Where In the World ARE Don and Karla?

Luxury Vagabond slide show for a great future in business

2010-10-21T16:18:00.001-07:00

My name is Don. Luxury Vagabond World Traveler Entrepreneur International Trainer Overall Happy Guy. My years in business, business management, consulting and network marketing have shown me that the most successful people find more successful people to emulate, follow and duplicate in business. My advice is to find someone who is having real results and do the same things they do and you will have the same results they have.

Luxury Vagabond and a practice for success and being successful

2010-09-25T20:35:00.001-07:00

Luxury Vagabond and a practice for success and being successful

2010-07-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

Luxury Vagabond and a practice for success and being successful

2010-07-20T15:43:00.001-07:00

My name is Don. Luxury Vagabond World Traveler Entrepreneur International Trainer Overall Happy Guy. I have been an internet marketer and network marketer, full time, for several years and I have been approached with every business out there. My wife and I spent six wonderful years with one company and assisted their growth to over 150 countries worldwide as part of their leadership and training team. When I started to look at new opportunities for myself, I investigated thoroughly using my knowledge as a successful network marketer and former traditional business owner and someone who has an MBA. There are a lot of businesses out there and a lot of ways to make money. Some are easier than others. Some require a pile of money. Some require a pile of “you get to figure it out” and a very few fit what I was looking for. A system, complete with most of the “you get to figure it out’s” covered and what I would call a “modest” amount of money to be “activated” or “in the game” fully. In addition to all the other things I have learned, I know that not all businesses have a “path to success” for everyone. Many, if not most, are limited in this to the top 3-5% of participants. And as one of the top 1% of my last company I was no longer interested in seeing people start some business that I knew they would NEVER be successful enough to make a living at. Yes, there are businesses out there you can make a lunch or two a month that anyone can do. If that’s your goal, then best wishes and be gone. I am talking to the people who want to be in the upper half. Or even upper two-thirds. If your income goal is not at least one or two hundred thousand dollars per year, then you would be wasting your time in an opportunity with that as a reward for your success. Still listening??? Good for you. Here’s what I do. I drive Internet traffic to my web site and the system does the rest. Simple, short and easy. How does the system work? Also easy. Someone listens/watches a video like this and clicks the link below to go to the next web site. That will ask for simple contact information and then, the best part happens. That person will be required to submit an application fee of a modest $59 to continue. This refundable fee acts to discourage the tire kickers and lookie loos. The sequence of videos will explain most of the rest. AND I or one of my business partners/teammates will be available to assist with any outstanding questions. When someone gets started, they get any and all assistance they require in that first part – driving traffic to a web site. That is the essence of any business – qualified web traffic. Are you ready to get started and either continue your success in network marketing or take your first successful steps? The choice is yours. The action is yours. And, the results will be yours.

Luxury Vagabond and a practice for success and being successful

2010-07-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

My name is Don.
Luxury Vagabond
World Traveler
Entrepreneur
International Trainer
Overall Happy Guy.
I have been an internet marketer and network marketer, full time, for several years and I have been approached with every business out there. I was happy with the opportunity I was with and never looked at any of them.
The other day a friend sent me to a site. I clicked on a link that intrigued me enough to make me want to see what it was. I went to a page, just like this one, which required me to leave my contact information. I left my details and came to another page that asked me for some money, not a lot, but I thought, interesting, but who wants to pay for information?
I could not get that site out of my mind, it was getting to me, but I had to pay for the information, I thought to myself, they must be pretty confident of what this was all about. And I also found out that I could get a refund if I did not get started. The whole thing made me a little crazy.
I gave in, I went to the site and paid, I saw the information, and that was it, I made a decision there and then to quit the business I was running and go with it. This opportunity is the best I have ever seen. And we know that seeing is believing.
We went into our official pre-launch on July 4th, there are currently under 100 people worldwide, and they are some of the very top marketers in the industry, period. I personally know most of them.
This may interest you, or not, but I guarantee that it will have you wondering what's it all about until you see it for yourself. Remember, this is "ground floor" so the number of people who have seen it is small - and it is a world-wide business opportunity.
At this point with the new company, we are looking for leaders. We want people who are and will be capable of participating as the company grows. If you think you have what it takes, then take the next step and listen to the 10 minute audio only presentation. After that I'll tell you how to proceed.

Luxury Vagabond and a practice for success and being successful

2010-06-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

YOU Want to Be SUCCESSFUL.

How do you get there?

How do you find advice?

How do you measure conflicting or confusing advice?

How will you know you are successful?

Choose the right mentor. or

BE YOUR OWN MENTOR.

Remember to KISS – Keep It Simple Solution-wise.

All paths lead to the same place.

Define – SUCCESS

Just for fun on a slow day, go to Google.com and search on “define success” and be prepared to be amazed at the results. The range is from the nebulous “wealth and fame” to “simplistic self-satisfaction” and all the variations in between including all the layers of society and family pressures to perform.

I recommend spending a few minutes creating your personal definition of success.

This will be YOUR foundation for the future.

MY definition of success is very simple – “AN OUTCOME BASED ON AN ACTION.”

Let me explain it for you.

I CHOSE to be a SUCCESSFUL PERSON. I had a GOAL of seeing myself as a successful person. A requirement was to see this every minute of my day – no “unsuccessful” time.

My next step was to examine the ways I could accomplish this. I didn’t want to measure it in terms of money or fame. I also realized that sometimes our outcome from an action was “less than what was expected or intended” and yet, I had a MEASUREABLE OUTCOME.

For example, if I took a sip of my morning coffee and managed to get all of it in my mouth, then I successfully took a sip. If, however, some of the coffee landed “south of my mouth” then my success included the possibility of clean clothes sooner or later.

IT WAS STILL A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME. It did not, necessarily, have to follow my original intention, just an outcome.

The result was: I had my definition. AND It translated into all areas of my life – the money, the recognition and all the things society and others called it.

Now that we have our definition of success – just how does it work and how do we make the transition from “where we are” to “where we want to be”? Again – a very simple next step. BE CERTAIN.

Certainty is the grease for the sticky things and glue for the slipping things. Take a moment to think of something you do with excellence and ease. Anything in your life you are really good at – cooking, driving, walking, talking, reading, writing, music, art.

Think about someone you know or have seen who acts with certainty – server in a restaurant who never writes down orders and always gets it right and seems to know exactly when to check on more, refills or extras. Or a short-order cook who manages an array of orders and they all are perfect EVERY time.

Now - measure your CERTAINTY OF SUCCESS when perform your excellent task. Can you bring your sense of certainty and excellence into other areas of your life? Can you see your business with that same “certainty of success”?

Start your day by noticing all the things you successfully do. Make it simple and keep it in TINY increments.

Placing your coffee cup on the counter.

Picking up the coffee pot.

Pouring the coffee.

Putting the pot back.

