Guess Who's Back?

It's been awhile, eh?


Sadly this isn't my first blog post using those four words...  There has been some exciting moves in the years I've been away from this space. I've pondered different ways to document my thoughts and photos, and I keep coming back to this. I have always liked writing and am much better at expressing myself through words in a setting like this, regardless of who is reading. 


In a nutshell, there has been:  a heartbreaking & unexpected loss, too many school papers and projects to count, several road trips, mountains and valleys, changes and challenges, tears over things not turning out the way I planned or expected - many of which I later laughed about, my first trip to Florida, enough work trips that I could navigate to Horicon or Moline with my eyes closed, a for sale by owner on the first home I purchased (+ MANY headaches but an overall good experience, and no, I won't be doing that again), a diploma - a MBA diploma (finally!), and in THREE days... moving into a forever home with my best friend. Most of that has happened in just the past year alone! I can't wait to share more, but we have a condo to close on, an apartment to pack up & clean, a storage unit to pack into a U-Haul, a brand new house to close on, and a brand new home to move into. There's sure to be some good laughs & snaps in the next few days and I. can't. wait.


Here's how beautiful the view was last night - more progress on my Instagram (@lindseyschuler).

Now if I could just pick up photography - surely a Canon captures better blog photos than my smartphone... ;)

What I'm Loving

First off, I have to say that I want to get back in the writing world. Whether that means continuing this blog or expressing myself elsewhere, I'm excited because writing proves to be an outlet for me. I'm not engaged or married [or currently dating for that matter] nor am I a mother [to a child or furball], or have an exciting job, and I think at times I feel like the purpose of my blog doesn't go very far. BUT - it is my life. And as much as I think that not a lot goes on, looking back at previous posts make me smile and remember different times and events, and more importantly - how I felt. I know there are many bloggers out there who started before they were married or became parents, so maybe that's why I'm sticking with this journey. Either way, I hope that you are reading and somewhat enjoying what you are reading. :)

Back to my point. What I'm loving...

- these Sam Edelman sneakers. I've never been much of a 'leopard' person, but I'm more than obsessed with shoes at the moment and Zappos isn't helping anything.

Sam Edelman - Becker

- March Madness. AND - every Wednesday in March I can wear jeans to work...along with my favorite team's tee, sweatshirt or jacket. I'm not a big basketball fan, especially the NBA, but Iowa & UNI men's basketball is something I can handle watching. And March Madness? I'll sit and watch every single game if I could. I filled out my brackets and I may be slightly ashamed to say that I have Michigan State winning one of them... at least they're in the Big Ten?

- daylight savings. No explanation needed!

- one more thing I'm [always] loving - Taysen James. Here's one of his 3 year pictures. I can't handle it & I can't wait to see the rest!

Happy Hump Day!

Recent Thoughts...

It's been awhile, eh?

I went back to school at the end of August and let me tell you, I do not know how people with families and kids do this. Balancing work and school full time is hard enough for me. My boss finally talked me into enrolling in Upper Iowa University's online MBA program. I decided on the Quality Management emphasis, partly because I thought I would get the most out of that area and learn something new. I'm single with no kids so why not now? Remind me that in a few months when I'm seriously questioning it and asking "how much longer?!"...

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do [when I grow up.] And how, exactly, do some people just know exactly what it is that they want to do, forever? Am I supposed to be having "second-thoughts" about where I'm at in life? Is this a quarter-life crisis? I'm beginning to think so. The worst part of it all is that nobody can tell me what to do, because I have to figure that out for myself. What makes me happy? What will make me happy? Will what's important to me now be as important to me 5, 10, 20 years from now? At what point do people tell themselves to just go for it, make that final decision and not look back? Because at times I wish I were that person.

I'm not thinking about these things because I'm not happy, because I am. I could not ask for anything more in this life of mine without being too greedy. In the meantime, I'm going to keep thinking and keep reading this quote...

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch

Currently...

Watching the sunset from my deck

Drinking... a Coors Light. It's been a long weekend. As if I need an excuse

Wishing... it wasn't Sunday night. I'm nowhere near ready to go back to work tomorrow

Obsessing over... baseball [Bucks won their 8th straight game tonight!] .. aloe .. Nike shorts .. Target [this isn't new]

BRAND NEW Party Deck sign on my kegerator

We have a tie game, folks!

...and in the bottom of the 10th, BUCKS WIN their 8th straight

Literally went to Target for bug spray, $50 later...that was some expensive bug spray ;)

Wanting to purchase... this bag. No description needed

Looking forward to... a week off from the Party Deck [off day + road trips] .. a pool day at grandma's .. a wedding

Favorite songs on the [XM] radio... Blurred Lines. Sail. Anything FGL or Hunter Hayes.

Weekending

Why do weekends go by so fast? Last week officially kicked my ass after a long weekend, working two jobs and a lack of sleep.

