Stacey-Ann's Blog

I've been reading about all the new "necessities" that people are beginning to give up as the economy gets worse.  These include:

• Cell phones
• Gourmet coffee
• Second car
• Lawn service
• Cable TV
• Gym membership
• Private school
• Manicures & Pedicures
• Botox
• Bottled Water

I am guilty of using some of these and I couldn't do without:

1. Second car - My husband and I would never survive trying to share a car.  We work in different directions and at different times and neither one of us works convenient to a metro station.
2. Cable TV - We are a TV watching family.
3. Cell phones - I'm a real estate agent that goes without saying.  However, even if I wasn't I feel so much safer with a cell phone than without.
4. Lawn Service & Cleaning Service - They save us so much time.  As a busy family this allows us to at least have some of the weekends to spend together.

What could I give up if I had to?  Gym membership.  I know I should keep it but I really don't use it the way I should.  I'd rather go for a walk with the kids for exercise.

Which luxuries necessities can't you do without and which ones could you give up easily?

Wonderful 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo in gated community in Prince Georges County.  Low condo fee includes all utilities, building maintenance, swimming pool, and more.

Located on the top floor.  Large floor-plan has a balcony with extra storage.

Convenient to metro, highway, Prince George's Community College, and shopping.

This condo is offered at $179,900.

I thought this was a funny story and wanted to share.  My brother is a DJ in Jamaica where parties can sometimes go on all night.  My daughter wanted to talk to him the other morning.  My mom told her not to wake him up.  Sydney asks why she couldn't wake him since it was 11am.  My mom patiently explained that Uncle Stephen works at night and sleeps during the day, and my daughter in all her wisdom says "Oh, I get it.  He's nocturnal!"

The Women's Board of Montgomery General Hospital's Annual Picnic & Bazaar will be held on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 from 10am-8pm.  This will be held on the grounds of Montgomery General Hospital on Rt 108 in Olney, Maryland.  The event features great food, performances by local artists, items for sale, moonbounce, games, prizes, a clown, and much more.

The event benefits the Montgomery General Hospital and the Women's Board Scholarship Fund.

Come on out and have fun while supporting an important cause.

We really love our new home and neighborhood however, there are so many little things about a new community that we didn't consider.  The most annoying by far has been the lack of mail delivery.  The post office has not issued that extra four digit code that follows the zip code for this area yet so they don't deliver mail.  I asked the woman when it would be and she said "It will probably be a minute".  How long is that exactly? 

Initially I didn't think it would be a problem because I saw the mail truck in here.  However, I have since been informed that my side of the road is not being delivered yet.  So I have to drive to the post office everyday to pick up my mail even though I watch the mail truck drive by my house every day to deliver mail on the other side of the street.

There has got to be a better way!

Just wanted to say thank you to the team at All Points Moving & Storage for the fabulous job they did helping us move last weekend.  Mitchell, Kenney, Dre, & Richard were a pleasure to work with.  They were friendly and outgoing and easy to converse with.  There was a great deal of laughter as we were working.  It sometimes felt that we had friends helping us to move, instead of a company that we had hired.  They were very diligent and got the job done efficiently and correctly (nothing was broken or damaged).

I called several companies and All Points Moving & Storage was the one that had the best rates and the most flexibility in terms of when we wanted to move.  I actually chose them over a company that had moved us twice in the past simply because the rate was so competitive.

If you are in need of movers in the Maryland, DC, Virginia area give Bill Curtis from All Points Moving & Storage a call (301) 625-5001, (202) 726-1700, (703) 212-7800.  Be sure to tell him you heard about them from me.   Happy Moving!

I was not sure I was going to survive the time without tv, internet, and phone.  I surprised myself because what I missed the most was definitely the internet.  I realized how addicted I am to feeling connected.  I actually felt lost sitting here in the house each evening.  Once the kids went to bed the silence was so amazingly loud.  There were some perks, I did get some good reading and unpacking done and I really enjoyed listening to music at night.  My husband and I actually had good conversations when he got home from work.  However, I could not stand not being able to watch the news, write my blog, search the MLS, or read and comment on other blogs.  I am really glad that this forced electronic vacation is over and that I am back! 

