2011 - Thanks for the Memories

I think my mom put it best when she said, "you can relive memories, but you can't relive life."

2011, I am happy to relive your memories but quite happy not to live you again.

If pictures are worth 1,000 words, than the following "photo journal" should be enough to say "ok, shut up already!" about 2011.

Domestic Disburbance

Saturday night, Portland police responded to several domestic disturbance calls at the SW Portland home of Lindsey Marie Dery, a 30 year old woman who shares the residence with her husband, Joshua Owen Dery, 33. Police received several complaints citing that "recent baking and odd domestic behavior" was creating a confusion, jealousy and suspicion among neighbors.

"The smells are just too awesome" claims the neighbor next door. "Just two months ago their oven was broken and Lindsey didn't even know you needed yeast to make bread." In fact, police say the only proof that any prior attempts at baking had ever taken place in their home was the recent donation of "One Beat Pete" (their hand mixer with only one beater) to the local Goodwill.

Police believe the domestic behavior to be the work of a 600 series Professional Kitchenaid, the suspects mother, Dorella Marie Riggs and the purchase of a 2lb package of yeast at the local Costco. The attached photographic evidence was collected at the scene. Several pair of jeans that no longer fit the couple are set to testify.

The Happiest Kind of Girl...

I've been thinking a lot about a song and a story on tape that I listened to non-stop when I was a kid. I guess my 6 year old self knew that I would need to reference the gratitude attitude of Mr. Bear and Mr. Badger. The one line of the song that I remember and keep singing over and over in my head is "When you have a gratitude attitude you are the happiest kind of girl or boy, happiest girl or boy...happiest girl or boy."

Hmmmm - Happiest.

My own brand of happy has taken a few big hits this year...but could I really get my happy back? And not just happy, but HAPPIEST? This would require some serious recognition and expression of gratitude to my Heavenly Father, my Dad and Mom, my family and friends, my ward family and even my co-workers. I'm sure if I could focus my negativity into expressions of gratitude and my pitiful wallowing into acts of service for others, I could be the happiest kind of girl....

I will start today, here is my first open letter of gratitude.

Dear 6 year old, Lindsey. My first debt of gratitude is to you. 24 years later and I'm still influenced and inspired by the time and attention you gave to "self help" media at such a young age. It's like you knew that you would forget and would feel a little lost for awhile.

A gratitude attitude!...it's what the happiest kind of badgers, bears, and girls are made of...

No You Can't Read Our Poker Face

A great time was had by all in Utah for the family reunion, Grandma's 98th and of course Dad's surprise retirement party. Among the many festivities, we played a few rounds of I'm not sure what - but what I do know is that the Riggs family packs a pretty fierce poker face.

Watch the video for proof.

Fierce!

A Tale of Two Annie's

After this weekend it's become quite clear that every once in awhile I have occasion to live two completely, totally, separate lives. Two lives that are starkly, tragically and almost comically at odds with each other. I compare these two lives to Annie the burgandy-haired heiress to the Warbuck fortune and Annie, the red-headed orphan.

I left work on Thursday around 2p to attend a "Nike Appreciation" event at the Allison Inn and Spa. As an event planner and decision maker for team offsites, meetings and celebrations I have been thrown into a new and surreal world where I'm being schmoozed for my money...well, Nike's money. Vendors of every sort LOVE that sweet, sweet Nike money and as far as they know they are one of thousands anxiously waiting outside the pearly gates and to them I might as well be St. Peter, himself. The food, the accommodations, the spa treatments - it was nothing short of luxury and decadence. I barely had to chew, the food just melted. I barely had to lift a finger without one of their 100+ staff anticipating my every move and rolling out the red carpet. It felt like Annie's first arrival at Daddy Warbuck's house, in fact I even sang "I Think I'm Going To Like It Here" while soaking in my tangerine sage bath in front of the fireplace. Friday morning I woke to a stack of Lemon Buttermilk pancakes with berry compote and hazelnut butter delivered to my room with a truffle from the spa and a friendly reminder that my check-in time for my spa treatments was at 10:15a. Ha! Do people really need reminders??

24 hours later, it was time to check-out and check back in...to reality.

