Thursday, September 25, 2008

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

I got this in an email today and thought I would share...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the story of the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.' Please share this with someone you care about. I just did!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Polite little man, and the scammer!

I want to share with you an example of GREAT parenting and then an example of the not-so-great. Remember, these are personal observations and I am the farthest thing from being experienced in parenting - but, you'll get the jist...

We have these super close friends – Josh and Kris, and they have a son (and are expecting a daughter on November 12) that completely warms our hearts. He is 3 years old – going on 15 and is the most polite little man I have ever met.

Take for example when I talked to him on the phone this week. I was planning on going over to their house on Wednesday night for a Tupperware party (which I ended up making), but I didn’t know if I would be able to because of other work commitments that I had originally planned. When I talked to JJ on the phone he was so cute and polite – I just had to share the conversation with you:

Now remember – he’s 3!

JJ: “Sarah, are you coming to the party?”
Me: “I don’t know honey, I am going to try to make it.”
JJ: “You’re going to try?” [in a questionable, sweet tone]
Me: “Yes, I have a work meeting in the cities and I am going to try and stop over after that, but it might be kind of late – okay?” [yes, I realize that I am talking like an adult to this 3 year old, but seriously – you can do that with him!]
JJ: “Okay, well I miss you and you know what? The weather is not bad and you can probably make it – okay?”

It took everything in my power to not get in my car and drive over to his house that night! Needless to say – Ashley and I made it to the party and he was certainly the life of it! He is always so considerate. When Parish and I watch him he looks at his parents and says, "Don't worry mom and dad - I've got Sarah and Parish here. Drive carefully!"
I only hope that our kids some day leave that effect on the people that they meet in their lives.

Then there's the little scammers in our neighborhood. CUTE as can be, but scammers.

Two days ago, Parish and I were making dinner when the doorbell rang. It was two little girls who had been selling food for a fundraiser. They both show up at the door with books - the SAME fundraiser, different elementary schools. So, we couldn't buy from one and not from the other - so we made two purchases of the same/equal value so the other wouldn't feel left out.
They stayed for about 10 minutes playing with our dog - they asked us our names and we paid them and they went on their way.

WELL, last night. One of the little girls came back to our house with her grandma. I wasn't home at the time, but Parish was. The little girl, CUTE as can be rang the door bell once again and asked Parish to buy something. Parish looked at her and said, "didn't we buy something from you yesterday?" He was obviously polite when he asked that question - but the little girl LIED to Parish in front of her grandma saying, "No, I didn't come here and you didn't buy anything."

PLEASE. We spent 10 minutes with you guys answering your million questions about why the sky was blue, why my name was Sarah, and what our dog eats. Parish recognized her and called her out on it and she lied. Now, to me - that's an example of bad parenting. Start your kids off early by allowing them to lie. Now I know it's not that big of a deal but when you are surrounded by polite children who are just so fun to be around - you can't help but drop your jaw at other kids like that. I will be surprised if she even still has our check or our order. HA!

Like I stated above, just my opinion.

New Adventures in Saving Money!

Sorry it’s taken me so long to post a new entry – we’ve had a lot of things going on in the last few weeks that we’ve had to adjust to and to be honest – I just didn’t have time.

First let me tell you about my latest adventure. There has been a lot that has happened in the last 8 months. Parish and I have had a lot of medical bills this year (to most of you – that is not a shock, nor was it to us!), we are saving for a trip (destination unknown), we are starting to think about having kids (daycare costs scare the you-know-what out of me) so we are trying to constantly add more to our savings account (given this horrid economy).

It’s pretty funny how your priorities change as you grow older, but those are the things that we are excited about saving money for! So, in order to save it, you have to make it right? RIGHT! We do pretty good for ourselves with our careers, and save regularly each month, but I wanted another opportunity to save even more. I knew that I didn’t want to get a part-time job, because my time outside of work is already so precious, the last thing I wanted was another schedule that I had to rearrange around.

I went to a jewelry party about a month ago and hosted one for myself (in which I received over $400 in FREE jewelry). Now, in my profession – accessorizing is a necessity. I love jewelry – so, I thought to myself,“Why not sell it and make some extra money on the side?” “Why not have the biggest jewelry box that you’ve ever owned in your life with tons of options to choose from each day?” and “Why not give someone else the opportunity that was given to me by receiving all that FREE jewelry?” So, that’s my new adventure! I am now an independent distributor with Premier Designs high-fashion jewelry!

Here comes the pitch (you didn’t think I would leave this out did you?) Premier offers a wide array of beautiful, affordably priced jewelry to suit a variety of fashion styles. From classic elegance and contemporary, to vintage romantic and naturally simple. Plus – Premier also backs each item of jewelry with an exceptional Golden Guarantee.

If you are interested in seeing a catalog or hosting your very own Home Show – please give me a call!






Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Craigslist and Scams - I am getting irritated.

I have a huge complaint about Craigslist. Well, maybe not the actual site – but the idiot scammers that frequent the website, trying to purchase the item(s) that you have posted by sending you a fraudulent cashiers checks. Oh - I am so annoyed.

So, Parish and I are trying to sell our living room furnutire. Nothing is wrong with it, we are just looking to change our décor. So - we thought we would post it to Craigslist.

Right on the Craigslist website it shows examples of emails that scammers send – so you can be aware to NOT sell them your items. Here's the advisory:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY ** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

So here’s the email that I get from Mr. Rick Coly the other day –

Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:26:45
From: rickcoly13@gmail.com
To: sarah_parish@msn.com
Subject: Re: Beautiful Furniture FOR SALE - $999 (Princeton, MN)

Thanks for the prompt response i have instructed my account officer to mailing (overnight) a certified check, while you hold on my behalf. once you receive this, my mover will come pick up at your place. I will be needing the following information to issue out the payment . .
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address(Physical)
3.Your phone number.

** Please note that the payment will be overnight to your address and it will be delivered within 2 days. I have taken a close look at the ADand am satisfied. I appreciates you saving this for me. Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to have the payment in the mail only to be informed of the it ssale. I will also wait for the check to clear before i have my movercome for pick up Thanks.

NOW – MIND YOU - HE HAS NEVER SEEN THE FURNITURE, NOR DOES HE EVEN KNOW WHERE I LIVE, NOTHING!!!!
___________________________________________________________________

So, this was my response back to him…

Nope. Sorry. I know you are running a scam. The only way that I will accept this is if you come and look at the furniture yourself. Are you serious? Come on. Why don't you do a little research on the scam emails that Craigslist already posts so you can see that the words you are using in your email are the SAME words that are in the scam emails. What is sad is that your pathetic self will probably never be caught - ever. I am forwarding this email to Craigslist so that your name - Rick Coly is flagged. If that even is your real name.

I really hope that someday these idiots will learn. It really makes me mad – we have had previous luck on Craigslist, but lately all that seems to happen is you get responses from these d-bags. Ugh.

So to all posters on Craiglist - beware.