Feliz Año Nuevo

As 2011 comes crawling to an end we are stuck in that moment in between the past and the future. The future is close enough to ponder while the past isn’t quite far enough away to forget. Which seemed to be the general theme for 2011. All of us were constantly bombarded with news of diametric opposition. The economy would be on the upswing one day, only to fall flat to the news of the global economy and the Euro Zone falling apart the next. Unemployment rates would rise and fall with the same volatility as Kim Kardashian’s popularity with news that would often be just as inane and pointless.

But there were also a lot of positives that could be found in 2011 if you looked hard enough. 2011 gave rise to the “Protestor” and people who were fed up with the way things have been actually spoke up and found a voice. “Occupy Wall Street” was a movement that had lots of momentum but lacked direction, I have to admit part of me wished that I had both the time and the courage to join them in protest just to get it out of my system.

A good friend of mine once asked me if I thought, “this was the new norm”? My answer in short was I don’t know? Aspirations of obtaining the lifestyle that we, at some point in our lives thought we either deserved or were entitled to are taking a back seat to just being able to pay our bills, feed our loved ones and keep a roof over our heads. Opportunities that we used to scoff at have now become a privilege to have. If rearranging our “New Norm” makes us realign our values and priorities while making us more humble and gracious, as human beings then so be it.

Once upon a time I thought I had it all and still felt empty inside, only upon losing a lot of what I thought I wanted was I able to truly discover the things I need most in my life. If 2012 makes us realize that life is so much more than collecting things in an attempt to validate our own self worth then I welcome the New Year with open arms.

Pura Vida!

With Love,

From C.R.

The Art of Bargain Hunting

Everyone likes a good deal, nowadays shoppers equipped with smartphones built with Applications that read barcodes on various retail items, which gives you comparable prices at different stores within a certain radius has elevated bargain hunters into a whole new level of savvier consumption.

Retailers are catching on — just in time for the holiday season, their make-or-break time of year. Once content to simply sell these electronic devices, merchants and mall operators are now recognizing the increasingly important role smartphones and tablets are playing for shoppers and are eager to tap into this electronic path to consumers' wallets.

Practices that used to draw eye rolls and snickers from the highbrow sect has now become an art form exercised by people from all across the economic spectrum. Whether you are rich, poor or somewhere in between everyone likes to save money. And just because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, that doesn’t mean that the deals are over, in fact, depending on who you ask, some say that they are just beginning.

I personally enjoy getting a good deal as much as the next guy, but it was not until the most recent economic recession that I started actually putting more effort into consistently getting more for less. The 3 inches worth of ads and coupons stuck in between the Sports Page and Business Section of the Sunday L.A. Times would often go untouched and dismissed as junk. Well the saying goes that “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Little did I know the savings I was simply throwing away, now I find myself saving that part of the newspaper for last so I can really hone in on all of the everyday things I can save on.

Just in the last 3 months or so, I’ve even let myself get coerced into applying for a credit card at my favorite clothing store after literally years of ignoring such sales tactics. The savings were just too good to ignore, and I’m glad I did. Not only did I get great deals upon applying for the card (which is how retailers entice you to apply for a card in the first place) but they just kept on coming. I would get coupons emailed straight to my iPhone ranging anywhere from 10% to 15% off all the way to 40% off or $15 dollars off on certain days of the month. And once I reach $900 of total purchases I get rewarded with free alterations on top of all the various coupons. If something from the store interest me, I would bookmark links from their website on my smartphone and I could opt to get notifications when that particular item goes on sale or when I can use one of my e-coupons to order the item directly from my smartphone without missing a beat.

Shopping with mobile devices and electronic coupons isn't for everyone, especially for you very brave folks who prefer to browse through a mall at a leisurely pace looking for gift ideas. Even some fans of online shopping like to stick to their home computers — the screens are bigger and they don't have to squint as much.

So whether you are an early adapter to new technology or just recently bought a smartphone or signed up for Facebook, here are a few useful digital tricks for saving some bucks, and perhaps some time, during Christmas.

Mobile shopping guides
Some big retailers such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offer their own mobile applications for shoppers to individually download to their smartphones or tablet computers.

With these apps, shoppers can often get up-to-the-minute information about sale items, instant bargains, what's located where and what's in stock.

