What Really Matters
I’m in something of a pensive mood today. A good friend just called me. We started chatting about this and that. She told me that she had just come back from a great lunch at our favorite deli near her house. I told her that I was online looking at cute clothing from Mim Pi and Catimini. And then she told me that she has cancer.
What?!
It was one of those things that stopped me in my mental tracks. We had an entire conversation about it. It turns out that the kind of cancer that she has is highly treatable. It’s hereditary so she knew that she might get it. She seems to be handling it all okay. And I do believe her when she says that things are going to be fine.
Nevertheless, the day has been thrown off a bit. It’s got me thinking about what really matters in life. Sure, it’s fine to spend time eating at delis and ordering great clothes. That’s how we get through life. But in the end the things that we do each day are not the things that add up to being the most important. It’s the friendships that we build and the way that we’re there for each other that really matter.
Why a Fiji Honeymoon
Fiji is a tremendously popular place for people to go on their honeymoon. Why is that?
The answer is clear to anyone who has ever had a Fiji honeymoon. The reasons include:
- Fiji is supremely pretty. There aren’t too many places in the world that are as beautiful as Fiji is. That makes it a special place for a newlywed couple to enjoy together.
- The accommodations here are romantic. You don’t even have to stay at a fancy Fiji island resort spa to have romance in your room because every hotel in the area is romantic.
- It’s private. There are so many wonderful secluded areas in Fiji. You’ll be alone with your honey even though you’re at a popular destination.
- It’s fairly affordable. Fiji is surprisingly one of the more affordable destinations that newlywed couples commonly choose for their honeymoon.
- It’s designed for weddings and honeymoons. This is a destination where businesses have specifically done all that they can to cater to this niche of travelers. This means that all of your newlywed desires and dreams will be met.
There are other places that are good for a honeymoon. But there are not too many places that you can actually say are better for a honeymoon than Fiji is.
Almost Done!
My husband has been taking classes toward his undergraduate degree since I met him, which was four years ago now. He’s finally close to being done — he has just this semester and spring semester to go. It takes a long time to finish a degree when you only take classes part time!
Anyway, he needed just one more class for his minor, which is in computer information systems. The class he decided to take was website management, which sounds like it would be about websites but it turns out it is more about servers and such things. Sounds boring to me!
Unfortunately, hubby is feeling a little bit overwhelmed, because there is a lot he doesn’t know — even though he’s taken all the pre-requisites, it was four years ago, and that’s quite a long time in the computer world.
For instance, the class talks about unix hosting, server management, etc. I know basically what a managed server is, but dang if I know what all has to be done. I can write a little HTML and upload files to my server via FTP — and that’s it. The rest is done for me, and that’s how I like it!
Anyway, hubby is feeling a little bit overwhelmed, but I think he’s going to be okay. One of my friends is basically a computer geek and has offered to help him as much as he needs during the semester. It’s a good thing, because I know he just wants to take this class and get it over with, so that he can graduate in the spring as planned!
10 Things I Love About Kids Furniture
I have a strong interest in interior design. I read design blogs and check out the latest decor products in stores. But I have a confession to make. I prefer kids furniture to adult furniture.
There are ten big reasons why I love kids furniture:
- It’s easy to clean. What can I say - I hate to clean upholstery!
- It’s soft. It’s designed to be safe but this also makes it really comfortable.
- It’s simple. I tend to like really simple minimalistic designs. Most kids furniture is designed this way.
- It’s colorful. So many furniture pieces for adults are offered only in boring neutral shades. I love bold colors.
- It’s fun. This furniture is designed with exciting patterns, shapes and textures that you rarely see in furniture made for adults.
- It’s durable. Even furniture designed for a kids bedroom is usually durable enough to pull outside for use as kids outdoor toys.
- It’s affordable. Most kids furniture is pretty inexpensive.
- It’s healthy. Most kids furniture is made with natural products. I love that.
- It’s easy to assemble. Have you ever gotten a bed from IKEA? Putting it together is impossible. Most kids furniture is far simpler to set up.
- It’s surprising. You don’t often see kids furniture in an adult’s home design. I like that element of surprise.
Of course, kids furniture doesn’t really work for most of my home but I happen to think it’s really fun to look at anyway.
The Image Of Pawn Shops Has Changed
A lot of times when people think of pawn shops the image that comes to mind is a building with bars on the windows in an area of town that you would rather not go to. After all, that is how they are portrayed in the TV shows. It is where the criminals go to “fence” their stolen property or buy guns in the movies.
But this is not the case in real life. Well at least not in my experience. In fact, some pawn shops are set up where you don’t even have to leave home to use their services. Online pawn shops are a business that have taken off and really grown and thrived over the past few years.
Many of these online pawn shops thrive on the idea of customers who want to sell gold jewelry for cash. After all, once the thrill of the “bling bling” wears off, what is the point in keeping it around? Not to mention the fact that these days it seems like we could all use a little extra green stuff in our pockets. So the image of the scary pawn shop from TV and movies might be a thing of the past.
