Why I Love Target

Yesterday I went to Target because I saw that jeans were 70% off and it seemed like a great time to get a couple 'Back-To-School' pairs (I know I'm no longer in school so I don't really need back-to-school clothes...just leave it alone, okay? In my defense, I did actually need jeans).

Of course we all know that it's humanly impossible to walk into Target in search of one thing, and walk out having purchased that one thing.

First, I was set on returning a pair of shoes that my friend Ellen left for me when she went back to Colorado. They were a size too small and I thought I could make them work, but I couldn't. I figured I could return them for a Target gift card since I didn't have the receipt or the card they were purchased with.

The customer service lady scanned them and said the item was 'no longer found' and I couldn't return them because Target couldn't sell them anymore.

I thought that was a little weird because she just bought them last Saturday at a Target in Cedar Rapids before RAGBRAI. 

The customer service lady said she was sorry there was nothing she could do and I said that it was okay even though it wasn't because what was I going to do with a pair of $9 purple shoes in a size 8? Jamie isn't that size, my mom would never wear these, and it just seemed like a very sad waste of a nice Target product. But I'll come back to this later...

When Jamie and I go to Target together, even if it's a five-minute trip, we always 'Take a Lap.' Because who knows what great $5 DVD we might find to put in someone's stocking in five months? Or what $3 candle might work to put with a wedding gift? Or what clearance deodorant we can pick through on the end of an aisle by the pharmacy (btw if you didn't already know this, the ENDS of the aisles are where the sales are at)?

So...always worth taking a lap. For reasons like this: 

I found a pair of lightweight, fun, turquoise pajama pants for $3. 

Awesome.

I turned my attention to the real reason I came to Target and started sifting through all the jeans on the back clearance wall (they were already really picked over for it only being Monday, so I was a little discouraged). After trying on about 10 pairs, I settled on two pairs of skinnies (a dark pair that's going to turn my legs blue for the first couple times I wear them, and a lighter colored, more casual pair). 

Time to check out...the dark pair of jeans rings up at $22. Noooo that's silly, I never pay $22 for an article of clothing at Target...I pointed the price out to the nice cashier and explained that they were folded up on the back wall (not on a hanger or anything) with the rest of the clearance jeans. They were even the same brand as the other on-sale pair I was purchasing at 70% off. 

She said that since it was probably their mistake for putting the jeans back in the wrong place, she would give them to me at the full clearance price...Which was $6! CHEAPER THAN ALL THE OTHER JEANS ON THE ENTIRE CLEARANCE WALL! 

Totally awesome.

Now for my last conquest. The shoes. Those shoes were $8.48 just begging to be turned into a Target card for me to spend on something else. Lucky for me, while I was taking my lap, I found the exact same pair of shoes, (different size and color, same style and price). After checking out, I marched back to the Customer Service counter and showed the lady that I had found a pair of the 'unsellable' shoes being sold in the shoe aisle. 

She said she wasn't sure if it would work, but because there was a clearance price tag on both of the pairs, she ended up being able to give me the refund in the form of a Target gift card.

Totally freaking awesome.

And that's the story of my Target Monday.

MmB

Also...we just bought another house. What?! 

July Adventures

In recent weeks, I have found a direct correlation between my lack of blogging and the lack of rain.

No rain = Dry ground = Dead grass = Josh at home = I get absolutely nothing done...cleaning, crafting, blogging or otherwise. :)

When I say it's been dry, I'm being so serious. We have been watering our grass for HOURS each day (usually because we forget that the sprinkler is on) and Josh hasn't mowed our yard in over three weeks. THREE WEEKS! Good grief. 

However, I'm starting to think this little mid-summer break came at a perfect time for Josh to be able to recharge his batteries and get ready to finish the season. People tend think of lawn care as a spring and summer profession...but Josh will easily be working until mid-November. Which means our season is only about halfway over. 

