Summer is almost over. I honestly haven't done much these 3 months, except sit around and hang out with friends. I never did get a job. I only half-heartedly looked, and now I'm cringing as my bank account hovers right over zero. It's really nice to have a guy who will pay for you when you eat out, but even with free meals I try not to do it all the time. Sometimes it gets difficult though, because the boy comes from a family that likes to eat out together, when we get bored or hungry eating out sounds like a good option, and whenever large groups of us kids hang out the only feasible thing for us all to do is go to a restaurant.

This is making me think about my dream date. I actually have a few right now.

1. Have frozen yogurt (preferably chocolate with strawberries and almonds) and then go to Build a Bear. The boy already took me to Build a Bear on our first date :)

2. Visit Austin Amish Furniture and act like very serious buyers. I am honestly interested in seeing what kind of furniture they have, but telling the employee a story about say... me and the boy buying our first house together, or even having a baby :O would make it so much more fun. Then visit Dream Bakery (a local bakery across the road), eat decadent pastries, and laugh about how much we got away with.

3. Go to a pick-your-own farm. This is my most recent date idea. In the Spring and Summer there are black- and blueberries, tomatoes, watermelons, peaches, and much more. I wish I could go at 6:30 AM, right when the sun rises and the weather is bearable, wearing a cute sundress and a big straw hat. Then bring the big bounty home and freeze it, bake with it, and make smoothies, sorbets, ice cream, and cakes! This also sounds like a fun family activity I could bring my little brother to.

These will happen sometime soon, I hope.

Dallas was a blast! Here are some pictures.







I'm the one in the yellow, Esther is in the white, and Sharon is in the navy. If the current apartment I'm looking at right now doesn't work out, I'll get a room with Sharon. I've been working with a realtor Sharon referred me to, but he has been such a hassle!!! This morning at the crack of dawn I looked at an apartment downtown with my mom. I go back uptown and after a few hours of deliberation with my mom, we decide to go for the apartment, if the owner decides to give us a few concessions (like new paint). I asked my realtor twice if only an application fee would be enough to start the processing on my paperwork and hold the apartment until we hear back from the owner, and he said yes both times. So I drive downtown a second time to drop off my application and fee. Right after I get back uptown again, he calls saying he actually does need a deposit. Great. Luckily my older brother who lives downtown was home and about to leave. We get him to drop off the deposit. Phew. But wait! Now the realtor's told me I need to pay another fee for the guarantor form, a form I haven't filled out or even seen.

Mr. Realtor.... are there ANY more fees I need to know about? Please tell me now. Blah.

Here's a salad I made this week.


Clockwise, from the top: polenta, bacon, a boiled egg, pine nuts, and alfalfa sprouts. Topped with a homemade lemon vinaigrette and served with a side of cantaloupe. Yum.

My boy left today on a road trip to California. I miss him!

Green Drinks~

I had my first green drink the other day! It wasn't *actually* green, more of an intimidating murky orange-green. I got it from the juice bar inside my local Whole Foods. The small size cost me a whopping $5.


It was pretty dang delicious, though! I used apple and orange juice for the base, and added spinach and carrot. The carrot was a little overpowering-- next time, I'll opt for something else.

I'm proud of the outfit I was wearing too.



I'm wearing a black dolman shirt from American Apparel, a tiny neon cheetah tube top from the sale rack at Forever 21, jeans from Forever 21, and a flower necklace the Boy's mom got for me in Iran! I didn't end up wearing those shoes though. Forgive me for my messy room! All of my belongings are shoved into my old room at my 'rents' place. It sure is a nightmare.

My outfit today was kind of cute as well.


The purple top is from Korea, the two necklaces, bracelet, and skinny studded belt are from Forever 21, and the shorts are probably from TJ Maxx. I don't usually wear much jewelry, or any super feminine clothes for that matter, so this outfit made me feel ultra cute. :)

Today I just chilled at the Boy's and watched the Spain v. Germany game, cleaned out the inside of my car, and chowed on some organic and vegetarian tacos at Kerbey Lane Cafe. After I got home I ran some errands for my mom, and now I have to pack for D A L L A S! My trip to visit my girlies got postponed until tomorrow. I can't wait~

4th of July

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

What are your plans? I am going to do a few fireworks with my little brother at the house, then probably bring him to the bf's neighborhood for a fireworks show.

That brings me to my next subject... Me and Navid are now official! Last night he took me out to Build a Bear Workshop and Oasis and asked me to be his girlfriend.


