Free To Be Lovely

I really enjoy shopping online. For me, the convenience of shopping when I want is huge. Of course, I have to admit, I also like receiving packages in the mail, especially when I’ve forgotten what I’ve ordered. The other thing I get excited about is finding a deal. I never want to pay full price for anything. Here are some tips for finding discounts. 1. Search for coupon and discount codes online.   When I find something I want to buy, I always open a separate browser and search for a coupon code for that company. Often I will find a code that gives me an extra 10-20% off or free shipping. 2. Shop around. This might be a no brainer, but I’ve found the same item at different places having different prices. Lately, I’ve found Amazon to have lower prices on items that are more expensive in a physical store. This isn’t always the case though. I usually check out a few sites, which include Amazon as well as the manufacturer of the item. 3. Find out what your friends are buying...

    Recently, a girlfriend shared with me about her struggles with work. She was tired of working long hours, feeling like she had to work on vacation, and feeling unsupported by her boss and project manager. She told me she wished something, anything, would happen to her so she wouldn’t have to go into work. Right away, I heard warning bells, and it brought me back to a time when I had had similar thoughts. Feeling powerless and stuck in a situation where you can’t see a way out is truly terrible. It was fortunate that this friend decided to talk to me about it. About 20 years ago, I had been in the same place, and she had helped me through it. At that time, my work, home life, and health weren’t functioning well. I was overwhelmed and tired. I felt stuck. I didn't share the details of what I felt with her at that time, but I did tell her I was struggling. I still remember how she listened and shared words of loving encouragement. Who knew, that one day I would be a...

For 3 weeks, over Christmas and New Year's, I went to Zambia and Zimbabwe to visit family. I had never been to Zambia before and I hadn't been to Zimbabwe in about 21 years. These countries were shocking and beautiful at the same time. While in both countries, I saw police asking people directly for money at police checks, lots of garbage strewn about, and plenty of non-functioning toilets. In Zimbabwe, I saw cars lined up around blocks waiting to get gas and heard countless comments about how hard it is to get anything done without bribing someone. Despite this, my extremely generous African family welcomed our motley crew of 7 with open arms and showed us all there was to love about both countries. They gave us a taste of what everyday life was like and took us to various game parks, tourist sites, and local hangouts. In addition to this, I saw some of the world's most beautiful women. With their brightly colored clothing, fitted dresses, strong-looking bod...

Audio Transcript: I believe a person can learn something new at any age. Within the last few years, I’ve started taking stock of my firsts during the year. For example, this year I learned to paddleboard, I tried indoor rock climbing, and I even played my first virtual reality game. It was a zombie apocalypse shooting game. Those zombies looked so real. The game started with the zombies slowly limping toward you and then they got faster until they were charging straight at you. Teaming up with other players with a common goal to protect the energy core, or whatever it was, was thrilling and exhilarating. I put 2400 miles on my motorcycle, which was a first for riding that distance on a road trip. I even rode across the Bridge of the Gods, which is a steel, grated bridge built in the 1920s. This impressive bridge goes across the Columbia River between Cascade Locks, Oregon and Washington state near Bonneville. This bridge makes a lot of motorcyclists uncomfortable, especially ...

With holidays and time off just around the corner, for some of us, it means getting ready for travel and adventure! I asked five of my friends, Kim, Suzie, Chantal, Kristan, and Leslie to tell me what things they need to have with them when they travel. I added my own creature comforts to the list. Beauty Supplies Kim swears by the Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Mask . I never would have thought to travel with a facial mask , but Kim gives a compelling argument. She takes advantage of the travel time by applying the mask during the flight and then wipes it off just before the plane is about to land. She says the mask leaves her skin glowing and hydrated, and she arrives at her destination looking all rested and refreshed. Between you and me, I’ve never seen Kim “look tired,” in fact, she has some of the most beautiful, dewy skin I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine how amazing she looks after a long day of travelling. One of my beauty “loves” for travelling is an all-in-one ...

Have you ever had a strange conversation with someone that left you scratching your head in confusion? I did, just last week...

Last week, I attended a work conference in Las Vegas. Having been apart from Karl for over a week while he traveled, I was thrilled that he could join me and work remotely from the hotel while I filled my brain with eLearning tools and technology. Usually when we go to Vegas, we stay with friends and don't go down to the Strip. This time, we stayed at The Mirage hotel, which was where the conference was held. It had been a while since I had spent time on the Strip, and I had forgotten some key things. The Strip is Expensive If you're like me and you like to have food on hand in case you get hungry, then bring some snacks with you or pick some up at the airport. If you have a car, stop at a grocery store off the Strip to get some water and food. Of course, there were tempting bags of chips, candies, and water for sale in the hotel room, but I didn't see any prices listed. Assuming they would be pricey, I went to the hotel store. I bought two bottles of water a...