My name is Lisa Love. I am a wife, a mom, a grandma, a Christian, a Domestic(ish) Goddess, a US Navy veteran, a NASAR certified search & rescue technician, and a full-time billing coordinator at a trucking company.
I am a general class amateur radio operator (the url of this blog is my callsign) and volunteer examiner. I am also a half-assed FlyBaby and a long time member of Weight Watchers - which is why there is a tab above related to my weight loss story. That used to be on a separate blog but I merged them for convenience sake.
I LOVE Halloween & am always on the lookout for ideas that may be used in my yard display, the Maple Grove Cemetery. Oh, and you can often find me carrying around a 3 foot tall skeleton named Chuck, who has googly eyes and wears a tuxedo onesie, taking pics for his IG account (@chuck.d.bones)
I have a wide variety of interests, so my posts may be a bit scattered. I write about whatever floats my boat at the moment.
I tied the knot with my sweetie, Randy, (the Spouse) on July 8, 2006 and were together several years before that happy day. My 25 year old daughter, Angela (the Spawn) presented us with grandson Adam (LittleMan) on January 2, 2020 and granddaughter Kennedy (BabyGirl) on October 18, 2021. They still live with us, but we hold onto hope that they move out before the kids graduate high school! We have 3 sassy cats named Rusty, Maddie & Daisy. Our house may be really small, cluttered and crowded but it's home.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Here's an additional 123 random things about me
(aka more than you probably care to know!)
These are no way in order, just as I thought of them.
1. I love being married. The Spouse is my best friend and we "together" well. We don't even need to be talking - just be doing stuff near each other.
2. I don't feel like a grandma! Aren't they old ladies?
3. On very rare occasions I regret not having more kids, but most times I'm happy there's only one!
4. I was in the US Navy for 8 years. My title was PC2(AW) or Postal Clerk, Petty Officer Second Class, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist.
5. My family can drive me nuts.
6. I was a dance mom beginning when Spawn was 5 until she was 21. The last few years felt like I was working just to put her thru dance! Thankfully her very last dance ended in a 6 foot trophy and a "National Champion" banner!
7. I love all my furry critters !!! I consider myself to be bi-petual since I love both dogs & cats. Well....cats a wee bit more.
8. I sometimes regret getting out of the Navy. I loved all aspects of it. On the other hand - my life would be different now & I won't trade that for anything.
9. I am an officer at my VFW and a chair person for several committees. It feels weird going to meetings, being considerably younger than most and being one of only three active female members. And I feel that my time in the Navy was cake compared to what these Korea / Vietnam vets went thru.
10. I am a Christian. I was baptized July 4, 2010 - what better day than that??
11. I am the youngest of 5. Or next to last of 6, depending on how picky you want to be. My parents adopted my brother's daughter when she was 7, so she's my niece / sister. And she's named after me.
12. I have 2 older sisters & 2 older brothers. My sisters' and I's names all begin with L, end with A and our middle names rhyme. Laura Lee (aka Sis1), Linda Bea (aka Sis2) & Lisa Marie. Dad named us and supposedly it was a coincidence.
13. I was born on Sis1's 13th birthday. Happy day to her!!
14. I hope I'm as spry & active as my mom is at 88!
15. My ham radio call sign is a vanity call. N8LisaTheGreat.
16. I am a "professional volunteer" on the Lapeer County Search & Rescue Team, along with Sis1. I'm qualified as a SARTECH I, aka Field Team Leader, as well as a multitude of other qualifications.
17. I log onto the HalloweenForum pretty regularly, year-round. You can't have a big display like mine without planning!
18. I am silently judging your spelling & grammar.
19. I am a sympathy crier. If I see someone crying, it's likely that I'll tear up, too. And the National Anthem and Taps never fail to choke me up. I frustration / anger cry, too.
20. I am a morning person.
21. I enjoy watching "visitors" to our bird feeder - except for the furry black & white ones.
22. I've learned the hard way that character is more important than looks.
23. I'd eventually maybe like to live in Arkansas (the Spouse is from there), altho summer heat & humidity would do me in.
24. I'd really like to visit the Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs more than I currently get to!!
25. I hate stupid drivers. My definition of stupid is very fluid depending on the traffic I'm in.
26. ME LIKE HOCKEY !!! Mainly the Detroit Red Wings.
27. I think football and basketball is boring and baseball players are overpaid sissies.
28. I miss the friendships I made while in the Navy. I truly treasure them.
29. I get impatient. When I know something is going to happen (trips, blogging challenges, etc) I want to plan and do NOW.
30. I love horses & horseback riding.
31. I'm the mounted division team lead on my SAR team and I don't even own my own horse - yet!
32. I want to visit all 50 states.
33. My idea of style is "comfort". And it literally takes about 3 seconds to do my hair.
34. The Spouse & I joke about buying an RV and running away so we can finally be empty-nesters!
35. Def Leppard has been my favorite band since high school.
36. I used to have 5 tattoos, but now I have 4. Magical - LOL! The artist added to an existing piece & covered another that hadn't aged well in the process.
37. I want to get one more. I just don't know where or what yet. Something with "DAD" on it maybe. Or a paw print for Skeeter, the first cat I had as an adult....
38. I like to decorate some for all holidays. But I go BIG at Halloween, and the rest of the holidays get minimal decor.
39. I like to decorate my desk at work for all holidays. I take my most obnoxious stuff there - to annoy people - LOL!
40. Old buildings / houses fascinate me.
41. I like to do stuff with my hands.
42. I am creative and have a good imagination.
43. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I complete a project. Then I like to "survey" what I've done!
44. I like things that are unique / unusual / odd / different / funky.
45. I like to try new things; food, experiences, etc.
46. I am still somewhat miffed that we missed going to Australia while in the Navy (USS Abraham Lincoln CVN72 / WestPac '95). I really wanted to try real authentic Vegemite handed to me by a real Aussie.
47. Sometimes I wish I had a maid to clean the house for me.
48. Sometimes I wish I only worked part time so then #47 wouldn't apply!
49. I have a colorful vocabulary. 8 years in the Navy and 20+ around truck drivers...yes. Cuss words add flavor! However, I don't use the F-bomb....often.
50. Cemeteries fascinate me - the older the better! The art, history and peace are incredible.
51. I re-read books multiple times and I do know the difference between smutty romance novels & real life.
52. I am wordy and pay a lot of attention (maybe too much) to detail. And use exclamation points a lot.
53. I fully believe that nature is the art of God.
54. I will shriek like a little girl if a spider gets on me. They need to stay outside.
55. However, I think some bugs are cute - ladybugs, roly polys, dragonflies, butterflies, praying mantises, katydids. That's IT.
56. I am generally a happy person. I choose to be.
57. I had a hysterectomy July 2016. I never knew major surgery could be so wonderful!
58. I own a gun.
59. I enjoy my plants. They're all over my house and desk at work. And I talk to them.
60. I am a carnivore. God made animals taste good for a reason!
61. I believe my cats can tell time, especially dinner time. Maddie is our "informer" - she knows when something if different in her little world.
62. I think feet are ugly. Only baby feet are cute.
63. I was married twice before I met the Spouse. 3rd time really is a charm !!
64. I believe this marriage will be for life because we were married in a church, in front of God & family instead of making an appointment at a courthouse like the first 2.
65. One of my tattoos says "Love" on it - so the Spouse is stuck with me forever!
66. I appreciate him so much since he accepted me with a ready-made family - kid & cat. And sometimes I swear Spawn is his biological kid - they both can be stubborn butt-heads!
67. I have a large collection of Hot Wheels monster trucks.
68. By 10 years old, Dad had taught me to make his favorite vodka martini, extra dry on the rocks with 14 olives. My siblings and I made these in honor of him when he passed away in 2009 and I think we all gagged. EW!!
69. I have a loud laugh.
70. Fall is my favorite season, followed closely by spring. Or maybe spring, followed closely by fall?
71. I read a wide variety of blogs & would like to be as witty as some of those people!
72. Kermit the Frog rocks!
73. "HairNation", XM channel 39 is preset in my car. Love my 80's Hair Metal!
74. I love thunderstorms.
75. I am a NWS certified SkyWarn Weather Spotter.
76. I color my hair. My natural hair color is mud.
77. We are Christian and still celebrate Christmas with Santa and Easter with the Bunny. We know what the real reason of the holiday is, but we choose to have fun, too!
78. I'm lazy.
79. I get more stuff done around the house when no one else is home. No idea why that is.
80. I almost always make my bed (unless the Spouse is still in it).
81. I hardly ever paint my fingernails, but in the summer my toenails are always done.
82. I like breakfast for dinner.
83. My camera is never very far away from me. Digital (and phone) cameras are the greatest invention, ever!
84. October is my favorite color.
85. I don't understand how anyone can abuse / neglect kids or animals.
86. OMG! Don't freakin' stand behind me while I'm at a computer! HATE THAT!!!!
87. I can drive a manual transmission.
88. I don't watch much TV in general. The only thing I go out of my way to watch is RuPaul's Drag Race. Love me some Ru!
89. I'd love to live in one of those big old Victorian houses, or those barn houses. Something unusual and/or unique. But it needs a big yard or preferably acreage!
90. I hate the mall. Actually shopping in general.
91. I was an average nobody in high school. I wasn’t in any cliques or groups. Graduated pretty much right smack in the middle of my class.
92. Geocaching is fun.
93. I have a hard time sitting still and watching a movie or TV unless it really captures my attention.
94. In bootcamp, a girl told me she had a hard time understanding my accent. I thought she was nuts until I saw an article and took a quiz about "the Michigan Accent". Wow! I had no idea this was a thing!! So yeah - I guess I do have one.
95. I don't like my voice. I think it's too deep, I have a lisp and sometimes if I try to speak too fast, my words tumble out in the wrong order.
8. I sometimes regret getting out of the Navy. I loved all aspects of it. On the other hand - my life would be different now & I won't trade that for anything.
9. I am an officer at my VFW and a chair person for several committees. It feels weird going to meetings, being considerably younger than most and being one of only three active female members. And I feel that my time in the Navy was cake compared to what these Korea / Vietnam vets went thru.
10. I am a Christian. I was baptized July 4, 2010 - what better day than that??
11. I am the youngest of 5. Or next to last of 6, depending on how picky you want to be. My parents adopted my brother's daughter when she was 7, so she's my niece / sister. And she's named after me.
12. I have 2 older sisters & 2 older brothers. My sisters' and I's names all begin with L, end with A and our middle names rhyme. Laura Lee (aka Sis1), Linda Bea (aka Sis2) & Lisa Marie. Dad named us and supposedly it was a coincidence.
13. I was born on Sis1's 13th birthday. Happy day to her!!
14. I hope I'm as spry & active as my mom is at 88!
15. My ham radio call sign is a vanity call. N8LisaTheGreat.
16. I am a "professional volunteer" on the Lapeer County Search & Rescue Team, along with Sis1. I'm qualified as a SARTECH I, aka Field Team Leader, as well as a multitude of other qualifications.
17. I log onto the HalloweenForum pretty regularly, year-round. You can't have a big display like mine without planning!
18. I am silently judging your spelling & grammar.
19. I am a sympathy crier. If I see someone crying, it's likely that I'll tear up, too. And the National Anthem and Taps never fail to choke me up. I frustration / anger cry, too.
20. I am a morning person.
21. I enjoy watching "visitors" to our bird feeder - except for the furry black & white ones.
22. I've learned the hard way that character is more important than looks.
23. I'd eventually maybe like to live in Arkansas (the Spouse is from there), altho summer heat & humidity would do me in.
24. I'd really like to visit the Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs more than I currently get to!!
25. I hate stupid drivers. My definition of stupid is very fluid depending on the traffic I'm in.
26. ME LIKE HOCKEY !!! Mainly the Detroit Red Wings.
27. I think football and basketball is boring and baseball players are overpaid sissies.
28. I miss the friendships I made while in the Navy. I truly treasure them.
29. I get impatient. When I know something is going to happen (trips, blogging challenges, etc) I want to plan and do NOW.
30. I love horses & horseback riding.
31. I'm the mounted division team lead on my SAR team and I don't even own my own horse - yet!
32. I want to visit all 50 states.
33. My idea of style is "comfort". And it literally takes about 3 seconds to do my hair.
34. The Spouse & I joke about buying an RV and running away so we can finally be empty-nesters!
35. Def Leppard has been my favorite band since high school.
36. I used to have 5 tattoos, but now I have 4. Magical - LOL! The artist added to an existing piece & covered another that hadn't aged well in the process.
37. I want to get one more. I just don't know where or what yet. Something with "DAD" on it maybe. Or a paw print for Skeeter, the first cat I had as an adult....
38. I like to decorate some for all holidays. But I go BIG at Halloween, and the rest of the holidays get minimal decor.
39. I like to decorate my desk at work for all holidays. I take my most obnoxious stuff there - to annoy people - LOL!
40. Old buildings / houses fascinate me.
41. I like to do stuff with my hands.
42. I am creative and have a good imagination.
43. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I complete a project. Then I like to "survey" what I've done!
44. I like things that are unique / unusual / odd / different / funky.
45. I like to try new things; food, experiences, etc.
46. I am still somewhat miffed that we missed going to Australia while in the Navy (USS Abraham Lincoln CVN72 / WestPac '95). I really wanted to try real authentic Vegemite handed to me by a real Aussie.
47. Sometimes I wish I had a maid to clean the house for me.
48. Sometimes I wish I only worked part time so then #47 wouldn't apply!
49. I have a colorful vocabulary. 8 years in the Navy and 20+ around truck drivers...yes. Cuss words add flavor! However, I don't use the F-bomb....often.
50. Cemeteries fascinate me - the older the better! The art, history and peace are incredible.
51. I re-read books multiple times and I do know the difference between smutty romance novels & real life.
52. I am wordy and pay a lot of attention (maybe too much) to detail. And use exclamation points a lot.
53. I fully believe that nature is the art of God.
54. I will shriek like a little girl if a spider gets on me. They need to stay outside.
55. However, I think some bugs are cute - ladybugs, roly polys, dragonflies, butterflies, praying mantises, katydids. That's IT.
56. I am generally a happy person. I choose to be.
57. I had a hysterectomy July 2016. I never knew major surgery could be so wonderful!
58. I own a gun.
59. I enjoy my plants. They're all over my house and desk at work. And I talk to them.
60. I am a carnivore. God made animals taste good for a reason!
61. I believe my cats can tell time, especially dinner time. Maddie is our "informer" - she knows when something if different in her little world.
62. I think feet are ugly. Only baby feet are cute.
63. I was married twice before I met the Spouse. 3rd time really is a charm !!
64. I believe this marriage will be for life because we were married in a church, in front of God & family instead of making an appointment at a courthouse like the first 2.
65. One of my tattoos says "Love" on it - so the Spouse is stuck with me forever!
66. I appreciate him so much since he accepted me with a ready-made family - kid & cat. And sometimes I swear Spawn is his biological kid - they both can be stubborn butt-heads!
67. I have a large collection of Hot Wheels monster trucks.
68. By 10 years old, Dad had taught me to make his favorite vodka martini, extra dry on the rocks with 14 olives. My siblings and I made these in honor of him when he passed away in 2009 and I think we all gagged. EW!!
69. I have a loud laugh.
70. Fall is my favorite season, followed closely by spring. Or maybe spring, followed closely by fall?
71. I read a wide variety of blogs & would like to be as witty as some of those people!
72. Kermit the Frog rocks!
73. "HairNation", XM channel 39 is preset in my car. Love my 80's Hair Metal!
74. I love thunderstorms.
75. I am a NWS certified SkyWarn Weather Spotter.
76. I color my hair. My natural hair color is mud.
77. We are Christian and still celebrate Christmas with Santa and Easter with the Bunny. We know what the real reason of the holiday is, but we choose to have fun, too!
78. I'm lazy.
79. I get more stuff done around the house when no one else is home. No idea why that is.
80. I almost always make my bed (unless the Spouse is still in it).
81. I hardly ever paint my fingernails, but in the summer my toenails are always done.
82. I like breakfast for dinner.
83. My camera is never very far away from me. Digital (and phone) cameras are the greatest invention, ever!
84. October is my favorite color.
85. I don't understand how anyone can abuse / neglect kids or animals.
86. OMG! Don't freakin' stand behind me while I'm at a computer! HATE THAT!!!!
87. I can drive a manual transmission.
88. I don't watch much TV in general. The only thing I go out of my way to watch is RuPaul's Drag Race. Love me some Ru!
89. I'd love to live in one of those big old Victorian houses, or those barn houses. Something unusual and/or unique. But it needs a big yard or preferably acreage!
