Author: Jane Sadek

Poet and storyteller. Wife and friend. Traveler and caretaker. Woman of faith.
DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking, United States

One More FOREVER Thing Before Moving On

Jane Sadek

MEMORY PRESERVATION: IT’S A MULTI-GENERATIONAL THING

Good Concepts, But How Do They Do That?

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been sharing the differences in preserving memories with FOREVER and the rest of cloud providers. The bottom line is that you OWN your storage and so you get to decide what happens with it, because Memory Preservation is a multi-generational thing.

As to how they plan to do what they promise, you may not realize the company is already13 years old. What’s more it has a very steady and manageable growth plan that is working well. When you buy storage from FOREVER, a small part of your money goes into the cost of setting up your personal cloud, but the rest of it is poured into a trust which is set up to maintain that cloud into perpetuity.

The rest of the products and services FOREVER offers go to the bottom line, just like any other company, but the assumption is that the majority of their customers own a personal cloud with FOREVER and enjoy a relationship with the company that enhances all their other Memory Keeping activities.

The Way It Works

With such an out-of-the-box premise for the creation of the company, they went right ahead and did everything else differently, also. FOREVER does not advertise and that’s why you don’t find them when you google the products and services they offer. You don’t see ads in magazines or hear them on the radio. In fact, you may have never heard of them before and that’s OK, up to a certain point.

Instead of relying on traditional marketing, FOREVER is an e-commerce site with a team of independent contractors who spread the word and help support the clientele. However, this is not some pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing. Some of the contractors do choose to build their business by building a team and FOREVER has a model for that, but “recruiting” is not required for success with FOREVER. Many of FOREVER’s very successful independent contractors never recruit a soul – like me. For us, FOREVER is just integrated into a larger purpose. Some examples are professional photographers, organizers and genealogists. We’re busy offering our specialized services to our customers and we don’t have time to manage a team, nor do we want to.

What some people don’t want to admit is that they stick to the fish or the fly, because they hate those networking businesses. You know what I’m talking about. Kitchen Gadget Companies that want you to have a party to get free product. Skin Care Reps who want you to join their team to get a discount. Jewelry Salespeople who contact you at the end of the month desperate to meet some number. Guess what! I hate them to! I’m a scrapbooking artist and a memory keeping coach, not a salesperson. I don’t have time for that.

Mine is a service business. I create custom scrapbooks and photo books for people who want them, but want someone else to do them. I also consult with people who want to get their memory media under control, whether they want to do it themselves or hire me to do it. In providing these services I recommend two vendors – FOREVER & Creative Memories. I don’t have a team. I don’t want one. My business model is based on my own personal skills and preferences. Yes, I am a sole proprietor, so I also have to do my marketing, but that’s just how small business is.

So this is my Memory Keeping company. These are the vendors I trust and feel comfortable recommending to my customers. I’d love for you to learn more about my unique business. Can we talk?

DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Duke’s on Malibu

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: DAY TWO OF LA SIGHTSEEING

Family Business Before Monkey Business

Being a tourist and visiting family are two different things. I get that, so I cooled my jets, played with my new grandnephew and did the family things. However, when it was decided we were heading to Malibu, I was very happy to put on my tourist cap and jump in the car.

We took the route through Topanga Canyon and Nephew drove us to a favorite pier for some sightseeing. It was lovely. We enjoyed strolling along and taking in the beauty all around us. We took lots of photos. Here are a few.

Then nephew drove us by several of their favorite restaurants and though I can’t remember the reasoning behind the choice, if there was any reasoning behind the choice, we ended up at Duke’s.

Duke’s Malibu

Having been told by my husband that Nephew had our sightseeing all mapped out, I’d optimistically neglected my usual research. I knew nothing about beach bars on Malibu. When Duke’s got a strong recommendation from Nephew and Niece, we went with it.

