Team Neill

Time for an Update

2011-07-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

For anyone who "regularly" follows our blog, we sincerely apologize for not having anything new posted for 5+ months. We've been very busy and doing a lot of new fun stuff, but just haven't kept the blog updated for you all.

So here we go... a quick update of the many things we've been doing since February.

Golf
Luke continues to golf regularly, and his game has improved greatly. He's playing just about every weekend (sometimes twice each weekend), as well as hitting the driving range usually one evening during the week. He has also continuously upgraded his clubs, so he now is a 100% Nike player. In the interest of being truthful here, I LOVE that he plays so often. It allows me time to do the things that I want to do, without concern over what he's doing. He gets to be outside, enjoy the weather, have some social "guy time", and perfect his game - it's fantastic!

Photography
I am recently re-engaged with my photography. Its something that I've always loved, and have gone back-and-forth on it for years. But as of very recently, I have taken it up again and am loving what I'm creating. We also hung my favorite picture in our house, poster-size, and that has really inspired me to continue creating more of my own art.

Workouts/Fitness
We have both joined a gym (me in October, Luke in March), and have been going fairly regularly. We're seeing some great results and feel more healthy than ever. We've taken up "spinning", thanks to the inspiration of Bob Harper. We shoot for a spin class (RPM) twice a week, and a weight-lifting class (Body Pump) three times a week. I also do yoga on the weekends (while Luke is golfing) and go for the occasional run.

Fun Times with Friends
We have some of the most amazing friends in the world. I am so grateful to have such good, honest, and loving people in my life - I have never felt so fulfilled. We've done many things with various friends over the last few months, including:

Staci & Jeff's Wedding, October 2010

We attended the wedding of our friends Staci and Jeff in October, in Fountain Hills. It was one of the most beautiful weddings either of us have ever been to, and we're so happy for them - what an amazing couple!

Love how proud he looks

SUCH a gorgeous wedding

Luke's Birthday Party, February 2011

For Luke's birthday, we went to dinner in Scottsdale at The Bamboo Club, and celebrated with just a few friends.

Berries Flambe for dessert

The B-Day Crew: me, Luke, Melanie, Tyler, Staci, Jeff

Flying with Tyler, February 2011

Our good friend Tyler is very into building and flying model planes. For Luke's birthday, Tyler bought him one of his own, and they've gone flying together a couple times since then. We even attended one of Tyler's air shows - that was a lot of fun!

Luke's new toy

One of Tyler's planes

That tiny speck in the middle of the sky is Tyler flying

Greek Festival with John and Iris, April 2011

Every year, the city of Tempe hosts a Greek Food Festival at Tempe Town Lake. We went this year with our friends John and Iris, and had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, we don't have a whole lot of great pictures from this one... the festival wasn't huge. But here you are:

John and Luke enjoying some baklava

Iris, me, and John. Not sure what's up with John here...

Sedona with Staci and Jeff, May 2011

Luke had never been to Sedona before (odd for an Arizona native), and I hadn't been in probably 15 years or so. We took a day trip there with Jeff and Staci in May. We did some shopping in Sedona in the morning, and then had lunch and went to a few of the northern Arizona vineyards and tasting rooms in Cottonwood and Page Springs in the afternoon. We finished with dinner in Cottonwood, and then drove home.

Page Springs Cellars (our favorite!)

Page Springs Cellars

This is the very spot where Jeff and Staci got engaged!

This is from the Arizona Stronghold Tasting Room, and shows all of the vineyards that the owners are involved with. One of the owners is Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of Tool and A Perfect Circle. What a cool treat this was!

Pillsbury Tasting Room, Cottonwood

David and Kevin's Housewarming Party, June 2011
Our very good friends David and Kevin bought a house together this year, and we went to their housewarming party in June. We had a great time with everyone and are so happy for them! It's a gorgeous house and it's perfect for them!

Various Dinner Parties
At the beginning of the year, we decided to start hosting a party of some kind of party once a month. We've been pretty good about it so far and are really loving entertaining in our home.

Work and School
I love my job. I absolutely love what I do and how I'm contributing. I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco in February for a seminar called "Communispond: Executive Presentation Skills". I learned a lot and have gained some great skills, and have discovered that I LOVE San Francisco. I would move there without any hesitation. And because my job is somewhat portable and I have the opportunity to telecommute, it's not out of the question.

My room at the Parc 55 Wyndham, located in the Financial District of San Francisco

I had dinner here one night - adorable little Italian place

Gorgeous architecture

One of the views from my corner room

The view from the other side of the room

It rained at night and made for a lovely time walking around town

I'm also now enrolled in grad school - I'm pursuing a Masters of Public Administration. Luke is also in school again, pursuing his Bachelor's of Business in Marketing. We're both really enjoying our programs, and love the fact that we're bettering ourselves in that way.

The Future
We have some very big plans for the rest of 2011, and we'll keep you posted on those as time goes by. We've been loving our lives recently and have a lot to look forward to!

Happy Birthday, Luke!

2011-02-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

To properly celebrate Luke’s 32nd birthday, I’ve put together a list of 32 things about him that I love. Some are quirky, some are funny, some are obvious, and some are just between the two of us. As the years go on and on, I will love updating this list with more things I love about him.

1. He’s an incredible musician. The talent pouring out of this man just awes me.

2. He’s also an incredible songwriter. He can play, sure. But his real talent is in his songwriting. He makes things happen that I would have never thought were possible with music. It’s inspiring, even to complete non-musicians like myself.

3. He does the floors. He’s a bit OCD and hates to see lint and cat hair and stuff on the floors, so he does them himself. Every few days, he sweeps, AND Swiffers, AND mops all the tile, and vacuums the carpets, including the baseboards. And he puts these adorable little triangles in the carpet on the stairs – so sweet.

4. His eyes. Oh, those eyes. They’re this gorgeous light brown color that look almost gold in the sunlight. And when he laughs, they get lighter.

5. Bubble baths. Every time I have a bad day or feel sick or tired, he offers to run me a bubble bath. He doesn’t even think twice about it… he just knows that the best medicine for a bad day is a candle-lit soak in scorching hot water.

6. He’s a fiercely loyal friend. I don’t even feel the need to elaborate on this. He’s been hurt by friends many times, but he always gives the benefit of the doubt, and will always be there for a friend in need, no questions asked.

7. He cooks! Not that “I put a frozen pizza in the oven – serve yourself” kind of cooking – I’m talking all-out, from-scratch cooking. He invents new recipes and is always surprising me with new fun things.

8. He also cleans up after himself! Not only does he do the “designing” and cooking of the majority of our meals, I haven’t cleaned the kitchen in several years. I’m not sure at what point we decided this would be his job, but he’s taken it over completely – there’s almost never a single dish in the sink.

9. Snuggles! He’s easily more than twice my size, so the snuggles are amazing – I love to be curled up and wrapped up really tight, so at night, I’ll lay on my side curled up in a ball, and he’ll wrap his arms around me and snuggle me like crazy!

10. Golf. This man LOVES his golf. And I love that he does, too – he gets outside for several hours at a time, gets a good walking workout in, and has a great social life as a result. His patience and focus have improved and he’s a much calmer person as a result of playing.

11. He’s no nonsense. If he wants to do something, he makes it happen.

12. He’s nostalgic. In fact, he’s nostalgic enough for both of us. He remembers every little detail, every name, every face. He remembers every scent that he loved, the first time he heard every musician he loves now.

13. Running. I’ve been running for years – I did it for several years before Luke ever tried it. And wouldn’t you know it? After just a few weeks of running, he was better than me! He can out-run me any day – he’s a stronger runner than I am! I guess I just love that he does well at nearly everything he puts his mind to.

14. He sings! He never thought he could sing, until one day he had something to say and no singer to do it. He just… started. And it turns out, he’s amazing!

15. He’s my driver. Well, when we go on trips, he does all the driving. And as much as I fight it, I always fall asleep on road trips. He’ll even reach over and grab a blanket and pillow out of the back seat, lean my seat back, and just let me snooze. It’s so sweet.

16. He didn’t get on one knee to propose. I’m a very non-traditional girl, so it was perfect. It wouldn’t have felt genuine if he had.

17. He introduced me to Disneyland. As an adult, anyway. And for that, I am so grateful – it’s “our spot” now.

18. Sunday afternoon naps. Need I say more?

19. Family is first for him. We’ve talked for years about moving away from Arizona, but it always comes down to being close to family. He simply doesn’t want to leave them. They may all have their differences, but he’s more capable of unconditional love than anyone I know.

20. His laugh. When he really gets laughing, he drifts into this great, high-pitched giggle that just cracks me up. And the best part about his laugh is that he does it so easily. He loves to laugh and to make other people laugh, and I love that.

21. He’s open minded. More so than most people I know, and enough that we always challenge each other’s thinking without offending the other. That’s priceless.

22. He makes me laugh. Plain and simple, he makes me laugh out loud every day. There’s hardly a day that goes by that we don’t wake up and immediately start laughing about something.

23. He refuses to go to the doctor. While this can be upsetting and irritating, and I’ll bug him about it until the day I die, it’s one of those quirks that I adore.

24. He’s a foodie. He’s very adventurous with food – he’ll try almost anything (except the elusive cherry tomato).

25. He’s endlessly supportive. Since I’m less of a runner now than I used to be, we don’t get the opportunity to work out together much anymore. So when I proposed the idea that not only would I be gone at work/commuting for 10 hours a day, plus occasional traveling for work, but that I also wanted to go to the gym immediately after work every day meaning that I would be gone for 12+ hours per day, he simply said, “go for it babe.” He’s so incredibly supportive – I’m now spending many hours each week at the gym by myself, and the first thing he always says is, “how was your workout?”

26. He tries to get me interested in everything he is. He feels the need to share everything good in his life with those around him, and I love that he’s so sharing.

27. His smile. It’s endearing and contagious.

28. One of his teeth has a tiny “freckle” on it. Precious.

29. He’s a trivia machine. Anyone who knows him can attest to this. He can hold a conversation with anyone, at any time, about any subject. The trivia part of his brain is HUGE.

30. He’s a kitten tamer. I’ve never seen anyone be able to take a truly wild, feral kitten, and tame it within mere minutes, to where it is laying in his lap purring. It’s a true gift.

31. He’s a total nerd with me. We are SUCH dorks together – we both have little alter-egos that we only show to each other and some of our closest friends, and I’m glad that we have no shame with each other.

32. He’s mine. All mine. Forever.

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you with all my little ticker.

For Sale! (Calling All Scrapbookers!!)

2011-01-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, I put on my "30 before 30" list to "Complete a Scrapbook." I had done it a few times before, but only a couple pages at a time. Well, for Christmas last year (2009), I finally made a full scrapbook - a 25-pager about all of our Disneyland trips for Luke. ...And that was the end of it. I literally crossed it off my list and haven't touched the stuff since.

SO... I'm selling it!!! I am hereby selling ALL of my scrapbooking supplies. It's now just things that I've collected but am no longer using or have plans to use. I have loaded several pictures below, and will sell the whole lot for $75.

Included:

(2) full, 20-page ivory-colored, bound albums
(1) soft-sided paper case including 3 dividers and 3 page pockets
(1) large, hard-shell plastic case with divided sections and 2 trays
(1) plastic small-piece container
A large assortment of solid-color paper (some 8.5x11, some 12x12)
An even larger assortment of patterned paper (mostly 12x12)
Lots of embellishments (multiple alphabets, titles, quotes, ribbon, journal cards, etc.)

NOTE: many of these are partially used - there are only a couple of full alphabets, but a ton of cool stuff, including a lot of Disney-themed items

Tools

Glue
Photo corners
Paint brushes
Adhesive squares

Photos:

Albums

Hard-Shell Case

Bottom portion - small areas for tools, etc.

Top portion - about 1" deep, perfect for medium-sized embellishment packages

Soft-Sided Case

The case itself, assembled with the dividers & pockets inside

3 pocket-style dividers, 3 plain dividers

Small Parts Case

Good for small pieces (brads, small metal embellishments, etc.)

Paper

Assorted 12x12 patterned paper

Assorted (some 8.5x11, some 12x12) solid paper (multiple textures, as well)

Tools & Embellishments

If interested, please email me at (slneill[dot]pm[at]gmail[dot]com).

Thanks!

School Stuff

2011-01-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I started graduate school in November. I also received two diplomas in November - my undergraduate degree from Western International University (earned in November 2009, but just got the diploma in the mail), and my Project Management Certificate from University of Phoenix, which I finished in October 2010.

30-Before-30 Update

2010-12-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello all:

In October, I revised and re-posted my 30-Before-30 list. One of the items on the the list was to "Start Graduate School". Well... tada!! I started my graduate program, a Masters of Public Administration, in November! I will be graduating in July 2012!

So, my updated list (with a few last-minute edits) now looks like this:

Reach my healthiest weight
Complete a marathon*
Establish a new PR in short-distance running (10K or less)
Take tennis lessons, progress to a level 3.5
Establish a regular yoga practice
Complete a cleansing program each quarter
Establish healthy sleep habits
Go skydiving
Travel abroad
Visit Chicago
Post to my blog every week
Go horseback riding
Go skiing with my Dad**
~~Outline a plan to get out of debt~~
Compile, edit, and complete my photography book
Get a tattoo
Raise money for charity
Write my manifesto
Journal every week
Study Buddhism
Read 5 fiction books
Establish a regular meditation practice
Begin therapy
~~Start graduate school~~
Learn French
Obtain my PMP
Increase my salary by 25%
Read 5 non-fiction books
Get Six-Sigma certified
Complete EQ training

*This is a life-long goal of mine, but is contingent upon clearance from a heart specialist due to earlier issues with my heart. I plan to have a EKG in January to determine if this is an achievable goal for me.

**This is dependent upon weather. If there is a good "Ski Season" in Pinetop this year (at Sunrise Ski Resort), then we will do this.

