Check out this list from the most recent AARP magazine on the top places to live the simple life. They ranked all sorts of criteria such as traffic congestion, affordability, educational opportunities, stress index, health, etc. Here's how they chose their top cities and below you will find those cities:
1. Tucson, AZ
2. Greenville, SC
3. Montpelier, VT
4. Logan, UT
5. Ames, IA
6. Northampton, MA
7. Lexington/Fayette, KY
8. Texas Hill Country, TX
9. Oxford, MS
10. Walla Walla, WA
If you're over 50, our area is a place for you to live a simple life. If you're not over 50, you still might be able to live a simple life. Come and visit and check it out.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Anniversary Recap
The 23rd of July marked our 4th wedding anniversary, which doesn't seem like that long of a time to be married, but this summer also marks 10 years since we first met. That seems like a long time. We didn't really have any big plans to celebrate since we had just returned from a week away in Minnesota and were getting ready for company this weekend.
Thanks to Scott's parents (who sent us a date night for our anniversary), we were able to have a fun-filled day. We started out by meeting at Starbucks in the afternoon for a drink and a break from work for Scott. Later that evening we stopped by the mall to pick up a free sample of Estee Lauder makeup they were giving away that day only, and were entered into a drawing for opera tickets and more prizes. We had a great meal at Olive Garden for dinner (thanks again to Scott's parents!) and then went back to Starbucks for cheap smoothies for dessert (since it was after 2:00 and we had our same receipt from earlier in the day, we got them half off).
Then we picked up a movie and returned to the mall for the prize drawing, since you had to be present to win. For some reason, we both felt like we had a good chance at the prize. The funny thing is out of all of the women who were at the free sample event, only 2 of us returned for the prize drawing! And...there were 2 prizes! We didn't win the first prize of the opera tickets, but we did win the 2nd prize...a huge basket full of goodies valued at about $200!
Then we picked up a movie and returned to the mall for the prize drawing, since you had to be present to win. For some reason, we both felt like we had a good chance at the prize. The funny thing is out of all of the women who were at the free sample event, only 2 of us returned for the prize drawing! And...there were 2 prizes! We didn't win the first prize of the opera tickets, but we did win the 2nd prize...a huge basket full of goodies valued at about $200!
There were lots of fun makeup items for me and Valentino fragrances for both Scott and I. We wouldn't normally spend that kind of money on perfume and cologne, so it was a fun gift to win. After the fun of winning, it was back home for our movie, popcorn, and other treats. Scott let me pick "Kung Fu Panda" to watch, and we both enjoyed it a lot.
Lately we haven't taken the time to plan date nights, so this was a really fun evening out together. And since it was a gift, it was free to us- even better yet! It makes me appreciate all of the time we are able to spend together and I am so blessed by the companionship of my husband. What a great gift to have 4 years of marriage together. Here's hoping to many, many more together!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Gas Price Woes
Why is it that the price of gas can vary so much from one place to another? We just returned from our summer travel to visit one set of parents. This summer it was my family in Minnesota. We had a great week catching up with family and friends. Since we were driving all over the Twin Cities, we noticed the price of gas, and everywhere we drove, gas was cheap compared with what we've been paying here.
I thought perhaps the price would be lower when we returned home, but no such luck. We are currently paying $2.57 a gallon for 85 Octane. When we were in Minnesota we saw gas for $2.18 a gallon for 87 Octane. I don't understand the difference in the lowest level of Octane available in states and I really don't understand the difference in price. If we wanted the same quality of gas here, we would have to pay $2.67 a gallon.
What is everyone else paying around the US? I'm lead to believe we are on the higher end of gas prices for a lower quality of gas. That really stinks!
I thought perhaps the price would be lower when we returned home, but no such luck. We are currently paying $2.57 a gallon for 85 Octane. When we were in Minnesota we saw gas for $2.18 a gallon for 87 Octane. I don't understand the difference in the lowest level of Octane available in states and I really don't understand the difference in price. If we wanted the same quality of gas here, we would have to pay $2.67 a gallon.
What is everyone else paying around the US? I'm lead to believe we are on the higher end of gas prices for a lower quality of gas. That really stinks!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Washing the...IPod???
The other day, I had something interesting happen. Sunday is the typical day where we wash our laundry, and I was the one doing it. We separated our clothes into the various loads, and I began my usual routine of washing. Only, this particular load of laundry was going to bring something new to pass.
Sunday evening is also the time when I hold my softball team's practice, so I had headed over to the field, leaving a load in both the washer and the dryer, to finish up when I returned home. However, while I was there, I heard my cell phone ring a couple of times. As is usual for me, I waited until practice was over to see who had tried to call. It was Carrie. I called her back, and she told me she had something to tell me when I got home. So I rushed home, and walked in the door, and guess what she showed me?
Yes, I had left my iPod in the pocket of my shorts. It had gone through the whole wash cycle, and looking closely, you could see the little pocket of water under the screen. My treasured iPod, suffering in the deluge of the washer, and my music for running, seemed to be gone forever.
However, Carrie had done some investigative work for me. She had looked up several solutions for people who had suffered from wet iPods. Most of the solutions simply said to let it dry out for several days, and many of them had been as good as new. So we set aside my iPod for almost a full week to give it time to dry out.
Yesterday, I held my breath, plugged in my headphones, and viola, a working iPod once again. You can imagine the sense of relief (especially at not having to spend the money to buy a new one!!!). It has been working as well as before. Needless to say, from now on, I will be checking my pockets closely before anything goes in the washer!
Sunday evening is also the time when I hold my softball team's practice, so I had headed over to the field, leaving a load in both the washer and the dryer, to finish up when I returned home. However, while I was there, I heard my cell phone ring a couple of times. As is usual for me, I waited until practice was over to see who had tried to call. It was Carrie. I called her back, and she told me she had something to tell me when I got home. So I rushed home, and walked in the door, and guess what she showed me?