I did not realize at the time Duke’s Malibu was an offshoot of Duke’s Waikiki. I wanted a true Malibu experience and Duke’s was more like the Pipeline meets Hollywood – very kitschy in a schizophrenic sort of way. There’s a storyline that justifies a Duke’s in Malibu. After making surfing popular with the tourists in Waikiki Duke did come to Hollywood. That doesn’t explain why there is a Duke’s Canton in East Texas that has nothing to do with surfing, but maybe I’ll go one day and see if I can figure it out.

Anyway, in true Egyptian fashion, we’d shown up in the middle of the afternoon during that lull between lunch and dinner. It’s a constant dissonance I feel when I’m around my beloved Egyptians. I love them to death, but after 31 years of marriage, I still don’t understand their eating habits. Their meals rarely coincide with my appetite. Usually, because I have given up and snacked heartily out of desperation right before they decide to eat.

Duke’s was open, but it wasn’t really ready for us. They recommended we have a Lava Flow while the staff got ready for the dinner hour. We complied and enjoyed the view. I do not recommend the Lava Flow. For me, it was like drinking medicine, but Niece and Nephew swear by it – so it’s up to you.

We had a variety of appetizers and then a meal – all of which they loved. None of which thrilled me or Bill for that matter, but then we are picky.

So, beach & pier – marvelous. Duke’s, not so much. Next week I’ll tell you about LACMOA! Enjoy Memory Preservation and Memory Sharing for the rest of the week.

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photography, Scrapbooking

New, New, New

Jane Sadek

SHARING MEMORIES: NEW IN CREATE & PRINT

Choose from 100 Fonts

I think FOREVER is wonderful, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a wish list. You know like, “I wish I had a better choice of fonts for some of my projects.” I’m a font enthusiast, second only to my role as a paper fanatic. It’s one of the reasons I usually run to Artisan for my projects rather than use Create & Print, when using Create & Print would be a lot quicker. Artisan is an easy choice for me – I own it and I know it – but not for everyone.

If lack of font choices is the reason you’ve continued to use the other guys, then that reason is no longer valid! EVERY FOREVER Create & Print Project now has a choice of 100 Fonts. After looking at the choices, now I’m wishing Artisan had all the font choices Create & Print does!

Check out a project you might want to create. You can see how easy our process is and you don’t have to pay anything to create the project, only when you hit the print button. https://www.forever.com/ambassador/jane-sadek/create-and-print/

New Drinkware Sizes

Were they reading my mind, or what? I have enjoyed the 40 ounce tumbler I created last year. I loved the handle, the cover and the way it fit in my car’s cup holder, but my husband thought it was entirely too big. Surprise!! There’s a new tumbler in town. This slim sweetheart is 20 ounces, keeps hot or cold beverages the right temperature for hours and comes with a well-designed lid and reusable straw!

But FOREVER did not stop there. Do you want a thermal coffee mug? Well then, you’re in luck, because that format is also available.

More Wall Art Sizes

And finally, they’ve extended the number of sizes for wall art – both canvas and metal products. Canvas Prints now come 8×8, 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 20×24, 12×36, 20×30, and 24×36 inch sizes, in vertical and horizontal options. Metal Panels come in 8×10, 12×12, 12×18, 16×20, and 24×36 inch sizes, also in vertical and horizontal options.

If you’ve been thinking of creating a gallery wall, but weren’t sure how to go about it, then you need to see this new post on the FOREVER Blog.

I was so excited to hear about these new innovations and I thought you might want to know about them while they were available with a special discount through the end of the month. Yes, you got that right! You can get these new products (and all 100 fonts) at very special pricing. Wall decor, including all the new sizes, is 50% off and all drinkware, including the new 10 oz cup and mug, is 40% off. You can get the new fonts on special deals like 50% off standard greeting cards, photo gifts, notebooks & planners, 40% off foil greeting cards and 35% off everything else.

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You! Part II

Jane Sadek

MEMORY PRESERVATION: THE PROBLEM WITH FREE

Another Thing You Probably Didn’t Realize!

Last week I discussed secure cloud storage, data mining and advertising. This week I’m going to discuss the most important thing that sets FOREVER apart from it’s competition and basically, that’s why it’s called FOREVER.