Laundry, floors, bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, grocery shopping...and with a few hours for recreation we "scored" free tickets to the Sportsman Outdoor show at the expo center. Every hunter, fisher, boater and NRA member in the pacific northwest picked out their very best camouflage (from the dirty laundry) and moved like packed cattle from exhibit to exhibit breathing in and out the low hanging, non-circulating air that was heavy with bratwurst and beer burps. $1 redbox, microwave popcorn, 2p church, Sunday dinner and now my hands are pruned from heating water in the microwave and washing dinner dishes by hand since both our dishwater and water heater are currently out of order, indefinitely.

In summation:

Nike Annie: Pruned, from a hot tangerine-sage bath.
Lindsey Annie: Pruned from doing dishes...not quite hot, not really even warm.

Living it up with daddy Warbucks or living the hard knock life, two truths remain self-evident. You're never fully dressed without a smile and the sun will come out tomorrow. (or in my case, probably July)

Exactly Two Months Ago This Minute....

I was dead.

Technically.

My heart wasn't beating, my lungs were deflated and rolled up like sleeping bags, my chest cavity was wide open through my side and my ribs were pried apart wide enough for two adult male hands to fit between them. (Extremely soft, steady and capable hands I might add)

Under any other circumstance I would never post a picture looking this terrible, but that day considering what my body had just been through - I deserved to look dead, because I just woke up from being dead.

Two months later and the hardest thing I had to do today was wake up and get out of bed...alive. What shouldn't I be grateful for? I think today is going to be a really good day.

The Once Forbidden Fruit

I'm officially a MAC! Though really, it's not like anybody ever asked me before. It was always assumed and expected that as an extension of Microsoft I was a PC and my iPod and iPhone were devices to hide and use in shame.

But today, Nike deployed to me a beautiful MacBook Pro and I LOVE it!

True, I didn't completely rid myself of all non-negotiable brand allegiance - it would be a career ending move to be seen in Reebok, Addidas or Under Armor but lucky for me, I was already partial to the swoosh.

Let's just pray Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper never make me choose...

10 Random Things - 2010 Edition, pt. 2

#6 : Riggs Women...in OR?! It started with a birthday gift. My brother-in-law Shawn surprised my sister Shannon with a ticket to Oregon for her birthday . I can't imagine why Shawn would buy ME a gift for his wife's birthday but this is an idea I support and encourage. Well it just kept getting better after that. When word got out that Shannon was going to be on the west coast my other sister Kristen and my mom decided they would join us for the visit and in a matter of days, a mini Riggs Women retreat was shaping up. Though it would have been so much more fun if all the Riggs women could have been there, it was exactly what I needed. A little R&R with a few R-Women. We spent a night at the Allison Inn and Spa, checked into Heaven for a few hours at the spa, ate like royalty at Brandon's and even got to spend a few hours catching up with Chelle which was an extra bonus. Moral of the story, if you would like family to come visit you, spread the rumor that Shannon is coming.

#7- #10: 2010 “ME”-dia Favorites: Don’t judge, if they were your favorites, I would have titled it “YOU”-dia Favorites.


TV Shows: If the Emmy’s were up to me (and they should be)… the winners would be: Parks and Recreation, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, oh – and Duck Football. You didn’t win the national championship dear Ducks, but I would still give you an Emmy for awesome Stand-Up-And-Cheer television and Chip Kelly’s "interviews". (If no eye contact, one word answers and over in 9 seconds qualifies as an interview)

Book: It's singular because I really only read one REALLY, REALLY good book and because it took me half the year to read it. Gone with The Wind. I was blown away by this book. Scarlet O’Hare is a tough, tough broad. A born and raised "Yankee" it was enlightening and refreshing to soak in the leisure and enchantment of the Tara plantation then experience true grief when it was gone...with the wind. Quick note of caution: as if an 1100 page book doesn’t take long enough, Mammy, the house slave has quite a few speaking parts and it takes a lot of re-reading and sounding out to get the faintest idea of what the sam-hell she is saying…and she says the “n” word…a lot. Mammy is the original racist of the colonized south.

