cowgirls don't cry...

but apparently,

interior designers pass out.

IN MY DEFENSE...

Let me tell you that over the past 3 years, I have taken at least 3 different friends to the 

Emergency Room and I have been perfectly fine.

{the story}

So early Thursday morning I got a phone call from one of my friends telling me that my dear roommate Karah, had gotten in an accident at work. She had been training a horse and something had gone wrong, and the horse had fallen on Karah. He told me he'd pick me up in 5 minutes because we needed to meet the ambulance at the hospital. 

We get to the hospital, and the EMT's wheel Karah in.

 As usual she's her happy, humble self. 

She was SO polite. 

She kept saying thank you. Yes ma'am, no sir, despite her circumstances.

They get her all set up on the bed, give her some meds,

 take down her information, and then let us in to sit with her.

Karah starts explaining the series of events that had lead to the ambulance ride.

As I listened, I couldn't believe it. 

I just kept thinking,

"Good gosh this girl is tough..."

At this point, I was perfectly fine, in fact, I felt fantastic.

Little did I know what was about to happen...

As she goes on with the story, the nurse comes in and takes the blanket off Karah's leg.

And that's when I saw it..

it was nothing like I had expected.

Let me repeat: NOTHING LIKE I HAD EXPECTED.

I didn't even know a leg could look like that.

(I won't go into great detail, or let things get too graphic,

due to the fact that I don't want this blog post resulting in an injury...)

And then

my hands started getting super clammy,

my heart started racing,

my vision started blurring into glitter,

I turn to my friend Megan and said

"Dude, I feel so weird, I better get out of here."

As I go to stand up,

the nurse screams at me,

"GIRL, SIT RIGHT BACK DOWN. YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE! 

YOU ARE BRIGHT WHITE."

Next thing I know, I'm in a chair with my legs propped up.

Drinking water.

Karah looks at me.

"LISH ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

(Talk about embarassing.

I felt like a complete idiot.)

That awkward moment 

when you go to visit your critically injured friend in the hospital, 

and  yet you're the one that passes out.

Not cool. 

But I'm glad to report that after

a quick surgery,

one night in the hospital, 

and a week later...

Karah is making a great recovery.

I have not even heard her complain once. 

She broke her leg in two places, dislocated her ankle, and tore some ligaments.

In a couple of weeks, she'll be back to her self.

And the thing is, 

I guarantee she will jump right back on that horse.

You go girl!

Cheers to better days and happy healing! 

NOTE TO EVERYONE READING THIS: Unless I am your last resort...maybe don't call me if you ever need me to pick you up from the Emergency Room! 

hallelujah

hallelujah 

and praise the heavens.

my very last fall semester is officially over.

and i am overjoyed.

(to say the least).

I still have two finals to take, but my project is out of the way.

All semester we have been working on our Senior Capstone project,

 which is designing a 22 floor W Hotel.

 Floor plans, perspectives, materials, and all the fixings.

It's been quite the task!

If you haven't ever heard of The W Hotels, click here.

They are incredibly classy. 

Each hotel is branded specifically based on the city it is built in.

(It's on my bucket list to stay at one someday. 

When and Where have yet to be determined, but it will happen.)

Our project is based in Salt Lake City. So we had to pull all of our inspiration directly from SLC.

I took my concept quite literally and based my concept on the actual Great Salt Lake. I did tons of research on the formation of salt and how it forms in pools and layers that are created.

Kind of neat.

Here's a bit of the process...

Concept/ Inspiration Board
Two images are actual photos of the lake in it's frozen stages.
My color scheme and concept of layers and depth are based of these two photos.
(P.S. I can't get this image to rotate, I apologize.)

Line drawing of corridor.

3D View of Corridor in it's beginning stages.

Bird's Eye View of Guest Suite.

