New York, New York

There are so many things I love about New York.  The food.  The people.  The way of life.  The cultures.  It is simply a marvelous city with so many interesting observations.

For one thing, there are very few overweight people.  And virtually no extremely obese people.  You would never survive New York in this condition.  I never really thought about it, but you are walking everywhere.  There are stairs every ime you enter and exit the subway.  A very overweight person just wouldn't be able to get around.

Another thing is the comfort level.  People where whatever they want, and let their hair do whatever it wants.  I live in a state where your hair is like primary importance in your appearance.  In New York, it's pulled back in a ponytail, or just there.  Nobody worries about straightening, or curling.  There hair does what their hair does. 

And then there is the attitude.  Some people find New Yorker's very stand offish.  I call them direct.  If you can't make up your mind ordering a pastry, then you better move out of the way for the person who does.  If  pull out in a car in front of someone, or heaven forbid you stop for a pedestrian, oh boy are you going to hear about it.  And I don't just mean horns.  People will be screaming out their car windows!  And can you imagine for example, brooklyn car dealerships?  I am quite sure there is no pussy footing around the price.  People are direct.  If you want to pay a certain price, you better just spit it out and see if it flies.

Aaah... New York, New York.

This is a sponsored post for the Kings Auto Show, however, all the points and views are my own.

It's Simple

We all have heard the repeated advice to drink plenty of water.  But believe it or not, you can drink too much water.  I learned this when I was having kidney trouble.  Well, actually kidney failure.  The doctor told me to keep drinking water, so I immediately assumed I should drink lots, and lots, AND LOTS of water.  I actually drank too much water!  Then he told me, that you should drink as much water as you put out.

This has got to be a tricky proposition.  I mean, when I'm in the hospital, they have that little catcher thing in the toilet so they can measure.  I doubt very much, that people are using these in their homes.

Then I was told to drink half my body weight in ounces.  I weigh 120, so 60 pounds, and there's 16 ounces to a pound, divide that by 8 so I now how many cups to drink, and that comes to 120 cups of water per day.  That can't be right!

It's just too hard.  I know that there are services where water delivery youngstown, denver, malibu, everywhere.  Maybe that's what it takes.  We let the delivery services figure it out for each of our body sizes and we drink what they deliver!

It's simple.

This is a sponsored post for Cooksey Culligan Water Conditioning of Youngstown, however, all the points and views are my own.

How Did That Happen?

Don't you love it when your car breaks down?  Naturally, I am being sarcastic.  It is just the worst having your car break down.  Well I thought it was the worst.  Turns out that it's bad to have your car break down, and it's really bad having it break down when you are out of town.  Throw on top of that, the scenario where you are in a hurry to get somewhere.  You have an appointment.  And now I think we are at the worst.

For my cancer check ups I have to regularly go to a medical facility in the San Jose area.  We live in Utah.  This drive can be somewhat of a pain in the butt, particularly when you are going to school full time and working part time.  We would drive through the night, arrive, have x-rays, labs, and see the doctor, and then turn around and drive through the night back.  Sounds crazy, even with this schedule, we still miss two full days of school.  Oh... did I mention my appointments with my doctor have to be scheduled for a Wednesday only.

One of these two day trips resulted in the car breakdown.  We were in San Jose, but not close enough to my doctor.  And remember, we had to make the turn around to head back immediately following my appointment.  First thing, San Jose Towing.  While I was conveniently dropped off, my husband went with the tow truck.  I don't know how he did it, but following my appointment, I walked out front, and low and behold he was ready to go back.

To this day, I'm not sure how that happened.

This is a sponsored post for D & M Towing and Transport, however, all the points and views are my own.

It's All About Family

My friend caught me the other day eyeing an ad for kansas city homes for sale and her expression was "huh?".  I explained that I was looking for a vacation spot, my getaway.  Well this only brought more of a concerned or "what the heck" kind of look to her face.  I told her it was all about family.

My Mom is an only child.  My Dad has one brother, so I ended up with one set of cousins.  My extended family consist of my Aunt and seven cousins.  I love them all dearly.  And they all live... you guessed it... in the St. Louis and Kansas City area.

