Dream Center.

Well, I made it home safe and sound. It's a good thing- being back on the east coast.  But let me just say, this trip was wonderful.  I think it was just what I needed for this exact point in my life.  Though I was only gone five days, the five days were packed and definitely led to a roller coaster of emotions for me.

Stevens Creek crew in front of the Dream Center [missing 2 members]

The week was a lot to process & throughout, I took the time to email a best friend [Melanie] all I was witnessing.  I am going to share some of those emails, just to give the details...
Day 1: I am a little overwhelmed. We just finished our street ministry downtown. I can honestly say it was nothing like I've ever experienced. Most people were stoned and drunk. No place to live. But they were all lost. And searching for a greater purpose. We prayed with people that would let us. Mom was precious introducing herself to people. Morgan was deep and spiritual. Dustin was right at home. I liked encouraging them and telling them their smile was beautiful. But- man, these people were just intense. 

Besides that. I saw the biggest rats I've ever seen. Like. The size of cats. It was seriously like nothing else. Mom and I both had extreme reactions to the creatures that were running around. Goodness me. I will never get that image out of my mind. And these people were curled up sleeping on the same street. Can you imagine??

Day 2:  Man o man I wish I had more words for you tonight but I am spent. It has been such a full day! We handed out food for bfast and lunch in Chinatown, rested for a bit and had this incredible church service. Crazy enough- I ran into someone from Lee! More on that later. Also for later- the homeless friend that prayed over dustin and I today.. You'll enjoy that story. 

But still- my heart is extremely heavy. God is moving that for sure. I feel like he is wrecking me of my comfort and challenging me to think bigger. 

Home to a sweet elderly lady near Chinatown. 

Day 3: Well my day is hard to put into words. We worked hard today. Loaded, unloaded, bagged, divided and served food from the food truck in 2 different locations. It was one of the heavier events I have participated in, but for different reasons. We gave out produce, fruit, chicken and grits. The people were completely lined up by the time we even arrived on site. They were mostly Hispanic and some Asian. And elderly or parents with small kids. These children were beautiful and simply broke me heart.

Bagging frozen chicken on the side of the road with the help of our little friend Ryan. 

At the second location I was so overcome by the presence of God I just began to pray over the site while we were bagging (which was a major task. The chicken was frozen and near impossible to break up and bag. Yes. We were handling raw chicken on the side of the road). Soon, all I could manage was simply saying the name of Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Thank goodness for big shades because you know the tears began to fall.

Well, we were able to feed all the families that came through but it sure was tiresome and hectic. 

And tonight we went to skid row again. I'm telling you- there are no words for the poverty I experienced out there. Hundreds of people. Living on the street. Drugs, drinking, prostitution, mental illnesses, urine, rats, trash...and people from all walks of life... 

I met this one couple, both beautiful people dressed well. He was deaf and she interpreted for him. They have been married 13 years. But money difficulties brought her to the point of staying in the woman's shelter and him waiting outside til morning for her. The situation is heartbreaking. 

Anyway. I am ending this day with exhausted emotions. I will never be the same again.

Day 4: [I didn't email this day... but I'll recall what I can].  This day we participated in adopt-a-block.  The team went into an under resourced area, handed out food, played with children, and went door to door, building relationships.  Typically, I don't enjoy the door to door "evangelism"...but God did a work in me this day.  It seemed every door we went to had children that lived there.  Beautiful children that didn't seem to have a father figure around.  There was a 1 year old boy staying with his grandma... he crawled right to me, and as I lifted him in my arms, the grandma warned me that he was a mess.  She wasn't kidding...his diaper practically hung to the floor full [for who knows how long].  My heart broke.  He was so eager- just to be held- by a stranger. Another home clearly had a mother, a 12 year old girl, an 8 year old boy, and a 2 month old... As I held this infant [girl], it became clear that the child actually belonged to the 12 year old girl... goodness, even writing this, I am overcome with tears. I learned later the level of danger that we were actually in while in the neighborhood...in the midst of drug dealers and gang type violence...

So what am I taking away from this trip?  Compassion- for those who don't have the means to live safely and fully. An eagerness to find a way to impact children without consistent parent figures in their life.  A desire to share with the needy. A boldness to be more excited and open with my faith. An appreciation and joy for the friends and family I have.

Venice Beach, California

LA tomorrow!

Our trip is finally here! We load up and depart from the church tomorrow morning at 5am!  Yes- you read that correctly, it's actually before the world wakes up. Ugh.  Aside for anticipation of 5am stress, I am so excited!  I am a major fan of California and anxious to work alongside my new best frans from SCC at the Dream Center. [ha].

