Evansville, Indiana

Last December we moved across the United States to a lesser known part of Indiana called... Evansville.

Due to the large distance between us and the majority of our family I thought it appropriate to start up this blog again in order to help our family members know what's going on in our lives (complete with pictures). I hope you enjoy the upcoming photos and stories of our adventures here in the Midwest. We certainly are. 😁

My Mom

The closer I get to becoming a mom myself the more I've been reflecting on my own mother.

My mom is... amazing. She's the strongest person I know and the type of woman that I want to be like one day.

She gave birth to all 8 of her kids naturally...

She's always the first to volunteer of her time and efforts to a friend in need.

She has always tried to do what's best for us kids, even if that means making HUGE sacrifices on her part.

She's been there for us through thick and thin.

She's spoken her mind and lived her life the way regardless of the backlash it might cause.

She's worked multiple jobs at a time, and put herself through college, as a divorced parent.

She's taught her kids right and wrong, how to work, and how to have fun.

And despite the fact that I may not agree with every choice she's ever made, I love her.

She's my hero.

I'm Back!

Over the past week and a half I was living it up in California, helping to prep my lovely sister-in-law's baby! Her baby will be the first grandchild of our family and so all the sisters, my mother-in-law, a few family friends and myself threw her a party to celebrate!

The few of us who were coming in from out of town stayed at her house and helped prep it for the Baby's arrival (well, I guess my mother-in-law did most of the prepping, but I did help every now and again)!

It was great seeing all of my husband's family, but it was not so great leaving my husband behind ESPECIALLY since he had to have shoulder surgery the day before we left :(

The Hospital Bed

The poor guy dislocated his shoulder a while ago so he had to have surgery to help remove some of the scar tissue and reroute some of his tendons to (hopefully) keep his shoulder in place. He's had a similar surgery once before which lasted a good 4-5 years, but I'd rather not have him go through it again.

Anyways, I'll let you guys know more about the trip another day, for now I'm going to enjoy being back with my hubby :)

Songs that pull at your heart strings

Everyone has one of two songs that are close to their heart, and may even be a tear-jerker.

 For me those to songs are:

Family Portrait by Pink

When my parents divorced I was 12. Whenever my dad came to pick us kids up to go over to his house we would always listen to Pink. This song was always requested by me and my sister. I remember that as it was played I would sit staring out the car window crying. 

I can only imagine what was going through my Dad's head as the song played on repeat.

I was not always as happy as I am now and this song is a reminder to me of how hard life can be as a kid.

and,
Storm by Lifehouse

I first heard this song while at a high school dance performance I was blown away both by the lyrics and the dance.

What are your heart-wrenching songs?

Degrees of Happiness

I believe that there are degrees of Happiness...

Some days I'm perpetually happy... On those days, it doesn't matter what happens! I'm in such a good, happy state of mind that nothing can get me down... I'm a very cheery person.

On other days I'm hyper happy. When these days occur, I tend to be really silly and get excited really easily. On these days I tend to be very dramatic.

A lot of the time however, I'm content happy.  When I'm content happy I'm a fairly mellow person with a happy undertone. I don't get ruffled easily.

Yesterday I was perpetually happy. Today I am a content happy.

Christmas Time is Here

It's impossible not to feel optimistic during the Christmas Season! 

The music, the lights, the general feeling of good will... It gives one a continual feeling of happiness and gratitude...

And let's face it, we have a LOT to be grateful for!

I don't want to get all mopey on here, but I want you to know that I am seriously grateful for all the ways Mike and I have been blessed (especially over the last couple of months)!

Sometimes I wonder just how much of our lives I should share on this blog and while I would like to just spill my guts and lay it all out there, I'm nervous...

 I don't like to share intimate details of my life with people outside of my immediate family (aka Mike), but on the other hand I wonder, if I don't write them down now... will I ever?

So starting next week I'm going to start writing down all the little things.

My thoughts,  my feelings, small expressions of my heart... Because I want something to look back on, a documentation of how my life was when Mike and I were first married and struggling to make ends meet. That way when times get tough, I can remember how blessed we always are and be able to share my experiences with others (especially my future kids).

So please bare with me... For I'll be opening up my heart to you.

Now, I would like to share a playlist that one of my best friends compiled (I may have added one or two songs) that helps get me into the Christmas Spirit!

