Real Connections

I think about this concept of "real connections" often. That thought process eventually leads me to some questions. Should I delete my social media? Should I focus on my life right here, and right now? Why am I on social media? Is it just for the attention? Is it to share the experiences I've having and to relate to those around me?

I see a lot on the news about people not having real connections. About this generation of Millennials and younger having trouble carrying on conversations talking on the phone talking to people face-to-face whatever it is. I used to be really good at that kind of stuff. Now, I avoid eye-contact and can't spell for anything without spellcheck. I have "friends" on these sites, but are they friends? I never feel the need to call or talk to friends because I know what they're up to thanks to social media. Is that considered friendship skills these days or just stalking?

It makes me think, what are real connections? Could I continue living the life I have now without my phone? Without Facebook? Without Instagram? Without this blog? If I got rid of those, how the people around me treat me? Does it matter? Is it bad that I worry about people's judgement over me on if I have those sites or not?

It's so expected for everyone to have social media. You hear all the time phrases like, "Didn't you see that on Facebook?" or, "Can you see that on Instagram?" "Didn't you read that on Twitter?" And sometimes I really want my answer to be no. I want to know what's going on because that person talks to me, not because I saw it on their page.

Then other times I think, "This picture is really great.  I want everyone to see it! I want everyone to know that I've been here, that I've done this thing!" But then my husband asked me, why? And that's really hard to answer. Is it just show off all that I'm doing? Is it to make those around me jealous? Is it just show that I can compete in this world were all these people are doing these great things? I have to constantly check myself and remember that people really don't want to know every thought in my head or see every picture I take of my dogs. I started this blog to focus on my travels.Those are the memories worth sharing. Not that I went out to dinner with Hubs.

You have to remember that people only post the highlights of their life. People don't post the crappy part. People don't post the failures. People don't post the personal revolutions unless it's something profound and life-changing. So, why am I out there? Why am I putting myself out there? Why does so much of my life depend on how many likes I get or how many loves I get or how many comments I get? I don't mind keeping a blog. It's almost like an online diary like Xanga was. Do you remember Xanga? Do you remember Myspace? Everything becomes so dated. Sometimes I find myself only keeping Facebook just because it is one of the only means I have to keep in touch with some people. But does it enhance my life? Does it really make those friendship stronger? I honestly don't think so.

I fully plan, that by the time I'm 30 I will be off of social media (aside from this blog and my Etsy page.) I like writing on here and posting about trips I take to whomever the audience is. It could just be me, my grandma, my mom. Those, to me, are the thoughts worth sharing and remembering. How can I have good friendships, a good marriage, and be a good dog mom if I'm always on my phone? I want to live my life for the moment, not for the question of how many "likes" I can get.

As always,

-Sarah-

Spread Too Thin?

Starting back at work means: new school year, new students, new ideas, new PLUs... It all makes you think, who am I? What am I doing? Where did summer go? I had so much left to accomplish!

I love questionnaires and filling in worksheets, especially about myself. Ha! But seriously... We have to fill out an information sheet about ourselves each year for work. There's the normal name, emergency contact, t-shirt size type questions. And there are questions I hate like, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Umm, if I put too many strengths do I sound arrogant? If I put weaknesses do I sound incompetent? Or if I skip it am I cocky or can’t follow directions? Ugh! My favorite question is about hobbies. I have a million. Not really, but I do a lot:

• tennis
• kickboxing (when I can, on my own bag, in the garage)
• hiking (c'mon, fall weather!)
• camping
• singing (shower & car. I have stage fright, can you believe it?!)
• ukulele (still have a lot of learning to do)
• crafting (sewing, painting, etc.)
• yoga (need to do this more!)
• traveling (obviously...)
• reading
• horseback riding
• walking my dogs
• this blog
• family time
• friend time
• watching Braves baseball
• watching UGA football
• Bible time

And then there's things I would like to do:

• photography
• rock climbing
• bike riding
• nothing
• volunteer for charities
• be one of those teachers who grades things on time every time and has a cute classroom always
• write more
• archery

I am one of those people who doesn't excel at one thing; I’m mediocre at a lot of things.

Am I spread too thin?