Mom & I.  West Coast. Summer '09.

So, you'll be disappointed to know, my entries will be few and far between for the next few days.  I'll try and fill you in next Monday.
And I know what you're thinking:  But Sarah, it's almost move in time!  And this is true.  Plans are: Floors next week.  Move in Oct. 1st.  Ambitious, i know. But when am I not?
Welp. Talk to you soon I guess.

let there be light. haha.

Oh i just feel like I am full of updates for you all because it has nearly been a week since we spoke!  Did I mention I was out of town?  Worked a conference for SecureGive- New Spring Leadership Conference.  Had an incredible time, but it just wore me out!  So goodness, I don't even know where we left off...
House update first:
You won't even believe the progress.  Every room in the entire house is painted!  Who would have thought this day would come!  I do have some touch ups to do in my laundry room.  It proved to be an extremely nasty room that is trying my patience.
I've also worked on my light fixtures.  And yes, I have pics :)

There are two of these...one that hangs [top picture] and one that is flush against the ceiling [bottom pic].  I don't know if these do them justice, but they were certainly over 30 years old and gross.  So. I cleaned them up and bought 2 cans of spray paint.  Light yellow and a metallic silver for the chain.

After.

Again, the picture doesn't do this justice. One would never know that the ceiling mount and chain were once black.  New light fixtures! 

So of course, I finished this project and what inspired to tie in the chandelier I have [which you may recognize from previous posts].  It was brassy gold hanging in what used to be the dining room [you remember, we tore down that wall...].  

I am beyond thrilled that I have been able to re-purpose the light fixtures that existed... 

You want to see the whole kitchen pre-paint with lights?

Anyway- tonight we are celebrating my precious baby brother's 17th birthday- Bonefish style.  I love that brother more than he knows and am so excited to celebrate!

And!! This weeek [Wed. at 5am to be exact] I am headed to the other side of the US... California!  Going there with a group of about 15 from my church [Stevens Creek Church] to work with the Dream Center and boy am I pumped.  Stay tuned for future details.  

Well... guess thats enough for now... we are SOO close to the big reveal. you aren't ready.  

Cheers.

embarrassed.

So, we all have those embarrassing moments that we are able to laugh off and just take in stride.  Well, these moments tend to make up most of my day, so I have a great grasp on how to deal with recovering from such instances. However, this post isn't about a moment I was able to laugh off and recover from...

*disclaimer:  I am under the impression that 97% of my readers are females and the other 3% are husbands that have to hear about my blog from their wives as they read my entries.  So, based on those facts, I feel like this is appropriate to share.

Let me back up.  I've mentioned my sweet sweet life group that meets on Monday nights.  Well last night, we met at Dr. Drew's house for pizza and Balderdash [or what I affectionately call Bangladesh, for obvious reasons]. During renovation time, I typically attend in paint clothes, but last night, felt the need to be dressed cute [you know- we all have those days...].  I picked out my cute little floral button down and paired it with some shorts.  Well, Dr. has this perfect square table that we love utilizing.  I was sitting across from 2 fellas with the ladies to my sides.  After dinner, we pulled out the game and I noticed the girl to my right motioning for me to turn around.  I turned and looked at the wall,  noticed nothing, so turned back to the table.  At which point, I saw the guys across hang their heads in embarrassment and she motioned to my top.  I looked down and low and behold, I had unintentionally given the table a show. Yep, buttons had managed to come undone past my midriff.  Now, as mentioned, I can typically handle these moments with grace, but this situation was beyond me. I excused myself from the table and worked to regain focus, realizing that the boys were probably more unnerved that I was.  

In hindsight, I wish I could go back, erase the look of terror from my face, and react with a witty remark that eased the awkwardness from the table.  But, I guess if I could go back, what I should really do is put on an undershirt huh?.....  

decorating frenzies.

I'm honestly in shock that it has been nearly a week since I updated you all.  And I think I am going to credit it to the whole computer crashing incident [which is on the verge of being fixed...aka- new computer].  Of course, with no computer to my name, posting pictures is more difficult and so, here I have put off keeping you guys informed.  Sorry.
So let's recap.  Birthweek came to a strong close with family dinner/celebrations Sunday night, complete with steaks on the grill and the typical picking on Sarah.  Love my family.  Stu brought Maddie along and she gave me the cutest white porcelain bird salt and pepper shakers [which I love!] that I believe look like these...

and she also got me this beautiful green dish.....[which i also love!]  I mean, really, who doesn't love housewares!?

