Cookies 'N' Cream Cake Pop Adventure!

 

 

This is the stuff that... we get ourselves into !

 

Have you ever tried to make cake pops?

Well let us tell you- it is not as easy as it looks!

However, we had a fantastic, laughter filled adventure :)

 

Step One- Make batter and pour it into the bottom half of the pan. Sounds simple, right? WRONG!

The directions did not tell us how full to fill the bottom half.. so naturally we filled it all the way..

well- these are the results haha aparently we were NOT supposed to fill them all the way xD

 

 

No worries though! The cake that overflowed onto the top peeled off easily ;)

Soo now we also had a plate of random chunks of cake! ha

 

When we first took the top of the pan off.. and began pulling the balls out, they had little rings of cake all aroud the edges xD so after many "planet pops" jokes later...

Look at the cute little balls of cake :3 haha

 

 

and then TADAAA- a while later, after following all of the steps involved in getting the cake balls to actually be cake pops.. and then melting the white chocolate (after I (Sara) burnt the first batch! lol), crushing up all of the cookies.. and the painstakingly coating them all, we were done :D

 

A veryy yummy, but very rich, treat :)

 

- Not so professional bakers, Hannah and Sara :)

Screaming Medic!

This is the stuff that...makes me want a wheelchair.

Today was the start of the second week of 5K training. That's right, we survived the first week, and we are still continuing our crazy 3.1 journey.

We try to run together at least three times a week if our schedule permits. Last week we ended up running alone more than together so our "togetherness" rhythm is off. Okay our rhythm doesn't even exist. We normally run on indoor treadmills but today was a completely different story.

We had almost ran about a mile each on the treadmill today. Everything was going great, feeling good. Then just as I was increasing my speed on the treadmill...BOOM! The power went out. Do you know how shocking it is when you're running on a treadmill and it suddenly stops? It took my brain a few seconds to register exactly what happened. It had been raining outside but not in a hurricane, super, major thunderstorm like way.

With a slight drizzle outside we decided to take our workout...outside! Get some fresh air, run on a real trail..great 5K experience right? Hahah It's also great to train your brain that you won't die! In Florida when it rains and then stops raining the outdoors become a petri dish. The humans living outside are little growing bacterias. Get the picture?

So...outside we ventured to run the Warner campus. We...the growing bacterias...ran outside in our petri dish! At first everything was fine, it was great actually and then the PAIN!  Nope not a wee little itty bitty pain but a monsterous man eating pain. A runners nightmare...side cramp. Some people call them a stitch in the side. You know the feeling, most of us have all been there a time or two. Most of the time its okay in a few minutes, life goes back to normal,  resume your workout and everything is okay. Not today...you see I have turned sweet little Sara into a drill sergeant. Me and Sara first started working out together almost a year ago. I used to be the mean trainer. I would push her to do just a bit more or a few more reps. But today somewhere inside Sara came this evil militaristic person.

I was so excited about my run today, in fact I had been craving it. Then everything changed. I wanted to quit and I began questioning why exactly I thought this was a good idea? Why would anyone pay to run? I had convinced myself I was crazy and just couldn't do it. I wanted nothing more than to just collapse on the ground and just lay there.  Do to some medical reasons me and Sara both have days where we struggle physically. Today was one of them for me, but I survived and in the end I was super glad I did it.

P.S. When Sara says run to the third tree, she will try to convince you to run to the fourth tree...She has counting issues.

Sincerely,
Your side cramping miles conquering Hannah :)

My Mascara Runs Faster Than You!

This is the stuff that....makes us sweat!

 

 

So by now if you have been paying attention to our Facebooks and Twitter you probably have noticed that we started training for a 5K this week. Yes, you read that correctly.... a 5K!!!!!!!!

3.1 miles - here we come! Many people have asked us "Why on Earth would anyone want to run, much less pay to run?" Well, besides the obvious health benefits, we think its a great life accomplishment, a great adventure, something to cross off the bucket list and I get to do it all with my best friend. Sara and I are huge bucket list fans!

