I'll Be Your Emmylou

 My brother, Casey, and I have always seemed to butt heads. As children, almost every interaction involved fighting and crying. We spent one year of high school together-- his senior year, my freshman. There was little interaction between us that year, but it was nice knowing he was there considering my tendency towards homesickness. That being said, there were still times during our childhood when Casey could seriously be the sweetest big brother. I remember once he even bought me a Barney purse for my birthday. I found out about it and he got really mad at me, but still. As we have gotten older we get along much better-- that is, except for one area: those I deem worthy of his time and affection. In the past, there have been precious few (if any) girls whom I have considered to be good enough. Until now. 

Last Saturday family and friends gathered to celebrate the wedding of my brother Casey and his beautiful bride Kate. Their country style ceremony and reception took place in a field next to an old, wore down barn. Everything about it was beautiful, fun, and quirky, just like the happy couple. To say that I am happy for my brother would be a complete understatement. Knowing Casey, it is obvious that Kate was the one he was looking for far before he knew it himself. Seeing him so happy makes me happy,especially having witnessed the long search for him to find her. Kate fits in so well with our family and she fits so well with Casey.

Here's to Casey and Kate and a lifetime of happiness full of babies.

If You're Interested...

in some pretty useless info about yours truly, read on. The truth is, I'm at work and going crazy with the amount of nothing that goes on from 6:25 to 12:25 every day. So I stole this questionnaire from another blog.

1. Why did you start your blog?

Honestly, I'm not really sure. My friend Mariel is the one who suggested it. Sometimes I feel like I have important things to say... you can be the judge of that.

2. What is your name? (Or what do you wish you were named?)

Lisa Mae. I really like my name, actually. Although, when I was little I wanted my name go be Jasmine, go figure.

3. When is your birthday?

February 27th.

4. Name 3 jobs you’ve had in your life.

One of my first jobs was at a frozen dough factory called Bake-n-Serve. It was truly horrible. Fridays were the worst because those were the days everyone had to clean the machines. Basically, everything was hosed down it water and by the end of the day you were covered in soggy dough. The most enjoyable job I have ever had is working at a summer camp called Camp Wakonda. I worked there for two summers that consisted of campfires, marshmallows, sleeping under the stars, lullabies, amazing friends, amazing kids, covered wagons, indian costumes, and so much more. I could go on and on. Currently I work as a receptionist at the girl's dorm at my University. Obviously it's a pretty easy gig considering I can sit here and blog without interruption.

5. If you could have ANY job, what would you do?

This is where I get myself in trouble. I can't say that I have a dream job. There are jobs that I would like more than others, but I am really not very passionate about my career path. To be completely honest, the job I want the most is to be a mom. Plain and simple. I don't think there is anything I could be more passionate about.

6. What are you most afraid of?

Considering I am not passionate in my career choice I would have to say that my biggest fear is paying off my school loans. I try not to let it stress me out too much. I know that God will provide as long as I am faithful to Him first. I do as much as I can.

7. What was your favorite item as a child?

I used to have an Ernie doll (from Sesame Street) that I loved. Apparently I would suck on his nose. Until I bit it off. Which as I am writing sounds very strange...

8. What are 3 movies you could watch over and over?

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Gone with the Wind
Pride and Prejudice (A&E mini-series)

9. Your dream vacation would be…

Somewhere like Norway or northern France or Italy. I have never been out of the U.S. but if I did get the chance to travel I would want to visit Europe-- all the little villages and the countryside and not so much the big cities.

10. Must have snacks?

Pretty much, yes. Lately I am obsessed with almonds and dried pineapple.

11. Go-to outfit and hair?

I'm not the most fashionable girl. Sometimes I can be but it takes a lot of work and time... and resources that are unavailable to me as a student working through college. Jeans and a hoodie are probably my go-to outfit. I can say with certainty, however, that my go-to hair style is a french braid and that was long before Katniss Everdeen, mind you.

12. Do you eat the stems of broccoli?

Obviously it's the tops we all want, but yes, I do eat the stems. The real bummer is when the whole bag of broccoli is stems, like the Walmart's Great Value brand. Shocker.

13. Favorite ice-cream?

Impossible to decide. Well, not impossible. My longest standing favorite is Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide.

14. Favorite day of the week?

Probably Saturday. It's the one day each week that I can completely put all my worries aside and focus on friends and family. It's also the day I go to church and take a break from things like T.V. and homework.

15. What do you do most often when you are bored?

When I am bored I most often go on Facebook and I hate myself for it. However, I am on Spring Break this week and have been watching Downton Abbey. I am on the second season and am loving it.

16. What is your favorite board game?

I'm not sure that I have a favorite board game. I like card games better. Pit, Skip-bo, Fill or Bust, those types of games are the best.

17. Favorite smell?

Charcoal grill, fresh linen, hay.

18. What’s under your bed?

Suitcase and shoe boxes.

19. Which useless superhero power do you wish you possessed?

Teleportation, for sure. To be able to see anyone I wanted at a moment's notice would be amazing. I am always missing people.

21. If you could meet one person dead or alive, who would it be?

Maybe C.S. Lewis. But I would also really like to meet my grandfather. He was a cowboy and I just know that he had great taste in Literature.

William Wisniewski. Chester, Montana circa 1959.

2012

Well, it's a new year and I am finding myself at a loss for words. It has been a good year, a great year even. I have done many fun and exciting things and spent many hours with the people I love. But every year seems to be full of those things, and I am finding myself at a point where each year seems the same. Each comes and goes; just another year gone by. I am realizing that I don't want to simply let the years pass without intention. I don't want to sit back and take life as it comes; I want to make life. I don't want to go another year without improving my character. I do not want December 31, 2012 to come around and find that I am no closer to God than I am now. Time keeps speeding up on me and to be honest I'm having a hard time with it. I constantly find myself reminiscing; getting caught in the memories while letting the present slip right on by. So I guess my New Year Resolution is to live with more intention and to regain just on ounce of the ambition I had as a child. THAT being said, here are some highlights from a truly blessed year:

I became an Aunt for the second time on November 19 to Oliver Daniel Cunningham. He is absolutely perfect and such a handsome little guy.

My parents finally caved and got a kitten! We named her Hermione :)

Brewers game, bike rides, photoshoots, Josh Groban concert, cousin Abby's graduation, strawberries & summer, corn maze, and weekend in Milwaukee with the girls.

Twenty-first birthday, trip to Florida with the brother, Six Flags theme park, Christmas number four with my favorite guy, Thanksgiving with my adorable niece.

Sister, cousin, friends.

Here's to 2012.

Sushi Night!

November is speeding right along taking the sunshine and good times with it. I have so many papers piling up and I am beginning to think that my efforts to get them done before Thanksgiving will be in vain. I do keep this thought in mind, however, that each time the semester speeds up and I think that there is no possible way to get all my assignments done... I do. Somehow, despite the height and depth of my procrastination I get it all done (all praise be to God, He really is too good to me :)).

Anyway, amongst the endlessness of homework, papers, and tests I am given small, beautiful opportunities to do something fun and new and out of the ordinary. This week's fun has been brought to me by my incredibly thoughtful sister-in-law and brother. They sent me a package containing almost everything I would need to make sushi for the first time! And make sushi I did. And it was awesome.

I was somewhat nervous about the whole process, but I was able to skype Alisha, my sister-in-law, and she talked me through it. I have to say that I had so much fun! It really isn't hard once you get the hang of it. I love it because there are so many different options to go inside the sushi. I made mine with cucumber, avocado, carrot, cream-cheese, green onion, and salmon. It turned out to be very tasty and even my boyfriend, Sam, liked it (and ate a lot of it). I made enough to share with Sam's sister and brother-in-law. It was really great to just hang out in the middle of the week and eat some delicious sushi. Moments like that are kind of nice; the time when one can just take a break and enjoy good company and good food. It clears my mind and is good for my soul.

So I want to send out a special thanks to Alisha and Rob for completely making my week and giving me a chance to take a break from the monotony and grind of school! You guys are seriously the best!

Mail

There are a million things I need to be doing at this moment, but I am really excited about something. MAIL. I love it all: letters, packages, postcards. It just makes my day.

