Sep 30, 2010

It's Goodbye For Now To Chicago....

Every goodbye makes the next hello closer.

Getting very cold for us now here in Chicago and even though we love being here we hate the cold even more.  We have had a wonderful summer here in Chicago and now it's time to go back to Florida and the warmth.

It took us over an hour to get the tickets because there were a few complications to get Brutus together with us on the same flight....and his round trip cost more than ours (ha!ha!)....Arvid even said that in the future he will just buy an extra seat for Brutus so that we can have the entire row to ourselves.....  Finally we have everything all set.  Leaving in less than week.

This gives us more time to look also for a place in Florida be it a house or a condo.   Very difficult to do so while living somewhere else.....

I am sad yet OK with it because I don't like the cold much and we have witnessed a few cold days already and it is only going to get worse.  The few days we have left we will be making the most of.... and going to many of our favorite places for the last time this year.

We have done so much here in Chicago and we have had so much fun.  We really love this city and cannot wait to be back here next year...we already have our tickets for our return trip.

We have met some wonderful people......Brutus has had the opportunity of also being with kind and caring people when we were away...to all of you thank you and we will be seeing you again next year....

Now to begin the packing process and to take care of a few things before we leave.....

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

until next time...

Sep 27, 2010

Just For Fun....

Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.
This was forwarded to me by a friend and it made me laugh so thought I would share it with you and see if it does the same for you.....
 
Enjoy.....

A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom." With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:


Dear Mom:  It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I've been finding real passion with Ahmed and he is so nice-even with all his piercings, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion Mom, I'm pregnant and Ahmed said that we will be very happy. He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.

He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Ahmed taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Ahmed can get better; he sure deserves it!! Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grand children.

Your daughter, Judith

PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk center drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home. ....
 
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people...When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other
 
until next time....

Sep 23, 2010

6 Outrageously Overpriced Products

 Common sense is calculation applied to life......

OK...we all do it but sometimes it helps to see it in writing.  I came across this article and just thought it was interesting and worth sharing.....Here are six outrageously overpriced products that consumers can't seem to live without.

1. Movie Theater Popcorn
At the grocery store, microwave popcorn runs about $3 per box, and each box includes three 3.5 ounce bags. So why on earth would consumers even consider paying a whopping $6 for a single medium-sized bag of popcorn in the movie theater? No one knows exactly why - but for some bizarre reason, movie-goers continue to drain their wallets to crunch on a bag full of those greasy little nuggets during their favorite film.

After considering that movie theaters purchase popcorn in bulk, the average markup of movie theater popcorn is a whopping 1275%! At that steep price, you'd think those buttery bags were laced with gold.

2. Greeting Cards
Since when does a folded up piece of paper cost $2.99? Since someone slaps a precious kitty picture and a cleverly written message on it and then stamps the back of it with a well-known logo. That's right - we're talking about those pricey greeting cards. Many consumers spend hours poring over the neatly arranged stacks in the greeting card aisle, searching for the perfect message for their sister's birthday, their parent's anniversary or "Just Because."

The average greeting card costs between $2 and $4, and we consumers don't seem to think twice about paying that precipitous price. The markup is between 100 and 200% - which is not quite as shocking as movie theater popcorn, but it adds up quickly. When you consider how many of those paper jewels you buy each year, it's enough to send you running for the construction paper and markers. After all, it only costs a few cents to create a home-made card.

I am at fault here.  I do enjoy spending on that just right greeting card for that special person.....don't see me stopping for now...sorry....

3. College Textbooks
In 2010, the annual in-state cost for the typical state university soared to more than $15,000, and private colleges now charge an average of $35,600 a year. As if college kids (and their parents) aren't financially drained enough, there's yet another inflated price they face: college textbooks. College students pay an average of $900 a year on textbooks and other supplies.

College textbook prices have skyrocketed by 186% since 1986, and these expensive volumes of knowledge now account for 26% of the overall cost of college. Unfortunately, broke college students are required to purchase these costly books for their classes. At least they can try to sell their books back to local book store at the end of the semester - for a few measly bucks.

