The Last One

I'm really not sure how this post is supposed to start. I'm really not sure what to say.

It's been almost 8 weeks since Joe passed away.

I'm not going to go into details. I'm only going to say that some people do not have the families they deserve. And sometimes PTSD (from the military or otherwise) is very overwhelming.

And sometimes love isn't strong enough to overcome your past.

As for this blog, it was about my life as an Army wife, which I am not anymore. Joe ETSed in December 2012. We started our civilian life in Arkansas by finding a great job, buying a house, and moving. The dream we had worked so hard for had come true. Please know that we were happy. Everything had fallen into place. Joe left me knowing that I could support myself and had the support of family and friends.

I have been shown an amazing amount of love and support from those around me. I will forever be thankful for my friends, IRL and online. You all are so thoughtful and generous with your time and words.

I do plan on blogging when I have the time, which is not a whole lot right now. But when I do, you can find me over at http://saraandrigel.blogspot.com/.

But this will be the last post on this blog. Thank you to everyone who has supported my Army wife journey. I have made many wonderful friends in this community. And had some amazing experiences that I will never forget.

VA Home Loan

Hi everyone. I know it's been a while since I posted here. I cant say much now, but I wanted to just post a short note to let everyone know that the VA home loan is not guaranteed to every service member. We were under the impression that if you met the basic criteria, like time in service and honorable discharge, you were eligible. Well, it's based on much more than that. Much more they don't tell you until you want a home loan. I will tell you that we are having problems getting the home loan, but we are fighting for the benefits that Joe earned after 8 years in the Army and a year in a war zone.

I will keep you posted.

Onward and Upward

Long time, no see. 

But I hate to say, I don't miss it. 

The term "Army wife" has almost left my vocabulary. 

College is discussed more than deployments.

The transition is almost over.

A career will start. 

An education will begin.

A family will emerge.

Roots will be planted.

Tribal Hollywood Review

Have you heard about Tribal Hollywood? They contacted me for a review last week. Perfect timing since Valentine's Day is right around the corner. What are you getting your husband?



The pic from the website



After perusing the website, Joe and I decided to order the MAXIM Stainless Steel Tri-Color Men's Link Bracelet. I honestly didn't know what to expect. It's hard to judge weight from a picture online. I received the beautiful bracelet yesterday. Let me just add here, I made my decision Friday morning. SUPER FAST SHIPPING!! Anyway, I always assume men's bracelets will be really thick and heavy. This one isnt at all. It's lighter than expected, but still heavy enough to be worn comfortably on a man. The craftsmanship is beautiful. There are three different metals/finishes on this bracelet. The linking joints are brushed silver while the three tri-color links are polished.

Tribal Hollywood did all of you ladies a favor! They put together a men's jewelry gift buying guide for Valentines Day. The men's jewelry gift buying guide can be found at:

http://www.tribalhollywood.com/top-jewelry-gift-ideas-for-men. I greatly suggest that you check out this website if you're stumped on what to get your sweetie. There are so many great lines and looks to choose from. And there's something for every price point. There's even a lady's line!


My pic with the included black storage bag



I stole the bracelet to wear to work today. I have on all black, my uniform, and the tri-colors are a nice addition. It's light enough for me to wear.

I will get a picture of it on Joe when I have decent lighting (my apartment is a black hole). He wore it around the house last night and really liked it.

Origami Owl

Have you heard about Origami Owl? This is my newest obsession! Checkout http://lovetheowl.origamiowl.com/ to see this amazing new line of jewelry!

I'm so glad I get to have an online party and share this new line with all of you. Some people who ordered from my party are already getting their Loving Lockets delivered. They are so in love and excited to tell their personal story in a beautiful locket. You can learn more about my party and see more pictures at the Facebook event I created.

http://www.facebook.com/events/518118384887921/?ref=2

My party ends the last day of January. But more importantly, the military charms are being discontinued. I'm still not sure why. There are rumors of course. But if you want a military charm to include in your living locket, you need to order it before the end of January. I would greatly enjoy if you ordered from my party. For some reason the ID# for my party isnt working. But if you do order, just let me know and I will tell my designer so I can get credit for your order.

Love this line? Want to earn some of your own? You can have your own online party! Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

One month out

Well, sorta. "Out" is a relative term. Joe started terminal leave a month ago. But his ETS date is in February. But he's already settling into civilian life. He hasn't shaved his face in a month... literally. The man has a pretty awesome beard at the moment. I didn't realize he hated shaving so much. At least we're saving money on razors, right?

