Updates...

I have not been posting because I am off the map, or a quitter...

I have not been posting because I have been doing way too much...

OH THE GOALS I'VE ACCOMPLISHED!! I can't believe all that I have to tell you about the past few months. These posts will take me forever to finish, but the stories are crazy and fun. This year has been something else. And I can't wait to tell you all about it. This week I am hoping to get this thing back on it's feet and running on FULL speed. Get ready to get your hair blown back....

Oh and now here is my favorite video right now....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr9_5uZn6ds

God Tried to Kill me today...

Well...not really...but man do I feel like it.

My soul has been tapped out and left for dead on the floor of academic Christian schooling. Today was the hardest paper I had to write. Bible papers are difficult. They aren't like normal academic papers where if you get something wrong you are just wrong. In Jesus school if you get something wrong you have accidentally committed heresy against the God you serve. Oops. That makes writing and researching way more terrifying.

The other reason that Christian writing is extra hard is because not only could you accidentally commit heresy, you could accidentally change Christian doctrine. What? We don't want to do that, that's the worse thing we could do....But it's totally possible if you are wrong at something.

I just wrong something that was 11 pages long and I have no idea anything that I put on paper. or if it's right, or if it will pass the grade, or if it was in English. Maybe I started to break out and write in tongues, I don't know. Depending on your denomination that is totally plausible!!!

This is what I do know. I need turkey. I need football. I need to bite my tongue while listening to painful family conversations. I need pajama pants...post pie eating pants...snuggling. I need puppies. I need naps. Did I say I need football? I do I need football. I need to scream at a screen while men can't figure out which jersey to throw to, (thanks Simms). I need to high five with my guy friends and speak stats with abandonment! I need to do all of that while Snuggling a cute Roedel boy. Shout out to Riley!!

But all of this is okay...Because the hard part is over and I am on a downhill to experience all of that. I knew that that I loved Jesus. I know that I wanted to go to school for Jesus. I knew the LACK OF biblical knowledge I did not have. But I wasn't prepared to feel like I did when I was first learning how to drive: Given way too much power or responsibility without any idea how to work it. I know that will pass....hmph.

I need to eat Panera Bread....

Here Comes Denver...

I sit here in my couch in Cheyenne as I write this to you...

Outside is a green truck filled to the brim with everything I will need to live on my own. There is just one problem...

I don't want tot be on my own...

So far with this crazy plan everything has magically fallen into place. Financial Aid came through in the end. I found a job that provided me room and board! I was able to scronge up money for everything and so far any road blocks that have been in my way have been easily removed by the Lord.

So then why do I sit on my couch in Cheyenne, WY and wonder if I am making a mistake?

Cause I don't want to be on my own.

When God calls us to big plans, to big dreams, to the biggest working for his kingdom two things are always true: It will not always be easy, and it will involve risk. Right now I feel as though I am not only taking risk, but gambling with the things that I value most. Like MY MARRIAGE, or my financial future, or the life of my animalsm or my career. But most of all my marriage. How does one expect to be a supportive wife 100miles away?

I don't want to be on my own.

I sleep better in a crowded bed now! I like making dinner for two, not just one. I enjoy having programs we watch together. I just like being married. It's the best thing to ever happened to me, and the biggest blessing in my life. So how dare I be careless enough to put it in a risky situation?!? Am I following God or just being reckless?

Neither. I have to remember that I am following the will of God, and if I am not, He will tell me and I'll come home. And as for my husband, it is rock solid. And we communicate awesomely and as he said:

"No matter what happends, no matter where we are, or where you are, we will always be okay. I am not going anywhere."

It's time to have faith in my two favorite men in the world, Jesus and Rick, and hit the road. There is nothing wrong with being reckless, not with Jesus. Wish me luck, hope this post makes sense!

I'm Back!!!

Oh, the places you'll go when you stop writing on your blog!!

If you haven't noticed blogger fans, I have dropped off of the face of the planet. Why, you may ask? Because I didn't have a computer!! Finally convenience and ability came hand in hand and in the end I lost! I don't know what I lost against, but I certainly did not win!!

