Sooooooooooooo Frustrating..... We had such a great weekend here on Lake Oconee. We spent late Saturday afternoon at the Ritz Carlton watching a wake boarding competition. Sunday afternoon was gorgeous so we found ourselves back out on the water with a great group of friends. Then Monday night we started off the week on a high note with a birthday dinner at Silver Moon. I thought for sure I would be watching the back of my eyelids by 10 p.m. last night. Thus was not even near the case. 4:30 in the morning and I was still watching the clock. My mind just did not want to shut down. The big shibang (our wedding) is just 25 days away. Between that and thoughts of work it is making it near impossible to fall asleep as night. I laid there willing myself to go to sleep but thoughts of all thes... 08/31/2011

The most recent issue of Flair Magazine features an article about blogging. I was chosen as one of the subjects! A big thank you to Jamie Miles, who wrote the story, for thinking of me for the issue. Just goes to show that a little blogging goes a long way! Click on the image to see it in high resolution. 08/24/2011

Wakeboarding on Lake Oconee, Georgia.  Due to a growing interest from guests of The Ritz-Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee, the hotel is hosting a Wakeboarding Weekend at the end of this month. Along with Singleton Marine Group, the Ritz will offer an entire weekend jam packed with exciting wakeboarding and wakesurfing clinics so that anyone can learn about this exhilarating sport. Special hotel packages have been put together to accommodate those interested in the clinic. Starting Friday, August 26th through Saturday, August 27th you can get an overnight resort view guestroom, valet parking, $50 in food and beverage credit, and free admission into the wakeboarding clinic. Rates for this package start at $329 per night. The Wakeboarding & Wakesurfing Clinics will begin at 10 a.m. both Saturd... 08/15/2011

Ever wonder what to do with the cardboard boxes lying around in your attic or garage? For some unique ideas be sure to come out this Saturday as OPAS presents the 3rd Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta! Who knew cardboard could be so much fun!? Kendrick Harris and the rest of the staff at OPAS are excited for the showdown. “This year’s Village Cardboard Boat Regatta is going to be the best one yet! There are 12 boats registered so that means 12 different charities of their choices will benefit. Also this year, OPAS has added the World’s Fastest Cardboard Kayak Challenge. There isn’t anything better than watching the community have a great time for a good cause!” (all photos courtesy of OPAS) This year’s event takes place from 2p.m.-6p.m. at Lake Oconee Village by the pond next to Publix with... 08/11/2011

I joined a group of girlfriends recently at the newest addition to the food and beverage world on Lake Oconee, Richards Wine Bar. It's the perfect little spot for catching up, a private party, or even a date night with your significant other. Owner Richard Matthews expanded on his already successful wine store, Classic Wines, which he established in 2006, by opening the bar in the same location as his store in the Village Commerce Center. We wasted no time on our visit sampling pretty much everything on the menu. My favs were the Southern Pimento Cheese with Crisped Prosciutto, Hand Carved Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Creme, and the Asian Lettuce Wrap with Pulled Duck Confit. yuM, yUM, YUM! Can't decide which wine you want to accompnay all those tasty treats? No big deal... 08/01/2011

To Each His Own or Is There A Solid Answer? A recent blog post by Barbara Todaro titled "Hide And Seek Is Not A Game To Play With Past Clients" caused questions to arise in my mind and I thought, "What better place to pose the question than AR?" In her post she talked about time lapses between Agent/Client contact and how long will it take for them to forget you or move on? Still semi fresh to the game, I stay in close contact with any and all people that I even broach the subject of real estate with because I am trying to build my SOI as much as possible. Depending on where they are in their process, I determine how frequently I need to touch base whether it be via email, quick phone call, a card, or what have you. The ultimate question that Barbara's blog conjured for me is that of Ho... 07/27/2011

Inside the Top 20 for Active Rain Newbies! I absolutely have to take the opportunity to reblog a post I found yesterday by fellow AR member Richard Yates of Orange County, California. In this particular post Richard had shared with us The Leading Newbies of 2011 as of 7/15/2011 here on Active Rain. Naturally, having joined this year, I clicked to see who was at the top of the list. I recognized many of the 18 faces that were there as we all tend to encourage and keep in touch with the fellow Newbies (as we're called) in the AR family. What a great recognition Richard had made for these people who have gotten off to a great start this year in building a strong foundation for themselves. Then I scrolled down just a bit farther and what the heck do ya know....I was #19! I hadn't made the b... 07/20/2011