We're finding a new pace. I'm going to work daily and Joe is taking care of the house. And I must say, I am so happy he was the one at home when the movers came. This move was HORRIBLE!! They broke or busted so much of our stuff. He's handling all the aftermath too - the submitting of pics and replacement values - and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. I would have sat down and cried about half of the furniture they busted (the foot board to my beautiful bed and 4 sets of shelves and my awesome coffee table... ugh, the list could go on). And I know if this was just a PCS, I would be the one dealing with this daily. HA! I just have to go to work!

But it wouldn't have been just a PCS. Joe's next duty station was Korea - the orders had come down before his terminal leave started. I could be packing for Korea. The idea just stuns me. Strangely enough, I have a good friend who is about to move to Korea in basically just days. I just cant imagine. I cant imagine leaving the states. I cant imagine living so close to NORTH Korea. I cant imagine leaving Rigel behind (there's NO way I would put him through the quarantine process). I just wouldn't do it. I'd be in Colorado Springs anyway. Or I guess move home to well, here, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

I'm finding it harder to ditch the Army than I thought it would be. Little things will happen and I will almost forget that Joe's no longer enlisted. I still want to RT the Army stuff. I want to like the Yellow Ribbon stuff on Facebook. I want that Army charm in my Origami Owl party. It's been our life for quite a while. So I guess I will slowly figure out how to transition from Army wife as well. I was so sick and tired of the crap that I wanted to just throw up my hands and walk away. Well, even this cynical snarky ass is finding that hard. I have make so many wonderful friends because of Joe's job. And I have been places and experienced things that I never would have even come close to otherwise. It's just hard to throw it all away.

It's also weird living so far away from a military community. People talk about Soldiers in both positive and negative ways, not even thinking that they could be talking to a milspouse. I get protective of my guys (and girls). I've had some weird convos because of it. Someone told me they could never be married to a Soldier because Soldiers are known for "freaking out and murdering everyone." Um... what? LOL! She got a quick lesson about making such large generalizations about a whole group of people. Well, Joe would only freak out if someone was trying to hurt me.. or Rigel. Then all bets are off and you better watch your ass. LOL! We were walking home just last night and I made a comment about someone jumping out of the bushes to attack us. Joe just laughs. He told me to make sure I called the cops while he beat that ass. I, personally, enjoy being married to someone I know can protect me (which is basically what I told the big mouth with the unplesent generalization). Not like, oh yeah, guys are big and can fight - our Soldier husbands are trained in hand to hand combat. I've become the Army liaison in the office.

But being home is wonderful. I leave my parents' farm knowing I will see them next week, not next year. I know Arkansas. I know the backroads of Fayetteville. I know my favorite hole-in-the-wall resturants. I know that 45* is COLD in Arkansas and smirk when people complain about the wind chill of 40*. I love the thunder I grew up with. And the HUMIDITY!! And the Southern accent. And people who call me hun and say britches.

Anthem Tracks HD On-Ear Headphones GIVEAWAY!

Hello everyone!! I am beyond excited to get this giveaway started! I have been such a bad giveaway host! I agreed to do this giveaway TWO moves ago! So now that I am settled and have internet access again, I can get this started! Have you heard about Anthem Tracks from Sol Republic?

Be one of the first to own the headphones inspired by Michael Phelps' passion for music. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these headphones will go to benefit the Michael Phelps Foundation so make sure you tell your friends about them!

A little background - Anthem headphones combine stunning jewel-toned red and dark blue accents over a pearl white foundation, and deliver the deep bass and emotional power of music that SOL REPUBLIC headphones are known for.

In honor of Michael's passion to grow the sport of swimming and promote healthy and active lives, a portion of the proceeds from sales of the Tracks HD Anthem headphone will benefit the Michael Phelps Foundation.

Like all SOL REPUBLIC Tracks HD headphones, the new Michael Phelps inspired version features interchangeable pieces that work with the entire Tracks Remix system, which all feature nearly indestructible FlexTech Sound Track headbands and interchangeable color cables with a remote and microphone. Their leading-edge V10 HD Sound Engines provide listeners with deeper bass, higher clarity and crisp vocals.

