Author: Andi

This was another one of my gifts from Chuck. This one is made by Garmin. I have been wanting my own GPS for a while. We started looking at them for his grandparents and I wanted one even more after looking at them! I love this little thing! It's so useful. I love that it has a touch screen and is easier for me to use than the other one we have. Something about the other one is not compatible with my brain! 🙂

A couple features I really like about it are the touch screen, like I mentioned. I love that it tells the speed limit where you are along side your current speed. It is so useful to know what the speed limit is. Sometimes I can go miles and not see a sign for it…and this eliminates that issue. Next, it has bluetooth on it. I can sync my phone with it and make and received phone calls through the GPS. That is so much fun. There are cars that can do that (and an add on we might get for our car one day) that does the same thing, but this is just useful. I know I will use this feature. It will also call places when you are looking up stores/restaurants and such and call them. I also like that you can change the icon for the vehicle. You would think I would want something that looks like my car. Well, you would be way off! I had a monster truck for a while (which is really a truck with huge wheels) and I currently have tennis shoes. They are two little feet that walk along your path. So cute!

If you don't already own a GPS, you should definitely get one. They are so useful and clearly a lot of fun, too!

One of the gifts Chuck got me for Christmas was this adorable little Dell Mini laptop. This thing is so tiny as you can see by the pencil sitting next to it in the picture. It's really light and has no movable parts, so there isn't much to break on this. It runs Linux (for those of you that knows what it is), doesn't have a disc drive, but is the most useful little things to have around. We have both used it a bunch around the house.

Chuck used it when he was working on something in the car. It's small and really easy to carry around. I have a recipe database that I use all the time (which can be found under the “Links” tab on the right side of this page, but you need a password to get into it). I like to use it in the kitchen when I am looking up holiday recipes and if something happens to the mini…spilling food on it, etc….you aren't out as much as if I were to spill something all over my MacBook. And of course, I play games on it!

If you are looking for something really portable, but don't mind how fast it is, this is a great little laptop to have around. I'll share some of the other gifts we received in the coming days. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and got many wonderful gifts. As of today, we still have 2 Christmas celebrations left….which means two more days of gifts! YAY! I love Christmas! 🙂

I got these at REI when I was there last and got the other items I posted….boots, gloves. I love these pants. They are kind of a wind pant material and they are so comfortable. They fit me really well and I was so excited about that. These are definitely an upgrade from the kids wind pants I have that just don't fit that well. and really weren't made for people with hips or waists. I am slowly learning the joy of spending a little more money (in this case a lot more) on something that will last a long time and fits me well. (And honestly, I think my butt is cute in them!) I might even wear these to work tomorrow because they seem comfy for the drive to Omaha tomorrow! 🙂 We'll see if I actually decide to do that when I get up in the morning. 🙂

I usually get myself some really cheap kids boots for the winter and then can never understand why my feet are always cold. I guess I figure if they are kids boots, they will keep little kids warm. Man was I wrong. When I was at REI I came across these.

They are still kids boots, but they are made by North Face. Therefore, much warmer. And they weren't the cheapest things I could find. They are the kids version of a very well rated women's boot. And they are cute. My feet stay warm and they feel like I am walking around in tennis shoes. So I am very happy I spent the money on these and I can't wait to get lots of use out of them!

I came across these at REI and had to have them. I just love the colors. I was so excited to see that they didn't have black or brown in them. Then I can wear them with anything and not feel silly! 🙂 (Except something red…I don't think I would wear them with something red.)

Chuck has a pair like this and really likes them. After having them for a little while, I can see how they are useful. You don't have to take your gloves off to do something with your finger now and just flip the mitten part over and you are set for warmth. So if you need a new pair of gloves or mittens or both, you should get to REI and pick up a pair!