A (Fake) Snow Day

This past weekend, Justen and I went all out and headed up to Perfect North Slopes to try out snowboarding before it got too warm. First of all the weather is crazy here, so I figured we better go now, because it would be my luck that every weekend after this one it would be 65 degrees. No kidding, it is sunshine and shorts one day, and parkas and blizzards the next here in Kentucky. 

Also, I have never been snowboarding or skiing in my twenty year or so long life, so Justen was pressuring me to try it out. My parents were always the type to take us to the beach, or on a boat. They are definitely not cold winter sports people. This is not at all like surfing in Mexico, or tubing down the Kentucky river. I was not prepared for the pain hangover.

The easy part was tubing. The lines were fairly long, however we were there on a Saturday, so I would not suggest that unless you have a lot of talking to do..hah. It was actually really fun, but we could just as easily go sledding in Morehead with enough snow (which we happened to do last weekend). Very fun, and super fast, but next time we will bring like 10 other people to go down the hill with, cause it really is for little kids mostly, or large groups. 

As you can tell this is how I felt about tubing only 3 times in 2 hours (long wait time)....

...And this is how Justen felt... Poor guy, he really likes a little bit more adventure, so lets talk about the snowboarding.

Let me just tell you that if you have never been before, then the easy hill is not so easy. I think that fake snow is 18 times more slippery than real snow. Seriously, I was sitting down at some points and going just as fast as a sled ride. Ridiculous. 

I have to admit, I fell a lot A LOT.... And it hurt even more. During one voyage down the hill, I fell a total of 11 times. However, the next time I only fell 8 times. HAH. Yes, I was keeping track to see if I was improving. I know Justen was having a blast laughing his butt off at me busting mine. Snowboarding is a lot of hard work, and no amount of watching the winter olympics prepared me for this. People who are as tall as me are not meant to balance on a popsicle stick and go down hill at a super fast speed.

Not to mention....

Did you know they don't strap you in on those lift things? What?!! What if I was a baby child eight year old and decided to slip and slide off that thing? It was like 40 feet down...right? These are my teacher thoughts. Good thing I had somebody to hold me down.

Even though I was in pain a lot of the time, and for a whole day afterwards, it was a lot of fun, and I would consider going again. Maybe to a different place, and maybe with a pillow stuffed booty. Everyone who I have talked to since told me skiing is easier, so I have a feeling my sister Abby tricked me...hmmm..

-Sara Jacqueline

A Super Simple Baby Gift

Holy Cow it is cold outside!!... and it has snowed all weekend long here. We really have enjoyed the snow and made sure to bust out our sleds. I also got out of school on Friday, so I really cannot complain at all. 18 degrees has it's perks sometimes...

Lately everyone I know has been having a baby ( including my sister-in-law which makes me an Aunt!), and my cousin is next up! She is having a baby boy in the next month, so I whipped up a cute blanket that I hope she will love. She has requested a sock monkey theme so I was so excited when I found this killer cute fleece at Hobby Lobby.

This is probably the simplest baby blanket you could ever make, and its really a boring project, so don't think this is what I do all day...seriously, I got more skills than this. But if you are in need of a fast gift or maybe a beginner project, go for it!

(Note: The picture quality is horrible and I know it.) 

1. Get some super adorable fleece, or other cozy baby fabric. 

Sock Monkeys = Classic.

The first step is to cut your fabric into the size you want. Typically with baby blankets, I make them about a 45 inch square, which is 1 1/4 yard of fabric, but this fleece was a little misshapen so I trimmed it up to the size I needed

2. After trimming I took a round plate and my rotary cutter to round out the corners. You don't have to do this step, but I felt like it, so I did...

3. I used some blanket binding that I also found at Hobby Lobby and pinned it around the entire edge of the fleece. I chose red because it just stood out the most and really made the monkeys pop.

4. Sew the binding on the fleece along the edge. Be careful not to stretch the fleece too much, or else it could cause the binding to pucker. But really, this blanket is very forgiving.

5. Get cozy with your blanket! Or give it to a friend expecting a baby.

Yes seriously, it is THAT easy. 

 I paired the blanket with a little sock monkey/toy/blankie that I found at Cracker Barrel. Of all places...weird, but very fitting to go with my sock monkey blanket.

Well I really hope my new Baby Cousin will love to snuggle up with this blanket! It really did take me like half an hour..... clearly I am a busy lady right now which is why I resorted to such a simple, but sweet project. More on my life later. Hah.

-Sara Jacqueline

Soaked on Sunday.

I didn't believe anyone who said Cuetzalan was cold until Sunday. It rained from the time we woke up until the time we went to bed. Non-stop rain. No rain = No Sun, which means wearing a scarf and seeing your own breath in Mexico is possible.

