Saving on Gas...

Here's a post about one way to save a little cash at the pump, and it doesn't involve signing up for lame credit cards. I know you're all thinking, "Wow, finally something useful is being posted." We are just here to serve. Amazing Summer identified this little trick that is sure to save you at least 10% on all your gas filling needs. Smith's grocery stores is running a gift card special through the end of July, wherein if you buy a $300 gift card they automatically add an additional $30 dollars to the card (i.e. 10%). A while back Summer bought two $300 gift cards and we just finished them up, so this week she bought two more. Yesterday she discovered that she could fill up the car at Smith's fuel centers using the gift cards. So not only do we get effectively 10% off the gas price, we also receive a $.15 cent off per gallon coupon because we made a purchase at Smith's for more than $90 when we bought the gift card. Additionally, each time you use the gift card to purchase groceries and the transaction amount is above $90 we get another $.15 cent of per gallon coupon. Too sum it all up, we are now receiving $.15 cents off per gallon and 10% off the entire gas bill each time we fill up. The Smith's near our house is constantly the cheapest gas or very comparable so this is working out fairly well. Summer also likes it because it's one more reason she uses to not shop at Walmart for groceries (I'm usually indifferent with the whole Walmart thing, but after looking at some Walmart produce I see her point). If this is something that works for you, if you decide to purchase multiple $300 gift cards make sure they are separate transactions so you receive the $.15 off per gallon coupon for each transaction. With gas and groceries we think we will almost burn through these by the end of July, so we are planning on buying four or five more before the "special" ends. There's the scoop.

Happy Father's Day!

We wanted to wish our grandpa's and our wonderful dad a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Fathers Day!!!

I wanted to beat Summer to the punch for this Fathers Day and put a post out here about her. This year, Fathers Day is the same day as our wedding anniversary (we are also only a few short weeks out from the arrival of our little girl, which equals one very pregnant Summer). Summer and I have been married for seven years, and the “spark” continues to burn brightly. I can’t imagine my life, let alone a happy life, without her in it. About a month ago it was Mothers Day, and I had the opportunity to give a talk in church. The week before the talk work was insanely late (about 2 or 3 a.m. every night, due to a special project). So besides a whole lot of “Mommy we love you,” all I really had as a gift on Mothers Day was my talk. There is one small part from the talk that is all about why I am the best Dad in the world in the eyes of my boys, and I wanted to share it with you for Fathers Day. It reads as follows:

“I’ve mentioned to you before that I usually do an okay job in my social interactions with people when I am on my own, but consistently I have noticed that people usually feel better about me after having met my wife Summer. This is especially true within the walls of my own home with my own boys.

It is because of her that my boys love me so much. I know that everyday she talks to them about Daddy, in much more adoration than I am usually deserving. Frequently she tells them, “Let’s call Daddy and yell Happy Lunchtime; let’s surprise Daddy with homemade pizza when he comes home from work; let’s call Daddy at work and tell him good night and that we love him.” Her love and sacrifice on my behalf with my boys appears at times to have worked a little too well. I only have the opportunity to feed Ammon a couple times a week, but somehow he has associated me with happy eating time. There are times when he will cry almost uncontrollably with his dear mother, and all she has to do to calm him down is say, “Should we call and say Hi to Daddy?” After one quick hello the tears are gone and he usually gets back to eating. In short, I am my boys’ hero because she has made me their hero.”

The more I think about Fathers Day and my relationship with my boys the more it makes me appreciate and love Summer. She is the love of my life and my eternal sweetheart. It is because of her that this Fathers Day, our anniversary day, is an especially happy day. Maybe I will see if I can beat her to the punch again and have breakfast ready for her, but I doubt it, she and the boys are really good at that game.

Mini Vacation in Yellowstone

We decided to get away for a few days and go to Yellowstone. I am starting to feel the countdown until our baby girl comes, so it was time to go do something fun and before i really can't move anymore. We stayed with my brother Seth and his wife Amanda and their adorable 6 month old-Kayla in Rexburg, ID. Coleson and Ammon both had fun watching her. Brian and I had a great time driving around campus and reminiscing the good old Ricks days. It was awesome to see the new temple. We ate at Craigos-which has changed by the way, to a gourmet pizza sit down restaurant(still good pizza but no big(the best ever) breadsticks or occasional live entertainment(the location has also changed). We then got ice cream at Millhollow-which has not changed a bit. Yellowstone was way cool. We saw plenty of bison and Old Faithful explode. Coleson was all about the explosions. Coleson earned the title and badge of Junior Ranger. When we were at the ranger station we didn't expect the ranger to announce it to the whole store and have everyone give him a round of applause. It is a rare occasion to see Coleson get shy and embarrassed with rosy cheeks. We had a great time enjoying nature and rare sights of the world.

Coleson Scores!

Coleson had a blast playing soccer for his first time. His team was called Hot Lava Rocks and he was #2. His favorite positions were goalie and defender-- which he was awesome at both. He learned quickly how to head off the Bunch going toward the goal and boot it away. He also made a goal in one of the games which he explains bounced off the girl goalies knee-hey a goal is a goal. I had to try not to laugh too much at the bunch ball entertainment. You could always tell where Coleson was because of his constant laugh/yelling, jumping up and down every time he kicked or missed the ball. Out of all that, however, his favorite part was getting the treat at the end--capri suns or gaterade with a rice crispy treat or cookie-you just can't compete with that.