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So yesterday ended up being a very busy Sunday, so my Days of Thanks slipped to the back of my mind. But I am making up for it today with extra. The sun may not be shining, but I am feeling extra sunny today. So on to my 12 Days of Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving, Days 8 and 9. Gratitude is the Attitude!

Today I am thankful for:

• Waking up with a very sunny and happy attitude the last few days. I’m feelin’ good.
• Sense of accomplishment while I am ticking off my to-dos right and left.
• My awesome clients, many of which have been with me since I started 5 years ago. They help me love what I do.
• Technology. Hardly know what I would do without it, but sure appreciate all the tech tools I have at my fingertips and make my life and my business easier. Especially my trusty laptop.
• The ability to be able to travel and visit my family who live very far away from me when I want to. Some who have loved ones many miles away cant afford that opportunity and hardly get to see their family members.
• Our people in congress who know what the right thing to do is and will stand up for it no matter the cost to their “power” or re-election.
• Quiet nights at bedtime the baby has afforded us these last few nights.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ” -John F. Kennedy

I’m a little late today getting to day 7 of my 12 Days of Thanks today. But it isn’t tomorrow yet, and I had a good reason.

Today I am thankful for:

• Date night. Tonight my husband and I managed to get out for a nice dinner, minus the babe. Thanks to his grandparents. Mommy and Daddy need to get out now and then
• Pumpkin’tini. A whole lot of pumpkin deliciousness, the inventor of which should be congratulated.
• A bright outlook for 2010. I am aiming high and am determined to meet my goals.

“Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

It may be a cloudy and slightly gloomy day out today, but that won’t keep me from posting Day 5 of my 12 Days of Thanks. It has been lots of fun so far and I’ve even inspired a few others to put their statements of gratitude out there. I’d love for anyone to leave me a comment and let me see your days of thanks. Gratitude is the Attitude!

Today I am thankful for:

• Our awesome family. They are so supportive and helpful whenever we need them. You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family. We are so fortunate that they are all great people, on both sides.
• Grandma came down to watch the babe while mommy could get some uninterrupted work in. She rocks!
• Only one week until Thanksgiving, and I am so looking forward to gathering with our family to visit, eat, and be merry.
• The peace I feel when I just let go and look forward. Dwelling on past hurts does not make a happy life.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. -Gilbert Keith Chesterton

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Today is Day 4 of my 12 Days of Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving. Yesterday I struggled a bit as I wasn’t feeling the greatest and it was a jam-packed busy day. But getting out my statements of gratitude made me feel much better. So here goes my thankfulness today.

Today I am thankful for:

• The fact that I have a business I can run from home that affords me the flexibility to work around my family
• The nap fairy, who granted my baby some great naps yesterday that allowed me to get lots done
• The excellent pediatrician we have
• That we have remained healthy in this household during this flu season so far

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” – Rabbi Harold Kushner

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Today is Day 3 of my 12 Days of Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving. And though today has been a somewhat stressful, not-so-great day, I’m making an attitude adjustment. These things brighten my day so why not reflect on them. Gratitude is the Attitude!

Today I am thankful for:

• My lovely and warm home. We are so fortunate to have a roof over our heads without worry.
• Sirius satellite radio and their has started their holiday music stations which just started. And I am listening of course! A sure way to cheer me up.
• My healthy baby boy who at the doctor today got a gold star for growth and everything. His parents know what they are doing I guess.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

Day two of my 12 Days of Thanks on my blog comes to you on a lovely Monday morning. If you missed Day 1- find it here. Gratitude is the Attitude!

Today I am thankful for:

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

• The gorgeous sunny fall day that we are having here today
• My very clean and dust free family room, thanks to my awesome husband who worked very hard cleaning it yesterday
• My trusty Keurig coffee maker. Without it, I would be a complete zombie.
• Getting things done. I love that feeling when I tick things off my to-do list.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melodie Beattie

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. And no, it’s not only because of it’s the time of year where we have an

Image by Markus Rödder via Flickr

excuse to stuff our selves silly with yummy food loaded with carbs. The

reason it is a favorite holiday of mine because because it is gateway to the holiday season and a day to give gratitude to people and things in our life that mean the most and truly give thanks for all that we have.

Today I’m starting my 12 Days of Thanks, leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m putting it out there, the things that I am thankful for. Gratitude is the attitude.

Today I am grateful for…

• A laid back Sunday morning with my son and husband
• The huge toothless smile my baby boy gives me when he spies me in the room
• A day without rain so I can go and take a walk, which always makes me feel good
• The fact that I have started this today and get to reflect on those things that I am truly grateful for.

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

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New video I just posted. Working along side my little office partner, Joey. Hope you are having a successful fall and looking forward to a wildly successful 2010 coming up. We’ve got some big plans coming. 

Megan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions, LLC,  and runs blogs, The BVAS Connection and The Virtual Perception. Megan has been in a Virtual Assistant for 4+ years and has spent 10+ years doing the “behind-the-scenes” work in the real estate industry assisting agents with their real estate marketing and transaction needs.

via activerain.com

If you want to ditch the desk and go completely mobile, here are the necessary tools to do so. This is a great post from Clint Miller on Active Rain. Follow him on Twitter too – http://twitter.com/therealclint

Posted via web from megbarberva’s posterous

The mobile phone is one tool that most real estate agents cannot live without. It’s a rarity when I find an agent who operates without one. The mobile lifestyle is very much a part of the lives of real estate professionals. And many agents that I know frequently update and upgrade to new phone, always looking for the latest and greatest tech tool. So what is one to do with those old used cell phones?

Recently I joined the mobile web & networking world by upgrading to a Smartphone. My old phone still worked great, but with my wireless company I was “eligible” for a new phone, and I wanted the capability to receive email and search the web. So I took the plunge. But what to do with my old phone?

So after pondering what to do with my old phone, I remembered watching my one of my favorite news programs (Glenn Beck) and they had talked about the Cell Phones for Soldiers program.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a great non-profit organization formed by two amazing kids, Brittany and Robbie Bergquist, back in April 2004. Their mission with this program is help our soldiers serving overseas from all branches of the military, to call home. Through collection donations and the recycling of used cell phones, they have sent prepaid calling cards to soldiers all over the world.

Each phone is sent to ReCellular (the company involved in the recycling), and they pay Cell Phones for Soldiers, where each donated phone is worth about one hour of talk time for a soldier abroad.

Is is easy for anyone to donate to this great cause. To donate your old cell phones, simply go to their website, www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com and find a local drop off location from their list, or print a pre-paid shipping label right their on the site and mail in your phone to them. Individuals can also help by donating money directly to them. They have really made it so easy for you.

So donate your old mobile phones and help our troops call home.

Megan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions, and publisher of The REAL Advantage E-Zine. Megan has spent 9+ years doing the “behind-the-scenes” work in the real estate industry assisting agents with their real estate marketing and transaction needs.