What I've been doing this season (so far)

Continuing our holiday tradition of attending a Christmas-themed concert, this year we returned to the Seattle Symphony and their "Holiday Pops" concert featuring Cirque de Symphony. AMAZING! I highly recommend you go to it next year... and remember to buy your tickets early, as they only do a few days of performances.

This is the end of the concert photo, with the Cirque performers in the front.


We got our Christmas Tree up the Sunday after Thanksgiving. For the first time in 13 years, I got help setting up the tree and putting up decorations! Thanks again, Monica. I am grateful you share my passion for the season and you did an amazing job on the tree.


I wanted to capture Lexi next to her first Christmas Tree, but she couldn't seem to hold still long enough for me to get a quality photo. Oh well, she's still cute!

"Santa George" oversaw the decorating from his perch on the back of the couch.

The weekend following Thanksgiving I made a weekend visit to Vancouver, WA, to attend my nephew Callum's baptism. We had a mini-reunion at my sister Alissa's new home in Ridgefield (she and my sister Katy are in the background) when my parents (who had just gotten back 2 days earlier from their Germanic visit with my brother Damon's family) and my brother Matt & Family arrived as well. I had to snap a quick photo with my phone of my adorably-always-tan nephew, Brian Mario.

One of the coolest things about Alissa's new home is a large room just off the garage that easily fits their trampoline. No more worry about rain ruining play time! (Callum is blurred, but Keira, my youngest neice, came out clear in the back.)

I had finals a couple weeks ago. In English 101, we had an in-class essay, which I had little doubt I could easily pass. (I got a 98% on it actually, my best essay score all quarter.)

I was less confident in my History 148 class, however, and took the day off from work to study... which mostly meant read the 120 or so pages of textbook I had fallen behind on! Not wanting to be left out, my cat, Oliver, joined in on the studying. Ultimately I got a 92% on the test (70 out of 76 multiple choice), but thanks to a grading curve, received a 94%.

I am pleased to report that my grades are in and I passed with flying colors -- a 4.0 in my English 101 class and a 3.9 in my History 148! (My Golf class was so easy it is a shame to even mention that 4.0, but an A is an A! Haha)

I will enjoy this Christmas break while it lasts, catching up on recreational reading before the requisite reading begins again.

Lastly, I recommend visiting Downtown Seattle at least ONCE during the holiday season. The lights are colorful, the sounds of carols fun, the annual gingerbread contest entries are amazing, and the large star in the SE corner of Macys is GORGEOUSLY bright and beautiful! (The photo doesn't do it justice.)

From my family to yours -

have a very Merry Christmas!!

Loving CC

I didn't know what to expect when I started back to school in September, but I am really enjoying my classes! It requires a bit more time sacrifice that I had been accustom to, but doing well in all three subjects makes the payoff quite sweet.

The pace of community college is much more pleasant than it was at BYU, but I also realize the student body isn't as competitive either. I shake my head seeing people who don't turn in assignments by their due date (or at all), or don't come to class, and then I remember when I was at BYU and did the same thing. School can be such a waste of money if you aren't ready to commit to it, and this time around I've got my priorities straight... even if it means staying up until after midnight to finish an assignment. (My theory is that my mind is nocturnal.)

We are now in the final weeks of Fall 2010 classes, and I just registered for Winter 2011 classes this afternoon! Time sure does fly.

I will say this: if anyone else is "considering" doing something, seize the opportunity. Before you know it, you are years down the road and no further along. And that is a waste too.

Meet my nephew, Emeric

Emeric Christian Schwartz

Born October 21, 2010
weighing 4350 g (thank you metric system),
which equals about to be 9 lbs 6 oz.

New-To-Us

Another milestone in our road to becoming more "grownup" -- we bought a car this weekend!

We have been looking since last February, but had to wait until we had the security of Monico having a teaching contract, not only for the stability of a monthly payment, but to be able to save for a down-payment.

It's a Hyundai Tuscon, which has a hatchback "Lexi door" and a space for her in the back that won't require a lint roller brush to be used on it before we can have a human passenger. We love it and are excited to take road trips with our new reliable vehicle.

Have car, have passport... Vancouver BC awaits!

I know you didn't know (because I wasn't telling anyone)

Outside of my immediate family, I have not shared all that has been going on with us. I'm ready now to tell all.
(Heads up: this is not baby news.)

First, just days before our Puerto Vallarta vacation, I was laid off from my job. They want to take the office in a new direction, so I got a "thank you" for my efforts and a month's severance.

What a way to start a vacation, right?

While being unemployed is stressful, I was actually grateful to be let go! I hated doing reception work and missed being a paralegal. But since Monico was likewise unemployed (without a teaching contract for the fall), and the employment climate is rough, I didn't know how I could leave. But, by being laid off, I qualified for unemployment! Plus, a month's severance would help us make it through August (until Monico found a job and/or we got an influx of financial aid).