In this giveaway you will receive:

- V10 HD Sound Engines with SonicSoft™ Speaker Pads
- Interchangeable Cable with Mic + Music Control
- Interchangeable and Virtually Indestructible Headband
- Slim-Fit Carrying Case

I was given a pair and I must say, these are by far the best headphones I have ever had. You need to trust me on this, I'm not just saying it. The first time I tried them was when I was staying with my Aunt & Uncle and their 3 kids. I was in my room listening to music with these headphones and all of their daily activities just melted away. Music sounds wonderful. And they are amazing with streaming videos. I honestly cannot believe I was so lucky to be contacted by Sol Republic to do this giveaway. I already have the boxed set, I just need a winner to send them to! :-)

You DEFINITELY want to enter this!!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b315596/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another Giveaway!?!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to post here that there is another giveaway going on on my other blog, Sara&Rigel. I am giving away a MyMemories Digital Software Suite worth $39.97!! Head over to Sara&Rigel and check it out!

http://saraandrigel.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-memories-suite-review-giveaway.html

Patriot Surplus Review & Giveaway!

Hi everyone!! I am so excited to announce that I was once again contacted by Patriot Surplus to do a review & giveaway!!

I love this store! Anyone with a man in their lives needs to enter this giveaway! This is perfect timing for Christmas and there are loads of items in their store perfect for that man who has it all. Last time I was offered a review, I made the mistake of telling Joe about it. He decided that he needed something. Well, this time I didn't tell him so I could pick something out (and get him a Christmas present).

For my review, I picked the Rothco black sniper gloves. Since I have moved home, I've been helping my parents on their farm. It's been very nice here in Arkansas, until the cold snap. I got these gloves just in time! When you need the dexterity of your bare fingers you have it. But when the wind starts up and you're just feeding the sheep, the mitten part comes in VERY handy! I wish I had had these gloves in Colorado Springs. It gets so cold there in the Winter and the gloves I had were either too thin or too bulky. These would have been a perfect combination of usefulness and warmth.

Do you know how hard it is to take detailed pictures of gloves on your own hands? I hope you can tell how awesome these gloves are. When Joe is home hunting, I fully intend for these to end up in his hunting supplies. These would be great for hunting at 0400! The mitten part has a small piece of Velcro on the back to keep it out of your way. There are also small suede-like patches on the palms and thumbs for extra grip ability. The website says they are made from "breathable & windstopper polyester fleece." So like anyone who has owned a fleece jacket, you know some makes of fleece are definitely not able to stop the wind. But I seriously didn't have that problem with these gloves. I was actually curious about that part when I read the description. But the wind was not a problem.

This was taken on the cold cold day I had to help tend to the sheep.

 

And this is Joe's present. Shhhh!! No one tell him about it!

This Colt Mk IV Spring Powered Airsoft Gun is a full scale replica with a 66' range, and includes a 14 round magazine, laser, holographic sight, a target with net and .20 gram BBs. And ALL OF THAT is $24.95. I mean, do you see why I had to get this for Joe?? He's had other airsoft guns, but none of them came with all those accessories. And the net! This is how I know I'm the girl - fewer BBs rolling all over my house! LOL!

Anyway, Patriot Surplus has everything a person could need - OUTDOORS GEAR, MILITARY EQUIPMENT, WEAPON ACCESSORIES, ETC -  so you definitely want to enter this giveaway!!

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b315593/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Veteran's Day Olive Garden Gift Card Giveaway!

Darden Salutes the Military this Veterans Day

 

Hey everyone!! I was just contacted by Darden Restaurants.

 

I wanted to pass along some exciting news from three of America’s favorite restaurants. This Veterans Day (Sunday, Nov. 11), Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse are honoring veterans and active-duty military with special offers at all locations across the country:

• Olive Garden – Complimentary entrée from a special menu featuring five unique dishes
• Red Lobster – Complimentary appetizer from nine available options
• LongHorn Steakhouse – Complimentary Texas Tonion and non-alcoholic beverage

 

(Fine Print)

How to Redeem the complimentary service:

Veterans and active-duty military can simply show proof of service for dining specials, which includes U.S. Uniform Service Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Service Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Veteran’s Organization Card (i.e., American Legion and VFW), DD214 Certificate, Veteran’s Identification Card (VIC), photographed in uniform or wearing uniform or their Canadian equivalents.

For more information on participating restaurants, please visit www.OliveGarden.com; www.RedLobster.com; www.LongHornSteakhouse.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter at the following: Facebook.com/OliveGarden, @OliveGarden, Facebook.com/RedLobster, @RedLobster and Facebook.com/LongHornSteakhouse.

 

So to the GIVEAWAY -- How about I host a giveaway for a $25 Olive Garden gift card so the WHOLE family can enjoy a complementary Veterans Day meal together! What a great idea, right??

