Thursday, August 18, 2011

A Change is Gonna Come...


Have you ever had a feeling that a lot of things in your life are going to change, but you just aren't sure when? Not sure what is going to happen, but you just know its coming... the anticipation, the thrill, and the excitement of the unknown are KILLING ME!

My mom pointed something out to me the other day about myself that I never really realized until that very moment:


I am a day-dreamer...


My mind IMMEDIATELY rewound to my childhood. I can recall sitting in class and putting my head down on the desk in between my folded arms and dreaming about all of the things that I loved! I would picture myself singing Memory center stage of the broadway, Cats, and all eyes and spotlight on me. I used to think it was so neat that I could make up my own dreams without actually falling asleep. These were my secrets, and no one would know but me.  I day-dreamed a lot!

I've always been told I am very easy to read... and I guess what I thought was a secret, was not so much.  I had been revealing these "secrets" my entire life with flying colors, and I did not even realize it.

How did she know my deepest secret?  I thought. AM I TALKING IN MY DAYDREAMS?  That couldn't be possible...

I love role-playing thoughts, plans, activities, and events that I really want to happen, over and over in my head. This is where my optimism gets the best of me, and I often let myself down when things do not work out the way I had imagined it.

I think that is why I am such an internet geek.  The day my mother pointed this realization out to me, she posted on Facebook:


The internet offers too many resources to fuel my daydreams.  

At this point in my life, I couldn't agree more.  The internet is as big or as little as you want it to be, and for me is the gateway to my fields of dreams.  I cannot get enough of it!

A few months ago, I recently discovered Pinterest.  If you haven't heard of it, you should look into it! Here is my page: http://pinterest.com/lindsayebarnes/ Not only is it a wonderful way to waste time, it is my perfect outlet for my daydreams; my picture perfect life that I always wanted to live.  One day, I will fulfill these dreams, and hopefully, I will be able to do it, conquering one "pin" at a time!

So much beautiful change has happened in my life over the past few weeks, and I think this is just the beginning. (Unless I am just being optimistic and daydreaming again.) I am trying not to get my hopes up, but one can only hope...

"It's been a long, a long time coming but I know
A change gon' come oh yes it will" ~Sam Cooke

Thursday, August 11, 2011

"Her Name Was Lola"

"Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar
Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?



At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....they fell in love"



Sorry, had to get those lyrics out of my head somehow as they have been stuck there since last weekend; and before that, they have been stuck there since my wedding day!  


...Let me take you back:


October 24, 2009 **aka My Wedding Day **
I was full of nerves and excitement and had NO IDEA how I was about to make it down the isle of 250 people without losing it and balling my eyes out!  Seriously, I am not a person that is known to cry all the time, but I will admit, when I see someone else cry, I completely LOSE IT!  I get so sad, or happy or I start feeling whatever they are feeling. It is a contagious bug that I catch on to very quickly!


My beautiful and sweet Maid-of-Honor (today, would be considered a Matron-of-Honor), my sister, had this crazy advice she whispered in my ear just before I walked down the isle of terror.  This was just before I was about to make eye-contact with all those beautiful faces that had made a huge impact on my life, and helped me get where I am today. If I had even caught a glimpse of the littlest tear in their eyes I would have completely lost every strength of eye muscles I had to contain the lake of tears that were about to pour down my cheeks.


LAUREN: Whenever you feel like you are about to cry, just start singing "HER NAME WAS LOLA, SHE WAS A SHOW GIRL!"
ME: WHAT? Lauren, I love you, but you are crazy.
LAUREN: I am serious, just try it!
ME:  Whatever... still think you are NUTS!


DUN ... DUN DUN DUN .... DUN, DUN DUN DUN! 




OH CRAP... its time.  Remember Lindsay, shoulders back, stand up tall, and do not walk but try to float! I feel a little foolish... am I floating? (anyone know that reference?)


I walked outside and saw my dad for the first time with me in my wedding dress.  He had a huge smile on his face, and I almost lost it.  My dad kissed me on the cheek and proceeded to tell me how beautiful I looked (At least that's what I think he said... I can barely remember... it sounded like he was on a echoing microphone).


DEEP BREATHES! One foot in front of the other, don't trip. You have this... 


Okay, I can't see... OH HEY there are the McDuff's! Oh dear, don't lose it! I know you are with me Ashton! I wish you were physically with me here today... Oh no loosing it... Don't do this Lindsay.


