Week 38 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

I’m back! I’m sorry that i have been MIA… it all started with the windstorm that we had on November 17th.  It was really bad as most of you know.  Trees and power lines were down everywhere! Avista Power stated that at the height of the power outages, about 200,000 homes were without power making this the worst incidence in their 120+ years of operation.  It was crazy, let me tell you.  We lost our power Tuesday afternoon at about 3:00 and did not get it back until 12 am Sunday morning. We had no lights or electricity of any sort, but thanks to the gas running to our house we did have heat from the gas fireplace, hot water and a stove top.  I got up very early the Thursday after the storm and drove to Home Depot.  I was lucky enough to buy one of the last generators the had from their emergency shipment the night before.  That gave us TV, a fridge and some lights.  It was a very scary storm but at the same time it was kind of cool to experience the disaster. One good thing has happened during this time though.  The buyers I was working with closed on their house the first week of December.  They are a young couple with two kids and this is their first home.  I’m very honored that they put their trust in me as their agent to help them in one of the biggest purchases they will ever make 🙂

My neighborhood was without internet for the following two weeks.  I was not about to type this blog on my phone, lol.  On top of all that, My oldest son, Colten, got a concussion during the first practice of wrestling season.  I had no idea how serious they were until now.  This happened two weeks ago and he still is suffering symptoms.  Since he hit his head twice that night, within an hour of each other, the Dr. thinks he may have had 2 concussions that night, which could be the cause of the slow progression.  The Dr. still wants him only going half days at school.  Since winter break starts in 2 days, I’m hoping this will give Colten some much needed brain rest so it can heal.  I guess the more brain activity after a concussion, the longer it takes to heal.  He even seems different… personality wise.  Not bad different, just different.  It is scary, but I have faith that he will be back to normal soon.  So I think that is a pretty good reason to be MIA ;-).  So we have some catching up to do.  So here is what I’ve decided.  For the next 4 weeks, I will be giving away a prize to two people.  One blog but 2 prizes.  I’d rather not prolong the Super prize so this just seems the most logical way to catch up. With that said, next weeks blog will be a day or two late.  Being that it is Christmas next week, and time spent with Family dinners, I’m not too sure I will be able to blog on the usual Wednesday night.

So lets get on with it! Congratulations to Ken Deridder and Roberta Provost.  Well… you were the only two that got it right and the two prizes a week to catch up starts this week, lol.  Yes it is the spray fountain in the park, downtown Seattle  Mom, I will buy you a coffee when I see you next week and Ken, I will get yours in the mail to you. Thank you for always reading my blogs! I appreciate it so much and I hope you enjoy the updates of my crazy busy life!

 

So here is the picture for this weeks challenge.  Go back to the Facebook post that brought you hear and leave your guess in the comment section of that post.  Remember, I am giving two prizes away this week… One prize to two people.  It will be another Starbucks card worth $5.  So get your guesses in and good luck!

 

Hint: We were here last Summer

 

Week 37 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Desiree Phillips for winning last weeks challenge and the drawing for a Starbucks gift card! You are correct.  That picture was taken in Manhattan at the roof top of my good friend Saras boyfriends Condo.  This was taken in July of this year during my first ever visit to New York.  Great view, great friends and great memories.  I can’t wait to go back!

This week went by really fast! It was a good week thought.  Kylan Had his first wrestling match last Thursday.  He made varsity in his first year of wrestling and won his first two matches! He’s very good… quick, strong and has great technique.  I’m so proud of him! I love watching my boys wrestle.  It is the one sport that I absolutely love to see them in.  Colten and Ashten start their season this Monday.  Were still not sure how it will work out with Ashten as he got his cast off today but is now in a boot for the next 3 weeks.  Hopefully his coach will let him do more cardio training in the few weeks of practice before their first match.  We shall see.

It has gotten very cold out this past week or two.  I am so not ready for Summer! I did my spoil myself a little this week and had a remote start put in my truck.  My truck is pretty big… Its a Super Crew (4 door) with a 6.5 foot bed.  That means it will not fit in the spot that is designated as mine. Davids side is a 2 car Tandem, but since he leaves early in the morning, he gets to keep his spot in the insulated garage and my truck gets to sit outside in the cold.  Ya, a remote start was a must!

