Lori Rivero, Realtor Coldwell Banker Realty

When you walk into a mall......... have you noticed you turn right?  When you are walking through the mall have you noticed the natural flow of direction people take?   One side is going North and the other side South...... and you probably don't notice the flow until you try to step out of Yankee Candle or Victoria's Secret and start feeling your swimming upstream... because you my friend just stepped into the Vortex of people traffic.     There seems to be a natural direction our group mentality puts us in........ heaven forbid you are the one trying to push a baby stroller and get caught going the wrong direction.  Nothing makes you enemy #1 faster than making people go AROUND you!  Definitely DO NOT do this during the peak shopping season........ your day will go from Yule Tide Fun to BAH HUMBUG super fast! Now, the only place that there is NEVER any traffic control or natural flow..... is the amusement parks.......... my hee...

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......

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 nec...

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 ...

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 yoursel...

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 havin...

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...

Nothing screams health and happiness like a sick person on an airplane! Have you seen the show Fear the Walking Dead???   The prelude to the Walking Dead series?  The zombie apocalypse starts with a cough on the airplane! I flew from St Louis to Charlotte, with an extended layover in Charlotte before leaving to Tampa.  I personally don't mind layovers.... it gives me a chance to grab a bite to eat and people watch.  (Which btw is one of my favorite things to do)  I saw everything from a group of Catholic Priests to a yard of butt crack!  Seriously, when is this butt crack obsession going to end???  Pull up your pants!!! Personally, I don't like to fly.  I am a bit of an anxious flyer...... so I am a little "hyper aware" of my surroundings when flying.  I watch people carefully.... and worry about turbulence.. I hate it! This particular flight from Charlotte to Tampa was full.  People were a bit grumpy because the flight was ...

 In honor of Military Family month..... I thought I would give my perspective of a military brat... and only other brats can truly appreciate all of the fun times we had!  Military families experience a lifestyle that no one else can understand..... once you cross through the gates of a military installation you are now speaking "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot".   You can recite the phonetic alphabet like the best of them.  (that is the language spoken over radio transmissions) It was normal to stop the wherever you were at and whatever you were doing when we heard "colors" over the loud speaker on the Post.  You looked for the flag.. or in the direction of the flag.  Our uniformed parent would get out of the car, to salute and pay respect to our flag. We thought nothing of it when a tank or two... or three would go rolling by us while we were at the school yard.  Often the civilian kids thought that those of us who went to military schools; (DOD) sch...

It's going to be a fun filled 4 days in DisneyWorld with the girls!   I have only been here for one day and I already see the wear and tear of the heat and the excitement kids experience, wearing down their parents! Yesterday I saw a little guy in the pool having an absolute melt down......... you know the one.... throwing his head back... falling to the ground...screaming at the top of his lungs... and both parents standing their looking at each other helplessly......... LOL  What could be wrong?  We are at the Happiest Place on Earth! Tensions run high with parents when they bring kids to the parks........ the combination of heat... miles of walking..... crowds... lines.......crying babies.... strollers ramming your heels...rides that appear scary to little one's causing a minor explosion of tears........... but....... other than that.... to little one's the magic is lost after Mickey walks away... kinda like Santa Claus heading back home after Christmas ...

Very recently I had the pleasure of spending quality time with a friend from High School.  I had not spent quality time with him since 1988......... our lives have changed, we have grown, we have a few more gray hairs than we care to admit...... our stories consist of children, grandchildren, loss and joy. When you get the opportunity to sit down with someone you have not seen in a while........ take the time to turn off your phone and get to know the person in front of you.     It is great to swap the "remember when" stories, and there were lots of them!  Like that time......... at band camp....    It is funny how your mind stops with an image of someone from the last time you saw them.  Of course the beauty of the internet and FaceBook keep us aging in the eyes of everyone we choose to share our lives with.......... but nothing seems to really help the brain grasp that time has lapsed until you see someone again in person.  He ...

We all know the feeling.... that little empty rumble that starts in your stomach... but you are in no position to stop and eat ... yet.  You keep getting interrupted at work... or your staff meeting is taking too long..... and no one brought snacks....... that little empty rumble starts turning into a big rumble. Embarrassing noises...... people look at you funny........ and then it hits......... the subtle headache... the fatigue....... the impatient attitude... the frustration....the I WILL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF IF I DON"T EAT NOW moment. It has obviously become an epidemic that we can all relate too.  You have seen the snickers bars commercials where William Dafoe is Marilyn Monroe until he/she gets her snickers bar to cure the Hangry attitude....  The Jacks Links commercials where the man has a cougar come out of his stomach to grab food... or a wolf out of his stomach at the conference table. I  hate to admit it...... but I am the WORST at th...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... the best part of spring and summer....... grilling out... backyard parties..... pool parties.......potlucks.... pretty much anything that has to do with being outside by the pool and eating food!  This activity is a right of passage for some of the men in my family..... the passing of the BBQ Tools..... the secret rub recipe...... the passing of the applewood smoked ribs responsibility... (only the most committed of the smokers gets up at 4 am to get the flames started)   The things I have learned from this MALE BONDING tradition are as follows: 1. This activity is only accomplished successfully with a cold beer and a cigar in hand. 2. Men have a secret language when it comes to grilling meat....... the bigger the meat.... the better 3. The secret is in the sauce..... and it is a secret (except for the wife who has to shop for ingredients) 4. The BBQ ritual is rotated among households so the men can show off their primal skills to t...

