Traffic Congestion and High Speed Rail are topic conversation in Central Florida and have been going on since the late 90’s.  I am sure you have heard recently that Obama passed a stimulus package to help support this speed rail.  The President believes this will help Florida’s congestion problem and provide thousands of people with jobs. There’s nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

Now there are many people who disagree with this and feel this will not help Florida because it has not helped other cities that have tried it already. However what they need to be aware of is the fact that we are fourth largest populated state and has the highest anticipated growth rate in the nation.  Also our non-residence tourist population and visitor population is the highest amongst all states. If we can reduce tourist traffic it should help the local traffic congestion.   

I found an article is called Traffic Congestion and it was written based on Central Florida and the resident growth, commuter’s growth and the congestion growth.  The writer talks about I-4 being the most densely populated road in all of central Florida. Which makes us question is it a traffic and population problem or is it a development problem (Garcia, My Region.Org, 2003).   

The article talks about how Orlando has hundreds of thousands of commuters coming into Orlando daily to work. In 2000 there were over 164,000 commuters from surrounding counties like, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia and Lake who came to work in Orange County. Not to mention the 377,000 people who already live and work in Orange County (Garcia, My Region.Org, 2003). This is why we have the kind of traffic we have, however if we were smart and built better roadways from the beginning or years ago then maybe this would have reduced some of this congestion. Instead we talked and planned for Central Florida to grow, but left out the road way system and support of this growth.

We have so many commuters because the cost of homes have increased at high rates over the years and families cannot afford to live in Orange County so they have to live on the out skirts to afford a home, but have to work in Orange County to make a decent living. So this tells us that the commuter problem is not going to go away. This is where I feel the Speed Rail will reduce traffic because it will help commuters coming from Tampa area, Lakeland and up towards Orlando. And if this goes to Deland it will help individuals coming from the opposite direction.  This will reduce traffic congestion for commuters too.

Still, there are millions of dollars of proposed road improvements. The passing of the light-rail bill is something they were fighting for the last 10 years and now local businesses like Walt Disney World are throwing in land and extra funds to support it along with the stimulus package. Can you see where this could help give thousands of people jobs and help our congested highways?

If we are going to be a tourist state and bring in travelers from all around the world, as well as house many retirees and working families then we need to be smarter and plan better. We need to do this right the first time verses trying to come back after the fact.

 

Stress bride, pre-wedding stress, wedding website, wedding, website, slideshow, photoclip, photogallery

My goodness…Planning a wedding is so stressful! We are looking to have our wedding this coming May. And yes, if you have been reading my previous blogs you will know that I caved in on my future in-laws request to get married sooner than later.  They offered me something I could not refuse and that was to help pay for a big part of the wedding.

My soon to be in-laws are not big on getting engaged and staying engaged for a long length of time. They feel if you have committed to each other than you should not have to wait. I concur with what they are saying, but I wanted to wait only because I wanted to be able to contribute to my wedding and not leave everything on them or my fiancé. Unfortunately my family does not have money therefore I cannot expect their help at all. Now with my experience of friends getting married there are two different types of people who wait. One is the type that has to wait because of financial reasons. Then you have those that are postponing because of commitment issues. It took enough to commit to the engagement and it will take a lot longer to commit to I DO. This is never a good sign because usually this can mean someone was forced into it.

Well...we are excited to get married and I can honestly say now that I am planning it, I am starting to get very excited! However even though I am excited, I am super stressed. When trying to plan a wedding on a budget (smaller budget); things can get a little crazy. I found some great locations and got some really good quotes per head and even bargained with them to get prices lowered. However when you start adding all the other things like DJ, Photographer, invitations, flowers, transportation for international family guest and gifts things really start to add up. Then we start cutting a little here and a little there and then I am loosing things that are important to me. This is where the stress comes in…

We have to have open bar because the groom’s side will not have anything less for their guest. That adds on a big chunk and because we are having an Indian wedding we need to have a photographer that is familiar with the culture and what areas to focus on. This is an area I do not want to skimp on because it will be my memory of our special day for the rest of my life. I also want to have a video, but that is expensive too.  So you can see where my stresses are coming from…I also have to order my outfit for the reception because it will be different from what I am wearing to the ceremony. And you cannot find good Indian clothing here for a reasonable price because there are not a lot of places in the community so they increases the prices. That may cause us to have to go to New York and that adds on more cost.

So I am looking for some ideas and tips on what to do for planning a wedding. I need some ideas on favors, decorations, etc. If you have any ideas you can share or things you may have seen at a wedding recently please share with me.  In the meantime I will keep you all posted on my Big Day!               

