Struggling with Juggling

Thank goodness Friday has finally come!

Yesterday was my long day at school, namely 7a-9p.

And the semester finally decided to do that one thing where you're sitting there all calm and nonchalant and it sneakily adds about a BAZILLION more tasks to your to do list without you noticing until your teacher says, "Well, you've certainly got your work cut out for you," and suddenly you're staring up at a tower of to do's as high as the moon and you think, "OH! That's what they mean by 'reach for the stars'...

Yep! This semester just turned into exactly what I was expecting of my final semester of college...whatever the opposite of 'a walk in the park' is.

A sprint through the desert?

There. Now that I've succeeded at being melodramatic I will attempt something inspirational for all of you who are struggling with juggling, too.

Ah-hem...

1 - Take a DEEP, cleansing breath

2 - Thank Heavenly Father for these opportunities to grow and ask for His help. Then, read THIS.

3 - Look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I can SO do this!"

4 - Do some jumping jacks in place and take a jab or two at an invisable opponent. Why? Cause it's fun and that's what they do in all the sports movies before they do something really hard.

5 - Ready? Take one step toward your goal

6 - GOOD JOB! Now take another step toward your goal

7 - Keep breathing, laughing, and enjoying every moment. Someday you'll look back on these experiences and go, "Wow! That really changed my life. I really wish I had enjoyed it more."

8 - Whistle while you work. Remember how happy Snow White was when she was cleaning that nasty little cottage? It's cause she made it an enjoyable experience by dancing, singing and laughing.

9 - Keep taking small steps and small victories until you've reached your goal.

10 - Celebrate! PARTAAAY! You've most definitely earned it.

11 - Now get ready to learn something else exciting, new and fabulous about yourself, because the next journey is about to begin

12 - Start back at 1

It's Life.

...and by now I hope you know how I feel about Life.

(see blog header)

;)

Heartstrings of the Week: High-Pitched Hip Hop

*PPP = Pinky Promise Project for more PPP posts go HERE

Ok.

So...I don't know how y'all feel about the new chipmunk movies. I saw the first one and it was ok. Kinda meh. My n&ns love 'em!

HOWEVER! The Chipmunks music has always been something near and dear to my heart since my childhood days of watching The Chipmunks cartoon (or as I called it "The Chickmunks"). Those were good times. My favorite episodes were the ones with The Chipettes. My older sisters always got to be Brittany & Eleanor and I was stuck being Jeanette. Lame.

My friend Jalene & I even busted out a sweet chipmunk album of our own via my karaoke machine when we were in high school. One of our songs is still the ringtone on my phone. Haha! Good times.

So, I'd like to introduce you to a song that my cousin Emily referred me to for my workout playlist: "We're The Chipmunks" the remix from their latest movie!

This video has the old 80's version and new hip hop version, but if you just want to hear the new one, which truly is THE BEST CYCLING/DANCE SONG on my "IT BURNS!!!" playlist then...

...forward to 1:25 in the video below.

P.S. Turn up the volume and get ready to rock out!

You won't be able to hold still.

WHOOP! WHOOP!

This song has inspired many a dance party in my kitchen while making dinner.

So, here's a little PPP challenge for y'all - Get moving!!

How many Pinky Promise Project participants do we have on board?

Please, check the "I'm Too Lazy To Write About How Much I Like This ;)" box below if you are! Together we can reach our fitness goals!

We've got fun things comin' up

Including the BEST healthy recipe I've ever had:

"Sweet Potato & Black Bean Fajitas"

Be excited. Be VERY excited!

Time For Feeling

Today was one of "those" days. I'm using past tense like it's already over cause it makes me feel better. You know "those" days, right?

The ones where you are SO frustrated that you nearly cry whenever you try to talk.

The ones where your teacher misuses their stubborn power to make you late for your internship...the one that THEY are enforcing.

One of those days where you listen to hymns on your iPod to keep you from snapping innocent people in half when they merely attempt to interact with you.

One of those days when you simply chant, "We're all children of God. We're all children of God. We're all children of God..." to keep your ears from blowing steam.

Ok, ok. Ventilation terminated.

Crazy busy + BIG changes + BIG decisions - Sleep = Moody Me

So. What now?

As I see it, I have TWO decisions:

1) Continue to be moody, crabby, and miserable for matters beyond my control. Snap at people, take a nap to smother out my responsibilities and emotions, listen to sad music, and potentially spread my lame unhappiness to all those I come in contact with...

OR

2) Breathe in. Breath out. Give myself a pat on the back for doing my very best. Change that misery to happiness right this instant and share it with those who are rooting for my success. Listen to happy music, dip strawberries in chocolate, give people hugs, smile and keep working hard...

