WANT: Pomsky. Mix between a Husky and a Pomeranian.

Liz Dean= Lindsay Lohan Look-A-Like, Doppleganger.

Who is your doppleganger? I often get Kate Bosworth, Marcia Cross and before Lindsay Lohan became a train wreck and aged 40 years, Lindsay Lohan. You know, I used to be proud of looking like Lindsay Lohan. Think Mean Girls time, when she was cute, fun and still sort of innocent. Before the botox, the collagen injections and whatever other plastic surgery procedures she's had. Also not to mention the drug use wearing on her body and looks. But now I am not sure of how proud I am about it...

Interesting fact about me- I was chosen in 2005 as the official Lindsay Lohan look-a-like. I was flown to Los Angeles, pampered, hair dyed like hers (she had dark brown/blondish hair back then) and make-up done like hers plus some special affect on my nose to make it look skinnier and more like hers.

Then I was put in front of a camera and shot for a whole day in a hotel room with a whole crew. I was to become the look-a-like for productions companies who needed a Lindsay Lohan look-a-like. This is the same company that represents Michael Jackson's look-a-like (in Scary Movie 3 and 4) and the Paris Hilton look-a-like (from The Simple Life) etc. I had signed on for a 3 year contract. The images would be used as promotional material and if someone wanted a Lindsay Lohan look-a-like, I would have likely been casted. But this was during Lindsay's downward spiral, and NO ONE wanted Lindsay Lohan for movies, let alone were they prepared to use a look-a-like for anything. So in those 3 years, I did not once get casted.

But hey, it was fun while it lasted! And here is the pic that landed me this gig. I don't think I really look anything like her here. But if you see my last post, I really think that image #2 really looks like her.

Fun random fact: I have a cowlick in the same exact spot as Lindsay Lohan.

2014 Patriot Cheerleading Tryout Headshots

Friends and family, please help me pick a headshot to use for the cheerleading tryouts! These photos were taken by my friend Kendal Kelly and by Kim Bokeh. Special thanks to them! Please vote below. Thank you!

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Headshot 1

Headshot 2

Headshot 3

2013-2014 Patriot Cheerleading Tryouts Personal Prep Schedule

I've been working on building up my stamina and fitness regimen in order to prepare for the grueling tryouts for the 2013-2014 Patriot Cheerleading squad. While doing my research and reading an interview article about the tryouts with Tracy Sormanti, Patriots Cheerleading Director, I've learned the running, push-ups, stretching, and loads of high kicks are involved with the tryouts. I'm pretty sure the running part won't phase me, but I definitely need to work on the push-ups and splits/high kicks. First I need to nail down those splits. This is by far the biggest hurdle for me and I am focusing the most on it.

In order to get into tip top shape and to prepare for the tryouts, my fitness plans have been outlined (by myself, not a professional) and I am working towards these goals. As time goes on, I'll add more depending on how my body is reacting and how quickly things progress.

September

• Monday- Gym- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out.
• Tuesday- zumba (half class) at home on the Kinect. Stretch it out.
• Wednesday- Gym- run 5k+ and yoga class offered at the gym. 
• Thursday- zumba (half class) at home on the Kinect. Stretch it out.
• Friday- Tentative Gym/Zumba- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out. Depends on Friday night plans.
• Weekend- get out and do something active outdoors- hiking, biking, rock climbing, etc

October

• Monday- Gym- run 4 miles+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out.
• Tuesday- Salsa Dancing Lessons. What?! (gives dirty look at you because I know what you're thinking! However, all types of dance are incorporated into cheerleading dance, so I want to broaden my dance skills)
• Wednesday- Gym- run 5k+ and yoga class offered at the gym. 
• Thursday- Laps at the pool
• Friday- Tentative Gym/Zumba- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out. Depends on Friday night plans.
• Weekend- get out and do something active outdoors- hiking, biking, rock climbing, etc. Start working on high kicks and cheerleading jumps (did I mention I was often a candidate for the UCA jump offs at camp (two girls from each squad were entered into the competition) each year? I can't recall if I ever placed- I'll have to go through all my ribbons/medals and check, but the fact that I was chosen to represent year after year makes me think I should be able to "jump" right back into the high kicks and jumps required!

November

• Monday-  zumba (full class) at home on the Kinect. Stretch it out.
• Tuesday- laps at the pool/high kicks and jumps
• Wednesday- Gym- run 5k and yoga class offered at the gym. 
• Thursday- Gravity Pilates
• Friday- Tentative Gym/Zumba- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out. Depends on Friday night plans.
• Weekend- It'll be too cold to get outdoors so an hour at the gym doing weights/running and work on jumps/high kicks

December

• Monday- Modern Dance Class (hip hop, etc)
• Tuesday- laps at the pool/high kicks and jumps
• Wednesday- Gym- run 5k+ and yoga class offered at the gym. 
• Thursday- Gravity Pilates
• Friday- Tentative Gym/Zumba- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out. Depends on Friday night plans
• Weekend- Skiing!!!

