Final 2011 Thoughts

As I think about all that has taken place this year, I can't help but smile 'from my liver'. That is how deep my happiness has gone. I get a little misty eyed over all that has occurred. We have been blessed beyond imagination and an overall sense of peace has been gained. Love has been multiplied through the big eyes of a little boy, Deacon, and through the giggles of two growing girls, Annabelle and Katie Jane. (This unconditional love is awesome, even as an auntie!)

No, not all of 2011 was wonderful but, God has proven, that a home built on a solid foundation will not fall, no matter how many times the devil tries. During disasters and turmoil we will forever cling to His cloak. And for that, we know we are safe.

There was growth and maturity in 2011, but through child like eyes, I have still dreamed. Wanting, wishing, and yearning for more out of myself, my business, my life. I push for more. 2011 has ended with an idea that has been put into motion and has grown legs. 2012, that idea will have a trademark, and with crossed fingers, will be seen by many.

So farewell 2011. You were beautiful! I pray that everyone is looking forward to a fresh new year. With LOVE, LAUGHTER, GOD, and MOVEMENT we embrace 2012!

GO -ING.

Celebrating Women

As I was driving home tonight in the dark, and my bags of groceries riding shotgun beside me, I realized I have truly become who I have always wanted to be. I realized I am full woman!

Why tonight? Why the details about the dark and the groceries. I guess because after leaving the office after 10 hours of work, I made two more stops to pick up a Christmas gift for a friend and items for dinner. Faced with cooking and laundry to still do for the evening. I know many woman know this feeling that Round 2 was just beginning.

I have grown up around some pretty strong women. Though I didn't really appreciate their strength until I became crowned with that same tiara of Womanhood.

So, today I am celebrating women! Here's why.

Our minds race a thousand miles an hour. We are one step ahead of the task we are already doing. Multitasking is not a skill for us, it is a necessity. We work and workout. We clean up and pick up, over and over again. After 9, 10, 11, 12, or more, hours at the office, we continue on with the grocery shopping, bill paying, cooking, laundering, cleaning. We have evolved into changing our own oil, tires, and spark plugs. We mow the lawn and pull the weeds. We take our garden produce in to be cooked and without missing a beat are expected to be make-uped and dressed for a dinner with loved ones. We don't just have households, we are what keeps them running. We organize, re-organize, and finally come up with a better plan that will make us better organized. And, when night falls and everyone is tucked into bed, we set our own alarms to do it all over again in the morning. All of this while battling our hormonal roller coaster.

And the best part? I know I'm not alone when I say this. I made it through by biting my tongue and smiling when I wanted to strangle someone. Aww! Congratulations women! We held strong and didn't kill anyone today!

Luxury

With Mr. Pendergest being out of town I thought I would make this night about me. About celebrating being a woman and celebrating the luxurious things in life. So, all day I was craving this fulfillment of luxury. It doesn't come around too often that I get the desire to shop for 'things' but today it was about an affair between Me and Luxury. Looking for marble. And crystals. Something that had the smell of a new car. A little bling for my girlie night.

No I didn't buy a new car...come on, if you read me on facebook you would know that we just got out of debt...not going back there any time soon! Actually, I didn't buy anything. Just came on home and started my night with just me, and my 3 dogs!

A few nights ago, Shawn and I went over the number of dishes it takes for a dinner for two. Well, 2 pots, 1 pan, 3 plates, 1 strainer, 1 bowl, 1 cutting board, 1 chopping knife, 1 paring knife, 1 bread knife, 1 spatula, 1 wine glass, 1 water goblet, 1 spoon, and 1 fork, I had dinner...for 1. Thank goodness for dishwashers! Fresh herbs, spices, and warm bread filled the kitchen. A luxurious Italian dinner for 1!

Following dinner, I popped in a girl-flick movie (Something Borrowed) and laughed away! Perfectly paired with a glass of wine and comfy clothes!

And this night would not be complete without a bubble bath. 6 candles lit the room. Aromatherapy spread throughout the house. Norah Jones graced me with her haunting melodies of love, loss, and dreams. And yes, luxury was there. With my wine glass sitting on the edge of the tub, my tickle for bling had been satisfied. The candles sparkled off the glass and scented oils felt like silk in the hot water. Bliss on top of bliss on top of bliss on top of bubbles!

What I was looking for all day, I already had. Doesn't that seem to be the case more times than not?

Have a luxurious weekend everyone!

730 days

It wasn't until just about 5 months ago that, when going to bed, it would dawn on me that I'm kissing my husband goodnight. My husband. My. Husband. I know you're thinking, alright this lady has completely lost her marbles. You're wrong. I lost them a long time ago!

