Phoenix Suns Pre-Season Game

Continuing on with the exciting trips of Jeremy and Sara… after I came back from Hawaii, I was in southern California working for a week and then I met Jeremy in Palm Springs.  Why Palm Springs?  Because the Phoenix Suns were having their outdoor pre-season game there!  Woo hoo!

This is the 3rd year that the Phoenix Suns have done this outdoor game, and I must say, it was really cool.  The game was held at a tennis garden in Palm Springs, the weather was perfect and it was neat to be watching a NBA basketball game while feeling the outdoor breeze around you.  Of course, Jayla came to Palm Springs with us and we all enjoyed a few days of shopping at the outlet stores (how come I’m always the only person to end up getting something?), eating out and enjoying the game.  It was definitely a fun little weekend trip and best of all…the Suns won!

   

I entertained myself by taking pictures before Jayla got there.

 

The view from our seats.

    

Steve Nash!!

 

The Gorilla.

Hmmm, these pictures look kinda familiar.

Sara Goes to Hawaii

I have so much to blog about, I don’t know where to start!  Oh wait a minute, yes I do.  Did you all see my last post about my super cute shoes that I got from CSN Stores?  CSN Stores has over 200 online stores with items ranging from kitchen bar stools and holiday decorates, to bedding sets and pet products.  Talk about one stop shopping!  I’m lucky enough to be able to work with CSN Stores as a preferred blogger and I’ll be doing another product review very shortly, so keep an eye out.  Also, if you’re looking for a chance to win a gift card from CSN Stores, be sure to check out my other blog.

In other exciting news, I have a tons of pictures that I’ve taken over the past 2 months and now it’s time to blog about the exciting adventures of Jeremy and Sara.  Well actually, this post is just about the exciting adventures of Sara, but you get the idea…

In September, I went to Hawaii.  On business.  Yea, I know what you’re thinking.  “Who goes to Hawaii on business?”  Well, I do now!  In addition to Southern California, I now handle all the student applicants from Hawaii.  Which means I got to go there for a week, work from about 7am – 1pm and have the afternoons to do as I please.  It’s a tough life, I tell ya.  Here are some fun pictures that tell the story of my trip!

I sat on my balcony and watched the Hawaiian sunset for 7 nights.

I visited the Dole Plantation.  Did you know pineapples grow in bushes?  No joke, it’s true!

I climbed Diamond Head and saw the whole city of Honolulu.

I hung out in my upgraded room (for free!), complete with 2 balcony and a kitchen area!

I went to the beach.

I stared out my balcony and viewed the city and ocean.

I went to Pearl Harbor.

And I said, “Mahalo nui loa, Hawaii!  It was a fun trip!”

It’s Travel Season

Today I embark on my annual travel season for work.  To refresh everyone’s memory, I’m an Admissions Counselor at the college that Jeremy and I graduated from.  Travel season includes each counselor going out to their territory, visiting high schools and participating in high school college fairs/nights. 

This year I’m very excited that my territory is Southern California!  We’ve got direct flights from Prescott, AZ to Ontario, CA or Los Angeles, CA, which is going to make my travel a breeze.  No more carpooling down to PHX at the crack of dawn, to catch an early flight out to Texas because of the time difference!  Instead at about 3pm today, I’ll mosey on over to our local airport, hop on the plane and arrive in Ontario about an hour later.  Wonderful!

In light of my travel, last night Jeremy surprised me with some presents for my upcoming trips!  He got me 2 magazines, peanut butter Whoppers (amazing…go buy some right now!), Hot Tamales (my fave) and season 1 of 90210 (who’s excited for the season premiere on Tuesday??).  Woo hoo!  He said that he’d be missing me while I was gone and he wanted me to have stuff to make me think of him.  Awwwwww!

Speaking of my travel, I was packing this morning and came across a dilemma.  Should I pack my wonderful, Chi Pro hairdryer or should I just use the one at the hotel?  Hmmm.  Diesel was laying on the bathroom rug as I got all my things out of the cabinet and I set my hairdryer next to him.  He was in a bit of a sleepy state, so he just sniffed it and continued to lay there.  Well, about 10 minutes later, I was finished getting everything together and glance down at him, to find him sniffing the hairdryer again…or so I thought!  I saw something orange on the cord of the hairdryer,  just assumed it was a string from this orange rope/tug, and thought nothing of it, but something made me look again.  I suddenly realized that the orange string was in fact the copper wires that are inside the cord!  Turns out the little schmuck was quietly nibbling on the cord the whole time!!

I’m very sad that my hairdryer is now broken and not repairable.  First of all, it was NOT a cheap hairdryer!  Secondly, it dried my hair so fast and helped make it straight and smooth.  Finally, it was SO my fault for placing the hairdryer right in front of Diesel.  Ugh!  Oh well, rest in peace Chi Pro hairdryer, I’ll miss you dearly.

 

My Visit to the Nation's Capital

Well, I'm back from Washington D.C. and I must say...it's a pretty cool place!  Yesterday afternoon after my event was finished, I ventured out to see some of the nearby sites.  I'd like to mention that when I got to D.C. on Friday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find it at about 60 degrees outside.  And of course, the day that I have time to go see stuff...it's freezing cold and windy out!  Awesome. 

I only walked around for about an hour and a half before I got too cold and decided go to Starbucks for a hot tea and to thaw out, while I waited for my friend, Natalie, to come meet me for dinner.  Still it was fun!  I took some pictures as you'll see below.  Also, as I was flying out this morning (thankfully I just missed the snow storm!) I saw the Pentagon and the Arlington Cemetery.  Not too shabby for being there only a day and a half!