I was thinking about doing Froyo this week but with the cold weather, coffee or at least a hot chocolate seems appropriate.  So i will be giving another coffee card this week worth $5.  If you guys have any suggestions on some prizes you’d like to see for the challenges, please feel free to inbox me with some ideas.  I love my coffee, so my mind always goes to that… especially in this weather!!! Well lets get on with it.  Guess the place in the picture and leave your guess in the comment section of my Facebook post that brought you here.  Another Super Prize will be coming in the weeks ahead.  Good luck!

Hint: If your unsure, research my photos 😉

Week 36 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Chelsey O’connell for winning the drawing in last weeks challenge and a Starbucks gift card! Do you have Starbucks up there in Canada? Of course you do. Starbucks is everywhere, right? lol  Anyway, you were all right.  The correct place was the Bates Motel at Universal Studios.  Universal Studios was one of our stops during our family vacation last year.  First was the Baja California Cruise to Mexico, then 2 days at Universal Studios.  It was one of the best times of my life and I’m so happy I got to share it with my boys.  Memories that will stay in my heart forever.  I cant wait for our next family vacation. The plan is for next Summer… either Puerto Rico or an Alaskan cruise.  Anyway, here is a link to Universal Studios.

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/

Well we are about 3/4 of the way through the challenges.  And that means we are almost near the Super Prize.  As usual its been a crazy week.  As you know, Colten is in Drivers Ed.  He usually has drive time around 4:30 and then class at 6;00 till 8;00.  Kylan is in wrestling.  Practice started about a month ago and his first match is tomorrow.  Colten and Ashten start wrestling in 2 weeks.  Yup, late dinners and home will only be a place to sleep, but I’m used to it! Honestly, I’m so used to it, I don’t know what i would do if it were any other way.  It almost scares me to think about when the boys are off to college and starting there own lives… I wont know what to do with myself!! hopefully I will have tons of money so I can travel, and take the boys with me of course 😉

Ok, lets get on with this weeks challenge.  Another Starbucks coffee card will be given to the winner of this weeks drawing.  Go back to my Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comments section. This is an easy one… Just looking for the City. Good luck!

Week 35 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Jennifer Shoen!! You won the drawing for last weeks challenge and a $25 gift card to P.F. Changs! I hope you enjoy it… That is one of my favorite places to eat! The correct place was, of course, the Space Needle in Seattle WA. It is a very cool place to eat.  You get a 360 degree view of the city. Love that place.

Here is a link to a pretty cool interactive website for the space needle

http://www.spaceneedle.com/home/

What a week its been.  I’ve been doing lots of work to my truck.  Just personalizing it to me.  Been up till 1am most nights… Not all because of the truck but a couple of the nights were.  Last night we went to Scarywood.  It was my first time there.  It was pretty cool.  Only got to do four attractions because of the lines.  Ashten fractured the growth plate in his ankle on Tuesday and so they put a cast on his leg yesterday before Silverwood… Thank Ashten, for getting us to the front of all the lines! lol.  Anyway, luckily it happened at the end of his football season but unfortunately the poor kid wont get to wrestle this year.  I was always nervous about him playing football after hearing about all his teammates and other teams losing players due to injuries.  I thought we were gonna be lucky and dodge that bullet but nope, He gets inured 2 days before his last game 😦

Still busy in Real Estate. I’ve done pretty well in my first year, closing 6 deals and one in the works.  My clients just put an offer in last week on their first home.  I’m very excited for them.  They are a young couple in the military with 2 kids.  Its so fun to see the excitement when people find the home they want and put the offer in.  I’m so happy to be a part of such a big event in peoples lives 🙂

Well lets get on with it.  This week I am giving away a $5 gift card to Starbucks. Go back to my Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comments section.  All those who guess correctly will be entered into a drawing for the gift card.  Its that easy so start guessing!

