cartwheel

I may be late to the game on this but have you heard of the Cartwheel app for Target?

I've seen that Walmart savings catcher app advertised on TV.  The one where you scan your Walmart receipt and if the app finds a cheaper advertised price at a different store, you get a credit for the difference to spend at Walmart.  I thought it was a cool idea and then my sister posted on Facebook that she used it and has some true savings.

Well - I don't shop at Walmart so it was not an app that I could use.

Then I was reading a blog the other day and the writer is a saver...she's very frugal.  She mentioned that she saved money at Target with her Cartwheel app.  What?!?!?  I do shop at Target so I researched the app asap.  Basically, it's an app that has various coupons, you add coupons to your list of coupons(I think you can add 10 coupons to start), then you just scan the app at checkout and it applies all your coupons.  The other cool feature is that you can scan your items with your phone in the store prior to purchase and it will tell you if there is a coupon available.  Mike and I went to Target the other day and I tried it out.  I scanned each of the items we we planning to purchase and one came up as having a coupon(our milk).  I think Mike was a little annoyed that I had to scan each of our purchases with my phone but I find great pleasure in using coupons and saving a little money so it was worth it to me.

So, I've saved a total of 18 cents with the app so far.  :)  Hey, 18 cents is 18 cents people!

In other news, Mike took the day off yesterday and made me new raised garden beds.  Yay!  They are absolutely beautiful!  They aren't totally installed yet but I love them so far.  I'll post pictures once they are done.

actually, it's Kiiirrrrsten

I've struggled my entire life with people pronouncing my name incorrectly.  Generally, I don't care that much especially if I'm meeting someone new.  I'm sure I say my name fast so they may hear Kristen or Kiersten.  Depending on the crowd, I usually emphasize the Kiirrrr part.  I also realize the spelling of my name can lead to a couple different pronunciations so I get it. 

There are a couple situation that can wear on me occasionally:

1) We are friends and you still call me be a different name.  By saying my name wrong constantly, it almost feels like you are indirectly trying to tell me I'm pronouncing my own name wrong.  Do you really not know how to pronounce it after I've corrected you numerous times?  I'm relatively certain I know how to pronounce my own name.

2) Spelling my name wrong in emails when the correct spelling is right in front of you.  This generally happens more at work.  I realize people are not doing it on purpose but my name is right there in front of you so all you have to do is copy the name. 

For the record, it's Kiiirrrsten.  It's ok if you slip up and say the wrong name occasionally or occasionally spell it wrong in an email(frankly, sometimes I even type the 'r' before the 'i' in emails) but maybe we should all take extra care and an extra second to listen to or read/write names properly.

missing my favorites

Usually around the time I've finalized my plans for a trip back to Nebraska, I start missing my Nebraska people A LOT!  I remember when we first moved away from Nebraska thinking to myself, "Well I'm going to miss my friends but I'm sure I'll find new friends to replace those relationships I'm leaving behind."  I hope you see all the issues with that thought process but that's truly what I thought.

Well, that actually doesn't happen and now I realize I don't want or need that to happen.  Let's take "family" first...well, I knew I would never replace my family but I definitely value and appreciate the time I have with my family.  I hate to brag but I have a pretty amazing family and I truly enjoy hanging out with them.  No really, I could go back to NE and only see my family and be content because they are my best friends!  We laugh, we cry, we argue but they are amazing.

Moving onto non-family friends - I have a few incredible one's in Nebraska that should not and will never be replaced.  When I moved away from Nebraska, I did eventually realize that there are some friendships could not be maintained due to proximity...and that's ok!  I slowly drifted away from those friends(or became more like acquaintances and that's also ok).  But I have a few friends that I tear up when I think about because I miss them so much.  Even being 13 hours away, they are always there for me.  We have so much fun when we're together!  I never feel judged by them and they accept everything about me...the good, the bad, & the ugly.  They make me feel like I'm a valuable friend and I hope I make them feel the same.

So - I'm over the thought process of "finding new friends to replace those relationships."  I have some lovely friends here in NM but, by design, those relationships really can't ever be the same as my NE faves. What I mean "by design" is that my local relationships don't have the history, haven't seen how I've changed and grown as a person, haven't experienced any of my milestone's as a teen/young adult...new friendships and relationships have to start from square one and build from there...so we're building and that's cool!

Ugh - but I sure do miss my Nebraska people!!  Can't wait to see you all soon.

support your National parks!

In early September, we took a trip to Moab, UT for a mountain bike trip on the White Rim trail.  You may recall that we did a similar trip in March of 2013 and you can refresh your memory by this post if you'd like.  I made it the entire 80'ish miles...and not to brag but Mike didn't even finish the last mile(which is a huge & long incline out of the canyon).  In his defense, he was having major knee issues but still, I felt like a rock star for making it the entire way!  I teared up at the end when I finished that last climb.

