Feeling Better: Slim Shady Please Stand Up

So, a few weeks ago I posted a FaceBook video telling the world that I was sick of feeling sick with headaches and stomach issues. I had to make some serious changes because I didn’t want to go to the doctor again for another issue. I have dealt with horrible allergies for the past 10 years so I have spent a lot of time at the doctor’s office.  And being a mom to two kiddos, I have taken them to every doctor appointment, dentist you name it for almost 15 years. So, I am done with doctors for a while.  Not that doctors are bad, but I knew that I had to try to change some things before I needed medical attention.

I knew in my gut–literally and metaphorically–that I had to change my eating habits.  I was scared. I think, but not completely sure but I think I was afraid to make the clean eating commitment. I normally embrace change and the challenges that go along with change but this one meant I would have to plan, prepare and think about food, all the time. I think about the healthy snacks I should have in the house, the whole foods dinners I will have to make and will my family humor me and try all the healthier menus? I also thought that all this focusing on food will take me away from my business. I actually do think that it could take over, but that is a sorry excuse.  This is just the next step in my journey. Now it is time to work on me.

So, eating clean and wholesome isn’t a new concept to me. I know what is good for me. I just let the excuse that I am so busy take over that I fell out of love with thinking, cooking and planning. My mind was 100% focused on building this real estate business that I just stopped taking care of me.   I ended up in a position where I could care less anymore and just accepted my fate that I wasn’t going to get that Sports Illustrated call to model for their cover.  Even though it would be so cool to check supermodel off of my bucket list, I know even at my age and in super shape, Sports Illustrated still wouldn’t be calling! What I ended up doing is put myself in the position that headaches and stomach aches was a daily occurrence. I was lethargic, I could feel my motivation for my business slow down and I just felt…. complacent.

I am just starting week 3 of my new awareness of what I am consuming. I still haven’t food prepped, but I have shopped and have ingredients for 3 dinners for the week and have healthy snacks ready to go in the fridge for myself.  I did a cleanse during week 1 and man was that fantastic. It was nothing like I expected! I know some people do major cleanses and I didn’t want to have 3 days sitting on the toilet! Seriously, I didn’t want that at all.  So, instead I followed the 3 Day Refresh by Beachbody and had fun with their program and meal and snack ideas. This is when I knew that my mind is ready to move forward with this plan. My head, heart and gut are all ready for Slim Shady to please stand up! I envision myself feeling good every day. Every time I think I need a snack, I check my fruit and veggie choices and grab something from that drawer in the fridge. I am starting to feel my energy come back and feel like the Camille who I really enjoy having around!

I hope you will too!

Camille

By the way, I made a great new recipe last night (new to me) which I found on Pinterest! It is under a board where a pinner lists all these great 21 Day Fix by Beachbody (again!) friendly recipes! Here is the link to my board “Good Eats” if you want to see what I am pinning and making these days! I made the lasagna roll ups last night and they were deee-lish!

Here is the link to my facebook video! 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcamille.kooi%2Fvideos%2F10209301993451244%2F&show_text=0&width=560″>

 

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Livin’ Up to my Facebook Status

Earlier this year my daughter was mad at me about something I did or didn’t do or maybe it was something I said? Oh, who knows but one of her comments to me was “way to live up to your Facebook status mom!” My first thought was to punch her but being the adult and her mom I decided it was a great teaching moment. Not just a moment, but momentS.  I actually didn’t say anything back to her. I just let it slide because I knew she was just mad at me for that moment and she is just trying to one up me on snarky comments. I gave her that victory and have been trying to live up to my Facebook status and posts ever since then.

So, her statement caused me to look through my posts. Am I portraying myself in a way that isn’t really me? Do I give off the impression that I am living this high life? That I am perfect? A perfect mom, wife, daughter? Do I tell the world that my marriage has been smooth sailing since we said “I do?” My kids are on the honor roll each quarter, never in trouble and that I don’t have any challenges in life? And I don’t think that I do. If I do, I apologize now. I know that I post a lot of positive quotes, funny videos and do silly quizzes quite a bit. Why? Because  that is really who I am! I try to find the positive in every situation, I love love love to laugh. I think I am funny, I love people who make me laugh and I love smart people who are funny. And the silly quizzes, well, let’s just think of those as junk food for the brain. We all need junk food at times and I might as well dive into silly quizzes than a handful of cookies! (that was for you Mel & Alice)

In all seriousness, Facebook is very powerful. I didn’t know much about Facebook until it was around the time of my 25th high school reunion. It was the best way to start connecting with everyone. It was so freakin’ fun to see everyone as adults. I moved out of my hometown when I was 18 and then out of state when I was 20 so I have been out of the loop for a long time with high school people. Even though I am married and have had children, it was so fun to see all of my high school friends as functioning adults, married and as parents!  We are all spread across the US and the world. Gone are the days were everyone graduates from high school, goes off to college and goes back to the home town to work and live. It’s incredible how our lives have just gone in a million directions. So, yeah, it was really cool to see everyone on Facebook before the reunion. What sucked, is that because we got to peak at everyone on Facebook, we had such a small group show up for the reunion. Ugh. So disappointing. Welcome to the age of technology I guess. And, I guess those who didn’t leave my hometown had no desire to get dressed up, pay money, and hang out with people they can just run into doing their everyday errands. So, that’s the power of Facebook! So, did I digress on livin’ up to my Facebook Status? Just a little but not too bad of a digression like usual!

Just as I am in person, I think before I talk, I think before I post. I post a lot of positive comments but if you have a conversation with me, I will say a lot of positive comments. I try to stay away from gossip, Debbie Downers and those who carry drama clouds everywhere they go. I am just done with it all. I am done with those who can not or will not or don’t have the desire to move forward. You have to be uncomfortable to grow, literally and metaphorically. My son’s friend gets pains in his legs sometimes. His doctor said it is growing pains, so literally, for him it is uncomfortable to grow. For me, I absolutely hate being the center of attention. This makes me very uncomfortable. In fact, when I am unsure of the company that I am surrounded by, I am the quietest person in the room. Another thing I absolutely hate, like I would rather scratch my eyeballs out, is to video myself talking and then to watch it. But, I have been doing it. Why? Because I was challenged by my broker to make videos as part of my marketing. The simple fact that I listen to her is HUGE and that I actually am doing what she suggests I do is even more HUGE. I listen to her because she has achieved the level of real estate success that I would like to achieve for myself, so I listen and do the things she tells me to. Just like that.  Are they uncomfortable? Yep, they sure are. Am I doing the things she tells me to do? Yep. Do I enjoy it? Yah, actually I do for the most part. I am actually starting to appreciate my unique self and that not everyone has to be perfect to be on video. As I get older and wiser I realize a lot of those who get media attention are not truly worthy of media attention. I won’t digress, because this topic alone will be a book.

So, after my self evaluation of my Facebook posts, I feel that I don’t put anything out there that isn’t truly a reflection of who I am and what I am about. I didn’t really think I was doing that because I am as down to earth as it gets. Seriously. You want to know how I actually have stayed married for as long as I have? Ask me. I will tell you that for the most part, my husband entered my life at the perfect time. He is smart, nerdy, muscular, funny, smarmy and pretty hunky all in one package. Best of all he is my best friend so that is why it works.  Does he irritate me? Yep. Do I irritate him? I doubt it. Kidding. Do we fight? You bet. Are my kids the smartest in their class? Not really. They are actually right smack in the middle with their average grades. Are they the start athletes? Kind of and not at all. So there. One snarky comment from my daughter led me to evaluate my whole social media presence. And I love the shit outta’ her for it.

This is Aviana, the one who keeps me and my social media on point.

Go out there friends and move forward!! Watch those Facebook & Social Media Posts, your kids & the world is watching you!

Till Next Time,

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Gettin’ Back to Center

I have been busy this year, pretty much on fi-yah if I do say so myself! I set professional goals and I am knocking them out, one by one, day by day. I believe in goal setting but it has to be a realistic goal. I have been in  many many goal setting meetings from both sides of the goal setting process. Before I started in real estate I managed professional speakers. Every speaker I worked with was YOUGE (think Donald Trump) on setting and achieving goals. More times than not these speakers paid big bucks for a coach to help them set and achieve their goals.  My part in their business was to help them achieve these goals by facilitating their marketing plans, negotiating their speaker contracts, making calls out to their database, writing web site copy, creating print ads and basically do all that I could for them, so they could write their books and go on as many speaking engagements that they needed. So, goal setting isn’t a new concept for me.

But, what was new to me is the real estate industry. I had no idea of how to gauge how much business I could possibly do in one year. I was baffled as to what to expect from myself. After working in the speaking industry for 12 years, I was VERY comfortable in goal setting with and for my clients.  So, new to real estate, I did what felt like a million different things to get myself comfortable in this new endeavor. For starters, I had a WONDERFUL mentor. She literally held my hand on my first couple of contracts. She knew that I was very frustrated with not knowing everything so she walked me through my first transactions which just happened to be for rental clients. Knowing that I am a perfectionist, she knew that I needed to have every “i” dotted and “t” crossed before I turned anything in to her. I learned those darn contracts, disclosures and all the documentation that my clients had to sign because part of being a perfectionist is also the desire to “know” everything. Well, when you are new to any industry, you can not possibly know everything right off the bat, right?!  I was nervous, excited, scared and always felt that I needed to learn MORE!!