This should be easy, but maybe not.  We will see.  Can you tell me where we were at when I took this picture? i will give you a hint… We were here during our family vacation last year.

Week 34 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Kylan Morrow for winning the drawing for last weeks challenge and a Starbucks gift card.  You all were correct once again.  The place in the picture was Silverwood Theme Park.  We usually go at least once a year but this year I did not have time to go ;(  But we are planning on going to Scarywood.  I have never been and I’m sure it will be fun! Here is a link to Silverwood Theme Park.

http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/

Ok, I am going to make this very quick.  I had a very busy day.  Doctors appointments, Taking Colten to Drivers Ed and picking him up, had to show a house to one of my buyers and of course my millions of errands that I spend most of the day on Wednesdays taking care of.  I got home around 9p.m, and sat down at my computer and drew up the paperwork for my buyer that is submitting an offer on their first house.  Very exciting.  I love helping people find their dream :).

Anyhow, as I promised I am giving away a $25 gift card.  I have decided that this gift card will be to P.F. Changs.  I love that place and it happens to be the location of my first date with David.  He took me there the first time I went to Florida to meet him.  That will always be a special place for me.  So you know the routine.  Go back to the Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comment section of that post.  All those that guess correctly will be entered into a drawing to win the P.F. Changs gift card.  You gotta join this challenge… Who doesn’t want free food at P.F. Changs???

Just a little hint, just in case:  Its one of the most well known Land Marks in the Inland Northwest

Week 33 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Jennifer Schoen for guessing the correct place and winning the drawing for last weeks challenge.  She wins a Starbucks gift card! The correct place was, of course, Pike Place Market.  A must visit place when in Seattle.  Lots of cool stuff to see and buy from local artists.  I love that place! And I always have to walk down to the pier and get fish and chips and a bowl of clam chowder!

Home Page

Ok, I know… I messed up last week.  I’m sorry 😦 I just got so busy with work and kids and doctors appointment and ugh… By the time I realized I hadn’t posted my blog it was already Thursday night and just didn’t see the point as it was already late in the week! But I will make up for it.  Next weeks Blog I will be giving away a $25 gift card to some place that will make the wait worth it!

Well, let me give you a little update to my crazy life.  I’m still loving the new truck! I’ve done some simple inexpensive mods to it to make it my own… that is what you are suppose to do with trucks, right?… Mod them to your personality? I took all the chrome overlays off the grill, door handles and mirror caps… I don’t know why the previous owner added them.  Its an Fx4… they are not suppose to have a chrome package… He should have bought a lariat, if he wanted that look.  Oh well, I think it looks much nicer now and a little tougher… Ford Tough! lol, Ok, that was cheesy, but I had to! Anyway, I am blacking out the truck to a certain degree.  I put on some smoke led tail lights and just ordered some Led tube headlights that should be in in about a week.  Oh, I also put on a smoked 3rd brake light.  Its looking great! I will post pics when its all done.

Belle finally got her splint off after 9 long weeks! I am so happy and she is still adjusting to a leg with no splint.  She’s still limping around like the splint is still on, lol.  She’ll get used to it soon.  Ashten is almost done with football and is getting ready to start wrestling next month, along with Colten.  And Kylan starts wrestling next week.  Yup, its only going to get busier for the Morrow household.  I’m not sure how I am going to attend all the games but I will find a way to manage the best I can.

I signed Colten up for drivers ed today.  He starts on Tuesday.  I’ve been teaching him to drive for quite a while now and he is a pretty good driver, but that doesn’t help calm my nerves of him driving without adult supervision soon.  Ugh, many nail biting days coming in my near future.

Lets get on to this weeks challenge.  This week I am giving another $5 Starbucks card away. I know its another coffee card but hey, some of us love coffee! Besides, next weeks prize will be a $25 gift card somewhere; so make sure you join next weeks challenge… it will be worth it! Ok, here is the picture.  Go back to my Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comment section of that post.  All those who guess correctly will be entered into a drawing to win the coffee card.

