Tag: Lifestyle Blog

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Memory Keeping, Photography, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, TRAVEL, United States

Leaving Pismo for Santa Barbara

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: PISMO LIGHTHOUSE SUITES & CASA DE HERRERO

Pismo Lighthouse Suites

I can’t abandon Pismo without a shout out to our wonderful accommodations. After the grandeur of the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort, pretty much anything else would have to be a step down, but we didn’t have to step very far down. Pismo Lighthouse Suites proved to be an excellent choice for a stay.

Don’t expect swanky, because it’s not, but it is nice. Very roomy with a bedroom totally separate from the living area and a full kitchen. Bill didn’t think much of the décor, but I thought it was very functional and everything was clean. Who could ask for more when you’re watching your pocketbook at little?

One thing we certainly loved was the breakfast every morning, served in a community room and if you couldn’t find something you liked, then you are really too picky. I’d sure stay here again.

Casa de Herrero in Montecito

Bill usually leaves most of the vacation planning to me, but when he does make a suggestion, it’s a jewel. I didn’t find it in any of my research, but it should be on every must-see list for Santa Barbara. It’s a little pricey and hard to schedule, but it is a gem.

The home is open to the public at 10 AM and 2 PM on Wednesdays and Saturdays – PERIOD! And the tickets are $50 per person. I’ll wait for you to catch your breath. If budget is not a constraint and you can be there on their schedule, then you have to go. You will love it. Lotus Land was $60 each, but it seems to me there was a whole lot more to it. Still, I’m glad I had the opportunity to go.

We pulled into Montecito about 1:15 PM and had to kill about half and hour in a shopping center parking lot. We couldn’t just go hang out by the Casa. They keep the gate closed until a few minutes before the tour and you aren’t allow to park in the neighborhood. Parking is at a premium everywhere in Montecito and the signs at the shopping center were very threatening, so we couldn’t even lock up the car and go for a walk. We had to pretend one or the other of us was visiting one of the establishments, while the other guarded the car.

Finally, it was almost time for them to open their gate, so we made our way to the home. When the tour started, we were informed we couldn’t take photos inside, but think San Simeon’s dining room turned into a full house. Very Spanish and a little dark.

The original builder and owner of the house was George Fox Steedman from San Luis Obispo, who started out as a metalsmith and woodworker, threw in a few real estate deals and became filthy stinking rich. The house had a metalsmithing and woodworking studio where Mr. Steedman pursued his interests. The house is full of valuable antiques from the Golden Age of Spain, but they are pretty dark and depressing.

Counterpoint to the interior with it’s nod to the Inquisition, outside was delightful and you could take photos. And that’s what you’ll see on the photo book pages I’ve included below.

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

We’re Getting Cozy Now!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY SHARING: WARM UP THEIR WINTER WITH PERSONALIZED PILLOWS & WOVEN BLANKETS

New Print Products in Time for Holiday Giving

There’s always something new at FOREVER, but these new products, which became available on the 4th, will warm your heart: Pillows & Woven Blankets.

I’m careful to say WOVEN blankets, because blankets have been a part of the FOREVER offerings for a while: Fleece Blankets, Sherpa Blankets and Outdoor Blankets in sizes from 30X40 to 60X80. But these new blankets? Get ready to snuggle in a whole new way. There’s just nothing that feels like the weight of a woven blanket and the look is wonderful!

And the pillows? Well, that’s a whole new thing. I’ve had people ask for them before, but they just weren’t available. So, imagine my surprise when I sat on a Zoom call and heard the pillows were coming. With three great sizes you’ll be able to create wonderful things for special people.

Blanket & Pillow Ideas

Whether you choose a plush, sherpa or woven look, blankets are a great way to show you know what’s important to the ones you love. If a team or a school has their heart, then create a blanket featuring the colors and logos of their fan love. Pet lovers rave over blankets with photos of their furry, feathered and scaled friends. Grandparents will snuggle extra warmly when their grandkids are on the blanket. Hobbyist will preen with glee over a blanket with their antique car, flowers from their garden or other items highlighting their interests. These gifts say I see and hear what’s important to you.

