A Thanksgiving Small-iday (its like holiday, but smaller)

This year was a different sort of Thanksgiving for myself and SP.  But I am oh so thankful for the day.
 

Our smalliday this year happened for a myriad of reasons, including but not limited to, the fact that our dog is insane and we can't take her anywhere, SP's work schedule has been off the chain and we didn't even know if she was going to have Thanksgiving day off, my family is not close, SP's family was all split up this year etc etc etc.

So this year we stayed home and we did Thanksgiving on our own terms.  And while I did miss my family a lot (because that's what America's really about - getting fat with those you love...jk jk, I really love Thanksgiving I swear) it was a really really great day.

SP and I and one best friendsie face (along with 27,000 of our closest friends) signed up to do our local Run to Feed the Hungry, benefiting the local food bank.  It was crazy to the crazy town.  I've never done a more full run in my life.  There were parts of the race where it was hard to run because it was so so packed full of good samaritans running on gluttony day.  It was however the best people watching run ever.  People were all dressed up as pilgrims, native Americans and/or turkeys. And SP and I ran nearly the whole thing (ran being used loosely here) which is pretty good since my back monster has not been allowing me to do much of anything for the past 2 weeks and SP hasn't really been on the work out train the past...oh...6 months.  So it felt good to stretch our exercise muscles.

 DWEEBS trying not to freeze before the race

We MADE it!

After the race we laid around in our stretchy pants, watched the taped Macy's day parade, and read the newspaper all well snacking on hot spinach dip, cheese, salami, crackers etc etc.  It was delicious and relaxing.

Pre-Thanksgiving Feast!  YUM

Around 3 we ate our "turkey"  Turkey being used loosely here as well.  Because while it may have started out as a turkey breast it ended its life as part turkey breast and part turkey jerky.  It was a freezer to oven turkey which I was very skeptical of from the start but I figured why not, there's only 3 of us, and none of us are all that picky (or all that in love with turkey)  It wasn't bad.  But it definitely wasn't the best turkey I've ever eaten.  I think it may have been more operator error however...and a crappy 1960s oven.  Alas, it was a feast and delicious in every way.

There were friends, food, and a special showing of ELF (Christmas is coming my friends, and this year I'm going to epically celebrate it to death!)  I literally never got out of my stretchy pants.  There was no dressing up, no fancy time, and nothing particularly traditional about it.  And it was perfect. 

Food coma ELF showing

Bestie made this from SCRATCH.  YUM!

I'd like to think I'm a pretty grateful person on a regular basis - I recognize that I'm incredibly lucky.  But yesterday my heart grew 2 more sizes.  This life, we're so lucky for it.  I'm so grateful I get the honor of experiencing this world, in this mortal body, with these special souls around me. 

Don't forget these feelings my friends.  That gratitude needs to live on every day.  I hope we can carry this kindness into the year, this love we feel for each other and for ourselves and all that we've been given.

I'm grateful for you!  Be kind of one another - we all deserve a little more kindness.

Besos, Sarah

The Dreams are in the Details

Just a few of my oh so little dreams.

1) Babies.  But lets not EVEN go there.  One day one day.  I know that up there somewhere the babies are waiting to come to me
2) For the entire house to be clean and organized at the same time.  We're pretty close my friends and I can't wait!
3) Kori will sit still and let me cut all of her nails at the same time and I will not make her bleed.  This one clearly is going to be a never actualized dream
4) That SP and I will one day have all of our finances mapped out and will keep better track of what we are spending and where and when and why.  We're pretty good with money now but there's plenty of room for improvement.
5) To run a marathon.  I really want to make this one a reality.  Currently my body is really against this little dream.
6) To better hone my meatless recipe skills and actually have meatless Mondays regularly
7) Find and Participate in a church that fulfills my soul the way that church used to fill me up
8) To make more adult friends.  Or maybe just strengthen the adult friends I have now.
9) To give some one a blow your socks off present that is exactly what they wanted and completely unexpected
10) To own a little house and make it ours.  To build it up and decorate it and love it into our family

One currently completed dream.  A clean and functional and decorated guest room.  SP and I have decided that now that it’s all done this clearly means we will be moving in the near future.  This seems to be our fate – get everything in the home the way that you like it, the way it is functional and perfectly beautiful just for us – and then we MOVE and start all over again.

