Long Hollow

A few truly rich men I have known …

June 19, 2016

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

On one of the last visits I had with my Daddy before he passed – maybe even the last one – his face lit up in a smile at the sight of me and he hugged me tighter than I've ever been hugged before or since.

If I close my eyes, I can still see that smile and feel his arms around me, holding on as if he never wanted to let me go. Just another gift from my sweet Daddy to add to my treasured memories. A gift that soothes me on days like today and triggers gratitude from every pore of my body that God blessed me with that man as my father.

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland

God also blessed me with an amazing father-in-law. I didn't get to see him as much as my own father, but we were blessed to spend a lot of time with him and Mom, visiting at their home in Maryland and then Florida, traveling with them through Wisconsin, Yellowstone National Park, and Mexico, or having them visit us in Texas.

After raising 9 boys, he loved each one of us daughters as his own, showing a softer side to us than he ever showed to his sons, I'm sure.

A month before his passing, we joined most of Tom's brothers and their families to celebrate Mom and Pop's 60th wedding anniversary. Pop hadn't been feeling well, but I managed to tease a bit of a smile out of him for the photo above. I had no idea it would be the last one I would ever take of him – or that the goodbye hug I received a day or so later would be the last. That smile was a gift from him that I cherish, along with all of the others.

If your father is still around, available to hug or tease or photograph, don't pass up those opportunities. It may not be your last chance, but you'll be grateful for every single one you are able to stash away for later.

Believe me, "later" eventually shows up.

On Father's Day, I also give thanks that God brought Tom into my life to be the father of my children, the three best gifts he's ever given me, even including the drums.

They were all here today to celebrate him, not with store-bought gifts or cards (he thinks they are a waste of money) but with their cooking skills (a bacon and egg breakfast, followed by grilled hamburgers for lunch), their voiced appreciation, and their time, which is about the best gift a child can give their parent… or themselves.

I didn't snap any photos today, but here's a blast from the past…

For more Father's Day reflections, please read, "Dear Daddy" and "What a Father Does…" I hope you enjoy them! Be sure to share a favorite dad memory with me in the comments.

If you are a dad, then I hope you have had a wonderful Father's Day!

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. ~Author Unknown
A Different Kind of Mother’s Day

May 8, 2016

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.

~Graycie Harmon

When you think about it, life is so very fragile, so touch and go, and there are so many things that can go wrong – that do go wrong sometimes – that it's a miracle any of us are even here.

When you think about the pain of childbirth, the exhaustion of taking care of an infant, a toddler, a teenager, it's a miracle any of us are born, much less survive into adulthood.

So all of us are lucky just to be alive. But let's face it … some of us are luckier than others, and I think I'm one of them, because I'm my mother's daughter.

I was born to a mother who loved her children with God's love – selfless and unconditional. The four of us had the security of that soft cushion of love at all times, no matter what we did.

Now, it didn't mean we got everything we wanted, or we could do anything we wanted. Love … real motherly love … means placing boundaries, setting limits, doling out consequences. She let us know when we crossed those lines. I felt the sting of spankings and felt the heart-wrenching pain of guilt, and I knew its source was Love.

Like Mary Poppins' spoonful of sugar that helped the medicine go down, my mother taught us by example that Laughter makes life easier. It sweetens the inevitable sour. We can't foresee or control what life has in store for us, but we sure as hell can laugh about it!

On Mother's Day and every day, I thank God for my beautiful, loving mother, and for her laughter which will live in my heart forever …

... for my wonderful mother-in-law, who raised 9 boys into wonderful men, and who welcomed me into her heart as a daughter…

…for my beloved grandmothers, amazing women who overcame the heartbreaks and adversity and hardships of life with grace and laughter… who taught me the secrets to survival and happiness…

.. for my friends, kids, and family who sent me so much love and support on this first Mother's Day since my mother passed.

(Tulips from my sister and her husband!)

To all mothers, in all shapes and forms, hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. To those who can't be with their own mothers this weekend, or with their sons or daughters, remember their love is always with them, inside and out.

