The Randomness

Picsies

2011-09-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

2011-08-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

2011-08-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

picsies

2011-08-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

new

2011-08-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

...

2011-08-04T09:30:00.001-07:00

Yep

2011-08-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

pics

2011-08-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

blah

2011-07-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

Pics!

2011-07-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Life Update...Part II

2009-08-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in my mother and father in law's house as I write this blog. I'm curled up in Mama Gayle's comfy chair. I just finished watching Francis Chan talk about joy and the command to rejoice! I found myself examining my own life and how I respond to things. I felt humbled as I sat here and wept over the fact that my name is written in Heaven. When was the last time I rejoiced over that indescribably beautiful fact?

Well, I promised the second half of our life update. Many of you know that Will and I have relocated to Columbia, SC. Will is starting the master's program in clinical counseling at Columbia International University. This is actually his first day, and he's in class right now! I had the immense privilege of going to orientation with Will yesterday. We spend the whole day there learning about the school, the program and various other things. I was very impressed by what I heard, and it left me with a peace.

The following paragraphs will give you a little back story of how we found ourselves here...

Before leaving for Slovakia, we had been discussing what is next for us, and what God might want us to explore. We were having dinner with the Daddy Ron and Mama Gayle (Will's parents) in Columbia in early summer and discussing this very thing. We were aware that our current jobs didn't really have any potential for growth nor did we really feel we were doing things that were our passion? The idea of going back to school came up and Will voiced his interest in counseling. It had always held some appeal to him and we discussed CIU (Columbia International University). We were discussing that when our friend, Stephanie, walked up to our table...

She starts out by telling us what has been going on in her life. The first words out of her mouth are, "Yeah, I've been working at CIU and taking some counseling classes, which has been amazing!". Weird, huh? I mean we hadn't even mentioned what we had been talking about. That was our first nudge from God to pursue this thing.

Will started the application process slowly. It wasn't really until Slovakia or after that he really hit that process hard. He got his references in, wrote his essay and waited to hear back from them. All the while we are recovering from our trip to Slovakia, and the amazing time we had there. We had been praying about missions as a more full time thing, and we found ourselves quite torn. What did God want us to pursue at this time? Slovakia, seminary, some other form of school for Will or myself??

Well, in the midst of this confusion, Will had an interview at CIU on Wednesday (less than 2 weeks ago). We took an overnight trip to Columbia and Will spent the majority of Wednesday taking a personality test and interviewing, while I drove around in the rain and tried to entertain myself. The interview went remarkably well. The head of the counseling department met with Will and was blown away by what he saw in him. He thought he would make an excellent counselor and really wanted him to start fall classes. Mmmm....

We had a lot to discuss. While Will appeared to be a shoe-in, were we ready to make this commitment? Two and a half to three years of school and 2 years of a paid internship. Would the paid internship pay enough? We want to have kids...and don't really want to wait 5 years. We just weren't sure. So, on the drive home from Columbia, Will called our friend Kara, who went through the same program 6 years ago. She was incredibly encouraging, and we found out that you could have a family and live modestly off your intern salary. So that took the process from a five year one to a two and a half year process. So, can we really move to Columbia in less than 2 weeks, we find ourselves asking one another??

Upon returning to Alpharetta, we knew the last step in this was seeing where Will's boss stood on him leaving in a week. She said she didn't want to stand in the way of what God could do. She was completely encouraging and said that there were teachers who wanted more hours that could slide in. It's not natural for either of us to take such a "risk". Our faith was grown in leaps and bounds in the moment where we decided to go in the direction we felt God leading us. Doing what God tells you is never a risk, but as humans we see all of the things that aren't "perfect" about the situation. Because of the speedy nature of this thing, I didn't' have a job upon moving nor did we have a place of our own to live.

We called Will's parents and told them our plan and where we felt God leading us. They opened their home to us and have generously offered financial support. Both Will and I are completely overwhelmed by the love and support we feel.

So, I am on the job hunt, and I know that when God brings that job to us, it will be His perfect timing. I have resumes and applications out there, and I'm looking still. With the help of my beautiful Savior, I will rejoice in this time, knowing He has our best interest in mind.

I'm so completely thrilled for what God is going to do through this time here. Please pray for us. Prays for Will as he starts school again for the first time in 10 years. Pray for me as I look for a job. Pray that God will remain the center of everything we do and that in this time of change, He would remain the constant.

I know this was long, so I thank you for sticking with it. Love you all!

Sarah & Will (I know this is his heart as well)

Life Update... Part I

2009-08-05T15:40:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in our loft after having been gone for 26 days. I can't believe one entire month out of a precious twelve has passed by so quickly. It has been an completely amazing month, however. I will try to recap as briefly as possible.

Will, myself and Katie (one of our amazing college girls) left the country on the 12th of July. We landed in Vienna bright and early on the 13th. Some friends of ours picked us up from the airport and drove us to Bratislava, SK, where Laura was impatiently waiting for our arrival. It was a glorious moment when we saw our Laura bounding from the street and leaping into our arms. Okay, she walked hurriedly and hugged us. It was still glorious! We were re-united with the rest of our team (who came over early to do another camp). We also met Laura's interns for the summer.

We made our way to camp that same day and the train ride was refreshing as we were able to spend quality time with Laura for a few hours (there were also 3 random Slovaks that were in our compartment that we spent some quality time with). Looking back, I'm so grateful for that bit of time we had with Laura because the rest of the trip was so busy and hectic that that was really the only solid time we had.

Onto camp...it was AMAZING! Completely different from last year's in terms of environment and accommodations, etc. Last year we were in a super nice hotel and this year we were roughin it in cabins. We had electricity only part of the day and night. It expired promptly at midnight and hot water wasn't a definite. There were even a multitude of bugs, but camp was AMAZING! Will and I were able to teach a class together. We had 7 incredible english speakers in our advanced class, and we truly enjoyed our mornings playing games and learning english together.

Two sweet girls accepted Christ as their savior and many other conversations were had as Christianity, family, and life were honestly discussed. I was able to share a story from my life one night. The topic was on failure. That was a humbling experience, and I've never really shared something in a group like that before. God spoke through me, and as a result, I was able to have some great talks with some girls at camp.

There are so many other stories I could share from camp. A hike that I was pretty sure I would die on, getting sick in the woods, climbing a tree, eating a sweet pasta with poppy seeds for lunch, holding my own in a football throwing circle with the boys, not holding my own in a frisbee throwing circle, playing raucous games of catch phrase with our class, watching Will kill a giant bee and Andrej inform us that we'd killed the mother ship, Will doing Arnold impressions at the request of our students. And so many more.

After camp we spent a few days in Vienna. Beautiful, gorgeous, elegant, everything you could imaging. We walked like fiends everywhere and treated ourselves to ice cream every night. We met up with two of our girls who were spending a few days there as well. We even saw Harry Potter in an english cinema!

We made it back safe and sound and jet lagged out of our minds. There is much more to catch you up on. I will save that for Part II of our update.

Until then, take care,
Sarah

Da Beach Yo

2009-06-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday wishes to all of you! I experienced a rather gloomy drive to work today. Misty and foggy accompanied my journey, but I am happy to say that as I sit here now, writing, I see a peek of sunlight. It's amazing what sun can do. God is beyond wise and creative.

Well, as I was getting ready this morning, I was thinking about our trip to the beach next week. I felt giddy rising up in my body over the fact that it was merely days away. It was then that it hit me, a blog idea!

A Giddy Me

I thought I would highlight the past two years and how Litchfield by the Sea has become a summer tradition.

So, two summers ago, Will and I were just dating, and I was meeting his family for the first time. I remember it was late when I got in, and Mama Gayle waited up past her bedtime to meet me. There they were...Will's parents who I'd heard so much about. They were so good to me. I felt more than welcomed, and I can honestly say that the love and kindness showed to me on that first visit hasn't decreased in the slightest. I still feel completely honored in their presence. I love you both. Oh, and happy belated birthday, Daddy Ron. :)

The week with the Troutmans was grand. We ate fantastic food, lounged by the pool and on the beach and even made our way to a beautiful garden. The beauty was short lived that day, however, as the heat gradually began to melt away our ability to reason and think.

Mama Gayle emerges from the Fountain at Brookgreen Gardens

Not only did I get to meet the parents, but I got to meet Will's other sister, Liz. I already knew Laura (hence the connection between Will and I in the first place), but it was such a blessing to meet Liz and fall in love with her on the first visit. She is an amazing woman of God, and I feel honored to call her my sister.

A Blonde me and my beautiful Liz

Last year, the newly married couple got to go to the beach yet again. I think it is time to say a huge thank you to Will's uncle, who graciously extends his beach condo to family. It is his generosity that allows Will and I to look forward to a week at the beach without the worries of saving for a hotel. Thank you, Uncle Jim from the bottom of our hearts!

