Orange County Blog

To regift or not to regift, this is becoming an increasingly popular question.  For many regifting (to give a gift to someone after it has already been given to you) comes into play when you have received a gift for which you have absolutely no use.  Practically speaking, why keep something when you know it would be perfect for someone else?  That would just be selfish, right?  Perhaps.  Or maybe you tried regifting the first time when a friend dropped by unexpectantly with a gift and you were caught with your hands empty.  Quick, what do you have that you could put into a gift bag with some fresh tissue and voila, look like Martha Stewart?   

But when regifting, keep in mind that there are some guidelines.  Make sure the gift is not dirty, torn, stained or otherwise in poor condition.  Look for hidden gift tags or cards that identify you as the original recipient. Don’t pass on a gift to someone who is friends with the original giver.  And of course, don’t regift anything used unless you are honest about being the first recipient.

Although there very well may be perfect occasions for which regifting is appropriate, remembering friends and family with the perfect gift can be accomplished with shopping early and keeping a list.  For a comprehensive shopping guide, go to www.orangecountyresourceguide.com and click on the OC Shopping tab.  Regifting can be avoided by making great shopping decisions the first time around.

New Year’s Resolutions
A New Year's Resolution is commonly defined as a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.

The ten most popular resolutions are:
1.   Pay Off Debts
2.   Save Money
3.   Get a Better Job
4.   Eat right and get fit 
5.   Get a Better Education
6.   Drink less Alcohol
7.   Quit Smoking
8.   Reduce Stress
9.   Spend more time with family and friends
10. Volunteer to Help Others

Have you traveled down that well-worn path of good intentions? Hmmm, how many of these resolutions have you actually kept longer than a few weeks?  So how can this year be different?  How can you make a resolution, keep it, and be a better person for it?  Get off to a successful start with these tips.

Create a Plan: Determine what is your goal.  Be realistic, but don’t sell yourself short.  Goals are something to reach for, not something easily within your grasp. Now write down your plan in a notebook or journal in ink.  It is wishful thinking that you can accomplish your goals without a plan.

Be committed: Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality.   Each day of perseverance brings you closer to your dream.

Connect with others with similar goals: Form a support group of same-minded people.  Hold them to their choices and expect them to do the same with you.  Receiving an enthusiastic phone call or email may be just the encouragement you need to stay the course.

Track your progress – Give yourself a high five as you maintain steady progress.  Reward yourself in healthy ways as you meet mini-goals. 

Be prepared for setbacks – Remember the saying that Rome wasn’t conquered in a day?  Realize that you are human and that there will be days where you slip up.  Don’t let it be an excuse to give up.  Go back and review your plan, ask for encouragement from family or friends and get started again. Remember that while it may have only taken a moment or two to choose a resolution, it is going to take much more time to be successful.

Lastly, remain flexible.  Life is a joyous experience and every day is not scripted from beginning to end.  Circumstances may arise where you need to take a step back from your resolution (provided that it won’t cause harm to your health, of course).  Staying flexible will help you to feel that you do have options and that step away from your resolution is not necessarily a step away from meeting your goals.

There is an expression about the road paved with good intentions.  But recognize that self-change is one of the most difficult things we can do.  Each day is a fresh start to pick up again and travel down the road less traveled; the road that leads to the fulfillment of your goals.  Success breeds success, not just for the New Year but all year.

Orange County Resource Guide lists over 160,000 companies & organizations in 1400 different categories. Help to reach your goals are at your fingertips.  Go to wwww.orangecountyresourceguide.com and use the search box on the home page. Type in anything from closet organizers to stress reduction to exercise to receive the help and motivation needed to get off to a wonderful start in the new year.

Christine Makahumure lost everything in the horrible genocidal war that ravaged Rwanda in 1994. When her family tried to flee the fighting, they were caught in a crossfire, and Christine watched in horror as her husband and son were shot down before her eyes.

For years afterward, Christine, her daughter Catherine, and her parents lived a life of barest subsistence. The family would shut themselves indoors from sunset to late morning the following day, due to lack of money, activity or friends. They never dared to hope for anything more in life.

But one day, Christine heard about an organization that was giving out cows. With little else to hope for, she applied. And soon after, Christine received her cow from Heifer International.