Vacation 2010, Part III: Group Shot!

2010-12-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

See Part I
See Part II

While we were still in Palm Springs, Melanie decided to send her mom a group picture of the 4 of us. Of course the best way to do this was to hold up her BlackBerry and take a shot of all of us together. This started a trend throughout the trip, and we now have a series of “Group Shots”. Enjoy!

Jonsi Concert

2010-12-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

In October of this year, we had the distinct privilege of seeing one of our favorite musicians live. Jonsi is the lead singer of the incredible band Sigur Ros. You may remember our post about Jonsi here: Jonsi

We went to this show with our great friends Tyler and Melanie, at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. The show was absolutely amazing – breathtaking, in fact. Multiple times throughout the night we all just looked around at each other thinking, “you’re seeing this, right? I’m not imagining this?” It really was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and hands-down my favorite live performance ever.

The following videos were both taken with my iPhone, so they’re not the best quality, but you’ll get a feel for the incredible energy at the show. Enjoy!

We stuck around after the show and were able to meet Jonsi and get his autograph. What a great experience!

Music Monday-Jonsi

2010-12-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I have been listening to Icelandic band Sigur Ros for about three years now, and we love their music. To our excitement, we found out that their lead singer, Jonsi (pronounced "yawn-see") has recorded a solo album, and it came out in early April of this year.

I heard the first single, "Go Do" on the Sigur Ros Facebook page and I was in love. They had all the tracks on there to sample for free. Sarah and I went to Zia Records in Tempe the very next day and bought the record. Well, it's been a month that we have had it, and it has only left our car's CD player once, and that was to import it into iTunes so that we can both also have a copy on our iPhones. I've made copies of the album for three of my friends, and they are all in love with this album, too. I can say without a doubt that this album is the happiest and most hopeful album I've ever heard.

The opening track, "Go Do" is mixed with layers of vocals and strings. I also found that the majority of the percussion on the album is from household items like suitcases, and the sound of Jonsi and his friends stomping on the floor in the studio. As the album goes on, it seems to just pass so fast because every moment is so enjoyable. Tracks 3 and 9 are very intimate sounding tracks and put you in a state of reflection when you're listening to them. So far, it's the best album of 2010 and it will be VERY hard to beat.

I simply cannot imagine my record collection without Jonsi's music.

Check out the video for "Go Do":

Enhance your own life by checking out Jonsi today:

Official website

Follow on Twitter

Become a fan on Facebook

Sigur Ros links:

Official website

Follow on Twitter

Become a fan on Facebook

Vacation 2010, Part II: Disneyland

2010-12-15T23:17:00.003-07:00

See Part I

After our excursions at Escena Golf Club and the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, we headed to Anaheim for the bulk of our vacation. We stayed at the Camelot Hotel, which is our favorite of the hotels across the street from Disneyland). We hung out at the hotel for a little while before getting ready for dinner.

We walked over to Downtown Disney and had dinner at Tortilla Jo’s. The whole area was decorated for Christmas, and we had a great time at dinner. We went back to the hotel pretty early, since the next day was the start of the ParkHopping!

Disneyland opened at 10am on Wednesday morning, which of course means that we were there around 9:00, waiting in line. First ride? Space Mountain!!! Some shots of Day 1:

Mel was a little scared to ride the Tower of Terror for the first time

Thursday morning was the 10-year anniversary of our wedding. 10 years! Can you believe it?!?! 10 years in and we’re still going strong – nothing can take the place of that feeling.

We celebrated all day, starting with breakfast at The Carnation Café on Main Street.

A little back story about The Carnation: in 2006, during our trip to Disneyland to run the Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon, Luke and I and Tyler and Kathryn all met the Executive Chef there, a gentleman named Oscar. Oscar has an amazing story: when Disneyland first opened in 1955, he was hired as a street sweeper. One day as he was sweeping the sidewalks along Main Street, Walt Disney himself stopped him and asked him what he wanted to do. Oscar told Walt that he wanted to be a chef one day. Walt promptly fired him, and sent him to culinary school. After a few years of studying, Walt hired Oscar back as the Chef at The Carnation Café, and that’s where he’s been ever since. It’s now 55 years later, and we ran into him again.

2006:

2010:

I just think this is the cutest picture of Melanie and Oscar. He loved her!

Our day continued with many rides and fun times, although the parks were incredibly busy because of the holiday (Veteran’s Day). We all had an incredible dinner at the Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure, followed by VIP seating at the new water show there, the World of Color.

World of Color is truly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. It was absolutely breathtaking, and we had front-row seating for the show. We didn’t take any pictures during the show, since we wanted to be able to fully enjoy it, but did take a few before and after the show itself.

As always, Disneyland decorated in style for the holidays:

And the castle... oh the castle. Just look!!

In keeping with tradition, we visited the Blue Bayou for lunch on Saturday:

Before consuming the monstrous "Monte Cristo" sandwich...

...and after...

At one point, the Cast Member at Indiana Jones gave Luke a red tag to wear to figure out the queue wait time. Luke was THRILLED to be able to help out, while Melanie was clearly not impressed:

The last thing we did in the Parks on Saturday night was to go see Captain EO, the remake of the classic Michael Jackson show. In 3D. We just couldn't take it seriously...

Of course we can't forget The Great Ice Cream Incident! We ordered ice cream in California Adventure before going back to the hotel for a mid-day nap one day. We all ordered fun, fancy ice cream cones, but Mel really took it to a whole new level. She ordered peppermint ice cream in a waffle cone which had been dipped in candy cane pieces. Sounds great, right? Not good enough for Mel! Nope... she had them top the whole thing with hot fudge. HOT FUDGE. Let's just say the ice cream had some fun with her... it was EVERYWHERE.

I love how shocked she looks at the mess she's made. What did she expect?!? So cute.

And we'll finish up with some more various pictures from the trip:

We were in the 11th row!

Thunder Mountain Railroad "action shot"

The boys at the shooting range

Tyler got to meet Mickey, Buzz Lightyear, AND Alice!

Can't beat cotton candy!

Row 11 AGAIN! Seriously, it happened throughout the whole trip!

It's a Small World is INCREDIBLE at Christmas!

I love my Tyler!

It snows on Main Street every night during the Christmas season, and I love this shot of Mel and I - you can see the shadows from the snowflakes on our faces!

Mel sniffing the giant jar of glue in Pixie Hollow

Vacation 2010, Part I: Palm Springs

2010-11-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

Luke and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary this month - can you believe it?! We went on vacation to Disneyland with two of our very best friends, Melanie and Tyler. We of course had an absolutely amazing time, and since our vacation was a full week long, I'm going to split this into a couple parts.

It's necessary for me to mention that Melanie has been to Disneyland many times, but has never really done it "Neill Style". Luke and I (and Tyler, for that matter... we've almost ALWAYS had Tyler with us on our trips to Disneyland) always open the park and close it down. This means that we have spent upwards of 17 hours in the parks in one day. While we're there, we make a strong effort to see and experience everything the parks have to offer - we really do go "all out". As we talked more and more about the trip, we came to discover that there were a lot of things that Mel had never done before - she hadn't even been in The Haunted Mansion since 8th grade! Inconceivable!!

Vacation 2010, Part I: Palm Springs

We left on Monday morning, November 8th. Tyler picked up Luke and I at our house and then we went and picked up Melanie from her office. We went to Dilly's Deli for lunch, where Luke and I presented Melanie with a gift bag full of goodies to commemorate her first true "Neill Style" Disneyland vacation. The gift bag was full of little Disney-themed goodies, including Disney Princess lip gloss, a Tinkerbell coffee mug, a Minnie Mouse aluminum water bottle, etc. The crowning glory though, was a special, personalized gift certificate from Sarah... more on that later.

So after lunch on Monday, we hit the road and drove to Palm Springs. Tyler has a timeshare there, and we checked into The Oasis around 3:30 or so. We spent a couple hours hanging out in our condo before dinner. The boys had a putting contest in the living room, using a mug as the hole:

Some shots of the resort:

Luke and Tyler playing "Guess the Artist and Song", using Tyler's XM Radio

The fountain at the resort entrance

One of the truly great moments of the vacation was when Melanie innocently asked if she could try a putt. With an adorable little smile, she picked up the putter from Tyler, who was smirking and rolling his eyes, and delivered an absolutely perfect hole-in-one. It was amazing! I wish I had some pictures of her little attitude afterward - completely adorable.

After the putting contest, we went to dinner at Hamburger Mary's. The food was great, and I just love that place - we had so much fun. The four of us split a Deep Fried Snickers for dessert, and the check was delivered in a red high heel, which we all autographed:

Downtown Palm Springs

Luke and Tyler with "Mary", of Hamburger Mary's

IBC Rootbeer and Dr. Pepper, both made with REAL SUGAR, not artificial sweetener. Incredible taste!

Everything inside Hamburger Mary's is "Mary" themed - notice the movie posters

Deep Fried Snickers. Need I say more?

Tyler always signs his autograph with a little drawing of a drum kit

After dinner we went back to the resort and watched Wall-E and then headed to bed.

On Tuesday morning, Luke and Tyler went off to a round of golf at Escena Golf Club, which they LOVED. Tyler has more pictures that we'll post later, but these are some shots I got of the guys while we waited for them to finish:

Luke (left) and Tyler (right)

While the boys were golfing, Melanie and I went to act like princesses at the Spa Resort Casino. This is what the gift certificate was in Melanie's gift bag - I booked us an awesome little spa package ahead of time, and it was my treat! Our appointment started with this little number:

"The Spa's signature service is the 'Taking of The Waters', a journey par excellence that leaves your mind and body thoroughly refreshed, relaxed, and rejuvenated... Steam, Sauna, and Eucalyptus Inhalation is followed by a therapeutic, relaxing 10-minute soak in a private sunken tub and our famous mineral waters."

We followed that up with a Spa Manicure and a Spa Pedicure. HEAVENLY!!!

The main room where we waited between treatments

The mineral water soaking tub - this was SO cool

This was the most amazing room of the entire spa - they took us in here after our mineral soaks, had us lay down, covered us with sheets and put pads soaked in essential oils over our eyes. We laid there for 15 minutes or so before our mani/pedis. I have never been so relaxed in my life. The room was dark, with soft blue lighting - incredible.

When we were done, we went and met the boys for lunch at the Escena Grill, and then headed out of town to Anaheim.

The patio at the Escena Grill, overlooking the 18th hole

Lunch was delicious and fresh!

Melanie being adorable, enjoying her fruit platter

The crew

Next up... Vacation 2010, Part II: Disneyland! Stay tuned!!

Luke Neill: The Building Process

2010-10-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Luke Neill: The Building Process: "One of my favorite parts of the recording process is the building of a song. When I write a new song on my guitar I can hear all the parts ..."

Quick Little Update

2010-10-18T10:24:00.002-07:00

Hello all

Just a quick note here – Luke has started a new blog for himself! He’s going to write about his progress in the studio, and document the process of recording his EP.

Check it out and stay tuned for updates!

You can find Luke now at: lukeneill.blogspot.com

Sarah's Revised 30-Before-30 List

2010-10-06T19:14:00.002-07:00

Physical

Complete Bob Harper’s Inside Out Method program
Complete P90X
Establish a new PR in short-distance running (10K or less)
Take tennis lessons, progress to a level 3.5
Establish a regular yoga practice
Complete a cleansing program each quarter
Complete a sleep study and establish healthy sleep habits

Mental / Emotional

Go skydiving
Travel abroad
Visit Chicago
Post to my blog every week
Go horseback riding
Go skiing with my Dad
Outline a plan to get out of debt
Compile, edit, and complete my photography book

Spiritual

Get a tattoo
Raise money for charity
Write my manifesto
Journal every week
Study Buddhism
Read 5 personal books
Establish a regular meditation practice
Begin therapy

Professional

Start graduate school
Learn French
Obtain my PMP
Increase my salary by 25%
Read 5 professional books
Get Six-Sigma certified
Complete EQ training

Luke will post his 33-Before-33 list when he's ready. Stay tuned!

Where Have We Been??

2010-10-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Obviously it’s been awhile since we’ve posted anything on here, and for that we’re sorry. We’ve been doing a lot lately and plan to finish out 2010 just as busy as we’ve always been.

We had the opportunity to foster two adorable kittens over the summer. We knew we’d get attached, so we intentionally didn’t name them… they were simply “boy kitten” and “girl kitten”. They were SO cute and I will admit, it was hard to give them up. They were abandoned in front of our friends’ house, and after fostering them for about 6 weeks, we found them an amazing forever home. We miss them from time to time, but know that we did the right thing and that we did a lot already just by saving them and getting them healthy!

We got them at just two weeks old and nursed them to health

Brother on the left, sister on the right

Handsome little man

Sweet little girl

In other news, we’re both working on a lot of personal evolution. Last year, I wrote up a list of 30 Things To Do Before I’m 30. Well, I have learned my lesson… I shouldn’t create such specific goals for a two-year period. I was very specific (which is good of course), but I didn’t realize I would be such a different person within just one year. Truly, I have grown more as a person in this one past year than I ever have before.

As a result, I’ve re-written my 30-Before-30 list, with a one-year time period in which to accomplish them. Some of them are the same, held-over from my previous list. However, I am a very different person than I was last year at this time, so many of them have been revised or even removed and replaced with new goals.

I am already on my way to accomplishing some of them, and have detailed plans for the rest of them. I’m tracking them via 43things.com, and finding that (and it’s iPhone app) very useful in staying on track.

Luke has also written a list of 33 things to do before he turns 33. His will run from now through February 2012, when he turns 33. He’s on his way to accomplishing some of his goals, too!

I’ll let him reveal his entire list when he’s ready, but I’m most excited for two of his items: running a 3rd halfx marathon, and finishing his record. He’s been running regularly and has been spending a lot more time in the studio as well, so it’s looking good!