Here's a poster I presented last Thursday to 6 visiting designers. This is my board for my Lobby, Reception Desk, and Grand Staircase. It still has a few kinks that need worked out, but by the end of next semester this project will be COMPLETED. I will also have all of my computer rendering images done, for now, I have just hand drafted the majority of them.

This studio class has taken a HUGE amount of my time. 

But another class I enjoyed taking this semester was a drawing class I took for my art elective. 

It totally got me out of my comfort zone. 

I started working with charcoal, which  I have never ever used. And I'm not going to lie, it is quite difficult. Here are some of the projects I did for that class.

3D Perspective of boxes. 

Portrait of a fellow student.

This was suppose to look like the New York Skyline, and it doesn't.
Epic fail.

It's been a fun semester, but stressful.

Glad it's over.

Lastly,

couldn't end this post without this picture.

Gosh, I love my job!

Another productive night at work! I had way too much fun riding around the store with the clothing manager's daughter, and amongst all the fun, we ended up selling a few of the scooters. I'd consider it a successful night!

yum.

I COOK ALL THE TIME.

Hypothetically speaking..

(Hahahahahaha.)

ok, who are we kidding?

I haven't cooked in ages...

between school and work, I usually roll in a little too late to cook; 

so it's either cereal or who knows what for dinner.

AND

usually it's this huge joke to my family about me cooking....

But Mother, you'd be proud! 

I cooked today.

I was doing some pinning on Pinterest and found this lovely site.

Honestly.

SO STINKING DELICIOUS.

Excuse me while I go finish another slice.

Try it, I dare you!

(P.S. Who would have thought Cilantro was so dang good on pizza?)

today.

Today,

 I'm thinking of this lady.

 

It's been 14 years... (Go to Link).

pretty darn blessed & grateful

So.....

 here I am, it's currently 3:05 a.m. and I cannot sleep, because I will admit that I am a little giddy about the fact that I do not have school OR work tomorrow AND I get to see my family in just a matter of hours. 

I'd be a pretty rude person if I didn't take a few minutes to do what ya'll have been doing all month, expressing gratitude. I've enjoyed seeing everyone's posts & statuses about what they are grateful for. I've been doing some deep reflecting this month and seriously, I am a pretty blessed girl and I have SO many things to be grateful for. 

First off, this crew. 

My home team, my support system, my main squeeze, my family.

Seriously, I am so incredibly blessed to have such a great family. It's so crazy how old we are all getting. It amazes me that the older I get, the more and more I appreciate each and every one of these guys. I look up to them, not only literally, because although I may be the oldest, all my siblings are now taller than me, but I also look up to them for their dedication, attitudes, and love they show towards me and my family.

My siblings and I have been blessed with two dedicated, strong-willed, hard working, persevering, hilarious, loving, outgoing, parents. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

My Extended Family.

Between my dad's side and my mom's side, we are spread out pretty much everywhere along the west, and although I don't get to see them very often, I enjoy seeing how each and everyone of them are progressing. I am thankful for technology that keeps me in touch with them. I am grateful for their examples and the lessons they have taught me and the memories I have made with them.

Opportunities.

This year I have been blessed with so many opportunities. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Each opportunity we are given, gives us experience, that in the end, prepares us for the next one. 

Employment.

Two summers ago, I stumbled upon this lovely little part time job at DownEast Home, with intentions of quitting at the end of the Summer, not thinking I would actually stay, but I am so glad I did. I LOVE MY JOB. Some days, I might drag my feet, and think of a million other things I'd rather be doing, but honestly this job has probably one of the best things for me. I work with some of the most amazing people, my home crew and the clothing girls, a lot of them feel almost like family because we spend so much time together. It's a blast, even if they can't say my name right and refuse to call me by my real one, or hack my facebook statuses, or hide behind furniture, waiting to scare the crap out of me. I love each and every one of them!

Education.

