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.

caution: eat at your own risk...

I must warn you before you start reading this post. You are going to want to make this recipe and eat it all in one sitting. At least that is what I wanted to do. However, I advise against that choice. Savor it, indulge, enjoy. You see it all started last year when my mother gave me a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook. I love that thing. It has everything from desserts, to main dishes in it, and all the food is soooo good. Of course, cream cheese isn't the best thing for you, so I try to only pull this cookbook out on special occasions. I have found out in the past year though, that special occasions to me equals not only holidays and birthdays, but when I am stressed, or bored, or angry. Cooking is my escape, and cream cheese and chocolate are my weaknesses. Hence, with this week being "dead week" at school, and finals being just around the corner, the stress has officially kicked in. Thus the cream cheese cookbook came out. This time I tried out a recipe called Philly Brownie Cheesecake. Now I had never made cheesecake before so I thought of this as an adventure. And what is an adventure without pictures to document it? So below is a picture journey through my baking experience. I will post the entire and "official" recipe at the bottom of the post. Enjoy...

First get yourself a box of brownies. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or special. I just used this wonderful box of Betty Crocker that was on sale and I had a coupon!!!

Mix the brownie mix like the box tells you to. Our apartment enjoys our brownies with chocolate chips in them, so I added some into the mix before popping it into the oven. I used about half a bag of morsels, and saved the other half for a little later on :)

Spray or grease, or butter or however you prefer a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the brownie mix in and cook in the oven at 325 for 25 minutes. Don't fret about what the box tells you to do. You do not want your brownies to be done all of the way since you are going to end up baking them again in the next part of the recipe.

When it comes out of the oven it should look and nice and shiny on top. Sit it over to the side to cool while you do the next part.

Here is where the fun part comes in. 4 boxes of cream cheese!!!! Soften/melt the cream cheese and mix it until it is smooth. You can use a mixer on low if you would like. I have never owned a mixer and grew up mixing everything by hand so that is what I did and it came out nice and smooth. And this dessert is an indulgence, so using a little elbow grease to burn off some extra calories before eating it was perfectly okay to me.

 Next you are going to add your sugar and your vanilla. Mix it until it is smooth. I found that adding in the sugar a little bit at a time instead of all at once made it a bit easier to stir and get smooth and creamy.

Now add a cup of sour cream. MMMM....this recipe just keeps getting better and better. I love to bake!!!

Now add in your eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth between each one. Make sure that your mixture is at room temperature or cooler before you add the eggs. From where you softened your cream cheese, it might still be a little warm. You don't want to end up with scrambled eggs in your cheesecake batter.

Finally, mix it all until it is nice and creamy with no lumps. Wow that looks good.

Pour your cheesecake mixture on top of your semi-cooked brownies. Smooth out the top so it will bake evenly. Bake the cheesecake and brownie mixture for 40 minutes at 325.

When your yummy dessert is done baking sit it out to cool. While it is cooling, melt the remainder of your chocolate morsels, and drizzle over the top. We like out chocolate here in the apartment so I drizzled a bunch, but you can do as little or as much as you would like. When it has cooled to room temperature, place into the refrigerator and chill for four hours. Then you are ready to eat and enjoy...but at your own risk!!!



Just typing out this post makes me want to go into the kitchen and grab a piece. I don't think that would be wise though since I just had breakfast and I have not even gone outside to go to class yet. I need to burn a few more calories today before I can divulge in this little slice of heaven! I encourage y'all to try this out and tell me what you think about it. Or even better, share with me some of your favorite not so healthy recipes with me so I can add them to my "special occasion" arsenal of recipes. I love you all and I am always praying that your journey is blessed! Happy Thursday y'all!

-Sara

Philly Brownie Cheesecake:

What you need:

- 1 pkg. (19-21 oz) brownie mix (9x13 pan size)

- 4 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 3 eggs

- 1 bag chocolate morsels

Make it:

- heat oven to 325

- prepare brownie batter as directed on package. Pour into 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes or until top is shiny and center is almost set.

- Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.

- Gently pour over brownie layer mix in pan (filling will almost come to the top of the pan).

- Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around the pan to loosen sides. Cool.

- Melt chocolate and drizzle over the top of the cheesecake.

- Refrigerate for four hours.

-ENJOY!!!!!

ten years ago...

Today deserves a special post. Actually everyday normally has some reason to deserve a special post but this day I am very pleased to make this announcement. My very best friend Katie texted me a little while ago. She simply reminded me that this year marks our 10th year of friendship!!!! I thought to myself, no way it hasn't been 10 years has it? But alas, it sure has been ten beautiful years since our lives crossed paths.

I was in the sixth grade when I was invited to go to Girl Scouts. I had been in brownies, but my leader had moved away and I was looking for a new junior leader. It was then that I met Katie. Her mom the leader of our troop (and she soon became like a second mother to me), Katie was outgoing while I was kind of shy, she was nice and included me in things, and soon she invited me over to her house. Our birthdays are ten days apart, we both love the outdoors, and we both enjoy a good book. That was it, we were hooked and have been friends ever since. From summer camps, to neighborhood adventures, to reading/watching Harry Potter together, to rock climbing incidents, to moving to different states, to boyfriends and gossip, to Christmas breaks spent together I would not have picked a better girl to have by my side. Even though we now live 6 hours away from each other, when we get together it is like we still are in the same town. I can talk to her about anything and she is always so encouraging.

Wow ten years has gone by so super fast. In another ten years we are going to be 31 years old. That is not possible. We were not supposed to grow up. We were supposed to stay 11 together forever. However, I know that a part of our 11 year old selves are still with us. When we are 31 years old, probably married, maybe even with children, we are still going to be the crazy, fun, Katie and Sara. I love you girl and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for our friendship. Happy 10 years!!!!

