sarahg

Weekend Photobooth {Joyce Meyer Conference}

left to right: an antique/unusual toy store we visited on the way to st. louis * first glimpse of the arch * so glad i wore these shoes * a view from our hotel room * laura & i * the arena * visiting the arch * 630 up...yes i did it * the arch * old spaghetti factory for dinner * chandelier in the lobby * joyce meyer signs all over downtown *

Our Summer Catchup | July 4th

 July 4th for us was a 2 day extravaganza! It began with a concert and a firework show on July 3rd. It was Sophia's first time seeing fireworks...thankfully she didn't scream or cry but she did ask to hold our hands. She called them BOOMS. The next day we went to a parade in the little town of Wilmore with some awesome friends and ended the night in Versailles with a picnic dinner, music, and another show. It was such a blast! (hehe)

Our Summer Catchup | Sophia's 2nd Birthday

 

Hard to believe that 2 years ago (1 year ago) this little bundle was born. Now, she is in full toddler mode including but not limited to: jumping, ever-increasing vocabulary, dancing, a recent obsession with washing her hands, doing things herself, pink, babies, chalk, books...and unloading the dishwasher (yes, everytime she hears me open the dishwasher up she comes running to help). We had a little party for Soph at our house and celebrated with cupcakes and ice cream.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

10 things i love Saturday

Here's 10 things that have caught my eye this week! Enjoy!

10. 64 melted crayons. a canvas. a hair dryer. what could be more happier than this?!

 

9. Have you seen this video yet? The couple dances through 10 decades of fashionin under 2 minutes. t was shot by Jake Lunt to promote the opening of the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in East London. It's brilliant. Watch how the man disappears during the 40's when he goes off to war.

8. What to spruce up some old/new tshirts with just a bleach pen? Here's how.

7. Peanut Butter & Jelly Tiramisu...I have died and gone to heaven.

6. I just discovered Booktrack today and I'm girlishly excited. You download the app on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad and it's as if your book has a Hollywood score with synchronized music and sound effects. The technology is paced to your own reading speed. Click the top right book here and try it out free with Sherlock Holmes. And the soundtracks are quality. They're made by the production company behind Lord of the Rings. There aren't too many titles available yet. But I'm looking forward to the rumored release of Romeo & Juliet and Pride & Prejudice!

5. These quirky cool designed cookies by Manjar are some of the best I've seen in a long time. They made me look twice. Those cute cameras!
Photos from Manjar // via A Merry Mishap

4. My handsome, most wonderful hubby. I am sure he's had many snacks like this...while I went to St. Louis for 3 days! Thank you Anth for taking care of Sophia so I could get away. Love you!

3. Check out this awesome before/after with these rulers. Pretty crafty and creative!

3. Loving these labels designed by Wallace Design House as a part of a store display...

2. Really enjoyed reading this post from the litte cains mama. If you haven't checked out her blog, do it...you won't be disappointed.

1. A refrigerator snack bar...why didn't I think of this? Time to get organized!

 

Our Summer Catch Up | The Beach part II

Here's part II of our beach vacation. I'm a photo-hog. I admit it. However, you get to enjoy all my pictures too! Happy Friday to you!

 

Well folks, that's about it...our Ocean Isle beach vacation in a nutshell. Here's to next year!

 

Our Summer Catch Up | The Beach

 

 It almost didn't happen (read here if you want to know more), this one week vacation to the sunny beaches of Ocean Isle. But it did. We traveled down with some awesome friends (like family). Imagine eighteen of us, one house, 4 bathrooms, a pool...and yes ocean front view. We had an absolute blast and made some awesome memories. We all needed a little bit of...

We all wish the beach wasn't just a "once a year thing". And yet, because it is what it is, I look on the bright side. Because there's something really magical about visiting a place just once a year. It becomes a most wonderful measure of time, family and growth.

Remember when Sophia touched the ocean for the first time? Remember when you wanted to jump off the balcony into the pool? Remember night walks on the beach? Remember the yummy coffee drinks made to order? Remember the Purple Onion? The pool? Crabbing? The Brentwood? Nerts? (yup).

We remember. I hope this is a family tradition that continues every summer.

We come home refreshed and rejuvinated from breathing the fresh air of salty beaches, sunshine and togetherness. Family and tradition. And we all look forward to the next time. Whenever that may be.

And yes, the last picture is all of our kids. Stay tuned for part II of the beach tomorrow.

Adios...I'm off to St. Louis!

It's 11:03pm and I am just now sitting down to blog. I'm exhausted ... but I am excited! Tomorrow I will be leaving in the morning to attend Joyce Meyer's three day conference in St. Louis, MO. I will be traveling with my dear friend Laura, her mom and sister.

I am expecting it to be great.

I am expecting it to be life-changing.

I am expecting to miss Sophia like crazy (it will be the first time we have been apart this long).

