AI HAZ A CONFESHUN

I am a cat person.

Actually I am just an animal person in general with a special fondness to felines. There are many haters of this species I am coming to find out. The second you say you like cats, people will say how badly the hate them. Fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinions but I am not ashamed. I think that they are like any animal that without proper care and training (yes you can train a cat...to a certain degree), they can be dirty, misbehaved, and run wild ruining your things. I am a big believer that animals are as good as their owners. Some may say that this is very judgemental but I do think that 90% of the time when a dog, cat, etc. is acting less than ideal, its due to the owners negligence, lack of education, or mistreatment. With that said, I am a crazy cat lady.

There is something about their personalities that amuses me. They are very curious, independent, self aware, intuitive, and just plain bosses of themselves. It cracks me up how they are slightly snobby in who they like, picky in what they eat, and extremely lazy most of the time. I'd say they are a lot like people. I love dogs too for their unconditional love and loyalty and they are great for certain personalities mine included. But cats are animals that make your work for their love and affection so that there is a special connection made when it comes over to you when you call its name or if it lays on your lap without being put there. Haters can scoff all they want but cats melt my heart!

So, about a year ago I discovered an internet sensation known as “LOLcats.” I may have been late in discovering this but it has brought me many, many lols since. It's a website full of picures of cats being cute, silly, mischevious, and always trying to take over the world. Traditionally there a captions incuded in block letters and full of misspellings describing what's going on in it. I could be entertained on this website for hours. I know, I'm a loser.

So, for the past year I have been dating Dave who is a stand up comedian. I think he is one of the most brilliantly witty people I know. We both have a connection when it comes to our crazy humor so it is easy to laugh and have a great time with him. He's always found me to have a good sense of humor which is a huge compliment because he's an expert on funny. But he has never understood how I can figure out the many levels of a complex joke, get the hilarious irony behind a simple one liner, and still fall to the ground laughing and crying over stupid picture of cats doing stupid things. Maybe is just my weird thing but I can't help it. Here are some LOLcats classics to share for giggles:

Here is the actual website for more laughs: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

It's official: I am in love!

From the moment I saw you, I knew I had to make you mine.


I worked so hard to feel like I deserve you and I know I do.


I should’ve known that I wouldn’t find you close to home.


So I waited for you to arrive into my life.


I couldn’t wait for the day I could to hold you in my arms.


You came sooner than I thought and was a wonderful surprise.


Your shine still catches my breath.


And you are everything and imagined and more.


So comfortable, yet daring and exciting.


And more that anything…


A perfect fit.


I am crazy in love with you.


Head over heels.

Taste of spring!...Even though it's almost summer...

I doubt I'm the only one who has felt that this spring was long overdue. Even in April and May and the beginning of June, I felt like dark clouds and rain and wind where becoming too consistent. I know, I know, April showers bring May flowers so I was excited to see that that was true. Sometime in the middle of May in between two rainy days, Dave was able to take me to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I couldn't believe that I have lived here in beautiful Utah for almost three years now (six months of which I actually lived in Lehi) and I had never gone. I was lucky enough to get the day off work and go see and feel what spring had to offer.

So two things that made the day interesting besides all the colors of the flowers and neat exhibits to explore. First thing: If you have know me even for a short time, you would know that I am a sucker for heels. Borderline obsessed. Okay fine, full blown obsessed. Well anyways, anyone with common sense would figure that a festival consists of a decent amount of walking. Not me. I think,"Oooh I have those cute yellow wedges to go with this yellow top. It's so nice to be able to enjoy a tulip festival on a beautiful day in spring colors!" It was too late when the thought to wear flat shoes fluttered through my mind about 3 or so hours after walking around in my cute yellow wedges. My poor feet screamed in pain and if it weren't for the moleskin bandage treatment Dave's mom helped me out with, I might have lost my feet to a tragic blister accident. Or at least be limping around for a few days.

