Long Hollow

Sometimes it's a God Thing

 

I first met Rosa over the phone several weeks ago when I was working phone duty. She called inquiring about a house for lease. The next day I met her and her daughter, a law student, at the house.

"I like it," her daughter said. But I could tell Rosa wasn't quite sold on it.

"I have to tell you something, Barbara." We stood at the kitchen island in the little house. "I want to buy a home. I've been working with a lender for awhile, but she says I won't be qualified for another four to six months." 

The home she had been leasing for several years was about to be sold. She had to find someplace to live for those six months until she could buy, so we kept looking and looking and looking. None of them caught her fancy.

"I know the right one will appear in time. I'm not worried," she'd say every time.

She might have been calm about it, but I was getting a little anxious!

Then right after Easter, she got the exciting news from her lender that her credit score was up, earlier than expected. Instead of searching for houses to lease, we could search for houses to buy! Yay!!

We learned that was easier said than done. Many of the few houses that fit her criteria had multiple offers on them before we could even go view them! 

Heading home after looking at several homes this past Saturday with her, I noticed an "open house" sign at a builder's model home, and decided to stop, just for my own research on the market.

It was a gorgeous home. I knew Rosa would have loved the open floorplan and huge granite island in the kitchen, but it was a few thousand out of her loan ceiling.

The next day - after viewing yet another disappointing house - she admitted to me that she had stopped to look at new homes the day before. I told her about the one I had seen. She called her lender....and got approved for the higher amount!

As Rosa says, it was a God thing that none of the other homes worked out. 

Today I had the pleasure of helping her pick the granite, tile, carpet, exterior rock, and paint color for her new home, as well as the lot where it will be built. We even met her future next-door-neighbor.

I can't describe the joy it gives me to know I played a part in helping her find a home she will love.

Sweet! will have to do. And you can see it in her smile.

 

 

Here are a few more belated sweet!s from the past week...

Monday: blog friends who email you and persevere to leave comments on your post when your platform isn't working; nurses who want to make sure your mom doesn't get pneumonia following her surgery; calling a friend from your past and picking up right where you left off; finishing Season 3 of Game of Thrones with your son, even though it means you stay up way past your bedtime 

Tuesday: touring gorgeous Austin homes with friends

 

 

Wednesday: morning sunlight shining on a field of bluebonnets beside a lake; spending time with a sweet friend

Thursday: growing and learning; being part of an awesome team

 

 

Friday: a day at home to play catch-up

Saturday: taking photos of your friend's grandkids in a beautiful park by the lake on a gorgeous afternoon, and running into another friend who is there with her family

 

 

Sunday: remembering your son and daughter-in-law's beautiful wedding one year ago

Monday: a good report on your mom from the surgeon; hanging out with your mom, eating cookies, while waiting on your Yellow Taxi transport; a hug and quick visit with your sister and her friend who drove up to see your mom; sitting outside watching the sun set on a warm evening, listening to the birds and frogs get social

Tuesday: a class on new homes when you have a client in the process of buying one; cold fronts when your air-conditioning is broken

Wednesday: spotting the first blooms of the Indian Blankets; supporting your client as she moves forward in seeing her real estate dreams come true; meeting 5 new potential clients in two hours

Time continues to be my biggest challenge...trying to maintain some kind of balance between work and not-work...and finding time to sleep.

It's tough because there's always something I need to do, whether it's helping a client, trying to find more clients, or just educating myself...and then keeping up with my photography clients, my mom's needs, my family's needs, and my own needs. 

One thing is for sure - I can honestly say I'm not bored!

Here's wishing you and me both a week full of sweet!s and balance!

 

 

If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!

 

~St. Catherine of Siena

 

 

April 27 - a very good day for Saints and Lovebirds

 

 

Somewhere in Seattle tonight, one of my favorite couples in the whole wide world are sipping champagne, gazing into each other's eyes, and thinking back to that magical evening exactly one year ago when they said "I do" under the limbs of the big oak tree at Barr Mansion.

