MIA?

So, most of you have probably noticed that I have been MIA-Missing in Action! That is because Matt and I just got back from a 3 day conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! There was an amazing group of 12 speakers who touched me in every way. I cried, I laughed, cried some more and was completely blessed by the Lord. I thought I would have time to get some blog posts in while I was away, but there was NO time. It was action packed and tons of fun! God spoke some pretty awesome things to me and I have total peace for the future. I am so thankful for the experience.

I am thankful to be home though Without our suitcase! I carefully packed everything we would both need in one suitcase and it didn't end up coming home with us! It too was MIA, but thank God, it has been found. It should be delivered home at around midnight tonight. I was really not up to losing my $100 Chi hair straightener. The clothes, shoes, etc. I could have lived without, but NOT my Chi! :)

Since I have been out of posting for so many days I can feel this post getting long already. Hang in there.

Funny story. Actually, if you were there, it was downright hilarious. So, my awesome friend Suzanne went on the trip as well. She is my couponing protege. I taught her how to CVS almost 2 years ago and she took the bull by the horns and has bypassed my skills in Target and Walgreens (Wags for short to all diehard couponers) for sure! She helped me get into Wags actually. So, knowing that we were going to be going to this conference, I texted her and said, "what are the chances we are going to get to do some Wags while we were there?" She immediately texted back with "VERY high-I am bringing my coupons!"

We spotted a Wags on the way to the conference on the second day and made a game plan. We would drop everyone back off at the hotel after the afternoon session and head back out on our own. It worked perfectly. After we got back in the car though, after I had done 4 transactions and she had done 1 or 2, we both noticed that we had been overcharged on something. Not cool. BUT, we had Not felt the love from these Baton Rouge, Highland Road Wags clerks so I pulled out my trusty iPhone and found another one just a few miles up the road.

We headed there ready to do our refunds and maybe a few more transactions since we were prepared with the coupons. Again, no love whatosever for the 2 coupon queens from Florida, but we got it done. Suzanne said I pulled her way out of her comfort zone (doing the refunds, 2 separate stores, snotty managers, etc...not fun, but in my opinion, necesary. I am NOT spending $2.60 OOP (out of pocket) if I don't have to), but that she was glad for it! She may have been lying to me. LOL!

Anyway, my score was 3 things of aluminum foil, 3 Skintimate Shave Cream (BEST shaving product for shaving your legs ever!), 1 roll of packing tape and 2 bags of Dentek piks. I packed it all in my luggage and never thought about it again...

Until the airport. We put our luggage on the scale to weigh it and it was 7 pounds over! Everyone else had already taken care of their luggage and were waiting around for us to be finished so we could go to our gate. 7 pounds!

Fortunately, Bryan, one of the guys who went to the conference, was standing there and had room in his duffel bag so he opened it up and said, just start taking stuff out to transfer. First things I grabbed were the 3 rolls of alumnium foil out of the front pocket. My mother-in-law (MIL) was watching the whole fiasco and BURST out laughing so loudly at the sight of something so weird coming out of my suitcase.

I was already stinking hot because the New Orleans airport apparently doesn't believe in air conditioning, but then I was getting all hot and flustered at the thought of the possibility of spending a $50 overage fee for my bag. So, my MIL started laughing and I just lost it. I was laughing so hard as I was pulling more and more stuff out from my Wags trip. I was looking around and telling everyone, I HAD to buy it, it was free! How could I not?

It was not until we had finally gotten enough stuff transferred to Bryan's duffel, that I realized, that free aluminum foil could have cost me $50!!!! LOL! Would that not have been the biggest deal dud EVER? It was so funny. We were laughing about it for a while.

Funny part two: So, we get to Orlando Airport to discover that our bag had not made it, BUT Bryan handed me all of my stuff from his duffel and if nothing else, I had my aluminum foil to carry around in my arms! That made the whole story funny again and we all had a good laugh.

Soccer game and homeschool meeting tomorrow, church and work Sunday, back to reality. The temporary escape was really nice, but there truly is no place like home. I am working on lots of stuff right now-several book reviews, some personal testimony stories and of course lots and lots of deals. Thank you all for being faithful readers/followers of my blog. It means the world to me.