Growing up, I had a crush on my oldest cousin.  He is incredible smart and incredibly kind.  During my illness, he wrote the sweetest email I think I've ever received.  He offered to come and take care of my children and me.  He said he'd take the time of work and fly out just for this purpose.  This is a nuclear engineer who is a deputy on the side.  

I have two girl cousins who are the sisters I never had.  We went to New York together just for the fun of it and made wonderful memories.  Most recently they came to visit so that they could help.  They cleaned and organized my laundry/storage room in the basement.  If you had seen it before, you would not have thought what they accomplished was possible.  

My other five boy cousins are equally as wonderful.  I couldn't love them more.  I can't think of anything I'd rather do more than be with them.  So sure, a vacation home in Kansas City.  Why not?  It's all about family.

This is a sponsored post for Remax Mid-states, however, all the points and views are my own.

The "Beater" Car

My kids have friends who on their sixteenth birthday receive a brand new car.  This is not the case in our house.  We have always had what we lovingly refer to as a "beater" car for our first time drivers.  Why you would put a teenager behind the wheel of a brand new car is beyond me.  But then again, maybe other families have teenagers with perfect driver records, although I doubt it.  The "beater" car is perfect for several reasons.

First of all, it is very low cost to insure.  In fact, we have been able to get our hands on cars with a salvage title, meaning the car has no value.  This makes insurance extremely low because there is nothing to replace.

Second, if you get that scratch or dent, with a "beater" you really don't notice it.  I have teenagers who have hit fire hydrants, mail boxes, trees, posts, parking lot walls and dividers, fences, and naturally other cars.  At first I was trying to teach the kids a lesson in that they needed to pay for the body work to repair the car.  I thought is was good responsibility.  But soon we were in need of car repair from Las Vegas to car repair riverside ca.  They manage to bump and scratch anything within a ten foot radius.  The money was better spent on saving for college.

This is a sponsored post for German Performance, however, all the points and views are my own.

What to Wear?

Tonight I am attending a big cancer event, and the ever present question has raised it's ugly head:  What to wear?  Usually my girls help me out, but unfortunately, I will not have their opinions today.  I will be meeting them there, which means, I am getting ready all by myself.

This may seem all right, because for the most part, I come up with something either really cute, very nice, or acceptable.  I worry though, because of those times that come to mind where I have shown an outfit to my girls and their expression tells me it is not very cute, not good, or completely unacceptable and they are not going any where with me.

It is fun to torture and tease my girls.  I truly respect their opinion and they are so sweet to be kind in their critique, particularly if something is too "young looking".  I do not want to look like I am trying to be in high school and my kids don't want me looking like that either.  But my kids are very sensitive to not hurt my feelings which it never does, and it makes it really fun to tease them.  I put on tight leather pants and come out of the dressing room while announcing to them how much I absolutely love them!  Or a crazy low cut shirt, which shows truly nothing, and tell them this is so cute!  Their faces are one of "oh dear" and "umm" and it makes me laugh every time.

So tonight, what if I wore a Green man suit?  I'm going to have to add this to my bucket list, because these incredibly colorful suits that cover your entire head and even your face look like SO MUCH FUN.  I need to wear one and the look son their faces would be fantastic, and totally worth it.

I guess I don't need to worry about what to wear now?

This is a sponsored post for Be Green Man, however, all the points and views are my own.

So Many Things To Do

It feels so far away, but then again it feels so soon, that I will be moving into my new quarters.  I am excited to be with family and to have my grandchildren so close.  And I am nervous over all of the things I need to do to make it all happen.  And happen it will!

My first order of business is getting window well covers over two of the basement windows.  I certainly do not want me grandchildren visiting me via this route..... by falling into the window well.  I want to get them covered a.s.a.p. because they are beautifully new and I'd like to keep the winter out of them if I can.  And this is only the beginning.

I have dreams of a book nook where I will read and read and read to my grandchildren.  I want a butcher block in the kitchen for baking with my grandchildren.  I am putting in a little area with dark curtains for grandbabies to take a nap.  I want to create a playhouse under the stairs.  And I've even thought it might be fun to put a little slide on the side of the stairs coming down.  What fun it will be to visit Baba!

