A Normal Day

Today was a normal day. My alarm went off at 5:10, I snoozed for 10  minutes, woke up, got ready, drank my coffee on my same drive to work, got there with a few minutes to spare. Enjoyed my day with my clients, worked out, went home, baked, cooked, walked the dogs, and did all my normal things.

Today is September 11, 2013. And my day 12 years ago was also just a normal day. I woke up, had peanut butter toast for breakfast, drove to my early morning class at the high school (senior year), went to my first hour class and the rest is blurry. I sat with my classmates all day watching the tv coverage of the terrorist attack of 9/11. I remember going to church that night for a service and feeling so sick about what happened. 

Tomorrow will be a normal day, Friday will be a normal day. But for those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those who are still suffering, we owe it to them to have a not normal day. We owe it to them to take a few moments each day to be extra grateful for what we have, we owe it to them to hug our loved ones a little extra, to give our pets an extra rub and hug, we owe it to them to try our hardest at everything we do.

Life was never the same after 9/11. Many things changed. But how will your tomorrow change? Will it be just a normal day?? 

My friend Chris posted this article on facebook about the four legged hero's of 9/11. Please take a moment and check it out.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033628/Surviving-9-11-rescue-dogs-scoured-Ground-Zero-bodies-commemorated-decade-difficult-mission.html



Have a great week and make it special.

The Summer that Wasn't

I started to feel like this was the summer that wasn't. It was the middle of August and there were so many things I had yet to do. Where did the time go? What happened? It's almost September? What about doing this? What about doing that?

For those who really know me, I rarely sit still, sit down, or pause for any length of time. So how did I get to this point feeling like I hadn't done anything? Simple. I did more than normal. I took two extra trips this year, attended a good friend's wedding, went back to Iowa 3 weekends in a row, and had an overall blast of a summer. 

But to make up for lost "time" Jessie and I took a "play day." If you haven't done this recently, I HIGHLY recommend it. The day before play day I read a blurb in a blog that said "Your company is paying you to be gone - why are you not taking time off?" Well said. What percentage of you leave vacation time on the table? I am usually scraping the bottom of my paid time off barrel by the end of the calendar year and I start begging co-workers to donate their pto to me :)

I love brunch and coffee. Since I work Sunday's and I almost always have plans on Saturday's, I rarely get to go out to eat for breakfast/brunch. So play day started with breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. Organic food, outrageously good coffee, and a guy next to us telling his server that he just had a "culinary orgasm" after finishing his food. 

There is not much in this world I love more than being able to sit, eat, and drink endless cups of coffee with bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, ahhhhh.

Play day continued to the movies. We are movie lovers and have seen only 1 movie this summer. We saw the Butler and it was incredible. It was sometimes hard to watch because at my age it feels like the Civil Rights movement was so long ago but in reality, it wasn't. I recommend the movie to anyone.

I also discovered that I am missing some very interesting things at the mall on a weekday including this woman and her DOG. What??

The play day continued to Valley Fair water park. We both have a season pass for the summer. It was August 22nd when we finally activated our pass. Where did the time go? But we managed to slide down a few rides and spend time in the wave pool. And the success of the afternoon was NO SUNBURN :)

Play day carried on to Chipotle (my favorite!) and then another movie. The Internship. I had low expectations from this movie but it was brilliant. And it ties right into this topic. Here is what I learned from the movie.

• Life is too short to not do what you love. I have known this and try really hard to live by this. In the movie, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn take an internship at Google because why not?? 
• Put the phone down. I need to work on this. There's a quote from the movie that says "Life is happening 3 feet up" He was referring to the young man who wouldn't look up from his phone. When did we/I become obsessed with our phones? 
• Be nice to everyone. We all need a reminder of this. In the movie, the guys were favored in the end because they were nice to all people at Google and gave people a chance.
• Try new things. The guys took the other kids on their team to a strip/dance club. I'm not saying you have to go to a strip club, but do something completely outside of your normal. 
• Go see/rent the movie.

Play day was completed with ice cream - of course. I went to bed with an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction. We all need to have fun and play hooky. Ironically this "play day" tradition started back in high school when Jessie and I would be "sick" and come to .......the Mall of America :) Foreshadowing of moving here??

I still feel like time is slipping away, the days, the years, the hours, the minutes. But it's not slipping away because I am living the time I am given. 

There is less than one week before the end of summer and the beginning of fall - my absolute favorite. What can you do to make sure your summer didn't slip away, but you lived all of your moments?

