Travis' bread

Our new roomate Travis made some homemade sourdough bread. We did a photo shoot of him holding his creation with 4 different expressions and angles. Which is your favorite?

1)

2)

3)

4)

sorry, Jenna

My amazing friend Jenna just moved up (from San Diego) and into our house on Thursday. We had a free room till January and she wanted to move back to this area (she used to live here) and have a few months to look for a job. Anyway, I feel bad because here are the 4 things that have greeted her:

1) Our cat leaving us a gift by the door. And by "gift", I mean either the remains of a small animal that she has killed and wants to show us OR cat vomit, with the aforementioned dead animal parts inside. Jenna said she had to step over it to walk in the door. Gross.

2) A huge house of people. Jenna got up at 3:20 a.m. to drive up here from SD. She was tired and probably just wanted to have a quiet evening to rest. Nope! Here are 40 people to meet and talk with! We had a house concert with some local musicians which was awesome, but I just felt bad it was the night she got here.

3) Heat wave. Seriously you guys, it has been the perfect summer. Breezy, in the 70's or 80's. Lovely. And then Thursday is got HOT. And it has been blistering hot since then. It is currently 107 degrees outside. This is not normal. What happened to our nice weather?

4) No power. Jenna went to the store and got some groceries. And then at 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon, our power went out. It did not come back on till 1 am this morning. Many of her groceries got spoiled in the fridge. And after going out last night, she came back to our house (and street) being pitch black. It's a bit freaky.

So all of that to say...sorry, Jenna. It will get better.

Sayonara to Summer

I'm back from a lovely vacay (visiting the bestie and her hubby). As always, I enjoyed sleeping, eating, reading, laying out by the pool and sometimes jumping in when it got too hot, shopping (woohoo outlets!), going to Disneyland to see the fireworks and Fantasmic (and I got to see my youngest sister who was there for a friend's birthday!), and going fishing with my BFF's father. I only go fishing with her dad so I'm not a big fisherman (fisherwoman?), but I DID catch my first halibut and I was very proud. I don't know why people get proud when a fish has the poor luck to think a squishy lure is lunch...but I was.

27 and a half inches long, baby! And heck yes, we kept it and took it home. FEAST!


In case you can't tell, I am flexing to show how hard-core I am.

And now it's "Sayonara to summer" and "Hello to fall!"

IT'S HERE!!!

The flash mob video is here! Enjoy!



And then here's another version that someone found online. This was taped by a newspaper in Santa Rosa. It shows the dance with different angles. In this video, you can see me (in a black shirt) jump off some stairs at the beginning and run into the dancing area.




Well friends, I leave today for vacation (I feel like this whole summer has been one fun vacation, although I think I managed to fit some work in there somewhere). Anyway, this is my last little vacay before my fall officially kicks off. Be back next week!

FLASH MOB

This past weekend, I got to be a part of something really cool.

A FLASH MOB!

What is a flash mob? According to wikipedia:

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term "flash mob" is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. They are designed to surprise passer-byers.

Maybe you've seen the Sound of Music flash mob in a Belgian train station. Or maybe the T-Mobile flash mob in Liverpool. Or 100 Beyonces dancing to "Single Ladies" in Piccadilly Circus? They are going on all over the world. And every time I watched one on YouTube, I would think, "I want to do that!"

We did it. Union Square, San Francisco. Sunday August 16th. 4:30 pm. 100 people. The song we danced to? "Pinball Wizard" by The Who.

Video coming...

End-of-Summer BBQ/Pool Par-tay

Last night was our last college event for the summer. We had a BBQ at a house near the church and then went swimming. It's always kind of sad at this event because I have to acknowledge that summer is pretty much over. Noooooooo. From this point on, everything is gung-ho for the fall. Which is great. Except I've had such a great summer, I'm not ready for it to end. Oh well.





I love this one. The girl is pretending to be Patrick Swayze and the boy is pretending to be Jennifer Grey. They are re-enacting the Dirty Dancing "lift" scene.