And then I need to get organized.  I might even need supplier management as I tear out images from magazines of the gadgets, decor, and other interesting things I want in my new home.  There is an adorable way to hang art work that I found with clips for each of the kids to hang their artistic treasures.  I found an activity table that has a lip all around the top so we can paint, finger paint... with pudding of course, and all other kinds of things!

So many things to do...

This is a sponsored post for Browz, however, all the points and views are my own.

Mess. Expense. And No Control.

There's something about the plumbing problems that bother me.  It has a variety of elements that I just don't like.  There is the mess.  The expense.  And most annoying is the lack of control of the situation.

I was happily sewing Halloween costumes for my granddaughters and working in the kitchen.  I have my sewing machine on the kitchen table, the ironing board up, and the T.V. on.  Just a nice night at home working on something for people I love.  As I walked from the kitchen table over to the ironing board I stepped into a large puddle of water.  I was the only one home, and I didn't have a huge cup of water sitting around that could of spilled.  I first thought that maybe my iron was leaking?  Stupid, I know.  After soaking up the water, I followed the trail to under the kitchen sink.  Ugh.  What a mess!  Everything was soaking wet.

The expense inevitable happens from the minute you call the plumber because let's face it, you have to have a plumber.  Leaking pipes, clogged drains should not be left to the 51 year old woman who knows nothing about this things and really doesn't care to.  You pay for the plumber to come out, but then you pay for the evaluation of the problem.  In this case, a leaking garbage disposal.  Purchase.  A new garbage disposal.

But the most frustrating thing about all this is the utter lack of control.  The not knowing where or when this can happen.  And when it is happening, you have not control of it.  I had the dishwasher going and when the water was draining out of the dishwasher during it's cycle, this is when the water leaked out of the disposal.  How many times do we turn on the dishwasher as we walk out the door?  No control.

This is a sponsored post for Rotorooter, however, all the points and views are my own.

I'd Like to Say

Email marketing seems like an intrusion to your private life, and I'd like to say that I am above it all.  I'd like to say that it is ridiculous to assume that just because there's an email, a midst all my other email, from some company, that I will immediately desire to visit their site and make a purchase.  I'd like to say that it would be absurd to think that cute companies like mad mimi email marketing, who make a living on email marketing could stay in business.  I'd really like to say that it wouldn't work on me, but I can't.  It totally works!

There are countless examples I could share, but let me share the one that continues to be a problem.  And I say continues because I not only succumbed to the first email, but I cave with each and every email.  Literally, and I mean, quite literally, every time See's Candies sends me an email it results in a purchase.  It's not always an online purchase which you would think shows a great deal of restraint on my part.  Oh no... it most commonly results in my leaving my home, driving 20 minutes north, to get my free sample and make a purchase of the delicious candies.

The See's is located just inside the north west door, so needless to say, I could not tell you what other stores occupy this mall.  See's is my first and last stop.  I'd also like to say that my purchase lasts for several days, so if I were to receive an email for example, the following day, I would have candy at my disposal and not need to drive back.  I'd like to say that, but honestly, my purchase is gone before I get home.  It doesn't matter if I purchase eight pieces, or a pound box.  It will be gone before I get home.

So you see... I'd like to say email marketing doesn't work on me... yeah... I'd like to say.

This is a sponsored post for Mad Mimi, however, all the points and views are my own.

Hard Work

It's always good when you can instill in your children a strong work ethic.  I am grateful that my sons learned this, big time, this past summer.

My oldest son got a job through a friend.  He worked landscaping... all... summer... long.  It didn't matter how early they started, the sun was inevitable and the scorching heat along with it.  He literally, sweat off at least 15 pounds.  And he became so dark, there is not a person out there who would have believed he was my son.  I'm talking tan.  He didn't look like he belonged in Utah.  He had a California tan like he had been working for an Orange County Landscaping company.  He came home filthy, exhausted, and starving... the true sign of a days hard work.

My youngest son got a job through a temp service.  He worked for a steel company.  He lifted heavy highway road railings made of steel, hooking them on a belt above him.  The belt lowered the steel into acid, brought it up for my son to remove and hook to the next belt to be dipped into another solution.  My son had to go through a tremendous amount of safety glasses, wear goggle, steel toe boots, gloves, and shin/ankle guards.  He worked a 12 hours shift from 4AM to 4PM for 6 days a week.  He made good money.  He came home disgusting, with acid burned clothing, scraps and bruises, and filth all over him except wear his goggles protected his eyes.