January

• Monday-  zumba (full class) at home on the Kinect. Stretch it out and work on high kicks and jumps.
• Tuesday- TBD Dance Class
• Wednesday- Gym- run 5k+ and yoga class offered at the gym. 
• Thursday- Gravity Pilates
• Friday- Tentative Gym/Zumba- run 5k+ and work on weights. Come home and stretch it out. Depends on Friday night plans.
• Weekend- Skiing!!!

So far for September I've been on track, except for today as I am traveling to Kansas to visit family. I have, however, packed my gym clothes and plan on a run or maybe sneaking in on a yoga class... I will try to get some sort of physical activity in over the next 4 days. It's so hard to keep up with fitness goals while traveling, as well as keeping a healthy diet! Oye Vey! More on that to come soon!

Split Progress! 2 weeks of "stretching"...

Split progress for the 2014 Patriot Cheerleading tryouts! Have a long ways to go!

Right Leg

Middle

Left Leg

I will admit, I only spend one time a day working on splits and not for very long. Stretching hurts!!! My middle and left leg splits hurt so bad. I need to focus on those more as I have barely made any progress in two weeks. Ugh. My friend suggested gravity pilates. I may check into that!

Wedding Day Song List

I know I have kept you all in suspense for so long about which songs we decided to use for our wedding events. Well the wait is over! I started off the day with a Wedding Morning Playlist. Essentially, this was on repeat since 7 a.m. while getting ready with my gorgeous girlfriends. I will admit, at one point I started to get sick of it being on repeat. But it did set the mood for sure. And for the list:

You can listen to this fabulous playlist on Spotify here:

 

Now, for the important part regarding sound. Our day could not have been made any better without having hired Seismic Sound to get the party going! They were professional, easy to work with and they executed our music vision with perfection and confidence! We even had the ceremony pretty far from the reception area and Mike managed to set-up the sound so it was heard and executed perfectly. We couldn't have been happier with our choice and highly recommend them!

 Here are the choices in songs that set the mood for our perfect wedding:

Pre-Processional (for seating of the parents)- Bach - Cello Suite No.1 i-Prelude

Wedding Party Processional - City and Colour- The Girl

Bride Processional - A hand played piece by my brother Stephen on the piano and it was absolutely beautiful!

Recessional - Queen - You're My Best Friend

First Dance Song - These are the days~Van Morrison - Reason Why See Post HERE



Bouquet Toss Song: Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (This brings me back to my cheerleading with Brigid Touey)


Garter Toss Song - Midi, Maxi & Efti - Bad Bad Boys



Last Dance Song - We can't recall! We had picked it out but pardon us- there was so much going on we don't remember!

2013-2014 Patriot Cheerleader Tryouts- Are you crazy Liz Dean?!

Foolish as I may be, I want to try out for the Patriot's 2013-2014 cheerleading squad. Anyone who knows me closely knows I am not the biggest fan of football. But this is not about football, this is about the love of the sport of cheerleading that was robbed from me in high school when a cheerleading injury halted my cheerleading career.

Rewind to the year 2002. I was a junior in high school on the Varsity cheer squad. We had been practicing stunting one day after school at Henderson High School in West Chester, PA. My coach at the time had called out of practice due to an "anxiety attack". The JV coach was there and told us we could go into the other gym and practice stunting. Typically, stunting is not allowed without adult supervision. And so we started practicing the newest stunt- the scorpion. I had mastered it on the floor and at the elevator level, but it was finally time to try it at the extension level. Extra spots lined up, and up I went. With too much momentum, I ended up toppling over the left base and fell between two extra spots who were either not paying attention and talking, or literally stepped apart. To this day, I do not know as it all went by in a flash. Next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with my arm outstretched and my forearm in a "v" shape. I was to shocked and in too much pain to react. I might of screamed at first, I don't remember. Shortly the EMS team arrived. They grounded my arm and moved me to a stretcher. I took the ambulance literally one block to the hospital. My parents greeted me at the hospital. Soon my coach who had called out sick came to visit all the while scolding me for stunting. At this time, I had begun hyperventilating from the shock of it all and my tongue started going numb. I couldn't speak. I was scared. All I could do was sit there eyes wide open and get yelled at by my coach.
Tests were taken, X-rays completed, nurses and doctor's visited. The results, reconstructive surgery with two plates and ten screws. To happen immediately. My growth plates had closed and there was no way for the bone to be set and to heal correctly. This was the only option. Being 5'7" at the time and looking at me now you'd be surprised- but let's not question their motives. I was soon after knocked out and woke with the prognosis of 2 days recovery in the hospital room, 6+ weeks rehab and 3+ years laying low activity wise (skiing, CHEERLEADING, etc). I couldn't do anything that would involve falling with force on my arm for quite some time. Soon after, I returned to everyday life at high school. The girls who had dropped me had apologized for their sorrow and they were so upset. But they never truly apologized. They were just "so upset" about it all. How about a real apology if they were truly sorry? How could they not realize that safety is first and foremost in cheerleading? To this day I still hold that against those two girls and am bitter about it. To me it looks like it was on purpose. These girls don't realize it but they ruined my dream at the time.

