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  <title>Dawn in Fredericksburg Va - Realtor</title>
  <link href="http://activerain.com/blogs/dawninfredericksburg/atom" rel="self"/>
  <link href="http://activerain.com/blogs/dawninfredericksburg" rel="alternate"/>
  <id>http://activerain.com/blogs/dawninfredericksburg</id>
  <updated>2007-12-13T09:13:38Z</updated>
  <author>
    <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
  </author>
  <entry>
    <title>Politically Correct - Bah Humbug!!!  </title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/305858/Politically-Correct-Bah-Humbug" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/305858/Politically-Correct-Bah-Humbug</id>
    <updated>2007-12-13T09:13:38Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Yesterday when I went to pick up my daughter, at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg Va, I was flabbergasted at the sign in front of her school.&amp;nbsp; What are we coming to?&amp;nbsp; I understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas...but come on!&amp;nbsp; I am sure this was not a choice made by the administration, but from someone on the school board.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I remember&amp;nbsp; as a child all the hoopla and celebrations before the Christmas break.&amp;nbsp; I loved how we made a paper chain link from red and green paper to count down the days till Christmas.&amp;nbsp; I remember decorating our class rooms and schools with Santa&amp;#39;s, Christmas trees, snowmen, sleighs, Rudolph, and all sorts of glittery things.&amp;nbsp; I remember making presents for family.&amp;nbsp; I remember picking names of friends for a secret Santa exchange.&amp;nbsp; I remember shopping for the right gift for my teachers and bus driver.&amp;nbsp; There are so many memories I have from school celebrations.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what if everyone does not celebrate Christmas, Easter, or whatever....A few years ago it was a Winter Break and Spring Break.&amp;nbsp; Now it is&amp;nbsp; a Nondenominational Nonreligious Break.&amp;nbsp;WHATEVER!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imagine the empty cold feeling I had when I read this sign.&amp;nbsp; I for one will not lose the spirit!&amp;nbsp; Merry Christmas!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/3/8/9/ar119755863698379.jpg" height="600" alt=" " width="800" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Fredericksburg VA - Christmas Parade</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/290094/Fredericksburg-VA-Christmas-Parade" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/290094/Fredericksburg-VA-Christmas-Parade</id>
    <updated>2007-11-29T15:46:41Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
The Fredericksburg Christmas parade is Saturday December 1st.&amp;nbsp; It starts at 5:30 and usually lasts a few hours.&amp;nbsp; It is always a lot of fun for both kids and adults alike.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It starts on Caroline Street by the Visitor center, goes&amp;nbsp; up Amelia Street and down Princess Anne Street (my office is on that corner so wave!), ending at the Courthouse.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Be sure to leave plenty of time for parking and shopping before the parade.&amp;nbsp; Most people like to set up thier chairs a few hours before hand to get a good seat.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;There are usually about 150 floats and bands.&amp;nbsp; There will not be parking available on those streets and other roads are usually blocked so plan ahead!&amp;nbsp; Hope to see ya there!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Is It Really Worth It?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/289891/Is-It-Really-Worth-It" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/289891/Is-It-Really-Worth-It</id>
    <updated>2007-11-29T13:44:13Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;After modifying my kitchen I realized that I need to change the color of my appliances.&amp;nbsp; White just doesnt seem to go anymore.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are all in great condition and not even 3 years old.&amp;nbsp; I researched and found a couple of ideas I would like to kick around and get advice on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I could buy all new but that would be very expensive and they all work well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I could use appliance paint and refinish them; but, this could get very messy and I could ruin them in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or, I read about taking them to an auto body shop and having them paint them...It costs about $100 a piece.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone ever done any of these projects?&amp;nbsp; If so what advice would you give?&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>The kitchen is Done - Well Almost</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/289028/The-kitchen-is-Done-Well-Almost" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/289028/The-kitchen-is-Done-Well-Almost</id>
    <updated>2007-11-28T19:00:45Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;We really did not need to do anything because our home is only 3 years old.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;nbsp;just drove me crazy that my kitchen was just like both my neighbors and probably the rest of the subdivision.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I decided to replace the sink and faucet at the same time that I did the counters.&amp;nbsp; I then had a contractor come to do the tilebacksplash.&amp;nbsp; I talked to a few people who thought I was crazy putting 12 inch tiles as a backslpash...But, being the hard head that I am I did it anyway.&amp;nbsp; Then, I went against the opinion of others and&amp;nbsp;used a terra cotta colored grout (they thought I should use a light gray).&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adding a backsplash was not enough for me though...it was still like many others.&amp;nbsp; I had the tile guy put the same tile on the walls of the island.&amp;nbsp; I was tired of wiping off hand prints anyways.&amp;nbsp; I am really happy with the outcome and it looks like a totally different kitchen.&amp;nbsp; It will be about a year before we re-do the floors, and we are waiting&amp;nbsp;for the moulding for the cabinets to come in, but the rest of the makeover is complete. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what do you think of my &amp;quot;new&amp;quot; kitchen?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/5/8/3/ar119629762138543.jpg" height="375" align="left" alt=" " width="500" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/8/4/1/ar119629771314806.jpg" height="375" align="left" alt=" " width="500" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>No Lock Box on This Door - Former Realtor Sentenced to 5 years!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/285787/No-Lock-Box-on-This-Door-Former-Realtor-Sentenced-to-5-years" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/285787/No-Lock-Box-on-This-Door-Former-Realtor-Sentenced-to-5-years</id>
