Top 2 Tuesday - Deserted Island

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since its only tuesday and i have 3.5 days of work left until a 3 day weekend i'm pretty sure that i would enjoy a deserted island [for a VERY short period of time]...but until then i will just day dream about being on a little island by myself....

but this weeks top 2 tuesday's made me think about what are the two necessities that i would need with me if i were stranded....

diet coke
[i know, shocking!]
but its pretty much a vice, i need it ;)

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crest cinnamon toothpaste

i love it - i won't use any other brand or flavor of toothpaste - it makes me feel so clean and fresh!

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Head on over to Taylor's blog to see what other bloggers would bring to a deserted island with them....

iGirlfriend

This little lady came into JM's life today...

and i'm pretty sure his life has been changed forever!

hence why i call her iGf

head on over to Katie's blog and see what other people had to post about on Thoughtless Thursday

Top 2 Tuesday - Reality TV [addiction]

I my name is Lindsey, and I'm addicted to Reality TV. No seriously - I am!

My favorite conversation that I frequently have goes something like this:

Friends/Family/Stranger: Do you watch show XYZ?
L: Is it reality? (in all seriousness)
F/F/S: No
L: Well then no

And that's honestly how many conversations start and end REAL quickly.

So I was super excited when Taylor decided to do a Top 2 Tuesday dedicated to Reality TV shows.. now if I can only narrow it down to two! (ha!)

[DISCLAIMER: in my excitement to see that today's T2T had to do with reality - i didn't even read the whole thing - i thought it was my favorite reality tv shows - not ones that i would like to be on... whoops! i'm pretty sure however the list are the same!]

I would definitely say my #1 show has to be Biggest Loser. It is beyond motivating and I love watching the transformations over the course of the season - along with the emotional attachments
and my #2 pick would have to be Top Chef. I absolutely love cooking shows- but this is one that JM and I look forward to each Wednesday. I am hoping that the season lives up to last season with the Vitiligo brothers

My close 3rd -8th would have to be:

3. Kate plus 8 [go ahead and judge, i secretly want to be a part of their family!]
4. Real Housewives of New Jersey and Orange County
5. Kendra
6. Keeping up with the Kardashians
7. The Bachelorette [well up until I met JM and esp since this season]
8. The First 48 [clearly I would want to be a detective and not part of the crime scene]

So thats my list - and now you know how pathetic i actually am... thank G, for DVR - i would be more of a hermit than I already am :)

Head on over to Taylor's blog and see what other people love to watch. I sure hope I don't find another reality tv show that I should fit into my repertoire of evening tv shows.

Thoughtless Thursdays... I wish

.... i could go back to college and still have spring breaks!

Today is one of those days that I just want to crawl back into bed and start ALL over again. I forgot my phone, jewelry and ID Badge for work... and to top it all off I was running late and I still haven't had the time/energy to put on my make-up [its in my purse but at this point i'm just thankful i'm at work!] - but its days like these when I was still in college, without a care in the world and going on spring break again.

so i thought today would be a perfect day to start participating in thoughtless thursdays with katie at life in the fulmer lane....

my final senior year [yes it took me 5 years to graduate - you can judge all you want - my 5th year was the best by far!!!] a group of girls went down to ft myers florida - we stayed at 2 places, my uncles house and my friends stacey's sisters house... and then for a day we all went over to Key West... and it was sooo much fun!

stacey, jess and i at the sunset festival
the girls and myself with kwelvis [key west elvis]

stace and i
enjoying a few drinks
hanging out by the pool
by the crooked palm tree that stacey loved... ha!
i can't wait to go back.... until then I will just live vicariously through my pictures [yes, i'm that pathetic!]

head on over to Katie's blog and link up and see what other bloggers have to say on thoughtless Thursday!

**at least tomorrow is Friday, and this weekend i get to go to Indiana [for longer than 2 minutes this trip] and see Aly AND susan**

The Biggest Loser Competition

For the last 22 1/2 weeks I have been in a biggest loser competition with some of my closest friends from college... just a healthy competition to see who could loose the biggest percentage of weight loss... and lets be honest... i needed to do something FAST because I had let my weight get out of hand!

So I started off with just working on what I was eating, and then introduced working out [work out dvd's and running] into my routine, and I am soooo excited to say with loosing 14.25% weight loss- it paid off....

because I am the biggest loser!

I have put together a quick collage of the faces that I have gone through during the competition - unfortunately - i am not as technologically advanced as some of my friends [aka aly] so you just get to see my pretty little face and how it has changed over the course of the last 6 months...

I am so thankful to have a great group of friends who have given me a healthy competition - and it has been so much fun to compete and to see each week who won the weekly bragging rights!

I am hoping to keep up the healthy eating habits as well as running because I do not plan on letting myself get out of control, like the downward spiral I was on - its not worth it! I just continued to remind myself as I was eating healthy, working out and making positive decisions of my motto of the year:

"there is no better time than now!"

It seemed to help me get through my long runs, get through the fact that I am over ordering chicken fingers and fries, and actually enjoying eating salads.... I am not getting any younger, so I might as well keep up with it... because if not today - then when!

I encourage you all to strive to reach your goal weight... and I know that having the support system that I did - helped tremendously and trust me, when you have accomplished something that you have wanted for so long, it feels even better! So whether you choose to do so on your own, in a competition or with a friend - its totally worth it!!

Happy Tuesday Blog World! I hope its a fabulous one for you!

Thank you for all the kind words thus far, you all are too sweet, and it means so much to me to have so much encouragement from the blog world!

I have been asked by a few of you what I did to loose the weight so I thought I let you in on a few things that we did:

FOOD

• initially cut back on the carbs, until I started working out [and then quickly realized that i needed the carbs for energy but I slowly re-introduced them back into my diet {only healthy whole wheat ones!}]

• realizing its okay to eat more if its healthy [srrsly - i was eating 2 turkey burgers to JMs 1, but i was needing the extra calories because i was burning so many]
• making healthy choices turkey meat over red meat, cottage cheese over french fries, string cheese as a snack over chips
• balancing out meals - if I ate a sandwich for lunch, making sure I had a piece of grilled meat and fresh veggies for dinner or a salad
• Unfortunately I'm not good with counting.... especially counting my calories - its just too much work [i know - what an excuse - right?!] but i just use my best judgment when i cook or order food at a restaurant [i always dip my fork into the dressing, rather than pour it on:: i never get cheese or croutons on my salads:: i will ask if they have whole wheat bread or pasta]
• every week I plan a menu based off of what I currently have at the house, whats on sale, and what i have a coupon for - but i stick to the menu, and my menu consists of all healthy choices. i think this helps because i am not scrambling every night to figure out what to have for dinner and its a healthy option, rather than swinging through fast food on the way home for something for dinner - a lot of my favorite meals are under Make Me a Meal Monday
  
• we rarely eat fast food anymore [don't worry - i do not include my fountain diet cokes fast food]
• I drink a TON of water

EXERCISING

• I trained for the 1/2 marathon [if you want this schedule, please let me know and I will be more than happy to send it to you]
  
• I did the biggest loser work out videos and the Wii Fit on my off days from my running schedule

I hope this helps a little more - I would be more than happy to answer any other questions that you may have about the weight loss - keep them coming!!

Weddings. Table #11. Birthday Parties Galore

So this weekend was a little busy around our house.... rehearsal dinners. weddings. and birthdays to sum it all up...
[sorry in advance for the picture overload!]

Friday night we had Ashley and Anthony's rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for their wedding. Ashley and I were sorority sisters in college and then she lived with me when she first moved down to Columbus. She and Anthony had asked me to to a reading at the wedding, which i was honored to do so. It was so nice to see a lot of my sorority sisters the day before the wedding.

Ashley and Anthony practicing their vows
Justin and I
Sonia and I - i'm going to miss you when you move to Cali
The next day was their wedding. Justin, Aly and I went early to the Hyatt [where the wedding was] we saw the wedding party having their pictures taken across the street of course i had to take a picture!
the bride
so it was about this time when i went into see the actual layout of the room to see where I would be saying the scripture. i looked for a bible [thinking/hoping they would have one for me to read] which I wasn't so lucky. so i figured well, i'm at a hotel, they have to have bibles for every room - i'll just go to the front desk and request one. well they had to call down to housekeeping... [justin joked that it took so long that they must have gone to Jerusalem to get me one] and once he brought one up for me... it was the New Testament bible, he told me it was the latest version and brand new... great! so i take a look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, however - it was not the verse that i was looking for.. so i started to panic and i went to the pastor... where he saved the day [no pun intended!].... he whipped out his phone and showed me his bible app... so I wrote down the verse on a program and rolled with it... thank goodness for technology.. next time i will know to bring my own bible!

the ceremony
after the ceremony we got a little picture happy..... somethings never change - once a sorority girl... always a sorority girl!

