I turned 30 in Las Vegas!

November is always one of my favorite months, and this year was no exception. The last week was a fun-filled, whirlwind, blast!

We started by celebrating my 30th birthday in style... Vegas style! Trey and I had never been, and I was so excited that we took the plunge and went on this trip. Mom, Lene and Michael all went with us, and we had such an amazing time. Saturday night (my actual birthday), we went to see the Beatles Love Cirque show. It was really good - not great, and by no means bad. We walked up and down the strip, in and out of all of the casinos, stopping at the Black Jack tables along the way. There was good food (and some not so good food - a gross asian noodle place, a mediocre birthday dinner), good (FREE) drinks, and mostly great company and tons of fun. Oh, and lots of gambling. Although none of us came back winners, we had a great time and I couldn't have asked for anything more. Well, maybe for Trey and Michael to not have gotten sinus infections while we there, and for a smoke free casino, but hey - beggars can't be choosers. I was so sad on Tuesday, when our trip was over. But I was super happy because it meant that it was almost time for Thanksgiving...

Wednesday was prep day, and Thursday was my most favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite because we all cook together, hang out, eat great food, laugh and relax. And then April, mom, and I kick off our black friday extravaganza. This year was again no exception - Thanksgiving was super, we got some great family pics taken, food was awesome, and family and friends were all in tow. Again, I couldn't have asked for anything more... well except for me to not be sick. I seem to have come down with a cold or something like it as soon as we got home from Vegas. Go figure.

So now it's back to the real world. Bummer. I have a crazy, hectic 2 weeks of work ahead of me, and then I start my new job! I know you know nothing about this, but that will have to wait for another post.

Four Years Down, Many Many More to Go!

Last weekend, Trey and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. It happen to also coincide with one our greatest friend's wedding (Mazel Tov to Stacy and Jason!) so we decided to make a weekend out of the wedding, stay at the hotel, and celebrate our anniversary. It was wonderful!

On Friday after work we went straight to the hotel and checked in, changed clothes, relaxed for a few minutes and then went to dinner. We've had a gift certificate to this great place in the Bishop Arts district that was given to me by my friend, Mark (like 2 years ago), and we'd never made it there to use it. So I thought, what a perfect time to go. I made a reservation and we went for a very nice, super yummy dinner.

I should back up to tell you about Trey's poison ivy. A few weeks ago, he and Michael went to Greene Family Camp with the temple brotherhood to do a mitzvah day clean up. They ended up clearing a ton of brush on the camp grounds. Well, a week later, Trey and Michael both have a red, itchy patch on their arms. I told Trey it looked like some for of poison ivy. He said - no, you don't get poison ivy that much after exposure. So on Friday Michael had an appt with the dermatologist, and I told Trey he should make an appt with the dr. He wanted to wait until after Michael went and just see what his dr. said first. (Note to readers: my response was - I'm pretty sure whatever it is, they will give a prescription for, and you are going to have to go to get it. And note the point that this is Friday, so we will then have the weekend to wait to see a dr. Sorry Treybaby - but you know when it comes to doctors and medical stuff, I am right!). So sure enough, Trey calls me around lunch time - Michael went to the dr., it's poison ivy, they gave him a shot. Now, being the wonderful wife that I am, I said - let me call Dr. Cook (Note to readers: Dr. Cook is our primary dr who I love. He always gets me in, his office is quick and good, and he is just generally great! It also helps that he loves me - and every time Trey or I go, he asks about how I am feeling and tells us how he talks about me all the time and uses my file for training with his interns and new staff.) So I called, and not only did they get Trey in for an appt that afternoon (amazing!), but he actually saw the doctor and not a nurse or NP. Dr. Cook gave Trey 2 prescriptions - one for prednisone which tends to wake you up, and one for something else that tends to make you drowsy. Both should be taken with food.

