Dear Someday Fan,

Let me start out by saying, I absolutely love the Miami Dolphins. They have been my team since birth and I will never leave them. Thats just the way is. Now, this doesn't mean that i won't support you in your loving of your team. I may even wear their colors just for you! But please  realize that I will not abandon my team for yours. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings.

Oh, and one other thing, if you happen to be a Bills fan, we may not be able to be friends during football season. I only say this because I love you.  :)

I can't wait to spend our Sundays together!

Ever yours,
Sarah

separate ways

Ok, so I know it's not a Christmas song but I've been rocking out pretty hard to this lately. The lyrics are great and musically it's so perfect and 80's rock. I just love Journey and I LOVE this song. I suggest listening to it while you're at the gym...it's a great motivator!

Oh and the video's pretty rad too haha Enjoy!

timing

Yesterday a woman told me the story of how she came about marrying her second husband. It was movie worthy!

As a young girl, Mary (we'll call her) got pregnant right before her sister was to be married. Being the time that it was, her mother insisted that she marry her boyfriend in order to save face at her sister's wedding. She did, knowing that he wasn't the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Three children and ten years later Mary finally was able to get a divorce from her husband. In her words "He believed in not working" and she had been supporting them financially through their entire marriage. Once the divorce was final, her divorce lawyer, we'll call him Dave, turned out to be someone she was very interested in and vice versa. They dated for three years before her mother became ill and she made the decision to move her children and life to Georgia to be with her. Mary's relationship with Dave wasn't meant to be a long distance one so they went their separate ways. Over the course of eleven year, Mary lost her mother and father, her children grew up and went to college, and she found herself at a new start...again...in Georgia. This brings us to Christmas 2010. Mary decides to send a Christmas card to Dave, just a friendly, how is your life, card. He quickly responds and tells Mary to come to Buffalo to visit as soon as she can. Mary does. Mary and Dave married last October and she said she's the happiest she's ever been.

Yup, all that at the cutting counter at Joann's. I couldn't believe it. She was bursting at the seams to tell the story and her joy was absolutely infectious. I was pretty blown away.

After thinking about the story for the rest of the day I couldn't ignore the idea of timing. Timing played such a big part of how Mary met and eventually married Dave. If she hadn't moved and had married Dave when they dated the first time maybe it wouldn't have worked out. There was a reason they didn't re-find each other until years later.

I can't help but think about the ended relationships in my life. Why they ended. Sure there were specific reasons that I could point out. Reasons to call exes mean names or hold bitter feelings towards....like everyone wants to do. But in reality, wasn't it just timing?

It's like everybody is on a time line and they're a different version of themselves as the time line goes on. As they meet people, who are on their own time lines, they are a not the same person as they were a week, a month, a year before. In terms of my relationships, I can't help but feel like in each of them neither of us were the person we were supposed to be yet in order to make the relationship really last. We weren't the people we needed to be for each other. Our timelines didn't match up. Sure some people were closer than others and those relationships can lasted for a while, but they didn't go all the way.

Timing is everything. No one knows who will enter, exit, and re-enter their life. Maybe when someone exits your life it's simply because they aren't the right version of them-self yet. Maybe you aren't the right version of yourself yet. Maybe eleven years down the road you'll both be at the right places in your timelines and what's meant to be, will be. The joy is in the journey.

So thank you to Mary. I wish you and Dave all the happiness in the world!

karma

I believe in karma. I especially believe in the idea of just putting good vibes out into the world in general. It just makes getting through life that much easier, whether it comes back to you or not.

Today I stopped at the grocery store after work. On my walk through the parking lot I was on the phone with my friend Lou, and it was particularly blustery outside. As I was walking I happened to notice a small handicap sign fall over onto someone's parked car. My conscience wouldn't let me walk by. Still being on the phone and without looking to see if anyone was in the car I walked over and propped the sign back up. After I had done so I glanced into the car to see two very happy elderly people giving me the thumbs up and ok hand signals. I smiled and waved and continued on into the grocery store. (Not to worry, this post isn't just to go on about how awesome I am....I'm not perfect and I let things slip by me all too often. Back to the tale) After purchasing my items, which totaled $7.26, the cashier handed me my change and I returned to my vehicle. Now usually I simply through my change into my cup holders and that's the end of it. But for some reason I chose to count my change. 3 quarters. The cashier had given me an extra penny in change. Coincidence...I think not. I was thrilled. Not only do I love quarters but with having 3 instead of 2 I was able to fill my little quarter holder in my car.{joy!}
Sure it was just a penny, but I'm more than convinced that it was good karma coming back to me. Upon arriving to Lou's house after this trip, I told him about my karmic happenings. He had a good laugh over it all and then said something rather thought provoking. Amidst his laughter he said "wow, it makes me wonder how many people I've given an extra penny to and if they view it the same way". Think about it, sometimes the smallest things, the things the seem the most insignificant to you, can mean the world to someone else. A smile to a stranger, giving your change to the salvation army bell ringers, letting a car turn in front of you when traffic is thick. All little things that literally take seconds to do but can make someone's day.

