Dinner at The Palm

Karen & Nate stayed with us on Friday night as a pit stop on their way to vacation in the Outer Banks. We were so happy to have them. We decided to take advantage of Restaurant Week and try out The Palm for dinner. The restaurant was recently featured on Top Chef DC sowe thought we would give it a try. It was such a nice evening out, and the food was delicious! The service was a little shoddy but it didn't really matter because we weren't in any hurry. I can't believe I didn't take any pics of the food! You'll have to survive with just pics of us.

Nate with some of the caricatures.

My beautiful shower

The Buss family threw me a beautiful shower back home last weekend. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by family and friends. They did an amazing job with decorating - you know I appreciated how much they put into all of the projects! I was truly spoiled rotten.

See all of the adorable bird houses and ornaments hanging from the plants?

And the awesome "lovebirds" cake and more fantabulous ribbon crafts

Me and the Mommas

Sisters! See how lucky I am? Look at all of my sisters! And still, one is missing.

Friends forever - my best girls

The Buss Family

John came at the end (after golfing with the boys) to say hello and help get all of the amazing gifts home!

White Water Rafting

Kelly & Bob invited us up to Watertown to go white water rafting. It was a really fun day and a great experience - I don't think any of us had ever gone before. We had an excellent guide (that apparently looks like Dog the Bounty Hunter) that made our experience that much better.

After the trip down the river we headed back to Kelly & Bob's to relax. We were exhausted!

Started out with the signature drink

Checked out the goods from the Dutton garden. Big guys!

Little guys!

We spent the night out by the bonfire.

Playing in the cornfields.

And jumping.

And setting trees on fire?

And doing wheelies with an ATV.

Free Shoes!

That's right - I got my wedding shoes for free! I debated sharing a pic of them here, but can't resist because they are just so fabulous. I love them!

So how did I get them for free? Swagbucks! It is an online search engine that rewards you for searching online. I turn my Swagbucks into $5 Amazon gift cards. I typically earn 2-3 giftcards a month. If you have not yet signed up for Swagbucks, now is the time to do it! Through tomorrow, August 13th, new members can click here to register and use the code SwagToSchool to earn an extra 20 Swagbucks - that is in addition to the 30 Swagbucks new members receive.

How do I maximize my earning potential? In several ways.

• I installed the Swagbucks toolbar on my browser. I type any web address I am going to in the search box. So if I am going to Facebook, instead of clicking on my favorites, I type facebook into the search box. Its an extra click of the mouse, but a great way to earn. This is how I generate the majority of my Swagbucks. Also, you are also rewarded a Swagbuck each day just for opening your browser.
• Toolbar Inbox: There is a "From TSG" button on the toolbar. Occasionally a Swagcode will be released via a message.
• Daily Polls: Answer a quick poll each day and earn one Swagbuck. It literally takes a few seconds.
• Special Offers: Click on the "Go Now" button beneath "View Our No Obligation Offers and WIN Swag Bucks." Scroll to the bottom of each offer and click Next or See Next Offer. You don't have to sign up for any of them - just scroll through them. At the end you will be rewarded with one Swagbuck. I also do this on a daily basis - it takes less than a minute.
• "Like" Swagbucks on Facebook to be notified of any Swagcodes they might release during the day.
• Referrals: If you sign up through my link, I will get credit. The more people you have sign up under you, the more credit you get.

So get to it and go sign up! Its free, it doesn't take much time, and its exciting to earn giftcards - who doesn't want free shoes?!