Is it almost Christmas vacation yet??? I have too many activities and not enough time and to make things even better two sick kids. Where is that Calgon when you need it?

My sweetie suprised me with a movie I've been wanting to watch so as soon as he get's off the phone we are going to snuggle on the couch and eat popcorn with lots of butter. yummm! :-) G'night, sleep tight.......and don't let those bed bugs bite!!

Receiving wonderful gifts from my secret santa. Thank you whoever you are! :-) I am feeling completely spoiled! *S*

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Things here have been busy to say the least. This time of year is always crazy. Spent a wonderful girls only weekend with my mom, stepsister and our daughters. Now it's back to reality with too many things to do and not enough time to do it and here I sit at my computer trying to talk myself into moving.

It is sooooo cold outside! I am praying that my car starts. I have to go into town and I am really dreading it. Wish me luck on the car starting because I am in big trouble if it doesn't.

Seconds after my last post I received a phone call that set off World War III in my family. The dust has settled and we are all licking our wounds so to speak. My mom and I are so much alike it's scary! We both react with the same anger and fire when we feel someone in our family (especially each other) have been hurt. The men in our lives both know that we react from our heart and not always logically, they both know that when our tempers are set off there is hell to pay, and they both know that in the end our love for them and our family as a whole keeps us bound together even stronger than before. But does that keep them from being stupid? Of course not!! My stepdad is a wonderful man and an incredible grandfather to my children but sometimes he opens his mouth and the most incredibly stupid things come out. Thank goodness we have resolved things and hopefully we will enjoy a stetch of peace and calm before we drive each other to madness again! Isn't it funny how genetics sometimes over rule our common sense? For the most part I am calm and level headed and then when I least expect it my latin blood takes over and I go ballistic! Oh well, at least it's never boring around here! hehe

I'm mad at Marshall today. I am continuing my anger from last night. At this point I don't even really want to be mad but I feel like if I don't stay mad he will think that everything is fine which it is not! Do you ever feel like you are having the same fight again and again and no matter how many times you try to get your point across it just isn't getting through? I am tired of fighting over the same damn thing and after every fight I hear the same crap that doesn't mean anything because I know the next fight will be exactly the same. When I started dating Marshall I knew he was a workaholic. We met at work so of course I knew that, this was the guy would work 24 hours a day and cover every shift even when he hadn't slept in over 48 hours.......and no I am not exagerating. I knew this, did I think I could change it? No......well maybe.....but not really. The point is all I ask for is a flippin phone call to tell me he is working, that he won't be back when he says he will, and even though he has a cell phone in his pocket he still can't take a few seconds to tell me not to wait for him. That is the worst part.....the waiting. I hate waiting. It brings back really bad memories from my childhood. Marshall knows why I feel this way, he knows why the one damn phone call means so much to me and yet he still doesn't call. Why do I waste my breath?

I just had a visit from Wah Lee. She left a cute message about how my page reminded her of "hot cocoa". I then visited her page which I really liked. Although the picture she has on her main index made me look twice because they guy looked almost exactly like an old boyfriend from high school named Jason. I haven't thought of Jason in a long time. We never let anyone know we were dating because he was a year younger than me and I didn't want anyone to know but damn he was sexy. :-) Isn't it funny when past memories come back so vivid they take you away to a place that was for so long forgotten?

I then realized that being compared to hot cocoa was kind of sad. Sure it's warm and comforting and so sweet but it doesn't seem like that long ago when I would have been compared more to a shot of tequila. Warm with fire and sexy and wild. I know that those parts of me are still there but for the most part I am just a mom........hot cocoa. How depressing.

Yesterday was World Aids Day. I participated in a Day Without Weblogs. I had an email with someone who also participated who was wondering if the whole thing actually did anything positive. I'm not sure, I would like to think that it added to the awareness of the crisis, I would like to think that maybe someone out there found my page and actually followed the links I set up, I would like to think that the time I spent finding personal stories hoping to reach someone actually found their way into someone's heart, I would like to think............but maybe not. ....

