S#@! Happens - My Sarah Grace Moment that Led to my First Meltdown of Married Life

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Well, here is one of them that lives up to that saying:

Yes. That happened.

And, believe it or not, my melt-down did not happen in that moment.

"Ironing"

First off, I never iron; ironing for me is pulling the clothes immediately out of the dryer and hanging them on a hanger so they don't wrinkle. I never even bought a full-sized ironing board but still have the 2-foot long, 5-inch high, bright-pink dorm-sized one that I got as a freshman in college.... and it has seriously been used less than 10 times since then.

Admittedly, I am inexperienced with ironing ;)

Having said that, now that I have a husband and he often has to wear khakis to work, my version of "ironing" wasn't doing the trick. He was attempting to iron his pants and left the iron face down on the khakis and after I fussed that doing that would scorch the fabric, he suggested I iron them. Boy did I eat my own words.

Burning

I still have no idea how but in the midst of ironing and talking, I set the iron FACE DOWN on the floor. Just 5-10 seconds but enough time to do damage. And serious damage.

Sarah Grace struck again.

It burned the carpet leaving a dark indent AND we have short-haired carpet so I couldn't trim off the burn. Not that I was being rational and thinking of that in the panic that followed my discovery of the burn; here I am trying to scrape off the scorched portion with a knife. I was so focused that I didn't even notice when poor Scott was documenting his crazy wife:

To make matters worse, of course I wasn't ironing in a dimly lit corner. Nope, that would be too convenient to cover the burn mark. We set up ironing in the middle of the floor and in our teeny tiny apartment, the burn is visible not only in the living room but also from the bedroom, front door, kitchen AND breakfast nook.

I had a mini-freak out but no meltdown. That came the next day.

Crying

I didn't want to have to pay the $500 security deposit when we move out of the apartment... so I was determined to fix my mistake. I researched oodles of options and watched a few youtube videos and then set out on a mission to right my wrong.

I especially felt the need to correct the burn mark mistake since the day after I burned the carpet, my car was due in for its repair from my previous Sarah-Grace moment and the deductible was also $500. I couldn't handle being the cause of $1,000 worth of mistakes.

Sadly, there didn't seem to be much I could do to fix the burn mark. My only hope, according to the far reaches of google, seemed to be sandpaper and a scrub-brush.

Fast-forward to the end of the day: I had purchased the necessary materials and been scrubbing and rubbing at the iron burn for a good 30 minutes when Scott got home.

What was his reaction when he walked in to find his wife scrunched down on my knees, red in the face, raw-fingered, with my hair up and my nose down to the floor, sandpapering the carpet...?

Laughter.

Looking back, obviously I can see how that was a natural reaction. However, in that moment, it was not the reaction I was hoping for. And that is when my meltdown happened.

The Lesson

Why the iron burn incident was my breaking point, I don't know. 

Context: 

The backstory is that Scott and I have been great but our first bit of marriage has been filled with a lot of transition and stress. We did all the normal post-wedding stuff  like registry returns and purchases, changing over our insurance and bills, writing literally over 100 thank you cards and getting adjusted to living with one another. 

But we also moved him half-way across the country and tried to organize our very small apartment which was already a squeeze when just I lived in it. Plus, we both started and quit bad jobs AND found and started new jobs this summer. Both those new jobs have had crazy hours and lots of stress. We did a family trip to see my family and then another one to see his family - both family vacations within the same month. And, I've been prepping for the next year of grad school. 

In the midst of all of that, I had kept it together and just plugged along grateful to be married and moving forward with our life together. However, inside me was a pressure cooker of stress - trying to be the perfect wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, employee, student, friend, etc. 

The Real Problem: 

Despite all those serious stresses, what broke me was an iron burn to my carpet!?! More specifically, my husband laughing at my earnest efforts to sandpaper the iron-burn away. 

I was trying to fix my mistake, to remove the obvious blemish on my attempt at perfection. 

But the truth is that sometimes s#@! just happens. 

Fortunately, I have a husband with a great sense of humor and perspective. When my meltdown started, he immediately quit laughing and helped me realize that it was just carpet and by the end of our conversation, he had me laughing. 

