by nate on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 | Tips, Travel | No Comments

Planning to bring your pet during your travel? You might want to read these policies below:

Westin Hotels

Pets get the people welcome here too. There are no additional charges, or deposits required. There are no weight restrictions or number of pets per room.

Further, furry guests get to sleep on a Heavenly Bed, a unique pet bed with Westin’s signature white-on-white striped fabric offering the same level of comfort as their people beds.

Intercontinental Hotels Group

This is the umbrella name for well-known chains such as Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites.

All Hotel Indigo properties accept pets and some host events that benefit local animal shelters that visiting pets may enjoy taking part in. Rules regarding deposits and sizes vary by property; guests should call ahead or check Web site. Pet policies vary by location at both the InterContinental Hotels and Crowne Plaza Hotels too.

About 50 percent of the 900 Holiday Inns are pet-friendly. And pets are welcome at about 1,800 Holiday Inn Express hotels countrywide. Again there is no standard policy so it’s important to check.

W Hotels

Cats and dogs are welcome. Other pets are allowed at the discretion of the management of the individual hotel. Generally the chain has a 40-pound weight limit but once again, exceptions are at the prudence of the general manager and should be confirmed prior to arrival.

Guests traveling with pets will be required to sign a waiver at check-in, agreeing to uphold the guidelines of the hotel’s pet policy which requests that pets be leashed or in a carrier while in public areas and that the Welcome Desk is notified if pets are to be left unattended in the guest room. Basic amenities are provided such as a bed and bowl but the chain has an excellent selection of pet accessories at the Whatever/Whenever “store.”

Hilton Hotels

The Hilton’s pets welcome policy allows one pet weighing less than 75 pounds to stay in specially designated pet friendly rooms. There is no additional charges or fees required. The pet amenities provided include a pet bed made from the special Crypton “mess resistant” fabric.

The company also owns, manages or franchises hotel brands including Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton and The Waldorf Astoria Collection.

Pet policies vary especially in a franchised property where owners are allowed to determine their own requirements. Most are pet-friendly but be sure to check.

Motel 6

This is reputed to be the first pet-friendly chain in America and has been welcoming furry friends since the Sixties. Although the 900 properties dotted around the country no longer charge a mere $6 a night, there are no additional fees or deposits required or weight restrictions or limit on the number of pets.

Four Seasons Hotels

There are size restrictions which limit pets to 25 pounds. Pets mush be leashed at all times and are not allowed to be left unattended. However there are no pet charges or deposits required and no limit to the number of pets per room.

more hotel’s pet policies

Tags: animal's life, bringing pet, joyful travel, Knowledge, Life, pet and hotel, pet and travel, pet's friendly hotels, pet's hotel, pet's life, pet's policy, pet's restrictions, tips to bring pet, Traveling with your best friend, where will my dog sleep

by nate on Friday, January 1st, 2010 | Family, Love, Love Story, Relationship | No Comments

A British couple who divorced at leisure repented in haste and decided to remarry almost immediately.

When the final papers came through ending their marriage, Lee and Jan Jones both felt they needed a shoulder to cry on. So they turned to the people they knew best - each other.

Within hours of arranging to meet and discuss the divorce, they decided it had been a terrible mistake.

Lee Jones told the Daily Mail his Christmas Eve marriage to his ex-wife, Jan, was “the best decision we ever made.” The couple decided to tie the knot a second time Nov. 10, the day their decree became absolute, but waited for the ceremony because Christmas Eve would be “romantic.”

The 10 Jones children served as attendants for their wedding at the Southend-on-Sea registry office.

The couple married the first time in 1990 in a traditional church wedding in Southend, where they still live. Lee Jones said money problems after he lost his job as a civil engineer with Thames Water in June put a strain on their marriage. But he said the period of separation was the worst time he has ever had.

The day the divorce became final, Jan Jones called her husband and they ended up getting together for a talk.

