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When you’re taking time over the next few days to establish the goals and accomplishments you want to complete in 2010, don’t play it safe. And by that I mean, whatever you THINK you want to achieve, multiply by about 3.

Yes, really.

Because I’ve found for myself that I often tend to stay within a “safe zone” when setting my goals. But you know what? Goals aren’t about being safe! They’re about pushing your boundaries. Exceeding the limits. Claiming victory.

Not about settling.

Annie’s 5 rules on how NOT to play it safe

1. Pick a word, any word. Well, at least pick one with some meaning, like COURAGE, EXPLORE, RELEASE.

For 2009, I chose ACTION and made it my single-minded goal, my ThemeWord. Like I mentioned earlier, for 2010 I’m choosing CREATE. And everything I do for the year will be as a result of that one thing. Every goal, every task on my list will be the question, “What can I CREATE from this?”

2. Take your word and keep it at the forefront of your mind all the time, day in and day out. Breathe it. Earn it. Live it. Let everything you do come from that one idea. Make it your mantra. Put it on your desktop wallpaper. Write it on your mousepad. Whatever. Just make sure it’s always confronting you.

3. Every time you make a list of things you want or things to do, multiply it by at least 3.

I’ve found that often I will stay within my comfort zone, my safe zone and put down something that’s probably a little more than I’ve done but still too easily reachable. For example, I may have a goal to ride my bike every day for at least 4 miles. Well, 4 miles is definitely doable for me and doesn’t really challenge or stretch me. Putting down 4 miles would be a cop-out.

Be honest with yourself – what can REALLY do? Multiply the number by at least 3. Can you ride 12 miles? Is it a little OUT of your safe zone? Well, put THAT down. Push the limit of your comfort level.

4. Get out of your preconceived box and go for the challenge! Don’t take no for an answer. Do your best in all things.

5. Be fully engaged and aware. No half-assed attempts. Either do it, or don’t. Nothing spells defeat to your inner self like doing something half way and feeling guilty. Like Yoda said, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

If you pick a ThemeWord for 2010, let me know what it is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this concept. I’ll try to keep you posted periodically on how things are going with mine.

And with that, I’d like to just say have a Happy New Year! Be safe! Drive carefully. Be responsible and all that stuff.

Be blessed,

Last night was the my oldest daughter’s NJROTC Annual Military Inspection and Parade (AMI) and her younger siblings and I were there to support her. She invited a handful of other friends and family but
none of them were able to make it. I think she was rather bummed about that even though she didn’t say so directly. Her body language showed her disappointment, though.

Even though the little kids thought it was boring and my youngest son had some trouble sitting still – and being quiet in otherwise silent gymnasium – I enjoyed it. The kids did a wonderful job marching and showing their expertise to the higher-ups. And **24** of them got perfect scores during the inspection!

I did get several pictures . . . none of the Teenager – she wouldn’t let me take one. Even though I begged. Pleaded. Bribed. Still, she just wouldn’t let me. The shots I took of her platoon didn’t turn out as clear as I would have liked but there is one where you can mostly see her peeking out from behind the others.

I haven’t uploaded the pictures from my camera yet but I will do that later today and add them to this post. Plan to check back tonight or tomorrow if you’re interested in seeing them.

Until then . . .

Be blessed,

It’s so frosty outside this morning! At first glance, I thought it had snowed! And it was only 23º f outside when I took the kids out to the school bus. It had BETTER NOT be another winter like last year . . . GRRRR

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Next to reading, writing and music, bike riding has been one of my favorite things in all the world. As a kid, I rode my bike everywhere. Even after I hurt myself in a bad bike accident (which required 2 surgeries on my elbow and wrist), I still rode it everywhere. And even after I got my drivers license, I still rode as often as possible.

But then that changed 12 years ago when I seriously injured my back at work. I could no longer ride – it just hurt too much. Since then, I’ve only ridden occasionally. And this week we got all of our gear out of the shed, cleaned up all the bikes, and got everything adjusted so that we can start riding again. My back doctor says it might ultimately do me some good if I can get passed the initial pain.