Where's the line? How do you cut down on what you like? How do you balance it all?  I know there’s priorities and time management, but is being overly involved beneficial or detrimental to a person and their growth? Does it work until it’s overwhelming or until you no longer are fulfilling your obligations? It's not like I'm trying to fill a resume or compete or find a career in these pastimes.  I do realize I am very blessed to be capable to do all of these things I enjoy. I do realize not everyone has the same choices, privileges, and opportunities as I do. Please don’t misunderstand; I say all this to grow toward becoming a better person. 

When I was at freshman orientation at UGA my group's leader, Eric, told us to join one or two groups, clubs, organizations, etc. and not fifteen. He said it's better to focus on one or two things and be invested in those and not be half-involved in a bunch of things. I’ve kept that advice with me for a long time. But now I’m thinking that perhaps I didn’t allow myself enough exposure to different types of things and so now I’m into everything. His advice really did help in college, though. Being involved in a handful of things made me a lot more committed and a lot less flaky. Granted, I can still be quite flaky, but I had more meaningful relationships with friends than if I had to be at 50 various places at one time. If I flaked out it was because I was lazy, not because I was busy. But now the only people I hang out with are Hubs and the furbabies, so I find myself looking for new things to do, especially since we don't have kids.

I only want to know, is it better to be well-rounded or to do one thing well?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

-Sarah

Baseball Tour: Canada Side

Once we crossed the border into Canada we stopped by Niagara Falls. Or rather, we drove by it. It was so crowded and there was no parking anywhere in sight. Hubs and I decided he would drive around while I jumped out and got a few pictures. Getting to the railing and seeing anything was a task. The sight was gorgeous. It truly was. But the whole magical ambiance I expected was missing. Maybe I’m a waterfall snob after having seen Iceland’s fossar.

Hubs made a big circle and picked me up. Then we headed to Toronto. So much driving. We made a total blunder and didn’t download a map of Toronto before crossing the border. This fact was not discovered until we were driving around Toronto at 11pm looking for our AirBNB based off of the map from a screenshot of the app. The app wouldn’t open, Google Maps only showed us as a blue dot driving down unnamed roads, and according to Waze we were floating in gray space. We asked a person on the sidewalk, but he was a tourist, too, and didn’t know either! Thankfully Hubs has a sense of direction and the AirBNB app let us read old messages so we had just enough detail to find it.

We didn’t sleep at all that night. We were supposed to stay there for three nights but ended up cancelling and getting out of the city. Back in the car (yay! not) we headed for Meaford. We stayed one night in a little basement apartment on an inlet of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron. We had a delicious lunch at Bridges Tavern and then rested before heading to the Scandinave Spa.

The evening at the spa was exactly what we needed. Different pools, saunas, fire pits, and even a hammock nap. Watching nature and being so still and quiet felt so unburdening after all those hours driving in traffic and feeling lost. Hubs said it was the best massage he’s ever had.


The AirBNB was a basement apartment of a local artist and his wife. Their place was steps away from the water. Hubs and I, feeling rested and rejuvenated, had coffee by the water and went rock hunting. I love doing that; searching for the perfect pebble by the water. Afterward we walk for a walk around the marina and down a local trail. Sadly, we had to head back to the city. It’s safe to say we are officially country mice now.

In Toronto the AirBNB was on the 47th floor. The elevator ride took approximately 5 seconds. I wonder how fast we were traveling. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. The city lights and Lake Ontario were beautiful. After a photo session we got dinner at La Carnita. Bonus! It was Taco Tuesday!


Next up, Braves vs. the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre! We sat in the nosebleeds behind center field. The game was fun; especially since the Braves won and Camargo hit a grand slam!

The next day we went to the second game in the series. I made sure we got there early for batting practice. Then Dansby Swanson walked out for autographs. I started fangirl screaming at him, “Dansby! I’m from Marietta, too! I went to Harrison!” He walked over with a curious look on his face, “Really? Why are you all the way out here?” Dansby was really chill and seemed sincere. He took a picture with me! Swoon. Later we realized it was school day and our seats had been commandeered by some students. We left for the standing section behind home plate. We left the game early. The Braves were losing and we had yet another long day of driving ahead of us. We stopped for the night in Massachusetts. In the morning we headed out early for Providence to catch our flight home.

