Life Update

Hey everyone! Sorry I left you all hanging, but I have just been so busy lately! Unfortunately I think my blogging days have passed, but I did want to leave you all with a little update on my life in case you were wondering where I disappeared to! This past month has been absolutely incredible. I went to New York City for a week, Chicago for a weekend, had visitors in Pittsburgh, and finally started my job.

I absolutely love my job so far. The people I’m working with are incredible and I feel comfortable with them already. I can tell that I’m going to make some great friends and I’m so excited about that. I feel like it is the perfect fit for me and I cannot wait to develop my career here. Also, I seriously love wearing suits and professional clothing, so that’s a lot of fun!

In other news, I’m having so much fun spending time with my friends. Basically, life is perfect right now. It’s about time too! I had more than my fair share of struggles this past year, and things finally seem to be falling into place. I really could not be happier right now.

So, yeah, that’s the news with me. I want to thank everyone for your incredible support over this past year. I have made such amazing friends and I greatly appreciate every single comment I’ve received. Even though I won’t be posting anymore, I’ll still be around, so stay in touch!

Thanks again, for everything!

Live, Laugh, LOVE,

Sarah

RACE!

Well, it’s official: I’ve been bit by the racing bug. I ran my very first race today–a 10k, and I am in love. I had so much fun and as soon as I finished I began thinking about all the other races I want to complete. 

Today was such a fun day, I met up with a fellow blogger Michelle, and finished the race in 59:36. I felt great the entire time and could have kept running–it was awesome! 

Here are some pictures:

Well, I had to get up waaaayyyy too early for a Sunday so I think a nice nap is in order, then some Fathers Day festivities!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD-I LOVE YOU!

Fun!

Wow, what a fun and exciting week it’s been. I’m finally back–exhausted, hungover, sunburned, and still feeling like I’m on a rocking boat, but it was so worth it. I want to be back right now in the hot, gorgeous weather instead of the dreary clouds that I’m used to here in Pittsburgh.

Here are some cruise highlights for you:

We sailed on the Enchantment of the Seas through Royal Caribbean. It was a pretty big boat:

Full of not-so-big rooms and even smaller bathrooms:

We played BINGO but unfortunately didn’t win any money. I did however walk away with an awesome BINGO stuffed animal. I guess it was a consolation prize.

First stop was Key West. I pity the fools still in Boston.

It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather the entire trip was sunny and hot—just what I like. I determined that I really need to move somewhere warm because I’m just so much happier when I’m not surrounded by clouds and cold.

We made lots of new friends on the trip.

I spent lots of time reading out on the deck. It was so peaceful.

What’s a cruise without drinking? I had a chocolate martini which was absolutely divine. It tasted like a milkshake!

Next stop: Cozumel. We boarded a speedboat and went about 30 minutes out to a private beach where we biked and snorkeled, layed on the beach, had a Mexican feast, and I got to practice my Spanish with the hottie tour guides. They loved me–I think they were just intrigued by how unbelievably pale I was-I’m not sure if they ever saw someone so white before, haha.

We also saw Mayan ruins:

The water was gorgeous:

The crew was great and they left us fun towel animals in the room:

The waiters even sang and danced for us:

It was a great vacation, and while I was sad to come home, it was ok because I had some celebrating to do! Yesterday was my 22nd BIRTHDAY!!! I got back to my house around 7:30 pm and got started on an interesting night. I had a birthday drink with my family. My cousin, who is an under 3-hr marathon running training for an Ironman was in town and wanted to go for a quick run with me. This is where the poor decisions of the night began, but, hey, that’s what birthdays are all about, right? 

After my drunk 20 minute jog sprint, I came home and showered super-fast and hit the bars with my friends. There I spoke the famous last words: “But this long island iced tea doesn’t even taste like alcohol!” and I think we can all guess where the night went from there.

I’m sad my indulgent week is over, but it was definitely fun and I’ll remember *most* of it forever.

