I love the fishes

If I had the knack for keeping fish alive, I'd name this one Frederick.

So...tired...

I know that there are people out there (and you may be one of them)
who work longer, crazier hours than I do, but I am exhausted today.

Going into work at 6:30 a.m. and not being able to leave until after 6:30 p.m. is a bit much for me.  It's moments like these that I wish I had a desk job.  Being on my feet for that long, running back and forth is not my idea of a good time.

Apparently that realization hasn't become widely known though, since I am scheduled to do it on Thursday too.

Twilight for Mormons

I stole this from my cousin's blog.

I think it is hilarious, and ironically it stars a friend of mine from my ward. :)

http://www.vimeo.com/8009598

Firm Resolve

Some people make New Years Resolutions. I do not.
That is to say, I don't start making resolutions at the beginning of the year.

I feel that we should be constantly making resolutions all the time, whatever time of year it is. I'm not going to save up all these "I should do this/work on that/try this" things so I can start them January 1st. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing now (or at least thinking about and working toward).

I have a lot of things I am working on in my life right now. They aren't new. With the exception of one, which is to get my passport in order for my trip to Germany.

I feel New Years Resolutions (if you make them) are private unless you don't want them to be. I don't really like it when people ask what mine are (or what they are for others for that matter) because I think it is incredibly personal. If I should happen to not follow through with one of them, I don't necessarily want you and your dog thinking "Didn't she say she was going to work on that this year?" Maybe that's just me and my paranoia of being judged all the time, but that's how I feel.

Maybe I should resolve not to be so paranoid...

O Tannenbaum

Being the festive females that we are, Kelly and I purchased our Christmas tree the first weekend in December, looking forward to a long month of enjoying the beauty and splendor of the season through its twinkling lights and fresh pine smell that we both love so much.

We eagerly decorated it, placed gifts beneath it and reveled in the beauty that was ours to behold.

That is until time came slowly knocking on our door. Or, not necessarily our door, but on the tree trunk. Our lovely tree, though technically already dead, kicked the bucket. The branches sagged, the needles drooped and the whole thing became a crisp fire hazard. The bottom branches were now grazing the floor and the whole scene looked pretty sad and depressing.

So what does one do to remedy this tragedy?

Well I don't know about you, but I move the ornaments, garland and lights from the bottom branches up a few inches and lop those pesky twigs off!

The results were immediate. Although still very, crispy, droopy and slightly sad, taking off that bottom weight drastically improved the look of our tree. Which is good being that we hadn't quite made it to Christmas yet. :)

Moral of the story: Wait to buy your Christmas tree, even if you're excited.

Taters

I like to try new things.
Restaurants, movies, books, recipes, dance moves, fashion choices, etc...

So to help me with one of these areas, I use a website called allrecipes.com for my various recipe needs, and it hasn't let me down, not for the cookie recipes I've tried, the chicken and pork, the cakes turned out great, it just hasn't let me down.

Until yesterday that is. My garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes that I made for our Christmas Eve dinner, while earning decent points in overall taste, had its ratings plummet in the texture department. They were something akin to paste. And not just any paste, the really, really sticky kind that even the weird kid in your kindergarten class wouldn't even eat.

I think I'll revert back to my original mashed potato prowess.

Post Christmas Blues?

How is it that I have never heard of those before?
Honestly, this is the first year I have heard that term, and now I'm hearing it everywhere.

I personally have been having a difficult time getting into the "Christmas Spirit" this year. Not to say that I don't love the season and all it means, it just doesn't really feel like Christmas is 3 days away (which it is).

I am no Scrooge, nor a Grinch (though I have been called both within the last month for various reasons). I will not say "Bah humbug", steal your tree or your last can of "Who Hash", I'll even leave your roast beast alone. I just want to have it hit me that this thing is really happening.

Forget "Post" Christmas Blues...I have always tried to be ahead of the game. Let's get those blues out of the way early.

another one bites the dust

One of my very good friends is getting married on Saturday.
I am so happy for him and his intended bride (whom I still have yet to meet I might add). I am also very glad that I will be able to be there to see them on their day and wish them well.

Yay Justin and Natalie!

Give me a word, any word, and I'll show you how the root of that word, is Greek

Have you ever been watching a movie and you stop and think, "Wait...this seems eerily similar to my life."?

I am sitting here watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", and the very beginning of the movie made me laugh to myself as I did a mental checklist:

Hostess in a Greek-family run restaurant: Check
Goes to work insanely early in inclement weather: Check
Frump-girl: Check
Surrounded by slightly odd characters during the work day: Check
Attending the local Community College: Check
Slightly self-conscious: Check

Now, the rest of the movie doesn't quite add up with my life, but that's okay. I don't exactly live in a Romantic Comedy, more like a hilarious satire that doesn't always make sense.

Yay for life...and the movies

8.2

I remember the very first time I went ice skating, I was almost 16 years old. It was for Becca Vikari's 16th birthday party, and a bunch of us drove out to either Bellevue or Issaquah, I'm not entirely sure which city, and went to an ice rink they had there.
The next time I went ice skating was after my family had moved to North Logan, and as luck would have it, the Eccles Ice Center is housed mere minutes from my parents house. I think I went once when I was about 17, and then one other time in college.
The great thing about indoor ice rinks is that it's not completely freezing while you are skating, a big plus in my opinion. I consider myself a novice ice skater, I can go around in a circle, maybe skate backward a little if there is no chance of running into any small children (that's just sad). I take my moments skating for what they are worth, laughing time! I laugh at myself and the things I do all the time as it is, so that is merely amplified when I am on the ice since I am generally known as a klutz.

That being said, I did some ice skating recently. No skates were required however, just my church shoes and the ever willing pavement covered in slush. I was able to do skating tricks I had heretofore never attempted, my facial expressions may have given away my shock and surprise at my landing a few of them, but overall, the judges were fair.

Your hair, is everywhere

Lots of hair + vacuums = Gross!

Yeah, nasty.
Ever given your vacuum a hair cut?
I have.
Sick.

Check it twice...or once...or not at all

Is it hard for anyone else to come up with a Christmas List? I try to put it off until the last possible moment, sometimes I don't even make one. But this year, I'll at least throw a few things out into the cosmic void, and here they are:

Ear plugs (I use the Pink Lady brand-they work great)
Black socks (as long as they're black, I'm happy)
Thermal bottoms (last year I inadvertantly bought 2 tops, not very helpful)
Some sort of organization for my design equipment (it's taking over my drafting table)
A power drill
A scanner (if it's attached to a copier/printer, I wouldn't complain)
Books
Movies
Architectural Digest Subscription
Wall Flower refills from Bath & Body Works (bear in mind that I am the one who will have to smell it)
New gym shoes
Massages

That was a whole lot harder to come up with than it used to be. 15 years ago, that would have been a piece of cake!

You remind me of a man...

You remind me of a man.

What man?

The man with the power.

What power?

The power of hoodoo.

Hoodoo?

You do!

Do what?

Remind me of a man...

Sound vaguely familiar to you Labyrinth fans? This banter actually originated from a 1947 Cary Grant film entitled "The Bachelor and the Bobby-soxer". It features a teenage Shirley Temple and Myrna Loy in addition to Mr. Grant. I watched it today and was pleasingly diverted. Kinda slow moving, and Shirley Temple doesn't have the greatest acting skills, but what can you expect? I thought it was fun.

money woes

Why is it that my landlord doesn't deposit our rent checks until the month is half over (sometimes more)?
Does he not realize how annoying it is for us?
Just cash the blasted check already man!

My fuzzy brain

I'm sorry if it seems like I've been in a bad mood for the last week or so.
I'm really not in a bad mood.
I just have a lot on my mind.
And no, I don't want to talk about it.
Why?
Because it's not that important, I can't put it into words, and it's no big deal.
Just a case of the winter blues.

Casualties of War

It's that time of year again!
The colors, the paper, the sounds!

And no, I'm not talking about Christmas.

It's finals time in the Bubanks house. Which means, my inner Designer has to put together notebooks. Why we designers love making notebooks so much is beyond me, I clearly haven't reached that pivotal point yet.

I sit here amid the destruction: Fabric swatches have been cut, glued and mounted, scraps lie by the wayside. Paint chips spill over their container, floor samples are scattered about the coffee table, scissors, tape, rubber cement, computer paper, labels, card stock, scales, and drafting pencils lay like wounded soldiers strewn over a gruesome battlefield.

And I'm not done yet. Saints preserve us!

This is what happens when I go home

I met the most beautiful girl in the world this weekend.
She is just over 6 pounds, and 18 inches long.
She is my newest niece.
Biased?
Me?
Never.

I also got to kick it with my nephew James, who is also incredibly adorable, and who, luckily for me, took to me instantly.
He can't quite say "Lisa" at this point, but I am lovingly referred to as "Da", not to be confused with "Dah" which means "Dad". Oh the workings of tiny vocabularies.

