Making Progress Again

Friends -

Most of you know I have been super sick with the head cold from hell. Three weeks of it. Blah!

But the good news is that I am starting to feel better. Which means I can attend to stuff that I sort of neglected. When I get sick, I am down. Everything comes to a grinding halt.

But with Spring approaching (just 1 1/2 months away) I need to get back on track. That means promoting my real estate business (among other things - weight loss, fitness, tax preparation, bill paying).

But anyway - I have two awesome listings for you all to check out. Here is the first one:

http://www.postlets.comrepb/3898325


This is my aunt's house and it is up for sale. Cute little ranch house, large fenced backyard and only $84,900.

This is the second one:
http://www.postlets.com/4992913

An adorable historic condo in the trendy Olde Towne East neighborhood. Only $98,000.

If anybody is interested in either property, or if you have any questions about real estate, please contact me and I answer all of your questions, show you some houses, etc.

Have a great weekend!
Christina

Progress? I say Yes!

Well, yesterday's run at the gym has given me inspiration to keep it up.

So I made very good food choices, walked the dogs (all 3 of them) and worked out on the Wii Fit for an hour.

Eat well? Check!

Exercise? Check!

I also showed 6 condos to a new client - a person my cousin introduced me to.

Guess what? The new client fell in love with one of the condos and wants to make an offer on it tomorrow! I am so thrilled! that has never happened to me.

I am having awesome thoughts about this transaction.

So I am on a roll with my food choices, good exercise habits, and now real estate. And the more real estate I sell, the more extra money I can use to pay off my debt.

My quote of the day comes from the blog Ben Does Life.

"Happy are those who dream dreams and

are ready to pay the price to make them come true."

~ Leon J. Suenes

Check out Ben's blog here. He is truly an inspiration to me.

So - here's to progress. Today, tomorrow and onward.

I hate being sick - but feeling much better now

So the week started out great. Husband and I had just returned from Chicago where we walked (a lot), shopped, joined the Art Institute and caught up on much needed sleep.

But he had a terrible cold. And then Monday I came down with same cold.

Tuesday I felt so bad that I cancelled my personal training session.

Wednesday when I woke up I felt like a truck was parked on my face. But I was hosting a 2-day training session at work, and was to be a featured speaker, so I dressed up and went to work. I sat in the back of the training room, got the program started, gave my presentation and by 2pm I was sitting at my desk with my head on the surface of my desk. I went home and went to bed.

Thursday was worse. I sneezed every 5 minutes ... and not just the little "Ah-choo" kind. It was more like window rattling earthquake starting AHHHHHH-CHHOOOO! I couldn't even hold a cup of hot tea because each time I sneezed my hands flew in every direction and my whole body shook. And I had no sense of taste. None. So I slept all day.

Friday came and I headed to work because I had a meeting scheduled at 9am. I held my meeting and by 10 am once again my head was resting on the surface of my desk. Fortunately my co-worker stopped to check on me and tapped my on the shoulder. "Go home!" she told me. I dutifully followed her advice and spent yet another day in bed.

Today I feel much better! So I went to the gym - on a Saturday night. Not busy at all! I ran/walked over 2 miles on the treadmill and did the same distance on the elliptical trainer. I exercised for 70 straight minutes.

So maybe I needed to get a week's worth of rest. Sometimes a bad cold is your body's way of telling you to slow down, rest, and recoup your energy.

So I am so thrilled at my time at the gym tonight. Let's see how I feel tomorrow. I signed up to run the Warrior Dash in June 2011 (www.warriordash.com) so I must get back into the routine of running and strength training. Check it out - it will be a lot of fun. We are scheduled to run on Sunday at 3:30 pm.

Oh - I have lost 2 pounds since the beginning of the year and 6 pounds before that. So down 8 pounds total through the holidays.

Now, I just have to get focused on my financial goals.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr holiday. Let's reflect upon Dr. King's work, vision, and make our worlds a better place in his honor.

Meeting Goals - Slowly

I am halfway to a goal - my savings account. Looking back through my transactions, I am disgusted to see how low I let the balance get. Seeing all my withdrawals and debits made my heart sick.

But .... I am pleased to report that I have nothing but deposits since September 2010 and on December 30 I will be half way to my Emergency Fund Goal. It isn't much, but it is something. And something is better than nothing.

I struggle with wanting it to be fully funded right now! But I need patience. I think back to a quote I read a few weeks ago:

"Gratification is best prepared in a Crock Pot. Nice and slow."

~ The Simple Dollar

I am showing a house on Wednesday, too. I am so thrilled about that.

I will make 2011 the year I pay off 2 more debts. 2011 I paid off the Furnace Guy. 2011 I will pay off BP Oil and Bank of America. And hopefully a few more.

Make it a great day, friends!!

2011 Goals

I guess I should call this blog Christina's Goals since it is going on to 2011 and I want to keep it up.

2010 is not over so I won't measure up my progress on my goals I set last year. I can tell you that I will work harder at my goals because I think I will come short.

I have done a lot of reading about blogs over the past year and I believe that blogging really has become the way to stay connected to your interests. I have become so dismayed at the news media - local, national - and they way those news outlets whip themselves (and the public) into the darling frenzy of the moment. We should seek out the news that interests each and every one of us and follow those trends, stories, etc.

So I have subscribed to several money saving and personal finance blogs. 2011 must be the year I really get my debt under control.

Anyway, here is to the last 2.5 weeks of 2010. I wish I could say it was a year of sensational change and progress. I think I managed to spin my wheels a lot. I hope I can regain traction in 2011.

So that will be my mantra for the next year:

"2011 - the year I gain traction" ... and get my mojo back.

Stay warm (if you live in the north and east), have fun if you live in the sun!

~ Christina

Encouragement in the most unlikely places

I was feeling very discouraged this evening. In one of those funks where I doubted about every decision I have made in the past 6 years. Not happy with my weight, looks, health, and many other things.

It was making me grumpy and impatient. And I knew I had to shake this mood.

My husband and I had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I made good food choices. And you want to hear my fortune that was in my fortune cookie?

"Endurance and persistence will be rewarded."

And I began to shake my discouraging mood.

Now, the things that brought on the mood did not go away. I just know that I need to keep focused on the things that matter most to me: health (physical, spiritual, financial), family and balance.

I cannot forget that we must keep on keeping on.

That is all for tonight. I hope I have encouraged all those who read this post.

Good night my friends.

Shameless Advertising

Ok - you all know I have my real estate license. Well, take a look at this listing because it is a gem.

http://www.postlets.com/repb/3624558

1386 Bonnie Ridge Court is only $139,000. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, huge garage, close to city, close to the country. I am holding an Open House here on Sunday, August 1.

Or, if you are looking for a terrific and super affordable home, feast your eyes on this house.

http://www.postlets.com/repb/3898325

This one is 697 Powhatan Ave and is only $90,000. One story, darling house. Big backyard, finished basement, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, workshop in basement, close to Westgate Park. I need to tell you that I am related to the seller of this house.

Like what you see? Call me. Tell your friends and family.

Shameless advertising. But these are terrific homes. Call me and see for yourself.