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Runnin Down a Dream
“It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down, I had the radio on, I was drivin’.”-Tom Petty Well… we did it. We ran down our dream: the road-trip-summer-vacation that we’ve talked about for decades and had been planning for months. When I pictured us driving “into the great wide open,” I usually visualized a flat stretch of road that faded into the horizon and, while we had plenty of flat stretches, we also had plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns, literally and figuratively.. I guess that’s par for the course in 2020, right? Truth be told, as much as I’d like to blame 2020 for everything,…
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The Waiting
There’s a lot to unpack this time around. Let’s begin. First of all, there are really no lyrics, from this song, that I could contort into a real estate reference. I mean, I could -“Every day you get one more yard” – but it would be a ridiculous stretch. I’ll let it remain the peppy little love song it is. Instead, I’m going for the obvious: the title, in allll it’s truthy wonder. So much of life is about waiting, though not all waiting is equal. Waiting for a bus when you have free time is no big deal, but becomes much more stressful when you’re running late. Waiting on…
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Wildflowers
Wildflowers, as a song, isn’t the rockin’ good time we best know Tom Petty for, but that difference is what makes it special. A simple melody that almost reaches a Dylan-esque feel, as it works its way through a very “Peace & Love” vibe. Truly, this song was made for February, a month that is such a dramatic blend of extremes; it’s the dreariest time of year, in desperate need of some warm, cheerful thoughts, and it’s the month of love and romance, thanks to Valentine’s Day. What could be more romantic than a bunch of flowers? Wildflowers, in this particular instance, picked just for you. Imagine, that bright field…
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Into the Great Wide Open
As if I could kick off this year’s blog series with any other title. Last Fall, trying to pick a theme for this year’s blog, I ended up doing some crowd-sourcing. My friend, Sean Carpenter, suggested Tom Petty songs. As Realtors, who -presumably- write blogs about real estate, this makes perfect sense. Or not. Direct relevance aside, I loved the idea and, coincidentally, I’d already named our upcoming summer vacation, “IGWO 2020.” The line, “Into the great wide open,” seemed the perfect way to describe our plans for a roadtrip out west. It was all coming together… >>> Jumping back to the present, there is a real-estate-related point here and…
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Something For Everyone
Q: A vegan, a crossfitter and an atheist walk into a bar; how can you tell which is which? A: Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. It’s really interesting, how many different types of people we have on our tiny planet. In some instances, you may never know of the interests or inclinations of your neighbor. In other cases, people feel so strongly about their convictions and life paths that they want everyone to know about the amazing benefits of their decisions and terrible consequences of ignoring their warnings. Different strokes for different folks, you know? It keeps life interesting. For example, it may interest you to know that November 1st…
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The HGTV Effect
One of my very favorite stories to tell when I’m teaching new agents about working with buyers, is the one about the client who was so caught up in the home-buying process that she was basically starring in her very own (imaginary) reality tv show. She was a first time home buyer, which is a pretty big deal, and she had fully immersed herself in the experience. For her, this included a pretty solid HGTV addiction and she knew all the buzz words and phrases -“we’ll just blow out this wall,” “it’s got good bones” and, of course, “shiplap.” The short version is, at the very first property we toured,…
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Kittens and Vegans and Realtors, Oh My!
Do you ever see something posted on social media -maybe a meme with a sad, homeless kitten, that says ‘This Kitty Probably Won’t Even Get One Like.’- and you think to yourself, “Heeyyyy, wait a minute. I saw that same sad kitten trying to guilt me into liking it last week!” Only, now that you think about it, last week, the kitten wanted you to donate to feline whisker research… Same cat, different guilt trip. What are we to believe? Same thing with these amazing food-related holidays. August 27th is National Burger Day but, last month, July 28th was National Hamburger Day. Was last month for purists and this month…
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4% Of The Time- I Got You
April is a month where so many things I love come together. It holds the promise of Spring and warmer weather and my birthday. April also holds my very favorite real estate conference and one of the best, food-related holidays on the calendar. April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day. Although deserving of much more than a day, but humble enough to accept the simple honor, this sandwich is a staple. From the original white-bread-and-Kraft-singles staple of our youth, to fancier, grown up versions that evolved -either from necessity or maturing tastes- to things like this masterpiece from Le Noir Southern Bistro. Those savory layers were slathered in a tasty…
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Jealous?
You should be. March 23rd is National Chips & Dip Day. To clarify, when I think of chips and dip, I’m not talking about fried tortilla bits and runny garden smush (though that combo has a time and place, for sure!). I’m talking about crispy-thin slices of golden potato, lowered into a creamy blend of dairy and a particular selection of spices. Potato chips and French Onion dip. Specifically, Prairie Farms French Onion Dip. If you’ve had it, you know what I mean. Growing up, absolutely nothing else would do and everyone knew it. PF’s dip is distinct and far superior to any other brand, off-brand, or store-brand. It was…
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Food Focus
As I began searching for a theme for this year’s blogs, I remembered a fun little calendar that the good folks at Bite Squad sent me. Each month has a clever food pun and the food-related national holidays are listed in the squares. This seemed great, at first blush: I like food, I like blogging and I like Bite Squad. A Realtor, building a year’s worth of blogging on a foundation of obscure, foodie holidays? I could be on to something. Speaking of Bite Squad, have you used the service yet? They bring you food from restaurants that don’t deliver and you can do the whole thing online. If…