Me and the Obamas.  (They could have been in there, right?)

Front of The White House.

That's the National Christmas Tree!  And the Washington Monument, of course.

Department of Treasury.  (Are they making $$ in there??)

 

    

These awesome statues were everywhere!

  

Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

 

Chip.

 

And Dale.

(These squirrels were crazy!  They'd come right up to you and some lady protesting nuclear weapons kept throwing them acorns.  They were all over!!)

So, I really enjoyed my quick visit to Washington D.C.!  I can't wait to go back for a longer visit and see more stuff.

Ms. Sara Goes to Washington

Hello, Washington D.C.!  That's right, I'm blogging from the nation's capital.  I'm here for the weekend for work (I'm giving a presentation tomorrow) and its my first time here!  I landed around 4pm today and I'm leaving Sunday morning.  I wish I were here longer, there's SO much to see here, but I'm going to try to do what I can. 

As my flight landed, I saw the Washington Monument and the Capital building from my window, so that's two sights down, but many more to go.

 

Once I landed I hopped in a taxi, which I was a little worried about (I'm a West Coast girl...we don't do taxis, we own cars) but am proud to say I did it, and thankful that I arrived at my hotel safely.  After getting settled, I decided to go for a walk and ventured down the street a few blocks in search of some dinner.  Here are a few of my observations:

1. People in Washington DC have GREAT coats!  They are all so cute and stylish.  Even the guys!  It makes me want to go buy coats...except I don't really have the need for a bunch of them.
2. Why are drivers so mean in big cities!?  Probably because some pedestrians walk out into the street when it says not too, crazy cabbies are driving like maniacs and the streets are all confusing.  I don't blame the drivers...I'd be mad to.
3. I didn't see anyone who was overweight.  Maybe that's because they walk everywhere in this city??
4. Being in Washington DC makes me feel like I'm in a movie.  Everyone seems so "business like" and professional.  It's fun!

So, hopefully tomorrow after my event,  I'll be able to see some sights and have some pictures of my own to post.  By the way, my hotel, the Capital Hilton, is pretty cool.  I'm on the top floor (the 14th) and I have access to the Executive Level which offers complimentary breakfast in the morning, beverages and snacks all day, hors d'oeuvres in the evening and cookies and milk at night.  In fact, I just got back from having cookies and milk...deeelicious!

Sara Does Dallas - Round 2

Alright, so here I am on my last full day in Dallas for work.  On Monday morning, a few co-workers and I drove from Prescott to Phoenix at the crack of dawn (really! at like 5am), and then I flew out to Dallas.  The trip has been good and it even started out that way when the guy at Enterprise upgraded me for free!  When I returned my rental last Friday before I flew home, he was the guy the assisted me and he totally remembered me on Monday morning!  So, he put me in a Red Pontiac G6 with all the fixings, instead of some smaller crappy car.  Woo hoo!

The fairs have been pretty good this week and I'm becoming friends with other college reps who keep going to the same fairs that I do.  Since most fairs put us in alphabetical order, I have new friends from Elon University, East Texas Baptist,  and FDIM: Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (this is where LC from The Hills went!!).

During my spare time in-between fairs, I have found ways to entertain myself.  First of all, I finished reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer and I really liked it.  It is a very unique story about aliens and human love, and it gets you thinking. Totally different from her "Twilight" saga (as it should be) and I recommend it!

On Tuesday, I  visited Highland Park, TX, which seems to be the Beverly Hills of Texas.  It actually reminded me a lot of Scottsdale, AZ (*sigh* my home).  I ventured off this way because I knew that there was a SPRINKLES CUPCAKES there!  As usual, the cupcakes did not disappoint and I finally got to try a flavor that I've been dying to try...Peanut Butter Chip!  OH MY...it was by far THE BEST cupcake I've ever had IN MY LIFE!!  Peanut butter cake studded with chocolate chips, covered in Peanut Butter frosting with of course, sprinkles.  YUMMO!  I couldn't just go there and get one cupcake, so I also got a Chocolate Marshmallow cupcake - Belgian dark chocolate cake and marshmallow cream, covered with bittersweet chocolate ganache.  It too was delicious but nothing could compare to my dear Peanut Butter Chip! :-) 

These are what Sprinkles Cupcakes look like.

I've also done a bit of shopping while here.  Since in Dallas, I absolutely HAD to go to the Dallas Cowboy Pro Shop to find something for my dad.

  Then, I had to get a magnet for my dear friend, Tiffany.  Also, while in the mall I found this super cute coat at Steve & Barry's!  Wanna know how much it cost?  Of course you do!  It was $8.98.  That's right!  Only $8.98.  Awesome, huh?

And then finally today, I ventured over to the Premium Outlet Stores and got this little item.  Isn't it cute!?  It's my first Coach purse.  I've wanted one for years, but couldn't bring myself to spend $400-$500 on a purse (I find that to be a bit ridiculous, not to mention totally out of my budget!!).  Well, since this was a Premium Outlet Mall and a Coach "Factory" Store, I got an AMAZING deal on this purse.  Yay, I'm so excited!

 

Besides all that, during my time here, I've discovered that: we need Panera Bread restaurants in AZ, we need a Whole Foods in Prescott, I enjoy watching Ellen at 3 'o clock in the afternoon  (she's hilarious) and the public bathrooms in Dallas need to have the little paper toilet seat covers because it just grosses me out that they don't. 

Peace out, Dallas!  I'm heading back to AZ tomorrow morning. :)