Master of my own Domain – Part 3

I can hardly believe it!  I must admit, I thought this whole transfer business would be harder.  I did not expect SEI to be so quick and hassle free in transferring my domain into my name.  I mean, I knew they should – but it really was seamless.

Then the guys over at BlueHost were fantastic. Helpful and nice.  I love that. They made sure I understood what the first couple of steps should be and I was off.

However, I am running into a bit of “be careful what you ask for…” WordPress is easy enough, but I need more than a blog – I need a webpage. So, I am using Adobe Contribute for my desktop editing.  But, this is the first time I have used it for from scratch creation.  Whew! I finally called it a night at about 1:30 this morning. I am not close to finished, but I am excited about the progress. 

So, I had better get back to it!

Master of my own Domain – Part 2

So far, so good.  Wasn’t sure what to expect in the realm of speediness since it is the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend.  But, believe it or not, I had reply emails in my inbox by 9:30!  The guys over at SEI have always been on the ball.  They have been great to work with and I am glad they were my first interaction with working on a website.Right now I am just waiting on them to approve the domain registration transfer that I requested.  Doug over at Network Solutions was phenomenal in helping me with that.  The domain, while it is mine, is registered under another guy’s name over at SEI.  But, as I understand it, they are taking care of it.

So close…I am itching with anticipation!  The learning curve is sharp…but, man, it’s a great education!

Master of my own Domain – Part 1

For those of you who just stumbled across this blog, I am a real estate agent. In my market, there are quite a few of us – and we’re good.  Some of us are real good. So, when clients are choosing which Realtor they want to work with, they really can find somebody that suits them.  It’s kinda like dating – there is somebody out there for everybody, you just got to get to know them.  The “get to know them” part is where it gets tricky. How do you do that? Well, it is my personal opinion that the internet is the best way. Many people, whether it is gift shopping, information gathering, dating, searching for real estate, or a multitude of other things, accomplish these tasks at midnight, in their pajamas, on the internet – or at 4 in the morning over coffee, in my case.  Therefore, when I got into the business full time, I knew the first marketing dollar to be spent was not on cute calendars, refrigerator magnets, or property flyers – it was on a webpage.

So, that’s what I did and www.aprilgroves.com was born. It is a nice site, considering it was my first shot. But, it is database driven with templates and limited customization. Some time after, I discovered blogging existed on a larger scale than what I had seen on the myspace pages.  I wanted one of those too, and Making Life Work for You was created. I also started the Musings of Beautiful Chaos. This was a necessary step as I am completely aware of my inability to always write about Making Life Work for You type topics.  Sometimes I want to talk about my family, my friends, and other personal type stuff. Readers of the professional blog are more than welcome on the personal one – in fact, I love that they get to know me in a deeper way – but, they shouldn’t be forced to rummage through my kids’ latest activity to get to what they really want to know about termites and home buying.

Now, I think I have outgrown my template site. I am computer savvy, thanks to the United States Navy, I have am currently managing a domain, thanks to the WBA, and I have great friends and associates (Chris, Lisa, Christina, Athol, Jonathan, Pat and others I am sure I am leaving out) that have been very supportive on this journey and are packed full of great expertise.

Now, here I am. It’s 4 A.M. on a Sunday morning. I have a plan. Who knows how it will turn out, but it will be one heck of a ride.   

  • I just put in a request to transfer my domain from its current home to BlueHost. Why BlueHost? Because their prices are competitive, their services complete, and WordPress likes them (see next bullet).    
  • I am going to transfer my blogs to WordPress. Why WordPress? Because Chris likes them. Really, that’s the only reason. His wife, Gorgeous (that’s how he refers to her – love it!), is one of my great friends and an awesome business woman. I trust her unconditionally. Chris is a phenom blogger and a real nice guy – his recommendation is all I need.    
  • I have to design a new website. While the domain name is mine, the templates are not, so I am sure the current hosters will strip it before they transfer it. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.    

That’s all I know for right now.  After all, it is 4 o’clock Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend… I have done all I can do – just have to wait for everybody else to get back to work.

Until next time…

Am I just crazy…

…or is everybody else?  Sometimes I really don’t know. Is it a “silent majority” thing and I am the only loud mouth, or am I really in the minority? Are my opinions really that out in left field?

Feels like a rant is coming on and you, my dear friends, will have to excuse me while I try to stay on track.  This frustration is not one thing, but many things…this uniform thing is just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The school system here is attempting to implement a uniform policy.  We had this when we lived in Chicago and it was fantastic. Mark and I both felt that if we had uniforms in school, we would have hated it, and our lives would have been much easier. However, some parents don’t feel this way and that’s okay. But, OMG (to use the cool, hip, text abbreviation) can we get over it already! Reading the newspaper, you would think Stalin was running the board and Hitler was poised to take over. I don’t get it. My kids have enough to deal with in their young lives with society being the way it is. Any attempt to remove some of those distractions while they are attempting to get an education is fine by me.

They say that the problem would be solved if the administration would just enforce the current dress code.  Are you kidding? Have any of you been shopping for school age girls lately? Now, I can’t speak to the boys, because I don’t have any, but girls I got and it is near impossible. What does my 5 year old or my 10 year old need with halter tops, short shorts, and platform shoes to round out the outfit? Sure, you can get them long pants and then contend with the provocative remarks the manufactures insist on pasting across the butt. That’s much better. You are basically limited to jeans, capris, and t-shirts (funny, sounds like a uniform policy). This is fine with me until I am getting the kids ready for school or shopping in the mall and I have to hear for the eleventy billionth time about what so and so’s mom will let them wear, buy, scout around town in.  No thank you. Get up, get breakfast, brush your teeth, and grab one of the approved uniforms that will be very much the same as anything else anybody else has on. Bypass the drama and get on to the job at hand – getting your education.