But alas, for now.  Here are some (very) amateur pics of what we are affectionately calling the Buddha Room.  

Some of my cluttered beautiful dreams of crafting and reading and planning for the future, all captured in one room.  I’ve whispered my secrets to this room and for now…that’s where they’ll stay.  More to come my friends.  So much more!

What I liked about today

What I liked about today:

1)   My outfit.  Nothing crazy fashinosta. But I liked it.  Trouser Jeans are the solution to all work related outfit problems.  Of this I’m sure.  Amen

2)   Going to a staff development class and realizing that my 26 (almost 27) years have given me quite a myriad of experiences.  Sometimes many more experiences than others who are much much older than me.  Older isn’t always wiser.

3)   Lunch with a best friend who always makes me laugh.  Who always makes me feel known and loved.  

4)   Talking to my parents on the phone.  And the awkward way they talk over each.  And the way my mom always talks loud, louder, loudest ;) 

5)   The smell and the sound of the rain

6)   Hanging out with my puppy in my sweat pants

She's really not as into me as I am into her...

This bodes well for the weekend my friends, it bodes very well...

Crashing Off the Wagon

 Symptom: All of my pictures are of food...

Remember that one time I posted about making changes and trying to be healthy and all that nonsense?  And then I did that for about a half a minute and then life really truly got in the way of doing anything else.  You know I got married and went to Europe etc etc etc.

I mean there's a million excuses and I've been doing this up and down thing my whole life.

But lately its so down.  (not life, my health)

I'm definitely getting some MAJOR signs lately that I am not treating my body the way in which it would like me to treat it.  And now I'm in this horrible twisted cycle of feeling bad and not treating myself well and then feeling worse.  And while sometimes my brain thinks that eating anything I want (like pounds of cheese and bottles of wine) and sitting on the couch sounds like the best idea ever - my body is rebelling in so many ways.

So now I have to get back on the wagon in some way that will actually work.  I was running again, prior to freakish back injury - sign #29384 that I need to get healthy, and I'm hoping that taking this week off to let that freakish injury heal will not throw me out of that routine.  But I have this problem - maybe some of you have it too - where when I'm exercising a lot (or more than not at all) I rationalize in my crazy brain that because I'm exercising I can eat anything I want.  Whattt? You'd think that getting moving would make me more conscious of the food going in my pie hole, but oh no, not me.  Run 3 miles, eat 3 cookies.

I do have a few things going for me.  Once I get exercising I really do like it.  The getting going is the hardest.  But I'm not a complete exercise hater.  And I have a treadmill so I have none of those weather excuses.  I also really love to cook.  WEIRD.  The problem is I like to cook things that are full of cheese.  I think the key here is to enjoy cooking whole healthy foods, instead of white flour filled foods.  Curiouser and curiouser.

There are definitely learning changing moments that need to happen though.  Like less quantity.  And these blocks in my brain that cause me to go to crazy crazy extremes (even now there is part of me that's like "lets go to the crazy work out for hours and eat nothing place", that makes me meticulous and nuts)  The problem is that the crazy extremes are tried and true.  They work.  If you exercise a ridiculous amount and only eat salads you lose weight.  But you also lose your mind.  And then you find yourself in the kitchen eating sticks of butter and blocks of cheese out of the fridge.  In my real brain and my real heart I know there is a healthy medium.  A place where one can eat healthy foods and move and stretch their bodies without being crazy.  And yet I still feel like now I'm too far gone, and maybe there is a place for a little crazy?

I don't know.  All I know is that today I'm taking a walk (because that's all my strained intercostal muscles will allow me).  And I'm going to eat a healthy dinner.  Because those are the things that I can control right now.  And I'm going to think about conscious eating and conscious movement and planning.  Planning is really seriously important to crazy control freaks like myself.  Because when your blood sugar is crashing and you're dying to eat and lay on the couch - if you already got rid of all the candy and you have some trail mix in the cabinet the chances of butter eating are much slimmer.

