a very special lady.

i didn't think today would hit me as hard as it has, but its been rough.

thirteen years ago today, my sweet grandma carol slipped away peacefully after a battle with cancer, just hours before her 60th birthday.

i was only 7 at the time, but the impact it had on me then is just as strong, if not stronger than it was that night.

years have gone by, i have gotten older, and i have come to appreciate this lady more and more. my grandma was never one to ever complain. she was always happy with a smile that was contagious. and a hug that could heal anything. i can still hear her cute little laugh. she had so many friends. i still remember how many people were at her funeral and i cant help but think of how many lives she changed for good. she was such a talented woman. she had her head on straight. her testimony was firm. she conquered every trial that ever came her way with a smile on her face. she continued pressing forward, no matter what the circumstances.

she posessed every trait i admire.

i ponder at what she would be doing today if she were still here. what she would look like. how involved she would be with my life.

i'm so thankful to have had such a special lady who not only was my grandma, but also a dear friend, who continues to be a positive role model in my life.

i hope i am living up to her name and that i can continue to make her proud.

i love you grandma.

happy birthday. :)

happy thanksgiving

i have SO much to be thankful for this year. it's hard for me to even to decide where to begin.

i am so thankful to be living life surrounded by those i love. family and friends. parents who love and help me in so many ways. who set examples for me and make me want to be a better person. grandparents who have shown me how to live my life properly and how to honor a name. who love me despite my faults. friends. new & old. who continue to amaze me. help me grow. lift me up. three AWESOME roomates who all get along. each of them i simply adore. i am thankful that these people are put into my life for a reason.

i am thankful for how much i have learned so far in my life. lessons learned the hard way. lessons from mistakes. and lessons taught by other people.

i am thankful for a new job, that i love. with co-workers, i love.

i am thankful to be alive in the exact time and place that i am.

i am thankful to be attending utah state. i am thankful to be a part of the interior design program with professors and peers who continue to help me shape my future.

i am thankful for the gospel. the simple truths i have been taught since i was young that continue to help me today. for a modern day prophet, president monson. i am thankful for the gospel because in a world that is constantly changing, it's the one thing i can count on to stay the same.

i am thankful for the little things that make life so great.

this list could go on forever. :)

today.

today
i am thankful for.

alarm clocks.

the pretty leaves on the ground and the way they smell after it rains.

getting to class BEFORE the hail storm attack.

cooking dinner without burning it.

connecting with loved ones. (you know who you are :])

experiences i have learned from trials.

my dad.

oh and... NO HOMEWORK.

gratitude.

today i am thankful for:

awesome roomates. who all get along. and give me that boost i need.

random phone calls from BOTH my parents. :)

a great job with amazing co-workers.

a major where my professors know me individually and take the time to help me with whatever i need.

friends who are always there for me.

and RAIN. :)

i'm hOOoOme! :)

new york.

was awesome.

loved every single minute of it.

loved the people. the weather. the FOOD.

everything about it.

highlights.

quality time with my parents. meeting new friends. church in the manhatten temple.

6 hour walking tour, seriously the best way to see EVERY part of new york. walking everywhere.

the today show. seeing the lead singer of sugarland, charlie sheen, and taylor swift.

magnolia's bakery. david letterman show. central park.

riding the subway. the hustle and the bustle.

brooklyn bridge. 4 floor forever 21. :)

goodness this list could go on forever.

chocolate shop

here's a little sneek peak of the project for a competition i have been working on.

this is my exterior rendering.

the count down is on...

7 more days.

SEVEN MORE DAYS.

one more week.

and i will be here....

oh new york.

i cannot wait. :)

oh the joys of wisdom teeth...

so yesterday i got my wisdom teeth out. my mother and sister thought it would be hilarious to record me while still under the influence of the drugs... excuse the swearing.

here's the result of one of the videos.

i should be sleeping, but i'm blogging?

ran across this quote today.

"be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged, things will work out."

-president gordon b. hinckley

it's exactly what i needed to hear.

he sure knew what he was talking about.

life gets tough, but we are tougher!

you do your part, and things will fall into place.

i find comfort in knowing that. :)

MY. quirks. :)

my QUIRKS

i'm me. plain & simple.

...

one: it's virtually impossible for me to fall asleep before one o'clock a.m. and at these times, i find myself doing some of the most random things ever.

two: fact- in highschool i was grounded from the privledge of rearranging my bedroom, due to the fact that i may or may not have accidentally tore the carpet.

three: i love chocolate in any way, shape, or form. :)

four: when i am parking my car, i always take off my seatbelt before, because i feel that it helps me park "better." Some would beg to differ.

five: i haven't even come close to mastering the whole "domestic cooking" thing yet.

however, i'm so close to perfecting the art of baking cookies, it scares me. haha.

six: it's almost disgusting how often i visit mcdonalds. in fact, last week my roomates dared me to go a week without eating there. let's just say, i lasted 5 days.

my visit to the drive thru goes a little something like this:

employee: "Hi, welcome to McDonald's! What can we make for you today?"

me: "Hello. One McDouble, ketchup only, one small fry, and a large blue powerade."

employee & myself repeat in unison: "Alrighty that will be $3.23 at the first window please. :)"

i'm sure when they see me pull up, they all roll their eyes and mumble..