Back to last year....we invited my brother and his wife (also newly married at the time) to vacation with us. Kristi (my other new sister), is from South Dakota, so she hasn't had much beach in her life. It was fun to watch her and Jason have a blast in the water. It was like watching two little kids, and I mean that in the most indeering way. Precious.

We played games, ate some yummy food, played a roller coaster of emotions game of putt-putt, etc. etc. I was on a wicked medication that made me equally as wicked at times. I think Jason and Kristi thought I was going to beat them with my club or drive the score keeping pencil into their temples, and Will was concerned for the dragon, the mascot and main atraction at this particular putt-putt locale. Thankfully nobody was harmed, and we can look back and laugh.

The Four of us Before I became Caveman

This year will bring the Burtons and Troutmans together once again for more beach time fun. Later in the week, Liz will join us. We're thrilled and can't wait for it!

We'll take some pictures and post them with details of the trip in a later blog.

Beautiful

Have supa dupa weeks everyone!

Manufacturing Blastotrons,
Sarah

Life is Good!

2009-06-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...it's been a while, but I believe my husband has supplied everyone with enough blogs this week to keep the masses satisfied. Well, I hope you all are starting out your summers splendidly. One more week and Will and I head to the beach. We are beyond thrilled!

Today, I would like some insight into the trend that is, "Life is Good" paraphernalia. This look that I see plastered on so many well meaning people baffles me. Like this guy here. He looks like he presents himself well, works out, etc., and he decided to go with this shirt for the day. Really??

I have some rad theories on what just might happen if you come in contact with something "Life is Good".

1. Do the images come to life and teach you miraculous truths? Like in the mug below, I imagine the dog dropping the marshmallow he is roasting and jumping out of the mug right into your lap. He then starts to blow your mind with earth shattering knowledge and before you know it, he has leapt back to his ceramic world and is roasting marshmallows. You never know when he'll return, so you keep dat mug, drink out of dat mug and hope one day that the wise canine will jump out of dat mug once again.

2. Theory #2 has to do with teleportation. I believe that there is a possibility that whenever you wear something "Life is Good", whether it be a hat, a shirt, slippers, a necklace, running shorts, you are magically teleported to that scene. I'll give you some examples form the pictures below. First is our tennis pro on the cap. He or she is obviously enjoying life to the fullest. When the hat is on your head for total of 3 hours, you feel a burning sensation in your temples and a flash of white light appears. You then become a cartoon character tennis champion, and you are battling it out with other characters from LIG (life is good).

Shirts are different, however. You've got to don those babies for a total of 8 hours before the magic begins. And you wouldn't believe how friendly the lobsters are when you cross over into their world. Look how happy he is!

3. There simply must be a 3rd theory to keep in line with Will's first blog of the week. If that makes no sense to you, you haven't read his blog on the #3....okay I'll stop touting and promoting the husband. Onto the the final theory. And that is the theory of protection. A lot of the LIG stuff isn't necessarily clothing but more decoration, such as a bumper sticker. I believe that when you stick one on your car, truck, scooter or even boogie board, you inpenitrable to accidents or angry drivers. There is a catch, however. LIG wants to be sure that you are true to them, so you must have said sticker plastered for a total of 2 years. I know...I know. That is a lot of commitment but look at the benefits.

Just imagine that in a moment of poor judgement, you cut someone off. They careen into a bridge and their car is in flames. But then you see then crawl from the fiery mass and through the smoke you see a thumbs up, and they simply smile and say, "Life is Good".

This rule doesn't apply with boogie boards, however. The water could cause them to peel. If they do fall off, just replace them for a year and you the power will be yours.

And there you have it, my friends. I have gone all out and taken things too far as I work my way back into the hearts of my faithful readers. I hope you have enjoyed this randomness and to those of you who are reading that own LIG threads or decor of any kind, rock on and share with me your love of it!

Hugs and high kicks to you all!!

Unholy Distractions

2009-05-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, hey, hey! Happy spring time to all!

Well, I hope in this blog, I will be able to keep my thoughts in order and not ramble. I just want to make sense and, in love, let my feelings be known. So, here goes....

Isn't Hollywood interesting. It's an amazing, fascinating, offending, captivating, distracting, immoral machine that never stops running. You never know what it's going to spit out next and just how shocking it might be.

I blogged a while ago about Spanglish and the message that was so contrary to scripture and God's view of marriage. Today, I'm not really pin-pointing any particular film but just the overall feel and level of immorality that reigns supreme in so much that's being made these days.

I don't think God ever intended for His children to be blindly led by the standards and values of Hollywood. And, God has been telling me lately that it really is okay to take offense and not be cool with a lot of what is deemed by the entertainment world as awesome.

God has been so good to Will and I in drawing us to Himself and giving us the desire to live holy lives and to truly be set apart. It's interesting, though, when you are truly seeking God and His will in your life, how satan will come against you so strong. He not only tries to get you in areas he knows you are weakest, but he starts to prey on you in other areas.

But, I find comofort in the following verse from Romans.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

There are so many distractions out there, both good and bad, and I've come to find out that even the good can get in the way of that closesness with Christ that He so desparately wants, and I so desparately need.

I hope this was an encouragement and thanks for keeping up with my ramblings!

Shao Kahn is Defeated!

2009-05-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Well, as some of you may know I married a bit of a gamer, but what you may not know is that I myself love video games too. I grew up playing Doom on the PC and from there went on to Mario Brothers and all that glorious series had to offer. I had an older brother, so I definitely dabbled in some fighting games as well. Street Fighter, Streets of Rage and the subject of todays blog...Mortal Kombat.

Will and I downloaded Mortal Kombat for the 360 a couple of months ago and have been enjoying reacquainting ourselves with some of our old warrior friends. We had fun with it for a bit, but grew tired of it after a while. What was especially annoying was the inability to defeat the grand master, Shao Kahn. That got old fast.

Well, the other morning, on a whim or so I thought, I decided to play a little MK. I truly believe now that it was fate leading me to play that morning. I will share with you why. Once again, I made it through them all and there was Shao laughing at me and waiting to bash my brains in with his giant mallet. I chose to play with Sheeva, the monster like man-woman. I manged to defeat him on the first round (done before) and got destroyed on the 2nd round, which was the usual pattern.

Here comes round three and I had little hope within me that I would ever stand a chance. He started his usual routine, where he lunges at me and takes about 1/3 of my energy with each lunge. I knew if I stayed where I was that he would deplete me rather quickly. I decided to go after him in this brand new technique and as Will and I watched with eyes amazed, I took the last of his life with a powerful uppercut. There he was on the ground, defeated.

Never in Will's wildest dreams, did he think he would marry a woman with such amazing dork-like qualities. I leave you with a picture of Will. I think he is reveling in the knowledge that he married a gamer!

Amazing book, Awesome scene, Average movie...

2009-03-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy springtime. It's finally warming up, and if feels amazing!

Well, my twin cousins came for a visit a couple of months ago, and they brought Twilight with them for me to read. I was intrigued, but it sat on my shelf for about 1 month and a half. I finally picked it up and decided to give it a go. Wow! It is certainly popular for a reason. What a great read. I felt like a giddy teenager the whole time. Well, I finished the book mere days before the movie hit Blockbuster. Perfect timing.

I'd definitely heard mixed reviews about the Twilight movie. My cousins abhored it. Hated the actress who played the main character, Bella. They thought she couldn't act. Then there were some who thought it was okay. But, I was surrounded by people at work/church who LOVED the movie and thought it was just the best thing ever. They went to see it 5 and 6 times.

Well, personally, I was disappointed. My main concern was just how inconsistent it was compared to the book. Things were added, taken away and totally mixed up. And for someone, like my husband, who hadn't read the book, it was rather slow to him. Neither of us hated it, but we certainly didn't love it either.

However, there was one scene that was AWESOME. We love Muse and their song "Supermassive Black Hole" was in the movie. I think this scene was ridiculously cool. The quality isn't the best, but hopefully you can get the idea.

I send my love to all of you faithful readers!!

The iphone

2009-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Okay...so I am more than ready for the warm weather to be here. We're springing forward this weekend which means more daylight, which means a giddy Sarah. Will and I are looking forward to being outdoors and enjoying the extended evenings.

Well, I've recently been quite bombarded by commercials for the iphone. You know the ones..."Need to split a check for 5, we've got an app for that", "Going skiing and need to know how much snow has fallen, we've got an app for that". As a result of that bombardment and as a result of being around people with bad phone etiquette, I've developed quite a distaste for the iphone. I'm a mac girl and a technology girl, and I admit that it's cool as junk, but I'm over it.

I recently saw an "app" for books on the phone. Really? I want to hold a book in my hands. I want to feel the cover and the pages and smell the goodness that is a book. I don't want it to be read on something the size of a phone.

Regular cell phones are enough of a distraction, and I want to have real conversations with people without the slow glance down at their iphone or blackberry. It's like I'm interesting, but what's on this screen is more interesting. Seinfeld did a bit about that on Conan the other night. It's so true!

