you know i love a deal

Y'all know I'm really money conscious or thrifty....ok, I'm just cheap. I still like nice things, places and experiences, I'm just not really wanting to pay retail. And since I didn't marry for money, this girl is always looking for a sale.

Which is why I love restaurant.com and searching for discount codes online. Those two things combined earned me a $25 gift certificate for $3 (for The Wine Loft). The $25 certificate was on sale for $10. Then, I entered the code "spork" that I'd found online. Its an additional 70% off.

Now, the real dilemma is here.....who am I taking with me??

leadership

I know that stuff comes up and Young Life leaders sometimes can't make it to Leadership. Midterms, sick kids, car trouble....all good reasons why it'd be tough to make it to leadership.

But then you miss the food, the fellowship, the teaching.....and the Vespa Rides. What? You didn't know about the free Vespa rides? Oh, maybe we should have mentioned that.

are you ready to rock 'n roll?

So, after reading about Blair and Allison's adventures in Virginia Beach are you so ready to sign up for a race???

Here's the remaining line-up for 2010:
Philadelphia 1/2 marathon: 9/19/2010
San Jose 1/2 marathon: 10/3/2010
Denver Full and 1/2 marathons: 10/17/2010
Los Angeles 1/2 marathon: 10/24/2010
San Antonio Full and 1/2 marathons: 11/14/2010
Las Vegas Full and 1/2 marathons: 12/5/10

The races run about $85-$100......BUT, y'all know I'm the queen of cheap! I just got a participant code (from running this past weekend) to get $10 off an event. Hey, its not much, but you're free to use my code if you like! Head on over to http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/register and use the code CHIS10.

Hit the road friends!!

Viginia Beach Photo Explosion

Allison and I had so much fun our our Labor Day girls weekend and Half-Marathon. I tried to just find a couple of pictures to share....but I couldn't really narrow it down. Enjoy!

Stop#1: Pre-Race Expo. So much free stuff and perfect photo opps. Couldn't help ourselves!

made a card for amy at the team determination tent

had our race fortunes told by this kind of creepy guy

some of our favorite shirts:

Stop #2: carbo loading. After the expo we headed over to Bella Pizza. Yum. My mouth is watering remembering the deliciousness. Yes, we did get separate pizzas. No, we didn't eat them all....but I tried.

Stop #3: Race Day! We got up at 4:30. Yikes, that's still disturbing. We got to the starting line, in the pitch dark, and managed to get a few photos in before storing out gear bags and shuffling into our corral (while snacking on Mike & Ike's, my latest obsession and pre-race favorite!)

we finished on the boardwalk. with the other 26,000 runners.
two popsicles, one bottle of water and a fruit cup later we were recovering
such a fun run

stop 4: 7-11. We saw the dang convenience stores everywhere. Its like the slushie machine was a siren calling out to us.....so we answered (duh!) ps, check out Allison's new t-shirt; i got one too!

Then we got back in the car for the 6.5 hour trip home. It was the first time that I'd ever run a race in a different city and made a whole trip out of it. Its my new favorite way to travel for sure! It was this perfect mix of a half-marathon, lounging by the pool, shopping, eating, exploring and giggling with an old friend. We're already starting to plan the next trip. Anyone know of a good race in a cool city???

the race that almost wasn't

This past weekend I ran the Virginia Beach Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. Only, I almost didn't even make it out of Shelby.

I was so excited Friday night. Allison and I were going to have so much fun on girls-weekend-getaway-slash-half-marathon-extravaganza. I was laying out my outfits (for running and cute-non-running times) when it happened. I picked up my empty suitcase and proceeded to flail to the ground. I'd pulled a muscle in my lower back.

So there I was: sitting on the floor (very still of course) crying about my ruined labor day weekend race plans. I called my doctor (you can do that in a small town on a Friday night and actually get your doctor on his cell phone........or maybe that's just because he's my friend) and he helped me out. Two doses of mild muscle relaxers, a heating pad and lots of sitting still later i was healed.

I kind of felt like a wimp, both for hurting my back with an empty suitcase and for getting so upset about something so obviously trivial as a half-marathon. But after giving myself a stern talking-to about what's actually worth getting upset about, I let myself enjoy the weekend and upcoming race.

I'm so glad to have good friends; they help me out with life. So thanks friends, for all you do to help keep this crazy girl in place and on track.

rock n' roll folks
(yes, this photo was taken at 5:30am)

what's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

What's in a name? Better yet, what's in name brand? Let's take clothes for example: perhaps better materials, more precise measurements, more flattering fit and even reputation. But is it always worth it to spend more money for that label?

I've certainly been this girl before. I used to hate shopping on the sale rack and sifting through the completely disorganized racks at TJ Maxx. But gone are the days of limitless shopping (or just daddy's credit card) and here-to-stay are the days of thrift stores and good friends leftovers (still love those Citizens jeans Holly!)

My heart skips a beat when I find a great label at a discount store like TJ Maxx, Rugged Wearhouse or even Goodwill. I can no longer go to Asheville, NC without finding something awesome at their Goodwill Outlet. Yes, Outlet. Its all the stuff that isn't really sorted. It just sits in bins...you dig through it (with gloves people, this place is nasty)...and then you pay based on how much your items weigh. Its like a Chinese lunch buffet, only with used clothing.

Over the summer I found the coolest vintage Patagonia fleece vest for Josh. And it was a measly $0.70. I couldn't believe it. Washed and dried the vest a couple of times and now its perfect!

So, this past weekend, my friend Holly and I decided to spend some time at the outlet. We were beginning to get a little discouraged. Where were the cute lamps? What about the designer jackets we'd seen? And then I saw it...peaking out from a particularly packed bin:

be.still.my.heart.

seriously, dior? at the goodwill? what?!?!?!?!
what had i found? a dress? a shirt? something fabulous please!
the vintage print was amazing...i knew i'd stumbled onto something big.

that is...i thought i'd found something amazing until holly held it up for me.

who knew that Dior made moo-moos?

No, even though I'm a recovering label-addict, I did not buy the Dior moo-moo/housecoat. Of well, better luck next time, right?

steal of a deal

Oh Rugged Wearhouse, you are amazing. How you can pull off carrying both Anthropoligie and Apple Bottom I may never know (or understand.) But I applaud you. You have once again surpassed my expectations.

Check out this perfect-back-to-prep-school-cute-as-english-style top. Love it.

But what I love the most is the shock of the retail to rugged pricing: