They Stole My Apple Sauce!

There I was getting ready to go through security at the Providence, RI Airport. Things are going pretty smoothly as far as airport travel goes. I was stripped down to the bear essentials, because jackets, shoes, belts, etc. must go through security separately! So I get past the metal detector but the conveyor belt is stopped. . . they are searching what I'm sure is MY bag on their crazy X-Ray machine. . . .

So a man grabs my bag. . . "mam' please step over here!" He began to search my bag. . . did they find a deadly weapon like a knife or gun. . . NOPE! Did they find something that COULD be used as a deadly weapon like scissors or knitting needles . . . NOPE!

APPARENTLY Apple Sause is now considered a deadly weapon if you take more than 3 oz of it on the plane!

OH DEAR LORD, where will the madness end???

A Weekly Poll

Hello everyone,

A quick note . . . I have added a weekly poll to my blog! Have fun! Any suggestions on polls just leave a comment!

Love you all!

Love,
Sara

Partners in Living

I wanted to share with you all a very special picture. The woman in the picture with me, Mary Lou, is mentally handicapped, she is however, a fantastically fun person! A week ago first year students interested in service moved in a day early to participate in our first year day of service. I lead a group to a park where we met with Partners in Living, two organizations that support the mentally handicapped communities in Dayton. They come together a couple times a year for socials. This was one of them. We had a GREAT time!

I even got asked out by a guy named Elmer. . . Elmer said, "Maybe someday . . . you could uh. . . come take me to a movie. . . and uh. . . maybe afterwards we could go to a park. . . and well . . . if you gave me your number I could call you. . . to uh. . .set a date. . . " I responded, "Elmer, are you asking me out on a date?" He put his head down and laughed. . . he was so adorable. . .it was like being asked out in middle school!

Here is another great picture. . . I was leading a sing-a-long session, Row Row Row Your Boat, Old McDonald (a favorite!), BINGO . . . and with my special friend above, Rolling on the River (WITH hand motions!)

Below: Rolling on the River!

The Move!

Hello all, sorry for the broken promise of weekly updates. . .

Classes took up my days. . . I was unable to write about the random things of life with a canon law paper hanging over my head!

Anyway, here is the short update and tour of my new space.

My parents drove in last weekend. We had a fabulous time. Friday my friend Chrysta from Cincinatti came up and had dinner with us. We then taught my parents how to play Euchre a suprisingly fantastic game, played much like Hearts but oh so much better!

Saturday my Daddy helped me move into my new space, here's a little tour of how it's shaping up:

My new living room! I believe the coffee table and couch is my favorite part. . . or maybe it's just the fact that I actually have a living room now!

Yes, I do believe it is nice to have a living room. . . it's a nice place to live in!

And of course the bedroom. . . this is as much as you can see right now. . . as you can see the bed is not made (as if I EVER do that!) I have a bathroom around the corner. . . again not exactly picture ready!

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Come again soon!

It's Not that Easy Being Green

I think I like changing my blog template every now and then. . . cause like Kermit sings there are lots of other wonderful colors out there! Today I feel green! Like Kermit!

So who's the slacker now? I've posted three times in the past week and I have had NO comments for weeks. . . did you not have faith in my commitment to posting more frequently?

Or maybe yall are just busy too! I think I'm going to start a shout out for the week too. . . today's shout out goes to LISA!!! Love you girl!!! Hope all is well in the beautiful south west! Bet with this heat you're not feeling green! Although, you are in the mountains! Who know! Guess what? I linked your name to your blog. . . maybe I can coerce you to write more too!!! If not I still love you!

Okay. . . take care all!

Naked in the Shower Washing Dishes

When one is in graduate school, living in a residence hall with no personal kitchen doing everyday house chores becomes quite a task and often one must find inventive, unconventional ways to get things done! Yesterday I attended a graduation party, I was in charge of bringing dessert. I made massive amounts of dirt, I had no time to do the dishes before attending the party, but I also wanted to let them soak. . . unfortunately the size of bowl I was using did not fit in my sink! So I filled it in my shower and ran out the door. I didn't arrive home until after 1 in the morning . . . at which point I wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and go to bed. But there are my dishes. SO? Now the title of this post is beginning to make sense . . . . I embarrassingly admit that last night I was naked in the shower washing dishes! Jeff Foxworthy says the funniest stuff is the true stuff!

NOLA

It seems like I was in New Orleans years ago! Things have been crazy-hectic since I have returnd to Dayton. That first week was slow but then class started. . . 8-11:30 EVERYDAY!!! AGGHH!

So, anyway. . . as promised. . .here is the rest of my vacation. . . before it gets too late to share:

Katie and I. . . YES, we are in a book store. . . but it was a pretty freaking awesome book store with an awesome woman!