Of course, my meltdown was about more than an iron burn. It was about how I was trying to do the impossible: hold myself, my life and my home together perfectly, even when s#@! happens... whether that is an iron burn, job changes, school demands, etc. 

What I Learned: 

As I mentioned, that mark is in the very middle of our tiny apartment. I can see it from just about anywhere in our home. Sadly, it hasn't faded much and doesn't look like it will :(

We might be out $500 when we leave here but I've learned a lesson that is priceless and I'm reminded of it every time I see that freakin' iron-burn: I'm not going to be perfect and I never will be. Shit happens and we can either accept it, laugh and learn from it OR be bitter and beat ourselves up. I beat myself up and took it out on the carpet with the knife and sandpaper for a few days but now I have learned to sigh and chuckle when I see the mark. 

Most of all I have learned that I have a great husband who doesn't get upset at things like iron burns or at me when I pull a Sarah Grace moment AND that he should be the one to do his own ironing from now on ;) 

Something Borrowed: Walking down the Aisle & Wearing my Mom's Dress

I love family, stories, sentimental things, vintage items, and Southern belle classy couture.

Fortunately, my wedding dress - borrowed from my mom - fulfilled all of that. 

Sometime in late high school, my mom and I came across her wedding dress tucked away in a box in the back of a closet, covered by a layer of dust. We decided to pull it out, unsure of what we would find... partly expecting it to be yellowed, wrinkled, and in poor condition. 

Much to our surprise and delight, it was in fantastic condition - still bright white, fresh looking and barely wrinkled. Even better, when I tried it on, we realized it was almost a perfect fit. 

From that moment, I decided I wanted to wear her gown as my wedding dress. 

However, it wasn't until almost a decade later that I was married: this past May 17th. 

It was an outdoor wedding, riverside and under chandeliers hanging from oak trees - the perfect setting for a vintagey, southern-belle-like wedding dress: 

But I didn't just slip into the dress that Saturday. Below is the story of the transformation of my mom's dress into the wedding dress of my dreams :)

My now husband proposed to me at Thanksgiving but I didn't return home from grad school until Christmas break. It was then that my mom and I dug out that box in the back of her closet and - with fingers crossed - opened it, worried that it might have lost some of its impressiveness since the preservation seal had been broken when we opened the box nearly 10 years prior. 

Much to our amazement, the dress was still in great condition. This is when I tried it on in our living room last Christmas: 

It was a little big and I needed to de-1980s the sleeves and add my own personality with touches of my favorite color, purple, but other than that we were thrilled with how it looked over 30 years after my mom wore it. 

This is a picture of my mom from her wedding day back in 1982; rather than purple, hers had pink details with flowers at the neckline and along the ruffled hem:

Plus, you won't believe it BUT my mom still had the Brides magazine that she first saw her dress in!?! It was showcased on the front cover: 

My mom had loved how different that dress was but never expected to actually be able to find it - she was married before the age of google and the far-reaches of the internet to track down her dream dress ;) Fortunately, as fate would have it, after several unsuccessful shopping trips, she stumbled upon THAT dress and upon trying it on, she knew she had to have it. She called my grandmother who drove to the store and agreed that it was the perfect fit and look for my mom so they bought it on the spot. 

To turn my mom's perfect dress into my perfect dress, we weren't sure how much it would cost and who on earth we could trust to cut, sew and update the dress. Fortunately, my fabulous wedding planner, Bethany Boles Hewitt, told us of the equally fabulous seamstress, Pat Wilcox. 

My mom and I set up a meeting with Mrs. Pat and I invited my granny along as well. Mrs. Pat was affordable, sweet, creative and totally got our vision for the dress. I described what I was hoping for and she magically made it happen. We met with her 4 times: my Christmas break in December, my Spring break in March, the end of April after the semester was over and then early May right before the wedding.

Here are a few photos of the process... 

After my first visit with Mrs. Pat, she sent me on a mission to find the material that she would turn into the details. I picked out purple and silvery chiffon + a few lace trims with the help of one of my bridesmaids, Anna. 

Here is an example of  one of the end products. This is a close up of one of the chiffon flowers she just whipped up from scratch, including individual beads sewn in to shimmer in the sunlight since I was having an outdoor wedding - her attention to detail and her creativity was phenomenal.

