New Tricks for an Old Dog

I really am a Dog. In Chinese New Year terms! Yes, I am 37 now. hahahaha. The animals cycle every 12 years, so I always make that joke. I am 49. :-)

They say that an intelligent person learns something new everyday. I fancy myself an intelligent person. So, I am going to share with you a few of the things I have learned lately. These are supported by photographic evidence, to back my claims. ha

Firstly, having a bare Christmas tree will not bother a cool social worker (hi, Carol!) one tiny bit during a 6 month post placement home visit.

(BTW -- It looks exactly the same as I am writing this. I am considering Carol's advice to add some Chinese New Year ornaments next.)

I also learned that even when you awaken to 6" of fresh snow and cannot make it to Chinese school 72+/- miles away, it is still Swimsuit Weather! (indoors) You will note that May layered her suits for such a chilly day.

I made reference to Beach Blanket Bingo, Gidget, and Frankie and Annette, and had to explain each one. I also got a preview of the 3 blank stares I will get when they are teenagers and I am lecturing them on one thing or another.

Are they cute, or what??

I also learned that if you keep at something, you WILL succeed! I call this "stay on the bus" because when I was about 20 I used to take the bus to work. One VERY SNOWY DAY, I was on the bus and it took about 2 hours to go just a few blocks from my apartment. I decided to get off the bus and go back home for the day. The following day, when I went to work, I got a talking-to from my boss (a little late-20's Spitfire named Courtney). She told me that I should have STAYED ON THE BUS and I would have gotten to work. She just kept telling me throughout the day, "Stay on the bus!" So, not being one to let any funny thing go, I adopted the phrase when I want to voice determination and dedication. If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to STAY ON THE BUS!

I have been faithfully cramming real estate knowledge back into my Old Dog Brain in order to RE-pass the state real estate Broker exam. I am building my own company, but I passed the exam too long ago (1992). I must re-take it. Well, let me tell you -- the things you need to know in order to pass the exam have NOTHING to do with the actual process of listing and selling real estate! So, I took a cram/test prep course on-line in order to place all those useful items back into my brain. I stayed on the bus, and passed 5 practice tests with a score of 90% or better. I am ready to go take the state exam! Stay tuned.

I also learned that you can leave out one of the two sticks of butter in a chocolate chip cookie recipe and the cookies are still GREAT!

Yes, I was a bit distracted by my 3 girls yesterday, as we were home celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Don't you think that chocolate chip cookies, with the blended colors, is a good celebration? We have great reverence for MLK, Jr. in our house. We all know that without him, a multi-cultural family such as ours would not be "normal" or as readily acceptable as we are today. Thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr.!!