by Phil Anderson
Today is Christmas Day, 2011.  It has been a very interesting year, to say the least.  I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say, it’s been a challenge to stay positive.

I had the opportunity to travel to Seattle a couple of days ago, on the 23rd, for my families Christmas party which was held at my sisters’ place.  All of my immediate family and their families were there.  I hadn’t seen my youngest sister since last year at this time, which was the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing her.  My oldest daughter was also there, up from California for the holiday’s.  She’s about to enter her last semester of college and I’m so proud of her work ethic.  She truly lives value to the fullest without going overboard (very often).

The night was fantastic.  Warm atmosphere, warm music, warm food and warm conversations.  There was only one person missing and that was my youngest daughter, Tabitha.  She has been tussling with drug addiction, and not winning the tussle.  She has been struggling for a couple of years pretty severly.  She’s been to a number of drug rehab facilities and even jail a few times.  In fact, that is where she spent Thanksgiving this year and is spending Christmas today.  She is only 19.  I really wanted (I don’t know if that’s accurate but I knew it was something that I had to do) to visit her before leaving Seattle.

After a restful night sleep on heavenly mattresses and pillows at the Westin in Seattle, I drove to the Kent facility where she’s staying and went through the process to visit her (rid myself of my cell phone, etc…).  She has always claimed that whenever she looks at the clock and it says either 1:11 or 11:11 and it freaks her out.  As I have written before, I have a gratitude alarm that goes off everyday at 1:11 in the afternoon.  It reminds me to be thankful for what I have, which has been something I haven’t done earlier in my life.  It also reminds me of my youngest daughter and is a way for me to help teach her that she can also turn it around and consider those times lucky rather than unlucky.

As I walked down the long, sterile hallway toward the last door I would have to enter before seeing her, I was overwhelmed with anxiety over seeing my daughter in prison attire.  This really was not my idea of Christmas Eve.  I came to the series of doors and looked at which of the five I could choose to go in and found door P111.  Perfect!

When I entered, I was greeted with a small room, about 3′x6′ with a chair, a table top, a phone and a pretty thick piece of glass.  After about two minutes she entered her room, located on the other side of the glass.  With a big smile she picked up the phone and we started talking.  I was worried that we wouldn’t have much to say.  We had a maximum of 30 minutes.  How would we fill it up?

Well, we did.  It was a great conversation.  She sounded good.  She looked good, with the exception of some acne.  She hasn’t used drugs in over a month, which ironically is exactly how long she’s been in jail.  She’s now in a court appointed drug program that will take about a year to complete.  After she’s released in late January she’ll live in a sober house and continue the program.  She seemed excited at the opportunity.  She laughed and smiled a lot.  The last time I had seen her was almost three months ago and she was a different person.

She told me about her days, her classes and what she’s learning.  She said the thing she really is learning is that change is the only constant in our lives, especially those with drug addiction.  She said that phrase at least four times.  “I’m learning that change is really the only constant, Dad.”

I realize that is the same for all of us.  Life IS constantly changing.  WE are constantly changing.  So many people are afraid of change.  We should embrace change.  It IS our only constant.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Thank you for reading.  And, as the young boy whispered, “God bless everyone.”

Hello, and welcome, once again, to my personal blog.  It’s Christmas time again (it seems to happen every year at this time) and I recently read a story that I really want to pass along to you.  As you may, or may not, know, I recieve an Insight of the Day e-mail every week day from Bob Proctor.  I’ve been following Bob Proctor, and other people like him, for about six years now, and I love all of the things he teaches on personal growth.  As such, I look forward to these e-mails as they are very inspiring and thought provoking.  On Friday’s he has a Friday Story which is a much longer e-mail but even more worth reading as it outlines a, usually, heart warming story.  This particular one was about the REAL Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.  Here it is for you to enjoy.

The True Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn’t understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, “Why isn’t Mommy just like everybody else’s Mommy?” Bob’s jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob’s life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Being small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he’d rather not remember.

From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.  Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn’s bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938. Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn’t even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn’t buy a gift, he was determined a make one – a storybook!

Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal’s story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.

Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn’t end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to
Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.

But the story doesn’t end there either. Bob’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.” The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn’t so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing!