I stayed in my old apartment while I was up in Logan, and honestly, I'm not sure how I survived living there for 2 years! The bed is as hard as a rock, and all the creaking and electrical noises were impossible to drown out...thank heaven's for ear plugs.

I had another blast from the past when I ran into one of my ex-boyfriend's mothers while at JoAnn Fabrics. She was really excited to see me, and said she was there getting stuff because Jason's (the ex) wife worked there. So I got to see Elizabeth too, I know her, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't remember me. We only met briefly at their open house.

I put up my grandparents Christmas decorations again too. It is something I have done fairly consistently since moving to Utah almost 7 years ago. I know where their decorations go better than they do. They also have one of the easiest trees to put up. You set up the stand, which has a tall pole attached, then you grab the pre-lit, pre-decorated tree by the top (it is built like a giant coil) and stick it on the pole, let it drop down, and there you go, instant Christmas tree.

I sat next to my brother and James during Sacrament meeting in their ward, and I will admit that I had a hard time controlling my laughter. Tears streamed from my eyes as I tried to suppress the giggles, but to no avail. It has been SO long since I have been to a family ward with a hilarious 2 year old.

Not again...

Why is it that we doubt ourselves? Think we're not good enough to do the things in life that we want to and do them well? Believe that others are better than we are? Underestimate our abilities, knowledge and worth?

There are a great many things in life that I will never do extremely well, and I know that, accept that and am okay with that. That does not however mean that I will stop doing these things.

The past few days I have been doubting myself and my design ability and how I will do in the future with my career. I've been feeling discouraged in the fact that I can't get financial support for my schooling, don't have time to take all the classes I need to and sometimes I feel like just giving up. Luckily, I won't, but I've just been bogged down with these irrational feelings.

Pajama Rama

Who decided it was socially acceptable to wear pajamas as a basic form of clothing? In public no less?
I work downtown, in an establishment that is 90 years old. When I look at the pictures of this place back in the 30's and 40's, I can't help but think of what it must have been like to get dressed up to go everywhere.
Women who wouldn't be caught dead outside without lipstick on and their hair perfectly coiffed.
Men who always wore suits, hats and had their shoes shined.

Now, I know that I am as guilty as the next person for not always taking pride in my appearance, sometimes I just don't feel like its worth it.

But PJ's? Really? Let's leave them where they belong. And they don't belong out on Main Street on a Friday night.

If you need me, I'll be at home.

I become incredibly boring during this time of year.

In the Spring and Summer, I am generally running around doing all sorts of things, whether it be going for a walk, hanging out with friends, going to concerts, traveling, whatever, I go out and do things.

Once Autumn and Winter hit, I become a home-body. I don't necessarily want to go to your party, or paint the town red. I would be content with an interesting book, crossword puzzle, some fabulous music, maybe even a new recipe to fiddle around with. I like to keep it close to home.

My aversion to the cold helps this situation, in the fact that if I don't have to brave the elements any more than I have to, I won't. I figure since my main mode of transport is my own two feet, getting to and from work in the snow, rain, or just plain blasted cold is enough, I don't want to have to do it again.

Not that I'm saying I will never go to anything from now until March, just don't be offended if I pass up your invitation to something.

I'll tell you what to do with those Jingle Bells

While I'm on the subject of November, I'd like to get something off my chest...

I was is the car the other day, listening to the radio, when the announcer came on and said, "We weren't going to start playing Christmas music quite as early this year as we've done in previous years...

Yay! Good for you! Take a stand!

"However, we then received tons of calls asking where the Christmas music was...

Oh no....

"So here it is! Non-stop Christmas music to see you through the Holidays!"

SERIOUSLY?

Now, I know that people do this all the time, but it doesn't make it any less irritating that our society seems to just skip right over Thanksgiving. I don't care that there isn't "Thanksgiving Music" just play the stuff you do all year round! Why do you feel the need to start playing Christmas music the second Halloween is over? Why?

Makes me want to kick an elf.

November

The month of November has just barely started, and yet when I sit down and think about the things I have going on, or need to do this month, it feels like it's almost over. I know that's weird, but hey, I never claimed to be normal, so...there ya go!

I will be going home for Thanksgiving this year, so that is kinda neat. I decided to take off the Friday after Thanksgiving because when people found out I was coming home, I got bombarded by pleas of "We have to hang out!" "You have to come see my family!" "You should come play games with us!" and "We need to do something" 's that I realized if I want to see my family, I'd have to set aside time to make the rounds.

I don't say that to come across like "Oh look at me! Everyone loves me and wants to spend time with me!" because, really? I am so not that person. I merely say it because I don't go home for every holiday and I generally don't go home between holidays (with the exception of certain events).

talkin' bout the weather

It has been so amazingly gorgeous these past few days!
I am so excited to be having an awesome autumn!

Do we know...Moe?

Today I was at work (really, where else would I be?) and this guy came in, looked around for a second, said he was meeting some friends there and then went outside to wait for them. I couldn't help but feel like I knew this person from somewhere. He looked so much like this kid I went to High School with up in Washington, but the odds of running into someone from there, down here aren't that good...although it's happened before.

So when he came back in, I said, "Okay, this may sound completely weird and not make any sense to you, but did you go to Mount Si?"
"Yeah, I did. I thought you looked familiar!"
At least we were on the same page right?
Neither of us knew the others name, so we exchanged those and how we both came to be where we are, it would have been even cooler if we'd known each other. (But we didn't)

So cute!

My nephew is adorable, and though I may be biased, I know scads of people not related in any way to either of us, who completely agree with me.
However, I don't get to see him a whole lot. My brother and his wife live up in Logan with my parents, and I only manage to visit a few times a year. I did however, get to see him today! As I previously stated, David went into the MTC today, and my family brought him down, but before they did that, they visited me at work so I could do my sisterly duty and make him feel weird about having to take a picture with, and hug a girl (me).

Anyway! I was wondering if James would be afraid of me, or just not like me, or whatever, but I was delighted to find that he gave me a big grin when I said "Hello" to him. Now, this may all be just because his dad and I happen to look a lot alike, but I'm going to go with the theory that the kid just has good taste.

The Long and the Short of it

My little.... no, he's not little anymore, my younger brother reported to the MTC this afternoon. How weird is that?!
I mean, I understand the concept of aging and progressing, growing and all that jazz, but seriously? Isn't he only like 10 years old?

I apparently have a hard time visualizing this. Which is funny being that I've only been living in Salt Lake for 3 years, and I have seen him at least a few times a year for each of those years, something inside tells me I should have noticed that the kid now stands somewhere around 6 foot or so and that I could probably no longer beat him at arm wrestling (which is incredibly sad, that one used to make me pretty happy). All that is lost on a brain like mine, he is forever going to be that short, blonde boy who drove me crazy throughout my childhood and adolescence.

However, as I saw him walk into my work this morning, his towering figure in a dark blue suit, I was forced to come to the realization that David is not in elementary school anymore (I'm a quick one, I know) and that the next time I see him, he'll be -gulp- an adult!

I am excited to see how he changes and grows while he's on his mission, both physically and spiritually. He and I have never been what I would call "close", but I really do love him and wish him all the best as he embarks on this next phase of his life, and I have to get it out now, because I'm horrible at letter writing (ask any of my siblings or friends who don't live near me).

So good luck out there Bro! And no, I can't believe you didn't take a camera with you.

Aida

My fantastic roommate is purely that, FANTASTIC!
Aside from being her usual amazing self, she planned a fun weekend down in St. George as a last kick-off before the weather turns south.
After I get off work tomorrow, we will travel to the land southward and stay with her co-worker Sarah and her husband. Then on Saturday, we'll go to the St. George Temple, see the sights, and that evening, we have tickets for Aida. I am way excited about it! I have never seen Aida before, and it should be a lot of fun!
Then we'll take our time coming back up, and maybe hit Arches while we're down there. I have been needing some sort of release, and I think that this may be the perfect thing!

Don't you wish my roommate was your roommate?

Too bad, you can't have her. :)

Twitchy little ferret

My left eye has been twitching pretty consistently for the last week or so. I find it quite annoying, and irritating that it continues to happen. Usually when my eye twitches, it's quite clearly just a muscle spasm, my whole eye seems to close, and then it goes away. The recent convulsing has been faint and regular, which I think is even more frustrating. I'm not sure why it's happening, so I looked up some common causes of eye twitching (highly scientific), reasons include:

• Fatigue or lack of sleep (I've actually been pretty well rested lately, no late nights for me!)
  
• Over consumption of caffeine (I don't partake of caffeine, so I was able to rule this one out)
  
• Physical or emotional stress (This could be it, but I'm less stressed now than I have been in the past, so I'm not so sure)
  
• Anxiety or phobias (They did do a corn maze for FHE this week, and corn fields freak me out, but I didn't go, so that phobia one is out. I might be anxious....maybe)
  
• Brain damage or other neurological disorders (Don't even go there....shame on those of you who think they just solved my problem...)
  