1.25 Semesters left to go! Can you believe it? It's crazy! The last 4 years have been quite the adventure. It's been a roller coaster, from project to project, but I must say, I've learned something from each and every class I've taken, formed a friendship with each and every one of my talented professors, and gained better respect for myself and my abilities throughout each semester. I know without a doubt that Utah State University is exactly where I was suppose get my schooling, in the very city of Logan, Utah, surrounded by the exact people I needed to be influenced by, at this very time in my life. 

Now, what the heck am I going to do in April when I graduate?

[Haha, if one more person asks me this question, I might give them a high-five... in the face.. with a chair. Just kidding, but seriously!]

Friends.

Wooooooweeeee! Seriously, friends, new and old, I HAVE THE VERY BEST! I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. Each one of them has entered my life at the exact time I have needed them and have remained to be the very people I need them to be. I have so many friends I never thought I would be so close to, but I am so grateful for them. 

Burley.

Yep, I really just wrote that. Never EVER, would I ever think that I would write that as one of the MAIN HUGE MAJOR things I am thankful for, but really, I have fallen completely in love with Burley. It's crazy. I miss that place so much and have found myself driving their more often than I ever have. I don't regret growing up there one bit, it's seriously one of the best places on earth, and the people, no one can compare to! :) 

[I keep joking to my mom that I'm moving back after I graduate.... I hear the interior design industry is really "thriving" there ;)]

The Gospel.

After my summer in NYC, words cannot express to you how my love for the gospel has grown. The gospel has always been a huge part of my life, but I had never realized this until I was out on my own, where so many people do not share the same beliefs as mine. It caused me to stand on my own two feet, stand up for what I believe in, and really find out that the things we are taught, we are taught for a reason and for OUR benefit. The simple teachings of the gospel make our lives less complicated and filled with abundant blessings that bring us true happiness. 

I've learned to be grateful for the little things. Simple Everyday Pleasures. My Drive to School. Phone calls. Responsibilities. Service. Good roomates. A functioning vehicle. Yummy meals. Unanswered prayers. Warm weather, cold weather, rainy days, and sunshine. Trying new things. Meeting new people. My student ward. Little kids. 

My list could go on and on..

but I'll leave it at that. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

have you seen my brain?

missing:

my brain

seriously. i could go on and on.

story after story.

telling you the many occasions this week, where i have wanted to crawl under a bench and hide.

because

i think my brain is missing.

[the icing on the cake]

so wednesday on my way home from class i decided i was definitely in need of a diet coke. so i pull up to wendy's and order one.

as i pull up to the second window and the employee tells me my total, i suddenly realize that my wallet is in my backpack.. which inevitably is located in my trunk.

crap!

i go to open my door and realize that oh dear.. my door is too close to the drive up window to exit the vehicle.

i look at the employee.

"just a second!"

(ya right now you're thinking, ok lisha seriously? don't worry, i was thinking the same..)

i then proceed to put my car into park.

hop my front seat, then

hop my backseat.

grab my wallet out of my backpack.

hop the backseat.

hop the front seat.

by this point in time, 3 wendy's employees had huddled around the drive thru window and were LAUGHING THEIR HEADS OFF.

i hand them my debit card, take my coke, and zoom off.

so embarassing.

i think i will blame my brain and the lack there of, on this lovely little routine i am trying to get use to.. its called school.

and unfortunately, it's kicking my behind.

2 semesters. i can do this.

when did i grow up?

it's honest to gosh, crazy to me that i am already entering my last year of college.

i feel old to say the least.

especially, since my little sister is now at UVU.

i swear just the other day we were driving to highschool together.

so weird.

i started my fall semester yesterday. it was a struggle. i only had one class,

but still...

I CANT BELIEVE SUMMER IS GONE.

today.

tuesday & thursdays.

are jam packed.

but they will be so fun.

two studio classes and two art classes.

my new apartment is SO NICE & ROOMY.

my roomates are hilarious and so sweet.

my new ward is great.

it's great being back at downeast.

i'm excited to see what fall brings. :)