In honor of the upcoming federal holiday here are some fun facts about George Washington:

• He was actually born on February 11, 1731 but when the colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar his birthday moved 11 days. And since his birthday fell before the old date for New Year's Day, but after the new date for the New Year's Day, his birth year was changed to 1732.
• He powdered his hair to make it look white
• No one will ever rank higher than him in the U.S. military. In 1976 he was posthumously awarded the highest rank ever in the U.S. military - General of the Armies of the United States.
• He spent the early part of his career as a professional surveyor.
• He was a dog lover. He had more than 30 hunting hounds.
• He lost more battles than he won.
• His teeth weren't actually made from wood. He had many false teeth made out of different combinations of rare hippopotamus ivory, human teeth and metal fasteners. And he took the oath of office while wearing a special set of dentures made from ivory, brass and gold.
• He is the only president to actually go into battle while serving as president.

One of my favorite things about my job here at SB is our vacation policy. It’s pretty rare to find such a generous vacation plan in Sacramento, but it is really important to take full advantage of it. When you don’t use your vacation at companies that you accrue vacation time at, you get paid out if you leave the company. Here if you don’t use it, you lose it. So make sure to use it!

One of the biggest excuses I hear from friends is that taking vacations are too expensive, but in my experience, you can cut some big corners with these tactics:

1. Find a cheap flight. Flight prices are getting cheaper and cheaper. It’s a wonderful time to be alive! I’ve gotten multiple non-stop flights to Europe for less than $400! (Check out Norwegian Air). You can use Google Flights to keep an eye on prices too if you set up notifications they will let you know when prices start to change.
2. Pick a less common place to go. Yes, we all want to go to Paris, Hawaii, or Bali but if you go somewhere a bit less common you’ll save so much money! Most of my first-hand experience is in Europe. I’d recommend Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia are beautiful places full of history that cost so much less!
3. Don’t stay in hotels! Food and accommodation are often the most expensive aspects of a trip. Instead, stay in a hostel or Airbnb and cook at least one of your own meals a day. Hostels are always the cheapest and usually have a communal kitchen. Their biggest benefit is that you meet other travelers which can make a trip much more fun!

So go forth and see the world, even if it is a quick trip that isn’t too far. You’ll be happier and better company to your loved ones, friends, and coworkers.

I take my dogs to the park for 20-30 minutes every day after work. Not because it's fun for me, but because it's the biggest thing Tucker and Nolan look forward to every day. ("Look forward to" is an understatement. When I get home, they're bouncing-off-the-walls, jumping-up-and-down STOKED).

Ever since I first saw this image, it's really stuck with me because of how embarrassingly true it is. I take my dogs to the park because I know how much they love it, but usually I'm counting down the ball throws until they're tired enough and we can go home. Why is that? On beautiful days, I'm sitting at my desk looking out the window wishing I could move my computer outside to soak up the sun. But when I have the chance to actually be outside with my dogs enjoying the weather, I'm thinking about the next thing - about how I have to go to the gym, about what I'm going to cook for dinner, about what bills need to be paid still. 

Did you know that research shows most of us spend just over half of our attention capacity on what's in front of us in the moment? That means that we're usually not really, truly focused on anything if a little over half of our attention is on what's in front of us and the rest of our attention is on everything else. 

It's not hard to see why being with my dogs is the best reminder I get each day that living in the moment and focusing on what's right in front of me is the best way to live. They're living their best life now, as Oprah would say.

(The only time I don't want to live in the moment with them is when they find a mud patch to roll in while I'm not looking. 🙄)