I hope she’s right because I really want to ride again. It’s probably the one form of exercise that would make sense for me at this juncture of my life. And probably the one sport I could really do with my family.

But I can’t ride just any ol’ bike anymore – I need a recumbent, not only due to the back problems, but also because as I’ve gotten older, my arm and shoulder have continued to deteriorate. Recumbents, or ‘bents as they’re often called, are so expensive, we could practically buy a good, used car for our soon to be driving teenager. So a couple of weeks ago, the folks over at WizWheels who produce TerraTrike recumbent 3-wheelers (trikes), held a “Trade with Terra” campaign and I entered. I haven’t heard anything yet, but I am seriously hopeful that I can win.

It would truly make my day. It would make my kids’ day. And you know, honestly, it would give me a chance at a new lease on life. With this high blood pressure thing going on and the weight I’ve gained in the past 12 years since I can’t be as physically active as I once was, this is about the only way I’ll get where I want to go with my health goals without further damaging my back or arm and shoulder.

I’ve had my eye on a recumbent for a long time and a TerraTrike Cruiser is just the one I’d love! It’s a beautiful piece of machinery and the best thing – it actually comes in a size that will fit my short self.

Isn’t it cool? I can so picture myself riding it around the neighborhood and down the trail with my kids . . .

So, TerraTrike, if you’re listening – I would be so grateful and happy if you choose me. Thanks!

In the arena,

Do you have a recumbent trike? Wanna trade one with me? I’d be happy to trade my graphic design and/or copywriting skills for one. You can contact me through the contact page.

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

My grandparents always had a garden when I was growing up and I remember spending summers with them working in the garden, watering all the plants, and eating lots of yummy things. I remember running up and down through the rows of corn playing tag and hide n’ seek with my cousins. It was always the best part of summer.

So for several years now, I’ve wanted to replicate that in my own yard to not only give my kids some fun memories and teach them about sustainable living, but also simply for the benefits it brings – like natural, organic food, fresh vegetables, fruits and berries for canning for the winter months, and of course, to cut down on our grocery bills (which really seem to be rising quite dramatically lately).

I always wondered how in the world I could actually successfully grow that much produce in a relatively small and manageable area. From time to time, I go searching around the web looking for info and always seem to come up short of what I’m looking for. But one day this week, I was reading one of the family oriented blogs I read regularly where I happened upon some information called the Mittleider Method. And now I’m so excited because I think this method will actually work the way I want to.

If you’re not familiar with it, here a brief description from the Food For Everyone Foundation website -

What is the Mittleider Method?

The Mittleider Method combines the best features of soil-based gardening and hydroponic gardening, but without hydroponic expense! It’s a complete, easy-to-follow plan that eliminates guesswork and ensures success anywhere: an apartment patio, a city yard, a country lot, or a farm.

The method is based on maximum utilization of space, time, and resources. Crops are large because plants are close together, nourished by supplemental feedings of natural mineral nutrients (as in hydroponics), but with no special equipment.

Also, unlike hydroponics, the Mittleider Method gives plants access to the natural soil for nutrients as yet unknown or that, while not essential to plant growth, are useful in human nutrition. You can use the Mittleider Method by raising crops in either soil-beds or grow-boxes.

And to me it sounds like container gardening on steroids! Which is actually what I want – containers that maximize growth and are easy on my back.

Now my plan for the next week is gather materials and have my husband begin building the boxes and greenhouse. Hopefully the weather holds out long enough to get it all ready and set up before it’s too late. Although, I think if we do it right, it won’t matter much. I’m thinking our summer is going to be a decent one this year and having a greenhouse will allow us to extend the growing season long enough to compensate.

I’ll keep you posted how things go and if you’ve used this method or any other container gardening style with good success, let me know.

I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful beginning to the summer season. Have a safe and fun weekend!

In the arena,

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

I was beginning to think Mother Nature had forgotten what “Spring” meant. But it appears she has finally remembered. And I’m excited about that because snow and rain and cold, icky weather was just getting old and tiring. I can finally see why senior citizens and other retired folks go to Arizona and such for the winter months.

