Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Whew! What a Whirlwind!

Sorry, no pictures from Christmas weekend. I was too busy to take any!

All three services were AMAZING. This was by far the coolest set of services I've ever been involved in and I've done A LOT of special church services. The last service on Christmas Eve culminated in my friend Daniel proposing to his girlfriend. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire auditorium. Awesome!

This week I'm back at the little job that's starting to suck my soul trying my darndest to get year end completed before...I GO ON VACATION! I'm digging the all caps tonight. Deal.

Next week is all Mary Kay all the time. If you'd like to volunteer your face to try out some new products, let me know! You'll get a special discount off your order!

Last but not least, I've decided to open myself up to the possibility of a new job. I know where I want to work, I'm just not sure how to go about it. Much prayer needed! Good thing He never gets tired of hearing from us!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

It's Almost Here!!!

After hours and hours and hours of rehearsals we're as ready as we're going to get! Christmas at the Commons starts this evening and I for one am super excited. Tickets for tonight are sold out but you can still get tickets for 4 pm and 6 pm tomorrow! This will be by far the best Christmas production I've ever been a part of so don't miss it!

www.Journeyweb.net or www.ChristmasattheCommons.com for tickets.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Where in I talk about doing stupid stuff on cold meds

Monday morning. Where to start? It looked something like this:

Wake up.
Blow nose.
Put contacts in.
Blow nose again.
Dayquil!
Medicine head.
Drive to work anyway.
Make new table tents for Mexican restaurant.
Hand cut new table tents for Mexican restaurant.
Cut tip off left thumb with Xacto knife.
Run from office holding left hand above head.
Wrap thumb in papertowels and duct tape.
Re-print table tents to replace ones bled on.
Finish hand cutting table tents.
Woozy drive home.
Superglue end of thumb.
Pass out on couch.
"Is that a cat or a cotton ball?"

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Whew!

I'm going to have to take a new mast head picture tomorrow. I am now completely moved into my parents basement. They've been so generous, painting my old room, Daddy giving up his bathroom, Mom now having to put a door on her studio so the furkids can't get in. Not to mention all the money those supplies cost and their time to help move my furniture. I'm so very grateful!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

How Time Flies

I've had Logan for just over a month now and this is what I've learned so far:

1. If it can be batted around, thrown up in the air, or flipped over it is a toy.
2. Christina Agulera's voice makes him howl and not in a good way.
3. The litter box must now be cleaned twice a day because Little Man is a POOPING MACHINE!
4. He is really rather docile. Suki and Rory swat at him, but he never swats back. Which is probably a good thing considering how much bigger he is than them.
5. Every time I get out of the shower I find him in the sink.
6. Logan is not shy about stealing your food.
7. Freeze dried chicken is it's own food group.
8. I have no idea if he knows his name or not. He is always right there under my feet so I never have to call him.
9. Racing Rory after the laser pointer is his favorite thing to do.
10. His plastic wand with the feathers taped to the end is his favorite toy.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Eating Crow

Last night I did something I'm really not proud of. I took out my frustration with Joe and his persistent incivility on his daughter. I said something horrible on this here little blog that I never should have. I've apologized to Joe and now I want to apologize to you, my readers. You don't need to bare witness to my vindictive tendencies and I'm sincerely sorry that I let my own hurt feelings spill over onto this sight.

Yay!


Guess who's on target for her first Mary Kay Career Car!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Seasons of Change

I've been hearing and seeing a lot lately about embracing the season of your life that you're in. They talk about it all the time on KLOVE. It was a new concept to me when Joe first mentioned it back in July. At that point in time I was in a blissfully happy season. I'd met Joe who I thought was "The One." We'd formed our own little family unit and life was good. In fact I'd call that season exactly that, Life is Good.

Exactly 3 months later that season ended. Joe left. Two days later I found out that Rory has cancer. Now 6 weeks further in and I'm having to move out of my apartment and into my parent's basement. I think it's safe to call this season Loss.

I know that I'm one of the lucky ones. This economy has hit everyone hard. I'm fortunate to have such generous parents. I'm fortunate to still have a job. I'm fortunate that while my credit is shot and I have mountains of debt with only my health to show for it, I haven't had anything repossessed or my wages, such that they are, garnished. I still have and will continue to have a roof over my head. There's still kibble in the food dish and cat litter in the litter pan. I'm getting tired of Top Raman and oatmeal, but that will change when I move back to my parents. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully that will be my next season. Light.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Cutting the (Satellite) Cord

I just canceled my satellite service, a move precipitated by the screen going out on my cell phone mid contract...2 days after the warranty expired on said phone, leaving me with virtually no phone and no option for a new one that costs less than a couple hundred dollars. A couple hundred dollars that I don't have. That and the fact that I've watched movies in the last month, but not watched actual live TV. I see my book consumption going up drastically.

