Dream Big, Relay Bigger

Today is the ten year anniversary of my grandmother's death.  On January 27th, 2003 my grandmother lost her third battle with breast cancer.  My grandmother was an amazing person, and as the oldest grandchild I was lucky enough to get 18 years with her.  Not that 18 years was in any way long enough, but it's better than what my siblings and cousins got.  I first learned about what cancer was when my grandfather (her husband) was diagnosed with colon cancer.  I think I was 5 or 6.  Unfortunately, his first battle was also his last.  I was 7 when he died, and I still remember the time when he was sick pretty vividly.  When I was a little older and learned that my grandmother had already had cancer twice before my grandfather did I was just amazed that she was able to beat something like that.  She was definitely my hero for being strong enough to beat something so awful more than once.  She never stopped fighting until the very end.  She was a strong person that very much molded the person I've become. 

My freshman year at NAU opened a door for me that would eventually become one of my life's passions.  One day in the spring, my resident advisor approached my friends and I about creating a team for a charity event.  That event was Relay for Life.  All I knew going in was that it was an all-night event in the Skydome, and the money raised would go to the American Cancer Society.  This came one year after my grandmother's death, and it sounded like a great idea to me.  Needless to say, that event changed my life.  It's such a moving experience, and I immediately wanted to be more involved.

Roommate and I - Relay Year 1

My sophomore year I wanted to get more involved, and that year I had also taken a position as secretary for my honor's society.  I decided to be a Relay Team Captain that year.  It would get me more involved and help me to learn more about the American Cancer Society and Relay itself.  During the year I became friends with the Relay for Life Event Chair.  She's another amazing person that I'm still friends with today, and I owe her a lot for putting her faith in me like she did.

Some of my friends & I - Relay Year 2

At the end of my sophomore year, the aforementioned Event Chair was graduating from NAU, and needed someone to take her place.  She called me up one day and said she couldn't trust her event to just anyone, and so she'd picked me and two other people to take it over from her.  I really wasn't given a choice, and in less than an hour I skipped a few steps and went from Team Captain to Event Chair.  I was unsure as to whether or not I could handle the responsibility, but I had grown to love Relay so much, that I had to trust the prior chair's instinct that it was a good fit and just go with it.  I was then the Event Co-Chair for 2 years until I graduated from NAU.  I was blessed to make some amazing friends and have amazing committees that were as passionate about Relay as I was.  My senior year I convinced my advisor that being an American Cancer Society intern was totally related to my future career goals, and spent 6 months having fun at ACS events, running Relay for Life, and getting the chance to feel like I was making a difference in people's lives.

My Event Co-Chairs & I - AKA The Teal Shirt Squad - Relay Year 3

Me with my Co-Chairs and about half of our Committee - Relay Year 4

After college, when I moved to DC it was hard to stay involved with ACS, but it was always in the back of my mind as something I wanted to go back to someday.  This year, I've been given that opportunity.  I'm part of the inaugural committee for the Relay for Life of Downtown Phoenix.  I'm our Team Development Chair and an unofficial Co-Chair.  It's been challenging for me.  I was so used to the lovely NAU event that was handed to me in college.  The NAU event was well established at both our school and in the community by the time I took over.  This event is brand new and comes with a whole set of challenges I'm not used to.  I love it though, and I'm excited to see it come to life.

The title of my blog today is the motto for Relay this year.  The thought is that if you set goals, and you dream about them big enough, you can often accomplish more than you set out to.  For this year my dream is just to get the word out there and hope someone shows up to our event.  My dream is also to reach out to as many people as I can and get them to Relay.  Whether it be at my event in Phoenix, or another event somewhere in the country, I want people to experience Relay.  We all know someone who has had cancer, or who has cared for someone with cancer.  Cancer touches everyone in some way, shape or form.  I urge everyone to take some time to see what Relay is all about.  If you're in the Phoenix area and would like to get involved, please let me know, or click here to go to our website.  If you aren't in the Phoenix area, you can visit the ACS website to find the Relay event closest to you.  Click here to learn more about Relay.

If you made it to the end of this one, thanks for listening.  I'll leave you with this: "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. " - Dale Carnegie

Hockey's Back!

Hi, my name is Sarah, and I'm addicted to hockey.  I know what you're thinking, "It's just a sport, it's not like she's addicted to meth or booze or something serious."  Well let me tell you, it's a real problem! A real awesome problem, but a problem just the same.  For those of you who aren't avid hockey fans, here's a little about what I've been going through in recent months.

Normally, the hockey season starts in October.  When that happens, I'm a happy camper until the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs in June.  In the off season I take in some baseball games and catch up on the sleep I lost during hockey season.  It all works out perfectly for me.

