Keep my friends Kristin and Adam in first place to win the wedding dress of Kristin's dreams! Have you voted? It's so easy. Simply click the link and vote. Also, leaving a review/comment wins Kristin huge points. It's such a small sacrifice to make when "happily ever after" is at stake.
A little bit more about Kristin and Adam (if you are new to their story...read the post below this one): This is a picture of the ring Adam gave to Kristin when he asked her to marry him after a few years of dating.
Why, you might be wondering, am I posting about it? Because it represents the start to their "happily ever after". After being proposed to on a cruise ship, surrounded by most of their closest friends, Kristin, filled with emotion & through tears, replied "yes" and Adam slipped this gorgeous ring on her finger. Since that momentous day, the couple has been busy planning their New England farm-style wedding. Adam & Kristin have both been dreaming of this day for a long time. You can help play a BIG part in making their wedding a little bit more special by voting and sharing their story.
Every girl dreams of the dress she will wear as she commits to a lifetime of love. Few have the opportunity to win their dream dress. With your help, Kristin is currently in FIRST PLACE in this contest. However, there are still 7 more days of voting and she needs your help to keep her in the lead.
Meet my friend Adam & his lovely bride-to-be, Kristin.
Adam and Kristin have an amazing love story.
At the risk of sounding like complete computer nerds, Kristin and Adam met online at the ages of 11 and 12, respectively. It was love at first a/s/l when they decided to swap pictures via snail mail. Though Kristin thought Adam was dreamy, Adam thought Kristin "would be prettier" (and I quote!). Kristin was heartbroken, and their internet friendship went on the backburner for a good ten years.
Fast forward to 2004, when Kristin was living and working in NYC, and Adam had just graduated from the State Police Academy in New Jersey. They found each other online once again (on purpose, this time) and at once remembered exactly why they had fallen for the other in the first place. Adam and Kristin saw more recent pictures of one another, and were pleasantly surprised at how the other, eh hem, had turned out. Adam's wit and charm hadn't changed over the years, and he left Kristin many a funny voicemail trying to get her to call him back (funny how the tables have turned!). Kristin finally obliged, and they agreed to meet in New Jersey, where Kristin's family had since moved, the night after Thanksgiving. It was love at first sight, and even though they were hanging out for the first time, they felt as though they had known each other for years. (After all, they had!) And the rest is history.
As amazing as their story is, it only gets better! They are currently in the middle of planning their New England-inspired October 2010 wedding and have an amazing opportunity to win the wedding dress of Kristin's dreams. It will just take a little bit of help from sentimental, romantic people like YOU! Please vote, by clicking the "VOTE" button below.
If you really want to help me help them, also "share" this link on your blog, facebook page, twitter, etc... How often do you get the chance to really help another person obtain their fairytale wedding? Not often. Here's your chance! Thanks so much!
...and sometimes, it takes two tests to confirm the accuracy of the results. I'd say we're pretty certain that baby Carver #4 will be joining our family around May 9, 2010. Are you shocked? We were! But, we are also very excited and grateful for the opportunity to add to our little family. Keep us in your prayers. Exhaustion has already set in. :)
Please leave us a comment with name suggestions for both genders! We need help!
I know. I know. Summer has been over for a few weeks now. School is back in session. Yada. Yada. I just thought I'd let you all in on one of our new favorite summer traditions: camping at Banks Lake. I can call it a tradition because we've now done it two years in a row and already have it on our calendar for next year. It's one of those experiences that only takes participating in once & then you and your children are hooked and can't imagine missing it. We've been participating now for 2 years, although unfortunately, we had to pass up the opportunity for 5 years previous. Our good friends, the Jones family (I have known them since I was a teenager), have been going on this trip with their family for 20 years. Most of the families that go on this trip, also have some deep-rooted connection to the Jones, either by familial tie or close-knit friendship. If you've never been, plan a trip. The setting is gorgeous, and there is so much to do with the lake right on the edge of camp. Our children live in their bathing suits happily playing in the sand & water, fishing, digging, canoeing, skiing, boating and eating S'mores to their hearts delight. As a mother, it is the perfect summer get-away, where the kids can get dirty, stay up late & run around as much as they want. As much fun as the kids have, the fun for adults is equally matched. We stay up late chatting, telling stories & jokes, playing games & scaring the pants off each other. It's the best!
