Writing in my journal has always been an important part of my life. I carry various notebooks with me everywhere I go and write down the thoughts and feelings I have. Sometimes I am able to go weeks without something needing to get out, and other times I can't seem to write my thoughts down fast enough-- hence my blog.

Typing my thoughts out is much faster than taking pen to paper.

However, I literally have hundreds of notebooks and journals floating around that contain my thoughts, struggles, trials, Quotes and words of encouragement that I hear from others. When I am really struggling, my notebooks are ever present and I record everything that pricks my heart and helps me feel like I can move forward.

Recording the stories of my family is important to me and I hope that my children and grandchildren will thank me one day for taking the time to capture them. I know how I feel when I am able to read the private thoughts of my Grandparents-- It makes me feel connected to them and I understand myself more when I am able to read their words.

My Father took the time one year to transcribe my Grandmothers journal and then had it bound for all of us as a Christmas gift. I promptly sat down and devoured every single word. She had a hard life and yet she never lost her faith, in fact she lived by it. She never said an unkind word about anyone-- a trait that my Father inherited.

My Dad did the same thing with my Grandfathers journal and when I saw my Grandpa's handwriting, tears sprang to my eyes. He had beautiful handwriting, which I think was rather common place in the 30's and 40's. His journal was full of poems-- some silly, others serious-- and it just fit that his journal be filled with these things. I remember him always telling us poems and stories and how much I loved hearing them. He was a jokester and had such a healthy sense of humor.

Reading my Grandparents journals did for me what the man in the video said it did for him-- it helped me understand myself better. I am stubborn, so is my Grandmother. I love to laugh, joke and tease, and so did my Grandfather. Understanding who my ancestors were is helping me to understand better who I am. And, who I have the potential to become.

I love hearing the stories of "the olden days" -- stories that my Grandparents would tell, and also the ones that my parents would tell. Some of my fondest memories involve me and my Dad sitting around our kitchen table and him telling me stories about what it was like to grow up in Randolph, Utah.

The coldest place on the face of the planet. And a place that time forgot.

Recently Family Search asked me to help them write on their blog about the 1940's and as I have been researching it, reading about it and frankly learning about my own personal heritage, I have felt my heart being pricked yet again.

 I know that I want to do it -- gather my family's stories -- and the Spirit is speaking to me, but keeping that fire ignited all the time is hard. The fire comes and goes in wanting to collect the dates, but the gathering of stories is something that has always been very important to me.

Truthfully, the stories are what we fall in love with-- not obscure dates-- and the stories are what helps us power through the difficult trials that we may encounter in life. At least that's been my experience while working on this project.

Family Search is looking for Blog Ambassadors to help rally the troops and get people excited about not only the 1940's but helping execute the largest community service project ever recorded -- Indexing the 1940 Census. Anyone, from any religion, can help be an ambassador (and win swanky cool prizes) and anyone can help index the 1940's Census.

Heck. They've made it so easy to participate-- you can even index from your phone, iPod, iPad or iTouch now-- because there's an App for that! 

Guys, this is a good thing to be involved in. Think about the people in your past that you love, and the support, comfort and help they have given you. Digitizing these records will make it possible for other relatives to connect with them and feel these feelings as well.

At the very least, the documents that are being digitized could be what your posterity needs in order to feel like they can "carry on in this little trial".

Click here to participate in the Blog Ambassador Program and click here to help in the 1940 Community Project. 

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."  -- Soren Kierkegaard

Somewhere on my body is a magnet that attracts crazy people.

I'd really like to find this magnet and have it uninstalled because I'm not exaggerating in the least little bit when I tell you crazy people are attracted to me. In part, it is my fault because I am a chatty patty. I am able to chat with anyone. Crazy people love the fact that someone actually sees them and will carry on a conversation with them. If the conversation lasts less than two minutes, then I'm OK. It's when it goes on for long stretches -- and then they won't go away -- that it makes me squirm.


Like the lady who comes in every night to work to read my palm and predict how many children I am going to have. I am not kidding. She also likes to tell me how long I am going to live and what kind of problems I can expect to face in the next five years, and then gives me a box of chocolates. Every single time she comes in to the store.

Me thinks I'd rather not know what is coming my way if they're anything at all like she says is coming down my pipeline.

Then there was the Vietnam Vet who had to tell me all sorts of slap-stick jokes while he proceeded to pee his pants in front of me.

Yes he did. TOTALLY peed his pants right in front of me. I promptly picked up the phone and called "Housekeeping. STAT."

SO. GROSS.

Then there was the man who brought his bike into the store and wanted me to not only watch it -- because it is so cool everyone wants to steal it -- but put a tracking device on the shirt he wanted to buy NEXT MONTH. And, it couldn't be just any shirt that looked the same as the one he was holding-- it had to be that exact one.

There was also the lady who could hardly walk, let alone shop with her kids, because she had shot up on Meth in the bathroom.

#True story.

Or the dudes from Turkey who were trying to convince me that I needed to give them the "tourist" discount because they were hot Turkey Men. I told them I would if they would give me job-alimony for the rest of my life.

People. The moon is forcing the crazies out of their caves and they are flocking to me like I am their leader and Schmoles is their mothership.

What does that even mean?

*****
Hindsight it always 20/20 and I have a tendency to be way too trusting. I would never purposefully hurt someone, say something degrading or a half-truth about someone to other people. I have a tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt over and over again until I have been burned so bad it is beyond repair.

Is that a good quality or a bad one?

I don't know.

I just know that even when I am faced with the truth that people are blatantly stating untruths about me, I can't bring myself to "argue" the facts. It's exhausting and people will believe what they choose to believe and that's that.

People may say that they never believe anything they hear is actually an incorrect statement. People may think they don't  believe it, but their opinions are being molded by what they hear others say. That is just human nature.