Christine's humble home quickly became the center of the village's attention, with a steady stream of neighbors and local officials coming by to see her cow. Her cow was treated so royally, in fact, that Christine named her "Royal Bride."

Thanks to the nutritious milk Royal Bride provided, the health of Christine's daughter and parents improved dramatically. And with the money she gained from selling Royal Bride's milk, Christine was able to buy her parents a small home of her own.

Christine gave her first calf to a neighbor, fulfilling her Heifer commitment of Passing on the Gift. But she didn't stop there. She gave her neighbors the money they needed to buy a shed, so that they too could apply for a cow from Heifer. Most amazingly, Christine also adopted four local children who had been orphaned by the war.

Christine is living proof of the life-changing difference an animal from Heifer can make in a community in desperate need of healing.

This Cows for Peace Project in Rwanda does more than just bring cows to the area. Heifer's field staff introduce zero-grazing technology, so that participants can learn how to protect their land while managing their new livestock. Heifer staff also import improved breeds of cattle to ensure better offspring.

But perhaps most importantly, the Heifer cows have become rallying points of communal togetherness. As with Christine's neighbors, different population groups now work together in "Family-Cow Cooperatives" that foster understanding and share knowledge.

In Rwanda, where only a decade ago neighbors were killing each other, this is a miraculous achievement. 

For more information on Heifer International, visit: http://www.OrangeCountyResourceGuide.com and type Heifer International in the keyword box.

When the big one hits, will you be ready?  Over 5 million people participated in The Great Southern California Shakeout (www.ShakeOut.org) on November 13, 2008, a drill to test our readiness to deal with the aftermath of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.  A recent forecast found that sometime in the next three decades there is a 67 percent chance that the Greater Los Angeles area will experience a tremor of at least 6.7 – the same magnitude as the 1994 Northridge quake that killed 57 people.  A U.S. Geological Survey projection says a magnitude 7.8 quake along the San Andreas fault could cause 300 deaths in Orange County and bring down an unspecified 240,000-square-foot mixed-use building.  These sobering figures should move us to action.

What can you do to be prepared for a earthquake whether big or small?  Start by making a home earthquake plan.  Find a safe place in your home where nothing can fall on you away from windows or glass.  Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On at least twice a year by dropping under a heavy piece of furniture like a table or desk, holding on and protecting your eyes by pressing your face against your arm.  If no furniture is available, sit with your back against an interior wall away from bookcases, etc.  Identify and eliminate hazards in your home by bolting bookcases, china cabinets, and other pieces of tall furniture to wall studs.  Put sturdy latches on cupboards.  Lastly, secure televisions, books, and computers and other falling hazards.  Prepare a disaster supplies kit for both your home and car.  Some of the items to include would be canned food and a can opener, at least 3 gallons of water per person, protective clothing, bedding, battery powered radios and flashlights, extra batteries, written directions for turning off gas, electricity, and water.  A first aid kid and any necessary medications should be included in the kit as well.   Once this plan is in place, be sure that all family members, babysitters, and caregivers are aware of it.

Just as you can be prepared before an earthquake, there are tasks you can do once the shaking starts.  If you are in bed, stay there and protect your head with your pillow.  If elsewhere in your home, Drop, Cover, and Hold On, being sure to protect your head and face.  If outdoors, try to get to a clear area away from tall buildings, trees, and electrical lines and then drop to the ground.  If you are in your car, slow down and if possible, drive to a clear area away from buildings, etc. Stay in your car until the shaking stops. Through it all, try to stay calm.

Once the shaking stops, take an assessment of any injuries you may have sustained and then assess others for injuries.  Take a walk through your home, look for and extinguish any small fires. During your home inspection if you deem it unsafe, get out immediately. If you smell gas, turn it off.  But remember, only a professional can turn it back on!  Listen to the radio for information and use your telephone only to report emergencies.  Don’t be caught off guard by aftershocks as they are sure to occur.  Once again, Stop, Drop, and Hold On.

For a list of Orange County companies to help you "quake-proof" your home and family, go to the Search box on the Home Page of this Orange County Resource Guide and in the keyword box, type "Earthquake."

