my life: Kindergarten Was At Grandma's House
- 08/22/11 11:32 AM
Kindergarten was indeed at Grandma's house. We moved to Gurleyville, which is a little village just down the hill from Storrs Connecticut, when I was just a couple of years old. My mother always worked. When we were in upstate New York, where I was born, she worked for IBM in Binghamton. When we moved to Gurleyville, she worked at Town Hall which is now part of the Mansfield Historical Society in Storrs. While my mother worked, my grandmother cared for me. She was a hardworking woman who came to the country as a teenager from what is today the Slovak Republic. She taught herself … (16 comments)
my life: Baby-Sitting My Four-Legged Grandson
- 07/15/11 09:34 AM
My daughter and granddaughter are off to Europe. They left over a week ago and I am baby-sitting my four-legged grandson, Xion, and the cat. While Corinna is in Germany visiting her Dad and his family with her daughter and boyfriend, Xion and I are spending premium quality time together.
Corinna's boyfriend, Cory, will be flying back next Thursday night, so my baby-sitting duties are going to be coming to an end. Xion is the best companion - Corinna has had him for the last ten years, since he was 3 months old! He is gentle and loving! … (6 comments)
my life: Why I Chose Real Estate! Life's Choices
- 07/13/11 07:07 AM
Why I Chose Real Estate! The women in my family have definitely influenced my choices in life. My maternal grandmother, Magda Maria Stefunko Tomecko, came to America at the age of 16 from what is today the Slovak Republic (her birth certificate from 1890 said Austro-Hungarian Empire). She travelled alone, a daring thing for a young girl to do and even more-so back 1906! She landed in Ellis Island with no knowledge of the English language and worked for wealthy New Yorkers, cleaning their homes and taking care of their children. At the same time she spent her 'extra' hours in … (34 comments)
my life: The Flight Was Cancelled - Simple As That!
- 07/08/11 11:02 AM
The flight was cancelled! My daughter, her boyfriend and my granddaughter all few over to Germany yesterday for a long vacation with my 'ex' hubby and his family. I took the threesome to the airport and everyone was excited to be flying to Europe on holiday. They flew from Tampa to Washington Dullus and from there on to Frankfurt. They had a connecting flight with Lufthansa to take them on to Nurnberg BUT IT WAS CANCELLED. No later flight, just simply cancelled.
Thankfully there are great train connections so they actually got to Nurnberg at approximately the same time they … (10 comments)
my life: The Yogurt Spot of Boot Ranch Helps Beat The Heat
- 06/16/11 05:49 AM
Yesterday was another hot day. It is June and we are in Florida, so it is supposed to be hot! That is why we live close to the shore, so we can take advantage of the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But yesterday was not a day for the beach, instead it was a trip to the aquarium with my granddaughter, followed by a trip to Target for a new dress for the little princess and a few odds and ends that I needed to pick up. We were both tired, hot and thirsty. So what did we do? … (8 comments)
my life: Tarpon Springs Aquarium For An Educational Afternoon
- 06/15/11 12:41 PM
This afternoon I once again picked my little granddaughter up from day care and we went out to spend a few quality hours together. She wanted to go to the aquarium in Tarpon Springs, so that is where we headed.
Tarpon Springs Aquarium is located on the west end of Dodecanese Blvd. We got there a little before 1 pm and just in time for the shark feeding.
It has been interesting, watching my granddaughter develop. A year ago she wouldn't touch anything at the aquarium. Here she is reaching for the turtle and I had a hard time … (4 comments)
my life: Island Outpost Restaurant on Dunedin Causeway
- 06/15/11 03:47 AM
Yesterday I went out to lunch with my little granddaughter, Aubrey. Since she wanted to sit outside, we went to the Island Outpost Restaurant on the Dunedin Causeway which leads out to Honeymoon Island State Park.
