Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Post Christmas Blog

I hope you all had a great Christmas.  We had a nice Rack of Lamb dinner on Christmas Eve at home.  Yesterday we spent Christmas Day with good friends and had a wonderful meal.  When we got back we delivered some calendars I had made up to some friends in town.  It was great Holiday. 
On a sad note I lost my Cousin, Greg.  He was born the day after me so it really rattled me.  He had been battling a form of Lou Gehrig;s disease.  It comforts me to know he is not suffering and he is in heaven with our dear Grandparents.   Sending thoughts and prayers for his family.
My travel business is starting to get busy with all the cold weather in the Midwest where most of clients live.  It has become very challenging to find vacations that will fit into their budgets.  Prices are about 30% higher than they were even 3 years ago.  My best advice is to book as early as possible and make sure your passport is up to date. Booking your trip as package will help you get a better price.   Traveling midweek and being very flexible will help you find a better price as well.  Feel free to contact me if you need help planning your vacation.

If you are brave enough to head out and battle the crowds for those after Christmas bargains you will enjoy this article.  It gives you tips on the best things to buy this week to maximize your savings.
http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au/2012/12/15-best-things-to-buy-after-christmas/

Here is an article for all you lucky people who got a new camera for Christmas.  This article will help you out with your DSLR or with your point and shoot camera.  Take the time to read your manual and get comfortable with all your settings.  Remember to practice, practice, practice!
http://digital-photography-school.com/got-a-digital-camera-for-christmas-learn-how-to-use-it-here

Here is an article from our friends at Digital Photography School about getting sharper photos.  A tripod and an off camera trigger are the most important thing.
http://digital-photography-school.com/5-simple-secrets-to-sharper-photos?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29

Here is the Thought For The Day:
“Without the edge, [life’s] boring...If you’re doing something that’s definitely achievable with 100% odds of success, where’s the draw in that?”—Chris Guillebeau.  Thank you to Positvely Positive for posting this one on Facebook.

Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/becky-mcguire.html
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Christmas Season

I hope you are all doing well during this busy season.  I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Minnesota.  We had our family Christmas on Sunday.  I started having Christmas early once my children started to marry to avoid the stress of trying to get to all those family Christmas celebrations.   The meal was wonderful and we opened presents.  We had so much fun. 
I had a nice lunch with my Photo Buddy Tina.  I had a wonderful day with my parents, my aunt, my daughter and her family as well as my son and his family.  So good to see them all.  I was able to have a nice dinner with my YaYa sisters from High School Friday.  Love you all!
When I left Minnesota on Monday the temperature was 20 degrees so I was very happy to get back to Lake Havasu and a temperature of 63 degrees.  What I love about Arizona is all the sunny days.  Minnesota has so many cloudy days that really get me down.
I like to hang real candy canes on my Christmas tree but after the holiday what do you do with them?  I know the obvious is to eat them but here are some more creative ways to use them:
http://www.wisebread.com/16-fun-and-fabulous-ways-to-enjoy-candy-canes
I know a lot of people who are new to Digital Photography really struggle trying to learn all of the terminology and what it means.  Here is a video that might help you understand some of the terms.  Be patient, it takes time to absorb it all.  I am learning new things all of the time.  That is what keeps it interesting for me.
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/photography-terminology-a-z/
Here is a cool article about using a back lit peg board for a portrait background.   Why didn't I think of this myself?
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/using-pegboard-to-create-a-starry-effect-background/
Here are five simple tips to help you take a more dynamic shot.  I like this article because it keeps it all  simple.  Here is a link:
http://digital-photography-school.com/food-photography-%e2%80%93-5-simple-ways-to-get-stronger-shot?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29
Today's Thought For The Day:

“Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson  Courtesy of The Happiness Project.

Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/becky-mcguire.html
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Monday, December 10, 2012

Minnesota Bound

I am busy getting ready for my trip back to Minnesota for an early Christmas celebration with my family.  Minnesota had a big Snow Storm over the weekend and then a cold front came through so now they are in the deep freeze.   I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends but I am not looking forward to leaving the nice weather here in Arizona.  
We had a great time at the Over The Hill Gang Car Club Christmas Party & Installation of Officers.  Lots of good food and fun with all our friends.  It was held at Shugrue's which is on the channel next to the London Bridge.  We had a table by the windows so the view was beautiful. 
I have a new Photography editing and design program called Topaz Adjust.  One of the fun features is being able to make people look like cartoon characters.  Check out the group shot below from our Christmas Party.
One of our frustrations when we are traveling finding good places to dine.  I recently came across a website called Chowhound.com that gives you reviews of restaurants, specific dishes and a lot of other insights as well.  This one is not really a travel site but i think it will enhance your trip.  Check it out:
http://www.chowhound.com
Here are some good tips for all of you Photography Newbies out there.   I cannot stress enough how important a tripod is to getting sharp phots.
http://digital-photography-school.com/5-photography-tips-for-beginners?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29
Here is the Thought For The Day:
"Who is strong?  He that can conquer his bad habits."  by Benjamin Franklin from our friends at The Happiness Project
Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

December Dreaming

Sorry that it has been such a long time in between posts.  My husband has had problems with his knee and back so I have been busy being a care taker.  He is getting better but still not a 100% yet.   Getting old is not for sissies as Betty Davis so famously said.
Saturday night I went to the annual Lake Havasu Christmas Boat Parade.    The boats were decorated with lights.  It was very cool and so much fun.  The weather was unusually warm which was a bonus for me.   I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the parade on a friend's Pontoon boat which gave me a whole new perspective.   It was a challenge to try and take pictures because of the low light and the movement of the boats.  I did mange to get a few good ones.

