Deb's Lake Livingston Real Estate & Stuff!

Let's Celebrate Jason Crouch's  Birthday, Our Life, Active Rain, and Friendship Too! You do not have to live in Texas, near to Texas, or even like Texas to attend this gathering!

 

 

 

Be there OR be..................................square!

and this looks like it would hurt!

 

 

Where you ask?

Beautiful Austin Texas bordering the Hill Country and only a few hours away from you!

EVITE INVITATION TO GATHERING WITH LOTS OF DETAILS  

Here are the basics, but please visit the link above, as it includes a stronger level of detail about the event:

DATE: August 16th, 2008

TIME: Starts at 2pm - Jason reserved the room until 7pm officially, but there is live music from 6-9pm, so people are welcome to hang out and enjoy that, too, even after the official part ends.  I plan to be there for the entirety.

COST: As Jason's guest, you will only be responsible for any alcoholic beverages.  Jason is covering the location and food cost himself. Any damage caused from overdrinking will be deducted from your points!

LOCATION: County Line on the Lake, 5204 FM 2222, Austin, TX 78731Beautiful Austin Texas bordering the Hill Country and only a few hours away from you!

FOOD: Awesome BBQ.  There will be all-you-can-eat lean brisket, turkey, and sausage with all of the usual sides (potato salad, beans, slaw).  We might decide to have some people bring dessert if that is allowed there.  

 

Why?

We are celebrating Jason Crouch's birthday (August 17^th)

But, on Saturday the 16th and it gives us a darned great reason to get together, say "WE LOVE YOU, JASON" and Party Hardy!

(okay, within reason)

Bring the kids! This is a child friendly party.

Gag gifts are good....we don't want to spoil him too much!

 If you have any questions you may contact Deb through my Active Rain email or Jason Crouch through his Active Rain email!

 

Gotta question...ask?

 

Gonna come? Smart,

very smart..............

SEE YOU THERE! THE MUSIC AND COMPANY IS WORTH THOUSANDS!!!  LATER IN THE RAIN~DEB

Y'all come now ya hear?

 

Dear Diary, It is July 23rd, 2008 and it is 103 degrees here in Huntsville Texas.

What does one do in 103 degrees in July in Texas? Well, they go eat outside of course!

Ask Marchel...she knows. When you're a Texan it shows in your eating habits.

Air conditioning all around us and we decided to pick up my grand-babies and take them to SONIC!

Yum yum. Greasy burgers and crispy onion rings!

Yee ha! We had a good time. This is pure quality.

 

Meet Cecile Alayne my first grandbaby girl above! Cecile is 11 years old and going on 30. She is bright, talented, sweet and my favorite Cecile in the whole world. She is my namesake. I am Debra Alayne...well. you know the rest.                                                       

Meet Tehya Chey...American Indian plus Cheyenne...

She's a beauty too.

She looks totally annoyed (most of the time)

 

 

 

because of..............

 

 

my Wyatt Hunter! This is Mr. "I want to annoy my sister and anyone else that will let me" child.

 

He does a really great job of it and we all love him!

 

Along with this grimace comes a true growl.

And he means it... so there!

 

and this is Kyle, my very bright "talk a mile a minute" step grandson.

He is a doll and of course, Wyatt's best friend.

He says...mamamamamamammamamammma

What? I say. "Uh,....I forgot."

But don't worry, he'll come up with something!

 

 

I am missing Julie although she is in my heart...She is Kyle's sis and my step granddaughter.

She is a large part of our little family and we missed her today. It was hot. We had lunch. And then played like crazy.                                      

We just played, ate and had fun.

 

 

 

 

 

The beauty of youth.

 

 

 

 

The orange shirts are all a part of the Montesori School, "Tomorrow's Promise"...what a great name.

 

 

 

 

We ate really greasy and bad stuff...yum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then it was time for desert!

 

 

 

I love my babies.

 

 

 

Even though they're growing up.

