I chose the Personalized Rhinestone Ladies Baby Tee Shirt and the Personalized Rhinestone Ladies Cotton Shorts from their Birthday Gifts For Her area. Soon after, I was sent the outfit.

The first thing I noticed when the package arrived was how soft the shirt and shorts were. They were soft like my favorite t-shirt. They weren’t stiff like some brands. The seams of the outfit were sewn straight and the rhinestone decals were placed nicely. I chose the letter R for my name. I love the outfit! It’s so comfortable!!

About Dakota’s Personalized Gifts:

We started in a spare bedroom about 5 years ago more as a part time hobby than a business with The Anniversary Rose making roses for the traditional anniversary gifts (i.e. 1st year paper, 2nd year cotton, 5th year wood etc) cutting rose petals by hand with scissors. It quickly grew from a part time hobby to a full time business, adding help and equipment to keep up. Then, we started expanding into personalized anniversary gifts. We started getting many requests from our customers for personalized wedding, Mother’s & Father’s Day and Christmas gifts etc. That’s when we started Dakota’s Personalized Gifts. Soon the business took over a second bedroom and the garage, the following year it occupying two bedrooms, the garage & a full basement. With no room left to expand we were forced to move into a commercial location in 2009. We continue to expand with new products and updated equipment all the time which allows us to produce most of the personalized items in house.

Buy It: The Personalized Rhinestone Ladies Baby Tee Shirt retails for $28.95 and the Personalized Rhinestone Ladies Cotton Shorts retail for $28.95 as well.
You may use the following coupon codes when you order:

10OFF50 for $10 off when you spend $50
15OFF75 for $15 off when you spend $75
GRD-OCT31 for free ground shipping when you spend $35

Win It: Dakota’s Personalized Gifts has been kind enough to offer one lucky Dozenroses13 reader a choice between a $50 gift certificate and free US shipping OR a T-Shirt and Shorts set as shown above.

If you’d like to enter to win this prize, please follow this link to my new and improved blog site to enter.  I am planning to migrate all further posts over there.

Good Luck!

**I received no monetary compensation for this post. Dakota’s Personalized Gifts provided me with sample products for my review. The opinions expressed herein are my own.**

Images from: Michael T. Henry Photography & Dakota’s Personalized Gifts

While I was watching he waved me over to shake my head.
Next he borrowed my sunglasses and struck a pose.
He’s a great attraction.

Have you visited the fair this year?
What’s your favorite attraction?

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I’ve been going to the fair my entire life and I’ve only missed 1 year.   (my best friend got married that weekend – she was from Dutchess County, she should have known better!!  LOL!!)  There are certain things I look forward to every year.  One of the major food vendors that I love were MIA this year, but my other favorite thing is the baby animals.  These babies certainly didn’t disappoint!!  There are 13 babies in the first video!!

What are your favorite things to do at fairs?

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Tomato Zucchini Soup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 Small fennel bulb or 2 celery ribs, minced
1 carrot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ounce ham, minced (optional)
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable brother
2 cups diced and seeded tomatoes
2 cups grated zucchini
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, fennel, carrot, garlic, and ham.  (if using)  Saute until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the broth and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes

3. Add the zucchini and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer until the zucchini is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

4. Serve hot.

Serves 4

I modified things a bit…

• I used butter instead of olive oil
• I opted to use 5 stalks of celery instead of the fennel or 2 celery ribs
• I forgot to buy a carrot…
• I used about 10 cloves of garlic
• I didn’t use ham
• I probably used about 6 cups of chicken broth and could probably use a bit more due to all the extra stuff I added – most of it absorbed the liquid….
• I used a 24 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• I used about 6 cups of zucchini
• I added a 10 oz. container of sliced mushrooms
• I also mixed in a pound of mini shell pasta

It came out really really yummy!
I highly recommend….

Do any of you have any good recipes that use ingredients from your garden?
I’d love it if you shared.
If you enjoy cooking, please feel free to join Rose’s Recipe Group over on Facebook.

Please comment and subscribe.

A story which caught my eye was about a product that made millions, but the inventor only made $400.

Walter Hunt 1796-1859

His Product Made Millions.  He Made $400.

One day in 1839, Walter Hunt was fooling around with a piece of wire and came up with a new kind of pin.  He called it a dress pin, but the world came to know it as the safety pin.