Mobile apps, as well as websites geared for mobile devices, often tweak the online shopping experience to fit smaller screens with fewer items displayed per page and an easy search function. The Amazon.com app popularized one-click ordering for breezy checkouts without the need to fill in billing and address information over and over again (also upping the likelihood of impulse buying).

Perhaps the most useful apps collect product data from several retailers and sort it so consumers can compare prices side-by-side from local and online merchants to find the best deal. These apps, which include EBay's RedLaser, TheFind and SnapTell, can be downloaded for free and work by simply scanning a product's bar code.

Apps can offer more features than a traditional website. Bluefly Inc., an online fashion retailer that deals in discounted designer goods, sends an alert to your phone when an out-of-stock item you're eyeing becomes available again. In the same way that EBay's auction app will send a notification when you've been outbid at an auction.

Mall giant Westfield, which operates shopping centers including Westfield Topanga Mall, Century City and Westfield Culver City, recently added a new feature to its app that lets shoppers pinpoint which stores carry a specific item they're seeking. Type in "Loafers" and the app will list the shops carrying loafers.

About 1 in 4 smartphone owners plans to use a mobile device for holiday shopping, according to an annual holiday survey by Deloitte. Of those, 59% will use their phones to compare or check prices, 46% plan to use them to check product availability and 41% will get coupons through their handsets.

Social media, such as Facebook and Foursquare, will also be popular with shoppers, with 44% of those surveyed reporting that they will use social networks to find discounts, check out friends' or family members' wish lists and browse products.

Like with all technology, most people take in the new without completely letting go of the old. Even though the shelf lives of most new gadgets are now measured in days, the very fundamentals of human behavior are difficult to change as quickly. Most of us are and will always be social beings and as the difference between shopping online or in line starts to fade, people’s shopping desires will always be the same…finding the right item at the right price.

A Grand ol Time

(Left to right...Vic Leyson, Mark Segal and Jordan Rane)

With the overall consumer sentiment still at an all time low, people across America are, for the first time in a long time, saving more money than they are spending. We hear it on the news almost daily, that small to medium sized companies, which employ over 75% of our nations workforce are sitting on cash and doling out more responsibilities to skeleton crews rather than hiring new employees.

The same fear lies with individuals as well. People are simply afraid to spend money, and who can blame them? With the combination of the constant economic doom gloom that we are bombarded with along with the stress of just trying to make ends meet, what options does one have for an enjoyable vacation without breaking the bank? Well, the answer can be found in 2 simple words…”road trip”!

Of course it also helps to have a good friend who is a travel writer for the LA Times, who happened to pitch a story of 3 average guys (Mark Segal a busy Sales Manager with 2 kids who recently turned 40, Jordan Rane also a father of 2 and Freelance Travel Writer at large who just turned 41 and Me, a Freelance Business Manager about to turn 35, and in desperate need of a get-away of any sort) driving out to Arizona from Los Angeles to camp out and hike at… where else, but The Grand Canyon! A destination that I have heard of, read about and seen in numerous movies but have never actually been to. Having been dealing with the stress of work, a German Shepherd in her 8th week of chemotherapy and not taking a vacation in almost 3 years I jumped at the opportunity.

I knew very little about the history of this iconic landmark, before setting off. All I had to go on was the advice of my more seasoned fellow campers, and began my preparation a couple days before departure time. Preparations, which were relatively simple and consisted of 3 key visits: 1) A trip to Adventure 16 to rent a sleeping bag and pad- total cost for 3 days $36. 2) A trip to Trader Joe’s for food and snacks, total cost $24. 3) A visit with another good friend and old college roommate to borrow his camping back pack, cost -FREE. The backcountry permits and other logistics were handled by Jordy, total cost of the campground for 2 nights $54.

Upon loading all of our gear in Mark’s truck and taking care of our first of three fuel fill ups (distributed evenly among us) we were off and would soon be on the historic Route 66 which stretches from Santa Monica, CA to Chicago, IL, just one of the many, many facts I would learn while sitting in a car with 2 great friends who happen to be much smarter than me for 8 hours.

I have always believed that the main purpose of any memorable road trip is to try to enjoy the journey as much as the destination itself, and that we did. A myriad of topics made the 8-hour drive seem effortless. Politics, movie trivia, recent events in our lives and endless banter kept us thoroughly entertained.

Once we crossed the Colorado River and entered the Arizona boarder, one of the most majestic sights on the planet, that has been in existence for a billion and half years was just minutes away. We exited the highway and were now on surface streets, which allowed us to roll down all of the windows and enjoy the absolutely perfect October weather that would stay with us for the duration of our trip.

