Staying On the Wagon

Hi, I'm Lindsay and I have fallen off the wagon.

Well, actually I had fallen off the wagon...but I caught up to that sucker and I'm firmly planted again.

No, I'm not confessing to you some deep, dark, secret habit involving Shirley Temples consumed in my closet after work. I'm talking about that age-old female struggle. You know the one...

...eating right and excercising!

Ew, right?

If you're a loyal GM Poodle you have noticed the absence of a semi-regular feature. OHF has been MIA for quite some time now. (If you're not familiar with OHF click here.) All excuses aside, there have been weeks (on end) where I simply haven't cared about my progress in this little competition. Those days, Poodle Dears, are over!

Couch-to-5K Training is still under way...big time. The whole "eating right" process? That's a little slower in coming, but thankfully I'm not alone in this...Philippians 4:13 backs that statement up, right?

So, keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for the return of 5K Friday! Oh, and OHF? Monday is the start of a brand new day in that neighborhood, too...with a possible twist.

Until then, I would love for you all to share your tips, tricks, hints, and helps on how you keep yourself firmly planted on the Eating Right & Exercising Wagon.

<3,

What Alarm Clock?

< .sarcasm. > I love it when I oversleep! < /sarcasm >

I didn't wake up until 7:40am this morning. I have to be at work by 8:15am 8:00am...which means I have to leave my driveway no later than 8:05am 7:50am. What does 10 minutes of time to get ready, take my Elderberry (can't be getting Swine Flu!), and make my breakfast mean?

It means the boys at work do not get "pretty Lins" today. They get "I-had-10-minutes-to-get-ready-and-7-of-those-minutes-were-occupied-by-Elderberry-consumption-and-PB&J-making Lins." Aren't they lucky!?

You can just imagine the sheer hotness that is radiating off of me at this very moment.

My poor coworkers. Those boys have to deal with me looking like this...


Instead of like this. (Obviously what I normally look like. Obviously.)


Those poor, dear Moodles. I do hope they'll manage.

I'm Tired of Sheepdog Chic!

My bangs are driving me INSANE!

Oh, and by the way, hello.

In February we had a Foxy Foursome date to go see "Bride Wars." For those of you that saw the movie, you know that Kate Hudson's character had amazingly-cute bangs. Well, she inspired Rachel and I and we were the proud owners of super-cute and trendy bangs by that next weekend.

Fast forward to May and the bang fad has run it's course. I miss the versatility of no bangs and I'm ready to have that back! Now, normally it's no problem for me to be creative with the in between stages of hair growth...that's where my days as a hairdresser come in handy! For some reason this time around has me stumped. I can't think of a single thing to do with these bangs during their "awkward stages."

And there will be a lot of awkward stages.

So, dear poodles, I need your help. I'm about to subject you to attach two pictures of me, taken 30 seconds ago. (Be gentle, don't criticize my fuzzy locks...it's about to storm here, the humidity is out of control, and my hair is letting me have it!) The first one will be with the bangs in their natural position and the second will be one of the two ways I normally handle the awkward stage - side swept.

For those of you that wonder, the other go-to method of taming these bad boys is to "bump them." For those of you not fluent in Lindsay-ese I'll include a visual reference as to what "bumping them" entails.

Oh, and for the record, I am every bit as adorable as whoever this is when I bump my bangs.
Just in case you were wondering.

What I need from you is help! (And lots of it.) Give me other ideas on how to tame these babies.

Things to consider:

1. I work 8am - 5pm in a shop full of mostly men. My typical workday attire is jeans, cute sneakers, and a polo shirt. I do not get fancy for work.
2. I like to look cute on the weekends solely because of consideration #1.
3. I do have some ability when it comes to my own hair, so I'm not afraid of a challenge.
4. I have zero problem cutting/trimming my own bangs as needed, so if your hairdresser pulled some magic on your growing out bangs, I can recreate that magic with proper instructions!
5. I have an arsenal of hair products under my sink, so that's not scary either!

With that, I give you....

Me in my natural habitat. (No laughing!)



That'd be what I call "Sheepdog Chic." They're just above my eyelashes when they're combed straight down. I will NOT be going with this look.



That would be go-to look #1. Flat iron the bangs, comb them to whichever side they prefer that day, and we're off. It's quick, it's easy, but it gets awfully boring. Plus, I can tell that once they get a little bit longer I'll be flinging my head like a pony trying to keep the bangs out of my right eye. I might be smokin' hot, but I don't think I can rock the Emo look, poodles.

