Bitter&Sweets: Car Fiasco

I admit it. It's hard...hard to be consistent at blogging. Even once every week or so. Not just because I don't have the time, but whenever there's something that goes on in my week that I want to share, I'm not sure if it deserves a whole entire blog entry. I might as well just post it up on twitter. So, I've come up with a "Bitter&Sweet" kinda thing, giving pretty much a list of the ups and downs, highs and lows, of my week. And also to keep everyone updated here and there(: And it keeps me accountable to blog at least once a week...at least I hope it will. Oh! and I get to post the cool picture I made for Bitter&Sweet (which took me...shamefully, about an hour to make)

Well, this past week...wow. It's been a long week, lemme just say. Shamefully [again], after getting all upset that DMV hasn't sent in the stickers for my registration renewal, I called them up and found out that my car isn't even registered. BIG fail. So of course, like any system in this struggling country, there's a penalty fee, which adds to the transfer fee, tax fee, etc. Calculated...a few hundreds right there. In order for me to get my car registered, I need a smog check certification. Okay, that's easy. not quite. In order for me to past the Smog Check, I can't have my "Check Engine" light on...and evidently, it was on. -_- another BIG fail. Now, I have to get my "Check Engine" lite...checked. Yah, that ain't free. (Maybe some of you already know where this is heading).

Alright, let's drive down to Pepboys to get this "checked" and fixed right away. Just to have them look into it, the waiting time was 4+ hrs. If it wasn't for my knight in shining armor, I would have been the most miserable girl. Amazing boyfriend saves his girlfriend again(: Alright, so engine is checked.

.............

Let me just stop babbling right now. So pretty much what's goin down is, I gotta fix my car to get that engine light off, in order for me to pass the smog check, in order for me to turn it into the DMV for registration, in order for me to get 2011 stickers.

So what did I learn from this? A lot. But most of all I was reminded of the Lord's sovereignty over and over again in this situation and throughout this whole week. My patience has been tested countless times this past week, and many times I failed. I need to keep reminding myself that I have a God that is in control. In control of every situation in my life, and has His own plan for everything. Trials will always come, no matter what. What matters is the way we handle these trials and how we learn from them. The Lord has really tested me this week - finals & late night study sessions, my car issues, work, and even in my relationships with others. Though I failed to always respond rightly, I've been humbled in many ways. Because I know the weight of God's sovereignty, I should not act in an unacceptable manner - showing impatience, ungratefulness, and selfishness. Every day is given to us out of grace, and every blessing is given to us out of love. Unfailing love. And that is what many of us need to realize. I'm thankful for the trials and hardships the Lord puts me through, especially this last week. My eyes wouldn't have been opened to the amount of sin in my life, in which I need to let go, and the amount of humbleness I need to have.

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

FINALLY the Bitter&Sweets:

Bitter:
-car registration fiasco.
-having to do a whole day of finals (8am-10pm) running on 2 hrs of sleep
-gettin murdered by my microecon finals

Sweets:
-finished yet again another semester of school. and I couldn't have done it without the Lord's guidance, strength, and wisdom
-celebrated finishing finals with my boyfriend, who took me to watch Tangled! (finally!) & dinner *btw, Tangled, is definitely a good movie
-Smog Check is passed! Onto DMV & registration
- being reminded of how great the Lord is, and how much I need Him in my life constantly.


That's all for now! More Bitter&Sweets to come(:

-sv

A Winter Wonderland Wedding

It's that most wonderful time of the year....and the most wonderful event in a couple's life is their wedding day! So why not combine the two? I think winter weddings are absolutely gorgeous! So I've put together a few collages for winter wedding inspirations. Hope you like them! (:






-sarahhnicole
always keeping it classy

No need to prove

I've come to realize that one of the worst feelings ever happens when you try to prove something. Prove yourself to someone, or everyone. Prove that you're good enough...prove that you're better. Prove that you're something...prove that you're worth it. We start thinking too much about the problem, that we strain ourselves day and night, wondering how to prove that we're something. This feeling eats us up inside, and tears up our emotions...and this is when we become ever more vulnerable. Just when we try, we get disheartened, shoved off, and thrown away. We begin to lose hope that we can't prove anything, which leads us to thinking... maybe there is nothing in us that we can prove.

