Return to NOLA

Almost exactly one week ago, Chris and I got back from our very quick trip to New Orleans (otherwise known as NOLA)! We left early Friday morning and returned Sunday evening; it was a total of about 19-20 hours altogether. Needless to say, we were quite exhausted! The reason for the weekend get-away you ask? A friend of Chris' from seminary was getting married and he was a groomsman. Congratulations Ashlee and Aaron! They had a lovely wedding with a fun and very upbeat reception, we just wish we hadn't been so exhausted!

It was French Quarter Fest in New Orleans that weekend with live jazz in the evenings and a lot of art vendors, etc in Jackson Square during the day. Apparently though, we were a week early for the show Nicholas Cage supposedly put on the following weekend, this weekend. Perhaps if he was there when we were, we could have warned him about his bad choices. It was so great to be back in that city! I spent almost 3 months in 2007 in New Orleans as a Project Leader with Adventures in Missions. Together with my team, we led youth groups from around the country in helping to rebuild the city after Katrina. The hotel Chris and I stayed in was nearly in the French Quarter and not far from the house I lived in, in 2007! Unfortunately, we did not have time to swing by it and visit that cozy little place on Polymnia. Hopefully we can go back and visit some other, less busy, time and spend a little more time walking around than we were able to on that weekend. Here are some pictures of our weekend! We weren't able to have many of just the two of us, I wasn't that trusting to ask strangers to do it for us. Maybe next time.

Venturing out Saturday morning before wedding commitments. Beautiful weather!

This picture and the four below are all in Jackson Square in the French Quarter. There
were a lot of artists with their work set out, fortune tellers, performers, etc.

Looks like a normal little motorized vehicle maybe?

Think again! It was a transformer! This 14 year old kid was taking donations for this very impressive act! It's hard to see in this picture, but he was wearing the top of the car on his back, and then folded to the ground with the four wheels he had on his hands/arms and his feet. Pretty cool!

A silver painted man! He did robotic moves to techno music. It was pretty funny!

Ashlee and Aaron's reception at a Jazz hall. These girls were Ashlee's friend and are standing around the cake. They did a "Cake Pull" which I guess is a tradition of sorts but each girl held onto a string outside of the cake and pulled, revealing a little trinket on the other end. I think it was a game but couldn't get a good view.

They hired a jazz band that paraded around the room, led by the bride and groom toting bedazzled black and white umbrellas! Very unique, very cultural!

We had fun celebrating with them while remembering our own wedding that was almost one year ago! It's so hard to believe we've almost been married a year! But, that'll be a post for later...

I Got My Project Fix

I tend to get very distracted when I blog. Maybe that's why I do it so infrequently. Take this instance for example. I signed on over an hour and a half ago to post about my recent home-deco projects I'm pretty excited about. But then I looked at my blog design, which of course I haven't looked at in 2 months (as that was my last post), and realized it looked very Fall-ish. Now it's March, I'm enjoying 60-70 degree days and Fall is long gone (although, my class of 3-year olds are quite confused on the season and month). This aforementioned realization stumbled me into an (apparently) hour-long search for a new template. Being the woman that I am and many of you may be, I changed my mind several times and, of course, ultimately landed on my first choice (hmmm... sounds suspiciously similar to the process for deciding on an outfit in the morning times.). That brings us to what I was intending to have done and be done with a multitude of minutes ago. My most recent project! When we moved into our apartment, we had requested they paint the accent wall this gray color. Unfortunately, next to our brown couch, it looked much to green and I just needed to change it. So, six months and one lease-renewal later, I had the opportunity to repaint the eye-sore. Our wonderful maintenance crew obliged me by coming to paint a 1ft. x 3ft. sample of a Marigold paint color on the wall to see if I would like it. It had way too much yellow in it. (The apartment office gave us very few choices and the Marigold looked more tan on paper. . . should have seen it coming.) To make a long story short, I requested to have another sample painted called Granite Peak, and although it had more of a blue-tint to the gray overtones than I would have expected, I asked for the wall to be painted that Granite Peak! Day one with the wall was a shocker but the color has set in more and now, I absolutely love it! Even though there is more blue tones than I expected, it gives the room a calming feel and compliments decorations in the room I had already.
Here is a picture of that gray/green color that lived on my wall one week ago. Sorry for that light shadow, it's not bad painting, but weird light. Also notice the pictures. Now, this wall is pretty big and as much as I liked having our engagement picture collage (thank you Amber for the pics and Tabitha for the frames!) hung there, it was too small for the space. It looks a lot smaller in the picture than it actually did. And here is the beautiful new color! I think in person it looks slightly more blue than this picture, but both are good I think. I debated if I liked it with the brown couch, but decided it wasn't too bad. And yes.. no more engagement pictures. They found a new home to make room for the shelves I've been anxious to put up, along with the leaf-sconces. Both Target purchases that I LOVE! Here is the start of my project:

Measure twice, "cut" (or nail) once is how it goes. For me: Measure 17 times, nail 3 (per hanging).Almost there! I was laughing that my wall had a face! It reminded me of those commercials where they find happy faces in every day objects.

