Project 12: August

So I'm not sure how it happened, but it's already over HALFWAY through September and I'm just now sitting down to write the recap of August. I really just can't figure it out how that happened! 

DATES/TRAVEL

1. Taylor Park, Colorado. Every year Alex's family takes a trip to Taylor Park- a big reservoir and surrounding area that's a few hours outside of Denver. There are a lot of trails to dirtbike, the reservoir to fish/boat in, and just spectacular beauty to enjoy. 

{the view from the reservoir... gorgeous or what??}

We were able to join his family for this trip and it was a great time. I actually enjoyed dirtbiking for the first time, relaxed on a boat trip out on the reservoir, ate delicious comfort food, and played games. I could say a lot more but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

2. Blue Pan Pizza & Little Man Ice Cream. 
If you are in the Denver area, you NEED to try BOTH of these places. If you're not in the Denver area, a promise of dinner and dessert at these places is more than enough to make it worth a trip to visit me!

{It just had the cutest little decorations!}

Blue Pan Pizza is famous for Detroit style pizza. You didn't know there was such a style did you? (Or am I the only culturally ignorant pizza consumer?) If you're like me and don't know what Detroit style pizza is like, it's a square pizza that's cooked in deep dish and the main thing you need to know is that the cheese gets carmelized around the edges. Need I say more? 

{*drool*}

Little Man Ice Cream is famous here in Denver and me and the husband just got around to trying it out. We waited 45 minutes in line, and that isn't atypical. I got a cup of salted caramel pecan amazingness and I'm not going to write anymore because that should be enough to convince you to come try it for yourself. If you need further persuasion let's just say that they offer free swing dancing lessons on Saturday nights and everyone comes and dances outside on their cute little patio (see picture below). It's just the most fun place ever!  

{How cute is this place?? The milk jug looking thing is the actual ice cream shop!}

2. All you can eat sushi lunch date. 
Alex had been wanting to do all you can eat sushi for awhile so I finally agreed to go with him after he offered to treat me out of his allowance money. I was reluctant for a long time for very good reason. If you've never been to all you can eat sushi (usually offered during the lunch hour), there's one thing you need to know- whatever you don't finish you pay FULL price for on top of the fee you're already paying (usually around $15-20 per person). This means that you have to be extremely careful with your ordering so that you don't land up with a whopping bill. 

My first experience with all you can eat sushi was going with my husband (then boyfriend), his brother, and their friend. Me + 3 guys who thought they had unlimited stomach space turned out to be a horrible combination. They ordered wayyyyyy more than we could finish so we landed up sneaking some rolls to the table of military guys next to us, and I may or may not have taken some rolls in my purse to the restroom to flush them down the toilet. I didn't eat sushi for a year after that. 

Now you'll understand my hesitation. Anyway, this time it was only Alex and I and we ordered our sushi carefully and enjoyed ourselves. But consider yourself warned if you ever try all you can eat sushi. 

3. The Piano Guys Concert 

This was a gift to Alex and I from my in-laws and can I just tell you it was uhhhh-mazing! It was at Red Rocks Amphitheater which is one of the top concert venues in the world, it was a beautifully warm night, and they happened to be filming the concert that night for a DVD so everyone was extra loud. 

Their shows are the perfect combination of beautiful music and stunning graphics with a good dose of comedy thrown in. If you don't know who these guys even are, check out The Piano Guys website. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert GO GO GO! 

{Um... HOW COOL is that?!}

4. Travel to Kentucky. 
So this trip is related to my dream as a 15 year old coming true. Last month I said that I would reveal the dream and its fulfillment in September, but certain things that are beyond our control are making me wait about another month to share the news. I'm sorry to keep y'all hanging! Spoiler Alert {because my husband thinks everyone is going to be let down}: I am NOT PREGNANT. 

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. My brother and his girlfriend came and stayed about a week with us. I love having people over, and this really was just the best kind of company. We went Water World (our local water park), Elitch Gardens (our local amusement park), and the local county fair rodeo. 

