Fast Company recently featured this story titled: Why Americans are Going Abroad for Health Care. Over half a million Americans flew overseas last year to save up to 90% off of US rates on major...
Fast Company recently featured this story titled: Why Americans are Going Abroad for Health Care. Over half a million Americans flew overseas last year to save up to 90% off of US rates on major...
In celebration of a recent milestone, Nick and I celebrated by taking a 3 hour private sailing lesson on White Bear Lake. Northern Breezes Sailing School offers delightful packages for either 2 or 3...
Nick and I spent a day at the zoo this weekend. It had been at least 10 years since I’d been there and it’s always interesting to compare an experience in the present to what you remember...
So, the Olympics are just around the corner. Several new products are debuting there that will be available to the public shortly after. Check out this great article in Fast Company that talks about...
Nick and I saw this film over the summer and fell in love with it. This French film has subtitles but I noticed when watching it that I became so entranced with the film that I forgot they were there...
As many of you know, Nick and I are preparing for our 18 day trip to Malaysia in November. How does that relate to today’s post, you ask? Well, when I was out on my lunch-time walk I...
I can’t believe it, but I finally got my long-awaited Graduation gift from Nick. In May of 2007 Nick surprised me with one of the things I’ve always wanted to do – go up in a...
It’s hard to get retail out of your blood after spending 5 years immersed in it, so I tend to stay in the know about how the retail sector is doing. After last week’s tough times on...
So, I’ve noticed that I have the tendency to become a spokesperson for many of the organizations that I affliliate with. Take today for instance, I’m just minding my business when the...
I had never heard of virtual assistants until this past year. Now I feel like everywhere I turn, people are sending things off to their virtual assistants overseas. Being one who is fascinated by...
Hi all- I was just reflecting on the fact that my life is beginning to feel somewhat like that fabulous old world adventure show that used to be on PBS called Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? ...
In the life of Sarah, things are constantly changing lately… Case in point: The Wedding. Or should I say Weddings! Wedding 1 (as we’re affectionately calling it) will take place at...
It’s official! We’re married… more pictures to come later!
Greetings Blog Readers!  Sarah Novak here reporting from beautiful, 40 degree Washington, D.C. It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m happy to report that both Nick and I are faring...
Welcome to our new D.C. home for the next 4-9 months. Nick will be keeping it nice and clean for us while I’m back in MN until early May. Let me take you on a quick tour… it...
OH MY GOSH! I’ve been waiting for this day ever since we found out that we got in. For those of you not familiar with foreign service life, Bid List Day is the day we receive a list of the...
Those of you who know me well know that I am anything BUT a gamer. It seems though, that I have developed a bit of an addiction. It’s called Fuzzle. In fact, Fuzzle has become such a...
Surprise, Surprise. Today (Tuesday) has something BIG and IMPORTANT in it too. What happened to those good old routine days I used to have where my largest decision was what I would make for...
Never under-estimate the bizarre occurrences that take place in the world of Sarah and Nick. Today’s story is a doozy! So I’m in MN freezing my butt off in negative temps waiting for...
Yup, you guessed it. Nick continues to meet cool famous people while I sit in MN and freeze. Today’s meet and greet: Hillary Clinton, his new boss. It’s a tough life, but...
We’re getting closer! Only8 days left until much of this ambiguity surrounding my life is cleared up. Yes, that’s right – Flag Day will take place on Friday the 13th. Being...
Well, the BIG Day is nearing. I’m about to hop on a flight to DC to see Nick for the first time in 5 weeks. HOW EXCITING! Note to newlyweds: I do not recommend staying apart for 5 weeks...
We may just be the luckiest people in the word today- we managed to get assigned our number 1 pick: Manila. The city, not the envelope…. :) I’ll do some research to see if...
After the stress of going through flag day, Nick knew that I’d need to get away for the weekend. He surprised me with a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Cape Hatteras, Kitty Hawk...
