O Backpack! My Backpack!

Back in 2003, I was an orientation leader for the University of Arkansas. And as part of the gig, we were given free backpacks. We carried them around campus as we gave tours and led sessions and helped out the incoming college students with whatever they needed... It was a free backpack. Nothing special. But it's been with me ever since.

It's been taken around the world and back and has been washed and dried and beaten half to death on countless occasions. But somehow, it is still looking great and doing a fine job! When I started grad school last fall, Leo encouraged me to buy a new fancy one to tote around campus, but I adamantly refused. Why would I replace a bag that was still perfectly usable?! It got me through my bachelors program with flying colors, and I had no doubt it would work just as well this time around.
And I was correct!

However, over the past few months, I've noticed that it's starting to show its age more & more. A small hole has now developed on the bottom, which is steadily growing bigger. And the lining is starting to flake away. I'm not sure if all backpacks lose their linings eventually, but it seems to be a trend among those which have been exposed to African heat. (We'll get to that in a minute.) I'm sure one of these days all of my books & binders will come crashing through the ever-growing hole in the bottom, but for now, it still works just fine.

But that leads me to my second backpack story. A beautiful North Face variety that I inherited from my brother, Tom. It was a little bigger than a school pack, and a little smaller than a full-sized pack for travel, but it made the perfect carry-on. Tom used it for years, and I then took it with me to the Peace Corps.

This was taken in April 2008, right after landing in Johannesburg, South Africa. Check out the cart's upper basket.

It was taken from country to country, in and out of tents and questionable hostels... and by the end of my 2+ year assignment, it had taken about as much as it could handle. The lining was flaking at an alarming rate, and soon anything you put inside would come out covered with pieces of disgusting old backpack guts. But I brought it back to the States with me, and have been holding onto it since.

While I thought for a split second about keeping it for the sake of sentimental value, that idea quickly vanished. First off, what good is a busted backpack- sentimental or not? Second, Tom would hate that! And third, North Face has a lifetime warranty! After a quick phone call to the company, I decided to give it a shot and send it in. Yes, it was about 10 years old and had been "well-used," but why not? Best case scenario: a free new backpack. And worst: a coupon towards my next one! No downside in sight. So I threw my traveling companion in the bathtub (per North Face's request) and got it ready to go!

That was several weeks ago, and the they got back to me within no time. The verdict: definitely not a new one for free (no surprise there), but they did give me 50% off on a replacement! And while I had hoped to put off getting a new one until Santa could bring me one for Christmas, how could I pass up 50% off??

A few days ago, this beautiful new Recon arrived in the mail.

I'm absolutely in love with the green, and even more in love with the fact that I got it for 50% off, got free shipping AND it's a direct descendent of Tom's old pack. I'm sure it will accompany me through the remainder of grad school (and whatever comes after) just fine. But just to make sure, I plan to test it officially in Nicaragua come June 9th.

It has some mighty big shoes to fill... but here's to the next generation!

Summertime Fun Time.

Hello readers! It is I, the one who has been off the radar for nearly a month. But I’m back! And here comes a blog… brace yourself.

Three of the past four weeks were spent writing a ridiculously stressful research paper. It was worth 30% of my overall grade, and I was more than a little tense. Both our bank account and my waist line took a hit with all the fast food, but I eventually got it all submitted! And then that fourth week was spent being tortured with my own thoughts that I had surely failed the class. It’s a long irrational story as to why I thought this, but I was constantly thinking of ways I could take it again next year while continuing to work and take the other courses on the docket. BUT! I was put out of my misery on Tuesday morning when the grades went up. I PASSED and will not be taking it again next year! 29% FINISHED with my NP program. Boo-ya! :) I'm out of class for the summer, and plan to enjoy it to the fullest!

Speaking of: I have 10 tomatoes ripening up, with one nearly all the way red! And two little jalapenos have poked through, after an intense battle with some little aphids who thought they owned the place…

Also- I've started a bit of a pet project in the kitchen. A few weeks ago, I learned that you can grow your own green onions right from the roots! No sunlight, very little care... just some water. So I figured I'd give it a shot!

