Flowers, Hammocks and Desks, Oh My!!!

So lately I've been enjoying sprucing things up around the house. I have had several projects I've wanted to do and have been able to find some good deals lately to make a few of those house 'goals' complete!
First off was a project in the front yard. I had bought a few begonia's to replace some of the dying green cheapies that the landscapers put in last fall, and I loved how they added color to the flower bed! I also got a pretty pink hanging basket with Petunias for the backyard. My parents were kind to buy me flowerbed flowers for valentines day, and so I picked a few more Petunia's in bright colors, and got an Azalea bush which has bright pink blooms! So far so good, things are blooming and I'm learning to take care of flowers!

Oh and we got some small sweet smelling purple and white flowers to surround my big tree! When I was planting these I noticed TINY baby bumble bees swarming around them, it was so cute!


Target recently put out their summer/outdoor stuff and while I already have backyard patio furniture I absolutely swooned over the hammocks they had! I brought one home this weekend and think it's safe to say that I've been in that thing EVERY day since! Willow apparently HAD to be in the picture...

Also at Target....(yes I know and admit my addiction) I found a desk and bedside table perfect for my craft/guest room! It's so nice to have a place to keep my computer, bills, craft supplies etc! Some 4 hours later I had assembled both pieces and LOVE how they look! I love when things feel more organized...

Online cures for boredom...

Lately I've been finding myself on Facebook more often, and have been doing lame things like the activity listed below:

Google: "(your name) needs" and copy the first ten results that come up. Considering how common a name Sarah is, it's interesting how many of these top 10 needs are also needs of mine...

1. Sarah needs a cold shower
2. Sarah needs to get her life back and establish herself as the person in charge
3. Sarah needs a date
4. Sarah needs your manly vote
5. Sarah needs more love
6. Sarah needs a new handle on life
7. Sarah needs a miracle
8. Sarah needs a professional profile
9. Sarah needs batteries
10. Sarah needs a band

Now that I've completed this post I'm already realizing this was lame....guess I'm that bored...

Daily Plate

I have exciting news that I want to share with those of you who like me resolve every January to lose weight! My friend Kasey told me about a website called The Daily Plate, where you create a free account, enter your weight, activity level and weight loss goal per week, then enter what you eat. They recommend a # of calories based on your info, you enter the things you're eating and it tells you how many calories you have left for the day. Simple approach, but that's what I like about it. I found out that my dad has used this website too and it really worked for him! I'm only at the end of my first week, but I've lost my two pound goal which means it's working for me too!
Also a bonus is that Daily Plate has an application for iPhone, so I can enter a food item I'm thinking of eating, then once I've seen how many calories it will cost me I can decide whether or not I really want to eat that! There are lots of other helpful tips and tricks available to Daily Plate users, many of which I'm sure I haven't even discovered! I'm a big fan of this right now and hope that the beginning of Daily Plate will help me reach my goal of getting healthy!

Jenni on the block

Announcement time! My long awaited roommate has arrived! I have lived on my own for a year now and realized that although time to myself is good and necessary, having people around is also good and necessary. So, these past few months I've been getting really excited and clearing space for one of my oldest friends to move in. I give you.....JENNIFER ROVELL!

For those of you who are new to my life, or who just happened to meet me after the year 2002, here's a recap on how Jennifer and I met, became BFF's and have now become roommates.

Our story begins in 1998 when my family moved to Texas: I began attending the local junior high- GO BULLDOGS! One day realize that the girl named Elyse who sits in front of me in English class is a familiar face from the church we attended in Chicago, and wahlah....I have A friend. One week later Jennifer moves to the same school from Indiana, where she has lived her entire life. She (being a first time mover) is looking for friends, and as it turns out she and I have 8 of our 9 classes together. So, Jennifer thinks to herself, I'll just follow this girl around and we'll become friends....a few sleepovers, trips to the movie theatre and school projects later she's right. 

We're best friends, and with Elyse in the mix we have successfully formed a group to stumble through our awkward junior high experiences with.  Fast forward 5 years and we've been through a million things together such as:

 learning to drive

                                  major obsessions over members of one specific boy band

shopping for prom dresses

taking our first road trip without parents,
 and walking side by side to receive our high school diplomas. 

I will never forget a few months later the morning they left to drive to Missouri and move into their dorms at Ozark Christian College. It was a week before I'd have to leave for Baylor and I got up early to meet them at Starbucks for one last pow wow during which we'd say the dreaded good-byes. I came home after they left, crawled into my bed and cried like a baby. I was so sad my best friends were leaving, and that they were starting their college lives togehter while I was heading to Waco alone. Of course I was excited about Baylor, but I was mourning the fact they'd be 10 hours away.

We saw each other in the summer and at Christmas and there were also a couple trips back and forth to see each other at school. 

5 years passed until we lived in the same state and I was really starting to feel like I didn't know if we'd ever live close again. So you can imagine how excited I was when Jenni decided to move back to Houston in December of 2007. That month we celebrated as our best friend Elyse got married, and became Mrs. Squibb!

The next month I moved on my own where I had already signed a lease on a one bedroom apartment, but soon after that I decided to buy a house, so we made plans to become roommates when the house was finished! She came along to help at the design center when I bought the house and we had fun imagining dinner parties and game nights once the house was done.

Last month she moved in, and I'm so happy to have her around! I've gained a best friend back into my daily life and I am loving the chance to spend more time together! Stay tuned for many more posts about our roommate adventures!

Workiversary

Aye aye aye, it's been a while since I've blogged! I guess I was just enjoying my weekend, which happened to be my long weekend with Saturday-Monday off. I always feel like I've hit the jackpot when I realize I have THREE days to do whatever the heck I want!! Anyway, today was kind of a special day, since two years ago today I started my first job as a Child Life Specialist! I cannot believe that it's been two years, but in some ways it seems like it's been much longer. Time just flies and I guess I better get used to it! Anyway, just wanted to write a quick post to thank those of you who wished me happy workiversary today, including my roommate (more coming soon!) and my parents who both cooked meals for me today! I also got some cute e-cards and emails from co-workers who I never imagined would know that today is my 2 year mark. OH, and the best news is that since I'm a certified child life specialist, and have now worked two years I will be getting moved up on the career ladder, which means a raise!! I won't see that until evaluation time next fall, but it's nice to know I'm getting somewhere in my career! Here's to the workiversary, may I be blessed with many more to come!!!