Each tiny step is an action and has an outcome. Label each step in your mind as successful – whether you spilled or dripped or NOT. YOU had a success. Did you successfully arrive at your desk or successfully side-tracked? Were you successfully on time or successfully late?

Add humor to your “less than desirable” successes. Make spills and accidents funny.

What’s YOUR next step now that you have a new tool in your toolbox? Apply it to your life. Make it a part of your daily routine.

See what possibilities exist for you to expand your success to bigger and better things. Are you in a business, looking for a business or just starting the transition from “worker bee” to entrepreneur?

Add your certainty layer. KNOW that many others are and were successful. YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.

Don Silver – Luxury Vagabond –entrepreneur, traveler, international trainer, success mentor.

Keeping Business Simple and On Point - Get the Money

2010-06-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

Let’s talk about business!

What is the MOST IMPORTANT factor in any business?

Is it products?

Is it system?

Is it effectiveness of any solution you might be “selling”?

The answer is simple.

MONEY

Any Good Business Model Has:

• Great Products

• A Good System

• Lifestyle Rewards – cars, homes, travel, things you want in your life

• People to Work With that You Like

I WANT TO SHOW YOU …

How to make the money that will:

Provide you with a lifestyle and allow you go give back to others and give forward to even more … global philanthropically.

Find Out For Yourself

www.OurBusinessOverview.com

When, if not now, will it be YOUR turn?

Effective philanthropy, philanthropic organizations, philanthropy roundtable

2010-05-21T00:04:00.001-07:00

Are you?

Counting your pennies working for someone else.

Feeling trapped in a business that owns you.

Or stuck in a job that does not measure up.

And you are now ...

Ready for an opportunity that gives you the opportunity to pay it forward and back at the same time?

With all the money, travel and lifestyle you want.

Who am I?

My name is Don.

I have been an internet market, full time, for several years and I have been approached with every business out there. I was happy

with the opportunity I was with and have never even looked at one of them.

A Conundrum

The other day I clicked on a link that intrigued me enough to make me want to see what it was. I went to a page which required me

to leave my contact information. I left my details and came to another page that asked me for some money, not a lot, but I

thought, interesting, but who wants to pay for information?

I could not get that site out of my mind, it was getting to me, but I had to pay for the information, I thought to myself, they

must be pretty confident of what is on the other side and I also found out that I could get a refund if I did not get started,

it made me a little crazy.

The Solution

I gave in, I went to the site and paid, I saw the information, and that was it, I made a decision there and then to quit the

business I was running and go with it, this opportunity is the best I have come across to date, seeing is believing, we officially

launch on July 4th, there are currently under 100 people worldwide, and they are some of the very top marketers in the industry

period, I personally know most of them.

This may interest you, or not, but I guarantee that it will have you wondering until you see it.

Get More Information

Never seen before, it has not even been officially launched yet.

At this point, as we are so ground floor, you must be seriously looking for a top opportunity, and preferably have some online

marketing experience.

www.OurBusinessOverview.com

The video on the page is by someone I worked with for almost six years building a company to a worldwide presence in over 150

countries. Now we get to be on the same team again.

Please do not share this email or information yet as that will cost you money in lost revenue if they get started, or even visit

the page.

You will hear from me after you take the action required in the application process, so I will see you on the other side.

After leaving your details you must verify your email.

No calls please until you are through the application

process!

Don

707-320-9905

feng shui institute, feng shui product

2010-05-10T16:59:00.001-07:00

Are you using the best part of your brain to move from where you are to where you want to go? Do you even know where you want to go? Or are you overwhelmed by your circumstances?

The solution is at hand. You can learn to be more in control of your life and less at the mercy of your circumstances.

WE HAVE MOVED!

2009-10-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

VISIT OUR NEW BLOG AT

www.DonAndKarla.com!

See you there!

More FUN on the Big Island, Hawaii

2009-07-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

What a blast. We've been hanging out on the Big Island of Hawaii for a week now.

We've been attending a personal development event, and.. WOW... we are poised and ready to take the next quantum leap in our lives. We have been inspired, educated, motivated and given real-life, PROVEN techniques to assist us in achieving even more. We can't wait to implement them.

While we were here, Don and I rented a catamaran to take 100 of the top performers on our team out for a day of snorkeling, barbequing and swimming. As you can see... we had a BLAST.

We've been so busy that we haven't had a chance to hang out at the pool, so tomorrow - that's where you will find us. We'll be the ones with the empty Mai-Tai glasses stacked up behind us! ;)

Summer in Southern California!

2009-07-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

We’ve had a great time in San Francisco, but we’ve moved on to our next stop in the “Don and Karla World Tour.”

Life is good.

We packed up our car two weeks ago and made the 400 mile drive down to Southern California.
We’ve picked Venice Beach as our “headquarters” for the next month or so, and we’re loving it. The Venice Beach boardwalk is this funky-edgy place with the funkiest-edgiest people you can imagine.

We had a little hiccup with our house that we had reserved for the month, so we’ve really been nomads for the past couple of weeks. Our first stop was an apartment right on Venice Beach. We then spent a week at a little bungalow nearby. The next 10 days were at a lux house in Marina del Rey (just south of Venice). Now, we’re a couple of blocks off the beach, between the Venice Beach boardwalk and super-cool Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

We bought a couple of beach cruisers and have been biking on the beach bikepath up and down the coast. We’ve been spending some of our afternoons hanging out, reading on the beach. Most of our mornings are devoted to our business.

Last Saturday we had about 30 of our friends and business associates from all over the LA area for a BBQ. What a blast!

May in San Francisco

2009-05-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Being "digital nomads" doesn't mean that we're always travelling. As a matter of fact, we haven't gone anywhere for over a month. We've been enjoying San Francisco!

The following are some of the highlights of the past month:

RN74
Michael Mina's newest, much-hyped restaurant. We had one of our usual looooong Friday lunches there. Good food, great wine, OK service and $200 later, we stumbled back to our place on Nob Hill for a loooooong Friday evening nap! ;)

Palace of the Legion of Honor
Strolled through what we consider to be San Francisco's most beautiful museum.

Bay to Breakers
Bay to Breakers is an annual "footrace" where runners "run" from the Bay to, guess what, the "Breakers," or ocean. This is an opportunity for the best and the weirdest to get together to celebrate all that this city is. Don and I spent the morning cheering the runners on from the curb along Howard street. The pictures say it all.

The Farmers Market at the Ferry Building
What economic downturn? Anyone that has any doubt that there still is abundance in the world should visit this market. It's like Whole Foods on steroids! Beautiful, abundant, organic.

Bhutan Exhibit at the Asian Art Museum
Absolutely stunning buddist and hindu art from small country of Bhutan.

Cable Car Museum
Fantastic opportunity to see the inner workings of the SF cable car system.

Don's Mom's 85th Birthday
We surprised Don's mom with a dinner party at Shalazar, a great Persian restaurant. Don's sister came from Texas, bringing her boyfriend, and we were joined by Harriet's long-time friends, Fran and Susan Doran, Carl and Terry.

