Jun 29

I wanted to share my 3 favorite companies.  Why 3?  3 is a magic number, and many people believe that 3 is a special number.  Okay, so that, and the fact that these are just my 3 favorite companies.  In no particular order, but sorted alphabetically:

Apple

 

Disney


Google


What do all these 3 companies have in common?

  • Great Company Values

  • Outstanding Customer Service

  • Progressive

  • Passion for innovation

  • Creativity

These companies have changed the way we see connect with others, enjoy entertainment, and seek information.  I feel like I have a personal connection to the 3 above companies, and that is very difficult for a company to establish such loyalty.  Only time will tell what these companies can invent tomorrow and in the years to come.

 

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Jun 19

 

Several weeks ago, Mike and I dug up the old flower beds, fertilized everything, and planted about 22 different types of flowers.

I’ve never been a flower enthusiast, and I’m still not, but I am definitely starting to learn to enjoy the simple things in life.  I love technology, I love many pleasures in life, but sometimes its nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy nature and all its wonder.

They are starting to bloom, and they will be even more wonderful next spring.  Yes, Spring is just ending, but we got a variety of perennials so that we can have some flowers that bloom yearlong.

Jun 12

A few days before Star Tours and The Little Mermaid opened, we were able to visit Disneyland and experience the magic!

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Jan 09

My filing cabinet was full, containing thousands of documents ranging from old tax returns, to car service appointment papers, medical records, receipts, and even old school transcripts.  Although they were all organized quite well, it is still frustrating locating the documents that I need with ease, and even more difficult to view them remotely.

Well, I’ve changed that, by taking about 95% of my files and converting them into pdfs.  I’ve scanned hundreds of documents, named them in efficient ways, and organized them into meaningful categories to help me.  I’ve stored them in my Dropbox, which most of my friends now, is one of my favorite applications that Syncs all my data across all my computers and my iPhone.  I could dedicate an entire blog post, and even more, to the wonders of dropbox, but to sum it up, dropbox constantly “syncs” my files in the background across all the computers I used so that I always have a copy of what I need when and where I want it.

Once I converted everything to a pdf files and I named them properly, I organized them and shredded the original document, unless of course the original is needed, such as the pink slip to my Mini Cooper.  Now, when I need to locate a file, I can either navigate through my organized file structure or simply search for the name.  In moments, I can view the file, e-mail, or print it with ease.  Talk about convenience and simplicity!

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Dec 19

E-mail.  Calendar. Contacts. Documents. My life is managed by “the cloud.”  I’ve been using GMail for years, as its the most intuitive solution to suit my busy lifestyle.

I love technology!

I have always been a Google enthusiast.   Google’s products and services help make my lifestyle easier and more convenient.  As a result, I use almost all of its services on a daily basis, from organizing my calendar, to managing my contacts, to e-mail.  Frequently, Google experiments with new products and creates something that is simply amazing.  The company has a terrific philosophy and I’m addicted.

All right, so I’ve been using Google’s suite of features with my GMail account.  I prefer to use my personal domain for e-mail as it allows me to convey a more personal tough, but Google’s feature set is difficult to beat.  Instead of using my personal domain e-mail address for everything, I’ve been forwarding my mail to GMail so I can use the many features such as labeling and archiving.

I just made the switch to Google Apps, where I can have Google host my e-mail without be having to forward everything to GMail for storage.  The product is great and I’m so happy to be able to switch to its Google Apps Suite.  Google is certainly changing the way people conduct their daily activities.  Thanks Google for creating such an amazing product, I’d love to work for you in the future.  Then again, who wouldn’t? 🙂

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Aug 23

It’s been years since we’ve experienced the adventures that bicycling offers, but Mike and I decided to try out a new hobby, so we purchased 2 bicycles.

Since moving into our new home, we’ve began nightly walks around the neighborhood.  We never did that at our town-home, simply because the neighborhood wasn’t the greatest.  With the move, we starting taking nice walks for about an hour or so, three to five evenings a week.  Not only is it very peaceful, but it also allows us to talk about our days, and spend more time with each other.

