I’m feeling as though I’ve been slung out of the blender and landing into what I call pressure free days. The last week without hubby was a stressful week. A week of getting things lined out, I’ll spare the details of my daily chores. But each day seemed to fall into place and all the things I wanted to accomplish were scratched off the list.

Saturday dawned and I woke with extraordinary excitement. I was going to see my hubby, and I couldn’t wait. My suitcase was packed, the house was all in order and I felt on top of the world knowing everything was in place. It was time for me to finally go home. We consider home to be where we are as we’ve bounced around so much. As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters.

The cab driver rang the door bell on the early side and since I was all set, we hit the road for the airport.

As we pulled out I had that sweet calm feeling knowing I was ready for my trip out west. When I arrived to the “little airport”, very little airport, there were a few snags in my outbound plans. The weather (in Philly, my only stop along the way) threw a wrench in my take off and it looked as though I may not make it to my destination that evening. My heart dropped but I decided I would fly into Philly anyway as I would be able to catch an early flight out the next morning.

Luckily the plane lifted 45 min later rather than the expected 2 hour delay. Saying goodbye to the beautiful rolling hills and autumn.

There were 7 passengers on the plane (I counted) including the stewardess. I had the whole backseat (5 seats as there was one right smack dab in the middle where the isle meets up to it) all to myself.

I even got to prop my feet up.

My reading material for the flight

If you have not read this book, it would be a good one for everyone. I think it should be a requirement that everyone at least read it once.

A couple quotes I liked

Modern day philosopher – Linus (alias Charles M Shulz) “Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears that we never use!”

As someone has said – “People don’t fail because they intend to fail. They fail because they fail to do what they intend to do.”

There are a few things that I want to do and I have put them off by using excuses like “I’m too old to do that” or “I don’t know if I can do that” and so forth and so on go the excuses and I just end up not doing what I would like to try.

I’m making a list of things I would like to do. I don’t want to overwhelm myself at first but I would like to start doing some of the things I want to do and stop waiting. As he states in the book. You may get to a point where the thing on your list is just not for you and if you discover it’s not for you…then by all means scratch it off and you’ll never have to look back and say I wish I would have…I could go on and on about this book but I for one am thankful it was on our bookshelf.

My little hop into Philly came so fast, either that or my book was that good that I completely lost track of time.

I quickly gathered my belongings and set off for the proper shuttle to get me to the right terminal. The bus was efficient and I was able to hoof it to the appropriate gate where all the other passengers were already on the plane and lucky me they waited for me to get there.

I secured my window seat and settled in with my reading material, ipod, Sudoku puzzles and was ready for my one last flight to take me all the way from Philly to the west coast of California.

It was a comfortable trip as no one was in the seat next to me and I was able to use that seat for all my stuff.

And as the flight came into the city lights of California my heart began to race and at that moment I said to myself “I’m not in the country anymore”.

Hubby was there right on time waiting for me and all was right with the world.

Sunday was one of those days that I didn’t know if I was coming or going. Had no clue what time it really was and had to constantly remind myself that I was in California! Hubby took me for a nice Sunday drive and I left my camera in my purse. All I wanted to do was take in the beauty without snapping pictures. I’m totally in LOVE here!

We met up with a friend last evening here at this restaurant.

And enjoyed the tiki island feel.

Can I say ABUNDANT sunny skies, beautiful palm trees, and amazing weather in the low 70’s in the middle of the day. I understand the temperature averages in the 70’s “year round”. All of a sudden I feel I’m in the land of milk and honey.

When hubby and I were in the beginning stages of building our new home, I told him that I didn’t think he would ever be able to drag me away from our house once we got in. Funny thing is that God had something else for us just two months after moving into our home.

I feel blessed that His plans outweigh my plans. I’m a firm believer that He knows us better than we know ourselves and I’m thankful that He meets our needs and gives us more than we could ever ask or dream. Let it be Lord, let it be.

Showing your house is a lot like finding your right mate. If they like the first impression they may ask to see you. If they like what’s on the inside they may want to keep you. This little ditty popped into my head today while cooking for my darlin’ and I couldn’t wait to write it down.

I’ve been looking at a lot of MLS listings and by now I’ve compiled a stash of do’s and dont’s when it comes to giving first and lasting impressions. Now that we are going to be listing our home, I’m trying to put these things to use.

A few things I’ve learned

• Do not expect the Realtor to get the best pictures. You know your home better than any one else. Learn the right time of day to get the best shots.

• Do take hundreds of pictures. I’m up to almost 300 pictures on the outside alone. I’ll be out again tomorrow by 10:00 if it’s not raining.

• Do not forget that timing is everything. I want an autumn shot and don’t have a lot of time remaining so take pictures daily.

• Do take pictures from many different angles to locate the right spot

• Do not underestimate yourself just because you’re not a professional.

• Do pay close attention to everything by adjusting things for a photo

Below is a picture in the running as of today. There are many things I like about this. Before I go on about this pic, let’s get nit-picky.

This picture (below) is okay but not the one. It’s a bit drab even though the sun is shining. The problem is this. It’s the late afternoon sun which does not provide the right spark for this angle. The trees up front are just there not offering much. If you look up to the one I like, the trees make a canopy providing a nice frame for the home.

Cars in the drive hit a nerve when looking at MLS listings. And all the branches don’t do anything for me either. Notice the mailboxes out front. If possible, try to give a better view, it may be your only shot at getting the right buyer to see your home.

Cars are moved and we’ve moved past the branches and mailboxes. This shot was taken late afternoon. The sun is setting a little lower on the west side of the house supplying just the right punch.

Back to the front of the home. We’re getting closer to perfection. This was taken around 9:30 this morning, good morning sunshine! I wanted to get out first thing to show her with a smile. She’s beginning to shine but the sun still has about an hour to go for the effect I’m aiming for.

So around 10:30 this is what happened – Same as the first photo, just didn’t want to make you scroll up. Again, notice the frame the branches make for the house. Had I not taken hundreds of pictures I wouldn’t have caught this small detail.

And then by 11:00 we have yet another look.

I still like the one taken at 10:30, it looks warm and cozy and the one taken at 11:00 looks crisp and cold. Which one do you prefer and how would you describe them?

I took the rear shot at 5 this evening, it proved to be the best lighting for this angle.

I’m hoping for more sunshine tomorrow morning as I would love to snap a hundred more shots in hopes to make contact with the right first impression.

Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.