Week 32 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Ashten Morrow for winning the drawing in last weeks challenge! The correct place was in fact Riverfront Park.  The garbage eating goat has always been a must stop when in the park.  I remember that thing from when I was a little kid.  All the young kids love it and adults too!

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/nov/15/garbage-goat-has-been-eating-trash-for-34-years/

What a crazy week it has been! As some of you already know, the boys and I camped outside of the AT&T store in the valley Thursday night.  All this for the new iPhone, well sort of.  I said I would never do anything crazy like that but there was a big incentive for doing so.  We were customers with Verizon Wireless.  AT&T was running a promotion where if you were a Direct TV customer and you switched your wireless service to AT&T, they would give you $300 in bill credit per line and an additional $200 in store credit per line.  I have 3 lines of service so this was a no brainer for me, especially since the same plan would be $50/month less than it was when I was with Verizon!  Umm, heck ya, I’ll switch.  We all got new phones, which we used the in store credit for and i now have $900 in bill credit, meaning I wont have to pay a bill for 4 months!

Colten volunteered to let me drop him off at the store at 3;30 on Thursday, making us the first in line.  I had some things I had to do that evening so I didn’t get there till about 8:00.  One other guy showed up at 6:30, so it was just us and him until about 5a.m. when about 10-15 others showed up.  I was glad we were first in line because they only had 6 of the phones I wanted, and I got first pick!

We also got a new truck last week.  I traded in my GMC Acadia for a Ford F-150 Fx4.  Black exterior and black leather interior.  I love it! Its a sexy beast! lol.  The previous owner added a lot of chrome to it, putting it on the grill, mirror caps and door handles.  Fx4’s don’t come from the factory with chrome.  I’ve always wanted an Fx4 so I spent the evening today pulling all the chrome off.  Soon to come will be blacked out headlights, blacked out taillights, blacked out high mount stop light and black rims. That’s right, I’m blacking out the truck.  It will look pretty sweet when I’m all done with it.  I can’t wait!

Ok, lets get on with this weeks challenge.  The winner of this drawing will win a coffee card.  I have another house that will be closing at the end of October so when that deal closes, I will give away another min super prize; but for now, its a free coffee ;-).  Ok, you know the routine.  Go back to my Facebook post that brought you to this blog and leave your guess in the comment section of that post.  All people that guess correctly will be entered into a drawing.  The winner of the drawing gets coffee on me.  And don’t forget about the Super Prize drawing at the end of the 52 weeks.  The only way for a chance to win that prize is to participate in these challenges! Ok, here is this weeks picture. What city and state is this in?  Good luck!

Week 31 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Roberta Provost for winning the drawing for last weeks challenge and an AMC movie gift card!  You are correct.  The tree in the picture is the Survivor Tree in New York.  This tree sat underneath the twin towers on September 11, 2001 and believe it or not, it survived the wreckage.  It was badly damaged but after years of special care, it was nursed back to life.  It now sits back at the site where the 9/11 Memorial is.  Here is a link to a short video showing the survival of the Survivor tree.

https://www.911memorial.org/images-videos/video/survival-story-survivor-tree

I am going to hop right to it this week.  Last week was a busy week and this week is proving to be no different.  Lots of stuff going on.  Hopefully I will have some more time next week to catch you up on whats been happening in the Morrow house.  As for now, I will sadly say that my pictures from New York have mostly come to an end.  I pretty much posted pics from all the places and things we visited while we were there.  I may have one or two left that I will post later. But for this week we are coming back to the Inland Northwest.  So here is this weeks picture.  You all should know this one… if you’ve ever lived here in Spokane Washington.  Here is the pic.  Go back to the Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comments section of that post.  this weeks winner will win a Starbucks or Dutch Bros coffee card.  Whichever you prefer.  Ok, start guessing!

Week 30 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Sara Bonacum for winning the drawing for last weeks challenge and a Coffee gift card! You are correct.  Its the sphere in Battery Park.  It is a statue that use to call its home beneath the World Trade Centers.  It was intact underneath all the rubble.  It was damaged as you can see but remained in one piece.  Its new home is now in battery park by the ferry that takes you to the Statue of liberty and Freedom Island.  Here is a picture and a link with a little more information about this statue.

