The Proof Is In The Crock Pot

Today is the day, the day I became a domestic goddess. I cleaned, did three loads of laundry, and made dinner for my husband. Yes, it may only have been three ingredients all dumped into a crock pot, but my house smells wonderful and no one needs to know the small details. 

Here is to today-here is to all those domestic goddesses out there-and here's to crock pot livin.  

Pain

It's not a topic people like talking about. It's not a topic people like having, but I do. Constantly. On April 24th, I got a migraine headache and it didn't go away as it usually does with the right medicine. I ran out of my migraine medicine and my insurance company decided they were no longer filling this medicine, they would only fill the generic. I couldn't take the generic because it has gluten in it and I'm allergic....I was at a bypass. What do you do when your head is hurting, you are newly married, and you need medicine that cost close to $1000? Well, you take the generic that has gluten and just suffer those consequences.

Fast forward 9 months. I have seen a pain specialist, two neurologist, a chiropractor, two different physical therapist, and my GP. I have tried exercise, acupuncture, dry needling, and now Botox. All of which haven't helped much. I have kept journals of my eating habits and my daily water intake....trying to find a cause. But nothing. Radio silence. My head just keeps hurting. 

When you live with pain everyday you don't realize how much it steals from you. I haven't seen the beauty in Scott and my first year of marriage or enjoyed living downtown. I don't enjoy going out because I know at any minute my head or neck pain can get worse and I have no idea how long it will take us to get home. 

At church yesterday a man in our Sunday School Class spoke about a year in his life (about a decade ago) when he was in chronic pain. Somehow someone figured out what was wrong with him and he is fine now. He said how during that year he became a recluse because it was so hard to deal with the pain and deal with putting on a front to see others. I envy him. I want to be able to look back at these 9 months and say, "Wow, that was terrible, but I got through it." Right now, I feel helpless and hopeless. Since 9 AM I have been waiting for the neurologist to call me back. That's 8 hours if anyone is wondering. He hasn't. I need some solution before I go crazy from this intense daily pain. I need someone to care enough to help me figure this out. 

Life's turns and twists

Early in December I started my Christmas shopping at the Domain with Emily. It was a cold overcast Saturday filled with drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes to keep us warm.  As we walked from store to store, I found it much easier to shop for myself than my new sister-in-law, sisters, or parents. When we went into Banana Republic I found a great black dress. As Emily and I were walking to the resister I told her this black dress will be perfect for school, weddings, or even a funeral.

Little did I know, two weeks later I would be wearing that dress to our teammate's funeral.

Death is a weird subject. I don't like to think about it much. I think I am afraid of dying. Not because of the actual death part but because of leaving behind my loved ones. Our teammate, Ceci, left behind two sons, a loving husband, and many siblings. She passed unexpectedly just four days before Christmas; not even one day after our Christmas Break started. Ever since my principal called to tell me of this sad news, I have not been able to stop thinking about her death. I keep thinking about her poor family and the first graders who will come back to school without their teacher.

In time we know death gets easier but life throws at us situations we never thought would happen. And I know with God's love our hearts eventually begin to mend, but they are never the same.

Go in peace my friend, go in peace.

Home

Last weekend Scott and I bought our first married adult purchase together. Well, let me go back to the beginning of the story. The condo has been a hard adjustment for me so we are trying to make it more feminine. I am working with a designer who has been helping me change small things in our house. I found a rug that I loved but it was number one-super expensive and number two-one of a kind....so we were out of luck. We kept shopping and found something similar and something I loved even more. It is beautiful. It has blues, greens, grays....it looks like the ocean from one view side and on the other, it has a design. When I called Scott to ask him to measure our living room he didn't ask me how much the rug cost or what it looked like. I think I found a keeper!  ;)

Pictures to come soon.

Next up-kitchen chairs, living room chair, and duvet. 

Beautiful Souls

Last weekend Scott and I went to his friend Han's wedding. He married a fantastic girl named Ariel. The wedding was at Thurman's Mansion above The Salt Lick. The food was great and the music even better. They just happened to have the band that we had at our wedding.

This weekend some of our best friend's got married-Stewart and Lauren. Stewart is one of Scott's best friends and when Scott and I started dating I thought they were twins. Do not ask me why-Stewart does   not have red hair but maybe it was a North Carolina thing. Lauren is from Austin but we didn't know each other until they started dating. One of the first times I met Lauren she was talking about her stepsister in Australia. We made the connection that her step-mom and step-sisters were my neighbors growing up. What a small world.

