Slices of Life #4

I start my grown up job today (and I may be more than just a little excited)!! I’m incredibly blessed that all my licensure worked itself out in time and I can start my first day of summer school on a good foot. I also get to meet my new ABA client at job number two this evening (because working just one job clearly isn’t enough for me). But while I’m off doing that I figured I’d leave you with a little recap of the past week, with another round of Slices of Life.

 The Eats

Lots of smoothies, stir-fry, and veggie burgers for me. I actually spent the last two weeks eating fully vegetarian until I went home for Fathers Day and we made my dad barbecue chicken…a girls gotta have some balance, right? I also found…

A Gluten Free Bread that looks like real bread- I can’t wait to try this recipe from The Non-Dairy Queen (Thanks to Lindsay for sharing the recipe).

A delicious Green Smoothie recipe and a fun contest from The Gluten Free Treadmill.

The Exercise

I already mentioned the last week was filled with puppy love, which included lots of walks. But it also included two 4-mile runs and my first time running on something besides the sidewalk. My legs definitely felt like jelly going through the grass and up the smallest of hills, but the view of the lake by my new place was totally worth it! Speaking of new places…

The Life

I’m officially, officially all moved in with the BF (and his mom) now. No take backs 😉 He may have commandeered majority of the dresser drawers and closet space, but I think we managed to blend our stuff together pretty well. I particularly love my little “kitchen” which is basically our mini fridge filled with my CSA share and a shelf for all the rest of my food supplies (thankfully we were able to make room for my giant blender in the actual kitchen!).

As for the rest of the life I got my first CSA share of the season and I’m definitely looking forward to the next 8! This one was loaded with greens including a new to me veggie kohlrabi, Meghan assures me it’s tasty just about any way you cook it though I haven’t tried it out yet. I also went back down to visit my parents (which seems weird since I haven’t been gone that long) but we had to do a little something for Fathers Day. I know everyone thinks they have the best dad ever but unless you’re my long lost sibling I hate to tell you you’re wrong. My dad is an amazing man who works so hard to care for our family and I was glad to go enjoy another family dinner (love you dad!). As far as links go this week I found:

A dose of reality from Katherine the Peanut Butter Lover.

A thought provoking post from Olive to Run- still don’t know if I have good answers but I love her for asking the questions .

A hilariously awesome book recommendation (and a serious case for berry envy) from Jenn at Peas and Crayons

Whats the best link you found in the last week? Anyone else out there who works multiple jobs? 

5 things I learned about life from a dog

Sooo if you follow me on instagram you’ll notice I’ve spent the last 2 weeks flooding your feed with puppy pictures. While that beautiful girl does not belong to me, I do watch her on occasion when my aunt and uncle go out of town. She’s shy and sweet and has the best begging eyes on the planet. We spent a lot of good hours cuddled up the last two weeks (she rivals me in the snuggle department) and she even taught me a few lessons along the way.

1. Naps are the best. Whether it’s a full out cat-nap (with the cat looking on) on just curling up with someone on the couch while you binge on Supernatural (the last season needs to get on Netflix stat) taking some time for yourself in the afternoon is the way to go.

 

 

2. Walks are fabulous. Typically I don’t like it when my schedule requires me to get my run in first thing in the morning, Surprisingly I didn’t have the same issue with walks. Starting each day with a quiet stroll around the neighborhood/park really gave me a chance to focus myself before the day, and helped start each day on a relaxingly healthy note.

 

3. Food is better when it belongs to someone else. While I’m not one to encourage begging (okay who am I kidding I totally encourage it) you have to admit there is some things that just taste better when you steal them from someone elses plate. Ask the BF what it’s like to share popcorn with me and you’ll know what I mean. Puppy girl here didn’t let me eat a single meal without asking for her share… not that I would ever feed her people food 😉

 

2. Workouts are better with friends. Even if they end up leaving muddy pawprints all over your yoga mat and want to play chase with your medicine ball, there is something about having a partner in crime that makes the whole process more enjoyable.

 

1. The bed is always warmer when you have someone else to share it. Even if they hog half the bed like this puppy, or make a habit of stealing all the blankets (cough BF cough) having someone close when you go to sleep each night and wake up each morning is one of the greatest simple pleasures there is and I am definitely going to miss waking up to puppy kisses (though BF kisses might do the trick).

