I quickly dismissed the CVS circular last week.  But when I saw that next week's was no better and I had ECBs to use, I examined it closer and I'm glad I did!  I could not believe my good fortune:

2 Colgate toothpastes
6 bars of Dove Soap
Dove Shampoo
2 Kitkat packs (for Halloween)
1 Reese cup pack (for Halloween)

All for .59¢!  Total saved: $25.17!

I had $12 in ECB's, a $3/$15 and various manufacturer's coupons.  I got $7 ECBs back, along with a bonus of $4 in ECBs for my summer purchases.  In addition, CVS sent me a $4/$20 coupon to spend in November!  So already I have $15 to spend next time and that's not including coupons!

I also scored a little at RiteAid.  Those Herbal Essence Shampoos were virtually free.  They were 2/$6 and there's a $3 rebate instant check, plus I had a $3 coupon on two.  The Hershey's Bliss were the most expensive - we paid $2.50 plus tax for both bags after also having a $2.50 coupon.  Those are for us!

We made out pretty well at Giant, too.  We got lots of things BOGO and walked away with two heavy canvas bags spending $57.  (It would have been less if Giant took my expired coupons!  That's the first time I was rejected in a while.)  I really wanted to make a Perdue over stuffer tomorrow, on sale both at Giant and ShopRite.  Would you believe both stores were out of stock?  So I got rein checks. 

While it takes some effort, I just love couponing!

There are lots of things I didn't come to appreciate about Philadelphia until I moved back here.  One of which was Fairmount Park, one of the largest city public parks in the U.S. with 9,200 acres. 

Why am I so fascinated with this park?  Once you're there, you would never believe you're in the city.   So if we want to get away from the traffic and seek a more serene setting, we don't have to go far. Luckily, we're within a 10-minute walk to two of the park entrances.  It also combines two things I really enjoy - nature and history.

You hear so much about beautiful parks being taken over by office parks or commercial development.  That was once the story of Fairmount Park.  First home to the Lenni-Lenape Indian tribe, it was taken over by colonists.  It didn't take long for it to be lined with mills and taverns.  The history is a little sketchy on how the park was transformed back to its original landscape, but I surmise the citizens were tired of the pollution from the mills, in need of clean drinking water and the mills had seen better days and were forced to close.

The restoration process seems to be ongoing.  With an overpopulation of deer, other wildlife are seeing declines.  There are problems with run-off and erosion.  Unfortunately, pollution is a huge issue, too.

There's much to do in the park.  Many use it to bike, hike, fish and even ride horses.  You can feed the ducks, have a picnic, walk along the creek and even read about the park's history along the way.  It's home to a covered bridge and a restaurant, the Valley Green Inn.

Fairmount Park is one of our favorites because there's no concrete and there's a real effort to preserve the natural landscape.  We've biked the entire Wissahickon Valley section, but there are still many trails to explore.  Whether we want to get some exercise or take it slow and bask in the beauty of nature, going "back the creek" (creek pronounced as crick) as we say in Philadelphia, is a real treat.

It was a 4-hour wait, but totally worth it!  When Aunt Ronnie told me that Barack Obama was going to have a rally at Abington high School yesterday and it was my day off, I knew I had to be there.  I got there at 7:30 and gates didn’t open until 9.  I couldn’t believe that the line was already insanely long.  The time passed by quickly, though, with lots of interesting people to talk to.  It was great to have political discussions with people I knew I couldn’t offend!

The prep work for the event was interesting to see.  K-9’s were sniffing the bleachers and field for anything potentially dangerous.  When we finally could enter, we had to walk through a metal detector and were scanned over with a wand.  I wanted to stand to get a pretty good view of the podium.

At 10:30, a local representative and some people from the campaign got the crowd excited.  We were chanting “Ready to go!” and “Yes we can!”  My favorite question was, “Do you want a candidate that will wink at you?” And we all shouted “NO!”  It was a lot of fun.

Finally, at 11:30, Bob Casey, Jr. and Ed Rendell really pumped up the crowd and then introduced Barack Obama.  The crowd went wild!!!  It was so cool to be 20 feet away from him and hear him talk.  It’s one thing to see him on TV, but in person, it’s way better.  It’s hard to describe.

He touched on a variety of topics, but mainly talked about the economy, healthcare, renewable energy and education.  He talked about the great challenges we face today and that we can overcome them, just like we have in the past.  Obama said, “Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us.”      

As expected, I left feeling inspired and full of hope.  It was the first time in my life that I felt there were no barriers – it didn’t matter your race, age, sex, income level – everyone there was so friendly and energized and it didn’t matter who you were because we were all there for the issues.  (The fact that his base is so diverse says so much, too.)  I felt that he has the potential to be one of the greatest leaders of our time and will make the world a better place.  Go Obama, the next President of the United States!!!

(Special Notes: 1) Even if you don’t agree, please be kind of the comments. 2) I took a lot of video; below is one of the best segments.  I wish I could upload them all, but it takes a very long time.)

    
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