Years ago, when I first began my career in real estate,

one of my associates, gifted as he was connecting with clients and of delightful demeanor, was easily breaking 6 digits every year. He was new to the industry, but exceptional with clients and a great fit for the industry. In that one year where we both worked for the same company, I saw my associate purchase one new luxury car, and then another (owning two simultaneously), a luxury home, a new wardrobe, and the list went on and on.

I set up my associate with a charming girl friend in my social group, and the two hit it off and became an "it" couple. It seemed to me my friend had everything.

There was only one thing that was troubling to me. My associate talked endlessly about what he was going to purchase for himself.

As I sit here contemplating, asking myself what life is really about, what Christmas is really about, and as I have pondered this year the same question, I've thought back to how Christmas came to be. A little over 2000 years ago, a baby boy was born into the world, grew up, and his public life changed the course of the world to follow. What was his basic premise?

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-30

I spent years of my younger life working hard to acquire. Acquire, pay bills on what is acquired. Acquire more, pay more bills to maintain what is acquired! I had bought into the basic premise my associate believed. More things would make me happy, more things are what I needed. More = success! Success equals others thinking well of you. And that equals...happiness...? But there was no rest for my soul. I became depressed under this burden. There had to be more...

Bono of U2 volunteered in Ethiopia with World Vision. Bono promotes volunteering as the cure for depression. How can he do this?

How can someone propose giving of oneself to others as the cure for loss of purpose, loss of meaning in life?

Jesus, that little boy who grew up to forever change the world, had something to say about this. When a rich young man asked Jesus what he must do to to have eternal life, Jesus responded that he must keep the 10 commandments. The young man replied,

"I've obeyed all these commandments. What else must I do?"

Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow me."

But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions. Matthew 19:20-22

The United States is panicking, now.

What is in the future? People are losing homes, and many are hording money. Fear is seeping into nooks and crannies. What happens if we lose all those possessions that we deem so crucial for our "happiness"? What hope is there?

Let me pose another question... What is the purpose of our life? Is it to live, acquire, and die?

Some asked, upon hearing of a rich man's death, "what did he leave behind?" The grim response...... "all of it."

How can we make our life meaningful, purposeful, and enriching? How can all our toil amount for something?

No matter what you believe about Jesus' teachings, I challenge you to something...

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means caring for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refusing to let the world corrupt us." James 1:27

What are you willing to do with your life, your money, to shake off the "more stuff, more stuff" mantra and to give something or help someone that will leave a lasting legacy? What burden are you tired of carrying? What exchange, from burden to joy, do you want more of?

In the true spirit of Christmas, Merry Christmas everyone!!!! Merry Christmas. May your heart be light, and your walk be gentle, and may you be blessed as much and more as you bless others, and may your cup "runneth over" with true and lasting joy.

With love,

Sara Washburn

A way to make a difference...

Chrystie, I really enjoyed your post. So I'm reblogging it...

Valerie Cox must have truly been inspired

to come up with a poem that I've cherished for years not for how it makes me feel, but for how I'd like to avoid feeling. Perhaps she caught the idea like a virus or experienced it first hand and it plagued her until she shook it out of herself on paper and clamped the book shut on it. One of my favorite poems, it captures the intimate message of some of my own botched experiences and also what at times I so earnestly wish I might convey to  a few others.

Humility is not exactly revered in our culture. Humble people are often seen as weak or pushovers, perhaps not intelligent, or maybe ignorant of what they're "worth". In some parts of the country, humility is viewed as a disease. If you know you have value, you should promote it, right? But how much? Where does the buck stop? Is it wrong to admit you're wrong, or to suspend judgment of others and weigh the likelihood of a non-fully objective lens?

Have you ever been convinced of something that later you realize you had wrong? I certainly have. Sometimes even as much as a decade later I realize the mistake of my ways.

The realization jarred me. Now I can't presume utter "correctness". I've banged into the wall of objectivity and found that I'm not the "point of beginning". I am not truly objective, no matter how much I desire to be.

Jesus, the greatest teacher, modeled humility in such a way that the most revered and popular individuals of his day belittled and mocked him for it. He countered the thinking in his culture, associating with people everyone else frowned upon. "Don't you know your value lies in how good you are? How many good things you do?" Jesus didn't think so. He spoke in love even when they took his life for it. He represented a truth people couldn't live with, couldn't accept.

Jesus has shaped my life in endless ways. He is my greatest teacher, and I desire to love others, honoring their humanity ("fragility") and they're intrinsic worth as he did.

I have learned that I can never go wrong in giving love. When I think someone deserves less, even with actions damaging to my professional life, they deserve to be treated with dignity. I am not the judge. I am not the one to dish "revenge". Sometimes that may even mean not defending myself, if necessary, if doing so would humiliate them. Sometimes showing love in the way a person needs it most is what costs you the most. And love given, or mercy shown, may never be appreciated.

Just as years later I've come to see my own wrongs against others, it is feasible that some of my wrongs I have not realized yet, or may never realize. Without love and unmerited generosity towords others, our world could have never made it as long as it has.

