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As anyone that has experienced a family photo shoot knows, it can be difficult to coordinate and difficult to get through.  Having survived several family photo shoots myself, I have plenty of memories of the horrors of trying to get everyone together, make sure everyone is color coordinated, etc.  It can be a real pain.  But fortunately, it you plan ahead you can make it a fun experience instead of a painful one.  Of course there are always situations you can’t plan for, like bad weather or late arrivals, but at least you can do your part to make it as enjoyable as possible.

The first step is to make sure the family coordinate outfits.  Although you don’t have to do this, the outcome of your photos will look better if you make an effort.  That doesn’t mean everyone has to be wearing green cardigans, but what it does mean is that you’ll eliminate problems like ultra-casual outfits or loud t-shirts with ugly logos, or garish colors.  Simple and comfortable clothing is best.  Long sleeves and slacks photograph better than shorts skirts and tank tops.  Make sure everyone chooses solid or subtle patterns. 

Extreme patterns don’t photograph well.  Also, jewelry and make-up should be kept simple and natural.  Just try to look like yourself.  Also, if small children are involved, make sure to schedule the photo shoot at a time that is good for small kids, like in the morning.  If everyone is relaxed, the photos will turn out great.  Choose a photographer that can help people feel relaxed.  If you are a resident of Florida looking for a Miami photographer, ask for suggestions from friends in Miami to find the best photographer for your shoot. 

The other day on a country television channel they were talking to a country star who had just proposed to his long time girlfriend.  He was saying that he felt it was more of a formality to propose since they had been together for so long.  Then he was sharing how she came running in the room and was all panicked that she had lost or misplaced her engagement ring.  He said that he was glad it was her job to keep track of it and that he was surprised that she was so excited about the engagement ring.  They even showed a clip of her making the announcement that she was engaged and the first thing she did was hold up her hand to show off the actual ring.

These things are definitely the keystones of getting engaged.  It doesn’t matter if you have millions of dollars or just a few dollars to purchase that special part of the process of getting married.  What this also shows is that it doesn’t matter how long you have been together as a couple.  For the women it is critical to have the guy show his commitment and his willingness to go out of his way to get the engagement ring and follow through with the actual proposing. 

At that point it becomes the bride who gets to put the focus on the wedding.  She can show off her important piece of jewelry with excitement and make all of her dreams come true with the perfect wedding. 

I read once that moving is listed among the top ten major stressful events that people experience in life. I laughed at that at the time, thinking, honestly, these people are kind of wimps if they rate the stress of moving up with the death of a loved one, a divorce, or serving a term in prison. I have moved several times with my parents while growing up, and while is was always a big ordeal, the process of moving never lasted more than a week tops, and seemed to calm down pretty quickly.

However, now that I am the adult and have to be the one orchestrating the move, I am starting to realize how truly stressful a move can be. My family has lived on the West Coast for several years and recently my husband accepted a position working for a large company in Florida. That’s a big move across the country to an unfamiliar place and entirely culture. We had to take a trip over for a reconnaissance mission and try to find a suitable home for our family, as well as make arrangements for the move.

Luckily, we were put in touch with a moving company in Ft. Lauderdale and a moving company in West Palm Beach that can make the logistics of the move go smoothly. The packing, lifting and transporting of our belongings really shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Now I can focus on the truly important aspects of the move; like finding a good school nearby for my daughter to start kindergarten, checking out soccer clubs for my son, and convincing my husband that the hideous shag carpet in our new home is crying out to be updated with a more subdued hue.

One of the most convoluted and complicated systems in existence is the United States tax code.  The tax code confounds just about everyone but the IRS, and sometimes I wonder if they even really understand it. 

There does happen to be one particular, peculiar species that has managed to master understanding of the tax code.  They spend years in school, studying tax law forward and backward, inside and out.  They are called tax attorneys, and they will save your hide if you get in a bind with the IRS.

Even if you aren’t exactly in tax trouble, there are some instances when consulting a tax lawyer would be a wise move.  If, for example, you are starting a business, you should look into getting some council.  Unless you were born with an innate ability to comprehend the not so subtle manner in which the US government attempts to tax small businesses into oblivion, you should seek the council of a tax lawyer.  Business taxes are not simple.

Sometimes due to misunderstandings, changes in filing status, or other reasons, people neglect to pay all of the taxes required of them.  If you find yourself in such a situation, a tax attorney can help you to understand where you went wrong, and what exactly you have to do to make it right again.  A tax attorney may not be able to get you out of paying your tax debt, but he or she will most likely be able to help you get the problem solved in a manner that is comprehendible.

The IRS is definitely something you don’t want to mess with.  If you have complicated tax issues, don’t make the mistake of attempting to figure them out for yourself.  Let a tax attorney put your mind at ease, and help you correctly navigate your way through the confusing world of taxes. 

It was several years ago in college, I took a work study program with my old college’s engineering/media department. I was a soldering grunt that put together audio connectors. To be honest, I don’t even remember what these did exactly, but they were custom made boards to route audio. We were putting together stages and wiring recording equipment to record classes that were to be aired on T.V. for a battery of telecourses. It was cool, but there were a ton of times where we needed specialized custom cables made, which is a big pain to do yourself, and one out of three times the cables were flawed.

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My best friend has had a rough and tumble winter this year. He’s been about 2 or 3 months out without paying his mortgage and has tons of people sending him mail wishing to be his friend and pull him out of debt. I thought this was peculiar on how they should know such embarrassing knowledge about his monetary welfare. They have neat little form letters with mustached men in black and white photos copping a cheesy, choose-me smile. They go on in the letter professing how they feel for him and how they would like to give him loans to cover his defaulted loan to avoid bank foreclosing.

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Recently the story of Derek Maddox made national news when, as a home school graduate, he was denied entry to the fire department even though he attended Florida Stat Fire College and finished top of his class.

The Stat had arbitrarily decided that non-accredited diplomas would not be counted.

While the Home school legal defense association was able to resolve the conflict incidents like these should act as positive reminders to potential home schoolers that they need to use accredited programs. Not only are they more recognized but they also insure a more relevant education.

Accredited resources

Accredited Homeschooling