Hunt patented the safety pin, and that patent went on to be worth millions of dollars.  However, shortly after receiving his patent and before the money started rolling in, Hunt sold it for $400 because he owed a man $15 at the time and didn’t have the cash.  Hunt paid his creditor $15 and was happy to pocket $385.

What’s worse, Hunt had invented a sewing machine years before and had thrown away a fortune when he didn’t patent it at all.  His reason was that he feared it might cause unemployment among seamstresses.

But don’t be too worried about Hunt’s misfortune.  He eventually became rich with his inventions of a fire alarm, knife sharpener, icebreaker, and fountain pen.

Not many people have heard of Hunt, but this New York mechanic was one of history’s most unusual and ingenious inventors.

I read things like this and it kind of makes me sad.  I think of ideas all the time and say “someone should parent this or that” and of course I should be the one to patent the idea, but never do….

Do any of you have patents on anything?

Please comment and subscribe.

Walter Hunt image from: http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/279.html

The Weekly “oh crap!!”: My motorcycle tire is worn down to the cords (or would it be chords??)

The Weekly Food: Zucchini, mushrooms, chicken and pasta – chicken alfredo – and a BFS Little Italy Sub.

The Weekly Amazing Fact: An adult giraffe’s kick is so powerful that it can decapitate a lion!!!

The Weekly Birthdays: Jessica Westervelt, Melinda Race Myers, Jen Swartz Lawrence, Angelos Tzelepis, John Striffler, Jeremy Kenny, Faith Barr, Jeff Filby, William Pillon and a HUGE Happy 30th Birthday to Avari Tears!!  I hope you all had wonderful birthdays – leave a comment to let us know how you celebrated your special day.

The Weekly Activity: Working on the poker run – route ideas, and donations oh my!!

The Weekly new people I’ve found on Twitter: BurtsBees, CarolinaPad, RozInCP, FamousFootwear, Ivan_Temelkov, and WebPartners

The Weekly Charity I’m Pimping: No Destination’s Poker Run to benefit The Ronald McDonald House

The Weekly Countdown:
Dutchess County Fair – 3 Days
No Destination Poker Run – 7 Days
Labor Day – 16 Days
Sons of Anarchy – 17 Days
Breaking Dawn Movie Premier – 454 Days

Do you have any big plans for this weekend?

Please comment and subscribe.

Koala image from: http://www.zanyimages.com/Have%20a%20Great%20Weekend/
Birthday Cake Image From: http://lyvvielimelight.blogspot.com/2008/05/this-is-shortys-4th-birthday-today.html
Twitter Bird Image From: http://gigglepotz.com/

You need to be local to Upstate NY because the winner of TV will need to pick it up in Round Lake, NY.

You can purchase tickets for the raffle or register for the poker run at The Rusty Nail in Clifton Park, Bentley’s Tavern in Malta, or The Mill on Round Lake.  You can also leave me a comment and I will contact you through direct email with more information if needed.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Who’s coming on the Poker Run?

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If you are planning a summer camping trip, there’s one essential item you should add to your checklist:  It’s my favorite – baking soda.  It will be useful for many things:

• Freshen sleeping bags, tents, hiking boots or back-packed clothing by sprinkling with baking soda.  Do this the night before leaving and then take the items outside and give them a good shake or two to remove all the baking soda.
• You can extinguish most campfires by pouring baking soda on them.  Before leaving the campsite, you must be sure to double-check that the fire is completely out.
• Out of deodorant or forgot to pack it?  Dust your underarms with baking soda, and you’re ready for the day.
• No toothpaste?  mix a little baking soda with water and put it on your toothbrush.
• Burned dinner in a camping pot?  Use baking soda to get it sparkling clean without a lot of scrubbing.  Sprinkle in enough baking soda to cover the bottom of the pan, along with enough water to moisten.  Let it sit, and then scrub the gunk out.

What tricks do you know that use baking soda while camping or around your house?
I know that placing baking soda in your refrigerator will help remove odors…  what else have you got?

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Blog Post by: Rose A. Winters

I don’t have children, so I consider my dog my child….

In 2007 my boyfriend Michael and I were at my realtor Terri and her husband Bob’s house and met their adorable little Chi-a-poo named Molly. We spent most of the evening playing with little Molly. Up until this point Michael always used the argument that little dogs weren’t manly and the long-haired ones should have a broom handle shoved up their butts and be used as mops. Just the idea I liked little dogs surprised many because I’m originally a Doberman gal…. By the end of the night Molly had Michael wrapped around her little paw.