As soon as we arrived at the Grand Canyon Village, all Mark and Jordy kept telling me was that “the canyon is just past that hotel over there”. I felt like I was a little kid, trying to control myself from jumping out of the, still moving car, until I finally told them to stop and let me out. As soon I got out and walked 50 or so yards past a group of tourist taking pictures I was completely dumbfounded with what I saw. Every cliché that I ever heard about this place could not have been more true. I even remembered a comment that the kid at Adventure 16 told me when I was renting my sleeping bag…”Dude that place is sick! You are going to be blown away when you see it for the first time.” a statement that I half believed and half rolled my eyes at, but he was right.

I had to literally take a moment to let my brain process what my eyes were seeing. Then I had to acclimate myself to the enormity of the canyon itself, and even though I was standing safely behind a railing, I had to steady my quivering knees and sweaty palms, symptoms that were caused by the 7000 foot drop I was looking down at. A process that I would have to repeat several times over during the hike down and hike back up.

After Jordy took care of some preliminary interviews for the piece he would be

working on for the next couple of days, we set up camp, got familiar with our surroundings and were in bed by 9:30 in an attempt to give ourselves enough rest to wake up at dawn to begin the 9 mile hike down the South Kaibab Trail, through some of the most beautiful terrain I have ever seen. Hiking down with 40lb back packs would take us about half a day, during which we would encounter a lot of new faces that would become familiar to us as we constantly leap frogged each other through our trek down to Phantom Ranch, which would be our next campsite at the bottom of the canyon.

You can only casually say "hi" to someone in passing once, a second and third time warrants some conversation to ensue. During our decent we would run into a group of 3 sisters well into their 50’s and 60’s who were hiking down and back up on the same day. They would share stories of how close all 13 siblings are to each other, and how much they loved the Green Bay Packers. Jordy randomly got paired up with a young twenty-something engineer from Colorado who talked about not owning a cell phone, a story that I was both impressed by and jealous of.

Once we got to the bottom our efforts were rewarded with a quick dip in the cool and crystal clear Colorado River. After setting up camp we headed off to the Canteen, which was a cafeteria type place that sold $3 Snickers Bars and had some of the best Lemonade I have ever tasted. It was a place where people congregated to cool off and pass the time by playing a variety of games, like Trivia Pursuit and Scrabble which we took full advantage of.

We headed back to camp, and prepared our dinners, which consisted mainly of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salami sandwiches, chips, string cheese and an endless variety of trail mix. We had more motivation to get to bed even earlier than the previous night since we were all pretty beat from the hike down and we all knew that the 11 mile hike up the Bright Angel Trail would be much harder. We planned to be up by 6, we were all up by 5am packed and on the trail by 5:30.

The hike up was definitely more difficult and strenuous. Even though the novelty and the beauty were both very much still there, the higher we climbed the more it took a back seat to the abuse that our bodies were beginning to take. Our feet would be the first to experience the pain, followed by our necks, shoulders and backs from the additional weight of our packs. We all had our own thoughts that would help push us to the top. Mine, were comprised of thinking about my sick dog getting better, and how badly I wanted to have a burger, fries and a soda as soon as I got to the top.

We all reached the top of the canyon at different times, but, most importantly, all 3 of us made it just fine. We made a beeline for the restaurant that was right at the top of the north rim and ran into a couple that we had become quite friendly with along the way. They invited us to join them. We all ordered the same thing, burgers and fries. And the couple would buy us a couple rounds of beers as we celebrated the end of our 11- mile hike.

Shortly after, we headed off to the local market to pick up anything that did not resemble dried fruit or PB&J’s for dinner, went to a coin operated shower facility to get cleaned up and cooked some hot dogs over an open fire back at our camp site. We drove back down to LA the next morning, talking about the very same things we talked about on the way up, with the addition of what we just experienced of course.

Once I got into my own car to drive back to my apartment, I thought that I would miss LA a lot more than I actually did. It seems as though the more places I go to, and the older I get, the less I want to come back to the hustle and bustle of LA life.

The price of gas for each of us was about $50 per full tank; the price for food was less than that. All in all I would say that we spent less than $200 each for this amazing trip, spending quality time with some lifelong friends and not having cell reception, internet access or email for 2 consecutive days…priceless.

