Introducing: Lolo Jones

We're trying something a little different today. I decided to stimulate some other senses and put this interview on video. It gives you a chance to see more of an athelete's personality (and Lolo has tons of that!), as well as pick and choose what questions actually interest you. Personally, I find them all interesting -- but I'm the one asking them so that's a no brainer. Click to watch the videos you want, and skip the ones you don't. I hope you enjoy Lolo. She's a one-of-a-kind individual and one heck of a hurdler who's looking to repeat as Indoor World Champion. Wish her luck!

*The official name on your birth certificate is Lori. Please explain how Lolo came about. Is it your racing alter ego, or do you just feel it has a little more pizzazz?




*Let’s talk about the infamous fall for a sec. What was the biggest life lesson that tumble taught you?


*I am constantly getting asked if I know Lolo Jones…from men. The interest is definitely there, yet you’re still single. What are the biggest obstacles to finding a quality date on Friday night?


*This past year you wore your birthday suit for the ESPN body issue. As a sport that wears next to nothing in competition, we are pretty used to showing a lot of skin but was that shoot hard to do from a modesty standpoint?


*On the circuit, you’re known as the energizer bunny. You just never stop competing. Is there any reason in particular you take that approach?


*Where does your twitter inspiration come from?



*(Blog Reader Question) What is your personal, inspiring verse from the Bible?

Introducing: Bernard Lagat

Bernard Lagat makes me love middle distance running-- as a spectator of course. Still, this is no small feat. When he competes though, I feel like I am cheering for one of the nicest people on the planet. It also doesn't hurt that he's amazingly talented and has made huge impact in this sport. He wins races, he gets medals, and he sets records...and he does it all with the most genuine smile you'll ever see. It's the nice guy and the talented guy all rolled into one. It just doesn't get much better than that.






Nickname: Kip
Most Notable Performance: They're all so great...I don't know!
Follow him on Twitter: lagat1500


*Please tell me a distance you’re NOT good at over one lap?

I’d say 10,000m- - You’ve got to be wired differently to do so many rounds on the oval! Recently, I did an indoor 5,000m and that was 25laps to the track. I felt like I was doing a marathon..and those laps can make you dizzy; I tell ya’.

*As someone who has been doing this professionally for a very long time, are you starting to feel like the Grandpa of the sport?

Have you ever heard someone say “Old is Golden?” Well, I feel like the most experienced dude out there- - Not necessarily the old guy in the business. So, every time I lined up with the young guys, I know they’re thinking about how better they can challenge me. That’s more pressure on them, which, is to my advantage!


*You have some of the most adorable kids on the face of the planet and they are often your entourage, along with your wife. Do you enjoy traveling with the family and do you get to skip out on Daddy duties when you have a competition?


I’m truly blessed to have a family that loves me and supports me 100%. I try to bring them with me wherever I’m on my business trips. My wife and kids have travelled with me to a lot of exciting places. Training camps in Flagstaff, AZ to our summer base in Tuebingen, Germany and to different competition venues around the world. By having them with me while I travel, I make sure I do my share of making sure that my kids get playtime with me, reading sessions and diaper duties as in the case of my 16-mo old daughter, Gianna.



*If you had continued to race for Kenya and had not become a United States citizen, do you think your career would have turned out any differently?

You know—I think things would have been somewhat different. It was in the United States that I started my carrer as opposed to my colleagues who lived and trained in Kenya. I established by base in Pullman, WA and later in Tucson, AZ and during that period, I earned the respect and admiration of the American people—and that’s why when I took on the US citizenship, I was already a known figure in the American sports scenes. In addition to the above, I earned a college degree in the States and that package enhanced the marketability of the person I had become.

*When you have a bad race, what’s the easiest way to get over it?

You’re a psychic! I was having this topic with Mikki Barber over a cup of coffee here in Doha last evening.

