Emotions.

Yesterday, wow I have major mixed feelings about yesterday. It started out with me waking up and being overly anxious. I was thinking about not feeling well and my doctors appointment coming up, the job situation (or lack there of), the living situation (and uncertainty) and I just had the feeling that I am in my last days in Kalamazoo. I was anxious to the point of tears and had I not been with Justin most likely a full on anxiety attack. But he consoled me told me it would be ok, that we would be ok, that the doctor would figure it out, etc. Well on my way home to take care of Bridget I called my dad. We had the discussion about me moving out and decided that it would be Monday July 13th. This was an awful discussion, I think I kept my tears in most of the time, but I know once I hung up the phone I was a sobbing mess. Then I sent out an email to all of my friends in Kalamazoo that I thought might be available and willing to come help me move out that day. Then I sent Katie a message to call me when she got up, I needed company and I knew she would be there for me. She asked me to call Dave for her and tell her we wouldn't be disc golfing today. So I did and he asked me if I wanted more help and I told him he was more than welcome to join as long as he doesn't mind my crying. While waiting for them I looked at the pictures from the day before and sobbed. Ugh, yes I am admitting that I have been an emotional mess. I'm not usually and I rarely admit it, but this has been bad.

Anyways, so Katie came over and we got some boxes up here and went through my cupboards and she took home some food stuff that I won't be using in the next two weeks and don't want to haul home. I found some crazy stuff in those cupboards, like a can of cream of broccoli soup that is old as dirt and sounded like it was full of water. Crazy. Justin called and said he was on his way over to spend time with me and help me pack. He was here for an hour or so, did my dishes for me (I know, he's a keeper.) and hung with Katie and I while I went through stuff and she planned my going away party. Then she had to take off to get to work and Dave came shortly after that. He provided some comedic relief then decided he should go pack his own stuff up. (He is going to Austria for six weeks, leaving Saturday.) So he left and Justin and I packed up some more stuff. We have six boxes packed, taped and labeled and two or three more started. Decent for only one day and the amount of breaks we took.

We decided we needed a break and went to Coldstone and got some ice cream. It was great. Then he had to run to Walgreens so I called Dennis since I haven't talked to him in a while and I needed to tell him about me moving and all that fun stuff. Then we went back to the 409 because Justin needed some stuff and I needed to get the ice packs for my hip. We hung out there for a bit talking to the roommates in 4 and 5.

We came back to my place with all intentions of watching a movie before our before midnigt bedtime, but decided that neither of us would make it through the movie without falling asleep. So we edited some pictures and I blogged and we just talked about random stuff. We made it to bed before our bedtime. We were both so exhausted, having an emotional day takes so much out of me, much more than a day filled with physical activity. Oh well.

I am so happy Justin was here with me and helped me out so much. Really I couldn't have asked him to be any better about it. He's amazingly good at dealing with me crying. (He's far better at dealing with it than I am.) And he kept me on track with packing even though it is the last thing in the world either of us want to happen. Plus, we all know ice cream when I am upset is the way to my heart. (Well he didn't know that, but it's true.)

Here are the pictures:

Day 99:
Justin's face when he saw the date on the can.

Day 99:
he was making funny faces, sometimes I wonder about him. lol.

♥ Sara

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
-From the movie Annie

Bangs.

Yesterday Katie and I woke up in Sterling Heights. We got our showers and Dan cooked us breakfast. Yes, those of you related to me, you can pick your jaws up off the floor. =) After breakfast we headed back to Kalamazoo. The traffic was awful, then we almost ran out of gas, and for what seemed to be the first time ever Katie was genuinely pissed off at me. It was rather scary, but she is over it now. =)

When we got back we went disc golfing with Carolyn and Dave. Katie and I both really suck at it, but it's still fun. I quit around hole 10 because my hip was hurting too bad so I just walked the course with them. After disc golf, we went back to 409 to drop Katie off and so Carolyn could buy a plane ticket. As we were leaving to go to Qudoba for dinner, Krissi pulled in so she went with us.

After dinner I decided to make my hair presentable for the first time in like a month. And I realized my bangs were super long. So I asked Krissi if she felt brave enough to cut them for me, and surprisingly she said yes! I was so nervous, I get nervous trusting my hair stylist with my bangs, but I can't cut in a straight line so I can't do it myself. She did an awesome job on them! Justin got home shortly after that and came downstairs to see me, then Katie got home from church and we all went up to the guys apartment to hang out. More powersphere was played and just general fun was had. Ooh and we ordered Menna's at 2 am. And the delivery guy was a guy I used to hang out with a lot like 2 years ago, but haven't seen him since then, craziness.

Anyhow, here are the pictures:

Day 98:
only Justin would stop mid party and solve a rubiks cube.

Day 98:
i don't remember the last time my hair was all down.

♥ Sara

"Once I completed the Cube and demonstrated it to my students, I realized it was nearly impossible to put down."
-Erno Rubik

Tattoos.

So I just realized the post I wrote yesterday was number 100!!! OMG! I can't believe that I have written that many! And that I am still writing! I know I have had a few days where I have slacked or been super late but still. . . . I really didn't expect to be able to keep the blog up this long. I figured I would succeed [with a couple slip ups] in the 365 challenge, but that the blog would die quickly. I'm impressed with my diligence to be quite honest.

Yesterday I spent the morning with Justin then he gave me a ride back to 409. We didn't bring my car back to my house night before last because of the lack of a headlight. So I went in and harassed Katie to make sure she was still planning on visiting my cousin with me. And she said she was. I told her I would wait for her. While waiting Carolyn came home and we were talking about what we were doing and she said "oh it's too bad you guys are going out of town, I would totally go get my tattoo today!" Well, I wasn't going to let our trip keep us from Carolyn getting her tattoo so I said we would wait. I couldn't believe she was actually going to do it.

