They visited the clubhouse (he’ll wear #39, same number he wore at the University of Arizona), and started filling out information for promotion videos and bio for the Orem Owlz Web site.

We discovered that all their games are broadcast free online, so that’s how we’ll spend our summer evenings.

Today they’ll meet their host families (Yeah! With only two duffles full of worldly goods, an apartment would be tricky. We really appreciate knowing there are wonderful people out there willing to open their homes to these young men.), we’ll get a mailing address (sorry, that will be private), and they’ll get in a workout before leaving tomorrow for their first game in Ogden.

Sunday evening while at a Dad’s Day dinner at our daughter’s house, he texted: “What should my walk up song be?” A few bars of your “walk up” song is played over the sound system as you walk up to the plate.

Not having had “walk up” songs in high school or college, this is uncharted territory. Exactly what does a person want their signature tune to say about them?

Because we are a supportive family, we immediately shot back a number of awesome recommendations. 4-year-old niece (and littlest Angel fan) Tessa shouted out: “Hamster Dance!” We also recommended “River Dance,” to which he said he was leaning toward Springsteen or Tom Petty (good boy, thought I).

So, what about “Runnin’ Down a Dream” (Petty)?

Our other contributions included: “Bad to the Bone,” (George Thorogood, even though Dillon isn’t and it’s overused), “Baby Mine” (from Dumbo, to which he said “That is Andrew’s wedding song, can’t do that”), “Shake It Up,” (Cars, perfect if you ask me), or even “Mannish Boy,” (Muddy Watters, maybe a little arrogant and some inappropriate lyrics, but hey, it’s Muddy!).

We’ll probably let the Owlz site tell (most of) the rest of this summer’s story.

Whoever you are, reading this, thank you for following #39’s progress and wherever you are, love to hear YOUR baseball stories!

Received equipment, signed up for his new insurance program (yeah!), had a physical and a workout. Then checked into hotel until tomorrow’s departure to Orem.

Making my rounds at Friday garage sales, the first text of the morning included a picture of his batting helmet and locker. I didn’t cry when he left two hours earlier, but when I saw that helmet, I had a mom moment (tears).

Then, the fans. Dillon’s niece, Tessa, was on her first-ever trip to Disneyland when her family learned Dillon had signed. Always his #1 fan, Tessa and her mom and dad took a quick spin down E. Katella Ave. over to Angel Stadium of Anaheim for merchandise and photo ops.

Best part of the day was the phone call in which my son-of-few-words told me what he did today as he waited for the shuttle back to his hotel. In his voice I heard fatigue, excitement and anxiety (the stuff a mom is always tuned into).

All normal emotions at the end of a guy’s first day on the job.

He heads to Tempe in the morning for physical and workout. Then gets his uniform and a plane ticket to head up to Orem, Utah on Sunday. He’ll be playing until the beginning of September, games every day with about four days off over the course of the summer. (No wonder they are called the “boys of summer.”)

All our questions were answered.

And he signed. And became a professional baseball player.

More later…

Having been in the VA industry for many years, Nina and I agree it’s the responsibility of veterans in the field to help others find the professional development options that they require.

Certainly, training options abound, and here’s a link to some. Many of these target new VAs rather than experienced professionals looking to expand their skills into new or build their existing competencies to the expert level.

Nina shared the results of her search for quality training and has allowed me to pass it along here:

Recently, Sydni Craig-Hart, of EA to VA (Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant) training, whom I’ve known locally for some time, has let me audit some of her teleseminars, and I’ve been extremely impressed.

Below are the links to the exceptionally useful information she provides to virtual assistants wanting to learn how to be more successful in their practices. Herself an early graduate of AssistU who has taken that training to even greater levels, I believe Sydni can save VAs thousands of dollars in money and time growing their businesses.

While some of her promotional material (see links below) makes her training sound almost too good to be true, it’s actually not. After attending several of her workshops, I’ve found them to be spot on.

Sydni is able to charge $75/hr. and more for her VA services due to her high level of professionalism and knowledge of the kinds of help clients need. VAs who want to make a good living at what they do are lucky that she is generous about sharing how she got to that point and how they can, too.

EA to VA Home Page

EA to VA Programs include:

• Consulting Packages: http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=136795&AdID=442908
• Get A Strong Start: http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=136795&AdID=442906
• Virtual Technology Success
• Full Practice VA Coaching Program

For more training programs for VAs, visit this page: VA Training Programs—How to Choose

Most visitors to Loosely Speaking probably don’t care, but I’m going to chronicle the minor league experience through a mom’s eyes as this boy of mine embarks (fingers crossed) on his career as a professional baseball player.

So. 11th Round. Angels, taken as a 3B player.

We’ll see what happens next.

Then there’s lure of social media. Spending a little (ok, or a LOT) more time over there, a little (same deal, a LOT) less around here and next thing you know, your SERPS are taking a falling star’s trajectory.

Let’s say not only has your site traffic ebbed, but your revenues are on that same downward dive. And who isn’t facing that reality?

So, it’s summer and you can make lemonade. These new realities are also fodder for some good blog posts:

1. Testing new marketing strategies
2. Rearranging your work day to include more actual living since you have less work.
3. Reallocating your funds so that your budget better fits these times.
4. Setting up your new home office after having shuttered your brick-and-mortar location.
5. Defining a new client niche if your old base has eroded.
6. Redefining your business entirely, and the subsequent branding makeover.

In the knitting groups I frequent, one or another of us will often launch a “knit-along,” wherein a pattern is identified, a schedule established, and then we all work together to help keep up the pace until every one has finished and shared their object.

What about a “blog-along,” in which we all explore the same topic for a couple of weeks an then move onto another?

Tackling #1 from the list above, let’s spend the next week (June 16 – June 23) discussing our experiments with new marketing strategies for these times.

Blog your post on this topic, or create a link-y post pointing to other posts that are already all over this topic. Then, comment to lead readers to your post, or tweet it, or announce it however you prefer.

Recently I had a conversation with a resumé expert (who will remain unnamed until or if she decides to weigh in on this matter) about the merits of keeping your resumé tuned up just in case.

In our current economy, any tool you can produce that helps present your expertise may make a difference.

So… how about it? Do you have a resumé and do you know how to use it?

Strategies for managing those feelings include volunteering, participating in face-to-face networking, and hosting gatherings of one’s peers.

In Arizona, we’re gearing up for a late summer meeting for Virtual Assistants. This will be our first-ever overnight retreat (though spending the night isn’t mandatory), and it’s planned for a hotel in north central Phoenix.

Have you hosted such a gathering? Or, are you going to be in Arizona in late August? Love to hear from you about your thoughts on an agenda for a VA retreat, or any similar event you’ve hosted for peers.