Life As Lisa

A Pintrest addict, book loving, teacher who recently moved to California, but will ALWAYS be a Michigan girl at heart*

[life-as-lisa]

It's Been a While..

Happy December all! Seeing as I missed all of November, I guess it's time for an update.

Travis' birthday weekend was F-U-N! Oktoberfest was all that I thought it would be but definitely doesn't compare to Michigan's Beer Fest with all of my fabulous family. And since Travis got all good and drunk, I was able to fulfill my plan of pulling a little birthday prank. I snuck out our balcony door, which also has a door to the living room, and I started blowing balloons, and stuffing them against the door with garbage bags taped to the wall. The plan was for Travis NOT to wake up, but UNLUCKY ME! As I was taping the LAST garbage bag, Mr. Drunky woke up... Argh! Oh well. I redid it, and went to bed, and it was still a fun time in the morning. For his birthday we watched the sunset (Which actually sets over the ocean this time of year) and then we went out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory which has a gorgeous outdoor space.

It seems strange, but in November we went kayaking!! We rented a kayak in Marina del Rey and were able to go throughout the entire Marina area. It was a gorgeous day, and tons of fun. We even got to see a TON of sea lions sunbathing on a dock. It was so awesome to see!

November was also filled with the nastiest flu-bug I have ever seen. Working with children sure does have it perks ;) UGH! Not so much.. I went home from work on a Friday afternoon, and was sick all through the weekend, and even had to stay home on that following Monday. It was THEE worse, and I swear I wouldn't even wish it on my worse enemy. At times I felt like I was dying. Not fun, and I'm happy I got over it! YUCK.

And then there was Thanksgiving. Which was interesting to say the least. My very first Thanksgiving not celebrating with family. :( That morning I was pretty sad, but I got over it, and was able to FaceTime with some of my family, which helps makes things A LOT easier! We spent Thanksgiving with some of Travis' co-workers who are also not California natives, and didn't go home for Thanksgiving. And since it was put on by MEN, of course, it wasn't the best planned menu. I'm not complaining but there were two pots of mashed potatoes, and two different stuffings. That kind of thing can only happen when men are planning the party. All in all, it was good, and definitely an experience.

And now, I can't believe it but Christmas is RIGHT around the corner!! Majority of my Christmas shopping is done, and I am super excited to FINALLY be back in Michigan. Only 15 more days!!! And only 4 more days until TEXAS! Which I am super excited for as well :) I am looking forward to two days off of work, to being pampered and to seeing some of my best friends! Zach & Brooke! I can't wait!!

Until next time :)

(..and who knows WHEN that will be)

[life-as-lisa]

19 Minutes.. enough time to change the world, but not enough time to update my blog..

Hello Blog World!

As suspected, it's not that easy to keep up with this thing. Life gets in the way sometimes. But it's probably better to live life than to find myself religiously updating this thing about things that aren't so important.

A couple of weeks ago, Travis and I went on a nice little shopping spree. I found myself having to by myself MORE summer clothes, because fall isn't deciding to grace us in Southern California quite yet. I bought some pairings that will work for fall too, but it was kind of nice buying summer clothes still because they were all on SALE!

After our shopping spree we went out to eat at another nearby Promenade (that's what they call malls here, soooo fancy :P) Anywho, we have been to this promenade before because it holds the movie theater that we go to, and mostly restaurants. There are not many stores, however, there is a book store here!! We have walked past it before, but were usually on a time crunch to get to the movies. All the windows say, ALL BOOKS $1, and I found that hard to believe. Finally, here is my chance to go into the book store. And guess what?! ALL THE BOOKS REALLY ARE ONLY ONE DOLLAR!!!!! For a book nerd like me, that was like hitting the jackpot! I had to stop myself at 6 books. They are used books mostly, but some of the books that they sell are overstock from bookstores and are new.

So, the first book I decided to read from my purchase was called, 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult. The reason this book was on my to-read book list (that is inside my head) is because I remember my Aunt Judi reading it, while my dad was in surgery for his carotid artery. She gave me a little brief of what it was about, and it has been on my mental list since then. I'm glad it stuck, because it was a GREAT book.