Second interesting thing: Dave and I were walking (I was attempting to walk) up a hill towards the booths and   food area when we saw a young boy running down some concrete stairs ahead of us. He missed a step and came crashing down face first on the cement. Both Dave and I were pretty close so we ran over to him. A man who was walking next to him helped him sit up and we could see that he had a cut on his forehead and his nose looked broken. If anyone has seen a head or nose injury could guess what the scene looked like. Oh the blood. So much blood...To make the blood look even more red and grotesque, the boy was wearing a white polo. His horrified sister who looked to be about 8 or 9 didn't know what to do other than pat his back as he choked on his screams and his face turned purple. Dave asked the girl where their parents were and all she could do was point over the hill and mumble something about them being there. Despite the lack of description, he took off running in the direction the girl pointed towards. The man who helped the boy sit up had a couple of tissues and was trying to wipe away a little of the blood but wasn't doing much for all that was  pouring out. I decided to make use of myself and go look for something to hold over the cut and his nose. So I ran, yes ran, in my cute yellow wedges through a large crowd of people until I found the first booth which looked like it could have some napkins. I breathlessly told the girl serving snow cones what had happened and she quickly handed me a whole role of paper towels. I then ran back towards the murder crime scene lookalike. By the time I got there, the dad was there with the injured boy trying to comfort him while also getting covered in the red mess. I handed him the paper towels and saved the day. Well maybe not saved the day, but now they had more than a couple soaked up tissues. As Dave and I walked away, I asked him how he had found the father so fast. He told me that he found an entire family dressed in similar white polos and took a wild guess. After it was confirmed that the man had another son running around the place, Dave told him that the boy had taken a spill. The father, in a very experienced dad-like way, raised one eye brow and calmly said, "Oh boy."

We had a laugh over how new parents are so cautious and paranoid with their children and that when they trip even ever so slightly, they fall apart almost as much as their wailing kid. But by the time the child has had a few falls, things like a bloody head and nose can seem pretty routine. Love it.

So here are some pictures from the lovely day. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the falling incident because I know how much all of you want to see that.

So glad that Utah is getting green again. Can't wait for the blazing hot summer to come!

Lisa's Life To-Do List (subject to changes and additions)

I am a list maker. It's what I do to feel organized and in control. It's also a good way of keeping track of the things I need to do even if I can't always get them done. I also absolutely love the feeling I get when I cross something off a list. It's a tiny victory whether it's laundry or something much bigger. 

I know most of us have done this before. Even if we haven't written them down, we still have this list in our heads. So here are some of the personal things I want to do before I kick the bucket. Some of the things are very cliché but still pretty great. Other ideas were stolen from people I know and I just couldn't resist making  them a part of the goals I want to accomplish myself. How awesome would it be to look back and see how many I am able cross out? :)

Go back to school (soon or when I'm 50)

Get out of debt and stay out of debt

Learn Japanese...again

Swim with dolphins

Own 365 pairs of heels

Run a marathon

Become a decent cook

Go to all 50 states and at least 15 different countries

Meet someone really famous

Hold a baby tiger

Go on a hot air balloon ride

Visit the Garden of Gethsemane

Marry the man of my dreams in the Sacramento Temple

Live old enough to pose for a 5 generation photo

Life is never predictable but always limitless. I hope that I have the drive to at least attempt cross each one of these off my list. Because simply trying can be a victory too.  

Belated Mother's Day Shoutout

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan 

Some mothers are doctors, others are chefs. Some moms are police officers, and some moms are event coordinators. Some moms are therapists, and others are teachers. My mother does all these. If I am hurt or sick, she always has the right antidote. My mom has never cooked anything that is short of amazing. Whether it's a sandwich or a my favorite “More Casserole,” she knows how to mix the ingredients with just the right amount of love to make it so yummy. She is the ultimate referree for quarreling children, and always laid down the law for mouthy teenagers. My mom can get everyone to school on time, plan a vaction for a million different schedules, and balance a daycare, Sunday school class, and household. When I am sad or confused or need a little perspective, my mom is the person to go to to tell me when I need to apologize to someone, break up with a bad boyfriend, or just tell me that she is proud of me and that everything will be okay. She taught me to respect others, work hard for the things you want, to always soak a stain before washing it dry, and that family is the most important thing in this life.

