Contests, Giveaways, Promo codes, etc.

This post is inspired by two groups of people: 1. the people who think I'm crazy for entering contests all the time 2. the people who ask about how I have won things/which contests/giveaways are worth entering.

First of all, I haven't won the lottery or anything (minus marrying my husband...haha ok that was too much) so you're on your own with that kind of luck. However, I have a pretty good streak for winning contests and giveaways, and I don't think it's just luck. I just enter the right ones. So, I thought I'd share some tips and things I've learned about contests and giveaways!

There was a news segment about online contests and giveaways, and they basically just told people not to enter after all sorts of "statistics" they found. However, after firsthand experience (and being successful multiple times I might add) I beg to differ! You just have to know which ones to enter.


WHYY????
Ok, so why enter contests or giveaways at all, you might ask?? Well one easy answer is, there is always going to be a winner (except I don't believe in those "free car" giveaways at the mall..), so why not have it be you?

There are some contests totally worth your time... and then there are those definitely not worth your time...in my opinion. You just have to keep a business-like mind in store: if your expenditure is more than your profit, it's not worth your time...Meaning, if the hassle you're going through to even get an entry is worth more than what you get if you even happen to win, just go buy the item up for grabs if you really want it.

I'm going to explain the things I consider before entering a contest on social media (or the radio....I've won 3 times!).  Again, I'm not a rocket scientist, but my guidelines have led to be successful so it's worth a shot!

1. HASSLE: BIG OR LITTLE

IF IT'S A BIG BLOG GIVEAWAY: First of all, giveaways are HUGE right now in the blogging community. Heck, I'm going to be doing some for my Etsy shops soon. One reason that they're popular with blogs is that it can help the blogger and the sponsor gain followers and essentially gain more customers. That being said, keep in mind what they are asking of you in order to enter. Is it a big hassle? Your chances with blogs that have thousands of followers are already kind of slim because of the number of people entering. But that shouldn't keep you from entering under certain conditions. For me, if there is not a list of 10 or more people I have to follow in order to have a valid entry then I'll enter (I seriously saw a contest once where you had to follow like 30 people to enter---on each of their social media accounts...yikes). If my chances are already slim, I don't really want to be a slave to 10 different people's Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. after the contest is over if I didn't even win (ok, all you have to do is unfollow them, but who has time for that, right??). The point is, if I just have to leave a comment on the blog and follow the blogger on Insta, I'll enter. I won a contest once and I was like entry 2000 or so. This is the only BIG giveaway I've won because I normally don't enter the big ones, so this was mostly just luck. But if I hadn't won, all I had done was commented and followed the blog--no big loss. Moral of the story, if it's just two easy clicks, I enter. But if it turns into a hassle, I don't. Also, the more entries you're allowed, the more entries everyone else can get as well, so keep that in mind as well. If you can see the number of entries (for example if the giveaway is run through Raffle Copter) and it's not an outrageous amount, enter multiple times because not everyone will take the time to do so.

IF IT'S A NEW/SMALL BLOG GIVEAWAY:  enter!!!! First of all, support new blogs! My blog is by no means big at all, but when I started blogging I felt so nervous (and still do) putting myself out there with my thoughts and sharing about my life--so help a sista (or a mista) out! Second, if it's a small blog, the number of followers is small, and if it's not a blog that is an everyday read for many people, chances are not as many people will even see the giveaway or enter. So enter!


2. ONE CLICK=ENTER!!!:

FACEBOOK: 'One click' contests are usually found on FB. If all you have to do is 'like' a post, share it, or comment, you should enter because you never know, and it's not a hassle to enter. Even if it's a Facebook of a company with lots of followers, if all you have to do is click once to enter, you might as well! Yesterday I found out I won a free dress and necklace. I was scrolling through Facebook and the company said something like "we've announced our winner on our blog" ... I didn't even think I had entered, but figured I'd just check out the blog post anyway cause they had some really cute jewelry. I remembered possibly entering, so I scrolled down to see the winner. I seriously couldn't believe I won because I hardly remembered entering, but that's because it was one of those "one click" contests so it was easy and I totally forgot about it because it wasn't a hassle. It was a smaller-ish company and it was easy to enter, so my chances were good!