For the approximate year and a half before that I knew I was kissing my husband, but whether it is the fact that he and I have gotten so much closer this past year, or the concept of marriage has really begun to sink in, the past 5 months have seemed a bit more filling, complete, and official.


There is not a single day that goes by that I don't believe God has placed Shawn and I on this life journey together for a reason. He has shown that reason several times over in the past, currently in the present, and with no doubt will be there in the future. In a week and a half,  October 30th will be here and so will be our 2 year anniversary. (2 YEARS!!! ALREADY!!! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO??? AND YES I'M YELLING! ) How awesome of an experience a marriage can be in 2 years. Some days hard, some days easy, but everyday filled with love!

'Kissing the bride' took place many kisses ago, but 'kissing my life partner, spouse, best friend, strength, and future' has really just begun!

 

HAPPY (soon) ANNIVERSARY, MY HUSBAND!

Some beach!

Some days you just wake up and say to yourself, "Some beach!" Well ladies and gentlemen, that day for me had come....a long time ago. And with this year being my year, that beach vacation came to life!

Saturday just before dawn, Shawn and I made it to Destin. A long awaited trip for us. Checking into our hotel around 5am, we grab two cold beers from the cooler and a blanket. The only souls on the beach, cuddled and toes digging into the cool morning sand, we watched our world awaken. Half lit and half dark. Half sun and half stars, the next 5 days were ours. And ours alone.

Good morning, Starshine. The Earth says hello!

Not a single minute of internet. Less than a hand full of phone calls coming or going. Our clock was the sun. Our itinerary was peace, laughter, love, and happy hour! Bliss.

We sun bathed, had a constant air show of fighter jets...thanks to Fort Walton Air Force...swam, watched dolphins and sharks, learned about deep sea fishing, ate, drank, met folks from near and far, watched the sunset, and took pictures to capture it all.  

Nephew D

There's someone new. Someone fresh and taking his first breathes of life.

There's Deacon. All fingers and toes accounted for. Two ears now hearing the same things we all are, and two eyes looking at the same things as I am. A wondering and inquisitive mind. A curiosity of what is all around.

Bundled up. Smiling at us smiling at him. A satisfying grin from a full belly or a fart. (What? Did you think I would make this whole thing cute and cuddly? Baby's fart and it makes them grin, which makes us laugh!)

I thought stress relief came from quiet and calm- which it comes from that too- but it can also come from holding a baby who looks up at you with big eyes and a button nose.

Deacon, grow up. Grow strong. But never grow too big to be held.
Love, Aunt Sarah

Pontoonin'

Jump on in. The water's fine!

Nothing will take cares away like the warm breeze off an evening lake! Or, seeing who can swim the fastest. Or, making the arches with water guns. Or, lake photos opps. Or, jumping in with no fears. Or, getting thrown off the tube. Or, having a 4 year old drive the boat. Or, watching the sunset and the water glisten from the moon....Or, or, or, or...

...there's nothing like the lake!

Life List in motion

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." - Henry Ford

 "Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." -Ashley Smith

I could feel, for some time now, something within me was changing. A creative side has been coming out like never before and I'm loving every minute of it! I give full credit to this blog and all the ones I've read the past year which have tapped into a place within me that is now runneth overing! I'm ready to close, but maybe not latch, some doors to my past. I've done and learned a lot for being only 27 years old. I'm ready for more. I'm ready to learn. So, scratching down on paper some time back, I created a Life List of what I'd like to do/accomplish/try/adventure into. When I turn 90 years old I'd like to look back, take a deep breath and say to myself, Damn, that was good.

This is a new phase of life for me...and it is in motion...


'The list' is made of simple, and humbling items. Nothing glorious. Only a few items are on it now, but I am not limiting myself to only these. More than likely I will branch off and explore different territories, turn around back to the original ones, and then branch off again.

Here are my first  're-dos, make-overs, and mess-ups' pieces. Two Adirondack chairs and an outdoor table. After power-washing, sanding, re-stabilizing, and painting them the color of 'Moonstruck', the chairs have become a treasured set! The table got a fresh spray coat of 'Dark Walnut' and new tiles. The perfect set for a lazy, country summer night, a glass of sweet iced tea, and a sweet pup! Sorry, I didn't take any before pictures (I know I should have. I'll know better next time!) but here is the final product.

Ahhh! What an awesome feeling to enjoy something from the work of my own hands! Like my garden, the reward just taste a little more delicious!

A shout out goes to my dad and brother who made these chairs about 17 years ago! They are like new again, guys!

For further adventures, here goes nothing...

babies and cupcakes

2011 must be the year for babies. This year alone I will have attended 6 baby showers. I haven't been to 6 baby showers in the past 10 years! Lots of babies coming! LOTS!
Here are some pics from my sister's second baby shower from this past weekend.