For the past few days here in NW Washington, we’ve had sunny skies in the 60’s. Great weather for this time of year! And it’s what makes me love spring in the first place. Nice, cool (but not cold) mornings and warm afternoons.

Beautiful.

The kids are funny, though. They insist on wearing their winter jackets to school.

Gman – “But mom, what if it gets cold? Or what if it rains?”

Little Girl – “Yeah, mom. He’s right. We should wear them just in case.”

Short Dude – “No, mom. I really want to wear my warm jacket.”

Me – “Ok, fine but trust me, you won’t need it.”

And then when they get home from school,

All of them – “Geez, mom. It’s H-O-T out here!”

Um, yeah, guys. Tried to warn ya.

The bummer of the whole thing, though, is that LAST week – when it was still cold and rainy – was SPRING BREAK. Go figure. So, the kids were cooped up in the house all week with not much to do because it was too nasty outside to do anything or go anywhere. And we all were definitely ready for school to resume this week!

Can’t wait to get outside and ride bikes! Biking is one my favorite pastimes. Another good thing about Spring. I know – there are people out there who ride year-round no matter the weather. But not me. Sorry. Rain, I can deal with – but freezing temps are another thing. And as that’s about all we’ve had since last November, I haven’t ridden in a while.

Not that I have a bike to ride at the moment anyway. I’m looking into getting a new bike as I gave mine to The Teenager because she outgrew her old one. So, I’ve been researching new bikes and drooling over them.

Due to my back and arm issues, the doctor and physical therapist have all recommended I ride a recumbent bike anyway so giving my bike to The Teenager made sense. It’s really a nice bike – 24 speed mountain bike with some extras including a nice seat, top of the line shifters and brakes that were easy on my arm. It’s a smaller frame so it fits people in the 4′8 – 5′4 range quite nicely. If she continues to take care of it as I have, she should have it for many more years.

I am looking forward to getting a recumbent so I’ve whittled my list down to a couple of 3-wheel (trike) versions that I think would really work well for me. Now it’s just a matter of making a final choice and biting the bullet. (Recumbents are typically quite expensive. In fact, some of them are even more expensive than what my CAR is worth! LOL) Too funny.

The models I’m looking at are:

1. TerraTrike Path 8
2. Catrike Pocket
3. Greenspeed GT3
4. Sun EZ Tad

I really like the looks and everything of the TerraTrike, but I’m leaning towards either Catrike or the Sun. They all seem fairly comparable to me though the Catrike Pocket comes in a smaller size to fit shorter folks. Actually, so do the TerraTrike and Sun models. I really like the look and reviews of the Catrike and Sun and I know of 2 of each of those models for sale for a little less than the retail prices.

If you’ve ridden a recumbent – and specifically, one of the models I’ve listed here – let me know what you think and why you like (or don’t like) that model. I’d appreciate any input I can get. Hopefully, I will make a choice and be able to purchase one by the end of the month.

Aside from my back and arm issues, the other reason I want to start riding again is part of my exercise plan for weight loss. I used to ride everywhere as a kid – all over the place, really – and if I wasn’t at home reading, my friends and I were hanging out and riding bikes. I even built my own bikes when I was a pre-teen & teenager because I couldn’t find one exactly like I wanted.

Funny enough – the bike I was riding when I trashed my arm was one I had *just* finished building. It wasn’t even 24 hours old when I had the accident. (No, the accident had nothing to do with the bike – just stupid teenage error on my part; i.e. – riding down a really steep hill going very fast.)

Bike riding has always been one my favorite outdoor activities and I always miss it during the cold winter months. With that and my arm/back injuries, I don’t ride as often as I’d really like to so I think getting a recumbent is the answer I’ve been looking for. Maybe I will even want to venture out when the weather isn’t so cooperative.

Luckily, my kids and my husband also enjoy riding. In fact, that’s we did after our wedding – we packed everything up and went bike riding for the afternoon!

Yes, I’m a funny girl. My kids think I’m downright weird.

But it’s okay . . . it runs in the family. I’m pretty sure I’ll get to laugh at them when they’re my age as much as they laugh at me now.

When I started this post, I had intended to write something about my weight loss achievements over the past few weeks but I think I’ll end here and save that for tomorrow.

Hope you’re enjoying your week!

In the arena,

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
~ Denis Watley

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Over the weekend, I mentioned that The Teenager had an Annual Inspection and Parade with her NJROTC team a couple of weeks ago. My mom, Gman, Short Dude, Little Girl and I all went as did The Teenagers boyfriend. It sure brought back some memories for me!

There was lots of pomp and circumstance and the local Navy Band even played. The regional commander was present and performed the inspection and both the NJROTC armed and unarmed drill teams performed. And even though The Teenager is one of the taller people in our family, among her peers, she’s still one of the shortest. It was hard to see during parts of the ceremony.

I took quite a few pictures but didn’t really get any good shots of The Teenager because of where she was in the line but here’s a few for you . . .

And just because I can, here’s one of one my cats – Stardust – sitting on my lap.

Have a great day!

The Short Dude’s orientation went well but we didn’t get his class assignment yet. It’s not that a big deal, though, because the pre-school classes don’t start until September 9th.

Apparently, it’s because we have a couple of new schools opening in our district this year and the transportation boundaries are still being worked out. Can you believe that? This close to the first day and they still don’t know the new boundaries?? (Regular classes start September 2. It’s only pre-school starting the 9th.)

So, they can’t tell us his class assignment until the transportation stuff is determined. I’m so glad our other kids walk to school! The Short Dude will actually be going to a different elementary school than Little Girl and G-Man so he gets to ride the bus. He’s excited about that! He loves buses and trains and stuff.

The support gal who did our orientation said he’d likely go the afternoon session. I’d actually prefer he went to the morning session, though, because he still takes naps and by the end of the school day, he could be pretty crabby. She said if it did get to be a problem for him once school starts, we can change him to the morning session. I guess we’ll see.

Now for baseball!

THE MARINER’S WON! They beat The Twins 3-2. Not a spectacular game but I was glad they won. I’m not too thrilled with Ryan Rowland-Smith as a pitcher and really, I’m quite surprised the Twins didn’t get more runs as a result. Good thing the guys in the outfield were on top of the game.

But I gotta tell you, Safeco Field is awesome! It was my first time there. As I mentioned in part 1, I haven’t been to a Mariner’s game since my dad died. I did get a little emotional at times – like during the National Anthem. It’s just one of those things that makes me a bit teary eyed. (Did you know I was in the US Navy?)

Oh – and you know what was really cool? Sue Bird of the WNBA Seattle Storm – who was also on the US Women’s Olympic Basketball team in China and WON GOLD!! – threw the starting pitch. That was very cool. Lots of people stood and clapped when she came out on the field.

And a young gal from the Wesco AAA championship girls baseball team from San Diego threw the honorary pitch. That was pretty cool too. She had an impressive list of awards. I was quite amazed.

My husband and I had these awesome garlic fries. Oh, they were sooooooo good! I kept smelling garlic (I love garlic. Yes, I’m weird.) and told my husband we had to find out what smelled so delicious. So we went in search of these heavenly things and finally found them. Wow! They were just so good! I can’t say enough how yummy they were. And compared to some of the other concession prices, they were pretty reasonable.

When we first arrived, which was about an hour early, the roof was open on Safeco Field. It was pretty cool. Just before the game started, they decided to close the roof because it was obviously looking like it was going to rain. The sky started getting pretty cloudy and dark. It was good they did because, yeah, by time the game was over, it was raining.

And we forgot our umbrella. In the car. At the park and ride. (We rode the bus down to Seattle. Cheaper, faster, no parking headaches.)

We got wet on our way to the bus stop! Oh well. We’re used to it.

I’m glad we went to the game. We’ve decided next time we’ll take the kids and get some box seats right above 1st base. The view from that level is awesome.

My package came!

And Short Dude, Little Girl and I are listening to George Duke’s CD (Dukey Treats). It was part of my prize along with the 2 tickets to see him and Anthony Hamilton at McCaw Hall. The CD is a lot better than I thought it would be, honestly.

And now, I must get more coffee . . . and break up WWIII in my living room.

In the arena,

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Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.