lisaimus

It's been a crazy coupla months!

2008-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Time flies when you're trying to juggle working 2 businesses you love, family, friends, family illness and death (Jam's grandma died in December:((), the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays, a vacation to Maui, courtesy of my sterling silver jewelry biz (I'm proud to say I'm among the top 3% of reps in my company!), and a family trip to Tampa for a good friend's wedding....and a side trip to the House of Mouse!!! Whew!! I'm exhausted remembering all that's happened since my last post!!

But, most of it has been great. Maui was incredible, stupendous, amazing, wonderful, awesome....do you think I could go on and on????? It was truly the first vacation that I didn't want to come home from...kids, what kids??? I could be overheard saying, "Jam, do you think your mom would adopt our kids?", or "Jam, look...you could be a catamaran captain....you could do that job".....things like that! Seriously, if you haven't been to Hawaii, start saving and making your plans! I can't go back soon enough. And, my company (which I can't name due to the company internet compliance regs), really did our trip up right! We stayed at the Hyatt Maui in a corner mini-suite!! Gorgeous views....amazing pool, etc. I'm certainly gonna qualify for next year's trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas!!! And, believe it or not, I'm off to Florida again in 2 1/2 weeks for my company's Leadership Conference in Ponte Vedre Beach!

And, we just got back this week from a week in Florida. We went to see our good friend Janinne Collins, now Janinne Abel, get hitched. You've never seen a bride so excited! We had a ton of fun! We suprised the kids with a LONG day trip to Disney World. We were all screaming as we drove through the Mouse gates!! We went with our good friends the Taylors and the Moores and their kids. We had a great day and our family extended the stay with a special Pirate and Princess Party, afterhours. The kids had a blast and we were close to shutting down Disney at midnight. It was a fun 14 1/2 hour day!!!!

Whew! I'm off to take a nap...this has worn me out!!

Best Friends...

2007-10-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Christina (a.k.a. Kissinina to my kids), one of my best friends, came from Tampa to visit me this week. We had a wonderful time laughing, hanging out, shopping, eating and reconnecting. It has been a rough year of changes for her and it was good for us to be able to process and talk about them face-to-face. There really is nothing like good girlfriend time. I've always wanted a sister, so I guess that's why I've collected such wonderful women friends over the years. And, while I may not always be in close touch, each of them holds a very special place in my heart:) So, here's to good friends, good times and reconnecting!

Chhaaannges

2007-10-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

There have been lots of new things going on around here since I last posted during the summer. Jamie has found a new professional home at Country Insurance and Financial Services. He studied hard for weeks at the end of the summer, passing all the licensing exams to handle your life, home and auto insurance needs! Then, in September, he passed his Series 66 exam, which allows him to handle financial planning matters. He handles exam taking so much better than I do! I tried to be empathetic, but it really took me back to the Bar Exam after law school, and I had to stop myself several times from telling him to SUCK IT UP! Seriously, he executed his studying plan much better than I would have and came out smellin' like roses!! He passed them all with tons of room to spare:) So, we are adjusting to our new routines, etc and we're excited to have him back doing something that he enjoys! Call him when your home and auto insurance comes up for renewal!! And, of course, if you haven't taken care of getting life insurance yet, then call him for that too!! Finally, he'd love to help you plan your financial future:)) It's so fun to get our financial ducks in a row and to know that our experiences can help others who've been putting off taking care of these important decisions!! More on other things IMI in another post!

Fall in Bellingham

2007-10-09T16:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it's here, isn't it? Hard to believe that summer's come and gone, and we're already into the windy, rainy days of fall. But, with the changes in weather come gorgeous color in the trees, a new school year and other "fresh starts"!

Kids at birthday party

2007-06-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 11th anniversary of my 29th birthday with our good friends, the Morses and the Anderson-Englehorns. Here's a picture of the kids having fun with cherries.

