Going Off The Beaten Path

In the decade following 9/11, The United States as a whole,  has become a little more reserved and hushed as the reality that “anything can happen, at any time.” sinks in one more time.   Everyone had a different experience and a different reaction based on where they were located and how it directly affected their lives.   Similar to the day John F. Kennedy was shot, our generation will remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the attack on the Twin Towers.  For me, I was a sophomore in college.  I had just finished parking my car in the university lot.  The radio was on and every channel I turned to was talking, but as always I wasn’t listening. 

It wasn’t until I walked into my creative writing course and saw my five foot nothing blond haired professor crying at her podium, that I started to listen to what was being said.  At the time, cell phones were still fairly new, and every call was $0.10 per minute, but that day everyone person in that room was on a call.  They were calling friends, family and anyone they loved ensuring they were okay.  Even if they weren’t actually in New York at the time of disaster, the emotional devastation was felt nationwide.  It was the first time, we as Americans, stopped feeling safe and untouchable and became very aware of our own mortality. 

With our moral compasses leading us to live lives out loud and with gusto, there comes the awareness to be present.  While the idea is to be able to slow your mind down enough to appreciate every aspect of every situation, the reality is that if you were only able to accomplish this task even half of the time, your quality of life would exponentially increase.   Being able to separate the sounds and actions occurring around you, allows you to remove the emotional attachment from the situation, letting you experience that moment from different angles you might have missed otherwise. 

The practice of being present begins and ends with a breath, but the action itself is very mental.  It is a conscience effort of doing things differently and shaking things up a bit.  It can be as simple as drying off from a shower in the opposite order, paying attention to the happenings as you walk home, or even driving home a different route than normal.  The idea is to break your day to day habits and really learn to enjoy the adventure of discovering a new way.  The moment something becomes a habit, you stop being aware of it or being mindful of it. By losing the awareness you also lose the beauty and magic offered in each moment that approaches us.  I have a post it on my desk that reads, “Be where you are.  Experience that piece.  Think about something else and you miss it.”

While I am happy to practice awareness while getting dressed in the mornings and even on my afternoon walks, I have found my dependency to SIRI's GPS and in-car navigation isn’t one to be toyed with.  Thankfully I’ve found that most new automobiles are now fully equipped with navigation features allowing me to play with my drive home, without getting completely lost in the process.   The less stressful my drive home can be the better for everyone inside of my car.

In car navigation features are available pre-installed, or if you like to change cars often, a portable form such as the Garman Tracker is handy to have!  With annual updates available for your in-dash GPS at your local dealership, being able to veer off course now and again just became easier!

Take a look at some of the features available in the Lexus Navigation packages!

http://www.lexusofpleasanton.com/How-To-Videos

Invest In The Experience

Monday mornings are generally a blur of coffee cups hidden around my house, keys that never seem to want to be found, and a spray of headlines and social media posts about all the things I "should be doing," all before I even make it into the office.  We spend the majority of our lives working and planning for life experiences and only a mere five percent of our time actually living out those well thought out trips.  I am sure most of you have a box, bin, board or even a file saved on your desktop of every trip, every smile or ideal moment you have dreamed for your life, but what are you doing right now to get you to that moment.  

The days of "waiting for a rainy day" have come and gone.  The one true realization our millennial generation has taken away from our parents is that you can waste an entire lifetime planning, and that the saying "all work and no play makes Jack and Sally a dull Girl and boy."  Is incredibly accurate.  Millennials have the mindset that experiences define us, and that living requires more than planning, it requires doing.

When buying a car, the mindset I have coming into a dealership is, "Can this car get me where I want to go and can it handle all my stuff?"  Outside my own needs, I focus on the experience and feel I get from my sales associate.  Being a female in a generally male driven industry, approaching the car buying experience can be intimidating.  I was just speaking to a girl friend of mine that is in the market for a pre-owned Accord or Altima.  She would send me text messages throughout the day with the stereo-typical comments a few of her potential sales associates would say to her.  Remember that approx. 83% of people will relive an experience, and that the experience has an emotional longevity to it.  It stays with us and are lessons we use every day to guide us through to our next choice. 

Be sure that when you select a sales associate, you get the experience you deserve.  Look for transparency, an educated staff and an associate open to questions and concerns.  You may have done your due-diligence already by researching on the internet, but let your associate close any gaps you may have in all that information you’ve worked so hard to acquire.  Part of the car buying experience is creating a relationship with your associate. 

Remember that whichever vehicle you choose, make sure it suites your lifestyle and can get you from one happy snapshot to the next, with all the stuff you need while getting there. And always ask the questions:

Did I live?

Do I have regrets?

Did I experience everything I wanted to in life?

To get more on Investing in your life experiences follow the below link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-kim/invest-in-life-experience_b_4924744.html

Commuting Comparisons: Compact Vs. SUV

It’s hard to go a day without reading or hearing about the cost of living, rents being raised and the concept of “quality of life”.  Most of us wake up every day with a list of bills and responsibilities that we need to honor and uphold, spending all of our time battling the growing debt we acquire through living beyond our means. 