If you're trying to get a hold of me, may I suggest carrier pigeon? In all seriousness, I can receive calls, I just can't make them because I can't see what I'm dialing. It would also stand to reason then that I can't see that you called so leave a message. I can still check messages from a land line. I also can't send or receive txts. This is going to send my Mary Kay business through the roof!

***UPDATE***

Still no Satellite, but my rabbit ears look awesome hooked up to my HDTV! My phone on the other hand is being fixed as we speak. I should be up and running in just a few minutes! Thank you CPR!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

YAY!

As of tonight I will be a SENIOR CONSULTANT!!!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Holy Really, Batman?

See this one? I love him to pieces. He's the most loving, cuddly ball of fluff ever. Every time I see him he just makes me smile. This weekend however he was about to give me a nervous break down.

Saturday I got home from work to find that he had knocked over the kitchen garbage can, eaten a discarded wrapper from a stick of butter and then proceeded to puke in every single room in my house. One of my greatest fears with all 3 of my cats is intestinal blockages. Don't ask me why. It's just something that I've always worried about, so while I laughed and joked about it when my friends afterwards and was completely grossed out about having to clean up cat puke, inside I was glad that his little tummy decided to say, "Nope! That's not going through!"

Solution to 16 lb. cat tipping over 13 gallon garbage can: 30 lb. bag of sand in the bottom. Try knocking that one over, Little Man!

Now if only the hijinks had stopped there. But they didn't.

I've never been so glad for snow in my life than I was last night. I got home around 7:30 from doing laundry at my parents house. As I walked into the house with my first basket of clothes Logan darted in between my feet and outside into the street! Mostly white cat, mostly white snow, oh and did I mention it was snowing and visibility was crap? I live on a very busy street. This is my second worst nightmare when it comes to my cats. Fortunately he jumped back up on the sidewalk and then ran around the corner of the building. I tracked him through the snow and found him about 3 minutes and one heart attack later.

I really hope this isn't an indication of how the rest of his life is going to go.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Hmmmm

Nothing boosts your self esteem like browzing the interwebs and coming across a picture of a Victoria's Secret model wearing a bikini in her down time that you too own...and seeing her look WAY better in it than you could ever hope too.

Back to the gym I go! Thank you so much, Miranda Kerr.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

What a day!

One of my longest and dearest friends, Andrea, had her little boy this morning AND I got my first Mary Kay team memeber! Could today get any better?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thank you very much, iTunes

So last night I accidentally threw away my cash card when I threw out my CVS bag. Oops! I didn't realize it until I went to put cash in Zippy so I wrote a check, filled her up and went home to each lunch and call the bank.

I called the bank and got the most rude woman ever on the phone. She informed me that my account was overdrawn and until it's fixed they won't order me a new card and then she hung up on me. I wanted to ask her how much I was overdrawn, what charges were going through, etc. because I hadn't used my card any where other than CVS all weekend.

Fast forward 20 minutes and I'm back at work. I log onto my bank account and sure enough, I'm overdrawn almost $70 and the check I wrote to the gas station hasn't even hit the bank yet. Yikes! I tab over to the transactions page and right there at the top of the list is a charge for $150 from iTunes. I'll admit I use iTunes occasionally, but NEVER $150 worth at a time. Also, the last time I downloaded anything was before I left on vacation which was over 3 weeks ago and that charge has already gone through.

Now I'm looking for a phone number for iTunes to find out what the heck they're charging me for. Anyone have a phone number?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Grammar Hogan of Quail Ridge

AKA: Logan. Almost sounds like a Royal Title doesn't it?
This is where I found him when I got out of the shower last night. At the time he needed a bath. Do you think he knew?
This was when we were watching Phantom of the Opera the other night. Every time Gerrard Buttler started singing his ears would go back and he'd wallow further into the blankets. Me thinks he doest not like Mr. Buttler's pipes.

I took this one the day after I got him. We were at the "Other House" in Prineville.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Where in I talk about my second* favorite subject**.

CLOTHES!!! I love clothes! And shoes. Oh, shoes! And purses! Although I haven't bought a purse in quite a while. Well, since last March when I bought my cute white Hobo bag from Coach while I was on vacation. But I digress.

Last year I made my first trip to Vegas, from here on out known as Meca. The Forum Shoppes were everything I hoped they would be and more. I'm not sure how but I made it out of there with only 2 dresses from Calvin Klein, the afore mentioned Coach bag and a new pair of Oakleys. Miracle!

Just today I realized that my favorite fashion blogger http://www.thechloeconspiracy.com/ is in Denver! As in Colorado! As in not very far from here! Denver is now on my Must List for places to shop.