And so began the singing in the head with the biggest smile I could put on my face:



"Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..."

SMILING and WAVING HELLO TO EVERYONE I COULDN'T SEE... 
oh crap what comes next... I DON'T KNOW ALL THE LYRICS... LAUREN NEVER TAUGHT ME ALL THE LYRICS!!


CHORUS!
"At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)"

STILL SMILING BIG, and SINGING IN MY HEAD...
"The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....they fell in love"

WHEW~ MADE IT to the man of my dreams without shedding one tear... kinda.
THANK YOU LORD!
THANK YOU LAUREN!
THANK YOU ASHTON!
and THANK YOU BARRY MANILOW!

Everyone kept asking me how I managed to make it down the isle with out shedding ONE TEAR... and I have always told them: "Easy, I just sang HER NAME WAS LOLA! in my head!", and they would always tell me how crazy I was!

FLASH FORWARD TO August 6, 2011:


My sister and I proceeded to tell our new sister-in-law and all the bridesmaids this story last weekend, and they got a kick out of it! In fact, I would say that this song was the theme-song of the weekend.  Every time any of us were about to cry, we would just start singing "Copacabana" to each other and it would bring a HUGE smile on our faces. We would all chime in and start singing every time!

Such a fun and heart-warming song to sing!  Now the question is, how do I get it out of my head? SERIOUSLY? 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Method Laundry Detergent by Lauren Geffert

I am so excited to welcome my first guest post for my blog. (If any one else is interested: have a product you want to give a review on, or just want to speak your mind, I would love to feature you! Just send me an email @ LindsayEBarnes@gmail.com or message me!)

After reading my last post, my sister recommended a fantastic product to write a review about.  Hope you enjoy her input and go buy this product! Not only will you be saving yourself the money (only 4 pumps per load), but you will be taking a part of making our planet a better world to live in:


Hello everyone!  This is Lauren, Lindsay's sister.  I asked Lindsay to feature this product on her blog, and she asked me to be a guest writer. Yay! 
So...




Ladies and gentlemen, meet Method Laundry Detergent.

Do you have bit of powdered detergent scattered all around your washing machine? Or perhaps these blue sticky blobs here and there from your liquid detergent (let’s not even talk about the sticky mess on the bottle)? 

Well, have no fear. Method Laundry Detergent is here.

Okay… seriously, I love this stuff, and here is why:
·       It’s small… really small.  Let me put it in perspective.  This is smaller than half a bottle of wine.
·       4 pumps. 1-2-3-4.  Seriously!
·       It is very neat!  No detergent all over the place.
·       It’s light (in terms of weight).  I know this is practically the same as the first bullet point, but as a person who carries her groceries home more often then not, it is WONDERFUL!  (To be clear, the walk is not really that far…Target is in the same parking lot where I live. Well, I mean, I don’t live in a parking lot, but my building is in the same lot. Never mind.)
·       Best of all, it is a better choice for our planet! 
o   Method’s new 8x concentrated laundry detergent packs 25 loads in a 300 mL bottle, easily a sixth of the footprint of a conventional 2x concentrated detergent bottle.
o   The plant-based detergent uses 95 percent natural and renewable ingredients, and Method says it requires 33 percent less energy to produce than traditional detergents.
o   Here’s the full article.

RapidLash by Promaxyl

Yes, it is that time again for another one of my reviews. This one is geared towards all you ladies out there that really want to try Latisse, but don't want to go through the trouble of making an appointment with your derm and spending a lot of money on it!

It is called RapidLash by Promaxyl.  It was recommended by a cosmetic tattoo artist, and is said to give the EXACT same results as Latisse.

REASONS WHY RAPIDLASH IS BETTER THAN LATISSE:

  •  You do not have to go through a dermatologist to get it. 
  • It is $34.95 and you can purchase it on http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=rapidlash&ic=48_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0
  • It practically IS Latisse, but way cheaper and you can order it through Wallmart.com!


So I know the third bullet point was the summary of the first and second, BUT I felt the need to emphasize it!  I wish I took a before and after picture because 3 weeks later I think my eyelashes have almost doubled in length, and you can use it on your eyebrows too!

You just apply it to the top of your eyelashes (on the line of your eyelashes/skin) just before bed once a day.  THAT'S IT!  SO EASY. SO WORTH IT! ... do it.

Lindsay's Overall Assessment: DEFINITELY BUY THIS ASAP if you want longer eyelashes! I love it!