30 July 2010

Martisek Vacation Wrap-Up

I'm back in Texas, praise the Good Lord! My family and I are currenty in the road between Houston and Hallettsville. Yup, I'm blogging from my iPhone while dad drives. Our week-long vacation in Branson, Missouri was fun, but I'm definitely glad to be less than an hour from my parents' house. 14 hours in a suburban with 5 other people always makes for interesting stories later!

This vacation was really good for me. It was nice to get out if Corpus for a little bit and just refocus. I've been a little stressed out lately. I'm the kind of stresser that can make herself sick worrying about things. I know...I need to work on this... But with me wrapping up my job with McLeod Creative, applying to grad school, looking for another full and/or part time job, and freelancing, I guess I've just been really scared that I may or make not be making the right decision(s) for my career, future, life, etc. Vacation took my mind off of my worries for a little while. It was nice to just play and hang out.

Vacationing with my family at my age has many similarities and differences compared to when we were little. First off, we still drive everywhere. My dad does not fly. Ever. Before we hit the road, someone always prays for safe travels. We still stop every hour and a half for a restroom break. I mean, there's six of us:) And no matter where we are in our lives, we will always argue for a bucket seat versus the backseat. Some things never change!

However, some things have. This time around, mom and dad had a seperate room from the four girls. My sweet daddy is tight with his money, so we usually get one big room and someone ends up on the floor each night. Not this time, thank goodness! This change may sound funny to you, but it's a big one in my opinion: we are all allowed to order whatever we'd like to drink at meals. Now this has been the case for a little while, but for the LONGEST time when the waitress would come to take our drink order, my dad would say six waters. Yup, that's my dad! It's still weird to order a glass of wine at dinner with my parents. And of course, Becca wouldn't survive without a Dr. Pepper with every meal, ha! Instead of packing our discmans, each of us has an iPhone. Any one of the six of us could take a turn driving if needed. Vacationing with my family has changed, but I love the way we've grown and I cherish the things that will never change.

Well, I'm going to get back to watching Friends on my iPhone. It's a favorite car past time of mine. I'm headed to Corpus in the morning and I can't wait to see Luke and Brooklyn!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

28 July 2010

Branson, Day 3: I jumped!

Today was our second full day in Branson and day three of the Martisek Family Vacation. It has also been my favorite day so far! This morning we saw the show Jeerk. It was fabulous! Jeerk is a Swedish rhythm artist group of 5 guys that tap, sing, dance, play instruments, etc. Check out this video of them from YouTube:



After the show, dad dropped the girls off at the outlet mall and he went back to the hotel to take a nap. We dominated Banana Republic and checked out a few other stores. I bought a cute blue and white cotton dress and a black, one-shoulder top. I also found a cute new purse and wallet at Fossil. I love shopping on vacation! We didn't have too much time though, because our stomaches wouldn't let us forget we hadn't eaten lunch yet. So, we called dad to come pick us up and we all headed to Fudruckers. After lunch, we went to the bumper car race track (always a hit with the Martiseks). In the first round of racing, I held the lead until the last couple of seconds when Claire crashed her car in front of me, allowing Becca to take the lead. Punk! 


{Ready to ride!}


{A little dramatic, maybe?}

After a few rounds of racing cars in the heat, we got worn out and headed back to the hotel. Dad was ready for another nap, but us girls weren't done shopping. So...back to the mall we went! All of us need a new dress for events coming up this fall, so we headed to BCBG: FinalCut. I found a cute gray cocktail dress, but it was a miracle considering that the dressing room was super hot. (Girls, you know what I mean right? If a dressing room is hot, this makes it extremely frustrating to try on clothes) None the less, we still had a successful round 2 of shopping!

After we'd worn out the credit cards, we picked up dad from the hotel and did something I NEVER thought I'd agree to doing. Since we've been in Branson, we've probably driven by a place called the Ozark Mountain Skycoaster about a bajillion times. It's a mix of bungee jumping, zip lining, and free falling from about 200 ft. The jumper is attached to a bungee cord and pulled up 200 ft. Then, a string is pulled and the jumper free falls/rocks 180 degrees the opposite direction and then back until the swinging stops. I about peed my pants just watching another tourist jump! But then Emily and Claire decided they were going to take the risk and jump. Becca, mom, dad, and I stood by and video recorded while Emily and Claire went through the process of being strapped in, pulled up and dropped. They screamed the entire way down; this was quite entertaining. Of course, if Emily and Claire could do it, so could Becca and I:) We were up next!