I have hope, though, that the love that Jesus modeled is enough to save us yet.

The Cookie Thief

The Cookie Thief
by Valerie Cox

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Whether you're listing your property for sale or redesigning your bathroom for your own aesthetic enjoyment, swapping out the shower curtain with an edgy design is the easiest and most affordable way to quickly improve bathroom ambiance.

1) My favorite, this "Tree" Shower Curtain, in dark brown on a white background, is made of washable polyesterl and brightens up the room with a clean, simple silhouette.

Almost any color pairing can do. White towels will give the bathroom a minimalistic, refreshing look; coral pink will play up on the age-old "retro" brown and pink theme; sage green will invoke the outdoors and a peaceful aura.

Available at UrbanOutfitters online for $40, and a bargain for the impression it makes!

2) PlushLiving's selection of vintage-inspired modern shower curtains are serious showstoppers in the bathroom. "Links" Shower Curtain (second picture) in blue and white combines the best of old and new. PlushLiving's curtains come in a delightful array of colorful bursts, $36 at AldeaHome.com

If you can't match the towel colors perfectly (or close enough) the safe bet is to defer to white. While traditional and contemporary decor often involves an amalgam of colors, truly modern decor is palette sensitive, often either monochromatic, a pairing of two colors next to each other on the pie chart, or two or three smartly matched but strongly opposing colors.

3) Another superb pairing with either white or other strong colors (avoid pale colors, or you might get the "washed out look") is the Paris or Empire State Building shower curtains.  These are stellar examples of "usable art"! They are engaging conversational pieces and will create flair in even the dullest bathrooms. Paris Shower Curtain or Empire State Building, $26 each.

Trick: To keep costs low, purchase one to two new sets of towels, depending on how much hanging space you have. Use your old towels for showers and put them away when you step out of the house for a buyer showing. Leave the new towels out and in perfect condition. Fresh towels make the entire bathroom fresh! Modern=clean!!

Yes, she is giving you that look. Yes, that look.

And it's something to write home about, too. With an asking price of $17,000 Juli Adams' deeply quizzical artwork pierces the thin veneer of polite society and into your soul. You'd brush it off, if you could, but you can't. It's exceptional.

Piece by piece, Juli Adams delivers wrenching, penetrating images that both inspire and frighten you at the same time. You look. And you look again.

Jennifer Bowman changes the tempo with
works that my mother would swoon for.

Free-flowing, interpretive pieces of gardens and countrysides that you could come home to day after day, brilliant color in a creative "loosing of the tie".

Chardonnay, anyone?

Our quest for the striking would not be complete without a hefty appreciation for a bit of the modern, specifically bronze, stainless steel, and stone sculpture that belongs in the gardens and houses of those not merely content with magnificence on the wall.

James Kelsey's sculpture is an experience in scale,  playfulness, and  presence.

While a painting can sit amicably by itself, Kelsey's sculpture demands dialog. Its strong, clean lines belong on the edges of pools and lakes, gracing zen gardens, and in the recesses of your imagination.

Seattle's annual Fourth of July Firecracker 5000 was a supremely delightful run, with slightly over 700 particpants showing up to strut their stuff in the late wee hours.

About one mile in, as the course curved back around toward the stadium, my twin sister explained with glee, "We're almost there!!!"  She became less than exicted when I shared we had only run about one mile and that in fact the course would snake around Belltown for another two miles before heading back for the final dash.

Congratulations, Anne!!! She is now training for her first full marathon this fall!

Left picture: My sis is directly in front of me with the light pink shirt and hair up in a long pony tail. We're running up Denny with the Space Needle in the background.

Bottom picture: My sis on the right, her first race ever, post run.

Ok, Ok, what is this, you're thinking??

It's an invite to participate with me and several other stoic Brio-ites who're just as excited as I am in the Firecracker 5000, a delightful 5k walk/run happening in downtown Seattle the night of July 3rd at 11:55pm, and running into July 4th.

Have you ever run under the stars before? If today's weather is indicative of our summer, this special night will be perfect temperature-wise for those of you who'd love to live out your wild side! Or run it, if you're up to it!

Please invite your families, kids too! Friends, neighbors, anyone who'd enjoy this funtastic event! The event costs $25 if you register by the 2nd of July, and $35 for after that.

On Race Day (July 3rd):

10pm  Day of race registration and bib and chip pickup in Memorial Stadium

11:55 Start of Race

12:30 Brief awards ceremony with music and refreshments inside Memorial Stadium after the run

The Memorial Stadium is located at the Seattle Center at 305 Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98109.

The direct link: http://www.promotionevents.com/events/events-08/FC5K-08/registration.htm

Call me with any questions about this superb walk/run on my cell at 206-724-6500. Come and have fun!! Look forward to seeing you there!!!!

Happy Fourth!!!!

While I rave about Bellevue proper, and I rave about Seattle proper,

(granted, both of these cities are smoking hot, and their obstinance in maintaining their values despite greater market turmoil elsewhere testifies to this...)