It is about a school shooting in a high school in Connecticut. Sounds depressing, but it really catches the reader's interest. You are given all different viewpoints on the shooting, as well as flashbacks to before the children were even born. And the most surprising part, you seriously sympathize with the shooter. He is just an average boy who gets picked on his entire school-age life. Who picks on him? Surprise. Surprise. Stereotypical jocks. Anyway, the different point of views the author details in the story, is what really makes you sympathize with the shooter. His own brother was a leader in his agony at school, as well as one of his first friends.  While it might not be right that the boy decided to kill 10 students in his midst of anger. He felt that they were slowly killing him, and he was the victim. And in a way, I do believe that he is the one who did suffer the most. Many kids out there might not think that what they say to one another really effects people in the long run, but it does.

The night I finished the book, there was a picture that was "liked" on my Facebook page, and I found it to be pretty fitting to the book I just read. It carries a pretty strong but important message. And I find that this is not only true for kids and teens in school. But it holds true for EVERYONE. Words hurt. Be careful what you say. You never know what is going on in someone's life.

Well, now that I finished that book, my next book I'm starting is called House Rules, also by, Jodi Picoult.

Well, tomorrow is Travis' birthday!!! I think I might be more excited than he is. I absolutely LOVE birthdays! And last year on his birthday he was working for this stupid company where I didn't get to see him at all. So I'm excited to spending it with him this year. Today we are having a little pre-celebration by going to LA Oktoberfest. Looks like a fun time, and I got a super great deal on Groupon. We got 2 VIP tickets for $90, when one regularly VIP ticket is $100. A VIP ticket includes a 1 liter beer stein, unlimited refills and early admission. I'd say that's a pretty good deal!!! And I am VERY excited! However, we are taking the train downtown to Hollywood, which makes me a little nervous. But it's super cheap, and safe way by not drinking and driving.

Anyway, I am excited to give Travis his gifts as well. I have known what I wanted to get him for awhile now, but I know I can't keep a good surprise, so I ordered them last minute, and went on a small shopping trip last minute, last night. And even then, I wanted to give them to him yesterday! He's a good boy though and doesn't want to ruin the surprise and open them early. Oh well... until tomorrow...

Well this got long, fast. And now I should go and get ready for some serious beer drinking! PROST!

[life-as-lisa]

#Endeavor #ShuttleCrossing #EndeavorSpaceShuttle #RandysDonuts #LosAngeles #California #OnceInALifetime @tstokes68 (Taken with Instagram at Randy's Donuts)

[life-as-lisa]

ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

Dinosaurs. RAWR.

[life-as-lisa]

Finally...

Well, well, well... I have thought about, and pondered, and tried starting a blog for quite a while now. Here I am, trying again...

My first attempt at blogging was just for a class, so I wrote two entries, and that was that. I wrote about the books I was currently reading, and how I always seems to relate books to my life. My second attempt was out of complete frustration, and was used as a place to vent, ONCE. That was about my DISGUSTING roommates I had fall semester last year, just YUCK!

For now, I am assuming this blog will just be about anything and everything. So I will most likely vent about life's little frustrations. I will definitely talk about the books I am reading because I love to read. I will also write about being a preschool teacher, and the activities and crafts we do in our room. And the ridiculous things that came out of children's mouths. And then there is Pintrest, I am a Pintrest feen, so I do my own crafts at home, which don't always come out as nicely as Pintrest portrays. I also LOVE food, and I love to try NEW RECIPES! Whether at home or out to eat at a restaurant, I don't often like to eat the same thing over and over, so I am constantly trying to find something new. Another reason why I think blogging is a good idea for me, is to share more about my life since the big move to California! And all the amazing adventures we have been taking since!

In the long run, I am mostly blogging for MYSELF. I think this will help me collect my thoughts about what I have done, what I am currently doing, and what I want to do. And, since I don't mind sharing most my thoughts with others, why not put it online? And if you don't have anything nice to say, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL. If you don't want to read it, or are annoyed at the fact I am starting a blog, I don't care. Don't read it. I am just posting this for those who do care....

ENJOY :)