Thursday.....almost the weekend!

It's Thursday...meaning tomorrow is FRIDAY! HELLO WEEKEND! I am so excited. Today I babysat my friends two kiddos and honestly it was great! My husband said to me last night....maybe this will make you change your mind about wanting a baby...ummm ONE I've babysat her kids before....TWO I've been around my friends/cousins babies many times...soooo yeah & NO it just made me more excited to have our own little one sometime! The day went by really quickly....and I am looking forward to doing some grocery shopping this weekend. There are some awesome new recipes I have come across on Pinterest and I can't wait to try them! YUM-O. That site is SO SO addictive! I could pin forever...food, fashion, hair, makeup, babies....etc. I'm hoping this weekend is a little more exciting than the last!

xoxo,
Sarah P.

Wow.

So this morning as I go to the yahoo homepage...a news story comes up, it says "A teenage girl is shot and killed days after performing at Obama's inauguration." Follow the link to read the whole story. http://news.yahoo.com/teenage-girl-shot-killed-days-performing-obamas-inauguration-120200091.html

This is so heartbreaking for something like this to happen, yet it happens all the time in our world, you just don't hear about it. The most disturbing part of this article was at the very bottom, it stated

"Since the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in December, more than 1,400 people have been killed in gun violence across the country." That to me is absolutely mind blowing!  I can't even wrap my head around that. That number in such a small amount of time should tell you something about what our world is coming to. That's all I have to say on that topic!

OH...What's Going On?

It's Tuesday!! Yay! So today I made myself write out a workout schedule from now till the end of February. Writing things down works best for me, I actually enjoy looking at it, getting it done and crossing it off! Same thing with my schedule for the week, I have a planner and EVERYTHING gets written down in there!  

This week I have no paper to write, so that's a nice break from things. Do you have any big plans for SuperBowl Sunday? We are just hanging out here at the house and I am going to make a couple different things. There is this taco dip that is amazingggg, so I am making that and I am not sure what else yet.  I am planning it out for my grocery shopping trip later this week!!! Lately I've been craving cake/muffins, but I have fought through it. I think things like that are okay in moderation. I really want to make blueberry muffins this week, they are so tasty with a little butter on them! 

On another note, the Bachelor was on last night & as you all know it's based out of the state of CA around the LA area. One of the dates was actually in Joshua Tree National Park, which is about 10 minutes from my house and a place my husband and I go often! SO CRAZY! It made me chuckle how hot the girl said she was....Welcome to the DESERT! 

DALLAS started up again last night, this show is crazy, with how they all stab each other in the back, just when you think things are going to get better, something else happens. My husband & I love the show, it's just exhausting to keep up with at times. 

I hope everyone is having a great week thus far, I am looking forward to dinner tomorrow night with some friends, I seriously don't know what I would do if I didn't have these girls out here, they are my saving grace! 

 xoxo, 

Sarah P.

   

Everyone needs a pep talk now and then. "Don't stop believing... unless your dream is stupid"..

So whenever I jumped on FB for a second today, I saw 2 people shared this video called "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You." At first, I wasn't going to watch it but then I thought well what the heck. I smiled the whole way through it, it was the cutest thing ever!!!! Watch it below!! If this doesn't put a smile on your face, I am not sure what will!!! 

xoxo, 

Sarah P.

.

Week 2...DONE.

 

I just finished Week 2 of Grad School...so proud of myself! Another paper done and turned in! I got my grade back from my first paper...A+ BABY! I was thrilled! It just reaffirms that I am on the right path and I haven't lost my smarts! HA. I graduated with a 4.0 in Undergrad and I would LOVE to do the same for Grad School....but I will settle for a 3.5 or higher. I will try to not put TOO much pressure on myself. 

This weekend was probably one of the most uneventful weekends we've had in awhile.  The highlight of our weekend was FINALLY hanging up our wedding photos and cooking a roast! ha! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

xoxo,

 Sarah P. 

Say a Little Prayer..

So today I got an email about a job reopening on base due to change in qualifications, meaning they are looking for someone MORE qualified....LIKE ME. (HA) I applied and I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I get a call for an interview and even better GET HIRED. So...say a little prayer for ME PLEASE! :)

The Military Life

 

So.....I was in bed last night and a thought came to me...being a military family means my kids most likely will never experience life like I did.  My husband and I both grew up in the same small town in Central Pennsylvania, went to the same high school and knew a lot of the same people. Most of my family, cousins, etc are all from the same town or nearby towns. We would all get together for big holidays or sometimes just because. My husband plans on staying in the Marine Corps and making it his career, meaning we have about 15 years to go and a few moves in there.  My kids will never experience growing up like my husband and I did but at the same time, I think it will be a good thing.  At times, I felt like I was sheltered because I grew up where I did. I really didn't see much outside of PA until my husband and I started dating over 4 years ago. It's because of this lifestyle, I have gotten to see so many different places in the United States and I can't wait to explore other countries as well!