I met Cinderella

Last night I met Cinderella. And Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, and Giselle (from the movie Enchanted). They were all the same person.

Lemme esplain.

I was at a BBQ, chattin' it up with some friends. My friend Jane introduced me to a girl standing next to her named Lisa. Lisa said she lived in San Francisco. And then when I asked her what she did, she smiled and said, "I'm a princess."

Whoa. Back up?

Yes, it turns out Lisa really is a princess. She works for "The Cinderella Company" and they do kids' parties. You can choose whatever Disney princess you'd like (besides the ones Lisa plays, there are: Mulan, Tinkerbell, Alice in Wonderland, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Belle, etc), and they will show up in costume and character and play with the kiddos for an hour and a half. Most of them are even classically trained singers so they can sing songs from their movies. Disney reps fly up every year to audition ladies and make sure they will represent the Disney name well.

I was fascinated. I had no idea this sort of thing existed. I started asking Lisa tons of questions. How did you get into this? What do you love most about it? Are you bombarded with kids the minute you show up? (yes) What songs do you sing? What activities do you do with them? (story-telling, face paint, singing, dancing, pictures, etc)

She was so sweet and I could tell she truly loves her job. So hey, if you have kids and you think they'd be into something like that on their birthday, I'm sure there is something like "The Cinderella Company" around your town. And if you have boys, they have guys who can come as a pirate, Prince Charming, a cowboy, Jedi Knight, Storm Trooper, Superman, Spiderman, or Batman. Sweet!

I Got A Feeling

It's been awhile since I posted a picture or video of the world's cutest baby (aka: my nephew Judah). Yesterday was a Fun Friday where I got to spend the whole day with him, praising him every time he turned the page in our book, responded to things I said, or ate solid foods. He is so smart and getting so big! (8 and a half months old)

This video is when sister Amy came home from work. We had the Black Eyed Peas song "I Got A Feeling" song stuck in our heads. "Mazel tov!"

R.I.P. John Hughes

I was so sad when I heard the news yesterday. John Hughes, 59 years old, passed away in New York from a heart attack.

Like many of you, I grew up watching his movies. Whether he wrote or directed them, they are classics in my mind.

Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Pretty in Pink
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Some Kind of Wonderful

When I think of those movies, I think of 80's music, The Brat Pack, and amazing scenes/quotes. It's so sad he is gone.

The Walk

<< Ok friends, this might be kind of random, but I have been struggling with envy lately. I hate it. Tonight, I wrote a short story. I'm not a writer or anything, but I just sort of went for it. It might not make sense, but that's ok. I'm just not sure what else to do. >>



The Walk

I was walking down the street with my good friend, Peace. We took our time, savoring the sweet sunlight as it hit our faces. Small steps, no rush. Enjoying the breeze, the conversation, the laughter.

Suddenly, I noticed someone turn the corner and start heading our way. As they drew closer, I recognized the face with dread. My thoughts started racing. "Please. Not this time. Please...not again."

Peace, unaware of the oncoming person, kept looking at me and telling her story. But I could not listen. I knew what was about to happen.

We stopped. Peace finally realized someone else was in front of us and turned to them. I saw her face cloud over and her smile slowly fade.

"Hello, Envy. How are you?" she asked politely.

"I'm doing well, Peace. Thank you for asking," Envy replied, but he was not looking at her as he spoke. His eyes were locked on me. "How are you doing, Sarah?"

I looked down.

"Fine."

"Well, that's good to hear," he said with a strange smile. "Where are you two ladies off to?"

Peace glanced quickly at me and then back at Envy. "Nowhere in particular. We just felt like going for a walk today. It's so nice outside."

"Hmmm," Envy said. "I agree. We couldn't ask for better weather."

Even though I was looking down, I knew he had not taken his gaze off me. I knew what was coming.

"Sarah, why don't you walk with me awhile. We could go down to the beach."

"No, that's ok. I'm kind of tired." My voice came out low and quiet.

