A Blog Entry, For Real

My mom told me earlier I have been skimping on my blog posts.

So here it is, just for you mom, a real post.

This past Sunday, Will, Toula, and I went to Southlake for the day. My grandparents came over for lunch and my grandma brought me these....

I LOVE them! She is a genius at cross-stitching, crocheting, painting, pretty much everything. I can't wait to get them matted and framed! I already know I want to hang the wedding one in the entry way of our new house, I just don't know what color that will be yet so I'm waiting. Thank you Mamaw!

--------------

I've been forging ahead with all the alternative certification requirements lately. I'm almost finished with the application, then comes the online interview, will be mailing a transcript request to Baylor tomorrow, emailed three schools I sub for about reference forms today, and now I need to begin studying for the Texes content exam. The program I'm getting certified through is holding a study session in a couple of weeks for the exam, but it's $80 and I'm taking the exam for grades EC-4....do I really need to sit through a six hour class and spend the money or could I just take some practice tests online and hope for the best? Hmm, I'm thinking the latter. Plus, I have subbing under my belt which has really refreshed my memory on a lot of the elementary level curriculum. I may buy a book....

---------------

Toula and I took a long and much needed walk around the neighborhood this afternoon. It is beautiful outside (80*!) and we couldn't pass that up. About two blocks from our apartment is a small historic district. It is so cute with tree-lined sidewalks, old historic homes with white pickets fences, grassy parks with picnic tables, the works. I wish I would have brought my camera along! One not so pleasant thing that happened is that I cleverly decided to walk in my flip-flops and now I have a nasty blister on my big toe. I know I should have worn athletic shoes, but here's the really embarassing part, I don't have any. How unathletic am I?? The closest thing I have is a pair of Puma's I got for tennis class which I suppose I could have worn but even they start to hurt after a while. Will said we might be able to remedy that tonight or at least by this weekend. What kind of shoes should I get??

-------------

I have way too many decisions to make in my life. Frames, shoes, and now dogs. My life is so complicated. Ha. When we move into the new house, Will really wants to get a second dog. And since I got to pick Toula's name and breed, it's his turn. He has narrowed it down to two dogs and two names. I think both dogs are adorable....

or

So we are getting either a Brittany Spaniel or a German Shorthair. I really like either dog equally and for different reasons. I like the Brittany because it's just a bigger Toula and I think it would be cute that they look alike, and I like the German Shorthair because it's not just a bigger Toula and of course, all the spots! Which one do you like?

Ok mom, I hope that was sufficient. Now I have to take a nap.

xo, Lynds

Happy

Mardi

Gras!

Friday Fun Day

Friday I got to sub my first second grade class and they were so sweet! They had D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read) which made me feel good because I can still remember having D.E.A.R. time in elementary school. Maybe I'm not getting as old as I sometimes feel.

At the end of the day they had a surpise guest -- Miss Iowa. Miss Iowa has cerebral palsy and so does one of the little girls in class, so for her "share time," she invited Miss Iowa to visit the class (her parents set it up, it was really sweet). She came in with her crown and sash on so of course all the little girls were just in awe of her. And even though they were only second graders, I saw a few of the boys' jaws drop a little. You can read her story here.

Right after school, my friend Nat and I drove down to Waco to meet some girls for our other friend Nat's b-day festivities! We had a fun girls night out that included mexican food, carrott cake from the famous Amelia's, and LOTS of sangria :) Nat really liked her swoozies gifts, especially the wine glass that's painted pink and say's "Wine Princess." It was very fitting. I cannot wait for Nat and Lisie to graduate and get their butts up to Dallas! I'm kind of sad that the summer they will (hopefully) be moving up here, me and Will will be moving out of downtown. But we will only be 20 minutes away and I know we will drive in on the weekends a lot.

me, the bday girl, and our babies.

her cavy is four months old and so sassy! just like her mama :)

some of my favs! nat g, me, nat g, lisie

We need to do it again soon ladies! Love you!!

xo, Lynds

Fun Family Facts

A little girl I sub for often told me some interesting facts about some of her family members today that I got a kick out of and thought I'd share....

Her grandfather, the late Dr. K. William Edmark, invented the first direct current defibrillator.

