SIXBURGH!

I can't believe I haven't taked the time to blog about the BEST Superbowl EVER! The Steelers are now the ONLY team with SIX Superbowl rings. We have a lot of room on the "Steelers Nation" bandwagon if you'd like to jump on!

Here are some images from my mini-Superbowl party. I decided not to have a big party because I wanted to actually watch the game and not have to deal with people talking. Plus, I tend to get a little bit, well, insane when I watch a Steeler game...especially when it's a BIG game like this.

I have to admit, I was worried for a second, but they pulled through at the last minute (like almost every other game this season) for the win! GO STEELERS!

THE FOOD...which included Pittsburgh favorites such as Sarris candy and pierogies.
Ready for the 3D commercials!
Jen's 1st Superbowl party. Oh yeah, and I've turned my not-caring-about-sports friends into crazy Steeler fans. Yes, my job is done.

Staci's photo of me during the game. I'm on facebook, talking to my family and friends in PA. I really missed being in Pittsburgh for the excitement during playoffs. I was a bit nervous here and trying not to yell at the TV. We had to cover Liz's chair with a blanket because it's red and there was NO red allowed (Cardinals colors)!

Back to Blogging

Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. Things have been busy. First it was the holidays (which were fun...it was nice to be home for over a week and see friends & family). Then it was work. Then it was work again. And it's still work. I can't believe it's almost the end of February already! Yes, work is busy, but I'm really not complaining. I have a job. That's a huge blessing. I found out today that Ford had yet another round of layoffs this week. I'm so grateful I made that hard decision to leave 2 years ago. I've had great opportunities with Marriott and I hope that continues.

If you're interested in checking out what's been consuming my life for the past 3 weeks, go to www.marriottalohatour.com. We have our event at headquarters on Tuesday and then it's onto the next project. Though I think there will be a week or two of breathing room first!

I did manage to find time last weekend to go into D.C. to the National Archives to see the display of the Emancipation Proclamation. They had it on display for Lincoln's birthday. I'm sorry to say I'd never been to the National Archives, so we stuck around to see some other amazing documents...the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. They we headed over to the National Gallery of Art (one of my favorite places to go) to see the Dutch Cityscapes exhibit (which was AMAZING). We finished off the afternoon with some gelato. YUM.

Here are some photos from the afternoon...

The actual last page with Honest Abe's signature.

Entire Emancipation Proclamation
Declaration of Independence

"We the People..."

Bill of Rights

Tina Turner is my Idol

I know it's been a long time since I've posted...and I couldn't pass up the chance to rave about how FREAKING AWESOME the Tina Turner concert was last night. She turns 69 tomorrow, but she's still got it. Wardrobe by Bob Mackey, stilettos by Manolo Blahnik and an attitude all her own. She still has the moves, the voice and the class that makes her "simply the best".

Over 2 hours of Tina dancing, singing, running around. In addition to rocking out to her own songs, she included covers such as "Let's Stay Together", "Help!", "The Acid Queen" and "Jumping Jack Flash". I'm sorry, but anyone (let alone any woman) who can successfully cover Al Green, The Who, The Stones and The Beatles is my hero. Especially when done in a red sequined mini-dress with matching heels. I'd kill for her legs. And did I mention she can dance?

Not only is she supremely talented, but Tina is one classy lady. Towards the end of the show she introduced her band (which is typical), then went on to introduce, by name, her back up dancers, her production crew, lighting & sound, hair & makeup and the stage manager (which is not typical). She took the time to give everyone their chance to take a bow. She could be difficult and act like a diva (she's certainly earned it), but she chooses to give credit to those who help her look good. And boy, did she look good! At the end of the show, as the lights came up, full credits ran on the screen onstage. Everyone, down to the bus drivers were mentioned. That's class.

I've been to many, many concerts in my lifetime and I have to say that this one is in my Top 2. Prince and Tina Turner are two shows NOT TO MISS. She won't be touring for long and this may be the last time, so if Tina is coming to a city near you, RUN don't walk to catch this incredible show. You'll thank me later.

Set List
Steamy Windows
Typical Male
River Deep, Mountain High
What You Get is What You See
Better Be Good to Me
The Acid Queen
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Private Dancer
We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)
Help
Undercover Agent for the Blues
Let’s Stay Together
I Can’t Stand the Rain
Rolling Stones Medley
Jumping Jack Flash
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Goldeneye
Addicted to Love
The Best
Proud Mary
Encore
Nutbush City Limits
Be Tender With Me Baby

Losing my mind...

It's t-minus 12 days until I leave for Thailand. Guess who's still not ready. Yep, that would be me. Most of the International PR team is in "final exam" mode. For instance, right now, I'm wearing slippers because my feet hurt from running back and forth to the editing suite (which is 5 floors down and on the exact opposite side of the building). We've all been working late hours, trying to get it all done and somehow more work keeps being added on top of everything. My desk looks like a hurricane hit it and it's amazing that I can actually find anything.

Today is a particularly scatterbrained day. I think my brain is just sick of it all and threatening to shut down for good. It doesn't help that my diet today consisted of Diet Coke, half of a scone from Starbucks (I had a meeting in DC this morning), ice cream from the group b-day party in our department, Diet Dr. Pepper and candy corn. I might eat some pretzels soon because I'm getting a little bit shaky. Should I really wonder why I can't think straight?

