Welcome to …

HOLLYWOOD! Our first stop yesterday morning was Hollywood.  We have fun filled day packed with lots of sight-seeing.  This was as close to the Hollywood sign as we went, but it was still a great view.  

We spent most of our time in on Hollywood Blvd where both sides of the street have all of the stars with names for the Walk of Fame.  We also went to the Grumans Chinese Theater where lots of stars have their hand and foot prints in the concrete.  Below is George Cloney’s and the main cast in Harry Potter.  No, I have not read any Harry Potter books, but I know lots of people have so I thought some people may be interested.

It was very cool to see things like the Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater where lots of “stars” visit regularly.

   From Hollywood…went went to………RODEO Drive!  We definitely could not afford anything – but It sure was High Class.  The street is not very long, which was not exactly what I had envisioned. 

For good measure, here is a picture of my mom and I in front of the sign. We are heading to Universal Studios today!  Be back then for pictures!

The Beaches are a Little Different

Ted had to go to LA on a business trip this week -- so why not take the family and make this a vacation? I am very lucky that my parents and brother were able to join me so we can sight-see together while Ted is in his meetings. (Sorry Allison that you could not be here -- but thanks for staying at the house and keeping Huck!)

We arrived yesterday afternoon around lunch time (PST) in Los Angeles. We got our bags and headed to our hotel. This would be Ted's only afternoon he was not in meetings, so we headed to the beaches. We drove down Pacific Coast Highway, which runs along the coast. We stopped and got out at Malibu beach. The water was COLD and there was a nice breeze - but that did not stop Ted and Taylor from getting in the water.

After leaving Malibu beach we headed down to Santa Monica Beach. There were a lot more people here. We went to the Santa Monica Pier and boy was it crowded. It was nice to walk out on the pier and see everything. Here are some pictures of the view from the pier.

The beaches are for sure different than our AL & FL beaches. These beaches have lots of rocks and the sand is more brown and dirty looking. It makes me love our white-sand beaches even more. The weather was great and we enjoyed our day. Today we are headed to Beverly Hills and Hollywood!

I will leave you with a picture of the way the houses are built on the sides of the hills. This house overlooks the water. There is no telling what the price tag on a house like this cost.


Have a great day and I will be back with pictures from Rodeo Drive!

Happy Birthday….

Happy Birthday Allison!  You are the best sister that I could ever ask for.  You are always so much fun to be around, but have the sweetest spirit I know.  I love you and I hope that you have a great birthday!

Make sure to get your 5 Swagbucks!

***If you have sign-up for Swagbucks since reading the previous post – You will not regret it!

Please make sure that you enter ASHLEYSCODE where it says “Enter your Swag Code”.  This will give you a total of 5 points.  It looks like some of you who have signed up only have 1 or 2 points – so make sure to enter your code so that you can get your 5 points.

And please let me know if you have any questions!

Swagbucks – Start Earning NOW!

This is VERY exciting!  SwagBucks.com has contacted me and is offering anyone who signs up for Swagbucks and enters this code: ASHLEYSCODE will get 5 Swagbucks (3 for signing up and 2 just for using my code! – Code expires Sunday (6/28)

Why SwagBucks?

How many times during the day do you go to Google and search for things? If you are anything like me - then that is multiple times. Let me introduce you to a site called Swagbucks.com. It is a site where you can earn points (which equals $$ in your pockets) while you search. This site is powered by Google - so when you search here you receive the same returns as you would by using Google.

What are the benefits?
- The main benefit is that you receive points for using this search engine site and then you can trade your points in their 'store' to receive items.

I have received almost 1000 points to date!

What items are available?
- Just about anything that you can think of -- Gift Cards are my favorite

I have cashed in some points and received $80.00 in Amazon Gift Cards!

How do I earn points so I can get free things too?
- Go to this link and register (It's Free) : http://swagbucks.com/- Enter this code: ASHLEYSCODE
- I suggest that you make it your default site to search with so that you will break the habit of going to Google.com
If you have any questions - please ask!

**If you are already a Swagbucks member: I’m sorry but this code will not work as they already giving away a lot codes for them through the blog, facebook and twitter.

Getting Big

I know I have not posted in a while – and I really do not have a lot to report on either – so instead I will share with you some pictures of Huck that we took last night just sitting on the patio enjoying the nice evening (before the storm)!

  He is getting REALLY big – and enjoys chewing on things – hence 1/2 of a football

Hope you have a great day!

Lack of Posts/Need your Input

I apologize for the lack of post lately. 

Work has been busy (a good busy)!  We are preparing for a conference for work, starting new projects, and trying to maintain current systems – It is always exciting around here.

Our weekends have been full with family events, moving Ted into his office, Easter and all sorts.  Life has been busy but I would rather be busy than bored.  I have been posting a good bit at Ways to Save in Lee County and forgetting about my blog. I will try and do better.

So – done with my lame excuses!

I need your help.  I will be going on 2 trips within the next month and a half to places I have never been. 

1. I am going to Iowa State University in Des Moines, Iowa for a conference with work for 6 days and I will have a few nights to see the sights and such.  Do you have any suggestions of things to do in Des Moines?

(If you happen to think of Ted that week – call him – I am sure he will be lonely and hungry :) )

2. The following week, Ted has a business trip to Los Angeles, CA he must take and I have decided to join him.  I will work remotely some during the day (and he will be in his meetings) but I am hoping that we can find some fun things to do at night.  Any ideas or fun things/places in Los Angeles that I must not miss?  I actually think his meeting is about 30 miles from Los Angeles – but I am not sure. It is definitely close enough to enjoy some sight-seeing adventures while we are there.