Cheerio old chap! (London Town)

And now for your reading and viewing pleasure.  The Europe Chronicles...in installments.

Installment 1 - Traveling over an Ocean & Blustery London!

What can I say about London?  Everything.  My soul made an instant connection with beautiful bustling London.  It was like my British parts (there are some, ask my granddad!) felt their homecoming.  The adorable accents, the beautiful coats.  The happy shiny Londoners.  They are so kind and so English and were incredibly (surprisingly?) helpful.

After traveling for about 20 hours and having been awake for probably about 72 hrs, SP and I arrived in Heathrow Airport.  (sidenote, international airports are hell).  There is nothing like going through customs for the first time.  There is nothing like realizing you are in another country.  SP kept saying, "we're in England B*tches!" or rather slurring it as her mouth was drooling from extreme exhaustion but you get the picture, it was adorable. 

 SP is none too pleased that our wedding just ended like 6 hours before this pic was taken...

We arrived to Heathrow at approximately 8am London time and approximately who-the-F-knows-what-time Sarah and SP time.  We were exhausted, smelly, exhausted, and exhausted.  But persevere we did.  First thing first we went to get a metro card where I promptly broke the machine - because that is the kind of power I have over technology - 40mins later Karim(I think?) had gotten me a replacement card and helped us to get a bus tour booked and had directed us to our hotel.  Glory hallelujah.  This is the part where I was insanely glad we were only traveling with carryons (oh yes you read that right, we did 2 weeks and 4 countries with only carryons - and you can too my friends, you can too!) 

After a lot of public transportation we got to our hotel and promised ourselves we would not go to sleep.  Instead we sleep walked around the city and tried to figure out what to do.  Trying to figure out how to stand up was a challenge in and of it self.  Why we thought we could sight see at this point was beyond me.  We did (after one massive, exhaustion induced, fight) make it to the London Eye.  Where we saw amazing sights - and luckily took pictures because every time I sat down I fell asleep for at least 30 seconds until SP would yell at me, "get up, get up you're sleeping!"  We also saw some other cool things (you know like big ben and westminster abbey...no bigs) and then made it back to the hotel at about 4pm where I made the insanely massive mistake of laying down for what I thought would litterally be 30 seconds (my legs were hanging off the bed).  Cue 6'oclock when SP and I wake up, (my legs no longer work by the way, as all the blood in my body has now pooled in my cankles) wipe away the drool and realize we better get up.  Cue 8'oclock when SP and I wake up the second time (I'm going to have to go to the hospital now, my cankles have elephantiasis) and realize we better eat something.  Except its 8pm and we're in god knows where and nobody is out eating dinner.  Options are looking pretty grim - smashed luna bars from my backpack and tap water anybody?!  European meal # 1 - prepared food from the quicky mart downstairs.  Pasta salad and a baguette never tasted so good.  We then proceed to sleep for approximately 14 hours.  And it was glorious.

We look awake, trust me, we're not!

 Apparently it was the Olympics or something...

The next day we played super tourists.  We rode the hop on hop off bus and saw essentially everything.  I won't name them off all laundry list like because that's le-boring.  I will tell you how amazing St. Paul's Cathedral is.  And how fantastic it was to climb all 5trillion stairs to the top of the dome.  It was worth every step and every heaving breath.  The views, the whisper gallery it was the perfect introduction to a beautiful city. (Hold on, a million pictures coming...now...)

 The top of St. Paul's Cathedral - WE'RE ALIVE!

 Westminster Abbey

I love BEEFEATERS!

 Tower of London

 Us with the Tower Bridge

My cutie at the Tower of London

 The 3rd Globe Theater

Dear Banoffee Pie and Pints of Strongbow you are from HEAVEN

London treated us well.  The perfect mix of all things old and British with the hustle and bustle of modern metropolitan London.  And while they say Paris is the Romance City, London is where I left my heart.  I can't wait to go back.  I know we will.  These pictures take my heart there now...

Part II: Paris, or how to walk until your feed bleed.  Literally.

