Running thru life.... The UK

When we were packing for London, I truely had no idea what to expect and for the first time in my whole adult life of going on a trip I had not planned anything. 
Yes me who plans everything- NADA!!
I completely left everything up to my very best friend and her hubby. 
Most of this was due to the fact that Joe was busy with school/work and I was superbusy with work!

We had an amazing trip and it could have not been more perfect for what me and my hubby needed. 
Over the next couple of blogs I will detail our trip!
This trip was a little different in that fact that we were visiting friends.  So while we did do alot we mostly just hung out (in pubs)! 

Monday December 26th-

Took off from Dulles traveling AIRFRANCE.

Yes AIRFRANCE ROCKS!

Tuesday  December 27th-

Landed in Heathrow Airport. 

Took us 45 minutes to get thru customs. 
The English are not as efficient as us Americans!

Then our friends met us at the airport and drove us to their house. 

They live on a military base which is tiny tiny compared to American standards.

To get there we drove thru English countryside which was gorgeous. 

Upon arriving we hung out for a bit and then Joe and I took a very very long nap. 

For dinner we headed to this cute English Pub that was 5 minutes from their house. 

We had the traditional dinner- Joe had meat pie and I have a macorroni bake with beer and cider!

Oh how I love cider! 

They had it everywhere in the UK- 1 point for the UK. 
Magners was by far my favorite and my staple for the trip!

Wednesday December 28th- Stonehenge

Joe and I slept in till noon- CRAZY!!

Upon waking we had a quick bit to eat and then headed off to Stonehenge.
Only a 20+ minute drive from where our friends lived. 

It was pretty amazing. 

Seriously, these big stones in a field. 

You did have to pay for admission but part of admission was a walking tour which was quite interesting because ALOT about Stonehenge is unknown.  

Cost for two:  23$

It was very windy as you can see so I was glad to have packed my scarf and gloves!
We spent probably a little between 1-2 hours walking around. 
It was not particularly crowed which was nice. 

After Stonehenge we headed to another pub for ciders and beers to warm up. 

Oh pubs- Point 2 for the UK.

Pubs are awesome-
really you just walk in, get a seat, and drink. 

No waiting in line, no rude people, no cover charge. 
Oh and you can bring your dog everywhere!

We headed home for a home cooked meal and a movie night. 

Up Next:  Our day in London

Running thru Life.... New Years Resolution for Hubby

There are many many wonderful things about being married,

I could go on and on.

I really do have it made as far as hubbies go.

That being said I have made one New Year's Resolution for my hubby:

Working on Remembering!

You may ask what I mean by this?

Here is a prime example that happened last Friday morning while talking on the phone to my hubby. 

Me:  "So what does your day look like?"

Hubby:  'Work then home to play chuckit with Clemson."

Me "You failed!  What else are you doing today?"

silence on the phone

Me "You are suppose to go to Plow and Hearth on the way home to get the refund.  We talked about it last night, I sent you an email last night and I put the form in your wallet!" 

Hubby: "Well you did not send me a email this morning to remind me."

Me:  "Seriously, you are a grown man- I should not have to remind you!  I am setting a New Years resolution for you- you need to remember more!"

My hubby knows more things that I will probably ever know but he can not remember things. 

I need to help find a system for him. 

On thought is once he gets an Iphone to have him make a checklist like I have that way he can be easily reminded.  I could find a check list on his droid that he currently has.  I will need to look into this. 

I already sit down on Sunday and plan out our week/meals with him but by tomorrow he forgets. 

Seriously in my next life... I am coming back a man who forgets things. 

Any suggestions? 

Running thru life.... Gift Card Spreadsheet

Now that the holidays are over.... Joe and I have tons of gift cards.

Which rocks!

However, I have found that Joe and I often forget what we have.

So this year I decided to make a spreadsheet of our gift cards.

I saved it into dropbox so both Joe and I can edit it as we use the cards either on his computer or my ipad.

I also printed the spreadsheet out and placed it on the fridge.

This way we know what we have.

I basically made a column for the name of the gift card, another for the total amount, and then a third column to desinated how many gift cards.  For example we have 3 Starbucks gift cards that total $75, so this is how it looks:

Cards 

Store                                   Amount                               Number

Starbucks                            75.00                                        3

Then at the bottom it totals how many gift cards we have and the TOTAL value.

I think this will help us to use the gift cards and remind of us of what we have. 

Running thru life... H2O

It is very hard to shop for my husband!

Seriously why are men so hard to shop for!

Anyways, when he said he wanted a Sodastream I quickly did the math in my head.

We spend 6.99 on seltzer water every 2 weeks. 

6.99x26= 181$ a year we spend on seltzer water!

We love seltzer water. 

I do not know why but the taste of regular water to me is just yucky.  

With Joe and I both running more now, we are going thru so much of it. 

We fortunately had family member that had purchased one so we could ask for their reviews. 

After much debate, I gave the item to my parents for them to get my hubby for Christmas.

Of course I told my mom to get it from Bed Bath and Beyond so she could use her 20% coupon because my mom loves to save even more than I do. 

So Christmas day we assembled it and are loving our water. 

It came with flavor packets to make other things which I am not too interested in. 

We will probably try them just for fun. 

It came with the machine, a gas can, and two bottle with tops. 

The gas can you do have to get refills but Bed Bath and Beyond has them which makes it easily.  

