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From Vacation 09 – Check in at DLH

After arriving at the Disneyland Hotel (henceforth known as the DLH), we were of course very tired. The kids were in a bit of shock, I think… and the coolest thing that could have happened, was while standing in the lobby waiting for me to check in, Goofy came wandering by. So immediately upon arrival, they got to meet one of the Disney characters. Sam attacked him with big hugs and they got pictures – click the link under the above photo to go to the album to see the photos.

From there we headed up to our 9th floor room. We brought in all our stuff, changed our clothes and got cleaned up (too many hours in the car!), and then headed down to explore Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is just a giant outdoor mall, with the centerpiece being the most enormous Disney Store. We had dinner at the ESPN Zone, then walked around looking at the various shops. We closed out the night with a swim at the hotel swimming pool (Neverland Pool, complete with Captain Hook’s pirate ship). Then it was off to bed to get ready for the next 3 days of theme park fun and over-stimulation.

Next chapter – first day at Disneyland.

From Vacation 09 – Breakfast in Vegas

So I gave up on live-blogging the trip because the whole process of photo-sharing and such was going to be a nightmare. So you can get it all in post-trip installments. Click the link above to check out the photo album from Day 1 of our trip.

On the way home from church Sunday, I called a very serious Family Meeting™. It was in this meeting that I sent the kids all over the house finding clues, which ultimately led them to a stack of Disney Admission passes. They were having a hard time getting the clue – until I finally broke and yelled “We’re going to Disneyland, and we’re leaving today!” Zoe actually did not believe me. Her exact words were, “That’s so not true, Daddy”. I was dismayed that my words were so easily brushed off as lies, but pleased that the surprise had been pulled off so well. I showed them the hotel reservation, the tickets, and then ushered them up to their room to pack their bags. At this point, they finally began to believe and much squealing ensued.

We got the car packed up, and headed up the mountains to have dinner with our friends in Gypsum. It was wonderful to see them again, and to spend some time chatting. As it got dark, we figured we should get going, and then proceeded down the western slope of the Rockies and into the desert. This is where having 3 drivers came in handy. I drove to Grand Junction, then Priscilla picked up there and drove to somewhere in Utah, then Nick took over and drove the rest of the way into Vegas. We were crossing the Nevada stateline at Mesquite about sunrise.

With the sun to light our way, we pushed through some Monday morning traffic and drove down the Vegas strip at 7am on Monday morning. The Strip is a quiet place that time of day. We found a place to park (illegally, I think, but suffered no consequences) and went into the Paris hotel where we ate at a little creperie. Nick and I ventured to the sportsbook and considered putting a couple dollars down on the Mariners to win the AL pennant, but we weren’t thrilled with the odds, so we escaped Vegas without gambling so much as a penny. We walked up and down the strip for a while to get the wiggles out, gawked at the casinos, and then hopped back in the car where I picked up driving duties again.

We crossed the Mojave desert, and as we approached Riverside (east LA), traffic started to pick up. It took me a few minutes to get my LA driving skills back in tune, but once I did it was bobbing and weaving at 85mph for the last hour of the trip. We pulled off the freeway to discover it was 105 degrees in Anaheim that day – not what we expected! But just as traffic was getting bad, we found our exit and pulled into the parking lot at the Disneyland Hotel.

Stay tuned for the next photo album and recap – checking in at Disneyland Hotel and exploring Downtown Disney.

There was much squealing, after some initial disbelief.

We are packed and heading out the door in approximately 15 minutes.

Next check-in will be from the Disneyland Hotel.

Here’s how it begins – I have to make it quick because I’m heading off to church in a few minutes.

When we get home from church, I’m calling a family meeting wherein I’ll be informing our kids that we’ve decided to go to Disneyland. Today. They’ll have about 2 hours to get their stuff together, and we’re out the door. California, here we come. Will try to photoblog when the opportunity arises.

I can’t wait to see their faces.

Last month, I wrote an article entitled “What I’ve Learned As A Freelancer“. That was part one, and discussed the importance of communication. That really is part of retaining focus on your client’s needs. Part Two focuses on your needs.

The term “Who’s The Boss” probably brings up visions of Tony Danza in a hopelessly 1980’s northeastern household, or if you’re like me and was a junior high boy in the 1980’s, visions of Alyssa Milano in a denim jacket start to cloud your brain– but I digress.

In freelancing, it’s important to remember that you are the BOSS! Not Bruce Springsteen, but the guy in charge. Really. I know it sounds obvious, but this is YOUR business. It’s YOUR company, YOUR rules, YOUR livelihood. Many freelancers never get out of the corporate mindset. You may have left your corporate job for the freedom, the money, the control, but never really break into the right mindset. What does that mean?

1. It means you don’t have to take every job that comes down the pipeline. You may feel desperate – bills are looming, and you want to take every job you can get your hands on. And to be fair, sometimes you have to scrape for every dollar you can get. But YOU’RE THE BOSS. That means you can assess the hidden costs and turn down a job that appears to costly. Will this client be so needy that you spend 2 hours coddling them for every 1 hour of actual work you do? Will this client be so demanding that you lose your motivation and end up doing a crappy job? Will you have to incur expenses you can’t bill back? Will this client take an extra 60 or 90 days to pay? If you can identify these things up front, you’ll save yourself time and money by either turning down the job, or charging what I call the “high-maintenance tax”… bid it out to compensate you for the headaches you’re about to get into. Not all of these things can be identified up front, but after a few high-maintenance jobs, you’ll learn to spot the signs quickly.

2. It means that when it comes down to it, you set the policies and procedures. If you’re not used to running a business, you might find yourself getting run over by clients. If you set your policies and procedures up front, and are clear about them, don’t be shy about sticking to your guns. A client who CAN run you over, WILL run you over.

3. It means that you don’t have to answer to anyone but your client and yourself. This is the part I’m sure you got down right away – if you need to take the day off, and you can still meet your deadlines and pay your bills, then take the day off. Don’t feel guilty about not being at your desk. Some will say the way to succeed as a freelancer is to treat it like a “real job” – work consistent hours, restrict vacation time, and so on. I say that’s a load of bovine excrement. If you want to treat it like a real job, then get a real job! Me, I prefer the reality of being able to work as much or as little as I need to, or want to, depending on the circumstance. There are times when I spend several days putting in immense hours – which is the price I pay for having days where I work very little, if at all. And dangit, if I want to take a Monday off, there’s no one who can tell me no.

Remember – You’re The Boss. You may not look like Tony Danza, but you get to set the rules. Don’t forget why you got into freelance in the first place.

Next time, I’ll talk about workflow. Workflow is really the other side to the freedom issue – that is, how do you keep the lid on your wild side so that you stay organized and productive?