Happy 4th!!

Hey Y'all!

So I know it has been awhile since I posted last...There have been a few developments since my last posting...

1.  I GOT A JOB!! I am currently working (for free) at the Nancy Davis Law Firm, PC in Auburn.  It is a real estate and development firm with 2 attorneys in it.  Mostly I help the sweet ladies in the back with getting the paperwork together for residential house closings...even though this is a down market, we have been BUSY!!

2. I HAVE AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW with a small firm in Millbrook, AL.  The position is for a 3rd Year Associate (3rd year?! WHAT?!) position.  The firm is a small (also 2 attorney) firm that deals with a little bit of everything but mostly family law and probate stuff (wills/trusts, advanced directives, powers of attorney, etc).  This is a paying job and would be so extremely amazing if I got the job.  So, if you read this posting before July 5 at 10 AM PLEASE PRAY TO WHATEVER HIGHER DEITY THAT YOU PRAY TO THAT THIS INTERVIEW GOES WELL!!!!!

3.  WE ARE MOVING in less than 2 weeks!!!  We went by and looked at the house the other day just to get a feel for where we are going to put stuff and how we want to organize the house.  We ( I am saying "we", but I mostly mean my wonderfully awesome, best in the world fiance.  I, instead, will be the one who is super supportive and will bring him beverages and tell him that everything looks wonderful!!) are going to redo the fence for our "devil dog", Ajax

He is going to love his freedom outside and he has a MASSIVE backyard to run around in!!  We have a lot of work to do, with the yard and in the house.  Ben will probably do most of the outside work, and I will probably/maybe do most of the inside work.  It is going to be a work in the progress, but we will be hosting weekly tailgates, so if you are in Auburn on a gameday weekend stop on by and watch the game with us!

4. HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA!!!  Ben and I have had such an amazing 4th of July weekend...needless to say we are using the actual holiday as a recovery day from our extremely eventful weekend.  We met new folks and hung out with folks we had met a couple of times and formed new friendships!  Again, in true Sara and Ben fashion...no pictures...but I promise we had a really good time!  So "Happy Fourf of July" everyone!!

5.  A couple of weekends ago, Ben and I decided to be spontaneous (kinda) so we headed up to Callaway Gardens.  In my almost 25 years of living in the South, I had never been!  It was so amazing...there was so much to do that we didn't even really get to the gardens.  We went to the beach, we rented a little boat, rented bikes, played on Aqua Island (a massive blow up playground in the middle of the lake), we rode out to the vegetable garden which was fun to see since I've started trying my hand at gardening, and the highlight of our trip, I think, was the high ropes course.  There were 26 obstacles which included 5 zip lines.  I had never zip lined before and I loved it!!  I definitely want to go back soon and those of you who are making the pilgrimage for the wedding next year should definitely check it out while you're here!

Ok, I think that's all I have for now...I hope everyone is having a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!!  Love Ya'll!

PHOTO BLOG!!

Hey Ya'll...I am notoriously terrible at remembering to take pictures, but here are a few from the past week or so...

I made this dishcloth for my mom...I have been a knittin' machine!!!!

This is our house that we are moving into in LESS THAN A MONTH! I am so excited because this is also the house we will be in when we get married...this isn't the most appealing picture of it and I assure you that once Ben gets his hands on the yard it will look MUCH better!!

Last weekend we went to a wedding, Ben and I are horrible at taking pictures so this is the only one we got...We clean up pretty well, huh?

I have gotten SO many banana peppers from my garden!  I took this picture last week and have gotten 2 or 3 more since then.  I have also added tomatoes, sage, cayenne peppers and new basil to my gardening collection, so stay posted on the exciting garden news!!

For Drew's birthday we went up to Birmingham and went to Treetop with my brother, Dave, Lindsey, Drew, sister, Steph, and Mike  (mini golf, go carts/ bad@$$ arcade!), I hit the jackpot on one of the games...we pooled all of our tickets together and had over 2000.  We gave them all to Drew so that he could get something fun from the ticket counter...all he wanted was some glow in the dark putty that was 89 tickets...oh well...lol

I made an egg-white omelette with a bell pepper from my garden!!  I have 4 more bell peppers coming in now...who would have thought that I was a gardener?

HOW CUTE ARE THESE TWO?!  They are getting along so well!!  This morning, Amos was wandering around whining and as soon as Ellie came out from under the bed he was fine and they play and play and play!!  Maybe Ellie will shed some weight!!

