March Grocery Spending

You're not going to believe how little we spent on groceries this month, so before we get to that, keep these things in mind:

• We spent the 1st weekend in March at a cabin with friends, and I bought those groceries in February.
• I went home to SD for 4 days. (Thanks, momma, for feeding me!)
• We ate out 3 meals because we had Groupons that were expiring. 
• I ate lunch out 2 times with my QM girls.  
• WS bought me lunch 4 times. 
• A new networking friend treated me to lunch.
• I treated a different networking friend to lunch.
• I used an expiring Groupon for dinner out with a friend.
• We ate a catered meal at Follies. 
• Jordan used a Christmas gift card on Buffalo Wild Wings. 
• A couple from our church group treated us to dinner to celebrate my new job. 
• I ate dinner at a Women's Shelter that the med student wives volunteered to bring a meal to.
• Jordan's favorite bbq place is closing (b/c the owner has cancer), so he treated himself to that once and we ate that for dinner once. 

So. That's A LOT of meals that we either ate out (I'm honestly kind of embarrassed looking at that big list!), were treated to, or were just gone. 

We spent $68.29 on groceries this month. Here's what we got:

4 gallons of milk

8 single-serving yogurts

2 loaf bread

3 8oz bricks of cheese

2lbs of carrots

7.83lbs of oranges

1 pineapple
1 bunch bananas
1lb frozen brussel sprouts

dozen eggs

croutons (on sale for $0.99)

devils food cake (on sale for $0.99)

1 pizza crust mix (on sale for $0.38)
24oz ketchup (on sale for $0.98)
1 can tomato soup (on sale for $0.38) 

2 boxes ice cream (on sale for $1.68 each; about the only time we buy ice cream - cookie dough for me; tin roof sundae for Jordan)
2 cans northern beans (for the soup dinner at the women's shelter)

2 cans green chiles (for the soup dinner at the women's shelter)

8oz sour cream (for the soup dinner at the women's shelter)

1 bunch cilantro (for our weekend at the cabin)

bacon cheddar focaccia bread (for our weekend at the cabin)

2 bags chips (for our weekend at the cabin)

I didn't keep perfect track of our meals this month (or much track at all), but we didn't eat anything too fancy - just what was in the freezer/pantry:

• Tomato soup and grilled sandwiches
• Spaghetti and garlic bread
• Eggs, toast and sausage
• Bridgewater sausage, corn and green beans
• Salmon and mashed potatoes
• Bacon-wrapped deer steak with potatoes 
• Leftovers from eating out
• Leftover Taco Soup from our weekend at the cabin
• A $2 frozen pizza or two
• Polished off the last 2 of the freezer meals

I believe I mentioned this a few posts ago, but this month I completely avoided the sales ad and only bought things that we needed (those couple sales things were the last ad from February that I bought in March). I had a freezer FULL of food (and still do) and am trying to eat/cook as much as we can without buying more. I'll probably do the same thing in April...we seriously have a lot of food.

What's your standby meal when you don't have time to plan dinner or get it ready beforehand? Do you decide that means it's time to go out? 

The Perks of Being a Med Student

While there aren't many perks to being a med student (come on, people, they study 50billion hours a week, cut open cadavers, have tests every 2-3wks, and...that's about all I know about med school. Sounds terrible to me.) spring Follies is definitely something that is looked forward to.

All dressed up and ready to go!
Can you tell the hubs is ready for a fun evening off?

You may have already guessed from looking at my fb pics, but it's jokingly referred to as med school prom.

I'm not sure what other people's proms were like - maybe they were different in KC, Cali, Vegas...anywhere except middle-of-the-cornfield-SD... - but Follies wasn't anything like any type of prom I'd experienced.

We took the shuttle from KCUMB to Arrowhead Stadium, where Follies was taking place in the North Club. The whole area was full of tables of all sizes - 4 tops, 6 tops, high tables, regular tables - decorated with a variety of centerpieces...candles....um...lots of other cool, sparkly things, but candles were at our table, so that's what I remember, hehe. This was a formal event, which you probably guessed, so all the girls were in cocktail dresses or long gowns. The men were seen in suits, tuxes, even tuxes with tails!

Our catered, buffet-style dinner menu:

One of four buffet lines.