    <updated>2007-11-26T11:00:43Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Former Realtor is sentenced to 5 years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I mentioned in a previous blog, the agent stole prescription drugs from a home in Stafford County VA.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I was the co-listing agent.&amp;nbsp; The article had many mistakes (lies) because of her testimony.&amp;nbsp; There were never any clients in the home with the agent.&amp;nbsp; She also went back a second time to steal drugs from the home.&amp;nbsp; Thank God for&amp;nbsp;lockboxes &amp;nbsp;which record who has entered a home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/182254/Former-Real-Estate-Agent"&gt;http://activerain.com/blogsview/182254/Former-Real-Estate-Agent&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyhow, I researched today to find out what her sentencing was because I did not see anything in the paper.&amp;nbsp; Here is a breakdown.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A felony charge of PWID of a controlled substance. 3 years sentence - 2 years 335 days suspended&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Felony charge if Statuatory Burglary amended to&amp;nbsp; unlawful entry misdemeanor.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;12 months - 11 months suspended&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Petit Larceny misdemeanor.&amp;nbsp; 12 months - 11 months suspended.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So of the 5 years she will serve only 3 months.&amp;nbsp;Let&amp;#39;s hope she never again has access to a lockbox, I sure wouldn&amp;#39;t want her in my home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Largest Tourism Development in the Mid-Atlantic Region - Fredericksburg VA</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/276330/Largest-Tourism-Development-in-the-Mid-Atlantic-Region-Fredericksburg-VA" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/276330/Largest-Tourism-Development-in-the-Mid-Atlantic-Region-Fredericksburg-VA</id>
    <updated>2007-11-16T14:11:15Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;article titled &amp;quot;Huge waterpark resort planned for Celebrate Va. in Fredericksburg&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; in the Free Lance Star today really caught my attention.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/112007/11162007/334105"&gt;http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/112007/11162007/334105&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is supposed to bring 1000 jobs to the area.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Yes, that will be good but what will the pay scale for these jobs be?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What about traffic?&amp;nbsp; Route 3 traffic is horrendous already...I know I live there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What about the new conference center already in Central Park?&amp;nbsp; The developers have already asked the city to help bail them out.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am sure&amp;nbsp;som good&amp;nbsp;may come of this and will help revenue...But is the small city of Fredericksburg ready for this?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will the city residents even be able to enjoy the waterpark, or will it be like others in the state where you have to be a guest of the resort to enjoy?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How about hearing from some others who have great big resorts in their little cities?&amp;nbsp; Do you think this will benefit the city or make matters worse?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I really do not know.&amp;nbsp; Maybe it will stimulate the market, I can only hope so.&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Think Outside the Box this Thanksgiving</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/275886/Think-Outside-the-Box-this-Thanksgiving" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/275886/Think-Outside-the-Box-this-Thanksgiving</id>
    <updated>2007-11-16T08:24:45Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;This Thanksgiving when you are concentrating on what you are thankful for think outside the box.&amp;nbsp; Most of us are thankful for our family, friends, clients, teachers etc.&amp;nbsp; What about those who never get much thanks...How about the cart pushers at the local shopping center, the custodians who keep our buildings clean, the trash collectors?&amp;nbsp; There are so many more...Please post a comment of who you think deserves some thanks.&amp;nbsp; It will be a reminder to all of us as we &amp;quot;Give Thanks this Thanksgiving&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now is a great time to &amp;quot;Pay it Forward&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now is a great time to get involved in your community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now is a great time to &lt;strong&gt;Thank&lt;/strong&gt; all of those who &amp;quot;serve&amp;quot; our Wonderful Country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now is a great time to &amp;quot;Think Outside the Box&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are many people in Fredericksburg Va, who deserve &amp;quot;Thanks&amp;quot;. &amp;nbsp;How about in your hometown?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of part of my family celebrating the Homecoming (and 21st Birthday) of my nephew from Iraq.&amp;nbsp; Lane spent his Birthday in Iraq and we are thankful he is home.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/6/8/9/ar119522824598642.jpg" border="4" height="150" align="absMiddle" alt="Thankful for My Family" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Fredericksburg VA - What a Wonderful World</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/274641/Fredericksburg-VA-What-a-Wonderful-World" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/274641/Fredericksburg-VA-What-a-Wonderful-World</id>
    <updated>2007-11-15T09:01:06Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;The Hugh Mercer Elementary School, in Fredericksburg VA second grade classes had a&#160;concert on Veterans Day.&#160; My son, Benjamin DeGroff, was one of the &lt;strong&gt;wonderful&lt;/strong&gt; singers.&#160; The children did a &lt;strong&gt;wonderful&lt;/strong&gt; job.&#160; I can't&#160;say &#160;the same for the camera woman.&#160;&#160;Ben has been walking around the house for several days singing.&#160; I must admit I&#160;YouTubed the Louis Armstrong version of What a Wonderful World &#160;and have&#160;been singing right along with him.&#160; I have never posted from You Tube so I hope this works!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;object height="355" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jX3yKEQBmOI&amp;rel=1"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jX3yKEQBmOI&amp;rel=1" height="355" wmode="transparent" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;
