New Book

For those of you who don't know me, I love to read. Like seriously... I tried something new over the past three days though, we'll kinda new... Anyways! I used an audiobook! The last time I used an audiobook was for a few of the Harry Potter books back when I was in middle school (I did read them later though!). I just finished reading/listening to The Great Gatsby by our old friend F. Scott Fitzgerald. I read this before in high school, and I remember enjoying it so I figured why not try it again?

I should back up a bit. About 2 months ago, I discovered an app called Audible (audible.com) and when I registered I got The Great Gatsby for free. It's free, so you should all try it out, especially if you are running out of time to read but still want to keep up on your reading.

My new book, is a fantasy written by Kristen Britain called Green Rider. I'm excited to start it tomorrow after a run to the farmers market with my mom. Have a picture and a summary :D (no copyright intended)

        

What are your new books? I hope to have a small pile of books at the end of the month or summer consisting of the number I've read :P Hopefully I will remember. Anyone want to remind me?

Love,

Sara :)

Parkour, Paintball Style

As an admirer of parkour and a wanna-be (once I can run and jump....stupid broken foot), parkour/free-running as well as any sort of rock climbing videos really get me excited and get me wanting to get up and do more. I'm not sure how many of you are the same, but I'm really feeling the inability to move right now and my mind is slightly suffering for it, so I've been watching climbing and parkouring videos as of late! I wanted to share some of my favorites with you here :) (yes, at 1:30am)

Starting off with the Paintball vs. Parkour, where the Parkour person....well....I won't ruin it if you haven't seen it yet :P Just watch it and comment if you want!

Also, I want her life :P Not really, I love my own life, but she's pretty awesome and I'd love to be able to climb as good as her and the people in the following video! I'm on the lookout for the video 'On Sight', mostly thanks to this clip that i saw earlier today. I will let you in that I find this sort of thing, the climbing and parkouring, so interesting and I want to try them so bad because they are things that I can do on my own, I'm not copying anyone else I know. I know that this stuff is crazy and dangerous a lot of the time, but I also know that it gives me and several other people a sort of freedom that we can't find anywhere else. This is completely summed up here as well. I just hope that you all find something that allows you to feel just as free and not connected to the world that you haven't been around and there are no restrictions except those that you set for yourself. You can really do what you want to, to pass up your limit, you just keep practicing and keep on trying harder and harder until you get it done! And when you finish, you really get excited because it is an accomplishment, not to mention that it is a full-body workout, helps with confidence, and really gets out the extra energy/stress that we have, and I can go camping at the same time! :D How awesome is that?

I should say that any for anyone who wants to learn a new skill, watching others and then doing it yourself seems to be the best way to go about it. It's no different for climbing or free-running. Definitely getting out and doing things is the best way of doing things!

Let me know what you guys think!
Love,
Sara :)

Cleaning Day

Twice moving back yesterday, I have been struggling with the process of making my room presentable and getting rid of junk. Today's task: 

 

The two remaining containers that need to be emptied of clothing and such.

This drawer I have put off for a few years now :P

And cleaning off my bed.

How do these end? Well...there's a reason this post is a later one for being up! I did get through all of my boxes (amazingly) and I am again struck with how much stuff I own! It is a bit ridiculous at times, even more is how much less stuff I have than several of my friends.... What kind of world do we live in where our possessions are what define us. Wanna know what I am most excited for this summer? When I can walk and run and jump around again!!!! It is so exciting!! I hope none of you have to deal with a boot, but if you do that you did someone worth telling people about to get it :P if not, make up a really good one! It's more fun that way!

Anyways, I must say that my closet looks a lot more full! :P

What do you think?

And a lovely shot of Doritos in his favorite spot: my closet.

I hope you all have a wonderful night!

Love,

Sara :)

Musica Monday

Today is my first day home after graduating from undergrad! How crazy is that?! I'm still comprehending that I'm completely done, it takes a bit of getting used to. I was lucky enough to get to spend most of today with Matt, who has posted on here before when things have gotten to be too much for me to be able to find time to post... Anyways, here I am to bring you my first Musica Monday post-grad! Does this change anything? Not really, I just don't have homework to do after, I mean other than cleaning up and reorganizing my room.

When it came to today's music choice I really wasn't sure where to go, and still I'm not exactly sure, but I'm figuring that something will come to me like it usually does when I'm typing this up :P (well now you know how I work lots of the time). For some reason, it might be because both me and Matt are pretty sleepy but I got into the mood for a lullaby. I enjoy these quite a bit and have listened to many over the years. I want to share with you two of my favorite lullabies. The first is called Lullaby for a Stormy Night and the other I only know as Inuyasha's Lullaby (for those of you who sadly do not know who Inuyasha is, please go look up and watch the show!). These two lullabies are really quite beautiful, one has lyrics while the other doesn't but both are wonderful! I hope you enjoy :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! I love you all!
Goodnight!
Love,
Sara :)

Graduation!!!

So, for those of you who don't know, I am (more like WAS!) a college senior. Well, no longer!! Today was graduation!! I'm not exactly positive if it has fully hit me yet that I'm graduated and heading off into the real world in a few months. I've gotta get my feet on the ground first, this being literal and figurative. Literal because I still have a broken foot and am going to be having surgery, hopefully, at some point this week (update on that to be coming later), and figurative because I don't have enough to pay for an apartment, don't have a job and don't really have much of a plan at this point, so I'm going to figure that out before I make my move (most likely to Minnesota, which will also be part of a later update).
This leads to the question that I get asked all the time now: What are your plans for after graduation? Well, honestly, all I got right now is that I need to have surgery and get my body physically healed before starting off on the next great adventure of my life. I will say that I am hoping to be able to blog a lot more now since I won't have classes or homework or tests to worry about (at least for now...), so I'm hoping that my writing will be getting better, I mean I hope that even by now it's getting a bit better, but I know that it will take time and practice before I really figure out my plans for the future as well as my style. There are many things that I hope to do in the future including: traveling, moving out of my parents' house, getting a job (or a few), learning how to cook better, learning more about wine, and drinking more coffee just to name a few. Sounds fun right? That's what I think at least, and I look forward to each and every one of them in my quest to learn more about the world around me and enjoy what life has to offer and make the most of what I can! Life is full of choices and chances, so I plan on doing what I can and taking risks when necessary and dealing with whatever consequences and hurdles the world throws in my path, because one of the most important things I learned in colleges is that I can be confident in who I am because I can make a difference and I matter to the world, whether the world knows it or not yet, I matter and so does each and every person!
Ok, done with my little soapbox here, but honestly I am still trying to figure out my life and I know that there are going to be trials and tough times but they will be worked through with a little help from my friends and family :)
I leave you all with a lovely picture of the sunrise this morning (yes, I got up and watched it at 5:30am) and one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." (Oh, the Places You'll Go) :P thought it was appropriate. I hope you enjoy and don't mind my ranting too much :P

                                      

Love you all!

Happy Sunday, it's the start of a brand new week for us all, so let's make the most of it!

Sara :)

Musica Monday

Hey folks. So, things have been interesting lately in my life. I'm not really going to expand on that much because I'm still working it through myself. Sometimes things do take more than one period of thought in order to figure out. I will say that those who know are looking at me a bit different and are working just as hard as I am to try and figure out what to do now. 

To describe the mood I'm in right now would be impossible. There are so many emotions running through my head right now; music is really the only thing that I can come up with now that could even come close to fitting my mood, and even there I'm struggling a bit. The best that I can come up with for now is a few Avril Lavigne songs that come pretty close and do pretty well.

I hope that you guys enjoy these songs! I know that they are a few of my favorite of hers.

How are your weeks going? Finals are almost done! Then it's senior week, which should be a lot of fun, then home and surgery (finally)!

Maybe I'll move to London...that'd be fun!

Love,

Sara :)

New Book

So, it's a new day. It's been a rough week, stress levels have been high and I've reached breaking point once or twice. But classes are done, and all that I've got left are two finals next week. I did pick up a new book at the bookstore today, the new Dan Brown novel, Inferno. I am super excited to start reading it since I am a fan of his novels and how detailed and clever he can be in his books. I've got a few books that I'm reading right now, which is good since after surgery I'm going to be doing a lot of reading since I'll be in bed for a while most likely :P

Also: respect for Heath Ledger! Just found this earlier and thought I'd share :P

Anyways, things here are going, hopefully less stressful than they have been. I have some things to do today to make it up to people for being so cranky and unhappy for parts of yesterday :/ but I suppose everyone has their days, and yesterday was one that I'm not proud of but I can't actually erase, so just learn from it and I hope that I don't lose my patience like that again. I am truly lucky to have friends who care about me and respect me and want things to go better for me! Never forget what you have, friends are important!! And I thank my friends :)

Love,
Sara :)

Learning to Code

Alright, in hopes of helping my blog to become a bit better looking and more interesting, I will be learning how to code!! Plus, I kinda just wanna learn in general :P If anyone else has the same interest you can visit this website: codeacademy.com. It's free and seems to be quite helpful! :)
So, while I learn this, my blogging should continue but at times it might not be as exciting, but hopefully so :P I will do my best!
Plus! Today is my last day of undergraduate classes!! :D Crazy right?! I'm just hoping that finals go as well as I'm hoping they will.

Love to all!
Sara :)

Musica Monday and a Challenge

Today was the last day of Monday classes of my undergraduate career. How crazy is that?! I suppose I should find some music for celebration? I'm not sure, I'm a little worried about the real world since I have been living in a sort of bubble this entire time. But I'm ready for what life is going to throw at me!
Pretty much, I'm in quite a good mood right now, I've been crafting this afternoon, making some cards that I'll show later on once they're finished :P Nor particular holidays in mind, just wanting to make some. Anyways, going on with my creative mood, I'm gonna play a song that in my opinion is just kinda fun. It's called "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby.

