3rd Generation serving his country

Joel's Graduation from USAF Basic Training

Our son Joel graduated this week from  Basic training, He is a 3rd generation to serve his nation. He follows in the footsteps of his Grandfather and his father. We are so very proud of him and what follows is our trip to his graduation.

So our adventure began on Wednesday with a flight into San Antonio. It was hot very very hot! I use to think nothing was hotter then Georgia but this week I was proven wrong. Texas is the arm pit of hell. I remember Roxie saying once that hell was Texas in July. She needed to wait and visit in August pretty sure this is hell.

On Thursday morning we were up bright and early to show up for the Airman's run. This was our first sight of Joel in 8 and 1/2 weeks.

 Can you see him? Yeah it took me a while to find him too. Truly I did not recognize him. Had to take the pic and zoom in on it to make sure it was the boy I birthed.

 This was the part of the part of the AF I can not say I missed. It was a hurry up and wait. After the Airman's run we literally had to wait 2 hours for the next step which was the coin ceremony. It was HOT! but as hot as we were those poor airmen were at parade rest waiting on the hot pavement.

 John and Joel this is after the Coin ceremony and before Joel pinned on his rank.

 My boys! They all look so handsome.

 Jaime and Joel, Jessica did not fly in until Thursday evening.

 We were unable to leave base on Thursday and I must say that I think we have figured it out that this is a money maker for the government. You multiple 665 airmen graduating on average every Friday and you make their families stay on base and spend money on base and they rack up some revenue. This is the BX food court Cha Ching!

 Since we were unable to leave base we about ran out of things to do. So toward the end of the afternoon we just drove out to the golf course to check out the Pro shop and the wonderful manager said Joel could hit some range balls but could not actually play golf. He even gave Joel a VIP set of clubs to swing with. Pawpaw Joel said to let you know that even though they were VIP they were not as nice as his new ones.

 Look at that form.

                                         There is my baby!

 We woke up early Friday morning for Joel's official graduation. We showed up on the parade fields and grabbed a seat.

 The airmen marched by the stands then took the oath.

 Isn't that a pretty sight? All those boys and girls in blue. How could you not love this country?

 The procession of the state Flags

The volunteer band made up of recruits who are actually going through basic

 My beautiful daughters. They have not wilted from the heat yet.

 Joel and Jessica this was her first sight of Joel. After the graduation we went to eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant where we met up with some old friends from Germany. We use to travel around Germany with Paul and Christy Lamb.We were so blessed to have the chance to sit and catch up with them. They walked around the river walk with us and we caught up on 20+ years in one afternoon.

Homeownership is hard work

Several years ago John and I bought a lot in a subdivision we had been looking at for a while. It is an acre lot on a hill. We love it and built our dream home on it. After being in our house for 2 years we are now attempting to take back some of our lot that mother nature has taken from us.

We have cleared many of the vines but at the very bottom of our hill Mother Nature reigns. For the last 2 weekends John and I have been( by ourselves I might add) been trying to clear the vines that have taken over so many of our trees.

This is what we started with notice the lovely vines poor trees are bending under the tangled weight

This is a section that we cleared last weekend. Not sure if the vines caused the trees to lean or not but we have some leaner's in our yard that's for sure.

This is what a semi finished vine clearing looks like. Notice the long ones well even with both of us pulling on them they would not give. John actually pulled so hard on one of them that he fell on his butt and ended up doing a backwards somersault. I wish I had been camera ready but alas I was not.

And this is what happens when man wins over the vines. 

Now this weekend Jonathan will be home and so will Jessica & Joel so we will conquer the remaining creepers. If your free and would like to swing on some vines feel free to stop by.

A little taste of Germany

My partner in Teamworks is Loretta Harder and her wonderful husband Frank is a native of Rostock Germany. Well this month Franks parents Werner & Sidgrid are visiting from Germany. They are a delight and so very willing to step in and help out.

Well for those of you who do not know my husband John has spent 12 years of his life in Germany I swear the boy wishes he were German. So Loretta and I decided to have Franks parents over to the house to cook a traditional German meal. We let John pick the menu which was Wiener Schnitzel , gherkin salad and bratkartofelen potatoes. If you are not aware Wiener Schnitzel is made from Veal. Well little did we know how hard that was to find. So after sending John to the commissary which I was sure would have it they have everything... Nope not this! Apparently veal is too expensive and they only carry it on special holidays? That should have been our first clue. So then we head to Butcher boys meat shop it is a new butcher in town and it was all I could do not to empty my checking acct before leaving the store. Well they had only veal for veal scallopini not schnitzel.

This is what we were looking for.

 So we headed to the office to google local butcher shops to try and find this hard to find meat. A call to Fresh Market in Macon finally revealed an end to our search.