But, no. That's not true. "You're original, cannot be replaced." We were all created differently, and we are individuals who are unique, and one of a kind. It is not that we have nothing in us to prove to the world, but it is that there is no need for us to prove something to the world. 1 Samuel 16:7 "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Pleasing the world does nothing because human beings can never be satisfied.

"There is no need to prove to the world because just by being yourself proves everything already."
- sarahhnicole

'twas a pink and purple holiday

So, I know Thanksgiving has already passed, but I wanted to share one more thing from my turkey holiday(: Instead of decorating our house with the traditional orange, red, and yellow Fall colors, my dad decided to make it a pink and purple holiday. lol so here's some pictures I took of the flower pieces he created. enjoy! (:






-sarahhnicole
always keeping it classy

the culprit in the thanksgiving feast

CULPRIT: the turkey
CRIME: cause of food coma after Thanksgiving meal
EVIDENCE: contains L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid with a documented sleep inducing effect.
* I just got this information from Wikipedia

Yes, the Thanksgiving holiday is over...but I'm sure some are still sitting on the couch trying to shove that last piece of pecan pie in their mouth. Let me just say, I cannot believe it's over. What does this mean, the crazy Christmas season is here. Yes, I understand everyone loves the Christmas songs playing on 103.5, Eggnog Latte served at Starbucks (I personally, don't like eggnog), and the decked out malls, restaurants, and Disneyland. But honestly, it's just crazy to think a whole year has flown by. The Christmas season won't last that long, and as soon as you know it, New Year's Eve is here. I just wish there was some way to slow things down, especially this time of the year. I just want to really take in this season...to enjoy and relax - to not worry too much about shopping for everyone on my Christmas list, dealing with angry/grumpy buyers at the mall, or stress over making the famous family dish perfect without having your mother say something's missing.

Nevertheless, this is my most absolute favorite time of the year. Nothing can compare. And I'm extremely thankful that this holiday means more to me than giving and receiving, food and fun, family and friends. Christmas to me is centered solely on the birth of Jesus Christ, and that is something I'm looking forward to celebrating.

2010, you're year is almost up, but holidays such as today, and the next one to come is the reason why we're always excited for next year's . So enjoy every day of this Christmas season! Be kind shoppers, and wise spenders(:

-sarahhnicole
always keeping it classy

floating flats and ten course meals

Saturday, November 20th, 2010, will definitely be a day I cannot forget. Though I would like to get into many details, I shall try to keep this short and sweet. After about 4 months of internship at Daydreamer Events with Carissa (Kissa) Solomon, I was ready to take on a Day-of Coordination for a wedding in Orange County. Extremely excited and pumped, I got all dressed up at 8am. Little did I know that this wedding would definitely be one of the greatest challenges I've faced so far.

NOTE: (and all wedding coordinators may know this already) NEVER wear four-inch heels with a tight pencil skirt on a RAINY DAY!!

Yes, to my shame, I did not listen to Kissa when she had warned me to dressed comfortably. #fail. So to keep this entry short, (trust me...I could probably write a short story for my English class) I'll just give you a list of things that went on throughout this day, sparing most of the details(:

9:30 - Left for the OC
12:00 - arrived at Bower Museum to set up for ceremony.
*could not fit 185 seats that were requested...only 107.
*as much as bride & groom wanted grassy area under the trees for the ceremony, that definitely could not work out...unless the bride wanted to walk down the aisle of mud.
* it was pouring rain outside, which led to soaked hair, drenched clothes, and ruined heels :(

So here's the reason why I knew this was definitely going to be the longest day of my life. Picture...me walking in a pencil skirt, four-inch heels, carrying an umbrella, cellphone in one hand, and flats in the other. Kissa and I are powerwalking to the car, with the rain beating down on us. As I quickly toss my favorite flats into the car, one of them falls into the stream of rain that was running along the curb, and floated under Kissa's car. After screaming for about 10 seconds, I rushed to the street and bend over to see if I could find my lost shoe. I spot it floating right by the front tire and as I'm about to retrieve it, my skirt rips. it rips at the seam, making the slit in the back of my skirt bigger. So, the rest of my day I'm walking around, looking like I want to show more skin. -_- Honestly though, I could not stop laughing about it, which was good. I expected myself to cry right there on the spot. But thank the Lord, I didn't, and I kept pushing through.

