ALOHA for JAPAN

Aloha for Japan

I love this idea and I love the shirt! What better way to show your support?

While I am also giving in other avenues like $10 texts to salvation army, etc... I just love this shirt and that it is being produced by people who have family in Japan. I can't wait to get mine so I can wear it!!

I hope maybe you will like it as well and maybe even get one yourself!!

Click here to look at the "ALOHA FOR JAPAN" shirt and the stores and websites where you can find them

Tsunami and a sunrise...

Well, we had an interesting weekend....
Friday, I got home from work, had dinner with Joey and then got out my computer to start building pages. We've been writing them all week.
Before I logged into Site Central, I decided to check Facebook and there it was on a friends status....

Tsunami Watch 2011

What?! Here we are, just over a year past our last Tsunami warning where we were woken up at 4am and told we had to leave our home and head for higher ground. That ended up being what we lovingly refer to as a "Baby Tsunami." This wasn't a warning yet so maybe nothing would happen... we have plenty of watches that never turn into warnings...

We turned on the TV and flashing across our screen were the devastating pictures from Japan. WOW... this is no Baby... that was at 8:45 pm HST.

So we were captivated and glued to the TV for the next hour hoping that we wouldn't have to pack and leave like last year... I flashed back to the stress of that day and I sooo didn't want to do it again.... but as I watched, I realized it could be so much worse. Japan had no warning... If we got hit, it wouldn't be for at least 6 hours so we had plenty of time to get to a safe place.

At 9:45 we were officially upgraded to a Tsunami Warning. We would definitely be impacted at around 3:15 am... the sirens would go off shortly... so we started packing up everything we could. This part went much smoother than last time. We remembered everything we wish we had last time... snacks, etc.... and none of our family was awake b/c it was the middle of the night in Georgia and it would be hours before they woke up and found out... so we didn't have all of the interruptions like last time and we would wait until we had already evacuated to let them know...
Sorry, we love you guys... but it was soooo hard to get things accomplished last year with texts and phone calls every 5 seconds... ;)

We got everything packed up and loaded into our cars.... this year, we also have Max... he could definitely tell something was wrong and that we were stressed. He would go back and forth between me & Joey and just stare at us like "what the ????" Especially when I started packing up his toys and food. ;)
Looking back, it was pretty funny.

Around 11:30 we had everything we needed in the cars and we started up the road. We wanted to go to the park where we waited last time but since it was the middle of the night, it was closed.

We ended up in a gas station parking lot.... we bought some coffee (it was gonna be a loooong night) and they said we could wait in the parking lot. We put the top down on the convertible for a while but then it started raining....

Finally, the park opened its gates and we headed over there. Joey started to put up his little one-man tent but it started raining so we never ended up using it. We waited in the car...
12 am..... 1 am... 2 am.... listening to the radio about the few places between us and Japan to see what happened there and what we might be in for.

They expected Haleiwa and all of the North Shore (where we live) to get hit pretty hard. Waikiki was supposed to be a disaster... then it came... 3 am... water started receding Kauai, the one Hawaiian island that was supposed to get hit before us. More waiting...

Water started receding at Diamondhead (next to Waikiki) over 300 feet, reef completely exposed.... it's about to hit... the first 2 waves were only about 2-3 ft...  There would be more... and history has taught Hawaii not to be too quick to run back home. The Tsunami that destroyed Haleiwa before started with 2 ft waves... later, 19 ft waves came and wiped it out.
We decided to take a nap and we would check the radio peridoically to see what happens. This could take HOURS... and they told us it would. We were delirious at this point. Sleep never came. It just wasn't going to happen and then the sun started to come up... I had been awake for 24 hours.

We did get some bigger waves but thankfully, the destructive waves never came for us...
Maui and the Big Island got destruction with waves over 8 ft but nothing like what happened in Japan.
8 ft waves is nothing for Hawaii... we see 50+ ft waves in the winter... But these are different... they don't stop when they get to shore....

At around 8 am, they downgraded us from Warning to Advisory. This basically means "we think it might be over so you can go home but keep an eye and an ear out... we may just tell you to run again."
Our roads were still closed so we went and got some McDonalds and hoped they'd be open by the time we were done eating.

At around 8:30 we were told that the roads to our home were open again and we could head that way. YAY!! So we went home and tried to lay down... Then the banging started. They are re-doing part of the building that we live in. The walkways are part of this and there happens to be one about 2 feet from my door. This is the one he decided to work on this day, so it wan't a distant banging that's just annoying. It was the kind that you cant even drown out if you put in ear-plugs... as if he was in my room banging as hard as he could right above my head. Great... I havent cared at all about the construction, I know it has to happen... but TODAY???? We've been up ALL NIGHT. We just want to sleep... he didn't stop until after 7pm. So i was awake for over 36 hours before I ever got a wink of sleep.

