This is Robbie with our little iguana, Felipe.


And Robbie with our big iguana, Jack.

Lately...

I've been pretty busy lately. I've been working a lot with Tuacahn's Festival of Lights. It is always hard having to be at work 3 or 4 nights a week during Christmas. Robbie and I have been trying to get all our shopping done, but I have discovered that I am not very good at Christmas shopping. I go into a store and an hour later I leave with nothing.
Robbie and I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was about repentance. It was nice to speak and get it over with. The talks went really well.
Tonight we gave all the animals baths and cleaned their homes. Bosco was first and we accidentally killed one of his guppies. When we put them in the sink they all started swimming upside down and before we could get them all out one died. Its alright because Bosco was supposed to eat those guys a long time ago. Jack and Felipe were the hardest. We had to take their terrarium to the car wash to get it clean. Then we had to clean the iguanas with mite shampoo. Then we gave Chino a bath. He is so cute when he gets wet. I think he is the most cooperative of all the animals.
That is what I have been up to lately.

Happy Halloween

Yesterday was Halloween. Now that I have neices and nephews Halloween is more fun. Robbie and I went to a Trunk or Treat at Jenni's church. Abigail, Sydney, and Makayla were princesses, Carter was a jack o'lantern, Jay IV was Buzz Lightyear, and Zach was a dinosaur. Grandma and Grandpa Gardner sat and handed out candy and I think they had more fun than the little kids.

Chino Supremo

Just posting some pictures of my cute puppy. He has been super fun lately. I love that he is alway excited to see me when I come home. He is getting so much better at going to the bathroom outside, and he is trying not to chew on things like my couch.

the end is near...finally

The end of the season at Tuacahn is finally winding down. Today it has been pretty slow and I've finally had a chance to catch up on all of my work...even my blog :) This season was one of the craziest that I've experienced. Tuacahn had break ins where thousands of dollars was stolen, the box office has been very short staffed, the shows have been very busy. The list goes on and on. Saturday night is the last night of the Broadway shows. Then after that is Thriller, but that always seems to go pretty smooth. I've been looking forward to this off season more than anything. I am going to clean out lost and found, get all the donation requests off my desk, and finally get 2008 groups organized. I can not wait.

New Puppy

Robbie and I just got a new puppy. We got him from my brother Sol. His name is Chino and he is a chihuahua/dachshund mix, or as Robbie likes to call him, a Mexican Weiner Dog. He is just a puppy so he likes to do all the things that annoy me like bite me, and chew on everything, and pee on everything. However, he is still so much fun. It is amazing how much joy this tiny puppy give me. Its been fun getting home from work and having him so excited to see me. I've been staying home more because I dont want him to be alone.

Summer Pictures

This is me at the Mt. Shasta lavender farm. It was one of the last things we did in Weed. I'm so glad that we didn't miss it. The lavender farm was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.




The headwaters of the Sacramento River.







This is Robbie and his new Ford Model A. His mom rolled the car when she was 16 years old and it has sat in the backyard ever since. Now we are just saving money so that we can get the car back to St. George and Robbie can hot rod it. I cant wait :)




Robbie and I at the Weed golf course. Robbie and his dad and brothers got to do a lot of golfing on our trip.





These are my babies Jack and Felipe. They are so much fun. Jack is getting so super big. He is like five times bigger than Felipe. When we got them a year ago they were the same size.

What a Summer!

It has been a great summer for Robbie and I. In June for our summer vacation we got to go to Weed, California. It was my first time being to weed, and it was really fun. The boys play a lot of golf and the girls do a lot of shopping. In the mornings we actually had to put on jackets and that was a nice change from the 100 degree weather we have in St. George.
Robbie had the summer off from school so he got to play a lot of golf. He also got to do things like clean the garage and change all the door knobs and hinges in the house. We've been working on improving our house a lot this summer. We're just doing one thing at a time, and its actually been a lot of fun.
My oldest neice, Abigail started kindergarten on Wednesday this week. I'm not sure about her mom, but I was freaking out. She is so cute and will do so well making friends and learning, but it is still the tendancy to worry about her.
My family started a running program this summer. We are doing a program I found online called the Couch to 5-K running program. We started out moslty walking, but we are working up to a three mile run this November. I've already lost about 10 lbs this summer and am hoping to lose about 25 more by Christmas.

A Day Off?

I actually had a day off today. A Tuesday. Who would have thought. I got the day off because I was at work all day yesterday and I'll be there all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. My boss didn't want me to get to many hours. Still, it is nice to have a day off in the middle of the week. I got my bills paid, I got my car fixed, I went out to lunch with my mom and dad, and I even had a little nap (I cant remember the last time I got a nap).

