becky likes shoes

and so do I....

Well, at least I liked my one AND ONLY (over dramatic, yes) pair of Going Out shoes. They were perfect, went with everything, and we very uncomfortable... everything a good pair of shoes should be.

I met said shoes 2 years ago, at my cousin's wedding. We spent a wonderful night drinking and dancing before they took me home...

Our relationship came to a halt this past weekend in La Crosse, WI. I went to visit a friend and partake in some downtown activities and I of course brought my shoes along. We started off fine at a grill out followed by a few low key drinks at the bar. Then the horrid act happened, at the library. The Library is a bar, and, if I ever open a bar I will probably copy that name because it is awesome. However, at my bar, people won't steal shoes.

Two shoes went into the bar, but only one came out... which would be great for any one-legged friend one may have... but that's not me.

So, I placed my other shoe underneath a truck before heading into the next bar. For safe keeping. But upon my return, someone had stolen the truck and MY other shoe.

Well, karma would have it that they found my shoe at the library. So, if you happen to frequent La Crosse and see a lonely shoe, let me know.

Oh, and the most disturbing part of all, I went to about 4 other bars and a pizza place... barefoot. And nobody even said anything. I guess Kenny C was right, "no shoes, no shirt, no problem..."

10 Years Ago

Besides the obvious stuff, like still liking Bushes and living at home, here are a few of my favorites.

10 years ago I had finally talked my dad into letting me have a puppy. Now I have a crippled old sibling to fight with.

10 years ago I had yet to taste alcohol. Now we meet many times a week.

10 years ago I had braces. Today, I stopped wearing braces and my teeth have gone back to their original position and I need braces again.

10 years ago I did everything in my power to get my brother in trouble. Today, I'm going to spend the night at his party.

10 years ago, I was awesome. Today, I am still awesome.

we're all in this together

I have never been one to accomplish tasks early. Some might call me a procrastinator, and they would be right. But in my time at Marquette, I have run into one giant time-consuming obstacle. Movies on tv.

They are entertaining, normally old, and have those dreaded commercials. Yet, I never get up and go to the shelf to get the same exact movie on dvd (or vhs, if they're really old).

I have developed a list... the top 5 movies that have taken valuable time from my life:

Mean Girls- I watched this at least every week my freshmen year of college. Saturday afternoon I would wake up, get brunch and then nap while embarking on this lovely journey with Lindsey Lohan.

Harry Potter- I never let myself get into this series. Until this summer. I accomplished all 6 movies in a weekend... I'm not saying I'm proud, but it was done. Now my life is consumed with trying to figure out what happens. There is no way I am wasting EVEN MORE time reading the books.

High School Musical- The phenomenon is similar to Harry Potter. My friend (now known as Troy) drug me to the 3rd movie last fall. There's nothing better than singing, dancing, and high school. Oh... and having a fire place and balcony in your room (Gabriella). Just remember, NOBODY SINGS AT COLLEGE.

The Notebook- Clearly, every girls favorite movie. It is always on tv, and even though I've seen it 25 million times, I sit and I watch and fall in love.

Elf- I will venture to say, no time can be wasted watching Elf, but sometimes papers are more important than Santa (No, that's a lie). I watched this movie EVERY DAY (sometimes more) from October to January my sophomore year. If you haven't tried the Elf drinking game, you should.

So now that I've spent the day watching said movies, it's time to get scholarly!

looking back

So it's been about a month since I last posted. While my life has been an adventure in about 6 different states since then, I don't think today is the appropriate time to talk about it.

I don't often think about what happened 8 years ago; how I felt when I found out, when I heard we were going to combat, or when we had a memorial for all who died. As a student of political science, I concentrate on what has happened since.

Many "adults" have said they can't believe in 8 more years there will be a generation that never understood that day. I have to disagree. It will never be forgotten. Too much has changed. Americans are different now, we live in a different place. I spent my entire childhood living in the leading country in the world. I didn't know what terrorism was.

That all changed on that day. It's affected who I have become and what I want to do with my life. It woke us up as a nation and made us aware.

Last spring, I visited Ground Zero and met a survivor. Through all the emotions and feelings I felt, the visit gave me a little more hope.

As we bicker and fight about healthcare and I get numerous emails from people bashing people who I work for, this is a reminder that we are all united. We are all Americans, and that's something that can never be taken away.

i'm on a plane

So you may be thinking, "Wow, Lindsey hasn't been writing for a while." More likely, you haven't noticed. Well, I have been on a hiatus in Birmingham, Alabama. While the city had so little to offer me, my adventures were grand... starting with my friend and fellow almost housewife, Mary's, birthday booze cruise.

I had debated whether I should go our not since i had to leave for the airport at 4 the next morning and was just diagnosed with a sprained jaw. But, my better judgment ruled out and the fact that I had already paid $25 won. So I set some ground rules... well, one ground rule: DON'T DRINK TOO MUCH. But, of course, I listened to this rule as well as most others.