FOLLIES 2013 MENU SELECTIONS

SALADS

Italian Chopped Salad with grilled chicken, bacon, blue cheese, tomato and pasta with a honey dijon vinaigrette

Southern Salad with baby field greens, assorted berries, spiced pecans and blue cheese with white balsamic vinaigrette (gluten-free and vegetarian)

Served with warm artisan rolls and sweet butter.

ENTREES

Peppercorn-Crusted Tri-Tip Sirloin with rosemary demi and horseradish cream (gluten-free)

Grilled Salmon with lemon buerre blanc (gluten-free, Lenten)

Penne Pasta with spicy marinara, asiago cream fresh basil and spinach and shaved parmesan cheese (vegetarian)

SIDES

Au Gratin Potatoes with four cheeses and fresh thyme (vegetarian)

Bistro-Roasted Vegetables with the season’s finest fresh herbs and olive oil (gluten-free, vegetarian)

I didn't try everything, but what I had was amazing: Southern salad, sirloin, roll w/ sweet butter, and bistro-roasted veggies. YUM.

As if a dinner like that wasn't amazing enough...

Brownie Sundae Bar featuring chocolate chunk brownie and blondie bars served with warm vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, toasted peanuts, fresh whipped cream and assorted toppings

After gorging ourselves (okay, that might have been just Jordan - he said he ate 4 brownies...before dinner) we got in the always-long line for the photo booth. WORTH IT.

Then it was time for Follies Videos. This is the big part of the night. Students make lip-syncing videos and then compete to win...something. Bragging rights? Here's a few of the videos from last night:

Harlem Shake - At the beginning of this video, they'd in OCS (osteopathic clinic skills) lab doing the lymphatic or "pedal" pump...yes...that's really a "doctor treatment"...

Dr. Olinger vs. Dr. Shnyra - "Movie Trailer" featuring 2 KCUMB professors

YouTube Mashup - in this one, the guy sitting in the back of the school's fountain is a professor, and the guy wearing the gorilla suit is also a professor...hehe...

This is from last year...but I think it's hilarious - the bald guy in the white coat is one of the professors, the other people are fellows (so, not students): Busta Move

More friends!

The Larsons!

As if everything else we'd already eaten wasn't enough:

LATE-NIGHT SNACK: Extreme-Loaded Mini Dogs

Picnic Dog with beans, BBQ sauce and all the fixin’s

Frito Pie Dog with chili, cheese and Fritos

Mac-N-Cheese Dog with gooey macaroni and cheese topped with Fritos

Taco Dog with all your favorite taco toppings

I didn't eat any of these, but Jordan had 2 and a mound of mac&cheese (which I had one bite of...amazing) and he thought they were awesome. 

After videos, the dance started and we left shortly thereafter. My hubs is not much for dancing, and honestly, I don't call my heels "killer heels" b/c I look killer in them. 

We had a fab time, and I almost wish it was more than once a year! I like excuses to get all prettied up. 

February Grocery Spending

I know, this is a bit late. I'll do better with March's - if this one is helpful.

I didn't keep track of how much we ate out in February, but it wasn't much. And, this total doesn't include that. It's only groceries.

We spent $156.68 on groceries in February. And a lot of that stuff is still in our apartment...I grew up out in the country, so we had a definite "pantry" mentality. I've got loads of food in the apartment. I keep going to the grocery store b/c of the great deals, so this month I'm avoiding the sales ad and just getting what we need while we eat what we have.

In February, we spent $2.80 per person per day.

Do you have a monthly grocery budget? Or do you have another philosophy?

Does anybody else out there have the pantry mentality? I've seriously got....I don't know...maybe 25-35 or more meals here for us. Does anybody else do that?

A Most Fantastic (Long) Weekend

A few months ago, I requested time off on March 14&15 to visit home for a variety of things. Magically, this fell during my 2wks notice. Vacation during last 2wks = best.thing.ever.

I skillfully took ZERO pictures during my weekend extravaganza. You'll have to use your imagination. I'm pretty sure there are no pics b/c I had that awesome of a time.

Wednesday, March 13
I love it when work "Friday" happens after only 3 days of work. I left at 5pm, picked up my aunt Kathy, who so graciously decided to ride out with me. Which means lots of chatting and stories and sharing the driving responsibilities (a must when you drive a stick-shift with no cruise control. Leg. Dead.). We arrived in SF at 11pm. I stayed at my sister Kay's apartment and Kathy took mom's car (which was left at Kay's earlier in the day) and headed out to mom and dad's. I looked at Kay's super-cute apartment (way to go with the decorating, Megan!) and then I slept.

Thursday, March 14
Sleep in till 8:20, yeah! Then up and ready and to the jeweler's to drop off my ring for cleaning/checking/re-rhodium plating. (If you're looking for an engagement ring/wedding set...The Diamond Room is the place to go.) HenkinSchultz, my last place of employment in SF, was the next stop on the list. It was great seeing everyone and catching up a very, very teensy bit. Looks like things are still hopping there. A fantastic place to work. Next, I buzzed over to VistaComm, my first job out of college, where I got my 3years of ag marketing experience. I sat in the breakroom for about an hour, laughed my face off and had a general good, crazy time. Which is normal for time with the VC folks. At least with the ones I worked with. Then I bebopped over to M.B. Haskett for lunch with Betsy (yes, another Betsy, not myself in 3rd person), Shalaine, and Jess (all former VC employees!). It was delicious and affordable - I had the Muffaletta  for $6.97. It was so good catching up with these girls, and the hour they had for lunch flew by quickly. Then Jess and I headed back to her car (we rode together to combat the minimal parking in DTSF) and she got me a McCafe Mocha Frappe - YUM. If you haven't had one of these, go immediately. McD's is doing something right with these. After that, I swung by the shop to say hello to my fabulous dad and dear brother. Then I was off to Walmart for a couple items and stopped at Starbucks to waste a bit of time (writing thank-yous) until the next thing on my agenda. I headed over to my friend Ann's NEW HOUSE and enjoyed the grand tour. She just got engaged and is getting married in September, so I got to see her new sparkley and hear all about how wedding plans are going! Then I swung by Chandra's house (she wasn't there, but her hubby let me in and gave me a tour of their recently completed basement!!) and dropped off a frozen meal of Taco Soup for them to enjoy after BABY comes at the end of April! Finally, I headed home to mom and dad's where mom had a fantastic pot roast waiting for dinner. And mashed potatoes. And gravy. And fresh, steamed carrots. Talk about spoiled. Kay came out too, and she spent the weekend there with me.

Exhausted yet?! That was just the 1st day!! I think I was glowing at the end of the day, I had so much fun seeing everyone again.

Friday, March 15
DAY TWO! This was wedding planning day. Yay for sister getting engaged!

Aren't they adorable?
So good-looking they knock your socks off, right?

We went in at 8am so Kay could get some insurance things updated. We registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  We met with the church's wedding coordinator. We finished registering at BB&B. We had BBQs and cake at the shop to celebrate my dad's secretary's (also his aunt/my great aunt) retirement. We met with the lady that's going to do the reception decorating. We picked up a few things at Kay's apartment. We went and looked at her wedding dress so I could see it in person. SO PRETTY!! We picked up my ring from the jeweler. We went to the mall and search for bridesmaids shoes (we're looking for some type of yellow heels, possibly even cute yellow strappy sandals). My feet almost died from traipsing around in my boots all day, so I sat/slept in the car while mom and Kay got groceries. I took Kay to the doc b/c she had a terrible sore throat and was losing her voice. We went to the pharmacist to get her prescription. We (Kay and I) went home and enjoyed lasagna, salad and french bread with dipping oil with mom, dad, Brian, Stacey, and Lucas. After talking around the table for an hour or so, we played a couple rousing games of Apples to Apples. END DAY TWO.

Saturday, March 16
The fabulous dad took my car in and did some work on it (and now I no longer have to roll down my window to get out of the car! You rock, dad!), so I drove his pickup in around 9:30, got my car and headed to my tax appointment. We got a refund! YAY! It's about exactly the same as how much interest has already accured on Jordan's 1st-year med school loan! YAY! I met up with a dear friend from childhood for lunch at Bagel Boy and met her 2nd baby! He's 5wks old tomorrow. Adorable. It was wonderful catching up with her. Then we went to Chandra's baby shower and I saw a couple more friends from forever ago. I used to meet up with these girls once a month for dinner at each other's houses before we moved to KC, so it was wonderful to hang out again.

Friends! Kim, Suzie, Chandra, me, Katie and little Peter!