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

~ Abraham Lincoln

(A slightly edited re-post, but still sincere in my wishes! Happy Mother's Day! I was blessed to spend the day with all of my kids, the originals and the add-ons, and to help celebrate other mothers and their mothers. I have been blown away with the messages and expressions of love and support. A friend even played "Lily of the Valley" in honor of my mom after church services this morning. It has truly helped. May God bless each and every one of you, and your mothers!)
To all God’s beloved… who are called to be saints…

May 3, 2016
To all God's beloved who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

~Romans 1:7

"The memory of those who have gone before us, to whom we are linked by bonds of fidelity and gratitude, must also accompany us in all the acts of our daily life. For this is the memorial they deserve; this resounds to their honor; this is the spirit of Christian prayer for the dead, which is inseparable from Christian life and practice."

~ St. John XXIII

A week ago this evening, I watched my mom breathe her last breath.

What a blessing it was that Daniel and TG had joined me in the vigil that had begun the day before, in case I needed to get some sleep. I didn't want Mama to be alone when she passed.

And we knew she was going to pass soon.

She had spent a week in the Intensive Care Unit, mostly unresponsive. She couldn't breathe on her own without a mask covering her face, and when the antibiotics failed to control the infection, we knew it was time to take off the mask and make her as comfortable as possible as she transitioned into her new life in heaven. Her body was just worn out.

For the most part, I've been at peace, thanks to my faith and for my almost daily visits with my mom over the past few years, which provided me with a huge cache of hugs, smiles, and kisses for the future.

She kept a smile on her face and made the best of things up until the end, but I know she is now in a much better place, holding hands with Daddy, free of her aging body that struggled so hard to breathe.

In her honor (and for my benefit), I've decided to re-post my words from her last birthday. I have a feeling she knew, as I suspected, it would be her last birthday here on this earth…

Last week I asked my mom what she wanted for her birthday. She stared off for a few seconds, then looked at me and said "More time."

But there was a twinkle in her eye, and her mouth turned up in a grin as she added, "Can you tell I live in the present?"

What a wise woman.

Even now, anchored to an oxygen machine, rarely leaving the small room she shares with another woman, and having to rely on others for even the simplest things, like having a glass of water near enough to drink, Mama finds enough joy in life to want to stick around awhile longer.

I know it isn't because she's afraid of death. My mom is a Christian. She has taught me all my life – and I know she believes it most of the time – that there is life after death, much more beautiful than this one, free of pain and sorrow. Most of her loved ones have gone before her…her parents, siblings, her firstborn, and her beloved husband.

Despite what her life appears to be to us, she is still loving it. Her smile is always close to the surface, and she laughs often, finding joy in the simplest things. She loves her aides and nurses, her cups of coffee, her cookies, and the photos of Daddy, her kids, grandkids, and great-granddaughter hanging on the walls.

She does NOT like being told what to do, but that's understandable after years of being such an independent woman and caregiver to others.

For her sake – actually, for mine – I hope she gets her birthday wish, and that she finds joy in every extra second she is given. I believe she will. I know I will.

And in her honor, I will try my best not to waste a single second of the time I'm given with remorse or regrets of the past, or with wishing away my today for some future moment that may never come.

I will continue to keep my eyes open for even the simplest sweet!s. Today they will include picking up some fried shrimp for her birthday dinner, then gathering with family to celebrate her and give thanks that she's in our lives.

On her 77th birthday, I listed the things she had taught me, and I've added to it every year. So without further ado, here's the list…