Just us being us. It is so wonderful to have such a great and Godly girl to call my best friend.

Praying for all of you and hope that your journey is blessed on this beautiful Thursday.

-Sara

tick tock...

Where in the world has the time gone these past couple of weeks?!? School has done a really good job at keeping me busy. I have been doing my best to get through this last round of tests before finals start. Only 10 more school days left of my junior year, then finals week and I will be home free...at least for a few days until my summer activities start full swing! Other than school work a few other big things have been going on in the life and times of me. I am starting to narrow down schools to apply to for grad school, I am contemplating on getting a job next year with campus rec, and Chase made the huge choice to stay an extra semester in undergrad to make sure he will finish strong with his engineering degree. All of these things have a huge impact on not only my personal future, but the futures of Chase and I as a couple. We know that this is the best choice for us in the long run. He will be able to focus on his grades more and be able to get a higher score on the FE test so he can get a good job.With him staying back in Raleigh for a little while, and myself trying to get into a graduate program that is only offered in 30 schools in the entire US (only one of them being in NC), spending time together while we are still close to each other has become a high priority for the both of us. What makes that hard is that we are always so busy with school work, we are poor college kids, and summers are off limits since I work camp and Chase has a full time manual labor job back home. Most of the time we just end up watching movies that are on TV, or going out to eat on coupons that I have acquired along the way.

This past weekend was one of those few and far in between weekends that we were able to get out and do some fun things that did not break our banks. It was such a joy to have some time to spend together and really invest in each other's lives. Sometimes it feels like life is going by at the speed of light. Being able to stop, relax, and enjoy the moment is very special when it happens. Please enjoy the picture timeline of the weekend ideas that we had.

Chase decided that our Friday night date would be to the driving range and the par 3 golf course. They had a sweet "all in one" deal that we took them up on and had a really great time. I am no pro golfer, but it was neat to get out there and try my hand at the driving range.

Chase loves golf, but golf costs money. Finding this little gem of a place sure did make him happy. We spent 3 and half hours at the par 3 course/driving range. It was a neat experience to be able to play golf along side of Chase. Most guys use golf to get away from their girls and have quality "man time"; and most girls don't want to golf anyways. However, my man is happy to have me along. Sometimes I probably slow him down or make him laugh at my moves, but he loves me and he is so sweet for letting me come along for a date night. 

Afterwards we were super hungry. It was hotter than I expected on the golf course and I was in dire need of food and drink. We had been wanting to try this little Mexican place for a while now, so we went ahead and took the plunge. We ended up getting so much food more not that much money. And the food was awesome!!! We will most definitely be going back there.

I had to work Saturday at the crisis hot line, but Saturday evening Chase and I hit up round 2 of out date weekend. It was college night at the Railhawks soccer stadium. They are a semi-pro soccer team and pretty fun to watch. The game atmospherere is always fun, and there are normally tons of families there so its a good time. We were given free thunder sticks when we entered the gates. They were neat, but I couldn't hear after a while because our seats were surrounded by a bunch of very enthusiastic children.

The game was very good and I did not get bored like I thought I would. Chase is the huge soccer fan, and I am more of a touch and go kind of girl. However this game was pretty physical. So much in fact that the game got called with 2 minutes left because a big fight broke out. It was something I had never seen happen before so it was pretty interesting.

This weekend was such a blessing for my soul. I needed to be able to get away from school for a while and refocus myself in not only my relational life, but also my spiritual life. Church this morning was epic. It was one of those Sundays where God was just speaking to you constantly. In both "big Church" (yes I still call it that), and College Class we talked about dying daily to God and making sure our actions were pleasing to the Lord no matter what situation we are in. Such a great lesson to learn and be reminded of. I am really looking forward to the next couple weeks and what they have to offer. Be on the lookout for updates :) I love you all and I pray that as always, your journey is blessed!!!\

-Sara

125 years young...

This year is a great year to be part of the wolfpack. Not only because our basketball team is on the upswing, or that our baseball team is nationally ranked, but because we turned 125 years old this year!!! So to celebrate, what does a university do? Throw a part no doubt. What a great way to spend an afternoon. Got out of class and was able to get free goodies. 

What would a birthday party be without cake? I am so upset that I was not able to get a better picture of these awesome cupcakes. They were decorated to look like wolf heads and were so neat. I wish I had icing skills like that for my cupcakes.

During the presentations, giveaways, and dance competitions, Mr and Mrs Wolf were always right there in the middle of it having fun and pumping up the crowd. I think that our school is so unique in the fact that we have a married wolf couple as our mascots. Not to mention their outfits for the birthday party were one of a kind. Just another reason why I love State.

My favorite part of the party though was the band that played. They are a local band that all went to NCSU and recently wrote a song entitled :When Jesus Comes Back". If you are a State fan you really need to listen to this song. It will be stuck in your head for a while, but that is not a bad thing!!! Also, our chancellor surprised us and came on stage to sing and play his guitar. He did not just pick any little old song either. Try dueling banjos with the alumni band!!! Who knew that he could do that. He is one awesome guy and I am so lucky to have him running my school. he does so much for us.

This week sure had been good. A short week since it is Easter break, a birthday party celebrating the past 125 years of a fantastic university, and hopefully doing okay on my tests. I hope that everybody is also having a good week and that you are keeping the real meaning of Easter in your hearts this week. Love all of y'all and once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NC STATE!!!!

Sending everybody off with prayers of a blessed journey!!

Sara