So, we went to Body Armor. Carolyn found what she wanted to get [I'm not sure that I'm allowed to tell you guys what she got, she wanted to surprise people and I don't want to ruin the surprise.] and we waited for the artist to get it drawn up and show us for approval. [Katie, Anja and I were with her.] While we waited Katie and I were looking through the panels of tattoos because as most of you know there are a couple I want and I was looking to see if they had ideas for them. I'm not going to get those til I get a job because they are going to cost a bit of money and I don't have that money to spend and I would feel guilty spending my parents money on it because I know they aren't huge fans of tattoos. So anyways, in looking Katie found this panel of star tattoos that she really liked and I really liked them as well. So, in our spontaneous - craziness we decided to get matching tattoos. They are small and on our ankle/heels and didn't cost much. [Sorry mom and dad. I will have told you before I post this blog though.]

After we got our tattoos I called Dave and told him I had to tell him something. [I would have flew to see Justin but he went home for the weekend so his roommate was a close second choice.] So we went back to the 409 to meet him and Blake and show off our new art. Then we went back to my place so I could shower quick and get on the road to Sterling Heights. Katie drove and I uploaded pictures and posted a blog. I love the alltel connection.

We got to Sterling Heights! I was so excited to see Dan and Leah. We had a cookout and get this: KATIE HAD A BURGER!!!! My cousin hunts and it was a venison burger that was his meat and Katie ate it and said she liked it! I couldn't even belive it!! Then we just hung out and talked. His friends played in the pool but thanks to the new tattoos and Dan and Leah's sunburns the four of us just enjoyed the campfire. Then his friends left and they crazhed by 130. Katie and I aren't used to going to bed that early, but in all honesty, the 9 hours sleep I got was simply amazing!!

Here are the pictures!:

Day 97:
Katie and her burger.

Day 97:
computer in car = amazing!

♥ Sara

"[A] genuine tattoo.... tells a story. I like stories and tattoos, no matter how well done, and if they don't tell a story that involves you emotionally, then they're just there for decoration, then they're not a valid tattoo. There has to be some emotional appeal or they're not, to my way of thinking, a real tattoo. It tells people what you are and what you believe in, so there's no mistakes."
-Leo, tattooist, 1993, quoted in Margo DeMello, Bodies of Inscription, 2000

Sleeping In.

Yesterday I woke up at 1, not going to bed til 8 will do that for you. Justin and I ate breakfast at 4 pm. haha. It would have been earlier had he been up earlier! Then we went back to 409 to see if Katie and Dave were ready for the tennis we had promised earlier. Of course, one of them (the more female of the two) wasn't ready. So the guys decided to go play tennis and we went shopping. Then we met them and played, I actually really like tennis. Shockingly, since I still suck at it.

After tennis the boys went to shower and Katie and I hung out. Dave texted me and said he wanted Menna's so I agreed to go with. Once Justin was out of the shower and I was ready we headed that way and had dinner together. And some interesting conversations that won't be discussed here. [They were about Katie and she reads this.]

We headed back to 409 to get Katie and wait for Blake for poker night. Blake finally showed up but he decided against poker night with us. So the four of us played. Dave won and I came in second. After poker we went to bed. It wasn't a super eventful day due to the fact that Justin and I were both incredibly exhausted from the night/morning before.

But here are the pictures:

Day 96:
the pot for poker.

Day 96:
yes, Justin is giving me bunny ears.

♥ Sara

"Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."
-Fran Lebowitz

Police Encounters.

Yesterday was hilariously awesome. I spent the morning and early afternoon hanging out with Justin. Then I spent the day catching up on photo uploading and blogging. He got ahold of me later in the day and asked if I would like to play tennis with him and Dave. Now, you need to understand that I have never played tennis before and when I told him that I was going to play with Katie today he laughed at me. Before even seeing me play, he laughed at me. Ah, crap! But I agreed to play.

While I was waiting for the two of them to get ready Katie came home. So I ran downstairs and asked her to come play doubles with us. She agreed! So the four of us went and played. It was Dave and I against Justin and Katie. According to Dave we won, but you couldn't prove it by me. I just tried hitting the damn ball. lol. I guess I could have been worse.

We hurried back from tennis to get changed and ready to go to Shen's birthday gathering at the Roadhouse. It was packed! I have been to a ton of Roadhouse get-togethers but none as big as this was. After the Roadhouse the four of us decided to go catch fireflies. We caught a few and then decided to just lay in the grass and enjoy the coolness. It has been so hot down here so the cool night was amazing. While we were hanging out there Shen called and she came to meet us with Marc and her brother and friend. They decided they would be playing powersphere that night so Justin and I made a quick trip to my house to let Bridget out.

I had a headlight out, and I knew it. So when we met a cop on the way to my place I told Justin that we were going to get pulled over, for sure. And we did. The cop was rather friendly and told me to get it fixed as soon as I got a chance. No fix-it ticket or anything. We saw two more people pulled over on the way to my house from campus. We made it to my house, let the dog out and then headed back. On our way back we saw three more people pulled over and then there was a cop on my tail and Justin and I joked around about me being pulled over again. And it happened. I told the guy I knew and that one of his friends had just pulled me over on my way to my house. He didn't even bother taking my information back to his car, told me to have a good night and to fix it when I got a chance.

So we made it back to 409 FINALLY. I watched a few games of powersphere. When we got there Carolyn and Dave were playing Marc and Jake. Carolyn was only filling in for Justin for a game and so he jumped in when that game was over. Powersphere was crazy fun to watch. I wouldn't enjoy it, the whole point is to chug beer. After the games were over Katie looked over at me and said "I really want to play 4-square." And ya'll know me, I jumped at it and convinced everyone to play. Bad idea.

So we go out and are playing and all of a sudden a cop comes around the side of the building. He tells us that we are being awful loud. Oops. Well there were beer and liquor bottles sitting on the table and he asked if all of us who had been drinking were of age. All I could think of was the fact that Jake was underage and had been drinking. And the last thing I wanted was him to get an MIP. So when the drinkers went to grab their ids I told Gailey (Dave) to get my purse. Well he came out wearing it and I yelled "Dave my purse matches your outfit." And the cop said "You're the yeller!" I guess they could hear me six to seven blocks away. Oops. Then he was looking at my id and taking down my information and he asked where IR is and I said 25 miles south of the Mackinaw Bridge and he said "Well we aren't at the bridge anymore." Yeah, the cop gave us quite a few quotes for the quotebook and gave me a new nickname. Damnit. But we didn't get anything other than a warning.