 

 

 

 

 

There was just so much to do but lunch was over so it was time for ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we're talkin'.

 

 

 

Beats the heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Blue Bell Ice Cream we can all live in 103 degree weather.

 

 

 

At least at this age.

 

 

 

My first job in my lifetime at age 13 (except for baby sitting) was at this very Sonic.

They made me roller skate to the cars with the food.

One of the 'hunks" that I had my eye on drove in one day and placed his order. I was so nervous that when I skated out to give him his tray....I dumped it in his lap.

Boy was he upset...he was glad to see me the last time we ran in to each other. He tried to buy my boat!

 

 

Cecile made it look really good.

 

What a great way to spend the lunch (2) hours.

 

I'll do this again soon.

 

I love you my daughter! And my babies.

 

We had a wonderful time for a dreadfully hot day!

 

Thanks for joining us.

 

This is for my kids...

 

All of them.

 

 

 

Later in the rain~Deb  AKA MAMAW!

 

 

 

Dear Diary. what Scott and I did on the 4th of July, 2008.

I wanted to share a few photos with you that my husband and I were able to shoot over the 4th of July weekend. We found the most affordable piece of land in our own neighborhood that we had seen in years. Hubby discovered this on the net and we Had TO GO CHECK IT OUT.

This is a beautiful piece of land, 9+ acres on the Trinity River just minutes from the mouth of Lake Livingston.

The price on this beauty is 129,000.00

Yep! 9+ACRES....UNBELIEVABLE.

We drove straight there and began to tromp! Here's a peek.

 Now this acreage has enough water frontage to separate it out with individual acres...

I'm sorry I didn't get a shot of the horses grazing. They were awesome. This is a perfect piece of land to build on.

By the time we had walked it we had formulated our offer. No doubt we would buy it. It was too perfect.

I immediately fell in love with it. We would sub-divide and create a heavenly spot.

The land across from the river is "protected land" and will never be built on...at least not in our lifetimes.

This looked so idyllic that we couldn't wait to fill out the paperwork. We would pay full price if need be.

This is a community boat ramp at the road that backs up to the acreage. How ideal. A whole three acre park at the edge of our new found paradise. We just couldn't believe it.

We hopped into the truck and headed out. An old (very precious) couple was at the side of the road picking grapes from the fence of OUR land. We pulled up and wished them a wonderful evening and took a look at their haul which looked healthy, plump and sweet.

In our excitement we couldn't contain the fact that we were going to make an offer on the land! They confirmed how beautiful it was and then I asked the two dollar question...

Will they allow us to build a pier or boathouse to house the boat right there??? A big boat...

Well, no ma'am he said. Well, yes I guess you could build one but you can't boat to the main channel from there...tick tock I was getting sooooo sad...

No boats we asked? None? No, he said. It's only a few inches deep there and you would have to drive a few miles to put the boat in to reach the main channel...I didn't want to hear that but it taught me a lesson. What my dad said is true. If it sounds too good to be true...it probably is.

NOW, if you don't care about boating...I've got a great place I would love to show you! We'll keep looking. The one thing I did get was chiggers! Yuk. What a let down!

Thanks for reading! Later in the rain~Deb

 

Dear Diary,

Gary Woltal has joined us!

July 21, 2008

Gary Woltal has agreed to become the Moderator of "Diary of a Realtor" and I want to say a big "thank you" to him!

STAGERS, MORTGAGE BROKERS, INSPECTORS, DESIGNERS, VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS, AND ALL  ASSOCIATES ARE WELCOME!    No one is excluded. Please start your own Diary.                                  

 JOIN THIS GROUP...CLICK BELOW.

Click here to join and make blogging more than just business. Build an autobiography of yourself or just share your thoughts...join today.

Our writings belong to us as individuals. A Weblog is a type of Diary. We all create blogs to target market for our business.

But, this is just for us.

Diary of a Realtor is a community for your personal thoughts, experiences, feelings and records. Did you have a close call while showing a house or land? Did you have a dream last night that you just can't explain? Do you want to share about a loved one?