{We look like the rodeo-going crowd don't we?}

{Post water park excitement}

{My brother and I}

{Aren't they just the cutest?? I'm totally a creeper}

We taught my brother's girlfriend how to drive stick shift (Rose, you did so good!), played hours worth of spades, and laughed at Youtube videos. It was time together with my people and I enjoyed every.single.second.of.it. 

2. A few days after my brother and his girlfriend left, my other brother came into town and spent the night at our place. It was good brother-sister bonding time, AND he played his guitar for me. Win win if you ask me. 

BOOKS & MOVIES 

-MOVIES-

She's the Man. I made Alex watch this with me and he didn't like it nearly as much as I do. Growing up in a house of boys and with all boy cousins except for one, I feel like I can relate to this movie. I was always trying to prove that I could hang with the guys so I find it pretty entertaining. Apparently there's a similar movie put out by Disney channel that is the same story line but instead of soccer the girl dirtbikes... Alex likes that version better. Pfffff.....

-BOOKS-

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I've been hearing for years (literally) that this book is excellent. It has accompanied me on many trips but always got pushed to the bottom of the pile and never got read. Well I can finally say that I read it and it lived up to the hype. 

I finished the book on a plane and thank God the man sitting next to me was asleep drunk (not kidding), because I was quite literally sobbing as I finished the last pages. It's a beautiful story of redemption, forgiveness, and no other book has brought me to such tears. That being said, the story is heart wrenching and I found it hard to read at times because it was so painful. It won't be on my list of read-agains (not many books are on that list), but I'm so glad I finally read it and would absolutely recommend it to anyone. 

SOME FAVORITES

One pot spicy thai noodles is our most recent favorite dinner dish. I am all about things in one pot and this is a winner. But don't be like my husband and use the maximum amount of sriracha sauce AND chili peppers unless you want to die. The night we ate it, I ran with tears streaming down my face and ripped open the refrigerator door only to discover that we had no milk. "Alex, did you drink all the milk?!" Alex calmly replies, "Yeah, there was only a little bit". Me- "A LITTLE BIT IS ALL I NEED." I finished my dinner in misery. The next day the spice had calmed down and it was more enjoyable. I am on an asian kick lately so if you have any asian recipes send them my way! 

This letter written to the girl who wants to adopt (that's me).

One of my previous youth group leaders wrote about the dreaded t-shirt drawer . You know, the one that you and your husband either ignore or fight about. I loved her post because one, it made me feel better that I'm not the only wife that has fought about something as stupid as how to fold a t-shirt, and two, gave me some really concrete insight and wisdom on communication in marriage. 

How was your August? Or do you even remember it because it's almost October? Do you have any good asian food recipes to share with me?? 

How My Dad Made Me the Coolest Kid in School

So, I didn’t exactly hang out with the cool kids in high school. And by that mean I was pretty much cooler than they were a loser. My big things were school, choir, and even though I played sports, I got disqualified from the cool crowd once they found out I didn’t drink.

Oh, and a few other distinct events definitely pushed me more to the you’re-kind-of-not-that-cool bracket. Let me tell you the story of  one of the events that destined me to the not-so-cool realm.

In high school I lived in the boonies. And by boonies I mean 35 miles outside of already-small-town-Colorado. Since we lived so far out of town, I got dropped off and picked up at school every single day… from kindergarten through my senior year of high school. Riding with my dad to school sure beat the school bus… but when you’re a high school senior? Only losers don’t have their own cars (that was me).

One sunny day in April (it really was a sunny day in April) I was waiting for my Dad to pick me up at the high school. I was waiting with all the other uncool kids that still had to wait for their rides as well. Did I mention that I was a senior and almost everyone else I was waiting with was a freshman or sophomore? That just made it an even more enjoyable experience. I was texting on my phone when I looked up and saw a dump truck.

I watched as it pulled up to the curb wondering why on earth a dump truck would be pulling into my high school. The fact that it looked like my Dad’s dump truck made me even more fearful as to why exactly it was pulling in front of my school. The gigantic white and blue dump truck pulled to a stop in front of me, the window rolled down… and my Dad pops his head out the window and yells,

“Sarah, hop in!”