*Very far second only behind music.

**Yes Mom, I know my closet is way over stuffed, but I really do like that shirt. Hint, hint!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Oops...

So I had this piece prepared for my 100th post, a list of 100 things about me, but I totally spaced my 100th post and really, who wants to know that much about me? So I'm just going to do a top 10. Feel free to stop reading now.

1. I've fallen in love exactly 3 times in my life.
2. I've had my heart broken exactly 3 times.
3. I have irrational fears of birds and fish.
4. While I love cats, I really don't want cat "stuff." No socks, no shirts, no signs hanging in my house. I have one cat magnet on my fridge. Even that almost seems like a bit much.
5. If I could spend every birthday at Disney Land I would. It's hard to freak out over turning a year older when you're riding the Maliboomer.
6. As Marlo so eloquently stated I love shoes, purses and lipgloss.
7. No matter how long I live in Bozeman, Bend will always be home.
8. Even though I have an irrational fear of fish, I still like to watch them swim.
9. If I could quit my job and teach music full time I would.
10. I'm looking forward to my car being paid off in July. This will be the first vehicle that I've ever paid off. Ever. My savings account is looking forward to it!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Whew!

This trip has been a whirlwind! I'm headed back to MT tomorrow morning with a few fewer dollars in my bank account, one more cat in tow than previously expected and a whole lot of fond memories. Now I can't wait to come back! Loft! White House/Black Market! Grandma's home cooking! Laughing and shopping with Shelly! I forgot how much fun this place can be!

My camera's not working, but there are a bunch of pics from my phone on Facebook under mobile uploads if you want to check them out.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Quick Rant

Dear Customer:

It is not my responsibility to reconcile your records to ours when you get 6 months behind on your bill and are "too busy" to figure it out. I'm sorry we had to cut you off, but you've been warned for the last 4 months that this was going to happen. I make you signs. I am not your accountant.

Sincerely,
Your Disgruntled
Point of Purchase Advertiser

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

6 of One, Half Dozen of the Other

So the latest rumor out of Hollywood is that Billy Ray Cirus's wife Tish cheated on him with Brett Michaels. I really don't care if this is true or not, but it does beg the question; is Brett Michaels a step up from Billy Ray or is this more of a lateral move?

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Free Entertainment

Since I'll be bringing home a new little boy kitty in a little over a week I've been trying to spend as much time as possible cuddling with my girls. Last night I spent the whole night curled up with Suki sleeping on my chest while I watched TV.

When it was bedtime I picked Suki up and set her on the other end of the couch so I could go wash my face and get ready for bed. Of course she followed me into the bathroom. Just as I turned on the water Suki jumped up on the counter, slid and landed in the sink. I laughed so hard I cried.

I have a feeling that as soon as I bring Logan home all of Hadies is going to come crashing down on my head. I better enjoy the fun while it lasts!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Stepping Away

I start the new members class at Journey tonight. Even though Joe and I are no longer together, I still feel like I belong at Journey far more than I ever really did at BCRC. For one, I was the only singleton at BCRC. For two, I was never going to be treated as an adult there, only Frank and Linda's daughter. For three, Solid Ground was really starting to wear on me. It was feeling less and less like a blessing and more and more like an obligation. In 10 years I got to sit and enjoy only one Christmas service. Don't get me wrong, I love to play, but when it starts to feel like a chore it's time to leave.

So now I'm starting over at Journey. It's a much larger church and will be a bit more difficult to cultivate my place at but I'm looking forward to it.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Only in Bozeman

I was driving down Mendenhall on my way home for lunch today, just driving along minding my own business when out of the corner of my eye I see this guy on the sidewalk. He was standing aobut 30 feet away. He makes eye contact...and then lifts his shirt, shows me his beer gut and then puts his shirt back down, turns and walks away. Wow.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Today I feel...

...like a high school drama teacher. My outfit has no shape and it makes me feel like Mrs. Sullivan. Although Janene says I look like Dirrty Tink. As in Dirrty Tinkerbell. Maybe if I had pompoms on my toes?

That is all. Carry on.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Just a thought...

When you repeatedly tell your employees that the company can't afford to give them a raise, it's never a good idea to show up to work with a brand spanking new 40K "company" vehicle.

I'm just sayin'.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Changes

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to find out why my fingers were going numb in both hands. I'd been dealing with it since April and the progression from just occasionally in my pinkie fingers to now constantly in my pinkie and ring fingers and occasionally in my middle fingers had me a little irked. Enter chiropractor extraordinaire Dr. Lundgren. Within minutes he had figured out that my C8 nerve is being crushed. Good news: It's not permanent. Bad news: I can't play my instruments for the next 3 months to a year while I do physical therapy. Sucker fish!

