To new beginnings...

Today marks the end of my full-time career as a paralegal in the real estate law industry. I’ve been in the business since before I graduated high school, and full time since graduation. I have met many amazing people, most of which I’m lucky enough to have formed lasting friendships with, and most of which I plan to keep in my life as long as they’ll let me J I have learned more than you could imagine about real estate law, foreclosures, owning and buying a home, and most importantly, how to treat people that are going through quite possibly one of the most difficult times in their lives. I’ve been yelled at, sworn at, cursed at, belittled and betrayed. I’ve done my best at keeping my calm and putting myself in their shoes. I’ve also heard stories that would break anyone’s heart, and no matter what the circumstance, I always listen. The most important, meaningful and gracious thing a person can do is to just shut up and listen. People really open up to you when you treat them with kindness, and I’ve been lucky enough to hear positive, thankful appreciation from people that I made a difference to.

It’s a hard position to be in, to represent a bank yet want to help the customer. But, someone’s got to do it, someone has to foreclose mortgages that aren’t being paid, no matter what the reason. It’s been that way for years, and it’s not going to stop anytime soon, we all know that. To me, it’s been more than just getting the job done. I have always thought of myself as here to help. If I can make a connection between homeowner and bank, I will. If I can give someone the knowledge to know what’s going to happen next and how to better plan the next step in their life, I will do my best. When it’s all said and done, it’s not really that hard at all. We’re all humans, we all know right from wrong and we all want to see people succeed.

Over the course of the last year, almost down to the day, I’ve been helping one person in particular. She’s a sweet lady, that’s lived a long and wonderful life (from all she’s told me) and for the purpose of this story, we’re going to call her Jane. Jane wanted so badly to stay in her home, and she did all that she could to make that happen. Unfortunately for her, the bank wasn’t willing to make that happen. That didn’t stop her from caring. She eventually backed down and moved out of her home, the home that she and her husband have lived in since it was built. They had strong ties to that home, and will for the rest of their lives. Before she left the home in the bank’s possession, she made sure it was in tip top shape, down to vacuuming the carpeting and pulling the drapes closed. Over the course of the last year, she’s made sure to keep up to date with me, to check on the status of the foreclosure, and to see when she can finally let go and stop worrying that the home would be mistreated or forgotten. She worried that someone would break into it, or that the neighbors would be embarrassed by the lack of lawn care or management of the exterior of the home. All things that are not necessarily on the top of most people’s to-do list that are in this same position. Well, to make a long story even longer, Jane would call me and I’d tell her what I had just told her the week before – nothing new to report, all while keeping a kind, caring tone with her, because after all, she was just a kind, thoughtful person. The conversation would soon turn to stories about her grown son, or talking about the weather here in MinneSNOWta. I learned over the months that Jane loved jokes, and she would often share her newest material with me, because her medical condition kept her from getting together with her girlfriends as often as she liked. She’s a pretty funny lady, to say the least, and I know that no matter how busy or stressful my day got, me taking the time to chat with her for a little while always made her day. Just today I changed my office voicemail to reflect my new office hours, which have been cut drastically. She called and heard the news, and asked me why I've changed my hours and what am I going to do now. I informed her that I was going to dive into my photography business and that I was sad but extremely happy at the same time. She shared in my excitement and told me that she too loved taking photographs, and that she just KNEW I would be successful in my new venture and wished me the best of luck. She then took the time to thank me for all of the help and kindness I’ve showed her over the course of the last year, whether it be informational or just chit chat to keep her company. She said that there was no way she could have gotten through everything without my knowledge, my help and my sincere kindness. She shared with me that although she too was once worried and scared for what was to come, she was thankful and happy to be where she is now, and she gave me credit for her getting to this point. She really touched my heart today and made me realize how much the simple actions of one person can really, truly help someone in need.

So, in ending, I’m sad and scared to be moving from this life I’ve known for 8+ years into this new venture, but I’m so happy to have been down this path, and to have met the people I’ve met, and to learned the things I have, about real estate but most importantly, about life and the people that make their way into yours.

To new beginnings.

I want!