Alright. Enough of my OCD-ness. Send me those ideas...y'all are so cute I'd be honored to take hair tips from you!

Thanks in advance for the hotness that I know will ensue as a result of your suggestions!

Love,

Truth Hurts

As I was blog stalking catching up on my Google Reader this morning I came across a post that really made me stop. One comment in particular kept coming to mind as I read. It reminded me of the mistakes we make as Christians and trying to walk out or faith in our daily lives.

The quote came from a blog that I hadn't seen before, but found as a result of my incessant Blog Roll stalking. (See, stalking pays off!) It said,

"If Christianity has taught me one thing, it’s to be a good liar."

The author talked about things that hit close to home for me. I know people that have attended the school she talks about in her post. I know people that live lives that closely resemble what she describes. I know people that have walked away from Christianity because they viewed it as something prohibitive, judgmental, and hypocritical. I can relate to some of those feelings because I've gone through most of them in the course of graduating high school and "finding myself."

Before I go any farther with my thoughts I would really encourage you all to go read the original post...not with judgment or condescension, but with an open mind and an open heart. Click here for a link to the post.

How did that post affect you? Did it make you think? Did it offend you? Did it hit home because it's how you feel as well?

As Christians we're called to be as close to "Christ-like" as possible. That's no easy task. I think that people take that desire to be like Christ in a direction that hurts others. So often we get caught up in the rules and regulations that we miss the real reason we are Christians. I am a Christian because I love God and I want to live my life in a way that brings Him glory.

There are things I won't wear, say, do, drink, watch, or listen to because of my own personal convictions. I wear pants. I wear skirts above my knee. I listen to all sorts of music. I work outside my home. I'm 27 and single. I shave my legs and tweeze my eyebrows. I dye my hair. (shhh!) I love make-up! I talk to "boys" (after dark even!) I do all of those things yet I don't think God loves me any less than He loves those that live life the way Pithy described it.

If we are driving others away from God by the life we lead, we need to take a step back and reevaluate what we're doing. God never promised being a Christian would be easy or popular, but He did call us to be Christ to the world. Have we forgotten that during His time on Earth Jesus spent his time with tax collectors and prostitutes? Not out of pity or charity, but because He loved them and valued them as children of God. Our faith doesn't make us "better" than others. My walk with God doesn't put me on a higher level than someone that doesn't believe in God. My walk with God and my faith simply gives me hope and strength to face what life brings me. It's something that means the world to me and I want to share that hope with others...it's so different than what you might think!

So Pithy (or fan's of her blog) or anyone else that isn't sure about this whole "Christianity" thing, if you're reading this post, I would like to apologize on behalf of all of the Christians that have judged you, talked down to you, said one thing and did another, or drove you away from God and the church. God loves each of you. Christianity isn't about hate and judgment...it's about a real, dynamic, personal relationship with a God that loves you more than you may ever understand.

I would love your comments...good, bad, or in between! I'm not afraid of different opinions! If you don't know God in a way that's real and personal email me...I would love to tell you more about what Christianity really means!

GoodbyeMartha (@) Gmail (.) com

Oh, and Pithy? Thanks for an amazing post today. It was just the wake-up call I needed.

Snorgs,
L-Dubb

Dear Frozen Food Poodles:

Added to the list of things that annoy me:

"Grill marks" on frozen chicken.

Thusly, I propose this open letter to the Big Kahunas at the frozen food factory...

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Dearest Frozen Food Poodles:

I am writing this letter in regards to the "grill marks" (and I use that term loosely) you seem to be so fond of. I know that you didn't take the 3 tiny strips of chicken I'm allowed to eat out to a 3-tiny-strips grill behind your factory. And I also know you most likely did not meticulously babysit them on said grill while waiting for perfectly symmetrical "grill marks."

In actuality, I'm not certain what you're feeding me is even really chicken...but I shouldn't expect too much from something I paid $1.19 for (with a coupon, thankyouverymuch!) and has a shelf life of 4 months.

So, Frozen Food Poodles, thank you for your effort, it's cute. Honestly, you can save the drawn-on-with-a-Sharpie "grill marks" for the next meal and just leave my "chopped, pressed, pre-molded chicken meats" nice and plain.

Many much snorgels,
L-Dubb





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Listening to: Eddie Money - Two Tickets To Paradise