Delfina
There is a reason why this restaurant is considered to be one of the best restaurants in the city. It's the food and the service, silly! Two of our great friends, Rhonda Swan and Michael Hamburger were in town and we spent a lovely evening at this gem of a restaurant.

Life in the City by the Bay

2009-04-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Gratutude.

We're feeling real gratitude.

This world is such a beautiful place. There is so much to see, to do, to go, to eat, etc., but some of the most beautiful places are right here in the good 'ol U S of A. One of them is San Francisco.

We're grateful that we live is such a beautiful country. We're grateful to work in a business and community that allows us the flexibilty to BE wherever we want, to DO the things we've always wanted to DO, and HAVE the experiences that most people only dream of.

We're having a blast here in this city by the bay. We've rented a little pied-a-terre in the Nob Hill neighborhood. We can walk almost anywhere in the city from here. Chinatown, North Beach, the Embarcadero, Fishermans' Wharf, Union Square are all very short distances from here, and there are literally a years worth of fabulous restaurants nearby.

Last weekend we went to Japantown's Cherry Blossom Festival. We loved watching the Taiko Drum Dojo, the Ichiban demonstration - Karla even made an origami swan. Here we are with two beautiful geishas.

We're here until June 15th, and after that Hawaii, so we'll keep you posted!

March 8 - 14 - ACAPULCO, BABY!

2009-03-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Seven glorious days in Acapulco!

We weren't sure how great this week was going to be. We've spent quite a lot of time travelling in Mexico, and we weren't in the mood for the usual "third-world-ish-ness" that we have experienced in the past.

Much to our surprise, Acapulco and the Fairmont Princess turned out to be wonderful.

We met up with about 1,000 other entrepreneurs at our company's Liberty Conference. For those of you that are new to this blog, our company hosts top-notch personal development conferences all over the world three times per year.

We spent the week masterminding with other successful entrepreneurs, filling our minds with new possibilities and have fun exploring Acapulco.

One afternoon, we hired a catamaran to sail about 100 of the top performers on our team around Acapulco bay. We lunched, sipped cocktails, danced and enjoyed a perfect sunset over the Pacific with the beautiful city of Acapulco as our backdrop.

OUR BIG DECISION

2009-03-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

This has been a long time coming. For those of you that follow this blog, you know that Don and I love to travel.

So... we're going to take a year or so and TRAVEL!

We're spending the next couple of weeks in San Francisco to see if we want to spend a month or so here before we're off to Hawaii this summer.

We've rented a condo in a high rise overlooking the city's Financial District, the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco bay. We're completely in love with the vibrant life, restaurants and things to do in this little jewel of a city.

We're off to Acapulco for a week shortly, then Hawaii this summer and then, probably the French Riviera for the fall.

We'll keep you posted!

Madrid - Art - Wine - Food

2009-02-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Our stay in Spain and Portugal is almost over... but we have MADRID to explore for the next few days!

We're staying at The Palace Hotel... the ultimate in luxury and service. It was recently voted the Best Hotel In Spain by the readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine. Our room is large for European standards, brightly lit and has a huge marble bathroom.

I've always wanted to explore the museums and culture of this major European city. I've been a student of art history since I was in college, so having the opportunity to spend time in one of Planet Earth's major museums is why I'm here!

We spent three days walking the city, visiting the Prado and, of course, sampling some of Madrid's best restaurants.

Restaurant highlights include Botin (world's oldest) http://www.casabotin.com/ for suckling pig (check them out!) and El Rincon de Esteban http://www.elrincondeesteban.com/.

HOLY TOLEDO!

2009-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Holy Toledo, WOW, Oh my gosh, HUH?, crikey, LOOK!

However you express astonishment... that's what we said when we drove into Toledo, Spain.

We were told that we should go to Toledo for game (partridge, pheasant, venison, etc.), but really... if you have the chance... go for the VIEW!

It's kinda like telling someone to go to Venice for the Bellinis!!!!!!!!!!!

View from our room at the Paradour!

Two days in this glorious place ... the Paradour was incredible... the food was terrific... but the real star was the TOWN.

On our first night we went out for Tapas. We can't believe we've been in Spain and Portugal for almost a month and haven't had tapas yet! And... wow... we went to an incredible place. El Catavinos was wonderful... vibrant... yummy... wine was great... food was perfectly presented.

We woke up on our second day, and our breath was LITERALLY taken away by the view. This town is so very, very beautiful... especially from the vantage point of the parador.

We spent the morning walking the winding, cobblestone streets. We visited the massive gothic cathedral and wondered at the architecture, art and beauty of that building. The town is filled with historic churches, synagogues and mosques.

We pooped out a just the right time to go to lunch for the afternoon. We always ask the locals, "If you have relatives visiting you (that you like!), where would you take them to eat?" We ALWAYS get terrific restaurant tips from that question, and our visit to Toledo was no exception. La Campana Gorda was wonderful. It's not the prettiest room, but we were warmly greeted by Fernando and Pedro.

We put ourselves in their hands, letting them serve us the dishes they felt best represented their restaurant. We had the absolutely best, hands down, aged manchengo cheese and jambon iberico that could possibly have imagined. We had their "Perdiz Estofada a la Toledana," stewed partridge and "Estafado de Venao." The venison was incredible. This was one of our best meals in Spain. Period.

The next day we checked out (sadly) from the Parador and made our way to Madrid.

Don's here have a joke at how much we've been eating!

Two More Glorious Weeks in the Costa del Sol of Spain

2009-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

We've just spent two weeks in Southern Spain's Costa del Sol... Malaga to be more precise.

We're staying at our great friend's (Roger and Suzanne) villa, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. The weather has been changeable as is wont this time of year, but we don't care. Roger and Suzanne are great hosts, and we had a blast.

Sherry Tasting at Tio Pepe

We spent a lovely day in Jerez, most famous for its Sherry. We visited the Tio Pepe bodega and sampled some of their fine wine...

The lifestyle here is wonderful. We get up... decide what we want to do for the day; which restaurant/where to explore and go. We've been to Jerez to visit Tio Pepe, on of the great Sherry producers, we've checked out the ancient city of Acquicenta and generally explored this part of the coast of Spain.

Here's Don at the local bull ring. HA!

We participate in the Spanish SIESTA everyday by joining the Spaniards at a long restful lunch from about 2-4 PM.

We return back to the villa after siesta to run our business. We spend some time working with our new associates and returning phone calls from people all over the world who are looking at what we do as a possible solution for their financial goals.

This is a picture I took while I was working... that's the Mediterranean!

There's so much more! Next, we're headed up north to Toledo and finally Madrid later this week. We'll keep you updated.... stay tuned....

Team Europe is En Fuego in Malaga, Spain!

2009-02-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!