IF IT'S A NEW BUSINESS FB: Same with new blogs, new businesses on Facebook generally don't have too many followers compared to large companies, let alone a large number of people their posts actually reach. Usually new businesses are trying to gain exposure so their contests are 'user friendly' (AKA what we like: no excessive requirements!), and not too many people enter. Because they're new, you basically have the advantage because their contests are easy in order to entice people to enter and follow them. I just became a 'fan' on FB of the jewelry store we bought my engagement ring at. They just recently started vamping up their page, and they started out by doing giveaways. In December they had several giveaways, and you could 'like' their post for one entry, and 'share' for another. I personally don't feel bad 'sharing' giveaways on FB because it helps others find out about the contests (that's how I usually see them, from others entering), and there's so much garbage nowadays on FB (hello, JBiebs' mugshot...hideous) that my pic of a cute outfit being given away isn't hurting anyone! Anyway, I entered several of the December contests, and I actually won one! I entered  this one because not many people entered (you could tell by number of likes an shares), so my chances were good. So, if you like free stuff and you have nothing to lose, and a good chance to enter, you should enter!

3. ENTER ON INSTAGRAM: After doing a social media internship with a large clothing company, I was able to see the average customer activity on social media. For this company, customers were least active on Instagram, and I've noticed the same for other companies' Insta accounts that I follow. That being said, when there is a contest on Instagram, ENTER! Fewer people enter these for whatever reason, so your chances are good! Usually all you have to do to enter Instagram contests is repost a photo and use a certain hashtag. Again, if I have to tag or hashtag 10+ people, I don't enter. Other than that, Instagram contests are great to enter if you want to try to win some freebies, so follow your favorite companies on Instagram---guaranteed they do contests/giveaways!

4. CHECK BACK!!! As mentioned, sometimes when contests are so easy to enter it's easy to forget you entered (as mentioned!). Many contests will have a 24-hr claim policy where you have to contact the sponsor to claim your prize within 24 hrs or else they'll choose another winner. Many people don't check back because they assume there's no way they could win. I mentioned before that I won a contest and was entry #2000. I had used a junk email address (see next point) to enter and only found out that I had won that contest a few weeks later when I was cleaning out my inbox. Luckily they didn't have a claim time frame, but the point is I didn't check back on the contest and I  could've missed out! So make sure that you remember which contests you enter and check back!

5. CREATE A JUNK EMAIL: If you're like me, you probably already have an embarrassing email address name from when you were 13, but the account still works and you don't use it for much anymore. I use this email for giveaways and contests (and when websites make me sign in for stuff!) so that if they make me leave an email address to be added to their mailing list as part of entering, I can just give that email address (is that rude??), unless I really do want to receive their emails.


**RADIO CONTESTS: Ok so nowadays I know everyone just plugs in their iPod or plays CDs (ok, I still listen to CDs but not sure others do). HOWEVER, there are still radio contests all the time! I haven't entered or won one in a while, but here's the types of contests I entered and how I believe I won.

TIME OF DAY: This one is important. Just like businesses always have deals on Tuesdays (Tuesdays are one of the slowest days in retail) (also, did you know if you have a Gap card you get extra 10% off on Tuesdays??) ANYWAY, just like businesses have deals on Tuesdays to up their sales when they're slow, radios often have contests during the 'slow' hours of the day when people might not be as interactive with the show hosts. All of the contests I've won have been at a random time of day like 11am, 2pm, etc. when most people are most-likely at school or at work. So if you happen to be on the road during non-traffic hours (which is when most people would be prone to listen to the radio), turn up the radio and see if they have anything going!

IF YOU KNOW YOUR STUFF:  One contest that I won said that the first person to call and name 6 songs by a certain band (my fave at the time) would win tickets to their show. That being said, I entered because I didn't have to be caller # whatever to win (those are a little trickier). I called and waited until they answered and could name six songs by that band right off the bat, so I won! So if the contest has nothing to do with calling at the right time, just knowing the right answer (and you happen to know it), you should give it a try! Another I had won was the same thing. They asked how far you have to run to burn off an M&M. I had randomly learned this fact in 7th grad health class (you have to run a football field. Sad, huh?) so I called in! They had multiple answers to choose from so even a lucky guess was worth answering.