"In 1961, Edmark unveiled a defibrillator that operated on direct current. When a heart goes into fibrillation, it begins to flutter and is unable to pump blood through the body. Defibrillators administer an electrical shock, which momentarily stuns the heart and allows it to return to a regular heartbeat. Until Edmark introduced his DC Pulse Defibrillator, medical defibrillators used AC, or alternating current, which caused patients to spasm violently because of the high voltage. The DC defibrillator allowed surgeons to administer a more-controlled, low-voltage shock that restored the heartbeat without causing additional trauma."

no big deal.

And then she tells me, "Oh, and my mom invented the Topsy Tail!" You know, that plastic hair thingy that was huge in the early nineties and you might still see on late night infomercials!? Yeah, thank her mom.

"By that time, Topsy Tail™ had generated over $100 million in sales to take its place as the best selling hair invention in history."

What does she want to be when she grows up? I'm thinking an inventor.

Will and I are off to the Stars game with some friends tonight, I am SO ready for the weekend!

xo, Lynds

Professional Budgeteer

I've been stalking this dress online at Anthropologie (my absolute favorite store) for sometime. Today, I got the green light from William to finally purchase said dress so my day was already off to a pretty good start. As I wandered through Anthro I couldn't find the dress until, drum roll please....I found it in the sale section for over 50% off! They had only my size and one other left! I immediately snatched it up along with another cute top that was on super sale as well. So far so good. Then I headed over to my second favorite store, Swoozies, to pick up some birthday goodies for a friend. Swoozies is a one stop shop for everything party related - painted wine glasses, napkins/cups/koozies with quirky sayings, adorable stationary, seriously EVERYTHING! I'm addicted that store and it's all really reasonably priced.

In total... + + =

what I would have originally paid for the dress alone. Score!

Ever since wedding planning and becoming a wife, I've really come to respect a good bargain. And with the economy how it is right now, they are pretty plentiful. Which is good for me, the uber-consumer. Everytime I find something on sale, especially if it's something I've been eyeing for while, I get really excited and feel like I've won somehow.

For example, last weekend my mom and I were shopping at Target and if you haven't already, RUN to your nearest Target because they have got cute, cute homegoods on sale for 75% off! Will and I have been talking about some of the things we want to purchase for our new home and one thing we're getting is a new bedroom suit with two nightstands. So of course we need two matching lamps for each one and I found the most perfect lamps that day at Target I could have died. Along with some new bamboo sheets, I ended up spending $55 total on what would have cost me, for retail price, over $250! I literally gave myself a pat on the back for that one.

How cute is this lamp?! And they match our bedding perfectly!

I vow to never pay full price again.

(That probably wont happen, but I'll definitely be putting my mad budgeteering skills to more use in the future).

Happy hunting!

xo, Lynds

*Let your Love Shine*


love & chocolate.



flowers on Wednesday.


love, mom & dad.


6am V-day surprise.
I love you more than.


pancake love.


classic love.


wearing my heart on my sleeve chest love.


2 1/2 hour steak dinner and a single red rose.
(from the waiter, Will's not that cheesy.)


We had a fabulous Valentine's Day. Hope you did too.


love, Lynds

HaPpy BirThdAy MeLinDa!!!


Happy Birthday to my brother's awesome girlfriend, Miss Melinda! Her whole fam and ours met up at Johnny Carino's tonight for some birthday festivities, and I think I can safely say her 20-something birthday was a success! She got the cutest Uggs just in time for her and Nate's trip to Tahoe, CA this upcoming weekend! Which she is probably wearing right now while trying on all her outfits for the trip...yes, you are Melinda! (and yes, I know you will be reading this!)


Melinda with all her goods!



Reading The Office card we got her. Reverse psychology at its best.


Group pic!


Happy Bday Linnie and we hope y'all have fun in Tahoe! Don't eat the yellow snow!

xo, Lynds

Whose Broad Stripes and Bright STARS

Friday night the Dallas Stars scored the most goals ever since moving from Minnesota to Dallas. And we were there to witness it! Will's friend Chris' girlfriend Mary's grandfather (did you follow that??) used to own the Dallas Mavericks, and they invited us to come watch the game in their box. At center ice. Two boxes down from the Stars' owner. It was pretty awesome. Not only was the game really intense, the Stars beat the New York Rangers 10-2, but it was fun to see old friends and meet new ones!