We went back inside. I don't think the people that were there are ever going to let me hear the end of being the yeller. We played some rockband and hung out for a while longer. Then someone had the brilliant idea to walk to East Hall to watch the sunrise. So we did. And yes I said sunrise. Shen, her friend, Jake, Justin and I walked up there and hung out til the sun was risen. They left and Justin and I sat there watching for a bit longer. Then we decided that we would go back to my house to sleep because I have air conditioning and no one would be waking us up there. We didn't get back to my place until 730 am. Then we died. I mean slept. lol.

Here are the pictures!:

Day 95:
the ball got stuck there when I hit the tennis ball.

Day 95:
so tired.

♥ Sara

“You can't arrest me, I'm a rockstar.”
-John Lyndon

Beach.

Yesterday was a fabulous day. Night before last Justin brought me home because I couldn't get into my car. The key doesn't work in the door, never has, and the battery in the unlock thing died on me. So I spent yesterday morning with Justin, then started getting ready for the beach. Katie picked me up and we went to lunch together. It was nice to have some time to talk to her before heading to the beach, she couldn't go because of work. =( Then we went to Walgreens and got some stuff I needed for the beach (sunscreen and camera batteries) and a new battery so I could unlock my car. It worked!!!

So we headed toward South Haven. I was packed in Carolyn's car with her and Dave in the front and Marc, Krissi and I in the back. With no AC. Ah, hot. Justin called and I demanded (read whined and begged) that he come with us. Let's see, other interesting stuff on the trip there: Marc wearing multiple hats and doing us a service, Carolyn's badge for work being held out the window at cops and "WANTED" being yelled, Krissi sitting in middle back waving at every car, some lady on a moped going like 10 mph, some old lady in a thong outside topless mowing her lawn, oh and asking "are we there yet?" a bagillion times.

We made it to the beach safe and sound. Justin arrived like an hour later than us thanks to the lovely directions his roommate gave him. We played with the volleyball in the water (Which looking back at it we got insanely excited over something that isn't all that exciting. lol. But it was fun.), threw the frisbee around (I suck), laid out in the sun, and just hung out.

We grilled out at a park up the hill from the beach for dinner. After dinner we went to the playground at the park and played. Everyone else played tag (my hip hurt too bad) and it was infested with little kids who were more than willing to give the big kids up. In fact, one of them had it out for Dave. And Dave called him a meanie when he got caught. lol. Definitely one of the highlights of the day. After the playing was done, we went back to the water and hit the ball around some more. I got out and took some pictures, we all know I can't sit there and watch the sun set over water without taking pictures! Then Carolyn and I walked down to the pier. It was nice to have more time to talk to her. It's so crazy to me that I all of a sudden have three close girl friends (who I live with part time). I've never been good friends with girls.

Anyhow, we walked back as the last hint of light was leaving. Standing on the beach we decided we weren't going out for Karaoke like we had originally planned and to go to my house for a game night instead. My air conditioning was a big draw as it was still 89 when we got back into town at 11. And Justin mentioned brownies and ice cream. So Justin, Krissi and I stopped at Meijer and got stuff for that. We had nine people show up for game night. It was surprising to me considering no one got here before midnight! We played Imaginiff, Mad Gab and Catchphrase. Everyone left around three and I crashed.

For the pictures:

Day 94:
the sun setting as our group was playing in the water.

Day 94:
hanging upside down in the playground.

♥ Sara

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."
-Ada Louise Huxtableen

Crazy Days of Summer.

It feels like Monday was forever ago. I know I have been sucky at keeping this up to date. But I have had a crazy week and it's only Wednesday!! I spent a good hour trying to figure out what I did Monday. I asked Katie and she went to work at 1130 so she was no help. Then it hit me! I spent the day cleaning and getting stuff done around the apartment, and sleeping.

I was supposed to go to the tattoo parlor with Carolyn when she got out of work so I headed over to 409-4 when Katie got out of work and hung out there for a little while. Carolyn wasn't home yet when Justin called at 430 to see if I wanted to go out to dinner with him. So I waited for her to get there until 5 and then I went home to get ready for my date with that boy. We went out to Applebees then came back to my place and I vacuumed so we could have a game night at my house.

Once my apartment was presentable we went back to the 409 and told people about the spontaneous game night, then we got stuff to make brownies. (Justin loves baked goods, this is going to work very well!) I started the brownies in the oven and we enjoyed my nice cool apartment while we waited for other people to show up. Katie came first and we played Sorry Card Revenge. (It's my dad's least favorite game in the world!! lol.) Then Dave showed up. We ate brownies and played Mad Gab, Imaginiff and Apples to Apples. We had so much fun!!

Here are the pictures of the day:

Day 92:
Imaginiff.

Day 92:
late night shit-i-forgot picture.

Tuesday Katie and I decided to go to Olive Garden for lunch then to the park. It was 97 degrees outside according to one of the banks. Craziness. So we ate then we went to Lakeview park and played volleyball for an hour or so. Katie wants to play with us on a Sunday but wanted to make sure she was good enough. I told her before we played that she would be but she wanted to make sure. She was excellent. After volleyball we walked down by the lake for a bit then we went back to 409-4 and showered. We were supposed to go to the tattoo parlor with Carolyn again. But she didn't come home until just before she had to leave for softball practice.

Katie and I came back to my place to hang out in coolness and wait for Margie to go to the movies. Margie (one of Katie's friends) came over and hung out with us for a bit. We were invaded by Mike, my neighbor who stopped by to raid my kitchen and drink my water. haha.

Carolyn, Margie, Katie and I went to see The Proposal. It was hilarious. It was actually funnier than I expected it to be, and less of a gushy romantic movie than I expected, which to be honest, I was happy about. After the movie we tried to make it to open mic night at the Strutt in time to see Chris perform, but we were too late. So we hung out there with the guys for a bit until we came to the consensus that it was far too hot in there to hang out. So we went back to 409 and played some volleyball in the parking lot and hung out.

Photos of the day:

Day 93:
Katie after volleyball.

Day 93:
me after volleyball.

♥ Sara

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."
-Gertrude Jekyll

Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day Daddio!