Kaman

2007-06-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

My lazy dog, Kaman, where he shouldn't be:)) But, he's almost 13 so we cut him some slack every now and then:)

Ski to Sea Parade

2007-06-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

We have this cool event every Memorial Day weekend in Bellingham called Ski to Sea. It's a huge relay race from the top of Mt. Baker down to the Bay in Bellingham. The various legs include: downhill skiing (yes, on the day before Memorial Day:)); cross-country skiing; running; mt. biking; road biking; canoeing; and kayaking. And, of course there's a parade the day before the celebrate all the pain these atheletes will feel the next day. So, here we are at the parade with our good friends, the Forbes. From left to right, Caleb, Maryn, Emma, Larsen. Note the fleece:))

Larsen in the pool

2007-06-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Maryn in the pool

2007-06-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

No, for your Florida folks...it's not outside cuz this was still in May:))

2007-01-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Another snow picture. This was taken on our back deck.

2007-01-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

Power girls! They were out having more fun in the snow...day 3! It's been clear, but very cold, not even hitting freezing here today:)) I'm lovin' the view from my office window...white everywhere! Jamie and the girls ventured out to the grocery store late this afternoon...the roads were OK, but the parking lot at the store was very icy. That's why I stayed home:))

Maryn's ready for a snow ball fight!

2007-01-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

The sun is on its way down and it's COLD! The wind chill is about 10...I chickened out and came inside, but Maryn and Larsen are still outside throwing snow at each other!!

Christmas Collage

2007-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

From top left, going clockwise:
Larsen with Demetria, her new Cabbage Patch doll;
Jamie and his girls;
The note the girls left for Santa...note the math problem Maryn left for him:);
Jamie with his coffee loot!

Christmas eve 2006

2007-01-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Jamie and the girls in the Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve in Bellingham.

Maryn and Molly, her new American Girl doll....

2007-01-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

....yes, it's started:)))

Here's the newest addition to my family!

2007-01-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

Meet Lucas Milburn...he belongs to my cousin, Lisa Knopf Milburn, and her husband, Neil. Those of you who know my family will remember that these are now my California cousins. Sadly, I didn't get to meet Lucas until he was 4 months old...I went down after Christmas for my Uncle Ray's funeral. Hard occasion, but I was so happy to meet my new little cousin (who feels more like a nephew!). Isn't he cute? Looks just like his dad!

Maryn and Larsen last night in the snow

2007-01-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Jamie was out clearing the driveway, the sidewalk, the road and our neighbor's driveway and we were out playing. Very surreal:)

Snowing on our back deck-Wed. 1/10

2007-01-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Maryn and Larsen in the snow!

2007-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

We had our 2d snow storm of the year yesterday. We ended up getting about 7 inches!!!! This Florida girl loves it!! More pics later:)))

2006-06-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

My own personal Martha Stewart...Valerie Feller! Thanks Val for pulling together all the birthday yummies :)))))) You rock girlfriend!!

2006-06-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

My Birthday Peeps! Or all but 1 of them...Valerie is taking the picture. You'll see my own personal Martha Stewart in the next post (Valerie showed up first and commenced to making all the food I hadn't gotten around to preparing!!!! Thanks Val!!! From Left to Right: Julie Sheldrup; Carrie Chute; Chris Hageman; Lisa Morse; Laurie Bunnell; me; Brenda Henoch; Karen Morse; Mary Hardin; Tracy Imbach.

40th Birthday Part II

2006-06-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

My girls and me at my 2d birthday party tonight. A dear friend of mine, Julie Sheldrup, took the girls for the afternoon/evening so I could have some "me" time. I ran an errand, got a mani/pedi and came home to start preparing for the festivities! Julie and the girls showed up at the party and everyone had big smiles! Maryn and Larsen got their own manicures (which they're showing off in the picture). They desparately wanted to stay up to watch me open the presents :) They didn't really get it that "big girl" parties aren't about the presents...they're about having girlfriend time and eating yummy food!!!! And, maybe drinking some great wine and some yummy raspberry martinis (thanks LisaMo!!). All in all, a fabulous day here in the sunny PNW! I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members who called or emailed to wish me a happy birthday during this big milemarker in life. Thanks to you all!