It was a stressful 12 hours, to say the least but our home is safe, our jobs are safe (both of which were in danger.) and WE are safe.


My heart goes out to Japan.

We have a lot of Japanese visitors here on Oahu. Yes, they are great for tourism, but it is more than that. Hawaii has had a long-standing relationship with Japan. I have only known this for a couple of years.

At Skydive Hawaii, most of our customers are Japanese. I have started to love the little bit of their culture that I have had a glimpse of. They are kind, caring HAPPY people and the genuinely care for others. I started to recognize why anime is the way it is... They really do always have HUGE smiles, constant giggles and crazy clothes...


I have grown to love it... and to see their happy faces replaced with ones with such desperation is just so sad and it breaks my heart.



I think we could all learn a great deal from how the Japanese people as a whole live their lives. Even in crisis, they are not stealing, looting etc. You know that would not be the case here in America. We are a culture all about "ME."

Please, if you can, give something to the relief effort. This is the biggest earthquake ever to hit Japan and the Tsunami has caused such devastation. They think there will be at least 10,000 fatalities and over $300 million to rebuild (and that is a conservative #)

Click here for CNN's list of reputable organizations helping Japan

Weekend's over ALREADY??

Well, this weekend is just about over and I'll be back on the work grind tomorrow.
It rained all weekend so it was a good thing I had something to keep my mind occupied. It felt like time just flew by. I guess it does when you're having fun!

I got 3 pages live this weekend plus my disclaimer and privacy policy pages. Joey has one in the works and I will start writing more tomorrow. I think I have decided that I will just start writing content, choosing the pictures afterwards and then, once I have everything chosen, build the page. Especially now that Joey has decided to write content...

So I will probably write/proof-read/edit pages through the week and then build them on the weekends when I have more dedicated time at the computer. So it may be next weekend before I have anymore new "live" pages but there will probably be a few in the works this week. :)
I am inching my way towards that 20 page mini-goal before I can start submitting my site to directories and then monetizing.

Maybe I will even be making a dollar or 2 by this time next month. :)

Off to bed for me. Early morning full of taxes tomorrow.

WHEW!!

What a busy week!

I feel like I've been neglecting my website and my blog. I have been working late every day and by the time I get home I want nothing to do with a computer.

But my traffic keeps getting higher (YAY!) and even google is referring people. I am steadily over 20 unique visitors a day... from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and others. US, too...

Hey, go Bing, type in Oahu. This is my keyword with the most competition. I was #3 yesterday and today I am #5!!! I am competing with sites that have been up for a while and I am beating them!! With only 5 pages!
What's my secret? The CONTENT!! That's all! And SBI taught me all of it!

Joey went and took pictures of some of our favorite beaches today while I was at work so this weekend, I will be concentrating on writing about those. I hope to get 4 or 5 pages live this weekend. I am sooo excited!

Tonight, I added Content 2.0 to my restaurant sites. This allows visitors to write their own reviews and it will automatically create a new page on the site (so all I have to do is approve and I will have more live pages!!) You can also suscribe to the newsletter that I will start putting out with updates and/or to the RSS feed that will automatically update you when I add a new page.

In other news, my bosses have officially asked me to be a manager and told me that they will be sending me to Vegas for training in July. Yahoooooo! Then I will be going straight to Georgia to visit the family and friends for a month. I LOVE Hawaii but I miss my family terribly so I am so happy that I will get the chance to see them for a while. My last trip of 10 days just wasn't enough. I am so glad that I have great bosses that are allowing this to happen.

Check back to the site on Monday and expect to see a LOT of changes and additions.

Aloha!

It is.... WORKING!!!!

So, I logged into site central (SBI homepage for building sites) to work on some new pages.

I am not really supposed to expect traffic yet so I haven't gotten to the point in the action guide that tells you to check it... but I figured... what harm can it do just to see? I'm sure I haven't gotten any views... except for my family and friends I've sent the link to. I KNOW you've looked at it right?? ;)

So I clicked it. Traffic Headquarters... and there it was... 53 visitors in the past FOUR DAYS!!! That is amazing!. You see, they tell you not to expect good traffic for a couple of months after you start linking back to your site. I haven't started putting out links...

