Making the Switch

Looks like I am making the switch from Blogger to Wordpress. I know none of you reading this will care at all, but just thought I would share. If everything goes correctly, I will still have my domain name (www.thenomadchick.com) on my new blog. Probably will not get around to posting until it's all said and done, but I will be writing down some funny stories to share. WISH ME LUCK!

Still Awake.

It's 3:52am and my heart is still pounding and I'm wide awake. I finally feel how I think I was supposed to feel in the first place after taking my fat-burner this morning. I feel like vacuuming, doing laundry, maybe some pushups, and then top it off with a couple laps around the living room. (You're welcome downstairs neighbors!) I'm sure our flight tomorrow will be interesting- either Kaden screaming while I'm asleep in my chair, or me screaming while Kaden's asleep in his chair. Just thought you should know. Kids- don't do drugs. Or fat-burners. Night night.

Stuff'll Kill Ya

I remember being seventeen, a senior year in high school, and hearing about the miracle pill- EPHEDRA. Everyone around me was buzzing about how much weight could be lost by taking that little sucker. They sold it at Wal-Mart in the form of Xenadrine. The only problem- you had to be 18 to purchase.

"Moooooooooooom! Will you PLEASE get me some Xenadrine?!"

With the look I got from her, I might as well have been asking her to buy me a bottle of vodka, a package of condoms, and some porn.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaad! Will you PLEASE get me some Xenadrine?!"

Dad didn't even look up from his computer. He just replied, "stuff'll kill ya."

So needless to say, I did without. By the time I was 18 and legal to purchase it myself, I was heading off to Oklahoma State to play softball and being drug tested regularly by the NCAA. So Xenadrine and Ephedra were never really in the cards for me. Eating right had never been a priority to me either. I preferred sugar over vegetables, and carbs over balance.

I have cleaned up my act quite a bit by eating mostly gluten-free now (keyword: mostly), but I have been known to, gulp, BINGE on the weekends quite a bit. Last weekend was no different. I dominated 3 packs of M&M's in one day. You start eating sugar early, and the rest of your day kind of goes downhill from there. I hit the gym up yesterday, but that was just to get a pedicure at the gym's spa. So I decided this morning I would go hard. I have been following a lift program for the last couple weeks, and I planned on running 5 miles on the treadmill after completing that.

Before leaving the house for the gym, my genius self decided to take it to the next level by adding an extra "supplement" than usual. I bought the stuff because on the bottle it says "liquid fat incinerator". Holy crap! That sounded EXACTLY like what I needed! Anything to incinerate fat was a friend of mine. I immediately thought of it as lipo-in-a-bottle. Did I mention this stuff is in LIQUID form?! Yeah. Intense. It said on the bottle to take 3ml-6ml twice a day.

At the gym, 3-ml and 20 minutes later, I broke out in a sweat and my heart rose like I had just sprinted a couple 400's around the track. This was only after tying my shoes! Oh my gosh, this stuff is great! I may lose 5 lbs. today, I remember thinking. I powered through my lift and headed upstairs to the treadmill when it hit me. I thought I was gonna pass out and throw up at the same time. (Which is a talent, by the way, usually only feated by drunkards and druggies). I decided to just sit down and read about Pippa Middleton in the latest issue of People while Hubbs finished his cardio instead of running those five miles like originally planned. Picking up Kaden from the kids' center was an ordeal, and I had to lay down on a bench while the sweet employee changed his diaper.

Lunch didn't help.

Dinner didn't help.

I changed my shirt three times today, after sweating through each one. It's 7:40 PM right now, my heart is STILL racing and I have only peeled myself off the couch to change diapers, grab a different remote, and heat up dinner, all while my son has played by himself and his little Thomas trains.

Stuff'll kill ya!

The crap doesn't have ephedra in it, but after reviewing it's list of ingredients, I'm not really sure what exactly it DOES have in it. A good rule of thumb should be- If You Can't Pronounce It, Don't Put It In Your Body! Have you ever looked at the ingredients of Coca-Cola? It'll gross you out. Anyways, thank you Liquid Clenbutrx for ruining my whole day! Thank God I didn't take the 6ml dose or I would probably be at the ER by now! And how do people take this crap TWICE a day? I would really like to meet those people and get their autographs.

In closing- if you are looking for a way to incinerate fat, stick to the old fashioned way of eating more veggies and walking an extra mile. If you are looking for a way to incinerate fat AND be a dead-beat parent at the same time, definitely take this stuff!

Smile today :)

Public Restrooms

I know a lot of people out there have phobias of public restrooms. I am not one of those. However, I do come across awkward/uncomfortable situations in public restrooms from time to time.

We have all been in a stall that has it's own sink in it. This is the handicap stall, and when it's the only stall open, you have no choice but to pray a disabled person doesn't wheel in while you're doin' your business and try to get out of there really fast. But this is not the awkward situation I'm talking about this time. Have you ever been in a stall with it's own sink, washed your hands before exiting, and then walked straight past the "outer" sinks and a line of people who you just KNOW are judging you for not washing your hands? I know I judge EVERY stranger that I see skip the sink, and make a mental note not to give them a random high-five if I cross paths with them again.

I always feel the need to walk out of a handicap stall and say something like, "Man, that water in that SINK in there sure is COLD! My hands are so cold from WASHING them!" Another solution I have come up with is to carry out the paper towel I use to dry my hands in the stall and make a very obvious scene about throwing it away when I come out. I have even gone as far as washing my hands in a handicap stall, walking out and immediately realizing the situation, and then given my hands another good washing just for show. That's just too much work. Too much time. Who has that kind of time?

I guess this post is just to make others who have been in this same situation more comfortable. SOMEONE has to be the voice. You're not alone.

Hope you have been smiling today! (And washing those nasty hands)

Colorado Springs

I have a slight problem with falling in love with every place we ever live during baseball season and imagining us living there for the rest of our lives and raising our babies there. This too has happened with Colorado Springs. It has been about 80 degrees here this week, and ever since then I have absolutely enjoyed every second I've been here. I'm sure my opinion was not the same about the place when I was wearing three layers of clothing and running from my car to avoid all the snow, but a couple 80-degree days tend to give me amnesia about those types of things.

This was taken on one of the main roads here.

There are so many things to love about this place! There's the mountains, and errrr.... the, ummm... Mountains...

Ok, so the mountains are probably the basis of it's appeal. But what else do ya really need?! I haven't really come across as many hippies here in the Springs as I have in Denver and Boulder, but I have seen a few of their less-wacky, less-intense counterparts here- the Free Spirits* (see below). And I gotta say, I LIKE THEM! They make me wanna sell all my material things, rent a little place close to Pikes Peak with the fam, buy some Toms and maybe some hemp necklaces, stock up on organic foods, purchase a Subaru and cover it with bumper stickers, and go snowboarding on the weekends.

But I like my Chevy. And my shoes. And processed food. And to be honest, I actually have no idea how to snowboard, so in reality this idea is shaping up to require more planning than it's worth. So scratch that idea.

In all seriousness, the atmosphere here makes you want to get out and be healthier. There are walking trails EVERYWHERE. Not just sidewalks that lines the streets, but trails that wind through fields and over random hills, etc. It's pretty cool and actually makes daily walks or runs, GULP, fun! Not to mention the trails in the mountains, that's a whole other story. The Olympic Training Center is here, so I have stalked that a couple times and STILL haven't seen Apollo Ohno. Apparently training in Colorado Springs is considered legal blood doping. LEGAL blood doping! Freakin' sweet! I'm not even 100% sure what that even means, but it sounds way cooler that regular training. Definitely count me in for training here! So yeahhhh, I should probably pick something to train FOR, but that's just details.

This is a view of the mountains from my treadmill at my gym. Coolest gym ever by the way.

