We Have Baby Finches! (I think...)

Well, I'm no birder, but I think I've correctly identified the birds that have made our back porch home as House Finches. There is an adult male and female, and 4 baby birds that are growing up super fast. It seems like just a few weeks ago that a nest was being built and now the babies seem almost as big as mom and dad. If I'm correct, the male has the red coloring on it's chest and head and the female has light browns/tans. They are both beautiful birds and I feel like I'm interrupting them when I go out on our back porch now.

What really gets attention is when the babies go from being extremely quiet and still to loud screeching when mom and dad come around with food for them. Even though the nest is nestled high up on the interior of our back porch outside of our home (near Austin, Texas) we can still hear the little birds chirping and squealing for food. It's really exciting seeing the new life that spring brings!

Ever Considered Becoming an Entrepreneur?

If you've ever considered becoming an entrepreneur (or had looming doubts about the subject) I suggest that you read a book I'm reading now. It's called "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for The First-Time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional." by Michael Katz.


Why do I recommend this book? As an entrepreneur myself I can tell you that it's not easy making a living doing what you love. And there are always obstacles that make you second guess what you are doing. I mean, isn't easier just to take a job working 8-5 every day, where you sit in your cube or talk to people over the phone, all the while touting the company mission statement?! While this is ok for some, it's not the answer that those who possess the entrepreneurial spirit pine for. We want freedom to create and autonomy to roam. 


Another thing that I like about this book (aside from it being short) is that it's free and it's funny. You can't beat free in the recession we find ourselves in these days and we all need a laugh. So how do you get this book? 

You can get a hard copy of this book on Amazon (not free): http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=OR2Ll&m=9Wc_MteNu0Lsn&b=nAgR8HoWSsHdV_u3exkWBQ

Or, you can download his astonishingly well-written, 119-page book, for FREE: "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-Time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional"

http://www.itsurebeatsworking.com/download.html

Don't forget to check out his website: http://itsurebeatsworking.typepad.com/ also.

We Tied the Knot in Costa Rica

My wife and I finally tied the knot in the most beautiful, eco-friendly place we could think of: Costa Rica. In fact, we married deep in the jungle in the northwestern portion of Costa Rica at a place appropriately called Tierras Enamoradas (Lands In Love). Sounds romantic, right? Well, it was to some degree. The tough part for a Virgo like me was letting the whole thing unfold with almost no planning. Let me explain. My wife had been dreaming for sometime of getting married in a beautiful place far away from our home in Texas. She initially wanted to do a destination beach wedding, but she eventually decided that beach weddings are too common and not exciting enough.

So we purchased our tickets to Costa Rica not knowing the location of where the wedding would be held, without contacting a particular Officiant to conduct the ceremony, without securing a photographer to document the ceremony or really any of the elements needed for a wedding. We just showed up in a foreign country with an idea, some wedding rings and a wedding dress. That’s what drove me crazy! I tend to be a little more of a planner. I like to know what is going to happen in the future, preferably with details to avoid any missteps. And I would recommend that to any person who plans to marry in a foreign country. But, as luck would have it, everything worked out. Let me tell you how…

My wife and I had begun an erratic, desperate search for the perfect wedding site (with a large, beautiful waterfall) almost as soon as we landed in Costa Rica. Ultimately we landed in La Fortuna feeling hopeless about our search. We took a cab to the well known Catarata La Fortuna but my wife was not satisfied with the lack of information available at the front office or the steep hike to the waterfall so a cab driver we found told us that he knew of a waterfall outside of town toward San Ramon at a place called Tierras Enamoradas. Forty minutes later with our patience running razor thin, we arrived. Although the hike down to the Tierras Enamoradas waterfall was probably just as difficult as the other waterfall, we liked the quiet, remote feeling we found at Tierras Enamoradas.

On our ride to Tierras Enamoradas my wife asked the cab driver if he knew any photographers. He said he did and after a quick phone call he said he had secured a photographer for us at a reasonable price. I must admit that I was reluctant (ok, I was mortified) to believe that our photographer would be of a high caliber. Being a professional wedding photographer myself, I was conjuring ideas in my mind of a local villager arriving with a disposable camera to take photos and then either never receiving the images or the images coming out looking terrible. However, fate smiled upon us and our photographer was great! And two hours after our arrival at Tierras Enamoradas we were married!

The ceremony was quiet and emotional. We were in the middle of the jungle, next to a waterfall, far away from civilization so there was definitely a spiritual element to the event that one might not find in many other places. My brother, my sister, my wife’s best friend, my wife, me and the photographer were the only people present for the ceremony. After some photos by the waterfall, my wife and I moved into the pool underneath the water fall and said our handwritten vows to each other amid the sounds of crashing water and the subtle jungle silence. Time stood still - almost.

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. He photographs dozens of weddings each year and is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International. Email him your questions at martin@mwwphoto.com. See additional photos from his destination wedding here: http://www.mwwphoto.com/family

Last Minute Tax Tips - April 15th (Tax Day) Is Tomorrow!

Here are some last minute tax tips for all you procrastinators out there who have waited until the last minute to file your taxes. It's definitely worth filing with the IRS on time; you'll save money by avoiding penalties and interest and you'll have one less thing to worry about! How does the old saying go?...Only 2 things are certain in life: death and taxes.

With the tax filing deadline close at hand, the IRS offers 10 tips for those still working on their tax returns:

1. File Electronically Consider filing electronically instead of using paper tax forms. If you file electronically and choose to have your tax refund deposited directly into your bank account, you will have your money in as few as 10 days. Virtually everyone can prepare a return and electronically file it for free.   For the second year, the IRS and its partners are offering the option of Free File Fillable Forms.   Another option is Traditional Free File.  About 98 million taxpayers – 70 percent of all taxpayers – are eligible for the IRS Traditional Free File.
   
2. Check the Identification Numbers When filing a paper return carefully check the identification numbers — usually Social Security numbers — for each person listed. This includes you, your spouse, dependents and persons listed in relation to claims for the Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit. Missing, incorrect or illegible Social Security numbers can delay or reduce a tax refund.
   
3. Double-Check Your Figures If you are filing a paper return, you should double-check that you have correctly figured the refund or balance due.
   
4. Check the Tax Tables If you are filing using the Free File Fillable Forms or a paper return you should double-check that you have used the right figure from the tax table.
   
5. Sign your form You must sign and date your return. Both spouses must sign a joint return, even if only one had income. Anyone paid to prepare a return must also sign it.
   
6. Mailing Your Return Use the coded envelope included with your tax package to mail your return. If you did not receive an envelope, check the section called "Where Do You File?" in the tax instruction booklet.
   
7. Mailing a Payment People sending a payment should make the check out to “United States Treasury” and should enclose it with, but not attach it to the tax return or the Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, if used. The check should include the Social Security number of the person listed first on the return, daytime phone number, the tax year and the type of form filed.
   
8. Electronic Payments Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure methods for paying taxes. You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal, or use a credit or a debit card. For more information on electronic payment options, visit IRS.gov.
   
9. Extension to File By the April due date, you should either file a return or request an extension of time to file. Remember, the extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.
   
10. IRS.gov Forms and publications and helpful information on a variety of tax subjects are available around the clock at IRS.gov. You can also check the status of your refund after you file your return by clicking on Where’s My Refund?.
    

Links:

• Form 4868, Application for Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (PDF 76K)
• Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request (PDF 100K)
  
  

For more tax tips for the year 2010, visit the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/content/0,,id=104608,00.html

Common Cup - Monteverde, Costa Rica

Recently my wife and I visited Costa Rica as a partial honeymoon/vow renewal ceremony effort. We visited lots of great places and met lots of warm, friendly Ticos. But I just have to share one of our favorite places that we just stumbled upon in Monteverde, also known as The Cloud Forest, located in Santa Elena, Costa Rica. While staying in the tiny village of Santa Elena we discovered a place called Common Cup (next to the serpentarium, near town). Common Cup is a non-profit organization run by an American named Ken Lander that makes free cups of coffee for anyone who visits. The organization sells home-grown beans by the pound that are roasted on-site by Ken and his family. In fact, Ken and his family grow the beans on their farm locally and manage the whole coffee process, start-to-finish, even brewing and making the cup of coffee right before your eyes. Now, I may be a little bias, but I think that the fresh coffee I drank at Common Cup might have been the best coffee I’ve ever had.

Now here’s the best part (aside from the delicious coffee): Approximately $3.50 of every $8.00 pound of coffee that is sold goes back into the local community of Santa Elena to promote youth programs and other community programs. How fantastic is that?!

I mentioned earlier that I may be a little biased, and here’s why. First, after meeting Ken, his wife Yami and his family I felt right at home. Ken is like that friendly, loveable uncle who makes everything seem magical and fun. My wife and I found ourselves returning every day to go visit with Ken at Common Cup not only to drink coffee but also because we enjoyed the company. We stayed in a place just a few blocks from Common Cup so we could literally smell the coffee brewing at 1pm every afternoon, and we let our noses just lead us there. And second, what’s not to love about sitting in the world famous Cloud Forest of Costa Rica drinking fresh brewed coffee with a master coffee grower/roaster?!

When you visit Monteverde don’t forget to call on Common Cup! You’ll be glad you did. And also check CC out on Facebook: http://www.hs.facebook.com/pages/Monteverde-Costa-Rica/The-Common-Cup-Community-Coffee-House-and-Roastery/400967337008?v=photos

Martin Whitton is a wedding photojournalist who makes his home in Austin, Texas. If you would like to view more photos from Costa Rica, visit: http://www.mwwphoto.com/Family/Costa-Rica-2010/