• Associated with temper tantrums (It's been years since I threw a good temper tantrum)
  
• Eye stress associated with extended viewing of the computer screen (I see the irony that I'm writing this on the computer, but I don't sit in front of the computer enough to warrant this)
  
• Epilepsy (ummm....no)

Guess we'll see if it persists. Just don't laugh at me too hard if I'm all twitchy.

I would like to thank the Academy...

I would like to thank Kat for taking my shift at work today, thus giving me ample time to do the homework I had so successfully procrastinated up until that point.
I would like to thank my homework for being less work than I originally thought, and taking up less time than I allotted for it.
I would like to thank my roommate for reminding me that I was doing laundry otherwise I would have left it in the machine unattended.
I would like to thank myself for doing the blasted dishes.
I would like to thank Ashley for making me laugh, and driving me home from class.
I would like to thank the powers-that-be who canceled choir for tonight so that Kelly could be home.
I would like to thank my parents and my grandma for coming to visit me for a few minutes on Sunday.
I would like to thank Millie for bringing apples to class.
I would like to thank Leah for thinking I'm funny, not insane.
I would like to thank Karen for giving me that design magazine.
I would like to thank the weather for providing me with beautiful, crunchy leaves to walk through.
I would like to thank you for reading these crazy posts of mine...and for continuing to come back!

Hair today

I cut my hair last week. It's the shortest I've had it in about 5 years or so. I have avoided having short hair for a while because I don't feel that it suits me very well. So what on earth prompted me to chop it off? Boredom. Sheer and utter boredom with my hair. That and I saw how my hair looked from the back while I was at work, and it was gross.
The only problem with my now shortened tresses, is that I can't do the "wash-and-go" anymore. I actually have to do something with my hair (or pretend to at least). For those of you that are aware of my love/hate relationship with doing my hair, you know what a big step this is for me. For those of you who don't, it's not pretty.
So if you see me, and my hair looks like it has won the most recent battle, know that I will eventually win the war! Even if it takes until it grows out again...

The cat...without a hat

There is a black cat that has perched itself on my living room window ledge.
It paces back and forth...and back...and forth...and back again.
We've never had animals hang around our apartment before.
I find it slightly odd.

Happy October!

Yay! October is here!

Which means that it is officially autumn! I don't care that autumn "officiall" started last month, it's official now!

I have already derived quite a bit of joy from crunching leaves as I go walking, and I know that it's only going to get better as time wears on! I am really excited for the leaves on the trees outside my work to turn, they fall off the branches in droves and I love it! It is so beautiful!

I want to go for a walk.

It started with a locker

Yesterday, it was raining on my way to work. And by rain, I mean that I literally had to traverse rivers created by the incredible downpour. So when I got to work (having destroyed an umbrella on my way there) my shoes were most unfortunately saturated. Luckily, I had an extra pair of shoes in my locker, so even though my outfit was no longer completely coordinated, my feet were once again dry.

I'm so glad I have that locker at work. Back when I waited tables, I would keep my serving clothes there (black pants, white shirt, a pair of serving shoes and another pair of shoes to wear if I was managing). I've had to use these items quite a bit lately. Two weeks ago, I got drenched while walking to the bank for work, and I was able to snatch my extra pair of pants before I went to class.

I made use of the last item in my locker today, my white shirt, because the sweater that I put on this morning, while quite effective at keeping me a little warmer on my walk to work, made me feel like I was going to die of heat once I got to work.

So basically, I just need to transfer half of my closet to work, because what if, heaven forbid, the outfit that I so confidently put on in the wee dark hours of the morning isn't quite so cute in the bold light of day? And while we're on the subject, why don't I just transfer the entire contents of my bathroom there as well. Make-up can always use a touch up! Better yet, why don't I just stay there all the time? I mean really, nice big kitchen, tons of space, what's not to love?

Now if only there was a shower...

Germany?

Let's pretend that someone offered you the opportunity to go to Europe for a month. Expenses paid. Would you do it?

Of course you would!

You wouldn't hesitate for an instant!

I'm a hesitator. (is that even how you would spell that? I don't know...anyway...) I am one of those pro/con people, except that I don't generally write my pros and cons down. I don't dive into things without thinking. Weighing all the options. Another problem, is the fact that I do not plan things out very far in advance. Give me a week, maybe two, and you might be pushing it.

I am the eternal student, I work full-time, I strive for some semblance of normalcy in my day to day actions.

I sound like the ultimate "party pooper" right about now don't I?

Well, I will have you know that I am seriously considering it. So much so, that I have looked into getting my passport, I've discussed my taking time off of work with my boss, I'm not completely sold yet, but I'd say that I'm probably 90/10 right now. That's a lot of progress!

Yay for babysitting abroad! :)

Musically Speaking

I love music.

That's really about it!

It can make you happy, make you sad, make you dance, make you mad (I'm sounding a bit like Dr. Seuss...sorry). It can fill your soul, open your eyes, make your heart leap, make you think, give you butterflies, remind you of important moments-or the not-so-important moments that you love all the same, it creates bonds with complete strangers, it brings you closer to those you already love, it expresses your innermost thoughts, feelings and desires.

I love music.

Just another day

There is a man who used to work at my restaurant, we'll call him Sam, mostly because that's his name. Sam was a hospitable man towards customers, and really needed this job. Sam also was kinda scary. He had quite the temper and could be just plain terrifying. To top it all off for me, he loathed me to the very core. I'm not exaggerating here. I have a feeling that if he had had the means to do it, he'd probably have me killed.

Anyway, why this long rant about a former employee? Well, I'll tell you. Apparently, this lovely individual came into my place of business last night through the kitchen, clutching something white and powdery in his hand, drunk and delirious, he asked for a drink of water, which he was given, he then proceeded to offer his white powder to my co-workers, it's not powdered sugar people, it was dope. DOPE! In my kitchen at work! Seriously? Deadly.

After being rebuffed, he proceeded into the main dining room of the restaurant where he verbally and sexually harrassed my waitstaff. What really puts the cherry on this one, is the fact that my co-manager who was there at the time did not kick the man out! No, she sat there trying to talk to him while he harrassed her as well! Honestly, call the police and have him taken away!

He came in again this afternoon while I was there, asking to see Kim (the aforementioned manager) so he could ask her for money for cigarettes. We instead told him she wasn't there (which she was) and Steve (one of my protective chefs) calmly explained to him that he is not welcome in our establishment and that we will contact the authorities if necessary.

I wish I could say that things like this are completely out of the ordinary for me, but that would be a lie.

Cookies

My life has been a little crazy as of late, I feel like every minute of every day is planned out lately and I don't have time to breathe. I know that some of that is just my perception, but really, I have more going on in my life right now than I have in quite a while. Between my 9 hour work days, and school afterwards for 3 hours a day, 3 days a week (I'm so glad I dropped that other class right about now). Add a feeble attempt at a social life, church callings, homework, cleaning and all the other random things that I keep trying to shove into my free moments, and the result is one very tired cookie. Me being the cookie.

Golly Gee!

Summer is great. The weather is warm (okay, sometimes unbearably hot), you get lemonade, water parks, picnics, vacations, warm summer nights, bonfires, and all sorts of other good things.

But...

I love fall. It is my absolute favorite!
I can't get enough of the crunching leaves, the crispness in the air, the spices, sitting by a fire, curling up with a book (or a boy), baking, sweaters and scarves, the fantastic change of colors, the beginning of the Holidays, cocoa, that warm, cozy feeling, everything is just so wonderful during autumn.

Dating Do's and Don'ts

After recently experiencing an...........interestingly awkward first date, and hearing stories from close friends of similar dating disaters, I have kindly decided to post some dating do's and don'ts. This is applicable to both male and female, as I'm sure that some of these things go both ways.

Do's

Be attentive to your date. This means actually paying attention to them (not checking out the waitstaff or the cute guy/girl at the next table). Actively listen to what they're saying, and pay attention to body language, if you're not paying attention to what we're saying, we know it.

Maintain eye contact. But don't stare. That makes us uncomfortable and awkward.

Plan your date out ahead of time. Try to avoid the whole, "What do you want to do?" thing. Decide on what to do, and do it. If things fall through, then you can ask for suggestions.

Meet in a public place for your first date. It is not only safer for a first date, it also offers distractions should conversation lag. Leave romantic settings for further down the road.

Act chivalrous. Men: This means opening the door for your date, pull out her chair, make sure she gets home safely. Ladies: This is only effective if you let him be chivalrous. Do not fight with his attempts at chivalry, allow him to see you home, let him open your door, it doesn't matter that you can open the door for yourself, it doesn't demean you in any way, it's merely gentlemanly.

Follow up with your date. Call or e-mail them to let them know you had a good time. This doesn't have to be a plea to see them again right away. It is a courtesy. If your date had a good time too, that's a bonus!

Crack jokes. Not only will this put them at ease, but it will let them know you have a sense of humor. This does not mean you should bust out the dirty joke your co-worker told you that day. Keep it clean.

