Spokane Bound

Posted on April 19, 2013 by cody

IMG_1431It’s late in some (fairly swank) Seattle hotel, and after a ridiculously busy day, it’s nice to crawl into bed. I was up at 5:30 to swap roof racks, pack the tires and drop the car at our mechanic, followed by a calm bike ride back to the house. A bit of prep for the day, and I was off to Byte for today’s adventure.

Today was basically a heroic step forward in connecting with some clients who were long overdue for some basic courtesy. It was fairly awesome, but much longer than I expected, and subsequently the rest of my day (literally) was spent rushing to the next spot with just enough time to fit it in. Home to whisk Heather to work, back home for some car clean-out, back to work for the afternoon with lots (changes & to do’s) there, then out to pick up the aforementioned car, home for a quick meeting with a team member and then packing for a flight in less than an hour away.

Cutting it close you say? I wouldn’t want to ruin the whole “adventure” part of this blog, right?

Anyhow, the most relaxed part of my day was sitting for two hours on a plane reading about our nation’s economy & educating myself about how to be intelligent when it comes to the media & government’s report of “monetary policy” or whatever they might tag it with.

But then, to top it all off, there’s more to be had in Boston.

I’m not really sure how to take it. Part of me wants to separate and focus on the positive. Part of me wants to have answers. I try to draw possible correlations explanations, but there may not be some for a while. The news is currently reporting a second swing of something significant (which may or may not be), but regardless it’s being reported as breaking news.

IMG_1433I’m thankful for a life that is fairly protected from shenanigans. I woke up in a warm bed, was able to walk, talk, play, travel in a giant metal tube (aka airplane), and found myself in a posh hotel that has complementary Hagen Daas ice cream in the lodge foyer.

All in all, life is awesome.

Not sure what got me so contemplative… I’m thinking it might have been my reading about how loose fiscal policy and Civil Law systems (vs Natural Law) can drive an economy and a country into the poorhouse and turn a population against it’s own currency & subsequently into a woeful state. Maybe it’s the sour news being broadcast. Thank goodness Heather & I are linked arm in arm with Independent Business Owners across the nation in utilizing the free enterprise system to secure our own so that we can better assist others as the need arises.

Well, I’m getting a bit rambly, so I should close this off… I’ll blame it on the late hour and call it a night. As you’re fading off tonight wherever you might be, please remember to be thankful and take the time to recognize all of the blessings that surround you. It’ll make the days more vivid & encouraging…

Till next time,
-cb

 

 

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Learning to Budget

Posted on April 5, 2013 by cody

For some reason I’ve been able to escape creating a concrete budget for quite a while. I set guidelines and head out into the world and it all works out. I know the constants:

  • Tithing/Charity
  • Savings
  • Rent
  • Utilities

…but then everything else is “don’t spend more than you have” (which is an excellent financial mantra).

I’m finding (as of late) that operating that way as a husband is a bit of a blind walk in the woods – things come up (travel wishes, health care, entertainment, etc) that are remarkably easy to say ‘yes’ to when you just put them on the card. The challenge is the following month when those items/activities show up and ask to be paid. Fortunately, I’ve always had a surplus of cash and have always paid credit cards in full each month, so it’s never much of a big deal, but it does increase my stress, which is where I realized I needed to make some changes.

totalmoneymakeoverSo, I’ve been staring at charts of our finances… Reading resources (like The Total Money Makeover). Reviewing our spending habits. Cross-referencing suggested budget breakdowns. Considering possible boundaries. You get the idea. The long and short of it is that I’d like to iron out these things now so that I can be a better (aka: more stress free) husband.

I’m getting close to a landing point, which I guess in a way is just the beginning of lifelong finance management. I’m super excited to be living my life with my financial picture even if we don’t have some of the externally lauded trappings like fancy cars or ‘owning’ a house (I use quotations because most houses are owned by the bank).

