Merry Christmas to me!

I planted this Christmas Camelia about five years ago and it's bloomed once but just barely.  I had kind of given up on it ever doing anything but be a pretty evergreeen bush but this year it's really blossomed.  And it looks like it'll be in full bloom for Christmas.   
                                                                                           Merry Christmas to me!

Seminary South

I don't think a Christmas has gone by in my adult life that I haven't thought about Seminary South in Ft. Worth.  It was probably one of the first malls in the DFW area and we shopped there a lot when we lived in Joshua and Cleburne. 

In my memory it was a kid's paradise.  My mom could pretty much always be found in Sears so the rest of us were on our own and free to roam the stores and outdoor sidewalks.  Murphy's was the place to browse all the "neat" stuff and dream about how to spend whatever money I might have had at the time.  Most of the stores had escalators to basements and that was definitely a source of entertainment. 

Spencers probably should've been banned from our sphere of discovery and exploration but I'm not sure Mom and Dad even knew what was there.  I can remember walking slowly through being absolutely shocked and mesmerized by the shelves of naughtiness.

We didn't go down to the Striplings end of the mall much.  That was considered upscale and I'm sure my mom thought Sears was more affordable for our big family.

Throughout my childhood I remember my five siblings and I would exchange gifts at Christmas.  I don't know where we got the money or how much any of us had to spend but somehow I was able to buy five gifts and Seminary South was where I remember doing it with what must surely have been meager funds.   

Usually on Christmas Eve before I was a teenager, we'd travel to Dallas to celebrate with Dad's family and exchange gifts.  It might have happened several times but I remember one particular Christmas Eve when we were on our way back home from Dallas we stopped at Seminary South.   I even kind of remember not having a clue why we were stopping but I'm sure my mom had a few last minute things to get.  I mostly remember daylight when shopping at SS but this particular time it was late...and dark.  There was a sense of excitement because of that and because Santa would arrive at our house soon.  As we were walking through the outside area between the stores I saw a man laying on a bench.  I don't know why this stuck in my head but I remember feeling sad because he was there.  I don't think it occurred to me that he might be "homeless".  I don't think I even knew that word then.  But I was sad because he didn't have anything better to do when there was family to be with, warm homes to be in, and Christmas Eve to fully experience. 

 

I'm not sure when Seminary South changed because we didn't go there after we moved to Whitesboro.  But eventually it became a regular indoor mall and now I think it's a Mexican shopping area.  Now that the outdoor mall idea is becoming so popular I sure wish somebody would've had the insight to keep SS the way it was.  I'm sure it would be a hot spot in all it's vintage glory......boy, I'm old!   

.

Speaking of..........

In writing my last post my thoughts were turned back thirty years to that first special tree of our marriage.  As I said, when I was a little girl my family would go to my mother's cousin's property north of Whitesboro and hunt for just the right Christmas cedar.  So Bob and I carried on the tradition.  Here's an oh, so young Bob with our find in the back of his 1950 Chevy pickup.    

 

And here is the final product all decked out in it's first-year-of-marriage glory.  You can't see them but it's got these tiny wooden ornaments that I found in a magazine and ordered through the mail.  For those of you younger than 30, that's called mail order.  Kind of amazing to think about now.

I'm not sure how many trees we trekked in the woods for but not long after we had babies the cousins sold the land, allergies got involved, and time just didn't allow the journey.  But we've always had a live tree.  We get them at various places and actually even found a tree farm close by last year so were able to hunt and chop.  They were sold out this year, unfortunately.   

 

And that brings us all the way to 2012 and oh, how times have changed since Bob and I made that journey for our first tree.  Here's Kaylee, Bobby, and Bobby's sweet girlfriend, Jennifer conquering their prey at Home Depot.  Each year I think maybe this is the year I'll get a fake tree.  But then I think about times like last Sunday when we went out as a family in search of the perfect Christmas tree.......and then I think, nope, not this year.  Maybe next............ 

Christmas Magic!

 

If I could add one thing to my house I think it would be a fireplace.  I have these fantasies of curling up in a comfy chair with a good book and the warm and crackling sound to keep me company. 