Another great way to use the blankets is to capture heritage photos. Give kids pride in where they come from, by highlighting the important people from their past – even from generations they never met. It builds self esteem to shield them from the slings and arrows of everyday living. Older members of the family will cherish scenes from their childhood and early marriage or images of the people who have gone before them.

Pillows can be made with all these themes as complementary accessory to a blanket gift or they can stand alone. Either way they’ll be cherished by the recipient and shown with pride.

With all these heart, head and feet warming gift ideas, whose holidays will you brighten with a blanket and/or pillow?

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

Book ’em Danno!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: CUSTOMER SERVICE YOUR WAY!

Call Out or Scroll Down for Help

When it comes to Memory Keeping, I am at your service. Whether you’re brand new to the idea of preserving and sharing your memories, a long time scrapbooker or my very best digital customer, I hope you know I always love to hear from you. I’m always interested in the projects you’re working on and if you’re having problems, I want to know about it. Often, I know the answer right away and you’re back in business in the click of a button

I can’t know everything though and for some things we’ll need to reach out to FOREVER’s customer service department. Often I’ll send the inquiry to them via email and copy you in, so they’ll know you’re not alone and we’ve addressed the basics already. However, you can also reach out to FOREVER on your own, if you like.

The black box above is in the right hand corner of each page. Click on Help Center and you’ll get this larger menu, which will give you Customer Service your way:

If you’d like to call, Customer Service is available Mon-Fri: 8am-9pm EST, Saturday and Sunday: 10am-6pm EST. I’m not a phone person myself, so I don’t call often, but when I do I find a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable person on the other end. Like all call-in services though, you will have to wait in a que, but it’s not usually an unreasonable wait.

I do most of my inquires via email. My situation is rarely urgent and with email I can explain the whole situation, including screen shots and photos. I immediately get back an email confirming FOREVER has gotten my inquiry and they provide a few FAQ’s and answers at the bottom of the email, which could potentially solve the problem on the spot and close out the request. Soon, I’ll have a personalized answer, which usually resolves my issue.

I’ve also used the chat feature. If it’s during chat hours, they get right back to me and if it’s an easy fix, the whole thing can be over in a couple of minutes. If they can’t solve it there, then they’ll put you in the que for a call.

Book Your Remote Assistance – Danno!

Sometimes, you may need remote assistance – especially if your computer blows up and you lose Artisan. You know that’s what happened to me in July. The old process was in place, but my conversations and the screen sharing were great. Since July, they’ve made a few changes. These days, you can go directly to the page above and schedule your screen sharing appointment with a technician. No more mystery as to when someone will call. This page is where you’ll log in when your session is scheduled. Easy peasy! (Client Concierge is for people having crops, so you won’t need that.)

So, if you run into trouble with FOREVER, you have a smorgasbord of solutions. Don’t hesitate to call on me or whatever version of customer service suits you. You’ll get the help you need.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Photography, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Driving Down Memory Lane

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: MAKING MEMORIES OF MEMORIES

The Pismo Pier

After leaving our old house and taking a drive through it’s neighborhood, we headed to Downtown Pismo Beach. Some things don’t change and trying to park in Pismo is one of them. Weekday in January and parking was at a premium. We made our way down to the waterfront where many improvements had taken place. We took pictures, walked to then of the pier and took more pictures. It’s not the most beautiful beach in the world, but it’s a familiar one.

Over our two day stay we snapped photos wherever we were. Eating at the Shore Cliff (which they now call the Ventana Grill), hanging at Pismo Lighthouse Suites (which was a marvelous place to stay), visiting our friends or just driving between their houses. I combined all these photos to create Pismo Beach pages I’ve added below for you to see.