 
Here is a link to some low light Photography tips.  The most important thing is to use a tripod on a
solid surface and a off camera trigger or your camera's timer.
http://photographylife.com/low-light-digital-photography-tips
Here is a hotel review website that is an alternative to Trip Advisor.  It is getting over 250,000 visitors per month.  It is called Oyster.com.  They use their own professional  reviewers who visit properties in over 200 destinations world wide.  They name names and they document their reviews with Photographic evidence.  It is a Travel Channel affiliate.  Here is a link to their site.
http://www.oyster.com
Here is the Thought For The Day:
"Sometimes you will not be able to see where you are going in life clearly.  But know your Soul's inner GPS will guide you home.  You will find that you will be the right person, at he right place, at the right time rightly.  Trust your intuition.  You know what to do." Kute Blackson, courtesy of the Postively Positive website.
Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/becky-mcguire.html
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Monday, November 19, 2012

Road Trip To Phoenix

Today I want to tell you about our latest RV adventure to Scottsdale Arizona for the Good Guys Car Show.  We attended a pre journey cocktail party Wednesday night hosted by our friends, Dean and Melinda Willis, which was a great to kick off the event.  Thursday we drove down in our motorhome with our friends pulling our car trailer with our 1935 Ford Cabriolet.  We met up with some good friends from Canada and were fortunate to meet some new friends at the motorhome park at West World.  We saw a lot of our old friends from Minnesota who flew in for the event so it was like "Old Home Week" for us.  Friday night we had potluck at the motorhome park complete with a campfire.  Saturday we spent most of the day at the show.  Sunday we packed up the motorhome, said our Good Byes, and drove back to our home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  It was a really fun show.   Here is a link with some more shots of the car show:
We are now coming into the Holiday gift buying season so I thought I would post some links to some of the great deals that are being offered.  This first one is an offer from Amazon to trade in your used electronics, video games, movies, etc and get a gift card from Amazon.
This website lists many of the Black Friday offers all in one place to save you time and money.
This one is for all of you who, like me, do not to get up at the crack of dawn and fight the crowds on Black Friday.  This website combines the Cyber Monday deals in one place so you can shop in your PJs and have it all delivered to your home.
http://www.cybermonday.com/
Here is the Thought For The Day:
"I wake each morning with thrill of expectation and the joy of being truly alive.  And I am thankful for this day." Angela L. Wozniak
Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
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Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday Muddle

Happy Monday everyone.  I am doing everything I can to put off cleaning our garage today.  It has to get done because we have friends coming to visit on Wednesday.  If we did not have company we would not get anything accomplished around the house.  I guess Monday is a good day to do unpleasant tasks.
Here is a website that a lot of travel professionals as well as consumers use to refine searches for hotels and look at customer reviews.  It is called Room 777 and it gives you a lot more information than most of the other hotel search sights such as the distance the room is from the elevator.  Here is a link to the website:
http://www.room77.com
This article lists the top ten mistakes beginning Photographers make.  Number one is not reading their camera's instrution manual.  This is probably the most important one in my opinion.  You need to really know how to operate your camera and to be aware of all the things it can do.
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/top-10-mistakes-of-beginning-photographers/
This next article is about buying your first SLR camera.  The best tip in this article is about the lenses.  The lens is much more important than the camera when you get into this category.  The lenses are the part that gets to be expensive but it is worth the investment.  If you go with Olympus you can get a lot better lens for the money than some of the other brands, in my opinion.
http://www.photographyblogger.net/the-best-and-most-often-piece-of-advice-i-can-give-to-you-for-buying-your-first-dslr/
I started posting some of my photographs on a website for artists called Fine Art America.  They only allow you to post 25 images at a time but they do all the marketing and printing for you.  The bonus is the only work involved is uploading.  I will let you all know if it generates any sales or not.  Click on the link below to take a look:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/becky-mcguire.html
The Thought For The Day:
"You can make more friends in a month by being interested in them tha in ten years by trying to get them interested in you."  by Charles Allen.  Many Thanks to Michelle Lockwood of Michelle Lockwood Photography for posting this quot on Facebook.
Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/becky-mcguire.html
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

October Endings

Happy Tuesday everyone.  I am so sad  for all the people on the East coast who are suffering as a result of the Hurricane Sandy.  The news reports are hard to watch.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  If you would like to help, here is link to the Salvation Army website.
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
Here is a useful flight tracking website called Flight Aware.  This website tells where the flight originates which can be very important to know when there is bad weather.  You can better predict delays and cancellations with this information.  Here is a link to their website:
http://www.flightaware.com
I belong to a couple of online Photography groups that have various themes and challenges for the photos you post.  This has made me realize I need to come up with a better system for storing my photos.  I end up searching through all kinds of disks that I have stored by date.  There are programs you can buy to do this but it seems silly to pay for something that I should be able to do myself.  I think I will create a system based on the subject instead of the date.  I will keep you posted on how well this works.  The photo below is one I uploaded to the Photographers Adventure Club.
I like to try different companies for photography printing to see offers the best quality for the price.  The lastest one I tried is called My Publisher.  I won a gift certificate in Photography competition so it was a no brainer.  I uploaded pictures I took last summer while we were on our RV trip for a photo book as a gift for my husband.  The website was easy to use and you could set up each page the way you wanted it or just upload the pictures and let them decide how to organize them.  You have the option of adding text to each page.  It took about ten days for the book to arrive and I was impressed with the quality of the printing.  They also do greeting cards, calendars and canvas prints.  Right now they are offering 40% off your order with the Promo Code 44V-Q3LJ.  The offer ends November 12th.
http://www.mypublisher.com
Here is the Thought For The Day:
"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth.  We are happy when we are growing."  William Butler Yeats courtesy of The Happiness Project.
Thank you for reading my Blog!
Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist
612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
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