 

Also, this gives me a great reason to try out Rafflecopter!

 

Since Veteran's Day is coming up so soon, this will be a quick giveaway so we have time to get the gift card to the winner!

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b315591/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Just know, I will need the mailing address of the winner when I email them.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

Jewel Kade Party Time!!

Have you heard of Jewel Kade? Yeah, me neither, until a fellow Army wife started selling it. Do you know Megan from Megan Dub-Yuh?

 

We've all been invited to the usual jewelry party. And they have some very nice things. But it's just not my style, ya know?

 

So I was kinda curious about Jewel Kade. With one glance at the website, I knew I was in trouble. Jewel Kade isn't like the usual jewelry. Their products are artsy and unique. There's an Old World twist on these beautiful charms and necklaces and bracelets and rings.

 

My very first order from Megan's website (my pic as well)

I am all about personalization so I was thrilled when I found these two charms!! I have my initial on everything I buy (probably more true that it should be) and the Eiffel Tower? Did you know I'm from Paris (Arkansas, that is)? I found this combo on the website and LOVED it, so I personalized it and it became mine. I think the next charm I order will be the "key" charms that are in style right now.

This is just ONE of the key charm / styles they have in the shop. (pic from website)

Can I also tell you how happy I am that there are loooong chains available?!? I'm fairly tall and it's hard to find long chains for the right look. But not at JK!

I also have this charm, but it's not in my possession yet. (pic from website)

There are so many different types of charms!! And HELLO!! Double-sided!! So the butterfly (Golden Wings in the shop) is unique in my life too for a couple of reasons. One is fairly personal, but the other reason is because of where I live. We have a special butterfly on our local mountain, Mount Magazine. So this charm is a perfect pairing with the Eiffel Tower.



 

I WANT for my future house! (pic from website)

And finally, the CANVASES!! Okay, I cannot get enough of this create-your-own website. You type it in and they let you preview it all. There are so many different styles and templates to choose from. They come in different sizes and prices as well. And while they are a tad pricy, this would be the PERFECT gift for a special occasion - weddings, birthdays, baby gifts, Christmas, housewarming, etc. I really really really want this one!!

But anyway, the point of all of this is that I am hosting a party through Megan and I wanted to share this awesome jewelry line with you all.

View the online catalog at https://megandubyuh.jewelkade.com/Shop. When you are ready to checkout make sure to click on the ATTACH MY ORDER TO A PARTY button and select my name! If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will hunt the answer down for you!

Online Scentsy Party!

It's September 1st!! And what does that mean?

THE NEW FALL/WINTER SCENTSY CATALOG IS OUT!!!

Plus yours truly is hosting an online scentsy party through my good friend, Patty, you might know her as @mommytaco on Twitter. So here's the link to my party.
https://mommytaco.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy?partyId=100953726

I cannot even express the delight I have about the new products! I must admit, I enjoy the Fall/Winter scents more than the Spring/Summer collection. I'm a sucker for Fall scents, making my house smell all holiday-ish!

Speaking of holidays, I have a HUGE family and we do a gift swap where we all have a price point so no one over or under spends for the holidays. Tell me where you can get something for that cousin you see three times a year....? Or your mother in law? SCENTSY!! Everyone loves Scentsy. I have gotten so many family members a Scentsy system for Christmas and they are always thrilled to be in the Scentsy family!

The one new scent I am excited about? APPLE PRESS!! "The smell of crisp fall days: crunchy apples, juicy pears, and just a hint of the last full roses of the summer." Can you just imagine!?!?

 

I am also excited about some new warmers! 

 

 

 

 



And Scentsy is bulking up their Silhouette Collection! I personally think this is a great idea. You only have to buy one "glowing core" and then there are all these differed "wraps" that you can buy for only $12! Check them out HERE. So instead of buying different full priced warmers for each season, you can just swap out these super cute wraps! And this season, there are holiday wraps!!

 

AND, as if that wasnt enough reason to check out the new catalog, Scentsy greatly expanded their personal care fragrance line! Click HERE to see if your favorite scent is now a body care product! My favorite is there now and I am SO excited!!

 

There are really just too many new fun things to list and show so please go to the site to see what's new!

Have you heard?

Have you heard about the Erin Condren giveaway on my other blog??
http://saraandrigel.blogspot.com/2012/08/erin-condren-2500-giveaway.html

Head on over and enter to win a $25 GC from this womderful company!!

