listening, watching, reading

Listening: David Cook's debut album. I will start this section off by stating that I have never been a huge American Idol fan. But last year everyone was talking about this guy, David Cook from Missouri, who was charming, funny, and a cutie-patootie but could play guitar and belt it like you would not believe. So I checked it out. And got hooked. Again, not so much on the show, but on David Cook. As soon as his songs from the show went on iTunes, I downloaded them. When he won, I was ecstatic! I was able to see him on tour last summer and he was AMAZING. And then his first solo debut CD came out right in time for Christmas. I have been listening to it a lot and each time I listen, I love it more. My current favorite songs of the album are "Heroes", "Lie", and "Avalanche". Go get it, friends!

Watching: LOST season 5. My favorite show on TV is back! There was a 2 hour premiere on Wednesday night. I have been looking forward to this for months! ** Spoilers ** It's not where is the island...it's when is the island. Holy crap, you guys. This just opened up a can of worms. And then there's flaming arrows! Hurley arrested! Desmond and Penny are married! Locke's dead body in a meat locker! Daniel Faraday's mom is that chick who talked to Desmond back in England! Sayid is so resourceful - who knew you could use a dishwasher to kill a man? Sun is working with Charles Widmore! Jack shaved his ratty beard! Sawyer was shirtless! So many noteworthy events in just two hours. I freakin' love this show. I'm very glad it's back.

Reading: The Shack by William Paul Young. I was given this book two Christmases ago and I just recently picked it up to read. I know this book has become pretty popular, so I entered it a bit wary. It took me awhile to get into it because I kept having questions and wondering if it was biblical. But then I just told myself, "Sarah, remember it's fiction. Yes, it has principles based on the bible, but it's fiction." After that, I was able to relax more and just enjoy the author's thoughts and reflections. I found myself underlining tons of stuff and putting big stars next to certain paragraphs that hit me. In the margins, I have written more than once, "OH MY GOSH!! THAT'S HOW I FEEL!!" and stuff like that.

But last week I was about 2/3 through the book and I couldn't fall asleep. I just kept reading. I was up till 2:30 a.m. trying to finish this one chapter. And I don't know what happened, but that one chapter killed me. I started crying and could not stop. Absolutely heart-wrenching. I just sat in bed and cried and cried. I could not stop replaying the scene I had just read in my head. I was not expecting that. I had no idea this book would affect me the way it did. I don't usually cry when I read, but for some reason it really really hit me. I went to bed emotionally exhausted.

I am still processing through what I read. I plan to finish the book next week but I am taking a bit of a break to recover. Whew! Needless to say, I recommend this book whether you are a Christian or not. It's an honest look at one man's wrestle with God in the midst of the sadness and suffering in his life. I'd love to know what you thought after you read it.

Gangsta Judah

I have been having major nephew withdrawls lately. I have not seen Judah since Christmas. That was almost a month ago. I talked to my sister Amy and found out she and David were going to be at our parent's house this weekend. So I went over yesterday and had some quality Judah-time. Man, that baby has my heart. No doubt about it. He makes me laugh and then makes me cry because he is just so beautiful.

My mom, my sis, and I had a little fun with him at one point yesterday. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt so we pretended he was gangsta. Enjoy the video. (P.S. Judah - I'm sorry your auntie is so loud. I probably terrify you with my loud voice, laugh, and screams of joy. Sorry, baby boy!)

who knew beanbags were so fun?

Last night we had our first official college group of the new semester (ice skating was fun last week but we really didn't get a chance to talk about stuff). It was a great night. I shared the new mission statement and vision of the group. We learned a name game and I told them if they could complete it in under 2 minutes, I would buy them a cake later that night (I'm not sure what possessed me to offer that). They did it in 38 seconds. Cake it is!!

I gave my talk on evangelism and it was....eh...ok. I mean, let's be honest. We're always our own worst critics, aren't we? I thought it was better than the last time I spoke (which I felt horrible about!) but ultimately I need to remember it's NOT about me. God can speak through anyone. I just hope the main point of the message was heard.

After an awesome time of worship, I went to the grocery store with a couple peeps and we bought a big ol' chocolate cake and some ice cream. When we got back, everyone got on a sugar high and then the ruckus began. Before I knew it, the students had piled all the blankets, pillows, and beanbags (from our meeting room) on top of each other and were doing all sorts of stunts. Cartwheels, sommersaults, flips, dives, falling backwards from couches, leaps, running...it was pandemonium. I am so shocked no one got hurt. I took a million pictures. Here are a few.

chuggin' along

I feel like I'm slowly getting back into the routine of things. Not a whole lot has been going on lately. I'm working on a talk for tomorrow night. We're starting a new series on evangelism. My talk is on why it is important. We'll be reading the parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15 - how the shepherd leaves his 99 to go find the 1. Better go work some more on it...

