Germantown, WI

While the world does seem to be topsy turvey, Thanksgiving will give EVERYONE a chance to sit down with family and friends and count their blessings!

This year I am thankful for many different things. Most importantly family and friends. Our grandkids are the cutest! For everyones good health, yes some are challenged, but nothing life threatening.

I am thankful for the great career I have. Moving offices this fall, I am thankful for everyone at my old office who helped me grow my business to a large group of happy buyers and sellers. I am very grateful to my new office for the warm welcome, and tremendous espirit d'corps. They are a great group of agents and staff that truly care about each other and their success! I am very thankful for my assistant Mary, who has gotten me to this point, with a smile on her face and never a frustration showing!

I am thankful for my clients, customers and support team at Shorewest. This job is interesting and even more so are the many friends I have made with buyers and sellers along the way!

I am thankful for the great community we live in. Germantown is active and fun, and full of great people! My neighborhood, Tree Tops is a great mix of people, in a beautiful setting, surrounded by mature trees, ponds and walkiing trails.

This Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? I bet the list is long, despite the challenges that face all of us.

Enjoy your day with family, friends, and good food!

We had our first real snow today! Now, many people shudder at that thought...I love snow, well at least til Jan 31st, then it gets alittle old! But it was so gorgeous this morning...and the snow hung on the tree branches most of the day....you have to look at this photo!

This is what we love about the winter, the sheer beauty! (the cold is what makes those snow birds fly south!) So now, I have also changed my personal photo here reflecting the new season....'SEASONS CHANGE, SO DO HOUSING NEEDS!" Can I help you or someone you know make a "change"?

YES!!! I was lucky enough to meet Michael Symon Iron Chefs this past Tuesday evening. We met at a meet and greet at the Hotel Palomar in downtown Milwaukee. The project is a luxury boutique hotel being launched by Kimpton Hotels....they have several others around the country. The complex will be a mix of high end retail, hotel, condos,and restaurants that will break ground late 2009.

Michael Symon is newest of the IRON CHEFS on the popular Food Network Channel. Michael has midwest roots, and is excited about coming to Milwaukee and opening the restaurant within the future Hotel Palomar. Milwaukee being the hometown of Harley Davidson is a bonus that he isreally EXCITED about! The yet to be named restaurant will use a "farm to table" theme featuring Wisconsin products.

Just coming off a Thanksgiving win, just this week, with fellow Iron Chef Bobby Flay, Michael was bubbling with enthusiasm about the project. It was a treat to meet the famous chef!

The annual Germantown Christmas Parade was a success this year...but missing all the snow from last year!

Our Theme was "we can sell anything!" We had an amusing float with an outhouse....one of the kids was sitting inside reading "Shorewest Luxury HOMES" magazines - he must be dreaming of his new home?, We had an old sleigh on the float, and a for sale sign on each side with a SOLD SIGN on it....Participating agents from our office were dressed as elves and handed out goody bags,candy, drawing slips and fun stuff. I handed out holiday pencils....You get further in life with a pencil than a bunch of candy that rots your teeth :)

More photos to follow, please check back!

The stock market has been disappointing, the real estate market is too, now the Christmas Tree suffers a devasting event....what more could go wrong around here?

You won't believe what happened today when the City went to cut down the giant Christmas tree for downtown! Every year it is a big event, covered by local tv channels, interviewing the family who donated some giant fir tree from their yard...."we planted it when Susie was a baby, and look how big it is now!" the owner would proudly say....This year it wasn't quite so idyllic. Watch this video, most entertaining is the reporters play by play, and reaction to the "event":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOU2-brZkLE

I heard that last year the boss of this department retired, and it would be a new crew this year! Well, I guess they learned a few lessons...

"I think the boss is gonna be mad about this!"

They intend to wire it up and put it back together

...Or they could just put a giant Angel on top!

Or......It would make a great GIANT Mistletoe for the city!

ALL PHOTOS FROM MILWAUKEE JOURNAL