On to Estero Bay & Cayucos

Though Pismo Beach is where we built our home and lived later in California, we first lived in Los Osos. Los Osos was part of a estuary shared with Morro Bay. Then down the road a little bit is Cayucos. These were our haunts.

We finished many a day in Los Osos by visiting the beautiful Montana de Oro State Park which was moments away from our rental house. Or we’d just walk around our neighborhood, Cabrillo Estates with it’s jaw dropping views. Bill also enjoyed playing golf at Sea Pines Resort.

Los Osos was a great place to live, but it didn’t have much in the way of restaurants, so eating out usually meant going over to Morro Bay which was more of a touristy town. If if we wanted Tex-Mex, we’d go to the only place on the Central Coast which actually knew what that was, Taco Temple in Cayucos. They were more famous for their California Fusion fish tacos, but we always ordered the nachos.

We also loved going up to Cambria with beautiful Moonstone Beach, but we didn’t make it this trip. Don’t worry, we’ll make a point of going next time we visit the area – and we will visit the area again.

So, on this nostalgic tour, we drove up to the top of Cabrillo Estates and stood in wonder of the majesty of God’s creation. We hit our two favorite spots in Montana de Oro, Spooner’s Cove and the Bluff Trail. Sea Pines was next and the Baywood neighborhood nearby. On we drove on around the estuary and through Morro Bay State Park.

We hadn’t left Pismo until around 3 PM, so the day was getting away from us. We merely drove through most of Morro Bay, but we did get out at Morro Rock. From the rock we drove on Highway 1 beside Morro Bay Strand to spend a few minutes on the Cayucos Pier, before going to Taco Temple for a plate of their nachos.

If you’re wondering what all that looked like, then you’ll enjoy these pages.

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

Ornamental Things

Jane Sadek

MEMORY SHARING: USEFUL ORNAMENTS

Ornaments for the Tree and Beyond

What you see above, the snow globe ornament, is one of the wildest best sellers FOREVER has ever had. Or at least the wildest I can remember. They have great difficulty keeping them in stock. YEAR ROUND! So imagine how challenging it will be at Christmas. As popular as it is, it is only one of the many ornaments available from FOREVER.

We have ornaments in metal, glass, acrylic and the snow globe above. There are 6 different shapes and all are around 3″X3″ – 3″X4″. And colors – you have your pick! Now is a good time to order what you need for the holidays.

There are people who create a theme for their tree every year and order a new set of ornaments for it. Some make holiday ornaments of their kids for grandparents to commemorate each year. Some people create ornaments featuring their pets, their quilts, their cars. their hobbies. Though many people do buy the ornaments to put on their tree, you’d be amazed at all the ways people find to use them.

One of the most popular throughout the holiday season is to use them as gift tags. They dress up the gift and make a permanent memory of it. It’s great for all gifts, but imagine how wonderful they would be on a handmade gift! They also get used a lot as place cards. Set them in a place card holder or tie them to the napkin and the guest gets to take them home.

Year round the ornaments make great tags for luggage, backpacks, gym bags, you name it. They are wildly durable and immediately set your belongings apart from the rest. I keep one on my business tote. Imagine making a matching set for a group you’re traveling with. Lots of things to tag and so much fun.

Smart shoppers are making their lists and buying their presents, now. Last week I reminded you to order your holiday cards and in the weeks to come, I’ll be making more gifting suggestions. There’s no end to the possibilities!

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

Valet’s Uploader is Free All the Time!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: VALET IS THE WAY TO PLAY

The Uploader is Now FREE!

A couple of years ago, FOREVER developed image migration software just for the professional photo organizers of the world. Almost as an afterthought, they made a pared down version of it available to the rest of us and gave everyone a 60 Day free trial.

Since then, PRO Valet has become the industry standard for migration software and Ambassadors everywhere have shared the Valet trial version with their clients. At first, no one really expected the casual user version to go much of anywhere. Most people find the FOREVER app useful for synching the images they take with their phone to their storage account, but uploading from other devices to FOREVER was thought to be simple enough.