"Oh come on. It's been awhile since we've seen each other. I'd love to catch up." Envy again smiled strangely.

I lifted my head and looked pleadingly at Peace. She immediately knew my internal struggle.

"Well, we're actually heading home, so maybe another time," she replied on my behalf. She turned around and started to head in the direction we had just come. With a silent sigh of relief, I also turned to go.

But Envy grabbed my hand.

"Wait, Sarah. Don't go yet."

I froze. I saw Peace's retreating back as she walked further and further away. "Follow her. Follow her!" I screamed in my head. But I could not. I turned back and finally looked Envy in the eyes.

He was beautiful.

I knew I shouldn't. I knew he was all wrong for me. I knew how horrible I felt after I spent time with him. I tried to avoid him as best I could. And yet, somehow he always seemed to know where to find me.

I stood there, unable to take my eyes away from his face.

Maybe just a little walk. I really do love the beach. He knows that.

"Ok. A short walk."

He smiled again. Still holding my hand, he crossed the street and led me down a new block. He looked down at me as we walked away.

"I've missed you."

I could not say the same.

God-appointments in the Ladies Room

Do you ever strike up conversations with strangers? On a plane, waiting in line at the grocery store, at a coffeeshop?

I do sometimes. It depends on what mood I'm in. But I don't know if I've ever struck up a long conversation with someone in the restroom.

I won't go too into it, but I met a 49 year old woman named Stasha in the Chili's restaurant ladies room. What I thought was going to be a 20 second exchange of pleasantries turned into a 20 minute conversation, ending with an exchange of phone numbers and a plan to meet for coffee to continue.

As I rushed back to the booth where a patient college student was waiting, I kept thinking: it was no accident I went to wash my hands just then. A little God-appointment. And in such a random place.

Yeah for Tahoe and weddings!

Just got back from Lake Tahoe to see one of my roomies (Annie) and a friend I used to work with (Scotty) get hitched! The wedding was amazing. It was at a ski lodge which is now all green for summer. All the bridesmaids came down on the ski lift - everyone started laughing. And then there came Annie with her dad on a lift, too. It was so so fun. Got to see some old friends (don't you love that about weddings?) and dance the night away. Congratulations S & A!!

sangre

Today was blood day. It actually went a lot better than I thought! I was nervous last night. I woke up early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. What would it be like? Would it hurt? Would I faint? Would I get dizzy? What if I worked myself up and finally went there and they said I couldn't donate? (too little iron in my blood, traveled outside the U.S. within a year, etc.)

But everything went smoothly. I read the educational material, had my temperature and blood pressure taken, the prick of blood from my middle finger showed I had enough iron in my blood (yeah!), I answered all the questions the nurse asked me (Do you have gonorrhea? Chlamydia? Hepatitis?)

And finally it was time. A man in a white lab coat came up to me (laying on one of their tables and trying not to freak out).

"Hello, I'm Robert and I'll be receiving your donation today."

"Awesome, Robert. Take it quickly." - me

Well, that's what I was thinking. I was also thinking, "Don't look at it, Sarah. Don't look at the needle or blood bag. Focus on something else." Robert found a good vein, sanitized the inside of my elbow, gave me a red rubber ball to squeeze, and POP! in went the needle. The good news is, once it was in, I couldn't feel it any more.

I brought a magazine and my iPod but I ended up just chatting with Robert and the nurse next to him he was flirting with. I was so shocked when after only a few minutes, Robert told me my bag was already 2/3 full. Dang, blood! Speedy sangre.

When it was done, the needle was taken out and I was done. I sat up ve-r-r-r-y slowly, got to my feet and shuffled over to the snack area where two high school girls gave me water, juice, and cookies. After 15 minutes, I was free to go. No fainting. No dizzyness. No problems. Yeah!

SUMMER

Summer is so freaking fantastic. It is by far my favorite season. And this summer is turning out to be one of the best I've had in a long time. It is going by non-stop with friends, trips, and fun. Oh and MAYBE a little work put in there somewhere. Ha ha.