How many of us feel different?  How many of us look and act fine on the outside but feel in our heart we’re different?  There are many people who love the holidays.  In our house, Christmas music might find it’s way into our ears at any time of the year.  I have a friend who keeps their Christmas decorations up all year (sorry to call you out, Cassandra!)  But for many people, for many reasons, Christmas is not a time of joy and happiness.  If you see somebody that looks like this might be the case, do something for them, even if it’s just wishing them a Merry Christmas or passing on a warm smile. 

As always, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook.  If we don’t already know each other but you’d like to send me a friend request on Facebook, please put a little message in the request, as I tend to not accept people unless I know something about them.

Thank you for reading, and Merry Christmas!

by Phil Anderson
OK, so it’s been many, MANY months since I last wrote on this blog.  Lots has happened.  There is so much water under the bridge it seem like it may wash the bridge out!  I will be turning the big FIVE-ONE in less than two weeks and I thought it may be a good idea to start tapping the keyboard for this particular blog.

I have some exciting news to share as you may have noticed I have a NEW link under the blogroll to your right!  I have just started Anderson Social Media Solutions which will focus solely on helping businesses connect with their customers through social media like Facebook, Twitter and Google+.  Anderson Social Media Solutions will do everything from set up their profiles on these networks to managing them.  I will even be offering to set up and blog for them if they’d like.  If you know anyone who owns a business and still looks at social media as a daunting undertaking, let them know about Anderson Social Media Solutions.  I haven’t got an affiliate program just yet but that will be something that will be added in the future.

Shelley’s son, Tyler got married in August at Leonesse Cellars in Temecula, California.  If you are interested in reading about some of the experiences surrounding the wedding weekend be sure to check out my wine blog at General Wine Thoughts and put, “The Wedding Weekend” in the search.  Her sister, Jill, was married also, in September, in Canada. We were able to make both weddings, one 1,200 miles South of us and one 850 miles North.  Lots of travel but lots of fun.

Speaking of Shelly, her company, The Intentional Caregiver is going crazy!  So many people have turned to her for guidance as they try and handle the challenges they face being a caregiver.  Her Mobile Organizer has been a huge success as it has helped so many caregivers organize and efficiently manage all of the information that comes with being a caregiver.

OK, now I’m starting to sound like a commercial!

My daughter Lindsay is in her last year of college at Chapman in California.  She spent over three months in Florence, Italy studying.  She grew and matured quite a bit over there, learning about the Italian culture and even took a wine and food pairing class.  I won’t deny I was elated when she made it back safe and sound.  There’s a reason for that…

If you remember, I wrote a piece about 20 months ago about the daughter of a friend of mine that was in jail after being convicted of murder.  Well, about three weeks ago that verdict was reversed and Amanda was home 29 hours later!  I happened to have been visiting Seattle at the time to visit my youngest daughter when this all came down and I have to say it was a VERY exciting time.  I heard the verdict read live on the radio and was overcome with emotion I hadn’t anticipated feeling.  Curt and I have been friends since we played football together in college and I have to say it’s been a very difficult 4 years, to be sure, but I think that’s why the joy was so overwhelming.

I got more comments from that article than any blog post I’d ever written.  There are certainly many opinions regarding this situation, from people that don’t know the whole story to high profile attorneys to even higher profile people like Donald Trump.

Trying to get a hold of Curt before leaving town was difficult to say the least.  After talking to his two youngest daughters for over a half hour in their livingroom I finally got the chance to congratulate him when he walked through the door after running a quick errand (while avoiding the paparazzi).  The way he, and the rest of the family that was involved, handled the situation was absolutely flawless, in my opinion.  I always knew Curt had character but I had no idea just how much.

The interesting thing, during this whole fiasco, of reporters trying to get any and all information regarding Amanda and where she might be, crowding around the house, and just being their media selves, was my urge to document this as it was happening.  You may or may not know this about me (depending on who’s reading this) but I am an avid photographer who has ALWAYS documented things.  Family parties, weddings, funerals, public events, you name it, I like documenting it through photographs, and I wanted to do that this time, as well.  But, that would’ve been wrong and I thought Curt would appreciate me more as a friend than just another picture taker.

So, now we find ourselves in Fall, and with that, football season.  We had the opportunity to make our annual trek to Green Bluff in Spokane to pick up some pumpkins and fresh apple cider and fresh vegetables.  We even were able to stop into Townshend Winery for a tasting!

Our cart as we're loading pumpkins at a fruit farm in Green Bluff.

