Lone Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan will provide a winter wonderland including 1.5 million holiday lights, a 52-foot rotating Christmas tree, a life-sized Gingerbread House, 12,000 ornaments, and Santa Claus himself, just to name a few. Find out more here:

An earlier visit to the Gaylord Hotel featured a film on how the Ice Production was created. I saw that it entailed Chinese workers that were flown into the Hotel to create ALL the Ice attractions by hand! There was an ice slide, Charlie Brown characters everywhere, and my favorite was the last room that featured this:

Family Christmas for me is all about having a great time and creating memories. This Christmas trip I’m sure has created memories that will last a lifetime! Are you creating memories?? Where? Please share in the comments!! I’m always looking for fun places to visit

Here is another link on the “Making of Ice”

P.s. This is a personal experience and this article is not written for profit in any way! I would take any donations from The Gaylord if offered! Just saying

Jason Mraz comment was “I heard the song, and it was just a tremendous, tremendous horror of a tune,” he said. “I noticed a few similarities in the melody, but it wasn’t enough to pick up the phone and argue with somebody about it. If anything, I just wanted my $1.29 back that I spent on iTunes.”

Jason Mraz tune was a 2008 hit! It is still popular today and too well known to be copied. What a shame that the “Jonas Brothers” would even try!

I normally don’t like celebrity gossip but this was important to me because I feel like an artist your “originality” is what defines you! More than any field, being original as a musician is called “surivival of the fittest”.

No need to copy if you “got it”. I do fall into that trap myself though. I read a great blog and want that style, that lingo, that vibe!! But it just isn’t me. Being ourselves in all aspects is key. I do wonder if it’s enough, if I’m good enough, if I’m giving enough and then I just have to trust myself!

If I could copy other great bloggers because I love the way they write it would be: @shaunaglenn , @joycecherrier , @erinlynn76 , @SharonDV or dang it make it @ChrisBrogan But I’m so stuck with myself!! Who is a great writer you like? Please share in the comments!

There are a lot of sour grapes out there concerning the World Champion undefeated Miami Dolphins of 1972. Legend has it that the surviving members of the team gather every year to celebrate when the last undefeated team, of any particular season, loses but – according to Snopes – this is not true. In addition, because the season is longer now, the Dolphins undefeated season seems to be less meaningful. Okay, whatever.

I still remember those days and those players. It may surprise you to learn that my favorite player on the team was Larry Csonka. I loved the way he would rush for extra yards dragging along a half dozen players with him. Kind of reminds me of pictures of hermit crabs with “hitchhikers” hanging off of them.

There were so many other great players: Jim Kiick, Larry Little, Mercury Morris, Paul Warfield, Jim Langer, Manny Fernandez…

Naturally, Bob Griese deserves a lot of credit but my hero is Earl Morrall who stepped in for Griese in Week 5 of the 1972 (undefeated) season after Griese’s ankle was broken. Morrall carried the Dolphins the rest of the regular season and must remain enshrined in every true Dolphin lover’s heart.

The Dolphins went 12-2 in the 1973 season and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl 24 to 7. Critics have said that this season was actually more impressive than the 1972 team because of the caliber of teams they played against. That may be true but whatever is said, you cannot take away the fact that the Miami Dolphins played in three Super Bowls in a row (’71-’73 seasons) winning two of them back-to-back with an undefeated season right smack in the middle of it all.

Miami lost in the playoffs in the 1974 season and afterward had their offense decimated by the departure of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield to the World Football League. At the time, average salaries of NFL players were among the lowest in the four major sports (Wikipedia). The three players were guaranteed $1,000,000 each whether the WFL ever took off or not (newsflash: it didn’t). I don’t know how their fellow players felt, but I know it was a sad day for me. Still, it was understandable and frankly, salaries quickly began to rise in the NFL after this so…you’re welcome, Peyton Manning.

