C o U p O n I n G . . .

A couple of months ago there was a chance that the goverment could shut down. If this happened it would have meant that Aaron wouldn't get paid till the shut down ended. Luckily it didn't shut down; however, it did make me think about making sure we had a stock pile of supplies just in case anything like this actually did happen. Living on a private first class budget is not easy, so we had to find a way to buy supplies without spending retail price. Hello TLC Extreme Couponing show. Aaron and I agreed that I could do that, maybe not as extreme but with help from couponing we could start our own stock pile of supplies. On Monday I cut, and organize all our coupons. I look through all the stores weekly sales and match up our coupons. I visit blogs to make sure I haven't missed anything and finally write a list of the best deals for that week. This week was a good week for our stock pile. Target: Gillette Deodorant $4.07 ~ buy one get one free coupon = 2 for $4.07. Bic Flex 4 Razors (3 pack) on sale for $4.49 ~ 2 $3 off coupon = 2 packs for $2.98. Edge and Skintimate Shave Gel $1.99 each on sale ~ 2 .55cents off coupons = 2 for $2.88. Nail File $2.89 ~ 2 $5 off coupon when buy 2 = 4 for $1.56. Nail Clipper $2.24 ~ $5 off coupon when buy 2 = 2 for free. Tweezer $2.24 ~ $5 off coupon when buy 2 = 2 for free. CVS: Hydro 3 razor $9.29 and Hydro 3 refills $8.99 both on sale buy one get one free ~ 3 $4 off coupons on razors and 1 $2 off coupon on refills = 3 razors and 1 refill for $6.11 (at CVS you can apply coupons to the price item and the free item resulting in big savings.) Walgreens: Reach multipack toothbrushes $2.99 on sale plus you recieve 1 $2 off coupon for your next transaction at walgreens ~ 3 $2 off coupon = 3 for $2.97 plus a $2 off coupon for my next transaction at walgreens. Colgate Total Toothpaste $3.29 buy one get one free ~ 2 $1 off coupon = 2 for $1.29 (at walgreens you can also apply coupons to the price item and the free item.)

Total Retail Price $106.74
Our Price after sales and coupons $24.95 : )

Later that night, Aaron wanted ice cream. Walgreens has Ben and Jerry's on sale 2 for $4.99. I have 2 $1 off coupons which would bring my price down to 2 for $2.99 but I also have a $2 off coupon from walgreens that I got earlier that day for toothbrushes, which would bring my total to 99 cents for 2 pints of Ben and Jerrys. The only problem is that you can't have more coupons then items so I bought a 69 cent candy bar and my total came to $1.68 with a savings of $9.39 : )

Meaning Behind Her Name . . . .

this is a picture of my great aunt Betty

It is quite overwhelming to pick a name for your child, this is the name they are gonna be stuck with forever! Which is probably why Aaron and I did not agree on a lot of names; for example, I love the name Lola and Aaron hates it. After throwing around countless names, we finally agreed on Hannah. We both love it.

When it came to her middle name, I already knew what I wanted it to be. A few years ago I became interested in family history. I looked at pictures that my Mum had and listened to the stories my Mum remembers. I became very interested in my great Aunt Betty, I truly feel a real bond with her. She is my Grandad's little sister and she past away when she was only nineteen years old. As I read her death certificate, sadness came over me as I read the word spinster. She had no husband or children to pass down her legacy. I don't want her to ever be forgotten, so I want to give my daughter her name. I was very happy when Aaron liked it too. Now she can't be forgotten.

We're expecting : )

In February, Aaron and I found out we are expecting. We are so excited!!!!

On Friday May 27th, we found out that it's A GIRL! We decided it would be fun to surprise our family with the news in person. After the appointment, we jumped in the car and traveled 7 hours to Barstow. First stop the hospital where Aaron's mum works. We found her in one of the emergency rooms and stood there with our it's a girl sign until she finally turned around and saw us. She was super surprised and very excited. Next stop was the church where Ed was conducting a baptism. We thought the baptism would be over by the time we got there; however it wasn't but that didn't stop us hehe. In the parking lot of the church, Aaron's sister and brother in law were attending a bbq or something so we marched out there with our sign, they were so excited to see us that his sister didn't even read the sign and asked us if we knew what we were having yet. The final surprise that night was for Aaron's niece and we got her good. She was very happy.
The next morning I woke Aaron up around 6am because I was so ready to surprise my parents. We arrived at my parents house and walked up the driveway with our sign in the air. My Mum, bless her, thought I had totally lost it. She knew I wanted a girl but now she thought I was acting crazy by carrying around a sign. When it finally clicked that we did know she was very happy for us. I love my Mum and in her defense I did tell her that my scan had been re-scheduled so I could surprise her with the news in person. I was most excited to tell my four year old niece Ashlyn, she has wanted my baby to be girl since she found out I was pregnant. She was super excited! She wants me to name her Rapunzel : )
It was an awesome weekend!
Now I eat like a pig, no joke, and get randomly kicked, punched, and poked by my sweet baby girl. I love it!!!
We have decided to name her Hannah Betty Craig.
Only about three and a half more months : )

Our Story Begins . . .

On June 13th, I said goodbye to my boyfriend. He was heading to boot camp for 13 weeks. Our only form of communication would be through letters, no email and no phone calls! On June 29th, I received a letter that took my breath away. In the letter, squished between info on his platoon and an obstacle course, were the words, "we should get married in my ten day leave." That was my proposal and of course I accepted. My fiance graduated from boot camp, for the United States Marine Corps, on Friday September 10th. A week later we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Redlands California Temple. It was the happiest day of my life; however, the reality of my new role as a wife of a marine came to life. On Tuesday September 21st, just four days after we were married, my husband left for four weeks to combat training. He graduated from combat training and headed to the Defense Language School in Monterey California. I wasn't too far behind and now you can come join me for life as a marine's wife in beautiful Monterey. : )
semper fidelis ~ hoorah

snapshots of life so far . . .

Graduation ~ Boot Camp






Our Wedding



Graduation ~ Combat Training