Lori Rivero, Realtor Coldwell Banker Realty

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...