Last year, my brother and I became season ticket holders for the Phoenix Coyotes.  We only had a partial package last year, so we went to around 20 games by the time our team was done with the playoffs.  I may freeze to my very core sitting at Jobing.com Arena, but that place is definitely one of my happy places.  So you can imagine my excitement, when we decided to upgrade our package to a full season.  I was going to get 40 games!  40 nights sitting in the arena watching men beat the crap out of each other.  At least 2,400 minutes of intense anxiety and nail biting.  It's amazing!

This year is a little different.  Like the other professional sports, the National Hockey League has a collective bargaining agreement between the league/owners and the players.  A set of guidelines and rules for everyone to follow.  A big part of the CBA is money related.  How much teams can spend on players, how much players can make and the max amount of years a player can sign a contract for.  That's a very broad overview and explanation, but you get the picture.  Something I think we can all agree on is that money can make things very difficult.  The CBA expired at the end of last season, which meant a new one needed to be agreed upon by both sides.  That didn't happen, so the league went into a lock out situation.  No hockey could be played until everyone decided to play nice and agree on some things.

Needless to say that didn't happen until about 2 weeks ago.  We lost half of the season, the Winter Classic Game and the All-Star Game.  Now, instead of 40 games, I get 24.  Don't get me wrong, I'll take what I can get and be stoked about it, but it was a rough few months without hockey.  I was okay for a while when college football was still being played.  I really enjoy college football, and didn't mind using it as my replacement sport.  After college football was over, I actually started paying attention to the NFL just to have a sport to watch.  I really don't like the NFL.  I never have.  This year I knew way more about it than I'm comfortable admitting.

It was rough.  Just ask my mom.  She would cringe anytime someone would bring up anything hockey related in my vicinity.  I was angry, and it wasn't pretty.  None of that matters now though, because HOCKEY IS BACK!  We had our first home game this past Sunday night.  The Coyotes upgraded our seats that night to the lower level.  We were 6 rows behind our goalie.  It didn't suck.  Now I'll be spending roughly three nights a week in section 207 at Jobing.com Arena watching our boys play and hoping for another run at the cup.

I am once again a happy camper, but being gone most nights at games may make blogging even more sporadic than it already is.  One of my goals for the year was to post more, so I'm going to try and get my life together this week and get back on track.  Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Brother & I stoked to be back in the arena for a game

Our seats for Opening Night.  6 Rows behind the goal.  Very awesome.

 

My Views on New Year's Resolutions

They rarely work for anyone.  This much we all know.  Every January 1st, we all make resolutions, and two weeks later they've been shot to hell.  I've been thinking a lot about this in the last month, and have formulated a theory as to why this is.  Maybe the theory comes from my unwillingness to let go of the psychologist side of myself, or maybe I'm actually on to something.  Maybe, just maybe, someone else has already had this theory, and I just didn't know about it!  I'd like to know what you all think.

Bottom line, I think it's too much pressure.  We make these resolutions, and announce them to the world.  Then we think we have to live up to them and perfect them immediately.  When we're not seeing the change or results we want to see in those first couple of weeks, we buckle under the pressure, and fall back into our old ways.  In our world of instant gratification, we also want instant perfection.  It's just not realistic.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a complete perfectionist.  I stress myself out and drive myself completely batty over the littlest, stupidest things.  Sometimes the result is a gorgeous scrapbook that I've been working on as a gift for a loved one, but sometimes the result is me coming home sick from work with a fever and sore throat like I did last Friday.  I put a load of pressure on myself to excel, and it has really had it's effect on my health (anxiety attacks and teeth grinding to name a couple of things).  I've been working really hard over the last couple of years to calm down and not let myself get as stressed over the little things.  I've made a lot of progress, and learned two very important things.

First, baby steps are key!  Learning to accept that everything comes in small doses has really saved my sanity, and has helped me to stick with some of my goals for more than a couple of weeks.  My weight loss is a prime example.  Granted, I had some other complications that needed fixing when it came to that, but I also had to learn to accept the fact that the process was going to take a long time, and that it would be months before I really saw results.  To date, I've lost 40 lbs. in the last nine months.  It hasn't been easy, and there have been days where I've given my doctor's plan the middle finger and completely blown my diet.  This leads us to the second thing I had to learn.

It's okay to be imperfect!  No one is perfect.  No one is ever going to be perfect.  It's okay to mess up every once in a while.  I've had to learn that it's not okay to just throw in the towel because I slipped up a few times.  Those days when I threw the plan out the window have been few and far between, but I always try to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day.  You just have to make the decision to get back on the wagon if you fall off.  I still have a hard time with this sometimes, but again with the baby steps.

Last year I tackled my biggest health issue, and now that I have that under control, it's time to concentrate on some new things.  I have a few things up my sleeve for this year.  I don't want to jinx anything just yet, so I'll fill you in as they come up.  I have a feeling it's going to be a year of positive changes for me, and I hope it is for you all as well.  Just remember....take baby steps, and also remember that you aren't perfect, and you don't need to be!

New Year = Reorganization Fun!

Well hello there!  I took a bit of a hiatus there didn't I?  I swear it was unintentional, but the last three months got much crazier than I'd anticipated.  Here's an itty bitty recap of the major things:

• My best friend got married
• After best friend's wedding I got stuck in NYC during super storm Sandy for a week
• My little sister got engaged
• Thanksgiving for 20 people at our house
• Marathon Christmas Shopping
• Marathon Christmas Baking
• Christmas for 30 people at our house
• I had a birthday....turned some number in the upper 20's range
• Bridal Shower for 20 at our house 4 days after Christmas
• Bachelorette Party 6 hours after Bridal Shower
• New Years
• All this while being busy at work preparing for peak season

Whew!  I'm worn out all over again just reading the list!

Now I'm back!  It's a new year!  My favorite part about the new year is new calendars and day planners all pretty and blank and begging to be written all over in  my very color coded (aka OCD) fashion.

Part of the organizing process for the year will be putting together a plan of action for this blog.  After years of having it I feel like I'm still looking for my "voice" (That sounds sooooo lame now that I've reread it).  Hopefully, this weekend I can sit down and get some ideas down, and next week will be full of my witty randomness.  See, now you all have something to look forward to!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Wednesday Hodgepodge!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  Enjoy this week's edition of the Hodgepodge, and don't forget to visit Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond to see how she and everyone else who links up answered this week's questions.

1. It's a brand new month...share one thing you're looking forward to in October.

• One of my very best friends is getting married on the 27th of this month.  I'll be traveling back east to New Jersey to watch him marry his amazing fiancee.  Not only am I beyond excited for the wedding, but another friend and I are turning it into a week long vacation by spending a couple of days in the town the wedding's in before the wedding, and we'll be headed up to NYC for a few days afterwards.  It's going to be an amazing week with my amazing friends. 

2. Is chivalry dead? Explain.

• I wouldn't say it's dead, but it is a little hard to come by these days.   

3. On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip made its debut. Which character is your favorite?  Which character is most like you?  (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock or Pig Pen)  If you need a description click here.

• I like to think I'm a combination of Lucy and Schroeder.  I'm independent, outspoken and can be bossy when needed, but the side of me that is a musician and an observer relates with Schroeder.  According to a quiz I took, I'm totally a Schroeder.  :)  

4. What's something you're competitive about?

• Life?  Just kidding....sort of.  I'm pretty sure being competitive is part of my DNA.  I like to think I'm not obnoxious about it, but I have been known to argue a point to death in order to win said argument.

5. October is National Popcorn Popping Month...are you a fan?  How do you like your popcorn? 

• I'm a fan of legit greasy movie pop corn drenched in salt & butter, or with salt and Reese's Pieces thrown in (if you've never tried it...do it, it's an amazing combo of salty and sweet!).  I also love Smart Pop White Cheddar Popcorn.  That stuff is like crack.

6. When did you first realize the world is small?

• I've known the world was small for a long time.  You see, I have the most popular, likable father in the world.  Any and everyone who ever meets him, will remember him for the rest of their lives.  We run into people he knows in the most random places.  One of my first memories of this was when I was a little kid, and we ran into someone he knew from waaaaay back in the day at the Arizona State Fair.  The state fair is a big deal here.  It's always packed, and this person found my dad, and they stood around and talked for what felt like forever.  It's crazy.

   
7. In terms of architecture, what's the most beautiful building you've seen up close and in person?

• I haven't been to many places yet, but I would have to say St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.  It's not only impressive from the outside, but the inside is just breath taking.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

• I'm still waiting for it to actually feel like fall around here.  My scarves and boots are screaming at me from my closet, and I hate ignoring them!

Pretty in Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Almost 10 years ago my grandma lost her battle with breast cancer.  It was actually her third battle with breast cancer.  I still find it to be absolutely amazing that she was able to fight so hard for so long.  She was one of the strongest women I know, and I'm inspired by the battle she fought every day.

In honor of this month I've changed my template to one that is all pink, and it will stay that way until November.  I can't stress enough how important it is to stay current with anything health related.  As it is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'd like to urge the ladies to keep up with monthly breast exams, and if you're old enough to need them, your yearly mammograms.  It doesn't just apply to breast cancer screenings though.  Wear your sunscreen, and see a dermatologist if you find something new or odd going on with your skin.  For the men, if you're old enough for yearly prostate exams, get them!  I also lost a grandfather to colon cancer, get screened for that too!  It may seem like a lot, and you may think it will never happen to you, but better safe than sorry.  There are certain ages where you should starting getting screened for all of these.  I urge you all to look into it, and just keep it on your radar.  Especially if you have a family history of cancer.

