A Few Mishaps...

I thought I'd share a few embarrasing stories from the past week.

The story of the burnt steak:




Well, as y'all know, Patrick and I were going to see Phantom on Saturday night. I had this brilliant, albeit naive, idea that I'd make a romantical dinner of mashed potatoes, green beans, steak, and salad. Now, in my romantical head I had visions of setting up my kitchen table with candles, wine glasses, perfectly cooked steak, and plates, so that when Patrick arrived it'd be ready to go. Well...my mind is a lot more confident in my cooking skills. I set out to Central Market that day to buy the ingredients. I was following a recipe because I had never cooked steak on my stove before. I started to cook the steaks on the skillet, and Patrick arrived right as I was throwing them on the stove. And while he sat and watched TV, and I cut up the potatoes, I realized that yes, in fact, the skillet was smoking, and friends, I live in an apartment. Which meant it did not take long for the ENTIRE apt to fill with smoke, and the smoke alarm to go off, and me to freak out. We ended up running around in a comedy of errors. All doors/windows were open, with the Callie Cat safely barricaded in the bathroom. Needless to say, that once the smoke cleared, the steaks were burnt, charred more likely on one side. Oops. I have a wonderful boyfriend who insisted on still eating the steak. I've learned my lesson though. Don't attempt a new recipe when you are on a limited time frame, yikes.





The story of the broken heel:



I had a hearing on Monday morning. During this hearing, I was rocking on my black heels (as I do when I am nervous), about half way through the hearing I feel something break on my shoe, I look down, and sure enough, my heel snapped off. I tried not to think about it. And as I started to walk away from the Judge's bench, I thought surely its still attached somewhat (and not wanting to direct attention to the broken heel because there were approximately 30 attorneys waiting behind me) I decided to simply act like nothing happened. Well, that didn't work. Sure enough I look down and realize that in fact I have lost the heel somewhere in the court room. When, all of a sudden, another attorney, bends down, picks up the lost heel, and says "Ma'am, I believe this is your heel" in front of everyone. I mean, what can ya do at this point. I laughed, took my heel, smiled, and graciously basked in my embarrasment as I left the courtroom, and proceed to walk back 6 blocks to my buidling in downtown, pretending I had a heel on my left shoe. Luckily I had another pair of black shoes in my car. Whew.

Happy News to report - I am officially moving into a bigger office TODAY! Yay!

Much Love.

Yay: New office.

Dang: The amoutn of launrdy I need to wash, dry, fold, repeat this weekend.

Mexico Vacay Day 6 and 7 and 8

Days 6 and 7 and 8:

View from our balcony

On Day 6 (Thursday) - we layed by the pool once more. We were stragglers that morning. Woke up, had a buffet breakfast, and then found a hut by the pool. We stayed out there for most of the day, fluctuating between the pool and our lounge chairs. Patrick's sunburn was pretty bad on his back so we tended to stay out of the sun more often than not. I finished my pottery bowl also that day. That night we ate dinner at the Chez Isabelle restaurant (the French restaurant). It was one of the tastiest restaurants/fanciest by far. We had a good dinner and turned in early.


On Day 7 (Friday) -

On the scuba boat

We decided to take on a scuba adventure. That morning we had a scuba lesson for an hour and a half in the pool at the resort (we are not certified, keep in mind). In this lesson we learned the basics of how to scuba and scuba'd to the other side of the lazy river. Which I am sure received some funny looks, but we liked it! After our lesson we ate lunch and then vegged. At around 2:30 we went down to the beach and met the other couples for our scubaing boat. We went out to a coral reef park near Isla Mujeres and got to scuba in coral reef! We only went down abuot 30 feet, which was fine, considering my scuba knowledge was limited to what I had learned that morning. No freak outs this time. Amazing how I was more comfortable under water than up in the air. Someone told me it might be about my level of control. I was definitely in more control under the water. I LOVED scuba diving. I really want to get certified now for otu next beach vacation. We saw some pretty fish and eels. I took a lot of pics, and I still need to get those developed at Costco (cheap prices).

At the buffet

Our friends Jason and Kim from Canada!