 

But alas, my house is bereft of that luxury.

 

However, once a year at Christmas, there's a pretty fair substitute when for two or three weeks I can bask in the comfort of my Christmas tree.  No, it doesn't put out any physical warmth and the friendly crackling is sadly missing, but it does have a welcoming glow from the lights and the simple but well loved ornaments.  It also brings with it the warm and comforting memories of Christmases past. 

 

My mom loved Christmas.  Every year we'd make a trip to Whitesboro, where her parents lived, and trek around her cousin's land, looking for just the right Christmas tree.  We all helped with the decorating part but my mom would spend spare minutes afterward, tweaking it till it looked just right.  For her, the placement of the tinsel was most important.  We kids would want to get it on quickly and be done with it but Mom would spend time putting each individual strand on till the tree looked like it belonged to Santa himself. 

 

Providing gifts for six children on a limited, single breadwinner budget surely wasn't easy but as far as I was concerned, our Christmases were rich with fun and laughter and whatever gifts we did have.  My siblings and I were like pretty much any other kids at Christmas and were awake and excited before light of day.  We'd tiptoe quietly into the living room and....there it was!  Magic!  The magic of the softly shining lights and the neat and brightly wrapped mysteries underneath the tree.  It was as if the tree was saying, "Come on, I can't wait for you to see what's here for you!"

 

What a great representation of what Christmas is all about when on that first long ago birthday of our Savior, God was saying, "Come, see and take part in what I have in store for you". 

 

Now that I've raised my children and we've put up many trees over the years, I still relish the childlike excitement that Christmas and each lovely tree brings.  Our tree has ornaments on it that were also on that very first tree that Bob and I brought home 30 years ago.  It also has newer ornaments, those that my children have made and those that I've bought them that represent their personalities.  And, of course, each tree has individually placed tinsel that creates the sparkling magic.  Magic that I have tried to recreate from memory for my children. 

 

Now that they're basically out of the house and Bob and I are slowing down just a bit it's hard to find that same enthusiasm to get the decorations out and put up.  But when it's done and everything's in place and I'm relaxed in front of the tree, my childlike wonder and excitement always comes back.

 

So for the next couple of weeks I can curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy the welcoming warmth of my glowing Christmas tree.  Magic! 



A Little Chicken Drama

Well, drama might be a little dramatic but after a month of real estate drama I'm ready for another kind so that's where I'm going with it.

Last week my dear devoted son (snicker) Bobby was home and decided he'd smoke the turkey for turkey day.  That was a blessing and I sure appreciated his time and effort.  But while he was outside monitoring the smoker he apparently had lots of time on his hands because he videoed the Barred Rock, one of our chickens.

You just never know what those rascals will do when you're not looking! 

And now we can play a game that Kaylee always used to enjoy when she watched Sesame Street.  One of these things is not like the other................

 

In case you can't tell, there's one green egg.  The next door neighbors have chickens also but theirs, shall we say, fly the coop.  Quite frequently we'll see neighbor chickens roaming in other yards, including ours.  One chicken in particular, a pretty white one, has discovered our nesting boxes and LOVES them.  She'll sneak over once a day when she can and lays a green egg in our nest.

 

I've snitched on her to her owner and she'll be kept at home for a couple of days.  But then as soon as she can she hops the fence to unload her cargo, so to speak.  One day when I'd been gone all day so hadn't unlatched our coop, Bob found one of the errant hen's green eggs on the ground close to our coop.  Poor thing!  The neighbors don't really have an established nest so the hens over there just kind of lay where they want to.  Not really very good chicken owning practices in my humble opinion.

 

I'm writing about chickens because you DO NOT want to hear about what's been occupying my every waking stressed out moment for the last month, real estate.  If I knew how to do it I'd insert the "Jaws" theme song right here because it would be so appropriate.  That's what my life has been as of late:  a guppy amidst a whole school of sharks.  I haven't been eaten alive yet but........................ 

 

Me, Ebby, and Trouble!

