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. Whew!
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. Fyi - I'm not succeeding very well. Anyway, that used to be on a separate blog, but I merged them for convenience's 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 Instagram account (@chuck.d.bones) He also rides around in my car a lot, either buckled into the front seat or sitting in the grandson's carseat. He's like a 3D Flat Stanley.
Since I have such a wide variety of interests, my posts tend to be a bit scattered. I write about whatever floats my boat at the moment and will forever struggle with post titles!
Thanks for stopping by!
***************************************************
Here's an additional 100 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. 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. We'll be those old folks who indulge in PDA, because we can. We have a (marriage) license for that!
2. I don't feel like a grandma. Aren't they little grey-haired old ladies?
3. My title while in the Navy was PC2(AW) or Postal Clerk, Petty Officer
Second Class, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist. 8 years in a nutshell
- I went to bootcamp in Orlando, then to cryptologic school in Pensacola and dropped out soon after. Went to
the submarine tender USS Canopus AS34 for 2 1/2 years and decommissioned it. Went to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln CVN72 for another 2 1/2
years, had my kid and spent the last 2 1/2 years on shore duty in Everett,
WA.
4. It was super cool to be included in the first bunch of women stationed
on aircraft carriers. That was an amazing experience. There
will always be a piece of my heart shaped like a 72.
5. 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 interrupts the beginning of other people's! It doesn't matter
where I am or who I'm around. I don't get how some people can ramble on about nothing and they'll have an audience riveted to every syllable. But I try to say something
important or what I think is interesting and people are like yeah, yeah, yeah *change
topic*.
6. I was a dance mom beginning when the 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 competitive dance ended in a 6-foot trophy and a "National
Champion" banner. Then I got to dance with her in her last recital with the definitely NOT competitive, very hilarious adult tap class.
7. Can I be married and still a crazy cat lady? I wuv my kitties. We used to have a Beagle who thought he was a cat, and we'll eventually adopt another one (Beagle, that is). But we'll always have cats, especially orange ones.
8. I sometimes regret getting out of the Navy. I loved most of it. On
the other hand - my life would be different now & I won't trade that for
anything.
9. I am a chairperson for several
committees at my VFW as well as the website admin, social media peep and post historian. It sometimes feels weird going to meetings, being younger
than most and being one of only a few active female members. And I feel that my
time in the Navy was cake compared to what the "old guys" went thru.
10. I am a Christian. I was baptized July 4, 2010 in a lake, during an
outdoor church service, at a local park.
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. She was born when I was in the Gulf, and I may have shed a tear in front of the working party I was leading when I found out.
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 (me). Dad named us
after relatives and supposedly the rhyming 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 90+!
15. My amateur radio call sign is a vanity call. N8LisaTheGreat.
16. I’m a "professional volunteer" on the Lapeer County Search &
Rescue Team, along with Sis1. I'm qualified as a SARTECH I, aka Crew Leader, as well as holding a multitude of other qualifications as required.
17. I log onto the HalloweenForum and HauntForum pretty regularly,
year-round. I'm pretty happy with where my display is at, but it's fun to see what other people are
talking about. I also keep a notebook of thoughts & ideas that I refer back to a lot. New ideas are always welcome!
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. The National Anthem and Taps never fail to choke me
up. Frustration / anger / strong emotions get me, too.
20. I am a morning person. It makes for
some fun family gatherings – morning peeps vs non-morning peeps! We have a “happy good morning” song and dance and it’s hilarious (at least to those of us
doing it, anyway!)
21. As stressful and crazy as it is to have two feral little ones in my little house,
I swear I will never be a grandparent like what I had. I don't remember
ever having an actual conversation, let alone a relationship, with any of my grandparents. My siblings did, tho. I'm not even sure they
knew my name or whose kid I was, which meant I really didn't care when they all eventually passed
on. My grandkids will never
doubt the love Grandma & Papa have for them!
22. I'd eventually maybe like to live in Arkansas (the Spouse is from there), altho summer heat & humidity & bugs would do me in.
23. I'd really like to visit the Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs more than I
currently get to. If you ever get the chance to "take the waters" - do it!!
24. Eeew, People! I'm an introvert, especially as I’ve gotten older.
I dread going places with large crowds, even tho it usually ends up not as bad
as I feared.
25. I'm not a sports fan. But if I *had* to watch a sport, it would be
hockey.