Music: I bought one album in 2010. Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown. I looked forward to it all year and it did not disappoint. I got excited about Mumford and Sons, The Black Keys, and Florence and the Machine but the real star of 2010 was the Pandora station of my own creation. It has masterfully evolved into some of the very best there is in classic and contemporary alternative with Island influences and 80's pop for color. If Bob Ross could paint from my playlist, it would be full of happy, happy trees.

Movies: Unfortunately, movies have been a huge disappointment the last few years. They used to be where I went to escape and be entertained, now it's where I can count on being underwhelmed and offended. However, two big wins for Dreamworks in 2010. I LOVED "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Despicable Me", Disney came through in December with "Tangled". (Yes, I'm a child) I was entertained by “Inception” but at the risk of admitting I couldn’t see the emperor’s new clothes – I didn’t GET IT. I mean, I got it, I just didn’t “GET IT” I’m sure some would say that only means I didn’t really “GET IT” but...agree to disagree.

That's it. The random 10 of 2010. I'm glad I was able to reflect on it this way, it really was a good year full of great memories and tons to be grateful for.

Blog: "So Lindsey, it sounds like you had an amazing 2010, are you sorry it's over??"
Lindsey: "Frankly dear blog, I don't give a damn"

2011 - Let's dance.

10 Random Things - 2010 Edition, pt. 1

I'm going to have to write this in two installments. Please note, the following is not chronological, edited heavily for content and *might not be 100% true. I had to let my fact checker go. Times are lean.

#1 Getting Older: 2010 was my 10 year High School Reunion. Did I go? No. Thanks Facebook for showing me everyone and everything I didn't need to know about people I barely knew for less than 4 years...10 years ago. I look forward to not regretting that decision. Let it also be noted that 2010 was the year of my Golden Birthday. I turned 29 on the 29th. From now on every birthday will be my 29th until people stop believing me. Considering I'm still mistaken for a teenager I'm hoping I can be 29 for a long time.

#2 Work: 2010 was my 10th anniversary year at a beloved company - Waggener Edstrom. In celebration - I quit. In my final e-mail to my many cherished friends and co-workers I expressed that I was never going to appreciate all the tools and skills that I had learned from each of them if I didn't challenge myself to apply them somewhere else. I took what I knew to Nike World Headquarters, swiftly found out I didn't actually know anything and started completely over. Has it been worth the shoes? Don't ask me, ask all my friends and family. I'm looking at you, Jason!

#3 Travel: In a fit of anxiety, sleep deprivation, stress and poor middle-of-the-night judgement - I got onto priceline and bid a ridiculously low figure on 10 nights in Maui - and WON. Just like that. I couldn't have thought about anything less, but needed anything more. Josh and I spent a very economical and MAGICAL 10 days on the Maui Island in Wailea in May. We got up early every morning and ran along the oceanview path, snorkeled, sunbathed, took long drives, ate the local fare, Josh went deep sea fishing and I spent two full days reading Gone With the Wind by the pool. I have traveled many beautiful places with varied companions, but Maui with Josh was unbeatable. Thanksgiving in Louisiana deserves an honorable mention. It was so fun to be "home" for the holidays and spend the traditional hours and hours of slaving in the kitchen with Mom. Josh discovered the best homemade stuffing on the planet, and guess what?! It wasn't made by his mom or his grandma!

#4 Old Scars, New Surgeries: Let me start with an open and sincere apology to all Nike employees for single-handedly increasing the premium for next year's benefit open enrollment. We're sorry. Last August Josh was scouting for elk in preparation for the upcoming bow-hunt and I'm not sure what made this one particular step of greater detriment than the others but one step was all it took - POP goes the meniscus. He hobbled (*and might have even hunted still?) through October until he couldn't take it any longer then checked in for his third, maybe fourth knee repair. *In a jealous rage and as payback for all the nursing, I convinced my cardiologist to recommend a second mitral valve repair. In December they went back through my old scar and put a sleeve and a ring over the valve to plug the leaks and significantly reduce the size of my lower two ventricle chambers. The surgery was successful, it was quite appropriate and timely to have the size of my heart reduced over Christmas. Call me Grinch, I'll answer.