I'm not bashing any of you for having one. I'm just stating my own personal opinion and boy am I opinionated!

Love to all!!

An Amazing Woman; my Grummy

2009-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

Slack doesn't begin to describe how horribly behind I am in blogging. I have struggled to find true inspiration. I started a couple of blogs but just didn't finish them. I think I was preparing for this one.

My mother's mother, Gwen Lutterman, known to family as Grummy, passed away on Feb. 8th around 4 in the afternoon. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer only 1-2 weeks prior to her passing.

Will and I were totally blessed to be able to fly to Richmond 1 week before her death. At the time, we had no clue how far along the condition was, but we knew it could have been quite bad. I am so glad we made that decision to go. We were able to sit with Grummy in the hospital and talk and pray and laugh. She was in good spirits, and it is a wonderful memory that we have. When she went home a few days later, she was told she had between 1 and 3 months. It was 2 days. When I knew there was no way to fly there to see her one last time, I decided I would write a letter and email it to my mom for my mom to read to her. I'm not going to share the letter word for word, but I will share some highlights.

Some memories with my grandma:

1. I was introduced to the Chronicles of Narnia because of my grandma. I found these set of books when I was around 12, on her bookshelf, and they were so intriguing to me. I asked if I could borrow them, and devoured them all in a short amount of time. When I think of those books, I automatically think of her. I was able to take that set from her bookshelf home with me. I will cherish that forever.

2. Growing up, we lived next door to my grandparents, so we spent a lot of time together. I remember my brother hiding one of Grummy's shoes when she was there so she couldn't leave. She would tell him she needed to go, and he wouldn't give up the shoe. It was a constant thing. I loved it!

3. My mom and grandma were really into organics for a while and would get chickens and eggs and beef from an organic farm a few hours away. They would always go in the summer, in the blazing heat. I remember Grummy would pack a bag of healthy snacks. Nuts, veggies and a banana. That banana would permeate the air as we drove along. I would drift away in the hot back seat to the smell of a potent banana.

4. I remember spending the night with grandma a few times. We would pop pop corn and watch Andy Griffith episodes. Grummy always called him Andy Griffin. I never corrected her and thought it was so cute when she said that. I call him Andy Griffin sometimes in honor of her.

5. Winter consisted of puzzles being worked indoors. I love working puzzles because of her. Summer would consist of games on the porch. Games like chickenfoot (domino game) and some card games. Coca Cola or Root Beer and games. Ahhh, the absolute goodness of that.

6. Prayer. My grandma was a pray warrior. The six years my brother and I travelled and did music, she was constantly praying for our safety. I knew that whenever we set out, we were being prayed for and wouldn't stop being prayed for until we were safely home. I'm sure she didn't stop praying then either.

My grandma was a humble, God honoring, woman who pursued holiness and morality in her life. She is truly missed, but she is in Heaven with her Lord and Savior. That is pretty awesome.

In addition to the books, I also nabbed a sweater of hers. I'm wrapped up in it now, as I write this. I appreciate your prayers so much as we've been dealing with all of this. It's definitely been a tough time, but God has been completely faithful and has offered such a peace. He is truly amazing!

Love to you all.

The Master of all Cleanses

2008-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there, all. I have been quite slack in my writings as of late. I apologize and shall break myself in with a synopsis of the events of the last couple of days. I start with a picture of Will and myself, for kicks, from our amazing Christ Mug Party, last Friday.

So, Thursday, I'm at the church working, hanging out with some people, and my friend, Jordan, says that he's gonna do a 10 day cleanse. Hmmm, interesting, I thought. Upon further investigation, I found out that several people were gonna do it. So, I was like, maybe Will and I should do this! I told him about it, and he was like, why not??

Here's how it works. You don't eat a thing for 10 days. Each day you must drink a half gallon of a mixture of the following; lemon juice, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Due to the fact that you are getting no fiber and it is, after all, a cleanse, you also drink a laxative tea at night and do a salt water flush in the morning. Which is exactly what it sounds like. A quart of lukewarm water and 2 teaspoons of salt.

So, Will and I go to Harry's fresh market on Thursday night and get all of the stuff we needed. We were excited! I was having/still have a horrible time with my allergies, but I figured I'd do it anyway. We went out for a farewell to food dinner and woke Friday ready to start. I was feeling miserable already, but we took our containers of juice with us (which looked like urine) and began to drink throughout the day.

OH MY GOSH! That junk was super nasty. The cayenne was so hot but, we managed to get through Day 1 pretty well. Day 2, my allergies are murdering me, and just getting the juice down is like gag city. We do the salt water cleanse in the morning. It was like drinking the ocean, but it worked. Later in the day, my mom (a fasting/cleansing expert) calls, and I get advised from her that I shouldn't be doing this while sick. At that point (6PM) we were both pretty miserable and decided we should stop.

The thing is, the not eating was totally doable...it was that juice that killed us. I think there is a cleanse that is in pill form that doesn't require the intake of nasty juice.

I want to encourage Lauryn, Jordan and Bobo, who are still going strong! You can make it. I'm so proud of you, and so is this random man, who is giving you two thumbs up. Hallelujah!

I'm Not Making This Stuff Up

2008-11-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday wishes, friends. It's been a busy but great week, which I need to blog about at some point, but I need to tell you all about my birthday weekend before it's too far past it.

My official birthday was Wed. the 29th of October, but Will and I celebrated on Sat, Nov. 1st. I knew ahead of time that he had surprises planned for me but had no clue what it all entailed. I only knew that a nice dinner would conclude the day. Will had various stops mapped out and in between each stop, I was blindfolded and totally shocked at each location. First was Starbucks drive through and my fav- a skinny vanilla latte. While sipping and blind, we headed to the next stop, which was Target. Of course I didn't know this. He allowed me to remove my blindfold, but I kept my eyes closed all the way through the store, and I was lead around like a blind woman. He was throwing me off the track with comments like, do you smell ham? We're in the deli. Or is it bologna. I was confused because I kept hearing music. Ahhhh.....we reach a moment where he allows me the gift of sight, and there before me is the docking station we've been wanting. He said, "It's time". So, surprise #2 was getting us well under way.

Next was on to lunch at this spot in downtown Alpharetta that I've so been wanting to go to. It is a fresh Mexican/California type spot. So incredibly yummy. I was so happy.

Blindfold on and onto our next surprise. We come to a stop, and I find myself outside of a spa. What?? Will, the amazing one, had scheduled a 1 hour deep tissue massage and pedicure! I was so happy and shocked that I wanted to cry or pee or something. I haven't had a massage in like 8 months. It was so good. Perfect. And, my toes are still looking great! It was then on to Bed Bath and Beyond where I picked out a new blanket for our couch. Our other one was falling apart. I think we made a wise choice.

Last stop is pamper to the max, but I haven't tanned since May or so and it was an expense that wasn't necessary. I accepted my ghostly pallor, but Will booked a little tanning session for me and set me up for a month's worth! I know. He is awesome. Really.

We chilled for a bit and then headed out for dinner in Crabapple, which is this quaint town near Alpharetta. They have an amazing southern cuisine restaurant called Milton's. It was the perfect way to end the day. Shrimp and grits for me and fried catfish and grits for my man.

The icing on the cake was coming home to watch the Gamecocks destroy the Tennessee Vol's. What a stupendous day! I feel like the richest woman on planet earth. And the thing is, I don't even require these things to know that I have the exact man that God picked out for me. Who loves you, Will Troutman??

Foster Grill Still Sucks, but We Found a Joint that Doesn't

2008-10-30T07:09:00.001-07:00

Hey all! This is my first blog as a 27 year old woman. Yikes!! My birthday was yesterday, and I appreciate all of your warm wishes on my special day. I'll blog about birthday surprises after the weekend when I've loads to tell.

Well, if you recall, I wrote a bit about Foster's Grill not too long ago and the suckness of it's Asian chicken salad. Well, I ended up chatting with someone in corporate who was quite nice, and he promised me free food for my bad experience. Cool, I thought. He told me, though, that our local guy would want to do the honors and would be ticked if he wasn't involved, so Brad told me to expect a call that day with news of free goods. Well, that's been over 2 months ago and no call and no free food. I think I'm officially done with those guys.

But, last weekend a star was born. We were starving after working out and were like where do we want to eat. We decided on Longhorn. We never lose there. Mmmm....but the wait was a shocking 25 minutes, and we just couldn't do it. We noticed a place when we pulled in to the parking lot that at first glance looked like a mechanic shop or car place but upon closer inspection realized that it was a burger place, The Counter- Custom Built Burgers. Would they have something besides a beef burger?? Wow, we decided to give it a go, and it was simply amazing! You can do beef, turkey, chicken, veggie and they even had a lamb burger! 15-20 cheese options, ridiculously amazing topping choices as well as sauce options. They bring it out to you on this large white plate and there is your gourmet looking burger in all its glory. Sweet potato fries were pretty much to die for, as well. They even have burgers in a bowl. (pictured below)

We picked up on a huge California vibe and upon visiting the website, I confirmed our suspicions, but they are growing and could be coming to a city near you!! It is pricey for burgers, but Will and I were talking about the fact that quality costs more sometimes. It was totally worth it. Did I mention an apple pie milkshake? Yeah.

