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I'm only creating this blog to make the other blog move down further so the video can be seen. Sorry for anyone who got their hopes up and thought I was making another awesome video blog...

From our home, to yours, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all, & to all a goodnight!

It's finally here, Christmas.

Reasons I love Christmas:

• Almost everyone is full of holiday cheer
• Christmas music & movies
• An excuse to go shopping and spend money
• Christmas lights make houses look so pretty, warm, & cozy
• Family comes home and gathers around a delicious meal complimented with baked goods afterward
• Buying gifts for someone special and seeing their face after they open it
• I would go on, but I can't even explain why it makes me so happy

Now, I'm going to touch on my 2nd to last point, "Buying gifts for someone special and seeing their face after they open it."  Yesterday, I was at work and every student, teacher, staff, & faculty member was running around exchanging gifts, delivering cupcakes, watching movies, eating popcorn, or just simply smiling. I loved the love in the building and seeing that joy, we all know everyone possesses, surface this one time a year. Lately, everyone in the building has been stressed out and irritable to the max. But, somehow everyone managed to dig deep down and forget about their troubles to make yesterday special to the students and others in the building. It was magical.

The most magical part hit me when I was in my last classroom for the day. This  3rd grade class is considered a "self-contained" class. That means the kids who are in the class have behavioral and/or emotional issues. The class is about 12 kids and usually chaotic (in a good way). The teacher is the sweetest woman ever and her aide is a tough guy with a big heart for each student. Together they work to create a special and very unique family where every person looks out for one another, even if on most days profanity is being shouted from one student to the next, fits are being thrown and lockers are being hit, students are threatening one another's lives, etc. If one outsider tries to come in and join the class, the others are cautious and will do anything to that child if he/she threatens the teacher or anyone else in the class. It's a very weird dynamic, yet so special and amazing to witness. Most of these kids have one parent households, have grown up in foster care, come to school with bugs, bruises, burns, you name it. To sum it up, these kids have very little things or people who appreciate them.

So, every year their teacher asks the students to make a list of toys they'd like for under $10. This year she had the kids look up toys online and write it down. So, yesterday was the Christmas party. The students first watched a video of themselves set to music that the teacher's aide had made of the kids. This video included voice overs of each student and their feelings, and also photos of themselves and staff who have had a meaningful interaction with them throughout the year. Next, was present time. Everyone moved their chairs into a circle and was out of control with excitement. The teacher called each student's name one by one and handed him/her the present. Every child watched as the wrapping paper was torn off and the biggest smile ever was revealed. There was one student in particular who made me cry. She is a girl whose clothes are always to small, who has a big heart along with a big attitude, and who doesn't seem to get much attention or love at home. She opened her gift, moon sand, and immediately ran over to the teacher and embraced her. This hug was the biggest hug I have ever seen a child give. The teacher told her how much she loved her and wished her a Merry Christmas. The girl continued to latch on with the biggest smile and would not move. This site brought myself, my coworker, and the teacher to tears. Seeing how happy she was and feeling the love in that room really hit me. I have so much to be thankful for, why do I always long for more when there are young kids out there who might not have a safe home to go to, who are never told or shown that they are loved, or who are constantly acting out just to hope that someone will notice them.

I want to wish you all a very special holiday season and remind you to show those in our life how much you appreciate them and reach out for those who might be seeking your attention. You never know what story they might have to share with you and how much you could mean to that person. Merry Christmas everyone and safe travels! I love you all, peace.

My Goodies, My Goodies

I know I have failed you all with my "25 days of Christmas" series. I apologize whole heartedly and hope you will forgive me. Since my last post I've had my first campout weekend with the 3rd and 4th graders, started to join bar trivia, ate numerous amounts of delicious wings, started driving like a Buffalonian, went out with some work people (I'm making friends!), found a delicious mexican restaurant, and downed a whole bottle of brandy, wine, & 4 jack'n cokes in one night leaving me with the worst hangover, in history, for 2 days afterward.

The night of drinking was also a night of baking. I baked chippy dippy bars (magic cookie bars to some), almond bark pretzels, sugar cookies (cake recipe), and my new favorite, oreo balls.

