Finals are over and Summer is here

After two days and nine hours of exams, I enjoyed a Sam Adams Summer Ale and then slept for hours! It was absolutely glorious to not set an alarm and get tangled up in white sheets without worrying about proving two stage least squares and what a two household infinite horizon optimality condition looks like! While I do know what those two things are, along with a lot more, it was nice to not care about them for a day or two or a whole week!

Instead of schoolwork, I did housework and I loved it! Whether it was the change of pace, the lack of sitting with pencil in hand rapidly writing notes, or the fresh air flowing through the house, I was happy! I vacuumed with enthusiasms, dusted every nook and cranny, blasted country music and danced while folding laundry! Once the inside was perfect, and I mean perfect! I went outdoors and conquered the foot tall grass (in the backyard only...we need our neighbors to think we are responsible and all, so I actually mow the front lawn on a weekly basis) and the weeds. What I quickly found out is that 1. I need gloves 2. I need a shovel and 3. there are a ton of ants in Virginia. Eeek! I hate ants. Normally, I don't mind insects, but these little ants are invading the property and my master bathroom; that's a topic for another day though. So, back to the outdoors...I planted herbs and flowers and they are beautiful! We have basil, cilantro (for Ryan because I think it tastes soapy), chives, hot peppers, squash and mint! I love the smell of basil and mint! MmmMmm! As for flowers, I threw some wildflower seeds in a barren bed of dirt and then I planted some cute little $0.99 flowers out front. They are neat looking! Overall, the yard looks great and I am very pleased with the work I've put into it! Oh and for mother's day, Ryan got me a shovel and garden gloves! Yay! I love them dearly and will use them often!

For Cinco de Mayo, a few girlfriends and I went to a wholesale flower store and then enjoyed some Mexican favorites...guacamole, tacos, and of course margaritas!!! The flowers were amazing! As the for the evening, it was fun, but quite emotional. Put a few military wives in a room with some margaritas and you've got the perfect combination for heart to hearts which are generally quite emotional. Hey, I think it's healthy to release emotions now and then no matter how strong you are supposed to be, so we did and it was good!

And how can you resist such a cute little face?!?! Precious!

So, Friday I got to see my honey and then Saturday he was actually allowed to come home, so we made the most of it!! Saturday was Wine Fest in Norfolk! Who doesn't love some wine tasting?!?! We sure do! Since it was a spur of the moment decision, the only traditional wine food we had was grapes. I packed some grapes, strawberries and animal crackers...you know, to keep it classy! Oh and a blanket of course! A few friends from the ship were there with their spouses, so we all hung out and enjoyed some vino on a beautiful sunny day! It was perfect! This is the only picture we have because I didn't bring my camera for fear that wine would be spilled on it...

Saturday night we took a quick nap, went to Mass and headed out for dinner. Our mission was to try a new sushi place and hit up home depot, so we decided to try what we thought was a sushi restaurant, but was actually a Japanese place that cooked your meals in front of you and threw shrimpies in your mouth! I'm proud to say that Ryan and I both caught the fish on first tries! Go us! It was really good food! We shared spicy tuna rolls and a steak, shrimp, veggie and rice plate. We will definitely go back, but next time we will bring a larger group, preferably a large and loud group because our table was kinda lame...no other shrimp takers or even claps for tricks :/ Oh well, next time I guess.

Mother's Day:

We spent the morning chatting with our wonderful mamas, drinking coffee, and watching the drizzle before heading to walmart and the nex for a much needed router. No internet stinks in a way, but it quite nice as well too. After the rain stopped and my mood improved slightly, we went golfing. I was far from in the mood to golf, but I was hitting the ball decent for the first time this year, so my mood improved a bit. I have been in a funk lately. When a semester ends and a new one hasn't started, I feel lost and worthless. I should be doing something, making money, staying busy, but no matter what I do, I feel like I'm not doing enough. I need to realize that keeping the house perfect is enough right now... It's just hard for a go-getter like myself.

Sunday evening we enjoyed some fresh fruit and a homemade pizza!

It was the first time we used out food processor and we LOVE it! We made pizza sauce with some tomatoes, fresh basil from the garden and lots of garlic! It was delicious!

