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There is a plethora of information online about visiting the Grand Canyon. As first-time visitors, my Fiancé and I were thankful to gather so much information prior to our trip. My hope is that this will add to the available information and helps you plan your perfect Grand Canyon trip! This is a detailed write up so grab that cup of coffee sit back and enjoy! We were fortunate enough to visit Phoenix, Sedona, Coconino National Forest, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Old Town Scottsdale during our trip.

We planned our trip to the Grand Canyon during the 4^th of July weekend and no, the crowds aren’t bad as the internet makes it seem! We flew into Phoenix on the night of July 3^rd and stayed the night in a hotel by the airport. The next morning, we made the trek up to Sedona.

Sedona, Arizona is known for its beautiful landscape. The area is surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests. The rock formations have vortexes, which helped dub Sedona as the spiritual Mecca of the Southwest. We departed Phoenix at 8:00 AM and arrived at Bell Rock by 10:00 AM. After a very short hike from the parking lot, we were up close to the huge rock structure. We didn’t feel a sudden urge of spiritual awakening around this vortex site, but my Fiancé and I walked back to the car reminiscing about our grandparents who are no longer with us. Whether you are a spiritual person or not, the beauty of Bell Rock is reason enough to visit the site! After visiting Bell Rock, we found ourselves eating lunch at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. The food was amazing and the views were even better, I highly recommend lunch there after a hike!

The next stop after lunch was Cathedral Rock. We attempted to stop at Buddha Beach, but the crowds wanting to swim in the natural creek were deterrent enough to turn us away. After Cathedral Rock, next stop was Flagstaff, or so I thought. The GPS pointed us north on highway 89A. The landscape of Sedona’s red rocks quickly turned into pine trees and mountains. Purely by accident, or by the efforts of the GPS, we ran into Coconino National Forest. There are plenty of viewpoints on 89A and a stop is worth it! I mean, just look at this view.

After taking in the grandeur of the Coconino National Forest, we headed north to Flagstaff. We arrived shortly after 4:00 PM. There are many lodges and accommodations for visitors to stay at the Grand Canyon. We opted for Flagstaff because the city hosts a spectacular 4^th of July fireworks show at the Continental Golf Club. Our hotel was a quick ten-minute walk from the fireworks show. We ended up with front row seats to watch the fireworks. The city of Flagstaff and the first responders did an amazing job with everything from crowd control to the actual fireworks show. It was the first time my Fiancé and I watched a firework show together. We set the camera on the tripod and laid our blanket on the soft baby Bermuda grass of the golf course and enjoyed a wonderful show in perfect 67-degree weather!

The next morning was the “grand” event. We wanted to watch the sunrise at Mather Point on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. So, we left our hotel room in Flagstaff at 3:00 AM on July 5^th; yes, we were committed. We arrived at the canyon around 4:50 AM. The entrance fee into the Grand Canyon is $35 per car. We parked our car at the Visitor’s Center and embarked on a short ten-minute walk to Mather Point. There were a few people waiting to catch the sunrise but we expected a bigger crowd than what we saw. As the sun started to rise over the horizon, we got to witness the true magnificence of the canyon. At that moment, I knew why so many photographers kept telling me that it was impossible to capture the glory of this canyon in a picture and they were right. The Grand Canyon is 200 miles wide and a mile deep. It’s majestic, beautiful, and is a spectacular testament to the glory and might of God. After exploring other parts of the park, mainly to the west of Mather Point towards El Tovar hotel, we decided to make our way to Horseshoe Bend. We were in route on 64 East. At this point, I was pretty disappointed about my pictures. My whole purpose for the trip was to shoot a Panoramic picture of the canyon, which I’d be able to print. As we were getting closer to the park’s exit gates, we decided to make one last stop at Lipan Point. This was the spot that ensured I’d go home with a printable pano! The views were breathtaking, the haze cleared up, and we got to see the Colorado river in the valley below. We packed up our gear, ate the PB&J sandwiches we prepped the night before and made our way to Horseshoe Bend.

It took us two hours to get to Horseshoe Bend. Parking fee is $10 per car. We got to the parking lot at 12:30 PM and by this point the crowds were beginning to swell. It was also much hotter at Horseshoe Bend than it was at the Grand Canyon. We parked our car, and walked about a mile to the bend. We were amazed at the level of freedom visitors were granted. We could walk all the way to the edge and see the beautiful view and the vertigo causing drop below. After snapping a couple of pictures, we hiked back to the car and started our two-hour drive back to Flagstaff.