 

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Strengths

Posted on April 3, 2013 by cody

Lately, I’ve been leaning towards some significant personal changes. Things are doing good at the homefront, but I want to lean forward and do something that scares me a bit and helps me to focus my energy in an area that gives and gets the most value. In conjunction with that, I have been spending time trying to reflect & study on my strengths.

nowdiscoverstrengthsFor those of you who aren’t in the know, the summarized version of the strengths paradigm: Strengths are Awesome: Work & Focus There (and Manage Your Weaknesses). Click on Now Discover Your Strengths and order up a copy – there’s even a convenient survey built to help bring your strengths to light.

Simple enough, but slightly unintuitive considering much of our upbringing (for example, think of whether you got more attention about an D or about the A when you brought your report card home).

goputstrengthstoworkSo, how do I take those strengths and lace them into my life to get the most out of my effort? I’ve been pondering this (and may go on pondering forever), and look forward to getting to know myself in such a refined way that I can intentionally guide myself towards my strengths when I’m at work in both my personal & professional life. To support this, I’ve been diving into Go Put Your Strengths To Work. The survey from this one showed that I have a lot of room for improvement for how my unique talents are being utilized at work.

It’s an ongoing process, but I’m excited to be reengaged in learning and reflecting and growing, even if I do wake up at 4am to do it. 😉

Till next time,
-cb

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Ski Bum?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by cody

Last April, I took the plunge and bought a set of skis & boots from someone on craigslist with the thought that I would rekindle my skiing so that in time I would be able to spend time collecting some epic images. Consider it a photography investment of sorts. Add to that a bit of frustration with the Ultimate Frisbee happenings (or lack there of), and I figured it would be a good way to remain active while the weather is cold.

It’s worked pretty well so far. I’ve been up 20 times with a couple extras where I hiked up after hours. I’m not sure that it’s a very economic form of exercise, but it’s been a good experience in stretching myself to try new things. Below is a shot from my first day hiking beyond the chair. An amazing bluebird day with amazingly light and fluffy snow.

ski

Interestingly, I’ve noticed that being slightly on the edge of my comfort level has helped me to enjoy life more. And, perhaps to some extent, has led me to focus more at work and in my other pursuits. I still am miles from perfection, but it’s been a neat correlation to notice.

The season is starting to wane, and the snow is being a little less awesome, but perhaps over the spring I’ll be able to do some slackcountry (terrain accessible via the chairlift at a ski area) skiing. In time, I have plans to learn more about avalanche safety and backcountry navigation in time be able to travel anywhere in the region to enjoy the wilderness & snow.

If I get a wild hair, some time I’ll post a few more winter-time photos since I’ve been so far out of touch.

Till next time,
-cb

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Birthday Trip

Posted on March 22, 2013 by cody

I’m not sure that I can go back to catch up over the past two years, but I can try to be a bit better about posting info on recent happenings.

Earlier this month, we took a trip, and like many of our travel arrangements, it was more of a whirlwind adventure than a vacation. We were gone for (I think) 10 days, and in that time we Lodged in the following locations:

  • Port Townsend, WA (a visit to Eli & Ariel)
  • Seattle, WA (a visit with Sierra, plus a regional business function. The dive lodging was, er, interesting.)
  • Carson City, NV (3 nights with family & mini-visits to South Tahoe and Reno.)
  • San Diego, CA (meet up with the McGoey’s and a night on the beach)
  • Anaheim/Fullerton, CA (a day at California Adventure Park)
  • Laguna Hills, CA (after a day at Disneyland)
  • San Diego, CA (2 nights! A visit with Zori, beach time, great food, more business functions, shopping & more)

So, yeah, lots of places, short visits, tons of fun. After all, on the Saturday of the trip, it was Heather’s birthday! We found a pretty amazing vegetarian spot somewhere in San Diego, and it was so good we’re planning a return trip sometime for more fake duck. Ha!

I love that kind of travel, though if I had my druthers, I’d make the return ticket open ended so we could travel until we were tired of travelling. With such a varied schedule, it felt a bit like coming home was just the next stop in the jumps around the west coast. I’m glad to be back home in my own bed with our (as of late) beautiful & brisk weather.

Heather & I on the ferry from Kingston, pulling into Edmonds. Photo op!

Heather & I on the ferry from Kingston, pulling into Edmonds. Photo op!

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