That same day I went to see my regular doctor because I've been having horrible pains in my hips and knees as well as my right wrist. After checking out my mobility he decided that I most likely had rheumatoid arthritis. Apparently it goes hand in hand with Crohn's disease. After some blood tests it was determined that I don't in fact have RA and the joint pain is just a side effect of my Crohn's. I'm starting on an anti inflammatory tomorrow as well as pain meds for the days I have a hard time walking. Whoopee!

None of this health stuff is really new for me, I'm mean I'm a hospital's favorite kind of patient: You won't kill me, but you'll sure have fun charging me for it while you try! The issue with my back though has had a pretty major impact on my life.

Since Joe and I started dating I've been going to church with him at Journey on Saturday nights and BCRC on Sundays. This was because we wanted to attend church together and we both had commitments at our respective churches on Sunday morning. After much discussion and prayer we decided that I would make a slow transition from BCRC and Solid Ground to Journey. Well, the back injury sort of sped things up a bit. Since I can no longer play with Solid Ground we decided that I would make my departure now rather than at the end of the calendar year as we had originally planned. Sadly, that night when Solid Ground practiced I had intended to tell everyone I was leaving at the end of the year, instead I told them that the following Sunday would be my last. Tears were shed, prayers were said, but in the end it's a huge burden off my shoulders.

This last Sunday morning Joe and I attended church together for the first time at a regular Sunday service. For the first time in months I didn't feel torn as I headed out the door to church. I'm going to miss BCRC, but Journey is definitely my new home.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Chalk that one up as Epic Fail

I'm a pretty good cook. I say this because my mom's a great cook and when I recreate her recipes they usually end up spot on. With this in mind I decided on Sunday night that I was going to make one of my favorite meals for Joe and the kids...Chicken and Dumplings.

I can usually churn out a pot of Chicken and Dumplings in about an hour, it's good and hearty, the gravy is thick and full of veggies, the dumplings are light and fluffy and the chicken is juicy and delicious. Sunday would've been just like that if only I'd remembered to bring the recipe with me. Oops! I tried to recreate the spices from memory. Judging from how it smelled simmering on the stove I thought I had them right. SO TOTALLY DID NOT HAVE THEM RIGHT!

The gravy didn't develop; it was a water, yucky mess. The dumplings didn't steam properly and ended up being thick lumps of goo on the inside and a soggy mess on the outside. The veggies were the only part that turned out right. Wouldn't you know it, the kids wouldn't eat them. They ended up whining their way away from the table only to have ice cream an hour later. Ice cream for supper - I'm totally kicking hiner at this step mom thing!

Tonight I'm going to try to redeem myself. I'm making turkey loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and green bean casserole. Hopefully it all works out!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Hands and Feet

Joe and I went out to my parents house last night for dinner and a little card playing. Our family plays this card game call Hand and Foot. We've been playing it since before time began and we've devoloped a few family rivalries. Fore example: When we play, it doesn't matter who wins so long as Mummsie looses. We also joke that Daddy has a calus on his hiner because Mom's kicked it so many times.

So last night the men folk decided that they wanted to take on the women folk. Big mistake boys! WE KILLED THEM! Going into the final round we only needed another 800 points to win, they needed another 4500. Mom and I stuck them both with their feet, both of which contained red 3s. We didn't even both counting up the cards.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Wonderful Weekend

Yesterday was our last weekend day without the kids until next summer so Joe and I decided to take advantage. After I was done playing at BCRC and he was done teaching Sunday School at Journey we had lunch, hopped in the car and headed to the booming metropolis of West Yellowstone. Whoo boy! I forgot to get the camera our while we were in West, but I remembered on the way back through the Madison Valley. Check out my facebook page for more pics!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Album Cover!


Thank you to the oh so talented Chris Warden!


Monday, August 16, 2010

Where in I talk about white water and head colds.

After the bout with pneumonia not even two weeks ago, I have somehow managed to get Joe's head cold that he caught from his daughter. I say somehow managed, knowing full well how it happened and yet not willing to admit that when it comes to Joe, I'm not willing to be a germaphobe.

So what's the best thing to do when you're getting over a nasty cold? Go white water rafting of course! I am now the proud owner of not only an earache, but also some nasty black and blue bruises on my hiner from getting bounced around on the raft. Despite the fact that I shivered the whole way down, I had a blast and can't wait until next summer to do it again!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

CD Update

I know I said it would be finished and out by June 15th, but the new CD is still in production. We've been having problems with musicians going out of town, then I got pneumonia (in July! How does that happen?) and now my voice is still trashed. My doctor says it'll be a couple more weeks before I'm back to normal vocally. Great! Fabulous! Let's just drag this little project out a bit longer, shall we?

