Don't Stop Believin'...that I'll see them in concert

The GLEE kids are going on tour. Guess who will be going to LA to see them live in concert?!

I mean come on, every news I hear about this show makes me happy. Where do I start?

* Joss Whedon will be directing an episode this spring

* One of my heroes, Neil Patrick Harris, will be in that Joss Whedon episode!! I just read a quote about this: "One solid Glee insider shares that Neil is playing a character who is really funny and really mean. He will be much more of the Dr. Horrible variety than Doogie Howser, M.D. And the fans will LOVE it."

* The all Madonna episode with 10 of her songs. This is the episode my sister Emily got to be an extra in. Mercedes and Kurt sang "4 Minutes" in the gym with the cheerleaders.

* Idina Menzel (the original Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway) will be the coach of the GLEE kids' rivals - Vocal Adrenaline.

* More Kristin Chenoweth! She'll be back as April Rhodes. Could she and Idina possibly have a scene together? One can hope!

* Jonathan Groff (Lea Michele's [Rachel] co-star in the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening" which I've just started listening to and I really like) will be the lead male singer for Vocal Adrenaline. And a love interest for Rachel!

* Olivia Newton-John will be on the show to sing a duet ("Let's Get Physical") with Sue Sylvester. Not sure what her character will be, but who cares? Stoked.

* Molly Shannon is going to be Sue's nemesis! She will play "Brenda Castle, the busty 45-year-old new astronomy teacher and badminton coach at McKinley High School who is both an alcoholic and a pill-popper." I'm already picturing how flippin' awesome her scenes with Sue will be...

* the promo for the last 9 episodes of the year:



And now the cherry on top is the announcement made yesterday that GLEE is going on tour. They will be in LA on May 20 and 21. I don't know if I will drive or fly but I will BE THERE. And forget "Team Finn" or "Team Puck". I'll be wearing a "Team Schuester" t-shirt with pride.

I quickly snapped out of it

Today was going to be a BIG day.

I was going to get my braces off.

This day has been on my calendar for weeks. As it got closer and closer, I got more and more excited. I was telling everyone - roomies, friends, family, the college students, facebook, etc.

February 27, 2010.

After a year and a half, they were finally coming off.

Last night I had a hard time sleeping. I just couldn't wait! Get these silver grillz off my flippin' teeth! I'll be able to eat whatever I want. It will only take 1 minute to floss instead of 15. I won't have to deal with rubberbands, brackets breaking, or wax for the wires poking into the inside of my cheeks. I will finally be able to smile and not feel self-conscious. I will look 20 instead of 14 (hey, any bit helps, ya know?)

After sleeping off and on, I finally woke up this morning and got ready. I drove to the office, all giddy inside. I said hi to everyone, sat in the chair, and my orthodontist came over to cheek everything out. I saw my retainers sitting on the tray next to me. This is really happening! Wheeee!

But then I hear him say, "Hmmmm."

Never a good thing to hear your ortho say.

Him: "Sarah, have you been wearing your rubberbands these past few months?"

Me: "No. You told me to stop."

Him: "Hmmm."

Me: (oh crap)

Him: "Well, one side of your mouth is perfect. Look in this mirror here. See how your teeth come down on top of each other so well? Now look at the other side. See how they are not fully brought together like they should be?"

Me: (dread creeping in)

Him: "Well, we can do one of two things. We take your braces off now and hope those teeth come down on each other properly. Or we can wait 3 more weeks and have you wear rubberbands on that side to do the job."

Obviously I chose the latter. In the grand scheme of things, I've had these on for 18 months. 3 more weeks won't kill me. And I want it to be ALL done so I never have to deal with this stuff again. But I was so sad. I had been expecting, hoping, waiting, I was ready! It's almost like a kid who can't sleep the night before Christmas because they're so excited and then they wake up Christmas morning and run into the living room and are told sorry, but Christmas has been pushed back 3 weeks.

It sounds silly but I got into my car and started crying. I was just really disappointed.

But then I got home and heard about an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile.

I quickly snapped out of it.

My worries and cares are so trivial compared to what is going on in the world. I think I needed to remember that. I'm off to pray for the people of Chile.

