Mike and Sarah

List form... comin atchya... 1. Mike had an extended weekend full of quality "guy" time in Wisconsin. They do this every year, usually at the end of the summer, but this year they decided to wait and make a late fall/winter getaway out of it. We're both thankful for mild weather making for a smooth trip there and back. 2. Once the guys weekend was on the schedule (back in October) and called my mom to see if she wanted to make a trip south for a girls weekend. She agreed and arrived on Friday afternoon. We spent the entire day shopping on Saturday and were very productive indeed. Again, I'm thankful my mom had a smooth trip here and back. 3. We saw Footloose on Friday night! My mom and I were really excited (and I'm sure you can imagine Mike's disappointment over missing this event... i kid, i kid) and I'm happy to report, it was highly entertaining! Maybe it was us, we have a soft spot in our hearts for movies like this, but we thought it was great...

Depsite the minor glitch in our plan to decorate for Christmas last weekend (just kidding Ojash, you're not a glitch... hehe), Mike and I redeemed ourselves Monday evening. We were excited to set up the decorations but, to be honest, it was a bit lack-luster. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time putting everything in place. What's not to love about setting up for Christmas with Christmas Vacation playing in the background? ( "She wrapped her damn cat." baahahahahaha) Upon completion, we realized three things... first, our Christmas set up looked all too familiar so I pulled out pictures from the past and this arrangement is in fact... the exact set up we had in our old apartment (picture courtesy of Christmas 09, our first as a married couple, awwww ) second, we are in desparate need of a new tree, because it's so teeny-tiny, which finally led us to the obvious conclusion that we are actually in need of ne...

I was really looking forward to this weekend. Mike and I were planning to decorate for the holidays, I was looking forward to a little bit of everything (you know, a little bit of sleeping in, a little bit of gym time, reading, you get the picture). It was going to be great. Then on Thursday we received a phone call that told me our weekend was going to be like nothing we could've ever prepared for... it was going to be epic ... because this guy was heading north, to our home. Oh yeah, it happened. He booked a last minute flight and arrived on Saturday night ready.to.go. (In case I didn't mention, he moved all the way to Clearwater Beach, FL last June and we miss him like crazy.) Ojash's trip was a mix of business and pleasure, he's looking into a possible relocation but also... he misses us like crazy too =). awww It was ahhhmazing to be able to hang out with him and the second he arrived, it was just like old times. Words can't even descri...

The Key To a Woman's Heart Listen up fella's, I'm about to bring it in for the real thing... Our house has a decent sized storage area in the back of the basement area. We love the space but over the last few months it's become a crazy catch-all space for random items who do not have a specific place. In short, it was in desperate need of some organizing. Despite my feeble attempts at mentioning, "this weekend I'm going to organize the storage area," the organizing never happened. Until last week when I came home to this... I realize this photo doesn't do a great job at capturing depth perception, and I don't even have a before picture to compare this to but here's a brief rundown: you can access everything easily, and there are now "zones" for specific items such as Christmas decorations, sports items, and camping gear (to name a few) All of this was completed by Mike, without being asked, and within an h...

I'd like to bring November, and my time to proclaim thankfulness, to a close with... all the small things ... here goes: I'm thankful for the kisses I get every morning when Mike leaves for work I'm thankful for the introduction of Pinterest in my life because, truth be told, I find an hour on Pinterest much more inspiring than Facebook (Facebook is losing it's touch with me...) I'm thankful for IKEA for offering fine home furnishings at affordable prices (just wait until I show you our new curtains...) I'm thankful to live in our neighborhood because it's unlike anyplace I've ever lived I'm thankful for home improvement stores for showing me a side of myself I've never known... the side that squeals with inner excitement over new door hardware ;) I'm thankful for FaceTime on iPhones because without it, we wouldn't have been able to give our best bud Ojash a virtual tour of our new home I'm thankful for Glee for the way ...

Today (and everyday really) I want to express my sincere gratitude for my main squeeze. Even though we haven't the slightest clue what the years ahead will bring, I take comfort in knowing our navigation skills have only improved over time. We make a pretty great team and for this... I'm forever thankful.

(25) I'm thankful for a beautiful sunny day on Thanksgiving... even though I spent the day enjoying the comfort of my snuggly clothes surrounded by four of the people I love the most. (26) I'm thankful for the great state of Minnesota, even though I have another home I love, one state away. (27) I'm thankful I have a husband who can find a way to pass the time while I enjoying a museum exhibit... even when it means sitting at a table all by himself =). Picture Recap: It was uncharacteristically warm this Thansgiving for MN, my mom even enjoyed a book on the deck! On Friday, we all ventured to the Minnesota Historical Museum to see 'The 1968 Exhibit' which was very cool. My mom and I spent a long time reading all there was to read and the boys finished earlier than us. Mike found a spot at the 'Arts and Crafts' table and killed some time making himself a groovy peace necklace. So sweet. #28- I'm of course, so ver...

This photo includes two new things I'm most thankful for today... the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving TwentyEleven in the making and the smell of this wonderful meal throughout our home. What a wonderful day. 

#17- Chocolate Chip Cookies- Aside from the obvious, “they are oh-so delicious,” chocolate chip cookies actually hold a special place in my heart for a few reasons. My mom and I used to make chocolate chip cookies together completely from scratch when I was little. No real rhyme or reason as to why, to me it was just when the mood struck, we’d hit the kitchen. My mom had the recipe memorized which always amazed me and she always let me eat some of the dough which was a special bonus treat. Now, I make cookies in our home and Mike goes crazy for them =). Not only am I thankful for the fact that any chocolate chip cookies in our home are in fact made by hand from scratch, but also that they make me smile. #18- Marrying an English Teacher- As a girl, I never fantasized about the man I’d marry. I fantasized about our wedding, our home, our kids, but the actual face, personality, and qualities never occurred to my young imaginative mind. Mike and I were young when we met so I didn’t ev...

Today's array of thankfulness may sound a bit redundant for those who tuned in last year but, as it turns out, even a year later... I'm still very thankful for all of them =). #14- Have I mentioned how much I love Harry Potter? Seriously, I do believe somewhere during the 5th book I began one of those "I feel like I'm in a relationship with the character they call, Harry ". Awkward as it may sound,  it's so completely true and my feelings haven't faltered to this day. Although this is a repeat from last year, I do feel it's slightly appropriate to bring it back around again because the final movie was released on DVD last Friday. We now have the complete set of both books and dvd's. Over the next few years I'd also like to build our listening library because nothing makes a road trip more exciting than listening to Jim Dale read these absolutely wonderful stories. So I say, as I've said before, Ms. Rowling, I thank you for your 7 strokes o...

#10- Veteran's Day serves as a nice reminder to take a moment and thank those who serve our country. Last summer I attended a welcome home ceremony for men and women who spent the last year serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was so powerful and a wonderful reminder that there are family members everywhere who go about their business day in and day out while a loved one (or loves ones) is over seas. To the Veteran's and those currently serving, thank you . #11- Mike and I spent our Friday evening with a great friend attending none other than... Wicked! This is Wicked's second time touring in Des Moines. I was lucky enough to go the first time around with some girlfriends and loved it! When I saw it back on the line up for this year I knew I had to see it again, and Mike agreed to see it too. It was phenomenal and reaffirmed my unconditional love for live theater. I'm thankful for every part of it, the sets, the lighting, the dancing, and the actors... I...

#9- Today, I'm thankful for my new job. It's certainly been a big transition but in the past two weeks I've started feeling as if my new job is simply routine . For one thing, I'm experiencing flexibility I've never known before. Most of my days begin in an elementary school somewhere in the district. On those days I have to be diligent about arriving on time, but days where I'm just in the "office" are flexible. If I arrive within a certain "window", it's all good. I can also use the restroom anytime I want , if I have to be gone for some reason I have the option to work from home (though this is rare), and I never have to write sub plans. Anyone who is or has been a classroom teacher can understand what a luxury these items are and, truth be told, these were the hardest things for me to get used to. Aside from my new freedoms I'm also finding my new position to be challenging and enjoyable. It's the exact change I hadn't rea...

We realized we made a big rookie mistake as homeowner's this morning... we don't own a shovel . Mike had to take two showers after "shoveling" our driveway with a pushbroom... man we're awesome. =)

#8- Making New Friends: Mike and I are preparing to head over to a friends house to celebrate, well... Tuesday! Mike has made some wonderful new friends through school and we've been lucky enough to spend more time with them over the last few months. It's been so fun for us mostly because they are all around our same age, single or married with no kids, and always up for a good time. I'm thankful to have them as friends, and equally thankful the feeling is mutual (so far... hahahah). I found this quote on, where else , Pinterest and found it to be quite applicable to todays thankfulness. Source: weheartit.com via Sarah on Pinterest It's so true and such a great message to pass along and, because my mind always goes to the children , to teach young ones.

