Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Plan a Romantic Date Night in Houston


There’s a lot to do in Houston. If you and your significant other are looking to plan a romantic night (or day) out, you’ll find a number of different activities that are both fun and designed to bring the two of you closer together. Here are just a few ideas for romantic date nights in Houston.

If you enjoy outdoor activities, you might like to take a leisurely stroll through Hermann Park. You can take a picnic dinner with you and watch the sun set, enjoy the shows at the park’s outdoor theatre, and even take a paddle boat out on the lake.

Another fun outdoor adventure is to go horseback riding at the All Heart Horse Farm. This ranch, which is located outside Houston in Manvel, Texas, gives you and your loved one a chance to learn how to ride a horse while under the eye of an experienced instructor. It’s a different type of date that can be a lot of fun for the adventurous.

Of course, if you’re not looking for something like that, there’s always the traditional dinner and a movie. Houston has a large number of great restaurants, and there are many movie theaters located throughout the city as well. There are also a number of different live theater performances, music performances, and other events going on in the city at all times of the year.

Climb Chase Tower for a great view of the city and for a little romantic time together. The view is especially great at night when all of Houston is lit up and spread out beneath you. This is a great place to tell your significant other how much he/she means to you.

Finally, the Market Square Historic District offers a great place to explore historic buildings, eat at some amazing little cafes and restaurants, and enjoy the live performances that are often held in the area. You can take a guided tour of Market Square, but you can also explore on your own.

Of course, no romantic date night is complete without flowers, candies, and other little tokens of affection. Be sure to great your date with a single rose or a full bouquet, no matter if it’s your first date or if you’re taking out your spouse of 30+ years.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Why Administrative Assistants Deserve a Week of Appreciation


Chances are, your administrative assistant has saved your bacon more times than you can count. He or she has made the unpleasant phone calls, turned the mess of a schedule into a perfectly timed masterpiece, and dealt with any and all clients who come into your office, even the annoying ones. There are many reasons why administrative assistants deserve this week of appreciation.

They keep your office running year-round. It’s as simple as that—administrative assistants keep all of your records, answer the phones, take messages, schedule meetings, call in tech support to fix the copy machine, make coffee, and much, much more. If it needs doing, chances are your administrative assistant can do it (or already does it).

They are the gatekeepers of information. If you need to know something, your administrative assistant can provide it. If they don’t know it right off, they know where to find it or who to call to get it.

He or she is also your personal gatekeeper. Your schedule is often very full and as such, you may not be able to meet with every customer personally. Your administrative assistant often handles basic client needs or decides which clients are important enough to get a small slice of your personal time. Without this, you would spend hours meeting with clients.

They do thankless tasks. No one likes to do some of the tasks that need to be done in an office. Filing, checking documents for errors, and doing mass mailings can be boring, tedious tasks, and these are often tasks that fall to the administrative assistant. Next time you pass off one of these jobs to your assistant, remember to show your appreciation.

They keep your office running. When it comes right down to it, your administrative assistant makes certain your office is running smoothly. Without them, you would find yourself overwhelmed with the many day to day tasks necessary to keep an office going. So remember to thank your administrative assistant during this week of appreciation, but be sure to thank him or her year-round, too. They work hard, and they deserve it!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Appreciating Your Administrative Professionals


Every year, the last full week of April is set aside as Administrative Professionals Week. This year, the week starts on April 18 and runs through April 24. Millions of people worldwide honor their administrative professionals during this week, especially on April 21, Administrative Professionals Day.

Administrative Professionals Week originally began as National Secretaries Week in 1952. It was created by Harry F. Klemfuss, a publicist in New York. He wanted to encourage more people to enter the administrative professional field. Originally, the week was celebrated the first week of June, but in 1955, National Secretaries Week was moved to the last full week of April. In 1981, it was officially renamed Administrative Professionals Week so that all administrative support staff were included.

Today, many people celebrate Administrative Professionals Week by giving their administrative assistants flowers, vacation time, or by taking them out to lunch. While these hard-working professionals should be thanked on a regular basis due to all the work they do year-round, it is especially important to remember to honor them during this week.