I told her that it takes only 30 minutes for me to get over a REALLY bad race. Sounds crazy isn’t it? But it’s absolutely true! After a bad run, I gather my stuff, exit the track and head straight to the warm up area. There, I talk it over with my coach or a trusted person like my agent about what I felt in the race. At that point, I switch my head to focus only on the good things I had done in practice a weeks prior to that bad race. It could be as simple as a great feeling after a 6mi tempo run, or by thinking about a track session that I did so well, with lots of ease yet fast! After this brief moment of thoughts running wild, a ‘hunger’ for a better performance built inside me and when I approach the next challenge, people will be in for a real battle.

*At times there can be a lot of contact with races over one lap. Have you ever been involved in some of those scuffles? What do they involve and are you usually the cause or the recipient?

No one can say they’re the cause of certain scuffles in the races, but it happens to me so often that I have come to believe that I’m mostly the recipient of all the pushing, kicking, boxed-ins, and worse - -getting spiked.
During the Beijing Olympics and Berlin World Championships the American fans witnessed some of the roughest hits, pushes and blocking by some competitors. I took as part of the game, but at times, I felt like it wasn’t all that ‘innocent’ act! But, unfortunately; this is something to be expected in my events. It comes with the territory I’m operating in.

*If a sprinter wanted to train with you for a day because they claimed your workouts probably weren’t that tough, what training session would you take them through?

Let’s take it easy on the sprinter, in question! Here is the recipe: We’ll both warm up 3mi in say 20min. Do some strides, stretch and put our spikes on. Then we’ll do a 200m in 30sec to get the good feel of the track.

Main course: 500m X 4 @ 1:15 (rest 60sec). We’ll rest 3min and then jump into 200m X 3 @27, 26, 25 (rest 45sec). I think by this time, the cowboy will be sweating and breathing and pleading for mercy! It’s not done yet—lazy!! We’ll do another run, this time a cool down for 2mi in 15min.
By the way, I’m being really nice to the sprinter. I’m that nice… I could have made things a bit spicy here!!

*You have accomplished SO much in your career. Is there anything left that you are aiming for before you hang up the spikes?

I need the Olympic GOLD Medal so bad! So far, I have a bronze, silver and what’s missing?... the big one!! 2012 is coming soon.

*(Blog reader question) What do you think could be done to better sell the sport (realistic or not)?

More live coverage of track and field events especially the ones being staged in the American soil. That’s what we’re missing. This is for both indoor and outdoor competitions.

Introducing: Trey Hardee

He does a whole lot of things, and he does a lot of them well. That's pretty much what it takes to be a world-class Decathlete (and for this weekend, a Heptathlete). It takes a special kind of athlete to train and compete the way Trey does and that's why we all want to try and eat our Wheaties...so we can one day try and be just half the athlete they are. In the meantime, when you watch him compete, make sure you appreciate what he's doing to the fullest--and know that you couldn't do it. Well, I know I couldn't.



Nickname: Barry

Most Notable Performance: 2009 World Champion - Decathalon

Follow him on Twitter: @treyhardee



*Many people see the winner of the Decathlon the World’s Greatest Athlete. Is that how you see yourself?

Not at all. I see myself as an athlete, but that’s it. I just happen to do the decathlon.


*If you weren’t dedicating all your time to running, jumping, and throwing right now, what do you think you’d be doing?

Hmmm… right now?? I don’t know… Probably taking a nap.



*Most people are aware that you and the lovely Chelsea Johnson (pole vault) are an item. What’s the benefit of having someone in the sport as your significant other?

Besides us both being awesome? Haha… I think that we have an understanding of what it means to be an elite athlete. The personal sacrifices that it takes to get to, and stay on, this level do not go unnoticed or unappreciated by each other. Another benefit is that we both are so proud of one another… more proud than someone who doesn’t do this sport because we fully grasp what our accomplishments and sacrifices are really worth.



*With no major outdoor championships this year, how are you going to keep yourself busy? Will you compete in any particular individual events that you can be competitive in on a world level?

