Namaste

Last summer, I was completely addicted to yoga. I was going to a class at least five days a week! Then I got fourteen stitches put into my hand, and that sort of shot down my yoga dreams for a while. But the fire in my heart has been re-lit, and the yoga passion is back for the summer. I'm stoked! I start classes June 1....so I'll be sore for the next couple weeks.

Oregon

We just got back from the coast tonight...and I am exhausted times 10. We went with about 10 other people and had an absolute blast! Our trip felt much too short, however.

We left Friday night at 11:00 p.m. -- yes, that's P.M. We drove almost 8 hours straight, and arrived at the beautiful oceanside at around 6:30 a.m. We didn't even stop at our campsite -- we went straight to the beach, sat in the sand, and cracked open some Coronas. Awesome.

The first night we were there we spent most of our time at the beach -- we ended the day with a bonfire right next to the ocean. So cool.

On Sunday, we went to Cannon Beach, and Cape Cod. A few of the guys spent the day surfing -- I spent most of my time searching for and poking sea anenomes. After Cape Cod, we drove over to Tillamook -- where the cheese factory is. We literally ate so much cheese that we made ourselves sick -- and I got stuck in the car with our lactose intollerant friend Josh. (Let's hope he doesn't read this.)

On Monday, almost everyone headed back to Idaho, but Matt, Amber, Mike, and I weren't ready to be done -- so we made a spontaneous trip to Leavenworth. Mike said it would take 2 hours to get there -- it took 11. (And yes, we got lost at least 4 times.) Even though it took FOREVER to get there, we got to climb in one of the most amazing areas I've ever seen. And we experienced some seriously good sushi in Seattle at Blue C Sushi. (Food is way better when it comes from a conveyor belt!)

I'm excited to be back, but I certainly do L-O-V-E going on vacation -- especially to the ocean. I'll post some pictures soon.

New Song

I learned this song today, and am now presenting it to you via my high-quality camera phone. Enjoy the first 27 seconds ('cause that's all I can record.) My amateur guitar skills sound even worse on the camera phone....just plug your ears.

Tyrone

Last night, Matt surprised me with concert tickets to Tyrone Wells. We met Tyrone at U of I a couple years ago, and fell in love with his music. Apparently, he's from Spokane, so he played a show at the Big Easy in the midst of his tour.

The people at the bar were SUPER loud last night throughout the entire concert...until Tyrone played this song:


You could hear a pin drop after he was done. So cool.

Before he played the song, he talked about it's meaning...the fact that we will all die one day, and the things that will matter then are not the things that we think matter now. He talked about living a life of forgiveness and love, and he talked about the fact that we will all one day meet God.

Anyway, I felt like God really used him last night...it was neat.

He's way talented...check it out.

http://tyronewells.com/


P.S. This song was played at our wedding:




One more...just for kicks and giggles.

Bob Marley cover:

About Me

An explanation of my "about me" section:

Every time I try to write an "about me" paragraph, I end up deleting everything I type. I can't explain this...but I think it's because of my strong aversion to cliches. So, when I sit down to write an "about me" section, I'm constantly frustrated by the fact that I can't communicate or explain who I am in one or two paragraphs without sounding cliche or arrogant.

Does that make any sense at all?

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about:

A typical "about me" paragraph (exaggerated for effect):

Hey! My name is Sarah, and I just graduated from the University of Idaho with my B.S. Ed. Woot! I love to camp, hike, kayak, rock climb, swim, hang out at the lake, hang glide, snowboard, raft, bungee jump, sky dive, scuba dive, backpack through the alps....in general, I love to be outside. And more than anything, I love to laugh! I am a pretty laid back person, and I get along with EVERYONE I meet. Most of my friends say that I'm one of the sweetest people they know. I try to keep that in mind, because the modeling business can really turn you into a mean person!

So here's what I hate most about these silly paragraphs.....they sound like sales pitches. The typical "about me" section just seems so self-absorbed. People always sound so wonderful in their paragraphs....but if they were honest, their "about me" sections would start something like this:

I pretend to like the outdoors to impress boys on myspace and old friends from high school, but I really prefer getting my nails done at the mall and shopping for shoes. Also, I spend most of my time on Myspace, so there's really no time for being outside.....

Ok, my rant is over. But just know that I will continue to refuse to write an "about me" section.

Unproductive

Today, I did absolutely nothing productive....and it felt great. I woke up at 11:30. I drove around spokane for about an hour and a half listening to the radio. I wandered around Mountain Gear without a purpose. I bought a new phone charger. I drank some superb coffee. I seriously thought about going for a run. And now, it's 9:00 and I'm ready for bed.

I normally hate ending the day feeling like I got nothing done, but I haven't had a day like this in FOREVER. It was surprisingly refreshing.