So...here's my challenge to you: do one small act of kindness this week. Just one. Without hopes of getting any in return or the expectations of someone seeing and congratulating you. Just do it for the feeling of pride that will swell up inside you. There's no time limit on karma so I can't promise that something great will happen in the same moment...but I can say that i will come around...in it's own time. Just trust that it will and be open to it. Maybe you'll start finding it in small things around you that you may not have noticed before.

Spread the love!

weekend recap

What a great holiday weekend! Even though I worked for 2 days of it, I still felt like I was on vacation...a well needed vacation.

Lou and I

It began with a whole day off on Wednesday that I used to the utmost! I was able to work on some Christmas gifts, hit the gym, have dinner with my old men, and then hit the town with my friends. It's always a good time go out on Thanksgiving Eve because everyone is home and this tiny little town comes to life. It's kinda the only night worth going out all year. My friends and I were looking and feeling fly and we had a really fun night. Dancing and Drinks and Friends...what more could a girl ask for?! Needless to say it was a great way to kick off the long weekend.

a bunch of turkeys

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful. We did the annual travel to Rochester to spend the day at my uncles house and this year my aunt and uncle from Texas even joined us! It was great getting to see them all and smack talk over the Dolphins/Cowboys game (it was a tough loss). And of course Cassie was there so it was nice to spend some quality time with her. We barely left the couch we were perched on and I was totally fine with that.

Poppop and a sleepy Bri

Although Black Friday started with a 5 hour shift at work beginning at 5:45am, I didn't mind too much. It went my surprisingly fast with how busy we were. Afterwards my mom and I went on a movie date! She's a twilight fan, and while I'm not really, I figured it would be nice to take her to see the newest one. Plus it spared my step dad from having to sit through it (brooding vampire tween dramas aren't really his thing...weird). With the way my schedule has been lately it seems like I only really see my mom for the few moments that we're upstairs before I leave for work. So it was really nice to just have a movie day and split a package of twizzlers. It was a much needed date.

The happy couple!

Saturday started the say way Friday did...more work. Luckily it went by just as quickly so I wasn't terrible upset about it. Gotta make that money. The res of my day was spent celebrating with friends and family at a wedding. My 5th cousin Sam married a high school friend of mine, Sandy, so her brother Tim (whom I graduated with) invited me to be his date. And by invited I mean I may have made it fairly obvious that he should take me...cuz I'm tons of fun obviously. Anywho, the whole event was like a big family/high school reunion. My friends Nic and Alex were seated at the same table as me and it was soo much fun having them there! I feel like all too often life and work gets in the way of socializing so it was the perfect opportunity to catch up, reminisce, and have a silly ol' time. And since Tim lives in North Carolina, I rarely get to see him, so of course it was great getting to hangout and dance our faces off together. 
Sandy is one of the sweetest people in the world and Sam is equally wonderful so I felt so blessed to share their day with them. I wish them the happiest marriage ever!

That brings us to Sunday....and a lazy, lazy Sunday it was. To sum it up...football, naps, pizza, and wings. Pretty perfect if you ask me. Oh and I did clean my room...so that can't be a bad thing.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving weekend. It was exactly what the doctor ordered! Now it's back to reality, work, the grind. I can only hope that my next super awesome weekend won't take as long to arrive as this one did. I have a sneaky suspicion that it won't. :)

Hope everyone else had an awesome weekend too! xoxo

favorite things

I know it's been a hot minute...shame on me. SO here they are...my fave things lately

• Jones Bakery ( a great lunch spot)
• canolis
• supporting local businesses/awesome causes
• buying Christmas gifts
• lunch dates with my bestie
• cyber monday...you mean I don't have to take the risk of getting trampled and I can still get awesome deals?? Count me in. 
• spending time with old friends
• celebrating the marriage of an awesome couple
• making the water almost too hot in the last couple minutes of a shower

thankful

Since it's thanksgiving and all, I thought it was only appropriate to list some of the things I'm thankful for.

-my loving and supportive family
-my freedom
-my wonderful, true friends
-hot chocolate
-having my best friend around again
-my 5 functioning senses
-theatre
-Fiddler On The Roof (it's a Trostle thing haha)
-knitting
-the men and women who have served and are still serving my country.

I could go and get to the knitty gritty but I'll spare you. I think what's most important about today is really looking at ones life and seeing the good. Instead of stressing about little things or dwelling on the negative we should all use today to really revel in the positive. And who knows....maybe it will feel so damn good that we'll start to do the same everyday....not just once a year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.

 -SATC

uphill battle

I went to the gym yesterday and had a really good workout. Well, any workout could be considered really good lately since I haven't been entirely dedicated to fitness {shameful}. Anyway, I was feeling fit and on my game. I didn't eat a huge dinner since I had to go to work so I was still feeling pretty good...till I got home from work. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. The next thing I knew I had consumed 4 wings, ham and cheese rolled together, and some veggie chips. It was a 10 o'clock massacre. I was so ashamed of myself. I'm usually very good about not eating after 8 or 9 and definitely NOT eating that much. It was like my brain told my appetite that I had a free pass since I had exercised that day. I was and still am mildly frustrated about it. What is it about eating right that I can't seem to get a grasp on? I just LOVE food!!! I can't win.

you

 i don't fall hard very fast. 

i don't lose myself in someone else.

but all those years ago i did with you. 

and i don't know how or why

 

we've never been together. never shared a life. never been a pair.

but you've always been the one. 

the one i compare the rest to. the one i find myself holding out for. 

the one who makes being with the rest worth it. 