Along the same lines, it turns out that my 30-Before-30 idea has caught on… we now know of several people who have completed similar lists, many with great success. I’m also in the process of creating a blog (and eventually a full-fledged website) for people to post their lists. I’d love to get a collection of them together and track people’s progress! If you’re interested in creating a list and/or posting it on the new site, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch with you.

Sarah's Surgery Update

2010-06-13T17:54:00.001-07:00

For those of you who aren't yet aware, I had surgery this past week. It's something that I've wanted to do for over a decade, and I finally took the plunge. I got a breast reduction! I'm telling you all about it because there are many women out there like me, who have been told that this operation is "taboo" or that it's not right for them. And I'd like to tell you all that it is 100% okay and it's absolutely the best thing I've ever done for myself.

A little history
Most (if not all) of the women in my family are large-chested and I have considered this surgery on and off for years, but never did it. I even went to a plastic surgeon about six years ago and my insurance denied the procedure, saying that I needed to lose weight and undergo six months of chiropractic treatment and physical therapy, etc. It was a devastating blow - I wanted it SO badly, and I was basically told that I was too fat to deserve the operation. Mind you, I was at my thinnest when this happened, in the beginning stages of recovering from an eating disorder. The denial did not help the situation at all, and left me very upset - I gave up pursuing the operation for several years.

Pre-Op
It's not news to anyone that I love to run, play tennis, and be active. As you can imagine, these things are made very difficult by the size of my chest, and after years and years of loathing my situation, I finally decided to do something about it. I called the first plastic surgeon I found a listing for: Dr. Jennifer Geoghegan of Oasis Plastics in Scottsdale, AZ. I made an appointment and gathered all of the documentation I had - all of my medical records, my recommendations for the surgery from other doctors, my chiropractic treatment record, spinal xrays, etc. I went to my first appointment at Oasis and felt instantly at ease with her. Her office submitted all of my documentation along with a letter from her to my insurance company and within about a week, I got a letter in the mail that said that they were going to cover the operation!

I got the letter on a Saturday morning, just before flying to Orlando for work. In Orlando, I waited "patiently" until Monday morning to call Dr. Geoghegan's office and schedule my surgery. We set the date for about 6 weeks out - June 10. A couple weeks later I went in for my pre-op appointment and then counted down the days...

The Operation
I'm not going to go into graphic detail here - no one needs that. If you're truly interested, you can Google "breast reduction" and find all of the gory details (and pictures - gross!) you might want.

I will just tell you that the operation went perfectly. Luke and I arrived at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea at 5:30am and they took me back to prep me at around 6:45. Everyone on staff was fantastic - they made me feel completely at ease and I knew I was in good hands. The operation started at 7:30 and lasted about four hours. I was in recovery a little longer than they expected; I was having a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Once I did though, they went and got Luke and we left the surgical center.

The first day was pretty hard, but overall I felt really good (I was still drugged, after all). Friday morning was my post-op appointment, and Dr. Geoghegan removed all of my bandages and put me in a compression bra that I'll have to wear for pretty much the next two weeks straight. It will help to keep the swelling down and protect my incisions. She examined everything and let us know that everything went really well during the operation and that I should expect great results after recovery.

Recovery
It's now day 3 of my recovery and I'm feeling really good. I went shopping for a bit with my mom and sister yesterday and that really wore me out - I'm paying for it today. I've been nauseous and dizzy all day - I think I just need to take things slower. I'm planning on staying home from work for the entire week - I'll be back in the office on the 21st.

The doctor said that my swelling and bruising should be gone within about 3 weeks, which is the same time that I can start exercising again. I may do a few light workouts before that time just so I don't go stir-crazy, but I'll keep it fairly low-key until then.

The Future
The benefits of this are numerous. My self-esteem is already benefiting - I feel more confident and comfortable in my own skin already, and I'm still swollen and bruised! I feel (and look) much more proportionate, and it looks like I've lost at least 15 pounds. I have a small frame, but you wouldn't have known it before - I look much more healthy now and I feel amazing.

I can't wait to start running again - the improvements there will be obvious, and I look forward to feeling and looking like a real runner!

I'm so thankful that I went through with this - like I said, it's the best thing I could have done for myself. Just three days in, and I feel amazing already. I really feel as though I've pressed "reset" and I've given myself another chance.

Ladies: if you are considering this operation or want more details, please don't hesitate to contact me. I have much more information (albeit personal) that I'd be happy to share if it encourages you.

Pictures coming soon!

Progress Update

2010-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

So I've been making a bit of headway on my 30-Before-30 plan. I've told a lot of people about it, and to date, I can name 7 people who have adopted the idea and created their own lists. I love making an impact! If you have done this or want to, let me know - I'd like to collect and publish everyone's lists.

The major thing I have an update on right now is seemingly small, but I have to tell you - I feel amazing after having done it.

#14: Contact an old friend | Admittedly, I haven't been the best friend to some folks. I plan to remedy that and reach out to those I've lost contact with. Done - on accident. This is kind of an amazing story:

When I was growing up in Pinetop-Lakeside, I had a friend in 6th grade that I absolutely loved. We really became best friends after awhile. He lived just a couple streets away from us, and we used to ride the bus home together and then go rollerblading and play hockey at the lake by our houses. A couple years later, his family moved to Reno, and I was devastated. We (of course) lost touch over the years, but I never forgot about him. Before Facebook and Google were reality, I would run internet searches for him. He has a VERY unique name, but it turns out it's not so unique... in Italy. Every time I searched for him, I would come up with thousands of hits - but all of them lived either somewhere on the east coast or in Italy. At one point, I even sent a mass email to all of the hits I could find addresses for and asked for help locating him. This happened on-and-off for several years before I essentially gave up ever finding him again.

Enter Facebook. Just the other night, I met a man at a party from Reno. No, it wasn't my friend... but it made me think of him again. So I went home and ran a search for him on Facebook. Turns out there is exactly ONE person on Facebook with his name. I sent this person a message basically just saying that I'm looking for an old friend and asking if he had ever lived in Lakeside, Arizona.

It was him. We had a nice long talk on Tuesday and I feel amazing. He lives in Connecticut now and I'm not sure I'll ever really see him again, but it is so good to know that he is alive and well and is living a great life.

The really amazing thing here is that I completely forgot that this was on my list - I pulled up my list on Wednesday and realized that I had unknowingly accomplished something on it!

So, old friend, you know who you are... if you're reading this, know that it has been so great to reconnect with you, and you have helped me cross off one of the major things on my "30-Before-30" list. Thank you.

Catch Up 2010: Post 2

2010-05-04T18:45:00.002-07:00

Today is Day 2 of our 2010 Catch Up Series. Today's topic:

Sarah's New Job!
I accepted a large promotion at Apollo Group in April. I'm now the Manager of National Alliances, reporting directly to the VP of Academic Alliances. My primary function is to implement project management methodology, tools, and procedures into our department. I support the entire Operations team in AA.

As you may know, I've been studying the field of project management for several years now, and I will be a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through Project Management Institute (PMI) later this year. I've been working toward this for a long time and it is such a great feeling to know that I'm important and that my experience and education are valued.

I started with AA (that's right... our acronym is AA) on April 5th. So far I've gone on two trips with the group - one was a retreat at the Sanctuary Resort in Paradise Valley, and the other was just this past week, to Disneyworld (much more about that later this week).

I absolutely love the people I'm working with and I am having such a good time doing what I do! My boss is by far one of the most intelligent people I've ever encountered. My interview with him was more of a job offer than an interview - we instantly connected and had a great conversation. The meeting ended with Tim saying, "Well, sleep on it and get back to me in the morning. We'd love to have you." It's so nice to be in demand and know that what I've worked for is finally paying off.

Next up: my trip to Disneyworld - stay tuned!

Catch Up 2010: Post 1

2010-05-03T22:05:00.001-07:00

Whew! It has been a LONG time since I've posted on here! Things have been a bit crazy for a while now and I simply haven't had the time! So... since we have a lot to talk about, I'm going to initiate the Catch Up Series 2010: a series of short(er) blog posts intended to get everyone caught up on our progress since February.

Sound good? Alrighty then, here we go.

Hobbs

This series is starting off on a bit of a sad note, and many of you know about this already, but we wanted to say a few words about our darling boy. Our youngest cat, Hobbs, passed away in mid-March. He had been sick on-and-off for a few months, and we thought he was finally getting better. After several different medications, alterations to his diet, vet visits, etc., we discovered that he had an infection that progressed very quickly. On Saturday he was acting just fine, but by Monday night we knew there was something terribly wrong with our little man.

I dropped him off at the vet on Tuesday morning and after a few hours of anxious waiting, they called me and told me that his infection was essentially beyond treatment and that they "did everything they could do" for him. His small size (runt of the litter and only 3 years old) made it nearly impossible to treat him in the way that they needed to.

Luke and I went back to the vet together that afternoon and were there when they put him to sleep.

Needless to say, we were absolutely heartbroken. He was our little cuddler and an incredible joy to have in our lives. He was a Russian Blue, and absolutely gorgeous. We still miss him terribly, but have many, MANY pictures (and videos of him begging) to remember him by. A small selection:

Don't worry - the next few posts will be much more cheery - we have a lot of great things happening in our lives right now and I can't wait to share them all with you!

Feel Good Friday - Peaceful Warrior

2010-02-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, Luke and I watched (at the prompting of several friends) The Peaceful Warrior. What a fantastic movie!!

The movie follows real-life college gymnast and Olympic hopeful Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) down his path of self-discovery and knowledge. Along the way, he meets a mentor he calls "Socrates" (Nick Nolte) who guides him on his journey from arrogance to humility, during which he suffers a debilitating injury.

I had Luke pause the film a few times for me to take notes and write down some of my favorite quotes. The whole thing really was a learning experience for both of us. Here are a few of the amazing quotes from this film:

"They don't want you to find your own answers; they want you to believe theirs. Stop gathering information from outside yourself and start gathering it from inside. That's the only place you're going to find what you need."

"Life is about developing the wisdom to apply the right leverage, in the right place, at the right time."

"You will never be better than anyone else; same way you'll never be less."

"Be conscious about your choices and responsible for your actions."

Dan Millman is the author of the autobiographical book, The Peaceful Warrior, which the movie is based on. He is now a motivational speaker and has since written two more books, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior.

We recommend that everyone see the movie and read the book - we intend to read the other two soon. The experience of watching this movie was completely inspiring and even life-changing for us. It proves to us that there is always more than one way of looking at anything, and we hope to spend the rest of our lives always considering every perspective.

Music Monday - Ani DiFranco

2010-02-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

As most everyone who knows us can confirm, one of our favorite musicians is Ani DiFranco. Her music is far from "main stream", and as such, she is the creator, President, and CEO of her own record label, Righteous Babe Records (RBR).

RBR is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. It is housed in a closed-down church, formerly known as the Asbury Delaware United Methodist Church. Ani and her team purchased the building and went to work restoring it. The building now houses not only the RBR executive offices, but also a large performing arts center called "Hallways Contemporary Arts Center"; the entire thing is called "Babeville".

Ani's music is indie-folk rock, and she has been called the "greatest acoustic guitarist in the world" by Dave Matthews himself. She is a brilliant lyricist and an outspoken advocate for many issues and groups.

I can't say that I have a favorite Ani song, or even a favorite record. In her short 20-year career, she has released 20 studio albums, 3 EPs, 3 DVDs, and has contribued to 11 compilation albums. In her extensive catalog are found many lyrical gems, most of which strike a chord with me in some way.

Check out Ani for yourself:

RBR: Ani
RBR: Main
Babeville
Follow on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook

Music Monday - The Swell Season

2010-02-08T18:02:00.007-07:00

This November, Luke and I had the absolute privilege of seeing one of our favorite bands, The Swell Season, up-close and personal.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

BACKGROUND

The Swell Season consists of Irishman Glen Hansard (formerly of The Frames), and Marketa Irglova, a classically-trained pianist and vocalist from Czech Republic. In 2006, the two starred together in the low-budget indie film Once (see our review here), which featured songs written by the two. At the 2008 Oscars, Glen and Marketa performed a song from the movie, "Falling Slowly"; later that night, Falling Slowly won the Oscar for "Best Original Song". Glen and Marketa have been touring as The Swell Season since the release of the film, and now have produced two records: The Swell Season, and Strict Joy. Glen's former band, The Frames, often act as the duo's backup band.

THE SHOW

We had the opportunity to see The Swell Season at the Mesa Center for The Arts. This venue is absolutely gorgeous - the entire auditorium area looks like the inside of an acoustic guitar. The sound is great and the overall experience was nothing short of magical.

Mesa Center for The Arts

The Swell Season in action

The concert lasted nearly three hours and was incredibly personal. Glen and Marketa each spent some time speaking to the audience and sharing personal stories. They each performed solo, and the show featured a solo by the band's violinist, Marja Tuhkanen.

Do yourself a favor and check out The Swell Season:

Official Site
Facebook
Twitter (Glen)
Once ...it will change your life!

Weekend Update

2010-02-07T21:44:00.009-07:00

This past week was Luke's Birthday Week. Since we began dating (about 12 years ago), we've celebrated Birthday Week. Birthday Week runs from the Sunday before your birthday, to the Saturday after, and for the whole week, the Birthday Boy/Girl gets anything he/she wants. Of course this is within reason; dinner choices, television and movie decisions, activities, etc. are all fair game.

A short recap of the big Birthday Week festivities:

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Sarah picked up Luke's mom from the airport in the evening. She was flying in from Montana, where she had spent the past couple of weeks with Luke's youngest brother Dirk, and his wife Laura (lauradirkneill.blogspot.com). They had their second child, Virginia Lynn "Ginny" Neill on Wednesday, January 20th and Mom was staying with them while the family got settled. (Congrats, guys!!)

Once Luke got home from work, the three of us went to dinner at TGI Fridays, followed by dessert at Bahama Buck's (Mom's first time there!). Delicious!!

