Soaring with Eagles - These Dudes are the Real Deal.  Frequently, I'm inspired by things in nature that remind me of real transparency.  These dudes, at Wildlife Images in Grants Pass Oregon, are the real deal and were delighted to have me show them some love by taking their picture and sharing it with you on this fine Sunday afternoon. However, The Real Deal Dude I want to tell you about is a Realtor in Grants Pass named Brad Lamont.  Brad has been a competing colleague and friend of mine for over 10 years and we share occasional jibs and jabs, always coupled with huge smiles and mutual respect.  Recently, one of my listings came off market after a relentless effort in trying to get it sold at an unrealistic price.  The seller contacted Brad for a market analysis and what happened next... 08/14/2011

A Love Affair Begins with Trust.  Ever since I can remember, I've had a love affair with horses.  When I was in the 7th grade, I started a horse club with my girlfriends and we invented imaginary horses and gave them names.  Mine was Bronco.  We embroidered pictures of horses along with their names on our shirts and imagined ourselves riding bareback into the sunset.  I've always been a dreamer, but secretly I knew I would have my own horse one day.   Twenty years later, I bought two quarter horses, Rosie and Little Joe.  Rosie was a big girl at 17 hands and had a calm and pleasant demeanor.  She had a red roan coat with a beautiful mane that I loved to brush.  She was a pleasure to ride and was the perfect partner on the trail.  I thought we'd be joined at the saddle forever, but fate ... 07/28/2011

Yeah Baby - Give Me Some Kisses!  We start out as babes, loving ourselves and wanting to be loved.  Then, somewhere along the way, we begin our retreat into consciousness and self-doubt.  We allow the opinions of others to shape how we think about ourselves.  We lose our innocence and we start to see the world through the eyes of cynicism and fear.  And that prevailing attitude carries into adulthood, feeding and nurturing the never ending cycle of babble and confusion.  Oh to be a babe again! Yeah Baby - Give Me Some Kisses is an inspiring video I watch frequently.  It's a reminder that we need to love who we are... with all our quirks and flaws, and remain present in the glorious moments of life.  And, every now and then, it's okay to love, smile and give yourself some kisses.  I hope... 07/17/2011

My Journey to Independence!  It's no surprise to my family or friends that I'm an incredibly independent woman.  Perhaps it stems from being put up for adoption at birth.  I must've had an unconscious thought in the first few hours of life that I was going to survive whatever came my way.  Fortunately for me, my mother couldn't live with her decision and came back for me within a month.  It was her love and determination that became the model for my path to independence.    I have no regrets or resentment about my dysfunctional childhood.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  What I do regret is being a willing participant to some events that happened along the way.  For reasons unknown to me at the time, I spent a good portion of my 20's & 30's trying to please everyone.  Being a... 07/04/2011

Stressed Spelled Backwards = DESSERTS!  In celebration of... the sun is shining, it's Friday, no more meetings, we have a long holiday weekend,  the grower's market is tomorrow, I'm listening to some great tunes and sipping some gourmet coffee, visiting with friends, and last but not least... enjoying a yummy Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake (too good for words).  Life is short... eat dessert first!  It doesn't take much to make this girl HAPPY! Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July Weekend Everyone! 07/01/2011

Hey Yogi... Wanna Hug?!  It became obvious to me early in my career that not all Realtors are cut from the same cloth.  Some are very corporate, some are very savvy, some are very GQ, some are very analytical... and some are very huggable.  I'm not sure why, but many of my clients see me as the huggable variety. Perhaps its my down-to-earth picture in a jean jacket with a red tree background that does the trick... at least that's what they tell me.  My clients say I look friendly and approachable.  Never mind the fact that I have some killer Realtor credentials... they don't seem to care much about that.  They say they connect with me because of a 'feel-good'  first impression, which always makes me smile ;)  The hugs usually start flowing when we get into contract.  I suppose at that m... 06/28/2011