When I realized that it was indeed my Dad. In his dump truck. Picking me up from school. As a senior—I  considered running inside and pretending that he had yelled at one of the other two million Sarahs that attended my school. But then I realized that him sitting in the dump truck would only attract more attention than it already had.

So, I tucked my head down, walked quickly across the concrete, opened the door, and hoisted myself up while simultaneously ducking my head into my lap and yelling at my dad to “Go, go go!”

My dad thought it was the funniest thing he’d seen all day, and after we left the parking lot I started laughing too—about just how ridiculous it all really was.

I probably gained a few loser points that day, but my friends and family still laugh about it, and really…

How many people can say they’ve been picked up from school in a dump truck?! {The picture above is the actual dump truck that picked me up- my Dad still owns it}

Project 12: May

{I worked Memorial Day so Alex came and had lunch with me at the hospital}

Our month of May was super busy, and from the sounds of it, everyone else's was too! May is my favorite month of the year, and even though the near-daily rain was not my favorite, I must say May 2015 was still a success.

DATES

1. The Old Spaghetti Factory. This is probably one of our all time favorite restaurants and we have a hard time trying new places because this place always wins out. They have an old train caboose inside the restaurant and for the first time ever we got to sit in it! We also chose to tip our waiter more than the price of our meal as part of our goal for the year. I definitely don't say this to toot my own horn but rather to encourage you guys to do this next time you go out. It's probably one of my favorite things to do- I kind of feel like I spy when I do it, and it is so fun to secretly bless. Do it next time you go out, you'll be glad you did :)

{It was basically pouring as we took this = bad picture quality}

2. Thunder Valley National (Motocross Race). My hubby loves motocross, and since I've met him I've made an effort to get into it as well. Thunder Valley is a yearly dirtbike race that's part of a national series, and the track happens to be a half an hour away from our house. We were lucky enough to get FREE tickets this year, and I went for my first time ever (Alex had been before). It was really cool to see the races so close up and it was a lovely day to spend outside in the sunshine.

{Notice the rude dirtbiker photobombing us in the background}

3. Water World. This is our local water park and we decided it would be worth it to get season tickets this year. It's a really fun way to spend time with family, spend time in the sun, and the tickets pay themselves off after four times. Our first day this season was May 31st and, though it was a bit chilly, it was relaxing and great to officially kick off our summer! 

{If that pasty white skin doesn't indicate beginning of summer in Colorado, I don't know what does}

DISCOVERIES

1. Those places where you paint and drink are super fun! A good friend from work invited me to go to a place called Canvas and Cocktails. I was intimidated by the thought of royally messing up my painting at some point throughout the night, but I'm actually impressed with how it turned out! We had a great time chatting, and I would totally recommend this for a girls night or date night if you haven't tried it already! 

{We're both named Sarah, and we're the dynamic duo at work. Along with the

 seven million other Sarahs that work on our floor.}

{The painting that we did that night. I love the brightness of it and it's perfect for summer!}

2. Shopping at Babies R Us is fun and gives me baby fever.... for about 3.7 seconds and then I panic as I realize that I don't know what half the stuff is, and then I basically can't get out of there fast enough. 

BOOKS & MOVIES

You guys, I didn't finish a single book in June. I'm slowly working my way through one that is awesome, and I'm only a chapter away from finishing it but I'll talk about it in next month's recap since this post is already long enough. 

-Movies-

This month, I went to more movies than I usually attend in a six month period. It's not normal and please don't judge me. 

Aloha. We watched this on my birthday. It has a lot of famous people and a story line that could have been well done... but it was a big flop. It was a super slow movie, hard to follow, and soooo not worth the money. Alex fell asleep during it. Don't waste your time. 

San Andreas. This movie shaved two years off of my life because I was so stressed for two hours, and my heart was beating a mile a minute the entire time. It was a great movie that kept me on the edge of my seat, but if you're looking for something mellow, this isn't it. 