My boys worked hard and I am proud of them.  They needed money for their next year of college and they worked hard getting it.  It also does me good to know that both of their employers told them they could come back next summer.  I think they both feel pretty good about themselves too.

Hard work.  It does everybody good.

This is a sponsored post for Southland Landscaping Company, however, all the points and views are my own.

Sure... No Problem

When my kids graduate from high school, I give them the option of either going on a one on one private trip with me, or cold hard cash towards college, or a car.  So far, I have had two opt for the trip.  The oldest wanted to see New York.  It was a fabulous trip and she has never returned.  She loved it from the minute we arrived and never looked back.  The other, also a daughter, chose to travel to Mexico.  Cancun to be specific.  It was amazing, but fortunately, she did not have the desire to return and live there.  Now my youngest daughter has chosen the trip.

We are going to southern California!  She said she wants to be treated like a kid one more time before she has to be an adult.  As such, Disneyland is our first stop.  When she was five, she stayed in the Disneyland Hotel with Grandma and Grandpa and was spoiled unmercifully.  I have booked us there as well, hoping to bring back those incredibly fun, childlike, memories.  After Disneyland, we will head to an area that will fill her with awe.

Her intense interest in theatre will bring us up to Hollywood for four days.  She wants to see everything Hollywood.  Grauman's Chinese Theatre.  The Hollywood Walk of Fame.  And all things Marilyn Monroe.  I"m hoping to book a hotel I know of where Marilyn actually stayed.  And then she did live in the area but only owned one home, in Brentwood.  I can see it now:  brentwood homes for sale and my daughter is going to want to purchase Marilyn's home!

Sure... no problem.

This is a sponsored post for the Partners Trust, however, all the points and views are my own.

Help w/ The Short Sale

When you can not actually sell your home for an amount to cover your mortgage obligations and closing costs, and you also do not have the money/assets to cover the amount you are short, your home would be a candidate for what's called a "short sale".

A short sale is not as harmful to your credit as a foreclosure, so ultimately, when you are back on your feet financially, you would be able to purchase a home in a shorter amount of time following a short sale.  The basics of the short sale are not so difficult, but if you find yourself on either the selling or purchasing side of a short sale, the benefits of an attorney are immeasurable.

You will need an attorney who specializes in with homeowners in financial trouble.  Let's face it, unless you are in this area of expertise, knowledge of short sales and foreclosure are limited.  Short sales require a person who is well versed in the market to be able to see all your options and opportunities available, and guide you through these process.

It's never easy to let go of your house.  It is your home, and home should be a place of comfort and happiness.  If you find yourself not relaxed, not comfortable due to financial strains, a short sale might be the option for you.

This is a sponsored post for Schwartz Law Firm, however, all the points and views are my own.

Peter Man and Tinkerbell

Halloween!  I absolutely love love love Halloween!  Just the fact that this holiday's focus is on candy tells you how much I love this holiday!  And to get to dress up... and better yet... dress up your children and then grandchildren... well... it is just frighteningly fantastic!

First the candy.  There is just something about the candy.  I don't know if it's the cute little sizes, the fact that stores stuff the shelves with bag after bag, or just the simple idea that it's time to buy candy!  It's the season that just makes candy taste better.  Candy corn and the little pumpkins made from the candy corn stuff are the picture of Halloween.  And although I do not buy a Heath Bar the entire year, at Halloween, the tiny little Heath's are phenomenal.  I can't eat enough of them.  Seriously, I am on my eighth bag and it is October 12th.

And dressing up!  I enjoy sewing and have made baptismal dresses for my girls, and blessing dresses for my granddaughters, but making costumes is so much fun.  Let's see... we have had Snow White, a crayon, Bamm Bamm, a hobbit, a variety of Disney princesses, a Lederhosen Costume, an Oreo, a lady bug... and this year my two granddaughters will be Peter Man (yes, I know it is Peter Pan, but my granddaughter prefers Peter Man) and Tinkerbell.

It will be the best Halloween ever!

This is a sponsored post for Lederhosen 4 U, however, all the points and views are my own.

