New York. Winter is setting in.

It's 42 and dropping. We're at johns (in an old cathedral) having antipasto and pizza. All the sites are closed, do weRe having canolli and then going to the movies.

Well, we just found out that the Port is still closed. Our ship is still at sea, but they are going to port in Boston to refuel and let people off. The soonest we would be able to embark would possibly be on Thursday. We are going to stick it out because the airport is closed and trying to get us flight out would be a nightmare. Luckily we do have trip insurance, so we are covered for any extra expenses.

So we are making the best of it. As grandma suggested. We are considering getting plastered.

Time square today

Most stores are still closed. Most people are off work. Lots it delis and restaurants still open.

Sandy sandy,

You are ruining our vacation plans!

We spent the entire day hanging out in the hotel room and watching you on the tube. The highlight of the day was when I spent 45 minutes on the treadmill in the hotel gym

And for what, I ask you? You are causing all kinds of havoc for those poor souls on the coast. As for those of us in mid town Manhattan, you've been a major inconvenience. We had to walk a block and a half to pick up lunch at the deli today, because the only thing open on our street was a nail spa. Too bad I just got a mani & pedi. And for dinner... We couldn't even eat at the restaurant in our hotel, cause it was the only thing open on our street, and the wait was way too long, we had too walk around the corner to the same Irish pup we already ate at once this week.

(as I'm saying all this tongue in cheek, a report of 5 dead already comes on the news. My prayers are with their families. I realize that to us this is a little inconvenience. To others it is life or death. Not a laughing matter.).

According to our cruise line we will sail on Wednesday.

Please keep the people really affected by this storm in your prayers.

New York pics

Rain rain... Where are you?

It was suppose to start raining this morning at 5:00. Not a drop all day!! In fact we've been chasing that storm all day and it just keeps running from us. Oh well, we've had a great time anyway. Took a scenic tour of the uptown area today. And went to the top of Rockefeller Center and got a fab view of the entire city. Had New York pizza for dinner, and yes, there is a difference.

Got stuck in the elevator on the way to the room tonight. Soooo much excitement! Now we're having a relaxed evening in our room watching storm footage. Probably not boarding our boat tomorrow. I guess the people stuck at sea for an extra day aren't having as much fun as we are. Ha ha.

Tomorrow should be fun!

NYC The Perfect Storm?

Ok.  So first things first.  Since everyone is so worried about us, i'll just say we are safe, dry and having a great time.  The worse thing that has happened so far is our feet are killing us from all the walking?  We have gotten an update from the cruise line and the ports are scheduled to be closed on Sunday at 6:00 pm, which means that our ship might not be back in port on time.  This means that they won't sail if it's not safe to do so.  We are safe and dry in our hotel and can extend if we need to.  There is no threat of evacuation, floods or anything else other than heavy rains and winds at this time. If it gets threatening, we will leave.

Okay, now for the fun stuff.  We had an excellent day! After  a leisurely sleep-in morning.  We slept until. 8:30 (that's 5:30 Phoenix time!), we took a tour through down town.  From the top of a double Decker bus, we had an excellent view of all the major sites.  We admired the architecture of all the great old buildings like Chrysler building, Rockefeller Center, and the Empire state building, as we wound our way through all of the main Burroughs of Manhattan, SoHo,  and Greenwich Village, then ended up at the Statue of liberty.  After waiting well over an hour, being herded through an airport security type terminal, we finally boarded the fairy. By the time we arrived on the island we were tired and hungry.  We quickly took the obligatory photos, meandered the souvineer shop and got back on the boat.   We were in a bit of a hurry, because we had booked ourselves to go see The Phantom of the Opera, so we took the express bus back to Time Square.  This time our top deck ride was fast and cold.  We did get to see Ground Zero on the ride back, though.  That was neat.  

Back at the hotel, exhausted, yet short on time, we poured ourselves a quick glass of wine then got ready and headed to dinner and to the play.  If you haven't yet seen the Phantom of the Opera, I highly recommend it.  It is the longest running play in the history of Broadway.  That should tell you something.  

Well, we've got a big day of storm chasing tomorrow, so at that I will say good night.  

We're here!

Yeah!!! We're here.  We arrived in NYC late this afternoon and the first thing we got to see in this great city was the taxi stand attendant curse out a taxi driver on our behalf.  We ended up with a great driver who familiarized us with the city as he drove us to our hotel.  We had to have two cabs between the four of us because one could not accommodate all of our luggage.  I guess the other driver wasn't as informative and friendly as ours.

Once we got situated in the hotel we walked to a local diner called O' Casey's, which the concierge recommended.  I was a little wary about going to a place recommended by a guy paid to recommend them, but I must admit the food was very good and the prices were reasonable.  I enjoyed warm pork tenderloin salad which very delicious and more than enough food for one person.  I would definitely eat there again if  there were not so many other great places to try.

After dinner we took a walk down to Time Square, about 3 blocks from our hotel.  On the way we found a great little park called Bryant park.  (we stopped ther on the walk back as well) It had an ice skating rink and lots of little shops and food vendors.  After meandering for a few minutes there, we strolled on down to the Square.  I can't even begin to try to describe the scene there.  All I can say is, it's just like in TV, but on steroids.  There were thousands of people, but surprisingly, I felt very safe.

So, about the big storm.  It's mostly hype.  It was a beautiful, balmy night, without even a hint of wind or rain.  It does look like we could get some weather, but our ship is still set to sail on time.  We aren't worried at all.