I made it!  I finished Ebby School last month and part of the reward was meeting the great lady herself, Ebby Halliday!  She was nothing by gracious and so very nice.  It's no wonder she has been such a successful icon in the DFW area.  

 

I might not have mentioned in my post about starting this real estate career but let me just say here and now........THIS IS THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE!!

 

And if that's not sufficient whining, somebody get the violin tuned because, it's hard enough learning how to be a real estate agent.  Just try learning to be one and be me at the same time!!  Not kidding!  I'm the fifth in a family of six and, truly, I think my parents ran out of brain organizing genes by the time they got to me.

 

Here's just a few examples of some of my foibles of late:

1. This last weekend I was manipulating my way through a HUD deal so was talking to the listing agent with the property.  To make things easier I entered his number into my contacts and away we went.  Oh, I was feeling very professional as I dealt with him about HUD details.  In the midst of all that Bob and I were texting each other and, imagine my embarassment, when my text to Bob somehow got sent to this guy I'd only just met!  And it happened twice!  Are you kidding me???  I mean, phone, if you're going to send my text somewhere it's not supposed to go, did it have to be to a stranger?  Sigh!

 

2.  On Sunday I hosted an open house for another agent in our office and, afterward, I was kind of in a hurry to get home.  Well, as soon as I walked in the door I realized I had left my three Open House signs at the house!  See, now aren't you glad you're not me?

 

3.  Here's another one about HUD houses.  Apparently, when a house is being sold by the government, they don't leave the utilities on.  I was showing five houses that day and saved the HUD ones till the end.......after dark, of course!  Ugh!

 

So that's kind of how my life goes.  And all of that was just last week!  But while I didn't get many brain organizing genes, I got lots of shake it off and move forward genes because that's just what I do.  I'm still working with this young couple after all of the HUD and light fiasco so apparently all is not lost........or maybe they just feel sorry for me.........sigh again!

 

While this little real estate venture is truly one of the hardest things I've ever done, at the same time I'm getting to meet a lot of new people, I'm beginning to enjoy the challenge, and I'm actually starting to just have a lot of straight up fun.  I might even sell a house one of these days!  : )  

 

  

Good job guys!

 

The Southeastern Oklahoma State University Flight Team are the official first place winners of the 2012 SAFECON regional flight competition.  And Bobby is the captain!  Can't get much better than that.  (Bobby's 2nd from the left)

 

Every year Bobby's been at Southeastern as part of the team, they've always participated in this regional competition out of state in places like Nebraska and Kansas.  But this year SOSU hosted the games and it worked well for them because they won the whole thing.  And my favorite part was that Bob, Kaylee, Jennifer, and I got to attend the awards banquet on Friday following the week long competition. 

 

They recognized the top 20 out of each individual competition and we were thrilled and so proud as Bobby was awarded one 2nd place, two 3rd place, and two 5th place awards for his events.  What an exciting and proud way to do it in his senior year.  

 

Now they're bound for Ohio and the national competition in May.  Congratulations Bobby and the whole SOSU flight team!   



Boston twice

We finally got to see the ocean!  We woke up to clear skies, sunshine, and high 70's for the day.  Pretty nice!  Our Boston experience actually started yesterday when we drove in from Newport in a dreary drizzle.  And it didn't get much better through the day.  But we persevered.  

 

We stopped in Plymouth and drove to the coast where Plymouth Rock was.  We found it and the Mayflower II.  The ocean is in the background but as you can see our luck hadn't changed yet.    

After Plymouth we drove on into Boston and hit Fenway Park and Harvard.  The weather didn't really affect either and we had a great time taking in a little Bahston history! 

That was yesterday.  As I said before, today's weather was pretty much perfect so we were in good spirits as we drove into Boston again, hopped onto one of the tour trolleys (it's why our hair looks so wind blown in the following pictures), and started our trip back in time.........well, as much as you can with crazy traffic and huge modern buildings all around.  It was really pretty much a big city but it was truly beautiful for a big city.  I just couldn't believe the old buildings that just went on and on and on, especially Beacon Hill.  Amazing!