 

i've thought about all the things.

the things i've never thought about with anyone else

the silly things

 

like doing our laundry

 and bringing lunch to you at work.

 or walking our dog,

sharing your name, and

seeing you at the end of a long aisle.

 

is there a time?

a time when we get the chance to see how it goes

if we sink or swim

did it come and we missed it?  

 

i feel myself coming to terms with the answer being yes.

maybe there isn't meant to be such a time. 

maybe i'm holding on to something that will never be.

 

maybe it's time to let go of something i never had.

a good thing

I haven't done any theatre since I moved home and I've been dieing to get involved in anything.  It kills me to know that I have this degree...this very expensive degree...that's not being used for a damn thing. And as much as I would love to get paid for it, such theatre positions are few and far between in these parts. There was a large part of me that had given up any hope to really get into threatre while I am living here.

A couple weeks ago I had the inkling to talk to a friend of mine about volunteering at the high school we went to, for their musical in the winter. I figured since it's high school it wouldn't be such a big time commitment that I would be able to keep working my 2 jobs. After messaging my friend he quickly informed me that he wasn't working at the high school, but he was working at the community college's theatre as their sound technician. He also happened to mention that they could always use some extra help around the theatre and that they were opening a show that weekend. Music to my ears. So last Wednesday I made my way to the college. From the moment I walked in I felt at home....where I belonged. For the rest of the week and into the weekend I spent my nights at the theatre, first in Tech, then into performances. And this week has been the same.

It's been great. Busy but great. I haven't felt this fulfilled and happy in a really long time. The people I'm working with are so welcoming and it's been so fun getting to know them. It's like being among my people again. They understand my weird because they have the same weird...it's the weird that made us decide at one point in our lives that we were willing to starve for our love of theatre. {Ok, maybe not starve, but you see what I mean.} The point is, I couldn't be happier. Being at the theatre has been like a ray of sunshine that I very badly needed. I feel a little more alive these days....like I'm in the right place at the right time. The stars have aligned.

So I guess it's safe to say that this isn't a good thing...it's a damn great thing.

scorned

There is only one thing worse than being wronged by someone you've just met....being wronged by someone you've known for years. Someone you've trusted. Confided in.

How do you move on from that? Do you move on from that?

I want to believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Especially if it's someone who you care about. But i also know there are certain things that can't be reversed. Broken trusts that can't be mended.

So do I move on or let it slide? I don't know.

I just don't know.

quilt retreat

Last weekend my sister and I packed up our sewing machines and our projects and headed to the quilt retreat! We were both pretty excited for it this year since there was a time when we didn't think we'd be able to go this fall. But as it turned out we made it happen and couldn't wait to work on our projects. And to make it even sweeter, we were both able to get off a whole day on Friday so we had ample time to get to the retreat and really get some work done.

As always it was so nice to see the other quilting ladies and catch up with them. It's almost like having my Grandma there with me. It's a real comfort to know that they still care about Cassie and I. They get a real big kick over us being there and continuing the tradition of it. There were actually some other girls out age that went this year too so that was pretty exciting for us. It's not very often that I meet quilters my age and sometimes I worry that it may die out after a while. I hope it won't. For all the old lady flack it gets, quilting is still a really beautiful art form I think and people would appreciate it more if they really knew the work that went into it.

Long story short we had a blast. We were able to get so much accomplished and had a really fun time with each other as well. I took the T-shirt quilt that I started during the Spring retreat. I hadn't really gotten much done back in the Spring so there was a lot of work to be done for it. I'm super pleased to say that my hard work really paid off. I was able to get 4 rows sewn on and only have 2 more to go. And I couldn't be more pleased with the way it's turning out. I can't wait for it to be finished!! I've wanted this quilt for so long.

Here are a few pics from the weekend. I don't have any of the quilt currently...I kind of want it to be a big reveal!

yes I had lunchables!

and yes they were delicious!!

the applique FCS square I made. It's a little silly but I still like it

the strips monster

the rooms of ladies

my happy little space

figuring out where I wanted the shirts to go

Row 1 complete!

nesting

My sister, the nut that she is, coined a new term for me last week. Nesting.

Now, according to Cassie, nesting is something that happens to you when Fall arrives. You have the urge to settle indoors, be cozy and cuddled, maybe bake or cook hearty foods. I think it's likened to a domestic hibernation.

Anyway, this term came about because the other day I was talking with her about how I've been a little emotional lately and feeling a bit lonely. It seems like most of the people around me are married, in a relationship, having babies, and the like. While I'm not really in a rush to do or have any of those things, I guess it's just something that's been on my mind lately. So Cassie's diagnosis is that I'm nesting.

And strangely enough I think I have to agree with her. {Hear that Cass...don't let it go to your head now}I've been very internal and contemplative lately. Always thinking about things and life and...things. Wanting to hunker down indoors with my knitting or a good book and some hot tea. I only need a fireplace to really make it official.

