Happy Birthday Lisey Lou

This poor little neglected blog.  I remember thinking that if I ever let a WHOLE WEEK go by without posting, that would be bad....uh it's now been since February....but trying to e-mail 3 daughter missionaries and one mom missionary weekly takes most (ok all) of my computer time.  Today, however, I find myself home alone with only a few dishes in the sink (which I will leave for my boys when they get home in an hour) and a peaceful moment and a reminder on my facebook feed that today is ANALISE's BIRTHDAY!  So in honor of my oldest daughter, who is currently serving an LDS mission in Lima Peru, here are 23 things about her.  (No, I didn't randomly choose the number 23; she turns 23 today.)

1-She has naturally curly hair, which was hard to "tame" as a small child, and which she diligently straightened most every day of high school, and which she now often wears curly.

My attempt to "do something" with her hair....yes, I know she somewhat resembles the "joker" from Batman, but at least she's wearing a bow.

High School....Beautifully straightened hair

Lima MTC map....Beautiful curly hair

2-She is stubborn...She refused to be valedictorian, and purposely got one "B" during her high school career, just so she wouldn't have to be valedictorian and speak at graduation.

3-She loves to talk.  She is fun to talk to/with.  And she can talk your ear off.  When she was little, after her nap, she would follow me around the house, talking a mile-a-minute.   I think she was trying to make up for the lost time she had just spent sleeping.

4-She could read almost before she had hair.  We would walk into the local convience store, and she would spell out the letters in the tile in the entry: "W-A-L-L-Y-S...Wallys."  One time she was crying while in the car in the dark; when I asked what was wrong, she said, "I can't read the words on the seatbelts.  I like to find the one that says 'center.'" (The slot for the center seatbelt was labeled with the word "center.")

5-She doesn't like ice-cream.

6-She was a cheerleader for 7 years.  (3 during middle school and 4 during high school.)

Analise as a "flyer."

7-She gave up an "illustrious career" as a soccer player to become a cheerleader.  (She really liked soccer as a child, and was quite good, but middle school necessitated a choice....she chose cheer.)

8-She will run with me!  (Yay!)  We have run several half-marathons and full marathons together.  She is fun to run with because she keeps me entertained.  (See #3 above.)

Our first "official" race together.  The Alien half-marathon, in the middle of the night, near area 51....regrettably, we did not spot any aliens.  (Don't we look cute with our headlamps and reflective gear ?!)

9-She successfully navigated 4+ years of BYU in a male-dominated major, earning a B.S. degree prior to an MRS. degree.  (Not that she didn't have offers.....her dad says, "It's like we threw her in a pool of green paint, and pulled her out, without a drop of green on her.")

10-She graduated from BYU in civil engineering.  (She #9 above.)

 



 11-She is good at math (a requirement for numbers 9 and 10 above.)

12-She missed her own college graduation due to missionary service.

BYU commencement program, which neither we, nor Analise attended.

The closest thing we have to a BYU "graduation" picture

 

13-She has lots of friends and is friends with everyone.

14-She is organized and responsible.

15-She is named after her grandma, Ann, and her great grandma, Elese: Analise.

Grandma Ann Hardy (My mom...or "Grannie Annie.")

Great Grandma, Elese Monson.  (Ann's mother, my grandmother)

16-She loves to try to new things and has a great sense of adventure.

Skydiving in Moab

Trying "Suri" in Peru.  (Yes, she ATE it!  And yes, it is a GIANT worm!  And yes, she ate it LIVE!)

17-She loves to travel....(a consequence of #16 above.)

18-She spent a semester studying at the BYU Jerusalem Center.

Analise in Jerusalem 2012

19-She traveled to China with BYU's civil engineering department for a term to work on her senior project.

Analise and fellow BYU students (note-all male) at the Great Wall.  China 2014

20-While going to school at BYU, she had several jobs.  She worked at Jamba Juice, as a research assistant for the civil engineering department, and for two different civil engineering firms in the Utah Valley (LEI and Accute)

21-She plays the piano.  It is so much fun to just listen to her play.

22-She plays the flute.  (3 years in middle school and 4 in high school.) 

The flute and the recorder have the same fingerings.  Analise was thrilled with this recorder gag gift last Christmas, and spent all morning serenading us with tunes.  Lynae was less-than-thrilled with Analise's display of talent.

 

23-She is our "princess."  Every household needs one.

 

Happy Birthday!  It's been a blast and blessing being your mom!