Maui-licious

Ok, can I start off this blog by saying that this vacation could not have come at a better time?!? As you read before I left, I was a bit of a wreck. But the time in Maui helped me rest, sleep, not think, just BE. And because of that, I came back feeling refreshed with a clearer mind and a more peaceful heart. Thank you, God!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP:

* The place we stayed in Napili. Good Lord, it was amazing. Our condos were right next to each other so we could pop in and out of each other's home. The view from our back lanai was of "turtle cove" (more on that in a minute), the beach, the surfers, the palm trees, the sunsets.

* Sleeping, napping, lounging, reading, eating.

* Riding bikes down Haleakala Volcano. This bad boy is on the south eastern part of Maui. Our tour van drove us to the top of the crater (10,000 above sea level) and then we jumped on bikes and rode 28 miles down the volcano and ended up at Paia Beach on the north shore of the island. I loved watching the scenery go by as we rode. Trees, fields, cattle, homes, small towns, smells of flowers and fresh ocean air, everything was green green green. I loved it. The ride was pretty steep and had some gnarly turns, but it was just part of the adventure.

* Making dinner and watching the Olympics every night with the fam. "Wanna go out tonight?" "No way, Apolo's on in an hour!"

* Ziplining with my sis, Emily. We got taken up into the mountains in ATVs, suited up in our harnesses, and zipped over the ridges and valleys! At times we were 500 feet over the gulches, zipping at up to 65 miles an hour. WOOT!! The longest zipline was 3,600 feet long. On one of them, they even let us go backwards. We had so much fun!



* February is apparently prime whale-watching month. The ocean was "humpback soup", according to one of our tour guides. He was not kidding! We saw humpback whales everywhere. They come down to Hawaii from Alaska because the water's warmer and the moms can birth and raise their calves. They were jumping out of the water, blowing out their blowholes, moms with their babies, tails slapping the water, tails coming up as they dove down. Mesmerizing.

* Playing with my 15 month old nephew, Judah. He is so big and cute and smart and I just want to kiss his cheeks all day long.

* Snorkeling! We took a boat to Molokini Crater out in the ocean. Fish fish fish! We rented an underwater camera and took some sweet pixs. At our second snorkeling spot, I had the option to "snuba dive" (a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving) so I went for it. I went 50 feet down to the ocean floor with my guide and she and another guide found an octopus! They let me hold it! Ahhh! I was giggling like mad the whole time.

* Ok, I must know share my absolute FAVORITE thing about Maui. Green sea turtles! You guys, I am seriously obsessed with them now. We noticed them the first day in the cove by our condos. First off, they are huge. Massive. Most of them are between 4-6 feet long. Second, they are not scared of humans. Probably because everyone snorkels down there, so they're just used to it. They would let us swim right up to them! It was magical. I couldn't believe I was swimming in the ocean with sea turtles all around me. Third, when they come up for air, they make the funniest faces. Ask me to do an impression of that next time I see you. It made me laugh every time.

I posted all my pixs on facebook if you want to check them out, but here are some highlighted ones. Enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

I'm home from Maui.

AMAZING trip.

It was very hard to leave.

Blog and pictures coming soon.

Aloha and Aloha!

Translation: Hello and Goodbye!

Yes, friends. My family and I are flying to the lovely island of Maui for 10 glorious days and I can't wait to use that word as much as possible. Hmmm...what other Hawaiian words do I know? Mahalo. Poi. Luau. Lei. Hula. Koi. Ukulele. And my favorite Hawaiian word is "pupu". It's pronounced "poo-poo" and it's a snack or appetizer. I LOVE it. I want to see that on a menu. "Get your fresh hot pupus here!" (I am such an adolescent.)

Anyway, it will be nice to get away in the midst of all this craziness at work. On one hand, I feel like it's weird timing to leave - I should be staying to sort out all the chaos. And on the other hand, it's probably really good for me to get away and rest, begin healing, spend time with my family and heavenly Father.

And it won't hurt that it is SUNNY there (I forget what the sun looks like) and the ocean water is 78 degrees.

I'll share fun pictures when I get back. Love to you all. Aloha.

Superbowl Sunday

I think the New Orleans Saints won?

Let's be honest. I only like the Superbowl for the friends, the food, and the commercials.

We had a Superbowl par-tay at our house and it was great. Some peeps brought a big ol' flatscreen so we could watch in style. We had lots of yummy food - I ate a lot. I mostly used the time to chat with friends I haven't seen in awhile. That was my highlight.