Blogging started out as an activity to keep me busy while Josh works long hours...and while I love having him home more, I have been really bad at keeping up with my lengthy list of summer projects and goals. I haven't painted anything or completed a project since mid-June. My kitchen cabinets are giving me anxiety. I'm back to being an entire year behind with my scrapbooking. And I need to sew pillow cases for my outdoor pillows.

Did I mention my (insert naughty word here) kitchen cabinets still aren't sanded and stained?!

Lest you think we've been complete lazy bums for the past two weeks...here's a rundown of what we've been up to. 

1. Had a perfect summer weekend (2 weeks ago), complete with sweet corn, a road trip, a movie, walks, a wedding, and a drive around Twin Lakes. People with normal jobs probably get to experience these activities all the time, but it was a special weekend for us! 

2. We purchased an iPad! Josh isn't sure how this happens, but somehow my birthday presents keep coming earlier and earlier. I'm actually sitting at a house for Tami and blogging without my laptop and it's. amazing. 

Thanks to our iPad pro at C21, Sarah Harrison found an app that scans documents and turns them into PDF's...I can scan and upload all of our documents to GoogleDrive and access them from our phones, computer, and iPad at anytime. This means all the bills, receipts, and other annoying cluttery papers and important scraps can be scanned and then THROWN AWAY! 

Am I in heaven?!

3. I logged 40 hours in four days at cheer camp last week with Coach Alison and had a great time with our Winter girls. They did a great job at camp for being a young/rookie squad and Alison and I managed to survive without our fearless leader who had a baby 2 days before the first day of camp. :) We were most proud of our girls for winning the Spirit Award, which meant all the other squads at camp voted to recognize US as the squad with the most spirit! Yay! Dana (and baby) managed to visit on the last day to see our final performances and I used my handy new iPad to video everything all week (the coaching apps I can get on this thing are endless)!

4. Josh hung out with his lifelong friend, Justin Carlson on Sunday night (which has sort of become a tradition) and we had fun catching up, hanging out on the deck, retelling stories I've heard at least 23 times, and getting Fighting Burrito at 2am. I wasn't awake for most of the nights activities, but I'm sure Wedding Crashers was put in and quoted at some point in the evening too. 

5. Last weekend we attended the Franklin County Fair, visited Josh's grandparents on the farm, and went to Manson to put down the 3rd chemical application of the year. My parent's yard is somewhat of a success story this season, as Josh was able to get grass to grow in places that didn't have grass for all 24 years of my life. I'll make sure to post before and after pictures soon. :) We ended the weekend with another drive around the lake and ice cream at The Little Store. 

But seriously...who wants to go halfsies on a lake house with us...???

No one...???

You're all dead to us.

MmB

Colorado Trip: Pt. 2

Here I'm going to attempt a positive, non-sarcastic take on my trip to Colorado. I know the last post might have made it seem like I had a really homesick, stressful time...but that's just because sometimes I get too carried away with sarcasm and it's hard to convey my tone in a blog post. I'm banking on the fact that most of you know me and realize when I'm being dramatic...which is basically all the time.

Here we are hiking. Notice I'm not in the picture. That's because I climbed on a small rock while Henry, Karissa, and Katie climbed this big rock. I posted up and tried to get some service so I could Instagram while Karissa said, "Mollie this is why you will be such a good mom. You're totally content to sit and wait while we climb."

True dat.

I had never seen mountains before this weekend, sooo that was a really fun experience to have with friends. We had a lot of fun eating out, drinking coffee, staying in hotels, driving together for 20+ hours, meeting new fiance's and girlfriends, laughing until our stomachs hurt and our voices were gone (okay I'm the only one who lost my voice), cuddling in a King-size bed, driving home with an extra passenger, catching up on life, Malawi, new jobs, etc., shopping, laughing at my lack of hiking skills, and just everything in between that made me realize our friends are such a gift from God and it's so fun to do life with them.