That night we ate at the Mexican Buffet (with 5 layers of bug spray). It was super tasty. They decorated the entire place in a mexican theme. Afterwards we headed to the Alegria bar for one last night at the discoteque. Patrick sang again at Karaoke and this time it was "Thong Song" by Sisco. It. was. hilarious. He had the crowd roaring. We also got a chance to hang out with our Canadian friends one last time. It was a great last night at oure resort!


On Day 8 -


This was our departure day. Our flight wasn't until 5 pm that afternoon and our transportation didn't arrive until 2:30 so we got to have a late lunch and wonder around the resort for a while. It was sad saying goodbye to such a wonderful vacation! I enjoyed every minute and was thankful for getting to spend so much time with Patrick (he's so busy right now I don't see him very often). I felt rejuventaed and relaxed and ready to tackle the real world once more.

My upcoming weekend -

Includes:

I CANNOT WAIT! Recap of the above on Monday!

Mexico Vacay Day 5

Day 5:

We woke on Day 5 (Wed.) to rain and storms. We lazed around the room for a while, had breakfast, and then decided it'd be fun to schedule a parasailing excursion for that afternoon (the rain was predicted to clear up).

Resort from parasail boat

We went down to the excursion place in the afternoon. Herein starts Sara's least favorite moment of the vacation - the parasail, or "skyrider". Sometimes I trick myself into thinking I'm not afraid of things (like heights), only to be in the midst of the nonfearful activity to realize that I am in fact afraid. Well we sit into the parasail bucket tarp seat (as I like to think of it), and are informed to hold on the tiny silver arm rest as our safety precaution. And its up in the air we go. Well, at first it was neat to be up there so high and able to see the pretty water below and our resort and Isla Mujeres. When it stopped being fun was when the seat we were in (that had no safety harnesses), started to tilt, and my life flashed before my eyes (okay, a bit dramatic, but I did imagine Patrick and I falling out of it and hitting the water below from 50 ft, which Patrick told me would hurt, but prolly wouldnt' break anything). I death gripped Patrick's leg, to which he responded with - we are coming down. I said, no no, i'm fine, really. ANd took a few pics, and then screamed when the boat jerked forward and for a second it felt like we were about to fall straight down. Needless to say, we came down after that. Now, i know this post sounds wimpy, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been better latched in. It was the fear of falling out that really got me. (and no worries, I felt pretty stupid the following Friday when patrick and i watched a 7 year old get into it with her dad, oh well).

Me before going up on the parasail

The Sky Rider

The rest of the day was fun though. Patrick went to the room to nap, and I painted pottery by the pool. It was relaxing to just sit and paint a bowl and drink a Dos XXs. The bowl is now proudly displayed in my living room!

Before dinner

That night we ate dinner at the italian restaurant "Toscana". It was pretty tasty! And then we headed to the discoteque for a night cap, then headed to bed.


Tomorrow - Day 6!

Mexico Vacay Days 2 and 3

Day 2 and 3:

Here is another view of the pool

These two days were spent doing the exact same thing both days - laying by the pool, napping, reading my book, swimming, eating, drinking fruity drinks, repeat.

La Playa

These two days were exactly what I needed. Days where the hardest decisions were what to drink and where was I going to lay by the pool, and what time should be eat?

We didn't once get into the actual ocean (gasp!, other than when we went scuba diving and parasailing). The pool side lounging options were much better for us (no sand), and direct access to the pool/pool bar.

The Resort had a bunch of different pools. Luckily our room was located in building 8, which is directly in the middle of everything. We layed by the main pool most days because it again was where most ppl were located and where the food/bar was located. There was also a lazy river and a few more smaller pools spread around the resort.

On Monday night, we ate planned to eat dinner outside at The Caribbean buffet, because it looked fun, but once we sat outside for five minutes and were eaten by about a thousand mosquitoes, we moved inside. Instaed we ate at the tapas restaurant there. It was tasty, but more like a snack before dinner, we ordered room service when we got back to our room.