My first trip to New York, road trip to Oregon, just had friends from college here, going to Tahoe this weekend for a wedding. There's also been lots of beach time, BBQs, waterslides, walks, sunshine, volleyball, ice cream, summer movies, fresh fruit, San Francisco, rollercoasters, softball, family time....love it.

I tried chocolate-covered-bacon last night at the Boardwalk. I don't know why. It was actually pretty good. It tasted like salty chocolate. I don't know what that has to do with summer, but it just does.

I don't want it to end. I am seeing Target commercials on TV for back-to-school stuff and I want to throw things. No! I am clinging to July as much as possible! I do not want summer to end! It goes by too fast! Who's with me?!

Oregon pixs

I wanted to write all about my fun time in Oregon, but I have two wonderful college friends in town and want to go play with them, so I shall let the following pictures (and video at the end) tell the story.

Oregon

It's time for Adventure #2 with Amy! This time we are road-tripping to Oregon to see our good friends Jenn and Steve get married. We will be stopping in Ashland to stay with an old roomie, Laura (aka: Lola) and then driving up to Portland after the wedding to see our friend Haley! Yeah! I've never been past Ashland, so I'm looking forward to seeing the state.

(Ok this is really random, but the image of playing "Oregon Trail" just popped into my head. Thank goodness we're not going to Oregon in a covered wagon with 4 oxen, 3 broken wagon axles, 56 pounds of fresh buffalo meat we've just shot, and dying of dysentery or cholera. Ford the river? Or caulk and float across?)

giving blood

I have never given blood before. I've always had good excuses.

"I don't weigh enough." (high school)
"I'm mildly anemic." (college)
My recent ones have been:
"I'm scared I'll faint."
"There's enough people who donate. They don't need me."

But then something happened a couple weeks ago that has shaken me up a bit. There is a dear, dear family who go to our church. I'll call them the Kay's. Dad, mom, 3 sons. Life has been pretty hard lately. They had a house fire a couple years ago. The dad lost his job and has been unemployed and looking for a very long time. And two weeks ago this happened:

Their middle soon, Jacob (17 years old), was at the beach with some friends. They heard a crash and ran over to see downed trees and power lines in the trees across the road. Jacob (who wants to be a firefighter when he grows up) attempted to put out a small fire on part of a tree. His friends heard something they describe as an explosion and what was like fire coursing down his whole body. Apparently, he came into contact with the the fallen power line. He suffered a concussion and severe electrocution, causing burn spots on his head, neck, hands, arms, chest, feet, and backside, mostly 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He was taken to the hospital, where the doctors told his parents that it was a miracle he was alive.

Since then, he has been in a paralytic/narcotic coma, had three or four surgeries to remove dead muscle tissue, battled pneumonia, and has had a hard time breathing on his own. All of us who heard the news were shocked and scared. Everyone has been praying like crazy for Jacob and his family. And even though prayer is the most important thing right now, I was starting to feel helpless. How could I help more?

The Kays have started a blog where they share updates on Jake and what we can do to help. One of ideas was donate blood in Jacob's name. I remember reading that and being convicted. I've never done it, but it is time.

I'm scared. It probably seems so silly, but I am. I've had shots before, had blood drawn, etc. But the thought of sitting down for 10-15 minutes and watching blood leaving my body and filling up a big ol' bag making me a little nauseous.

And yet, who cares? It seems so small compared to what Jacob and his family are going through.

Obviously, my blood won't be going to Jacob. But since they are using lots of blood on him, it's a cool way to give back to the American Red Cross. And this is something tangible we (many of my college students and co-workers are doing this, too) can do during this scary time.

I was hesitant to blog about this, because I didn't want to come across as "Hey, look at me, I'm giving blood, I'm so great" because that is definitely not the case. This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with a high school boy who is fighting for his life and his family who I love so much. It hurts seeing them in so much pain.