Things Mama has taught me…
1. it's never too late to learn something new
2. if you have a choice between laughter and tears, choose laughter.
3. don't let anyone mess with your babies!
4. only give advice when asked for it (I'm still working on that one)
5. pray every day
6. pray some more
7. reading a good book might not solve your problems, but it's a nice escape from them
8. bend but never break
9. some people are just takers
10. be nice whenever possible, but sometimes nice doesn't cut it
11. take care of family
12. we're all individuals – let your kids blossom into themselves, not "mini-me's"
13. be there
14. Johnny Weismuller is the best movie Tarzan
15. don't be in a rush to be older than you are – you're only going to be this age once in your life
16. if you like something, and you'll use it, and you can afford it, then buy it, or you'll regret it later
17. quality over quantity
18. never think "can't"
19. people will stand in line for a dead skunk if it's free
20. roll with the punches
21. have fun
22. laugh often
23. believe in yourself
24. don't let others change who you are
25. be honest
26. don't steal
27. forgive yourself
28. God loves me
29. don't judge
30. just do it!
31. inside matters more than outside
32. don't use God's name in vain
33. you can learn anything if you put your mind to it
34. you're never too old to dance
35. it's okay to ask for help
36. show appreciation and express gratitude
37. use my manners
38. consider the source
39. an office or position of authority should be respected, but the individual in that position has to earn your respect
40. sleep is good
41. take advantage of opportunities
42. keep your eyes open and your wits about you
43. people aren't always nice
44. things can't make you happy
45. use your imagination
46. just get started and the rest will be easy
47. don't be intimidated by anyone – we're all the same, all human, we all have strengths and weaknesses
48. you can love someone even if you don't like them
49. forgive but don't forget
50. learn from others' mistakes
51. there are times for being patient, and time for putting your foot down
52. speak up
53. stand up for what you believe in
54. admit your mistakes and expect others to do the same
55. persistance pays off
56. let your kids be kids
57. love unconditionally
58. take lots of pictures
59. kids grow up fast
60. your kids need a mother, not another friend
61. pets are family
62. help others
63. a sense of humor is essential for sanity and survival
64. if you look close enough, you can find something to love about everyone
65. coffee is good anytime
66. messes can be cleaned up
67. prayer works
68. God is strong all the time – let him carry you
69. if you say you're going to do something, do it
70. be nice to yourself in case no one else is
71. you have to show respect to get respect
72. girls are tough
73. don't put up with temper tantrums – yours or someone else's
74. listen to your body – doctors don't know everything
75. don't say everything you're thinking
76. asking questions is the best way to learn something
77. your babies are always your babies (and their babies are your babies, too!)
78. God is.
79. Just listen.
80. people are more important than things
81. there is a time to help others, and a time to let others help you
82. God has his reasons, and He will give you whatever strength you need for the road ahead…and never leave you to walk it alone.
83. smile and show appreciation to those who are willing to help you – they may have it tougher than you in many ways
84. Appreciate every second you're given, because life is beautiful.
Rest in peace, my beautiful Mama. We will be okay. You saw to that. Please give Daddy a hug from me.

Call your mother. Tell her you love her. Remember, you're the only person who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside.

~Rachel Wolchin
A Triple Celebration Day… and other sweet!s

April 6, 2016

Starting a sweet! journal was a great idea! For once, I've remembered to record them every day.

(At least for three weeks. But I think that's a record.)

I keep the journal open on my bathroom counter. Every evening I'm reminded to reflect on the day and the blessings I've received. It's funny how I might have to dig deep to think of the first one, but once it's out in the open, others start popping up with little effort.

This past Saturday was sweet! all day long, because I spent the day celebrating happy occasions with friends. It started with the wedding of a beautiful woman at our church… someone who is energetic and passionate and always giving of herself. I'm so glad she found someone who can obviously see and appreciate how beautiful she truly is.

I had time to witness the very moving ceremony (I don't usually cry at weddings, but when the groom choked up at this one, my eyes welled up along with his!) and visit with a few friends at the reception before heading down the road to a bridal brunch.

You probably don't remember this, but back in September I attended the 30th birthday surprise party for a dear friend's daughter who I've watched grow up, and who has herself become a friend through a decade of sharing Port Aransas adventures.

Well, 30 turned out to be her best birthday ever! Her boyfriend, who was supposed to be in Iraq, showed up, dropped to his knee, and proposed to her.

I get goosebumps just thinking about it again!

Instead of waiting for him to return again in a few months to have a big, fancy wedding, those two snuck off alone to the courthouse to get married before he headed back to finish up his tour.