Day 1.

Day 5.

Growing things is such fun!

AND- in exactly one month, I'll be headed to Nicaragua! I finished up my oral Typhoid vaccine just this morning, and am therefore "protected" for the next five years. Just have to pick up my Malaria pills, and I'm good to go!

Free time, veggies and traveling, Oh my! I do believe it's shaping up to be a good summer. 

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yep- I turned one year older yesterday. I had to spend three hours of it in my Scientific Inquiry class, but that was only a slight detour in an otherwise great day!

 

I got to sleep in, wear pj's for an extended period of time, enjoy some flowers (and fresh strawberries!) from my awesome husband, and then head out for an amazing sushi dinner. Oh, how I love sushi.

 

MmmmMMMMMmmmmm...

 

That california roll up on the left was Leo's. Don't worry- I didn't eat ALL of it.

 

He also had some chicken teriyaki, but gave me most of those sugar snap peas.

We like to share. :) 

And then! It was time for birthday cake!

 

First up, a normal shot with me and the oh-so-tasty Green Tea ice cream cake.

...and then Leo (the paparazzi) got a little shutter happy.

That cake was DElicious and a perfect ending to my 28th birthday!

I remember back during my senior year of high school, we were asked to write an essay all about where we saw ourselves in ten years. And dang it, I really wish I had kept it! My ten year reunion is this year, and frankly, my life is NOTHING like I had imagined back then. And I thank God every single day for it.

What's the old saying? "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." That about sums it up.

Here's to another exciting and unpredictable year ahead!

Grow Veggies Grow!

School is especially busy right now. It seems every free moment is dedicated to writing a paper or studying for an exam or just being all around stressed-out... But last week (before the soccer spectacular), I took a few hours to dedicate to my patio garden. I learned a lot about the process of container gardening last year, and couldn't wait to start it up again!

Looks like the tomatoes are about to show up!

Cilantro and basil- Getting big quickly!

The jalapenos didn't fare so well last time. I'm hoping this year we'll have at least a few to throw in with the fresh tomatoes. Yay salsa!

Keebler enjoys monitoring everyone's growth as well.

No veggies just yet, but hopefully soon! And I think I've finally found a reason to move to a place with a YARD. Just think of what I could grow with actual soil! 



Game On.

Today was pure joy.

Although Leo and I each have exactly 1,023 things on our plates for school, we decided to put it all on the back burner and enjoy the day. First up- soccer! It only took 3+ years, but he finally managed to get me on a soccer field! Now, I've always declined due to the fact that I secretly have amazing soccer skills and didn't want to embarrass him in public... But he decided to take the chance. (We also agreed up front that no tears would be shed. )

Game face is everything. So is dressing the part...

The pro guarding the goal.



We had a great time running up and down the field, and I think Leo enjoyed putting me through drills just a little too much... We achieved our goal of no tears and he even complimented my skills a few times! In my defense, I tried to warn him just how awesome I was.



Ok, ok. You got me- I have no soccer skills. But we did have a great time, and Leo's a nice guy who likes to encourage. I'll never fault him for that!

After arriving home, grabbing a quick shower and engaging in some intense negotiation on movie choice, we headed to Mirror Mirror. It was SO adorable and I got to have popcorn for lunch. Definitely a win-win situation.

Following the movie, Keebler joined us for a nap...

BEST. SUNDAY. EVER.

...and now back to the books.

I Grow Tire'd

Tuesday:

The night it all started. I had been cramming all day for my very large (and scary) research test coming up the next day… Leo got home from classes around 9pm and informed me that he had a flat tire. While I was concerned, my response was something like: “I have a test tomorrow. We can deal with this after.” And that’s exactly what we did.

While I had only a slight idea of how to change a tire, I knew Leo was much more experienced. I've personally seen him change two in the bush in the middle of Africa. (Much rougher conditions than our apartment parking garage.) It's just this was a new car and neither of us was prepared...

Wednesday:

After dropping Leo at work and before leaving for class, I snuck a peak at the damage.

