God, you have my attention....I am listening

The older I get the more I realize how much I need God in my life.  What I have also come to realize is that I need to be still and listen more.  I do a lot of talking, not enough listening, and tend to ignore signs even though they are so obvious that it is a tad bit embarrasing.  I am soooooo good at giving advice and what I need to do is take my advice once in awhile...

Any other people in the same boat??????

Anyway, I am not going to bore you with the details of my latest blunder, I am just going to recap what I gleemed from my latest adventure, one that I  am still living as I prepare to bunker down in the Richmond Airport  for the night.  Well that is if they don't kick me out before my 7am flight tomorrow.  God I hope not, I have spent enough money on two hotel reservations, both of which I did not use.....that is a whole other story for another day.

Okay my "aha"moment for the week is that when your actions don't match your values, things are going to turn out poorly.  You are probably thinking, "well duh, tell me something I don't already know."  I know, I know, I guess I thought I was exempt from the fallout of my poor decision making. 

Well wake up little miss sunshine (aka  me), and get with the program.  God was speaking to you and you chose not to listen. 

So now that I have learned my lesson the expensive and emotionally draining way, I am going to listem more, pray more, and quit talking so much.

Anyway, signing off from the not so comfortable chair at the airport!

The Father of Gretchen's Baby is...

It just so happens that I have read three novels this summer and they have been thought provoking stories filled with suspense, love, and bring me back to the question that continues to haunt my thoughts.... 

Am I living up to my potential?

Now, for those of you who really know me, I do read a lot, but the books are usually non-fiction and have something to do with my work, my hobbies, or how to improve my life.  So reading a novel is a big step for me and so far I am thoroughly enjoying the books I have chosen.  Ten books by the end of summer is my goal and I am on book number four.  So I am off to a great start.

I have not blogged in forever, so I thought I might begin again with my updated Living Life List to see if I am making any progress on getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things.  So below are some of the things that I have accomplished this summer, and I am also including a list of what I anticipate doing before I head back to school in just six week.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, Gretchen is a character from my last book and it turns out that her attorney was the father of her baby. Hmmm, who would have guessed......anyway, it was a great read by Barbara Delinsky, my new favorite author.


Accomplished this summer:

• Went to see Nickelback in concert with good friends (it rocked)
• Saw concert at The Crossroads in KC (Greene, Weir, and Robinson Acoustic Trio) with my friend Shawn.  Awesome show!
• Toured the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
• Toured the Steamship Arabia Museum
• Toured Moon Marble and learned how marbles are made
• Countless days spent at the pool having fun with girls
• Went to a TBones game with seats right behind Tbones dugout
• Spent the day at the Kansas City Zoo
• Toured the Money Museum at The Federal Reserve
• Vacation to Charlottesville, VA
• Purchased a laptop and new phone (bye bye Blackberry)
• Paid off credit card and Kohl's card
• Paid car down to $900
• Joined a team that will be making a short film for the KC 48 Film Project in August
• Scheduled tattoo work to be finished on September 13th
• Obtained a part-time job working out of the house
• Read three novels
• Mani/pedis with girls
• Adopted the sweetest dog from Heartland SPCA
• Looking into buying a local business that I could run while still teaching

On List to Accomplish by August 6th:

• Worlds of Fun with girls
• Tour the Toy Museum
• See the Titanic Exhibit at Union Station
• See show at the Planetarium at Union Station
• Tour the Aquarium and Legoland at Crown Center
• Tour the Shawnee Mission Indian School/Museum
• Spend night at the Great Wolf Lodge or CoCo Key with girls
• Royals game/tour with kids
• Deanna Rose Farm
• Pay off car
• Powerwash and stain deck (hire out)
• Quote on new countertop/backsplash (work done this fall)
• Quote on tiling three bathrooms and kitchen floor (work done this winter)
• Attend a cooking class at The Culinary Center in Kansas City
• Schedule vogue photo Shoot with Bliss Photography
• Purchase patio furniture
• Purchase storm door for front entry
• Vacation to Minnesota and Winnipeg with girls
• Schedule Labor Day weekend trip (destination unknown) with girls
• Get back into yoga on Sundays
• Transition into a more vegan/whole foods lifestyle
• Photo booth session with girls
• Start planning/saving for a Christmas trip someplace tropical
• Schedule Vegas trip for October
• Increase monthly investments by $100.00
• Open a Roth IRA
• Begin planning international trip for next summer with girls
• Paint inside of garage and put up shelves
• Purchase loveseat to match couch
• Purchase new bedroom set