“We were sitting at the kitchen table together and I said, ‘But I still love you,’ and he said, ‘I still love you — why are we doing it?’ We decided to give it another go,” she said.

read more

Tags: 20 years divorced couple got married, Christmas Eve marriage, divorced couple remarried, ex-wife, family problems, family reunited, happy couple after remarriage, Lee Jones, Life, marriage problems, married couple

by nate on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 | Health, Life, News, World | No Comments

Abortion has a long history and has been induced by various methods including herbal abortifacients, the use of sharpened tools, physical trauma and other traditional methods. Contemporary medicine utilizes medications and surgical procedures to induce abortion. The legality, prevalence, and cultural views on abortion vary substantially around the world. In many parts of the world there is prominent and divisive public controversy over the ethical and legal issues of abortion.

Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures on women, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. More than 1.2 million abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, and estimates show that at current rates, about one-third of American women will have had an abortion by age 45, the foundation said. At the same time, it has been a controversial subject, especially when it comes to putting this matter into the government’s policy.

California’s two senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, argued passionately against the amendment by a fellow Democrat, Nebraska’s Ben Nelson, to ban insurance companies operating in proposed insurance exchanges from offering abortion coverage to anyone receiving a government subsidy.

Tags: abortion, abortion's law, baby, Life, pro life, prolife

by wildcherry on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 | Inspiration, Life | No Comments

Written by unknown author

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, of maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen, with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself.

He was talking about “a thousand marbles” to someone named “Tom”. I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital. ” He continued, “Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.”

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.” “Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

“Now stick with me Tom, I’m getting to the important part. “It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail”, he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. “I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. “So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. “I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.

“I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. “Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones…… “It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show’s moderator didn’t have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.” “What brought this on?” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special,” I said. ” It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”

PS: I’ve 2288 marbles in my “jar”. How many do you have left?

Tags: how many marbles do you have left, Inspiration, Life, marbles

by nate on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 | Diary, Family, Friendship, Inspiration, Life, Love, Relationship | No Comments

I just got this from a friend, I feel that we should share the values.
“When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad.  I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I’ll never forget what he said: ‘Baby, I love burned toast.’

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if He really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, ‘Debbie, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!’.

You know, life is full of imperfect things…and imperfect people. I’m not the best housekeeper or cook.
What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults - and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences - are the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

We could extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! “

Tags: Family, Life, meaning of life, relationship, sharing, value of life

by wildcherry on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 | Dating, Love | No Comments

Conversation starters can literally save your life on a first date.

Why?

Well, as you know, going on a first date can be very scary and intimidating. Our minds are overcome with fear and insecurities and we cave in to those emotions.

We’re scared of being rejected, we’re afraid of failure, we’re nervous about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and we’re anxious about what our date will think of us.

All these anxieties are totally human and completely understandable - but they produce devastating results: they paralyze us and greatly inhibit our ability to behave normally and confidently like we do with our family and with our closest friends.

Our personal fears lead us to the most uncomfortable situation where we feel a terrible lack of confidence, all stressed out, angry and frustrated. The bottom line is that we’re doomed to end up in the most annoying, embarrassing and even humiliating situation, which we all know as that “awkward silence”.

Believe it or not, most of us do have the capacity to carry on a fluid, easy-going and enjoyable conversation with people we have known for years - so, with the right approach, it shouldn’t be any different with the woman we’re on a first date with.

And the right approach is… conversation starters!

Preparing a list of topics and questions that you can use on the first date can do wonders for your dating skills.

When you have an arsenal of conversation starters - it’s very easy to keep the conversation going.

You always have something to say, you develop a lively conversation like there’s nothing to it, you’re not nervous, “stuck” or “blocked” and you can avoid the awkward silence disaster pretty easily.

Here are 10 conversation starters that you can use on your next first date:

·Has any book had a major impact on you?

·What was the best bargain you ever found?

·What’s the most annoying thing someone could do on a first date?

·What’s the most unusual thing you know how to do?

·Is there anything you can’t say “no” to?

·What food could they not pay you enough to eat?

·Who are your cult heroes? Why?

·What was the craziest thing you ever did when you were a kid?

·If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

·What would be the title of your biography?

There are so many conversation starters that can work for you fantastically. They can serve as a great base for a flowing, lively, enjoyable conversation that can let your date learn about the “real you” while you leave all the pressure, anxiety and fear behind you.