"Oh no! Not this girl again!"

seven: Every morning, whether i need to or not, my brain likes to wake up at 5:32 a.m.

it is then quickly put back to sleep... thank you snooze button.

eight: i REALLY REALLY need to start thinking about things before i say them. i have been known to embarass myself once or twice.

nine: i think i have watched just about every episode of CSI, NCIS, criminal minds, and the medium, at least twice.

ten: i think my laugh changes, everytime i laugh.

eleven: i have a bucket list, and i plan to complete it!

twelve: i am completely content with where my life is headed right now. somedays are harder than others, but i know that if i keep doing what i'm suppose to, everything will work out how its suppose to, at exactly the right time and place that its suppose to. i find comfort in knowing that. :)

thirteen: when i grow up, i want a big, super super OLD timeless looking house.

fourteen: a few of my fears: failure, clowns, and sex offenders. random, i know!

fifteen: most of the pictures on my computer are saved to a file entitled "inspiration. All of the photos are random tidbits i find pertaining to interior design, event planning, houses, headbands, weddings, and photography.

sixteen: the gospel is a HUGE part of my life. without it, i wouldn't be me. i am so blessed to have it as a part of my life.

seventeen: music, i listen to it all. And pandora radio is quite possibly the best thing invented since sliced bread.

eighteen: i truly believe that certain people, things, and experiences are placed in your life for a reason. and in everything you do, there is a lesson to be learned.

nineteen: chuck norris is quite possibly one of my favorite people. :)

twenty: i enjoy playing "YOUR TEAM" entirely too much. especially with my mom, she always finds me the most random people for my team.

twenty one: i'm obsessed with the number 3. in all my sketches, designs, or projects, i always make sure i have things in groups of three. and in my sketches i place three dots on random things.

i love this guy.

just a few reasons why i love my dad...

he's got one of those smiles that becomes contagious,

accompanied by the most comforting laugh.

he's got the best advice.

he's hardworking. actually hardworking is probably and understatement,

because he is constantly working.

he likes burnt brownies. :)

his phone calls and text messages are completely random,

but they always seem to occur at the time when i need them.

he looks out for me.

he cares so much about my family and i.

he continues to love me unconditionally.

he is one of the most unjudging individuals you will ever meet. he gives everyone a chance. and isn't afraid to be friends with anyone. he loves everyone despite their past and flaws. he sees hope in everyone.

he loves my mom. and treats her with respect.

he is one of the most outgoing people i know.

he enjoys serving others.

he makes sure the grass in our yard is always the greenest.

he makes the best steak and potatoes, chili tacos, and dutch oven anything.

he has never asked me to do anything that he wasn't already willing to do himself.

dad, thanks for always being the person i need you to be.

happy fathers day.

i love you.

addiction.

hiiiiii. i'm lisha and i have a problem.

i'm addicted to zippers. :)

summer. :)

hello ya'll.
yes. i am still alive.
just been a bit busy, so let me give you an update.

school is now over. (praise the heavens!) it's been over for a month now. goodness, that has flown by ever so quickly. but i passed all my classes. woot! finals were a breeze. woot! it's actually kind of a weird feeling, not being stressed and all.
in fact: sometimes i find myself freaking out, because i feel as if i have a deadline to make, or a project to finish... but i guess thats just post traumatic syndrome after such a time consuming year.

anyways. enough about school.

summer is in full swing. and i must say i am loving every minute of it. although i wish the sunshine would come out from hiding. thank you. :)

most of my time is spent working. but i don't mind it one bit. i'm still putting in my hours at good ole' vanity. still lovin it there. BUT i now have a second job that i am absolutely in love with. i am working at the downeast home & clothing, working on the home side of the store. selling furniture, arranging room vignettes, making beds... :) is it weird to say that it doesn't even feel like a job? i love it JUST that much. i figure its good experience for my upcoming career. the people i work with are SO nice and my customers are all unique and SO friendly. i just love it.

this summer has already been a busy one and the rest of the summer looks just the same...
so many EXCITING events have happened for the family.

greggor got his driving permit. yep. stay off all roads and sidewalks folks.

tash and tyler got married on the 14th. she looked gorgeous and the weather was perfect. i am so excited for the both of them.

zane left on his mission about a week ago. his farewell was awesome and he gave such a good talk in sacrament. he is such a hard worker, he will be an amazing missionary.

travis won state golf... congrats kiddo!

summer and aj are now parents. :) i've only seen pictures, but little jemma looks absolutely adorable. i cannot wait to meet her.

and next week shalee and bryan get married. yahoo!

see. i told you this summer was a busy one. :)

and the verdict is...

i have officially been accepted into the studio tract of

utah state's interior design program. :)

nearly wet my pants when i read the letter.

just ask grandpa bud and grandma bev.

almost dropped aunt tammy's iphone that i was reading the email off of.

couldn't believe it.

needless to say, i feel 50 lbs lighter

and a heck of a lot better.

life is good.

i survived... i think. :)

well friends,

my life is finally back to normal, well at least for a little bit.

the last week i've been prepping for sophomore review.

talk about stressful.

last week i got a total of 8 hours of sleep.

kinda freaky, i know.

didn't even see my roomates hardly,

but it feels so good to have all my projects done and on display

for the panel of judges to critique and tell me if

i'm up to par and able to stay in the program.

we had a total of 7 projects to submit.

the first was a gallery concept.

we picked an artist.

i picked michelle caplan.

she's a mixed media collage artist. her stuff is way neat.

we then chose an inspiration piece.

this would be mine below.

based on our image, we then abstracted it, did a series of functional diagrams, parti diagrams, bubble diagrams, and sought out on our concept for our design.