...some of you may be wondering, "Sara, sure these areas are great, but what about a terrific larger home for a price I can afford?"

With the median home price in Belleuve at $635,500, and the median condo price at $324,995, many are feeling priced out of the market. If you work in either of these two great cities. promising homes can be found just a short commute away, and no, you don't have to sacrifice on the bedrooms, or the space!

The following home is a terrific example.

This is one of my listings, located in Bothell, on a quiet street with quick access to 405 and a short dash to I5. It's tucked into the edge of a cul de sac, in a friendly neighborhood of like houses, and comes complete with three bedrooms, a bonus room, a supersized entertaining deck, and a hottub below, as well as the preliminary living and dining room. The kitchen features  newer modern and visually appealing cabinetry, and all three bedrooms are reasonably sized with generously large windows. The home is fully fenced with visibly high quality wood fencing (new), and the landscaping maintenance is minimal, yet aesthetically inviting.

The price? $349,950, just an elbow above the median price for a condo in Bellevue. What a steal!!

The home is owned by an executive who commutes to Bellevue, and he is downsizing because he no longer needs such a large home. It's been maintained exceptionally well, and if this is the home for you, you're guarranteed to love it as much as he did.

Feel free to take a drive by to see the home, or give me or your agent a call and I'd love to show you the home (or any others you're interested in).

Home Facts:

Address: 20616 13th Drive South East, Bothell, WA

Square Feet: 1,650 as per seller

Beds: 3

Baths: 1.75

Year Built: 1975

Details: Two car garage, laundry room, well-maintained bright and airy Bothell home, close to 405, quick drive to I5, nearby grocery and shopping, great Bothell schools! Large Deck, hot tub, fully fenced, fabulous home for entertaining, on cul de sac in quiet, friendly neighborhood! Steal of a price!

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest,

it was common for residents of the Bellevue/Eastside and residents of Seattle not to intermingle, viewing Lake Washington as a great expanse separating two very different worlds. I still encounter people who won't jump the "pond" to the other side, but for those in the Emerald City ignoring their eastern neighbor, an almost seemingly overnight transformation is taking place.

Calling Bellevue Seattle's sister city may be a bit presumptious, but no doubt this shining star is becoming a neighbor with which to contend. Why?

Bellevue residents have the "hots" for Bellevue,

and the temperature is rising: In the city's annual performance survey, 95% of respondents said they believe Bellevue is an excellent place to live, up two percent from last year. 94% rank the quality of life in their neighborhood as good to excellent, up 4%.

Bellevue is being "urbanized":

Aside from the stunning additions such as Bellevue Towers and Washington Square in the downtown district (and a new nightlife!), Bellevue's Bel-Red Corridor will be transformed into a more urban environment, with mixed use development, new neighborhoods (including affordable housing), parks and open areas, improved transportation, and more streets, bike lanes, and trails.

Preparing for the commuting future:

Bellevue's Light Rail Best Practices Commitee issued a report on the development of light rail after firsthand observation of the light rail systems in Portland, San Jose, and San Diego. What you need to know: connections will include downtown Bellevue, the Bed-Red area, Overlake, and Seattle, while preserving and enhancing Bellevue's character. Your ongoing participation is sought by the Best Practices commitee.

Commitment to environmental stewardship:

By the close of 2008, the City of Bellevue vehicle fleet will include 31 Hybrids, as well as several "flex" fuel vehicles which run on a combination of gasoline and ethanol. Thirty-two diesel vehicles have been retrofitted with "diesel particulate filters" that trap pollution normally emitted into the air. The entire fleet (as well as maintenance equipment) recycles its engine oil, antifreeze, fluids, tires, batteries, metals, mercury switches, and brake components.

No longer in Kansas, Toto! Shopping is stepping up:

Neiman Marcus is moving into the Braven (under construction, on the corner of 8th and 112th), as well as the emergence of other stores like Burberry and Lacoste in Bellevue Square. We knew you'd finally get here!

[Picture of Bellevue Towers taken from my car heading west on Bellevue Way. These are my favorite new addition to the city!]

The Newmark Tower

in downtown Seattle, on the corner of Pike and Second Ave, is an established building with a full concierge, indoor pool, gym, spa, and an overnight guest suite. 

The high rise on the left is the "Newmark", in which I sold a comfortable condo to an earth-friendly client. The Newmark Tower is a short 1.5 blocks from Seattle's renowned Pike Place Market, two blocks from Westlake Center and the shopping district, and one block from the beautiful Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony.

My client loved the location, a short bus-ride right off 2nd into south Queen Anne. She often frequents Belltown via an even shorter bus-ride, or a brisk walk. Eco conscious, she eschewed owning a personal vehicle, proving how pedestrian friendly a city Seattle really is.

The Newmark underwent extensive renovations in 2002-2003 and is a good catch for a building to buy in, if you can get it!

I captured these pictures of the building from the 9th floor of the parking garage on the corner of 2nd Ave and Union in downtown Seattle.

The next picture captures the view looking west from the parking garage, and the edge of the Newmark on the rightmost.