Here we go again! Last year I needed to do the same exact thing- Put the pen away for a short time. It is once again "that time." I am fascinated by this place we get to call "home." Corbett is by far one of the most unique and amazing places I have ever gotten to live. I have moved literally across the country in my my nearly 50 years, moving 14 times! When our boys were just 4 and 6 years old, we found a home advertised in the the Gresham Outlook that seemed "promising" and yet we had no real idea just where the heck Corbett was located! Turns out the home and property needed an enormous amount of love and attention. But! for the last 16 years my life has never been the same as a result of "taking a chance." When I moved here, a gal named Dorthy Larson walked up to me and said "Who are you?" and that is how it all began! Being a stay at home mom, I poured myself into the community as a volunteer, trying to meet as many people as possible because I felt so isolated and lonely on our little property. I began meeting people that began to actually impact and shape my life into what it is today. One of the most beautiful things about this community is the diversity- the only thing we really "lack" is color! When I grew to learn to LISTEN to others rather than talk AT them, my heart opened to hear, learn and understand that we all have much more in common than not. After becoming heavily involved as a parent volunteer at the school, spending hours and hours helping with recess duty, washing dishes in the cafeteria, going on field trips, creating and dreaming up the idea of the reader boards, cutting and sending in the Box Tops, helping with PTA efforts, etc. I came to comprehend the CULTURE of our school system here in Corbett. It is not just about education. That is why it is not easily "copied" by others. I grew to understand teachers like Michelle Dawkins, Lori Luna, Susan Handy, and others were not here to collect a paycheck. They lived IN our community and cared deeply about the children and families they served, as well as the culture that was being shaped at the school. When I found that folks were willing to create a food program at the Grange Hall and serve a hot meal for our seniors each week, I immediately jumped on board. THAT made an enormous impact on yet another "layer" of our community. The "older" generation having an opportunity to gather for a meal and fellowship. I have spent literally hours and hours of time HEARING what our founding family community members have to share about their memories and experiences of shaping Corbett to be just what it is today. Our history here is RICH and Clarence Mershon has gifted us all with his recordings of it within his published books. He was a major inspiration for me interviewing over 200 folks in our community for my blog. Six years ago the gal that cut my hair heard me saying that waitressing very part-time for seven years at Tad's Chicken and Dumplings on the Sandy River was fabulous, but I was getting old and tired! She laughingly suggested selling real estate in the community that I was always talking non-stop about. Real estate? That was certainly never my dream or plan. Just as life has it, I realized that if I wanted to help our boys get through college, we needed a bit of a plan. I started my career in the WORST real estate market of the past 80 years. That was propably the best thing that ever happened to me. Chris Tymoshuk was my very first client, and she BELIEVED in and trusted me. I remember sitting on her living room floor with her husband Paul, laughing nervously as I tried to "figure out" exactly how to write their offer in the very best way possible. What a journey selling homes and properties in Corbett has been as I have previewed nearly EVERY home ever listed "For Sale" in the past six years to have a better understanding of just WHAT the home and acreage were "all about." I am loving this adventure, and it has grown beyond my wildest dreams. This is why I am putting up my pen up for a few months. I want to again devote my full time and energy to serving my clients as I help the "newcomers" of Corbett better understand the culture of what the long time residents have literally created over the years. I will be back to the blog come fall, when things tend to slow down a bit in the real estate arena.
Here we go again! Last year I needed to do the same exact thing- Put the pen away for a short time. It is once again "that time." I am fascinated by this place we get to call "home." Corbett is by far one of the most unique and amazing places I have ever gotten to live. I have moved literally across the country in my my nearly 50 years, moving 14 times! When our boys were just 4 and 6 years old, we found a home advertised in the the Gresham Outlook that seemed "promising" and yet we had no real idea just where the heck Corbett was located! Turns out the home and property needed an enormous amount of love and attention. But! for the last 16 years my life has never been the same as a result of "taking a chance." When I moved here, a gal named Dorthy Larson walked up to me and said "Who are you?" and that is how it all began! Being a stay at home mom, I poured myself into the community as a volunteer, trying to meet as many people as possible because I felt so isolated and lonely on our little property. I began meeting people that began to actually impact and shape my life into what it is today. One of the most beautiful things about this community is the diversity- the only thing we really "lack" is color! When I grew to learn to LISTEN to others rather than talk AT them, my heart opened to hear, learn and understand that we all have much more in common than not. After becoming heavily involved as a parent volunteer at the school, spending hours and hours helping with recess duty, washing dishes in the cafeteria, going on field trips, creating and dreaming up the idea of the reader boards, cutting and sending in the Box Tops, helping with PTA efforts, etc. I came to comprehend the CULTURE of our school system here in Corbett. It is not just about education. That is why it is not easily "copied" by others. I grew to understand teachers like Michelle Dawkins, Lori Luna, Susan Handy, and others were not here to collect a paycheck. They lived IN our community and cared deeply about the children and families they served, as well as the culture that was being shaped at the school. When I found that folks were willing to create a food program at the Grange Hall and serve a hot meal for our seniors each week, I immediately jumped on board. THAT made an enormous impact on yet another "layer" of our community. The "older" generation having an opportunity to gather for a meal and fellowship. I have spent literally hours and hours of time HEARING what our founding family community members have to share about their memories and experiences of shaping Corbett to be just what it is today. Our history here is RICH and Clarence Mershon has gifted us all with his recordings of it within his published books. He was a major inspiration for me interviewing over 200 folks in our community for my blog. Six years ago the gal that cut my hair heard me saying that waitressing very part-time for seven years at Tad's Chicken and Dumplings on the Sandy River was fabulous, but I was getting old and tired! She laughingly suggested selling real estate in the community that I was always talking non-stop about. Real estate? That was certainly never my dream or plan. Just as life has it, I realized that if I wanted to help our boys get through college, we needed a bit of a plan. I started my career in the WORST real estate market of the past 80 years. That was propably the best thing that ever happened to me. Chris Tymoshuk was my very first client, and she BELIEVED in and trusted me. I remember sitting on her living room floor with her husband Paul, laughing nervously as I tried to "figure out" exactly how to write their offer in the very best way possible. What a journey selling homes and properties in Corbett has been as I have previewed nearly EVERY home ever listed "For Sale" in the past six years to have a better understanding of just WHAT the home and acreage were "all about." I am loving this adventure, and it has grown beyond my wildest dreams. This is why I am putting up my pen up for a few months. I want to again devote my full time and energy to serving my clients as I help the "newcomers" of Corbett better understand the culture of what the long time residents have literally created over the years. I will be back to the blog come fall, when things tend to slow down a bit in the real estate arena.