Grateful

I moved here on a gut feeling with my best friend and my extremely cute new dog. All you need is a friend and a dog. I knew no one else. I had a job and a place to live, but that's about it. Fast forward a few years and I have been incredibly blessed to have generous, caring, hard-working, friendly, amazing clients and friends walk into my life. 

Several years ago I started doing a charity work out once a month. Mainly because people wanted to do an extra work out and I wasn't sure how to bill it and then I thought - why not just donate the money to charity? So every  month I host a work out on a weekend, it's a $10 minimum, we have a great time, and then we donate money to various local and national charities. Because I'm a horrible record keeper I do not know how much we have raised and donated - but I know we have done it.

But then the cause touches close to home and I watch the hearts of my clients open wider. Two years ago we hosted a charity work out for the sister of one of our own team members. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. We held the work out on New Year's Eve and we have 45 people show up and raised over $1,200. My client, her sister talked, I cried, other clients cried and it was my most memorable moment of my career. 

On July 6th, a tractor tire fell on a little 7 year old girl.  She is the niece of one of our own team members. Her family has 4 other kids and now extreme medical bills and a daughter fighting every day for her life. Of course we would host a work out. 

Shocked. The generous hearts of my clients opened up and the money poured in (over $1,600!!). Many said the story hits too close to him as they have children of their own and can't imagine something like this happening. The mother of the little girl came to the work out and spoke to us. I of course - cried.  I have no words to describe how grateful I am to have met such caring people. And we had a great work out to boot. 

Life is about gratitude. If I have a hard day at work or am frustrated about something, I remember both of these days. What I was given from these (and every charity work out) cannot be measured.

Being grateful is shown to have a positive impact on your life.

"Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mequilibrium/gratitude-benefits_b_3321351.html

• Besides a higher happiness set-point, other benefits of gratitude include:
• Feeling more connected (less lonely)
• Stronger immune system
• Improved emotional equilibrium
• Better sleep
• Increased energy
• More confidence in ourselves
• Deeper relaxation
• We are more attractive
• Increased creativity
• Easier bounce back from difficulty

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6823/10-Benefits-of-Gratitude.html

If you haven't stopped to think about what you're thankful for....today's the day. Don't go to bed without thinking of at least 5 people/things you are thankful for. 

I enjoy sharing my life with you through this blog and I am truly grateful to all who read it and all who share the blog with those they love. If you like my blog, please do me the honor of sharing and passing it on. 

I am off to the Iowa State Fair for the weekend - look forward to a blog about food fun next week.

Life Lessons from the Mud

I am now a 7 time Tough Mudder. I am damn proud of that. I am damn proud of getting 3/4 of the way across the monkey bars for the first time this weekend. And I am damn proud that I did a double Tough Mudder - two back to back days.

Watch this video about the TM pledge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jU4SfKcJPg&feature=player_embedded

But I realized something this weekend. Tough Mudder has so many layers of life lessons and I have learned so much over the last year and a half completing these events. Jessie and I reflected on our way home Sunday about all the amazing things you learn from TM.

Some have said "you're crazy" others just shake their head and say "mudder" and the others are speechless. I say TM is "fun," "hard," "challenging," "crazy" and so many other things.

At the beginning of the event, the group rallies together in a tight close area at the starting line. An MC guy (wish I knew his name) gets you so pumped up, it's crazy. But before the event officially begins, you recite a pledge. I posted the pledge at the top of the blog. Have you ever been to an event where you recite a pledge before starting?

Let's break it down:

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that:

1. I understand that TM is not a race, but a CHALLENGE. Isn't this is what life is all about? It is about challenging yourself and others around you. I did my first TM because it was a new challenge. I had conquered the marathon, the 10k, and I needed something hard. And guess what - I was scared out of my mind during the first event. Just about every obstacle terrified me until I realized...I could do it. I completed each and every obstacle. Often with the help of my friends.

2. I put Teamwork and Camaraderie before my course time.  There is no clock at TM. There is no finish time. There are no results pages online. There is only an orange headband. The hours fly by while you're having fun with friends - new and old. This past weekend Jessie and I did the event with our friend Chris but we also met a guy named Brian and added him to our team. Turns out he went to college at Iowa - automatic new friend. We stuck together with our team the entire team. Leave no one behind. Seems like a new trend - meet a new friend at each TM. We met Danielle in Colorado. It doesn't matter who you are, you can talk to anyone and bond over anything at TM. 

