Here is your weekly interest rate update: Conventional 30 year Mortgage: 4% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR: 4.65% FHA 30 year:3.75% Credit Score:640 LTV:96.5% loan amount:$200k APR:4.85% Conventional 15 year:3.375% Credit score:740 LTV:80% Loan Amount:$200k APR:3.79%   Call me today if you are thinking of refinancing or buying a home, for the best mortgage rate possible. 11/30/2011

THE WOODLANDS CARS & COFFEE FOR A CAUSE   Sunday, December 4 The Woodlands Car Club will meet at Market Street from 9:00AM-11:00AM.  This great group meets in order to provide a fun and creative way to give back to our community.   Of course with this group there will be some cool cars to come out and see.  While you are there, the members will share information about some great organizations in Montgomery County that they are helping.   The group has chosen four charities for 2011 that they are focusing on:Special Life Network – This group  facilitates the integration of children, teens, & adults with disabilities into the broader community.   The Woodlands Children’s Museum – Creating opportunities that educate, empower & excite children and their families through play while inspiring... 11/27/2011

CAROLING ON THE SQUARE ~ THE WOODLANDS, TX The season is upon us and there is a perfect way to get yourself into the Christmas spirit.  Come on down to The Waterway Square for some good, old fashioned Christmas Caroling.  For the next three Saturdays from 6 - 8 p.m., various perfomers will lead the singing of your favorite holiday songs. The Waterway is awash in Christmas lights and the fountains are dancing to your favorite Christmas tunes.  Take a stroll down the waterway or hop aboard a Water Cruiser and make it a night to remember.  The kids will love it or just take that special someone for a romantic night. We finally have some really nice cold weather to get us all in the holiday mode!  I hope to see you strolling down by the Waterway soon.  11/27/2011

THE WOODLANDS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM IN THE STATE PLAY-OFFS! The Woodlands High School Higlander football team defeated Mesquite yesterday 24-6.  This win puts the Higlanders in the third round of the State 5A playoffs!  The Higlanders have continued their strong season advancing each week and eliminating team after team. The Woodlands will meet up with Dallas Skyline next Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 p.m. in Waco at the Waco ISD Stadium.  The game will determine who will advance to the final State game that is scheduled for Saturday, December 17 at 4 p.m. in Dallas at the Cowboy Stadium. We are all pulling for the Higlanders as they continue to dominate Class 5A football!  Go Highlanders!  We know you can do it.  We are proud of you!   11/27/2011

TWO ALARM FIRE ~ THE WOODLANDS, TX This past week while running the Gooses Acre run down at The Woodland Waterway, we experienced the drama and excitement of a two-alarm fire.  Just as we had completed our run we began hearing sirens and then seeing all of the fire trucks pulling up right next to the restaurant where we were, Goose's Acre. A few minutes later, we were all being whisked out of the restaurant as smoke began billowing out of the top.  Luckily everyone remained calm and simply walked up the steps to the main street where we watched in awe as the firefighters got out of the truck wielding their axes.  The ladder was extended as they headed up into the top of the restaurant.  Because the restaurant America's is right next door, they also had to evacuate.  What a sight as more... 11/27/2011

Ballet performance and...bucket of the popcorn! I am sure you will say "what? indecent behavior" those two things are not possible....well not at the Market Street Movie Theater. I have experienced great performance recorded at Bolshoi Theater in Moscow at my local movie theater. It was premier of The Sleeping Beauty (music by Peter Tchaikovsky) on the new (old) stage of Moscow, Bolshoi Theater reopened after 6 years of $700 million+ renovation about a month ago. Beautiful costumes, outstanding performance of the Russian ballet, and great decoration...all on the big screen. It felt like I am on the first row in Bolshoi. The performance is the part of FathomEvents where you can chose from opera, sports, and comedy recordings of original programming featuring the biggest names in radio an... 11/22/2011

GOOSE'S ACRE THE WOODLANDS ~ RUNNING CLUB ~ TOYS FOR TOTS TONIGHTThe Goose's Acre Running Club will have its weekly 5K run tonight at 6 p.m.  Show up with an unwrapped toy to benefit the Toys for Tots program.  The Marines will join us to collect the toys and hopefully join us for the run.The Waterway will be all lit up tonight and will be a gorgeous way to get in your three mile run!   Plus, you can help provide a child with a much-needed Christmas gift.  A perfect way to "wrap up" your day today!Remember, we all stay after the run and enjoy some great fellowship at Goose's Acre.  They provide us with some wonderful food and drinks.  Arrive early in order to get your gift to the right peeps.  See you soon! 11/21/2011