This wonderful gift came from two wonderful people, Katums and Jason! It just so happened that the very same weekend we used the food processor, a pretty little card came in the mail from Katums! I love getting letters in the mail!

That's the envelope and letter in one! I love it!! She is always finding the cutest stationary!

One final note...I love fresh flowers in my house!!!

Much love.

A Simply Royal Day!

BUZZ! HONK! BEEP! It's 3:45am on April 29, 2011, and I am getting out of bed rather easily... That means one thing...

The Royal Wedding

and tea and toast and PJs of course!

A little late, but proof that I was awake! The multiple text message updates I sent to Ryan, including the photo of me crying are also living proof! He was so happy for the wonderful wake-up texts! hehe!

Let me just say, the hats were amazing! I didn't snap any TV photos of the hats, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of them! I think my favorite one was the black feathered one with a fuchsia and purple flower worn by...umm...I'm not good with names and frankly the only people I recognized aside from the Middletons and the Royals (and only the major ones at that) were Elton John and the Beckhams.

Let me reiterate from my previous post: A man in uniform is beyond SEXY and Prince William, or should I say Duke of Cambridge, was no exception.

And those pants...they are skinnier than I expected. Very European. I like!

Katherine was an absolutely stunning bride exuding pure beauty, an aura of calm and pure happiness. When William snuck a peak at Kate after Harry leaned into him and told him Kate was almost there, and when he saw Kate and told her she looked beautiful, my heart melted. I'm a sap and a true romantic! It reminded me of my Ryan! He said the same thing to me on our wedding day! When she stepped into the carriage, looked at William and said "I'm happy!"...I cried. While I didn't snap any TV photos of the wedding ceremony because I was so entranced, I did get a few balcony ones. I'd like to toot my own horn and let you know that I took all of these live! No pausing the TV and yes, the kiss one just shows my photography skills! hehe!

They are so happy!

Princess Katherine and the Crowds

Drum roll...

The kiss that will go down in history!

While some may think I am crazy for getting up so early when I actually do have DVR, I'd like to say, there is something special about partaking in history in real time. I'm just really happy that I got up and enjoyed it in the quiet of my home. Weddings make me giddy and vivid love makes my heart swell!

To the Newlyweds, I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness from this day forward. On a more personal note, the part of your vows "I promise to honor you with my body" was perfect! Much love, Sarah

After the Royal Wedding morning, I went to school, studied my brains out and nervously decided to donate blood. A little history...the last three times I have tried to give blood, I have been anemic, so I was nervous that that would be the outcome again. Luckily, my blood is strong and I was able to donate! There is something about donating blood that makes me feel like I am doing a little something to help. Well, this blood donating experience was anything, but boring! Imagine a Red Cross bus with four loud, sweet and hilarious black people. Now, image me, the only one patient in there with them. Now, throw in some Philly yo's, a lot of girl, you with me right?, some quality economic talk (that made me feel really intelligent) and an abundance of laughter, loud laughter! It was one of those experiences where you wish you could bottle personalities, so that you can open them up when you are having a dull or sad day and need a little spunk in life. Thanks for a great experience Redd Cross!

The day ended with a little study group, some beers and appetizers at a local Irish Pub, an intense and quite mind opening religious debate, and some headband making! Tomorrow will be much more studying...9 hours of exam writing on Monday and Tuesday...please say a little prayer for me. Thanks!

much love.

Lucky Me!

Ryan and his shipmate in their WHITES! Gosh, I wish I saw him in these on happy occasions more often!

When he is in his whites he always seems to be leaving for deployment or somewhere far from my arms which is never good especially since he drives me crazy in his Tom Cruise whites! I seriously think this is the sexiest outfit he owns! I have dreams of us swing dancing, him in his whites, me in a navy and white polka-dot dress, hair curled and killer heals! Ahh! If only that was reality... Needless to say, I am one lucky girl to be married to this hunk! Love you babe!!

Much love.