Anyhow, I did not let that stop me. My love of cheerleading led me to return to cheerleading practices within a week, arm in cast and all. I keep my spirits high even though I was crushed and tried my best to make out every movement possible. Although deep down I couldn't help but feel that my life long dream of being an NFL cheerleader one day was shattered. I had just made an all star cheerleading squad and would have likely also received a scholarship for cheerleading to college.
I ended up finishing out high school on the squad but shortly after did not follow-through with cheerleading in college due to the fact that I was required to stunt to tryout and medically wise I was still no allowed. I let my dream run away from me and have not revisited it since.
Fast forward to summer 2012. I've been researching it, studying videos and working out. I'm stretching (anyone who knows me would think "holy crap!") to re-learn splits. I am taking dance classes (yeah, on my Kinect, so what? I work late, it's convenient and it's pretty decent for dance classes!) but maybe I will take more qualified dance classes in a month or so if I can find a class that works with my work schedule.
I have 5-7 months to get in shape. I read online there are preliminary auditions in January. But I also read they were in March. I need to nail that down once they announce the dates. Regardless, I think I have enough time to whip myself back into my high school cheerleading shape and to unwind all the damage I have done to my body in that time sitting at a desk all day long at work. Gymnastics wise- not going to happen. But NFL cheerleading is more dance and stamina- which I have the skills for. Gymnastics was just icing on the cake for me.
My first task to re-learn: Splits. Lots of splits. Right splits, left leg splits and center splits. At the tryouts, they make you do all three splits. Without being able to do a single split. I don't have a chance. Here is day 1 of my split training. If anyone has tips on how to learn splits, please share! I plan on stretching twice a day. 30 seconds in 3 sets on each leg and then the center. Maybe that is enough, maybe it's not enough. Tips?

My Father Daughter dance at the wedding thanks to Jim. Might get boring after 10 seconds for everyone else. But it melts my heart :) I love my amazing father! Enjoy if you make it through!

The Truth About Colonoscopy Prep- Warning, not for the faint at heart

The Truth About Colonoscopy Prep:

Can't wait to eat a full meal and to get off the toilet!

Cooking for Two: Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4 slices Pepperidge Farm Jewish Rye Bread (seeded)
• Fresh whole mozzarella sliced
• 4 Campari tomatoes thinly sliced
• 12 basil leaves
• balsamic vinaigrette for dipping

Directions: Heat the panini grill on medium at 300 degrees. Lay the 4 slices on the grill. Grill for 3 minutes.

Increase heat to 400 degrees. Pile on the basil leaves across the slice of bread. Then add a layer of tomatoes. Lastly, layer on the mozzarella slices. Cover with a piece of the rye bread and cover with the top grill. Grill the sandwich for 7 minutes. Serve immediately!

Cooking for Two: Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Cooking for Two: Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
• somen noodles
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions: Cover a glass dish with aluminum foil. On low heat, sauté garlic and olive oil until tender. Combine balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, white wine, honey, salt, and pepper in with the oil and garlic and whisk. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil. Toss in somen noodles and cook three minutes. Drain and return it into the pot. Set aside.

Place fillets on prepared pan. Brush with sauce and sprinkle with oregano. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15-18 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

When salmon fillets are close to being done, combine somen noodles and sauce in pot and simmer on low. Brush fillets with reserved sauce before serving over bed of somen noodles. Serve immediately.

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Pre-Wedding- Day of Set-up

Did I skip over the rehearsal dinner? I apologize. I promise I will come back to that amazing dinner and night! But I just received an e-mail from my sister-in-law Christine of the beautiful photos she took of day of set-up that I hadn't seen and was not present at. So I thought I would share them. Obviously it gives away some more of the wedding day, but I am sure if you are my friend on Facebook you've seen most of this anyhow! Enjoy!