Author: Shahri
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Teenager Easter Baskets
My daughter graduates from high school this year and yet the types of things hidden for the Easter morning hunt don’t change. There is still the stuffed bunny, the chocolate bunny (or two), the plastic eggs – a bit more money in them now but the concept is the same, the silly putty, the chocolate…
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Bridal Shower
Our niece is getting married next month and she had an “almost” traditional bridal shower. Not sure what traditional actually is, I never had a bridal shower, but I can guess based on others I have been to over the years. This was a “Sweet or Spicy” theme and everyone wore pink or red, based…
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My Cousin
Today I called my cousin, Gina. We connect on Facebook but it has actually been years since we spoke, voice to voice. When we were little we were together all the time. Our dads are brothers and we lived a few blocks apart. I always believed that Gina was born to be my playmate and…
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Food, Glorious Food
I love to eat. Change that. I love to taste. Experiencing flavor, not just consuming food, is a joy. I do not need a huge meal to be satisfied, what I do need is a sensation. I love to talk about food with other people who love food. I love to taste all the exciting…
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My Last Short Sale
Most real estate agents do not leave in the middle of a successful career. I may be the only one I know who has made that leap. It has been the right decision, I want to pursue my true passions of writing and speaking. Real estate was good to me these past twenty five years,…
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How Do You Get a Desirable Outcome?
If you are a factory worker and align this widget with that widget and bolt them together, you know your job and you are guaranteed a desirable outcome. Keep bolting widgets and on Friday you will get paid. If you are a student you can read a book and write a paper based on your…
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A Drive
Yesterday I did a long drive. I left my house a little after lunch, drove four and a half hours, had dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and drove home. The drive home was quicker, only three and a half hours, since there was no more traffic. Was it worth it? Yes. It was great…
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Writers Write and Editors Edit
When I wrote my first book, writer’s block hit me at every page. I would write, cross out, write again. Eventually, hours later, I would end up with one “perfect” paragraph. By the time I finished that page, the paragraph would have been changed three or four more times. I could not move forward because…
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Sport Napping
What it is about naps? As the days get longer and warmer I find myself enjoying the traditional siesta. I really don’t need a nap, I am not tired, it is just that they feel so good. With the cat snuggling up by my knees as I stretch out on the couch, the sound of…
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Ready, Aim, Fire
When you want to get something accomplished, you need to prepare, but you also need to pull the trigger. Am I prepared enough? Am I ready to fire? Maybe not. Maybe I will miss. That’s okay. I can just set up and fire again, and again, and again until I accomplish what I want to…
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Travel Delays
If we remember that travel can involve delays, we are more likely to enjoy ourselves. Delays are part of the process. This weekend my daughter and I took a car trip. We were just a few minutes behind a ten car pile-up. Those few minutes added up to a three hour delay in arriving at…
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Is This Success?
The perfect job. She is so excited. She has worked for this most of her life. She was told to pursue her dreams. Set a goal and you can achieve it. Anything is possible. Dream it, do it! If you work hard enough, you will succeed. She dreams, she works hard. She applies for the…
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Ignore the Monkeys
Once I ask you to ignore the monkeys, you can no longer ignore the monkeys. They are banging on the window, they are making noise. If you leave the house they pull on you and try to take things from you. Often they succeed in taking things from you – they run off with whatever…
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Internet and Cats
The Internet probably has more videos and pictures devoted to cats than any other subject. A dog may be man’s best friend but a cat is the Internet darling. Our cat, Karma, is a talker. She starts talking about four in the morning, when she wants breakfast, and she talks on and off through-out…
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Exchange Students
We have a Rotary exchange student living with us. This is the second time our family has hosted an exchange student. I highly recommend the experience. Rotary likes the students to live with more than one family, sometimes they live with two, and often with three different families. They come for a year, arriving before…
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Networking
It is exciting to meet with people who know people who know people to find the right people to connect me to a new career. I have learned I am even more valuable in the workplace than I originally thought. I am also learning about my community from a different angle. For twenty five years…
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Coffee Tasting
This evening my husband and I went to a coffee tasting at Starbucks along with about fifteen other coffee lovers. There was plenty of information about the different types of coffee plants, the ideal coffee growing regions, single origin coffee, roasting methods, and fair trade. I found it interesting at the moment but I am not…
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Spring Activities
Spring is early this year at Lake Tahoe. People are paddle boarding, hiking, and spending lots of time outside. It is common to have plenty of snow on the ground in March and even April so we are all getting a head start on the summer activities. I began my day with a two hour…
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I Like Empty Spaces
Today I spent the whole day helping one of my friends get her house organized. My friend has always been a very organized person and has always kept her home clean. Unlike some of my clients who live in constant disarray, she has lived in order most of her life. Unfortunately, a kitchen flood, during…
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St. Patrick’s Day
The smell of corned beef and cabbage wafts through the house. Today is the only day of the year we have this dish, although it is a family favorite. The other holiday meal we do not repeat through-out the year is Thanksgiving. Some families have another Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas but we always have a…
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Math Days
My daughter called me on Friday with the all-important question: “Where can I get pie?” I gave her a few suggestions, along with my question, “why?” Friday was pie day, or technically pi day – 3.14 (without all the other numbers). Next year will be an even better pi day, 3.1415 and the celebrations are…
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Speeches
It has been several years since I have given a speech at an event. I have done five minute promotional speeches but those don’t count. An hour long speech takes more preparation to write, and it takes practice. A current topic that engages people is necessary, too. I was looking though my old material to…
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Cleaning
Running a business costs money. That is talk for another blog post. Running your personal life when you have a business costs money, too. As a successful real estate agent I spent money on myself for convenience (because I didn’t have time) or for pleasure (because I felt I deserved it). Manicures, pedicures, and massages…
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Curriculum Vitae
Today I condensed eleven pages of information into two pages and created a rough draft of my Curriculum Vitae. This is a new word for me. The last time I looked for work it was called a Resume. It has been over 25 years since I needed anything remotely resembling a resume. I have been…
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Daylight Saving Time?
One less hour of sleep last night but I caught up on the couch with a little nap. I was not willing to wait until fall to regain that rest. So today begins after several cups of coffee, a crepe, a nap, and a shower. It may be a day where nothing of note gets…
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Not Retired!
I am not retired. The word retired sounds like a swear word to me. When people ask “how’s retirement?” it sounds like an insult. The word retired implies that I am too old to contribute to society. It also implies that I have enough reserves to live for the rest of my life. Neither of…
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Time for College
Today my daughter received her acceptance letter for college. It makes me think about how fast time goes. There are probably more days behind me than ahead and yet today, and each day, is the best day of my life. I do not have a tendency to look back, I usually look to the future,…
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Creativity and Art
We are all creative, we are all artists. Some people’s creativity is traditional, they are painters or musicians or photographers, but there are multiple types of creativity and art. Sales is a creative endeavor. Understanding needs and finding ways to fill them takes creativity. True sales is about listening and observation, both a part of…
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My First Book
The first book I wrote was The Everything Homeselling Book, From the Open House to Closing the Deal, All You Need to Get the Most Money for Your Home! I wrote the majority of it in February of 2005 right here at this café in Luxembourg. Getting away from the day to day world and…
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Two Month Anniversary
It has been two months since I stepped away from being a full-time real estate agent to pursue other paths. When you have done something for 25 years, making that kind of change feels strange. Real Estate is a high alert business. Although more positive than war, it may be the same adrenalin rush. You…