I am a mom and a Nana, but don't mistaken me for that old fashioned type of grandma! I am journaling my thoughts for Mariah, my 2 year old grand daughter. Showcasing the fun, the lessons and my past for her future!
I hope you enjoy the funny anecdotes and ramblings! Please feel free to comment and share!
Photography has become quite a passion for me. I am still quite an amateur, but I find it relaxing, fun and rewarding. I started by working with my grand daughter. She is was a boutique model and needed to have professional quality photography for her assignments. Lately, she hasn't been modeling, but since she has been doing it for so many years (and she is only 3), she is very comfortable in front of the camera. In fact, I find that she asks ME to take her out and take pictures. I think she loves getting new outfits for the shoots too!
These are just a few of the fun shoots that we have had. But, lately, I have been working with others too. I recently did one for my husband, son and Mariah. It was super fun with the 3 of them;
And over the past month or so, I have experimented with others...this family was a riot and I think they encompass exactly what "Life's A Hoot" really means!
There have been some great times with these photos. I will share more on another blog, but I am super grateful for having the time to learn and grow. I am still learning, but will surely never put down the camera now!
Big thanks to the SnapKnot wedding photography directory for offering this great camera giveaway! I probably wouldn't have written this post if not for them.
It is not a topic that we like to discuss or even think about, but my job is not safe! As you browse the Real Estate ads in your local paper, or pass by a home with a real estate sign in the yard, you don't see that as a potential for danger, but I do. I see every aspect of my chosen profession as a danger, so that I am prepared to handle a situation if one arises.
I respect your home, I respect your desire to purchase a home and I hope you respect my right to protect myself from harm.
After a recent attack on a Realtor just a few miles away from the community I work, I decided to make Realtor Safety a matter of utmost important today. This could be said about any profession that takes you out into the public, even a door-to-door sales person must take safety seriously!
My work is my life! I love my job. I live my job. When you have passion for you what do, you put your all into it. My job makes me a public figure in many ways. I am plastered all over the internet for all to see. If you call me, I am ready to work for you! That's how much I believe in what I do and I treasure each and everyone of my clients as though they were my very own family. Doing what is right for them and giving it my all is the standard by which I work.
But, if you call me off an ad or walk into an open house and meet me, please know that I am also going to do the things that keep me safe and take steps to keep myself and clients safe. If I ask you to provide your driver's license or name and phone number, don't think that I am a pushy sales person first, think that I am keeping myself safe so that I get home to my family safely.
We don't know each other, but I have a family and my spouse, children and grand children all expect me to come home at night and be there when they need me and it's also my job to see to it I do!
I work hard for my clients to give them fair and honest representation, because I am a professional!
Please feel free to call me if you have Real Estate questions, I am Super Happy To Help!
This morning, someone posted an incredible video that really made me think about how often times we live in such a fast paced world, we don't stop and think about people and who they truly are. We view them as obstacles in our path instead of people with emotions and real things going on in their lives too. We are truly like a tornado blowing through our own lives and plowing through those things that mean so much to ourselves and others in our path. Leaving destruction, utter chaos and and in some cases, harm to those around us.
Maybe society's own answer to the heaviness weighing on itself is to simply to slow down, look around and NOT judge! Even if it is for just one day!
As I finished watching this video this morning, it stayed with me. I realized, as I was rushing to a home inspection, I get judged every single day and I know I do it to others.
Because of my job, I have to portray a person that you can trust. What does that exactly look like? Does that look like the person I really am on my day off? Hair not so cute, sweats, sneakers and barely or no makeup? Would that be the person you would choose to sell you a home worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? Probably not. So, I conform, like many others. I get my hair done regularly, my nails as well. I rarely dress down during the week. I drive a really nice car, I carry my fun and expensive tech tools and I enjoy them. But, does that make me a better person? All of this and I haven't even opened my mouth yet! Appearances do not serve us well!
Yet, when I work at home, I could be in my pajamas, I call you up and we have the exact same conversation as we would have in my office. Since you cannot see that I need a shower and I haven't even brushed my teeth yet, do you judge me? NO, I am the same confident and knowledgeable professional that you imagine on my business card! I am the same caring and sharing person that I strive to be every day. Without seeing me, you buy into my character, bases solely on what I am giving you.
After I let the home inspector into the property, I headed back to my office. I stopped at McDonald's for a quick cup of coffee and I see this older gentleman pushing his car out of the busy intersection and cars going around him on the left and the right. Out of all the people that stopped to help him, there was a guy in a car that looked as though it was barely held together by duct tape. He got out and he had long hair in a braid, a long beard like ZZ Top, flannel shirt and jacket and no gloves. It is the coldest morning in Southern Utah that I can remember. He gets out and helps him get the car out of the intersection. He gets it started for him and the old gentleman heads on his way. He acted as though it was all in a days work. What a great man! Would I have pegged him for that type of person? Probably not to be honest. But his character truly spoke to me!
I thought to myself, this is a prime example of judging one by their appearance and not their character. It doesn't matter what people look like, or if they are in your way on a busy day. If we were only judged by our character, imagine how much more positive things we could do!
Imagine if we could do that for just one day! I would call it, NON-JUDGEMENT day! A day to do nothing but absorb the world around you, recognizing that we all have our differences, our own paths to follow and embrace people just as they are.
I challenge you to have a "Non-Judgement Day"! I know I am going to.
For as long as I can remember, the pinnacle of December 31st has always been that moment when the ball in Time Square dropped as the clock struck midnight. The build up to that moment was always just as much fun. When I was very young, I remember my parents having parties at their home. Days of preparation went into a night with a lot of alcohol and dishes of yummy treats all over the place. My mom could be seen decorating and cleaning and yelling orders throughout the house. There was nothing quite like it!