 I wouldn't change anything about how I grew up, as much as I complained about where I lived and how far it was from everything, the older I've gotten,  the more I have come to appreciate that small town life. Do we ever plan on moving back there? Absolutely not. Do we plan on coming back to the east coast someday? Sure. Don't get me wrong, I love SoCal and it's warm and wonderful weather but I am hoping our next duty station is on the east coast! We have about a year and a half left in SoCal and we hope to find out by the end of the year where will be heading to next. I am really looking forward to whatever life may have in store for us. 

xoxo,

Sarah P. 

I Miss D.C.

So if you know me well, you know that I am obsessed with the city of Washington D.C., which partially explains my addiction to shows like NCIS, BONES & SCANDAL!  

When my husband was going through OCS & TBS at Quantico, I used to go down there from PA and spend weekends with him! That city was just gorgeous! If you've never seen it at Christmas time....you are missing out! Just stunning! We are going home in July for my brothers wedding and we are thinking of flying into D.C. and spending  July 4th there. Fingers crossed that works out! If you are ever in the VA/DC area and you love steak....I highly highly recommend going to Rays the Steaks in Arlington(the one located at 2300 Wilson Blvd.) Apparently they now have a bunch of different locations and restaurants, crazy how things expand and change in such a short amount of time! http://raysthesteaks.com/

On another note, bring on my second week of grad school and all the paper writing that comes with it! BLAH. I had a ton of paper writing in undergrad so this isn't anything new to me. Hoping for a great rest of the week and trying to stay positive! Hoping some prayers are answered over the next month!

xoxo,

Sarah P. 

Extended Weekend

So, I made it through my first week of grad school ALIVE! I really forgot how much I hated writing papers on useless mindless topics. I enjoy projects where I can apply what I'm learning to real life and hopefully I will have some of those in this 8 week semester! Yes, I take classes every 8 weeks instead of 16 weeks! I love it, it's not as overwhelming because I can take 2 classes for 8 weeks, have a week break, then take 2 more classes for 8 weeks! So, I'm still taking a full time load, just breaking it up a little! It's amazing how many other military spouses or military members are taking these classes online as well! I love Liberty, they offer so many amazing programs for people who can't take classes on a campus! Some people are just too busy, have families or they are military so online classes is the perfect solution! 

My online classes require us to post on a discussion board each week, this past week we just had introductions. I found a few other students who are also pursuing the School Counseling degree, so that was nice! What I enjoyed the most from these introductions, was the stories people shared about their lives and about what made them choose the path they are on now. (e.g. why they decided to switch from the business world and become a teacher or why they chose to become a counselor) You meet people from all different walks of life and the ages vary greatly!  

I shared my story of how I have come to be where I am....It took my husband(Boyfriend at the time) & I taking a break for me to realize I wasn't on the right career path. During that time I realized I wanted to go back to school for education, so I enrolled at Penn State for Elementary Education. I did a year of school there and I loved it but as luck would have it, during my first semester, we got back together. During my second semester, he found out he was coming back to US from Japan and had orders in CA. We knew we wanted to be together & eventually get married. So after some research and discussion I decided to switch to Liberty University Online to finish my Bachelors in Education. This meant I wouldn't have my teaching license but I could go back and get it through their MAT program when I was ready. We got married & then he left for Afghanistan. During that time  I finished my degree. I applied to grad school & got accepted but I decided I would take some time off from school before jumping back in. I was newly married, moving to CA and I wanted to enjoy it! Had it not been for all of those things playing out the way they did....I could of ended up going down the wrong career path...again!  

Why did I pick School Counseling?