I had every intention of writing a "33 reasons my husband is so wonderful" post for Josh's birthday, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stop at 33, and the thought of typing thousands of lines seemed too daunting, so the post never happened (at least this is the *excuse* I'm sticking with....) We did celebrate & had an amazing time with wonderful friends eating at Olive Garden & working our Alfredo off at the bowling alley for a little guy vs. girl bowling action. (Check out my bowling cupcakes. Yeah, not sure if I will ever make those again. Sooo time consuming. But you were worth it Josh!)
It had been far too long since I'd seen most of the people pictured below. A little over 16 years ago, we sauntered across the stage at the Tacoma Dome, proudly donning our caps and gowns to become Kentwood High School's Class of 1993 graduates. I cannot believe how fast time has flown since then. It seems like yesterday...really. Yet as we met for a little impromptu KW reunion at the Ram Restaurant in Kent, it was amazing to catch up on each other's lives, to hear about love, family, jobs, loss, success & years of experiences. It was fun remembering old times & making new memories. What wonderful people! Here's to many more great reunions!
Do you remember the old Dick & Jane books from the 70's?
I do.
Last month, I felt like I was living one.
"See Jen. See Jen run. Funny, funny Jen."
I started the month of July out running. Literally. A dozen of my close friends ran the Seattle Rock 'N Roll half marathon the last weekend of June and although I swore to myself that I'd never succumb to peer pressure, especially not where running was involved, my will weakened while watching my friends dig deep to complete an exhausting goal. It was truly inspiring.
You've heard of runner's high? I felt it...and I hadn't even been running. That feeling stayed with me until the next week where I started adding a l-i-t-t-l-e running to my workout routines. Before I knew it, I was up to a f-e-w miles, & then my sly friends Jodi and Anna somehow tricked me into running 4 (f-o-u-r)miles with them. They were so kind and patient with my snail's pace & kept me going when I know I'd otherwise have probably quit after 2 or 3 miles. The whole experience was somewhat spiritual. I know you runners out there can relate. It's an incredible feeling being prodded on by positive encouragement, doing something you weren't sure you could do.
(Josh compares my running to Phoebe's mad running skillz on Friends...click on the video to see. So funny. Personally, I don't think I'm quite that bad. Just don't ask Jodi or Anna for their opinions.)
My body took nearly 5 (f-i-v-e) days to recover. Sad. I know. I'm sure it was comical watching me do ordinarily simple tasks like walk down the stairs, sit down, stand up, or even walk. Sore does not even begin to describe the pain I was experiencing. But, I must say, that I surprised myself and ran again as soon as I could. I have not repeated that distance...yet, but will.
Unfortunately, as soon as I was getting back into a running groove, I ever-so-gracefully bit the dust to save 10 dozen handmade truffles from certain destruction. (I'm sure Martha would've been proud.) The bridal shower goers were grateful, but my knees were not. They took the brunt of the fall and the remaining scabs are my proof that I'm not just making up excuses not to run (or water ski or wakeboard...I missed out on those fun camping activities as well).
I finally was able to run for the first time today, and it's been 2 weeks. Oddly enough, I missed it. (Really, who am I?) It feels great to be back on track. I'm sure bystanders watching me huff and puff think to themselves,
"See Jen. See Jen run. Funny, funny Jen."
But, hey, I'm doing it. Slowly, but surely I'm chugging along.
"I think I can. I think I can."
Oh wait, that's another story from childhood...
Jodi, Anna & Tasha: you just might turn me into a runner yet.
Needless to say, July flew by. Here is a small sampling of the fun we were up to last month:
So I'm not sure if I'm alone in this, but this week as I've continued with my bargain & coupon craze, my husband has issued a lot of "just don't go overboard on the buying" statements as he's seen me come in with bag after bag after bag (after bag after bag...) and figures I couldn't possibly have gotten THAT good of a deal on ALL of this stuff. I know ultimately he trusts me (after all, I am in charge of the household finances), but I have taken it upon myself to truly convince him of my wise spending by showing him how much I've saved & projecting the future & telling him how buying all of these items now, while they are dirt cheap will save us so much money in the long run because we won't run out & have to buy the item at full price. I think he's starting to appreciate my craziness. Here are two examples of my latest shopping trips.
First, "Christmas in July: Part 2". I made another trip to Kmart's amazing clearance on top of clearance toy sale. Once again, I combined the already low prices with additional $5 off $20 toy purchase coupons I printed from home. For about $50, I got everything pictured below. It's well over $400 worth of toys. To give you an idea, just the Baby Alive alone retailed for $59.99. I got my entire cart load for less than just that one toy retail.