Since nesting is new to me I'm not sure how long it will last exactly. I do know that I can't be the only one going through it and it's really not so bad. So thank you to Cassie for the expert diagnosis. And to anyone else out there who's nesting too, denial is the first stage so just accept it and go with the flow. {Karli}

And yes fellas, you can get it too. You just may not admit it or get emotional about it. It's ok....no one will think less of you. 

To: My Forever Love

Divorce is not an option. We can not go into our life together with the thinking that "well if it doesn't work out there's always divorce". That just won't do. With me it's forever. Now I'm not always the easiest to deal with and I'm a little bit crazy at times. So you should think long and hard before you decide that you want to be stuck with my weirdness. And if I say yes, you'll know that you're gonna be it for me...till the end. So now you know.

Love,

Your Forever Love

hairs

I tried this new hair do out today. I havent quite decided if I like it or not though. Thoughts?

November

Is it really here?? Already??!!!

What happened to October?? Were there already 31 days of it?
I don't feel like I had enough of it.

On the other side of the coin though, I'm actually looking forward to the holiday season this year. For the first time in a long time. I even listened to Christmas music last week...something I never did last year. Sure I was excited to spend time with my family and do the traditional Christmas things, but it really just felt like any other day last year. And I know it's not Christmas time yet obviously but I still can't help but feel like somethings different this year. I'm different this year. I'm lighter. On the inside. And it feels good.

It feels really good.

Plus it's No Shave November right?? Hairy legs for weeks!!!    ok..maybe not.  :)

Sarah Problems

Awesomeness: tanning on a cold rainy day.

NOT Awesomeness: putting your sweaty sports bra back on cuz you're at the gym. Ish.

The Crown Royal suit

About a month ago a friend of mine contacted me about making a Crown Royal suit for Halloween. My first thought was "He wants me to make him a Crown Royal bottle looking outfit"? Lucky for me he was referring to a dress suit made with the colors of a Crown Royal bag, purple and gold. Always looking to try something new, I said "sure thing!" having never made a suit before.
So my friend and I picked out the fabrics and notions I would need for the suit and construction began. The colors were a perfect match and I was pretty excited to get started. For the most part constructing the suit wasn't difficult. There were the usual flubs though, sewing the wrong sides of the pants legs together making it look like a mermaid tail, realizing that the standard arm length in the pattern isn't long enough AFTER you've hemmed it, sewing buttons onto the wrong side of the jacket opening. The usual. That's what I get for working late at night but alas, one must use the time she has. The one aspect that gave me the most frustration was the binding for the inside of the jacket because it was made with a lining fabric that proved difficult to work with. It was nearly impossible to cut an even 1inch strip so when I ironed the edges over it made for some very skinny parts. And skinny parts only make it impossible to sew on to a seam allowance. Not gonna lie, it was a pain and I never looked forward to it. BUT the end product was very much worth is because the gold striping really made the inside of the suit look sharp. So here it is, the Crown Royal suit:

 I wish I had taken more pictures during construction. When you get into the zone it's hard to take a break for anything haha.

the finished suit!

the jacket

these gold buttons really added to the finished product

i looove the way the lining makes the inside look! so sharp!

the back pockets came out prefect!

Tom sporting his new suit when he came for a fitting. I still had to hem the sleeves and pants.

Overall I couldn't be more pleased with the way this suit came out! And more importantly, my friend is beyond thrilled about it! It fits great and looks great too. With a gold dress shirt and a sweet crown, this will end up being a very unique Halloween costume and I can't wait to see whatever pictures pop up of it!

slouchy beanie

A while back a friend of mine say me working on a hat at work. His immediate words were "Can you make me one with really bright greens and blues and stuff", and I said sure! I chose an aqua blue, bright, orange, lime green, and black yarn by Stitch Nation. I wanted some black in the hat to make it a little manlier and in hopes that it would make the brighter colors really pop. I didn't want to make a regular ol' striped hat so I decided to intermingle the colors throughout the hat. Little did I know what a pain in the bum this would be! Switching colors so many times in one row made for lots, and I mean LOTS, of ends to tie in. But despite that, the hat looked killer and all the work really paid off. And my friend couldn't be more pleased. The smile on his face was payment enough for me.

Overall I'm really please with the end result of this hat. It looks super cool and different. And the fit was perfect as well. It even fit on my big noodle!

the swing of things

sorry for my absence as of late. What started as a cold a few weeks ago turned into my first migraine last week, so needless to say I was a waste of a human being. And for the record, I would be entirely alright with never experiencing a migraine again. How awful.
Besides my ailing health, these last couple weeks have been somewhat refreshing. My summer job has ended so I've had some resemblance of a life again. It's been nice. I've had the time to sew and knit and spend time with my friends again. And more importantly, just relax. Breathe.
So now you know, I'm alive and resting. And will hopefully be posting more frequently here and at my craft blog.

TGIF!! I have weekends again!

If you're looking for the girl...

...who loves the color pink. That always has her nails done and her hair in the perfect style; the right outfit for every occasion. The one with a size 2 waist and thin, slender legs. Who never swears and sits straight at the dinner table. That eats appropriate portions at every meal and never gets food on her face. The girl who has flawless skin and perfectly done make-up. The cheerleader. The one with a boyfriend on her arm or that turns every head when she walks through a room. The demure, polite, Audrey Hepburn-esque girl. The super model.

