Lindsay's Ramblings

Mom is now awake and alert, and we have been greeted with a smile the past few days when we've gone to see her! They put a trach in, but she is now breathing on her own! She has made big improvements in the past few days.  She has had 7 surgeries so far, and has one more for the hip to go, which will be sometime next week. She can move her arms and legs, but not her left fingers, but hopefully that will come back with time. You can tell she is in a lot of pain and she tries to communicate with us, but it's frustrating not knowing what she is trying to say.  I hate her being in so much pain and not being able to communicate, but I am SO glad that she is doing better.  Praise God! Keep those prayers comin'! :)

Wow, it has been a long and stressful week! I am exhausted due to lack of sleep, going non-stop and not eating like normal.... But we had a decent Christmas despite the circumstances. Opened presents Christmas morning with Matt and then visited Mom in the hospital. Then we went to my grandma's for dinner for a few hours. Christmas just wasn't the same without Mom, though. :( Here's an update on her condition: First of all, she has multiple breaks and fractures. She broke both femurs, her tibia, fibula and heel on one leg, both knee caps, and her left hip is broken is 3 places.  She also had a liver laceration, half a collapsed lung, and fractured ribs.  She has already had a few surgeries to repair some of the bones, but still has many to go. The first night we were there, we were able to talk to her, and she was coherent and able to talk. The next day, she ended up having to go on a breathing tube and has been pretty much sedated from that point on...

I'm not gonna lie, spending Christmas in the hospital is not fun. In fact, it kind of sucks. But when I start to feel down and depressed, when I feel myself losing the "Christmas spirit", I remind myself of what Christmas is really about. I love Christmas and all the pretty lights, the tree, the presents, the music, Santa, baking cookies, and all the other festivities....but really, that's not Christmas. It's only what we have made it to be. If you strip it down and take all that away, Christmas is still Christmas. Regardless of whether you are in a hospital room with a sick loved one, or opening gifts with your family, the true meaning of Christmas doesn't change. Christmas is a celebration of the light and the HOPE that was brought to the world all those years ago. It is a time for thanking God for the amazing gift of His Son, the most important and ONLY gift that matters in this life! My Christmas spirit does not depend on all the s...

My mom was in a serious car accident Monday evening. She is doing okay as of now-lots of broken bones and a long recovery ahead, but I'm just thankful she is alive. She's strong, and she'll get throught it. Just wanted to let everyone know why I may be absent for a few weeks. Silly blog posts seem a little irrelevant right now. Just send prayers our way :)

"The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ." -James Kennedy

I'm so glad it's Friday!  My birthday is next week, and we're celebrating this weekend....so I'm calling it my birthday weekend! :) All I want for my birthday is to watch a movie (since my husband hates going to the movies), go out to dinner, and then ride around and look at Christmas lights. So....that's the plan! Oh-and a cookie cake, as usual. :) Can't wait! I had a fun upper body workout today:   1)Handstand pushups : 4x6 2)Neutral grip pullups :  (Rest pause-30 rep goal, 30 second rest) 10-5-4-4-3-4 3)As many sets in 12 minutes: 1 arm DB row : 45lbs x6 (should've went heavier!) DB chest press: 40lbs x6  = 8 sets Then finished up with some bicep curls and abs.  I've been doing a lot of rest pause sets lately just because it's fun and something different! Wednesday I got 195lbs on barbell glute bridges-I'm pretty sure it was my tall socks and this awesome tank my in-law's got for me: Yup, I hav...

One of the Christian blogs that I read did a "Happiness Is" post recently. I love making lists, so I thought I'd come up with my own. :) Happiness is listening to Christmas music. Happiness is caramel apples. Happiness is being in my husband's arms. Happiness is snuggling with my doggy. Happiness is a lazy Sunday afternoon watching football. Happiness is looking at old photographs . Happiness is morning coffee. Happiness is the first snow of winter. Happiness is laughing with my sister. Happiness is my pretty Christmas tree . Happiness is laying in the hammock reading a good book. Happiness is heavy squat day. Happiness is banana pudding after a workout. Happiness is seat heaters in my car. Happiness is sunshine. Happiness is sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Happiness is  being at the beach. Happiness is spending time with family during the holidays. Happiness is pumpkin pie. Happiness is setting a new PR in the gym. Happiness is hav...

My brother and sister came over last night to hang out and play games. I wanted to have some snacks and treats for them, so I thought I'd make a recipe I found on a Pinterest a while back. It turned out sooooo good!   Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Candy Bars 1 cup peanut butter 2/3 cup honey 1/2 cup coconut oil ( no substitutes , this is what gives its creamy texture and flavor) 2 cups oats (not instant) 1 1/4 cups mini dark chocolate chips In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil. Remove from heat and add oats, chocolate chips. Stir until combined and chocolate chips are melted. Spread into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate or freeze until hardened, about an hour.( I liked them right out of the freezer)  Store in refrigerator. So yummy! They taste a little like no bake cookies...but better(and a little healthier)! You just have to be really careful not to eat the whole batch!

