Halloween Meme

So, I do realize I have not gotten the Halloween pictures up yet. I promise I will get details up from the party along with pictures either later tonight or tomorrow (November..HORROR) but for now, I am giving you my Halloween meme. I was tagged by Mrs. Who over at Mrs. Who's Open Book.

1. What's the scariest movie you have ever seen?

Hands down, Event Horizon...it could still give me nightmares. It might have been worse because I saw it in the theater and totally thought it was a sci-fi movie like Star Trek...and I get HORROR. I would have walked out, but was to scared to put my feet on the ground. It clearly scarred me...


2. What was your favorite Halloween costume from childhood?

Maybe when I was the yellow brick road...that was good. Maybe when I was the crayon, just because it was so funny that I could not walk...the punk rocker was awesome...hard to say for sure. I am a big fan of Halloween!

3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your fantasy costume be for this Halloween?

I can't really think of anything. Nick and I go all out for Halloween and have yet to think of something we want to be that we haven't made happen.


4. When was the last time you went trick or treating?

I went with my friend Shelby in eighth grade. We thought we were so smart. We went around her block, then went and changed our costumes and went to all the same houses again...deviant children! Now that I think about it, I am pretty sure we could have gone around in the same costumes and nobody would have remembered us....

5. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Maybe Whoppers, just because that little bag is like the perfect amount of whoppers. You never want that huge milk jug, but five is perfect! Same with Jr. Mints...


6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you had.

I have done a blog about my waking dreams. I hate them.


7. What is your Supernatural fear?

I guess the idea of being possessed...that is terrifying to me. Maybe the movie the Exorcist also scarred me.


8. What is your creep-crawly fear?

I don't really like anything creepy or crawly. Mice, snakes, bugs. Just not a fan of any of that...


9. Tell us about the time you saw a ghost. Or heard something go bump in the night.

Besides my waking dreams, which seem very ghost like to me, I have never had an experience with a ghost. Nick and I have always wanted to go on a ghost tour. I guess I find the idea of ghosts very intriguing.


10. Would you ever stay in a haunted house overnight?

I would NEVER go to or stay in the Halloween commercial, people dressed up kind of haunted house. I HATE that crap. I would totally stay in a house with a past, where people say they have seen ghosts assuming the place had beds and was clean.


11. Are you a traditionalist Jack 'O' Lantern carver or do you get creative?

I like being creative with the old pumpkin, but I really am not much of a pumpkin carver...It has been a few years since I did it.


12. How much do you decorate your house for Halloween?

Sad to say, but not really at all. I think I have a few decorations, but we don't even have them out this year. I really don't get into the decorations for Halloween like I do for Christmas...to me Halloween is all about the costume party, and that is never at my house.

Wild Weekend

What a weekend. Between my Birthday, the Halloween Party and Nick's brother being in town from Florida, it was been packed with things to keep me entertained. I also worked, but that doesn't got on the list of fun things I got to be doing...anyway, the birthday dinner was wonderful. If you have not had a chance to go to PF Changs yet, I totally recommend it. I also recommend you bring your eleven closest friends and then order basically everything on the menu between you. This will insure you are able to try all of the delicious food! Also, go on your birthday. They will give you free chocolate cake that is to die for.

After dinner Nick and and I went to the mall where he bought me an adorable new winter coat for my birthday. This is a big score seeing as how my old coat kind of made me look like the abominable snowman....a kind of dingy abominable snowman at that because I have worn the coat the last two years. The new coat is Calvin Klein and a very non-abominable shade of charcoal grey. Love it! After shopping, we went to the movies to see Dan in Real Life. We both really liked the movie, but were a little taken aback by the theater we went to see it in. They didn't seat the movie until five minutes before it started...and they let me stand in line to get popcorn (with about 15 other people) for a good ten minutes before they looked at all of us with a puzzled look and said, "This line is closed". They then just walked away. Thanks buddy.

Saturday night we went to Boo, Chris and Missy's Halloween Party. This party will get it's own post with pictures, most likely tomorrow. Be prepared to be amazed with the Tetris costumes. the were incredible! (and only a little uncomfortable...)