 

 

Now that that’s said and done, who wants to buy me a puppy? I may not be able to cross it off the list this year with the living situation as it is, but you can bet I’ll be begging for a dog as soon as we get our own place… and if my aunt’s just happens to go missing instead… shhhh nobody tell 😉

This random collection of puppy love is being linked with Spoons who loves off the wall thoughts on Thursdays.

Slices of Life #3

My vacation time is quickly coming to a close and I’m more than ready ( I get another month off after summer school ends in mid-July and I have no idea what I’ll do with myself then!). The past week I’ve been checking boing things off my list like a physical and another TB test as well as taking an online Autism module for job number 2 and spending hours on the phone with the state trying to check down my licenses. Getting all those fun things done means that I can really relax and enjoy my last few days of total freedom.

While I wasn’t waiting on hold with the state this week I did manage to read some awesome posts and check some fun things off my list, so lets get to it!

 

The Eats

Staying on a budget has been much easier than I thought (though it helps that I inherited a lot of food from people heading out of town this month). I’ve been having a blast experimenting in the kitchen, and dining al fresco while throwing tennis balls for the pup. I’ve got plans this week to make up a few more easy freezer foods so I don’t have to worry about cooking as much while I settle in at my job and new place next week. I’m also super excited to finally get my first batch of CSA veggies this Thursday!!

I’m looking into growing a few herbs this summer with these tips from Averie Lane 

And I’m loving these tips from The V Spot on how to store the goodies I’ll be picking up later this week.

The Exercise

 

I got in all the miles I wanted to run last week, and then some when you add in walks with the pup (and let me tell you she loves to walk). I also focused quite a bit on core strengthening and yoga stretching last week because my lower back was super tight (I’ll be trying to bribe the BF into a backrub soon).

Back on Pointe is one of my favorite pinterest resources for easy workouts and this yoga flow definitely fits the bill.

This visual from Pretty Fit Body is also a great stretching guide.

The Life

 

Minus the courses and phone calls I haven’t been up to much this week. Spent some time cooking and photographing. Spent a lot of time walking and chasing tennis balls (lots and lots of tennis balls). Enjoyed some time in the sunshine making some vitamin D and reading for fun. s for the rainy days and long evenings… pup and I spent our time cuddled up on the couch working our way through Supernatural 🙂

This tutorial from It’s Always Autumn was great for helping me work towards better pictures with my trusty old point and shoot camera.

This post from the lovely Davida the Healthy Maven introduced me to some social media tips I hadn’t heard before.

And I got to stalk everyones adventures at this years Blend retreat… here’s hoping scheduling and budgeting all work out so that I can go to Boulder for next year!!

WIR #48: The “me time” edition

It’s been too long since I’ve linked up with the always awesome Meghan for some Week in Review action. What can I say I’ve been enjoying this “freedom” thing to the fullest. In the last 2 weeks I’ve finished my medical placement, graduated from my Master’s program, and kept the festivities going in true Sarah Pie style.

I’ve treated myself to trivia nights with the BF and friends, kitchen adventures with my baby brother, finally going out with BF and his co-workers, huge stacks of books from the library on anything and everything, and a major overhaul of everything in my room/closet (which I promise is more fun than it sounds).

Going from “working” 40+ hours a week to not really working at all has been an adjustment, there have been some of those “I don’t know what to do with myself” moments, but they haven’t lasted and I’m not sweating it. I start my real job in less than a month, and have the rest of my life to work from there. For now I’m loving the extra me time.

What’s the best thing you did for yourself this week? Anyone else love to clean/organize things? 

Spill it Sunday: Taking over the Big Man’s World

Sometimes Arman let’s me do really cool things, like take over his link up for the day and ask deeply personal questions. Okay so none of this weeks Spill it Sunday questions are that personal, but they are fun and that’s really what this is all about.

1. What is your middle name? If you don’t have one do you wish you did? What would it be? I have the same name as about 75% of the Sarah’s I have met, Elizabeth. Maybe not the most creative but it’s got a nice ring to it.

2. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up? There was a stretch where I wanted to be Belle from beauty and the Beast and I transitioned from that to Broadway star. Neither of those worked out for me, which is probably for the best given how well I sing.

