Leisure Engagement Passion

I never would have thought I’d be posting my thoughts on How To Stay Healthy, but when I injured my knee it made me consider my vulnerability at my age in the game.

This past March, when my husband and I loaded up the RV and headed out of California to explore the Pacific Northwest, we vowed to get outdoors more often and at least walk each day.  Now we weren’t couch potatoes, we used to walk the dogs when we lived in our home in “suburbia”, but it was just around the block to go get the mail from the neighborhood mailbox.  I actually think the dogs could have gone around the block themselves, but they couldn’t master the mailbox key too well.

So now that we’ve been “hooked up” here in the Puget Sound area since the beginning of May, we have kept to our promise of walking on a daily basis.  It started out with a stroll up and down the road.  The area is pretty secluded and the road is lined with tall pines on each side and private roads lead in and out to beautiful residences down on the waterfront.  I found I could walk for miles, well 3, and be feeling okay.  My husband said I should be feeling okay since we normally walk an entire golf course.  But this was different, it was just walking and enjoying the view.

And then I decided to take it up a notch… I was determined that how to stay healthy was to start jogging!  Not too fast, not too long, maybe a combo jog walk to start.  Now I was cookin’.  Two whole weeks of jog walking.  Still 3 miles, but I could feel my clothes loosening up and I noticed my posture straightening.  I was feeling great.

I made up mind that I was ready to join my “running” girlfriend for a 5 mile trek.  I was literally off and running.  She of course was leading the pack.  How to stay healthy was going to be a breeze…or so I thought!

Having to work for a living, still, I found myself preoccupied on my way to the Airport shuttle one morning and that’s when it happened. A tweak in the knee. IT WAS ONLY A JAUNT! I don’t know when, don’t know how but there it was. If I hadn’t forgot my lunch in my car I could be running miles by now. (maybe 5)

It’s been a full two months now, August is right around the corner and I am tired of not being able to walk the golf course with my husband let alone just enjoy a great walk around the park. It does seem to be getting better however and it looks like I’ll be up and running in no time. I hope.

Moral of the story? Don’t forget your lunch, you never know what can happen.

Sneaky GMAC

I’ve been seeing TV ads for this new bank “Ally Bank” but it’s just GMAC. The GMAC Financial Services has given up on the GMAC reputation and is changing it’s name to Ally Bank. Seems to me the “No Sneaky” Disclaimers doesn’t pertain to them. The “high” interest rate they are advertising for savings accounts and CD’s must be driving them business otherwise they wouldn’t have gone with the name change. Sneaky aren’t they?

If I could find a way to not use any bank I would, but until then I’ll continue to pay off all my debt with the help of our Money Merge Account Software and pay it all off as fast as I can and then look for that alternative bank.  Maybe I’ll open up my own bank?

I haven’t had a chance to write lately.  I’ve been wanting to and meaning to but I’ve been busy with my husband moving out of our home and into our Dream.  Our 40′ Alpine Coach Motorhome.

Dreams Do Come True

Thirteen years ago when we first moved from Hawaii to California, our dream was to buy an RV and live in it and enjoy the entire US.  Well, we recently did it!  We downsized from our 2300 sq ft home into our 400+ sq ft Motorhome.  Why it took us 13 years?  As the saying goes, “Life gets in the way”. (personally, I think it’s having a J.O.B.)

Last spring we made it our goal to find the best RV to our liking.  We knew back in 1996 which coach would have been the “one”, but that RV was now too old.  What we did realize by waiting (justification) was that technology in the travel trailer industry was now up to speed.

We’ve had a business from home since 1990 (we learned you get lots of tax advantages early on) and we were both interested in making sure we could still work from the motorhome.  Our (my) biggest concern was internet access.  We found out that most RV parks had free WiFi, (that took care of my addiction) and since we both have cell phones, no landline was needed.   Along with the WiFi and phone connections, we are pleased to know that cable is available at most parks for our TV needs and if not we have our satellite dish.  So it’s business as usual, just now it’s on wheels.

Although, we’ve only been in the coach full-time now for a month, I could not be happier with our decision.  I know it’s taken me away from focusing on my business, but it’s been worth it.   I have to remind myself that I’m not on a vacation everyday, even though that’s how it feels, and I’m now settling into a routine for our United First business to become our number one goal.

Following our desire to control our destiny led us to find United First Financial and without the Money Merge Account and UDeduct we probably would still be dreaming of  living in our RV.  Making the right financial decisions with the help of our personal financial “GPS” now let’s us live our dream in full color.