I hope everyone’s winter semester has been running as smooth as mine. I am not saying it has been easy, but I have managed to focus on my school work and get the job done on top of everything else. The amazing part is I have had my nose in the books for 3 weeks with not only school, but also with work. The work part was only for 2 of the 3 weeks, thank goodness.  I know I have expressed with you all in regards to my fear of failing with so much on my plate and that fear still continues.

I wanted to update you all on my winter semester thus far… Just to remind you of my classes; I am taking Professional Communications, Business Management and the Function and Structure of the Human Body. They are interesting classes and bring a lot of value to my professional career and personal health. At first I did not see the value of having to take a class that was not related directly to my degree, but I think differently now. It is beneficial to have some knowledge outside of your degree because you can use it for many things like personal use, conversational pieces, and mental knowledge. And I believe knowledge makes you stronger not weaker.  

My Business Management class is focusing on business ethics and professional communication. I am currently putting together a paper about my new employer and how ethics plays a huge part in the success of the company. In the past timeshare companies had a bad rap, but it was something they caused on themselves. Now since some of these timeshare companies have gone corporate they have been changing their name and working on creating a better image to the public. By writing this paper I am learning more about the importance of the code of ethics and compliance and I am learning a lot about my new employer. They are a great organization and I am proud to be a part of the team.

My Professional Communications class is really helping me because it involves a lot of professional writing which is helping me focus on my writing skills obviously, but more importantly writing in the workplace. In management this is something you need to be able to perform well in because it builds your professionalism and allows the company to see how valuable you are.  Management is not just telling people what to do, but it is communicating; verbally and written. It goes in hand with Business Compliance too.  

And last, but not least the Function and Structure of the Human Body class. I am learning a lot about the human body which is great information. It will make me a better mom, understanding how the body functions. It will also allow me to take better care of myself because I understand more of what my body needs and why. I am currently writing a paper on the Digestive System. I chose the digestive system because me, and everyone else in my family seem to have lots of trouble in this area. I am sure it will bring some light to the problems we have and better ways to take care of ourselves.

I currently have A’s throughout all my classes and I hope to maintain that through the entire semester. I am concerned because I am exhausted and losing sleep at night because I have so much going on in my life, but I have to persevere and I will get through this. I just keep telling myself there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I always look to you for advice or motivation so please comment and let me know if you have ideas to maintain my sanity. Until next time I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your January!!  

If you haven’t heard yet there was an earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 in Port Au Prince. It was a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that was off the charts injuring and killing hundreds, even thousands of people. This Country is in desperate need of our help so I wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation and give you some ideas of how to help.

Haiti is an extreme poverty country and their infrastructure is poor so if you could imagine how awful things are for this country right now.  There are men, women and children who have survived the earthquake living in the streets with fear of the unknown. There are hundreds and thousands of people missing or found dead.  The families do not know if the buildings standing are safe or not because of the infrastructure and they have nowhere else to go. There are reports of dead bodies being piled in the streets.

When Katrina came through New Orleans we had the support of the state and President of the U.S to help, but these poor people do not have that because their country is so poor. So we need to help by donating money, clothes, food and keeping these poor families in your thoughts and prayers. They say the realization of this disaster being recovered in this generation is not applicable. My heart goes out to these families who were struggling so bad already in life and now their challenges have grown.

This has touched home for many locals right here in Orlando, Florida. We have a lot of residence from Haiti or who have family in Haiti. I have a gentleman at work that sent his why and 3 year old child there in December to visit their family- well they were killed in the earthquake and this poor man has lost his love, child and heart.  I cannot even begin to understand the pain he must be going through right now.  We also have some other employees who are not sure about their families and we all know the unknown is scarier than knowing sometimes.

So for those that can help…anything is something right now. There are donation lines that you can call. Wyclef Jean has an organization that has been supporting Haiti since 2005 collecting donations via text message; World Food Bank, American Red Cross, Blood Bank is taking blood donations, Google is collecting donations and for those that do not financially have the ability to donate please donate your time and prayers. If you are not comfortable donating your money to large funds; find a family locally and help them.  We need to pull together as a whole and support our own mankind.

Hello Ladies and Gentleman…Well January is here which means the winter semester has begun. This semester I am taking Professional Communication, Principles of Management and the Structure and Function of the Human body. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Well I know this is the first week, but so far everything is going well.

The first two classes are needed towards my degree and then the third one is one of the electives I had to choose from and I will tell you it is pretty hard so far. I am clueless when it comes to the structure and function of a human body. I can tell you how things work in lemans terms, but that will not help me pass this class. So any helpful tips or ideas you can pass along will help me out for sure!