What Ambassadors discovered was their clients loved Valet and since it helps people upload their memories to FOREVER, why wouldn’t we want to make it readily available, just like the app for their phones. Well, the FOREVER executives heard the plea and responded. Last month a free version of the FOREVER Uploader becomes permanently avaialble.

The PRO Version will remain available for sale. I find it helpful in helping my customers. The full version of Valet will remain available for sale and it offers all the powerful tools the PRO version does, but for only your account, rather than multiple accounts. The Free Uploader will make uploading your memories from your devices a snap.

Valet can help you upload all the images you have on your computer and related devices. Valet can keep the organization you have on your computer or if you don’t have any organization (which might be part of the problem) it will help you create nice neat little folders by date.

Valet can also help you rescue your photos from where they are scattered on the internet. Right now, Google Photos is the only cloud it works with, but Apple is on its way and others will follow.

The best part is you won’t have to justify the cost of it. Since it’s free, just get it and use it. You’ll find you love it!

DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Back in the Hood

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: OLD FRIENDS AND FAVORITE PLACES ON THE CENTRAL COAST

Leading with the Human Connections

On the way to town we’d connected with one friend and had dinner with others as soon as we arrived. Now we’d be stopping by for “coffee” with even more people we’d enjoyed when we lived there. I put quotes around coffee, because I don’t drink it, but it’s easier to make coffee appointments and explain my odd negation of the beverage for later. If we were going to be in the area for an extended period, I would have reached out to quite a few more favorite faces, but our time was limited.

First up was Sally, a sister in the Lord. We met at South Bay Women’s Network, which was a group I loved all the time I was there. Sally and I have stayed in touch, mostly thanks to the magic of Facebook and her very sweet spirit. Since we’d last seen each other in person, she’d gotten married and moved from Los Osos to Avila Beach. It was great to catch up, meet her guy and see her very lovely home.

Too soon, because we could have continued the visit for hours, it was time to head to Arroyo Grande to visit Melissa, a sister in real estate. I did real estate while I was there and besides being one of the nicest people in the world, Melissa was also one of the very best real estate agents I ever met. I tried to emulate her in everything thing I did and gave her my client list when I left. She was still married to the same guy, but had given up a big rambling house on a large lot to downsize in the city. We shared all the real estate gossip and I caught up on her family. Then she showed us around her remarkable estate. In the front it looks like just another lovely home in the Five Cities, but the backyard seems more like a resort than a residential space and then there were all the garages – one with her beloved RV. Her daughters carried on her real estate business for her and Melissa is busy being a grandmother and RV traveler.

We Built That

Having fulfilled our coffee appointments, we made our way to our old neighborhood, not to see someone, but some place. Our home at 37 La Gaviota had been Bill’s labor of love and he wanted to spend some time there. Even though he’d done my real estate photography on the Central Coast, he didn’t learn to fly a drone until we opened Spot On Images in Texas. Bill had brought his drone along so he could get some shots of the old home place. At the time, it was the pinnacle of his home building experiences. Now we live in what he considers his masterpiece.

I’ll leave you with the pages I made in Artisan from his photo shoot of our old home.

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

Get Out Your Holiday Greeting List

Jane Sadek

MEMORY SHARING: GREETING CARDS THEY’LL LOVE

Would You Like to be a Holiday Hero?

If you’re in the habit of sending Holiday Greeting Cards, then I don’t have to tell you how appreciated they are by the people on your list. If you can’t remember the last time sent out cards, then why not do it this year?

FOREVER makes greeting cards easy all year long, but the holidays are their season. You can find gorgeous cards for Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, New Years or whatever you celebrate right here on FOREVER. We’ve had gorgeous cards for a long, long time, but now there are more choices than ever. There are standard cards and foiled cards. There are three different card stocks. Every card has a long list of available fonts. You can edit the front as well as the back. You can set up a free Address Book and never have to worry again about addressing your cards. Many cards even have a choice of colors to choose from. There is seriously no reason to go to the fish or the fly.