Personal experiences have placed me on both ends of the spectrum.   I’ve been able to have a lot of money at my disposal, but I’ve also experienced poverty and the reality of living pay check to pay check.  What I learned by being in both situations is this.  You don’t have to over extend yourself and your finances to live a rich and fulfilling life. 

I will admit whole-heartedly that I love nice things. I love expensive, quality pieces that last a lifetime and bring beauty into my environment.  That doesn’t mean that I need to rack up a handful of credit card debt and take out that second or third on my house or condo.  It simply means that I need to budget for the items I know will cost me the most, and find creative alternatives for the “would be nice to have, but I really don’t need” items. 

For me, driving a luxurious car with all the bells and whistles is one of my “MUST HAVE” items.  My job requires me to travel quite a bit, all while lugging around bulky production equipment.  Being in a vehicle that has good gas mileage, full surround sound, navigation and plenty of storage room are my requirements. 

I’ve found that for my in-town events, The Lexus CT200h is my car of choice.  A zippy hybrid with ample storage in the back (the rear hatch door is ideal for easy load/unload accessibility) makes for a fun drive over the bridges and onto the city streets.  The sleek, stylish design keeps me looking sharp as I cruise down the Embarcadero.  But it’s the eco/sport modes that really sell me.  Knowing I get amazing gas mileage without compromising the power and speed I’m so addicted to makes this a millennials dream car.

When I need to go on longer road trip, the all-new 2015 NX200t is my SUV of choice.  As I’ve mentioned before, my road trips require Tetris level packing skills with all the luggage and equipment I need for my job.   I found that the NX offered me the eco/sport mode handling I loved in a compact car, while giving me the ample room to load even the bulkiest of tri-pods and lighting equipment.

Both cars offer me the hybrid engine, power and speed I desire along with room for my crew,  and with the price for each just low enough for me to justify the spend, I come out with money left to take myself out for dinner when my work is done.  Living the big city dream only works when you have the right tools, and for me, the car I drive is a huge part of that. 

To learn more about the CT or the NX, click on the link below!

http://www.lexusofpleasanton.com/NewModelsPage

Top Cheap to Free Ways to Enjoy Your Weekend!

Summer has arrived! What are a few thoughts that come to mind when you think of summer?   If you are single and childless it means beaches, bonfires, and road trips with your best friends. If you happen to have children, summer becomes an endless effort to keep the little ones busy and entertained. 

School has let out, and what was once was a quiet and clean home and car,  are now filled with beach toys, travel bags and friends and family coming in and out of town. 

With visitors and kids to entertain, we have compiled the best cheap to free things to do here in the bay area.   We know that just because everyone else is on vacation, doesn’t mean you are, and we are here to help!  

This weekend in The Presidio, The Presidio Kite Expo is happening from 12 Noon until 5 pm.  This is a free family friendly event with a free Kite Building Class (RSVP to reserve your free Kite making kit!). 

If you are kid free this weekend, there is the Women’s World Cup: Outdoor Watch Party and Soccer Festival happening Friday June 12, starting at 4pm. Watch the best women soccer players from around the globe battle it out to see who’s the best during the Women’s World Cup. Cheer along with a big crowd in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza as the games are simulcast live from Canada. 

There is also the 2015 International Parkour Jam: AKA the Urban Ninja Festival.  Yes, it is as cool as it sounds.  Watch a bunch of Jackie Chan wannabes performing amazing ninja stunts and tricks all around the bay area.  AND IT'S FREE? What's not to love. 

 If these sound like fun, or if you want to check out some of the other amazing cheap to free things to do in the city this weekend, check out the link below!

http://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/

Start Your Engine, The Weekend is Here!

As the weather becomes warmer, the need to be outdoors gets higher on the priority list.  If you are looking for things to do this weekend, We can help!

Here in the Tri-Valley, we are fortunate to have the best of both worlds.  For the wanderlusts of the world we have oceans and mountains to get lost in.  For the city-folk, we have bay-side restaurants serving champagne and oysters, tech-apps walking you through bridge architecture and car shows introducing you to the future while reminding you of the past.

If you haven't had a chance to experience a car show, prepare yourself.  They come in different shapes and sizes, from a local show featuring under fifty cars to national levels such as the ones you'd find at The Grand Prix or Sonoma Races featuring hundreds of concept cars, race cars and featured models being launched that following year.

Growing up in Southern California, I was raised on The Toyota Grand Prix.   Every April the grumbling of the speeding cars would call to us.  We knew it was coming because the streets off Ocean Blvd. would start getting blocked off and the road mediums began to appear in track formation.  Just as a fun tradition, we would watch a bit of Days of Thunder's opening sequences right before we piled into the car.  With pit-passes strapped around our necks, we bee-lined it into the Long Beach Convention Center where cars and lifestyle would open up before our eyes.

  

Car shows offer the visitor an incredible opportunity to touch, feel and play with all the newest features the automobile industry has to offer.  Bringing together vendors,  dealers and enthusiasts all in one location, car shows are the most direct way to explore everything that makes your car so special.

If this sounds like fun to you, come on out and experience the car shows for yourself!  The Good Guys hosts some of the largest car shows in Northern California and they have one this weekend! To get more information about this or other upcoming car shows click the link below!

https://www.good-guys.com/