That's all we have to say. Team Europe is ON FIRE after meeting up with about 120 fellow teammates in Malaga, Spain for a full day of training from the top income-earners in the direct sales industry - worldwide. Period.

The Altentejo Wine Region of Portugal is Our Next Stop

2009-01-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

As a wine-producing country, one of Portugal’s great strengths is its diversity. At one extreme lie the fresh, light, zippy Vinho Verde wines from the damp, green, northern Minho, and at the other there are the rich, concentrated red wines from the hot Alentejo in the south, where we are headed now.

I read somewhere that (like Spain's Paradors - luxury accomodations in old palaces/castles/monasteries) Portugal has wonderful "posadas" as well, the best one located right in the Alentojo, specifically in Evora. So, it's no surprise that our next stop was to stay at this former convent. This luxury hotel is located in the heart of historic the centre of Evora, a city classified by UNESCO as World Heritage. The Pousada Evora, Convent of Loios, was originally a convent and one of Évora's most precious architectural buildings.

We had a glorious room, in this glorious city. Right outside our hotel were these Roman ruins!

One important note... for those of you that think that we're just "vacationing," you are WRONG. Our business is extremely portable, and we can "work it" from anywhere in the world. We are serious about having fun, eating well and great travel, but we are just as serious about our business and the business of making money. We schedule our days to make sure that we are attending to our business, and our visit to Evora wasn't any different. We spend everyday in Europe, between the hours of 4:30-ish and 8-ish attending to our business. See... here's Don "working."

That night, we visited a great restaurant "Fialho," and had "Black Pig." Wonderful food, great wine, great service. If you are in Evora, we recommend this restaurant. I had read about their "cepes" so we ordered them.... fabulous!

Monday was spent touring the great vineyards of Esporão, truly one of the great Portugese wines. This wine appeals to us, especially since we love the huge, fruity, "new world" taste of Australian Shiraz. Esporão is wonderful, they have a beautiful winery and a good restaurant.

Later, we stopped in at an old hill-top medieval town. See our pix...

PORTUGAL - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!

2009-01-27T02:23:00.000-08:00

And.... we're off to eat pork and drink port in Portugal!

We are staying at a little Relais & Chateaux property, previously a beautiful Manor House, Quinta das Lagrimas (which translates to Estate of Tears). This house has a past rich in history and a medieval legend of love. Not to mention that the property is simply luxurious! Check it out at http://www.quintadaslagrimas.pt/index_ing.html.

It was here, in the 14th century, that the forbidden love of Prince Pedro and Ines de Castro was dramatically played out. According to the legend, it was in Quinta das Lagrimas that Ines de Castro cried for the last time, while being killed with the daggers of the three noblemen who had been ordered to kill her, by D. Afonso IV, King of Portugal. It is said that her blood still stains the stones of the spring which sprang from her tears.

On Don's birthday, we drove up to Oporto. The sun was shining and so were our spirits. We walked around the windy streets until we found the Quinta ("Farm" or "Winery") Croft. Don has a lovely bottle of Croft Port at home, so he wanted to visit the winery to see the process of crafting Croft (sounds funny, huh?).

We toured the quinta and sampled quite a few of the excellent Ports.

Our next stop was TO PIG OUT. This entire trip has been designed around an article I read in Travel & Leisure magazine entitled "Year of the Pig." We were here for the luscious leitao assado (roast suckling pig). The competition for bragging rights as the finest leitao restaurant is so fierce in this town that it resembles the fetishistic idolization of barbecue in the United States.

The geographic and culinary epicenter for leitao is the town of Mealhada. And not just anywhere in Mealhada, but along one section of highway EN-1. At last count there were more than three dozen restaurants specializing in leitao in the area, about 20 on the highway alone.

We dined fabulously on pig. In fact, we pigged out.

We returned to the hotel to have a nap and hang out. I had booked their restaurant, "Arcadas da Capela," that has one Michelin Star for Don's birthday dinner. I don't know how we did it, but by 9:30 PM we were actually hungry. We ordered the 9 course dinner with wine pairings and had a great time. I don't think we went to bed until after 2 AM.

Salamanca and Pig Heaven

2009-01-23T04:24:00.000-08:00

While Friday dawned cold and blustery, Don and I were snug in our suite at the Avila Parador, but we were anxious to press on. After working our business for about an hour or two, the Parador made an incredible breakfast for us. One of the local specialities is a sort-of tomato salsa/jam that you spread on some local bread along with the local jamon (ham). Yummy.

Our road trip continued, winding our way through Castilla y León. We drove up to Salamanca to check out the cathedral and one of the most beautiful "Plaza Mayors" in the world. We walked around the plaza, stopping for a cafe to people-watch.

We've read about the famous black pigs of Castilla y Leon, so we took a detour – a traditional farm that raises the famous black–footed pigs. They are so CUTE!

Remember... Don travel's almost completely on his stomach... so were are definately here to sample great food and wine, which, of course, this area is known for.....

So... pressing on... WE'RE OFF TO CELEBRATE DON'S BIRTHDAY IN PORTUGAL!

Madrid - Segovia - Avila

2009-01-22T01:42:00.000-08:00

HOLA!

Don and I arrived Thursday morning in Madrid ready to explore some of northern Spain's most beautiful cities. We hired a car and drove up to Segovia to tour this ancient city known for its winding alleyways, old cathedral and still-working aquaduct.

It's astonishing to me that this aquaduct was built when the western civilization was still in DOUBLE DIGITS. It is estimated that the Segovia aqueduct was built in the 1st century. The aqueduct is a marvel of Roman engineering and the one in Segovia is one of the best preserved in all of Europe. AND... IT'S STILL WORKING! Wonder how long the guarantee is for!

We had intended to stop at Mesón de Cándido to sample its famous suckling pig that’s so famously crispy, it can be 'cut' with a dinner plate. Unfortuately... they were closed!

Don and I pressed on, stopping at a roadside restaurant that looked promising... there were a lot of cars in the parking lot (always a good sign). We entered and were impressed with the decor... cloth-covered tables, nice china, wine glasses, but soon the dining room was full of workmen. And best of all, we had eye-poppingly great food. Don had paella and moist olive-oily chicken, and I had Castillian soup and a sort-of ham and cheese fritter. YUM. We have no idea of the name of this restaurant, but we can tell you that it is on the road between Segovia and Avila. Look for the cars on the left-hand side.

The weather was getting worse and we were strung-out from the plane ride, so we pressed on to Avila. We were welcomed warmly by the Parador de Ávila - sixteenth century palace that has been converted to a luxurious 5-star hotel. We napped until about 9 PM and ventured out to walk the cobblestone streets and find some dinner (which, of course we did!). We ate like kings and queens - roast veal, steak incredible vino tinto... we slept like angels.

Avila is stunning.... Does this even look real?