But there is good news, A NEW COMPUTER!!! That means, CONSTANT BLOGS!! For who? FOR YOU!! If you only knew of ALL the adventures that I have been on. Be excited! And also meet my new HP Pavillion Dv2 laptop! It is cute and tiny and just what I need to get ready for grad school. That's right, grad school. Which I start in two weeks. I missed you! Hope you missed me!!

Wednesday Filler, Don't forget To Read Tuesday's!

As Many of you have caught On I am really bad with posting on Wednesday. So Here is a filler of Awesome.....


If you need more awesome I encourage you to read the late yet long post from last night.

Bolder Boulder, The Recap....

It is all said and done and frankly I looked good doing it...

There is alot to recap from beginning to End but instead of just writing beginning to end about the race, I think that I will do it in List Form!

Things that were NOT helpful

1. People running dressed in costume. I will completely own that I was taking this thing way to seriously, but come on. You are making a mockery of my struggle.

2. People with hoses wanting to spray me. I have enough Body weight, I have no need to carry water weight as well! What are you thinking?! And Now I have to run farther JUST to get away from you! Get back in your house!

3. Arrogant people....Fine, go sprinting for the first .2 miles, you have 6 more to go! Tortoise and the Hare, People! Tortoise and the Hare...

4. Hills....Uphill is hard and the first half is all uphill! Which makes you feel like a TOTAL loser!! But if you run it smart you will catch all those people in the end. I promise. See #3 above.

Things that WERE helpful.

1. College kids passing out cups of Vodka....From the bottom of my heart thank you and God bless. You have no idea how great that helped. The only thing better would be if you were passing out Narcotics!

2. People with Marshmallows....Yes I would love to catch it with my mouth while running!! What fun!! And frankly refreshing!

3. Running with my Ipod. This is a big "NoNo" in the Bolder Boulder because they want you to be able to hear things if something happens. But It really helped me get outta freakin' myself outta the race! I just put on the podcast that I trained to and had my virtual coach get me to the end.

4. People running dressed in costume. It made you easy to remember when I passed your cocky face on mile 5!

5. The 5 k Marker!

6. Shoes!

7. The course between mile marker 4 and 6. God Bless the person who designed that, may you have many children! Totally easy run! Well, it felt easy...that might have been the vodka...It is nearly all downhill and in the heart of Boulder and is totally easy and fun to run! I think that might have been my best mile time!

8. People Dressed as mascots cheering you on...I hugged all of them. They were both surprisingly comfy and comforting!

9. People watching with puppies and/or dogs. All puppies possess recharging people power! It is way easier to run when you are passing cute puppies as you run by. It's like a live Cuteoverload.com! (See Sidebar)

10. Live Bands...Again, Thank you! Especially the band whose act was entirely all Blues Brothers. And they truly looked like them! I would have stopped for a picture but it would have slowed me down!

And Last but certainly not least....

An entire stadium of people, equal to the population of Cheyenne, cheering you on as you cross the finish line. That orange banner you see there is the finish, you finish in front of them all while they cheer you to do your best. I kinda want to imagine that is what heaven will be like; Me sprinting in while everyone whose already is there cheers and reaches over to give me high fives as I pass. Awesome.

Now as you may remember the goal was not just to run the race. That would have been easy. No, The goal was to beat my 2007 time. So the question is, Did Lindsay beat her previous time of 1:57.48?

The Answer...

Yes...

Coming in at a whopping 1:43.23 is Lindsay Canterbury Simineo!! That is about a 15 minute difference. So we can add this one to the conquered list and call it a day. Thank God, thank college kids for vodka. Yeah, it was nice not having to countdown workouts today. And that a goal was accomplished. Go me. Go us.

Thanks for reading about it.

Tom Shoes, Everyone Should Own A Pair!

***Disclaimer: I know you would all hope that I would be writing about how the Bolder Boulder went today. But I knew ahead of time that I would be too tired. Count on it for tomorrow. But enjoy some randomness for today!!!***



Tom Shoes everyone!!

