Tag Archives: Sarah

santa cruz boardwalk predicts the future

One of the joys of moving for me is going through old boxes of sentimental things I’ve saved over the years. Today, I came across a printout from a dot matrix printer, complete with the holes in the sides, that reads across the top: “Prepared at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Especially for: Andrew & Sarah.” We are guessing we did this the year before we got married, in 2007, when we invited friends and family to meet each other in Santa Cruz, California, before our wedding the upcoming summer. For those who aren’t familiar, Santa Cruz has a famous seaside boardwalk amusement park, complete with a rickety white wood roller coaster and massive arcade. We must have done one of these sideshow games where we pushed buttons and got a print out. I think I saved it because of how accurate it was! Read for yourself and see how Santa Cruz predicted our future:

For those who can’t read the picture, here’s the text:

ROMANCE

Him: When you wake up, and the champagne looks like stale beer, then you consider cutting out and seeking new action.

Her: You possess a remarkable sense of realism. You have deeper emotional needs than most people. When you fall in love, it is it.

PERSONALITY

Him: The need for action and activity is directly related to your personality. It seems you are born with certain frustrations.

Her: You are a very determined and practical person. Maturity is one of your most strongest points. Your[sic] very responsible.

FINANCE

Him: You find non-productive ways of earning money. You can be very self-indulgent about your expenditures.

Her: When it comes to money, you are hardheaded, realistic, and you are willing to work hard for it. You tend to be stingy and cheap.

WORK

Him: You make the most of every minute and force the people around you to move at your own pace. You love being the boss.

Her: You react in a positive way to mental challenges in your work. You constantly need mental stimulation.

FRIENDSHIP

Him: You like to surround yourself with the more successful inhabitants of society than with the average person.

Her: Your sense of realism, your no-nonsense approach and your organization assure that you’ll always be a person in demand.

COMMUNICATIONS

Him: Your restlessness can keep you in hot water. Impatience over any delays makes you investigate anything new that comes up.

Her: Your slightest conversation will inspire someone else to live up to ideals. Your words will give insights to many problems.

HOME LIFE

Him: You are in touch with your own emotional pain. You are able to show a nurturing and sympathetic concern for others.

Her: Since you tend to be traditional in your tastes, you love nineteenth-centurey[sic] chandeliers and marble fireplaces.

MARRIAGE

Him: You need constant excitement far more than you need a mate, but sometimes you take both just to try them out.

Her: Your relationship will be very exciting. You will want to take care of your mate and your mate will want to take care of you.

YOUR OVERALL COMPATIBILITY

On the surface, she is cool and steady, while on all lvels[sic] you are a crazed madman who means well. You think he is nice but know he is from another planet. You excite her with the way you get enghusiastic[sic] over a flavor of ice cream. If you want a mate that is real, then this one is it! You both are to[sic] sensitive to live with only a facade. She doesn’t believe in love at first sight, however, she’s flexible.

YOUR COMPATIBILITY PARTNER

Him: Rachael Ward

Her: Roger Moore

First Triathlon

Sarah rocked her first triathlon! She’s been training up for the past few months for the Minneapolis YWCA Women’s Triathlon. The event took place this morning — a blazing hot one — by Lake Nokomis. The whole family (including Jeff and Pam) was there cheering her on from start to finish. As Sarah posted on Facebook earlier:

It still hasn’t totally sunk in that I just completed my first triathlon, but I did! 500 yard swim, 15.5 mile bike, 3.1 mile run, finished in 1 hour, 41 mins and 31 secs. I am super happy with my time, and so thankful for this body of mine. Also thankful for my friend, Keely @keschallock who I got to finish with unexpectedly, and @noquitfitoutdoorfitness who have sparked a love for outdoor fitness and have been immensely supportive and positive through all my training! What an amazing event!

The results speak for themselves!

Cordes sur Ciel

The luggage incident was, of course, only a small part of our time in France. This was the second part of our Fabulous European Wedding Tour, and it was my (Andrew’s) first time in France. We were staying just outside of a small town called Cordes sur Ciel (built in 1222, perched on a hill, cooler than cool) about an hour from Toulouse in southern France.

When we were planning the trip my good friend James, the groom, knew that we were on a very tight budget, so he kindly suggested that we could stay in the neighbor’s “pigeonier.” I looked up the word and discovered that a pigeonier is more commonly known, in English, as a “dovecote.” Those of us who don’t live on a rural manor might still need a bit of help; according to Merriam-Webster, a dovecote is

A small compartmented raised house or box for domestic pigeons.

Hmm. I took James up on the offer, but wasn’t quite sure what we were getting into.

It turned out that the neighbors in question were stone-masons and had built the pigeonier as a guest-house. It was a four story stone tower with a full kitchen, living room, bath, and gorgeous bedroom at the apex (where the pigeons would have lived had it been a real pigeonier). Pretty awesome.

See many pictures from our trip below (click to enlarge).