Speaking of the job at hand, a lot of jobs require a uniform, or, at the very least, a required manner of dress. Are they oppressive and limiting free expression of their employees?  Are we going to bash the boards of these companies for their abusive practices? No. We are probably working for them, collecting a paycheck, and happy for it.

I could go on. There are lots of things in the media that are absolutely driving me crazy – taxes, immigration, Iraq, and the list goes on.  But, I won’t. I will say this and be done. Don’t be a shallow thinker. Take opinions out to their logical conclusion. Pay attention to the society around you and compare it to what the media says society is. If you hear it on the news, don’t listen to what they say, figure out what they mean – it is all too often two different things.

My NewsBowl Champ!

The school year is almost over. We are participating in all the regular end of the year activities.  Today was the Awards Program for Madison.  I couldn’t have been more proud.She received an award for the Honor Roll – we expected that. Her grades are usually pretty good. But we, and several other parents, got a real treat.Madison participates in the gifted program at school. Every Friday, she and a few of her classmates go to their SEEK class and participate in various mind expanding activities. One of the programs they participate in is the News Bowl. This is a national program that looks to involve students in learning about current events.

Well, Madison’s team won 1st in the state and 6th in the Nation. Her group received the News Bowl certificate and another for the Principal’s achievement award.

Big congrats to the 4th grade SEEK!!  We love you, Bear!

Maybe I am wrong…

One of my dear girlfriends is a photographer. A very good photographer. Together with her husband, Diana Nash shoots some of the best pictures I have ever seen.

A couple of moths ago, she had a blog post about a new photo session called "dress trashing."  Sometime after the wedding, after the dress has fulfilled its purpose, instead of shrink wrapping it and putting it somewhere in your closet for "sentimental value," Diana asks you to put it back on. Then, she takes pictures.  These are not your clean pictures. These are your laying in a pile of leaves, climbing up a tree, wading in the water at the beach pictures.

Well, as you can imagine, if you know me at all, I LOVE the idea and the pictures were fantastic! Very sexy and artistic – and what woman doesn’t want to be photographed as sexy and artist? I have mentioned it a few times to a few people and I have been surprised. The response is about 50/50. While some feel the way I do, I was surprised at the number of people who just thought it was a bad idea. It seems that some still hold on to the idea that their daughter will want to, in twenty, thirty years, unshrink wrap the dress and wear it in their own wedding. While I guess that is a possibility, it seems uncommon. Most brides insist on a new dress that they pick out.

I dunno – I thought the whole dress trashing bit was a phenom of an idea. Of course, I must admit, I have never actually owned or had on a wedding dress. But, I can’t help but think that the dress in the leaves did that girl a whole lot better than the shrink wrap.

But, I guess I could be wrong…

Happy Mother’s Day

I love my family.  How’s that for an understatement? I didn’t have a Mother’s Day – I had, like, 4!

My husband and I don’t typically exchange gifts on holidays – we save all that for the kids. But, this Mother’s Day, he informed me earlier this week, he was going to the jewelry store. Did I have any input? Well, heck yeah! If you’re gonna spend that kind of money, can we go to the Sprint store instead? Geeky, I know. But, I have been coveting the Treo for months – maybe a year already. He’s glad he asked and, of course, I can get whatever I want. YAY!! But, I can’t get into Savannah until Friday. Boo! The anticipation really was exciting. Finally, I get my phone! How cool is that! Brand spanking new Treo 755 – go to the website and it is still listed as “coming soon.” Full of myself and my new gadget – maybe just a bit. But, you’ll have to indulge me. I don’t get to be on the cutting edge very often.

As if that weren’t enough, my wonderful husband takes us all (our whole family, my folks, and his) to our favorite restaurant. And, I don’t even have to wait until Sunday. Vickie has to work on Mother’s Day (what a bunch of crap!) so we decide to go on Saturday.Really better all the way around – surely not as crowed. Fantastic food (I LOVE seafood), the girls behave beautifully, everybody has a good time, and it isn’t even Sunday yet!

Well, now it is and who could ask for more? Wonderful husband, beautiful kids, two of the best moms in the world, great food, awesome present, and Earl wins Survivor. I truly get more than I deserve.

 

 

Bill, Rocky, and Me

Who knew?  Not me! I have been listening, watching, and reading Bill O’Reily for quite some time now.  I have finally decided to subscribe to the newsletter as I am not in my car as much as I once was.  Meander a bit through the site to see what I can see.  Guess what!  Rocky is on Bill’s list of favorite movies:) 

I agree with Bill a lot of the time – but this is dead on!

Things people will put on the Internet

The internet is a wondrous thing – thanks, Mr. Gore!  The plethora of information is incredible. At any time of the day or night, you can buy, watch, read, look, or listen to practically anything.

However, it still amazes me what people will put on the internet. Like only the people who will appreciate their “sense of humor” or “personality will see it.  Haven’t we learned this is not the case?

Now, I understand that blogs are supposed to be the venue for people to “bear their soul in honesty.” But really, would you walk around the mall naked? Probably not. Posting anything and everything on a website is worse. At least in the mall you have a pretty good idea who is looking at your bare behind. In cyberspace, people can come and go in anonymity. Who knows who is reading about your drunken endeavors, your lunatic rantings, your secret confessionals, and your odd fetishes?

I know who – employers, college professors, colleagues, parents, children, and crazy people.

Try this, google your name and see what comes up. Why? Because people you don’t know do it al the time. It has become a common practice of employers as a means to check you out. And, I am certain that the singles do it too when they meet a new somebody.

I am all for free speech, and I love to blog – just remember that other folks are getting a free read. How much do you really want just anybody to know?