If you're looking for that girl...you won't find her here.


Instead, you'll find the girl who owns hardly any pink. Who usually has chipped nail polish and whose hair is a mess; the t-shirt and jeans kinda girl. The one with a size 8 waist and legs that people automatically identify her with a soccer player. Who swears against her best efforts not too and has a horrible slouching habit. That loves to eat too much and always manages to get food on her face. The girl who's skin is never flawless and barely wears make-up. The clown. The one whose only "boyfriend" is the 5yr old she nannies and that usually only turns heads for laughing too loudly in public. The outspoken, attempts to be polite, wishes she were Audrey Hepburn girl. The tom boy.

That's who I am. Who I'll probably always be. Sure some things may change as I get older, wiser, more mature. But at the end of it all, I don't ever see myself fitting the "typical girl" mold. I may be average in a lot of ways, but I'll never be typical.

I'll never be the A typical girl and I love that about me.
And if someone else doesn't, well that's just too bad.

yep...that's me.

crochet fun

I feel like someday, whenever I figure out how to crochet, I should do this to a tree! Doesn't it just look so happy and comfy and warm?! Why shouldn't a tree have a sweater?! hahaha And a rainbow one at that!
I just couldn't help but be amused by this and there are plenty more to see here.

perfect

When I walked out the door this morning, jacket on and tea in hand, I couldn't help but notice how perfect the weather was. Yeah there were clouds in the sky and rain in the distance, but there was a briskness to the temperature. Not to warm, not to cold, but just right to be comfortable in my light jacket. It was so Fall.
Being in Florida for 5 years I never realized how much I missed Fall. Even though I was here last year too I don't think I took enough time to really enjoy it. I was too busy being hurt by the situations in my life and trying to deal with them. Now, a year later, I find myself really looking around, breathing in deeply, and looking at the leaves as they change color. It's truly beautiful. I don't think I ever want to live in a place without Fall again, for an extended period of time at least.

yay Fall!

fall fest

Last weekend was one big fall celebration! Chautauqua Institution has it's annual Fall Fest/Quilt Around Chautauqua which is basically a quilt show combined with a number of other vendors and food carts to be had. There was kettle corn, and pumpkins, and crafts galore! I only wish I had had more time to see everything and really enjoy it. Alas, I was working all weekend. I did however get a chance to visit some of the quilt vendors with my sister after work on Sunday. It was so nice to have a few hours with her just to be silly and enjoy each other. Here is more about the quilts I liked on my other blog.
Before I wrap things up take a look at these!

One of the girls I work with does these! Aren't they just incredible?! I love the Jack pumpkin. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies!

Childhood

Oh hello childhood! There you are!! I've missed you so!

Gosh I just love Pumpkin things! Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Quilt Around Chautauqua

This past weekend the annual Quilt Around Chautauqua/Fall Festival was held at Chautauqua Institution. Since I work there I couldn't wait to spend the weekend surrounded by quilters and their gorgeous creations! And boy was I not disappointed. The quality and craftsmanship that was on display was like nothing I'd ever seen. And there were SO many! The Festival was spread throughout the Institute in 10 buildings, each dedicated to a guild or two. The hotel I work at fed nearly 300 people per meal and housed 250! I've never been around so many quilters in my life.
It was impossible NOT to feel inspired by the work I saw. The patterns and color choices and variations of different ideas; truly awesome. My sister and I literally walked from quilt to quilt doing the "oohs and ahhs" and pointing out the ones we loved (my sisters boyfriends followed along, putting his input in from time to time. such a good sport). What was even more fun was running into a lot of the ladies that we quilt with, many of whom knew our grandmother. It's always a pleasure to chat and catch up with them. Cassie and I aren't sure if we'll be able to make it to the retreat this fall so we've already decided that if we can't we'll just have our own retreat and visit the ladies at the camp. It will be fun regardless.
So here are some of my favorites from the show. I hope your enjoy them and are inspired as well! 

a wall of fall!

on of my favorites! I SO want to make a Halloween something!

tooooo cute!

PUMPKINS!! yay

My Friend Kim and her friend made these!

 They bought one cut of each fabric and divied them up!

these colors are to die for and I LOVE the snail trail pattern.

loans

would anyone like to pay off my school loans?? I would really like to live my life to the fullest. But instead I'm being held back by a mountain of loans that I probably won't see the end of until I'm 50. Yes, 50. Depressing isn't it? And somehow working 2 jobs barely covers it. How is that even possible?
So maybe when I'm 50 I'll be able to get out there and use my degree again or maybe even move out of my parents house.

A girl can dream.

ok...vent over. thank you much.

update

I know I've been pretty sparse in my posting lately but it's for good reason! I've been working on a few gifts lately so I can't go posting pictures of them for all to see! That would ruin all the fun. BUT I will say that I'm almost done with them so once they are given I will be able to show them off here.

I haven't been a total waste of space!

In other news, my sewing station has been all packed up for my moms house warming party this weekend I simply can not wait to get it all out next week and work on some projects. I've been over flowing with creative ideas lately that I'm thrilled to finally try. It should be good stuff.

