The TRUTH about Santa (Shhhhhh...Not for those under 12 yrs old)

It was last year.. We knew Erin was hearing things at school.. she was putting 2 and 2 together.. Santa was fading away from her..

We didn't like that..

Matt thought of it.. he came up with what we should say..

(But I insisted it be at Starbucks.. I thought I had to have a holiday drink in my hand when we did this.)

We looked into the eyes of our little girl.. her eyes get real big sometimes.. she had big eyes at that moment.

Erin, 

(We were nervous.. anxious... couldn't believe we were having "this moment"...)

The truth is...

There really IS a Santa Claus....  

There is a legend about a man that lived a long time ago and he gave gifts to children.

He did it because God had given him the best gift of all -- Jesus.

When that man died it was his hope that others would pick up where he left off and continue to give gifts to each other -- in the name of Santa Claus -- but because of JESUS.

We've been doing it..... and now... ....You can do it too!

Are you ready for it?

Her eyes were still big and she said.. 

"Yes!"

Then she smiled at us and said "I like this..."

And that's how we told Erin the truth about Santa Claus.

Every real estate SALE or PURCHASE has some story behind it.

The stories are my favorite part...

Some stories I want to stand up and CHEER.. .some I laugh about LATER.. some STILL make me tear up when I think about them.

They make me think about things in my own life.. the things that cause these sales to happen.. they always makes me feel something... always.

LIFE -- the THICK of it -- happens EVERY DAY and it forces EACH of these sales to happen..

the drive for something different out of life,

the joys that happen to each of us in life,

the challenges/struggles/tragedies life sometimes hands us.

In-my-own-house life is sometimes THICK (loud) with this kind of stuff.

Then on other days I think it's THIN and quiet... and there's nothing going on.

Oh.. but the other day I was reminded that life is THICK everyday -- somewhere...

At 1:00pm I showed a house to a couple looking to create their first home.

They're getting married in September.

It was fun..they were smiling..

They have plans.. we made some plans...

At 2:00pm I toured a home where the father met me at the door...

his 18 year old daughter looked up at me from the couch as I walked into the living room...

his little 5th grade son walked into the room...

The kids followed us as we walked thru the house.  They piped up here and there about stuff they wanted me to see.

They had just lost their mom a few months ago and they all want to sell and have a new start.

I left them and came home..

My mother-in-law was over.  When I walked in the door her and the girls were elbow deep in APRONS and EASY BAKES.. there were miniature pizzas and chocolate chip cookies all over the kitchen.

Later I talked to my mom for almost an hour on the phone.

It's crazy how much LIFE happens in one day!

We've got a snow day in Terre Haute!

I'm working from my kitchen table -- lucky girl -- I've got a fireplace in my kitchen and large windows surround my table.  So it's a scenic snowy view only 5 ft away from flames in the fireplace.

And b/c I'm able to sit here at home, work on listings and a purchase agreement (fingers are crossed) and do it all the way I want to.. 

I've got the new Coldwell Banker #homerocks campaign on my mind... For real!  I do!

I'm seriously thinking that the campaign should go on to say "AS LOUD AS YOU WANT IT TO!" Two examples follow:

classic e.g.

I showed a girl a house last week.. we were standing on the deck surveying the backyard and she asked "Can I have a dog here?"

I looked at her and my eyes said.. "Awww.. you're so cute!"  Then I laughed and blurted;

"OF COURSE YOU CAN SILLY!!!  YOU'LL OWN IT!!!!"

another e.g.

This is my old apartment building on 6th Street:

I had a very chic retro record player when I lived there.. I LOVED it!  

One night I was playing records and came across a Paul Anka record that my mom had probably given me.
  
As I listened to it I started to think (and I realize how cheesy I'm going to look as I tell you this story)...  I came to determine that "My Way" by Paul Anka was maybe the best song I had EVER heard!

I was so caught up in it.. the crackle of the record, the smooth voice.. the few regrets.. the charted course.. each careful step.. the music got louder.. he bit off more than he could chew.. there was doubt -- he ate it up.. spit it out.. .he faced it all.. stood tall.. I pictured him... he loved...laughed and cried.. his share of losing.. finds it all so amusing...  he did all that.. louder... not in a shy way.. louder still.. what is a man?  if not himself .. then he has not.. wow this is good stuff... what he truely feels.. not the words of one who kneels.. the record shows.. he took the blows... record player cranked all the way up... myyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyy.

(Crazy knocking on the door!!)  

It's Bruce ..the building's maintenance man.  

Do you know how embarrassing it is (after the fact) to realize you were so caught up in Paul Anka singing My Way that the maintenance man had to run up from his basement apartment to your third floor apartment and had to knock on your door for several minutes (b/c you were oblivious and couldn't hear him over the record player) to tell you to turn your *&^% music down??

Oh.. it's embarrassing for years to come...

Yes, all these years later, home ownership rocks as loud as we want it to -- and that's what we like about it!

So I'm thinkin' it's GREAT to sit here by the fire and work on listings -- and a hopeful purchase.. with kids chirping and Matt playing the radio loud enough that he can hear it while he showers.  ...Because that's how we like it!  (Now that Bruce no longer lives in my basement....)

#homerocks  AS LOUD AS YOU WANT IT TO!