Crusing Fort Carson

Joe called me at noon and asked me to pick him & two Soldiers up because of a car fiasco. Anyway, as we drove back through post, we saw some vehicles driving down the tank lane. I will never get tired of seeing these huge tracks drive around with people sticking out of the top with huge guns all over them. Thankfully we had dropped the other Soldiers off so Joe wasn't embarrassed by my picture taking.

Polish up that RESUME!!

Hi folks!! Just wanted to share something with you. A while back, I was evesdropping on Twitter and saw some people talking about Schofield Strategies for resume services. After inquiring myself, I was introduced to Amy Schofield, the Administrative Consultant and Resume Writer. After seeing exactly what she offered and looking at her prices and my current resume with Joe, we decided that where I am in my education and job hunt right now, this would be a GREAT investment in our future. Like I've discussed before, when I graduate I will be looking for a job back home in Arkansas so we can start a new chapter after Joe gets in the Army. So contracts were signed and Amy started on my resume. A few days later I got a loooooooong list of questions from her about my experience and education. There were questions I would never think to ask about. So then a draft of my resume was sent my way and we scheduled a phone call to go over it all. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was seriously blown away by the draft I was sent. I showed Joe before the phone call. He just laughed & said it looked like I was a real person with real experience. So during the phone call, Amy was able to educate me on WHY my resume was set up like it was and WHAT employers are looking for and HOW employers look over resumes. Amy really knows her stuff! She started sharing studies with me about how resumes and hiring has evolved over the last decade, given the current job market. She tailored my resume to two dream jobs I would love to have, but then described to me how to format the resume so that it can be tailored to each job. This was odd to Joe. Why would someone give away her secrets? Why would she tell me how to fix it when I could just go back to her and she could "charge me more" to fix it? After the phone call with Amy, I can tell you 100% - she shares this information with her clients because she wants her clients to have the best resume possible, even after she's done with it, and truly cares about us getting a good job. She even wants her clients to let her know when we get those dream jobs.

Amy is a military spouse and is very good at what she does. I found her in a spontanious round-a-bout kind of way. So I wanted to post this here, just in case someone out there reading this is considering fixing their resume, but doesnt know where to start. Amy offers many different options at many different price points. I would recommend her ALL DAY LONG!! I could not be happier with her services. Here's her link again:

http://www.schofieldstrategies.com/Resume-Services.html

So go check out Schofield Strategies and tell her Sara sent you!!

Will you still love me when I'm not an Army wife?

I have been writing here for 3 years now. But I don't see myself writing here much longer. I do have another non-military blog - Sara & Rigel, the Life & Tails of me and my Shadow. I will be blogging there while we are in transition and when I move home.

As most of you know by now, I'm just so burnt out with the military and being an Army wife. I'm so done with it. And as they say, if you cant say anything nice, don't say anything at all. So instead of badmouthing my husband's unit and leadership, my mouth & blog will be quiet about it. Some transition details might pop up from time to time, but I'm not the Soldier going through ACAP and ETS. An Army wife's transition is different than the Soldier's. I already know how to be a civilian. I know about civilian insurance and school and rent and resumes and jobs. But thankfully, Joe is having classes about all of that. He hasn't been an "adult" outside of the military so I'm glad they are teaching him a few things he will need. Now I can just hope it's helpful information and not a waste of time... but whatever.

So if you want to follow my journey, please check out my other blog. Lots of pictures of Rigel and hopefully updates on graduation SOON and job hunting when the time comes.

Thanks friends!

3-Year Blogiversary!!!

I've been writing on this blog since June 29, 2009. I was living in Kansas, Joe was stationed at Fort Riley.

This really is bittersweet for me. The more I sit here and think about ending this blog, the sadder I get.

What are you talking about Sara?

Well, this time next year, 2013, I will no longer be an Army wife. As much as that THRILLS me to no end, the time I was an Army wife was quite an experience. I just don't want to do it anymore, mostly for Joe's sake. When I married him 5 years ago, we both thought he was a lifer. I signed up for 18+ more years of deployments, PCSs, training schedules, stupid Soldiers, stupid leadership -- LOL, all of it. But when Joe was in Iraq, his attitudes changed. I'm not going to go into his reasons, but he didn't want to be a lifer anymore. We would finish his current contract and then be done. So I went back to school. And we have a wonderful plan.

