Christmas & Fun

Merry Christmas! It was a fun few days in PA...even though I managed to get sick the day before I drove home. A week and some good antibiotics later, I'm feeling better, though still coughing way too much! One thing's for sure...I miss that week off that I got when I worked with Ford. It sucked to have to go back to work the day after Christmas! Santa (or "Stan" as he's known at our house) was good to me again this year. I also got to see my brother Scott's new house (I forgot my camera though).

Here are some fun photos from the past couple of weeks.

This is Scott & Dani's "baby", Indy. He was showing a lot of love and attention as dad carved the turkey. He was rewarded with more then a few bites...

Here he is with a cardboard tube...that entertained him for a good 1/2 hour. He's such a funny dog and I'm totally going through withdrawal!

Here are a couple of new photos of Amberly & Rafael's cute little Nico!!!

And finally, we had a little visit from Spiderman. John finally landed his dream role...Marvel Comics hired him to play Spiderman for a mall tour they're putting on. He was in heaven...an actual MC costume!!!

Why I hate commuting in D.C.

I work less than 9 miles from my house. In theory, it should take me only 15-20 minutes to get to work.

Today there was this much snow on the ground (and I could have simply blown it off of the car).

I left home earlier than usual anticipating the usual bit of traffic that rain or snow causes (we refer to this as "liquid stupid" falling from the sky). Here's the beltway on-ramp.

And here's what I had to look at for the next couple of hours as I sat there, waiting to move.

No accidents, no snow on the actual road and it wasn't even snowing at the time. Say what you will about Pittsburgh, but at least people aren't afraid to drive when it's anything less than sunny. I don't know what it is about rain/snow here that turns people into scared crazies who forget how to drive. I'm already dreading my commute home...

The Legwarmers

Last night a group of us went to a club to check out a great little band called The Legwarmers. These guys ROCK. They're an 80s cover band and it was a fantastic, fun, crazy show. It started at 10:00 and they were going strong until about 1:00 a.m. Full of energy and amazing 80s hits. Everything you could imagine and songs I'd totally forgotten about. They played all of my favs. More than half of the audience was decked out in their 80s finest and we're all dressing up the next time we go. I, for one, am very excited to crimp my hair, peg my jeans and wear big earrings and bad makeup!

Here's a photo of this great band...

From their website, www.thelegwarmers.com. Check it out!

"Remember the Eighties? Sure, we all do...but the Legwarmers don't just remember the Eighties - they relive them. It all started back in May 2001 when Gordon Gartrell and Cru Jones had just seen yet another cover band butcher the decade that they loved, and they decided to do something about it. They assembled a group and vowed to give the world's most hedonistic decade the tribute it deserved. Joined by Chet Reno, Rikki, Lavaar Huxtable, and Cyndi Sindee, they locked themselves in the basement with a shoebox-full of dusty 45's and an endless supply of Tab. One year later, the Legwarmers emerged. They quickly took the DC area by storm with shows becoming events for those in search of a simpler time when everybody was just working for the weekend and it was hip to be square. "

Tan & Happy...

I. LOVE. MEXICO. I'm not sure what else to say about my trip other than it was FANTASTIC!!! It was a lot of work, but I had a few days of free time at the end. I sat by the pool, swam in the gulf, toured Chichen Itza, swam in a big natural sinkhole and ate a lot of great food. So, if anyone's interested in going to Cancun, let me know because I can't wait to go back!

It was also cool to finally meet our PR Agency people from all over the world. I had some incredibly interesting conversations with a lot of them. It continued to amaze me to think I was sitting at dinners with people from 15 different countries. All of whom invited me to visit. I love having international friends! Traveling is definitely in my blood...I'm just sad I didn't realize it sooner in my life!

I have a ton of stories...if you're interested, give me a call and I'll fill you in on the details!!! :)

Cancun Photos

Off to Cancun

I'll be gone for the next 9 days...don't miss me too much! I'll hopefully have some fun stories/photos to post when I get back from Mexico!

In the meantime, here's where I'll be hangin' while I'm in Cancun!