Because frankly, Life has this strange tendency to keep happening whether I'm ecstatic or completely peeved. So...I can either sit and stew and watch Life pass me by or I can GO AND DO and cherish the things that are going right. Those things that Heavenly Father has, in perfect love, placed in my path as His way of saying,

"I know you are doing your best. Here is something wonderful to make today easier for you, because I love you perfectly and desire your happiness."

It makes my heart hurt to think of the times that He's reached out and I've huffed right by in my childish crossness, completely oblivious to His tender mercies and love. My goodness! WHY? "I'm only human" has never seemed like a more inadequate excuse. And the only "I'm sorry" that will cut it, is the kind that requires my feet to move, my hands to serve, my heart to soften and my soul to sing praises of gratitude to all that He has done for me.

So. What now?

I check this day off as another lesson learned in a moment of weakness and frustration and I try a little harder to be a little better. Starting NOW.

Because today the sun shone on my face. And today Trax didn't break down on the way to my internship. And today my friend texted me a hilarious picture when I was about to burst into tears of frustration. And today Dad gave me his extra sandwich for lunch and offered to drive me to BestBuy to buy a new pedometer (thanks for the tip-off, Lindsey!).

See! Today isn't so bad after all.

Heavenly Father is in the details

Today and every day.

Stop and feel His love.

You know?
All those beautiful things

Surrounding you like a hug.

The Good News & The Bad News

The bad news first? I think so.

So... I realized my pedometer was missing about 5 hours after my run yesterday morning. When I realized it was gone, I went on a walk, retracing every step I had taken in my run. I crossed the busy street and passed junior high kids as they walked home from school. A group of junior high skater boys said "Hey! How's it goin?" as I passed and, thinking nothing of it (teenagers don't really need excuses to do things "differently"), I responded, "Hey! Fine thanks." I walked a bit further and saw a little grey lump sitting in the middle of the parking lot. MY PEDOMETER! I quickened my pace and picked it up and held its little broken shell in my hands. The screen was smashed, the edges gashed (that rhymes!) and my poor little pedometer was dead. Run over by a car no doubt :(


You know how much I love my pedometer. What, with all the posts I've written about how it keeps me focused on fitness, the one about the time in San Diego that I walked double my daily goal around Coronado Island. :( I'm sad. Much more sad about losing this than I was about Madre sucking up my earbuds with the vacuum. I've been wearing my pedometer for the past like 3 years straight... So, I'm now on the hunt for a new one. Anyone know were to find an Omron Pedometer? They're amazing.

*sigh*

The good news?

Well, on my way back, the same group of little 14 year-old skater boys saw me coming and walked up to me. One of them said,


"Hey! What's your name."


"Lindsay," I responded, still walking.


"Hey, guys, this is Lindsay!"


The "guys" chimed, "Hey, Lindsay!" and laughed


Then he said, "Are you in high school? You look like you're in high school."


I laughed and said, "Haha. Nope I'm not. But thanks!" still walking.


"Oh. Well where do you go to school?"


I paused before responding...then turned and said,


"I'm about to graduate from the U of U."


You should've seen his face. That image alone made my day! Haha. Oh yeah! And the fact that I apparenetly still look like I'm in high school. BOOYAH!

The End.

Enjoy your Saturday :)

I Dare You

...to click on this and leave me a comment on here of what you think

(the good, bad and ugly) about my online design portfolio:

I TRIPLE dog dare you.

Please & thank you!

Mommed

One sunny Spring afternoon in January (yesterday to be exact) I was sitting at my internship desk sorting files, resizing images and organizing a pretty stinkin' gorgeous layout (if I do say so myself) when suddenly my phone started to buzz. The caller I.D. read: "Mama Mia". I smiled, flipped it open and answered quietly,

Me: "Hi, Mom."

Mom: "Hi, Lou. Uh...you know those earphone things you used to have?"

Me: "My earbuds? Yeah, I still have them."

Mom: "No...you used to have them."

Me: (pause)

Mom: "I accidentally ran over them with the vacuum and they're in pieces..."

Me: (pause)..."Hahahaha"

Hahaha. Still laughing.

I love my mom!

Sorry, Apple.

Dislike & Love - Part VII

Today I Dislike:

scrambled eggs that smell like fish,

stress-induced breakouts,

the rumbly in my tumbly

(Winnie the Pooh reference? Anyone?),

my pre-backbrace-&-violin-lessons-posture that's creeping back,

waking up at 5:30am,

being treated like "one of the guys",

the Linux operating system

(that's nerd-speak for "really lame computers"),

my daily (YEP! EVERY DAY!) headaches,

hitting the funny bone in my LEG (didn't know my leg had one of the those),

ex-people that insist upon rubbing their relationships in my face

(Because, frankly my dear I don’t give a darn),

. . .