Now, I don't know if any of you have experienced these, but my roommates introduced me to them so I thought I'd pass them along.

Oreo Balls

• 1 pkg. regular oreos
• 1 pkg. cream cheese
• almond bark

You'll want to allow the cream cheese to soften, so I usually take it out of the fridge first. Crush up the oreos until they are super fine. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and oreos. I have to use my hands because it's hard to do. The mixture will come out feeling like a sticky playdough, so don't panic if it's gooey and thick. Form the oreo mix into 1-2" balls. Use a double boiler, or make one, and melt the almond bark. Then, dip the balls into the almond bark and let dry on wax paper. These are soooo delicious. Very rich so I can only eat about one at a time. This recipe makes about 24 oreo balls depending on how large they are.

Ah!

Posts.are.coming...I promise!

Until then, stay safe and warm my dear Iowa frenzzz!

On the 20th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Ok, first things first, I need to post a song. (I really hope you guys are enjoying this holiday music as much as I am!).  Who doesn't love a good classic song sung by an old time 90's favorite?!?  (ignore the foreign language subtitles; it's all I could find!)



Ok, so Oprah recently aired her show, "Oprah's Favorite Things," and the other day I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when I realized, I have not shared two of my very favorite things that I use everyday! I know that some ladies who read this will really appreciate the first one...

1. Scott's Extra Soft Toilet Paper

• Single-ply tissue paper so you don't feel like you're wasting a giant wad of paper every time you use the lavatory
• Soft & not scratchy like it's competitor "Soft & Gentle" or as I like to call it, "Hard & Scratchy"
• Each roll lasts forever (something I wish I would've discovered before the Brady sisters visited my apartment each month)
• Fairly inexpensive for what you get

Now, a lot of you might not have realized the constant agony my roommates and I went through in past years of finding the "perfect" toilet paper. So, when I came to Buffalo and Cody suggested this, "Scott's Extra Soft," stuff, I was a little hesitant. Aha, I think he was on to something! Here it is in my blog listed under one of my favorite things! I don't know how I missed it all these years. My old favorite was Quilted Northern, before they got rid of the one-ply and started making everything super plush. I'm telling you kids, try this stuff and let me know what you think. I hope I won't let you down.

My other item of choice probably won't be very exciting to you and for that I'm sorry. However, it is an item I swear by and use everyday. Ok, enough with the suspense, it's floss picks!

     2.   DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Picks

• Super easy grip so you'll be sure to get every tooth/gum area
• Make sure to get the angled ones (I find them easier to reach the molars with)
• Help prevent gingivitis (a chronic infection that stimulates your immune system to overreact which could possibly lead to increased heart attacks and strokes!) -thanks, Dr. Oz!
• Inexpensive
• Mint flavoring

I can't stress enough the importance of a healthy mouth! It's something I've always loved and who knows, maybe one day I'll go back and get a degree in dental hygiene! Who would've known that gingivitis, a disease easily prevented by simple oral hygiene practices, could lead to heart attacks and strokes?!?! I sure didn't, so make sure you're flossing those pearly whites and keeping them sparkling!

Happy Holidays!

TwoOne

My bad shawtays, I'm late on yet another blog post. Wah, let's just all be happy I'm making up for the ones I've missed. Ok, let's post a song first. Here's a sweet Christmas song that I like to listen to when I'm having a rough day. So, since I had a rough few days last week (rest in peace Aunt Linda), I thought I'd share it with you. Rachael Yamagata is an amazing artist and if you have not checked out any of her other songs/albums, I highly recommend you do so! I hope you enjoy it!


Ok, enough sappy/downer stuff, let's move onto something that makes everyone happy...COOKIES! A few days ago I mentioned that Taylor and I made some delicious cookies. I promised you the recipe and it's a mighty complex one so bear with me.