It's all up! Now for the decorations. I'm sure I'll change them out as I find better things. What I chose to put on the shelves was just what I had around the house. The two frames came with the shelves though! I decided I wanted to put scrapbook paper in them to pull in colors from the living room (our throw pillows, other pictures, etc.).

Not sure about the paper in the frames yet. I had trouble getting a good picture of this to make it not look smaller than it really was and not to look slanted (this wall is angled high so it's tricky in pictures.) Another look:


And finally, a look at both changes of the day! You can see I moved the engagement pictures to the wall on the right. It's right next to our dining room table/kitchen and fits so much better in that space!

One coffee table move later and my project for the day is complete! I love accomplishing a task.

Hello There, 2011

Happy New Year!!
Dear 2010,
2011 came so fast, I don't think I had the chance to appropriately say goodbye to you. It seems like so many things happened over your last 12 months. I was a little sad at 11:59 last night as we were running up the stairs, champagne in hand, to catch the last 30 seconds of the countdown with friends, welcoming your successor. I will remember you fondly as the year of my marriage and the year which took me to Texas, along with a thousand other big and little memories. You will be missed.
Love, Sarah

This past year was definitely filled with a lot of happiness, but was not without a lot of tears through the tough transitions from Indiana to Texas. As difficult as it was sometimes (and still is, it was very hard leaving Indiana after Christmas) I can see God's hands all over 2010. Chris and I are SO excited to see what the Lord will do in 2011 and how He will reveal Himself to us even more. We woke up this morning with smiles on our faces knowing the next part of our lives was here. Together as a couple we have a lot of goals for this year, but of course I have my own set of personal resolutions.

Awww, yes. There it is. Resolutions. The word more associated with this first day of January than any other day of the year. Dare we even open that can of worms. YES!! What else did you expect? So, I'm going to stretch just a little bit and share with you my "11 Resolutions in 2011" Sound like a bit much maybe? Maybe. We'll see. Some will be little. But it just sounds right. Let's get going:

1. Pray for at least 5 minutes a day. This sounds so small but I was challenged when I read a blog post another day from a guy my husband follows. (Read the post here.) God has really blessed me in my prayer life more and has given me a desire to be more intentional in this way.
2. Email intentionally. I have a couple of friends abroad who are often on my mind but I am not very good about emailing consistently. I want to be. You know who you are!
3. Put laundry away. I'm notorious for doing laundry, laying the "wrinkle-ables" over the edge of the basket, then leaving the basket in the bedroom for 24+ hours. (Now you know my dirty laundry.)
4. Eat more fruits and veggies.
5. Use the gym membership we've paid for. Come on, you knew it'd make the list.
6. Read more. I love reading! 2010 was so busy I didn't read as much as I wanted to. Bring me the books!
7. Study hard. I am enrolled in a program to get my teaching certification. This is hopefully not a year-long resolution, but one for the first half of the year as I study to pass the tests I need to take in order to be hired in a school.
8. Break my worst habit. I pick at my hangnails constantly and it's horrible! It must stop! I'm tired of it, but do it subconsciously so this will be hard to break. My thumbs will thank me though.
9. Study a book of the Bible I have not given much attention. Long one or short one? I just want to know my God more.
10. File the mail in a timely fashion. Counters be clear!
11. Continue my love affair with Reese's Peanut Butter cups!

And there you have it! And this is the last year for so many resolutions. Chris thinks I'm being a little over the top and he's probably right. We'll check back in, in a couple of months.

Happy New Year and good luck to you and all of your resolutions.


*Apologizes for my wordless last post! I had typed a good bit then entered pictures but the text got deleted and I was really not happy with the idea of re-typing it. What you see.. the lazy approach! Christmas was absolutely fantastic! We had such a good time being back in Indiana with my family and those were only a fraction of the pictures. One of these days, more will be put on Facebook. Now back to your regularly scheduled program....

December in reverse order

Tradition

Let me start by saying Thank You to the six wonderful people (5 maybe?) who helped in my blog's very first poll! I'll be honest with you, it's a little more than I expected. And I will confess, I did vote in my own poll. I started making my Christmas cards before the poll was over, but, as suggested, seeing the trends in voting (can you say "trends in voting" with less than 10 respondents? Is there a maximum number you have to hit before you can even dare to use such a word?) did help me decide on what kind of templates to create for this festive holiday. I'm a decent way through my project but still have a lot left. My mom requested that I make 10 cards for her to send out to her friends so that took some time. And YES! you heard right! I am officially in production. Refer to my last post's title to fill in the blank here _______________.