I am expecting to come home renewed and refreshed.

I am expecting to have a new perspective on everyday life.

It will be great! If you want to know more, click on the love life pic below. I've set up some posts for you for the next 3 days...enjoy! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

 

Lost Ladies in a Lincoln on a Late Night

I really don't mind traveling. So when my mom called me on Friday asking me if I wanted to go up to Indianapolis (with my sister and Hannah) for a family baby shower I said sure. I will spare you all the last minute details that took place and the 25 phone calls that happened. It was set: We were meeting at my house at 9. The baby shower started at 2. This would give us PLENTY of time to eat lunch and have several potty breaks in between. Indianapolis is about 3 hours away.

Saturday, 9:10am: Of course, JoAnna is not at my house. Mom and I decide to call. She doesn't answer...no surprise. I text her: (you better be around the corner and that's why you're not answering). No response back. What is most aggravating is that at 7:30 THE SAME MORNING JoAnna called me to make sure we were still meeting at 9! At this point I am only slightly irritated.

9:30 am: JoAnna pulls in the drive way.

9:36 am: We load up the Lincoln and leave for Indianapolis.

9:40 am: I need caffeine...we hit McDonald's.

9:50 am: Back on the road to Indy.

9:52 am: Sophia coughs. Now, Sophia woke up with a little cough. I gave her some juice and a little Benadryl earlier that morning...hoping this would help. Sophia is still coughing, so much so that my mom (being the GRANDMOTHER she is) decides that Sophia needs cough medicine.

10:01 am: We pull into the KMART parking lot in Versailles so Mom can run in and get some medicine. Mom suggests that we take the girls out of the car and let them walk around and stretch their legs. Fine. We take the girls out. What is supposed to be a "little stop" turns into a fiasco. Mom has to ask the pharmacist what to give a 2 year old for a cough. We walk up to check out and of course there is only 1 line open and 3 people in the line. Sophia will not hold my hand and throws herself on the ground. So, I take her outside to have a talk. She is crying at this point...she knows what's coming. Mom, JoAnna, and Hannah come out and of course my mother sees a little merry-go-round. Of course, the girls have to have a ride...what kind of grandmother would she be if she didn't let them ride?

10:32 am: We pull out of KMART and head towards Indy. I text Anthony to pray for me. This is going to be a long trip.

12:03 am: Potty break and lunch.

1:04 pm: Back on the road.

2:04 pm: We reach Indianapolis. Only we are on the west side of town...we need to be on the east side. Yes, we were lost.After several phone calls and re-routing ourselves via the iphone. We reach the shower at 2:45. Yes, a 3 hour trip took us 4.5 hours! Keep in mind, my daughter has not napped the entire trip up. And we haven't stopped for a potty break since lunch. My nerves were shot and all I wanted was to get out of the car.

5:30 pm: We head out after saying our goodbyes. My mom and her sisters don't see each other very often, so we have decided to have dinner together with them at Cracker Barrel.

5:42 pm: As we are pulling into the parking lot Sophia throws up. No, I'm not kidding. The mixture of cake from the shower, punch, hershey kisses, and cough medicine didn't sit right with her. (YA THINK?!?) I spend the next 15 minutes cleaning puke off of Sophia and the car seat. Thankfully I bought a change of clothes!

7:13 pm: After saying our goodbyes and Mom getting some directions on how to get back to the interstate...we head back home. 

7:24 pm: We get a call from my cousin, Pam saying we should have turned with them onto the highway...are we lost? We need to turn back around. Of course not, Mom said she will just take Interstate 70 to Cincinnati and go home that way.

7:28 pm: We get another call from my Aunt Helen saying are we going the right way...we should have followed them. SERIOUSLY?! I tell her that we are fine and we are going home through Cincinnati. After this I am a little concerned. But Mom assured us that we were heading the right way.

7:53 pm: I begin to see signs for Dayton, OH. WHAT THE... I pull out my trusty iphone. And yes, we were definitely heading the wrong way. I mentioned something to mom and she said she thought we were heading the right way. I made her look at the iphone. She freaked out! All this time she thought Interstate 70 was 74. We took the next exit off the Interstate and decided it would take less time just to get back to 74 than to turn around. Mom felt so bad.

8:18 pm: What happened next was a bunch of right and lefts down county roads with soy beans fields on one side and corn on the other and this video.

 

9:03 pm: Mom decides to stop at a Dairy Queen (of all places) for a potty break. She buys ice cream...for everyone! Seriously, it's 9:03. All I want is for Sophia to sleep and my mom comes out with a vanilla cone for Sophia. Sometimes I think she's forgotten what it's like to be a mom. (HA!) I offer to drive so mom can have a break. And yes, the cones were good. And yes, Sophia took 2 licks and she was finished.