Getting Ready

My whirlwind of a week is starting soon and I’m getting ready for all the fun I’m going to have. I leave for Florida early, early Wednesday morning for my CRUISE!!! I can’t wait because I’ve never been on a cruise before and haven’t been on any sort of vacation in a long time. It’s going to be so much fun. Also, MY BIRTHDAY IS IN A WEEK!!! The big 2-2. Definitely not as exciting as 21, but I’ll take it. I seriously love birthdays so much. Overall, I’m not really a ‘must be center of attention’ sort of person but I just love how on your birthday everything is about you. Everyone has to be nice to you and you get all sorts of gifts and cards and phone calls. It just makes me so happy! 21 was full of ups and downs for me, but overall it was a good year—very much due to the fact that it was also the Year of The Blog which is turning 1 pretty soon. Crazy how time just flies by. 

Anyway, over the past few days I’ve rekindled my love for some old favorites. Like cinnamon raisin peanut butter

I don’t know how my family gets along without me because they obviously didn’t stir this jar when they first got it because now its close to the bottom and full of raisins. Works for me though!

Last night I made Chicken Florentine which holds a very special place in my heart because it is the very first recipe that I ever cooked by myself in my little kitchen Junior year. This was right when I started cooking and had basically no idea what I was doing, honestly I’m surprised I even managed to turn on the oven! It’s a really simple recipe but so delicious.

Basically just saute some onions then mix in chicken stock, flour, and frozen spinach and pour that over chicken, and top it all with a breadcrumb/parmesan mix. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes and it’s good to go. 

I just got back from the grocery store and have a fun dinner planned for tonight so I’ll definitely keep you posted! But for now, it’s off to spinning class. Bye!

Good Food

I’ve finally had a full day of good food worth blogging about. Things here have been pretty calm, I’ve been doing a whole bunch of nothing and I’m trying to enjoy the relaxation and quiet rather than be bored with it. This is probably the last time in my life where I will have 2 months to focus on absolutely nothing but me so I need to take advantage of it while I can. As a result, I’ve been filling my days with running, reading, and relaxing. I’m getting the hang of it!

Breakfast

I slept like a log last night, I was exhausted for some reason! When I finally woke up around 8 (yes, that is considered sleeping in for me!) I made a quick bowl of cereal and then got back into bed to read for a few hours. It felt so lazy and luxurious, mmmmm. 

Lunch

After I was done being a bum I ran some errands and made myself my very favorite lunch. Oh how I have missed my omelettes! Today’s was filled with red pepper and laughing cow. It was so perfect. I also had the traditional english muffin and pear to round out the meal.

Then me and my dad went to the car dealership to fill out the paperwork for my mom’s new car! I’m basically in love with this car, it’s amazing. I really don’t know anything about cars but this one is sleek and drives really smoothly so I like it. It’s an Acura but don’t ask me anything else about it because I have no idea! It’s silver. There, that’s about all I can tell you.

Snack

Cottage cheese, carrots, and cherries. I am seriously anxiously awaiting the return of my beloved rainer cherries which are basically my favorite food on earth. When I spot them at the grocery store you better believe I’m going to start jumping up and down screaming and make a scene because I’m just that excited. Hopefully I’ll be alone because whoever I’m with will absolutely pretend they don’t know me.

Dinner

I made the quickest, easiest, most delicious dinners tonight. Caramelized Scallops with brown rice and snap peas. So good! Definitely 5 stars. My dad told me it was one of his favorite meals that I’ve ever made. He doesn’t have incredibly high standards when it comes to food (ie-is just as happy eating a twinkie as he is a gourmet dessert…) but who doesn’t like a compliment? I have to admit, it was pretty delicious and there was no chopping involved which meant minimal clean-up which is always a plus in my book.

Dessert

And while I’m going on a cruise in a week and should probably be cutting back on the desserts in preparation for the smorgasbord of food, endless buffets, midnight dessert bars, and tropical drinks, I just couldn’t turn down a vanilla Dairy Queen with rainbow sprinkles. This is my favorite summertime (or anytime, really) treat, and I miss it so much when I’m at school. Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life.

Ok, I’d say it’s time to veg out on the couch with a movie, a cup of tea, and my slanket. Yes, I have a slanket. My friend bought it for me as a graduation present and it is actually the best gift I think I’ve ever gotten. It’s quite possible that I’m going to crank up the A/C way higher than my family would ever accept just so that I can cozy up in this all summer. Love.

How Old Am I?