I am really looking forward to learning a lot in both Professional Communications and Principles of Management. I just finished an Intro to Communications class and I really enjoyed it and learned a great deal about myself and others. I truly feel communications plays an integrated role in anyone being successful in the work place as well as in their personal lives. I have worked in organizations both big and small and it is very important to practice corporate communications. I see companies that are failing and/or succeeding because they believe in communications and understand how valuable it is in the workplace.

This brings me to my next topic…today I started my new position at Wyndham Vacation resorts.  Today was orientation which is where they cover the benefits, company policy and background. Wyndham has grown a lot in the last few years and is actually the largest timeshare resort out there today. They really strive on communication and ethics in the workplace and how it is important for each new hire to understand and follow. Pretty amazing and I am excited to be a part of their organization. There is a lot of room for growth worldwide so if I do well it could be a long career opportunity for me. And as you all know that is what I am looking for. So wish me much success in my future endeavors!

And of course to top off this busy start to my new year I have a wedding to plan. My soon to be in-laws are wanting us to get married this year because we are getting older and they want to make sure we can have grand kids for them…Ahhhhhh…help!! Seriously though, at the end of the day as crazy as my life may seem right now they are all great things in my life and I am looking forward to a wonderful 2010. So what about you…any great news for the New Year? Or have you set any goals? Please do share your stories as I love getting feedback from all of you!

Thank you for reading my blogs and supporting me through these tough times in life. I love reading your comments and helping out where or whenever I can. May you all have a Spectacular 2010!!!     

Christmas Eve this year at 11:11 p.m. my boyfriend kneeled down and asked me to marry him!!!! Yes, can you believe it!! It has finally happened and I am totally excited about it! We have been dating for 3 and a half years and I knew the day we met that he was the love of my life. You could not have put two more perfect people together than the two of us!!

We have had a very rough last couple of months with work challenges with my work not doing well and Vikram might be getting laid off, both of his parents had to have serious surgery for cancer related issues and I have been extremely busy with school at Rasmussen, but I also took on the challenge of getting my real estate license and passing the state exam. His brother and sister-n- law had challenges buying their new home too, so as you can see it has been one challenge after another. However through it all we have stuck by each other’s side and given nothing but support and guidance.

So when we finally made it through these tough times Vikram wanted to celebrate my accomplishments with my real estate license achievements because we never got to celebrate when it happened as we had to be home to take care of the parents. So the morning of Christmas Eve he told me that he wanted to take me to dinner at Del Frisco’s Steakhouse. A very nice expensive restaurant, but the food is amazing! I asked him if he was sure because we have been trying to be conservative with the money spending as times are tough. He insisted and said that we both deserved it! He also mentioned that he wanted to stop by Cranes Roost Park after dinner because he saw they put up a huge Christmas tree and we both love Christmas trees. How exciting the night was going to be, but for now I had to get back to pre-making dishes for Christmas dinner. By the end of the day I was exhausted and barely awake, but I had to get ready for dinner and go meet Vikram at his condo. And I was not aware of what was going to be taking place during the next several hours…Let the night begin!

He had made reservations for 8:15, but insisted that we bump the reservations up to 8:45 for some reason and all I could think about was how hungry I was and how I would really like to go now, but none the less I agreed. Time rolled around and we got to the restaurant and were seated. He first wanted to order a bottle of wine and chose Chateau Ste Michelle and then we order dinner. The lighting was awesome and they had Christmas music playing in the background. I got a card for Vikram because I wanted to thank him for being so wonderful and supportive during the last few months. I wanted to let him know how much he is appreciated and loved. After all he has been dealing with, worrying about with his own problems and family he continued to be there for me and giving me the support I needed. He truly is an amazing person!! After the card he proceeds to tell me how wonderful I am and how I have made him the man he is today. Of course that brought tears to my eyes and he squeezed my hand tight and told me how much he loved me. Then the waiter came over and interrupted the beautiful moment I was enjoying…but it was ok. We then carried on with dinner, wine and enjoying the company of each other.

Once it was time to go we drove to Altamonte Springs which is where Cranes Roost Park is located. It is about a 10-15 minute drive. I started taking pictures of the Christmas light decorations and the beautiful fountain until he said “babe come on lets go see the tree”. We got over to the tree and hugged in awe of the beautiful lights on tree. He then pulled out his phone and looked at the time and pointed out that it was 11:11 (which I always make a wish at this time), he then proceed to kneel down while pulling a ring box out of his pocket. Then said some lovely words and proposed and placed the BEAUTIFUL ring on my finger….The most amazing moment of my life and all I could do was cry and say yes!!! I cried for the next hour actually…all with happy tears of joy! We took pictures and danced around in excitement! I will never forget this special day and time of my life!! December 24, 2009 at 11:11 p.m. I love you!!

