The last three months were a blur and I, for one, am really sorry to see this summer go. This was supposed to be the summer of relaxing (note ‘supposed to be’).

Instead, it turned out to be one of the busiest summers I’ve had, which explains my month+ long absence from here.

Rockin’ and Rollin’ at IWW

We have been really busy over at Inspired WebWorks, much busier than we anticipated, which is a good thing! We worked on some really cool projects this summer, some are wrapping up and have really cool things in the pipeline going forward.

You can check them out over in our client showcase. Right now, we’re working on some really cool stuff to add residual / passive income streams to IWW and for our clients. Sorry, no details just yet, but you know that I am all about time freedom, so I’m super excited about what’s coming down the road for Inspired WebWorks.

They’re Home!

Both of my sons are home safely from the Middle East (praise God!). Matt returned from Iraq at the end of July and Sean just got back from Afghanistan one week ago.

Thank you to all those who endured my ‘Army mom meltdowns’ this past year (you know who you are!) and thank you to all the many who added my sons and their men to the numerous prayer lists across the country.

Sean’s girlfriend is an Army nurse and is currently deployed to Afghanistan, so please keep continuing to pray for our military as there are still many ‘over there’ fighting the fight. It’s been a long year, but I’ll reserve my thoughts and reflections for another blog post.

Me? A Mother-in-Law?

Yes! Matt returned from Iraq and 3 weeks later proposed to his girlfriend! He told me he was going to, so I knew, just didn’t know when.

Then, one day… on Facebook, we saw his status turn from ‘single’ to ‘engaged’. So, now we’ve got a June wedding to look forward to. Congratulations Matt and Alysha!

So, that was my summer… So much for relaxing, right? Haha! How was yours?

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Just a couple of days before, my dad called me and said, “Can you come to NJ on Sunday, we’re having a surprise party for your mom, at The Bistro, and it would be so nice if you were there. I know it’s short notice, but she would be so happy.”

Leaving on a Jet Plane

As we were on the phone, I checked Orbitz for rates, looked over at Doug and said, “I’m going to NJ on Sunday” and within about 15 minutes, had my reservations booked.

My brother picked me up from the airport and we drove straight to the restaurant. My mom thought she was going out to dinner with her brother-in-law and his wife and had no idea about the party.

I hid behind my 12 year old nephew and here’s her big surprise when she saw me.

Check out the rest of the pics on Facebook.

Never in Corporate America

I would have never been able to do this if I were still entrenched in the matrix of corporate America. At best, I would have had to give a month’s notice of any vacation plans and even then, there’s never a guarantee that those days would be approved.

Doug and I work at home together, so I didn’t have to worry about who was going to take Emily to school or pick her up.

It Gets Better

I had an absolutely wonderful 4 day visit with my parents and it gets even better.

You see, last fall, my parents joined Doug and me in business. While my mom has been retired from corporate America for 11 years, last fall my dad retired, too, and they decided to join us in our network marketing opportunity.

They totally ‘get it’ and so not only did we have amazing family time, we also got to spend some fantastic training time. We set up their blogs, I showed them how to integrate their posts with Facebook, we talked about our webinars and they are totally rockin’!

They got to meet my awesome business partner, Todd Schager, and we had a great time talking about the future of our company and what it means going forward.

I had my laptop and iPod Touch with me, so my parents got to see the power of a portable business firsthand as we were able to do all this right from their kitchen table.

Needless to say, they are even more excited now than when they first got started.

Memories to Last a Lifetime

Memories that were created last week are absolutely priceless and I am so thankful to be in an industry that affords me this type of opportunity.

The opportunity is out there for you, too. You just have to go grab it and make it happen. This business is about lifestyle. It’s about having the time to do the things most important to you with the people that matter most.

Make it a part of your life and create your own memories to be cherished. It’s never too late to get started because life is simply to short to wait for someday.

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They showed the Disney Pixar movie, “UP.” It’s been out for a while, but if you haven’t seen this movie, yet, all I can tell you is that it’s not what you may be expecting. I expected a light-hearted comedy, as most Pixar movies are.

What I got was tear-jerking and thought-provoking instead.