Don and I and FOOD and Wine

2009-01-22T00:29:00.000-08:00

There is one thing that you must know... Don travels, completely, on his stomach. He is inspired by regional cooking, upcoming chefs, unusual food products, restaurants (both famous and local), farms, etc. You might call us "foodies," but that would mean that we're experts at food and wine. We're not. We're just open and interested in exploring anything food and wine related.

So, as a preface to our journey to Spain and Portugal, I must tell you that much of this trip has been inspired by other people's experience with various local cuisines along the way.

For example, we are going to Portugal mostly as a result of an article I read last year about the pork restaurants in a little town called Mealhada, in central Portugal.

Along the way, we intend to check out Finca de Ceja, a pig farm famous for their Black Suckling Pig.

We will visit Oporto so that we can learn about the craft of Port Wine from some of the best producers in the world.

We're driving down through the Alentejo, one of Portugal's biggest and most producting wine regions to check out a real up-and-comer, David Baverstock at Esporão, who also consults for a number of estates in the Douro (a northern Portugal wine region). (We've also heard that they have a wonderful restaurant - we'll let you know).

And finally, we'll be spending a week or two with our great friends Roger and Suzanne Curwin, great gourmands in their own right.

We'll keep you posted!

We're Off to Spain and Portugal

2009-01-21T00:27:00.000-08:00

Don and I left the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California a few days ago to spend the next month or so in Spain and Portugal. We have a huge agenda, so we'll keep you up-to-date here.

Stay tuned for our adventures!

Much love,
Don and Karla

We Kicked Off 2009 in Los Angeles in a BIG Way

2009-01-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Don and I traveled to Los Angeles for a whirlwind 3 days of fun, networking and training.

Don and I are part a group of leaders that volunteer our time to assist other entrepreneurs that sell the same personal development products as we do. We are blessed to be surrounded by such powerful business people, but we've also been blessed to be able to call so many of these people our friends.

The venue was the great Century Plaza Hotel, the room was packed with about 1500+ enthusiastic business people and the subject was "Making 2009 the BEST Year of Your Life." We shared the stage with millionaires who mapped out EXACTLY how to achieve the same results.

This is our annual Kick Off event for associates only. It was a one-day business training for our associates so they can create HUGE results in 2009.

We did training on:

How to have hundreds of people contacting you and asking you for information on your business.
How to create massive duplication so that you're pocketing multiple $1,000+ profits daily.
How to create "cash on demand" by following a simple 3-step system.
The real "Ninja Master" tips and tricks for creating incomes of 50k+ per month and up
and much more...

COMING SOON... THE BEST OF 2008!

2008-12-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

We're just about to wrap up 2008, and our "Best Of" post will be along soon.

What will it be?

Getting married in Siena, Italy? (probably!)
Our sexy suite at the Cove, Bahamas?
Moving to Lake Tahoe, California for the winter?
Lazy days in Hawaii?
Setting new income records in our business?
Miami?
Spending time with our great friends Roger and Suzanne at their villa in Spain?
Riding a chariot in Rome?

Who knows?

Take a moment and check out our 2007.......

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Let It Snow!

2008-11-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo!

We woke up this morning to a fresh coating of snow. I ventured outside early and took this snap of the front of our "cabin." It's been snowing all day since.

Don and I are looking forward to skiing everyday this winter, and the first snow of the season is here.

This is the view from my "office."

Let it snow!

We'll see you on the slopes!

Weekend on the California Coast

2008-10-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Don and I flew back from the Bahamas this weekend to attend a very special wedding.

The daughter of our great friends, Roger and Suzanne Curwin wed Sarah Hudson in a beautiful ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The day was perfect. A crisp, clear Fall day in Northern California. The location couldn't have been more spectaclar. Vows and kisses were exchanged, tears of joy were shed, and two more wonderful people were joined together forever.

We took a detour on the way back to the mountains through Napa Valley to pick up a couple of our quarterly wine shipments. Here we are at the spectacular Round Pond Estate Winery.

Napa Valley is beautiful, and we had fun there, but we're anxious for the first snow of the winter in our new "cabin" in the mountians.

BAHAMAS! Eight Days in Paradise! Summit Conference 2008

2008-10-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Don and I are spent the last week at the super-posh, super-luxurious Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. We have a suite at the "Cove," Atlantis's exclusive "mini-resort."

This is the beautiful view from our room.

We are here with about 900 other enterepreneurs to continue our personal development. While we're doing that, we're having FUN! There is something for everyone here.

Don and I spent our first day exploring the resort, even taking a "ride" on an inner tube on the "lazy river." The Atlantis has built a "river" that runs for about a mile through "rapids" down water slides and meandering around the property. We had a blast. That evening we joined up with some of our friends for a wonderful dinner at Bobby Flay's "Mesa Grill." As usual the Iron Chef's restaurant can be counted on for superiour food.

Day two, we met up with other top income earners in the direct sales industry to exchange ideas, thoughts, successesss, etc. What a privelige to call these people our friends. The evening was spent dancing in the night away at "Aura."

Day three, we attended a great friend's wedding, followed by a party in an aquarium! We were surrounded by beautiful fish - Manta Rays, Sharks, Groupers, etc. What a spectacular spot to meet! Later that night we kicked off the conference with a grand dinner and dancing.

Day four and five... Andy Andrews, the best-selling author of "The Traveller's Gift," took us on a personal journey where we learned (from the master) some of the success habits of the wealthy.

Tuesday afternoon we chartered a boat and took 100 of our associates snorkeling, jet-skiing and lunch on a deserted island. Here's a picture of Molly, Vivien and Linda hamming it up for the camera.

Don and I took some time out to explore Nassau, and had some wonderful Conch Salad and Grilled Red Snapper. Here's Don at "Twin Brothers." Isnt he cute?

Last night we attended our "Farewell Gala." This event is usually black tie, but we all decided to have a theme - PIRATES AND WENCHES! Here we are in all our pirate glory!

Weekend in Arizona

2008-09-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon, Don and I flew down to the American Southwest - Scottsdale, Arizona to be specific.

This is a picture we took from our car. Beautiful!

What a change from our new home in the moutains. We went from soaring pine trees and freezing mornings, to short Barrel cactus and soaring temperatures in the Sonoran Desert!

Don and I had invited our team to join us for a one-day training event at the beautiful Westin Kierlan Resort. Associates and Advisors flew or drove in from all over North America to jump start their businesses. Don was the Master of Ceremonies and I did a presentation on "Being Coachable and Trainable." We were honored to be a part of this event.

The evening was spent at Greasewood Flats, and Sunday we took a drive out to the Apache Trail.

Outdoor Fun in Lake Tahoe

2008-09-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

We're mostly unpacked from our move from Napa Valley to the mountains. We brought a small truck up here and the rest of our things are in storage until... we don't know!

We spent this weekend exploring our new neighborhood. We sampled a couple of the local restaurants and met some nice people in the little community of Truckee, California.