Congratulations Christian and Lacy!!

ice skating

After a much-needed break, the college group kicked off this week for the new semester. We always like to start things off with some fun, so we went ice skating! It was such a great night. Many of the students had not been ice skating since they were little, so it was hilarious to see everyone hobbling around on the ice and of course, people falling all over the place.












I was skating and chatting with a girl who had come for the first time that night, and all of a sudden a group surrounded us (on purpose) and we all fell. It was awesome. Someone snacthed a camera and took our picture. And then I didn't know it but they took a few more as we all got up. This last picture is one of my favorites of the night. I didn't even see them taking it...I had just gotten up and was looking around at all the students skating our way. I was filled with joy. I really really love my job. I love that I get to love on college students. Spend time with them. Go through the good times and the hard times. I'm thankful.

slow-mo baby laugh

This is my new favorite video. Someone taped their baby laughing and then slowed it down. After about 5 or 10 seconds, close your eyes and just enjoy the sound.

Everyone says babies are cute, right? What if you heard THESE sounds coming down your hallway at 2:00 in the morning:

bittersweet goodbyes

I am in my office right now and it is quiet. Too quiet.

Yesterday, we said goodbye and prayed for two of my co-workers (Christian and Lacy) who are getting married this weekend and then moving. Christian got a job as a Jr. High pastor at a church about 4 hours away.

I call it "bittersweet goodbyes" because on one hand I selfishly want them to stay. I love them so much and it is so fun working with them (they worked in the high school ministry). But on the other hand, I am SO happy for them and am really stoked for what God has in store for them next.

So now we have two big empty desks just sitting in our office. It's kind of sad. I loved working with Lacy this year but I worked with Christian for 2 and a half years and we were pretty tight.

Hey Christian, remember that time:

- you broke my desk
- we sang the duet from High School Musical 2 ("I gotta go my own way...")
- I filmed you dancing to loud Russian techno music in the office
- you wore a fanny pack to work
- you told me you and Lacy had started dating and I freaked out with excitement
- we watched Hairspray and became obsessed with the soundtrack
- we traded conspiracy theories about the show LOST and you got me a "Jack" action figure for Christmas
- you and Lacy brought in your male kitten Brodie and told us how you thought he was a girl so you bought him a bright pink bed
- I made fun of you for liking Paul Walker and The Rock as actors
- at our snow retreat you sledded down the hill backwards and ran over a small tree
- we freaked out about not having any vehicles to transport luggage down to Mexico until the day before we left
- you put up a Zac Efron poster in my office and signed it saying "Thanks for being my #1 fan!"
- we saw Pan's Labryinth and could not stop thinking about how good it was
- you did the Snow Camp jingle ("Iiiiiiii'm gonna break both my arms...")
- we had talks on the blue couch
- I accepted your love for O-Town without question
- the Turkey Bowls, Shinguardian Angel cups, and Steroid-Free softball games
- we all went to the park for your birthday and while playing volleyball Philip split his pants right in the crotch area
- driving back from Tahoe with you texting, eating, used your knees to steer, and sometimes falling asleep at the wheel for a quick moment

Those were good times. I'm gonna miss you.

Now go kick butt at your new church! =)

new jacket

For Christmas this year, I asked for a big jacket. One that would keep me super comfy and warm this winter (and many winters to come). My amazing parents got me a black down jacket from REI. It's one of those puffy ones that makes you want to go around hugging everyone you see so they can share the puffy joy. It arrived today in the mail.



I luff it.

Sarah's Goals for 2009

Wow, I can hardly believe 2008 is almost over. In some ways I feel this year went by very slow, in other ways I feel it flew by. I have been reflecting on 2008 and looking ahead to this next year of life. I much prefer the word "Goals" than "Resolutions" so without further ado, here are Sarah's Goals for 2009:


* complete my sixth triathlon

* go on a hot air balloon ride

* read the bible in a year (my church is doing this)

* get a credit card (yes, yes, I know...I'm crazy to have never got one before. They make me nervous. Probably because of horror stories I've heard from friends. But it's time to buck up and start establishing good credit. *gulp*)

* get a retirement plan started (yes, yes, I know again...I am 31 and still have not done this. Better late than never??)