This movie tugs at heartstrings you never thought you had. Tissues required.

Rather than me explain what this movie is about, watch the clips below. I have now seen this movie twice, and both times, I cried like a baby and I know I’m not alone. Why didn’t somebody warn me! If the first few minutes doesn’t ‘get’ to you, then you truly have no soul.

I talk about ‘somedays’ a lot, and for good reason.

As human beings, regardless of our culture, regardless of what side of the globe we live on, no matter what the color of our skin is, all of us want to love and be loved… to spend our life doing the things most important to us with the people that matter most.… like Carl & Ellie.

I’ve seen most of the Pixar films, and while all of them have a good message, I think one of comments on YouTube says it best.

The fact that an ANIMATED movie can make you feel a whole spectrum of emotions in under five minutes without any words being spoken, within the first ten minutes of a film, says so much about Pixar. You feel like you know Carl & Ellie personally & so well, which is what makes the very last scene all the more heartbreaking. I also love how the music perfectly captures every moment.? Movie of the year, hands down.

Carl & Ellie have their ‘someday’, too, as you’ll see in this clip. Ellie has her Adventure Book with her list of “Stuff I’m Going to Do” and as you watch the two clips below, think about your ‘somedays’ and what you’re going to do about them.

I assure you, if you haven’t given it much thought before, you will now.

Thanks for the Adventure

I wasn’t sure if I should add this clip in a second post, but I think it’s important to see these powerful messages together.

I know watching “UP” for a second time has not only reaffirmed the importance of my ‘somedays’, but the urgency in making sure that before I leave this planet, I AM going to make them happen.

Life: Spending time doing the things that matter most with the people that we love.

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Yes, I already have plans for Christmas 2010!

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We went on a carriage ride, decorated Christmas cookies, walked around the shops, watched the tree-lighting and Emily even sat on Santa’s lap! She’s 8 years old and had always been terrified of sitting on Santa’s lap.

Our favorite coffee shop, Milwaukee Traders (think big comfy couches and free wi-fi) is the perfect place to relax and do business. It was all decked out for the holidays.

I didn’t forget my camera this time and created this video. Enjoy!

p.s. This morning, I overheard Emily and her friend talking about their ‘someday.’ How cool is that!
QOTD: What are your top 3 ‘somedays’ and how are you going to make them happen now?

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Rather than the typical wrapping paper and popcorn, which most parents wind up taking to work to sell, Emily’s school has a really cool fundraiser, which is a bikeathon.

The bikeathon really gets the kids and parents involved and it is a lot of fun. The kids can bike, roller-blade, walk or run and parents, family members and anyone can pledge either a flat donation or a donation per lap.

It was last Wednesday, and after the bikeathon, there was a picnic and games for the kids. It’s a lot of fun for the kids and for the parents who can attend.

As Doug and I were standing there watching all the kids do their best and cheering them all on, you could just see their big smiles as they drove or ran by. They were so excited to have someone cheering them on.

We had an absolutely beautiful day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I’m not sure how many laps she did, although I’m sure we’ll find out soon.

Aren’t they great!

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And… they were serious!

Today is our wedding anniversary, September 1st, 1998. It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years already! Sean was starting his freshman year of high school and Matt was 12.

Doug’s parents and our good friend, Dale, were with us. I don’t know who was trying harder not to laugh, my in-laws, Dale or us.

I’m from New York. Doug is from Wisconsin and we pretty much figured it’s a given that you’re related AFTER you say your vows, not before.

Covington, KY is right across the river from Cincinnati, OH. Many people live in Northern KY and work in Cincy, so this wasn’t exactly the back woods.

You have to wonder, though, if they have to ask the question about whether or not we’re related, who in the world is showing up to get married?

Ewww, I don’t even want to think about that! (Shudder!)

Wait, it gets better.

After they gave us the license, we went to the Justice of the Peace across the street. Yes, we did have a church wedding, but not until May of the following year. We found the perfect house just a couple of months prior and were not going to move into a house with 2 teenage boys without being married.

We all walked across the street.. me, Doug, my future in-laws and Dale. The door was closed and locked. Hmmm, o.k. What’s the deal here? Are we going to be able to get married or not?

