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...
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. It’s out on video now, so with the weather turning cooler, it’s a prime time...
So boutique hotels are the “in” thing now. Minneapolis is getting a slew of them, the most famous ones recently being The Chambers, The W Foshay and the Ivy. The key differentiator of boutique hotels is that they are intimate, luxurious and quirky- typically having only 3-100...
I had heard about the site Bag Borrow or Steal, but had never taken the time to check it out. Ladies, this is the frugal fashionista’s paradise! You can “borrow” jewelry, purses and accessories for a week or more at a time. These aren’t just any old purses though...
Hello all. I’m afraid I’m getting desperate. I’ve had a dream for the last year that I could be a curler by association and belong to the St. Paul Curling Club. I’m totally fascinated with curling, but don’t really desire to play myself. I really just want to...
If you’ve lived in Minnesota for long, you’ve probably heard of Andrew Zimmern. He’s most commonly known for the food column he writes for Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine. Or perhaps you heard him on the radio saying, “This is Andrew Zimmern for Lunds and...
25. Pit Toilets: By the 2000 Census, the number of Americans who lacked indoor plumbing was down to 0.6%. Even though that’s still an awful lot of Americans using an outhouse or pit toilet — 670,000 households or 1.3 million people — it’s a huge improvement from...
Oh my gosh. This site was made for me- I can’t believe I didn’t know about it until now! Let me introduce- SMARTY PIG.COM. This FREE site encourages saving for specific goals IN ADVANCE. All you do is tell them what you’re saving for and when you want to reach that goal...
Well, Nick is always coming up with new and exciting things for us to try. Triking is the latest. Nick went out tonight with an instructor and really enjoyed it and is now encouraging me to give it a go and see if it’s something we’d enjoy doing together for fun. I’m a...
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Farmer’s Market, but have you REALLY taken the time to check it out? Nick and I have made a tradition of heading down to Lowertown in St. Paul a few times a month. It’s absolutely one of my all-time favorite things to do on a sunny...
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 the new arrivals. I’ve showcased a couple of my favorites. The first is Nike’s...
So, I came across this crazy contraption called the Pedal Pub and decided I must share it with you. This wild ride can be rented for $120-$140 an hour, depending on the time length you want to take it out. Up to 16 people can participate and you get to drink as you pedal. There are...
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 from long ago. The zoo just opened a 1.5 million dollar exhibit called Russia’s...