* become scuba-certified and go scuba-diving in the Pacific Ocean

* spend LOTS of time with my nephew

* go to Portland (never been, which is silly cause it's not that far away. But a friend is getting married July '09 in Oregon, so I'm going!)

* pick up a new hobby

* get my braces off (fingers crossed!)

* continue my hip hop class and perform in the June recital

* be in the audience for The Price Is Right (I was inspired during my recent trip to LA)

* go to New York this summer! Seeing a Broadway show, going to David Letterman, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, and eating a hot dog from a stand are all on the Must-Do List.


I'd love to see what YOUR goals are for 2009. Jump on the bandwagon and post 'em on yer blog! =)

Happy New Year to you all.

highlights of Christmas break

* LOTS of Judah time. He is five weeks old. I am in love.

* Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on DVD. The whole commentary is a musical. It's amazing!

* My dad got a Wii for the whole fam. Wii Sports, American Idol karaoke, and Dance Dance Revolution have been big hits.

* Food food food! We feast every night.

* If you have not seen "Slumdog Millionaire" yet...PLEASE go see it. It is one of the best movies I have seen all year.

Merry Christmas to all

3 days till Christmas

I have been sick for the past five days. This cold that's going around just looooves to linger. I was well enough to get up and go to work today which was good. I'm still going to see the doctor tomorrow, just to make sure it's nothing serious.

So what did I do for those lovely 5 sick days? They actually went by very fast. All I did was listen to the rain, sleep, drink fluids, eat when I could, and watch Arrested Development. I have already finished seasons 1 and 2. I'm onto season 3. I love marathons!

Can you believe Christmas is only 3 days away?

dancin' elves

Who wants to go to a Christmas country dance? Mom, Dad, sis Amy, bro-in-law David, and I do!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

vacay, sick, and braces

Home!

I had a wonderful time down in Southern California. It's always so fun spending time with Elissa and her hubby Mike. Their house was all decked out for Christmas, fa-la-la-la-la! We visited my youngest sister Emily who works at CBS Studios in LA. Emily gave us a tour around her work which included: seeing the Price is Right studio (it is SO small!!), seeing sets for CBS soaps like "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beatiful" (we watched them tape a scene for B&B), seeing all the behind-the-scenes props, costumes, and set pieces, and my personal favorite: seeing the Survivor Finale studio! They were prepping it for the live taping on Sunday night and I just about wet myself (I am a huge Survivor fan). I took a million pictures. "That's where Jeff Probst is going to sit! That's where the survivors are going to sit! There's the fire pit!" etc. I am a nerd.









Then, since Mike and Elissa work for Disney, they got us tickets to get inside the Disney Studios in Burbank. So fun! Um, they have their own Starbucks on the grounds. Swank. It was fun to see all the animation offices, the stages where they film movies (I saw the sound stage they used for Mary Poppins - oh my childhood...), and statues everywhere.





To top off an amazing day, we saw Kathy Griffin at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood that night. You know how we all have guilty pleasures? Things we shouldn't love but we (sometimes secretly) do anyway? Well, Kathy is one of mine. Why should I not like her? Because she can be crass and swears like a sailor. But oh my gosh, she is so funny! She just tells it like it is. Her favorite thing to do is make fun of other celebrities. Here were among some of her topics: Clay Aiken, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, The Jonas Brothers (whom she calls "The Jo Bros"), Cher, Oprah Winfrey, Alec Baldwin, the Lohans, Mariah Carey (and her "child bride" Nick Cannon), and many others. She also talked about her mom, Maggie, who is one of the biggest highlights of her show "My Life on the D-List". At the end of the night, she had the lights turned up and her mom stand up. She was there that night! So cute.

I got home from So. Cal and started not feeling well. I was thinking, "Oh no, is this going to be like college when I always got sick AFTER finals?" You know, it always catches up with you after school's out and you're on vacation? Well, I think so my friends, because I took today off work and am feeling pretty yucky. I also got my top braces on yesterday so my teeth are hurting like a mother.

Ok, back to bed for me...

vacay

Last night was our last college group meeting of 2008. We had a Christmas Banquet where everyone dressed up, we had dinner, played games, two of our guys did a "Potter Puppet Pals" puppet show for us (they did a parody of "A Christmas Carol" and called it "A Hogwarts Carol"), and then capped off the evening with a white elephant gift exchange. So fun! I freaking love my job.



And now I am heading to southern California to spend time with the BFF and enjoy some vacay.

Loves to you all.

