Another milestone

This year is going to be full of milestones...and that's awesome.  Today I turned in my application for Spring graduation.  Although on the surface it seems like another way for the University to charge me $20 to push papers around, it truly was a big deal to me.  So much so that I did a double-fist pump on my way out the door.  Go Vikings!

Wedding "I Spy"

Came across this wedding idea today that is so adorable.  You place these "I Spy" cards on the tables (different card for each table) with disposable cameras, and let the guests try to complete the photo list.  For some reason, my wedding keeps going down in expenses the more I plan.  Let's hope it stays on this track!

I  Spy

Help our photographer by using your

camera to complete the list!

Group photo of your table

Cutest Couple (not the bride and groom)

A Picnic Basket

Bride and Groom Eating

Children Playing

The Photographer taking a picture

Bride with Bridesmaids

Bride’s Bouquet

P.S.  Do they still make disposable cameras?

Under the Weather

We finally made it to the weekend!  I have been under the weather this week and I am so excited to kick off the weekend feeling better.  I decided to celebrate tonight with a much awaited purchase.  I got my rain boots!  And not too soon either as it was quite a rainy day.



Since it has been a week of sniffles and sore throats, I don't have much to share other than my various remedies.  I have been introduced to elderberry syrup as a cold remedy, and though I can't say for sure whether that made a difference, the day after I had a dose I felt much better.  I also drank Emergen-C and Airborne on a daily basis.  And on the last day of my sickness (yesterday) my body was craving greens.  I had a whole plate of kale and it was like I couldn't get enough.

Anyway, happy Friday readers!  And I hope the changing weather hasn't had its way with you!

Happy Fall

School is in full swing and the end of this week will be halfway through Fall quarter!  I went to the university library on Saturday to study Physics, so I got a rare glimpse of an empty campus.  The fall leaves are so beautiful right now, especially since it hasn't been raining!

A Little Faith

I need a little faith right now.  My thoughts have been churning for awhile since a certain group showed up to occupy two blocks of downtown Portland.  I don't want to acknowledge their name since they are not really a group that is one in purpose, but rather a collection of individuals who have decided to inhabit the city center for various reasons.  Unfortunately, the blocks they occupy are on my bus route, so they have successfully "occupied" a space in my thoughts, and this post is to help me let them go.

The reason I say I need a little faith is because I, too, want a world that is fair, but unlike many my age, I understand that the term "fair" carries a lot of weight, and can be used in many different contexts.  Is it "fair" to say you represent 99% when you are destroying parks that the 99% will have to pay to repair?  Is it "fair" to form an opinion on economic policy without so much as picking up an econ textbook?  Is it fair to interrupt my life with your protests, and close down the streets I use every day?

Hard work is not dead in this country.  We are not the young and the doomed.  There is so much more to learn, to invent.  However, it seems as though my generation will not be happy until we have regressed to the age of cavemen.  I need faith in my world, because I only have this one opportunity.  Dear mob, please get your butt in a classroom (even a public library would do) and out of my street.

I heart PSU!

Groceries are a Bummer

Groceries are a bummer!  If you want to think of them that way.  Sometimes I do...I look at the receipt and think, that could have been a new pair of shoes or that pair of jeans I have been lusting over.

That said, I have put a lot of effort to getting the grocery bill down over the last two years, so I wanted to share my "system" with my friends and family. :)

1. I make a list of everything that I keep in my house on a regular basis divided into categories...i.e. milk, eggs, cheese in the refrigerator category, rice, pasta in the pantry category, etc.  Before I go to the store, I use my list to identify the things that I am out of.

2. Never stray from the list!  (Except for specific recipes).  This also trims my waistline as extra junk food never ends up in my apartment.  I say extra because I consider microwave popcorn and a Hershey's bar as "things I keep in my house" but psychologically I know they're all I have so I eat them less often.

3. Get the Sunday paper and clip the coupons.  Ok...this one needs some justification.  Extreme Couponing has ruined doubling coupons forever because all the checkers are extra diligent now and don't allow doubling, so you won't save as much as that show might tell you.  However, by clipping coupons for only the things on my list, I save on average $5.00 every time I go to the grocery store.  I go to the store 2-3 times per week, and the weekly paper costs me $2.00 so I am saving $32.00-$52.00 each month.  I am a math nerd...I know.

4. Don't clip coupons for things that aren't on your list!  You'll just ended up buying more than you need to.  And don't get attached to your coupon.  Check the other brands to see if you are actually saving or if you have fallen into a trap to get you to buy a new product.  Sometimes I'll go to the store with 10 coupons and only use 5 because the store was running a promotion on a different brand.

5. Stock your house with stuff you'll actually like to eat.  Otherwise you'll eat out, and it may look like your grocery bill is smaller, but you're spending more on food in general.

6. My last two suggestions may not apply, but take them for what they're worth.  I use my Fred Meyer club card and I end up getting 10% back of all my purchases every three months in the form of a gift card.  I also use my Discover card only for groceries and pay it off each month so I get 5%-ish (I'm pretty sure this is a nominal rate so what I'm actually getting is much less) cash back there as well.

Phew!  So there it is.  I promise I'm not making a habit of instructional/suggestion-making posts.  I just thought I would pass on how I save all that dough!