Hmmm… we’ll just have to wait and see. For right now, I’ve got the Indoor World Championships. I’d love to run hurdles or long jump a lot this summer.


*Being that you have a lot of equipment needed for 10 events, you’re forced to pack a lot of stuff when you travel. Any tips to getting out of paying baggage fees?

None whatsoever… it’s a cruel, cruel world.

*Has anyone ever told you that you look like the guy from Prison Break?

Oh yeah… the entire time I was in the village in Beijing! Apparently that show is big in China!
I’ve never seen it, but I’ve seen a picture of the guy… I can see how people think I look like him.




*Is it a dream of yours to be on a Wheaties Box?

Not necessarily a dream, but that’s what goes along with winning the Olympic decathlon, soooo… it’s tied to a dream of mine.



*(Blog Reader Question) Who is a non-athlete who amazes you with their gift, be it music, writing, acting, etc?

John Mayer can play the crap out of the guitar!

Introducing: Anna Pierce

She is one of those girls that make you notice her. And it’s not just because of her funky hairstyles. This girl has talent – and loads of it! She can step to the line at just about any distance and be competitive. I admire that about her. She can run just about as fast as me, but I can’t run anywhere near as long as her. Advantage: Anna.



Nickname: Fierce Pierce! (self proclaimed nickname). Growing up my mom called me Anna Banana Pickle
Most Notable Performance: hasn't happened yet.



*Since you are competitive at so many different distances, tell us which is the hardest and which one is the easiest—and why!

The 1500 is the hardest, hands down. It's grueling after the first lap and I feel like death when I finish, so much lactate! The 800 has been the easiest for me so far, but I think that mean I might not be running to my potential.

*The first time I heard your name, you were a steeple chaser. Now you’ve decided it really isn’t necessary to run that many laps and jump over barriers in the process. Is there any specific reason for the change?

I wanted to be the best in the world, and running sub-9 minutes in the steeple was looking like a pretty tall order for me. I found I'm much better at shorter distances when Terrence Mahon began coaching me in 2009- plus I love sprinting so it's a perfect fit.

*You are recently married. Congrats! Has that changed anything besides your last name?

Not really, Jon and I joke about it being the same as its always been. Changing my name was hard to get used to, but it feels good to have a symbol of our commitment to each other with me everywhere I go.




*I’ve seen you run 150’s at practice and can vouch for the fact that you possess some serious speed. Should Sanya Richards and the rest of the gals keep an eye out for you in the future? (and seriously, what do you think you could run in a 400)

Ohhhhhh, baby. I would love to run a 400! We planned on doing one this indoor, but I didn't really feel ready to rip one yet, and I don't want to run it until I am ready to post a good time. I think I could run 52, and maybe with some more sprint speed conditioning, 51. Last summer I ran 2x300 in 38 and felt great so I think thats a good indicator of my potential.

*Is there ever trash talking on the line in a distance event?

HA! Not really. Often we are racing women from other countries who may not speak english, so it's more about body language, staring tactics and trying to psyche others out by cutting them off mid-stride or something.

*You’re known as the girl with the fabulous, funky hair. What serves as your inspiration? (And why is it so normal right now???)

It usually stems from some salon experiment gone wrong, so I never know how it's exactly going to look. I really like matching, so it's fun to match a streak of my hair to my current Nike uniform. It's so normal right now because I toned it down for our wedding and am giving my hair a break from all the bleaching. I don't want it to fall out!

*What event(s) in track and field do you feel trains the hardest? Be honest…we know you guys think sprinters are kind of wimpy with their 10 min interval breaks, huh?

I think multis train incredibly hard, but thats probably the obvious answer. I sometimes take 10 minute breaks, so I feel like I can't judge sprinters too much :)

*As you go on your runs around Doha, do you feel any extra stares from the locals because of your running attire?

A little, but we are only doing our runs at the Aspire campus, so we don't stand out that much. Also, no ones throwing rocks or hissing at us, so I don't feel that uncomfortable.