She missed out on all of those fun pre-wedding bridal showers, so a few of her friends decided to host a bridal brunch for her. It was mermaid themed, and overflowed with adorable decorations and goodies to eat. Plus, she got a lot of great gifts!

I was able to stay until the very end before hitting the road again, this time headed for Houston to attend a retirement party for Gene, a wonderful friend who started at DuPont a year after I did. He and another friend who attended, Larry, were like big brothers to me, and sweet! really doesn't describe how awesome it was to see them again and have a chance to share memories and laughs with them. It's amazing how forty years can just peel away in a heartbeat.

There was an extra sweet! surprise during the party I hadn't anticipated. So serendipitous it still amazes me! Gene and his wife had several tables set up under a tent outside, each themed with places they want to visit. I was at the Texas table with a lot of people I didn't know. I introduced myself and asked how everyone knew Gene.

One of the women told me I looked familiar. I asked for her name. She told me, then introduced her husband. While her name didn't sound familiar, his triggered a memory. I leaned to get a good look at him around the centerpiece made of boots and a hat.

"Were you a welder for H.B. Zachry years ago at the USI plant?"

He nodded.

"I was your welder's helper. For two months in 1978, anyway. I remember you because you were such a nice guy. Thank you!"

It seems kind of amazing to me now that I've remembered his name, and even his face, all of these years. I only worked there two months, and I wasn't actually his dedicated welder's helper. I mostly roamed around at the end of the day gathering the 'weld count'. During the day my supervisors had me sit in the welding shack, checking out tools. In reality, they had me there to guard against theft. There were a lot of unscrupulous people working there, a lot of 'edgy' characters.

I don't remember any of their names, but I remember Bobby. He was a good guy, plain and simple. He stood out from the rest without doing anything at all, except being nice and polite and normal. Maybe we had some conversations, but I've forgotten them now. Just knowing he and one or two other nice guys were out there made me feel safe.

But I was still grateful to leave that construction site behind!

Anyway, it felt like I had come full circle in some way.

There's another sweet! surrounding this whole weekend. For years, I stayed with my parents when I came back to Houston for reunions or other events. I never had to think twice about it.

That's no longer an option.

However, I have a sweet friend who always opens her door to me, as long as they are in town themselves. I get my own room in their beautiful home. On this trip I was grateful to have time before and after Gene's party to relax and visit with her… and with her puppies, Millie, Maybe, and the magnificent Maverick.

Isn't he gorgeous?

He loves me.

Well, he loves anyone who pays him attention.

I made a quick stop at my childhood home to retrieve a small chest that fit in my car that I realized I could use. This time, as many times before, I knew there was a very good chance it was my last visit.

Each time gets a little easier. This was the third time in two weeks I've been there, but I'll save that for another post, along with quite a few other sweet!s.

Because it's now after midnight and time for bed.

And it's also my birthday. Sweet! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

"The first fact about the celebration of birthdays is that it is a good way of affirming defiantly, and even flamboyantly, that it is a good thing to be alive."

~G.K. Chesterton
Promises Kept… a sweet catch-up

March 16, 2016

A few days ago, I traded my phone for an umbrella when I took Belle for our morning run/walk down our dirt road. And that's why I don't have a photo of the most beautiful rainbow … a perfect arch above the horizon, and below it, a summer-blue sky that winked at me from behind stormy gray clouds, and then finally, a river of cream-colored clouds that flowed just above the treetops.

I had to just stop and soak it all up for a few minutes, that perfect reminder of promises kept. Belle understood. She's very patient with me.

The storms that brought much-needed rain finally moved on and that blue sky has ruled every since. As grateful as I was for the rain, I was relieved when it ended. I get tired of umbrellas, wet shoes, and windshield wipers.

But still, the rain is definitely on my sweet! list for the past (gulp) month and a half, and by scrolling back through time on Facebook, I remembered a few others…

My new camera strap arrived, and Tom attached it to my old camera. It was my Christmas gift from my son and his wife, but was backordered. So it was like celebrating Christmas twice!

(Yes, that's tape on the card slot. Hey, it works!)

The Pedernales River is full! This is the view from one of my lot listings. Know anyone who wouldn't mind looking at this every day?

