MAKE YOUR TRAVEL HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE

The travel season is upon this year, in spite of the superior expenditure of fuel, and us a record

number of people will be on the move. Travelers will be bearing out for vacations at resorts and parks or at pleasant or healthy places, where they can just calm down and get away from it all for a while. If you're traveling this winter season, you know it's not all about sun, sand and umbrella drinks. The crowded airports and terminals can take a toll on your understanding and your immune system. Because winter travel takes place at the height of cold and flue season, to help reduce your chances of catching a bug on your commute, stay well hydrated, rested and stock up on vitamins.
Before hitting the open road, there are certain safety precautions you need to take to make sure your trip will be a happy, healthy and safe one. Here are some travel safety tips. Most people only take their cars in for a mechanical check-up before a lengthy drive, but it's just as important to make sure you car is in the best condition possible for trips around town, particularly in the wintertime.
Regular safeguarding and prompt attention to a car's troubling behavior can keep you moving no matter where you may be headed. Most people only take their cars in for a mechanical check-up before a lengthy drive, but it's just as important to make sure you car is in the best condition possible for trips around town, particularly in the wintertime.

Leaving Vegas Happy

Winning in Vegas isn't about going home rich; it's about not going home broke.

You've probably heard many horror stories about people loosing it all their very first night in Vegas. The sad truth of the matter is that it happens quite often because it is so terribly easy to do. Casinos have many tricks (whether deliberately contrived or accidentally achieved) that help you make poor decisions as a result of slightly impaired judgment. The bells and whistles of casinos are fun for the first few hours, after that they tend to become dull and mind numbing. You'll even find that those who have been at the casino for a while will show slower and less enthusiastic responses to jackpots after a few hours. This is part of the process. We become number and mindlessly feed our 1's, 5's, 10's, 20's, 50's, and 100's into the machines and loosing count along the way.

Casinos are also kind enough to allow many people ups and downs along the way. They are quite smart in doing this. Many people find that they can get pretty far ahead early on and then are surprised to suddenly find themselves falling behind at an alarming rate. When they have you is at the moment you put yet another bill into the machine intending to get back the money you lost. Most of us manage to get back our original investment but decide that we want what we had won earlier and end right back at the bottom again starting the entire process over. Don't do that, I can tell you it hurts the next morning when you're kicking yourself for being stupid.

I honestly cannot say that McDonald’s happy meals have changed in the thirty years since I was a child. Sure, the toys are different and the bags represent different cartoons and such now, but they truly haven’t changed. The prices have doubled over time, which has happened to everything. I buy my toddler a happy meal now and I swear that the hamburgers are the exact same that they were 30 years ago. They may have gotten a bit smaller though. I remember the excitement of knowing that I was going to McDonald’s and hoping that the prize was something really amazing. Of course, the toys weren’t ever all that wonderful, and still aren’t – from an adult’s perspective. But for children, those generic and cheap toys can mean hours of entertainment and fun. It can also mean that every few days you’ll find your child begging to go to McDonald’s to collect the newest released toy from the Happy Meal. I can remember my mother digging through boxes of toys to point out to the employees which toy I still needed. The looks on their faces wasn’t happiness. The things parents do for their children is phenomenal. I vowed that I’d never be the kind of mom that goes to that extreme. However, a few days ago I found myself asking the employees what toys they had left. I wanted to get a Happy Meal for my daughter with a toy that she didn’t receive yet. Finally, after five minutes, I found one that she would absolutely love. I’ve become my mother. I can however, remember when the employees would fill and hand out drinks to us. I’d carry my little happy meal box and my small soda to a table, feeling like I’d just won the lottery. Today, most McDonald’s allow you to get your own sodas. It does cut down on time but it can also turn out to be quite a mess for customers. It amazes me that it is now 30 years later and I’m watching my child walk around carrying a happy meal box with a huge smile on her face. She never complains about the toys being too pointless. She doesn’t tell me that the fries are cold or the hamburger is shriveled up and little. She simply sips her Sprite and eats her food – as happily as can be. For all of the time that happy meals have been in existence, it is great to know that they’re still making people smile.

I honestly cannot say that McDonald’s happy meals have changed in the thirty years since I was a 

 child. Sure, the toys are different and the bags represent different cartoons and such now, but they truly haven’t changed. The prices have doubled over time, which has happened to everything. I buy my toddler a happy meal now and I swear that the hamburgers are the exact same that they were 30 years ago. They may have gotten a bit smaller though.

I remember the excitement of knowing that I was going to McDonald’s and hoping that the prize was something really amazing. Of course, the toys weren’t ever all that wonderful, and still aren’t – from an adult’s perspective. But for children, those generic and cheap toys can mean hours of entertainment and fun. It can also mean that every few days you’ll find your child begging to go to McDonald’s to collect the newest released toy from the Happy Meal. I can remember my mother digging through boxes of toys to point out to the employees which toy I still needed. The looks on their faces wasn’t happiness. The things parents do for their children is phenomenal. I vowed that I’d never be the kind of mom that goes to that extreme. However, a few days ago I found myself asking the employees what toys they had left. I wanted to get a Happy Meal for my daughter with a toy that she didn’t receive yet. Finally, after five minutes, I found one that she would absolutely love. I’ve become my mother.

Happy Birthday Cards

I come from a close family. My three sisters and I like to get together as often as our busy lives allow

us. We celebrate major holidays together and also meet for dinners and movies. These gatherings always involve our spouses and of course our children during the holidays. Several years ago we decided that just the four of us would get together for drinks on each other’s birthdays. This way we could catch up and visit without our children or husbands interrupting.

The birthday person gets to pick the meeting place. We like to go someplace that has nice happy hour appetizers to have with our drinks. We also try to pick places that are close to a mall or shops that we can walk around in after our drinks to make sure we are not impaired to drive. Over drinks and appetizers we talk laugh and give the birthday girl her gifts and happy birthday cards. This has become the challenge of the evenings together, coming up with good happy birthday cards. My family loves to tease each other. We laugh and play jokes on each other. You will not find any flowery happy birthday cards exchanged at our table.