Comfy Shoes!!

I usually buy my shoes at Target and just get something semi-comfortable and usually never pay more than $30 for most pairs. This trip to Europe got me to thinking that I really should try to invest in some more comfortable pairs of shoes so I don't look like a tourist 24/7 in my sneakers. Well, this quest ended up being as difficult as I thought cause I still didn't want to buy anything over $100 and I didn't want them to look orthopedic or like old lady shoes. With only a couple weeks to spare, I've landed on 2 pairs that I think will be great for days where we have light to moderate walking.

This first one is by Naturalizer and are REALLY comfy- not the most stylish, but about as good as I could find. I like how they have the little velvety strap to hold the shoe on and the sole/arch is all very sturdy, but flexible. I think these will almost double as my tennis shoes over there. Paid about $75 for these....yes, that kills me to say.


These next ones are much cuter and the most comfy, but they do not have good arch support or a thick sole....so I don't think they will be good for any sort of heavy walking. My plan is to wear these out at night and to dinner cause I think they'll be comfy for a fair amount of walking....just not 5-10 miles worth! These retail for $89 online, but got them on clearance at DSW (best store ever!) and had a $20 off coupon, so ended up being about $35.


Now I just gotta start wearing them to work and get them broken in!

Free Photobook!

If you are a first time user at Picaboo, then you can get a free 8.5 x 11 book- valued up to $39.99! The code is: FREEBK and click here for the details. The offer expires at the end of the month, so I am rushing to get a book ordered! Cross your fingers I can get it done in time!

SeatGuru

I have been really busy with work and other activities lately, so the blog has fallen behind. Our trip to Europe is coming together and I ran across this cool site (www.seatguru.com) last night, so thought that I would share. You can put in your airplane and it will show you the layout of the plane and seat reviews! I know a couple years ago when we were flying, we picked a seat that had extra legroom, but then the drawback was that the tv monitor was like a foot in front of us and way uncomfortable to watch. So this site just helps point out pros and cons to your seat.

Blurb rocks!

So if anyone wants to make a quality book of ANY sort, I highly recommend using Blurb. I've made books of our wedding pics for all of our parents using their software....which isn't super easy, but okay once you put some time into it. I've ordered all of them in 11x13 Hardcover with book jacket and I've upgraded to premium paper. I just ordered my last one a couple weeks ago and tried a new premium paper they've added which is supposed to be a little better....makes the black blacker. I really didn't notice any difference, but would need to see the books side by side to really tell. Anyways, this last one was for Dustin's mom and I open the package this week and there is a slight dent/crease on all of the pages in the same spot- obvious printing defect! It was really only apparent on the darker pages and my sister and dustin both thought I was nuts for even contacting customer support, but I was upset that it was brand new and arrived that way. One of the things about Blurb is they are supposed to have great service, so let's give it a whirl! All it took was me filling out a 2 minute form and within 30 minutes someone emailed me back and said they'd reprint and ship me a new one! So I'm very very very pleased and now want to use them for more books!

See the defect circled....

I won again!

I mentioned in a previous post how I won a gift certificate to Moonrise Hotel at our work happy hour....well this week we had another event Tuesday night at Flamingo Bowl. My bowling team took 1st place (no help to me), so we all won free shirts. And then I also got called for an attendance prize for $25 to Breve Espresso, which I frequently hit up for lunch...so that will get me about 4 free lunches! Later this month I have a women's group luncheon and another happy hour...so let's hope my lucky streak continues!

Bandits!

One of our favorite activities is to attend Trivia Nights a couple times a year. I'm learning this may be more of a St Louis thing and other cities don't really have these....so in case you don't know-- These are used as a fundraiser (the one we just did is for a new school opening up in the city). You get a team of people together, usually 8 or 10, and each person pays usually $25. Most of the time with the fee you get unlimited beer included and then everyone brings a bunch of snacks for the table to share. Your table will compete against the other tables- usually about 30. There are 10 rounds of 10 questions. There will be an emcee type person who reads the question and then you huddle at your table and write down the answer. At the end of the round, someone collects the sheet and it's graded. then the emcee will read the answers aloud to everyone. It's really a great time and sometimes the categories are really boring things like Presidents, Politics, In the News, etc. But other times we get great categories for Music, Pop culture, Tv Shows, etc. We never come close to winning, but just have fun!

Then they usually do several fundraising events throughout the night. Usually there is a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. So noboday was bidding items up at this last trivia night....it was actually really sad! There would be a $25 gift card to a restaurant and someone only bid $5 on it and the auction closing in 5 minutes! So Dustin and I came away with a lot of stuff and spent only $106 total. Here is what we won:

Free stay at drury hotel (anywhere in US)
$50 to St. Louis Gast Hous (German restaurant we like here)
$20 to Blues City Deli
$20 to 9th St Deli
$20 Friendly's Sports Bar
3 Rounds of golf at nearby course
$100 to Floral Shop

So couple this along with all the coupons I've bought recently on Groupon and Restaurant.com, we are in coupon overload now....and we are going to use up a bunch of these before buying ANY more.

Also, don't think I mentioned this, but I won a prize at my work happy hour a few weeks ago for a free stay at the Moonrise Hotel, which is in the loop here...so that will be really fun to do sometime!

Junk mail no more (hopefully!)

I can't believe I didn't know this, so thought I would share with everyone. I'd guess 90% of the mail we get is just junk mail-- ads, credit card offers, insurance offers, etc. So I found where you can register your mailing address and you will no longer receive junk mail that is sent to you through obtaining your credit score. So this will hopefully eliminate a large chunk! It's similar to the Do Not Call list you can use to prevent most telemarketers from calling. Dustin was too nervous to do it cause you have to provide your ssn....yes, I've made fun of him for 2 days now for this. So we'll be able to see if I have any reduction in mail, while his should stay at normal volume!

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm