The Road to Lifestyle

While in Raleigh, North Carolina our team ate at Natty Greene's and I saw this nifty quote from our 4th President, James Madison, on one of the pillars in the restaurant:  "The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty." I found the quote fitting for the weekend as we were about to get bombarded with nuggets we could take home to build our business. As far as our dining experience, I had the Dizzy Chicken with a tall glass of sweet tea! There is a deliciously tender rotisserie chicken under that brown gravy.  And a corn cake that tasted like a crab cake slathered in more brown gravy (questionable!).   I would have preferred to have had all that gravy on the side. Oh!  And the stuff in the bowl?  Ratatouille ! It definitely doesn't look like the stuff in the Disney/Pixar movie of the same name! The final ratatouille dish from the film... But it was actually REALLY good!  Who knew?!

You are all in luck!  Tickets to the Gun Show have arrived! :) My husband and I had a great time in Raleigh NC this past weekend at our 2012 National Convention (NATCON).  I got the opportunity to dress up like a princess for a few hours.  I'm still hardcore though, even in a dress, hence the flexing pose above.  This princess packs a punch! A friend told me the next day, "You looked beautiful last night... and not just beautiful, fairy tale beautiful." Wow!  What a great compliment!  I was floating on air and the Beauty and the Beast theme song started to play in my head after she told me that!  You know the one, "Tale as old as time..." I hope you all have a fantastic week!

At NAA 's Leadership Convention last year my husband and I had the opportunity to meet Chris Gardner in person and have him sign copies of two of his books, The Pursuit of Happyness and Start Where You Are:  Life Lessons in Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be .   Start Where You Are is a phenomenal book, chock-full of lessons and tips to help you on your journey through life's challenges--both business and personal.    The Pursuit of Happyness is by far the rawest biography I have read to date.  At times I had to put the book down and walk away just to be able to sort out the trauma he endured in my brain. NAA 's 2012 National Convention (NATCON) is going to allow us the opportunity to meet yet another cultural icon:  Jon Gordon .  I have read the following by Jon Gordon and highly recommend his books to anyone looking to grow themselves, their relationships, and their organizations: The Seed:  Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life andWork Training

       AND       So it's official... the New York Giants and the New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl!   Is anyone else as thrilled as I am about the color scheme?   So very similiar...  NY Giants:  Blue, Red, White, Gray New England Patriots:  Nautical Blue, New Century Silver, Red, White Super Bowl XLVI (46) ... Sunday, 5 February 2012... ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!?!?! :)

This past week Barry Clarkson, one of our founders, talked about the "quiet still confidence that repetition brings."  It reminded me of my first month in the field.  It was, as Mike Alleman put it, "an exercise in patient persistence" in search of that quiet still confidence... It was August of 2008.  I was an eager insurance agent, ready to make my millions in the service of others. I can vividly recall the difficulties of my first foray into this new industry. I was flush, sweaty, all smiles, and talkative.  Way too talkative.... I wrote a whopping two applications that month... and one of those was on myself. "Thank you for all of the information, Laura.  You've given us quite a bit to think about," potential clients would tell me.  They would then usher me out the door and never return my calls. I remember thinking that I looked forward to the day when I would fulfill the image of a woman who had harnessed that "quite still confi

Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all Ages... I am thrilled to present to you my husband's Official Road Buddy for 2012 -- GOODIES! I bought him at a Fudge Shop in Mackinaw City, Michigan yesterday! You can get your own GOODIES or other TY Baby Beanies... JUST CLICK HERE ! He will be making the journey to South Carolina with Braden for the Sandblast Rally  in just a few weeks! More pics to follow!

I am a HUGE fan of the English language.  Which is amazing because English wasn't even my first language! But I fell in love with it when I came to the US from Panama.  I even majored in English at the United States Air Force Academy (Class of 2002!). I am a word groupie!  A WORDIE!  :) Dictonary... check!  Thesaurus... check!  The Synonym Finder ... check!  Merriam-Webster Word of the Day Subscriber... check! Owner of Deluxe Scrabble ... check! I am also a fan of SnorgTees .  Can you guess why an English Major might like these t-shirt designs?  *BIG Smile* and maybe even a chuckle or too...

