Temple Lights

We went to the temple lights Saturday night with Andy's parents and his brother/his wife/their baby. It was so much fun just spending time with them and being at the temple and seeing all the beautiful lights. There really is a different feeling this time of year.

Andy with his dad, brother and nephew

Why waste money on toys when you can stay entertained with a wheel on a stroller?

Oh Christmas tree....

Our first Christmas tree in our new house

I have always wanted stairs with a banister so that I could do this. I love decorating for Christmas! It makes everything prettier. :)

One bathroom down....two to go...

So one of the joys of being a homeowner is that you get to decorate/paint/change things about your house and make it the way you want. A downfall of being a homeowner is that you get to decorate/paint/change things about your house and make it the way you want. After the arduous process of picking out paint colors (it seriously took me like a month to pick the colors for one room) we set to work. We now have completed the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom and both upstairs bathrooms are 85% finished. Here are some before and after photos:


Kitchen Before:
Kitchen After: (The shelves aren't crooked...I was trying to stand on a chair, take a picture and dust at the same time)
Downstairs Bathroom Before:
Downstairs Bathroom After:

Andy put up the chair rail all by himself. I am so proud of him and so grateful for all he has done to make our house nice.

Family Walk

If someone offered you drugs who would you tell?

This past week was Red Ribbon Week (tells kids about drug awareness and not to do illegal drugs or abuse legal drugs) at school. We talked to the kids about how drugs are bad and wore red and everything. On Friday I had my kids do this little Red Ribbon packet that the counselor passed out and one of the pages was to draw a picture of someone you would tell if someone offered you drugs. Later that day I was going through their pictures and I almost fell over laughing at what they had drawn. I wondered if they misheard what I said and thought I said draw people that take drugs. Oh well. It's moments like these that make me love teaching. My students are great!

19 Days....

Now yes I realize that just 19 short days ago I was on vacation, but I have come to the conclusion that every 19 days we should get 6 days off, making it a 25 day cycle...just for our own sanity (high-five for me and my astounding logic).

In the past 19 days I have:
- been screamed at and belittled by parents
- learned more about frogs than I ever cared to
-discovered that I am invisible even when I am sitting in my classroom and say hello as someone walks by
- enjoyed watching a 2 liter of cream soda roll down the driveway and out into the street and then proceed to forget ten minutes later and open it, just to christen my floor with sticky goodness
- empathized with Andy for having to drive to Home Depot 8 times in the span of 3 hours
- spent more money on copper pipes and faucet fixings than any person, except for a plumber, should ever have to
- took a trip back to the 1800's when one had to boil water on the stove to get hot water to wash their dishes in
- enjoyed seeing the level of the freakishly green water in the pond in our backyard decrease with each passing day
- witnessed the lengths at which one tiny person with a tendency to over-react will do to protect her thermostat
-received third degree burns on my fingers from 4 jammed copy machines
- witnessed the simultaneous nuclear meltdown of 8 first grade girls who ALL want to be Hannah Montana for Halloween
- scared myself into believing that I had contracted West Nile virus due to the 23 mosquito bites that have taken up residency on my arms and legs
- enjoyed the momentary panic that sets in when Visa calls and reports fraudulent activity all the way from Texas on your debit card


On the other hand in the past 19 days I have also:
- found some great new music
- spent more quality time with Andy then we have been able to do in a long time
- got a washing machine and a dryer
- been grateful that we have cars and gas money to make 8 trips to Home Depot
- discovered that I, in fact do not have West Nile virus...just a slight case of hypochondria-itis
- learned how to be extremely grateful for a sink that now has running hot water
- been able to reaffirm the fact that I have an AMAZING husband
- realized that my third degree copy machine burns were really just second degree copy machine burns
- had my little brother tell me he loves me
- laughed really hard
- been able to get my piano into my house and have been grateful to my mom for making me play...because now I get to play
- been blessed by self-less inlaws that will allow us to barge in at 9:00 at night to take a shower because our water doesn't work.
- been grateful that we have jobs to supply the funding for copper pipes and water fixtures
- been told that it's amazing that 23 first graders now know 25 facts about frogs and how to spell the word 'Amphibian'
- been thanked by a 6 year old for being "the nicest" to him
- received many high fives and toothless smiles
- found that there are amazing people in this world that will do things just because "that's what neighbors are for"
- felt the love of my Heavenly Father and the reassurance that he knows us and won't give up on us...even when we are close to giving up on ourselves.