#5 Behave, Beehives!: In January of 2010 I was called to serve as the Beehive advisor in my ward. I won't lie, as the current Activity Day leader I did the happy dance more than once when some of my girls graduated to Young Womens. I wasn't exactly thrilled to have them back as Beehives. If I thought it was hard to get them to pay attention and participate when it was a fun activity that I had planned on a Tuesday, HOW was I going to get them to behave and participate during a spiritual lesson on a Sunday?? Fast foward to January of 2011 and I can't say enough about how much I love and admire my girls. They teach me so much and have been some of the kindest and most thoughtful young ladies in our YW program. I am so impressed with how much they have matured and hope I'm able to continue to learn and grow with them in 2011. That said, I do have a smaller heart now - tread lightly Beehives!

This concludes pt. 1 of 10 Random Things - 2010 Edition. *Maybe 2011 won't need to be summed up in this way.

Grandma Riggs, You are a Poet, and a Lady.

Let me explain something quick. I don't journal. I don't scrapbook. Pictures are always an afterthought and while I'm going on, I might as well say I'm pretty bad at keeping in touch. If only there was a web-based tool where I could post updates, share pictures, find old friends and stay connected - Oh wait...

I spent a few days at my grandma's house last week and I made the most miraculous and extraordinary discovery...FOUR VOLUMES of memory books compiled and preserved for my dad. These books contain pages and pages of handwritten journal entries, hundreds of photos, newspaper clippings, wedding/birth announcements...an account of every family home, car and pet...obituaries, pedigree charts, and photos of ancestors that were well into the great-great-great's. They are incredible. This discovery was even better than a DeLorean and a flux capacitor - I didn't time travel to one year, I traveled through a generation of years! (on a side note, my brother Boonie was also at my Grandma's and he was wearing a Marty McFly orange puff-vest which really altered the reality of the time travel experience)

I can't go back and capture what has been lost, but in the spirit of "10 Random Things" , I can create a random 10, for 2010. I can also vow to do better. (don't misread that as a commitment to be better at Facebook - it's not going to happen)

Stay tuned for the Random 10 of 2010. I'll sleep on it.

A Hero's Welcome

This past Thursday I was on a flight from Salt Lake City to Portland. I was sitting in a row all by myself, 30,000 feet in the air, and for the entire flight I stared out the window and thought about the Disney movie ‘Hercules’. Hercules is Josh’s all-time favorite movie. I imagine it appeals to his boyhood fantasies of having God-like strength, saving civilizations from evil and destruction and rescuing the damsel in distress. And then when the last obstacle has been overcome and the final battle has been won…a hero’s welcome.

The story is a little more complex than just the physical obstacles and feats of strength and courage. The story begins when baby Hercules is separated from his proud and adoring father Zeus, King of the Gods. Hercules is found on earth, taken in by a loving human family and raised as a mortal, never quite fitting in or understanding the source of his unusual strength. He constantly makes disastrous mistakes, he is treated like an outcast, and when the next opportunity arises for him to prove himself to the ‘in’ crowd…he blows it. It seems our hero, is a zero.

Then, at his darkest hour, Hercules sings “Go the Distance” to himself. He imagines himself in a far off place, where the crowds would cheer when they saw him and he would finally feel like he was where he belonged. He told himself that he would be there someday – that he would go the distance. He would search the world and he would face its harms, till he found his hero’s welcome – “waiting in your arms.”

I love that song, it’s meant a lot to me at different points in my life and it has inspired me…(so much that I didn’t even notice or care that it was a Michael Bolton song.) In context of the movie – I’m not sure whose arms he was talking about. Was it his heroine, Meg? Was it his father, Zeus? I don’t know. But regardless, he was certain that he would find his way. He wasn’t going to do it for the glory, the fame, or the cheering crowds. He was going to go the distance for his hero’s welcome waiting in those arms.

My flight home on Thursday was returning from the funeral of my sweet nephew, Karson. From what I believe and what I know to be true – Karson is as immortal and as exalted as Zeus, King of the Gods. His immortality and eternal life is certain and qualified. He is where he’s supposed to be. The hero in my story is my brother Darren, the proud and adoring father who for a time, has been separated from his son. I can’t imagine what this must feel like for him and his amazing wife Jody. I can only say for certain that this separation and this deep feeling of loss is the sum total of all their darkest hours.