Pitch Perfect 2. This one was super fun and Alex and I both enjoyed it. Alex liked the first one better and I thought they were about the same. I think the story line in the first movie is better but the singing in the second one definitely wins out. 

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. My youngest brother made it to the regional playoffs for college lacrosse. My parents came up for the weekend and we had an absolute blast. His team won in the first round in double overtime. I don't think I've mentioned it before on my blog, but I love overtime. If a sport doesn't have overtime, it's not a sport worth watching. I am always in the mood for overtime, and  I may or may not have lost my voice I was yelling so loud.

{I swear I told everyone to do a funny face in this picture}

2. My other brother came home after being gone for almost six months. His travels had most recently taken him to Nepal (which you can read about here), and I am so thankful to have him home. 

Three days after he got back on US soil, he graduated college and I couldn't have been prouder. 

{The fam bam}

3. I got to surprise one of my best friends at her bridal shower, and watch one of my childhood friends get married all in the same day. 

{This girl is gettin hitched soon!}

4. It was my 24th birthday and it rocked. I wrote a separate post that is coming up later this week because I love birthdays as much as I love overtime. Stay tuned. 

BY THE NUMBERS

Miles run: 9. Basically I shouldn't keep including this statistic anymore because if I don't have a race to train for, I'm not a consistent runner. My June tally is currently 0 miles in case you're wondering. 

New recipes tried: 1. One is lame, I know, but this quinoa enchilada casserole was easy and totally delish. Try it. 

Number of proud sister moments: 1,345,765. Regional playoffs as a freshman for one brother, and college graduation as a freshman (just kidding) for the other brother, I mean c'mon, how could I not be proud? 

What was your favorite part of May? Have you ever tried those painting and wine places? 

Project 12: April

{Our Easter pic... check out those springy colors!}

It's practically the second week of May and I'm just now posting my April recap... I don't know what happens to the days y'all, I really don't. If you're just jumping into things, Project 12 is a fun way to recap the month. I talk about dates, books, movies, things I discovered, important events, and basically anything else I found important that month. You're also supposed to take a picture on the first day of the month- I've decided that if I get a picture within the first week of the month, I'm going to call it good. Because of mine and my husband's work schedules, I didn't even see him April 1st. So without further introduction.... 

DATES

1. Lest you think we go out on dates all the time, this month is proof we don't. We went out to eat a couple of times and had family in town a couple of times so even though I can't say we had "technical" dates, we still had a blast this month. 

DISCOVERIES

1. Sonic shakes are 1/2 priced after 8pm. Need I say more? If you start noticing that I'm getting chubbier in my pictures it's probably because I am. I blame the Oreo Caramel delicacy that I'm slightly obsessed with. 

2. Hobby Lobby by myself is dangerous. Especially when all their wall hangings are 50% off. I had self control and only bought one decoration for myself. 

{That "Eat" sign is the only one I bought for myself}

BOOKS & MOVIES

-BOOKS-

"31 Days to Becoming A Happy Wife" by Arlene Pellicane. Though the title may be trite, this was one of the best books I've ever read on marriage. I would actually say it's in my top 3 books I've read on marriage. I've been working through it since January (I clearly don't read it every day), and it's been wonderful for my marriage! The thoughts she shares are simple yet motivating. I would highly recommend this to any wife, and have added it to my list gift list for newlyweds. 

-MOVIES-

Insurgent. This was the second movie in the Divergent series and I enjoyed it a lot. I would say that I liked Divergent (the first movie) better, but this one was quite entertaining as well. Have any of you read the books?? 

Furious 6. Alright, so I like all these movies. I realize that they're all unrealistic but this one seemed especially unrealistic. For that reason, I didn't like it as much as the previous five. And seeing Paul Walker made me sad. 

NOTABLE EVENTS 

1. My first half marathon ever! It was an exciting weekend to have all my family up and watch me. It was a gloomy day but I landed up pretty much hitting my goal time which was awesome, and now I don't have to be so strict in my training plan (which is probably a bad thing). For a full recap of the run, head over here.