The Power of Children

2008-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

So, this will probably be the briefest blog ever written by me, but I just had to share with you what happened last Wednesday.

So, I was dropping by the school, after work, to pick Will up for a little hang out time before church responsibilities. There he is waiting and immediately I get excited, of course. There is also a kid waiting for her mom or dad to pick her up. Will is about to open the door when I hear, "That's Sarah?", in this completely shocked and border-line condescending voice. I'm thinking, "What"? Then he opens the door to get in, and she puts one hand on her hip and says dramatically, "What the heck?".

I am left stunned and feel like developing a complex over this 9 year old girl. Will then explains to me that she is a very strange kid, and he would completely expect her to say and do something weird like that. Oh, the power of children, though. She had me wondering what in the world was wrong with me. I mean, most of the kids adore all that is me.

Anyway, I thought that was comical, and I hope the feel of it and the humor of the moment was captured. Love you all and hope you are well!!

Spanglish not so Awesome

2008-09-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hollywood has a great way of seeing human desire and fulfillment as supreme. These feelings/desires supersede all else, and they draw you into a story where you are expected to want the same for these characters, even if it means abandoning commitments or promises.

A perfect example of that was in the film that Will and I watched recently; "Spanglish". Every story has an antagonist and a protagonist. In a lot of stories the antagonist is perfect in their role. There is very little redeeming about them and their protagonist counterpart shines by comparison. I felt this story had a sea of antagonists of varying degrees.

This was obviously not what the writer wanted anyone to think. It's clear who the heroes and supposed victims of the story are intended to be.

Family breakdown; A chef husband who worked long hours, a neurotic wife who was obsessed with perfection, an overweight daughter, a son who garners no real description, and an alcoholic mother in law. Enter Spanish, single mother housekeeper. Her earthy and natural beauty plus good deeds toward the members of the house put her in the perfect spot to be adored.

Long story short, Sandler ends up having an emotional affair with the housekeeper which results in an evening of shared feelings, kissing and an admittance of love. All the while the wife is having an affair; a full fledged one. But, because she's been painted as not so likable and because her affair is full on affair style, it's meant that you pretty much loathe her.

With the love expressed between Sandler and housekeeper and the way these characters have been set up, it is intended that you sympathize with them, feel sorry for them and wish for them to be together. There was an obvious conscious there, but they bathed this affair in beauty instead of the destruction that it always is.

We saw the opposite of this yesterday in Fireproof. While the cast was all volunteer and at times that showed, there was an amazing richness and heart in the story, and the moments that were important were very well done. I encourage couples to go see it before it leaves the theaters, which will probably be soon.

Peace out! Love you all!

I Have an Awesome Husband

2008-09-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! Well, we've caught another mouse since last post and are currently dealing with another. They just don't get it. They will perish! Silly mice.

Well, I would like to devote the next couple paragraphs to just how amazing my husband, Will Troutman is. Let me start by saying that the following would not have needed to be done for me to still consider him a great husband, but they were done, so they need to be referenced.

Let me start with last Sunday. I had had a rough Saturday emotionally, and I cried a lot. Well, that crying left me with a migraine on Sunday. I stayed at home, under the covers, while Will went to church. He stopped at the store on the way home for some things (including ginger ale for me) and as I was greeting him, I noticed a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He bought me flowers!! He bought me lilies. My 3rd favorite flower, because the didn't have my 2 favorites (peonies and tulips). I squealed. How sweet! Here's a pic of the beauties.

Secondly, Will's day off is Wednesday. I knew he was going to try to catch up on some rest and what not. Well, he totally cleaned the bathroom. Like, sparklingly clean. I love to take baths, so he especially worked on the tub. It glistened. There he was in his tired state after having cleaned the bathroom waiting for me when I got home. How amazing???

And, thirdly. Let me just say that I cannot stand titles, tags, DMV type offices. I or Will have been into our title place now 5 separate times and every time we've needed something more or different. Why they can't tell us all of that at once is beyond me. Well, I had just finished up 2 stops at the office and come out with nothing, feeling rather frustrated. Will knew of my irritation and upon my return home, he had some Ben and Jerry's yogurt out for me with spoon! Yeah, so I'm telling you, the title of my blog is not an exaggeration. It's the truth.

Marriage isn't bliss one day after the other and there is certainly work involved, but I love my husband beyond words and feel like the most blessed woman on planet earth. I have married my best friend. The hottest best friend ever!!!

A Mouse, a Possum and two Barking Dogs

2008-08-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! It's been a good 3 days preceded by a very interesting weekend. Will and I had a relaxing weekend planned with not too much going on.

Friday evening we made salads with grilled chicken and sat down to some House and relaxation. After House we switched to a little Fable, which by the way is a super awesome x-box game. Yes, I am a girl who enjoys her video games. Will happened to be playing at the moment and after slaying a group of bandits, I noticed that he was looking suspiciously around our apartment. "What's wrong?", I asked. "I thought I saw something", came his reply. My mind goes straight to a giant spider, roach, other horrible insect. He saw a mouse!

After getting out the flashlight and looking around, we thought it was his imagination until we heard scurrying in our pantry shelf. The shine of the light revealed a tail sticking out of one of our boxes of goods. Dang it! A mouse! Then came the debate. Was he still in the basket? If so, could we grab it off the shelf and haul it and it's contents onto our tiny deck? After much deliberation, we decided to go out and get mouse traps. 10:30 finds us at Kroger getting multiple sticky traps.

Our place looked like a mouse barricade. Didn't hear or see anymore of the mouse that night, and we went to bed tired and annoyed.

Saturday night around midnight, we are lying about to drift off to sleep when we hear a noise, a squeak, if you will. Up out of bed, we each searched the multiple traps until it was found on the last one. The tiny, little mouse was stuck to the pad, and I automatically got sad and my heart went out to the struggling vermin. I won't tell you how it was disposed of. After which, we went to sleep.

4 AM, jolted from slumber by the neighbor dogs barking their heads off. What in the world? After lying there, listening, we decided to get up and shine our light over to them. Unbelievably, there was a possum on the fence and their electric collars wouldn't allow them to get at it. So, they just sat there like morons barking. And the possum wouldn't freaking scurry away already.

So, Will tried to throw tennis balls at the possum to jolt it. He was like a stone possum. Then he went outside and tried to scare him off. The possum didn't leave, but maybe Will scared the two giant dogs, because they stopped barking.

Creatures were abundant this weekend. But,we still have traps, little mouses, so I'd advise not to return to the Troutman home!

The Asian Chicken Salad from Foster's Grille Sucks!

2008-08-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, 10:26PM, Will is playing Halo with some friends via the Xbox, and I'm here next to him starting this blog. First off, the music for Halo is super sad, so now I'm all depressed and not at all sure what to write about. All that comes to mind is of the melancholy. My horrible salad comes to mind. I'll talk about that.

Okay, so driving home from work today I got so incredibly tired. The kind of tired that inevitably will turn to irritability. I was at that point from the time I got home from work to the time that I went to praise team practice. By God's help, I never went to the bad place and managed to come out of practice feeling loads better. The husband and I were hungry. Okay, where to eat...mmm...uhhh... We decided to try this joint called Foster's Grille. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, asian chicken salad. Wow, I thought. That sounds yum. What an unexpected treat from such a place.

Yeah, unexpected menu option is more like it. It was a far cry from a treat. The irritation came driving into my mind like a freight train, crashed and just laid there until it pretty much took me over. Evening wasn't ruined. God once again provided me with patience and the ability to breathe and know it was okay that my meal was lackluster.

I've been sick off and on since my return from Slovakia, so there was a lot surrounding my ruined meal. I go to the doctor on Friday. It's time I had a physical and just a general, make sure I'm okay time.

This was textbook rambling, to be sure. I hope it wasn't mind numbingly boring. Blessings, people.

Back Home from Slovakia

2008-07-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to fathom that we have already come and gone from Slovakia. It always feels that way, but you are shocked by it every time.

God was so good to me during our flights; especially coming home. The takeoffs and landings and all that lied between effecting me very little, and I am so grateful for that.

Well, our amazing students arrived on Tuesday evening and it was pretty non-stop until we arrived home on Wednesday night. These were some of the best english speaking kids I've ever had at a camp. We tested them as they arrived and placed them in classes late that night.

Will and I each had an upper intermediate group and taught in classrooms next to one another. Mine was a bunker style room and felt quite comfy vs. creepy, which was they way I thought it might feel. Will's classroom was the ping pong room; how perfect!

My class:

Will's class:

So, here's what a day at camp looked like.

6:30 AM wake up for 7 AM leaders meeting. We had a small devotional and prayer time.

