Awesome Books I Read Recently

Looking for something good? I like these:

• Edge of Apocalypse by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall (sweet action/adventure fiction that makes you think)
• Broken Things to Mend by Jeffrey R. Holland (compiled from recent addresses, this one is INCREDIBLE!)
• Before My Heart Stops by Paul Cardall (created from his blog posts while waiting for a heart transplant)

And next on my reading queue:

• Snow Rising by Matt Baldwin
• What the Scriptures Teach Us About Prosperity by S. Michael Wilcox

Can you believe it?!

Yes, it has been verging on forever since I last posted. I guess I was waiting for something incredible to write about. Well, that has arrived: I got a new job! I am now employed at Deseret Book in Lake Oswego. I love it. I have become a major reader recently and this is the perfect fit for me. Unfortunately, this means I will no longer be nanny to the sweet little girl that I have been watching roughly 30 hours a week since last January. However, this is a pay increase and a great environment of positive co-workers and happy customers. Are you as excited as I am?! Probably not.


Just thought I finally had something worth sharing. :) 

Happy Birthday!!!

Did you know you can get all kinds of great things for free when it's your birthday? Well... I'm experiencing it this week. My birthday is officially not until Monday (yes, you still have time to get me something) but a lot of things you can sign up and receive the coupon in your e-mail. Most of the coupons can be used anytime near your birthday--it doesn't have to be redeemed on your birthday. That would just be too much. Wait, what am I saying?! That would be crazy fun if you have the time and appetite for it.

Now you are probably thinking, I don't want to sign up and get a bunch of junk in my inbox. Personally, I don't mind. I sign up, get my coupons, and then unsubscribe from everything. But if that is too much work for you, would it be easier to just set up a free e-mail account specifically for things like that? Go for it.

So what are some things you can get for free for your birthday? Just let me tell you some of my favorites!

• Red Robin - free gourmet burger, plus they give you a free ice cream sundae if you let them sing to you while you have balloons on your ears. I did this yesterday, so let me demonstrate with a photo:
• Cold Stone - free Like It size creation (ice cream with one mix-in) in a dish.
• Famous Dave's BBQ - anything from a free dessert to a free All-American feast. Sign up for their P.I.G. club and take your e-mail with prize code to redeem. My code was for a full slab of ribs, $22.99 value. It is 12 bones and comes with cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, and your choice of two sides. Eric and I split this tonight and we both were filled to the brim.



I can't believe this was all FREE!

• Jack in the Box - free dessert, but it is only valid on your birthday.
• Denny's - free Grand Slam.
• Dairy Queen - free blizzard. This one isn't quite as sweet a deal as the others because it really is just a BOGO coupon, but I happen to have a soft spot for the Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard (Oreos instead of pecans, of course).
• Baskin Robbins - one free scoop. Yes, you can never have too much free ice cream on your birthday.

Well, I think that's all I signed up for. I'm making my 24th birthday one to remember. After all, I will only be a child for so much longer. Eric's birthday is only a few weeks away and we will do this all over again! But he's turning the big 2-5 (not so much a child, but still a little bit). Birthdays are so thrilling. Cheers to all!

Celebrate!

So I just have to follow up that post about Value Village with an exciting announcement. I have been dying to get a running skirt at a good price and I found one last week! I was too excited and I wanted it too badly to wait for it to get even cheaper and/or risk being snatched up by someone else. So I bought it for $4.99. Not bad for Nike, right? Woohoo! I love it! Wanna hear the best part? You know you do. The tag labeled it as a size 3/4. Fits great. Yippee!

What Can You Get for 99¢?

I don't know about you, but I can get the following awesome things for 99¢

These sweet-o black heels that look brand new and fit me perfectly! They are super comfy and allowed me to donate two old pairs of black heels that I was tired of wearing. Incredible find, right? But still not as great as the next one...

First I have to mention that this shirt was FREE from the world's sweetest neighbor. Remember her? She works at Nike and got me samples--this summery t-shirt that is actually nice and long AND a pair of running shoes that I am in love with! Now these gorgeous jeans here are what I found for 99¢. I adore the fit. They show off my trimmed down physique and make me feel super skinny. I had to hike up the Nike shirt just to show off the jeans. ;)

Where do I find these cheap treasures? Value Village. On Mondays they do the 99¢ deal. Just find items with the right color tag!

World's Sweetest Neighbor

In my amazing little duplex world I have the best neighbor ever. Wonder why? Well, she is great for lots of reasons. Not only is she a single mother of a son with Asberger's Syndrome, but she is also an author. She's working on getting her first book published this summer. Another great quality about her is that she works at Nike and has offered to snag me some samples of running shoes (they happen to come in my size). And finally, the one thing that makes her the SWEETEST neighbor is that she has an excellent strawberry patch in her backyard and has offered that I can come pick to my heart's content and enjoy the strawberry season to the fullest extent. So she is someone to appreciate for sure. Brook, you rock!

Race Results

For those of you who would like to know about my race, head on over to The Skinny and check out my latest post (or just CLICK HERE).