*(Blog Reader Question) What is your favorite activity/hobby that is completely unrelated to running?

I love cooking/baking; also, giving unsolicited advice is pretty high up there on my list of favorite things to do.



Anna's Schedule at World's: 800 meters
Prelim: March 12th. 10:30am
Semi : March 13th. 10:30am
Final: March 14th. 5:15pm

Introducing: David Oliver

I knew David would be perfect as an interviewee because his personality is about as big as his frame. Pretty darn huge. If you want to know what’s on his mind, all you have to do is ask…just be prepared to hear the truth! He possesses an unbelievable confidence, whether it’s on the starting line or in front of the mirror. The good thing is, he backs it up.



Nickname: D.O the King
Most Notable Performance: Olympic Bronze Medalist - 110 hurdles
Follow him on twitter: doliversub13


*Anyone who has seen you race, knows that you come on strong the last part of the 110 hurdles. What does this say about the future if you are making Indoor teams against a strong field in the 60-meter hurdles?

You’re absolutely right. I am more of an outdoor hurdler, but that’s the thing I love about indoors, having the ability to try to perfect the beginning part of my race in live competition. I believe that I am able to make indoor teams because I train strength and technique base specifically. I believe that if you have good technique, you can neutralize most people’s speed and that’s what I rely on. Of course you will not beat the upper echelon of the event indoors, but we concern ourselves with outdoors and you are more likely to get lucky and nail the start than you are to get lucky and magically have the ability to finish a race. You can see that if you watch the race from this past year’s indoor national championship.

*Word on the street is that some women tend to find you quite attractive. Normally it’s the women who tend to have the crazy stalker stories, but do you have any of your own that have managed to shock you?

LOL, yeah, I guess they find me attractive. Honestly, I don’t have any crazy stalker type stories to tell that are of the PG variety LOL. But of course I run across my fair share of outta pocket behavior from some young women and yes it is shocking.

*Your outdoor PR is from a race in Doha back in 2008. What are some of your tips and tricks to traveling so far and still being able to compete at your best?

This will mark my fourth consecutive year making this long trip to Doha, and fortunately, I have run well every time. I believe the best tip that I can give is to tell people to take on my mindset. Whether I am running in Doha, Shanghai or at my training facility, I view it is just another ten (in this case five) hurdles in a different place. I am fortunate that I have had the ability to travel well throughout my career; I’ve shown up to places the day of competition and run personal bests. I try to just get on time schedule immediately and more times than not, it means torturing myself the first day by not allowing myself to go to sleep once I get in. If I make it in a eight in the morning, I will be up until around ten at night, just to get acclimated.


*I understand your quite shy but if you had to pick your favorite physical feature, what would it be and why?

I don’t know if shy is the right word to use, maybe a bit reserved lol. But I definitely think my best feature is my smile, I go with that only because I hear that a lot, but honestly I feel I’m a head to toe kind of guy so I would say everything is my favorite physical feature!



*What is the biggest myth about professional track and field that you’d like to set the record straight on?

The biggest myth that I’d like to set straight is that we are not out in Europe or Asia or wherever just hanging out. This is our job. I’ve had people tell me “I wish I could just go to Europe and hang out and run and stuff.” This is our profession. I don’t wish I could go to your job at Wal Mart and “just hang out and ring up customers and stuff.” We definitely aren’t hanging out, we are taking care of business and the travel isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be.

*After the World Indoor Championships, what are your goals for this year, being that there is no Outdoor Championships?

My primary focus will to be run faster outdoors than I ever have before. I love competing, whether it’s a World Championship or Olympic year or not. Just having the ability to do what it is that I love to do is good enough for me. Being seriously injured last year made me appreciate being able to head out to meets and practice and have the ability to run hurdles so I embrace that and I actually run like it may be my last meet because you never know when it may actually be the last time you have an opportunity to compete.

*You call yourself the “King”. What do you feel you need to do during the rest of your career to ensure that that moniker is appropriate?