A couple of months later when I was getting ready to close on my house Michael fessed up that he wanted to buy me a puppy as a surprise for my housewarming gift. I’m glad he told me because a pet is a life changing, long-term commitment. He told me he’d already been speaking to a breeder and there was a litter being born that week and we could pick her out soon. Since he’d already done so much work finding her I figured I’d at least check it out.

Isabella - 2 Weeks Old

It took me all of about 10 seconds to pick her out of the 5 in her litter and to know I’d love her forever! She looked like a tiny little guinea pig! To give you an idea of the demand – the pictures were posted online and in 8 minutes Isabella’s entire litter was spoken for. As the weeks passed until we could pick her up in Buffalo, KY, the breeder posted a new picture of her every week until she was 7 weeks old.

Isabella - The Day We Met

The first time I held Isabella it was love at first sight. We spent hours at the breeder’s house getting to know her and getting her to feel comfortable with us. We flew home with her and she became our daughter.

We feed her, dress her, cuddle with her, and give her the best care that we’re able to give. We chronicle her life like most parents chronicle their children’s lives. We measured her to track her height and weight. We wrote down the date when she lost her 1st tooth, and had her 1st haircut. We taught her all kinds of commands – sit, stay, down, paw, and roll over. She’s so well-behaved! She’s our little darling

Do you have a pet that you treat like a child?

Please comment and subscribe.

Click some of the links in the blog to see more pictures of Miss Isabella….
All Photos by Michael T. Henry except 2 week old picture courtesy of Sunset’s Toy Breed Puppies

I’d be so happy about a floor!!!

When I bought my house about 3 years ago, I reserved the extra bedroom as an office.   Within a couple of weeks I had the ugly 70s rubber-backed carpeting pulled up.  What a mess it made!  Whoever designed that type of carpet should refund everyone who has to deal with removing one!!  Michael scraped up as much of the dry rotted rubber as he could.  He was working at it for days.  It was quite a job.  Eventually he got around to painting the room, and then it sat… and sat… and waited… and wanted….  Until this weekend when finally the hardwood floor was installed.  I was cranky and impatient for 3 years because I wanted my office to be finished.  Trying to work in my sun-room isn’t the easiest thing in the world.  Well, take a look – I think it was worth the wait!!

A HUGE Thank You goes out to my friends Kevin & John for helping me get the job done!!  They even put up the molding for me!  They’re truly awesome!  And I’m so glad they had fun while they were doing it!  They made the job pass so quickly!  Good humor goes a long way!!

Isabella checking things out

While we were laying out the floor Michael said “A tree gave it’s life so you could have a nice floor.”  LOL!

This floor feels a little different....

Oh – before I forget – To Gail (Kevin’s wife) Kevin really really really wants an air nailer.  You should have seen the HUGE smile he got on his face when he started using it!!  I think he was sad when I had to return it to the rental shop!!  LOL!

"I don't have much traction...."

So, now that the floor is in – do any of you have ideas for office furniture? I can be picky, but here is the main criteria:

• Can’t look like college dorm furniture
• Needs to have file drawers that are deep
• Needs to be STURDY and have good sliders on the drawers
• Preferably wood and not laminate
• Economical Price
• Large desk surface space

I’d love for a company to come along with an office setup product review right about now
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend – the weather was beautiful for most of it!

Leave me a comment if you have any office furniture ideas and also while you’re at it, tell me if you did anything fun this weekend!

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Michael took this picture of the Brooklyn Bridge while we were there this week and I think it came out awesome!!

Have you ever been there?  Do you have an interesting story about your visit?

Please comment and subscribe.

I LOVE this picture of the giraffes that Michael took at the Bronx Zoo this past week!!

What is your favorite animal?

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The Weekly Re-cap:

The Weekly Note to Readers: There are BIG changes coming in the next few weeks!!  Stay tuned for the big news

The Weekly Movie: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – I love the movie now just as much as I did back in 1989!  Granted, I’ve been calling everyone Dude for the last couple days – small side-effect of the movie….

The Weekly Downer: I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately and it’s making me cranky.  I really need to try hard to get back onto a normal sleeping schedule….

