life living on the lake

Some of my best memories as a kid involve camping at the Ohio River. Growing up, generation after generation of my family spent their summers on speed boats, water skis, boat docks and around the campfire next to that muddy river. I can still remember zipping up my Barbie life vest, sharing Keebler fudge sandwich cookies and sleeping on a bed that would become our kitchen table the next morning.

Unfortunately, we sold the boat as I entered my teen years, and I hung up my life vest days for time spent smelling chlorine at the town pool. One of the best, and maybe worst parts, of being a nanny is joining the family on their vacations. Great, because you get to explore new places without the cost, but terrible because for you it's less of a vacation and more of a "workcation." When I heard our summer vacation was going to be spent in the States, I was a little disappointed. But that pretty much ended the minute we arrived.

Workcation/vacation aside, I just made it back from arguably one of the most beautiful places in America. Lake Burton, Georgia is truly an untouched treasure trove of emerald colored water that's as smooth as silk. Even though so many people live there, we seemed to go at just the right time that made us feel like we had the lake to ourselves - paradise to a kid who was sorely missing being able to jump into fresh water.

While we were there, I finally had the chance to learn (and master if I say so myself) how to stand up paddle board. All summer it's been my goal to take a SUP class, but I was nervous about learning on the Potomac River, and didn't want to take the hour drive to Annapolis on my own to do it there. Although, now that I know, I would love to make it back to the Bay and hop on a board before the fall!

Day one of SUP 

Day two of SUP - just a girl and her lake

 Last day - mastering the art of yoga SUP...well the moves where both feet are on the board

I also got serious amounts of sun thanks to the steroids I was taking for that allergic reaction. You don't even want to know the amount of sunscreen I used that day and ended up looking like this. That's when I realized it was nearly pointless to use sunscreen because the steroids nullified it. So I had to stay out of the sun the next day - and caught my first ever fish with one of the kid's play Go Diego Go fishing poles that we put a real hook on. I'm just a boss like that at fishing. Thankfully, I was on a step down process with them and became less prone to the sun after the first few days so I was able to enjoy my time in the sun without turning red. On the bright side (ha ha, get it?) I got a fabulous tan out of this. 

Also, I kind of had to do all the paddle boarding because I was eating all of this yummy gooodness. You just don't even know...my instagram feed was filled with goodies like this - 

Did I mention our chef is really good?? So good. My stomach was very happy on this trip. 

And now, I'm exhausted. I slept most of today in attempt to make up for the lack of sleep on the trip. Now I only have to make it another five days and then I'm finally flying back to Ohio for a long weekend home. Five more days, five more days. I can do it!
*all images taken by me with my trusty iPhone

my epic, dramatic tale of having an allergic reaction

One time a few years ago, I found this amazing body wash called Ahava and spent $23 on a bottle of it. Oh the days of spending money before my student loans kicked in....

After that one bottle, I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on body wash and never bought it again - even though it is still, hands down, my favorite smell in the world. That's just a subtle hint to anyone looking into getting my Christmas present early...

Anyway, the point of this is, I put a stop to the extravagant spending on everyday items that I clearly didn't need to spend triple and quadruple the amount of money on. That is until this past weekend.

Granted, I have a very legitimate excuse for my extravagance, and thy name is allergic reaction. At least, that's what we're all hoping I had. Whatever it was, and we're ALL still trying to figure that out, I've been left a blotchy, itchy, swollen mess since Sunday.

The frantic picture I sent to my mom asking "WHAT IS THIS?!" on Sunday

As you can see from the picture I took Sunday, it hasn't been fun. 

Now I'm always the person that goes to the doctor. Always. For some stupid reason, I thought this would clear up on its own and decided I didn't need to go on Sunday. In fact, on Sunday we thought it was a mild case of sun poisoning from being at a water park on Saturday. 

Then Monday when I woke up and my skin was basically normal looking again, we thought I had an allergic reaction to the chemicals in the water park. That seemed pretty valid. My feet had itched all night long and were swollen that morning, and I had put my feet in the water, so we all decided that was the culprit. 

Advil and Zyrtec aside, I was still pretty itchy, and headed off to Lush, and well, basically fell in love there. All of the products are made with all natural ingredients which, for someone who was just a blotchy mess for a reason still unidentified, is basically like heaven. 