So be patient and stay tuned my loves. I promise as soon as I can show you the goods I will! 

latest web discoveries

Lately I've been wanting to do nothing more than to spend time exploring the internet. I'm not really sure why.
But in my current online cravings I've come across some pretty sweet things!
The first site I found was Pinterest. Now at first glance I had trouble really seeing the different between Pinterest and Polyvore. Both seemed to be places where one could create collages of things that inspire them or pique their interest. Upon further investigation and some help from lovely facebook friends, I've come to really enjoy Pinterest. Even more than Polyvore. It's more diverse. You can pin photos from more sites. I find myself using it more and more and really enjoying it. But at the start of using it, I kept seeing peoples great pictures and wondering how they happened to stumble across all of them! Which leads me to my next great find....
...STUMBLE UPON. Oh man. I could use this site all day. It's simple. Sign up (it's freeeee). Choose some interests from their list of topics. Click the "stumble" button. Basically it will shoot awesome sites at you based on the interests you've chosen. It's basically the bomb and I'm addicted. AND it's a great way to find random videos, pictures, and blogs that I wouldn't have found otherwise. It's grand. Check it out.
Let's talk about blogs baby! If you enjoy keeping up with blogs and have about a million of them bookmarked on your computer, let me introduce you to Bloglovin'. It's a wonderful little place to keep tabs on all your favorite blogs, no matter what domain they're from. It was so liberating when I was able to clean up my bookmarks by getting rid of all the blogs I had been keeping up with. Now they are all in one place where I can read them daily. It's pretty much great.
AND last but not least, whilst in my stumblings I came across a gem of a website called Craft Gawker. I'm a HUGE crafter (see other blog: Craftiness is Happiness. told ya.)  so when I found this site it was like heaven to mine eyes. It's a collection of DIY and crafting projects from all types of websites and blogs. There are SO many great ideas and how to's that you can't help but be inspired and want to try most of them! And what's even better?? Maybe crafting isn't your thing but food is? Or weddings perhaps? Or maybe even interior design? There's a Gawker for that! In the top left corner of the craftgawker site there are links to foodgawker, dwellinggawker, and weddinggawker. Super totally cool awesomeness. basically.

So that's what I've been up to lately. I highly encourage you to check out all and any of these sites. And let me know if you enjoy them as much as I do! And not to worry, I do take breaks from my interweb explorations to join the real world. I'm not a hermit just yet.

if you want to find me on Pinterest my account name is sarahashley13. :)

someday.

someday.

super awesomeness? 

I think YES!

the best place on earth

or one of them anyways.

The Tree House.
That's right, I said the Tree House. Back in high school I ran track with this great guy, Geoff, who just happened to have a man-made tree house out in the woods. Now when I say tree house, it's not the Swiss Family Robinson type of tree house. Instead of being built in the trees, this cabin was built around the trees, more amongst them. What's even more impressive is that Geoff's dad and 2 brothers all built it themselves. Too cool.
Besides its architecture, it's very much like a Swiss Family Robinson home. There are 2 hammocks, both of which hang over ledges (one outside, one inside), a swing that goes over the deck, a catwalk over the main level room, and a crows nest at the very top with a balcony. The heavy wooden doors have submarine port holes for windows. The inside is decorated with ornate objects from the family's adventures around the country. Did I mention that the whole place has electricity?? So just in case taking in the nature isn't enough, you can curl up, listen to some music, or watch tv, while you pop some popcorn. No big deal. Oh and there's a pond as well, with a high dive AND a zip line, of course.

Can you see why I love this place so much??

My pictures can't even begin to do it justice but I wasn't sure that anyone would believe me otherwise. I'm so thankful to Geoff for sharing this place with me so many years ago and for letting me revisit it now. It's such a wonderful escape from real life. And it's so gorgeous in the winter time too. The wall sized windows behind the wood-burning stove just make for the perfect winter setting. It's perfect.

1. a view from the deck. look closely and you'll see the crows nest up above. 2. there's a creek that runs below the cabin...like its own little gorge. 3. Geoff swinging on the swing. 4. the deck. behind that picnic table is a hammock. 5. the sunset from the high dive. 6. the catwalk.  7.the view from above the first floor 8. brother Jer playing us some tunes next to the stove.

wits end

I'm at the end of my rope. 

The 2 year old I nanny has done nothing but scream all day today. 

There is no pleasing her. 

Nothing I giver her is what she wants to eat. Nothing I say is what she wants to hear.

I can't win. 

The screaming is unbearable. 

I'm ready to rip my hair out. 

ugh.

Pumpkin Spice Frappacinno. My life is currently complete and I can die happy.

Heaven!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

weddings

It's that time of life. I look around and it seems as though every one of my friends is engaged and getting married. It's a pretty crazy time and I couldn't be happier for them. Especially my friends/room mates from college. They are some of the sweetest gals I know and it was so nice to see their relationships start and then flourish into marriages.
That being said, I can't help but feel a sadness when my only window into their special day is through facebook. In their pictures I see all of our friends, having laughs again, enjoying just being together.  It's like our time in college all over again. Only this time I got left out. I've met the guys, swooned over the rings, talked wedding details, and still I'm left out.
I don't mean to sound like a selfish whiner and I'm not looking for any sort of apology. I would be more than understanding of their reasoning behind it. I guess most of my feeling this way has more to do with the fact that I clearly thought we were closer than we really are. It's not a happy feeling regardless. It kinda makes me wonder how many other friends of mine I'm not as close to.