After sleeping in our cozy hostel, we had breakfast with the indigenous women. The made us eggs, mexican style, freshly squeezed juice and tons of hot tortillas straight off the fire. We ate tortillas till we wanted to roll out of there. Hot tortillas are addicting. Caution.

Dressed in our rain gear, we hit up the market, where tons of vendors fill the street with everythin they could possibly sell. Every single person of Cuetzalan was out today. One of the best things is the cheap produce, you can get a banana for like 6 cents. It's fantastic.

We also tried some candy which is made in Cuetzalan. The fried roll thing, was like a sweet egg roll with foamy milk inside, just okay. The squiggle is like the candy from Puebla, sweet and carmel tasting, somewhat like fudge, very good. The other bar of soap looking thing, was beyond nasty. The texture, the taste, everything about it was gross.

Since we were freezing our butts off, we decided to go inside for a bit in hopes of warming up. We visited the cathedral in el centro de Cuetzalan, which was GORGEOUS inside. I was totally expecting it to be less nice, because the outside didn't seem well kept, but the details inside were incredible.

Once we were way over shopping, and swimming through the rain, we decided to grab some snacks, fill our backpacks, and head back to our cozy hostel. Our hostel was really nice, warm, clean and we just enjoyed time together. We got in our pajamas, listened to the rain and played cards all evening. Story telling, snakcing and then bedtime made for a perfect Sunday night. These beds were the comfiest I have been in since I left home in Kentucky. Gotta Love that indigenous village!

-Sara Jacqueline

One More Day!!

Today I am trying to finish all my packing, which really wouldn't normally be hard for me, because I think I am a pretty good organizer..however, this one bag, 50 pound weight limit has got my mind a little boggled. My darn shoes and shampoo weigh too much, and I think I have taken things out and put them back in a zillion different times... I have also started making certain items less of a priority and putting them in a "don't think you can go to Mexico with me" pile... it includes one pair of tennis shoes, shaving cream, and could soon include three bottle of germ-ex (If you know me well, you would think I smoked something to say I would leave behind my germ-ex). So here is a look at the mess my room has become since packing...

..I just want it to be done already so I can leave my room in a clean cloud. That would be nice.

Now I am just waiting on the Fed-Ex Man to drop off my plane tickets for tomorrow and hanging out with Leila, my sister's pup.

Also, Justen wrote me a few rules to follow while I am in Mexico..which I thought were pretty funny.

1. You have to eat elotes.
2. Stay away from Tacos de Tripa and Tacos de Pansa.
3. When people ask if you eat chile, tell them no.
4. Don't leave the house after 7 and don't go anywhere alone.
5. If you eat a lot of mole, you will get sick, and I know how much you hate puking.

You can tell he knows how picky I am about food... good thing I know how to say what I do like in spanish!

-Sara Jacqueline

I Got MAIL!

This past week I received a letter from my missionary, Justen..or Elder Turley. Lets call him Justen. So since he has been in Mexico he has written me several letters, but in his last area it was very rural and there wasn't even a post office near and the boy had no stamps..go figure.

No Post Office + No Stamps = No Letter since August

He still sends me lovely emails, so I don't have much to complain about, but hand written letters are the best and every MG (Missionary Girlfriend) knows that run around the house 8 times, screaming feeling.

Well, it was four, happy, pee your pants pages long, and since his handwriting is teeny tiny, it was even more. Ahhhh, I loved it! It was wonderful to hear from him.

Here are a few highlights:

• "One thing I love about Mexican families is that they are always together, the families have very close relationships."
• "You have no idea how happy I am with my life right now. You are something else Sara."
• "I get crazy when I don't get letters from you after a week, so I am not sure how you feel when you only get a tiny email every week and occasionally a letter. Just know that all those emails and letters I send you are so full of love that it can't be contained."

Yeah he is pretty cute. xoxo

In other news, I got a haircut today..Wooo! I so so needed it...my sisters were calling me rat tail. I also have made muddy buddies twice in the last two days...haha..I am gonna miss powdered sugar when I am in Mexico. Only 2 more days until I leave!!

-Sara Jacqueline

Welcome!! Hola! Hey, Wassup?? Yo.

Happy New Year to You!! I have been really interested in starting a blog this past semester at school, but 21 credit hours and work never seemed to let me get to it. Finally, I made it my 2012 plan to blog, and it actually happened, which is even better!! I am way way excited to start posting all the crazy or boring stuff I do and hopefully it can be fun for you all to read. All of my adventures will be talked about I am sure, from my missionary boyfriend, to my teaching abroad experience, baking days, college, family and 4-h camp days. I hope you all will love all my word vomit....ehh.. sharing that goes on here. Get ready, Get set. This is Sara, Fancy and Tall.

-Sara Jacqueline