Another winter storm here in North Dakota. It is days like this that I am happy to snuggle on the couch next to my sweetie with a bowl of popcorn and a warm blanket. We bought our christmas tree on Sunday from a nearby tree farm. The girls went on a sleigh ride and played with the kittens. We have been thinking of buying the kids a kitten and were happily surprised that the kittens on the farm were up for adoption. Our newest family member is named Mittens and she is black with a white face and paws. She is so cute and cuddly. I will post pictures of her soon. Anthony and Mittens played together all day, with the girls in school Anthony was very thankful for a new playmate.

Well, in case you were wondering......Yes I survived the madness of shopping the after Thanksgiving sales. I actually had a lot of fun. Jenny had the whole day planned out and I just kind of went along for the ride. For the first time in my whole life my Christmas shopping is just about complete and it's not even December yet! Most that I have talked to think I am insane for standing in line at ToysRUs at the crack of dawn and I must say that I agree! hehe But I never said I was normal and I am pretty sure that when next year comes around I will be standing in line once again. Thanks to Jenny for the wonderful day.....and when our parents see their credit card bill we will just have to be sure and remind them how much we bonded on our shopping excursion! :-)

I can not believe that I am up at 3:00 am to go Christmas shopping!! I must be insane! Of course my mom found a way to talk her way out of going (she did hand over her credit cards, hoping to appease her guilt of not going) so it is just going to be me and my stepsister Jenny. I have never even considered getting up early enough to stand in line and freeze with a bunch of women who are probably going to run me over to save a couple of dollars on a Seasame Street toy! Watching Jenny get ready for it last night was amazing. She had all of the newspaper ads spread out in front of her and sorted in order by the time that each store was opening. After sorting through them, she made a list of the things (in order) that she wanted to get. She did confess that she is one of the ones who go barrelling through the store in search of the "free" items. I am hoping to just stay close enough to Jenny in case some old lady attacks me over the last Harry Potter Trivia game so that she can bat them off. Wish me luck.........and wish me well. Hopefully I will survive!

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Graphic by Cute Countryside Graphics)


Wishing you and your family much happiness during the holiday season!
God Bless,
from
Marshall, Lisa, Brittany, Danielle, and Anthony
P.S. Danielle has a special Thanksgiving wish here.

Sorry I haven't posted much this week. Things have been pretty busy here. I am not ready for Christmas and it is just around the corner. John L. is home from the hospital. Go here for more details.

The kids are having another four day weekend. We have all been so busy, we are really looking forward to just being together tomorrow. Marshall will be in big, big trouble if he even thinks of working in the shop tomorrow! He has been so busy getting everything set up for the Tour of Lights and making sure everything is running before we get hit with our busiest time of year.

I have had two letters from Gilly. I miss him so much, isn't that weird? When he was here he drove me crazy!! He should be home for Christmas, everyone is very excited. Jorge will be spending Christmas here in North Dakota with the girls and of course they are very excited to see him. The time has went by so fast, I feel as if he just brought them back from summer vacation!

Quite a bit going on here. Marshall's dad is in the hospital. I will keep updates here.

I also went to Danielle's conferences last week. I didn't write anything here because I wanted to talk to Jorge first which I did on Wednesday. She is not imporoving with her speech or reading the way she should be. She is only in first grade but this and next year are very important years to make sure that she is prepared for the rest of her education. The only way to make sure that she catches with the rest of her class is to send her to summer school. This means that she will not be able to visit Jorge in California for her next summer vacation. Last year it was also suggested that she should go to summer school but I was so confident that she would catch up and I didn't want to interfere with the little bit of time that she has with her dad. I feel so bad about this whole thing. Danielle understood that she won't be going to her dads this summer because she has to go to school. She wasn't upset and I think that is because she also understands taht she is behind the rest of her class and she doesn't like that. She is such a smart little girl and I just know that with the extra attention and help will give her the confidence and skills she needs to catch up. Brittany was more upset than Danielle. Even though they fight (often) they are very close and as Brittany said they "have never been separated."