Second, Albertsons. I was able to purchase everything pictured (including two gallons of milk) for $55.xx, plus received a free Redbox rental, $2 coupon off my next store purchase & purchased 10 qualifying products for the Kellogg's $10"Fuel for School" promotion featured here. Many people wonder how I am able to save 2x what I spend on groceries. My secret is using manufacturer coupons found in Sunday's paper (I only buy one...but imagine your savings if you picked up extra copies), mailbox mailers, in-store coupon machines & also printable coupons found online & combining them with store sales, store coupons & additional promos and rebates. If you are interested in some of my online coupon sources, leave me a comment & I'll do a future post about my online couponing sources.
So, not only am I crazy for coupons, I'm now officially addicted to finding incredible deals. In my previous post, I referred you to www.thebargainjargon.comwhere I spend a few minutes every day checking out ways to stretch my dollar. Well, one of the deals she highlighted was in regards to a K-Mart toy clearance sale. K-Mart periodically marks down select toys, but this week, in addition to the current clearance prices, you get to take an additional 50% off . The deal is made even sweeter if you go here and print off the $5 off a $20 purchase coupons. I printed off 5 and used them all! (Note: I had to do 5 separate transactions in order to use each coupon.) For a little less than a $100 (including tax), this is what I came away with:
Transformer Animated Roll Out Command Optimus Prime (retail $55.99)
PlaysKool Easy Dunk Basketball (retail $14.99)
Vtech V.Smile Art Studio (retail $29.99)
The Amazing Spiderman Swing N' Sling Guitar (retail $29.99)
Mega Bloks Legends King Arthur set (retail $39.99)
Bella Dancerella Swan Lake Home Ballet Studio (retail $29.99)
Fisher-Price GeoTrax takes to the Skies (retail $24.99)
Barbie Gymnastic Divas Styling Head (retail $14.99)
Star Wars "Clone Tuber" Mr Potato Head (retail $11.99)
Girltech Video Journal w/ Camera (retail $29.99)
Disney Princess Enchanted Electronic Activity Magical Pal (retail $11.49)
Milton Bradley "LuckyDucks" motorized matching game (retail $23.99)
2- LeapFrog I Spy Imagine That Activity Storybooks (retail $13.99 each)
Color Screen Uno Electronic hand held game (retail $24.99)
Total Retail Value: $361.35 (pre-tax)
My total out-of-pocket: $87.50 (pre-tax)
My total out-of-pocket including tax: $95.64
Pretty Amazing! I will use some of the toys as birthday gifts & save most of them for Christmas presents for my kids.
O.K., so we all like to find good deals, & heaven knows with the economy the way it is, we certainly don't mind saving a buck or two. I used to be really good to clip coupons & use them in combination with store sales & store coupons. Lately, I've gotten lazy & haven't been as frugal as I should be. But, that all changed...
Today, I recommitted myself...and have become crazy for coupons once again! Here is what $66 (give or take a few cents) got me today:
7 boxes of Caprisuns
7 boxes of cereal
7 boxes of PopTarts (which earned me a free movie ticket...at least a $7.50 value)
Now I know some of you who are even crazier for coupons than I am could have bought this same amount for less because you've been stockpiling good coupons for longer, but this is what I did with this week's newspaper ads & a few online coupon sources. I thought it was pretty fantastic. I spent $66 & saved well over $100.
If you're looking for a good place to start, visit this website: http://www.thebargainjargon.com/. Scroll through some old posts. You don't have to live locally to appreciate some of these fantastic deals!
Friday, June 19, 2009
A Father'sDay
HappyMeal
All
beef patty special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a
sesame seed
bun.
If you're looking for something extra special to fix for Father's Day dessert, this is sure to bring a smile to any father's face. Muffins, brownies & sugar cookies make up this Happy Meal. Want to know how to duplicate it? Go here. I just made up a bunch for our Father's Day celebration. They are adorable and so easy!!
Results have been certified by the Carver Crew of public counters.
And the winners of the100th Blog Post Giveaway are:
Mitchell Maddness (Itunes Gift Card) Mary Mortensen (Baskin Robins Gift Certificate)
Thanks to all those that entered. Odds of winning were not dependent on how creative your comments were (but I appreciated your thoughtful answers) and no purchase was necessary.
