Fort Wayne: Home Sweet Home

If you haven't heard by now, I'm moving back to Fort Wayne in a few months!! We have been trying to get back to Indiana for seven years, ever since my husband's job transferred us to San Diego. Don't get me wrong, I loved San Diego and North Dakota has been good to us (minus the winters). We have made a lot of friends and gave our children experiences we never could have if we had stayed put in Indiana. I only wish my younger two kids would have been old enough to remember them.

We've been strategically moving back from the West Coast with a pit stop in North Dakota. The plan was to be transferred to Indianapolis in the summer of 2018. I love Indianapolis and we have a lot of friends there. Plus it's halfway between my family in southern Indiana and my husband's family in Fort Wayne. However, my husband's ideal position within his company popped up about a month ago and he was eligible for the transfer. We had to make a quick decision, in about 48 hours, to decide if he should put in for it. We decided to go for it, thinking it probably wouldn't happen since he was 13th in line for the job and it's based on seniority. The position closed on Thursday and he got the call on Friday. When the transfer unit calls, you have to tell them right then and there a yes or no. 12 people had said no in less than 24 hours. My husband said yes.

I have mentioned a few times over the years that I would love to move back to Fort Wayne. I love Fort Wayne. It feels like home, the right fit. Even after four years in California I was still awed and amazed that we lived in California. I felt like a fish out of water. My husband would always tell me not to get my hopes up, Fort Wayne was a slim to no chance.

So now we are scrambling to sell our well-loved North Dakota home. We bought a fixer upper and still had major projects to get done. But they are done now! (Hence the lack of blogging and videos, sorry.) The house is spotless and ready to sell. When we move is determined by when the house sells. I'm prepared to wait, selling a home in North Dakota this close to winter could take a while. I pray we don't have the snow and cold like last winter. I think we had four blizzards? I lost count. Not a single snow day for the kids, though! Yes, they raise them tough here in ND, it has to be -10 degrees to not have outdoor recess! I remember this past March dropping off and picking my kids up in a blizzard with Category 2 winds. That was fun.

I scour the homes in Fort Wayne now. I'm embarrassed to say how much I check the Realtor.com app! We get a 10 day house hunting trip, and this time we are not only moving to a state we've been to, but I also won't be buying a home at 35 weeks pregnant (and no hope of that happening, that ship has long since sailed). We know the couple of areas we'd like to be in and are really happy to be close to family again. Even now the five hour car ride to my family is nothing compared to the days of travel to see them that we used to experience.

I look forward to doing some new things with my videos and this blog. I look forward to not only trying new things, but also going back into more depth with my beloved Vera Bradley. I can attend their local events again, live at the annual sale to help you all out, and reconnect with the wonderful employees at the flagship store in Jefferson Pointe. I also look forward to seeing more vintage Vera Bradley around Fort Wayne! Stay tuned, folks, it's going to be fun ride!

Vera Bradley Online Outlet Shopping Experience

Did you get to shop the newest way to buy Vera Bradley? Their new online outlet website? If you're signed up for Vera Bradley emails, you should have received an email the day before they launched their new discount website. It's almost exactly the same as shopping the occasional Coach online discounted prices.

I didn't think I was going to get to shop it, I thought the website opened up on the morning of October 17th and I had a jammed packed morning that I couldn't escape from. But to my pleasant surprise, and to my husband's dismay, the website launched at midnight of the 17th, which is 11:00 PM on the 16th my time. So I got to shop ASAP, which is good because there were limited quantities and things were selling out fast. Since we are moving soon, I refrained from the throws, but holy cow they were only $13.40 each!!!

I thought it was a great and easy shopping experience. I'll confess I tried to use my birthday coupon, but it wasn't accepted. I didn't think it would be, but it didn't hurt to try! My new love, the Lighten Up Slim Crossbody, was only $16.80! Ugh, I wish this wasn't being discontinued, but since it is, I got both Kiev Paisley and Lilac Tapestry to last me through next Spring.

I also stocked up on jewelry. I've seen it better priced in the past, but it still wasn't bad. I bought several pairs of earrings for only $7.84, and necklaces for around $10 apiece. If you haven't tried to their jewelry line, you should. I won't buy it at full price, but they are pretty good deals when on sale and at the annual sale in Fort Wayne. I wear their jewelry a lot and never have had a single defective piece. I get lots of compliments.

Only a few days later I received shipping confirmation, so I am anxiously awaiting my package. Of course, another haul video will be done to show off my new purchases! I was dismayed that a pair of earrings, the one pair my Mom wanted, was out of stock and didn't ship. My order was placed about an hour after the sale opened, so they must have had very very few of the signature gold dangle earrings. I would have gone back for more, but I also have my birthday coupon to use, so I held back.

So is this new shopping experience replacing Vbay (Vera Bradley's online eBay store)? Or are they trying to clear out clearance items since they announce they are trying to get away from clearance prices? Or are they expanding the annual sale experience from Fort Wayne to the rest of the country? I will try to find out, but I'll tell you what, I hope they have this online outlet again! (Yes I've signed up for their text alerts.)

My Vera Birthday Surprise!

October is a happy month for me, I love Fall and my birthday is in October! I get to binge buy Vera Bradley with my birthday coupon! October is a great month to have a birthday when it comes to Vera Bradley; they normally have a great sale AND a new release in October. As you may recall, I made my wish list with a little trepidation, since we are moving sometime in the next few months. We are almost done with purging in order to sell our house, so I'm trying to be good. HAHAHAHAHA

My wish list video

was released a month ago, and I posted a related article in my blog. The Friday after my video was released, I received an email from VERA BRADLEY HQ saying happy birthday, glad to hear you are moving back to Fort Wayne, and to expect a package from them in the mail! I was elated! I quickly wrote back a thank you response. I had to wait the whole weekend to find out what goodies they sent me. Normally I'd be pacing and wondering, I'm not a patient person. However, we had a very busy weekend, so I was able to be distracted.

On Monday my package arrived! Vera Bradley sent me a Get Carried Away Tote and an XL Throw in Painted Medallions! I was floored by their generosity, and now even more anxious to get back to Fort Wayne to shop their flagship store once again. I don't know if you know this, but Fort Wayne was recently voted the Most Affordable City in the US. Our cost of living is about to go down, sooo maybe I'll be buying a little more Vera Bradley in the future? Why did I make that a question?

I already have the Lighten Up Small Backpack in Painted Medallions and I love the pattern. It has a very southwest feel to it. I love that the XL Throw in Painted Medallions has a navy background instead of gray. It's very striking with the complementary jewel tones.

So two items are crossed off my wish list, and I've yet to use my birthday coupon. I want the Carson bag for sure, but I don't know what pattern I want. I'm a sucker for purple and I love the new Lilac Medallion pattern out. (I just realized Vera Bradley likes to use the word “Medallion” in a lot of their pattern names.) Heirloom Paisley and Winter Berry are also calling my name. Maybe I'll get something in each pattern? I'm not matchy-matchy with my patterns, I love to mix it up and celebrate all the bright colors and patterns. Decisions, decisions!