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Senioritis

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Senioritis

Firstborn graduated high school this past June and I’m still in a stupor over it all. The whole year was punctuated with loads of lasts and many firsts, with special senior moments and major college prep. This past weekend we dropped her off at her university dorm and I’m just blinking back tears, shaking my head at how fast time indeed flies. We’re tremendously proud of her for finishing well and excited for her future.

I silently sobbed through her (very touching, very small and personalized) commencement ceremony and reflected back on her Senior year in full… college visits, transcripts, and SATs, being awarded “Best Dressed” at her senior prom and Head Captain of her lacrosse team, Senior Night for basketball, the last Homecoming dance, senior pranks, senior skip days, and parties; her own grad party and a full calendar of her friends’, plus a big senior mission trip to the Dominican Republic. This summer she’s been working like crazy to sock away money and squeezing in as much time as possible with the many friends she’ll miss as she prepares to immerse in university life as a freshman all over again.

Tempus fugit. Often I wish I had a time machine to visit the past. Still, we are exceedingly, abundantly grateful for her full & vibrant childhood, the “bonus” years spent learning at home together, and even these past few months getting her prepared to launch into adulthood. In hindsight I don’t think we blinked at all, but it still seems like just yesterday that this fiery sunbeam was graduating Kindergarten (from the same school), for instance.

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Year of the Bunny Rabbit (Chinese New Year)

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Year of the Bunny Rabbit (Chinese New Year)

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Lunar New Year came early this year, so on the heels of the Christmas holidays we opted to keep our celebration super simple. I figured decor would be a snap with Easter right around the corner (bunnies everywhere!), but sadly that falls late on the calendar this year and bunnies were surprisingly hard to come by.

Though we didn’t have any “bunnies” from the Chinese zodiac in attendance, we invited our extended family over for dinner and Husband served traditional “long life noodles” in a pho-style (yummy yummy!) broth with all the fixins. For dessert we chopped up some chocolate bunnies.

This is our ninth year observing this holiday from our son’s rich heritage. Next year will be our tenth year celebrating AND the year of the dragon– our son’s year! I expect we’ll go all out and make it the biggest one yet. I’m planning to make it on par with a bar mitzvah or quinceanera.

Each year I thank God for the privilege of being our son’s mama and by extension being a part of a multicultural family. We get to be Chinese, too! By embracing other cultures we learn more about God’s nature as all peoples are made in His image.

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Bookly

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Bookly

The kids returned to school, and their accompanying flurry of frenzied activities, and so on top of selling houses and pestering Hubby while he attempts to work from his home office, this fall I’ve spent many hours catching up on my reading– anything to avoid working out or cleaning, snort!

The following are some recent titles I’ve enjoyed, and some brief thoughts on each:

a terrific memoir that also highlights the author’s asian-american culture & cuisine

a lovely gift of beachy historical fiction from my mother-in-law for my birthday

another fictional tome about a real-life historical figure, fascinating glimpse at turn of the last century racial struggles

fun marketing & sales motivation

sweet & steamy rom-com

fun, quick read if (like every person on the plant) you love The Office

loved their shared dialogue/banter format

raw memoir from popular writer, filled with introspective grace

a wacky, quick read that gave me pause

unmooring novel teeming with Icelandic & Canadian cultures

loved this new sci-fi… believable near-future dystopian

my third by this author, steamy as always

hilarious fiction especially timely after my own sister’s recent nuptials

moving memoir detailing her challenging upbringing & rise to fame as the result of determined dedication & mastery of her craft

sweet coming of age novel that I enjoyed in two days flat

motivational guide on finances & investing, though Canadian–doesn’t always translate

I also acquired yet ANOTHER set of encyclopedias because WE ALL HAVE ISSUES, OKAY?