The Makings of a Fabulous Fall (?) Weekend

First of all lets get one thing out of the way - Europe Updates are coming (a 4-pt series) I know what you're thinking...dear God I can't WAIT for that

And now on to the goodness – last weekend!

Friday night was Sushi birthday palooza for SP's bestie.  All birthdays should be celebrated with good friends and sushi.  These are the bonuses of being an adult.  You don't have to have pizza for your birthday, you can have sushi and cocktails and frozen yogurt and talk trash about life and the future and all kinds of things.  It was fabulous - hope the birthday girl had as much fun as us.

Saturday SP had to work, which is real dumb, but I suppose it's only every once in awhile so I should just let it go.  So I hung out with some really really stinkin cute kittens and one best friend for a sun filled lunch full of friend love - and a quick reminder that we're all just trying to figure out this thing called life.  And then SP and I spent the evening with some friendsies eating Thai food and watching other people play volleyball.  SP said it was a great game, I wouldn't know because the idea of diving into the floor to catch a ball is so incredibly beyond me I spent most of the game talking and not watching (sorry volleyball players, I'm guessing you were real good!) (Cuteness below beware!)

Now let's talk about the fact that we are now half way through October and it is still over 80 degrees every day for the foreseeable forecast.  Dear Mother Nature - this isn't really the beautiful boot wearing weather that I had in mind.

The bonus of said hotness (the weather, not me...well...)  is that on Sunday SP and I spent the day waterskiing.  My super cool Uncle and Cousin picked up my brother and met us at beautiful, glassy-watered Lake Berryessa.  They brought the boat, we brought our vulnerable, unready bodies.  The sunshine, the water, the boat.  I'm sold.  I could just drive around all day on the lake letting the sun kiss my face.

Instead I let them drag my out of shape body behind the boat.  My brother and cousin make wake boarding look like something everyone is born doing.  I on the other hand make waterskiing look like torturous pain.   Despite what my facial expressions said, it was oh so perfect.  The sun and the water and so many people I really like.  The whole world was tuned out for hours.  Just me and the sun and the people I love.  Perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Somebody wasn't thrilled with the whole getting in the water thing... 

Unfortunately my perfect weekend ended with a not so perfect back tweakage.  I guess I am getting old.  I spent most of monday hobbling around looking sad.  But it was worth it, so incredibly worth it.  

Happy Fall?...

Besos, Sarah

Quarter life crisis (part 5million)

Autumn Nonsense

How many quarter life crises is one allowed?  Probably only 4 if they are really going to be quarters I suppose.

But I've never been all that conventional anyway so I'm adding on a few more just for sh*ts and giggles.

I had lunch with a friend the other day.  One I haven't seen in awhile.  A friend who has always had the ability to make me feel like I can do and be more than I ever thought I could.  And I was honest with her.

I'm not adjusting well.

The coming back from the whirlwind and the wedding and the traveling.  I'm not coming back well.  Don't read into this the wrong way.  SP and I are fabulous..  We love each other as much as ever - more having survived all that together.  But I'm personally not doing well.  I don't know if its just the autumn blues or what.  But I feel...off.  I have a really great life.  And that gets in the way of me figuring out what's going on.  There's so much conflict inside of me.  Great job, great partner, great apartment, great(ish) dog - great life.  But I feel unfulfilled at work.  Like what I'm doing doesn't mean anything and that I should be doing more or doing something else.  But I don't know what.  And you don't go soul searching at a time like this.  When people with master's degrees are working at McDonalds.  You don't abandon greatness because you want greater.  Do you?  But then what do you do about the aching on the inside?  The whispering voice that says in the morning, don't get out of bed, just stay here in the sun, go for a walk, make a meal.  Don't sit caged in an office reading your 4,000th email, putting together ANOTHER budget scenario.  I can't breathe in there sometimes.  And I don't care some days if I do a good job or not.  And I hate that.  That isn't me.  This blase feeling isn't me either.  I am meant to give more of myself, to be more.  But I don't know what to do.  And that is such a weird feeling.  School?  Different job?  Same job different attitude?  More volunteering?

I am so very grateful for my life (it makes me feel bad inside to even suggest that I am unhappy for a minute - but I suppose that's real life) I really am happy.  I just feel like something is missing.  I want such a slow life.  A little life. 