So now Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is on the way. My husband and I drove to Houston to be with his parents for Thanksgiving this year. It was my first one away from home, and I must say it was a little sad! Thankfully we were able to Skype with my family back home for a little while and see their smiling blurry faces. Loved it. I knew once I got married that holidays would be different - traveling between two families in two far away places (from each other). It's time to start our own traditions as a little family. I can't help but find myself wanting to incorporate ALL of my families traditions with me and Chris. For example: decorating the Christmas tree. If I were home with my sisters and brother-in-law, we would be decorating the Christmas tree the night after Thanksgiving while having egg-nog, Keebler's almond crescent cookies, and most definitely the Christmas tunes. Since we're out of town for a few days, I'm hoping we'll be able to put our tree up on Sunday evening. But I most definitely plan on having those delicious little cookies and the nog. (Sorry Chris, some traditions might take awhile to wear out).

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to? And be honest... how many of you ran out on Black Friday? We went out at noon and found one item we wanted at Kohls. Then we got to the checkout line, decided we would not wait that long, even for $7.99 men's lounge pants, and walked out the doors. As frustrating as those big crowds can be, I'll have to admit, I kind of like it.

And for your absolute enjoyment, my additional plug for those cookies! Trust me, you'll love them:

Now Taking Orders

I have always considered myself a pretty crafty person. I like to use my creative juices to fashion pieces of artwork either on paper with sharpies (when we get our printer working I'll have a visual for this) or using paper for scrap-booking. It's fun, relaxing and I really enjoy it! Recently, I started making cards. You've heard of 'em: given on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, just because. I've done it in the past but sporadically. I think moving to Dallas and having some down time has been the major contributor to my production increase. I decided to make all of our Christmas cards this year, too. Stay on my good side, continue reading here and you might get one yourself. I've already started and must say it's been a little more frustrating than I expected. Maybe because I'm making more than I've ever made for one purpose? I'm a bit of a perfectionist, too. Makes things like this difficult. Yes it does.

So on my last card-making venture, I did Autumn-themed cards. If you know me at all, you know my love for all things Fall run deep. I attached them below for your viewing enjoyment. They were SO fun to make! If it wasn't for actually wanting to send them to the girls I sent them too, I was going to keep them, buy matching frames, display them, and get them out again next year. Maybe I'll do that at a later date.I want to take a poll. If you will, vote for which card is your favorite. They will be numbered 1-6 in the order they appear here. It will help me create the best looks for my Christmas cards. Will you help me? Look for the poll on the right side of the page. I'll keep it open for a week and announce the winner! If you don't see it, it's because I couldn't figure out how to do it. Bummer.

Meat 'n Potatoes

It was this side of one week ago that Chris and I were sitting on this very couch eating a cheese and roast beef sandwich. Mmmmmm. What's that you say? One week ago today we were a day into our fruit (and veggie) only diet? Oh yeah, about that. . . I have a confession to make.

If I did not know it before, I know it now: I am strongly, wholeheartedly, a meat 'n potatoes kinda gal. So is my husband. Before going on the fruit diet, I read up on it a little bit and a one article said not a lot of people don't make it through the first few days because the hunger and withdrawal from sugar and salt is so strong. I thought, it's just 3 days, it can't be that hard. Besides, I love me some fruit. Well sirs and ma'am s, I am here to tell you that it is pretty tough! My stomach was grumbling most of the day, I had a funny taste in my mouth that wouldn't go away, and had a decent headache for my waking hours. I am by no means saying that fruits and veggies are the big EVIL and we should steer clear of them. We had a nearly tasty dinner of roasted vegetables (I'm not sure if that was cheating or not but surely our acts in the following hour were against the diet rules.) and it was soon after that we decided this diet was not for us. I think we were both waiting for the other one to say "I give up" so the other could follow suit. Since we had no meat in the apartment we hopped in the car and drove to the grocery store where we eagerly purchased a loaf of bread and market-fresh roast beef, sliced as thin as you can go. Diet done. Fifteen minutes later, I had never tasted anything so good.

So my lesson that I already knew but now, really know is that fruit and vegetables are a very important part of your diet and should be integrated heartily. They were integrated heartily into our diets for the rest of the week because my fridge was packed with fresh produce, I was just deciding to have it with a little meat.

I'm still trying to finish the strawberries, but those I could pop like m&m's.

An apple for the teacher?