AND LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST....I have lost 7 lbs so far on Weight Watchers!!  I am so excited!!! I hope to hit 10 lbs next week then I will be 1/3 of the way there!!!  WOO HOO!!!

Be safe in this ridiculous heat!!  Love ya'll!!

Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum Summertime!!

HEYO!!


Well, the hot southern summer is upon us...and you know what that means....


YEP, you guessed it, summer classes and knitting!! Oh I'm sorry, were you expecting beach and bikinis? Yeah, none of that here...However, I am attempting to get some sort of sun...however it has been so hot that it's too hot to even go to the pool!!  


The Casey Anthony murder trial is quite intriguing as well...watch Jose Baez for tips on what NOT to do in court...it seems like every question he asks on cross-examination is objected to (and those objections sustained)


ALSO, June 2, 2011 was the one year mark away from the wedding!! Ben and I are excited to get the ball rolling on this planning (maybe some more than others...).  I can't believe that we can start to say, "this time next year, we'll be married!"  I'm so lucky that I get to marry my best friend in the world!  If you haven't already, please check out our "wedsite" for a few details...we will start updating it frequently once we start booking places/reserving rooms.  Here is the link:  TheKnot. 


Next week is my nephew's 5th birthday!  I cannot believe he is going to be 5 already...Drew is growing up way too fast! I still remember his first birthday...and now he is 5 and starting Kindergarten in August...Where has time gone?!  Now he is a fabulous big brother to yet another amazing Gottlieb child...Dylan!  I guess I just have to get used to little babies growing up...I am so excited to go up and spend time with everyone... Steph and Mike will be coming down (sister & brother in-law) from NYC, I'm so excited to see them as well!


GARDEN UPDATE!!  My peppers are coming in beautifully and I just saw today that I have 5 banana peppers coming in...I'm not a big fan of banana peppers, I didn't even mean to buy them.  I originally wanted 2 bell pepper plants, but Ben likes banana peppers so I guess it's a win-win...I get the satisfaction of harvesting veggies and he gets to eat them!!


Also, I have started Weight Watchers...this is all part of my pre-wedding/just kick my butt into shape fitness plan.  I just started on Wednesday so I really don't have any major updates...However, hopefully I can update weekly on my progress, my ultimate goal is to knock off 30 lbs, so we'll see...I have 363 days to get it done....:::I think I can, I think I can:::


Amos and Ellie are getting along...in that weird love/hate brother and sister kind of way...He loves to antagonize her and she just slaps him and moves on...they're cute...I've been trying to get a cute video up of them playing, but everytime I pull out the camera to film them, they stop being cute and just walk away from each other...typical...


This is what Amos has to say about that (he just walked across the keyboard):
   x,.r;.


I wish I had some pictures to entertain ya'll with, but, alas, I do not.  I will post a photo blog soon!  Hope everyone is staying safe in this heat!! Love Ya'll!!

AMOS & Peppers!!

I would like to introduce the latest addition to the Bragdon/Gottlieb household....AMOS!

He is such a sweetheart and for all those who are concerned that Ben got a cat, blame it on me!  I wanted a puppy and Ben settled for a cat (since a cat is much cheaper/easier than a puppy).  And I must say, Amos is a very manly kitten!  

Ellie is not adjusting well, but I'm almost positive that she will eventually come around and she will love Amos just as much as Ben and I do!  

I'm sure everyone has been wondering how my garden is doing...I haven't posted anything about it in awhile...well...I HAVE...

PEPPERS!!!!!

I'm hoping we will be able to eat them in about 2 weeks...Also, I took these pictures a few days ago so they have gotten bigger since then!  I have about 3-4 bigger ones and then I have about 15-20 baby ones that will hopefully grow into big ones (providing they don't die)! 

I am still enjoying my free time and I start classes next Tuesday.  So far, I've gotten two grades and am pretty happy about them.  

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week!! Love Ya'll!

I'M BAAAAACK!!!! & better than EVER!

Hey Ya'll!!  So I know it has been a few weeks since I have posted...I have been on a finals hiatus....I am happy to report that I am done & am a 3L (providing grades come back in my favor!)!!