Bittersweet: I’m preparing to pass along my childhood Dr. Seuss books, that my own kids have most recently enjoyed, to my youngest sister who’s expecting her first baby this spring– for Christmas

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Twenty Years a Realtor

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Twenty Years a Realtor

Twenty years ago I stumbled into the real estate business. Backing up to 2001, Husband and I were married in June, my folks bought a house shortly after, and terrorists attacked our country in the fall. Having burnt out on college, I was waiting tables dreaming about one day buying a house with my handsome young hubby.

While my parents were house-hunting I found myself nightly cruising through desirable neighborhoods in search of for-sale signs, collecting yard flyers to bring them, to aid in their search. I didn’t realize that this was unusual (I didn’t even live with them at the time), but I found it fun to scope out properties for sale after work. I was living vicariously through them– with husband diligently plugging away at college and both of us hustling just to make ends meet, homeownership seemed a looong way off.

Husband’s grandparents also bought a new house that year, and at one point I shared my dream of home-ownership with his “Mimi.” Turns out, she had dabbled in the real estate biz briefly in the ’80s before deciding sales was definitely not her jam, but she recognized that it might be a good fit for me. “Why don’t you think about SELLING houses?” I didn’t even know what that entailed, but started flirting with the idea, figuring at the very least I’d learn about the process and become an educated first-time buyer.

I enrolled in some very dull, dry real estate classes; my mom and dad/stepmom generously split the tuition with Husband. With virtually zero context I initially found it difficult to retain the heady legalese, but I plodded along and within months completed the required courses. Finally, I was eligible to pay another hefty fee to take my formal exams with the state. At that time it was a sluggish process of registering for, sitting for the exams, and then awaiting results another month later via snail mail; but eventually I received my license the same month that my strapping young husband was deployed overseas. President Bush had declared war on Iraq and our Oregon National Guardsmen were activated and deployed to serve in the Middle East. I’d niavely never really considered the possibility of husband serving active duty, but quickly we prepared for him to fight a war with me left behind wondering if it would be weeks, months, or longer before I’d see him again.

So with nothing better to do, and a surplus of time on my hands, I threw all of my nervous energy into my newfound vocation. I worked tirelessly that first year and paid off all our consumer debt then bought our first home, becoming Rookie of the Year and a top-producing agent at my brokerage in the process.

Husband returned home fourteen months later and we started our family; with his support I’ve always been able to stay home with our kids and work around the master family schedule. Even while birthing babies and briefly living in another state, I’ve maintained my Oregon license for the long haul and contributed to our family finances. I did additional education to become a Principal Broker, so I can supervise other agents, and for several years had a team of brokers that worked for me so I could mostly manage transactions from home alongside my preschoolers. With all three now in traditional school, I mainly work from home and try to schedule the bulk of my outside appointments during school hours. My career has evolved and adapted organically to my family over the years, and I know I’ll never retire from the business.

20 years, and the gray hair & wrinkles to prove it

Sometimes I say I drive for a living, other times I say I open doors for a living… In reality, it’s a great mix of both, plus marketing, showings, negotiating, and SO MUCH PAPERWORK. I’ve been blessed by my twenty-year career assisting family and friends with their biggest financial decisions. Housing is a basic, fundamental necessity and I’m passionate about the privilege of home ownership. I’m grateful for loyal clients who have trusted my experience and kept me productive.

ghosts of real-estate past

love me some fun paperclips

helping family

dirty job

spotted while showing

inspection life

fun critters spotted at properties

bringing my family along

showing chauffeur

cousin retiring from my fave title company

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Summery Summary

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Summery Summary

Summer sped by in a blur of baseball, beach trips, and barbeque…

Firstborn spent another season working hard & playing hard, juggling full-time hours at the local amusement park with her bustling social life. We’re reluctantly getting acclimated to seeing her less; now that she’s officially a senior we feel the clock ticking more than ever. Technically, this was her last summer with us before she graduates, but hopefully she’ll stick around next summer before she launches off to college.

finally shaved for her aunt’s wedding

lopsided laughs with half her face numb after dental work

cut her own bangs a week from senior photos; wasn’t sorry

asked me to snap a photo in her OG bedspread during wash day

Center Sister completed another session of summer dance classes & performances, accompanied me on a lot of work appointments, and spent nearly all her free time with a certain special friend-boy.

