Summer Schedule and Other Such Ramblings

Well folks, I finally got my summer schedule. There's good news and bad news. I'll give you the good first, since you already know it. My classes and clinic start June 1st and end July 24th (my birthday for those of you who forgot). There is one exception. One of my classes starts two weeks earlier (May 17th?) and ends July 24th, but it's online for the first two weeks. This means I'm available to go on vacation the last week of July or the first week of August!

Now for the bad news (mostly for me, but a little for Megan). My classes start at 8 freakin 30 in the morning. Scratch that...CLINIC starts at 8:30 in the morning. I have to be awake AND HAPPY and functioning that early in the morning. That's 2, 3, or possibly 4 clients right in a row with no time in between. That means I'll probably have to be there around 7:30 to get all my therapy materials ready for the day. We ALL know I'm not a morning person. 8:30. What were they thinking? Anyway, clinic goes from 8:30-12:00 with nonstop therapy (multiple clients). For four of those weeks, I won't have to do group therapy so from 8:30-10:00 I'll be in a class instead. You'd think it's a long enough day going from 8:30 to 12:00, but no, they had to add a couple classes to the mix. My classes start at 2:15 and end at 5:45. So Monday through Thursday (I think) I'll be at school from 8:30-5:45.

I'm not letting this get me down. I'm wearing my swimsuit under my clinic clothes so I can pick up Megan and go straight to Paradise Cove or whatever the new water park is called. Lol I'm totally buying season passes and everything. Ok, we might not go EVERY day, but I want to go A LOT! I also plan on being all housewifey and cooking us dinner a lot. Well, I'm hoping to grill out so maybe that would be considered being husbandy. Also, we'll have a new baby at home in Maysville, so some weekends will be spent there holding the new little guy (I refuse to believe it could possibly be a girl) and swimming in the pool (if Charlie hasn't chewed it up).

Yeah, I'm rambling....sorry. Anyway, I'd better get back to work. I'm feeling super productive today and am on my way to do laundry. It won't be any fun without my laundry buddy Katie, but I'll just have to play the quarter game myself! I'll let ya know if I win big (aka another pocket knife). Just wanted to share my summer schedule with ya. Love you girls and can't wait to see you next weekend! Stay tuned for another post about plans for next weekend!

Ice Storm 2009: Part 2

I know it seems like you've been waiting eons to hear part two of my ice storm adventure. I apologize for the delay. Life got in the way. Now, when we left off, I had fallen and blacked out, gone to Trish's, then returned home to an apartment with no power. I woke up the next morning freezing. I sat around for a little while and soon got a call from Alison. She said that she, Trish, and Soni were going to Wal-Mart and asked if I wanted to come. The warmth of Wal-Mart was too good of an offer to pass up. I even forgot momentarily that I HATE Wal-Mart. So I washed up in ice cold water, shed a layer of PJ pants, and waited patiently for the girls to pick me up. As soon as they walked in the door, I felt like a Jew during the Holocaust whose hiding place was just discovered. The girls ran in talking over each other in panicked voices. "We need water, batteries, pillows." "Sarah, you need lots of blankets." To which I replied, "...ummm....I have blankets...lots of blankets." Suddenly they start grabbing everything...water, food, my pillows and blankets.

"whoa whoa whoa...why in the heck are you taking all my stuff? Are you gonna save any water for me? I NEED those blankets." "We thought you were coming with us..." "Um yeah, to Wal-Mart. I wasn't aware that going to Wal-Mart required mass amounts of supplies. I'm staying here. It's like camping." With that, they dropped my things, called me nuts, and got in the car. Apparently ice = crazy drivers. I'm not kidding. We almost died a couple times because other people were being stupid. Every time a car would come close to us, Alison would yell "WHOA!!! WHOA!!!" It was pretty scary. Trish said it best, "I was so scared I accidentally farted!"

I assumed that our trip to the old Wally World would be a leisurely experience with plenty of time to pick up the essentials, get warm, and just enjoy being in a place with electricity. I was wrong. As soon as we walked in the door it was like an Iraqi freedom mission. We split up into groups of two. Divide and Conquer. Well I was looking for a car charger for my phone, so I went back to electronics with Soni who needed to look for something in the camping equipment. The other two were getting groceries. As soon as we met up, they were ready to roll. Thank God Wal-Mart is a crazy store and they have batteries and food in random places throughout the store. I felt like I was shopping for my life in those few moments on the way to the check-out. I needed food...desperately. We had very little in the apartment. I managed to snag a couple boxes of Pop Tarts and a bag of Chex Mix before hitting the registers.

We checked out, and then decided we needed a hot meal. Well, every fast food restaurant had ridiculously long lines in their drive thrus. Yeah, that was to be expected. So we got into a fight over where to eat. They wanted Hardees...I was thinking the one over by Taco Bell. I was wrong. They meant the one off the other exit. Ok, fine. Let's go somewhere else. Someone got the bright idea to go to White Castle. I gave a hell no on that one. I'd rather eat my pop tarts and chex mix all day than go there. So somehow we ended up at Red Lobster. It was good except for the fact that Alison and Trish both worked there and knew our waiter. They both gave him a HUGE tip so I felt I had to give a good one too. Oh well, I got a discount because Trish still works there.

By the time I got home, it was getting late. I sat in the car listening to the radio and attempting to charge my cell phone. The guy on the radio was saying that hundreds of thousands of people were without power in Kentucky, particularly in the Richmond area. We had been hit BAD. Old ladies were calling in asking if any of the shelters were delivering hot meals to the elderly who couldn't get out of their houses to go to the shelters. People were calling to report downed trees and power lines. For something the I wasn't too worried about, this thing sure caused a lot of damage. I was infuriated by a woman who called in to the radio station. This is what she said (in a THICK Kentucky accent), "Hi, we still got power but I was wonderin' when the cable's gonna be back on. We don't got nothin' to do without cable." I WAS LIVID. Thousands of people without power...without HEAT...and this woman was worried about the freaking cable. Gosh. Well, the radio guy said, "Ma'am I don't really know anything about the cable. I think everyone's main concern is restoring power to those who don't have it." Realizing her mistake, the woman tried to cover it up, "Oh, did I say cable? I meant electric." Ugh...that made me sick.

After sitting in the car for about an hour, I decided to go inside since it was starting to get dark. Clutching my precious flashlight, I went inside, lit some candles, and made up a little bed on the floor. I was still terribly sore and didn't want to move. Dad called to check on me. For some reason, he was concerned about my nose getting cold. He asked if I was going to wake up every few hours to make sure my nose didn't get frostbite. He also told me that if my nose (or any other part of me) got too cold during the night, I should just go to the hospital and sit in the emergency room to get warm. Gotta love my Daddy! When it got dark, I ate Chex Mix and Pop Tarts by candlelight and listened to my MP3 player. Around 8:30, I decided that there was nothing else I could do. I went to sleep. I was pretty warm tucked under all those blankets. At around 10, I got a call from Alison saying that Trish's power had flickered on and off again but if it came on again they were coming to pick me up. I politely declined saying I was nice and toasty in my little bed on the floor and that I was already sleeping. I think I should mention that I didn't sleep upstairs for 2 reasons: 1) I was too sore to go up and down the stairs and 2) There was a big gap between my window panes in my bedroom so downstairs was a lot warmer than my room.

The next morning, which I believe was Thursday, Alison and I decided we didn't want to go "camping" anymore. We wanted a warm bed and warm food and we desperately needed a shower. That morning, our Moms and my Dad started Operation Bring Our Girls Home. This was a HUGE operation. My mom called Kentucky Utilities to find out if they had an estimate on when the power would be back on. She was also vigilant about watching the news and the weather channel. Elaine, Alison's mom, was in charge of getting information on road conditions. She called the police department and explained our situation. They informed her that there were a few slick spots between Richmond and Maysville but if we drove slowly we would be ok. My dad was in charge of telling us how to get our apartment ready for the power to come back on. We turned off our heat, unplugged our appliances, packed some refrigerated items to try to salvage, and hit the road.