    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>David S. Corderman for Congress - Honesty Integrity Character</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/259191/David-S-Corderman-for-Congress-Honesty-Integrity-Character" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/259191/David-S-Corderman-for-Congress-Honesty-Integrity-Character</id>
    <updated>2007-11-02T10:25:43Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;David Corderman is a longtime friend and client of mine.&amp;nbsp; He has lived in the Fredericksburg&amp;nbsp;area for over 21 years.&amp;nbsp; He is running for the seat vacated by Jo Ann Davis who passed away last month after losing her battle with breast cancer.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Honesty, Integrity, and Character are words that Dave lives by on a daily basis.&amp;nbsp; He will not only be an advocate for Virginia&amp;#39;s 1st Congressional District but also a fantastic leader.&amp;nbsp; Of all the people running for this seat Dave has the most impressive background and experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;David Corderman has a PhD from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) and masters&amp;#39; degrees from both Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech. After graduating from Lehigh University he served for four years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Upon completion of his military service he joined the FBI where he rose to be the Chief of the Leadership Development Institute at the FBI Academy. He is currently a Board member of SAFENOWPROJECT&amp;reg; (a national organization devoted to the prevention of child sexual abuse), and the National Executive Institute Associates (composed of Chiefs and Sheriffs of the largest policing agencies in the United States). He has received numerous awards for bravery and merit while serving his country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Dave&amp;nbsp; is an internationally recognized expert in law enforcement leadership training and development. Since his January retirement from the FBI after 24 years, he has been a senior partner with Academy Leadership Associates, LLC, an international leadership and consulting firm. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Corderman stated, &amp;quot;I am very excited about entering this race. I believe my background and experience is uniquely suited to serve the constituents of the 1st District. My plans are to continue the work of Representative Davis, while focusing on national security, illegal immigration, and transportation issues.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Please check out his website &lt;a href="http://www.Corderman4Congress.com"&gt;www.Corderman4Congress.com&lt;/a&gt; and join me in supporting him.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Biggest Jump Ever - Well at least in past 3 years</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/237761/Biggest-Jump-Ever-Well-at-least-in-past-3-years" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/237761/Biggest-Jump-Ever-Well-at-least-in-past-3-years</id>
    <updated>2007-10-15T10:22:13Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;I have been tracking the Fredericksburg, VA real estate market using excel for the past 3 years.&amp;nbsp; This morning as I updated the file I was astonished at the largest jump yet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The number of months inventory of homes available for sale went from a 3 year high of &lt;strong&gt;12.3&lt;/strong&gt; in August to a &lt;strong&gt;17.4&lt;/strong&gt;month&amp;#39;s supply of homes available in the Fredericksburg area in September.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;That is an increase of 5.1 months inventory in 1 month. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The percentage of inventory sold went from a 3 year low of &lt;strong&gt;8.1%&lt;/strong&gt; in August to a low of &lt;strong&gt;5.7%&lt;/strong&gt; in September.&amp;nbsp; So of the 4000 homes on the market only 230 homes sold.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The average days on the market&amp;nbsp;of homes for sale in Fredericksburg Va&amp;nbsp;remained about the same.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/0/3/6/ar119246120263003.JPG" height="627" hspace="3" alt=" " width="800" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/6/1/4/ar119246109941642.JPG" height="627" alt=" " width="800" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Happy Birthday Dad!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/227052/Happy-Birthday-Dad" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/227052/Happy-Birthday-Dad</id>
    <updated>2007-10-05T10:42:06Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;If you have a moment please take the time to wish my Dad (Ed DeChristopher) a Happy Birthday.&amp;nbsp; I wont tell you how old he really is because that would be giving away my age too.&amp;nbsp; Anyways, Happy Birthday Dad!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;P.S. Can I take the day off in honor of your birthday since mine was on a Sunday?&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/2/7/8/ar119159890287209.jpg" height="205" align="top" alt=" " width="195" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>One of These Things is Not Like the Others...</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/226064/One-of-These-Things-is-Not-Like-the-Others" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/226064/One-of-These-Things-is-Not-Like-the-Others</id>
    <updated>2007-10-04T13:27:45Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/5/6/7/ar119152171576548.JPG" height="323" alt=" " width="573" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you remember watching Sesame Street and playing the game &amp;quot;One of these things is not like the others... One of these things does not belong.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Which of these homes does not belong?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am all for change...I think change is good.&amp;nbsp; But, imagine growing up in the same home your entire life, then one day.&amp;nbsp; Poof a McMansion is right next door.&amp;nbsp; I have to wonder if that is how these homeowners felt.&amp;nbsp; All three of these homes are on the same street in Fredericksburg, VA.&amp;nbsp; They are actually in chronological order.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The photos are all taken off of MRIS as Tax neighbor photos.&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Is Blood Really Thicker Than Water?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/217193/Is-Blood-Really-Thicker-Than-Water" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/217193/Is-Blood-Really-Thicker-Than-Water</id>