So aside from birthday celebrations, mom and I did manage to find time over the weekend to get some shopping in [typical Saturday].  So while the boys were away at the USC vs. UGA game [Go GAMECOCKS!] we made our way to the mall and Marshalls and Target [the usuals] and I finally picked out this lovely shower curtain for my Ballet Slipper pink hall bathroom.... thoughts?

I understand this image quality isn't the best, but the color pallete feels perfect considering what is already going on in the house....I found that shower curtains are just plain tough.  There are either elderly, cliche [sea shells, etc], expensive [all those found at Anthroplogie], or in the blue color family... so my search was pretty extensive.  If I could of had my pick anywhere, this is what I would have chosen, coming in at a whopping $118...

but of course, I am sensible and on a budget... 

For my bathroom, I found this plain gray shower curtain at Target for $4.50 from the Room Essentials line....my goal is to make it my own through ruffles, stripes, or some other type of embellishment.  I'll keep you posted.

Thats what happening in the home decor department.

Renovations are moving smoothly... the kitchen, 1 bedroom, and 1 bathroom are all that's left in the painting department [whoo hoo!] and I am dying to post pictures but haven't been able to capture the colors with my [lack of] lighting installed.... so I am working on it!!  

Ok, Stu came and hovered over my shoulder to see what I am working on. AKA time to wrap it up... 

Cheers. 

can I share with you my sweet sweet office?

well, they got me a cake...even had candles...

and Stu decided to serve it to me... while of course making me laugh...

but i was finally able to blow out the candles....

then Mom and Lisa lost it. apparently, Lisa dropped a piece of cake in the sink, then served it to one of the boys... 

and you see, Brennan is just precious.... and puts up with us for some reason

and this all left me smiling.

i love birthdays.

yep. it's my birthday.

Woke up today and suddenly, I am 22.  Crazy times.  Growing up is an interesting thing.  Through college, my cousin and I celebrate our birthday's together.  [her's is Sept. 7].  So freshman year, we started this wonderful phenomenon, birthweek. During birthweek, we celebrated in some form every night of the designated week.  And we surely didn't play.  Our celebrations were memorable and cherished by all those involved.  Trust me.  Anyway, it's tough to follow 4 incredible years of bday celebrating.  Now- in my grown up life, I had to get up and go to work just like normal.  Not only that, but I have to actually be productive and get things done.  [However, I did ask Mom- the boss- for a personal day.  Yes, she basically laughed in my face.] Upon showing up to work, I did receive this wonderful happy birthday from my lovely co-worker Lisa [yes, the accomplice at the pj wearing Craigslist house].

So the answer is yes, on days like today, I feel so loved and appreciated! To all my friends, thanks for being so wonderful!
Well here is my brief and fast house update.  It is finally starting to feel...well, semi-complete.  We are done with sheet rock mess and Dad has done an incredible job of finishing off the end of my hallway.  [First, remember where we started.  This is where those sweet boys took out my wall.  And,this is where Mom and Dad patched the ceiling in a major way.  I know the before pic is blurry, but you kind of get the idea]

Before.  Well, after we started taking down the walls. Before it was all gone.

It's incredible the affect of finishing off the edges.  This makes me SO excited.  

Aside from this, we have now,

-Completely completed one spare bedroom except for baseboards [i.e. ceiling and walls-done]

-Fully paint the master bedroom walls/ ceiling- Plum Wine [this was somewhat of a fiasco.  You see, I bought semi-gloss...what was I thinking- which looked terrible and lead to the previously mentioned break down]

-Fully painted the hall bath walls/ceiling - major undertaking!!!! yellow kept seeping through the colors??- Ballet Slipper walls and white ceiling :)

-Not to mention, the ENTIRE house is primed and most of the living room ceiling is complete.

Yall just aren't ready for how beautiful is all is going to be! Lol

I know yall are tired of hearing of the house.... 

And I have pics I want to share from the best life group ever, but remember that crashed hard drive? Yep, still has yet to bounce back. So maybe I'll share those tomorrow...

Anyway, I hope yall enjoy my birthday today!!! Have a slice of cake to celebrate. Cheers

redirecting.