A friend who trained at the Olympic Center told me about a trail (the Cog Trail) that they used to run for work outs that was supposedly pretty intense. I googled this a few times and asked around town about it, and found out it's better known as the Manitou Incline. Apparently this is a BEAST. It's length is just under a mile, gains roughly 2,000 feet of elevation, and it's slope reaches 50 degrees at one point. So add this to my goal sheet, because I wanna give this sucker my best shot. Not only to see if I can, but to get some awesome pictures out of the deal also. I read a few websites about it, and apparently you get some major crap from the experienced hikers and climbers if you have to have the ambulance come for hinderances such as dehydration or a broken ankle. Probably because it's not exactly legal to hike this trail. It's currently considered trespassing, but they are trying to change that this year. (I don't know who they is). Here's a little idea of what I'm talking about:




I know! I only thought three little letters when I saw it too. O.M.G. And then I took a second look and thought three OTHER little letters. W.T.F.

Here is a pic of me and my precious son at Garden of the Gods the other day. We are gonna make a hiker out of this little guy! Dad was on a road trip, so Grandma Kim came up to keep us company.

SMILE TODAY! Surround yourself with things that make you smile and it makes for a much better day. These are a couple pics that never cease to make me smile-

*If you visit here, these Free Spirits I speak of can be spotted anywhere of course, especially as you get closer to the mountain, but they seem to congregate at places such as Whole Foods, REI, and undoubtedly any homeopathic service provider.

Goodbye Garmin

I take back every awful thing I have ever written/thought/said about my dear Garmin GPS. My little bossy British aid has been kidnapped, right out of my car. I went out the other morning and loaded Kaden into his car seat and when I went around to the drivers side, the door was open. I automatically felt sick to my stomach because I knew something had to have been stolen. My Garmin GPS. Just the thought of someone rummaging around in my personal things makes me a little queasy. I usually take my Garmin in with me every time, but I left her out this ONE night and look what happens! I did quick inventory of what else may be missing, and that was it. If the a-hole thief was smart, he would have taken my car seat and stroller too, because any parent knows that those cost WAY more than a GPS. Duh.

This is a pic of the memorial service I had for my Garmin. All of her friends came except the extended warranty (we all know how useless he can be):

When I got home from my errand, I sat and sulked for a while, filed an online police report, and checked Craigslist just in case there was one listed on there. No luck. I called Hubbs and of course the first thing he asks is, "was the car unlocked?" I didn't think it was. "Well then the alarm should have gone off. You must have left it unlocked. You ALWAYS need to lock the doors. Yadda yadda yadda." Then, when I was talking to my dad later that day, the first question he asked was, "well, was your car unlocked?" Is this a man thing?! Obviously when I got out of the car and was carrying six bags of groceries, a purse, a gym bag, and a baby up to the second level where our apartment is, I didn't stop and intentionally UNLOCK the car for the evening for whomever peruses the parking lots at nights for goods.

Anyways, the next morning I thought I would check Craigslist again. HOLY CRAP! A Garmin Nuvi 1450 was posted the previous evening for the low price of $40. And he didn't even spell it right!!! And only $40? Really?!

I called the number as fast as I could. I figured if I could buy the Garmin back, I could tell it was mine from the history on it and I could go to the police. I know, dumb plan, but I was still upset! Of course I got their voicemail. I left a message saying please call me ASAP because I am interested in the Garmin posted on Craigslist. I followed that up with an email and 2 texts. While waiting for the call back, I looked up the address of this person from using their phone number online. Two miles from me. THIEF.

I finally got a text back three hours later saying the Garmin was still available. I asked if it was the 1450 model as was listed, and whether it came with any accessories like the charger and mount (which I still had in my purse). He said no accessories came with it and it was a Garmin 255 model, the 1450 model had been sold. I then typed his phone number into the search bar of Colorado Springs Craigslist and this is what came up-

If you can't read that, it's an array of iPods, navigation systems, and even a gift card. All being sold for dirt cheap! All small electronics that could easily be snatched from cars. THIS IS THE DOUCHE THAT STOLE MY GARMIN! I can feel it! But he had already sold her. For $40. The devil in me wanted to call or text mean, hateful messages, and the angel in me wanted me to call or text bible verses saying God forgives, but I just called the police instead. I realized at this point there's nothing that can be done to get it back, I was sure of it. But I just had to to let them know that there is a MONSTER on the loose. They told me there would be no way of proving that it was my GPS, and pretty much I was out of luck just like I had thought. Hopefully they at least check into the guy so maybe some other people can get their stuff back, but it sounded like my call was a huge waste of time. Oh well.

