STAYS BLOG: THANKFUL THURSDAY

Welcome to “Thankful Thursday”, here is what we are enjoying or pondering:

What we are thankful for: When there are family challenges that come up (and that often happens with teenage kids!), we are thankful to have friends we can turn to for love and support. We are a long way away from all our family in Australia, but we been accepted like family in our small town of Corvallis. We are thankful for our wonderful supportive friends in Corvallis.

What we are pondering: ”Focus on what I can learn about myself all the time, especially from my reactions (such as anger, fear, jealousy, resentment and impatience), instead of judging or blaming others or myself” Gary Zukav.

What we are reading: The Captain Class, Sam Walker - Mark is an avid reader of leadership style books. In this book Sam Walker identifies the seven core qualities of the Captain Class—A bold new theory of leadership drawn from elite captains throughout sports—named one of the best business books of the year by CNBC, The New York Times, Forbes, strategy+business, The Globe and Mail, and Sports Illustrated.

Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav - Louise enjoys books with deep meaning and self reflection.The Seat of the Soul encourages you to become the authority in your own life. It will change the way you see the world, interact with other people, and understand your own actions and motivations. The anniversary edition of this beloved bestseller is celebrated in Prefaces by Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou and contains a new Foreword by the author, website links, and a new Study Guide to help readers find even deeper meaning and fulfillment.

Australian things we love: Blundstone 500 Series - When it comes to gear, most of us are on the hunt for the newest, shiniest, most innovative. But sometimes, it’s more satisfying to take the opposite approach, to ditch the quest for a new love and instead reconnect with an old, trusted friend. Which brings me to the Blundstone #500 series Chelsea boots that I cannot seem to remove from my feet.

There’s nothing novel or cutting-edge about them—they’re the same slip-on ankle boots that the Australian shoemaker has been cranking out since 1968. They’re astonishingly versatile. When it’s cold, they keep your feet warm and dry; when it warms up, they feel light and cool. Dress them up with a sport coat, down with jeans—or in the summer, shorts. According to Blundstone, more than 25 million pairs have been sold over the past five decades. I know that I had a pair once many years ago, but they got lost somewhere along the way. I am glad that they’re back in my life. — Larry Kanter, Deputy (Mens Journal).

New gadget we are enjoying: Apple Watch - Mark has resisted an Apple Watch for many years, but after a surprise birthday gift last year, he is now a total convert. He loves it!! The features he loves are being able to take a phone call on his watch anytime, quick important texts during a meeting and using his golf app on the watch while he is playing golf. What we are dreaming about: Mark and I are dreaming about Italy. While Mark is focused on his volleyball work, I am busy with real estate projects. OMG!! I am learning “A LOT” as we go through the process of buying a vacation rental in Italy. Trying to buy and then create a profitable vacation rental near where we live in the US is hard enough, but throwing in all the challenges of buying in another country, I often question my sanity (and so does our attorney!). There are many roadblocks starting with just the basics like saving for the downpayment. But then throw in language, real estate laws, currency, apostile (rather than notary), just to name a few. I often feel like giving up. Maybe it’s just too hard. But I believe in dreaming big and when I think its totally impossible I will listen to motivational podcasts to get my thinking back on track in a positive direction. I constantly remind myself of the long term goal which is to have a profitable vacation rental, that will increase in value over time and allow us to travel for free. With new sites like AirBnB and VRBO many people are making money on their vacation rentals, and traveling the world. We are following their lead and taking small steps to try to learn as much as we can about how to do this. As we continue to learn we plan to share as much as we can in our BLOGS.

Please give us feedback on which tip above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let us know! Just send us a message on our FaceBook page.