I started sending letters before I could even write. My cousin and I would color pictures for each other and send them in the mail. When we did learn to read and write, there was a constant flow of Lisa Frank letters and postcards between the two of us. My second most faithful correspond-er is my grandmother. I have always lived decently close to both her and my grandpa, but when I went to boarding academy she began to write to me about everything going on at home. I love getting mail from her. When I received her last letter the thought crossed my mind of how lucky I am to have these letters from her. I love everything about them; the neat,cursive handwriting, the pretty floral stationary, and most of all the fact that I will have this piece of her years from now. How amazing is that through letters we can save conversations, essentially, with people we love in their own, authentic handwriting? I save every piece of mail I receive. Cards. Letters. Postcards. I just have a feeling that some day I will be immensely grateful to have the words of the people I love, written by them, in their hand, on their special stationary. Sure, it is probably more efficient to send an email or Facebook message, but knowing that someone took the time to write you a letter by hand holds so much more value, in my opinion. Or to know that someone put together a package based thoughtfully on the things you love.

Recently I have received such mail: a letter from my grandma, a card and package from my Aunt Michelle containing CHOCOLOVE, my absolute favorite chocolate in life, and a package from my Aunt Corrine containing fresh Wisconsin cheese. Yes, you read it right. Fresh Wisconsin Cheese. And yes, my family is AMAZING.

So here's to snail-mail and its simple, quaint, and beautiful tradition. And thanks to my family for the supplies to get me through college!

Gosh, I love da Packers

Last weekend was fall break, and it was quite possibly the best fall break thus far. I took a long, 10 hour trip down to Atlanta with the Hanaway family and my sister. Among the amazing events that took place (which I will save for their own specials posts) was my very first Green Bay Packers game. I was somewhat saddened by the fact that my first game would not be at Lambeau, but it was amazing none-the-less. Here are the highlights in case you weren't able to catch the game:

As you can imagine, they have me pretty worried during the first half, but Aaron didn't let me down! Besides the fact that he is incredibly enjoyable to watch, he is a great QB and really a great guy from what I can tell:

"My goals have changed...I don't really desire any more to be the best quarterback in the NFL because I want to be remembered as one of the best men who ever played quarterback in the NFL." - Aaron Rodgers.

I love you, Aaron.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Packers fans are the best fans. By the end of the game we had taken over the Georgia Dome (so much for defending it, Falcons fans). There were very few Falcons fans who stuck out the whole game; most of them deserted at the beginning of the fourth... and they weren't very happy... or nice.

And of course one of the best things about the game was the people I got to go with! That Hanaways are seriously the best for letting my sister and me crash their trip!

Tailgating

5-0. Read it and weep.

My beautiful sister and I

Special Guest

Today's special guest comes to us all the way from... wait for it... Wisconsin! She is a 19 year old college student who is taking this semester off to embark on a journey of a lifetime. She has been mentioned in my blog many times before, but today she gets a name and a face. LeAnne Michelle Cunningham is my sister and the youngest of my 4 siblings. She was born on April 9, 1992. With her birth she brought the biggest blizzard of the year.

LeAnne likes to spend her time reading books such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Kite Runner, The Hobbit and Pet Semetary. Other activities she enjoys are playing "Zelda" on the N64 and watching "The Mighty Boosh." She usually has good taste in music and listens to a wide variety. Some of her favorite bands/artists are: The Smiths, Tegan and Sara, Celine Dion, Jack Johnson, ABBA, Josh Groban, and Fleet Foxes. Her favorite color is blue, although coral is definitely a close second. She also spends her time going to awesome places like Germany, working at her produce stand, and going on mission trips.

LeAnne graduated from Wisconsin Academy in 2010 and spent her first year of college at University of Wisconsin Barron County. Like I mentioned earlier, she is taking this semester off to go on a mission trip to the Philippines with one of my best friends, Allison from The Sisters Hanaway. They will be continuing some of the work Ally and her sister Samantha were a part of during their mission work.

We have always been close growing up, but for more about that read here. This summer we have spent the most time together than we have in the past three years. It was ok, I guess ;)

I think it's clear who got the good-looking genes in our family.

Here We Go Again.

I have been extremely negligent in my blogging this summer. Since I haven't updated for the past three months I'm finding it rather difficult to condense the whole summer into one post. But I will because 1. I am lazy; 2. School has already started and I massive amounts of reading to accomplish; 3. nothing terribly interesting happened this summer. However, it was, over-all, a pretty great summer.To kick it all off my very generous brother and sister-in-law let me tag-along with them on a vacation to Florida! I got to babysit my niece, Morgan, and lay out at the beach.