 

There really wasn't a good reason for this picture except that I couldn't pass up the opportunity since macaroni and cheese is one of Kaylee's favorites. 

And then there was Paul Revere.  He's always been kind of a background personality to me when I've studied about the founding of our country but that may have changed.  He was apparently a very hard working and trust worthy man and he had thirteen children, for goodness sake.  What's not to like about that! 

And of course there's the gelato.  The North End was full of Italian restaurants so we finally picked one and then went a couple of doors down and had Italian ice cream.  It was okay.  Not Blue Bell, of course. 

The things that stuck out most to me about Boston was, of course, the age.  And the history is obviously so meaningful and so cool to actually experience it all in person.  Being in a big city was pretty predictable except that here, the streets and sidewalks were much more narrow than what I'm used to.  Well, let's just say it--I'm from Texas and being in such an old city where everything is jammed together makes me feel a little claustrophobic.

 

So we completed our time in Boston in the late afternoon and then headed to the ocean.  I'd read about Marblehead when we were researching our trip and had decided that we just wouldn't have time to fit it in.  But we had some daylight left on this perfect weather day so that's where we headed.  And it was so worth it!  I thought it was sort of a present day Newport.  There were lots and lots of really amazing houses and quite a few looked pretty new.  It was such a quaint town and made for a beautiful sunset adventure.  That's where the first picture in this post was taken and then this one.        

We have one more morning left and we'll head over to Salem to check things out for a short time.  Then it's off to the airport in Manchester, NH, which makes seven states we've traveled through on Mom and Kaylee's excellent adventure!



Fog and Mansions

We woke up this morning to fog, hoping it would get better as the day went on but nope, it was not to be.  It's a pretty sad thing when you're right on the ocean and you can't see the ocean. 

 

But, on a much better note, we also woke up to an amazing breakfast that our host, Stuart, made for us.  We had blueberry covered Yorkshire pancakes and sausage, with pomegranate juice on the side. 

 

Then, rested and nourished, we made our way into Newport to see the mansions.  We started at The Breakers and here's a picture of the front.

We found out very quickly that some people just plain have too much money.  I mean, seriously, were they just looking for places to spend it?  Apparently!  The Breakers was my favorite partly because it seemed more like a home, and partly because I think I could have been friends with ol' Cornelius and Alice (Vanderbilt, of course).  They met while they were both teaching Sunday School and, even though four out of their seven children died young, "their faith brought them through those times".

 

This next picture shows how bad the annoying fog was.  We're looking out from the upstairs balcony at the lawn and................fog!  We just assumed the ocean was out there because they told us it was.       



Okay, remember how I said I thought I might be friends with Alice Vanderbilt?  Well, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been friends with her sister-in-law, Alva, who built The Marble House.  If for no other reason than that she also had this monstrocity built in her back yard.  Maybe it was considered pretty back then and maybe I'm offending some of you right now by dissing it but it's definitely not my taste.  And I also didn't like her much because she divorced good ol' Cornelius' brother, William after only 14 years and, honestly, it sounded like she did it because it just wasn't done and she wanted to be the first to start the trend or something.  Anyway, here's the Chinese Tea Room with the elusive ocean in the background.  Can you tell I'm bitter about the fog?   

Obviously I'm not too distressed about it because I look pretty happy here in the back yard of The Marble House.  Note my Ebby t-shirt I won at Ebby School.

Since we were in Alva's back yard we went ahead and walked all the way back to the cliffs and Kaylee got this shot of the ocean, more fog, and some other oppulant homes in the distance.   

After a drive around to Land's End and the southern tip of Newport we picked up a pizza and came back to our little haven to watch the Presidential debate.  Priorities, right?



Fall has come!

Okay, at this point I'm wondering what the catch is.  Kaylee and I arrived in Portsmouth, RI this afternoon and were greeted by this amazing sight.  Our humongous and four star hotel style room on the 2nd story of a farm house.  Kaylee found it online for $100 a night.  What a deal.....if there's no catch, that is.  I'm waiting.  And enjoying!  This picture does not even do it justice.  Behind Kaylee is a partition and behind that is another beautiful bed. 