In those days, we dropped long before the ball did and right along side the wine drinkers that to this day probably can't remember one single countdown!
Being from NY, I had always wanted to go to that great big TIME SQUARE for New Years Eve. Dick Clark made it look like so much fun. Even as he wore his earmuffs, I never once got the feeling that he was too cold or too old to party that night! Well, I never made it to Time Square for New Years Eve. Some years ago, I did make it to see Time Square, but somehow it wasn't as glamorous in the daylight and it didn't seem so big either.
As I celebrate this year though, there will be many things that I would like to remember about 2012 and some I would rather forget. But, even those that I would rather forget, I am going to lovingly say good bye to. After all, if you don't say farewell with love, then you still hold on to pieces of those things.
As I count down tonight, I won't be at Time Square because Dick Clark won't be there. I won't be wearing ear muffs and shivering from the cold. But I will be singing SameAuld Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg style,and counting my blessings along side the ones I love, in front of the TV where it's warm and remembering all the great things that happened this year!
After all, we just lived through the end of the world, there can't be anything better than that!
Enjoy this tribute to a GREAT artists and man....One of my favorite songs!
Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne - 1980
A Little history!
The words 'Auld Lang Syne' literally translates from old Scottish dialect meaning 'Old Long Ago' and is about the love and friendship in times past. The lyrics in the song 'Auld Lang Syne' referring to 'We'll take a Cup of Kindness yet' relate to a drink shared by men and women to symbolize friendship.
Christmas Cookies ~ I bet that gets your attention!
In light of recent events in the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary, I plan on celebrating the children this week. My grand daughter being the object of my overwhelming love and affection and the focus of my concentration this week.
Have you ever just sat and cried over a tragedy that you had no personal attachment to? I have done my fair share of crying and my heart aching for those innocent children and super hero teachers. So, I turn my attention to the ones I love and reach out to them a little harder and a little more passionately.
This photo was captured by a reporter in memory of the 20 little students and 6 teachers that were killed on 12-14-12. This will forever be in our hearts and minds as a Nation.
Much like all of America and even other nations, we share an overwhelming sense of loss and care for these victims and their families. So, let's turn our attention to the loved ones right beside us and our neighbors and people we can help, show them how deeply we love them and celebrate the season with Jesus as the reason!
With that in mind, I just feel the need to bake Christmas Cookies with my Grand daughter. She was super excited to make the Princess Sugar Cookies Saturday with me. Tonight we are celebrating by being serenaded by her 3 favorite Disney Princesses singing their favorite Christmas Carols. We have more cookies to make tomorrow night and lots of prayers to lift up to God as we give thanks to him for all of the wonderful things we have in our lives and show our appreciation to him as our Savior.
Our hearts are full of compassion and reaching out, it shouldn't be something we do only in times of need, we should practice this every day!
Look to the Lord for guidance, love with all your might and give of yourself to others!
It will bring you all the yummy things that life can give :)
Have a blessed Holiday Season with the ones you Love!
I have just joined the Movement! The Video Movement. Let me share a little about myself and you will understand just how I can get so excited!
I am super excited about the places in my life that I am going to be using this.
First of all, let me tell you a little bit about me, then you can understand why this product is so super exciting.
I have been in the real estate industry for 12 years. About 2008, my life went in a million directions all at once as I prepared to be the President of the Women's Council of Realtors for Washington County. I took the marketing and internet knowledge that I had and used it to run our chapter in 2009. I traveled to other states to functions and networked with a ton of people...it was an exciting time. It was also the first year that we received an excellence award for our chapter and we grew fast.
During that time, I leveraged facebook to keep in touch with all those I met from around the country and soon, I mentored with social media gurus in my industry. I was asked to teach a class, one of our best attended classes, on social media and marketing. It kind of grew on me.
I have dived into all the medias, helped my daughter in law grow a boutique business and taught about social media resources on a state level at a WCR orientation in 2011. I was named 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the WCR on the state level and maintain the websites and social media for both state and local levels.
With all that, the owners of the company that I sell Real Estate for, came to me and offered me a paid position in my company to handle all their medias and technology every day.
That is just a brief run down of me. So, when I tell you this is exciting, I MEAN IT! All of my gurus tell me that video is on the rise....and I am finding that to be true. Companies such as Applebees International and Make A Wish Foundation, not to mention numerous others, have found this tool to be exactly what their company needs. It has gone global and people sending their family members on a mission or into the service, have been using this to keep in touch.
Take a few minutes and watch this webinar, it can truly change how you do business and keep in touch. In fact, one of the products, the video conferencing and video broadcasting, is probably one of my super favorite products. I still sit on the board for WCR State and this is going to be the answer to many prayers. I will not have to drive 4.5 to 5 hours for a meeting! Yay!!!
Want more information: Check out this webinar and then get with me, I will show you how to get out of the 40-40-40 club and back into LIFE!
Hello from the beautiful Southwest! I love living amongst the beautiful red mountains of Southern Utah, however, I was born and raised in a culture of history in a small town in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York.
I carry my family and rich traditions close to my heart and hope to pass them down.
I spend a lot of time with my Granddaughter. She is a breath of fresh air. But she has made me realize that I have so much to share with her. As I grow older, I also realize that I need to document these things so that she can carry them with her through her future and beyond.
Together, my granddaughter and I have embarked on creating memories through the projects we create with Chalk Couture products. Working side by side is an incredible journey!
