I'm a buyer, not a seller, and I am frustrated. No existing house to sell, excellent credit, 20% down payment, flexible on occupancy and yet...no house. I can't find anything I love. And yes, I have to love it, I will be there a while. I have some requirements and I'm in a position to wait until I find them. That said, I'm also one of those people that can see potential, therefore flexible in some of those requirements, price pending. Just look at our lake house. Total. Shit. Hole. When purchased, that is. Today, perfect weekend home wanting for nothing (except maybe some gravel around the house and an outdoor shower). So why can't I find anything? Well, first let me state that there are zero homes on MLS that I am not aware of in desired neighborhoods. I have been watching for some time. Inventory in this middle tier (i.e. not $100K and not $1M) seems to be lacking--either too old (Garden Hills, VA Highlands, Dunwoody) or too cookie cutter (Roswell, Alpharetta,...

Neighbors rock. That is, if you have good ones. Good neighbors qualify as people you can hang with and have a good a time, all in the comfort of each others homes (without having to drive anywhere). We used to live in a rockin' neighborhood--perfect for the young professional set. Wine socials, deck parties, pool parties...it was a blast. Then we moved, and so did everybody else. At the lake, all the folks around us are what we refer to as "full-timers", people that live here year round. Until recently, we were "weekenders", but our temporary living situation now allows us to play in the other category. We've known our neighbors around us for a long time, but only recently became social with them. It's a very friendly little cove on the lake, but everyone is a bit older than us. I've come to learn it doesn't matter. Last night, our neighbors invited us up for a glass of wine. This couple in particular are retired school teachers--smart, ecc...

Just can't wait to be OFF the road again. Business travel, the next five, count 'em, five weeks! Oh joy. Then again, business travel is how I started blogging. Stuck in Delta Crown Rooms due to delayed flights with nothing to do except vent...to the internet. Of course, I no longer have that Crown Room membership and my status is simply Silver so traveling has lost some (ok, all) of it's perks. Instead of sipping free cocktails in First Class, I lean against my coach window and think of all the things I appreciate when on the ground. Like a work day at my desk. My team. Dinner with my boyfriend. Comfortable shoes. The fact that this travel shit is not a weekly occurance any longer. A little travel does help to mix it up, but it is exhausting. Early flights, late nights, heavy meals, lots of wine and unfamiliar beds all add up to one tired and highly reluctant business lady.  I am completely in the zone while in meetings and at dinners, but going to bed at night and wa...

I love bookstores. I could spend hours getting lost in random passages. My perusal usually starts with the "featured" tables, followed by "Literature". I then subtly meander over and spend WAY too much time in "Self Help", and end in the "Children's" section to remind myself that life was once innocent after ingesting morbid (and often laughable) content in the aforementioned section. Basically, Apologize, Apologize , followed by Atlas Shrugged , a much needed Women Who Love Too Much and for dessert Sylvester and The Magic Pebble . It's quite possibly one of my favorite things to do. Which is the one and only reason I an hesitant to buy an eReader (ok, iPad). So onto the point of my story... I came across a book called OMG! How to survive 101 of life's most f*cked situations. It's one of those novelty jobs, but I picked it up looking for a little humor. I happened to open to this scenario: "Your Friend's Blog ...

I am not the kind of person who will take your word at face value. There are a few that are the exception to the rule, namely my close friends, family and a few professional contacts. In general, I "get" people and can understand intentions simply by the way someone walks into a room, responds to an email, or looks (or doesn't) at me. Overall, I'm skeptical of most motives. Why? Because people are full of shit. They tell you what you want to hear, speak in generalities, play the blame game, distort information, angle for position, tell half truths and so on...please, feel free to add to my list. Why? Because most people don't like confrontation, and these full of shitters I speak of know the party they are manipulating likely won't challenge the statement or action. Some may call them smart...I, I call them disingenuous. Have some integrity, people. I'm not always right. I'm not always wrong. You won't always like me. You won't always ...

Last night, I had the pleasure of dinner in Buckhead with two wonderful women I am proud to call my friends. It was perfect...outdoor patio, skyline view, good food (not fried!), and great conversation. For a little while I forgot that I moonlight as a hick in Cumming, GA, albeit temporarily. Last night, I was also reminded of how very different Cumming, GA truly is from the big city I love. Thirty minutes up 400 is more like a time warp to 1942 than 30 miles outside of Atlanta. Case in point, Scott went to the Kroger up the road to grab some dinner for himself, which is where he met David the Rodeo Lamb.  I will let the video speak for itself, and let me remind you--this is outside my grocery store.

It's beautiful outside. And it's about time. With that comes the desire to be and live outside, thus the landscaping projects, dock set up, and all the other necessary steps to create the season's outdoor paradise. I've challenged myself to do it with $500--to include the purchase of furniture, outdoor rugs, furniture pads, all the associated greenery and of course the accessories. I am going BIG this year. I figure the lake house is finally up to my standards of a true home, so outside should match. I will document my progress in the coming weeks. Game on. There is of course the grilling as well...the way we end the days that are filled with the tasks of creating the oasis. Burgers, steaks, chicken, shrimp, crab legs....YU-UM! Scott has mastered this art, along with his smoker and this alone is reason to celebrate the coming of the outdoor season. While there was no oasis building today (unless you consider recruitment advertising paradise), the day still ended w...