40th Party #1

2006-06-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Jamie suprised me with a 40th birthday party on Saturday night. Our friends, Jeff and Tami, came up from Seattle with their sons, Henri (4) and Harrison (3 1/2 months)...I knew they were coming, but I thought we were just gonna have a big birthday dinner with our mutual friends, Mike and Lisa Morse and their kids. Turns out, Jamie invited several other people to help us celebrate. The weather was spectacular all day, which was such a blessing. It was a great way to start out the Birthday celebration week!!! Though, I think I've decided to kind of celebrate all year, because in December, Jamie and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary...I'm thinkin' Europe!!!!! Wish you could have been here with us to eat Jam's great food and have some fun. Maybe on my 50th???? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larsen by the Bay during the Ski-to-Sea race Memorial Day weekend

2006-06-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

She looks mad, but really she's not. We were down by Bellingham Bay waiting for a girlfriend of mine to kayak in on the last leg of the race. This race is an incredible event that happens every Memorial Day weekend in Bellingham. The racers start at Mt. Baker and each leg makes its way closer into Bellingham, ending with the kayakers padding 5 miles across the bay to land on the beach in Fairhaven. Go to skitosea.com to check it all out. The racing legs are: downhill skiiing, cross-country skiiing, running, mountain biking, canoeing, road biking and kayaking (I don't think I've left out any of the legs). It's a relay and there are some serious athletes out there. We know one team that imports their downhill skier from the Canadian Olympic ski team :) Come visit us and see it for yourself!!!!!

Maryn and Teacher Tammy

2006-05-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

I forgot the most important picture! Maryn and her wonderful teacher, Tammy Lindhout. Tammy was truly the hands and heart of Christ to Maryn and her classmates this year! What a blessing to start "real" school out with her....

The Ride Home

2006-05-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

So, you're probably thinking the day after the sleepover was pretty fun for the rest of us, huh? Maryn actually ended up power napping for about 3 1/2 hours!!!!'

We're looking forward to a great NW Summer.

Sleepover Collage #2

2006-05-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

From left clockwise:
Diploma March
Maryn
Aaron Olson
Kendall Barnes (lost her tooth at the sleepover)
Teacher Tammy handing out report cards to Miss Gwyn

Sleepover Collage

2006-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

From left going clockwise:
Maryn and Micah
Caleb (our carpool friend) and Teacher Tammy
Miss Gwyn (Kamden and Karsen's mom)
Miss Gywn and Miss Rita (Lauren's mom, who was brave enough to sleep over with the kids!)

Kindergarten Dogpile

2006-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Maryn and some of her class mates (she's on the left in the pink jammies)

Maryn--The Kindergarten Graduate

2006-05-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Maryn's last day of Kindergarten was Thursday (5/26). She had a sleep over at school on Thursday night which might explain the look on her face!

2006-05-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Harrison at Al Porto

2006-05-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Jamie and Baby Harrison Ettore Anderson Englehorn on Saturday night (5/6/06) at Al Porto in Vancouver, BC

Carbo Loading before the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon!

2006-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

We went to a fabulous pre-race dinner at Al Porto in the Gastown area of Vancouver on Sat. night before Jeff Englehorn and I ran the 1/2 Marathon the next morning. The kids all did so wonderfully during the 2 1/2 hour meal!!!

2006-05-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Easter Sisters!!

Jamie with Jake and Annie Harrison in Franklin, TN

2006-04-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Jamie had a business trip to Louisville, KY and when he was finished, he rented a car to drive over to see Walt, Tess, Jake & Annie Harrison in Franklin, TN. What a treat for him! And, I got to talk to them all on the speaker phone for over an hour! They kept saying it was like I was their pet in the speaker box :)

Sterling Silver Jewelry Rep

2006-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm now officially a Rep for the best sterling silver jewelry company in the party plan industry!!!! I got all my stuff from UPS just a few minutes ago!! Very exciting. I already have 6 parties on my calendar in the next 3 weeks, and several more people will host parties when their house renovations are complete. My good friend, Janinne, is hosting a catalog show, so if you Tampa gals read this and want some fabulous jewelry, get in touch with Janinne (I can hook you up) and she'll get you set.

I'm so excited about this new opportunity and this product...what's not to love about great jewelry?

Hope everyone has a Shining Day!! Ha!

Ice Princess!!!

2006-01-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

My first time ice skating in 25 years! And I didn't even fall! We went to Maryn's and Larsen's cousin's birthday party on Sunday at the local ice rink. The girls had a great time, but it was kind of tough going for everyone! They are ready to go again, though I'm not sure my back can take it!

