I know that currently the whole world is updating their blogs with all their amazing plans for themselves and their lives in the upcoming year, so sorry to be another of the same.
2011 was a year of extreme changes in my life. I left what I had always known in Chattanooga for the extreme unknown in Memphis. So far it has been an amazing experience that has pushed me and forced me to grow in my professional and personal life. I can no longer hide behind the familiar and safe, I have had to challenge myself to try new things, let go of old habits, and re-evaluate the plan that I thought I wanted for myself.
This year I have set some lofty goals for myself to continue my transformation from complacent little girl into a content women with purpose.
1. Make friends in Memphis. This is difficult because, as I have discussed with a few of you, I feel like no one I meet will ever live up to the amazing friends I already have so why bother... However, I miss having someone to do things with. A female presence in my daily life, not just by phone, text, or now facetime.
2. Live healthy. Since moving here I have realized I have become sedentary. I work, sleep, spend time with RJ. I hardly ever go outside and my energy level is zilch. My plan is to eat whole, real foods and exercise at least 4 days a week. RJ is doing this with me and we have set goals and plan to keep each other accountable. I am not particularly trying to be one of those new year's dieters, I just want to treat my body right and hopefully accept a new lifestyle.
3. Fall back in love with books. I used to love to read and would usually have a book or two on my bedside table, but when I am working all day the TV is much less maintenance. I got a bunch of new books for Christmas and instead of watching TV together in the evenings RJ and I have been relaxing and reading together.
4. Notice the little things. All too often I find myself finding fault in everything that is going wrong in my life. A pointless argument, a missed opportunity, a day that didn't go as planned, an accident that no one could have avoided. I let it ruin my day and my mood. Instead what I strive to do this year is make a point to notice the little things. The fact that RJ made the bed so I wouldn't have to (not the fact the pillows weren't right), the little accomplishments at work (even if I didn't get my whole to-do list crossed off), my sweet puppies' kisses (not the mess they made with their toys), etc, etc.
5. Possibly the hardest thing for me, but what I feel may bring the most change in my life. I want to stop comparing. Stop comparing myself, my life, my boyfriend, my home, everything. I know that it is instinctual to compare yourself either as a benchmark of success or as a means to feel superior. Either way it is not healthy. I want to learn to be content and grateful for what I have and not feel jealous or bad about myself for what I perceive I am missing.
So there you have it. Some pretty big goals. Feel free to offer encouragement and suggestions for success.
Love you and miss you all!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Merry Christmas from Memphis
Hi everyone,
I don't have a whole lot to say today.
I just wanted to pass along a link. I hope you all will take the time to watch it and then consider becoming a supporter. You don't have to give millions of dollars. All you have to do is spread awareness and be a champion for these children.
Carol of the Bells
This is why I moved to Memphis. They are why I get up and come to work everyday.
"No child should die in the dawn of life" Danny Thomas.
Pass the message along. You never know who may see it.
Love you,
Lindsy
I don't have a whole lot to say today.
I just wanted to pass along a link. I hope you all will take the time to watch it and then consider becoming a supporter. You don't have to give millions of dollars. All you have to do is spread awareness and be a champion for these children.
Carol of the Bells
This is why I moved to Memphis. They are why I get up and come to work everyday.
"No child should die in the dawn of life" Danny Thomas.
Pass the message along. You never know who may see it.
Love you,
Lindsy
Friday, December 2, 2011
Love, Change, and Sacrifice
Sometimes it isn't the big, life altering, major, things that can show you are actually in love. Sometimes it is the tiny battles that you concede, the witty comebacks you swallow, and the traditions you alter that show you are willing to be a "we".
In the past 6 months I have come to realize that, although I did make a HUGE, life changing, major, sacrifice by moving 5+ hours away from my family, it is the little things that show me I've changed.
Packing up my life and moving to Memphis was, in part, about being near RJ but it was also about the opportunity to work where I do. It was a tough decision, but it wasn't selfless by any means. I see the "we" in the sometimes forgotten little things that inhabit our every day lives.
It's the fact that this year I will have a REAL Christmas tree in my home. I have never, and never wanted or planned to have anything other than beautiful plastic. RJ had never, and never wanted or planned to have anything other than pollen laden, fire causing, straight from nature, pine. Thus, I conceded and I am giving the real thing a try, against my mother's wishes. Hopefully we won't die in a tragic house fire.
