The Perfect Pair -- Memorial Day Weekend & Racing

You ask any of my close friends and they will tell you that I have a passion for NASCAR racing.  As I watch the sport, I see more strategy than just speeding around an oval track.  I usually try to catch the stats from the truck races and Nationwide series and then try to tune into the Sprint Cup
With yesterday being a big race day with the Indianapolis 500, I decided I was going to check out that race too.  I know there is not much similarity between stock cars and Indy cars, but I figured why not see what all of the fuss was about.  I know the names of a few Indy car drivers, Danica, of course, (who's not really feeling the love in NASCAR), Dario Franchitti, and Helio Castroneves, but by far, my favorite driver of the Indy car series,

#12, Will Power.  Yes, that's really his name!  I giggled every time they mentioned him.  What's a race without Will Power?  Nothing I tell ya!!
Seriously though, it was a fun race to watch.  Congrats to Ganassi Racing and Dario for the big win!

In other racing news, the Coca-cola 600 was last night and MacMurray finished 2nd!!  There is a good possibility he could be in cup contention this season if he keeps racing this way. 

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day.  A former Marine and friend of mine posted this earlier, 
As you lay poolside with a drink in your hand, remember those who are in the sand. 
As you eat that delicious bar-b-que, remember those who fought for you. 
As you shop for the shoes with the perfect price, remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. 

Thanks to all of you who have served, continue to serve and have paid the price for our freedom.

Yes, I'm seriously that organized

With the upcoming holiday weekend we got to talking about schedules and things going on and just run of the mill items to take care of over the next few days and how it compared to years past.  No doubt, when asked a simple question like, "well, what did we do last year?" I whipped out my trusty 2 year planner from my purse and had that weekend, along with every other, noted in complete detail.  I don't know if that's something truly to be proud of or something to have myself committed for.

But, we got the answers we needed and overall I think my obsessive organization came in handy  Hmm, maybe I could make it as a personal assistant....

Completely random

Holding true to the title of the blog and since I still have a lot running through my head, I've decided why not just put some of what's happening right now out there...bad, good, or otherwise.

-- Today I got some unsettling health news from my doctor.  I was a bit shaken and concerned and still had to try to hold myself together.  I couldn't ask for 2 better people to help me through this and while I'm hopeful that everything will turn out ok in the end, I am extremely grateful for Broccoli and Coco's concern and willingness to do whatever possible to help me.  Broccoli had to deal with the tears at lunchtime, something I wouldn't wish on anyone cause I'm a pain when I start crying.  Yet, he was awesome as always.  Coco continued to stay positive and reminded me that I've gone through something like this before and everything worked out for the best.

-- My vitamin supplements and protein shakes were delivered today which made me extremely happy and I was even happier to see the extra bottle of supplements at no extra charge.  He did leave me a note to let me know that it wasn't a mistake too.  It's nice to know that someone appreciates my business.  Guess he's glad to see my order every 3 months for the past few years.  I'm gonna take this as an opportunity to pay it forward as well.

-- I'm planning 2 birthday celebrations at work this week.  SS turns 40 on Wednesday and of course the Party Planning Committee has to do something spectacular!!  I hope he likes what I've thrown together...strawberry jello cake (his favorite) and all!  Thursday is the President of the Company's birthday.  Usually, we throw an office-wide party but we always have someone try to rain on our parade.  This year, a select few of us decided to take him out for his birthday.  While we may be considered brown-nosers, we are also still very grateful for our jobs and we would like to show our appreciation to him.

-- I've had some kick ass workouts the last week or so.  I don't know if I'm just that full of energy right now or if I'm just determined to see my abs pop out before I put a swimsuit on.  I'm soooo close and I'd probably look like I'm even closer if I wasn't this pasty white.  (Note to self: On your extra day off for Memorial Day, try to get some sun.) 

-- I've already thought ahead about Father's Day and got the perfect gifts picked out for my Dad and even ordered one of them last weekend.  He's so hard to buy for because he always claims he doesn't need much.  This year, I thought outside of the box and BINGO!

Ok, enough randomness for now.  Have a good night!

Couldn't have said it better myself...

