Today...

Hopefully today doesn't go like this!! This is FUNNY!!


Today shall be interesting. At 12:45 this afternoon , we're meeting our lawyer and having our mediation with the attorney for Lodi. We're both a little nervous because we don't really know what to expect. I used to work for a law firm and would do the set up for these meetings all the time. I never expected to actually have to BE in one, that's for sure! So if you think of us, say a little prayer please?

I'm hungry for cream of wheat pancakes with berries! I refuse to eat at an ihop though, so I'm guessing that craving will go unfulfilled. I do have some organic frozen berries in my freezer and cream of wheat, so I COULD make them myself. However, That would force me to get my kitchen messy and make dishes dirty. This whole lacking a dishwasher thing is getting really old. So, I'll probably stick to my kashi and soy. I'm dreaming of my dream kitchen!! One day, right? My kitchen now is so tiny, that if I dropped an egg on the floor, it would splash onto all 4 walls, lol! Ok, not that small, but you get the picture...

Here we go again...

"All them lions, they can eat my body, but they can't swallow my soul no, no, no. But they keep on trying to crash my party but they can't get control, no, no."

This band is a long-time fave of mine. They sound funny, but they speak the truth. On days like today I listen to them a lot, and am always encouraged.



Why today? Something suspicious is going on. I have this God-given 6th sense called the gift of vision. I don't have visions, but I am extremely perceptive and can see things that others might not realize. I often see trouble before anyone else (which gets me into trouble sometimes). I can tell you within the first few minutes of meeting someone if I can trust them. Right now, I feel it in my soul that something is a little fishy.

Muddy Dog...

I took this picture of my beautiful niece, Jasmine, holding our sweet Golden Retriever Puppy "Scout" at Lodi Lake!


I'm LOVING Matt's new schedule. It's nice to have some Consistency. Plus he's back to getting 2 days off a week. Something that has not happened in the last few months. We spend his days off outside, usually with Scout. We've been at Lodi lake like 10 times in the last 2 weeks. Our dog loves water and mud. He goes crazy when we're near it, whining until we let him off of his leash. He's amazing for a puppy!

5 days until our mediation with the city of Lodi's attorney. Thanks goodness we are able to settle this out of court. Thank goodness the police department has taken responsibility for the whole situation. More then anything, we are constantly thankful that Matt's injuries weren't any worse, because they easily could have been. I think about that all the time. Police dogs are trained to attack. It could been his face or neck. He could have broken bones during the fall. Not that the bites aren't bad, because they really are, but at least that is all. God had his hand on Matt. I really believe that! As a first Anniversary gift we get to pay off all of his medical bills...yay. lol!

Have I mentioned that I'm going to be in London on my 26th birthday?? Oh yeah, SO excited! Does anyone have any tips for someone terrified of flying?? :-)

Giant cookies make my tummy hurt..

Along with all of the other crap I ate today. I'm not sure why, but I was ravenously hungry all day. I made pancakes and soy sausage for breakfast...yum! Matt had some chicken thing for lunch and I made stuffed zucchini for myself. I was out of tomatoes, and used some V-8 and asparagus and it turned out well. Then I had ice-cream and a cookie for dinner (not intentionally, but after that snack, I was too sick to eat anything else). So much for healthy eating today. I did take my vitamins, iron and juice plus, so I should be good. Right? :-)

Today Matt and I talked about how upset we still are about our wedding. We're happy that we're married and everything, but I can't even think about our wedding without wanting to cry. Matt is still angry at family members and friends that made things difficult. Getting married in a church that we were (and still are) struggling to be part of, knowing that I was trying so hard to make everything so easy on everyone else, that when I spoke out about anything I wanted, I got shot down and controlled (though Jenny saved me, seriously, what would I have done without you and your ballsyness?) A bomb scare!! Seriously? That's something I can look back on and laugh at, because it's SO crazy. I thought we'd be trapped in that salon all day... ha ha.

Anyway, is it wrong that I want a do-over? I want to make a day that Matt and I can look back on and be happy about. Not an actual wedding, but something Teensy with like 4 friends, renewing our vows and drinking champagne. Something simple and nice. This fall when Jonathan is back, I think we'll do it. Our way, without all the crap. On the dock at Hume would be awesome. Just something nice and simple. Something we can cherish and look back at as wonderful and not chaotic.

