Missing Mom
Seventeen years ago, Sept 20th, my mom was killed in a car accident when the whole family was in Boston for my brothers wedding. I was 36 years old, a recently divorced single mom with two children ages 8 and 4. My mother loved me with the kind of unconditional love I feel for my own children. She was the most powerful force in my life giving me the wings to take off and live the life that I wanted. She supported me through my painful divorce from a husband who wasn’t happy and shared so many difficult traits of my father. There are days that I would do just about anything to see or talk to Mom.
Mom, Phyllis, was a brilliant, sensitive, creative and loving woman. I see her photo every day in my living room and remember her just as beautiful as that day. Mom grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a large Irish Catholic family. She had three sisters and one brother. Her mother, Leila and her sister married two brothers. She attended St Philip Neri school. She went to a special high school/college program at the University of Chicago. When she was 27 years old she married Roman. I was the oldest of her four children.
Palette ‘n Pen was the name of her art studio. She was an artist that created magic with a paintbrush and calligraphy pen. Her paintings hang in just about every room of my home as the palette she used include my favorite colors. She painted with watercolor, oil and acrylic on canvas. Also, she was a Master Calligrapher specializing in illumination using gold leaf.
Impulsively, I left for Chicago last weekend and spent time with my family on the day of the anniversary of the of the car accident. It has been a long time since I have been to her grave, but instead of going there, Aunt Florence, her sister, and I went by the house that she designed and I grew up in. Fortunately, the current owner was in the driveway and graciously gave us a tour of the house and all the remodeling that had been done. His daughter, Natalie, who is now in her 20’s grew up in the same bedroom that I had. Isn’t that special?! The house looks stunning filled with the most beautiful art in every room. I was most taken by the feeling that the rooms were so much smaller than I remember … but I haven’t been in the house for over 25 years.
Over the years I have hear my moms voice and words echo out of me. She is still so much a part of my life.
Visiting Alaska with Bears, Salmon, Whales and Eagles
This past August I went to Canada and Alaska with my Aunt Florence and her son, my cousin, Keith, It was the trip of a lifetme. We toured Seattle for a few days then headed to canada with stops in Victoria, Buchart Gardens, and Vancouver. Then off on a 7 day cruise to Alaska hitting Ketchika Icy Strait, Skagway, Haines, and Seward. I was really taken by how beautiful it is up there. The Puget Sound area is so breathtaking from the ocean, sount, and mountains. But, Alaska seems more untouched. There were Whales, Bears, Salmon and Eagles all almost within arms reach! The air was so fresh, the moutains just rose skyward, the flowers were blooming all along the road, the sea was blue and peaceful.
Comedy Show in Bellevue!
| June 28, 2008 | ||
| 7:30 pm |
Do you have your tickets yet to Natalie and Dave’s Courtship Comedy show?
Saturday, June 28th at 7:30 pm
Noble Court Restaurant 1644 140th Ave Ne, Bellevue
Tickets $15 includes comedy and cover charge for dancing at 9pm
Email natalie here!… we sell out every time!
Summer on the Rophy
Sometimes I actually feel guilty for having so much fun this summer… Maybe it is my Catholic upbringing that I think I should be miserable and yet I am almost always just happy!
This ia photo of the Rophy rafting up with other boats in the UW Arboretum in July. The Rophy has the Dingy covering the name!
Montpellier
This is where Kyler studied French for 6 weeks. I got to see her school and meet almost all her friends.. it was so fun to go out to dinner with all of them. We stayed in a 15 to 16 century building.. a three star hotel with a viez of the cathedral.
Europe in November 06
The five cities that are linked along the northern Italian Border… totally picturesque are called Cinque Terra. This is a photo of Kyler and I on the hill above one of the villages.
I went to Europe and spend two weeks with Kyler in November 06. She had just spent 6 weeks studying french in Montpellier. We traveled to Venice, Cinque Terra, the French Riviera including Nice, Menton, Monte Carlo, then Montpellier, the Loire Valley and Paris. It was an incredible adventure to share with my daughter!
Mortgage Elimination Programs
Can someone just make your mortgage evaporate for a $2500 fee? Sounds too good to be true? Well, then…. listen to your instincts.
Homeowners are reading websites, meeting in living rooms, and hearing from friends about programs that will make their “mortgage disappear.” The mortgage elimination programs charge a fee and approximately 30% of the discharged mortgage. Homeowners listen to stories about the Fed Reserve and promissory notes creating money. Then they write a check for thousands of dollars and sign papers believing that their mortgage will evaporate. Plus, one of the programs originating out of Tenino, Washington says that it is a “Christian organization” that distributes “humanitarian aid.” It is a multi-level program that is a complete scam! Hundreds of homeowners are taken by this scam and many are in the process of losing their homes. Why does this continue? Often, they prey on homeowners that are in foreclosure who will never go after the fees they lost.
If it looks like a fish, smells like a fiish, feels like a fish….. it IS a fish! This is a scam that is ongoing and because it is multi-level, the recruiting of others to promote it is multiplying!
Take Time To Make Time
I just wrote a class on Time Management for real estate continuing education. It’s not that I have my time under control… We teach what we need to learn.
The link above is a great blog on time ideas.. I am going to choose my top three and go for them.
I try to pick up 3 ideas from classes, books, conversations, etc….The two that hit me right away were the “journal with one sentence a day” and the “stop watching tv in bed at night and wake up tired.”
Hmmm.. the third I’m not sure yet.. . I’ll have to re-read the posts.
Pick up these books, Today!
I try to read a book a week… topics ranging from self improvement, chic novels, business topics, biographies and journals. These are a few books that I just completed and urge you to consider reading them. Let me know what you think!
Never Eat Alone … an other secrets to success one relationship at a time by Keith Ferrazzi
This book is the ultimate networking guide. Though I have the gift of gab and can honestly say that networking is the key to most of my success, this book has given me some ideas that I am using today…. like follow-up… In one of my classes I say…”what good is a piece of chocolate cake if you can’t eat it?” Follow-up makes any networking you do worthwhile. Otherwise it is a waste.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer
Oscar is a nine year old inventor who’s dad died in the 9-11 attack. He finds a key in an envelope with the word “black” on it and sets out to search New York City for the matching lock. I was captivated by the story as it explores more than one tragedy in his family along with the quest of the kid to find answers about the lock and his family. Also, I had the powerful urge to “google” words and topics that intrigued me as this brilliant kid did realizing his lack of knowledge in so many areas. I couldn’t put the book down. (Yet, I couldn’t get thru the first page of his first book!)
Winning
by Jack and Suzie Welch
As the past CEO of GE, Jack Welch has made powerful decisions that affect the lives of tens of thousands of people across the globe. I discovered how I can incorporate some of his advice into my business only days after finishing the book. It is a must read for everyone in business.
Plan B Further Thoughts on Faith
by Anne Lamont
Vunerable, middle aged, single mom, and spiritual are a few words to describe Anne Lamont. I was thankful to have had the opportunity to hear her read from her book in March. The book is a collection of essays sharing her thoughts on aging, her son, the death of her dog, and people that she comes across that make her think. She is tortured by the Bush administration and moved by her small church community. I want to have her over for dinner.
Where is Natalie?
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