My street performing debut! Don't you just love it??? I do! I am thinking seriously of giving up theology and moving to downtown Dayton to street perform! What do you think?

Just some cool pictures of NOLA:

Oh yes, beyond street performing I also played a famous Chess Master, Jude Acers!

oh yeah, on a scale from 1-10 he told me I was a 4 or 5!!! Go ahead, I dare you to play me!!!

Okay, I am going to have to give Katie some homework here. . . I forget what the heck the importance of this blue dog is. . . Katie will have to post to inform us all!

Oldest bar in city? Country? Katie? There is no electricity!

And of course what would be a vacation without a margarita at good ole' Margaritaville!? I may have gotten tipsy but don't worry we did not "get drunk and screw!" But we still had a blast!

P.S. I highly recommend going to NOLA and getting a tour from Katie, she is an awesome tour guide and amazing host for the great city of New Orleans!!!

Keep rebuilding NOLA, you're totally worth it!

Southern Travel

Check me out! Posting so frequently!!! Don't you simply love it?

So a little update before I share my traveling stories . . .

The roaches have moved out, or maybe just down the hall, but I'm totally okay with that! I simply refuse to share my bed with the beasts! Friday we lost our water in the building. . . they got it back later that night but it seemed to be contaminated. So, I gave it a couple days and things seem to be toxin-free, or so I hope! Unfortunately now I don't have much hot water. I have to turn the water on about 10 minutes before my shower so that it is at least bearable, but it seems as though I will not have a HOT shower for a while! Two nights ago the fire alarm went off in good ole' Stuart hall . . . and guess what? It was my fault. . . oops! ACTUALLY, it was REALLY the facility's managers fault for not having the stoves cleaned! And as I type this update the alarm in one of the towers in my complex is actively going off!

Okay. . . so what you really all want to . . . my travels:

Florida was great!!! Loved it. . . except for one small detail. . . the day we planned on being our BEACH day was the day tropical storm Barry decided to pound the sands of Daytona! UGH! Great storm, sucky beach weather! Living in Ohio I miss the beach dearly! Over all however, it was a great time! Check it out:

My cousin Terri and I. . . whenever we are together we always take a close up head shot like this because many people think we are mother and daughter. . . or as Terri makes me say, sisters!

Uncle Joe and myself showing off our beastly muscles, and bad ass attitudes!

Aunt Grace, Uncle Joe and their FAVORITE great-niece!!!




Terri as the Caterpillar from Alice and Wonderland. . . oh did I mention when Terri and I get together weird stuff starts happening. . . keep scrolling!!!




Don't you just love it??? Maybe Terri really is my mother. . . Mommy, Daddy, is there something you forgot to tell me?

Okay. . . having some technical difficulties with loading pictures. . . I might have to leave you here with this WONDERFUL portrait of my beautiful cousin Terri (who's graduating from Physicians Assistant school . . . or is it Nurse practitioner school? Well, whatever it is she worked her tooshy off to do it! I'm so proud of her!!!)

Please stay posted for the conclusion of Southern Travels . . . There is oh so much to share about New Orleans and my escapades with the beautiful, fantastic Katie Naab!!!!

For now. . . I need to read. . .

Roaches: A Hazard To Your Health!

Returning to Dayton has not been easy for me. For one I had a pretty fantastic time at home and coming back to Ohio was once again forcing me to give up my life. But the larger reason that this particular return was difficult was because I had to learn fairly swiftly the art of extermination!

Last night I returned back to my room a little after 10:30. I was multi-tasking--talking with Fr. Sam on the phone and checking my email when all of a sudden the nastiest roach when scurrying right past my feet and across the room! To say the least I had to apologize to Fr. Sam not only for screaming and dropping the phone in a panic but for the profanities that crossed my lips in the process! I was successful in lobbing my flip flop at the monster and killing it. . . cleaning it up was GROSS. . . have you ever smelled a squashed roach? It's nasty! OH, did I mention how big the sucker was??? THREE INCHES!!! I felt creepy and crawly for the next half hour.

I was obviously shaken up on the phone with Fr. Sam . . . who being a bug hater himself showed me much sympathy and offered support to get me through this time of creepiness!!! Shortly after ending the conversation with Fr. Sam I went to grab something from under my bed and there again a second THREE inch roach bolted from its hiding place! I quickly jumped for higher ground. . . grabbed my phone and called the good priest back . . . he simply answered by saying, "this can't be good!" He was right! There I was phone in one hand, crying about how miserable I was, standing on a chair armed with a flip flop trying to find the nasty beast!