Ok, now that I've given my lecture, I'll back off.  I'll just say that I've watched more than one person I love battle cancer.  They've all battered different forms, but it sucks any way you slice it.  Dealing with cancer is not something I would wish on my worst enemy, and I would hate to lose anyone else because they ignored warning signs or didn't get screenings when they do.  I lecture because I care.  :)

That's all for now, so I'll just leave you with this photo of my grandma and I.  Good night all.

TGIF: Things I'm Thankful For

Ok, so this week was all sorts of not fun for me.  Work was oddly busy and annoying.  I'm always busy, so that part wasn't so odd, it was more of the stuff I was busy with.  I'm also rarely overly annoyed with my job.  I actually really love it, but this week was just not the best.  My allergies have also been acting up, so I felt sick most of the week, and I was generally just in a very "Negative Nancy" sort of mood.  Today however, is Friday!  Not only is it Friday, but it's Payday Friday, Half Day of Work Friday and Homecoming Friday!  I finally got hold of my silver lining for the week, and thought I would write a little post of things I'm thankful for to make up for all of the negativity earlier in the week.  Before I get to that, one last little negative....the rest of hockey pre-season has been cancelled as I predicted it would be, and my heart just continues to break a little.  Okay, moving on....

Things I'm Thankful For:

My Parents - 9/27/80

I'm thankful for my parents.  They're the best in the world.  They're amazing people, and they continue to put up with me and all of my ridiculousness (which can sometimes get annoyingly out of control I'm sure).  Yesterday they celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary, and I'm just so thankful that I have them as my example of what marriage should be.

San Diego - July 2012

I'm thankful for my sister.  Wednesday she and her boyfriend came over for family game night.  Wednesday was by far my least favorite day this week, and I really just wanted to come home and go to bed.  Lucky for me, I have the world's funniest sibling.  She's crazy in the best way possible, and we spent the night playing Uno and laughing.  It definitely made a bad day a lot better.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

So it's not so much that I'm thankful for Wilson Phillips, but I am thankful for really great songs.  I heard Hold On on my way home from work today, and I can't keep myself from dancing around in my car like a crazy person and singing at the top of my lungs whenever it comes on.  This song was followed by New Kids on the Block and Bon Jovi.  My shuffle was amazing today, and just strengthens my feeling that there's a song for every situation, and there's always a song that can make you feel better.

Photo Credit: Google Images

Last, but certainly not least, coffee!  I know it's over priced, but I seriously love Starbucks, and it's finally Pumpkin Spice Latte season!  I probably would not have made it through this week without all of the coffee I consumed.  It's definitely my lifesaver some days.

A few other things I'm thankful for: my awesome co-workers that always make me laugh, the instant messenger at work that allows me to talk to my former co-workers on the east coast, Harry Potter movies, Glee, my girlfriends who always let me vent, text message convos with one of my awazing east coast cousins, and a lot of other things, but I'll leave those for another time.

That's it for now.  Have an amazing weekend everyone!

How is it Already the Last Wednesday of September?!

Seriously though, where did September go, and why in the world are we still having triple digit weather here?!  I miss fall weather, and leaves that change colors, and the ability to wear scarves without fearing it will cause me to have heat stroke.

Anyway...on to this week's Hodgepodge questions!  Joyce always has such great questions for us to answer.  You should go visit her over at From This Side of the Pond and play along with us!

1. The Wednesday Hodgepodge this week falls on John Chapman's birth date.  He's more famously known as Johnny Appleseed...what's your favorite variety of apple? 

• I'm going to have to go with Granny Smith apples.  I love that they're a little more on the sour side.  In general though, I love all apples.  I'm not too picky.

2.   When did you last say 'ick'? 

• Today at lunch when my co-worker tried to convince me that the brats they were serving for lunch were really tasty.  I'm not a hot dog eater at all, and I'm really picky when it comes to sausage, and they just looked gross today.

3.   Do you think there's a generation gap?  Explain. 

• I think so, and I think technology is a large reason why.  The massive technology boom that's taken place over the last couple of decades has really split the generations.  For those who knew what life was like pre-internet, it's not a necessity.  But for those who grew up/are growing up with all of this technology, a life without the instant gratification that comes from having gadgets like iPods, smart phones and tablets is an absolutely ridiculous notion.  I feel like my life is split between the two.  We didn't have the internet until I was in junior high school.  I grew up playing outside with the neighbors and being active and finding imaginative ways to entertain myself.  I cherished time spent with my relatives at family dinners, and I still think it's rude to be on the phone/tablet/gameboy (or whatever the current cool handheld gaming system is) while at the dinner table.  Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone, iPad and MacBook, but I'm so grateful that I had a child hood where the new cool technology was Super Nintendo, and it was absurd to think that one day people would be camping out at a store to buy a cell phone.

4.  What's on your computer screen saver?  Do you leave it alone or change it often? 

• It's one of the random graphic things that came with my laptop.  I think I've changed it twice in the over four years I've owned said laptop.