We got a goodnight’s sleep after a grueling day full of the beauty and the hot Arizona sun. On July 6^th we made our way back to Phoenix with the help of an amazing cup of Cocomo from Dutch Bros Coffee; we desperately need these in Texas! As we were driving into Phoenix, we decided to check out the Old Town area of Scottsdale, which is 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix. We decided to eat at the Jewel of the Crown, an Indian restaurant in Scottsdale. I have very high expectations for Indian food and this restaurant surpassed them completely. After filling up our bellies with Lamb Keema Samosas, Puri, Lamb Curry, and Raita we explored Old Town. It’s filled with amazing architecture, shopping, restaurants and bars. The hundred plus degree heat during the middle of the day was a little overwhelming though. After exploring, we turned in for the night and got some great night’s sleep before our red eye to Austin, Texas on July 7^th.

We could’ve spent months here and wouldn’t have scratched the surface. Arizona completely blew me away. The landscape, the gracious and welcoming people, and the culture ensured that we had a wonderful experience. Don’t ponder anymore, start planning your trip to the Grand Canyon State now!

There are many positive benefits associated with installing solar panels for your home. Solar panels are great for the environment, and they can save you thousands of dollars on your energy bills. Solar panels can also increase the value of your home, and many utilities offer incentives to install them. Austin Energy, in particular, makes it easy and appealing for its customers to install solar on their home.

Austin Energy customers have three incentives that make going solar an easy decision for most homeowners in its territory. These incentives include a rebate; Austin Energy’s Value of Solar program, and the Federal Investment Tax credit.

Austin Energy offers a flat rebate of $2,500 for residential solar installations. There are some stipulations. A registered solar contractor who is on Austin Energy’s approved contractor list must complete the installation. Furthermore, the system specifications have to meet specific standards set by Austin Energy. The burden of meeting these standards is the contractor’s responsibility. Also, Austin Energy requires customers seeking this rebate to take its short solar education course and pass a quiz at the end. Don’t worry, if I can make it through this quiz, so can you!

It is essential to understand how electric companies charge customers to grasp the Value of Solar incentive offered by Austin Energy. Electric companies use a metric called “kilo Watt hours” (kWh) to measure the amount of energy a customer uses. For example, if your electric company’s rate is $.10/kWh and you use 1,000 kWh a month to power your home, then your monthly electric bill would be $100. Austin Energy charges customers based on a tier status. The chart for the tiers is listed below.

The Value of Solar incentive allows the customer to sell all energy produced from their solar panels to Austin Energy for a credit on their bill. They buy the generated power at the rate of $0.097/kWh. For example, if an Austin Energy customer uses 500 kWh a month, but their solar system produces 1,000 kWh in that month, the customer will be billed for $45.50 however, they will have a credit for  $97. In this instance, the customer would not pay anything for that month, and the remaining credit of $51.50 is used on future bills. Most customers typically see credits during the winter months, and these credits will usually be applied to their summer bills when the Central Texas heat is causing people to turn up their air conditioning systems.

Finally, the third benefit of going solar in Austin Energy territory applies to solar installation customers nationwide. The federal government offers a 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to eligible taxpayers. The caveat is that solar customers must pay that amount in taxes to be able to take advantage of the ITC. If a person installs solar panels on their home for $10,000, then they could be eligible to get $3,000 in tax credit granted they already paid $3,000 that year in income taxes, or they have a liability of $3,000 in income taxes. The good news is that the ITC can be taken advantage of for five years.

Voyage Solar Energy, LLC is a reputable company with five-star reviews in the Austin area. Voyage is also on the Austin Energy’s contractor list. If you need further information while you consider solar for your home, Voyage can give you a free estimate with no obligation to buy! Furthermore, Voyage offers zero down financing, military discounts, first responder discounts and discounts for teachers.

A couple of Thanksgivings ago I was having a conversation with my family around the dinner table. My uncle had flown into Texas for the week to spend time with the family. At one point, I responded to a comment from another family member by saying, “I don’t think I have time to do all that.” When I said that my uncle, who I respect and look up to more than anyone else, said something to me along the lines of there is no such thing, as “I don’t have time.” I tried my best to understand his comment but I couldn’t figure out how it was possible to have the time to do all the things I wanted to accomplish. Almost three years later, I think I finally understand his statement, thanks to the life experience I’ve gained since that Thanksgiving.