So Why Now?

Why? Because now means you don’t have to worry about it later! No matter what your good intentions might be, you know you’re going to be running out of time. One day you’re putting out your Halloween decorations and the next you’ve got a NYE celebration hangover.

Seriously, here’s your to-do list.

  1. Gather up all your various address list from all the places you have them stored (including wherever you’ve ordered your cards from before) and upload them to FOREVER. This will be the hardest part and that’s why you start here. Getting databases to agree about anything is difficult, so get on it and get it done. If you have any questions along the way, call me or customer service. (And by the way, you won’t have to do this next year. The list stays on FOREVER forever – or until you take it down.)
  2. Go through your photos of the year and choose your favorites. They’ll be your friend and family favorites, too. Don’t forget the pets! (If you’re a FOREVER storage customer, you could have been adding hearts to your favorites all year long and only have to choose your favorites among favorites.
  3. Shop the Cards on FOREVER: https://www.forever.com/create-and-print/cards-and-stationery/cards. You’ll find helpful filters on the left side to help you pinpoint exactly what you want and if you already have what you want and just need a place to print it – we’ve got that, too. Even folded cards! Or, if you want to design something special, don’t forget Artisan 6 or you can have me design it for you.
  4. Personalize your card and hit print. Once you’ve selected which card design fits you best, FOREVER will walk you through all the steps you’ll need to take to get exactly what you want.
  5. Feel smug for weeks on end, because you are so far ahead of the game. Stuff your addressed cards while you binge some great series. Then send.

Are you still here? Go order your Holiday Cards!

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

Digitization Just Got Better

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: THE BEST JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER

Always Striving to Improve

One of the best things about FOREVER is that they never just sit around congratulating themselves on how great they are. Instead they continue to review every single thing about our services and listen to every comment and suggestion that comes their way. Their motto could be, if if’s not broken, improve it. Another great thing is that instead of spending money on advertising, they invest in making FOREVER better.

The latest improvement introduced is in the Digitization department. I mean you do know that not too long ago they opened the largest, most technically advanced digitization center in the world. But that wasn’t enough. They felt the online experience for our clients should match the world class treatment their media was getting in the digitization center. So they took a long, hard look at every inch of the process and considered how to make it better.

Improvements That Matter

I hate when a company raves about their new stuff, but it’s just a repackaging of the old stuff. That’s not what happened in the Digitization department. Here’s what they’ve done:

  1. A longer period of time to preview your project: Clients used to have 60 days from the time of digitization to decide what to do about their newly digitized items. For many, digitization is a huge investment, so people would just download their newly digitized images and hope for the best. FOREVER has extended that to 90 days. By extending the time the images can stay in the preview area, clients have more time to make arrangements for permanent storage, so they’ll have the best, rather than just hoping for it!
  2. Sharing from the preview area: In the past, to share newly digitized images, clients either had to move them to FOREVER storage or download them to their devices. Now, the images can be shared immediately from the preview area for 90 days. That’s better for new clients and also for the people they want to share with. What’s more, the preview area has been improved to operate just like regular storage. No more handling things one way in the preview area and another way once the items are in your storage. The experiences will be the same.
  3. Making it easier to do what’s next: Ordering, filling and returning a digitization box for the first time can be challenging. Even though I explain exactly what is going to happen to each new client, there always seems to be something they miss. “Oh, I didn’t realize I would be charged for extra items,” is the usual one, even though I know I explained the box would be inventoried and they would be billed for anything over the digitization allowance they’d purchased. So, it’s no surprise that whatever I told them about permanent storage, facial recognition and video streaming is totally forgotten by the time they get their images in the preview area. So, FOREVER gently reminds them and gives them the opportunity to purchase these services right in the preview area.
  4. Another 90 Days of Video Streaming for New Paying Customers: One thing new customers love is the click & play of videos available in the preview area. So, when that new customer purchases storage for their digitized videos, they get a 90-Day extension of free video streaming, so they can continue to click & play their videos. Without video streaming, they must download to play. That’s a $70 bonus for new storage clients.
  5. Something that matters to me: Digitization projects now have a home, just like print projects do. I ordered my first print project from FOREVER back in March of 2021. If I want to take a look at it or show it to someone, it’s right there in my account, just like all the images I have stored in my account. Now, Digitization is the same way. Even if I’ve spread the items in a box all over my account, I can still go to the digitization tab and see each project. It’s another short quick way to access my stuff.