BE CALLER #...  As I said, if you have to be caller # X to win, it's a little harder because you have no idea which phone lines they pick up first and when everyone else is calling. I normally don't bother to enter these unless they're giving away something REALLY cool. So normally I steer clear of these.

PROMO CODES: 
OK this might seem random, but as I mentioned I interned for a large clothing company working with their social media. From this I learned that many companies send products to bloggers and websites to review the item on their blog or site. As a part of this review, many times companies will give the blogger a promo code to feature for their readers to use on the featured website. So whenever you are shopping online, try Googling the company and add 'giveaway' or 'blog giveaway' and see if any features on blogs pop up because chances are there is a promo code offered for that blogger's readers. I've been shopping online more often recently and I cringe when I go to pay full price for anything. I ALWAYS Google to find promo codes whether it be on a random site or a blog, and generally I'm able to find promo codes to save a little mulah.


Companies to follow for contests/giveaways (and just cute stuff :)): Groop Dealz  (I might add that aside from giveaways I LOVE Groop Dealz's stuff. gooood deals) , Urban Peach , Sassy Steals , Nest on Main, Simple Addiction , Splash Designs

Let me know if you have any questions! And, if you've entered contests before and think you have a method to the madness, share below!!

Adios, 2013!

2013 has been a great year. I don't know what it is about odd numbers, but they do great things for me. I was born on 7/15/91, graduated from high school 5/09, engaged on 11/13/11, married on 3/15 (of 2012, but it still counts!), I graduated and we celebrated our first anniversary in 2013. SO, let's hope 2014 can keep up with the odds!

Taylor and I both learned a lot and had a lot of fun in 2013.

Last year we celebrated the start of 2013 in Hawaii! I had gotten the flu after Christmas but was better by New Year's Eve, and I was so happy we were able to celebrate and not be sick.

New Year's Eve in Hawaii last year 

In 2013 we celebrated our first year of marriage! For us, the first year was a learning experience. A lot of people say "oh, the first year is just the best because you're always happy and you're still in the honeymoon stage". Well I guess we like to keep it real because we definitely weren't always in the honeymoon stage our first year! But don't worry, we had a good share of laughs, smiles, and fun moments as well. We learned and grew a lot, and we're now almost done with year 2 (which has been my favorite so far!). We're excited for year 3 (where does the time go???)! Taylor is the best roommate I've ever had :).

Celebrating our 1st Anniversary 

I started an internship with Shabby Apple at the end of 2012 and worked for them as a social media intern through May 2013. It was really neat to learn more about business and fashion production. Being a small business owner I loved learning how to use social media as a means to advertise and get people buzzing about products. This was such a fun internship, and I was so grateful I was given that amazing opportunity!

One of the emails I wrote for Shabby Apple 

After teaching in primary for about 8 months, I was called to be the primary secretary at church. This calling keeps me on my toes and always makes me have to work a little extra to stay organized. If you know me you know that I'm not the best at that, which is probably why I got this calling haha. I love working with the little kids of our ward congregation!

This year I ended my job at Allyse's Bridal (I was there for almost 5 years!), and I started my new job at the Provo Missionary Training Center as a clerk at the information desk. This desk is open 24/7/365, and there was a LOT to learn. This was a VERY hard transition for me. I went from working with some of my best friends in a bridal shop that had a real 'family' feel (with our wonderful "mother" Janet), to not knowing anyone (except Taylor--which was a big plus--as he works for MTC security). At this job you have to know the ins and outs about all MTC policies & procedures, answers to "frequently asked questions" from angry/sad/super emotional missionary moms/families, know how to answer the most bizarre and random phone calls (people often think we're church headquarters so they call with the most random "needs" and "suggestions"), and also know how to deal with a lot of confidential information and know whom you can and cannot give that information out to (and if mistakes are made with this you can easily lose your job). You also have to get used to the fact that General Authorities of the Church could call at any time and visit often (this is an awesome part of the job, but also obviously very intimidating). I felt so inadequate at first and like I wasn't going to ever be able to get all of this information down. However, Taylor was so supportive and always told me "you can do it!", and now this has honestly been the best job ever. I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people through this job. I've seen companionships of missionaries here who can't understand each other at all who speak different languages, but they are so happy to be at the MTC preparing to serve missions. I once worked with an elder who was from the middle of nowhere (it was the most random little island that I had never heard of), who ended up coming with just one small bag, wearing his one and only tattered suit, and arrived at the MTC a week early at 10PM and spoke no English. He was there and ready to serve. There were missionaries who never got packages or letters and felt no support from loved ones, but they were there and wanting to serve the Lord wherever He would have them. I was able to work during the Mission President Seminar in June where all of the newly called mission presidents come to the MTC to be trained by prophets and apostles. I was able to see seven out of the twelve apostles in one day that week. Being so close to them and seeing how they interact with others strengthened my testimony of the organization of the church and the men who God has presiding and guiding us. I finish working at the MTC this week (it's a student job, and I graduated so I have to say goodbye!) and it is definitely bittersweet. I'm excited for the future but so, so sad to leave. I have such an amazing supervisor. She never beats around the bush which can be intimidating, but then when she compliments you, you know she means it. She has been amazing to work under. Though we don't work in the same department, it has been so fun being able to work with Taylor. It has been a blessing to work for the church at the MTC and to be able to work with my husband. This job played a big role for us in 2013!