This was the bare bones of the dress without the details and with the sleeves taken down considerably: 

But Mrs. Pat didn't waste anything so she took parts of the sleeves (with all that 1980s excess) and added them to flowers and other details on the gown. She truly reinvented all of parts of my mom's dress. Here are a few more photos of the in between phase when we were experimenting with a few different options:

               

And these were photos from the final fitting:

During this process, we got to know Mrs. Pat and she got to know us. Seeing my mom and granny there at every visit and also learning my love for family and sentimental touches, Mrs. Pat emailed me the sweetest idea. She said it used to be a tradition to add the bride's name and wedding date to the hem of the wedding dress passed down. She wanted to know if I would like for her to add my mom's wedded name and wedding date along with my would-be wedded name and wedding date to the hem of the dress. I did not hesitate because I adored the idea. It was a sweet moment when we revealed it to my mom at the final fitting a couple weeks before the wedding; the embroidery is pictured below: 

The other mushy gushy but super sweet moment of wearing my mom's dress down the aisle was that my Daddy got to see both my mom and his daughter as a bride in the same gown. Here he is escorting me to the ceremony: 

So after 4 visits and about $500 with countless hours of cutting, creating and sewing, Mrs. Pat took this:

And turned it into the classy, sassy, Southern-belle like wedding dress of my dreams with touches of purple, sparkle and lace... and a story to tell

And the dress of my dreams was the perfect fit for the day I married the man of my dreams :) 

I'm not sure he and I will have a little girl one day but you better believe my mom and I had the wedding dress preserved just in case I one day have a girl who wants to carry on the tradition and wear our dress at her wedding... 

Sarah Grace and the Blog are Back with a Bang.... Or Should I Say a Crash...?

I thought I would be able to keep up with my blog in grad school but that was a funny joke. No time for blogging on top of school, homework, a job, an internship and wedding planning.

However, now that summer is here, I am hoping to bring the blog back.

One of my family members can't make my upcoming wedding but said that she was hoping to read a wedding blogpost since our last family wedding unfolded into quite a tale.

It seems she won't have to wait until the wedding this Saturday because I already had a blogworthy moment this past week.

I have not had a significant Sarah Grace moment in months (I broke a lamp way back in the Fall semester) so I was hoping that I had perhaps outgrown my klutzyness. It appears I was wrong - big time.

Last Friday, literally a week before the wedding weekend, I hit Scott's car... with my car. And it was bad. And by bad, I mean a really huugggee dent that my dad - who is usually pretty calm - described as absolutely horrible.

I had turned the wheel really tight when I parked but forgot that when I was rushing to leave Scott's apartment. I was going too fast and also trying to fiddle with my GPS and instead of backing straight out of my parking spot, the wheel sorta whip-lashed and fishtailed the front end of my car into the driver's side of his truck that is less than a year old. I felt like a kid who got caught with their hand in the candy jar - I knew I was in trouble.

I felt awful and was sorta worried to tell Scott because I thought with all the stress of final wedding prep, this was the last thing we needed to deal with. I especially felt bad because the night before was his last night of work as a cop and he had to stay late because he was dealing with a homicide. After all that and not getting to bed til 5 am, I was going to have to wake him up early with the news that I had severely dented his truck.

I walked in and told him "This is going to be really funny one day."
He immediately asked "What did you do?"
I told him I had a major Sarah Grace moment and hit his truck.

Fortunately, he was calm and positive and not mad and had great perspective about the whole incident; now I am even more grateful to be marrying him. After test driving both his car and mine around the parking lot, we were relieved that both cars drove just fine and the damage was only cosmetic. By some miracle, I hit his car just past the drivers door and just before the gas tank so nothing serious was hit and all my car sustained were some scratches and a small crack near a light on the front bumper.

He is already using this incident as leverage and for comedic relief if I ask him to do some task for the wedding or give some driving instruction, he says "Oh wait. Who hit my car?"

The really worrisome thing about all of this is that two days after I hit his truck, he was scheduled to drive from SC to TN to drop off his truck, some of his things and some furniture at my apartment in Nashville. That really needed to happen before the wedding and breaking down on the interstate with all that stuff in his truck was going to be less than ideal.