Don'ts

Don't act distracted during a date. Turn off your cell phone, keep your eyes from wandering. Bad impressions are quickly formed when you take calls and answer texts while on a date.

Don't turn your date into a therapy session. Leave your stories about your past relationships, family skeletons, or whatever at home.

Don't act pretentious. Nobody is perfect, and nothing is more annoying than someone who acts like they are.

Don't make unwelcome physical advances. Read body language, if you can't read people's body language, learn. We will be sending signals all night long, so pay attention to them. If there is chemistry, aspects of a relationship should fall in to place naturally, do not force them.

Do not be afraid to end the date early. If things aren't working out, or you aren't feeling comfortable, feel free to end the date at any time.

Friends = Family

I went through the Temple for the first time on Saturday, it was such an incredible experience, and I am so glad that I was able to share it with my family and friends that were close enough to attend. Thank you all so much for your support!

I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I love watching them in their triumphs, their joys, overcoming challenges, sharing in their laughter, listening to their testimonies of the Gospel, and being considered family.

What do you do?

What do you do when you get some crazy random pain in your leg?

You think, "That was weird...and not altogether pleasant."

What do you do when these crazy random pains increase in intesity and make it so you can't walk, sit, stand or really do anything?

You freak out. Naturally.

As many of you know, I hate hospitals. I will not willingly go to a hospital. Hospitals and I do not get along.

So imagine my surprise when the words "I need to go to the hospital. Now!" issued forth from my mouth at about 10:30 a.m. when I decided that I was freaked out enough. Yeah...shocked me too. I hastily found someone to cover the rest of my shift, because, naturally, I was at work, and I headed out. After calling my dad and asking if there was any place my insurance would work better than another, I ended up at the ER just up from my house.

After being admitted and checked out by my nurse, we'll call him "Nate", mostly because that's his name, I was taken to an exam room where the doctor came and chatted with me about the pain. That was a fun experience.

Next came my very favorite part. They took my blood. Quite a lot of it actually, then sent me off to get a urine sample. My second favorite part. But being me, a trip to the hospital wouldn't be complete without me losing all the contents of my stomach, so I did that as well. (Aren't you so glad you read my blog?)

I went back to my exam room and waited....and waited....and waited some more. I waited so long, that I kept falling in and out of consciousness, always fun at the hospital, it wasn't until I left the hospital that I realized I had been there for 4 hours. Yeah...4 hours. And the best part? The doctor still doesn't know what is wrong with me!

Appendicitis? maybe.
Some funky nerve thing? maybe.

So what do you do in a situation like that? You give the patient pain pills and tell her if the symptoms increase, to come back so they can cut me open and figure out what's wrong!

Can I choose Door #2?

I would just like to say...

Thank you!

I love men who honorably exercise their priesthood.
A dear friend of mine was in need of a blessing, and after calling around for a little bit to find a guy who wasn't avoiding phone calls on a Friday night, two amazing men were able to come to our assistance.

You guys are amazing!

Normally

Normally, I find deep cleaning theraputic.
Today, I struggled to even do surface cleaning.

Normally, I really enjoy laundry day.
Today, not so much.

Normally, I would be rocking out to whatever song is on the radio.
Today, I can just be content to listen.

However,

Today, I left work early.
Normally, that doesn't happen.

Today, none of my employees were overly insane. (insane, yes. overly insane, no.)
Normally, that is not the case.

Today, I realized how little the people I am around all the time know about me.
Normally, I wouldn't care.

So yeah, today is abnormal.
But then, what is "normal" anyway?

Things I love

1. Old black & white movies. When actors were actors because they could act.
2. Walking. Everywhere.
3. Good hair days. They're rare, but I love them when they happen.
4. Seafood. Looooove it!
5. Music. Very little can make you feel as good as quickly as good music.
6. Theatre. Watching it, or doing it.
7. Nature. If I can climb it, ride it, and try to tackle it, I'll take it.
8. History. How can you know where you're going, unless you know where you've been?
9. Fresh shaven legs.
10. Design & Drafting.
11. Shoes. All girls have to love shoes...it's kind of a love/hate relationship though.
12. Furniture.
13. Sports.
14. Pillows.
15. Working out.
16. Laughing.
17. "Clicking" with people from the get-go.
18. Mail.
19. Junior Mints.
20. Pictures.
21. Rain. It has taken years for me to come around to it, but I love it.
22. Good friends who stand beside you.
23. Family.
24. Autumn. I love the leaves, the smell, the crispness, everything!
25. The Gospel. There really isn't anything better, and in reality, it is the #1.
26. Books!
27. Holding hands.
28. Noa perfume.
29. Lofts.
30. Good conversation.
31. Being deliciously tired. Like when you wake up and can sigh, turn over and go back to sleep.
32. Fire. Yeah, I'm kinda a pyro.
33. Getting all gussied up.
34. Traveling
35. Puppies. I've really been wanting one lately.
36. A roommate who will laugh with me and love me when I'm crazy.
37. Love.
38. Men's cologne.
39. Architecture.
40. Good humor.
41. Saturdays.
42. Water. It's my favorite beverage.
43. Branching out.
44. Flowers.
45. Dishes.
46. People watching.
47. Horrible wallpaper, carpet or furniture.
48. Paint.
49. Cleaning. Yeah, I'm one of those weird people who enjoys cleaning.
50. Lightness of heart.

Minus the colors

Today is one of those cloudy, rainy, slightly dreary looking days that normally occur sometime in October or November. One of those days that makes me want to stay cooped up inside, sitting by a crackling fire, baking, smelling cloves and cinnamon, drinking hot cocoa, reading a book, doing a crossword, or just watching a "feel-good" movie.

Love it. I love the fall. Even when it comes in August, just for a day.

A few items of note

1. After much deliberation, soul searching and praying, I, Lisa Fairbanks have set up an appointment on September 5th in the Logan, Utah Temple to receive my endowments. I haven't been this excited about something in....okay, frankly, I have never been this excited about anything! I can hardly contain my joy right now!

2. I cut and dyed my hair. No, mom, it was not to cover my graying hair, that was just an added bonus. Besides, people my age shouldn't have gray hair anyway.
It does still startle me when I look in the mirror, it is quite a bit darker than I am used to, and people say they like it. So either they're telling the truth or there are darker forces at work here.

3. I suck at bowling. I have fun while doing it, but man, I'm awful.

4. We had another karaoke night. Pretty sure our neighbors either: a) hate us b) think we're crazy or c) secretly wish they could be as cool as we are.

5. I no longer have to work on Saturdays. At least not regularly. There will be the occasional need for my presence, afterall, who can go for long without it, I mean really.

6. School starts back up in...13 days.

7. I am amazed by the people who have come into my life. For whatever reason they are there, each one of them has made an impact. I am so blessed. So, thank you.

Mexico's got to go

As much as I love nature, particularly trees, the "mexican food" tree has got to go. Many of you know about the weird tree in front of my apartment that smells like bad mexican food (yes it does Jonathan, you're just in denial). The thing sprang up out of nowhere a couple months ago and is slowly trying to take over the front stairs. This will not be allowed. Last year I attacked, drove back and prevailed against the evil bushes on either side of the front stairs that had taken over so badly that you had to walk up them single-file for fear of being eaten alive by them.
I have the necessary tools required to tame the beast, so that will probably be todays endeavor.

Off with its head!

So I'm not Jack Bauer, so what?

Here is my issue with shows like "24"

Don't get me wrong, Jack Bauer is a lean, mean, killing, government-saving, neuro-toxin surviving, interrogating, intimidating machine. I will give you that. He can kick anyone's knickers.

But here is my issue. If all of these events are supposed to occur over the course of 24 hours, or, one hour per episode, all of the people in this show have really crappy lives. I mean getting kidnapped multiple times in a day, numerous death threats within the course of a few hours, constantly running for your life at nearly all hours of the day and night, and during all this time, no one takes a bathroom break, sleeps, eats or does anything remotely normal.

I grant you that sometimes the plots are interesting, but how many times can someone "die" and then come back? Or Be a good guy, then a bad guy, then turn around and be a bad guy again, then shave a change of heart and become a good guy again, then betray everyone and return to their evil roots? I mean c'mon, seriously?

I'd stay and talk about it more, but I have an appointment to stop deadly terrorists while fighting the effects of a nasty neuro-toxin. Wish me luck!

Any takers?

Apparently I have anger management issues.

I have had a really very strong urge to punch someone in the face for the last few weeks. Today at work, that dream was very nearly a reality. Until I reminded myself that crummy though my job is, I don't want to get fired, and on top of that, I don't need a lawsuit on my hands. I told myself if would be a miracle if I could make it through the day without exerting all the power of a good right hook into someones unsuspecting, yet totally deserving face.

I prevailed.

I resisted the urge that is.

I'm not a hostile individual, I promise! I really honestly and truly don't know where this crazy feeling is coming from, maybe I should take up boxing. :)

Is that a trick question?