Enter Joe and his kids and their cold...which they're trying really hard to pass on to me. But I'm not getting sick! No sir, I'm not!

I'm just going to keep telling myself that. Maybe myself will listen.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Around the Office

To Janine it's a breakfast sausage and an orange juice. To me it's a hot dog and an energy drink.

Janene: I am now completely convinced that I should do some work today.

Janene: You know, you don't look ugly enough to meet the ex-wife today.*

Me: Hands are not meant to be smashed!

Me: Some of our employees need tracking beacons.
Janene: Yes they do! And I volunteer to install them!

Ooh yes, Royce has teh key fo shizzle!

Me: The whole reason I exist is to serve Roxanne.
Janene: I think someone needs another Rockstar.

* The meeting of the ex-wife went as well as can be expected. For this I am extremely greatful!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Holy WOW! (Not to be confused with Sham WOW!)

It's been a whirlwind 10 days! I met a wonderful Christian man whom I can easily see myself spending the rest of my life with. He's met my parents and really likes them, a feeling that I think is mutual. I've spent a good chunk of time with his kids over the last 4 days and they're amazing. Every night when he tucks his 4 year old into bed she gives me a hug and makes sure I'm coming over again the next day. Makes me melt! I can't wait to see where this is heading! Other than Wisconsin the first week of January to meet his family because I already took the time off for that.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Really. I mean it this time.

I have a ton of pictures from all the hiking and road trips I've taken thus far this summer and I fully intend to post them. I just have to remember to take my laptop to the shop to make this happen. Fingers crossed for Saturday?

In the mean time I'm sitting here at my desk, feeling a nice breeze and listening to the birds sing outside my office window. If you have to be inside at a computer, it really doesn't get any better than this!

I lied. The warehouse manager just brought me an Almond Joy. It just got better!

Also, I stole a picture off my sister's blog of all the kids and made it my desktop background. Seriously good day!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Finn


Dearest Finn;
Since your lovely Mama hasn't sent me the picture of me holding you from the other night (hint, hint) I'm going to caption this letter to you with one that I stole off her blog.
Darling boy, I have been praying for you since before you were even conceived and will continue to pray for you every day for the rest of my life. God hand picked you to come into this family because he knew that we were just the right ones to love you and that you are just the right one for us to love. I can't wait to watch you grow up, play with you, watch you accomplish everything you set out to do and become the God fearing man that I'm sure Evan and Kurt will raise you to be. We all love you to pieces!
Now I'm going to give you the 8 best words of advice anyone's ever given me:
Live Big - Do everything with gusto.
Laugh Often - Laughter is always the best medicine.
Love Everyone - Sometimes it's hard, but find a way to show love to everyone you meet. It's what God wants us to do as Christians, and it makes the world a better place.
Forgive Always - Again, it's not only what God wants us to do, but life is much easier when you're not holding a grudge.
I love you, little man!
Aunt Lindsey

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Weekend Adventures

I have a 4 day weekend this weekend and I intend to document the whole thing in pictures. Imagine, new pictures on the blog! I haven't even posted the pictures from my vacation yet! Anyway, stay tuned Monday to see what I'm up to.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Housekeeping

The concert was a success! I have no idea how many people were there, but we raised over half of the money we need! Thank you Bozeman Church!

My uber creative web guy, Colt, is working on LindseyJamesMusic.com AS WE SPEAK! I'm so excited to finally get the site up! You'll be able to see up coming shows for both myself and Solid Ground, news on the new CD and download tracks from my last CD, "Long Road Home," from the site. I'll also be posting photos from shows there.

I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh well. Post more later?

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Tomorrow, June 4th. 7 pm. Bozeman CRC, corner of 5th and Villard in Bozeman. Be there!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Headshots are Coming!

I just got word from my fabulous photographer that the first round of headshots are almost complete! Whoop!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Be There or Be Despondant

Mark your collective callendars! The Lindsey James Trio is playing Friday, June 4th at 7 p.m. at Bozeman Christian Reform Church! This is an all ages show so feel free to bring the kids! Daddy and Carl are kicking around the idea of serving ice cream afterwards in the basement.

See you there!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Quatro De Mayo

Mr. Distraction made a suprise appearance in Bozeman last night and he came with the fantastic idea to celebrate Cinco De Mayo Eve. I didn't partake, but I did watch TV with him. I didn't even know Carson Daly has his own show on late late late night tv. What rock have I been living under?

When Ev and I were kids we'd keep one eye out for Mom or Dad coming home and the other on Carson Daly and Total Request Live. We particularly liked the spring break shows. As soon as a parental unit was spotted in the driveway we'd quickly change the chanel to something like Rosie O'Donell or Nickelodeon. We were oh so sneaky! Sadly that's as sneaky as we ever tried to get.