Cute Patootey at dinner at the tapas restaurant

On Tuesday we layed by the pool all day, and by lay i mean we were in the pool talking to another couple in direct sunlight for a good 6 hours. Yea. Patrick's sunburn on his back proves this. I got out once to re apply sunscreen to my arms and face because I felt like I was baking, only to realize that in fact I had already baked. I took one mean nap after the 6 hour pool stint though. That night we ate dinner at "The Lobster House". It was pretty good. I think Patrick enjoyed it more than I am, and I think it just made me remember that I don't really like rubbery lobster. We had a good time learning new words though from the table sitting next to us, such as "flamboyant" spoken in a french accent, said completely serious. After dinner we just walked around the resort and called it a night.

This is what your face looks like after being in a pool, in direct sunlight, for over 5 hours.

Up next - Sara's least favorite moment of the vacay on Day 4, let's just say it involves a parasail (wed.).

A Few of my Fave things that Get me Through the Day

Here is a list of my fave things that get me through the work day:

1. Coffee - whether its from Sbux, or from the coffee machine in the break room.
2. Daily afternoon emails with the boyfriend.
3. Daily emails with Elaine (that start normally in the morning and end when one of us leaves for home).
4. Lunch breaks and reading a book or meeting a friend for lunch.
5. My iHome and music. I think I might be the only attorney in my office that listens to music while they work, might be the generation gap, I'll see once the two new guys start in a month.
6. Talking with Rosa and Grace (two legal assistants).
7. Staring at the construction across the street.
8. Checking my fave websites during my breaks.
9. Thinking about whatever i have planned that night.


What are your fave things that get you through your work day? I tag - Elaine, Mel., Jen Lewis

Mexico Vacay Day One

Here it is.. the long awaited vacation post! I will be doing them by days (and sometimes days combined)

Day Uno:

Patrick and I flew out of Houston around 7 am (which meant we had to be at the airport by 5 am, yikes, yea it was that bad). The only thing that got me through the wake up call at 3:30 am, was the fact that I knew I'd be in Mexico in a few short hours and able to take as long of a nap that I wanted.We arrived in lovely Cancun, Mexico that morning. Headed to the Resort, which was about 30 minutes from the airport. There were approximately 3 gates to get through before maknig it to our resort, I'd say the resort was pretty secure.

After we checked in

Upon our arrival, we were met with glasses of champagne (which I loved, and drank patrick's), and hot towels (i never really quite know what to do with those, so I wiped my hands(?) and gave it back). We checked in and were given a pager that would alert us when our room was ready (we got to the resort around 10:45 am, check in was at 3 pm). We went and ate breakfast at "The Lobster House" (one of the two outdoor restaurants, it was over the pool) and the toured aronud the resort (looking like touristas with our maps and guide). We finally settled in at the "Martini Bar" in the main lobby, in which most ppl will note that I left my "pina colosas" post on Facebook, I really hadn't drank that much by that point... Sure enough around 1 pm the Resort let us know our room was ready, and let me tell ya, we were ready for it and a good 3 hour nap that followed! After our nap from about 1:30 - 4:30 pm, we decided to check out the rest of the resort and grabbed some dinner at "The Grill", which is next door to "The Lobster House" and as one might assume from the title, serves food cooked on a grill (i.e. steaks). I had a tasty filet, patrick had a not so tasty ribeye, and ate the last half of my filet instead (resort food is always hit or miss).



This is the view from The Lobster House

After dinner - we ventured over to the "Alegria Bar" - the resorts version of a discoteque. We struck up a lovely conversation with a couple from Nebraska (who knew where Gothenburg was located (small town my college roomie Heidi is from). Karaoke was that night and so of course Patrick sang "Sweet Caroline" and brought the house down. We met another fun couple that night (who we hung out with various times throughout the week). They were from Canada, eh! And were super nice and we ended up talking to them till the bar closed down (how's that for shutting the bar down our first night).

At the Alegria Bar

It was a fun and long first day, and we couldn't wait to lay by the pool the next day, and the next ...

Happy Engagement!

I know you are thinking reading the title, WHAT, Sara you are engaged, and I didn't know?! Alas, I am not, but TWO of my good friends from law school are!! (one happened back in May, i'm a little slow on the post, and the other last weekend).

Happy Engagement JLeist!

