Category Archives: Friends

Oct7

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

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The Lost Art of Letter Writing

One thing I love more than anything in the world is giving and receiving letters. My beloved grandmother (RIP <3) instilled in me at a very young age the power of hand written letters. Growing up, I remember getting so excited to see letters from my grandma in the mail. It wasn’t long before I began to write to her individually and eagerly anticipate a reply back. I loved reading my grandmas beautiful flowing cursive in rich black ink, because she always used brand new ball point pens. I’m actually getting insanely emotional as I type this, because now that my grandma has passed, the letters that I saved from her are even more dear to me. I began thinking about how no one really writes letters anymore while I was writing today to my sweet friend Neva, who you can read all about in my post Thankful. Neva was one of my grandma’s friends, and she’s sort of like my pen pal in between when I visit her. There’s something so beautiful to me about a handwritten note. A note just for you. A note that someone took the time out of their day to sit down and write, because they were thinking about you. That’s just so amazing to me. Whenever I would receive a letter from my grandma or Neva, thoughts like that would fill my head, and make the gift of the letter that much more special to me. The personal touch of a letter is far beyond anything a quick text message, email, or phone call can give you. Whenever I read old notes from my grandma from over a year ago, I can still hear her saying her written words in my head. It’s like an extra special hug from her to reread her telling me that she loves me. What could be better than that? Letters make me happy. It makes me feel good every time I send a letter to Neva, because I know she’s going to open it up and smile at my words. Brightening someones day like that is what I live for. The power of words never ceases to amaze me. Honestly, I’m not sure why people don’t write anymore, especially knowing that writing a quick ten minute note could make someones day. Who wouldn’t take the time to do that? Maybe I’m an old soul at heart, but I’d rather get something handwritten than all this virtual mumbo jumbo any day.

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The picture above are just a few of the notes and cards I have saved from my grandma and Neva. I have them tucked safely away in my desk drawer, where I can look at them any time I want. I can’t encourage you guys enough to sit down and write a letter today to someone who means something to you. They’re going to appreciate it more than you know, I can promise you that. Have a lovely Tuesday evening! -Sarah

Oct5

Being “That Girl”

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Being “That Girl”

So last night I went out with my sister Kristen and her boyfriend Ramon, and had an absolute drunken blast. Now I totally understand that some people won’t appreciate this entry, but that’s okay. I also promise you that there’s a point to this post.  Let’s get this story started:

The night started out with pre gaming at Ramon’s place. We drank the ultimate girly drinks of strawberitas and Angry Orchard. Honestly I’m such a lightweight that I was pretty intoxicated by the time we got to the bowling alley, where we met up with a bunch of our friends. I’ve never had so much fun bowling in my life, even though I gutter balled almost every time! Minus the one true miracle that occurred when I somehow managed to get a strike! “HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!” While at the bowling ally myself and the crew indulged in more alcohol, this time we were drinking on actual liquor. Fireball and Coke and Long Islands for me and my sister. This is when I began turning into “That Girl”. After my first Fireball and Coke drink, I was completely and utterly wasted. (#lightweight) That’s when you would think the night began to take a turn for the worse, but really my night just got better. The only sucky part of the night was throwing up in the bowling ally bathroom – that was pretty gross. But like a champ I headed back to my friends and threw another perfect gutter ball afterwards. It was only midnight at this point in my drunk adventures, the night was still young, and would continue for another hour or so. How could I forget to mention my knight in bowling shoes in my drunken fairy tale? The entire night myself and this really cute guy named Andrew were pretty flirty with each other. He tried in vain to teach me how to throw the bowling ball and we were both having such a good time. And yes, we TOTALLY made out. Score! God, he was so cute. The end. 🙂

The point of the story? That sometimes, its okay to be “That Girl”. Am I condoning going out and getting wasted every night? Absolutely not. Am I condoning going out for the first time in ages and having a great time? Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with being a twenty year old every once in a while. Sometimes I forget that I’m only twenty….I feel so much older. It also doesn’t help that all of my friends forget that I’m still a “baby”. It was really fun doing something like bowling with a drunken twist. I felt safe while I was with my sister, Ramon, and our posse. I felt safe knowing we had a designated driver to get us home. So why not live in the moment? Why not indulge for one night? I have a hell of a hangover right now, in fact, my head is throbbing as I type this – but that’s just one small price to pay for a night out.

Happy Sunday and best of luck to anyone nursing a hangover today. I feel for you. -Sarah

Oct1

Crocker Park: The best shopping in Ohio!

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Crocker Park: The best shopping in Ohio!