Dark Road

Do yourselves a favor and listen to this incredible song. Then go out and buy (or download) the CD. You can thank me later...

Riding Horses

Yesterday was AMAZING. Our former Bishop and his wife have some land out in the country and on that land are their horses. These horses are incredible. A few of them a broken and the rest are still wild. They're gentled and they're no longer skittish around humans, but they haven't been broken...yet. We did a lot of riding and spent some time with the wild horses, getting to know them a bit as well. It was interesting how we were all drawn to different horses. Here's my favorite, a wild Mustang named Shadow.

He's gorgeous. And not too big, Just right for me. We bonded a bit and Bishop Johnson wants us all to come often to help get these horses ready to be ridden. I'm game! I don't realize how much I miss interaction with animals until I'm around them. My camera battery died, or I would have had more photos of us riding the other horses, Billy, Freddy and Dallas (who I bonded with big time!). We went out to the fields and enjoyed the great views while riding. I'm definitely a city girl, but I also love the chance to be outside, dirty and riding horses! I'm anxious to go back!!!

Here are some more photos of the horses including Samson, the horse Staci chose. He's in a lot of the photos because he's the pushy Alpha male who always managed to be front and center!

To all those who said the Steelers shouldn't have won the Super Bowl...

Steelers shut out Seahawks
Monday, October 08, 2007
By Ed Bouchette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Depth chart takes a hit right up until kickoff, but reserves come through on a hot day at Heinz Field

The day turned hot at Heinz Field yesterday -- and the temperature rose as well. Nothing on a sweltering October day burned brighter than the Steelers. If the Seattle Seahawks claimed not to see a Super Bowl performance by the Steelers 20 months ago in Detroit, they witnessed one yesterday in Pittsburgh.

Crushed by injuries right up to the final minutes before kickoff, the Steelers ground the Seahawks like Seattle's Best on the way to a 21-0 victory and their first shutout in the seven-year history of Heinz Field.

"We got it handed to us pretty good," Seattle's Mike Holmgren acknowledged after experiencing a shutout for only the second time in his 245 regular-season games as a NFL coach. The Steelers (4-1) did it with some of their best players on the sideline -- Pro Bowl defenders Troy Polamalu and Casey Hampton did not play, nor did four-time Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward, all injured. Then, about an hour before kickoff, Santonio Holmes, their other starting receiver, injured his hamstring during warm-ups and joined them on the sideline.

It turned out to be no problem all the way around.

"We take a lot of pride as backups," veteran backup nose tackle Chris Hoke said. "We don't look at ourselves as second-teamers. ... We feel like we can step in and keep this thing going." They never stopped, dominating the Seahawks (3-2) everywhere. Willie Parker ran for 102 yards as the Steelers outgained Seattle on the ground, 163-38. Ben Roethlisberger completed 18 of 22 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown as Seahawks' quarterbacks managed to complete less than half of their passes for 122 yards and an interception. Seattle's offense barely worked up a sweat as the Steelers held onto the ball for nearly 41 minutes of the 60-minute game.

Steelers' Report Card for Week 5

Quarterback: A+

Running Backs: A

Receivers: B+

Offensive line: A

Defensive line: A

Linebackers: A

Secondary: A+

Special teams: C-

Coaching: A

Another Birthday...

Last weekend I celebrated yet another birthday. Funny how they have a way of coming around every year, no matter what. At the Maynard House, we celebrate a lot of birthdays in September. My sister's is the 19th, Susan's is the 20th, Amy's is the 21st, mine's the 22nd and Staci's is the 23rd. So we're busy! For Susan's birthday we had a cooking class/demonstration by Debbie where we made some fantastic manicotti. Then we had a dinner for Amy's birthday at Maggiano's. So we were ready for some different cuisine. My wonderful roommates (and Staci, the LSU grad) surprised me with a Cajun feast! We had gumbo, shrimp creole, maque choux, cornbread and cherry pie for dessert. I was pretty much in heaven. It was so fun to have a nice, relaxing day which pretty much consisted of sleeping in, getting my hair done (I have such a crush on my stylist...even though he's 24...and gay), shopping and eating! My fabulous roommates got me the external hard drive I've been wanting (I know, boring gift, but I need it!) and tickets to a jazz concert at Kennedy Center and we're all going tomorrow night. Oh, and my wonderful sister Anna sent me some chocolate covered cinnamon bears from Utah (why can't you get those anywhere else?). What a great day!

No other good blogging topics this week, I've just been working too much and trying to get over a stupid cold. Susan and I are going to the Pitt/UVA game in Charlottesville on Saturday, so hopefully I'll get some good photos to post. GO PITT!!! :)

Fall has finally arrived! I love the smell in the air and the cooler mornings as I leave for work. The leaves are starting to change...summer's over!

Cajun Birthday Party

The Beach

Eileen and I went on a little road trip last week to Virginia Beach and Raleigh, NC. We both needed some R&R and decided to combine a beach trip with our trek to yet another DMB concert. So, we packed our swimsuits and a lot of snacks and set off. We were excited to be heading into Sonic country (I hate it that Sonic advertises here, even though the closest Sonic is 3 hours away!). We stopped for lunch and I got a cherry limeade (the best drink EVER). We arrived at the Courtyard by Marriott (gotta love that associate discount!) and then headed out to get pedicures. We had dinner and vegged out in the hotel room. Day #2 started out with yet another visit to Sonic for more beverages and then we hit the beach. It was VERY windy (sand was everywhere) and chilly because of the partly cloudy skies. But, we were troopers and stuck it out for a couple of hours, then we switched to the pool. We caught part of the Steeler game and then got ready for dinner. We found a GREAT pizza place and then went back to the hotel. Day #3 was CLOUDY. Only about 10 minutes of sun all day. And it was way too cold to enjoy the beach or pool (though the ocean was the warmest place to be outside). We put on sweatshirts and took a walk through town. Of course, we stopped at Sonic again for drink #3! We took it easy again and just enjoyed listening to the ocean. Why is it that whenever I'm at the beach, I start to feel really nostalgic and wish I lived at the beach? What about it makes me want to quit my job and move into a small apartment with a view of the water? I could be a waitress or something like that and have a nice, simple life, no car payment, no worlkdly distractions and just enjoy falling asleep to the sound of the ocean every night? I love living in the city, but I really want to live by the ocean, it's the most calming place in the world for me. Day #4 we decided to get up early and head to Raleigh (after stopping at Sonic of course!). There were no clouds there and the temp was warm! We got there in time to spend a few hours at the hotel pool soaking up the sun. SO nice. Then we got ready for the concert. We enjoyed our short time in NC, people are so nice there! The concert venue was smaller than Starlake and our seats were decent. Not too many tall people in front of me! However, the girl next to me was a dud. During the AMAZING concert full of fun, upbeat songs, she just stood there. Why go to a DMB concert if you're not going to sing along?!? So annoying. But Eileen and I had a blast as usual and we glad we made the trek. We got up on Day #5 and drove back to D.C. (one last Sonic stop!). It was a fun road trip and a great way to spend a long weekend! We love DMB and can't wait until the tour next summer to do it all again!

Check out my Slide Show!

I got tagged by Anna so I have to put this on my blog. . .