Ugh. I am writing at 430 am because I can't sleep. I hate not being able to sleep. Watch, I will fall asleep mid-blog. lol. Oh well.

Today was another good day. I am still stressed out about my mom and my job and living situation but, really, at this moment there is nothing I can do about any of the above. I am going to be making some calls on jobs tomorrow. And until I know what's going on there I can't dod anything about the living situation and there's certainly nothing I can do for mom. I talked to Dad today and he said she is just as bad as, if not worse than, she was when he took her in Thursday. Ah, not what I wanted to hear!

I was supposed to play volleyball at two. Well at like 1 I was working on editing my pictures from the wedding and I fell asleep. I woke up at two. Carolyn was online so I said hi to see if she was going or not and she told me to get ready and get there. So I showered (I know, showering before volleyball . . . . I have already been given shit about it.) and got really as quickly as I could. I was only about 15 minutes late! That's impressive. The 409 people played against some people we didn't know. And we kicked their asses. It definitely wasn't the best idea for my hip, but it was fun. After volleyball we all piled into Marc's car (6 of us!) and went to 7-11 for slurpees. I have never had a slurpee taste as good as it did today.

Then I came home and showered and got ready for the rest of the day. I have worn dresses or skirts for a whole week now! I'm thinking next week might be "no-black" week, we will see how I feel about it tomorrow and if my brown swimsuit is here or not. Then I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and headed to my second home (409-4). When I got there Krissi was on the phone with Brett discussing going to the 730 mass. I decided I would be happy to go since I had missed it this morning due to loving being in bed lol. So Krissi, Brett and I went to Mass. The funny part? None of us are Catholic!

After church we decided we were going to watch a movie. Then Carolyn got a call that the Firehouse (a bar) was on fire. So we piled in the car and took off to go see. We got there the same time as the news crew, but right in front of where I would have parked stood Mike, the guy from the bar on Krissi's 21st. So I kept going, went around the other way (saw my neighbors on the way) and couldn't get close enough, so we went back the other way, I filled up with gas and Krissi took a couple pictures. It was much more exciting when we first got there than it was the third time we saw it. lol.

When we got back home the guys (Marc, Blake and Dave) were outside playing four square so I jumped in and played for a bit. I hadn't played before but I enjoyed it. Katie and I decided to go lightening bug hunting. I invited Dave from upstairs and he went with. We were semi-successful. We caught 5. Ended up with three in the container and let them go at the 409.

Then we decided to finally watch the movie that we had been talking about all day. But since it was so late, Carolyn was already in bed and Krissi was headed that way so we couldn't watch the movie we had wanted to. So we decided to watch Tropic Thunder upstairs with Dave. Justin was up there working on his homework, but he quit for the night and watched a bit of the movie with us before going to bed. Then I fell asleep on the couch while Katie and Dave watched the movie. I don't know, it just didn't do it for me. I didn't find it to be all that funny, certainly not funny enough to stay awake for. Maybe I'll give it another shot another day. After I woke up, I talked to the two of them for a bit then I came home.

I am impressed! I made it through this entire post in one night!!

Day 91:
Marc, Blake and Dave playing 4-square.

Day 91:
day 7 of dress/skirt wearing.

♥ Sara

"I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart."
-Adabella Radici

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Helms.

Yesterday was another great day. Still no word on what's going on with my mom, but everything else was fabulous. I spent the morning talking to Katie and Krissi as they got ready to leave to go home. I told them about Justin and I (since they had asked before what was going on and I told them if anything official happened they would be the first to know). Krissi said that it was really good and that I need someone to tie me down. I just laughed. And I think Katie was just as happy for me as I was for myself. When they left to go home I came to my apartment. I did some photo uploading on facebook and then got ready for Sara and Anthony's wedding.

I was rather impressed with the fact that I got ready in like 45 minutes or less. I was so excited to get dressed up, I never have a reason to do so, and I have tons of adorable dresses. (Sara was also excited I dressed up, she made a couple comments about how girly I looked and the fact that she had never seen me dressed like that. lol.) Then I was also excited because I knew I could wear heels and not tower over Justin. Those of you normal-heighted people won't understand this excitement. To find a guy taller than me is next to impossible it seems, but then to find one who is tall enough that I can wear heels and have him still be taller than me is just plain crazy, which he was! =)

Justin picked me up with plenty of time to get there. They got married in a park here in Kalamazoo (out on Westnedge for those of you who live here). Unfortunately, the only person I knew there was the bride. Made for a weird situation when we get there, but that was ok. The wedding was gorgeous. I have pictures that I will be uploading on facebook either today or tomorrow for ya'll to see. After the ceremony we went back to their place for hors d'oeurves. Then we went out to dinner at Bravo! I had never been there before, but definitely approved. Justin and I were so exhausted though, too many late nights out and not sleeping in. I think at this point it had been like 8 days in a row of me not going to bed before 4 am. Craziness. Anyways, after dinner we went back to their house for cake cutting and their first dance. It was great. I absolutely love Sara, she is so cute about everything. After their festivities at the house were over they were going downtown to the bars, but we just couldn't do it, we were so tired.

So we came back to my place and looked through the pictures. I iced my hip because it was bothering me (didn't bother me all day, but once I got home it drove me nuts) and I think we were sleeping before 1. I was so tired and so happy to get a full night's sleep, finally. I am so happy Justin went with me. I had such a good time with him.

Mmk, pictures!:

Day 90 (OMG, 3 months of this already!):
The Helms (Sara and Anthony and their son, Cavan).

Day 90:
Ready to go.

♥ Sara

"When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part."
-G.B. Shaw, Getting Married, 1908

Together.

Yesterday was so much fun. Just what I needed to keep me sane. I spent the morning and early afternoon with Justin. Then I spent some time cleaning up around here, but mostly my mind was wandering and I was worrying about mom and I didn't get a whole lot done. When the girls got home I got ready and went over there. I needed to be around other people to stop constantly checking my phone and worrying about what they are or are not finding in testing.

I had dinner with the girls, hung out and got ready for Chris' going away party (later to be renamed his broing away party). Then Krissi and I ran to the store to pick up some stuff. During this time I had a conversation with the person I was pissed at before. It was the most useless conversation in the world. I was yelled at and blamed for everything that happened. He believes he wasn't at fault at all. Whatever. Moving on to happier things.