It feels really good to get this post done as it’s been a long time coming.  Thank you so much for reading it.  If you’d like to connect with me please follow me on Twitter or “Like” All Kinds of Great Music or Drinking Wine on Facebook!

Until next time….

by Phil Anderson
As of today, I am stepping out into a new freedom of happiness.  I read a quote in my Insights of the Day from Bob Proctor that really fits well into my current situation:

I really DO have so much to be thankful for.  I have a creative mind that doesn’t know the word, “quit”.  I have a body that can do heavy work when called upon.  I have a personality that is condusive to many other personality types.  I have an abundance of skill sets I can use.  And I have a tremendous amount of experiences in which to draw upon.  There are many people that can’t say that so I am very blessed. 

As a reminder to myself to be thankful everyday, I have an alarm on my iPhone that goes off everyday at 1:11 PM.  It’s actually called my, “Thank You/Grateful” alarm and I got the idea from one of the pasters at the church I attend, Lake City Community Church.

I will now take this opportunity to do a little self promotion!  In the upper right hand corner of this site you will see a few sites that are near and dear to my heart.  Take a look at them, if you’d like to, as I have either a direct or an indirect affiliation with all of them.  Also, please, please, please become a fan of All Kinds of Music and Drinking Wine on Facebook.  You can also follow me on Twitter with my VintageTweets or PHILIPmANDERSON handles.

‘Til next time, thank you so much for reading.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Mark 11:24 which states:  “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 

: )

by Phil Anderson
This has not been the best of years.  I know I just wrote that I turned 50 and how great and wonderful that was, and it truly was.  But I have been thrown some major curveballs that I didn’t see coming. 

One was when I was told that my youngest daughter is addicted to Oxycontin AND heroin.  There are not many worse phone calls to get.  So I’ve found myself having to uproot what I’ve tried to build as a life in North Idaho, with somebody that I REALLY love and head back to Seattle to face this problem head on.

There are problems with that, however.  The job I was working for, the internet company, wasn’t a “paying” job as most people know it.  I was given a roof over my head and dinner on the table and a beautiful home to live in on 10 acres.  Oh yeah, and eye candy walking around daily.  Don’t get me wrong, this came with a WHOLE lot of work and energy.  But all of those great things don’t really pay the bills, ya know.  Especially when the company has yet to take off, though I know it will.  Just without me, apparantly.

So, “it’s Christmas time pretty baby,” as the song says, and I have no job, no money, no honey and no home (when I went to take care of my daughter she told me, “don’t bother coming back”.  I’m trying to do the best I can to come up with some quick money to pay the cell phone bill by the 20th and still pay a plane fare for my oldest daughter, the one that has her caca together. 

Oh, yeah, and it’s Christmas.  Presents to buy, Christmas cheer, music and decorations to admire and adhere to.  And though I love my daughter and want her to get better, my heart is still in North Idaho. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that money IS the main thing women want.  It doesn’t matter if they tell you otherwise.  If I made a ton of money THAT would be perfect, even if I wasn’t around because I was busy working.  I just need to write this so I can get this scummy feeling out of my soul. 

It’s not healthy and it’s bringing bad, bad, bad joojoo to me.  Last week I had my truck broken into and about 500-700 bucks worth of things taken.  THAT followed my tire blowing out and me needing to replace it.  My mindset needs a major paradigm shift and I think this writing will help boost that process.

I know nobody will be reading this particular post because I will NOT be promoting it.  But I’m glad it’s here for me tonight and this time in my life. 

From this point on, my life is propelling forward!

11:59 PM

by Phil Anderson
18 hours shy of 50 years ago to the minute, there was a doctor sitting, watching a Husky-UCLA football game on a Fall afternoon at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington, making a young couple nervous at Swedish Hospital.  The young couple was about to have their first of three children.  The couple was Matt and Judy, my Mom and Dad.  They were about to give birth to me.

I tell people that 50 is just a number, which I do believe, but I have to admit that I have been reflecting on the first 50 years of my life recently.  I have friends that have already turned the big five-0, not any part of Hawaii.  I have lived a pretty good life up until now, yet I haven’t achieved what I want to achieve yet.  I’m certainly not alone, there are plenty of people my age (my age…that sounds wierd!) that haven’t achieved what they want to in life yet, so that’s ok.

I am very blessed to have experienced home ownership, a family that is unwavering in their support of me, in whatever endeavor I am undertaking, known deep love and compassion, many AMAZING friends (not acquaintances, but actual friends!) and, of course, my two unbelievably, wonderful daughters.  (Lindsay will be 21 on Sunday!  We can finally, LEGALLY, talk about wine!)  