The Miami Dolphins have eight players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Don Schula, head coach during the Golden Age and beyond, is enshrined there also (and his restaurants make a killer steak). From 1966 to 1968 they had a live dolphin (Flipper of TV fame) at their games. The Dolphins had the “No-Name Defense” and the “Killer B’s.” Oh, and in case I didn’t mention it, they are still the only team to have an undefeated season. Deal with it.

Guest Post by Anne Galivan

Her blog is a great Home Schooling Resource.

Joyce Cherrier @JoyceCherrier blog:  www.freakingfitness.com From giveaways to asking her fitness questions directly, she is here to help!  Her website is filled with great exercise tips, motivation, and makes working out fun! A great friend to have!

Tori @fitori blog:  http://fitoriblog.com/ A personal journey and she is bold enough to post her pictures!  Just getting to know Tori but she has a resourceful blog and always willing to chat.  A fun positive friend to have!

Carla @mizfitonline http://mizfitonline.com/ Dedicated, fun, and helpful!  A wonderfully designed blog that is there for me!!

Sarah @Searsfitness http://www.facebook.com/SearsFitClub A new voice of fitness on Twitter that I make time for!  So worth following Sarah and being a part of the #SFCFit chat!  Promoting fitness in a huge way on Twitter! Thanks Sarah!

Kelly @KellyOlexa and blogs here:  http://www.kellyolexa.com/ Kelly makes exercising look fun and is always up for a new workout!! She works hard and promotes fitness in a very positive way!  A huge support and great friend!

Paul @PaulSteele and blogs here:  http://www.baldhiker.com/ Following his hiking adventures is a workout in itself!  Always a smile on Twitter and the pictures from his site are heavenly!

Todd @ToddWeissCFA and blogs here:  http://sunshineconsultingltd.com/blog/ A fitness friend worth having who is full of support!  Always positive and willing to help!

@blogomomma she blogs here:  http://blogomomma.com/ I love her because we can chat about unhealthy moments, as well as the healthy ones!!  Always positive, helpful, and supportive!

@CiaoFlorentina Florentina and she blogs here:  http://ciaoflorentina.com/ Ask her for any recipe and she has you covered!! She is an amazing chef that can certainly add flavor to any diet!

I now have my calendar marked for Wednesdays to catch #SFCFit a Fitness Chat on Twitter where I find tips on health, exercises, and spend time with great friends!

“Try your best and forget the rest” (Tony Horton) words I live by!!  I started P90X back in March and do the workout as consistently as I can.  Not very consistent but I try!  My Hubby ( @andersonrob ) and I embarked on this healthy journey together for accountability purposes and love it!  We even spend more time together!   Support for me is imperative and I am lucky to have these friends in my life!

I am making simple changes in my life to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle! The more the merrier! Please share fitness blogs or friends that are helping you on your journey! I’d love to meet them!

Francis

Is a base worth it? The only player in history to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP award in 2000. Jeter does not need to cheat his way into base, he is known as the Yankees Hit Leader! Jeter is paving his way to the Hall of Fame so why?? Why do this??

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5580539

Jeter acted hurt. Jeter had no apologies he said: “My job is to get on base.” The Commentators encouraged Jeter’s behavior. There is no instant replay in baseball so the umpire asked Jeter if he was hit and Jeter said “yes”. Joe Madden from Tampa Bay even said “I thought Derek did a great job, and I applaud it, because I wish our guys would do the same thing.”

What message is that sending out to the fans? What is that saying to our children? I value the work that leaders and professionals like Derek Jeter stand for. I am a fan of all sports but I lost respect for the sport on this day. No cheating is needed to play the game or up your numbers. I now support the “Instant Replay” implementation in baseball to hold players accountable.

How did you react? Do you support the thought: “My job is to get on base?” Coming from a role model?

Read more here

You look at your profile and:

-People are not following you back
-Your blog is not getting any hits or comments
-Your bored with your current blog theme
-You post something on Twitter or Facebook and get no responses.

Change your Strategy!

People aren’t following you back: Go and follow some different people. Do a search on keywords that interest you #fitness #smallbiz #custserv #art and follow friends with similar interest. Get involved in the chats that they have. I am currently involved in #blogchat, #latism, and #fitness chats and I meet new people every week! Sneaky Peak at your friends followers and follow them! I do this a lot because it confirms real people not bots!