The rest was pretty uneventful. I went home, showered, and enjoyed the warmth of my parents' house.

Here are some more pictures from the ice storm.

Trading in

I feel like a used car. One of those old junkers that nobody really wants but they drive because they can't get anything better. You know the ones I'm talking about. An old, dirty, beat-up car with trash on the floorboards because nobody sees the point in taking care of me. I get driven around by people that don't really care about me and by people who just aren't right for me. Of course there are those rare few who see me for who I really am. Those are the ones that I don't want to give up. Those are the ones that continue to do their best to make me shine. They lovingly clean up my interior and throw away all that trash. They clean my engine and make me feel like new again. I run better than ever when they're around. They do what they can for my exterior too, but I know that they love me just the way I am.

I'm tired of those people who throw trash on my floor. That trash just keeps building up until one of the good drivers comes along and cleans me out. I want to be clean and shiny all the time. I know that there will always be a candy wrapper here or there. Nobody can be spotless. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who would love to trade me in for a newer, better model. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to be myself, but from now on I'm only letting those good drivers in. They're the ones who love me for who I am, take care of me, and put me first in their lives. For them, I'll do the same. I will keep them safe, comfort them when they're feeling sad, and crank up my music to entertain them. They will always be the most important people in my life and they will always be able to count on me.

For all those good drivers in my life, thank you for all that you do for me. For all the bad drivers, I'm trading you in.

Just Curious

I promise I'll post Ice Storm 2009: Part 2 as soon as possible, but right now I'm just curious how many regular readers I have. There have been a lot of new people visiting my blog and I think it would be awesome if they've continued reading! So, if you're new to my blog, WELCOME! Feel free to leave comments and let me know that you're here and what you think of my blog. That is all. Have a good night!

Ice Storm 2009: Part 1

In case you didn't know, I'm one of those people who doesn't get all worked up about things that normal people get worked up over. When I heard this ice storm was coming, I though "Eh, we might get a little something, but nothing's really gonna happen." I figured since everyone was freaking out then we wouldn't really get anything. We'd be in school without even an hour delay. As Alison frantically packed her bags and searched for candles, I calmly played free step on the Wii Fit. When she cried and begged me to come with her to her friend, Trish's house, I explained to her that I wasn't scared of a little ice. I'd be fine alone. So after she headed out, I continued to play the Wii Fit. Next thing I know, the power flickered off and back on. It only lasted a few seconds, so I continued playing Wii, a little angry that I had to start my game over again. A few minutes later, the power flickered again. At this point I figured I might as well get prepared just in case we temporarily lost power.

This is where it gets fun. Still not thinking we'd get much, I drove up to the gas station, filled up my car, and bought a lighter in case I needed to light candles. So this is what I had to make it through the power outage everyone was predicting: about 12 candles that I had taken from Alison's room, a small blanket that was already on the couch, a blue lighter, leftover Chinese food, and a full tank of gas. No snacks, no water. I could survive with that, right? Well, I set up the candles, got out the lighter, and got back to work on the Wii Fit. In the meantime, Alison kept texting me asking me to please let her pick me up when she got finished shopping for supplies at the dollar store. I continued to assure her that I was fine and nothing big was going to happen. Just then, the power went out again. This time it didn't come back on. I had lost 30 minutes of free step wii fit work. I was pissed. I remembered that I had a flashlight in the car. I figured it would come in handy. I took a step outside my door. For a split second, this line from Carrie Underwood's song went through my head "she heard the trumpets from the military band and the flowers fell out of her hand." Then everything went black.




