Big changes previously alluded to...

So on to the big changes.. In January we decided we would like to get out of the alpaca business in 2011.  We have nothing bad to say about the business model, but due to the economy, our business plan just is not working like we had hoped, and rather than keeping ourselves tied down to a business that is costing us in feed and vet care instead of making a profit by now, we would rather turn our attentions to other pursuits.  We still fully believe the alpaca business will bounce back when the economy bounces back for those who will wait, but A) we are tired of waiting, and B) We are losing our faith in WHEN the economy is turning around.

SO, we are liquidating our herd and have been selling alpacas fairly rapidly.  We are down to 24 now, which is far from the 100+ we had here only 2 years ago.  We have some unbelievable deals for super quality animals, and some have taken notice.  We have no regrets on the path we have taken.. especially as that journey has led us to the direction we are now moving in.  In the meantime we had 3 babies last week and have 5 more due before the end of the month.  So it's hard to know haw many alpacas we own on a given day.

The Cria at play!

Last September we took a Rich Dad (Robert Kyosaki) weekend course on Options trading and got very turned on by that.  So Mike has been educating himself to be able to contribute to our household via that vehicle.  And I, as most of you know am TOTALLY immersed in Send Out Cards.  The company just gets better and better (and the checks just keep getting better and better).  I believe in the product, in the heart of the company, in the law of attraction, and the good things that come with appreciating others.  It has been truly transforming in my life, and I am so excited about the prospects this company has to help others lives as well.  The income opportunity is something that so many people in our country these days are begging for, and even if the opportunity is not for you the product is something that is changing the world for the better every day.  Send Out Cards has just removed all membership fees for retail customers (unbelievable value for FREE!) and they are going to open up globally in the next few months.  I truly believe Send Out Cards is going to make a lot of billionaires in the next 5 years....  But I'm gushing and saying too much.... I just can't help myself!

But as mentioned in the earlier post.. It's too easy to get distracted and let the Send Out Cards business stagnate.  So to help me to stay focused, 4 weeks ago I joined a mentoring program that runs for 1 year, in which you must dedicate 15-20 hours a week to Send Out Cards to complete.  This is going to be a serious commitment, to keep up all the other things I have going, but I want my Send Out Cards business to flourish, and this is going to be what it takes!  SO.. my friends, you may not see another post for another year!!!  ;-)

Mike's Busy Schedule and Allergies

Two things happened with Mike the same week I left for Chicago, 1) his Dad called and asked him to do some work at his house, and 2) He was diagnosed as allergic to all Milk products and Eggs in any form.  The latter has been a huge challenge for him, and now that I'm back home full time I'm in for a shock on how careful we are going to have to be with our diet.  He is being treated for the allergies now, so hopefully this isn't a life long issue, but we will have to see.  Just this week he was told he could start eating dairy again, so we are keeping our fingers crossed!

When his Dad called for the work, we thought I was only going to be in Chicago for a week.  So he was going to wait until I got home to take care of the animals.  But every week my appointment got extended further.  So we finally decided he had better just go do it.  So the two weeks encompassing Easter he went to Salt Lake and installed wood flooring at his parents house.  Instead of going home, I flew to Salt Lake for the weekend and for the holiday.   That worked out well.

He now has a contract to finish up a friends basement in Loveland (3 hours north) so now that I am am home he will be spending much of the next 2 months up there working on that.  This is the woman he helped finish her house up in Eagle's Nest, New Mexico, back in 2003 or so.  It should be a good job.  I also have some prospect of new contracts on the horizon... So everything is looking fine on the home front.

1/4 year in Chicago

OK, My sister Monica just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and posted a few posts to her blog... She has inspired me to catch you all up on what has been going on around here... Huge changes in the works, slowly changing our lives... That's in a nutshell.  Here's the detail.

Rose, Mom, Kris, & I 

February 11 two of my Mastermind team members, one from Denver (Rose) and one from Boulder (Kris), headed down to Albuquerque to pick up my mom, and then on to Phoenix for a Send Out Cards "Treat-em-right" motivational and training seminar.  On the way down I got a call from Gilbane, my primary client, saying that they had 4-6 weeks of work for me.  It would involve one week in Chicago, getting facetime with the client, and then the rest of the work could be from home on the ranch.... Just my style of contract.  They wanted me on site on Monday Feb 14... the day I was planning on returning home from the Phoenix trip.



Well, anyone who has been following our life for long knows that we are in no position to turn up our noses at any billable work, so I got down to my best talent... problem solving, and got it all worked out.  When we passed back through Albuquerque to drop my Mom back off at home after the Phoenix trip, Kris and Rose would drop me off too, and I could fly to Chicago from Albuquerque.  Kris and Rose needed to get home of course, so they would take my car to my house for me where they had left their car.  Then Monica (my sister), who happened to be planning a trip to Pheonix herself, passing through Albuquerque on the day we were returning to Albuquerque from Phoenix, would meet up with Mike in Pueblo, who would hand off a packed bag with my dress clothes, and work computer, and I could fly off to Chicago.  Then at the end of the week I'd fly back to Albuquerque, just in time to be picked up by Monica, heading back home, who could give me a ride on home to Colorado...

Worked out great!  Anyway, they loved me in Chicago.. I fit right in with the team, each of us filling a needed role.  So as soon as I got home, they called to say, "You need to come back, we need the who team here at the table until this job is done."  Well, I've lost count of the weeks, but humm... some 16 weeks later was still in Chicago.  Going home Friday evenings and returning on Monday mornings.  Bright side is I've never spent any time in Chicago before, so now I've seen the sights, down side is, by now I could care less, and I go to work in the AM, and back to the hotel in the evening........ Not an inspiring lifestyle.

I only stayed over two weekends in Chicago.  Those weekends I got out to see

• Navy Pier
• Frank Lloyd Wrights House
• Unity Temple
• Lakeshore Drive
• Willis (Sears) Tower and the Ledge (4' deep glass boxes that extend out of the building on the 105th floor!  What a trip!)
• Magnificent Mile Shopping
• Second City Comedy Club
• Pizza at Ginos
• Hershey Shop
• Millenium Park
• Historic Water Tower
• Garrett Popcorn
• Northwesten University
• Frank Lloyd Wrights Robie house
• O'Bama's house,
• and went to a German Beer and Brat Fest..

So I did see a few things.

Frank Lloyd Wrights Unity Temple

Too cloudy for the Sears tower today!

A VERY COOL model of the city, made by a 3-D Printer.

(Go see it in the Santa Fe Building if you get a chance.)

Millineum Park

The LEDGE!!

 The view from the Sear's Tower

(I stayed to watch the sunset)

Pizza with my Cousin Hillary, whom I haven't seen in 20 years!

I've also learned a new appreciation for those that try to do Send Out Cards part time while working full time, because by the evening, back in my hotel room, I have to really push myself to pick up that phone and do some Send Out Cards... If I didn't totally believe that Send Out Cards has the potential to support me and allow me to retire in comfort, I wouldn't give Send Out Cards another moment.  My business was stagnant for 3 months before I decided to do something about that.. More on that later.

My calorie intake and exercise routine has also given me somewhat of a challenge, but by the end of April I'd been there long enough that I was able to start disciplining myself on those issues too.  So tough though to stick with it!  Aargh. 

I came home from Chicago yesterday and at this moment have no plans to return, my bank account is breathing a sigh of relief, so I am careful not to complain.

After I wrote ALL the detail... I decided to take pity on you all and break it into 4 blog posts... Guess I really should post more often, so they don't have to be so long!  Watch for the other posts in the next few days.