It's hard for me to believe my son and his bride are already celebrating their first anniversary ... until I think of all that has happened in those 365 days since The. Most. Beautiful. Wedding. Ever.

If you look to the left of the preacher in the photo above, you'll see my mom in red and Daddy beside her. I'm so grateful they were able to share in the joy of that evening.

 

"Do not be afraid.
Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. 
Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

~St. John Paul II 

That is such a great quote for marriage, isn't it? Or really anything we feel called to do that requires a leap of faith.

I'm adopting it as a daily inspiration for my real estate career, where I have to overcome my natural shyness and remind myself that by helping others I'm helping my family.

Speaking of Saint Pope John Paul II....besides being my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary, today is also his canonization day, along with that of Pope John XXIII. I'm happy about that because each of them deserves some credit for my conversion to Catholicism. And I think everyone who has known me since at least my junior high days will know that my conversion might just qualify as a miracle.

Saint Pope John XXIII was responsible for Vatican II, which among other things, allowed Mass to be said in a country's native language, instead of Latin. He was Pope in 1959, when I was born, but since I was born into a Baptist family, that didn't mean a thing to me.

I really didn't pay any attention to Popes or Catholicism until 1978, when John Paul II became Pope. I was working shiftwork at a chemical plant, and one slow night, I discovered a Time magazine stashed in the boiler lab with a feature article about the new Pope. He fascinated me, and I read everything I could about him and the Catholic church.

I met Tom in 1981 and we married in the Catholic church, but I didn't officially join the church for another thirteen years. Once I did, I could see how my path to Catholicism began all those years ago on a slow night in the boiler lab.

Or maybe on the day I was born. Maybe before that. Who knows?

Whenever it was, I'm grateful to these two for the example they've given on how to live a life of faith and love.

 

 

"The future starts today, not tomorrow."

~Pope St. John Paul II

 

Easter Sweet

 

We shared Easter dinner with all of our kids today, no small feat once your kids get married and other families expect to see them on the holidays, too. 

It's been a busy week. Besides Mama's hospital adventure, I started an intense 7-week real estate training course, which includes journaling and other homework, like contacting at least 100 people a week voice-to-voice about their real estate needs.

To reach my hundred before the deadline, I even stopped at a gas station Wednesday night and asked all the patrons in there if they knew anyone who was in the market to buy, sell, or invest in real estate.

I made six contacts and got one good lead from it! You just don't know until you ask who needs help... and they don't know you can help them until you tell them.

(Would you believe I used to be shy?)

Anyway, I didn't have time to decorate for Easter until last night, pulling out the beautiful hand-painted eggs my mother gave to my kids every Easter for years...

 

 

 

...displaying Easter photos from the past...

 

 

...and setting a few ceramic bunnies around the house.

 

 

I have tons; the Easter Bunny always left one in each of my children's baskets... every Easter for years and years...

 

 

I'm not sure what he was thinking. Most of them stay boxed up these days. I have more bunnies than I have surface space to put them on!

 

 

They're cute, though, aren't they? I'm really not sorry the Easter Bunny left them.

 

We had planned for Mama to join us for Easter, but had to settle for visiting her after dinner because of her gall bladder surgery earlier this week. The trip down our bumpy dirt road and rock-paved front walk would have caused her excrutiating pain.

 She got plenty of goodies, though. I gave her some chocolate eggs yesterday, then my cousin stopped by with a basket of treats and some chocolate-covered strawberries. 

My son and his wife took her another basket today. I know the biggest treat for her was getting to see them, though.

Seeing them was a treat for me, too!

 

 

Easter is the ultimate sweet!, isn't it? It's proof that we are loved and that miracles can happen... a source of hope that even simple things we believe are dead - a friendship or a dream - can come back to life.

Sweetest of all... the assurance that we can see our loved ones again someday.

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past couple of weeks (playing catch up!) ...

