Fallen Princesses.

I found this very interesting post/photo shoot/project!
Unusual, but oh so cool!
It's entitled Fallen Princesses and basically captures famous fairy tale in today's modern reality. I know it's a bit depressing and take away from the fantasy and magic of the beautiful princesses we looked up to as a little girls. The website explains more in detail the project.

http://www.dinagoldstein.com/

Cruisin' on my Cruiser?

I've been looking into buying a cruiser bike. Working in midtown, I see locals every day riding around town on their bikes. Super cute! There's a bike shop right around the corner from where I work, so I stop in on occasion to browse & admire. They even have a houndstooth bike! I want to make sure my money will be well spent before making this semi-large purchase. I don't live in midtown or downtown and people don't usually cruise around on bikes in Elk Grove. So, we shall see... :)

Hair Trouble.

Due for my bi-annual (sometimes tri-annual) hair appointment, I was a little hesitant to book with the lady I went to last. My reason? Well, in a nutshell, I was with Luci, my hair stylist for years, following her from salon to salon as she changed jobs throughout the years. She was great! Unfortunately, the last time I went to book an appointment with her, I came to find that she was no longer at Envy Salon & Spa. Upset that she didn't call to notify she was leaving (as she did in the past), I booked with someone else. Not completely satisfied with the way my hair turned out, I decided to not go back for this last hair trim. While I was at Ulta the other day buying a blow dryer and other beauty essentials, I was given a coupon for the Ulta Salon upon paying. {Are you getting where I'm going with this??} The special was only $30 for a Signature Hair Cut at the Ulta Salon. I usually pay $50-60 for a haircut (so this deal seemed pretty good), and the Ulta Salon looked pretty legit. I was iffy, but booked anyways. Biggest mistake EVER! The novice hair stylist took 2 1/2 hours on my hair, when in the past it usually take 45min to wash, cut, and style! She moved like a snail and worked on 1/2" pieces of my hair at a time! Seriously! She left it horribly cut and styled, as the underneath roots of my hair were still damp and crimpy! I left fuming! Jesse always complains how I never try new things and how I get or do the same ol' things over and over. Well, I know why - it won't fail me! I should have never booked. My sister and other friends have the easiest hair so can go to Great Clips, pay $12 for a haircut, and look like a celebrity. Not me. My hair is extremely difficult. It's thick, wavy, frizzy - difficult. Now, I have to pay another $50 to get it fixed. Such a drag...! 

Moral of the story: When it comes to hair, stick with what works. 

McCafé.

As we often do, Jesse and I were in the drive-thru of the Golden Arches getting our post-dinner iced coffee. As we were paying, the cashier returned our receipt with something heaven-sent! A coupon for a FREE McCafé plus TWO Buy 4 Get 1 FREE! I was thrilled! Jesse, not wanting them, gave them to me. A dangerous move! I have been there almost every day getting my promo cards stamped. I'm due for my FREE iced coffee tomorrow! I love McDee's coffee. I was hesitant at first, but Jesse insisted they were delicious - and they were! I was hooked. I still go to Starbucks for black iced teas and white mochas, but McCafé has been the spot lately! You can't go wrong with a medium (which is the Venti size at Starbucks!) regular flavored iced coffee for $2.06!

I do, however, I have one teeny tiny complaint...Mr. Ronald has got to get the consistency down! Some days it's too coffee-y, the next too sweet, and the other day it tasted like pure water! I try to take a sip before I leave the drive-thru and return it if it's not right. Hopefully they get it down soon.

I'm lovin' it,
Sarah

Promotion - Pro Bono.

I am so privileged to have such talented family and friends, and will shamelessly promote their entrepreneurial efforts!

-- Bella Mena Photography
My aunt has her own photographing business, and is quite the shutterfly! Her work is amazing. She is skilled in capturing moments from families to engagement to senior portraits. She is great and easy to work with, and photoshoots are always so fun with her! (I've had 2 sessions with her.) On top of capturing great pictures, her editing skills are superb and produce flawless photos. Check out her work at: Bella Mena Photography.

-- Capital City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
My boyfriend, Jesse, owns a jiu-jitsu gym in the Sacramento area. Although fairly new (opened in November), the place is booming! A true success. CCBJJ offers traditional brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, kids' classes, and morning, evening, and weekend classes. The environment is positive and family friendly. The instructors are top-notch and experienced, such as black-belt Marcos Torregrossa. Come in and learn new skills, get a great workout, and meet a rockin' group of people! Check them out: Capital City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or on Myspace.

-- Impression Designs
My good friend, Janet, is in school studying graphic design. She is earnest about putting what she learns in the classroom to good use. She has created numerous projects for businesses, churches, friends, and much more. She has a creative mind and is willing to work with you to obtain your desired design. She is skilled in creating fliers, business cards, pamphlets, etc. View her work at: Impression Designs.