#7- Today I'm thankful for my health . I'm a little embarrased it took me 6 days to express my thankfulness for my health because I feel it's at the heart of everything else I am thankful for. I was pretty lucky to grow up in a home with a very healthy outlook on food and exercise. We ate when we needed and we always had food available, but our days never revolved around food, ever. I also grew up eating breakfast every.single.day. Still, at the age of 27, I can't go a morning without a bowl of cereal, period . I never really realized how much this would help me in my adult life but with everything you hear these days about kids, obesity, and fast food, I now understand how lucky I am. On top of this, I'm also one of those really weird people who enjoys going to the gym (just to be clear though, this has not always been the case). I tend to be pretty hard on myself when I have days in which I literally do nothing (like yesterday...) but I try to remind myself that...

#5- Today, I am thankful for having fabulous friends who I've known, and have known me, for years. As I've gotten older I've realized how lucky I am to still have so many of these friends in my life. Yesterday, we all gathered in Ames for a Reunion Tailgate ( just like last year ) and I'm still always so pleasantly surprised with the ease at which we all mesh. Events like this are filled to the brim with squeals of joy, bear hugs, and general life updates and I love every minute of it! We're not a hard group to get along with when your tailgate includes great food, beer bongs, flippy cup, and dance parties that spill into the street. What can I say, we certainly know how to throw a party.  Oh, I just love them so much =). #6- Comfort Movies: I realize the phrase Comfort Food is widely recognized but I do feel the word comfort can be inserted before many nouns, like movies in this case. Mike and I were obviously moving quite slow today due to our mar...

**Did I ever tell you about the time I was in the middle of a writing lesson with my first graders and I was writing a story about Mike and modeling how to sound out the word Mike when out of no where, from the back of the room, a goofy six-year voice says, "the mikest errrrrrrrrrrrr ," just like a comedic tv announcer or something of the sort. Hands down, top five funniest moments of my first grade years. (PS- FYI I'm not currently modeling how to properly structure a sentence because I clearly broke all the rules about run-on sentences above.) Ok, back to our regularly scheduled thankfulness... #4- I'm thankful for Mike's job. He moved to a new school last year (2010) and really wasn't sure about the change or adjusting to a new staff and school. He and I realized quickly after school started, this was the best thing that could've happened to him. He's in a place where's he's truly challenged every single day and, in turn, everyone makes...

Oh wow, did you know it’s November? Between days like this.... and temperatures in the high 60's and even hitting 70, did anyone see this coming?! I sure didn’t! Yet, here we are just a mere 21 days , until Thanksgiving!  yes, you read that correctly In the spirit of the almost upcoming holiday season (unless you consult local retail stores, which have been in the spirit since approximately the 4th of July) I thought I’d bring back the ‘ol 'Month of Thanks 'I started last year. In truth, I believe taking time each day to consider all you’re thankful for to be a lost art. The least we can do is take one month of the year to count our blessings. In true blog form... I’m a bit late to the party (which is so unlike me in real life, hehe) so I’ll play catch up in this post. #1- I’m thankful for my brand spankin new kitchen! But more specifically, our brand new, virtually silent, and totally effective dishwasher. Oh man, I know this makes me f...

Did you know Einstein defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? I personally believe that last night I began to prove him right. Allow me to set the scene: Last week  I saw this and decided to jump on the band wagon. So, last Saturday I headed to Hobby Lobby with the mission of finding the exact supplies needed to participate in the challenge found above. I should've known things weren't going to end well when I couldn't find any of the supplies I needed so I decided to create a spin-off of my original idea. "You can totally do this, it'll be fine. Just find supplies that'll work and it'll still look great." The events leading to this crazy thought process was my first mistake. Fast forward to Monday night: Mike leaves to play poker with some friends and I get down to business. My project included some alphabet stencils, a blank white canvas, and some paint. That's all you really need to know ...

Our weekend included... - A Friday night wedding, which was beautiful - Enjoying a live band with an eclectic group of friends - Mike leading his soccer team to a win by scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes, yay Mike! - Stocking up on supplies to hopefully complete this little project on time - Baking Fun-fetti cupcakes for our gathering of friends Saturday night - Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning - Hosting a gathering with many friends and a little flippy cup tournament, what's a party without a flippy cup tournament?! - Enjoying a slow and lazy Sunday - And finally, watching scary movies while we passed out candy to our very first trick-or-treaters! We never had any trick-or-treaters in our apartment so I was really excited to finally pass out candy! I also realized I'm still adjusting to life as an Iowan because here in Des Moines, the kids go trick-or-treating on Beggar's Night (the day before Halloween) and they have to tell you a joke before they are given thei...

and do a sexy dance. I'm still dying over Adele's not-so-new-anymore album. My favorite song of the moment is this little gem... It's the song and beat that makes you want to break out in your sexy dance... am I right ? I feel as though she had to have been chaneling her inner Nancy Sinatra as the tone resembles These Boots Are Made for Walkin... and that's a sexy dance kinda song too. Enjoy the clip and never be afraid to get your sexy on .

