Real Simple Daily Thought

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.
— Peter Ustinov

Real Simple Daily Thought

Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns.
— Anonymous

Real Simple Daily Thought

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
— Flora Whittemore

Real Simple Daily Thought

Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.
— Aristotle

Real Simple Daily Thought

Map out your future – but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip.
— Jon Bon Jovi

Real Simple Daily Thought

The cyclone derives its powers from a calm centre. So does a person
— Norman Vincent Pearle

Real Simple Daily Thought

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
— John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Real Simple Daily Thought

Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.
— Kahlil Gibran

Real Simple Daily Thought

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.
— Janet Lane

Real Simple Daily Thought

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
— Josh Billings

my SURPRISE Open House

Lets sneak in and get setup and a bit done before Misty arrives...

Coming home from having dinner with Cindy & Amy at Mimi's Cafe with my leftover omlet in hand, thinking whats the noise in my house??? and then, people in here???

SURPRISE!

Hahahahahahahah...so funny you all!!! Boy did I not have a clue or what?

the food...

you know we can't do a thing without food, but I was so surprised and full from dinner,

that I never ate a bit of it.

friends visiting...

guys at work installing a garage door opener for me...so sweet!

Dawson Machalica relaxing at the party on my bed.

(all photos courtesy of Sylvia Woodall)

My 1st House

January 5th, 2007, I received an email from Jennifer telling me that her and Brent had gone to look at this really neat house and...

"Would you be interested in a 3 bedroom....open kitchen, dining and living room with a pool and a spa? It is on the market for 85,000, just reduced from 104,000. It is a HUD foreclosure. Cute house, but people did some weird things to it. Nothing a little paint and time couldn't fix. Realtor said that she sold a house in that neighborhood for 92,000 and it did not have a pool, so you should be able to get at least that much out of it. It is right off of Alsbury and Summercrest in the newer homes.....opposite side of Sylvia. Home was built in the 80's. It is such a good deal...."


Well, I love to look at houses, find it fun to see the layout and get ideas...so things took off from there. I called a realtor off the internet on Friday night to set up a time on Saturday to see it. I looked at the house Saturday morning with this really blah realtor that didn't answer a lot of my questions, and found it real cute, but the problem was, I had a place to rent and to live and didn't "need" this house, so now what? I went home and talked to Jeff, he thought it a grand deal and said I should put a bid on it, and no he didn't think he needed to go see it since Brent had. I then had to get in gear fast as bidding closed on this Hud Home Sunday night, January 7th, 2007 at midnight. I contacted a company to get perqualified and then started working with getting a loan, the house inspected, and all that kinda thing. I looked at the house again on Sunday with the realtor that Jennifer has used, this time along with RuthAnn at about 2pm after meeting. RuthAnn was so excited and kept saying "Misty this is just a house for you, it screams, I am Misty's"...it was too funny! We headed to Shelley Green's office and filled out paperwork and I made my bid, a little higher than my original plans but still less than asking price...so I went for it with anticipation that I probably would loose but the learning and experience was fun! The rest of the day, I couldn't help but wonder what my happen next. The next day, Monday, January 8th, 2007 at about 10.30ish, Shelley called me to tell me that I was the top bid of four bids and that the home was mine! WOW!!! My life had changed, I was a home owner in the makings!

*these photos are the ones that were on the website prior to my ownership*