Its breezy outside today, more like windy I suppose and I am absolutely loving the sound of it through my open balcony door. Now, if it were just about 10 degrees cooler, even 5, it would be a fantastically Fall day. In case you haven't noticed, I have an affinity for the season. Christmas carols are even starting to pop in my head, but can I really help it with all the Christmas-decor springing up? Admitingly, even if there wasn't such decor I would still be singing tracks off of The Rat Pack's Christmas Album in my head.
I have found it very hard to concentrate on job-searching today because of it all.. the Fall like weather that is. I'm pretty good about spending several hours of my day online and focusing on follow-ups and hunting for my next gig but today all I really want to do is listen to the leaves rustling (while drowning out the occasionally loud birds, planes, and car horns) and read a good book.
Any suggestions for a good book by the way? I'm thinking maybe a classic, or a really good mystery (not too scary of course). I miss the Library.

Tomorrow is going to mark Day 1 of a 3 day diet experiment for Chris and I. Not so much for the purpose of losing with fast (although I do need to cut back on my baking. Waist lines can only hold for so many chocolate-chip cookies before expanding another inch.). We have been reading and hearing a lot about fruit diets lately and the huge benefit they're suppose to have. It's supposed to detoxify your body and kid of reset your system I guess. I've read its arguments, though, that since you have a liver and kidneys, your body doesn't really need to detoxify in this way. None-the-less, it's something we're going to try. If anything well just eat really healthy for 3 days and maybe that'll make us (okay, not us... just me) not want to have that popcorn when we go to a movie. I went to Sprouts today and got some fresh fruit and veggies. I expect to feel pretty hungry throughout the day tomorrow but I will stay strong and ignore all the starch and treats in my pantry!

Ask me how we did on Friday.
Also, I think I'm going to start my certification process to become a teacher. This time next year I could be in a classroom of youngsters
. . . . But that's for another post.

Coffee Coffe Coffee

I like me some coffee.
My relationship with coffee has been a dynamic one over the years. In college, I loved it. I loved it sweetened. I loved it cold. I loved it hot. I loved it as a Reese's frappe. (I really miss my college coffee shop!) I can almost smell that frappe. But by the time I graduated and spent some time away from "free" coffee I felt that swiping a plastic card that had my money connected to it was just not the same as swiping my student I.D. We were on a break. I'd have the occasional small cup at home (usually with some French Vanilla creamer. Would you like some coffee with that creamer?)

Then a funny thing happened. I got engaged, and a few days before the wedding, my lovely aunt and cousins from Holland flew in. The girls stayed at my sister's house with us and on several of the mornings we asked them if they wanted coffee. Being the hip foreign girls they are they said yes and I asked them what they wanted in it. They said, "black is fine". Wow! Gutsy. Or normal I suppose. So, I decided to try it a few times over the following weeks and surprisingly, I kind of liked it! Okay, so I had it with a little sugar. I remember an especially good cup when we came back from our Honeymoon and were opening gifts on our living room floor.

So for the past couple of months I have had a hankering for coffee fairly regularly - more often in the past few weeks. Last week my heart said yes to coffee but my tummy said please stop!I listened to that until the next morning. Chris wanted some before work so I had to support him in his decision. Now I'm exploring the flavors I like post-college. I have found that I really like Starbucks' Cafe Mocha with soy. Ever since I found out I have a bit of an aversion to dairy, I try to be better about having coffee with soy. It's pretty tasty.

Right now, I am waiting for my freshly brewed coffee to get cold in the fridge so I can attempt to make a frappe. I'll let you know how it goes. Here's hoping!

movies, potholders, and wedding bells

We have clearly established my love for Fall. Or, maybe we haven't and my just stating it is clearly establishing it. This Autumn seems like a brand new adventure since I've never lived this season in this particular city. Although it's still an average of 82 degrees outside, there is a fresh, crisp feeling in the air that is delightful when paired with a steamy cup of coffee. Usually, I prefer my coffee a little less than steamy. I'm not a fan of the 24-hour stay when I burn the tip of my tongue. Chris and I went out on our Autumn-Saturday last weekend and just ventured around. It was fun and proved productive at the same time. He took me to a Christian book store he frequents on his lunch breaks just to show me around. It was large and in charge with much more than books - pastors. Every man in the place looked like a pastor. But that's besides the point. On our way out I saw these:
They came as a set and I loved them as my very own right away. Chris laughed at me and said "honey" (you know the one, with a sigh but a little laugh because he secretly loves your materialism..). We walked away and I noticed he lingered. I smiled my sneaky smile and he said, we'll get 'em. It was like Christmas early. They're just so darn cute!

Fast-forward to this week. I thought mosquito season was over, but clearly it is not. Chris is the groomsmen for his friend Bryan's wedding (which is this evening) so we had the rehearsal on Thursday night. I sat and waited in the chilly air and while I did, the mosquitoes decided to have round 2 on my legs. Round 1 was 3 weeks ago while a bunch of us played softball. Mosquito-bite count was 18 red ones. Needless to say, I was up half the night last night itching and applying anti-itch gel. Tonight I think they're going to spray the area before the wedding. Phew. I might still bring my own though. Regardless of whatever irritating insects might be there, Bryan and Tara will have a simply beautiful wedding at the winery... full of twinkle-lights and of course, the wine.