 

Diary of a Realtor can be used to put your "personal foot forward" and

leave records in the end for your children, family members and friends. Imagine having an entire life's

story pieced together to hand down to your children.

 Take a break from SEO, Marketing, and Local news. Make your own news. Make your own stories. Share the part of your life that gives you joy or pain. Just feel free to share.

Share with our community who you really are...beyond the profession and facade of advertising.

Come here to just be YOU.

Later in the rain~Deb

Yes, she may. I had a closing today in the Woodlands Texas. It seemed appropriate for my friend and myself to get together while I was there! Marchel Peterson of Results Realty and myself met at one of Marchel's favorite Pubs on the water at the Woodlands Mall. Gooses Acres Irish Pub by Marchel Peterson.

 

We had a great visit otherwise called a ball. It was of course, 100 degrees, but the two of us ate in our favorite place...outdoors. We watched the gorgeous air conditioned yachts float by in the channel while tooting their horn at us each time for us to give them a big wave!

We ate crab sliders with avacado aeolie sauce, a beautiful garden salad and laughed up a storm. What fun. We both found we had so much in common! And, there's nothing common about Marchel. She is a lady and a spirit with a great positive attitude. And, we both needed underware...just checking to see if you were really reading? Now, we were at the mall. So, we fulfilled our needs and...

We went shopping at Foley's ... of course! And, we had a great time. Marchel, we will do it again soon.

Later in the rain~Deb

 

 

Please don't fry an egg on my head!

Here I am in Texas. "Whew". I love showing properties but this is definitely the most trying time of the year.

AND, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL A HOUSE IN 100 DEGREES?

It's just plain annoying. The other day I was showing a lovely couple from Houston a few lake houses. Wonderful conversation, strong buyers, lovely people and me. It was going pretty well even though it was a cool 108 degrees in the sun. Not to mention the humidity!

Wow, and they think we have it easy! I drive a lake that is 450 miles around and I try to know and show it all. I had come to the last showing of about 6 houses and we found this quite by accident. I called the number on the sign and it was a FSBO Realtor and she was glad to give me her code.

It was a gorgeous entryway with an enclosed foyer in brick and the lock box was right where she said it was on the doorknob. She mentioned to me when I called that the last folks had a bit of a problem with the key box and there was a trick to the opening of the box. I listened carefully to her instructions and began to manipulate the box. Now, keep in mind, the sun was bearing down on me, a brick wall blocked any hint of a breeze and it was 108 degrees in the sun!  I fumbled with the code but I began to GLISTEN.

Yeah, yeah, that's a nice way of saying I began pouring sweat like a piglet. I was sweating so much that my glasses were wet with perspiration and I had to take them off to wipe them to see the numbers. I was feeling faint so I dropped my glasses and my cell with the other Realtor on the line and was suddenly feeling no more discomfort!

"Oh my gosh, Debra are you okay?" she asked?"

Then all I remember is waking up with her wiping my face with a cool washcloth. Am I embarrassed? What do you think? Luckily the other Realtor was still on the line, gave them instructions on how to get the door opened and they saved me with the swab of a cool washcloth. After getting up a bit humbled they offered to drive me back to the office. I took them up on it.

I missed the whole showing although they told me the stairs were a bit too steep for them. I wonder what it really was?

 Was it the stairs or the fact  you could have fried an egg on their Realtors forehead at the front door?

MAYBE I CAN SELL THEM SOMETHING IN THE FALL?

I DON'T RECOMMEND NAPPING DURING SHOWINGS!

Later in the rain~Deb

 

 

 

 

 

You pour your coffee, step out on the back deck and sit under the shade of your Oak tree. You begin thinking back to the first day you learned of the treasures of Lake Livingston, Texas.  It really was like a treasure hunt without the hope of finding the treasure...but low and behold, here you are. "How did I get so lucky, you think to yourself?" Oh, sure. Just happenstance. "I remember now."