And this is the kitchen.  Everything is new, clean, and just perfect.  I thought about showing you the bathroom because it looks like a spa but I figured enough is enough.  We're here for two nights and we'll live in luxury and tomorrow will tour the historic homes of luxury in Newport.  Appropriate, right?   

I thought I'd see if you can guess what this relic of the past is.  I love maps!  There I said it.  I'm a map nerd!  I think it's one reason I enjoy my driving job.  I get to look at maps.  Anyway, our route today took us on some obscure scenic roads and I couldn't figure out how to enter that into our phones (I still think it sounds funny to say that) so I got to do it the old fashioned way.  And let me just say that pictures cannot do justice to the beauty of Connecticut!   

In a small town called Pomfret we happened upon a crew filming for a upcoming Cuba Gooding movie about slavery.  Yeah, much to Kaylee's embarassment I made her pull over so I could ask a young man who was an extra. 

This picture pretty much explains itself. 

 

 

 

Here I am with my four picked apples.  I'm pretty sure I've never picked apples before so I was excited.  It doesn't take much, right?  I wish you could have seen this little farmstand for real.  The colors were so vibrant.....everywhere!  I'm pretty sure that fall will never be the same for me.  We in Texas don't even know real fall.  I always thought we did but not anymore. 

And last but not least I had to show you this picture of the First Baptist Church......not sure of where since it was out in the middle of nowhere on a country road  Too bad we weren't driving by on a Sunday.                   

We finished our day driving on the Rhode Island Coast in the misting rain and arrived in Newport about mid afternoon.  We made a quick drive through but decided to just hang out for the rest of the evening.  And how nice to be greeted by such a nice place to do so.  Tomorrow we'll be seeing Newport fully so I'm sure I'll have lots of pics of that. We're hoping the rain stays at least mostly away.   

Four States In One Day!

We woke up to a beautiful sunshiny 73 degree day in Ronk, PA, just outside Lancaster. Our motel was a little less than desirable but there were waffles waiting for us in the morning so all was forgiven. I love waffles!

 

After breakfast our plan was to follow a route that would take us to see some covered bridges but that didn't work out so well. I'm blaming it on the instructions we had. But all was not lost. During our little hunt for bridges we were able to see mile after mile of beautiful rolling hills and Amish farms. What a beautiful day God blessed us with in our goal for the morning.

After driving around for about two hours and before continuing on our journey we stopped to get gas and I saw this neat little buggy beside the parking lot.  So I decided to take advantage of the photo op.

 

And Kaylee decided to be funny!  No, I don't normally wear my hair that way!  Actually, I laughed pretty hard for about the next hour.

And then we were off......again!  It was about an hour's drive to Philadelphia and we found ourselves in a big city again.  But what a city!  I just can't get over the age of all the buildings in PA.  Our plan was to gain a little history knowledge so we headed straight for Independence Hall to get our tickets for entrance a little later in the day. 

 

Apparently our waffles weren't sufficient or maybe it was the weather.  But we were so hungry by that time so we headed out to find a cheese steak stand that Kaylee had read about.  We walked a little over a mile which was fine because we'd been in the car so much the last couple of days AND we got to see lots more of Philly.  And it was so interesting.  And old, of course.  And so different from Denton! Love that! 

 

And the cheese steak was amazing! So worth the walk.  There were two little competing stands and both were busy.  We shared a sandwich and some fries (that were really yummy too!) We were so hungry we forgot to take a picture till after we were finished.  Here's the leftovers.  Oops, there are none!        

Here's Kaylee posing where we ate.

Of course we had to take the obligatory picture in front of the liberty bell.

And then Independence Hall

At about 3 we continued on our journey which took us through Trenton, NJ.  Hmmmm!  I guess all I'll say about that is that it sure was different from our drive through the mountains of PA.  I love America! 