I submitted my sites to Google, Yahoo & Bing 4 days ago. Yahoo and Bing have brought in 40 visitors since then.... to my little 4 page website!!! Can you believe it?!?! I can only imagine what it will be like when I get the site built up. Google hasn't sent me any yet. My site isn't big enough and doesn't have enough content.

I can't start monetizing until I have 20-30 pages up and at least 20 visitors a day... this is supposed to take months! But guess what!! I had 23 unique visitors yesterday! and they clicked on my pages over 50 times!!
And they are clicking through on the links I post (none that make $$ yet and YES the search engines know when it's an affiliate link)

So now all I have to do is get the 20-30 pages up and if my traffic stays up, I will be good to go in NO time! Time to do it all is my only obstacle right now.

I am so excited and this has definitely fueled my fire!

So, if you were wondering.... the keyword tools and research that SBI supplies really DO work!!

I am getting completely free traffic!!!

Homepage is LIVE!!!

I wrote my homepage today!!! WOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!! Can  you feel my excitement??

Take a look, read it, give suggestions. Does it flow well? Should I add or take away??

Keep in mind, this is only the text. I am still working through and will be adding photos throughout the page in context and wrapping some of this text around it... I'm still deciding what photos to add.

I also will be adding navigation bars on the left and some more photos down the right column along with some other stuff... bullets on the list at the bottom, etc. gotta learn the html for all of this... Step-by-step I will be working through all of it...

But go read it and tell me what you think! Would this make you want to click on my nav buttons to see what else I have to say??? (once i show pictures of the beautiful eaches) Or just click away?


All feedback is appreciated

I have 2 days off now so I will steadily be adding and tweaking stuff so check back often!

OAHUsecrets.com

We have a winner! Discoveroahu.com

But as it turns out, it's taken :( As are the other favorites. So I spent a few hours tonight searching avalaible names and using a list of "helper" words I found on SBI (seriously, this program has everything!) and I decided on....

OAHUsecrets.com.

I am happy with it. I even think I like it better AND it is available in .com, .org, .net, and a host of others so that when I can, I will buy all of those and direct them all back to my .com :)

Now on to the good stuff. Tomorrow I start writing my pages! I am actually going to start putting content together. In a few days (or weeks, who knows) I will actually have a site for you to look at! :)

Site Build It!

I just realized that I never updated what system I am using. I am no longer using My Online Income System. While the system was not a scam at all, it just wasn't what I had in mind for what I wanted to do and I realized that after about 3 days in it. It is good if you want to do small one time articles that bring in a small income stream. Do 300-400 articles and you get a good stream going. The one article I did is bringing in traffic.... but I wanted something that was MINE and that I could build the way I wanted. They did stick to their $ back guarantee and I received all of my money back without a hassle.

I wanted my own site for my own niche and Site Build It! is helping me do just that! I am a little knowledgeable about computers. Nothing like my computer-genius brother or brother-in-law but I can get around pretty easily with programs and if I can't my brother is on the phone in a heartbeat :). But.. I know NOTHING about building a site. With this system, you don't have to. It helps you. You can use their "block-builders" to create your site if you know nothing about HTML. Most average Joe's fall into that category but if you don't, you also have the option of using your own HTML.

I have plenty of content to share... The "how to make a site look good" and "how to get traffic" were the 2 things I was stumped on when I first decided I wanted to do this. I know I could pay someone to build it for me but that would take more $$ up front that I just don't have and just because you know how to build a site, doesn't mean that you know how to build a Search Engine Optimized site. After all, without traffic, what good does a site do you???? Well, these 2 things along with many others are things that SBI is teaching me and walking me through step-by-step. They even analyze each page before you submit it to search engines to make sure that it is optimized enough to get the FREE traffic that is needed. The resources in this program are endless.

The forums where newbies and successful site owners help each other is amazing. I've had someone who started 5 years ago and is now making a full online income mentoring me personally through this... for free..  Successful people just want to help you be as successful as they are. Of course, there are other parts that you can buy (have an SBIer help build your site, etc) but these things are NEVER pushed or SOLD. They are simply there if you need them. A lot of SBIer's with more than 1 successful site will sometimes use it because they now have the resources to do that and then they get another money-making website up with little to no effort :)

SBI is definitely NOT a "Get Rich Quick" program as there are no real ones out there. I am working, researching and spending a LOT of time but you can't make $$ with no investment, right? The thing this program is doing is showing me how to best utilize my time and the tools that are there for me to use so that this doesn't become a waste of my time. SBI gives you the tools but you have to use the tools and be willing to work.

Another plus is that I don't have to go anywhere else for my domain name or hosting needs. It's all included and there are no hosting limitations. I have learned so so so much about keywords, google, search engines and what people are searching for in the last 2 weeks and I am loving it!

I will have a link to SBI! added soon.... I am not able to link to it until I have at least 30 pages built (<--- see, they are serious about BUILDING your site, not selling their program) I am just that excited about everything I've learned so far! :)

Edit: I have a link now :)

Site Build It!

Almost there... Domain Name

Well, I have spent my last 2 days off completely submerged in brainstorming and researching my site concept. I have over 100 pages planned out with good, low competition keywords to use.
So I have one final step before I start building the site! I have to pick and register my domain name. Here are a few of the ideas I have so far.

1. Oahu-Hawaii.com
2. Discover-Oahu.com
3. Oahu-Revealed.com
4. Hidden-Oahu.com
5. Secret-Oahu.com
6. Hawaii-Vacation.com
7. Oahu-Vacation.com

Thoughts? Votes? Different suggestions? Of course Oahu.com was taken and all of these depend on whether they are taken or not but I am pretty sure they aren't. So, give me your choices. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc or any ideas that you have! I will most likely be registering a name TOMORROW! I can't believe I am here! I felt like the research would never end.Of course, it hasn't ended completely but I have enough that I can start to build the site! I am excited beyond belief.

Schedule C's, E's, Valentines... and a SICK Puppy

It seems like the week for Schedule C's and E's at work. I think every one that lives on the North Shore either owns their own business or rents out part of their home. So after 8 hours of sorting through receipts, expenses, and so on, by the time I get home my brain is FRIED!

All of these "Schedules" had me at work late for Valentines Day with the hubby. I felt so bad but when I got home, he had roses and Godiva chocolate waiting for me. He then told me to dress warmly and we were heading out. That's all he would give me. We ended up at one of my favorite North Shore beaches where he put out a chair and umbrella for me to relax and then went to unload the car. He grilled us some steaks and corn and had my favorite wine. We had the best view at the best restaurant in town. :) I couldn't ask for a better hubby or a better night.

Then my dog Max got incredibly sick. He was sick all night and woke me up at least 5 times. He acted like he was fine in the morning so my husband took him along to the dropzone with him as he does whenever I have to work. Well, I hadn't gotten out of the shower before they were back and hubby informed me that Max had thrown up multiple more times. I walk out and Max tries to walk to me, his little short legs just shaking uncontrolably and he just gave up and plopped on the floor. Hubby started trying to find a vet but I still had to go to work and do Schedule C's (yuck.) Luckily, after finally finding a vet, Max was hydrated and given medicine. When I came home, my poor puppy tried to meet me at the door as he always does. He stood up on the couch, looked at me all happy and then decided that he just didn't have enough energy to run to me and laid back down. When I came to the couch, he crawled up in my lap and went to sleep so I spent hours that night holding my sick, sleeping puppy and trying to get him to eat little pieces of food. Thankfully, after lots of medicine, he was mostly back to normal by the next day. 

After all of this, it was all I could do to not fall asleep on the couch. Some days I just had to give in. All of this results in me not having too much time or motivation to work on my website the last few days.

Well, I finally got a day off today and I have started creating the blueprint for my site. I worked on it for hours and at the end of the day, I'm not sure that I got a ton done, but I do have the main categories for my site laid out. This part is much more tedious than I imagined it would be but good planning will totally be worth it in the end. A couple of more days of this and I will be ready to start building on the actual website.

I am starting to realize what a long process this will be but I am ready! Stay tuned.

Decision = MADE

I have always been a google/research nut so naturally, when Joey and I first decided to move to Hawaii, I immediately set to researching what would soon be our new home and found.... not much. What I did find was not quality information.

After moving here, I slowly began to realize through experience, working at a tourist attraction, and conversations with others, the only way to find information about Oahu is to:
1. Visit a travel agent and pay ridiculous up-charges (people have NO idea they are paying these upcharges! They just blindly buy when they can call the company directly and save TONS of $$!)

2. Buy a guide book that is, of course, limited on information.

3. Word-of-mouth, which is great but if you are on vacation, your time is limited to get conversations in with "locals" to find out about the secret sweet spots.

The result is that most people that visit our island never leave Waikiki and if they do, they don't go off the beaten path. They will get on a tour bus, stop at specific locations for a set amount of time and get back on the bus to head to the next stop. They have no idea about the secret treasures that this island has to offer. I am still learning and I have been here almost 2 years! Still now, when I want to try a new restaurant that is "quality" and not just a good name to attract a tourist, I still have nowhere to go find this information.