Last year there was a discussion between my mom, my sister and I about some things that had happened with my sister over the years. She will probably hate me for sharing this but it's important. It started in Jr. High for her, she was bullied and picked on by some pretty nasty girls....then high school came and she still had problems with girls treating her badly. My sister was pretty shy and she's too nice to fight back, so it ate away at her. She ended up dropping out of high school to take classes online and finish that way. Well, she began to miss some of her friends and eventually she went back. The school counselors are suppose to be there to GUIDE YOU, support you and make transitions easier for you. My sister was having a hard enough time at that school and the counselors didn't make it any better for her. I remember her telling me that they LAUGHED AT HER! It still makes my heart ache thinking about how that must have made her feel. That is just cruel and unprofessional! After that, she dropped out of public school & never returned but she did finish high school online! I knew after that conversation, I wanted to be a school counselor. I know I can't change the world and that I can't help every student but I am sure going to try. A student should never be made to feel the way my sister felt and they should have gotten to know more about her situation so they could have helped her in any way possible. There are so many people working in the education field that should not be and honestly it's just a paycheck to them, they could care less about the well being of the students! It breaks my heart. 


On a better note.....

So my husband had an extended weekend for MLK Day(Fri-Mon off) and after the rough week I had he made sure he did everything he could to make me feel better! Friday night he took me to dinner & we were suppose to go to a movie with some friends but I just wasn't feeling up to it! He went with the guys and I went home, put my PJS on, ate some chocolate chip cookies and watched Say Yes to the Dress, my idea of a perfect Friday night :) (haha) 

Saturday wasn't anything too exciting, I did schoolwork most of the afternoon and we just chilled at home. Sunday, I finished up my paper and then my husband and I went out to dinner at his choice --Buffalo Wild Wings & then he took me to get Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory! Yummy. 

Funniest thing, my husband has been wanting to check out this store called Trader Joes, it's got a lot of organic food & grass fed meat, etc etc. Well, here we were in Southern CA and we saw chicken from Mifflintown, PA, which is our hometown. We were shocked and all I can say is what a small world it is!!!

xoxo,

Sarah P.   

FAITH

 

I've been raised in the church since I was a baby, my parents took us to church every Sunday without fail. We were active in everything, Sunday School, Bible School, Youth Group, you name it, we were in it. I was raised in a Lutheran church for most of my life and then whenever I was in 9th grade my parents made the tough decision to look for another church to call home. Unfortunately, the one we were at was preaching things we did not agree with and there was no longer anything there for us as kids. I think it was during this time that my faith started to spiral downward and the older I got the more I got away from church and found excuses not to go. I had to work, I didn't feel good, I stayed at college that weekend, etc etc. We did find a new church whenever I was in 9th/10th grade, I can't remember exactly how old I was. It's a Baptist church and we have been there ever since and I absolutely love it there! Obviously this is back in PA and we are currently in CA so it's been many many months since I've been there. I believe in God and I have my whole life but my faith has definitely been tested over the years and it's not as strong as I would like it to be. 

Anybody who told you life was going to be easy was telling you a BIG FAT LIE! Life is not easy, it is full of ups and downs and sometimes I question why God puts me through some of the things he does. I ask What am I suppose to be learning from this and how is this helping me? I have to say that some of things I've gone through have made me a much stronger person and a more independent woman. I think back to when my husband (boyfriend at the time)& I broke up for a few months while he was in Japan...I thought my life was OVER, I didn't know what I was going to do. I mourned the loss of the relationship for awhile and then I got back up on my feet and said to myself...I am going to make something of myself, I am going to finish my Bachelors degree and by golly I did just that. I enrolled in classes at Penn State and got a new job to work while in school and I was so happy. I met so many amazing people during that time in my life and I made friends who I will never forget even though they are so incredibly far away from me right now, they are near and dear to my heart.  I experienced so much in those 2 years and I am forever grateful for that time and I have come to realize that out of bad situations come even greater ones. I learned so much about who I was and what I wanted in my life because I just focused on ME and nobody else for once. As the story goes...my husband and I got back together and ended up getting married a year later and we made it through another deployment only this time he wasn't in Japan, he was in Afghanistan. To this day, I really don't know how I made it through that deployment without completely losing my mind! I chalk it up to having a great job where I was surrounded by amazing women each and every day along with an amazing family. It also helped that I had school to distract me as well! 

I've had a job since I was 16 years old....and I haven't worked since we moved out here in May WELL..I have been substitute teaching but honestly that isn't doing it for me. You never know if you will have a job each week or how many days you will have, etc etc. It's frustrating. We live in the middle of nowhere...trust me Jcounty was the middle of nowhere but at least you could just hop on the highway and in 40 mins later you were in Harrisburg, out here it's not like that at all!! The more educated you are, the harder time you have finding a job. I've had some really low days, just down right frustrating because I am not working and I am not contributing to this marriage financially and that is REALLY a tough pill for me to swallow..I HATE IT! Okay, yeah I take care of the house....but sorry that doesn't pay me in cash and I would be doing that regardless. Thank goodness I started grad classes. I keep telling myself that something is bound to work out....until then I will just focus all my energy on doing well in school.