Bluebonnets!

The woods are splashed with redbud blossoms, and my crape myrtles are budding. Maybe this year they will actually flower!

I took advantage of a few minutes alone in the house and played my drums for the first time in ages.

Reese's peanut butter eggs have hit the shelves. A curse and a blessing!

Before going to Sunday Mass, I've been attending Baptist services with Mama and TG .

It was TG's idea, which is doubly sweet! because neither of them are morning people, but they are doing it for each other. And what a blessing that members of the nearby Baptist church come in to provide the services for the residents. We literally wheel my mom into the room next to hers!

I'm actually enjoying spending my entire morning in church. I confess I didn't think I would!

On a completely different note, I also enjoyed getting to view the Bongo house for a client, and picturing in my mind that infamous episode in Austin's history…

When my friend Rachel told me Stoney LaRue was playing in Cedar Park, just down the road, I made an exception to my rule about staying up late during the week to go hear him with her. It was worth it!

I took a road trip with my daughter to San Antonio one weekend, via Highway 281, which meanders through small towns and the hill country with very little traffic, so it was truly a sweet! in itself.

But I went for TG's boyfriend's graduation from his TACP school, which is such a huge accomplishment, such a physical and mental challenge, and I'm glad I could congratulate and thank him personally.

Plus, being in San Antonio that weekend meant I could help a dear friend celebrate her 50th birthday party in 70's & 80's style. We danced until almost 2 am. Whew! (An extra sweet! – finding just the right dress to wear in TG's closet at the last minute!)

The next day TG's boyfriend introduced me to the King William district of San Antonio, full of great architecture and eclectic restaurants. I kept my camera clicking.

That's macaroni and cheese and cole slaw you see peeking out of the BBQ sandwich below. It was awesome!

Would you believe we lucked upon a puppy birthday party? A massive pitbull sporting a birthday hat is a definite SWEET!

My cousin posted parts of old family videos on Facebook. Seeing myself in action at 6 years old… seeing my young mom hugging my oldest brother, and so many other family members who have passed was truly a sweet!, even though it brought me to tears.

I spent a gorgeous afternoon with friends in Spicewood on Lake Travis, exploring their neighborhood in a golf cart, taking photos of it and their golf course lot I have listed for sale. Just spending time with them was sweet!

I won a bottle of Dom Perignon at a new home REALTOR event at Travisso. That was sweet! but the occasion that warrants popping the cork will have to be really sweet!

I battled two mornings of the worst Austin traffic to get to the all-day classes, but I earned my CNE designation – Certified Negotiation Expert.

Watch out world!

Friends graciously open their home every year for a Super Bowl party. I don't pay much attention to the game, but do enjoy getting a chance to catch up them and other friends.

This year, it was extra sweet! because of this sunset on a full Lake Travis. That cove where docks are now floating again had been dry for at least 4 years.

And last but not least, by pure luck I happened to catch this group of bicyclists coming down our dirt road hill. It's probably the last time I'll see it, too, although they fared better than I thought they would!

I'm grateful for my phone camera that helps me capture so many sweet!s of each day, which means a higher likelihood of remembering them, but there are some simpler ones that do slip away…

… like an unseen cardinal whistling at you, or the glimpse of a strange wild bird running on the dirt road in front of you, as I witnessed yesterday afternoon.

So I started keeping a Sweet! Journal this week, with the intent to list them all day long. They may not all make it here to Long Hollow, but at least I'll have them recorded somewhere to remind me on those days I forget how blessed I am. I hope you have a way to remember your blessings, as well.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

~Thornton Wilder
“You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas…”

March 2, 2016

Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas – Senator William Blakley

Today is Texas Independence Day, so I had to pop in and wish her a happy 180th birthday. I am so very grateful that my way-back grandparents were drawn to Texas, just like Davy Crockett, although their story had a happier ending.

Life was still pretty tough, I imagine, but they knew enough to stay put.

I've visited other places and can appreciate their beauty and good qualities, but no matter where I go, Texas calls me back.