{These are my people who rock...minus a couple people that aren't pictured}

2. Alex shaved and only left a mustache. He kept it for the weekend and even got a couple compliments on it. I, however, made him shave it off before I was seen in public with him because I don't like to be associated with child molester lookalikes. I am 100% serious. 

{100% pedophile status}

3. Easter (spent with my in-laws) was awesome. We relaxed, ate good food, and played our fair share of ladder ball.

{I sunbathed on Easter. Now I haven't seen the sun in two weeks}

4. My younger 21-year old brother (who has been traveling the world since December 2014) happened to be in Nepal when the earthquake hit April 25th. We didn't hear from him for three days after it happened, and though I am incredibly grateful we didn't have to wait longer than 3 days, I do know that those 3 days were some of the longest of my life. I honestly surprised myself in the fact that I was able to stay calm and trust in the Lord. But I definitely broke down and cried when we heard he was okay. He's supposed to be home in a week to walk in his college graduation and I get teary every time I think about picking him up at the airport. 

My heart aches daily for the Nepalese and I still don't know how to help such a hurting nation. I feel useless even though I know prayer may be the best thing I can do. I hope you'll join me in praying for the families of the 7,500 dead, the 14,500 injured, and the many that have yet to be found. 

{My brother pictured on the right, me, and my husband on top of a 14er last fall.}

BY THE NUMBERS

Miles run: 56

New recipes tried: 2. This orange chicken recipe that I'd been looking forward to turned out totally weird and lemon, parmesan, and ricotta pasta with grilled chicken sounds like a way better dish than it actually is. Bummer dude. 

Number of Sonic shakes drank: You don't even want to know. 

How was your April?? Are you seeing the sun in your part of the country?

Missing in Nepal: Choosing Faith Over Fear

{My brother (pictured on the right), husband, and I climbing a 14er this past fall}

If there's one word that describes my younger 21-year old brother it's, adventurous. When we were kids, he wouldn't dare ride the roller coaster at Elitches, but if it involved mountains, he was out the door quicker than you could put your shoes on. He's the rock climber, the one who climbed a 14er (a mountain over 14,000 feet) in the dark, and is happiest with a camera in his hand and hiking boots on his feet. He's got a God-given gift for photography (see some of his beautiful pictures here  ), a sarcastic sense of humor, and a really severe case of wanderlust. 

It was really no surprise when he told us that he would be taking off for a year long adventure to Thailand and other undetermined destinations. He left December 22, 2014 and has been keeping in contact with us via social media and the occasional text. His travels have taken him from Thailand, to Malaysia, to a million other places I can't remember, and most recently, Nepal. 

My brother has been in Nepal for a couple of weeks, but we have not heard from him since the massive earthquake struck Nepal Saturday night.  Thursday night was the last time anyone spoke to my brother. He said that he and his Canadian travel companion, Casey, were in Pokhara, Nepal and headed out on the Annapurna circuit (a famous Nepali trek) on Friday morning. 

When we heard the news of the earthquake early Saturday morning, we knew nothing about my brother's whereabouts nor plans, aside from the name of the trek and the name of the last town he was in. Casey's (Isaiah's travel buddy) family have done some excellent research and have discovered that Casey and Isaiah need to check in every couple of days at different points along this trekking circuit because they are not traveling with an official guide. We are trying to get a hold of the next checkpoint to see if they have checked in but have not been successful thus far. We are guessing that the majority of this trek is without internet and or phone service. At this point we are hopeful that Isaiah and Casey are okay, and it's more just a matter of them having access to phone or internet to get a hold of them.

That is the update. That is the black and white, that is what we know for sure. What I can tell you that is more than black and white is that the Lord is using this. Using this scary circumstance to grow my faith, and using this as an opportunity to grow the faith of those around me. 

--------------------------------

I was working night shift at the hospital over the weekend and was the first out of friends and family to hear about the earthquake because I was awake during what is daytime in Nepal (they are 12 hours ahead of Colorado time). I NEVER EVER check the news, but decided to hop onto CNN early Friday morning. When I saw the headline stating that an earthquake had hit Nepal, I sat stunned. 