If you are searching for a really special and unique gift, piece of furniture or fabulous boutique clothing, you can do a one-stop shopping excursion to House Sweet It Is.  Located at 387 C Sawdust Rd. in The Woodlands, the shop is conveniently located near I-45.  If you are in a hurry, you can park right at the front door and make a quick spin tthrough the store.  Better yet, make sure you carve out some time to spend a long time there. The store is unique in that there are vignettes with various vendors throughout the shop.  All styles and decor are available and you will certainly find some of the most unique and wonderful things for your home!  The store right now is awash in Christmas decor and simply will take your breath away as you step inside. The new clothing boutiques within... 11/20/2011

LIGHTING OF THE DOVES 2011 ~ THE WOODLANDS, TX The 29th Annual Lighting of the Doves will be held tomorrow, Saturday November 19, 2011.  From 3 - 9 p.m. at Town Green Park, there will be a continuous stream of activities, events and special appearances to delight and entertain you.  This event has grown from a very small event that used to take place where the Woodlands Parkway flyover now sits at Grogan's Mill Rd.  Today the event brings in thousands of folks and is a huge event. In conjunction with the Lighting of the Doves, the Ice Skating Rink opens tomorrow as well.  This will be a busy weekend in the downtown area of The Woodlands.  Why not make a day of it?  Begin the day with some hot cocoa at a local Starbucks, hit the ice skating rink and then do a little shopping.  After a ni... 11/18/2011

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING TONIGHT ~ MARKET STREET, THE WOODLANDS, TX Tonight is the night for the lighting of the enormous and gorgeous Christmas Tree in Market Street in The Woodlands.  Music and festivities will be starting at 6 p.m. with the official lighting of the tree beginning at 7 p.m.  The tree always stands majestically on the western end of the park right in front of Jasper's.  Bring the entire family out to see this wonderful event.  Have dinner at one of the restaurants and bundle up to enjoy the festivities.  The cold front moved in last night so it feels like Christmas out there! This is becoming a favorite event here in The Woodlands so you will want to plan on arriving as early as you can.  There is parking available in the Market Street parking garage as well as other lo... 11/17/2011

Has it been nearly 30-years since the Woodlands started the annual Lighting of the Doves Festival? This year as in recent years Lighting of the Doves Festival in the Woodlands, TX will again be held adjacent to Town Green Park along the Woodlands Waterway.  This marks the official kick off for the Christmas season here in the Woodlands, TX.  My family and I have been in the Conroe/Woodlands Area for over 25 years.  This year the event will be as grand as ever and this Saturday November 19, 2011 there will be plenty to do for families in the Woodlands.  Here's what's happening: First, last week the Ice Rink at Woodlands Town Center had their preview weekend.  And this weekend November 19, 2011 the Ice Rink at Woodlands Town Center will be open daily through January 16, 2012.  In addition... 11/15/2011

Exciting news for The Woodlands area Foodies is that the first Trader Joes in Texas will be opening Spring of 2012 in The Woodlands Crossing shopping center located at 10868 Kuykendahl The Woodlands, TX 77381. As of 1/11/2012 is it now officially listed on the Trader Joes web site. Many of you may say "so what it's just another grocery store, boring!"  Actually Trader Joes is an "experience".  People outside of where Trader Joes are located have for years taken vacation trips with an extra suitcase just to go to Trader Joes and stock up on items that they could not get at their local store or get at such a substantial savings since it was less expensive to transport the goods across country. The reputation for Trader Joes to provide natural, healthy, or organic staples not available at... 11/14/2011

TOUR THE WOODLANDS ~ VILLAGE OF COLLEGE PARK The Village of College Park is one the most unique villages of The Woodlands.  This village is comprised of three main neighborhoods, Windsor Hills, Harper's Landing and Grogan's Forest.  The Village is also the home of the Montgomery County branch of Lone Star College as well as the University Center System. The Village sits on the far northern border of The Woodlands and has the only section that sits on the east side of Interstate 45.  The Village has excellent access to State Highway 242, FM 1488 as well as I-45 thus making this village very accessible for most commuters. St. Luke's Hospital is located at the southwest corner of I-45 and SH 2422.  There is also a great deal of shopping and restaurants scattered throughout the village.  Wa... 11/14/2011

