Rachael Stokka, our winner of the Ultimate Stay-Cation!

During Rachel Leigh’s Girls’ Night Out not only did we give away tons of exciting prizes, we also kicked off one of our biggest give-aways yet: The Ultimate Stay-Cation, the most romantic Valentine’s Day prize package ever!  Starting with Girls’ Night Out, we offered listeners the opportunity to register at seven different locations throughout the week… and all they had to do was get a Pulse 99.5FM sticker on their car!

 This fabulous prize package included:

*$150 gift card to Baru 66

*A weekend rental of a BMW or Mercedes from European Motorcars

*An overnight stay at the Suites at 800 Locust (with the romance package ) 

*A box of bon-bons from Iced by Naomi

*A bouquet of flowers from Boesen’s

We had all kinds of loyal listeners brave the cold weather to come out to all of our city stops throughout the week to enter.  Thanks again to everyone who participated!  On Monday, we finally sat down with all of the registration forms and drew a name out of the bucket.  The name we pulled out was Rachael Stokka of Des Moines and she was thrilled to receive such a great prize for Valentines Day!  As a mother of 2, Rachael knows how important a break can be and we were more than happy to hand it over to her.  Thanks again to everyone who got a sticker and congratulations to Rachael!  

During our Monday stop at Baru 66, one couple saw the eye-catching Pulse 99.5 logo on the side of our CityStop car and actually turned their radio dial just to see what all the fuss was about.  Right when they turned to Pulse 99.5, they heard Rachel Leigh promoting the Ultimate Stay-Cation so they stopped to get a sticker and hear more about Today’s Positive Hits!   

Seeing all the slips of paper in the registration bucket made me realize that each entry represented a sticker on somebody’s car.  It is my hope that all of you with a Pulse 99.5 logo in your back windows will have similar encounters with people wanting to know more about 100% Positive Music! 

To find out how to get a Pulse 99.5 sticker on your vehicle to show off your good music taste and to help promote new listenership, send an email to info@pulse995.com.

1.  Giada’s Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce.  When I discovered ‘gobetti,’ a type of pasta offered in her Target product line, I spied this recipe on the back of the box and was intrigued.  Having watched her for years on the Food Network, I knew it had to be better than your average back-of-the-box recipe, and I was right.  This has great flavor, is easy to make, and would be simple to change up.  If you’re more interested in serving steak, just eliminate the chicken and serve this as a nice, bright side dish.  Because of the lemon in this dish, it pairs exceptionally well with greens.  Click here for an adapted version of the recipe with penne pasta, but know that the best way is to pick up a box of gobetti at your local SuperTarget for the best version!

2.  If your man is a serious carnivore, than the perfect steak is the way to go!  Click here for a great recipe for Pan-Fried Steak, complete with video instructions.  I began my quest for a perfect stove-top steak years ago using similar instructions, and my husband will tell you we never go out for steak anymore… nor does he ever have to take them out to the grill.  I can ALWAYS cook ‘em better in my own kitchen using this method!

3.  One of the things I love about cooking with my husband is that he doesn’t mind doing the prep work that I hate, and I get to do the fun part of actually assembling the meal!  This is one I would never attempt without him (I hate cleaning shrimp), and it’s often the recipe we turn to when we want to cook a meal together.  The spices involved are a wonderful combination, and we enjoy sipping on a glass of cold chardonnay as we chat over our dinner preparations.  Click here for a great Sautéed Shrimp recipe!  I usually pick up a great loaf of bread and steam some broccoli to go alongside.  Simple!

There you have it.  Three of our favorites… enjoy dining in, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Imagine… the ultimate stay-cation.  It’s your chance to indulge in some of the finest Des Moines has to offer… taking a weekend to do all the things you’ve ever wanted to do around town, and doing it in style!

Here’s what we have for you:

A weekend car rental from European Motorcars.  Cruise around town in a luxury car… a BMW perhaps, or a Mercedes?

One night’s stay at the Suites at 800 Locust, along with the Romance Package, including turn-down service with a rose on the pillow, a bottle of champagne or wine with keepsake glasses, lit candles and chocolate-covered strawberries.  Voted ‘best hotel in the region,’ you’ll feel so pampered, you won’t want to go home!

Dinner for two at one of Des Moines’ finest restaurants – Baru 66.  French chef/owner David Baruthio creates some of the most amazing plates, and Baru 66 achieves the perfect combination of fine dining and cozy atmosphere.

Plus, we’ll top it off with a bouquet from Boesen the Florist and some bonbons from Iced by Naomi. Use these in time for Valentine’s Day, and plan the rest of your stay-cation for a weekend that works best for you.

How do you enter?

Just stop by one of our CityStops any day this week and put a Pulse window sticker on your car for your chance to enter.  Or, stop and show us that you already have one to qualify!  Enter as many days as you like this week.  Here’s where we’ll be… just look for the Pulse 99.5FM vehicle:

Monday, 4-6PM: Baru 66, at the corner of 66th and University in Windsor Heights. 

Tuesday, 4-6PM: Shull & Co. Accounting, 1111 North Jefferson Way in Indianola

Wednesday, 3:30-5:30PM: Webb Allstate Agency, just South of I-235 on 50th Street in West Des Moines

Thursday, 3:30-5:30PM: YMCA Healthy Living Center in Clive (North side of University attached to Mercy Medical Campus)

Friday 3:30-5:30PM: Healing Touch Book & Bible, 120 8th Street Southeast in Altoona (pop into the store for special savings for Pulse listeners during this time only!)

Saturday, 10AM-Noon: European Motorcars, 9999 Hickman Road in Urbandale

Plows are running non-stop in West Des Moines.  So drive slowly, allot some extra time to arrive safely, and please carpool – parking will be tighter with all the snow piles.  Trust that we’ll have a warm, fun event waiting for you when you get here!

See you tonight!  -’Rachel Leigh.

1. Dress your favorite decade!
2. Carpool – not only is parking tight, you’ll enjoy the drive more with a carful of friends!
3. Bring $5 admission, which gives you tons of perks once you’re here.
4. Dinner in our 50s Diner is just $3. But bring more cash/credit than that so you can shop with our 20+ vendors!

More questions?  Email info@pulse995.com!

Rachel Leigh, Christi, Charle Price and I all had a blast trying on clothes at the Atomic Garage.  They had everything from gogo boots and 80s accessories to flapper skirts and 50s prom dresses.  

I’ve been a fan of the Atomic Garage for a long time.  Their clothes are always in great condition and their prices are reasonable.  It’s also convenient that they offer clothes for both rental and purchase so they can meet both temporary and more permanent wardrobe needs.

Check out these pictures of some of the costumes we found.  Charle Price found the worlds largest bellbottoms and Christi had a technicolor butterfly look going on.  If you want to find me at Girls’ Night Out, I should stand out pretty well.  I’m going to be on roller skates.  I do not suggest you try wearing an 80′s Madonna skirt and skates without heavy supervision.  Bottom line is that all of the ladies at Pulse 99.5 are going all out this year with their favorite decade outfits… and so should you! 

Rachel Leigh had a great time trying on a bright orange jumpsuit with white gogo boots.  In the end she ended up deciding to go a more 1950s route.  I’m not posting a picture of her actual costume in this blog post so if you want to see Rachel Leigh in her classic 50s outfit, you will have to show up to the event on Saturday, February 4th!  Doors open at 5:30pm and we will keep the party going until about 10pm (open house style).  Can’t wait to see what you are all wearing!  If you want to see more, you can find all of our Atomic Garage visit photos here.

Pulse 99.5FM is proud to welcome Kutless in concert on Friday, February 24th to 7Flags Event Center!  Get your tickets today, and stop by the Pulse booth to say hello… and sign up to win great prizes!

If you’re interested in helping out, visit lottahands.net for information and a registration form.  Basically, you’ll need to show up at 4PM this Friday (must be 18 or older to volunteer), and they’ll assign you a task.  That may involve taking money at the door, working at merch tables for various bands, and more.  Note that you’ll need to be there until your task is done, which may be pretty late depending on the job, but it’ll be a great opportunity to get involved and connect with other volunteers in our city.  Thanks for your help… we’ll see you there!