Wanting to explore even more of the area around we, we decided to purchase bikes.  Not only would it be fun to do, but its also good for our health.

We had our first bike ride last night, and had so much fun!  I even bought a new iPhone application that tracks our travels.  I have greyed out the specific street names, but see the map below for our first bike ride.

It’s amazing what GPS Technology can do (I used AllSport GPS)

It even calculates changes such as speed, elevation, and resting periods.  While the application is not perfect, as it recorded a few fest periods, it done a very good job.  Another reason why I love my iPhone so much. 🙂  On our first journey around the neighborhood, we rode for just over an hour and 10 minutes, went 6.91 miles, at an average speed of 5.7mph.  Again, we weren’t going crazy fast, as we were casually biking while engaging in conversation.  It really is serene, and I look forward to many future bike rides around the block, and whereever life will take us.

I’ll post an update shortly with more interesting bike riding information.

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Jun 26

Every day since last weekend when I setup our new porch swing, we have enjoyed some time in the evenings hours sitting outside on the porch and talking about our days.  Mike and I really enjoy going to the beach and watching the sunset every few weeks, and now having a porch swing on our corner house gives us a different means of relaxation.  Peaceful.  Relaxing.  That sums it up.

As we sit there, watch a car go by every 5 minutes or so, we talk about life, our days, and whatever comes to mind. When I’m going through a tough day, I know that in a few hours I’ll be going home and enjoying some relaxation.

Jun 11

I’ve never been into flowers,  vegetables, fruits, nor gardening.

After purchasing our home, we decided to start planting a few items, and I have to say, I like exploring new things, because I really enjoy it.  Watching something grow from nothing to something, or small to large, is truly remarkable.  What’s next????

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Jun 02

This video from “The Big D Podcast” sums up why I love Disney so much.  Whether it be the sights, the sounds, imagery, characters, fireworks, or just the many fun memories I’ve had over the years, Disney truly is a magical place for me to be.  It’s where I can leave all my stressors behind, relax, have fun, and enjoy life for its amazing treasures.  I will always be a Disney enthusiast.  Thanks for Chris at the Big D for creating this compilation video, I love it!

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May 29

We moved into our house on the 20th, and life has been a bit chaotic as we start to move everything in and get things settled.  However, waking up this morning, I looked at the furniture, pictures, and all our belongings, and it really started to feel like a home.

8am, May 20.  Movers arrive, and help us move our belongings to our new house.  We say goodbye to our tri-level townhome (which I loved) of two and a half years.  We pack up our furniture, clothes, washer/dryer, glass statues, Disney figurines, kitchen appliances, and much more.  It was so strange staring at the North Star moving truck, and realizing that a large portion of our lives was in that truck.  True, they were only belongings, but many of those belongings carry along special memories with it.  One can point to any object and I can tell you where I got it from and what it represents.

We then arrive to a freshly painted house, new flooring, new light fixtures, and nothing else.  It’s been a very busy time as we do everything from placing liners in the kitchen cabinets, to setting up our home theater surround sound system, to getting new furniture installed.  However, its finally starting to feel like home, and its exciting!

I have to say, I also am learning so much about being more “handy” around the home.  Those that know me know that I am good with computers, technology, etc, and I’m not handy with my hands at all.  I have been learning so much lately about so many things I never thought I’d ever know, and to be honest, once I do work on the house, it really feels rewarding.  It’s this feeling I haven’t had before, but it feels good to say that I installed our new toilets, and I replaced this light fixture, and I did this.  Mike and I have been an excellent team, and I can only wait a few more weeks until the rest of our rooms are finished.  For now, only our living room is ready to go, but its getting there.

The other night, we were laying in bed falling asleep, and Mike turned over to me and said, “Kyle, can you believe it, we really did it.  We bought a house and we’re living in it.”  At that point, it really sunk in.  All the weekends we spent looking at homes and writing up offers, we were finally in our home, and it was such a powerful feeling.

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