A Tribute To My Dad.  It was Black Monday, the day the stock market crashed in October 1929, plummeting the world into the Great Depression.  Terror filled the hearts of many that day.  Yet, my grandmother's heart was filled with joy at the sight of her newborn baby boy. He was the youngest of four brothers, born to a single mother living in a one-bedroom rented home in Los Angeles.  His early childhood was marked by hunger and loneliness.  By the young age of six, my father was selling newspapers on dirt streets in the wee hours of the morning.  He earned a penny a day and often slept in an apple cart on the street corner so he wouldn't miss a single sale.  From there, he scavenged odd jobs to make a few cents a week so he could eat.  His mother worked sixteen hours a day, which left m... 06/19/2011

Kindred Spirits in the Rain.  I've been asked a few times about my reference to Kindred Spirits.  If you've ever watched any of the 'Anne of Green Gables' series, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  For those of you who haven't had the lovely pleasure of seeing a clip, here's my definition of a Kindred Spirit (KS)... A Kindred Spirit... is someone you feel an instant connection with.  You can laugh with them and cry with them and you never feel like you're being judged by them.  Kindred Spirits are always there for you, celebrating your achievements and encouraging you when things go horribly wrong.  A Kindred Spirit is very intuitive, so much so, they can often finish your thought or sentence.  Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself.  Upon first meet of a Kindred S... 06/16/2011

Flag Day, June 14, is the anniversary of the day on which the Continental Congress formally adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States in 1777.  Americans have been observing this day since 1897. This flag was in use from June 14, 1777 to  May 1, 1795    President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed officially that June 14 is flag day. In August of 1949 National Flag Day was established by an act of congress.   Flag day is not an official holiday, but it is important to all good Americans. There is a story about Theodore Roosevelt and flag day that goes like this; On June 14, 1908, "Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought was the American Flag. In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began t... 06/14/2011

Karuk Tribe Members Enroll in Redwood Highway Marathon  The following is an Associated Press release dated June 2, 1927: "Grants Pass, Ore., --Eight runners of the Karuk tribe of the lower Klamath region are in training here for the longest marathon on record to be run over the Redwood highway from San Francisco to Grants Pass, starting June 14th.  The runners are under direction of two trainers and are working out daily over paved highways near this city to get used to the type of road to be encountered on their long jaunt.  Camp has been established in the city park.  Tribal names of the runners are Flying Cloud, Mad Bull, Fighting Stag, Rushing Water, Thunder Cloud, Big White Deer, Sweek (Eagle) and Falcon.  The eight will run under the colors of the Oregon cavemen." The news story f... 06/12/2011

Don't Anger Your Trees! We've all heard that plants can feel pain, but can they also think?   Possibly true! When we were selling our home in Beaverton, Oregon three years ago, I was cutting away extra shrubs and bushes to improve the curb appeal. This particular bush had grown quite large, and it was late in the day when I got it cut down far enough to saw off and dig it out, so I decided to finish it the next morning.  That night, the bark was smooth and unblemished, as I remember clearing away the area to make my cut. With saw and shovel in hand the next morning, this is what I found as I reached down to place my saw at the point I had selected the previous evening.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  Over night, the tree had grown this face! I lost all desire to remove this tree.  I finis... 06/09/2011

My batteries are fully charged... are yours?  Every month, I take a 'mini' vacation to southern California to re-energize my batteries.  I've discovered that it's necessary to step away from my business on a regular basis so I can continually replenish and rejuvenate my spirit.  The funny thing is, each time I announce that I'm leaving... clients start coming out of the woodwork (a bonus).  The question then becomes... Should I still go?  Absolutely!  Why?  Because this business is so demanding, and if you don't make time for you, you could experience burn-out (some of you are shaking your bunny ears... yes?!). Burn-out can be a symptom of problematic issues.  Having a  lack of good boundaries can result in our inability or reluctance to say no to various demands.  Burn-out can also res... 06/08/2011

On this June 6th, I was writing a story of a friends' landing on Normandy, and I recalled a story told me by a German soldier about the bombing of Berlin. Since the Normandy Invasion was the beginning of the end for the Nazis, and the Bombing of Berlin was the culmination, I thought I'd tell this soldier's story at this time. At the end of the Third Reich, the old men were defending Berlin's perimeter, and the Hitler Youth were assigned to the anti-aircraft defense of the city.   The gentleman described a particular evening's bombing raid so vividly, that I can remember feeling like I had been there with him!   "It was a clear night, and the American bombers were right on schedule.  The formation seemed endless, and our massive searchlights illuminated the skies!  The planes were at ove... 06/06/2011

