The Pros/Cons of Groupon

So I love Groupons. I don't buy as many as I want to, but I went through a spurt where I bought a lot. Trouble is, they are in Madison, which is about 35ish minutes away from where I live, and closer to 45ish minutes from where I work. So even though they are good deals, I have to factor in the drive time and scheduling problems. I had one Groupon I had to use by the end of the month, so a little while ago I called to make an appointment (for a mani-pedi, yay!) and they only had ONE appointment that fit my schedule. Really? Come on. So I took it, even though it was a Tuesday night appointment. At least the salon was really nice, and I love my manicure and pedicure! The color I got on my toes is probably my new favorite -
it's called "Wocka Wocka" by OPI (the new Muppets Collection!) :-) Those aren't my fingers (or toes!! haha) in the picture, I found it online, but the bottle picture does NOT do this amazing color justice! Anyway, I love it. And I got a gray for my manicure. I've been wanting a gray polish, and I even had a dream where I had gray polish on my nails, so I figure now my dream has come true :) I like it ok, I'm not sure if I would do it again. I mean, I like it, but maybe it's just because it takes some getting used to. Considering the fact that I always have hot pink or bright red on my nails (or nothing at all), this is quite a transition for me!

I'm getting a little nervous about my interview. I got my resume printed last night so I can take a couple of copies with me. Remember to pray! I actually had an epiphany-type moment last night about the job - I was letting one friend know I could babysit for her, and another family from church wanted to know if I could babysit for them, and I let them know I could, and it made me feel so happy that I could help and be useful, and that I can am (for lack of a better word) "needed." I don't know if I can really explain it, but I just felt full and I realized that it doesn't matter what I do for my job, because I have friends (friends! Out here in Wisconsin! Who knew!) that I can help, friends in my life. I'm not sure if I'm really communicating it well, but it was a great feeling.

All right. That's enough for now. And look at that - my first picture! Even though it's not me (or my husband, or my dog, etc), it's still a picture! Can you believe it? :-o I told you they'd arrive eventually!!

Afton's Visit and WI food

Well, Afton came out, and we had a blast! We did lots of really Wisconsin-y things, like ate custard (a thick and creamy ice cream-type dessert. I think it has more egg yolks in it. Not to be confused with the solid gelatinous substance Californians call custard) and deep-fried cheese curds (and ok, to me, curds sounds disgusting. Until you realize that really it's just bits of cheddar cheese that they batter and fry into a delicious, hot, cheesey treat!). We got the cheese curds at The Old Fashioned in Madison - the BEST cheese curds I have ever had. And I pretty much try them every place I can. The batter is so light, and they have dipping sauces you can use - the roasted garlic is crazy delicious! Besides Madison, we went to a fish fry (a Wisconsin Friday-night tradition), a sheep and wool festival where we saw some sheep getting sheared, and went to Chicago.

Most awesome thing we did in Chicago was had dessert at the Signature Lounge. You absolutely need to go there, even if you get one dessert and split it between a couple of people, because it's a restaurant on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building, and the view is just beyond spectacular. I really liked it at night with all the lights. Even the bathroom has a view! So, go to Chicago and go to the Signature Lounge. You will love it!

I think I'll keep this short for today. More insight to my life to come.

Wisconsin's SLO

So I usually notice what’s different between California and Wisconsin. Here’s something that I noticed is similar: Madison reminds me a lot of San Luis Obispo. Now, people who have spent more time in both places may not necessarily agree, but from my experience of both, they are alike in many ways. First of all, they are both college towns. Second of all, there are a lot of “hippies” in both cities. These may not be real hippie-hippies, but the sentiment is there – dreadlocks, a lot of biking, and a focus on what is natural. San Luis Obispo goes one step further in not allowing any drive-thrus (they can have a McDonald’s, it just can’t have a drive-thru). So ok I guess that’s really only two things, but maybe that’s because the hippie aspect covers so much. If you like Madison, I would suggest visiting San Luis Obispo (or, as those in the know call it, SLO). I think you would enjoy it.

I think I'll keep this short for today. More observances of life to come.