2006-01-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

All the Imus, Morse and Nichols kids enthralled with Veggie Tales' Lord of the Bean.

From L to R:
Annika Morse
Maryn
Ellie Nichols
Clara Nichols
Ben Nichols
Larsen

Nicholas Morse is hanging with the adults!

2006-01-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

From left to right:
Lisa Morse, Jamie, Calvin Nichols, Mike Morse and Megan Nichols.

2006-01-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Jamie and Jeff Englehorn (our Seattle friend) , hanging out on New Years Day.

2006-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Larsen and her preschool teacher, Teacher Kerri at Little Bear!

2006-01-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the bad picture...I couldn't keep it from cutting off the cross. I got this cross for free, so I can't wait to see it. I'll have someone take my picture while I'm wearing it:)

2006-01-19T23:04:00.001-08:00

Still more jewelry

2006-01-19T23:04:00.000-08:00

Sterling Silver Jewelry

2006-01-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

Isn't this awesome!!

Sterling Silver Jewelry

2006-01-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

Ok...I'm sooo excited. I just hosted my first Sterling Silver jewelry show. I'm getting $400 in FREE JEWELRY. Y'all have to check this jewelry out! It is high-quality, unique and hand-crafted. The stuff sells itself and there is no formal presenation :) So, of course, I decided I must sell it! It is pretty much a no brainer for me...beautiful jewelry that I totally love and will wear all the time (walking advertising!)...hanging out doing girls' nights watching women play dress up with this jewelry...making money....it's all good.

You can see the whole catalog online at my sponsor's site,until my site goes live. She's a fabulous gal who lives in Houston...her hubby and Jamie work together at Audience Central. We're already having a great time....

I can do individual orders, so if you see something you want (or want given to you for say, Valentine's Day or Mother's Day!!), email me and I'll get it done.

Hope everyone is having a great January!

Lisa

Maryn and Larsen with Cousin Linda

2005-12-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

Whistler Collage

2005-12-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Linda, Nate, Jeremy & Lisa at the condo
Jeremy, Nate, Lisa & Linda on Whistler Mtn
Linda, Jeremy, Lisa & Nate on Whistler
Lisa by the snow sculpture

More Whistler Pics

2005-12-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Linda, and me....Whistler Roundhouse Lodge!!!

2005-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Poems

2005-12-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

The poems I posted last week were written by my good friend, Janinne Collins...y'all watch out...she's gonna be famous!!!

2005-12-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Some poems written by a good friend of mine who shall remain anonymous! These are being published in a book of poetry and on a CD of performed poetry. I'm so blessed to have creative and talented friends!

Enthusiasm

Aching, bruised, covered with sin
I am born again day after day into my life
reporting for workless passion

Hungry, sad, eager for the comfort
I pulled you
and again
you rip away

Less than whole
marred I feel
used, imperfect
discarded for the move on

My heart
homeless
Fumbles for a match
to light the smoky corners of my soul

searching again
you are gone

Misintepretation
Swept up
Swept away
over again
by the constant unceasing of your tales

The patter of little lies
tumble in my head
again

Over and over
they play
a marrionette, broken
murmuring without ceasing
this made up tale of us

Swept over
swept away
again
by your dismissal
refusal to be
here

2005-12-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

Maryn and Larsen getting ready to go to the Nutcracker Ballet (in good friend, Ayden's, velvet dresses). Thanks Ayden and Aunt Janinne! And, thanks, Aunt Darcy, for going with us.

Crazy week before Christmas

2005-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

Wow...crazy week around here. Getting ready for Christmas and my trip to Whistler with my California cousins, Linda and Nathan. I am going snowboarding for 3 days! yea! I wish Jamie could come, but alas, no childcare for the chitlans!

Tomorrow night is Maryn's and Larsen's Nativity program at school...should be a hoot. I'll post pictures!

I am trying to keep Advent in persepctive! Hope you are too!

2005-12-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

At Cora and Joe's Christmas tree farm...there was still some snow left on the ground!

christmas 2005 photo

2005-12-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

My Stuff

2005-12-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I'm new to the world of blogging and if it weren't for Jamie, my tech savvy husband, I'd be totally clueless.

But, it seems to be catching on, so I'll use it to update you on our lives....