An Encouraging Coincidence.

I always love it when Sunday's message reflects a topic that I dealt with throughout the week. It's so refreshing, inspiring, and comforting. Yesterday was just that. I have been reading a book a friend bought for me called Enjoy the Silence by Robbins and Robbins. It's a great personal devotional book; I highly recommend it. One of the days, the devotion was based on the parable of the sower. Although I have heard this parable many times, it struck me differently when I read it. It challenged me to examine the "soil" of my heart and make it open and available to God's word. Sunday's preaching covered the same topic and encouraged me again. I loved it! It's such a comfort to know God is alive and cares. "His eye is on the sparrow."

Be encouraged,
Sarah

weekly post.

As much as I enjoy blogging, it has been difficult to concoct posts that will be found interesting and informative. I was thinking I could start a weekly blog post on a certain idea or theme.
Some ideas I had were: a weekly picture of something, an article review, tip of the week, etc.
I'm liking the idea of a weekly picture - I find photojournalism fascinating! I'll have to toy around with some themes. I have a great camera and have been wanting to show off the amazing photos it takes. This might be a perfect opportunity.

Your thoughts? What would you like to see as a weekly post?



-Sarah V.

A Great Recipe.

Found it. Loved it. Posted it. :)

A GREAT RECIPE.
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask HIM.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

Twitter Caution!

I don't have a Twitter page - the most current, social network craze. Not that I'm against it, I just find it redundant to Facebook and Myspace updates. No need updating my every move throughout the day three times! Two is suffice for me. Although fun to follow (and addicting!), there can be danger lurking on your next Twitter update. I recently read an article (again) in July's issue of Marie Claire that stated the risk of Twitter updates and your job. The article shared about a woman who after being offered a job "tweeted" the following: "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work." Someone at Cisco saw the tweet, reported it to HR, and they rescinded their offer. That sucks. Also, a British woman was fired for calling her job boring on her Facebook page! I see this very often. Between 8am and 5pm, every other update is someone complaining that they're bored at work. A word of caution: beware of your next social network update - it could cost you your job!

Graduation and on.

So, I graduated a couple weeks ago.... ;) I know I have been (yet again) absent from the blog and I don't have a legitimate excuse this time. Tis sad. But here I am!

Graduation went great! I was delighted and appreciative to see everyone who made it out to celebrate my joyous day. I have had the support of my family and friends over this academic journey, and attribute my success to their encouragement and support. I love and appreciate them all!

These are just a few of the graduation pictures. You can see more on my Myspace or Facebook.

Post-graduation has been great! I love being stress-free and being able to enjoy my evenings and weekends, as my few weeks before graduation were spent at the school library. I'm enjoying my new job and experiencing the "work-only" kind of life, which is kind of weird for me since I have always been in school, even in the summer. With all the precious free time on my hands, I certainly don't want to put it to waste. I am looking into various activities that I have been wanting to learn and develop, such as: photography, tennis, cooking, dance lessons, etc.

With my future plans not really defined yet, I have been struggling with the "unknown". It seems that my answer for life right now is, "I don't know." Of course, along with the congratulations comes the, " So what now?" Aghh! With the millions of times that I have been asked this in the past two weeks, I still have the same answer. "I don't know." Well, I mean, of course I have some idea of what I want. I know I want to go to graduate school, but the what? when? where? are still all unknowns. (And in parenthesis, literally, I find it somewhat surprising on how much a Bachelors degree isn't worth what it use to be. No offense to anyone who deem it a high honor and great accomplishment, because it certainly is, but I have been asked so many times if I am going to continue with graduate school as if it is a given that that is the succeeding. As if what I have accomplished is just a stepping stone to what's next. This is a good thing though. I'm glad to see the importance higher education in today's society.) Now back to my unmapped future... I find it uncomfortable to not have definite answers about what's next in life. I've always had my future planned out and ready to answer in a split-second what my next step in life was. I sometimes ask myself if I have been careless or lazy to not chart out my next plan of action. I see other graduates who are moving for a new job, attending graduate school immediately, taking internships, getting married, traveling, and worry why I am not doing any of the preceding. I have been praying and seeking for answers though; waiting for God's hand to open and close doors. I ultimately want His will to flow through my life and guide my next steps. I entrust my "unknown" to Him. I know my future will unravel itself and everything be put into place. I'm thankful and excited for my unrevealed future!

With that being said, if anyone is starting an interesting hobby, planning an event, or simply wants to hang out, let me know! I'm full of free time and ready to enjoy the summer! :)

-Sarah