Wedding Inspirations

I have somehow forced myself to have a weekend day today.  I have an Exam on Friday in Statistics so it makes it hard to justify no homework, but it has been so nice to have a day off.

I am in the daydreaming, guest-list making stage of my wedding planning, and I wanted to share my Inspiration Boards from Weddingwire.com.  I am definitely swaying somewhere between garden, shabby chic, and rustic.

Photos by: Captured Photography, Maggie Winters Photography, LookLoveSend.com, Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Chris & Jenn Photos

Photos by: XOXO BRIDE, Coto Valley Country Club, CJ's Off the Square, Enchanted Florist, Cramer Photography, Emily Grace Design, LGB Studio, Andi Grant Photography

Photos by: Events by Design, Rose Garden Flowers & Gifts, Inc., Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Advantage Bridal, Minted, Preferred Planning

Photos by: Jason+Gina Wedding Photographers, FreshIvey Photography, Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Captured Photography, TaDa Event Coordination, The Wedding Belle

Dishrags and a To Do List

For my birthday my Mom crocheted me these beautiful dish rags.  So far they are working out great and they look adorable in my kitchen!  I think they are going to save me some money on all those dish sponges we used to go through.

I am loving my iphone.  I feel so much more connected during the day.  I could even blog from it if I wanted to...but I'm not that on the go.  I did get the blogger app though so I can check up on others on my bus ride.  My favorite thing is that I have a running to do list on it.  Everyone that knows me knows I love to write things down.  I am just about to write up a grocery list on my phone (cannot explain to you how awesome this is!...especially since I insist on rearranging my list according to the layout of the store).  However, I know I still cannot survive without at least 5 notepads floating around my house.  And yes..I do make killer homemade granola bars.

P.S. I am determined that !... should be an official form of punctuation.  It solves a lot of my transition issues.

Catching Up

Realizing I am at risk for losing my entire readership (which is probably three at most!), I am postponing my sleepy eyelids for an overdue blog post.

Since I have had the pleasure of writing, I turned 25!  And with that big quarter-century birthday, I decided it was time to grow up and wear makeup.  Daniel got me the Bare Escentuals starter kit that I have been wanting, and I wore it all weekend to my numerous birthday/engagement celebrations in Salt Lake City (Thank you all for such a good time!)  So far, I love it.  I had no makeup lines and it just brightened up my look like it's supposed to.  I especially love that the shade of eyeshadow I got is called "cupcake".  During the week while I'm at school or nannying, I still only throw on mascara and a little blush.

Speaking of my fabulous weekend in SLC!...Not to overshadow how amazing it was to see every member of my family, and enjoy D's parents meeting my fam, I still have to say I get so tickled about seeing my nieces and nephews.  I got my nieces a new book to celebrate their new twin brothers, and made the mistake of giving a 3-year-old and a 2-year-old lip gloss.  I'm pretty sure they have eaten all of it by now.



Daniel and I also took our parents on another visit to our wedding venue (His parents' first time, our second).  Here are a few pictures I took of the house and the surrounding yard.  It's getting harder and harder not to think about the wedding!

In other news, this is the dress I am thinking of wearing to my best friend's wedding. (I love saying that!  You only get to say it once.)  I am so excited for her.  I got to spend a little time with her and her fiancee over the weekend and I can't wait until her wedding.



Lastly...drumroll please, I got an iphone4!!  I left my phone charger in SLC, and needed one in a pinch as I was on nanny duty.  As is always the case, it was a better deal to renew my plan and get the discounted upgrade, then it was to spend any more money on my ghetto phone.  I also couldn't resist decking it out in faux burberry.

Missing My Blog

Feeling badly that blogging has taken a backseat over the past few days.  But so have workout videos, piano, and even some homework.  I am in nanny mode right now and it is still new so I am learning to balance everything...can't wait for Thursday to have some "me" time.

Pocahontas

I am taking an American Women's History class at PSU and after spending all last week talking about what we were going to talk about this term, today we finally dove into the material, starting with Pocahontas.

I learned a few things about Pocahontas today.

1. The Disney movie is a gross misrepresentation of historical facts.

2. Chief Powhattan was trying to adopt John Smith as part of a greater plan to incorporate the Europeans into their tribe.  His perceved "torture" was a male initiation rite.  It was not strange for Pocahontas to intervene since in Powhattan society, it was under the women's jurisdiction to decide the fate of captives.

3. Pocahontas is a tribal nickname meaning "mischievous one".  She had other names...Matoaka meaning "White Feather", and Amonute meaning "Beloved Woman".

4. Powhattan means "People of the Dream Vision" and Pocahontas had shown that she had visionary gifts.  To her, her marriage to John Rolf and her baptism were part of fulfilling her destiny, since she had dreamed that she would do great things for her people.

5. The Europeans thought the Native Americans were savages, while the Natives viewed the Europeans as newcomers to be incorporated (until Europeans started killing them with disease and warfare).  Marriage of Native women to European men was a way of legitimizing and initiating the incorporation.

I am a little angry that Disney fed me such trash.  Because I thought I already knew about Pocahontas, I might have missed out on learning about a very dynamic person, one who has a much more complex life then what's "just around the riverbend".