Cloud Storage You Own Rather Than Rent

As I discussed last week, some companies provide free storage and the rest charge you a small (or not so small) fee monthly or annually, like rent. They are giving you a license to use their cloud, but they accept no responsibilities for it and they let you know they are going to data mine your account, while getting paid to advertise to you. If you are using their service for free, they will outline the circumstances in which your account will be shut down and they are not required to inform you about it. Some do, but in the end, if you don’t take action, your images will be deleted. It’s a lot more simple if you are paying rent (fees, maintenance, whatever they call it), because when you don’t, they delete your account.

At FOREVER you pay for storage up front with a one time payment or a 24 month payment plan and then its yours outright. You will not continue to pay a monthly or annual fee to maintain it. Your heirs will not have to take up your payments or pay any transfer fees. If you get dementia, get sick, go broke or die, you descendants not going to lose access to your space on the cloud (unless you want to bar them) and your images will be safe for whoever you would like to get them.

What you want FOREVER to do with those images if and when you aren’t managing them, for whatever reason, is up to you. There’s a way to set up everything up so your heirs get immediate access or you can make everything public or…well, there’s several options and one of them will suit your needs.

But What About That “Updated File Formats” Thing?

Updated File Formats are the icing on the cake and something no one else even mentions. Remember floppy discs? There was a time when floppy discs were state of the art. Now they’re useless (unless you get them digitized by FOREVER).

Well, a day is coming (and it won’t be long) when the same thing will be true of jpg, mp4, pdf and the rest of the alphabet soup What’s going to happen with your images if they are on Google Photos or Dropbox in the new soup? You don’t know, do you?

That’s something FOREVER cloud owners don’t have to worry about. When jpg goes the way of the floppy disc, then FOREVER is going to update your images to whatever the new thing is.

Remember not so long ago when Apple came up with the HEIC format? It was just one of their many ploys over the years to not play well with others. Almost immediately, FOREVER created a work around, so Apple customers would have seamless use of their FOREVER account and just recently, that work around became full integration.

I don’t know what the new alphabet soup will be. Will HEIC become the new jpg? Or is something else being developed somewhere else? It really doesn’t matter if you have FOREVER storage, because FOREVER’s got you covered!

A Few Final Footnotes

See those quotes in the lower left hand corner of the image above. Those were taken directly from the terms you agreed to when you signed up with Google and Apple. Apple has made some slight changes in their survivorship wording, but the effect is the same – you no pay, you no play.

The Google terms still apply. Share one photo from your account and Google owns everything. You’ve probably read something similar posted on Facebook. People tell you to copy and paste the post to protect yourself. These terms do apply to Facebook, the only difference being that by posting it on the social site you have shared it, so they own everything. You can copy or paste that post as much as you want it makes absolutely no difference at all. Tell your friends. I’ve been trying to nip it in the bud from the day it appeared, but the urban legend is bigger than the truth, even though the urban legend is a lie.

The famous Hollywood sign
DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

And We’re Off to Cali!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: CALIFORNIA 2024, THE FRIENDS & FAMILY TOUR

The Lure of California

I’ll confess, when I lived in California I couldn’t wait to get back to my beloved Texas. My mom told us before we left, “California is someplace you go on vacation, not someplace to live.” Well, for us she was right, and six years later we boomeranged right back to Big D, but a funny thing had happened. We left a part of our hearts behind. Yes, California is beautiful, but believe me, we’re happy enough just making visits. But there were friends and family who moved out there while we were there and friends we’d made while we were there who hold pieces of our hearts hostage in the Golden State. Them we miss. The land of fruits and nuts, not so much!

Our vacations usually result from a seed planted at an earlier time, but this time someone else planted the seed. We had a new grand nephew. He’d been born in late September of 2023, so come January 2024, it was time to go meet him. I’d love to show him to you, because he’s cute as a button, but his mom and dad have requested no social media images, so you’ll just have to believe me.

And since we were going to be in California to meet our grand nephew, we made plans to spend time with other dear friends. Come see how much fun we had.

