well, it's been some time in coming, but I'm happy to say that WhidbeyLocal.com is now offering coupons for our Island residents.  You can go to WhidbeyLocal.com and either type in the word coupons to find the businesses that are offering the coupons, or find the link our our city guide tab for Coupons.

You can find the coupon button below the listing.  Once you click it, you will be able to print the coupon and take it with you.  In some cases all you need to do is mention that you saw the customer on WhidbeyLocal and that will be good enough for them.

Here is what the listing looks like with the coupon button.

once you click on the coupon button this is what you see:

WhidbeyLocal is really working hard to support the businesses on Whidbey Island.  We

are doing Facebook campaigns and Twitter campaigns to drive more and more of the users on the internet or on mobile devices to our customers.  

If you are a business on Whidbey Island, please don't hesitate to give Paul a call at (206) 931-2749 to schedule some time for him to review all of the great things we can do to help you get found on the Internet.  And for Pete's sake...PLEASE tell all of your friends and neighbors to use our FREE classifieds, you would be amazed at the number of people that look at that everyday.  Got stuff you want to get rid of?  Take a picture of it and put it on the site.

thanks for your support!

JoAnna

ok, so I just had to talk abou this.  Imagine having a very long day, you're bone tired, you just want to relax and have a nice glass of wine or dinner on your deck and unwind just a bit.  Well, that was the case for me this evening. 

Just as we were getting out the napkins we had a visitor, well, not just one 3 to be exact.  And you know most days it doesn't bother me to see them, but today?  Well, take a look at look, and I'll let you decide for yourself.

of couse his brother was right behind him....

and one more just for fun.

absolutely amazing isn't it?  This picture was taken from my back deck.  Does the term reach out and touch sound vagely familiar?  You know the noise is deafening to the ear drums.  It's a really pain in the um...neck to have to listen to this noise.  Try working on the phone when you have this flying over.  Even my cat knows when I say "here come the boys", she runs and hides.

But, you know, we do live on Whidbey Island.  And although it is a pain sometimes to have your quiet evening ruined, or your bedtime pushed back because of their flight patterens, I for one am so grateful to have these brave guys practicing to keep us safe here at home.

Someone told me, not sure it's true, that when you see and hear them practicing, their deployment is not too far away.   I wish that they didn't have to go, and I'm hopeful that one day the human race will wake up and realize that we are all the same more or less and the fighting in different places will stop.  In the mean time, as much as I hate to say it, I do salute our Navy heros.  Next time you're in the area guys, tip a wing and say hi....or better yet, tell your family how much the people of this island appreciate all the work and effort you put into keeping America Safe.    Now can I take the earplugs out and go to bed?   :-)

Salute!

OK ladies and gentlemen, here's the good news.  Had to run down to the south end of the Island, yes, that would be called "South Whidbey" and boy was it worth the drive.  Met some friends from across the pond for dinner and we ended up at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Clinton called La Casita.

The food, yes, let's see, chicken tacos, pollo a la crema, was " fantastico"! And of course we had to try the cadillac margarita, yummmms.

The service was friendly and the food was great!  Here is a picture of the nice ladies that were waiting on the people enjoying their dinners.  Zoey Maeser, Taylor Donahew, and Gris Zamora they did such a nice job.  Very friendly crowd.

La Casita's restaurant is owned by Hilda & Baldo Carreon.   The restaurant is located at Ken's Korner in Clinton.  Here is a few more pictures (of course taken with an IPhone) but you get the idea. 

if you're in the mood for some great Mexican food, drop on by and check it out.  They come highly recommended. 

Buenos Noches!

JoAnna

Sometimes in life you wake up and wonder just what the day is going to bring.  Is it going to be a good day? Do I have enough food? or clothes? or money?  Do you wake up and thank God that you are alive and healthy?

Well, unfortunately, there are some people that wake up and wonder what that lump is, or what that spot is on their body.  It's pretty frightening really.  Now what?  What do you do, where do you turn for help?

I realize that this is kinda of a downer subject, but I felt impressed to write it since I now know at least 3 people battling with Cancer.  I thought it may be wise to include some information on this blog to direct people to different places if they were looking for information. 

First, here is a link to a PDF that you may want to review:  This has all kinds of prevention information that may be of interest should you want to do your own research.

http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-029459.pdf

I think prevention is the key.  When I was talking to Tom at Eagle's Song, (cute store in Coupeville) he mentioned nutrition as a key element to warding off this disease.  I believe that if we could change our diets, stop smoking, etc, it would go a long way to helping prevent Cancer.

The other thing is that people shouldn't wait to see their doctors if they suspect something might be wrong.  The sooner it's found the better chance of survival you'll have.  One person I know of waited for months before they went to their doctor after having what they though was a bleeding ulcer, and it turned out to be a cancerous tumor.  

Here are a few other links that may be of use to you from the American Cancer Society.

http://www.cancer.org/index

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/features.htm

I want to dedicate today's blog to the people that are struggling with this disease especially the friends I know (you know who you are) and to remind all of us to enjoy our lives every day.   If this can save one person, then it was worth it.   Let's continue our support for the American Cancer Society and hopefully one day we can eliminate cancer for good.

thanks for listening.

JoAnna

Habitat for Humanity of Island County is pleased to announce and cordially invite you to

House #29 Dedication Celebration

Oak Harbor, WA (July 1, 2011) - Habitat for Humanity of Island County (HFHIC), in partnership with the Cochran Family, is excited to announce the completion of House #29.  In a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, July 12 at 5:30 p.m., the Cochran Family will receive the keys to their new home at 1380 NW Lofton Loop.  The public is invited to join in this celebration.

(See the full press release on our home page)

People ask me all the time why I live on Whidbey Island, and usually I tell them it's because it is so beautiful here.  It's quiet, surrounded by water, has a wonderful wild animal population of deers, bunnies, and raccoons.   You can sit on your deck at night and see all of the billions of stars, or watch as the ships move out to the sound.  What a great place!

Of course, all of the above doesn't make it a perfect place to live.  You have to be a community minded person and care about your neighbors and surroundings.  Some of the nicest people I've ever met live right here on this island.  But, there is one thing that I absolutely love about this island, and that is that we have a military population that is working hard for us. 

I know we complain about the noise of the jets as they make their practice runs (personally I love it!) however, I do know that when I hear those jets doing their fly-bys it means that another group of brave men and women are getting ready to be deployed.    One more reminder of what this upcoming July 4th really means to all of us.

As I was coming home yesterday from the store, this sign caught my eye and my heart. 

"Welcome home Daddy".  

I can only imagine the longing in the family when their loved ones are in harms way, and the joy they must feel when they return.  Now I ask you, do we live in an awesome place?

to the members of NASW, I salute you and I Thank You for a job well done.

JoAnna