Funfetti Cookies

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 box Funfetti cake mix (or any flavor cake mix)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the eggs, oil, and cake mix. Stir until all the cake mix is dissolved. (Note from me: it'll be tough to mix but don't add water. It'll be very thick and sticky, this is normal.) Place little balls of cookie dough onto a sprayed cookie sheet and Voila! you're ready to place them in the oven and bake them until they are a little golden on the edges. (We all know what cookies look like when they're done.)

Our batch made about 18 large Funfetti cookies. We also made a batch of lemon cookies using lemon cake mix. I must say, these turned out delicious if you like a hint of lemon. We paired them with cream cheese frosting and mmm they were marvelous.

Now, the other recipe I said I would share was the vegan lasagna we made. So, here goes:

Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

• 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp. water
• 2 26-oz jars of spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
• 9 lasagna noodles
• Soy Parmesan (optional; we used vegan shredded mozzarella)
• Sliced black olives (optional)

     Filling:

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed (we used fresh spinach)
• 1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended-not silken!)
• 1 tsp. salt (optional)
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste; I don't think we used this...maybe though)
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Saute the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce (use a big pot or we found that a wok worked best).

Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor (we used a big bowl and a potato masher) and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x12 in. pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a space in b/w them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles. We added some shredded mozzarella after the tofu layer and then repeated the layers. Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

**Recipe from: FatFree Vegan Kitchen

XXII

First off, a very fitting song for a very fitting blogpost: 

Snow Day #2 included:

• Breakfast: waffles with peanut butter, orange juice
• Snake: I am determined to beat Val at this game and anyone else who falls in the way
• Cleaned the house a little bit while still in my pajamas; I saw on Oprah that several women clean the house naked...I chose to go against the grain on this one.
• Movie: Wizard of Oz (gosh, I love looking at how the special effects have changed)
• Lunch: Spaghetti with vodka sauce
• Oprah: female murderers (spooky)
• Showered and got ready for the day (I was in my pajamas up until this point, my bad)
• Drank a beer (or 3) and played some cards and then hit up the bars here in Buffalo

All in all, it was a very relaxing day and I took full advantage of being home alone. I still haven't seen the snow that everyone has been talking about. However, it's kind of funny when you're driving around town and all of a sudden you see a car drive by with about a foot of snow on its roof. Then you know they're from one of the south towns, suckas.

Day 23

I've decided to put a song in the beginning so you can listen while reading! So please enjoy, 

Yesterday, I had a snow day. Today, I had ANOTHER SNOW DAY!

Snow day 1:

• Breakfast: eggs, hash-browns, orange juice 
• Laundry
• Grocery shopped at Wegman's:  Wegman's is like a glorified HyVee. Their fresh produce section is crazy large and they have everything you'll ever need, except a nice cut of meat. There's no place like Iowa for a nice good steak.
• Post Office:  had to mail a very good buddy a very belated birthday present
• Cooked:  Taylor and I made a very delicious vegan style lasagna. If anyone wants the recipe I'll be more than happy to post it
• Oprah: never fail with Oprah
• Baked: baked some delicious cookies (I'll def. be posting this recipe)
• Painted Nails: Navy Blue
• Movie: In Her Shoes (highly recommend this flick)

Also, I've given the blog a little facelift. You'll notice I added a "Puppy of the Day" gadget and a "Teeth Whitening Tips" gadget (you know I love teeth). Also, take the poll! I know I'll be lucky to have maybe 6 votes but I want to know people!

Now, a small picture to remember Iowa snow fun:

Ice Skating

Snow day 2 will be posted after I've completed the day :)

24th Day

Woops, I already forgot to post and it was just day #2!!!

Yesterday, as many of you know, Buffalo got hit hard with snow and my phone was hit hard with incoming texts/calls!  So, I'll clear everything up and enlighten some of you with my opinion of this "snowstorm".

I first woke up to a text telling me that school was closed for the day. Woohoo! No work and tons of snow on the ground to play in! Wrong, I looked outside at 7:30am and our road didn't even have a layer of white frosties on it. Really? Buffalo can't even handle the idea of a snowstorm?!? So, I turned on the news and BOOM, there it was, about 10 miles south of where I live. People were stranded on the interstate for 18+ hours without food, water, or heat.