I'd Like To Introduce You To My Heart and Soul... I'll preface this by saying that I know that this post isn't real estate related. But for those of you who follow my posts here on AR you've probably seen me mention the name Drew oh....1,000 times!? I wanted to introduce you to him since I talk about him all the time and will continue to talk about him all the time. I can't help it. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me. We recently took engagement pictures with Phillip Faulkner of Athens, Georgia and today I got to finally see them. Below is definitely one of my favorites. So, everybody, meet Drew. Thought a face to the name would be nice : ) I am so ridiculously lucky. I cannot wait to marry him in September.... 07/14/2011

Alright Potter Fans the time has come again! The 8th movie and final installment of the Harry Potter phenomenon hits theaters this Friday. Be the first to see it by joining Lake Oconee’s Spotlight Theater when they premiere the movie tonight! Well technically tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. The movie will be shown in both 3D and 2D and over 300 tickets have already been sold for the midnight showing. Bring 10 nonperishable food items and your ticket will be upgraded to Concierge Level! Everyone is encouraged to dress up and play the part of your favorite Harry Potter character. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (706-999-9999), or in person at the theatre. Don’t miss this opportunity to be one of the first on Lake Oconee to see this movie! 07/14/2011

Paying It Forward- Volunteering for Extreme Home Makeover. The streets where I live have been buzzing for a little over a month now as ABC's reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is coming to our area. We did not know exactly what family was going to be helped but this morning, as a matter of fact, the show suprised the deserving family and work is probably in full force by now. I think what the show does for families around our country is inspiring so last week when I received an email saying that they needed volunteers to help with the project I was quick to jump on board. I have volunteered to work three shifts this week with the project. I could be doing anything from gardening, to painting, to working the tent where they hand out water and snacks to the workers. Wherever they... 07/10/2011

Photos From Great Day On The Water-Lake Oconee, Georgia. Had such a great time getting out on the water and enjoying a bit of this holiday weekend. Bryan and I have been friends literally our entire lives. Before we could crawl we were "hanging out" together. It was so fun to have him, his wife Danah, and their two beautiful girls, Atalie & Josey come and spend the night with us at our house on Lake Oconee for the holiday. Below are just a few shots of a great day out on the lake! Happy 4th of July everybody! 07/04/2011

Paying It Forward-Kodak Kiask Confusion. Earlier today I was at the Kodak Kiask in CVS trying to print a few pictures. I really was under a time crunch and had hoped to get in and out very quickly. Having used the kiask many times before I was flying through making my prints in a matter of minutes just as I had planned. All of a sudden right as I was about to finish I hear the sweetest little voice behind me say, "excuse me, can I use this machine to make prints of these photos?" I turned around and the cutest lady was standing there with four pictures in her hand. Instantly I realized what I had to do. I told her that my photos would be done in just a moment and I would be happy to show her how to work the machine. And that's exactly what I did. I asked her what she wanted done with th... 07/01/2011

Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee Who Knew Continuing Ed Could Be So Fun? No matter where you live in this great country, if you are an active Realtor then at some point you have to take continuing education courses. Our local Board of Realtors offered two courses today and I figured, why not? The last thing I need to do is look up in November, way short on my hours, and be in a huge rush to get them completed. And no matter who you are you also probably do not get as excited about going to continuing education classes as you do, say, the lake for the weeeknd... Get in, get it done, get out. That was my philosophy. I had no idea who would be the instructor nor did I really care. I knew I was taking a class on Code of Ethics. Does it speak poorly of our local board that about 30% of all our Re... 06/30/2011

After about a week of some much, much needed rain I am excited to see that the weather plans to clear up just in time for one of the biggest times here on Lake Oconee, July 4th weekend! Fireworks, concerts, lake activity, festivals, and family grill outs might be a little tough in the rain but according to Weather.com we've got little to worry about for this coming weekend! I know here on AR we love the "rain" but for big holiday weekends we need it to stay away : ) Friday Jul 1  Project: Lawn Equipment Mostly Sunny High93°FLow69°F Precip:   10%     Wind:   ESEat 1 mph UV Index:   10+ Extreme Humidity:   62%     Sunrise:   6:26 AM Sunset:   8:47 PM     Plenty of sun. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 60s. Saturday 2  Photos: Weather from 30,000 ft. Sunny High96°FLow70°F Precip:... 06/28/2011