So now we are back at dinner... Trey takes his medicine, and we finish enjoying dinner. (By the way - Hattie's: delish!! Everything was awesome and it was great.) As we are leaving dinner, there are a ton of cute shops in the area so we wander into a few as we head back towards the car. (Again note: in one of the shops I find a ceramic pen holder / mug that says "my spreadsheets kick ass". I had to have it and it looks great on my desk.) By the time we get to the car, Trey is starting to feel a little sleepy, and starting to act a little off. So we head back to the hotel and I keep asking if he is okay. We get into the hotel, he sits in the chair for a minute, and BOOM - he is OUT! So I got ready for bed, and then woke him up and told him to get ready. Now, I had brought with us 2 wine glasses and a bottle of wine from home to celebrate with. The glasses were on the table with the wine chilling, and the next thing I know Trey is standing there looking towards them, and then just knocks his hand into both of them, shattering both into pieces. He was just so out of it from that medicine. Needless to say - I didn't want him to clean it up, so I took care of it while he got ready for bed and then he was out again. It was so funny!!

The next day was Stacy's wedding, so we slept in a little, and then I went to get my nails done while Trey went to watch the Texas game. We had a late lunch, and just hung out for the afternoon. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to spend time with all of our friends. It was the perfect cap to our anniversary weekend.

Here are few pics from the weekend...


In the hotel lobby before heading to Hattie's for our anniversary dinner.


Trey opening his surprise anniversary present - Bevo cuff links! He loved them, and was totally surprised. I was equally as happy when I went and bought my Keurig for my anniversary present.



At Stacy's wedding - don't we make a great couple!

Happy anniversary baby - I love you!!!!!

The Biggest Loser

I've watched The Biggest Loser on and off in past seasons. For some reason it just never made it into my regular scheduled programming. But this season, I actually started watching at the beginning and I've been totally addicted. It's so motivating and inspiring to see the change in these people.

Two things that bug me about the show... 1. When did Jillian and Bob become therapists in addition to trainers?? 2. Could they be more obvious and cheesy about the sponsors of the week? I mean, I get it - there are sponsors that want to see their product and have everyone talking about it, but really?! It's so staged and I just don't remember it being this bad in past seasons.

Okay, so now that that is off my chest, I can say that I really do think the show is awesome, and it makes me want to make an even bigger change in my habits. I really wish I could afford to take a month off of work and workout as much as they do, with a trainer, and have all of my meals made for me or at least all of the ingredients provided and the tips for cooking that they get. I keep thinking - man, if I could go to the ranch for a few weeks, I could totally shave off 20 lbs and be right where I want to be!

But I can't... so here I am wondering, how much of it is realistic for me to really do? I know 2 things.
1. I've come a good way from where I started - changing many of my eating habits with weight watchers (even though I'm not counting points anymore - and maybe I need to again), I've changed lots of my habits and am overall much more aware of what I am eating and how much. Now the trick is to go from being AWARE that I am eating to crap, to just not doing it! And also consistency in going to the gym and getting the exercise I so desperately needed.
2. I still have further to go. I am not willing to give it all up - I want to enjoy my food, and there are things that I like that I know are not good for me. But I do think in moderation that is ok. The trick is making sure that it is moderation. I do like working out, and most of the time, I am motivated to go. But am I going often enough and doing enough when I am there? And there are definitely still times when I just don't want to go.

So now I am trying to finding my balance - I guess that's what it is all about, right?

I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's true... the moment you all have been waiting for... I'M BACK!!! Now, we'll see how long I stay for. I'm really trying, but it is tough. The thing that I have the hardest time with is once it's been a little while since I've had time to post, I feel like there is so much to cover and I want to get to it all. I hate to leave anything out. So I wait until I have time to really post a lot of things, and then the list just gets longer of what I need to post about, and so I wait longer, and you get the cycle.

So here is my almost new year resolution - I am going to try really, really hard to keep my blog more updated, even if it means I don't cover it all.