Tom Shoes is a Company where for every pair of shoes you buy, they will give a pair to a child in need of shoes. This is awesome because it protects many children from disease and gives them the opportunity to attend school, since many of their schools require shoes as part of their uniform.

As you may have noticed, I love anything and everything that pertains to helping others, so of coarse I want like 5 pairs. And some of them look awesome. But One cannot afford 5 pairs, not when they are trying to go to grad school. But I can buy a pair as a gift!! And I have a sister's B-Day coming up!!

The only problem is that my sister is nothing like me. Nothing. And she will admit this. She is very fashionable, stylish, and loves the world of heels. And I am well...not. She's awesome at being a girl and girlie things and I am well...not. I have great taste in music and love jam bands and Amber does...Not...I mean we like a lot of the same music and then there is this sub universe where our IPods fight.

SO I had to stop and think, will my sister even like these shoes? I mean they are totally up my alley. Eco friendly, helps someone else, comfortable, not a heel. But Amber? I could totally see her opening these up and going, "These are ugly! I helped a kid get ugly shoes?!" So I had to call her am make sure that they were something she would actually wear...

And the best part is that they are! She's totally excited for them. She even picked out the same pair I was going to buy for myself. Lovely! I forgot how much I love and miss my big sister. I have resolved this year to call and see her more. She has moved to northern Denver so to get to her house is only about an hour and 10 minutes. That is not bad and totally doable. I miss my opposite.

But anyway. Get online! Buy some shoes! There is a pair for any occasion and can match any wardrobe. And best of all a child will get their own pair of shoes, get to attend school, and overall get to have a better life, just by having their feet protected.

Do it NOW!!!

Childhood fading....

At one point or another we all come to the realization that we make really crappy adults.

For many of us it happens somewhere between filing taxes and insurance claims. The little things that make you look back and say "What the junk?! How did I get here?"

I ask this question daily.

I have always been really bad at playing at the rules of any game. When rules are explained, I am usually the one questioning what I can get away with. You will notice this by the smirk of planning and evilness that crosses my face!

"Do I have to put on pants today?"

"Who says I owe you money?"

"I pay my taxes, I can choose what side of the road I drive on!!"

"I'll compromise...I'm not going to do whatever you are asking."

Don't ask me why. I am just really bad at being an adult and figuring out all the rules of the world, and road. That is why I have felt so much comfort in the things that have followed me from my childhood into my fake adulthood. Like Batman! He is never changing and still the coolest guy I've met in 10 years.

But what about the things that are changing. The world is an ever evolving place and it is selfish and unrealistic for me to expect that of my surroundings. I cherish the dolls in my hope chest and the toys in boxes. Yet it is so hard to let go of the things that you connect with your former cooler self.

Like Junior, my car. She got me to both proms, the best concerts I'd ever seen, scavenger hunts, street races, moved from the house to the dorms, to the apartment, back to another house, drove it to my wedding. Yet now she lays there in a junk yard, unusable, because a dog decided she was a chew toy. She deserved a better death than that.

Many times when we realize that our coolness is slowly slipping away we start to react irrationally. I am no exception.....


I...stole a cat.

Now, not just any cat; but Kitty. Kitty is MY cat from my childhood. I got her when I was 8 years old and got to name her all by myself. 8 year old Lindsay was also very original.

When I lived in my parents house Kitty was my best friend. Even though my parents hated it she was always in my room sleeping on my bed or in my closet. When I left for college I was so sad about leaving Kitty behind that my mom got me a stuffed kitty that looked like her. It kind of helped.

Then you know the rest of the story. I went from Dorm to Apartment, Apartment to Married, and Married to Another house living with a good looking but smelly boy. Life moved so fast that I forgot to take Kitty along with me. Before I knew it I had been married 3 years, and Kitty was still living at my parents house.

Now keep in mind that My dad loved Kitty but was not giving her the attention that kitties need. Earlier this year I went over to see Kitty and realize how in bad shape she was. She spent all day in the garage, she was looked at by my dad's large animal doctor once a year, with nothing being documented, and she was covered from head to toe with dreads. She was a Bob Marley Kitty.

And as I looked at my slightly ill-cared-for kitty; while listening to my dad talk about "Kidney Failure" and "Kitty Leukemia"; I felt that familiar feeling of loss all over again. Of childhood and youth further distancing itself from me. Of slowly forming into a stereotype that I so dreadfully feared. Of more familiarity slipping through my finger tips. I felt a need to control this situation. A need to fight. So, like any normal human reaction, I stole her back.

Has this signified my rebellion and unwillingness to change? Maybe, has it changed the fact that life is different and I am still an adult? No. Has it made me feel better about my future? Yes.

She signifies my dreams, heartbreaks, and ambitions, as silly as that sounds. I told her everything. And now she is on my couch sleeping, showing me that 17 yr old Lindsay is not dead, and never will be. I just have to channel her better.

Thanks for listening.

Mary, Mary, Quiet Contrary...

Here are my tiny little pods!! Aren't they Cute!!

Because of the CRASHING of the econ, and my pocketbook growing smaller, I thought that it would be a waste of time and money to grow another season of flowers. So I dug up all my bulbs and am trying a new approach, FOOD!!

Not just any food, organic food. I found organic plant food and everything. What you are seeing in this picture are the beginning of peas, watermelon, and the two big plants are parsley and basil for the kitchen. That's why they get fancy pots, they are not going to be moved.

Growing something is a very funny experience. Mainly because every move I make is followed by the thought of "Will I kill it?"

"I'll move them to the sun."
"Will I kill it?"

"It's time for watering."
"But will I kill it?"

The answer is probably. I kill nearly everything I have tried to grow indoors, but I have HUGE success with the growth of things outdoors. Which is why I get more and more excited for spring. The sooner I get them outside, the higher chance they have of survival!

So on the growing menu this year we have: Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Peas, Green Beans, Watermelon, Carrots, Lettuce, Cucumber, and Berries! The Berry Bushes are officially outside being awesome in the sun! Hopefully I will have enough to jam!!

Now I know what you are asking, "Lindsay What is this contraption your baby plants are in?"


Well I'll tell ya, its a greenhouse box. The green house box come with organic dirt pellets that puff up when wet; they puff up big enough to make room for one baby plant. Then you put the clear lid on top and you have your own greenhouse!! This have been great, because the tiny green house created enough heat and humidity to get my tough seeds to grow, seeds that I couldn't get to grow on my own like Watermelon, Peas, and Green Beans. They were all giving me a fight. But NOT ANYMORE!! BWAH HA HA HA!!

You can get the greenhouse box at any Home Depot or Lowe's store. I highly recommend them for the nervous gardener.

More Awesome things Lindsay has Seen Lately...

Baby Chicken Fighting!!

For the sake of privacy I will not say who the Children are, just that they are awesome. It's moments Like These where I think that I am goiong to have awesome kids who have awesome uncles and aunties and that I am going to be the coolest mom ever!!

Then I think about how inpatient I am with my dog. And how she is way more forgiving than a child or a teen will be. I think about all the youth I know and all the things their parents don't know and I can only come to one conclusion: I am going to screw up a kid!

But then I think that I will have the coolest kids imaginable. They will know GOOD music, they will know the value of a dollar, they will NOT have cell phones until they are 16. They will know how to give something away to someone that needs it. They will live in homemade Tie Die!! They will be smart and read Shakespeare because their dad insists and their mom hates KJV translation. They will conquer the world, and I will be witness to it.

Then I get greedy, aren't I suppose to conquer the world?! Aren't my parents suppose to witness it. They are; I am. But I can't keep all this awesomeness to myself, I have to pass it along.

Now This isn't the blog declaring that the Simineos are preggers. Just a reflection blog to let you know we're thinking about it. I'm thinking about it. And frankly, they will be the funniest children alive!!

Crazy Things Lindsay had seen Lately...

A Building being destroyed!!

Notice the Awesome song in the background. I wish I could say I planned that!

Its weird to watch something get destroyed. My knee jerk reaction is that I want to stop it, but know I can;t. My next reaction is to film the mother going down!! Hope it made your day.

I am Now the Queen of Tea!

Alright, something that I always wanted to do, but that I am still not that confident in, was to be my own boss...

And with the failing economy I thought that I better start to look for some kind of income somewhere. And frankly it was something that I wanted to do for some months now. I have officially become...



A TEA CONSULTANT!! (Superman music playing in the background!)



Lindsay, what the crap is that?!

Well, I'll tell you what it is boys and girls. I have joined a company called "Let's Do Tea". At LDT we promote positive work environments for tea farmers, organic teas, flavor, hospitality, and a positive tea experience for everyone.

You see, because secretly you are living in a world of tea crap!

I know this because when I was in Asia I experienced the awesomeness of tea. How the favor can instantly cure whatever ache you have had along the way. How there was a delightfulness to it. Then I came back to America...

And discovered that our tea world is full of cheap Lipton and bitterness that NO ONE appreciated. I spent FIVE years trying to find a cup that even closely compared to what I experienced overseas, once I tried a tea from LDT, I literally became a believer. And as I looked into the company, what they stand for, and the quality of the product; It just felt like something that I could stand behind.

I want to offer everyone a good tea experience, and free them from the tourney of awful bitter teas! There's more to life than Lipton, and I will help show you.

In the coming days I will be posting my consulting website in the sidebar. You will be able to order through my site and have products delivered to my door, or yours! If you are nervous about trying a certain tea please call me. More than likely I have it in stock and you can smell it. Smelling a tea is the best way to know if you will like it!

I am both nervous to bomb, but stoked to succeed. If you would like to order tea, or host a party so you and your friends can have more information, let me know! This is one goal you all can help me succeed with!


I'll let you know how it goes!

Knock, Knock...Whose There?

The Bolder Bolder...

And here we go. 35 days until the Bolder Boulder. And I am freakin' terrified.

Why Lindsay, you've ran it before?

This is true. But before I ran it with a lot more training and discipline. I have not had that this time around. Work, weather, and traveling have all gotten in the way this year. How do you stay committed to working out when a teen calls in the middle of the night, or you're on the road? Or 12 inches of snow happens fall outside in the middle of April? Twice?

Either way it has been a challenge. I don't know how strong I will be by the big race. But I am still fairly confident that I can beat my old time, you see, I have a secret. This time, I am going to run it with shoes!!

That's right. Funny story. The first time I ran the Bolder Boulder was without shoes. Bare foot. What happened was I started running the race and felt some discomfort on my toes. I didn't think anything of it because I had trained in these shoes many times. But by the time 1k was over my feet were screaming. I ripped off my shoes as saw quarter sized blisters on each pinky toe. I couldn't even get my shoes back on.

Alright, Lindsay, time to make a decision. I could either give up the race, throwing away months of training. OR I could try to run it barefoot. So that ladies and gentlemen is what I did.

Needless to say I was slower. I had to make pit stops to let my bare babies take a rest. At one point I found a lady on the side of the race giving out band-aids. So I took ten and wrapped them around each of my toes! In the end I made it, and I made it in under 2 hours.

So now that I have the secret weapon of SHOES; now I just need the muscles to go along with them. They are coming along. I am able to run pretty far without stopping, close to two miles. But I will not feel truly confident until I can run 4 miles straight.

Well, it's too late to back out now.

Ah, Vegas!!

Sorry for the lack of posts last week but I was busy dancing in the land of sin!!

Vegas is such a interesting place. Where grace and glamor and trailer trash blend together so well. All in the same city block one can enjoy expensive spa treatments, lavishing meals, and walk the streets to find used condoms on bridges. How lovely!