The gas can last from 4-6 months from what we have been told.  

Fortunately we got a gift card for Bed Bath and Beyond so we can save it for when we need it!

I am happy to have this and $181 back in our pocket each year. 

Running thru life.... Airfrance Rocks

Joe and I travel a decent amount. 

Half of our travels are in the states while the other half is international. 

While we hate the long internatal trips- we love flying international. 

On our trip to Greece we had a very pleasent experience with British Airways and I swore "from now on we are flying British Airways."

When I went to book the tickets for London, the price to fly AIRFRANCE was tremendously cheaper, so I took a chance. 

Boy was I happy. 

Now I will not fly internationally unless it is AirFrance.
=0)

We boarded the plane which was the biggest plane I have ever seen- double decker. 

In our seats were a blacket, and pillow. 

You sit down and then you see it....

Unlimited movies, games, music.

So much fun. 

Right before take off the flight attendants came around and handed out this nice little packet which has a eye pillow, a napkin to wash your face and ear phones. 
It is like they know me!!!

I kept them and plan on using them when we travel. 

After take off you are served a apertif which I had champagne and Joe had Pastis which is a french liquoir.  Followed by a wonderful meal, followed by a digestive of Cognac.
I of course had more champagne! 

Seriouslly, the booze just kept coming. 

I can only imagine what 1st class is like!

Furthermore, all the flight attendants were nice and very accommodating.
And they say Cheers to everything. 
Totally love it- I am say Cheer more often now. 

Our baggage arrived with us.
Our flights were on time for the most part. 

I have nothing but good things to say for AIRFRANCE!!!

Running thru life.... Traveling Smart!

We are back from London and what a trip!

Since we left the day after Christmas, I knew that I was going to have to pack smart.  

Christmas Eve was at my parents followed by Christmas Day at the Heckers.

We got home and unloaded all our goodies and went to bed by 11pm.  

CRAZY DAY.

The next morning we woke to play with Clemson and finish items up before heading off to the airport!

This trip I packed the lightest I have ever back to a point that I had less stuff than my husband.  My husband will argue this is due to the fact that I am smaller- but still.  We went for 7 days and I used almost everything I packed!

I packed 1 medium suitcase and my Vera Bradley bag.

In my suitcase was the following:

7 pairs of underwear (used all)

6 pairs of socks (used 4)

2 bras (used all)

1 set of PJs (used all)

1 undershirt  (used)

5 sweaters (used all)

1 additional pairs of jeans (did not use)

1 set of leggings (used)

1 sweater dress (used)

2 dressy dresses  (used 1)

1 set of flats (used)

1 set of heels (used)

1 shell to my Northface that has a hood (used ALOT!)

I wore on the plane a pair of jeans, boots, sweater, with Northface Fleece.

In my Vera Bradley I pack everything else that I would need while we were traveling.

I truely love my Vera Bradley bag because it is light, and has so many pockets for me to place stuff.

This is what was placed in the bag

1 very small umbrella (used)

1 small bag of electronics like power cords.  I placed them in a clique small bag that I had recieved for free.  (Used)

1 container that contained sleeping pills,  Tylenol, Excedrin, and vitamins. (used)

1 small pack of tissues (used completely)

1 collapsable water bottle (used)

1 pack of Nuun tablets (used)

1 leather case with all travel information and passports (used)

This case was given to us by our travel agent for our Greece Trip.  I totally love it that I can keep everything in one place. 

3 magazines (used)

1 ipad (used)

1 set of hat/gloves

The only thing I did not use from the trip was an extra dress and the other pair of jeans I packed.  

Joe packed our toiletry bag in his bag which again I packed with everything disposable so it made it super easy.  

All and All it was very good packing.  

I had one medium size suitcase and my Vera Bradley bag while Joe had 1 big suitcase and his camera bag.  

Up next... AIRFRANCE ROCKS!

Running thru life... 2012 GOALS!

2012 has come!
Which means it is time for me to sit down and make some goals for myself for the upcoming year. 
So here they are...

New Year 2012 Goals

1)     Embrace a healthier lifestyle

a.      Eliminate sweets

b.     Limit to 1 alcohol drink a week

c.      Increase vegetables and fruits

d.     Decrease carbs and increase protein

e.      Continue to take multivitamin and calcium supplements

f.      Lose 5 pounds. 

2)     Exercise more

a.      Participate either in a Marathon or a Tri

b.     Make time for exercise at least 4 times a week

c.      Try to incorporate stretching and yoga into running routine.

3)     Broaden my cooking

a.      Attempt 1 new recipe ever 2 weeks. 

b.     Update recipe book

4)     Broaden my knowledge

a.      Read at least 3 books a month- trying to pick 1 fiction, 1 non-fiction, and 1 medical.

b.     Keep a spread sheet of books you have read

5)     Spend more time with others

a.      Keep date night regularly with hubby

b.     See friends and family as much as possible

6)     Be financially smart

a.      You the want vs need system to help eliminate unnecessary purchases

b.     Decreasing eating out

c.      Use gift cards

d.     Put X amount to savings each month

e.   Put X amount away each quarter into investment account  

7)     Travel

a.      ENJOY LIFE!!!!!

While some of these may seem silly or maybe not necessary to write down.  I am a firm believer in writing them down because they will be sitting on my fridge every day looking at me in the face and on my ipad.

What are your goal for 2012?