O Christmas Tree

This past Saturday the roomates, some friends, and I headed out to cut down our Christmas tree! It was a day o' fun.

There's this family who live on a farm in the mountains. I used to go to church with them and they're awesome. Their main source of income is selling Christmas trees in December (the dad also does school field trips during the year). Back when I first moved to the area, I would work at the farm during the December weekends to make some extra cash and it was a blast!

To start the morning out, we had breakfast at a nearby yummy restaurant (breakfast burritos anyone?) When we got to the farm, we were greeted with sunshine and brisk, cold air. Ahhhhhhh!!! Love it. We went over to say hi to Farmer Rob (the dad) and his son, Tim (who helps with the trees). The next few hours were filled with walking through rows and rows, trying to find the perfect tree, taking pictures on a porch swing up on a hill, cutting down a doug fir, doing some Christmas shopping in the general store (where the mom Terry was working), buying cider/hot chocolate, sitting by the fire, listening to the Christmas music, watching families and kids run around, feeding the animals (goats, etc).

Just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, Farmer Rob came over and struck up a convo with some of the guys in our crew. They got on the subject of firewood, and Rob said he had a TON up the hill. He offered to drive some of us to have a look. 5 of us jumped at the offer. So we piled into his "man-machine" (kind of like a ghetto golf cart) and drove up past the hay ride about to take off (yes, there were hay rides too), the pond, the horses...we felt so special. Check us out with Farmer Rob!

And THEN just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, Tim invited us all up to their house to jump on their trampoline and swing on their giant swing. We used to do that when we were workers on the farm, so it was so sweet to invite us up there even though we weren't working. We swung and jumped to our heart's content. We kept saying to each other, "This is the best day EVER." The sky was blue, the air was crisp, we were surrounded by redwood trees, we were with good friends, we were on a flippin' farm!

A little later, the boys came up to the fun area (after chopping wood and loading up their truck). Two of the guys got on the trampoline and broke it! It split right in the middle. They felt SO bad. We went and told Farmer Rob and Tim and they both cracked up and then quickly said, "Are you all alright?" We just broke their trampoline and they could have cared less. Rob said it was over 10 years old and he was kind of glad we broke it because they were "done with that part of their lives". =) Man, they are good peeps. We are going to donate money to the farm since they won't let us buy a new one for them.

We loaded the tree on top of our car and said adieu to the farm. We then headed home and decorated that bad boy. He looks great! He makes our living room look so Christmas-y. Here are some pixs of the day.

Advent Conspiracy

things i've liked and disliked recently

Things I've disliked recently:

* the ladybugs. Every November then come en masse and take over my room. I looked it up online and it looks like they are "overwintering" (passing through or waiting out the winter season). I don't know if it's the same ones every year or what. But they looove my room, especially my windows, pillows, and sadly my bed. Ew. And here's the best part: when I pick them up to take them outside, they release a brown liquid and smelly odor (like they would with a predator). Double ew. Let's just say I've been washing my hands A LOT.

* realizing two of my co-workers are leaving. Not on bad terms or anything, but for job opportunities elsewhere. (*tear*) I am going to miss them so much!

* the sun going down at 5:00 pm. (ie. Me: "Man, it feels late. It's probably 10 pm..." A roomie: "Um, no. It's only 6:30." Me: "What the crap.")


Things I've liked recently:

* seeing gas for $1.75 (Hallelujah!)

* watching Arrested Development Season 1 - how is it possible I never watched this show when it was on TV? It is hilarious! Gob and Tobias are my heroes.

* Pizza Tuesday with the college students on their campus

* buying a fun purple beanie with ear flaps since it's getting so cold at night

* taking theology classes with some peeps at church (led by my boss)

* roomate dinners (let's hear it for yam fries!!)

* my hip hop class - we recently had a sub named "Jade", and she was awesome. She just moved out from New York and is a trained dancer from Juilliard. I am sore, but it was so worth it.

* Christmas crackers at Costco.

full and happy

Hello friends. I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was fabulous. To start things off, we had our annual High School group vs. College group flag football game ("Turkey Bowl") on Thanksgiving Day. It had rained the day before, but it was clear on game day. Sah-weet. College won for the 3rd year in a row! 49-21. Yeah baby!

Then I headed to my parent's house to eat myself silly and spend mucho time with JUDAH!!!!!!!! Oh and the rest of my family, too. Haha. Just kidding. But being only 5 days old, Judah was definitely the highlight of everyone's holiday time. I took a million pictures and videos of him. (some below)

Over the weekend we rested, ate, talked, went to the movies, got the Christmas tree, slept, went on walks, ate some more. On Friday I had the opportunity to have a mini-roomate reunion with 3 previous roomies. It was so fun!! Perhaps a tradition in the making??