10:28 pm: We make a bathroom break and switch drivers in Dry Ridge. The girls are all asleep by this time.

11:30 pm: We arrive home 4.5 hours later.

This was my Saturday (in a nutshell): Lost ladies in a Lincoln on a late night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 things i love saturday

Yep! I'm back with a brand new 10 things. Here's 10 things that have caught my eye lately...enjoy!

10. Yes, your eyes do not decieve you...those are apple nachos. Check out how to make them here.

9. Clever little picnic baskets.

8. It's been rainy here...ALOT lately. These rain boots from Ruche would be super cute!

7. This letter collage is an awesome DIY and cheap. Check out how to make it here.

6. A cookie holder mug...YES PLEASE.

5. I wish I were this organized!

4. Draw it yourself shower curtains. What would you draw? I'm thinking I could get pretty creative with these draw-it-yourself ones by Grain Design that come with a permanent colored marker.

  3. Looking for some creative/handmade ideas for your wedding. Check out Handmade Wedding for some inspiration.

2. How pretty are these ceramic vessels by Australian potter, Kylie Johnson?

 

1. My new favorite song- "Come On" by Rend Collective Experiment. Check it out! Wanna hear more?

You Said What?

It was June 9th. It was a hot day. I was excited...we were leaving for Ocean Isle Beach on Saturday. Sophia would see the beach for the first time. I remember I was doing some last minute loads of laundry. I was sitting on the couch folding laundry when Anthony came home for his break from work. Little did I know the conversation that would take place would change my life forever. It would test my faith in the Lord. It would impact our marriage...our life...our everything.

You see Anthony came home from break to tell me that he was loosing his job. Looking back now, I am amazed that I didn't yell or freak out or go for a drive. This blow...2 days before vacation. How could it be? Why was this happening to us? I didn't understand. He said, "Sarah, I need to tell you something." It's been eating at me...I was going to wait until after vacation. But I can't. I'm being let go." For a moment I felt like I was paralyzed. I just looked at him. I thought about Sophia (thankfully she wasn't there, she was being watched by a friend). "I'm sorry, you said what?"

In that moment I was griped with fear, anger, hurt, and utter disbelief. This man...who's job we relied on to live- wouldn't have one.  A million questions went through my head in the next several minutes as we just sat there in utter silence. Where would go? How would we buy diapers? Food? What about our bills? I was scared out of my mind. Would I have to go back to work? (My heart ached at this thought) What about our insurance? We would have to cancel our vacation...we needed to save money.

I cried...no, I sobbed. I asked Anthony how could he do this? I could hardly look at him. I remember thinking how grateful I was that Sophia wasn't there to see me cry. I remember the look of hopelessness and failure in Anthony's eyes.  His break time was over...he had to go back to work.

I wish I could tell you that I immediately grabbed Anthony's hand and said let's pray. I wish I could tell you that I turned to my Bible or began praying by myself. I wish I could tell you that I wasn't angry or scared. I wish I could tell you that I gave everything over to God. I wish...

I didn't do any of those things...right away.

Instead I cried. I told God I didn't understand. Worry set in like a shadow...dark and looming. I felt helpless, I felt alone. I worried what people would think. I wept and I yelled out. I fell to my knees.

I forgot about WHO MY GOD WAS.

I forgot that He is my provider, my comforter, and my peace. I forgot that He is faithful. Let me just say that this took me a little bit folks...to remember this. I remembered Sophia. I remembered when we first first married and how God provided. I remembered all the little things that God took care of. Then, I fell to my knees. I prayed like I never prayed before.

Fast forward 2.5 months later...

I am not proud of how I reacted (yes...REACTED not RESPONDED) to Anthony's news. The Lord answered many prayers these last several months. I realized alot of things about myself. I now see God in a new way. The people (and you know who you are) who stood by us and encouraged us. The ladies who hugged me while I wept. The late night conversations and wisdom from our friends were more than we hoped for. These last several months, for me have been huge in the issue of trust. Trusting in my Jesus, that He heard me...that He listened to me...that He had it under control. Trusting in the written word of God that He speaks through that. And trusting myself...that I do hear that still calm whisper of my Savior. I learned about the power of prayer. I learned to be still. I learned to listen. So, yes...we went on our family vacation to Ocean Isle. We had an awesome time. We tried to "forget" about the job for a week. Yes, Anthony is still employed with the Post Office. The Lord worked all of it out, in His perfect timing. He did. Yes, this is the reason that I stopped blogging. (I've got alot of catching up to do and I'm excited to be blogging again). I've seen a changed man, in Anthony. A new ownership of who God has called him to be and it is quite refreshing. Yes, we feel the Lord stirring the waters (and have for some time) for our future. We are excited about what the Lord is doing in our lives and where He is taking us. For now, we will rest and trust in Him.

Here's some pictures from our summer vacation...more to come later.