 

I was so proud of us!  With Kaylee driving and me navigating, we maneuvered our way through New Jersey and just north of New York City like pros!  And in rush hour traffic to boot!  Yay us!!  Yeah, and while I was sure excited to see all there was to see I don't think I'll be too anxious to do it again.  I mean other than the traffic it's just.....well, crowded.  I mean, in some places, on either side of the road there just wasn't any room.  Stores and houses were just right there.  

 

This picture isn't very good and it doesn't even do justice to the view we actually saw but I took this when we were crossing the Washington Bridge in New Jersey.  The view was of Manhattan.  I just couldn't believe we were there!    

We made it through rush hour traffic and then hit Connecticut, a whole different world.  It was getting dark and we were on a highway so we couldn't see much but enough to be sad that we couldn't see more.  We drove along the coast so, as the sun set, we could see a little of the water between the trees.  We stopped at a Denny's like restaurant to get a late supper and then drove the last hour to Hartford where we stayed the night.  Brand new Super 8!  Much better than the night before.

 

Day 2--The beauty of Pennsylvania

The day started out very well when we were able to worship with Kaylee's friends at the church where she served as summer missionary in 2007.  It was a very small Baptist church in Freeport, PA, about 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh. 

 

The Cogley family allowed Kaylee to stay at their house that summer and were like a second family.  And they continued their generosity today when they treated us to lunch at a Mexican restaurant close to the church.

 

And then our journey continued.  I don't think I really had a preconceived idea about what Pennsylvania would be like and yet I was very pleasantly surprised at the beauty of it.  The city of Pittsburgh was pretty for a big city but it was a big city after all.  As we left that area and drove east the hills kind of became mountains and the fall colors were even more vibrant.  There were so many really breathtaking views........that I didn't get pictures of, unfortunately.  We'd gotten a later start than we'd planned so we were sort of on a mission to get to Lancaster and didn't stop much at all.  You'll just have to take a trip there yourself and see.  It's well worth it.  

 

We drove through Gettysburg which, of course is so full of civil war history and the houses and buildings there and in the next couple of towns were really an amazing sight.  I mean, there are old houses in Texas but nothing like the quantity or style that we've seen today.  And so many of the houses were right there practically in the road.  It seemed like I could have reached my arm out the window to touch them.  Interesting!  

 

But soon we left the mountains and history and hit modern civilization again as we got closer to Lancaster.  It was dark when we got here so we've not seen signs of the Amish people but we'll hopefully be able to do that as we drive around a little in the morning and then head for Philly.  Liberty bell, here we come!    

Pittsburgh

First day of our trip north!  Kaylee came to Pittsburgh about five years ago on a missions trip through the BSM at Stephen F. Austin State University.

 

And ever since then she's talked about how beautiful it is so we just decided to pay a visit. 

 

We got an early start and enjoyed a very pleasant flying experience with US Airways, stopping to change planes at Charlotte, NC. 

 

After arriving in Pittsburgh we retrieved our little rental Mazda and made our way into the city.  It's really beautiful with lots of hills and the convergence of three rivers.  We ate at a local sandwich restaurant that Kaylee had remembered and liked when she was here and then we walked a bit at a downtown market.  It was a beautiful day though so there were lots of people out and we ended up not staying too long. 

 

We then rode the Duquesne Incline up the side of a mountain and reached this amazing view.  I have short sleeves on but was regretting the fact that I'd left my jacket in the car.  There was quite a chilly breeze blowing up there and it was just a beauiful day. 

 

We're now staying a bit north of the city and tomorrow morning we'll go to the church where Kaylee served as a summer youth minister.  And we're planning to have lunch with the people who were her 2nd family that summer. 

 

It's been a really great first of seven fun days of our trip through five states. 

TMI

Wow!  That's pretty much all I can say to myself and sometimes even out loud as I'm sitting in on Ebby School, a two week, every day, all day crash course in how to buy and sell real estate the Ebby Halliday way.

 

Not only is it every day for two weeks, it's in Dallas.  Yep!  I just thought I knew driving since I do it for a living but now I'm in there with the big boys.  These people mean business when they're on a mission and have a time schedule.  But I'm hanging in there with the best of them and I've officially become a "commuter".  Ugh!  Not exactly the goal I was striving for when I decided to get into real estate but, believe me, it's not the first new thing I've had to learn this past week.  

