Laina Turner's Blog, page 52
June 28, 2015
First Class All The Way!
The thing about flying is you’re at the mercy of the airlines and when a flight gets delayed or canceled there’s not a lot you can do about it. After getting up at 4:15am yesterday to catch a 7:15 flight just to find the flight was delayed 2 hours was annoying to say the least.
It becomes less annoying when you get upgraded to first glass. Then all I could think of was that scene from Jerry Maguire on the airplane going to the company retreat:
Ray: What’s wrong, Mommy?
Dorothy: First class, that’s what’s wrong. It used to be a better meal, now it’s a better life.
Things do seem better from the front.
You get a blanket and pillow without even asking.
You get free mini bottles of water which are just waiting for you when you get on the plane. It was much better than the over priced large bottle we had just purchased at the airport food stand.
You get a chance to have a photo opt with your boarding pass. I mean you can’t do that when you’re in coach. It just isn’t done.
The Diet Coke comes in a GLASS glass. Fancy! I don’t even get that at home.
The view from the front of the plane is unparalleled.
First class. What’s not to like?
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June 26, 2015
What Flag Do You Fly?
If you’ve read my blog at all, you’ve probably noticed I blog more about fun and semi-meaningless things (except maybe to me) than anything serious like politics or world issues. Not that I’m not interested in those things (though I admit I do prefer reading People magazine to listening to NPR).
However, after all the confederate flag drama going on I felt compelled to write my thoughts and even though I will probably regret I deviated from my normal funness (yes I know that’s not a word), I just couldn’t help myself.
It’s also why blogging and drinking wine isn’t the greatest idea (I did write this Thursday night. I’m not up drinking at 5 am).
To use a cliché I believe that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Just because someone or some state or entity has the confederate flag up doesn’t mean they are racist or white supremacist or going to commit a hate crime.
My dad had the Dixie car horn sound on his ’76 Corvette. There isn’t a racist bone in his body.
I like wine. I’m not an alcoholic.
I have a friend who is Muslim and he’s not a terrorist.
I have a friend who is a feminist. She doesn’t hate men.
My point here (in case you haven’t had enough caffeine to figure it out already) is why do people insist on lumping other people who may have something in common and portray them as if they are all the same?
There’s just too much judging and too much hate in the world. Personally, I feel life is too damn short to hate someone because they might have a different belief than you.
It happens all the time on both a small scale and a global one. As a Dukes of Hazard fan, I hate to see people going against the Confederate Flag because of the actions of one person.
What do you think?
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June 23, 2015
10 Reasons I’m Late to Work
Who likes to get up for work? Even when you work at home and the commute is one floor down from your bedroom and about 10 feet from the kitchen.
I love what I do for a living, but I still don’t bound out of bed each morning pumped to start the work day.
So for fun I thought I would list some excuses I’ve heard from friends (and maybe 1 or 2 I’ve used myself).
I got lost in a Netflix marathon.
There was traffic.
My imaginary friend needed a ride and I didn’t want her to be late.
My rainbow unicorn kitty needed to go to the vet.
I stubbed my toe.
I had nothing to wear.
I couldn’t find the bike rack.
I had to go back to get my lunch.
I forgot I had to work today.
I just didn’t want to go.
What’s your most creative reason for being late?
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June 22, 2015
Coconut Cocktail
I love coconut. One of my fav things of all time is the pineapple coconut flavored sparkling water from Wal-Mart. I drink it by the gallon. So when I saw the coconut vodka on the shelf I had to buy it.
The fact it was a special bottle with an Elvis Presley label on it made it even more enticing.
When I think of coconut flavored alcohol I think of fruity, fun, and refreshing. So I decided to pair it with diet V- 8 Splash Tropical Blend and pour it over frozen mango chunks.
I used 1 part vodka to 2 parts juice.
I love putting frozen fruit in my wine or mixed drinks, especially in the summer. It cools the drink and doesn’t water it down. Plus the fruit is yummy after being soaked in the alcohol.
I just happened to have these plump juicy blackberries lying around and thought they would add a pop of color (and taste good) as a garnish.
I wasn’t disappointed. This tasted divine!
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June 19, 2015
Time To Celebrate!
I actually did that last night, but I’m all for continuous celebrating so why not. Let’s keep going through the weekend!
Wednesday was my birthday, but I had a birthday party, blog relaunch party, and company rebranding party all rolled into one last night. I like any excuse to throw a party, and I also think making a big deal about your goals can help motivate you to achieve them.
My goals are very important to me. With the blog relaunch and my rebranding, it was about starting a new chapter. One in which I can accomplish anything I set out too.