As far as commercials, I didn't think they were as funny this year. Here's the ones I remember: two commercials with people not wearing clothes, Betty White playing football, 3 guys and a killer whale, a funny Doritos one, a guy sleepwalking through Africa to get a Coke, a few commercials dissing men for being wusses, KISS and mini-KISS promoting Dr. Pepper cherry, chickens screaming, and one with some guys and T-Pain using Auto-Tune.

Thoughts on the big game? Are you glad the Saints won? Any commercials you especially enjoyed?

"Oh YEAAAAAHH!"

My students make me laugh.

One of them took the picture of the hole in the wall (that the car ran into)...and revealed the TRUE culprit!

excitement in the walls

Today was very eventful. I pulled into the church parking lot today and look what I saw:


Whaaaaaaat?!

Apparently, a lady was meeting someone at our church (for the first time) and she decided to drive around and look at the campus a bit. When she was by the intern house (where we have college group Wednesday nights), I think she accidentally hit her accelerator when she meant to hit her brake and she drove through the wall! Luckily no one was hurt - no one was in the room the car crashed into and she is ok.

View from the inside of the house. This is our meeting room Wed. nights:



View from outside, once the tow truck pulled the car out of the wall:

update

Hard week.

What I'm mainly dealing with is feeling alone. Last year, there was a lot of change at work (and outside of work, but mostly at work). Many people, including my boss of 4 years, left. All for good reasons, but it was still hard to see the ones I had worked with so closely leave. I also got a new boss, but the timing was bad because just as he got that new title, he left for a 4 month sabbatical. But I still had my intern, so I wasn't completely stranded. Right?

And then he decides to leave and I feel so alone. I don't want to lead alone. I have never wanted to do things by myself. I am a team player. I love the support and encouragement a team dynamic brings. And here I am: no boss, no intern, I don't have an Admin or any other associates. I feel abandoned. And his timing was also bad: right before our biggest trip of the year (going to the snow next weekend) and right before I am about to go on vacay and I need him to lead things. I asked him to stay for 3 more weeks and he would not. Who DOES that?!

In the midst of this hard week, I think, "Sarah, just trust God! He has always provided. He will take care of you. Think of all the other things in life he has brought you out of..." etc. And I wonder, if I really trusted God, I wouldn't worry, right? So why I am worrying?

Why do I let things affect me so much? I was talking to my counselor about it and he said that some people are sensitive to the world and they feel things more than others. So on one hand, it's a blessing because I can experience great joy in situations. But on the other hand, I can feel the hardness and sadness of situations deeper than others. Weird, but I can understand that a little better.

It has been really cool this week to see how people have been there for me. I am so blessed by everyone's prayers. People have listened to me, let me cry, prayed with me, offered to help however they can. And one of my adult leaders and one of my student leaders have stepped up to help with the intern responsibilities until we get a new intern. God has placed very special people in my life.

Well, I'm gonna wrap up. I guess I wanted to give you all an update of where I am with all this. Still hard, still struggling, wish I wasn't.

the good things

Since I am in the midst of a hard time, I have decided to dedicate a whole blog post to the things I am thankful for right now. When I feel down, it's easy to focus on all the bad things. I want to spend some time focusing on the good things.

THE GOOD THINGS

* My amazing friends and family. Seriously, what would I do without them? I am so thankful for everyone's prayers and encouragements. I need them. They mean so much to me.

* My sister Emily got to be an extra on the set of GLEE yesterday. Are you kidding me?! She saw the whole cast! She sent me pictures and texts all day. It was amazing. Here's what I can report: they were filming in the gym for the Madonna episode. Mercedes was on one side of the gym with half the cheerleaders, Kurt was on the other side with the other half of the cheerleaders (M and K were both in cheer uniforms - does that mean they've joined the Cheerios?) They performed "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake. Emily said the rest of the cast, including Emma and Sue was up in the bleachers with all the extras watching. Emily said we will LOVE their version of the song. They sang and danced to it 15 times to get all the camera angles.

Mr. Schuester was there and she said he is even cuter in real life (just like Puck). He was sitting down the row from her and did the robot in between takes, just for fun. Can you see him in this picture?

Afterwards, they filmed a scene with Finn in a basketball uniform, doing a dream sequence to "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors. This scene must be for another episode. Here's another picture Emily snuck me. Sitting against the back wall is Finn and Quinn.


Emily said she smiled at Puck as they passed by him. And then she said after she turned in her paperwork (to get paid) she was walking down the hall, and Mr. Schue and Rachel walked right by her! "I could have nudged right into them, Sarah!"