LOL, that’s something that has nothing to do with track and field or any sport for that matter, it’s just a moniker that I picked up from my friends during my early years in college. I understand what you are asking though. I feel that in order to be one of the top guys in our chosen event, you’ve got to keep pushing the envelope. I feel that what we think is fast now will be ordinary at some point in time during my life span so I train everyday to try to make the impossible possible. You see people doing it across a wide range of events. Every time someone sets a world record, that’s view as doing something that no one had ever done previously, so I would love to be able to say that I did something better than anyone ever had done it.


*As confident as you are, I still find you to be extremely humble. How do you keep from crossing over that fine line?

It is a very fine line and that line becomes blurred at times too. We as professional athletes in an individual sport have to have supreme confidence in our ability to go out there and do our stuff better than anyone else can do on any given day. But in turn, I know that I am blessed to be in a position that not many people will ever have the opportunity to be in and I don’t take that for granted. As hard as I worked to get in this position, it can be taken away so easily, all it takes is one mistake and that mistake can turn your world upside down, so I definitely realize that and try to stay humble even with all the glory and praise I may receive.

*Can you please share your favorite D.O. saying?

“Winners find a way to win, losers find a way to lose” I got that from my coach one of the very first days I met him and that phrase speaks volumes. It transcends across all barometers of life, whether it’s personal life or in sports. No one is born a winner or a loser, but the decisions we make lead us down a path to either becoming a winner or a loser. I wasn’t the best runner when I started and I did an awful lot of losing, but I feel the decisions and sacrifices I made helped me become a winner. If you don’t like being a loser, it is very easy for you to change that.

*Do you think you could be world-class in any other event besides the high hurdles? What about another sport?

There’s no way I think I could be world class in any other event other than the high hurdles, maybe the 400 hurdles, but if you took the hurdles out of the sport period, then I’d be somewhere working a 9-5 job. I’m too slow to be a sprinter and too big to run distance. I know I could have made it in football if I tried, I’m sure I could have gotten a shot if that’s the path I wanted to take. 6’3’’, 210 pounds, can rep 225 pounds 16 times and I’m sure I could have given a good 40 yard dash time, maybe I would have been playing on Sundays.

*(Blog Reader Question) Have you ever been recognized by someone well-known that you would not have expected to know who you are?

I have been recognized by several well know individuals, but I think that people should know who we are! We are professional athletes just like they are in football and basketball, they are recognized, so I feel we should be as well! But the lead up to the Olympics and the Olympic Games themselves really garnered me a lot of attention which is cool, it feels good to actually be recognized for your hard work from time to time and it feels better because it’s earned and not just given gratuitously.

Angels Game: Two Perspectives.

Many of my friends know that I blog. They always wonder if whatever we are doing at that particular moment will end up on the blog and what my spin on it will actually be. Yesterday I went to the Angels and Yankees game with a friend and he asked if I was going to blog about it. “Maybe”, I replied. And then he said he could probably blog it for me because he knew what I was going to say. So I told him to give it his best shot. Tell my story, in my voice, the way you think I experienced it. Even though it wasn’t as easy as he thought, he did give it his best shot. And since I had already blogged it too, I’m giving you my real version. How close did he get? (I know…it’s hard to nail down my biting sarcasm).

HIS VERSION

I decided to take the train to the Angel Yankee game last night. It's a two hour train ride, but its better than dealing with traffic, and the train arrives exactly at game time 5:00. I'm supposed to meet someone there at 5. However, he didn't show up till 6. Obviously I am annoyed by this, I can be understanding when it comes to traffic, but an hour, come on buddy. Not to mention this isn't the first time this person has made me wait before. I'm debating whether or not to turn around and go home and delete this person from my phone. Needless to say, he finally arrives and although a little annoyed we proceed to go into the game.

When going to a baseball game one of the many traditions is to experience stadium food. You can't go to a baseball game and not experience the fine cuisine. Being a bud girl, I had to partake in a couple bud lights and some sliders from Ruby's Diner. Being that it is a baseball game I also had to have a hot dog. You can't go to a game and not have a hot dog right? It would be Un-American.