Immediately, my gut reaction was fear. At this point, I didn't even know where my brother was in Nepal. I had no clue if he was in the capital city, near Everest, or somewhere else. I had 8 hours left in a difficult shift at the hospital with sick kids that needed my focus and attention. 

I realized Friday night at 2 in the morning that I had a choice. I had a choice of FEAR or a choice of FAITH. 

There is no feeling more helpless than being halfway across the world watching the death toll rise in a country that is currently home to one of your best friends. But that was it- I was (and am) helpless. No amount of worry, panic, or scenarios created in my mind was going to help me find my brother. So on Friday morning, mere hours after the quake hit as I sat in a hospital thousands of miles from the devastation, I chose faith. 

That night, I trusted that my God was walking with my brother- before, behind, and around him. That night I chose to believe that God knew (and knows) right where my brother and Casey are. Two days later, I am still trusting that my brother is resting in the hand of the ALMIGHTY GOD, and that's really what matters most. 

Now, lest you think, this choice  of faith has come easy, let me take you back a few years. Fear has been one of my biggest struggles. My junior year of high school, I began having nightmares of my parents and brothers dying. I remember talking to my youth leader at the time about it, and wondering how on earth I would ever not be afraid again. Would I always fear? 

The problem continued through college- I remember weeping in front of a sweet lady at a college retreat as she stood at the altar ready to pray over me. Through tears I explained how every day I was panicky with the fear my family dying. She reminded me of the sovereignty of God and that He does not want us to live in fear. Over and over I heard things that I KNEW, yet couldn't wrap my mind around enough to eliminate my fear. 

In 2013 I started my job as a pediatric nurse, and began to see horrible, tragic things on a daily basis. And interestingly enough, that is where my healing began. 

I began to see that I could choose to live in fear, or I could choose to live in faith. I could worry and fear that one day when I have children that they will be born with many disabilities, or worse, not survive past birth. I could live in fear that should I deliver a healthy child, that 8 years later they would be diagnosed with brain cancer and be given months to live. I could live in fear that my brothers, friends, or future children would one day be in a car accident, and their lives would change forever as they lived their life out as a paralytic or in a vegetative state.

Or I could choose to live in faith. I could choose to live in faith that the Lord counts my steps and walks alongside me during my days. I could choose to believe that the Lord would send his angels to protect me and my loved ones from harm and tragedy. I could choose to believe that even if tragedy befell my family, that Jesus would be carrying me, holding me, and never letting go. 

And I realized- I wanted to choose faith. But I also realized that faith will always be the harder choice. 

The choice of faith requires self discipline, prayer, and steadfastness of the mind. A choice of faith requires diligence, requires focus, and most importantly demands reliance upon the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. 

The choice of faith was and is still hard. Each time I pull up Nepal on Google and feel my heart start to beat quicker, I have to choose faith. Every time I see the death toll rise and my palms start to get sweaty, I have to choose faith. 

The most important thing I can do is pray and choose to believe. Choose to believe that God is with my brother and Casey. Choose to believe that God is holding each and every one of the beautiful Nepalese who have witnessed their mother, father, child, or brother die in the last 48 hours. I can choose to believe that in the midst of chaos and disaster and tragedy that there is Jesus and there is peace. 

I am playing my Jesus music as loud as I can, reading my Bible as much as I can, and reminding myself over and over of the promises of God. I am meeting with friends, laughing, and going about my day. Because it is in these things that I am reminded that I have a God who is looking over my brother and all those who are missing. It's not my job to worry and fret because I know that they are in the best hands possible. 

TODAY, I CHOOSE FAITH OVER FEAR. 

Today, in what do you need to choose faith over fear? I pray that you have the courage to do the hard thing- to choose faith, and to not give Satan the victory of trapping you in worry and anxiety. Choose Jesus. Choose peace. 

** APRIL 27th UPDATE: We heard from Casey's parents (who were able to message Casey this morning) that he and Isaiah are safe. We don't know much else but that they are safe in the mountains. Thank you for your prayers!**