That was cheesy. Whatere. It's true.

Here we are at the wedding post-wedding dance. Not sure why we forgot to take a picture before the reception, which would have been pre-wobble, shuffle, and shout. So that is why I am a sweaty mess and those other two beauts look gorg. If any single men read this blog (which, I am sure there are sooo many who are just dying to know which craft I'll post next), these are two of the greatest girls I know. Feel free to mingle with them. Also notice that thing Laura does with her eyes that make her look like a VS Angel:

Note to self: Try that the next time I'm in a picture.

I'd like to share with you one of the conversations that was a highlight of the weekend for me:

After visiting the bathroom during the reception and fixing our hair and make-up in the mirror (okay that was just me), Katie and I headed back to our table. Before we went into the reception room, I turned around and said, "Do I look okay?" 

And do you want to know what that girl said to me?

"You look great. You look like Kim Kardashian in that dress."

Bless it.

Some people might be offended if someone told them they looked like Kim Kardashian from behind, but not me. That girl knows what I need to hear and when I need to hear it.

Homesickness due to dad-speeches = gone. This is why we're friends. 

On Friday night after the motel situation in Fort Collins, where we decided to go across the street and stay in La Quinta Inn, I headed out for a night on the town with my two favorite, hippie, Colorado residents, who happen to also be old pool friends (sorry if those commas were misplaced for you both...now that I know you're judging I'm self-conscious). Kayla and Ellen and I went to a brewery in Old Town Fort Collins. It was super fun to catch up since they both decided it would be a good idea to hang up their lifeguard suits to get Master's degrees in Engineering-smartness in Colorado, and only come visit once a year. I guess I can't blame them since Colorado life fits them like a glove...skiing, biking, traveling, beer, and brownies were our main topics of conversation (I know, sometimes I find it really interesting that we're friends), along with the occasional pool story...which was depressing because neither of them were very interested in knowing about the train wreck that the Furman Aquatic Center has become without us (most of you who frequent the pool don't know this, but we are SURE the chlorine levels are off in the Pond and the River on a daily basis...you should know you're probably swimming in straight urine, sunblock, and feces...now you're wishing I was a manager again, aren't you?).

Anyway, the weekend included so many wonderful things, and was wrapped up with a lengthy ride home with an extra passenger...When groom texts you day before wedding and asks if you can bring one of his groomsmen back to Iowa because said groomsmen doesn't have ride and groom is leaving for honeymoon and can't bring him back...you don't ask questions you just say, 'yes' and panic about a foreign person entering the car-of-important-girl-conversations later.

Needless to say, Groomsmen-Adam fit right in, steered us clear of an accident due to some crazy traffic on the way home, and kept us laughing when I wanted to dieee because we needed gas and were a mere 30 minutes from home.

There you have it...my take on, "that one time when we traveled to Colorado for the Jesse's wedding and had a ton of fun." I'm sure we will be sharing stories from this weekend for years to come. :)

Also, that rhymed, and I wasn't even trying to do that. Love.

You're Favorite Nature-Girl,
Mollie

Colorado Trip: Pt. 1

On Thursday morning at 6am, I left for a wedding in Colorado with a car full of girls, tons of tunes, and puppy chow. Josh stayed home because he had too much work to get done and wasn't able to leave on a trip for four days...

This was an interesting trip for me because Josh wasn't around to let me do whatever I want, dote on my altitude nose bleeds, and kiss me during the kissing-game at the reception (this was horribly depressing, especially because we have the. cutest. friend-couples on the face of the earth).

These are some of my plain observations from the trip and some things I learned about myself with some dramatic-Mollie-isms thrown in between.

1. As much as I love our friends dearly (for real...we're like family)...I will never take another trip with them and without my husband. I missed him so. much. it was ridiculous. And by the end it just got embarrassing. Everything that came out of my mouth was either 'that's what she said' or something whiney.