The game was very entertaining, from the action on the field to the drunk yankee fans that proceeded to high five me on his way out. Even though I wasn't rooting for the yankees, I wasn't wearing my Angels red and neither was the person I was with. I can see how I can be easily confused with being a yankees fan.

All and all I had a great time at the game, and the person I was with completely made up for being late and I enjoyed his company tremendously. He walked me back to the train station, saw that I got off safely and I proceeded to enjoy my train ride home.


MY VERSION

I like going to sporting events even when I’m not a particularly big fan of the sport. Like Baseball for instance…I never watch a game on T.V. during the regular season. I’m going to need a little more action and a little more signifcance if I’m going to shell out 3 hours of my life like that. But I will go to a baseball game, and I’ll even be excited to go if it’s the playoffs. So when my friend called me up to ask me if I’d like to go to the Angel game at 5pm, when it was already 2pm and I was sitting in San Diego, I did my best to make it happen.

Not only did I make it, I made it on time. What is the implication here? The fact that he did not. If I hadn’t already traveled 2 hours by train, I would not have still been sitting there almost an hour later when he finally showed up!! I don’t appreciate waiting on people, especially when the excuse is bad traffic. This ain’t Kansas buddy, this is the 5 Freeway in Southern California at 5 pm on a workday en route to a major sporting event. You may not live here, but our traffic has a reputation, so there can be no cop out. So I did what I do best, and failed miserably at hiding my irritation.

We managed to make it into the game before either team had scored (big shocker there), so my experience wasn’t totally ruined. I then proceeded to eat 3 days worth of calories in the next 3 hours. If you can’t watch a baseball game eating and drinking the whole time, I really don’t even see the point.

The Angels ended up losing and I pretended to care but it was all for naught as I was accidentally dressed in Yankee colors and I got more hi fives than sad looks anyway. In fact, the buddies I met on the train ride home invited me to join them in their celebration. Who am I to ruin a good time? So yes, I ended up enjoying myself. And next time, he probably knows if he is going to be late to just turn around and go home.

Happy Anniversary

She texted me last week to let me know it was the anniversary. Anniversary? What anniversary? Definitely not one of the romantic sort because we all know that there is nothing to celebrate in that area of life. What else should I be remembering on a yearly basis that holds some type of significance in my life, I wondered. And then, she told me. "It was exactly one year ago, when I came to Tucson when you were having your knee surgery. God is good!" She knew this because it was written in the margin of her one year Bible. And being the holiest upon holy friends a person could possibly have, she had stumbled across it again exactly one year later and wanted to remind me how blessed I truly am. One year later and I’m winning meets on different continents, and jumping better than probably ever before. Yes, I said, God is Good.

Bianca actually took the time to write about me on her blog a couple days ago, and it really touched my heart. She put into words the sadness, confusion, heartache, and uncertainty I was feeling at the time, but more importantly, where I’m at now. Here is an excerpt…

…But then Knee happened. Knee decided for all of us what dreams were going to be put on hold, if not taken away completely. Knee decided what we could cheer for or cry about. Knee decided what she could do and what she hoped to do. A year ago this week I was on a plane to Tucson, Arizona to tend to her and the surgery which would determine her fate. We sat for hours and watched two seasons of Prison Break (and Wentworth Miller), ate enchiladas (made from scratch, thankyouverymuch!), and laughed that we hadn't see the light of day (or showered) in 48 hours (TMI, I know!). At that time we didn't know if Knee would ever allow her to compete again, run again, jump again.

But my God is a good God, my God is a great God, my God is the God of the IMPOSSIBLE. He has caused blind to see, lame to walk, dead to live, and Brianna to run once again. One year ago to the week, Brianna is doing the IMPOSSIBLE. On the anniversary of her surgery she competed in Osaka, Japan and took first place in long jump. Why? Because we serve a God who is still in the business of doing the impossible. Today she is in Brazil competing in the long jump and my God will have His will done. Win or lose.