Happy Thanksgiving!


I love this picture. Judah's eyes are rolling into the back of his head.




Here's a 2 minute video. Sometimes after he feeds, before he drifts off to sleep, he gives a little smile.

Judah Immanuel

I am still in shock.

There is new life.

Judah is now a part of our family.

Here is the story.

First of all, I need to praise my sister. She is a ROCKSTAR! Her water broke Friday around 11 am and she did not have baby Judah until 8:10 Sunday morning. That is over 40 hours in labor. AND SHE DID IT ALL WITHOUT DRUGS. Good lord, I don't know how she did it. We are all very proud of her.

I had spent Saturday night at my parent's house. Neither my dad or I could sleep very well. We were excited/anxious for Amy and the baby, hoping that they were ok. I remember waking up at 6:30 am, not being able to sleep and texting my mom (who was at the hospital with Amy and David) to get an update. We got the phone call around 8:30 Sunday morning that the baby had finally been born, so my dad and I jumped in my Corolla and sped to the hospital.

I imagined that when I saw Amy and the baby, I would hoot and holler, laugh, and leap around with giddiness. But nothing prepared me for the reaction I had. My dad and I were in the lobby on Amy's floor, waiting for her to be wheeled in from the floor below. When we saw her, my dad and I jumped to our feet and ran over to give lots of hugs. I looked down and saw Amy was carrying Judah in her arms. And tears came. I literally became frozen and speechless. No words would express what I was feeling, looking at her son. I just stared and stared at him with tears falling. I was so overcome with emotion. Finally I choked out, "Aim...he is the most precious thing I have ever seen in my life."

I've been thinking about why I reacted that way. I mean, I obviously know those tears were tears of joy. But it was deeper than that. Maybe it was the realization that this little one had been inside my sister for nine months and now we finally got to see what he looked like. Or maybe it was seeing my sister and brother-in-law's face in his little face. Or maybe it was thinking about this amazing miracle God had given Amy and David. I don't know. All I know is there was a little life looking up at me with big eyes and my heart stirred deeply.



We got to spend the whole day at the hospital with them. What a treat! I did not want to leave. Poor Amy, David, and my mom were so tired. They had been up all night. So they caught naps whenever they could, which was good. We all took turns holding baby Judah. I pretty much melted when it was my turn.



To celebrate his day of birth, my dad and I had bought a chocolate cake and a "0" candle (since he was 0 years old). We also brought some sparkling cider and champagne glasses. So we sang happy birthday and toasted to Judah. We were all so surprised at how alert he was. He kept looking around with his beautiful blue eyes. The nurses and my mom (who is also a nurse) think it was because Amy didn't get an epidural. AND he was a stud breast-feeder. They said 15 minutes after he was born, he was already feeding. What a champ!



When my dad and I finally left at night, we drove home with some conversation but also some silence. I think we were both caught up with our thoughts from the day. Finally, as we neared home, my dad said, "You know...the world seems like a better place. Because Judah's in it." I looked around at the darkness, the lights of the houses, the hills, the bay...and I agreed with him.

Welcome, Judah Immanuel. You are very loved.

welcome to the world, little one

My sister and her husband are officially parents.

Their son has entered the world at last.

His name? Judah.

His stats?

Nov. 23, 2008
born at 8:10 am
7 lbs. 12 oz.
almost 21 inches

Blog and pictures coming soon.

I am in awe.

update

It's been a good week.

I'm being weirded out at seeing Christmas commercials, Christmas sales, Christmas lights up on people's houses, and hearing Christmas carols on the radio. I'm not usually in Christmas-mode until after Thanksgiving.

Took today off as a personal/mental health day.

Slept for 12 hours last night. Could have kept going.

Had the opportunity to be a part of this yesterday.

Saw the new Bond movie: Quantum of Solace.

Still waiting for baby nephew to be born...

Catch Phrase

I had my co-worker/leader Jeff and our 6 college student leaders over for dinner and afterwards we played "Catch Phrase". See if you can guess what Jeff is trying to explain:

any day now

Gas tank filled?

Check.

Camera battery charged?

Check.

My boss (Charlie) and associate (Jeff) forewarned that I might have to leave at any given moment?

Check.

Ok sister...whenever your son is ready to be born, I'm THERE...