I also have to make a quick plug for the movie, Life As We Know It
We went to see it last night, and although critics said to "Skip It" I say See It! I've always liked Katherine Hiegl movies, and this was no different. Bring plenty of tissues and choose good seats (away from noisey families). I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy and this is at the top of the list and hopefully will be in our DVD collection. The movie portrays a difficult life circumstance and shows real emotion, I appreciate that. Maybe the basic emotional/relationship story line is typical but I don't care. Grab the girls and go see it, you won't be disappointed. If you've seen it and disagree with me, I respect your opinions but also think you're nuts.

Apple Pie... So Heavy

I'm back. Consider the absence due to wedding planning, the actual wedding, and then moving to Dallas. I guess that's the past 10 months summed up in a sentence! Heavy stuff, I know. Delightful stuff. We are paving a new way for ourselves, watching and wondering where life is taking us in this big Texas town... or a small Texas town if we move to the burbs.

When we got to Dallas I was pretty torn. I had acknowledged, even reminded ourselves, that God was moving us here and I was 100% behind that. But I still slammed the door pretty hard when we got to our apartment for the first time... our second floor, vaulted ceiling, separate closets apartment. Sounds wonderful? When we finally got our furniture it started turning into that. Now I've probably exaggerated it and if I post pictures of the place I'll leave you with several question marks. But I am getting used to the area and have ventured to most of the grocery stores within the vicinity. I think that is what is getting me adjusted to being here oddly enough. Knowing where my food is at.
That is something I have thoroughly enjoyed about marriage: the opportunity to cook. I've discovered I love it. Sauteing, sprinkling, rubbing, baking, they all keep me quite happy. Although, I look forward to the day when I have more counter space - maybe an island. Until then I am quite content moving some things around to toss flour in the air and slap some chicken (not quite like on Modern Family). Chris might have to corral me soon if our grocery bill takes flight, but for now, the occasional lemon, sweet potato and chili powder are alright. Don't be confused, those are not all in one recipe... or are they?
Yesterday, I made my mom's Appletart. A Dutch apple pie. Several good childhood memories are centered around this pie and it's delicious dough. So I decided I needed to bake it, and what other time to do it then the ushering in off Fall? So, I got to work:

And the finished product, messy as it looks: drum roll please
Oh yes... it all it's tasty glory there it sits. We had a little piece after dinner. But that's a different story. For dinner, I fastened my apron once again and decided to make shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta. I had it for dinner when Chris and I went out a while ago and it was so good I wanted to recreate it. Here are the little guys, waiting to be tossed into the lemon butter sauce:

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzleIn the end it tasted pretty good. However, Chris' first reaction was, "It's bland." After I reprimanded him for the comment (in good taste of course) We added some garlic salt and parm and that spruced it up nicely. There were even some leftovers.

This recipe will go in the books, we liked it. Paired with some wine (blush for me) it was nice. Too bad my stomach didn't appreciate all the butter, garlic, and pie. If you ever repeat my evening... put more hours between the two.

Maybe days.

New Decade, New Decisions

It's hard to believe it's 2010 already! As with the past several years, 2009 seemed to fly by, I kind of miss it. I really wish I would've kept up with posting for the past several months because a lot went on I could have posted about. The biggest thing:

I'M ENGAGED! Chris proposed on September 26th, and it was perfect. He actually was sick with mono when he proposed! It wasn't exactly according to his plan but it turned out lovely. We've been engaged for a little over 3 months and have only 4 months (ish) to go. Our wedding is in May, and quickly approaching. I think it's hit me a little more that I'm getting married in the past few days, since we've moved into 2010. It sounds silly but in the past 3 months I kept thinking, "I'm not getting married til next year, it's still so far away." Well, really it's not! There's still so much to do and I can definitely understand why people elope. I never would, but I understand why they do, it's a lot of work!

So now, I'm spending a lot of my free time (the small amount it is) to get wedding details in line. We're taking the DIY route for our wedding. I've been searching blogs and websites high and low to find simple and affordable ways to make a big impact on your wedding day. Having a vision for the day has been the easy part really, finding ways to make all my ideas fit into the vision is the tricky part. I just have to keep in mind that at the end of the day I'll be married to my best friend, the love-of-my-life and that is the blessing I'll be smiling about on that Saturday! It's very easy to be worried about what others will think of my wedding, whether or not they'll like the food, appreciate the decor, or have fun at the reception. In response to this Chris showed me something he had written down that a pastor said in a sermon once. He basically said we would stop worrying so much about what other people thought if we realized, that in reality it's not us they're thinking about, but themselves.