26. I miss the friendships I made while in the Navy. I truly treasure
them. Thanks to Facebook, I found my 2 bestfriends / partners-in-crime
from my first ship and altho we are in Michigan, Ohio & Texas, we regularly
get together and it's like we've never been apart.
27. I get impatient. When I know something is going to happen (trips, blogging
challenges, etc) I want to plan and do NOW.
28. I love horses & horseback riding. Sis1 and I call that 'Equine Therapy". She has always had at least
one horse since I was a toddler, so I've grown up with them. She
currently has 3.
29. I'm the mounted division team lead on my SAR team, and I don't even
own my own horse - yet! I was borrowing one of Sis1's
until she was retired to be a Pasture Ornament. Just waiting for the stars to align so I can get one of my own.
30. I appear to be allergic to white (gray) horses. I thought it
was a fluke while Sis1 had a gray horse a few years ago and he'd cause me to
sneeze and my eyes to itch and water. But now she's got another gray
horse, and the same thing happens! But never with any of the others. Weird!
31. There are random skeletons all over my house, my office at work and even my car. Fake ones, of course!
32. The Spouse & I joke about buying an RV and running away so we can
finally be empty-nesters! We love the Spawn & Grands but we just want
peace & quiet (see #1)!
33. Def Leppard has been my favorite band since high school.
34. 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.
35. I want to get at least one more tattoo. 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....or a skeleton!
36. I like to decorate some for all holidays. But I go BIG at Halloween, while the rest of the holidays get minimal decor. I don't do blood & gore.
37. I like to decorate my desk and office at work for all holidays.
38. Old buildings / houses fascinate me. Oh, and if I come over your house? I'll probably want a tour. Be sure to point out random odd little things since I will be interested.
39. I like to think that I’m creative and have a good imagination.
40. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I complete a project. Then I like to
"survey" what I've done! It can be something as simple as
raking the yard. Or blogging! I will re-read what I've typed 100
times before letting it go live. Don't ask me how many times I've re-read and tweaked a little something here & there on this page!
41. I like things that are unique / unusual / odd / different / funky.
42. I like to try new things; food, experiences, etc. The Spouse and I have been on 2 Carnival
cruises and every night at dinner we made a point of eating food we’ve never
tried before.
43. I am still somewhat miffed that we missed going to Australia during WestPac '95 on the Lincoln. I really wanted to try real authentic Vegemite
handed to me by a real Aussie. We were supposed to go there and to New Zealand, but world events
decided otherwise.
44. My idea of style is "comfort". And it literally takes about
10 seconds to do my hair. However, I am in denial about my hair going gray. I'll just keep on coloring it!
45. I have a colorful vocabulary. 8 years in the Navy and almost 25 years around truck
drivers...yes. Cuss words add flavor! However, I don't use the
F-bomb....often.
46. I am a “taphophile” – one who has a strong interest in cemeteries,
gravestones, and the art and history that goes along with them. I find cemeteries peaceful, too.
47. I am wordy and pay a lot of attention (maybe too much) to detail. And use exclamation points a lot.
48. I fully believe that nature is the art of God.
49. I am generally a happy person. I choose to be.
50. I had a hysterectomy July 2016. I never knew major surgery could be so wonderful! It got rid of a lot of nasty female issues.
51. I enjoy my plants. They're all over my house and office at work. And I talk to them.
52. I was married twice before I met the Spouse. 3rd time really is a charm !!
53. 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.
54. One of my tattoos says "Love" on it - so the Spouse is stuck with
me forever!
55. I appreciate the Spouse so much since he accepted me with a ready-made family -
kid & cat.
56. By 10 years old, Dad had taught me to make his favorite vodka "martooni", 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!!
57. I have a loud, kind of obnoxious, laugh.
58. Fall is my favorite season, followed closely by spring. Or maybe
spring, followed closely by fall? Either
way, October is my favorite color.
59. I read a wide variety of blogs & would like to be as witty and interesting as some of
those people!
60. I love the Muppets. MahnaMahna (you’re welcome!)
61. I love my 80's hair bands. Hairnation is the #1 preset on my XM radio.
62. I love thunderstorms. That being
said, I am an NWS certified SkyWarn Weather Spotter.
63. 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!
64. I tend to be practical. Is that a Virgo thing? I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me and I've begrudgingly accepted the fact.