Leist (as I call her, her name is Jennifer), and Ro (as we all call him, his name is Robert), started dating towards the beginning of law school. Met each other in law school (same section), and the rest is history! I'm so excited for her and Ro, and I cannot wait for their wedding this February!

Happy Engagement Murm!

I love this pic of she and Westy. Mary and Weston (Murm and Westy) were engaged last Friday! I'm super excited for them. They've been dating now since the beginning of second year of law school, and fell in love while on law review with one another (sigh). I can't wait to celebrate their wedding in March of 2010!

As of now I have three weddings to look forward to in 2010, all in a row (Trace - Jan., Leist - Feb., Murm - March!!).

Congrats y'all four. I'm happy for each of you :)

Much Love.

Yay: Seeing Phantom this weekend!

Dang: Sleepy. And i still need to post the vacay blog, sorry.

Weekend

Man, this afternoon is trudging by. I know, I owe blog world a post about my trip, that'll come this weekend. It takes so long to upload pics on blogger that I can't do it during the day, and my pics are on my home computer.

This week has gone by fastly. It's been a busy week with lots of fun things.

Wed. night was my friends and I's first Book Club meeting. We discusseed "Post Birthday World", girl talked, and drank a lot of vino. Very fun! We'll be meeting once a month from now on.

Thursday night I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. OMG, if you love movies, you'll love this movie. I haven't even read the books (gasp, I know), but I LOVED this movie. It was just very well made and the actors were great. I'm going to Borders after work today to pick up the last book because I can't wait two years to find out what happens. That's right, I'll have read one HP book, and it'll be the last one, what can I say.

Tonight - going to dinner with the sister and brother in law. And then the rest of the weekend is up in the air(which I don't mind). Oh and a post about my trip!

Back to the grind I go, only 2 more hours!

Much Love.

Yay: successful research day (nerdy)
Dang: headache and sleepy right now.

Sneak Peek

Update on my AWESOME Mexico Vacation to come soon! Still trying to get back into the swing of things. Lots to come soon though (if you are on facebook and are my friend, you can check out the pics now).

Shuffle em up

I've decided to start a new "game" to entertain myself while I work. It's called - Shuffle em up. What is this game? Well, I have my Ipod on "shuffle". I've noticed that a lot of times, when it is on shuffle, songs are played that I either haven't heard in a very long time, didn't realize I owned, love, secretly miss hearing, or have no idea why I put that song on my ipod. So, to entertain myself, I am daring myself to document on here (my blog), the songs that are played on my shuffle today (even the ones I don't want to admit that I own) and if a song is particularly compelling, the memory it invokes. No worries, I'll "dare" some of my fellow bloggers to the challenge at the end of this post ... (silly post, I know, but its the "small" things (like I mentioned in my last post) that make me happy/entertained):

Here we go! (in the exact order they are coming up on my Ipod)
(started at 12:09 pm).

• "Old Blue Chair" - Kenny Chesney (reminds me of - laying in a pool during the summer, at my parent's house).
• "Sfunkae" - LordMing (no idea).
• "No One Mourns the Wicked" - Wicked Soundtrack (reminds me of - studying in law school in the library, you would think it would remind me of seeing the musical, but it doesnt, b/c I haven't seen it...yet).
• "Spies" - Coldplay (again, studying, listened to Coldplay a lot in law school).
• "All Fall Down" - One Republic
• "All Because of You" - U2 (my brother in law b/c he loves U2)
• "Crazy" - Pat Green (college!)
• "Where the Boat Leaves From" - Zac Brown Band (the beach!)
• "Can't you Just Adore her" - Mandy Moore (summer between 2nd and 3rd year of law school)
• "Hotel California" - The Eagles (my dad)
• "Orpheus in the Underworld" - Jacques Offenbach (band)
• "I don't want to Be" - Gavin DeGraw (baylor)
• "Hillbilly Deluxe" - Brookes and Dunn

Okay, that's enough for me! I'm switching to the new Mandy Moore CD - "Amanda Leigh" that I just bought, while I read People and eat my sandwich, then its back to work!

Much Love.

Yay: Tomorrow is my "Friday"

Dang: sunburn, still.