3. I do not whine- KIDS whine. I'll be honest - I can be a whiner. You put me in the Arctic Enema and I whine. But this is a major life lesson. Whining gets you nowhere. Figure out why you're whining, fix it, and move one. Yep, the obstacles are hard, but that's what they are designed for. Yep, life is hard, that's what it's designed for :)

4. I help my fellow Mudders complete the course. There is no better display of team work than TM. You help anyone and everyone who needs a hand. There's also a lot of inappropriate touching. But when you need help over a 9 foot wall, it doesn't matter.

5. I overcome ALL fears. This is huge. There is an obstacle to challenge any fear. Life is about conquering fears. It does not have to be in a pile of mud. It could be going somewhere new, meeting a new person, taking on a new challenge at work, or even trying a new food.

Here is what I learned from my time in the mud:

• Inspirational people are everywhere. We met a woman on the course who has lost over 65 pounds and quit smoking and the TM was her way of proving to herself she could do it. Did I mention she was 55 years old? Or the girl who has another 50 pounds to lose and she's out there doing it, hell or high water. It's pretty cool that I did it back to back days, but these people are the real story. They are the true inspirations. If they can do it, anyone can do it. 

• People are willing to give out free hugs. There was a guy running in the same pack as us who had on shorts and he painted on his back "free hugs." So as we approached the Mud Mile obstacle I shouted to him "I'll take my free hug at the end of the mud mile. He said "I'll be waiting for you." And I was a few mud mountains away from him and I shout out to him "I'm on my way!!" Sure enough- I got done and there he was. Waiting to give me a free hug. I have a picture of it, but it's not downloaded yet. What would the world be like if we got or gave free hugs more often?

• It is the coolest feeling to be with a group of people with a common goal. You know that everyone who lines up at the start line is there for a common reason. Start and finish. 

• I am stronger than I thought and I hold myself back. Exhibit A - monkey bars. Got 3/4 of the way across and I was just scared.

• Connecting with people. Whether it's the people on course or the people with the orange headbands and dirt at Buffalo Wild Wings - you are bonded with a group of strangers. You see someone with a tough mudder shirt and you smile. You know where they've been and what they've done.

• Tough Mudder is fun. Playing in the mud is fun. A guy at work said "it's like going to Valley Fair (amusement park) when you're little and running from ride to ride." You just run to the next obstacle with such anticipation. 

• When you start something - it feels incredible to finish it.

• I and anyone who is willing to try - are capable of so much more than we ever imagined.

 And for your viewing pleasure here are a couple videos from our experience this past weekend. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDup9xJTb_Y&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4j13zS4BD4&feature=youtu.be

Vegas....In July

 If you've been reading this blog for awhile or know me at all, you know that I enjoy wild adventures. And I have been accused of being "crazy" at times. But going to Las Vegas in July might take the cake. Neither Jessie or I like being hot so this makes no sense at all. 

So you ask - why go to Vegas in July? A few months ago tickets went on sale for a concert in the Twin Cities. Oh no - it's on the same day as two weddings we have to attend. So the question was - where else are they playing? Vegas  - perfect! Tickets were purchased and then we realized we had to buy plane tickets, get a hotel, and it was in July,  in Vegas. But as the young people these days say "YOLO" (you only live once)

The funny thing is...Jessie and I have been to Vegas four times in the last few years. We don't drink, smoke, gamble, party, or particularly like to stay up late, but we LOVE Vegas. Here's why...you get off the plane, take a shuttle, and you are there. You don't have to leave but if you do, you can take a bus. Everything you need is walkable. And that's what we do, we walk, all day, all night. This time I had my fit bit (www.fitbit.com) and I was pumped to see how many steps and miles we actually covered going up and down the strip.

Let's go back to why we went to Vegas. New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, and 98 Degrees. Boy bands from my teen years, all in one concert. It was amazing. They only get better with age.

We got our neon outfits on and I put my hair on top of my head and away we went. 

Mission of the trip accomplished - great concert. Now for more walking and exploring. Sunday morning we set out walking and decided "wouldn't it be cool to walk a marathon - 26.2 miles?" It seemed reasonable. We walked from our hotel, down to the far end of the strip for tickets to a show, walked back to the hotel, down to the other end, back to lunch, down to the Vegas sign, back, and around, and around, and around, and around.

Did I mention it was HOT? HOT? If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me, it's a "dry heat" It is still HOT. But after walking back from the Vegas sign, I was at about 40,000 steps (approx. 17 miles or so). New goal of 50,000 steps instead of a marathon. Can I get there?

But if we were going to walk all these miles we needed fuel. So we bought a buffet pass because we've never eaten at a buffet in Vegas. Some might say - what? A buffet? Here was our strategy. Proteins, variety, veggies, the opportunity to make smart choices. Overall we did great. 

