Coupons Rock!

I happen to be married to the most wonderful man in the world. Truly. He is considerate, hard-working, brave, thrifty and everything else Boy-Scout-Like (oh, and did I mention handsome?). I'd like to focus for moment on his "thrifty" quality. On our first real date, Michael really had to hold back because a coupon for Archibald's was burning a hole in his pocket. And after many months of wedded bliss - the use up the leftovers, buy what's on sale at the grocery store and the whole coup-it-up attitude have left a mark on me...in a very positive way. Case in point, last Saturday Carly and I coerced Kyle into a little bargain shopping. 

Our first stop was DSW for some serious clearance sale shoes. Kyle was extremely bored after only walking a short distance in shoe heaven, but I found some beautiful, black patent leather pumps and Carly scored with a pair of boots and sweet ballet flats. As we went to check-out, I pulled out an amazing assortment of DSW coupons - two 20 percent off; one $5 off; one $10 off and one 10 percent off. I asked the salesperson to see how far she would let me take this thing. She let me use three coupons - so...let's just put it this way, between the two of us we spent $32 and saved $174! Woo. Hoo.

Next we spent some quality time at Ross looking for fun - and we found it. My fun cost about $7 and Carly's cost $130 and Kyle's fun $70. Lastly, we hit Jamba Juice and then headed home to tell this tale. 

California or Bust

Michael and I just returned from a Temple and Ballpark trip to California. It was quite an adventure. We arrived last Saturday and then rented our nice, little car. It should be noted, at this point, that I suggested that we should get a GPS with our car. We didn't. It took some doing but we arrived at the Oakland Temple. It's always an exciting time, because Michael and I are getting pretty good at discreetly changing clothes in the parking lot. Next it was off to watch the Oakland A's play ball. They played the Seattle Mariners and so it came as no surprise that the Mariners lost. In the spirit of one of our favorite shows - Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, we decided to be adventurous with our dinner plans. We ended up at the Family House of Chicken and Fish. The food was wonderful but let's just say that we were white and everyone else...wasn't.

The next day we attended Sacrament meeting at the Hayward 1st Ward. Immediately after, we took a breathtaking drive down Highway 1 on the 17-mile drive to Pebble Beach where Michael was able to get his picture taken while standing on the 18th Hole. Another high-point of the day was when Michael got to use a coupon at the Pebble Beach Market. It was restful and wonderful to spend so much time together.

We woke up Monday morning to the realization that the San Francisco Giants weren't playing that night. So we decided to take a drive to either Napa or Yosemite. Michael decided on Yosemite. I could just end this paragraph right now by saying that we were in the car for 10 hours - and in that time - we stopped for lunch, a bathroom break and to take a picture of a really big rock (El Capitan). Or I could say that we flew 600 miles to drive a 1000 miles. Or that every road we took was the wrong one. But I won't.

Tuesday morning we went to the Temple in Sacramento then drove back to San Francisco to see the Giants play. Even though they lost we had terrific seats, made new friends and Michael got a game baseball. Wednesday we went to Fisherman's Wharf and out to cruise in the bay. Thanks for the memories Michael. Loved the trip - Love you! Oh and...note to self: Never trust a Thrifty Car Rental map and get Michael a TomTom for Christmas.

 

 

More California Photos

More 70th Party Pics

Happy 70th Mom!

Last Saturday, my brother Jack, his wife Debbie, Michael and I hosted a 70th Birthday Bash for Mom. We held the event at the Farmington Park and invited friends and family. There were balloons, flowers, cake, a picnic lunch and Michael's golf-thingamajiggy. Oh and of course, the Birthday Girl. We did have a few mishaps - difficulties finding the park; owies; yellow jackets; nothing to cut the cake with; and only 25 people but over 120 pieces of KFC chicken. But thanks to some ingenuity and Jack's mini pocketknife (Debbie get the guy a real pocketknife, already), we prevailed.

We played MARTY (BINGO) and learned a lot more about Mom. The food that she likes the least; whether or not she kept her room cleaned as a child; and why she changed her name from Marlys to Marty. Most importantly we were able to show, in some small way, how much our mother-grandmother-friend means to us. We love you Mom!

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

Carly, Carter and I went shopping so that Carly could find that perfect, little black dress to wear to her best friend's wedding in a few weeks. We went to Nordstrom's and there it was - the dress. What a huge success right out of the gate. Shoes, however, were another matter. We looked and looked but came up empty handed or footed as the case may be. All-in-all it was a wonderful afternoon! 

NATIONWIDE GOLF TOUR

We just happen to live in the most beautiful place in the world that also just happens to be within steps of the Willow Creek Country Club Golf Course. Each September, a leg of the Nationwide Golf Tour is held annually at this fabulous course. Since my mom has been a volunteer at the Nationwide for years, she suggested that we have a player at our home during the week of the tournament. We ended up hosting Jim and Carolyn Herman from Florida and they were a fantastic, fun couple! It was a wonderful experience to watch Jim play Thursday and Friday. We also took a drive up to Brighton, walked on a trail around the lake and then enjoyed dinner at the Porcupine Grill. Jim and Carolyn are now in Boise and then it will be on to Eugene before a break from the Tour. Thanks for staying with us - hope to see you this winter during ski season!