Tag, You're It!

I have been tagged!

So...here are fifty things you may or may not know about me:

1. I was born in California!
2. My first job was working as "sweeper" (aka janitor) at an elementary school
3. I love dogs and have had one since I was 3 years old
4. It drives me nuts when people make grammatical errors
5. My favorite color is green
6. I am a big country music fan
7. One of my favorite places to visit is Disneyland and Southern California in general
8. I am taking an online graduate program via Vanderbilt University
9. Attending Vanderbilt has turned me into a big Commodores fan...go black and gold!
10. I had my first kiss when I was 16
11. When I was learning to drive, my dad made me learn on a manual car
12. I love italian and seafood, especially when combined
13. I really enjoy coooking and experimenting with new recipes
14. I wish I had more time to sew and try more crafts
15. I like doing geneology
16. I am terrified of snakes and spiders - I can't even walk by them in a pet store
17. I really want to buy a motorcycle or a vespa
18. I enjoy reading fictinal novels, especially if they have a romantic twist
19. Exercising and playing the piano are some of my best stress reliefs
20. I would love to learn to play the guitar
21. I have a goal to visit all of the inhabited continents before I die (so, I really just want to go everywhere except Antarctica)
22. I was born nearly three weeks late, weighing in at 9 lbs 14 ounces
23. I love to sing along with the radio, but only when I am by myself
24. One of my most memorable experiences was attending a country music awards show last spring
25. I LOVE the ocean
26. I hate milk and eat my cereal dry
27. I am not a morning person, and I generally need time by myself when I wake up before I am around anyone
28. Some of my favorite shows are CSI, House, and ER
29. I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy
30. I really enjoy playing board games
31. I like taking pictures of landscapes, but I am not very good
32. When I was young, I collected rocks and coins
33. I love to go wakeboarding
34. Tulips are my favorite flower
35. It bothers me when clean laundry is not folded and put away
36. I love the smells and crispness of autumn
37. I have never called in sick to work unless I really was sick
38. I had four surgeries within four years: appendectomy, wisdome tooth extraction, cholecystectomy, tonsillectomy
39. I can be very sappy - I cry easily when watching movies, tv, and commercials
40. I enjoyed watching "My Little Ponies" and "Carebears" when I was young
41. I am almost always cold
42. When i was little, two of my friends tricked me into believing my skin would become pale if I layed out with them
43. I attended 'Girls' State' while in high school
44. I can't stand anything about bananas - the smell, taste, or texture
45. I used to have a pet gerbil named Dottie
46. My name was chosen because my grandpa Swain kept calling my mom Lisa by mistake
47. I like to drive when it's foggy outside
48. I am not a fan of the snow
49. If I had to move away from Utah, I would most likely move to Tennessee
50. Flaky people drive me nuts!

Okay...now you have been tagged. What are fifty interesting things about you?

Going back to middle school...

So, last Friday I had the opportunity to visit my old middle school, Albion. My sister was receiving the "Knight of the Quarter" award, and family was invited to attend the assembly when the award is given. As an added bonus, my sister was also performing "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay as a musical number. She did a great job performing and she was very surprised that she won the award...I am very proud of her!

Needless to say, I had forgotten what is was like to be in an assembly full of eighth grade students! It was crazy to go back and see how things have changed and what is still the same. Students are still noisy, teachers are still trying to maintain control...there weren't really any big changes...it seemed very similar to how it was when I was in eight grade. All I can say is that I am glad that I have long since moved on from the middle school (and high school) scene.

Our Little Girls

Mike and I have two dogs, Mookie and Faline. They are both sweethearts!

Mookie is a four years old Whippet/Sharpei mix. She loves everyone. Unfortunately, she doesn't live with us right now (she lives at my parents house), but hopefully that will change...right? Mookie has been through a lot with me and I like to say that we helped each other out of a rough patch in our lives.

Faline is a one year old Miniature Pinscher. She can be very sassy, but we love her anywany, and I am sure that she would go crazy without us. Faline loves visiting Mookie and having another dog to play with. Faline also loves to snuggle...she will come lay on your chest and fall asleep. It is very sweet.

Right now, I consider Mookie and Faline to be our practice children, while Mike says they are birth control. They teach us a lot of patience and responsibility. Sometimes we feel like we need to find a babysitter for Faline on weekends, but it is definately worth having these two girls in our lives.

What We're Up To...

We have been keeping very busy!

Mike recently opened up a new branch of his company's credit union. So far, everything is a success!

Lisa is still working as a nurse, doing care coordination for two assisted livings. She is also in her second semester of graduate school at Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing.

Fortunately, it is not all work and no play...
We just came home from a fabulous vacation to Cancun, Mexico! While we were there, we snorkeled, visited Mayan ruins, and basked in the sunshine along the beautiful Caribbean coastline. It was wonderful to get away!