8-8:45 AM Breakfast

8:45 AM Camp dance, morning announcements, etc.

9-11 AM English class

11:15-12:15 Initiatives- this was a time where there was some kind of activity with our english class which prompted conversation. This would generally be in Slovak, but the point was to get them talking and about deep and thought provoking topics.

12:30-1:30 PM Lunch

1:30-2:30 PM This was the time to hang out with students in a non-structured atmosphere and to relax a little.

2:30-4:30 PM Sports/Crafts- Will and I hung out with students and played sports during this time. We tossed the American football, played some basketball and one day Will taught a few kids the basics of football and we played a quick touch game. Super fun!

4:30-6ish PM Group Activity- I say 6ish because during this time where we played a group game with our English class, we usually played until we finished, which varied every day. We usually played for our dinner. Our class was barely last the first day but was first the next. These games were both physically and mentally grueling.

6-7 PM Dinner

7-8 PM Planning for evening program

8-10 PM Evening program- this consisted of the band playing a few songs, a video each night, icebreakers and an evening talk. These were awesome. Will had the privilege of speaking one night, and he did an amazing job.

10-12 E-Nite- We planned 3 of these and the Slovaks the other 3. We had a luau, a bonfire with smores and an international night. The Slovaks planned 3 awesome nights as well.

So, there you have it. A day at camp.

One day we took a 10 mile hike uphill with loose rocks. Yes, it was insane. The feeling of accomplishment when we reached the top was pretty substantial. The trip down was a little rough for my ankles, which couldn't not be wobbly, but I look back with fond memories.

Top of the mountain:

Awkward siblings:

The descent-we were at that tower:

After camp we had follow up with students in the park in Bratislava. We played sports, danced, talked and said our final goodbyes. That night we went to Castle Devin, which overlooked Bratislava. It was gorgeous. Really cold and I got sick as a result, but totally worth it.

Our team, last night:

Will and I both think of this trip as one of the best we've ever taken. It was amazing to do ministry together. It's something we've really never experienced together. This is my 4th trip to SK and Will's first. We were praying before we went that if God was calling us to ministry in that capacity that He would make it clear to us.

We had dinner with Mel and Amy Ellenwood one night. They work for Josiah Venture in Czech Republic. They met us at camp and just shared their story with us. We asked questions, they shared scripture with us and we prayed together. This was a powerful time. I tell you all this, to ask you to pray for us as we pray through this.

One of my favorite memories of the trip was the return from camp. Will, Laura and I rode back together, all crammed in the back seat. We danced to Under the Influence of Giants, laughed and just experienced the goodness that is the 3 of us together. How blessed were we to work with Laura and share in this experience with her. Love you, Laura!

This is really long. Hope you stuck around for it all! Love you.

Update from Slovakia Jet Lag Style!

2008-07-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Will and I, along with our four college students arrived safe and sound in Vienna yesterday morning.

The Girls

The flights weren't too bad. I'm not saying that I was completely free of anxiety of all kinds, but I know God provided peace and a relatively smooth flight. The plane was warm, however and space minimal, so Will and I didn't get sleep. We arrived in Vienna 2:30 AM our time. The sleepiness was starting to set in. We then waited for our greeters and transportation; Laura, Mike and Robbie.

While waiting, I decided to visit the ladies, and upon exiting, Laura surprised me with her presence. We ran to embrace one another. It was glorious to see her face. We were also waiting for another team who was going to another camp, to take the bus to Bratislava. So, we finally boarded the bus at 10:40. Upon arrival in Bratislava around 11:30, we got to meet Laura's fab interns, Sarah and Leila. We waited for a bit longer for Mike to settle the other team and send them on to their next destination. Then it was on to our accommodations for the evening. One of the first people I met on our first trip, Esther, was allowing us to stay with her family in the flat across from theirs. It is beautiful and had room for all of us.

Although we wanted sleep, we weren't allowed any. We showered, rested (not slept) and headed out to take in beautiful Bratislava. Laura, I and the 2 interns were the only ones who had seen the city, which was awesome to witness 5 people seeing it for the first time.

Bratislava photos:

We met our national team for dinner and meet and greet time. It was really cool to see old friends. I think I knew almost all of them.

Then it was on to our flat and another shower and SLEEP! I woke up this morning with the sense that it was not possible to be up already. I am experiencing more jet lag than ever this year and while today was much better then yesterday, I'm still not quite there. Tomorrow should be back to normal. Esther prepared delicious breakfast for us and we loaded up the cars to drive to our camp in Malenovice, Czech Republic. This is the most beautiful camp site I've ever been to. It was our training center when I interned 2 summers ago.

I am really excited about the arrival of the students. Being here has felt a little strange this year. I think I'm over the honeymoon stage and shock and awe of being in Europe. I haven't felt super giddy or ridiculously elated. That had me feeling a bit strange at first, but I think it shows me why I'm here. I'm happy about where my excitement seems to be coming from.

Will is adjusting to the Slovak culture. We are both feeling the jet lag, but we are having a great time. Please pray for us as we start classes on Tuesday. Love you all!

Adleigh and Liana

2008-06-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I'll keep this short, but I wanted to request some prayer from you.

Will and I travelled to Charlotte yesterday to visit our good friends, Wade and Ferris Joye. It was awesome news, in January, when we found out they were pregnant and even more awesome when it was confirmed that there were identical twins in her belly!

Well, with twins, there are certainly more complications involved so a couple of days ago, the Joyes went to Cincinnati to see a specialist just to be sure all was well with the girls. They were shocked with the news that they needed to have an emergency c-section either there or back in Charlotte. So, they decided to go the Charlotte route and got a flight back immediately.

The girls were born just over a pound and 2 pounds and Wade and Ferris find themselves in a strange place that they never expected to be. Wade took us back to see little Adleigh. We had to go back separately. Will went first and then I joined Wade and Adleigh. She is precious, beautiful and God's amazing creation.

Please pray for the entire Joye family. I don't need to tell you how to direct your prayers, but they all need it.

I can't wait to watch these children grow and remember back to the beginning when they were so tiny.

Love you all!

Stumbling Blocks

2008-06-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have to work this week, my husband does not. So, it makes getting up and going to work that much harder. Boo hoo. This morning while getting ready, Will was online reviewing some games for the 360 in hopes of renting one and having a side project for his downtime during the day. For a while now, the new Grand Theft has intrigued him but at the same time, he knew the content of the previous ones and sort of steered clear, if you will. We watched the game preview this morning and his suspicions were confirmed that it wasn't the type of game that he should rent or play.

An example for me; I am drawn to the glitz, fashion and New Yorkness that Sex and the City has to offer, but it puts my mind and heart in a place that it shouldn't be; one of materialism and immorality not seeming so well, immoral.

The world offers a lot. Some of it good, some bad but the good and bad have something in common; neither will last. I am praying for the wisdom to protect what is eternal. I know that protecting that will effect some choices, and I'm praying for the peace to really be okay with missing out on a few things. This will ultimately effect my relationship with God, as well as so many others in my life.

I am so grateful for God's continued patience and grace, as I continue on this journey with Him. He redefines the word awesome!

The Random Caveman

2008-06-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

In the summer of '06 when I interned in Slovakia, we went on a hike one day. The night before they defined the hike as a walk, so I didn't worry about the fact that my shoes weren't designed for rock climbing etc. That next day took us on a 7 mile hike in my Target shoes. I could feel every rock, pebble and boulder that I climed on or over. There was a random assortment of gnats that followed us around, preying upon our arms and legs. I had a vegetarian meal packed for me and at lunch, I was so hungry that I wolfed down the meat paste sandwich that I mistook for my veggie meal.

The culmination of meat paste in my belly, gnats on my body and indented feet from rocks gave birth to the "caveman". That is how Laura described me as I walked down the mountain, waving my arms and speaking in some kind of low, rumbled garble. That's me and Laura after the hike

Well, I've stumbled upon another form of the caveman; me on birth control. I was struck yesterday afternoon with a case of the caveman. I didn't wave my arms or talk in an unintelligable language but I just got super grumpy for absolutely no real reason.

Will agreed to play ping pong and go on a walk with me while in this state. He is so understanding in those moments and has already learned the best way to handle it. We already look back with laughter, but I leave you with how he later referenced that evening together; a walk throught the valley of the shadow of death.

Love and molten awesome,

Sarah

"Ironman" good; "Baby Mama" bad

2008-05-05T12:00:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while, and I have to say that I just haven't felt like blogging, but I have the bug again and will promise to be more faithful. It's hard to believe that I've been married now for over a month. Crazy!

Will and I had a "date night" this weekend and went to see the latest Marvel comic set to film...Ironman. Well done.

I have been a bit unimpressed with similar films in the past, and I think part of that was the casting. I went to see Transformers last summer and left feeling drained. Arrogance is huge pet peeve of mine and Shia LeBeouf's 17 year old stripper love interest was pretty much the definition of that. If she was cast to be a villain than it would have been perfect, but it was intended for you to actually like this person and root for her, and while she is beautiful, she isn't likable.

