Flogging Sarah

I just must point out...

Web log = blog

family blog = flog

We're flogging together.

The family that flogs together, uhm - farts together?

London and busted cars

Hello peeps and family. I have been busy lately! I've been working two jobs since February because my best friend and I bought tickets to go to Europe so I was working and saving like a mad woman. I had a fantastic when Becca and ze kidlets came to visit for Easter in April (which was super fun please come back and never leave) and soon after I totaled my car in my first ever accident. 4 days later, we left for London.

so sad. I didn't even have her a year :'(

I had a fun time in Europe. We stayed with friends outside of London near Essex in a house called the Pemberton Cottage. Legit. 

hey, pemb. I'm in love with your water tower

We went to tons of museums, saw an Alexander McQueen exhibit, met new and old friends, went on journeys to Austria and Rome, saw some VERY OLD THINGS, barbequed, took trains, 8 planes, many taxis, and ate lots of fish & tasty foods. One of the guys who lived in this cottage is a frenchman and is always making tasty foods, including a nettle soup from the stinging weeds in his garden. My fave. He also works for Imogen Heap, who lives just a 2 minute walk from the cottage, so we got to see a lot of really cool things. She came by one morning to say hello and I almost died I was so happy.

ANYWAY. If you'd like to see more photos, click this link and you can see them on instagram with our hashtag #æuro

So I'm just working one job now at a restaurant in American Fork and I take a bus every single day. I bought a bike last week so I can get around in Provo. On Saturday I had the time and means, so I rode the 17 miles home from work! Life is good. Call me, text me. My next gig is to get a car, but that's still a few months away. 

This is Eduardo leading us through the forest with bluebells. 

Ciao, dudes.

New Insurance Plan Coming

So yeah, I'm using the blog to pass info along...mostly because in the past I don't know how to get messages through the best way!

Just signed up for next year's medical/dental/vision plan.  It will still be covering Emily, Sarah, Daniel, Erin and Ethan.  But let me step back a moment. This insurance year ends June 30th, so if you need to get stuff done, its easier on the wallet now than in July.

Last year, just after I'd signed up for the high deductible plan (because, how often to I ever go to a doc??) is when my cancer/surgery schtuff all came on to the scene. So I'm still paying that all off for another couple of years. The silver lining though is that when Sarah's eye business came along, most of the deductibles had already been paid down, so it cost her less than it might have otherwise.

So to reiterate, ya'all listed are on Cigna health and dental care and VSP vision care.  I have all the info (somewhere) if you need more copies.  There's also benefits to prescriptions and such.

Next year (July 1st) we'll have an average (80/20, vs the 70/30 of last year) deductible plan (using my huge 1.2% annual salary raise to cover the better coverage rate). Medical will stay through Cigna, Dental will be through Aetna and Vision will stay through VSP.  I will forward copies of cards and such to each of you IF you'll forward me your current addresses.  And while you're at it, send me your current phone numbers too.  Thanx.

Oh, and make sure you read the below.....

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email,  although  the  yorkshire  terrier  next door is living on
borrowed time, let me tell you. Those of you with an overwhelming
fear  of  the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no
hidden message revealed by reading  this  warning  backwards,  so
just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft: However, by pouring
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and   let    it    stand    for    2    hours    before    icing.

Sarah!

The Utah Valley Eye Center just called to tell me you left your cell phone there........Good thing you just started this blog.  I was going to call you....Ha!

Dad

Daniel - A closed mouth knows no foot.

     What's weird about the past few weeks of my life is I feel like I have not changed one bit since that first day in kindergerden right after moving to Rawlins. I just feel like I have since, graduated, gained pit fuzz, and now am responsible for my own toilet paper.     I, in my infinite capacity to change my job and love it, believe I have found what I want to do for a prolonged amount of time: selling cars. I now work for the Volkswagen dealer here in Casper, and am loving it. Not only is the whole process fun and exciting, but the constant need to assess and reassess the words that are crawling out of someone's mouth, only to need to immediately know what the most effective thing to say next is. It's taught me to 1: Shut up and 2: when you do speak, FILTER. Ideally, my job is making someone love something more than the several thousand dollars it takes to have it. Over all things I enjoy most about my job, the people are the best. Not the flakes who blow in looking to just mess with us, the people I work with. The gal who sits right next to me, Sara, actually used to be my competitor in sales at Best Buy. Now we just kill it together.

Sara, my coworker, and I in front of a 4-car lineup that we did in one day.

     I am currently in the process of buying a house. I've not been a fan of renting since I left the apartment downtown, but I know that I want to own multiple properties eventually, and I am in a position right now to take advantage of an opportunity presented to me. So, why not? I currently live in a house on Poplar that I'm renting the upper half. The people who live in the mother-in-law house out back, however, are gross, loud, rude, and unpleasant smelling. So, unless I elect to set their dogs free to a home that will actually take care of them, and drown the rear tennants, Its on me to change my location. So, there's that.
     Tayah and I are doing great. We live together, and continue to plan to do so. I'm losing weight fast with a new diet/excersize plan, and that's exciting. Finally it seems that I've stopped changing my jobs and blaming them for my unhappiness, but instead changed and selected my friends, environments, etc and discovered I was keeping all the wrong things close.

Life is good.

Sarah- Tomato Head

Hello family.

   I wanted to fill y'all in with my life. Don't worry, I don't have any exciting news of a negative sort. I have been living here in Provo with Emily, working at a film production company. My new Kia Rio broke down--the timing belt broke and busted the engine. So, I'll have to fix that, but in the meantime, it's been nice to have been able to ride my bike to work, and most places. I have been blessed with amazing friends that help me out with errands sometimes.

  They have been helping me with doctor's appointments. I have been seeing a neurologist because sometimes limbs will go numb, and my tongue burns, vision goes weird, and I get foggy-brained. It's all intermittent though, and the neurologist put MS further down on the possibilities of things it could be. I'm just taking a bunch of tests to find out what it might be.

  I did get my cataract out, and I have a man-made lens in my eye now that reflects light kind of like an animal's. It's weird. People stop me all the time to ask about it. Pretty soon, BOTH eyes will do that, because I have a cataract in the other one! Woot! I will always need glasses to correct my vision.

  I have dyed my hair red. Sorry mom.

Other than that, I've been going on dates and stuff. I've started my paperwork and stuff to go to school in the fall for physics. (Don't laugh.) I am going to help put on poetry slams at a local theater, and I taught a few poetry workshops to kids & teens at the library. I've been making music, and have performed here and there. 

I actually am supposed to be getting ready to record something for a friend's video tonight. Did you know Provo is the nation's top Youtube uploading city, in regards to how many videos and views a lot of them get? Cool stuff.

Anyway, much love! I hope this idea isn't too silly for y'all! I love you.

Luff,

Sarah

P.S.- Follow me on Instagram if you're into that. @sarahhappell