Overall the trip was fun! Seeing the different ballparks and meeting different fans was neat. However, for our next big trip, Hubs and I will plan on something involving no driving!

-Sarah

Baseball Tour: U.S. Side

This year Hubs and I slacked planning our yearly trip. We tossed around different ideas but nothing really stuck out to us the way Peru, Iceland, or our roadtrip did. The airfare to places we would start to look into, such as Croatia or Denmark, was more than we were wanting to spend. So Hubs started looking at airline deals and found flights to Providence, RI for $15! From there our trip fell into place.

We flew to Providence, stopped for a delicious brunch at Julian’s, and then drove our rental to the Bronx. This was my first time to New York and driving in it was TERRIBLE. I would NOT suggest it. I know it seems obvious enough, but seriously. I’ve ridden through Quito, Boston, Atlanta, but nothing compares to New York. Hubs was driving and even he, the calmest, most level-headed person I know, was getting stressed out. The AirBNB place was awesome and had free parking so that was nice. 

That night we went to the Yankees game. The new Yankee Stadium was pretty neat, but mostly memorable due to its massive size. It was no Turner Field, but you know, Turner Field isn’t even Turner Field anymore. The Yankees beat Tampa Bay which is good. I’d hate to see Yankees fans after a loss. 

The next day we booked it to Pittsburgh. That wass a long drive. Once we got out of New York and into Pennsylvania the drive was mostly passing scenic farms on rolling hills. That night we stayed with my brother and his family. We went with them to a little carnival at their church with their little girls. I love their neighborhood. They can walk to their church, playground, public pool,  and an ice cream parlor. Their town often has little parades and festivals for families. I hate that my family lives so far, but I love that the girls are growing up in such a nice place.

Our second day in Pittsburgh my brother, sister-in-law, Hubs, and I went to Maggie’s Farm Rum. It’s a distillery inside an old roofing business. It was a really cool place and the drinks were delicious! Afterward we headed to PNC Park to see the Pirates play the Reds. Again, another home team win! The view from PNC Park is like no other. We had seats in the upper section behind home plate and it was perfect. The sun was behind us; the bridge and the river and a beautiful Pittsburgh skyline in front of us. I would love to go back! After the game we went out to dinner and ate perogies and mac-n-cheese on a rooftop. I had never had a perogi before and had to ask what it was. Then we went back to get my brother’s car. He parked it at his work and so we got a tour of his office building. That was really cool! Mainly because the fridge is always stocked, you can work from home whenever you want, and you can bring your dog to the office. 

Our last day in Pittsburgh we headed to Church Brew Works for brunch. My sister-in-law and I drove there with the girls and the guys took the rental. The guys beat us there and went ahead and ordered appetizers for us. They got traditional and “non-traditional” perogies. Both were delicious! Once my sister-in-law and I tried the “non-traditional” perogies we asked the guys what was in them. I guessed black beans, and I was so wrong. It was RATTLESNAKE! And it was surprisingly quite tasty. 

Once brunch was over, we said our goodbyes and headed toward Niagara Falls. We made a quick stop at the Eternal Flame Falls in Buffalo. It’s a natural gas deposit so once lit it stays lit. Online it looked really amazing and my brother suggested it, so we figured why not? The hike to it was pretty easy since there hadn’t been much rain lately and over half of the hike is in a creek. However, that lack of rain meant lack of falls. What we saw was a little lighter size flame in a rock. Normally the water falls in front of it which I could see would be cool. Now my brother’s comment about bring your lighter in case it blows out made more sense. Oh well, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch. Time to continue on the Niagara Falls! 

Check back soon to read about the other half of our trip- the Canada side!

~Sarah

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Growing up my elementary school was across the street from the local county library. We would take walking field trips over there and get to roam around the kids section. I remember checking out The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses so often my teacher asked me to try another book. I couldn’t help it; I loved the images on the pages, the story of a girl who felt more at home with horses than people.

By the end of elementary school I had cruised through all the horse books, Black Beauty and The Horse in the Attic to name two of my favorites, and started writing my own horse stories.