* I am thankful for my co-workers. One of them let me just cry my eyes out yesterday morning. She then sent me on a walk during a break in the rain. The air smelled so good - fresh and clean. I walked to a gazebo at the community college nearby. I looked at the trees and plants. I put a flower in my hair. Simple things. But lovely. And very much needed.

* Last Saturday evening, I got to see Eddie Izzard (comedian) with 2 sisters. And we got FREE tickets! We had a hookup who gave us not only free tickets but luxury suite seats! We were up in a box room with 10 other people and there was free food and drinks. Swanky. I needed to laugh that night, and I did. That felt good.


* Before the show, I got to see my nephew. It didn't matter that it was only 45 minutes. His smile warms my heart. I just love that little munch.

* Hawaii in 2 weeks.

* Starbucks date with a dear friend who listened to me and also just let me cry and shared some wisdom from a book she was reading.

* A walk with our neighbor's 3 golden retrievers. I tell people I am taking the dogs on a walk, but really, they take ME for a walk. They are so big and so excited to get outside, they literally pull me along the sidewalk and I can barely keep up. I love them! Exercise and cute dogs? Yes, please.

* I got to see the 2 kids I used to babysit for on Sunday. I have not seen them in ages! I freaked out a little because the little boy I knew at 6 years old is now almost 14, extremely tall, and has a low voice. Hello puberty.

* My blog, where I can write down what I'm feeling and process things better.

um...WHAT?!

My intern has decided that he does not want to do ministry anymore and he is leaving. Yes, leaving. He's just going to up and leave. We have our college snow trip in two weekends and he was supposed to run the group for me in February for two weeks while I am gone on vacation with my family. But no. He is bailing.

Upon receiving this news, my plans are to:

1. Cuss as loud as possible.

2. Throw something.

3. Burst into tears.

in that order.

So now if you'll excuse me...

locksoflove.org

Extreme Makeover: Office Edition update

Back in October, I blogged about how we were sprucing up our office. Update: we have carpet! This was the main thing I was excited about. The floor in our office was JANKED UP. But no longer! The carpet guys came in and now we have brand new soft, beautiful, light-colored carpet. Look at the "before" and "after" pictures. Much improved, yes?







We also moved out unused furniture and got a new filing cabinet and mini fridge. And now with all our desks and other stuff moved back in...our room actually looks like a legit office now! All we're waiting on is a "Student Ministries" plaque for our door and one more desk. Yeahhhh!

a good day

Went to church, enjoyed the rain, went for a run, watched the Golden Globes (SO happy Glee won for Best TV series [Comedy or Musical] and that Avatar won for Best Picture), made cookie dough (didn't even make cookies; just ate the dough), and cleaned my room.

A good day. And I don't have to work tomorrow. Thank you, MLK Jr.

pray for Haiti

The earthquake (and its aftermath) in Haiti is breaking my heart. I can't believe the destruction and how many people have lost their lives. I just wrote this on facebook but the college group sponsors a 5 year old boy in Haiti named Steeve (he lives north of Port-au-Prince). We wrote Compassion to check up on him and we're waiting to hear if he and his family are safe. What if he and his family have lost their home? What if little Steeve died in the earthquake? Oh my gosh, I am so sad, I don't even want to think about it.

If you want to give money, there are tons of organizations accepting donations for Haiti. I'm donating to Compassion, since we have Steeve through them. And let's keep praying for this country.

message to my teeth

Dear teeth,

Thanks for putting up with the past couple days and all the appointments and poking and prodding. After meeting with the dentist (don't you feel much cleaner?) and the orthodontist, we have a ending date in sight! February 24th. On that beautiful day every single bracket, wire, and rubberband will be removed from you and we will be free of braces forever.

You guys have been such troopers and I appreciate it. Can you make it six more weeks? I promise to continue brushing you multiple times every day, flossing you every night, and eating healthy, yummy foods for you to chomp on.

Let's not think about the extra cleanings, retainers, new veneers, and 2 crowns you will need after the braces come off. One step at a time. Let's celebrate what's in front of us. February 24th - what a glorious day it shall be!!

Yours faithfully,
Sarah

get DOWN with yo bad self!

Last night, our friend Alan came over when we were making dinner. In the midst of our conversation, the topic came up about how he has no rhythm. And he wants some. Because last year for Halloween at his work (apparently they go ALL OUT, with costume prizes and everything) he dressed up as Richard Simmons and did a fake workout in front of 100 co-workers. He won 50 bucks.