A- Attached or single: single and loving it
B- Best Friend: it depends on the time in my life...Kristi, Gina, Anna
C- Cake or Pie: Pie...preferably cherry, made by my mom
D- Day of choice: Saturday. I get to sleep in (sometimes).
E- Essential Item: My cell phone and Diet Coke
F- Favorite Color: To wear - Black. Otherwise - green
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi bears, especially chocolate covered cinnamon ones!
H- Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (GO STEELERS)
I- Indulgence(s): Ice cream and reality TV
J- January or July: Definitely July...I hate the cold and snow.
K- Kids: I love them and can't wait to have my own. For now I'm content with spoiling my friends' kids.
L: Life is Incomplete Without: My friends & family.
M- Marriage Date: ??? (Though I'd like an April wedding when the cherry blossoms are in bloom)
N- Number of Siblings: 3 siblings and 1 sister-in-law
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges (unless it's an apple pie)
P- Phobias or Fears: Dark staircases, needles, drowning, spiders
Q- Quote(s):
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." ~ Oscar Wilde.
"God does notice us, and he watches over us. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other" ~ Spencer W. Kimball
R- Reason To Smile: Music , being able to travel, living life to its fullest
S- Season: Fall. My birthday is the first day of fall and I love the clean crisp smell in the air. I love pulling out sweaters and being outside.
T- Tag Three +: Michelle B., Melissa, Michele L., Ana
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I hate onions, but love french onion soup.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Mmmmm...meat.
W- Worst Habit: Spending too much time on the internet when I should be in bed...or working.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I'll have to go with X-rays (never had an ultrasound). It's so cool to see your bones!
Y- Your Favorite Food: Cajun. And ice cream. And pie. And Primanti's. I'm hungry.
Z- Zodiac: Virgo

Nico's Blessing Day

Jen, Liz and I drove down to Woodbridge yesterday to see Nico's blessing. Rafael did a great job and little Nico was a superstar! He's getting bigger and is still adorable and such a charmer!

He's such a good baby and I can't wait to go and spend much more time with little Nico!

Check out that hair! You can't really tell in this photo, but he has great highlights. Rafa just gave Nico his 2nd hair cut (and he's not even a month old)!!!

I love New York!

My roommate Jen and I went to New York last week. I love that city SO much. The weather was amazing and we shared the city with MANY other visitors to the city. We had a lot packed into 2 1/2 days, but we made the most of it. We decided that we wanted to see two shows, so on Saturday, we saw Spamalot (SO FUNNY) and then Jersey Boys (WOW). They were two very different shows, but both incredible. Spamalot made us laugh the entire time and Jersey Boys was full of great music from beginning to end. I loved it! Sunday we went to church (I love going to church out of town) and met up with Susan, Emily H. and Duane, and then hung out in Central Park all afternoon. We had a late lunch at a great Italian place (see the photo of my yummy food!) and then put our name in at Serendipity (the wait was 3 hours) for dessert. I met up with Emily Price and her husband Jonathan (they live in NYC now)...it was great to see Emily and catch up. Plus, I was happy to have Emily meet my D.C. friends because I think everyone should know Emily! On Monday we walked around by our hotel (we stayed near the South Street Seaport (near the Brooklyn Bridge) and it was a fun part of town! After a nice, relaxing train ride (no sitting in Labor Day traffic), we were home. I'm ready to go back and play in that city again!

I love New York!

MasterCard Commercial

CUTEST commercial ever.

New Baby Boy!!!

Amberly and Rafael FINALLY had their baby! Nicolas (Nico) Matthew Hazembuller was born last week and he is ADORABLE!

Nico is clearly a genius. We went to see him the day after he was born and he was awake, alert and his eyes followed our voices.

He has a ton of hair and is basically perfect. We had a great time welcoming Nico and can't wait to go visit soon! Nice job guys!

Home, Again...

Well, I was in PA for the 2nd weekend in a row. And I'm officially SICK of driving. I'll definitely be laying low this weekend and I'm looking foward to it!

However, this weekend was SO fun. As a friend put it, "a Dave Matthews Band concert and a Steelers game? That's pretty much your idea of a perfect weekend!" It was pretty perfect. And the weather made it even better. It had rained in Pittsburgh for about a week (serious thunderstorms, flooding, etc.) and I drove home Thurs. night through some awful weather. Here I am driving from the sun of Maryland into the dark clouds of Pennsylvania. It was around 6:30 p.m. at this point and once I got into the rain, it was dark the remainder of the trip. Oh fun.

