**FREE**!!

That has to be about the most wonderful word in the world!..........FREE!

I love it when I can get things for free. 

My husband was out of deodorant this morning and said, next time you are at the store can you pick me up some.  I told him he didn't have to wait and went to the cupboard and pulled out a big bucket containing oh so many things of deodorant.  His comment was WOW, that is alot of deodorant and I was happy to tell him that they were all FREE!  Don't you just love it.....at least 20 things of deodorant and I paid nothing for them.  Love it!!!  The same goes for toothpaste too.

A month or so ago, I ordered an 8X10 collage picture from Walgreens for my mother-in-law.  I had taken a ton of pictures at my father-in-laws funeral in June and I wanted to give her a collage of all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that attended the service.  They are only $3.99, but I had a coupon code that made it FREE!  I was able to spend a little bit extra on a nice frame and gave it to her.....just because.  Cool huh?!  In fact all the collages in my house were FREE....including the one I just picked up a few hours ago with a bunch of my son's senior pictures......FREE!!

Don't you just love that word!  It makes me happy inside knowing that I got something for free.  I could go on and on about all the things I have gotten for free over the last few years, but I will get on to the post I intended to write......and it has to do with, of course, being FREE!

This past week we went to the Denver Zoo for.....you guessed it.....FREE!!!!  Ok, so the gas up and back including food purchased was not free, but......

I love the days that are free to any of our favorite spots in Denver.  They have them several times a year and I love it when they fall on a no school day...not a weekend cuz that would just be too crazy.  Although if you don't get to the zoo when they first open, then you have to park a mile away.  That is why this week we woke up earlier than we all wanted to on a non school day and got up there just as they opened....can you say front row parking!!!

We spent the nice sunny morning going around to see the lions and tigers and bears....oh my!  And you can't forget about the seals, giraffes, monkeys, and elephants too.  We had a great time and were done in a few hours. 

So of course, we had plenty of time to go to IKEA for lunch and a bit of shopping before we had to head back to the Springs.

**we have so much fun spinning the carts...have you ever tried it?  We love playing with the carts when we are there....almost as fun as the shopping itself**

We made it back just in time to see T run in Regionals for cross country to end his season.  It was a great finish as he and his teammate sprinted side by side to the finish line.....ok, so the other guy beat him, but I love the determination on T's face.......and that was FREE too.

We finished the day with crepes for dinner (not free but oh so very yummy)....I'd say it was a great day all the way around!