Our original plan was to participate in the Disney Princess Race but by the time we made that plan we realized that the race was already full, and it costs about $125 plus you have to pay for Disney admission. We both want to run a 5K but to be honest neither of us want to pay that much to run!

Here we are, about 3 months later training for our 5K! Details include:

What: Carillion Classic 5K Run and Walk

Date: May 25, 2013

Where: Bok Tower, FL

 

 

Our first week of training has gone well. We haven't died yet anyways! We have both discovered the need for good running shoes and how "shoe weight" makes the difference. We have become pros at mastering the "after workout" look, managing accidental emergency stops while running on the treadmill and realizing that having a conversation while running a 5K might be impossible!

 

Overall we are both super excited to be embarking on this adventure together, and making unforgettable memories in the little time we have left before we have to go our separate ways in the fall for college..

 

Wish us luck!

Your sweaty, determined, adventure ready Hannah and Sara!

 

 

Tick...Tick...BOOM!

This is the stuff that...makes for an intersting day.


So...in an effort to be 155% overly cautious my doctor ordered a 24 hour holter heart monitor. Thank goodness it was only 24 hours...I couldn't have handled anything longer.

For those of you still wondering or googling what a holter heart monitor let me explain...

First, It's basically like walking around strapped to and EKG machine all day. Five electrodes..yes I said FIVE are stuck to you and then taped and then taped some more. The five electrodes run all across your body and funnel into a little machine that is strapped around your waist. Doesn't sound to bad right?  Well you couldn't be more wrong...it is the most annoying, uncomfortable, itchy thing ever! The tape and sticky part of the electrodes itch extremely bad and then your constantly being choked and constricted by wires and tape. Oh! Don't forget that you have a box tied around your waist so dont walk to close to anything because you could snag it on something and potentially rip off the entire thing

Now for the fun part..sleeping...well more like no sleeping. It takes 5,000 pillows to find a comfortable position, dont let your box fall off the bed or your skins going with it, the tape seems to itch more and dont you dare think about rolling over. I finally fell asleep and was able to get a great 4 hours of sleep and then it was time to take the monitor off.

Nothing is better than having tape and electrode glue ripped off your skin at 6 AM!!  I needed sand paper to scrub off the remaining gunky glue junk. (and I thought bandaid goo was bad) I now look like a patchy giraffe zebra that has chicken pox.

My ticking time bomb! Tick Tick Boom!

Finally, the fun part! The heart monitor screen started at 24:00:00 and was ticking time down until 00:00:00 I felt like a robot strapped to a bomb!

Sincerely,
~ One tired, patchy, giraffee/zebra no longer strapped to a bomb Hannah~

Some old stuff, Some new stuff, Some broken stuff, Some true stuff!

This is the stuff.. that comes from broken hearts and broken dreams...

People always ask me why I'm so happy, how I can be so cheerful.. this doesn't seem like a post about joy or happiness at first.. so make sure you read the whole thing ;)

"For without pain there can be no pleasure, without sadness there can be no happiness. Without misery there can be no beauty. And without these, life is endless, hopeless, doomed and damned.”
―  Harlan Ellison

 

 



~Walls~

walls in place
firmly laced
with lies, regrets and wishes

there to deflect
didn't want you to connect
just trying to protect
my heart

with a slow, taunting seep
stealthy emotions ran deep
I never intended to let you in

in my silly little daze
love was all I craved
had myself believing that you might actually need me
conceited, I know
someday I'll muster the strength to let you go

with these ever changing conditions
and your ever changing mind
frequently inquiring
the truth is hard to find

patience is not my state
can't persuade the hands of fate
maybe for love
it is too late

walls in place
firmly laced
with lies, regrets and wishes

-SaraKate

~Ambivalence~

I sit and ponder

the contradictions of my mind

perplexed, truly quite puzzled

was it truth that you shared with me?

was everything riddled with lies?

memories quickly flicker

like an old movie reel

can't even begin to express the way it feels

some images are welcome

others get shoved aside

forgot to buckle my seat belt

on this roller coaster ride

sweet, little memories

drift slowly by

the comforting warmth of your fingers

laced through mine

new memories come

not so sweet

reminding of times

I never wish to repeat

hot, salty tears

quickly streaming down

pail, fragile cheeks

times when your silence

was with me for weeks

some memories

harder to classify

thick tangle of emotions

I resist the urge to sigh

across the room connection

your crystal blue eyes

almost impossible to despise

my heart falters

skipping beats

some days I miss you

some days not at all

guess it doesn't matter

I should just forget about it all

no reason to live in the past

this I definitely know

for some reason or another

my heart refuses to let you go

are you Prince Charming?

is there someone else?

my excitement is building

for whoever you shall be

the moment you sweep me off my feet

I will conquer this ambivalence in me

-SaraKate

 

 

~Broken & Beautiful~

 

they told me

they warned me

they judged me

they scorned me

 

I heard

I denied

I loved

I cried

 

he knew

he played

he wooed

he lied

 

I'm broken

I'm bruised

I'm damaged

I'm used

 

HE's forgiving

HE's redeeming

HE's loving

HE's healing

 

-SaraKate

 

*HE= Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, The Bread of Life!



 

Because in the end- really only "One Things Remains" <3
One of my very favorite songs! Check it out :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoYgi0sdOqc
 

Psalm 34:18 (HCSB)

¹⁸ The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit.



 

Sincerely,

-Your broken, healing, loved and kneeling SaraKate <3

I just want my mom!

This is the stuff that....makes you stay in bed all day.

Somewhere, sometime this weekend I picked up some kind of virus. Icky! Let me just give you some background on my germaphobic precautions. I use hand sanitizer all the time, everywhere! I'm one of the crazy people who bathes the shopping carts with wipes before I touch it. I avoid the sickly looking people and walk the other direction to avoid someone's sneezing or coughing.

But....I guess everyone gets a turn at being sick. So I'll be honest...when I'm sick I just want my mom. I want her to give me medicine and be sympathetic towards me. My dad is great but he doesn't do well with sick kids. In fact he actually try's to avoid me when I'm sick so he doesn't catch my germs.

I've spent most of my entire day in bed. Well all of the day except my one college class. I finally feel a little bit better. I think I just needed my mom to be home. :)

Sincerely,
Your I need my mom Hannah

One, Two, Three, FOUR (;

This Is The Stuff... That Occurs At Night, When The Trunk Is Clean, We're Curious, And Full Of Energy ;D

 

So for those of you who don't know, my trunk is almost always packed full of stuff... clothes, school books, other people's clothes and school books, blankets, food, water bottles, things for the pregnancy care center where I volunteer, things for church... basically anything that I might need in life, or if I get stranded on a desert island, haha. During this semester the trunk had become a little overly stuffed... so I decided to actually clean it out *gasp* lol after the cleaning process, all that was left was an emergency kit, a sun shield, and a couple umbrellas! Please hold your applause ;) For several months now, I've wondered how many people I could fit back there.. as awkward as that sounds.. So, having this once in a lifetime clean trunk opportunity, I convinced them to see if we would all four fit(;



Step 1) Get everyone into the trunk! haha Hannah bravely went first and army crawled thru the backseat lol
The rest of us chose to go feet first into the trunk..
I (SaraKate) went last.. and let me tell you, it was very difficult not to kill Tyler and Lyndsey haha

 

 

Step 2) wiggle around enough that everyone can breathe and aren't in pain haha


 



Step 3) begin the gradual "roll" so that we are all facing the same way lol

 ^^^Hannah's face just makes me laugh sooo much in this picture (;

 

 

 

Step 4) Pause from laughing to SMILEEEE! haha Woo-hoo, We did it ;)



 

BUT the story doesn't end there...

Meanwhile, the lake bugs had decided that they would have a party in my car... So we then had to ride home with 1384354168413 tickling, buzzing, flying, annoying bugs! And, to say the least, Lyn does not like bugs hahaha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bIz--EG5tE ;)

 

TAA-DAA :)

So now if any of you have ever wondered how many people with fit in the trunk of a Chevy Malibu... you know ;)

 

Sincerely,

Your adventure loving, curious, slightly squished, giggly, bug tickled SaraKate :)