Summer Wrap Up

At the beginning of the summer I posted my bucket list for the months of June, July, and August.  Now that we're at Labor Day it's time to evaluate my summer...

As a reminder, here is my bucket list...

Sara's Summer Bucket List:

1. Go to Bar Harbor, ME!!

2. Attend a Wade Oval Wednesday

3. See Shakespeare in a park

4. Go to the beach

5. Crafting!

6. Girls Nights!

7. Date Nights! I'm having a lot of fun dating and figuring out who really is a solid match for me!

8. Bonfires

9. Lay out at a pool

10. Cook out

11. Outdoor runs

12. Read fun books!

13. Go to the Zoo

14. See the summer blockbusters! - So far I've seen Fast and the Furious 6, Superman, Heat, 

15. Day drink!

16. Finish my MA Essay

17. Go to Cedar Point
18. Find a job!


I definitely didn't complete everything on this list, but I have to say I'm really happy with how this summer went for me.  My trip to Bar Harbor was amazing.  I saw whales, caught up with friends, went nature creeping, and ate lots of lobster.

Lobstah!

I had several awesome girls nights with margaritas, tacos, and gossiping that made me continue to appreciate the friendships I've been cultivating for years.  My ladies are truly awesome.

This was the first summer that I really made a point of putting myself out there and dating.  I kept things casual and it's been great.  Everyone I met or gave a chance too has been awesome.  Some have stuck around, some I've let fall away, but all have been good experiences.  There have been movies, hikes, dinners, parties, cook outs, and one lucky guy even got a home cooked meal.  Now that summer is over and my schedule is going to get crazy we'll have to see how everything works out.  But I certainly have no regrets.

Homecooked!

I got to hang out with several of my co-workers this summer which was super fun.  While my job wasn't the right fit for me last year, my co-workers were stellar and I'm glad to be continuing friendships with them.  Corn-hole, day drinking, night drinking, a play, and lots of stupid snap chats made it a fun time.

My spur of the moment road trip with my bff to Gatlinburg was a perfect little get away.  We saw the most hilarious things, got caught in tourist traps, and sampled lots of types of alcohol.

Moonshine!

Perhaps most importantly I finished my MA Essay and, as of yesterday, GRADUATED graduate school!  I'm so glad to be done.  And, because I now have an MA in English, I was able to complete #18 and procure a job!  This year I'm going to be teaching college composition classes at a career college downtown.  I'm excited for the challenge but nervous too.

Other random summer highlights:

Pole dancing class!
Oktoberfest!
Taste of Tremont!
The Lion King!

Sexy, I know.

Rock Star Accordion!

Goodbye Summer... Hello Fall!

Sara in Colorado: Day 2-3

Day 2 and we were still in Fort Collins.  We took our time having breakfast, hanging out with my aunt and uncle, and gathering the supplies we were borrowing from them for our week of hiking and other activities up in Estes Park.  Finally we got our stuff together and began the drive up up up several more thousand feet!

I'd forgotten how many twists and turns the road into Estes contained.  Surrounded on either side with walls of rock that shimmered in the sun (I'm thinking from mica) and following a flowing river we continued our journey.  There were several signs that had symbols for mountain goat crossings but no matter how much I looked I couldn't find any.

We arrived at the Y and checked in rather painlessly and I began my favorite part of the Summit, greeting all my friends I hadn't seen in a year!  These people have truly become family to me and it is just as exciting now at 28 as it was at age 12 to see my friends again!  After 17 years I can't imagine not attending one of these events.  

It was chilly and rainy and cloudy up at the Y but I really liked the view.  I don't think this picture truly captures how literally in the clouds we were but it really was beautiful.

Day 3 was the first full day of the Family Nature Summit!  I decided to start my week of easily with a four mile hike to a visitor's center in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We crossed streams, saw wildlife, and beautiful scenery.  It was the perfect hike to start the week with!

There's a deer sitting in there, smack dab in the middle- can you find him?

After my morning hike I was much more exhausted than I'd planned.  I think the altitude had finally caught up with me and I was forced to lay down instead of going to a lecture I had planned on attending.  Upon awaking though I felt much better and was able to spend some quality time with my friends.

Stay tuned for rock climbing, wine tasting, and much much more!

Sara in Colorado: Day 1

I'm on vacation in Colorado.  Sara in Cleveland has become Sara in Colorado for the next 10 days.  My adventure began yesterday morning...

Traveling with my parents can be a true trial of patience, more specifically traveling with my father.  Our family travels, quite a bit.  I travel more than the rest but my parents have certainly flown in recent years.  However to the casual observer no one would have guessed that about my dad.

As we are standing in the slow moving security line my dad starts asking me... Do I have to take my belt off? (yes)  Do I have to empty everything from my pockets? (yes)  What about my phone, my watch, etc etc.  Then several more minutes pass and he suddenly goes, "Do you have to take your liquids out?"  I was so very frustrated explaining that yes you have to take your liquids out, they're supposed to be in one ziplock baggie, and yes eye drops, bug spray, and lotions all count as liquids.  Miraculously we made it through, I didn't have an anxiety attack, and my parents weren't held for questioning.