I had one kickin' time. I spent days in the sun by the pool listening to bad "NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC" soundtracks. Which just reinforces the idea that everyone needs an Ipod. But there is nothing more relaxing in the world than watching bird flutter threw flowers and trees poolside. It's wonderful.

We saw awesome shows. Penn & Teller was amazing. It may be our new show that we see EVERY time that we are there. It was that good. And funny. And we got to meet them afterwards. When we got back I felt as though I just needed more Penn. And I just discovered that Penn does a video blog on YouTube that's called "Penn Says". Check it out.

We saw a really BAD show called "Lance Burton, Master Magician". Bad, really really reall bad. No bueno. He was like bad magic met an 80's hair band video. The music was all 80's rock intrumentals. There was ton of bad acting on Lance's part, and his girls could not would not dance in step with one another. And he did the same tirck over and over. Which was levitating stuff, and making stuff vanish. That was all. It got really old, and made me want to puch my friend Parwaiz in the face for getting me to see it.

Rick Sent me to the spa. Which was wonderful, and also gave me the chance to get in one 10k workout while I was there. The spa was great. Go to the spa. Even if you are a guy, don't care, go to the spa and pay someone to rub your face!!

Then, like we talked about before. There are the wonderful moments where the glamor and the trash of Vegas slowly combine to make this glamtrash smoothy. The last night we were there Rick took me to the romantic steak resturant that was connected to our casino (The Paris). We got sat out on the patio, and had the most polite waiter and french bus boy. With french food and music. However it was hard to enjoy with the motorcycle noise, prostitute billoards, and strippers in the background. Ah, Vegas! Its one of those moments that you laugh out loud and enjoy the town for what it is. A town filled with fun and dirty dirty people!

I had a great time but I am glad to be home. Food is a lot cheaper here.

What does Destiny mean to you?

I check the obituaries every day. It has slowly turned into a ritual that I end the day with.

I do this for a number of reasons. One, if someone very young died in the community (ages 13-18) I can know and act accordingly with the youth that I interact with. Also because the majority of my church is elderly and I would like to know when death affects us. I am starting to build relationships within my church, and my pastor would forget to tell me if someone of significance had passed. And last, I am just plain curious.

Today I saw two names:

LaVonne A. Wininger
Harold E. Wininger

As I read their obituaries I discovered a wonderful story. One that Nicholas Sparks couldn't write any better. LaVonne married someone else in 1941 who died in World War II. She was 21, can you imagine being widowed at 21? Five years passed before she finally married Harold in 1946. Harold also served in WW II and was on the Battleship Maryland during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Harold and LaVonne lived a happy little life in Ft. Collins, CO and Wyoming for their entire life. They raised five children together and had a mess of grandchildren. I know this because half of the obituary are the names of their children and grandchildren.

It was only at the end of their lives that the most amazing thing happened. After 62 years of marriage, while living at the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne, WY; LaVonne passed away at the age of 86 on March 26, 2009. Harold passed away at age 86 on March 27, 2009. Harold lived without his wife for one day.

One day.

How beautiful is that?

Many of us run through life wondering our purpose; my youth believe that they are running through life alone. While we are running this race we never quiet see the crazy beautiful path that God is painting for us. Sometimes we are so overcome with stress that it is hard to see the positives right in our face.

And some of us are lucky enough to have a partner in our lives, one that is so devoted to us that we are able to share the journey together. There are always ups and devistating lows. I wonder if after LaVonne lost her first husband she asked God if she would ever love again. And she loved more grealy than we will ever be able to imagine. She built and shared her life with a wonderful man who in true meaning of the words could not live without her.

How Beautiful is that?

As odd as this may sound this reaffirms my devotion to my partner. Not that it was wavering, or that I was filing for divorce tomorrow. But as Ben Folds said it "I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong". But I do, I mean, it does reaffirm. The story of LaVonne and Harold is a story that shows me that I am meant to share my life with this person. That we are meant to fight battles and have crazy amounts of offspring, enough to where they will take up half of our obituaries. To leave a legacy that only we can create together. That God has brought us to this point, has made these puzzle pieces fit to form our destiny, our journey. We were truly created for one another.

