A grandma’s letter to her unborn granddaughter

April 3, 2012

Next up in the Dear Babygirl series? My own Mama.

When I asked her what she would say to Babygirl, her first grandchild, she wrote the following:

Dear Granddaughter (for now, we call you Babygirl),

You’re due to be born in a few weeks and I’ve been thinking a lot about the memories that you’ll immediately start creating for your Mama. When I think of your Mama’s first years of life, a movie’s worth of memories scrolls through my mind…

– When your Mama was born and the nurse put her on my chest, she didn’t cry. Instead she looked at me with wide eyes, just checking out the world. For a moment it was so quiet that I heard a small sniffle and realized it was her Daddy’s emotional reaction to the miracle of seeing his first child.

– She seemed older than her years from the very start. Sleeping through the night began at six weeks of age. Crawling and walking were right on schedule. Although she was a little late to start talking, once that started her vocabulary grew quickly.

– Her long-distance Grandma up in North Dakota longed to hear her voice on the phone, but bashfulness usually kept that from happening. We did make long annual treks up to Pelican Lake in Minnesota to see Grandma, and she never forgot your Mama’s announcement upon arrival that the lake was “a yong, yong ways” and certainly had “yots and yots of water.”

– It will come as no surprise to you that your Mama’s love of reading started at an early age. When her sister was born, she was determined to drop a Golden Book or two into the bassinet so baby sister would have something to read.

– Your Mama loved school and cried when we told her that a case of chicken pox would keep her at home and missing preschool for a few days.

We can’t wait for your arrival and your chance to start creating your own unique memories for your Mama and Daddy.

We love you already.
Grandmama P.

Thanks, Mom. :)

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Other letters in the Dear Babygirl series:
– A letter to my unborn daughter
– Another letter to my unborn daughter
– Yet another letter to my unborn daughter
– A 4th letter to my unborn daughter
– A 5th letter to my unborn daughter

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How to Get Financing for Your Real Estate Investments

April 3, 2012

This is a quiz. Are you ready? It’s multiple choice.

Q: What must you do to obtain financing for your real estate investments?

a) Be determined to get financing.
b) Do not be deterred by people that tell you “No, you cannot get financing.”
c) a and b.
d) All of the above.

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Annoying answer, I know. But it’s true. I’ll share our story later about how we obtained the moola to get started. In the mean time, just remember: be DETERMINED and UNDETERRED.

And you will win.

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If you’re ready for the ride, say aye

April 2, 2012

You know that moment when you put your finger on something that was just out of your reach before? The feeling that that envokes?

That feeling can be powerful.

Last night, Hubz and I were having a conversation about money. Not uncommon for most married couples (one would hope). We’re always keeping tabs on where this is and how much is there and what our next focus or strategy might be. We have two businesses, each with their own set of financials, our personal accounts, and investments spread out in several places. As much as we try to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible, the nature of our set-up with multiple entities and both of us being more and less involved in different pieces of it creates a bit of confusion at times. Regular pow-wow’s about the state of the union are necessary to ensure we’re on the same page and to keep that confusion at bay.

So, back to my question; you know that feeling? Sometimes when we’re reviewing things there is an aha! moment. Some fact or figure that was there yesterday, just as it is today, suddenly becomes clear. And that clarity can change everything.

Same facts –> a realization –> different feelings.

We have goals. Big, honkin’, you’ve-gotta-be-kidding-me-sized goals. As great as things are going with Vemma and with real estate and with my writing and with Hubz’ corporate job, reaching these up-amongst-the-stars goals is going to take effort.

More than effort. It’s not just going to require us to play harder but for the playing field to be bumped up to a whole new level.

Would we be happy moving forward at the current level? Of course.
But could we be really, really happy at a higher one? You bet.

We’re up for the challenge. You know us. We’ve never been ones to wait years and years for things to happen slowly at our current status quo.

Status quo breakers; we pride ourselves at being. Or at least, trying.

Same facts –> a realization –> different feelings.

We’re feeling different today. We’re ready to reach higher. We’re ready to push. We’re anxious to push. (Insert joke here about being anxious to literally push out an actual CHILD here in a few weeks.)

A healthy anxiety and a renewed, higher vision is leading to brainstorming and creative thinking. Out of the box thinking, if you don’t mind the cliche.

What is Above and Beyond? What’s above Above and Beyond? How can we make This happen? Like, no waiting around no holds barred Make It Happen?

Brainstorming is happening right now; me in my journal amongst running Monday morning errands, Hubz amongst busy Monday afternoon meetings at work. I can’t wait to compare notes tonight.

I’m not sure why I’m telling you all of this, other than to say look out. Who knows what’s coming. I have no idea what it might be but we’re ready for it to hit us. Ready to share it with you.

If you’re ready to go along for the ride with us, say aye.

Aye!

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Verve energy drink on prime time tv

March 30, 2012

We have an award-winning corporate marketing department and thousands upon thousands of independent brand partners sharing the word about this company. But to have one of our products, the insanely healthy energy drink, featured on one of the most popular daytime television shows? That almost 4 million viewers happened to watch that day? With one of the most famous doctors in America?

I’ll take it.

Dr Oz’s Protein Punch for the Day

Branding rocks.

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Video: Caroline Casey, “Looking Past Limits”

March 29, 2012

Of all the tidbits of motivation and education and excitement I soaked up during our 5-day stint in Las Vegas earlier this month for the annual Vemma convention, this one takes the cake.

It’s a gal named Caroline. She’s not a part of Vemma. Her talk isn’t about Vemma. It’s not even about network marketing.

It’s about you.

And it’s awesome.

Caroline Casey was born legally blind, and is still only able to see large figures just a few feet away from her face. Her parents didn’t tell her that this wasn’t “normal” until she was 17. Seventeen!! Can you imagine?

Whether related to Vemma, another business, or anything else in your life, I thought you’d enjoy this 5 minute recap of her keynote speech:

Watching this might be the best 5 minutes you spend on yourself all week long.

“Letting go is not living to someone else’s opinion of you.

Do not let someone else define you. Let go. Be yourself.”

Enjoy!
AS

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A 5th letter to my unborn daughter

March 28, 2012

Dear Babygirl,

So, my feet have morphed into unrecognizable rectangles lately. We’ve discussed this.

It’s common knowledge in this household that your mama is retaining water like a champ. It’s no big deal, really. If that’s the worst of my concerns I think I’m doing ok.

Anyway, last night, as your Daddy and I were walking up the stairs at the end of the night to brush our teeth and crawl into bed, he says to me, in his best I-grew-up-the-youngest-of-four-kids-and-I-need-to-say-shocking-things-in-order-to-get-attention voice, “Is your BUTT retaining water?!”

He hadn’t reached his orneriness quota yet for the day. He had to add up a few more points while he could.

I have to admit, a loud laugh escaped my mouth before I could snap it shut and pretend to be angry.

I reached the top of the stairs, spun around, and informed your now-grinning-like-an-idiot Daddy that he has officially signed himself up for full-time diaper duty for the first six months of your life.

If your digestion system is anything like his, Babygirl, he’s in for a treat. Make me proud, girl. Make me proud.

Love,
Mama

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Other letters in the Dear Babygirl series:
– A letter to my unborn daughter
– Another letter to my unborn daughter
– Yet another letter to my unborn daughter
– A 4th letter to my unborn daughter

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On flooded rental property basements and not having to deal with them

March 27, 2012

We have a good relationship with our property management company, but when my cell phone rang at 10:15am on Sunday morning and I looked down and saw their name on the caller id, I have to admit, my heart sank.

“Ugh.” was my initial reaction. Nothing good can come of this.

We were 200 miles from home. We were just about to leave my parents house to attend the 5th birthday party for our twin nephews. We did not, under any circumstance, want to have to drop what we were doing to deal with one of our properties.

I answered the phone.
I listened to our manager tell me that the tenant who had just moved into our second property was reporting water and sewage back-up in the basement.
She asked if I wanted her to contact her plumber or call one of my own.
I said, “Please call yours.”
She said, “No problem, I’m on it. Have a good morning.”
I hung up the phone.

And then I thanked the Heavens above for property managers.

As the day went on, the importance of what had just happened sank in.