Your blog is not getting hits or comments. Go comment on other blogs! I devote a lot of time to reading and commenting on blogs (I learn a lot this way). Try posting your blog on a different day! Tuesday 10 a.m. is supposed to be gold for posting a new blog according to #blogchat. Tweet or Facebook your post at different times in creative way, for example instead of repeating the blog title say “I would love to invite you to my blog”.

You’re bored with your current blog theme. Get a new one!! There are no rules or boundaries! Only the ones you set for yourself and your work. Try guest posting to get out of your element. Invite a friend to guest post on your blog! Take a break. If you are the only writer for your blog a break is your best deal. I struggled during the summer to post valuable content because I was busy and having fun. I took a break. If your income depends on your blog try doing more research on your theme and find ways to make it fun. I am always on google, testing blog titles and searching for blog content. I also visit the library once a week with my kids and always search for new material there!

You post something on Twitter or Facebook and get no responses. Post something new. Retweet, Retweet, Retweet! Post what you think is funny or a great business tip. Give it another chance. Ask questions to engage your friends. If comments and responses are what you are after start a “GiveAway” on your blog where people have to leave comments! This is a great way to drive traffic to your blog. You set the boundaries here also and remember that Social Media takes time.

Social Media is not for you! It is for everyone! Social Media is about engaging with real people the rest will happen on its own. If you are selling a product, promoting a brand, promoting your blog, just for fun the advice is the same: Engage, Engage, Engage.

P.s. Any other tips you would like to add? Are you having a fun Social Media experience?

For the first time ever I would love to invite you to subscribe to my blog here:

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I’ve got your attention, I have you here why not subscribe? The definition of subscription is no longer a contract it is simply defined as:
-An agreement to receive or be given access to electronic texts or services, especially over the Internet. In this case you receive my blogs via e-mail. You can unsubscribe at any time!

I invite you today to consider my invite! Browse my site and see what I am about. No comments, no wasting your time, just finally built up the confidence to say “Come here and subscribe”.

The more the merrier so give me a shot! If you are all ready a subscriber I am thankful for you!!

Celebrity Status Revealed:

“Sprint’s official Twitter account for customer care.” is @sprintcare Out of 2969 followers it is following 2 back. @sprintcare twitter page shows that it does engage with individuals on Twitter just doesn’t follow back.

@BizSolutions is the Official Twitter page of AT&T’s enterprise solutions and more. @BizSolutions follows 2035 out of the 5015 followers. Another AT&T account that is used for small business http://twitter.com/smallbizinsite follows 1219 out of 7330 followers. Both of these accounts on Twitter are AT&T product pushers (spammers) very little interaction. Only tweets about their product received a Retweet.

Verizon uses @VZWSupport bio reads: Manage your account online and get information on How To’s, downloads, troubleshooting and more! It would be great for the 7709 followers to have the ability to direct message and contribute to troubleshooting and account information. Verizon only follows 810 back. @VZWSupport does have interaction with individuals on Twitter. Their stream is mostly replies.

My favorite games are by @NewToy bio reads: We’re Newtoy, makers of Words With Friends, Chess With Friends and We Rule. You would rule even more if you would follow more than 39 out of your 8309 followers. I have personally encountered issues with your products where a DM would have been ideal. @NewToy does have mainly replies in their twitter stream which means they are engaging and interacting on Twitter just not following back.

Twitter offers a “follow” and “unfollow” button and if companies engage with customers and listen to their concerns it is easy to recognize who to follow and bots! Engaging with customers promotes Twitter presence and makes it easier for customers to communicate with the company directly.

Is there a problem with Sprint, Verizon, Newtoy, and AT&T having a “Celebrity Status”? Let me introduce to a few companies that are defining “Social Media” and expanding their customer service efforts on Twitter:

@icebreakernz following: 3401 followers: 3149 This company also has 514 tweets and if you look at the twitter stream most of them are responding directly to other individuals, not spamming their brand.

