February 27, 2011: Really Sore...

Heaveno!

Man, what a day!  I got to watch my Arsenal in the final minute of the Carling Cup give up what could be the worst blunder since Bill Buckner's error in the 1986 world series and lose.  Great start.  Then, I spent the rest of the day stripping varnish.  Even better!  My body was so sore from the 11 hours logged in yesterday that I pooped out after 6 hours today.  I am not a fan of stripping varnish.  Yuk.  You either have to sand it or chemically peel it.  Sanding it would not be good for the rest of the house so the chemical peel seemed like the least worst option.  Good times!



After making the above pictured scones, Angelique and Ali spent the day shopping for groceries and other fabulous home improvements so as to avoid the fumes.  So, I caught up with my iPod.  I'm listening to 'The Law of Success' by Napoleon Hill for probably the third time now.  It is great to listen to on many fronts, but one in particular is how language evolves over time.  The book was published in 1925, and boy, our language has definitely evolved since then.  Many of the same success principles discussed last weekend at the 3 day intensive I attended come right from this textbook.  It is a daunting read; I first purchased the paper book, but it would be a tall order for any student in any upper division class to read it in one semester, so I purchased the audio version as well, and that has worked much better for me.  www.audible.com has a great membership service where for $14.95 a month, you get 1 credit toward any book in their library.  What's great is that it doesn't matter how many hours the audio is, it's still just one credit.  GREAT for the car.   I stopped listening to commercial radio and talk radio for good, and now just either listen to the occasional music CD, or audiobook, or, quite often, silence.

This week coming up I will spend 3 days in San Diego building a new internet marketing campaign to help replace the income I've lost over the past two years.  I am really behind on my student loan and SEP IRA.  I can't wait to start getting current on both of those again.  My challenge is that I feel too spread out between too many projects.  This is nothing new.  I do this to myself all the time.  Let me ask you, what do you think I should lead with?

1)  a course on how to overcome challenges as a parent and spouse
2)  my coaching program
3)  my "Start Out Successful" Program for new grads starting their own business in a helping industry

The last one I don't think I've shared much about, as it is outside the scope of this blog.  I lead training at all the music therapy conferences on the business aspects of owning your own business as we don't get much training in this arena in our music therapy degree.  I have designed different modules that when put together, create a 12-month home study program to help new professionals put in place the fundamentals of a successful business.

Anyhow, I'm curious to hear your thoughts.  You all know me pretty well by now!

God night.

February 26, 2011: Sore...

Heaveno!

Mommy and Ali got pedicures today, and I got to repaint the bathroom, change the hardware in the room, as replace the faucet.  Good times!  I'm a pro at painting, but plumbing.... whoah, that's another story.  I am as handy as I need to be, and not an ounce more.  The only reason I'm a painting ninja is because I ran a painting company one summer back in college.  I spent 4 hours under my sink tonight!  I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to take that long, and I'm also pretty sure I have no idea how someone removes and replaces a faucet without any help!  Thank goodness Ang and Ali were back when I undertook the faucet!  I couldn't have gotten it done on my own.

Now, it's time for tylenol!

P.S.  Arsenal plays in the Carling Cup final in the morning 11 am EST in case anyone wants to cheer 'em on with me!

God night.

February 25, 2011: Tangled

Heaveno!

Mommy got a hall pass to have a girls night out, so daddy took Ali to see Tangled at long last!  THANK GOD it was still at the dollar theaters!  I didn't check before I blurted out, "Hey, Ali, wanna go see Tangled?"  When I went on Movietickets.com to search for a showing, my first cause for alarm was seeing that it was released on November 24!  Really?  I swear it wasn't that long ago... till I remember the Rapunzel doll Ali got for CHRISTMAS...  wow, time FLIES!

Anyhow, we made the movie just in time, and man was it AWESOME!  I mean, it was really, really good!  I was really impressed.  Maximus stole the show in my opinion!  Seriously, it had Ali riveted the whole time, and wasn't too scary compared to some past Disney flicks.

The big tearjerker scene for me was the lighting of the lanterns.  I the waterworks let loose on me for that one.  As the lanterns floated away, I saw Bella's butterflies flying away after her CA memorial, and I head Ali say, "Goodbye, Bella!"  Ali was sitting in my lap at this point of the movie, much the same way Bella used to, and it was a bittersweet moment.  Sweet that we still have Ali, bitter that we no longer have Bella.