Yesterday Nick and I slept in until noon (told you it was a good party) then I had to work for a few hours. After that, Nick's brother Chris came over to hang out for a while, then we went out to dinner with the family. Chris and his girlfriend are in town for a few days, then they are heading out to Belgium for a week. They are in this band that has gotten a huge cult following over in Europe. Amazingly enough, said following has gotten so large that they were contacted by this music festival in Belgium to come and play some shows. They are flying them out, putting them up in a hotel, getting them a driver...I am completely in awe. When Chris told us he was going to join a band I totally thought he was kidding. When he said he played "electronics", and instrument that he invented, I really thought he was joking....and now he gets a totally free trip to Belgium...who's laughing now...

So, that was my weekend. The birthday festivities are rolling in to this week as well. Tonight we went out to dinner with my perfect family. We were going to eat at a local Italian place, but we got there and they were closed on Mondays. Who ever heard of that? We ended up at a steak house, which was rockin'. I got lots of great gifts, including a MUCH NEEDED beautiful new digital camera. So exciting. Tomorrow night we are going out to dinner with Nick's mom and step dad for the old birthday as well...this is turning in to the longest birthday celebration ever....which is basically awesome.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yea! It is my birthday....like my favorite day of the year. Okay...that might not be true...I actually think I like Christmas better. I know you think I like these two days because I get gifts, but that really isn't it (although I do love getting new great things like the adorable outfit I have on right now that Boo gave me last night...) I really love having everyone together. I love my family, I love my friends, and any reason to get us all together is a pretty perfect day to me!

Anyway, we are going to PF Chang's for dinner tonight, and I am really excited. I have never been, and keep hearing that it is great. I am kind of wanting to go see a movie after that, but we will see if it works out. We are having our annual Halloween party tomorrow night, so I am not really wanting to get in to anything that will have us up really late or have us all dragging tomorrow.

Speaking of Halloween, we finished our costumes last night. They. Are. Amazing. Seriously. This is a five person costume, and it might be the coolest thing we have ever been. Maybe not better than Duff man and Duff girl....but still I think it is awesome. I will get pictures up here on Sunday. We did have to use 15 (that's right) cans of spray paint on the costumes last night, and now I have a callus on both my pointer fingers...and both my thumbs. Really annoying when trying to type....

Also, as an added side note, I am sorry I have not posted this week. I have been really (REALLY ) sick. It all started over the weekend, and I thought I just had a cold, but then it turned into full blow Bronchitis. We had the Bio audit, so I was working through the crappy feelings, then the rain started. Do you know what it is like in an environmental lab when it has been a summer long drought and it finally rains. Every client did a rain event. Thousands of samples. Mostly it was done it the main lab, but Justin went up there for most of the week and worked 16 hour days...poor guy. Anyway, it had been crazy. At least it is done, and I am feeling better just in time for my birthday!!

One Year

Today is mine and Nick's one year wedding anniversary. It is amazing to me that a year has already passed....but at the same time, it feels like we have always been married. I made this video of our wedding last year, and even though lots of you have seen it, it has never been posted on Bio Girl. Our one year anniversary seems like the perfect time to post it!

Sarah and Nick's Wedding from sareshep on Vimeo.
Watching this video makes me so happy! It was a prefect day, and the result is even better. There has never been anything I am more sure of than being Nick's wife. Happy Anniversary Baby.

**If the video is not working, then click here to see it on Vimeo...

Birthday Boy

My sweet little baby boy is turning into a little toddler...he is two today. Carter baby, I am not sure what we did before you were here to dance for us, and show us your mad basketball skills. I love you more than I could ever say. Happy Birthday!

Poor Word Choice...