65. I hardly ever paint my fingernails, but in the summer my toenails are almost always done.
66. Phone cameras are the greatest invention, ever!
67. I don't understand how anyone can abuse / neglect kids or animals.
68. OMG! Don't freakin' stand behind me while I'm at a computer! HATE THAT!!!! I forget how to type.
69. I can drive a manual transmission vehicle. When
I was in the Navy, I spent 6 weeks working in Bahrain and was the
designated shuttle driver since no one else could drive a column shift. I like to think I disappointed the guys at
the garage for ruining their fun when they gave me that vehicle. I even impressed myself since I didn't even know that was a thing!
70. I don't watch much TV in general. The only thing I sometimes go out of
my way to watch is RuPaul's Drag Race. I tend to watch
videos on YouTube more. Maybe if my living room wasn't currently a playroom and I could watch our big TV, things might be different.....
71. 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!
72. I hate the mall. Actually, shopping in general. Don't get me
started on grocery shopping ~rage~
73. 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.
74. Geocaching is fun.
75. I have a hard time sitting still and watching a movie or TV unless it
really captures my attention.
76. In bootcamp, a girl told me she had a hard time understanding my accent. I
thought she was nuts until I read an article and took a quiz about "the
Michigan Accent". Wow! I had no idea!! So yeah - I
guess I do have one. However I do NOT say "melk"!
77. 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. And I never think of witty replies until way after a conversation is over.
78. I like to sing but can only imagine how bad I sound.
79. My iTunes playlists are full of songs that make me want to sing along.
80. I like to cross-stitch but I’ll never break any speed records.
81. Before I got pregnant with the Spawn, I was almost alcoholic. I drank like a typical drunken sailor. I can't do those mornings-after anymore. I don't
like not being in control of myself.
82. I've never smoked. Tried Copenhagen once. I've never done any drugs,
either. Never wanted to. See the last sentence in #81.
83. I rode a bull once - just to say I did. Epic Fail! I lasted about 4
seconds, landed face down in the dirt, got the wind
knocked out of me & got a hoof print on the back of my calf.
84. I have over 100 nutcrackers - for all holidays that I've been able to
find. Maybe I need intervention?
85. I love to listen to the rain at night. It makes me sleep really well!
86. I enjoy watching Monster trucks. I got the Spawn hooked and now the
Grands!
87. 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 a Swim Call, aka jump off the ship, I would have
done it in a heartbeat. Probably would have needed to be pushed (especially off the flight deck of a carrier!!) and peed myself all the way down, but I would have done it. And
then did it again!
88. I think I believe in ghosts. Never actually saw one (that I know of!!) but have had a couple experiences that can’t be explained any other way.
89. Growing up, I spent most weekends & summers "Up North" at
"the Farm" - which is what we still call the 120 acres that my parents used to own - with the family. It's a Michigan thing, IYKYK.
90. The Spouse & I have annual pedicure dates. As a joke on our 10th
anniversary, I asked him if he wanted to go with me and he said
yes! Now we go every year to get our "happy feets".
91. Is anyone actually reading this?
92. 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.
93. I think my eyes are amazing. I have Dad's eyes, Spawn has them, and now the Grandson, too. They change color based on mood & what we're wearing. They vary from haze gray to bright blue.
94. I got bucked off and drug behind a galloping saddle-less horse before. I never let go of the rope I was using for reins. Got stepped on then, too. I had a perfect hoofprint on my thigh right above my knee.
95. I have a trick knee, aka a mild tear in my meniscus, probably due to #94 and oh maybe all the miles on a ship hauling huge bags of mail up & down those nice
steep shipboard ladders. I never know when or how bad it will act up.
96. I want to visit all 50 states. Not
just drive thru – actually visit & sight-see.
97. I don't make small talk or friends easily, which is why I value the few
friends that I do have. And when it comes to groups, it's just easier to sit back &
listen. See #5.
98. I was bullied a lot in school, which was probably definitely 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 great big, glorious world out there, people!
99. Growing up, I wanted to be a horse trainer. I was even accepted at a
college in Ohio for equestrian studies. Then I saw a
Navy recruiter at school. Imagine locking eyes with a random person as they step out of a room and your steps slow down. Yeah, that happened. I don't remember what went thru my mind, or the conversation that followed, but my life plans changed rather quickly that day.
100. 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 and I'll be right there with him!