We got back to 409-4 and talked to the girls for a bit, filling them in on what happened. In the middle of my rant the guys came down and let us know they would be going to Up and Under to start the night in a bit. So we hung out with Ben for a bit and showed him some of the hilarious videos from earlier this week. Then Krissi and I went to Up and Under. It was fun, would have been better without the annoying bros that kept singing this stupid song before they drank. Justin offered to set me up with one of them, how sweet is that. (insert eye roll here.) Between laughing at the bros, the guys reading my list, Chris' never nudes, and the various crazy things those guys talk about we had a blast!

After the Up and Under we decided to go to the Strutt we got stamped and went in only to realize that no one was getting any drinks so we left and went back to the guys' place (409-5) and hung out. Katie and Carolyn joined us. We spent a lot of time laughing at Blake's fashion show that got geekier as he went and then we played "Never Have I Ever" has to be one of the worst games ever, depending on who you play with.

As the party came to a close, Justin and I were still up talking. We had the "what are we" talk. And we spent quite a bit of time discussing where I could potentially be within the next few months and the fact that I could be living up north. I know that would make our relationship more difficult, but not impossible by any means. So we decided that we are together, as in, in a realtionship together. I couldn't be happier. A couple nights ago we went through my ideal and cannot lists together and counted up how many of each he had. Katie didn't believe me when I told her he only had three of the cannots and didn't have nine of the ideals. She said it was impossible because we put so many crazy ones on there. lol. But it's true.

The photos:

Day 89:
Krissi and Justin bet Blake $1.25 and a lemonhead to drink tabasco sauce.
(the lemonhead was Justin's contribution.)
he didn't do it, would you?

Day 89:
so I realized that I hadn't taken a self portrait yet when I was in 409-5.
so here it is. (and yes Justin is sitting on me.)

♥ Sara

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open."
-John Barrymore

Storm.

I started out yesterday by going back to 409. I had to pick up my glasses and some other stuff. Since I had been wearing contacts the day before I didn't even think about grabbing them when I left. Katie and I hung out and talked for a bit and then I came home. I had good intentions on getting a lot of stuff done but ended up falling asleep while working on uploading pictures.

I woke up around 430 and started cleaning my kitchen and kept working on my uploads. I talked to Justin online and he asked me to go with him grocery shopping and I was in bad need of cat food so I actually had a reason to go beyond just wanting to spend time with him. I mean, I wouldn't want my cats trying to eat me or anything. So I quit my dishes and got ready to go. In the process of getting ready I got a voicemail from my dad telling me that my mom was in the er. She was having severe stomach and back pains. So I was extra happy to be doing something with Justin rather than sitting at home alone.

So we went grocery shopping then came back here and decided to hang out and watch a movie later, but he had to take his groceries home first. So I did a few more dishes. (I had the potluck party last weekend, so ALL my dishes were dirty and I haven't been home all week.) Then we watched Wanted. My mind was no where near the movie. We hung out and watched the storm. It was crazy awesome last night. Dad finally texted me at 4 am. So I called him back and my mom is in the Intensive Care Unit, but that's all we know. They are doing a bunch of tests on her but no word as to what it actually is. The storm got even better around that time. So we watched it for a bit longer. I really can't express how happy I am that Justin was here last night. I would have been a wreck without company, I can guarantee it.

I will keep ya'll updated on Mom's status. I never write about a day on another days post (for example I wouldn't write about this morning/afternoon in this post because it's about yesterday), but I can tell you that as of right now (6 pm) I have no more information than I did yesterday.

Here are the pictures:

Day 88:
the chandelier that hangs in my bedroom over my vanity.

Day 88:
yep.

♥ Sara

"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings."
-Miles Franklin

Yoga.

I know I am getting horrible at getting these stupid things up in a timely manner, but I am still getting them up! I stayed night before last at 409-4. So I got up yesterday there and hung out with Katie and Carolyn for a bit. Then I came home and got showered and picked up Bridget.

I went back to 409-4 and Katie, Carolyn and I walked Bridge then hung out and watched a movie. Watching a movie = Carolyn and I napping and Katie watching. After the movie Chef Katie and her lovely Assistant Bridget made lunch/dinner. I laughed so hard when Katie told me that Bridget was her Assistant Chef and then proceeded to ask her if she was watching the pasta. We ate our tuna helper pasta and then Katie went to work and I took Bridget home and got the clothes I would need for the rest of the night.

I went to More at Midweek (church) with Krissi and Carolyn. It was very enjoyable actually. The music we sang for praise and worship time was the stuff that I grew up on and played in the band at my old church back home. After praise and worship time we did yoga. Well due to my hip injury I originally wasn't going to do it, but the hip was feeling better so I decided I would try it. Bad, bad idea. I was fine for the first half hour or so, but then it got really bad. So I sat down. The instructor felt the need to point out that I was sitting and told me how I could do similar poses seated. Um. I don't think so. It hurt just as bad. Carolyn looked at me and mouthed "don't do it." I don't think she wanted to carry me back to 409. lol. Then we had pizza and went home.

I waited around for the girls to get ready and called Justin to make sure he was still coming with us. He was. But surprisingly I had to wait longer for him and Dave than I had to wait for the girls. We went to Wild Bull, of course. And like an idiot, I rode the bull. It was just plain stupid, with the hip injury and the fact that the new bull operator is out to get me (for real he said "good luck" when he put me on!) I was screwed. I could barely walk back to the table. And on my way I saw Jeff and Nadja (his girlfriend) there. It made me feel so awkward because I would have normally walked up and said hi, but since I was told I'm not allowed to talk to him it sucks. So we went back and sat down and hung out for a bit. Katie and Carolyn left because Carolyn had to work. Krissi, Dave, Dave's friend Lauren, Justin and I were sitting there talking when in walks Mike. Yes, Mike the guy from the bar on Krissi's 21st. Luckily we were about to head out anyhow to go to another bar to watch Chris, another guy that lives in 409 at an open mic night. There seems to be something about everything that could possibly happen to make my life awkward all happpening in one night. And it takes a lot to make me feel awkward!