I am a lucky girl and I fully recognize this. I was fortunate enough to have a mom that was able to be at home growing up. I don't appreciate this more than I do now that I am grown. It wasn't always easy and money was always tight, but nothing could replace the solid presence she had at home. Dinner was always made and each family member present if possible on weeknights. Some of my fondest memories are of the crazy conversations and silly banter that happened over the food my mom prepared in between cleaning up after the daycare, doing the laundry, and running grocery store errands. If I ever got sick at school, she could be there to swoop me up in 15 mins flat. Without every asking for thanks, she would spend her days driving us from one friend's house to another, to practices and games, to doctor's appointments and church activities, leaving her with very little time for herself. She was often buried under loads of laundry for six people but always had everything cleaned, hung, or folded before you even noticed it was missing. She endured sleepless nights due to loud sleepovers and often was the one to clean up the mess the next day. And she did all this so that we could have happy and comfortable childhoods. Not to say that she spoiled us. My mother made it a crucial point of our day to make our beds and clean our rooms and to do our chores before playing.

Despite what my ramblings about my mom's managing of the household or the raising of us kids sounds like, she was never a maid. She did all of the things out of pure love and the desire to serve her family. Her job often went unthanked, underappreciated, and all too often demaded of her. But regardless, without any complaint, she did those mundane things every day with purpose and sense of duty. Not only did she work hard to keep everything in order, but she made sure to nurture us with her values and core beliefs everyday. My mom always makes sure the we know how much she loves God and how much she loves us.

I would be lying if I said that I always saw the woman who raised me in this light. There were years when we didn't see eye to eye, particularly in my junior/ high school days. Its hard to see at that age the daily sacrifices a parent makes and all the love they have for you. I really honestly thought that all she wanted to do was make my life miserable. I couldn't see then that when she was concerned with who I spent my time with, what outfits I wore out, what movies I watched and what music I listened to, she was really just trying her best to help me become to best person I could be by making the right choices. Even when the rules didn't make sense and I coudn't see what dragging me to church every Sunday would do, I see now that the happiness and peace I feel in my life and very person I am today, is largely in part due to my mom.

This Mother's day, I did not have the opportunity to spend the day with her. She was away in Japan visiting her father in the ICU and trying to take the burden of his care off my aunt and uncle. Because of the time difference and her schedule for taking care of Ojiichan, I wasn't able to get in touch with her to talk to her and to let her know how much I appreciate and love her for all she's done for me. I hope she knows how much I look to her as an example, and how much I respect her and hope to make her proud. I guess I'll have to tell her when she gets back. Come to think of it, I should tell her anytime I see her or talk to her. If I am ever half the mother she is to me, I think my future kids would be doing pretty well. I love you Mom! Happy Belated Mother's Day!

OBL: Hide and seek champion

So as all of us know (if you don't know, shame on you) that on Sunday, May 1st, it was announced that the most wanted man in the world was killed. It was not only a great day for the US, but also a great day for so many other countries in the world who were affected by the evil he inflicted. I was able to watch and listen to President Barak Obama's address to our country concerning the death of this man. My thoughts as well as many for sure went back to September 11^th ten whole years ago. I hope that despite differences in political views and opinions on how well the Obama admisistration has handled all other issues pertaining to our country, we can all come together and applaud our president as well as all others that were involved and bravely put their own lives in danger to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.

Yesterday I got a text from my dad saying: OBL: hide and seek champion from 2001-2011. Had to laugh! On another funny note, since all this has happened, everyone from news reporters to radio personalities have been getting the names mixed up between Obama and Osama (some unintentionally, others not so unintentionally). Today, a reporter announced that “Barak Obama is indeed dead.” This may be a little morbid but also pretty dang funny.

Here are some funny pictures I found on failblog.org that you may get a kick out of...

So great. It's a little weird that the former Public Enemy #1's name is only one letter off from our President's name. Not implying anything...just saying.