In middle school I started riding lessons. Yes! It was the barn across from the softball park, where I spent about 50% of my childhood, and I rode a beautiful gray dappled mare named Finesse. She was the horse I learned how to trot, canter, and jump on. I loved her. Eventually we moved barns and started looking for a horse to lease. We found Magic. He was a large, black quarter horse. He was trained Western style, but I wanted to ride English. In the arena he would always veer from the fence to go over the ground poles. I don't think he had ever really worked with them and he found them to be super fun. He was every girl’s dream man. 

Then came the boy phase, high school softball team, recreational tennis and basketball, and I lost the time and passion for horses. My sister kept riding and so did my stepmom. Occasionally I would piggyback along in their lessons and do a little walk/trot around the arena.

trail ride in the Andes in Quito, Ecuador

After college my dad moved to a neighborhood that’s a horse community. Trails weaving through the neighbors’ properties, pastures outside the houses, the works. I would try riding here and there. At the time they had a mustang mare named Braveheart. I was walking her around the arena and she spooked and starting bucking. I jumped off and slammed my butt into to ground. My stepmom was screaming at me to move so I didn’t get kicked, but for a split second I couldn’t feel my legs. Ends up I broke my tailbone. Oh well, comes with the territory!

A little later I wanted to get back into riding and my stepmom wanted a trail horse so she bought Trooper. He was a cute little dependable pony. Each Sunday my friend Lindsay would come over and ride Sim, the black mustang on my Instagram page, and I would ride Trooper on the trails. He would start to walk while I was mounting and it didn’t bother me and I didn’t have the knowledge to know how to fix it. One day as I mwas mounting he started to move, but not take a step or two, but bolt. I was half hanging off of him! One foot in the stirrup, one leg hanging over the saddle. I couldn’t jump off because he ran over to the fence pinning me between the fence and himself before my brain caught up with what was happening. Eventually Trooper steered himself away from the fence, which my back appreciated, and I was able to fall off without being trampled. At some point my calf got slammed into the saddle back or kicked or I don’t know. It immediately swelled to twice its size and turned a deep purple. I still have a scar and numb spot from it.

in the barn immediately following the fall

about a week after the fall

Trooper

Needless to say, I gave up riding after that. You can’t blame the horse; it’s an animal who still acts on instincts. So I spent my free time on the tennis courts and yoga mats. Then four and half years later Hubs and I booked our trip to Iceland. You can’t go to Iceland without riding the Icelandic pony! It was time to get over my anxieties and get back into the saddle. Thankfully, with the support of my stepmom and a paint named Tucker, I did.

attempting the tölt gait in Iceland

Last summer Tucker moved back to his farm and my dad and stepmom got another paint named Scooby. He’s 14.2 hands and has pony-tude to the max, but very loveable. Thanks to him, my trainer Melanie, and her quarter horse Pooh, my love for horses and confidence riding them has flourished.

cool down walk in the hay field

Scooby

before a trail ride

This weekend my stepmom, half sister, Melanie, and a family friend are going to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. I'm so excited to have some girl time gushing over some gorgeous horses! And I cannot wait to share the experience with you all!

I hope you all are able to overcome your challenges, no matter how big or small, and find the strength to achieve what you love.

A horse is worth more than riches. ~ Spanish Proverb

~Sarah

Stronger

Happy New Year!

I hope you all are doing a better job at sticking to your new year's resolutions better than Mayhem.

This year hubs and I decided to be STRONGER. That's it, our only resolution.

Last year at a faculty meeting my co-workers and I learned about picking one word to be our personal goal, one word or idea to strive for and let all your changes for the better happen around that word. The idea comes from Jon Gordon’s book One Word That Will Change Your Life. At that time I picked peace☮️. I needed to calm my mind and heart and let some things go. This year hubs said his resolution was to be STRONGER and I decided I wanted to reach for the same goal.

I love this idea. Notice how we didn't pick strength. I love that STRONGER has the connotation of growth and constant improvement. There's no idea of, “Oh, well I reached it by May. I'm done,” but rather it's “Wow! I got this far. How much farther can I go? How much further can I push myself, my mindset, my comfort zone?”

My faith

My mind

My body

My relationships

My will power

...can all be STRONGER.

Do you have a "one word"? 

Whatever your resolution is, best of luck with it this year!