when there is nothing else left to do...

Memorial Day is such a sweet time in my mind. It is the perfect excuse to go thank the troops if you have never done so before. They do so much for our country and I think that they are some of the bravest people in the world. I have also always loved Memorial day in the fact that you always get to have some fun on your day off. I grew up next to a military base and almost every single one of my friends were in military families. Therefore there would always be parades to attend, pool parties to go to, and bbq to consume. This year was just a little different for some reason. For one, I am no longer living next to the military base, I am not working my summer job just yet, and my parents were both working (crazy right!). Being my crazy awesome self I discovered that during my day of "nothingness" that was memorial day there are two things that always have to happen.

First if you have a day of nothing to do, and you are a girl, you must paint your nails. Like I have said before, a fresh coat of color on your fingers and toes just makes you feel like a new person. It peps up your mood and makes you feel like your girly self. It also is pretty darn relaxing if you ask me. It force you to sit still and not get into anything. I like to use this time as part of my "quiet time". I can read my devotion and pray and just be still. And by the time I am done, not only is my spirit refreshed, but my nails are refreshed as well!

The second thing one must do on a day of nothingness is...COOK!!!! I personally love the kitchen. I love to jump in and try new recipes. I like to get my hands dirty. I also love the final product once it comes out of the oven and it plated on a pretty dish. Oh yeah and of course I love to eat my creations!!! Since mom and dad were both working on Memorial Day, a big bbq or grill out was not the best idea. I cannot grill, and dad was worn out by the time he was finished with what he was doing. And I know by experience that it is no fun to have to cook when you are dog tired. So I got out my trusty cookbook and went in search for a new recipe that I had not attempted before. I ended up making Shepard's pie. It is a family favorite that we had not had in a good while. It is a super easy fix and very yummy. It is all of your food groups in one dish as well so once you are done cooking it you are ready to eat. My favorite part of making the pie was making the mashed potatoes. In our family we love real homemade potatoes. They are just so darn good! We also enjoy making more than we know we are going to eat so the next day we can use the left overs to make potato cakes. If you have never had potato cakes you are missing out big time. All they are are potatoes with an egg and some flour mixed into them to make them stick a little better. Then just fry them up like a pancake. Boy my mouth is already watering. I may just have to run to the fridge after I am done typing to get my hands on one. They are that good!

In the process of making the mashed potatoes!

Once again I send a shout out to all the troops for all for their hard work I wish I could have celebrated my Mmemorial Day more patriotically, but I think the day turned out great anyways. It was fun and filled with family, friends, and laughter. I would not have had it any other way. I hope everybody else had good memorial days as well and that you are back into the work week with high spirits. I love you all and I pray that your journeys are blessed.

-Sara



there is a time and a season for everything...

First off, my apologies for lack of posting these past couple of weeks. I have not forgotten about the blog. In fact, there were many days that I wished that I had access to a computer, or energy to upload pictures so I could make a new blog post. But alas, life sometimes has other plans, and that is okay. Since I have gotten home from school I have been going non-stop. I have probably spent more time in a car than on my feet for the simple fact that I have been going so many places. I only have a short window of time before I head off to camp for the summer, so I have been trying to see and visit with as many people as I possibly can. At first I felt kind of bad for being gone so much away from my family. I know that they want to spend time with me as well before I am gone all summer. Then I realized that in life, there is a time and a season for everything under the sun.

There is a time and a season for best friends and road trips and laughs. Two days after school got out I was on the road to VA to visit my best friend Katie. She is so wonderful and I am glad that she let me crash at her house for a few days so we could hang out and catch up. We also went and visited the campus of VCU. It is one of my potential grad schools so it was nice to go and see where I might end up next year. The visit was also filled with good food, good laughs, and good TV shows. She gets me. That is why we are friends.

Check out our new VCU shirts. I made the investment so maybe I will get in. I can always hope.

There is a time and a season for children and little ones. I love kids. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that it is true. So I am a very happy girl when I get to hang out with my niece and nephew. They have and still continue to give me wonderful practice for the day that I have kids of my own. I was lucky enough to get the change when I got back from VA to be a chaperon on one of my niece's field trips. They were traveling to Lazy 5 Ranch. Now this was an experience. For one, I had never been a chaperon before, and two, I have always wanted to go to Lazy 5 Ranch. Needless to say the day was fantastic!!!! I think I may have even enjoyed it more than the little one. If you have never been to Lazy 5 Ranch and you live in NC, then go check it out...like today! 

