Snow, Rain, Sunshine, Hail, and a Tornado!

It's been quite the weather week here in northern California, we've seen it all. I love this time of year and all that comes with it. Some years it's an early spring and summer and other years, it feels like winter is never going to end. Yep, Dave saw a tornado on Friday though we were hoping for more extreme weather, the momentary twister was all we got. Although, I am tickled because it's clear that we will be skiing well into May and June.

Work has taken a bit of a back burner to school but only while I find my stride and learn to juggle all the demands in the same 24 hours in the day we all have. Sadly, when it's this busy with the everyday tasks of life, there's not much fun information to share here.

So take this for what it is, business as usual and let's hope for something more interesting next week. How about this, I will commit to make something interesting happen this week for the sole purpose of sharing it with all of you, okay? Deal! Happy Monday!

Happy Tuesday!!

Happy Tuesday! Yesterday was a holiday and we took full advantage of being off from work and school and went skiing. Mason completed his third lesson in a program that each lesson is significantly less expensive (yesterday was $30!) and at the end of the third, he gets a season pass to ski for the remainder of the season. It's a great deal especially considering on Fridays, this resort offers $15 lift tickets to military personnel, state workers and students. Additionally, they allow families to bring meals so we always pack a lunch and snacks. Dave and I had VIP tickets yesterday as part of a ZipperBack Glove arrangement, so needless to say, we've set ourselves up to be able to ski as a family for darn near nothing!

It snowed in Auburn on Saturday! It wasn't much but it was really pretty waking up to a winter wonderland!

This week I am finding a rhythm with school and work. I'm still stretched thinner than I'd like to be (well, not my rear!), but some of my obligations will have ended and I can focus on school and work without so many other things to do. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and are enjoying the unpredictable weather we enjoy this time of year. It's still winter but we get days of spring and summer like sunshine.

Today's Motivator: Remember, when you say no to overbooking yourself, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to be the best you can be. And when you do say yes, it will mean more and you will be more present.

It's Still Winter

Old Man Winter is back! It's raining and I can't say I'm sad. I like the rain and it's too soon for spring. I still have some skiing to get in! Plus, it's quite romantic to have the rain falling on Valentines Day.

It's been a wild ride this last week. I've been scaling back on making new commitments and working to focus on school, work, real estate, and gloves. Let me share with all of you what a bright light in my life school is. I graduated from high school and went to junior college for a year, but I didn't want to be there. Having a desire to learn and willingly making time to be in class and study is a whole other subject. I'm taking two English classes and an American History class (Industrial Revolution forward). It's fascinating to me and it's also fun bringing a mature perspective to my classes. I'm one of few students in my classes who is not in my late teens and early twenties. It's a bit of juggling to work it into my already busy schedule, but it's a real source of joy for me right now.

The glove business is in full swing and I've got several loan mod presentations lined up for February and March. If you or those you know have questions about loan modification and short sale, please give them my phone number. As the landscape in this industry is ever changing, I am up to speed on what the big banks are and are not doing and will happily share what I know. One of the things that is happening more frequently is lenders are reducing principal balances to make loan mods work. If this becomes the norm, it could turn this foreclosure crisis around. We'll see.

This weekend was full, but much lower key. I ran errands, cleaned house, studied for my history test, and on Sunday, I slept on and off through the afternoon. One of those times when rest is required. Let's hit the ground running this week and as I was recently reminded,"Kathy, remember what Woody Allen said: "90% of success in life is just showing up." Happy Monday!

The Update

"It's just another manic Monday, Oh, Oh, Oh!" Yes, manic is one word that I can use to describe it!

We made it back from Denver and the show was great! We made some sales and came home with easily five times the leads we did last year. We also were approached about a licensing deal and that's very exciting - we just have to see how serious it is. For now, we have about 6 weeks to get the all the orders for next season and evaluate some critical business decisions. Stay tuned!

I started school the day we left for Denver and I got off to a rocky start. Partly because I was on the road and also because I have not been in school for 26 years. The on-line format sounds ideal until you see how much more work it is than just showing up for class twice a week. Additionally, my schedule is not working and I am in a bit of a bind to add a class - if I don't, I don't get my VA benefit and that would be bad - real bad. I will know today if I have it worked out or not, if not, I don't know what that means - stay tuned here, too, if you're interested.

So in all this busy-ness, I need your help. I am up to my eyeballs so please understand that I am not available right now to chat and visit. The best way to reach me if you need to is e-mail and even then, though I am getting/reading them, I may not be as responsive as I normally am. All this crazy-busy-ness will pass, but for now, your understanding is much appreciated!

Here I go, keep your fingers crossed all goes favorably and if it doesn't, what the heck, it's still an interesting ride! Oh, and congratulations to the Green Bay Packers! Super Bowl 45 Champions!

Whew!

Hello Friends - We are finished with our snow sports trade show and on our way home. It's been an amazing trip on so many levels and I can't wait to share all of it with you. For now, we have another 11 hours on the road and are anxious to be home. If we are friends on facebook, go see some of the photos. Otherwise, I'll write more and post pictures before the end of the week or worse case, next Monday will be a full report! Lots of love from Denver, to Salt Lake City, landing in Auburn, CA this evening.