I think I just needed to get that off my chest.

Lately I feel like I have something to say.

But I don't have a clue what it is.

Hopefully it will make it's way out soon though. 

This is such an uneasy feeling.

PUMPKIN

Those of you who know me, know that I am totally and utterly obsessed with ALL THINGS PUMPKIN. I don't really know how this love came about but I ain't complaining one bit. I love the smell of pumpkin, the taste of pumpkin, even the cute shape of pumpkins! (I told  you I was obsessed)
Now with fall creeping up on us, my love of pumpkin is over-flowing. It's the one time of year where my adoration is validated and entirely encouraged!  It's also the time when all the other pumpkin-heads out there (yes pumpkin-heads. I just made that up. Use it.) come out of hiding and spread their love too.
While surfing the blog world today I was catching up on one of my favorites and was excited to see that she too is a pumpkin lover. And not only that, but she shared a recipe that I will soon be trying. It looks so good that I just had to share it. SO, head over to Pushups with Polish and check out The Everything Cookie. I think it's safe to say that even if you don't worship pumpkin as we do, you will still like these cookies. And if cookies aren't your thing, it's a great blog! :)

HAPPY PUMPKIN SEASON TO ALL!!

The Card

A weight has been lifted off my chest. Today, after a whole summers worth of working and effort, I finally paid off my credit card! It was my goal for the summer and it feels absolutely amazing to reach it. I feel free. Like this huge rock has been on top of me, holding me down, and now it's finally off. I can stand taller.
And what's even better is that I'm still working my third job so all the moneys I can there can now go into my savings account. More money in the savings account means more money to eventually move away and DO something with my degree and my life. And that's the real payoff; seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Feeling like all the work hasn't been for nothing.
It feels great. Simply wonderful.

dysfunction

It's my norm. With male relationships anyway. And yes, it has everything to do with the relationship I had/have with my father. I guess to keep it short and sweet we'll just say that my dad was a good father, but he wasn't ever a great father. And it wasn't really a choice he made. He just didn't really know how. This caused for a great deal of bitterness on my part growing up. There was always something missing in our relationship, it never really clicked. Over the years it has gotten better, on both of our ends. I had to come to terms with the fact that I would probably never have my ideal father-daughter relationship, and to be ok with the relationship I did have.
Somewhere along the road though, I became comfortable in the dysfunction. It was what I was used to. With men anyway. And of course it started to play itself out in the guys I chose to date. Obviously at the time I had no idea it was happening, but I managed to get myself into "relationships" (I use the word loosely since not many of them can actually be called one) with guys who were either emotionally unavailable, not interested in the same kind of relationship as I was, or were great guys that had awful timing. Looking back now it's easy to see the red flags and road blocks in all of them. That's not to say that I've dated a string of bad guys. There have actually been some really great guys in the mix that I still consider wonderful friends, but at the time the situation just wasn't right for us. And it's not a matter of a lack of good guys being interested either. There have been close to perfect guys that for some reason, reasons I can't explain, I just haven't been interested in. It's frustrating. Sometimes I wish I could will myself to be into them, but I know that wouldn't be entirely fair to them. And the idea of pretending to like a guys just seems cruel to me.
So, now that I'm aware of the fact that I get myself in these impossible relationships, the big question is, How do I stop? How do I keep myself from being interested in the guys that aren't right for me or aren't interested in the same thing that I am? How do I avoid the guys that I know are covered in dysfunction.
I have no idea. Not a damn clue. I keep hoping that one of these days I will wake up and just have the answer, right there in front of me, ready to put to good use. So far that hasn't happened. And within the past year I do feel like I've gotten a little better and avoiding really bad fellows. But still.
I'm ready for someone great. And I don't want to miss out on that someone because I'm too busy trying to make things work with the wrong potential someone.

What a pickle. A big, dysfunctional pickle. Whatever that looks like...

Mr. Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection?
Elizabeth: Dancing. Even if one's partner is barely tolerable. 

 

- Pride & Prejudice

a laborious weekend

What a crazy couple of days. My weekend was just as fun and busy as I had hoped it would be. The weddings I worked Saturday and Sunday were both all day events but I somehow managed to muster up the energy to still go out with my friends afterwards. There were many beers consumed, much dancing done, and little sleep had. {am I 21 again and didn't know it??}
And speaking of friends, I'm SO loving the people I'm surrounded by lately. I haven't felt this secure in my friendships in a long time. It's a truly wonderful feeling.
Labor day itself was the most labor-free day of the summer for me. It started out pretty strangely. Let's just say that having your friends mom find your underwear in the driveway is a situation that can only be laughed about. And no there isn't a salacious tale to back that up. Beyond that, it included an over-sized bean bag, a No Reservations Marathon, a great nap, and a chili cheeseburger. A pretty superb way to spend a day off, if you ask me.

And somehow I managed to get only 2 pictures from the weekend. On Sunday we didn't get much of a break for lunch/dinner, so we whipped up a huge salad bar for everyone to enjoy. The girls set up the salad options while the guys set the table on the porch for us all.