We drove up Sunday and spent Sunday afternoon in Arches National Park.  It was quite hot and I was astonished at how ill-prepared people were.  A 16 oz bottle of water isn't going to cut it folks.

Delicate Arch

 Windows Arch

 Double Arch

 And we descended into a rainy canyon(Canyonlands National Park) on Monday morning.

 Snack break - there were many, many snack breaks.

 The views are breath-taking!

 Suited up for a little rain.

 I mean...can you even stand this view - it's just incredible!

 We climbed down into a slot canyon from the trail and relaxed in the shade for a bit.

 Support your national parks...they are pretty amazing!

 Our tent, our view the first night!  After 3 nights of setting up and tearing down camp, I was about done with that task.  We have some incredible sleeping pads so our sleep wasn't too bad.

 God's creation.  Just spectacular!

 Mike was usually in front of me so I never got a lot of pictures of him riding - this was the last day when his knee was shot so it was more my pace. (for the record, his knee is back to normal)

 We took a break and hiked up to a historic Native American grainery.(on the left side of pic)  Again - spectacular!

That little blue dot is me climbing and climbing and climbing.  There are about 4-5 major climbs.  They are relatively short-lived but they are intense.  My tactic was to ride as far as could up the climb until I basically fell over or starting sliding, then I'd walk to spot I could get back on my bike, ride as far as I could and repeat until I collapsed at the top of the climb.

A fantastic trip!  I could do this trip every year and be happy.  It's painful at times but the rewards of scenery and accomplishment are priceless!

a week and a half later

Well, a week and a half later and I'm blogging about how my hubs and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.  Awww - isn't that sweet? :)
In all honesty, both us would agree that it feels like much longer than 5 years. (in a good way, of course...I think) ;)  We have had a lot of adjusting over the past years and have had to rely on each other a lot with all the changes we've gone through.  Let me do a quick re-cap of our relationship for you:
1) We met on September 11th, 2004 in the Bricktop bar in Lincoln after a Nebraska football game.  I remember the exact shirt I wore, although I do not have that shirt anymore.
2) We went on our first date the next evening at Heidelbergs north.  I think it was just a few drinks and a lot of talking...a lot of talking by me, of course.  If you know Mike, he can be a pretty quiet person.
3) We broke up for about 4 months in early 2006(I think).  You can ask anyone that was close to me at the time...it was pretty devastating for me.  I assume Mike would agree that it was devastating. :)
4) Mike left for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center(FLETC) for 6 months in May 2008.
5) We got engaged on 8-8-2008 on a beach on Amelia Island, FL while I was visiting him at FLETC.  He picked out the ring(there's a funny story about the ring that maybe I'll tell at a later date) and I had no idea it was coming but both my parents did.
6) We moved to Laurel, MD in October 2008.
7) We got married September 18, 2009 in Ocean City, MD on the beach.
8) We moved to Santa Fe, NM in September 2010.
9) We celebrated 5 years of wedded craziness bliss on September 18, 2014.

Let me tell you - moving twice to places you know no one is scary and it forces you to lean on one another more than anything.  I think it's really helped us get closer in our relationship because you only have each other.  You do everything together, you make friends together, etc.

What are my words of wisdom as a wife of 5 years?
* Do things together and learn to love similar things.  Honestly, there are many things I'd never be "into" if it wasn't for Mike.  I'll try just about anything one time.  Cross country skiing though, once was definitely enough - I don't ever foresee myself doing that again.
* Be on the same page with money and spending.  Mike and I keep separate accounts and contribute a percent of our salary to our joint account each month.  This works for us and we've never ever had an argument about money and it gives us both a sense of "independence" with some of our money.
* Laugh together every darn day...like belly laughs laughing!
* Kiss each other like you mean it!
* I'm slowly learning that things aren't always equal and fair.  We've evolved into me cooking dinner 5 nights a week and Mike cooking two nights a week.  I would argue I do dishes more often but he could argue he does the laundry and all the vacuuming.  Things aren't always equal and fair but there is "give" on both sides.
* Pick your battles.  Does it matter that I cook more meals than him?  Nope.  Does it matter that he travels a lot for his job?  Yes!  So that is battle I'm going to "fight" and discuss with him.
* Speak to each other respectfully and enthusiastically.  Don't answer the phone with "What!?!"  Don't act like you're annoyed of him/her.
* Last but not least - after you've cooked dinner and he says it's good but he goes to the cupboard to get the Garlic Salt, that generally means the recipe is not a keeper.  (this is an ongoing joke we have)

I think this picture sums up our entire relationship pretty well.  I'm usually the 'Woohoo' and he's the 'It's cool.'  We even each other out pretty well.  He talks me off the ledge sometimes and I provide the energy for him sometimes.

Whew - longest post ever...

To celebrate our 5 years of marriage together, I made a mediocre dinner on Sept. 18th.  I tried to healthivise macaroni and cheese and it wasn't the greatest.(speaking of garlic salt...)  Then we both had the 19th off and hung out together all day.  We had a fabulous dinner at Papadeaux's in Albuquerque and then attended Wicked, the musical.  Wicked was incredible!  Then Mike took off the 20th and we did a scenic railroad trip on the Cumbres and Toltec railroad...it was a long day but train ride and scenery was incredibly beautiful!  Our celebration was lovely!

Leadership Santa Fe

Over the past 4 months or so, I've felt a little discouraged from a career perspective.  Although I enjoy my job, I've had a few "career-related" doors shut in my face over the past few months and let's be honest, no one likes to have a door shut on them.
Over the past month, things have taken a bit of a positive turn.  I was able to work from the Nebraska office, which is always rejuvenating, but the positivity continued with an email I received while I was on vacation last week.
I had applied for a program called Leadership Santa Fe a couple months ago but the program was full so I was put on a waiting list in case a spot opened up.  Unfortunately, the timing of not getting into the program was at the peak of 'doors being shut in my face' so I threw myself a pity party and decided I'd try again next year.  WELL...guess what...a spot opened up and I'm in!  Yay!

I'm excited to learn more about Santa Fe, be more involved in the community, meet new friends, network with local businesses, and hopefully come away with a sense on if and where I can utilize any of "my skills" in the community.

a milestone

My student loans are paid off.  Whew!  It feels like I'm officially an adult now.  :)  For those counting, I graduated college back in December 2002 so you can do the math on how long I've been paying them off.  And a bigger milestone - we are debt free(except for our house so I guess we're debt almost-free).  Again...I'm feeling like a grown-up now.

Joking aside, it does feel good to pay things off.  I always feel like I've lost a few pounds each time something is paid off.  My student loans, however, have been the item that I've paid on the longest so I feel it's quite a milestone.

My tips for managing your hard-earned cash ~>

• If you put it on a credit card, make sure you have the money to pay it off right away or within a few months.  People who put things are credit cards and only pay the minimum are crazy...you do realize you'll basically never get it paid off, right?  And probably will pay double, triple, to quadruple what the original price is.  Mike and I put everything on a credit card(for the cash back bonus) and pay it off every month.
• Have a direct transfer set up to your savings account.  I transfer money twice a month into my savings account and then I don't touch my savings.  
• Speaking of savings, make sure you have at minimum 6 months to 1 year of living expenses in case you come across hard times.  This may be $20,000, $40,000, or $100,000 depending on the person/couple but make sure you are making strides to get that amount save or already have that amount saved.  Frankly, it just gives you piece of mind and allows you to not think about or stress about money.
• Have a retirement savings plan.  Both Mike and I invest in our company retirement...I'm not sure if we have a perfect retirement 'plan' right now(other than travel the world) but we both have significant investments going toward retirement.
• Spread out bigger expenses, if possible.  For example...Mike and I travel fairly often and we are always looking at splitting up travel expenses when we can.  We're taking a Panama Canal cruise in early 2015 and we've already purchased our plane tickets but haven't booked the cruise or any excursions.  It's nice to spread out the expenses so we aren't paying for every piece of our trip at one time.
• I would say a budget is something you should have but honestly, we don't have a budget that we write down.  I suppose we keep an outline of our budget in our heads and know where we're spending money but we don't have anything written down. 
• If you're tight on money, don't buy stupid stuff. (skip the Starbucks, skip the candy, skip the eating out, skip the 12-pack of beer or pop, do you really need that shirt, etc)  When I had my house in Nebraska, things were pretty tight for me.  I would walk around stores and shop but would resist buying anything because things were tight, I knew they were tight, & I knew I had to adjust my spending habits. 
• It's ok to splurge on big purchases occasionally but make sure you have a plan for how you will pay it off and how long.  If you buy a car or a motorcycle(ahem...Mike!), don't just pay the minimum.  Always pay more than the minimum if you can ~ if it's $15 extra bucks or $500 extra bucks, I recommend always paying a little more.  It'll pay it down faster and it always makes me feel proud of myself.
• If you have multiple loans or credit card debt, then pay down the debt with the highest interest rate.  One of the reasons my student loans took the longest was because there have been other debt's with a higher interest rate.  Once those were paid off, I started putting $1,200 a month toward my student loans and they were paid off fairly quickly after that.

Those are the tips that work for us.  

So - I'm growing up folks.  My college student loans are paid off at age 33...here's to the next chapter!  :)