On the way home I stopped in Milwaukee to spend some time with my friends, Mariel and Allison. Mariel showed us all around Milwaukee. We spend an amazing day together, despite a insistent, not to mention old, business man from "out of town."

I got to spend some time at home, which was greatly needed and always appreciated. My sister and I rode bikes quite a bit.

I had planned on taking a math course over the summer, but it fell through and I was left with nothing to do and no money to do it. Luckily, my friend Ally hooked me and my sister up with a job in Green Bay picking and selling strawberries. It ended up being almost as fun as it looks in the picture. Staying with Allison and her family was amazing. Their hospitality is beyond measure.
The farm we worked on is called Sunny Hill and they really do have the best strawberries (not to mention corn) in the area. Surprisingly, I didn't get sick of eating them.

Josh Groban came to Green Bay. I am seriously at a loss for words to describe how amazing this concert was. He puts on SUCH a great show, and I love him.

Six Flags! It was great, but the older I get the harder this place is on my stomach. Superman was pretty awesome though. Also, why the heck did they get rid of Dejavu (sp?)?!

And now for the "fun" part. Fall semester 2011 has officially begun. Strangely, it feels good to be back. One of my professors went off in class about how much she loves being in school; the structure, environment, ect. While I really want to be done with school (mainly so I can start paying off my loans), I can definitely understand her point of view. After going to school for 15 years it pretty much becomes a comfort zone. What isn't comfortable about this semester is my work load. Below is an incomplete book-list for my two Literature classes. Add Psychology, Spanish, and a religion course chock full of busy work and I have a complete load.
However, I am prepared:
So that's that. And maybe when I feel more inspired I will write more. As can be expected, "What I'm Reading" posts are sure to come.

30 Fotographias

Someone you spend a lot of time with:

Sam Schultz. We spend loads of time together. Though, not much time this summer :(

A picture of yourself:
A random photo of you and your significant other:
We are the coolest people I know.

A picture of something/someone that makes you happy:
Morgan Ruth, my niece, makes me happy quite often.

An old picture of yourself:
A picture of you and your siblings:
All five :)

A picture you have never posted on your blog:
Lookout Mountain. Chattanooga, Tennessee. March, 2009.

A picture of a person who knew you then and now:
Marlyn Santiago. Friends in highschool, roommates in college.

A picture of your favorite place:
Right There.

A person you can tell anything:
Mariel Torres from Mariel's Window, knows many of my deepest, darkest, secrets.

A picture of your everyday life:
The mound of laundry I hauled home for Spring Break. Record of 3 weeks without spending money for laundry. Success!

A picture from a place you love:
Farmland. Country-side. Fields of any kind. Not town.

A picture that reminds you of great times:
Camp Wakonda. Summer, 2009. SO many great times and memories. I used to think it was kind of cheesy when people called it "a place set apart," but that is exactly what it is and I don't think there is a better way to describe it.

A picture of someone you miss:
Always missin' this little girl.

A picture of one of your favorite foods:
Cream of Broccoli soup in a bread bowl. Heaven.

A picture from the best day of your life:
The day the packers won the Super Bowl. *sigh of happiness*

A picture that always makes you laugh:
Well, doesn't it make you laugh?

A picture of your spare time:
Bookstores. Reading.

A photo from a great night:
4th of July, 2008. Three Words <3

The person who knows you the best:
My amazing mother. She was a stay-at-home mom while all of us kids were little and we have stayed close even as I have grown up. I think it's safe to say that she knows me the best.

A picture of someone you always have fun with:
Allison Hanaway. Always having a fun time with this girl.

A picture of your parents when they were your age:
My age is pretty much the average of their ages in this picture. And, yes, they are still together :)

A picture from last summer:
Two of my most favorite people in the world!

A picture of your closest friend of the opposite sex:
This is my first summer at camp, his second, and our first summer dating.

A picture from your favorite vacation:
Spring Break '09. Road trip from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Orlando, Florida!

A picture of an accomplishment:
Highschool Graduation. Class of 2008.

A picture of your closest friend:
Always.

A picture from a photo-booth:
Back when Ally came to visit!

A picture that makes you smile:
Cousins are the best. Sisters too.

A picture of someone you never want to let go of:
Never ever. One summer is bad enough.