WSI is an association of independent welcoming services.  Each year an intensive workshop and training conference is hosted in the "hometown" of a different WSI member.  The October '08 conference was held in beautiful Pismo Beach, CA—a lovely place to visit as most of the members will attest.  Welcome Services from all over the country attend each year, sometimes coming from as far away as the UK. www.WelcomeServicesInternational.com

The managing partners of Welcome Express-- Orange County's premier welcome service since 1986 attended the 3-day event, where many ideas about welcoming new residents were shared.

Founded in the early fifties and originally named City Hostess International, the organization is a coalition of welcome services – whose sole purpose is to connect newcomers with their new surroundings.  And what a valuable purpose they serve!

Moving is an unsettling time.  Newcomers have a huge "to-do" list ranging from all the technicalities involved with changing utilities, school enrollments, & DMV records to replacing all the professional and personal services they have left behind.  It is a bit unsettling to find yourself in the position of needing to locate new doctors, dentists, veterinarians, babysitters, pet groomers, auto mechanics hair stylists—and the list goes on.  And somewhere along the way, you'd like to fix up and decorate the house you bought – turning it into your "Home Sweet Home."  Where to start?

What a wonderful surprise to receive a valuable and timely Welcome Package full of civic & community information –exactly what you need.  And the wonderful newcomer gifts – many valuable items to pick up from local merchants, including a friendly invitation extended by local business owners who want you to stop in for your own personal welcome.  They extend the hand of old-fashioned friendship in the hopes that you will choose their business as one of your local favorites to return to time and again.

While retaining the personal feel of the old-fashioned welcoming committee, the owners of modern day welcome services are now able to offer numerous ONLINE resources to the busy 21st century family—as they rapidly learn to navigate their new surroundings in Orange County. 

OCRG (Orange County Resource Guide) provides website links and phone numbers to just about everything a local would need.  From jobs, weather, traffic, dining & shopping guides to information on over 160,000 local businesses – even where to buy the cheapest gas!  It helps both newcomer and long-time residents alike save time and gas before they venture out.  In this modern era, consumers love the Local Search options on the Orange County Resource Guide.  It helps them become informed shoppers who "know before they go!"

Congratulations! You've just moved to one of the most exciting areas of the country to experience adventurous day trips and exciting weekends. Allow us to introduce you to a few of the many opportunities just waiting for you!

Like that old saying Southern California is famous for‚ "You can snow ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon," allow us to open your mind to even more possibilities that your new surroundings have in store for you.

Whale watching in the morning‚ balloon touring and wine tasting in the evening.

There's a whole other country‚ right next door! Discover the, cottage industry that is Rosarita.

Breezy relaxing Catalina Island one day‚ exciting and invigorating Las Vegas the next.

So‚ what are you waiting for? Southern California is waiting for you!!

Have a look at the Day-Tripping section for intersting ideas for your next Orange County day trip excursion

http://www.orangecountyresourceguide.com/day-tripping.html

If given the choice of living in any state, most Americans would choose California, followed by Hawaii and Florida, a recent Harris poll has found.

When asked what city they would choose to live in, most Americans pegged New York City as the place they most desire to live in or near.

The poll was a nationwide survey of 3,685 adults conducted in August 2006. Florida was followed by North Carolina coming in at No. 4, Texas at No. 5, Washington at No. 6, Colorado at No. 7, New York at No. 8, Arizona at No. 9, Oregon at No. 10, Tennessee at No. 11, Virginia at No. 12, Georgia at No. 13, Pennsylvania at No. 14 and Montana at No. 15.

Seven of the 15 states listed in the poll were in the West and six of them were in the South. The only other states represented were the mid-Atlantic states of New York and Pennsylvania. There were no states from the Midwest or Northeast in the top 15.
 

Following New York City as the top U.S. city people would choose to live in or near was San Francisco at No. 2, San Diego at No. 3, Seattle at No. 4, Las Vegas at No. 5, Honolulu at No. 6, Denver and Atlanta tying for No. 7, Chicago at No. 9, Boston at No. 10, Los Angeles at No. 11, Portland, Ore., and Phoenix tied for No.12, Orlando at No. 14 and Austin, Texas at No. 15.