I am very grateful for my life.

Trip to California....

Got back from our CA trip last Sunday. We had a BLAST!! Went to the Ellen Degeneres show (she is HILARIOUS and SO nice)....went to Magic Mountain, The Aquarium of the Pacific, saw the set of The Office, and did a lot of sightseeing. Very fun trip!! Thanks Paul and Lacy for going with us...even if we did have to drive a PT cruiser.

Magic MountainAndy, Paul and Lacy are on this ride....I...obviously...am not.




They are also on this ride....and I think they are CRAZY!!!!

The set of The Office

At the aquarium

Hollywood Sign (duh...)

Mann's Chinese Theater/Walk of Fame

Hand/feet prints from the cast of Harry Potter.

Pictionary

1. Use Google images to answer each question.
2. Choose your favorite picture from ONLY the first page.
3. Remember to explain all the pics.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. First name? Sara (be careful when typing in your first name ladies...)

2. Middle name? K
3. Last name? Ebert
4. What are you doing right now? Yawning
5. Favorite color? Blue
6. Favorite TV Show? The Office.
7. Something you love: Photography

8. Age? 25

9. Favorite place? The beach

10. Celebrity crush? John Krasinski

11. What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom
12. Past love? Boy Meets World

13. Where were you born? Salt Lake City, Utah

14. College degree? Education

15. Place you've visited? Hollywood

16. One word to describe you? Tired

Finally....

Durable....

We have spent the past 36 hours packing, cleaning and moving (with a little bit of sleep mixed in for sanity reasons). We were bringing a load of stuff from our apartment and had one of those big exercise balls in the back of the truck. Now it was wedged in between all sorts of boxes and other priceless trinkets that for some reason we can't live without and so we figured it would be fine making the trip. We also took the side streets instead of the freeway for added precautions. We had made it all the way from our apartment to Higley Road (about 10 miles) with no problems. We kept an eye on the back and everything seemed fine. As we crossed over the freeway the ball decided to break free and flew out of the back of the truck where it proceeded to get hit by a car, bounce across the street, get hit by another car, bounce back across the street, get hit one last time and then roll down the street after us. We pulled over, Andy got out and ran up the street a little ways to catch the ball as it rolled towards us. Andy put it in the backseat so it wouldn't try to make another break for it. We got it home still in tact without so much as even a road rash.

Mini freak out in progress

Please stand by.................

Home Renovation Project #1

We got this bookcase from my parents and after having it in our office for 5 years we decided to give it a little makeover. Andy was glad to finally have a bookcase that wasn't "a weird pink color". I tried to explain that it wasn't pink...it was maroon...but that didn't work too well.
We picked black paint....but after putting on the first coat we have come to realize that the paint mixer guy at Wal-mart was either blind...or bored because it's not really black. Oh well....it's starting to look good and its no longer maroon, which is what matters to Andy.
























***side note: I don't think he actually ever even noticed the color until I had him move it out of the room. He has never commented on it before and we've had it since we got married.***

16 Days Till Moving Day

16 days till the move and this is how I feel.

2000 shades of brown

We are trying to pick paint colors for our house and I had no idea how confusing this would be. I finally decided on colors for all 3 bathrooms and now I just need the kitchen and bedrooms. Mostly just the kitchen and master bedroom. I had a vision in my head of colors for the master...but you can't just say brown. There is chocolate, wild horse, blanket brown, chocolate sparkle (???), oakwood brown, winter cocoa, warm embrace, Spanish raisin...I could go on FOREVER. When people come to our house and say..."Oh nice color walls..." am I really going to say "Oh yes....I couldn't decide between Desert Echo and Tree Bark...so I finally went with Thick Chocolate. It's more brown than the other browns" ??????