So, Nick is not a regular to Bio-Girl. I guess he gets enough of me at home to hold him over. He has been known to drop in from time to time, but he mostly never thinks of my blog. Well, I told him I got a DC post up here and that he really should come and take a look at it. He did (he does sometimes listen to me). He noticed (maybe you all noticed, but decided to not point it out) that I had apparently become rather attached to the word "pumped". I used it six times in the post...even more odd was that four picture captions in a row contained the word. Perhaps I should work on my synonyms! Anyway, I had a teasing message on my phone, so I went to take a look. I was SURE it was not that bad. I reread the post before I put it on the blog, and I SURELY would have noticed if it was strange before I had published it....wrong. It was odd. How could we have really been THAT pumped?

Anyway, I went through and changed several of the "pumped" uses to alternate but equally exciting words (for example amazed, fascinated and thrilled...see, I can do it if I try). I was tickled that he noticed, and even more tickled that I hadn't. I thought it was over...then I got an email from him. Clearly he was still tickled about it as well....
He does make me laugh...

DC in Color

So, you are really going to have to hang in there for this post. I know there are A LOT of pictures here, but I swear I just couldn't help myself. I mean, if you knew how many I had to choose from, you would be really, really proud of me for getting it down to these. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy them!
So...the first place we went was to the Department of Engraving and Printing. This is Chris waiting to get into the tour. He was pumped about our trip...and seeing the millions of dollars.

Nick and I at the Bureau of E&P...soaking in all the knowledge

Missy giving Nick a large $5 bill

Nick trying to pretend his body has Lincolns head. Yes, I know we did not do a good job with this, but let me tell you, there were a TON of people around and I kept telling him I could see his head a little and that he needed to get lower, but he just kept saying "TAKE THE PICTURE!!"...so here it is! Next we went to the National Archives. Here is a shot of the constitution...pretty amazing.


The three sisters at the Navy Memorial.

Then we realized we had no pictures of all five of us. Here is an attempt at a self portrait. Not bad, right?

After this, we went to Union Station for dinner and then back to our hotel. We were staying outside the city, so we had the fun (really) experience of using the metro each day. We felt like such locals on our daily commute! As an added bonus, our hotel was super nice. For real...one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. Lucky us!
Day two. Here is Nick and I walking to the trolley station. We decided we were never going to see all the sights if we didn't sign up for some kind of tour. It was a wise decision.

Missy, Nick and I on the trolley

Boo and Chris on the Trolley...so cute.


One of our many stops. here is the Capitol Building. We did not have time to take a tour, but just seeing it was amazing. This tour is on our plans for the next trip!



We jumped off on the next stop on the Trolley. The Air and Space Museum. How cute is my husband?

Inside the air and space museum was an exhibit from the American History Museum because it was currently closed for renovations. Nick was really amazed with the first light bulb!


Boo, equally fascinated about the first Kermit the Frog

...and me, on my cell phone next the the very first phone...awesome
Then of course there were the actual R2D2 and C3P0 from Star Wars. Nick and I were thrilled


Next we made our way over the the Natural History Museum. I was really pumped about the T-Rex...

but Chris thought it was a little scary.
Here is a shot of the Shepherd Diamond... no visible flaws. We loved this.


This blew Nick's mind. There was also the Hope Diamond on display. I have pictures of it too, but thought I needed to control myself...


So, next we jumped back on the trolley and made our way to the National Mall. Nick took this shot of the Washington Monument with the reflecting pool.

Here is another attempt at a self group portrait , but this time with the added challenge of getting the Capitol Building in the background...I cannot tell you why we did not ask for help, but I can tell you that I LOVE Chris in this picture!
The sisters in front of the Capitol.

Honest Abe. Let me tell you, Lincoln is HUGE. Also, I felt very guilty over the fact that we went to see Lincoln (and so did everyone else in DC) but we just drove by Jefferson and Roosevelt on the trolley...how sad for them. It haunts me a little and I MUST go back someday and see them as well. Greedy Lincoln!

The Vietnam Wall was overwhelming. One of the most moving things I have ever seen. I hope I am not taking away from that when I ask you...does anybody else see King Kong holding a candlestick in the picture...odd.

*I must give Boo credit for seeing this first...wish I could take credit for it, but I cannot tell a lie....