 Until we hit the dessert bar.....

My fit bit never reset time zones so technically the end of the day was 10pm Vegas time. We are now walking to a Cirque show at New York, New York casino. I am about ready to give up because I am at 48,500 and it's 9:30 and we have a show at 10pm. Jessie says "we can do this, let's do laps around the casino" So we go in, walk fast around the perimeter, and end up in a hallway. I start running "jogging" up and down this hall. I am in a full on sweat. Then I run up and down the stairs, down the hall, down the stairs, around the casino and at 9:50 I reach 50,000 steps! Mission accomplished. We run into the show and relax.

The next day I get an email from a client. It went something like "wow, 50,000 steps, that's incredible" But what was really cool was this.

It also reminds me of the importance of a good peer group.  If you hang out with positive, healthy people, they will reinforce your views on health and exercise. If you hang out with people who do not value exercise, it makes it harder to achieve your goals on your own.

I was ready to give up on my steps and Jessie said no - let's get it done. So the real lesson in my crazy walking adventure is this - surround yourself with people who support your goals, live a life like you want to, and push you to be better every day.

Here is an article I wrote for Lifetime Weight Loss Flourish Newsletter about relationships and a healthy lifestyle. 
http://www.lifetime-weightloss.com/blog/2013/1/2/8-relationships-you-can-build-to-help-you-lose-weight.html


Ha. Here is what walking over 21 miles in one day looks like on the way home. Happy walking everyone!

Find your supportive friends, go for a walk, and enjoy life!

Have a great week. 

A Weekend of Firsts..Part 2

Well it was a weekend full of "firsts." I wrote a blog post last fall about my weekend full of "firsts." If you missed it, read it here http://laughingandlearningwithlindsey.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-weekend-of-firsts.html

This past weekend thankfully did not involve bringing home a stray dog. I am happy to report that the dog Jessie and I brought home from a gas station in Missouri has a happy home here in Minnesota and she couldn't be happier.

Friday night Jessie and I headed to Denver, Colorado for a weekend filled with friends, fun, and a Tough Mudder in the mountains. If you do not know, Jessie does NOT fly well. I had to "drug" her with sugar to even get her on a plane since she doesn't drink. 

We step onto the plane and the first thing she does is look in the cock pit. "Oh my gosh..he's so old....what if he has a heart attack or a stroke?" I take a deep breath and say "just because he has gray hair doesn't mean he will have a heart attack, but it does mean he's very experienced" Well that didn't sit well. We make our way to our seats on the packed plane and take off. Jessie observes that our flight attendants all have white hair. "We are on the geriatric flight" she proclaims. Then the "geriatric" flight attendants forget to do the safety instructions. Needless to say this started the weekend of "firsts" - being on a geriatric flight.

Once settled in the air the plane starts dancing a.k.a MAJOR turbulence. The geriatric flight attendants are looking at each other and then they sit down and drink service is suspended. Pilot comes on and says we are experiencing a storm and could we check the safety of our seatbelts. I don't mind flying, but this was a little much. Let's just say that was the worst flight I have ever had.

But once landed in Denver, our friend Peesh picks up at the airport. We meet her girlfriend Anne and drive away. On the way out of the airport, they say "look at the evil bronco statue outside the airport" The eyes are glowing red. Seriously - who has an evil bronco outside their airport? Another first.

The next day started off with yet another first. I was at a bar, a soccer bar, at 9am. Peesh and Jessie were college soccer teammates and are soccer junkies. Anne and I just hung out for the food and company. The bar was pretty cool. How many places have pictures of David Beckham in the stall? Or a phone booth? Or an awesome Brit waiter who swears like a sailor, talks about fashion, and makes great breakfast?

Then Anne and Peesh did shots at 10am. Flavor infused vodka. Vomit. Not having that for a "first."  We traveled on our day to the Denver PRIDE festival and let's just say you see a lot of "firsts" there including port-e-showers. Hmmm.

Fast forward to a late lunch of gourmet hot dogs. Love this. Yet another first. Delicious.

After lunch we drove out to Silverthorne, CO where we were staying for the night so we did not have far to go in the morning for the race. I love Colorado. It is so beautiful and I had not been out to these parts with all the ski resorts, Keystone, Vail, Copper, Beaver Creek etc.

Finally it is event morning and we are in Avon, CO for our 5th Tough Mudder. The email before the race said "prepare to punish your legs with the terrain" and as we walked in I thought...oh shit. What were we thinking? These are not MN mountains, these are CO mountains. But I was in awe of the view and the beautiful weather.