Maybe it is selfish. However, I'll risk it to make a memory with Matt that we can both look back on and smile over.

Go Go Greasecar!!!

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So Matt and I have decided to take the plunge! I've been looking into Bio Fuel options for quite some time now. I came across something called "greasecar". Greasecar is kit you can buy to convert your diesel engine car to run on used vegetable oil. Matt and I have been sharing a car, which has worked out for quite some time, but it's time I get my own. I didn't want a car payment, but we've been saving and can buy a nice used Jetta outright. I wanted a Jetta long before I went "green" and now I'm really excited about having a clean burning Jetta. It's a little more work, but for almost free gas...ok!! I totalled things and I spend about $40 a week on fuel (that's a good week!). the total is $1920 a year. The conversion kit is about $1200, so it will pay for itself in less then a year!

But Sarah, where do you get all of this oil?

This is where the "work' comes in. You have to build relationships with local restaurants that are willing to hand over their used oil from fryers. Most places pay to have it disposed of, so as long as you're consistent with picking up, it's a win win situation!

After you have this oil, what needs to happen before you can put it into your tank?

First it needs to be filtered to get any little pieces of food out. Then left to sit for a week so the water settles to the bottom. After that it can be funneled into your tank.

How many miles do you get per gallon of veggie gas?

The same as regular fuel.

So we're excited. We want people to be interested in our little project and maybe more and more people will switch over. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to help figure it out!!

Wearing tears like jewelry...

I've been alone a lot in the last 5 days. I actually enjoy it. Though I would love to have Matt home much more often, I've found a hint of beauty in loneliness. I enjoy silence. I like to be alone with my thoughts and feelings sometimes. I know, that is a bit sappy, I can't help it though.

My whole life I've been told how overly sensitive I am. Since my early teen years, I've been trying to "man up" so to speak. I've tried closing off the flow of water that tends to run so closely to the surface of my eyes. I just can't. 5 years ago, if you asked me what I wanted to change about me, my answer would be my sensitivity. The fact that for years I've been labeled as a "crier" which means everything I say is dismissed as an "exaggeration" or that I'm "just being emotional". I would love to be taken seriously. Just once when I'm hurt, I want my side to be taken as accurate, not as a situation distorted by my over-sensitivity. If you asked me today, it's the last thing I would change. my heart is the bleeding type. While there are down-sides to being sensitive, there are great things about it as well. This is who I am.

Yesterday, I found myself in church. Alone. That was the first time I've gone alone in months maybe even a year. I almost chickened out and went with my pastor's wife, but I decided I needed to do it for me. One of the first announcements had the tears flowing. It wasn't an especially moving announcement. It was for me though. It was like getting a bad burn and then sticking it under hot water. Painful. I'm learning that getting burned is never fun. And depending on the degree of the burn, it can take a long time to heal. I'm wondering if I can heal standing next to the fire that burned me to begin with. It was a fire that kept me warm for years. That's why I'm so confused. I guess I'm not allowed to feed the fire, so maybe I should find a new one? Maybe it's my fault for getting to close to begin with?


Main Entry: 1sen·si·tive
Pronunciation: \ˈsen(t)-sə-tiv, ˈsen(t)s-təv\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sensitivus, probably alteration of sensativus, from sensatus sensate
Date: 15th century
1: sensory 2
2 a: receptive to sense impressions b: capable of being stimulated or excited by external agents (as light, gravity, or contact)
3: highly responsive or susceptible: as a (1): easily hurt or damaged; especially : easily hurt emotionally (2): delicately aware of the attitudes and feelings of others b: excessively or abnormally susceptible : hypersensitive c: readily fluctuating in price or demand d: capable of indicating minute differences : delicate e: readily affected or changed by various agents (as light or mechanical shock) f: highly radiosensitive
4 a: concerned with highly classified government information or involving discretionary authority over important policy matters b: calling for tact, care, or caution in treatment : touchy
5: having or showing concern for a specified matter

The Business Of Being Born...