That isn't a real hammerhead shark hanging there.....this one has spent several years in that location already. Naturally, Aubrey wanted her photo taken next to 'Sharkie'. I had butterfly fried shrimp for lunch and she ordered the mac and cheese. I couldn't get her to try the shrimp, unfortunately. The food was great and from there we drove down the road to the causeway … (20 comments)
my life: Problem Solved............SUPER GIRL To The Rescue!
- 06/14/11 03:19 AM
What is going to happen now? How do I get all of my belongings out of the home from this distance? Do I have to fly there for this? I really don't have the time right now! Those are the questions and thoughts so many homeowners express when they are absentee homeowners heading toward the closing table. Who is going to get all of their 'stuff' out of the house? Where is it going to go? OMG, the homeowners go into panic mode,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or........................
Tada.........enter SUPER GIRL! Or their listing Realtor, which is the same as having Super Girl on their side! (That is what … (11 comments)
my life: Heading to DC For The Colbert/Daily March on Saturday
- 06/07/11 07:48 AM
Yes, I will be in DC in a couple of hours to see my son, Sascha, and on Saturday we are marching with thousand of others! As I sit here waiting for my flight I notice Betty Douglas, who retired from Pinellas County Schools where she was Director of Social Studies for Middle and High School for years!!! And guess what - she is travelling with a couple of friends to also attend the march on Saturday!!! Small world!!!
It is this type of action that makes me proud to be an American! In SO MANY countries we would be … (13 comments)
my life: Ford Theater, Washington DC
- 06/07/11 07:41 AM
Yesterday we went to the Ford Theater in Washington, DC to not only see where President Lincoln was assassinated but to also view the entire museum and learn more about the life of this president. It proved to be an extremely educational visit. We learned that Lincoln had difficulty getting Union troops through the city of Baltimore because they were attacked by the citizens of the city. The President had to declare Martial Law so that troops from Massachusettes could get through the city of Baltimore on their way south. There was also a lot of information about Lincoln's life that did … (9 comments)
my life: Dupont Circle Pizza At Sette Osteria
- 06/07/11 07:39 AM
Well, I arrived in DC today to temperatures in the high 70's and after dropping my luggage off at Sascha's apartment on 16th Street NW we walked over to Dupont Circle where we purchased my new iphone. Once we were finished with having all my contacts transferred we visited the HRC store where Sascha purchased a new t-shirt and I got a purple coffee mug for the car. Then it was off to Sette Osteria where we shared a wonderful pizza topped with fresh greens!
If you enjoy arugula (and I do) then this is the place to visit! It … (0 comments)
my life: This Would Be A Home Inspector's Nightmare
- 06/03/11 09:47 AM
This would indeed be a home inspector's nightmare, having to do a home inspection on a building that was originally built in 1530! Imagine all of the things you might discover crawling around in this place!
This unique structure was at one time part of the town wall in Geislingen an der Steige, Germany. It is the town that the father of my two children grew up in and I have many wonderful memories of times there. We actually lived there for a few months, with Herbert's parents, after he graduated from engineering school. After living in a town with such a … (10 comments)
my life: Just Thinking About My Babies And Reflecting On Life
- 05/23/11 01:49 AM
We are attending funeral services for a friend and former employee of Ron's this morning and that is the type of thing that causes you to reflect on life. It goes by so quickly! When we are young, we can't wait to grow up. Thirty sounds ancient! At thirty we realize that we still don't know much...........at fifty we realize we really knew nothing at thirty...........at sixty we start to connect with all of the wise words that we heard as kids from our parents and grandparents. Those words weren't off the mark afterall!!!
These photos of my two babies … (10 comments)
my life: How Did You Get The 'Itch' To Become A Realtor?