Maybe I just need a fat, rolly polly baby to make everything better?  I just don't know.

What do you think internet?  Maybe this can be a choose your own adventure...but you choose my adventure ;)  Vote me a new adventure?  Pretty please?!

I don't know.  Maybe it's just this silly Autumn nonsense.  Oh Autumn...

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Saint Theresa’s Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.  Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Be still my beating heart

The last 3ish weeks have been like some sort of alternate reality/ hazy dream.  It sounds so ridiculous and I hate being "that" girl but I know I am right now so I guess I should just roll with it.

On September 8^th, 2012, SP and I had the most lovely wedding.  

The lead up to it was absolutely insane.  It was everything everybody said. The chaos and the stress and the extreme busyness - it was all that.  The details drove my control freak self to the brink.  But every time I thought it would become too much and I couldn't remember the "why's" I would get a sign or a reminder, a kiss from my love, a reminder from my preacher man about what weddings are really about, a friend who calls and helps with anything (and I mean anything) - apparently that's called God kicking my butt yet again.  

And in the end it was everything I never dreamed of. Perfection in every inch, in every look, in every laugh, in every touch – every single moment.

I loved every instant of our wedding.  I'm not sure that every bride can say that about their wedding.  Because there is so much anxiety and exhaustion and nerves and the details, my goodness, the details.  But I honestly can say I loved every second.  Don't get me wrong we had all the anxiety etc but it was so wrapped in a gauze of love and joy and celebration, I remember nothing else but that feeling of bubbly, foggy happiness.

I know that my wedding is a sort of anomaly (I like that, I have to say) in that we didn't really adhere to any of the "traditional" wedding things (whatever those are).  But it was disgustingly dreamy.  It was the perfect balance of all about us (which you know is the way I like it!) and all about everybody else.  I thought I would hate all the attention (and it was hard for me) but the focus on the celebration of the love, of the life, SP & I have, it was actually wonderful.  It was exciting, and strengthening, and the perfect celebration of the marriage SP and I have created.

I could give you the play by play but I'll spare you.  Here's the 30 second version:

Pretty-fy

Take really hot pictures (temperature-hot you dirty minds)

Beautiful touching ceremony full of love love love

Take more really hot pictures that I will treasure forever

Beautiful touching reception that held some of the most moving moments of my life that I will literally never forget (tearing up now, I'm such a girl)

Try to eat - but I can't (SUCH A GIRL!)

Boogie down and try my hardest to talk to everybody (failed)

Go home and nearly die of exhaustion, prepare to leave in 4 hrs for European adventure

The end

And while I'll never be an advocate of the $100,000 big, fluffy, tulle-y weddings full of formality, I realize I am now a major advocate of the meaningful wedding.  It is important to celebrate finding real love (because that's hard people, really really hard) and it's important to allow others to celebrate with you and support you.  And it is important to recognize that two people sharing a life together is also really hard and you should celebrate every moment of love and joy that you can.  I didn't realize how much having a wedding would mean to me, but it meant a whole lot.  

And I'm so very glad I was the cliché and married my best friend.  

This is a combo of wow you look beautiful, I love you, and HOLY MOLY this is for real!

Love

These are titled (L) We made it!  (R) Our favorite preacher man/brother from another mother

With the parents

Everybody

The REAL Everybody ;)

And then the real whirlwind began - but that's another story for another time!

Lots of love from lovey dovey me!  XOXO

Just for Funsies Friday!

Alternate titles for this post:

Study in Kori's Face

or

Learning how to use my new camera

 Ooops somebody else's face slipped in there (I'm going to be in trouble for that one!)

Ain't she just the cutest little subject.  I'm obsessed.  Just wait till I have a baby - 9billion pictures here I come!  I'm loving this new camera (Nikon One) even though I definitely have no clue how to use all the settings (way way past my abilities) thank god it has an automatic setting for the time being...

Hope everybody has fabulous weekend plans.  Ours include, wedding stuff, wedding stuff, wedding stuff...oh and some wedding stuff.

BESOS!