{Becca and I getting strapped in}


{About ready to go up...}



{Starting to get a little anxious at this point}


{WAY up there! I'm about to pull the string...}



{And I'm freeeee! Free fallin'!!!}


{Happy to be alive!}

We wrapped up the day with a fabulous dinner at Olive Garden. My poor, embarrassed mother...we can't go out to eat anywhere without my father making friends with the waiter. I mean, good friends. He asks them about their life, how they got to Branson, how their family is, etc. It's really funny actually. Tonight, it was Pete's turn and he was a good sport. Pete the waiter was from Macedonia and his wife worked with him at Olive Garden. They were too cute! Oh dad, you keep it interesting:)

I think we're all pretty beat and ready for a good night's sleep. Emily is already out and I'm not far behind her. I'm sure I'll be posting more tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!

Branson, Day 2


{The girls outside of Red Lobster after lunch}

Day 2 of the Martisek Family Vacation to Branson, Missouri is officially over. We drove for 15ish hours on Monday to get here (with about 10 pit stops that slowed us down quite a bit). Today, we saw two shows, Legends in Concert and Cirque Montage, and explored Branson. We stopped by a couple of antique stores and I bought an aqua mason jar. I know that sounds random, but I've been looking for one for a DIY project I want to try out. I'm not quite sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow, but I'm sure it will include another show and a couple of museums. I'll keep you posted!


{My jar doesn't look exactly like these, but its close. I LOVE it!}

Brooklyn has been staying with Luke out at camp since I've been gone. I'll get her back on Saturday, but until then she's hanging with her daddy, playing with the camp nurse's dog, Charlene, and participating in other camp dogish things. Every day Luke sends me a couple of new pictures of her; it's pretty cute. He loves having her out there with him. I wonder if he'll give her back once I get home...


{She's having a good time out at camp!}

27 July 2010

Fiesta Texas

Last Saturday I went to Fiesta Texas with Luke and a good part of the Zephyr staff. We had a lot of fun! Here are a few pictures from the trip.


{Luke and I before The Rattler}


{Another pic before The Rattler}


{A bunch of the girls worn out after a long day}

23 July 2010

Exit 123 for FUN!

Ok, cheesy title for the blog post, I know. But I'm SO excited for the fun I will be experiencing in the near future! The only (small) problem is that I have to drive long distances to get there, but oh well. I'm still pumped!
Luke and I are headed to Fiesta Texas tomorrow!!! I'm extra excited for this adventure because we've been talking about going to Fiesta Texas all summer. Two summers ago we hit up Sea World with Luke's best Friend, Jay, and Jay's fiance, Morgan. Although J&M can't go with us this time around, we're still anticipating Fiesta Texas as if we were seven years old! The only thing I'm worried about is Luke's anticipation of my riding the crazy rides. I'm a chicken and he's a daredevil. Last time we went to a theme park, I didn't ride all of the rides with him and he was less than proud of me. I promised that this time I'd ride every ride with him. Unfortunately, I know what I've gotten myself into. Wish me luck! I may be puking by the end of our trip:)
Next week, I'm headed to Branson, Missouri with my family. The WHOLE gang. In a suburban. For 9 hours. This one needs more than luck, it needs prayers, HA! Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, just not about the drive up there. For some reason, my dad LOVES Branson. We'll see live shows, visit theme parks, and go to museums. This trip will be special because it's not every day that all 6 of us are together for more than a day. I'm a little sad that I have to leave Brooklyn behind because our hotel is not pet friendly. However, she's going to be staying with Luke out at camp and there is no one else I'd trust her with for an entire week. She'll have a ball sleeping in the bed with him (I don't let her do this yet), playing with the camp nurse's dog, Charlene, and being loved on by the Zephyr staff. Watch out Branson, here comes the Martisek Family!
I'l sure there will be multiple blog posts from all of the fun. Stay tuned!

14 July 2010

Flat tires and other things.

Oh. my. goodness. My life and God's grace never cease to amaze me. "My life" I say with sarcasm. "God's grace" I'm saying with all sincerity.  Things have been pretty interesting around here...

For starters, I have without a doubt reached my yearly quota for flat tires this week. Last Tuesday I was driving through Starbucks on my way to work when the guy at the drive-through window pointed out that my back left tire was extremely flat. Like riding on the rim flat. Luke's best friend Jay came to the rescue and helped me put the spare on. I got that tire patched a couple of days later. Then today I walked out of my apartment to find my back right tire completely flat. WTH?! I didn't get into work until 11am today because the tire people had to air up my tire at the apartment and then I drove to the shop to have them patch this second tire. Jeez louise...I'm over flat tires.