5.  If you had the attention of the entire world for two minutes, what would you say?

• Wow, only two minutes to talk to the entire world?  That's a lot of pressure to say something profound in a very short period of time.  I guess I would say something along the lines of, "Dear World, I hope some day we can all come to the realization that we're just human.  Everyone makes mistakes, and we're all different, and that's what makes us awesome.  Can't we all just please get along and stop trying to kill each other all the time?  Thanks."  It's not very profound, and I'm sure it wouldn't make a difference, but it's how I feel.

6.  Four fashion trends to try this fall are-brocade/jacquard (fancy printed fabrics), peplum, lace, and printed pants...which of these four would you be most likely to wear? 

• I think lace is the only one I'm willing to go with.  I like to keep things pretty simple in my wardrobe.  I'm not real big on prints, but maybe if I found the right one I'd be willing to try it out.

7.  What can make your bad day better?

• Any of a number of things.  Here's a short list: Ice Cream, Brownies, Tequila, Dancing it Out, Drinking Tequila (or Mango Malibu Rum) while Dancing it Out, Wine, My Girlfriends, My Family, Starbucks, A Good Run/Work Out, A Hug, A Song, Sleep.  It really depends on what made the day bad to begin with.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

• I'm glad the Diamondback have started winning some baseball games, but I'm frustrated that they waiting until the end of September to do it.

Today Should Have Been Awesome

This is my hockey gear.  All of my t-shirts and rally towels.  The only things not in the stack are my Brooks Laich jersey and my hats.  Because my closet at my parents house is so small, and my hockey gear takes up so much room, it gets folded up and stacked in the top of the closet during the off-season. Today should have been like Christmas.  I should have been able to take all of this off the shelf in order to pick out the perfect outfit for tonight's first pre-season game.  Instead, I'm sitting here in the living room, watching baseball and writing this post.  My mother taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all, so this will be short and sweet.

This whole lockout mess is ridiculous.  If either side was fighting for anything other than money (player safety anyone?!) I might be able to justify it.  Unfortunately, this is a fight over money, and at the moment it would appear that neither side is willing to meet somewhere in the middle and compromise.  So both sides are being stubborn, and currently all pre-season games in September have been cancelled.  Considering today was the first day they've held meetings in two weeks, it's likely that there will be an announcement regarding October's games very soon.  

In the meantime, the fans are angry (pissed off season ticket holder, party of one....right over here!).  The last time the NHL had a lockout was the 2004-2005 season, and all of the games were cancelled that year.  They lost a lot of their fans after that, and they've just recently began to recover most of them.  Not only are the fans angry, but did anyone ever think about the arena employees who now don't have jobs until this is all over?  Or the businesses surrounding the arenas that thrive on game traffic?  It doesn't appear that they have.  So, for now, I'm just going to be an angry fan.  If you need me, I'll be in my room, staring at my closet, wishing I had a reason to put my hockey gear back in my wardrobe rotation.

Hodgepodge Hump Day!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  This is my second week back working full time at my job after working some cut hours this summer.  Can I just say, that these two weeks have felt super long!!  If I could go back to working only three days a week, but get paid like I was there for five (if that meant working three 12 hour shifts, I'd do it...I'm not trying to get paid for nothing!) I'd do it without thinking twice about it.  Long story short, I'm glad we're half way through this week!

On to the hodgepodge!



1. What's the best and worst thing thing about growing older? 

• I'd have to say the best thing about getting older is the things we learn along the way.  Now, it's no secret that if being a student could be a viable occupation that's what I'd be doing, but that's not what I mean.  I'm talking about all of life's lovely little lessons.  Both the good and the bad.  They shape who you are, and a lot of those lessons can only be learned with time.  Now, the worst thing about growing older is feeling old.  Both mentally and physically.  Personally, I have the world's worst joints, I'm pretty sure.  So some days, my 27 year old body feels about 70.  That's not an exaggeration.  I'd say I'd love to go back to the time before I injured every joint in my body and be more careful and take better care of myself, but honestly, I'm fairly certain there's a high level of genetic predisposition there, so it probably doesn't matter.  Plus, the majority of those injuries happened doing things I love, and I would never be okay giving up any of those things.  As for mentally feeling old...I still have a great memory and all that jazz, but any time anyone reminds me that my twin cousins will be 16 and driving this year....I cry a little on the inside and wonder where the time has gone.  I mean, I was at the hospital when they were born, and I remember it like it was yesterday.  It's not okay that they're growing up, but they refuse to obey my instructions and stop growing!

2.   Autumn arrives this week in the Northern Hemisphere...what one thing do you love most about the fall season? 

• COOLER WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is all.

3.  Speaking of fall...pumpkin seems to be flavoring everything these days-are you a fan?   What's your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage? 