A special thanks to Jordan Rane- some of the coolest things I've done has been because of you!

An exception to every rule

For the few of you out there who consistently follow my blog in spite of my inconsistent posts knows that the very essence of what I attempt to write about is, for the most part, sound, practical and easy to follow financial advice. Whether it’s in regards to stocking your own at home bar to save money on alcoholic beverages or what’s better buying or leasing a car?

In my writings I often discuss certain rules and guidelines that one should follow in order to live a fiscally sound lifestyle without having to live a life of depravity. However, as most of us know all too well, that for every rule there is an exception.

My exception came just 5 short weeks ago on the heels of accomplishing a personal goal that I had set for myself in the beginning of the year of becoming absolutely debt free for the first time since high school. I have to admit, once I saw my last credit card balance read 0.00 -that I took the time to celebrate the moment by going on a little shopping spree to update my wardrobe and treated myself to a couple of nice dinners and even bought myself a new all-in-one printer that had a very cool E-print function that allows you to print documents wirelessly directly from your smart phone. None of the items I purchased were necessities by any means, but that’s what shopping sprees are for right, to purchase things that you want rather than things that you need?

I even took the opportunity to finally get my lovely German Shepherd Harley to the vet to have her annual check up. Everything on the surface checked out fine. Harley looked like a picture of perfect health, but a couple of days after her check up I knew that something was off with my baby girl. Her energy level was low and she was barely eating. Part of me chalked it up to the summer heat bearing down on a large breed with a lot of fur, while another part just knew that there was something wrong. Another trip to the vet and a chest x-ray later was when I got the paralyzing news that Harley had Lymphoma and the cancer was starting to spread to her lungs. I was absolutely devastated and inconsolable. The news hit me so hard that I only told a small handful of people when I found out. I did not want to be around anyone that may say the wrong thing without even knowing it, out of fear of how I might lash out or react.

The Vet’s diagnosis was to immediately start an 8 week long chemotherapy regimen known as the Madison, Wisconsin Protocol and hope for the best. Round one started on a Friday and I had no idea what would be in store for us. Upon carrying my once powerful and athletic dog out of my truck and into my apartment was when I realized just how violent of an affect chemotherapy can have on an animal. She was loopy and groggy at first, which was to be expected, then came the perfect storm of uncontrollable vomiting, panting, urinating and restlessness. The both of us were up every hour throughout the night for the entire weekend and this was only round one.

By the time Monday and Tuesday came, I hadn’t worked in days. I didn’t ask my clients for time off, I simply told them that I wouldn’t be able to make it in anytime soon. The only thing that mattered to me was to take care of my best friend and make her better. I vowed to myself that I would do everything and anything within my power to get her on the mend.

When Wednesday and Thursday came around, Harley was starting to show some signs of recovery from the treatment, only to have to go through it all over again come Friday. Friday would be a big day for the both of us. Not only was her next round of chemo scheduled, but an all important second x-ray was going to be done to see if the first round of chemo managed to get rid of any of the cancer that was discovered in the initial x-ray. Thankfully enough, the second x-ray was literally a night and day difference from the first. While the first x-ray reminded me of a cloudy sky, the clouds being the cancer, the second x-ray reminded me of how I reacted the first time I saw a high definition flat screen TV, the clarity was that noticeable.

This gave Harley, myself and the Vet hope. Had the second x-ray come back similar to the first the conversation I would’ve had with Harley’s doctor would have been far different.

Now, having just completed round 4 Harley will be on a 2 week break free from chemo treatments and medication of any kind. I will spend the next two weeks continuing to cook all of her all of her high protein no wheat no grains “Stay Cancer Free” meals which should get her back to her normal weight and strength in no time, not to mention the both of us catching up on some much needed, uninterrupted shut eye.

As I look around my apartment, I am reminded of the collateral damage that caring for a sick animal can leave behind. I have temporarily put away the bucket and wet rags and patched up a hole on my couch, which was caused by Harley’s reaction to the steroids, she received intravenously this last round. All of the little things that would typically drive a highly organized, borderline neat freak like myself to seek psychotherapy have been relegated to meaningless inconveniences. What is a couch, but mere fabric and thread. What makes a couch unique and comfortable is having her lying on it with me.