At this point I am rambling. I just want you to know how truly special and precious this story is. And that we are all created to have the same kind of love.

When we get married many of us say the phrase "Till death do us part." But I don't think death ever separated LaVonne and Harold. I think LaVonne left early to show Harold the way home. And He followed her.

How Beautiful is that?

My Sponsored Child is Gone!!!

I didn't think it was even possible.

Above it my OLD sponsored child Suedi Suedi Ibrahim. He was wonderful. He would send me Christmas cards and was super sweet. I picked him because he was wearing a batman T-Shirt. I thought it was a sign from God.

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail explaining that my sponsored child had moved, and that I needed to pick a new one. It also came with a grieving brochure about how to let go of your sponsored child and move on with a new one. Which I appreciated.

There was a number to call for more information so I did. I wanted to know what happened to my little African sidekick. Turns out his family moved away without notice. That they have been trying to find them for weeks with no luck. Suedi and his family vanished in the night.

This has left me very distraught. Where's Suedi? Is he okay? Did he get kidnapped and his family went to find him? Were they relocated for work? Will they have enough food? And I am left powerless, sitting in my comfy couch in my comfy house with anything a girl would want. Yet I feel powerless, and like I lost a little tiny piece of me.

It may sound stupid, but I sponsored Suedi for 4 years. I became attached to him. Somewhere in the world there was a little boy in a Batman shirt taken care of because of me. And now he is gone, and none of that is true anymore. It's all gone.

Now I am looking through pictures on the World Vision Website, trying to make a heartwrenching decision, which child will I help and which one will I turn away? There is a little boy named Rethabile from Lesotho that is in the lead. He has tears in the picture and he could break your heart just by looking at him. I cried when I saw it.

I just wish God would give me a sign who to save. Who to help. Like last time....

Sick Days are not Helping....

Uck!

Being sick is gross and not fun. Mainly because as an adult there is no one around to make you feel better. Want the remote? Better find it! Feel Like Soup? Great, cause we have plenty for you to choose from and make yourself. Need medicine? Go find it and you better be paying attention when you measure it out or else you might accidentally kill yourself!!

It's not fun. The few times I tried to have my dog get me anything, all she brought back were ropes, balls, and one stuffed duck. Cute, but entirely not helpful. I should teach her to cook soup from a can.

The most unfun, inconvenient thing about being sick is that it makes my list so much more harder. The Bolder Boulder is not that far away, and now that I am registered its time to start nailing out some serious training! But how can you do that when you are paying your respects to the guy who build the toilet?

I went to the gym last night, telling myself that I was being a wussy. Then outta nowhere my body sent the clear message, "If you don't get us outta here, I am going to embarrass you!" I puked outside of my car.

With the end of this uncomfortable day approaching; I have new running shoes, my appetite back and my goals approaching. I'm getting nervous because it is about 1/4 of the year over. I thought that I would have at least 1/4 of the list done! I Think I am starting to fall on my face.

It's time to get moving!

Uncle Sam, And I, want Taxes

Alright,

Everything is starting to fall into place. Roommate, check! Acceptance, check! Husband on board, check! Can afford it......ehh.....

Before we know that we have to fill out some silly little thing called a FAFSA!! A FAFSA is an all knowing document that will magically tell the government and YOU! how much you can afford for school! And thank goodness, because I definitely needed a third party to come in and tell me how broke I am!!

The problem with FAFSA is for them to tell you how broke you are you first have to fill your federal taxes. Also known as a third party to tell you how much money you DIDN'T make last year. Once you have them done, then you can have the Taxes third party tell the FAFSA third party about your financial state, and then the FAFSA third party will tell you how broke you are for school. YAY!!

The reason that this is not done yet is because I imagine it is the same as getting measured for a wedding Tux. It is uncomfortable, and if someone else picked it out it is more than likely the ugliest thing you have seen. You spent the session imagining how ridiculous you look, and how your feet pinch in the shoes. Then with all of that you have a sweaty man with a tape measurer informing you on how fat you are and how your inseam in incredibly short. Thanks dude. Guess what, my mirror tells me the same thing everyday.

