partying I had been doing is now LEGAL. I must fair warn you, these are not years I am entirely proud of...however I had a DAMN good time, and although there are a few things ..ah hem boys...I would cut out, ignore, laugh at  choose to walk away from, I loved college.

I have written a letter to myself once before...find it here.. and it was slightly sappy and meant to be motivating, however, today's is meant more to slap the beer goggles off of my drunken 21 year old self.

Dear Linds (21),

I am sure by now you are completely FREAKED out that you are reading a letter from what seems to be your future self...yes this is real...put down the Hawkeye Vodka and Pepsi for a sec and read this with as much soberness as possible.

You are turning 21 and you are thinking OMG this is going to be a freaking awesome night, I may even meet someone...WRONG O!

holy boobs...why did I think it was ok to show the goods?

In fact the night of your big shin dig in big ole I.C., not only do you not meet someone nice (shocking at a bar), you meet about 5 CREEPS!

Someone will be dancing with another girl while trying to feel you up (enter creep 1), DON'T IGNORE this, turn around and slap that man...no wait you knee him in his man parts for being such a scum bag.

Note to self...when your friends tell you someone is "coyote UGLY" LISTEN TO THEM!....they do not have the beer goggles you do!... PLEASE and THANK YOU!

Later in the night I want you to THANK your guy friends who came with you...and THANK THEM A LOT...because NOT only do they give you water disguised as vodka...hardy har har....they will make sure you and everyone else gets BACK in the limo.

Good news is YOU will not be the puker, but you will also lose the sole attention that night...THAT'S OK..you survive!

A few days later you will bite the bullet and get your first (and only as of now) tattoo...don't let anyone talk you out of it..I promise you down the road you still don't regret it!! In fact you sometimes forget you have it...

Enjoy college, go to parties...but please please please go TO CLASS. Put more effort into your school work- I know boring, but seriously it will help you immensely later. ( While we are on that topic..DO NOT MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY- there is not a damn job out there that pays anything worth while)

Now, I know what you are thinking, who does this bitch think she is...I do what I want.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE listen to me I know my shit...the guy that you meet at wal mart while buying groceries ....at midnight...do NOT take his number..do NOT give him yours...He is the douchiest douche bag you will ever date( well right under the lying thief)...ok I take that back...he does give you a memorable date...however the beginning of said date..where YOU DROVE....he hits on the waitress...kindly get up and walk out on his ass leaving him there!

If you choose to ignore the info above..then listen to this- don't try to reason with someone who works at a damn mall kiosk...he is a LOSER!

Moving on, spring break...do NOT go to VEGAS....there will be a few nice people..but ONE major creep who I am quite sure drugs you...JUST DON'T DO IT!

Ok now on to fluffy love stuff...I know you are frustrated with not finding a "good" guy...enjoy your college days, I promise you, you will find the man of your dreams AFTER college! He is well worth the wait, so please don't waste any precious time or energy on dumb asses and douche bags...especially ones who will try to steal from you andddd succeed! ( you should have listened to me about the douchey guys)

I won't tell you anything more, But enjoy your time in college, the real world has its good points, but don't ignore all of the quality BS time you have now...live it up!

Here are a few words of wisdom....
1. Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks- ignore the snotty girls who make you feel fat
2. DO NOT try to meet a guy in a bar- they are there to party not look for a wife
3. Enjoy your friend's company you meet some life long friends in college and carry a few over from High school
4. Drink BEER- do NOT drink liquor..its BAD BAD BAD and you can not control the consumption
5.Stay away from ALL TKE parties....beer goggles...enough said
6.This is the last one and probably the most important for your health- STOP with the smoking- Nothing good comes from it and it only causes more damage- you don't need to get drunk that much faster..wait those "smoke breaks" you take that year will be some of the most memorable moments with a great friend so if you do choose to smoke..please DO NOT try and talk and hold a cigarette at the same time in your car..you WILL make burn marks...however the talks are so worth it!

So now feel free to pick up the Hawkeye vodka and Pepsi and drink on..hell go have a fish bowl margarita at La Haciendas...but please for the love of god EAT some food!

It's thirsty Thursday which also means its Cup night...just don't walk back alone!

Love, you at 26 (Me)

Here's a little slide show of me keepin it classy!...

this is what you will look like if you drink for over 8 hours and think you can still function...you're welcome

country parties are still the best parties...<3 my bestie

you can't get any classier than this my friends...oh wait if there were alcohol b/w my legs..THAT would be classier!

Well there you have it...my letter to me...I let some seriously personal things out of the bag..and before I go any further...yes I did quit smoking- its a nasty habit and I am glad I quit! Now about that drinking...I am about to go have a big ole glass of wine!