Lesson learned: Stress + sugar = can't really function.

It's October

It's October, which makes me have a panic attack a little each time I think of it (which is why I haven't switched over my calendar yet). This means that I only have 3 weeks until I leave for Thailand. Am I ready for this meeting? No. Hence, panic attacks.

Things that have happened in the past 2 weeks.

• My baby sister turned 22. Yikes.
• I turned 34 + 1. Double Yikes. But I got a Kate Spade gift certificate from my roommates. Nice.
• I survived our crazy 4-birthdays-in-a-row weekend. And ate a ton of great food in the process.
• I took a day off of work and spend the afternoon at the spa. This decision caused me to have to work super late the rest of the week, but it was totally worth it.
• I scored tickets to see Tina Turner. I'm ridiculously excited about that.
• I taught my first Relief Society lesson in about 3 years. It was scary, but I think it went okay. I'm slowing getting into the swing of things, thanks in large part to our awesome RS Secretary. She's incredible.
• I saw the final Broadway performance of Rent on the big screen. Incredible. That musical never ceases to amaze me. Or make me cry. I really hope they release it on DVD. The stage version is so much better than the movie version.
• I went to the Kennedy Center to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Then hung around afterwards and met the band when they did a CD signing. That rocked. I've loved PHJB since I was little (thanks Dad!) and it was a thrill to meet some of them.
• I get to go see New Kids on the Block at the Verizon Center tomorrow night. Don't make fun of me. I loved them as a 14-year-old and even though they're super cheesy, I still love them. You all have secret guilty pleasures too, so back off.

So there's a little catch-up for all you blog readers. Sorry no photos this time.

Confessions...

Hello, my name is Sara and I'm a blog-stalker. Yes, I admit it. Though it's not entirely my fault. I have funny friends who have cute kids. And these friends have funny friends, sisters, SILs, almost SILs, etc., who also have cute kids. Plus, they develop trendy ways to write blogs. It's too much to resist. I only wish I could be that funny...and maybe I'll make up some cute kids. :) I'm also too tired to be trendy, so I'm sticking with good old fashioned bullet points.

• It's been a LONG week. I've been at the office until 8:00 every night with no end in sight. Plus I have to teach (my first Relief Society lesson in two years) on Sunday. I'm not ready. At all. And yes, I am freaking out about it. It kind of makes me miss teaching in Primary where I could fill up the left-over time with coloring. Somehow I don't think that'll work in RS.
• When I'm stressed out I crave chocolate. My current cravings include Junior Mints and Ben & Jerry's cake batter ice cream (with a fudge frosting swirl...WOW).
• I'll be 35 on Monday. There, I finally said it out loud (well, not out loud, but you get the idea). That number makes me panic a little bit. It's my "scary age" and I never really thought I'd get here because it always seemed so far away. My life is nothing like I imagined it would be when I hit 35. In some ways it's better, in some ways, not better. But it's here so I have to face it. I know I still have some time to get married and have kids, it'll just be a little harder now.
• I wish someone would explain the traffic patterns on the beltway. One minute I'm cruising along with traffic at 70 miles an hour. Then, all of a sudden we all stop. Then we start and again, we're at 70 MPH. There are no accidents, no cops, no lights, no bad weather. Traffic just slows down randomly. It's painfully frustrating. I wish I could view it from the sky so I could see why this happens. And if there's rain (or as my dad calls it, "liquid stupid"), forget it.
• The only guy I've been remotely interested in over the last couple of years is 7 years younger than me.
• I think I'm addicted to Diet Coke.

Catching up...

It's been a while since I've blogged. My life isn't all that interesting right now, just really busy. We're gearing up for our annual PR meeting, this year it's in Phuket, Thailand. I'm ridiculously excited to go to Phuket. Plus I get to stop in Seoul on my way home to see my brother. Also very cool.

As you may have read in previous blogs, our stake was reorganized and I'm now in a new ward. With a new calling as the 1st counselor in Relief Society. This is both exciting and terrifying. I've actually done this calling before, both on a ward and stake level. But in a small singles ward, not in a huge family ward. It's quite intimidating. I have to teach next week and I'm a little rusty. I just hope I don't lapse into Primary-teacher mode and start talking to the sisters like they're 8-year-olds.

My latest little mini-vacation was to New York for a weekend with one of my roommates and a friend. We went to a Yankee game (last year for the old Yankee Stadium) and to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I got a sweet associate rate at the Marriott Marquis. Gotta love that. If anyone wants to go to New York, let me know. I'm in.

I'm NOT excited about my upcoming birthday. This is the "scary age" year and I seriously wish I could just skip it this year. 34 has been pretty nice. Can't I do it again? I know it's silly, but I'm still freaked out about it. I don't feel that old...where did the time go?

I have some fun concerts/shows coming up in the next few months. I love always having something to look forward to. At the end of this month I'm going to see The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, then New Kids on the Block (don't laugh, I'm reliving my teenage years and proud of it), then Tina Turner (can't even put into words how excited I am about that), then the revival of West Side Story that's previewing here in D.C. before it hits Broadway. Plus I plan on going to NYC before the end of the year, so hopefully I'll see something then. I have kind of a great life sometimes.

Enjoy the photos!