We were really nervous when it was pouring Friday morning, but by 2:00 (an hour before we met to drive out to Post Gazette Pavillion), the sun came out and stayed out! The rain had cooled things off and we had PERFECT tailgating weather! We met up with some of Eileen's friends (who were tailgating experts) and also with Kristin & Michael and we had a great afternoon. Then we headed into the venue for an amazing (as usual) night with Dave and the guys. It wasn't the best setlist I've heard, but the band was INTO it! The new songs sound great and hey brough back "Sweet Up & Down" after a 7 year break! Stefan danced around with his base a lot (I LOVE it when Stefan dances for me) and had a SWEET solo at the beginning of the Watchtower encore! Dave's voice sounds amazing and Eileen and I can't wait to see them again in Raleigh in September! My only setback of the night was the fact that I could BARELY see. It sucks being 5'1" when you're at a concert. I'm glad they had the big screens or I would have had to settle for the backs of heads all night. I think all concert-goers who are tall should have to sit behind me. Or at least not ALL in my section, in my seat, in the 10 rows in front of me. Or maybe I should just get front row seats all the time...it's only fair...I've spent all my life NOT-seeing things because I'm so short! Here's a bad camera phone photo of my boy Stefan Lessard rockin' it out on stage. He's an amazing base player. I. LOVE. HIM.

The Steeler game was great too...even though it's only pre-season, the stadium was packed and the Terrible Towels were out in full force! We don't get to see Brett Favre play in Pittsburgh very often, so that was very cool. He's SO hot and even though he only played for a few minutes, it was worth it! The Steelers lost, but it's okay. The first team looks great and some of the rookies are going to have great careers. I hope they play Ben a bit more this weekend. They're playing the Redskins down here, so I'm going to try to get some tickets!

It was fun to be home, though I need to stop doing it two weekends in a row. It was hard to leave yesterday and I got a bit teary on the drive home. It's so easy to be at home, so comfortable. Not like my life here is that hard, it's just that sometimes I miss the familiarity of being in Pittsburgh, where I know everyone, I know where things are, and I feel needed.

Scott & Dani's Wedding

My brother Scott was married last weekend to a WONDERFUL girl named Dani. They're very much in love and SO good for each other. They balance each other perfectly. It was a hot August day, but there was no rain and we all had a blast! They were married at a small bed and breakfast north of Pitsburgh. It was a small, intimate gathering and I'm very excited to be gaining another sister! See photos below...and no laughing at my parasol!

Check out my Slide Show!

NYC

My roommate Susan and I took a little trip to New York last week and had a BLAST! We both attended our first game in Yankee Stadium...it was SO cool to be there.

You can't really tell because it's so far away, but this is a photo of Roger Clemens pitching! He made it through 6 innings before being taken out of the game and only allowed one run. I felt very lucky to be there on the night he pitched! I'd forgotten what it was like to be at a baseball game in a city where there's a winning team.

Susan and I discovered that all of the hot native New York boys are Yankee fans and many of them were at the game, sitting in our section! They're not only ALL hot, but they're very nice. This photo is of Dave and Vince. They grew up in the Bronx area and Dave now lives in Manhattan. Vince was visiting from Philly. Both had thick New York accents and even offered to buy us a beer! ;)

The next day we spent just walking around, doing a little shopping (I added another Kate Spade purse to the family) and enjoying the city. It was so nice to not have anywhere to go or anything to see, we just enjoyed being in the city and wandering through the Village and SoHo. It rained a bit and was super humid, which was kind of annoying, but it's just nice to be in New York. We ended up in a great little Italian restaurant for dinner and then went up to the theater district to see Curtains.

Curtains was a very funny show, with amazing dancing. We were lucky enough to be in the 3rd row and could see everything...the actors' facial expressions, the spit & the sweat. It was great. David Hyde Pierce is an incredible comedic actor (anyone who's seen the Frasier episode with Niles getting ready for a Valentine's date will agree) and his timing is perfect. It was also great to see Debra Monk & Karen Ziemba!

After the show, as usual, we went to the stage door. Just about everyone in the cast signed playbills and posed for photos. We chatted with a few of them (not a lot of people were at the stage door, which was nice) and one of the actors was a graduate of Point Park (in Pittsburgh) and she was fun to talk to. David took the time to sign playbills and pose for photos with everyone there. He wasn't in a hurry and was very cool! What a great night!!!!!

