What's Been Happening?

A lot has been going on lately, I've been out of town, went to a wedding, attended an auction for Alzheimer's / Dementia and have been trying to find a job. I've been very fortunate to take a couple of trips to the mountains where I grew up lately and I have realized how fortunate I am to call that place home :) I mean, check these photos out, could it be anymore beautiful?

It's always nice to be home and see all of our family and friends :) Plus it's nice to see the Fall colors, something we don't get here in Turlock :( Which is rather unfortunate because Fall is my FAVORITE season, well that and the Holidays! 

My last trip home was very special because it was for the wedding of my sweet, precious friend Amanda! She was marrying Caleb, the love of her life and I have to say it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to! There was so much love there you could feel it in the air. Even though we didn't all know each other between the bride's side and the groom's side by the time the weekend was over we all felt like old friends, which is pretty amazing and a true testament to how wonderful of a couple Amanda and Caleb really are! The ceremony was so touching, I cried like a baby the whole time and I'm not ashamed to admit it :) It was so wonderful to see Amanda, we have been friends for almost 15 years! Isn't that crazy? She was the most beautiful bride, she glowed! It was also a big occasion because it was the first time our group of girlfriends have all been together at the same time since we graduated high school. We have all kept in touch and seen each other over the years but to all be together at the same time was really special. Plus it got all of our Mama's together and they have been friends as long as us girls have! We laughed, we cried and we danced the night away (and paid for it the next morning, haha) but I wouldn't trade that weekend for anything in the whole wide world. I'd be lost without these girls, and even though we can't spend as much time together as we used to, when we get together it feels as if nothing has changed. I've heard that if you can keep and maintain a friendship for 7 years that it is mean to last a lifetime! Considering we have been friends for over a decade, I'd say we are stuck with each other for life now :) I would also like to add a quick note to say that Amanda had the most stunning bridal gown and the bridesmaids dresses were lovely as well! The whole wedding was just perfect! 

I was a little anxious heading in to this weekend, I suppose it has to do with most of the anxieties I'm struggling with currently. I think anytime you're going to see a group of people you've grown up with it can lead to thoughts of what have I been doing all of these years? Look at all they have accomplished, what do I have to show for the last 8 years? I realized something important that weekend, it doesn't matter! I love those people so much and they love me and that's all that matters! No one was there to judge or point out my deficiencies (most of which exist only in my head anyway), instead they shared encouragement, excitement and love. Did I mention I adore these ladies? Silly me... Check out some photos from our amazing weekend! I wish I had more but I just got my new phone and a lot of them came out blurry :( Clearly I have some practicing to do!!!

 {LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL SMILE ON HER! PURE JOY!!!}

  {PRECIOUS FIRST DANCE!!!}

 {MOTHER, DAUGHTER DANCE!!! IT WAS SO SWEET!!!}

{MOTHER, DAUGHTER, DAUGHTER DANCE!!!}

{LOVE THIS MOTHER AND DAUGHTER!!!}

{LOVE MY AMANDA!!!}

{LOVE MY LONA!!!}

{MY LOVELY, PRECIOUS FRIENDS!!!}

{THE GIRLS AND OUR MAMAS!!!}

{I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO KNOW CAITLIN FOR 21 YEARS NOW!!!}

{AN OLD FRIEND AND A NEW FRIEND!}

I feel so blessed to have been a part of such a special day! We all had so much fun I think that we should all celebrate with them together on their 1 year wedding anniversary! That would be a fun party :) That's all the photographic evidence worth posting, the rest of the evening was spent having a little too much fun - and may have involved lots of dancing, laughing and my first experience with  cinnamon whiskey :)

After all of that fun it was back to reality! Which right now is heavily saturated with my seemingly never-ending job search! I have filled out more applications and submitted more resumes than I care to count! However, I'm trying to remain positive, I have a lot of experience and I'm a good employee so somebody is bound to hire me right? Right??? Add that my quest to get in to nursing school and I must admit I've been very stressed lately. I know it will all work out, I just need to have faith and patience. 

{PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP HOW I FEEL ABOUT MY JOB SEARCH CURRENTLY!}

It probably doesn't help that I also fell off the gym bandwagon for a short time! I hurt my foot in a freak dusting accident (ie - I was cleaning and a LARGE can of Pledge duster fell off the shelf on to the top of my foot that has had 3 operations! OUCH!) so needless to say I couldn't do too much while it was swollen and bruised. Then I just fell out of my groove and found myself making excuses not to go back. However, Wednesday I made my triumphant return and I paid for it dearly :) I tried the stepmill for the first time and thought I might die! Ok not really, that's just me being melodramatic! But I climbed to the 83rd floor according to the machine and almost drowned in sweat but it was a good thing! Then it was Legs and shoulders day on my weights schedule and my poor shoulders are still sore! I went to spin class yesterday even though I tried to talk my self in to not going but I'm so glad I did! Let's just say not being able to go for 2 weeks showed yesterday in class. I kept up but I could definitely feel a difference in my endurance and stamina. Yesterday was Halloween and I will admit that I indulged in a couple pieces of Halloween candy, at first I was ashamed but then I realized, you only live once so why not? Life is all about balance! I thought about taking pictures of my sweaty self as proof but I looked pretty wretched so for your enjoyment I found some other pictures to tell my tale :) The first is what I felt like going in to it (and what I wish I looked like if I'm being perfectly honest!) The second is the stepmill and the third is pretty much how I felt when I was done :)

I think that's everything for now,  I'm sure I've bored you with the minutiae of my life by now so if you've read this far thank you :) Thanks for reading!


Until next time my lovelies,


Sarah

Being Brutally Honest

The last few days haven't been too eventful! Not that I'm complaining, I think it's always nice to have a break from chaotic days. The day before yesterday I started following my friends advice and began prepping my meals to help keep me on track towards my fitness goals. I made a few pieces of chicken, a couple pieces of tilapia, brown rice, hard boiled eggs and a mix of veggies. I felt VERY accomplished (see pic below!) it wasn't that it was difficult but I was measuring everything out to the right amount and getting it all in to the neat little rows of tupperware I had set up was very gratifying. Yes, clearly I have a touch of OCD :) Are you just now noticing? I have to admit it was so much easier having everything ready to go, however, I have to admit I was slightly bummed when I realized that the 10 containers of food I had prepped was only going to get me through 2 days or so. I thought to myself, that's it? I figured I would have food for days and days! I imagine it will be better once I establish a system (hello type A) but I also realized that it can get EXPENSIVE to eat whole, clean food on a regular basis. How crazy is that? It's easier and cheaper to buy junky food that does icky things to your body than it is to buy clean, healthy things! The other thing I noticed is that it is going to be an adjustment to eat that many small meals in a day. I am really excited because measuring the portions out ensures that I'm not overly full or starving all of the time which I love! My trainer told me that I don't eat enough, which would definitely explain why my metabolism is out of whack. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get it back on track quickly. I made the decision to skip the gym this morning, today being my longer day there because I was EXHAUSTED yesterday and woke up feeling the first stags of a migraine coming on. I'm trying to be very aware of what my body is telling me and today felt like I needed rest, but if I'm being perfectly honest, I felt very guilty for not going today. I know that seems crazy, it wasn't like I was doing anything wrong but I still felt that way. I think one of the key things I need to work on is BALANCE! There needs to be balance in my life to ensure that things don't get too crazy. I don't want to over train and hurt myself, or not eat enough and mess up my metabolism or feel guilty for taking a rest day. I need to find the right balance for me and keep reminding myself that it is ok to rest :) I am will be right back to the gym in the morning anyway, I think my rest day did me a world of good.