Saturday we decided to get out in the sun and take a hike up to Summit Lake along the Pacific Crest Trail. Zigzagging its way from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington the Pacific Crest Trail is one of the most spectacular hiking trails worldwide.

Where will we go next??? Stay tuned!

Packing and Moving

2008-08-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Wow ... tomorrow is the day the trucks show up in the am to pack the house. We are moving up to the North side of Lake Tahoe for the winter season. Playing in the snow and living in the mountains is our next step in the "adventure" ... hmmm wonder if I should call that "ADVENTURE" it is large.

We chose a house in the Tahoe-Donner area and will have enough room for friends and family to visit to "partake" in the snowy experience with us. Part of the pleasures of our life and lifestyle is the ability to live and play anywhere we choose. As our business is extremely portable, we get to live in a place where snow happens and ski and do all the snow country activities we can find.

Pictures and movies from the new house will be coming soon.

Summer Fun in Lake Tahoe

2008-07-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Don and I have spent the last couple of weekends up at Lake Tahoe in the Western United States' Sierra Nevada mountain range. Lake Tahoe is probably most famous for it's skiing and having been the location of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

This is a picture of Don in front of the Olympic Flame at the entrance to Olympic Valley (Squaw Valley). You can just BARELY see the flame!

We're looking for a fabulous house to rent for the winter so that we ski, and just plain have some fun in the snow.

ALOHA FROM HAWAII!

2008-07-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

Aloha from the Hawaiian Islands!

Don and I flew out to Hawaii Tuesday of this week. We were picked up at the Honolulu Airport by our driver, "Eric," who presented us with leis and escorted us to our hotel, the beautiful Hilton Hawaiian Village.

We are in Hawaii this week to have some fun and to attend our company's Liberty Conference.

We started our "vacation" by renting a cute little convertable Mustang and took a drive up the eastern coast of Oahu to the famous North Shore. The ocean is flat in the Summer (check it out in the picture!), and it's hard to imagine 20-30 foot waves in the same place we saw babies playing in the water. But... the North Shore is MECCA for serious surfers in the Winter.

Coincidentally, one of our great friends is in Hawaii too. She's here with her family all the way from Melbourne, Australia. We met Manuela, her husband Tony and her almost-seven year old son, Anton for dinner at the beautiful Kahuna Hotel. Here we are mugging for the camera after dinner.

Wednesday we scooted back up to the North Shore and provided "ground support" for a bunch of our friends that were skydiving. See the picture of all those brave people?

That night we met up with the "Executive Marketing Council" of the company we represent and partied the night away. What an experience to hang out with other fantastic, forward-thinking millionaires. Beautiful too!

Thursday was spent meeting with various "teams," - Team Europe, Team Down Under, Team Dynasty. Later that night we attended the Opening Reception for our conference.

Friday was spent with Lee Broward who took us through some of the essential strategies for creating and growing family legacies. His message of "gratuity" was powerful. Later that day we rented a catamaran and sailed off Waikiki beach with 40 of our associates. Can you find Don in this picture?

Our dinner at Alan Wong's on Friday night deserves special mention. The food, the conversation and the guests added up to a very special memory.

Saturday was more fun, and we ended the conference with a fabulous luau. These are our friends Lisa and Bob Molina.

Summer in Napa Valley

2008-07-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

We haven't updated you lately!

Don and I have been enjoying our summer here in Napa Valley, California. After a spending the spring travelling through Spain and Italy, we were ready to spend some quiet time at home.

What have we been up to?

Business. We've been super focused on assisting all the new people that have chosen to follow us and our company. We make money helping others do the same. How cool is that?

Personal Development. We also get paid to GROW. So... we've been active in our own personal development.

Fun. We've been hiking, biking, going to dinner parties, wine tasting, road tripping and generally enjoying all that Napa Valley and Northern California has to offer. We spent a great weekend visiting our friends Roger and Suzanne in Los Angeles. I've read about a million books. Don is practicing his poker skills. I'm continuing my yoga practice.

And...

We're off to HAWAII next week! We'll keep you updated.

All the best,

Don and Karla

I Finally Agreed to It!

2008-06-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been asked many times to participate and finally I have agreed so this is the kick off of what we are going to be calling "Adventure '08"

Added this week

2008-06-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

This week we added the video of our wedding in Siena. It "lives" in a little box on the right. Takes almost 24 min so plan on the time to watch it all. Also, is the "rss feed" box. You can add us to your rss feed program on your computer (hey, figure out the modern technology ... this is the 21st century).

San Francisco Bay Weekend

2008-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Another great weekend in the Bay Area!

Saturday, Don and I packed our lunch, piled in the car and drove out to the Sonoma Coast to do a little hiking. We drove out to Bodega Bay and then north along the Pacific Coast Highway. The sun was shining, the ocean was as calm as a lake and we were in high spirits.

We chose the Kortum Trail for our first hike of the season. It's an easy 4 mile out and back hike on a bluff above the ocean. For most of the way the route is within sight of the crags and cliffs that rise from the water’s edge.

Elk were grazing at the cliff's edge, red-tail hawks were riding the wind above us (as well as hang gliders!). All and all a gorgeous day.

Sunday was Opening Day on the Bay for all you sailors out there. We were lucky enough to be invited to share this day with our great friend Larry on his sailboat.

It was another picture-perfect sunny day. We sailed from Sausalito, past the Golden Gate Bridge, to San Francisco, past Alcatraz, and stopped for a bit off Angel Island to eat some lunch. The wind was perfect for some exciting moments in the bay!

What a great weekend! We are so grateful....

Home From Five Weeks In Europe

2008-04-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Wow. I gotta say it. Wow.

Our lives are truly amazing.

In the past, I'd say that we were lucky.

Luck? We're not lucky.

We made a choice. A simple choice. A choice to take control of our lives. A choice to find a business where we could work together from home, or anywhere in the world we wanted to be.

I was reading "YOU: Staying Young," by Michael Roizen, MD and Mehmet Oz, MD today, and they suggested that their readers answer the following questions:

Are you living life from (a) fear or (b) passion?
Are you playing life (a) to avoid losing or (b) to win?
Are your goals based on (a) preserving the status quo or (b) achieving growth?

The doctors said, "If you answered (a) to any of the above questions, it's an indication that you're not moving forward in life."

Another quick quiz they suggested is to ask yourself the following questions to determine whether you're really enjoying life:

Are you happy most of the time?
Are you as happy now as you were five years ago?
Are you still expecting much from life?
Do your days seem to be passing by faster than an express train?
Are you sad less than 10% of the time?

What are your results? Where are you in your life? Are you "settling?" Don't.

Holy cow. You only have ONE life. Make it the very best life you can.

I took the quizes. I'm ALL ABOUT passion, winning and growing. More importantly, I'm happier than I've been in my entire life, much happier than I was five years ago, life will only get better, and I'm almost never sad.

We obviously found that business we were looking for. We've made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, while retaining control of our time, and our integrity. It doesn't hurt that we are in the personal development business. Personal growth and development is central to our lives, and as a result, we continue to grow personally, professionally and monetarily.

Luck? Nope, a simple choice.

Karla

Life From Our Villa in Tuscany

2008-03-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

We're spending a couple of weeks in Tuscany after our wedding (see post below), to explore the Tuscan countryside, eat incredible food and drink some outstanding wine.

We've been to Cortona, San Gimigiano, Florence, Siena, Montelpulciano, Montelcino, Pisa, Lucca, the Chianti Road, and to too many incredible restaurants to name here.

Enjoy our pictures! This is the VIEW from our villa!

We Did It! We Eloped!

2008-03-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

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Yep, we eloped! We've been BURSTING to tell everyone for the past couple of months! We got the idea to get married in Europe about two months ago, and we've been working on the paperwork since.

We knew that we were going to be in Spain for almost 10 days, and our plan was to drive through the south of France and stay in Tuscany for a few days before we ended our trip at our company's Summit Conference in Rome. Spain and France had too many residency issues, so we targeted Italy. We dropped the idea of driving from Spain to Italy in favor of a more relaxed trip, spending more quiet, quality time in a villa in Tuscany.

But... before we could even think about really getting married, there was paperwork to do.

We hired a wedding planner to assist us through the process... Lady Kelly Hayes. She was fantastic!

Both of us had to have new birth certificates issued by the states of Georgia and New Jersey. After the birth certificates were issued (with special stamps recognized by Italy), both certificates had to be sent to the Secretary of State of the issuing state for an Apostile Seal, recognized by the Hague Convention as being valid by other members of the convention. Being that we live on the west coast, all of this had to be done remotely - and fast.

Next, all documents had to be translated into Italian.

Finally, we made an appointment to visit the Italian Consulate in San Francisco so that we could be issued an Atto Notorio. An "atto notorio" is an afidavit sworn by two witnesses that acknowledge that "it is common knowledge and everyone knows that we are free to marry." It was hysterical. After an hour or so of nervous excitement, an interview with the Consulate General, sworn testimony by two of our friends, lots of forms, stamps, etc., all the US portion of the paperwork was done! Here's the guy himself... about to sign the documents that we were to take to Italy!

¿Cuánto Diversión Podemos Tener?

2008-03-17T01:32:00.000-07:00

Fun. How much fun can we have?

We're not sure that we've ever laughed so much, had such a great time with friends, eaten such wonderful food, and, of course, had such great wine.

Viva Spain!

2008-03-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the beautiful Costa del Sol of Spain!

Don and I are staying in a beautiful villa in the south of Spain. Our two great friends, Roger and Suzanne, have rented this villa for the three months of February to April.

We flew in last Thursday and we'll be here for a total of 12 glorious days. The Spanish way of life is really wonderful.

We've visited the Alhambra, eaten wonderful food, walked the beach, lunched in the mountains and relaxed in one of the most relaxed countries we've ever visited.

We had lunch in one of Spain's most beautiful Paradors in Grenada. The Spanish Paradores are hotels for luxury accommodation in Castles, Palaces, Fortresses, Convents, Monasteries and other historic buildings.

We've also had incredible fish everywhere.

Notice the georgeous fish on the spit here!

We're also working our business from this glorious spot. Not too difficult, considering that North America is sleeping for most of our day. Here is Karla returning a couple of calls from the terrace. We could get used to this!

Weekend in San Francisco - Shopped 'til We Dropped

2008-02-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

Does everyone do this? Everytime we plan a trip, we feel compelled to go shopping for new clothes. Since we're going to be gone for more than a month there seems to be more shopping to do.

Since we live in Napa Vally, there isn't really any real shopping nearby (I know... poor us). San Francisco is about an hour away, but it's a pain to drive in and out in one day. So... what did we do? We booked a suite atop Nob Hill at the luxurious Mark Hopkins Hotel for the weekend so that we could optimize our shopping time.

Serious damage was done at Saks, Macy's, Tommy Bahamas, Nordstroms and various boutiques.

Saturday night we dined at a fabulous Italian restaurant and then proceeded to the romantic "Top of the Mark" sky bar for cocktails and jazz. We had a blast watching everyone dance. The 360 degree view of San Francisco wasn't bad either.

18 days 'til we leave for Spain...

Happy Birthday Don!

2008-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

We've been in celebration mode around here. Don's birthday was last Thursday, and we've been having a great time.

Here's a few things we've been up to (notice they are all involve EATING!):

Dinner with friends at "Napa Valley Grille"
Romantic dinner (just the two of us) at "ad hoc," one of Thomas Keller's restaurants.
Drive out to Tomales Bay for some fresh oysters and dinner at "Dave's Cove" with our great friend Becky.

Have you ever been to a restaurant, where, upon your first bite, you KNEW that you were experiencing culinary excellence far and above the normal? Don and I eat out quite a bit... and at very nice restaurants, but our dinner at "ad hoc" was spectacular. If you are ever in the Napa Valley, GO!

MIAMI HEAT!

2008-01-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Just back from a great week in Miami, Florida.

We spent the last week touring southern Florida, visiting some of Don's relatives and meeting up with about a 1000 entrepreneurs at our company's yearly training day.

2007 WAS A FUN YEAR!

2007-12-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Coming Soon - Our Top Ten Events/Places We Visited in 2007

2007-12-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned....

We're putting together our top ten events of 2007.

What will be #1?

Will it be that private island on the Great Barrier Reef?
Zip lining in the Yucatan?
Special times with our family?
Having $50,000+ months in our business?
New York City?
Our hut on the beach in Tulum?
The Great Ocean Road in Southern Australia?
Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, Hawaii?

Who knows. We don't even know, but stay tuned.

All the best,

Don and Karla

Grateful for our Family - Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

What an awesome time we had this Thanksgiving. We spent four terrific days with Karla's sister's family in northern New Jersey.

We had incredible food, meaningful family time, and most of all, an opportunity to catch up on all the things that are most important to us.

My sister is a force in the fabric design field. Her husband is a well-known executive in television graphics and an impressive, on-the-brink-of -stardom artist. They are great hosts, fabulous and innovative cooks, but most of all they are parents of three wonderful kids... Tim, Chris and Caroline.

Tim is in his senior year in high school, and looking to apply to art school. He's a real candidate to enter Rhode Island School of Design, and if he gets off his bum, he just MIGHT make it.

Chris is a sophomore in high school, a real good looking guy. He's the silent, funny and athletic one of the clan. We're very excited to see what he decides to aim for.

Last but not least, is Caroline. She's a whole five years old, and, of course, the baby. We'll definitely see about her.

We are so grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of the lives of such great people. The Metcalf family have definitely touched our lives!

Hugs and kisses, until we see each other again!

Karla and Don

New York City!!!! !

2007-11-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Phew... the last week has been a whirlwind of fun. I can't believe our lives! That's us in Times Square, right after seeing Mel Brook's "Young Frankenstein."