3.  What do you keep in the glove box of your car? Not gloves, which bothers my OCD self on occasion (I like the names of things to match their purpose). I’ve got the usual registration and insurance, along with the manual for my car and a couple of pens.

4. Name one food that always seems to go bad before you eat it? Bananas. They usually end up overripe on our counter, which is how I end up hoarding them in our freezer.

 

5. What was the last workout you did? I did a quick HIIT workout yesterday before heading up to  the BF’s for the rest of the weekend.

6. When was the last time you got the giggles in an inappropriate moment? What did you do? This seems to happen a lot when my little brother is around, so I’m waiting on this one, no giggles since he’s been home but it’s only a matter of time 🙂

7. If you had to pick one song to play continuously in the background of your everyday life what would you pick? Porcelain by Helen Jane Long. It’s a simple melody that seems to fit a variety of moods and it’s just pretty to listen to.

8. What would you do if you got 25 hours in a day while everyone else was still stuck with 24? I’d set aside an hour to actually work here, instead of leaving it to sporadic chance, that way the blog wouldn’t interfere with living my life but it would still get done. That time would probably end up being cooking/photographing time because why not get an extra hour of eats in the day?

9. Pick a great picture of you/your family/your friends, tell us the background story of what’s happening in it. This was a family vacation in Seattle and San Francisco a few years back. My brother and I had pulled up some grass to eat our lunch and within minutes we were completely surrounded by seagulls. Thankfully they didn’t come for us (or our lunch!) but it definitely made for a great photo.

10. Whats your favorite quote/song/image when you need a little inspiration?

What song would you want on a constant repeat? What’s one thing that’s made your life great this weekend?

Spill it Sunday: Mom tells all

Good morning everyone! I’m keeping it short today so I have more time to spend with my mom (after finishing work, of course). But I figured since it is Mother’s Day, why not invite her along for all the Spill it Sunday goodness 🙂

I even got her to take a selfie for the occasion.

1. If your tastebuds could only decipher one flavor for the rest of your life, which would you choose?  Strawberries 

2. What sports did you play as a child, if any? In high school I loved playing tennis with my friends. 

4. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? What’s the strangest thing you want to try to eat? I once had a bite of a brain taco my friend brought to work… never again

5. Lions, tigers or bears? (Oh my) Lions(?)

6. What is your favorite restaurant you’ve ever been to? Wildfire, which is a nice restaurant by us we’ve been to for various family celebrations. 

8. What is the best compliment you’ve received? When someone compliments my kids, because it shows I’ve done a good job raising them. 

9. Describe your personal style (for clothing or decor) and why you like it. Anything comfy and cozy.

10. What is one thing you absolutely want to do this summer? Enjoy daily walks outside while the weather is nice. 

Be sure to share some love with your mom today (and maybe take a selfie). 

Changed for the better

Today I graduate from my Master’s Program in Speech Pathology. It’s been the longest, fastest 2 years of my life, and it’s hard to believe that this blog has been such a large part of it. I started my blog when I started my program two years ago as a way to chronicle my own experiences with whole body wellness as I began my journey towards life as a service professional.

Whole body wellness became an important part of my life after my undergraduate graduation. I knew that to be the therapist my clients deserved I had to take care of myself. And taking care of myself was the last thing on my mind at the end of my senior year.

The girl in that picture wasn’t happy and she definitely wasn’t healthy. A semester of rejection letters and failed plans for the future led to a lot of hours crying over the phone with my parents and pacing the BF’s room complaining how it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t getting the chance I deserved.  I was eating like crap, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t happy. And it shows. 

I moved home immediately after graduation, too depressed to celebrate, and too frustrated to focus on anything other than deciding what to do next. When I got my letter that summer saying I had been accepted off  the only wait-list I’d been on it was nothing short of life changing. Not only did it change my plans for my future by giving me a focus, but it changed my attitude about my health by giving me back my motivation.

I have always believed in the body as a system. I don’t think that you can treat anything (speech or otherwise) by focusing on the problem removed from the whole of the person. But I couldn’t advocate that approach with my clients if I didn’t practice it in my own life. I knew I needed to make changes to be the kind of therapist I wanted to be and to live the kind of life I knew I deserved.