Also, welcome to my bathroom

When I told the nice assistant why I was in the store, he immediately pulled out Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt which is chalk full of oats, lavender and sandalwood. It also has cocoa butter and walnut oil which turns the water into a big bath of moisturizer. It's amazing. Helpful side note, don't unwrap the muslin from it. I did, and realized a few minutes into the bath that it was probably wrapped to keep the wild flowers and oats together instead of all over your tub. 

Next he told me to try the Dream Cream body lotion. Guys, I don't think I can even begin to tell you how amazing this lotion is. It worked in about .5 seconds after I tried some. Again, it has oat milk, lavender and chamomile, along with olive oil and cocoa butter. There's also rose water and tea tree oil that neutralizes skin irritation and makes you smell really good. 

Then while I was checking out, I got a sample of their body soap that can be used on the body and face. I've used that a few times too, and it's left my skin silky smooth. 

Even using these amazing products I was still extremely sore. I pretty much felt like I was an 80 year old woman. My wrists hurt, my fingers hurt, my knees and even my elbows were sore. How elbows can be sore...well I promise I'm not making this up. After trying to tough it out, I finally went to the doctor yesterday and went through a whole series of tests before I finally got the magic drug - Prednisone. 

Steroids are goooooooood. I'm trying not to sound like a pill popper right now, but this is magical how fast it's made me feel better. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to get out of bed and not immediately wince because your whole body feels swollen when it looks fine on the outside. I can grip a pen again to write properly! It's the little things in life. 

So the true moral of this story is this - if you wake up one morning and your skin is an itchy, blotchy mess, just go to the doctor then. Don't try and wait it out because instead you'll end up making your whole body inflamed and have to take steroids for the next 15 days. But you can find some good all natural products to help the miserableness go by somewhat nicer. 

*all images taken by me with my trusty iPhone

A Love Letter To Annapolis

To start this post, I want to note that I've had a love for Annapolis since my freshman year of college. No, I didn't fall in love with a Middie (a US Naval Midshipman for those who don't live here and aren't aware of the term). I didn't even watch the movie, Annapolis (which coincidentally didn't even take place in Annapolis...go figure). I did however walk into my college dorm, bright eyed and eager that Freshman Move-In Day to come face-to-face with James Franco's face staring at me.

Pre-creepy, chatting up an underage girl, James Franco. (James, by the way if you're wondering, I'm 26, so obviously too old for you...but call me anyway).

It turns out our RAs were allowed to pick their own move-in theme, and my RA had chosen "Hollywood Cinema" because every door down the hall was lined with movie posters. I just happened to luck out and get the hot guy movie poster. "Oh look! You got James Franco on your door!" my best friend, Amanda declared that day. 

Before I started writing this I went back through all my photos trying to find a picture of the poster my freshman year. Do you know that in the four years that thing hung in my various dorm rooms, I only have one semi-clear picture of it? Well I do. And as you can see from my Christmas decorating my sophomore year of college, there it is. I still have it, in case you're wondering. The back is covered in duct tape and there are a few rips from where I couldn't pry it off my walls at the end of the year, but it's still in my college box. I felt like it was some sort of good luck symbol when I moved in so good luck or not, it traveled with me from one building to the other. 

Also if you're wondering, yes I probably set clear fire hazards every year at Christmas in my dorms...but c'est la vie. 

Anyway back to the real point of this story: Annapolis. Once I moved here, I quickly set out to see what kind of day trips I could take when I had my off time. I found out after scouring Google Maps that I'm only 50 minutes away from Annapolis. The day I realized this, I hopped in my car and took off - no really I did. We're lucky I was properly dressed. 

Fifty-some minutes later, this was my view...have you gathered yet the gushy-ness that's about to happen? 

Because Annapolis is too amazingly wonderful to see all of it the first, or second, or third time, I'm going to start this love letter part 1 with one of the top attractions - the U.S. Naval Academy.

The famed Bancroft Hall. This is the main dormitory for the students, and, well it's amazing. It's also known to make appearances in the USNA Spirit Spot videos. See here/here/here/and here. They really know how to dance...and rewrite songs. I thought y'all were studying to be lean, mean fighting machines...no I'm just kidding, please don't hurt me. 

Inside the hall is this gorgeous room where there's a replica of the famous "Don't Give Up the Ship" which was the famous dying words of Captain James Lawrence during the War of 1812. They're kind of obsessed with that war around here. 

Just in case you weren't awed enough of the ceiling in the above picture - I'm obsessed with this room.

I love the thought of knocking on these doors when they're closed. Or opening these doors when they're closed...Oh and I sunk your battleship! 