 

I'm getting bombarded with listing agreements, tax issues (I haven't filled out a tax form in 30 years, thanks to my very capable and immensely intelligent husband (maybe if he reads this he'll be sufficiently buttered up and won't mind at least attempting to do my taxes now that I'm self-employed)), closing statements, buyers' representation agreements, CSS, TAR, NAR, GWCDAR, etc, etc, etc.........  Yeah, now you can be as overwhelmed as I've been.  

 

I guess the one hurdle that I'm actually having a hard time jumping is how much I'm encouraged to sell myself and be pushy.  Not my comfort zone, to say the least.  Actually, I've made it my goal in life to dodge those kinds of people and now I am one.  Ugh again!  

 

But God and I have been having lots and lots of talks about the issue and what I'm hearing over and over from Him (I'm kind of a worrier and pretty stubborn so it takes a few times) is to just be me.  I can do that!  And if I can't be me and be successful then that's my cue to call it quits.  But I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.  This whole process has been overwhelming, intimidating, simply frightening, challenging, exciting, and sometimes even fun (I won a t-shirt last week and it was red!!).  And God's been right there beside me during this part of the journey so I'm in it till He gives the sign that it's time to bow out.  

 

One more week of Ebby School.  

 

And then it's Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts for me and my wild and crazy daughter Kaylee.  Fun times and blessings all around!      

The width of it!

"I don't want to just live the length of my life.

I want to live the width of it too!"

 

I heard this quote not too long ago and I've taken it for one of my own favorites.  And lately God and I have stretched the width of this old life pretty much till it's as tight as it will go.  I've become a real estate agent!

 

It kind of started when Kaylee bought her house last  year.  The whole process was so interesting to me and I found myself kind of sad when it was all over.  Then a young dad/realtor that walked his little girl across the street would chat with me every so often about little things going on with his business and actually encouraged me to give it a try.  So I did!  

 

I kind of blame it on God.  It has either been His leading or an amazing series of organized coincidences.  It started with that dad.  Then when I checked on classes, I found out that if I waited much longer then the requirements to become a real estate agent would get even harder.  So when I finally signed up for class it turns out that the company I went with just happened to be meeting in downtown Ft. Worth, where Bob just happened to be working at the time so I was able to hitch a ride with him.  

 

This temporary class site turned out to be held at the Petroleum Club on the 40th floor of an office building.  Very nice!  They even provided a light breakfast and waiters came in and out all day filling our tea glasses and checking to see if we needed something.  I'd just smile when the teacher raved about how "lucky" we were to get this kind of service because it certainly was not the norm.  I should've told them that they were just benefitting from God's blessing for me! : )

 

I was finally able to take my test and I passed!  Major relief!  But of course, why would God not allow me to pass after getting me that far?

 

The hardest part was yet to come.  It was time to find a broker.  The manager of the local Ebby Halliday office sent me an invitation to come and work there and it was the only invitation I received.  So I went to interview.  And chose to hang my shingle with them.

 

I'd like to say that from there it was downhill all the way but, nope!  Let me just say right here that making this life change is probably the hardest thing I've ever done and my life is certainly stretching its width.  But all along the way God has provided, encouraged, and blessed in very specific ways to get me three weeks in and I think I'm almost ready to take the training wheels off.  I know I've got SO much left to learn but it feels like I'm at least on the way. 

 

So I started here............ 



And this is where I am now..........................



 

I stand amazed!

26 years blessed!

I've been thinking about it and have a confession to make. When I hear people tell Kaylee happy birthday, I kind of secretly say the same to myself because her birthday is indeed a happy reminder of that blessed and exciting day 26 years ago when my daughter and friend, and one of the nicest, smartest, and funnest people I know, made her entrance into this world.



So Happy Birthday, my sweet Babycakes! (And a very happy your birthday to me too!) : )

Whew!

My great niece, Jade, is visiting me this weekend and this is a sample of what we've been doing. Man, oh man!  I'm worn out on so many levels!