I'm also determined that this moderation can happen on a budget.  Because budgeting is a big part of adult life these days.  With all these future hopes and dreams we can't be spending exorbitant amounts of money on crazy diet foods or crazy health foods - we can't be spending lots of money on any foods (or anything for that matter really)

So here we go again.  Back on the wagon.  Well...after I find the wagon.

Any suggestions internet?  I just want to be healthy and not crazy (or no more crazy than I am now) 

Gimme what ya got...

Besos, Jabba the Hut Sarah

30 years ago today...

...God put you on this earth for me.

So really it was 30 years from last Friday but whatever.  And I'm also not going to presume why God puts any of us on this planet.  But I like to think one of the reasons SP & I are here on this planet was to find each other and build our lives and our family together.  So there's that.

On Friday my lovely wife turned the dirty 30.  Why is it dirty you ask?  It's really not.  In fact SP says it's the clean 30's...as in clean slate.  20's are for the birds (and me for a few more years)

Celebrating for SP is a major undertaking.  She doesn't like surprises (control freak - we're made for each other) she doesn't like big celebrations, she likes to pick out her own things - so presents are, to say the least, challenging.  So when posed with the, what will we do for SP's 30th birthday? question, a really big birthday that happens to fall a few months fresh off a wedding and a whirl wind trip to Europe, I was a little bit stumped.  Buying things for SP (physical objects) is mostly like ripping my hair out one strand at a time.  Up to now I'd say the best physical present I've ever purchased for her is an electronic toothbrush - no joke, sistah likes her teeth clean!  So since I already bought her a toothbrush and we can't fit any more "stuff" into our apartment, and I'm not buying a house without her - I knew stuff wasn't the answer.

I had joked a few months ago about going to LA to see "The Book of Mormon the musical" for SP's birthday (she's pretty much a music, musical, theater freak) and then promptly put no more thought into.  Thinking we couldn't possibly do another trip.  Could we? 

COULD WE?

And then I bit the bullet and bought the tickets and pretended like I was going to do a surprise trip (fail) and whisk SP away.

***ASIDE*** SP if you are reading this now, please don't expect any future surprises.  Ever.  The End *** Aside over***

I gave up on the surprise idea about a week ahead of time.  But I did try to take care of some of the details (you know like the having a place to stay and getting there and such)

All in all I would say not-so surprising, surprise birthday weekend  was pretty fabulous.  At least it was for me, I hope it was for SP as well.

We drove down, saw some of the Hollywood sights (oh you know like that one famous theater and some handprints and some stars and stuff) We met up with one best friendsie face whom I have been aching for and saw the Griffith observatory (which is MAGNIFICENT - even if LA is covered in a perpetual blanket of smog) we stuffed ourselves full of Thai food, and whole foods salad bar, and cookies and leftover Halloween candy.  We saw an amazing show (disclaimer - if you are going to see it, it's pretty offensive to Mormons and pretty explicit in language in general - that being said the music and production were out of this world)  And we spent 6 hours in the car talking and laughing and singing (backstreet boys revival)

 

 

We also went to Knott's Berry Farm - where we learned we are TOO OLD for Roller Coasters.  It was super fun though!

Practiced Tourists at WORK

The only nature in the LA area

Mounted Police - Not a sight I associate with LA...hmmm...

Illegal pictures inside the theater ;)

I think 30 is going to be a good year for SP.  I think SP at 30 is going to be good for me too. Now I have an older wiser woman to look up to ;)  JK SP (sort of)  30 is coming to us at a good time.  A time when we are building and building and building.  We have so many exciting things in our future.  And so many scary things.  But I can't wait for them, because they are with you. 

My sweet SP, you are the raddest.  Every single morning I wake up and kiss you good morning I thank God and my sweet stars that you are mine, that you are you, and that we found each other.  My life is full because of you.  I am more ME because of you.  You are the most selfless and loving person I've ever met - and to be on the receiving end of that love and sacrifice is a gift I will never be able to fully repay.  Thank you for your laughter, your smile, your unending hope and encouragement and work.  Thank you for choosing me.  And your welcome for not throwing you a huge over the top 30th birthday - that is my REAL gift to you.  Happy Birthday my love!  Here's to 70 more!