At Build a Bear, I picked the longhorn and named him Calf McCoy. I didn't buy him any outfits, only a Texas Longhorn handkerchief. Of course my mom had to say, "was Navid to cheap to buy a whole outfit?" No, of course he wasn't :) I just didn't want any clothes, they didn't fit well on my bigger-than-the-average-teddy-bear cow.


Oasis was magical! For those that don't know, Oasis is a huge restaurant situated on Lake Travis, facing west so it has stunning views of the sunset. Around an hour before nightfall, the restaurant gets really crowded! Of course, my undecisiveness at Build a Bear made us kind of late to Oasis. With an hour wait time, we missed the sunset by a lot! It turned out pretty good anyway, because people by the lake were shooting fireworks. It was a really beautiful show.

I orded the Mahi a la Pina, mahi fish with pinapple pico on Spanish rice with vegetables. It was kind of bland. Next time I'll stick to the real Tex-Mex! While Oasis has a great view, they're not known for great food.


I had a great time anyway, and I'm super excited for tonight. Have a nice evening, folks!

A Good Day After All...

Song of the moment: The Call of Ktulu by Metallica. Love that instrumental.

Today has been a long day, full of driving and naps. Let me explain. Last night I actually slept early! I am so proud of myself. This has been something that I've been trying to work on for a while. Unfortunately, I slept about 12 hours. And after my day out, I proceeded to take a nap when I got home! WAT UP WIT DAT!? I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow so hopefully I'll get some info on why I'm sleeping so much.


My day out consisted of driving around town looking at apartments. I felt like I was so close to finally signing a lease (I have been searching for a long time), but my mom didn't like the places. Of course, she has the final word. Were back to square one. Again. I will do some more searching after my busy next week. I'm going camping on Saturday night to celebrate my friend Neil's birthday, on Monday I'm going to orientation for UT and I can finally sign up for classes, and on Tuesday I will be driving up to Dallas to hang out with my girls Esther and Sharon! This is probably the most I am doing this summer. I was planning a road trip to California with the Boy but it would end up being too expensive. So this upcoming week is all I got away from home.


New episodes of Futurama came out tonight! The show was canceled some years ago, God knows why, but after tonight I will now be able to enjoy little bits of mana from heaven, spoon fed to me from my TV. I was super excited to watch it, and headed over to my Boy's place to witness this glorious unveiling (I'm still there now, actually). I stopped by the Sonic drive-thru to pick up a Reese's Blast (great diet food, I know!) at around 8:50. You know how long it took to get my order? TEN MINUTES. I didn't end up getting to his place until 9:15, thanks to several red lights along the way. I was super bummed that I missed the beginning of the new Futurama. It seemed like nothing was turning out for me today.


As I sat on the bed, laughing at the show with the company of my Boy and slurping up my blended cold dairy dessert, I realized that it wasn't such a bad day after all. I *did* get the blast for free, thanks to the manager, because it took so long, and my mom didn't approve because she has a higher standard than me. That means I will only be moving into someplace much much nicer :)

I'm off to play Devil May Cry on the PS2 now :) Tata for now!

