There it was, the Carnival Pride, sitting majestically in port awaiting the arrival of the next group of guests to sail to the Mexican Riviera. I was pumped! I had been on cruises before but this was the first seven night cruise I had been on. I couldn’t wait to board the ship and see our stateroom, and get started on our next adventure. We were setting sail out of Long Beach California for the Mexican Riviera. Our trip would take us to Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. It was October and according to the Carnival website the weather down in Mexico would be beautiful. They were right.

We had a Balcony Stateroom with an extended balcony and we were cruising with family who were in the staterooms next to ours. After some trying and signing agreements we were able to get the doors opened between balconies so we could all sit out together and relax and watch the ports come and go. I highly recommend getting a port side room when cruising, especially when you have a balcony room. Before we were even completely out of Long beach we had "met" the people in the rooms above ours! The mood was celebrational and we couldn’t wait to get the fun started. The first night on a cruise you get to meet the waitstaff in the main dining room that will be with you for the entire cruise and we weren’t disappointed. Our waitresses treated us like royalty and were very friendly and helpful. The bar that served the dining room made excellent cocktails to have with dinner and the kids were given extra cherries in their cherry sodas. The food was excellent and we left the dining room satisfied with everything and ready to go see the show in the Taj Majal Lounge. The shows on the Pride are fun and lively and remind you of Vegas with the one exception, they are suitable for children unless you go to the adult comedy show. Early in the evening one night you can go to the comedy show with the kids if they are cruising with you but you can’t miss they adult comedy show late that night. That is where Carnival Kids Camp or Camp Carnival comes in. They offer a babysitting service for a reasonable fee from about ten p.m. to about three a.m. They have slumber parties, watch movies, play games, make crafts, and generally have a good time. During the day kids can spend time in Camp Carnival for free but must be picked up for meals in most cases. My only complaints about Camp Carnival on the Pride were; to get to Camp Carnival you had to walk down halls past staterooms, there was no other way to get there. Also, the kids are taken to different areas of the ship for activities and if your child’s age group is not in Camp Carnival when you go to drop them off you have to take them to the area of the ship where their group is. If you have more than one child cruising with you it can be a pain having to wander the whole ship to find their groups to drop them off in different areas.

I mentioned before your waitstaff at dinner. You will see them in other areas of the ships doing other jobs during the day before they start in the dining room. they might serve you your breakfast in the buffet, or make your coffee at one of the coffee bars. Every time they see you they call you by name, ask how the other family members are, and go that extra mile to make sure you are having a great time. By the time you are done with your cruise, they will know your favorite foods, drinks, desserts, and will sometimes even bring you extra of your favorite dinners or desserts without you having to ask for them!

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Being the largest state in the United States, Alaska is also one of the most diverse states in the country. The miles and miles of Alaskan coastline draws in tourists from around the world and has become the one of the most popular vacation destinations because of its natural unspoiled beauty.

Perhaps the reason for Alaska’s popularity is because of the diverse attractions that Alaska offers. Icebergs, glaciers, and ice fields are among the many natural wonders that can be found in Alaska. Aquatic life is also a major attraction in Alaska, watching killer whales in their natural habitat, or seal and dolphins playing gleefully in the cold Atlantic waters. If cruising the coast of Alaska is a lifelong dream, cruising the coastline will be a dream come true.

Cruise ships are not the only way to cruise Alaska; when you sign up for an Alaskan cruise, you have your choice of transportation. Train rides; day trips by bus, and even helicopter rides are the options that you have. There are many different travel guide companies that can offer you any service that you require, and many of them offer specials and discounts for using their services.

There are many different travel companies that offer tourist guides, however, it is important that you research each one to make sure that they offer all of the services that you are interested in. by reading the Alaska cruise review, you will be able to determine which one is best for you.

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What is equity? The definition of business equity is to subtract your liabilities from your assets and what is left is the owners equity. So presumably, if you are making money, you are building equity.

There is another way to think of equity and that is to determine what a business is worth. It may be different than the simple process of subtracting the liabilities from the assets. In this case your value or equity might be what someone is willing to pay for your business.

This is often determined by how well the business is running. How profitable is the business? How well does it operate? Will it run without the current owner being involved? Are there systems in place to assure that operations will continue, uninterrupted if the owner is not involved? There are of course more financial ratios that must be explored like the debt to equity ratio and the return on equity, but let’s take a different look for this article.

Most business owners start without a clear vision of what they’re trying to create. What they end up creating is a job. They really haven’t thought about how their business will serve their life. Consequently their business ends up running their life.

You must start out with a clear vision of what you want for your life. What kind of life do you want to live?

Do you want to spend 60 or 70 hours a week in your business? Do you want to worry about having enough business or enough money to meet payroll, etc. Unless you lay out a clear vision, you will end up with a business failure or a business that controls your life.

You need to start with a vision which includes an exit strategy. The only reason to start your own business is to sell it or pass it along to your heirs. At what point would you want to sell or pass the business along to your heirs? Do you want to be in business for 5,10 or 20 years? In order to sell it or pass it along to your heirs, it must operate without you. This means creating good systems.

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Making plans for the new baby’s nursery décor is just one of the many tasks at hand for new Moms-to-be. The baby’s crib and other coordinating nursery furniture, crib bedding, wall decorations, baskets and other storage items - these are just some of the items that must be purchased. And an important decorative decision is the paint colors for the room. In the midst of all of these decisions, a simple matter that may be ignored is the different finishes or sheens of paint that should be used in the nursery for both decorative and practical reasons.

Interior paints are made in a variety of finishes or sheens. Each of these sheens refers to the paint’s gloss level and, thereby, its reaction to light. The important practical and decorative characteristics of each sheen are: ability to hide imperfections; stain resistance; washability; and ease of application and touchups. Determining which sheen to use for any particular application requires an evaluation of the relative importance of each of these characteristics. We will focus on four of the most common sheens - flat, eggshell, satin, and semigloss - and the three general applications in the nursery - ceilings, walls, and trim.

At one end of the sheen spectrum is flat paint. Cured flat paint has a chalky appearance and rough feel and reflects little light. Its characteristics are as follows:

• Because it diffuses light, it is the most effective at hiding nicks, dents, repaired holes, drywall seams, and any other surface imperfections.

• Without a glossy surface, flat paint tends to be least effective at resisting scuffs and stains.

• Flat paint is the least washable sheen, both because it tends to absorb stains and because rubbing it during the cleaning process tends to "polish" the finish and make it look different than the surrounding surfaces.

• Paint application imperfections - brush and roller lines, drips, and varying rates of application - are the least noticeable with flat paint. It is also the easiest to touch up, with the new paint’s sheen, or lack thereof, blending very readily with the existing paint surface.

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