Right before the race, we met a woman named Danielle whose friend decided not to do the race the day before so we adopted her as our new running buddy. And off we went. The course was insanely beautiful, incredibly steep and challenging. And of course, whenever we run a TM, it......RAINS. At mile 5 the mountain skies opened up and rained a COLD COLD rain. I had just started to feel the effect of the altitude plus add in rain and I was not too proud to go around the water obstacles. It just wasn't worth it. 

But we get to the end and our final obstacle is EVEREST. The first time I did a TM, it took me 5 attempts to get up this half pipe. When we 3 women arrived at the event, there was no one there. Normally there are tons of people at the top of the obstacle to help you up. Jessie takes off like a beast and effortlessly gets to the top all by herself. Check out this amazing form. We have been training with parkour and obviously it helps.

That was the proudest moment of the race. We had a huge crowd watching and no one could believe just the 3 of us got up there by ourselves. That was a major "first"

So the TM is over, we survived, barely and I get a voicemail from Delta. Our flight has been delayed an hour. Did I mention we were already cutting it close to get from Avon to Denver (2.5 hour drive) by our 5:45 flight? So now we had an extra hour. Great, maybe we can stop and get some food on the way back. So we leave at 1:30. Well no one informed us that traffic on I-70 back to Denver is a parking lot on Sunday afternoons. Insert major PANIC. I am looking at the map on my phone and it says our estimated arrival at the airport is 6:00pm. Our plane takes off at 6:40.

We haven't showered, haven't really eaten, I am sweating a major stress sweat and I have to pee so bad. But there is NO time to stop. We pull over at the visitor center. But of course so does everyone else. I run in, look at the line for the women's restroom that is winding down the hall, look at the line for the men's (empty) and decide I'm going for it. I walk into the men's room, kindly explain I have a plane to catch and can't wait in line for the women's and stand there trying not to make eye contact while the men use the urinal as I wait for the stall. Needless to say, Jessie does not come with me but waits patiently for the women's. That's a first - going in the men's restroom. And when I left the line was long and they all looked at me funny.

The rest of the way to Denver I am crabby, moody, panicked, irritable and not in a good mood. My anxiety is high. What if we miss the plane? What about work? What about the dogs? What about this? What about that? Jessie reminded me...what if? What's the worst that happens? It is out of our control at this point. 

We drive way past the speed limit and arrive at the evil bronco airport at 5:55. Run in, check a bag, panic in the security line, sprint to the tram, ride it to the farthest away terminal, sprint up the escalator, run to the gate, have 10 minutes to spare, sprint to get a slice of pizza and pop, sprint back, sweat rolling down my face and get on the plane. 

I have never sprinted through an airport seriously at risk of missing my plane. That was a first.

If you have read all the way to the end of this blog..thank you. I love sharing my experiences with you but there is a lesson here. When was the last time you had a "first" experience? Whether it was negative or positive?

My favorite quote from Eleanor Roosevelt rings true again....

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the 

utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and 

richer experience.” 

― 

Eleanor Roosevelt

In an article "Trying New Things" from Psychology Today the author explains why new experiences can be hard.

In summary, here's a list of things I try to remind myself whenever I'm faced with trying something new:

1. Trying something new often requires courage. And needing to summon courage is itself a benefit. Once it's released it will, like its second cousin once removed, anger, indiscriminately engulf everything in its path. How wonderful to open a flood of courage and be carried on its waves to destinations of unexpected benefit.
2. Trying something new opens up the possibility for you toenjoy something new. Entire careers, entire life paths, are carved out by people dipping their baby toes into small ponds and suddenly discovering a love for something they had no idea would capture their imaginations.
3. Trying something new keeps you from becoming bored. Even I, the most routine-loving person I know, become bored if I'm not continually challenged in some way. And it's not the new challenges I'm eager to take on that represent my greatest opportunities for growth—it's the ones I'm not.
4. Trying something new forces you to grow. We don't ever grow from taking action we've always taken (the growth that enabled us to be able to take it has already occurred). Growth seems to require we take new action first, whether it's adopting a new attitude or a new way of thinking, or literally taking new action. Thrusting yourself into new situations and leaving yourself there alone, so to speak, often forces beneficial change. A spirit of constant self-challenge keeps you humble and open to new ideas that very well may be better than the ones you currently hold dear (this happens to me all the time).

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201004/trying-new-things

I had so many new experiences this weekend, some of which

I do not care to do again (airport). But what is your life without 

new experiences?

I dare you to go do something new this week. You will grow and it will be amazing. 

Have a great week. Be daring. Be bold. And don't sweat too much while sprinting to your plane. :)