- 05/20/11 02:19 AM
How did you get the 'itch' to become a Realtor? For me, it was my mother! We lived in Storrs, Connecticut from the time I was about a year old until the end of second grade, right next door to my mother's parents. My mother loved to collect antiques. New England was a fantastic place back in the 1950's to find antiques. Mom (pictured to the left in 1953) would generally have me with her in the car. She LOVED to drive! I don't think there were many back roads in Eastern Connecticut that we did not travel on. If there was … (10 comments)
my life: Two Of My Favorite Clients.............Miss You Both....Hurry Back!
- 05/19/11 02:57 AM
We all have favorite clients and I really am lucky to work with several people that are wonderful. Through the years I have made many friendships with clients that have continued on. Being a Realtor gives me the advantage of being able to decide WHO I work with. If I feel the match isn't going to work (or if my clients think it won't work) we part and wish each other well. That has only happened twice in all my long years in this business. I have been working with three different groups from Europe lately and one couple in particular … (9 comments)
my life: Advertise In Your Local Town Newspaper
- 05/19/11 02:43 AM
I live in Crystal Beach Florida, which most of you already know. It is an extremely small community surrounded by larger towns. We also have a local town newspaper that goes out to our small community. That is something most of the local small towns have. We all read the St Petersburg Times for the international and state news but our little town or village papers give us the local scoop about art and craft shows, what new businesses are opening up in our area, what plans the county has for digging up our streets while they do storm drain work..........you … (1 comments)
my life: 600k And The Leads Are Rolling In!
- 05/17/11 01:28 AM
600k here in ActiveRain as of this morning! Yes, it has taken four years to get there since I dropped off the radar back in 2008 for a few months due to personal issues but I am B-A-C-K and going strong! For all of those that say they just aren't getting any leads due to their blogs, all I can say is: 1- DON'T write all your posts as MEMBERS ONLY since they don't get picked up by the Google crawlers....they are just what they say they are, MEMBERS ONLY...that means they stay IN HOUSE. 2- Write a lot of localism … (15 comments)
my life: The Importance Of Updating The Photo On Your Business Card
- 05/16/11 07:02 AM
The importance of updating the photo on your business card cannot be over emphasized. It happened again this weekend, I was out with clients and ran into an agent that offered me their business card BUT THE PHOTO DID NOT LOOK AT ALL LIKE HIM! I mean, it looked fantastic and I understand why that photo was still being used but using a photo that is probably twenty years old REALLY just doesn't cut it! Naturally, if you have changed brokerages, you had to change your business card and that would have been a great time to update that photo. The photo on … (7 comments)
my life: Mr Realtor, Do You REALLY Want To Sell That Listing?????
- 05/14/11 08:53 AM
This is a bit of a rant, but I had a full day today of showing homes in two counties. All were waterfront homes with Gulf access. My clients are preapproved and looking to move soon, we have been out together several times over the last couple of months and they are narrowing their choices down. We started in Northeast St Petersburg, on Tampa Bay and then moved on to Seminole, which has waterways leading out to the Gulf. From there it was further North, along the Gulf Coast, with a stop in Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs before continuing North … (14 comments)
my life: Happy Mother's Day, Corinna!!!
- 05/08/11 02:23 AM
My daughter, Corinna, is mother to an adorable little girl that is four and a half years old! I have watched my daughter mature and change since the baby was born and the changes have been amazing! She completed her Bachelor's Degree after the baby was born rather than taking the easy road and dropping out of college! That was an important step in developing her future and not an easy choice at the time!
She is a strong willed, intelligent woman who takes the time to think things out rather than make rash decisions. Through the years I have watched … (6 comments)
Having grown up in south Tampa and lived here in Pinellas County for the last 30+ years, I know the area well! I am here to assist you in all of your real estate needs.
Give me a call today at 727-755-3292 or send an e-mail to barbarajo@barbarajo.com. Be sure to visit my web site: www.barbarajo.com
Ich spreche Deutsch!
Kindergarten was indeed at Grandma's house. We moved to Gurleyville, which is a little village just down the hill from Storrs Connecticut, when I was just a couple of years old.
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