Pamela's Blog

My Meme (aka Dirt on ME)

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 02:11:01 -0500

After being tagged by Melody Young I was trying to think of some really interesting facts about myself that I could post for people to read, but I could only really think of one thing at the time. So... I guess I will just start writing and maybe it will all just come to me...

1) At 18 years old I became a mother to a 4 week early, baby girl that I named Jordan Lindsy. She had some trouble breathing for the first few days, but then she was fine and I was able to take her home. It has pretty much just been Jordan and I for the past 4 years. I always tell her, "It's just you and me... Let's take over the WORLD!" neither her nor I know exactly what that saying means, but we get a good laugh every time I say it :)

2) I have had many jobs at my young age to try and keep Jordan and I afloat, but my most rewarding job was at a near by high school working with Severely Handicapped kids (and young adults). I was in charge of training the students how to ride the bus to and from home and school. I also trained them to work at different job sites in the community and get closer and closer to reaching that goal of INDEPENDENCE! I still (3 years later) go visit the students at every chance I get.

3) My father (who is also in the real estate industry) made me swear that I would never work in real estate. So, when my friend Ryan told me about a job as an Escrow Account Executive... I kept that interview a secret. One week later I was hired on and sending out my "Introducing Pamela Bassaline, our new Account Executive" announcements... I made sure to personally address one to my father ;) He really got a kick out of it and then started sending his business my way (after I worked hard for every deal). So now we work in the industry together and we are closer than we have ever been... it's so GREAT!

4) A little over two years ago I was bit by a BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER! One of the most painful experiences I have ever been through. My leg was swollen to the size of a tree trunk and there was pain with every movement of my body (including breathing). I was in and out of the hospital for a month. Along with having a bad reaction to the medication and later getting a staff infection... I still have a scar on the back of my leg (thank God it's going away). I guess going through something like that made me appreciate my life and my family a lot more. You never know how much you have until you come close to losing it all. I now, not only have appreciation for my family and friends, but I have this strange respect for spiders.. I leave them alone and they do the same for me. If I need to remove a spider from my home, I scoop him up and take him outside. I may be weird, but I no longer flush, squish or stomp my furry eight-legged friends, (no matter how gross they are).

5) My final piece of information that I want to share with you is that I am IN-LOVE!!! Three years ago I went to New York City and fell in-love with it! Since then I have returned several times during the year for short weekend vacations. Call me strange, but I am intrigued by the people, the fast paced living, the buildings, the smells, the food, the music, the bridges, and the fact that it is unlike any place I have ever seen or been to. My next big goal is to buy a condo in the city that I can sub-lease a few months out of the year and then stay there when I go to visit.

Summary: I am a 22 yr. old(will be 23 this mo.) mother that works in real estate despite my fathers wishes. I almost died from a spider, loved teaching, have accomplished all of my goals (bought a house, paid off my car, took big vacations) and now I have a goal to buy a place in New York City.

Hope I wasn't too boring. Sorry there's no cute or fun pictures (i don't know how to do that yet)... Now I have to figure out who I am going to tag...

Encouragement :)

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 02:05:20 -0500

1. Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than
the mind.

2. You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by
worrying over the future.

3. God always gives His best to those who leave the choice
with Him.

4. Everyone needs to be loved...especially when they do not
deserve it.

5. The real measure of a man's (woman's) wealth is what he
(she) has invested in eternity.

6. Laughter is God's sunshine.

7. Thank God for what you have, Trust God for what you need.

8. If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the
worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.

9. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks
within.

10. If anyone speaks badly of you, live so that none will
believe it.

11. Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel
like stripping your gears.

12. Harsh words break no bones but they do break hearts.

13. Love is the only thing that can be divided with out being
diminished.

14. Happiness is enhanced by others but does not depend upon
others.

15. For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60
seconds of happiness that you can never get back.

The best gifts to give:

To your friends - loyalty;
To your enemy - forgiveness;
To your boss - service;
To a child - a good example;
To your parents - gratitude and devotion;
To your mate - love and faithfulness;
To all men and women - charity; and
To your God - your life.

PLAN to be... SPONTANEOUS

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 01:37:55 -0500

While spontaneity can be exciting and fun, there is a lot to be said for making plans. You can't plan to be spontaneous; it just happens, even in the midst of the best plans. A line in John Lennon's song "Beautiful Boy" says, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans."

So how do we keep our plans intact and at the same time allow spontaneity into our lives? There is a time and place for everything. As you know, a business meeting must follow a plan, but to make it memorable, a little spontaneity thrown in will lighten and liven the atmosphere. Remember back to your schooling. What teacher did you learn the most from, the one who had formal, set lesson plans, lectured dryly and never varied from the plan, or the one who occasionally brought a sparkle of the unexpected, a bit of humor into the lecture? If you want your points to be remembered, deliver them in an interesting way. How do we obtain the goal of making our points interesting? We observe how others do it.

Watch the news on TV. Which commentator do you like best? Why? Study the delivery of each commentator as though it were an assignment in college. Pick a subject, then try to deliver a speech on that subject like your favorite commentator would. Take a late night host on TV. Watch him deliver his monologue. Would a wooden performance impress you? Watch his facial expressions. Does he give life to his monologue? You don't have to be telling a joke to deliver a point, but it does help to deliver it with enthusiasm, bright facial expressions, and a smile.