Today I Love:

the fact that my bangs are almost long enough to tuck behind my ear

(WHOOP! WHOOP! The hair! It grows!),

young men that are understanding,

my spinner CTR ring - most entertaining piece of jewelry I've ever had

(it also doubles as a flirtation device - what my friends and I call "F.D.'s"),

the thought of getting off my shift in 7 minutes!,

that The Biggest Loser is on tonight,

living with the best parents on the planet

I get the feeling I'm going to miss seeing them 24/7...someday,

my BFF Travis,

the kind and talented folks at The Design Farm,

my leather aviator jacket,

that I got two of my sisters-in-law to read "Fifteen" by Beverly Cleary

potentially the cutest, most innocent love story on the planet,

Kid History on YouTube,

all y'all for stopping by and being my friends!

Ah. My Love List is longer than my Dislike List...just as it should be!

Guys, Good, & Going Green Garbage

*Apologies to my Facebook friends. Some of these random thoughts have been Facebooked about previously.

The good and bad of finding that your phone somehow made its way into the lining of the sofa while you were napping. Bad: You'll probably end up calling it at least 5 times before you find its general vicinity. Good: You get a complimentary massage for your patience if it's on vibrate.

- - -

Turns out boys don't appreciate you talking to them in any way, shape or form unless you're interested in them. This could get tricky.

- - -

I love people. People make life awesome. What would life be like without people? Probably something like the movie "I Am Legend" but I wouldn't know cause I still haven't seen it...and I'm happy to keep it that way.

- - -

If you have one of those macs with a really shiny screen and your wallpaper is black it tends to make a GREAT mirror if you by chance ran right out the door 5 minutes after waking up and didn't have time to fix your hair at the stoplights. That, in a nutshell, may or may not be the way this week is going for me.

- - -

If you want to increase your productivity and level of happiness every single day, the only sure way I have found is to diligently study THIS BOOK before jumping in to anything else. It sounds crazy, but if I do this before I even touch my homework, I'm much happier and seem to accomplish more than I'd otherwise be able to. Blessings, friends, that's what those are called.

- - -

Freshly dipped chocolate-covered cinnamon bears should be a regular part of everyone's diet. Mm-mm-mm!

I understand the whole "going green" environmental protection thing...but can we recycle everything BUT the things we put in our mouths? Cause frankly, I'm sick of eating with recyclable utensils on those days when I forget to bring my own plasticware for lunch. It's like they have the golden touch...accept that everything they touch tastes like garbage.

- - -

This morning when I woke up I had the word "unconscionable" stuck in my head. It would seem that I am sequentially accumulating intellective elements in my cerebrum whilst drifting in my nocturnal reverie. Yes. Quite.

- - -

Yesterday I had my first Intermediate Pilates class. It should almost count as an Anatomy credit, too, because I'm pretty sure I never knew how many muscles I had in my legs until now. Ouchy.

- - -

I think all mornings should start somewhere between 7:30 and 9:30am. I swear I sleep at night, but the way I feel at 5:30am doesn't reflect a single second of that. Lame.

- - -

You know you spend way too much time on your laptop when you lift the lid of the toilet to clean it and expect to hear the start up sound of your computer.

- - -

I think a vacation from my regularly scheduled life would be fabulous right about now. Bahamas anyone? And perhaps a detour through Europe?

- - -

I've been thinking about inventing a new interactive dancing/belting game for the Kinect that allows you to partay it up while dealing with break-ups and weight loss all in one! I think I'll call it "You, Me and Beyonce!" I have high hopes.

- - -

I think I crave carbalicious breakfast foods more than anyone I know... Like right now for instance. Anyone got a pancake they're not using? ;)

...I think it's safe to say that having an empty stomach greatly influences the content of my "random" thoughts.

Have a good day, everybody!

The Art of Failing

Today in my Design Process class (first day of last semester, whoop whoop!) my teacher was talking about one of his heroes, Pablo Picasso, and his childlike ability to experiment and do things outside of the "norm."

That really got me thinking and I think I've come up with an appropriate definition of "grown-up"

grown-up [grohn-uhp] noun

One who shuns failure.

Ok... So what?

Consider a child playing with building blocks. They build and build, concentrating on getting the right sizes and colors for their creation, then what do they do once their tower is complete? They knock it down and watch the blocks crash and tumble. Why? So they can build a new one.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Children have mastered, what I like to call, The Art of Failing. They don't see a broken tower as a set-back, but an opportunity to build something new, something better.

For what it's worth, I've failed PLENTY of times in my life and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't reluctant to gather up the scattered blocks and start all over again. But I'd also be lying if I didn't mention the depth of appreciation I've realized while building each new tower. I'm no master architect or what have you, but I believe each broken tower has gotten me to where I am today. And you know what? I'm SO excited about the blocks that I have in my hands and the thought of placing them where they're meant to be makes me giddy. Giddy I tell you!

So, keep failing, folks.

And keep building beautiful things :)