FRIDAY - OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY
This year, Luke and I both took the day of his birthday off of work since it was a Friday. It was a great kickoff to a fantastic long weekend. Friday morning Luke played a round of golf with his friend Tyler and his Uncle Don.

Tyler Hobbs

Uncle Don in action

When he got home, we had lunch together and spent the afternoon relaxing. That night, we met our good friends David and Kevin for dinner downtown at The Old Spaghetti Factory. The original plan was to meet for dinner and then do First Fridays. First Fridays is an event that happens the first Friday of every month (surprise!), where all of the galleries, restaurants, bars, etc. open their doors to the general public for a giant Art Walk. We've been wanting to do it for years and have never made it. Well, this year was the closest we've come. We were IN the area of First Fridays and STILL didn't make it. The four of us were having such a great time talking and sharing stories at dinner that by the time we left the restaurant, First Fridays was over.

The amazing David & Kevin

Dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory (amazing!)

No loss though... like I said, we were having terrific conversation and were loving every minute of it. After dinner, we decided to head to David & Kevin's place in Phoenix and watch Paranormal Activity. I'm a total wimp and hated it, but Luke LOVES that movie and I think he loved watching us all squirm. (It's terrifying.)

When the movie ended, the four of us continued talking and had an amazing, deep conversation that lasted until about 1am.

SUNDAY

Sunday was maybe one of our favorite days in years. We spent the morning relaxing, followed by some much-needed yard work. Feels so good to get that stuff done!

In the afternoon, we went to Scottsdale to attend a meeting hosted by the Phoenix Chapter of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), an organization that we've been involved with for a while now. The meeting included a guest speaker, Dr. Maria Napoli. Dr. Napoli is an associate professor at Arizona State University and has authored many papers and books on the subject of mindfulness. Her presentation about mindful living and how to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives was truly inspiring.

Mindfulness is the seventh aspect of The Noble Eightfold Path, which is a key teaching in Buddhism. Luke and I have focused for years on living a life congruent with the Eightfold Path. The eight aspects together are:

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Even without tying these concepts to any religion or any other set of values, these are excellent principles to live by, and we focus on aligning our lives with them.

After the meeting on Sunday, we went to my sister Karla's house for a little while, where she gave Luke a delicious cherry cheesecake for his birthday. We ended the night at the Olive Garden, where we enjoyed good food and (as always) good conversation.

Luke: I'm so happy and blessed to be your wife. I love the time we've spent together and wouldn't change a second of it. I love our lives right now and I am so excited for what the future holds... may this be the best year of your life yet! I love you.

2010, Here We Come!

2010-01-03T17:29:00.004-07:00

It's Day 3 of 2010, and so far I'm loving this new year! Luke and I both set some pretty big goals for the next year, and I feel more confident than ever that we're going to accomplish them. A few updates:

30-Before-30
As you know from my original 30-Before-30 post, I have set a list of 30 things that I want to accomplish before I turn 30. As of today, I have a few that I can cross off:

#5: Complete a scrapbook | Made a few pages here and there, but have always told myself that I'm not creative enough to really scrapbook. For some reason, I've always attached this weird connotation to scrapbooking - truth is, I enjoyed doing those pages before. I'm going to knock off the negativity and do it simply because I enjoy it. This time, it will be a whole book. DONE!! For Christmas, I made a 44-page scrapbook of all of our Disneyland trips, from 2005-2009. I am quite proud of it, and think it's one of the coolest things I've ever done. I've always said that I'm not crafty or creative, but I'm telling you... I feel it now! I had a BLAST making Luke's book for Christmas, and am going to incorporate more crafts into my life. A whole new hobby is born!

#11: Start my family genealogy | I know who my grandparents and great-grandparents are for the most part, but I think it's important to document who they are and where/when they lived. DONE!! I'm not done with the whole thing, of course, but I've made a strong start. I've created an outline on ancestry.com and have filled in as much information as I know off the top of my head (which is a lot more than I thought). I also got a copy of a family tree that my father's mother had and will start entering that information soon. I'm excited to see where that takes me! I'm also going to make an appointment to visit the Chandler Family History Center this month.

#12: Volunteer | This goes along with the "raise money for charity" idea, but this is the hands-on side of things. My mother raised me with the principle of regular volunteer work, so I'm going to carry it on. DONE!! Luke and I volunteered with the Salvation Army on Thanksgiving. It was great and we both really enjoyed it. However, I feel like my work isn't yet complete, so I'm considering this HALF-done. I want to do more, so I'm going to volunteer more often and with a wide range of services.

January
We are looking forward to some big things in January.

Luke is going to start work in the studio in order to get his EP finished. He's also in school still and is going to work hard to add to his 45-pound weight loss from this fall.
I am also in school again; I finished my Bachelor's degree this fall and am now working toward my PMP credential. I'm going to be doing some more "crafty stuff", some extensive writing, and also some weight loss. I lost about 20 pounds this fall and plan to continue.
Together, we're going to start running again. We want to run the San Diego Rock N' Roll Half Marathon in June, and I'm looking forward to a triathlon sometime this fall. Building a strong base for running is perhaps the most important part of any training plan, so January will be an important month for us.

We have a busy 2010 planned and will keep you all updated on our progress! Happy New Year to all!!

Christmas Vacation 2009

2009-12-30T23:10:00.010-07:00

s we do every year, we went to Pinetop for Christmas again this year. We were there for several days, which was nice. We got to see the whole family and spend some quality time with everyone. Since we were staying with my parents, we spent the majority of our time with them.

Christmas Eve, with the Hughes Family
We drove up on the morning of Christmas Eve, and got to Pinetop at around 10am or so. The drive up there was absolutely gorgeous - tons of snow!

We had lunch with my parents and hung out together for the day. That evening, the four of us had a very nice dinner together. It's the first time in my life I remember ever having a truly "low-key" Christmas dinner, and I have to tell you... it was quite nice! After dinner, we went for a long light drive around Pinetop-Lakeside. The show of enthusiasm for the holidays this year was rather disappointing; very few houses had lights on them or decorations out front. I remember growing up, it seems like EVERYONE decorated in some way.

Some photos of my parents' house and the light drive:

Christmas Morning, with the Hughes Family

We got up on Christmas morning and opened presents with my parents. Christmas is always a little strange when there are no kids laughing and opening gifts from Santa, but we had a great time together. Luke and I used Shutterfly to make my parents a photo book, with pictures from the last 5 years or so, "Hughes Christmas Memories". I LOVE that book - it was a lot of fun to put together, and awesome to see them open it. They had a great time going through the book and remembering all those little things about past Christmases.

Some photos from Christmas morning:

The traditional breakfast of deviled eggs, bagels, and coffee

The tree, surrounded by gifts

Dad, looking through the BB King memorabilia book we gave him

Mom and Dad opening their book

Mom and Dad going through the "Hughes Christmas Memories" book

Luke and I curled up under a REALLY warm blanket my mom made, watching Cinderella (my favorite Disney movie, and one that Luke had never seen before).

If you look closely at the last picture, you'll notice that I'm wearing a corsage. Odd for Christmas morning, yes... but on Christmas Eve, my dad went to the florist and ordered both my mom and I corsages to wear on Christmas morning. He's so sweet!!

Christmas Night, with the Neill Family
Later that day, we drove to Taylor, AZ, to have Christmas dinner with Luke's family. His sister Carol has hosted the Christmas festivities for the last few years because her kitchen and dining room are HUGE. They built their house a few years ago and since Carol makes wedding cakes and designs flowers for weddings (she's fantastic!), they built the house with a huge kitchen, double ovens, super-nice appliances, a great big pantry, extra storage, etc. So smart! Here are a few pictures from that gathering:

From left: Helen (sister), Bryce (nephew), Luke, Rilee (neice), Brianna (neice), Verlon (dad)

From left: Helen (sister), June (niece), Carol (sister), Steven (brother-in-law), Patrik (nephew)

Patrik, Rilee, and Shannin opening gifts

Shannin, Chloe, June, and Patrik opening gifts

Various members of The Fam

The 26th, with the Hughes Family

The day after Christmas, my sister came up with her two kids, Jillian and William. After lunch, we opened gifts with them - so much fun! There are a couple highlights from their gifts. First, Jillian's princess/ballerina dress was a definite hit:

William got a box of superhero costumes - he was Superman, Batman, and Robin all in one day!

Every superhero has to save the girl at some point! Even if it is just from a frog singing "Jingle Bell Rock"...

Later that day, the Hughes clan went outside to play in the snow. The kids had so much fun sledding with Luke and Grandpa and Grandma, having a snowball fight, and making snow angels!

Grandpa pulling the kids up the street on the sled

My beautiful Mommy

William ready to fire two snowballs at me

Jillian making a snow angel

Jillian and Grandma going for a ride!

William and Grandma

Finally, here are a couple of videos from the snowy outing:

Merry Christmas, everyone! Stay tuned for a couple more posts over the next few days, detailing our plans for 2010!

Crackberry!

2009-12-20T16:35:00.003-07:00

Sorry for the long break in blogging - things have been crazy at work for both of us, and of course it's the Holidays!

Todays' post is about my new phone! We switched from Verizon to AT&T a couple of weeks ago, and in the process got new smartphones. Luke is the proud father of a beautiful iPhone, and I am now a very happy BlackBerry owner.

BlackBerry, by Sarah
Well-known fact about me: I am Little Miss Organization. I have a list for everything. I even have a master list of all of my various lists that is with me at all times. BlackBerries are MADE for organization. As long as I can remember, I have had some kind of organizational device. Whether it's the Franklin Covey planner system, a version of the Getting Things Done (GTD) system, a massive notebook in my purse that I carry around everywhere, or a PalmPilot (I've had three), I always have to have something of that nature with me. So, the BlackBerry really is the perfect workhorse for me. I have my calendar, my email, my "to do" list, my memos, etc. all with me, literally in the palm of my hand. Oh yeah, and it makes calls, too. :)

Specifics

BlackBerry Curve 8900
BlackBerry OS 4.6.1
3 mega pixel camera with video capability
Calendar, integrated with my long-running Google Calendar for desktop/web use
A new email address which pushes from it's host site to my BlackBerry for mobile access and to my Gmail for web access when I need to do more extensive communicating (slneill [at sign] crackberry [dot] com)
SlickTasks for my (literally) 227 tasks - everything from "dust" (every Saturday morning while Luke is golfing), to "complete beta testing on NewSource workflows"

A note about my obsessive list-keeping (in my defense): If I don't put things like "check mail" on my list, there is a distinct chance that it will never get done. However, if I put something on my list, it WILL get done - I'm addicted to crossing things off of lists, and I'm very annoyed by things that don't get crossed off. You can ask Luke - if I have even something stupid like "clean inside of windshield" on my list, I will get very agitated until it's done. Even if that means putting the car in park at a stoplight and wiping it down with a napkin from the glove box - I will make it happen if it's on the list. And then I will sit back and bask in my feeling of accomplishment.

Bloglines Mobile for my RSS feeds (I subscribe to a lot of personal development, technology, and news blog feeds, as well as a few cute and funny ones to keep me smiling.)
UberTwitter to keep up with my Twitter account
Facebook for BlackBerry to keep up with all of my Facebook updates
Google Mobile for ultimate searching capabilities, including searching by voice
AT&T Navigator with GPS tracking and maps, because I'm HORRIBLE with directions
LastFM Mobile, for listening to my favorite music and audiobooks without my iPod

I will sum it up by saying that there is a VERY good reason that people refer to these little beauties as "Crackberries". I am completely addicted. The good news is that because I have so much computing power in my hand, I'm not on my laptop nearly as much. Everything from my daily reading, music, tasks, appointments, EVERYTHING is on it. This means that by the time I get home from work, I'm free to go for a run or have some other workout, or work on school because all of the stuff that I used to come home and catch up on is done. That's a very nice bonus - I've gained an hour or so each day.

With all of that said though, I have to say that maybe the biggest bonus is that for the first time in years, when I call my mom and put her on speakerphone, she doesn't complain about bad reception or me cutting out. Not giving mom something to complain about? Well worth the learning curve.

**Stay tuned for Luke's iPhone review!!**

30 Before 30

2009-11-03T09:00:00.082-07:00

In just two short years, I will be turning the Big 3-0. I'm surprisingly calm about it all, actually. I thought I would be a bit more upset about the idea of being "almost thirty." But like I said yesterday, I feel really good about it. I have accomplished a lot in the past few years and I feel like I've set myself up to finish my twenties very strong.

Yesterday, I also mentioned that I have put together a list of 30 things that I want to do before I'm 30. Some of them are things that I've done before, but feel the need to do again - 30 is a good, natural deadline. There are also a few things that I haven't done before, so overall this should be fairly exciting, and a bit of a challenge.

Without further ado, my list:

30 Before 30

Note: to avoid any confusion surrounding priorities, I have organized the list by area, and alphabetized each section. Typical, I know.

Athletics

1. Compete in a tennis tournament | I've played tennis on-and-off for years, but have never played competitively. This will take some time - practicing, taking lessons, finding a league... but I love to play, so this should be fairly easy.
2. Finish a marathon | Something I've wanted to do for YEARS, and even trained for a couple times. I've never had the ~~chance~~ ~~balls~~ nerve to follow through - it's time.
3. Finish a triathlon | Also something I've wanted to do for a long time. Trained VERY HARD for over a year, and illness sidetracked me. Again - it's time.
4. Snowboard | I went once, and was terrible at it. (I'm a good skier, however.) It was really fun though, so I'd like to do it again, and redeem myself.

Hobbies

5. Complete a scrapbook | Made a few pages here and there, but have always told myself that I'm not creative enough to really scrapbook. For some reason, I've always attached this weird connotation to scrapbooking - truth is, I enjoyed doing those pages before. I'm going to knock off the negativity and do it simply because I enjoy it. This time, it will be a whole book.
6. Finish my book | No hint here as to what the book is about, but know that by the time I'm 30, you all will be reading it.