In the past 6 months I have come to realize that, although I did make a HUGE, life changing, major, sacrifice by moving 5+ hours away from my family, it is the little things that show me I've changed.
Packing up my life and moving to Memphis was, in part, about being near RJ but it was also about the opportunity to work where I do. It was a tough decision, but it wasn't selfless by any means. I see the "we" in the sometimes forgotten little things that inhabit our every day lives.
It's the fact that this year I will have a REAL Christmas tree in my home. I have never, and never wanted or planned to have anything other than beautiful plastic. RJ had never, and never wanted or planned to have anything other than pollen laden, fire causing, straight from nature, pine. Thus, I conceded and I am giving the real thing a try, against my mother's wishes. Hopefully we won't die in a tragic house fire.
The second reason that I know I love RJ is because I made his very favorite meal for dinner last week. Chicken and Dumplings. To some this may not seem like a sacrifice or a big deal at all, but they do not know my history with this food. Once upon a time when I was about 12 years old my mom made Chicken and Dumplings for dinner and they were good, delicious actually. However, that night I was more sick than I have ever been in my life. Although I cannot be sure it was the dumplings that made me this sick, after that night spent in pain on the bathroom floor, I vowed to NEVER eat them again. So when he begged and got his grandma's recipe I very reluctantly agreed to make but not eat them. Then I tried just a little bit of the broth, and then just a piece of the chicken, and then just one dumpling, and then a whole bowl. They were amazing and I did not get sick. If it had not been for RJ and giving in to HIS wants I would have missed out on this comforting and delicious food for the rest of my life.
Last but not least, I have somewhat altered my sassy personality. I think we all know that my lack of care for what people think and extreme love of snarkasm is not always well received. The first time I saw the honestly hurt look in his eye after, what I thought, was an awesome remark I realized that I had to the power to hit the buttons no one else could. Having this power comes with the responsibility to not use it, no matter how funny it may be.
There are a million little things that make up the person we are and I am not saying that to be in love is to completely lose yourself to the other person. What I am saying is that sometimes it takes love to point out and help improve the things about you that you need to change regardless. For me it is giving up a little control, realizing that my way is not the only right way, being OK with change and spontaneity, and having ever lasting patience and tolerance.
The best lesson I ever learned about relationships is to spend each day loving and making the other person happy and to find someone who does the same. In our relationship if each of us put the other before ourselves we will surely live a blessed life.
Here's to the little things.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Scratch that
I don't know how my life can sometimes be so boring and hectic at the same time, but it is.
That being said, I am not the greatest at remembering to blog about the things that I mean to, and have the best intentions to, so I give up.
Not on the blogging world as a whole, but on set deadlined topics.
You get what you get when you get it. AND YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LIKE IT!
That being said, I am not the greatest at remembering to blog about the things that I mean to, and have the best intentions to, so I give up.
Not on the blogging world as a whole, but on set deadlined topics.
You get what you get when you get it. AND YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LIKE IT!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Comfort Without the Calories
I think I have probably bored you all to death with my cheerful optimism lately, but I AM happy.
If I had to pick one problem that comes with being happy it is that you also start to get a little too comfortable. I have seen it happen all too many times, same scenario different friend or acquaintence. Let me break the equation down for you: happy relationship= fatty foods=FAT newlywed/girlfriend or boyfriend.
It's only natural to want to lavish your best(read: worst for you) creations on your significant other and pair that with dinner date nights and popcorn at the movies and your normal 1,500-2,000 calorie diet just exploded. Couple this "new love cooking" style with the desire to do nothing but cuddle in your new house and the pounds basically jump onto your body. I'm not saying that I have merely seen this, I admit I have been there too.
However, I have also learned how to get the same comfort without the calories. You don't have to add sour cream, cream soup, shredded cheese, butter, mayo or any other Paula Dean endorsed food to every meal. It can taste just as good if you make an effort to find alternatives and expand your culinary point of view.
I LOVE to cook. I would cook even if no one was there to eat it. Even after a long day I still go home and make dinner, not because I feel obligated, but because I honestly enjoy it. Therefore, I wanted a way to document and share my healthier versions of classic comforting meals.
This week's menu: They are easy!
Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs with wedge salad
Tuesday: Salmon Croquettes with roasted ranch potatoes and 7-layer salad
Wednesday: Roast Chicken with fried green beans and praline sweet potato
Thursday: Chicken salad and zuchhini cakes
Friday: Homemade calzones
Saturday: Buffalo wings with bleu cheese dipping sauce
As you can see, we are not restricted to celery and water in our home. We love food and we like to eat, but even the seemingly calorie laden dishes are tricksters.