"So Sarah," he said, "I need you to teach me some moves. Because this year, I'm going big: Michael Jackson. I'm gonna learn the dance to 'Smooth Criminal' and some people in my department are going to dance it with me. And I only have 10 months to find some rhythm so I say we start tonight."

15 minutes later, we were pushing aside bean bags and couches in our living room, pulling out ipods, and all wearing gangsta hats (with the brims facing the side, of course). Dance party!! I taught them some hip hop moves I've learned in my class and we laughed and sweated the night away. What a workout! But so fun.





We are very white.

GLEE fall finale

I know the GLEE fall finale was a long time ago but I haven't had a chance to blog about it yet. Let's jump in and discuss, shall we?

First, let's talk about Quinn. Poor girl has been kicked out of the Cheerios, her own home, and now that Finn knows the truth about Puck being her baby daddy, where will she live now? It takes two to make a baby and yet Quinn is reaping all the consequences. And yes, it was dumb to lie to Finn about him being the father, but sheesh. Cut the girl some slack, Fox. And please make sure she finds a place to live, mmmmkay?

Next, I loved Mercedes rendition of "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going). She didn't lip synch very well, but who the heck cares when she's belting it out like that. BRING IT, GIRL!

Best quote of the episode comes from Sue Sylvester (of course): "I am reasonably confident that you will be adding 'revenge' to the long list of things you're no good at, right next to being married, running a high school glee club, and finding a hair style that doesn't make you look like a lesbian."

Moving on, one thing I do not like and have never been a fan of: Will and Emma. Now don't get me wrong. I love Mr. Schuester. LOVE. If such things were possible, I would marry him and have his babies and they'd all have curly hair and he would sing us all to sleep every night. And how can you not love Emma? I love her clothes, she's cute as a button, and beyond sweet. But I don't like them TOGETHER. A fellow blogger bud Lydia posted about this while ago and I totally agree:

Lydia: "Now for the only thing i don't like about the show [GLEE]. in fact - i hate it.

* how they try to make you root for adultery

that is NOT ok!#@* if you are caught in a loveless marriage where your pathetic wife is faking a pregnancy, just to try & hold on, it's over. get a divorce! don't keep running around flirting like crazy like there is no consequence. RIDIC! said it."

Well said, my friend. Even if Will and Emma didn't have a physical affair, they definitely were having an emotional one. I was so proud of her when she told him "Yeah, you JUST left your wife," and then walked away. Finally! Way to acknowledge that you guys need to pull the brakes.

And the end comes and he freaking runs through the halls and kisses her. What?! And she's fine, even happy about it. WHAT!? I am probably the only female in America who feels this way, but oh well.

Next, Rachel was AMAZING with her "Don't Rain On My Parade" song at sectionals! She gave me goosebumps. She was channeling Barbara Streisand all over the place. That girl can SING.

The final song "My Life Would Suck Without You" was also really fun. Is it awesome or worrisome that I recognized almost all the dances they did from previous episodes? Am I too obsessed with this show?

And now we have to wait 4 months for more. Boooooooo...

2010 begins

Here are some pixs from New Years. Like I mentioned in the previous post, some friends rented out a roller rink and we partied! It was a "Capes and Bling" theme and people came all decked out. Two of my roomates and I decided to dress up as 60's Go-Go dancers and we covered ourselves in glitter, flower stickers, and whatever bling we could find. It was such a fun night.














Now onto what this new year holds.

In 2010 I plan to:

* cut 10 inches of my hair for Locks of Love

* get my braces off

* go to Lake Tahoe and play in the snow

* go to Hawaii with my family in February

* go on a date

* continue to spend lots of time with my nephew

* visit my friend Jody in Colorado this summer

* go for a ride in a hot air balloon (this was a goal last year and it didn't happen, so I am rolling it over to this year)

Other than that, I am open to whatever adventures life throws my way. Are you all excited for a new year?

Happy New Year!

I have some great pictures I want to share from New Years Eve (some friends of ours rented out a roller rink and threw a party with a "Capes and Bling" theme), but sadly they will have to wait a few days. My laptop has decided to let Satan possess it, so I am without a computer till Monday. But I hope you all had a great New Years Eve and are enjoying the first few days of the new year. Happy 2010!