The only thing worse was that time that my sister's iguana got loose and I attempted to search for it dressed in jeans tucked in my boots, snow gloves and a stick! Hysterical on the phone I decided I had to get down and search for it. . . it's one thing to "think" that there "might" be another one. . . BUT to "KNOW" that it's running around is a whole nother bucket of worms!

Long story short. . . I killed the second one. . . complained to the front desk, who said with a smile on their face that they could do nothing for me, grabbed my car keys, went to Meijers (the only 24 hours store besides the satanic Walmart), bought roach killer (for "small roach" as it was all that the store stocked, and headed back to the war zone. Upon opening the roach killer I discovered that "small roaches" were definitely NOT what I was having a problem with! Miserably I went to the desk again and DEMANDED something be done!

They FINALLY sent the trouble shooter up who gave me more roach killer, a bottle of roach spray and a lecture on how roaches do indeed get in your bed and where there's one there are thousands! UGH, thanks dude, you are so VERY helpful!

So I sprayed my room. . . a lot! At the advice of Fr. Sam, left all my lights on, put on a blindfold to block the light out and went to sleep. . . and of course dreamt of killing roaches all night. To say the least it was a VERY restless night!

Today. . . I went to Mass and prayed profusely that God protect my room from the devilish beasts. Before returning to my room I took a trip to the grocery store to buy BORAX, a laundry soap that dries up roaches exoskeleton killing them. I cleaned my room, vacuumed EVERYTHING, I even moved the bed for a thorough cleaning! Then I put the BORAX EVERYWHERE!!! Hopefully I encountered my last!

Tomorrow's headlines: Graduate Student at UD inadvertently poisons herself while dealing with roach infestation!

Attempting a Commitment

Hey everyone! Do you like the new look? I felt like I needed a change . . . so many things in my life right now are helter skelter and giving myself--or my blog--a new look seemed like a fun idea! Not that this gave me any more order to my life but it definitely let me have control of something!

Anyway, I am attempting to make a commitment to anyone who actually still checks my blog with anticipation that there will be something new! Are you still out there? Through a suggestion of Katie I have decided to pick one day a week with a specific TIME to sit and blog! Who knows what I'll write about! Maybe some days I'll just pop on and say "hi!" But maybe I'll surprise myself and have some great things to share with you!

I'm gonna try it! I am not back in Dayton yet, I leave on Thursday. . . so don't expect these postings to start until next week!

Hope you are all well, I'm . . . . well, I don't really know how I feel. These days I sometimes feel like returning to Dayton is like giving up a beautiful life for sweat and tears. I just keep telling myself those sweat and tears will pay off. . .

OH, P.S. I went to Florida and New Orleans for Vacation. . . had a wonderful time with my family and KATIE!!! I'll post more later. . . maybe I'll save that as my first "weekly" post! Then I can guarantee I won't have a loss for words!

How Well Do You Know Me?

So, now that I am OFFICALLY DONE for the semester I have four days of nothing to really do before I head home. . . I am only sticking around for a party Thursday night. SO, I have spent time doing some silly things. . . like making up quizzes for you all to take about me!!! How fun does THAT sound???

Wanna take it????

Go here: Do you THINK you know this Cowgirl?

ENJOY!!!

Almost Home

The great news is that I am only six days from being home for a little while! For this I am extremely excited! The bad news is that unfortunately due to the amount of work required of masters students during the summer session I will have to start working at home, ugh.

I'm sorry there is not really much to update everyone on! Life in Ohio is not all that thrilling. . .

But if you want a good time go to the most random website EVER! You could waste HOURS! Not such a great thing for me right now! But nonetheless fun!

Well, I should be signing off and getting to papers and such. . . who am I kidding. . . I won't start that work until tomorrow. . . but as I don't have much else to say I'll let you all get back to what I'm sure is a more exciting life than I have to offer!

Love you all! Miss you all!

You Don't Know Whatcha Got 'Til It's Gone

As I wrap up my time at home I realize how true the cliche is: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Being home, being with friends, being with family, being at Simon and Jude, it all makes me realize how much I really have here and how little I really have in Dayton. I keep telling myself, "one more year, one more year . . . " Things have not been easy in Ohio, I do not fit into the midwestern world as much as I imagined I would. My eastcoastness has become most evident to me and the illusion of friends has faded. The thing is . . . my friends from West Chester could not be more opposite than we already are . . . yet it works! Not only does it work but they are the most valuable friendships I have ever had! Andrea, Brian, Christine, Fr. Sam, Katie, Lisa, Maria, Michelle, Tim . . . you all mean the world to me! Thank you for loving me for all I am as a person, whether to you that is too conservative, too liberal or just plain NUTS!

The good news is I only have a couple weeks and then I am home for a month . . . in which I fully intend on having that Murder Mystery Dinner Party! So until then, I will pray for you if you will pray for me!

