So… we headed out Monday morning.  We accidentally took a wrong turn, and the trip took a little longer; we got there just in time to check in.  At the reservation center, we were given vouchers to check into our ocean front room, and a form to fill in with names of friends and neighbors as referrals to earn “points” for resort merchandise.  Yea, right!  I didn’t see that in my Dale Carnegie’s book on How to Win Friends and Influence People.

When we opened the door to our hotel room, I was hit with a yucky smell; not regular ocean musty, but something different.  My husband thought that it was because there was an ash tray in the room, but when we checked, ALL of the rooms had ash trays!  My husband smokes, so it’s not like I’m not used to cigarette smoke.  That wasn’t it.  Being the good sport I am, I bought some Oust odor remover, and hunkered down. 

We slept with the sliding door open to let the ocean sounds in, and we really had a good time, but I realized that I’m a location Diva!  I don’t care about hair, makeup, and clothes (OK, I do like shoes), but I do NOT want to be surrounded by outlet malls, amusement parks, multiple putt-putt golf courses, and unending seafood restaurants with traffic and red lights, just like Coney Island.  The whole area smelled, and not a good smell like the ocean breeze.  I never figured out what it was!

But I’m home now.  I’ve often said that living here is like being on vacation 365 days a year!  Yes, this is a resort area, but a scaled down, more adult version.  OK, I’m a diva.  I’m spoiled.  I’m used to living here and sometimes take it for granted; not often, but every now and then I need a quick kick in the pants to remind me.  Nope, I didn’t buy a timeshare, but I brought home something MUCH more valuable:  the renewed appreciation of the Golden Isles.  To the time share folks, I say “thanks” for the “free” trip, and “THANKS!” for the reminder of why I live here!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!  As a "mom" myself, I know the joys that come with the job.  (I also know all the other emotions, as well, but today, we'll just focus on the joy!)

But, if you think being a mother is a great experience (it is!), just wait until you're a grandmother!  Those trusting eyes look at you knowing that you have the keys to the candy shop!  My granddaughter is 2, and her verbal skills are excellent.  Just last week when we were in the car and I was trying to get a book from her, I noticed I had dropped some change in the console.  So, being the great negotiator that I am, I resorted to bribery!  Guess what; when I gave her a dollar in exchange for the book, she grinned and said "Two monies, Noni!".  Who's the great negotiator now?  But who could say no to that face???

So we made a deal.  I gave her "2 monies" and explained that one was for her little brother, Lance.  When she got home, she promplty took one dollar and gave it to him, but Daddy had to help due to Lance's limited, 2 months old motor skills.

So I've discovered that one of the greatest joys of being a mother is becoming a grandmother.  I'm not worried about offending my children who have not given me grandchildren, because those little munchinks have stolen their hearts, too! 

So to all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day.  There shoud be a Happy Children's Day, because without the children, we couldn't be mothers, and just think of all that we would have missed!  So to my children, I say "I hope this day is the best day of your life!" and to other mother's, I say "Enjoy this, YOUR day!"

Living in the south, where the climate is moderate and the beaches are nearby, I often work with people who are looking for a place to retire.  I spent just such a day on Thursday.  A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a lady in NY who had found an "area testimonial" on one of my sites,  (you can see it here: http://tinyurl.com/prbr6), and she said it sounded just like them.  They have 2 labs, and are looking for a place with room for their dogs.

She explained that her husband will be retiring next January, and they are looking for a nice place to retire; she said that they "love shopping, restaurants, and a nice place to go for a drink."  I immediately thought, "St. Simons!", but since it was going to be their first visit to the area, I didn't want my preconceived ideas to influence them.  So we went house shopping!

We started at a georgous home with pool, lots of limestone, large lot, etc., listed at $449,500.  Beautiful!  Yep, they liked the house, and they liked the neighborhood.  From that home, we went to a gated, golf course community, where we looked at a few more homes.  There, they found another home with spectatular detailing and one whole wing of the home dedicated as the master suite.  The price of this home is $525K.  So far, this was their favorite.

But, we had one more stop to make: St. Simons Island.  As I drove them through the Village, and they saw the shops and restaurants, they were impressed that St. Simons is pretty much self-contained.  To make a long story short, their home of choice is located on St. Simons Island.  They still have a house to sell in NY, but they'll be back.  You know what they say, once you get our sand in your shoes, you'll always come back!  I've worked with many clients where I immediately thought "Marshes of Mackay," "Belle Pointe," "Oak Grove Island" or "Laurel Grove."  But I somehow knew that St. Simons would be their location of choice.  Once again, my instincts were right on.  They're gonna love it here!  I know I do!

It's early Saturday morning, and I'm going to go garage saleing (is that a word?)  One of the benefits of living here is the chance to find some perfect thing that I absolutely don't need!  I love it.  Do you ever watch "Trading Spaces"?  I find all of these wonderful items that I just know will be perfect if spray painted gold, or rewired to make a new dining room light.  Unfortunatley, my enthusiam sometimes wanes, but over all, I can't think of a better way to spend the morning. 

My time is not always wasted; at one yard sale I found a JennAire wine cooler for only $30!   Someone was remodeling a perfectly wonderful home, and I was so happy that they were!  Of course, I rarely drink wine, but you never know when you'll need that perfect bottle of wine.   Gotta go... who knows, maybe that perfect bottle of Bordeaux, a 1787 Chateau Lafite, is sitting in someone's garage!  There are benefits to going to yard sales in million dollar homes!

I really hate to complain about the weather, but many people move to Southeast GA because of our wonderful warm climate.  Today, it's a dreary day, and I'm so spoiled with our usual sunshine that I resent the few day of (needed) rain that we have.  But it's Feb. 11, and we really haven't had winter yet, so I guess that I can survive a few days of not so perfect weather. 

Since this is the beginning of our busy season in real estate here, I think I'll go back to bed and rest up for the surge of buyers that are just around the corner!  BTW, we'll be starting our Home Buyer's Workshops soon, so if you want to beat the rush, sign up today. 

As always, I wish you well with your real estate future!