I didn't much care for Spiderman either. Kirsten Dunst just kind of rubs me the wrong way...and I don't know, the good vs. evil just didn't do it for me. I also have issues with Batman, but I'll stop there.

Ironman has a fun youthful feel that is layered with maturity. Downey was perfect for the part and scenes where he works on the iron suit in his workshop are some of the best and most interesting in the film. I was battling a sore throat throughout and still left feeling like it was $10 well spent.

Sunday night we hung out with our friend, Josh and went to see Baby Mama. I mean Tina Fey, Amy Pohler...we figured that would equal funny. It did not. The story line was convaluted and the jokes just didn't resonate. There was a group of people that laughed at EVERYTHING, so that could have had some effect. Steve Martin had a small, quite funny part where he played an eccentric, vegan, totally weird owner of a natural food store chain.

But, I'm not daunted. It's super fun hearing about all of the summer blockbusters and expectantly waiting for them to make their way to the theaters.

Thanks for letting me ramble and it's good to be back!

The Holy City

2008-04-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

I write to you today as a married woman, yes as Mrs. Troutman. Will and I said our vows in front of close friends and family on March 29. It was glorious, and I'll have a link to pictures very soon.

Sunday after the wedding, we made our way to Charleston, SC. My parents have a time share and were generous enough to give us 5 nights there free. What a gift. It honestly could not have been more perfect. It suited our personalities and interests beautifully.

We ate some fantastic food. Bocci's had amazing duck, Will got the most ridiculous bowl of shrimp and grits at Fleet Landing and Hanks did me right with a tuna filet cooked to perfection. One of my favorite moments was at Paolo's where they serve the most amazing gelato ever. Oh, how I squealed with delight.

The weather provided for great shopping on King Street. We got a new rug for our place, candles, some clothes, and I got a great pair of black pumas.

We took a ghost tour of the oldest jail there and got to step inside the cell rooms and holding rooms. We took a carriage tour and a "dark side" tour, with more seedy and gritty information. Our tour guide was pretty much the most authentic Charlestonite imaginable. His delivery was outstanding, and he just engaged you with his storytelling.

We left wanting more of Charleston, but that's the way it should be. I didn't want to have my absolute fill. I can't wait to go back, knowing that it will always remind me of our amazing time there.

It's Raining Showers

2008-03-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well hello there... so at this time next week, I'll be a Troutman. WOW! That pretty much blows me away.

While engagement can have some stressful times, it is also totally exciting and a time where you feel ridiculously loved by those close to you. We have had several showers over the past month and a half, and our church just threw one for us. The children's ministry staff and parents got together and it was awesome. We felt so blessed. And get this, we were told that there would no thank you notes. That was pretty much the best thing I've ever heard.

We also got a gift basket from the staff at Will's school. In that basket was our fantasy gift; a super nice, bright yellow Dyson vacuum cleaner. We also got our coffee maker, a tool kit for the handyman, a flashlight and a gift card.

We are so appreciative and feel your love so much. Thank you, thank you.

You all are loved,
Sarah

Wal-Mart = Carnival

2008-03-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow comrades and pilgrims of planet earth and beyond. It has been a long day, and I wind it down with a little blogging.

For a while now, Will and I have been noticing a humongeous building on our way to the gym. It appeared to be finished, just unoccupied. So, we speculated about what it could be. We thought, maybe a Dick's sporting goods or Bass outlet or perhaps a Walmart.

Then finally it appears. A Wal-Mart, a Wal-Mart...I hate Wal-Marts!

Today took us there to try and retrieve a new battery, but what we saw was pure Wal-Mart goodness and what is pretty much the essence of the store. I think we all know what I am talking about, but have we ever really "talked about it."

The clientele resembled the line-up from a carnival act. Upon entering the store, I distinctly remember a couple who looked like they were started on a pure baby food lard diet at birth that continued into their formative years and through their teens culminating in what we saw. An extra layer of flab that covered the extra layer of fat that covered the extra layer of goo that covered the stomach, which is where the gut sandwich started. They apparently passed it down to their 8 children, who were all with them, screaming and complaining that there weren't any Captain Lard Bars in the candy section.

Why is Target not like this? Or even a Kroger or Publix? I don't understand. I truly feel that before the building of a new Wal-Mart, there is work that goes on under the ground. I believe that there are tiny seedlings of these "hybrids" that are planted beneath the structure. They are nurtured and strengthened with butter feedings thoughout the process, until they burst through the ground at the grand opening, fully grown. Just a thought.

Peace out,
Sarah

Engagement Pictures

2008-03-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Will and I had the privilege of going to Richmond 2 weekends ago. We had two showers and also last minute, scheduled an engagement photo session with our wedding photographer. We went to downtown and had an absolute blast. We started in the old train station and made our way out and through the Farmer's market and through some alleys with character and style. We did a shot in the barber shop and one in the street with traffic. We gave a Richmond police officer someone to reprimand.

It was amazing fun, and we are so happy with the results. I leave you with a link to an online slide show. We sent this slide show to our friend, Eric. He said, "My computer just received a slide show of awesome." So prepare yourself and enjoy!

Sarah and Will Slide Show

I Don't Like Rachael Ray

2008-02-27T09:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, my title is a bit misleading and mysterious, I know. This blog is pretty much just me ranting a little on my disdain for the Ray.

I fully enjoy the Food Network and like quite a few of the hosts. There is Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, Giada de Laurentiis, among others. I've even gotten semi-fond of Paula Dean. There is a warm, interesting quality that the above mentioned chefs embrace.

Then comes the shrill, irksome and over the top form that is Rachael Ray. There are so many irritants which possess this woman. I won't ramble and will hit on just a few here in this blog.

I could be catty and talk about her high waisted pants but won't. That would be superficial and obviously wouldn't matter if she was fantastic.
1. "Her voice" The shrill nature of it. It's like she's shouting at me, cawking out her ingredient list. I'm also not fond of her giggles after the dumb remarks she makes.
2. "EVOO" She refers to oil as "EVOO"- extra virgin olive oil. That's okay, your cutting down on how much you're saying but when you explain what "EVOO" means everytime you say it, it kind of defeats the purpose.
3. "Bombardment" She is also suddenly everywhere. On Wheat Thins boxes, on magazine covers, on book covers on like 4 other Food Network shows and then there's the talk show which showcases an arrogant and annoying Rachael Ray.
4. "Unoriginal and Lame" The capper was yesterday when her dessert was the following; A banana cut in half, with a popsicle stick shoved inside dipped in a mixture of peanut butter and honey with granola sprinkled on top.

Are you for real, Rachael Ray? So, when I dip my banana in a jar of Peanut butter and honey, I should be on TV? I desire to hear from you, dear readers. If you are a fan, convince me why she is awesome and if you also cringe at the sight and sound, please let me know! Love you all.

Exiting IKEA

2008-02-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

I send my warmest of hellos to the faithful readers of "The Randomness".

I adore the store, IKEA. It has a plethora of furniture, decoratives and even some yummy treats. I have been to IKEAS both here in the states and abroad and there is one downside to this grand store; exiting this store is a chore. Oooh, I rhyme and in perfect time...okay, I'll stop.

Will and I have experienced the exiting of our Atlanta IKEA twice now. In reality what they are hoping for is that you'll peruse the entirety of the store before leaving. Well, this past Friday, we wanted to bend those rules. We shopped and looked for a while and were ready to leave but, no exit of course. We saw our opportunity, though. We hopped this gate at the deserted kids area with one more to go and there she was on the other side...an IKEA employee in her bright yellow top. Busted! With freedom only one hop away, we were pretty much stuck there in the middle.

"What you doin?", says employee.
"Just trying to leave, is this not okay," says me, mid hop.
"No, you gotta through the gray doors that say employees only," comes the clear and obvious response.

So, she comes over and opens the gates for us and tells us not to come this way again. It was fun hopping the gates and getting busted, but come on people. Take away the "employees only" sign and you might end some frustration and solve some problems.

Peace and love to you all.

Portable Toilets and Lofty Ideas

2008-02-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Remember how I wanted to write a fun and not super serious blog? Well, I think the time has come for that. I had an "interview" for a job today. My friend, Sarah, told me about a job that she does part time, like a couple of hours a week. She works for a woman out of her house and this woman is wanting someone who can work more than that. So, after finding out more about it, I decided to meet Sarah over there this morning, meet the lady, talk about the biz, details, etc. The hours are super flexible, the pay not bad and no strings attached whatsoever. I could leave at any time. It is a bit of a commute, but I am totally used to that.

