Addicted...

Hello. My name is Summer and I'm an addict. You see, I'm addicted to good deals and free stuff. It does not matter whether I need said good deal or free stuff. I see it and I want it.

Over my birthday weekend, I had several shopping opportunities. I picked up a few cute things for my niece and nephews. I even found a few tops, shorts and dresses for me. But dear readers, the thing that got me (that always gets me) is shoes, namely flip flops and sandals. In a little over a 48 hour period, I bought 6 pair. Two pair were buy one get one 1/2 off and already on sale, so I got them for just under the regular price of one pair. The other 4, well, I needed new black ones and they had two pair I liked for $13 so I got them...and then there were Reefs for $10...two pair there too. Ridiculous, isn't it? It's not like I don't already have an abundance of shoes - but I had none like these.

And then there are websites that fuel my addiction.

Have you heard of Target's daily deal? Every day they post a one day only special. This special comes with free shipping and can be returned to any Target store without issue. I check the site daily and most of the time, it's things I can live without. In the year I've discovered it, I've made 3 total purchases: two shoe racks (ironic?), a shirt (which I didn't like so I gave to someone else) and today I picked up some game systems for my mom (to give to the kiddos) because they were half off folks and she'd been looking at them.

Lastly, I love free stuff. Did y'all know that Wal-Mart has a page on their website for free samples? You can choose to participate in a survey on the product or not. Either way, you still receive the sample in 4-6 weeks. This has been a great way for me to try various tooth whiteners (I have issues with the cement stains from my braces showing through with some), body wash (I'm SUPER picky about fragrances - most give me migraines), shampoo and conditioner (because I'm not going to waste $15 to try Fekkai products unless I know they work), etc. I even requested a free sample of new dog food. This one was silly because Cooper is finicky - he only eats one brand. But it's worth a shot and was FREE!

Thankfully, my addiction doesn't really impede my life. Sure, I'm not adding that money to my savings, but I'm definitely not going into debt either. It's my "fun" money. It's the thrill of the chase to some extent too. Knowing that I found a $60 game system for $29.99 rocks my socks (or one of the 6 pair of sandals as the case may be) off.

Happy Easter to you all! I hope the weather is beautiful where you are and that you enjoy the thrill of hunting eggs with little ones! I'm especially thankful that Friday was not the end of the story - just the beginning of everlasting life!

31st post about my 31st...

For my birthday, I took the day off (and the Monday following too!). I woke up to morning snuggles with the owner of these tennis-shoed feet. We had heart-shaped pancakes in celebration of our special days (his birthday is the day before mine), watched 'toons and then got ready for the day.



After taking the little man back home, my parents and I headed to Shreveport. We ate a wonderful lunch at Ralph and Kacoo's, then parted ways for our own kind of fun. My mom and I strolled the Boardwalk and shopped 'til we were ready to drop. We both found several cute things for A, R, and K. My sister-in-law got onto me for buying them stuff on my birthday, but as I explained to her, they are so much more fun to shop for. I can tell by looking at their clothes what size they'll need and then miracle of miracles, it fits. That does not work out as well for me. I did pick up a few summer shirts, a pair of shorts and a couple pair of sandals that will be great for our NYC trip in May. We returned to Tyler for a delicious dinner at El Charro's (seafood and Mexican all in one day totally rocked!).



Saturday, we got up and headed to R's birthday party. It's always so fun to watch them open presents. He even acted excited about the clothes he received! We had cookie cake (my first cake of all the b'day celebrations!) and good times. From there, we headed to The Shed in Edom (sooo yummy - '97 BGs, I promise to take you there when we have a Canton weekend!). We parked next to these gorgeous bikes...






In my younger days, I might have asked for a quick ride...but not with my parents waiting. I have never wanted to own or drive one but I have enjoyed riding a time or two.



After lunch, we headed home to load the car for our WOF adventure. Here are a few pictures...






My hands in Kenny Chesney's...My mom and I before the bull riding at Billy Bob's Texas, WOF Randy Travis, WOF Sign and me with Pat...don't tell his wife, haha!



Side note...on the WOF tryout website, it said they were looking for people who would do well on stage, be enthusiastic, play the game well and who were personable. I know it may be hard for some of you to believe but in a crowd, I'm more introverted than extroverted by nature, so personable can be hard for me. I told my mom when I reserved our hotel room that for the next week, I was going to "practice being personable, dammit." That joke lasted throughout the adventure - and me kissing Pat, well that was me being personable, dammit.

Wheel of Fortune...the adventure!

If you're a friend on Facebook, you likely saw the status update about my mom and I deciding to try out for Wheel of Fortune. This is the story...

About a week or so before my birthday, our local CBS station (which is really based in Dallas - but is as local as we get, thank you FCC and your silly satellite rules) began running notices that WOF would be hosting tryouts on March 6th in Dallas and on the 7th in Fort Worth at Billy Bob's Texas. My mom joked and asked if my dad and I wanted to go. Pops declined, but I was totally up for it. So we scheduled a room in FW for Saturday night (Dallas was out due to a much more pressing engagement - Rex's 4th birthday party).

We got into FW at about 6 that evening. We decided to drive by Billy Bob's and get a lay of the place. Once we were there, we decided to go ahead and have dinner at the restaurant across the street. Cooper's BBQ was greatness. We went in wanting ribs, but as you walk in, you can see all of the meat selections laid out in front of you. The grill master showed us various options and once our eyes met the ribeye on special that night, it was a case of steak lust. We decided to split it (and had enough left over for my dad's dinner the next night - the sucker was HUGE) and the baked potato (which was rubbed with their steak seasoning - so good!). Like all good BBQ joints, Cooper's supplied complimentary beans, bread, sauce, pickles, onions and jalepenos. We got to our table, split the steak and what was lust at sight turned to love at first bite! I highly recommend Cooper's if you're ever in FW or New Braunfels has a location too.

From there, we wandered across the street to Billy Bob's to see who was playing that night. Turns out, it was Randy Travis, which was great since my mom and I both enjoy his music. We walked around to get our tickets and noticed a guy at the window on the phone. When he walked away, we stepped up to the window, but it was not the right one to buy tickets (seriously, Billy Bob's could use some signage). Before we made it in, the guy stopped us to ask if we needed tickets. My mom asked how much he wanted for them. He explained that his friend had bought them but couldn't make it and told him to give them away. We tried again to pay, but he said his friend insisted on him being a good samaritan. How cool, huh? I told him we were up for a birthday weekend adventure and we talked a little. Turns out, he grew up in Henderson (about an hour from where we live now). Crazy good luck in a crazy small world, huh?

Once inside, we milled around the store, enjoyed a slice of pecan pie and wandered a bit. I took a picture on a bull - I'll have to scan and post it later. They host two bull riding competitions each Friday and Saturday night. The first started at 9 and Randy didn't go on stage until 10:30. We enjoyed the bull riding. One guy nearly got hurt pretty bad and the bull was so lost he couldn't figure out how to leave the arena. It made for a tense few minutes, but they let another bull in to lead him out and it all worked out.

Then the show started. We enjoyed it a lot. Randy Travis sounded awesome. I kept telling my mom he sounded the same. She finally asked, "the same as what?" Talk about a generational gap. I'm shocked when live performers sound like their recordings and that is her norm. So much of the music on the radio these days is produced, engineered and electified such that there is no hope of the live performance being as good. Anyway, he sang what he's known for, a rendition of Roger Miller's King of the Road, stuff from his new album and a remake of a Bob Dylan hit before we left.

Sunday morning, we got up bright and early (okay - it was about 8), packed up, ate breakfast and headed over to BBTX to stake a spot in line. We got there and there were maybe 20-25 folks ahead of us. It was rainy and cold, but there was an awning we could wait under. After an hour, the owners took pity and opened their doors to a gate so that some folks could wait inside and more folks would have awning protection. We waited there another hour and a half before being let in. Once in, we walked a roped course to the showroom. We completed our applications and dropped them in the boxes so they could be put in the hopper. All told, there were 2,000 people in our group.

We made our way in to sit and wait some more. Pat and Vanna were there in cardboard form, so we took some fun pictures. We also made a video...

Untitled from Summer Stewart on Vimeo.

Please ignore the beginning where I didn't think it was on yet and excuse the videographer. She's learning...

To wrap it up...they select groups of 5 names to play "rounds." If you're name is drawn, you go on stage and introduce yourself then play a puzzle with your group. They want to see how well you present and whether or not you call out crazy letters. They selected a total of 6 or 7 groups of names during our group's audition. And out of the 30-35 names drawn, guess what? One was totally my mom! And after she introduced herself, the host commented on how well she did (she was the first he did that with). It was so cool! We havent heard anything yet...but if she made the next round of auditions, she'll get a letter or email this week or next. How very cool is that?

All in all, it was a wonderful adventure and we had a blast. I hope the opportunity presents itself to do something like that again.

Dear Pioneer Woman...

Dear Mrs. Drummond,

Mrs. Drummond seems too formal to address someone as familiar as you are to me, but I’m the product of a good education and wonderful southern raising, so I know it is most appropriate. I’m sure you get a bazillion emails daily, but I write with the earnest hope that mine will stand out. You see, this blog world you’re in is a beautiful, magical thing. I know for many it connects them to people they would never have otherwise known. For me, it has reconnected me to girls I knew but had lost touch with. This is the story of our Blogger Gals group (from my point of view).

I initially connected with most of these ladies again through Facebook. From one Facebook (Sara’s), I found her blog. From her blog, I found the blogs of Katy, Jennifer, Alissa, Kristin and Danielle. From Katy’s blog, I found Lacy’s. From Lacy's, I found Kelli and from Alissa’s, I found Melissa. We all attended high school together and had classes and or friends in common. Some of us were very good friends and some were simply classmates. Some have known each other since pre-school and others were added into the mix in later years. We were all part of the Class of ’97.

Sara is a stay-at-home mom and the CEO of her own graphic design/web hosting business. She has two precious children and a husband she has been in a relationship with for 16 years (holy cow!). She’s a wonderful friend and has been the initiator of our get-togethers. She’s wiser than she realizes and beautiful inside and out.

Katy is a classically trained ballerina (something you two have in common) who has danced in some amazing venues. Everything about her exudes grace. She married a guy who also went to our high school, though I don’t believe they dated until well after we graduated. They have a handsome almost two year old son. She hosted our first gathering and was kind enough not to kick us all out – even when several of us were still there at 2:30 a.m.! Talk about a wonderful hostess!

Jennifer is our resident shoe girl. She is training for a 5k and incentivizes herself with shoes making her a girl after my own heart! Like you, she lives in the country (though I think it’s closer to her big town than to your big town). She is married with a gorgeous daughter and in the beginning stages of building their home.

Kristin is our style guru. She dresses to impress and I hope that some of that rubs off on me as we spend more time together! She is an avid hockey fan and the Oscars are her super bowl. She is married with a gorgeous 13 month old daughter.

Kelli is our military wife with a how-I-met-my-husband story that rivals yours for most romantic ever. She is an incredibly talented photographer and someone you can likely spend time discussing aperture and shutter speeds with and not encounter a blank stare.

Alissa is the daughter of a doctor like you. She graduated college and worked as a CPA, then was certified to teach (sixth grade science) and is now a stay at home mom to two little rascals (who are absolutely precious boys!).

Melissa works as an engineer and is the newest mom in our bunch. Her daughter has the sweetest disposition (evidenced in her too cute laugh) - likely the result of Melissa's kind heart and homemade baby food!

Danielle works in financial planning and is married with a beautiful daughter. She also participates in the local Junior League. Her engagement ring was misplaced in February and then found again by her husband. He surprised her by re-proposing on her birthday - sounds like a Marlboro Man moment to me!

Lacy is our California girl. She is currently in school learning about integrative nutrition. She is a wellness guru & yoga instructor (putting your holey yoga pants to good use!) as well as a massage therapist. She is a natural born creative and makes the most wonderful scrapbooks.

As for me, I'm the single one (Hello Cowboy Josh! just kidding...) - you know every group has one. I'm equal parts country and city girl too. I love to fish, ride 4-wheelers and growing up, my Daddy named one of our cows after me. It's a little disturbing now that I'm old enough to know what happened to her, but it was sweet then. I'm also a traveler and shopper and an avid hunter of bargains.

That's our group in a nutshell. I bet you're wondering what this has to do with you by now. You see, about a week and a half ago, Jennifer posted a link to your apple fritter recipe. When she did, we all discovered our mutual adoration for you and your site. During this same time, we were also planning our second gathering. We originally got together in January and vowed to make it a semi-annual event. So naturally, one of us (okay - I'll front out the guilty party - it was me) joked how great it would be to score an invite to the lodge with a cooking demonstration.

On a whim, I decided to write this letter. I have no expectation that you'll read it, but on the off chance you have a google alert set up and do - I wanted you to know you have fans in the Class of '97 Blog Gals.

Sincerely,

Summer

Today is a Good Day (to misquote Ice Cube)

It's a gorgeous Tuesday weather wise and I have a fun story to share!

As my to do list grew longer this morning, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It was the kind of one thing begetting another that almost shuts you down. So, I decided to take a break and run an errand at lunch.

I headed to my post office box to gather the goodies (no bills = mail goodies!) and noticed that a restaurant that's been under construction was open. As I turned into the PO parking lot, I realized they didn't have a drive through and I wasn't sure I wanted to fight the crowded lot.

Realizing I had plenty of time, and seeing a space open right up, I decided to go in. It was CRAZY busy! I waited in line and noticed that there wasn't an empty seat in the house. I thought that was odd since there had not been any big "now open" announcements or anything. I watched as people ordered ahead of me and started to pick up on the murmuring of all food being free for everyone. Being a natural born skeptic, I did not believe it.

I stepped up and ordered my kid's hamburger meal (I know they aren't healthy, but I figure if I get a kid's portion I've reduced my calories some...and then I don't eat the top bun and most days I only eat a couple of french fries, so that helps, right?). The girl gets my name and that's it. No charge for my lunch.

So I know it has been said there is no such thing as a free lunch - but today, friends, my lunch was totally free - gratis - zero dinero. And it all happened by chance.

Thank you Smashburger! The burger was great and the fries would have been perfection had I eaten them immediately.

Snow Day

Overnight Thursday into Friday morning we had about 8" of snowfall - a good 5" managed to accumulate in the yard. We lost power (not a big surprise) at about 3:45 that morning. Since all of us at work live in areas more rural than Tyler, the decision was made to work from home. Thank goodness for Blackberry! Except, the internet lines were down at work, so we couldn't send or receive email. I took quite a few calls though, so I still worked.

But, a snow day also demands to be enjoyed. I took roughly 70 pictures in about a 2 hour time span - some aren't great, but that's the charm of them being digital. Those will be deleted. I really wanted to play in the snow - I hadn't see accumulation like this in a very long time. I got my mind set on making a snow angel. I bundled up and with each layer, my mom declared me crazy. I finally got my boots on and said "look woman, this is me being fun, damnit!"

Thankfully, she has a good sense of humor and agreed to put her shoes on to chronicle the experience...




Snow Angel


Cooper - He was not sure of this cold white stuff!



The finished project!

No school for Summer...

But I still had homework?

So, almost a month ago, a group of girls I graduated high school with and I got together. It was a lot of fun! We had all reconnected through our blogs and it had been really neat to learn about each other through that medium. I think it’s safe to say we all knew each other and had classes together, but as a whole group, we weren’t necessarily in the same circles. But that night, we came together and shared lots of memories and stories. We laughed, ate and sipped like long lost friends without missing a beat. The communications since have been really amazing in bringing us even closer together, and today, almost a month later, I couldn’t be more thankful for these relationships.

That night we came up with a prompt for us to each blog about. We were to share some of our favorite memories and teachers from that time. I’ve been wracking my brain and I don’t really have one particular memory that outshines the rest. I remember snippets of Shy-Anne camps, practices, competitions and trips that were equally work and fun. I remember working with a number of people the years I was on the yearbook staff. Selling advertising to area businesses and creating our layouts was great. I remember Disciple Now weekends with my church youth group. I had several crushes during HS – none confessed or realized – and the flutter that came with passing them in the hall and getting a hi or smile, praying with my hand on their jersey after football games and dreaming of how nice it’d be if they ever noticed me.

I can remember some key moments in history that happened while I was in HS. I’ll never forget where I sat when the OJ verdict came through – I was at the back table in the upstairs food court and the reaction was nearly deafening. I remember watching news coverage of Selena’s murder during Spanish class in the library. I remember turning right onto Briarcrest and hearing the newsflash about the Oklahoma City bombing. While those aren’t exactly happy memories – they are as distinct in my mind as driving down Barak Lane in my green civic jamming to Gangsta’s Paradise.

As for teachers, I can’t think of any that I necessarily have bad memories of in HS – except maybe Mrs. H. By the time I was in Spanish IV, she was as done with us as we were with her. That’s another post – and this one is supposed to be positive. While I learned more book knowledge in english, history and science (math had no chance – haha!) and appreciated those teachers, my favorite teacher was Mrs. Farris who taught journalism and yearbook.

I really looked up to her and thought she had the perfect life with her police officer husband and three adorable children. If I remember correctly, she had survived cancer in her thyroid – and if I’m wrong, by all means correct me. She had faith in her students and gave us a lot of freedom in designing/creating the yearbook each year. She encouraged me to step outside the box and compete in UIL journalism events. And when she had to face adversity (i.e. had money stolen by a student), she did so with discretion and grace. She furthered proved to be a class act when things in her life were made public. I enjoyed her class and learned more “real-life” lessons than in any other I took.

P.S. – Kristin – I read yours before finishing mine and agree about the diversity. When others have slammed “big” schools (most people I interact with graduated from 2A schools), I have always said I appreciated going to a big school. I learned firsthand how to deal with people from every walk of life and saw the importance in making wise choices regarding friendships. It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade and I believe makes me a more tolerant, compassionate person.