Nastia Liukin was there to "drop" the puck! That may have been the highlight of my evening...

Showtime

Posing in the box, ooh lala

The beer fist temporarily employed as a handwarmer.

The boys reveling in Stars glory

--------------------------------------

Saturday Will and I spent the afternoon in a meeting about our future casa! We went over all the upgrades we want and picked out the types of wood floors, cabinets, granite, carpet, and so on that we like to finalize the price. It was overwhelming but so fun! The only thing we didn't decide on was the exterior brick/stone combo because we really just have no idea what we want our house to look like. Luckily, we've got time. That evening I went on a date with my good friend Nat and we saw He's Just Not That Into You. It was so cute, I love Ginnifer Goodwin and I want her wardrobe!

-------------------------------------

Today is just your typical Sunday. At Pei Wei earlier Will ordered honey shrimp, but they accidentaly made chicken so they gave him that one while he "waited" -- his shrimp showed up about 30 seconds later so we had an entire meal to box up. Gotta love free Pei Wei! We took Toula to the dogpark this afternoon but it looked like rain so we only stayed for about an hour. Now I'm blogging and Will just finished our taxes! Yay for tax returns and stimulus checks; our savings account will be getting a nice little boost in 6-8 days :)

Back to the James Bond marathon and laundry....

xo, Lynds

Take Your Daughter Sister To Work Day

My mom and I decided to crash my brother's workday and sit in on one of his trials. He just started working as a prosecutor for the DA's office in December and we wanted to see his skills in action. One thing I learned. Well two things. One: my brother is a GOOD lawyer! I already knew he could argue, but when it's not geared towards me it's actually very entertaining :) Two: Trials are long. Incredibly interesting and sometimes fiery (esp with a brother like mine who has a bit of a flair for the dramatic). But long. We got there around 9am, the judge finally recessed at 5pm, and they have to go back tomorrow to finish up.

Hard at work.

I really wish we could have seen the verdict (because Nate's totally going to win!), but we really enjoyed sitting in the back taking it all in. My mom has done jury duty before and even sat on the jury for a murder trial, but I had no idea how the process works. We also got to back in the room with Nate and his partner and watch them mull over the jury selections debating who would be good to keep, who to scratch, etc. Very cool. All in all it was a very educational day. And I have a newfound respect for all the technical grey areas attorneys have the ability to come up with and then find ways to debate for hours. And I mean hours.

Happy Thursday!

It's time for...

25 random things about Lyndsey

1) I am 1/2 Greek and I mostly love it. My dad was born in Athens (we think?) and was adopted when he was a baby. My only qualms about being Greek are...a) in true Greek fashion, my nose is slightly above average in size...and b) no matter how much I work out, my booty stays the same size! It will NOT shrink...

2) I was almost a Jessica. For eight months in my mom's belly I was "baby Jessica" until finally my aunt Pam *thank you!* told her Jessica was too popular and to name me Lyndsey instead. My mom came up with the spelling though. Also, I'm named after my biological grandmother whose name was Nikki (so Greek) and my middle name is Nicole.

3) I hate to clean but I love to organize. I would rather spend my afternoon alphabetizing the DVDs than actually dusting them. I cannot wait until we can get a cleaning lady! Shallow but true.

4)My biggest fear is not being able to have children.

5) However, I have always had a strong desire to adopt. Hopefully we can do both.

6) I can no longer watch scary movies. I used to love a good thriller, but now I guess I think to deeply about them and will have horrific nightmares if I see one. I even change the channel if a preview comes on TV.

7) If I didn't care about my weight, I would eat mac-n-cheese everyday.

8) My favorite articles of clothing are my Men's Hanes v-neck t-shirts. You can buy them in six packs at Target and I wear them all the time. In fact, the last two pictures of myself I've posted have been in those shirts. And I'm wearing one right now.

9) I really hope at least one of our children gets my brown hair and Will's blue eyes. It's my favorite color combo, thank you Gilmore Girls.

10) On a class trip to Vicksburg, MS in fifth grade, a group of us got in trouble for talking too much (I was and am a bit of a Chatty Cathy) and I had to go sit in the front of the bus with the teacher. I cried because I thought I was going to get a detention and then I wouldn't get into college. Because that's how it works.

11) I've never done drugs and I do NOT think Marijuana should be legalized.

12) I have recently grown very fond of Anthony Bourdain.

13) I'm no artist but I am always doing something creative. I spent two months working on mine and Will's wedding video and I'm currently working on my own esty site, stay tuned!

14) I've never broken a bone, gotten stitches, or even gotten a bee sting. I'm pretty reserved.

15) I really like the feeling of shooting a gun and I plan on getting my certified handgun license one day.

16) I've never lived outside the DFW metroplex and don't intend to. I do however love to travel and have a loooong list of places to go. Top 3: Greece, Italy, Maine/Vermont

17) Will and I are building a house. Read previous post. I'm ecstatic!

18) Will asked me out for the first time over text message. I still don't let him live it down.

19) I share my birthday with my sister-in-law Jennifer. And MTV.

20) I have chased Toula down the street in my bra before when she escaped out the door. I had a dog get run over by a car in highschool and am so overly protective of Toula now that I get really panicky and do things like not take time to put on a shirt if she runs outside. She doesn't go ANYWHERE without a leash.

21) I loved being an Art History major and don't regret my choice, but somedays I wish I had chosen a path that may have actually led to a career. At least I know a lot about Michelangelo.

22) I found out I got into Baylor accidentally while checking my application status online. I was really happy, but when I got my letter a few weeks later it was pretty anticlimactic. I wish I had applied to more school so I could have had the experience of opening the letter.

23) I love going to the movies but I hate movie candy. So I sneak my own in. It's cheaper and the grocery stores have a better selection. Haribo cherries? Yes, please!

24) I have gotten at least four speeding tickets in my life. And I have an affinity for backing into things....trashcans, other cars. I prefer to ride in the passenger seat.

25) I am not afraid of heights but I am terrified of rollercoasters. I am convinced I will fall out and plunge to my death.

Now let's see if I can convince Will to do this...

xo, Lynds

Saturday I was reunited with my baby and my man!



This is me and Toula right after I picked her up from the vet. She was a little out of it to say the least....

Will drove up from Waco and met us in Rockwall (which is where he is from and where Toula's vet is) AND is where we began our.....HOUSE HUNTING! Yes! We are hoping to move into a real house when our lease is up in May. I am beyond excited about having a place of our own! We were originally looking in downtown Dallas because that's where our jobs and friends are but the houses are so small and so expensive, and when we realized how much more home we could get in the suburbs it just wasn't worth the convenience.

We decided on Rockwall because....
1) Will grew up there and his parents still live there
2) It's the closest commute (from a suburb) to Dallas for Will
3) There are mulitple school districts around for me to apply to
4) It's cute!

We planned on just driving around picking up flyers, maybe going into some open houses, but then we found this neighborhood and fell in love! It's brand new and we found two great builders with tons of cute affordable floorplans. So now house hunting has turned into house BUILDING! We have narrowed it down to a few floorplans so once we decide we're pretty sure we're going to dive in and purchase a lot. Builders are throwing in tons of incentives right now and the prices/interest rates/etc. are so low it just works for us. We spent all evening last night and most of today going through floor plans and all the options picking and choosing what we like.

Toula rode around with us lounging on the backseat with the windows rolled down; pretty much post-op heaven for a dog. We did drop her off at Will's parent's house so we could get lunch and that is when we spotted....


Peter Cottontail eating Will's mom's parsley! When we got back he had eaten all of it, nothing left but the stems. Nice going Petey.

Today has been a pleasantly slow day...it was 75* and sunny so went spent the day outside tossing around the old pigskin -- afterwards Will told me I was a pretty good catcher "for a girl." Thanks hun. We also took Toula for a walk down to the 7-11 and got slurpees. Now we're waiting for the Superbowl to be over watching the Superbowl and getting excited about the special hour long episode of The Office coming on right after!



Hope everyone had their 3-D glasses on during halftime!

xo, Lynds