On the road again....

Dev and I decided a few months ago that a great way for us to make some money while Dev is in school would be to sell alarms for a couple months in the summer. Now when I say us I mean Dev, I couldn't handle having doors slammed in my face and people being rude to me all day long! My plan was to work at a random job since we were going to Prince Edward Island in Canada. When we arrived to PEI we first stayed in Charlottetown which is the biggest city in PEI. We were in a great location close to grocery stores and even a winners! Location is extremely important since I don't have a vehicle to drive while we are here. I bought a pull cart from superstore to put my groceries in and has been the best 15 dollars I've ever spent!! We found out quickly that I wouldn't be able to work since we aren't in the same location for longer than a couple weeks, I was really disappointed since I go stir crazy during the day. After a week we moved 45 minutes away to a town called Summerside. Summerside is beautiful because it is on the ocean but location has been difficult. The closest grocery store is 5 km each way walking on the side of a busy highway with no sidewalks! I do enjoy the walk most days it gives me a chance to listen to music or pray but when all you need is one ingredient for dinner it's a pain! We do have a swimming pool here so i'm going to buy some goggles today so I can swim some laps!

Chels

Product tester

When I was young one of my friends dad worked for the main company that manufactures McCain, Minute maid, Pepsi etc so they always had a basement full of free food they had to test out. I honestly that it was the most amazing thing ever!! I think that is one of the reasons I love couponing so much, free always tastes better! So when we were living in Iowa I signed up for a survey company that provides an opportunity for product testing. I was so excited when they sent me a product in the mail for me to test! It was hair mousse which was awesome because I love hair stuff but isn't in the budget to buy. The first day I used it my hair felt softer, thicker and had volume! I was so pleased that I scored it for free and I loved it! After a few days of using it I started to notice when I was washing my hair that it still felt greasy but blamed it on the shampoo since I was using whatever the hotel supplied. It progressed to the point that I actually had to use dish soap to get rid of the horrible buildup that plagued my hair! I guess I didn't really think there was a downside to the secret society of product testing but am still pumped for future experiences!  

The road less traveled..... repost from May since I mistakenly deleted it!

When we first moved here I remember I would go longer than a week without smiling or laughing. I felt like I had no purpose, no motivation to wake up in the morning. I wondered how I was going to survive this miserable place I was to now call home. I knew it was going to be an adjustment since i'm not the type of individual who is okay or enjoys just staying at home. For the past 6 years I dedicated myself to helping people struggling with addictions, self harm and mental health issues. It's no surprise I choose a career where I felt needed but challenged me mentally on a daily basis. Moving to Davenport has given me the opportunity to work on creating happiness internally instead of depending on external factors such as jobs, friends, shopping. Moving removed all of my distractions that I think a lot of people fill their lives with to try to create happiness. I feel I have changed as a person, I feel more AUTHENTIC. When you look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs I feel i'm working out of esteem needs and into self actualization. I feel it's so important to embrace your short comings instead of trying to appear PERFECT. Really who is perfect? I know a lot of people who live their lives in the image of others or work so hard to appear everything about their life, family, home is perfect perfect. My blog will not be one of those because i'm not perfect and I don't have it all together! Yes i'm talented at cooking and can create wonderful dishes, but I can't keep a clean house to save my life! I can now say that I like living in Davenport....not love... like.... Before we moved Dev and I had a great marriage( I know i'm bias)  we were so in love and so dedicated to each other. Living here has made us closer then ever imagined and I love it! I'm so proud of Devon he works so hard at school, his dedication and drive is admirable. Dev is in the top two in all his classes but shh I never told you! He doesn't get the recognition or praise he deserves by some people in his life, but I make sure I try to tell him often as possible how proud I am of him following his dreams and going against the grain. I enjoy spending so much time with the love of my life and my best friend, we take Maui for a walk everyday, make delicious dinners together and just try to help each other out as much a possible. I wake up most days happy and embrace each day for what it may bring, and am great-full for Dev, my family and the blessings that my faith brings me.  

The Gypsy Life....

My mom calls Dev and I Gypsies because we are constantly moving our little family all over the place! Now if you don't already know I have a munchkin cat named Tinkerbelle and a little bitty Yorkie named Maui. Moving around with those two can be a challenge because Tinky loathes her kennel and Maui has separation anxiety and finds it appropriate to bark anytime myself or Dev leave the hotel room.

 These past couple months have been a little crazy! We went to Calgary for my sister in-laws wedding then stayed an extra week and hung out with my family while Dev went back to Iowa for school. I arrived back in Iowa on late Sunday evening and we packed up a Uhaul and left on Wednesday  to our new home in Florida! We spend 5 days in Florida looking at places to rent and getting to know Port Orange. We put all of our belongings in storage and flew to Prince Edward Island for the summer so Dev could work selling alarms for the summer. Generally when you sell alarms you would stay in the same area so the company rents furnished places for you live in but, PEI is a small island we move every few weeks so we get to live in hotels. Dev enjoys it because he gets a free delicious continental breakfast every morning but it has definetly taken "living like gypsies" to the next level! As inconvenient and difficult it can be not having a car or any of your stuff, it's been worth every minute because i've met a really great friend and enjoy the adventures new places present. We are in Summerside PEI right now and it's so pretty since it's on the ocean.

I am going to make a goal to try to post daily about our adventures big or small!

Chels