Personal Development

7. Learn how to take a compliment | Ugh. I'm terrible at accepting compliments. I usually shrug them off with some snide remark about the person's perception, ignore them completely, or blush horribly and become very uncomfortable and awkward. Unacceptable! I'm going to fix that.
8. Pay off all debt | This is on everyone's list, isn't it? I don't have a lot of debt - Luke and I have been pretty smart about accruing debt, but what we do have, will be gone in 2 years.
9. Raise money for charity | I've done it before through various organizations, and I love knowing that I've done something good for someone else, so I'm going to do it again.
10. Study the major scriptural works | I am reading scripture for the knowledge it contains, whatever the spiritual background of the book may be. I believe that if something has stood the test of time like most scripture, there must be something to it, and I think all educated people should have a basic knowledge of world religions. Therefore, my list will include the Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Sutras, the Tipitaka, etc. Any suggestions - send them over!
11. Start my family genealogy | I know who my grandparents and great-grandparents are for the most part, but I think it's important to document who they are and where/when they lived.
12. Volunteer | This goes along with the "raise money for charity" idea, but this is the hands-on side of things. My mother raised me with the principle of regular volunteer work, so I'm going to carry it on.
13. Write my manifesto | This really sums up all of this - I need a manifesto. I have many things going on in my head at all times, and need to organize them and record them. I have some interesting beliefs and values and I don't fit into any one "box" - a manifesto should clear things up and help to define me.

Relationships

14. Contact an old friend | Admittedly, I haven't been the best friend to some folks. I plan to remedy that and reach out to those I've lost contact with.
15. Send cards for all family birthdays | Admittedly, I also haven't been the best family member. I get sidetracked fairly easily and often miss birthdays and other important events. I have recently found a better way to keep track of everything (including EARLY reminders), so I will be better about this in the future.

Education and Career

16. Two words: Grad School | This is a biggie, but is self-explanatory. I love being educated, I love learning... a graduate degree is a no-brainer for me.
17. Get something published | I love, love, LOVE to write. I have books and books full of musings of sorts - short little excerpts that I've written on various topics. I don't plan on publishing the whole lot of them, but surely something in all those pages is publish-worthy. Now I just have to find the courage to submit them.
18. Learn French | I've said for years that I would learn French, and never have. Rosetta Stone, here I come!
19. Speak in public without freaking out | This is also self-explanatory, I think. Probably my biggest fear in the entire world is public speaking. Weird for a former Speech and Debate Team member, but that's how it is. I freeze. Complete and utter panic, I'm telling you. I need to overcome that. Anyone with any career sense (or common sense) at all can vouch for the fact that I need basic public speaking ability.

General Enjoyment

20. Get a deep tissue massage | I've had a couple massages, but never a full, 90-minute deep tissue one. Definitely a necessity.
21. Get a tattoo | I have several ideas of what I want, but can never decide on which idea to pursue. Hence my lack of tattoo. I don't want to get it wrong!
22. Go camping | I grew up camping regularly, as did Luke. We've never been together though, and I think we should. It's so cleansing - so refreshing.
23. Go horseback riding | I also used to go horseback riding fairly often when I was growing up. I haven't been in a very long time, but I think that would be another fun thing for Luke and I to do.
24. Hang glide | I think hang gliding over the coast somewhere would be fantastic.
25. See a Broadway play | I'm not really all that into plays for the most part, but I'd love to see Phantom of the Opera or Mary Poppins.
26. Shoot something | Not a person, of course. Unless someone makes me really mad.
27. Skydive | Haven't found anyone to go with me... anyone? I'm down.
28. Travel abroad | I live mere hours from the US/Mexico border and my father's side of the family lives in Canada, yet I've never left the country. It's pathetic, and it needs to be remedied soon.
29. Visit Chicago | While my father's family is in Canada, my mother's family is in Chicago. We visited a lot when I was young, but Luke and I have only been back together once since we've been married - and that was in 2003. The whole family got together in October for a big party, and we couldn't make it - we're definitely going to fix that soon.
30. Visit the Grand Canyon | I went years ago with family and some friends of the family, and would love to go back.

What do you think? Any suggestions? What would be on your list? Comment away!

Various updates

2009-11-02T15:06:00.002-07:00

A lot has been going on in La Maison de Neill over the past couple weeks. I turned 28 on the 28th of October - my golden birthday! The whole thing went by pretty simply without much ado.

As you may know, Luke and I celebrate "Birthday Week" every year. Birthday Week runs from the Sunday before, to the Saturday after, your birthday. During my Birthday Week, I got to do a whole lot of relaxing. We didn't have a party like we usually do, and we didn't really do much celebrating; instead, we relaxed. We had a nice dinner out of course, and Luke got me a few presents (thanks, babe!), but it was a very low-key birthday overall. To be truthful, I loved it! My favorite thing in the whole world is spending time with Luke, so it was nice to just chill and spend some quality time with him. Karla came over with her kids one night, and it was great to see them. She brought me my gift - framed photos of my late Grandfather and Grandmother Hughes. They're two of my favorite photos, so I'm really glad to have them. You're the best sister, K! I'm also looking forward to meeting up with a couple friends over the next week or so for some late celebrating.

This past weekend was Halloween! I didn't dress up; I threw on my sparkly red devil horns and called it good. Luke did dress up though and we decorated the house again. Since we are in a different neighborhood than last year, we did our "figure in the window" thing again. Dan and Ashley stopped by for a bit with their daughter Jaylee, and our friend Ben hung out with us for most of the night.

My attempt at being festive while I didn't feel good

Luke in costume

Dan, Luke, and Ben

Ashley and Jaylee freaked out by our decor

What they were freaked out by

Jaylee could not stop looking at Luke. It was hilarious!

The Mascorro Family as Wilma, Pebbles, and Fred Flintstone

Like I said, Jaylee couldn't stop looking at Luke...

Back to my birthday. First off, let me say that I'm very proud of how far I have come in the past few years. I have accomplished a lot - it's been a great 3-4 years. However, I'm 28 now... that means I have only 2 years until I turn 30. I am DETERMINED not to freak out about being "almost thirty," because I don't have anything to regret. A lot of people have a really hard time with The Big 3-0, and I just don't want to be part of that. I am completely happy with the life that I've created for myself.

Having said that, I have spent the last few days putting together a list of 30 things to do before my Big 3-0. Some of them are things that I've done before, that I want to do again in my twenties, and some are things that I feel the need to do for the first time.

I'll be debuting the list tomorrow - stay tuned!

Today I'm Blending

2009-10-21T15:19:00.001-07:00

So by this time each week, I try to have two posts done: Music Mondays and Timeless Tuesdays. As you all know, on Mondays we like to feature some information, lyrics, and trivia from a band or artist that we really like. On Tuesdays, I have been posting little excerpts from the love letters that Luke and I have sent back and forth throughout our relationship.

Today, however, is Wednesday. And I have yet to post anything. There's a legitimate reason for this, of course. I'm blending - we'll combine the two into a love and music-related post.

We picked up the new Dave Matthews Band record, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King a couple weeks ago.

[Side note: YES, we still buy actual, physical records. We don't really "do" digital music downloads... we use itunes only to store the music we've imported from the CDs we buy. We have a certain loyalty thing going on - I like to have the actual liner notes from the CD, and I love the act of walking into a record store and purchasing a physical product.]

Anyway, the new album is GREAT, and has this sweet little song at the end called "You & Me". The lyrics completely sum up how Luke and I are together, and it makes me feel all giddy inside when I hear it. Enjoy. :)

"You and Me"

Dave Matthews Band

Wanna pack your bags, something small

Take what you need and we'll disappear

Without a trace we'll be gone, gone

The moon and the stars can follow the car

And then when we get to the ocean

We're gonna take a boat to the end of the world

All the way to the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough

We're gonna teach them to fly

You and me together, we could do anything, baby

You and me together yes, yes

You and me together, we could do anything, baby

You and me together yes, yes

You and I, we're not tied to the ground

Not falling but rising like rolling around

Eyes closed above the rooftops

Eyes closed, we're gonna spin through the stars

Our arms wide as the sky

We're gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world

To the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough

We're gonna teach them to fly

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby

You and me together yes, yes

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby

You and me together yes, yes

We can always look back at what we did

All these memories of you and me baby

But right now it's you and me forever girl

And you know we could do better than anything that we did

You know that you and me, we could do anything

You and me together, we could do anything, baby

You and me together yeah, yeah

Two of us together, we could do anything, baby

You and me together yeah, yeah

Two of us together yeah, yeah

Two of us together, we could do anything, baby

Absorb your own dose of Dave Matthews Band:

Official Site

Follow on Twitter

Become a fan on Facebook

Listen in, at Lastfm

Disneyland '09 | Part Two

2009-10-10T14:15:00.027-07:00

SUNDAY, Park Day Three

On Sunday morning, we met up with our friends Shaun and Kristin, who live in LA. Shaun is a Cast Member at Disneyland, and Kristin used to be one as well. Needless to say, they know a lot of little tips and tricks around the Park.

One of the highlights of our entire trip happened as a result of Shaun's connections; he managed to get us reserved, priority seating at the fireworks show, Halloween Screams. The amazing photos below are a result of having a full, front-row, unobstructed view of the fireworks over the castle.

We got a reservation at the Blue Bayou for lunch, and Luke, Shaun, and Kristin all had the Monte Cristo sandwich:

The rest of Sunday was filled with all kinds of fun McNamara-Neill hijinks, including Luke, Shaun, and Kristin attending class at the Animation Academy. I, however, am fully aware of my creative shortcomings and decided to sit this particular event out.

Let's be honest... Luke's "Daisy Duck" looks a little angry.

We spent a little time at an exhibit in California Adventure where they showcased the upcoming changes to that park. As I mentioned in Part One, several new rides and attractions, as well as a new water-and-light show are coming.

I will finish up Sunday's portion with a note about Shaun and Kristin. Luke and I have known Shaun for nearly a decade now; he's best friends with Luke's brother Evan. We've spent time together here and there, but never an entire day, and never have we spent so much time with Kristin. We had a BLAST with them and hope to do it again very soon. I really look forward to the next time we get to see them.

MONDAY, Park Day Four

Luke and I went back to the Animation Academy on Monday; he swore that I would love it. The room is GORGEOUS, decorated with sketches of characters. My lack of artistic talent led me to draw Tigger as though his face had been melted and pulled like taffy until it almost resembled Tigger. Anyway, here are some shots of the room itself, and Luke's Tigger drawing (mine will never see the light of day):

We spent much of our morning in Fantasyland. This is where the castle, the carousel, and many of the original rides are: Alice in Wonderland, Pinnochio, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. As we strolled through the area surrounding the castle, we noticed that the castle was open. In all of the trips we've taken to Disneyland, the castle has NEVER been open. For those of you that don't know, the castle in Disneyland is Sleeping Beauty's castle. Disneyworld in Florida is the home of Cinderella's castle. Here is what lies within:

A little mockery never hurt anyone...

The dragon is behind that door. We think.

In the throne room

This stake, right outside the castle in Fantasyland, marks the exact geographical center of Disneyland, at the time it opened. Of course it's grown since then, but the stake remains.

I don't remember ever being on a carousel in all my life. It's possible that I have with my parents or grandparents, but I don't remember it. So, we stood in line for ten minutes or so to ride King Arthur's Carousel. I loved it!! This guy, however, did not. And the award for "Found A Way To Be Unhappy in The Happiest Place on Earth" goes to...

This dude.

Luke mocking his horse

As Disney Visa cardholders, we have access to an exclusive meet-and-greet with characters in California Adventure each day. We only made it on Monday, but got some super cute pictures with Chip and Dale.

My cute little pose

...and Luke making fun of my cute little pose

TUESDAY, Park Day Five

Tuesday was our last day in Disneyland, so we wanted to start it off RIGHT. We had breakfast with the characters! We went to Goofy's Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel, and met with Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Baloo, and Belle. The breakfast was huge, and a kid's DREAM... every kind of breakfast food you can imagine, omelets cooked to order, and of course a dessert bar. Peanut Butter and Jelly pizza, pastries, and even ice cream. We did pretty good, sticking to actual breakfast food.

Mickey Mouse waffles!!

Some of the characters we met:

After a HUGE breakfast (we'd been having Continental breakfast at the hotel), we ran into Cinderella in California Adventure. My all-time favorite Disney movie is Cinderella, so I was truly star struck when we saw her. There was a long line of children waiting to get autographs and I didn't want to get in their way, so we just took pictures from a distance.

As soon as we turned the corner after seeing Cinderella, there was Sully!

Luke loves those Churros!

Two of my favorite pictures of the castle:

For both of us, our favorite times of day here are evening and night. Here's why:

Taking that last look back at his second home, as we leave for the last time in 2009.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

We had a lot of pictures taken by the professional photographers stationed throughout the park. Here are some of our favorites:

Disneyland '09 | Part One

2009-10-06T22:21:00.001-07:00

We went to Disneyland this past week! We were able to be there on the weekend that the park unveiled it's Halloween decorations, and updated two rides with a Halloween theme: Space Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion. We had a blast there together - it was the first trip that Luke and I have taken together ALONE since we've been married. Every time we go somewhere, we're either with other friends, or we're going to visit family. So, this was our first trip with just the two of us since our Honeymoon almost nine years ago.

We have a TON of pictures to share, so I'll just get started. Remember, you can click on any of our photos to get a larger, more detailed view.

HALLOWEEN PICTURES THROUGHOUT THE RESORT

As they do every year, the park was decorated the Haunted Mansion in a "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme:

We spent five days in the park, and on a couple of the mornings when we left our hotel room, the area was covered in fog. It made for much cooler days and some gorgeous photos:

So here are some selected photos from the rest of our trip, day-by-day.