A Special Visit

We had a visit the other day from some old friends.  The Hambys lived next door to us about 17 years ago and then they moved to Iowa.  There were three girls that Kaylee played with and dearly missed when they were gone.  Ruthann was closest to her age and so I've posted these pictures of the two of them starting on their first day of school in 1992.  The last picture was taken the other day when they visited.  Ruthann is now a beautiful and impressive  mother of three under the age of three.   

And then there's Shari, my friend and  dedicated pen pal of 17 years.  That picture on the left was taken before they moved and in the bottom left picture we could still show our knees when we wore our cool and certainly fashionable overall shorts.  And now here we are on the right.  I'm holding Ruthann's youngest, Briar, and Shari's holding Cossette, her second.  Shari now has seven granchildren three and under, and there are two more on the way.  And that's from just her three daughters.  Her son, Ryan, just graduated high school and is on his way to college in California.  In fact, that's why they were here.  They visited family in east Texas, stopped by my house for a breather and then part of them continued on their way to drop Ryan off for college.

Shari's not perfect but she knows it and that's the best part of having her for a freind.  But what a fun pleasure it's been to watch a godly mom raise godly children who are now raising godly children of their own.  Yep, that's how it's done.

Bits of Joy

It's hot!   You guys in Texas know this.  You also know that because of said heat there's just not much green and certainly even less of any other color.  But there are bits of joy to be had if you look hard enough.

About four years ago Kaylee, Bobby, and I (mostly Bobby) dug up all of the pointy stickery holly hedge in my front yard and I then planted azaleas.  I knew it would be a challenge but I wanted to at least try and it's fun to have a challenge every once in awhile, right? (she said weakly)  Well, I didn't necessarily lose the challenge but I didn't really win either when after the frigid winter of 2010/11 and then the brutal summer that followed, I lost three of my five bushes.  But I sucked it up like a big girl, bought new ones this past spring, and kept my fingers crossed.  Part of the reason I think I lost the original ones is that I didn't water or fertilize enough and I like to say I'm pretty good about learning from my mistakes (I make enough of them after all) so I've babied and petted these and so far, so good.....well, not completely.  Here's what's happened to one of the bushes. 

Let me insert here that part of my bits of joy is having this beautiful and hardy moon flower grow here in my front yard garden because of the compost I sprinkled around in the spring.  I had these a couple of summers ago but didn't save any of the seed so this time I'm saving them.  It's a great plant for the hot summers, as you can see, and it has the beautiful big white flowers in the morning.  But I digress.......see the sad azalea bush on the left above?  I've watered that thing till it's surely waterlogged a few times and I fertilized it hopefully enough but it still just turned all brown and crackly.  But look closer.......

There's new growth.  I really thought I was going to have to call this one dead and either start over or call it quits for this spot.  But hope is truly alive along with this plant, at least for now.  It's always fun to watch something come back to life.  We once had this dog named Lazarus............I'll save that for another post.  In the meantime, follow me now to the back yard!

The scene above has been kind of sad lately because on the right of the Oleander is where the gas company guys dug up a big circle of my flower garden and on the left is where the chickens had a hayday in my garden one day and dug up most of my ice plant and another flower that was doing pretty well.  (The good thing is that there is a remainder of both plants and they'll be back strong next spring)  But for now, between the hot summer, the gas guys, and the chickens, that section of my flower garden isn't looking very happy right now.........till today!  There really was joy when I went out this morning and spotted the flowers on my Oleander.

I planted this when I first created my garden area and it's struggled.  I almost lost it during that winter/summer I referred to earlier and it never has bloomed.  So now, four years later, there's a flower.  And what a vibrant color!  I knew I'd bought red but I hardly even remembered it because it's just done nothing for so long. 

So I refuse to be conquered by the heat!!  (Remind me I said that in about a week, please, if we continue to not get any rain)  Seriously, every time I step outside and have to suck in air because it's just hard to breathe in this stuff, I'll just walk over and see my beautiful plants that refuse to give up.  As will I!!!