One of the rare times that we saw each other at work for more than a few minutes. 

{Sorry for that mini novel, but that was a big part of our 2013!}

I became a biological aunt in April 2013!
My older sister, Nicole, and her husband, Glen, welcomed Leo Eric Ellsworth to the world on April 2. He (his middle name) was named after my dad who passed away in 2007, which makes his name extra special. He definitely makes me a little baby hungry, but for now being an aunt is the best :). Click here to see his birth story (the pictures are amazing! Taken by Lizzy Jean Photography).

We had some family visit from Hawaii this summer. This is my sis-in-law teaching little Noelle how to be gentle with Leo :) 

We ran our first 5k together for the 4th of July! Not a huge deal if you're a runner, but I'm not a big runner, and I had never done a race before, so we were excited and proud of ourselves! I'm excited to have time to run more now that I'm graduated.

Taylor took the OAT  (optometry school admissions test) in July 2013. He put a lot of effort into studying, and it paid off as he scored in the 95th percentile! I was so, so proud of him. He is currently finishing his optometry school applications! We'll know where we'll be living for the next few years in just a few months!

Being the wife I am, I made him pose for a "before" picture before he left to take his test 

Tay super happy after getting his score, telling his dad how it went

We took a "quick" trip to Hawaii in August (quick being about 2 weeks, but for the time and money it takes to get there we like to stay as long as possible!). We love spending time with family there and giving Taylor some time at home before we came back for school. Read about the trip here, here, here, and here.

One of my favorite days in Hawaii this trip

Our nieces and nephews minus two 

WEDDINGS: I had lots of friends get married this year! All of them I consider to be my best friends! My friend Matt got married to Amanda in May. I've known Matt and his twin, Rob, since high school. My old roommate and BFF Lauren got married in July, and I got to be one of her bridesmaids! It was such a beautiful day with a gorgeous reception. My best friend Andrea (whom I've known since I was like 8) got married in August to Nathan, after he flew around the world to propose to her while she was in Thailand. On that same day, my friend Scoty (also from high school, and best friends with Matt & Rob) got married to Larissa. And last, Matt's twin Rob got married to Hallie in October! Their wedding day was amazing. Their sealing was wonderful and their reception was so creative. It was so whimsical and had a 'bountiful' feel. I'm so happy for all these people, and I'm so excited for the rest of my friends to find their special people one day!

Matt's wedding day 

Lauren's wedding day (see her wedding here)

Andrea's wedding day 

Also Scoty's wedding day 

Rob's wedding day 

In September I opened my second Etsy shop, INKH. Designs. I love making invites so I decided to share that love with others! You can see some of the work I've done for friends here. I'm up & running again with Just Buttons & Bows as well. I'm excited to work on expanding both shops in the coming months! If you or any bloggers you know would want to review a bow, let me know!

Of course among all these events we had all the holidays and traditions including celebrating the 4th of July with the Nielsens (Glen, Nicole, and Leo were in town!), dressing up as Guess Who characters (from the classic game), Thanksgiving at my mom's house (and some Black Friday shopping!), and Christmas in Provo this year!