Stay tuned for the recipes!
If I had to pick one problem that comes with being happy it is that you also start to get a little too comfortable. I have seen it happen all too many times, same scenario different friend or acquaintence. Let me break the equation down for you: happy relationship= fatty foods=FAT newlywed/girlfriend or boyfriend.
It's only natural to want to lavish your best(read: worst for you) creations on your significant other and pair that with dinner date nights and popcorn at the movies and your normal 1,500-2,000 calorie diet just exploded. Couple this "new love cooking" style with the desire to do nothing but cuddle in your new house and the pounds basically jump onto your body. I'm not saying that I have merely seen this, I admit I have been there too.
However, I have also learned how to get the same comfort without the calories. You don't have to add sour cream, cream soup, shredded cheese, butter, mayo or any other Paula Dean endorsed food to every meal. It can taste just as good if you make an effort to find alternatives and expand your culinary point of view.
I LOVE to cook. I would cook even if no one was there to eat it. Even after a long day I still go home and make dinner, not because I feel obligated, but because I honestly enjoy it. Therefore, I wanted a way to document and share my healthier versions of classic comforting meals.
This week's menu: They are easy!
Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs with wedge salad
Tuesday: Salmon Croquettes with roasted ranch potatoes and 7-layer salad
Wednesday: Roast Chicken with fried green beans and praline sweet potato
Thursday: Chicken salad and zuchhini cakes
Friday: Homemade calzones
Saturday: Buffalo wings with bleu cheese dipping sauce
As you can see, we are not restricted to celery and water in our home. We love food and we like to eat, but even the seemingly calorie laden dishes are tricksters.
Stay tuned for the recipes!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
On the wagon.
So, I'm not much of a bandwagon person. In fact, I am pretty much the opposite. If I notice that something is becoming increasingly popular I tend to stray from joining in. Thus was the reason I intentionally did not join in on the "things I am thankful for" daily posts on Facebook or my blog. I don't discredit the idea, in fact I think it is an amazing way for people to step back and actually find the things that are good in their lives instead of always dwelling on the negative.
Bringing me to my point...I give in, on this one. I suppose if you truly believe in what you are doing it shouldn't and doesn't matter if the whole world (or no one else) is doing it. Instead of making a daily list, I promise to post 10 things every 10 days 3 times in November.
Ten Thanks God Things
1. Thank you for my life. In the most true sense, I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful that I have lived 26 years on this Earth. I am reminded daily that not every child gets to grow up to experience all other things that one could be thankful for, but I have.
2. Thank you for my family. My mother and father chose to bring me into this world and then chose to raise me to be the person I am today. I have been blessed with 3 built-in best friends as siblings and I love each one with every fiber of my body and soul. I am thankful for the unconditional love that I receive daily from all of them.
3. Thank you for my education. I am blessed with knowledge and that knowledge has led me down the path that I am meant to be.
4. Thank you for love. I was never one to really dream about Prince Charming. Don't get me wrong, I dreamed about the perfect life as a wife and mother, but never about the man in particular. Never-the-less, I have been given a man that most of the time I don't deserve. I am admittedly difficult but he loves me anyway and always tries his best to give me what I want and make me happy. His love makes me a better person.
5. Thank you for giving me friends who get me. Looking back I cannot imagine my life without them in it. I did not know as I went through all of grade school and high school that there were actually REAL friends waiting for me in college, but I am eternally grateful.
6. Thank you for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I am amazed daily that this place exists and that I am a part of it. For anyone operating on the belief that it is just another really great charity, I BEG you to read the story of its founding, read the stories of its patients, and then realize that it is a place that is completely unique. The dream, the vision, and the promise all began in a church, so I dare you to argue that it was not some kind of divine intervention that created the place I am lucky enough to call my professional home.
7. Just to lighten the list...Thank you for food. Food is my outlet for creativity and my means of expressing myself. It gives me pleasure to be able to create something that brings others joy.
8. Thank you for making me stubborn. As funny as it is I love that I am stubborn. Some may view it as difficult, but I am who I am and sometimes I want what I want. This trait may get me in trouble in some situations, but it has also gotten me to where I am today and today is where I am happy.