Many great stories to follow….

My favorite time of the year! Bright beautiful lights, decorations, snow for some, a time for friend’s family to get to together and a time to give! It doesn’t get any better than that. As you all know I live in Florida so I do not get the snow factor here, but that’s ok because I am not a big fan of the snow. However it has been cold this year so hopefully we will have a nice brisk day which will make it feel like winter. Everyone has a tradition that their families or friends do during the holiday which makes it that much more special. What brings your family closer together during these times? Is it food, activities or just simple gathering of loved ones?

Well over the last 3 years I have had the honors of sharing Christmas with my boyfriend’s family. And it is absolutely amazing!! I say that because they have given me something I have never had with my own family. They have traditions and everyone gets together and shares in the holiday. When you come from a small family like mine and they aren’t family oriented you tend to very seldom get to together. However now that I have been celebrating with his family which consists of 30 people… we get together every year. It is beautiful and every family should be this way!

It is a group of 6 families and every year they rotate for who is having the dinner party at their house. And now that the children are getting older, married and buying their own houses they have been put in the rotation too. And with the economy being tough this year everyone is going to chip in to help by bringing a dish or two.  Even though my boyfriend’s family is Indian they still have the traditional American Christmas dinner with turkey, ham and all the fixings. The younger generation actually gets creative with the traditional dishes which are fun and it adds a little more excitement to dinner. And every year we do something a little different to make it fun. Last year we took a group photo of all of us and then all the children secretly put them in frames and handed them out the same night as a Christmas present. The parents loved the idea and it created a lovely memory! This year we are going to play White Elephant and we have also put someone in charge of creating a slide show of memories over the years. The White Elephant Exchange game will be very entertaining! We actually are surprising them and went out and bought 30 gifts for a dollar or two dollar so we could play. They are all wrapped and we will place them under the tree…the gifts are small, but fun things. It’s really just the concept of the game that is entertaining. I can’t wait!!

During these special times they keep it family only or long time girlfriends like myself, but no know else. And that is what makes it so special and helps the traditions carry on and will for many years to come! So please share with me what you and your family or friends do to celebrate this special time of year. I hope everyone has a lovely Holiday and a Happy New Year!!!

The fall semester is near the end and Christmas is right around the corner. During this time things get a little crazy in my life. As I wind down the year 2009 and start finishing all of my last minute school assignments in preparation for the holiday break, things start to get a little intense.  It seems as if I have so much going on and very little time to do anything and then I start to panic. Keep in mind that not only are final assignments due for school, I have to Christmas shopping, start packing as I am moving soon and I have last minute things to wrap up at work before the holiday break. Pressure…

I have done really well this semester as I finish thus far with an A in my Communications class. Things could change depending on my last couple of grades that are awaiting the professors blessing. Usually if I have a B or C I do not tend to panic as much, but when I have an A I prefer to end the term with that A and that causes the pressure to be on. This has been a very interesting semester as I have learned a lot about communicating with others, how others communicate as well as understanding how I communicate individually. This class can play a very integrated part to your career, family life and friendships. Over the last 11 weeks I have implemented some of what I have learned to my work life and it has made things a lot easier when it comes to dealing with my clients.

As for the rest of my stresses I am going to be having a lot going on in my life in 2010. When I sit and think about all the changes I have coming my way I really begin to panic. They are all things for the better which is good, but they are all still very scary, stressful and are making me very nervous. And to top it all off I am getting older with a birthday right around the corner. I use to love birthdays, but the more frequently they seem to come the more I am starting to dislike them.  Some of these things occurring in my life I cannot discuss with you just yet, but I will touch base on a few.  One of them is I am moving in with my boyfriend. We have been dating for almost 4 years and have finally decided to move to the next step. His place is smaller than mine, but I am renting and he owns so you know what that means. If we can survive living in his little condo then we will be good to go. The other stressful thing in my life is I am going to being starting a new career in a different field. It will bring many new endeavors into my life, but it will be scary starting off. I will give everyone more details once I figure everything out.