Taylor & I both worked on Thanksgiving morning during the Thanksgiving Devotional. Elder Nelson was the speaker. 

Christmas morning 2013. Read here about it. 

I'm honestly super antsy to find out where 2014 takes us (literally). I end my job this week and I don't have another lined up (yet), so I'm hopeful to find a way to help our income while Tay finishes school! We have family coming in town to celebrate our graduation when we walk in the graduation ceremony in April. We'll hopefully find out soon where we'll be going for Tay to go to grad school. This is the first year together that we don't already have a full plan (last year we knew we'd just be working and in school, and the year before we knew we'd get married and spend the summer in Hawaii).

So cheers to 2014! I have a post coming up about 2014 goals (I give up on the word "resolutions" because who keeps those anyway, right??).

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Invites, invites, invites!

So I've already posted some screen shots of these before, but I wanted to feature some of the invites I've created recently in their full glory (not screenshots from InDesign). I have a second Etsy shop in the works right now for designing invitations, so I'm trying to spread the word a little. I'm finishing up compiling some example invites for my shop, so if you have ideas for some that you think would be fun to see, or if you need an invite for an upcoming event let me know and we could work out a deal (pretty much you just help me advertise :)) since I'm trying to build up my portfolio (it's a lot more fun and easy to make example invites when they're actually for real events!). Basically for my shop I'll be consulting with customers to make custom designs, or customizing existing designs I've created for customers. I'll be selling PDFs, not prints, so customers will be purchasing the PDF then printing the invites locally themselves. Essentially all the extra shipping and handling costs are cut out, yay! People can also use the PDFs for E-invites, which is really popular and convenient now-a-days. Anyway, I have a couple names in mind for my shop, but if any of you have some mind-blowing ideas, let me know and maybe you could get an invite or two if I pick that name. 

Have a wonderful night y'all! 

{Love is a Journey}: One of my childhood best friends got married a couple weeks ago, so my other best friend (Madie) and I threw her (Andrea) a bridal shower! Andrea wanted something nice and classy, and she travels a LOT (we're talking going to China every other year since high school), so Madie and I decided on throwing a travel-themed shower with the title "love is a journey". For this invite I used a picture of Andrea and her fiancé (now husband!) during one of their travels and made the photo look vintage and rustic. I created the stamp image which includes the actual shower date and time in it. I also found a Chinese stamp image to use for a final touch. 

{Ahoy! It's a Boy!}: My sister and her friend threw one of their childhood best friends a baby shower for her future baby boy. The theme was obviously nautical. They wanted it to be the perfect shade of red and blue (no 4th of July!), while incorporating a nautical feel. I think it turned out pretty well!

 Our adorable niece has a birthday coming up and she is having her party at a local waterpark in Hawaii. For this invite I tried to keep it childish but not immature (we've all seen invites that are too cheesy for most people's taste). The waterpark's logo has splashes coming out from it so I tried to keep that theme as well. My niece loves pink so I tried to incorporate that as much as possible without it being overbearing (let's be honest though I personally could never have enough pink!)

I recently blogged about my friend Lauren's wedding. She asked me to do her invite and I was thrilled. Here is a close-up of the invite. The invites were printed on specialty paper which is why there is no specific background or anything. Lauren wanted super classy, traditional, formal, and simple.

Below is one of my favorite parts of Lauren's invites. Lauren had a lot of inserts because she had a lot of events going on, but this one was one of the best I think. She had the same layout below for inviting close family and friends to the wedding ceremony inside the temple, but she also wanted to make those who could not go inside the temple to be a part of the day and feel included. We camp up with the design below to invite people to welcome them out of the temple and to take photos. 

Sealing invitation: 

Dinner invitation: 

I love feedback, so if you have some give me!! :) Also, if you're interested in working with me on an invite before the shop is open, email me at kelseybhibbs@gmail.com! 

**All invites were altered to protect the privacy of clients :) 

I'm going to blog!