4. Bottled Water

You've probably heard that "Evian" is simply "naïve" spelled backwards. OK, so the well-known company probably did not choose their name for that reason - but many people believe that consumers who buy bottled water are certainly naïve. After all, water is one of the most abundant resources in the world and is available for free from countless water fountains and sinks across the nation. Yet, many consumers are still willing to pay $3 a bottle of it.

In 2009, the U.S. Congress revealed that about 45% of bottled water comes from municipal taps - and then the bottled water company may or may not do some additional filtering before pouring it in their logo-stamped bottles. Still, Americans continue to buy more than 500 million bottles every week, making it the second most popular purchased drink (after soda).

Living in Florida I would never drink anything but bottled water but, living in Chicago we drink water straight from the tap.....

5. Printer Ink
You may be able to buy a surprisingly affordable printer at your local office supply store, but don't start celebrating just yet. The printer companies make their biggest bucks on ink.

Over the life of your printer, you'll probably pay more than 500% of the total price of the printer itself on ink refill cartridges. At $30, a 42ml cartridge of black printer ink comes out to 71 cents per ml. On the other hand, the Red Cross charges $200 for 500 ml of blood, which comes out to about 40 cents per ml.

6. Brand-Name Fashions
How much did you pay for those True Religion jeans, that Burberry scarf and those towering Louboutin stilettos? Probably a small fortune. But it was worth every penny, right? Not so much. When it comes to designer clothes, it's pretty obvious that you are paying for the label.

As a matter of fact, brand-name clothes are often marked up by 500 to 1000%. Yet, fashion-conscious consumers continue to drain their bank accounts and pile up massive amounts of debt to stay on the cutting edge of couture. 
I am also guilty here.  I do have a few designers I am quite fond of and find either their clothes, shoes, handbags etc very flattering and comfortable.  I admit to having a weakness for Prada Sunglasses....

Broke Consumers Are Saying No.....
The recession has hit many households hard, and thousands of broke consumers are passing on these and other overpriced products. So, does that mean the inflated prices of these items will eventually fall? Only time will tell. In the meantime, you may want to check your bank account before you hit the movie theater snack bar.

Sometimes knowing our limitations can be difficult but, hopefully by using our common sense we can help to prevent a lot of bad judgements.....

Common sense is seeing things as they are, and doing things as they should be done...... it is calculation applied to life.....


until next time...

Sep 20, 2010

Only The Best For Our Brutus....

Like me just about everyone has a pet or has had a pet in some given time of their lives.  Also, like me if you have a pet my bet is that he/she means the world to you and for that tiny furry creature (some are not that tiny nor furry) you would go to any lenghts to make sure they are always well taken care of and never lacking in love and affection.......

As all of you by now probably know Brutus is our baby....he sees as us as his parents and in his big eyes there is nothing but trust in them. An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. He trusts us to make sure nothing ever happens to him, to make sure we will always be there when he needs us and to make sure we only leave him with kind people when we are not home.

Coming from Florida, Brutus our Kitty had a wonderful pet-sitter. Someone I consider a good friend.  She loves Brutus almost as much as we do so finding him the right sitter was going to be a challenge. Nothing but the best for our baby. We interviewed several potential sitters.  All very nice but not good enough for my Brutus.  In comes Cynthia.  See link below:

Not surprisingly, Brutus took to her immediately. Next he met Hylda. Love at first sight. Well that was enough for me because Brutus knows who is kind and who will treat him with love and gentleness like we do. We left him for 3 weeks the first time. I was updated via email and texts. Saw pictures of our baby. I was happy and relieved to see he was doing so good.  Second time we left him I was even more relaxed. This was for a week. When we get back home he is always so sparkling clean and shiny just like when we left him. I know he has great care when we are not here…thank you..:)   Brutus is my baby and knowing he is well cared for is all I ask for.

We were soon gone again for a week and although we missed him I know he is in good hands and just that alone means the world to me.  Since coming to Chicago we have left Brutus in care of Cynthia and Hylda 4 times and every time it was easier and easier because he was so well cared for and I was always give updates.  The cutest thing was that every time we came home we were met with a daily update from Hylda.  Both Arvid and I loved it!!

Thank you Cynthia, thank you Hylda……….Brutus found in you another “mom” that takes as good care of him as we do!!  Thank you for taking so good care of our baby....to all out there if you need someone to care for your babies/pets and you live in the Chicago are do not hesitate to call Cynthia.....just check the website for all the info you need.....your best reward is coming back home to a happy and well taken care of pet......




The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.....







until next time....









Sep 16, 2010

House Hunting Continued.....

Oh, I get a little tired now and then, but knowing my lifestyle, that's only natural.....

It goes without saying that when Arvid and I get involved in something we are just like the energizer bunny.  We enjoy life to the fullest and at the same time when it comes to work and to getting things done we are also perfectionists...so much so that our personalities sometimes tend to clash.  I have very strong opinions and rarely tend to back down.   Sometimes it gets in the way of being effective.  Arvid is more diplomatic and in this business it is very useful.

While on the search for the right place to live, we have met many people.  More nice than not but, it seems like the not so nice ones tend to sometimes push you over the limit to the point it seems like one just has to say something.

These last two days have been hectic and packed with properties to see.  Long days and sometimes very stressful but always at the end of the day we look back and have to admit we accomplished everything we set out to do.

One of the good things is that at the end of the day we can take some time off just for ourselves and sit down and enjoy a good relaxing meal.... and maybe taking a trip to the mall.  That sure calms us and revives us for the next day.....

We are still looking and hopefully will find something before we have to go back home to Chicago......We have seen some beautiful  and not so beautiful places....

I have to admit that coming back to Florida was not exactly to my liking.  I would love to live in Chicago all year long.  Unfortunately, because of the cold we will not be able to do so.  Every time we come to Florida it seems like we are more on edge, more annoyed and totally more stressed.  In Chicago we are so much happier......

Hopefully, getting a new place to live will make things seem much brighter and less uncertain......

When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"

until next time......


Sep 14, 2010

House Hunting.....

Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room.....

Buying a new home as many of you may know is one of the most stressful times in our lives and at the same time it is also one of the most exciting of times.

We have sold our apartment in Florida and as Arvid so fondly says we are now homeless in Florida......

In today's market you would think the easiest thing to do right now is to buy...prices are good and there are tons of deals to be made.  The problem we are facing is that even though we ourselves are Realtors we always have to go through another realtor...the one with the listing.

This sounds pretty straightforward and simple...and the truth is it should be.  Well surprise.  Not really the case.  There are so many Realtors out there that never return your call.  Never even answer back on an email.  This makes it a lot more difficult to see properties...but not impossible.  Our strength lies in that we are persistent and we divvy up the work so we get more accomplished.

Being a Realtor allows me to access properties listed in the MLS.  Our search takes us to Fort Lauderdale Real Estate....which is where we are looking for our new place again in Florida.


Fort Lauderdale is beautiful and the weather can't be beat in the winter months.  For that reason we will soon be leaving Chicago and heading back to the warm weather in sunny Florida.

With that in mind Arvid and I are heading out to Florida (Fort Lauderdale) for the next three days....we are going to search for a place to call home again in Florida.

Will be a few hectic days packed with tons of properties to see.  Excited about seeing them.  Being a Realtor we know many of the buildings but when it comes to choosing our own home I really want to see it before we make an offer...:)  There is so much to look at so in the next few days we will have to really be on the ball and just go...go...go..

With this in mind we are looking forward to seeing what we can get for our money and hopefully we will be able to find something we both like and would one day call home again.....it has to have a view and a window so that Brutus can sit and watch the boats go by like he did before....

For now it is off to finding ourselves a home in Fort Lauderdale......we are having a wonderful time through this whole process.



until next time...

Sep 12, 2010

Relaxed Times....

A Daughter is a Little Girl who grows up to be a Friend ....