Tomorrow we are doing the bus tour thing, and Sunday we are going to a play.  Not sure which one yet though.  I'll keep you posted.

(Please bear with me on any typos, as I'm using my IPad and having a tough time getting it to cooperate.)

The pork was

New York here we come

It's Wednesday. Only two more days till the big trip.  That's right, a cruise out of New york City.  We are flying into NYC Friday morning, spending 3 nights there doing the tourist thing, then catching the boat Monday for a 9 day Carribean cruise.  Woohoo!

So I'm going to try the life if the travel blogger and journal my trip.  My goal is to post a blog every few days.  We'll see if I can be that disciplined.  I'm looking forward to some fun and down time.  If you've ever been to NYC and have tips for a westerner, let me know.  I think I'm more excited about NYC than the cruise itself.

Bon voyage!

Lessons from a Toastmaster

At Toast masters this morning I played the role of Toastmaster ( basically the MC of the meeting).  I've done this role a number of time, and one thing that I noticed is that the nerves have really calmed down.  The first two or three times that I did it, I was literally shaking.  I stuttered and stammered.  I felt incompetent.

One of the things I love about being a member of a local TM club is the relationships that I've gained.  The beautiful thing is that each of us is there for very similar reason and  each of us feels incompetent  in the beginning.  As we fulfill the roles, complete our speech assignments and practice good grammar, we become better and more confident, not only in a public speaking situation, but also in every day life.  

The lesson that I learned today is the more you do something, no matter how challenging at first, the easier it becomes.  I'm a sales person.  Sometimes I have to make cold calls.  This is the reason most people are terrified of sales.  When I've allowed time to pass between cold calling sessions, the old fears are there to greet me.  But, when I make it a part of my routine and make the calls on a regular basis, it is as natural a process as can be.  The more I do it, the more the nervousness and fears diminish, until one day, I'll look back and ask myself, " what was I so afraid of?"

So, I ask you.  What are you so afraid of?  

You can beat that fear a little at a time.  You just need to look it in the eye,  set a plan, and begin to bite off a little chunk each day.  If you need help, I challenge you to join Toastmasters.  It's not just about public speaking, it's about confidence building.  

Bite Your Tongue

Life is all about choices.  Living a life on purpose means not always doing or saying everything that we feel.  We live in a free country and that means we can pretty much do or say whatever we want.  But...

That doesn't mean that we should. Sometimes it's better just to allow someone else to have their way or win an argument because that person means so much to us.  I'm not saying you should be a doormat.  What I'm saying is that sometimes its better to put our own feelings down and show the people that we love how much we love them by allowing them the privilege of being right.  (even if they are not).

After all, look at the people in your life.  People who live totally by their feeling are consider arrogant, spoiled brats.  Most people don't want to be around them and they end up alone a lot of the time.  After all who wants to hang out with someone who has to have their way all the time or make everyone else miserable because they didn't get it?

The point that I'm trying to get at is that life is give and take.  The best relationships are those where both people are allowed to have their way some of the time and are willing to let the other person have theirs too, without it becoming a big to do.

"Bite your tongue" is a pretty good idea from time to time.  Even when you know you are right.  It's called self control.

Your friends will thank you, your family members will thank you,  the world will thank you.



Just saying...

Gratitude journal

I'm so thankful...
For my life, my salvation in Christ Jesus and my personal relation with Him.
My marriage to my high school sweetheart, whom I love more than ever.
My kids and grandkids and that they are all healthy.  and that they love me and want to spend time with me.
My friends and family whom I love, and cherish our relationships.  And the new friends that I get to meet every day.
My good health, I'm so glad that I can run and exercise every day.
My awesome career that I'm getting better at every day.
A nice home to live in.
My brain that I try to nourish daily and my attitude that I get to choose.

Sales goal

I'm 15 med sups away from convention.  I have about 8 weeks total left to get it done.  That's less than 2 a week.  I know I can do 2 a week without much effort.  I want to have them done in 5 weeks.  Then it will be all gravy after that. 3 sales per week.  Including trips and holidays, that's all 15 by the end of November.  NO PROBLEMO!

Hawaii here we come.

I found out yesterday that I'm on track for convention in Hawaii.  I keep having this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I'm not going to make it.  There is an old tape playing in there that I've got to get rid of. It's saying that I won't, can't, never have and never will achieve what I've set out to do.  The only problem with it is that it is a lie.  I have set high goals for myself and achieved them.  I've hiked the Grand Canyon, I've run a marathon, to name two of my biggest.  And yes I will admit that those were physical goals, which for some reason seem to be a little easier for me to achieve.  But one of the things that I learned during the experiences was to set small goals, and achieve those first before moving on to the giants. It's easy to conquer the little hills first.

I need to keep this kind of a mind set while working on achieving career and financial goals.  I also need to keep that long term goal in the back of my mind so that I don't loose focus along the way.  If I didn't have the grand canyon in my mind, I may have stopped at the achievement of summiting the white tanks, or Mt Humphrys or any of the smaller hikes in between.  Then I would have missed out on seeing the beauty of havasupai falls and the majesty of the view from the north rim.  It's not just the conquering of the goals that's important, it's also the trip along the way, the journey.  It's not always easy, but it's well worth it when you have great memories to look back on and new friends to share new experiences with as well as the rewards of the achieved goal. Whether they be financial, physical, spiritual, or personal growth and achievement.

I will be going to Hawaii in the spring.