Spring

I blog about my big move to my daughter's house a lot.  I don't need to tell you that I am crazy excited!  Yes, I do.  I am crazy excited!  But I have a lot of work to do to get there... and selling my house will require  much much work.

My house is what I lovingly refer to as "lived in".  There is not a single door in this house without a mark.  The walls... well there are certain areas where the walls have been subjected to some "hard living".  The family room, where a bookcase hides a hole in the wall the perfect shape of a soccer ball.  And the garage where every single person in this family has miscalculated just how far you can pull in without hitting the wall. But none of this is as bad as the yard.

Seven children grew up in this house and played outside... every single day... but that really isn't the main problem.  The problem is that as they have grown and moved away for school, or got married, the yard has suffered if for no other reason in that I hate yard work.  I would absolutely love to weed and harvest a small garden, but I don't want to put it in.  But after seeing a friends yard, which is positively the most beautiful yard you'll ever see, I have been inspired.

This spring, my yard is going to be gorgeous.  I am (paying a guy) to spread fertilizer that will work it's magic through the winter, so in the spring, the grass will be healthy and perhaps even green again.  I am also planting bulbs... beautiful daffodil, tulip, and paperwhite bulbs... that will magically pop up in the spring and give my little home a sweet and homey look.

It's a shame I can't plant bulbs on the inside of the house... particularly in front of that hole in the wall.

This is a sponsored post for Living Gardens, however, all the points and views are my own.

A Plan

Although I love this time where my children are adults and there is the wonderful bonus of being a grandma, it's hard to have some of them so far away.

My oldest, her husband, and my oldest granddaughter live in NYC.  A perfectly fabulous place to visit, but simply too far for "Baba", which is what my grandchildren lovingly call me.  She needs to have sleep overs at Baba's and bake cookies with Baba.

And then there is my daughter, pregnant with her first, and her husband, living in Arkansas.  As he finishes up his bachelors, he then will have dental school, and then orthodontic school, all in the south, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to spend some serious time in Arkansas too.  They have a colorado mba program and that's not too far away.  Surely they have a dental school, right?

And lastly, I have a daughter and her husband down in St. George.  My son is also down there with them.  It doesn't seem incredibly far I know, but it might as well be.  We don't go down nearly as often as I want to, and I know they would come up more if they could, but with school, work, and life in general, it is hard to schedule.

But then I think... isn't that what parents want for their children?  For them to grow up, be happy and healthy, find what they love, be independent, have a family of their own, and all that good stuff.  I am blessed.  My children are wonderful.  I just need to quit my job and travel from one area to the next.

Yes.  That's a plan.

This is a sponsored post for the University of Denver, however, all the points and views are my own.

Preparation

I don't know how many of you out there do this..... but the girls in our family "prep" for certain times or events where we know we are going to participate in a full fledged food fest.  Although we thoroughly, and I mean completely, totally, without reservation enjoy sweets, desserts, and all things with sugar and butter, when it comes to our meals, we have a healthy diet.  We eat lots and lots of fruits and vegetables, lean chicken and fish, pasta, hummus, whole wheat breads and yogurt.  Our philosophy is that the one balances out the other.  Eat an orange, have a cookie type of balance.  And before a trip where we know we will indulge beyond the norm, we actually cleanse and "prepare" our bodies for the onslaught.

My daughter in NYC did a total body cleanse before our trip to Disney World.  Each day she would call and share the strange and interesting things happening to her body, and leaving her body?  The details were some what disturbing, but she juiced her way through the week.  She researched and determined if she was going to strictly drink juice for a couple of days, it better well be a good and nutritious one.  She came across a juice with mangosteen, which, surprisingly, has no mango in it.  The mangosteen health benefits were plentiful.  It helps your immune system, and neutralizes free radicals, and helps with cartilage and joint function.  We were going to do a lot of walking so cartilage and joint health would certainly be beneficial... but the most beneficial was the promise of maintaining intestinal health.  She was pretty confident that her intestines were going to need to be in their top condition to handle the onslaught of butter, sugar, and down right goodness.  And she was right.  We ate our way through out the entire trip without a single problem.

Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.  And Disney World was a complete success.

This is a sponsored post for Xango, however, all the points and views are my own.