• I LOVE PUMPKIN!  I love eating it...and I love carving them.  Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite past times.  I'm not going to be able to do it this year, and I'm already sad about it.  That wasn't the question though.  Yes, I am a huge fan of pumpkin-y food and drinks.  I wait in anticipation all year for the Pumpkin Spice Latte to make it's reappearance at Starbucks.  I love pumpkin pie.  Last year I got this recipe for pumpkin cookies on Pinterest.  They are so easy to make, and they really are as good as the blogger brags that they are.  Amazing!  I can't wait to make them again soon.

4.  Since we're on the subject of fall...what's the worst fall you've ever taken?

• Honestly, I don't think I have one.  I'm notorious for running into things and ending up with giant bruises all over my body, but I'm not really prone to falling. 

5.  If you could own a prop from any film what would you choose? 

• This isn't a film, but I really want the orange couch that was in Central Perk on the show Friends.

6. What's the most interesting word you've read or learned in the past week?

• I honestly can't think of a new word I've learned this week, so I just went to WordThink to see what their word of the day is.  Today is "fractious."  It's an adjective that means easily irritated or bad tempered. 

7. When was the last time you locked yourself out of your house, car, or office?  Was it a big deal?

• It's been a long time since I've done any of those things.  In high school I used to lock myself out of my truck all the time, but now that I'm super paranoid about it I haven't done it in quite some time.  Luckily it was never that big of a deal.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

• I'm hungry.  To the point that it's almost all I can think about.  I think that means it's time for dinner!

Thanks for reading everyone!  Please take a minute to visit our fabulous Hodgepodge host Joyce! 

A Few of My Favorite Things: Pop Culture Edition

Happy Tuesday!  In a continuing effort to share some of myself with you and to get to know some of you, I figured I'd share some of  my favorite things.  I think pop culture is something everyone can relate to.  Movies, TV, Music, Literature...oh my!  I have a pretty wide scope of what I'll watch/listen to/read, but here's just a few of my personal favorites.

Favorite Band:

via abcnewsradioonline.com

They had me at "Push" back in 1997, and it's been love ever since.  I love everything about them.  I love that their songs are so well written.  I love Rob Thomas' voice.  I love that, unlike some bands :::coughNickelbackcough:::, none of their songs sound exactly the same.  North is their newest album since going on hiatus in 2007, and it's awesome.  Rob Thomas also released two solo albums during the first hiatus the band went on, and those are also awesome.  I've seen Rob Thomas in concert once when he came to the state fair a few years ago, but I have yet to see the whole band in concert (don't even get me started on how upsetting this is!).  Now that there's a new album there will be a new tour, and you better believe I will be there.  Even if it means paying an obscene amount of money and even having to drive to a neighboring state!  Hopefully they'll have a show in AZ, but the American tour hasn't been announced yet.

Other Bands/Musicians I Can't Get Enough Of:

All Images via Google Image

Music is my life.  I can relate any situation to a song.  There's always some song stuck in my head (currently it's "Good Life" by OneRepublic).  So while I love these 5 artists, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  My iTunes library is massive and very diverse.  There will be a post some other time about why I'm such a nut about music.

Favorite Movies:

Images via Google Image

I'm very much the kid at heart.  Like music, my DVD collection is pretty diverse, but these two movies are hands down my favorite of all time.

Favorite TV Shows:

Images via Google Image

I watch a lot of TV.  More than I really should, but these four shows are my favorites.  To date there isn't an episode of any of them that I dislike or wouldn't watch multiple times.

Favorite Books:

Images via Google Image

Here's just a few of my favorite books.  I love to read, so if anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears!

I think that's enough from me for today.  What are some of your favorite things in the realm of pop culture?  Anyone have any fun guilty pleasures (i.e. listening to the song Call Me Maybe excessively or watching ridiculous shows like Teen Mom and 16 Pregnant.  All of which I do by the way...I'm not ashamed!)

Getting to Know You: The Basics

Like I said yesterday, I have a lot of new followers, and you all don't know too much about me.  I figured it was time to change that.  I figured I'd start with the basics, and go from there.  So, here's a little bit of background for you!

Name: Sarah

Age: 27...I'm currently having issues dealing with the fact that I'm in my late 20's.  One of my best friends realized the other day that the characters in the show Friends are 28 during Season 4.  When did we become old enough that we can actually relate our lives to our favorite show?!  I don't think it had ever occurred to either of us that we were now the same age as the characters.  Let alone all the way to season 4 already!  Believe me, I'm by no means saying I'm old, because I'm not, but sometimes I'm confused as to where the time has gone.  It's a little scary sometimes.

Family:  I'm an extremely blessed individual.  I have an amazing family.  My parents are still married, and have been for almost 33 years.  I'm the oldest of 3 kids.  I have a younger brother who is the most generous and caring individual I know.  I also have a younger sister who is completely crazy, but in an amazing way.  She's one of my best friends, and one of the funniest people I know.  I also have a very, very large extended family that always makes life interesting on a regular basis.  Oh, and then there's Tiger.  She's the tabby cat that's the newest addition to our family.  She's a little weird and noisy, but I love her.

