Fall Colors

This time of year we can start to enjoy the fall colors and still get summer like weather. Try and take some time to get out and hit a few of these local spots. • Washington Park Arboretum Joint project of the UW and Seattle Parks. Very old and unique varieties of trees to enjoy viewing. • Lake Wilderness Arboretum Extensive walking trails with out in the country feel. Many Native American points of interest. • Kubota Garden 20-acre Japanese Garden started by Fujitaro Kubota in 1927 and now maintained by Seattle Parks. • Volunteer Park Conservatory. Seattle landmark on Capitol Hill is nice to visit anytime but in the fall is especially beautiful to visit.

Good Reason To Exercise

After age 40, human brains shrink by about 5% every 10 years. A study reported in ScienceDaily.com suggests you can slow this deterioration with aerobic exercise, which appears to “dramatically increase the size of the left region of the hippocampus.” This part of the brain plays an important role in storing memories and connecting them to our emotions.

Boost Your Charisma

Can we develop charisma? Yes, you can, says, D.A. Benton, author of Executive Charisma. Here are five skills you can practice to improve your charisma quotient. 1. Be confident. When introducing yourself say your name and then tell something about yourself. This helps to draw a question from the other person, and can lead the person into a conversation with you. 2. Walk with purpose. Pause before entering a room and project confidence as you walk into the room. 3. Use the double hand shake. When you shake someone’s hand, use the two-handed grasp. While shaking with right hand, your left hand grasps the person’s arm at or below the elbow. 4. Focus on your goal. Charismatic people know what they want and are passionate about it. Focus on what you want and how to get there. 5. Be a good listener. Listen when other people talk. Value their opinions and make eye contact.

10 Ways to Live Well

We all want to feel better, look better, and live as if we are a finely tuned instrument, or well-maintained vehicle. Here are some tips I’ll share to get you started on the road to feeling, looking, and living better and increasing your chances for enjoying life. Your age is just a number fight, fight, fight!! 1. Smile. Researchers at Harvard found that people with positive attitudes are more likely to have fewer heart ailments. 2. Take Monday Off. Researchers in New York found that missing a few days of work lowers your risk for stroke by 30 percent…not to mention most heart attacks occur on Monday morning! 3. Eat Oatmeal Cookies. University of Connecticut researchers found that eating oat-bran cookies daily can lower your LDL cholesterol by 20 percent. 4. Go To Bed Early. People who are fatigued have high levels of fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein that reduces blood flow to your heart and brain. 5. Wash Your Hands. German scientists found people with high levels of antibodies from fighting infections also had more clogging of their arteries. 6. Read A Good Book. Need I say more? 7. Meditate 30 Minutes A Day. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found meditation may reduce depression and anxiety by up to 25 percent. 8. Drink Cranberry Juice. People who drink 8 ounces of cranberry juice a day increase their HDL cholesterol levels by 10 percent…reducing heart risk by 40 percent, according a New Jersey study. 9. Bike Your Blues Away. Biking was found to be as effective at relieving depression as antidepressants reported Duke University researchers. 10. Join A Group. People who have a circle of friends handle stress better and have less heart disease, according to University of Chicago researchers.

An Exercise For Everyone

 Personality: “I get bored easily.” Sign up for Zumba, an aerobic dance class that will get you moving. A dance studio or sports club usually offers these classes.  Personality: “I am a competitive person.” Try CrossFit. Go to www.crossfit.com to learn about these timed, intense exercises in which participants compete against one another. Then search the local area for a CrossFit gym.  Personality: “I want to relax.” Yoga may be for you. Researchers say doing even 15 minutes a day can lower stress in your body. Search for a yoga studio.  Personality: “I prefer to exercise alone.” You can get a total body workout in minutes by swimming a few laps at a recreation center or YMCA. Plus, it’s better on your joints.  Personality: “I love to socialize.” Join a team (softball or volleyball, for example) or start a running club with friends. You’ll have fun and hold each other accountable.  Personality: “I love to get my heart pumping.” Sign up for Spinning at a local fitness club. It’s fast-paced indoor cycling that includes lights and music to make it a fun adventure.

Top Ten Caddyshack Lines

My top ten quotes from one of my all-time favorite sports movies: 1. You’ll get nothing and like it. 2. My uncle says you’ve got a screw loose. Your uncle molests collies. 3. Last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it. 4. You’re rather attractive for a beautiful girl with a great body. 5. I’ve sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn’t want to do it. I felt I owed it to them. 6. This is a hybrid. It is a cross of Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent and California Sensemila. 7. Just be the ball, be the ball Danny. 8. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three rights make a left. 9. That’s a peach, hon! Oh, by golly…I’m hot today! 10. This is the worst-looking hat I ever saw! When you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup! Looks good on you though…

Dress Your House for a Successful Sale

When selling your home, look at your home through a potential buyer’s eyes, and follow these steps to make it show well and receive a good offer: • Clean and repair. Your buyer’s first impression is from the street. Clean up the yard, the landscaping and check your exterior paint job. On the inside, shampoo the carpets, scrub the floors and clear off all the counters. Remove old wallpaper and paint the walls a neutral color. Fix things that need fixing, like squeaky doors, broken tiles etc. • De-Clutter. Get rid of all that “stuff” you’ve accumulated in the garage, the backyard and the basement. And don’t forget the closets! • “Stage” it to look like a model home. Put away your personal items and remove large pieces of furniture. Ask your REALTOR® for ways to “dress up” your home (candles, new linens etc.) to maximize your selling potential.