• Cars were running out of gas 
• Semi drivers were opening their doors and allowing people to stay in their cabins. 
• No U-turns were allowed, even though traffic was moving on the other side of the interstate. 
• Thruway patrol was shoveling out one car at a time
• If someone got out of their car, officers instructed them to get back in
• Some good samaritans bought food and drinks and walked up and down the thruway handing it out

The south towns had between 12" to 30" of snow and were still being dumped on. Jeesh! Now, I understand the call for a snow day (not that I was ever complaining). How did I spend my snow day? Let's save that for another day.

Christmas Song: Faith Hill-Where Are You Christmas

The 25 Days of Christmas

It's here. The most joyful time of the year. Christmas music is playing, lights are decorating homes, snow is falling, & shopping has begun. Yup, I smell Christmas!!!

I'm going to try and do a "25 days of Christmas" blog. Hopefully I'll be better at keeping it up to date this time.

So, as you all know I'm living in Buffalo now. I'm living with Taylor (Jared's sister) and Cody (her husband). One major perk of living with them is that Taylor is a photographer. I just so happen to LOVE having my picture taken and getting really into my "photo shoots". About 3 weeks ago, Taylor and I decided to take some fun holiday photos around the house (I loved this day). I'll try to feature a new picture everyday in the blog, but I'm not sure if we have 25 total pics...looks like we'll just have to take more :)

Every year I love going Black Friday shopping. This year was a little different. It was my first time going shopping without my kick-ass shopping partner, Whitdawg. It was also my first time camping outside of a store. Cody and I waited in line outside Target in the rain and wind for 8+ hours. About 15 minutes before the doors were going to open, people jumped out of their cars and tried to cut in the front of the line. Let's just say complete chaos broke out and the "security" guard was worthless. Here's a video of what happened next. (I'm in the white puffy coat and blue hat aka very confused/scared girl who doesn't know what just happened)



Some other things I saw that night in line:
1) Wasted lady causing drama
2) Man dressed in red, sitting on a shopping cart, who budged and claimed he was just seeing what Black Friday was all about, claiming he didn't actually want anything.
3) Buffalo's finest chain smokers
4) A woman with a baby?!?!

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...here is the premiere of our "Happy Holiday Photo Shoot".

Ricky is telling me the cutest secret.

Holiday Song:  Coldplay-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas  (my favorite)

Testing YouTube Videos

Enjoy this precious corgi literally flopping into the water :)

All By Myself

It was my last day in Moline, IL, a day where I had to fully entertain myself on my own, and stay busy because there was no Motel 6 for me to go back to. So, I chose to do activities on my own that I have never done before. These activities were exciting and empowering. I felt as if I could conquer the world that day.

The first thing I did was grabbed a bite to eat and drink at Panera. I watched people for about an hour and judged the people of Moline once again.

After Panera, I decided to go to a movie I had been wanting to see, Going the Distance. This movie has Drew Barrymore in it who I loooove, so I knew it'd be good. Going into the movie, I thought I might be an emotional mess, since I was moving away from home and leaving a relationship due to long distance. I sucked it up and went anyways. I walked inside the theater, told the clerk I'd like one ticket to the movie and she said, "Just one?" in a semi-snotty way. Of course I had to repeat it and there were people behind me in line so I probably looked like a lone loser, but whatever, I got over it. I was really nervous to head into the theater and find a seat while everyone watched me. I enter the theater and it's complete silence. "Ok..." I thought, this is unusual. I turned the corner and BAM, not one soul in the theater. I didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. Good: I was able to choose where I wanted to sit without being judged. Bad: someone would walk into the theater and see one lonely loser sitting by herself. Ten minutes passed and not one person came into the theater. Perfect, there I was in a theater completely alone. I laughed out loud at the movie, cried out loud, and even kept my phone on, booyah. I loved the movie even though a few things were too parallel to my own life. Definitely a movie I'll be buying.

