:)

Magnolias and Cherry Blossoms and Heaven in KC!

So, as you can tell from the post below...I simply ADORE spring flowers and the beautiful tree blossoms we have here in Kansas City.

My all time-favorite is the Magnolia. However, I don't (yet) have a Magnolia tree in my yard and haven't had the time to go on a spring photo-taking adventure. And now I fear I may have missed the window to capture these beautiful blooms.

But fear not! A lovely co-worker has posted some beautiful shots here. I think you'll enjoy them. And her photography skills far exceed mine! Enjoy!

Spring

Has sprung in these parts....

And it's simply......beautiful!

Easter!

The Easter weekend brought my parents in from Minnesota to spend the holiday.

We had a great time! Here the boys are pre-golf...

The crew was ready to go and not excited about pictures :)

The family time was so fun.

My dad and Michael played tons of Wii, mom and I shopped and walked, we ate lots and had a ball.

Easter Sunday service was great.

All in all, we had a fantastic Easter, even though our "bunny" was a shade shy of normal!

Happy Easter!

My Bro...Down Under!

Well, my one and only brother has left the country. The hemisphere. And is on an Australian adventure.

He moved mid-February and has started a blog to keep his friends and family in the states up-to-date on his adventure! He'll likely be there for a year.

I'm sure he'd love hearing from you!

Man, I sure do miss him! :(

Oggy!

Oggy needs your help making a big fashion decision.

Will you vote and help him make up his mind?

:)

Could it be????

That spring is almost here??

My crocuses are peeking up from the (sadly faded) mulch...

The cars were washed outside...

...and there were golfers hitting the links at the course behind our house!

Here's to hoping we're back in Mother Nature's good graces! Hooray!

This time last week...

I was enjoying one last day of this!

It was warm and lovely...but so is home! :)

Getting There is Half The Fun?

So, we recently returned from what was supposed to be a nice, relaxing trip to Cancun.

And while it had most of the things we were looking forward to...beach, sun, sand, warm...getting there was a bit of a horrific adventure that made me scared to ever leave the confines of Kansas again challenge.

I'd like to note that I'm a frequent traveler. And a laid-back person. I get that things don't always go as we intend and I'm OK with that. I also work for a national brand and have a remedial understanding of good customer service. I often fly with Midwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines. I've tweeted and shared on a number different occasions about the FANTASTIC customer service they provide. Even when things don't go as planned.*

This time, we flew American Airlines. It was a very different experience.

In a nut shell, we spent about 12 unplanned hours of looking at this:

Instead of this:

All because of mechanical problems with a number of American Airlines aircraft.

In a nut shell, the problems consisted of 22 hours of delays, 4 attempted take-offs, 3 planes, and 1 emergency landing. And multiple emergency vehicles. But I'll get to that.

We arrived in Dallas, our connecting point, with no issues. We then boarded the flight to Cancun. We sat on it for several hours before American determined there were mechanical problems and we'd need a new plan. Several hours later, we boarded the new plane. Which left the gate, then turned back around and returned to the gate.

With a fuel pump problem. Turns out, the mechanics neglected to prime the fuel pump before this plane came out of the hanger.

Seriously? Isn't there a checklist or something? Several hours later, the fuel pumps were fixed and we attempted take-off for the 3rd time.

It was successful. For a few minutes. Then the pilot came on and said that he's sorry we've already been delayed 8 hours, but our plane has a problem with the right engine and we would be turning around and making an emergency landing in Houston. VERY shortly!

Yes, I about had a coronary on the spot.

So, we landed in Houston. Met by this:

And these:
(based on the whole handling of Hurricane Katrina, it's not comforting to see the words "George Bush" on the vehicles responding to your disaster.)
We sat in the plane for a couple more hours while they checked our engines.
Then had to stay in Houston until the next morning, when our 8:00 AM flight was scheduled to leave for Cancun (it left at noon).

Everyone lined up and waited for the plane to come in to take us to Cancun...and cheered when it arrived.
Finally, we made it safe and sound to Cancun! We were bummed to have missed 22 hours of this:

But were glad to be safe and sound.

The area we stayed was gorgeous...and it felt so good to be WARM!

We went to a local island one day to snorkel...

...and Michael got a lot of attention for his "overexposure" to the sun!

The view from our balcony was so beautiful...and seemed to change constantly.

The resort too, was splendid.

All was fine and good until our last night in Cancun.

We ate very carefully, only at recommended establishments, but nonetheless, we both got an awful stomach bug the morning of our departure! I don't have too many photos, since we took turns leaving baggage and security lines to hit the bathrooms (or, in some cases garbage cans and sinks). Yuck! We were so sick...we could barely stand by the time we boarded our flight home!
Poor Michael passed out on the DFW floor on our way home! I guess having a raging stomach flu makes it that much easier to leave paradise and oh-so-sweet to get home!!

*I know this post sounds a bit complain-y...so please know that I am very, very grateful for our jobs that allow us to take time off to vacation and the health to travel!

All in a Days Work!

A couple weeks ago, work was a bit more "fun" than usual!

I've posted about this before, but every once in a blue moon, work brings me to a star-studded celebrity event! (is that a good-looking man or what??)

The celebs we met this time were all very, very nice.

Maureen McCormick was especially sweet and enjoyed talking about this fantastic charity she supports.

These guys (Blair Underwood and Taboo (Black-Eyed Peas) were absolutely as sweet as they could be! And easy on the eyes. :)

Umm....yeah. DWTS's Kim Johnson. Lovely, sweet and such a hottie. If you're having self-confidence issues, don't be photographed with her. She'll be 8,000 times cuter! haha.

I don't watch Entourage...but Michael does. So I had to take a picture with Lloyd.

And a few more people who stopped by!

2010

Well, it’s 2010. New beginning, new chance to set a start date for any number of initiatives. Instead of “resolutions” per se, I’ve thought of several things I’m going to make an effort to do in hopes they become habit.

1. Focus on neatness. I forget the peanut butter is on the counter the second I spread it on my toast. I take off my earrings and leave them by the kitchen sink. You get the idea. So I’m making a concerted effort to put things away in their place. While this probably seems like a no-brainer, I’m really forgetful about it…and though he’s much too kind to say it, I think it drives my very neat-organized-type-A husband nuts!! I think too, that it will save me time! No more wondering if the shoes that go with these jeans are in the closet, the basement, the car, my office, the garage, my workout bag or the laundry room!

2. Eat mindfully and for nourishment. I have an odd tendency to think to myself, “oh! Look! ____! I may never, ever get the chance to have ________’s that good again! So I better have two!” Um, turns out that yes, there will be other chances to have a cookie that good, croissant that flaky, etc. So I’m working to either 1) skip it or 2) just have a couple bites. A treat once in a while is fine, but I can justify about every consumption of something unhealthy with a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence!

3. This one is a bit simpler. On work nights, I’m deciding what I’m going to wear the next day and round it up! SO often I’m running late, then realize the shirt I want to wear needs to be ironed and I don’t know where the coordinating shoes are (see #1). Problem solved!

Here’s to an organized and deliberate 2010!

60 years and a Lucky, Lucky Daugher.

Today is my Dad's 60th BirthdaylI would love, love, love to be spending time with him, but can't.

So...
I've been reflecting on how blessed I am to have this man as my father. My dad is the sweetest, kindest man you'll ever meet. He is honest, fair and loving and a wonderful, earthly example of our heavenly Father's love.

This was one of my favorite moments of my wedding day. I'd dreamed about it and it was everything I could have hoped for and more.

We laugh often about how thoroughly Dad disciplined when we were kids. Being a guidance counselor and educator by trade, he would issue an ultimatum when I misbehaved. Then, when I did it again, he would explain that he was disciplining not because he was mad, but because it was his job to guide us in our lives. When it was all over, we'd cry. Seems to be a theme with us!

But, he's not all serious.

One of the best things about the guy we're celebrating today, is his heart for children.

The other day, while we were talking about the cold weather, Mom casually mentioned that several kids at the school he works at didn’t have coats/boots for the horribly cold weather. So he ran to Wal-Mart and bought some for them. That’s just how he rolls.

He also recognized that many of those same kids have an opportunity to escape the poverty of their refugee (yep, Haitian and Ugandan refugees in Fargo! Brr!) upbringing through their running abilities. So, a couple years ago, he started a track team at the school, picks the kids up for practice, buys them shoes when they don’t have any, and coaches them.

This is the caliber of the man who raised me. Am I blessed or what?

Happy Birthday, Dad.

I wish, more than anything, I could be there to celebrate you.

All my love,

Sarah

It. Just. Keeps. Snowing.

And I gotta admit...I'm loving it.
This: Really makes me feel at home. Here is KS, snow is a temporary thing. Like "Oh, cool! Look! Snow! Too bad it will be gone tomorrow!"

Here, snow falls, then melts.
Except this week. It started on Christmas Eve, and it's still hangin' round. Yay!

The drift in our backyard is a great obstacle for the dog...

And the driveway has required more than a couple shovelings!This is what really makes you appreicate the other 9 snow-less months!