Just came back home from visiting my parents.  As usual being with my mom and dad is always relaxing and enjoyable both for Arvid and I.

I am very grateful to have been blessed with these wonderful parents and to know that Arvid enjoys their company as much as they enjoy his.

It is very relaxing to see Arvid and my parents joke about things so very different yet in many ways so alike.  Two entirely different cultures merge and the end result is one very happy time spent together.  I am a very fortunate woman to have the parents I have and to have such a kind, generous and loving husband.

Every moment spent with mom and dad is special and I am grateful for each minute.  As children we sometimes forget the sacrifices our parents did/do for us.  I never have and hope never to. 

Now back to "normal" life again.  Soon we will be travelling again so now will enjoy a few days with Brutus before heading out on the road again.....

I don't believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models....

until next time

Sep 11, 2010

YEAR 2010 BEST BEACHES RANKING IN THE USA.......

The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach....

Here's a little something different...if you are a beach lover then you might find these beaches tempting....

1. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York

Coopers Beach Southampton New York: The golden white sands and clear blue water on Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York has made it one of the best beaches in America for the year 2010. Coopers Beach won the title of the Best Beach in USA on the basis of a beach survey done all over America.

2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida:
 Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach has been officially ranked as “the finest, whitest sand beach in the world.”



3.: Coronado Beach, San Diego, California:
Travel Channel named Coronado Beach one of the best, citing its surroundings, with Hotel Del Coronado behind and downtown Coronado nearby.





4. Cape Hatteras,Outer Banks, North Carolina:Hatteras Island is simply a one of a kind place and has plenty to offer: beach-combing, swimming, kiteboarding, sailboarding, and boating exist around nearly every corner. Cast your sights on over 70 miles of pristine Cape Hatteras National Seashore


5. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York:
 East Hampton’s Main Beach has dunes, surf, lifeguards during summer, and terrific Fourth of July fireworks. The area has long been popular for its beautiful scenery (windmills, pond with swans), colonial homes, and splendid beaches

6. Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii:  Kahanamoku Beach has been named the 6th best beach in America by Dr. Beach for 2010. It is the widest beach in Waikiki and an offshore protective reef makes it a good beach for families with children. Swimmers should wear reef walkers or some other protective footwear because the shoreline in this area has a rocky bottom. Kahanamoku beach is a popular swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and sailing beach and it is also home of the Port Hilton Dock where the Atlantis submarine tours and dinner cruises depart. Public access to Kahanamoku Beach is via Kalia Road and Pahoa Place.



7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachussets:  Who knew an old, weathered Coast Guard Station would birth the number 7 beach on Dr. Beach’s list of the top 10 beaches in America for 2010. Yet it did and with good reason. Easy to get to, which means it can get crowded, Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod is one of those places where two forces of nature meet. You have what looks to be an old glacial cliff and the remaining sand as it fingers its way around to form a beach area.


8. Beachwalker Park,Kiawah Island, South Carolina:  Located on Kiawah Island, Beachwalker Park offers 11 miles of unspoiled beach on one of the country's most beautiful barrier islands. Located between the Bohicket River and the ocean, the park features a wide boardwalk that weaves through live oaks, pines, palmettos, and yucca plants.  Amenities include a picnic area, snack bar, beach access, restrooms, dressing areas, showers, and various beach rentals.



9. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii:  Hamoa beach is tucked away down a flight of stairs from Haneo’o Road in Hana. The beach is a long strand of soft grey sand, a beach so perfectly formed into the shape of a half moon, it is rimmed by boulders of lava and guarded by tall volcanic needles. Trees line the shore, which offers a crescent of black and silver sand

10. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida:   Cape Florida is home to one of the best beaches in the United States with 1.2 miles of shoreline, miles of paved pedestrian/ bike paths that allows cyclists, hikers, and skaters to enjoy the historic Cape Florida lighthouse, fishing along the seawall, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and nature trails that permit people to see the diversity of native plant and wildlife communities.

You never know how many friends you have until you rent a house on the beach....

until next time....