It's back to work tomorrow morning. Woohoo!

Working....in 3 months.

Sooooo....... (drum roll......)


I got a job! Hooray!

I am way excited...I got hired at Hayden Meadows Elementary to teach first grade. I am so glad that the interview process is OVER. I hope I don't have to go through that EVER again. Yuck-and-a-half.

Sometimes I'm shocked when what I want and what God wants for my life actually line up....usually I seem to be a little off. (And thank goodness, because what He has planned is always way more than I could imagine.) But I couldn't be more excited for where He has me next year.

On the same note, I've been thinking about how easy it is to praise God during times like these...times where I seem to be "blessed." What I fail to realize is that God is constantly blessing me....I am blind to it so much of the time.

So, I want to praise God in good times, in bad times, and, most importantly, in the "blah" times....the times in my life where I simply go through the motions, and nothing is necessarily good or bad. Those are really the times that I seem to get stale in my faith.

61 words

Thoughts on Hebrews

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
--Hebrews 4:13

Right now, American Idol is on in the background and I'm reading through Hebrews. So this post is coming from a combination of those two things.

The verse above really stood out to me as I was reading. Sometimes I think the best thing that could ever happen to me is to have my sins broadcast on national television for all the world to see. Honestly, it's so funny that we think we can "hide" our sin by appearing to have it all figured out. Frankly, my life is a mess sometimes, and God knows it. Yet I continually try to pretend that it's not. Who am I hiding from?

"For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness."

Phone Phobia

Somewhere between high school and now I have developed a phobia. It sounds ridiculous, I know...but I swear it's legit. Whenever someone calls me, I get so anxious that I cannot bring myself to answer the phone. So I tell myself, "I'll call them back later today....after I hear their message." This is for two reasons. If they do not leave a message, then I know that it was not important, and that I don't have to call them back. If they do leave a message, I can find out if they are "just calling to talk," in which case I also can choose not to call them back. In the case that the message is important, and that I am forced to make a phone call, I spend hours or even days cohercing myself into making that call. I LOATHE talking on the phone.

I can't explain where this came from. It has gotten progressively worse over time, and I continue to worsen. It's not like I get a panic attack when the phone rings....but I definitely get super nervous, and can't bring myself to answer it.

I have looked into this briefly....I found some information on the internet about social anxiety disorder and a few other things....but I'm not really sure that's what the issue is. I am (for the most part) fine in person. I tend to be pretty outgoing, and usually don't get nervous. It's the added element of the phone that starts to cause problems.

What's wrong with me? Does anyone else have this disease?

I can't stop...

Just a few more pictures that reminded me of my graduation night...why do I think this is so funny?

I graduated from Hogwart's

Found this picture on the internet....multiply the guy on the left by TEN and that's what everyone on the stage at my graduation looked like. Haha, so funny.

Sick and Bored.

I ate a bunch of fruit last night that had been sitting out all day....not feeling so great today.

On another note, I graduated last night. It was honestly one of the most boring things I've ever done. But, I got to sit between my friend Ray and my husband (because we share the same last name, of course.) :) SO that was exciting. We laughed so hard when we walked into the auditorium because the stage looked like the set of a Harry Potter movie. Our vice provost was holding this huge scepter-like thing, and our president had on this medieval beret and a HUGE gold necklace with three medallions that were bigger than my hands. On top of that, all of the other faculty that were on the stage had their PhD's, so they all had hoods on their gowns. It cracked me up. I really wish I had a picture. Maybe I can find one on the internet.

International Buffet!

I have to share this story about one of the kids in my class. Let's call her "Angela." So, the other day, Angela (who is a rather heavy-set young lady) walks into the classroom SUPER excited. She literally could not contain her joy...so I asked her what was up.

"Why are you so excited Angela?"

"Because..." (dramatic pause as she begins turning red with excitement) "...we are going to INTERNATIONAL BUFFET TONIGHT!"

I have never seen anyone get so excited about the International Buffet. It made me laugh.

Done!

Just got home from my interview....and it was a disaster! I wanted to RUN out the door by the time it was over. Oh well...maybe next time will go better. At least I have that first one under my belt. I can use it to learn from.

The position that closes tomorrow is the one I'm really hoping for -- kindergarten or first grade. So hopefully I will learn from today's disastrous interview and land this next job.

Whoo! This is stressful.

Interviewing

My first "official" interview is today...is it strange that I'm not nervous? It's for a thrid grade position in Coeur d'Alene. I really have my heart set on a position that I'm interviewing for later on, but this area is so competitive that I have to take the first job I can get. So we'll see what happens. I know I'll end up exactly where I'm supposed to be.

I'm pretty excited about having the day off. I really need to clean the house at some point....