Darren gave a beautiful eulogy to his son at his funeral. He shared with us one of the many lessons that Karson taught him in his short life on earth. As his disease was Spinal Muscular Atrophy and left him paralyzed, Karson taught Darren that strength had nothing to do with muscles. I have always known the same about my brother. While Darren has plenty of muscles and physical abilities, the source of his unusual strength is his heart.

Darren, in one of his darkest hours to himself and in front of his family and friends who love him, imagined himself with Karson someday. Karson is where he wants to be, he is his North star. Though at times his road would wander, ultimately, it would lead to him. It could take him a lifetime, but somehow he would see it through. He would go the distance till he found his hero’s welcome, waiting in Karson’s arms.

Speaking completely from the point of view of a little sister, Darren has always been my hero. At my last obstacle and at my final battle, I know he’ll be there and wherever I am he’ll always have a hero’s welcome.

I love you big brother (and Jody and Hadley). God bless your family in your life’s journey on this earth. I know you'll go the distance…TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Karson Michael Riggs

**A beautiful obituary written by my brother Darren for his son, Karson. (I don't know why the date on my blog says, December. I can't figure out how to change it)

Our precious sweet little boy, Karson, was welcomed home into the loving arms of our Savior on Jan. 13, 2011. For almost three years Karson quietly but bravely endured the progression of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I, a progressive neuromuscular disorder.

Karson was born April 12, 2008 to Darren and Jody and big sister, Hadley. From day one, Karson was quick to smile and laugh and slow to complain and whine. Everyday Karson had to go through a lot just to survive and he faced it with immense patience and tolerance. Although Karson was unable to speak, his big blue eyes said more than words ever could. Karson loved life and he enjoyed simple pleasures: being sung to, clapping his hands (with help), being outside, seeing lights and stars, riding in the car, throwing his football with his daddy’s help and above all watching his movies. Karson loved many movies but none more than his beloved Toy Story.

Because of Karson’s illness he was unable to move at all. But we often joked that he, like Woody and Buzz, would come to life and run around when we weren’t there. Although his life was full of little joys, what he loved most of all was his family. Karson loved his mommy. Even though she was his main caregiver and did all of his treatments, that he hated, he looked at her with pure love in his eyes. He could be having a rough day or not feeling the best and then he would see his sister and his face would light up. Although his time on earth was small there are none that met Karson that were not touched by his sweet sprit.

Karson is survived by his parents Darren and Jody, big sister Hadley, grandparents Mike and Mary Nay and ValDean and Marie Riggs, as well as five great-grandparents and many aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members and friends.

We would like to offer our most sincere gratitude to Dr. Kathryn Swoboda and her two nurses Abby Smart and Whit Coleman, Dr. Ann Baranko, CNS home health, Ivy Lane Home Health, as well as many of the staff at Primary Children’s Medical Center. All of whom made Karson’s life possible in the face of adversity.

A celebration of Karson’s life will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at the Hooper 3rd ward, 5601 S 6100. There will be a viewing held at Lindquist Mortuary, 3333 W 5600 in Roy, on Tuesday evening from 6 - 8 p.m. as well as Wednesday morning at the ward from 9:45-10:45.

Karson we love you so much and are so thankful for you, right now our hearts are broken but we look forward to our “INFINITY AND BEYOND” with each other.

Time For Time To Go Green

How do we make time a renewable resource? Time is endangered. It's filling up landfills. It's polluting the air around us. Someone please build a windmill or a solar panel that captures time and slows the deforestation of my life.

The statistics are alarming. For one, it's my 10 year high school reunion this summer. For two, I caught myself saying "she's been my friend for over 20 years" and unfortunately that didn't factor in pre-mortal life, and third - I haven't posted to my blog in a year and I swear I only blinked from that post to this.

This has been a "stay" year. Compared to years past where we've got married, bought a house, or opened a business, this year has been single to the purpose of staying married, staying in our house, and staying in business. So far, so stayed.

Well, I can't reuse or recycle time, but I can renew and recharge it. Speaking of renew and recharge - I got my new attitude in a head lock and I quit my job to recharge on a new adventure and we went to Maui to renew. (Dudes, seriously. We really needed it, as non-combative as "staying" sounds. This past year has been DUKES UP.)