The poise of Cary Grant, humor of Danny Kaye, looks of Jude Law, voice of Alan Rickman, ruggedness of Harrison Ford, charm of Christopher Plummer, classic nature of Robert Redford, devil-may-care air of Steve McQueen, confidence of Liam Neeson, tenderness of James Marsden, style of Daniel Craig, and so much more.

What's a girl to do?

Dream on....!

Oops, I did it again

I woke up this morning at 6:50am.
For those of you scratching you head thinking, "Doesn't Lisa have to be at work at 6:30 every morning?" The answer is "Yes, yes she does". My alarm didn't go off this morning, so I inadvertantly slept in. How do things like that happen? Well, the day before, I woke up quite a while before my alarm, so I turned it off, and being the genuis that I am, I failed to turn it back on when I went to bed last night.

On another note, my friend Julianne owns a karaoke machine, so we decided to throw a karaoke party on Tuesday, it was a blast! Singing cheesy, horrible songs from our childhoods, sappy love songs, twangy country tunes, throw in a little ABBA, and you've got the makings for a good time. And one of the best parts is that we have Cory on video singing and dancing to a lot of girly songs, pretty much priceless!

The tree smells like bad Mexican food

We're in the final stretch of July, which means that the year is halfway over already. Yes, you heard me correctly. Half way there. (If I'm lucky, I just succeeded in getting Bon Jovi stuck in your head)

Anyway, it's been a little over a week since my last post, so I thought I'd just update on a couple things.

Firstly, my little...well...younger brother David received his mission call this last Wednesday, I was hoping he'd get called somewhere he'd have to learn to appreciate having to eat interesting foods, the kid is a very, very picky eater, I'm pretty sure he lives on pizza and reese's pieces, how he's only a buck fifty, is beyond me. To my dismay, and my entire family's suprise, he got called state-side. Not only was he called state-side, but he was called to the Everett, Washington Mission. Any of you who know me well enough, know that that puts him about an hour away from where I spent the first 17 years of my life. What are the odds of that? So basically, my little brother got called home. But not in the sense that he died or anything. :)

Secondly, I put together a lot of heavy furniture over the weekend. Heavy, heavy furniture. So heavy in fact, that I had to call in reinforcements to get the boxes out of my lovely friend Megan's car. So a big "Thanks!" to Mark, Dave & Alan, you guys are fantastic! And an even bigger "Thanks!" to Megan for letting us use her beloved car in the first place.

Thirdly, I've been really restless lately, unfortunately it manifests itself when I am trying to sleep, so yet again, and what may seem like a "normal, reoccurring thing", I have been tired.

So that was then, this is now.

I'm going to skip out on FHE to go to the gym. Don't judge me.

Oh my aching feet

So for all the scrambling up and down mountains, walking around the Avenues and downtown Salt Lake, and hitting the gym, my shoes aren't that great. Amazingly, I have had this pair of shoes since about my freshman year of high school. That's quite a while. Strictly speaking, they aren't running shoes, they aren't hiking shoes, they really aren't even walking shoes, but that is what I use them for, along with the occasional volleyball game thrown in there somewhere. They have traversed hills and mountains, walked through creeks and giant puddles, plodded along the beach (they still have some sand in there somewhere too, it makes itself known every now and again) and explored the many different levels of my neighborhood.
Unfortunately, this "not being what they're made for" quality, is taking its toll on my feet, which hurt. Someday I shall buy these lovely shoes I saw on NewBalance.com, but for now, I shall continue to make do with my good 'ol standby shoes from yesteryear.

What are men to rocks & mountains?

I went to Big Cottonwood Canyon for the first time today.
BEAUTIFUL!
I was simply blown away by the beauty and majesty of the peaks.

I have been into hiking for years, but I've been doing a bit more of it recently, a couple times a week or so, and I love it!
So today when we went up the canyon, I was overcome.
The fact that I also saw an incredibly beautiful, beautiful motorcycle while I was up there didn't hurt either!

Showtunes Saturday Night

It's Saturday night, and that means Showtunes!
KOZY 106.5 plays showtunes every Saturday night starting at 6:00pm, and it has been a long time since I have listened to them, usually I'll hear them if I'm in the car or something, but I decided to listen at home today.

I was having a little ADD tonight and started designing a house, did a bunch of crossword puzzles, doodled, checked my e-mail, but mostly I listened to the radio.

It reminded me of when I did theatre and how much I loved it, and how much I want to do it again. Someday...

I'm poor. the end.

Miss "Independent"?

I'm in a very frustrating situation right now.
I need to finish school. I have registered for a number of classes for the fall, and as the time draws nearer to the start date, I realize that I don't have the money to go. I'm not sure what to do, my program doesn't (or at least hasn't up til now) accept Financial Aid, they did however recently amend some parts of the program so that it may allow Financial Aid, so in hopes for that, I went to fill out a FAFSA, however, apparently I'm not old enough to be considered "independent" even though I haven't lived at home for quite a while now, and have paid my own way through school up to this point. I am a measly 24 days too young. 24 days! ugh... anyway, I have to call my school and ask if they will allow me to "waive my dependency" so that I can finish the application.

Money sucks y'know.

Happy Independence Day!

Yay for the 4th of July!
The day we celebrate our country's independence. Unless you live in or visit Logan, Utah, in which case, you probably celebrate on the 3rd. Logan has its firework show on the 3rd of July, not entirely sure why, it just does.
Kelly and I went up on Friday morning to Bear Lake where my family was getting together and spending the day. They rented SeaDoos and had picnic fixin's and whatnot. Altogether a good time. My adorable nephew James was there, and he tried to bury me in the sand, face first. Good thing I love the kid!
Kelly and I must have spent a little too much time in the direct sun, because we got fried. Absolutely fried. I haven't been in this much pain from a sunburn before, it's not so much fun.

Anyway, it made me look very patriotic today since I was wearing blue shorts against my white legs, with my badly sunburnt arms. Proud to be an American baby!

If you love me, Plant me a tree

I have a very large, very beautiful black & white print of a lane lined with trees on one of the walls in my bedroom. I love it. Actually, it is probably one of my favorite pictures that I own, a close second to the picture of another tree that Kelly gave me for Christmas last year.

I love nature, and trees in particular.

I often lay on my bed a look at my aforementioned picture and imagine that I am walking down that beautiful lane (in black & white of course, everything looks better in black & white sometimes) and just feeling the peace and serenity of the place.

Someday I hope to live in an area that has a lot of mountains, forests and just overall has a lot of incredible nature that I can explore with my family. Growing up in Washington, the woods were practically right outside my front door (or my back door for that matter) and some of my fondest memories are playing in them, walking the trails to the park, hiking Little Si, and just being out in it!

Seriously love it! I don't know when I'll get my fill of trees, but I don't think it will be any time soon. Someday I want to plant one and be able to watch it grow as my family grows. But that's another story for another distant time of my life.

Blimey!

You have not experienced exactly how hilarious Harry Potter is, until you have read it with me and Kelly. Last night, Kelly was sitting down to re-read the sixth Harry Potter book in preparation for the movie which is coming out soon. I asked her to re-cap some of the events for me since it has been a while since I have read it myself, she did so, and then asked if she wanted me to have her read it out loud.

This is not a weird question for her to ask mind you, we've read books to each other before, and it's an experience worth trying.

For those of you who are dedicated story tellers, you know that a story isn't complete without an accent, hand motions and facial expressions. This is also true for when Kelly and I read to each other.

After reading a chapter a piece, Kelly suggested I get my copy so we could make the conversations in the book sound a bit more like actual conversations.

If you have never tried this, and face it, you probably haven't, you should. It is so funny. Or at least it is for us. Our accents kept changing, and we realized that every time we would read the part of Hagrid, he came out sounding like a redneck, we think he is one at heart.

Seriously though, Harry Potter has never been funnier.

You should come over for a reading! Bring your book, you can be Ron. :)

Sunshine in a bag

It's Father's Day!

And in the spirit of Father's Day, I called my....you guessed it, I called my Padre. Now, I don't know about your dad, but when I called mine, really all he wanted to do was talk about me. Weird, I know, but it's true.

He asked how I'm doing, what's new, how work is going, if I'm happy, things like that. Which of course made me think about it later, and made me realize that I am happy.

I work at a pretty crummy job, but I'm happy.
I am still in school and don't know how I'm going to pay for it, but I'm happy.
I am not dating anyone nor do I have any real prospects, but I'm happy.
My primary mode of transportation wears on my feet, but I'm happy.
My landlord finally fixed my kitchen faucet after a year of nagging, so of course I'm happy.
The sun shines through the rain storms, I'm happy.
The plant in the living room is miraculously still alive, I'm happy.
Everything is so green outside, I'm very happy.

And most importantly,

I can feel my Savior's love for me, I'm happy.
I know the Gospel is real, and true, and amazing, I'm happy.
I am so blessed, and fortunate to be where I am and surrounded by strong, amazing individuals, I am happy!

Sleep Much?

Why am I so tired?

For the last few weeks, I haven't been able to sleep completely through the night. I wake up every few hours for no good reason. Irritating.

