I recently lost the diamond in my wedding ring while at work one day. After getting over the fact that I seem to lose and/or break things (I recently washed my iPod in the washing machine and who can forget me dropping my camera in the lake only two days after receiving it for my birthday), we ventured out to Jared’s to look at new rings. After deciding that I didn’t want a whole new ring, I decided to have the diamond replaced. While there, the salesperson asked how long we’ve been married, la la la, and then asked, “What’s your secret to being married so long?”
My off the cuff answer was something about my learning to realize that I’m going to be wrong and that’s okay, but as we drove home later that day, Scott asked what my answer would be if I fully thought through my response. Well I’m still actually thinking about that. One thing that I know is critical is having a sense of humor and not taking yourself too seriously. I also realize that you have to be accepting to change through the years when you are with someone. We are very different people than when we first started dating in high school and continue to be compatible with each other.
Anyway, I’m still thinking more about my answer and would appreciate for others to post their thoughts.
Jake wrapped up his first week of Rock Camp at Austin School of Music. He had an absolutely fabulous time and can’t wait to go back next week. They ended the week with their first “live” performance for parents. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect at the upcoming gig.
In my continued effort to improve my technology skills, I recently used an online Microsoft Training on Access 2003. The website included a 35-45 minute training session with three lessons focusing on the following goals:
- The difference between a database and a list.
- Tables, fields, records, and primary keys.
- Four main items, called objects, that most databases contain.
One of the main features that was very helpful was the sample database that the training allows you to explore. The sample got me thinking about other ways I could incorporate the use of a database to help store records and increase my efficiency at using them for various tasks. I also liked that you had the option to turn off the sound during the training and just read the text only. Although there were sponsored links on the side of the page, they were not distracting. At the end of the training (or the right sidebar) you could access a quick reference card that gave a summary of the training information.
After I completed the lesson, I felt like I could have used more information on queries, reports and forms. There was not too much detail about the design process rather; it was just showing what they looked like in Access 2003. I imagine if I spent more time looking on the main Microsoft site, I would have found more in-depth training on the topics.
Overall, I would highly recommend this site for users who want to get started with database design.
I was perusing Oprah.com today and came across this article. I am posting a link to last part of the article that has helpful websites for Activisim, Shopping, Energy & Water Bottles. Good tips and reminders about how little changes can make an impact.
Recently, a family member suggested I check out Mint.com to help track my personal finances. I was quite skeptical at first, simply because you have to use your bank login information to acces the site. However, you don’t put in personal information, so I went ahead and went with it. If you’re more skeptical, check out their How We Keep You Safe page.
I’m extremely satisfied with the site’s ability to categorize my spending and show it in charts and graphs. You can’t move money or anything like that, it’s really just a way to track your spending and suggest ways to save more money. I’m guessing that’s how they make their money.
For example, if you click on the Ways to Save tab, they’ll show you what you are spending money on and other companies that can save you money or make you earn more. The site reminded me about one that I had forgotten was to change my savings to a max-rate checking to earn more interest on Etrade.
It’s not as powerful as Quicken or other financial software products, but it gets the job done for our household needs.
I recently received an email from a family member directing me to a website to see which candidate I agree with on the issues. Feel free to check it out: Electoral Compass.com
After completing the survey my positions were closest to Hillary Clinton, which did not come as too big of a surprise to me. Once you complete answering the questions, they give you percentages showing how similar your responses are to the candidates on each issue.
So if you’re getting ready for Super Tuesday and still struggling who to cast your vote for, check out this site.
I imagine that Oprah’s recent show on going green was a repeat, but all the tips are still great. The thing I always enjoy is seeing a tip I’m already using. For example, Tip 3, bring your own bag to the store, is one our family is already doing. Now I didn’t buy the Oprah bag, but I think ours do the trick. HEB sells bags for 99 cents that work great. Now on a typical visit, we are only using our 5 canvas bags for a family of four, instead of the 20 or so plastic ones we used to get at the store. I hope you’ll consider this very easy change to help our earth!
Our living room was in desperate need of a makeover, but we didn’t want to spend a lot more money, since we’d just completed many other projects.
After catching a couple of Freestyle episodes on HGTV, I got inspired to look around the house for things that might work in the room. As we were sitting and staring at the awful setup of our TV area, my mother-in-law suggested a dresser that we would have never given a chance. We used some paint that we had from a different room and changed the drawer pulls for $25. It’s allowed us to have a better look in the area, while also providing extra hidden storage in the room.
We also used another piece as a side table. I’m trying really hard to get away from all the furniture matching in the room.
Finally we changed out the art in the room for free. Each year our son has brought home a “large” piece of artwork from school. We found some basic black frames for them, and they’ve worked out great.
Although the makeover was not free, we were able to make some pretty dramatic changes for under $100. So look around your house, you may be surprised at what you can use to change up a look.
About two years ago, we got our first puppy for our family. What a great idea, right? Wrong! We were totally ill-prepared for the responsibility. I often joke that we should have just had a 3rd child. If you’ve had a dog that was unruly in every way possible, then you can begin to feel our pain about our dog.
Fast forward to two weeks ago and we’d pretty much given up on our dog ever getting better. Like some sort of sign, we saw a van advertising BarkBusters in our area, so I decided to check them out online. I gave them a call and was skeptical. We spoke over the phone and was cautiously optimistic, but at this point I was willing to try anything.
Fast forward to two hours ago and I’m sold. I could not believe the progress he made in such a short amount of time. We also learned so much about our dog. One our main concerns was his bolting out the front door. Now that we have the tools, we are making progress on eliminating this bad habit all together. People that know our dog will never believe the transformation. All I can say is we are completely amazed by the initial transformation.
We’ll see what it’s like in a few weeks. I’m still cautiously optimistic, but we have a lifetime guarantee for anytime that we need help. If you have an unruly dog, I encourage you to take their behavior quiz. It will give you an idea of what kind of help your family may need. I’m eager to give updates on our dog’s continued progress.
I’ve given in to peer pressure and have entered a new world. World of Warcraft that is. I see this as an opportunity to spend more time with my spouse. Or maybe more fights, who knows.
So I’ve been playing for about 2 months now and have made one of my resolutions for the year to get one character to level 70. So far, my closest character is a level 40 gnomish rogue. My husband went ahead and bought me the expansion pack, so I’m also working on a blood elf rogue.
Because I probably won’t blog much about my characters, go check out Hynjoku’s site. Lots of fun things to read there about WOW.