Ahhhhhhh yes....... the good ole family road trip!   Back in the day my family would use our summer vacations to load up the family truckster and hit the road to travel to the next family reunion or out to California to visit the Grandparents.... and it did not matter where we lived....... we were going to California...... and we even did it when we lived in Kentucky.  My Dad was active duty military so we were all over the country and the world! I have good memories of the family road trip... once we reached our destination.  The actual process was not as much fun.  My brother and I would start out the trip with eager anticipation of getting to Grandma's as it meant a summer in the pool and visits to Disney Land.  We did not have electronics like the kids today have, no built in dvd players with drop down movie screens!   We were armed with a book, madlibs, hangman invisible ink books, the Rand McNally road map highlighted with our route so w...

So, here I was driving in the car....... deep in thought when Prince comes on the radio.  Of course, I turn it up..... "that's my jam"!!  The next song comes on..... and I know the words to this one too. Madonna!!  That is when I realized the radio station is tuned to an 80's station.  My husband must have found it... and can I say.. Way to Go!    As I drive along jamming out and singing along to the musicians and songs of my day I started thinking about how I have officially become O-L-D!   I realize the music of the 80's is who I am... the roller skating rink, the massive amounts of hairspray.. and metallic pink lipstick.  The bigger the hair, the better!  I secretly think there was an unspoken competition of who had the highest bangs... LOL  I remember going outside to hang out with friends... long summers by the pool with a baby oil/iodine combination for the darkest tan possible... jamming out to our boombox and Billy Idol! ...

Tonight I went to get chinese food from the isolated, singular, ONLY chinese take out place in town the size of a one horse town...... and I am sure the horse is safe....    I started thinking about all of the great chinese restaurants I have had the pleasure of patronizing in my life.........  First of all, New York City has the BEST chinese food... hands down!  I know all of the readers who are from that area can agree.   That is the best chinese food EVER!  Boston has as a great chinese food place that stays open until 4 am......... and for that reason..... the fourth meal after visiting the bars in Boston is amazing!!  Now, China Town in Washington DC has the most amazing dimsum restaurant!  The dimsum restaurant was also featured on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  They serve the dimsum on carts.. and as they roll by you stop them and choose what you want..... it is always crowded! But, if you get a chance to drop in...

The area that I live is considered to be a retirement community.  Most of the people in my town are of retirement age....... (I am not of retirement age....... I am a 40 something..... and this year we are empty nesters; just to paint the picture) Imagine walking into the common room of a retirement home as a "non-gray haired".... and imagine the awkward stares.......... yea..... so that is what happens when you walk into any of the restaurants in my town during season.  We have a flock of snowbirds that come down to our area usually October through the end of March.  We do like having them here, they boost our economy and let's face it.... we don't have much of a crime increase when they are here.  No loud parties!! My girlfriend recently came to visit, and we thought we would stop and have a drink on our way home after shopping....... my girlfriend is single.... so a place with "possibilities" is always a good stop.  However, we walked into ...

You have your own style, why not build your home? I have the custom builder for you! Contact me today for details! Lori Rivero, Realtor Green Lion Realty, LLC Cell - 941-465-6794 Lori@GreenLionRealty.com

My husband asked me... If chickens are birds, why don't they fly?   I countered that question with ... If chickens have breasts why don't they have nipples?..... So, being the inquisitive one... I had to find out why? Seems like a logical question to me......... So, in my research I found out that chickens of ancient times did indeed have nipples.  They also produced milk to feed their young.  Because chickens had a "double duty" of having eggs and then nursing the young the shells were thinner, smaller and were striped.   This was not satisfactory to the humans who had already developed a like for the food product that eggs provided them. Sometime in 2500 BC a mysterious and deadly disease from Asia wiped out the entire egg laying population.  Except for some domesticated game hens, who seemed to have a natural immunity to the mysterious disease.  This loss of egg laying fowl created a supply and demand issue... and created businesses that had thes...