And March is a wonderful time to be celebrating a birthday. Bluebonnets and redbuds and azaleas are blooming. Mountain Laurel fills the air with the smell of grape Kool-aid.

Cedar Waxwings and robins love to visit in March. They stopped in Long Hollow for a one-day visit recently. Fortunately it was on a morning when I could venture back out with my zoom lens.

I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure
entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one
section of earth by a really top hand – Author Mary Lasswell
Sunset and a smattering of sweets

February 16, 2016

This evening I did something I haven't done in a long, long time…. I sat in my rocking chair on my back deck and watched the sun set.

It wasn't a dramatic sunset, like the one in this photo. Just a deepening blue sky with a few wispy pink clouds dancing above the treetops. But my phone camera couldn't do it justice, so you get this one again.

The creek sang to me from the bottom of the hollow, and as dusk fell, frogs joined the chorus from the direction of the big pond.

Belle lay beside me, a little confused. When it grew dark, and cooler, she moved behind me, between my chair and the house, probably attracted to the stone, still warm from the afternoon sun.

It may still be February, but it has been a perfect spring day … sunset … evening. I felt the least I could do when given such a gift was to halt my busy-ness for a time and just be still in it.

(Another sunset that wasn't from today)

I've had good intentions of publishing a post. However, the more time that goes by, the tougher it gets… like unplugging a clogged drain. There's just so much I want to write about, but challenged by time, the list grows so long that I end up writing nothing.

So I'm not going to play catch-up from the past month or so in this post. I just wanted to share my sunset with you, and this smattering of sweet!s from the end of January that have been waiting patiently since I left them here two weeks ago…

Your Christmas decorations finally put away before the end of January

Surprising your cousin with a gift like she gave your mom

Ducks taking up residence on the pond next door

Discovering a heron on your pond

Bicyclists on your dirt road

Your mom's smile

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."

~e.e. cummings
Drumroll please… It’s my 2015 Christmas Letter!

January 14, 2016

The day after I mailed my Christmas cards this year, I came across my Christmas letter from 2009. It was in one of the boxes I brought from my parents' home. In it, I read about what each one of us had been up to that year. For one thing, I discovered Facebook that year! But we also lost our Charly Dog.

I can't believe it's been 6 years.

Immediately after reading it, I was filled with regret that, for the first time in years, I just sent out plain Christmas cards, with nary a photo or letter in sight. For some reason, I felt it was important to get my cards in the mail for a pre-Christmas arrival. That had never bothered me before. Why the heck now?

Even before I began adding letters, I tucked a photo of the kids into my card. For the past few years I've sent photo cards, but even they give a glimpse at the year's events. I love seeing photos of my friends and hearing about their past year, so of course they want to hear about mine, right?

But this year, for some reason, I just punted. Too busy? No excuse. Keeping it simple? Why start now?

So here we go … for my sake and enjoyment more than yours … my 2015 Christmas letter that I wish I had sent with my cards…

Hello Friends and Family,

In many ways, 2015 was just like 2014… Tom is still working at Freescale, except they sold the company again and now it's named NXP or something, and I'm still growing my real estate business and loving it. In his spare time Tom continues to work on the house or cars (they take a beating on our dirt road) and in my spare time I write and work on my photography … except, unfortunately, neither of us has had much spare time this year, so there hasn't been much progress in any of those areas.

(Please give us some warning if you plan to visit.)

However, the kids are doing great. Tommy celebrated his 30th birthday this month by bungee-jumping over a river in New Zealand! He and Kirby are already planning their next adventures - to Abu Dhabi and Iceland! He is still a Liberty Mutual Insurance Agent (and I would recommend him even if he weren't my son!) and in their spare time they run marathons and embrace life in Austin.

Daniel is still working as an assistant librarian at the State of Texas Library and Archives, with a side job of editing short stories for an anthology. Right up his literary alley. He also just bought his first new vehicle.

TG just finished up at the University of Texas, with a Bachelor's degree in geography (also a math minor, Business Foundations, emphasis on mechanical engineering, geology, and environmental science.) She's now looking for a job, so let me know if you know of one! This fall we attended her boyfriend's graduation from Air Force boot camp in San Antonio, and he will be celebrating Christmas and New Year's with us, before heading back to training.

