And the winners are...

Congrats to HEATHER and MANDY for winning the 2 pairs of tickets to Holiday Galleria this weekend! So, get ready to take your mom, your sister, your BFF, Laura, or whomever and get shopping!! I'll Facebook you to make arrangements to get the tix to you.

BTW, I AM going to the GNO on Friday. Let me know if anyone wants to get together there!

Good for Them & Good for You!

Where or where does the time go?? I've been meaning to do this post for almost a month now. Sigh!

Well, one place my time has been going recently is to the Junior League. I usually avoid talking too specifically about where we live, but I'm ignoring that rule today. Because today is all about my community! I feel remarkably fortunate to live the life I have. My husband, daughter & the rest of my family are so fabulous, precious and supportive. We are comfortable. Do we have a gazillion dollars in student loans to think about each month? Yup. Do we have a great & safe neighborhood, plenty to eat, and the opportunity to travel & visit the aforementioned, much-loved family? Yup. I strongly believe that since I have been given these opportunities, it is my responsibility to give to my community in support of those who do not have so much. I also have wanted to get to know my new home better. It is my hope to return to counseling at some point and I think that counselors have an obligation to be familiar with community resources in order to advocate appropriately for their clients. Plus, how will I take advantage of all this place has to offer (and I do believe that anywhere you live has much to offer, as long as you're willing to look and engage in what's available) if I don't know what's here?

So, I took the lead of a couple Chicago friends who were involved in JLI & my neighbor who is a past-president of the local Junior League chapter and I joined the Junior League of Wichita (JLW). Phew! Has this added to my stress level! It's not that there are crazy expectations or anything. It's just tricky to meet obligations when you have an unpredictable toddler and no family in town to dump her on watch her for me. BUT, it also has been a great way to better understand my community and to contribute something to the greater good.

Let me tell you a bit about that...

In its first 85 years, "JLW has contributed over $5.8 million to the Wichita community in the form of community projects and training programs. In addition, over $44 million in-kind services in the form of volunteer hours have been donated to improve the quality of life in the Wichita area." (from the JLW Fast Facts sheet - there's lots more great info on JLW there!). These projects are all related to topics the League has identified as areas of interest and include: aging, children, the environment, violence, women, volunteerism, & promoting the City of Wichita. You can read specific position statements on each of these topics here. Many of these topics are ones that are very close to my heart and I am happy to be involved in an organization that works to address these issues within our community.

One of the major sources of funding for all of the work we do is the annual Holiday Galleria. It's taking place THIS WEEKEND, Oct. 7-10 at Century II in Wichita. It is a shopping extravaganza that features 115 national and regional retailers. Tickets are $8 and go to support the work of JLW.

I have to confess that I've never been before, but it really sounds like a good time. There are some extra special events, too. (I'm hoping to go to the Girls' Night Out on Friday night. Anyone wanna join me??) I hope you'll consider coming, spreading the word, and supporting JLW!

As an extra incentive, I'm doing a little giveaway! I have 2 pairs of tickets that I will give away to 2 winners chosen by random.org. To enter, just do one (or more) of the following...

- Tweet about Holiday Galleria

- Promote it on Facebook

- Promote it on your blog

- Become a fan of Holiday Galleria on Facebook

Then, just leave a comment (on my blog!) that you have done so. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each. You have until NOON on WED., OCT. 6 to enter. Winners will be announced that night!

Good luck and get shopping!!

Drumroll, please...

Yay, giveaway!

Isn't it so fun to get presents?

I'm so excited to announce the winners!

Have you had a chance to check out the lovely pendants on

Secret Message Jewelry?

Does it feel like I'm dragging this out a bit?

OK, OK! Here we go!

Photo Total Winner is...

Monkey Mama, Diane!!

And it's her first time entering a giveaway!

I hope you're hooked now, my friend. :)

I had to adjust my rules a bit because everyone's guesses were over!

Our vacay photo total was a paltry 1, 042. Who knew?

It does make sense, though, since the first 4 days included all the days cameras were allowed at Pebble Beach plus my day out with K. Not much left to see for the remaining 11 days, I guess. :)

As for the Share the Love winner...

I'm psyched about the number of comments we got saying you were spreading the word about this fantastic shop! I love her work and I love to see people following their passions. Don't you find it inspiring when people don't just talk about what they'd like to do, but actually jump in there and do it? That's something I'm always happy to support.

Plus, these are beautiful!

OK, OK... rambling again. :)

And the winner is...

Mother Cat!!!

Congrats, ladies! I'll be contacting you via FB about ordering your necklaces of choice.

Thanks for my first ever giveaway a success!

I'm already making plans for the next one!

Giveaway Time!!

Comments are closed. The deadline for this giveaway has passed! Stay tuned for an announcement of the winners!

Do you ever promise yourself some fun treat if you ever complete a seemingly unending project? Me too.

To celebrate finally finishing the posts about this vacation my birthday our fun times on this trip, I'm doing my first giveaway! In deciding what to use for this giveaway, I really wanted to find something that was from the part of California where we stayed.

I kinda feel like I hit the jackpot. I found a fabulous little etsy shop whose owner lives in the Monterey Bay area (where the aquarium is). And it doesn't hurt that I love, love, love her jewelry! It's beautiful, different, colorful and meaningful. I love it!

So, dear readers, TWO of you have the opportunity to win a necklace of your choosing from Secret Message Jewelry! You have 2 ways to win, one is a guessing game and one is just random chance.

Option One: Guess the total!

Can you guess how many pictures we took on this vacation? I posted on FB that after 4 days of vacation, we had taken 736 pictures. We were gone for 15 days total. We're doing this "The Price is Right" style... the person who comes closest to the actual total without going over will win the first prize!

Option Two: Show & share the love! Become a blog follower, become a Facebook fan of Secret Message Jewelry, and/or share this giveaway through Facebook or Twitter… be sure to leave me an additional comment for each! You must leave comments on my BLOG… Facebook comments will not be counted, so come on over. Random.org will be utilized for selection of winner!

The giveaway will close at 11:59 PM CST on Tuesday, September 7th and winners will be announced the following day.