Summer time

Today I've been looking outside and remembering that it gets really hot here in St. George. How am I going to survive another summer? First, I think I'm going to get a tan. You look better tan, but I dont have a lot of time so I might have to break down and go to a tanning bed. One or two times wont give me cancer...hopefully. Next I'm going to loose 10 lbs. This one might be hard to do seeing as I sit on my butt for eight hours a day. But I'll have to make time to work out and eat better.

I hate Baron Davis

The Jazz beat the Warriors last night during game five to advance to the western conference semi finals. The game was a close one the whole time, until about half way through the third quarter when the Jazz started playing better and the Golden State Warriors started to get tired and frustrated. I played basketball in high school and I realize that is not the same level as the nba, however it is not alright to take cheep shots and risk someone getting hurt. I think that the Warriors 'true colors' came out during this series. They showed that they really arn't a classy organization and, like three year olds, started throwing a fit when they realized they weren't going to get what they want. Baron Davis is a very cocky player and I dont like him at all. That doesn't mean I think he is a crappy player but he bugs me. Anyway, I wont focus on the negative Warriors any longer. I think the Jazz played a very classy series and very much deserve to advance. So onto the Suns or the Spurs. Hopefully the Jazz get the rest they need and the Spurs and the Suns beat the crap out of each other so which ever team we get is bloody bruised and tired.

Laughter

"Laughter in the workplace is not unprofessional. It is a sign that you like your job, and the people you work with."
- Stephanie Maloney

Donny Fans

Tuacahn is having Donny Osmond in concert. That actually isn't the bad part...Donny Osmond is very popular, and he has a great voice and personality. The problem is with his fans. They are all middle aged women who dont remember that it's not 1970 anymore. I have had ladies call me every single day wanting to know when the tickets will go on sale, and they wont settle for anything less than the first row. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning and my life will be filled with Donny dot com members until August.

Spring Cleaning

Last night Robbie and I went to our new house to do some cleaning before we moved in. We spent 2 hours cleaning the kitchen. I realize now that different people have different standards of clean. Maybe they thought they were leaving us a nice clean kitchen, but we didn't agree. We cleaned off all the counters and inside all the cupboards and microwave and stove were pretty gross. But the refrigerator was the worst of all. We spent an hour cleaning that. Tonight we are cleaning the carpet as well as the bathrooms. Then we should be ready to move in! I am really excited to get all my stuff moved in. When we were over there last night I felt like an intruder. It didn't seem like it was really my house.
I think I am most excited to fix up the yard. The back yard is actually pretty good size, but right now it is all dirt. We plan on putting in grass and a garden and, if Robbie has his way, a putting green. Of course this is all in the future, because right now we have no money because we just bought a house. :)

smooth move

so getting your legs waxed hurts. And then after you get them waxed and you get cold chills, it hurts. but they are smooth and it was quick and if you can count to five you will be alright. It was worth the pain, and I will probably do it again.

Todays Thoughts

My house closes today! Wahoo. After today I will be poor for the next thirty years, most likely longer, and I'm still excited about it. I can not wait to move in, and make my own curtains, and decorate exactly how I want. Now if I only had money to buy stuff for my new home. That would be nice.
Rain! I love that it has been raining all weekend and its still raining. It's been so nice. It looks like it will clear up today finally, but I wish it would keep going. Its been so refreshing. By the end of the week the temperature is supposed to be up around 90 again.
Tomorrow I am getting a full leg wax. I've never had my legs waxed before and I'm pretty nervous. I'm afraid it is going to hurt really really bad. The girl that is doing it for me says that it only hurts on the shin and around the ankle, but for some reason I don't believe her. Last night I was in bed trying to sleep, but I started thinking about my leg wax and it woke me right up. I'll sleep better once it's over.

Boxed up

Packing Packing Packing. A couple of weeks ago a friend in the ward called Robbie and I and asked for help moving. We went over to her house only to find it a mess. When we asked where she wanted to start she just said everything needed to go. We spent the afternoon throwing unorganized stuff into the back of a moving truck. That is when I decided that everything that I moved into my new house would be gone through, organized, and packed neatly. I figure this way I wont move any trash or junk into my new house. Also my friends and family who help me move will keep some of their sanity while hauling everything out. I also dont think that everyone needs to see and go through all your personal belongings. Ha - Easier said than done I'm finding out. Packing is pretty hard. No matter how many boxes I get packed and piled up it still seems like I'm not getting any closer. On moving day it will be interesting to find out how it goes.

Long time...