Now, when Sarah proposed this idea to me at lunch the other day, she said, "There's a catch, though. It's the business that her and her husband are in..." Well, I am of course thinking something completely sketchy. "They sell portable toilets", says Sarah. Obviously strange and funny but not sketchy. So, I will be answering the phone like so: "Happy-can, this is Sarah, how can I help you?". Wow. It is a great in between jobs, job. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

More good news; Will and I are getting a great deal for housing after we are married. We are going to convert Will's loft apartment into our own, with our own touches, etc. The rent is great and no utility bill! PLUS, there is a brand new, MTV cribs style pool in the backyard. Up top! Dillon! Love to you all.

City of Blinding Lights

2008-01-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm hanging out in Will's loft apartment on this Friday evening. I'm on the laptop and beyond the fort like barricade of my boxes and suitcases and such is Will hanging out with some friends via the Xbox. Together they slay and slaughter together as one army. I am listening to U2 and making estimated budgets for our coming months together.

I had my interview today. Between some crossed wires and miscommunication, I was interviewing for a job in which I had little experience. So, after the interview, Will and I waited while they deliberated and the verdict was a no. I kept a stiff upper lip and thanked them but after the elevator doors closed I looked at Will and asked him if I could cry now. He said yes, and I did. I stopped myself from doing that kind of cry that completely destroys your face.

Quick bite in Panera for Will. Sarah just sat and drank coffee and picked at a cinnamon crunch bagel, which I totally recommend! Will blessed our morsels, and I cried again; weepy me.

Well, it is now Monday morning, I've stopped crying, and Will and I have decided to pass on our apartment. After seeking counsel from close friends and family and weighing pros and cons, we realize that saving money by living in Alpharetta is worth it right now vs. higher cost and living closer to Atlanta. We don't have everything ironed out yet, but some things are coming together.

I now begin a job hunt; something I didn't see myself having to do. Geez, no fun at all. I look forward to writing something completely fun and not at all serious, in the near future. If you know of any creative type fun (anything) jobs in the Atlanta area, pass them on to me. Love you all!

Check out some more of our fun purchases!

Sofa
Media Cabinet

Job Interview, Apartment, Furniture and Waiting

2008-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been in Atlanta for a little over two weeks now and alot has taken place in that short amount of time. I had a job interview my first week. Will and I put down a deposit for an apartment the second week and furniture has been purchased to fill it over these last two weeks. It all sounds like things are coming together, right? In some areas they are but there is alot hinging on this apartment, these furniture purchases etc.

The job interview spoken of earlier went very well, and I have a peace that it is going to happen. I just have to meet with some very busy and important people before things are finalized and finding the time to do that is looking to be very challenging. There aren't many perks to not having a job. The not perks are: getting out of a routine, feeling like you aren't contributing much, not having money. All these suck but the clincher is that I can't move into the new apartment and get things in place until I hear about the job. I just found out that I have another interview on Friday for another position. So, doors are opening.

This long process is proving to be very frustrating, and Will and I are having to rely heavily on prayer and patient trust in God over and throughout all of this. Please be in prayer with us throughout this. I'll let you know WHEN things fall into place.

Psalm 27:4 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Oh, the Perils

2008-01-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

The trip to South Dakota blogged of in earlier posts has already come and gone. I take you to Wednesday, the night before I flew out. There I was with boxes and suitcases and all of my goods surrounding (I just moved to Atlanta), and me in the midst, trying my best to stuff my junk into the smaller of my suitcases. I washed particulars that I wanted to take with me and laid it all out. I then smashed and stuffed and neatly organized the belongings into the tiny suitcase. Tada! I got it. It closed, and I would be traveling light.

Next morning I noticed the wheel on my suitcase was missing, leaving it difficult to roll. "I'll just check it", I told Will. We were about to leave when I noticed that Will's toiletry bag lay on the counter and not in his suitcase. Wow, that was a close one. I then grabbed my suitcase, and we headed out. But oddly enough the once missing wheel was present, and I thought, "How nice, I can roll it now." Will said it probably just got jammed and then came down again.

I remember looking at the bag on the ride from our car to the airport. "It's so much dirtier than I thought", I remarked to Will. "I guess both my purple suitcases need to be retired." So, onto the airport, onto the flight to Salt Lake City and waiting in that airport for 3 hrs. and 45 minutes. Onto to the plane to Rapid City, South Dakota and out in the Black Hills where we were staying and onto the moment where it happened. A sweet couple, the Spaders, let Will and I stay with them and after showing us our rooms, we stood in mine and all I wanted to do was get out my jammies and head to bed. I unzipped the suitcase, threw back the top and gasped in utter shock as I looked at the contents of the suitcase I had brought. I grabbed the wrong one. The wrong suitcase. The suitcase containing my makeup, shoes for the wedding I was in, jewelry, clothes, essentials, everything. It started to scream back to me, broken wheel, mended wheel; different suitcases. Dirty and beat up, clean and tidy; different suitcases. Next came tears, anger...sleep.

Rushmore Mall and my future husband's money (so sort of our money) were a powerful combination the following day as we did a pretty good job of replenishing the goods. My brother's wedding went off without a hitch and the ceremony was lovely. The night before we flew out was not at all good sleep so the guy that had just bought me a load of goods two days prior had to put up with sleep deprived me combined with hating to fly me. Screaming baby on the 4 hr. flight finished off the trip and I was never happier to be in Hartsfield Jackson airport and in my new home of Atlanta.

Congrats Jason and Kristi Burton and I wish you happiness and joy and the insight to differentiate between your various suitcases! Perils of an even greater amount would not have stopped me from attending and being a part in such a great moment in both your lives, though. Cheers. I leave you with a picture of how my face probably looked for the most part over the course of 3 days; confused, aggrivated and super attractive!

Our Trip to the Williamsburg Pottery

2008-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Williamsburg, VA is a lovely place to visit with many sites and attractions. There is the historical district, plenty of shopping, Busch Gardens, and the Williamsburg Pottery.

Will and I made the trek to the pottery to get an amazing watercolor matted and framed for our friend, Wade. Our day started out dreary but on schedule. We had the GPS on and just cruising when the GPS told us to go a weird way I wasn't familiar with, so we turned around and in the turning around lost a good bit of ground, next came missing the turn off for the interstate and that moment brought Will to a pretty severe point of irritation. After the semi-savage anger lessened, music resumed and we found ourselves arriving at the pottery.

Upon entering this depressing block of large buildings, you must navigate through these and cross a rusty railroad track in order to find the one thing you came to the pottery for. After finding a parking place and working our way through the maze to enter a building, we realized after walking around the overcomingly smelly rows of fake flowers and random goods like hair nets, acrylic nails and flags, that we were not in the correct building.

So, we made our way out to the super cold outdoors and walked across the pavement through various lawn statues and orbs and stuff to the opposite end of the depressing buildings to the framing station. On our way, we noticed Restaurant written on one of the buildings. We wondered what lovely food could lie inside an establishment simply titled Restaurant. That brought much banter about what delicious sandwich might be at restaurant or soft drink or dessert.

The framing station was interesting in itself but we found a killer frame and matting and placed our order. We pretty much ran to the car and worked our way out of the pottery. We went back a couple of days later to pick up the amazing finished product. The price and quality of the work make it totally worth going back to the Williamsbug Pottery, but it is guaranteed to be an experience you won't soon forget. I leave you with a photo of me and some crazy men statues and Will and with his new pal.

Reflecting/South Dakota

2007-12-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

The cross and its power brings me to a place time and time again of absolute gratefulness. This Savior so full of love beckoned me to Him and in return bestowed upon me a life so rich and so grand. The holidays this year will be unlike any I've ever experienced. There are so many changes in my life that happen to be falling around this time.
I got to spend Thanksgiving in South Carolina with the Troutman clan. I was once again welcomed with open arms by my new family. There was plenty of laughter, delicious food and endless football.
I was challenged that same weekend when I heard and despite being incredibly tired, took something from a great message at church. Was I fully grasping not only the magnitude of amazing changes happening but my heavenly father, who orchestrated it and was in the midst of it all? Had I taken the time to prayerfully come to Him, thanking Him and asking for His continued guidance throughout?
I guess I am just reflecting, and I appreciate you sticking it out.
So, I'll be heading to South Dakota in less than a month for my brother's wedding. Yes, SD in January. Is my brother and new sister in law insane? Of course they are. But, people that I love dearly will be there with me to laugh at the insanity.
I leave you with weather averages and a photo of houses drenched in snow from South Dakota. Enjoy.
Average Temperatures: January, 21.9° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 39.1 inches of snow

A Nude Finger

2007-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Engagement still finds me ridiculously distracted by the glorious shiny beacon on the ring finger of my left hand. However, this amazing goodness has been absent for about 4 days now, and I have been in constant, “HUH, where’s my ring, oh my gosh, my ring…oh that’s right, it’s being resized” mode. Let me share with you the heart wrenching moment when ring left finger last Thursday.
I think my finger is smaller than it once was and the store where the band was purchased may also run a little large, so pretty much since the ring was slipped on my finger, it has been a little too large. I thought at first, wow, this is a comfy ring but when I went to show it to someone (quite often), the diamond would be on the inside of my hand. So…with that evidence coupled with the push of my fiancé, I made my way to the store where purchased to get it resized.
I was greeted by a swarm of smiley women all eager to be of service. I went with one and told her of my plight. I was whisked away to the rear of the store where a fairly intimidating woman stepped forth and demanded my ring…my ring! I felt violated as I slipped the ring off of my finger. She then proceeded to scan it with some diamond device and then she just laid it, oh so nonchalantly, on the counter. I got my new size and expected to wait for a few minutes and regain the ring. But, oh no, she slipped my baby into this little bag and said I could pick it up sometime on WEDNESDAY. Yes, almost a full week.
I pretty much sulked like a little girl on that long walk out of the diamond store. It reminded me of what it may feel like the first day your child starts school or if you let someone keep your pet or if you got stabbed in the chest with a sharp object. I regain my ring a day after tomorrow, though, and couldn't be more pleased. I just want what is rightfully mine, returned to me, in the proper size. Thank you.