Aly and I
JM and I
The cake
The centerpieces
Table #11
Molly had a star on her napkin... she thought she won a special prize until we realized that we all had them...
JM and I at dinner [with special instructions from aly to tuck my hair behind my ear.. and then i quickly realized that that she just wanted to show off her earrings that she let me borrow - ha!]
and Aly with her date Pre Tend... I do have to say Pre was a pretty awesome date!
First Dance

Father Daughter Dance

Garter Time
Poodle and I at the reception
JM and I with our original roomie
all of the Tri Deltas at the wedding
Noah, Ashley's nephew the ring bearer dancing with the microphone - he was too funny!
We had so much fun at A&A's wedding!

Today was another busy day... filled with a TON of birthdays!

We started off with Jude's first bday... I can't believe he is 1 already.

JM and the birthday boy

"trying" his cupcake smash cake
unfortunately we had to leave his bday party fairly quickly to head to my parents house to celebrate just about everyone's bdays.... srrsly - i mean EVERYONE (both of my great grandmas, millie and mollie, my sister's finace, my mom, my sister, my 2 cousins, brooke and wes) and then we celebrated fathers day with 3 of my grandparents..... I never said i had a small family... just to prove it - please look at all of these gifts AND names on the cake!


The only other picture I took was with my grandma and great grandma, along with my mom, and sister - its all 4 generations of girls... we have quiet a few of these over the past few years. i'm so happy that they are home for the next few months!

So that is my weekend in a nutshell... its no wonder why i'm exhausted at the end of this post!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend - because I know I sure have!

Today is your birthday....

Happy Birthday Mom!

I don't know if it will be quite as eventful as your 5-0 last year in put-in-bay.... but i hope it as memorable!

[my mom's bf since growing up JoEllen, and my mom]

I absolutely love this picture.. i feel like i might have told her to say cheese - and this is what I ended up with... love.it!

Memorial Tournament Pics and Updates

Sorry that I have been a baaaaaad blogger lately... we had a full weekend of the Memorial Tournament, my Internet has been broken at home [wahh] and I am fighting off my allergies/cold [and unfortunately my mind of matter typical ill remedy is NOT working this time!] which any of the 3 could lead to me not being on top of my posts... sorry. but in the meantime here at pictures from Sunday.

We went out to the tournament on Saturday but we entered through the main gate which they search your purse and any other personal belongings so I didn't want to risk loosing my camera - so I opted to leave it in the car.

But Sunday we went to our friends house to watch a few groups and I was able to get a few pictures from the porch

#12
the leader board before play started
zach johnson waiting to putt [this one is for you stace!]

and of course one of JM and myself [ha!]
we watched the first few groups come through on #12 and then met up with my parents and watched a majority of the leaders come through on #14 [my favorite hole to watch golf from on the course]. the entire time we were cheering for rickie fowler... I just love his outlook on the game of golf, he is so calm, and so positive... well and his outfits don't hurt much either - this is what he wore on Sunday
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Sorry to bore you with all the golf chatter... but onto some other exciting news that is going on right now for JM and myself:

• JM has already had his mind set that he wants to switch to an iPhone at the release of the new ones - and I'm starting to come around on it - I just need to crunch some numbers to make sure that it is comparable price wise to my crackberry. I mainly want it for a safety for when I run so I have a phone and an iPod with me... well and lets be honest - for all the amazingly cool apps like a grocery list, and creamy ice.. ha! Do you all have any opinions on the new iPhone that is being released on the 24th? Has anyone switched from a blackberry to an iPhone? was it worth it? or should I just stick with my blackberry? Any advice would be greatly appreciated - as I am stuck with this device for the next 2 years
  

• The Biggest Loser competition is winding down - we only have 43 hours left [phew!] i'm ready for this competition to be over with so that we can go on with our lives and I don't have to eat chicken breasts only for lunch - and i'm pretty sure JM is excited for the varieties of dinners again - rather than just cottage cheese and pretzels! ha
• Aly is coming in town for a wedding on Saturday night, can't wait!
• Jude is celebrating his 1st bday on Sunday - i can't believe his is 1 already!
• We are having a MASSIVE celebration party at my parents on Sunday for everyone's bdays (Mom, Sister, Sister's Fiance, My great grandma) and celebrating Father's Day
  

So with all of this going on I will surely be a little post happy over the next few days!
Consider this your warning!

Happy Wednesday!