Readers, do you ever get the blahs? This past weekend I was struck with the blahs, and struck bad. No motivation, no sense of urgency, no inspiration, not even an ounce of interest in creating a to-do list only to feel the satifsfaction or crossing items off the list (which usually always gets me!). Nothing, nada, zero and frankly, I was no fun. When I asked Mike if he noticed he said, "oh yeah, but I was really hoping you'd just figure it out for yourself and that way I wouldn't have to be involved at all... you can be a little unpredictable when you get the blahs," and by unpredictable he means crazy woman. Awesome So, I've focused efforts over the last two days on figuring out how to un-blah myself. Monday night I had drinks with great longtime friends, last night I met a Grad. school friend for coffee, and tonight I made a delicious dinner for Mike and I to enjoy. It felt great. A step in the right direction. While cooking dinner I also stumbled upon ...

I now interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging to digress about a guilty pleasure I've allowed myself to enjoy since Grad. school... can we please take a moment to discuss The Real Housewives of New Jersey? Oh it's just so, so bad right now... like a terrible disaster you just can't resist staring and gawking. I was literally clenching my face while I watched the reunion because of the tension between Teresa and Carolyn. I totally saw Carolyn twitching and placing a smile on her face to hide everything she was thinking and wanted to say. It was awful ! I had flashbacks of last season's reunion with Danielle but I never expected to see these two going at it. Okay, I digress. I apologize for those of you who do not waste your time  watch this show (but for those of you who do, click here to read a bit more about the scandal... come on, you know you want to). At this point, I'm not sure I'll watch the 4th season (who am I kidding, I prob...

Alternative Title: This Weekend I Lost My DIY Home Improvement Virginity I did it. I bit the bullet and began my first project in the new house. And the coolest part was... I actually finished it too. Here's the rundown: What : I decided to paint two of the doors in our lower level. One was a closet door and the other leads to our utility/storage room. Why : Aside from the completely tacky hardware that was gold, silver, and chipping away; the door itself was in desparate need of some good 'ol tlc. Let's zoom in, shall we? Blech! How : First, I spent about two weeks perusing DIY websites like this one ,   this one , and this one. I used some advice I received in Grad. school about researching, "you know you've read enough when ideas and concepts begin repeating themselves." After visiting these three sites about 9 times each I felt confident I knew all the supplies I needed and the steps I needed to take. So ...

Whoah, long time no speak write! So, how've you been ? I hope you've been well. What have we been up to, you ask? Well, let's rewind... We had a fantastic time with the greatest ladies (+ one husband in the mix) in the world. We said Cheers to a great weekend with a glass of Passion Pop, an Australian sparkling wine (long story short-  all four of us ended up in Australia and one point or another during our friendship past and loved us some Passion Pop! as adults though, it is super sweet! Our pallets have deadened matured over the years). We showed our guests from the north a good time and, for icing on the cake, they did not have enough nice things to say about our new house. The best compliment came from Leah's husband who woke up Saturday and said, "I feel so comfortable here, it's like I feel at home." That still makes me smile =). It was a feel good kinda weekend. The type that makes you smile for the rest of the week and, wh...

I know it's only Tuesday, and the fourth day of the month, but I'm literally bouncing off the walls for the month ahead. Here's a rundown: This coming weekend: My best friends from MN and Chi-town are coming to visit and to see the new house. I'm like a kid awaiting a trip to Disney World... I can't wait   to see these ladies! To prove my excitement, I'll show you some pictures from the last time they came to visit... Truth: To curb my excitement, I've been looking at these since Sunday night and it only makes me more excited... is it Friday yet?! October 15-16: Mike and I get to enjoy Friday off due to conferences and the best part about this is, I don't have any conferences to prepare! It's crazy to think this bi-yearly staple is no longer part of my routine, but I have to say, the level of calm I feel right now is a welcomed change! Also, Mike is going to kindly allow me to come out to celebrate the end of conferences with his teacher f...