Another Difficult Decision

With the economy at a low, and so many people dealing with unemployment, the option of bankruptcy has become even more necessary.  I truly do not know what I would do without my job.  It is my sole source of income, as it is with most, and without it, it is only a matter of time until you lose your balance and need some serious help.

If you are suffering such financial hardship that drives you toward the need to file for bankruptcy, I know it is a decision that has not been made lightly.  There is another decision that warrants a great deal of thought:  Do you need a bankruptcy attorney?  The complexities of the filing process can be as daunting as the stressful situation that brought you to bankruptcy in the first place.

There are countless questions, when filing for bankruptcy, that are incredibly difficult to answer without the guidance of a bankruptcy attorney.  Do you file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?  Or is there even more options for your particular situation?  Are you current with bankruptcy laws?  These laws change frequently and can be very complex.

Your decision to file bankruptcy was a difficult one... but don't make the process difficult.  Find an experienced bankruptcy attorney.  There are several available such as Kirkpatrick & Associates bankruptcy attorneys.  Make another good decision toward your fresh start.

This is a sponsored post for Kirkpatrick and Associates, however, all the points and views are my own.

If You Buy It, Pay For It

I do a lot of collections for my work and for the most part the reason an invoice is not paid is because of simple human error.  The invoice was lost.  The proof of delivery is missing.  Our invoice doesn't match what they have in to pay.  Or it just simply go overlooked.  And then there is just unusual circumstance.  We had one customer who hadn't paid an invoice because they were caught up in the hurricane back east and were trying to get everything out of their flooded office space.  We were patient and understanding in their delay of getting payment to us.  And then there are those who make a purchase with absolutely no intention of paying the bill.  This is annoying.

I am naive, but I would never dream that a person would go through all the trouble to be set up as a customer, and place not just an order, but usually a rather large order, and have no intention of paying for it.  How do you received $10,000 worth of product and then just ignore the invoice and countless calls for payment?  And it further astounds me that they thing stalling will help.  "We will send some money soon."  Really?  "We put the check in the mail yesterday."  Really?  "Oh... I mean next week."  Really?

This is when a company such as ABC Legal comes in handy.  They file and serve legal process and they do it extremely quickly.  They also protect you from compliance issues.  They know what they're doing and know how to do it.

And usually, this gets the attention of the customer.

This is a sponsored post for ABC Legal, however, all the points and views are my own.

Let The Sun Shine

In a time where we are all looking to save money, the idea of living green can seem even more appealing, even if you don't categorize yourself as a tree hugger.  Every single person has something that requires electricity.  It's just a fact.  And when using electricity by means of a plug or outlet in your home, chances are you are paying for it.  And when away from home, you are most likely using batteries and batteries are expensive.  So it stands to reason, if you could avoid using either of these means to use your gadgest that require power, you would save money.

You can pick up a portable solar panel for around $20 and oh the things it can do!  It will come with a built in battery that the sun will recharge.  Just set it out in the sun and you can charge up your MP3 player, speakers, your digital camera, your cell phone, and so much more!  And the best part... tapping into the sun's incredible energy doesn't cost you a dime!  Take this to the next level and add a $50 solar panel and you can power up your laptop and have all your audio visual and computer devices running on renewable energy, which makes you feel good about your contribution to the environment, and you save money!

Let the sun shine!

This is a sponsored post for Goal Zero, however, all the points and views are my own.

Reaping What You Sow

The familiar phrase, "you reap what you sow" comes from the Bible gives you an idea at how long it has been around.  It continues to ring true in every circumstance.  I recently thought of the statement while just hanging out with my son, and we came across the topic of how girls dress.

It never ceases to amaze me when I go to the high school to talk to a teacher, pick up my daughter, anything really, and look around at what some of these girls are wearing.  First of all, my daughter and I both signed a statement at the beginning of the year to abide by a "Dress Code".  I'm thinking these did not get mailed to all students?  My second thought is "Did you parents see you leave for school today?"  I don't know a mother or father anywhere who would let their daughter out in some of these outfits.  See through blace lace tops with a fluorescent bra underneath?  I always thought underwear was supposed to be hidden.  You certainly didn't draw this kind of attention to it.