The little one and I on her school trip. Love her!

There is a time and a season for adventure. When I get to catch up with my Passport staff friends from NC it is always an adventure. We do not get to see each other very much since we are scattered at different schools during the year, but when we do see each other we have a blast. Before the summer kicks into gear we decided to see each other in Winston and catch up on life. Of course this included seeing a movie after dinner. We saw The Avengers in 3D. The movie was awesome, and it was my first experience with 3D. I enjoyed it very much. After the movie we enjoyed cookout milkshakes, pictures, and tons of laughs. I love those kids and would not trade them for the world.

NC Crew!!!

There is a time and a season for missions...and fun! Not very long after I got back from VA, did I turn right around and leave again on another trip. This time it was with my college class at church to middle Tennessee to do some good old fashion mission work. Wow was it fun!!! No Internet, sleeping on the floor, and being physically exhausted at the end of each day. Sounds like it would be horrible, but actually it was more rewarding than anything I have ever done. I would so go do it again. I did not even think to take pictures of the stuff that we did, but I did snap some pictures when we had a little break. We went to the falls that were nearby and had some good fun.

The lovely ladies of the trip

 The falls!!!!

There is a time and a season for celebration. Sorry no pictures for this one. Saturday Chase and I celebrated my birthday early. My parents bought us tickets to go see the show Riverdance. It is their last USA tour so it was a special treat. Chase and I made it a day trip by leaving early that morning, then catching the show, then shopping a little, then enjoying some yummy olive garden for dinner. I just love spending time with him. He is so sweet to me.

So that is what my summer has been like so far. I am now resting up for the next week and a half before I go to camp. Mom and Dad are grateful for me actually sleeping in my own bed for more than one night. I kind of like it as well :)  Stay tuned in the next couple of days for a memorial day post. It is my turn to cook dinner tonight and I am excited about the new recipe I am going to try. YUMMMY!!!!

Love you all so much and of course I pray daily that your journey is blessed!

-Sara

doing this and doing that...

Sorry for lack of posts recently. Finals week has descended upon the apartment and all of us girls have been studying hard. Well I say we have been studying (and we actually have), but we also have been coming up with fun ways to take our minds off of school even for just a couple of minutes.

We have discovered that we love the Hallmark Channel and all of their movies. For a few days we have just stayed in our pajamas and had movie/study marathons. I don't know why we haven't figured this channel out before. We also played Cranium one night. I had never played before so for three hours I laughed and the best fun. Unfortunately I did not even think to take any pictures. My brain is seriously in other places at the moment because of finals. However this morning, since I don't have a final today, I decided to take some time to myself before I began to study. So what did I do? Paint my nails!!!!! A little polish sure does make you feel pretty and more dolled up (and hopefully it will give me some sort of luck and motivation on my finals in the next couple of days). 

Red toes and silver sparkle fingers. I'm ready for summer to finally get here!!!



Sending a little bit of love your way this lovely Tuesday.

I finish school for the year on Thursday and then I will be heading home...for a day. I only have 29 days between the end of school and the start of Passport Kids training, so I am taking full advantage of that time. I will be going to visit friends in other states, going on a mission trip, being a chaperon to my niece and nephew on their end of the year school trips, catching up with my parents and grandparents, and enjoying my 21st birthday with a little bit of "Riverdance". Yes I will be busy. Sure I am going to be tired. But I would not trade one minute of it. I have been blessed with such a wonderful life and I thank God every single day for what I have been given. It is my hope that the interactions with family, friends, and others this summer wherever I may be will be not only encouraging to them but also encouraging to me. I cannot wait to see what this summer has in store for me. I have a feeling that God is going to be doing some pretty amazing things. Bring it on finals!!! I am going to kick your butt and send you packing. I have a summer full of fun waiting for me on the other side. Let the countdown begin...


Disclaimer: Just because I am going to be super busy and overwhelmed does not mean that blogging will diminish. In fact, with more things going on, the more pictures I will be taking and the more stories I will have to tell. It is going to be my personal goal this summer to keep everybody up to date on the various life happenings. So be sure to check in often, comment on posts, and click the "follow" button above so I can be sure to be praying for you by name. I love you all and thank you so much for reading and encouraging me. I pray that your daily journeys are always blessed.