My honey and I were driving back home to Houston from our weekend trip. We had decided to take the back roads instead of I-45. We hoped the views would be much better. And, they certainly were! We passed the small town of Trinity Texas and were getting close to I-45 when we saw a billboard that really captured our attention.

There it was touting Lake Homes For Sale...hum, we thought.

Didn't we see them on Active Rain? We're ahead of schedule so why don't we call them??? "Okay", and a Realtor by the name of Debra Brooks  answered the phone with such enthusiasm! She was really helpful.

She directed us to her office and offered to show us around the lake. Why not, we thought? We are only an hour and a half from our home in Houston! We've always wanted to have a weekend getaway but we just never dreamt it could happen.

So, we met Deb at her office. It was close to the lake and we hit it off right off the bat. We were afraid we might be underdressed but she met us in flip flops, jeans and a T-shirt.

How comfortable she made us feel! She visited with us for a bit while we filled her in on our dreams and financial status and the next thing we know she swooped us away to the lake. She was driving and it was a great break for us after driving for the day.

 

Nothing is scarier than wishing for something you just can't have. Deb just kept reassuring us that it was going to be fine and that we could make it work.

That it WAS possible.

After she showed us the third house in a beautiful part of the lake called Carolina Cove, we were in love.

 

This Carolina Cove is where we wanted to be! It felt like home....away from home. An hour and a half away from our house in Houston, it was far enough away to feel like we were "away from it all" yet close enough to be back quickly.

 

 

The cove is deep and blue and safe and beautiful. It leads right into Lake Livingston and in to the Trinity River for yet another water adventure.

Deb told us she felt that angels gathered there to refresh and reflect.

We looked at each other and we knew this was it. This is where we wanted to be! We had a gazillion questions and Deb answered them all!

Gosh, we wanted to know everything!

We sat down with Deb and this is what she told us...

                                                                                    To be continued...

Look for Brooks Prime Properties on LOCALISM.COM

 

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Thank you for viewing Deb's Lake Livingston Blog and Other Stuff. We are serving Walker County, Trinity County, Polk County and San Jacinto County.  Please contact us for all your Lake Livingston Real Estate needs.

www.brooksprimeproperties.com

www.lakelivingstonprime.com

www.buywaterfronts.com

www.activerain/lakelivingston.com

www.livingstonlakehouse.com

 

EVERYONE DESERVES TO GO! To Inman Connect in San Francisco!

The time is drawing near...our final announcement for the top 3 teams is on Monday July 7, 2008. We're biting our nails and twisting our hair and jumping up and down waiting for the final announcement. The Makeover2Takeover contest has been a real hoot! It has reminded me a bit of what a "virtual bootcamp" might be!

"Drop to the floor and give me 200 push-ups!" Thank goodness this is virtual.

We have learned that there is nothing we can't do when the desire is there to do so! Active Rain and all who are involved (?) have really given us the incentive to stretch and grow and improve our prospective businesses.

We have found each other to be friends...not competitors. We have found ourselves dreaming and hoping and supporting and wishing the best to our circle of friends within the contest. Of the six teams that remain, only three teams will be left standing on Monday afternoon. 

Whether we must say goodbye or "YeeHaa, yea rah" this has been an honor for all of us! This must be an incredibly difficult chore for the decision makers.

Just remember...EVERYONE DESERVES TO GO! And, wear flowers in your hair!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OUR FELLOW BLOGGERS 

GREAT SHOT OF JOHN LENNON IN THE VIDEO

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Thank you for viewing Deb's Lake Livingston Blog and Other Stuff. We are serving Walker County, Trinity County, Polk County and San Jacinto County.  Please contact us for all your Lake Livingston Real Estate needs.

www.brooksprimeproperties.com

www.lakelivingstonprime.com

www.buywaterfronts.com

www.activerain/lakelivingston.com

www.livingstonlakehouse.com