Sorry, just a little something I needed to get off my chest. ;)   So yesterday I posted this status on Facebook: " I've been really, really trying to eat more veggies lately. I just had a salad, and it actually makes me mad that I have to eat crap like that. It's like I just went outside and collected some leaves and grass to eat. Does anyone else despise salads as much as I do??"   Most people knew that I was just being my goofy self, but one person responded with this comment:  "This would be a good time for a dislike button. Setting a good, motivating example by calling vegetables crap!"   Him saying that just really  got under my skin!   For those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am honest and real . I don't try to be someone I'm not, and I don't try to pretend like I'm perfect all the time, like many other fitness experts/professionals/trainers(whatever you wanna call them)s...

I believe that reason many people eventually plateau in their training is because they fail to provide their bodies with a continuous challenge. They stick with the same weights, the same exercises, and the same rep ranges for months on end and then eventually give up because they aren't getting results. One thing I have found is that most women tend get stuck in the 15 rep zone, even women who have been training for quite some time. I've always wondered, why 15 reps? Is that the magic number of reps that will get you "toned" and not bulky? Well, no, but many women seem to think so! I think another reason is that because they feel their muscles "burning", they think that they are challenging them enough. But just because you feel a burn, doesn't necessarily mean that you are challenging the muscles enough to cause them to respond. Yes, high reps will cause the muscles to burn, but all that burning sensation  is telling you is that lactic acid is b...

  Workout: 1)Squat: 135x5/145x5/160x5/160x5 2)Conventional Deadlift: 155x5/175x5/175x5 (have gotten weaker on these since using the trap bar!) 3)Barbell hip thrust (upper elevated): 135x8-8-8-8 4)Calf raises: 3x20 5)Negative ab wheel rollouts : 3x8 FINISHER: 3 rounds- 30 double unders 20 walking lunges w/35lb plate overhead What I Ate: Meal 1 8:00: 1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop Syntha-6, 1 tbsp pb, coffee w/cream and Stevia blend Meal 2 11:30: A handful of vanilla wafers, banana pudding protein shake-1/2 banana, skim milk(this is a rarity, it's usually almond milk), 1 tbsp banana instant pudding mix - Meal 3 12:30: 2 eggs, 2 whites scrambled w/ mozzarella cheese, 2 slices Ezekiel bread-1 slice with apple honey butter from Trader Joe's, 1 slice with coconut butter Meal 4 4:00: Chicken taco chili(made with beans, chicken, tomato sauce, diced tomatos, peppers, onions), handful of cherry tomatoes, small handful of mixed almonds & cashew ...

Heard this in church the other day and had to share: My name is Pride. I am a cheater. I cheat you of your God-given destiny...because you demand your own way. I cheat you of contentment...because you "deserve better than this." I cheat you of knowledge ...because you already know it all. I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of me to forgive. I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to admit when you're wrong. I cheat you of vision...because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window. I cheat you of genuine friendship...because nobody's going to know the real you. I cheat you of love...because real romance demands sacrifice. I cheat you of greatness in Heaven...because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth. I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince you to seek your own. My name is Pride. I am a cheater.   ~Beth Moore~

 A bunch of my family got together over the weekend to go ice skating and look at the lights downtown. My family is a little crazy, so it's always a fun time no matter what we do!     Sunday was church, lunch at Qdoba, and then a lazy rest of the day. Laying on the couch watching football by the Christmas tree with my little family is my favorite. I told my husband I wish we could just do that every day! :)   So I took some pics the other day just because I was feeling lean and haven't taken any bathroom posing pics in a while! ;)  Figured I should document my leanness, because as soon as I start seeing abs and more veins popping out...I know it's time to start eating more! People don't seem to quite understand why I don't want to be super lean, since that is what everyone seems to be striving for. I just don't like the way I look any really lean. Well, okay, I do like the abs that come with it...but I'd sacrifice seeing my a...

I've realized that when it comes to nutrition, I don't follow many of the typical "rules" that are out there. For example, I've recently read that women should consume 100 grams or less of carbs per day...I eat twice that on most days. I also read that if your carbs are higher, you should only have one serving of fat per day. What? I have like 5! Some say that grains and dairy are bad for you and cause bloating, but I eat them daily. I will sometimes read something that says, "You should have __ grams of fat/carbs/whatever a day", and my first reaction is "Oh gosh, I eat more than that. Maybe I should cut back!"   Then I have to talk some sense into myself and remember that what I am doing is working for me, so why would I change it? I think if you feel like crap all the time or you just aren't losing fat, then yes, you probably do need to change some things, maybe try something different. But I am lean, muscular, and I fe...