Secret Life of Bees

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it. Her language skills are superb and her storytelling top notch. Some of the characters I loved so much I wanted to jump in the book and meet them.
The book is set in 1964 in South Carolina during the tumultuous racial integrations that were sweeping the country. In the midst of it all a young white girl finds herself in a home of three African American sisters named August, June and May who blur racial lines and show her true compassion and help her on her journey to healing after living with an incredibly abusive father and coming to terms with what happened to her mother who died when she was four. The bees are an literary tool used to tie the human experience together. I'm sad it's over because the time I spent reading it I found myself savoring it and drinking in the details. I can't wait to read another one of her novels. I now have really high expectations of this author now that I know what she is capable of.

Contimplating the Sky

Have you ever contimplated the sky?
How amazing it truly is? How the clouds can be light and fluffy, floating in the bright blue sky. Or dense and black and menacing during a storm. Or pink during a sunset, speckled with stars at night?
I know we are often so busy going about preoccupied with ourselves that we often don't sit back and see the beautiful things surrounding us. And let them fill us with wonder or peace so we can reflect on wonderful things.

Lifes Reality Checks

Growing up as a little girl I always imagined and believed that once you found that person you wanted to marry and had the big day it was smooth sailing in the relationship department. I mean you were in love and that's all you needed right?

I even had really good marital pre-counseling and none of it prepares you for just how hard being married is. It is a job in its self. You have to work to make it work, and even then sometimes it just doesn't because the other person doesn't want to do the work.

Something so little as actually listening and asking about how you are and really meaning it. When you know something is important to your spouse, making it important to you. And the little things. So many times it's the little things that can make all the difference in the world. A kiss, a hug, a card, remembering when you should. It all adds up.

Thought I Was Gonna Hurl

Today I attended media training with my department. We were practicing media interviews. Now this is the first time I had EVER been interviewed on camera, heck I'd never been interviewed, I was always the interviewer. It was horrific (thus the photo above with the vultures) and I seriously thought I was going to be sick. Going over what you are going to say in your head is the easy part. You can sound confident and cocky and you imagine your gonna rock.

And then your mouth opens. And the stuff coming out is not at all what you thought should be. And then there's this camera right in your face. But I did it. I got out of my comfort zone and I'm proud of that. I have new respect for PR people. Being able to keep it together on the fly, getting their message out and remembering lipstick should be a must for all ladies on camera, especially me.

Grave Markers

So how many of you out there have a folder on your computer called Grave Markers? As I was transferring files I started thinking that I might be a little strange for having one. See a few years back I got interested in my families genealogies. And through searching the Internet I found a distant cousin of my Mom's who had done extensive work on the Kinder side of my family (back to the 1600's). The next time I was in Ft. Wayne (my mom's hometown) I found myself in the cemetery with my Mom and Aunt Pat finding family graves. We found ones we knew about (like the one above which is my Mom's grandfather) and ones we didn't know were there, family members dating to the early 1900's.

There's something very grounding (sorry for the pun) about being in a cemetery, especially standing in front of graves of ancestors from many years gone by. I remember thinking I wonder what these people were like, what they looked like. It's also grounding because it's an ending that everyone faces and you can't hide from it in a cemetery.

So I don't think I'm that strange having a folder named Grave Markers, because really it's a family photo album of a sort.

So I Fibbed..No Big Deal

Ok, so in the previous post it said I was going to go and buy the new Harry Potter book and lend it to my mom because I was already in the middle of page-turner that I didn't want to interrupt. Well, that was the intention. But last Saturday after returning from buying the book at Target and sitting down on my couch where I only intended to glance through it and take a good look at the cover front and back (they are always good hints at what's to come) I cracked it and read the first page...and before I knew it I was 50 pages in. When my parents came home from vacation I told her she was going to have to wait a week...I was reading the book. I just finished it tonight. A little slower than my usual, but I realized I read the last one way too fast and don't remember as much as I thought I did. Note to self: go back and re-read the series before the final book!

So what do I think? It was great. And I love the new more grown-up Harry and that him and his buds are "snogging" or making out and finding more and more about who he is and what he needs to do. The death was sad, but I wasn't shocked, I think I knew who was going to die. The seventh book will be a departure from the rest and I can't wait to get my hands on it. So J.K., get writing would you?

Now back to my other book, Angels & Demons, I know the good part is about to start so there'll be more intense reading coming my way. I am always amazed how much books can suck you in. My husband thinks I'm nuts and even told me he's glad I'm done with the Potter book because he thinks I liked reading it more than spending time with him. Now that's not true, not mostly...
just kidding honey!

Happy Harry Potter Release Day!

Ok, I don't have a copy yet, I'm on my way out to Target where I hope to score a copy. I think I will have to let my Mom read it first because I am in the middle of a book right now and I don't want to stop mid-read. But I am excited and can't wait to get reading on this one. I know I'm 30, but this series has been a great read. I'm just so happy that so many kids are excited about reading. In a world with so many other distractions it's hard to get them to sit still and read anything, let along books in excess of 600 pages!

So Happy Harry Potter Release Day! Kids around the world are quiet reading!

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky

Well, there's some damage in the Tampa Bay area. A tornado touched down earlier this morning along the beaches and tree braches are down and some minor roof damage. But once again Tampa Bay has been really spared. I don't know how it happens, but I feel very blessed and lucky.

And it's so funny, I didn't realize that when I linked to NOAA that the image would continue to update. In a little more than a day, Dennis will be gone. Wonder what the picture will show then. But it is pretty cool.

Gulp!

So is there such thing as pre-tramtic stress disorder rather than just post? Reading the words 130 miles per hour and moving more easterly, causes my head to hurt and my stomach to get all in knots. And all the waiting, the news casts, forcasts and more waiting. I think I'm going to need some counseling if this keeps up!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Wednesday is my Grandma's 80th birthday. I wish I could have been there to celebrate but the new job didn't allow for it.

I am very lucky to have had her for so long in my life and am looking forward to more memories.

Happy Birthday!

I'm Grateful to You.

Over the past four months I've been very blessed to have a certian friend who has stepped up to help me through a really tough patch in my life.

He has let me bend his ear for many hours and in the end only encouraged me. He came when I asked, even for the smallest and trivial things and never complained to me, never waivered.

So tonight I want to thank him again. You know who you are and you need to know ANY time you need a friend you know who you can call. Because your tab is very long with me.

Have a very safe trip tomorrow my friend.

Genius, pure genius

He's no madman!

So I went to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg this weekend. I have lived in Pinellas County since I was 5 and this is the first time I had ever been there. What was I thinking?

In my head I had images of melting clocks and other shocking paintings. That is only one small part of Dali's repertoire. He painted stunning pieces, some vibrant in color, and others very subtle, all complex in detail and stunning in his mastery.

Some of his larger works which stood from ceiling to floor had me amazed. I know at times my mouth just hung open in wonder as to how one person could do such paintings.

So if you're in St. Petersburg, take time out and go see this museum, it will be worth your time and money to get to glimpse inside of the mind of a genius.

Summer Sure Is Something

Smile, It's Almost Summer

So what is about the eve of the Summer Solstice that makes me want to clean? I can't figure it out myself. First it started innocently with some light dusting and picking up and laundry. Next thing you know, I'm mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors, and enjoying it. Is it cosmic forces coming together at 2:40 something this morning that marks the beginning of summer that set me off? What has encouraged me to turn up the CD player and to gleefully clean my house on a Monday night? To breath deeply the orange-scented fumes of Mr. Clean as they cleanse the kitchen floors? I don't know what it was, but it had to be something not of this world. Because my house is now a little cleaner, brighter and I didn't mind it.

Happy Summer everyone. Get out there and enjoy the longer days. Enjoy whatever it is that brings you joy today. Even if it is mopping.