That is why I have been hiding from Uncle Sam and his stupid financial tape measurer. However, the sooner I get these two things done, the sooner I will know if I can afford school, the sooner I will be able to move on with some goals or let go of them and plan new ones. Sometimes even if you know the answer, you have to plug your ears and let the third parties do their talking. Even if you know what they are going to say.

We'll see. Pray for miracles. Cause at this point I am wondering if it is the only way for it to work.

Lindsay's Last meal....

Oh, it was good....So Good!!!

My belly is full with McDonald's goodness. Just the way I like it: 10 piece chicken nugget, 3 honeys, regular fry, and a diet coke. I even filled up my soda again before I left. I never do that. My belly is warm and happy.

I have always believed that I would make a really bad Catholic. Not because of anything inparticular, just cause I have a natural instinct to go my own way, and to put my foot in my mouth. I have always seen myself never fitting in, violating all these traditions that have been apart of their faith for thousands of years. Like the lil peguine in the movie "Happy Feet". I imagine going up for communion and reaching for the cracker and my friend Father Bill smacking me in the head....You're not suppose to reach for crackers.

But there are a few traditions that Catholics do that I uphold. I find them important to recognize. One of them is Lent. This is the time that we recognize Jesus' 40 days in the desert being tempted, people usually give something up, and don't eat meat on Fridays. This year I have decided to give up multiple things. One, because it is Lent and I want to honor it. Two, because it is 2009, I need to give up things that will challenge my character for 40 days!!

The Things to be sacrificed starting tomorrow are:

#1) No fast food. This is defined as a resturant that doesn not serve you at your table. This does not include Qdoba but does include Mondello's.
#2) No french fries. This is my favorite food. They are ketchup transporters. They are yum.
#3) No alcohol. Not that I am some kind of junkie, I am just wanting to give up things I want but don't really ever need.
#4) No soda. No problem. I only drink it for the caffine, I'll take up black tea.
#5) No Days of Our Lives. I have watched it constistantly since the age of 12. It is time to let it go and let that hour be used more efficiently over the next 40 days. And hopefully over that time everyone will find out that Nicole has Sami's baby. That storyline sucks. (Leave her, EJ!!)

Those are definite. I am excited to see how these habits change me from day to day. Will I stop craving ketchup in the night? Will I loose my sense of self from 1pm-2pm? Will I detox in some way from the grossness of some of my habits? I hope so!! I hope so for all of them!!

You see, because it is only by challenge do we build our character. It is the point of this blog, to challenge and change. It is the reason Jesus went cruising around the desert for 40 days. To build (and prove) his godly character!!

That is why, even if you are religious or not! I challenge you all to give something up with me for the next 40 days. Bust your cycle! Change the hapits of your life. Even if it is something small, you will see the challenge pop up and pick on you in small ways. You will still experience it!

If you are up for the challenge I ask that you post a comment of what you are going to drop for the next 40 days and how you expect it to bust your cycle!

Remember: You can't get to there by doing nothing....

An Unexpected Surprise....

Email #1

Jenn,

I haven't received any mail over the last week. Not even a Wal-mart add. I was told that this week would be when I found out about my status at Denver Seminary. Is there any way I can find out?

Lindsay

Email #2

Hi Lindsay,

It’s been a crazy afternoon around here. Sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you sooner.

I just got your application back from review today. Congratulations on your acceptance into the M.A. COCC program! :)

Your application letter hasn’t been sent yet, but will be shortly. If you’d like to start applying for scholarships, since the deadline is coming up on April 1^st, please visit https://my.densem.edu/ics/Admissions/Financial_Aid.jnz for information. The document titled “2009-2010 Financial Aid Packet” will probably be the best place to start for the most comprehensive information.

Welcome to the team! :)

Call or e-mail with questions.

Jenn






Thank Goodness....