 

As I walk across the stage today I’m ready to leave behind that sad, scared, girl and move forward as a positive, confident, professional. Each and every person I have met in this community has helped to shape me into the person I am today, and I can never thank you enough for that. Sure the past two years have changed my physical health, but more importantly they have changed my mental health. They have shaped me into the clinician I want to be, the person I deserve to be, and the set me forth towards a life I’d stopped dreaming of.

I may be graduating from my program, but I plan to make my health a program of lifelong learning. I may not know everything that’s coming on the road ahead, but I know that I am ready (physically and mentally) for anything that’s coming.

Spill it Sunday: The Netflix Duckface Brother Edition

Annnnd just like that there went another week, my bad. I swear I have all these wonderful lists and plans for posting each week and then something happens. I think it’s called life… or Netflix... 😉

I fully promise to catch you up on everything that’s been going on around here, including those long awaited waffles, at some point this week. But today is Sunday, the day of duck faced selfies and secrets with the Big Man himself.

This week starts the with questions submitted from other bloggers for Arman’s Spill it Sundays (maybe if I ask really nice he’ll let me submit the questions some week)

1. In real life are you more of an extrovert or an introvert? I think this picture of my wild Saturday night last night pretty much answers this question.

 

Not that I don’t love to go out for an evening of drinks or dancing, just not when I have to work in the morning! Thank goodness my weekend ABA sessions are done at the end of the month when I move up to the BF’s.

2. If money were no object where would you move to? Seattle. Hands down, no need to think. Some of my family lives out there and I have loved it every time we’ve gone to visit.

 

3. What are your hobbies besides blogging, food, and working out? Well I’ve been pretty open here about my struggles with my Netflix addiction... in reality though I like to spend what little free time I have reading. When I have more of it I like to get crafty making cards, wall art,  and photo albums, but I haven’t had that kind of free time in a while.

4. If you have a sibling what do you have in common and where do you differ the most? My brother and I have a lot of the same interests when it comes to books (he always makes good recommendations), TV (he shares my Netflix problem), and being active (though he’s thinking of a triathlon which is way beyond me).

As far as differences he’s a lot smarter than me, and way more outgoing, though I have him beat when it comes to creativity in the kitchen (plus I do a waaayyy better duck face).

5. If you were able to spend one day as the opposite sex, what would you do? Attend an outdoor concert or other outdoor event so I could enjoy going to the bathroom without having to wait in a long line for a sketchy port-a-potty!

 

What’s your favorite thing about your favorite sibling? Did you do anything wild and crazy for your Saturday night?

WIR #45: Snap back to reality

With a title like that I feel like I should go into the rest of the Eminem song that inspired it, but that’s a very Meghan thing to do and I don’t want to steal her mojo. I will however share in her listing shenanigans because that’s a mutual passion and her Week in Review link up is always awesome.

This post is going to be a bit of a change from my last one where I was full of excitement and possibility, because life has gone through a few major changes since then. I don’t know about you but for someone like me who really likes to plan things out changes to “the plan” throw me off, and not in a good way. I’m trying to get better about being flexible, but it’s definitely a work in progress for me.

 

The Bad

Always share the bad news first right? Like ripping off a bandaid I just prefer to get it out of the way.

• BF and I went apartment hunting a found a beautiful place we were ready to lease. BF informs me 2 days later that he’s not going to be able to do so for the next year, period.
• I know have a job that I’ve accepted, about an hour from home, no roommate to move in with up north, and not nearly enough money to rent by myself.
• I’d already told my friends at school how excited I was for my job and our new apartment. Last thing I wanted to do was say “eh scratch all that, I have no clue what I’m doing now”

Obviously I was panicked. I loved the job I had accepted up there and I didn’t want to give it up. I’d loved the idea of growing up, moving out, and finally starting our life with the BF and I didn’t want to lose that. I love my BF and I didn’t want him dead, though in that moment I was ready to strangle him.