Refreshed.

Bartender: 3-day weekends for everyoone, on me

I've never been to a bar and ordered shots for everyone and said "On me!" Actually, I don't plan to do such a thing, but if they had a forum where you could request 3-day weekends for everyone, always....I would do it! (What the on-me part would, I have no idea.) I want to hug Labor, I want to send Labor Day a card and say, "Thank you! Thank you for contributing to the well-being of working adults all over the country."
I would sign it:
xoxoxo
Sarah

It amazes me what one extra day in a weekend can do for your morale! On a regular weeknight you have this lingering feeling in your stomach that you can't quite relax yet. Sure, you're done for the day but you don't give in too easily to the beckoning "R&R" because you know there are 2, 3, 4 more days left to your week. Then hello Friday (night)! Remember TGIF? That knot in your stomach goes away and you sigh a big one: Welcome Weekend, Welcome. Well, I introduce to you the extended version of the SABO (sigh a big one): the 3 day weekend. You're liberated! Not 2 days, but 3 days of leisure (even though we know at least one of those days will be filled with errands). Unfortunately, on my first SABO of the season I was sick and am still kicking it, but boy was it a relaxing weekend!

Anyone want to start a petition to whoever "they" is to get 3-day weekends??

P.S. About that Jane Austen read-through, I'm still thinking about it. But my sister has several of the Shopaholic books. They seem fun.

Project Proposal

Hello my faithful (and unfaithful) readers! (We'll get to you unfaithful ones later.)
My sister Tabitha, Laura, and I went to see Julie & Julia on Saturday staring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. I must say... I quite enjoyed the flick! Before seeing the movie I read an interview with the lead actors and Norah Ephron (director, writer) that gave a little inside look to the film. This article was not a spoiler, rather just putting a magnifying glass above the plot, so to speak. I won't say toooo much about it for those of you who have not seen it yet. I liked how both stories (of Julie Powell and Julia Child) showed their lives as married women. They say this in the article, but so many movies are about falling-in-love, or failed marriages, divorce, etc. It was nice to watch a movie about happily married couples with regular problems, working through them.

So, obviously the premise of the movie (based on a true story) is how Julie decides to blog her way through Julia Child's cookbook. This got me thinking: Should I blog my way through Julia Child's cookbook!? That was followed by a hearty NO! Who do I think I am!? Did I have a dose of crazy this morning? Okay, so my reaction wasn't really that strong, but let's face it...it was more entertaining for you to read right? But I did think, maybe I should blog about something in particular? Maybe have a purpose to this little thing I infrequently post on? The one thought I had was to read through Jane Austen's classics and blog about it as I read it...every few chapters maybe? Again, not as a spoiler for those books...just something to do.
I probably wouldn't start this until Autumn. There's something about Jane Austen and books like hers; for me they're just meant to be read in cool/cold weather with some hot cidar or cocoa.

Does anybody have any ideas? Anyone there? I think this could be fun! Sure, it's by no means an original idea and a lot of people have blogs about specific things (decorating, cooking, photography, etc.). This would just be something for me I guess (and I suppose my faithful or unfaithful readers.)

Oh Dearest...

I have been wanting Chick-fil-a lately. That blessed chicken cuisine has been calling my name for weeks! I simply have to give in to this craving...and soon. I need my fil-a!

But, this post really has nothing to do with that. It was just on my mind. (Oh sweet, sweet chicken.) I'm in the middle of watching Pride and Prejudice right now. This is arguably the best movie of all time. I praise Jane Austen's accomplishments! Oh, and let me clear something up right now: The 90 minute "recap" of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightly a few years ago is not the flick I am speaking of. I am talking about the brilliant production done by A&E...the no holds barred (is this phrased correctly? I couldn't really remember), spare-no-detail account of this story. It is almost 6 hours long and absolutely wonderful. I started watching it while I was in bed last night but of course fell asleep (this is doomed to happen when you start such a long movie in the late night hours). So, I'm redeeming myself now with a Saturday afternoon viewing.

Sometimes I wish I lived back in those days..among society's elite in 19th century England. It seemed like, for the most part, they had their heads on a little more straigt in regards to priorities. Also, I love how they dressed and talked. People don't say things like "Oh Dearest..." anymore (actually meaning it). I wish we would...it's lovely (also an underused word). Tabitha, Rachel, and I used to watch P&P on a regular basis..staying up late at night and making an evening of it. It was so much fun! It reminds me of autumn, the fall.

Oh the fall. I'm so ready for the leaves to turn red and orange and beautiful colors! I'm ready for fall clothes, hot cider and cocoa, pumpkin carving, scarves, etc. I just love it! But...that's a whole other post on it's own.