On the upside, decorating my apartment is coming along. I wish I had pictures to show you all, but I don't. Hopefully I'll be able to take some soon. A couple of weekends ago, Aubrey, Claire, and I took a day trip up to Round Rock to take on the giant better known as IKEA. I'd like to think that I did some damage:) I'm super pumped about my new duvet cover and both my bedroom and living room curtains. I also got a few decorative things. It's all coming together slowly, but surely.

The new puppy is growing up so quickly! Brooklyn has a ridiculous amount of personality and she's already trying to defy me. When I talk sassy to her, she barks right back. I feel like it's that whole concept of when you're a punk kid, God then gives you your own punk kid to pay you back. Yup, Brooklyn gives right back to me the drama I gave my mom. We're a pretty ridiculous duo, but I already love that dog more than anything!

As for my job, today is my last day with McLeod Creative. It's sort of a long story, but in the end, it's all worked out for the best. I really loved the people I worked with and I'm sad to say goodbye, but I know that God has a plan for everything and I'm excited for what the future holds. In the meantime, I'm meeting with a couple of people up at TAMUCC to talk about master's programs and doing a little freelance work on the side. Freelancing gives me the chance to get into what I think I really want to do, which is PR and marketing for non-profit or Christian ministries. I just met with a client in Victoria yesterday about a couple of projects that I'm really excited to get started on. Yay for freelancing!!

Luke and I are doing really well. I still don't get to see him very often because he's working like a crazy person out at camp, but I cherish every second I get to spend with him on the weekends. It's crazy to think that after August comes and goes, Luke and I will spend the fall together. And the winter. And the spring. This has never happened before. I'm excited for this:)

Now that I've gone on and on about the craziness that is my life, let's talk about God's grace. He created me and gave me the characteristics that are mine. He knew who I was and who I will be down the road. No one knows my heart like my Heavenly Father. The thing is, I know I wear Him out. Well, I guess I don't really know that for sure, but I know I'm a handful for Him to deal with. I'm constantly pulling away from Him, trying to make my own plans. I like to decide what I'm going to do with my life, when Luke and I will finally settle on a new wedding date, and many other big decisions. And daily, hourly, momently (yup. made that word up) He is pulling me back to Him and reminding me that He is in control, that His timing is perfect. I just happen to be at a place in my life where I think His timing sort of sucks. I know this may sound disrespectful, but I think it makes God laugh to hear me say this. One time when I was extremely angry about a situation in high school, I told my mother that I was mad at God. She told me that it was ok, God's had plenty of people mad at Him. She said, "Yell at Him. He's heard worse. And He still loves you very much. Just because you're mad doesn't mean He is going to stop loving you with everything that He is. He knows that we don't always understand His reasoning for the way things work out. But in the end, all things will work out for His glory." I'm not mad at God at this point in my life, I'm just telling Him daily that I wish He would follow my time line. Sometimes I say this jokingly, sometimes I'm a little more serious. But in the end, I sort of picture me sitting at His feet and He's leaning over saying to me, "Oh my sweet little Sara. Listen to me. Be patient. Let me give you the best you could possibly have. Chase after me and I'll give you the world. I love you so much, more than you'll ever know." And I cry. Not all the time, but sometimes I just find myself crying. Life has been tough the last couple of months, but God is good. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." God--I know you've called me according to your purpose. Help me to be still.

Yup, this is my life in a nutshell. It's pretty amusing...well, from my perspective anyway. But I'm still loving it no matter what! Has your life felt a little harder the last couple of months? Is there something I can pray for for you? If there is, just let me know. I'd love to do this for you:)

Ugggghh!!!

I walked out of my apartment this morning to find that my back right tire on my car is flat. This is the SECOND flat tire I've had in a week. I need a taquito and some coffee STAT. I'll keep you posted on how this all works out...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

02 July 2010

Made with love


{Brooklyn tearin' up Po Bear in her new bed}

Just wanted to give a shout out and big thank you to HoneyPied for Brooklyn's new yellow and green flowered puppy bed! She's already getting used to it and I know it will make for a fun addition in the house or office.

If any readers are looking for a hand-made (and love-made!) bed for your small/medium/large dog or cat, you should definitely check out HoneyPied on Etsy!