Hi friends! I realize that I’ve been a terrible blogger lately, I guess it’s because I really have nothing going on to update you on. Being back home is boring. I really haven’t been doing much of anything lately, which was relaxing for a while but now I’m getting antsy. Good thing I have a lot of fun trips coming up in the next couple months including: a cruise with Aliza, my Grandma’s birthday party in Ohio, a long trip to New York, and a weekend in Chicago!

I also just signed up for my first 10K Race! I’m running the Father’s Day Race for Prostate Cancer Education, Awareness and Early Detection. I’m really excited about this since it’s my first real race ever. 

Besides running, I’ve also gotten back into taking spinning classes, I’ve been doing some cooking, cleaning, and organizing, and consequently having a bit of an identity crisis. I have no idea how old I am anymore! My friends at school always joked that I was like a grandma because I would go to bed early and wake up at the crack of dawn. Now, I really don’t know how old I am. Some days I feel like a middle-aged housewife: get up, make coffee and breakfast, clean the house, run errands, exercise, get my nails done and chat with the gals at the salon, make dinner, clean up, and go to bed. Then, other days I spend with my grandpa (who is doing a million times better! yay!) at the nursing home, chatting it up with the other 80-something-yr olds, come home to a 5:00 dinner and fall asleep reading a book on the couch. Then, last night I went out with my friends who I’ve been close to since elementary school, stayed up playing video games all night and felt like I was back in high school. It’s confusing!

Anyway, I really have been slacking on the photos but here are a few highlights. I haven’t been using recipes for anything (which is a really big step for me to finally feel really comfortable in the kitchen) but everything has been coming out deliciously!

Sarah’s infamous crack wrap: 

Holy hell! This is the best thing I have ever tasted. WHY did it take me so long to try it? I think I’ve had this for lunch every single day for the past week and it just keeps getting better and better.

Maple/Brown Sugar glazed salmon with asparagus:

Sweet and sour tofu with pineapple and brown rice:

Grilled chicken with sauteed veggies and Israeli couscous:

Well that’s all I’ve got for now, until next time!

Sleep

I seriously have slept more in the past 2 days than I have in the past 2 weeks, it’s been great! I’m really excited about focusing on my health again, including sleep. My friend put it pretty accurately when she said “everyone warns us of the Freshman 15, but nobody really prepares us for the Senior Week 15″ and it’s so true. In the past week or so I’ve probably exercised maybe twice, barely slept, and ate and drank way too much. My body is in desperate need of some healthiness and I’m excited to provide just that.

Breakfast

I woke up this morning and knew exactly what I wanted for breakfast: WAFFLE TOWER obviously. I missed these.

After breakfast I went for a glorious run. It was a little tough to get myself moving at first, especially given the insane hills that surround my house, but once I got in the groove it felt great. 

Lunch

I headed to the store to pick up some heavy duty trash bags so that I could deep clean my room and while I was there I picked up a big salad with tofu. I have really been slacking in the veggie department lately (are olives veggies? Because I’ve been having plenty of those in my martinis but for some reason I don’t think that counts…) 

I also tried some dried pineapple which was delicious but I don’t know if I would buy this again just because it was super expensive for a really small portion.

Snack

After lunch I went on a cleaning rampage and got rid of so much junk that had accumulated in my room and closet throughout the years. I had shoes and clothes that I haven’t worn since middle school! I also found some amazing pictures and middle school diaries which were fun to look through! I successfully cleaned and unpacked all my stuff which made me feel much better–I hate messes and disorganization! 

I worked up an appetite and had some crackers and pretzels while ordering some pictures.

Dinner

I was exhausted from all my unpacking so my dad and I decided to just go out to dinner at our favorite little bar/restaurant. I skipped the drinks tonight because I’m sort of becoming an alcoholic and just stuck with splitting some popcorn as an appetizer and a chicken salad with feta, berries, and cranberries for dinner. 

Dessert

We rented the movie Doubt and I really enjoyed it. Meryl Streep is by far the best actress ever!  I wasn’t hungry but my sweet tooth was so I just had a few of my dad’s peanut m&ms and called it a night. 

Now I’m ready for bed (seriously, all I do is sleep!) so I will see you all later! Goodnight!