And oh...happy August!

i shall pay a tribute

On this cloudy yet pleasant day I think it is more than appropriate to say HAPPY 4TH OF JULY or HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Even though our country has it's problems, I am still so thankful to be living here, blessed in the ways that I am, we are. It's funny, it seems like for the other 364 days a year, we feel okay to "dog" America, ridicule it's leadership and comment on what we may not know much about (that part is me), but on this 1 day we remember that we have pride in our country and we really are Proud to be an American (and on goes the song). My favorite part of this colorful holiday is of course, the Fireworks. This 4th of July, I am happy to be seeing those sparkles in the sky with my main squeeze, the man I love, the man God has ridiculously blessed me to be with: Chris.



Yesterday we celebrated our 6-month aniversary from when we started dating. However, we've known each other for about 9 months. Either way.. it seems longer! God brought him a long quite unexpectedly (which is funny considering the way we met.. but really, I didn't think that was how I would meet the man I'm gong to spend my life with). I don't think I tell him enough how much he means to me and how much I appreciate all the things about him, everything he does for me. My love language is words of affirmation (just words in general I suppose). I guess I always assumed that's how I'd show love also. However, we figured out yesterday that he is really the one who is very good with the words and giving those out. I show love by acts of service and the occasional gift. I tell him how I feel but he is much better at it than I am. God knew what he was doing when he made this guy for me! I wish I could better put into words how special he is to me. He makes me laugh, so much, and sometimes the things aren't even that funny... it's just how he says them. He can get me out of a bad mood by making me laugh or smile quicker than anyone. I admire his genuine love for the Lord and his eagerness to learn and to serve. I have so much to learn from him...I am constantly challenged! Trust me..this list goes on and on but I don't want to put too much mushiness out there in the blog-o-sphere (even though as a couple, we are very much romantics). So..to celebrate 6 months together (and has it been a crazy, whirlwind, terrific 6 months), we decided to recreate parts of our first date. We ate lunch at Houlihans at Hamilton Town Center, then went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (quite good!). He even leaned over and asked to hold my hand during it (just like our first date). Since we got a late start and spend a lot of time driving, we spent the last 6 hours of our day at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) and saw The Goonies on the terrace. (IMA has this program called Summer Nights on Friday nights during the summer where they show movies on the terrace...so fun!). Tabitha and Rusty joined us for that activity and we had a lot of fun! What a great way to end our 6 month-aversary!



Chris... thank you for sweeping me off my feet and keeping your promise to not let them touch down.

commitment issues

For all intent and purposes, the title of this post really only has to do with this first mini-paragraph. My name is Sarah and I (think) I have commitment issues.... to this blog. I think that's pretty bad; it's like having a commitment issue to myself. My intentions to post are good, the time I allow myself to do so are a different story. (For those of you wondering why I keep posting about not posting and are instead thinking why doesn't she she post? Well..that's a good question and the very one that might get me out of my slump! That, and the hope that my computer will be fixed and signing on will be exciting once more rather than a 30-minute process.)
....................
We've started a new Sunday School class at church called "Living your Life as a Beautiful Offering." It's geared towards women specifically and is taught by Angela Thomas as a DVD series. Today was week 2 but already I'm falling in love with the message (based off of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5). I guess the point of it all though is to fall back in love with my Saviour. Or grow in love really. I hate to admit it, but I've been in a slump. A slump of desperately wanting to spend time with the Lord and feeling Him call me to do so, but choosing to do other things instead. What's really difficult is that when I'm with other believers, I'm excited and passionate about the Word and wanting to talk about Christ! Then, when it's time to live it and do it on my own.... I'm dragging my feet. Why this dichotomy? If I know I'm in it can't I just pull myself out of it? It sounds so simple but has been anything but.

Today's "lesson" (I don't like to call it a lesson because that makes it sound less than what it is really, but for lack of a better word...) was pulled from Matthew 5: 6 which reads, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." Fantastic! This is great news! But what do I do if I'm not hungering and thirsting for righteousness, for the Lord, but achingly want to be? This is the very question that was posed in the series. To my relief an answer was provided. I'm usually not one for "steps" and what she offered weren't so much steps as they were points of guidance, applicable and real. The one which resonated with me the most was that if we're at that point, we just need to "drag ourselves into (Christ's) presence anyways." Wow! This week I can actually pin-point instances when I tried to distract myself from the Lord's obvious tug on my heart! My excuse: It's late, I'm tired, I really just need to sleep. Proverbs 13:4 says, "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully blessed. " I'm incredibly humbled as I write this. As often as I hope more than 4 people read my blog, I'm secretly hoping I have an empty following, because then not as many people would read what has actually been going on in my heart recently. But faith isn't to be hidden. I need mine to come out from hiding. God doesn't call me to a lukewarm relationship with him. He has so much more for me, I can't be satisfied with a simple taste.

