Dinah Lee Griffey Allyn, Belfair,& LakeLand-Homes & Land

We may be getting ready for the next big Boom here in Allyn Washington. Working from home has many benefits, and small village communities like Allyn, Washington are a perfect fit.

We have everything you need in this quiet community. We have parks and golf courses, lakes, rivers, and saltwater to play in. All of the amenities you have come to expect in a urban setting are here too. Many people choose to walk to the local store, and it also qualifies as exercise.-LOL

The point of this post is simple...Allyn, Washington has it all. Or so might a little town in your community. Telecommuting is the wave of our future, get on board!

Many sites showcase people making as much as $300 a day working online from home on their computer.

Are online jobs the next big thing? For Maria González it sure is. Maria, a mother from Allyn WA is thriving, in the middle of an economic recession working in the comfort of her own home.

From her website: "I get paid about $25 for every link I post on Google and I get paid every week... I make around $5500 a month right now"

Maria's story is a very familiar one in these tough times. She lost her job as an account rep for a manufacturing company and a few days later her husband also was laid off from his job as part of cutbacks due to the bad economy.

"We knew we had to do something, so we put our heads together and started trying online job opportunities." Maria and her husband Kevin wound up getting caught up in a few quick rich business opportunities that were nothing more than pyramid schemes before finding something that really worked.

"I realized the best thing to do is instead of hoping that a company that you are looking at is going last, why not go with a big, reputable company. After looking at several different companies, I picked the safest bet... Google."

Online giant Google is a publicly traded company and is worth an estimated $100 Billion (with a b). The company has pioneered online search and has changed the way we use the internet.

This past month my daughter enrolled in an online program. I was not thrilled with the idea, but she made a very good case. I thought I would share her letter to her new school with you.

She opened my eyes to realities I never knew existed in education today. Below is a portion of what she wrote. I am gad that we have so many options available to us today. It used to be that people would research a school extensively before selecting the neighborhood they chose to live in. Now we can choose any home, anywhere we want, and know that our children have a lot of options for a great education. Megan is happy and excelling.

Dear, teachers

My name is Megan, Griffey I am a 15 yr old living in Allyn Washington.

I chose this program because I was severely bullied at my school,and didn't feel like I was learning the material I should be. I knew this was my only option to insure that I would receive a good education.

When I moved, I just didn't seem to fit in, whereas at my other school I was known as "top dog" I never understood and I don't think I ever will understand why I was treated the way I was. But in finding this program I'm sure that I will successfully be able to complete High School in a positive encouraging fashion.

At North Mason I didn't feel like I was learning what I should be. Most days seemed almost like we did nothing at all; It was a waste of my time even going to class each day. Math class we would sit there for an hour not doing a thing, and when we did the teachers teaching style were slow and boring and everything he said just seemed to go in one ear, and out the other. Most of my classes over there the teachers didn't care enough to even notice when you left, there were times when half the class would leave and the teacher would just sit there playing solitaire not even noticing.

This was not a good learning environment for me. It was an easy A and I know that but why should I bother, when the teachers didn't even bother them self's? Not to mention the fact even if it's an "easy A" I'm not learning the skills that I acquire for a job in the really world. Who is going to hire a doctor that aced math but doesn't know a^2 + b^2= c^2?

I argued for quite some time over doing this school, my mother always said that, that school was an "easy A" so why would I want to leave? I finally made the point to her that I just made to you, what's the point of an "easy a" without any knowledge to apply it to. When I had my mother's attention on this she was able to persuade my father into it, and if it weren't for convincing her I would never have made it this far.

In this school I plan to put as much time an energy as I can so that I will be able to attend running start, and be an R.N by the age of 19. I plan to work ahead and to prove to my parents that putting me into this school and taking me out of the environment was not only a smart choice but a start to a better life for me.

My Dad loves to write. I wish I could say that we get along perfectly but we don't any more. Even though we do not see eye to eye, I am in awe of his sacrifice in Vietnam. I wanted to share a poem with you that he wrote shortly after he came home. The words show a man struggling with coming to grips with his experiences. As I googled Dad's name I found these pictures...not the poem yet. He never really shared all that much with me, as to what happened over there. But I have to say these photos brought tears to my eyes. I think about his days and I wonder how his mind ever fought through the actions he had to take to survive. If you wish to view them here is a link. PHU LOI PATROL

Thanks Dad.

Here is the poem:

I visited the wall today and posted a message by the name of Earl Aiko Okumura, he died in my arms Aug. 1, 1968. I left part of a poem I wrote about 25 years ago (just the last part of it). This is the entire poem.

The Other Side

(Refer to as Prose)

Ive been told from time to time, Try to see it my way. Look at the other side. I know theres the other side of day, the other side of right. Somewhere, the two sides must meetsomewhere in time, in space. If you go far enough east, do you find yourself west? Does the same thing happen to love, to hurt, to caring? Why cant we stop before we venture too far? Could it be that we dont know ourselves? Are we overwhelmed on the idea of fulfilling our own needs, without thinking of the other side?

Do we move too fast, too slow, or in the wrong direction? Are we afraid of disapproval, hurt or just finding the truth within ourselves? Can we really find this truth? We may ask others. We search our past, plan our future, and seek the answer from the still small voice from within.

I believe it is best to plan for the future. Dont regret misfortunes in the past. (It is best not to live in the past either.) Enjoy today, help others and accept their help when its offered.

We all have the same feelings: love, hurt, anger, and anxiety. We have different levels of these emotions, and for different reasons. We can all relate to them. Only within ourselves do we know what degree of pleasure or pain these feelings bring; from our own past experiences. So love one another with understanding. For the other side is really ourselves, at another level at another time.

Arne O. Espedal, Jr.

The Beginnings of a new day haunts me as I wander past the old barn.

Weathered in time, the sun glazed wood recalls a day when it was fresh and new.

Beams as old bones hold her up for all to see. The wind whistles through her gates, as the birds perch along her walls.

Tales have been told here, dreams have been birthed here and time rests here among her singing creaking rafters.

No one can pass with out pondering her days.

Warm and safe, a haven of rest the outside world peers wantonly in.

The day's light breaks through the walls illuminating her historic values.

Soft golden straw spills across the floor lending comfort and welcoming her limited visitors.

Memories like the spiders webs, stretch across every corner reflecting on their moment in time.

A dream fulfilled. A promise kept. A Day Remembered.

For more information on LakeLand Village or to visit the old Barn call Dinah at 360-551-8888 www.TheNorthwestLife.com

or visit www.LakeLandLiving.com

We proctorybably just had the most important vote of this Congress at least as far as the 2010 elections are concerned. The health insurance government takeover bill passed 220-215. One Republican from New Orleans voted for the bill. He represents a district McCain and Bush got 23 and 24% of the vote in respectively. He's obviously voting for political survival. He made a serious mistake. I think the circumstances of his election are such that he is unlikely to survive anyway and it would have been far better if he stayed home and voted on principle. (He beat the $90,000-in-a-freezer congressman in an election delayed due to Hurricane Ike that had very low turnout). It hurts we can't have absolute unanimity--all 7 of the Cap-and-Trade Republicans still in Congress voted right this time.

Far more important though are the 39 Democrats who voted against the takeover bill. They are also voting their political interests. 37 of them represent districts Bush won in 2004. One of the two who does not is Artur Davis from Alabama who is running for Governor and he voted consistently with the wishes of the statewide Alabama electorate--heavy McCain and Bush. The other "no" Democrat from an Obama and Kerry district is Dennis Kucinich who probably voted for it because it is not more radical than it is, i.e., it does not directly impose a single-payer system.

Obama carried 8 of the districts held by "no" vote Democrats, but McCain managed at least 45% in the six that Bush carried. In a more normal political cycle, these districts would be expected to go Republican again. (Two of them already have, one casting over 60% for Republican Governor-elect Bob McDonnell last Tuesday and another New Jersey district going handily for Chris Christie as well).

The 39 Democrats may have helped themselves in 2010, but the vast majority remain in deep trouble. Pelosi probably gave them a license to vote "no", to protect their re-election prospects. She handed out as many licenses as she thought she could and still pass the bill. But they are still are voting for the leadership of the most unpopular politician in America. The charade of voting against her bill will not save a lot of them.

In addition, there are about 55 Democrats who represent McCain or Bush districts or who tookover Republican seats in 2006 or 2008 and who voted for the takeover. These Democrats are more vulnerable now than they were yesterday. In addition there about twenty Democrats representing districts that neither Bush or McCain carried but were close enough that in the environment we have now could be vulnerable. Adding these categories of districts together yields well over 100 vulnerable or potentially vulnerable Democrat seats.

Below are the 40 Members of Congress who crossed partylines and the presidential vote in their districts.

--I thought this was important information to post. It gives me hope that we have not seen the end to our freedoms concerning health care and other major issues in the United States. We still have the hope of the Senate, but even if we fail there we have 2010 and 2012 to get back on track. Yes it is a down day, but I see rays of light piercing through the clouds. We have a voice and we have a nation that is waking up to a new reality and leadership that they are not enamored with any longer. This is going to set the stage for electing leadership that truly represents the Nation not a socialist agenda.