Fortunately, he and all the stuff made it safely to TN and the insurance policy is going to repair both vehicles for just one deductible. Apparently, this kinda accident happens all the time so they have a routine policy: the car that is the innocent bystander in these situations doesn't have to use their deductible because they are listed as property damage under my deductible... so at least it's not just me denting up cars in parking lots ;)

At least I wasn't having a fit of bridezilla stress ramming into his car intentionally ;)

Plus, since I got my dose of Sarah Grace out of the way last week, I hopefully won't have an incident at the wedding like tripping going down the aisle or hitting a bridesmaid with my bouquet toss, etc. ;)

Beyond damaging both of our vehicles, we haven't had too much stress and there have been no bridezilla moments... so hopefully it stays that way! We are both just really excited to get married in 2 days!!! :)

Here's to Sweet Peaches - Struggles and Triumph (and Butterflies too!)

I don't particularly care for peaches. (I know, how can I call myself a Southern Belle???) But I promise I like grits and biscuits and good home cooking... just not peaches.

Having said that, maybe I just haven't ever tasted a peach that had to struggle.

Peaches that struggle end up tasting sweeter.

This may sound strange but below in an email excerpt from the director of my grad school program is an explanation:

There is an orchard outside of Bowling Green, KY, that grows the world's best peaches (I realize this is a bold claim, but trust me).  Once my mom and I were there buying peaches and one of the owners told us that they had had the perfect year for peaches because the conditions had been a little bit difficult.  He went on to tell us that the best way to grow peaches was in conditions that aren't too difficult (because then the peaches die), but also aren't too perfect because, "the peaches are sweeter when they have to struggle."

Interesting, isn't it?

Even more interesting is the next bit of that same email from my director, Sarah Suiter:

I think this principle applies to humans (and gatherings of humans, like community) as well, and am hopeful that the conditions you're facing are of the "a little bit difficult" variety :). 

This concept really resonated with me.

I love quotes and referred to this one throughout the process of applying to grad school:

And now that I am in grad school, it takes even more work. (Duh.)

This weekend in particular, I have been preparing for my first test of graduate school, a 30 page paper that is due soon AND prepping to lead the class that I TA while my professor is out of the country for a conference this week. Yes. Because life always happens all at once. Doesn't it seem like things aren't ever spread out in a way that would make them easier to tackle?

Not usually.

Often, there is struggle.

Struggle in pursuing a grad school degree, in making a long distance relationship work, in establishing community in a new city, in finding a new church home, in figuring out your future... not that I speak from experience or anything ;)

But the good stuff - earning a master degree and As on tests, marrying the man you love, making solid friends, feeling a part of a church, discovering your life plan - all that stuff is WORTH the work it takes...

And I have a feeling that it probably wouldn't feel so good if it didn't take that effort... just like a peach doesn't taste as sweet without a little struggle.

This idea - that struggle makes life (and peaches) taste sweeter - keeps reminding me of this wonderful short film I saw a few years ago called The Butterfly Circus.

It tells the story of a different kind of circus traveling around during the Great Depression era. In particular, it focuses on a limbless man who was degraded as a freak in a side show of a typical circus but then is transformed by coming into community with the Butterfly Circus.

The leader of the Butterfly Circus has a beautiful mantra that goes along with the idea of struggle leading to sweetness:

"The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."

If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend you watch it.
It gives phenomenal perspective when you think something like grad school homework is actually hard. Maybe I should re-watch it right now...? ;)

But, really, the film is wonderful and I hope you find time to watch it.

Going with the film's and circus' symbolism, just think of the work and struggle a caterpillar endures to become a butterfly.

That is certainly a sweet ending.

Whatever you're dealing with in life right now, I hope - to quote my director and her email - "that the conditions you're facing are of the 'a little bit difficult' variety."


Here's to sweet peaches and struggles turning into triumph in life!

Having as Much Sense as a Goose: What I'm Learning in Grad School

I am getting settled in Nashville, completing training for my new job, meeting people... annnnnd drowning in reading.

My head is spinning but I'm loving it.