After we left the open mic night thing, Justin and I dropped Krissi off then headed to my place to let Bridget out for night since I figured I would probably end up staying at409. I ended up coming home for the first time in like 5 nights though. We went back to his apartment (which is also in 409) and hung out with the girls and his roommates for a while. The night was a blast. The highlight had to have been the cone jumping. Marc brought the cone from the parking lot up and they spent plenty of time jumping over that then switched to the microphone stand. It was insanity. But I had a blast.

Here are the pictures of the day:

Day 87:
Krissi.
the picture was too cute not to use.

Day 87:
in Katie's room.

♥ Sara

"A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves."
-T. Guillemets

Playing in the Rain.

Yesterday I got up and headed home (I stayed at 409-4 Monday night). I needed to shower and take Bridget out. After I got those things done I came back and Katie and I had mad plans for movie watching and board games. Yeah, we spent like four hours on Facebook. We have issues. Then I took a small nap while Katie watched some tv. When I woke up Carolyn and one of her friends from work were here. They wanted to play euchure. So we played then they went to softball.

Katie and I had cereal for dinner. We decided we were just going to eat cereal all day. And so neither of us consumed any other food products. Katie, Krissi, Dave and I went and saw the Hangover. It was great!! I loved it. After the movie I neeeded to go home and let Bridget out. Krissi wanted to be dropped off at 409-4 so we dropped her off and went to take care of my mutt. While I walked Bridget, Dave and Katie played on the playground. When I was ready to leave, Katie came up and told me that Dave had lost his keys and we had to find them, and that we needed a flashlight. So I busted out my lovely lantern and we went looking. We looked for at least a half hour. No luck. Quite disappointing. Then some lovely genius (aka me) spotted them hanging on the climbing equipment thing that I shot for my 365 challenge on day three. So we were finally free to leave!! =)

When we got back to 409-4 I had to wait (impatiently) for Katie to change and get ready to go upstairs to the guys' apartment. We hung out there for a while then someone had the genius idea to go play basketball. At like midnight. In the rain. I love the rain! I was game, minus the fact that my hip still hurts and my elbow is fucked up. And Katie and I were guarding each other and neither of us were doing so hot so we gave up and just watched Justin, Carolyn, Marc and Dave play. Finally they got tired to and we went back to the apartment and hung out. Last night marked the fifth night in a row that I was not in bed before 5 am. And I have been up before 10 every single day. Insanity!!

Anyhow, here are the pictures:

Day 86:
Katie and Carolyn

Day 86:
my battle scars.

♥ Sara

“I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain; What a wonderful feeling, I'm happy again.”

-Arthur Freed

Not Worth It.

Yesterday I woke up to Katie's smiling face, again. Katie's smile is like a good cup of coffee, it really start's my day off right. And then when she opens her mouth and I want to shoot myself. lol. Kidding, kinda. I went home and took a shower and got Bridget. I brought her back to 409-4.

We hung out here for a while and then Katie and I took Bridget to the park. Poor Bridget, there was a squirrel there that was thoroughly enjoying antagonizing her. We had all intentions of playing frisbee, but ended up just laying in the sun talking and watching Bridget going crazy. She even climbed a tree over it! It was hilarious.

After the park, we got some food and hung out with Krissi for a bit, then Katie left. I decided I was going to go home as well, take Bridget home and hang out there for a bit. Well I got as far as the car when I realized I had forgotten some stuff (no one's shocked there, right?). So I came back in and got the crap scared out of me by Dave. It was awful! I hate being scared. But he was here to tell us about the "Family Dinner" they were having so I decided to stick around for it even though I wasn't hungry. Then we decided we were going to play basketball afterwards. So I sat and talked to people for a while before I went home and got ready for basketball.

I haven't played basketball since my sophomore year of high school, which seems like forever ago. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until Carolyn and I let our aggresive competitive sides show and I lost. I biffed it big time, tore up my arm pretty bad, screwed up my hip and bruised my knee. But I was ok. I ended up playing a bit more later. Then we played lightening, which I didn't do really well in, but I definitely did better than I had expected.

After basketball we came back to 409-4 and I got changed and went upstairs to hang out with the guys for a bit. Katie was tired so she stayed in. But Carolyn hung out with us for a bit! She actually stayed up until 1215 on a weeknight!!!! This is going in the record books for Kaluzny's life!! =) (I told her I would be mentioning it here.) I had a fabulous night and have decided my war is no longer necessary. I don't care enough. I mean if it comes up and we have a confrontation I will say my bit, but I will not be going after said liar. Karma will get him. I'm not going to waste time worrying about it. I have better ways to spend my time. Ways that I am not ready to mention, but just trust me on this one!!! =)

Oh and I decided that there would be no way for me to quit swearing, so instead I am trying to be quieter. Meaning not as loud, just as a abrasive. lol.

Here are the pictures!

Day 85:
Bridget and the squirrel that was torturing her.

Day 85:
at the park.

♥ Sara

"Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds."
-George Eliot

War.

Yesterday was long, exhausting, interesting and for the most part fabulous! It was exhausting because of all that I did, but it certainly didn't help that I didn't get to bed until almost 6 am yesterday morning and I was awake at 8. I started it off by getting ready and going to Mass with Jake. Katie said she wasn't going to St. Tom's and I was up so I figured I might as well go. After church I went home and changed and went to play volleyball with some people from St. Tom's. It was so much fun! I haven't played any sort of real team volleyball in over three years. I missed it so much. And I was rather nervous that I would suck it up since I hadn't played in so long, but it wasn't too bad. The only really bad part was that I forgot to wear sunscreen. So since I was in the sun for three hours plus, I ended up with a bit of a burn. Oh well. I'll remember next time!

After volleyball, I went to Menna's with some of the people from volleyball. It was so weird going in there during the daylight. I have never been to Menna's before midnight. Ever. Then I went home, showered and changed and went to Katie, Carolyn and Krissi's apartment (which from here forward in the blog will be referred to as 409-4) for a woman's worship group. Then Carolyn and Katie decided to go to 730 mass, so I ended up tagging along. Yep, you read that right, I went to St. Tom's twice in one day. Same sermon, different leader. *Shakes head.* I went from the girl who hadn't been to church in almost a year to going to two services and a bible study in one day. Katie is corrupting me, but I guess in a good way.

