#127: Blonde Moments

As I was getting ready to leave work tonight, I had the sudden realization that I lost my keys. Well, I suppose it wasn't really that sudden. More like a dawning awareness as I searched for them frantically and couldn't find them. The two ladies that I worked with offered up some helpful questions:
"Did you check in your purse?"
"Maybe they are in your locker."
"Did you use the bathroom while you were here? Maybe you dropped them in there."
"Sometimes I leave things in strange places. Did you check the fridge?"
"You probably locked them in your car. Do you have your spare keys?"

Well thank you for the words of encouragement. Strangely enough, I did check all of those places before they asked me, including the fridge. And no, I do not have my spare keys. Ironically I lost them a few nights ago and they have yet to turn up (again, I have already checked the fridge).

With no keys in sight, we closed up the store and started walked out towards the parking lot (through Macy's). They made more helpful suggestions as we walked through the mall. Perhaps I dropped them on the way in? Did I stop anywhere before going to work?
Ahh! Yes! I had gone to the bathroom in Macy's before going to work. They both thought it was odd that I would walk to the back of Macy's to use the restroom when we had one in our own store. I just shrugged. I'm having a strange day.

They decided to check the bathroom while I ran outside and checked to see if they were in the car.
Sure enough, there they were. Just sitting nicely in the driver's seat. Well, at least I had taken them out of the ignition. That's the first step, I guess.
I made sure all four doors were indeed locked before going back in. I already felt stupid for having locked them in there in the first place. I didn't need anymore ridicule.

We got a hold of mall security and he said he'd meet us out there. I wasn't certain I would get a lecture for how close I had parked. Apparently mall employees are not allowed to park anywhere near the mall. There is a blue line across the far end of the parking lot and that is where we have been sentenced to die. I mean park. I don't follow those silly rules.
Before he would attempt to unlock my car, he asked me several questions and then made me fill out a piece of paper with my vehicle information on it. I knew that this was the last time I'd be able to park this close to the mall without getting a ticket. They finally had my information.

Then he asked me what year it was. I just looked at him, wondering to myself why he was giving me a sobriety test. I clearly had just gotten off of work. I stated "2011". Him and my coworkers looked at me quizzically. I stared blankly at them. Then the security guard chuckled softly to himself and said "No, the year of the car."
I busted out in laughter, almost to the point of being unable to control myself. I shook my head to indicate I didn't know and managed to say "1993 or maybe 94, I have no idea". I'm sure that was helpful.

Through fits of laughter I said "No, I haven't been drinking officer" and slammed my hands on the hood of the car. The girls thought it was quite hilarious and we all bellowed out in more laughter. Now I was certain he was going to give me a ticket for parking so close.
But he didn't. He man-handled the car into total submission and in a few minutes my driver side door was open. I was impressed. He said that he was grateful for the laughs, that he needed something to get him through the night and he'd find amusement in my "2011" response for quite awhile.
I was slightly embarrassed, but still could hardly contain my laughter. I mumbled something about being thankful and mall cops and hopped in my car.

What a night. A night full of blonde moments!

#126: Still trying to utilize my wedding flowers

I keep trying to find more places to put my wedding flowers. I have so many of them! Fortunately for me, I still really love the colors that I picked. And I think that they go really well in the kitchen (since I painted it). So I found another vase and now the flowers are in my kitchen as well (I currently  have 3 other vases of those same flowers in the living room as well).

#125: My first homemade pizza!!

Today I decided I would be brave. I attempted to make a homemade pizza. And....voila! It was successful. Now it may not win any awards for being the prettiest pizza around, but I can honestly say that it was one of the best pizzas I have ever had! Even Phil said the same thing!
This is definitely a repeat!

#124: Finally all settled in

So everything is now unpacked and put in it's proper place. It took me a bit, but it's all finally done. Here are the "after" pictures:

View when you first walk into the apartment 

 The bedroom area

The Kitchen after I painted it

Phil trying to be goofy and get in my way. He succeeded. 

The living room...without Phil being in the way (it's a little dark, but whatever) 

 The bathroom looks much better after I put a new curtain and these other things in there.

The dining room after I painted. I love it!

#123: Nothing broke in the move...

Well luckily we didn't have any incidents in the move from Springfield to Lincoln. Nothing was broken, everything remained in tact.
Unfortunately, my clumsiness kicked in while I was unpacking and putting things away. I managed to break a coffee mug and also the frame that held the caricature of me and my mom. Fortunately though, I didn't cut up my foot when I stepped on it. Guess I'll just have to find a new frame or something...

#122: Black Coffee

I was going to make some whimsical comment about how I like my coffee like I like my men, but....

Anyway, today I decided to drink my coffee black. That lasted all about 2 seconds. I nearly gagged on the stuff. Turns out, I'm not really a coffee lover. I'm a sugar lover. So I conceded and put in my hazelnut syrup and sugar. I left out any milk or cream. So technically the coffee was still black.