The Weekly Food: Banana & cubanelle peppers from the garden, home-grown tomatoes & American cheese, turkey sandwiches, Trader Joe’s baked cheese crunchies, and sloppy joes.

The Weekly Amazing Fact: The Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May 24, 1883.  On that day 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the bridge.

The Weekly Birthdays: Vicki Vosburgh, Tami Bates Carlaw, Leigh Cummings, Tim Hennessey, Sam Lauridsen, and Tracy Kutey Colangione.  I hope you all had wonderful birthdays!!  Leave a comment to tell us what you did to celebrate your birthday!!

The Weekly Activity: We went to The Bronx Zoo and then to The Brooklyn Bridge with Michael’s Photo Group and we had a great time!!

The Weekly new people I’ve found on Twitter: Arbonne Forever, MSF_USA, Sensible Spender, CS_Albany, & Brugo Mug

The Weekly Charity I’m Pimping: LaDorka’s – National Multiple Sclerosis Walk
These women are incredible and walking for a good cause.  Please donate whatever you can.  They have a hefty goal.  Every dollar gets them closer to a cure for MS.

The Weekly Countdown:
Dutchess County Fair: 10 Days
No Destination Poker Run: 14 Days
Labor Day: 23 Days
Breaking Dawn Movie Premier: 461 Days

Change image from: http://vaynermedia.com
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure image from: http://www.horreur.net/fiche.php?nom=Keanu%20Reeves
Birthday Cake image from: http://marinasulaimantaha.blogspot.com/2010/07/colorful-birthday-cake.html
Brooklyn Bridge image from: Michael T. Henry Photography
LaDorka’s inage from: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Challenge/WIGChallengeWalkEvents?pg=team&fr_id=13099&team_id=178556

Vanderbilt Mansion ~ Hyde Park, NY Picture from http://www.nps.gov/vama/index.htm

This weekend August 14 & 15th, 2010 many national parks around the country are free to visit.

Check out the list on the National Park Service’s webpage for more information and to see which parks are participating.  There are parks in most states participating, please click the link for the complete list.

According to the website, the parks that are participating in NY are:

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saratoga National Historical Park
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

According to the site, many of the park concessioners are also offering special offers for added value.

Many of your 392 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

If you end up checking out any of the national parks this weekend I’d love to hear about it!!
If you don’t end up going to a national park, what are your plans for the weekend??

Please comment and subscribe.

Recipe Courtesy of Blue Crab Bay Co.

1 lb. linguine or spaghetti
1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer
1/4 cup parsley

Defrost shrimp in cold water and drain.
While cooking linguine, heat garlic in olive oil for one minute in skillet.
Add shrimp and saute for 3 minutes.
Add Sting Ray and heat for one minute or until steaming.
When pasta is al dente (slightly firm), drain. Do not rinse.
Add parsley to shrimp and toss with pasta.
Season with cracked pepper, grated cheese is optional.
Serves 4

You can see other recipes for Blue Crab Bay Co. products by clicking on their name.
You can view other recipes I enjoy at Rose’s Recipe Group.

What are some of your favorite recipes?

I’d love it if you added them to Rose’s Recipe Group!!

Please comment and subscribe.

Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo

Here are the results of the poll:

Who do you think Brenda will end up with on GH?

55% Sonny
27% Jax
18% Johnny

Who do you WANT Brenda to end up with on GH?

69% Sonny
15% Jax
8% Jason
8% Dante

Personally I think Brenda will end up with Jax in the end, but I want her to end up with Sonny – though I just don’t see them going that direction due to trust reasons in the past.

If you watch General Hospital – leave a comment and tell me your thoughts on Brenda’s return to Port Charles!

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I looked it up online.  From the pages I’ve read it seems they’re called “Grounding Straps.”  The point of them is to ground the car so static electricity can’t build up.  They supposedly help prevent car sickness as well.   Additionally they were popular so toll takers weren’t shocked then they reached out to cars to collect tolls.  They were widely available in the 60′s & 70′s and are making a comeback.

Do any of you know more about these?

Please comment and subscribe.

Please comment and subscribe.

The Weekly Re-cap: I showed you pictures of Isabella with her new Monkey Toy and my Dad entertaining.  I made Pesto and shared the recipe I used.  I tried sending a message on HootSuite and I shared a guest post called Who Will You Be When The Pilgrimage Is Over.  We discussed some good service I’ve received lately and lastly I made a request to all of you for donations for a Poker Run to benefit The Ronald McDonald House.