Better Follow-up

Once your digitized images have been in the preview area for 30 days, FOREVER reaches out to remind you to save them and it reminds you of the various ways you can preserve those memories, while pointing out the dangers of merely downloading. This is the easiest way to go about purchasing the amount of storage you need for your project AND you have the choice of a one-time payment or a 24 month payment plan.

If you choose to purchase permanent storage for your project, FOREVER follows up with an email to remind you to download the free FOREVER app and to introduce other wonderful services you might be interested in taking advantage of.

I hope these new improvements inspire you to take the leap and order your first or second, or third…digitization box!

DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Long & Winding Road of Friendship

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: BETWEEN A ROCK & A HARD PLACE IN PISMO BEACH

Deja Vu All Over Again

Though we hated to leave our glamorous digs in Huntington Beach, it was time to head up the road to see other good friends in the Pismo Beach area. The day was uneventful until we decided to get off Highway 1 and take a scenic backroad. Then it was deja vu all over again.

My plan was to meet Deni in an Orcutt coffee shop called Plenty on Bell and then drive on to Pismo for dinner with, let’s call them, A & B. Dinner is something you have around 7:30, right? Well, A & B had decided, since we’d seen them last, that it’s at 5. Things were about to get tight and that’s where the deja vu came in.

The last time we’d been to Pismo, we stayed with A. We also had plans with another friend we’ll call C, but as we drove into town, A called us with the news they’d gotten us tickets to some gala and we had no time to see C. We were between a rock and a hard place with no place to win. We went to the gala (which was not a gala at all, more of a drunken brawl) and missed the time with C. A went on to monopolize the rest of our time, so I never got out to C. My friendship with C cooled to an acquaintance sort of relationship after that (and who can blame her). That was a great loss for me.

I thought I’d learned the lesson I needed to learn. So I booked our hotel before we even told A we were coming. We love her to death, but after living out there for six years, she’s not the only person we love in the area. We thought staying in a hotel would keep her from monopolizing all of our time, but the struggle was not over.

Back to the Present

So, here we were on the backroad to Orcutt. The GPS had been very wrong at estimating our arrival at Orcutt, so our time with Deni was already shrinking and A is on the phone demanding we get our butts to Pismo posthaste. Lesson learned, I wasn’t going to let A’s demands cost me another friend. So I pushed back and made room for Deni. It wasn’t enough time, but my friendship with Deni is longer and deeper, so she got both the rock and the hard place. We chatted for a while, shared a couple of hugs and I got back on the road to Pismo with that friendship intact.

Our dinner with A & B was lovely. We laughed so hard we cried. At the end of the meal, A started trying to organize the next day around their schedule, not ours. It was hard, but I pointed out the brief nature of our visit and the long list of people we needed to see.

Despite my many protestations, I was to call her as soon as I was free the next day. Not to worry by lunchtime she called us and demanded to know when we’d be there. As I had told her at dinner, we weren’t.

The lesson I learned this time was to let A know we are visiting Pismo after we’ve already seen the rest of our friends. I hate that it has to be like that, but it’s that or not have any other friends in the area and I plan on keeping them all.