I think a lot of people thought I was ridiculous (and in true Mollie fashion, I'll admit I was probably playing it up a bit) but I felt like I was walking around for four days with half of myself missing. Aside from the three hours on the dance floor where I'm usually able to shine without Josh, I spent the rest of the time desperately wishing he could have come along for the trip.

Bless my dear car buddies, Laura and Katie, who put up with me for more than 20 hours. Bless them.

I missed them the minute they left our driveway.

2. I was wonderful about going with the flow for the first 48ish hours...and after riding for 10 hours; hiking faster than I would have preferred; running down the mountain in the cold rain; weird nose bleeds; and a very unplanned evening in downtown Denver with a big group...this little control-freak had just had enough. I didn't even complain (although I did offer to stay at the bottom of the mountain and get a pedicure while everyone else went hiking...they said no).

My breaking point was the $52 per night Motel 6 room in Fort Collins that smelled like stale pot. The bath towels smelled like cigarettes. And there were scary men with face tattoos and piercings staring at us  and saying 'Hey how are you doing?' while we unloaded our things in the parking lot. Laura got a two syllable damn while she was walking up the stairs. I'm convinced there was some sort of gang activity happening at outdoor pool. I threw something that resembled a 'Rich-Housewife-Tantrum' because I was not about to stay in that scary motel for two nights without Josh there packing heat...

Okay that was dramatic...it wasn't a tantrum at all...I just came down with a small case of 'Rich-Housewife-Syndrome.'

I guess I didn't really learn anything from this except that my limit for being flexible and patient is 48 consecutive hours max. I already knew I was a control-freak, and so did all of you.

I know...we make hiking look goooooood.

3. I'm spoiled. Okay, again not a surprise...but after this weekend I have a new appreciation for my adorable husband and remembered just how lucky I am. A pedicure for my poor broken nail; shopping in the boutiques in Fort Collins; Starbucks in the mornings; a text that said, 'If you need to go to another hotel by yourself you can babe. I want you to feel safe and have fun' after the motel incident; and an entire vacation that didn't include him...and that darn that husband of mine sent me on my way, paid for it all, and never complained once.

I'm convinced I have the. best. husband on the planet. He understands my need to be surrounded by solid encouraging friendships and my undying love for wedding dances.

4. Most of you will probably be offended by this, but the mountains didn't 'take my breath away' or anything like that. Yes, they were pretty and fun to look at for a while. Yes, they're God's beautiful creation and that's awesome to think about. Yes, they were kind of cool to have in the background while I was driving to go get my pedicure. But I was actually surprised that I wasn't more excited about the mountains. I think the most exciting thing for me on our little afternoon hike was a cute giant Elk we spotted in the woods. Seriously, he was adorable. I wanted to get closer to get better pictures but those silly hardcore hikers I was with made us keep going and that made me a little homesick because I knew Josh would have let me stop for 20 minutes to take Elk pictures.

So after thinking on it for a while, and asking myself, 'What part of God's creation does amaze me?' I've come up with my answer.

Water.

Water is always pretty to me. I never realized this, but when we travel, I typically plan our vacations around water. On our honeymoon to Florida we had a hotel on the beach and spent most of our time with the ocean. On our family cruise to Florida/Haiti/Jamaica, I printed off more than 400 pretty tropical water pictures to scrapbook. On our weekend getaways, we spend time at a cabin at Twin Lakes, go on walks, take pictures, and dream about owning a lake home someday.

I'd never spent time thinking about this before, but I shouldn't have been surprised at all when the mountains didn't move me. Just give me some water and I'll be amazed. :)

5. We have the best friends anyone could ask for. I counted that we had between 20 and 30 of our best college friends in Colorado for this wedding. If that's not a testament to the kind of man that Jesse Reyes is and what amazing friends we have, I don't know what is. I cried more during this wedding than I have in the past five years put together. You think I'm kidding? Ask my sister. She will tell you that I literally never cry.