Ugh. It has been too long!  Hope you readers had the best labor-free labor day ever.
I feel like so much has happened since we last spoke.
Went to the beach on Thurs. [Hilton Head Island- a Baker family favorite]. Dropped Sammy off to meet Dad in Columbia for the Carolina game.  He was presh- had a pump up playlist that we rocked out to the whole way there just to get in the football spirit.  Anyway- I went on to HHI and spent the evening with Mom. We ate and did a little shopping.
Friday, we put in a few hours at the beach, had early dinner at Bonefish, and hit the outlet malls. You gotta catch Baker men on a good day in order to get them to cooperate and shop. And this day was a good day. By the end of it, we were shopped out [at least for the time being. i mean, the stores closed.]
Weekend continue with more shopping, tv watching, and eating.  [Let me just note- Stu was greatly missed during all the family time].
And I know you're wondering- did Sarah buy any deals for her knew house? And of course, the answer is yes! I found to great living rooms lamps at HomeGoods [pictures to come ASAP], some lovely kitchen containers, and an area rug.
Here's the rug. This is actually a birthday gift from my wonderful parents.

World Market.  approx. 5 by 8

It is beautiful and casual and feminine. [Side note- the flowers that appear orange in the picture are more of a cranberry in real life- with a pink/red tint to it].

But of course, now I am left with a dilemma. This changes my direction.  You see, the grayish/purple for my kitchen walls doesn't exactly compliment this piece- so I am left to consider other options.  And of course, the overall style will need to shift from "pretty" to "earthy-pretty" [which can be done]. At this point, I don't have a preference.  I have just been grasping for a starting point and this alters the vision. 

And of course- now I know you're thinking- Sarah, how are you coping with all of this decorating anxiety?  And I am not going to lie. It's tough.  Choosing colors and putting together beautiful elements is not easy and requires patience.  I learned this the hard way yesterday after experiencing a [minor] breakdown in which I got overwhelmed. After a few deep breaths and a couple moments of silence, I came back to Earth. At which point Stu showed up and helped save the day.

So- the work day continued.  Walls completely primed, drywall [mostly] done, lots of dust and debris cleared... this week will be full of paint. Lots and lots of paint.  Bring it. 

I understand that I skipped over the rest of the HHI trip, but trust me. You aren't missing much.... 

love to you. more later.

Holiday Weekend has begun.

well- you would have thought it's been Christmas at the house this week. The boys have been more excited than ever before- listening to pump-up music, posting inspirational YouTube videos, and even adorning their cars in gear.  Why you ask? Well, the Carolina Gamecocks kick off the season tonight! The Baker's will be there in full force cheering them boys on.
In other news...Sammy and I are loading up and headed to the beach today [after our pit stop in Columbia of course].  A few days catching some rays, shopping, and NOT renovating the house should be wonderful and much deserved, huh?!  So, don't expect a peep out of me until maybe Tuesday.  Mom & Dad are already there and settled in, so we figured it was about time to crash their party.
I know you guys are stressed, thinking about the set back with the house endeavors.  But truth be told, when I considered working on the house [alone] this weekend, I reasoned it would be more efficient to wait on the parents to return.  So hopefully Sunday afternoon/Monday we'll hit the ground running.  Plan of action is to get ALL the walls painted and then base boards and such...and then floors.  Talk about progress.  Whoo hoo.
Well, it's time to get some work done before I dip out early.  And sorry for the lack of pics.  Did i mention that my computer crashed?  Well...it did... So, no pics for now :).
Cheers.
P.S.- Mark your calenders.  Birthweek is next week.  Yep, celebrations are in order.

let's talk color.

First off, let me just say...I painted the hall bath! Thanks for all of your opinions and suggestions. Here's where I landed. [Disclaimer: once I got to the store, the colors changed a little bit--from the online shade.  This did alter my opinions].  So what did I chose? Ballet Slipper Pink!  And I couldn't be more in love. The tone is perfect.  And believe it or not- it is pink without being too girly.  Ah, I love love love it.  Considering accenting this bathroom with clean, crisp style and navy blue.... Of course, that could change...
i enjoyed sharing paint colors so much with you at the beginning of the week, I decided I might as well give y'all a gimps of my vision for the whole house.  As always- I love people's opinions, so have at it!

Ballet Slipper Pink... hall bathroom.

Gloaming... kitchen option 1

Wampum...kitchen option 2

River Mist.... living room option 1

Spring Melt...living room option 2

Grape Jelly Bean...my bedroom

Sharkey Gray... my bathroom? maybe spare bedroom?

Don't be alarmed.  I know this seems like a house of pastels...aka.... Child's nursery.  But my thoughts are this. I want to have color on the walls [without a doubt] but I want my bold pops of color to be in the accessories.  I am not big on accent walls [though a spare bedroom may have one] and nor and I big on gingham prints and soft floral patterns.  Are you tracking?  

Kk, I know this is brief, but the sales calls wont happen on their own... later