I would love to hear how YOU are coming along with your goals and plans

Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Git-R-Done

As I was sitting at the Jimmy Buffett concert last night and he played my favorite song, "Son of a Son of a Sailor,"  it struck me that I have not accomplished as much this year as I had hoped to complete and it is high time to revisit my Living Life List for 2012.

I have done a few things so far this year and they are in no particular order:

• Paid down my car down by $1,000.
• Paid down short term debt by $817.89
• Increased my investment portfolio by $1,314.13
• Volunteered to help a friend with the KC Relay for Life in June 2012.
• Taking girls to Canada in July with grandparents for vacation.
• Found a new hair gal here in Bonner at Bangz Salon.
• Purchased tickets to take girls to T-Bones Game
• Signed up to help with the 48 Hour Film Project here in KC which will take place in August.
• Lost a total of 10 pounds

Goals for April/May:

• Register for a 5K race.
• Attend T-Bones game
• Plant front flower bed
• Plant hanging deck baskets
• Increase my KC Blue getting healthy/gift card by $20.
• Bring my lunch to work every day.
• Find a part-time job to help with debt reduction.
• Work out consistently 4 times per week starting today.
• Blog more.

As I watched Jimmy perform all my favorite songs, I realized that here was a man living his dream and doing what he loves....dressed in my favorite attire consisting of t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops.

What am I going to do today to make MY dreams a reality? 

What are you going to do to make YOUR dreams a reality?

Here's to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

100 Quirky Things About Me

I recently read a blog where the blogger listed 100 interesting facts about herself and it was quite informative and entertaining to read.  I have been at a quandary about what to blog about so I decided to see if I could come up with 100 interesting (or quirky) facts about myself.   It was actually a lot harder than you may think, but here is what I came up with and they are in no specific order.....

1.  I love my job teaching children with special needs in a self-contained classroom setting.
2.  I am the oldest child.  I have a younger brother and sister.
3.  My mom died on March 30, two days before my 19th birthday.
4.  My best friends in college were Colleen, Wendy, and Judy...we were inseparable.
5.  I am obsessed with the Apple App called Fashion City...my store rocks!
6.  I am always early and I get really nervous when I am running late.....for anything.
7.  My piano teacher's name was Sister Gertrude and she was a mean nun who made my fingers bleed when I played the wrong keys.
8.  I love sushi.
9.  I was a candy striper while in junior high at St. Mary's Hospital with my BFF Dawn.
10. My first job was a waitress at Perkins...my number was #55.


11.  I love to garden.
12.  I love rollercoasters.  The faster and scarier the better.
13.  I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with my family in 1989.
14.  I love to lay by the ocean and work on my tan.
15.  I am dating a great guy.
16.  My girls are the most important people in my life.
17.  I have two tattoos.  I regret the last one because the same tattoo is on my ex-boyfriends calf.  Never get a tattoo when you have had a couple cocktails.
18.  I believe that we don't get older, but we get better.
19.  I love playing blackjack in Vegas.
20.  I owe $71,000 or so in student loans (bad news here).


21.  I use a paper planner versus using my Smartphone calendar app.
22.  I have a BFF and we have been friends since 4th grade.
23.  My favorite drink is a mint mojito.
24.  I love to play tennis.
25.  I am addicted to caffeine and I love my morning coffee.
26.  My favorite movie of all time is Top Gun...I love a man in uniform.
27.  I have a friend who lives in Vicenza, Italy.
28.  I love to ride on a Harley.
29.  In my next life I am going to be a bounty hunter with Dog!!!