Thursday: investing and believing in yourself; becoming part of a team

Friday: attending a Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the restaurant where you used to work; catching up with your former co-workers and friends you never get to see

Saturday: finally getting a chance to gather up your tax documents

Sunday: the relief you feel when the ambulance takes your mom to the hospital you requested; smart, caring emergency room doctors and nurses; being able to be at your mom's side in an emergency

Monday: your cousin taking off work to be at your side during your mom's surgery

Tuesday: lunch with a sweet friend; the flexibility of working from a hospital room so you can be with your mom

Wednesday: your mom well enough to be released from the hospital; friends who remember your mom at Easter

 

 

Thursday: challenging yourself to grow; helping clients find just the right home; the humbling experience of having your feet washed by your priest in a Holy Thursday ceremony

 

 

Friday: photographing a cute couple getting married at Chapel Dulcinea (they're ringing the bells after the ceremony in the photo above); recognizing and talking to the chaplain who married your son and daughter-in-law last year; finally seeing a dear friend after 22 years 

 

(I spent hours and hours talking to Terry in the control room of our chemical plant. He's the one who introduced me to Rick Steves! He talked a lot about his kids - what a shock to see them all grown up. Really hit home how long ago those talks were! His daughter is the lovely bride...who looks just like him!)

 

Saturday: getting two real estate leads in two different grocery stores in two days; a husband who knows how to fix plumbing problems

Sunday: Easter Mass; Easter dinner with your husband and kids, and a hug from your mom; chocolate

I hope all of you who celebrate had a beautiful Easter ... and that the peace and hope of Easter remains in your heart forever.

Here's a snippet of one of my new favorite songs that I think reflects that peace, hope, and faith. I find encouragement, assurance, and inspiration in the words during these days of new beginnings and great unknowns. I hope you do, too.

 

"You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand"

~ Hillside United

 

Surprise Blessings

Mama lies in a hospital bed beside me, still groggy from anesthesia. I listen to her breathing, every now and then glancing up from my laptop to the monitor above her bed to check her oxygen level.

For me, it started with a call yesterday morning at 4:30. Mama was having difficulty breathing and an ambulance was on its way to the nursing home to transport her to the hospital. Where did I want them to take her?

Just a few weeks ago an elderly couple from my church told me about a nearby hospital that had released the husband when the wife felt he was still very sick. Sure enough, later that evening she took him to another hospital where they found he was running a high fever and had a severe urinary tract infection.

I told them to take Mama to that second hospital.

It took several breathing treatments and steroids through an IV, but within a few hours her breathing was under control. That's when the internist examined her and discovered she had a tender spot on her right side. A few tests later, surgery was scheduled for today to say goodbye and good riddance to her gall bladder.

I never thought I'd be grateful for an asthma attack.

Please keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers as she begins the road to recovery. With 24/7 oxygen and limited mobility, she has a high risk of developing pneumonia.

Thank you!

P.S. Another blessing...she smiled at me before I left, despite the pain and lingering fog. 

 

 

 

"You're so happy," the technician told Mama as she wheeled her to pre-op. 

"Laughter is good for you," said Mama.

She's still teaching me: You can always find something to smile about.

Whew! I made it! (and other sweet!s in a birthday week)

 

Considering it's past midnight on a long Tuesday...which means it's actually Wednesday...which means this post is at least two days late...this sweet! list is going to be a little more blurry and jumbly than most.

My excuse is I'm a whole year older than I was last week...which means time is going by ten times faster.

The biggest sweet! was turning 55 over the weekend, and celebrating with friends and family. Sure, it seems like only yesterday I was turning 50, and all excited about this new decade, but 55 has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

My friend Joanie started the celebration by buying me lunch on Friday, including my first birthday shot (strawberry cheesecake!)

That night, thanks to another friend, Clint, I experienced Austin's Esther's Follies for the first time. I laughed for a solid hour and a half, and didn't want it to end. 

Saturday evening several friends joined me for a night of music and dancing, and then Sunday (my actual birthday) I took my mom to lunch ... because it was kind of a big day for her, too, 55 years ago.

(I believe the older you get, the longer you need to drag out the celebrations, don't you?)

All in all, it was a great weekend following a week full of jumbled, blurry sweet!s... and here they are, in no particular order...