Don’t leave home to go out on a first date empty-handed. Sit down, prepare some great conversation starters, memorize and practice them and your chances for a great date will increase drastically

Tags: And Intimidating, cave, Conversation, date, Dating Coach, emotions, Fear, first date, Going, Insecurities And, Know, Life, Literally, Minds, online dating, Online Dating Coach, Overcome, Save, Scared, Scary, Starters, Were, Why Well

by echandr on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Diary, Life | No Comments

What would you do when doubts arise while you’e in the middle of something? You started with full confidence and along the way, things popped up unexpectedly. When you think you’re in control, you’re actually loosening up. When you feel things are in place, actually they are falling apart. One thing led to another, you begin to see reasons after reasons not to move forward. But backing off is not an option either. Doubts flowing in and start to build up from within. What would be your instant response?

We all have our own level of confidence. When dealing with things we know for sure, doubts rarely surface. We could solve the problems right away and shut things off immediately. But when facing with things we’re not familiar with, doubts always come hitting us hard right in our heart and mind. It’s like being thrown away into the open sea without life-vest. You’re own your own. Even though you’re a good swimmer, but being alone in the open sea without anything and/or anybody, you know you’re going to drown sooner or later. What would be your first thought?

In our daily life, we always make decisions from time to time. Some are small and minor, some are common but necessary, and few are big and important. When come to making decisions for big and important things in our life, we will frequently have doubts with things we gonna do. We need references and people around us. We have to turn to whatever and/or whoever could help us with wisdom and insights.

We could try to build confidence from within, but helps & supports from family and friends are the fortress to strengthen us from the outside. And a single prayer to GOD will wrap up everything altogether.

But once in a while in your life, something..somehow…some when, there are always things putting you in constant doubts no matter what kind of helps and supports you’re getting from. When you’re facing this kind of situation…..what would you do?

Tags: Diary, doubt, Life, morning coffee

by echandr on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 | Diary, Life | 2 Comments

When I was a kid, I remembered that I never stopped wondering how great it could be to be a grown- up. Graduated from school, had a stable job and/or biz, had own house and car, had a great family with cute kids, and things would go the directions as expected. Isn’t that life supposed to be?

Well…that could only happen in a virtual life, of which most of the variables are controlable. In actual life, uncertainties, surprises, and changes are the most dominant variables that we could never get hold of tightly. At one point, we plan something, and other thing will happen. Or we expect white, but it turns out black. Things will deviate from and/or totally oppose to what we initially think of.

Some people said, the only certain thing in life is the uncertainty itself…or the only unchanged thing in life is the change itself. Life is always full of surprises. Whether or not we like it, surprise makes our life lively. Our mind, body, and body system are all worked up with unexpected things and/or events.

Simple things get complicated…complexed issues can be easily solved with hidden keys…bottom line is we can be turned upside down and/or inside out anytime, anywhere and anyhow. Welcome to the real world……………………..

Just not long ago, a friend told me about how complicated life he has been facing lately. He used to have a great life, stable job and nothing to worry at all. Bouncing from one place to another, doing just anything he liked and hangout with frenz whenever he felt like to.

Then he get involved and many unexpected things started to surface. He was doing things he likes lesser and lesser. Flexibilty schedules were switched to controlable schedules to forbidden schedules. Contacts with friends became fewer and looser. He is now just like being confined within his own new environment. And he is sure..things will get even worse.

I don’t really get what he was trying to tell me. But after we grown up, things will certainly get more and more complicated from day to day. Living single..then have a spouse…then have a family…then have kids…and problems will certainly pile up from time to time…..how could one ever expect things to get easier and better, rite?

The question is, how complicated life could be?

Tags: complicated life, Diary, Life, life journey

by whoisray on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 | Knowledge, Life | No Comments

Be fun, be cool - Ray Sweat style

When it comes to partying there are really only a few characters you can come across; weird music guy, wallflower, always drunk person, early leaver, drinking game know-it-all, and the fun guy/gal. Ray shows you how to party like a rock star, become the fun guy/gal character that everyone notices, and get the most out of your time and energy.

Things You’ll Need:

• Cologne (not a must, but everyone likes someone who smells good right?)
• A way home (you know, in case you get drunk)
• A personality (just be sure to be yourself and not impersonate someone else. i met a guy one time who did a Dr. Cox, from Scrubs, impersonation pretty much the entire night)
• Your best smile (be sure to brush your teeth, cuz that’d be gross)

- Be Charismatic and Charming -

Certain people can walk into a room and immediately be the center of attention and captivate everyone they talk to. Why can’t that be you? You don’t have to be rich, famous, or have the looks of, say… George Clooney or Jessica Biel to pull this off. If you don’t believe it then think about this: Mystery (this bloke), a guy who wears goggles on his head for no reason and is almost always seen wearing a large fur top hat, can walk into a room and suck up almost all of the attention.

It’s not that hard, and when you doubt yourself just think to yourself, “If Mystery, the strange man wearing goggles, can do it, so can I.”

1. Stand straight & relax. If you’re hunched over you will not only look weird, but you look like you are having a miserable time and people can pick up on that. It’s not good. Also, relax. You’re going to a party, not jail. You break this rule then you are on your way to becoming the wallflower character who sits on the couch the whole time hoping someone talks to them.
2. Be outgoing. Go out of your way to introduce yourself to people, you never know who you’re going to meet. The last time I introduced myself, I found out this person was working at Disney World as a chipmunk at the same time I was there for Thanksgiving. This means I saw her on stage shakin’ her tail in late November and a few months later I was having a conversation with her, having no clue she was the dancing chipmunk. Needless to say, it was awesome.
3. Laugh & Smile. I like when people laugh at my jokes, I’m sure everyone else does too.
4. Be interested & keep eye contact. Talking to people and hearing what they have to say is the way to go, and you’ll almost always have something absurd in common. Try it. Remember, eye contact is good, unless she’s blind, then it’s pointless. The more you know…
5. Compliment them. If you like something they’re wearing, tell them. Especially if it’s a nautical themed pashima afghan.
6. Dress for the occasion. Look good, but not like you’re going to the prom - you don’t want to be that guy. If you take the time to get ready then you will feel a lot more confident about the night.

Who is Ray?
http://whoisray.blogspot.com
Claim to fame: “I shook Charles Barkley’s hand one time and he called me a cool guy. Can’t top that.”

Tags: college, Entertainment, is, Life, party, ray, sweat, who

by echandr on Friday, March 13th, 2009 | Inspiration, Life | No Comments

I believe every of us have our own dreams. We dream of our lives and we dream of our future. MLK in his life time had a great dream and his most popular speech “I Have A Dream”, decades back, had come into live through the inauguration of Barrack Obama.

We also have dreams….some are big and some are not. As we grow older, some of our dreams come into live and stay with us. Some are slowly fading away and few remain fantasies. I remember when I was a kid, I had so many dreams. I have achieved some, but many more remain fantasies.

Those who dare to dream big will achieve big, so they said. I totally agree with them. Dreams make our lives lively and colourful. Sometimes, during the most stressful period of life, dreams will carry us away and let us float a while. Thus, we could get out of problems, even though only for a every short while. That would give us enough time to catch up with our breathes and plan a different strategy.

I read in some book saying if we want to live a successful live, we must dare to follow our dreams. Sometimes in search of our dreams, we might go through many long winding and bumpy roads, and we might get lost. But it’s ok because when we lose some of our dreams, we may find some even bigger ones. Just don’t ever give up. The essence of life is not what you achieve, but how you achieve it. Because by end of the day, when we have eventually stopped and try to look back on our journey, we would feel the ultimate satisfaction on how we have come to the place we are now. Whatever we have would be just a compliment. People would better remember us for how we struggled and survived….and become successful.

Look deep in your heart and follow your dreams. Let them actualize into your life and if they can’t…just let them be the fantasies that only you can feel and sense. Only dreams can give you every thing your want and take you to every place wanna go.

I have a dream that one day……………..

Good luck with your dreams, my friends……………….……………

Tags: dream, dreams come true, Life, life goals, motivation