Saving pennies + deals = FUN!

Friends, Fun and Snow

Home...it's a wonderful place to be! The week has been busy with getting back into the routine of schooling, grocery shopping, laundry, and emptying out the pig pen truck. I've had to remind the boys numerous times to "Please, flush the toilet! The ones in our house flush!" The boys have enjoyed being at home, but they are definitely more tired than normal as I think they have "truck lag" (kinda like "jet-lag")!

We have quite a bit of snow on the ground here, so the children have been enjoying being outside. I do miss the cold of Alaska, which makes the snow fluffy versus wet! \We enjoyed a nice visit with my friend, Beka, and her children this morning. Roger got out the old Elan snowmobile and dragged the kids around the yard on the sled, so they had a great time!

Roger and I are planning a vacation. About a year ago, there was a good deal on a cruise through http://eversave.com/share/RnyZ  . At the time, we had no idea that God was going to let Roger get laid off, and allow us to go to Alaska for eight weeks. We purchased a cruise package deal for a four night cruise with a hotel stay included on each end of the cruise with the money we had saved up. We are very excited about going with our friends from church, Corey and Hannah, and we are thankful that my parents are willing to watch four boys for a week!

We also would like each of you that gave financially to our missions trip to rest at ease. Each penny given for the missions trip was put towards our missions trip NOT towards our vacation. We kept a detailed expense account of our trip to Alaska, and we were very cautious about using money given to us. We tried our best to spend it wisely. All that said, I am very excited about leaving for our cruise on Saturday!

We are flying out of Milwaukee and will be taking a four night cruise to the Bahamas! We are looking forward to spending time together and with other adult company, although we will miss our children.

Fun in the snow

We put most of our coins in a jar for a little over a year. This is our extra "fun" money for the cruise. We actually accumulated over $175.00 just in coins! I know that many people think that they can't afford to take a cruise and that may be true, but I'd encourage you to start saving a little bit every day. It will all add up, and while we absolutely would not recommend going into debt for vacation, I do think it strengthens your marriage to get away together, so start saving!