(i couldn't get by concept and programming boards to upload. :( but lets just say they took

alot of planning, but i was pleased with how they turned out.)

they then gave us each a floor plan to base the gallery in.

based on our diagrams and abstractions, we then transformed the floor plan into a gallery and planned the space.

it was an adventure. but i loved every minute of it.

we were required to hand render a perspective of the gallery and a rendered floor plan.

hand rendering is so much fun. its time consuming, but its fun to see how your style changes and how far you progress as you practice.

here are how those turned out.

another project that was reviewed was our famous furniture piece.

we had to pick a furniture piece, built a vignette aroudn it, build it in autocad, extrude it, then load it into 3Dsmax and render it.
it was sooo much fun. and its probably my favorite project i've done so far.

the remaining pieces of the review were from my tiny house project.

hahaha. glad its over.

i find out friday whether i'm in or not.

catch up!

it seems like lately i just post a random picture of my current project and call it good for blogging, but its honestly been forever since i have actually sat down and wrote some stuff out. so i'll catch ya'll up on my life. this past week was spring break. let me just say, the week was DESPERATELY needed. i have enjoyed every single second of it. it started off with a huge celebration for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. such an awesome weekend spent with all of my mom's side. i don't get to see them all too much, so it was great to catch up with everyone. :) i sure do love them all. after a couple of days in spanish fork, i headed home with my mom and spent a few days just relaxing in good old burley. there's really no place like home. it's hard to believe that i have been out of the house for almost 2 WHOLE YEARS! oh my goodness! i feel so old. now i'm in logan.. for the rest of spring break. working at vanity :) and getting my portfolio together for sophomore review. i am SO nervous. my letter of intent to the interior design board is due wednesday, along with my transcript. the following monday is when my portfolio is due. its gonna be a tough pick this year. everyone in my level is SO talented. after the professors go over our work, they will choose with section to put us into. the two sections are studio and sales & marketing or the third section... NEITHER. ahhh i so hope and pray my work is of good enough quality to get into either. i started off the year wanting to be chosen to be in strictly studio, but as the year has progressed i have had a change of heart. i will honestly be happy with whatever section they choose for me. i'm just glad they get to pick for me because i'm so indecisive. so we will see what the future has in store for me.... :)

just a thought...

live by choice, not by chance.

make changes, not excuses.

be motivated, not manipulated.

be useful, not used.

the rest of your life is being shaped right now

with the dreams you chase, the choices you make,

and the person you decide to be. :)

what i've been up to

this is what i've been working on for the past 2 weeks.

and finally it is complete.

built in CAD & rendered 3D STUDIO MAX. :)

interior design.. to lego design

for the past 2 weeks, we've been learning a new rendering program.
we got to practice out our skills by building and rendering a lego car.

i think it turned out rather nice.

i survived. :)

haha it's been quite the crazy adventure the past couple of days. and i must say i am happy to have them over with.

SUNDAY: taught my very first lesson in relief society. never in a million years would i have thought that at this point in my life i would already be teaching relief society. ( i'm 2nd counselor in the relief society now.) i was oh so nervous. it also didn't help that the lesson was only a page and a half long. so knowing that when i am nervous, i tend to speak rather quickly, i decided to print off a couple of conference talks, and work them into my lesson. haha oh goodness, i still spoke too quickly, with almost 20 minutes remaining. thank goodness the bishop was there to help out. :) my lesson went well though, and i learned so much preparing it. lets cross our fingers that next time goes more smoothly and i learn to talk slower. (thanks mom for passing on that trait. lol)

MONDAY: started my 4th semester of school. (holy crap! like really i feel so old & accomplished.) my classes went well. and shouldn't be quite as tough as last semester, or at least we can hope. i am taking the second part of my CAD & Graphics courses. along with English 2010, Natural Disasters and Space Planning.

Also, to add to my first day of school jitters. I got to attend my first and hopefully ONLY, courtroom experience. back in august aspen and i caught 2 girls shoplifting, and they ended up taking it to court. never been so intimidated in my life. but.. it builds character i guess, right?

TUESDAY: school and a couple lovely hours of doing inventory at the store. glad that's over. i counted around 300 pairs of jeans... enough said.


here's too the past couple of days... lets see what the rest of the week has to offer. :)

more headbands. :)

my.new.obsession.

so i may or may not have a new obsession with making headbands. i made all of these tonight. SO fun. i've even sold a few. yay for christmas break and spare time. :)