Communication is a tricky skill, and I think people -- me included -- would be surprised if they could hear a recording of the conversations they are saying happened and realize that things are actually much different than what we both remember.

*****
Yesterday was Jefe's 41st Birthday. I was talking on the phone with my friends (we do free conference call.com so we can all talk together at the same time-- its a total blast!) and was posting a video to his Facebook wall when we got the crazy idea that I should post 41 birthday videos to his wall.

We then spent the next 30 minutes coming up with crazy Happy Birthday videos for Jefe. Want to know what they were? Cause peeps. They were HILARIOUS.

No?

Too Bad.

I'm gonna tell you anyway:

1. Ting Tings
2. U2 
3. Gwen Stefani 
4. Justin Beiber 
5. Brittney Spears  
6. Alicia Keys  
7. Rihanna
8. Madonna
9. Lady Gaga
10. Cat Singing Happy Birthday 
11. Jack Black 
12. Adam Sandler  
13. Swedish Chef
14. Jackson 5 in Spanish
15. Jimi Hendricks
16. Janis Joplin 
17. AC/DC
18. The Office
19. Gonzo
20. Sesame Street
21. Feliz Cumpleanos
22. The Ramones
23. Darth Vader
24. Happy Birthday Lisa - The Simpsons/Michael Jackson *my favorite!
25. Horses Singing Happy Birthday
26. Marilyn Monroe
27. Belly Dancer Happy Birthday (with a Coupon)
28. Satan 
29. Guns and Roses 
30. The Ramones 
31. Kermit the Frog 
32. The Old Guys on the Muppets 
33. The Three Stooges 
34. Sponge Bob sings Happy Birthday    
35. The Chipmunks  
36. The Beatles 
37. Julio Iglesias 
38. Dolly Parton & Willie Nelson  
39. Ray Orbison
40. Bob Marley  
41. Maroon 5

I think I broke his phone as all 41 Facebook notices hit his phone at the exact same time. During a business meeting.

Yes. I know. I totally need to get a life.

*****

Have a good weekend peeps. We're hanging low and calling it good. 


1. Night Drive - Gotye
2. Let Go - Frou Frou
3. When the Roses Bloom Again - Billy Bragg & Wilco
4. They - Jem
5. The Stars Just Blink For Us - Say Hi To Your Mom
6. Lights (bassnecter remix) - Ellie Goulding
7.Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch
8. Wake Up -Arcade Fire
9. Ghostwriter - RJD2
10. Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club

Bonus: Learn to Love - Ryan Adams

Jefe and I have the same conversation every year: "Are we going to celebrate V-day this year?" and every year we decide to wait and celebrate it (maybe) the weekend AFTER the big love-fest.

I sort of hate the big love fest that goes on because all it really is a comparison fest. Or a guilt fest. Or a my-husband-gets-me-better-presents-than-you-fest.

And really, who likes that?

Not I said the cranky girl on the back row.

It's also not because I don't have love in my life-- because I do. Lots of it.

To quote Rihanna "We found love in a hopeless place."

Truer words have never been sung.

I love Jefe like a Zombie loves brains.

I love him like a back ally whore loves crack.

I love him like a fat girl loves cake and I love him like an Emo kid loves tight pants.

Peeps.

This dude has my heart.



I'm gonna be honest with you here. Cause if I'm anything at all it's honest with my friends on the internet.

As a teen I freakin' LOVED Valentines Day. I think it was because when I was in 9th Grade, I had NO Boyfriend and was happily minding my own business in Mr. Day's 6th period Science class (which was totally nasty, yo) and the student body officers came in to hand out the Valentines. I knew I wouldn't be getting one because hello? I had no boyfriend.

I watched as all the girls (and boys) got corsages --- YES CORSAGES -- that they could put on for the dance that was happening in like 15 minutes. If you think about it-- that's really a horrible thing to subject teenagers to. Handing out corsages on VALENTINES DAY to then be worn to a DANCE where they HOPE someone will dance with them.

Imagine my complete surprise when they called out my name "Elisa You're the next contestant on embarrass the crap out of you while you walk to the front of the class to get this flower thing." 

I actually asked them if they meant me because there were two other Lisa's in the class with me. The Student Body Officer grinned at me and looked me straight in the eye-ball while he spelled my name "E-L-I-S-A  that's YOU, right?"

{wink}

Umm. Yes.

{did he just wink at me?}

But why?

I had no clue why anyone would want to buy me a corsage. I was convinced it was my friends playing a mean trick on me.

Imagine how stunned I was when I read the card:

"To Elisa, From Loren. I'll meet you in the dance."

HOL.EE. COW.

The hottest guy in THE WHOLE SCHOOL (who was also an officer) had sent me a Valentine and I didn't even know that he liked me.

Heaven, I tell you. Pure heaven. 

I wasn't planning on going to the dance I was going to go home. However, I promptly changed my mind as the class Cat-Called me while I walked back to my seat. I sat there blushing like, well, the school girl that I was.  I danced the afternoon away with my new found love and we had a marvelous romance that lasted all of fifteen minutes.

(I really have no idea how long it lasted but it was good, yo.)

As an adult, nothing has ever lived up to that teenage vision of Valentines Day. Finding out someone has a secret crush on you is pretty hypnotic.

But, what is even better is re-discovering your lover and seeing him with new eyes. That's pretty hypnotic, too. And the Fringe Benefits are most excellent, yo.

I don't need no stinking holiday to realize I've got it pretty good here in Crazyland. 'Cause I see it. I know I do. Things were seriously rough there for a while, Peeps. But, I gots it bad for Jefe and we're plowing through. Isn't that really what love is all about? Knowing each others shiz and then deciding they're still swanky fun?

Me thinks so.