Love and Loathing

How I feel

The morning of Laundry day is always one filled with anxiety.

Doing the Laundry is such a long, strenuous endeavor...

First there's the gathering of everything washable. You scour through the house looking for any guiltily laid items and those hiding beneath/behind and in random places.

Then comes the sorting... which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take up an entire room to have everything laid out...

Followed by the wrestling of fabrics into and out of the washer/dryer, which wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't suffering from delayed muscle soreness...

But it's the folding preparation that I dread. 

See, you can't fold clean clothes on an unclean surface... it just doesn't make sense.

So you have to tidy up the house (because let's face it you may only fold the clothes in one room, but once you restore everything to it's rightful place you have to balance the items on some type of surface as you open up drawers and grab hangers).

Once I start folding however, I'm okay. I just zone out a little bit and turn on something on the bube tube. 

So really it's just before and after folding clothes that I dislike. 

But then again, I guess I only have to do it once a week (once every other week if I push it), so I really shouldn't be complaining. 

I'm going to blame my crankiness on the delayed muscle soreness. It makes everything more difficult than it needs to be. Including getting off the coach to start the Laundry.

7 Facts about Me

Rebekah, from American Honey, has continued a lovely chain reaction of ask her blog's readers to write 7 facts about themselves on their own blogs and then to ask others to do the same (she got the charge from Brittany of No Two Fish Alike)... 

Since I am such a big fan of lists (and numbers if we're honest) I decided to continue the tradition here!

So, without further ado...

1. I own my business (aka Mary Kay) and it ROCKS!

2. Easter has always been my favorite holiday!

3. I DOMINATE at Hanging with Friends (the ipod app) and I challenge all of you to play with me (my user name is Mrs.SmartyPants)!

4. I am very competitive... at card games, but not so much athletically (I learned not to be when all my friends started refusing to play with me)

5. I am still afraid of monsters (and spiders) under my bed and have a hard time kneeling on the floor to say prayers

6. I have traveled through 10 countries and 22 states of America (No worries, I'm working on the other 29... countries that is jk!)

7. I'm hilarious whether you realize it or not -for some people it just takes longer ;)

That was fun! Now it's your turn! Tell me 7 facts about you, post it on your blog and let me know about it below! 

P.S. I remembered that I couldn't leave you with out saying I do AWESOME sound effects... all the time!

Sisters...

So a little while ago I talked about some of my pet peeves... One of my really BIG ones is when people don't return your messages, whether they're by email, phone, or whatever! I hate being left in the dark, not knowing if someone is purposely avoiding me, or if they're forgetful or crazy busy!! It's especially annoying when you're running on a deadline, and HAVE to know something by the end of the day :(

Okay, where I'm going with all this is...

 All of last week I've had my mind stuck on one individual, my sister. 

On Sunday I tried calling, but I went straight to voicemail. 

Monday, the same. 

Tuesday, 

Wednesday,

 Thursday,

 Friday...

 Nothing!

So Saturday comes along (and just so we're clear I tried facebook as well), and having leaving a message for the umpteenth time I decided to go by her apartment...

OF COURSE she wasn't there, but luckily someone else was so I left a note for her with them.

Sunday, I try calling again because as you might have guessed, she didn't get back to me.

Now it's Monday, I know at the very least she's alive because she put pictures up on facebook, but I called AGAIN, and emailed her and I am seriously at a lost of what to do next!

Do any of you have any suggestions?! I LOVE my sister, but freaking crap if I wasn't worried before, I'm freaking out now!

Holy Moly...

And Manda, if you're reading this, PLEASE call me!

Today's Playlist

So this playlist is dedicated to... yesterday, when it was compiled and then I was too lazy to post it...

I set my playlist together while driving in the rain and Mike did his while at work.

Mike's playlist is sort of short, but perhaps it's for a mini dance party...

Anyhow...

Mike

LMFAO "Shufflin"

Pras "Ghetto Superstar"

Sarah

Adele "Rolling in the Deep"

Florence + The Machines "Dog Days are Over"

La Roux "Tigerlilly"

Foster the People "Pumped up Kicks"

Foster the People "Helena Beat"

Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera "Moves Like Jagger"

Britney Spears "I Wanna Go"

Vicci Martinez "Jolene"

I am not endorsing any of these music videos, in fact I think some of them are too cheesy for me, but the sound quality is good so enjoy!