 

 

a tower of cookies

rain

laughing with your kids over vaudeville acts and magic tricks

hearing Spirit in the Sky, Bang a Gong, Stairway to Heaven, and Respect in one car ride 

a friend buying you a ticket to an amazing seminar...and winning a door prize you can give back to him in repayment

a new Realtor friend sending you the audiotape CD's you hoped you'd win instead of the 4-member team in a charity golf tournament, when you don't play golf

roadsides splashed with colorful wildflowers

sitting around a fire pit with friends, listening to music played by another friend's band

dancing

morning sunlight

 

 

texts and emails from friends, wishing you a happy birthday

spotting a mallard couple taking a break in your pond

investing in yourself and your business

watching Game of Thrones with your son

a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" by your goddaughter, nephews, brother- and sister-in-law, via the phone, from Arizona

using your Realtor skills to help a friend who is going through a tough time

birthday cards waiting in your mailbox

the Austin skyline

 

I hope you all had a week overflowing in  sweet!s, even if they got all blurred and jumbled together like mine. Share them here, if you remember them!

 

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni

 

 

My Bluebonnet Fix (and other sweets of the week)

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite times of the year, when bluebonnets appear almost overnight, splashing the roadsides as if the sky leaked blue.

I spend a lot of time driving those roads and I've been aching to stop and say hello to our brief visitors. They'll be gone in just a few weeks.

But I'm usually on the verge of being late to my next whatever, so until this weekend, I've just been able to enjoy the blue blur out of my car window. 

Still pretty sweet in itself.

However, headed home from a visit with my mom late Saturday afternoon, I swerved off onto a dirt road where a particular blue field had been catching my eye. Just me, my camera, and a lot of bluebonnets.

Well, and some Yellow Bastard Cabbage. That's what a newscaster said this flower is called, although I can't verify that anywhere. I loved the name and couldn't wait to take its picture, too. 

 

 

Sunday I took advantage of the gorgeous weather to visit my listing on the Pedernales River, where wildflowers - including bluebonnets - are keeping the cactus company.

 

 

You can see the river is still down in front of this one acre lot, but weather forecasters say an El Nino is headed our way. Even with the water down, I think the view is beautiful. And oh! the breeze on the cliff.

Now is the time to buy!

 

 

Here are some other sweet!s from my past week. Share yours in the comments! 

 

Tuesday: the first rays of the sun sparkling through the trees; a cardinal singing morning praises; spotting a hummingbird out your office window investigating a stepladder

Wednesday: eavesdropping on talkative high schoolers when you're subbing; seeing someone you didn't expect to see and haven't seen in a long time; a windy walk with your puppies; taking a FlickR break

Thursday: investing and believing in yourself; dancing a sitting-down version of the Chicken Dance with your mom and daughter; accordian music; a new lead from your ad in the church bulletin; chicken enchiladas and watching "Saving Mr. Banks" with dear friends; personalized water bottle labels for your open house, thanks to a dear friend

 

 

Friday: a hailstorm stopping long enough to say hello before moving along; teaming up with your husband, son, and daughter to clean up after your church's fish fry; watching more "Game of Thrones" with your son

Saturday:  a hug and catch-up-visit with a friend you haven't seen in a long while; a free iced Cafe Americana at Starbucks just because you agree to be flexible when they run out of Iced Coffee; exploring houses with clients

Sunday: a gift of a bottle of wine from new clients who make it themselves; your kids helping you with your open house; a visit to Spicewood, Texas on a gorgeous spring day; meeting sweet puppies and their friendly owners when you're checking on one of your listings; fields of bluebonnets

Monday: finally spotting the tiny bird singing a different song, very loudly, on your morning walk; locating your mom's pajama pants and missing pillow in the nursing home laundry; a request for more information about one of your listings; getting buzzed by a hummingbird on your back deck; a good phone visit with a friend

 

I hope the end of this week finds you closer to whatever goals or dreams you hold in your heart, even if it's something simple, like saying hello to a favorite flower. 

For me, my goal is to reach out to at least 100 people by phone or in person to see if I can help them or someone they know with a real estate need. Wish me luck! (If you know of someone, feel free to call me!)