Packing II

So the 4th and 5th days of our trip we will be bumming around Dublin, Ireland.

Taking a tour of the Guinness Factory and sailing on the Dublin Bay.

I'm thinking something like this for the non-water activities.

Travel - Europe by sgforbis featuring 14k earrings

Wish I had those boots. I am picking my actual ones up from the cobbler today.
They needed a little TLC.

Packing

For the first 3 days and night we will be in London, one of my favorite cities.

There will be a lot of walking and it is about 65-70  degrees. A DREAM.

Here's a look that will be making it into my roller bag.

Travel by sgforbis featuring a ruffle shirt

Adding a light jacket also.

No idea what I am doing for y'all while I am gone but I'll figure it out.

Back to packing.

Moody Monday

Hanging out by the pool on Saturday this song came on Pandora.

How had I missed this?

On my iPod for my 8 hour flight.

T-minus 4 days.

One Week....and One Day

One week from today I will be boarding a plane headed to the UK.

I will be leaving this weather

And running with open arms and lungs into this weather

I am so excited and already have a lot of what I am taking folded into a nice and neat pile on my floor.

My dad, Sister and I are headed to London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and back to London.

Neither of them have been to Europe before so I am fortunate to share this experience with them.

Packing has been a bit difficult. The coldest it will be is 49 degrees in Aberdeen. Um, that is about 60 degrees colder than it is in Houston right now... FA-REEZING compared to what my body is accustomed to.

Anyways, I have tried to put together outfits with layers that can be used other days also.

All next week I will post the types of outfits I am taking via Polyvore.

Speaking of packing, I got this little baby to go along with me.

Tory Burch Amanda Messenger Bag

It was a splurge but I have been looking for an across the body bag that I love for a while and this was like that little baby at the adoption place that you kept thinking about and just couldn't walk away from again.

She is great because you can fit a lot inside but she isn't too bulky like typical messenger bags.

For instance, last night I had my camera, car keys, wallet, gum, diet ginger ale and gummy snacks.

Do I normally carry a ginger ale? No.

A girlfriend and I went to see One Day with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess

Unlike my movie date, I had not read this book so I was unaware of the heart wrenching story that was unfolding before my eyes.

And I was surprised by how well Anne did as a Brit.

And he was hot.

And they had some serious chemistry in my opinion.

But it was a bit slow. But I think everyone can relate to certain parts of it, particularly when it comes to the timing aspect of romance and love.

You are probably going to want to throw away her wardrobe for the first half of the movie. eww.

It was set in the UK for the majority of that movie which made me that much more excited about my upcoming departure.

Anyways, go see the movie, help me decide what to pack for my trip, and be jealous that I get to escape this dessert/swamp land for 11 days!

Breckenridge

Last week I mentioned that mom and I went to Breckenridge, CO. 

I wanted to show y'all some pictures.

Well, you only get two because I spent an hour and 32 minutes on the phone walking my mom through the process of putting her pictures on her computer and sending them to me in an attachment. 

Yea, one hour and 32 minutes.

My mom's high school boyfriend (and close family friend since) lives in Breckenridge with his family and works for the mountain. He took us as far up as we could go in the car and it was gorgeous and so chilly (compared to Houston)

If you were standing where I am in the picture you would be looking at a large mountain with a good amount of snow still on it.

Hard to fathom for someone who has been living in a city that has had 20 something days in a row where temps were over 100.

Anyways, you should go to Colorado.

That's all.

Happy Hump Day.

Vegetarian Pasta

Last week I tried another recipe. 

Well not really a recipe but kind of a concoction. 

I started by cubing 1 eggplant, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Every 5 minutes I re-tossed to make sure none stuck and/or burned.

Meanwhile I heated a large skillet with 2 cloves of garlic and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Then I added 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped bell pepper.

After about 10 minutes I turned down the heat and let it all simmer.

Why not add some broccoli florets with some halved cherry tomatoes and let all that sizzle down?

(Just a check on the eggplant)

 Per a recipe I saw, I added 1/4 cup of part skim ricotta cheese, finely chopped basil and some freshly shredded Parmesan. 

Oh yea, I was boiling spinach fettuccine...

When the noodles were ready I added them and all the vegetables together. 

A bit of pasta water and some mo' cheese.

Yum baby Yum.

Moody Monday

I tagged this song last weekend while laying beside the pool.

Hope you find it as calming as I did.

Keep the "Assets"

Wednesday I went to the YMCA.

Pretty normal.

But this time I filled out a request form for a personal trainer. 