Holy Week

Holy Week is usually a time for me when a few extra Masses are attended, decades of the rosary silently recited, gratefulness is expressed, sorrow is felt and love is shared. This past Holy Week was different in some ways and exactly the same in others. Between papers due, classes to attend and finals to prep for, I was unable to attend Holy Thursday services, so it was with great amount of Catholic guilt that I went to the Good Friday service. For me, Good Friday has always been extremely solemn and reflective, but this year was completely different. Different in the there was an offering collection, the priest carried a small cross down the aisle as opposed to the full size one I grew up watching the priest laboriously drag down the aisle, and people didn't leave Church in silence... While it was a nice service, it wasn't what I am used to and I needed and so desperately wanted my traditional Good Friday service. I left a little disheartened, but quickly reminded myself that new traditions and experiences are good. Then I came to the realization that while neither one is necessarily better or worse, one can be better for me and I am a traditional gal.

Saturday was nice! I went to yoga with a good friend of mine, ate tons of ripe strawberries, knocked out a 3o page Econometrics II paper and watched The Ten Commandments while sipping some lovely chocolate flavored vino with Julia! Let me just say, while I have seen The Ten Commandments multiple times, probably 25 times...once a year since my birth...I still love the movie and chuckle to myself when I see the male Egyptians' hair! What is up with that?

See what I'm talking about?

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate the rising of Jesus and happy Sunday to the rest of ya! Easter started off with a surprisingly easy 5:45am wake up. I brewed a pot of coffee, tried on a few Easter dresses and decided to wear a green retro looking dress because it went best with my shoes....

I got them over two years ago and rarely wore them...actually forgot about them until I unpacked in March and couldn't wear them because it has been "winter" season until now. They were a great find for $3 at a secondhand store in Santa Monica and they are my new favorite shoes!!! I love refinding awesome fashion items!

After a beautiful Mass filled with Alleluias and songs that I love to sing, I came home and finished sewing my camera strap cover!


I made the fabric flower and all! It is my first of many camera strap covers and isn't my best crafty work because I am still trying to figure out my sewing machine and it was my first flower, but nonetheless, I like it! It speaks to me and gets my creative juices flowing!

Speaking of creative juices...I decided to enjoy my cup of coffee on my back deck with my camera and new fun strap in hand...

There is something about a clear blue sky and green, o so green, leaves that invigorate me! I love the color green. Yep, I love it! And then I took a few photos of our blooming bushes and of my feet in Oh my heavens, WHITE shoes!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this northern put on white shoes for one split second today because it is allowed on Easter Sunday! They will be safely tucked away until Memorial Day weekend at which time I will wear them proudly...probably with white shorts too! :)

And after heading inside, I kept with the creative juices...

my makeshift Easter decorations...and drum roll please....

HOT HOMEMADE APPLE PIE with a cross on it!!!!

The apple pie was part of dessert for a wonderful lunch that I was invited to! To top the day off, I met a few new friends, had a great lunch and watch Hop! It's a really cute movie! It I had kids, I'd totally take them to see it!

While it wasn't my traditional Easter Sunday of 7:30 Mass, a big family breakfast, a 2 mile Easter Egg Hunt and I mean hunt and a ton of kiddos and family members running around, it was a wonderful Easter Sunday!

Much love.

T.V.

Lately, my guilty and completely emotional pleasure has been watching reruns of Coming Home on Lifetime. While I cry 99% of the time, they are purely happy tears, and we all need some happy tears once and a while, right?! Crying seems to work wonders for me! If I am mad, just let me cry for 5 minutes and I'm a new woman. If I am really happy and totally overjoyed, the tears start flowing and I start laughing and I feel wonderful! What can I say, I'm an emotional girl? And for the record, emotional girls have lots of fun!

Oh, I also have a secret obsession with The Royal Wedding, the People's Wedding, you know Kate & Wills Wedding!!! I guess it's not so secret anymore, but it was for a bit... I have all the shows DVR'd so that I can watch them when I can't sleep, which sadly has been pretty common these days. It could be the fact that I'm a girl whom loves weddings, but I think it has a little more to do with the princess in me that yearns to escape! I mean, my name is Sarah, which is of Hebrew origin meaning princess! (I have hinted to Ryan that I am enamoured by the Royal Wedding, but I don't know if he knows the extent of it...eek!) I love Kate's style, her statement-making hair pieces, her classy, sexy style and to top it off, she's fair skinned and dark haired! Love it!