I love the USNA so much I like to bring people to see it when they visit me. 

My mom and I loved being plebes during our visit.

And then my best friend and I had a blast posing with our actual high school Alma Mater. As my favorite football cheer goes "T-E-C-U-M-S-E-H LET'S GO!" USNA, feel free to claim that one if you need it for any reason...it's a real original. 

I think I'll conclude part one's letter to Annapolis by quoting fallen Navy SEAL Shane Patton from the Frogman Ballad, "Anything in life worth doing, is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards." The USNA took that to heart, and it's glorious. 

*all images taken by me with my trusty iPhone

Sarah (Literally) Goes To Washington

Since moving here, I've used the clever hashtag #SarahGoesToWashington on my instagram to document all my city adventures. But Monday, I actually went to Washington - as in the U.S. Capitol. Unlike Mr. Smith though, I didn't filibuster on the Senate floor for a Boys Camp. This time...

Anyway, Senate floor aside, I did go to see where the bills are made, and let me just state for the record that the following story I'm about to tell you is 100% true. This is the crazy story of what it's like being at the Capitol in D.C...

We'll start this adventure around 1 p.m. Monday afternoon. I've just eaten lunch at Bullfeathers down the street on Capitol Hill when I walk upon the Capitol to find police cars surrounding the Library of Congress. Odd. I wonder if the President is nearby? 

As I got closer I noticed the whole of the Library was closed off....and so was the Visitor's Center...the place I needed to get to for my tour. Of course that would be closed off too. I asked a friendly police officer if we were allowed to know why everything was blocked off and was told it was because someone had left a stroller in the street and it was called as a bomb threat. 

Perfect. 

But don't worry everyone! It was only going to take another 15-20 minutes and all the tours were being pushed back. 

Me waiting out the bomb threat with a brave face post Mosquito attack

With nothing to do, I didn't feel like going anywhere else just to come back a few minutes later, so I sat down under a tree, only to be attacked by one of those Tiger Mosquitoes that bit my leg up and down. 

With a now red and swelling leg that itched like mad, I made my way over to the open Visitors' Center. Nothing to go wrong now, right? 

No. 

The good news was that all the tours had only been delayed by 20 minutes. The bad news was they decided to combine all the tour times to make up for it. While I was joining my timed tour group, I came across the two rudest people I've yet to encounter in, well possibly my life. Allow me to now reenact the scenario:

_______________________________

Me - entering queue from the right at the same exact moment as husband and wife from the left. 

Woman while walking through the line - "I can't believe she (me) just cut right in front of us. How rude!"

Husband - "Well I would have thrown an elbow." 

Me - stunned silence while also thinking "Did he really just say that?? About me?? Because I joined the line at the same time?? Are these people kidding me??" If you only knew the self restraint it took me not to let them know exactly what was going through my head with a few more choice words sprinkled in........sorry I'm taking a deep breath now just thinking about it. 

_______________________________

Okay, so now that I've experienced the bomb threat, got attacked by a mosquito and now been threatened to be hit over joining a huge line with a ton of people at the same time, I was pretty much over the whole thing. But, I persevered my dear friends. I persevered. 

And I'm really glad I did, because if I hadn't I wouldn't have seen any of this goodness. 

Ike wants YOU to join the Army 

Ohio made it into the building, right next to Columbus discovering America. Classic 

Reagan laid in State at the Capitol after his passing before his funeral 

Grant looking like the dapper Ohio gentleman he was...aside from the drinking thing 

The old House of Representatives chamber 

Rosa refused to give up her seat on the bus, and she wasn't moving for her statue either

I'm going to be completely honest - the tour was sub par at best. Granted, this tour is only 45 minutes, but it rushes right through both of the seriously cool rooms you get to see. First you go to the Rotunda, where they're currently still under construction after the earthquake a few years ago, and you see where people lay in state and the famous fresco ceiling. Then you move to the National Statuary Hall which is the old House of Representatives chamber. Both are interesting rooms that I could easily spend 30-40 minutes alone in if I wanted to look at every statue. I was lucky to get the pictures I did while breezing through the rooms. 

Apparently, the cool way to do the Capitol is to get passes from your Congressmen and women in order to see the House and Senate at work. Guess I know what I'll be doing....hey John Boehner, can I come see you at work? All I'm saying is, I think it should be a rule that if your representative just so happens to be the Speaker of the House you should automatically be let in. 

Now where's that School of Rock video that tells you how a bill becomes a law?

*all images taken by me with my trusty iPhone