You guys. I have been horrible at blogging. {I say that every time}. It reminds me of when I go back and read my journal and every entry starts with "Well, it's been a while since I've written....lot's has happened..." and when I continue to read I notice that it's been like a year, multiple crushes, and a few weight fluctuations... later. {Procrastination is clearly a problem for me.}

I used to be really good at blogging. I loved sharing my life and experiences with others and getting comments about how people could totally relate to situations and such. It was fun building a little community and learning from other people, but over time I've just become really bad at it, and I've started to feel really silly about just putting random stuff about my life on the internet. Obviously I would never put "too much information" (TMI) type stuff on my blog (cue the awkward FB status-type blog posts...i.e. every detail about someone's marriage that no one wants to hear about), but I started to feel silly blogging about real life because everyone on the internet (i.e. lots of "mommy bloggers" and pins on Pinterest--though I do love me some good pin-sessions) seem to live the picture-perfect life. Because of this I starting feeling awkwardly afraid of just sharing my life just the way it is: so much happiness, but just like any other normal person, a few hardships as well. Do you ever feel like this? Anyway, basically I was afraid of putting myself out there and being vulnerable (do you hate that word? I hate that word. They would always use that word in my dance classes and in my head I was always cringing because when I think of "vulnerable" I think of some crazy emotional girl eating ice cream on her couch crying to the boy who just dumped her, telling him she still loves him..and you're just thinking, STOP, girl, STOP!.. Awkward..) ok....sorry for the side note. If you're worried about my possible diagnosis of A.D.D., don't worry, I'm already diagnosed.

So basically I was afraid of being vulnerable to what people would think of my thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc. that I want to share because I want to share the things I think about, my life, my trials, my triumphs, etc. Basically I started finding waaaay too many over-the-top, let's-do-five-giveaways-a-day-so-I-get-free-clothes, perfectly awesome recipe (I'm not a great cook) blogs, and it kind of discouraged me because I'm still working on getting my domestic skills, people skills, work skills....ok basically I'm still working on getting my whole life together. But who isn't?

I was on LDS.org  a couple weeks ago and found this. It kind of gave me a new perspective on blogging and how the church is actually encouraging blogging to help share spiritual/enlightening experiences and just everyday life experiences of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. So I've used this as motivation to share my life and my thoughts and experiences. I really do have a great life, and even with the hardships I've had, Heavenly Father has blessed me and helped my husband and me so much so that I want to share those things to help others and to remind myself of my blessings. And sometimes I want to write just for the sake of writing and getting my random thoughts and such out somewhere! So if you're with me and you want to share and hear real-life experiences, a few recipes here and there, pictures, etc. follow me and give me feedback, and please leave a comment with your blog link so that I can follow YOU. I love following fun, down-to-Earth people on their blogs. So please, let me stalk you? Just kidding. Well not really, we all do it.

 Anyway, so here is my commitment (not really to anyone else, but mostly to myself) to do what was mentioned on LDS.org:

1. Write about your day-to-day life

2. Update your blog often

3. Share experiences or what you learn at Church or in your family home evening 

So yes, I'm going to blog! For real! And I'm excited, and that's all. And, please, leave me a comment with your blog link so we can be friends :)

*Kelsey

                                         

                               Some photos from recent happenings that I  haven't blogged about:

4th of July at my Grandpa's house for our family bbq

I turned 22!

I helped throw a bridal shower for one of my best friends/old roommates Lauren! So fun! 

New Blog!

Hey guys!

Just a little announcement that I've started a separate blog for my Buttons & Bows shop. If you would like, please follow it and share with your friends! It's because of all of you and your recommendations that my shop is even open, so thank you!!! I love what I do, and I really couldn't do it without all your support. :)  (click here to see/follow the blog)

Sweet!

So I posted a couple weeks ago about a contest my blog is in. I had sort of just stopped checking to see how my blog was doing because there are so many contestants at this point (and unfortunately a few that obviously have a LOT of time to vote)..I basically kind of gave up because I really just entered for fun (I mean, who wouldn't take a free shot at winning money?). Anyway, after working for way too long on my homework, I decided to see how the contest was going. To my big surprise my blog is in third place right now! The contest goes until November 15, and the top three blogs win a money prize! If you have some time and want to vote, go to here . I mentioned before, but it takes some time because you have to pick on your favorite out of each two it gives you until mine pops up.
Thanks guys!

Help a friend out :)

Hey friends,

I mentioned a contest my blog was in a few days ago. I was originally doing really well, but then some sketchy things started happening, according to an email I just got from the web siting running the contest. Some bloggers and voters were finding ways to vote unfair (I guess I was too dumb to figure that one out...haha), so the website is setting everyone's vote count back to zero today...which means I still have a chance to win! If you have some spare time and want to vote, go here . If you vote, please make sure you vote correctly (you can't refresh the page until my blog pops up first, you have to vote for one of the two that it gives you until my blog pops up. Hopefully you recognize it!) You can vote as many times as you want, just as long as it's the right way :). My blog wasn't reported about cheating, so that's good. But since others' were, the website will be removing any blogs that they find that people are cheating to vote for (they're tracking IP addresses to make sure it stays fair).

What's in it for you?
First, you should know I'd really appreciate it. As poor college kids, Tay and I can always use some extra cash. Second, it's fun to see so many different blogs. I've actually found some ones I like and now follow from the contest. Third, if you vote (even just once), message me for a promo code that'll give you a whopping 50% off your purchase (never done that one before!) I have no way of knowing if you really did vote, so please just be honest :) The contest goes until November 15.

You guys are great. Really. :)

The INCIDENT

Hey guys. So basically I'm writing to remind myself of things I need to catch up on. And in all honesty I've been avoiding the computer because of the incident. AKA, I had been avoiding blogging about our Hawaii trip only because I wasn't sure how to organize a month's worth of activities. I knew it would take forever. However, with the help of my organize-minded husband (do you understand how we go together now? ...okay I'll tell you. I'm not so organized. Whoops.) Anyway, long story semi-short, I completed that blog post--full of LOTS of pictures that took really long to upload. Then I hit publish. Error. "There was an error while saving or publishing your post. Please try again." Boom. (aka:YOU FAIL, KELSEY. START OVER!) This happened about five times. Anyway, that blog post now exists, but it scared me away from blogger.com for a while. Because inside I felt like ihatebloggingimneverdoingitagain.com. Okay, this is a little dramatic. But it's basically told exactly how it happened.

So since then Taylor and I have just been trying to enjoy extremely lazy schedules (I've been going a little crazy not having a plan of action for every day lately). A few fun things have happened:

The 2012 London Summer Olympics started...and took over our lives! 

I started eating FISH. This was a big deal for me. But I guess marrying Taylor meant it was going to happen eventually. Also, it really was just a start. I ate it drenched in lemon to help with the taste. :) 

I discovered this gem. My sister was having a hard time so I wanted to make her laugh. I loved this! 

Taylor got to experience his first Jones family reunion. 

Taylor got his very first fishing permit. See why I need to get over my hate for eating fish??

Just loved watching him test out the fishing poles! 

We've had a curtain rod up for months...with no curtains. I  finally made the curtains for the lonely curtain rod!!! 

Tay found a new love for puzzles...Starting with this awesome BYU one we got from Costco. Sorry, I just gotta say that I love this boy :) 

Nicole and Glen are in town to visit for a few weeks! This night was so great. All of us Nielsen sisters went out on a secret mission to keep our eye on a certain sibling of ours at a stake dance :) Good thing he doesn't read my blog. shhhh don't tell him! 

Finally invested in some self-defense. And it's PINK!

Okay. Obviously not the most attractive photo. But this photo is important. I've mentioned this a few times, but I hurt my back really bad back in April before finals. I've grown up being a pretty active person--mostly because of dance. So spending the last four months without any exercise at all has been really hard for me but has taught me patience and to love myself no matter how my body is at the moment. However, recently (when I took this photo) I've found that my back is back in (mostly) full commission! Yay!!! The gym is becoming a more regular activity...and I'm so grateful for that! 

FRIENDS!!! Okay, Taylor is and always will be my ultimate best friend. But recently I've had some fun times with some of my other best friends recently after not seeing them for a few months! 

More puzzles!!!!

We attended my cousin Karli and her husband Scotty's Wedding! It was up at Parley's Canyon and it was beautiful! 

So pretty! This is my dad's brother Brad. If you seen pictures of my dad you can probably see the resemblance! 

Well guys, there's a quick update on some fun things. Hope you're all enjoying the last few official weeks of summer!!! Have a good night; I'm going to sleep. And that's all.