And that brings me to my final piece of news for the day: My nasty downstairs neighbor moved out yesterday! Yay!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Gary Allan and My Band(s)

I went to the Gary Allan concert last night. Fan-freaking-tastic! I knew every word to every song and I sang myself horse. Hopefully it gives me deep sexy voice this weekend and not thin reedy voice because...

I have two gigs this weekend. One Saturday night at Music Villa - 7:30. The other Sunday morning at church.

I play in two bands. One's Country, the other's Christian. I love them both for different reasons, but I have to admit that I love the Country one more. Not because of the people because I love all the people I play with. It's more because that's where my musical heart is. I was born to play Country music. To steal a line from Jack Ingram, my name's Lindsey James and I play COUNTRY music!

So it is written, so it shall be.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Shooting Myself in the Foot

We had harassment training at work this morning. The emphasis was on sexual harassment, but it really covered all kinds of harassment. Towards the end of the training there was a slide outlining harassment that just creates a hostile work environment and I'll be danged if my old boss at the job that sucked my soul didn't do ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE ONE to me before I left. I never even occured to me that what she was doing qualified as harassment. I just knew that I hated working there and it was making me seriously ill.

Lesson learned!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Vacation Wrap Up

Let's just leave the rest of the trip as this: I rode, I walked, I slept, I walked some more, I took pictures, I drove, I flew.

In much more exciting news, the 6 week relationship expiration date seems to have passed away. Mr. Distraction and I have been dating for 2 months. I know that seems like a small thing, but for me it's huge. I get bored easily.

It's spring time here in Montana so get out and soak up the sun!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

03/15/10 Vacation Day 3 - 03/16/10 Vacation Day 4

Day 3 can be summed up thusly: I shopped. I ate. I shopped some more. I ate some more. I watched 2012. I went to bed.

Day 4 is where things got interesting. We woke up at 5:30 and were on the road to Disneyland by 6:00. Because of SoCal traffic we didn't get there until 1 in the afternoon. We get to the park and find out that the 3 day park pass that I received as a gift wasn't valid. But it took the little guy in the funny uniform at the park over an hour to tell us that. When all was said and done we didn't get into the park until 3:00. Victoria and I were determined not to let it get us down though!

The first ride we rode was the MaliBoomer in California Adventure. SO MUCH FUN!!! It's definitely in my top 5 of park rides. Possibly top 3. We also rode Screaming California which is the best roller coaster I've ever been on. I rode it 5 times in all during the trip. At this point we rode the Grizzly Mountain water ride that I can't remember the name of. We were soaked and sweaty and sticky so we decided to go back to the room, shower, put some clean clothes on and then grab some dinner.

Because it was my birthday we went to a nicer Mexican restaurant and had margaritas with dinner. Then we went into Disneyland.

Of course the first place we went was Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones has been my favorite ride since it opened. It will continue to be my favorite ride. I giggle like a school girl all the way through. I just love it!!! We then went and watched Captain Eio. It was every bit as bad as I remembered. And yet I loved it just as much as I did the last time I saw it when I was 5 years old. We rode a few more rides in Tomorrow Land and then decided to squeeze in Space Mountain.

By the time we got back to the scooter it was completely dead. This things weighs about 80 lbs and we're in the very back corner of the park. We could not possibly be any further from the hotel. It's 12:30 am. We have to push the scooter. The two of us trying to wrangle this thing up and down hills, across the town square, through the Greater California Hotel, I'm sure it was quite hilarious. Or at least it was to us! We were laughing so hard we had tears streaming down our faces.

We finally collapsed into bed, completely exhausted around 1:00 am.

Lance called to tell me happy birthday at 3:45 am.

And a good time was had by all.

Monday, March 29, 2010

03/14/10 - Vacation Day Dos

OK, so where were we? Ah yes, Cedar City Utah. May I just say that after day 1 I was loathing Utah, but after the views on I-15 going into St. George I was completely converted! I wish I had thought to pull off and take pictures of all the red sandstone because it was truly breathtaking.

After getting up at 9, showering, re-packing and hitting the road around 10:30 we were off for the final leg of our trip into Las Vegas. We got to Vegas around 1:00 and immediately Uncle Dale started making Paninis. We scarfed down lunch and hit the strip for the real reason for this trip...SHOPPING!!! Victoria and I went directly to The Forrum Shops at Ceasar's Palace. Between Coach (new purse that's more like a brief case), Calvin Klein (two new dresses) and MAC (eye liner that is nothing like anything we have at MK) my checking account was ready to cry UNCLE!!!