Talking about our Government is not an easy topic to discuss with others.  Most people I know say they have their own problems to deal with, let alone the entire government.  But what I can’t understand is how they don’t relate the two.  Without knowing what our Government is doing, it’s our tax money that turns the wheels of government, is sticking our heads in the sand and saying let me know how it turns out.

Are you still employed?

Below is an email I received and I thought if I just send it out to my email list, it could take awhile before it gets around to those of us who care to make a difference.  I searched for a site to link to Jerry, but unfortunately  couldn’t find it.  I’ll keep trying.  Thanks Jerry Shambaugh for your Proposal, your ideas and your desire to turn the US around.

The Proposal:
When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of “tough decision”, and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.

Our government should not be immune from similar risks.

Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to
218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50. Also reduce their remaining staff by 25%.

Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.

Some yearly cost reductions would include:

$44m for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165k pay / member / yr.)

$97m for elimination of the above people’s staff. (estimate $1.3m in staff per each member of the House, and $3m in staff per each member of the Senate every year)

$241m for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.

$7.5B reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15B / yr)

The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country ??????

We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.

Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in
1911 when the current number of representatives was established (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few)

Note:
Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still, they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators and congress.

Summary of opportunity:

$ 44m reduction of congress members.

$282m for elimination of the reduced house member staff.

$150m for elimination of reduced senate member staff.

$59.6m for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.

$37.5m for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.

$7.5B reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.

$8,074m per year, estimated total savings.

Big business does these types of cuts all the time.

If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

IF you are happy how the Congress spends our taxes, ignore this message. IF you are not happy, then I assume you know what to do.  Comments are welcome, it’s good to know you care.

Is your business on the Map?  It’s FREE! I just joined Mlmlocal to create another means of advertising my United First Financial business.  Along with other United First Financial Agents we are able to map the locations of all of our home based businesses.  I’ve been reviewing some new blogs and websites on web 2.0 and all the new ways to get yourself and business out to market. I have been learning about ‘branding’, blogging and using social media like twitter to join other like minded individuals.  Let me tell you it is very time consuming, but I know all the work I’m doing now to try and keep pace is all worth it.  Which brings me to putting United First Financial on the Map.  Take a look at mlmlocal.com and put your business on the map.  Like I said “It’s FREE”

I just uploaded two different plugins, twitter tools and twit this.  So far so good having the tweets come into the blog, now this post will be a test to see if it goes to a new tweet.  I’m pretty sure I can turn one or the other on or off but I’ll decide how much is too much after a week or two.  Anybody using these tools?  I’d love to hear from anyone with pros or cons.

I just finished going thruogh my last weeks mail.  I can not believe how much junk mail I receive.  Does anyone know of a “Do Not Junk Mail” List?  You know like we have the “Do Not Call” list.  I’d be signing up today considering it just all ended up in my recycle bin.  I don’t know if colored print can go into this bin, but it was paper so in it went.  Maybe I’ll start sending it back to the post office and let them dispose of it.  Can you imagine how many trees we could save if we had no junk mail? Even half would save us over time.  I can’t wait until United First Financial eliminates our paper trail and all documents are online.  I’ll feel like we’re doing our part.

I’ve been so busy with my J.O.B. and being confused about packing up my house that my real passion of online marketing has taken a back seat.  Fortunately I had the chance to get back in gear today and listen in to a webinar from UBranding.com to learn about twitter.com.  I had come to know about twitter listening to the CNN news and watching the twitter updates during the election and thought it was pretty cool.  I figured I’d get to it sometime but figured since I was already online and watching the webinar I might as well register at the same time as to not waste too much time.  I only ‘tweeted’ once and if I can figure how to do it on my iphone, that will probably make it alot more effiecient for me.

Come twitter with me at http://twitter.com/jdnadamoto

Oh my gosh, I just finished watching the “roast” at the Alfred E Smith charity dinner. Now that was funny.

I think more people would have watched the debates if our two Presidential Candidates, Senator Obama and Senator McCain, were able to go at each other the way they did. Not only did they make fun of one another but also of themselves. It was hilarious and if you have a chance, Google it, I’m sure it’s on YouTube. Although the purpose was to be funny and it was meant to be funny, some of it was pretty sharp and this setting was probably the only setting that either one of them could have gotten away with the punches. Both of their writers did a great job.

I made time yesterday for my business obligation that I made to be online for my website review and I missed it. I didn’t miss logging in and waiting to hear how I could make my site better but Brooke couldn’t see that I was online and so the call ended. He was gracious enough to have this training and review and luckily I was online for other sites that he reviewed and pretty much made changes to my site that made sense. It’s important that all of us in this training do our best and take the Money Merge Account mainstream. Now that we all have had a chance to improve we will make United First Financial proud.