No matter what we are facing, there is a God who handles business. He is our advocate, our redeemer, and our salvation. Through Him and by Him we can stand before our Goliaths and claim, You come at me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty... (1 Samuel 17:45a)

May we walk with these words on our lips, Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Do we believe this? Then let's start acting like it!


Awesome, right?!

I will be the first to tell you that there is nothing unique or exceptional about my situation or that what I dealt with wasn’t something that many, many athletes deal with all the time. Injuries happen. Setbacks occur. Things don’t always pan out how we wish they would. That’s life. And that’s definitely the life of an athlete. My story doesn’t make me special, but I feel blessed to know that I’m here now because there were definite moments when I didn’t think I would be. For me, last year wasn’t so much about my injury, but more about feeling lost. The timing of it all got to me because it made me question what I was even supposed to do with my life, if I had been wasting time, and how I was going to move on.

But I’m still here. And right now it’s not about the next Olympics, or even the next year. It’s about enjoying the opportunity that is right in front of me and being thankful for it. Last year could have been my stopping point, but it wasn’t… and so I believe that it wasn’t supposed to be. Running fast and jumping in sand may not sound that important to some, but for me it reaffirms how good God really is. And that is important.

Guest Blog (Brit)

I'm only going to say this once so listen up. My sister is funny. And maybe I get the humor so well because we are related and all, but this is my blog and I'm calling it like I see it. It's not too often I give her props because she has this problem with an oversized head...it's almost too big to fit through doorways. Anyway, I tell you that because as you read the following blog you might be tempted to throw a compliment her way and let her know she did a pretty fair job at her first attempt at blogging. Resist that urge. I'm kidding...in a totally serious way. The topic for the day is Men and all the untruths they tell. I could have written it myself but she seems to have taken many of the words right out of my mouth. Enjoy...


Ok so many people have been telling me I should write my own blog but I've been hesitant thinking to myself "What in the heck would I write about?" I mean really, there's only so many stories you can tell about your kids. I don't have the opportunities to travel anywhere cool. And when people randomly come up to me in stores and ask a question...it really is just to get an answer. No hidden agendas or subtle flirting unfortunately.
So why am I writing on this here blog of my talented, witty, almost as cute as me sister? Well its simple...she had written a status update earlier saying...



"people put their time and energy into what's important to them. don't say something is a priority and then spend your time doing something else. that means you lie...and God doesn't like liars."


I read that and thought automatically to myself "OMG that's so true!" In my 25 years of life I have encountered liars of all shapes, colors, and genders....but men BY FAR take the cake! I don't know what it is about the male species that makes them feel the need to lie or twist the truth to a female. I've recently re-joined the dating game and already have heard some woppers! I mean, I may be a little rusty, but I'm not dumb.
Fact: A Mother is the best detective that has ever lived. She will find out anything she needs to know by eavesdropping, snooping, stalking, or interrogation.
Fact: We are(in some cases, by default) our Mother's Daughters. We know how do to the same things that they do, it's in our blood.
If you lie to my face, I will catch you. I will find the truth out. And I will bust the windows out of your car! hahaha ok the last one only happened once but in my defense he deserved it.
But when I read my sister's comment all these instances came rushing to my head of all the lines I've been given or have been told to me via girl friends that were said by men. Now looking back at them, they were just straight out lies! Allow me to share a few with you:

- I'm pretty busy at night and on the weekends so we can really only kick it during the week days.
That's a lie. No person is THAT busy. More than likely he has another woman that he entertains during those times.

- I'm trying to figure out who I am in life and don't think I could handle being in a relationship right now.
Ok that's a lie. Soul searching doesn't require no communication or fun with the opposite sex. If you're that lost, seek professional help.

- My life is really hectic at the moment and even though I really care about you, I need to focus on my career with no distractions.
Another lie! If he really cared about you he wouldn't see you as a distraction. You would be more like a refreshing break from the chaos.

