What a Night!!

So, there are some pretty good perks to being best friends with the wife of the lead singer of "Due West" how else would I end up going to the CMA Awards!! It was a great night and so much fun. One of the best parts was even from our seats in the nosebleed section we could see Tim sitting on the 2nd row (YES THE 2nd ROW) living one of his lifelong dreams. I'm sure walking the "Red Carpet"was pretty cool too, but we missed that, we were somewhere between getting ready in a whirlwind 30 minutes and breaking into Tims car to get our tickets that were locked inside. We did manage to make it to our seats in one piece and on time, even after a quick stop at the First Aid station for Bandaids to cover the 2 inch sections of my heels that were no longer covered in skin. Thanks for taking me Berta! It was a night i will never forget.

Actually the reason I count Roberta as my "best" friend has absolutely nothing to do with her husbands Celeb status and everything to do with what an awesome person and friend she is and how lucky I have been to have her in my life for the past 6 1/2 years.

My New Hobby!

COUPONS!!!

Last month I was in line behind a lady at target and after waiting and waiting for her to use all of her coupons (she had two carts full of groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies...) I started being a little nosey and checking out what she was buying and then when I heard her total for all of the stuff she bought, I really couldn't believe it. It was something crazy like 50 bucks for $600.00 worth of stuff. At that moment I was hooked.
Pretty much everyone who knows me knows I rarely pay full price for anything. I LOVE a deal and whether it's clothes to cars to a new hot water heater I am not happy unless I get it at a discount, a deep one, and I'm not talking about 25% off . In retrospect I thought I was doing pretty good with my grocery shopping and I think in comparison to the average shopper I probably was, but I wanted to do better. I have always used coupons, if I have them for something I was already planning to buy. I know people who have done amazing things with them but, until this last month I wouldn't say I was a couponer by any means. I am now converted!! Check out my last few grocery trips, Publix, Kroger and Target.
Total Spent $37.90 Total Saved $442.02!!!

My Best Deals this week:

Post Honey Bunches of Oats Pecan Crunches cereal Reg Price 3.99 on sale Buy One Get one Free and I had a 2.00 off coupon =FREE (I bought 10)

Hormel Chili Reg Price 1.34 with coupons and a sale I paid .13 per can. (I bought 30)

Glade candles at Target on sale for 2.50 each I used a 1.50 off coupon and a buy one get one free coupon which made my order 5.00 for 10 candles (this purchase also qualified me for 2 $5.00 gift cards)
Final Cost: FREE + they gave me a 5.00 gift card!!!

Nauvoo

A few weeks ago we had the oppertunity to spend a couple of days in Nauvoo. It was such a fun trip and one I know we will never forget.

The Nauvoo Temple

We spent an entire day walking around Nauvoo and seeing all the exhibits, sites and historical locations. We took a carriage ride in the country and a Wagon ride downtown. The kids got to make a rope, candles, bread, bricks... they had a blast. It was really quiet since it was during the "off season" so we were able to take our time at each different place and take almost every tour.

It was an awesome experience to be able to connect the different places and buildings with the stories and history. We were able to stand on the bank of the Mississippi river where the Saints crossed over into Iowa, walk along Parley Street and envision the families waiting to leave their precious homes and Temple. The faith it must have taken is unimaginable,

the courage awe inspiring.

When we were in Quincy I couldn't help but think Emma crossing the frozen river with her children. I have often felt a deep connection to Emma, and she has been an example to me of strength and calm perseverance. I have had only a taste of loss and death, where she had to endure so much more

Carthage Jail

We stayed one more night so we could see Carthage Jail. It was so worth it!! We arrived at the visitors center just before they opened and because the kids were a little rowdy we decided to have a family prayer. I asked Heavenly Father that each of us could feel the spirit, and that Zac could sit quietly and not ruin it for anyone else. (if you have not met Zac, this is a real possibility) I had high expectations for this particular tour and it was so much more powerful than I could have imagined. We watched the video then toured the jail and the rooms where Joseph and Hyrum spent their last days on earth. It was one of the most spiritual moments of my life. To sit there and know without any doubt that Joseph was a prophet of God and that he saw what he said he saw and did what he said he did. He refused to deny his faith and gave his life defending it.

Even better than my own experience was that of my children. To see the looks on thier faces as they were touched by the spirit was priceless. As we left we took some pictures and walked around the grounds for a few minutes. We then left for St Louis, and really didn't mention our visit much more until we were talking to Jacks mom and dad on the computer last Sunday night (nearly 2 weeks later). Zac who always tries to be the center of attention heard his brother and sister start telling about Nauvoo, the horses, the things they made and other highlights from our trip. He jumped in with an exaggerated story about the bad man's house (jail) and the bad men (mob) who shot a hole in a door (the shot that killed Hyrum) and a other man (Joseph) who was shot with a gun and fell out the window. And it all happened by the "Zippy" (Mississippi) river. It just reminds me that even when I think he may never grow out of his terrible 2's(he's 3 1/2), and that he is defiantly the most willful, stubborn, child I have, he is a child of God and can be touched by the spirit and such an experience can leave quite an impression.