The Best Solo Wedding Dance – EVER!

Check out Heidi’s cousin.

THIS is why everyone should video their wedding because we never even saw this taking place at our reception due to our being so busy…imagine our surprise when we saw this a month later!

We laugh SO HARD every year at what might just be the single best wedding dance done by a male in the history of weddings.

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My Son Matt…A Born Performer

Every year, Heidi and I make the time on our wedding anniversary to watch our wedding video.

I am SO thankful that we decided to have that day recorded. If you or someone you know is getting married, I can tell you that having it video taped is the best investment you’ll ever make.

Just seven years later, kids have turned into adults, people have passed away, and babies have been born…it’s a lot of fun to see the biggest day in your life again.

One of the highlights of our special day was my son Matthew taking over “Tennessee Back Porch” for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

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The Ultimate MAN CAVE…The National Museum of the United States Air Force

During our weekend getaway, we had to travel to Dayton for a “big” training gig for the Queen. (BIG=$$$$).

Having nothing to do on Friday, I made the very short trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, which was – to say the least – a great way for me to keep myself entertained for three hours.

I saw planes, jets, bombs, missles, more jets, more bombs, Apollo spacecraft, nuclear bombs, thermonuclear bombs, and more jets and planes. For the first time in my entire life, I actually completely managed to fill my entire camera memory and toast a set of batteries at the same time.

I ended up taking the last shots with my camera phone!

Best part? Free admission!

So here’s to you, Mr. Jet Engine and Nuclear Bomb Guy: This Bud’s for you.

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Holiday Business Meeting Checklist – Be Specific About Who or What You Are Gossiping About

You know that there is a right way and a wrong way to foster more clients…if you’ve had enough and really don’t care anymore, just use this checklist to let it all hang out during the upcoming holiday season. Send it to whoever is in charge of your next business or networking meeting, and reap the rewards.

Networking Checklist For Holiday Season

In order for us to place you in a seat which will best suit you, we ask you to complete the following questionnaire and return it to the our office as soon as possible.

1. I would prefer to sit in the . . . (Check one)

______Gossip section

______Non-gossip section

2. If gossiping, which category do you prefer? (indicate order of interest)

_____ Stock market

_____ Sports

_____ Medicine

_____  Member’s secret medical tragedies

_____ General gossip

_____ Specific gossip (choose)

_____ The host

_____ The host’s voice

_____ The host’s wife or husband

_____ The host’s “secretary”

_____ Fashion news

_____ What others are wearing

_____ Why they look awful

_____ Your neighbors

_____ Your neighbor’s relatives

_____ The President

_____ Sex  (Preference:______)

_____ Who’s cheating on/having an affair with whom

_____ Other:

3. Which of the following would you like to be near for free professional advice?

_____ Doctor

_____ Dentist

_____ Nutritionist

_____ Psychiatrist

_____ Child psychiatrist

_____ Mother in law

_____ Pilot

_____ Podiatrist

_____ Chiropractor

_____ Stockbroker

_____ Accountant

_____ Lawyer  _____ Criminal  _____ Civil  _____ Estate agent

_____ Architect

_____ Plumber

_____ Buyer (Specify store:_____________)

_____ Sex therapist

_____ Golf pro (tentative: we’re still trying to find a Jewish one)

_____ Other:_____________________________

4. I want to be seated (Indicate order of priority)

_____ On the aisle

_____ Near the exit

_____ Near the window

_____ In Aruba

_____ Near the bathroom

_____ Near single men

_____ Near available women

_____ Near anyone who’s available – I’m bisexual or just not particular

_____ Where no one will notice me sleeping during the meeting

_____ Where I can sleep during the speaker’s presentation (Additional Charge)

6. Please do not place me anywhere near the following people (limit of 6 names):

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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Catching Up…My Life In Erie, PA Which Includes My Sort-Of Restaurant Reviews and Trying To Have A Little Fun On Friday Nights

Just in case your life is a little boring lately, you can read about mine…

Heidi and I got back into dance lessons a few weeks ago, as in taking swing-dance lessons at the downtown “Y.” Since we’ve taken these on-and-off again for years, it’s been a real help to add a little polish to our dance-moves, as well as a great way to connect as a couple. One nice aspect of the lessons is that because they’re on Friday nights, we hit the town afterwords for a few drinks and a light dinner…which does kind of bring up some issues as we really struggle sometimes to find somewhere different to go. Here’s the run-down so far, and it might serve as a little bit of a “review” if you’re over 40 and want to “hang out” in downtown Erie on a Friday night. The only caveat that we have is that we like a little “atmosphere,” so here goes:

Week One: Went to the Vermont, which was really really quiet at 8:00 PM. Our server’s name was Mike, and he was very nice and polite. We listened to an acoustic band who was finished at 8:00, like 10 minutes after we walked in. I’d give you a link but apparently the Vermont does not know about this new thing called the “internet” and therefore does not have a web page. Hard to believe, isn’t it? It’s, like, 2011…you gotta be kidding me. But further research does turn up a Facebook Page, which of course – is free.

Week 2: Back to the Vermont, and things were a bit more lively, as we ran into a few friends and even a few business associates.  Obviously, the Vermont is very close so it’s easy to go there first.