TOUR THE WOODLANDS ~ VILLAGE OF STERLING RIDGE   The Woodlands, Texas is a huge and wonderful master planned community made up of many sections that we call Villages and town centers.  This is a continuation of my series "Tour The Woodlands" as we visit the different Villages and centers that make up this unique place.  Each Village is its own neighborhood with its own personality. The Village of Sterling Ridge is near and dear to my heart as this is the section that I currently live in.  I have lived in Alden Bridge and Cochran's Crossing as well.  Sterling Ridge is located in the western quadrant of The Woodlands.  The village is the home of the gorgeous Gary Player Golf Course that is a part of The Woodlands Country Club. The Village was officially incorporated in 2005 and has been t... 11/14/2011

THE GEORGE MITCHELL PRESERVE ~ THE WOODLANDS, TX In the middle of The Woodlands, TX lies a beautiful nature preserve named after the founding developer Mr. George Mitchell.  This lovely preserve lies along Spring Creek offering nature and fitness enthusiests a wonderful place to visit and enjoy. The trails are well marked and even have tree identification markers along the way.  You can choose to walk, run or even mountain bike your way through the maze of trails.  No matter what your preference is, you will enjoy taking a visit to this gorgeous slice of heaven right here in our backyard. There are picnic tables and benches throughout the reserve so you can even sit for a spell and reflect on the beauty of the place.  The Bedias Lake is lovely and has survived the drought with still ple... 11/13/2011

VIKING COOKING SCHOOL ~ THE WOODLANDS, TX The Viking Cooking School located in the Hubbell & Hudson market is a great way to spend an evening with friends.  My husband and I went last night and had a ball with our neighbors.  We cooked up a scrumptious meal and had a fabulous time doing so. The meal we cooked was called the "Romantic Date Night."  We started preparing a wonderful applewood bacon salad that was to die for.  Get this, we rolled the bacon in brown sugar and then baked it in the oven.  How can you go wrong with bacon plus brown sugar?  OMG - we put this on our salad and it was delicious. We then prepared stuffed mushroom pockets, seared tenderloin, creamy asparagus and sweet potato encrusted scallops.  I was so full I barely had room for the dessert crepe at the end.  Someh... 11/13/2011

SUNDAY BLESSINGS ~ A RUN THROUGH THE WOODS Those of you who know me are probably so tired of hearing about all of the running that I do.  Oh well, it is just a part of my life that I am so thankful for.  If life is too much, putting on those running shoes and taking them for a spin brings me back to a really good place. Today, I ran in the beautiful woods of the George Mitchell Preserve.  There are hiking and bike trails throughout the preserve.  All are very well maintained and being on the wonderful sandy loam soil that we have makes it a nice, cushiony run. I listened to the chirping of the birds and just enjoyed the serenity of the place.  I even came upon two guys doing some sort of filming.  Fun to stop for a minute and watch. Take time to take care of yourself and get out there a... 11/13/2011

Beautiful new 4 Bed / 3 Bath David Weekly Patio Home in the lovely Village of Creekside Park in The Woodlands. Courtyard patio with fireplace is a striking prelude to the home's warm and stylish interior. Come visit today between 1-4 pm during the Open House I am hosting! Address: 10 Sleeping Colt From my latest Tweet: Open House Today 1-4 pm - #DavidWeekly Patio Home in #Creekside Park, #TheWoodlands. Address: 10 SLEEPING COLT http://pic.twitter.com/Z5SOOGDJ 11/13/2011

Recent news by the Veterans Administration announced the reduction in VA Mortgage Funding Fees in The Woodlands Texas and in everywhere VA Mortgages are available.   Many people talk about the VA Mortgage funding fee otherwise known as One time up front mortgage insurance has been reduced but few give credit where credit is due.  The simple fact is that VA Mortgages have the lowest default rates of any home mortgage.  This is in spite of the fact that VA Mortgages in the Woodlands Texas and elsewhere require no down payment and the Veteran is disallowed to pay many fees that a buyer has to pay on other home purchases.  There are cases where veterans are discriminated as I've pointed out previously. So the Veterans Administration is passing these savings to every Veteran qualifying for a... 11/11/2011

Does our nation deserve people like Sgt. Eddie Wright, or Capt. Brent Morell, or any of the hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women who have served this country or been wounded or killed in action? I still say yes, in principal. But we could do more to honor their sacrifice. A lot more. Sgt. Eddie Wright, a retired Marine and Conroe resident who lost his two arms in combat in Iraq, spoke to a standing-room-only Veteran’s celebration of The Woodlands Rotary Club on Thursday. Although he paid a steep price to keep his commitment to serve this country, Sgt. Wright exhibited no regret for his service, and clearly didn’t want anyone’s pity. He hopes rather to inspire others to serve a country he loved enough to pay the price of the loss of his forearms. Being a Marine was a lifelong dr... 11/11/2011