Little Man was selected to play on his baseball league’s summer Allstar team, which went on to win state and compete in regionals. He turned ten and took his special birthday trip with Daddy, and had several hangouts with his best buds.

phase 1 of orthodontia complete

slipped on my birks and surprised us both when they fit

Amidst all that, we bopped to the beach every chance we got, took a special family trip north to Alaska, utilized our community pool membership exactly 22 times, and enjoyed the state fair, among other adventures.

new state, new mug

straight goofin’ at baby sister’s princess wedding

10 year old trip

violet, you’re turning violet, violet

husband rigged me a hummingbird cam

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The Last Frontier

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The Last Frontier

For our family’s summer vacation this year we cruised north to the “last frontier” of the US, to tick a new state off our list: Alaska! This year we were blessed to be joined by my folks for our adventuring. We all piled into Firstborn’s car (she has the only vehicle with third-row extra seating) and drove four hours to board in Seattle– no airfare necessary.

Cruising’s designed to make travel more comfortable, accessible, and a little luxurious; our adjacent suites onboard were perfectly appointed and fastidiously tended by gracious staff. Thankfully, having all grown up fishing we handled the swaying of the ship without too much seasickness. The last time we took a cruise the girls were just babies, 9 months and 2 1/2*; I’d nearly forgotten what a pleasant and effortless way it is to travel– particularly with a large group.

Our kids enjoyed more freedom than our usual travels allow since we were on a large, contained vessel. The girls had the run of the ship, Little Man quite a long leash himself, and we felt safe keeping tabs on them all via the helpful cruise app.

My extended family spent many a summer fishing the upper straits of British Columbia, Canada, but this trek took us further north– so it was somewhat familiar but still exciting. Our ports of call were Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, and Victoria, BC.

A major highlight (and purpose for our trip) was the day spent on the ship snaking through the icebergs punctuating the frigid waters of Glacier Bay. We marveled at the ancient ice-flow and abundant wildlife, shivering from the decks of the boat.

Canada was a fun throwback; we’ve visited Victoria many times over the years en route to our favorite family fishing grounds, but the last time we visited Firstborn was just four months old**.

It was a wonderful trip and I daresay core memories were made. I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to explore His creation and proud of my family of eager, adept adventurers.

***Some nostalgic throwbacks from our last cruise (to Mexico, 2008) and last visit to Victoria (2005):

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The Royal Wedding

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The Royal Wedding

After a year-long engagement followed by a two-year hiatus, Baby Sister fiiiiiinally had her dream wedding… she and her saintly hubby made it legal two summers ago but had to delay their grand celebration due to the pandemic. It’s almost surreal that it’s finally behind us, but it was a joyous party worth waiting for.

We had a chill bridesmaids’ getaway the weekend prior at our beach house.

me duking it out with the tangled balloons

the rest found this hysterical– there exist many more far less-flattering photographs that ought never to see light of day

someone stayed in a bit long

gave up on the balloons the next morning

A sweet shower and pre-wedding pedis:

Rehearsal:

Getting ready the day-of:

Pro photos:

father-daughter dance

my sweet folks

anniversary dance! (21 year flex)

my grandma & aunt cutting a rug

bouquet toss

a fun Danish custom her pals from Denmark executed: they nab the groom & cut the toes off his socks to make him unattractive to other women, thus protecting the marriage

Much older sister and I shared the title of Maid of Honor, but she quickly dubbed me the Matron. Here’s what I said in my toast:

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Sammy’s much younger sister, Mia. Just kidding– I’m the younger of her two OLDER sisters—the baker. (JK, shout out to Bethany) Sammy was actually born when I was in highschool, so I’ve had the privilege of getting to observe her her entire life…