Originally all assigned seats in different areas of the plane the lady at the desk was able to put my mom and dad together in a row two ahead of me.  Then once on the plane they needed to shuffle people and lucky me- I ended up sitting with my parents.  We all were in the emergency exit row which usually costs extra because there was so much leg room.  (To all my tall friends- it might be worth the extra $20 or however much.)  It was now that Dad struck again.  When the steward came by to ask if in case of emergency we were able to help our fellow passengers Dad responds with "I hope so, guess we'll see" instead of a "yes."  The steward was not amused and told my father he had to read the pamphlet and decide if he actually could or not.

The flight went smooth and our baggage was ready and waiting for us at baggage claim.  At the Denver airport I was really impressed by the friendly senior citizens in western garb who were there to provide information and directions.  One nice woman directed us towards the right carousel at baggage claim and another man told us about the rental car company and toll roads and gave us directions.  It was just one of those extra perks that made traveling that much more enjoyable.

We rented our car from Enterprise and I don't have much to say about it other than I felt the girl taking care of us, Sara(h), was very efficient and knowledgeable.  She gave advice about which car to take and had us on the road in no time.  We were off to Northern Colorado to see my dad's sister and family in Fort Collins.

It's been years since I've seen my cousin and her husband and children.  We had a lot of fun catching up for a short bit and playing with the dog.  Her daughters have gotten so big and were so social I was impressed.  I'd never met her 2 year old son and he was absolutely a ball of adorable energy that was hilarious to watch.

So adorable, and grown up!

To end our night we headed out to the Charco Broiler which is apparently a well respected restaurant for steak.  We met up with my friend Thomas who I met 9 years ago in Maine and have stayed in contact with over the years.  Dinner was good, my steak was the most oddly shaped piece of meat- picture a 3inx3in cube.  It was tasty and the fries were really good.  I think my dad might have had a bit of altitude sickness though.

After dinner Thomas came back to my aunt's house to see the view and to catch up some more.  I wasn't sure what it'd be like seeing someone in person again after all that time, but it was really fun.  I always enjoy talking as I'm sure most of you know and it seemed he was willing to listen.

My Canoe Guide: Thomas

So far this trip has been great.  I haven't had any altitude sickness yet so I'm trying to remember to hydrate and to get rest.  (The fact that I started writing this at around 7am local time may indicate otherwise.)  

Later today we check into the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park and the 2012 Family Nature Summit will commence.  I'm so excited to see my old friends, make some new ones, and get some fresh mountain air.  I hope to be blogging regularly throughout the week so check back!

2011 in Cleveland- The Good Stuff

Every year is filled with hits and misses, positives and negatives, successes and failures.  But today, the last day of 2011 I want to reflect on what went right this past year so I can enter 2012 on a positive and cheery note. (And, I guess not all of these things happened in Cleveland, but they all happened to a Clevelander!)

In 2011 I...

• partied with and made new friends when I spent NYE in Las Vegas
• was recalled to my job
• met a guy and had a fun couple of months going on unique dates
• went on a road trip to IKEA with a coworker
• got my first coach purse
• saw my cousin get "hooded" as she finished veterinary school
• went to Missouri and spent a week with some of the best people in the world with www.familysummits.com
• partied with my ladies on Kelley's Island for an awesome bachelorette party
• attended a rocking wedding at the House of Blues
• travelled to St. Joseph Michigan to see my big cousin get hitched
• was the maid of honor in my lil cousin's wedding
• witnessed a friend of 16 years marry the love of her life 
• attended my first professional conference in Chicago! NCTE 2011!
• shared a family holiday with a boyfriend for the first time
• applied for and registered for grad school
• maintained three blogs
• went completely dairy free
• performed twice in front of my entire school as part of the all staff group "the pepettes"
• helped my special ed students perform and film Hamlet
• got a Droid
• adopted Titus (my adorable new kitty!)
• read 14 books!

What went right for you in 2011?  

Review: Marriott Grand Chateau - Las Vegas

For New Year's Eve I headed out to Vegas with six other girls, only two of whom I knew.  And, one of the ones I knew I hadn't seen in six years.  We flew in on the 29th, and after I had dinner with my cousin who lives out there I made my way to the hotel. 

This hotel, The Marriott Grand Chateau, was amazing.  We could not have had a better hotel.  Located just- and I emphasize just- off the strip by the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino it was centrally located and a GREAT deal!  For under $50 a night we had a pimped out suite. 

One room had a king size bed, a double pull out couch, a kitchenette and it's own bathroom.  This bedroom connected to the living room which had a queen size pull out, a glass top dining table that fit all 7 of us, and a FULL kitchen.  I'm talking full size appliances, dishwasher, dishes, pots/pans etc.  Then, on the other side of the living room was the master bedroom.  This room had a king size bed, a sit and soak tub for two, a sink/vanity, and a bathroom with another sink and a double shower head shower.  Super luxurious! 

I picked up some food before I headed to the hotel which I think was smart- the hotel did have a mini store, but some of the prices were a bit inflated.  I'd also recommend bringing your own salt/pepper and coffee as no salt/pepper is provided, and each room only gets one packet of coffee a day- no matter how many of you are staying there. 

Overall though, I'd stay at this hotel again in a heart beat.  Everything was clean, the staff was helpful, and it was a great deal.

Where are your favorite places to stay in Vegas?