There was a parking lot across the street. You know, the kind with the attendant in the booth that you pay money to park your car.

In less than just a few minutes of spotting us, the parking lot attendant walked out of the booth and started coming toward us. I really didn’t think much of it, until he started walking toward the Justice of the Peace office. You know, with the locked door.

He was wearing t-shirt, shorts, had glasses and was bald. I do remember that!

“Are you getting married today?” he asked.

“Yes, we are, but the Justice of the Peace doesn’t seem to be here,” one of us said.

“Oh, I can help you with that.”

He proceeds to open up the door and walk toward an office in the back. I’m thinking to myself, “Who in the heck is this guy? Is he some helper or assistant? Where in the world is the judge that can marry us?”

He went over to a coat rack, picked up a judges robe from the rack and started to put it on. I looked at Doug, Doug looked at me and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing.

O.K.., ready for this one.. Are you sitting down?

HE was the Justice of the Peace!

Yes, that’s right, the parking lot attendant was also the Justice of the Peace.

We all looked at each other and I have to tell you, it was like something out of a comedy skit. Who was going to not laugh first was the question. First, the license desk asking us if we’re related and then the parking lot attendant being the judge.

It wasn’t a joke, he was really the judge, we did get legally married that day and moved into our house.

Nine months later, on May 1st of 2009, we had the most beautiful church ceremony and catered reception in our home. Our parents and lots of friends flew in from out of town, it was really an amazing day.

Sean and Matt walked me down the aisle. That was truly special.

Doug’s brother-in-law, Jim, is a pastor and performed the service. His wife, Kathy, is opera-trained and sang with her dad. Their son, Jacob, and my goddaughter, Charlotte, were our ring bearer and flower girl. Charlotte is now 18, and a college freshman. Jake just got his drivers license.

Time sure does fly! It’s been an amazing 11 years and I know there will be many more.

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This summer flew by way to fast. It seems like we really just did finish up the last day of the school year and poof! we’re back to starting a new school year.

Where did the last three months go?

The weather here was definitely not summer weather. Most days, it was cloudy and barely got up over 75. That was nice for not having to turn on the air conditioning, but not so nice for running under sprinklers.

Doug came home from corporate America to work with me. Sean and Matt came up for visits. I put yellow ribbons on my trees after they left.

I did a lot of running this summer and Army Crossroads got a makeover. No trips to Disney World this year (we were just there last year). Next year, we’ll be in North Carolina celebrating the return of the 82nd.

Ah! With a new school year brings brand new school supplies, crisp clean clothes and the school year routine. Emily is going to take keyboard lessons this year and play baseball in the spring. (Yes, baseball)

Whether you have one kid (or three) to get up and out the door, it can get crazy. So, to all the moms who try to keep it all together, this is for you.

Enjoy the video!

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I’ve been living in Wisconsin for nearly 5 years and I can’t believe this is the first time we’ve gone. It’s only about a 40 minute drive from our house and I had heard it was a really cool place to visit, yet wasn’t sure what to expect… after all, this is where Lance Armstrong’s bikes are made, as well as all of the Team US Postal and Team Discovery Channel for the Tour de France.

We got there about 10 a.m. even with having to take an annoying road-work detour. There were 9 of us in our group and 3 in another group, two who were visiting from the Netherlands.

Our tour guide was super nice and you can tell he loves what he does. He was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the production that goes into making a Trek.

This factory is where they make the high-end and custom bikes only. The ones that go for anywhere from $5,000 and up… more than my first brand new car!

We started with hearing a brief history of the company and then progressed as we moved along through the factory and viewing the assembly.

This is no ordinary assembly line, though. Every single bike is hand-made, by real people. No robotic machines here. It was very cool to watch how each person hand-assembled his/her part of the bike and moved it along to complete the finished product.

Everything from the rims to the labeling to the packaging is all done by hand. You know the name of the brand that goes on the rims of the bike? Every single one put on by hand. There were about 4 or 5 people doing just that.

We got to touch some of the carbon frames and rims and I was amazed at how light they are. We also got see an example of a Livestrong rim, which was really cool, too.

I don’t know what impressed me more, the fact that there were no robots or that the employees obviously are very proud of the work they do.

The quality control systems they use are amazing. The place was spotless and they are also a very ‘green’ company.

I obviously don’t race (haha!). My Trek is a not a high-end bike, it’s a hybrid path bike, although it’s easy to see and appreciate the quality that goes into this company and the bikes they build after seeing the factory today.

Something else really cool happened, today, too. We all had lunch out, and after Doug, Emily and I got home, I checked email to catch up as we had been out from early this morning.

I logged into see that someone new had visited our Send Out Cards website and created a new gift account to send a card. I’ll give her a call in the morning to follow up.

We also had a couple of new people visit ArmyCrossroads.com requesting more information about our courses and affiliate program.

In my last post, I reflected on time and how for us, it’s not about the money. Rather, it’s about having the time to do the things that matter most with the people that matter most.

Today was a perfect example of that. While we were out at the Trek factory with family, having fun, our business was doing was it’s supposed to, giving us the time freedom to do just that.

Our business works for us 24/7, whether we are at the computer or not.

Unlike a traditional business, we never have to put a “Closed for Vacation” sign on the front door. We can go on vacation and our business will still be working for us.

The groundwork and foundations that we put in place are doing exactly what we expect and will continue to do so and will continue to grow.

I don’t have to tell you that the Internet has changed the way we do everything… the way we communicate, get information, the way we shop. Most important, it has created opportunities that were never before possible.

However, unless you reach out to grab hold of those opportunities, they will pass you by… as will time.

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July was busy in our house. Early in the month, Sean came home on a 4 day pass and then Matt was here for 4 days last week. As much as I would love for them to come up together, I’d be asking for a miracle. After all, it is the Army.

The last time all 5 of us were together was in mid-May of 2008 for Matt’s ROTC commissioning ceremony from Xavier University. I have no idea when all 5 of us will be together again, most likely not until they get back next year.

Sean leaves very soon (can’t post dates for OPSEC reasons) and Matt leaves shortly after. They’ll both be overseas for a year.

When I look back on the last year, it did go by pretty quickly. We had a lot going on with their events, moving to Colorado… and back. I can only hope the coming year goes by just as fast.

Emily will be approaching 10 years old by the time Sean and Matt get back from the Middle East and I don’t even want to think about how tall she’ll be by then.

The last month, and especially their visits, really put life into perspective.

As a parent, I’ve never bought into the ‘quality time versus quantity time’ debate. Regardless of how much time I’ve spent with my kids, I’ve always wanted more.

I would have given anything to be a work at home mom when Sean and Matt were little boys, although those options were not available back then. Even now, while all they wanted to do was relax and not talk about the Army, I could have just sat all day with them doing not much of anything… just being together is enough.

Time is something you never get back. All the money in the world, and all the ‘stuff’ it can buy can never replace the time spent making those wonderful memories with the people you care about most.

That is what kids will remember. That is what I will remember and cherish.

I see some of my neighbors leave their house, with kids in tow, at 6 am, to return at 6 or 7 pm. I see some of my neighbors husband who travel a lot and I wonder how many baseball games or class plays were missed.

Our deployed soldiers miss a lot of events, too. However, there is a profound difference between missing events because your priorities are focused on accumulating ‘things’, versus missing events because you are protecting our nation’s freedoms.

I am so thankful that my business has allowed me the time freedom to be able to devote 100% of my time to my family during times like this. Even more so, I am especially grateful that Doug has been able to do this, too.

I couldn’t even imagine having to ask an employer for that kind of time off.

When Sean and Matt were in college, and would come up for visits, Doug would be at work all day while the boys, Emily and I would enjoy our day. That was no fun for us, knowing he couldn’t be with us, and I know it was no fun for him, either, wondering what we were doing while he was stuck in an office all day.

That is what really made these visits so special, too, is that even though Sean and Matt had to visit separately, Doug was able to enjoy all this time, too, and we had a blast.

Doug is already talking about renting a house in North Carolina next year so that we can be there for when they both come back. We’ll probably coordinate to do an Army Crossroads event at Ft. Bragg around that time, too.

How fun that will be!

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