This weekend we welcome the Pentek clan to the humble abode. We had a few goals in mind when we planned this weekend... #1- Housekeeping Items ( duh) Mike Mike's dad was so kind to complete the trim work needed in our kitchen. Ok, Mike did help a bit and, actually, by Sunday Brian was even sprawled out on the kitchen floor measuring for the under cabinet trim... what can we say, it's quite an inviting place =). Now the kitchen is really finished (are you tired of hearing reading that?) #2- Attend Mike's Soccer Game It was an absolutely beautiful weekend so we were so happy to attend Mike's adult league soccer tournament. The game ended in a tie and I awarded Mike the Most Handsome Player award... he dominated the category =). And #3- Watch Iowa State beat Texas on Saturday night which, sadly , I don't have a picture of because it never happened. True to form, the good 'ol Cyclones couldn't hold themselves together to acheive fou...

It's hard to believe our house hunting adventure happened just a few months ago... it feels like we've been in our house for much longer. Our days living in our downtown apartment also feel like forever ago. All that being said, combined with the fact that our kitchen is done, I think it's safe to say we're settling in quite nicely. Speaking of settling in, here are a few of my favorite things... Although I loved the open concept in our apartment, now that we have a great kitchen with an area to eat we actually both sit down for dinners most nights of the week. I'm enjoying this shift. It was never on either of our initial "what we want in our first home" list, but we're both loving our private backyard. I do realize I may be whistling a different tune in a few weeks when I can't move my arms from all the raking we'll have to do... oh well. One item that was on our list was having two full bathrooms and ...

Mike and I had a three day weekend this weekend and a very special three days it was. Mike's oldest friend got married on Saturday. We had so much fun and but the best part was catching up with great friends who now live far away. We're so very lucky to have the friends we do. Here's the same group of handsome young men at our wedding... awww.... cute , right?! I sadly do not have many pictures but I actually have a good excuse this time... I was asked to handle the FlipCam the lovely bridge and groom purchased just for the occasion. Don't worry, I made sure to capture the speeches, the first dance, and of course... marriage advice from people who aren't married (truth be told, they were the only people around me at the time I thought it'd be nice to add marriage advice, turns out, when you combine a lot of wine with video camera-ing... that's what you get... tehe) 

That's right folks, I haven't completed one book... I've completed two in the course of four months . I have finally finished The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo trilogy and oh.my.gosh. These books are amazing but are also, surprisingly, hard to discuss. I shall do my best... I'm sure those of you who have finished these books can agree, you can't really talk about the second without talking about the third. If you remember, way back when, I discussed the first book in this series and really had a hard time getting into it. The first book is pretty slow but it is absolutely essential for the books that follow. In the first book we meet Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist and learn bits and pieces of their past and how they come to know one another. The second and third books pick up right where the last left off. In the second book you learn everything  about Lisbeth which helps answer many questions about her character. Lisbeth is a young woman who doesn...

Allow me to introduce... our new, finished kitchen. As for the acte final ... there are cookies in the cookie jar.

Want to know a secret? Mike and I are secretly training for the Des Moines 1/2 marathon. Why secretly? Because neither of us is actually certain we're going to make it all the way. We've both attempted this before and failed, miserably . Therefore we decided to try it again, together, and not really tell anyone we were training except for anyone reading this now... but I know you'll keep our secret safe because you're awesome like that. Anyways, so far so good. Compared to the last time we trained, we're both doing considerably better hmmm, marriage must be good for your health, ha! . We ran 8 miles today and, although our legs are wondering what the heck we're doing, the run went really well. This, however, is the tricky thing about training for marathons... you have times where you're totally confident and then boom you head out for a short run and feel as though you're a 30 year closet smoker whose lungs are about to collapse ( am I right, or am...

you've got some 'splainin to do! You know you're a homeowner when your conversations revolve around dishwasher drama . It sounds sad but I'll tell you something... this bad boy pictured below has been a complicated and very expensive mess for us to figure out. The positive in this situation is that we got a freakin steal of a deal on this baby. We keep reminding ourselves of this as we realize the first time we may get to use it is when we're preparing to sell this house! (i kid, i kid) The first issue we ran into was the lack of electrical wiring for a dishwasher. This was remedied yesterday (as mentioned in my previous kitchen update post). While it was an easy fix, it was not inexpensive... but it was fixed nonetheless. With Mike and I on the verge of a huge sigh of relief , we turned on our newly installed dishwasher and... it.doesn't.work. grrrrrr After about an hour on the phone with the geek squad, they were able to send someone ...