#121: Syrup, not creamer

So I have changed my coffee drinking habits (but who knows for how long). I am using the flavored syrup instead of the creamer. I got the sugar free kind because I intend to start myself on a vigorous diet and exercise program (more diet than exercise though), and I didn't wan to waste a whole bottle of syrup. Phil thought I was silly for getting sugar free. He says that I do this all the time and then I just end up not using it because I don't like it.
Okay, well that's true. And it seems that he knows me a whole lot better than I know myself, because I bought it anyway and then when I got home and tried it, I didn't like it. I even added sugar to it because it just didn't taste right.
When will I learn to listen?

#120: What an Amazing friend I have!

Today Kristin totally surprised me at work. She had texted me and asked if I have eaten yet. I said no, that I didn't get a break because I was the only manager. About 20 minutes later Kristin is standing in front of me. I casually said hello, like I do to all of my customers, before it really clicked that it was Kristin and not some customer. She just held out a subway sandwich and some chips. I was shocked! It was such a sweet gesture! I was so appreciative of her in that moment.
Thank you so much, Kristin, for totally making my day. It was so sweet of you!!

#119: Charms

Does anyone remember charm bracelets? I found these while unpacking my stuff in this new apartment. I had totally forgotten about these. It's like pogs! You forget about the cool things from your childhood. haha! Gosh those things were so popular for a time. I had so many, it was ridiculous(i'm talking about charms, not pogs). I thought I was the coolest little thing to strut into school. My charms were so unique and so awesome. I'm pretty sure I thought everyone was jealous. Looking back though, I'm sure they just pitied how completely ridiculous I was. Me and my charms.

I wonder if those things will ever come back in style? If so, I'll definitely be the cool chick on the block again. I'll just stash my charms in a secret place until that day comes. Watch out townies....Sarah's got her charms!

Such cool charms! Actually, now that I think about it, my Grandma bought me most of these... 

I thought these 3 were the coolest of them all. I was convinced that I was the epitome of awesome because I was a big sister, little sister AND middle sister!

(Let's be honest though, I still think that)

#118: Helping a friend in need

I am the friend in need! I had the daunting task of packing everything up and moving. Poor Phil has to work almost every day, so he really has no time to get anything done. Luckily for me, I have awesome friends. Heather said that she would come over and help me. I knew where this was going....

As soon as she came over she was hungry. She said we couldn't work on empty stomachs. So I grabbed some coupons I had and we headed to our favorite unhealthy fast food place; McDonalds. We had buy one get one free coupons, so we really only paid for on meal. Nice!

Then we went back to my house and ate our unhealthy food. Of course, after our big meal we were too tired to pack anything up. Well, unfortunately for me, I didn't have the luxury of NOT packing. So Heather watched while I packed. And then Kristin came over. Before we could continue packing though, I made Heather read  us all a story I had written when I was in High School. It was quite morbidly entertaining.
But then I insisted we get back to work. In the end, I ended up packing while Heather reminisced about the good ol days when we were younger and Kristin played dress up with all of my clothes. It was an epic night!

All of the food we obtained from McDonalds...

Missing posts

I realize that there are several posts missing. I'm just going to say that this whole packing up and moving thing has been a little stressful. That is my excuse. So yes, there may be a few skipped days here and there. But...that's life I guess. Sometimes life is messy and sometimes I just forget to take pictures. And honestly, sometimes I remember but I just don't care.
Mostly I do remember and mostly I do care. But there are those moments....

#117: My humble abode!

It's official. This is our new home. Well, it will be on Monday the 20th. That's the day we are going to  be completely out of the old apartment. 

At first glance the place looks...well, it looks terrible! It's tiny and the carpet isn't even laid properly, there are holes in the ceiling, none of the cabinets match and the water heater is so small that the plumber said it's actually meant for an office building, not an apartment. 

But strangely enough, this place has potential. I see it in my mind. With some different colors on the wall and my awesome pictures and maybe some new carpet (dad?), I don't think this place will look half bad.

Now...I just need to figure out what colors to paint it....

 View when you first walk in the door. This is the living room/bedroom

 This is looking at the door to the hall and also the bathroom. This is still the living room/bedroom.

 This is the kitchen/dining room.

 The dining room.

 The Kitchen. Obviously.

The bathroom. Complete with a tub!!

#116: More flooding

I guess it's been raining a lot. At least in Indiana. The road was totally flooded when I was trying to go back home. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how deep it actually was across the road, but I decided I would do it anyway. Luckily for me, it wasn't deep enough to cause major distress.

#115: Laundry Helper

Nolan was helping me with the laundry. By that I mean, Nolan kept climbing in and out of the laundry basket as I was trying to fold the clothes.