Follow Your Interests Into a Career
You always hear people say that you should do what you love and the money will follow. Most of us daydream about finding work that we love but we don’t know how to actually go about doing so. The best solution might be to stop trying to love our work. Instead, we should strive simply to be interested in it. This will allow us to like what we do while still making money at it.
You can start by figuring out what your interests are. They don’t have to seem like interests that can earn you a lot of money. For example, maybe you like gardening or landscaping. The person who invented the portable screener called the EZ Screen probably had an interest in this as well. He turned his interest into an invention and then into a business selling that invention.
You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to make this work. You could take your interest in gardening and apply for a job doing yard work. This may not seem like a lucrative career. However, if you enjoy doing it then you’ll do well at it. You’ll earn the money that you need to live and you’ll like going to work. Will you love your job? Perhaps but even if you don’t you’ll still be interested in it. That counts for a lot when you have to work every day.
How To Get Your Business Placed More Prominently
When I was in Tampa, SEO and Tampa seo in general, became the focal point of our business discussions. I’d never heard of this service put quite this way, but the more I heard about it, the more I realized that it’s just what my husband needs for his home inspection business.
Actually, any business can benefit from search engine optimization. It’s really the premier way to market in this modern economy. I know that I, personally, never even get into the car to compare until after I’ve compared online and done my research. No one just drives willy nilly around town anymore. But with the glut of businesses advertising on the web, you need to find a way to stand out. So why wouldn’t you want seo?
We were in Tampa for a business conference, when we really began to find out what all this could do for us. My husband has a referral service he uses for people looking online, and he pays whenever someone is referred to his phone-whether they actually use him or not. Most are just poking around asking questions, so he’s thinking he’d rather use seo on his own personal website, instead.
My Mother is Moving Into our Home
One of the saddest things that I have had to witness in my life is my parents getting old. You never really think about it when you are a child, but at some point, your parents need you to take care of them. I guess I just took it for granted since my grandparents passed away while I was young, but I still find myself at this point: taking care of my mom.
So, we have had to do some modifications to our home so that she will be able to get around easier. We have added a stair lift so that she can make it up the stairs easier, and a liftchair in the living room so that she will have an easier time to sit and watch television.
We are moving her into Jessica’s room since she is married now, and shouldn’t need her room again. It was really sad to take her stuff off of the wall, but it was necessary so that my mother can have her own space.
She will be moving in here in a week or so, so we have a little bit of time to get everything perfect for her arrival. I am just thankful that she gets along with my wife, and hopefully that will mean that there will be no fighting.
Increasing my Bodybuilding Performance
One of the things that I noticed as I became older was that I wasn’t as good at the gym as I used to be. I couldn’t lift the same amount of weights, and though I was still experiencing some gains, they were no where near what I needed to attain if I was going to compete professionally.
I consulted a doctor to see what they recommended I do for my problem. After some discussion, he suggested that I try out HGH, a growth hormone that would give me the ability to perform at a similar level as I did just ten years ago. It seemed almost too good to be true.
So I had to ask the doctor what the catch was as there was no way that something like this would work without any consequences. He told me that the side effects of HGH were minimal, and there was even some debate in the medical community as to whether or not HGH even had side effects.
I decided that my doctor wouldn’t recommend the product unless he was sure that the consequences were minimal. I’ll try to report back at a later date to let you all know how I make out.
How to Mat Pictures and Documents for Display
Matting a picture or document is basically when you surround it with a frame of heavy paper in a complementary color, in order to make it fit inside a larger frame. When done correctly, this can really add to the presentation of the picture or document.
The first thing you will want to do is to choose your frame, as that will have some bearing on the type of matting you choose. Unless you plan on cropping your photograph, be sure to choose a frame that is larger than your picture, so that you have room to show off the matting. If you are framing a document such as a diploma, there are lots of great university diploma frames to choose from, some of which will not require matting.
Once you have found a frame you like, choose your matting. The type of matting will depend on the frame and the image, as you want something that will complement both and tie everything together. A really high-end frame and an art print or fine photograph will require a nicer looking matting, for instance a finer paper or perhaps even ribbon or lace. On the other hand, a regular photograph and an average frame could be paired with the “standard” pre-cut mattings that you often find at hobby stores.
The matting should both complement and contrast. For example, you will want to choose a color that you want to highlight in the photograph or diploma. For my diploma, I chose a matting that was in one of my school’s colors, and therefore appeared in the crest on the diploma. Additionally, you can use texture to contrast: For instance, a textured matting is popular because it often adds interest to the picture.
Finally, be sure that the matting and whatever backing paper you choose is acid-free. This is important because papers with acid in them will cause the photo or document to turn brown over time. Also, if you write on the back of the photo, do it with a soft-tipped pen that is archival quality. Regular ball-point pen ink will burn through into the photograph over time, discoloring whatever is on the reverse side.
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