Archive for August, 2009

As you may know, I was in Brazil for the last three weeks on an education retreat.  It was a wonderful experience and I have created new friends from all over the world:  Dubai, Hamburg, Belgium, Sweden.  It was amazing to me how many of these individuals were heading off to more time off trekking in other parts of South America for another 30 days or so.  We Americans really dont take enough time off.  Do you know that it is mandatory to take time off regularly in many European countries?  Their employees are encouraged to talk multiple weeks off at a time too.

All I can say is that it was wonderful having time off for almost 3 weeks in August.  How many of us never make time for ourselves to really rest and rejuvenate?

What did I learn in Brazil?

I really learned how to relax and to be a person¦to really have conversations on non work related topics, to sit an contemplate nature for hours at a time, to eat three sit-down meals with stimulating conversations, to eat really healthy and take long, long walks in the woods, beaches and quaint, resort fishing towns.  Today, before starting my day, I am going for a long bike ride where I can be in nature and get the blood flowing to my brain.  My goal is to stay in the state of rejuvenation.  I will also be joining a yoga class two mornings a week.  What simple actions can you take to create more balance and joy in your life?

Update on our event:

I returned home with just one day to prepare for a fundraiser for the HAVEN.  It was interesting; I just trusted my team and my husband to make sure everything would work out perfect, and guess what¦it did!

Last Saturday at 5 pm, our home began to fill up with wonderful supporters.  As our guests entered our home, they were welcomed by the sound of soft live jazz with DSO trumpet, Bill Lucas and some of the top jazz players in the country.

Thanks to Jill Jordan and Barb Kopacs we had a very successful silent auction.  I had decided to cater myself, and between my husbands awesome shopping, some generous food and wine donations and our terrific kitchen staff, not only did we have a wonderful concert on the lake, but we were able to raise some nice funds for both HAVEN and our foundation—The Smart Womens Empowerment Program.

In addition, we are giving $1000 in cash to the HAVEN, plus awarding four women who have come through HAVEN a $1,500 scholarship each along with the support of a personal mentor/coach.  Next week, we will announce the four mentor/coaches who have volunteered for this wonderful project.

Take Time to Dance! By the way last night, just as the sun was setting, my husband, Mark and I  were picking up the yard from the event while listening to Bill Lucas promo CD with some of the   music from Saturday’s concert.  It was so beautiful, that we decided to take just one more dance as   the sunset.  Remember…take some time to enjoy the music!  Life is too short and it’s meant to be enjoyed and savored!

Thank you to all who supported us!  Again, we want to thank our sponsors Bill Fox Chevrolet, Flemings Steak House and the Seed Foundation for their generous support as well as our support team; Agatha Wolkowicz and Megan Russett who helped make the event happen.  If you are interested in learning more about supporting Smart Womens Empowerment or the HAVEN, please feel free to email me at katana@smartwomenscoaching.com

Ever worry about losing your luggage when travelling abroad? Well, part of planning your trip should include these few simple tips:

Pack enough basics in a carry on — so you can survive just in case your main baggage doesn’t arrive.

Purchase baggage delay insurance — I suggest American Express so you can spend $500 on necessities until your luggage arrives.

Keep an inventory of what you originally packed in your main luggage.

Update to my trip to Brazil:

It’s day 10 and my luggage still has not arrived.  In fact, Delta has no idea where it is, so I have asked them to send it to my home when they do find it.

The night before I left for Brazil, I purchased Baggage Delay insursurnce with my American Express Platiunum Card.  This was reassuring, because as soon as I arrived and found that my suitcase was missing, I stopped in town on the way to my Pousada (bed and breakfast) and purchased several clothing and personal items that I needed for my trip.  I made a quick trip to the local mall and picked up jeans, walking shoes, socks, toiletries, sweaters, etc. 

My next task will be to file a claim with Delta, and then American Express to be reimbursed for the items in my main suitcase.

Due to smart packing and planning for the unexpected, my vaction is turning out wonderful! 

Could you still enjoy yourself if your luggage never arrived for your three week vacation?  Visit me in our new online community and create your free profile at www.smartwomenscafe.com   or email me at katana@smartwomenscafe.com

I am taking a much needed vacation for almost three weeks in Florianopolis, Brazil! It’s a gorgeous island near Rio De Jeniero. I had no idea how gorgeouos this place is. Watch for my videos and photos, that I will be posting in our new free community at the Smart Women’s Cafe and create your free member profile so you can connect and access all our free resources. I love Latin America and have been to Costa Rica five times, although, I have never been to Brazil. Let me tell you it’s absolutely a paradise here!

In planning for my trip to Brazil this month, I made sure that my airline ticket included both trip delay insurance, as well as baggage delay insurance. When travelling outside the country, it’s extremely important to plan ahead and pay the fee for the extra insurance.

Originally, my trip was scheduled for July. I had to reschedule my trip because my daughter became ill. The trip delay insurance I purchased, allowed me to reschedule my trip several weeks later. When I went to rebook the ticket for August, I found out it would cost me an additional $1400 because the tickets had increased in price above the $250 exchange fee! I ended up going a day earlier so it was just $950 more. The insurance company is reimbursing me up to 100% of the original ticket price which was $958 via Hotwire.com.

It’s funny, we all hate to pay for insurance premiums, but in this case, it was a blessing! Watch for my next post to hear about the rest of my trip to Brazil!

Do you have a good travel insurance story?