The following is a sampler of what we've been up to:

Friday night, November 16th
Dinner, "21 Club" with friends from San Francisco

Saturday November 17th
Natural History Museum with Karla's sister and niece
Late Lunch on the Upper West Side - "Papperadella"
Walk through Central Park to the Upper East Side
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Shopping on Fifth Avenue
Broadway Play - Young Frankenstein
Dinner at "Le Parker Meridian's Hamberger Joint"

Sunday, November 18th
Late breakfast/early lunch - "Katz Deli" with friends from California - Killer pastrami!
Walking tour of Lower East Side of NYC
Late Lunch/early Dinner at "Il Cortile" in Little Italy
Drinks at Beekman Terrace - Upper East Side

Monday, November 19th
Shopping on Madison Avenue
Walk around Chelsea Market
Late lunch at Son Cubano
REST!

Tuesday, November 20th
Metropolitan Museum of Art - Rembrandt Exhibit as well as Ghilberti Doors
Lunch at Le Gaugon
Visit my sister at Karlton V
Facial for Karla at Georgette Klinger
Cigar Aficionado "Big Smoke" for Don
Dinner with 15 AWESOME entrepreneurs/millionaires at Beppe

Wednesday, November 21st
Pack, limo pick up for trip out to New Jersey!

'

Two Happy Brits + Don and Karla = One Weekend of FUN!

2007-11-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

FUN!

Yes, that's the word that describes our weekend. We were joined by our great friends Roger and Suzanne Curwin (the "Two Happy Brits") for three days of great conversation, fabulous food, delicious wine, funny jokes and a master mind marathon of terrific proportions.

We met only five months ago in Sydney, Australia, cemented our friendship over dinner in Las Vegas in August, whooped it up in Cancun in October, and here we are now, in November in Napa Valley. We spent quite a bit of time this weekend plotting our spring trips to Spain and Italy. Roger and Suzanne are taking their business "on the road" to Spain for the whole of February and March, and then we will join them in Europe to spend April in Tuscany, Italy. One of the advantages of working for ourselves in a portable business, is that we can take our business ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!

Roger and Suzanne were perfect houseguests, arriving at our door with a bottle of Don's favorite gin, "Hendricks" and a bottle of bubbly for Karla. We dined at some of Napa Valley's most wonderful restaurants, drank some of the world's great wines and attended a luxurious winemaker's dinner at the world-renown Clos du Bois winery.

You can see us (above) winetasting,

and here, having a leisurly lunch on a Friday afternoon at FARM,

and here, enjoying ourselves at Clos du Bois.

2007-10-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday Fall Cabernet Release Party

2007-10-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

This was a perfect fall weekend here in Napa Valley. A cloudless sky, cool, crisp air, the leaves are turning and most of the harvest is in.

We were invited to celebrate the harvest and the release of Honig's Mitchel Cabernet at the Mitchel house in St. Helena. We had fabulous barbeque, danced to Zydeco music, met new friends and, of course, tasted some of Napa Valley's finest wine.

We're Still Pinching Ourselves - Week in Cancun!

2007-10-21T18:02:00.001-07:00

WOW! Check out that Cancun sunset.

We just returned (we know... almost a WEEK ago) from the very best business-related conference we've ever attended. After 6 days in paradise, we had to spend some time quietly reflecting and absorbing all the great information, POWER and inspiration (not to mention catching up on our sleep).

The Moon Palace in Cancun was the setting for the folks at our company to take the next step in their personal development as well as to hang out with other incredible business owners. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to surround ourselves with such fun and successful entrepreneurs.

We spent the first night in what we call the "mosh pit" - the bar in the Sunrise Lobby. The place was PACKED with a ton of self-made millionaires.

Day two was spent having fun beach/poolside, meeting new friends and associates and generally having a great time. (Drinking optional) We had a team "meet and greet" overlooking the pool. It was great to see so many successful entrepreneurs. Later that night the company we work with blew us away with yet another fabulous opening reception.

Two more days of full-on-blow-out presentations and parties (can anyone say 'TOGA?") filled out the rest of the itinerary, another day of optional training, and we're home.

Don and I were honored to be asked to join the Executive Marketing Council at the black-tie receiption on the last night. We are incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to serve. Thank you to Brent and Shane!

Here's us onstage.

Hangin' Out in Napa Valley

2007-10-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

We moved into a new house in North Napa the middle of last month. This is the first weekend we've actually been home. So, of course, there is lots of unpacking to do, right?

Nope!

Unpacking can wait. The boxes will be there next week. In the meantime, we are relaxing and taking advantage of the "crush" season in Napa Valley.

October is the busiest month of the year in wine country. Most of the grapes are ripe and ready for harvest. The winemakers and vineyard managers are nervously testing "brix" levels in the grapes to determine the very best day to bring in the crops. Picking is done at night supposedly to bring in a fresher, fruitier, brighter grape. The entire valley smells like fermenting wine in the morning. All the hotels and restaurants are full. October is crazy time here.

Friday afternoon we late-lunched at Farm at the Carneros Inn - one of our regular and most favorite restaurants. Saturday was full of errands in anticipation of our trip to Cancun. Once those were done, we headed up to St. Helena to have a late lunch at Cindy's Backstreet (another favorite).

We then pushed on to pick up our wine club shipment at Chateau Montelena, and then back home for a nap. You can see us here having a little taste.

Yummy.

Going back to Cancun.

2007-10-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up the week here in Napa ... actually don't have any travel plans for the weekend. Monday afternoon we head out to spend the night near SFO on our way to Cancun. Early flight out and arriving mid afternoon.

Flying up front has certain advantages. Drinks in real glasses for one.

2007-09-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Way back in March of this year (tomorrow is the last day of September) we were in Cancun and had a bit of a good time.

As you might be able to tell from this photo, we were tanned and browned from all the good times.

The week after next will be our second 2007 trip to the resort in Cancun. What wonderous stories will result??? Stay tuned and find out.

Where in the world ARE Don and Karla?

2007-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

That's a GREAT question.

Don and I are on a weekend road trip up the California coast to Oregon. The impetus for this trip is the fact that my parents are on a road trip of their own through Washington and Oregon, and will be staying this evening in Gold Beach, OR. We decided to hit the road and take the drive north to surprise them.

The idea for this blog came to us during one of our long discussions in the car yesterday. A good 8 hours of talk time sometimes yields some good ideas, and we hope this blog is one of them.

We were talking about all the places we've been this year... Cancun, Tulum, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Melbourne, Sydney, Hawaii, Las Vegas, not to mention all the short road trips around Napa and Northern California. The idea of chronicling our travels in a blog seems like a great way for everyone to keep track of where we are.

We'll see. I'm NOT a great writer, and I'm a little worried about feeling responsible for writing something every time we travel. BUT... we'll do the best we can!

We hope you enjoy this little look at our adventures!