So I felt things needed to start off with a bang. Do something symbolic and monumental. And nothing says I’m going to MAKE THESE GOALS MY BITCH like fried pickles, red velvet cake, and Penny’s Sangria. Seriously, Penny’s sangria is the BEST STUFF EVER! (and I will have a complete post dedicated to her sangria soon).
For a minute let’s pretend I DIDN’T post yesterday that one of my goals was to lose weight. I promise I’m starting healthy eating TODAY (or when I’ve finished the leftover cake that was fabulous).
The best part of last night was the awesome and amazing friends who shared this time with me. I am so blessed to have people who love and support me in everything I do.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
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June 18, 2015
July (and last half June) Goals!
It’s that mid-way point of the year where normally it’s time for me to take stock of my goals and where I’m at in relation to them. Since I just relaunched my blog yesterday and the first half of this year has been a little (ok a LOT) crazy I’ve gotten a little off track.
With everything.
But better late than never, right?
I decided that I would declare my goals on here and then each month do a follow-up post. Not that I necessarily think you all care about my goals per se but more to keep myself accountable AND to share that meeting your goals ain’t easy. In fact, it’s hard and can be frustrating, and when I get frustrated, I want to give up.
Powering through is what separates those who reach their goals from those who don’t.
It’s a bit scary to put these out here too. I mean what if I don’t reach them? But if I keep them to myself…am I really committing to them? Am I all in?
I want to be ALL IN!
Since we all know how to eat an elephant – one bite at a time. I decided I would make my goals for the rest of the year but then the monthly milestones to check in and be accountable to smaller more manageable goals.
By the end of the year – December 31st, 2015 – this is what I want to have accomplished.
Year End Goals
Weight 138 (isn’t is such a cliché that my first goal is weight? But I AM getting married next year, and I’ve gained a lot of weight the last 6 months).
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Book Sales $5600 a month.
Blog pageviews 300,000 a month.
Release 3 more fiction titles.
Pay off all debt except house and car.
Pay Cash for wedding expenses (the date has been moved to summer 2016).
Yeah, I realize that list is lofty, and I may not achieve them all but I will work HARD trying!
Milestones to reach by the end of July
Weight 148
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Book Sales $300 a month.
Blog pageviews 5000 a month.
Release 1 fiction title.
Don’t incur any more debt.
Pay Cash for any wedding expenses.
So wish me luck and I will let you know how I’m doing in my post on Monday August 3rd.
Enter below to have a chance to win a $20 Visa Gift Card!
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June 17, 2015
It’s Finally Here! My Blog Relaunch!
OMG – I’M SO EXCITED!
That’s actually what my fiancé says to me anytime I mention anything wedding related – I know, he’s a smart man – but today I’m stealing it.
Did you happen to notice anything different on your way in to read my post today?
Stop reading for a second and look around. Just make sure to come back.
My blog got what you might call a minor facelift if minor facelift means total body reconstruction. This was a project 12 months in the making. It took so much more time than I would have ever expected to get all the details exactly the way I wanted. It was quite the process. I’m not the best at conveying to others what’s in my head. Especially when it comes to design. At times, it was a very frustrating process but the end result was so marvelous it was worth every aggravation.
2014 was all about getting serious about blogging. Up to that point, I had several blogs because I couldn’t figure out my voice or the direction I wanted to go in. January 2014, I consolidated all of them and launched with a new and improved design, look, and feel. Getting to that point was a great step forward but I still struggled the first half of the year figuring out what I wanted to write about and getting good images with my posts. Although, it wasn’t easy, I was having such a blast I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.
To move my blog from the amateur to the professional realm.
To achieve this goal I knew I needed to step up my game in all aspects, and that’s how I got here today.
When jumping into this project I knew there were a few things that were important for my blog to do/have.
The design had to stand out and look professional.
It needed to convey that I was a blogger but also an author of fiction.
It needed to be simple and easy for readers to find what they were looking for.
It needed to show my personality.
It needed to present a good storefront to potential advertisers and sponsors.
I know that seems like a lot to expect from a visual, but a picture is worth a thousand words. I am now feeling the pressure of writing awesome posts and pairing them with terrific images.
But again – worth it.
I’m ecstatic that it all came together the way I had envisioned and can’t wait to achieve blogging goals.
Thanks for hanging around and waiting these last couple weeks while I stopped posting to work behind the scenes. Now it’s time for us to have some fun. So jump in for your chance to win a $20 Visa gift card each day for the 10 days of fun!
I hope you’ll stick around!
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May 27, 2015
Getting Ready for the Blog Re-launch!
After a year in the making (yeah it’s taken ridiculously long) I am excited to finally announce –for real this time – my new blog design will officially launch on June 17th. Which is a mere 22 days away!
Can you believe it’s almost June already?
June 17th is also my birthday (my 29th birthday of course) and I couldn’t ask for a better present. Unless it was for a housekeeper and a personal chef but that’s not likely to happen. A new website is more of a sure thing.