But there is so much the Army has exposed me to. I know more about the military than I ever wanted to. I know more about what Soldiers and families go through. And I will never forget that or take it for granted as most civilians do. I have been able to live in two beautiful places. And make WONDERFUL friends along the way. To think I would never have met Mandy and Tammy is just unbelieveable. I have learned more about myself, about how to be a strong woman, standing behind her husband when needed, but being able to step forward when needed.

I will treasure these experiences.



I started writing this post on Friday, June 22nd, before the big wildfire that developed near my town. The initial plan for the blogiversary was to offer a giveaway of three giftcards to three different winners. I've decided not to do that now. I'm going to take the money I was going to giveaway and donate it to the  local Red Cross and the local Humane Society. The Red Cross here has worked so quickly and so hard to set up shelters for the evacuated citizens and supplying them with meals. But also, it's greatly touched me how much the town has done for the furry citizens of our town. These groups need to be recognized as well. So I am sorry to disappoint everyone who was expecting a giveaway, as most bloggers do for their blogiversary, but I think the money could be better spent on this community and the people who never stop helping those in need.

If you want to help this great state, there are a few links you can visit to donate:

• The Colorado State Emergency Management has listed some way you can help: http://helpcoloradonow.com/
• Colorado Red Cross: www.coloradoredcross.org
• The Colorado Humane Society & SPCA: http://coloradohumane.org/

Thank you in advance to anyone who does donate their time or money.

Waldo Canyon Fire - from my area

I'm going to post some pictures I've taken up to this point. The panoramic photos are cut off, but if you click on them, they will open up.

At about 2pm Saturday afternoon

Joe and I went for a drive up to Old Stage Road to see if we could get a better look.

This is a panoramic photo I took on Monday. The smoke drifted all the way across the sky.

I took this at 2pm Tuesday afternoon on my way to my school.

This was taken at 4:45pm Tuesday as I left school after my meeting. It changed so rapidly.

This was taken at 5pm Tuesday when I got back home.

So I was watching the news and watching Twitter go nuts and I started to panic. I wanted to pack a bag and take pictures off my wall. Joe knows me so well! He loaded me into the car and took me on Fort Carson. The smoke still pretty car away from my house. This picture was taken on Fort Carson, but still only about two minutes from my house. I was able to calm down knowing what it looked like from a new perspective. While I was taking these pictures, the fire was racing down the mountain and entering town.

Another panoramic - taken at about 6pm Tuesday afternoon.

Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat review

So a few weeks ago Eileen, the Director of Marketing for Aurorae Yoga, contacted me about a review of a yoga mat. So as you all know, I'm moving back to Arkansas in a few weeks. I have a friend there who keeps begging me to start a new yoga class with her when I get back. While in college, I tried the yoga thing for about 6 months before I graduated and moved to Kansas. I am naturally very flexable and would like to improve what I have and get back into yoga before I try to get pregnant. So I agreed to go with my friend when I move back. So the very next day I got an email from Eileen. So now I REALLY have to go to yoga class because I have this awesome new Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat! So what's the very first thing I did when I got it? I laid on it. I know it sounds weird, but being 5'10", nothing is every long enough for me. But this mat is very long!! In the Cobra position (I think that's what it's called, I haven't been in a class in a few years though), I can point my toes at the end of the mat and place my hands, palm down, right where they need to be. Also, the mat doesnt move around, even on the carpet. My feet didn't budge either. I tried all the positions I remembered. The mat didn't stretch or twist. I am very impressed!

Please ignore the toe nail polish, I need to redo them.

Some Product Features I think are very cool:
. Exciting New Northern Lights Design that Illuminates Energy/ w Golden Sun Focal Icon

. PER Eco Safe and Biodegradable material/ SGS approved, world’s largest testing agency

. Extra Long 72" x 24" Wide and 5 mm thick to absorb impact on joints
. No odor, durable and long lasting
. Each individual mat has a uniqueness of its own and no two mats are exactly the same

This is a picture from their website. I just love all the different colors!

They have so many products - Check out their website HERE.

I was sent the Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat in Sunset. It's so cool! The only other yoga mat I've ever owned was dull blue. This one is just so bright and fun!

And of course I cant do anything without Rigel wanting to be a part of it too. :-)

Need a new yoga mat? I highly suggest you check out the Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat! You can buy one here >>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U2UCTO They are a family-run business that sells top reviewed yoga mats, accessories and props on Amazon.com. They were founded in October 2009 and pride themselves on top rated service to their customers. I am always looking for buy from family-run businesses. Their customer support is always top notch and you can tell they care about their products. Aurorae is no different.

In full disclosure, I was sent a Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat in return for a honest revew.