The Rough Start

My alarm went off at 3:30 AM as I planned, but the music I’d chosen was so gentle, I snoozed on for 10 minutes. When I finally woke, Bill and I we both were in a panic. Bill, who’d planned to wake up about 3:40, set his alarm for PM instead of AM (Freudian Slip?) so it was by the grace of God we woke up at all.

It was Keystone Cops Revisited as we raced around to get out the door, but we didn’t make our 4 AM deadline. We were only 10 minutes late getting away and got to Love Field in plenty of time, but that was by the grace of God, too. Westbound I-30 was smooth sailing, but something had happened on the Eastbound and it was bumper-to-bumper, wall-to-wall semis as far as the eye could see. We said hallelujahs all the way to the airport.

We hadn’t needed to be so panicked. The Delta desk wasn’t even open when we got there. Everything else about the trip was routine. Even the Chik-filet biscuit I had for breakfast. Little did I know that it was going to be one of my last. (I was about to go gluten free, unwillingly, but necessarily). The other end of the flight was routine, too. We picked up the rental car and hit Mickey D’s.

At Our Nephew’s

For the next few days we were at our nephew’s home in Canoga Park. We loved getting to know the grand nephew and mostly we just hung out. We were on Egyptian time, which is always difficult for me, but it’s great for Bill to speak Arabic and return to his natural flow.

The first evening they grilled steaks for us and on the next they took us sightseeing. I appreciated it very much, but it did have it’s challenges. Nephew has a cute Mercedes and for the tour, Bill and Nephew sat up front.

I was in the backseat with Niece and Baby. First, there’s the issue of motion sickness. I have it if I ride in the backseat and there was the baby, too. I never babysat as a child and never had children myself, so as cute as a baby might be, I’m done after about 10 minutes and riding for hours around LA right next to one was an exercise in prayer.

I also couldn’t see out of the backseat. Nephew and Bill were having a grand old time, going through neighborhood after neighborhood discussing real estate, architecture and potential business plans, while about all I could see was the retaining wall in front of all the homes.

Nephew made every effort to please me and there was no way I was going to complain, but it was a tough few hours. Specifically for me, we visited the Hollywood sign and Rodeo Drive. It was late on a Sunday afternoon, so Rodeo Drive was not exactly humming, but it was very chilly for LA.

Below are some of the shots we took at Rodeo Drive. Next week we’ll head to Malibu. Don’t miss that and remember to check by for Memory Preservation and Memory Sharing on Wednesday and Friday.

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking

If You Print It, You Must Ship It!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY SHARING: HOW DO YOU WANT THAT DELIVERED?

Plus Shipping? Yuck!

In our wonderful new age of online shopping, shipping is just a way of life, but there are things that you can do to control shipping costs. From monthly free shipping deals, to annual unlimited shipping, FOREVER offers a variety of ways for you to save on this necessary expenditure.

First, a Word About Shipping Deadlines

Last week, I ordered one of the new tea towels from FOREVER and selected Economy Shipping, because there was no rush. I just thought the were cute and wanted one for myself. FOREVER said it would be delivered in 14-17 days. I got it in 7.

Most of the time when you order from FOREVER, whether it is a photo gift, a photo book or digitization, your shipping will be faster than a speeding bullet and it is very easy to get used to that kind of service. However, if you are ordering with a hard deadline DO NOT DEPEND ON THE BULLET.

While it is true that most of the time you will get your package much sooner than you’ve been told, things can happen, especially at peak times – and you might not realize it’s a peak time. Obviously, shipping is insane around the winter holidays. Believe what they tell you the delivery date will be and add a few days around it for weather, strikes and such.

However, there might be peak times you don’t even recognize. You may not have anyone graduating or getting married, but stationary orders can slow down in April and May. Not only are lots of other people getting married and graduating, but pixels 2 Pages Annual Virtual Party is wrapping up and hundreds of women around the US are ordering their recently completed photo books. That’s just one example, but be aware. You’re going to get it as fast as they can make it and get it to you, but in different seasons that can be at different speeds.