Cain't Say No...

I had 3 goals for last weekend (well, I had more, but 3 that I HAD to get done)...
1. Go to Target to return some stuff
2. Do laundry
3. Call the guy who cuts our grass

I had one goal for this week (again, I had more, but this was for my sanity)...
1. Eat lunch AWAY from my desk ONE day this week.

Can you guess how many of these things were accomplished? Yep, that's right...ZERO. Will the world end because none of this was finished? Certainly not. But's it's still aggravating!

Target is 6 miles away. I had dinner about 1/2 mile from it on Sat. night. Did I make it to Target on Saturday? Yes. Did I remember to put the returns in my car? No. My laundry remains in the laundry room, ready to become clean. I hope to get to it tonight, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm sure someone in my house will have a trip they're packing for or something and my clothes will remain in waiting. I couldn't find Matt's cell # (landscaper-guy) and finally asked my roommate where it was..."on the fridge" was her response. Of course. Followed by, "I noticed the grass looked awful and wondered why someone hadn't called Matt yet". Wondered, but didn't pick up the phone and call him herself? P.S. the grass still looks like a jungle 4 days later. As for lunch away from my desk...I realize I have two days left to accomplish that goal, but it's not looking good. Meetings, conference calls, deadlines, etc. Why can't we ALL take the summer off like my three teacher roommates?!? And why am I the one worrying about the lawn?

To my credit, I did get stuff done last weekend, just not enough. Isn't that always how it goes? You can never get enough done. I've learned that the reason I can't get enough done is because, just like Ado Annie, I cain't say "no" (except she's gettin' much more action than I am). I don't know how to say "no" to things I want to do and things I'd rather not do. I couldn't say "no" to my friend's birthday dinner last weekend, to seeing a weekend movie with Jen (Transformers...it was AWESOME. At one point the guy in front of me turned to his wife/girlfriend and said with reverenced awe, "Look honey, that's Optimus Prime". I highly recommend it.), to making posters & flyers for Enrichment night (and we all know how crafty I am...this takes me longer than most), to creating the power point presentations for our team training session, to my visiting teachers coming over, to cooking dinner for the missionaries, to the midnight showing last night of Harry Potter 5 (even though I had to work today), etc. Now my laundry still isn't done, the grass still isn't cut, I still have to go to Target and I'm running on 4 hours sleep. Real smart, Sara.

So, my new goal (to replace other goals I'll seemingly never finish) is to learn how to say "no". But I hate to be more selfish with my time, especially since our Bishop keeps telling us that giving our time in service is what we need to work on, so maybe instead of saying "no", I'll try to put my priorities in better order. Yeah right, I've been saying that since I was in college. Though I guess by now I should know when I'm spread too thin. This week I'm definitely spread too thin. And even though a lot of the stuff I've been doing is fun, I still can't do it all. Lesson learned (I hope).

And I think I'm done with midnight movies on a work night...

Gabe & Lauren's Wedding Reception

Saturday was Gabe & Lauren's wedding reception at the LeMont in Pittsburgh. It was a beautiful day and the view of the city was amazing! Aren't they a gorgeous couple?!? Congrats to them as they start their life together!

Here they are being announced for the first time as the new Mr. & Mrs. Mosey!
And here are the three HOT single girls...it was fun to catch up with Aimee (who I haven't seen in ages) and Kerri. Great bridesmaid dress choice Lauren...they'll actually wear them again!

HOME!!!

I spent last weekend in PA. It was great to be home, see family & friends and eat some great Pittsburgh food!!! I really miss those fries on my salads!

I also went up to Erie for a couple of days to see Eric & Gina's new house (it's SO nice) and to celebrate Josefina's 2nd birthday. I got her a new baby w/a stroller and she loved it!

Here's Gina with the birthday girl after dinner...can you tell they're related? We went out for gellato. YUM!

And here's the little Bean with her birthday cannoli!

Even though I did a TON of driving, it was great to go home for a few days! Why can't everyone I love live in MY CITY?!?