Lori Rivero, Realtor Coldwell Banker Realty

Recently I reached the point of no return when it comes to the automatic paper towel dispenser.... I don't know about you, but the mere 6 inches of paper that come out on each swipe is enough to drive me crazy!    I find myself waving my hands like a crazy Jedi.. or a Ninja to get more out!  Come On! I am an adult......... are these things set for kids?  I don't know who can adequately dry their hands on the minuscule piece of paper that rolls out of that machine.... Are paper towels really that expensive that you have to ration them out?  It is bad enough that I just had to do the automatic water faucet tango to wash my hands in the first place... You know the dance I am talking about... you slide your hand underneath... nothing happens... slide to the right... now slide to the left... everybody clap your hands.... the water tango.... What I want to know is... why they can set that darn auto flusher to go off the moment you reach for toilet paper... but they can

We all know what it is.. some deal with it better than others... some just don't deal with it at all... It is called STRESS. I can honestly say that I am happier now in my life than I have ever been.  I have a wonderful husband, and fabulous career, healthy grandchildren and grown kids that can support themselves!  (Parenting Goal 101 Achieved!)  But, I can also say that with all of the wonderful things going on there are additional levels of stress that I have determined can be dealt with in a number of ways.... Stress Level 1:  Your morning wake up is a text sent by a client, the boss, or the lender that keeps the world going around that says.... something is amiss............. OOPS... looks like I better drink my coffee before continuing the read of this text....... this is not a critical 911 text... yet... this we can deal with after the appropriate amount of caffeine. Stress Level 2:  This is the stress level that keeps you awake at night, not necessarily bad stuff..

One of the many things you will notice when arriving in SWFL, along with the beautiful beaches, the outdoor dining, fishing, dolphin watching, golfing, parasailing, Parrot Head Clubs, and Tiki bars are  "The BINGO Halls"! My father-in-law introduced me to bingo at the Moose Lodge about 7 years ago... it was fun Thursday night entertainment, cheap drinks and winnings to be had.  But, one thing always stands out to me... the sea of gray hairs.... Admittedly, at first I felt uncomfortable and felt like I was in the wrong spot.. how could a crowd of 70 somethings be fun?   Let me be the first to say, Age is JUST a number.  I think I found my people! This is a group of people who have lived their lives as professionals, military men and women, truck drivers, secretaries, Mom's and Dad's, now Grandma and Grandpa, or even GREAT Grandparents... they come to SWFL from all parts of the country to call the Sunshine State home.  Some have accents making easy to identify

So, I wanted to just share my story as a person who went through their first hurricane as a Florida resident... I have been here through other "threats"... and tend to follow the vibe of my husband, who went through Hurricane Charley, and lived to tell me about it. But this crazy storm of a size that no one had ever seen before, made me nervous. The images that were coming across the TV of the spanking Irma was delivering to the Caribbean were horrifying.   Okay, I was flat out scared.  When I saw friends and neighbors packing up and heading out, gas stations over run, and water and bread were no where to be found... I had to fight my own "flee" instinct.  I wanted to run. We were not able to leave as we cannot leave family behind.  A medical issue kept all of us from leaving together.  So, we set up camp with all of our provisions at my in-laws home.  I never could have anticipated the amount of work that goes into prepping your home and yourself for a C

I was out at a vintage shop yesterday checking out the cool shabby chic and refurbished furniture pieces... each vendor has their own little space that is decorated with cute decor items and furniture... I am a sucker for this kind of shop!! I was walking through and noticed this phone....... it says  "OLD Phone"..........  it is a Bell phone... from Bell Atlantic........... and it is cool because it has the auto redial button....... how freaking cool is that? Now, we have computers in the palm of our hand that you don't even have to press buttons to dial... you can just tell Siri to do it for you! But, seeing this labeled as OLD made me think............ am I now considered Vintage because I had one of these phones?  Because I know how it works?   But, it also made me think about all of the wonderful benefits of having one of these............. versus the computer in our hands we can't live without....... When you called someone...... and they were having

Remember the days of RSVP's, returning a phone call after they left a message, picking up the phone to hear the beep of a vm left?  Remember when the cell phone would let you know that someone was on the phone when you called them........ so you could leave a message... and they would call you back.  Remember the basic etiquette of a response? I have learned that people have become such slackers in the department of phone/text/email etiquette. Not only do people not leave messages...... but they use the "missed call" feature of their phone as proof enough they called and therefore deserve a return call.  " Hey, you called me?"... My rule is, no message....... no return call.  If it isn't important enough to leave a brief message... it must not have been important to call me. Let's not start talking about FACETIME.... UGH!  There should be a proper etiquette about calling someone FACETIME.  Don't call before 10:00 a.m. or after 8:00 pm   unl