Location:  Currently I'm living back at home with mom and dad in Phoenix, Arizona.  I was born and raised here.  I'm one of the few people I know that lived their entire childhood in the same house.  I went to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona for 4 years.  If Flagstaff were a larger city, I might not have left, but it's not and I did.  I spent another year in Phoenix, and then I moved to Washington, DC.  I spent three years in that amazing city until I just couldn't afford it anymore, and now I'm back in Phoenix.  So, I'll apologize now that you'll likely read a lot about how much I hate the heat, but I hate it, and that's never going to change.

Occupation:  It's not something that I plan on ever writing about.  But I will say that I work in the hospitality industry and I love my job.

I think that's a good start for now.  So, if you feel so inclined, I'd love to know a little about all of you!  Just the basics for today.  You name, where you're located, and any other "basic" you feel like sharing.

Coming Attractions

First things first...Is it really already the third week in September?!  Where has the time gone?  I feel like Memorial Day was just yesterday, and now Labor Day has come and gone and Halloween is right around the corner.  Oh well, that's fine by me.  I much prefer fall to summer anyway.  Now if only the weather would start to reflect the fact that we're changing seasons.

Moving on...

I have a full week of posts planned!  During the A-Z Challenge I picked up quite a few new followers (to those of you who have stuck with me during my often long absences....thank you!), and aside from the bucket list I made during the challenge, you all don't know too much about me.  So, I'll have a few posts this week that will hopefully help us all to get to know each other a little bit.  I'll also have a Hodgepodge Wednesday post, and if I can calm down and write logically, a post about the current NHL lockout.

I'm looking forward to sharing a bit of myself with you all, and hopefully you'll enjoy what you read.

Have a great week everyone!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  I was on such a roll!  I had a week where I had a post 5 out of 7 days, then last week I had zero posts!  What can I say, it was a rough week.  Here's this week's hodgepodge, and don't forget to go and visit Joyce so you can join in our fun!

1. Aloha! On August 21, 1959 Hawaii officially became a US state. Have you ever been? Upon arrival would you prefer an orchid or a hibiscus to tuck behind your ear?

• I haven't made it to Hawaii yet, but if things go as I'd like them to, I'll be making my way there next year.  I've been wanting to go for ages, but plane tickets are just so dang expensive!  As for the flower, can I have one of each?  They're both so pretty!

2. Since we're talking tropical...what's your favorite food or beverage made with pineapple?

• There are so many!  Pineapple fried rice...pineapple upside down cake...Malibu & Pineapple Juice...smoothies....

3. Do you believe in soul mates? Explain.

• Yes, but I don't believe in the traditional definition of "soul mates."  Not only do I believe that you can have more than one, but I believe you soul mate(s) don't always come in the form of a significant other.  They can also come in the form of your best friend.

4. Share a memory about the house you grew up in.

• I feel like my childhood was rare in that I lived my entire life in the same house.  I guess one of my fondest memories are from when I was a kid, and we would all sit on the couch in our living before we went to bed and our mom would read to us.  I always loved that.

5. Are you comfortable with silence?

• Not particularly.  My mind races when it's quiet, so I always try to surround myself with some sort of noise.  I fall asleep with the TV on solely because I need the background noise to tune out whatever's floating through my brain.  I listen to the radio all day at work for the same reason.  Noise actually helps me to clear my mind and be able to concentrate.  It must be the musician in me.  

6. You spot a giant spider on your bedroom wall...what's your next move? (all spiders are giant, right?)

• Smash it with a shoe before it can move and hide and lay eggs somewhere.

7. My idea of fun does NOT include ______________.

• Phoenix in the summer....seriously....if I could live up north from May to October I'd do it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

• I'm currently watching the movie "You Again."  It's one of those movies that I can watch repeatedly and not really get sick of.  It's pretty funny.

My Heart Belongs to San Diego

San Diego is my favorite city (For now anyway.  I have a lot of traveling left to do in life).  I've loved it since I was young, and every time I go back my love grows just a little bit more.  The last time I was in San Diego was nearly 10 years ago when I went on a family vacation before my senior year of high school.  After that I went to college, and money to travel with was non-existent.  After college, I moved to the east coast and all money was spent on trips home to AZ to see my family.

Needless to say, I was long over due for some quality time in my favorite place.  I have had to take a cut in hours this summer while my hotel undergoes some much needed renovations, so I convinced my sister (and by convinced I mean I mentioned it and she was immediately on board) that taking a super short, two day trip was a phenomenal idea.  Our cousin moved to San Diego recently as well, so that was another excuse for us to go.