I titled this post being honest for a reason, and no, it wasn't because I fessed up to ditching the gym today! Tomorrow is my 25th birthday and if I am being perfectly honest, I am DREADING it. There are so many feelings tied to this birthday tomorrow. Now, before I get to far ahead of myself it is not that I think 25 is old by any stretch, that is not the cause of all of my anxiety. I think the reason I am dreading this birthday is that I feel like I should be in a much different place in my life than I am currently. I feel like I haven't accomplished very much and that makes me sad. Growing up I was incredibly ambitious and I had these huge goals and dreams and I imagined myself in a very different place than I am currently. Perhaps I'm having quarter-life crisis.. I'm not sure... There are so many things that I wish were different right now. I wish I had been able to stay full time in school so I had my degree by now. I wish there wasn't a 3 year waiting list at EVERY nursing school I've applied to. I wish I was in better shape. I wish I had been able to start traveling and actually get a stamp on my passport. The list goes on and on. I really hesitated about writing this post, the reason being that I do not want this to come across as me being ungrateful for the many, many blessings in my life, nor do I want it to seem like I'm having a pity party for myself. It's just that the last several years of my life have been a challenge and I've tried to stay upbeat and positive and tonight I'm so frustrated and apprehensive about tomorrow. I suppose I thought I would have so many things figured out by 25, who I was, what I wanted to be, where I wanted to be and the truth is, I just don't know right now and that scares me... a LOT. I look around at my friends and see these amazing lives they are leading and they seem to have it all figured out and I am SO THRILLED for them. I have been wondering lately though, when will it be my turn to have it figured out? Those of you who know me well know that I like to have a plan and know what my next step is, actually my next several steps, so not knowing is hard. I've talked to a few people about this and I've spent a lot of time in prayer, but so far these feelings have not gone away. I know that everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for my life, I just wish He would clue me in a little more as to what that plan entails. I just realized that if I was still living in the south I would already be 25, yikes! This is the first birthday I have ever encountered that I have dreaded and I certainly hope it's the last. I have a blessed life and wonderful family and friends and I am thankful for so many things but right now, in this moment, I'm terrified of the unknown. I feel like I should have accomplished so much more than I have and that I am like a hamster in a wheel, running as fast as I can and not getting anywhere. I feel very lost, and have felt this way for some time but there is something about tomorrow that feels very final, like it is a huge turning point and I don't know where to head next. I suppose I could go on for pages about my dread and apprehension, but I won't! Sheesh, if you've read this far without quitting I love you! Thank you to all of you who are there for me, I love you all. Has anyone felt this way before? I am in a pretty big funk and I'm just not sure how to bring myself out of it this time. Hopefully soon I can put my sassy pants back on and grab life by the reins but for now I'm confused, scared, lonely and anxious, perhaps that's ok every now and then. If any of y'all have felt this way before and would like to share I would be grateful :) However, I also realize that sharing this is very personal and many people don't want to broadcast their fears and doubts... I'm not even sure I want to, but it's too late to turn back now! Anyway, to quote Scarlett O'Hara "Tomorrow is another day!" I am hopeful that things will change soon and I can get back to being my perky self :) Thank you for reading! Thank you for letting me be brutally honest, I appreciate you :)

I wish the best for you my lovelies,

S

Getting In The Groove

Trying to get back in the swing of things! Today was my long day at the gym! I started off with spinning from 8:30-9:30 and followed it up water aerobics from 9:45-11:00. I am EXHAUSTED! I so enjoy it but it definitely wears me out! I think part of the problem is I'm not eating enough. I do spinning from 5:30-6:30 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then spinning and water aerobics Tuesday and Thursday. Then I do spinning Saturdays from 9:00-10:00 am. I also try to make a second trip in the evenings and lift weights, but after my workouts I'm so hungry! I like to do my morning cardio on an empty stomach, I've heard it's called fasted cardio and that's what I prefer. However, not eating at all until 11:00 am those days is difficult. Typically i will scramble eggs and eat a greek yogurt most mornings but as to what to eat after that I am lost. My spin instructor is also my water aerobics instructor and she's AMAZING! She is precious, she stopped me in the locker room and shared some of her snack with me because she knew I hadn't eaten which was very sweet of her! While on the subject of refueling, because lets be honest that IS the point of eating, I have felt a little lost in the world of clean eating and nutrition. There is so much to consider! How much do I eat and when? Do I do several small meals? What's going to help me lose weight but still fuel me for my grueling workouts? The list of questions goes on and on! I have been reading a lot and trying to educate myself but it seems everyone has a different opinion, so what's a girl to do? In steps my sweet and dear friend Krista who is my fitness ANGEL! She's like a fitness knight in shining armor but better! I've known her for several years, she lived 2 doors down from me in the dorms at University. She is a beautiful girl inside and out and she began her fitness transformation a few years ago. She is very dedicated and knowledgeable! She has competed in figure competitions and is well on her way to earning her pro card! She happened to message me today and spent the afternoon educating me on what to eat and how to know what works for me. She answered all of my questions and helped me more than I can say! She is incredibly busy and I'm so touched that she took the time to teach me so much! I would like to than her from the bottom of my heart! She has been an amazing friend, she constantly encourages me and checks on me on a regular basis and she's always sending me ideas and helpful hints. She has helped me more than I can say. If you read this Krista I am SO GRATEFUL for you and your help!!!! Haha perhaps the title of this post should have been "Dear Krista" :) I am so excited to start implementing everything she taught me, I have already started to see amazing changes in my body with my workouts and I know that what I have learned about structuring my diet will take me to the next level. Krista always says "commit to be fit" and I think that's a perfect way to look at it :) I am 100% committed! I love my workouts and I feel so much better now that I don't have to constantly stress over what to eat. It's very stressful when you're working out this much and you're constantly starving! I did go and get a southwestern wrap after the gym and it was amazing! I was so hungry at that point in time though that I could have eaten a truckload! I would also like to let you know about my other fabulous fitness friend Caitlin. She has a wonderful facebook page where she posts healthy recipes and fit living tips. She posted a great article on how to incorporate more veggies in to your breakfast. Here's the link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/more-vegetables-for-breakfast?sub=2530941_1520987 Thanks Caitlin!I think that's everything I wanted to cover today! I thank y'all for reading and I hope you'll come back tomorrow :) Thank you again to the lovely Krista! I'd also like to thank my sweet friend Samantha for joining me on this journey and for always letting me bounce ideas off of her and for encouraging me always! I love both of you! You know I'd love some feedback! Tell me, what's your favorite workout routine?