So friends, on July 30th, I'll be rolling up my sleeves. Nervous? Yes. Worth it? Abso-freakin-lutely. BTW, If you want to read the Kays' family blog, let me know and I'll email you the address.

Raging Waters

Yesterday, I took the college students to Raging Waters - our nearby waterslide park.

I have not been to this water park in 20 years. I barely remember it. I wasn't sure if the college students would be into it, but they totally were! There was 18 of us who met at the church and piled into 4 cars. We got a sweet discount because we had a group. Nice.

It was a great day. The only bad things was it rained a little around 1 pm. It wasn't a downpour, just some sprinkling. But other people started freaking out. We didn't mind though. One of my (smart-aleck) students said loudly, "It's a waterpark. You're gonna get wet."

We went on all the rides. Some were single rides, some you could go with one or two other people on innertubes. My favorite was the "Dragon's Den". You get in an innertube with a buddy and get shot down a tunnel into what looks like a striped toilet bowl. There is a huge dragon in the middle who glares at you. You spin a few times around him and then get sucked down to the bottom. It was so fun!

We ended the day with an obligatory stop at In 'N Out. Ahhhh....bliss.

you've got to be kidding me

Just when I think my nephew can't get any cuter.

The Big Apple

When can I go back??

That was the first question I asked myself as soon as I got on the plane to fly home.

Seriously, such a good trip. That is one of the most fun cities I have ever visited. I am so glad I finally got to go.

I have so much to share, but I don't want this blog to be two million pages long. So I'll try and re-cap as much as possible. I just posted a ton o' pixs on facebook, so you can check those out if you want to see 'em.

Ok, so Amy and I set off for New York on a Thursday. I won't mention the 3 hours we had to wait for our Super Shuttle at JFK airport, but I WILL mention that the hotel we found from priceline.com was perfect. Midtown East, two blocks from the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station and a bonus was an awesome view of the Empire State Building from our window (I love when it lit up at night!).

Our first full day will filled with fun times: Bryant Park, Times Square (they've blocked off two blocks for pedestrians and set up plastic lawn chairs - so fun!), double-decker tour bus to see the whole city (thanks for the idea, Tira!), Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, top of the Empire State Building (woohoo!), dinner at Gallagher's Steakhouse (Mmmmm...), back to Times Square/Broadway area, etc. Whew! Full day.

One of my highlights was that night. We were walking by Shrek the Musical and the show had just gotten out. All the actors were coming out the stage doors to sign autographs. Amy and I saw Shrek (Brian d'Arcy James) come out and so we looked at each other and jumped into the line. We didn't have Playbills or anything for him to sign but we still tried to pretend we had seen the show. When he got to us with his Sharpie, we said, "Um, can we just take a picture with you?" He was so nice. As we took the pix, Amy turned to him and said, "You were great tonight." I could not stop laughing.

Our next day started off with brunch at a restaurant recommended to us by my friend Lacy. It was inside Le Parker Meridien, near Central Park. It was called "Norma's" and you can only get a seat there by reservation. SWANKY. We feasted and met the guys at he table next us. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...we had made it a goal to meet as many people as possible on our trip. We took pictures with all of them. It was so fun!

After a quick stop at Carnegie Hall, we went to Central Park. Another highlight of the trip! We seriously spent the whole day there. There is so much to do and see. We sat and watched a softball game, walked by the Carousel, I danced and sang "That's How You Know" like Giselle (from the movie Enchanted) through the gingerbread house, took pictures of all the horse-drawn carriages, walked down the Mall, walked around the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, watched turtles swim in the pond next to all the people in their rowboats, visited the Hans Christian Anderson and Alice in Wonderland statues, went to the Belvedere Castle, the Delacorte Theater where Shakespeare in the Park happens (Anne Hathaway is doing Twelfth Night), and then my friend Kristen met us!

Kristen and I worked at camp for two summers when we were in college (her camp name was Willow and mine was Bouncer). She now lives in Manhattan and met us on the end of the Great Lawn where Amy and I were people-watching. It was a beautiful day, so tons of people were out sun-bathing, birthday parties, ultimate frisbee, reading, walking their dogs, ahhhh. The 3 of us walked around the Reservoir (when you're halfway around, you can look back and see the NY skyline - so pretty!) and then visited the Conservatory Gardens.

