Aurora Auto Repair

  ​4 Categories of Creative Gift Ideas for those HARD-TO-BUY-FOR Persons on your List by Renee Leon Tis the season to celebrate with family and friends! Many of these celebrations include the pressure of gift giving to special people who are especially difficult to buy for. Perhaps you’ll find some creative solutions below! Experiences For the Arts Aficionado:   Theatre tickets- local community theater or touring shows Concert tickets Movie passes Symphony tickets - https://aurorasymphony.org/ Art Museum passes or Membership -  ... read more

November… Being GUSHY About Gratitude By Renee’ Leon Newsletters will be popping up all month and the lowest hanging content-fruit: GRATITUDE. It’s a popular theme and rightly so! Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley—a leader in research on the science of social and emotional well-being—describes gratitude as the “social glue” key to building and nurturing strong relationships. Read more here: https://www.mindful.org/the-science-of-gratitude/ This month, I’d like to share MY gratitude for our customers and our Team. I’m grateful for the support of loyal customers and their many referrals, as well as new customers, willing to give us a chance. We’re about to mark 10 YEARS in operation and I sometimes pinch myself to ensure it is all real. I also have immense gratitude for our team, because without them, we coul ... read more

Fall = Time to Literally & Figuratively “CHILL” ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ By Renee Leon October is one of my favorite months. School is well underway, the changing season can be seen and felt, and goofy Halloween decor is showing up in our neighborhood. It’s a delightful month before the year speeds to a close with a busier social calendar and year-end deadlines. Consider taking October to pause and chill while you can. Savor a warm drink (perhaps a pumpkin spiced latter?) and maybe take a trip to the mountains to witness the gorgeous fall foliage. This chill-time is also an ideal time to catch up on the tasks you meant to do but that fell off the list in the busy-ness of August and September. Make the appointments – dentist, veterinary checkups, wellness checks, and car maintenance (see the Winterizing Special below 😉) Call your childhood/college bestie back and enjoy a meandering conversation Skip the endless scrolling on social me ... read more

How 10 Minutes & A Vision Map Can Help You Achieve Your 2022 Goals Before The Year Ends By Reneé Leon In September we transition from summer to fall and we can feel 2022 racing to the finish line. In Colorado, fall is often a seasonal “blip” and we move quickly into winter. Now is the time to consider the goals we set in January and if they can still be achieved! The transition from summer to fall is a great time to reassess, reengage, or at least REMEMBER some of our goals, personal and professional. Spend 10 minutes ranking the various aspects of your life on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being dissatisfied and 10 being ecstatic. Evaluate where you’d rank your satisfaction with family, work, relationships, sleep, and health (physical, mental, and spiritual). This can help you organize your vision map. By using a vision map (like a “GPS”), you can creatively plan ways around obstacles that crop ... read more

Farewell Summer, Hello to 10 Organizational HACKS to Start the School Year Strong! By Renee Leon For teachers and families with young children, August means the end of flexible schedules and the need to improve planning and communication. Depending on the family, the need to be HIGHLY efficient can be intense! I spoke to two IMPRESSIVE moms, both teachers, and am happy to share 10 tips for staying sane and organized.   Meal prep “What’s for dinner?” No need to panic. Spend 30 minutes a week to plan meals for the week and order them on your favorite grocery app. Then train the family to look at the meal plan and then ask, “how can I help with this incredible dinner?” Okay, that last part is still a dream, but it is a lovely one, yes?! Family calendar Paper calendar or fancy color-coded Google calendar. Either way, get the whole family to look at that calendar daily. HUGE help in ensuring everyone ... read more

July Tips to Being Cool & Staying Cool By Renee Leon We all want to be cool, literally and figuratively, right? Well, maybe some of us have let go of societal definitions of “cool”, but we surely want to enjoy friends and family this July and to stay cool along the way. Here are some tips for being Colorado Cool! First, a song called Colorado Cool by La Femme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3muG249ns     Next, schedule some cool outdoor activities. Find one of MANY unique coffee shops like Jubilee Roasting Co or The French Press! Maybe check out a Saturday Farmer’s Market near you! Try Rebel Marketplace (312 Del Mar Cir) or Southland’s Farmer’s Market (6100 S. Main St). First Saturdays of the month, check out Colfax Art Jams! As things heat up, head indoors fo ... read more

Father's Day Wisdom from Our Team Members Father’s Day, celebrated in the United States on the 3rd Sunday of June (June 19th this year) , is a day to celebrate the father figures in our lives. In honor of the positive father figures who have supported members of our team, I asked each to share something they learned from their fathers/male role models.  Jose G: My dad showed me strong work ethic. Juan: My dad taught me to develop my own skills and to depend on myself. Edgar: I was taught to use the power of my mind; our thoughts determine our path! Jose M: From my dad I’ve learned that communication creates a bond and friendship. Those friendships will help in the long run when you need them; knowing people is a big thing in life! Pedro: My dad is always fair and respectful. I try to be the same. Renee: My dad loves tools! He said to always using the right ... read more

8 Tips to Grow Your Savings (from my mom, Elaine) By Renee Leon I was fortunate to be raised by a quietly clever mother. At the age of 10, my mom, Elaine, learned to love saving money and the thrill of reaching a financial goal. She started saving money for her Christmas Club. By saving a quarter every week for a year, she was able to buy Christmas presents for her 6 brothers and sisters! My mom is also a very organized person who, once she commits to a goal, keeps it in her sights until she’s met it, no matter what. My sister, brother and I all were required to save a % of every paycheck as soon as we got jobs in high school. She started regularly investing a portion of our savings on our behalf and patiently explained where/how/why we needed to invest but I didn’t really grasp it. All I knew was that 1/3 of every paycheck was GONE and not accessible to me. Ever! Once I went to college and saw how much I’d “accidentally” saved and how it had grown&hellip ... read more

April = TAX TIME!   By Renee Leon April = TAX TIME! Along with laboring over our taxes, we are all faced with the reality of our financial situation - how it looks NOW and how it will look in 10, 15, or 20 years. Edgar and I have had many lively finance discussions with our good friend, customer, and First Command Financial Advisor, Sandy Wade, about various investing strategies. Today I’m sharing Sandy’s list of Top 8 Mistakes to Avoid in Pursuing Your Financial Goals. If you’d like a copy of the full, super-informative brochure from Sandy, you can contact her by clicking on this link: Sandy Wade: Financial Advisor in Aurora, CO (firstcommand.com). The brochure is a quick way to “check your work” and re-engage with your financial picture!   Top 8 Mistakes to Avoid in Pursuing Your Financial Goals MISTAKE #1: RELYING EXCLUSIVELY ON YOUR WORKPLACE BENEFITS Workplace benefits are only individual pieces of a ... read more

Colorado Winter Driving Tips for both New and Seasoned Drivers!   By Renee Leon Winter driving tips have been brought into SHARP FOCUS as Edgar and I are teaching our youngest daughter, Maci, to drive! There are many important tips to impart as we navigate driving on potentially slippery conditions. Here are a few Winter Driving reminders for us all as Colorado continues to deliver winter weather. Slow Down - Keep your distance; in wintry conditions you should increase your distance to 8-10 seconds.   Stay Alert - Know what's happening around you; frequently check your mirrors so you can react safely.   Be Noticed - Make sure other drivers SEE you and what you want to communicate (turn signals and brake lights). Be sure all your vehicle's lights are working properly. In this video, I share a tip on how to check your lights, even ... read more