-Baby it's not you, it's me. I just can't give you what you want right now.
Aww isn't that sweet? He's thinking about your needs! WRONG!!!! He's thinking about his own needs and how one of those needs is to not have to give effort towards you!

My personal favorite...
-I LOVE KIDS!! It doesn't bother me at all that you have two. But lets just concentrate on you and I for a while.
Um...ok nice try. You want to date me and just try and pretend my kids don't exists. Get the idea of robbin' the pooty out of your head because it's not gonna happen! (you'd have to have seen Jerry McGuire to know what I'm talking about)
and lastly....

-I really miss you and want to see you...I just don't have the time.
Big Fat Lie! Any person with a brain knows that when you want to see someone, you MAKE time. I have two kids and I'm a student getting my teaching degree, if I can make time to see someone ANYONE can.

I'm sorry if you've read one of these and remember it being said to you. Perhaps he was one of the few guys actually telling the truth. But that isn't always the case. If it sounds like a duck and walks like a duck.....guess what?

Please, feel free to share your own stories of lies you've been told by the opposite sex!

Guest Blog

Today's blog comes to you by way of my best friend. Before you role your eyes in agony and close the tab, let me assure you that many of my friends write far better than I could ever imagine. And lest you think it's just my laziness at work, I will tell you that I did plan on writing...but she was typing away by the time I woke up this morning. And in a moment of sheer genius, the plan was hatched. We have spent the past 3 days together so her stories are mine anyway. I kinda like this idea, so perhaps you may see more of it in the future. Enjoy...







O great and wonderful jersey knit and elastic bands, how do I love thee? Let me recount the ways...

I've been best friends with the same girls for over a decade. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each of us are extremely different but fit harmoniously together as one. We've been there for each other as our parents fought brain cancer and breast cancer, divorce and infidelity, financial prosperity and financial despair. As we shift into adulthood we are sharing similar experiences as the generation that preceded us; career crisis and career shifts, marriage and near marriage breakups, health crisis and economic crisis. The puzzle pieces of our lives are falling into place and together we are beginning to form a picture of something intricate and beautiful. In the meantime, we are still proverbially spread out over the kitchen table and looking like a hot mess as we figure out where we are suppose to go.

As with puzzle assembly, sometimes you need to walk away and take a break from looking at the same pieces over and over. This weekend one of my best friends and I stepped away from the puzzling life we lead and relaxed poolside at a spa in Arizona. But I have to note that if we resembled puzzle pieces, she'd be the beautifully ornate, multi-complex, center piece that held all the other pieces together; I'd be the bottom left-hand corner piece with the trademark logo placed strategically upright, just so you can know what direction its suppose to be place. Yes, we're that different.

Different in just about all areas of life. She's a professional athlete, I'm a professional eater. She's a professional model, I'm a professional reader. She has an six-pack of abs, I have a keg o' fun. She dates millionaires, I date... uh... well, I don't date. See? We're that different.

Which brings me to joys of jersey knit and elastic bands. I was having a clothing crisis and needed serious intervention. I heard a voice from the next room and it almost made me stab my eyeball out with a toothpick, You can borrow the dress I wore yesterday. She couldn't be serious. I think it'll fit well. She was serious. Her waist is the size of my right thigh and she offered her dress to me. Maybe the sun was too much for her to handle and she's delusional now.

I stepped into the closet and pulled down the dress like Indianna Jones in the Temple of Sin, cautiously, curiously, carefully. I slipped it over my head and felt like I had just escaped the rolling ball of death because the dress fit?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? Yes, it fit. The professional model/athlete/world-traveler had offered me the holy grail of fat girl fashion. I twirled in it. Yes, I spun around like a five year-old in her Sunday best.

I just realized that I've given jersey knit such a hard time for being cheap and made in sweatshops in third-world countries. And elastic, who knew it could make anyone feel like a model with a six-pack?

O great wonderful jersey knit and elastic band, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...