Anyhoo, more about those R&R's later. I finish my last week at Waggner starting tomorrow and I should probably plug in to the mattress and get charging.

Good night blog, I'll com-post to you later.

PS. The pic of the seal is not random. It's applicable in two ways. 1. This is a monk seal. A highly, highly endangered species. There is less than 1000 left. 2. This is a pic that we took on our vacation to Maui. Pretty awesome.

A Segment I Like to Call...."If Josh Had Been There"

Often times I see people do things that either make me wish that Josh were there, or glad that he wasn’t. I’ll offer a few recent examples to give you an idea of where I’m going with this.

· A woman with a bag in her hand walked away after her dog pooped without picking it up.

· A kid throw his McDonalds bag in the trash and misses – then just left it.

· An impatient old man cuts in front of me in line at Costco to quickly get his Polish Sausage and churro.

· A car full of teenagers yells graphic obscenities in front of a movie theater where several young children were present.

· Someone parks really badly so that the next space is un-parkable, and does not fix it.

I learned early in our relationship that being inconsiderate, crude, or unfair is absolutely intolerable to Joshua Dery. He does not care how big you are or how many of you there are - he will say something, and you will listen. He is the flipping Chuck Norris of manners. The first few times I found myself in situations similar to these with Josh, I was pretty sure that I was going to die of either embarrassment, or we were going to get shot.

Nowadays, I so appreciate that Josh will speak up, that he will patiently, but firmly take the time to expect more out of people. More often than not, the offenders will apologize and by the end of the confrontation will tell Josh to take care and have a good night. I thought of all this today as I observed someone leave their dirty dishes in the sink at work and just walk away.


Oooooh, if Josh had been there….

10 Random Things

I read all magazines backwards except for the Ensign.

I have several nervous habits that I rotate in and out. Currently I’ve been picking at my eyebrows/eyelashes.

I like country music, but only in the summertime.

I’ll share a fork, a spoon, a cup, or a straw with just about anyone, but it grosses me out to share shoes.

If it’s in the can, I prefer Diet Dr. Pepper. If it’s on tap, I prefer Diet Coke.

I almost always have movie quotes going through my head while I’m blow drying my hair or putting on make-up.

I don’t think anyone can write or sing on behalf of both genders, better than Billy Joel.

I struggle a lot with pessimism.

Most of my friends and co-workers still call me “Riggs” – and I love it.

Two current food addictions: 3 Musketeers with Mint and Dark Chocolate, and Fish Tacos

Breaking news: Studio opened 4 months ago

I wish to express to you what we as a couple, as individuals and now as business owners have gone through in the year since we wrote the biggest check we have ever written to the Fitness Together Franchise in January of 2008.

I won't. I can't.

However, I do wish to tell you all that in the 4 months since we have been open, we have seen a huge response to our marketing, we have built an impressive resume of clients, we're hitting numbers that we were told we wouldn't see until after our first year, we're growing, we're super busy, we're exhausted and we are loving every minute. (except the minutes between 5:15a and 5:29a when Josh is hitting the snooze button)

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, paid for us, listened to me whine through heaving sobs and just stood back while I un-leased a category 10 freak out. Circumstances along the way were such that I was truly pondering cutting our losses and turning back but all credit for long-suffering, patience, and sanity is due to my co-owner and co-lifemate, Josh. After everything we’ve been through together I’ve been impressed and blessed to learn along the way that his biggest and strongest muscle is his heart.

We’re doing great and feeling fine!

An Open Apology to Newlyweds and Pregos

You know when you first get married and from then on every conversation with every friend and co-worker begins with "How's married life?" Or how about when you see a friend who is pregnant and immediately before you can even stop yourself you're asking "How are you feeling?" The answers to these questions never change...married life is always "great", and the prego's are always feeling "fine". The questions are the same, the answers are the same, but they must be dutifully asked.

For the better (or worse) part of over 6 months, every conversation with friends, co-workers, and family members has begun with the all-too predictable and all-too painful question, "How's the business going?" - The question is always the same, and unfortunately - the answer has always been the same. "Slow."

For about 4 months we've been "two weeks" out from opening our doors. In fact, in mid July - fliers were sent to over 5,000 homes that we were "Coming in August". Someday we'll look back at that flier and have a good chuckle...someday.