I guess my family is saying its been to long since I've posted anything on my blog. I guess they are right. What an interesting weekend. We had the most frustrating time getting approved for a home loan, and yesterday we found out that we make TOO MUCH money to qualify for the program that we wanted. To much money...here we are trying to prove that we really do make enough money for them to loan us over 200,000 and then it turns out we make to much money. That is totally insane. No wonder mortgage companys are going out of business, they are stupid. Anyway, today we finally got it all settled and we should close by the middle of next week. Sandi, the loan lady, said she might be able to get it all done and close early (but I'm not holding my breath this time).

Happy Family

Earlier this week my oldest brother Carlton got married. I really thought that he would never get married. He surprised all of us when he said told us he was engaged, but the real shocker was that he was planning on getting married in the temple. The wedding day was beautiful. It was so fun having our whole family gather together and celebrate his marrage. Carl told me that he loved me for the first time in a long time. You could see in his eyes that he was truly happy. Carls wife, Debra, is the perfect addition to our family. She is so sweet. One of my favorite parts is that not only did I gain a wonderful sister-in-law, but a wonderful neice and nephew.
Being at the wedding was such a great reminder of the love that I have for my husband, Robbie. I was just remembering how I felt when we got married. It is strange to see how love grows in only two years. Our wedding day was so special, but I wouldn't go back for anything. We've grown so much since then.

On a happier note...

I start this blog as a journal for family, friends, and myself and I haven't blogged one thing that has been really positive. This blog is dedicated to the happy positive things in my life. My husband Robbie and I just put an offer on what will be our first home. Its a cute starter home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. 1200 sqare feet. Were so excited to have our own place. It will be a little stressful at first because we will be sooo poor, but it is worth it. We'll finally quit throwing our money out the window.
Family is the next positive thing I've got going for me right now. My family is the best. My mom and my sister Jenni are the best friends I have. But I'm close with all my family and Robbies family. They give us so much love and support. That makes life a little easier.
Today work has been good. No one has said anything to me about leaving yesterday. I think everyone just was on edge, and blamed me. Looks like a night of stressing out was for nothing. I need to learn to relax a little. I'd get more sleep that way. Anyway, point is: Life is Good. There are a lot of thing to be happy about and if you dwell on the bad stuff, its hard to recognize the really good things going on around you.

Not looking forward to work tomorrow...

My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home. Its so exciting to be making that step in our lives, but it sure does take a lot of time. You've got to find an agent, find a house, make an offer, go get a loan, sign papers... on and on. The only time I have to do these things is during the day when I work, and all the people I have to talk to work. So I left my job today at the amphitheater to go walk thorough the house we are making an offer on and when I get back its like all hell has broke loose. The computers were down! We couldn't sell tickets! The phones were so busy!...on and on. The whole rest of they day when I'm there it is down right slow. I have a had time believing that when I walk out the door things start falling apart that quickly. Then to make matters worse I had to leave early to go to my massage job. I'm gone less that 30 minutes and I'm already getting a phone call saying that something has gone wrong. I'm not sure why I'm the only one capable of handling the box office. So tomorrow morning I get to go in with the boss and explain my schedule and why my shift isn't covered when I'm gone. Its fun to be Me.

drama, drama, drama

Besides working at an outdoor amphitheater during the day, I also work as a massage therapist at night. I really like doing massage therapy. Seeing people get off my table and feel better is a great feeling. There is only one thing I don't like about working at a day spa, and that is the drama. As you can imagine working with all girls in a tiny spa can be quite the challenge. So and so doesn't like so and so... So and so said something mean...and the list goes on and on and on. You may think, why don't you just ignore such problems, do your job then go home? Its not that easy! Everyone expects you to choose a side. They'll say (in so many words) "So and so said something mean about me now you bad mouth them with me, or we're not friends." It always sucks me in. I think all girls are suckers for drama. I start letting all my feelings come out, but it never makes me feel better to join in. In fact most of the time it makes me feel worse. I really wish I could just go to work, do my job, have fun, then go home with happy... well there is always tomorrow.

isn't it ironic?

Hey, its Lisa. I'm new at this blogging thing, but I figured I needed to try it out. Here it goes... So today I decided to come into work early because I really need the hours (=$money). I got here at 8:30, sat down at my desk and sure enough the server was down. The IT guy doesn't show up until 9:30 or 10 most days (today he didn't show up at all) but luckily this has happened before so I knew how to fix it myself. I took the treck up stairs to the main computer and sure enough it was locked. Of course (for security reasons) I dont have the password, so I came back down stairs and found someone who did. By the time they got up and fixed the problem it was 9:30. (This is the ironic part) 9:30 is when I normally come in to work. Good thing I was clocked in.