The Weekly Movie: Percy Jackson & The Olympians – The Lightning Thief – What I saw of it was really cute!  I need to go back and watch it again when I’m not distracted!

The Weekly Downer: Again – people who don’t return phone calls.  I have a contractor who I left a message for about 2 weeks ago.  Too late – even if he calls me back, I can’t do business with him.  If he can’t be bothered to call me when I’ve got paying work for him to do, he sure as hell isn’t going to call me back if there’s a problem after the job is done.

The Weekly Food: Pesto, Pork Chops, Steak & Cheese Burrito, Tomato Sandwiches….

The Weekly Interesting Fact: You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath.   (I guess I never thought about it, but it makes sense….)

The Weekly Birthdays: Tina Price, Joel Kuhn, Mariana Caglioti, Valleri James, Bridgette Almstead Garioli, Misha Gnazzo Yoshida, Carla Roberts Pryor, Tim Hoss, Jenn Boudreau, Kate Mostaccio, Diona Irish, and Melissa Tator.  I hope you all had wonderful birthdays!!  Leave a comment to let us know what you did for your special day!

The Weekly Activity: Interviews, phone calls, networking, and a motorcycle ride

Sofft - Floria

The Weekly Shoes: I love the shoes pictured above!!

The Weekly new people I’ve found on Twitter: TS Ensemble, Woo Themes, Glennpeter Jewelers,  and Jennifer Gish.

The Weekly Charity I’m Pimping: The No Destination Poker Run to benefit The Ronald McDonald House.  For donation information click here.

The Weekly Countdown: Days until Brenda returns to General Hospital: 5

The Weekly Hypothetical: If you had an over-abundance of tomatoes, what would you do with them?

Blue Flowers image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chitrasudar/2780206155/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Shoe image from: http://www.thewalkingcompany.com/brands/Product.aspx?ProductID=12144&pagetag=women_fashioncomfort&source=comfort
Percy Jackson image from: http://www.percyjackson.org/info/percy-jackson-official-site-updated/
Cake image from: http://www.giftacrossindia.com/cakes.asp

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If you get good service you may tell one or two people about it – BUT – if you get bad service you’ll tell everyone you know.

Kristen at Berkshire Bank in 20 Mall in Guilderland.  She is top-notch!  Michael had a problem with his account last week due to a mistake Price Chopper made. (One of many, they’re on my shit-list this week) Kristen was quick to get us in touch with someone who could resolve the problem.  She did it all with a smile in her voice and a good attitude.  I didn’t mention that we spoke with her over the phone.  Her positive attitude came right through the phone.  We called her manager Jason who was working in another location and he immediately rectified the situation.

We stopped in to thank Kristen and Jason in person the next day.  Kristen was there and we had a wonderful conversation.  We were sad to learn though that Jason was transferred to their Colonie branch.  Not as convenient, but still not too far away.  I highly recommend either of these two branches for your banking needs.

The other awesome service we received was at Max BMW.  Michael was in contact with them regarding test-riding a couple of motorcycles so he could talk about them on his biker blog.  Craig and Ben took the time to meet with us and answer all the questions we asked.  The dealership was quite busy since they were sponsoring an event, but they made us feel like we were the only two on their sales floor.

These days I won’t do business with a store who’s customer service ISN’T top-notch.  Tons of businesses compete for my attention, so why should I put up with rudeness or bad attitudes?

Where have you gotten awesome service lately?
Where has customer service fallen short?

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This was originally posted on my friend Lynn Hidy’s website Up Your TeleSales on May 31, 2010.

Rose Niekrewicz-Winters is a friend of mine, I met when we were both on a bus trip with a band in Ireland…. ‘nuf said. Instead of telling you, I’ve asked Rose to share her pilgrimage and thoughts about it:

It’s been quite a long pilgrimage.  I’ve traveled through the past year and a half searching for a job.  Not just any job, but “the” job.  I know, I know – in this economy many would say I’m a fool to NOT just take any job.  What those people don’t realize is that if I just take any old job and then if it doesn’t work out and they lay me off, it could jeopardize my future unemployment status.  The bottom line is that I’m picky.