Goodnight lovelies,

S

Back In Action

Talk about a blogging sabbatical! My poor blog has been severely neglected this last year :( SO many things have changed since my last post but for the sake of brevity I will keep it simple. Since moving to the south I spent some time living in Atlanta and Chattanooga, met so many wonderful people along the way and I am now back living in California! This summer I made TWO cross-country drives, spent a month in Chicago (which happens to be my new FAVORITE city!!!) flew to Florida, spent a week back home in the mountains and have been trying to acclimate to my new city. WHEW!!! I've been a busy bee and I have loved every second of it. While it is nice here I don't see Turlock being my forever home. I desperately miss Chattanooga and my friends there, but I also desperately miss a very special family now in Chicago, and I desperately miss my best friend and favorite people in my mountain home, to say I feel pulled in several directions is an understatement. But for now I am where I am so I'm embracing it. Actually, I have to give a special shutout to my dear bestie Samantha for inspiring me to jump back in to blogging! Thanks Sam, you're the best :) I know she wants to start a blog soon and I can't wait to read it! A couple of the topics I would like to start including on this blog are my diet and fitness journey, mostly because it will keep me accountable and also because I'm committing to being fit, and fitness now plays a large role in my daily life. However, I think that's a good point to start off tomorrow. Now y'all know where I've been for the last year! Oh and while we are on the subject of shout outs I'd like to once again wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely Mama! Technically it was yesterday but we like to celebrate birthday weeks in my family :) More to come tomorrow, including my gym updates, changes in my diet, my seemingly never ending career search, my quarter life crisis and my dread concerning turning 25 in 7 days!!! Exciting stuff to come so I hope you'll stay tuned!

Until tomorrow lovelies,


S

New City, New Experiences, New Life

Hi y'all!

This is my first official post from my new home in Atlanta, Georgia! What a crazy few days! I don't even know where to begin. You may have noticed that I have changed the title of my blog to Suddenly Southern. I was trying to find a way to incorporate my Southern transition into this blog and I thought the title change fit perfectly. In the last few days I have seen my new home, met some wonderful people, hung out at a luxury car dealership, been to another state and learned many new "Southern-isms". We left Reno on Friday first thing in the morning. Checking in for a one-way flight was a new experience. Our layover in Vegas was definitely interesting, our flight to Atlanta was delayed which was a bummer, but we managed. I was so excited to find a Coffee Bean in the airport, I LOVE their white chocolate ice blended coffee. Let's just say that it was a one of a kind experience. The barista who made my coffee decided he was working at Coyote Ugly and proceeded to flip my coffee in a circle and bounce it off of his arm and in to his hand. Needless to say, it didn't work! THe coffee splattered everywhere (including on my pants!) and he then spends the next 8 minutes helping other customers and treating me as if his stupid stunt was my fault! That didn't sit very well with me or any of the other customers at the counter! Eventually our flight landed in Atlanta and holy heat wave Batman was it hot outside! Apparently we moved during a heatwave that has set record-breaking temperatures for most of the East Coast...Yay? Saturday my phone showed the temperature at 106 degrees! It never got that hot back home, that's for sure. I also had my first glass of sweet tea, and let me tell you it was S-W-E-E-T! Oh man was it sweet, I will probably have to start ordering my tea unsweetened and sweetening it myself! I'm not so sure how well that will go over locally :) I also got to spend part of Saturday at the Audi dealrship of North Atlanta, I caught a ride with a friend's clients back to Chattanooga to see my Mom, who by the way should be referred to as Mama according to every Southerner I've met so far, which I have no problem with. Did you know that the Audi dealership has it's own cafe? I didn't! This couple I met there were so nice! They were buying a surprise Audi for their son, who is starting college in the fall. Don't get too excited, I already asked if they wanted to adopt me, they aren't accepting new children at this point in time. I so enjoyed riding to Chattanooga with the wife, she was very delightful. We saw our new house and met some of the neighbors. The house is lovely and everyone in the neighborhood seems very nice. Chattanooga is also experiencing this heatwave so I haven't spent much time outside, but so far I have noticed how GREEN everything is in the South! It's very pretty here. I've also learned that all soda is coke, sweet tea is VERY sweet, you cross state lines NEVER borders and whatever you do, DO NOT go outside if it is 106 + degrees in the South, at least, not if you can help it. Oh and there is a very bizarre bug here that buzzes in large groups at night that sounds like an electrical transformer multiplied by 20, apparently that's normal here! I have never heard a sound like it in my life. I've also seen the site of the Olympic torch from the '96 Summer games, as well as the site of the Olympic Village dormitories which was really cool. I've also seen the stadium where the Braves play, I should really learn the name of that field, and that even though the speed limit on the freeway in Atlanta is 55-65 everyone drives 80 mph and up. As you can see, I've had quite the education the last few days in Southern ways, and I'm still trying to adjust to the time difference. I should probably give myself more than 3 days to adjust. I changed the name of this blog to Suddenly Southern because I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to describe the current state of my life. I'm very excited to see where this new adventure takes me! I promise to upload some of the pictures I've taken soon.