I'm not exactly sure what it is about this song that makes me smile so much, but it is seriously quite a lot of fun!

So, my task for you guys this week is to find some fun music and to just enjoy yourselves for an hour or so. How about this: tomorrow, whenever you start getting to that point where you are over stressed, be it because of school work, finals, work, family, friends, whatever, just take a moment to pause, catch your breath, and then play your 'fun song' (this one or one of your own) and stand up and just dance! It doesn't mean that you should dance well, I mean come on, I don't do that at all, just shake and jump around and let yourself loose for a bit. Take a break and forget about the stress for a little while. Have some fun, guys! We in this world are way too serious at times, so let's change that and add some fun in place of the eternally stressful. What do you think? Worth a try?

Love you all!
Sara :)

Traveling Idea

So I've been thinking of new ways to document my travels other than just pictures and writing. I'm not saying that I'm going to stop doing that! Far from it! More like making sure that I have something to remind me of what I did that day or on that trip and see it tangibly. I started this a bit on my New York trip. For one, I'm gonna try and blog everyday I'm off traveling and go through my day, but that's kinda a given. The other thing is my new one: get a postcard for everyday while traveling to remember what happens and make a book out of them later. I haven't gotten many yet, but I'm working on it! :)

Here are a few links that I've found for traveling that I think all you should look at!

• Tips for exploring a new city you've never been to before.
• Packing problems? This should help!

Not just that, but I found a quote from Anthony Bourdain, which really stuck with me and I'm finding that I want to follow his advice.

If you're 22, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel - as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them- wherever you go.

So, I encourage everyone to do this! Even if you're not 22, go travel, it's good for the soul!

Love,

Sara :)

Recent Life: Nearing the End of Undergrad and a Broken Foot

There's a bit of catching up to do here on my part, and yours too I suppose. Quite a bit has happened since I was last here, I mean in general a lot has happened in the past week as well. To start off with, there are 17 DAYS until graduation!! I mean undergrad, at the end of which I will be receiving a degree in Exercise Science.

On that topic, I have finished my Senior Seminar paper. This is a study that I propose, but don't go through with since I did not do departmental distinction, although I am now wishing that I was so I could learn the results of my study. It is called 'Protective Gear: A Comparison of Head Injuries In Collegiate Women's Field Hockey Vs. Collegiate Women's Lacrosse. Yea, I know a long title, but at least its all words that people understand. I decided to look at whether or not protective gear for the head and face could assist in decreasing the amount of severe and non-severe head injuries received by field hockey players at the collegiate level in the United States. A few fun facts for you about this topic: did you know that field hockey is the second most popular team sport in the world (beat only by soccer) and field hockey is considered by many to be the original ball-and-stick sport (meaning it lead to the development of lacrosse, ice hockey, floor hockey, golf, and other games that involve a ball/puck and stick). If I could I would post it up here my friends, however, I'm still not exactly an expert when it comes to blogging or the computer in general, so I'll work on that for possible later use. Is it even possible to do that? To post PDF files directly onto a blog? Anyone care to share with me? Thanks!

Another update, one that I suppose is just as important, but more for short term. I broke my foot. More specifically, I broke my 5th metatarsal and received a 2nd degree sprain on my left foot. I have been in a boot and on crutches since last Wednesday, technically I'm not using crutches anymore because they annoy me and make getting around not nearly as easy, but they are an intense cardio workout for those of you who have never used them before (especially when going around campus to classes). Anyways, I was informed on Monday that I will be requiring surgery in order to repair the bone (they are going to screw my bone back together), but am waiting to see if I can wait until after graduation to get the surgery done, that way I can for sure graduate and stay on top of school for the last 6 days until classes end and 17 days until graduation, when I can go home and get the surgery done. I'm hoping that it can wait!

Anyways, that was a very long post, but you're pretty much caught up on my life now, I think. My last note is that it is finally nice outside!! :D I mean, not today, it's kinda rainy today, but I've been wearing shorts/capris for the past few days which is pretty damn exciting, we might not have to be inside on graduation due to snow :D

I leave you with some music to listen to :)

Enjoy, my friends!
Love,
Sara :)

'The Godfather': A Very Quotable Movie

I saw 'The Godfather' for the first time this past week, both parts one and two. I would have to say that I do prefer the first part, but the second was again pretty well done. When we were discussing in class on Friday, I realized one thing about The Godfather: Part I; it is a very quotable movie. The most popular of these being "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." which has become the tagline for the series of movies. Some others are as follows:

"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

"It's not personal; it's strictly business."

"In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns." (Goes along with a quote I saw a while ago claiming that there is nothing more dangerous than a pissed off woman!)

Anyways, those are a few quotes that I think are quite memorable. Feel free to leave more in comments if you have any :) If you haven't seen The Godfather, you really should. It's a gangster, film noir, western film with some melodrama thrown in, making it an interesting mix for sure!
I hope you all had a great weekend!
Love,
Sara :)