I had an absolute blast yesterday at Crocker Park with one of my best friends, Kaytee. Crocker Park is a shopping wonderland. It’s a beautiful outdoor plaza that spans for about three blocks worth of amazing clothing and accessory stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. There’s seriously a store for everyone at Crocker Park. Fabulous shops include: Urban Outfitters, Francesca’s, H&M, Sephora, Anthropologie, Express, White House Black Market, Victoria’s Secret, MAC, and American Eagle. That list doesn’t even begin to cover everything though! Kaytee and I spent a lot of time in H&M, and it was so terrific. Two floors worth of beautiful clothes for really reasonable prices. It’s also always an added bonus when the cashier is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS and French! I left him my number, so keep your fingers crossed that he texts me! 😉 I was so happy because I FINALLY found a new pair of coated leather black skinny jeans at H&M to replace my falling apart pair from PacSun. They’re gorgeous. There’s zippers at the ankles for a cool rocker feel, and the knees are patched with quilted leather rather than the coated denim for an amazing touch. I also purchased a really awesome pair of army green challis pants with some very unique detailing. They feature four sets of pockets, two perfect squares on each side with a pocket flap, and then two rectangles on the hips with the fabric draping rather than looking like a traditional pocket. I always love browsing through Urban Outfitters whenever me and my girl make the trip up to Crocker Park, however I rarely buy anything from there. The store gives me great ideas of different looks and styles that I can usually find for much cheaper else where. Another store we spent a lot of time in was Francesca’s, which is a lovely little boutique filled with sweet clothing, shoes, and accessories. All of the clothes there are stunning. The colors used are all so rich and the detailing and patterns are to die for. It’s so fun going shopping with Kaytee because we actually shop when we’re together. Some people breeze through the store quickly and then leave. Not us. We take our time and go through each rack of clothes so we don’t miss anything. If we didn’t shop that way I wouldn’t have found my black jeans at H&M!! It’s a tradition of ours to get dinner at The Cheesecake Factory whenever we have a shopping day, so we held true to that tradition yesterday. Dinner was delicious, fettuccine alfredo for me and a burger for Kaytee. To finish the meal we got a piece of Dulce de Leche cheesecake to share. YUM. I’m gaining weight just thinking about it!! If you’re ever in Ohio and are looking for a shopping extravaganza, I can’t recommend Crocker Park enough. The shopping is fabulous and the outdoor plaza is so lovely that it’s fun to just grab a coffee and walk around. Here’s a picture of all of my purchases:

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I also got a free panty from Victoria’s Secret and a free lotion from Bath and Body Works. I LOVE COUPONS!!! Here’s the official website for Crocker Park if you would like more information on it: http://www.crockerpark.com/

Have a happy Hump Day! -Sarah

Sep24

Oh you crafty huh? Part two!

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I had a lovely time hanging out with one of my dear friends Tyler today. One of our favorite things to do when we hang out is indulge in a bottle of wine and get nice and crafty! Here’s the results and the how to’s of our fall inspired creation today!

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All that’s needed for this craft is:

  • mason jar
  • acorns
  • rope
  • candle holder
  • candle

Here are the steps for making this cute little craft, even though it’s pretty self explanatory!

  • Acquire acorns! Go to your nearest hiking trail or even your backyard and turn into a human squirrel and collect as many acorns as needed to semi fill your mason jar.
  • Place the candle holder with candle into said mason jar. Tyler and I purchased a taller candle holder and a tea light candle, and the acorns fit very nicely around them.
  • Fill your jar with as little or as many acorns as you’d like. I’d recommend filling it a little more than halfway so you get a nice effect from the candle light peeking out of all the nooks and crannies of the acorns piled on each other.
  • Tie the rope around the top of the jar for the final touch.
  • Light your candle, dim the lights, and enjoy your new fall themed candle jar!

And there you have it! Simple as that. A ten minute craft gave Tyler and myself a fun new autumn decoration! If you guys have any quick and easy fall crafts, let me know! Have a great night! -Sarah

Sep19

Thankful.

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Today I got to spend time with one of my favorite people in the world. My sweet southern belle, Neva. And for that, I am SO grateful. I met Miss Neva about ten years ago. She was living in the same Christian retirement center that my beloved grandma was living in. Whenever I would visit my grandma who is now passed (I love you!!!!), she would introduce me to all of her friends, so it was just a matter of time before I met Neva. I instantly took a liking to her, with her sweet southern drawl, her gaudy jewelry, and her blonde bouffant wig. Over the years, we developed a very special friendship with each other. My grandma passing was extremely hard on me, and being able to mourn with her when I came to visit her was always very comforting to me, because she too lost a dear friend in my grandma. I try to visit Neva as often as I can, because her friendship is very important to me. It makes me happy to know that I make her happy. And the joy she brings me is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Whenever I visit, it’s seriously just two girls hanging out. We gossip and gab about our families,the retirement home residents, our beauty and fashion secrets, and anything else that comes to mind. Neva used to be an extremely talented painter, and bless her heart she still continues to paint her days away, so whenever I come to see her, she always has plenty of new art pieces to show me. I cherish our time together, and seeing her today made my day off perfect. Have a great Friday guys. Spend time with someone you love. -Sarah

Sep17

Oh you crafty, huh?

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My friends and I LOVE crafting!!! Canvas art projects have been our favorite thing to do while we hang out. There’s so many cute ideas on Pinterest, that I wanna make them all! (GOTTA CATCH EM ALL – POKEMON!) Seriously who knew that you could have a fabulous looking piece of art just by painting and glueing stuff down on a canvas?! I barely have half an artistic bone in my body, but these fun projects make me feel creative and artsy and I love it! My favorite craft though is definitely the melted crayon canvas. Particularly the one with the couple under the umbrella. So sweet. So fun. If you guys have any questions on how to make any of these, leave me a comment! And please comment some of your favorite canvas crafts so I can make them with my friends!!! Thanks! ❤ ❤

Sep13

There are good ships, there are bad ships….

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But the best ships are friendships. Duh. My best friendship of over six years with my sweet Miss Lea is probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. I’m so lucky that we were in freshman year English class together, because it was the only class we had together during our entire high school career. Meeting her probably would have been impossible if otherwise, since we had different friend groups, lunch schedules, and extra curricular activities. In the entire duration of our friendship we’ve never had one argument, disagreement, lovers spat, quarrel, or whatever you wanna call it. We respect each other way too much to ever be hurtful to each other. I don’t think many people can say that about others. Both of us our blessed with the gift of making literally anything fun. We can lay in my bed and talk for hours on end and still find things to talk about. We’re so comfortable with each other that we can be as silly as we want and find it the most amusing thing in the world. Our next friendship milestone is finding the perfect best friend tattoos. However this is easier said than done. So if any if you have ideas for a unique friendship tattoo, please let me know! This is me publicly announcing how much I love my best friend. Here’s to a million more years of friendship!

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