And my first question via text to Leo: "What did you hit?!" I feared the tire was dead and could not be revived. It had been through an ordeal for sure and had come in contact with something fairly large and destructive. We never did determine exactly what.

4 hours later...

I got home from my test (which I was pretty sure I had failed), and got to work... We had no idea if all the necessary tools were in the car, so that was priority #1. I basically tore apart the trunk and struck gold! We had nearly everything- including the coveted lugnut key and a full-sized spare! Just no actual tire iron, and the one for my car was too big. So I picked Leo up from work and we headed to Auto Zone.

We couldn't decide, so we ended up getting a full ratchet set and also a 4-way wrench. We figured between the two, something was bound to work! And off we went back to the apartment.

With the lugnut key in place and all of them exposed, Leo excitedly got to work with the 4-way. We had no doubt whatsoever that we would be victorious, but alas- he could only get one to even BUDGE. He tried turning it hard, then turning it even harder, then jumping up and down on one end, then turning it with one eye closed.. (ok, I made up that last one). The point is: our new tools didn't stand a chance against the tire. The lugnuts were CRAZY tight.

So I went in search of help, and found one of our faithful maintenance guys not too far away. He followed me back to the garage and tried with an even bigger 4-way. But the holes on his wrench were too big as well and just slipped over the lugnuts. And again, the tire won. His advice: call a tow truck and get them to come over with an air wrench.

By this point it was about 6pm and I had been up since 6:30am (since I took Leo to work). I was still cranky from the test I surely failed, Leo hadn't even changed out of his work clothes, and we were both ready to cry. So I headed back to the apartment to google local tow trucks... I honestly didn't care how much it cost. We just needed that tire OFF. I got in touch with one in the area, confirmed they had air wrenches on the trucks and set it up. They were coming! Help was on the way!

So I left for the grocery store. I was scheduled to work the next three days and we had zero food in the house. And that was not good.

I got a few necessities at the fancy and expensive grocery store just down the street (I didn't have the strength to make it to our usual place) and was in the check-out when the tow truck driver called. He was at the gate and needed to be buzzed in. It was a glorious moment and I nearly squealed with delight! He had arrived and we were saved! But when I told him that the car was parked on the 3rd floor of our apartment parking garage (still not sure how Leo got in up there in the first place!), he suddenly became very quiet on the other end of the line... "Um, ma'am- I'm in a flatbed truck. There's no way it will fit inside the garage." Well crud. He was very polite and apologetic, but it was true. The tire had won again.

I ventured back into the fancy and expensive grocery store to find ice cream and headed home. After entering the apartment (at now 8pm), I announced to Leo that we had no choice but to sell the car.

Thursday:

I had to work, and was kept busy enough to not think about the devil tire. It was lovely. As Leo picked me up after work, he informed me that through extreme physical exertion, he did manage to get one lugnut off, but had to forgo further efforts due to the inside of the tire wrench chipping away. He had turned it so incredibly hard that the hole was now more round than hexagonal... Yes- crazy. The tire had won yet again, and now our only tool to conquer it was dead as well. (It will be returned to Auto Zone ASAP.)

Friday:  

The heavens smiled upon me and I was cancelled at work, which meant I had the day to figure out this stupid tire situation.

In a last-ditch effort, I ran to the store and got a can of Fix-a-Flat. And while I was highly skeptical, it did actually work! It inflated just long enough to get the car off the third floor and back onto solid ground OUTSIDE the garage. A small victory for the humans!  

I'm guessing the leaking goo is a bad sign?

And since it was now OUT of the parking garage, I called the tow truck to come back. He was there within two hours (during which I seriously considered making margaritas), and I thought for sure this would be the end of it.  

But no. 

Even with his high-powered air gun, the lugnuts weren't moving. He tried every trick he knew, and nothing. And apparently Volkswagens and BMW's are "special" in that you can't just break off the tops of the bolts. (I didn't even know that was an option until he ruled it out aloud.) It was at this time that I started laughing deliriously. What else COULD I do?? No point in screaming, no point in crying... laughing was the only logical option.