Enjoy your life. Love your work. Plan on it, but let spontaneity happen.

Look at ME! Look at ME! Look at MEME!

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:37:40 -0500

Hope I wasn't too boring. Sorry there's no cute or fun pictures (i don't know how to do that yet)... Now I have to figure out who I am going to tag...

Look at ME! Look at ME! Look at MEME!

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:37:24 -0500

Hope I wasn't too boring. Sorry there's no cute or fun pictures (i don't know how to do that yet)... Now I have to figure out who I am going to tag...

IS YOUR HOUSE MAKING YOU SICK???

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:50:55 -0500

To understand what make a house healthy, you need to know what make a house sick.

Here are some sources of pollutants identified by the American Lung Association:

Respirable particles - fireplaces, wood-stoves, & kerosene heaters
Organic pollutants - household products, including paint & paint strippers, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers, & disinfectants
Formaldehyde - hardwood plywood wall paneling, particleboard and fiberboard, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (now banned), durable press drapes, other textiles & glues
Pesticides - insecticides & termite treatments; lawn & garden products that are tracked into the house
Lead - automobile exhausts seeping in from garages, sanding or burning lead-based paint, lead solder (now banned in plumbing)
Asbestos - deteriorating insulation and fireproofing
Biological pollutants - wet or moist walls, ceilings, & carpets; poorly maintained humidifiers, dehumidifiers, & air-conditioners; household pets
Carbon monoxide & nitrous dioxide - poorly ventilated kerosene & gas heaters; leaking chimneys & furnaces; down-drafting from wood stoves & fireplaces; all gas stoves
Radon - from earth, uranium, & rock beneath some homes; well water and building materials

Hope this helps you out! If you or someone you know ever has a reaction to something in a home and you can't nail down exactly what is causing the problem... this list may come in handy :)

My own experience with a parent in Real Estate... I survived!

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 05:48:49 -0500

My father has been in Real Estate for about 25 years and I know first hand how it felt to have a father who worked 7 days a week as well as holidays. It was so hard for me to understand why he wasn't around much, but because he made his own schedule, he was able to make it to all of the important school and sports activities. I never wanted to put my children through that sort of lifestyle. Don't get me wrong... the fancy vacations and the new clothes and toys were GREAT! But that doesn't hold a candle to having a parent that is around all of the time. It's funny how we never want to end up like our parents or make the same mistakes... so now I find myself as a single mom, in the real estate industry, and figuring out first-hand that My dad really did do the best that he could do with what he had.

Things are different now... we can work from home, have our calls forwarded to our cell phone, and work from our laptops and other cellular devices with Internet access. It is a whole new ball game... if you work it right. I have learned that communication is a lot easier, but because of this we have to keep up with what everyone else is doing and that becomes a NEVER ENDING BATTLE. But we can't lose heart or grow weary... our kids need us!

I was always a little bit angry with my dad for working so much, but I learned a lot from my experience. I learned how to do things on my own. I learned that if you want something then you need to go out and get it because NO ONE is going to do it for you. I learned that we need to cherish the time with our child (or children) and make it as "quality" as possible. And I learned that NO ONE is perfect and we can help others through our findings due to our imperfections.

So I guess you can say "I survived my Real Estate Father" and not only did I survive, but I am so proud to have him as a father and I learned so much in the process. Now I am able to learn more about the industry that we are both in and get advice from him on how to raise my daughter and balance a career at the same time. I survived and I am so thankful for everything that I went through and learned ;)

New, Excited, & Ready to Learn!

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:57:53 -0500

Yay! My very first blog!!! I am really excited to get started on activerain. I am already becoming addicted.

I look forward to learning from everyone as well as answering any escrow questions that you might have.

Anyone have any advice for me??? I look forward to getting input from anyone who has been a member longer than I have been... which is going on about 12 hours now, so it looks like I'm one of the newest Newbies :)

Real Estate Industry... my mission field :)

Pamela Bassaline (Advantage One Escrow) — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:31:19 -0500

About a year ago I was having a conversation with a potential client (on more of a personal level than I am used to). He shared with me the problems he was having in his marriage. Immediately I began to pray for them as a couple (in my mind or in the spirit). I then asked if it would be alright if I shared a DVD with him that I had heard so many great things about. The DVD was a well known Pastor and his wife as they give all of the advice they have learned about marriage over the years. It also talks about how you HAVE TO put God first! I gave him the DVD the very next day and that was the last I heard from him... until now :)

Last week I was at a meeting and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find the young man that I had given the marriage DVD to. He was so thankful and proceeded to share how great him and his wife have been doing. I was thrilled! Then he told me something that completely warmed my heart, he told me that after watching that video him and his wife had decided to give their lives to the Lord. He has been getting into The WORD and growing more and more in his walk with God. Their marriage has been saved by our loving Father and I am so blessed to have been a part of it.

I just recently made a move to a larger company and this was just one way that the Lord confirmed that I am exactly where He wants me to be. I am excited for my whole new mission field and pray that the Lord goes before me to prepare the way.

I pray that this encourages you. Have a blessed day!