The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I could hear my neighbor trying to stifle a laugh as she asked if I was ok. She repeatedly asked me if I was ok, but I couldn't answer. Finally, a tad embarrassed, I sat up and told her I was fine. All I could think was "Oh God, I'm wearing my penguin pajamas. I hope I don't have to go to the hospital like this."

After retrieving the flashlight, I came inside. From there, all I remember about the next hour is that I started sobbing uncontrollably. I called my mom and told her about my fall. I could hear her immediately call Alison and beg her to come get me. As Alison pulled into the driveway, I heard a HUGE crash. I thought she might have fallen. When they walked in, they told me that part of the big tree out front had fallen.




Alison and Trish helped me pack my stuff. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused. I was really out of it. I went to Trish's for a bit, but don't really remember much about that except that the dog kept trying to hump my arm. Finally I decided I wanted to go home. It was so eerie coming back to my apartment. All of the power was out on my end of Richmond. After assuring the girls I'd be fine, they finally left me in the darkness of my apartment. I slept bundled up on the couch. I kept waking myself up every good few hours just to make sure I was still alive. What an adventure! More to come!

I'll climb the frosty mountain: An update

Well guys, it turns out that the weird song that's been going through my head is an actual song. Here are the lyrics.

I'll sail upon the Dog-star
Henry Purcell

I'll sail upon the Dog Star,
And then pursue the morning,
I'll chase the moon 'till it be noon,
But I'll make her leave her horning.

I'll climb the frosty mountain,
And there I'll coin the weather;
I'll tear the rainbow from the sky,
And tie both ends together.

The starts pluck from their orbs, too,
And crowd them in my budget!
And whether I'm a roaring boy,
Let all the nations judge it.



On another note, I found this on Jared Wiley's myspace page:

"AMERICAN IDOL yea that was me, but that song that you saw me singing was from a previous audition in front of the producers. The producers hounded me to keep singing different songs and I kind of fumbled on choices.On that day they told all of us that they were taping the auditions, but they were solely for the judges to view. If I knew that they would aire what I sang on T.V. I would have never sang that song and in that high octive. I really only sang it to standout during that audition. I sang "You Raise Me Up" in front of Simon, Randy and Paula. It was more relatable and in a much lower octive and I got good comments from all three of them. So I guess those three really dont have much control over who makes it through. Also, Simon never made that Sci-fi comment to me. I signed the release form, saying that they could do anything with the footage they shot. So I pretty much got screwed for good T.V." -Jared

I'll Miss you, Miss Blanche

Dear Miss Blanche,

There are so many things I should have told you, but never did. You were such an amazing woman and an inspiration to anyone who met you. I've never met anyone who had such a positive outlook on life and such an unwavering faith in God. You never had anything bad to say about anyone. Even though you had so little, you always gave so much. I can still remember the time years ago when you bought me chicken patties and told my mom that you "had to take care of your girl." I loved being your girl. I'll never forget our trips to Wal-Mart or my earliest memory of you, hearing you walking around the Episcopal Day School whistling. You were always whistling.

I love the way you took such good care of my mom, Ms. Mary Beth, as you called her. "Well, Ms. Mary Beth, you've gained weight" or "Now Ms. Mary Beth, you look good. Just try to keep it like that" Whenever I would see you out, you'd always ask about her. It made me feel so good that there was someone out there looking out for my mom. I know that now you're her guardian angel. Keep looking out for her, Miss Blanche. She needs you.

You had such an amazing life. Not everyone can say they were best friends with a movie star. Most people would brag about the fact that they were friends with the Clooneys, but you were so humble. To you, they were just regular people. I love that about you. You were so humble, honest, and sincere.

Thank you, Miss Blanche, for allowing me to be a part of your life. I am truly blessed to have met you. I hope that someday I can become at least half the woman you were. I will miss you greatly and will never forget you. I love you, Miss Blanche!

Love,

Your Girl, Sarah



P.S. I wanted to include the message that George Clooney sent with a beautiful flower arrangement "I bet there is one heck of a homecoming parade going on, only this time Rosemary is riding in Blanche's car."