And then my son said he had a friend who tended to dress this way and she always has a jerk boyfriend who only wants one thing.  And this friend of hers wonders why she attracts the wrong guys.  My son simply pointed out the way she dresses.  What kind of a guy do you think you attract?  He's totally right.  My son in laws, all four of them, if they saw a girl dressed in a skirt so short the slightest movement would be disastrous, they would turn away.  The wouldn't even think of approaching this type of girl, let alone ask them out on a date!

Wear modest christian clothing and you will attract a modest christian boy.  It's very simple isn't it?  You reap what you sow.

This is a sponsored post for Downeast, however, all the points and views are my own.

Enjoy the Ride

I've decided I don't like to drive anymore.  Well... honestly... I was only a huge fan when I was a teenager... but it seems as time goes on I'd rather be the passenger.  I'm tired of paying attention.  I'm tired of making decisions.  I'm tired of parking.  This feeling is multiplied a thousand times when I am traveling.  Sure you can rent a car, but I don't want to.  I don't want to try and figure out where I'm going.

I want to sit back and relax and enjoy the sights, hopefully, while eating some incredible local food from the place I am visiting.  I was in Washington DC with two of my daughters and we were making our way to each of the monuments, the museums, places to eat that we were told by locals that we had to try.  I immediately thought Washington DC Limo baby!  They drive by DC Cupcakes and someone runs in to grab a half dozen  with some milk, and we eat them while driving to each monument.  We can get out right in front, walk around and then when we are done... low and behold... our driver is waiting!  And what does he do?  He takes us to another foodie haven, and then to a monument and so forth.  You understand what I'm saying here.

My kids have had it good.  I drove them to soccer games, dance practices, choir concerts, sleepovers, the movies, to school... and they just enjoyed the ride.  I think it's my turn.  I have seven kids.  One driver per day.  I like it.

This is a sponsored post for Skyhawk Limousine, however, all the points and views are my own.

I'm Happy Here

I was talking with someone about where I grew up, went to school, etc... and I realized something unusual.  I grew up in San Diego, went to elementary, junior and high school there.  I even attended a semester of college at UCSD.  The thing is... I don't live there now.  Oh sure... I loved living by the beach and the beautiful weather... but I have only lived in San Diego when I was living under my Mom and Dad's roof... on their dime.  It is crazy expensive to live there... but here's the unusual thing... most of my friends from school still do.  I don't get it?  How?

I think I would live there maybe 6 months before I would be in serious need of a California bankruptcy attorney.  Don't get me wrong.  I have an excellent job and I make a good living, but that's by Utah's standards.  I would never be able to own a home in California, or enjoy entertainment or travel expenses in my budget.  What do my friends do for a living?  And when did I miss the boat on these occupations that allow a person to live in such a high cost of living area?  But actually... it's all good.  I just thought it was an interesting observation.

I can get a gallon of milk from the store for under $3 and do it in less than five minutes.  I enjoy the seasons of fall leaves, holiday snow, spring flowers, and warm summers.  I enjoy the great outdoors and the quiet.  Pretty much.  I'm happy here.

This is a sponsored post for Lincoln Law, however, all the points and views are my own.

Out The Window!

I work all day on a computer.  And I talk on the phone all day with other people working on their computers.  It is so weird to me when I think of when I was in school, the only computer you would ever see was maybe on a college campus.  We certainly didn't have any in elementary, junior, or high school.  Now they are everywhere and we can live without them.  We are at their mercy, and I must confess there have been moments where I wanted to do nothing more than thrown the entire thing out my front room window!  And in talking with so many others, it is funny to listen to them reach this point of exasperation.

I can not tell you how many times I have not been able to complete the task I called for because of computer problems.  Issues are a vast variety of internet problems, can't log in to their system, the computer being extremely slow, or locking up all together, and the list goes on and on.  Thankfully, it is a rare occasion that I have problems working in my system.  I can't sing enough praises about Dedicated Servers!  Pretty much it means that my company and all of our co workers are the only ones "using up space" shall we say?  I don't have to share with anybody else.  We get high performance and our system is secure because we have complete control of our server.  We have a tech guy who basically keeps us up and running, and most importantly, keeps me from chucking the whole thing out the window!

This is a sponsored post for Hivelocity, however, all the points and views are my own.