Anyhow, much fun was had.  Ang is still out enjoying herself, so I can't report how that went.  Hope it went well, honey, you deserve it!

God night.

February 24, 2011: Ho hum

Heaveno!

This is me.  Going through the motions.  Start writing.  Get the fingers walking.  Hmmm... tell you about our trip to Lowe's to by bathroom stuff for our super bathroom makeovers?  OH BOY!  The funny part of that trip was running into an Australian rugby player, now 60, in the paint aisle and lamenting together our physical inability to play the game any longer.  He was wearing a really cool jersey with a number one on it.  In soccer, that's usually the goal keeper and in rugby, the position is actually called the Hooker.

So, in my charming way, I say to him, "With that jersey on, you're either a 'keeper or a hooker!"

To which he smiles brightly, and in a mild Aussie accents says, "Actually, I'm a number 8!"

That's another position in rugby.  So we begin our talks about the great game we both used to play, and why it hasn't caught on here in America.  For those of you that don't know, I played rugby in college and was selected to play on a regional collegiate team that traveled to France and Switzerland to play in the summer of 1991.  Wow.  That's depressing.  I never realized till right now that it was 20 years ago.

Great.

So, Ali's karate is coming along nicely.  Super cute.  She really enjoys her school as well.  She's a happy kid.  We are so blessed.  Every single day, she just amazes and cracks us up.  Mommy and daddy go to karate together with Ali and watch her beam with excitement.  She is just so happy.  It's nice to have so much happiness.  I think it is safe to say we've all earned it.

Have you watched the news article about Charlie yet?  Check it out, it is SO inspiring!

Have you been to Jonah's EB Auction yet?  Check THAT out as well!

God night.

February 23, 2011: Boring by comparison...

Heaveno!

Wow, thank you all for your supportive comments.  This blog experience... it's really quite something, isn't it?  I sometimes just marvel at the world-wide conversation we are having, and relationship we have built!  For those of you who are regular commenters, thank you for doing so.  For those of you that lurk, thank you for simply being here.  I know I wish more people would comment every day; heck, you're thinking your comments anyway, why not just write them?  I hope it isn't that you are all thinking bad things and just keeping it to yourselves!  If that were the case, thank you for at least doing that!  LOL.  While that may be the case for a few people, (you can't please everyone and you shouldn't try), I bet many of you read every day, have a thought, keep it inside, and then move on.  Maybe just once in a while (like at least monthly if not weekly) you share your thoughts with the community?

See, there I go again, never satisfied... just couldn't leave it alone... I guess I'll never change, why am I asking anyone else to?  :P  I'm just playin'.

Anyhow, how do I top the past two posts?  You can't hit a home run every time you're at bat.  I feel like I don't have anything profound to share today.  It was a good day in the office; had a profoundly deep coaching call with a client today; I am so honored to be a coach.  To walk beside someone through their own muck, and to assist them in seeing past their blind spots... doesn't matter the area of life.  To assist and be of service like that... that's a heavenly good way to earn a living.  I am so grateful and thankful to earn money by contributing to others.  One of the things I struggled with at the seminar was paying attention during the investment portions.  It is important to understand and leverage investment vehicles if you really want to be financially free, but earning money off my money just doesn't give me the same warm fuzzies...

However, if I want to accomplish all that is on my radar, it best suits me to get over that.  The greater vision is more important.  I dream of getting to a point through investments where the dividends to one portfolio could furnish bandages to families in need.  THAT would be WORTH paying attention to investments, wouldn't it?  For me, money gives you the chance to bless TWICE... you can bless others while earning money, THEN you can bless a completely different group with the money you earned blessing the first group!  That is the possibility of money.

That's all well and good, but I think the most important and relevant info I can share today is about Patrice Williams' EB Auction!  You should go see all the wonderful things she is auctioning off over the next 4 days.  All the money goes to DebRA, so it's for a good cause!  If you see something you like, BID ON IT!  We are all in this TOGETHER, folks.  We are an unwilling band of brothers and sisters, but some of us are taking EB on over and above just treating it.  That, believe me, is plenty.  I am in awe of how much work Patrice puts in ON TOP OF having a sweet little (almost) 2 year old with EB.  She is a MACHINE!  Rock on, Patrice.  You are leading the way to a cure as well, and I am proud to be by your side.  PRETTY PLEASE, go on over and bid on some items for the auction!

God night.