"If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
 -- Marilyn Monroe

No good reason that I'm up at 12:48 in the morning when I have to get up for work at 5 am, except for the fact that I've got way too much on my mind and can't make it quit.  The one good thing is that tomorrow is Friday and a fairly quiet day on the work front.  The bad thing is that if I don't get myself sorted out by lunchtime tomorrow, my weekend will be a complete mess and I will have wished that I had to work the next two days.

Ah, the joys of being Type A Lindsay.

Sometimes all it takes is a hug

Working in an office and an industry that is male dominated sometimes has its disadvantages.  Many days are stressful and some days pass with no more acknowledgment than a mean spirited joke or a sarcastic remark.  Most guys there don't understand why I get upset and get emotional over something that is a big deal when it seems so trivial to them.  I can usually get by though and I understand that men and women are most times on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Today is one of those days when I saw a different side of one of my male co-workers.  I left for lunch early because I had something to take care of and when I came back I went into the kitchen to grab my actual lunch.  While I was in there one of the guys that I see as a a "tough manly man" came in and we were making small talk as we were warming up our lunches.  He asked if I was alright and said that he noticed that I didn't seem like I had been myself all week and more so this morning.  I told him that it was an overly stressful week once again but that I would get through it and try to be that spunky chick again next week.  He laughed and I walked back to my desk to get back to work. 
A few minutes later, he walked back and asked if he could give me a hug because hugs from "CH" made everything better.  Yes, I know he was trying to be funny and it did make me laugh but the thought was nice.  Often times I think that these guys fail to realize that their female counterparts are human and have feelings, I was proven wrong today.

And yes, the hug did help....my afternoon was better.

Girl interrupted

The gym is like my sanctuary.  I know that sounds crazy, but while other people go to church to think or clear their minds, I go to the gym.  When I'm there, I usually have an idea of the workout I'm planning (minus the fact that sometimes the machines are tied up) and I focus intensely on calories burned, muscles worked and not getting too carried away so that I don't bulk up.  I've had personal trainers over time and from the lessons they've taught me, I think I've found a good balance to keep the weight off and work on my toning mission.  My time at the gym is not a time where I want to have a new trainer who is looking for new clients to come up to me and tell me that I need to add more weight to the already 45 lb bar I've got propped on my shoulders as I'm trying to do squats.  Yes, I understand you think you are helping me and yes, I know you're looking for clients, but please, do not interrupt my workout! 
I don't see you in there every time I'm in the gym, so by observing me for 5 minutes tonight, you can not tell me you have me figured out.  If I want advice or help, I will come find you.  I try to look intense in the gym for a reason and while you think I need to add more weight to my workouts, I know better.  Been there, done that.  And finally, yes, I realize that muscle mass weighs more than fat, but there is a range I like my weight to stay in between, even though I may gain muscle by adding weight, I don't want to gain any weight...I feel awesome right where I'm at!  Thanks so much for your input, but I'm ok with keeping the gym as my thinking playground.

Class of 2010

Tonight my brother graduates from college with his Bachelor's Degree in Business.  Hard to believe that he's already at that age.  Sometimes I still think of him as the little boy that won the cutest toddler contest at our local Walmart when he was 2 or on our first day of school when he started kindergarten and I made sure he got to his classroom without getting lost or as the teenager who took my high school challenge to heart and had perfect attendance for all four years (I missed one day junior year, dangit!).
Soon he will officially enter the real world, a world where he will be fully responsible for himself, a world where you worry more about salary negotiations, medical benefits, and 401k plans rather than who's bringing the beer and snacks over for a random weeknight night party.

I am extremely proud of him and all of his accomplishments so far and I know he will continue to do many great things and go many places!  Being the big sister that I am I do have to offer him one last piece of advice before he takes the plunge -- it's a quote by Henry David Thoreau,
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Congratulations Ryan!

Yes, that's really me

Today I had to go to the bank to cash a few checks.  I purposely did not include my driver's license, but gave them my bank ID with my name and account number.  The teller asked that I also submit my driver's license for further identification.  So I sent that in the little tube and from that point, I could have recited the chain of events verbatim before it took place....she asked it if was really me on my driver's license and then commented that I've really changed over the last few years.