    <updated>2007-09-26T14:06:41Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;I recently had a conversation with a&amp;nbsp;friend of mine that left me a bit puzzled.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She had recently placed her home on the market, the listing agent was her mother.&amp;nbsp; She was unhappy about the way some of the things were being done as far as marketing her home.&amp;nbsp; She asked for my opinion and advice.&amp;nbsp; Truthfully,&amp;nbsp; I felt her concerns were valid.&amp;nbsp; She confronted her mother with the issues she was having but always felt as though she was being placed on the back burner.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Okay...we always hear that&amp;#39;s why you should not work with family or close friends.&amp;nbsp; But, this is her mother.&amp;nbsp; At the end of the conversation she shared with me that her mother was not giving her any reduction of her &amp;quot;standard commission&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; What?&amp;nbsp; Nope, nothing.&amp;nbsp; No special treatment.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I asked her why she did not go to another agent.&amp;nbsp; She replied &amp;quot; I could not do that to her, it just doesn&amp;#39;t seem right&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So all you &amp;quot;active rainers&amp;quot;, What advice would you give to my friend?&amp;nbsp; Do you give a break to your family...especially your children or parents?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I personally would feel horrible making $10,000 (or any amount for that matter) at the expense of my child or parent.&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Ughhhh - I thought I could escape the meme stuff!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/215659/Ughhhh-I-thought-I-could-escape-the-meme-stuff" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/215659/Ughhhh-I-thought-I-could-escape-the-meme-stuff</id>
    <updated>2007-09-25T08:10:21Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;I have beem meme&amp;#39;d by Irene Morales Ward...Thanks a lot Irene!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hmmm 5 things you probably do not know about me.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1.&amp;nbsp; I tend to make and keep friends very easily.&amp;nbsp; I have several &amp;quot;Best Friends&amp;quot; from the many places I have lived.&amp;nbsp; I still keep in close contact with my childhood friends, my college friends, my friends from Germany, and many others in between.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2.&amp;nbsp; I cannot carry a tune in a bucket.&amp;nbsp; But I love to sing.&amp;nbsp; I rarely know the words...but I sing anyway, especially in the car.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3.&amp;nbsp; I love large families...I am one of 5 and have 4 wonderful kids myself.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4.&amp;nbsp; I have many people whom I admire.&amp;nbsp; If I could only pick one it would be my granmother.&amp;nbsp; She was what I would consider perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5.&amp;nbsp; I love to talk...but I am a great secret keeper. (Just tell me).&amp;nbsp; My family calls me &amp;quot;TeleDawn&amp;quot;; when my brother got engaged he told my mom to call me and let me get the word out to the family.&amp;nbsp; I proudly spread the news within minutes.&amp;nbsp; : )&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link to more info on MEME&amp;#39;s&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/27305/The-First-ActiveRain-Meme"&gt;http://activerain.com/blogsview/27305/The-First-ActiveRain-Meme&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am meme&amp;#39;ing the following 3 people who I would like to know more about.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Charles Micoletti&lt;/strong&gt; - In Iraq, Thanks for your service.&amp;nbsp; Support our troops.&amp;nbsp; Charles is not active duty now but was at one time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Margaret Rome&lt;/strong&gt;- Truly one of the friendliest people...I have never met her but I have heard wonderful thngs and have gotten emails.&amp;nbsp; Thanks Margaret for your warm caring personality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cindy Jones - &lt;/strong&gt;I met with Cindy when I picked up some VA Tech football tickets from her.&amp;nbsp; She is absolutely wonderful.&amp;nbsp; Cindy it was a pleasure meeting you.&amp;nbsp; I would love to get together again sometime.&amp;nbsp; I think we have a lot in common.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Have you Forgotten?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/201252/Have-you-Forgotten" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/201252/Have-you-Forgotten</id>
    <updated>2007-09-11T15:34:28Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
Of course no-one will ever forget 9/11.&amp;nbsp; In some way, a small part of each and every one of us was lost.&amp;nbsp; I remember the shock, the fear, the insecurity, the sheer terror I felt that day and for many more to follow.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I was at a friends house when I heard the news.&amp;nbsp; We sat there in front of the tv unable to move. I tried desperately to call my husband who was an Army blackhawk pilot scheduled to fly to the Pentagon that day.&amp;nbsp; I could not reach him on his cell phone or anyone at his office, I was terrified because the news reported that a military&amp;nbsp; helicopter had crashed into the Pentagon.&amp;nbsp; How could such horrible things be happening all over our country?&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Why was I unable to get in touch with anyone?&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;What could I do?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I was thankful that my older 3 children were all safe in school and being sheltered from the events that were happening.&amp;nbsp; My 1 year old must have really wondered what was happening because I was in shock.&amp;nbsp; I called my mother and she drove to my house that afternoon.&amp;nbsp; My father was away on a fishing/camping trip and we had no way of reaching him.&amp;nbsp; So my mother ended up staying at our house for a few days...she did not want to be alone either.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It turns out my oldest daughter was not sheltered from the events as they were being reported.&amp;nbsp; She heard the same report that I did that a helicopter had crashed into the Pentagon.&amp;nbsp; She was terrified, probably more that i will ever know.&amp;nbsp; She was trying to call both her dad and me from the school.&amp;nbsp; Once she did get through I went to pick her up.&amp;nbsp; We still had not heard from my husband.&amp;nbsp; There was nothing I could say to make her feel better to protect her.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It turns out that his flight was cancelled, as were all flights in the area.&amp;nbsp; But, for security reasons he was unable to call us.&amp;nbsp; It was a horrific day.&amp;nbsp; My story has a good ending...Many many more do not.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;So many people began to fly the American Flag post 9/11 (many stores were sold out for weeks).&amp;nbsp; Now, you don&amp;#39;t see many flags...Have you forgotten?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Fly your flag proudly as a tribute to our Fallen Heroes, as a tribute to our veterans, to our soldiers who are still serving our country to protect our Freedom!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;You may not agree with the war...but, Support our Troops!&lt;/div&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Squeaky wheel get the grease - Doing Real Estate with a Honda Civic</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/197462/Squeaky-wheel-get-the-grease-Doing-Real-Estate-with-a-Honda-Civic" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/197462/Squeaky-wheel-get-the-grease-Doing-Real-Estate-with-a-Honda-Civic</id>
    <updated>2007-09-07T16:20:30Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
I guess it is true...the squeaky wheel got the grease this time.&amp;nbsp; As I mentioned in a previous blog last Thursday my Saturn Outlook was hit while I was legally parked in the parking lot of Hugh Mercer Elementary School.&amp;nbsp; The woman who hit me spoke no English so we are not sure how it truly happened.&amp;nbsp; When I came out to the car I was shocked to see that another car was wedged to the side of mine.&amp;nbsp; The police office gave me all of her information and I went home to file a accident report.&amp;nbsp; I called both insurance companies.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Friday morning I called to see who my adjuster would be for Victoria Insurance (her company).&amp;nbsp; I informed them that my car was un-driveable, and that it would be taken to a local Auto body for repair and shelter (the door would not close).&amp;nbsp; At this time Victoria was not willing to accept liability.&amp;nbsp; The long weekend was about to begin and my family of 6 was expected to drive around in a Honda&amp;nbsp;Civic.&amp;nbsp; I go to the police department and get a copy of the report (she was given a citation), I fax it to both insurance companies in hopes of getting things going.&amp;nbsp; That didn&amp;#39;t seem to work... Its okay we can adjust!...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Tuesday morning I call Victoria again.&amp;nbsp; My adjuster is not in the office and no-one returns any of my many messages.&amp;nbsp; Wednesday morning I finally speak to the adjuster and am told that it is still under investigation...she will call me back late that afternoon to let me know if there are any changes.&amp;nbsp; I ask what the problem is and am told there is a language barrier and they are still investigating.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile I am still waiting on approval to get a rental car and I am getting more upset by the minute.&amp;nbsp; Frustrated beyond belief, I call a supervisor.&amp;nbsp; I am then told that an investigator would be going out sometime Wednesday to do an estimate.&amp;nbsp; I get her name and call to find out when she plans on doing this. BTW, my insurance company cannot touch the car, the body shop cant touch the car, it is still sitting there...the clock is ticking and so am I .&amp;nbsp; The field adjuster tells me she has written an estimate about $4000 but...she cant know if there is more damage underneath because she cant touch the car until Victoria accepts liability.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;What?&amp;nbsp; I was not in the car, she was given a citation, and her car was wedged into mine...To me it&amp;#39;s a no brainer!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I call the adjusters supervisor and ask more questions trying to find out why they are not accepting liability.&amp;nbsp; I am told that since I am not the insured I can not be give any information...I am now really TICKED.&amp;nbsp; They cannot share information with me because I am not the insured, IMO she lost that right when she hit me...I don&amp;#39;t want personal information anyways, I just want them to accept liability.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Frustrated beyond belief at the end of the day I talk to a friend who is in the insurance industry.&amp;nbsp; He gave me some wonderful advice and I followed his advice along with some extra advice and support of a wonderful attorney.&amp;nbsp; I call the supervisor and tell them that if they do not accept liability by the close of business the next day I was going to report them to the Insurance Bureau, The Commonwealth of Virginia, and I would have an attorney file suit against them.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Guess What...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;As I type, my car is up on the rack being inspected, I have a rental van in my driveway, and Victoria has FINALLY accepted liability.&amp;nbsp; I did end up calling my own insurance (USAA) and asked them to get this all going...they can go after Victoria when it is over.&amp;nbsp; I was fed up after full week of not having a vehicle equipped for my clients and or family.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Things are moving along&amp;nbsp; : )&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Has anything like this ever happened to anyone else?&amp;nbsp; It is so frustrating.&amp;nbsp; Am I being unreasonable or was this a really long time?&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Hey you , that's right you!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/192351/Hey-you-thats-right-you" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/192351/Hey-you-thats-right-you</id>
    <updated>2007-09-02T18:44:17Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Okay, I have not been at this long and am slowly learning from the &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; I have taken the advice and written comments as much as possible, joined some groups, posted blogs, added associates, subscribed to blogs...It takes a lot of time but when you do it you start to see results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What I have found most interesting is that when you read posts that you truly enjoy /find interesting and look at that persons profile, associates, comments, etc. you tend to see the same names over and over.&amp;nbsp; We are all linked in one way or another.&amp;nbsp; I can literally spend hours on here and still want to read more and more.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Honestly, how much time on an average do you spend on active rain?&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>It Ain't All About Real Estate - Wonderful People Do Exist - Cindy Jones is #1</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/190506/It-Aint-All-About-Real-Estate-Wonderful-People-Do-Exist-Cindy-Jones-is-1" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/190506/It-Aint-All-About-Real-Estate-Wonderful-People-Do-Exist-Cindy-Jones-is-1</id>
    <updated>2007-08-31T13:53:38Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Yesterday was not a very good day.&amp;nbsp; I went to orientation at &lt;strong&gt;Hugh Mercer Elementary&lt;/strong&gt; to meet my sons teachers.&amp;nbsp; When I came out I saw a &lt;strong&gt;police car&lt;/strong&gt; and a car that had run over the curb and was halfway into the grass median and the other half was &lt;strong&gt;wedged into the side of my car&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; I have a&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;new&amp;quot; 2007 Saturn Outlook&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; The lady who hit my car did not speak any English, so I am unsure of what exactly happened.&amp;nbsp; Kind of puts a damper on the last weekend before school starts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was feeling a bit angry, upset, depressed.&amp;nbsp; I spent this morning making calls to insurance companies, Parrish Body Shop, and the police department trying to get a copy of the accident report.&amp;nbsp; As I was sitting at the body shop waiting for them to check out my car I got a call from my dad.&amp;nbsp; He had some good news that would &lt;strong&gt;make my day.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cindy Jones &lt;/strong&gt;a &lt;strong&gt;RE/MAX agent &lt;/strong&gt;in &lt;strong&gt;Fairfax, VA &lt;/strong&gt;had called my dad and offered him and me tickets to see 4 &lt;strong&gt;Virginia Tech football&lt;/strong&gt; games.&amp;nbsp; Her son has season tickets and is going to sell them to us at face value.&amp;nbsp; You see this is quite special to us...my nephew &lt;strong&gt;Blake DeChristopher&lt;/strong&gt; is a freshman at VT and will be playing offensive tackle.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of Cindy&amp;#39;s blogs / comments on &lt;strong&gt;active rain&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; a few weeks ago mentioned VT football...I emailed her and asked her if she ever knew of any tickets for sale to please contact me...Well Cindy Jones did call today!&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;I am very grateful to both Cindy and her son.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;Yes there are still some very special people...&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cindy&amp;#39;s son &lt;strong&gt;could easily have sold those tickets for a large profit&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Instead, he has made me, and my family very very happy!&amp;nbsp; Cindy it is obvious you have raised a wonderful son.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cindy Thank you so very much.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Go Hokies!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>I need help - I am having troubles with my Blogs using my Apple Mac OSX</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/183877/I-need-help-I-am-having-troubles-with-my-Blogs-using-my-Apple-Mac-OSX" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/183877/I-need-help-I-am-having-troubles-with-my-Blogs-using-my-Apple-Mac-OSX</id>
    <updated>2007-08-24T16:14:08Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
I am not able to upload any pictures to my blog using my Apple.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes It also locks up when I do a spell check.&amp;nbsp; I am new to using an apple computer...so please be patient.&amp;nbsp; Any help would be greatly appreciated.&amp;nbsp; So far i love my Apple but it is frustrating, not that I am an expert on my regular computer.&amp;nbsp; Is there a special way to upload pictures?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Just Learning</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/183766/Just-Learning" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/183766/Just-Learning</id>
    <updated>2007-08-24T14:11:39Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;I have just recently become interested in photography and have a lot to learn.&amp;nbsp; I was hoping to get some pointers from my fellow activerainers.&amp;nbsp; Here are a few of my favorites that I took this summer.&amp;nbsp; I really like black and white photography and am using it to decorate my newly finished basement.&amp;nbsp; Thanks for any pointers / tips!&amp;nbsp; I am having difficulty arranging the pictures, and I am also getting an error message.&amp;nbsp; Is it because the files are too big?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/3/2/5/ar118798207352358.JPG" height="203" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/0/1/4/ar118798186541028.JPG" vspace="5" height="216" hspace="5" align="left" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/7/6/9/ar118798196696718.JPG" height="200" align="right" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Former Real Estate Agent Pleads Guilty - Stealing Drugs from Home for Sale in Stafford VA</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/182254/Former-Real-Estate-Agent-Pleads-Guilty-Stealing-Drugs-from-Home-for-Sale-in-Stafford-VA" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/182254/Former-Real-Estate-Agent-Pleads-Guilty-Stealing-Drugs-from-Home-for-Sale-in-Stafford-VA</id>
    <updated>2007-08-23T07:14:08Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/7/8/5/ar118788254258747.jpg" height="257" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bet there is no lockbox on this door!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was not too much of a surprise to read the headline on the front page of our local paper today.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Woman pleads in drug case&amp;quot; by Keith Epps.&amp;nbsp; I knew a little more about the case than most agents.&amp;nbsp; I did not know the reason WHY.&amp;nbsp; Today I do, at least I know what I read in the paper.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;On October 31&amp;#39;st Heather Gay entered a home for sale in Stafford, VA that was listed with my firm, I was the alternate agent.&amp;nbsp; She stole prescription drugs from the homeowners.&amp;nbsp; She entered again on Nov 3rd and stole more prescription drugs.&amp;nbsp; The homeowners called the police and an investigation was completed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Yesterday she pleaded guilty to the charges.&amp;nbsp; She claims she stole the drugs for her mother who is addicted to pain medication.&amp;nbsp; She further stated that she hoped the drugs would help improve her mothers behavoir.&amp;nbsp; Apparently Heather (31) lived with her mother and her mother cared for her 2 small children.&amp;nbsp; She also said she did not enter the house with the intent of stealing anything.&amp;nbsp; But, when the client commented about the drugs she got the idea.&amp;nbsp; She stole the drugs the first time from plain view (in a cabinet) ...then again when they were hidden 3 days later.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;She is free on bond, and will be sentenced on 2 Nov. The maximum penalty is 10 years.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I guess I have never walked in her shoes (thank God), but this is what I think.&amp;nbsp; I would never steal anything, I would never leave my children with someone who had (or would) treat them poorly, I would not enable a person addicted to drugs.&amp;nbsp; What does this teach her children...it is ok to do drugs if it makes you a nicer person, NOT!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;More to come Nov 3rd.....&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Here is a link to the full article for those who wish to read it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com"&gt;www.fredericksburg.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Short Sale - Foreclosure - Homes for Sale in Idlewild</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/181724/Short-Sale-Foreclosure-Homes-for-Sale-in-Idlewild" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/181724/Short-Sale-Foreclosure-Homes-for-Sale-in-Idlewild</id>
    <updated>2007-08-22T16:59:57Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;There are currently 38 active homes for sale in Idlewild, a new community in Fredericksburg Va.&amp;nbsp; In the past 90 days&amp;nbsp; 2 homes have sold, and one is under contract.&amp;nbsp; This is a lovely community.&amp;nbsp; There is a pool, tennis courts, fountains, town center with shops, walking trails, exercise room, and tot lots.&amp;nbsp; The neighborhood was developed to look like a &amp;quot;town&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; and is very charming.&amp;nbsp; When complete there will be 750+ homes.&amp;nbsp; I would guess it is 2/3 complete...but that is only a guess.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;So what does this have to do with foreclosures, and short sales?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Of the 38 listings 14 are bank owned or require a bank addendum!&amp;nbsp; 37%&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;11 are builder specs or to be built!&amp;nbsp; 29%&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;13 are what I will call &amp;quot;normal&amp;quot; listings!&amp;nbsp; 34%&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The two that sold were also bank owned as is the one under contract.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;So if you are looking to buy a home in Idlewild chances are you will get a pretty good deal.&amp;nbsp; The 13 homes currently on the market have adjusted the price as much as they can considering the circumstances...There really are no comps because all of the solds were not from willing able sellers, 37% of the &amp;quot;competition&amp;quot; is not really competition because they too are bank owned.&amp;nbsp; And the remaining homes are spec homes or to be builts...and builders are offering many incentives.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/5/9/7/1/ar118788042817954.jpg" height="229" align="left" alt=" " width="316" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/9/4/9/ar118788065694978.jpg" height="229" hspace="5" align="right" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;img title="Town Center" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/3/8/4/ar118788021948318.jpg" height="225" align="left" alt=" " width="316" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/4/4/0/ar118788032304453.jpg" height="225" hspace="5" align="right" alt=" " width="301" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/1/6/4/ar118788117646148.jpg" height="220" align="left" alt=" " width="319" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/0/1/1/ar118788127211082.jpg" height="225" align="right" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>The Dreaded Call...Real Estate Board Investigation</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/180431/The-Dreaded-CallReal-Estate-Board-Investigation" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/180431/The-Dreaded-CallReal-Estate-Board-Investigation</id>
    <updated>2007-08-21T13:50:09Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Friday morning as I listened to my messages at the office I heard the message no-one EVER wants to hear.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Hello Dawn, this is _____ I am an investigator with the Real Estate Board&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; I took a deep breath and continue listening.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot; A complaint has been filed with the board&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; deeper breath, heart pounding, sinking feeling in my stomach.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;The complaint was not filed against you or anyone in your office&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; I was feeling a little better but still not feeling comfortable.&amp;nbsp; The investigator continues her message and explains how I am involved.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Please call me back at your earlier convenience&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before I call the investigator back, I pull out my file on the property and put eveything in chronological order.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A part of me was actually hoping I would get a call or read about this at some time.&amp;nbsp; Here is the scenario.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the first transactions as a new agent, was a contract on a home for sale in Fredericksburg VA.&amp;nbsp; I get a call and fax from an agent I will call &amp;quot;Tom&amp;quot; in another state.&amp;nbsp; After calling to make sure this person is licensed in Va ( I was told he was) and getting all the proper addendum&amp;#39;s signed we finally have a contract.&amp;nbsp; The agent&amp;nbsp;was not actually licensed in Va, so we began dealing with the broker of the company.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Many, many, many problems arise and we deal with everything the best way possible...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Home inspection is done but we never get an addendum removing the contingency....much later than the deadline we get addendum.&amp;nbsp; Contingency already removed by default.&amp;nbsp; Buyers still want home and there is still a home sale contingency.&amp;nbsp; Home was listed by selling broker (another nightmare).&amp;nbsp; Home does not sell and contract dies a natural death.&amp;nbsp; Buyers not interested in extending contingency.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Days, weeks, months go by with no release from the other broker.&amp;nbsp; Sellers want the buyers to get Earnest money deposit back.&amp;nbsp; Many many phone calls, faxes, emails,&amp;nbsp; still nothing.&amp;nbsp; Somehow we hear the buyers were encouraged by broker&amp;nbsp;to retain an attorney because we were suing them for the deposit.&amp;nbsp; Finally after about 7 months we get the release signed by purchasers, money to be released to purchasers....Thank God for small miracles.&amp;nbsp; Sellers sign, my broker signs, fax and email copy to other broker.....nothing....nothing....nothing!&amp;nbsp; Much later&amp;nbsp; (Jan 07) we finally get a signed copy that it is or was to be released to buyers.&amp;nbsp; But...how do we know if it ever gets disbursed.&amp;nbsp; We Do&amp;#39;nt!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last month we see the buyers home go back on market and sell rather quickly.&amp;nbsp; Great...they got past this mess and things are going well....&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turns out buyers never allegedly got their money back...Do not know what happened to it and the REB will find out.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank God there were suspicions from the beginning and we kept meticulous records of Everything!&amp;nbsp; I scanned all my records and gave it to the real estate board investigator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I do not know where it goes from here and will wait to see what happens.&amp;nbsp; But, what an awful feeling it is to have an investigator with the REB call and leave a message.&amp;nbsp; I knew I had not done anything wrong and was not fearful that I had but it is still a horrible feeling.&amp;nbsp; I am thankful that it was brought to the attention of the board and am sure appropriate actions will be taken.&amp;nbsp; I wish the best for the buyers!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>If Numbers Are Not Your Thing STOP Reading!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/173515/If-Numbers-Are-Not-Your-Thing-STOP-Reading" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/173515/If-Numbers-Are-Not-Your-Thing-STOP-Reading</id>
    <updated>2007-08-14T09:00:10Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;This post is all about numbers.&amp;nbsp; I was very curious to see how the housing market was doing the past 30 days.&amp;nbsp; I already knew that there was more than an 11 months supply of homes for sale in Fredericksburg VA&amp;nbsp; (Ugh).&amp;nbsp; So, where were all the buyers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My report includes detached homes sold in the City of Fredericksburg, Va, Stafford County Va, and Spotsylvania County Va in the past 30 days.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;213 detached homes sold during the 30 day period.&amp;nbsp; I further broke this down into price ranges as you will see.&amp;nbsp; It was not too surprising to see where the majority of the buyers were.&amp;nbsp; What I do know is that you can get much more of a house now for the money than you could 2-3 years ago.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, if you are selling your home in the Fredericksburg area...the vast majority of buyers are purchasing homes in the $300,000-$400,000 price range.&amp;nbsp; I wish you luck!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homes Sold in Fredericksburg City, Stafford, Spotsylvania&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Within the last 30 days. (Detached)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$100,000-$199,999 &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 4&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;2%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$200,000-$299,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 55&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;26%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $200,000-$224,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 9&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $225,000-$249,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $250,000-$274,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $275,000-$299,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 26&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$300,000-$399,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 92&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;43%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $300,000-$324,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 20&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $325,000-$349,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 18&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $350,000-$374,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 23&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $375,000-$399,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 31&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$400,000-$499,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 37&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;17%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $400,000-$424,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 13&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $425,000-$449,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $450,000-$474,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $475,000-$499,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$500,000-$599,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 10&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $500,000-$524,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $525,000-$549,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $550,000-$574,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 1&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $575,000-$599,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$600,000-$699,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 6&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;3%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$700,000-$799,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$800,000-$899,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 5&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2%&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$900,000-$999,999&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;1%&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$1,000,000+&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 0&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Active Rain spreads sunshine in my little part of the world.</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/173462/Active-Rain-spreads-sunshine-in-my-little-part-of-the-world" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/173462/Active-Rain-spreads-sunshine-in-my-little-part-of-the-world</id>
    <updated>2007-08-14T07:20:52Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Dawn DeGroff (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;What a wonderful surprise I had this morning when checking my email.&amp;nbsp; Rhonda Stansberry a great friend and neighbor from Ansbach, Germany had contacted me through one of my blogs.&amp;nbsp; We were stationed together and shared a duplex (off post) back in 1999-2001.&amp;nbsp; It has been several years since we&amp;nbsp;have &amp;nbsp;spoken and I look forward to catching up with her.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both of our husbands flew helicopters&amp;nbsp;in the Army so we had an instant connection.&amp;nbsp; I do not know why we ever lost touch...but unfortunately that happens more than I care to say.&amp;nbsp; Anyway...Rhonda it was great hearing from you.&amp;nbsp; Thanks active rain for bringing back wonderful memories and reuniting friendships.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now I need to ask her...How did she come across my blog,(she is not a member)&amp;nbsp;was she searching for me, real estate in Fredericksburg Va, ...whatever it is she found me and I am thankful!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How many other people has this happened to?&amp;nbsp; I am sure there are more stories...Let&amp;#39;s hear them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="This is not in Ansbach...But, it is a blackhawk!" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/8/6/8/ar118709365986864.jpg" border="2" height="225" align="middle" alt="Blackhawk Helicopter" width="300" /&gt;This is not in Ansbach, Germany...but it is a Blackhawk!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
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