Best written vows I've ever heard. Best parent speeches I've ever witnessed. Best wedding dance I've ever attended. Best friends everywhere. It just made me realize how blessed we are to have been apart of Salt Company where we were able to surround ourselves with wonderful, God-fearing, incredibly solid friends. I don't even want to picture what our college experiences would have looked like without them...or what our lives would be like without them coming over to eat our food, sit around our fire, and watch Christmas movies until 3am.

So despite the hundreds of scary unshaven hippies I saw, the hatred I have for hiking, and the constant smell of reefer, I'm unbelievably glad I was able to go.

And I'm unbelievably happy to be home now watching How I Met Your Mother with my husband.

MmB

oh.em.gee. weekend re-cap

We are coming down from one heckuva weekend at the Boersma household.

We kicked off the weekend on Friday night catching up with our friend Ben who moved to Peoria last year and broke our hearts. It was so fun to have him back and we spent some time on the deck chatting and then moved to the kitchen to polish off a 20" smotherella from Jeff's Pizza and talk some more. Josh's brother, Caleb, and my sister were also around for the night so we had fun hanging out. We ended the night with Ben stating, "I just don't do this kind of stuff with people in Peoria."

It was just like old times. :)

Getting up on Saturday and trying to look like a put-together cheer coach proved to be somewhat challenging as I had to be at the school for a pre-camp practice by 9:30...and we were up suuuper late. Good thing 'cheer hair' turns out better when I DON'T shower. ;) It was a fun morning and good to get back in the 'cheer groove' to be prepared for camp in a couple weeks! 

I came home to a house full of peeps ready to take off and tube down the river. Henry, Karissa, Laura, Winston, Ben, and I all piled in to the vehicles with our tubes, towels, and Straw-ber-ita and headed for the Skunk River.

So. Much. Fun.

I normally try my hardest to stay away from natural bodies of water, but this was seriously fun. Despite the fact that it wasn't super hot on Saturday, it was a great time. There was only one time when my heart stopped a little because Winston was out of his tube directing us from a branch and found out he couldn't touch.

{Disclaimer: I have only been trained to save people from chlorinated, clear, still pools where I can backboard someone near a gutter, an AED, and a phone to call 911. I'm fairly sure if something would have happened in this river, response-time would have been, like, hours.}

To top it off, Ben and Henry said going down 'the two-foot tall dam' was fun and totally safe. Sooo in order to be able to go home and tell Josh that I went over a dam in a river in my tube, I went along for the ride while Laura, Karissa, and Winston got off before the 'Danger: Dam' signs. 

Over the dam I went, and just when I started to think, "Hey that was fun!" the current came up and flipped me right over. The head-neck-back injury section of my lifeguard manual flashed before my eyes and the last thing I saw before flipping over was a lovely woman in jeans and a sports bra, smoking and fishing with her boyfriend coming toward me because she was concerned...So glad this wasn't how my life ended. We were all totally fine except we hurt our feet a little and Ben hit his legs on a metal bar under the water.

I got home and told Josh that I probably wouldn't have gone down the dam if we didn't have Life Insurance or had children. And since we do and we don't yet...I figured it was fine. :)

Everyone gathered at our house for a fun night of grilling, chatting, laughing, and getting free-adjustments from our favorite medicine-man, Winston. He didn't have his official table, but made the floor and pillows work for adjustments. The night ended with Pitch Perfect because half the crowd voted for that, and half the crowd voted for HotRod.

Sunday included church and then Ben's virgin trip to Red Lobster with all our friends, a nap, and then a date-night when Josh got home from working. We went to Old Chicago, then on a walk, and finished the night catching up with Nikki, Kate, and watching The Proposal.

Has there ever been a more perfect summer weekend?

Hope you're all gearing up for a wonderful long-weekend away from work and have fun festivities planned for the 4th of July! :)

MmB