with Penzey’s Spices! A couple years back I took a cooking class at the Kitchen Window and they went on and on about how the only place that you should ever buy spices is from Penzey’s. I had never heard of this crazy place, but all I could think of were Pirates every time the...
Loved this! Check it out…
Hello – Welcome to this overview of “Millers Take Mexico 2009”. We’re going to do only a brief bit of commentary and let the pictures speak for themselves. Photo 1: Our favorite place to spend the day (The Pool). This resort was perfect for the Millers because not...
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 days driving cross-country from St. Paul to DC. I did 6 hours each day, covering 1200 miles total...
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 at local restaurants, did some shopping and took a walk in the nearby cemetery. (Is that...
It’s no secret that finances are tough stuff for the majority of people right now. While I will agree that negative returns are no fun, the joy of financial management is in the day-to-day planning, goal-setting and tracking. This has been on my mind a lot as I focused on merging...
I know I’ve been posting a lot of video lately but this one is downright heart-warming! Clara Cannucciari is a 93 year old woman who has risen to wild popularity recently via her Depression Cooking with Clara Video Segments. Her Grandson grew up on them and wanted to capture the...
I couldn’t resist sharing this – it was just too darn cute! From bottom to top: Janet, Jenna, Emily, Beth, Sarah
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 venues in town for that type of cuisine. We each sampled a tasting menu for $25 a person...
That is the questions I’ve heard a lot recently from the 25+ crowd. There seems to be a cool societal evolution happening right now which is making it acceptable for “older” people to embrace technology and participate in social networking. I have to be honest, I fought...
On Sunday I was the recipient of my very first shower, hosted by my family and co-workers from LADC. My wonderful mother Janet dreamed up a tacky-tourist theme for the day – complete with Leis, Filipino Food, Music and the appropriate island-themed decorations! This was no typical...
A bit of inspiration for the end of the week!
This month I had the opportunity to do a night of service at Feed My Starving Children. I had been there in the past, but forgotten what fantastic work they do. This is yet another fabulous MN-based non-profit, founded by a businessman after he saw devasting hunger on a mission trip to...
Wow, am I overwhelmed right now. As you know, we’re T minus 2.5 months and counting until wedding 2. I was doing so well lately, mainly because I wasn’t thinking about it. Then I had to go and take part in my friend Leah’s wedding as her personal attendant where all of...
The beaming couple on flag day! You’d think we were holding a newborn; we look so proud! :)
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 retired officers and their spouses sharing stories about the different posts that we’re...
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 much flack for doing a Bunco party! Sample comments included: “That’s only for old...
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, Kill Devil Hills). It’s about a 5 hour drive from DC, so it was an ideal distance to...
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 there’s any link there. This magnificent destination is located in Southeast Asia, right by...
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 right after getting married- it kills the fun! Notes about tomorrow, since I know a lot of you...
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 the optimist that I am, I’ve decided that unlucky happening is something I’m going to...
What a night. WHOA. I don’t think you could pay me enough to get on a bucking animal. I had the opportunity to attend the rodeo on Saturday night with Estelle. We had a blast cheering on our favorite cowboys. I only wish I had brough my pink sequined cowboy hat (just kidding)! There...
Remember awhile back when I begged someone to join the St. Paul Curling Club so that I could come observe? Well, my sister answered the plea! Let me tell you, it was no easy task. Rumor has it that the wait to get in is something like 10 years. Well, she worked her magic and started...
I was reminded about the power of service trips today when I received an email from JS about her border trip. I’ve been hearing about this organization for quite some time now and thought the time was ripe to share it with you. Global Volunteers was started 1984 as a non-profit that...
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 my beloved husband to call me over lunch. I waited and waited. No call. Boy was I crabby. When...
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 dinner?? Long gone…. SO- Today’s big event is an interview with our Career Development...
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 favorite of mine that I’ve created a verb out of it, often saying to Nick, “I’m...
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 dozens of posts that are open for us to select from. We have 4 days to research all the posts...
Hi All! Remember when I told you about my background in Deli while working in SuperTarget? Well, one of the odd carry-overs has been an obsession with grocery stores. Being on the East Coast is so much fun because there’s a whole new array of them: Giant, Harris Teeter, Safeway to...
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 won’t take too long! So there it is! We have a 1 BR apartment with a balcony overlooking the...
Ha! It seems quite fitting to post the Engagement Photos after the wedding photos, given the strange order that things are playing out in. We shot at the W Hotel – Foshay Tower in Minneapolis. We (I mean I) loved every minute! Nick would have told you that he couldn’t imagine...
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 well in our new life! Here’s an update from the past few days… We started off the New...
It’s official! We’re married… more pictures to come later!
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 this lovely Court House in Maryland shortly after the first of the year. Nick starts his...
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? The basic premise was that you (the viewer) were on a detective team that was trying to...
Waiting for a vacation to arrive can be so hard, no matter whether it’s a cabin up north or Disney World. Now take that yearning and multiply it by ten, because I have the most grandiose vacation of my life coming up – 16 days in Malaysia! Check out the map above for details...
The first time I really started to think seriously about getting my own Virtual Assistant was after reading Timothy Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek. Suggestion: If you haven’t read this book yet, do it now! There are suggestions galore and it left me incredibly...
Click here to listen to the audio on MPR and read the article: hour_car_solar
Well, it’s not very big, but it’s there… not that I’m complaining! It sure was fun… I’m in minutes 3-5 of the audio. Check it out!
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 new trends, I decided we’d explore this in a 2-part blog series. Today’s focus is...
So, I’ve noticed that I have the tendency to become a spokesperson for many of the organizations that I affiliate with. Take today for instance, I’m just minding my business when the Hourcar manager calls up and asks if I’d be willing to talk to a reporter about my...
Let me introduce Marcus Young, St. Paul’s official artist-in-residence. His latest project could be coming to a sidewalk near you. His idea was to take local artists’ poems and imprint them into sidewalks that were being redone. How is this possible? Well, basically you need...
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 balloon. Little did we know how hard it is to actually get up in the air! 6 tries later we...
I profess to be a non-TV girl, but I must confess that my secret addiction is Grey’s Anatomy. I fully blame Dana for getting me hooked on Grey’s. I had made it through two entire seasons without succumbing to the hype. I was so proud of myself. Then one night in a moment of...
I know you all thought I was a wee bit crazy when I started doing the network spinal analysis stuff and I hate to say it, but I told you it would work. I don’t really understand it either but here are some fabulous before and after scans that show what’s changing in my...
Holy crap. The things you do for love… So, last night I had the privilege of going up in the Trike with Don (see previous post on Triking for info about the sport). As you saw in the blog, Nick went up about a month ago (and loved it, of course) and had visions of us doing this...
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 happened to pass a boutique store that I hadn’t been in yet, Paper Patisserie (next to WA...
I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t thoroughly enamoured with photo shoots. Flashback to my Senior photos- 6 outfits, 5 hours, 4 hairstyles, 1 friend assisting me with outfit changes and over 200 proofs to choose from. Well, my latest picture escapade involved shooting photos...
Well, the U of M has done it again. If you thought the Honeycrisp was good, wait until you try Zestar! First, a little background on the U of M’s Fruit Breeding program: It dates back as far as 1878. According to an article on MPR.org, of the 15,000 trial breeds being grown out at...
So lately I’ve been wandering around town quite a bit (on foot, as you all know). Since there aren’t many chain stores within walking distance, mostly I end up in little boutiques. And the crazy thing is that I’ve become quite attached to these little boutiques. I would...