I'm waiting for the same thing to strike me in regards to pulling weeds. Never know what the great cosmic forces will have me doing next.

Do These Guys Ever Work?

Tribune Biz Team

So I get this picture e-mailed to me yesterday with the subject: See What You're Missing? and from another "If this doesn't make you home sick I don't know what will."

It's good to see they're taking the new guy in my job out and making him feel welcome AND having a good time while they are at it. As you can see there are reasons why I do miss those guys, they always knew how to have a good time, no matter how stupid/funny they looked.

Hats off to you the Business Staff & two Baylifers that came along for the fun. I do miss you, but a girl's gotta make a living too!

Weeds, Be Gone!

Ok, it's hot this week in Central Florida and dry. So every day I have to water the plants outside to make sure they don't die.

So why is it that they plants wilt and the weeds flourish? They look healthier than the day before when I didn't water them. And how do they grow so fast? I just don't get it. In addition, how is it possible that I mowed the lawn Saturday afternoon and it needs to be mowed again, like yesterday? This crazy Florida weather brings even crazier gardening!

I'm Not Scared..Maybe.

So what is about scary movies that people love and make them want to watch more of them? I just don't understand it. I caught myself watching a movie on Lifetime Movies that was a horror flick and I couldn't stop watching it. Something about tensing up while expecting something bad to happen and then the release when it does. And trying to figure out why something is happening and who is causing it. And that feeling afterwards that the movie left a creepy feeling with you that the bad guy could be lurking around the corner in your house.

Why do we do it? And since it's supernatural week on Lifetime if the movie catches my fancy tomorrow night again, I'll be asking that to myself again.

I'm Living in A Corporate World!

Whew!
Week one of working in the corporate world has come and gone. And what a week it was. I think I can get used to this kind of corporate culture. One where I get taken out to the Columbia Restaurant (swanky Spanish/Cuban restaurant) on the first night and had every thing paid for, even drinks and desert is I wanted it. And I already have 2 company shirts, which is helpful in building this new wardrobe.

But it is hard work. Being at work on time and there at 8 a.m., meetings, scheduled, re-scheduled and re-scheduled again (I do a lot of that), invoices and yes fans, I, Sarah, will be balancing the department BUDGET at the end of the year. Thank God an accounting rep is given to me, or I should fear the outcome. I don't balance the family checkbook, and there is a reason for it.

Did I mention a corp. credit card and a cell phone? Yes, all of those will soon be mine. Sounds pretty fancy...it's not, but it's a step up for me. Now I just have to turn my body's clock around and become used to getting up at 6:30...will that ever happen?

So Sarah Says has gone to the dark side...and I'm not looking back.

I'm still young at heart

So I took this dumb little Internet quiz and found out that my mental age is 29! I'm OK with this since I am 30. For some reason I was afraid I would be pegged at 50 or something, to go along with the ever increasing number of gray hairs I keep getting. Here's what the quiz said about me:

You Are 29 Years Old

29 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Fricken' Nervous!

Okay, so the new job starts tomorrow. I have orientation in the morning for 8-11:30, into work, more orientation and then DINNER with my new team, boss and her new boss! OYE! I haven't been this nervous, well in a long time or longer. I was actually pacing yesterday. PACING. I told a good friend it was lucky I had very little alcohol in my house because I would have been stinking drunk Saturday night just so I could shut my brain up. This is like actually a REAL job, one I'm going to have to work hard at. What the heck was I thinking? Say a little prayer for me this week, I'm surely going to need it!

My New Favorite Workout Name

I was flipping through the channels a few evenings ago and I came across this new workout: Yoga Booty Ballet. The name just cracked me up. It's a mix of yoga, "booty sculpting" and dance. You have to see the commercial at sometime, the moves are so funny. You can read about the program by clicking the link.

Beachbody Fitness, Nutrition, Diet and Weight Loss Programs, Products & Videos