So far I've studied developmental theories of justice and freedom, criticisms of neo-liberalism, the capabilities approach, information on different types of epistemology and methodology. Etc. Etc. Etc.

You see why my head is spinning? ;)

I've literally had to use the dictionary countless times just to read the first paragraph of some of these chapters and articles. It is definitely on a different level than under-grad.

But, in the midst of all these big words and complicated concepts, I was delighted to run across this excerpt that I absolutely LOVED, so I wanted to share it:

THE GOOSE STORY 

"Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in V formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally, and this is important, when a  goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group. 

If only we could have as much sense as a goose."  

Is that not the sweetest thing??? And all I thought geese had to offer was their nasty poop all over our backyard when the flock stops off by our lake before heading the rest of the way down south!?!

But, really, though it may be a little cheesy, that excerpt from Randy Stoecker's book was refreshing in its simplicity and it resonated with me.

Community development (and learning about it in grad school) is challenging but we can take a hint from the geese by encouraging one another, working together, sharing the workload and taking care of each other.

Sounds pretty sensible to me :)

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights from my 1st Week in Tennessee!!!

Today marks one week since I loaded up all my belongings and moved 10 hours away from home.

Gah!!!???!!!

It has been a whirlwind but a wonderful one.

I am acclimating to Tennessee: I already bought some beef jerky and a bottle of discount liquor. Now all I need is a pair of cowgirl boots...

This week was non-stop new people and places and experiences.

Here are a few highlights:

1) I moved into my apartment with all my craigs list items and craft projects; I am nearly settled and pictures will come soon :) I am really excited because the location is even better than I realized - I am across the street from campus and near fabulous places like parks, a grocery store, a Walgreens, a police station, a coffee shop, a car service place, a verizon store and an ice cream shop... pretty much anything I could possibly need ;)

2) I started my new job. I have a great boss and 2 really nice co-workers + the work seems like it will be hard but interesting. My main focus is marketing and communication but also a bit of admin and leading trainings for a campus event program.

3) I explored campus. And, oh the irony! I found out that my first GRADUATE SCHOOL classes will be held in none-other than the HOME-ECONOMICS building!?! How appropriate for a Southern Belle Feminist ;)

4) I met most of my classmates. Our first event together was a service project which was so sweet. We went to a local boys and girls club and did finger painting, face painting, dance, sports, etc. I got back in touch with my elementary school self and played a pretty fierce game or two of four-square ;)

5) In the midst of all my errands and unpacking, I did get to do a smidge of touring with my boyfriend before he left.

Our favorite spot was visiting the Parthenon replica:

6) And, of course, I have already had several Sarah Grace moments. Here is one that my boyfriend managed to capture on camera ;)

So what I was trying to do was hug the column (like the first photo below) to give a gauge of how huge this building was...

But, here is what happened on my first try when I accidentally went in a little too close for the hug and banged my head on the cement. Fortunately, it didn't leave a bruise! 

Tomorrow and Tuesday are my orientation and then classes begin after that...

I'll keep y'all posted.

xoxo

Updates from a Summer full of Sarah Grace Moments

Outside my house, a huge u-haul sits in my drive-way holding all of my belongings and the promise of adventures and education to be found in Tennessee. I leave tomorrow morning!?!

But with all my excitement and anxiety and energy, I cannot bring myself to sleep so I figured I would blog.

It has been a busy summer as I have been: 

• The only staff person at BCM for the last 4 months with student orientations, remodeling of our facility, fall planning, etc.
• Preparing for graduate school 
• Finding, painting and sprucing up craigs list and goodwill items for my Tennessee apartment 
• Finally catching up with the rest of the world and reading the entire Hunger Games series
• Also, becoming (I think...?) the last Christian female to read Redeeming Love (clearly, I am trying to get in a casual reading kick before graduate school hits, ha!)
• Enjoying having my twin brother in town since he moved here a couple months ago
• Trying to see all my friends and family before moving
• Etc. etc. etc. 

