Real World...St. George

Remember MTV's the Real World?!?!? I took a little trip to St. George with some friends last weekend, and the comment was made a few times that we felt like we were
a. on spring break or
b. on the Real World...St.George

We went down to St. George so Brynn and I could run the Painter's 1/2 marathon. We left early Friday afternoon to get down there early and get ready for the race. After 3 stops on the way down(too much diet coke), almost running out of gas, stopping at the rec center for packet pick up and a little shopping at the expo, visit with the grandparents, and the grocery store we finally got to the house. The rest of the group(including a surprise from Heather) got there later.
pre-race

post race. our friends came to the finish line.
The race had a little later start time (9:00) which was so nice, but unfortunately we missed the start by a couple of minutes. The race went really well, and we had perfect weather. I was a little nervous after being sick, not sleeping, eating lots of candy, but I did as well as I wanted.

Chuck a Rama

bowling

We spent the rest of the weekend eating at Chuck a Rama (I know it sounds gross, but it's a race tradition), shopping at TJMaxx, hanging out at the house, bowling, and enjoying the nice St. George weather.

6 people choose to spend the weekend in a house to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. There were a few moments of drama, but mostly the weekend was lots of fun. There was lots of laughter, maybe a few tears, and possibly even a little yelling. Can you blame us for not wanting to come home?

The Easy Way

I keep asking myself "why can't I ever do things the easy way?" Here are a few examples.

Brynn and I have been in a very crafty mood lately. We saw some really cute silver glitter pine cone trees at TJ Maxx for $14. Why would we pay $14 for something we can "easily" make ourselves? After 3 rounds of crafting, several trips to the store and maybe a little frustration, luckily the finished product turned out really cute. Don't ask me the final cost!

We also had a cute idea for neighbor/friend gifts. Some people have a traditional treat they make, but not me. That would be way too easy. After searching the internet for recipes and brownie pans, I finally made these.

This picture doesn't really do them justice. They looked like cute little ornaments all wrapped up in cellophane. I think I will make these for the next few holidays.

Chelsea and Jeff are decorating their playroom. I found these rugs at IKEA for $4.99, but they only had 2 colors Chelsea wanted. My "easy" solution was buy a white rug and die it the color she wanted-purple. I've used RIT dye

successfully several times, but the only purple thing so far is
my hands, and yes, I am halfway in the washer trying to get this project to work. I have concluded that I just don't have it in me to do things the easy way.

Holidays=Friends

The holidays involved lots of get togethers with friends. I loved it. It's funny how it sometimes takes the out of towners coming to town to get the rest of us together.


with the marrieds at Cafe Rio

Turnberry reunion at Paradise. good thing Nicole comes to town often.

it took Maggie and Brandon being in town to see Jana and James
It's great having friends from so many different eras of my life and being able to see them all whenever we can.

FREE

I LOVE free stuff! I love good deals. I hate knowing I could have gotten something for less. Here are the great deals I've gotten this last month.

http://www.seehere.com/ I only paid $3 shipping for 50 Christmas cards. The website was sort of a pain in the rear, and I'm not entirely sure it was worth it.

http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/studio3.aspx?pf_id=147&combo=7082.91.1.67122|67122,67112|137|0&uei=87130&icparts=yes&ag=true&combo_id=41669&ssc=1&filter=9:10013||1,14:10024||1,14:10025||1,3:10023||1,4294937929:4294937831:4294937825||2&xnav=previews&xnid=button&rd=3&referer=http://www.vistaprint.com/return-address-label/christmas/gallery.aspx%3fpg%3d4%26filter%3d4294937929%253a4294937831%253a4294937825%257c%257c2%252c9%253a10013%257c%257c1%252c14%253a10024%257c%257c1%252c14%253a10025%257c%257c1%252c3%253a10023%257c%257c1%26page%3d9%26pagesize%3d24%26sort%3dp_TO!desc%26xnav%3dpagenav%26xnid%3dbottomAgain I only paid shipping for these cute holiday labels. I used this website again http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/studio3.aspx?ref=1&page=1&pf_id=243&combo_id=205967&filter=4:10003||1,4:10004||1,9:10013||1,29:10099||1,41:10156||1,3:10093||1&ssc=1&orig_combo1=113044.142.1.148905|148905,67396|137|0&orig_combo2=113040.142.1.148900|148900|137|0&click=0&num_req_imgs=1&icparts=yes&ow=yes&combo1=113044.142.1.148905|148905,67396|137|0&combo2=113040.142.1.148900|148900|137|0&uei=199513&ag=true&redir=3&rd=4when I ran out of cards. I got 10 more holiday cards for the price of shipping only. I like Vistaprint much better than See Here. It is easier to use, and I think the selection is a little better.

I also got tons of free birthday stuff. http://www.utahdealdiva.com/2009/08/celebrate-with-free-birthday-offers.html UtahDealDiva tells about all the free stuff you can sign up for the month of your birthday.

I haven't quite embraced the couponing craze, but I do love a good deal. Anything else out there I should know about?

For Rachel

I just got off the phone with one of my college BFFs, Rachel. We go way back to before freshman year really even started, and that's just the beginning. Without Rachel I never would have worked here or lived here or probably even survived this. What started out as a bunch of crazy freshman has turned into big girls with grown up lives and families.

all of a sudden this

has turned into this

In a few days, Rachel and her little family are headed off to a great new adventure in Australia. I just had to talk to her on the phone one more time before she and her family are off to the other end of the earth. I'm going to miss you like crazy. I might have even cried a little, but I'm so excited for what's ahead. Thank goodness for Facebook and blogs and internet and skype. I can't wait for you to get all settled so I can come visit. I Love You Rach!

Friday Lunches

About a year and a half ago some of us at work decided to start going to lunch once a month. There are so many places in Utah County we see as we drive around everyday. Each month we pick a new place. Everyone is invited. Sometimes a lot of people come and sometimes just a few. We went to Pirate Island for the December lunch. We had no idea what kind of place it was, but I'm a fan. It's a fun atmosphere with yummy food.