The driver was as nice as could be, and simply asked: "Who put the tire on in the first place?" And then a little lightbulb went off over my head and I had a brilliant idea: call the dealership! We have been taking it back for oil changes and tire rotations and they were most definitely the people responsible for those ridiculously tightened lugnuts! So I called them up.

At first, they transferred me around and were a bit wishy-washy. But as soon as I got the head honcho of the service department on the phone: I laid it out for him. Basically, his guys had put the tire on too tight and caused this situation. All I wanted was for them to pay for the tow to the nearest Discount Tire. He tried to convince me to tow it all the way back to them, and I said absolutely not. First off, they are nowhere close to us. Second, they did this and were no longer trustworthy in my opinion. And third, I knew we'd be replacing the tire and didn't want to pay dealer prices. In the end he agreed, and I called my tow truck friend for a THIRD TIME. 

The GTI looked so sad. With all the flashing lights, it was like a car ambulance.  :(

But once secured, it took all of five minutes to drive the 1.1 miles to Discount Tire. (Yes- it was THAT CLOSE.)

I climbed down from the tow truck (yes! I got to ride along!), nearly hugged every single one of the employees, warned them that the tire contained fix-a-flat, and then watched as they easily removed it within about three seconds...  As suspected, it could not be saved. So we ended up paying for a new tire, BUT we will get that $85 back for the tow. Score.

A flat tire that took 3 1/2 days to fix. That's normal, right?

Though it was an ordeal, I have found multiple “silver linings” that occurred throughout. I like to think of them as the cherry on top: 

1)      He got the car home and wasn’t stranded on the side of the road.

2)      No one was hurt.

3)      We have a second car and were only slightly inconvenienced in the grand scheme of things.

4)      We learned that all the tools we need ARE inside the car.

5)      The weather has been amazing! Dealing with this during ice, snow or even rain would have been much worse.

6)      While chauffeuring Leo to and from work, I got to see some super duper cute private school kids in their super duper cute private school uniforms.

7)      I ended up not only passing my scary research test, but actually doing pretty well!

8)      I was cancelled on Friday, which gave me time to deal with this.

9)      I got to ride in a tow truck.

Cha-Ching.

I love saving money. Absolutely LOVE it. It's almost a game for me-- A game in which every single tiny penny counts. And the prize for winning the game? More money in our savings (aka: travel) account!

Just last month, I finally used up an AT&T gift card I'd been hanging onto... It literally had $.25 on it. But there was NO WAY I was throwing it away without cashing in its full value. We have this little basket on our kitchen counter, and it mostly collects coins and wine corks and half-used gift cards... After a card is semi-used, I grab a sharpie and write the remaining amount on it. (An excellent technique I picked up from my parents.) And Leo made fun of me on more than one occasion when he would come across that boldly-written $.25. But eventually, I successfully lowered our phone bill by a whole quarter! I win.

And last week, when we bought our beautiful new Ninja blender, we paid less than half price for the little bundle of joy! See, last year when we got our fancy new pots and pans, we got a $50 Bed Bath & Beyond gift card to sweeten the deal. It has ridden around in my wallet for a YEAR waiting for the perfect (necessary) item to pop up. Enter Ninja. Along with a 20% off in-store coupon, the Ninja was that much more fun to bring home. I win again.

My two rules: 1) never make a big purchase without getting an amazing deal. And 2) don't buy crap you don't need. Our old blender had been around for about 7 years, and had actually started bleeding oil every time we fired it up. We mopped up the oil and tried to nurse it back to health for many, many months before finally throwing in the towel and going shopping for the Ninja.

I got a random email the other day from Dave Ramsey's people. Not sure how I got on that list, but I think I may have found a new friend... I don't appreciate how he seems to charge for all of his advice, but from what I can tell: the man knows what he's talking about. I don't think I'm willing to pay for advice on how to save money at this point, but we'll see. I sometimes conduct spontaneous google searches on the subject and get all kinds of fun new pieces of advice for free.

Please don't judge me.

I'm also thinking about beginning to dabble in the world of coupons? But I'm torn. Coupons require using paper and printing paper and wasting paper. Saving money while filling up landfills... Still pondering the pros and cons of that one.