From the very beginning, we factor in the ability to pay for someone else to 100% manage our property – leasing, maintenance requests, rent payments – before even looking at a property.

Let me say that again, in a slightly different way: We won’t even look at a property, let alone offer to purchase it, if the numbers don’t support a healthy cashflow *on top of* the costs of a property manager.

This all goes back to our core purpose in even having rental properties in the first place: residual income. Creating an asset that will pay us back with minimal involvement.

Managing the property and having the responsibility and the ties to worrying about it is NOT part of that equation.

Also, this has to do with emotion. I want to talk more about this in a later post, but the short version is that if you let your emotion get in the way, you put your core purpose at risk. If we really wanted to purchase a rental property just for the sake of having one, because we were excited to own an additional home or to say that we had a rental, how likely are we to stick to our defined qualifications and our initial intentions?

Answer: not very likely.

When we purchased both of our properties, we stuck to the facts, to our specific qualifications. Does this property fit? If not, it’s not an option. I don’t care how perfect the location is or how cute the kitchen remodel is or how much I love the back yard. Facts are facts. It fits or it doesn’t.

Sticking to the facts and being patient, waiting for a property to meet them versus adjusting our qualifications to meet the property, ensures that you get what you want.

What we wanted? Someone else to take care of things when a tenant called and reported that water and sewage were backing up into the basement.

And that’s just what they did.

What we wanted? A passive, cashflowing property.

And that’s just what we got. And that’s exactly what I’d recommend you shoot for, too.

Your twin nephews will be very grateful when you do.

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A 4th letter to my unborn daughter

March 22, 2012

Dear Babygirl,

Remember when I told you the dream that Daddy had about you the other day? The one where you spoke your first word at a genius-level age of 3 months old and that that first word wasn’t just Dada or doggie, but rigamarole?

Hehee. It still makes me laugh.

Well, I had a dream about you the other day, too.

I don’t remember anything about it. What I was doing, what you were doing, where we were – no recollection.

What I do remember, however, is that wherever we were and whatever we were doing, I had called you by name. As in, a very specific, this was your name name and I had called you by it.

Let me explain to you the importance of this occasion. But first, a little background information.

You have two, amazing grandmothers. Your Grandma S is a grandma five times over already, you will be grandbaby number six for her. That doesn’t make any difference, of course, she is just as elated to meet you as she was with your five cousins that came before you. However, that experience has given her a certain amount of, well, I guess it’d be…patience.

Your other grandma, Grandma P, is a first-timer. You are her grandbaby numero uno. You will be ushering her into a new stage of life, a much anticipated one, I might add, and she is also elated at your impending arrival.

But there’s something more than that, it’s not just excitement about meeting you. She is a bit above and beyond that point.

She is practically melting away with her impatience at knowing anything and everything about you.

She wants to meet you. She wants to hold you. She wants to compare me to herself 31 years ago and you to me when I was her babygirl and spoil you to pieces. She wants to know what color your eyes will be and how curly your hair turns out and if you’ll be a pink-loving girly girl like her other daughter, your aunt, or a stubborn tomboy like your Mama.

But most of all, Babygirl, Grandma P wants to know your name. Ho boy does she ever want to know your name.

But here’s the thing: Daddy and I don’t even know your name! But we do have a list. THE list. And on that list contains our top three names for you, one of which we’re hoping will either rise to the surface before you arrive, or be apparently The Name the moment you arrive.

Grandma P would move mountains to get a hold of this list. In fact, I would be worried to ever tell her that it was written on our whiteboard in the office or scribbled on a page in my journal, as she just might hop into the car, show up at our doorstep three hours later, and start charging through the house.

(Don’t you dare, Mama.)

So you can imagine my surprise, and then my delight, when I realized that I dreamt about one of the three names on that list. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe that name is our favorite and we just didn’t know it? Maybe that’s what you are meant to be called?

We’re not sure. But either way, just don’t tell your grandmother.

If she calls, put her out of her misery and simply tell her we’ve decided to name you Annie Jr.

I know she likes that one, after all.

Love,
Mama

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I seem to have sparked a series with these letters to Babygirl. Here are the others:
– A letter to my unborn daughter
– Another letter to my unborn daughter
– Yet another letter to my unborn daughter

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