Flash forward to 1:45 am when I end up in my friend Kalyn's bed, one hot mess. She promised to make sure I got up by 3:15 so I could go home, shower, and finish packing. At 3:45 I wake up, and dart home. There, I found out I left my makeup and license at Kalyn's. Luckily, my shuttle only had me to pick up, so when I was 10 minutes later it was no big deal. Until I got to the airport.

I was still drunk, and as luck would have it, I was flying Northwest (shittest airline ever... DO NOT FLY IT). They had just merged with Delta and had to check in desk. Tell this to any sober person at 4:30 am and they might be confused. Tell my drunk self, and I was distraught. Luckily, I had some friends meeting me there.

After going to the wrong check in, I had to call my mom. Of course, I didn't plan out my confirmation and I needed my number. Mid conversation, I found out I didn't need her and hung up. Then, we got to Delta, where I proceeded to call my mother again. This time I didn't feel so bad because it was 4:45am. Again, I really didn't need her help, I was just confused. I finally get to where I am supposed to drop off my luggage and my bag weighs 59 pounds.

I proceed to open my extra extra large bag and take all of my shoes out to put in my carry on... 56 pounds. I proceed to put those all back and try something new. After 2 more tries, my bag was at 54 pounds. Seriously. So I ask the check in lady, "Ma'am, how much will it cost me to be 4 pounds over weight?" She replies, "90 dollars." Since my better judgment had yet to return, I asked her, "Well, I've gained 10 pounds in the last month... does that mean I have to pay an extra $90?"

With that, she slapped the tag on my bag and let me on my way to security where I had to remove everything from my carryon to get to my laptop, at the bottom of the bag.

I finally made it to the plane where I switched seats with a lady and announced her boyfriend would like to sit next to her better anyways, I droll in my sleep.

I made it to Birmingham safe and with all of my things after this enjoyable experience...

I wish I could sat the same for getting back.

too much talking

There comes a time in life when you learn you are a loud person. And at some times, you may be too loud. That time for me was approximately 9:35 this morning.

I went to the doctor because I had a horrible earache that was causing me massive headaches. Finding that none of the drugs I had were helping, I figured she could do something. After poking around my head for 15 minutes, I was diagnosed with TMJ.

I have sprained my mouth from screaming on said roller-coasters last weekend!

So, I have to wait for the next 3 to 4 weeks for this to heal itself... no good pain meds... just lots of rest and minimal talking.

FML.

indiana insights

Embarking on an epic journey, I headed to Indiana last Thursday to see a friend for the last time before she heads off to California. I might add that by friend, she might be more like me than anyone else I know. She's smart, bitchy, funny, likes to drink, fun to be around, straightforward, and all together awesome. She does have about a foot on me though. As I often do, I learned some interesting things about myself and others on this journey.

First, the map quest directions said it would take me 4 hours and 24 minutes to get from my work to Texas Road House (where Emily works). So I planned about 3 1/2 hours. As I approached the intersection of 90 and 294, I decided to stay with the directions and take 90. Wrong choice. After going 40 miles in 2 hours (which I later smartly calculated to 20 miles per hour) through the Windy City I made a life choice. I will never live in Chicago.

Once I finally arrived, 5 1/2 hours later, we headed to the bar. There, we found an annoying 34-year old woman who decided my friend Ray would be her prey for the evening. It was in the light of her drunk eyes that I found out I look like a 34-year old. Now, I think most people might find this offensive. I however, cannot wait to be 30 (flirty and fun). Lesson learned here: avoid annoying drunk ladies over the age of 35 at the bar.

Friday went pretty normal. Until we went to the scariest bar on the planet. I thought campus got a little sketchy being in the ghetto and all. I WAS WRONG. Four-minutes into our stay I thought I was going to die. Ten minutes later I was too tipsy to care. I learned that night to be friendly to everyone who walked into the bar. You never know who has a pistol... or when the next bar fight will be.

Saturday I spent the day screaming like a baby on some of the biggest life-threats, aka. roller coasters, in the world at King's Island. While I found some good kiddie coasters by the end of the day, dangling in my seat 200 feet in the air and climbing to 230-feet to fall at 80 mph at a 74% grade left me voiceless and crying. Driving home that night (after a brief consideration to drive an additional 2 hours at midnight to see a friend in Columbus) I realized just what a difference a wind shield makes.

Sunday, I over came all obstacles. Or my biggest obstacle- getting lost. After sitting for a half hour going less than a tenth of a mile on I-65, I pulled out my map. Maybe one of the most dangerous life decisions I could have made. I found my own route, off-roaded it in my Grand Prix, and headed to State Road 41. This went well for about 30 minutes until I realized it didn't connect with the right highway. Thanks goodness for Cassie at OnStar... she kept me from hours of wondering around BFE Indiana.

All and all, it was a successful trip, especially for a lost, scared 34-year old.