But in the past 2 months since I last posted, there are a few big things I need to cover, so here is a preview list of things to come...
**Trey and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! We had an awesome weekend together and can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Here's to 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x infinity more! XOXO
**Madelyn is a superstar (what else is new?!)... I need to tell you about the song she wrote (and sang to us), her grades and how hard she is working at school, and of course little fun antidotes of her charming personality. Oh, and wait till you see the pictures that her could be professional photographer Aunt April took - they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (great photographer, super subject)!
**I still have braces... but they aren't so bad anymore. And I have a cool little feature to show you - stay tuned.
**In 10 days (yes - that's only TEN DAYS!!!!!) we are headed to VEGAS, BABY!!!! Oh, and I'll be 30 years old. I am so excited, I can't stand it. My stomach gets into knots when I think about it - I remember feeling like it was so far away, and in only 1 more day, we are down to single digit countdown.
**Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I can't wait - it's my absolute favorite holiday. And this year, like in so many past, I have so much to be thankful for. Although I am not cool enough to blog about a different reason / person each day, I will make the time to blog about the people / things as a whole. And to be sure to tell everyone that I love, just why I do. So be on the lookout.
**We made (a few) trips to Houston in the past few months where I got to spend some time with my adorable niece, Mia. And this last trip, I finally got to see my bf - the hot tamale - Aurelia. It was so great to just relax and spend some time with family and friends.

Okay, that's all I can think of for now. Stay tuned, and I'll update you on all of these are more!

Happy 33rd Birthday Trey!!!

Today is Trey's birthday! It's an exciting and special day. Today, since it's all about Trey, it gives me an opportunity to reflect on this wonderful person that is my husband. Although I know it every day (well - okay - most days), today especially I am reminded of how lucky I am to have married such a loving, amazing, supportive man. He is truly my soul mate - the perfect compliment and match to me, and I am so thankful to have him.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I know I am being a big baby. I know it could be so worse. I know I am a very fortunate person. I know I truly have little to complain about.

BUT...

This really sucks! I hate having braces. And I do know it will get easier, I will get used to it, and it's not THAT bad. But it feels like it is that bad and I won't ever get used to it. My mouth is so sore, that I don't even want to talk. And you all know how bad it must be for me to not want to talk. I have sores all inside my mouth, my lips are so dry they are cracking, and it really hurts!

I hate having braces!!

I can now officially be known as...

Sarah Braceface Gourley
Metal Mouth
Rarah Braceface

Yes, it is true - I now officially have a full mouth of braces. This morning I went for my 8:15 am appointment and didn't leave there until after 11:00. It was an interesting experience. The braces themselves weren't so bad, but the apparatus they used to hold my mouth open was brutal. It makes it where you can't really swallow and when you do, it rubs against the insides of your mouth - not comfortable. The worst part was the sounds. Everything sounds so much worse than it is, but you can't help but tense up at the sounds of the machines, and the look of pliers going in and out of your mouth. Oh, and the light gun that dries the glue - that is a freaky thing to see coming at you. The worst part was the little rounded saw that he uses to shave off little bits of my enamel to allow for room for my teeth to shift. The good thing is that this alleviates the need to have any teeth pulled; the bad news is it sounds and feels like a blade going between my teeth and into my gums. And when it's all done, I have a mouth full of blood to show for it all! It was gross and very freaky and he'll be doing that for at least the next few appointments - oh boy!

Thank goodness for April, who woke up early to go with me. She sat through the whole appointment with me, telling me how great I was doing. It might sound silly, but when it comes to this kind of thing, I feel like a little kid that needs the comforting, and it was so great that she was there. Plus, then it meant we got pictures - because even though this is really not something I need a visual of, I know I'll be glad to have the pics.

I am sore, and excited, and broke! And as much as it stinks right now, I am very happy to finally be getting this done.

Here are few pics of the morning...


This is the mold of my teeth, and my smile BEFORE!


Dr. Jeff using the light gun that dries the glue - that thing is weird!


This thing is the WORST! It holds your mouth open for the entire time so they can do get into your mouth without problems, but you can't swallow and it hurts!


All done!!! Can you see how crooked the wire is? That is how crooked my teeth are. But not for long!!!!!