We finished shopping around 7:00 and headed back to get Uncle Dale and Loretta so we could go to dinner at The Prime Rib Loft. That was hands down the best prime rib I've ever had, and living in Montana, I've had some prime rib! We walked around The Orleans and took pictures of the giant alligators playing intruments in the Casino entryway.

We then made our way down to Freemont Street to watch the light show on the cealing. There was a wedding party that was casino hopping down there in Old Town. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life! Those bridesmaids were getting down!

When the light show was over we went back to the house and crawled into bed around 1:00 am, stuffed to the gills and still laughing over the street dancing. Good times.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

03/13/10 Vacation Day 1

After only three hours of sleep I woke up at the crack of dawn, threw the last of my crap in a bag and headed over to my Aunt Victoria's to embark on a 7 day experiment in crazy making. Because so many things went wrong we're going to tackle this one day at a time.

We'd only been on the road for about an hour and a half before we hit snow, just before Island Park, ID. It was only spitting so I didn't think too much of it. When we got to Salt Lake City and only had 10 feet of visibility I still didn't really think too much of it. Oh, but around some little town that started with an "F" I sure did! We had to pull over to scrape the windshield wipers. When we got to the next town we had to chip three inches of ice off the front of the car. This was only the begining.

About 10 miles before Cedar City we and the other 1 million cars on the freeway had to stop. Not one, not two, but FOUR semis had jack knifed on the interstate. In three hours we only moved 20 feet. The first hour was kind of fun. We ate apples, havarti and smoked turkey. We people watched. The mouth breather in the PT Cruiser in front of us kept getting out of his car and pacing around out in the snow. It was all sort of comical. Around hour 2 we both had to go to the bathroom. By the time hour 3 rolled around we were despirate.

Finally we made it to Cedar City and since we'd been on the road for 14 1/2 hours we decided to call it a day and start again on Sunday. We found a fantastic hotel, showered, ate and then turned in for the night.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The One Where I Babble About Skittish Boys

So HG drove over 2 hours to suprise me last Friday. Sweet gesture, no? Except he didn't get to town until 11 Friday night and had to head back the next day. But other than the poor execution, I give him props.

But here's the thing. He lives two hours away for the time being. I have a very demanding day job and two home businesses that require my attention on a dayly basis. I communicate primarily via email and txt message. His project is so far out in the woods he doesn't have internet or cell access, making him inaccessable.

He told my friend that introduced us seven years ago that I move too fast.

Move. Too. Fast.

I can see saying that when you're trying to follow me around the office and I'm supposed to be training you. My day job is more of a marathon length sprint, not so much a jog in the park.

I can see saying that when you're trying to shop with me. I'm a turbo shopper.

I can see that if you'r in my band and we're learning a new song. I catch on quick and you better keep up.

But dating? I barely have time to clean my house. If I see you twice a week we're doing good. Once a week is far more the norm.

Not to mention that his friends were around the entire time we were together. I'm not so much a PDA person.

Is that moving too fast? Really?

Monday, March 1, 2010

Completely Unhinged

I went to one of my best friends' house warming party Friday night. A girl that I'll call Danielle crashed the party and then went downtown with us. We ended up playing shuffleboard at our usual haunt, and I was teamed up with Danielle. After we won our first game we ended up playing against these two guys, one of which I've known for years - and had a crush on for just as long.

After playing three games, winning 2 BY A LOT, and flirting through all three, Hot Guy (here after refered to as HG) and I exchanged numbers. The guys left and we girls went and found a table. That's when Danielle began her fast decent into crazytown.

She insisted on sitting next to me. I thought it was weird but didn't think anything of it until she leaned over and said, "You know he's my ex right? And it is killing me seeing him! Especially flirting with one of my good friends!" I had only met her about two hours before this! I don't know her, I certainly don't know if I want to be her friend.

The next day HG txted and asked if I wanted to come hang out with him and one of his friends. I didn't have anything going on so I went and met him. After a few minutes of small talk HG asked me how I knew Danielle. I told him that I had only met her the night before. And why do you ask? Turns out she had called him that morning and warned him away from me! She freaking marked her territory!

Or tried to. We had a real date Sunday night.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

RIP Dolce

My Betta Dolce died yesterday. Just like my sister has an irrational fear of birds, I too have an irrational fear - of fish. I know, it's stupid. But isn't that why it's an irrational fear?

Anyway, I had just cleaned the fish bowl a few days ago so there was still about 2 gallons of water in it. Obviously I couldn't dump all of that water down the toilet, but also, Dolce couldn't be normal when he died. He sunk to the bottom. So...I thought I'd just dump most of the water down the bathroom sink and then when most of the water was gone I'd dump the fish in the toilet.

