Employee Self Service - Two Thumbs Up Companies - ++

One of my other goals in posting here is to occasionally talk about some of my favorite people and companies.  In my line of work (web, print and multimedia) I get the opportunity to work with and for a wide range of companies and people. Some of them are worth honorable mention because they are just so exceptional in their efforts to positively impact people and their overall service.

One such company is CIC Plus.  They provide Employee Self Service Systems for employers.  For any companies trying to save on payroll costs and 'go green' this is definitely a company worth checking out.  Their staff is exceedingly helpful and very knowledgeable.  Their clients love them and after having dealt with them for several months I can see why. They are a very dedicated bunch.  Companies can expect to save as much as 80% off their pay stub printing costs using CIC Plus' online pay stub services. Other services include paperless tax forms like online W-2s, online W-4s, and digital signature forms.  Besides these money saving opportunities, the time savings are huge.  I don't know about you, but any time I can save money and also reduce my paper handling overhead, I'm all for it.

With all the kudos I can give them on their money and time saving services, I think the strongest thing they have going for them is their staff.  Somehow they have managed to hire a group of the most 'go the extra mile' people I have ever met.  That is not easy to do these days. So another big thumbs up for them in the customer service area. You will find them to be a very pleasant group to work with and they are extremely dedicated to making sure all the compliance details are handled so clients can run their businesses with less paperwork headaches.

If you are thinking about finding employee self service solutions for your company, I can heartily recommend them.

Stay tuned for more Two Thumbs Up companies : )

Band Discovery - Civil Twilight

Once in awhile we'll come across a band that we have not heard before that really enchants us.  We were watching the movie "I Am Number Four" Friday night as a family.  We had missed it in the theaters so we made it a home video event at the house since the kids had been patiently waiting to see it.  The movie was a lot of fun, much better than I was expecting. The closing credits were accompanied by a beautiful, slightly haunting melody.  We waited for the end of the credits and saw the band's name, "Civil Twilight".

We immediately opened iTunes to find out more.  After listening to several of their songs over and over thise weekend, we have a new band to add to our list of favorites.  Civil Twilight has a sound that is reminiscent of U-2 and Coldplay combined.  Yet they are very unique.  As a vocalist myself, I was very appreciative of the lead vocalist's range and heart.  He has the ability to convey such intimacy in his voice on some of the softer tracks and can belt it out with the best of them when the song calls for it.  Really a great band to listen to.  Our favorite songs are "Letters from the Sky", "Human" (beautiful) and "Teardrop".  If you get a minute, check out "Civil Twilight". Enjoy ; )

Northern Wisconsin Vacation Time

I live in the midwest so when we are trying to get away for a little break we don't always have time to go very far.  Wisconsin is just a few hours from us so that is one of the places we're willing to track to on a three day weekend like we have coming up this weekend.  

We live in a pretty busy area so for me personally, I like to get away to where there are less people.  Northern Wisconsin is absolutely beautiful. The pace is a little slower and the people are so nice.  We've driven to the Crivitz and Antigo area a few times.  It is like being in another world.  The lush greens in the summer or the amazing colors in the fall (my favorite).  If you are looking for a quieter getaway I highly recommend Northern Wisconsin. 

We do a lot of hiking through the woods, fishing, white water rafting and visiting the towns up there. In the winter there is cross country skiing and snowmobiling. It's all wholesome fun and it gets the family outdoors (YEAH!).  Great for creating quality family memories. Some of our friends have their business up there and have created their own list of North Woods Wisconsin Things to Do.

I would be remiss in not mentioning one of the best camps for kids up near that neck of the woods. For years my kids have attended camp at Silver Birch Ranch.  It is a wonderful Christian camp and we can't say enough nice things about it.  You may hear the word "Christian" and think "nice" and it is, but it is also rowdy and fun, perfect for kids of all ages. There are tons of activities for all ages and the staff is really fun and go the extra mile to make it special for all the kids. Our kids have a blast every year that they go. 

As you can tell we really enjoy Northern Wisconsin.  The scenery is beautiful and it's a nice change of pace.  One of our goals is to some day own our own piece of Crivitz real estate so that we can build a cabin and own our own vacation getaway instead of renting a cabin each year.  Some families who are big into camping even buy a piece of property and use it as their own private camping site until they're ready to build.  

So next time you're thinking about getting away for a few days, do a little research into the North Woods Wisconsin.  It's a great area and has a lot to offer, especially for nature lovers. 

My Favorite Movies of 2011 (so far)

Being a parent of two teens, we have hit our fair share of movies and I thought it would be fun to pick out my favorites so far this year.  Honestly, most of the movies so far this year have not gotten me that excited but I would like to mention two that we ALL enjoyed (that is not always easy to do in our family with such differing ages and personalities).

The Adjustment Bureau - starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.  BIG Thumbs up from all of us.  We left the movies and couldn't quite peel ourselves away from the whole premise of the movie. It was just too fun to not play with the ideas presented in the movie. We entertained each other as we walked down the street, pretending to put on our hats and open doors (you'll have to see the movie).  For the rest of the night, every delay, every wrong turn we would just laugh and say "It's all according to the plan".  The concept and script behind this movie are very original and extremely engaging.  Being one of those people who is often able to guess the end of a movie 10 minutes into the start, I really enjoyed this one.  Definitely worth seeing.

Thor - starring Chris Hemworth and Natalie Portman. Okay, yes I know it's just another hero movie, but perhaps because I was expecting less, I was surprised at how entertained I was.  Chris Hemsworth does a great job of playing Thor. He's got the voice, the aura and the ego (Thor's) to make it work and the humor sprinkled throughout because of his character gets a few decent chuckles.  The accent didn't hurt either.  My daughter and I found ourselves giggling like teenagers when he spoke in different scenes (well she is a teenager so she's entitled, but I have no excuse).  Overall, a fun movie, with good action, decent characters AND I didn't leave the theater feeling like I should have waited for it to come out on video.  A good one to go ahead and see at the theater.

Intro

Hello, I'm just trying my hand at my first blog.  My hope is to create some helpful tips, reviews, meet new people and have some fun : )