So Loretta and I headed that direction, my first visit to Fresh Market and all I can say is I am hooked. Well our big surprise was that veal is $18.98 lb. Holy cow well actually Holy calf. 

So after our BIG purchase was made along with several bottles of wine, Who can have good German food with out wine and beer? Not me!

Siegred preparing the potatoes

Mushroom sauce this was made especially for me! Yumm love me some mushrooms.

This is the bratkartoflen for John must say it was very good my kids loved it. Of this there were no leftovers.

The now famous Veal steaks note the wine glass who can cook without wine?

The kids we made them all show for dinner

Can you smell that? Opps I mean can you imagine how good that smelled?

The Chef extraordinaire 

 

 

 

This is John and Werner speaking some German my husband was in heaven. And I think Frank was happy not to have to be translating . Just saying.

Wish I had a picture of the finished meal but alas we dug into it before I could locate my camera. Needless to say it was wonderful, and a good time was had by all. I will echo Loretta's sentiments that the potatoes were wonderful but I don't think they are ever anything I would make myself. That was a lot of work and a lot of steps for fried potatoes. We loved having the Harders over for fellowship and wonderful food that I did not have to cook.

Just wanted to share with you. Have a great weekend.

The new look of Credit Scores

With three children in college and them being inundated with credit card offers John and I have had to pull out some stops and try and make them understand how the choices they make now will effect them once they graduate. It drives me crazy the credit card companies target college age children, (Don't they know they are living off their parents?) Of course they do which is why they target them.

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In my industry credit plays such an important role and since the collapse of the economy it has become paramount to have not just good credit but great credit. I remember a time several years ago when Lenders would come by the office looking to get us to do business with them and our standard line would be "What is the lowest credit score you can do?" Well those days are gone and the new song being sung is "How's your credit?" In past years first time home buyers had no clue what their credit scores were but now every buyer knows exactly what is on their report. I personally think that is a great thing.

In 2010 4th quarter 58% had a credit score of at least 720 verses in 2007 only 19.5% had that credit score. It is now the new norm of what we think of a good credit score.

So I guess I could say if you do not know what your current score is even if you are not buying a home then you should maybe try and pull your free credit report. In this new era of home buying it is more important then ever to have a credit score and a good past credit history.

If you need help on figuring out how to do this give us a call and we will be more then happy to direct you to someone who can help you.

Have a great weekend I know I'm heading home to tear up credit apps sent to my 18 year old son.

How Risky is the FHA’s Low Down Payment Program?

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How Risky is the FHA’s Low Down Payment Program?

View more presentations from NAR Research.

Extended Tax Credit for Military

Now that the holidays are over and we are all back into the swing of work. We hope you  have packed away the Christmas decorations and you have I hope taken down the Christmas lights, (note that my outside lights just came down on Sunday) I was thinking about all the gift cards we received for the holidays, We got them to Outback, Carrabas, Shell and Amazon (my fav.)  Guess gift cards are the one thing you can get someone when you have no clue what to get them. I confess I gave a lot of them out this year.

Well Loretta and I were talking about gift cards and saying that the extended tax credit is a lot like a gift card to the activity duty military.

For members of the military, Intelligence and Foreign Service who have served outside of the U.S. for at least 90 days between January 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010. Uncle Sam is giving you a gift card  worth $6,500 to $8,000.
If you qualify you have until April 30, 2011 to get a completed sales contract and then, must close it by June 30, 2011.  The bonus that comes with this gift card is that the recapture of the tax credit doesn't apply if the qualified service member receives government orders to move prior to the three year residency period completion. What this means for you is that if you purchase a home and then Uncle Sam gives you orders before your 3 year recapture period is over you are exempt from having to pay the money back.  If you would like more information go to  additional information, go to IRS.gov.

When your ready to find the perfect home call the perfect team to help you find that home of your dreams. We will hook you up with a local lender who will walk you step by step through the buying process.

Have a great week! Use those Gift cards!

Warner Robins voted best Military community and best place to buy a home!

We did it again! I always knew I lived in a great community but it is always nice when the nation as a whole gets to see what we already know.




10 Best Places to Buy a Home in 2011


Diane Wedner

Dec 31st 2010 at 9:00AMText SizeAAAPrint this page
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Filed under: Real Estate



Last decade's bipolar housing market is over. The ups, the downs, the thrills, the spills -- largely behind us. Yes, prices and sales are stuck in neutral in large swaths of the country.



But let's ring in the new decade optimistically, with Walletpop's Top 10 List of the Best Places to Buy a Home in 2011. This mostly unscientific and partially-biased list is based on a grab-bag of lifestyle priorities and, yes, thorough reporting.



