Camping Adventure

For the long 4th of July weekend, Deo and I decided to go camping up in Big Lake. We thought it would be an inexpensive way to get out of the heat and have a mini-vacation. And boy were we RIGHT! It was our first camping trip together, and despite the higher start-up costs of building an adequate camping supply, we had a GREAT and RELAXING time. We left on the 3rd and got in right as a thunderstorm was just rolling in. We quickly set up our rain-proof camp-site. After getting everything up, the rain subsided, we started a fire and cooked some dinner.

We woke up bright and early (5:00am) and did the usual for the weekend: started a fire, cooked food, gathered wood, chopped wood, repeat. Every morning we would also take our dogs out to this big, open field and just let them run off their leashes which they have never done before. Hannah was great and would stay right by us and come when we called her. Toby, well...he's a different story. So we ended up tying him up to a 100 yard long rope so we could easily grab him if he got too confident.
Here is the view of Big Lake from our camp-site!

We would also take our dogs on hikes around the lake. I was really worried about our dogs as they can be a little high maintenance at times, but they LOVED it and were so good. I was so proud of them being good little campers. I'm glad that I know we can take them with us now. They even liked to dip in the lake a little bit.


It rained pretty much every day and every night at some point. I loved it and welcomed the rain. I slept so easily with hearing it on the tent-top and it was just so refreshing and cool. We were forced to spend some time in tent playing Speed and reading. The dogs, however, got quite frightened with the thunder. Here's Toby hiding in our sleeping bag. The 2nd to last day Deo's parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece came up and camped out with us for the last night. It was fun to hang out with them and make yummy foil dinners. Here's our sweet little Malorie in the morning.
Our camping adventure was over but we are definitely anxious for our next one! We're talking about trying to get to all the National Forests in Arizona. One down!

And lastly, here's a picture of how Toby would torture us traveling in the car by sticking his little nose through the squares of the kennel. If you know Toby...this won't surprise you!

Closet Gangsta

So one of my friends recently wrote a blog about being a closet hippie. On my way home from work today, I had my windows down and was bumping my N.E.R.D. CD. Usually, when I'm blaring any type of rap or hip/hop, I close my windows and turn down the volume as I approach a light. It got me thinking...I'm a closet Gangsta. OK...so not really...but I do have a love for Gangsta music. I know, I know...I'm a white girl from Ohio with no rhythm. I guess it started in High School when I really started listening to it. I used to hang out with a lot of guys and most of my best friends were male. So I guess it was just inevitable. I love the beats and trying to learn all the fast-tonged chorus'. I am always super self-concussions listening to it alone in my Honda Element (can we say yuppie?) with Big Tymers, Jay-Z, or Snoop blaring over my speakers. Or when I'm listening to it on my computer at work and someone walks in and I quickly hit the Function-PgDn keys to mute my beats. But today was different. I was inspired by my friend to not care what people think and to not judge a book by it's cover. So I proudfully stopped at a red light and didn't even make an attempt to put my windows up. I shouldn't be ashamed by it and I won't anymore. Hello my name is Sarah, and I'm a closet Gansta. What you know about Bone Thuggs - OHIO represent! :)

Brown Note

So I've heard of an C-note and even an F-sharp note, but this is the first I've heard of the Brown Note. All I know is that would be one stinky street! I'll make sure to stay home...eww.

Good Writer

"Good Work. You're a Good Writer." This is the most recent feedback from my Teaching Assistant for my online Self-Management class on an article review. For the longest time, I have always catalogued one of my weaknesses as an inability to write well. Basically, going through High School and College, I recognized the fact that I was not the best writer. Maybe it's because I always scored higher in my Math classes than English, and I assumed that if I was good at Math I would have to be bad at English. Additionally, I never enjoyed English, writing composition and the like. However, somewhere in the midst of "learning" I think I learned to become a better writer. Although it might not be evident in my blog rants, I have been getting increasing feedback from my graduate school professors about my writing skills and it has just started to sink into my consious confidence. The only reason this is even notable to me is that this is an area in which I recognized a weakness and actively worked at strengthening it and can now see results. Honestly, I can credit it to my English 101 teacher my first semester at the UofA, and one of my team mates in my Marketing capstone senior year. Both people helped me become a better writer, which my grad grades are now thankful for. It makes me want to start actively working on my other weaknesses now that I know I can make an effort to change and see results.

Nothing to Blog

So I've been getting harassed about updated my blog. I must admit, I am not the best blogger. First, I don't really have anything to blog about. Second, I am not creative enough to come up with any cool, readable blogs. Third, I'm not good about updated it when I can think of something to blog about.

Whenever I sit down and peruse through my list of favorite blogs, I can't seem to think of anything to blog about. I work and go to school. Lately, that's all I feel like I do. I've been getting stir crazy by not doing anything...well...anything with my life lately. So instead of waiting for something cool to blog about, I guess I can just blog about just that. These are top three things on my mind right now.

1) Summer graduate classes suck! Although it is nice getting the class over with in 4 week...that's right only 4 weeks...it's very tiring for me to have to go to class 2 nights a week for 5 hours. And because the classes are accelerated that means that we typically only have a week at most to complete our homework. All I know is I'm glad that this is the only summer I will have to take graduate classes (at least for a long while).

2) Balancing life while in school is very difficult for me. I am the type of person who has to get things done immediately after it is assigned. So when I have homework due, it looms over me like a dark cloud until it is complete. Trying to devote adequate time to my studies seems to take precedence over most things in my life, which I need to work on. It's difficult for me to balance this with my personal life...of which I do not have right now. Right now I'm trying to juggle a new work out routine, a new marriage, a new dog training program, 2 classes and family life.

3) There is a silver lining to this dark cloud. Soon I will be finished with school (May 2009!!!) and then I can redirect some of my energy to other things I want to do. I really want to have the time to devote to my working out and getting in better shape. Scrapbooking. Dog training. Decorating my house. The list goes on.