Slowly we're getting there. Slowly, I mean seriously slowly, we're making progress and one day I won't gripe, snicker, cry, or choke on my wounded answer to the obvious and innocent question, "How's the business going?" - I look forward to the day that much like the newlywed and the prego I will be able to generically declare that the business is "great" and we're feeling "fine".

Sleepless in Seattle's Neighbor to the South

I haven't blogged since March.

Coincidentally, I haven't slept since March either.

I've been told a few times by a couple respectable people that I have a good head on my shoulders. Call me "old-fashioned", call me "predictable", call me "cautious", say what you will - but a girl has to sleep at night and up until my 26th year (with the exception of a few snafus in high school) - I have laid that good head to rest and I've slept like a kitten.

Lately, I'm hearing less and less about my sensibilities and more and more about my "adventurous", "risk-taking", and "bold" move into entreprenerial capitalism. I've blown the top off whatever used to be resting on my shoulders and I'm about 31 flavors of crazy...why? against all conventional, economic and conservative wisdom, we're opening a business.

Fitness Together. 1 client, 1 trainer, 1 goal. Coming September, 2008 to Tualatin Oregon.

At two years of marriage it's not uncommon to get asked the question "when you two having a baby?" -please believe that after our January to September gestation of planning, praying, paying and panicking, whether we're ready or not, this baby is on the way - labor pains and all.

Since many of you have expressed interest in getting updates on the progress of our expanding family, I'll try to be better about posting aches, pains, joys, set-backs, blessings, successes and lessons learned...

In the meantime, this ex-kitten is counting sheep.

Hungry is the New Full

I read an article today about how empowering the "hungry" feeling can be. Allegedly you can trick your mind into being just as satisfied by the feeling of hunger than the feeling of being full.

Let me first say that I read this article on a full stomach, and I thought it was brilliant. It made so much sense. Feel empowered by hunger, feel in control, let your thoughts wander to things spiritual rather than temporal. Seek not to just fill the void, rather explore the emptiness and discover what it's really hungry for...

It's now 11:00 on a Friday night and I find myself at a very common crossroads. Do I eat again so I can put it in second gear for the weekend, or do I just go to bed? As I sit here exploring my hunger, seeking empowerment, I remember that the Lindsey on the full stomach that read the article earlier today was the same Lindsey who 4 years ago got talked into doing the 10 day "Master Cleanse" fast with my roommate. 10 straight days of nothing but water, lemon juice, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper. By day 7 I felt a oddly energizing and overwhelming burning sensation in my gut. Was this the feeling of spiritual awareness and empowerment that all the testimonials were talking about? I would later conclude that it was because I had been drinking a battery acid cocktail for a week and I'm pretty sure my intestinal walls were literally a'blaze. I doused that fire with a diet coke and tacos at Chipotle.

ANYHOO - as I'm finishing this blog post in bed with a bowl of cocoa puffs, I'm less inclined to agree that hunger equals spiritual enlightenment and personal freedom and more inclined to feel incredibly blessed and indebted to my creator that after speaking freely in cyberspace I'm going to sleep in a warm bed, satisfied - and with a full stomach.

Gratitude is totally the new full.

Silly Putty

I have this cabinet above my desk. It's basically where lots of documents, binders, handouts of a business related meeting or event go to die. It's pretty much the equivilant to under my bed. If it's put there, it's not a mess, I don't see it, it's forgotten about, it doesn't exist.

So I had to go digging through this cabinet today to find an old binder from ages ago that I never did find, not because it's not in there, I'm sure it is, but because I stumbled on a precious gem instead. A small yellow box with the "Windows" logo on it. Something we handed out at the Microsoft PR booth at some trade show. Inside...Silly Putty.

Here's what I've made today:
19 Pretzels
A finger trap
A wicker basket (stamped the wicker with my diamond setting from my wedding ring)
6 roses
A fossil print of my eyelashes
a pair of lips
a braid
a thimble
a pinocchio nose

Here's what I do know about my random Friday gem. I've lost 6 hours of productivity today, I still need to find that binder, and I'm pretty sure I need to throw away the putty, it's filthy.