The whole point of all this babble is that I have come to realize even through the really bad times, something good is bound to come out of it and I could be much worse off than I am. I try to be thankful for all that I have and not focus on the things I do not have. I know God has a great plan for me.  Patience is not one of my strong points but I just have to have faith that he will answer my prayers soon. He does things a certain way for a reason and I just have to continue to have faith! 

xoxo, 

Sarah P.  

TGIF

This week has been a tough one for me and I will leave it at that. Hoping to have a better weekend and hopefully finding the manpower to concentrate on finishing up some schoolwork that's due Sunday night. Staying positive can be really difficult when everything feels like it's going wrong. Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who is there for me through it all!


xoxo,

Sarah P. 

Hump Day

Wednesday already....superb! I started my first semester of grad school Monday, thankfully these are just online classes!! They are 8 week courses so I am only taking 2 at a time, I don't want to overwhelm myself. I am going to just ease into it! :) As much as I would like to pile on the classes and just get this degree done, I know that's not a good plan and honestly there is no rush! As long as I have it done in 3 years or less I will happy with that!! Sometimes you just need to enjoy life and put other things first! I always thought I was going to be all about my career and don't get me wrong, it's important to me but spending time with my husband and focusing on other things is my priority!



I hope that everyone is having a fantastic week so far and that you are making some fun weekend plans! As for me...who know what my weekend holds, hopefully something exciting!!! 

xoxo, 

Sarah P.  

Lovely Weekend

The weekend came and went entirely too fast. Our Friday night was spent at home with our dogs and watching a few shows on TV. Saturday was much more eventful for us! Like I said in my previous post, I've been doing yoga for a little while now so Saturday morning my husband joined me in my yoga workout, which I must say was pretty interesting. Men are definitely not as flexible as women! HA!! We then went out for dinner at Outback Steakhouse, of course :) I love that place and I never can resist their blooming onion! I don't feel bad eating like that since we only ever eat out on weekends and it's usually not often! Sunday has been pretty relaxing, my husband went snowboarding with some guys from work and I spent the day cleaning and organizing! Fun, right!? Tomorrow is my first day of classes for my Masters, I'm ready for it.... I think!

Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend and I hope you have a superb Monday!


xoxo, 

Sarah P.  

A Great Recipe

Last Sunday my husband and I made this amazing Garlic Pot Roast, it was so tasty!!

I just wanted to share this recipe with you and I urge you to try it as well!

Garlic Pot Roast

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3lb)

4 garlic cloves peeled and halved

3 teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons Italian salad dressing mix

½ teaspoon pepper

1-tablespoon canola oil

 3 cups water

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 beef bouillon

5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

1-pound fresh baby carrots

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 

1.     Using the point of sharp knife, make eight slits into the roast. Insert the garlic into slits. Combine the garlic powder, salad dressing mix and pepper; rub over the roast. On the stovetop brown the roast in oil on all sides; drain.

2.     CROCKPOT OPTION: Combine the water, onion soup mix and bouillon; pour over roast in the crockpot and cover. I cooked it on high for about 6 hours.  I then added the potatoes, carrots and onions about 2 hours into it.  

OVEN OPTION: Combine the water, onion soup mix and bouillon; pour over roast, cover and cook it in the oven at 325F for 1-½ hours. Then add the potatoes, carrots and onions, cover and bake another hour or until the meat and veggies are tender. 

xoxo, 

Sarah P.

 

Back Again

Well crap, I've fallen off the face of the earth again! Not too many new things going on here in SoCal besides the fact the temps have been warming up and it feels amazing here. I went out to lunch yesterday with a friend of mine out here and didn't have to wear a jacket of any kind, saaaawwweet! Anyways...I started substitute teaching back in December and that has been an eye opening experience for me. Don't get me wrong, I love kids and I have had my fair share of classroom/teaching experience but what I did find out is I do NOT like teaching anything younger than probably 2nd grade. I honestly prefer 4th-8th grade. Needless to say, I have been going back and forth between getting my Masters in Teaching Elementary Education or my Masters in Education in School Counseling and I am more now than ever leaning towards the School Counseling. I start classes for my Masters this coming Monday and I am really looking forward to it. 


The day after Christmas my husband and I went to San Fransisco for a couple days. We had such a wonderful time, the city was absolutely gorgeous and the food was yummy!  

 xoxo, 

Sarah P.