Thanks for reading and stay tuned!


Sarah

Time Flies and Big Changes

I can't believe I haven't blogged since July! How crazy is that? I have been so busy that blogging has definitely been on the back burner! So many things have happened it's hard to know where to begin to catch up. I am currently going through everything I own trying to de-clutter and downsize and it is very overwhelming!!! Through this whole process I'm shocked at how quickly time flies. Going through stuff from my childhood up to my first couple of years of college brings back a lot of memories, some good, some bad and some GREAT but it's a very bittersweet and therapeutic experience. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time but haven't made time to do so. I'm also amazed at how much stuff has accumulated over the years! Some of the stuff I'm throwing out makes me think "why on earth did I keep this?" but at the time it seemed imperative to hang on to. If anyone out there has any clutter removal tips and/or organizing tips please leave a comment below with your suggestions! I suppose the reason I have started this process is because I have no choice. My family is moving from the house we are currently living in so now I'm forced to make changes. I'm also facing some other major changes in my life that I'm really excited about! I wish I could share more but right now I have to keep a few things to myself. I will say that this is one of the biggest changes I have ever faced, but I think it's for the best! I'm excited, nervous and overwhelmed all at the same time, which is a very interesting combination of emotions to feel all at once. I truly think this change will be for the best and marks a whole new chapter opening in my life! As soon as I can share more I will. I probably should get back to sorting my things but for now I'm going to watch some Friends and go to bed. I'll do my best to post tomorrow and hopefully make more sense! Hahaha don't blog while tired,  it's not a good mix :)

xoxo,

Sarah

It's Here!!!

I'm so excited! All of my P90x stuff arrived today, can I get a YAY? Haha, I am a little sad to report that I did not get started today as I had planned. I didn't realize there was a whole video to watch before getting started and some reading and planning involved. There is a very detailed nutrition plan to follow with three phases and three options to follow the plan based on what works for you. The nutrition guide alone is 114 pages! So I need to read through that and watch an introductory video as well. I'm getting ready to watch the video now, I'm jazzed and nervous at the same time lol. There is also a 100 page fitness guide I need to go through and apparently there are some worksheets I need to print out as well. Phew! I'm already getting a workout trying to get through all of the material they sent. Do you want to hear something pretty cool? I also got two free bonus workouts from my P90x coach which is pretty awesome. I wasn't going to post anything tonight but I did say I was going to start today and I'm doing my best to be truly accountable during this program, so here is tonight's post, it's not quite what I thought it would be but it's a start! Right? I am hoping to start over the next couple of days but with work and everything I need to do before working out it will most likely be Monday that I start. Which works, it's the start of a new week and the start of a new program and the next step on my journey to a whole new me :) So I'm off to watch the videos and do some reading but I promise to do my best to keep you posted every step of the way! Keep your eyes open for a new post tomorrow night.

Until then, sweet dreams and sleep tight!!!

xoxo,

S