Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Failure Can Be Good...But I Like Success Best!

Well, after thinking about it for nearly seven years today I finally became a real estate agent! Even though I don't have license in hand yet, I did pass the exam today and the rest is a matter of paperwork and sending the Tennessee Real Estate Comission a check for $130! So I considermyself an agent.

The process of obtaining my license has been quite and ordeal, much more difficult that obtaining two bachelor's degrees and completing 18 hours of grad school but also more rewarding.

I first became interested in becoming a real estate agent about 7 years ago, but I let a Century 21 agent in my then=hometown of Senatobia, MS, talk me out of it.
Then about 18 months ago when Steven went through the prelicensing course, I decided to go for it, too. I decided to take the class at night even though I was not working full time during the day.

I went two nights and dropped out! I am not a nighttime person by any means. We'd get out of class around 9:30 and I'd be hungry because all I'd had was a light dinner around 4. It was a 30 minute drive home, and then at 10 I'd be in Wal Mart, perusing the aisles looking for something easy to fix--like frozen pizza. Then I'd watch TV for awhile to unwind, and wind up staying up waaaay to late. So I dropped out, thinking it would be easy to resume later.

Then it just never seemed like the right time--until this summer. Again, a friend who's been an agent about 30 years tried to talk me out of it but I did not listen. I listened to myself instead, and enrolled in the class again, this time in the daytime.

It pushed me to sit in class 7 hours a day for two weeks, crammed in a tiny room with 49 other agents in training. We had a test each Friday on the material we'd covered so tension was high. Our class was rowdy. One day I audited another class and they were so quiet! I wish I had been in with them two weeks. Oh, well...I made it.

I studied my butt off for the national exam, and lightly skimmed over the state law portion. The teachers had not made too big a deal out of the law portion so I didn't either.

To my total surprise, I failed the law portion! In the meantime, Steven, who was thinking about going ahead and getting his license (since he had already completed the course), and I had interviewed with 8 companies. I narrowed it down to two, one small and local, one a franchise with fantastic training.

About two weeks after failing the law portion, I retook it. I called myself studying this time, but since I have never really studied before what I was doing wasn't really studying and I failed the test again!

It was a blow. I felt like I let both Steven and myself down, and wondered whether I had a future in real estate. The worst part, or so I thought, was that I had to wait 30 days to retake it. If I did not pass the third time, I would have to wait six months and then retake the entire thing, even the part I had passed the first time, again. Not fun. And--what would I do in the meantime?

I had told the small local company I was going to sign with them, but during my 30 day waiting period I reconnected with a different branch of the franchise. I loved the training and high energy and knew this was where I was supposed to be. I realized that if I had passed the test the second time and gone with the small company, I would not be getting off to the successful start that I need as a new agent.

I still had my dilemma of how to pass the test, when Maggie suggested I get Steven to ask me the questions in the practice test book. It worked! Everything about Tennessee real estate law started to make sense, and better yet, I was retaining it. It helped that Steven had been through the course, too.

So today I took the test and passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steven told me when I got home that I looked younger because the stress had been alleviated!

We celebrated with sparkling organic pear juice since neither of us drink alcohol. I also made some yummy chicken parmesan which turned out great even thought initially I forgot to brown the chicken first. I had to tear apart the whole casserole, brown the chicken, then put it back together but it was none the worse for it.

All in all, it's been a wonderful day and I am excited aobut the wonderful future ahead of me as a real estate agent. I know it will be an exciting adventure!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Fall Is Finally Here




Greetings to All!




I have not posted for almost 10 days, since we were running around like chickens all last week. I had been sick the week before, and we had lots of catching up to do. Plus, Steve will be starting his new job soon, so we had to shop for new shoes and clothes for him. We also purchased a professional quality video camera for our Golden Legacies business, and took care of lots of other errands and household chores. Still, we have yet to pressure wash the house...sigh. Maybe I will wake up tomorrow to discover that the pressure washing fairies have taken care of it! Ha!




On Saturday we decided to relax with a trip to the Franklin Farmer's Market, our favorite summer/fall activity. Steve took the new video camera and shot some footage of our buddies, the Franklin Square Pickers. I took some photos of them but they did not turn out because the market coordinator has them playing in the center of the shed now instead of out on the market grounds...it is really dark in that shed! Steven's video did not turn out too well as a result.




I did get a few vendor photos, since they were on the outer edges of the shed and got more light.




Those tomatoes sure look good! Better than they did all summer. I don't know why I did not buy any...I got sweet potatoes and turnip greens (organic) which we have already eaten up. Now I am craving one of those tomatoes! And wishing I had a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Oh...temps were 95 early last week; then dropped to the 60s and 70s during the day and 40s at night Thurs and Friday...now they are back up, we were out today and the car thermometer registered 86! Ugh! At least we are finally seeing a few fall leaves, though.




Saturday, October 6, 2007

Smashing Pumpkins!


Well, Steve and I headed south today to Cool Springs, which is big box retailer mecca...we had some shoe shopping to do, and also stopped at the health food store, and SteinMart, my favorite clothing store, then had lunch at Wild Noodles.


Since it's so hot here (see post earlier today) no one is doing much in the way of fall decorating. However, we did see quite a few smashed pumpkins in the streets along the way, so the teenagers are not letting the out of season temps stop them! I got kind of a kick out of it since Steve loves the rock group, Smashing Pumpkins. They are from Chicago and he was listening to them before they became a major success.


Since I don't even have so much as a mum on my doorstep, I am posting this photo that I took last October at the Lewis Country store up the road!

Seasons out of Sync?


Since there are no fall leaves in evidence here in Middle Tennessee, I decided to pull a few off some Internet clip art!
The temperatures have been in the low 90s all this past week, and will hit 90 today, tomorrow, and Monday according to the weather forecast. By Tuesday, though, the highs will be around 80 and lows at night in the 50s.
That's more like it!
I don't ever remember having daytime temperatures in October being in the 90s. Even in Chicago, where Steve's kids live, the temps have been in the 80s.
I am still running the air conditioner full blast at night, still scrounging through my summer clothes trying to find something to wear.
As for meals, it's still chicken salad, fruit salad, and other summer-type meals around here. When I run across a fall soup recipe on the Internet or in the paper I think, huh? Fall harvest chili or butternut squash soup just do not sound appealing when the weather is so hot.
I am just going to get through the next three days of heat and humidity (90 percent today) and then look forward to next week.
And perhaps pretty soon we will begin to see some fall color on these green hills!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Progress Comes To Nashville

WooHoo!!!!!!!

Nashville's restaurants and workplaces are now smoke-free, courtesy of the Tennessee State Legislature!

When I first moved to the Nashville area in 2002, I was shocked at how many people smoked. I previously had lived in Memphis and North Mississippi, where most of my co-workers and friends had given up smoking years before.

In Nashville, seeing people walking down the street smoking was quite common, but I was amazed at the sight. Then I realized--I was now in tobacco-growing country instead of cotton-growing country.

I am a non-drinker but I do enjoy listening to live music. Here I am in Music City USA and my listening pleasure has been curtailed because of cigarette smoke. I have asthma and am seriously affected by smoke to the point that just smelling it on someone's clothes can send me into an hour-long coughing frenzy. Not to mention that sometimes my eyes swell shut from it, too.

Now I can finally go to Robert's Western World on Lower Broadway, home of traditional country music in Nashville!

Thank you, Tennessee State Legislators, for the gift of health and enjoyment!

Where is Fall?


I'm definitely having trouble believing that it's October, since it still feels like summer in Middle Tennessee!


Steve and I went to Best Buy this afternoon to purchase some movie-editing software for our family legacy video business and on the way home, the thermometer in our HHR registered 89! No wonder I was so hot!


It feels more like early September. I guess everyone else is feeling the same way about fall because I don't see any pumpkins on doorsteps or corn shooks and scarecrows or even fall wreaths!


We did stop at Big Lot's after Best Buy and I saw a hideous rubber vulture for $20! We deduced that it was part of the Halloween decor even though someone had placed it in the sock section. I wish I had brought my camera--usually I keep it in my purse but today I forgot--because I would have loved a picture of it...it was so gross!


Oh, well...about fall...maybe it will cool off eventually and I will be able to throw on a sweater and my favorite scarf.


At least the goldenrod is blooming!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Goin' to Chicago


Steve and I are getting excited about our annual holiday trip to the Chicago area to be with his family!


Due to tight finances this year, as a result of starting our Golden Legacies business, we have not been to Chicago since last Christmas. And his grown daughters and one son-in-law did not visit us this year for the same reason. It has been a loooong time since last December, and we are longing to see the "kids".


Last year we stayed a full week; I hope we can do the same this year. We usually stay at a hotel in the Oak Brook area, but last year we booked a room at the Candlewood Suite in the suburb of Warrenville since it was about halfway between both girls. It was a long haul up to the northern burbs to visit his parents and siblings, but Warrenville was very quite and pleasant, and close to shops and restaurants in Wheaton.


Some highlights of our trip were: eating Gino's East pizza ( you just can't get good pizza in the Nashville area, especially for someone from Chicago!); shopping at IKEA (we don't have one here), and eating at diners...yum. One of my favorite things about the Chicago diners is that they all serve delicious "cream of" soups. My favorites are the Hi View and Kappy's, both in the southwest suburb of Villa Park. I like the cream of spinach soup at the Hi View, and the cream of chicken at Kappy's. We also enjoy dinner at Journey's End when we are up in the Mundelein area. Each entree is served with big crocks of homemade soup!

Last year, a couple of weeks before we left I ran out and purchased a heavy coat (don't usually need one here, esp. as I am hot natured). Turns out, I did not need it in Chicagoland last Christmas season, either. I wore it a couple of days but the weather was fairly mild. Especially a few days after Christmas when we went to the Naperville River Walk with Steve's youngest daughter...she took the entire week off work so she could spend extra time with us!
With all the family visiting, though, we never seem to have time to get into the city to visit the museums and other attractions. We are actually thinking about telling everyone we've left and then staying a couple of extra days to play tourist! I feel like a mischevious child, writing that!
I am trying to post a photo of the Naperville River Walk that I pulled off the internet but I don't think it's working too well. I need a blog tutor!


Monday, October 1, 2007

Psst! I've Got A Secret!


I SHOULD be working on the holiday marketing plan for our Golden Legacies business, not to mention writing a freelance article on mortages that is due Wednesday, studying for my real estate exam, and revamping our website content http://www.goldenlegacies.com/but I can't tear myself away from Blog World!


Reading the homekeeping, decorating, gardening, antiquing, crafting, quilting, cooking, etc. blogs has opened up a new world of creativity and relaxation for me. Finally, I feel like I am connecting with women who are interested in the same things I am interested in!


OK, now that I've said that...I'd better seriously get back to work.


But first...here is the link to just one of many blogs I've enjoyed today: http://www.liquidskyarts.com/liquidblog/blogger.html