The Good

• BF and his mom have agreed to let me move in with them for the next year. This means I get to keep my job, save on rent, and still sort of start our life with the BF.
• BF and I had a lot of hard talks, and I’m sure there are more ahead. I tend to forget sometimes that while I’m over here excited about finishing graduate school his plans for post-graduation don’t look anything like what he planned. He really is trying to make the best of his new plans though and I need to remember to be supportive.
• Living cheaply for a year will give s both a chance to get on better financial footing. We’ve both got student loans, he has some other big expenses coming up 😉 , and both of our savings accounts are limited. I already know that I’m good on a budget, but I’m going to budget that boy so hard he won’t know what hit him and in the end we’ll both be better for it.

The everything else

I’ll admit to not being thrilled with our new plan at first. It felt like I was giving up a lot, while nothing had  to change for him except the layout of his room. His mom is a smoker and while their house has never bothered me I’ve also never lived there full time. My parents were (understandably) upset with him (right in line behind myself and my best friends) and though they haven’t said it I think they’re a little hurt that I’m “moving out” only to go live in someone else’s house and not on my own. Lets face it everyone in my life has an opinion on how I should be living it, and at the end of the day I know it’s because they love and support me and only want the best.

I’m at the point now where I’ve accepted what we have for the year ahead and am in full on plan mode  to make the best it can be. That means lists, lists, and more lists as I organize my budget (which will be much easier once I know what a salaried paycheck looks like… yeah still excited that I have a real job with a salary!), figure out what option looks best for BF and I down the line, and make note of things we need to talk through as they come up.

It’s a lot of lists, a lot to organize in about a month and a half, and a lot to think about for the future, but I’m excited again and that’s the most important part, right?

WIR #33: I have good news… and a problem

Hey guys! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating with your loved ones last week (if that’s your thing). I loved the opportunity to unplug, unwind, and catch up with some people I dearly missed.

At the tail end of that family togetherness, this week marks the last week of the last ever school break I will have. I’m sure I’ll miss it by this time next year, but as it sits I am more than ready to be done with the whole school thing… not that I don’t have big plans for this week.

And what better way to catch you up on all the craziness than with a list? (since it’s what all the cool kids do on Mondays anyways) .

The family

We hosted our second big family party in the new house, this time with my dad’s side of the family on Christmas eve. We played a crazy competitive game of salad bowl and an even crazier, more competitive, round of charades. And we had an entire ham left at the end of the night… my parents may have overestimated our food needs.

Christmas morning was fun and quiet with my parents and my brother. We opened presents, enjoyed ham and eggs for breakfast, and then split off to relax before round 2. My brother went to work, my dad worked on his new puzzle, my mom took a nap, and I tore through the copy of Divergent my brother gave me (literally, by the time I got to the party that afternoon that book was done… I may have a problem)

Christmas day was spent with my mom’s side of the family (including my aunt, uncle, and little cousins from Seattle!) and the BF. There was way too much food (all of it delicious), lots of catching up, games, and presents, and fun. I spent the next day hanging out as well before heading home to catch up on sleep before Friday night… except that when I got home I decided to start the second book in the Divergent trilogy… and next thing I knew it was 3 am and I’d managed to finish book two and three… okay I really have a problem.

At least they were really good books?

 Except for the ending (any fans out there who want to share their thoughts on that let me know).

The friends

After coming down from my three book bender, and actually catching up on a bit of sleep, I met a bunch of girlfriends from undergrad at a hotel nearby for a girl’s night as only we know how. There was Disney karaoke in the hot tub (thank goodness we were alone) and lot of Cards Against Humanity (I don’t know if I should be proud but I did end up winning!). It was good to catch up on the craziness of everyone’s lives now that we are all at different schools, and the free happy hour AND breakfast at the hotel helped us decide that it was the perfect place for next year’s reunion too.

The blog

I still have a lot of comments to catch up on here, and a LOT of posts filling my Bloglovin feed (I love you all and I promise I’ll get on it). But I have a bit more exciting news to share first…

Santa may not be tech savvy but I managed to get everything registered and linked (hopefully!) and can now say that I own my own blog!! So if you had a bookmark make sure you update! I’m now at slicesofsarahpie.com J wouldn’t want to miss out on anything good

I’m house sitting for my aunt again this week, which means I get a house and a puppy to myself! It also means I have big plans in the kitchen where I hope to prepare and stockpile recipes for the craziness I’m sure will hit when I start full time placements next week!!

What was the best thing that happened over your holiday?