Update about PMI in Dallas (email I sent prayer partners)

I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement. We had a great trip to Dallas! (be prepared, it's a bit lengthy!)  I can't even begin to explain to you how much we learned and how many amazing people we met throughout the week. It's an understatement to say that we came home feeling tremendously overloaded and desperately aching to just go right away. But, of course, Phil is the rational one and always keeps me grounded, so he pointed out the importance of not just jumping into things because I'm on an emotional/spiritual high. And of course he is right. So we are putting in motion a series of check points for the next couple of months to determine if this is the right fit for us and the right fit for PBT. Let me share with you those check points and then I'll try to give a brief overview of how the trip went (who knows how "brief" it'll actually be, since I tend to be a rambler anyway). Our check points consist of meeting with a few people to discuss our thoughts, our desires, our passions and how they may or may not fit in with PBT. These people have agreed to pray about these matters on our behalf, and then after a period of time, we will meet again and discuss the matters further. We will also be keeping in contact with Nathan Davenport (the recruiter with PBT) and talking to him about this process. We are also considering going on a type of Internship with PBT, but that won't be until next summer. We learned a lot about many different countries and different areas that we could fit into those ministries. We talked with missionaries that are already there, met people that are in the process of going and also those that are still unsure (just like us). We learned a great deal about the organization, their passion for the unreached and Bibleless people of the world and the great need that is still so prevalent.  Throughout the whole week, we gained valuable information and insight and we definitely felt the workings of the Holy Spirit. We learned that PBT is trying to get into places like India and China, but that it's pretty difficult to get into places like that unless you have another reason for being there- say, Business or maybe Community Development (which, coincidently Phil and I have). Throughout the week I just kept thinking about India. It was on my heart and in my mind. I couldn't shake this strange desire and passion to work with the people of India. Nathan said that they have been wanting to take a sort of survey trip there to see what the different needs are and see how PBT might come along side them to meet some of those needs. And then it dawned on me (i'm a little slow at times)! We are going to India in October! How strange that PBT really has no missionary's there, that Phil and I have backgrounds that would enable us to stay in the country, and that we are taking a mission trip there with our church in October! I can't say for sure that going to India is what we will do. We also felt that a couple other places would be great too, and that we could really utilize our gifts and abilities in those areas too. However, God's ideas and my ideas are often 2 very different things. And I'm choosing now to abandon my own ideas and seek instead what God wants for us. Will you please be in prayer with us as we go to God about these decisions! It was an incredible week and I know that it will be an incredible journey as we figure out the plans God has for us. For all of us. Thanks again for supporting us and seeking God on our behalf! We are so appreciative! Please feel free to email me! I welcome thoughts and suggestions, advice and guidance. And if there is anything that you would like us to pray about, please do not hesitate to let us know! In Him, Sarah

#114: Prepare yourself....I didn't get to

This is what we came home to on Sunday. Our kitchen was covered in mold! I closed off the kitchen, vowing never to enter it again, and we immediately contacted our landlord. But of course, he couldn't take our call.

I'm about fed up with this apartment and all of its quirks.

Yes, it is definitely time to move. Luckily for us, we have already found a place. Now if I could only find the time to actually move!

#113: Trolley

This is the trolley that Phil and I took to Six Flags in Texas!

#112: Whataburger!

Ironically, their slogan "There's One Near You" is not true at all. I have never seen a Whataburger anywhere near Springfield, IL. Have you?

Oh, and I always used to call it Water Burger. But now I know...

#111: Phone Booth

This phone booth was down the hall from our room. I thought it was quaint that it was inside the building. And yes, there was a working telephone in there (just not the ones you typically see in a phone booth).

#110: Coffee House Night

Tonight was the coffee house night at PMI. It's when we get a panel of missionaries and they tell awesome stories about their experiences on the mission field. It was amazing! Much better than a comedy club!
Also, there was fabulous coffee and TONS of great snacks.
I took a picture of some of the snacks I was eating. Phil couldn't understand why, out of all the things I could take a picture of, I chose to take a picture of this.
I still haven't come up with an answer yet.

#109: Super Target

Who knew there was such a thing a Super Target?! And why don't we have any of these where I live? I love Target! And I think a Super one would be...well super!

#108: New Bag

Phil allowed me to purchase a new bag (a.k.a. purse) for our stay in Dallas. I informed him that I needed something to carry all of our notebooks and snacks in. I think it was the snacks that got him!

#107: Twin Beds...

Our accommodations at PMI was a dorm room. I'd never shared a dorm room with a boy before! It was odd having two twin beds, but we made it work by pushing them together. Unfortunately though, one of the beds was several inches higher than the other one.

#106: World's Largest Rocker

Today we started our voyage to Dallas! I saw signs for the world's largest rocker a few miles off our route. Definitely worth it!

#105: Wheelie Cool

Unfortunately this one isn't pictured yet. Stay tuned until further notice!

#104: My Old Husband

Phil was pretending to be an old man in the store. He grabbed a cane and began hobbling around the store with that squinty look on his face. How fun it'll be when he really is a cranky old man!

#103: Pencil Machine?

I thought this was peculiar. I saw this at Jake's High School and just had to take a picture of it. We definitely didn't have a pencil machine when I went to school there. Do kids really buy pencils from this thing...?