Kristen found us this yummy Cuban restaurant on the Upper West Side so off to the subway we headed. There was a wedding reception going on at the table next to us and our waiter snuck us some of their wedding cake! He put it in a bag and left it at our table with a whisper "Don't get me in trouble!" and a smile. It was so rad. I felt like little special things like that would happen to us all the time. After dinner, Kristen took us to her cute apartment. It's right by Times Square and you can see Radio City Music Hall from her window.

The next day after eating NY bagels and taking pictures with two policemen (who were so funny they should start their own comedy show - one of them took our picture with the other cop and then said, "Brian, you look fat in this picture. Lemme take another one...") we took the subway downtown. We walked around Wall Street and flashed our money in front of the NYSE. Trinity Church was near there so we popped in. Such a beautiful cathedral! We found out they housed injured people when the WTC fell back on 9/11. We then walked down to the water and took the ferry to see Lady Liberty. She is so regal! I loved seeing her in real life.



We went to Ground Zero which was really hard. They have barely built anything in 8 years, but maybe that's a good thing. We had heard about Lombardi's Pizzeria in the SoHo/Little Italy area from my friends Christy and Sarah so we went there for dinner. BEST PIZZA EVER! Oh my gosh, I was in heaven. Can you tell we ate a lot on this trip? Then we wanted to walk around Greenwich Village that evening. Can you tell we walked a lot on this trip? We hunted down Magnolia Bakery for their famous cupcakes (MMmmm...), took some pictures with NY firemen, and then toured the nearby neighborhoods where they filmed Carrie Bradshaw's apt. in Sex and the City.

Our first stop the next day was Grand Central Station. Have I mentioned yet how much I love the energy in the city? It is electric. The minute we stepped outside our hotel, it was contagious. Anything is possible, everything is exciting. In Grand Central Station, I enjoyed watching people walking all over the place. Places to go, people to see. Amy and I wanted to go back to our plastic lawn chairs in Times Square and eat NY hot dogs, so we did. Then we went to the Late Show with David Letterman theater and went to say hello to Rupert at the Hello Deli around the corner.

We headed to Serendipity's for their famous frrrrozen hot chocolates (we were told to go here by everyone we spoke to). While we waited for our table, we went to the corner candy store: Dylan's Candy Bar. Holy cow, I think I got three cavities just by walking inside. Serendipity's is so kitchy-cute. The frozen hot chocolates were bliss. I bought some mix so I can make them at home. We each bought necklaces from their little store to remember the experience.

We then went to FAO Schwarz and took pictures with the Lego statues (Harry Potter, Batman, Chewbacca, etc) and then tried to do chopsticks on the floor piano, like in the movie "Big". Across the street at the Plaza Hotel, there was a huge crowd and we found out Mariah Carey was shooting a new music video. Sweet!

Our last night we had tickets to see In The Heights on Broadway. YOU NEED TO SEE THIS SHOW! It was beyond what I imagined. The story, characters, singing, dancing, music, everything was phenomenal. A lot of the dancing was hip-hop so I was stoked. After the show, we went and met the cast by their stage door. I was so excited to take a picture with the main character Javier Muñoz (he played Usnavi). I think I have a bit of a crush on him. Tee hee! They were all so sweet and friendly, singing our Playbills, taking pictures, and patting my arm as they left. Cute.

We were so sad to fall asleep that night because we knew we had to leave the next morning. The Empire State Building shone blue and white our last night. Farewell wonderful city! Thanks for all the memories and special times. We flew home and I had to go to work the very next day. Booooo....

I am still recovering from the trip (you could probably tell we didn't sleep much). But it's been so fun looking at pictures and sharing stories with people. What a great vacay. Can't wait to go back and visit The Big Apple again. Thanks for reading!