My second year was so much better. Once I had a few transactions under my belt, I felt my confidence level go up. I was getting more comfortable with the contracts, found some great industry partners who functioned like I did as far as level of service, and most importantly doubled the amount of transactions from year one to year two.  By the end of the my second year, I thought, well, I certainly could double what I did for 2015! There are still 3 and half months left in 2015 and I am darn near my goal of 18 transactions this year, I believe that I need 3 more to check that goal off, but, the good news is that I will definitely hit the dollar amount that I set out for myself. Now I know for 2016, I will double my earnings and transactions once again.  Hopefully,  I will find an assistant to get me to the next level!

Hitting these business goals is hands down a great, no, such a FREAKIN’ FABULOUS feeling. But what is even a better feeling is doing what I love to do with those I choose to work with. I feel so blessed, lucky, fortunate whatever the word is to have worked with all the clients I have worked with over the years. Each person or couple, whether it was a rental, sale or purchase transaction has taught me something of great value. I work so closely with my clients that when the transaction closes I find that I really miss talking to them everyday! It can be an intimate experience working with couples or individuals at this capacity. Buying a home for the first, second or third time is a major event in most people’s lives and I am so honored to be a part of this experience with them.  I literally go through withdrawals once the transaction closes. So, I try to find the balance of staying in their lives but not driving them crazy!

Stella has found her groove!! (side note: I sometimes call myself Stella) I have accepted the fact that I won’t know everything because once I do know something it will change! I am slowly understanding that I can only have so much control over all the moving parts in the transaction and believe me this is hard to let go of. But, when you have your cross transaction agent, their client, my client a title company, a lender, the home appraiser and a couple of inspectors involved, it is nearly impossible to have 100% control over everything! You have to trust that your industry partners will strive for excellence in their role in the transaction.

In addition to my business goals for the remainder of 2015 and 2016, I have a personal goal of taking better care of my physical being. I will literally take the advice of all the speakers I have worked with and block out times and days for yoga, massage and classes at the gym. Ah, deep cleansing breath. Repeat and I am ready to roll. Getting back to center is really my main goal for 2016. That, and being more “present” with my family. That is always a goal of mine because these darn kids just keep growing and I don’t want to miss anything!!

So, gettin’ back to “center” is what it is all about from here on out on a personal level. Professionally, I will double my financial goal that I set for 2015 and mentally I will seek professional help to deal with the “loss” when my clients are done with me and they have moved into their new house!!

Until next time peeps….NAMASTE!

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Writer’s Block or Too Much On My Mind? You Decide!

I have so many random thoughts going through my head. Seriously, if you could hear all that goes through my head you would wonder how I haven’t imploded or exploded by now, which is why I am baffled that I can not focus on any one topic to write. So, I am going to write about my writer’s block because this is what I do when I am trying to work through something , I write. Perhaps if I get all these random thoughts out of my head, I will free the block and write something a bit more profound the next time! (or at least funny!)

