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!!!

Italian Cream Cake and the roomie!

It started waaaaay back in the sophomore year of my college days at good ol' Wayland Baptist College.  We were moving in the much nicer and bigger upper classman girls dorm that year and Cindy was my roommate.  Cindy was an outstanding roommate too but I didn't even begin to understand the benefits that she would bring to the table (literally) until she brought them to the table, or the desk, as was the case in our sweet little suite that we shared with Dorla and Sherry.  As I would find out very soon that year Cindy had a very talented and generous aunt that would supply her every so often with an Italian Cream Cake.  A whole one!  This cake was rich, filled with pecans and coconut and topped with a cream cheese/butter icing.  And I was hooked from then till now.  It is my favorite cake and I make one every chance I get which isn't often because if I make it then I eat it.  I mean, I guess Cindy and I could eat a whole cake all by ourselves back in the day but that was, well, back in the day and things have changed and rearranged a little, or a lot maybe.........well, let's just say I can't afford to eat a whole cake anymore.  

Anyway, because Bob is trying to be careful about what he eats and because I can't eat a whole cake by myself anymore I simply don't get to bake that often.  But I've been thinking about an Italian Cream Cake since about Christmas and it's just time.  We're having some friends over tomorrow night so there it is, my excuse.  And I'm taking full advantage. 

I love Italian Cream Cake because of how it tastes, obviously, but I also love it because it's such an old fashioned kind of cake.  The recipe has instructions like "beat egg whites till stiff, but not dry, and fold into batter" and "add flour and buttermilk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning with flour and ending with flour".  I never really have understood why you have to add them alternately and why you HAVE to begin and end with flour but I do it.  And I love doing it.  It helps me sort of touch base with how those little old ladies of long ago did it when they baked for the church covered dish supper.   

Cindy put up with me for two and a half years and we sure had some great times together.  Every time I make this cake I think about her and the thoughtfulness of her aunt that showed her love in the yummiest way.