“Normal” Shipping Times

“Normal” is a dangerous word, but if I ordered a set of coasters today, Economy is promised in 14-17 days. Standard narrows that down to 12-13 days. Expedited moves it up to 10 days and Rush will put it on my doorstep in 7 days.

As I said, believe what they say and be happy if it gets there earlier. Don’t think back to something you once ordered Economy and got in 7 days. I don’t want you to be disappointed.

CLUB Weekend Deals

Members of the FOREVER CLUB are very special! They invest monthly in FOREVER and FOREVER doesn’t take that lightly. The member may designate their investment to go towards a specific use (like payment plans, memberships and such) or they could be saving up for a big ticket item like video streaming or they could just want to tuck away a little bit every month, so they can buy something they want without spending new money.

That’s what I did with the tea towel. My CLUB dollars are designated to pay my pixels 2 Pages membership, but my level of membership is a little higher than the monthly membership fee, so each month I tuck away a few extra dollars for little splurges, like the tea towel!

FOREVER says thanks for this in a number of ways. They give all CLUB Members a 5% discount on most things available from FOREVER (with a very few exceptions) and every quarter they award some free storage. They also get special deals of all sorts, a FB page and a quarterly Zoom call with the Founder of FOREVER.

Another way they say thank you is the monthly CLUB Weekend, with contests, deals and free shipping. If a CLUB member hits a certain dollar amount (net after deals) of print products then they can have free Economy shipping or half price Standard shipping.

Even if you are not a CLUB member, then you can still win on CLUB Weekend, because you too can get free Economy shipping or half price Standard shipping. You’ll just have to reach a higher dollar amount.

Want to know when it will be CLUB weekend, so you can plan the delivery of your projects? It’s the third weekend of every month. Count on it!

Premiere Shipping

Shopper know thyself. Some people actually order lots and lots of print projects and it’s amazing how quickly those shipping costs can add up. I order a lot from FOREVER, but much of it is downloadable. Still halfway through the year, I’ve spent about $102 on shipping. Even were I to double that in the last half of the year, Premiere Shipping would not be a deal for me.

However, it might be a deal for you. You pay $430 a year and during that year, all Economy and Standard shipping is free, for both print and digitization. You can start your year anytime and it lasts for 12 months.

Anyway, those are the tools FOREVER offers to help you control your shipping costs. If you ship a lot, they can be real lifesavers.

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking

Happy Birthday to the CLUB!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: MAKING THE MOST OF THE CLUB

Making a Memory Keeping Promise to Yourself

I have never talked to anyone who said, “I have no interest in memories.” I talk to a lot of people who are misguided or haphazard in their methodology of preserving their memories, but everyone wants to be able to share their images in some way. I also talk to people with a great desire to save, organize and share their memories, who keep putting it off anyway. They say – this summer, next winter, when my children are older, when I retire, when the wedding is over, when I get back from vacation, when I have more time, when I have more money,…you get the idea.

I say, “Make a commitment to yourself to get started,” and the CLUB can be that way. Any project needs tools and for Memory Keeping most people need to begin with some Storage and perhaps some Digitization. So the first thing they ask is, “How much is Storage and/or Digitization?” Then the excuses begin.

I should answer their question with another one, “What’s your budget for getting started? Do you have $30 a month to devote to this?” That’s what the CLUB can do for you. It takes your $30 every month (or $60 or $120 or whatever in intervals of $30) and helps you get your memories, saved organized and shared.

How does it help? Well, the CLUB is your Memory Keeping savings account and you earn lots of interest! Every penny you put into the CLUB remains yours, because there is no fee, and your dollars never expire, so it’s a great way to save up for what you want. But there’s more!! Your membership gets you 5% off everything you buy and it’s stackable with most deals FOREVER offers. Let’s say Digitization is 40%. Then as a CLUB member, your discount would be 45%, it’s that easy.

Another amazing feature of the CLUB is free storage which is added to your account every quarter. Say you join at $30. I did, back in 2021. Since then I’ve gotten 9 GB of free storage, which translates into approximately 1350-4500 stored photos (according to the size of my images).