Yes, I had left my iPod in the pocket of my shorts. It had gone through the whole wash cycle, and looking closely, you could see the little pocket of water under the screen. My treasured iPod, suffering in the deluge of the washer, and my music for running, seemed to be gone forever.
However, Carrie had done some investigative work for me. She had looked up several solutions for people who had suffered from wet iPods. Most of the solutions simply said to let it dry out for several days, and many of them had been as good as new. So we set aside my iPod for almost a full week to give it time to dry out.
Yesterday, I held my breath, plugged in my headphones, and viola, a working iPod once again. You can imagine the sense of relief (especially at not having to spend the money to buy a new one!!!). It has been working as well as before. Needless to say, from now on, I will be checking my pockets closely before anything goes in the washer!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Creating Hope for Others
Hope. It's such a full word. It carries the thought that there is something better ahead, and that the something better is actually possible. For both Carrie and I, this is a firm belief that we have, not just during our lives in this world, but for what lies beyond our life here.
Having worked with a number of people who face various illnesses and challenges in life, I can truly say that hope is what gives them a reason to continue to push forward. This past weekend, our church sponsored a team with the purpose of giving hope to those who suffer from cancer, as we participated in the Relay For Life.
The young lady who was our team coordinator did a fantastic job of lining up people to walk for the entire time of the relay (25 hours!) as well as leading a few efforts to raise money for Cancer research and awareness. She also was selling our team T-shirts, which looked like this (front and back view side by side).
Usually I won't willingly wear a shirt that tells me to do something like a girl, but when it comes to giving hope to the many people of the world who suffer from cancer, then I will be glad to "Fight like a girl."
I encourage you to find some way during the rest of this year to also create and bring hope to someone who could really use a good dose of it.
Having worked with a number of people who face various illnesses and challenges in life, I can truly say that hope is what gives them a reason to continue to push forward. This past weekend, our church sponsored a team with the purpose of giving hope to those who suffer from cancer, as we participated in the Relay For Life.
The young lady who was our team coordinator did a fantastic job of lining up people to walk for the entire time of the relay (25 hours!) as well as leading a few efforts to raise money for Cancer research and awareness. She also was selling our team T-shirts, which looked like this (front and back view side by side).
Usually I won't willingly wear a shirt that tells me to do something like a girl, but when it comes to giving hope to the many people of the world who suffer from cancer, then I will be glad to "Fight like a girl."
I encourage you to find some way during the rest of this year to also create and bring hope to someone who could really use a good dose of it.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Green Grocery Bag Fad
Lately we've noticed a bit of a fad going on around town. Perhaps the same is true in your town. People are going crazy for green, re-useable grocery bags.
Here's a sampling of those that we've received free in the last month. The white one is from a free home decorating seminar I went to. The blue one Scott received from district convention. The black ones are from our local grocery store. Scott got one free from his cholesterol study and I received one free for designing a bag online. Scott got the green one from somewhere, but he can't remember where.
The best part of all of the free bags? We have so many of them that we can each keep some in our car and then easily remember to bring them into the grocery store and receive .05 off our order for each bag we use. We're saving money and helping the planet by not using more plastic bags.
Here's a sampling of those that we've received free in the last month. The white one is from a free home decorating seminar I went to. The blue one Scott received from district convention. The black ones are from our local grocery store. Scott got one free from his cholesterol study and I received one free for designing a bag online. Scott got the green one from somewhere, but he can't remember where.The best part of all of the free bags? We have so many of them that we can each keep some in our car and then easily remember to bring them into the grocery store and receive .05 off our order for each bag we use. We're saving money and helping the planet by not using more plastic bags.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Our Blog-o-versary
Happy blog-o-versary to us! Today marks one year since we entered the blogging world. Remember this? It was our very first post. Since that time, we've posted 107 times, or an average of once every 3-3.5 days. Just think...that's 107 glimpses into our lives that you may not have had without this blog. We think it was a wise move to start one, but now we're just waiting for more of our families and friends to start a blog, so we can all stay better connected.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
We hope you are all enjoying the 4th of July. It's been a pretty low-key day for us, which is nice. We watched the fireworks last night in our town as they always do them before the 4th and never on the 4th. Don't ask. I don't understand it. We enjoyed a meal with friends today as well.
On a completely different note, it's hay baling time here in town. Look at how beautiful the hay looks in the field with the mountains. I love landscape beauty.
And this was a new sight to us- hay bales Stonehenge style.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Phytosterol Study Part One: Complete!!!
This past Wednesday marked the end of my first three-week phase of my phytosterol study. After three weeks of eating nothing but the provided menu, I was ready to get some other food in me. So Thursday, after my morning blood draw and stool sample collection, Carrie and I headed to a burger place for a nice, juicy hamburger. It was so delicious.
In addition to receiving all of my food for the past three weeks, I received a $100 check when I went in for my blood draw. But that's not all the good stuff. Check out this styling lunchbox they gave me, which they would fill each day with my lunch when I showed up for breakfast.
Now that round one is done, I'm off the study for the next few weeks. My second three-week session starts up again at the end of July. Needless to say, I will probably have a few meals in between that add to my LDL cholesterol count again. Gotta give them something to work on, after all!
In addition to receiving all of my food for the past three weeks, I received a $100 check when I went in for my blood draw. But that's not all the good stuff. Check out this styling lunchbox they gave me, which they would fill each day with my lunch when I showed up for breakfast.
Now that round one is done, I'm off the study for the next few weeks. My second three-week session starts up again at the end of July. Needless to say, I will probably have a few meals in between that add to my LDL cholesterol count again. Gotta give them something to work on, after all!
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