Afterwards, I went over to Chandra's house for a bit and then I visited Lucas at Coldstone and got some cookie dough ice cream. Yum. Then I zoomed home and went to Grandpa&Grandma Heiberger's house for an hour or so. I swung by my mother-in-law's house and saw the middle stages of her remodeling - they're knocking out walls and everything. It looks awesome! Can't wait to see it when it's done. Finally home for dinner with mom, dad and Kay. Then I packed up my stuff, and mom and I packed up a cooler of meat to take home (THANK YOU, MOM AND DAD!!!). Finished out the night by watching the end of a movie with dad.

Sunday, March 17
By now, I'm certainly exhausted. I went to 8am service with mom, dad, Kay and Lucas, and after talking to a few people at church, went to Scooter's for coffee with wonderful friends, Lana and Cathy. It was so good to catch up with them. Then, I took the rest of my medium white chocolate mocha and headed home! I drove Dad Style, meaning I only stopped to get gas/go to the bathroom ONCE, drove 75-80mph and got home in FIVE hours. Fan.tas.tic.

It was sooo good to see everyone. I miss all you people! And, I'll say it again, we have an extra bedroom and an extra bed - come visit!

Who You Know

As much as any young person hates to hear this...sometimes getting connected with (not simply "getting") a job really is all about who you know.

Unless you've talked with me personally or have talked with my mom, you probably hadn't heard that my job  wasn't as fabulous as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I could see how...challenging...it was going to be by my 2nd day on the job.

And that's all I'll say about that on this here little blog. Suffice to say I needed a new job.

And one landed in my lap.

Just kidding.

It went something much more like this...

Back in November, I applied for this studio manager job with a photographer:

Location: Kansas City, MO

Position Type: Full time

To Apply: Send your resume and an explanation of why you think you'd be perfect for the position to inquiries@_.com. No phone calls, no drive bys and no social media stalking unless you don't want to be considered.

Job Description, Requirements for Consideration, etc.:

Are you:

• organized
• thorough
• good at making things happen
• a person who makes connections with others easily
• knows that the client's needs are never "too much to ask"
• good at juggling multiple projects and not dropping any?

If you said yes to those questions and still kept reading then here are some more you should be able to shake your head yes to as well…

• Do you like dogs?
• Do you appreciate sarcasm and a British sense of humor?
• Are you creative?
• Are your mind reading skills above average?
• Are you skilled at always being one step ahead of the curve?
• Are you self-motivated?
• Still reading this?

OK then, over achiever, here's what the day to day responsibilities are:

1. Respond to all client inquiries for ______.
2. Sell the photography services of ______ utilizing the existing marketing materials and pricing specifications.
3. Perform production services for photoshoots - including, but not limited to scheduling assistants, stylists, craft services, talent, booking travel, procuring props.
4. Continually evaluate and improve the preferred vendor list of ______.
5. Continually evaluate and improve the marketing materials of ______.

Position provides a base plus commission pay structure of approximately $35,000-$45,000 per year. There is also expense reimbursement and a cell phone stipend.

For More Information: If you are still interested in speaking with us further about the position, please send your resume and an explanation of why you think you'd be perfect for the position to inquiries@_.com. No phone calls, no drive bys and no social media stalking unless you don't want to be considered.

Posted: 10.05.2012

With this cover letter: 

To Whom It May Concern at __________:

I'll admit, I was a little intimidated by your posting on aafkc.com. It really all seems like a lot to ask out of one person.

Just kidding. 

I've worked in ad agencies for the past 4+ years and my favorite parts were ensuring that my clients were responded to in a timely fashion (to me, that means within the hour) and that my clients were happy. I've also been told by numerous people that I have an uncanny ability to keep about a million plates all spinning at the same time (not literally, though). And, it's true that in the past, one of my managers recommended me for a higher position because I "get s*** done". 

Also. I'm a woman, which means my mind-reading skills must be above average (and I have a husband, which means I get extra practice with the whole mind-reading thing [and he's so sarcastic that sometimes I'm like his walking disclaimer]). 

If there's one thing I am, it's self-motivated and driven (okay, that's two). But seriously. I've got a positive, can-do attitude that is invaluable at any company. (Who wants to work with a negative nancy anyway?)

I'd love to talk more about how I can help the team. (Okay, and I'd really love to come and play with the dogs, too...I'm far too frugal to pay the $200 pet deposit at our apartment complex.)

It looks like you all have a lot of fun. And that's how work should be - productive, driven...and fun.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Which impressed the photographer enough to give me a phone interview. And then he wanted a 2nd, in-person interview. And then I turned him down b/c he didn't offer health insurance. (That's like $500/month if you want an individual plan with maternity!) And then, he still wanted to meet me to see if he could help me find a job that was a good fit.