I've had the pleasure of meeting many of our heroes over the years, and on this day, I always recall the words of a good friend as he related this story to me so many years ago. "We went in first, to soften things up for the invasion.  I'll never forget how scared I was as I floated helplessly down like the thousands of boys around me.  The German searchlights had the entire sky lit up so bright you had to squint just to see. The sky was filled with tracer bullets, and as I looked around, above and below me, there were men everywhere hanging limp in their chutes.  We were all floating at about the same altitude, and it felt as if I was never going to touch the ground. I remember as I was firing my Thompson (submachine gun) at the sources of the tracers, wondering which I would run out o... 06/06/2011

My Cutie Patootie!  Isn't she adorable?!  This grandma thinks so.  I'm in Southern California visiting this little ballerina.  And when she saw me, she said "GG's here!" Don't ya know... the minute I say I'm leaving town... my phone starts ringing off the hook.  I closed a deal, got an offer on one of my listings, received two referrals, got a new listing and referred a $450K buyer to one of my agents.  Yowsa!  I'm going out of town more often!  Looking forward to some fun in the sun in Cali.  Have a great weekend everyone! 06/03/2011

Yesterday was Scrumdiddlyumptious!  The day started with a torrential down pour... how lovely!  Just when the tourists were wrapping up their Memorial Day visit to our quaint little town... we say goodbye, farewell, hasta la vista baby... and don't trip in a puddle on your way home! I worked with a first time home-buyer yesterday and it was interesting to say the least (not the Buyer, but the strange birds we encountered along the way... and I don't mean the feathered kind).  The buyer is a young single fellow who just graduated from seminary and has recently accepted a position Pastoring at a local country church in Southern Oregon.   Before we began our tour, I offered a brief explanation of what we might see along the way.  The Buyer smiled, as if he had no idea what I was talking ab... 06/01/2011

TAPS, Our Most Endearing Tribute! I was not always aware that there are words to "Taps." I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to those honored dead whom we remember on this day. The following narrative was written by Robert Mitchum, and eloquently recited by John Wayne! "Lest We Forget" 05/30/2011

A Cupcake of a Lawyer... as with any profession, there are some real cupcakes out there.  Here's a heart warming story of one cupcake I'd like to have in my pantry at all times ;)  Rebuilding New Orleans caused residents to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years.  With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership.  A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client.  He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral.  The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down.  After sendi... 05/29/2011

Frog Legs Served on a Lily Pad.  Like many of you, I often receive strange calls from consumers and agents inquiring about property.  Strange in the sense that sometimes, the first words out of their mouth is... 'What's the special today?'  You might wonder why anyone would ask such a strange question like that... but I get it all the time.  The reason... my brokerage name is Real Estate Cafe.  A lot of folks like our cutesy moniker and they take the liberty of asking me silly questions about what's on the menu.  Today was one of those days. I arrived at my office early preparing to meet a client when the phone rang.  My typical friendly greeting is, 'Thanks for calling Real Estate Cafe.'  I heard a man's voice on the other end chuckling first, then asking 'What's the special today?'  I... 05/27/2011

I Could Hug... Scotty McCreery!   For those of you who don't know, Scott McCreery is a seventeen year old country boy from Garner, North Carolina, who took the title of American Idol last night.   But, it was his very humble acceptance speech that moved me... First, he thanked his Lord for getting him there.  That was touching.  A young man who's not afraid to acknowledge a higher power for guidance.  That's a Wow.  But, what happened next really got my attention... Scotty went down into the audience and gave his father and mother a huge hug, along with the rest of his family.  It was so moving I actually got a little teary-eyed.  It reminded me of my own son, Drew, who never blinked an eye about giving his mom a kiss in front of his friends.  I remember one time in particular, Drew had... 05/26/2011