So, the movie ended, I grabbed some lunch at a deli, and still had time to spare before I had to leave. Next thought, "I should go to the zoo and see the animals!" Perfect, I found directions and off I was to conquer a zoo all by myself. I bought my ticket to the zoo and walked around quickly. I must say, going to a zoo is a little scary by yourself. You're face to face with a lion or a jaguar and they're staring right at you and you're staring right at it. No one is around if this animal tries to break free and attack. This experience gave me a bit of an adrenaline rush. I saw lions roaring, animals sleeping, and even saw giraffes galloping (amazing).

Scary Lion

Giraffe that really liked me.

Monkey

Proof I was there.

 I refused to go on the Australian walk since I could see through the fence and there were emus wandering around freely inside. No thanks, I don't want to be walking on a path with an emu next to me. The zoo was a cute little zoo and I was so happy afterward.

My day ended with a drive to Chicago. I definitely recommend trying something new by yourself. You'll feel empowered and like you've done something worthwhile.

I suggest listening to this song before you go to the zoo. It'll get you really in the mood.

Enjoy and happy days.

Lovin' the Motel 6

I've never stayed at a Motel 6 and never really thought I would. My time has been interesting. Here's a little sample of what you get at a Motel 6.

Amenities include:

• TV
• Phone
• Lamp
• Desk
• Free coffee until 10am
• Internet (my life saver for the week)
• Room service maid from Centerville, IA

Not Included:

• Alarm clock
• Microwave
• Fridge
• Baby shampoo, conditioner, and lotion bottles (ugh)
• Other items fancy people might want, but I'll survive without.

Since I've been stuck in the room all week, I've tried to make the most of each day, but today has been the most entertaining so far. The only thing that happened today different from other days, room service. I made a friend! Best part...she's from Centerville! Morgan, I didn't get her name but totally gave a shout-out to the Dickersons and she freaked out and said, "the twins?!?" so that really caught me off guard because I have no idea what she's talking about. Anyways, I'll give you a little story of my issue with room service.

I purposely set my alarm to wake up when room service knocks on the door. I'm sitting alone in the room and can hear the maid in every room surrounding mine. "Why isn't she knocking on my door?" I think to myself. So, finally I get the nerve to feel "bitchy" and hang the, "maid please ASAP" sign on my door and sit back down in the chair. I hear a knock, answer, and it's the maid! I sit in the chair as I watch her clean the room. I try to make small talk and soon find out she's from Centerville. I tell her how I used to go to Centerville for Pancake Day and her eyes lit up! She was so excited and told me she already requested her day off because her kids love it. I refrained from telling her that my main reason for going was to laugh at the people (she was probably one of them at some point). So, we keep chatting and I'm probably looking like a stuck-up snob as I watch her run from side to side of the king bed making sure the sheets are tight and on right, and she leaves to get her vacuum. I tell her there's no need to vacuum but she does anyway and in doing so she finds a Mike 'N Ike on the floor. Stops, picks it up, holds it up, looks at me, and goes, "Mike 'N Ike?" I tell her she's right and she puts it in her pocket!!! What?!? How about we throw it away. I just hope that she later threw it away instead of eating it for a snack later. She then tells me of new candy and how there is now a strawberry Laffy Taffy (I swear there has always been a strawberry one). So, eventually our friendship came to an end and I was once again alone in the Motel 6.

P.S. I later killed a spider in the sink. Gross.

Chez Moi

Here are some lovely pictures of my new "home".

Bottom Floor: landlord lives upstairs.

My Bedroom: one door is a closet and the other is to a sun room.

My Bedroom: small and precious

Dining Room: my favorite room so far

Living Room: still needs bright pillows and other sources of color.

Looking down into part of Niagara Falls

Small part of Niagara Falls

Silly Little Mistakes

Nothing is better than waking up and thinking it's going to be a great day. Am I right? Too bad I set my expectations a little (ok, quite a bit) higher than my outcomes that day.

Mistake #1: Going for a walk to relieve stress.

