Do You Like Free Stuff? Good.

I am peeing my polka dot pants with excitement to announce the very first giveaway on Sarah’s Real Life! And then I’m peeing a little extra because this giveaway is thanks to a good friend of mine, Hillary, and her adorable vintage shop, Gems and Jam. In addition to selling unique vintage jewelry, she also sells local (to Chicago) artwork, jams from a small business in Michigan, and other fun stuff. Basically, all your holiday shopping is going to be done in about 10 minutes.

This giveaway will be open through Nov. 21 (the day before Thanksgiving), and the winner will be announced on Black Friday! But don’t worry…Even if you don’t win, Hillary is being extra generous and will also give us all a super special 30% off code! It’s like we’re all winners (even me).

Now on to the important stuff…

Q: What can I win? // A: $20 off any order of jewelry, accessories, and housewares from Gems and Jam!

Q: How do I enter? // A: Like this:

  1. Follow Sarah’s Real Life on Bloglovin’ (if you’re really against signing up for Bloglovin’ for some reason, I’ll settle for a “Like” on Facebook)
  2. Go to GemsandJam.com, look around, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me your favorite item(s). Voila, you’ve entered!
  3. Bonus entry: Follow the Gems and Jam blog on Bloglovin’ or “like” on Facebook, then leave an additional comment telling me that you did so.
  4. Bonus bonus entry: Tweet about this giveaway so your friends can enter too! Be sure to include the link (the Twitter share button below will help). Again, just leave me an additional comment.

Please note: This giveaway is open only to U.S. residents, as Gems and Jam currently does not ship internationally.

Field Trip

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Yesterday, I went on a field trip with my intellectual property law class to an apple orchard. That’s right, law school is even more fun than you already thought it was. There are field trips! A small but fun group of us hung out with animals at the petting zoo, learned about honey bees, and sampled lots of apple deliciousness. We also got very excited talking about trademarks and cease and desist letters. What can I say…law students know how to have a good time.

And now for some gratuitous animal photos:

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Up close and personal with a donkey

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We called all the miniature horses Lil Sebastian (if you watch “Parks and Rec,” you know what I’m talking about)

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Of course I was excited to see this kitten, as if I can’t see a cat at home every day. But this one was so adorable, making friends with the other animals! 

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Meanwhile, this big guy’s hanging out all like, “If you want to see a real horse, I’ll be over here.”

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We took a “hayride” but there was no hay, so I guess it was just a tractor ride. Whatever, hayride sounds better. Anyway, we got a tour of the orchards as the sun was setting. ‘Twas lovely.

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We sampled lots of hard ciders and ate apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream (no picture of the dessert because I ate it…yum).

McClure’s Orchard is on Highway 31 just north of Peru, Indiana (about an hour and a half drive from Indianapolis). For more info, see their website.

I hope everyone had a great weekend – anyone else go somewhere cool? Eat or drink anything special? Send any cease and desist letters?