Working Out

Currently listening to: Ratatat! It's electronic melodies are made by two New Yorkers and appeal to almost everyone I know.

~~~~~~~~~~

Since New Year, I've tried to start a successful work out routine at least four different times. The first few had the most momentum, lasting two or three weeks each, but eventually I stopped them all.

To hell with looking at my arms and thinking they are flabby! As of last week I've restarted working out. Instead of just jogging every/every other day, I'm mixing it up with some light weight training, and will be paying more attention to my diet. It's really helpful that my dad got a family membership to YMCA, because there are locations downtown I can use after the move.

My main goal for working out is to become healthier. I don't need a doctor to tell me that I sit on my ass too much! As of lately I've been feeling very lethargic, so hopefully this routine can kick-up my energy levels as well. My second goal is to look better. Who doesn't want to look their best at all times, no matter what they're wearing? I have two main culprits I'd like to get rid of-- fat on my arms and fat around my midsection, especially the love handles. My boy toy says he like's them, but hey, won't hips work just as well? Thirdly, I'd love to be more confident with my body. If I look and feel better physically, it follows that I should feel better emotionally and mentally as well!

I've been going through a lot of changes in my diet lately, including my New Year's resolution to stop eating meat and my subsequent failure to uphold it, abruptly starting a vitamin regimen that also found its way to the non-habit side of my behavior, and a higher intake of junk food thanks to my parents' well-stocked kitchen and ice cream trips with my younger brother. I know that a healthy diet is essential to see all the changes I'm hoping for, so I am definitely going to have to change. My first main change is the addition of protein shakes post-workout to boost protein and prevent sore muscles. The second would be to stop eating carbs at night!!! Midnight meals of Shin Ramen are definitely high on my list of bad habits . Thirdly, I need to add more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I believe I'm already big on eating whole wheat versus white bread and trying to avoid processed foods, but it wouldn't hurt to pay attention to what I'm eating a little more. ;)

Stumptuous.com is a great place for women to read about weight training and related topics, and it's also the source of my current routine. It's fabulously short and easy, but it's also kicking my butt! After the first day of working out, my legs were sore for FOUR DAYS. If that's not a sign of how much muscle I'm lacking.... I don't know what is. I'm also doing a little cardio on the side as well.

Bodybuilding.com's forum area is a great website for finding inspiration, information regarding routines, diets, machines, etc., and discussing what works best for both males and females.

Two blogs I like to read regarding fitness and nutrition are:

Eat, Live, Run - "the food journal of a girl with a healthy mission" and

The Fitnessista - a fitness blog by a personal trainer.

I am super excited to see some results! After a few weeks, I will let you know how well my work out routine is working for me. What kind of work outs and diets do y'all follow? Have you seen any results?

Summer Update

Hello everyone!

I've decided to chronicle my life regularly from now on. I've got tons to talk about too; my future relocation to the heart of my favorite city and hometown, my job hunt, my decision to join Big Brother Big Sister, my new found love of cooking, and my piqued interest in knitting.

To start it off, I am now a student at the University of Austin! I am so excited to be out of San Antonio and back in Austin. For those that don't know, I decided to go to UT San Antonio for a year and then transfer to UT Austin. UTSA was a great school and I had a wonderful time. I got to meet tons of new people, I got to feel like I was an adult (although sometimes I'd rather go back to those good ol' middle school days!), and had an otherwise nice and easy transition into the college world. But it did have it's downsides. As someone who grew up in the Austin suburbs, I longed for the vibrant downtown atmosphere. In San Antonio, I was also in a sprawled out suburban location, where I had to rely on chain stores for everything I needed. The only two local coffee shops in the area had shut down years before I started school. Also, the classes were pretty much as easy as in high school. No problem there, and they were just freshman classes, but some real brain stimulation is always good. Something to make up for those Friday nights, perhaps? Heh.

Now that I am back in Austin, I am ready! I am ready to live downtown, walk to the coolest local shops, have my own pad, and decorate it too! This begins my quest to find a cheap, yet suitable apartment. It's a big jump from San Antonio, where my brand new apartment, with in-unit washer and dryer, free cable and internet, and all bills paid, was only $520 a month. Downtown Austin, most of the buildings are 40 years old, most don't have any bills paid, and there's still nothing decent below $600. Of course what I won't be getting in amenities I will get in location, and I don't mind that.

I have been searching high and low for apartments since around February. Back then I was planning on living with my good friend from elementary school, so we were looking for 2 bedroom apartments. Some things have come up though, so now I am going to be living on my own. This means I have to restart my search!

More and more everyday I am being thrust into the world of Adult-dom. I find it thrilling, but sometimes I just wish it was a little slower, or I had a little more help, or maybe just a real job!

Until next time, Sarah.

i like..

nivea for men deep cleaning face scrub. it's actually my older brothers, but he doesn't really come home much anymore. and he has about 4 bottles of it. :D

my hair- after its been straightened and then slept on. it seems natural and isn't stick straight.

positive thinking. makes me feel good about myself. :)

brushing my teeth. i hate it when my teeth feel plaque-y, but love it when theyre just brushed extra well!

my new franco sarto heels. i don't wear heels much (nor really have any either) and wearing these give me a whole new perspective (both visually and mentally).

think pink panties, or any other really comfy well fitted panties, for that matter. it's amazing how a single item of clothing can make you feel so much better (see heels, above).

earrings. dangly, studs.. since i recently gave myself a second ear piercing, i've grown to love 'em.

i don't like..
shedding. my hair falls out in huge bunches when i brush it etc, and theres always a strand on my desk and on my clothes.

mosquitoes. i seem to get new bites every weekend. and then i unconsciously scratch them, leading to ugly legs :(

coke. aiya. makes me feel jittery. too jittery.