P.S. If you could add any song to either playlist what would you put in?

We are looking forward to...

In compiling our lists for this post it became obvious that both Mike and I are looking forward to the same things which makes me realize how in tune we are with each other...

Mike and Sarah

Going to Idaho (to visit Dave and Charlene)
Physical Therapy School
Mike finishing school
Our Europe come next summer
Having children
Buying a home
Going camping
Spending Eternity with Each Other

What I'm (We're) good at

Everybody has talent... Some of us are good at bugging other people, other individuals are really terrific drivers and then there are the individuals who are really good at ... well, something else.

Below is a list of things that Mike and I think we're particularly good at...

Mike:

1. Making Chocolate Chip Cookies (anything else and you're baking it yourself... well, except fried rice... and potato soup... and waffles... and...)

2. Making people Laugh

3. Playing Sports... and Games

4. Getting Injured (especially when I'm playing... games)

5. Helping people...

Sarah:

1. Putting others at ease

2. Striking up conversations with strangers (others call it crazy, I call it socializing)

3. My Reading Comprehension (no joke)

4. Understanding Sarcasm (now, this is a skill!)

5. Softball

6. Keeping Mike in check

7. Having patience (this means I'm particularly good at getting revenge at people... which usually means I forget about it until later)

8. NOT remembering stuff

A few things about yourself... er, ourselves

Yeah for Day One!! (or should I say day two as I was a bum and forgot to post something yesterday...) 

Yeah for Positive Thinking!

 

Mike

 

I LOVE MY WIFE!
I have a strong faith in Jesus Christ
I love spending time with Family and Friends
I am getting my degree in Exercise Science from UVU
I am going to become a Physical Therapist.
I love playing sports especially basketball.
My favorite teams are the Lakers, Dodgers, USC football, Duke Basketball, BYU sports.
I love pizza!

Sarah

I am:

Funny (just ask my husband he says to me all the time, "You think you're so funny" -Yes, yes I do)

Witty (with brains)

At home (a lot)

A sister (to like a dozen siblings)

Traveler (everyday I get outside my house)

A bookworm 

A Graduate 

A Mary Kay Lady (not the old, make-up plastered one but the hip, loveable, sharing kind)

Long-winded 

30 days of Lists

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who like to make lists and those who don't. 

I'm what you would call a fan of lists...
So over the next thirty days Mike and I are going to indulge you with a few lists of our own... EVERY single DAY!

Hopefully you like lists too, otherwise the next month is going to be passing by f..a..i..r..l..y.. s..l..o..w..l..y..

To Come:

1. A few things about ourselves
2. Things we are good at
3. We are looking forward to ...
4. Today's playlist
5. Weekend Goals
6. Top 10 Pet Peeves
7. Blog goals
8. In our bags
9. Favorite websites and blogs
10. On our wishlists
11. Date night ideas
12. Weekly rituals
13. DIYs we want to try
14. Things we love about _______
15. On our shopping lists
16. Places to see in our town
17. Words that are hard to spell
18. Road trip must-haves
19. Recipes we want to try
20. Celebrity... Crushes?
21. Things to do this Fall
22. Today we saw
23. Guilty pleasures
24. Things we'd rather be doing right now
25. Books we'd like to read this year
26. Lessons learned
27. Vacations to take
28. Favorite foods
29. Today's to-do list

Our Inspiration:

About Us

This is a story of boy meets girl.

The boy, Michael, grew up in Southern California. A basketball fiend, Mike spent his high and post school years playing his favorite sport. At 19 years old Michael served an LDS mission (and after several shoulder surgeries mostly caused by playing his favorite sport) he decided to go to school to become a Physical Therapist. As he was attending school he fell into a long stream of terrible relationships and in an effort to stop the ongoing tradition he signed up for a class that would help him learn how to be happier.

The girl, Sarah, of gypsy origins, never knew how to stay in one place for too long. Happiest traveling she began traveling all over the United States and Abroad. With her Associates at age 18 Sarah went back to school to get her Bachelor's in what she loved most, Anthropology. At the time when she was registering for classes Spring 2010 she had never been in a steady relationship nor was she looking for one.

Mike met Sarah on the morning of January 6th 2010, the first day of the Spring Semester. Neither of them was looking for anything special but from that point on life changed for the both of them.

This is a love story, but we'll try to keep the mushy stuff out.