Scheduled Fireworks for 4th of July Ritz-Carlton Lodge: July 3rd Horace Reeves & The Happy Five will kick off the evening with a concert starting at 7:30. Fireworks extravaganza will begin at dusk on Sunday the 3rd. Great Waters: Fireworks will be held on July 4th and they will begin at dusk. Lake Country Freedom Festival will also be having fireworks on the 4th, as well as an entire day of fun, at Crooked Creek Marina on Lake Sinclair. The days events start with a 5K at 8 a.m. and the fireworks display will be that evening from 9:30-10:00. No shortage of fun for the 4th in this area! 06/25/2011

Yesterday was a very big day for me as I sold my very first home as a Realtor! 6 months in, a lot of long, hard hours and days wondering if it was ever, ever going to pay off, and it finally has. It was an incredible feeling leaving that closing and an emotional one at that. Naturally I didn't let anyone else see that side of it but as I got in my car to leave, I headed to Publix to grab a 6 pack for celebration, and it hit me. It was like I had been justified or something. I really can do this. I really am doing this. To all those who've come before me I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.... So upon arriving home I knew there was something else waiting for me. Drew was there with a big hug but also a box. A box that has been sitting in our home for the past four months. On... 06/25/2011

Just a quick update on the upcoming Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Earlier today I spoke with Chris Hilsman, Co-Founder of Pilot Builders, which is one of the companies who will be building this dream home for a very deserving family here in Northeast Georgia, and they could not be more excited about the challenge ahead. “We want to encourage everyone in the community to come out and join us next Thursday, 7 p.m., at the Morgan County High School Gym for the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Pep Rally! We are going to need everyone’s help to make this dream come true.” Bring signs, show your support, and for those in the community who are interested in volunteering or supporting the project there will be more information available. The build schedule is also said to be released at the pep r... 06/24/2011

Pay It Forward-Super 8 Movie leads to Super Frustration. Last night Drew and I went to the movies. We hardly ever go to the movies. It's expensive. We eat too much popcorn. We have a large, rather costly tv at home that we paid a lot of money for so we can sit our happy butts on the couch and watch movies. And lastly, well, the inevitable is bound to always happen but I'll get to that in a minute. Groupon, however, recently offered a special where you could get two tickets and a large popcorn for like $13. Drew went ahead and bought two deals as he knew the summer was approaching and there was bound to be some good movies coming out. After battling it out over whether to go see Hangover 2, Super 8, or Green Lantern, we inevitably decided on Super 8 and off we went. As usual we finished ... 06/23/2011

Perched on the sparkling shores of Lake Oconee is the country’s only Del Webb community located on a navigable lake. Del Webb at Lake Oconee is located 75 miles east of Atlanta in the town of Greensboro. Residents of this unique 55+ community enjoy fabulous amenities including exciting water activities such as boating, fishing, sailing and more. Lake Oconee is a huge man-made lake with 400 miles of shore. The 19,000 acre lake is fully stocked with four kinds of Bass, Crappie and Catfish. Wildlife including deer and bald eagles call Lake Oconee home while towering mature growth pine trees dot the landscape. Del Webb at Lake Oconee has 1,400 feet of direct lake access including 38 boat slips, a boat launch and boat storage facility. Greensboro, GA and the surrounding areas offer a welcom... 06/23/2011

Ryan Mozzone was once your average kid who loved to play soccer, hang out with his friends and family, and water ski on the lake. But on January 12th, 2007 his life changed forever when he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. At the time Ryan was just 12 years old and when he’d much rather be battling it out on the soccer field, instead he was in a fight against his own body. His white blood cells decided that his beta cells in his pancreas did not belong and his body quit producing insulin which in turn led to his diagnosis. In the following 32 months he went on to endure over 4000 injections and almost 8000 finger pricks. Can you imagine? It’s because of Ryan’s willingness to fight that his mom, Nancy, and so many others put many hours into organizing the Lake Country Freedom Festival,... 06/20/2011