Our $10 date

With so many major purchases recently (the house, the fence, car maintenance, impending sod), Bruin and I have really been trying to pinch pennies and save, save, save. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun! Yesterday, we had a date (lunch and the aquarium) for only $10. That's right, $10.

First we had a delicious (and free) lunch at the world renowned Chick-fil-a. No, we didn't have to wash dishes. Last March, Bruin and some guys from our small group spent the night in a Chick-fil-a parking lot to celebrate it's grand opening. By doing this, they won 'Free Chick-fil-a for a Year', which actually equals 52-free Chick-fil-a combo coupons. So, our free lunch. Being the sweet guy Bruin is, he also bought dessert... a warm chocolate brownie with walnuts for only $2.

The next stop on our date was the South Carolina Aquarium, one of my favorite places! If you are calculating correctly, you know we only have $8 left. So how in the world did we get into the Aquarium for $8? Well, the answer is we work at a great company that has a Corporate Membership with the Aquarium and allows it's employees to use it. So, we actually got into the Aquarium for FREE. Nice, huh? We had a great time there... saw lots of cool things (like the river otters and a feeding in the big ocean water tank). Unfortunately, our camera died half-way through so we didn't get many pictures. To commemorate our day, we bought a magnet at the gift shop for $3 (corporate members get a discount). The last $5 was spent on parking.

View from the Aquarium

My favorite... a sea turtle

Bruin's favorite... a corn snake

a Blue Heron

Feeding time in the Big Ocean Tank

And the promotion goes to...

Nicole Robinson!

That's right! Today I was promoted to a level II Quality Assurance Analyst. What the heck is a Quality Assurance Analyst you ask? Great question! I spend my day testing a program called The Raiser's Edge to be sure it is working correctly. I absolutely LOVE it. And I worked very hard to reach a level II. So, yay me. :)

Also, you probably noticed our Boston terrier poll is gone... Well, that's because we have decided NOT to get another dog (For now, at least). We really thought about it and came to the conclusion that we are pretty happy with our family as it is now. So, thanks for all your votes.


For now, we are happy being a 'one dog' family

Hugo turns 18

Eighteen years ago tomorrow, my family and I braced for one of the worst nights of my life. For 12 hours, we endured a monster called Hurricane Hugo, the most intense hurricane to ever strike the US Atlantic coast north of Florida.

I will never forget the sounds from that night... and the images from the days and weeks that followed. Join me today in remembering this mammoth storm.

http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanehugo.htm