Jorge is hoping to at least be able to take some time off to visit her here over the summer but it won't be the same as staying with him n California. I will just have to keep her busy and make sure that her summer is extra special. My heart is just breaking over this whole thing. I just don't want her to end up hating school. Having a big sister who is always bringing home straight "A's" is something that I'm afraid will also make her give up on school. Growing up I always had really good grades and I didn't have to work very hard while my little sister had to struggle to get C's. I know that she had a very negative attitude and it wasn't until I moved out of the house and got married that she seemed to finally feel successful in school.

My house is an icebox right now! Yes, I remembered to pay my electric bill but I still have no heat! Why? Off Peak Heating! I live out in the country and where we live we are required to have a heating plan that is called "off peak." What that means is that during peak electric use (the coldest days of the year) everyone on off peak gets heat maybe ten minutes out of every hour. We are supposed to have backup propane heat but our house is old and big and drafty so of course that never works. This plan keeps our electric bills down (of course they are low, we don't have any heat!) and keeps the power company from being overtaxed by too much of a demand. Oh well, one plus to off peak heating is that when it gets really cold we bundle up together on the couch under one blanket and read stories. Except for Anthony who never sits still. He is always warm anyway bundled up in his fuzzy pajamas with the feet. Welcome to winter in North Dakota, stay tuned for more snow, blizzards, ice and cold.

The Broncos Won!

Yeah!! I was a little nervous the last half hour of the game especially after calling Bill last week and laughing at him because the Vikings lost. What a close game. I can't believe that the Raiders are doing so well this year!

Got another letter from Gilbert. He is a little nervous that his graduation might be set back. He didn't say why but he does sound a bit discouraged. I just hope he can hang in there. Everyone I talk to says that boot camp seems to take forever but once it's done you realize whey they make it so hard. For Gil, I'm sure the hardest part is the mental part. Having to take shit from someone and at times even feel abused and not be able to stand up for himself. I talked to his old elementary principal last week and he said that the hardest part for Gil will probably be to have to follow orders without wanting to know why he has to do something. Please send as many prayers his way as you can. I know he can do it, but the more strength behind him the better!

Marshall got to use the new snow plow today. Yes, we FINALLY have snow. I was starting to think that winter was going to take as long to start as the election is taking to finish! I am supposed to be making flyers to advertise the snow removal service and I keep finding something else I have to finish first. I have been putting it off for a few days now, so I guess I should get started before I get in even more trouble. :-) Oh, what the heck, just one more thing and then I'll get started. :-) (sorry honey, I am really going to get started now....)

Brittany made her very first cake today. She read the directions all by herself and all I did was take it out of the oven for her. When did she get so big? I still see her as the tiny little girl I'd pull in the wagon and take to the park and I can still see her at that same age licking the bowl when I was the one making the cake. How fast life goes by when you're not looking!

As I sit here in my Tina Turner T-shirt I must now figure out a way to rip the prior entry off the page and eat it. In my own defense, I must first say that I was only joking (well kinda). There are many of Tina's songs that I have liked but like in many things, when Marshall says one thing I automatically say the comlete opposite even if I might happen to agree with him. Why? I don't know it's just more fun around here that way. Add to that the fact that he starts drooling when he sees her pictures or hears her songs......well of course I made fun of her. What other defense do I have? Besides I did tell him that if he ever had a chance to have a one night stand with Tina he should go for it. Now, if that isn't understanding I don't know what is! haha

Now before I get myself in more trouble, because now that Marshall realizes that I write about him here I have a feeling that he'll be checking up on me. He wants to know why I talk about him here when he doesn't talk about me to the whole world. Well, this is mainly anonymous and there are probably only two people other than me who reads this page. On the other hand he tells his dad stuff about me like when I'm mad at him (Marshall). I think he does it because then I have to be nice to him because I like his dad and I don't want him to think that I abuse Marshall (even if I do on occasion). Anyway, I think I'm getting sidetracked here, so before I get in more trouble I will tell you about the concert.