The Engagement/Proposal Told by the Girl

2007-11-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so weekends are usually pleasant, some really good and then there are those rare weekends where something so phenomenal happens that they go down in the all-time best weekend ever (is that show still on?) category.
My fiance already blogged about this amazing weekend, and I thought I should tell you the story from the girl's side of things...

Most of you know how Will and Sarah came to be...so I am going to go right to this past weekend where it all went down. Will was in town to go with me to my friend, Anna's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and Will was the perfect and patient boyfriend throughout rehearsals, dinners, picture taking, etc.

It also happened to be my birthday weekend, so there were pressies (or presents) residing in Will's suitcase for me. There were gifts that he wanted to give me upon arrival Thursday night, and he mentioned that there was one he wanted to save. He called this gift a "birthday preview". He had ordered something online and it hadn't come in, but he was going to "preview" this for me.

Well, Saturday took us to an early lunch with my fabulous friend, Becky, and after that onto Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden where it all happened. Upon entering the garden, a map of the garden convinced Will that the treehouse would be the perfect spot for the preview. So, we walked around in the gorgeous weather snapping pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. After a bit we spotted the treehouse and started to make our way inside. It cleared out and Will suggested we get on with the preview...

The preview was on Will's mac. He began to tell me that he had created a photo album with captions that showcased our adventures so far over these last months. It started with music to accompany the slideshow. Seconds into it, this dude strolls up in the treehouse with his kid. Will starts to freak out a bit, and I suggest we finish it in this little alcove further down. As we made our way down, Will kept saying, "This never happened...we are starting fresh...we'll just start from the beginning" Mildly put, he was worried and trying to reassure himself that it was going to be okay.

The slideshow is over and Will states that there is a picture missing (there was a picture of the ring box at the end that was deleted). "I guess the real thing is better anyway", states Will, and he shuts the laptop. His opening line is, "How long have we known each other now...". A thought flashes through my mind; "this is not what I think it is, is it?". He then proceeds to the telling of the sweetest things on earth and I am feeling more affirmed that this could be happening. He gets a box out of his bag and proceeds to get on one knee..."oh, holy mother of pearl, he is proposing". He asks me to marry him, slips the ring on my finger and I am so stunned by this and this new gorgeous presence on my finger that I am unable to utter the yes that Will still on one knee was waiting for. I quickly respond with multiple yesses.

I learn after this that everyone knew; father, mother, brother, Becky, Will's family and friends...it was a perfectly planned surprise, and Will and I find ourselves engaged and planning a wedding/move. There you have it; my side of it. The smile hasn't left my face.

And then there was Bananas Foster

2007-10-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

"High-low" was a little game that my friend, Laura, and I would play at the end of our day while in Europe last summer. It pretty much sounds like it is; high and low point of the day. I was reminded of that when I experienced my high at the Cheesecake Bistro yesterday.
I met mom for a little shopping, and we decided to grab a bite to conclude our evening. (our salad was good and yes I’m throwing that in there to make up for what comes next-dessert!) Now, just a few bites of something sweet was required and well, hello, we were at the “cheesecake” Bistro, so naturally we ordered a slice. Usually, I would lean towards, oh say, white chocolate or raspberry or strawberry. For some reason though, I felt like trying something completely different and ordered the Bananas Foster Cheesecake. I figured it couldn’t be so bad.
I hadn’t figured on just how “not so bad” it would be. There was a syrupy and sweet party going on in my tummy. Bananas, caramel, sugar, pecans, graham cracker crust, whipped cream, cinnamon, OH MY!! Definitely a high. Check out the video and witness a true tummy party.

This is Pure Foul

2007-10-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

As I was entering the doors at work this morning and making my way up the stairs to my area, it hit me. Something reeks. The further I got up the stairs the stronger it got and upon arrival of my desk it was straight up foul. No solution could be found when I asked my co-workers. With slight familiarity to the stench, I have thoughts on what it could be;

1. An animal got trapped in the ceiling and lives no more
2. Someone has a gallon of milk stashed in their office
3. Someone blew up the bathroom in what could only be the explosion of the decade.

I have a Warm Apple Crisp candle burning on my desk which offers some relief but at times mixes with the beast and turns this sickening new smell. I am gladly accepting ideas or insights to my current plight. Any creative, intuitive or humorous suggestions, bring it!

Adidas Response

2007-10-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

The reality has hit me that with this new addition to my life called blogging, comes one more thing to keep up with. I can be fairly undisciplined at times and tend to go through spurts and cycles. I kind of hate that about myself and really want to make strides to improving. There is something healing about admission, right?

I want to pat myself on the back and wish for you all to as well after reading this. Working out is no stranger to my undisciplined cyclic patterns and with this crazy summer of traveling and what not, I have definitely let exercise slip by the wayside. I have, however, in this last week put it back into my rotation. Let me briefly (yes, Will, I said briefly) tell you about how I got back on the horse; the horse I want to stay on.

I think we all need a little motivation sometimes and 2 weekends ago, when my awesome boyfriend, Will, made his way up to ole’ Richmond (story for another blog) the motivation was purchased; purchased in the form of my new running shoes.

Saturday took Will and I out and about to explore and see the sights in the beautiful weather. Our last stop was to Dick’s sporting goods where our initial goal was to purchase a football but, it quickly became much more than that. My running shoes at the time were at least a half size too big, and I had been using them for more than 5 years. Yeah, ridiculous. So, with the suggestion of the boyfriend, we perused the shoes. I ended up trying on several pair and eventually landed on the super cute, lightweight Adidas Response. I knew as I sat there with this new shoe on my foot, that this was the motivation I needed; proper and really cute shoes.

I am proud to say that since that purchase, my body, carried along by my new Adidas has found itself atop the elliptical machine and on the run for over a week now. If you were wondering, the football was also purchased, thanks to Will (also super cute) and is getting good use.

So, get off your couches, turn the Halo off, close the mini-fridge and get out there. New shoes, running buddy, whatever it takes; it is really worth it, and I hope this trend continues! I am off. Where? To work out, of course.

A Changed Woman

2007-09-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the last time I blogged was an entire year ago when I had the awesome experience of 2 months in lovely Europe but then it hit me that there are some pretty awesome things happening here in the states that I think I should enlighten you all with.

I had originally planned to write about the following when it occurred about a week ago and still am…I have just had an amazing weekend, so it’s difficult to go back a week but here goes…

The last minute, unexpected happened Monday the 10th when I received a phone call which resulted in a weekend excursion to Charlotte, NC and then on to Columbia, SC. The expedition to these places was birthed by my boyfriend, Will. This was a two-fold weekend, hence the two cities. Charlotte brought us many Joyes of various kinds including things like a four star movie, shopping with new friends, $6 shoes, gaming marathons, delicious and baked thoroughly cookies, etc. etc; great times and even greater people to share them with.

Columbia brings me to the football and the crux of this blog. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a football fan. Before I am judged and cast aside let me explain my reasoning. I have sat with my father and brother and other jovial males as a football game is televised. Concentrating and striving to understand, I have watched this sport. I wait and wait while the camera pans to the coach who is usually angry and then to the players and maybe a sneak peek at the cheerleaders who animatedly cheer on their team and then here comes the momentous event; the play. Hike, throw, whatever and seconds later there is a pile of large men with one guy under the human rubbish and I just feel jilted. After the game is over all I have done is wait expectantly for a play that lasts about 3-5 seconds, BUT last weekend something happened.

The boyfriend mentioned in the 3rd paragraph is insanely interested in South Carolina gamecocks football and free tickets to see them play were offered to us. We accepted, and I found myself at my first live football game. The air was a buzz with excitement, the seats were a sea of garnet and black, and I became a child of 10 with my head on a swivel taking in the excitement of the atmosphere. That excitement continued into the game itself, and I found myself cheering and whole-heartedly loving the experience. A USC game was televised this weekend and although I didn’t watch the whole thing, I can say that I watched pieces and it wasn’t torture at all. I can further say that I cannot wait until my next live football experience. A changed woman? You had better believe it!