Although I’m probably in the worse shape of my life, I look ok for “my age”.  I taught aerobics and played football for ten years, played basketball for double that and include photography and piano playing as a couple of my gifts.  In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m listening to music (yes, Taylor Swift is one of the artists we’re covering!) that I’ll be playing this Saturday for an event at our church called, “MarriedLife Live”.

I have a knack for making people laugh, which I sort of like a lot.  I’m still not sure if they’re laughing at my jokes or me, but I’ll pretend it’s my jokes.  After all, it’s my life and I control what I believe or not….right?  I’m also right in the middle of the explosion of a company that is helping caregivers who are caring for their loved ones by making sure they help themselves first.  If you’re interested to find out more just click here.  I also have my General Wine Thoughts site that I’m enjoying as well as my Facebook fan pages, All Kinds of Music AND Drinking Wine.  Are you seeing a wine trend here!  : )

So, now, what’s in store for my next 50 years?  Great question!  But I know with my family, my circle of friends and God by my side, I have nowhere to go but up.  Can I really go another 50? 

We’ll see…..

Cheers!

By Phil Anderson
So much to write about and so little time so I’ll get right to it!  But first, if you’re new to my site, take a peek at the blogroll in the upper right hand corner of the page and you’ll see the sites that are important to me (mainly because I’m affiliated with them!).  Check out at any of them you’re interested in!

Sooooo….

……for the past few mornings we have been reminded, not so subtley, that it’s no longer Summer.  Yes, I know, it’s been Fall for nearly a month but the weather has been nice and warm so it hasn’t seemed like it.  We have awoke to the temperature being in the mid twenties.  I haven’t even brought my hoses or the sprinkler timer in!  We haven’t had the sprinkler system blown out, either!

Well, part of the reason for these things not happening is that we were preparing for, then attending, a very busy weekends worth of events just last weekend.

Last Thursday, at a very dark:30 hour (3:30AM to be exact) we were up and off to the airport.  Shelley went to Washington D.C. and I flew to Dallas.  Shelley spoke at a conference dealing with Alzheimer’s and Dementia that featured CBS News correspondent, Barry Peterson.  I was going to Dallas for the BOSS 2010 event hosted by Carrie Wilkerson.

Shelley did very well with her presentation.  She was supposed to meet back up with me on Friday evening but, because of complications (that are outlined at http://www.masteringcustomerservice.com, titled “NOT, NOT, NOT” The Tale Of Two Experiences Part 1) she ended up not arriving in Dallas until Saturday morning.

The BOSS 2010 conference was all about how to build your business through creative marketing.  The line-up of speakers was outstanding!  Paul Martinelli was riviting as he talked about overcoming limiting beliefs.  David Frey, who owns so many different sites, disclosed his Top Ten Marketing Insights.  Paul Evans passionately spoke about the power of the spoken word.  Best Selling author, Joel Comm, relayed new strategies that include mobile marketing.  In fact, he had some pretty powerful demonstrations that MOVED people right there in the room just by using mobile marketing!   David Ring, who has lived with Cerebral Palsy ALL of his life presented a very compelling arguement on why everybody can do what they want if they just put their mind to it.  He was a true inspiration and his message DID, um, “ring” true!  (In fact, I will be talking with Pastor Mike at our church about bringing him in to speak.)

Paul Evans also founded 100X Missions which rescue and redeem orphans.  The group at this event raised over $57,000, all of which will go directly to the foundation.  It is awesome to be a part of that!

Carrie Wilkerson (L) and Shelley Webb during the BOSS 2010 Event in Dallas, Texas.

The last speaker was the well known motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar.  He is 84 now and his daughter accompanied him during his presentation.  He’s showing some wear but his message is still the same.  My favorite quote of the day from him was, “You can have anything you want if you’ll just help people get what THEY want.”

Carrie also spoke during this two day event and we had some breakout sessions with speakers in a more intimate setting.  Because I am now working for The Intentional Caregiver I counted how many times I heard the words “intention” or “intentional” and came up with 15, 12 by Carrie alone!  Carrie started The Barefoot Executive company less than three years ago and has already turned it into a million dollar company.  She has been Shelley’s mentor and coach for about a year and a half.  She is upbeat and passionate and doesn’t accept excuses.