The concert was awesome!! Joe Cocker was the opening act and although I didn't realize that he sang so many songs that I knew, I was awed by the intensity of his voice. He was truely incredible! As for Tina, all I can say is that she has a charisma that you could feel rushing through the entire stadium! I mean she was up there with all these beautiful, young girls in skimpy outfits and I'm not sure if anyone even noticed them! I am truely humbled by her! I am 27 and after running after three kids all day I am beat, I can't imagine getting up on a stage and being as wild and energetic as she was, much less at 60! I came home exhausted after just watching her! All I can say is that if you have the chance to see this concert.....GO!

Still no decision.....as myself and the rest of the country waits. Have you ever watched a pot of water that never seems to boil? This is a hell of a lot worse! Let's hope we can finally resolve this tonight.

Marshall is in love with another woman........well kinda :-) He has pictures of her and all her CD's, he knows and loves all her songs by heart, and he is in love with her legs. Who am I talking about? Tina Turner. Tonight we are going to her concert. I must truely love this man because only for him would I go to this concert. Give me Kid Rock or Eminem any day!! Actually, we have an agreement. If we ever have a chance to see Eminem he has to go with me. Now that is truely a funny picture. I told him I would go to the concert under one condition......we couldn't sit close enough for her to sweat on me. :-)

Actually, Marshall's dad had the funniest assessment of the whole Tina thing. His comment was "why would anyone want to go see that old bag?" After listening to myself and Marshall's sisters give Marshall shit about Tina his dad finally defended him by saying,
"Don't feel bad son, Gene Autry is old too."
Marshall responded "but Dad, Gene Autry is dead!!."
and of course Marshall's dad got the last word by saying "You mean Tina's still alive!!"

All joking aside I'm sure this will be a fun concert........just lead me to the beer. :-)

Still no decision. I can no longer sit here holding my breath (I think I might be losing too much oxygen) so I'm going to bed now. 'night

I went to bad last night totally depressed!! I thought Bush had won the election and turned off the TV as they began their victory celebration. Imagine my surprise to wake up to NO DECISION!! I can't believe it. I can't imagine how nerveracking this is going to be until everything gets straightened out!! You just gotta love the democratic system. :-) Poor Brittany had to keep track of the polls for a class assignment and as you can probably imagine, her page was a mess as she first colored in Florida for Gore with redmarker, and then tried to white it out when there was no decision, only to have to color it blue when they gave it to Bush. She didn't even try to erase it this morning. She just started a new chart.

Polls still coming in....I only have one thing to say...well actually more than one but I will limit it to one right now...

The Electoral College Sucks!!

Thank you I feel better now. In other news:
We are finally getting snow!!! Yeah! Okay, so it's wet and not really sticky but there are flakes and I am happy. (remind me that I said this when I am cursing every single flake in January!)

Don't forget to vote today!!

By the way.....The Vikings lost last night!!
Yeah!!

I have had many blessings since meeting Marshall. One of the blessings I am thankful for is being welcomed into his family. I have always wanted a big sister and now I have four!! Today is Rocky's birthday and I just wanted to wish her a very happy birthday! I hope you have a great day today! Thank you all for making me and my children feel so welcome in your family.

I am so excited!! I can't believe it! My aunt Missy who I grew up with (we are only a year apart) just found me on AOL. I haven't heard from her for much too long. We were so close, she has always been a sister to me, and every time I would think of her I would wish I knew how to get in touch with her and now I know!! Losing touch with family is one of the worst things you can do! I can't wait for her to send me pictures of my little cousin Olivia!! When you have someone in your life who means that much to you no matter how much time goes by your hearts will always be connected! Thank you so much Missy for getting in touch!

"Honey, you really should go out with your friends tonight."

"I want to go but only if you go with me."

"I really just want to stay home tonight but you should go and have fun."

"No, if you don't go I'll stay home too."

"But I'm just gonna be finishing work on my page and I have a ton of laundry to do, so you might as well just go!"

"I'm just gonna stay home."

Sheesh.......sometimes I could just pull out my hair!! We've had this conversation too many times!! I really like going out with Nick and Chris but I am just not in the mood to get dressed, find a sitter, and sit in a bar and drink all night. But I know Marshall feels like going out to celebrate "Broom Day" (more on this in a bit). He should go out, he should have fun, he should get a break away from here before he gets sick of me. So why can't I get him to go unless I go??? We are not attached at the hip, at least we weren't last time I checked! Now I sound like I'm mad at him, I'm not mad I'm just frustrated. His friends are going to think that I'm not letting him go out and then they are gonna stop inviting him. You know how it goes, guy get's married/engaged - guy loses friends. I don't want to see that happen and I don't want his friends to think I'm a bitch but what can I do?

Broom Day. What is it? Well "The Broom" is what we call Marshall's ex girlfriend. Broom because she is a self proclaimed witch (she associates herself as a Wiccan but most Wiccan's I know want nothing to do with her) but mostly because she is such a bitch. Anyway, when she found out Marshall was dating me (they were already broken up at that point) she went into this psychotic rage. She set fire to his apartment, vandalized his truck, spread nasty hate mail about both of us, and she claimed to have put a spell on him that would have him dead on November 1, 2000 unless he were to break up with me and get back together with her. You can imagine what a hard choice that was:

A raving psycho or Lisa who is for the most part sane even if she does on occasion talk to herself

So after that tough dilema he decided not to get back together with her and ever since we have been "anxiously" awaiting November 1st when her evil spell would go into work and my sweetheard would fall dead leaving me for all eternity. Imagine our surprise when November 1st came and went and he is still alive. Or else he will be until I shoot him for not going out tonight!

I just got a letter from my brother Gilbert!!! He is in the middle of Navy "boot camp" at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. I miss him so much. Reading his letter made me cry. He is such a good kid and a wonderful brother. He seems to be doing well, just a little homesick. It's hard to believe how fast time goes by. I can still remember him picking his nose when he was a little kid and trying to wipe it on me. I also have a younger sister who has decided she no longer wants anything to do with her family. It's too bad she doesn't realize how much she is missing out on. All families get on each other's nerves and at some time or another we all wish (hope) that we were adopted but when it comes right down to it family is the most important thing that we've got. Maybe being the oldest gives me a different perspective but I can't imagine ignoring my entire family. Hopefully she'll soon realize that petty differences mean nothing in the long scheme of things, and when she does we will all be right her for her. After all isn't that what families are for?

I have been at this thing for so long I have no concept of time! Thanks to Marshall the kids are all fed and in bed. Once I get all of the main pages of this site up it won't be so time consuming. Before I forget Marshall's Page is now up. Don't worry honey, once I finish my pages I'll make a page just for you that's more your style. You know with biker babes and stuff on it. :-)

Thanks for saying hello Chauffeur Chad. Although when I answered your message I thought it was like 3am. I am really losing track of time!

Well, I have one more thing to finish and then it's off to bed I go to snuggle next to my sweetheart. That is if he's not too mad at me for ignoring him all night.

Created blog profile for Marshall so he can also post here. I'm not sure if he'll use it cause he hates to type but you never know. If nothing else he can talk to me here since he says I never listen to him. I keep telling him I have selective hearing..... I select what I want to hear.

Kids almost home from school.......leaving computer with blurry eyes. Reminder to self: Keep Q-tips out of Anthony's reach!! What a mess! Have to take kids to church tonight for All Saints Day mass and party. They are supposed to dress as their favorite saint. Does Harry Potter qualify??

Trying to update page style........please stand by.....keeping fingers crossed....eyes shut tight....
Damn! It didn't work....let's try again
Sheesh! Time to brush up on html!
Finally! I think I've got it! Yeah!
I think I just scared Anthony....no honey, mommy's yelling at her computer not you!

Okay...here we go. I hate to be left out of anything so I decided it was time to start blogging. This will be where I can keep you posted on updates on my page as well as just give me a place to vent. Right now my webpage is in a shambles as I try to update and create quickly. Like my house right now it is a mess, the nice thing about having a home on the web though is that once I get it cleaned up I don't have to worry about the kids destroying it. Unless of course Anthony comes along and turns the computer off before I hit "save". He has such good timing!