Okay! back to the list...

2:10 - Ceremony starts
*handed out programs and "bubbles" in which one spilled all over me :/ this was definitely quite a challenge.
* pinned on boutenniere's on groom & groomsmen.
2:15 - Kissa and I booked it outta there!
2:30 - Taco Bell(:
3:00 - set up reception @ Paracel Seafood Restaurant
5:30 - guests start arriving. Reception begins
* party favors were lotto tickets - Kissa & I took one each before the guests got to them(:
* didn't have table numbers set up yet when guests arrived, nor did we have the seating list -_-
* Dinner was a 10 course meal! I seriously do not know how the guests were able to scarf down all that food.
9:00 - Tea Ceremony
* so apparently, according to tradition, the newly weds have to go around each table and "have tea" with the guests, which means at least 5 min. at each table.
* filled up about 250 tea cups with hot tea.
* bride dressed into a different outfit, which weighed at least 20 lbs.!
9:30 - cake cutting, bouquet toss, and first dance
9:45 - HEADED HOME!

So I apologize for my failing efforts to keep this short and sweet. I just felt like I had to mention those moments that made the day unforgettable. But in the end, I'm always thankful and glad I was able to experience this. The Lord really tested my patience in those certain moments; but He continually gave me strength in every task I took on. An experience like this is what I needed and still need. Something that keeps me on my feet, and helps me to become better at handling frustrating/complicated/stressful situations. And honestly, I like those complicated and stressful situations. It gives me the opportunity to find a solution, fix something, and make something better.

Though the costs were a shoe, a skirt, and blistered feet, I was happy at the end of the day. Just knowing that I've shared my time, my effort, and my talent with a couple to make their most memorable day something special, is a feeling I'll never get tired of. And this is why I'm full of ambition and excitement for this new start in the wedding industry. This is only the beginning (:

-sarahhnicole
always keeping it classy

a typical struggle

Tell me if I’m wrong or not, but doesn’t one find it very hard to come up with something to talk about for their first blog? I mean, you don’t want to sound so newb on your first blog, talking about something nonsensical, or introducing yourself as the typical blogger would do. There are endless topics to choose from, endless subjects to pour your heart out about, but how do you actually start your first blog entry? What you put on your first blog tells a whole lot about you, and I, myself am doubting my capabilities of trying to make myself seem…likeable (for lack of a better word). The struggle comes in when you feel the pressure and need to entertain your readers with what you submit online. You want to make readers interested in what you have to say, making your comments funny and clever. You get too caught up in trying to think of ways to talk, and stuff to write about…and suddenly, before you know it a whole thought process has flown through your mind and you’re too lazy to type it all out and explain to your readers the epiphany that just blew your mind away.

And now as I type, I have so many things running in my head that I don’t know where to start if I tried explaining it here in the blog. I suppose things are meant to be like that; certain thoughts, deep thoughts, or unusual thoughts, are to be kept to oneself and not out there on the world wide web. The usual first blog would be to introduce oneself, describe who you are, and what kind of blogs you want to write about. Predictable much? If you’re a girl, you’ll most likely talk about drama (boyfriend problems, and jealousy issues with other girls because of their insecurity problems), and fashion. That’s pretty much it. If you’re a guy, it will only range from sports to cars, and promoting club events.But seriously, how many guys blog? Perez Hilton, definitely does not count.

Nevertheless, this was my attempt to blog about something out of the usual. Success or not, I have nothing else to say. My mind has gone blank and I am set to watch House re-runs while eating out of my Haagen Daz Cookies n’ Cream ice cream container.

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Confidence… thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live. – Franklin D. Roosevelt