PopCred

Today I'd like to feature an exciting new business that provides support for people interested in blogging. PopCred is an all-in-one resource for bloggers. It provides Word Press blogs, hosting, domain names, tutorials, seminars, and other resources for people who want to learn how to start a blog and for those who want to make money blogging.

The PopCred site was developed by Alison Moore Smith who is a professional blogger. She noticed that there were many people who wanted to start a blog but didn't know how to create a successful one. Many others already enjoy blogging, but few know how to make money with their blogs, so she started offering seminars on how to make money blogging. The concepts and principles Alison teaches are not theoretical. They are things she has been doing successfully since the mid 90's.

I recently attended one of her seminars on how to monetize your blog and gained quite a bit of valuable information. For someone with 5 blogs and over 800 posts under my belt, I found it to be very helpful as well as affordable. I am currently in the process of changing blog providers and utilizing the PopCred services in order to be a more effective blogger.

I appreciate the fact that Alison does not promote her business as a get-rich-quick idea. She makes it clear that with any venture, success requires hard work and patience, but it is much easier to be successful when you follow the advice of someone who has already done what you are trying to accomplish. You can see and compare the many different services that are available at PopCred.net.

Cynthia Richards Violinist

Cynthia Richards is an accomplished violinist who has been teaching violin in Utah County since 1964. She studied in the United States and Europe before earning a degree in violin performance from Brigham Young University. She has since taught string pedagogy at BYU and UVU in addition to having her private studio. She also does professional recording sessions, performs in concerts, and is the concertmaster for the Utah Valley Symphony.

Cynthia works with students of all ages and abilities. On of the things that makes her teaching style unique and sets her apart from other violin teachers is the emphasis she places on Kodaly method.

She is the mother of  8 children and taught each of them how to become successful musicians. Her experience led her to write a book nearly 20 years ago entitled "How to Get Your Child to Practice... without resorting to violence". You can order her book at Advance Arts and Music.

Another impressive thing about Cynthia is that she was just named as Utah's mother of the year for 2012. Congratulations!

Heritage Prints

Provo Tabernacle

Heritage Prints is a new company that features artwork based on architecture. The company's initial works highlight L.D.S. temples and buildings from the early pioneer era.

Clayton Vance is the founder of Heritage Prints. He is a man of many talents. He studied architecture at Notre Dame and has combined his love of architecture with art. He uses a technique called "architectural wash rendering" which consists of hand drafting a building, then applying water colors, and finally antiquing the work to create a unique look. This process produces an aged appearance and gives character to each piece.

I think an art business that focuses on architecture is a great idea. Since Heritage Prints is a fairly new venture, there are many pieces of art in the works that will be released soon. You can see which temples, tabernacles, and other buildings are already available and which ones will be released soon at his site at myheritageprints.com.

Neal Dastrup Insurance

Insurance is an interesting concept. Many people complain about it, especially when they pay for it but don't end up using it, but at the same time, it is comforting knowing that in the case of accidents, illness, or death, that one will have greater security and peace of mind if they are properly insured.

For the last 15 years I have had all of my insurance with Neal Dastrup Insurance in Provo. The agency provide auto, home, health, life, and commercial insurance. The thing that impresses me most about this agency is the customer service. Neal is still willing to take the time to meet with his clients at their homes to review their coverage and assist them with their insurance needs.

Neal started his insurance business back in 1974 with one small location and has grown Dastrup Insurance over the years to the point where today they have Provo, Orem, and Pleasant Grove branches. Some of the insurance carriers they offer include: Bear River Mutual, The Hartford, Travelers, Auto Owners, Cincinnati Insurance, Germantown, Colorado Casualty, Progressive, and United Underwriters.

Neal Dastrup Insurance offers a variety of insurances and have programs and carriers for preferred customers as well as for those with less than stellar insurance histories.You can see their website here.

The Orem Fitness Center

There are many fitness facilities to choose from in Utah County. Some of these gyms specialize in and emphasize CrossFit, MMA, body building, or martial arts. Today I'd like to feature one that is a pretty standard gym, but at the same time, it offers more activities than any other fitness facility I know of. I'm talking about the Orem City Fitness Center.

The Orem fitness center is a great deal for families for a couple reasons. One is the competitive price. An entire family can have an annual pass for around $320 per year. The other thing I really like about the recreation center is the variety. Their facility offers swimming, basketball, weight lifting, racquetball, a gun range, aerobics, indoor track, treadmills, exercise bikes, and they also offer a variety of classes like martial arts, dance, and even boy scout merit badges.



If you are a hard core fitness enthusiast, there are definitely nicer facilities and gyms that offer a more intense style of training and environment, especially if you are serious about weight training and conditioning. You won't find any professional bodybuilders training at the rec center, but the weight room is adequate for most people. Their basketball courts and swimming pool are the biggest draw for me and my family. The basketball at the rec is pretty good and I regularly play with guys who come from all over the county to play pick up games there.

I've seen other city fitness facilities and community centers that can't hold a candle to what Orem offers. I really like the fact that a family of all ages can all find different activities to do when they go to the rec center.

Costco

I think Costco is a pretty cool store. I think it makes sense to buy certain items in bulk and I can usually see the savings, but there are definitely times when I'd be fine with buying just a can of olives as opposed to a 55 gallon drum of them.

Why do so many people like Costco? The answer is easy, free samples! If you play your cards right, you can eat an entire meal by the time you leave the store. If you wear a reversible jacket then you are guaranteed to leave with a full stomach.

A few things I don't care for are how you have to show your membership card when you come in the store. I guess that makes some members feel more important like they are part of an exclusive club. I'm also not a fan of the security receipt check when you leave the building. I think the transaction should be over once you pay the cashier. Despite these minor pet peeves, I still think Costco is a cool store even though it is not the main grocery store we usually shop at.

The danger with Costco is that you may plan on going in for milk and chips, but you end up leaving with a 48" flat screen TV, pool table, and pre-lit Christmas tree because they were on sale. You never know what you might find when you go. There are few other stores where you can buy orange juice, play ground equipment, diamond rings, and a bouquet of flowers all at the same place.

Jiffy Lube

Despite being a manly man, I'm not the kind of guy who changes his own oil. Instead I rely on Jiffy Lube to take care of that for me. I know they are a big chain so I can't vouch for all their locations, but I have always had good experiences at their Provo and Orem locations.

The only thing I dislike about going there is that I know there will come a point during the process when I am asked to come back to the computer and verify the services that will be done. This is also known as the "add on" sales attempt. I will be shown my old air filters and will be shown how frequently certain services are recommended. Most of the time I have to make some excuse about how I will take care of that next time and I usually end up feeling like a neglectful car owner or a penny pincher.

I don't usually mind their sales process and have grown to expect it, but yesterday when I was having my oil changed, an enthusiast employee was really excited about their oil upgrades. He told me about a new synthetic oil made by Penzoil that is the only oil that Ferrari recommends for it's cars. I can see how if I owned a Ferrari, this might be relevant, but I'm driving an 11 year old Ford Taurus and the oil upgrade would be an additional $80 and I am used to paying $35 for the entire service. Maybe I looked like Mr. money bags to him. I'll chose to take it as a compliment.

I don't fault Jiffy Lube for making recommendations and offering upgrades, but I sometimes tire of having to say no to all of their add offers each time I get my oil changed. Despite this, I still think they do a good job and will continue to go there for my oil changes.