THURSDAY

We left on Thursday afternoon, and went to the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney for dinner. As a huge sports fan, I LOVED being able to watch a different sport on any of 20+ TV screens. The ceiling in the foyer was amazing:

After dinner, we stayed and hung out in Downtown Disney for a couple hours. We had heard about some beautiful fountains on the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel:

FRIDAY, Park Day 1

Luke could hardly contain his excitement!

The first step into Disneyland!

We found Nemo!

Teacups

California Adventure is undergoing a massive makeover; they're adding new rides, a new water show, and new restaurants. Hence the blockades... at least they're cute blockades.

Making a wish at "Its A Small World"

The Hyperion Theatre in California Adventure

The best ride in California Adventure: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Mickey and Minnie have the cutest welcome mats!

What a fun first day!

SATURDAY, Park Day 2

Snow White and the Dwarves at the fountain outside the castle

Gorgeous shot of the Matterhorn

On the Alice in Wonderland ride, Matterhorn in the background

Jungle Cruise:

The customary Club 33 picture

My adorable new Mickey Mouse earrings

Usual round at the Shooting Gallery in Frontierland

We saw this giant crawdad in Fantasyland - he snuck out of one of the garden areas. One woman actually exclaimed, "Oh my god, is that a SCORPION?!" Dumb people are fun, aren't they?

Entry to the "Off The Page" attraction on the Hollywood Backlot in California Adventure

Beautiful sunet shot of the Tower of Terror

That's the wrap up of the first three days of our trip. I'll make another post later this week of the last three days.

Feel Good Friday - Running

2009-09-21T18:40:00.005-07:00

**This really was written on Friday - I just failed to post it until now. :)

This week is a different take on "Feel Good Friday". Today I'm going to tell you about something that literally, physically feels good. Amazing, in fact.

I'm talking about NEW RUNNING SHOES! I know not everyone out there is a runner, but hopefully everyone can appreciate this in some way.

Between the two of us, we have worn many of the major name brands of athletic shoes in our lifetimes: Reebok, Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Asics, and Mizuno are some of them. A couple of years ago, we both wanted to get new running shoes that weren't for running. (My personal rule is that the shoes I wear running are ONLY for running. I don't wear them to the store, or for anything other than my runs.) However, running shoes are (to me) some of the most comfortable shoes on the planet, and we both wanted a new "non-running" pair of them for all of those other times.

Anyway, we ended up at Big 5 Sporting Goods, trying on everything that looked remotely squishy and soft. Luke reached for a pair of Saucony (pronounced like "sock a knee") running shoes, and you should have seen his face when he slipped those babies on! He said it was like walking on clouds. It was all he talked about for weeks! Every time he put them on, he just smiled and sighed a big sigh of comfort. I was still hesitant; I had just purchased some new Mizuno shoes for racing and didn't find anything that I wanted for my other pair. A few months later, though, I decided to go ahead and get that second pair, and just to appease Luke, tried on a pair of Sauconys.

Heaven.

It's been about two years now, and we both just bought new shoes for our upcoming trip to Disneyland. They are both Sauconys, of course! AND, as soon as this trip is over, I fully intend to break my own rule and make my new pair my #1 running shoe.

I don't know if Saucony is some kind of super-well-kept secret or what, but they are incredibly inexpensive. My old pair of Mizunos were about $150, as were Luke's Asics. Before that, I don't remember ever paying less than $80 for a good pair of running shoes. However, we got our newest pairs of Sauconys at Dick's Sporting Goods for under $50 each. Can you believe it?

They really, truly are like walking on pillows. Now if Saucony would just come out with a line of high heels...

2009-09-21T11:00:00.004-07:00

Timeless Tuesday

2009-09-15T08:56:00.003-07:00

This week I feel like I have reason to brag a bit. It's no secret that Luke and I have an amazing marriage; an amazing connection. This is something I've always known, and it's something I wish I could pass on to other people. I think if everyone in the world felt about their significant others the way Luke and I feel about each other, we'd have a LOT more happy folks out there.

I don't know how we've done it - we had a lot going against us when we started out. We were both very young and inexperienced. Neither of us had been to college and hadn't dated a lot of people. We just... knew. Somehow we just knew that we were made for each other. Here we are, almost nine years later, still going strong, still having a blast, and I wouldn't change a single moment of it.

Luke summed it up really well this past weekend:

"If I could go back and start my life over, with the knowledge I have now,

and choose a best friend to spend my life with, I'd still choose you."

Does it GET any sweeter than that?!?

Music Monday - Elbow

2009-08-24T17:32:00.006-07:00

This week, we'd like to feature one of our favorite intellectual bands, Elbow. Elbow has been around since 1991, and has 4 studio records:

Asleep In The Back [May 7, 2001]
Cast of Thousands [August 18, 2003]
Leaders of the Free World [September 12, 2005]
The Seldom Seen Kid [March 17, 2008]

We love them for their atmospheric sound and their thought-provoking lyrics, as well as their immense musical talent. Truth be told... Elbow is what Coldplay could have been.

Check out Elbow playing their beautiful song, "One Day Like This" live with the BBC Orchestra:

Learn more:
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter
Official website

Feel Good Friday - Happiness

2009-08-21T12:31:00.007-07:00

Today I'd like tell you about a fabulous woman and author named Gretchen Rubin. Rubin spent one year "test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martine Seligman or Oprah."

Rubin has detailed her year of self-discovery in her new book, The Happiness Project, and has created an online service for fellow enthusiasts to do the same for ourselves, called the Happiness Project Toolbox. The website consists of a personal (private or public, depending on your preference) "toolbox" for you to publish your goals, ideals, and desires, and to track your progress in achieving them.

The tools in your personal toolbox are:

Resolutions [Commit to concrete, measurable actions]
Group Resolutions [Challenge a group to keep a resolution]
Personal Commandments [Identify principles to guide your life]
Inspiration Boards [Pull together things that inspire you]
Lists [Keep any kind of list]
One-Sentence Journal [Keep up with a manageable journal]
Secrets of Adulthood [Remind yourself what you've learned]

I have been on the HPT for about a month, and highly recommend creating a toolbox for yourself. It's great to see your goals become realized and to feel encouraged by other members. The visual nature of the toolbox is great as well; the Inspiration Board allows you to pull together inspiring quotes, pictures, thoughts, books, or websites. The One-Sentence Journal is great in that it is an easy way to start journaling; you only write one sentence for each entry; it's a manageable size, but helps to build the habit of journaling regularly.

My favorite portion of the HPT is the Personal Commandments area. When I initially created my list, I felt so good, putting my thoughts, values, and ideals in writing - now every time I go back to the list, I feel re-inspired to be the person that my Personal Commandments describe.

For more information about the Happiness Project Toolbox, Gretchen, or her book, please visit the following:

Timeless Tuesday

2009-08-11T17:16:00.010-07:00

It's no secret that Luke's been golfing a lot lately, sometimes leaving at 4:00 in the morning to get a round in when it's not unbearably hot outside. Tee times in the early mornings in Phoenix are rare and beautiful. The sun rising over one of the many mountain ranges in the area is quite a sight to see. Few people take advantage of the beauty of these early Valley mornings; runners, golfers, and construction workers are regulars in our little crowd.

It's also no secret at this point that Luke is a sentimental guy. As long as we've known each other, he's written me letters and notes. We passed them to each other during the classes we were both in. We passed them in the hallways between the classes we didn't share. When we started dating, we'd leave them on pillowcases, on windshields, and inside wallets for each other to find.

Today, I'm going to post the most recent little love letter I received from my wonderful hubby. A couple weeks ago, Luke played 4 rounds of golf throughout the week, including one early Saturday morning. I got up after he left, at around 5:30am to do some yoga, and found this sweet little note on my dining room table.

It just melted my heart. He's still got it, folks!!

Weekend Update

2009-08-03T19:17:00.018-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been crazy! I had surgery (read here about my ridiculous fall), Luke's been golfing like crazy, my dad turned 60, and we've had a great time through it all (as usual)!

Recap: in late April, I had a little accident in our back yard involving a frisbee and not much else. That's right... I fell playing frisbee, and tore up my hands and arms pretty bad. A month later, all of my little scratches and cuts had healed except for the puncture wound in the heel of my left hand. I went to see a hand surgeon (Dr. Kraig Burgess and his assistant Lisa Babel, a team that I would recommend to anyone and everyone) and found that there was essentially a foreign object (I'm assuming a piece of the concrete I fell on) inside my hand still, that needed to be removed.

After another month or so, my fingers will still going numb at random times, and I was beginning to lose some of the grip in my hand. I almost dropped my laptop on our tile, and I dropped a stack of books coming up the stairs. I went ahead and scheduled surgery with Dr. Burgess, and on July 16th, about 3 months after the fall, I had the scar tissue removed that was pressing on my nerve and causing the dexterity and feeling issues.

All seems to be going well now. My hand is still a little weak because I've babied it so much lately, but I haven't had any more problems with feeling or strength. (Thanks, Dr. Burgess and team!)

BONUS: My scar is going to be awesome! It's reminiscent of Harry Potter's lightning-bolt scar, which I'm super excited about. :)

Here is the progression of my hand:

The original injury - it seemed so innocent! Just a few scratches and a puncture! I had no idea it would turn into nerve damage!

All wrapped up!

Hospital bracelets - funny story: the "ALLERGY" band is to signify that I'm allergic to medical adhesive like bandaids and tape. So just when I told the nurse that I'm allergic to adhesive, she went ahead and put a STICKER on my left arm, right above where I was about to have surgery. The rash that resulted was NO fun underneath all that wrapping!

Bruising on my right hand from the IV

The stitches and bruising, 1 week after surgery

So like I said, Luke has been golfing like crazy. He played last Sunday night at Bear Creek in Chandler, Augusta Ranch in Mesa on Tuesday night with Tyler, and then Apache Creek in Gilbert twice on the weekend: Saturday morning with Scott, and then Sunday morning with Tyler and John. All the while, I've been getting more and more active myself! I've started doing Pilates and yoga on the weekends, and I've begun running again. The heat is very intense right now, but I'm trying my best to work around it.

When I'm not working out in some way, I've been plugging away at my schoolwork, getting ready to graduate. I'm currently in my LAST CLASS of my Bachelor's program! I'll be done at the end of August, and I couldn't be more excited! Of course, as soon as I'm done, I'll start right into my next goal: my Project Management Professional credential. I should have that done by the end of the year. Once I have my PMP, I will start in on my Master's program, and possibly law school.

Also last Sunday (the 26th), Luke and I went to Payson and met my parents and Karla and her kids for a nice lunch to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. I can't believe he's 60 - he looks great, and is in good health. I'm so proud to be his daughter - he's truly an amazing person. My father has always been an inspiration to me and I look up to him very much. I hope to be able to celebrate many, many more birthdays with him. (Love you, dad!)

On Friday night (the 29th), we went out to Mesa to celebrate our friend Tyler's birthday with his family, at the Harley-Davidson-themed party his parents threw for him. We had a great time with his family - his parents are absolutely amazing people and are such great hosts.

Side note: we are going to "go private" soon. Our Google Analytics information reveals some less-than-appealing viewers, so our blog will soon require an email address to view it. If you'd like me to add you to the list, please email me at azirongrl@gmail.com, or leave a comment below with the email address you'd like to have on the list.

Music Monday - Dredg

2009-07-27T20:39:00.008-07:00

Another new column we're going to start is Music Mondays. Each week we'll share with you something about one of our favorite musicians or bands.

This week, we'd like to introduce you to Dredg. Dredg is a "progressive alternative" band from California that Luke and I have been listening to for about five years now. Their sound is quite unique and we love the introspective lyrics.

We've seen them on tour four times (most recently on July 10th), each better than the last. There is a truly inspiriational, magnetic feel to their music and to their live shows. Check them out and see what you think!

Favorite Lyric
So keep moving onward
Run through that open door
Consuming knowledge
Wormhole through times before
Can't you hear their voices crying?
Can't you hear their hearts breaking?
There is only so much we can do
Only so much can be shown to you...
The rest is your choice.

Discography
Leitmotif: Released 09.11.2001 (major label re-release)
El Cielo: Released 10.08.2002
Catch Without Arms: Released 06.27.2005
The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion: Released 06.09.2009

Band Members
Gavin Hayes: vocals, guitar, slide guitar
Drew Roulette: bass, synthesizer
Mark Engles: guitar
Dino Campanella: drums, piano, organ

This video is for "Information", the first single off of their most recent album.

Get Your Own Dose of Dredg
Official Site: http://www.dredg.com/
Official Fan Site: http://www.dredgonline.com/
Myspace: www.myspace.com/dredg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dredg
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dredg

Feel Good Friday - Meditation

2009-07-24T17:38:00.006-07:00

Hello everyone out there in blog land! We've decided to try out a new weekly column every Friday. (Can we really call them "columns" anymore, since there ARE no columns in cyberspace?)

Anyway, Feel Good Fridays will highlight some of the things that we've discovered over time that make our lives what they are. Some posts will highlight the websites that we frequent, some will be things we like to do, some may be insights that we'd like to share. You'll have to keep checking back to see what's new every week!

---------
In this first edition, I'd like to acquaint you all with something that I love to do: meditation. I don't do it as often as I'd prefer, but every time I do, I feel amazing and wonder why I don't do it more often.

I'm not talking religious or even truly spiritual meditation. At this point, I'm simply enjoying clearing my mind and freeing myself from all of those things that weigh me down from time to time. For me, meditation is entering a very contemplative state; one where I can think about things with an empty head and a clear mind, without judging my thoughts, and without judging myself for thinking them.

As our lives get busier and busier and even perhaps more complicated over time, it becomes increasingly important to set time aside for ourselves. Everyone needs an outlet. Everyone needs a way to "unload" at the end of the day, or to prepare for the day ahead. This is what meditation does for me, and I have been very grateful for these profound experiences.