"....Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above"

too tired

I do realize that on that last post there were several errors with font, coloring, alignment, etc. Grrr... I say! Grr... I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things like that but after trying 10 times to correct it at 10:00pm I think I'll just have to let this one go. Here's to good decisions!

salute to may

First of all, I think it's necessary and important to recorgnize this day for what it is: Memorial Day. Twe salute or heros, sung and unsung, who fought long and hard to grant us the freedom's we enjoy today...being able to say so on this blog probably being one of them! The glory first and foremost goes to the Lord of course, but we recognize those men and women as well whom He chose to use. My pastor made an intersting point this Sunday in saying that Memorial Day has seemed to go to the wayside since it became a 3-day weekend. Because now that's what it is. To be honest, I looked forward to this weekend not because Monday, today, was Memorial Day, but because it meant a 3-day weekend, and a 4-day work week to follow (I had other things to look forward to as well but will mention that later). Mostly, the day is still recognized for what it is I think, but it's starting to be clouded with hoorah's for pool openings, black and white desserts for Race Weekend and some good 'ol R&R. In an age of fast pace, "have it your way," immediate gratifications, it would serve us well to remember why we made certain holidays a holiday in the first place. I just regret I didn't dwell on this more throughout the day. Note to self. ......

Well this was quite a week! It seems like it was actually the length of 3 weeks where in reality, it was the regular 168 hours long (I suppose a little more because I'm counting in today as part of last week...since it was part of the weekend 'n all). I've waved goodbye to some old and new television favorites for the season and welcomed with open arms the new season of So You Think You Can Dance this past week! As anxious as I am to see how J.J. Abrams & friends are going to wrap up the final season of LOST, I am very happy for 20 new dancers to enter my life for a few short months! I've missed Mary Murphy's crazy screams and Hot Tamele Trains! (I am pretty sure I had a typo in there but am too lazy to check it right now). As much as I love this show it makes me frustrated because I was never able to pursue dancing. I had a taste of it in high school and absolutely loved it. In a different life, I would have been involved in dance I think. The only thing keeping me from getting up in front of my t.v. and doing the choreographed dancers along with the contestants is that I would probably drive my sister crazy for the interuption and I'm sure I would not have the energy after a day full of 4 and 5 year olds.

Speaking of 4 and 5 year olds...I had 25 of them graduate from Pre-K 2 this Wednesday! I have only been in the classroom with them a few short months but it only took a few weeks to absolutely love the silly bunch! Even though graduation was Wednesday, they are still in school through the end of this week until the summer program starts. Many of them I'll see throughout the summer, and some as they stay in our building in the fall, but I'm sad to see some go as well! I have learned so much through being in this classroom! I never knew how much you could learn about the Lord through the eyes of children...most of whom I'm not sure know the name of Jesus. In their own ways, I think they are still praising and bringing glory to Him. Absolutely beautiful.

I can't end this post without sharing the other highlight of my week/weekend. I met Chris' parents! Most of my friends have not even met Chris yet...that's a different topic...but if I haven't said it enough, this man of mine is absolutely incredible. I thought that when I first met him and tried to convince myself that was just first impression maybe and it might wear off a tiny bit. But nope! God continues to bless me through him daily and I can't help but praise Him for it! I'm blessed enough to love and be loved by someone amazing. And this weekend I got to see where he gets some of that! It was a pleasure to meet his parents weekend...as nervous as I was about it. I was excited, but lets face it...meeting the parents will always have a tiny bit of nerves at least to go along with it. We all had dinner Friday night and slipped into conversation and laughing quite easily. I had the chance to have breakfast one-on-one with his Mom Saturday morning and that proved to be a real blessing. I could tell she genuinelly wanted to get to know me and that was nice. She had a lot of wisdom to share as well...thank you Cindy :) We spent more time, the 4 of us, on Saturday evening then wrapped up by going to Cincinnati today for a Reds game...my first Major League game! This family loves baseball and I'm excited to be getting into it more as well. Unfortunately, heavy rain hit in the 4th inning and we decided to go home. But it was still a lot of fun! We sat in the rain with our poncho's and umbrellas for a while before everyone fled to take cover from the down-pour. before the rain we did manage to get some good pictures! Thanks to his parents, Chris and I finally have some pictures of the 2 of us :)

Below I'm posting some pictures of today. Enjoy and see you soon!

Before the game started, on one of the upper decks

These were our seats! They were right behind home plate!

This was shortly before it started raining. I'm glad we got it in!

These $2 Ponchos were a life-saver! Too bad they couldn't cover
the whole park from the rain.