california dreamin...

as you may have figured out from the last post, i spent the last week with some of my favorite friends. tara and i met my freshman year at sbu on the croatia mission trip and we've been friends ever since. naturally when they got hitched, matt had to be my friend too! i really can't say enough how much i love this family...tara and i are like twins separated at birth (if you think i'm cheap and overly organized, just imagine me times two) and even though matt is outnumbered when i visit, i think he actually gets more excited than anyone else! they now have two beautiful daughters who love their aunt shay-shay and i was getting to meet tori michelle for the very first time. here's some pictures of the fun...

shelly and sophia

tori michelle

who do you love?

it took a lot of self control to not post a billion pictures of these cute girls, but if you want to see more, feel free to check out my facebook album.

hello tahoe...

a little update from the west coast.

first off...i love this family. we have such a great time together. lots of fun and silliness, and lots of good convo. and these girls love their aunt shay-shay (that's me!).

when i come to visit we always go on an arden family adventure (i am an honorary member) and this time we went up to lake tahoe for the day while sophia stayed with grandma and grandpa in reno.

our family photo

(tori, shelly, matt and tara)

tara and i on our hike to eagle lake

sophia playing at gymboree

don't worry, there's more cute-ness to come!!

want some free money?

i have found another money maker to add to my collection. (if you're interested in learning how to get free toiletries at walgreens every month, just let me know) there is a new company out there called revolution money exchange. it's basically a new paypal. the company is legit (member FDIC) and to spread the word they are crediting your account with a free $25 if you sign up before may 15, 2008.

it is free to sign up for an account, but you do have to provide your social security number. to get the money from your account into your pocket there are two options: provide your bank account info and they will transfer it for free, or you can request them to mail you a check for a small fee. (but if you're queasy about sharing your bank account number it's worth it...i mean hey, it's all free money!)

just click on this link and you're on your way...

also, rumor has it that a husband and wife can sign up separately and still get $25 each, for a total of $50! i have obviously not tried this, but it's worth a shot!

wooooo pig suey...

took a little trip to arkansas this weekend to visit scott, ali and brady. good friends, good times.

adj, shelly and ali @ springfest

brady and me

mr. & mrs. scofield...

my good friend ryan married the lovely shauna last night. the celebration was sweet...as in awesome. it takes quite a bit for me to be impressed at a wedding (due to the sheer number of them i've attended) but this was definitely one for the wedding book.

the groom giving a 'thank you'

the first dance
(they were showered with flower petals)

me and my hot date

tonights top ten list...

today i started reading this book from the library about debt-free living (these are the kind of books i read for enjoyment...weird, i know) and early on the author asked this question:

what contributes to the quality of your life and brings you satisfaction?

she suggested i stop reading and make a list of ten things that define the quality of my life, which i decided was a good idea, so i did. i thought it might be fun to share them, and even funner (i know, not a real word) if i could find out how my friends would answer the same question. so my challenge to you is to answer the this question on your blog, or post a comment on here. i made my list in just a couple minutes, so no excuses about not having the time!!

my 'top ten' in random order:

• living life with my friends

• traveling


• feeling loved


• making someones day


• getting great deals/being debt-free


• having a great mom


• spending time outside (especially when it involves water)


• watching the cosby show & friends


• helping others


• being organized

i can't wait to read YOUR list!

they have arrived...

...the photos that is. for those of you anxiously awaiting the photo tour of my trip...today is your lucky day. (that statment may not actually apply to anyone)

for the short tour, you can check out my facebook album. and those of you who really like my pictures, or have some time to waste at work, the long tour is on my flickr.

happy viewing!