When we got home from church we were sitting here talking and I decided I am going to try to stop swearing. I know, right? It had to do with the fact that I realized so many people equate me with being vulgar. Thus far, I have failed at my attempt far more than I would have liked to, but there are some crazy things that happened, or rather were discovered last night, therefore making me feel like I am not only allowed to but expected to be angry. But back to my story. We hung out with Katie's neighbors, Marc (the guy who jacked me in the face with his walking stick, I still have the bruise so I'm still giving him crap about it), Ben and Dave. Then Sally came up and joined us and we realized we had A LOT to talk about and ended up spending the rest of the night in the guys' kitchen or in her room talking about stuff. I am absolutely furious about a lot of it. Ya know, I wrote a blog a while ago on liars (I linked so you could read it if you would like.) and in said blog I said that lying was the worst thing you could do to me. I'm not so sure about that. It might be lying about me is the worst thing you could do to me. I am irate about the situation and not 100% sure how I am going to handle it yet. But the morals of this story are: 1) Don't lie to me. 2) Don't lie about me. 3) The world is far too small and I will find out. 4) I am not nice when I am angry, AT ALL. Ya'll think you have seen my bitchy side, but I can guarantee most of you have not. This time, it's war.

So for how exhausting my day was and the lack of sleep, I didn't even make it to bed until almost 6 am again. Watching the sun rise and listening to birds singing as I am trying to fall asleep is becoming a pattern. lol. Maybe tonight will be different. Maybe.

Anyhow, here are the pictures!

Day84:
the disco ball. looking at it makes me laugh.

Day 84:
in 409-4 living room.

♥ Sara

"Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself."
-Francis Meehan

The Perpetual Black Cloud.

Yesterday I woke up next to Katie's smiling face. Is there any better way to wake up? I don't think so. I took the long journey home in order to walk Bridget. When I am alone I am boring and have nothing interesting to do, so I will fast forward to around 2 when Katie came and saved the day. We went shopping in order to get food for the potluck, and we ran into Mike and Nik, who seemed severely irritated about something or other that may or may not have happened the night before (I can’t remember…anyway)… after that black cloud we checked out and went back to my place. In order to get ready for the potluck we vacuumed, did dishes, made the enchiladas, and attempted to make an umbrella to shield us from the black cloud that took the form of a Red Wings Jar (anytime anyone mentioned the Red Wings they would have to pay us 25 cents). This actually ended up backfiring, it just put the black cloud back into the boys’ heads and they would not shut up about it.

So the dinner consisted of enchiladas, cheesy potatoes (brought by Shana), and Spanish rice (brought by Nik). Everything was very delicious. Dessert was chocolate fudge and coconut checkered cake and cheesecake (brought by Mike). Both were great with a capital G. Not even the black cloud could rain on our frick’n parade.

Poker is the name and lady gaga is the game. Or vice versa. Or not. So the players: Sara ‘Shark’ Parrott, Katie ‘Killa’ Champagne, Nic ‘Neva’ stop’ Chickering, Mike ‘mean streak’ Dean, Jake ‘junior’ Culver. The results: 5^th place because the best hand she got the whole time was a pair: Katie. 4^th place, went out on nothing: Nic. 3^rd place, got taken out by four of a kind when he had a full house: Jake. 2^nd Place, was beaten by a King high flush when she had a nine high flush: Sara. Winner, and the new proud owner of $20, Mike.

After poker we decided that the night was not over quite yet. We started off with some Apples to Apples, which should have been won by Katie because all of her answerers were boss. Next was catchphrase, which got surprisingly (or not) competitive. Last and least was Imagine If, and Katie deservingly won.

The night is over. Goodnight, and Goodluck.

Song of the Day: The Helen Keller Song.

Phrase of the Day: Fabulous.

Peace!

- Written by Guest Blogger: Katie Champagne

I spent quite a bit of time complaining about having to write this blog. I am exhausted. I don't feel like doing it. So Katie offered! Yay! I was so happy the party went so well. I absolutely loved how many people showed up and how much fun we had. I do have to say though that Katie's answers were far from boss. . . . she acquired the nickname "Flipper" through the card game. . . .haha!!

OK for the pictures:

Day 83:
Katie and all the drinks she didn't drink.

Day 83:
I forgot to take my picture and I wasn't happy to be doing so... haha.

♥ Sara

"I believe in poker the way I believe in the American Dream. Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and - when played well, nourishes the wallet."
-Lou Krieger

Happy Brithday Krissi!!

As I was sitting here thinking about what to write it occurred to me that yesterday was much longer and eventful that I initially thought! I totally forgot that I had started my day up north, it seems like so long ago. I got up yesterday morning and packed my stuff up to head back to Kalamazoo. I had an interview at Wayside at 2. I made it in plenty of time for the interview and I think it went really well. If I don't get it, it will be because I'm not experienced enough. Go figure.

Then I went to Walmart and got the stuff to make Krissi's birthday cake. Once that was done, I decided to got to the library, then go clean out my car since I had signed up to be a DD for the party. On my way to the library Katie called, she got out of work early and wanted to go with. So I met her at her place then we went downtown. They didn't have the books I wanted and while in the library we realized I could just borrow them from Carolyn, so I did. (Don't worry I will take good care of them C-Money. lol)

While sitting discussing where we were going to watch the game Katie and I came up with the genius idea to watch it at her place on my TV. So we came back to my place and grabbed the TV (well had the boys carry it out for us) and too it to hers to hook it up. I would have rather not watched it now that I know the result. UGH!

After the game and our cool off time, we got ready to head to the bar for Krissi's 21st!! She turned 21 at midnight! We went to Shakepeare's, definitely ranks in the top 3 bars in Kalamazoo for me. After about an hour, Katie, Carolyn and I went up to get drinks. We may or may not have been joking around about being lesbians and the guy in front of us turned around and said something to the effect that we should. I about died laughing, even though what he said was totally out of line. Then Carolyn left and Katie ordered our drinks and the guy behind me (who was tall and handsome) started talking to me. Well we were talking and Miss Katie left me. So rather than going back to the party spot alone (she went the other way) I went and sat with Mike (the guy) and his friends. They were pretty cool, made me laugh a lot. Then the girls came over and talked for a bit and then we left shortly there after because the bar was closing.

Well, the party didn't stop there. lol. We went back to Katie, Carolyn and Krissi's and hung out for a while. A lot of random, hilarious stuff happened. There were arguments about chipmunks and fish, Katie's desktop backgound, her dog, the disco ball (and whether there is anything inside of it or not), whether candy that may or may not be in the disco ball would be any good, and Helen Keller's senses. It was a great time. . . .to see the quotes from last night see the note on facebook. They are great. Finally at about 5 am, we went to bed. . . .

Happy Birthday Krissi!!

Here are the pictures:

Day 82:
Krissi and her cake.

Day 82:
in their kitchen.

♥ Sara

"The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
-Benjamin Franklin

Still Up North.

Today was my last day of work at the school. I got there on time and the door was locked. So I sat with one of the high schoolers who was waiting to get in as well. It took over a half hour for someone to open the stupid door. Oh well I made like $10 talking to him. (I was on the clock for that time! haha.) My final "students" finished up around noonish.

After they were finished I went down to the Middle School and talked to the principal about the mystery job. (I promise to tell you all about it later!) He had to have the future principal call me but I did get a little more information. The future principal called me this afternoon so I have to make some calls on the job tomorrow. Then I went up to central office and dropped off the sign in sheets and my time card. To my surprise, they cut me a check immediately! I was so happy to get that!!

I came home and hung out with my family for a bit. We watched the Boy in the Striped Pajamas, if you have seen it message me I want to talk to someone about it!! Then I got ready and took my nephew to his ball game. (My clothes weren't done yet and dad offered to finish them for me since he was the one who told me they were all done and ready for me.) I absolutely loved working with my nephew's team again. I can't wait to get life figured out so I can get more involved with kids!

I came back to my parents and took my picture of the day (self) and was waiting for my clothes to get done when I decided I would just stay one more night. I have to be back by 2 for my Wayside interview tomorrow, but that shouldn't be hard to do. For now though, I am headed to bed.

So here are the pictures!:

Day 81:
the school I graduated from and spent the last 3 days working at.

Day 81:
something new and different. lol.

♥ Sara

“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.”

-E.B. White

Kids.

Today was another long day! I worked from 820 til 4. Meaning I read 530+ pages of New Moon (the second book in the Twilight series). I'm sad to admit that I love the stupid stories. After work I came home just to leave again.

My nephew had a t-ball game tonight. It was the first game I was able to make it to, worst part about living so damn far away. For sure. My brother is his coach and I went over to the dug-out to shoot some pictures and somehow ended up in charge of the batting list. So I was in charge of getting helmets on and off the kids and getting them on the field. I was kinda harsh with my nephew at one point because he was the only one ignoring me. Well my chiropractor's kid is on the team and he was helping out and he said "The kids are probably scared of you. They are probably going to go home and say 'the tall bendy goth chick was mean to me!'" So I took a poll, none of the kids admitted that they thought I was scary. lol. They listened to me much better than they did my sister-in-law. That's for sure. Working with the kids made me miss it even more than I did before today, and I didn't think that was possible. I will hopefully be able to start working with kids again soon. =)

After the game we took the kids (my niece and nephew) to McDonald's then came home and had a bonfire. I absolutely love bonfires and love playing with the kids. We took a ton of pictures and played. I love hanging out with them. Then we came in and now they are in bed and I'm headed there myself since I have work again tomorrow. Last day at this job. . . . =/. Guess the easiest job in the world can't last forever. lol. I'm also meeting with the middle school principal about a job here. I'm excited about that. I'll tell more about the job when I'm more certain of it.

Here are the pictures:

Day 80:
my brother is an amazing coach. (with my nephew.)
this picture melts my heart.

Day 80:
waiting for the kids so we can get on the road.

♥ Sara

"Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music."
-William Stafford

Twilight.

Today was the first of my two to three day job at the school. This is the biggest joke of a job I have ever heard of. Pretty much, my job is to babysit the support staff at the high school I graduated from while they do their professional development online courses. I am getting paid way more than the school should be wasting. Whatever, I'm not complaining.

It was so weird walking into the high school though. I vowed when I walked out at graduation that I wouldn't set foot back in there unless a) I worked there or b) I had kids there. I win. lol. But it was still strange. I saw the principal first (who I didn't like when I went to school there). One of the first questions he asked me: "Does your mom know you have an earring through your lip?" My response: "Nope, I wear it to the school but I take it out when I go home. I've been doing it that way for almost a year now." What a moron.

Like I already said the job was over the top easy. I read all of Twilight during "work." The writing WAS awful, but the story was so good. Ugh. I hate to say it but I actually really liked it and had trouble putting it down when people needed help with something. Then I made the mistake of reading the first chapter of the next book that was at the end of the first book. I bought the book after work. (I thought about not confessing that, but decided I had to.) I'm looking forward to reading that one tomorrow and getting paid an insane amount of money to do so.

After work, my mom and I went grocery shopping. Nothing too exciting to report there. Then we came home and had dinner and watched the Wings. They lost! =( Oh well, this way they will *hopefully* win at home on Friday. Unfortunately that meant that Katie and I had to move the day of our party because no one, including us, is going to want to play poker while the game is on!

But now, I am off to bed!! I have to be up early for work again tomorrow.

Phrase of the day: "yea." (Katie and I were talking on facebook chat and she said it about 100 times. haha.)

Here are the pictures of the day:

Day 79:
lady slipper with a bug.

Day 79:
there was a commotion. this wasn't a staged picture!

♥ Sara

"Our relationship couldn’t continue to balance, as it did, on the point of a knife. We would fall off one edge or the other, depending entirely upon his decision, or his instincts. My decision was made, made before I’d ever consciously chosen, and I was committed to seeing it through. Because there was nothing more terrifying to me, more excruciating, than the thought of turning away from him. It was an impossibility."
-Bella Swan, Twilight

(Yes, I just quoted Twilight. I didn't use the quotes I really liked because it gave stuff away. But I love this one just the same.)