30.  My favorite TV series are Mad Man and Army Wives.
31.  I really miss my friends Christina, Heidi, and Lorraine who live in Minneapolis. 
32.  My favorite nickmane, "Auntie Seesha" from my cousin Ian who couldn't say Lisa.
33.  My first date was with a guy named Chad.  He had me over for dinner and his sister, Paula, cooked for us.
34.  I was a cheerleader in 9, 10, and 11th grade.  Football, basketball, and hockey.
35.  My handwriting is terrible and it looks super sloppy.  I prefer not to write.
36.  I need to lose 50 pounds.
37.  I loved my yellow VW beetle, but it spent more time in the shop than out of the shop.
38.  I get car sick if I have to sit in the backseat from too long.
39.  I love the Minnesota State Fair and Cheese Curds.


40.  I like Coke, not Pepsi.
41.  I dislike raisins and beets.
42.  I want to start an online business and write a book.
43.  I want to get married again someday.
44.  I dislike cleaning, but I love a clean house.
45.  I almost swam into a Moray Eel while scuba diving in Grand Cayman.
46.  I would rather be outdoors than indoors.
47.  I have a lot of patience at work, but not so much at home.
48.  My blood type is B+
49.  I had a tumor removed in my back that was the size of a large porkchop and a tumor removed in my arm that was the size of a golf ball.


50.  I have read every Nancy Drew book published.
51.  I believe that toilet paper should go over and not under.
52.  I do not know how to whistle.
53.  I went to my first R rated movie with my friend Cindy T. and we had a forged note from her mom to say we could go.  The Movie was Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke.
54.  Growing up the price for a movie ticket was .50 cents.
55.  I flunked the parallel parking portion of my driving test (I was more than 12 inches from curb).
56.  I have a motorcyle endorsement on my drivers license.
57.  I never went anywhere for spring break in college.
58.  I have been river rafting in Colorado.
59.  I have been skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Copper Mountain, A-Basin, Steamboat Springs, Loveland, and Beckenridge all in Colorado.


60.  My ex-husband and I are great friends.
61.  I love to garage sale and love to get great deals.
62.  I ran the mile in track back in high school.
63.  I would love to win the lottery and travel the world.
64.  I have ran three half-marathon races.
65.  I have completed two MS 150 bike events.
66.  I have a goal to visit every state in the USA and to visit all seven continents.
67.  I have an awesome older daughter (according to Caroline) :)
68.  In 1990 I was hit by a Ford Bronco as I was walking across the street.  This hit left painful arthritis in my right hip.
69.  I attended We Fest in 1990 and had an interesting time.


70.  Kraut and pig hocks is my favorite meal that my dad cooks.
71.  I have a cousin, Anthony, who is an international model.
72.  My dream car would be a BMW 7-series.
73.  I have never purchased anything on Ebay.
74.  I discovered I really am a dog person.
75.  I really hate to bake.
76.  I have a passport with no stamps :(
77.  I got my first speeding ticket in 2010.
78.  I lost all my pictures (and I mean all) when our basement flooded in 2001.
79.  I think my best feature is my smile.


80.  My worst feature is my feet.
81.  I hate drama.
82.  I have no tolerance for people who lie and cheat.
83.  My wardrobe consists of "teacher clothes" and comes with holiday sweaters!!!!!!
84.  I saw the Grateful Dead at Soldier Field in Chicago....interesting show!
85.  I learned to type on a Selectric Typewriter (we did have the option of using a manual typewriter).
86.  When I was pregnant with Cate, I craved and ate Taco Bell soft shell tacos every day (really).
87.  I am legally blind without corrective lenses.
88.  I use to polish my dad's boots for .50 cents a pair back in high school.
89.  I used to work part-time at Target and I started at 4am.