90. I hate the mall. Actually shopping in general.
91. I was an average nobody in high school. I wasn’t in any cliques or groups. Graduated pretty much right smack in the middle of my class.
92. Geocaching is fun.
93. I have a hard time sitting still and watching a movie or TV unless it really captures my attention.
94. In bootcamp, a girl told me she had a hard time understanding my accent. I thought she was nuts until I saw an article and took a quiz about "the Michigan Accent". Wow! I had no idea this was a thing!! So yeah - I guess I do have one.
95. I don't like my voice. I think it's too deep, I have a lisp and sometimes if I try to speak too fast, my words tumble out in the wrong order.
96. I like to sing, but can only imagine how bad I sound.
97. My iTunes playlists are full of songs that make me want to sing along.
98. I like to cross-stitch. I’ve been working on a haunted house one for way too long.
99. Before I got pregnant with Spawn, I was almost alcoholic. I drank a LOT. I can't do those mornings-after anymore. And I really don't like not being in control of myself.
100. I've never smoked. Tried Copenhagen once. I've never done any drugs, either. Never wanted to. See the last sentence in #99.
101. I rode a bull once - just to say I did. Epic Fail! I lasted about 4 seconds, landed face down in the dirt (thankfully ONLY dirt!!), got the wind knocked out of me & got a hoof print on the back of my calf.
102. I have over 100 nutcrackers - for all holidays that I've been able to find. Maybe I need intervention?
103. I love to listen to the rain at night. It makes me sleep really well!
104. I enjoy watching Monster trucks.
105. I don't like really deep water where I can't see the bottom. Funny since I was in the Navy! However, if I had ever gotten the chance to participate in Swim Call (jumping off the ship in the middle of the ocean) I would have done it in a heartbeat! Probably would have needed to be pushed and I would have peed on the way down, but I would have done it!
106. I love to look at the sky. Daytime clouds, nighttime stars, sunrise, sunset, whenever.
107. I think I believe in ghosts. Never actually saw one but have had a couple experiences that can’t be explained any other way. .
108. Growing up, I spent most weekends & summers "Up North" at "the Farm" with the family.
109. I was 2 when I was put on a horse the first time. My oldest sister was given Nibbs when she was 15 so I grew up with him.
110. Is anyone actually reading this?
111. I totally relate to the meme up in the right corner that says "My mind is like an internet browser. 19 tabs are open, 4 are frozen and I don't know where the music is coming from!" That's so me.
112. I hate folding clothes. And I no longer sort socks - they get tossed into a basket.
113. But I do love my High Efficiency washer & dryer!
114. Whoever invented the dishwasher is my hero.
115. I think my eyes are amazing. I have Dad's eyes, Spawn has them, and now LittleMan, too. They change color based on mood & what we're wearing. They range from haze gray to bright blue.
116. OMG, carbs. Totally addicted (hence the need for WeightWatchers!)
117. I got bucked off and drug behind a galloping horse before. Sad part is - he had no saddle on! I never let go of the rope I was using for reins. Got stepped on then, too.
118. I have a trick knee, aka a mild tear in my meniscus, thanks to #117 and oh maybe all the miles on a ship hauling mail up & down those nice steep ladders. I never know when or how bad it will act up.
119. The reason I blog is because it's a place for me to speak my mind without anyone talking over me. I have this talent where the middle of my sentences interrupt the beginning of other people's! Doesn't matter where I am or who I'm around. I don't get how some people can ramble on and everyone is riveted to every syllable. But I try to say something important or meaningful and people are like yeah, yeah, yeah *change topic*.
120. I don't make small talk or friends easily, which is why I value the few friends that I do have. A lot of times it's just easier to sit back & listen.
121. I was bullied a lot in school, which was probably a deciding factor in my joining the Navy - to get the hell away! I genuinely feel sorry for those poor saps I went to school with who married a classmate, still live in in that podunk town and now their kids are stuck there. There's a whole big wide glorious world out there, people!
122. Growing up, I wanted to be a horse trainer. I was even accepted at a college in Ohio for equestrian studies and everything. Then one day I saw a Navy recruiter at school. I don't know what went thru my mind, but Bam, sign me up!
123. Growing up, I always said I was going to marry a 90 year old millionaire and never have kids. Well, there's still hope for one part of that - the Spouse will eventually get old!