Last night I threw my first 10+ person party in DC. It was an informal gathering- BYOB, appetizers to share, and BUNCO in the community room at our residence. Let me tell you though, I got SOOO...
Last night we had the opportunity to attend a reception hosted at the Bacon House by the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR). It was such a delightful evening, with each of the...
The beaming couple on flag day! You’d think we were holding a newborn; we look so proud! :)
I arrived in DC late Friday night and Nick treated me to a fun new cuisine I had never sampled before – Moroccan! Wow. What a feast! We ate at Taste of Morocco in DC, one of the best know...
Well, I’m back after a week of adventures in DC. Nick and I had one of the most “normal” weeks together that we’ve had in a long time. We managed to have a few date nights...
MANILA TRAFFIC! You have to see it live to believe it…
Greetings all – sorry for the delayed absence! I am back to blogging! In my defense, I have been quite busy though! After a delightful week in Mexico with the fam, I spent the last few...
I’m not sure how it happened, but at some point during the trip to Mexico I picked up a copy of the book Twilight. Ladies and Gentlemen, it was all over from there. I had book 1 finished in...
As many of you know, we’re T minus 5 days and counting until Wedding number 2 in Minnesota. Sorry about the lack of blogging, there’s just so many darn programs left to fold…. I...
Yes! I’m married AGAIN! The 2nd time was equally magical. Over the next week or two, I’ll share some of the details of the event – from the vendors I used to my favorite pics. ...
Here’s the first round of speeches from Janet (Sarah’s Mom), Robert (Nick’s Dad) and Sarah Jansen (Sarah’s friend)… I’m working on the last upload for tomorrow...
Here it is folks, the last video from the day. SIGH. It’s hard to comprehend that it’s over. I can see why brides go through a little post-event let-down period. Rest assured...
Seriously, who’d have thought choosing a hat or two would be such a challenging thing? Now, you may ask, “Why get a hat anyway?” I’d be thinking the exact same thing if I...
I know this is what you’ve all been waiting for – our COMPLETE wedding gallery. Warning. There are approximately 900 shots in the gallery, so we’ve broken them down into smaller...
Oh my gosh. This is really happening. We are exactly one month out from leaving! That is insane. For those of you wondering about the Wheels Up reference above, it references the wheels going...
Oh my goodness gracious. What is happening to my life!? I just picked up a package at the post office and learned that I am now the proud owner of a Head Flashlight. Nick was in charge of...
         Whenever I’m new to something, I like to observe and information gather for a period at the beginning. Given that the Foreign Service is like an entirely new planet that I...
We’re all about new experiences lately and this definitely fit the bill. My in-laws live on beautiful Chesapeake Bay and they invited us over for a crab-eating shindig before we left the...
We’ll start with a video. Music on the video is by the Hotdogs, a Filipino pop/rock band that topped the Filipino charts in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Watch out, it’s a...
Today we’re going to learn some fun facts about the Philippines, so that you can be as knowledgeable as I am about this great country! Here we go: The Philippines is an archipelago of more...
….to becoming an amateur photographer! Today I ventured out with our brand new Canon Rebel Xsi Digital SLR camera. If I’m being honest, I must confess that we’ve had the thing...
Wow! We are officially less than 2 weeks out from Wheels Up. It’s hard to believe. I want to thank you all for being such diligent followers of the blog – it topped 150 readers one...
Today was a big day – we knocked out all the Costco purchases in one run. Pretty amazing! It’s a huge relief to have that crossed off. I used to feel like $1000 got you so much more...
The shopping is done. FINALLY. I feel complete now with my Ravioli and Diet Coke rations. Nick and I comprised on the final numbers and here’s what I ended up bringing: 20 – 12...
Well, given that nearly every facet of my life is in transition right now, it makes sense that my business would need an evolution as well. I think most of you know this, but I’ve been a life...
I have a feeling that I’m going to get some flack for this post, but I’m going for it anyways. Think of it as a Public Service Message (only via the internet). Having gone through the...