So since I have last posted:

• We have listened to and booked the band for the wedding...The band is The Goat Hill String Band, they are an awesome "alt-bluegrass" band and they will most definitely be a HIT at the wedding, please check them out: http://soundcloud.com/goat-hill-string-band/01-goat-hill-string-band-demo. I think it will fit in PERFECTLY with a "rustic garden party" wedding!!  
• Ben and I have survived yet another finals season...it always gets a little tense around the end of every semester...I turn into a finals beast (i.e. an emotional roller coaster), but it's nice to know we only have two left!!  
• I have discovered www.etsy.com.  They have some of the CUTEST handmade stuff and I definitely plan on getting some stuff from there for the wedding, if you are looking for a unique gift for someone...or for yourself (because EVERYONE deserves a little something every now and then) check out etsy.com and help out the "starving artists" :)  
• Ben and I celebrated the end of finals with a wonderful dinner!  We had a Groupon for Buckhead Grille in Columbus.  It is a 5 star steakhouse in GA and it is literally RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Ben's apartment.  I had the Shrimp and Pancetta Carbonara and Ben had Lamb Chops, then for dessert we had this AMAZING chocolate cake, the cake was so moist that I couldn't tell the difference between the cake and the icing and to go along with it?  A chocolate martini...DUH!  Ben really knows how to make me feel special, and he does it every time!!
• We get to pick up our kitten on Sunday!!  Ben and I are getting a new kitten, he's grey and his name is Amos, named after the mascot of Sugarloaf (the ski resort in Maine where Ben's dad owns a restaurant, Gepetto's).  We have been told that Amos is the smartest and fattest kitten of the bunch!  He is the first who gets to leave the litter, we are so excited!!

So I am going to do something on this blog that I haven't done yet...recipe anyone?  So lately, I have been trying to eat healthier and I've started to incorporate some vegan recipes into my diet.  My favorite thing I made so far is a black bean taco filling, here is the recipe:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced (although I used half of an onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, chopped (I did use a whole one, but only because I LOOOVE bell pepper)

2 (14.5 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed

2 tablespoons of cornmeal

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less for less heat)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup of salsa

Saute the onion, garlic and pepper.  Stir in the mashed beans.  Then add everything else and let it cook for 5 minutes.  

I also added a can of corn. It is good on tortillas as a burrito, or as a dip!!  I LOVE this stuff, it is delicious!!  I hope ya'll enjoy!

Now that I am done with finals, I hope to be able to post more often. Now I leave you with Llama with Hats:

Have a good day!! Love Y'all!!!

Well, Well, Well...

Hey Y'all!!

Whew!!!  What a week it has been....

First and foremost, I am still in shock over the destruction from the tornadoes that ripped through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.  I am saddened everyday that I cannot physically go to these places and help...I have already sent a load of goodies on one truck but I definitely plan on sending as much as I can!! The storms took people's lives and threw them into piles:

What's worse is that there are children who have lost their entire families and are orphaned and have nowhere to go...If you are interested in helping out there are drop sites ALL OVER THE COUNTRY...it is amazing how this relief effort has become so infectious!!!!  

NEXT, unless you have been under a rock, you know that OSAMA BIN LADEN HAS BEEN KILLED and the United States is in custody of his body!!!!!  Now, if I were personally responsible for his body I would slowly dismember it...or no, I would hang it in the middle of New York City with a box of rocks....EVERYONE GETS A SHOT!!  Is that weird that that's what I would want to do?

In all seriousness though, I am so proud of our US Military (yes, I am bias to the Army) but I am almost positive that this was a collaborative effort among all branches of the military, and our brave soldiers never cease to amaze me....USA! USA! USA!

FUN FACT:  The death of Hitler was announced on May 1, 1945...66 years to the day....

Finally...Finals are now upon me...looming over my head like a giant boulder that can drop at any moment.  How in the heck am I supposed to study when the US is killing terrorist masterminds, the relief effort is tugging at my heartstrings & Ellie is "taking a bath on my books"

LASTLY, I  found this on another blog and thought it was pretty funny:

Dear X, Sincerely Y

Dear Noah,

We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.

Sincerely,

Unicorns

Dear Yahoo,

I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo! it..." just

saying...

Sincerely,

Google

Dear Windshield Wipers,

Can't touch this.

Sincerely,

That Little Triangle 

Dear Rose,

There was definitely room on that Door for the both of us.

Sincerely,

Jack

PS, you let go

Dear Osama Bin Laden,

Marco....

Sincerely,

United States

Dear Scissors,

I feel your pain.....no one wants to run with me either.

Sincerely,

Sarah Palin

Dear Saturn,

I liked it, so I put a ring on it.

Sincerely,

God

Dear Customers,

Yes, we ARE making fun of you in Vietnamese.

Sincerely,

Nail Salon Ladies

Dear Ugly People,

You're welcome.

Sincerely,

Alcohol

Dear Mr. Gump

What are you talking about? There's a little diagram on the lid that

tells you EXACTLY what you're gonna get....

Sincerely,

Jenny

Dear Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream within a dream within a dream within another dream....

What now?

Sincerely,

Leonardo Di Caprio

Hope all is going well with everyone!!!!

Long time, no post!

Hey Everyone!!

I know it's been a hot minute since I posted...and for that I apologize as I know that everyone has been sitting on the edge of their seats wondering, "WHAT HAS SARA BEEN UP TO?!"  Well Friends...wait no longer...here ya go:

• I got elected to President in the American Constitution Society at school...I ran unopposed, so whatever...
• I got the head campus rep position for the bar review company that I work for (Ameribar).
• Ben and I went to the War Eagle Supper Club to see Splendid Chaos (photos below...)
• It was super fun!  We went to the A-Day game on Saturday, came home and slept all day and then went to the Supper Club.  It was nice to actually be 20-somethings...party all night and get home in the wee hours of the morning (i.e. 4 AM!!)
• I haven't done much of this since starting law school so it was a nice change :0)
• Ben and I signed a lease for a house that we move into on July 15!!! WOO HOO!!!
• It is a mile and a half from the stadium, with a GIANT backyard for Ajax (our loveable 85 lb boxer), and has 3 BR and 2 BA.  We LOVE IT and are so excited to move in!!
• I started studying for finals...YUCK!!

Since my last "venting" post...I have decided to just suck it up...yet again and get through another semester.  So I've started studying for another round of finals and everyday I am reminding more and more about why I don't want to do this crap!!!  But anyways, here I am! :)  

Now, I leave you with photos from Splendid Chaos at the War Eagle Supper Club...ENJOY!

BEN AND I ON THE SHOT BUS...FIRST SHOT AND FEELIN' GREAT!

WE WERE KIND CLOSE....SO CLOSE THAT THE BASSIST KICKED OVER MY BEER...THAT IS RARELY EVER COOL (KICKING OVER A FULL BEER)...

HEY SPLENDID CHAOS...

This is the cutest video....pretty much ever...

Being a lawyer had better be awesome.-Marshall, HIMYM

Being a lawyer had better be awesome.


I think that is the best way for me to describe my thoughts right now... Every now and then, I wish I had done nursing, or something that I could go to school for and then get a job, regardless of where I lived... But what did I decide to do? Oh yeah, go to school for the ONE lucrative job where I would be confined to one state unless I wanted to bust my butt for ANOTHER bar certification (not to mention the cost!!), it would have been so easy to listen to those people saying, "Don't go to law school..." but NOOOO...I'm stubborn and hard headed and thus, here I am...


Now I know what everyone will say..."just wait until you have your degree", "it'll all be worth it"... however, I've noticed something, everyone telling me this has NOT been to law school...I'm definitely not knocking on the people who are telling me this, I appreciate/NEED the encouragement, just at this point when I feel like I will be paying off debt until I can no longer see to write the check (since I'll be so old), and I would rather be doing ANYTHING other than studying, and I feel like I've lost my sense of self in all of this school garbage, it is just extremely hard for me to believe that one day I'll look back on this law school experience and say, "wow, I'm glad I did that...".  I could be totally wrong, and I hope I am.  I just definitely do not want my life to turn out like the "Cat's in the Cradle" song...I don't want to be a workaholic, and I want to always put my family first because in the long run, money is money and you certainly can't take it with you to the other side!!!

NOW, on a much happier note...


Ben and I went to Augusta, GA this weekend for the Master's Golf Tournament.  We did not actually get to go into Augusta National, but we were surrounded by the atmosphere and most importantly, we got to spend the weekend with Ben's dad :0)  We had a blast, and I actually got into the tournament this year...I was drilling everyone with questions...I don't think my ignorance of golf showed too much except when I asked who the two old guys were who opened the tournament on Thursday (Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus...apparently two VERY famous golfers...lol).  Luckily, I think Ben was the only one who heard me ask and he laughed at me quietly...We spent Thursday night through Sunday morning there and we came home early since I had homework to do...blah!!


Ok, well I better wrap this up...Hope y'all enjoyed my rant!!

I just think this warrants its own blog posting...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/229352/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-stephen-colbert-sings-friday-with-the-roots

First off...it's great to see Taylor Hicks again...yet another Birmingham AI champ!!

Second...The reason this song happened on Jimmy Fallon is because they raised $26K in one week (for a charity that I am not sure of right now...)

And finally...Stephen Colbert is awesome...

I hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend!!

AND here is the ORIGINAL "Friday"....

Fun Times for the Weekend!

Hey Everyone! (or whoever reads this :0) )

This certainly has been an eventful weekend...more than originally planned, but it was super fun, so it's ok!!

Friday we went to the Auburn vs. Vandy baseball game...We got there around the top of the 6th and let's just say it wasn't pretty...As ya'll know, I am probably one of the single largest Auburn fans in the history of the world, but Vandy has the #1 baseball program in the country...I know why...we left around the top of the 8th when the score was 10-2 (not Auburn) I just can't sit there and watch my Tigers struggle like that, but let me end this topic with an extra large WAR EAGLE!!!  We also got to spend some time with Ben's "kid sister", Taylor.  It was so fun to have her over in Auburn...not to mention any night that is topped off with some Xbox Kinect is a great night, in my book!!  Here is a pic...

Saturday was the Amphibious Warrior Mud Run...It was CRAZY!! Hopefully they will post pictures soon.  I just have to say that I could NOT have finished it without Ben...The entire way, he stayed with me, pulled me through the creek when I couldn't touch the bottom, gave me butt boosts over the walls, and most importantly, he encouraged me the whole way.  I think of that race as a metaphor for our lives together...There were photographers taking pictures, they haven't posted them yet, but as soon as they do, I promise I'll put them up!!


Saturday night was Bret Woods's going away party at the Pickle Barrel.  In case ya'll don't know, the Pickle Barrel (PBC) is a restaurant where Ben (and now myself) has become a regular...The management and much of the staff has become a bit like family to us :0)  Bret is one the managers/cooks and he is moving away so Saturday night was his last shift and we definitely threw down the right way!! Here are a couple of pics from the evening...

A GREAT time was definitely had by all!!!

Today, Ben and I went house hunting...We have been talking about getting a place together for awhile.  I had a list of rentals from one of the realty companies so we finally just drove around Auburn and checked it out....We found a couple of places!  I'm so excited for us to get "our" place, rather than me move in with him or vice versa...We hope to move before the Summer is over :)  

After we did that, we went to the Supper Club for "Strummin' for Strays."  It was a charity event put on by the Macon County Humane Society...This is a great organization and is run strictly on a volunteer/foster basis.  They do not have a shelter so any animal that they get must be fostered.  They pay for everything (food, vet bills, crate, etc)...It is a GREAT cause that Ben and I are hoping to help more with when we get a house with a back yard!!  In the mean time, please check out http://www.maconcountyhumanesociety.org/ and help out in any way that you can!

I have off school tomorrow and I hope to get my herb garden planted and then I dunno...maybe do some homework? Haha!!

Let's Try this "blog" thing!

Hello All!

I'm gonna give this blogging thing a shot...I can't pinpoint a topic that it will address, but as an engaged, second year law student, I've got to have somewhere to "let it all out."!!  I hope I can keep up with it because I think it could be fun!

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time telling you about myself because I'm almost positive that anyone who reads this is either a close friend or a member of my family...bear with me people!

For those of you who don't know me too well...I'm a 2L, engaged to a wonderful man, and have less than a year and a half until I become Mrs. Bragdon!!

Some days I might post recipes, other days it may just be me ranting about something, don't worry readers, I'll keep you on your toes!!

Ok, so the title of my blog, I think describes me perfectly!  Not to mention that "fancy" is one of my all time favorite words...apparently when I say it, I especially emphasize the first syllable...

Today I have been super busy!  I've gotten my bar application completed for my practice card.  Hopefully Alabama will let me practice law...Scary, huh?  Ok, well I gotta run! Hope to post again soon...

For now, I will leave you with this little gem...Sorry to my fellow law students...it may be a little depressing...lol