So, I'm helping my family out with Relay For Life. We have formed a team and are walking in the Republic Relay at the end of June. We're supposed to be gathering donations and quite frankly I have a hard time asking people for money even when I know it's for a good cause. I would just rather come up with the money on my own. Unfortunately, my cousin committed us to $200 per person. My husband and I are both on the team and I don't have $400 I would like to spend out-of-pocket. So, my husband is asking some companies for a donation. We have two specific companies in mind and we think they will be happy to comply. It's still very difficult to ask. In return for a donation we would like to have a sign made to put around our campsite the night of the Relay so everyone there will know that these companies helped us reach our goal. We are asking the company for a $100 donation. The sign is just going to be a simple one-sided coraplast sign with a metal H stake. I want the sign to look nice but it's not going to be worth $100 because we can't spend all our donation on a sign. So, I started making some phone calls to find out what sign was going to cost me. I first called Payne Sign Company here in Springfield. She was extremely nice but basically each sign will cost $75 and that includes set-up fees. She mentioned I might call a nationally known company and ask them to donate money to make our signs. I appreciated her help and made that phone call but that company I will leave unnamed said they could help in other ways but a cash donation or paying for products was not possible. I thanked them and went about my phone calling. I called 5 other companies. Three companies never called me back. One company quoted me prices but it was still going to cost $38 for a one-sided sign. So, I'd get $100 from the company I asked for a donation and then I'd have to turn around and spend $38. I'd actually only be receiving a donation of $62. Doesn't sound like a good deal. I talked to another company and actually came right out and asked them. What can you do for me? I gave my sob story of having to spend too much of my donation and asked me if they would maybe split the cost. That company agreed to cut the cost in half as long as I would post signs around my campsite with their name on it. Reluctantly, I said ok. Although, I really don't still want to be out-of-pocket $25. I guess, at least, at this point I am keeping 75% of my donation. I stopped calling. I e-mailed all the information to my Team Captain and as I finished the e-mail the phone rang.
Hello...I said. He said, "I'm looking for Stephanie." I said, "That's me". He told me he was from Mild to Wild Graphics. They are located in Republic, MO. I had already talked to that other company so I just simply pretended like I was still making my phone calls. I told him, "My family has put together a Relay For Life team and we are asking for donations from businesses. The businesses that are donating money we would like to do something nice for them in return. We would like to have a 18x24 coraplast sign with their logo on it and maybe something about how they helped us reach our goal. We will stake those around our tent for everyone to see and we want them to look nice because for one sign we are asking for a $100 donation.” He asked me what Relay for Life was for. I told him it was to benefit the American Cancer Society and he said, “How about I donate those signs for you…I’ll do them for Free”. I told him that would be great and asked him to make sure he made a couple signs with his company name on them so we could post them around our campsite, also. He explained how his life has recently been touched by cancer in many ways. We got to talk for several minutes. He is a super nice guy and I'm not just saying that because he donated signs for our team. He was very personal. This is my online plug for him and I will tell anyone who every asks me about signs or car decals or anything else. His website is, http://www.mildtowild.net. Check it out! Make sure if you live in the Republic, Springfield, Battlefield, Willard, Nixa area or anywhere near you contact Alan and he will help you out.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Garmin
If you've never had a Garmin and you travel outside of your normal realm even occasionally, you should consider one. What is a Garmin? It's a little digital map that had the coolest information and all the need-to-know stuff right there.
You type in an address and it leads you step by step, turn by turn, to the front door. You don't know the address, type in the name of the place...just as good. You want something to eat but you don't know your nearby options, just do a search for restaurants. You want to go shopping but you are in an unfamiliar area, just searching for shopping. You want to find a mall look for shopping center. You want to make a phone call to a local place but you don't know the number, just look it up. I have a Garmin Nuvi 360 with Bluetooth so it connects to my phone. I can just click on dial and talk right to the Garmin. It's great!
I don't know where we would have been without Garmin this weekend. We used it so many times. Well, as a matter of fact we used it for every single place we wanted to go. We wanted to find a Chili's, but not just any Chili's we wanted one near our hotel. It found one within 4 miles for us. Another time we wanted a Quizno's it took us to the closest one to our current route. We hit traffic one time and just clicked on Detour and it took us a different way.
We are totally unfamiliar with St. Louis and would have been staring at maps for hours. We would have eaten at restaurants that we didn't have coupons or gift cards for and it would have cost us more. We would have been driving around in circles and spent more in gas. The Garmin was one of the greatest things that happened for a traveling crew.
We're going to CA in a few months and believe me, it will be one of the first things to get packed.
You type in an address and it leads you step by step, turn by turn, to the front door. You don't know the address, type in the name of the place...just as good. You want something to eat but you don't know your nearby options, just do a search for restaurants. You want to go shopping but you are in an unfamiliar area, just searching for shopping. You want to find a mall look for shopping center. You want to make a phone call to a local place but you don't know the number, just look it up. I have a Garmin Nuvi 360 with Bluetooth so it connects to my phone. I can just click on dial and talk right to the Garmin. It's great!
I don't know where we would have been without Garmin this weekend. We used it so many times. Well, as a matter of fact we used it for every single place we wanted to go. We wanted to find a Chili's, but not just any Chili's we wanted one near our hotel. It found one within 4 miles for us. Another time we wanted a Quizno's it took us to the closest one to our current route. We hit traffic one time and just clicked on Detour and it took us a different way.
We are totally unfamiliar with St. Louis and would have been staring at maps for hours. We would have eaten at restaurants that we didn't have coupons or gift cards for and it would have cost us more. We would have been driving around in circles and spent more in gas. The Garmin was one of the greatest things that happened for a traveling crew.
We're going to CA in a few months and believe me, it will be one of the first things to get packed.
Weekend
How was your weekend? Mine was great. I get to spend 3 days with my most favorite boys. We left Friday afternoon headed for St. Louis. We got to St. Louis in time for a late dinner. Eli did really well in the car even when I knew he was probably getting hungry. We had been given a gift card to Chili's so we typed it in on the Garmin and within 4 miles of our hotel, we found one. We paid $9 and we all ate very well. It was one of the best, hot, $9 meals I have had in a long time. When we finished eating we headed to the hotel, got checked in and went down to the indoor swimming pool. Chris and Dylan had a great time. It was a little too cool for Eli and I so I took him back upstairs to our room and let him play in the bath. He had much more fun with that. Of course, when Dylan got there he wanted to play in the bath, too. It was a full house in such a small tub. We're used to the big whirlpoool jetted tub for bathtime. Kids are easily adjusted, though. Friday night sleep was a bit of a challenge. We were all in one room and it was unfamiliar territory for Eli so it took a while of crying before he finally settled. Dylan had a runny nose and couldn't get comfortable so he tossed and turned until 1 or 2 in the morning.
Rise and shine at 7 am. We got ready, went downstairs to eat breakfast, and headed off to the zoo. We found a free parking lot just across the bridge from the zoo entrance. Zoo parking is $10 and people must start showing up at 8 in the morning to get a good street side parking spot. We probably drove 1/2 mile down the road from the zoo looking for a good parking spot against the curb. When we turned around and headed back we spotted the Turtle Park and went over there. We didn't see any charges listed so we parked. It was actually closer than most of the curb-side parking. We had to wait in line to get our Safari Pass. If you are a Dickerson Park Zoo member you get a Safari Pass for half-price. It's totally worth it. We got to ride the train which is normally $4 per person. We rode the Conservation Carousel which is typically $2 per person. We got to go in the Children's Zoo and I don't know what the cost is for that. We also went to the Sea Lion Show and I'm unsure of that cost. We paid only $5 for the Safari Pass so it was definitely a money saver. Zoo entrance is free which is really cool. They have a very nice zoo and lots of walking paths with beautiful scenery. It's done very well. I think my favorite exhibit was probably the penguins. They are in this artic area which is very cold but when the penguins are swimming in the water you are literally so close you could reach out and touch them (if you were allowed). There were so many of them and we got to see them interacting and playing and swimming. Very cool exhibit. We also got to see the polar bear. He was outside which surprised me because I expected him to be in the artic area, also. He was up roaming back and forth but he didn't have anyone to play with and I'm not sure if he had any toys. The chimpanzees were also cool! They were running and playing and their environment looked so natural. They had one that looked funny because they had shaved all his hair. I don't know if it was health reasons or if he was old, but it looked interesting. Eli did really great. I thought he would get tired and cranky but he didn't. He whined once or twice and we gave him his pacifier but he didn't really want it. I could tell he was wearing out and so I laid back the stroller and by 1:45p.m. he just passed out in it. We left about 30 minutes later and he slept all the way back to the hotel. Then, Chris magically got him back to sleep in the hotel room and we all took a nap. We got the boys up around 4:45p.m. and headed down to "The Hill". We had been told this was a version of Little Italy and we both love pasta.
We had been told Zia's was a great restaurant. We got there at 5:20 and it took us about 10 minutes to find a parking spot and walk back 2 blocks to the restaurant. She told us it would be about 30 minutes. That was doable. Eli would be hungry but we thought we could hold him off until that time. At 6:15 we went back in to tind out how much longer and she said they still had a few small tables in front of us. A few minutes later they called a party of 10 and then a party of 5. They weren't small groups by any means. Well, if you know me I started to get a little impatient. I was holding a 20 pound baby and there was nowhere to put him down. Chris was entertaining Dylan because it's really hard for a 3-year old to have to stand in a small spot for an hour. We got called at about 6:45 and headed back to our table. Well, by this time I probably had high blood pressure. I was thinking...if they would have said an hour we may not have stayed but if we did at least I would have been more prepared. Instead they said 30 minutes and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Crazy?! So, we get seated and our waiter is so busy he doesn't even bring us water for about 7 minutes. I'm a little hot under the collar. Dylan is by this time actually complaining about being hugnry and I'm sure the waiter is going to bring us some bread to snack on with our water so we can at least get some sort of nourishment. No! He brings us water and takes our appetizer order. Then, with our appetizer he brings out a loaf of bread. Now we can eat our appetizer so the bread isn't as important. But then we taste the toasted ravioli. Our bellies are quenched. It's so good! We start to relax and finally take off our jackets. We start to talk and laugh and then we actually got to enjoy the rest of our dinner there. It kind of ruined the evening though because we wanted to go walk around by the arch and stuff but since it was so dark we didn't see much. Dylan at least go to see what we were talking about. He really wants to go back so we can go up in it. At least, he says he does. I don't know how he would actually do once we stuck him in the little cart and it was close quarters. I guess we'll see when he's a little older.
Sunday was rainy, cold, wet, and extra windy. We took our time getting around in the morning and let the boys play in the room for a while. Around 9:30 we checked out and headed to Union Station. For a tourist attraction there isn't much there. We paid $2 for parking and that was too much if you ask me. There are no good shops in there and very few people. I was not impressed. I had been there before and I guess I had forgotten how lame it was. We left there for The Galleria. It's a big shopping mall. They are doing renovations to it but had covered the construction on the inside very well. We had a good time just cruising around the mall. We ate a quick lunch at a nearby Quizno's (thanks to our Garmin) and then went to the Science Center. I have been there a few times before and enjoyed myself but it's not a real great attraction for 3-year olds. Dylan was not impressed. He got to build a few things in one area and play a computer game in another place but I honestly think his favorite part was going to the Omnimax waiting area where no one was and he had plenty of room to run in circles. That was probably the highlight of his day. It had stopped raining by that time but still remained cold. We thought we would cruise by Grant's Farm on the way out of town and let Dylan see the Clydesdale horses. He couldn't see them very well in his car seat from the road and they had closed early due to the weather so that will be something we have to go back for some other time.
So, how was our hotel? We booked a Comfort Inn & Suites in Hazelwood, MO. It's about 10 miles from Forest Park. It's right off the highway so it's easy to get in and out. The rooms were very clean, service was great, and the continental breakfast was everything you could ask for. For breakfast, they had waffle mix and a waffle maker. You could pour in your own batter and cook them. Deliciouso! They also had boiled eggs, cereal, toast, danishes, muffins, bagels, apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, and oatmeal. They had a couple different kinds of coffee, apple juice, orange juice, milk, and water. There were plenty of choices and for it to be included in the price...I have zero complaints. They kept the dining area very clean and while you were eating breakfast there was someone re-stocking the food and cleaning up after everyone. I have not had a bad experience with the Comfort Inn & Suites I have stayed in and I believe this is the 2nd or 3rd one.
I guess that pretty much sums it up. For an inexpensive weekend, we had a great one and the best part was we were all together.
Rise and shine at 7 am. We got ready, went downstairs to eat breakfast, and headed off to the zoo. We found a free parking lot just across the bridge from the zoo entrance. Zoo parking is $10 and people must start showing up at 8 in the morning to get a good street side parking spot. We probably drove 1/2 mile down the road from the zoo looking for a good parking spot against the curb. When we turned around and headed back we spotted the Turtle Park and went over there. We didn't see any charges listed so we parked. It was actually closer than most of the curb-side parking. We had to wait in line to get our Safari Pass. If you are a Dickerson Park Zoo member you get a Safari Pass for half-price. It's totally worth it. We got to ride the train which is normally $4 per person. We rode the Conservation Carousel which is typically $2 per person. We got to go in the Children's Zoo and I don't know what the cost is for that. We also went to the Sea Lion Show and I'm unsure of that cost. We paid only $5 for the Safari Pass so it was definitely a money saver. Zoo entrance is free which is really cool. They have a very nice zoo and lots of walking paths with beautiful scenery. It's done very well. I think my favorite exhibit was probably the penguins. They are in this artic area which is very cold but when the penguins are swimming in the water you are literally so close you could reach out and touch them (if you were allowed). There were so many of them and we got to see them interacting and playing and swimming. Very cool exhibit. We also got to see the polar bear. He was outside which surprised me because I expected him to be in the artic area, also. He was up roaming back and forth but he didn't have anyone to play with and I'm not sure if he had any toys. The chimpanzees were also cool! They were running and playing and their environment looked so natural. They had one that looked funny because they had shaved all his hair. I don't know if it was health reasons or if he was old, but it looked interesting. Eli did really great. I thought he would get tired and cranky but he didn't. He whined once or twice and we gave him his pacifier but he didn't really want it. I could tell he was wearing out and so I laid back the stroller and by 1:45p.m. he just passed out in it. We left about 30 minutes later and he slept all the way back to the hotel. Then, Chris magically got him back to sleep in the hotel room and we all took a nap. We got the boys up around 4:45p.m. and headed down to "The Hill". We had been told this was a version of Little Italy and we both love pasta.
We had been told Zia's was a great restaurant. We got there at 5:20 and it took us about 10 minutes to find a parking spot and walk back 2 blocks to the restaurant. She told us it would be about 30 minutes. That was doable. Eli would be hungry but we thought we could hold him off until that time. At 6:15 we went back in to tind out how much longer and she said they still had a few small tables in front of us. A few minutes later they called a party of 10 and then a party of 5. They weren't small groups by any means. Well, if you know me I started to get a little impatient. I was holding a 20 pound baby and there was nowhere to put him down. Chris was entertaining Dylan because it's really hard for a 3-year old to have to stand in a small spot for an hour. We got called at about 6:45 and headed back to our table. Well, by this time I probably had high blood pressure. I was thinking...if they would have said an hour we may not have stayed but if we did at least I would have been more prepared. Instead they said 30 minutes and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Crazy?! So, we get seated and our waiter is so busy he doesn't even bring us water for about 7 minutes. I'm a little hot under the collar. Dylan is by this time actually complaining about being hugnry and I'm sure the waiter is going to bring us some bread to snack on with our water so we can at least get some sort of nourishment. No! He brings us water and takes our appetizer order. Then, with our appetizer he brings out a loaf of bread. Now we can eat our appetizer so the bread isn't as important. But then we taste the toasted ravioli. Our bellies are quenched. It's so good! We start to relax and finally take off our jackets. We start to talk and laugh and then we actually got to enjoy the rest of our dinner there. It kind of ruined the evening though because we wanted to go walk around by the arch and stuff but since it was so dark we didn't see much. Dylan at least go to see what we were talking about. He really wants to go back so we can go up in it. At least, he says he does. I don't know how he would actually do once we stuck him in the little cart and it was close quarters. I guess we'll see when he's a little older.
Sunday was rainy, cold, wet, and extra windy. We took our time getting around in the morning and let the boys play in the room for a while. Around 9:30 we checked out and headed to Union Station. For a tourist attraction there isn't much there. We paid $2 for parking and that was too much if you ask me. There are no good shops in there and very few people. I was not impressed. I had been there before and I guess I had forgotten how lame it was. We left there for The Galleria. It's a big shopping mall. They are doing renovations to it but had covered the construction on the inside very well. We had a good time just cruising around the mall. We ate a quick lunch at a nearby Quizno's (thanks to our Garmin) and then went to the Science Center. I have been there a few times before and enjoyed myself but it's not a real great attraction for 3-year olds. Dylan was not impressed. He got to build a few things in one area and play a computer game in another place but I honestly think his favorite part was going to the Omnimax waiting area where no one was and he had plenty of room to run in circles. That was probably the highlight of his day. It had stopped raining by that time but still remained cold. We thought we would cruise by Grant's Farm on the way out of town and let Dylan see the Clydesdale horses. He couldn't see them very well in his car seat from the road and they had closed early due to the weather so that will be something we have to go back for some other time.
So, how was our hotel? We booked a Comfort Inn & Suites in Hazelwood, MO. It's about 10 miles from Forest Park. It's right off the highway so it's easy to get in and out. The rooms were very clean, service was great, and the continental breakfast was everything you could ask for. For breakfast, they had waffle mix and a waffle maker. You could pour in your own batter and cook them. Deliciouso! They also had boiled eggs, cereal, toast, danishes, muffins, bagels, apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, and oatmeal. They had a couple different kinds of coffee, apple juice, orange juice, milk, and water. There were plenty of choices and for it to be included in the price...I have zero complaints. They kept the dining area very clean and while you were eating breakfast there was someone re-stocking the food and cleaning up after everyone. I have not had a bad experience with the Comfort Inn & Suites I have stayed in and I believe this is the 2nd or 3rd one.
I guess that pretty much sums it up. For an inexpensive weekend, we had a great one and the best part was we were all together.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Cold Rain
I've been doing some staining yesterday and today. Our cedar pillars and cedar garage entry needed a little upgrade. We've had the stain in the garage for quite some time and I just hadn't broke it out. Yesterday, the weather was just beautiful. We went out in the morning. I got up and took a shower and did a couple loads of laundry and vacuumed the house before we headed outdoors. I got out the ladder and stain and got both pillars to the front entry finished. I think they need a little water sealant and it will last longer than before. I swept off the driveway and mowed the yard, cleaned off the lawn mower, swept out the garage, and came back inside. I finished up the last load of laundry and cooked dinner all so I could have a relaxing evening. After dinner was cleaned up I didn't have anything to do except get the boys baths before bed.
Today, it looked like it could rain any minute. I started a load of laundry and got us all ready for the day and just decided we would go out no matter what and when or if it started raining we would come back inside. I got out the ladder and started to tape off the garage. I got a little over 3/4 of it done and ran out of tape so I just decided to start staining. I barely even got half way down the first side and it started sprinkling. Within minutes it was pouring but as long as I stayed up on the ladder, I didn't get wet, nor did my stain. So, I just kept working. I actually got a little cold by the time I finished with the first side. I came in and took a hot shower and then laid down in the floor to watch a little TV with Dylan. That was my warmer. There's nothing like lying on the floor next to your child and having them lean over into your ear to tell you secrets while watching TV. What fun! We ate lunch together and then played with trains before doing a little learning time and then I raced him to bed for naptime. They are both asleep now and I should be fixing dinner. I have to wake up Dylan in just a few minutes so I better get to it. It's only Tuesday and I am already looking forward to the weekend.
Today, it looked like it could rain any minute. I started a load of laundry and got us all ready for the day and just decided we would go out no matter what and when or if it started raining we would come back inside. I got out the ladder and started to tape off the garage. I got a little over 3/4 of it done and ran out of tape so I just decided to start staining. I barely even got half way down the first side and it started sprinkling. Within minutes it was pouring but as long as I stayed up on the ladder, I didn't get wet, nor did my stain. So, I just kept working. I actually got a little cold by the time I finished with the first side. I came in and took a hot shower and then laid down in the floor to watch a little TV with Dylan. That was my warmer. There's nothing like lying on the floor next to your child and having them lean over into your ear to tell you secrets while watching TV. What fun! We ate lunch together and then played with trains before doing a little learning time and then I raced him to bed for naptime. They are both asleep now and I should be fixing dinner. I have to wake up Dylan in just a few minutes so I better get to it. It's only Tuesday and I am already looking forward to the weekend.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Whirlwind Week!
This has just been a busy whirlwind week. We had a birthday party last Saturday. We had a lunch between church services on Sunday. Eli's doctor appointment and some errands on Tuesday morning. Republic Kindergarten musical on Tuesday night and a family dinner to follow. Church was on Wednesday evening as usual. Thursday was pictures for Eli and some more errands in town. Thursday night we went to visit Jerry. This morning we had to run to Wal-mart to get groceries for all this weekend stuff and we have Emma Rosie's birthday party tonight. Tomorrow the boys are going to see Monster Trucks while I go to our church Spring Banquet and maybe, just maybe tomorrow evening we'll have a free night to hang out as a family. Then, it starts all over. Sunday afternoon between services we have a family dinner with Chris's side. After evening services we're getting together with some friends. Monday night and Tuesday night look mostly clear. Wednesday night is church. Thursday night is Friends of the Zoo night with hot dogs and chips. Friday night we leave for St. Louis and we'll be gone until Sunday night. It's summer schedule already and it's not even summer. How crazy is this? Keeping busy does make the time pass and keeps your mind busy on the task at hand. I guess, for now, that's good!
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