Pumpkin Eater

Pumpkin Time! Jack really thought the pumpkin guts were gross and didn't want to touch them. He had to run inside and wash his hands really fast:) But he did a good job pushing out the eyes and noses and mouths. Now he very proudly tells everyone which pumpkins is whose. From left to right: Jack's, mommies, daddies.

On different note, he has renamed himself and now tells everyone he is Big Jack:) Sometimes this is followed by Firefighter Big Jack, Cowboy Big Jack or Doctor Big Jack:)

Hee Haw Farms

There is a place called the Hee Haw Farms. I've driven by it every year - this year we decided to stop and explore:)

I let Jack put on his Halloween costume - Firefighter Jack! and we all set out.

Thi is the Hay Jump

Then the scary monsters! Jack was terrified, but Stephen showed him how to punch through the monsters:) And after the maze - super treat!! - A TRACTOR!

Next came the petting zoo. Jack ofcourse loved all the animals! He didn't understand why the pigs kept running away after all his loud "Come Here!"s

There were super cool and fast slides!

A hay stack maze which Jack jumped on top of

Go carts and tire swings horsey's

Stephen tried his hand at a laso

And finally the pumpkin patch where we could all choose our own pumpkins!

Jack had so much fun that when Babi stopped by later he spent a long time telling her about everything! Especially petting the sheep and pigs:)

Birlie

A 'birlie' flew in to the house today:) We rescued it, but he didn't want to leave for awhile:)

Leaves

What could be more fun than this!

Best Buddies

I just love watching these two little guys play!

Hotel Association - How to Survive a Recession

This was pretty exciting the other day. My boss Ken and I went up to Layton to give a presentation. A radio host from KSL was there and ended up publishing a story about us. It is listed below.

Recession survival 101: Hotel owners get firsthand lesson
October 7th, 2009 @ 2:17pm
By Becky Bruce
LAYTON -- Hotel owners and managers in Utah are learning how to survive the recession. It's a big topic of discussion at the Utah Hotel and Lodging Association Convention in Layton this week.
Managing Director of the Utah Valley University Small Business Development Center Ken Fakler told people at the conference they didn't have to lose money.
He said, "It's up to the management people, it's up to the owners, whether they're going to survive this or whether the ship's going to sink."
Fakler said a lot of expenses were negotiable, even if they didn't seem like they should be. The reason? Your business insurance company or landlord would much rather get a lower rate from you than no rate at all.
"Every expense item on the income statement is negotiable," Fakler said.

Marynika Miche, a counselor at the Small Business Development Center, agreed. She also added that you have to scrutinize every expense to make sure employees aren't taking advantage of you in the recession. In particular, she cautioned about abuse of company gas cards.
"It's petty theft," Miche said. "They don't consider it stealing. But with fuel prices going up, it's been significant for the employees and the employers."
Fakler warned about employees misrepresenting workers' compensation claims, either because they can't afford health insurance or their co-pays. He suggested businesses make sure every claim their insurance company handles really results from an injury on the job to avoid facing higher rates.
Fakler said regardless of which cost-saving measures a hotel or other business took, the important thing was not to wait.
"You've got to make really tough decisions right now, immediately," he stressed. "You've got to cut your expenses, yet you've still got to give superior, magnificent customer service."
You can learn more about UVU's program for small businesses here, and the Utah Hotel and Lodging Association here.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com

Fall Play

It's that time of year again. The leaves are falling and we are raking:) Here's my big helper doing his part.

This has been a little project I've been working on. Jack has helped me dig each hole. I now have forzycja's, hydrangeas, iris', roses, lillies, peonies, and many more. It will be so pretty one day.

Jack's favorite sayings these days are:

Mommy, trust me (from Aladdin)

Oh my gosh!

Toodles

WOW

Oh oh

He tends to start a lot of his sentences with these statements:)