So I'm standing in the bathroom pouring the excess water down the sink when I feel the familiar feeling of kitty claws crawling up the back of my leg. While I was distracted by the claws was when Dolce decided to slide out of the fish bowl and into the sink.

Now remember what I said about irrational fears?

I was so creeped out from seeing a dead fish sucked into the drain that I had to run out into the living room. I was shaking and tearing up and I finally had to just go sit on the couch.

To re-cap: dead fish in the bathroom sink and I'm too freaked out to even get off the couch.

This is where I make my second big mistake: I start txting my friends to see if any of them would be willing to come over and pluck the dead fish out of my sink. The only response I got was laughing. Lots and lots of laughing.

Finally my friend Mary Lou said she would rescue me from the, "Ninja Fish." That's what Jake called it. He thought that would make me not feel so stupid.

So there's my Wednesday night story. Don't I feel stupid.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Here's Something...

Any of you who know about my health problems will understand why I find this alarming: I've been so busy the last couple of weeks that I've been eating fast food and haven't had time to work out. Yet I've lost 4 pounds. My clothes are loose. I haven't had any stomach cramps or any other Crohn's symptoms, but it still makes me nervous.

Off to make cookies!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Wow

How is it that I have a million things going on, more things to do in a day than hours and yet I have absolutely NOTHING to write about?

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Valentine's Past

I had spent weeks trying to think of the best possible Valentine's present for J and finally decided that a diamond and titanium watch was the perfect gift. After all, we'd been together for 5 years. That kind of longevity deserved a diamond watch.

He gave me a 3 year old used Palm Pilot that was covered in Thor Racing stickers and had a cracked case. No thanks. He also answered a phone call during dinner from a woman he'd cheated on me with. Oh hells no! I took the watch back. A few months later I took my heart back. He's now out of work and living in the house he built for us with his new girlfriend. She likes to complain about the comfort height cabinets in the master bathroom and kitchen. I'm tall. She's not. So sad.

It took me three years, but I finally feel like I dodged a bullet.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Feeling Things Out

I'm the band leader of our Praise Team at our church. No, we don't have a name even though we've been playing together for years, yes, we are working on it. Right now there's a rather large list of things that we need: new recording equipment, an updated keyboard, new drum heads, some of our mics are lacking, etc. We've brainstormed the idea of doing a concert with a free will offering to raise the money and while I think that this will raise enough money to cover SOME of what we need, I'm pretty sure it won't cover ALL of it.

So I've been thinking. I know, my mind is a dark and scary place that should only be explored if you absolutely have to. But! Here me out! I have a modest fan base here in the Gallatin County for my music. Not the music that I make with the rest of the band, but my own music. What if I were to record an album of Gospel standards, pull Rob and Doug in and record as a trio, then sell copies of said album with 100% of the proceeds going back into the Praise Team?

What do you guys think? Would you pay $10 for a live gospel recording?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Poor Zippy!

Ever since I moved into my appartment four years ago, Super Bowl Weekend has meant bad things happen to my car.

The first year someone had sex on the hood, denting it.

The second year someone was so angry that they pulled the whiper arms off and shoved them through the hood!

The third year it was tagged.

The fourth year it was tagged again.

This year my poor little car was egged. 12 cars in the parking lot and mine was the only one hit. I was obviously targeted.

I love living in a small town with small minded, jealous people.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Estee Would Roller Over in Her Grave!

When I started selling Mary Kay both my director, Meg, and my recruiter, Heather, told me to just throw out all my old products and completely switch over. I haven't been able to bring myself to throw out all the mega bucks of products that I had. But I've finally found a solution, at least for the old moisturizers...

I'm using them on my feet! I just started putting Lancome Renergie on my feet. Not as great as using our Extra Emollient Night Cream, and 4 times the cost, but still my feet are so soft! And who doesn't want ageless feet?

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Bored, bored, bored

So thanks to some bad news from the doctor on Friday, I am more or less couch bound until Monday at the earliest. Which is leaving me lots of time to catch up on my online tv watching! So far I've watched the 4th season of Heroes, the 2nd season of Dexter and now I've begun watching The Tudors.

I'm also going out of my mind! I'm used to running 100 miles a minute trying to get a million things done in a day. All this sitting around is driving me mad! I can't even work out and I'm a two workout a day person. I feel like I'm 80!

This sucks!!!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Things I Learned This Morning In Church

1. My mom hates all my old stage clothes to the point that when I mix them with the more conservative pieces I wear to church it makes her cringe.

2. I'm done having my picture professionally taken for the year, provided I don't decide to cut another record, which let's be honest, probably isn't going to happen.

3. One of the old ladies at church has decided to take it upon herself to set me up with a, "good Christian fellow." No good can come from this...