We celebrated my Grandpa Mike's 70th birthday with a fish fry and lots of family/friends Saturday afternoon. We laughed, a lot, and it served as a great reminder of what life is all about.

Taysen and I took a little walk past the backyard and saw the baseball field across the street. We had to come back home to get a shirt, bat, ball & mom and went back to play. The excitement on his face when I helped him hit the ball was priceless! I have a feeling that place might be our hangout this summer...

We roasted marshmallows on the grill & made smores... I may have eaten a few too many.

I may have enjoyed a few of these on Friday night too. I'd say they were well deserved after a hard first week back at Riverfront. ;)

I'm ready for some warmer weather, grilled burgers on the party deck at home, a high school baseball game in [nearly] my backyard and a Wednesday afternoon 'skip work day' baseball game - the start a 6-day home stand for the Bucks. Happy Monday!

Not Enough Rocks

Lessons I've learned [because there have been several to note] ...

- it's OK to laugh at yourself. Really. Even if it's because a pair of underwear fell out the leg of your pants. At work.

- it's also OK to laugh at your own jokes. My most recent: one of the guys from Alexandria's ball team screamed "OMG what's behind that tree?! That's a BIG bird!!" from the field last night. Naturally, once I heard "OMG" I thought a ball was headed our way... I shot back "was it yellow?" For those of you who are still thinking about it or not laughing...big bird, yellow, Sesame Street... anyone? Ok so maybe it was a 'you had to be there' moment

- it's NOT OK to drive through a current of water running across a closed street. It's closed for a reason.

- "If you build it, they will come." if it rains cats and dogs for too many days straight, the Riverfront parking lot and all streets to it will flood. The game will still play [as long as it's safe] and fans will still come. Even if they have to risk parking streets away [in not the best area of Waterloo] and walk over the dike..or at their Grandma's house across the street for safer parking ;) They might even take a paddle boat or kayak...

- sometimes, all you need is a little patience. Yes, even after a 9-hour work day filled with your problems and everyone else's, a quick drive home to change clothes and then sit through 3 hours of rain delays before a game gets postponed. Patience.

- sometimes, if patience fails, a little sunshine, some time alone & remembering where you came from is all you need. Especially when life catches up with you and leaves you hanging off a cliff [or at least feeling like it]

- let it go. This is a hard one but it keeps coming around so it has to mean something. Quit worrying about what everyone else is doing - it's their life, not yours. Sweep your own front porch, not anyone else's.

- keg beer will give you a hangover. And a rounded top on a garbage can is not a good place for a cup of that keg beer, unless you want to spill not one, but two cups of that keg beer on your date. ;)



Said date not pictured. Instead, two of my best friends.

- sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks. Or middle fingers.

- it could be worse. A friend of mine is currently helping the victims in Moore, OK. After seeing photos, watching videos and hearing what those people went/are going through just breaks my heart. That teacher who laid on her students before getting killed by a car? A true hero. How praying, despite any rules, may have saved some lives that day? Quite possibly a miracle. More people may be believing that teaching is the most underpaid and underappreciated profession out there.

Sorry to end on a sad note - I didn't mean to, but I couldn't save that one for later. Stay safe and help others as you can, no matter where you are.

if you enjoy my baseball pictures, follow me on instagram [@lindseyschuler] because I might have an obsession with posting one from each game. oops!

Burgers, Dogs & Beer: Part One

A lot of people have asked why I spend my summers working at the local ballpark...

.. first off, it's not [completely] for the money. Tonight, I made a whopping $2.50 in tips - granted, it was Buck night [$1 hot dogs, $1 beers...] and the Budweiser Party Deck had 5 patrons.

.. it's not [completely] that I need to be busy 24/7 and work 13+ hour days, several days a week.

.. I sacrifice easy nights at home for long nights at Riverfront, weekends away for weekend home-stands, and Sunday Funday for Sunday Funday on the Deck.

.. I put in my sweat, blood & tears into being the Party Deck Assistant. Blood - only from tearing up my hands opening Smirnoff bottles. Tears - from laughing too hard at the things that happen every single day out there.

.. I do it because I truly enjoy being there. Sure, I might wish some days I could stay a little later at the office, make dinner at home, squeeze in a workout, do a Target run, pick up the house, watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs, or just relax and enjoy the weather [when it isn't raining]. But I make every effort to not miss more than a few times because I love the game. I love the relationships I build with people at the Stadium [not drunk creeps, don't worry!] And honestly, I'd probably be there 90% of the time anyways. I grew up sitting on the third base side with my Grandpa and my Dad and I still wear the Bucks shirt I've had since I was 12. It's a tradition and I'm happy to be a part of the Bucks family.

Just don't ask why we don't serve Coors Light on the Budweiser Party Deck or I might get a little snippy with you ;)