The weather was perfect just as they are for each other. He is her peanut butter and she is his jelly. You rarely see two people so perfectly fit for one another. I am so glad to be on this new marriage journey with such wonderful friends.

Lauren was a beautiful bride and I wish I took pictures so I could post them.

I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of fall. I can't wait to teach about fall tomorrow. I think when I talk about the weathering changing the kids might actually get it ;)

Cookie Jar

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for my friend April. She is having a baby girl in December. She lives in Chicago mainly but I like to think Austin is where her heart is. We had a brunch at Chez Zee which was wonderful. I wanted to have some party favors but I kept having trouble thinking of what. I ended up using mason jars and putting a cookie mix inside. Here are some pictures from the shower and the cookies of course ;)

I can't wait for baby girl Voss to arrive. 

New Year's Resolutions

School started today and I realized no wonder I don't have any New Year's Resolutions in January I make them all in August.

I wonder if other teachers do this also. Some of my 8 month New Year's resolutions are:
1. Be calmer with my students
2. Be more like Ms. Morgan (Helen Morgan was a friend of my mom's. She was an amazing teacher who made every student feel loved. I want to make every student feel loved even if that means I give up teaching science for the day.
3. Eat more veggies.
4. Exercise more (especially before school)-this makes me feel better throughout the day.

Tucker turned 2

Tucker turned 2 years old August 7th. To make his day special we sent him to daycare, Midtown, and then went out to a dog friendly restaurant. How do we know his birthday? We don't. Brooke and I made it up last year. Tucker is truly what I would call a perfect dog. The dog I had growing up was wonderful but he was an alpha male and Tucker is the opposite. When we got Tucker and found out he was part pit bull I was worried. I thought I couldn't keep him and we needed to give him back. How glad I am Brooke and Scott told me we were not going back on our word. Mr. T thinks he is a lap dogs-even though he is 48 lbs. He is most content when touching someone. He needs affection and attention (Scott likes to say he is like his mom). This summer has been wonderful because we have gotten to spend so much time together. I look forward to having someone to always watch a Bravo show with o Kelly and Michael.

WEB

When William joined our family almost three years ago I had no idea the love I would feel for him. He is the sweetest, cutest, funniest, liveliest kid I know. William never stops moving, he loves painting, playing in water, loves all animals (especially bugs), and family. My sister sent me a link this morning and I thought I would share.

http://www.childcarequarterly.com

That's Wonka on the front page. I can only imagine the love you feel for your own child if this exploding love in my heart is the amount I feel for him.

Wedding

Scott and I married April 13, 2013. We have been together four years. My family of two-I am countingTucker of course, and his family of one-became three. Here are just some of our wedding photos.

he is my prince

Mexico

Scott and I recently got back from Playa Mujeres, Mexico. We had an amazing time. We went for a week-I think I could have stayed a month. I came home extremely relaxed. What I realized when we were down there was that it is my stress that makes me head hurt. If only we lived at the beach-maybe my headaches would forever be gone ;) Here's to dreaming....

Summer Days

I took Tucker to Auditorium Shores this morning to play. I must be pretty lazy since I drove us there (since I can see the lake from our house)...he is really learning how to play fetch. Here are a few pictures of him rolling in the dirt-his favorite and a video of him. 

Last weekend I was in Houston with my Theta girl friends. Amanda, Arielle, and Jenny all live in Houston and Allison lives in Tyler. We all met in 2001 at A&M when we joined our sorority. I hadn't realized how much I missed these ladies until we were together. It is amazing what a special bond you make with people when you are first in college and on your own. I couldn't have made it through college without these women. I love each of them unconditionally.

Allison put it perfectly. "I've heard people say that joining a sorority is just buying friends. Well, if this is true, it's the best investment I've ever made." I agree Ally. I couldn't have said it any better. 

The Aquarium

My friend Emily is home-alone-with her two kids for 12 days. Her husband is on a work trip in Hong Kong. Nothing like leaving your wife in 100 degree Texas summer heat with a 1 year old and a 4 year old. :)

Yesterday before I came over, her four year old, Dax said, "Mom, who is coming over to keep us company tonight?"

I like to think Dax and I have a special relationship. When he was 2, Emily and her husband  went to Hawaii and for a couple of days I kept him at their house. That was my first experience with motherhood. I have NEVER been so tired in my life. When Dax went to bed at 8; I went to bed at 8. When Dax took a nap for 2 hours during the day; I took a nap for 2 hours during the day. I remember Emily trying to Skype one night around 8:30 but Dax and I were already in bed snoozing.