• I woke up and lounged around all day with nothing to do but think about my future life. Of course these thoughts stressed me out a bit, so I decided to go for a walk to jam out and relieve some stress. I had been walking/running every day that week around this little pond area. It's not too long, but long enough to enjoy the day and some of my favorite songs on my ipod. Every day I always thought about the wildlife there and the chances of seeing a snake. So, it's my last day in MN for the week and it's my last walk. I had yet to see a snake. Of course, on a day where my confidence is high and fears are low, I see a snake. Yup, a big ol' garter snake (20 in.) decided to slither off the path right in front of me. I had just finished sprinting so I was definitely out of breath and had no energy to sprint past. I stopped (my heart did too), gasped, put my hand on my chest, and said something (I was in shock) as I carefully/quickly walked around it's nasty, skinny, long tail. Ugh, what a nightmare. If any person walking behind or in front of me would have seen me, I'm sure that I looked like I had just seen a dead body. This snake prevented me from walking around the pond twice, jerk.

Mistake #2: Going to the store.

• After my walk I thought it'd be nice to go to the grocery store and pick up something for lunch and maybe some type of liquor to drink during the exciting ISU vs. Iowa game. Wrong. I go to the grocery store, buy the food and then head to the liquor store. I spend forever in the liquor store trying to decide what I'm thirsty for. The clerk even noticed my struggle (I probably looked like a minor) and asked if I needed "help" finding something. I ask some dumb question and just grab something and head to the register. There I am buying some margarita stuff, and some wine coolers for a delicious whiskey/wine cooler drink. I hand the clerk my card and he says right away, "It says it's declined". Ok, wait, what?!? (I KNOW my account is overflowing with funds...especially since I'm unemployed right now). He repeats it to me and I'm super confused as to what was going on, not to mention how embarrassed I was. There I was, in a liquor store, looking like a minor, and having a card denied. I'm sure he thought I was an alcoholic who spends all her money on booze. Great, this day could only get better, right? Wrong.

Mistake #3: Being overly confident in a football team.

• Ok, I make it home from the walk, the liquor store, and now I'm ready to relax and cheer on my ISU Cyclones in the biggest game of the year for any ISU or Hawkeye fan. I sit down, drink in hand, and I'm immediately embarrassed by the team's performance. Iowa scores a touchdown within the first 4 minutes (something like that) of the game. Great, ok, ISU's turn. Welp, forced to turn the ball over right away and then we let Iowa score another touchdown right away. I was so embarrassed because when it comes to my Cyclones, I get a little hopeful, some would say cocky, and I do some fun trash talking. Well, this year was the most embarrassing by far. When we went to our first commercial break, the Cyclones were in the negatives for yardage in the game and the Hawks were over 100 yards. Needless to say I was depressed the rest of the night and did nothing but lay on the couch. Wah.

In the end, I survived one of the worst days ever and moved on the next morning. Here's a simple solution to avoid these mistakes in your own life: set your expectations low and hopefully your outcomes will be higher than your expectations leading to a successful and happy day :)

Song: Joe Purdy-Can't Get It Right Today

No Surprise Here.

My most recent "home away from home" was more like a house than a home. I stayed a week by myself up in Minnesota in a house with no curtains, or blinds, or anything to shield the inside from the outside. Of course this situation is a nightmare for any scared-ee cat, especially someone like myself.

The house has no upstairs. There is simply a, "man-cave," in the basement. Ergo, everything I do in that house takes part in the basement (except sleeping, there is a bed upstairs). So, one night I'm alone in the basement finishing up Season 1 of Parenthood (new love) and having a few drinks because I had a stressful day. I completed my "getting ready for bed" routine by checking some of my favorite websites and seeing if anyone was online for a late night chat. Woah!! I have never felt so popular in my life. I was Skyping with my soon-to-be boss, some old friends, video chatting, and being completely overwhelmed/distracted from the darkness upstairs. Thanks friends :)

Then, all of a sudden I hear a loud thud and immediately freeze, mute the TV, and stop breathing. I was sure someone was upstairs and had just broken in. I was speechless and called Jared who didn't answer until I texted telling him what's up. He called back and talked me into going upstairs to check it out and even wanted me to ask, "Hello? Who's here?" (No, I'm not going to ask if anyone is upstairs so they can attack me, so I ignored that suggestion)

I forgot to mention that during my whole stay at this house alone I had a hammer on the nightstand by the bed incase anyone decided to pull a quick one on me. So, I proceeded upstairs (butcher knife in hand) to check out the situation. I turned on every light in the place and found nothing out of place. I returned downstairs, heart still racing, and shut everything down so that I could run back upstairs to go to sleep and get the night over with. As I laid down in bed, I looked outside (on edge as usual) and searched for any sign of movement. I then noticed a fridge in the driveway on it's side. Yup, sure enough it was a stinkin' (literally) fridge that had tipped over in the driveway and scared the beeswax out of me.