There is simply nothing quite like having a completely empty mind for a few moments, and coming out of the experience to find that it's been an hour and you've solved a problem you've been struggling with without even intentionally thinking about it. Our minds are truly amazing, and meditation can and will help you to tap into the power that you have.

Below are some excellent meditation resources for you. If you are interested in getting started and/or would like more information about meditation and how to start a practice yourself, please feel free to contact me (azirongrl@gmail.com).

As always, comments are appreciated!

Timeless Tuesday

2009-07-14T20:09:00.007-07:00

This week's Timeless Tuesday comes to you from November 1997. This is another letter from Luke to Sarah, after spending some time together over the summer, but then some time apart in the fall.

"Wow, I have missed you! First of all I'd like to say I wish I was closer to you. I don't want you to think that I don't like you anymore. I really do - I mean that - you mean a lot to me.

Last year I really grew to love you. I love to talk to you and just being with you is awesome. At the beginning of this school year it was really hard to see you so upset with the [Speech and Debate] team. I want you to be a part of us. I want to get to know you again. When I say I miss you, I mean that. Well, I see you almost every day, buy we're not as close as we used to be and that hurts me.I want you to know that I will always love you and no matter what, I will always be there for you. I hope I can soon become one of your best friends again.

Your friend forever,
Luke"

I love this letter because it reminds me of when we spent time apart with other friends, and how good it felt to be back to "normal", spending time together. Ever since we met, any time we've been apart, there's been a significant void. I love being reminded of how important we were (are) to eachother, and how deeply we felt for eachother, even at the very beginning stages of our friendship.

Weekend Update

2009-07-12T20:23:00.017-07:00

We have had such a great week!

I started my last class this week. That's right... my last class! At the end of August, I will have my Bachelor's degree! I've been in college since January of 2006 without a single break, so I'm definitely excited to be done! I'm going to take a few months off and go on vacation, and then start in on whatever is next this fall. I'm debating between a Master's degree in Public Administration, or law school. I will also be receiving my Professional Project Management (PMP) certification this year. So there's a lot of exciting stuff going on for me right now... doors are opening! I've just got to choose which one to go through!

We went to another fantastic concert.

We went to see one of our favorite bands, dredg, at the Marquee Theatre on Friday night. What a great show! We went with our buddy Cameron Palmer and had a great time with him. We all had dinner at Port of Subs (YUM!) before the show and ended up just sitting there and talking for a couple hours. I love days like that - where you get to really connect with people you love on a deep level, and then go share something like live music with those people. The concert itself was completely amazing and truly awe-inspiring. Dredg always makes me want to be a better person. I love it.

UFC 100!!!! Luke and I are both big fans of Ultimate Fighting Championship, and this Saturday was the 100th title fight in Las Vegas. We ordered the fight on Pay-Per-View, and watched it with a few good friends. Three hours, a few pizzas, drinks, and rice crispie treats later, all of our faves had won thier fights. Georges St. Pierre (welterweight) and Brock Lesnar (heavyweight) both defended their world titles. We had so much fun with everyone, and were again inspired by the event. I can't even begin to describe how inspiring and motivating something like UFC is. I absolutely love it and am super excited for UFC 101!

Brock Lesnar, UFC World Champion, heavyweight

Georges St. Pierre, UFC World Champion, welterweight

Luke also went golfing again with Cameron on Saturday morning, and they had a blast, as usual. I spent the morning doing homework, and working out. I'm going to be starting tennis lessons soon, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm going in for hand surgery this coming Thursday, so I'll have to wait for that to heal before I can go at it full-force, but I'm praying for a quick recovery so I can get going!

All in all, we had a great week and are looking forward to a very busy upcoming week. I'll be posting some news about the surgery next week, although my posts will probably be short for awhile, since I'll only have one hand.

All our love,
Luke and Sarah

Timeless Tuesday

2009-07-06T14:13:00.008-07:00

Luke and I celebrated our 11-year dating anniversary this past June 11th. In light of having such a long, strong history, we've decided to add a new weekly column to our blog: "Love Letter Tuesday".

Each Tuesday, we're going to publish excerpts from some of the letters that Luke and I wrote back and forth before we started dating, and through our courtship. Some might even be more recent... we'll have to see what we dig up. Read on for some gooshy goodness!

This letter is from Luke to me, on 04/02/97. We had been good friends for about a year at this point, and had shared several deep conversations, but were just starting to spend time together outside of school and Speech and Debate tournaments.

"This whole time, I didn't know I was helping so much. I just wanted to be your friend - I just wanted to help. Do something for me... over the summer, let's keep in touch. Let's go do stuff, okay?

Your friend forever,
Luke Neill"

What's great about this excerpt is that this is just before we spent our first summer as best friends. I was in Chicago for the summer, and sent letters and postcards while I was there. They say hindsight is 20/20 - little did we know how much we'd miss each other over the summer.

Update

2009-07-05T22:26:00.009-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while, but wanted to get a quick message out to everyone.

A lot of fun little things have happened in the past couple of months. Luke bought new golf clubs! He used to play when we were dating, but hasn't played in years. He was invited to play in a tournament in May, and has been hooked ever since. So last month we went and bought him a nice set of clubs and all the fun little doo-dads that go with them!

Also, Luke's band, Second Gravity, had a short reunion last month. John Miller (bassist) was in town from San Francisco, so the boys got together at Luke's studio and had a little jam session. It was FANTASTIC. This of course brought on a LOT of reminscing, so I've dug up some of the old pictures. Some of them are in the below slideshow; the rest I'll get posted shortly, for your viewing pleasure.

Finally (and most recently), we went to Pinetop/Snowflake, AZ for the 4th of July. This trip included my first rodeo, the Taylor Rodeo 55th Anniversary. We had a BLAST spending Friday with my parents and Saturday with Luke's sister and her family and a few friends in Taylor. I have edited a bunch of photos from that trip and from the rodeo itself, and I'll post them later this week. But for now, here are some from the trip in general, including a step-by-step of Carol decorating one of her fabulous wedding cakes. Enjoy! More to come later this week!!

It's Baseball Season!

2009-05-31T10:33:00.006-07:00

Okay, so it's already 2 months into baseball season, but I've been to my first game this year. (Note to self: go to more games.)

On Friday night, we went to a Diamondbacks game with a group of friends, and had a great time. Baseball is my favorite sport, and I'll watch a game every chance I get. When we moved to Maricopa, it was more difficult to get to the ballpark as much as I would have liked; now that we're back in Chandler, I see us going much more often.

I have posted pictures of our little outing on our Photo Site. Check them out!

New Photos!

2009-05-24T16:14:00.004-07:00

I've added some more photos to our Photo Site, including some from Dan's birthday party!!!

We went to Texas Roadhouse last night to celebrate Dan Mascorro's 26th birthday. All the photos are posted on our Shutterfly site.

Enjoy!

Photo site

2009-05-19T20:33:00.008-07:00

Hello all,

I have created an additional website for Luke and I to share photos with you. I enjoy blogging, but most often I just have a few pictures to share, rather than an entire entry.

For this reason, I've set up a website (http://lukesarahneill.shutterfly.com/) where I can very easily upload entire albums of pictures, rather than just a few here and there.

Any time I upload pictures there, I'll make a note here, for those of you using RSS feeds (I LOVE Google Reader) for this site. That way, every time Luke and I have an update, you'll know.

A note about Google Reader: like I said, I love it. I am subscribed to all of my family members and friends' blogs, as well as some of the blogs that I read on a regular basis. Some are purely entertaining, some are family and friend updates, some are career- and productivity-based, and some are simple news or sports feeds. All together I have about 15 subscriptions, and I enjoy being kept up-to-date on all of them. I have the Reader 'gadget' added to my iGoogle homepage and every time I open a new browser window, I have all of my information at my fingertips.

Now that my sales pitch is over, check out our photo blog. Right now it's just pictures from the Mother's Day brunch that we hosted, but there are more entries to come soon!

Frisbee, New House, Surgery... all kinds of updates!

2009-04-28T16:44:00.027-07:00

Hello everyone! I realize I've been a terrible blogger lately. Things have been a bit busy for Luke and I. First and foremost, as some/most of you know, we moved into a new house this month. We're now located on Gilbert and Pecos in Chandler, and we LOVE it. The commute from Maricopa to EVERYTHING was beginning to take it's toll, and when we added up the pros and cons of staying there versus moving back to "the city", it was a no-brainer. Not to mention the financial benefits... that's a whole different story though! And then of course there's the fact that we'll no longer have to say "the city" or "go into town" again.

Needless to say, we are absolutely in love with our new area and everything it's allowing us to do. In fact, as I speak (type), Luke is on his way to a Diamondbacks/Cubs game with our buddy Tyler. Tyler called about 20 minutes before I got home from work and invited him. We are now in a position that allows Luke to simply accept a last-minute invitation like that and GO, no questions asked. It's so nice to be back to where we can have a social life again and start living like we've always wanted to.

I will be attending Tai Chi, dance, and yoga classes again, and I've already joined a gym again! Last night, our friends Dan and Ashley came over with their little girl Jaylee (who, by the way, is ADORABLE and seemingly addicted to Xbox... sorry Ashley). While they were here, Tyler came over and he and Luke spent a couple of hours in the studio recording some of their music.

Jaylee Mascorro

Jaylee practicing her sniper shot

It's amazing how much a paradigm shift can affect every aspect of your life. I am sleeping again! I've spent YEARS with sleep issues, going on and off different medicines to try to help my insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Well, I can happily report that for the first time in my LIFE, I have had now 10 consecutive FULL nights of sleep, with no issues whatsoever and no medication. I don't even know what to do with all this energy! I feel incredibly fulfilled and at peace with my life. (Big sigh of satisfaction)

Our new house has a nicely landscaped back yard, and on Sunday we had our first incident! I apparently cannot be trusted to play in my own back yard... I fell playing Frisbee. Nothing big, nothing strenuous, just simple frisbee. Well, I stretched out to catch a wild toss from Luke and stumbled backward for about 6 feet and slid right onto the patio pavers and the stucco wall. I have a few gashes on my left hand and some serious road rash on my left arm. All in all, I'm okay... just embarrassed. I have to say though... if I had a video of it, I would watch it over and over again. There's no WAY that wasn't funny. Luke denies laughing or even wanting to laugh, but I'm telling you... it had to be hilarious to watch. Here is the damage (turn away if you're squeamish):

And I had surgery a week before the move. Nothing major, just very inconvenient. I had an ingrown toenail, which I thought was relatively minor, but soon found out that they actually have to remove a portion of your toenail surgically in order to fix the problem. It's gross, so I won't show you pictures of the toe itself, but here is the customary sad face that I drew on it:

Things are going good for us now. Finally, we are seeing some positive things happening for us, and we have a LOT big plans for the next year, including running the Disneyland Half Marathon again! Stay tuned...

Comedy Central HD

2009-04-12T21:01:00.004-07:00

Tonight we discovered something wonderful. Dish Network has added Comedy Central HD to it's High-Definition lineup. Never has Reno 911 looked so crisp and vibrant. Listening to officer Trudy Weigel deliver her line "you would not believe how much dirt gets up in our balls" while viewing such an amazingly clear picture is priceless.

Thank you, Dish Network, for including this programming gem in your Platinum HD package. We are happy customers. For now... just don't screw up another UFC Night for me.

Cute house for sale

2009-03-19T19:27:00.002-07:00

For anyone out there who reads my blog but doesn't read my sister-in-law's blog, I wanted to pass on this link:

http://sanantoniohouseforsale.blogspot.com

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Dirk and Laura Neill) are moving from San Antonio to Montana in just a few weeks and are looking to sell their cute house in S.A.

Check it out if you're interested!

Thanks!!

Perspective

2009-03-17T09:23:00.005-07:00

There is something almost magical about close calls. It’s that quick moment in time where things could have changed drastically… but didn’t. The can make you regret or appreciate things that have gone on in the past and maybe even redefine what you want for the future.

I had a very close call yesterday on my way home from work. As I was leaving Fresh & Easy, a truck in front of me and one lane to the left was driving very fast, with a large piece of PVC pipe in the back of his open-bed truck, with one end propped up against the roof of the truck’s cab. Next thing I know, the PVC pipe has been lifted out of the truck by the wind and is hurtling straight at me like a javelin. I caught my breath, slowed a little bit and swerved to the right. The pipe flew right past my window – missed my car by maybe 6 inches. This thing would have hit me. It would have gone right through the windshield into my little face.

Over the next few heart-racing, steering-wheel-clenching, breath-catching minutes, a lot went through my mind. No, my life didn’t flash before my eyes and I haven’t had any great epiphany; nothing that dramatic. I did however; realize that I have a LOT to be thankful for, and a lot to look forward to in the future.

I know that at any given time, I have a solid network of friends that I could turn to for help, guidance, assistance, advice, or entertainment. I know that Luke and I have good, solid friendships that we can rely on in a time of need. I just counted - there are at least 9 'couples' that fit into this area for us. I didn’t have this until somewhat recently. I have spent my share of time (and then some) being lonely and withdrawn, depressed and uninterested in anything. I’m done with that now, thanks to all of you: you know who you are. You’ve changed my life or influenced me in one way or another, you’ve been there for me, and I hope with all my heart that you know I’ll be there for you.

I’m thankful for my family, extended and immediate, natural and in-law: I don’t keep touch very well; this is no surprise to anyone. I’m bad at remembering to send cards, letters, even phone calls. I don’t know what it has been in the past with me, but I’m going to improve. I love and cherish my family and am thankful for my parents and their great example of a strong marriage. Luke and I so deeply appreciate their continued pride in us and support of us. My sister Karla and I have a better relationship now than we ever have, and that one fact brings me so much happiness and peace...

And last but in no way least: I am thankful my husband. I love Luke with my whole heart; he and I are best friends and there is no one in the entire world I would rather spend time with. He is my rock and I know that he would do anything for me; the same holds true for me.