@PizzaHut is another engaging company account! Their Twitter stream is full of replies or tweet questions to engage with others. They follow 27152 out of the 32169 followers.

@Tmobile has a Twitter stream full of replies and interactive questions with other Tweeters. @Tmobile is following 65,000 and has 61,000 followers. No product pushing, all their tweets were replies directly to individuals!! Amazing to see!

DM works! A direct message is quicker than a phone call! As a customer I have had issues and sending a DM to the company is always ideal! I am on Twitter all the time, and a quick DM is always better than waiting on the company to acknowledge the problem on their website or phone call! The presence on Twitter to enhance customer service and promote products while engaging with customers is key! Defined as Social Media Success!

Do you agree? Is a followback important? Where is your company today?

P.s. I am inspired by the companies that are making the effort to engage with their customers and add the “Social” to Social Media!

A “Retweet” is an anomaly in the Twitterverse and here is why:  It’s taking a chance! It might bring you follows or unfollows but here is what it has done for me:

I read blogs ALL the time and decided to do it! To push the Retweet button after I had left the comment! The rest was an anomaly!

I Retweeted @JoyceCherrier ‘s blog and had others join me on Fitness conversations and chats with Joyce!  I Retweeted @PaulSteele ‘s blog and outdoor adventure chats began and people thanked me for sharing the site with them!  Retweets on @ciaoflorentina , @ciaobella50 , @jessicanorthey , @toddweisscfa , @organicguru , @erinlynn76 , @andersonrob , @blogomomma have led to more follows and amazing chats!!

I am a fan of their blogs and benefits poured in for being a humble reader!  What’s even better is the friendships I have made by a simple “Retweet”!  Push it today! Go to your favorite sites and see what a simple Retweet might get you!  I also “Retweet” tweets that make me laugh out loud!! These are my favorite and there can never be too many!  I was “Retweeted” by @tonystevens once and I could not thank all the Retweets that followed! Or keep up for that matter!

Twitter for me is about being myself and sharing tweets that represent me and topics I enjoy! Retweeting is a measure on Twitter that says:  ”I liked it enough to share”!  The magic of the “Retweet” is what I find inspiring! Friendships, connections, and the debates that follow the “retweet” are priceless!

Are you a Retweeter? Whose your favorite blogger that you just HAVE to Retweet? I would love to know!

P.S. Not responsible for the “Retweet” magic this post might bring you!

Yes, I grew up to discover Stan Lee and am amazed at his story. It is not that Stan Lee had a humble upbringing or that he joined the United States Army it is the fact that Stan Lee knew he was writer, wanted to be a writer and pursued his dream.

Stan Lee got his start at Timely Comic (later to evolve as Marvel Comics) and he started off filling the ink in the inkwells. Stan Lee’s duties consisted of getting lunch for the office, proofreading, and erasing pencil marks from finished pages. Captain America 3 gave Lee a big break!! It was the episode where Captain America’s trademark became the ricocheting shield-toss. Stan Lee published many of his works but even he wanted to quit on himself.

In 1950 when Stan Lee was about to change careers he got a phone call to develop superheroes that he and Jack Kirby would respond to with Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men, with Bill Everett, Daredevil; and with Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange and Marvel’s most successful character, Spider-Man. It took the phone call and the right people to promote Stan Lee’s talent!

Stan Lee also went on give credit where credit was due by adding a credit panel on the splash page of each story, naming not just the writer and penciller but also the inker and letterer. “I always sympathized with people who did work for hire, I was one of them”~Lee

Stan Lee also wrote a three part series on dangers of drugs in a Spider-Man Comic for the U.S. Health Education and Welfare. Stan Lee also touched on real life topics of racism and bigotry. In comic books and through his other writings he also discussed prejudice and discrimination.

It took a phone call to bring back Stan Lee and now he has comic books, cartoon series, and movies! Not to mention he did create my childhood hero!! What will it take to get you to believe in your dreams and passions. To continue even when you want to quit on yourself?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee