I Am Bruce Lee

One late night back in Arizona I was on the way to the gym and as I stepped out of my house and shut the door I heard something around the corner. I froze in thought. "Was it my husband coming home from his meeting early? Was it my friend Tara who was supposed to meet me at the gym? Was it a guy wearing a hockey mask wielding an ax?"

My imagination always leans closer towards someone planning my demise. But I tried to push the thought from my mind as I fumbled with my keys to lock the front door. As I cut myself off from personal sanctuary scarier scenarios plaid through my mind and as I stood in the dark listening I continued to hear something around the corner waiting. I started to panic and decided I had to do something. My "something" was the worst "something" ever used to ward off an attacker.

I started hopping... I hopped as high as I could while lifting my arms up and down above my head with fingers jazzed. I also yelled "Hiya, Hiya, Hiya," over and over again. As I jumped diagonally across my lawn like this I came face to face with the blood thirsty attacker who scared the dignity out of me.

It was my neighbor walking his dog. He just stood there staring at me while his dog barked and ran in circles out of control. All I could do was apologize and run to my car and never look back.

Now I live in New York and it occurs to me that this defense tactic didn't work then and it probably won't work now where I might actually need it. Who wants to take karate lessons with me?

Three Flights Later...

I landed in Tucson Arizona. and yeah, I had to take three planes to get there. THREE! the number of times I had to face my fragile mortality in one day starting at 6:00am. blarg, but it was so worth it when I got to see the cutest grandparents EVER!

Say Hello to My Grandpa and Grandma Young, If you ever get a chance to visit them they will welcome you with lots of hugs. Then they will tell you how pretty you are and they think your bangs are just the greatest. Then you will be whisked into the kitchen where there will be a smorgasbord of treats and tasties waiting for you to garble up! They will continue to tell you how great you are and then take you out back to see something spectacular.



BHAH HA HA HA!!! These mini cows are the best things that has ever happened in my life! I don't know if you can tell how small they are from the picture but if you know prickly pear cactus you will know they are a short cactus. what a bad measurement tool, sorry. But trust me bloggies these little guys will "moooo-ve" into your heart the second you meet them. (I am not proud of that joke, but to be honest, I am.)

I got around town hanging out with my best travel buddies Daniel and Valarie, Another really cute couple taking second place to Grandma and Grandpa. They picked me up from the airport and drove me to anything and everything. Oh, and they let me drive!

How many of you recognize the Mayor McCheese spin ride from Mc Donald's? Isn't it AWESOME! My dad procured this from Mc-D's a long time ago and gave it to my grandparents who always have it set up and ready to play with. I'm not going to lie, all of your inner child's should be super jealous.

But spinning wasn't the only reason I went to AZ. I was there to see my friend Tara(left) get married to her hunk Jarom and to also stare lovingly at my friend Crystal(right) as long as possibly could.

I really like Tara and her sister Lacie, they are nice with curly hair. What more could a girl ask for?

The rest of my time was spent hanging out with my family celebrating Abbey's Birthday!

My lovely and talented sister made that tutu and she promised to make me three. Two for my cats and one for Rhett. Best sister ever right?!?! Happy Birthday Abbey! You are the coolest!

Clara and Bradley are the cutest little cousin friends. Bradley is the sweetest and Clara is a little wicked and cunning which reminds me of me, so she has a special place in my heart.

If you made it down to the end of this post you are in for a very special treat. BEHOLD!!! The first place Leslie lived after she moved out of her parents house! Trailer #4, A.K.A. The Fort.

And no, that bottom picture hasn't been distorted in any way, that is just the way it leans. This disaster of a trailer was equal to the first line in the book "A Tale of Two Cities" Sure it was full of rats, roaches, and the heater or cooler never worked. But, this is where I learned to be independent. had my first crush, learned to go to church on my own, failed my first class, made awesome friends, won strongest woman in the world, Saran wrapped people to a trees. and so so so so much more.

Watercolor For Kids

I kind of feel like a nerd putting these up here but I kind of love why I made them. It's also a part of my life that I don't think a lot of people know about. I took art all four years of high school and I just continued doing it on my own. I have no idea how to properly use watercolor because my small town art teacher didn't really know how to properly use watercolor. So I just do it the wrong way.

The first painting is for my friend Tara. She is getting married this weekend and she had asked me to paint her something in New York months ago. One night I was walking to the temple and the American Folk Art Museum next door had a pair of carved wooden angel wings that reminded me of Tara, classic, beautiful, everything wonderful. After I painted the wings I kept feeling like I needed to somehow add a little Leslie, something hot pink or bright yellow... and there you have it. I really hope you like it Tara! This is my Mini Cow painting. My Grandpa recently procured himself a bunch of miniature cows, (did anyone know those existed? Because I sure didn't) and I just got a huge kick out of it and I went around talking about them for weeks!!! Then, I finally had to paint one...see? he is so mini the flowers are taller than him. Bhah ha ha ha ha, I love mini cows they are hilarious and cute!

I Really Like My New Job

I think this picture pretty much sums up all the happy and wonderful feelings I have about my new job.
I just finished up my first week at On Location Tours and I really like it. The people there are wonderful and I like the office and the location and that I get to continue to work in tourism.

I just feel very grateful for the opportunity. My friend Anna gave an amazing lesson on it today and she just posted some amazing quotes on her blog. Click HERE to check it out.