 (needed to show that someone wrapped their gift in a Maker's Mark bag. Like it!)

 And something sweet to go with this sweet baby???? CUPCAKES!!!

Here are some photos showing the progression of the sun and beach! I guess I could have made it more of a 'baby' theme, but I think I was probably in a beach mood when I decided upon the sand and sun!

the mind

Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds.  
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

As our heart is our motor, our mind is our guide. Without one or the other, we will be stalled or lost. Confused and broken down. Left to be aided by a loved one, or stranger. 

What a miraculous tool we hold in our heads. So easily taken for granted and underestimated. 

Much greater than any computer, gadget, medicine, equipment. And so strong it can either kill you or cure you. Strong enough to take away pain. Strong enough to change physical outcomes. Strong enough to do whatever you ask it to do. Strong.

But fragile. Given bad or no attention, the mind will slip. With age, weakness sets in. With illness, it forgets and gets hung up. Easy to lose, and almost impossible to get back. Fragile enough to get tangled. Fragile enough to make you unrecognizable. Fragile enough to make it impossible to remember your children's birthdays and names. Fragile.

The saddest thing I have ever witnessed, is not the loss of a body, but the loss of a mind.  So this is my wish: I wish for more people to shut up and exercise their mind. Stop talking and start thinking. Spend time with your very own thoughts. Strengthen your mind, use it, learn about it. And in return, it will teach you about yourself. It will show you a world of possibilities and endless love.

The mind has the potential to make anything possible as well as the potential to become your worst enemy. Allows us the potential to be free or captive. Mr. Roosevelt, you are right. It is not the world around us that we are prisoners to. We are only prisoners of what has been placed upon our shoulders.

Stop. Think. Pray. Meditate. Reflect. Calm yourself. And heal yourself. 

If you know someone who's mind to going, be kind to them. Love them. Respect them. Care for them. They may not be able to communicate or act like they did once before, but they still have feelings. They have emotions. They have love to give.

Sirach 3:2-6

My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten,firmly planted against the debt of your sins —a house raised in justice to you.

weekend-n-review

The first day of every week I wake up and before I jump out of bed, I stop to think back about the previous weekend. I question it. Scrutinize it. Pretty much just flat out interrogate it. Were you fulfilling? Did you offer rest and relaxation? Did you give me the mental and physical break that I need to make it through this upcoming week? Were you fun and make me laugh? Did you fly by too fast for me to even realize that you were there? Well did you? DID YOU?!?!?!?

9 times out of 10 the weekends will confess and say yes they did go by too fast. They were speeders! Shame on them! But why were they speeding? Because they were offering me fun. Smooth answer, huh? Well...maybe...I was having fun. And this weekend was no exception.

Saturday morning we rose early, (no seriously, super early, at like 4:30am) to head out camping. Sleep would not keep me away from water sports, camp fires, grilled food, and s'mores. Mm mm s'mores. We headed out with our bikes, tent, and bathing suits; well really our car was filled almost to the roof with items. Did I mention I was looking forward to the s'mores? Just checking.

So, I'm not going to give you a play by play of what we did over they weekend, I'll just hit on the high points. We swam in the lake, tubed, rode our bikes, jet skied, ate lots of good food, built fires, laughed, told stories, drank cold beer, and had S'MORES!!!!!  All jam packed in 2 days.

And of course it's not the 4th of July without fireworks. Shawn and I came back on Monday, tired and worn out! To be quiet honest I really thought the 4th would go by with not a single firework seen, but my husband surprised me. Unlike him, he offered to take me for a drive. So we drove, got ice cream, and parked our cars up on a hill. While enjoying a chocolatey dessert, we had a full 360 degree view of colors, lights, and booms!

Yes, Mr. Weekend. You are off the hook. You did offer me fun. You were fulfilling. And you did give me rest, relaxation, and a romantic evening. Any weekend that ends with fireworks, is a good one!

photos

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and I believe them. I think a photo is also priceless.

I'm no photographer, but I sure do love being behind the camera. Capturing life as it's unfolding before me. Telling it's own story. For now. And for years to come. One single picture may only be a fraction of a moment in the past, but it can release a long stream of stories now.

Pictures bring you back. They bring you back to a place and time and experience that even people can't do. It's amazing how a good photo will put a scent in front of your nose or a taste in your mouth. A single dimension, piece of paper will make you feel...something.

They are tangible connections to our Remember When's.

So I'm posting the old and the new.  The one's that make me smile. Make me pause. Make me laugh. Make me get a bit of nostalgia.
Enjoy each of these stories...from my life...