90.  My ex-boyfriend is on a mission to find his wife on a Russian Mail Order Bride website.
91.  I was an April Fools baby.
92.  My first kiss was in first grade with a boy named Clint Anderson (he kissed me and it was in the coat closet).
93.  I am addicted to Facebook.
94.  My first pet was a bunny named Benjamin.
95.  Our first house in Shawnee, KS was struck by lightening within the first three weeks of us owning it. 
96.  I saw Lyle Lovett in the car rental line at the Aspen Airport.  He smiled at me.
97.  My hollywood crushes in my youth were:  Shaun Cassidy, David Cassidy, and Leif Garrett.
98.  I live on a tight (and I mean tight) budget.
99.  I prefer the sunrise to sunset.
100.  I love my life and believe that God has a plan for everything.  We just need to have faith and trust in Him.

Okay, so there you have it.  I could have added a couple more things, but I needed to keep this G rated.

Here's to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Summer Living in Minnesota

Just found these pictures of my parents farm, Forest Glen Farm, and I thought I would share them with you.  My parents live in Northern Minnesota and they have the most gorgeous place and I cannot wait to spend 2 weeks there in July.  I LOVE summer in Minnesota!

Here's to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Yummy Vegetarian Recipes

I am sharing with you all two recipes that I have tried lately that are not only delicious, but very healthy.   One recipe came from a friend (thanks Shawn), and the other came from someone who attended the Vegan potluck at the yoga studio a couple of weeks ago.  Both are easy to make and my girls loved the pie! 


Vegan Peanut Butter Pie

• 16 oz. soft silken tofu
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (make sure the natural peanut butter firms well when refrigerated, so as to help form)
• 3/4 sugar (one part brown sugar and one part sugar)
• 2 tbsp soy milk (I used rice milk and it worked out fine)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pre-made vegan pie crust baked (I used regular pie crust)
• 1/2 cup peanuts

Mix tofu, peanut butter, sugars, soy milk, and vanilla in a food processor or a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer.


Spoon contents into baked pie shell.  Place in refrigerator and cool for at least 2 hours then enjoy!


For chocolate topping:


In a small deep pan, pour 1/2 cup soy milk and place 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a pan on low to medium heat.  Stir slowly until all the chips have melted.  Sprinkle chocolate topping and peanuts on top of pie.   If you don't want to add the chocolate and/or nuts, the pie tastes great without this topping.




Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

• 2 tsp grated lime zest
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup quinoa (found in rice section of grocery store)
• 1 (14-15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (you can use fresh or canned)
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used 1/2 cup, because I love cilantro)

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.


Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.


Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salt water (1 tbsp for every 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch the bottom of sieve).  Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry about 10 minutes.  Remove pot from heat and remove lid.  Let stand, still covered with towel for 5 minutes.


Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and peper to taste.

Here's to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Farewell to Friends

Today we said farewell to a classmate from high school.  This makes the second death of someone I have known since grade school within the past year.  As I think about Steve and Linda (and all the other classmates who have passed), I remind myself that our time here on Planet Earth is short, very short.  We must make the most of each and every day.


Steve and Linda were wonderful people whom had a love for life and a love for family.  Even though I haven't seen either one since graduation, which was almost 30 years ago, I remember the good times we all shared as we made our way from grade school to high school graduation.   Because our last names were close, Steve was always not too far away.   Steve always kept me laughing through school, and he had a larger than life personality.  He never took life too seriously, and he was a great guy.  Linda was the same way.  Both lived their lives fully and  they both had a lot of love to go around.  They were the sunshine on a cloudy day.


So as I pray for all of our classmates who are no longer with us, I also pray for those that are still with us today.  I pray that they are safe, happy, and that they find blessings each and every day.


So Steve, I am certain that you will be welcomed with open arms into the Kingdom of Heaven by those that have preceeded you in death.  I know that Butch and Linda have already found you and have welcomed you.  And knowing Butch and Linda, they are already having a celebration for you.


And to the rest of still remaining here on Earth, may we remember what is important in life.  It is not the cars, the houses, or the fat bank account (although that might be nice) that is what is important.  What we need to be thankful for is our family and friends that help get us through the bad times and rejoice in the good times.  Family love is so important. 


So Steve, you will be missed, and remember to save a spot for each and every one of us when our time comes.  Life is so important and we must not take it for granted.  We never know when God will call us or our family members to His house.   Life is a gift and we must treat it at such.


May God bless your family through this difficult time.