Now that the 0.00 balance on my credit card has been replaced with some larger numbers, I at least know that the charges did not stem from some shopping spree or an irresponsible moment of decadence. All the charges on my current credit card statement have all gone toward one goal, and that is to keep my exception to every rule around as long as possible.

Frugal Fatigue

There are so many sayings and catch phrases out nowadays that the media creates in an attempt to turn the mundane into something more memorable. Think “Carmaggedon” just a couple of weeks ago.

More, recently however, I read a phrase that I have never seen before. While I was reading last months “Money Talk” in The L.A. Times by Liz Weston who writes an advice column that helps average people like you and me on issues of personal finances- she actually diagnosed a reader who had written in to vent about how much he has cut back on his expenses and more importantly how frustrated he was by having to live a life of constant financial austerity with… “Frugal Fatigue”.

This phrase got me thinking about- where do we draw the line when it comes to living a sensible life within our means vs. living a life of depravity? Obviously this particular topic is as unique to each individual as our own fingerprints, but is there such a thing as being too frugal? In short, my answer would be YES. Cutting back on premium cable channels and switching from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescents is one thing, wearing scarves and a down jacket to bed and risking catching pneumonia in the winter time to save a couple of bucks on your heating bill might be a little much.

I think it is actually far easier now to get caught up in the whole notion of the “Less is More” approach than it has been in the past. Being thrifty and pennywise does not carry the same negative stigma that it once did, in fact most people brag about their cost cutting ideas rather than being embarrassed by them. I've witnessed it first hand, with family members comparing DWP bills to see who has managed to save the most that month. More and more people are trading in gaudy, ostentatious vehicles for more practical and understated means of transportation, with "savvy" becoming the new "bling" when it comes to consumer spending.

I recently had a mental tug-a-war with myself over an Ipad2 that was given to me as a gift from a very generous client. I kept it for a total of 3 months and used it maybe half a dozen times before I finally caved and sold it on eBay. I thought that I would miss it the same way that I thought I needed it, but in the end I think I enjoyed saying I had one a lot more than I actually needed one. I enjoyed bragging to all my friends about it and I liked adding it to my increasingly growing collection of Apple products, but the money I made from selling my iPad2 with its virtual keyboard will go toward sending me on very real vacation.

Being frugal or fiscally responsible is just like being on a diet. Those who try to do too much too soon often fail in the same way that a person who loses 25 lbs in one week by starving themselves will almost always gain it all back and then some. Setting obtainable and realistic goals over time is the best way to get a handle on your finances and treating yourself to that Latte or dinner out a couple of times a month as a reward for all of your discipline is the best way to stave off “Frugal Fatigue”.

Sometimes remembering the past can make the present even better.

As the economy continually tries to pick itself up from crawling to stumbling to what will hopefully become larger, adult like steps toward recovery we need not forget what got us into this mess to begin with. We as humans often have very short-term memories when it comes to remembering the things we’ve promised ourselves we would never forget.

Signs of things getting better seem to be spreading like a rumor being whispered about in lunchrooms with cautious optimism. Everyone wants to believe it, but nobody wants to jinx it. Gas is cheaper; Real Estate might have finally hit bottom, 100 million dollar estates are being purchased in all cash deals and at the moment, one only has to throw a dart at a map of Silicone Valley to determine which internet company will go public next.

Even on a personal level, I have managed to pick up some clients and projects here and there that have made my own situation more promising. My bills are getting paid with a little more cushion to spare and I am starting to “treat” myself to occasional meals out and even set an ambitious goal of getting completely out of debt by the end of this year. In fact, just this past Saturday I, along with my brother, 4 sisters and 5 in-laws all met up at a nice restaurant for brunch in Downtown L.A. to celebrate my mother’s retirement after 27 years of working for the same company. The mood was joyful as it should be for such an event, even with all the planning and hassle that comes along with so many people meeting at a restaurant that does not take reservations. Even with some of my siblings with younger kids having to find sitters- all of us could not have been happier to be there.

Only one of us had been there before, while the rest of us were trying the place for the first time and we were not disappointed. The restaurant itself had a great vibe, it got us all out of our familiar zip codes, the food was very good and the prices were pretty reasonable – all things considered. Everything went off without a hitch until the check came.