BUT, never fail, in the midst of all that, I did not forget to document the many Sarah Grace moments that inevitably happened ;) 

Here are a few of my favorites:

1) "Pee" Stain 

I worked several new student orientations this summer. Let me set the scene:

Tables are lined up across from each other, running down either side of the street. For some reason, the college was inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on us as they scheduled orientations from noon-2pm  (in AUGUST in SOUTH CAROLINA!!!) and, naturally, my table was not in the shade... so I practically melted every time I was out there.

But sweaty gross and all, I still tried to look decent so I usually wore a summer sundress. The one this day just happened to be white. Of course.

Across from my table were the hilarious and fabulous (and stereotypically loud) Jewish women at the Hillel table who I became quite close to this summer. I turned my back to them to grab for my phone because I heard my phone alert me to this text:

Just heard something I thought you would LOVE. Robin Roberts' mom always said "make your mess your message"

The saying is very cute and cheesy and positive so my friend was right: I loved it.

BUT, the crazy thing was - and I kid you not - I had a chance to do just that.

No sooner had I finished reading that text, Marsha from the Hillel table hollered (in her loud, Jewish voice AND in front of the students and families), "Sarah, what's all over your butt?" 

I looked down to find what looked to be a pee stain right on the butt of my white dress:

All I can figure is that when I had gone to a coffee shop... oh, just about 5 hours before that moment... I must have sat in spilled coffee...? And with that obvious stain on my rear-end, I had walked all over town that morning and in front of a ton of people at the orientation. Real classy.

But, as for how to make that mess my message - I suppose it would be something like "If you are confident, you are beautiful - even after sitting in coffee and having an awkward pee-esque stain on your rear-end all day" Oy vey!

2) Pitiful Picnic

I may or may not have become addicted to groupon this summer in an attempt to affordably experience Charleston before I left.

But, you know what they say: you win some and you lose some.

This was definitely not a win.

First off, this was what it looked like the day our groupon catered picnic was scheduled to be delivered: great weather for a picnic, wouldn't you say???

Second of all, the lady was late to deliver it. While we were waiting on her, the rain started. We couldn't find shelter so - starving and wet- we returned to my house.

I was bummed because, on principle, I thought you simply couldn't have a picnic INdoors.

But, no worries, we really couldn't because my roomie was at the house watching tv with a friend - obviously, not very romantic background noise for my boyfriend and I to enjoy our PICNIC at the kitchen table.

Instead, we opted to eat the picnic on my front porch with a beautiful view of... the parking lot while we were being feasted on by about 5,000 mosquitoes.

But, wait, I haven't even mentioned the "catered" food:

• The "basket" wasn't an adorable wicker one but this plastic walmart tub
• The wine was a brand we later saw that sold for $3.47 for an ENTIRE bottle
• The food was pre-packaged and we think it was bought from Piggly Wiggly... some of the price stickers were clearly just scraped off
• What we thought were sparklers were really some strange incense 
• In the bottom of the tub, there was a dirty towel that I guess they had propped everything up on to make it look like there was more stuff in the tub than there really was...? gah-rosss.

It was so bad.

But certainly memorable ;)

3) Attacked by a bull

I recently went to a winery with my grandparents. In the vineyards, they had a bull just roaming.

He seemed docile enough and I had seen other people petting him and taking pictures with him earlier in the day. Since I feel the need to take photos all the time, of course I wanted one with him.

I approached and saw 3 girls near the bull taking pictures. I offered to take one of all 3 of them with the bull but they said they had taken enough though they offered to take my picture.

I said thanks and swapped places with one of the girls standing near the bull.
His head was facing away from me and I was about 2 feet away from him.
I was smiling big and ready to take the photo when all of a sudden:

• He turned around
• Stepped on my foot
• Rammed his horn into my thigh (where there is now a nice, dark purple bruise about the size of a golf-ball)
• He knocked me to the ground
• I thought he was going to trample me and I was horrified

The 3 girls rushed at me and asked if I was ok, helping me off the ground and shooing off the bull.

We don't have a clue why he attacked but it certainly was a Sarah Grace moment. 

And, after all that, of course I had to document it - just standing a little farther away from the bull this time... and by a little, I mean a lot ;) 

That was just a taste of some of my recent Sarah Grace moments; I am sure there are many more to come!

I suppose now that I need to force myself to try to fall asleep but I will blog again (hopefully soon) and next time from Tennessee =D