What a week it was.  A short week meant a lot of extra work.  As you know I spent the weekend in Butte Montana visiting family.  We stayed an extra day than we planned so we did not get home until Tuesday evening.  That meant a lot of catc hup work to do the next few days.  As I told you, I listed a house out in Spokane Valley while I was in Montana.  The listing went active on Tuesday and by Thursday we had 2 offers on the house.  My seller accepted on of the offers and we are now under contract 🙂  I love when homes I list go under contract so fast! Its exciting, my sellers are happy and I am happy.  In this market if your house is priced right it will go fast, very fast.  i wish all sellers could understand the importance of pricing their homes right.  In many cases, just like this one and the listing I had back in April, if a house is priced right, the seller ends up getting more than asking price.  It will sell within the first week for more than we listed.  If you overprice, like some of my other listings… it will sit on the market for months and the seller will end up getting less. But, ultimately it is up to the seller as to where to price their home… and it is up to me to market it the best I can and get it into the hands of as many buyers as I can.

Home life is crazy as usual.  Ashten is in football and has practice almost every day.  Colten starts pre season wrestling today, so he will be wrestling till January.  Kylan starts wrestling next month.  I have no idea how I will make it to all the games but I will do my best to juggle things around! Belle is about 6 weeks post foot break and I am hoping that at her next appointment the vet will want to take her splint off.  She is so over it and honestly, so am I!

I sold my cousin, Summer, a home back in July.  We have been doing a lot of updates to her house.  We tore down all the wood paneling, prepped the walls, primed and painted, and are in the process of getting all trim up.  We got most all the floor trim and door/window trim installed.  We started the crown molding last weekend and will finish all the trim and crown molding this weekend, including the wood wrap around the entrance into her Kitchen.  It looks amazing! You can’t even tell its the same house! They’ve done a great job picking out trim, crown molding and paint colors.  I’m so proud of them!

Ok, on to this weeks challenge.  As usual I am posting another pic from our Trip to New York.  Yes, that is your hint.  If you have been following my blogs, then you will know what this picture is and where we were at when we took the picture.  If you haven’t been following, well then go back several blogs or go through pictures on my Facebook.  A little research pays ;-).  You know the routine… Go back to my Facebook post that brought you here.  Leave your guess in the comment section of that post.  If you guess correctly, you will be entered into a drawing for a $10 AMC Movie card… Ok, here it is.  What is the significance of this tree and where does it sit???

Week 29 of 52 Places in 52 Weeks

Congratulations to Tanya Bumgarner for winning the drawing for last weeks challenge and the Starbucks gift card.  And for also guessing the bonus question correctly. It was in fact the Bethseda Terrace in Central Park and yes, it was in the movie Home Alone 2! I will be sending you a $10 Starbucks card. Thank You for being a loyal player.  I appreciate it.  So here is the link and a picture to the bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda_Terrace_and_Fountain#The_terrace

Yes, again, my blog is late as usual.  Sorry about that.  However, in my defense, it was a holiday weekend and as a lot of us were; I was out of town.  We went to my hometown Butte Montana to visit family.  As usual, we had a great time with everyone.  I only wish we could have stayed longer.  It is never a long enough visit when we are there.  But that’s OK; We will be back very soon. It may have been a holiday weekend but a working one for me.  As a real estate agent, I never get a day off.  But its OK when you really enjoy what you do.  I was working with a buyer pulling up listings and i also listed a new house.  I will be posting a blog on my new listing tomorrow.  I have already had a lot of interest in this home, so if it sells before tomorrow night… it will beat the blog, lol.

So, I am making this blog short.  We had a crazy weekend and a long drive today, so I am ready for bed!  So here is this weeks challenge.  The winner will win a $5 Dutch Bros card.  Go back to my Facebook post that brought you here and leave your guess in the comments section.  Good luck!

What Park is this in and what is the significance of this statue (Where was this statue originally placed)?  Hint: NY