I know, I don't have kids. Though, I have witnessed four different births, three of which were in the hospital and one at a birthing center with a midwife. I decided after being present for a midwife assisted birth that I wanted that when it was my time!

I've wanted to see "the Business Of Being Born" since I heard about it. Tonight I had my chance. Matt works super late every Wednesday (until next week, my baby got a promotion and doesn't have to work the crazy shifts anymore...yay!!)Anyway, I figured it would be a good night to watch it. I must say though, Matt isn't typical when it comes to "girl stuff", he finds it interesting. Good thing because I'm pretty open about things. Everyone should be educated.

This documentary is well done. It's not the guilt-inducing, anti pain relief, pretentious attitude that it could be seen as from those on the outside (though they do exist, this wasn't one of them) It's about giving women choices. It's about allowing your body to do what it was created to do. It's about asking questions, getting answers.

The US has the 2nd highest infant death rate. #2!! That means in third world countries, babies are born in fields are surviving, while our babies are dying in a "safe" environment. It does give you something to think about! My favorite part is when a women mentions how when you're in a hospital and the doctor suggests a medical intervention and when you ask why, you're told that it's best for the baby. If you continue to question, you look like a bad mom that doesn't want what is best, so you go along with it.

Recently, a friend and I were talking about childbirth. I mentioned something about not fearing it. She was shocked. She expressed that she has nightmares about the birth experience. The reason? We've been conditioned to fear it. We've heard all the horror stories and have been told how painful it is (which is a fact I'm not debating). Where are the stories of empowerment? Where are the stories where women persevered? They are few and far between. I would bet that if we focused more on what our bodies were designed to do, and less on the horror stories, there wouldn't be such anxiety. Our mothers and grandmothers do us no favors by instilling that kind of fear.

Even if you want a hospital birth, with an epidural or a c-section, you should watch this documentary. If for no other reason then to know that you have choices and a right to know what is going on and to question things that you aren't totally comfortable with.

Ha ha...

I'm SOOO too lazy to resize all of those pictures...

Oh well.

Watching this old lady will help you get over it!!

My day started early! I couldn’t sleep. So I decided to get up and make cupcakes that I was going to make when I got up.




While the cupcakes were baking, I watched "Scrubs"!



Once they were done, I frosted them and tried to go back to sleep.



Of course by this time, it was REALLY late, or early I guess.



I still couldn’t fall asleep. This happens to me all the time. So I decided to sleep on the couch



it was hard to leave this though



I got up at around 8:50am



Took a shower



Yes, it takes all of this to make me look even halfway decent.




This is how I look (I couldn’t find my hair dryer, I think I left it somewhere)





I woke up my sleepy husband. He had to get up because we were having lunch with people we’re house-sitting for this weekend.



While he was showering, I tried to read my bible. I was so tired though, that I could hardly see the words.




Then I noticed I had a missed call. From JONATHAN!! UGH!! He was calling from London and I can’t call him back!



Matt and I leave and have lunch. I didn’t want to take pictures at their house. We had tacos and talked about house sitting while Scout and their dog Maggie played outside. We had fun!

We headed to Stockton. Matt had to work and I was going to hang out with Sammy the dog while my in-laws were in and out. On the way, we saw this. Yes, a dancing pickle.




We got to the Fams house. Can you see Scout? He can’t wait to go inside and play with Sammy!!



I water my herb garden, carrots, strawberries and flowers.








Then I do some actual work. I decide to delete the voice accout I don’t use. I don;t have any voice work today, so I blog.



This is a blog I put on private... lol!



Matt came home for his early dinner, I made him Mac and cheese. I cook pretty well, but if Matt could choose, he’d eat mac and cheese, pizza and pop tarts for every meal!



I roasted some eggplant for my dinner. While Sam and Scout watched me, hoping I’d drop some scraps. It’s ok, they get PLEANTY of food!






I watch Jon And Kate Plus 8. Good stuff. I didn’t take a picture of that. Matt comes home from work, we hang out and go to sleep




That was my day. Today it starts all over!

I think YOU, yes YOU, should do a day in the life blog! Super fun!