It was perfect.


We ate, we sat, we chatted. It was just what we all  needed to prepare ourselves for the Jewish celebration we were about to be immersed in. {side note: if you've never been to a Jewish wedding, I highly recommend you attend one. It's quite the experience. And so much tradition.}

Overall, this past weekend was a great way to say goodbye to summer. Summer, that apparently left overnight.

Bring on the long sleeved shirts and clogs cuz here comes Fall!!

this weekend

Isn't he just the cutest!

I'm sooo looking forward to this weekend, despite the fact that I will be working. Not only is it labor day weekend, but today is my Poppop's 80th birthday. 80 years old! I can't even imagine. And he's still a pretty active guy. So because it's Friday, my weekend will start out with a birthday fish dinner, just he and me. Pretty delightful.

Saturday and Sunday will consist of working 2 weddings at the hotel. The bright side? I don't have to go into work until 10am! Sleeping in here I come!! I don't remember the last time I didn't have to be at work by 8 or earlier. Let's just hope that my internal alarm clock gets the memo as well.
 
And that brings us to Monday, Labor Day. I planned ahead for this day. Knowing that the folks I nanny for would have the day off as well, I took the day off from Joanns (my 3rd job), therefore giving me 1 WHOLE DAY OFF!! I get giddy just thinking about it. I haven't had a full day off in over a month. I can't wait. I thoroughly intend on sleeping in and when I do wake up will commence in some day drinking. It's bound to be a good time. I honestly can not wait!

There's also 1 of my 3 fantasy football drafts in there somewhere.

Needless to say, it will definitely be an eventful weekend and I hope to have a plethora of pictures to show for it.

So, in conclusion, every one be safe and try not to labor too much! I know that will be my plan of action!

Favorite Things

It's been a looooooong time so here goes nothing:

• Black Olives-I can not get enough of them lately!!
• Cooler weather
• Having a bedroom again
• Reaching a goal
• Corn on the Cob
• Football Season being around the corner
• Sims on facebook (I'm addicted)
• Making CD's for my car
• Friends coming home to visit
• Finding out that some of my favorite people are PREGNANT!!!

To: My Future Pants Wearer

Just to warn you, I've been known to intimidate guys. I really have no idea why. Maybe it's because I'm not afraid to speak up, maybe it's the fact that I can choke most guys out, who knows. Regardless though, I'm gonna need you to put your man pants on when it comes to me. If you're gonna be my man I need you to be just that, a MAN. Put me in my place when it needs to be done, don't be afraid of me, take charge of certain situations, and don't let me run the show all the time. I don't think this is too much to ask.

Ever Yours,

Sarah

p.s. if you've already known me to this point, this letter isn't news to you. :)

august's end

I can't believe August is already over. Not to mention most of 2011! Where did it go?
I'll tell you where it went....work. Lot's of work.
But I'm happy to say that the work has payed off. My goal in having a third job this summer was so I could use the extra money to pay off my credit card. It needed to be done. So each week the majority of my paycheck when directly onto the card while the rest went into my savings account. Week by week the amount dropped. It seemed like it would never really diminish though. BUT, after receiving my last two paychecks from the regular season  at the hotel, I will have payed off my credit card, ENTIRELY. Can we say holy sense of relief?! I can't remember the last time this card didn't have a balance on it. And to top it all off, this means that all my post season paychecks from the hotel can go directly into my savings account! There's a light at the end of the I'm-24-and-live-with-my-parents tunnel! Glorious day!
Another bright point to August ending is fall and with fall comes...FOOTBALL. Where can I even begin on my love of the game?? Since I was a little girl there were only 2 things that Sunday was for; church and football (in that order of course). I would rush home to watch whichever game was on and if I was lucky enough it was a Dolphins game. Yes, you read correctly, the Miami Dolphins are my team. You can thank my father and Dan Marino for that. Now in my 20's my love of football has only grown and I find myself participating in fantasy teams and all the fun that comes with them. I can smell the fall and hear the sounds of whistles blowing and pads colliding. It's a beautiful thing.
So, as sad as I am to see August go, I'm doubly excited to welcome September. Maybe there will be some rest or even, don't say it too loudly, a vacation. oooooooooh. I can only hope.

a change...

As the vma's were wrapping up (holy pregnant Beyonce! no wonder she was wearing pants), and I was getting ready to doze off, I couldn't help but feel this overwhelming sense of change. Like something was all of a sudden different. I have NO idea what it is. The hotel I work at is open seasonally so yesterday we switched it over from open season to post-season. I really won't be working a lot less in post-season so I don't think that could have been the source of my feelings. Beyond that not much else is actually changing in my life, other than the weather. The last couple days it's been very fall-like here. My sweatshirts have been slowly cycling themselves through my wardrobe again. (yay)
The best part about this strange changey feeling? It wasn't anxiety ridden. No, instead it was almost calming. Like no matter what it turns out to be, I'm ready for it.
So come on change! Show me what you've got!

I'm ready and I'm waiting.

Free Earrings

Free Earrings by sarahashley13 on Polyvore.com

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I believe...

I believe... by sarahashley13 on Polyvore.com