Anyone else love The Royal Wedding?!?!

Much love.

Weekends.

Loss.

This weekend was an unexpected weekend home and a very emotional one. Sometimes in life you receive sad news and it hits you in a way you don't expect it to. A dear friend of mine lost her father and while I only met her father once, this news rocked me to the core. Please keep her, her family and her father in your prayers.

God saw you getting tired

and a cure was not to be.

So He put his arms around you

and whispered "Come to Me."

With tearful eyes we watched you,

and saw you pass away.

Although we loved you dearly,

we could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

His funeral was a beautiful testament to his life. Many hats were worn, tears shed, Irish prayers sung and hearts swelled this rainy Saturday. The heavens were brought to tears by the love that was shown for such a wonderful father, husband, brother, son and friend. God Bless.

Innocence.

These two little cuties welcomed me after my drive home with eagerness to play. What's better than playing with water guns and pretending to drive the lawnmower? Nothing, duh! Gramma's house is the best - 5 acres, trampoline, digging in gardens, rough-housing with grandpa, seeing awesome Auntie and eating animal crackers and grapes! It was a nice little surprise to have my niece and nephew over, but sadly it was an emergency babysitting session because their grandpa was in the hospital.

Hotness.

It's that time of year again...PROM Season. Since I have never seen my little brother off to a formal dance, being able to snap a few pictures and witness these two cuties for Junior Prom was a pretty big deal for me! They looked dynamite to say the least!

What's prom without a little sense of humor?!?!

Looking good. I have to admit, I don't think I looked nearly that grown-up or put together at my junior prom. If I had the ability to scan a photo of me at my junior prom, you would see that I was white as a ghost with no eyes because I was smiling so wide. I do remember absolutely loving my hair and thinking I looked pretty damn sexy in my black and white mermaid dress, but I know for sure, I looked YOUNG...really young and quite chubby. Luckily, years later I am starting to look my age...kinda... My eyes still get lost in smiles and I get carded all the time, but I'm ok with that.

Diversity.
What's a weekend without a visit to the local Korean food market?? Honestly, it was my first time there and I looked completely out of place because I was one of about 10 non-Korean people in the store, including the 3 members of my family! Oh and I brought my camera in and was totally obnoxious with it, but check out these shots!

I took a ton of others, but I will spare you the fish eyes and salmon heads that look like cartoons and ignited the singing of...

Fish heads Fish heads,

Roly Poly fish heads,

Fish heads Fish heads,

Eat them up, Yum!

Rejoicing.

A big congratulations to Reen for getting 2nd place in her "Education" cake decorating contest! The sky is the limit as you inch towards success was the theme of her cake. She's a talent one! Major kudos to her bf for the coat! Looking spiffy!

Love.
I sure love this man! And his Phillies hat! To the moon and back baby!

Much love.

To the Moon and Back

Driving home Sunday evening, I was enamoured by the full or almost full moon that shone so brightly and almost seemed to guide me. I imagined kids in the backseat asking, Mommy, why is the moon moving? It looks closer now! Are we following the moon? And I was answering with phrases that triggered their interest and made them think a bit harder about their questions. Minutes when by before I realized that I had a huge smile on my face thinking of my imaginary family, and then a childhood prayer came to my lips...

I see the moon,

And the moon sees me.

God bless the moon,

And God bless me.

Amen.

Every night I would kneel by the side of my bed and pray for my parents and my grandparents and my brothers and sisters and my cat who was evil, but I loved dearly and my dogs and for doll houses and lightening bugs and the moon. I always said my little moon prayer. In this perfect reminiscing moment of mine, I decided that I was renaming my blog. The Longer the Waiting, the Sweeter the Kiss is very true, but I don't want my blog of my life to be titled around Waiting. I am living a beautiful, wonderful, spectacular life and while there is waiting and plenty of kisses, there is always love and no matter where my family may be, we are always under the same majestic and mightiful moon, and I will always love them to the moon and back again!

I truly am blessed. Sometimes it takes a lonely drive, some killer tunes, and a great big, bright moon to remind me of that, but I have been reminded... The moon saw me and I saw the moon this part Sunday night!

Much love.