I’m also in the process of moving and remodeling the house we’re moving too and this is the last week of school for the kids. The next few weeks are going to be crazy.
So I’ve decided that in light of everything that is going on and the fact that I’m living between 2 houses and things are a bit of a disaster I am going to take a short break from my daily posting until I launch the new blog. That way I can focus all my energies in prepping for the launch and getting settled and organized in the new house.
There will be tons of festivities blog re-launch week, the 17th – 23rd. Contests and raffles and fun prizes so you want to make sure to put the date on your calendar so you can check back.
If you’re not yet on my mailing list sign up here so you will be notified of what’s to come.
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May 26, 2015
Yeah For Tuesday
Happy Tuesday everyone! How was your holiday weekend? I always feel like Memorial Weekend is my summer kickoff even though it’s still officially spring. Mentally the weekend just makes me feel that summer has finally arrived, AND it’s ok to wear white.
I spent the bulk of my weekend working but I’m so thrilled with life right now I didn’t care (though I think my kids were annoyed I put them to work, and we didn’t go somewhere and just have fun).
Even though we don’t have to be out of our current house until June 15th the fact that both Matt and I are crazy busy right now with work and we only have our kids ½ the time means it cuts down on time available to get things packed and ready.
It’s crazy the amount of crap one family can accumulate. We threw away or gave to Goodwill, an enormous amount of stuff when we sold our house last year and moved into the rental. In December, I rented a 10-yard dumpster over the school break, and we spring cleaned (knowing we would be moving this summer). Filled that thing up to the top and even had to pay a small overage charge due to the weight of the container.
And yet there is still SO MUCH CRAP.
The other thing that makes this move a little logistically tricky is we are having a lot of work done on the house, and it just won’t be done before we have to move. So I don’t want anything more than we absolutely have to have in the new house until it’s done. I don’t want to be constantly moving furniture from one place to another.
I told the kids to pack 2 suitcases with clothes for the next 2 months and one box of their personal stuff. The rest of their rooms, except their actual beds, will be in storage until the house is finished.
Matt and I packed up all the easy stuff in the house that we can live without for 6 weeks, and all this stuff went into the 16ft POD I had delivered last week.
All that’s left is the big stuff and our personal items. In 2 weeks, I have another 16 ft POD coming, and movers to move all the heavy stuff into to POD for storage and to move our beds and remaining stuff to the new house. Then at the end of July we can do it all again.
As much work as it will be, the end result will be so worth it. Finally having our forever home is worth the wait!
So if I miss a few days posting over the next couple weeks you’ll know why. I’m in moving hell:)
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May 25, 2015
I Want YOU To Join Laina’s Crusaders!
Are you interested in partnering with me to spread the word about my published books? Then I want YOU to join my team – Laina’s Crusaders! If you choose to join, I’ll be forever grateful and can also offer you a few incentives. 
As a member of Laina’s Crusaders, you’ll be rewarded with:
* Exclusive FREE access to my published e-books (for any book you agree to review, we will send you a FREE e-copy of the book)
* FREE advertising space for your book/blog on my website
* FREE sponsored post opportunities on my website
* First to read my newest releases coming out
* A chance to win a $25 giftcard each month (each crusade will be worth points and each month the crusader with the most points wins).
* If you’re a fellow author, I will also promote your books in an exclusive blog post and will distribute the post through my social media pages
* An opportunity to participate in my ‘Laina’s Crusaders’ private Facebook group, where you can access all the marketing materials you will need. We can swap ideas and I’ll be happy to answer any questions about my books, my blog or writing in general.
If you’re interested in becoming one my crusaders, here’s what I’ll ask from you:
* A month to month commitment, spreading the word about my books and newest releases
* Read (at least one) of my books and write an honest review of each book on Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Create Space, Audible, or iTunes (at least one per month). You may read and write additional reviews for bonus points!
* If you have a blog or website, I’ll ask you to publish your reviews on your blog, as well as feature an author interview, book excerpt or spotlight feature on one or more of my books. If you’re interested in featuring one of my books along with a giveaway, we can chat about that possibility, as well.
* Promote my books, your reviews and any blog posts via your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) Each post will have the hashtag #LainaTurnerBooks included
* Share info about my books with your closest friends, family members and acquaintances.
You’ll have special access to a membership page on my website, where you can download logos, book covers, book blurbs, author interview questions/answers and additional marketing materials to help with your promotion. If you have other ideas on how to spread the buzz about my books, by all means, go for it! Keep me and the other crusaders informed on our Facebook group so we can all work together and keep track of how awesome you are!
Interested in joining? Fill out the submission form below. We’ll get back to you with more info and details once we know you’re interested!
Thanks for your support!
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