random

Another trooper’s wife sent me this chat today:

Hello Amy! I went to the post office on Saturday to mail [another trooper] a package and there was this guy in the line behind me. we started talking and I said something about [the other trooper] being a Trooper. WELL he says that one of his favorite students from Winthrop married a trooper and moved to columbia. I said do you by chance remember her last name. He says he has to think b/c she got married close to graduation from Winthrop. He then went into how smart this girl was and that he was the department head at the time and everybody just loved this girl… He told me that his department was computer Science. I was this girls name wouldn’t by chance be Amy Bennett would it? He said YES that was it! His name was Dr. [name]??ANYWAY he says HI and that he would love to talk to you and catch up sometime! He just thought the world of you!!! I did tell him that you were back now.

Every time I read this it makes me want to cry.  College kicked my butt but I did well.  Graduated with a 3.8 something and with Honors. Looking back, I probably worked so hard because I did get a lot of praise from my professors.  I was a sweet little girl in a sea of boys in Computer Science.  And my little people-pleasing personality kicked in and I guess I worked hard.  I don’t know, maybe I worked hard because I’m a perfectionist.  Who knows.  But gosh, how I miss that feeling. 

I loved that professor.  He was my counselor person who I went to to plan my classes.  I remember sitting in his office that first August before my first year just a chattin’ away.  Well, should I take this or this and I was thinking about this one but then it wouldn’t work with that and do you think this is too much and just help me pleeaase!  He just sat back with an amused, but loving smirk.  By the time I was a senior and planning my last semester, we talked about that first meeting and laughed at how nervous I was and how much I had changed.  And I had changed in a lot of ways.  I was so much more confident and so ready to take on the working world.

I took a couple classes from him.  Actually, his class I took is the reason I didn’t get straight A’s for the entire last two years of college after Scott and I were married between Sophmore and Junior year.  He was a tough teacher. 

I remember one particular day.  His wife was terminally ill and Dr. C watched me put on my lipstick.  Something I always did in my first class because I kept it in my green Eastpack bookbag.  It was a Mary Kay lipstick if I remember right.  A maroon type color.  He watched me put it on without a mirror and he sort of laughed and said, "How do you get that on so straight?" I said, "I don’t know, I guess practice."  I really should have said my lips are so big, it’d be hard to miss.  Anyway, he said, "I try to put it on my wife and can never get it right."  That broke my heart and still does today.  This man was taking care of his ill wife and cared enough about her to put her makeup on for her.  Still brings me to tears.  Geez, I must have PMS.

I’m not sure how to get in touch with him today but I hope to.  I could use a little piece of humble pie.

Well last night we ended up going to a furniture store and fish camp with my Mom and Dad and ended up with this sideboard table for $99. 

Also, Mom gave us her old table kitchen as well.  Those floral pictures came from the living room.  So now I need more pictures on the living room wall and I still need another lounge chair to replace where we put the glider in my sunroom.

I’m in a MAJOR redecorating mood and would like to go spend a couple thousand dollars if I could.

In the past, I have been HORRIBLE at using coupons.  I’d save them and have good intentions and all but would never use them.  Every once in awhile, I’d remember–right after the clerk was handing me my receipt.  Yesterday I stumbled upon some web sites on how to play the coupon game and save MAJOR money at the grocery store and drug store.  Well, yesterday I printed some coupons and made my first purchase where I got 84% off my purchase with two coupons.  Here’s what I did:

Johnson’s Soft Wash had a regular price of $5.99 at my Walgreens.

Printed this coupon for $4.00 off (the oil or lotion as well).

Used $1.00 coupon from Walgreens’s monthly coupon book.

End price was 99 cents.  I printed two coupons (I think that was the limit) and got two of them.  My total would have been $12.88 for body wash and my total was $2.13.  The bottom of my receipt said I save $10!

I can’t tell you how glorious that felt.  Scott was so proud and I was too. 

I plan to add menu planning, coupon clipping and researching to my cycle of things I do.  I may not get down to $35 a week for groceries like some pros, but any little bit helps.