Are YOU being intentional in your life?

Shelley also owns a gift basket company (you might notice THAT in the upper right hand corner as well!) and was obligated to provide 25 gift bags (normally they’re baskets but because of the travel and logistics of bringing all that would go in these they turned into bags) for the speakers and the volunteers of the event.  We even had The Barefoot Executive ribbon which is always a nice touch.

Since she didn’t get in on Friday night I had to learn quickly how to make a beautiful gift bag and when Shelley got in Saturday morning we frantically added the bows (that she made while she was in D.C.) to the bags and we were finished!  No more stress.

I am very happy I was able to attend this event because I took from it many valuable things I can use in business and marketing in the future.  It was nice to see an icon in the motivational speaking world, in Zig Ziglar.  The conference went from early in the morning to late at night, all day on Friday and most of the day on Saturday so by the end of the conference I was certainly exhausted. 

But I wouldn’t have changed anything!

Thanks for reading and until next time, enjoy life to the fullest and GO HUSKIES!

By Phil Anderson
Celine Dion sings a song called, “Falling Into You”, we can fall head over heels, there is falling into love, football season and, of course, Fall. 

Just before we started the Alzheimer's Walk today in Coeur d'Alene.

It is now the 2nd day of October, 2010.  I want to personally thank you for stopping by and seeing wassup (that means, what’s up) with me.

We just got back from the Alzheimer’s Walk in Coeur d’Alene.  Since I no longer sell Filter Queens (THANK YOU, LORD!) I am now working for The Intentional Caregiver, working side by side with Shelley Webb, THE intentional caregiver.  The company is all about helping family caregivers whether it is aging parents/loved ones or a child with autism or anything in between.  It’s great to be a part of a company that is on the leading edge of this market as just this year the first of the baby boomer generation is retiring. 

What’s interesting is that 60% of all people who are employed are caregivers.  Another interesting statistic is that up to 50% of all caregivers will die before their care recipient.  Yes, read that sentence again, if you must.  To me, that is astonishing.  Caregivers are so busy taking care of other people that they neglect themselves.  That is what The Intentional Caregiver is all about:  Helping caregivers take care of themselves.  They are a much better caregiver when they do that.

By the way, if you are a caregiver yourself or know of somebody who is, check out The Intentional Caregiver Mobile Organizer!  We recently launched it and is a perfect tool for the family caregiver.

Of course, I am still major into wine.  My site, General Wine Thoughts, is doing great.  One person a day is subscribing which I am so happy and grateful for.  I am putting my new found relationships in the wine industry to good use by developing a telesummit for November called, “Creating New Wine Lovers”.  The focus will be to help people who want to learn more about wine by giving them useful information starting from square one.  No snobbery.  No intimidation.  Just good, useful information.  And all for free.  So, check back here or at General Wine Thoughts for more information.

You can also “Like” wine on Facebook as well or find me on Twitter, if that’s what you’re more comfortable with. 

Speaking of Facebook, I still have the music fan page called, All Kinds Of Music, where I put up a portion of a song lyric nearly every day for people to try and identify.  It’s all in fun and people seem to really enjoy it.  Sheryl Crow, David Cassidy, The Who, Rod Stewart, Stevie Winwood, Dire Straits and Bob Seger are just a few names that I’ve quoted from recently.  Would love to have more people guessing so, “Come On Over” (name THAT artist) if you’d like!

It’s JUST been a year (as of last Sunday) that Shelley’s Dad, Lloyd, passed away.  We went up to Canada for his memorial service about two months ago (he wanted his ashes to be spread over a lake his cabin was on and we had to wait for it to thaw!), so that was a bit emotional.

Next week I’ll be in Dallas for a business conference that will feature Zig Zigler.  I will be commenting on my Facebook page often and sending pictures as well.  I’m looking forward to it.  I might even have a glass of wine or……um, two? 

Well, that’s all I have for now.  I look forward to reading any comment you might have about anything…wine, music, customer service, family caregiving or anything else.  ‘Til next time, enjoy life to the fullest and GO DAWGS!  WOOF!

Hello, once again, and welcome to my own personal blog for Phil Anderson, and, Phil Anderson Enterprises.  For those of you new to visiting here, this site is for updating what’s going on in my world.  I thank you for taking the time to find out more about me and my endeavors.  To the right of this page you will notice a simple blog roll of businesses and sites that are near and dear to my heart.  Some are still in the process of getting started (ok, those would be mine) and others are more put together.  I won a contest recently for my wine site, General Wine Thoughts, so you might want to check that one out!  I’ve also started a fan page on Facebook called All Kinds of Music to go with my Drinking Wine page.  Click these hyperlinks if you like All Kinds Of Music or if you like Drinking Wine!

I’ve just spent time in Wenatchee, East Wenatchee (Washington) and Missoula (Montana), spreading fresh and healthy air to those folks living there (well, those who bought the system, anyway!).  During those trips I was able to visit some wineries and start some new relationships.  About a week ago I poured at the White Out Table (those wines that pair well with seafood) at Taste Washington! Spokane and you can see a short video about that event if you click here.  I show up in the upper left hand corner at about the 2:08 mark and at the end.  I’m the bald dude!

My daughter, Tabitha, will be graduating from High School on Wednesday and I am so proud of her.  Also, there are three other cousins that are graduating from West Seattle High School this year.  At one point there were over TEN cousins all at the same high school!  All my aunts and uncles, parents, and grandparents went to, and graduated from, West Seattle High School.  

Speaking of my grandparents, their house has sold and will be closing in a couple of weeks which will also close the final chapter on their life in that house.  I’ll go through it one more time, think back on the great memories, maybe have a glass of wine, take a few more pictures and then say, “goodbye”, for the last time.

<sigh>

Also, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to my cousin, Alexander, who is serving in Iraq, as well as Shelley’s son, Tyler, who is now at Marine Officers Training in West Virginia.  While I’m at it, thank you to all of the brave soldiers in our military protecting our freedoms.  The Fourth of July is just around the corner and I don’t often say thank you to those serving our country. 

Lastly, and back to the wine, I DID win a seat on the WBC or Bust trip from Seattle to Walla Walla, for the Wine Bloggers Conference, and it leaves in about ten days!  The itinerary is packed and I will be documenting all of it at General Wine Thoughts. 

Again, thank you for reading this and I hope you visit again soon. 

Until then, Ciao for now!

Here we are in April…well, almost May, and life continues to move at a breakneck pace.  I have found myself on the road for a lot of the time now as I continue to help people live cleaner, healthier lives using the indoor air quality system I represent. 

My oldest daughter, Lindsay, is doing very well in school in California and has landed a job at The Lazy Dog Cafe in Irvine which she is enjoying quite a bit.  We get into deep conversations regarding customer service that I absolutely love.  They’re not actually debates but conversations.  It’s very gratifying being able to have adult conversations with somebody you’ve helped bring up and live successfully in this world.

My youngest daughter has had some obstacles that she is doing her best to overcome.  I am very proud that she hasn’t given up, that she continues to fight to move forward.  What I am most proud of is that she is such a good person, that she is respectful toward people that she encounters in life.  We all have good in us but, so often, we seem to be measured and judged by the things that don’t go as planned.

I have had the good fortune to be able to visit quite a few wineries lately and am writing about those at General Wine Thoughts.  I am in the process of putting together a team of experts in the wine industry that will help me in my pursuit of teaching people about wine from square one.  Remember, with just a little bit of knowledge wine becomes much less overwhelming.  I have started a fan page on Facebook so if you are a fan of wine and want to prove that to the world, become a fan of wine on Facebook by clicking here!  I’ve also entered a contest through WINE CHATRr (it’s called WBC or Bust) to win a trip from Seattle to Walla Walla for the Wine Bloggers Conference in June.  We’ll be stopping at many wineries on the way.  It will be VERY fun!

I also continue to offer advice to anybody in the customer service industry.  If you are interested in those articles please click here and you will be directed to my Mastering Customer Service blog.

Tonight, with my family, I will be toasting both my Grandma and Grandpa Fulcher, to honor them, in the home they owned for over 55 years.  Then we will put the house on the market.  It’s been bittersweet working on their house, repairing those things that they had let go over the years.  I took apart a work bench that my Grandpa had made about 5o years ago, so that the basement would look like it had more room.  That was sad.  As I look at all of the things that have been neglected it just reminds me how important it is to keep your home up.  I remember the work parties we used to have at their house when I was young.  People pitching in to help.  I don’t think that happens much anymore.

Well, that is it for the time being.  I will chime in again soon.  I thank you for taking the time in your busy day to read a little bit about my life. 

Ciao for now…

Phil