Here we go, in no particular order:



1. Austin, Texas: Best All-Around City

Population: 799,267

Median home price: $119,788

Why here: Texas' capital and a great college town, Austin is beautiful and the 12th-most-affordable American metro area. Job growth from 2000 to 2010 was 14.1%, according to Trulia; unemployment currently is 7.1%, compared with 9.8% nationwide. The city's population is growing too. These positive indicators are expected to continue in the coming decade. Fortune 500 companies abound here; it's home to more than 2,000 tech companies. Home prices are reasonable for the $73,747 median family income and let's face it, nobody does BBQ better than Texas.



2. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Most Affordable Town With a View

Population: 74,584

Median home price: $89,400

Why here: There may be cities with lower median prices (not many), but I'm guessing you need a down coat to live there. This burg comes complete with year-round warm weather and beachfront properties that not too long ago cost a bundle ($400,000+). It's close to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, where residents can go for professional sports and cultural events.



3. Broomfield County, Colorado: Best Jobs

Population: 55,000

Median home price: $239,000

Why here: Jobs! It also doesn't hurt that the county is tucked between Denver and Boulder, so the scenery is nice too. Job growth in this area exploded 50% during the last decade. High-tech giants Oracle, Ball Corporation and VMware employ lots of folks, and IBM and Avaya are nearby. If you're college-educated, you're in good company: About 38% of the county's residents hold a bachelor's or higher degree, according to the Broomfield Economic Development Corporation. If you ski and hike, we're talkin' bliss!



4. Durham, NC: Best City to Retire In

Population: 223,284

Median home price: $178,700

Why here: Since we're talking about retiring, first on the list of pluses is Duke University's renowned medical center. Also, Duke's popular senior learning program offers 100 courses every term, on campus. So if golf's not your game, but mathematics is, there you go. If, however, golf is your game -- you've got that too. Plus Broadway hit shows, concerts and lots of places to hike. Home prices are a steal for what you get.



5. Woodbury, Minnesota: Best Place to Raise Kids

Population: 58,515

Median home price: $240,100

Median home price: There are so many great places to raise kids, but this suburb 10 miles from St. Paul has a lot going for it. Yes, winters are cold (not a small thing), but it's Minnesota -- we're talking thousands of lakes. Woodbury has 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking, and is a stone's throw from thousands of acres of parkland. The schools are great, including the Math & Science charter school. 3M employs multitudes, as does state government. What's not to like? OK, the winters. Deal with it.





6. Warner Robins, Georgia: Best Military Town For the Buck

Population: 53, 629

Median home price: $110,400

Why here: Located midway between Atlanta and Savannah, Warner Robins' housing affordability is the big draw. The median price of a home is $110,000, while the median family income is about $63,000. That leaves some extra dough to hit the local aviation museum, motor speedway and golf club. The city's main employer is the military (home of Robins Air Force Base), bringing engineers and employees from around the globe, so the population is eclectic. The city fared well during the recession.



7. Madison, Wisconsin: Best College Town

Population: 562,000

Median home price: $209,400

Why here: A gem of a city located between two lakes, Madison is where it's happening in the Midwest. Home of the state's capital, it's got a top-rated, Big 10 university (with all the sports and cultural events that come with it); affordable housing; tons of eateries and shopping; smart people; friendly atmosphere. You don't have to be a student or the parent of one to buy a home here. A never-ending supply of renters keeps your investment solid. You may end up living here yourself.



8. Pocono Mountains, Pennnsylvania: Best Vacation-Home Location For the Price

Population: 340,000 for the whole region

Median home price: $110,000 for Pocono Lake; prices vary throughout the region

Why here: Year-round playground, with skiing in winter, equestrian activities in spring, summertime sailing and hiking in autumn. You can get a two-bedroom home with 1,256 square feet for $99,999 in Mount Pocono; a three-bedroom cottage in 1,255 square feet is listed for $139,000 in Pocono Pines, according to HomeAwayRealEstate.com.



9. Portland, Oregon: Best City For Gen-Y

Population: 551,302

Median monthly rent: $1,200

Why here: It's green (literally and figuratively) and it's gorgeous. Rents are a bit higher, but some big companies pay well, such as Intel, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Legacy Health System, Fred Meyer Stores. The attitude is way-laid back and there are tons of venues for merry-making: music clubs, coffee shops and art galleries. When it's not raining, you can bike through the city, hike Mt. Hood and hit the zillions of hiking trails nearby.



10. San Francisco: Best City, Period, Price Be Damned

Population: 815,358

Median home price: $628,000

Why here: If you have to ask ... The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Bay, the hills, the views, the museums, street cars, cable cars, clubs, nightlife, architecture, coffee houses, bookstores for bibliophiles (City Lights, anyone?), hiking and biking everywhere, Tony Bennett (OK, just in your head), famous hotels and restaurants. Yes, it's foggy in summer, but who cares?



Sources, median home prices: trulia.com and zillow.com