This is kind-of how I picture my thief. Except mine is taller. And meaner, with a BIG frown. And he wears a ski mask. Scratch that, he wears the Scream mask. And carries a knife. And a WWF gold belt, because NO ONE messes with my thief. Except hopefully the Colorado Springs Police Department. (I have no idea why I painted my thief to be such a bad ass when in actuality he is a piece of human trash).

Anyways, I've decided to take matters into my own hands to prevent future theft in case I happen to leave the door unlocked again (which I'm still not admitting to in the first place). I am going to leave a bunch of stuff around my car that would scare a thief off rather than invite him in. Things like- O.J. Simpson-style black leather gloves, duct tape, a rope, and of course the book "How to Hide Dead Bodies for Dummies".

Anyways, just want to finish this post off by saying I am really not as upset about the stolen GPS as it seems in this post. This week the South experienced horrific tornadoes. The scene is devastating. Over 350 lives have been lost, thousands injured, and countless homeless. If you are considering purchasing anything frivolous in the next few days (such as a GPS), please consider donating that money to the victims of the tornadoes. I know Red Cross and Salvation Army are taking donations (you can easily text "redcross" to 90999 to donate $10), and I also know another foundation you can donate to that goes directly to helping the victims- http://www.joshwillinghamfoundation.org/. This is a fellow baseball player's foundation that personally distributes the money.

SMILE today!

A Visit to Okie

Back in Colorado Springs. BRRRRR. Right when I landed it started to snow. Awesome. It's so pretty here though so it cancels out my hatred of cold weather.

Oklahoma was a blast, I'm missing that place. I thought I would give you a little idea of what you might find on the 10 o'clock news when there are no tornadoes haunting the state and the Thunder isn't playing-

Yep, this is NEWS. As you can see on the image above, swearing is actually GOOD for pain. See mom, what did I tell you when I was in 8th grade?! But as you can also see, don't go wasting your bad words on silly old things like when that Jeep Grand Cherokee in front of you is being a $@#!ing idiot by driving too slow or an @$$hole maniac by speeding way to fast. Or when your best friend is going on and on and on again about that stupid boss of hers and you just want to yell, "I don't give a $#*!" No. Only save it for GENUINE pain, because then it's OKAY to curse- it's therapeutic, and Channel 9 News said so.

We had the pleasure of going to the Game 2 OKC Thunder/Denver Nuggets playoff game in OKC while I was back and we had a stinkin' blast (thanks for the tix dad)! This is my sis and I "Thundering Up"-

Speak of my sis, just thought I would share a little video she threw together of Kaden. When they are together, she teaches him all sorts of "how to be a hoodrat" things like how to throw up a deuce (a peace sign), to ALWAYS wear his Jordans no matter what (this is gear inspired but the image and essence of Michael Jordan), and to booty-pop (just Google Beyonce). None of it has stuck so far, which is good for me- it's always annoying to raise a baby thug. Or so I hear. Anyways here is the video. We got bored:



Bahaha.

Mother's Day is rapidly approaching and I thought I would plug my jewelry and website here a little. Stella & Dot charms are about as cute as they come. They are very thoughtful and personal. You can choose letters that would mean something special to the women in your life or there's even a charm that says "MOM" and you can add birthstones around it. Just take a look, that would be WAY easier- www.stelladot.com/ashleighfields.

Or you can just click here to go directly to the Mother's Day gifts- http://stelladot.com/sites/ashleighfields/productcatalog?page=productlisting.category&categoryId=1154

Ta-ta for now! SMILE today :)