Week 3: Headed to Matthews Trattoria, which was one happening place on this particular Friday night…can’t go wrong with the shrimp cocktail (the cocktail sauce has a little mango in it, nice touch), the bruschetta, and a bowl of the crab bisque. It’s a great way to eat “dinner” without actually paying for “dinner.” Guys, take your woman there and order those 3 things and you won’t be disappointed. PLUS, Matthew’s is STILL the nicest lounge in Erie after all these years. Just a great place to hang out, and they even had live jazz that night, no cover. Hats off to Chef Matthew for not charging a cover…I “get it” when you go into a dive-bar, but nice places shouldn’t do it. I knew the old Papermoon (which I still miss) was in trouble when they started charging a cover at the end. They were out of business within 3 months. Hard to believe, no website for Matthew’s either – gave up after searching 3 pages on Google for it. Maybe the new trend is to dump your website and just use FaceBook. Don’t get it.

Week 4: Had 2 drinks at the Vermont, and picked up Thai food downtown and brought it home…as of this point, nothing on the menu at the Vermont is calling my name. I wish they’d just add shrimp cocktail to the menu, as it just seems like any good restaurant should have it available. But that’s just me.

In between: My Queen had a very good week, landing her third big client in the Netherlands. Time to head to one of our favorite spots, 1201 Kitchen. Fresh sushi and the Kobe steak melts in your mouth. The only problem that I have with this place is the wine is crazy expensive. Sorry, $9 a glass for wine that is $8 a bottle at the local Wines and Spirits store is a little rough. We’d go there a lot more if 2/3 of our bill wasn’t for 2 glasses of wine apiece. At least they have their own website – yay – here it is: http://1201restaurant.com/

In the news: I see the Erie paper today covered “Occupy Erie,” the local effort to bring hippies and malcontents together. Several of them expressed their anger at the direction the country is going. Note to “occupiers:” there IS a way to make a change within the next year, it’s something called elections. On the other hand, it’s nice to see that somebody actually wants to occupy Erie.

Finally: Nice win for Penn State on Saturday over Iowa, which as beaten PSU 8 out of the last 9 games heading into this one. A very big test, and they pulled it off.

I hope I don’t sound too picky when it comes to this restaurant stuff, but I don’t get paid to do this stuff and hey, might as well be honest about it. If we hated these places, we wouldn’t keep going back, right? But – sorry – a FaceBook page just ain’t a website. Who tells these restaurant owners this junk?

Just my 2 cents.

Have a great week!

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Autumn Arrives in Erie, PA…My Favorite Season

After a very long and hot summer, I for one am basking in the cooler weather and really enjoying one of most beautiful sites I know – autumn in Erie, PA.

Over the years, Halloween has really started to take over the season starting around the first week in October, with a lot of Erieites really getting into the decorating thing…complete with headstones, giant spider webs, and other stuff that generally makes their houses look like something from a horror movie set.

Either way, I took a ride over to Mason Farms on Peninsula Drive today, not knowing (or forgetting) that they convert the entire place into Pumpkin Town and there were like a million people there today…but, it was SO nice out that nobody really cared. Picked up some corn stalks, a beautiful pot of mums, and – how about this – a Penn State pumpkin! Not too shabby.

It’s funny that as you get older, you start to appreciate things like flowers…the mums were absolutely spectacular today and they spice up your front porch or yard. Now if I can just remember to water them.

Is Heidi really melting? Naaa.

Mason Farms – take a ride over there this week and even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth the trip just to enjoy this great time of the year.

I’ll be adding some more shots as the leaves start turning. We’re always a few weeks behind down here by the lake, which keeps the trees green a little longer.

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Own a Local Business? Here’s How I Helped One Local Business Get to #2 on Google in Just 30 Days!

When you’re looking for a service to use, do you use the phone book or your computer?

If you’re like me, I can’t remember the last time I used the Yellow Pages for anything. How about you?

The reality is that Google isn’t just for finding neat stuff to look at on the web – more and more, people are using Google to find products and services right in their own back yards.

If you own a small business, you are absolutely killing yourself if  ”Google” isn’t part of your marketing plan – because Google is, in all reality, the new “Yellow Pages.”

I recently took on a local business – Allburn Florists – who were concerned that they weren’t doing enough to enhance their presence on the internet. If you know anything about Erie, then you already know that Allburn’s is one of Erie’s most successful and well-established florists already. But, they are in front of the curve on this one, and it’s already paying off for them.

Using Google’s latest parameters – along with my photography and video skills – I was able to get Allburn Florists ranked #2 under “Erie PA florists” in just 30 days, PLUS get them the only 5-Star rating out of all the florists in Erie.

Check it out:

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in…automobile repair shop, real estate, accounting, retail, restaurant, plumbing, remodeling, financial planning, or even a dentist. If people can’t find you or your business on the first page of a local Google search, you’re losing a TON of potential clients.

Why?

Because, when someone searches for what you have to offer and you’re not there, there’s a pretty good chance that they’re going to end up calling one of your competitors.

I’m quite certain that Allburn’s will be ranked #1 very soon, because I’m confident that the work I’m doing for them is exactly what Google wants to see to get a business ranked highly on their pages.

If you’d like your local small business to be found on Google’s front page, give me a call at 814-873-6180 or send me an email. It’s incredibly affordable and works pretty fast, as you can see.

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Share Your Thoughts and Experience With the World!

Are you opinionated?

Do you have a unique skill that you’d love to share with others?

Are you a “closet” writer?

If you’ve got a story to tell, “blogging” might be the way to go…”The Guy From Erie” has been an absolute blast for me for almost 2 years…and blogging might just be a good way for YOU to tell your story, share your thoughts, and even help a few folks along the way.

“The Guy From Erie” is powered by WordPress, a totally free application that connects you to the world…if you’ve ever wanted to get started, I’ve put together some very simple training videos that will explain the basics of blogging with WordPress.

You can find the first three videos here, with more to come soon.

Enjoy!

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