• Why can I think of 20 marketing ideas for someone else besides myself?
• I love being a Realtor (pronounced REAL-tor, not reel-a-tor and yes I am still working on this pronunciation myself.)
• Why can’t I just get back in the gym and work out 5 times a week like I used to?
• I think it’s cool that we can connect with people from all aspects of our lives on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media outlets.
• Sometimes I am so organized in my work and home-life and sometimes I am such a mess.Why is this?
• Some of the most influential women in my life, besides my mom, I have met in the past 20 years. All of them older than me except for one. All very different personality styles, leadership styles but all have left a huge mark on me at some capacity.
• I am really amazed that I am still married and still love the crap out of my husband.
• Did you know that my husband does NOT read my blog posts? He says that he is just not a “blog person.” Really? Whatever Jeff Kooi. I do feel he is missing out but I will catch up with him after my national interview on the Today show, because I am sure that a producer will somehow get a hold of this post and recent posts and be so smitten that she will call me in to do a segment!
• Speaking of the Today show, did you know that I went back to college to pursue my dream of broadcast journalism? I didn’t follow through and that is probably my only regret, besides a couple of really dumb, stupid boyfriends I allowed in my life in my 20’s (but I digress!). I do however, foresee myself on TV at some capacity, maybe hosting a local Real Estate related show. 
• It has been 2 freakin’ months since I wrote a post. WTH??
• I never realized at 20 years old how much I would miss living away from my parents. I wish that I lived closer to them and it wasn’t a plane trip away. Sometimes you just need your parents, no matter how old you are.
• I am so quick to cry or get choked up. I have done this quite a bit lately. I also have laughed so hard lately that I cry so perhaps I am completely losing my mind?
• Some days I am so proud of how much my husband and I have achieved since we first met and then a wave of anxiety will run through me of how much more I still want to accomplish. (such a strange feeling)
• My soul is starting to be peace (again) since I started my yoga practice.  I just need to increase how often I practice. (working on this goal now, I just paused to do downward dog pose) I am kidding, I did not. I actually did child’s pose. Again, I am messing with you.
• Connecting with an old friend that I haven’t talked to since high school also has also been quite healing.  Now, I just wish she was my neighbor or at least we lived in the same state!
• Isn’t it weird that one person that I have known for less than a year can have such an influence in my life? I mean, life changing influence in a good, no GREAT way.
• So, this is me with writers block. All totally random thoughts. Any one of these thoughts would be a great blog post on its own but I didn’t figure this out until this very second.
• I need to lose a lot of weight. I am slowly taking action. I want to feel as good about my physical being as I finally do in my career. That needs to be balanced so I can move upward and onward!
• It’s probably a good thing that Jeff doesn’t read my blogs, these are things that I tell him anyway or I think that I tell him. The second I have his undivided attention, I am nonstop. I am sure he needs a break from me and all of my talking but he is nice enough to just listen!
• Do you know what I do quite often, perhaps a couple of times a day? I think about a person and the second I think about them, I will get a text, email, phone call, or they comment on a post that I have on Facebook? That is totally weird. I notice that it happens quite a bit. Weird, but so cool. Just shows you how connected I am to those who are in my life!
• Ok, enough for now. I don’t want you all to know the true depth of my craziness. Hopefully by getting all this randomness out, I can write on a more consistent basis!

Until Next Time Peeps!

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Customer Service Savvy

So much discussion surrounds customer service. It’s either shitty or it is fantastic, right? Almost no in between service. The expectation is that customer service should be hands down, knock you out GREAT! Especially from someone who makes a living on tips or commission, you would think people in these positions would be EXPERTS on customer service. Not always the case, and remember how I feel about expectations! (If you don’t expect much, then you will be pleasantly surprised when anyone does anything nice!)

My first retail job was in the late 1980’s and the customer service motto then was to treat everyone as you would want to be treated. As a 16 year old, that idea really confused me because when I walked into a store, it made me nuts when employees would great me at the door and proceed to follow me around and ask me a ton of questions when I just wanted to look!  I think a majority of the people feel this way. So, needless to say, I wasn’t the star employee at that job! I did great on sales once I knew someone wanted my help, but because I didn’t jump down their throats when they first walked in the door, my managers constantly were taking me aside asking me if I liked working there! Can you imagine, I had comparable sales results with the rest of the staff but because I didn’t interject an enthusiastic cheerleader “HI, HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING TODAY?” I was constantly being pulled to the side and being talked to! But, yet my sales totals were there, I just didn’t do a back flip then straddle jump when greeting customers into the store!

So, when it comes to customer service, how do people want to be treated? I think people want to feel respected, heard and most of all empowered. I learned this lesson back when I was bar tending. I loved bar tending for so many reasons, but the main reason is that I love to watch people, period. When I bar tended, I actually loved it when someone would send a drink back because they couldn’t taste the alcohol. Most often I would ask the customer what they feel is missing in their drink. I would say, maybe I forgot a shot of something in your long island, tell me what you think I forgot and I will add it for you. Often times the customer was in such shock that I would ask THEM what was missing they couldn’t tell me what was missing. But, by me asking them, they felt empowered, respected and they knew I heard, often time loud and clear I heard them. I would rather fix the mistake, get the drink back to the customer and have them come back to the bar when I was working because I relied on their tips to pay for so many things!! (Here was my secret to fixing the drink, whatever alcohol they told me was missing, say vodka, I would take the liquor bottle, pour vodka down the straw about half way so when they go take a sip of their drink, they get a shot of vodka.  Which,by the way,  made for very happy customers!  And I didn’t waste a full drink with 4 shots of liquor in it! haha!)

I am a firm believer that you learn more by listening. When it comes to food and beverages, nothing teaches you more about dealing with people then working at a restaurant. In fact, I will make sure my kids have that experience at some time before moving out of the house. Seriously. Nothing can prepare you for dealing in the real world than playing well with others and sharing all the toys in the sandbox like working in a restaurant.

So, three key points to FANTASTIC service is to:

1. Show Respect- by demonstrating points 2 & 3!

2. Empower-Let the client dictate the flow and tone of the conversation.

3. Listen- Ask them questions to learn how you can be of assistance. When they reply, listen attentively to their reply!

Till Next Time Peeps!

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Put Your Mask on First and Then Help Others

I didn’t grow up dreaming of being married and having children. I just didn’t. I didn’t want kids of my own. I saw how selfless my mom was and I just didn’t think I could give up so much of myself to be a mom and wife like she did.  I could not imagine loving someone so much that I would eventually want to have his child or children. That was just absolutely ludicrous to me, like so out of my world, pure craziness.

Fast forward 20 some odd years and I find myself a wife and a mother of two. For the longest time I felt tremendous guilt that I preferred to work outside of the home than to stay home with my kiddos.  Even though I had these two beautiful healthy children who I love more then life itself, I need to contribute to the family income and I need the adult interaction. I posses such a strong sense of independence but at the same time, such mountain size feelings of guilt that being a mom wasn’t all that I wanted. Did I just say that out loud? (or type that?) Yes. I. Did.  I found that I am happiest when I am able to make money and have my own identity.  I know it is such a taboo for a woman with kids to feel this way, I totally get it.  I look at it this way, you only have one shot at the “life” thing, so if working and parenting work out best for me, so be it. If not working and parenting works best for you, than fantastic. Accept the differences in lifestyles and move on.

Over the years I learned that I had to ignore the outside noise and listen to Camille. Really listen to myself.  You know right before take-off the flight attendant gives you the the in-flight emergency instructions? I believe one instruction is to put your oxygen mask on first and then to help others around you, even your children!  When I flew with my infant daughter for the first time, I thought, no way in hell will I put my mask on then hers. It’s all about her. Over time, I learned that by me putting on my mask first, is exactly what I need to do before I can help others especially my kiddos.

Putting on your mask first is such a powerful message, isn’t it?  Think about it. It applies to parents, teachers, business leaders, entrepreneurs and just about everyone in every profession you can imagine. I have seen wonderful people get burned in the business world because they were so busy putting on everyone else’s mask that when they needed someone to help them with their mask,  no one was there to help them.  It’s a tough lesson to swallow.Take care of yourself sounds selfish, but you have to take care of yourself to take care of others. In the past business I ran, I worked so hard and diligently to help others build their business that I didn’t help myself build one for myself.  As a parent and not putting my oxygen mask on first, I did a disservice to my children. I have to take care of me to be a better parent to them. That is the least I can do for them.  On any given day, it is pure chaos in my house. You know how it goes, one kid talking to you, another throwing a ball across the house repeatedly, TV is blaring in the background, dog is barking to come back in the house and the husband texting you to ask what we are having for dinner. I really don’t mind the chaos, as long as my oxygen mask is FULL and ON!!

Just a couple main points that I want you to get from this blog.  It’s OK to drown out your family, friends and society’s thoughts and comments about how they live their lives and opinions on how you should live yours. We are all different, accept the beauty of not being like everyone else! Keep your oxygen tank full. When it is full, you can clearly see that it makes the most sense to help others after you helped yourself. The fuller your tank and the more secure your mask, the better parent, spouse, business partner and leader you will be. If filling your tank is exercise, then exercise. If filling your tank is working outside of the home then do it and so on. No one but you knows what fills your tank, but once you figure that out keep your mask secured and you will learn to let go of guilt, drown out everyone else’s noise and get on with your life!

My challenge to you is to figure out what fills your oxygen tank, put your mask on first and let me know how that goes. I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Until Next Time Peeps,

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

Rudy

Look, I don’t check my USPS mailbox as often as I should. When my parents are here during the winter, they check it daily. I don’t. I should, but I get 95% of all my bills online and pay them online. So, checking the actual mailbox is rare unless I am expecting something I ordered online!

So, today after a busy weekend, I stopped to empty out about a weeks’ worth of mail. Naturally, the box was stuffed and I was thankful that I had my car. I noticed an envelope from the Maricopa County Animal Control and Care. I was curious as to what they had sent me. Turns out they were sending me a past due notice on Rudy’s rabies vaccination. My eyes immediately filled up with tears. Rudy was our yellow lab that we had for four years and he hasn’t been gone for a year yet.  Last July, we found out he had a mass that surrounded his heart. The ONLY symptom he had was that his appetite slowed down. It was enough of a concern to bring him into the vet. After numerous X-Rays we learned that he had a mass. Well, soon after his diagnosis, his health declined quite rapidly.  After discussing our options for treatment with our vet we decided we would do what we could to keep him pain free for the rest of his life. Due to the location and size of the mass our vet couldn’t guarantee that Rudy would make through surgery to remove the mass. Even if we had thousands of dollars for the mass removal, the vet wasn’t sure if a surgery would even help him in the long run. But, she knew his quality of life just wouldn’t be wouldn’t be the same post-surgery. He was a class-A goofball; text book lab personality. He was the life of any family party but most of all he was the love of Aviana’s life. She loved that dog and he absolutely loved her back. If I didn’t see it myself, I would swear they had their own language!  When she would leave for school he watched her cross the park to her bus stop. He would pace and wine watching her walk away. It was pathetic! But man, he loved her!! And she him.

It is so hard for a family dog to die. I had my first dog Bella, at 21 and had her for 15 years. We had to put her down and that just about broke me. I couldn’t talk about her for almost 3 years. Anytime someone asked me about her, I had to turn to Jeff and he would do all the Bella talking. Then we had Luna the Black Lab for 14 years and although she lived for a long time it was just as hard to say goodbye to her as it was Bella.

Back to our Rudy though. It really hurts to lose your own dog, but it is so much worse to see your daughter’s heart break over the loss of her dog. Just that thought alone makes my eyes well up as I type. Awh man. We are so lucky to have had our time with Rudy. Out of his 10 years, we had him for the last 4 ½. We were lucky to have the free entertainment, his endless energy, and his forever happy overall zest for life but most of all his love. I hope one day Aviana will write children’s books or the next best seller like “Marley and Me” about her life with Rudy. He certainly gave us plenty of material for a great series of books, but I will leave that book for her to write. Amazing how just checking the mail can bring back a rash of emotions. Yay for Rudy and the other great family dogs we had! They will continue to live on in our hearts forever!

Till next time peeps….

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double and triple exclamation points!!!! (Sometimes 4!)

My Aviana

I know this girl, Aviana (Ah-ve-ah-na).  She is a great kid. Honestly. She is a blast to be around 95% of the time. But, it wasn’t always this sunny and rosy with my first child. In fact, she has been quite a challenge for me. A challenge that I just didn’t expect to have. But, isn’t that the problem with expectations? I don’t know about you, but once I start to expect things go a certain way, or expect someone to behave or just have any expectations at all, I find myself disappointed. Mostly disappointed in myself, disappointed in the person or situation. In fact, I have tried to teach my kids NOT to expect certain behavior from certain people. This comes from seeing your child disappointed, OK crying hysterically when they learn disappointment. Man, have I digressed.  This is a blog post about my Aviana!

So, I will start at the beginning. I found out I was pregnant around Thanksgiving in 2000. I was with my boyfriend, now husband, for 4 years at that time. I had just landed my first “RJ” (Real Job) after graduating from ASU. So, big things were happening all around me. I was literally on the job for 2 months when I found out that I was going to be a mom. Even at 29 years old, I didn’t want to tell my parents I was expecting a child without being married. So, yep, I had to have “that conversation” with them! And let me tell you, that was a nice chat. Okay, so it wasn’t that great of a conversation but, I went in knowing that this wouldn’t be a tears- of- joy chat so at least I had the right expectation this time.

The day that Aviana was born was the most bittersweet day that I have yet to experience. This little tiny baby was given to me milliseconds after she was born and she struggled to find her dad. Literally, forced her eyes to open in the direction of his voice. I mean, I knew he was a good guy but cheesh, this little tiny baby seconds from birth, already dismissed me and went straight for her dad. I wish that I could say that I was over that feeling,  but if I let it, that memory can literally choke me until I feel my airways constrict! Good thing I started practicing yoga a couple years before she was born, because the cleansing breath is what has gotten me through labor and delivery until present day!

Just recently I have experienced that same airways constricted feeling with Aviana. She will be 14 in June and is already talking about the type of car she wants to drive. I am excited for her to start high school but at the same time I feel such a wave of panic that she will be in HIGH SCHOOL.  She is a really good kid, she is super quiet in school, does her work, loves technology, well, her iPhone (does that count as technology?) and she is really, really funny. We think she is Kristin Wiig and or Tina Fey funny. Right now I just find myself staring at her, marveled at the miracle that she is. Physically,  she has everything I ever wanted. She is thin, but is shapely. She has a much smaller bone structure then I do and so far doesn’t have my hips and boobs.  Right now, she can eat what she wants and actually just keeps getting taller and thinner. (this is how her dad and his mother are) And, don’t get me started on her skin color. Let’s just say, that all the summers I spent tanning in my parent’s back yard in Wisconsin, I would have never achieved her gorgeous skin color.  There are days that I am just amazed that this is the life I am living, a wife and a mother of two well adjusted kids.  (As I type this the kids are fighting over who hit who with a pool toy that should be outside in the first place). This is nothing like the life I that expected myself to be living. (again with that darn expectation!)

As she approaches this next big milestone, I find myself, even with medication, having these mini anxiety attacks that she will be navigating high school in a few months, then driving and then off to college. I didn’t enjoy Aviana  for most of her early years. I swore that she hated me. I went to a traditional type therapist and even went to a psychic to find out what I did in a past life to deserve to have a child who behaves like she did! I kid you not. Once I let go of trying to control her and let her “be her” we started to see eye to eye and our life together got much better. I have always loved her, but there were days, even years, I was convinced that I was not cut out for this mother thing.

All I know right now is that I am awe of her. Complete and udder awe of this person who is my daughter. I remember holding her as a newborn like it was yesterday and here we are looking high school literally down the throat. Big cleansing breath. She has been a very good pre-teen, so far the teenage years have been good and here’s to hoping we stay on this road. While my friends were all lovely dovey with their little girls who loved their mommies, I was pulling at straws, grasping for air to keep my head above water with my challenging daughter. Now that those mommies are fighting with their teenagers, I feel so thankful that I had those tough times a looooong time ago. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to be the mom and tell her to put laundry away, break up a wrestling match with her 9 year old brother and remind her to get her homework done once in a while, but overall, life is good with her. I really enjoy her company and how hard she can make me laugh.  I just am so excited for her next milestones and hope that she will still like me during her next phase!

Wish me luck friends, I am not expecting a miracle (because you know how I feel about expectations) but I am certainly hoping that we stay friends over the next few years!

 

Until next time peeps….

 

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double exclamation points!!!! (sometimes more than 2!)

 

 

We Can Be a Very Cruel Judgmental Bunch

Wow. Just Wow. I know that I shouldn’t,  but I am really amazed at how mean people and the media are to Kelly Clarkson. So what, she gained weight. She just had a baby. Good GOD. Is there no mercy for a celebrity who gains weight and is well, just, you know, normal? You never hear Kelly Clarkson in the media for any negative behavior. She keeps her hoo-ha covered when getting out of limo’s, she hasn’t been through re-hab, she isn’t a media suckin’ mogul who makes millions for just being…well…beautiful and as far as I know, doesn’t have a sex tape floating around.

Kelly Clarkson is extremely talented and she just seems like a really nice person. Her only downfall and gets reamed for it every time she makes an appearance, is that her weight goes up and down like a real person. I don’t know for sure, but I think she might put her jeans on one leg at a time, just like all those who criticize her every pound. Even if she was a total Diva, pain-in-the-neck performer who is a nightmare to work with, it still isn’t right to have this national conversation about her weight.

Look. I have never been skinny. Big boobs run on one side of my family and hips on the other and no one is “naturally” thin. If there is anyone in my family who is naturally thin I must have blocked that person out because I have no memory of ever meeting him/her.  When I was pregnant with my daughter, I did everything my doctor and nurses told me to eat and drink and I still gained 60 pounds. I was expecting a 20 lb chubby baby on the day she was born, but nope, she was a 6 lb skinny little baby who looked like everything I ate bypassed her and went to my eyelids down to my big toe. That was attractive time in my life. Not. Here I had this perfectly healthy little angelic baby who has changed my life in more ways than I can describe and all I could do was worry how long I would carry this weight. No one made me feel like I was huge, it was me comparing myself to celebrities who are wearing their pre-maternity clothes a week after they had a baby.

There are times I would love to be JLO,  have the guts to get on stage and belt out a song like Kelly Clarkson or have four children and still be a top model like Heidi Klum. I know that JLO has to work her ass off to look like she does. I also realize she has money to get the best plastic surgeons, have someone prepare her meals, grocery shop for her and for all I know, she might have someone who walks along side of her to slap a Girl Scout thin mint out of her hand when she reaches for one.

So, I digress. I am guessing that Kelly has the money to spend on all the same things that JLO and Heidi Klum pay for but she chooses not to. Please, just leave Kelly alone. Let her have her weight gains and losses and really just cherish her for the artist that she is. Let her enjoy her time with her baby and not deal with the whole world telling her that she is a bit heavier this year then she was 10 or 15 years ago when she was in her 20’s. I am sure that she already knows that she has gained weight. Really? Is this really fodder for a national conversation?  For her sake, I hope she can block all the social media haters.

I leave you what I always said to my kids (when they were much younger) as they pointed out a really heavy person to me, usually in Target and not in their “inside or whisper” voice. I would say, ” You know what? That person doesn’t need a naughty little kid to tell them they are heavy. That person already knows and chances are, they already feel bad about their weight. How would you like it if someone pointed to you and said look at that ugly little child?”  That usually shut my kids up pretty quickly. Mostly because they couldn’t believe I called them ugly,  but hopefully they will  think twice before they say anything mean about someone!

Lets just leave Kelly Clarkson the heck alone with her weight gain or losses.  Kelly if you are reading this blog (who knows, she could get her hands on it one day!) please just keep doing you. You are beautiful, talented, and have a beautiful soul. I am glad you are happy, have a healthy baby and a loving husband. Some people should be so lucky.

Until next time peeps…

Camille

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double exclamation points!!!! (sometimes more than 2!)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Remember that David Bowie song called “Changes?” I know the song, but didn’t realize it was a David Bowie song until seconds ago when I “googled” the lyrics! And yes, I just made “Google” a verb.  After all, it was a song that I remember hearing as a little kid! And a few more seconds of research, I discovered that song was written in 1971, which by the way, was the year I was born!  Yep, I was pretty young when that song was popular.

One paragraph into my blog post, I digress. Really Camille?  I titled this blog Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes for a reason. And that reason wasn’t to give you the history of that song and my age.  Get it together Kooi. (Pronounced Koo-wee. I know you were wondering how the heck to say that last name! ) I have been thinking about change lately, mostly because I just made a major change in my life. Then I get to wondering why people react so differently to change in their lives? For example, why is change so scary for some and an adrenaline rush for others? Why is it easy for some to switch jobs every couple of years and others stay in a job forever even thought they hate it?  See. Fascinating stuff.

I am one of those people who love change. I crave it. I love it.  Am I nuts?  Perhaps. By the way, that’s a hypothetical question for those out there who know me. I  don’t want one word from any of you regarding my sanity.  Maybe I just get bored with one thing and know that I have to make a change to feel alive again. Maybe I didn’t have enough change in my childhood, perhaps changing gears every now and again is good for my soul. Whatever. The new experiences, new ideas, fresh start all invigorate me. Although I love change and the challenges that go along with it, I don’t make a change every time the wind blows just every other time the wind blows! No, I kid you. I am pretty solid once I make a decision.

Recently I made a change from one real estate brokerage to another.  This was a huge decision for me. I was happy at my previous brokerage.  I had broker support, had a fantastic mentor who has the patience of a saint and educational opportunities galore. I wasn’t searching for a new brokerage but I realized that my fire-in-my-belly feeling was no longer there.  That fire is what gets me out of bed in the morning.  I didn’t even feel the flame go, it must have burned pretty slowly.  But, once I realized the flame burning out issue, I knew it was time for a change. I had to change something, but wasn’t quite sure what I was looking to change. I knew it wasn’t my career because I really love being a Realtor.  I kind of thought that I needed to take on a crafty creative project but nothing caught my attention enough to get started. Typically cleaning and organizing the house is very therapeutic for me, but it wasn’t doing the trick this time.

I had this meeting with Jason and Kala Laos who own JK Realty here in Gilbert, AZ.  Within seconds of talking  I felt a connection with them. The day before,  they were faces on Facebook and the next day I found myself having this great conversation about stuff that I typically don’t talk about on a first “date!” I felt the sparks and knew right away I needed to stay connected to them.  I sound like a love stricken’ teenager, but whatev’s, I felt it and I am sure they did too!  Instantaneously I knew this was the change I was craving.  I promised myself that once I had an opportunity to switch brokerages that I would. As of a week ago, I made the brokerage change!  I feel like I dropped 30 pounds! And we all know how fabulous dropping weight feels!

I needed to get back to the Camille that I can stand. I don’t like the disengaged, lack of self motivation me I had become. Worst of all, I couldn’t get my marketing “hat” on for 2015 to save my life. And, marketing is my thing people so that was really eating away at me.

In this past week, I put a contract in escrow and have mapped out my marketing strategy for the rest of the year. I feel so alive, so full of ideas and energy. I really missed this version of Camille! So often change is feared and I totally get that (teenager Camille again) Change it up a bit, take that risk and allow yourself to be happy.

If you ever want to talk to someone about change, I am your girl. I am a real estate agent so every day I help people make MAJOR changes in their lives. Moving your life and home from one space to another is absolutely a huge event during anyone’s life. Maybe I should be a called a Change Agent? Hmmmm. See my marketing brain is going a mile a minute…

Change is Good peep’s. Don’t fear it. Grab it by the horns and run like hell.

Until Next Time,

Camille

Link to David Bowie’s song! 

*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional writer nor am I am proficient in where to place commas, when to italicize (or is it appropriate to italicize, or use parenthesis?) and that my sentences are grammatically correct. I am merely releasing all the thoughts that are in my brain and sharing them with you. If you enjoy my posts GREAT but I know they are written with many errors. Taking a creative writing class or a grammar class is next on my “to do” list. I promise. I also like to use double exclamation points!