9. Thank you for my struggles and sadness. Without them I would have no reference point to feel true joy or accomplishment. The road has not been easy, I have felt real pain in my life but I have also felt real love and joy and I could not have had one without the other.
10. Thank you for giving me something greater than myself to believe in. I need that more than I let on.
So, a little introspective reflection goes a long way. I am happy to share my thoughts and blessings. It makes them real, gives credit where credit is due, and allows me to remember, not just today, but whenever I need a reminder that my life is blessed.
Bringing me to my point...I give in, on this one. I suppose if you truly believe in what you are doing it shouldn't and doesn't matter if the whole world (or no one else) is doing it. Instead of making a daily list, I promise to post 10 things every 10 days 3 times in November.
Ten Thanks God Things
1. Thank you for my life. In the most true sense, I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful that I have lived 26 years on this Earth. I am reminded daily that not every child gets to grow up to experience all other things that one could be thankful for, but I have.
2. Thank you for my family. My mother and father chose to bring me into this world and then chose to raise me to be the person I am today. I have been blessed with 3 built-in best friends as siblings and I love each one with every fiber of my body and soul. I am thankful for the unconditional love that I receive daily from all of them.
3. Thank you for my education. I am blessed with knowledge and that knowledge has led me down the path that I am meant to be.
4. Thank you for love. I was never one to really dream about Prince Charming. Don't get me wrong, I dreamed about the perfect life as a wife and mother, but never about the man in particular. Never-the-less, I have been given a man that most of the time I don't deserve. I am admittedly difficult but he loves me anyway and always tries his best to give me what I want and make me happy. His love makes me a better person.
5. Thank you for giving me friends who get me. Looking back I cannot imagine my life without them in it. I did not know as I went through all of grade school and high school that there were actually REAL friends waiting for me in college, but I am eternally grateful.
6. Thank you for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I am amazed daily that this place exists and that I am a part of it. For anyone operating on the belief that it is just another really great charity, I BEG you to read the story of its founding, read the stories of its patients, and then realize that it is a place that is completely unique. The dream, the vision, and the promise all began in a church, so I dare you to argue that it was not some kind of divine intervention that created the place I am lucky enough to call my professional home.
7. Just to lighten the list...Thank you for food. Food is my outlet for creativity and my means of expressing myself. It gives me pleasure to be able to create something that brings others joy.
8. Thank you for making me stubborn. As funny as it is I love that I am stubborn. Some may view it as difficult, but I am who I am and sometimes I want what I want. This trait may get me in trouble in some situations, but it has also gotten me to where I am today and today is where I am happy.
9. Thank you for my struggles and sadness. Without them I would have no reference point to feel true joy or accomplishment. The road has not been easy, I have felt real pain in my life but I have also felt real love and joy and I could not have had one without the other.
10. Thank you for giving me something greater than myself to believe in. I need that more than I let on.
So, a little introspective reflection goes a long way. I am happy to share my thoughts and blessings. It makes them real, gives credit where credit is due, and allows me to remember, not just today, but whenever I need a reminder that my life is blessed.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Slacker............I know
Don't worry folks, I'm not dead in a gutter somewhere. I actually have some reasons(excuses) for having abandoned you these past few weeks.
First, I have written some posts and not published them because they need the pictures to accompany them. I have had the best of intentions to upload the pictures every night, but somehow I never actually make it so far as to plug in chord and do it. So, hopefully, I will do that soon and I can update you on all that has been going on.
Bringing me to my second "reason". I have been moving at the speed of light lately. I feel like 2 weeks have flown by and I didn't even realize it. It was my birthday, Halloween, and Bri's wedding, all while also being crazy, busy at work. So, my focus has not been on all of you and updating...sorry kids.
Keep an eye out, you may just get 3 billion posts at once.
Lots of love to you all from the not-as-pretty-as-Chattanooga western side of the state.
First, I have written some posts and not published them because they need the pictures to accompany them. I have had the best of intentions to upload the pictures every night, but somehow I never actually make it so far as to plug in chord and do it. So, hopefully, I will do that soon and I can update you on all that has been going on.
Bringing me to my second "reason". I have been moving at the speed of light lately. I feel like 2 weeks have flown by and I didn't even realize it. It was my birthday, Halloween, and Bri's wedding, all while also being crazy, busy at work. So, my focus has not been on all of you and updating...sorry kids.
Keep an eye out, you may just get 3 billion posts at once.
Lots of love to you all from the not-as-pretty-as-Chattanooga western side of the state.
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