Well, after days and days of researching, number crunching and brainstorming I've made a decision. I am going to create a website about Oahu. There seems to be high demand, limited quality competition and great monetization potential. It will take a while to get it up and running, a little while longer to turn any kind of profit and even longer to finish it.... but I am ready to dive in, give all the information that I have and get to researching the rest. My goal is to have a site where anyone that wants to visit Oahu will have a place to go to find all the information that they need to be able to plan BEFORE getting here and falling into the "Tourist Trap" that this island can be for the unprepared.

Stay tuned for updates and a web address to visit soon. :)

Rain, Rain, Go away...

I am sooooo tired of RAIN!!!! I feel like we haven't had a week without rain since before Christmas... and when it rains, it POURS! Now I know where the cliche' came from. I could really use some rain boots right now...


So another storm front coming through means my husband will be out of work for 3 to 4 days again until the rain, clouds and winds that would take him straight out to the ocean all subside. Just another part of living in Hawaii, I suppose and I'm sure there are tons of you out there just waiting to say....

"At least you live in Hawaii." I don't know how many times I've heard that over the last year and a half. For some reason, people seem to think that no matter what happens, my life is somehow perfect because I live somewhere they'd like to go on vacation. Well, my life is not a vacation. I don't get to go to the beach every day. A majority of my life is spent the same way as everyone elses. I do dishes, laundry and everything else that goes with keeping up a house and I spend a LOT of time looking for a decent job to pay the bills. I have one for now. I prepare tax returns. I love it, but it's temporary.

Once May 1st hits, I'll be jobless again and the job hunt will be in full force again. That is, unless I can get this business going. It will take time, maybe even months to get it going good and making any money. My goal for 2011 (I know I'm about a month late on this =P) is to have my website running and making enough money to replace a full time job. $100 a day by the end of 2011. Stay tuned for progress updates. Maybe that way these rainy Hawaii winters stuck indoors won't be so bad ;)

I Heart Zumba!!

As a person that sits at a desk all day working, I have slowly begun to add on some unwanted pounds. My beach body is disappearing! I have been on the hunt for something FUN to do. I just can't get into running or anything monotonous. But then I found Zumba! You hear it all the time now. At least once a day on Facebook someone's talking about it. But what is Zumba?

Zumba is a Latin/South American influenced dance workout that will have you sweating and working muscles all while having a blast and learning some sexy and fun dance moves! It is by far the most fun I've had working out in a long time and believe me, I have tried EVERYTHING!! You won't even feel like you're working out! You will probably even be sad when your days workout is over!! If you're thinking "But I can't dance. I don't want to go to a class and look like I don't know what I'm doing" No worries! There are videos that you can use at home. In the video, they break every dance move down for you into easy 3-step sections and you work your way up to the good stuff. The Zumba system aso comes with a day by day plan and you alternate between cardio and toning focused Zumba. You'll be dancing like a pro in no time! I am clumsy as it gets. If I can do it then so can you.

After sitting all day working, I love coming home to a nice invigorating Zumba workout! I am in love with this work out and you will be too as soon as you try it!!

My Online Income System... Here Goes Nothing... Right???

I have never done a blog before. I have never considered myself a writer but here I am, about to start my own business and I find myself wanting a way to be able to track my failures, lessons learned and (hopefully) successes. I decided that a blog would be the best way.

I am the wife to a full time skydiving instructor. About a year and a half ago, we picked up our lives in Georgia and moved to Hawaii to pursue a new life together. I have been trying to find a decent job ever since but have had little luck because there just aren't very many full time jobs available in Hawaii. You see, the State decided that it should be mandatory that any employee that works over 20 hrs. a week should have free health insurance at the employers expense. Sounds great, right? Well, the employers decided they didn't think this was fair so they just quit hiring anyone full time and I can get 19 hours at the most at any job I find (so far.) So why don't I just get 2 part time jobs? Makes sense! Tried it! It's very hard to find 2 jobs and either of them be ok with not being the most important so the schedules would just never work out and I would still only end up with around 20 hours.

So what? I live in Hawaii!!! My husband makes enough money so we can "survive" and even live pretty nice lives with plenty of wants at times. Just go to the beach and enjoy being a beach bum! Well, this is what I tried to make myself believe for a while. Turns out, I just can't get that nagging feeling to go away that I am not contributing as much as I could be and my frustration has grown over time. So I figure, if there is no opportunity out there for me, I will create one for myself. So this brings me to today. I am trying to start my own online business.

I am using  My Online Income System, a 60 day step by step guide to online marketing which you can find here along with other great options for working at home. So far, I am loving it!! I will be posting my progress as I move along in the program.

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