2011 for me is going to be a new year, a fresh start and I'm excited for what it brings. To start it off, I've begun reading more, like I used to. I enjoy reading so much, that I often wonder why I stopped. I feel smarter after reading a book, whether it be fiction or non, there is always something to be learned, even if it's just an opinion. Another thing that I've started back up, or should I simply just say started, is working out. It's undeniable how great you feel during and after working out, which for me is just simply walking on the treadmill. I find it hard to ignore the positive effects you gain from the movement. I once heard that working out, exercise, is an easy way to help depression, or mood-slumps. I couldn't agree more. I often plan the next week of my life while sweating away on the machine - I feel a sense of organization and motivation. Not to mention I usually get to watch a 1/2 episode of Oprah or  Dr. Phil. What woman would complain?


I have plans for the next year of my life. Plans that include, but are not limited to the above things I've once again started doing. Also, I want to begin, and continue, to blog. I can spend countless hours on my computer, reading this, bookmarking that. I want to start doing something with that information. My thoughts are that maybe if I blog about things I see that I love, that I want to make, or try, or read, or do, maybe I will remember them in the future, and have a sort-of list to fall back on. I have always LOVED writing. All throughout school, that was the one subject that always had my full attention. I remember learning things from reading and writing classes, that I would guess not many others remember. I have kept notes from these classes, vocabulary lists, book essays, you name it. I'm so weird! Some of my favorite teachers are my favorites because they taught me things about reading, writing, learning. The first one that comes to mind is Mrs. Donna Swindal. May she rest in peace. I learned of her death about one year ago, and was shocked and saddened that I hadn't known earlier. She was my 2nd grade teacher, and she was present at my high school graduation. How cool is that? She was an amazing woman, and I wish I could have known her more recently, where I think that I could have benefited from some of her amazingness more so than I have already. She was smart beyond words. Back to the blogging. For now, my blogs are going to be more like random rambles, where I just spit out what's on my mind. Maybe in the future they will be mowed into a neater path, but for now, I'm happy with overgrown thoughts.


While setting up this blog, I stumbled upon a blog by a woman living in the UK, who recently wrote of something that more than sparked my interest. She mentioned how, when she and her siblings were younger, their mother would correct them from saying 'I want', into 'I would like', stating how the second sounded much nicer. She went on about things she wanted. How there is such a difference between your wants and your needs and your would likes, especially as you grow in age and experience. She spoke of her 'would likes' to be things like less of a desire for chocolate and cigarettes, and to be better at letting her [what I assumed to be] husband have the last word more often. Then she spoke of things she wanted. These included wanting her eldest daughter to find love and companionship. Her only son to be relieved of pain from his problem-ridden knee. Her youngest daughter to be blessed with a child that she truly wanted. Her blog opened my eyes. How true are these things she wrote of? How smart is she to realize this, and to help others see the light. 


I would like a lot of things in life - more money, less fat, a bigger (and more full) closet, a fancy purse, enough shoes to outfit an army of run-way models, you get the idea. The things I really want are a little more beyond my control. I want my mom to be healed of the pain she feels from losing her best friend and slobbery companion, Gus, just 4 short months ago. Man, do I miss that oaf. I want my sister and business partner to be able to spend more time with her beautiful children and husband this year. While we have been blessed with a successful business, she will never be able to get these years back, so I want her to have those memories. I want my youngest niece and my nephew to have a childhood sparkling with happy, positive memories, like I had. My childhood was just perfect. My parents are the most amazing people, and while I know that most people feel that way about their parents, or at least I hope they do, I KNOW that my parents were the best. They did everything they could to make our (my two sisters and me) childhood just exactly how a childhood should be. Fulled with mud-pies, dancing in the rain, sleep-overs, forts, delicious home cooked meals, and stories of when-they-were-our-age. I want my sister and niece to find more common ground. It's gotta be hard raising a teen, it's hard having one as a niece, but I want for their relationship to mend a little closer and I want my niece to have the best teen years as possible. It's a very confusing, difficult time, I and want for her to feel comfortable being herself. I want my dad to be safe from unemployment. He works in an industry that has been hard hit by the economy (as many professions are), but he's a hard worker, and he deserves as much happiness as possible. And while I have a few wants for myself (as selfish as that may be), I will keep them to myself for the time being. At least until the next blog idea pops into my head.


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