My future is going to be full of amazing things – I’m changing a lot about myself and my lifestyle this year. The way I see the world is constantly developing, as is my life as a whole. I am evolving. I very much look forward to the rest of my life – I am filled with hope for the future.

So thank you, 1998 Toyota truck driver; for not having the sense to secure your most recent Home Depot purchase to your vehicle. Your brainless oversight has changed my perspective.

I did it!

2009-03-12T09:34:00.009-07:00

After three long years of super-blonde hair, I've finally decided to retreat to the dark side. On Friday night, I finally became a brunette again.

A little explanation behind my hesitation: it's HARD to darken such light hair. It takes a long time, a lot of patience, and several processes.

Friday, February 27 Bleached the roots of my hair so that it would all be one color
Monday, March 2: Medium blonde (should have been about 3 shades darker than the bleached hair, but somehow turned out an odd pink-white.)
Friday, March 6: 3-step process begins... 1) add porosity control product to hair, wait 1 minute, rinse. 2) add protein filler to hair, wait 25 minutes, dry. 3) add light, reddish-brown color to hair, wait, PRAY, rinse... it worked!!!
Saturday, March 7: re-applied darker color to hair to ensure absorption

Whew!

For reference, here is the 'before':

And 'after':

What do you think?

Hobbs

2009-03-01T21:25:00.003-07:00

Our youngest cat, Hobbs, is adorable (if I do say so myself). He's nearly 2 years old now, but still has the face of a little kitten - it's the cutest thing ever. Oh yeah, and he does tricks.

Here are 2 videos of him 'performing'. Please to enjoy.

Hobbs Begging:

Fun With Lasers:

Luke’s Birthday

2009-02-27T21:30:00.099-07:00

Luke turned 30 this year! It’s crazy to think that I’ve been with Luke long enough to celebrate two of his milestone birthdays – 20 and 30 – with him. Crazy, but what a blessing!

I am thankful every day for the time that we’ve had together and I am thankful for the relationship that we have. Luke is absolutely my best friend in the entire world and our history together is extensive. I am not sure of much in this world, but Luke is one thing I have never doubted. I have complete faith in our relationship and unconditional love for Luke.

Having said all of that, on to the PICTURES!!!!

A few of our close friends met us at Z’Tejas at the Scottsdale Fashion Square for dinner on the night of the 7th. Take a look:

From the head of the table, clockwise: Luke, Evan, Lacey, Scott, John, Jennifer, Tyler (the hand belongs to him), Camie, Cara, Cameron, Emily, Kris, and Sarah (a big ‘thank you’ to Paula for taking the pictures).

Delicious dessert!

Guitar Hero Figurine

Apple Store gift card

Evan's gift part one: "A day of half your age": included a day of playing Street Fighter

Evan's gift part two: The Lost Boys on DVD

And of course a kiss on the cheek from Tyler

Explanation is needed for the Apple Store gift card (courtesy of Cameron, Cara, Tyler, and Camie). For Luke's birthday, my gift to him was a brand new iMac for his studio. The gift card paid for a one-year subscription to MobileMe. He's had the system now for a couple weeks and has already made tremendous progress on his recordings and is having a blast working with the new equipment. Here are some pictures of when we brought home the new "baby":

The impossibly slim, compact wireless keyboard

Happy Birthday, Luke. Here’s to another 30+ years for us to share.

We're Famous!

2009-02-04T10:33:00.006-07:00

Not really. But we're on CNN! CNN has a system now called "iReport" that consists of user-generated material, meaning that when someone is witnessing news take place, they can write their own story of it and upload it to iReport.

A call was sent out for "How We Met" stories in honor of Valentine's Day. Being the sentimental chick that I am, I submitted our story. Check it out!

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-207416

The problem with purses

2009-01-30T10:44:00.013-07:00

Sarah writes:

I cleaned out my mega-sized (but adorable) purse today and found the usual: planner, wallet, phone, etc.

In addition to that stuff, I found these completely random items:

3 different colors/types of lipgloss
2 flavors of chapstick
My ipod
3 pieces of Dove chocolate
A glasses cloth
4 pens (2 black, 2 blue of course!)
A citrus peeler
Earrings
An SD card for my camera
Two different kinds of cold medicine
A packet of oatmeal
Nail polish
And 12 dimes

Anyone else have this problem?

Our Favorite New Food

2009-01-21T21:15:00.002-07:00

Larabars. What can I say? These things are amazing. Truly amazing. They are delicious, healthy, filling, and have fewer ingredients than I ever thought possible.

An example: a traditional slice of commercial banana bread (2oz) would contain 460 calories, 20 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrate, and 1 gram of protein. However, the Banana Bread Larabar (1.8oz) has only 220 calories, 11 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrate and boasts 6 grams of protein.

Here’s the kicker: that commercial banana bread contains 17 ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup. Many of these ingredients are unpronounceable, and I’m sure some are indigestible. That Larabar? Almonds, dates, unsweetened bananas.

You read that right - that’s it. 3 ingredients. Larabars have no added sugars, are unprocessed, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan approved and kosher certified.

And did I mention that they’re completely delicious? I’m not a big fan of protein bars or energy bars for the most part. These things are like nothing I’ve never tried before. They are absolutely amazing, and worth a try!!!

They can be purchased at any grocery store (I’ve found them at Fry’s, Basha’s, Cost-Co and Trader Joe’s so far), and they come in a large variety of flavors: Banana Bread, Chocolate Coconut, Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, Cocoa Mole, Pecan Pie, Pistachio, Key Lime Pie, Ginger Snap, Lemon Bar, Cashew Cookie, Cinnamon Roll, Peanut Butter Cookie and Coconut Cream Pie.

Check them out!

It’s 2009!

2009-01-04T19:53:00.001-07:00

(FINALLY!) 2008 wasn’t a complete disaster, but it wasn’t great either. It was a very turbulent year for me. We definitely had some trials this year and I will say that both Luke and I are very glad that it’s over.

Year in Review

(-) Luke diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome, meaning he can’t run anymore

(-) Sarah registered for PF Chang’s Marathon in January 2009, ruptured her Achilles tendon in November; had to withdraw

(+) Luke is back in the studio recording his album

(+) Sarah promoted & loves her new job

(+) Luke began production and engineering work for other artists

(-) Sarah told she won’t be able to graduate as expected because of school’s scheduling error

(-) Some friendships changed/ended

(+) Old friendships re-kindled

(+) New, solid friendships built/discovered (you know who you are… thank you).

All in all, the positive outcomes of this year FAR outweigh the negatives, but it was still a difficult one. We were subjected to quite a bit of drama going on in the lives of our friends. This inevitably took a toll on us; we tried to stay away from the action as much as we could, but we try to be there for our friends, so it did of course affect us.

Big things are in store for us in 2009. My big resolution this year is to become a vegetarian. From a health standpoint, I think it’s the best thing I can do for myself right now. In addition to that, I’m going to get back into running. I’ve had a few injuries and other issues that have kept me in a weird rut of not running, but I’m done with that. Injuries or not, issues or not, attitude problems or not, I’m a runner at heart and I am feeling the need to follow through on that.

Luke’s big resolution this year is to become the singer/songwriter that has been slowly developing inside of him for the last several years. Just as I’m a runner, he’s a musician and we’ve decided that it’s about freakin’ time we become who we need to be.

On a personal note, I have to say that I’ve never felt more motivated. I’ve spent a lot of my non-running time studying the things that truly interest me, and motivation and the workings of the human mind are right at the top of the list. I’ve started meditating again and have spent exponentially more time and energy in self-reflection and planning for the future. I really feel like 2009 is going to be a red letter year for us.

Oh, and one final comment: I won’t say anything official yet, but it looks like there are some Second Gravity shows on the horizon… stay tuned!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-28T23:23:00.007-07:00

I will say that I’m not a huge fan of snow. I like it as long as I’m bundled up inside watching the snow. I don’t like being cold, and I do get cold really easily. But there is something very magical about cuddling up with a good book (or laptop) in front of a fire (or TV), sipping hot cocoa, with snow falling outside the window.

We spent our Christmas in Pinetop, AZ again this year. We visited both of our families for the holiday. We were with Luke’s family for Christmas Eve, as is tradition:

Luke and Hayden

Rilee, Chloe, June and Shannin

Chloe, Shannin, June, and Patrik

Laura and Hayden

Dirk and Evan

Luke, Hayden and Chloe

Bryce

We were then with my family for Christmas Day, as is also tradition. We woke up to falling snow, on an already very white landscape. My sister and her kids were with us that morning, and we had a blast unwrapping gifts with them.

Helping Mom finish up the Christmas cookies

Santa sure likes his cookies and milk!

William and Jillian

Uncle Luke telling stories

Jillian, Karla and William (It’s hard to get a picture of 2 moving children and 1 frustrated mother while everyone’s eyes are open)

Santa brought the kids these giant castle tents. They LOVED them.

Dad with his fabulous new shirt

The day after Christmas, we spent the whole day in Taylor, AZ with Luke’s sister Carol, her husband Steven and their daughters Chloe and June; and with Luke’s brother Dirk, his wife Laura, and their son Hayden. We played a total of about 5 hours of “Apples to Apples”, which I have to say is a fabulous game. We’re definitely going to be buying it!

We got snowed in on Friday night (hence the 5 hours of board games), so we stayed that night at Carol’s house. After waking up at 7am, we went up to Pinetop, packed up and headed for home. We got some amazing pictures of the snow during the weekend!

My parents’ seasonal squirrels

The Salt River canyon, dusted with snow

The roads were packed with ice… we were lucky to get behind this guy for a while

Those are not leaves… they’re ice crystals!

Bunny tracks

Luke all bundled up

Carol and Steven’s snowy driveway

This was our car’s first experience in snow!

This is probably the first single-digit number our car’s thermometer has shown.

Steam coming off the water at one of the fountains outside the Snowflake Temple

Frozen waterfall outside the Snowflake Temple

Ice-packed road in Pinetop

We arrived home safely, but the car sure does need a bath!

It’s Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T00:55:00.004-07:00

That’s right! It’s officially Christmas Eve, even if it is 12:39am. And I’m awake. To be honest, I’ve been doing this a lot lately… losing sleep that is. I’m not quite sure why, but that’s just the way it is.

Enough about my odd sleeping patterns… and on to the festivities! We are leaving later this morning to drive up to Pinetop for the weekend. We both have family up in that area, so we’re going to visit all of them. We’ll be staying with my parents, but will be spending a lot of time with Luke’s family as well.

Luke’s little bro Dirk, his wife Laura and their son Hayden all drove out here from San Antonio this past weekend, so they could spend the holidays with us too. We’re really looking forward to spending some quality time with them!

We’ll post again after the holiday. In the meantime, as promised… pics of the outside of our house! Luke did a great job decorating this year. I will take credit for the river bed (IT MOVES!) but he did the rest and we’re very happy with the results!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-16T08:50:00.002-07:00

It's Christmas Time in Our House!

2008-12-08T20:26:00.004-07:00

We LOVE Christmas. While Luke's favorite holiday is Halloween, I suspect that Christmas is a very close second. He gets all kid-like and nostalgic. I love it. "Christmas Luke" is almost as adorable as "Disneyland Luke".

Having said that, we decorated the house for Christmas this weekend! We haven't taken any good shots of the outside yet, but here are some of the inside.

She looks innocent, but the mischief is imminent...

The newest addition to our decor this year is our Mickey Nutcracker.

Every year we commemmorate another Christmas together by buying a new "yearly" ornament on our anniversary weekend. We bought our first one on our honeymoon and we've done it every November since. Since our first trip to Disneyland together in 2005, our yearly ornament has been from Disney. This year, one of our favorite movies was Wall-E, so we just had to get a 2008 Wall-E ornament to remember it by.

We bought this reindeer candleholder centerpiece a few years ago and it's still one of my favorite decorations.

The scarf on Bear (original name, I know) has the year "1998" on it. This was our first Christmas together. We had started dating the June previous and Luke got this for me that year for Christmas. It's a staple in our home every year.

We're going to go for a Christmas Light Run (our second annual) in a few minutes, so I'll post some pictures of the outside of our house soon.

Coupons

2008-12-02T18:48:00.002-07:00

To those of you who have somehow mastered the Art of Couponing: Congrats. I am envious of your magic. But I just can't do it. I don't know what my problem is, but for some reason I'm not able to actually save money using coupons.

I have given this trend a SOLID try. I joined the website telling me what coupons come out in the Sunday paper every week, and I've coupled them with store sales. I've even gone exclusively to stores that price-match in order to get the BEST deals. I tried to join the CVS Cult and match the coupons with their own savings and their register reward thingies...

I'm sorry people. I'm officially waving my white flag of surrender. (Does it help that I saved $0.75 on the flag because I also bought a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's??) I simply cannot make it work for me.

I spend 30 minutes (sometimes MUCH more) scouring the websites, the store flyers and the coupon inserts for the best matchie-matchie deals. I then spend another 30 minutes printing off coupons from websites for those same items to save even more, but I always end up SPENDING more. For some reason, my brain doesn't work this way.

For the past year or so, Luke and I have slowly begun to stop eating food with labels. We're trying to eat "close to the earth" - in other words, fresh meats, veggies, fruit, bread, etc. Every so often I'll pick up a box of crackers or a frozen Lean Cuisine, but it's rare. So the time I spend looking for coupons that: A) don't exist for the items I buy, or B) are for things that I don't want to be eating anyway, just isn't time well spent.

So I will make a deal with the Coupon gods. I will go through the ones in the paper to see what items I will use; i.e., household products, personal items, the occasional Ben and Jerry's (a girl's gotta LIVE, right?!). I will use those coupons to save $0.50 here, $1.00 there. Hell, I'll even wait for those things to go on SALE first. And I will fully enjoy those savings. But I cannot continue to put in so much time and effort into something with so little payoff for my household.

In return, Coupon gods, can you please just make sure your folks have them ready when they get to the register?