I’m currently getting two start-ups off the ground; finishing up my MBA, maintaining an excellent social life and indulging in a trove of hobbies that take up a great deal of time. I can tell you two things: If I have the time to do all these things, so do you and there really is no such thing, as “I don’t have time” when it comes to achieving your goals. I hear this excuse almost every day and it left me searching for remedies to this state of mind. Here are three ways to have more time to achieve meaningful goals that you set for yourself:

Stop doing things that don’t matter: We claim to not have enough time to accomplish our goals but in reality, we spend a great deal of time on things that are unnecessary. If we sacrificed some unimportant things in our lives we would realize how much time we truly have. If a person stops spending thirty minutes a day on social media, sleeps seven hours instead of eight, and gives up thirty minutes of television a day, they will have an extra thirty days worth of time. It took me one week to start my businesses and about three weeks to make two thousand plus people know that business exists.

Devote yourself to your causes: Sacrifice and fortitude are major keys to achieving your goals. I’ve gone months without talking to some of my friends and if I picked up the phone and called them today, it would be like we didn’t miss a beat. People who genuinely care for you will understand your lack of communication and will be there for you. If someone needs your attention every single day, cut him or her out. They do not act that way because they care for you; they act that way because of selfish reasons.

Stop being busy: Yes, you read that correctly. Stop being busy. I get extremely suspicious of people who are constantly “busy.” Busy does not equal productive. If you are productive then you won’t be busy. It is important to prioritize your tasks and stop being busy. I’ll take a person who can get all their tasks done in twenty hours a week rather than someone who works eighty hours a week.

I’m no better than anyone else. I’m pretty average when it comes to most things in life. I truly believe if an average person like me can accomplish so many tasks, most of you can too. It is a matter of prioritization, sacrifice, and fortitude to finish what you started.

I’ve been a start-up founder of a business for nine months now. It is imperative to periodically do a self-audit of yourself as the CEO. Here are the three things I failed at and the three things I succeeded at:

Failures

I became a CEO too fast: Yes, it is important to set the vision, mission and core values for a new company early on. However, the most important thing for a company, especially a start-up, is sales. I should’ve done the bare minimum for the higher visionary requirements and focused my efforts more on sales. I am extremely proud of our sales effort and our sales successes. I am critical of my limited involvement in that portion of the business. Especially in the area of recruiting and training salespeople.

I promised too much: Look; if you are starting a business it will be your baby. Most parents tend to be irrationally proud of their children. The same logic applies to your business. A part of me believes that this really is not a failure. You have to go into it with grandiose mentality about the success you will achieve. However, be prepared to not hit every single goal and benchmark you set for yourself and your company. This is normal, but be vigilant about the promises you are making to yourself, your business plan and to those around you.

I neglected my health: Being a business owner means you will work extremely hard and you will have limited time for activities that don’t involve your enterprise. After starting Voyage, I’ve dedicated a majority of time to the company. I started staying up late, sometimes even entire nights, I started gaining weight, I started eating junk food because it was the quickest way to get something in my system, I stopped reading and I let go of my spiritual health. I realize the repercussions of my decisions regarding my health; I am currently making adjustments to my lifestyle of accommodate my physical and spiritual health. I truly believe it gets easier as the start-up becomes an established, well-oiled machine. The first year can be tough and will require a lot of sacrifices, including your health.

Successes

I started a company: Starting a business is a success in itself. Best-case scenario your company will succeed and you make money, worst-case scenario it won’t succeed and you will learn life lessons, which are impossible to learn without this failure. So, if you started your own business, congratulations! You did something most people only dream of and are too afraid to make a reality. If you are thinking about starting your own business, stop thinking, just do it already!

I picked the best team: My people are my greatest assets. Plain and simple. Ask 10 business owners what challenges they face and nine out of ten will tell you it hard to find good employees. I tell you this with my entire heart; ALL of the people that I work with are the best personality wise, talent wise and work ethic wise. So, I’m patting myself on the back for picking people who are rock stars.

We stand by our core values: If you look at the reviews for Voyage, we only have 5-star reviews. We treat our customers the right way because we truly believe in our core values, which are integrity, respect, transparency and community service. I stated that becoming a CEO too quickly was a failure, but I believe setting the core values and getting your people to buy into them will absolutely clarify their priorities.

These past nine months flew by very quickly. They have been a blast and I don’t regret a single moment. One of the best qualities of entrepreneurs is that they don’t let an opportunity pass by because they are “thinking about it.” So if you want to be an entrepreneur just do it and stop thinking, you can always hire people who can do the thinking for you!