Once the sun went down and the entire city closed for the day, we headed to Chinatown for dinner. We ended up watching the UK game, so that was a blast. When we left the bar to head back to the metro, Nick put on his DC hat that I got him for Christmas last year. Seriously...how cute is he?

Kind of jealous of this shot of Boo and Missy with the Washington Monument...

We took some night shots of the monuments on Nick's real film camera, then headed back to the hotel. The first two nights Nick and I had our own room, but the last night we figured we would all bunk together since we were just all waking up and hitting the road. The only problem...poor Missy was sleeping on the trundle. The trundle which was so large, the only place it would fit was in front of the bathroom door. Guess how many of us had to climb over her to pee in the middle of the night. That's right. All of us.

The next morning we woke up and went to Arlington Cemetery. This was also one of the most moving places I have ever been in my life. The eternal flame at JFK's grave, and even more than that, the changing of the guard at the Unknown Solider...it was amazing.

We walked around Arlington for a while, then hit the road. We made it back home around midnight. I very long and full weekend, but we all had such an amazing time. I know I have already told you, but everyone really should go to DC at some point in their lives. This city will move you. It did all five of us.

All in the Family

Okay, I am working on the picture post from DC. I actually have been sitting at my computer for an hour loading pictures onto it, and now blogger has decided it is taking no more pictures from me tonight. Looks like you all will have to wait one more day to see the amazing sights that are Washington DC. I just thought I would give a quick post to hold you over until I am done! Anybody who reads my blog regularly has picked up on the fact that I have a family that loves to talk and loves to share. Two of my aunts, one cousin and my sister have all been blogging with me over the past year. We are now adding two new family members to the blogging world! Go over and take a look at what my Aunt has to say at A Clay Pot 4 Him then drop by my cousin Ariel's blog, Views from the Fish Bowl and tell her hi! We all know it is nice to have comments and feel like there are people out there reading what we have to say, so go and show my family some love! They are both great writers (um, of course they are, they are in my family!) and worth reading. That's it for today, but I will try to get the pic's up tomorrow!

Back Home!

Well, we got back into town from DC late last night. We had such an amazing trip! I have so many pictures that I want to share with you all, but that will have to wait for tomorrow...I will tell you all now that everyone should at some point go and see Washington DC. As many times as I have seen all the monuments and buildings on TV and in movies, it is just so much more amazing in person. The Vietnam Wall is one of the most moving things I have ever seen in my life. Do you all realize how HUGE the Lincoln Memorial actually is? Well, let me tell you, it is GIGANTIC! So large in fact that Missy pointed out that in order for her dream to come true and her to be able to sit on his lap, Nick would have to give her a boost up to the bottom of his feet, then she would have to pull Nick up to give her a second boost onto his lap. He is huge. So is the Washington Monument...and Arlington Cemetery for that matter....anyway, I will have pictures up for you all with my commentary from the trip in the next day or so. I just wanted to let you know that we are home, and we all five had an amazing weekend!

**By the way, did you all see that UK vs. LSU game?? We ended up eating at a sports bar in Chinatown Saturday night and watching the game. IT. WAS. AWESOME. When we sat down it was the third quarter. Nobody was paying any attention to the TV except us. By the end of game we had the ENTIRE bar cheering along with us. It was great!**

Capitol City!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! We are finally heading up to DC! Nick and I have been wanting to go for a really long time. Boo, Chris and Missy will all be joining us for our big adventure. We are all so excited! We are going to the Museum of Natural History, the Aeronautics and Space Museum, the National Mall to see all of the Monuments (looking forward to saying "Hi" to Honest Abe), the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see how all the money is made, the Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetery, the Capitol Building, the White House....how could you not be excited to see all of these things?? Nick has put so much work into planning our trip. We have perfect weather and are staying in a really nice hotel...it is going to be amazing!

Of course, it is nearly eleven o'clock and I we are totally not ready. we are going to work tomorrow, but leaving town at four. We MUST have the suitcase packed before bed. Lots of laundry is going now. Nick is cutting his hair as I type, and I just waxed the old eyebrows...at least we will be well groomed. Don't want to look shabby in our nations capitol! Okay, I must get back to work. Just wanted to let the blogging world know that I am out of commission for a few days. I will have pictures up when we get back!