We recently purchased a new home from NV Homes in Maryland.  I have been very impressed with the quality of the product that was delivered.  The home includes many features that contribute to a luxurious feel including crown moulding & chair railing, granite counters, hardwood floors & ceramic tiles, stainless steel appliances, and open floor plans.

A major contributor to our positive experience with NV was our sales rep, Marcus Brown.  Whenever a problem arose Marcus was always available to answer any questions and to help guide us through the process.  He always made us feel that our concerns were legitimate and that he would look out for our needs.  Dealing with Marcus has been one of the most pleasurable customer service experiences of my life.

Our decision to purchase a new NV home was based on a number of factors:

1. Another NV Sales Rep (Matt?) who was at a community called the Ridings in Upper Marlboro.  He was the first person that got me excited about the possibility of purchasing new construction.
2. We found a development that offered many of the amenities that we wanted for our family.
3. The relationship we were able to develop with Marcus.  Oak Creek has several builders and many floor plans.  However, none of the other sales reps in the community were as attentive to my questions and interests during the shopping phase, which led me to believe that they would not be attentive to me during the building phase.

Though there were some bumps along the way, I was not disappointed with either the way they were handled or how they affected the final product.

If you are in the market for a new home stop by the NV Model in Oak Creek, located in Upper Marlboro, MD and meet with Marcus, be sure to tell him Stacey Baugh sent you. 

I'm finally moving on Saturday.  Its a new community that includes cable and internet in the HOA fee so you have to deal with specific people.  They are not able to set up our service until next week Wednesday.  I am so dreading this.  No TV, No Internet, No Phone for 4 days!  How will we survive?    I guess I will have no distractions to prevent me from unpacking. 

Question #1: Who is my favorite musical artist?
That's a hard one for me because I have such eclectic music tastes (I like everything except classical, hard rock, and country, except for Kenny Rogers).  However, R. Kelly is one of my favorites (I know he's crazy but he sure is talented).

Question #2: Who is my favorite visual artist?
I'm a big fan of Monet and the Impressionist era in general.  Not fond of modern or contemporary art.

Question #3: Who is my favorite blogger?  I don't know if I have a favorite blogger but I definitely have some people who I enjoy reading their blogs and feeling like i'm getting to know them.

Question #4: If I could meet anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? I would love to meet my paternal grandmother.  She passed away the same year I was born.  She's the only one of my grandparents that I never grew up with.  The other three were such an important part of my life that I think I really missed out by not knowing her.

Question #5: What did I want to be when I grew up? First a telephone operator (ambitious I know), then a pediatrician.

Question #6: If I could live in any point of history when would it be and why? I would like to live right now.  I think watching all the changes in technology over the past few years is fascinating and I can't imagine functioning without them.

Question #7: What is the most interesting piece of trivia you know? That Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world.

Question#8: What is the most interesting job you have ever held? The most interesting job i've had would be teaching undergraduate psychology courses.  Each class is different and each student brings a different flavor to the material.  On the other hand, the worse job I had was in high school where I was an envelope stuffer for the phone company.

Question #9:  What event has had the greatest impact on your life?  Obviously the usual things like my wedding day and the birth of my children have been very instrumental in shaping who I am.  However, apart from those obvious things there are two other things that have drastically changed who I am (in chronological order):

1. Moving to the United States from Jamaica in 1992.  Coming here as a teenager exposed me to different cultures and allowed to grow in many wonderful ways.  Also, allowed me to make some long lasting friendships.
2. September 11, 2001.  I lost my best friend, Angie Houtz in the Pentagon that morning.  I am not the same person I was before that.  I've had to learn that love sometimes hurts but that its better to love and hurt than to never allow yourself to connect to people.  We also set up a scholarship in her honor and that has become a major focus in my life.  

Thanks to Tracy Williams Pender for tagging me.  Its interesting to think about these responses.

Now to tag some other people, i'm afraid to do it in case they have been tagged in the past:
Debi Ernst, Richard Weisser, Dennis Beckner, Robert Rauf, Stuart Dobson.  Yvette Smith & Kevin O'Shea you get away because i'm pretty sure you've been hit before.