Winners: Please send me a message via FB, including your name & address (if I don't already have it).
One hundred is HUGE in my book. In honor of my100thblog post, I'm giving away, not one, but two prizes FREE! That's right folks...my favorite four letter word:FREE!You can be the proud new owner of either a $10 ITunes giftcard or a gift certificate to one of my favorite ice cream parlors, simply by entering my blog give away. Why am I doing this? Because it's fun!
Here's the nitty gritty:
Simply leave a comment on this blog post with your name & something fun you are looking forward to doing this summer. I will use a random number generator to determine 2 lucky winners. Contest endsTuesday, June 16th @ 9 p.m. PST. The winner will be announced sometime on Wednesday.
And, to kick off the summer...here are some of the summer things I'm most looking forward to:
1.sleeping in
2.flip flops
3.capris
4.slip 'n slides
5.popsicles
6.smoothies
7.summer salads
8.bbq-ing
9.late summer nights
10.eating outside
11.park days
12.sunscreen
13.fireworks
14.beach days
15.outings to the zoo
16.water skiing
17.boating
18.camping
19.road trips
20.relaxing schedule
Welcome to summer! Woohoo!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER
The title of this post is somewhat misleading. School is out for summer, but only for Kaylee. Today was her last day of preschool. Can you believe that we are in the middle of June and Jacob still has one week of school left to go? We can thank an unusually heavy snowfall in winter for 3 school make up days.
Kaylee grew leaps and bounds this year. Our family loves Mrs. Spencer & Our World 2 Discover Preschool. In fact, she is such a popular teacher that I already have Landon (18 months) on the waiting list for her 3 year old class. She provides such a wonderful environment which encourages autonomy & discovery while promoting high expectations and fun. Each of my children has adored Margaret & can hardly stand the summer break without her.
After preschool today, Mimi and her adorable daughter Ellie hosted an end-of-the-year summer splash. The kids from the preschool had an absolute blast playing in the backyard in the kiddie pool and on the water slide. There were great snacks and refreshing treats. It was the perfect way to end a great school year & kick off the summer.
Monday, June 8, 2009
I Love to See the Temple
A week ago Saturday, our children were invited to attend a special Primary (the organization for children in our church) activity at the grounds of the Seattle Temple. It was a gorgeous day. The kids were invited to walk around the grounds and learn about why temples are sacred and important in our faith. At the conclusion of their tour, they were able to sit quietly in the waiting area just inside the temple doors and hear some special words from one of the temple workers who explained to the children that the temple, is the "House of the Lord". I was reminded of how important the temple is to us as members of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, & that the work that is done inside allows us to be sealed as families, not just for time, but for all eternity. I reflected on my own marriage in the Salt Lake City, UT temple and how grateful I am that my marriage is eternal & my family relationships can be forever.
*If you are not of our faith, but are interested in learning about why temples are such an important part of our religion, click HERE .
Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about the temple:
What is the purpose of the temple? To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the temple is the "House of the Lord." It is a sacred building, and after its dedication only faithful members of the Church may enter. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellow man. In addition, they participate in religious ceremonies that reach beyond mortality, such as baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors and eternal marriage.
What is it like inside the temple? Many people are under the impression that the interior of a Latter-day Saint temple is like a great hall or cathedral. Actually, temples are made up of a number of rooms designed to accommodate certain functions such as marriages, baptisms and instructional sessions. Inside the temple, Church members change into simple, modest white clothing previous to performing their temple labors. The white temple clothing is symbolic of purity and reverence.
Will members of the public ever see the inside of the temple? Yes. After the temple is completed, there will be an organized open house (typically multiday) for the general public. During the open house, information will be provided to explain the different functions and ceremonies performed in the temple and answer questions. After the open house, the temple will be dedicated to the Lord and open only to worthy Church members.
What is the difference between a temple and a meetinghouse? Regular Sunday worship, instruction and other social and recreational activities occur in Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, or chapels. In temples, on the other hand, faithful members receive specific instruction about the purpose of life and their relationship to God. There they take part in family-oriented ordinances, both for themselves and in behalf of deceased ancestors. Sacred ordinances available only in temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
What will happen to the value of the property around the temple? As visible symbols of honor and reverence to God, Latter-day Saint temples are built using the finest craftsmanship and materials available. Further, they are beautifully landscaped and maintained. In all, they are designed to complement the community and enhance the environment.