Hypothetically Speaking...

You know how everyone says that if you want to meet people, you have to "put yourself out there"? Well, I finally did. And man, did it ever bite me in the blasted rear.

Okay, to preface this, I ride the bus home on days I'm too exhausted from work to walk home, and the guy that drives my bus is friendly and we've talked for a while, flirting back and forth and whatnot. So he recently asked me out, and I got up the nerve to actually give him my number the yesterday. Okay, so now we're all up to speed. Perfect.

In my mind, I am thinking, "Okay, he'll call me sometime next week, great". But no, not 15 minutes later, the guy calls me. Okay, whatever. So we chat for a little bit and then he goes.

I go back to doing whatever it was I was occupied with, but an hour later, he calls me again. This time he's on an actual break from work and can talk longer. We talk about a lot of things, movies, Utah, school, etc...then he mentions that he is divorced. Okay, I can handle that. He says they divorced because his wife cheated on him. He tells me he hates lies and people who lie. I ask if he and his wife had any kids, to which he replied to the negative.

Then my warning flag goes up a bit when he starts talking like we are in a relationship, and projecting things into the future. Not so bueno. On top of that, I look him up on Facebook (I love facebook right now) and see that he is still listed as "married". I find that really disconcerting, but don't mention it, assuming he just hadn't changed it since the divorce. Anyway, I make a hasty goodbye, and he says he'll call me tomorrow (aka today).

So I go out with my friend Megan to Color Me Mine, a pottery painting place. While I'm there, I kid you not, the guy calls me. Not once, not twice, but seven times! Seven times in the course of 2 hours! Weird, creepy, scary stuff! I relay the situation to Megan, and she advises me to run. I love Megan!

So I get home from my outing, and am talking to Kelly, and I mention his incessent calling, and his relationship status on facebook. She wants to check this guy out, so we look him up, and it turns out that Kelly and he have a mutual friend, so Kelly decides to ask her for information about him, unfortunately, her friend doesn't answer her phone. However, facebook did help us determine that this Gem of an individual is not only still married, but he has 3 kids. Yeah. I love Facebook.

I went to bed, determined never to speak to this guy again. I was awakened at 6:30 this morning by my phone ringing. It was him. I ignored the call and placed my phone somewhere I wouldn't be able to hear it go off.

Okay, as if this isn't creepy enough, when I eventually got up for the day, I checked my phone to see if Megan had left a message about when we're going to go to the Farmer's Market. To my horror (yes, horror) this guy had called 10 times and left me 4 text messages between 6:30 am and 10 am. Creepy creepy!

So I message him and tell him I don't feel good about this situation and asked that he please leave me alone. When he asked why, I confronted him about his being married and having kids (a fact he previously denied), he denied this again, but I stood my ground and he eventually cracked. Later in the day, Kelly's friend called her back and told her that this guy is crazy. He is a pathelogical liar, still married, with kids, and is just plain nuts. Wow...

Honestly? Why do guys think they can get away with things like that?

To sum up, here is what I have learned from this:

1. Don't give out your number (unrealistic, I know, but seriously...don't do it)

2. Trust your gut

3. Friends and Facebook are great resources

4. Stand up for yourself, your morals and your values and don't be afraid to call people on their crap.

Livin' it

I am really happy right now.
Things are really good.
I have great friends who are supportive, funny and strong in the Gospel, I am out of school for the summer, I get to do wild/crazy things, and it feels really good knowing what I want to do with my life.

I have struggled over the years with deciding what to focus on in school, and have had a myriad of majors that cover a wide gamut of areas. First I wanted to be a High School History teacher (thanks to all the great ones I had), then I wanted to be an Interior Designer, then an Architect, then a Business major, youth mentor, Linguist for the FBI, seriously, I have been all over the place with what I want to do! And I want to thank my friends and family who stuck beside me in all of my crazy dreams and interesting ambitions.

As luck would have it, I ended up going back to my second option, Interior Design. I absolutely love it, and am pleased as punch that my friends and family seek out my advice on how to improve their homes/apartments. It really means a lot to me that they trust me and will listen to me in this area.

Thanks guys!

Cans of Paint...and Cartoons

I did it, I am finally done!

With what, you may ask?

With painting my apartment. I am pleased to announce that my final project, painting my kitchen, is now complete. What was once a dull cream color is now an orange-yellow color called "Peach Marmalade". It looks a lot better than it sounds, I promise. After moving the kitchen table, refridgerator, microwave and bakers rack, the space really opened up. Next we put up some red cafe curtains, and I think it looks pretty great!

In the spirit of changing things and moving furniture, I also rearranged my bedroom, organized the drawers in the hall and the storage closet out back. I know, I do things like this a lot. But it's what I like to do, so I suppose it works.

On a completely unrelated note, I am watching "Fox and the Hound" right now, and I must say that it is one of the most depressing cartoons ever. Honestly, it makes me want to cry. And for anyone who knows me really well, I am not a crier, so that's kind of a big deal. But who cries during a cartoon? Thankfully, I was able to maintain my dignity and preserve my self respect, but only barely. Stupid cartoon. ;)

Drip, Drip, Drop

The weather in Utah is so unpredictable.
During the day it was bright and sunny, and now, there is a torrential downpour coupled with thunder and lightning. I love it!

This is how we do it

California was great!
It was fun meeting Sara (Kelly's college roommate) and spending time with her and her roommate Katie. The weather was perfect as well, so you really couldn't lose. We went to see Kelly's college campus, which was so incredibly beautiful! I loved it!

A few funny things happened while we were there too, such as the two guys who nearly caused multiple accidents on the freeway while chasing us (because we're so cute), getting tarred on Santa Monica Beach, driving the Nissan Versa, taking the wrong freeway (multiple times), the scary spider bathroom, playing Celebrity and randomly bursting into song (which happens all the time anyway, but I can include it here too).

Overall, good trip. :)

California dreamin'

My time in "baby-land" is drawing to a close. I leave tomorrow.
As much as I am going to miss being covered in stickers (and spit up), cleaning up after a 2 year old, changing diapers, wiping tears, reading the penguin book a million times a day, 4:00am feedings, baby monitors, swaddling, making Bear and Enta burritos and countless other things I have become accustomed to while I've been here, I am really ready for the reprieve.

Kelly and I head out to California a few hours after my flight from Portland comes in, and I am so ready to relax!

Not just for TV

You know in the movies when you have a guy who is trying to take care of a baby and everything goes wrong, the diaper loses its adhesive straps and there is not another diaper to be found for miles, the baby keeps crying and crying and there is no soothing it, or my favorite, when the baby sends projectile spit-up right in the poor schmuck's face. Now, I know all of you are thinking, "Lisa, that is gross. Why would that be your favortie part?"
Well. Here's the answer. It happened to me this morning at 4:30 am.
Oh yeah. The grossest thing ever! A shower could not come quick enough. Unfortunately, I had to finish feeding the baby and get her to actually fall asleep (not an easy task) before I could follow through on that one.
But really? Gross.

Tanta Lisa

Okay, so update!

My first flight...made me sick...let's admit it, we all knew it was going to happen. Glad I can keep living up to everyone's high expectations! :)

The babies...are simply adorable, and I'm not just saying that because they're my nieces and you have to say that about your nieces. They really are adorable. They are out of that weird "I look like an alien" stage, which is very helpful!

My little niece Annika (who is almost 2) took a little time to warm up to me, she would play with me, but she would pretty much freak out after every time she woke up and I was there, or when her parents would leave the room. I will happily say that she loves me now and affectionately calls me "Tanta Lisa". Tanta means aunt in German, which her father speaks to her, so she naturally speaks a little bit of it as well.
She loves seeing pictures of herself, so I took some with my camera and showed them to her, she would get excited and say "Annika picture!"....so cute! Okay, I may be slightly biased, but I don't care.

I got to have a "free day" yesterday, where my "keepers" let me pretty much do whatever I wanted. So naturally I went into Portland to Powell's, the most amazing bookstore ever! I could seriously spend so much time and money in that place, I had to force myself to maintain some control however, since I would have to traipse all over Portland with the books I was going to buy. I also went to a Farmer's Market on the Portland State University campus, and to a Saturday Market, which was basically like a huge street fair of sorts, people selling their wares, food booths, live music, all sorts of fun stuff, it even made the fact that it was in kinda a sketchy part of town not as important. The weather was perfect, and I even got back to the house a little bit more tan than when I left.

All in all, a good time so far.

I'll let you know when I want to die from lack of sleep...a product of waking up for early morning feedings... fun fun!

Leavin' on a Jet plane

Okay, the plane trip.
My first. Ever.
Yeah....that is how amazing I am. 23 years old and I have never flown anywhere. As of Thursday though, that is all going to change. And it makes me queasy. I am actually really quite nervous about this trip. I know I shouldn't be and it's completely irrational, but there it is, I'm a wuss.
I get motion sickness, and have all my life. Creates problems with things like rollercoasters, being a passenger in a car, and sometimes even watching movies (yeah...that's another point to chalk up on the "amazing" board).
So naturally, I am not overly excited about this impending prospect. Hence my aforementioned purchasing of Dramamine. I just hope it works.