**Would it be odd to knock on Amalah's door and ask to kiss Noah's sweet little head...yea, I thought so***

Snoggable Male Characters

So I have been tagged for a Meme by my aunt Mrs. Who...a very intriguing Meme if you ask me. I am sure I am supposed to list my top ten lovable male characters from books, but instead you will get as many as I can come up with before it is time to leave for work. I figure, if a lasting impression was made, I should be able to remember you in ten minutes! So, here goes!

1. Luke from the Shopaholic series.

2. Joe from the Plum Series.

3. Mark from Bridget Jones's Diary.

4. Jack from Can You Keep A Secret.

5. Stu from the Stand.

And now I must run. Sorry for the short list and lack of details...but all these books are worth reading! You should really check them out if you can! Also...I tag Whenn to play along!

Last Weekend

So...I have been meaning to do a post about last weekend since...well, last weekend I suppose. I was waiting to see if any pictures surfaced from the event, but as of now I have only one. Wanna see it??

This picture clearly does not show what we were getting into at all, so I guess I will be forced to tell you with only my words. Also, I think this may be a self portrait I took, and if so...damn, I am good!

Okay, to the point. Last weekend was my dear friend Tarp's birthday. ( the same Tarp who tells people like my cousin ,"Yea, I know Sarah...I work with her". See the way I introduce you as my dear friend. Not just, Tarp...the guy I work with...learn from me). Tarp did a lot of talking all week about how he was doing nothing big for his birthday, but then at the last minute caved and realized he LOVED his birthday and could not just let it pass by. He had himself a "Buy me a drink" party at his and Jim's house. It. Was. Awesome.

In a true testament to how awesome it was, I will tell you that I was the DD for the night and was totally sober. Still awesome. You know a party is going well when you plan on leaving around eleven, but you look up around 12:30, see everyone taking shots and dancing on the deck and realize you are nowhere near done. The party started out with about fifty people, but at that 12:30 mark it was down to basically Tarp, Jim, me and Nick, Boo, Missy, Charing and Scott....oh and Tarp's friend Drew. We decided it was time to head out on the town.

Tarp was all about going to The Bar, which is one of the local gay bar's in town. Who are we to argue with the birthday boy, so many of us took our very first trip to The Bar. We drank (me diet coke, everyone else, way to much alcohol) we watched the drag show (at one point I am very sure Tarp was singing over the music so loud that everyone could hear only him) we danced (okay, Nick didn't dance, but he did really enjoy himself!) and had an all around blast. So...Tarp, happy birthday my friend. I am sorry I forgot to do a post on your real birthday, but you had a rockin' party. We will all go back to the bar with you anytime!

**Now I am back to enjoying my perfect Friday off work...***

**Maybe I will get a post up about New York on ZPO...I will see what I can do***

Great Grandfather

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. This week has flown by. My great grandfather passed away this past weekend. He was 94 years old and had been very sick for the last couple of years. We were not close, so I am really fine. I am sad for my grandmother, because these things are always hard, but this is nothing like when my grandfather died last year. I feel it was his time, that he was ready, and that he is in a much better place.

Now, here is the thing that totally amazes me. When I opened the program at the visitation, it had his parents and children all listed. It then said that he had 43 grandchildren. Some of these were step grandchildren and some were not, but still...forty three. Then it said...wait for it...that he had 73 great grandchildren! On top of that he had eight great-great grandchildren. This just completely blows my mind. As I looked around the packed visitation and funeral I realized that most of these people were related to this man. What an amazing life and legacy. I know very little about my great grandfather. I know he drove until he was 92 (and constantly got speeding tickets...looks like I got something from him), that he nearly drown in a flood, that he called us the little shepherds and my cousin Mason the billy goat...just little things really. Now that he is gone I actually realize what an influence he had on so many people. Seventy three great grandchildren. Wow.