I want to get a job where I get paid to come up with these ridiculous names for brown. I asked Andy which one he liked and he said, "Who cares?? They all look the same!!" I feel the same way! This is why I seriously admire my interior designer sister-in-law. She can actually see the difference! I can't get past the names they pick for paint colors...let alone getting around to actually picking one. I am a decorating moron. Help!!!

Quirks....

I was tagged by Trisha to list 6 of my "quirks". Aren't those really just endearing qualities? :)

1. I can't handle repetitive, clicking/tapping noise...like a clock...or something dripping while I am trying to sleep...however 99% of the time I fall asleep with the TV or music on and that doesn't bother me.

2. I am VERY particular in the way I like to fall asleep. I have to have a blanket or something covering me...but I tend to stick one foot out from beneath the covers because then I don't feel so claustrophobic.

3. I can watch the same show/movie or listen to the same song multiple times in a row. I think it drives Andy insane.

4. I have to have the TV or radio volume on an even number. If it's not I have to change it ( Wow...even as I type that I realize how BIZARRE that is.)

5. I get a little freaked out when people aren't as careful as I think they should be with things. For example...I have a slider phone and one day my brother was holding and it and kept sliding it open and closed....over and over again. I was getting all worried because I thought he would wear the "slider" out. Or when someone keeps powering on and off the camera for no reason, it makes me get all nervous (I am such a nerd).

6. My thought process. Andy teases me about this all the time. We'll be talking about something and all of a sudden I bring up something TOTALLY random and out of the blue (at least to him). To me it makes sense because the thing we were talking about made me think of something else which made me think of something else...and then the cycle continues until I arrive at the new topic that is completely different (Wow....I think my HS English teacher would die at the sight of that run-on sentence). It makes sense to me...in my head. It just makes Andy laugh.


The six people I tag are: Ashley, Liz, Jo, Amber, Brittany and Lindsay (plus anyone else that wants to do it)

Olympics....

I was sitting here tonight...bored...because Andy was at school and I was thinking about how bummed I was that the Olympics were over. Andy and I really got into watching them this year. We stayed up WAY too late every night watching and cheering. It's funny how for this short time these people, these amazing athletes become important to you. You WANT them to succeed...you're rooting them on every step of the way. We cheered them on like we knew them personally...like they were part of our family. There were so many great moments during these Olympics (as well as some not so great)....and it was just a pleasure to watch.



The opening ceremonies were amazing. I especially liked watching the US team march in because the flag carrier, Lopez Lomong has such an amazing story. I also cried when Yao Ming...the flag carrier for China marched in with the adorable 9 year old boy who survived an earthquake. 20 of his classmates died. He managed to escape the wreckage, but went back and saved two of his classmates. What courage for such a little person.


I have always been a huge gymnastics fan. I can still remember watching and cheering and crying when the US women won the gold medal in '96. I was fascinated by them. I am a huge fan of both Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and was so excited to see them go 1..2... in the All-Around. I think that there was some unfairness in the judging of the gymnastics, but despite it all these girl did AMAZING!


Chelsie Memmel had her Olympics come to a crashing halt and she did all she could to help the US team....on a broken ankle. Amazing.


I think this picture says it all.



It was so sad that during a time that is supposed to be once in a lifetime there had to be tragedy. The mens volleyball team suffered a great loss and still was able to perform like champions.


Then of course there was Michael Phelps. Watching him swim was SO awesome. We watched this race with my family up in Flagstaff and we were all at the edge of our seats for this finish. We all jumped up screaming and cheering when it flashed that Michael had won. Thanks to my parent's DVR we were able to watch it many....many times and we still couldn't see how it was possible.

What I loved though was that even though there was a lot of focus around Michael Phelps and his 8 individual gold medals he was still able to be a team player. I remember hearing an interview where the interviewer asked the mens relay team how it felt to help Michael win another gold and he said "This wasn't about me....this is a team gold...it's as much their win as mine. I couldn't have done this with out them. This was a team thing." Spoken like a true winner if you ask me.


We watched a lot of sports that we had never watched before. We saw a lot of cycling and track and beach volleyball (that's for you dad :) ) We totally got caught up in the "Olympic Spirit" and look forward to London 2012!!