The trip started out a little rough.  We stopped in Jacumba, California to get gas, and about a mile away from the gas station my sister's truck stopped working.  It completely died, and I had to carefully coast us across the highway (thank goodness there was no traffic!) and into the shoulder.  We got to hang out in the grossly hot desert for two hours while we waited for a tow truck.  Unfortunately, after everything was said and done, we lost about a half a day in San Diego, but it wouldn't be a Clem vacation without some sort of mishap!  We eventually made it to San Diego (a huge thank you to my cousin for rescuing us from the auto shop and being our driver for the remainder of our trip!), and had an amazing time!

Here is a picture recap of our time once we finally got there!

This sushi & Kirin Light tasted SO good after spending 2 hours stranded in the desert!

Our view from our hotel room

Sisters

There's not much in life that's better than my feet in the sand with a cold beverage and a good book

Cousins

Sunset at Mission Beach

It's Okay...

I've just recently started reading Neely's blog, and decided to join in on It's Okay Thursdays.  Enjoy!



It's Okay....

• To end a friendship that's become toxic
• To wish it was October so that I can be spending my life at Jobing.com Arena watching my Coyotes
• To feel a little anxiety because I realized the other day that if I want to go to culinary school next fall I should probably start figuring out where I'm going to go and how much it's going to cost me
• To still wish I could be an Olympic gymnast when I watch it on TV

Hodgepodge Wednesday!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  I hope you enjoy this week's Hodgepodge.  Head on over and visit Joyce to find out how you can participate too!

1. In an effort to combat obesity, the mayor of NYC has plans to ban the sale of large sugary drinks (anything over 16 oz.), initially in restaurants, movie theatres, and street carts. Corner stores would also be affected if they are defined as food service establishments. You can read more here . Your thoughts?

------ The part of me that is saddened by how severe our obesity problem is in this country thinks this is a great idea.  However, a bigger part of me thinks that it's not the mayor's business to be telling people how much sugar they consume.  I may not agree with people's destructive habits, but that doesn't mean it's my (or anyone else's) place to interfere and tell them how to live their lives.

2. Art festival, music festival, food festival...which would you most like to attend?

------ Oh jeez, that's a tough one.  Ideally I'd love to attend a music and food festival combined!

3. What are you irrational about?

------ I think in general, I'm an overly rational person.  I don't think there's really one specific thing that I'm always irrational about.  My mom may be a better person to ask about this.

4. Do you feel confident you'll have a comfortable retirement?

------ Not at the moment, but I'm still young.  I have plans for a great career, and I'm sure my feelings on this will likely change a lot in the coming years.

5. What's been your favorite Olympic moment so far?

(Not ever, just in the 2012 Summer games)

------ I think it's got to be watching Michael Phelps finish out his career in an epic way.  Watching him race and blow away the existing medal records has been a great thing.  I also loved watching Gabby Douglas win her gold in the women's all-around gymnastics competition.  She's just so precious and talented.  I also just watched one of the best comebacks ever.  Misty and Kerri just made an insane comeback against the Chinese to make it to the gold medal match where they'll play our other American team.  Crazy.  I just love sports...and the Olympics....

6. What would you label as the messiest room in your house?

------ As to not throw my parents under the bus, I'll go with my bedroom.  I've lived here about a year and I just can't seem to get it organized enough to my liking, so it just gets messy.  It's much smaller than I'm used to living in, and I haven't dealt with that very well!

7. Do you follow your heart or your head?

------ Oh jeez.  I would have to say more my head.  Like I said before, I'm a really rational person.  Being spontaneous and taking leaps of faith scare me.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

------ I don't want to go to the dentist tomorrow.  I love my dentist, but I'm not too fond of his hygienist.  She's better than his last one...but not by much.

July Was Awesome...

July was a ton of fun, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite moments...

It started out with the Clem Family getting a new addition.  Meet Tiger...

We adopted Tiger from one of my co-workers who was recently relocated to Chicago

Tiger is a sweet cat, but she might also be the oddest cat we've ever had.  She doesn't like to be held very much (which drives my dad bonkers), she's very talkative and she's terrified of ceiling fans (I'm not joking).  It's been a while since there's been a pet in this house, so we're all pretty glad to have her around.

Then came 4th of July!  I love this holiday.  I get to celebrate how awesome it is to live in America, plus it includes fireworks.  Fireworks are one of my favorite things in the world.  This year, I spent the day with my family at Chase Field taking in some baseball.  Did I mention we got to watch batting practice from the field?  No?  Well, we did...and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done!

Our view of batting practice from the field

Diamondbacks Catcher Miguel Montero signing autographs right next to me.  Dad got his autograph, and he stopped and talked to us for a couple of minutes.  He's super nice!

Diamondbacks 1st Baseman Paul Goldschmidt.  I love him.  I love that he's a great player, and I love how hot he is.

Family photo during batting practice

Fireworks after the game

This was how the month started.  There were a few more baseball games in the middle of the month, and the month ended with a mini-vacation to San Diego!  However, I love San Diego so much that you'll see that in a whole other post on Friday.