The Happy Birthday Bonus

I’m taking the time to explain this to you now, because if you join this month (or add to your current membership), there’s a Bonus Double Storage Award. The quarterly award for a $30 membership is half a GB, but in September you’d get a whole GB. For $60, you get 1 GB quarterly, but in September you’d get 2. And with $120 you’d usually get 2, which with this deal would get you 4! Amazing!

So, How Much Should You Invest?

That’s a good question and it depends both on what you can afford and what you want to accomplish. FOREVER has created a couple of handouts to help you decide.

The first shows examples of four CLUB membership levels and how you could use them if your goal was to have Storage and Video Streaming. It includes how much per GB you’d end up paying for your storage and how much you’d have left in your CLUB account at the end of the month to spend or save towards other items you want.

The second is actually a worksheet for you to plug in the items you’d like to invest in and figure out the level of membership that would get you to where you’d like to be.

Join The CLUB and Start Saving Now

At FOREVER, belonging is a tool for you, not an income source for the company. How many things do you pay for on a monthly basis, just for the privilege of belonging, but you get virtually nothing back or perhaps they offer some package of gifts you can’t use unless you already spend a certain amount with them? Yes, I know it’s infuriating.

FOREVER is different in every way. It’s free to join FOREVER and you immediately get 2GB of storage FREE – that’s $50 worth of storage by the way. You also get a $20 Welcome Coupon which you can use on your first purchase for pretty much anything. You also get a free app for your phone so you can synch it with your FOREVER account.

If you go ahead and join the CLUB when you join FOREVER (which you should) you’ll also get a 5% discount on whatever you buy from the very first transaction. You can use the dollars you invest immediately or save them for something big. The third month you belong, you’ll get your storage bonus. There’s a whole list of other benefits you may or may not need.

Here’s another bonus for CLUB members. By using your CLUB dollars to purchase products on FOREVER’s payment plan, you avoid paying a lot of interest on your credit card. If you use your credit card to buy 10GB of Storage outright and you carry a balance on your account, you will pay interest on that purchase from day one. If instead, you use your Bronze Club Dollars, you’ll only add $30 to your credit card balance each month, making it much easier to pay off or pay down.

I have a Bronze Membership. It covers my monthly pixels 2 Pages membership. Another friend has a Bronze Memberships to pay for a storage plan and her p2P membership. Someone else pays for a video streaming plan out of her membership. What will you get with your CLUB membership?

DESTINATIONS, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

A Few Snippets Before Heading Home

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: HANGING WITH THE GIRLS

Yes, We Were There for The Love Life Conference

Before abandoning the conference completely, I will share a couple of incidents. One was good and one was bad. Let’s start with the good. On Friday morning we were running a little late and as we struggled to find a seat, someone approached Deb and asked her if we wanted to sit up front. Are you kidding? Would we rather be front and center or up there in the nosebleed section. Of course we wanted to move up front.

I’m guessing some group wasn’t making it to the session and they wanted it to be filled up for the people watching online and the videos which I am sure they sell. We certainly weren’t invited back up front for the rest of the conference, but it was exciting to be so close you didn’t even need to look at the monitors. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been glad I was running late!

The second incident of note was not as pleasant, but it was the same day. When we left that night we were ragged. Stomping all over San Antonio in the heat, eating big meals and drinking margaritas had taken their toll. It didn’t exactly energize us to sit for hours in the dark, listening to the various speakers.

We made our way across the parking lot and the car was in sight. I was going to drive, so I wanted to put my stuff in the trunk. I squeezed between two cars parked nose to nose and suddenly I was down. It was one of those bone jarring falls that leaves you stunned and my leg was really hurting. What’s more I was concerned about all my stuff. Where were my glasses which had been on my head? Was the traveling tiara in my tote bag? Billfold? And so forth and so on.

The fall had been bad enough to draw the attention of others who were wanting to call 9-1-1. I didn’t want that to happen, but I wondered what was the matter with my leg. I had on a pair of jeans which had not torn, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt something had scrapped up my leg and knee. Then I started looking for the reason I fell. Lord knows I can be clumsy, but even though I didn’t know WHAT it was, I knew I’d been kneecapped.

While everyone else discussed my need for a hospital, I looked for the culprit. On the front bumper of the car I squeezed past was some sort of implement. I have no idea what it was used for but it was sharp and it was at least four inches long – just enough to trip me up!

Being the brave soul that I am, I drove back to Shana’s just as I had said I would do, even thought Deb was wishing I would drive to some hospital. When I got to Shana’s and looked at my leg, things were worse than I thought. I had scrapes and bruises from falling and whatever the implement on the front of the car had been, it was sharp enough to actually cut my leg. By the time we got there, things were swelling. Nurses Deb & Shana got to work on me. In the morning I was much better, but it had been quite a fall.

A Return to Palmer’s

Back in 2016, my friend Shana was thinking of starting a coaching/retreat business. She now runs a very successful concierge business with three Texas locations, but back in 2016 she was in transition. Deb and I went to the retreat and had a great time. It’s when we discovered the wonders of the San Marcos Outlet Mall and we ate at Palmer’s.

Shana, Deborah and I had set aside Saturday night for ourselves. Shana had a local watering hole she wanted to take us to, but for dinner we wanted Palmer’s. Deb and I adore anything al fresco and Shana had warm memories of it from her college days, so that’s what we planned on doing.

On this particular visit, the service was a little off and the food was not the best, but their patio is so amazing, I’d go back tomorrow. The picture you see at the top of this post is one I snapped. Totally awful pic of me, but sharing for the other two.

A Return to Brahmin

Then Sunday morning it was time to return to the Metroplex. We said farewell to Shana and our first stop was the Brahmin store at the San Marcos Outlet Stores. We got there a few minutes before the store opened, so we waited. As soon as they opened, Deb swooped in, grabbed her clearance bag and we were on the road back home.

And that’s the end of this tale. Next week we’ll move on to Cali 2024, the Friends and Family Tour. Don’t miss Memory Keeping on Wednesday and Memory Sharing on Thursday!

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking

Memory Sharing in Analog and Digital

Jane Sadek

MEMORY SHARING: CREATIVE MEMORIES & FOREVER

First Love & New Love

Traditional scrapbooking is my first love. It’s where I started and it’s the reason I started this business in the first place. I love tactile photos and memorabilia. I love building a page with papers, embellishments and tools I can hold in my hand. I love to pull a great big old traditional scrapbook into my lap and turn the pages. Sometimes I ease off the page protectors and actually read inside the documents and brochures I have in the albums. It’s my favorite thing.

Digital scrapbooking is my new love. I love learning new things and there is always something to learn about the Artisan 6 software. I love the flexibility of reducing or enlarging photos, memorabilia and elements with the click of a button. I love the pixels 2 Pages Online Community, the Productivity Challenge and Online crops. I love that my finished digital photo albums are smaller, trimmer and more portable than my behemoth traditional albums. I love that I can grab things off the internet to add interest to my pages. It’s my new favorite thing!

The Roadblock

Most people can’t imagine what format to use to share their memories with the future, because they can’t see past the mess. They see the boxes of photos, slides, tapes, memorabilia and who knows what else and then push it aside. It seems overwhelming. It’s easier to kick the problem down the line and pretend to yourself that some day you’re going to have more time and/or money or that your kids will take care of it.

That’s where I come in. We look at your mess together and can discuss your options. Until I see your mess and understand your resources, I can only guess what those options might be. Once I’ve seen the mess and understand what you want, we can come up with a plan. The plan can be anything from all traditional solutions you do on your own to totally digital solutions you turn completely over to me, to any combination of format and labor. We can pull items to use for a particular project or we can take care of the whole thing.

That’s My Magic!