Who

Some may say it’s all about who you know.  I’ve found that sometimes that just doesn’t matter.  I have over 600 friends on Facebook, over 200 members in the motorcycle club, I’m in, thousands of hits to my blog, piles of former clients….  The list goes on and on.  Nobody seems to know anyone who is hiring.  I keep my ear to the ground because all it takes is 1 “right person” to drop your name at the right time.

Who I will be at the end of the journey is hopefully someone gainfully employed and happy at my job.  Push that angle aside and I’ll also be a person who took the time to get to know hundreds of people in the process and did good things for others along the way.

What

What did I do to keep my sanity?  I helped others.  I spent time working on a charity poker run for a girl with optic nerve cancer.  I helped some friends whose house burned down rebuild their lives.  I volunteered to help do work to open up the Double H “Hole in the Woods” Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY.  I helped out a friend who was in a motorcycle accident. I supported a friend whose daughter has leukemia and tried to help her spread the word about a fundraiser for her.  I tell friends that I may have an empty bank account and can’t financially contribute to everything I’d like, but I do have time and a bank full of good karma!

When

When did I find the time?  Being out of work many people assume you’ve got all the time in the world to run around and help them with their errands.  There is nothing further from the truth.  I look at my schedule lately and wonder “when will I find the time to work when I get that new job?”  When you get extra time in your life, life decides to throw things at you to fill the time!

Where

Where do you meet the people?  Anywhere and Everywhere!  I talk to people every chance I get.  I make friends at a local coffee shop, on vacation, at concerts, at networking events, online, through other friends….  I keep saying it only takes talking to the one right person to land that perfect job….

How

How I’ve dealt with being out of work so long is a common question.  The answer is by keeping a positive attitude.  I always keep in mind that nobody wants to hire a complainer who’s crying in their beer all the time.  So I’ve been careful not to be that person. At the end of the How Far Are You Willing to Travel article in the A Chip Off the Block newsletter some questions were asked.

How would you like it to be instead?

Obviously I’d like to be employed.  I’d love it to be with a solid company that’s willing to recognize and pay for a quality employee.  Those $10/hour job calls just frustrate me to the point of asking “Did you even read my resume??”

How open to new, sometimes crazy sounding ideas are you?

I started my job search very focused on a sales job.  Later I reflected on my career and realized I was selling myself short.  True I’ve held many sales positions as of late, but I also have done marketing, data processing, management, etc.  So pigeon holing myself was a horrible thing to do!  I later realized that opening myself up to other markets and other professions was a great idea and now I tell people that I’m keeping my options open and I’d love to hear their ideas, no matter how crazy they may sound.

Just last night a good friend told me that another mutual friend counts on me for my ideas.  Apparently I’m her “think tank” and I never knew it.  I’m analytical and try to think three steps ahead and my friend doesn’t normally think past the first step.  She let’s things unfold as they happen.  I’ve learned in life to think about the future because your actions today can make or break things.

How much effort will you put in?

I work hard so I can play hard.  Everyone likes to make money.  They’d be lying if they said otherwise.  I like to do a job in the most efficient way and get it out of the way.  I put in the effort to get a job done right the first time so it doesn’t have to be revised 4 times therefore wasting valuable “play time.”

How does this fit into your goals?

This all fits into my goals.  My goals are to work hard so I can afford to play hard.  I love to travel (in fact that’s how Lynn of Up Your Telesales and I met and became friends), ride motorcycles, attend concerts, etc.  All of that is tough to do when you’re unemployed.  So I’m hoping my positive attitude and outgoing personality I’m putting out there will pay off with the job of my dreams!

How will you keep going when it gets tough?

That’s a loaded question if I ever saw one!  Things have gotten tough.  Life is tough.  The question is will you choose to have a “Whoa is me” attitude or a positive attitude?  Attitude is half the battle!  Times get tough and somehow it motivates me to work harder and put in even more effort than I had prior.

In closing the How Far Are You Willing To Travel article said:  “It’s your pilgrimage so there are no right or wrong answers – plus if you’re happy with the path you’re on, continue!”

I may not always be happy with the path I’m on, but I’m always aware of the next crossroad and am very aware that my life can be very different based on the choices I make.  All events shape the outcome of future events.  Just like Marty and Doc discussed in Back to the Future It’s all about the “Space Time Continuum”. Make every moment count.

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