In the time following our very relaxing vacation, I didn't really put much effort into looking for a job, because I had a secret...

I had time to think while on vacation about what I was going to do now that I was unemployed. The more I thought about it, the more I questioned what I was doing with my life and understood how many opportunities were passing me by. So, after we got back from Mexico, without Monico's knowledge, I enrolled with Highline Community College.

Using my prior BYU credits, I should be able to get my AA in 1 year, finishing it up around the same time Monico finishes his second Master's Degree. I can then tranfer/continue on to get my bachelor's degree at a 4 year university.

I don't know how to make this sound more WOW, but my going to school is kinda a big deal. I quit BYU nearly 12 years ago, I have been repeatedly told that I should go back since then. Finally, after spending the last 8+ years focused on Monico's education, I'm ready to do school work for my own benefit again. But, having left BYU with rather dismal grades, I need to prove any future university I attend that I can be serious about school, so my goal is to achieve an A in every class at Highline.

In addition, because I am enrolled in school, I felt I owed it to myself to not work full time. Gratefully -- using a mutual contact -- I procured employment with another firm, where I will have flexibility in my schedule and can work around my classes (which I can take during the day, at night, or via online), and where I will once again be a paralegal, being paid a paralegal wage (aka 25% more than my last job!) to do the work I love in guardianships, estate planning, and probates. It is a small firm, with only ONE attorney. I am working at home for now, because there isn't an office available for me. (Lexi is very happy about that.)

I'M SO EXCITED! I love drafting and revising original documents and meeting with clients, all for the purpose of enriching their lives. (I'm soooo over litigation cases!) I'm extremely grateful to my friend who helped me get the job, as I was hired based on "I trust her judgement, so you're hired!"

My office (aka, home).

My work/files (and my view!).

When the occasion arises that I have to commute to work, it is a mere 2 miles away in downtown Renton. (My old commute to downtown took 45-60 minutes each way.) Because we only have one car, we located and cash-purchased a low-miles scooter. It gets roughly 100 miles to the gallon, costs $120 a year for full coverage insurance, and doesn't require a motorcycle license to operate. In other words, it is pretty darn economical. And, it is pretty darn cute too! Not so much fun in the rain, of course, but since it is only 2 miles, it really isn't a big deal.


Not wanting to leave out Monico's accomplishments: in late August, he obtained new employment in the Seattle School District as a EBD (Emotional Behavior Disorder) Special Education teacher at Garfield High School, just down the street (literally 11 blocks) from Seattle University. So, on nights when he has class, he has a super-sweet commute from work to school. The position is 1.0 FTE, which is 100% full time and allows him to receive 100% of his union-monitored salary and benefits. Hooray for medical coverage - his first in almost 4 years!

Garfield High School

Monico also started his football coaching career by volunteering with the team. Their game against Seattle Prep last week was his first as "coach." (That's him below with his team.) He is working with his bread-n-butter: defensive line. He is already learning so much from the other coaches and is eager to continue volunteering with Basketball in the winter as well. And that's what we've been up to.

My classes started just this week; I'm jumping right back in by taking 11 credits. I have about 40 credits available for transfer from BYU (stupid religion classes don't even register as an elective!), and need 90 for my AA, so I need to get crack-a-lackin' if I'm gonna be done in a year. So enough blogging... I need read about the Progessive Era in the US and write a short essay about the impact of advertising on society before I go to work!

Don't chuck your muck in my backyard...

...because my backyard has berries!


I couldn't believe it when I heard some people were picking
wild blackberries ,
but sure enough, they have already started to turn!
Fortunate for me, we have a blackberry bush on our property.
(They are like a weed in Seattle... just try to stop them from growing.)
This was all I grabbed tonight, but I will get more tomorrow.

Oh, and apparently we have a wild strawberry bush as well.
This was the only one ripe and ready to be eaten.
I shared it with my sister in law, and
we both agree it was De-licious!

Close call

This is a photo taken from the front steps of our rented house. The SUV is my sister in law, Monica's, and the red truck is my neighbors.

Our little white car is usually parked between these two vehicles but today we parked it farther down our driveway near the garage.

My neighbor has a lot of cars. Usually at least 4 at any given time. Typically there is a car or truck parked in front of the red pickup truck, just off the street.



These are the police that showed up in front our our house last night.



...because this white car was driving too fast and couldn't maneuver fast enough and PLOWED into my neighbors car (the Ford Focus now on its side).
Yeah. This car WAS parked in front of the red pickup truck.



This is how far the car had to be hit over to not only move 20 or so feet from where it was parked, but to also get pushed up and over our neighbors' wall/fence.

If you are interested in more details about this story:
Monico was in our backyard prepping the BBQ grill. I was in the house prepping stuff in the kitchen and Monica was in the living room watching TV.
Monica saw the white car through the window speeding. Monico heard the screech and looked up the driveway just in time to see the white car plow into the Ford Focus. (We ALL heard the boom of the cars hitting.) I looked out the front window but couldn't see the accident.
Monico came running in "did you see that?"
With his help to know what happened, I then looked over into my neighbors' yard and saw the car on it's side and smoke coming up.
Then my neighbor (the wife) came running passed our front window, through our yard, shooting a gun and chasing down the driver of the white car.
So. We all dropped to the floor to avoid gun fire.
Yep. On the floor of my house. With my dog's collar in my hand. Because there was a gun being fired in my front yard.
And all I could think of was "crap. are the hamburgers burning on the bbq?"
Monica called 911.
The police arrived.
We came out to see what the damage was.

The good news was our cars and/or property was not damaged.
No one was injured. (My neighbor had been unloading groceries from her bronco parked next to the truck. Had she been out there, she would have been standing in the path of the cars. Also, they have golden retriever which was not in the way or in the front yard.)
They caught the guy.
Our dinner was ok. :)

Back from Vacation

After dealing with school, work, and life (in general),
we needed a REAL vacation.
We hadn't been on vacation in nearly 3 years.

This vacation started at 2:00 AM, when we woke
to be to the airport by 3:00 AM to catch a 5:15 AM flight.

After a VERY brief layover in Phoenix, AZ, we arrived here.

Specifically we arrived here...

We stayed here.

(It was so humid
this is what happened to my camera
when I tried to take an outside photo from our room's balcony!)

These are the bracelets we had to wear
the 6 days/5 nights we were at the hotel...

...so we could have unlimited access to things like this

...and this

...and this

...so we could do this

We didn't just stay at the hotel the whole time.

We did a couple of timeshare presentations and got free cab fare,
as well as free tickets to Rhythm of the Night.
(Think BYU's Living Legends if they only did pre-hispanic Mexico.)

This is where we went to see the show

This is how we got there.

This is the outdoor stage where the show takes place.
(Sorry, no photos of show are allowed.)

We also did this...

...in the rain
(it IS rainy season there right now).
BTW - this is what you look like after you ride in the rain.
Not to mention a little barter-style shopping downtown.
(We passed on this particular item.)

It was EXACTLY what we hoped for and
what we needed.

We are feeling much better now.

Couponing and Freebies

My name is Melissa, and I love couponing.

I know you are now imagining me sitting around the kitchen table with my scissors and the newspaper clipping coupons. Well, yes, I do that too.
BUT IT INVOLVES SO MUCH MORE than that!

Did you know there are companies out there that will give away free samples or free products to you if you ask? Welcome to the age of the worldwide web.

The company, Natura Pet, was giving away free dog food. Not a sample, mind you, but an actual bag of food (5-6.6 lbs). Below is a picture of the bag I got and my coupon on top. (FYI, this is NICE food and would have cost me $20.00 if I had paid for it.)


These things don't necessarily have to be from companies you don't know, but can just as easily come from those you know and love. These are some of the coupons I received by sending a "thank you" email or filling out a "contact us" on the companys' websites. As you can see, you get more than just $$ off your purchase. In this case, I received two FREE bottles of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, as well as coupons to save some moolah off their other products. Below that is a coupon for free Chiquita Bananas. That's right, free fresh produce!

Some of the other company's I wrote to (who sent me coupons in response) included:

• Pepperidge Farm
• Hunts
• Hefty
• Campbells
• Treetop

It only takes a minute to tell them how much you love their product(s) and the reward is a discounted or free product -- definitely worth the effort when you are on a budget.

In addition to clipping coupons and writing emails to companies, I have been signing up for freebies (did you know walmart.com has a "free samples" section?), AND I have been enrolling us in BIRTHDAY CLUBS. Monico and Monica have birthdays a week apart, so I signed both of them up and got them a free burger from Red Robin. (You have up to a week before and after to use the coupon.) Here they are showing off their redemption certificates. At nearly $9 a burger per person now (darn inflation), this made for a special, but not expensive night of celebration.

(FYI - I also signed Monico up for Black Angus, which got him a free entree with purchase of equal or lesser, and for IHOP, a free Rootie Tootie, as well as with Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone Creamery, both of which gave free ice cream cones.)

One of the final ways I have recently scored freebies is by hosting a house party. I applied in May to host a "Febreze Set & Refresh" party for my friends. Essentially, if chosen (you do not always get picked to host) you receive a package with items to use and/or share with your guests. In this instance, it was to promote the company's new Set & Refresh line (no plug in needed) of scented oil products. This was all the LOOT they sent me. After totalling it up, I estimate that it was roughly $450.00 worth of products (not to mention hundreds of coupons for future purchasing); each of my attendees walked away with roughly $80 worth of stuff each!


Of course, these are just a couple of the ways I have been stretching my dollar. If you are interested in any more of my tricks, let me know and I'll help you by spreading the word!

Settling.

Daydreaming of playing outside

because I'm inside working.

But, you can't really blame me

when the day looks like this.

Mmm... another delicious summer day!

"I'll see you after 5 o'clock, Seattle."