Trying to explain to anyone exactly what I do is hard, because the truth is, when it comes to memory keeping, I do it all. I am not partial to any particular method of sharing your images. I don’t need for you to go traditional, so I can get a custom album project. I don’t need for you to embrace digital photo books and gifts, so I can make a commission. My goal is to walk beside you whatever type of project you choose and help in whatever way you need. I’m in it for to preserve the legacies of generations to come and no matter how we go about that, I win – and you will, too.

Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking

July’s Facial Recognition Deal

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: BOGO DEAL- BUY STORAGE GET 5% OFF FACIAL RECOGNITION

The Focus is Storage, but the Deal is Facial Recognition

Storage and Facial Recognition are NEVER on sale – NEVER! So, when FOREVER says, “Buy Storage and get 5% off Facial Recognition,” then it’s time to pay attention. First, because Facial Recognition is never on sale and because at FOREVER, 5% off is really 10% off and you also get 5% off the Storage with the CLUB.

But (You Might Say) I Already Have Free/Cheap Storage with Facial Recognition and AutoTagging!

Unless you already have FOREVER storage, then you do not actually own any storage, because we’re the only ones selling permanent online storage. Anything else you may have is either storage you have been given a free temporary license to use or you are renting the license. That’s what I blogged about last week. To learn more, see this post.

You don’t want to risk the loss of your precious memories. You want them available to your family when you are gone, so you want permanent online Storage that you own and if you’ve got that, then you also want Facial Recognition.

So, How Does 5% Off Become 10% Off?

I’m glad you asked. FOREVER has a savings plan called the CLUB. It offers 5% off pretty much everything you can buy, including Storage and Facial Recognition. So, if you are a member of the CLUB, you get 5% off Storage and Facial Recognition any day you want to, as well as anything else you want to buy. This month, in addition to the 5% off Storage and Facial Recognition, you’d get another 5% off Facial Recognition for a total of 10%.

With the CLUB you invest in Memory Keeping at a set amount and every penny of that money is yours to spend as you want, but now it will buy you 5% more. You can either do this one month to take advantage of this deal or like many of my clients you can invest every month, so you get 5% off all the time and once a quarter you get free storage, based on the amount you invest.

If You’ve Never Bought FOREVER Storage

If you are new to FOREVER, then you can either buy storage outright or you can buy it on a 24 month payment plan. Let me show you some sample purchases!

Regular Outright Purchase of 10 GB Storage + 1 YR Facial Recognition = $309.98 (a good value!)

Example 1: Same Purchase in July with this deal and CLUB $288.88. Then stop CLUB or continue, your choice. (You saved over $20!) Without CLUB you only save $12.99.

But let’s say you’d like get started with your memory keeping with a $30/month investment. I’d recommend Example 2: Invest in CLUB for $30 a month for 24 months, buy Storage on 24 MO Purchase Plan and 24 months of Facial Recognition(2 annual purchases). Your first month you’d spend about $100, but only $30 a month after that and you’d have so much more. Instead of 10 GB of storage, you’d have 14 GB, because of the quarterly storage gifts. You’d also have a second year of Facial Recognition AND and about $325 of your own investments to make purchases at 5% off. This is just one example of the way to do it. What you actually would invest and how you use it is up to you.

If You Already Own FOREVER Storage

If you already have FOREVER storage and have almost filled it up, then this deal should be a no brainer. Buy what you need and take advantage of the Facial Recognition deal, at $117 using the CLUB. And remember, the more storage you buy at a time, the cheaper it is per GB!

Let’s say you’re a CLUB member and you don’t REALLY need any storage, but you really, really want the Facial Recognition deal. I can offer you a 2GB Storage package that will qualify you for the FR Deal. The CLUB price would be $47.94 for the 2GB and $117 for the year of FR for a total of $165. Subtract the CLUB dollars you have in your account and you might have enough there to cover it.

Let’s Talk About You!

These are just examples I pulled out of the air. You might need more storage. Perhaps you’d like to purchase permanent Facial Recognition rather than buying the annual subscription. Maybe you’d like to budget more than $30 a month for Memory Keeping. Whatever you’re specific needs are, I’m happy to run the numbers for you.