My first stack of coupons!

Well, thanks to Dale's mom, I have a giant stack of coupons! There are even some coupons for dining out! I'm so excited to start on this track. I almost can't wait to go shopping. Totally crazy, right?

Now I'm off to find a coupon holder to contain all of these!

Countdown continues....

Dale starts school in a couple days! I'm still excited for him to start this new venture, but also a little apprehensive. Not apprehensive about school, or even how well Dale will do. I'm apprehensive about how we will sneak by on the bills.

I'm clipping coupons, and finding deals, still! I'm working on finding a coupon holder, though. One of my coworkers' wife apparently uses a baseball card holder. She has it organized to the store she shops at constantly. Each page is for a separate aisle and she has it all arranged so everything is easy to get to.

I just have to decide which store I'm going to plan to use. Kroger doubles coupons, but we will shortly have a credit card that can only be used at Meijer. Personally, I'd rather go to Meijer because I know the store better.

And the other day, Dale took back our bottle returns that have piled up and got $13! We really have just been letting them add up. So that's another couple dollars for groceries.

But the thought that keeps me upbeat about being broke for the next two years is that Dale will have a degree and be able to get a big kid job! I just have to keep on truckin'.

Woodward Weekend!!

On my drive to work tonight, I was fantastically reminded that this weekend is the Woodward Dream Cruise! I passed about 3 classics and then I realized that Woodward Avenue extends up to the area near my work.

For anyone who doesn't know, Woodward Dream Cruise is a GIANT, most awesome car show... that rolls. It is a huge collection of classics and muscle cars all in one place. Some rolling down the street, even! I mean, what good is a beautiful car, if it doesn't run?

I'm going to try to get a couple of my friends together to wander down to see all the shinies! This promises to be a gorgeous weekend!

My little world is better when...

One of the many things that make my day feel a little lighter is having the dishes all clean and put away. I don't have a dishwasher, so it all has to be done by hand.

It's all so redundant that I just can't stand it some days. And after making dinner (especially when we have people over) I really don't feel like cleaning dishes.

But tonight, Dale and I teamed up and defeated those dirty dishes. Than means I can sleep well when I get home in the morning. Yay!

If only I could make it happen

I have always had a problem with streetlights on rainy nights. The overhead lighting reflects off the rain on the windshield and blinds me.

I have a solution, someone who is much smarter should maybe execute it.

Make the lights turn off when there's more than a drizzle worth of rain.
Make the street lines glow, bioluminesce, or something along those lines.

It sounds so simple... sadly, it isn't. But I think it would work! You wouldn't be blinded by the lights in the rain, but you could still see the lines.

Yay for shiny electronics!

So now Dale and I have a new netbook! Why would we spend money on that when we have the desktop at home? Well, Dale is going back to school!

Two weeks from today he will be starting classes for the "Mechatronics" program at the community college. This program incorporates mechanics, pneumatics, and electronics into a bundle and teaches you how to work on the robots in manufacturing plants.

When we were trying to find a program that might interest him he had mentioned each of these things individually as things he would like to learn more about. When he was telling me the classes involved in this program, I just couldn't believe that all of these were in one program and it all just sounded perfect!

As I know how hard it is to make the leap of faith and make school a priority over a job you already have, I have made sure to remind him that I will help as much as possible. I got him this netbook as a congratulatory gift for going back to school. I know he will do well, and I'm proud of him for making this step.

Etiquette, people!

I cannot abide rude people! It is often something as simple as "please" and "thank you" that makes any personal encounter pleasant. All too often these simple things are completely overlooked or disregarded entirely.

I've worked in customer service for more than a decade and I can tell you that the more pleasant you are to work with, the more likely I am to go further to help you. If you act like you are better than me, I will not be inclined to bring you to my level.

I was pleasantly surprised at Wal-Mart today when I asked a lady where to find something. She addressed me directly, looked me in the eye and told me where I could find what I was looking for and that if I still couldn't find it she'd still be there and she could walk me to it. I wasn't expecting this because so often, encounters like this are not the way it normally goes.

In my personal life as well as my professional life, I try to be as courteous as possible. I always say "please" and "thank you." I hold doors for people when I can and always try to help people to the best of my abilities.

Rarely has common courtesy been unappreciated, but, sadly, it is no longer 'common' in today's society. So sad.

Photography

So as my sister and I both take a ton of pictures, I was thinking that maybe we might post some up somewhere and sell them. I've been looking for a website to utilize for this and all I seem to run into are sites for stock photography. Our photos don't often end up as stock photography, so it seems like I will have to continue digging.

Just so you know, 'stock photography' is comprised of images that can be used for many different advertising routes. When you pass that billboard with a chair and umbrella situated on a beach, that image is a stock image. They have no discernible brands identified and can be used for multiple purposes.

I definitely don't ever intend to become a millionaire by selling photos, but I would like to share them and getting paid for my time and work is always a good thing. I'm just apprehensive at this point. I don't want my images to get stolen, but I do want them to be seen by the world.

I'll have to do more research and talk this all over with my sister, but I'm pretty excited about this prospect! She's looking for a way to make more money and as a new job would be the best route, she is looking into all possible avenues. She has been going to school for journalism, but likes to write short stories rather than articles. Wish her luck finding a big-kid job!

Leader Dogs...

The other day in my wanderings I happened to drive by a place called "Leader Dogs" and noticed that their sign advertised a need for volunteers. That piqued my interest and I went to their website.

After looking through the open volunteer opportunities, I concluded that my best match would be a Puppy Care Assistant.
"Puppy Care Assistants volunteer one 3 hour shift each week to provide care, socialization, and exercise to both adult dogs and puppies. This includes walking, grooming, set-up of puppy pens, general clean-up, laundry, and feeding as directed. This is a physical, dirty job."
I think this would be a lot of fun and a great way to help a great cause. I miss having a dog of my own and this would give me the chance to be around dogs every week. It would also let me feel like I'm making an impact in the great, wide world.

And I have a bit of experience socializing pups as my aunt breeds, raises, and shows poodles. It is quite fun to approach a pen full of dogs that are excited to see you and just want to play and hang out with you.

I will have to work out the scheduling to work with both of my jobs, but I think it would be so much fun and rewarding.

So many RSVPs!

So this summer is already shaping up to be a busy one! Too bad my main events are in Ohio.

This past weekend included a family reunion, a Birthday / Housewarming party for my friend Alex, going to see Harry Potter with some of my cousins, and kidnapping Miss Jessey and Bella to go see Brigid's Cross in the park. It was a totally rockin' weekend! Bella even got close to attacking Paulie of Brigid's Cross. Peggy thought that it would have been hilarious. (Peggy and Paulie make up the band, Brigid's Cross.)

Next weekend will be Alex's surprise bridal shower (SHH! Don't tell!) The I'll have Alex's wedding to go to and then in October I have Erika's wedding to attend... I have to be at that one because I am a bridesmaid! I'm totally looking forward to the weddings as I often have a blast and my dress for Erika's wedding is adorable!

I have finally sent in my RSVPs for the wedding events and now it's just waiting...