I just need someone once a week to show me some more complicated weight training. 

Come on, we all know how to do a bicep curl but how do we take it up a notch without adding weights?

That is what I am hoping they can teach me.

Of course they ask me "What is your goal?'

So I answered as honest as possible

Sarah: "Well I want to be strong but slim down. But I don't want to loose my curves either. Think Beyonce, Jessica Biel, Kim K...you know, keep the assets but slim and tone."

(Blank stare from trainer)

But for real. They are rocking it.

We have another friend's wedding this weekend.

Will update you on all the shenanigans next week.

Happy Friday 

Blessings Runneth Over

The Lord has  been on my side lately y'all.

A few weeks ago I flew to Denver to meet my momma. We were headed to Breckenridge to find a place to stay during the Christmas Holiday. We were planning a family vacation so we could all spend time with my brother before he is deployed.

Before I continue, here are a few snap shots of the trip.

(view from my morning tea and toast)

(view from lunch at Queen's Cafe)

(view while walking around town)

So, our trip was gorgeous and Mom and I had such a nice time together.

Blessed.

The day after my mom dropped me off at the airport she and my father were in a scary wreck on the highway totaling their car. 

Long story short, everyone is fine minus some bumps, bruises, scratches and emotions. 

Blessed that I got to here the story from them and not some unknown voice over the phone.

Blessed.

So, back up a bit....

We were planning a trip before my brother deployed.

He is a Marine and is handsome and strong and loving. And bless the little girl who tries to tell me she is good enough for him.

He was set to begin all his pre-deployment mess in January and would be gone from then until returning in 2013 from Afghanistan. 

Well, yesterday my mom called me and sounded like she had something exciting to say. 

Man did she. 

My Marine's deployment to Afghanistan is canceled.

Canceled.

Blessing. Blessing. Blessing.

I don't know too many details right now but I am so thankful and there is a new kind of peace in my heart that has been missing for the past few months.

So many great things happen to me and for me daily.

And so many times I forget to share them and to be honest, many times I forget to give thanks to God.

But not recently, recently I am thanking Him every chance I get.

What are you thankful for?

Can you Couscous

Last week I tried out a new recipe thanks to Paula. 

Manfriend picked this out to go with our Scallops and asparagus. 

I changed a few things but basically this is what you need.

• 1 box flavored couscous (garlic or Parmesan), cooked
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped (I HATE onion so I didn't use it)
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 to 3 limes, juiced

I started by chopping the Parsley,  bell pepper, and tomatoes and adding them to a bowl. Then I juiced 2 lemons instead of limes and decided to add the zest of one. 

Then I rinsed the garbanzo beans and added them to the mix.

Meanwhile, prepare your couscous according to the package and BOOM, in 5 minutes it is done.

Dump it in, add the Feta and give it a toss.

I am telling y'all, this is such a great Summer dish. 

Light.

Fresh. 

Filling.

Healthy.

You should try it out.

Go forth and couscous.

When was the last time you went dancing?

Mine was Saturday night.

And it still hurts.

Like that dress? It was $46.00 at Nordstrom...in the Juniors section.

I can you can say I'm shameless for posting these pics. Or just keepin' in real. 

Moody Monday

I went on a little blog vacation last week.

Wasn't really planning on it but sometimes life just slaps you in the face and/or kicks your a$$.

That was last week.

But I am back and ready to say hello.

Get ready, this week you've got my undivided attention.

Hope y'all can beat the Monday blues.

Moody Monday

This one has been on Manfriend's playlist for the past 3 weeks.

Denver Bound

I am headed to Denver to meet my mom this weekend and do a little shopping and wine drinking.

It's supposed to be like 75 degrees with zero humidity.

ZERO humidity.

So what am I taking?

 How about a little something like this.

Denver Bound by Sgforbis featuring strap bags

Before you get all "why is that not centered but everything else is" it's because I really tried but this sh*t was messing up and I gave up.

My family has decided to go skiing this Christmas so mom and I are going to hop over to Breckenridge to scope out a few hot spots to stay.

And I am going to get to wear jeans in August.
And it's not going to feel like I'm Ross sweating in leather pants.

Have a nice weekend.

Wedding Recaps

Sometimes weddings can get wild.

And sometimes you're a little more classy

But one thing is always the same, you are there to celebrate with great friends.

And there is usually confetti of some sort.

And when is that not a good thing?

Congrats to all our friends that have recently got married and those that are next! 

Can't wait to tear up your dance floor! (ahem, Syd and Jessica)