You see, my driver's license was last renewed in January 2006 and is valid for 6 years, and on May 7, 2005, I decided to make a life altering decision to get healthy and get into shape.  I remember the day clearly, I went to put on summer clothes from the previous year and none of my capris or shorts fit.  I was sad, frustrated and feeling like the biggest blob in the world.  I decided from that day forward I would do what I could to get the body I wanted. 
I visited Attilio's (a former supplement and health store here in St. Louis) to see what I could do to lose the weight.  The good thing about Attilio's is that they were also getting into personal training and I decided to take them up on their new services.  My first appointment was the following week and come to find out my trainer was a former friend of mine from high school.  I weighed in that first night at 205 lbs and wearing a size 18.  My goal was to lose 20-25 lbs and be what I thought of as average size.
I busted butt all that summer with my trainer and then was forced to take on the weight loss challenge myself after he left to go back to active duty in the military.  By January 2006, I weighed 175 lbs...quite a difference from my high weight but still not exactly where I wanted to be.  I told the DMV that I weighed 165 lbs and that's what went on my driver's license.
Over the past 5 years, I've continued my fitness and weight loss and at this exact point in time, I weigh 122 lbs and wear a size 2-4.  That's right, I've lost 83 lbs in 5 years.  My BMI is excellent and I'm actually starting to see muscles pop out.  I love the gym and continue to eat very healthy (ie, mostly home-cooked lean meals, a lot of water and no fast food).  My friends and co-workers all make fun of me for my food and diet discipline and for the countless hours I spend at the gym or trying to get exercise other ways.  Most of them did not know me when I weighed my heaviest and some of them probably barely knew me when I started losing the weight and while it does bother me that they give me so much trouble for being a health nut, I know most of them will never know how much work at becoming a better me, physically.  Every day is a challenge of keeping the weight off and staying on track and remembering how far I've come.

The funny part of course is when I have to show ID, which happens more now that I'm 27 rather than when I was 21 or 22.  Most people look at it numerous times and then still question it.  A few weeks ago I tried going to the casino and they actually were not going to let me in because they said I couldn't prove that the person in the license was really me.  After producing credit cards, insurance cards, my check book and frequent purchase cards, I finally was let in with some hesitation.  In 2012, yes, I will get my new license but in the meantime I'm going to look at my current one as a measure of my hard work.

Call me crazy

My regular 50 hour a week Accounting/Admin job is enough to send me over the edge just about every single day due to my Type A personality but then I decided last week to take back on my consulting gig in my *ahem* spare time.
I went Saturday to check things out, talk to the owner (a friend) and see where we sat since it's been just over a year since I gave up that position.  Umm, yeah, its gonna take some time to get back into that groove but rather than waiting too long, I decided to head back to his office again tonight and decided to jump right in full force. 
After nearly 4 hours of work tonight, I'm only through May of 2009 in regards to reconciling bank accounts....I haven't even touched the rest of the general ledger accounts yet!  At least with this project, I can work at my own pace (well, somewhat) and maybe it will teach me some patience.  And hopefully that patience will spill over into my normal job because I could definitely use it there!  We'll see how I hold up in the month of May because I've decided the rest of my life is not going to suffer from this extra work load...instead, I'm working out at lunchtime and running errands in the few minutes between offices and still trying to plan ahead enough to make sure I don't miss other important events.  If I succeed, I just might nickname myself Super Woman.  If not, yeah, I'm definitely crazy.

Another day, another dollar still in my pocket

Last year some of the guys went to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, this year the trip was postponed because a wedding fell on the same weekend as the derby trip.
Since girls weren't invited, last year I gave the guys some money to make a few bets for me just for fun.  Mr. Hot Stuff was my favorite (resulting from an inside joke) but it didn't really matter since long shot, Mind That Bird shocked everyone and got the win.  I remember watching the TV coverage and catching jockey Calvin Borel so emotional when they interviewed him after the race, saying he had faith in the horse he was jockeying and even though Mind That Bird had 50-1 odds, he thought Mind That Bird could pull through and beat the field. 
This year, had the trip been a go, I'm not sure who I would have bet on...ok, I take that back, I probably would have had them put money on the horse with the funniest name.  It may have been Super Saver or one of the other 19 entered, depends on what I was feeling when I handed over my money.

But, I can say for sure, that if the trip is on next year and I have the chance to place a bet, I don't care what horse Calvin Borel is jockeying, I am picking that one!  Borel won his 3 derby in 4 years this year.  Incredible!  Whatever it takes to be a successful jockey, he definitely possesses it.