Sammy was planned and longed for for YEARS before she actually arrived, though when Tina was pregnant, I was actually kind of horrified: Our parents can still MAKE A BABY?! Gross. But when she was born she quickly captured even my selfish teenaged heart. She was an easy baby, she basically never cried, and I don’t think I ever even had to change a diaper. Except for having to squeeze around her GIGANTIC car seat in the back seat of a tiny Ford Escort, she was a piece of cake and rounded out our family perfectly. A darling, real-life dolly with a full head of gorgeous hair that we could practically French braid from day one, she became the sweetest little toddler whom we’d dress up and allow to ransack our makeup; she ran around cracking us up and I took photos of her constantly. In a household of hormonal, angsty teens and tired, hardworking parents—she was a bright, happy spot, our comic relief, a radiant joy that we all marveled at, and I think she’s always kept us young. More than that, she was the glue that knit our blended family together.

Sammy met her first brother-in-law “Ajxex” when she was just one, and later stole the show at our wedding as the most darling little flower girl at the age of five. Even though I was always annoyed when people called me & Bethany “built-in babysitters” (some of you are here today), she definitely was kind of a “practice kid” before I had my own… when school was out in the summers I’d regularly take one day a week and she’d pal along happily on real estate errands where I’m sure she must’ve encountered a young “Mikey” as Sherrill and I worked at the same office. But I think having a much younger sister certainly gave me a leg up as we did become parents, and ironically that whole “built-in babysitter” thing came full circle when she became an Auntie at the ripe old age of nine.

I lived several states away when she was a teenager, but was often perplexed by her strange haircuts, edgy makeup, and sassy, duck-face selfies—she was just my MUCH YOUNGER sister, closer in age to my oldest daughter than to me…  Fast forward to when she met Michael, just as we were moving back to Oregon: We quickly realized he was perfect for Sammy AND for the rest of our family. He seemed to know exactly how to be an uncle (letting all six of our kids use him as a jungle gym, often simultaneously); he held his own with our guys in conversation, at the grill, AND at the range; he impressed our protective father AND seemed wonderfully patient and tolerant of us crazy ladies. We quickly dubbed him “Saint Michael” and were often heard muttering things like “LOCK IT DOWN, SAM.” As we began hanging out as a trio of couples (playing Jackbox ‘til the wee hours, ahem) Sammy became our peer. More than just the baby sister who used to crack us up streaking around the house naked pretending to be Buzz Lightyear, she’s become one of my/our very best friends.

Best of all, Michael is to Sammy what she’s always been to the rest of us—a joy. He makes her smile and relax and helps her to be truest self. So thank you Sammy for always being a joy in my life, thank you Michael for bringing SAMMY joy, and cheers to you both, may your life together continue to be filled with joy.

the cake I didn’t bake

cheers!

The young-folk in the bridal party escaped in the limousine, while the rest of us stayed for a tear-down after-party. The next day we gathered again for a leftover lunch and received doggy bags from the caterers that fed us nearly a week.

Cheers to these darling lovebirds.

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On Turning Ten

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On Turning Ten

In our house, when a kid hits double digits they earn a trip with Daddy to somewhere special, fun, and top secret. When Firstborn turned ten she flew to Texas to ride roller-coasters and eat cowboy grub. Two years later, Center Sister spent her birthday trip mermaiding in Oahu. Most recently, it was [not-so]Little Man’s turn…

Because Little Man’s such a raging baseball fanatic, Husband planned his special trip around a Dodger’s game (his favorite team); but since we’ve been to Los Angeles so many times he opted instead to stay and explore San Diego, zipping north just for game day in their rented hot rod.

He was over the moon. This was the highlight, for sure. He saw all his favorite players, spent all of his souvenir money, enjoyed all the traditional ballpark treats, and even brought his mitt in hopes of catching a foul ball.

The last time Husband was in San Diego Firstborn was just six weeks old, but it was Little Man’s first visit– so they explored Sea World, the zoo, and the naval base, and we compared photos to our family archives.

throwback to the same giant galapagos tortoises, 17 years ago!

and the same gondola/tram ride

It was a perfect birthday trip for our Big Boy. I’m grateful that Husband is an affirming, steadfast father to our children, happily carving out time to make these special memories. Our girls reminisced about their own ten-year-old trips as we received text & photo updates throughout the long weekend and the full debrief after the guys returned home. I swear Little Man came home taller than when we left, just a few days prior (he’s juuuuust about to pass me in height). In fact, each of our kids returned from their respective trips standing taller, visibly matured, affirmed, and feeling special, having made memories they’ll treasure their whole lives. Now that our last one is done I think we might plan to continue the tradition when we have grandkids someday.

Long before Little Man joined our family, when the girls were just babies, our pastor shared from the pulpit how he had a similar special trip with each of his kids as a kind of coming-of-age ceremony/celebration. I believe it made an impression on many, including our good friends with kids just a touch older than ours. Because they started it first and we blatantly copied we’ve called it the Lowry Ten ever since.

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Pep Rally 2

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Pep Rally 2

Well, that’s a wrap on the school year for our Junior, Freshman, and 4th-grader. I’m exceedingly proud of each for stepping into a new school model with nary a hiccup– affirmation that it really was the correct decision for them for this year (however despondent it rendered their reluctantly retired homeschool mom). They obtained high marks and formed lasting friendships. I can’t believe our oldest will be a SENIOR when they return (yes.) there this fall.

Firstborn drove all three to and from school each day, maintained an impressive GPA and a bustling social life, attended three formal dances, won the valley league championship with her lacrosse team, scored her first several game goals, and started college visits.

Center Sister smashed straight A’s, squarely established herself as a top student in her class, was promoted to en pointe (toe shoes) in dance, performed in several recitals, and began studying for her driver’s permit test.

Little Man played on two baseball teams– regular season little league plus the Allstar team, palled around with a passel of boys at school where the major trends were bringing football gloves in their backpacks to use at recess and sporting gold chain necklaces like pro baseball player Mookie Betts. When he wasn’t playing baseball IRL he was playing baseball video games.

A few snapshots of another successful scholastic year:

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Love & Genetics (and a smattering of addt'l recent reads)

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Love & Genetics (and a smattering of addt'l recent reads)

I was recently gifted a copy of an incredible dual memoir and new release, Love & Genetics. Once finally unearthed from my seemingly bottomless to-be-read stack, I devoured it in mere days. I found the joint authors’ journey captivating and long-lingering; their story struck & stuck with me in a way I find rare for nonfiction.

As an adoptive parent, this candid chronicle of a search for and (spoiler alert!) ultimate reunion of birth-family was an inspiration. One day I pray our son might have a similar tale to tell and an overabundance of love via a broad patchwork quilt of family, like this one.

I’ve shared our own road to adoption here in detail, but very little about how adoption also shaped my extended family, growing up… quests for reunification are not always fruitful nor positive. In recent years I’ve watched as two cousins reunited with their birth families– one sibling after an extensive, deliberate quest with a hired PI, the other the unintended result of a “just for fun” genetic heritage test. My grandmother similarly reunited with a daughter she placed for adoption at infancy, though their reunification was complicated at best. Most of Husband’s aunts & uncles were also adopted, and most recently our son connected to a second cousin as the result of now-common DNA testing.

Back to the book, I especially appreciated the multi-vantage narrative and how the various perspectives provided a faceted glimpse at the emotionally complex and nuanced process of reunification, redefinition, and expansion of Family. The secondary story of surrogacy is such a beautiful illustration of the fruit of that kaleidoscope of familial love! I am certain this generously documented true story will be a blessing to many similarly assembled families.

Some additional, more light-hearted titles I’ve recently enjoyed:

fun, lighthearted “bubblegum” read– would be great poolside

predictably hilarious celeb memoir

great money tips here from dave ramsey’s #girlboss daughter

another day, another memoir

steamy beach read, loved it

love, love, LOVE this one, from the author of the Martian; already rumored to be underway in film, starring Ryan Gosling

loved this practical, insightful tome

really great book about writing books, by one of the best

surprisingly (or not?) intriguing and inspiring memoir

this one was just a lovely celeb memoir and (pun intended) peppered throughout with beloved family recipes

What are you reading?

[untoadoption]

Birthday Buddies

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Birthday Buddies

Starting 17 years ago when our first baby was due on his birthdate, Handsome Husband has graciously shared his birthday. Firstborn arrived late, but they’ll forever be birthday buddies. This year, for the first time in his life, he also shared it with Jesus! Easter [Resurrection Sunday] fell square on his day.

Husband’s love language is Acts of Service, he’s seldom one for the spotlight, pomp, or circumstance… traditionally he spends the weekend of his birthday each year painstakingly tabulating and filing our taxes! (This year he also added Fistborn’s taxes to the docket.) To celebrate forty-two my man decided to share his birthday with our Firstborn and our extended family, hosting a simple Traeger Exhibition. Each guy brought his Greatest Hit as a meaty contribution; we had two cakes and two pinatas, a full bar, and an array of simple back-up salads.

She’ll celebrate again with friends this weekend, and he’ll zip off for a quick mancation with his longtime buds, but it was fun to share their special day together, with our family.

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60th Birthday Safari

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60th Birthday Safari

To celebrate my dad turning sixty recently, we rented a giant passenger van and bumbled down the freeway to a nearby drive-thru safari park for a leisurely Sunday adventure. With my two sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces, we’re such a big crew that journeying in one vehicle all day together was the real treat. We call these vans “homeschool vans”, and now I see the allure… it made the voyage and simple stops like coffee, lunch, and potty breaks part of the adventure.

littlest sister sammy crafted custom safari hats for the adventure

grizzly grandma & sammy skunk

mia moose

bengal bethany

okapi olivia & armadillo audrey

ardvark alex

alligator alric & serval sophie

she also assembled fun ‘snackle’ boxes for each of our 14 member crew

lions…

and tigers (it’s the year of the tiger!)…

and bears– oh my!

there’s also a walkabout for closer encounters with smaller animals

More than anything we wanted to have fun and make memories together– I’d say we succeeded. Everything’s just more fun when we’re all together.

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Forever Fixin'

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Forever Fixin'

I affectionately refer to my hubby as The Juggernaut, of comic book fame, because the guy NEVER. STOPS. MOVING. Running his business is demanding and tends to strap him to his desk, so when he finally leaves his home office he tends to rev up with seemingly unstoppable momentum. Besides daily blessing the family by cooking dinner (his “commute” to decompress, or so he says), he tends to always, always have a home-improvement project (or several) underway. He’s FOREVER tinkering, creating, constructing, and fixing up our houses.

A few recent fixes:

lumber for Christmas!

husband emptied our kitchen, family & dining rooms to have the hardwood floors refinished

our fridge & dining table’s temporary appointment in our living room/library

two televisions jammed into husband’s den

he ripped up all the old carpoet and pad to have the existing floors extended into an additional room

Little Man’s a wiz at carpet tacks

he also modified the fireplace surround for a more seamless, modern look

the flooring guys wove in the old with the new for a seamless transition

before the sanding & stain

before… it was a very yellowy-orange 90’s oak

selecting our stain– we chose “aged barrel” (middle right)

working from my sister’s house while the stain cured

before and after

poor kitties were locked in our room for days

finished in time for Christmas

replacing all the upstairs doorknobs (he did the downstairs last year some time)

taking calls while he works

we had leftover flooring from our beach house remodel and so ripped up the carpet and installed the extra planks in Center Sister’s room to make dance practice easier

again with the carpet tacks

finished product

same flooring at the beach

over at the beach house Husband replaced the old 1980’s dishwasher that sounded like a rocket launching each time we used it

and then replaced the plain black fridge with a super fun vintage-inspired one, to bless me

new but made to look old

reminds me of my great grandma’s garage soda-pop fridge

fits in so much better

so then we took that (perfectly fine, newer) plain black fridge back home and decided to replace our old white garage soda fridge

… which then led to a bigger update, thanks to my Juggernaut

So cheers to my Juggernaut, the one who never stops, rarely sits, and is forever fixin’.

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Homecoming

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Homecoming

Now that they’re “traditional school” students, my kids are enjoying some new perks of their education. Most recently, our girls attended the highschool’s homecoming dance. Dates were obtained, dresses were bought, and –presumably– great fun and revelry was had. I was told our Junior and her rowdy pack of pals scarcely left the dance floor, while our Freshman enjoyed a more tempered evening on the arm of her favorite boy.

shopping with Firstborn & her bestie

Center Sister’s turn

put out some treats for the gaggle of girls getting ready at our house

I was bummed to not get a shot of the girls together, but grateful they allowed me to snap photos at all. Go Eagles!

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Eye (Year) of the Tiger

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Eye (Year) of the Tiger

Chinese [Lunar] New Year heralded the Year of the Tiger, and our family celebrated with a traditional themed feast featuring Tiger Shrimp, Orange Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork (heavy on the ORANGE bell peppers), Broccoli Beef, lo mein noodles, and fried rice, alongside a bevy of orange beverages and jasmine tea, with orange mango mochi, fortune cookies, and gold chocolate coins for dessert.

our annual spend-the-whole-day-in-the-kitchen-day

I love cooking with this guy.

the key to Chinese food is lots of prep and organization

a couple nights later we attended a second, much larger party with a bunch of local families– so fun!

We are so grateful for the rich heritage of our Chinese son, our biracial family, and how learning about other cultures teaches us more about God’s nature and character. Xin Nian Kuai le!

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Work-Life Balance

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Work-Life Balance

Snapshots of my vocational life. Work continues to keep me busy, which is a blessing since now my kids are at traditional school all day and I find myself with a surfeit of spare time. I used to joke that I drive for a living, but these days it feels like I open doors for a living– which is, in fact, poetic. In reality, I pretty much install signs and manage a deluge of paperwork until I can deliver keys & cake to clients at closing.

clown car property visits

“Cue the deer!”

spied while showing

real estates a family affair

especially when your mom lists your friends house

lending mom a hand at a virtual showing

they know how to spell both

helpful handsome husband capturing aerial images at a listing

he gets cake when my clients get cake

housewarming vibes

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To Read or Not to Read

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To Read or Not to Read

Some of my most recent reads and impressions thereof– I’m certain I’ve missed a few but wanted to document regardless.

My mom gifted me this hefty tome for my birthday, a captivating local historical fiction I could scarcely put down. Made me appreciate the settlers and immigrants that populated my state, and the industry they developed in their communities.

Turns out I already intuitively employ many of this author’s widely lauded techniques. Still found it motivating.

The actor’s memoir’s basically exactly what’d you’d expect– full of silly anecdotes as he waxes philosophical, entertaining nonetheless.

a SUPER steamy, at times shocking role reversal of the movie Pretty Woman.

encouraging, practical, timely

Husband clued me in to this one– fascinating but out there.

My sister gifted me this fun poolside read for my birthday. Pretty sure I read it in a single weekend.

The Little House saga from Caroline (Ma)’s perspective. Familiar, nostalgic, and wholesome.

My BRF [best reading friend] recommended this and I adored it. Set in England in the 1800’s, it made me want to collect curios.

At times stuffy & overly analytical, but still insightful.

Perspective-changing refresher. Helpful & necessary.

Daily devotional-type business tips in bite-size morsels. Succinct & motivating.