So nothing like cleaning up the old year and getting ready for a completely new one. This is one way to tackle some of my New Year’s resolutions.  So in the meantime I am trying to keep calm while finishing up a great semester and an okay 2009. I will keep you posted on how the semester plays out as well as how my new life will be starting and when. In the meantime I hope everyone is getting ready for the holidays as it is right around the corner.  I know I am not the only one in life with crazy things going on…What about you? What is going on in your life around the end of the year or this year that throw’s you into a panic? I would love to hear…

The winter season can be pretty brutal with the cold and flu attacks; especially this year as many people I know have gotten the swine flu and regular flu already and we have a few more months to go. I am usually pretty good about staying healthy and sick free during the holidays, but this past weekend I got hit by the flu. Having the stuffy, running, sneezing nose, watering eyes and achy body is miserable. I was in bed for days and there were other things I really needed to be doing. So I thought I would share some tips on staying healthy…    

I first would like to share with you some Natural Tips to preventing colds and flu. These are things that we should be doing on a regular basis because it is all about staying clean. We should always wash our hands and when we wash the hands we need to keep scrubbing them for 5-10 minutes. Washing for a few seconds just does not cut it. Also it is important to keep your hands off your face (eyes, mouth and nose area). I am really bad with that as I am always touching my face…just a bad habit. And when you sneeze you are not suppose to cover your nose with your bare hand. Use a tissue if you have one nearby or something that you can wipe your nose with toss afterwards. Now this is a new one for me, but they say you should sit in a sauna; this is just a theory that the Germans came up with, but they say that when you inhale the hot temperatures it kills off the germs in your lungs. Hey I will try anything…well almost anything. Then we should always remember to drink plenty of fluids and keep hydrated because when our immune system is down bad things can take over easier. There are more natural tips at http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu; please check them out.

Now for some other good tips…ones that involve a little more work on your part are things like get the Flu Shot. Some companies give them for free to their employees, but I know not all so there are other places you can go to get one and it is pretty inexpensive. I know Walgreens is doing it for $30.00 and Sam’s Club is also offering it for $20.00 for those who don’t have insurance. That is cheaper than the cost of a doctor’s bill and a prescription afterwards. Your family doctor can give it as well. It is also very important to be taking a multi vitamin daily and vitamin C, so if you do not do this regularly I suggest running out and buying some this week. It is important to take vitamins for many reason and we should be taking them all season long; not just winter cold and flu season. And lastly there is nothing better than good old fashion rest. We have a tendency to run our selves ragged which really takes a toll on one’s body and all kinds of bad illnesses can take over. So remember to stop and relax once in a while and if you start to feel bad do not keep pushing yourself…relax. It will pay off in the long run!

I hope you all can use my tips to stay healthy through the winter this year. Please feel free to share your home remedies or ideas you and your families might do during the winter season too. I would love to try them out. Until next time…take care!

One of my favorite holidays passed us by last week. It was not a normal Thanksgiving Day for us as we spent the day truly being thankful for the family and things we have in life. Thanksgiving originally started back in the 1600’s when the Pilgrims and the Indians had a feast for 3 days to celebrate a great harvest. They were showing the gratefulness for a good season; allowing the growth of the fruits, vegetables and so forth. As time went by it actually became a national Holiday and it was a time for families across the nation to give thanks for the food and other things they had throughout the year. 

Today we are so spoiled we forget about the things that we should really be thankful for in life. Like eating a hot meal every day, sometimes 2 and 3 meals a day, having a roof over our heads, waking up every morning and putting two feet on the floor, or even just waking up. Instead we cry because we don’t have the finer things in life, we have to make our lunch everyday instead of going out for lunch, we can’t buy the outfit we really want because it cost too much, and the list goes on and on. Think about those people who never get to experience life in a normal state or those who get ill at a very early stage in life and there is no cure. These people are thankful for the time they lived normal lives, or are thankful for being able to wake up every day because they have experience life in a different light.

My future father-n-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer a couple of weeks ago. His prostate was 75% covered in cancer and surgery was a must right away. Therefore we scheduled his surgery the day before Thanksgiving. Being he is 64 and is a diabetic he was a high risk patient, but thankfully the surgery went well and he is on his way to recovery.   He had to spend 2 and half days in the hospital which is where we spent Thanksgiving. And for us it was fine because we were just happy to have dad well because that is what we were truly thankful for. Having the family all together; supporting and guiding every each other through the hard times.   

While times like this is never nice, it does end up bringing family together and making everyone realize how short life can be and how important it is to make the best of it. Spend extra time with family, call often if they are not near you, and help people out when you can by donating your time, clothes, money. Doing someone a favor because it will benefit them; not you.  A friend recently got married and donated money to the cancer society to show thanks for her guest. Things like this make a difference so whether you give back in a small way or a big way…every bit of it counts. 

When we were children we would have to go around the table and each share what we were thankful for and I really liked that because it made you think about things a little deeper. I plan to carry out that same tradition with my family one day too. So did you ask yourself this year…What were you thankful for? Please share as I love hearing everyone’s story…each of them are special!