Portland, here I come!

Cut to the chase

Yay for haircuts!

It had been a while since my last trim, and it was unfortunately very apparent. At least to me that is, so I decided to remedy that today. After purchasing Dramamine for my plane trip on Thursday, I went for a haircut at the Dollar Cuts up the street (big spender, I know). One thing I always found funny about getting your hair cut, is how some people sit there and spill everything they have ever thought to their hairdresser, almost like a therapy session. They must teach the stylists how to do that in school. They ask you all the questions they want, and naturally, you divulge everything because hey, this person is massaging your scalp and you are left completely defenseless. Luckily, the girl cutting my hair wasn't overly chatty today.

...

I am not weak.
I merely need time and space.
How can someone expect you not to need that?
Things do not change over night, nor is it a normal expectation to think it should.
Am I upset?
Of course I am.
Talk about trust issues.
How can I trust someone who said they'd be there for me then left.

I don't need this right now.

North Bend

So I was talking to a friend the other day, and it has been mentioned that I don't really like to talk about myself. I don't. Which got me to thinking about myself, my life, my home town and whatnot, yeah...now it's all about me! Just kidding, I still don't like talking about myself.

But it made me remember so many good times from back home. Sights, and sounds that I had forgotten. Riding my bike into town to go to the RiteAid next to QFC, and when QFC used to be called ShopRite. The baseball fields next to the elementary school where I watched my brothers play their little league games, the HUGE blackberry bushes that seemed to grow everywhere and take over everything. When they tore down the golf course to build the Si View development. The park up in Wilderness Rim, Brewster lake, Rattlesnake Lake/Ridge, the water shed, The outlet mall, when they built the Safeway, playing in the woods, playing tag or other games with the crazy neighborhood kids, the treehouse at the Martinell's, Mitzel's before it became Denny's, the barn on the way to Snoqualmie where the Senior class always painted their year, playing down by the river, tubing down the river, swimming at the pool, my softball games, voice lessons at the Edvalson's, riding my bike to Opstad Elementary, Dead Man's Hill, the bus stop, Scavenger hunts, the easter egg hunts up at the park, and finding eggs months later, catching tadpoles, The MarT cafe, the old movie theatre, when the library was in that old building across the street from where it is now, working on the homecoming float, volleyball practice, working out in the weight room, playing under the bleachers, having classes upstairs, the Milk Barn, the train station and the bowling alley, driving to Issaquah to go to Target for school shopping.

I know none of this makes any sense to any of you, but it was so good to remember these things, it makes me really want to go back and visit, it has been 7 years since I've been there, and I know things probably don't look the same anymore, but I think it would be fun to go back.

That's how I roll

Okay, it's been a while since I posted last, this is so like journal writing, I do good for a few days, and then I don't write for a LONG time... although I am happy to report that it has only been a matter of weeks, not years. :)

Kelly is leaving for her Carribbean cruise next Saturday, I am so excited for her, she is going to have a lot of fun! It is gonna be weird not having her here though. Five days after she gets back, I leave for Portland, and then the day I get back, Kelly and I are flying to California! Heck yeah baby! Honestly, who can say that they are going to California for a burrito? We can. So stoked!

Read between the lines

A few years back, a man asked me a question.

My answer was "No".

We haven't spoken since.

Now what I don't get is that this guy all of a sudden is trying to reconnect with me. Seriously, I have no desire to see him, talk to him or anything of the sort. I have been ignoring his attempts, but I am just so confused. It's been three years since I turned him down, no contact since, and now he decides that it's a good idea to try again? Honestly.

Oh yeah

Okay, we didn't actually get around to going to the IMAX thing, delayed until further notice. I DID however get the opportunity to go to General Conference for the very first time. Very exciting, granted you end up watching it on the TV screens, just like you do at home, but we don't have TV, so it totally beat out listening on the radio. Really, it was really neat to be there, and I ended up seeing a girl I grew up with from Washington that I hadn't seen in seriously like 7 years. Good times.

Last night I was kinda bored, I had read a few chapters in my book, washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and really just needed to do something, get out of the house, anything. So I went for a walk. Anyone who really knows me will tell you that this is no new thing, I walk everywhere. When I lived up in Logan, I would walk to the temple (a couple miles away), Smithfield (a couple towns over), I walk a lot. I really don't plan out where I walk to or for how long, I just go.

So I set out from my apartment and headed east, I usually go west, I decided to be different. I walked down 3rd avenue, past all the letters in the alphabet, up into Federal Heights, I saw some really really big houses, some small, seemingly out-of-place houses, modern ones, victorian ones, 70's ones, giant ones that resembled those you see in movies at Christmastime, all sorts of houses...you get the picture. The weather wasn't too bad when I'd left, slightly crisp so I had a coat, but not bad considering it had snowed earlier that day.

The higher I got into Federal Heights, the colder it got. And soon I realized it was snowing. great. Oh well, I kept going. A car stopped and asked me directions to some building at the University, unfortunately, I had no clue as to which one it was and couldn't help them. I rounded a bend in the road and looked to my left. I was kind of surprised when I saw the University Medical Center standing there bold as can be. I didn't realize I was quite this far east. I did get a pretty awesome view of the valley, so that was nice, but I decided to head back in the direction of home. I wandered down through more neighborhoods with more intense houses and somehow connected back to 3rd avenue without realizing it. I looked at my phone for the time (I don't wear a watch...that's another story) and saw that it had only taken me about half an hour or so to get there, I felt pretty cool. Then I realized that the "coolness" was probably just the fact that I was freezing out in the falling snow. I'm brilliant.

Whale of a tale

Today I will be fueling my inner 7-year old boy.

Yes. I have one.

It's the part of me that is fascinated by dinosaurs, sharks, whales and other various non-adult female things.

So tonight I am going to see the Under the Sea documentary at IMAX.

Yup. Eat your heart out.

I'm paying for this?

I left class early today.

I had to.

I was losing precious I.Q. points

My teacher doesn't know how to pronounce anything correctly, which irritates me a lot.
It is across not acrosst. It's italian not eye-talian. It's institution not whatever the crap you tried to make it.

On that note, I am going to go enjoy some italian food with my roomie!

What's in a name?

Along with my face, my last name also starts conversations.

My last name is Fairbanks, and there are quite a few Fairbanks' around, especially in Utah. I never had this problem when I lived in Washington.

When someone hears my last name, the next question they ask generally starts like this,

"Fairbanks, really? Are you related to.....(insert name here)"
"Yes, I am"
I usually do not know the person they are asking about, but really, all Fairbanks' are related. All of them.

So therefore, yes, I am related to the sculptor.

I get that question most often. When I go to the store, when I go to the Temple, at work, at school, everywhere.

No, I have never been to Fairbanks, Alaska. Thanks for asking

Maybe when I marry Snifflehopper Smith*, I won't get those questions anymore. :)





*see www.courageousinsanity.blogspot.com

In the face of danger

I have one of those faces.

You know, the ones where someone looks so familiar and you can't quite place from where.
Or the face that you could swear sat behind you in that Advanced Campus Wildlife class in college.
Or the face of that distant cousin you can't quite remember the name of.

Yep. I have one of them.

Almost daily, I have someone come up to me and say something like,

"Did you go to school down in Delta?"
"No"
"Are you sure?"
Am I sure? Of course I'm sure! How would I forget something like that?
"Yes...quite sure"

Or...

"You look exactly like my.....neice, probation officer, therapist, cousin, husband's sister-in-law, pharmacist, bus driver, best friend's sister", go ahead and pick your favorite one, I've gotten them all.

People often confuse me for my roommate. With this particular mix-up, we've decided it's because of my face. She has the original and I have the copy-cat because she doesn't get the "I know you!" comments. I'm so unoriginal.

Mash the Bag

My friend Heidi gave me a "start" for Amish bread last week. The bread turns out to be of the same sort as banana bread, a sweet bread I guess you could call it. The "start" is contained in a gallon zip-lock bag, it looks like sticky pancake batter. There is a paper that tells you what to do each day, and the majority of the days tell you to simply "Mash the bag". So you mash this sticky batter-in-a-bag each day as it bubbles and ferments and looks positively disgusting sitting on your kitchen counter. Today was the day to add a couple of ingredients, I hoped rather than believed that it would make the blob look any better. My hopes were dashed. Much like the blob in the classic Steve McQueen movie, my blob merely grew in size and stickiness. How did the Amish think up this bread anyway? I can imagine that some deeply procrastinatory (yes, that is what I said, procrastinatory) Amish girl was making bread one day, got halfway through making it and decided to stop. She put the nasty mass of batter in a bag and left it on her counter. Her mother found it and told her to take care of it, to cover her tracks of laziness she came up with this crazy story about how it's a special bread where you only have to "mash the bag" a couple times a day and 10 days later you add stuff and make the bread. Gross. I think it's weird. Then again, I'm the one following through on it, so what does that say about me?