In order to get over any mental block we must master the art of the start. For instance, in order to get over writer's block, you should just write.  In order to get over writer's block, I should just write.  I should write in search of my idea.  Like a word map, it will create a web of memories, thoughts, and impressions that will eventually lead to something that I can use as the foundation of what will ultimately be my final piece. But, I have writer's block, you say?!  What will I write? Child, put pen to paper and let go.  No one tells the ink to flow from the pen.  It simply flows! In order to begin, you must BEGIN... You MUST master the ability to simply start... not do, not finish... simply start.  It's not in the doing or finishing of a task that our victory is won; it was won the moment we started.   Do not seek to master accomplishment for nothing shall be accomplished unless one starts. Master the ART of the START. It's the journey of a thousand

My husband, Braden Childers, will be racing his dirt bike in the Sandblast Rally ... Cheraw, South Carolina... 4 February 2012...   To my utter dismay and sheer confusion, there are no prizes... But race he will...  For, as my Dad put it, THE GLORY... :) http://sandblastrally.linaracing.com/2012/ Braden's Bike - Suzuki DRZ400E There are five riders in this pic... and they are all Braden!  It's a time-lapse photo... cool, huh?!

This is simply incredible... This is the creation of an iPod Touch Painting by artist Seikou Yamaoka. I first read about him in the Huffington Post (scroll to the bottom of the article to see more of Seikou's work).

Adults can fingerpaint too!  This one can finish an impressive piece in 3 minutes or less! The artist is Fabian Gaete Maureira (arte100cia). (La pintura con los dedos!)  Here is his blog: http://arte100cia.blogspot.com/

"Questions are much more effective than answers in provoking learning."  - Susan Scott

I mentioned I like whimsy... :)

When I was in the military I was required to wear blacks socks when I was in uniform.  I had two choices: black boot socks or black dress socks.  Exciting, huh?!  When I separated from the military in 2006 I developed a desire for fun socks--brightly colored socks, patterned socks, themed socks, tall socks, short socks, ankle socks etc.  I now have a hoard of unique socks.   My current favorite are the pair of Peeps socks my husband bought be on a business trip to Washington DC.  On the trip, he visited the first and only Peeps & Company store in the world! AP Photo | JACQUELYN MARTIN These socks are awesome!  I have the traditional yellow.  They are thick, comfortable, and unique! In short, socks ROCK! :) I'll leave you with a funny sock quote: “Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speech by something outside himself--like, for instance, he can't find any clean socks.”  - Jean Kerr

Greetings All!   Had a rockin' good time at a wine bar in Nashville, Tennessee this evening!  A friend and I decided to check out Wild Bill's . What made the evening so very enjoyable was their incredible wine dispensing system by Enomatic . It was such an interesting way to experience a wide variety of wines!   We were given a Smart Card pre-loaded with $100 (we didn't use the whole $100 :)), a glass, and our choice of 48 wines!  There were 6 cases with 8 bottles in each.  Red wines were at room temperature and white wines were in a temperature controlled case.  Above each wine were three buttons and a screen that flashed the prices of a 1 ounce serving, half a glass, and a full glass.  A ounce serving was usually at or under two dollars! All you had to do was insert your Smart Card in a slot at the top of the machine, hold your glass under the spout, press the button and VOILA!  Self serve wine!  SWEET!  

   Yesterday I remembered!  Do you ever do that?  Just spontaneously remember?  Hopefully it's something good and warm... and fuzzy.  It was 14 August 2011... the sky was overcast, the day was cool.  I was headed to Frisco, Colorado for their 5th Annual Main Street to the Rockies Art Festival . I was with my husband and friends just strolling along, dodging the raindrops.  And there it was!  This precious bear and rabbit bronze statue by sculptor Ben Foster .  It captured my interest... the colors, the whimsy.  It seemed so totally me. It's on my wishlist.   It feels good to remember. :)

If you like noodles like I do, check out Penny's Noodle Shop in Chicago IL.  I tried the Chicken Soup (chicken, bean sprouts, green onions and cilantro served over rice vermicelli noodles in a seasoned broth) and my husband had Pad Thai with chicken (thin rice noodles stir fried in Pad Thai Sauce with egg, bean sprouts, green onions and ground peanuts then garnished with fresh bean sprouts, red cabbage and cilantro). Both dishes were absolutely delicious, more-than-reasonably priced, served quickly and had generous portions.  I had leftovers that I ate when we got home to Ohio!  The Thai Iced Tea was quite refreshing as well. Furthermore, they had some awesome art on display!  Brad Meese had a collection of his Reflection series. I snagged one of his "business cards": 

I'm so pumped!  A New York Times article shared the 45 places to go in 2012 and my birthplace is #1!  I still have a ton of family in Panama and I haven't been back since I was 12 (many, many moons ago).  I think it's time!   Check out who else made the list! THE LIST And if you want to know more about Panama, here is an awesome travel guide: New York Times Panama City Travel Guide

So I'm guessing that only an insurance agent would have a dream about diabetic aliens invading New York in search of insulin... :) - Me

"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going." - Kristi Holl Are you ready to ride the train of success in 2012? If the answer is yes, you have to get started NOW!   Remember:  You'll lose 100% of the opportunities you do not take. Make 2012 YOUR year! All aboaaarrrrd!