& that's the way life goes

C and I have been talking about going to Washington.  There is something about the Pacific Northwest that calls to me.   Searching for luxury vacation rentals I actually found a house that is available to rent in…

wait for it…

Forks, Washington.

You know that the movie and books are ridiculously over-rated popular when a tiny town that no one had ever heard of before has a house on a luxury rental website.   Unfortunately, there wasn’t a picture available of the property.

Another location we are thinking about traversing to is Montana.  I don’t even know if I could name a city in Montana off the top of my head but images I’ve seen of the state are beautiful.  If you haven’t put it together I love the woods and vast wilderness.  Not lost in the wilderness, just the thought of the wide open.

I have a friend that went hunting this past weekend and he got lost for 4 hours in the woods in Northern Michigan.  I can’t imagine that, let alone the woods in Montana.

The properties listed in Big Sky, Montana look amazing.

When I was in elementary school, learning the 50 states, I could always remember Idaho.  It’s shape is funny and they grow potatoes there.  Not like there aren’t other states that grow potatoes but tell me you’ve never heard of an Idaho potato.  Right?

*sponsored by masterpiecerentals.com

A lot of us talk about our desire to scour the globe and to experience far off places and cultures. This year, I’m going to put my travel desires on my holiday wish list.  Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific makes it possible to travel on a whim! One million hotel rooms across the Asia Pacific will be deeply discounted. Not to mention that this deal coincides with record-low airfare across the Asia Pacific region.

If you are like me and putting this on your wish list make sure you send that list out on facebook and email ASAP because this campaign only lasts from October 27th – October 29th! What better holiday present than a trip abroad?

Travel dates are between December 2009 – April 2010, and with prices these low rates on hotels, the money you save you can use for experiencing East Asian and Pacific culture.

The hard part now is picking the destination! Countries included in this campaign are Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, HK, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, and Bali.

Hmmm do I use a random number generator to pick the destination? Or food? Or landmarks? There is so much beauty to experience that I know whatever I decide it will be the trip of a lifetime.

Websites are a great place to share information and help your business grow.  With the growth of the internet it’s easy to make a website of your own.  Hpage offers a way to make a free website in a matter of minutes.

It’s quick, easy and offers a majority of different designs. If you need something fast or are inexperienced at web design there are a various templates that are ready to go, there are also templates that allow you to customize colors and for those with html experience, there is an option for you to create your own design.

With hpage you can create an unlimited number of pages on your website. You can upload images and files to use on your website. You can use the WYSIWYG Editor or choose to work in HTML.

Hpage also offers lots of extras you can incorporate into your website.  For example: guestbooks, contact forms, surveys and news letters just to name a few.  You can create a professional looking website with minimal effort and prior knowledge.

All the tools are there at your disposal.  The tools are simple to use because they look like other programs that you have probably used in the past to create documents.   If you are looking for a place to create a free website, hpage has all the tools you need.

*This post sponsored by hpage.com

Wouldn’t it be nice to spend without the worry of dreaded overdraft fees from the bank, late fees from the credit card company and getting into debt?

NetSpend is a private company this FDIC insured and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau that provides an easy way to own a prepaid visa card without the threat of debt.  There is also no worry of late and overdraft fees.  The NetSpend card works like any other bank issued debit card except that the amount on the card is the amount you load on it.

The prepaid Visa card is perfect for teenagers budgeting their allowance, shopping online, traveling and for those who want to avoid confusing bank structures or don’t have the credit history to obtain a card.

*This post sponsored by NetSpend

I should have posted this awhile ago.  But like I say, better late than never.

Back in August I was approached in an email from Drew to feature his band N.E.D on my blog.  I’m not going to lie I was a little skeptical at first.  But I checked out the links he sent me and this is for a great cause.  N.E.D stands for No Evidence of Disease (a phrase that every gynecologic oncologist hopes to tell a patient after undergoing cancer treatment) and all the members of N.E.D are musically talented gynecologic cancer surgeons.  I know right, your first thought was What?

In Drew’s email he elaborates about the mission and goals for this band,

The band’s mission is to enhance knowledge about the disease, bring hope through rhythm for women undergoing treatment, and raise awareness & money for the fight against women’s reproductive cancers.

One of the ways they will be doing this is through their six-song EP with styles that range from indie to folk-rock. The music and lyrics are original, written by members of the band who collaborated primarily through video conferencing. If you listen closely to the lyrics, you will hear a fresh and sympathetic approach to issues women with cancer and their families face. The CD is slated for release on September 8th to coincide with Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Both the physical and digital EP include an informational booklet about gynecologic cancers entitled, “What Every Woman Should Know.” Net proceeds from the sale of the CD will be donated to the N.E.D. Cancer Foundation in association with the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) to educate the public about gynecologic cancers and support promising research.

Also worth noting – N.E.D.’s drummer, Dr. Nimesh Nagarsheth, will be releasing a book, Music and Cancer: A Prescription for Healing, in mid-September, 2009. The book opens with a moving foreword by Fran Drescher, President and Visionary of the Cancer Schmancer Movement.

We all know someone that has been affected by cancer. I think this is a new innovative way to gain support for the cause and raise money.

Other places you can find N.E.D

N.E.D. on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NED/42697252281
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF): www.TheGCF.org
Women’s Cancer Network (WCN): www.wcn.org
GCF’s National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign: www.cervicalcancercampaign.org
The Inaugural GCAM Half Marathon: www.gcfrace.com