For anyone who has ever been out to dinner with a large party where everyone is responsible for paying for him or herself… knows that this can become somewhat of an awkward moment. Everyone calculating what they had or more importantly what they didn’t have. Who ordered an appetizer? And who just had water? Are often the questions being thrown around. When all was said and done and the cell phones doubling as calculators were finally put away the bill was eventually settled. I myself handed over more than enough cash to cover what I had ordered and with a hint of arrogance made a comment to “keep the change”. Change that was returned to me by one of my in-laws with a sense of practicality that made me re-think the hubris in which I had tried to leave it.

It was then that I realized the irony of the entire situation. We were there to celebrate my mother’s retirement and the main reason why she was able to retire in such a fashion was not because she made a lot of money, hardly the case considering that her salary during her last year was a very modest $42,000. The reason why she was able to retire was because of how she handled her money. Change was something she always kept and saved rather than letting someone else keep it for her. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, however cliché it might be to remember the bad times so we can fully appreciate the good.

The thought of telling someone to “keep the change” at some fancy restaurant would have been absolutely ridiculous just two short years ago when my clients were leaving in droves during which I was asking myself for the very first time in my life the question of “what am I going to do?” So why should it be any different now? Change, in hindsight was all I had not too long ago. I needed all the change I could get back then, not to pay for nice brunches at trendy restaurants but to pay for groceries and rent.

Now that things seem to be changing for the better, there are certain things that should remain the same. I made a promise to myself that, when things eventually got better that I would not take things for granted like I once did and there is no better time to keep that promise than now.

A modest life yields extraordinary results.

We’ve all heard the saying that “desire is the fuel of life” and that we, as human beings are innately programmed to be perpetually dissatisfied with our lives. We are trained to constantly want more. More respect, a bigger office with a fancier title and of course more money.

We hear so much about overnight dot com millionaires, professional athletes and team owners alike squandering away astronomical sums of money only to file for bankruptcy with nothing to show for their wealth other than a fog of memories of the way things used to be. I’ve witnessed it first hand with clients that have W-2’s well into the 6 and even 7 figures who don’t even have a savings account.

Then there are individuals like Victoria Ubaldo Antonio, an immigrant from the Philippines who made the 8000-mile journey to the United States back in 1979 to help her congenitally deformed son find the medical treatment that her home country simply could not provide. Making such a journey in your adolescent years is one thing, since children and even teens in general adapt to new surroundings with relative aplomb. Making such a transition at the age of 39 however makes it far more difficult to not only assimilate into a new culture but to learn an entirely new language as well, but that is exactly what Victoria did. Leaving behind a life that she had carved out for herself all the way into her middle age with a self sustaining bakery business, friends and an ailing mother in order to make her youngest son feel normal for the first time in his life and to provide opportunities that just did not exist for her other son and 4 daughters.

She got a job with an insurance company 27 years ago with a starting salary of $12,000 a year and retired this past Friday with a salary that topped off at $42,000. She would continually redefine the word “sacrifice” and did something that is almost unheard of in this day and age – she lived below her means. During her working years she depended on no one while so many depended on her. She would work well into the night, taking on part time jobs so she can make sure that the needs of her younger children were taken care of. She would come home after a 14-hour day to cook, clean and go to sleep only to do it all over again the very next day. She would always stress the importance of getting an education and did absolutely everything in her power to provide the very best for her kids. Even if that meant waking up even earlier than usual so she can prepare a hearty lunch for her youngest son and carpool to work so he can drive her car, to make up for the fact that his friends at school lived a life of privilege that she just could not match.

As her kids got older she would eventually quit her second job, but even as the load from her tired shoulders lessened her discipline remained in tact. She continued to live a simple life. She forced herself to save and eventually fulfilled her dream of owning a home and did so on her own terms. Now 66 years young, all of Victoria’s

hard work has paid off in spades. Victoria, my mom will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Her house is almost paid off and she owns her 2007 Toyota Solara out right. She never believed in living a leveraged lifestyle and if she were in Congress today she would argue to lower the debt ceiling rather than raising it.

People like Victoria are among the unsung heroes that we rarely hear about. Stories like hers are not only inspirational but also remind us that the possibilities within our own lives can often exceed the circumstances in which we've been dealt. To me, however she’s mom. All that I am today is because of her and all of the lessons both taught and observed will be an integral part of what I will become and when all is said and done -I can only hope to be able to live a life as meaningful as the way hers has been thus far. Happy travels Mama! Enjoy sleeping in, enjoy being your number one priority and enjoy not doing anything at all if you don’t want to. You have quietly touched and inspired the lives of so many and this world is a better place because of you!