So we had drinks, back in November, and he got me connected with his friend who was a copywriter at an ad agency. She and I met up for lunch near our offices, and I impressed her enough that she contacted her friend at one of the two big ad agencies in KC and asked her to bring me in for an interview. So she did. Now we're into the beginning of January.

The interview went great! I loved the agency and thought it'd be an awesome place to work. And then they gave the job to someone with retail experience. I had none, so I could understand that. AND THEN. The friend was impressed enough to recommend me to her boss, the VP of the account team at said big ad agency, so HE brought me in for an interview. And told me I was the right material for their company, but there weren't any openings right now. He promised to keep me in mind. 

I checked in a week later and got a cool-ish, generic response, and was a little disheartened. I kept searching out other opportunities. AND THEN. At the beginning of February, said VP sends me an email and says he's recommended me to a recruiter and that I should contact them the next day. 

So I did. The recruiter and I had a great phone call that same day and when she heard that I had AGRICULTURE in my background, she thought she had the perfect opportunity for me. 

I did some sleuthing (okay, a lot of sleuthing) and I could find no one who would say anything bad about this ag ad agency. So I felt cautiously excited about it. Due to all the crazy snow in KC, my interview got rescheduled a couple times and finally happened on Monday, February 25th. It went great. And I remained hopeful. I knew if this wasn't the place for me, God wouldn't offered me a job here, so I didn't want to be too excited. But I was really excited. But kept it in check. 

Later that week, I got a call from my recruiter that they wanted a SECOND interview. On the following Monday, March 4th. So I went. I met more of the team. The team interviewed me. And I was really excited.  One of them had said something about "that's why it takes us so long to hire people"...so I was preparing myself to wait weeks to hear. 

And two days later my recruiter called me. I got the job. EEEEEEEE!!! I think I texted Jordan about 50 billion times because I was so excited. Okay. Maybe more like 5 or 10. But you get the picture.

I start Monday, March 25th as the newest Account Executive at Woodruff Sweitzer. I wouldn't have guessed 3 years ago that I was an ag girl, but having been out of it for a couple years now, I've really missed it and can't wait to get back into it.

I'm pretty ridiculously excited to start. 

But the moral of this story is network network network. I got connected with this job b/c I impressed a guy, who knew a girl, who had a friend, who had a boss, who knew a recruiter, who was looking for account people. RIDICULOUS. And awesome. 

Note that it's not only about who you know...you still have to sell yourself and be the person with the right qualifications and personality for the job...but knowing the right people definitely puts you in the right place!

And...it's all in God's good timing. And it was good. And He is always good. 

A Weekend Getaway

We spent the 1st weekend in March at a cabin about an hour from Des Moines, Iowa with a group of friends (10 total) from Northwestern. The guys had lived together in Heemstra (their dorm) and now the group has grown to include all the wives as well.

Think you can't afford a weekend like this? Think again.

We paid $150/couple for Friday night-Sunday morning at this cabin. There were 4 bedrooms, so one couple  used the fold-out couch in the living room. As you can see, we had it made. Pool table, foosball table, huge kitchen, fireplaces, wireless (hey, we're Gen Y), and more...we were spoiled.

We spent our time playing board games like Killer Bunnies, Things and others that I can't remember the names of...

Another couple ventured out with Jordan and I an antique shop and then Penoach Winery for a free wine tasting. We, of course, had to get a bottle of wine at the end.

We split the meal responsibilities out to each couple, which made it more affordable for everyone. Each couple was responsible for 1 meal (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast). Jordan and I brought Taco Soup, which as I've mentioned before is super affordable to make. We served it with tortilla chips, cheese, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, sour cream and fresh bread. Looking back, we had wayyyy more food for the weekend than we needed and I think next year we'll revise to just doing dinners and lunches.

An amazing breakfast sandwich, courtesy of our friends: bagel, egg, bacon, avocado, cheese. Yum. 

This was the 2nd year we've all done this trip, and already plan to do it again - this cabin was a central location, as we were coming from KC, Sioux Falls, the quad cites and Des Moines, so we might even end up here again.

Do you have yearly get-togethers with your friends? Or trips with friends that don't live nearby? What types of things do you do together and where do you stay?