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 ;)

 

And the winner is...

Kristin! Congratulations on a Stitch Fix giftcard! Please email me :)

After a long, busy, 4-day work week, I'm excited for a weekend with celebrating My Waterloo Days & a wedding, and hopefully finishing painting my bathroom.

Have a great weekend all! :) See you Monday.

Currently...

Watching game 7 between the LA Kings & San Jose Sharks .. honestly, very rarely is anything but hockey on my tv

Enjoying a pretty quiet night at home [quite possibly the only one this week] .. a freshly-painted [but not yet finished] bathroom & a clean kitchen floor

Thinking about a lot of things I [nor anyone else] has the answer to

Feeling stressed & blessed. It really is amazing how certain things can alter your mood. It's easy to get caught up in life, but that moment when you sit back and really think things through and realize it isn't that bad...well, yes- I had one of THOSE moments today. Life is too short to forget about the things in life that aren't always things. And pity parties? Ain't nobody got time for that

Looking forward to opening day @ Riverfront [tomorrow! Photos will be posted on instagram] .. a wedding [clearly not mine] .. sunshine - after a rainy holiday weekend & a not-so-promising forecast .. getting out on the golf course [hopefully soon]

Don't forget about the Stitch Fix giveaway! Winner will be announced Friday! :)

Obsession [Stitch Fix] + a giveaway!

If you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix yet...consider this post a flashing advertisement to at the very least “Google it”. Seriously. You can thank me later.

To tell you the truth, I do not remember how I came across this site. I can bet it was from a random blog I saw, but I am so glad I found it and decided to check it out.

You see, I have a bit of a problem. It’s called shopping. From clothes for myself to clothes for Taysen (hello, have you seen baby Gap’s toddler boys summer line?!) and I also have a thing for pillows and picture frames. And anything chalkboard or chevron. And anything to help me organize. See, I told you I have a problem!

So...Stitch Fix. I entered in my information to my Style Profile (weight, height, typical sizes, styles I wear, etc.) and a few days later, had a package at my door. I did cancel my scheduled fix because I was a little nervous about the process - then a few days later decided to say what the hell, and I went for it.

[Note: there is a $20 styling fee that goes towards any purchase you make & is charged as soon as your package ships. You also get a 25% discount if you purchase all five items.]

I excitedly opened my package and tried on what my personal stylist picked out for me. Each item had a little styling card attached to the tag to show how to wear it and ideas of what to pair it with. You have 3 days to decide which items you'll keep and which you'll return.

Forgive me for: the high quality photos taken on my laptop [Samsung Galaxy S3] .. mirror pic selfies .. lack of taking photos of the package because I clearly wasn't thinking when I ripped into it.

1. Collective Concepts Ivy Bird Print Tab Sleeve Blouse

Express Ponte Knit Five-Pocket Pant & Express flats - similar here

2. Voxx Sacha Chevron Stripe Shirt Dress

 

3. Skies are Blue Jayda Dot Cuffed Chambray Top

I decided against this chambray top because I didn't like the way it fit. I liked the polka dots, but I recently purchased this denim top a few weeks ago and love the fit.

4. Kensie Jeans Lola Ankle Length Skinny Jeans

5. Vine Street Market Skinny Stripe Long Cotton Scarf

Besides the fact that I couldn't get half of my right leg into the black jeans and the scarf was about as tall as I am, I loved everything in my first Stitch Fix and had a great experience. I decided to keep the chevron dress and the bird blouse - plus I can dress both up to wear to work. The items you don't want to keep? Stick them in an enclosed prepaid USPS envelope and drop it off at a mailbox or post office within 3 days! Don't forget to go online to check out - provide feedback so the stylists know what to look for/avoid for your next Fix! You can also tell them which items you're keeping or returning and confirm payment for anything you choose to keep.

 

So...with this recent [obsession] comes a GIVEAWAY! My first one, nonetheless! To win, just leave a comment on this post and schedule a fix! How easy is that? Just make sure to email or Tweet / Instagram a photo [don't forget to tag me - see below!] of your scheduled or arrived fix. I will give one lucky reader a $25 Stitch Fix gift card. Click here to get started!

I will randomly select a winner on May 31st...assuming more than one person will read and/or enter the giveaway! Ready...GO!

follow me on Twitter [@laiki_schuler] and Instagram [lindseyschuler] email: lifeasiknowitschuler@gmail.com

Mother's Day

If you know me, there's a good chance you know that I have a stronger relationship with my dad than my mom.

[My parents were divorced before I was 4 years old.]

Most of my favorite childhood memories were spent with my dad. I couldn't give you a 100% honest reason for it, either. I lived with my mom for the majority of my life until college. Growing up, she was the opposite of strict [or maybe I just refused to cooperate?] I don't have traditions to share or memories to recall from past Mother's days aside from being a moody, teenage girl who ruined a perfectly special day for the person who brought me into this world.

We may not always see eye to eye, but I can count on her to be there for me when I need her. She worries about me far more than she needs to. She's proud of me. She sticks up for me. She has saved special things from throughout my 25 years that I will appreciate and share with my future children. She celebrates just about every holiday [Halloween is her favorite] and she loves to dance. The things she's taught me are endless and the memories I have are forever.

She keeps telling me I'll know what its like when I have kids, and I don't know how many times she's told me that she hopes I have a daughter who is "just like me." [Now that's just scary...]

As I get older, I appreciate her more. I may be a spitting image of my dad, but I owe more to my mom than anyone. After all, I know what her heartbeat sounds like from the inside and I don't know what I'd do without her.