Needless to say, I was still scared the entire night and rest of the week. Now, my alone time has moved to a Motel 6 in Illinois...can't say it's much better, but my time of being homeless and alone is almost to an end :)

Song: There Goes the Fear-Doves

Let's try this again.

I know it's been awhile since my last post. A lot has changed in my life and I'm excited to start sharing new stories and adventures with everyone.

I've accepted an Americorps job in Buffalo, NY where I will be tutoring/mentoring 3rd graders in an inner-city school. One weekend out of every month and during the summer months I'll get to take the kids to a summer camp located on Lake Erie. This job is perfect for me. I love summer camp and I'm really excited to start working with kids again.

The transition has been hard. I've left everyone I care about behind and will truly, madly, deeply (Savage Garden song) miss all of you. My past years in the Sioux and in Ames have made me who I am today. You all have taught me to be strong and have pushed me to follow my dreams of moving away. I have no idea where I'd be today if it wasn't for friends and family like you. I can only hope that I will meet new people who are almost as cool as those I've left behind. I said "almost" because I don't know if it can get much better than what I've been blessed with in the past. So, with that said, I want to give a HUGE "Thank you" to everyone who pushed me through the hard times and encouraged me to keep trying. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I love you all.

Feel free to call me as I will do the same to all of you. I know I'll have fun on my new adventure, but I know I'll be stressed out to the max, homesick, and completely lost at times. This blog isn't a "goodbye" but instead a "see ya later" because I know that one day we'll meet up again.

My song of the day: Joshua Radin's "Friend Like You"

A little shout-out

It was recently brought to my attention that I haven't blogged ALL OF JUNE!! So here is a little shout-out to my die-hard readers who missed my blog oh so dearly and scolded me for it:

Whitdawg: Here is a little random animal fact for you that I know you'll love. Whales do NOT lay eggs believe it or not.

Amanda: You're hair is getting too long to form pinecone like structures and I don't like it.

Matt: Hot tamales CAN be passed to one another via a tape measure. Also, people tan better when bare chested so why not try it?

Sidenote, why do my consumers insist on keeping the thermostat set at 61 degrees and then feel the need to walk around in a sweatshirt and pants while I sit in the cold shivering?!?

Now, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from work. "Sarah, how would you like to wrestle another woman in a pool of tequila?" or here's a bonus one, "Sarah, how would you like to try cutting off fish heads?"

You can only imagine my response to both of these.

My Book of Poems

So lately my mom has been wanting me to clean out my room at home. This weekend my wonderful friend Erin and I did just that. We cleaned and sanded down dressers and sorted through tons of old papers. We found some of the most interesting things that a person could hoard: a piece of tin foil, a bow, old high school lunch menus, senior pics, millions of cards, high school and grade school notes, crush matches, and our favorite...my old book of poems from grade school. I will now share with you two limericks from the book of poems.

1) There once was an old lady thats fat; who lived in a house with a cat; the lady sat down; with a big frown; and now it's goodbye to the cat.  (wtf Sarah?!? who writes these kinds of things as a child?!?)

2) There once was a young boy named Frank; who loved to go to the bank; he lost his money; it wasn't funny; so he gave himself a spank. (once again...I was just too clever for my own good)

It was a very exhausting day but we had the best time searching through my old belongings and reading about which boys smelled in high school and which girls we hated or what teachers were giving us evil glares. Also, I found my old basketball season totals from 7th and 8th grade...yup, I scored a total of 12 points throughout the season...ballin'