Needless to say my best memory of keeping Dax was when he woke up and started crying out. (This was not normal for him.) I went to his bed and his aquarium had stopped working-see picture below. Dax loved this thing. I realized it had run out of batteries and I had to fix it or neither of us were going to sleep that night. I couldn't get it unhooked from the crib so I crawled into the crib with him. Then we had to find batteries, a screw driver, and of course figure out HOW to actually then put it back on the crib-which of course I crawled back into the crib to do. As soon as the aquarium started working again, Dax said, "Good, Farra."  I knew we could both go to sleep.

So, back to last night....Dax is now 4. I was coloring with him and his sweet sister. This is our exact conversation.

Dax: "Sarah, I like your Mercedes."
Sarah: "I like your van, Dax."
Dax: "You mean my Honda Odyssey?"
Sarah: "Yes, your Honda Odyssey."
Dax: "Thank you Sarah. That is very kind of you. Am I scribble scrabbling?"

I love how our conversation has changed in two years. It went from--"Good, Farra" to "That is very kind of you." How kids change.

Wonka

Could I be any cuter? How I love this little man.

When I become an adult...

I find myself thinking multiple times a week 'when I become an adult'...but lately I realized I am an adult. But to me, an adult means having your own house and living without anyone's 'rules'. You see, I live with my sister, who I love, but she owns our house. So, she does have the ultimate say.


So, when I become an adult I will.....

• Keep the counters in the kitchen cleared off
• Keep the coffee pot clean
• Keep the laundry room clean, the lent tray cleaned out, and nothing ontop of the dryer
• Keep the TV remotes in one place
• Have a huge closet so there is enough room for my clothes, shoes, and jewlery (Have you seen Bethenny Frankel's-it is to die for?)
• Have a very calm serene bedroom
• Have matching bedside tables
• Have a King size bed
• Have a rain shower head




• Have a huge backyard for Tucker to run in

Now, you might be thinking, Sarah, really? I have been an adult for a while and I still don't have some of thosethings, or some of the things on my own wish list. Well, this is just my wish list, but if you go back and read my wish list, it really is all things that I can do, on my own, it doesn't depend on others.....so, here are a few pictures of my dream home.



This kitchen is beautiful.



I think this is a great kitchen. Totally opposite from above but I love both.

I love the back table and mirror.

Dog Days

So, my lazy morning turned into an adventurous one. It was drizzling this morning when I woke up, so I let Tucker out in the backyard. Our usual routine is to go for a long walk in the morning seeing that it is the only time when it isn't 100 degrees yet.

Well, while I was sitting on the couch drinking my coffee and watching T-- all of a sudden Tucker began turning in circles and arching his back--which for those of you who have a dog, you know this is the bathroom dance. Well, I immediately jumped off the couch and put my hand under his butt and pushed him outside the front door. He ran to the front yard, went to the restroom and then ran like a race horse up the street. Meanwhile, I am bra less, shoe less, in my PJ's, and wondering how I was going to get him to come back to me. I yelled "Tucker, come" and believe it or not, he came. I did though, have to carry him inside, yes my 50 pound dog. When we got in, I saw he had left me some cleaning up to do inside...I couldn't believe my relaxing morning had turned into such a circus.

Summer Days

I can't believe summer has started and I have been on summer vacation for already one week. It is amazing to think how busy you can make yourself even when you have nothing to do. For instance, you clean, you organize, you take naps, you do other sibling's errands....But one thing I keep refusing to do, is go to the grocery store. I don't know what it is about getting groceries that wears me out, but I will do anything not to go. I will go out to dinner, I will eat ice cream for meals (for calcium of course), I will eat frozen meals, I will eat cereal for ALL meals, anything so I don't have to go. I remember being in college and hating to do laundry...mainly hating to put quarters in the machine and remembering to stay at our sorority house to switch it from the washer to the dryer. It became easier to wear swimsuits for underwear than to do laundry. Then when I ran out of swimsuits, it became easier to buy new underwear than do laundry....maybe this is a bigger issue than I thought.

Maybe I can blame it on the Texas heat. It is so bloody hot leaving the house is difficult. So, today, Friday, I have to go to the store. I can't eat only bananas and ice cream for my meals today. It isn't filling enough.