My Grail Quest

I know I talk about work a lot, but frankly, it takes up most of my daily life, so it's to be expected. Yesterday was not a good day at work. And I'm just going to leave it at that because I don't think I can run through that one again. Bad day.

I was talking to a friend of mine today, who got married last year and lives with her husband in the Murray area, she's a year older than me, and she's always told me how weird it is to consider herself old enough to be doing things like getting married and what not. She's not at the point where she wants kids yet, but while talking to her today, she mentioned that she and her husband were looking into buying a house. Completely natural, grown-up thing to do. It kinda threw me for a bit of a whirl, I realized that yes, people our age do buy houses, they do get married and have kids and have grown-up problems because, we're grown-ups. (I love how I say grown-ups like I'm 5 years old or something). I guess I missed the whole memo when I was growing up that it comes before you expect it. As a kid, I always was seen as older than I was, and it still happens to this day, and now I'm not really sure what to do with my adulthood. It's like going on a quest for the Holy Grail and finding it and going, "Okay, now what do I do with it?"

I'm taking a bunch of time off in May. I'm going to Portland to be with my sister after she has her twins, which means I'll be taking my first flight ever (yes my first, I am that lame that I am the age I am and haven't flown anywhere). I am excited to see her and her family, and also to spend some more time in Portland since it is ultimately the kind of area I would like to end up living in. The day my flight gets back from Portland, my roommate and I are flying out to California for a few days, we'll see her old haunts, where she went to school, her friend Sara, the beach, it's going to be great!

Take a vacation John, take a vacation

So I didn't set my alarm last night, which resulted in me waking up at the exact moment I was supposed to be at work (there's a first time for things like that, this was mine). While I was walking to work, one of my co-workers called my cell phone to tell me that my boss John had called work and wanted to talk to me (of course on the day I'm late). So the second I walked in the door, I went upstairs and called his cell phone...no answer, so I called his house...I woke up his wife Magdi (I felt really really bad) and asked to talk to John, at which time she informed me that he wasn't home, he was actually in the hospital. The Hospital? So she gave me the direct number to his room and I again apologized for waking her up. I called the number she gave me and heard John's voice on the other line, our conversation went something like this:

J: "Hello?"
L: "What are you doing in the hospital?"
J: "Who is this?"
L: "It's Lisa, what are you doing in the hospital?"
J: "The doctors thought I might have a blood clot in my lung so they kept me overnight."
L: "Are you okay?"
J: "Oh sure! So since I'm here, I might not be coming in today."
L: "Might not? How about absolutely are not."
J: "We'll see about that."

My boss seriously needs to learn to take a day off.

In my World

You know when your week is just going great, not too fast, not too slow, people are nice and everything just seems lovely? This is so not that week.

Do you ever forget what day it is? Or have a Tuesday feel like a Friday?

I do. Today is Friday, and I am actually not quite sure what day it feels like, but I can tell you it's not Friday.

This week has been so discombobulated and disjointed that it kinda hurts my noggin.

My boss had a hernia operation a week ago today, and being the insane man that he is, he has been coming in to work every day since. Oh, he looks like he's going to keel over at any second and the smile he wears is more like a grimace, but what can I say, he's my boss and he's nuts.

Although, one good thing about him coming in to work is that he finally realized how incredibly ridiculous it is that my co-workers call (or don't even bother to call) in sick at the very last moment and we're left holding the short end of the stick. This week we had 2 people call in which left us with 2 people to handle the entire restaurant on top of a group of 50 that we had in the back. Things like this happen all the time. And they shouldn't. So my boss went on the rampage and called the "repeat offenders" and pretty much told them what was what. They'll either be coming in, finding people to cover for them, or getting fired. The last option really wouldn't bother me for some of them, I must admit.

I talk about work too much. But I guess that is to be expected when you spend 40+ hours a week somewhere.

I would mention my aggravating design class, but that merely makes me mad, so I'll refrain.

I guess that's all for today.

Sexy

At work today, one of my co-workers was telling me about this party she had gone to where she got drunk on Absinthe. Now for those of you who don't know anything about Absinthe, it is a liquor that tastes like liquorice and acts slightly like a hallucinogen.

Anyway, she was telling me how she really likes Absinthe because as opposed to just being "regularly drunk" Absinthe is a "sexy drunk". When I heard this, all I could say was, "There is no such thing a sexy drunk. Being drunk is not sexy. Ever." She didn't really like this reply very much and proceeded to tell me about the different kinds of drinks that gave her this "sexy drunk" kind of feeling.

I still maintain that drunk, is not sexy.

Moondance

There was an article in the paper today about the new Google Latitude, an application used to track and locate people via their cell phones and the web. Can we say, "Big Brother"?

Today was like being in hell at work. Everything went wrong and everyone was completely insane. My employees wouldn't talk to each other, one employee called in sick at 6:30 this morning, another called at noon, we were crazy busy so I ended up doing a chunk of 3 of my employees jobs, my boss was in a meeting so I was doing his job too, not to mention my own, one of my employees apparently does NOT know how to properly brew coffee and got water and coffee grounds all over the place during the rush, no one typed up the menu for today so I had to hurry and do that as well-unfortunately, one of the menu items I didn't have a description for and we haven't served it in probably 9 months or so, so I had to rack my brain trying to remember exactly how to describe it. Today was kinda stressful.

On an upside, I did properly describe that random dish, it was payday today, I caught the bus in the nick of time, I successfully got ready for work in 10 minutes and I get to look at Byron for as long as I want. :)

Pointe Blank

A friend and I had a conversation a few days ago about some of the things we like that happened to be slightly out of the ordinary, and so I thought I’d sit down and really think about the things I enjoy in life, some weird and some not-so-weird.

Smells:

Rain, Clorox bleach, Grass (the kind you mow, not the kind you grow), Men’s cologne (when it makes you kind of weak in the knees), Campfire smoke, Lilacs, Baking bread, Dirt (Yes, I like the smell of dirt), Mint, Lime, Tree sap, Shampoo, Paint, Fabric softener

Sights:

Trees, Sunsets, Mountains, Large rocks, Vintage cars, Motorcycles, Vines, Sunshine, Kites, Clouds, Fields, Antiques, Books, Art, Historical artifacts (kind of goes along with antiques), Hills and Valleys in fabric, Hills and Valleys in general…, Fire, Christmas lights, Wood grain, Water, Bubbles, Smoke, Men (not Boys or Guys, Men…there IS a difference), Snow that hasn’t been walked in

Sounds:

Orchestras, Wind, Rain, A whisper, Engines, Heartbeats, Music, Rushing water, Birds chirping, Rustling leaves, Crunching leaves too, Falling snow, Silence, Laughter, Bells, Crackling fire, Sighs

Tastes:

Mint, Strawberries, Cranberries (actually….most berries), Pineapple, Coconut, Curry, Rosemary, Molasses, Tarragon, Garlic, Orange Juice, Spinach, Artichokes, Pickled beets, Pickled cucumbers (aka Pickles…Dill ones), Cheesecake, Jerky, Cheese….but not really (It’s a love/hate relationship)

The Feel of:

Wind on my face, Sun on my legs, Sand between my toes, Cashmere, A warm blanket in the cold, A hand in mine, Being close, The cold side of the pillow, Mud, Grass, Conditioned hair, Goosebumps, When your heart leaps, An unbidden smile, Laughter, Serenity, Falling asleep, Complete relaxation

Frankly my dear....

Have you ever had the urge to watch a particular movie and you didn't know why? Well, last night, that's what led me to watch Gone With the Wind.

Yes. Gone With the Wind.

The really long movie with the annoying girl who is never happy with the man she has (which in the course of the movie is pretty much all but one), she can't seem to do anything for herself and ends up losing everything.

Fun times.

I've seen it before and I recall even liking it, however, last night I could not for the life of me remember why. This girl is seriously obnoxious. You just want to reach out and slap her. I was wondering to myself why Gone With the Wind is loved by so many people. Aside from a couple amazing lines delivered by the fabulous Mr. Clark Gable, namely, "You need to be kissed, and often. And by someone who knows how" and "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" I find the movie rather irritating.

Oh well. I guess I brought that upon myself by watching it right?

Right.

Cat Lady

I have a co-worker who really really doesn't like me. I'm not entirely sure why, but the exasperated looks, blatant disregard for things I tell her and "helpful" fellow employees informing me that she loaths my very being leave me with little doubt of my own deductions. She's not what I would call my favorite person either (how can you have a favorite person who hates you? really..) but I treat her the same way I treat everyone else I work with, no better, no worse. So imagine my complete surprise when today at work, she starts talking to me like we're the best of friends, like we went back years! Totally threw me for a whirl today.

It reminded me of a cat, because honestly, cats don't like people. They like to be fed, pet and left alone. Only when they want something do they absolutely, positively, can't-live-without-you, love you. The only exception here is that she's not cute and fluffy.