Numbers have been tallied...

More great news!  In addition to November, I was one of the top 9 agents at the Coldwell Banker Gundaker Corporate Heaquarters Sales Office for the month of December, as well! 

What an unusual, yet wonderful the 4th quarter of 2011 was.  I am incredibly fortunate. I currently work with a fantastic group of Buyers and Sellers and hopefully look forward to continued success in 2012.

Thank you for all of your wonderful referrals and kind words, all.  Truly.  I couldn't appreciate it more.

Just for Fun: Presidential Hopeful Homes

Yes, it is an election year and the political media bombardment has already begun. 

I saw this story on the Today show this AM and HAD to share! This is an insider's sneaky peek at the homes of some of the Presidential hopefuls. Very telling and an interesting subject matter, particularly in the midst of an economy where the housing market is also at the top of the daily headlines. Fascinating! 

I apologize in advance for the (annoying) advertisement at the beginning of this video...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

BSA- Pinewood Derby Time

Yes, it is that time of year again...

Pinewood   Derby   Time!

Parents of Cub Scouts everywhere are scrambling to sand, paint, and weight this year's Pinewood Derby car.  Some Packs see trends of more emphasis on speed.   Other Packs?  It is all about design, thus producing deliciously creative interpretations of everything from a hot dog to a sea creature.  Our Pack, #631, sees a decent mix of the two.

The not-knowing-what-to-expect aspect of Pinewood morning is my absolute FAVORITE PART!   For some parents, Pinewood is a super competitive endeavor about angles and speed tricks.  Steve and I have always viewed it as pure fun, helping the boys to create their vision.  Regardless, gathering to see their peers show off their hard work is always a treat for the kids.

Late last night as Steve and I attached wheels and put the parental finishing touches on Reed's 2012 Pinewood Derby car, I paused and couldn't believe that this is the ELEVENTH CAR we have completed between he and Parker.

My babies are growing up. =(

Sometimes you have to to stop and reflect to realize how far you have come (note our school photos and Halloween costumes).   I thought that it would be fun to take a walk through Nenonen Pinewood Derby's Past...

Prior to getting  ill, my dad was extremely involved in the boys' Pinewood cars.  More skilled in woodworking, weighting, and aerodynamics... my dad assisted Parker in the design of his first 3 cars.  It was "their thing" and ultimately resulted in decent placement with traditional design.

During those years, he also assisted Reed, 2 years younger, in designing cars to race in the non-Scout competition.  Reed brought on an interesting trend in Casa de Nenonen as rather than a red or yellow car,  he asked for a "Bat Mobile".  The next year, he desired a "man eating alligator"- note the feet.  So began the Nenonen quest for creativity over speed...

The next year was Reed's first official year in Scouts.  Requesting a pig, my dad assisted him in designing and carving this one out of balsam wood.  Sadly, this was my dad's last Pinewood involvement, though he went out with a bang! The piggy shocked us by not only placing but becoming a crowd favorite!  Piggy invited a lot of  "oinking"  as he tore down the track. ;-) 

That year, Parker decoupaged the scan of a $100 bill, painted the side to look like a stack, and thought to ask the bank for a real money band.  Love this car!   The penny, however, was a band-aid.  During a last minute on-site weighting effort, the top was accidentally drilled through.  Ack!  Oops.

For Parker's last year, he opted to make it look like he didn't do a car at all, covering his with the Pinewood Derby Kit  box.  Steve worked closely with Reed that year and their final interpretation of Reed's requested "tree branch with a birds nest" was absolute genius in my opinion.  They utilized a real log that they retrofitted over the car.  I was not the only one charmed by this car, as Reed took Best in Pack that year.

Last year, Reed stated "I am thinking a coffin that opens maybe with a vampire in it".  If you know Reed, that is exactly the way he talks.  Go big or go home, I suppose.  Ha ha.   Ultimately, he did most of the work, lining the coffin with satin and and painting it himself.   It also became a crowd favorite as Steve managed to add sound effects.  The coffin cackled evilly when you opened it.

That brings us to this year.  Reed's vision?  Tom Sawyer's raft.  This is what he came up with after gathering sticks, painting, a trip to the hobby shop, and 6 sticks of hot glue...

Tomorrow is the race!  We'll see how it goes and then only 1 year left... =(

Just for Fun: Winter break

An important conference took Steve to Florida for a long weekend. We stowed away in his luggage for a couple of days to show our support (and steal some time in the sunshine). 
A peek at our quick (yet wonderful) stay:
Cocoa Beach...

Disney's Epcot...

Horsing around in the pool...

Blue Springs State Park- a natural warm spring turned winter refuge and gathering place for manatees on the St. John's river...

Exciting, exciting, exciting...

I'm truly tickled pink.  This is my 3rd time (and the 2nd year in a row) to be honored with this city-wide Excellence in Customer Service award- to be featured in the April 2012 edition of St. Louis Magazine. 

Wonderful news and huge honor.

Honestly, the customer service part of my job is easy- I love my clients and would do anything for them.  Period.  Though the continued affirmation of a job-well-done feels nothing short of amazing...

Link Love: Practical Tips for Productive Living

I stumbled upon this great blog post over at Practical Tips For Productive Living and felt compelled to share.  Their blog is filled with fantastic, positive-living content.  Love it.  This particular post really stuck out to me.  So much of it rings true and I found it to be excellent advice for a fresh, happy start to a New Year...

12 Things that Happy People Do Differently

by Jacob Sokol

“I’d always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed. I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live - that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.”  -Dan Millman

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives.

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.

1. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
4. Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
5. Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
6. Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
7. Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
8. Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged. You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.
9. Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
10. Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
11. Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
12. Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

Closed last week...

...183 Brightfield! 

Congrats Steve and Erin!

A peek at New Years Day...

A far cry from last year's unseasonable New Year's Eve tornado, January 1, 2012 was nothing but lovely. So much so, we wasted a better part of the day on the trails at Longview enjoying the perfect beginning to a brand new year.

A peek... 

Happy New Years, dear readers!