Financial Tips for Grads

Want to get your college (or high school) grad off on the right financial foot? The Better Business Bureau suggests you have a talk about avoiding these common (and expensive) financial mistakes: • Not being prepared for emergencies. Plan ahead. Stash some cash so you’ll be able to have a least a three-month emergency fund. • Living off credit cards and making minimum payments. Once you go down this road, you may never catch up. • Using loan leftovers. If you happen to have some leftover loan money, don’t spend it – use it to pay back what you’ve borrowed. • Rushing to build credit. While you want to have good credit, you don’t want to do it by opening multiple credit cards accounts. Chances are you’ll lose track of billing and end up in heavy debt.

Get Organized Today

Allen’s key idea is to start with a “mind sweep” ─ get everything out of your head and down on paper (or other written form). Once your mind is cleared, your productivity goes up and you can focus on creative action. His five basic stages of mastering your personal or professional “workflow” are: 1) Collect. Capture anything and everything that is on your mind. 2) Process. Decide what each thing means. Is it something you should do? Do it now or later? Can you delegate it (and track on a “Waiting For” list)? 3) Organize. Place the items in categories, such as Projects, Calendar, Next Actions and Waiting For, and sub-categories of your choice. (To help you visualize this, he includes a diagram for navigating through the processing and organizing phases of your workflow.) 4) Review. Go over Calendar and Action lists daily and do a weekly customized review to get clean and current. 5) Do. Make choices about your actions based on what you can do, how much time and energy you have and your priorities. Another one of his most popular methods is the “two minute rule.” If any task can be completed in less than two minutes (for example, a quick email response), do it immediately. Stop putting those little things off.

Secrets To Feel Young

The process of getting older is unavoidable, but feeling old is optional. Here’s what you can do to feel young and alive. Appreciate your age: Whatever you regret from the past is over. Let it go. Literally re-program the way you think about the past and the concept of growing older. Setting new goals can give you more life now and help you live longer. According to a Yale study, people who had a positive mindset about growing older lived about seven years longer than those who grumbled about their age. Don’t retire from being useful: Sure, you may have earned the right to slow down and work less, but feeling that you still make a difference is invigorating. Keep both the mind and body moving by getting involved in volunteer activities and exercise clubs.

Suncadia Harvest Festival

Held at the Historic Nelson Farm which was established in the 1890’s and features the original farmhouse and barns. The annual event at Suncadia is designed to bring the family together for a fun day at the farm! Suncadia is located just 80 miles from Seattle so it can be enjoyed as a day trip. October 2nd & 3rd / October 9th & 10th Hay Maze & Hay Pyramid – Pony Rides – Archery – Axe Throwing – Face Painting – Petting Zoo – Pumpkin Patch – Food Trucks – Touch-A-Trick – The Farmers Market – Beer Garden Featuring Dru Bru Draft Beers– Wagon Rides – Harvest Crafts – and Live Music

Lowering Home Heating Bills

As temperatures drop, the heating bill rises. Before the shock of your first higher-than-average bill, here are some things you can do to your house to make sure you’re not wasting money. • Keep Heat Inside – Close the fireplace flue or damper tightly when you’re not using it. Replace worn weatherstripping around windows and doors. Add caulk or foam sealants around your electric outlet boxes. These small measures can add up. • Adjust Temperatures – Lowering the thermostat by only 2-3 degrees can make a big difference. Having a programmable thermostat is even better since you can set it to 10-15 degrees cooler when you’re not home or awake. Turn down the water heater to the “warm” setting – it’s still 120 F, plenty warm for a hot shower. • Give Your Furnace a Check-Up – Make sure your furnace is running as efficiently as possible and you’ll be getting the most bang for your buck. Electric and oil heaters should be serviced every year, while gas heaters should get a check-up every two years.

Negotiating On The Job

Would you like to improve your job negotiation skills? A recent survey conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management and CareerJournal.com, found that both employees and HR specialists are willing to talk about salary, but they differ on other issues. Employees focus on bonuses, incentives, and time off, while HR specialists may be more willing to talk about flex schedules and relocation costs. (The survey indicated employees may have more negotiating power on non-salary issues.) Here are six valuable tips you can use for better negotiating on your job: • Make sure to show your enthusiasm for the job at hand. • Know your strengths and skills and explain why you’re the best person for the new job or raise. • Use the right words and cite facts, “I’ve done the research, and the market reflects this salary.” • Ask for what you want, and explain why you deserve it. • Be open to what is presented and remain objective. • Avoid talking about specific salary figures until the end the interview process; otherwise you may limit your options.