My mom lives about 15 minutes down the highway from us in a wonderful nursing facility. It was a rough adjustment for her, but she's in her second year and seems to finally feel at home there. Or at least she's resigned to it, and making the most of it. Her smile is never far away. I feel blessed to be able to visit her every day.

My real estate business continues to grow. I've been busier than ever this past year, thanks to recommendations from friends and past clients, and I love it more with each transaction. I earned my GRI designation (Graduate of Real Estate Institute) this year and also became a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.

I've made several trips back to Houston this year, although not for fun reasons. My sister and I are in the process of emptying our childhood home; every Saturday over the summer I made a one-day trip to sort through drawers, boxes, and closets, each time filling my car with boxes which now form a small mountain in the middle of my living room. I've named it "Phase 2".

I've also had to return to Houston for too many funerals. Within a month one friend lost her mom and another lost her son. These sandwich years are tough, but being able to support friends when they need it is a true blessing, as is having friendships that go back to single-digit birthdays.

Belle loves being a house-dog. She was a natural - no training required. Although I do wish we could train her to sweep up her own hair off the wood floors!

Thanks to record rains, Lake Travis is practically full again, along with our pond. It's an awesome sight…one I wasn't sure I would ever see again!

That's about it for 2015. May God bless you and your family in the coming year, and if you're ever out this way, please come see us!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2016!

Love, the Shallue's

Not very exciting, I know. But with my fading memory, I'm sure I'll enjoy coming across this one day and reliving 2015, and all of its ups and downs.

Farewell, old year; we walk no more together;
I catch the sweetness of thy latest sigh…
Good-bye, kind year, we walk no more together
But here in quiet happiness we part;
And from thy wreath of faded fern and heather
I take some sprays, and wear them on my heart.
~Sarah Doudney (1841–1926), "Farewell to the Old Year," in The Sunday Magazine, 1881
2016… all you need is Love!

January 2, 2016

Each year I have a guiding word. A mascot. Last year it was "Embrace".

It's hard to describe how a guiding word comes to be. It's a connection… sort of a message of what I need to focus on in the coming year. This year I tried on a few that might seem a little cliche: "Peace" was a huge contender, especially with all of the terrorist acts lately, as well as "Believe" and "Joy".

But "Love" kept nudging in, popping up in the form of hearts in odd places … reminding me that without love, the others don't matter. Love is the greatest medicine, the only cure for what truly kills us, and the energy that triggers the rest of those good words.

Love

1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.…

1 Corinthians 13:2

So Love it is. I hope no matter what I do in 2016, I do it with love and am guided by love.

It's only fitting that soon after I made my decision, past clients-turned-friends stopped by with a gift… a cross handcrafted from reclaimed wood from an old house, adorned with a quote about God's Love.

I love my job.

I wish all of you a blessed 2016, filled with love and guided by love.

Happy New Year!

Love… it surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be.

~ Khalil Gibran
All I wanted for Christmas…

December 26, 2015

The last few days have been a wonderful blur of unfamiliar activity for me… hours away from my computer and phone, spent mostly in my kitchen, measuring flour and sugar, warming up ovens, with timers beeping, beeping, beeping, and dishes piling up in the sink.

I spent one day making cookies and fudge, another day getting casseroles and a huge turkey ready for the oven, and then finally yesterday, cooking and serving it all in celebration of Christ's birthday.

I'm exhausted, but in a good way. All I wanted for Christmas was to spend time with all three of my kids at once, and I got my wish, along with the bonus of my sweet daughter-in-law, her dad and stepmom, and TG's BF. Having Tom here was even a bonus because he thought he was going to have to work.

We sat at the table eating and talking for hours. Then the kids and I paid my mom a visit. A few gifts were exchanged, but they weren't the focus. What will live on in my heart and memory are the smiles, the laughs, and the stories, with love being the connecting thread running through it all. The best kind of Christmas gift.

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love.
~Ada V. Hendricks

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