Back From Oblivion

If anyone is still reading, or for lack of postings, "checking" my blog I wanted to share that I am back from OBLIVION. This semester has gotten the better of me, but now I'm back to reclaim myself amidst the destruction of what my research has done to me these past few months. Although I am no where near "accomplished" in my work this semester I am trying to trust that it will be finished . . . or at the least I'm praying that it will be! Anyone want to join in? In prayer that is!

I would love to catch you all up on the wonderful, amazing things I've been doing and the spectacular places I've been and the fabulous things that are happening in my life. . . unfortunately I live in Dayton, Ohio and attend graduate school . . . oh and did I mention: live in a freshmen dorm!

Actually we did go on retreat in Indiana in the beginning of February. To most midwesterners this is nothing . . . to me, a displaced eastcoaster? It was a new state to add to the list! Oh, I suppose I forgot as well, I spent my spring break with seven students in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico for a Spring Breakout trip. These trips are offered through campus ministry for students as an educational alternative to the spring breaks that the "average" college student attends! The fun part to share is that our group might be featured in a documentary on globalizaton and economic justice at the border entitled Agua Miel: Secrets of the Agave. You can check out the website where footage will soon be available!

This week I also visited Cincinnati for the first time! What a great city, why couldn't the University of Dayton be in Cincinnati?

Well, I must be getting back to life. I would like to promise more frequent updates. . . but we all know that sometimes life is unpredictable and at times chaotic. So I will simply promise to try!

A Bit of an Update

Okay, so not much is going on. . . but I did not want to leave my avid readers hanging. I am still here. Classes are going extremely well this semester! Things just seem to fit better now, I have finally found a routine to exist within.

Work is great, we started campus ministry nights here in the building. I work with a group of seven students to run nights ranging from social justice to education to social and it's all going very well. We had 30 come to our opening social. And we retained 12 for the social justice night. . . hopefully people will continue to come and get more people involved!

Well, sorry to disappoint you but that is really all I have to share. I suppose once you find a routine life just becomes boring. Not that that is a bad thing, I am very happy!

My birthday is coming up!!! That's exciting news!!! February 4th . . . woo hoo! I'll be 24! Does that count for mid-twenties? It's all very exciting!

Okay, maybe soon I'll have something more substantial to share with you all! For now peace and blessings!

CCMA and My Return to Dayton

WOW, so much to catch you all up on. Again Lisa and Katie I apologize for not writing in so long:( My New Year's resolution just might be to write more often!)

Anyway, as some of you know, I spent the last week of my break in what is normally considered sunny San Diego for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association's conference. Unfortunately it was not quite so "sunny," a fluke in their weather but none the less exciting and new for me! I met so many great people and made amazing connections. In fact I was offered a job! Louisiana Tech is in need of a campus minister and told me to call them in a year. Gave me his business card and all!

Besides work connection I made amazing connections with people around the country who are going to be able to help me out with my practicum, the major project I have to come up with-run-and complete before I graduate. Part of my practicum involves getting Cardinal Rigali to attend a dinner with students . . . people seem to think it can't be done, BUT I made a really awesome connection at CCMA, who actually told me, "I'll make it happen!" When I tell others about this they simply reply, "and he WILL!" SO, so exciting!

So, with the conference aside let me share with you all the mess I returned to! After having a fabulous week in San Diego and a good flight home with my campus ministry team from Dayton, AND a nice dinner on our way from Columbus to Dayton, I got back to my room about 1:30 in the morning on Monday. When I opened my door I thought there was a corpse in there the way it smelled. Apparently there was a sewage problem and to spare you the grotesque image I still have in my mind let me just say I had a lot of crap to deal with . . . you can figure that one out.

I had a troubleshooter come up who explained to me that it was not an emergency and someone could deal with it in the morning. "NOT AN EMERGENCY??? There is SHIT all over my floor!!!" So anyway, I closed the door, lit candles and attempted to sleep. God knows what diseases I've contracted!

In the morning the plumber came fixed the toilet and told me housekeeping would take care of the floor. My Mondays are insane. I go from 3 to 11pm straight, not even a break for dinner! So when I returned to my room late that night to realize that housekeeping never came I was a bit livid! I got a mop and bucket and went to work. BT, my supervisor helped out, God Bless him! Even a student of mine came and helped. Is that a boundary problem? Having your student AND supervisor in your bathroom late at night? Hee hee. . . anyway, they were both wonderful, I had been working on it for close to forty five minutes and they came up and just finished the job for me! Eric and BT Rock!

Well, I shall be signing off, as I am still in pajamas, have lots to do and it's 11 in the morning. PLUS, tonight I am attending an Epiphany Party! YAH!

Thanks for tuning in to this addition of Sara Speaks . . . over and out