What Memorial Day means to me.

Memorial Day is when we all stop to celebrate that (most of us) get a 3 day weekend. We are jazzed that it's the kick-off weekend for the summer to begin. It's a time for BBQ's with family and friends, afternoons spent in the pool or laying out, beach trips or great sales at the mall!

What many of us tend to forget is WHY we get this 3 day weekend? We are given this day to celebrate in observance of all the men and women who have faught for our country and lost their lives while doing so. I understand there are mixed emotions regarding the war our country is currently in, and the ones from the past but regardless of how you feel about it...without the freedom our soldiers have faught for, you wouldn't even have a choice in having a difference of opinion about the war.

It is truly a time to thank every man and woman who has sacraficed their lives to stand and fight for our country. It is a day to remember those who have lost their lives because they fought for what they believed in. I have the utmost respect for these individuals and my only request is that each person takes their own moment of silence to remember or to pray for the soldiers who have lost their lives and their families who have a lifetime of grief because of their loss.

This is my moment to remember Daniel Parker. To thank him for his service and to thank him for his friendship. I think about you often, if not daily and struggle knowing your life was cut so short. Daniel was such a positive person with an optimistic attitude. You were liked by many and loved by even more. You will always be missed <3

What I already know

I have selective ADD. I am 100% enthusiastic about something for perhaps a few weeks...sometimes it even lasts a few months. And then 1 day *POOF* it's gone. hahaha Perhaps my blogging enthusiasm comes and goes because I don't have something like a child who is ever changing by the day, or because I don't have a passion I want to write about daily.




Actually, I think my enthusiasm died around the same time my enthusiasm for social networking began to diminish. Have I finally grown tired of the internet? Not a chance..but I do think I have become bored with "today's" latest fad of myspace, facebook, twitter... or maybe just burned out. Maybe with the upcoming attempt at dog training, buying and moving, and personal re-evaluation I may actually have something to say...er type...again.

Friday the 13th

For such a superstitious day known for "bad luck" there wasn't a shred of bad luck following us ladies that night!

The night consisted of no traffic, fantastic mojito's, an amazing group of ladies, dancing and 80's music.

Besides having a little 2o minute detour and our 101, 5, 10, 60 frwy misshap (completely my idiotic fault), Sarah drinking a little too much cheap tequilla, and never succeeding to get Briana on the dance floor...Friday the 13th is not a day to be wary of.

Cassandra, Matuya, me and Sarah at The Standard

Briana, Matuya, Cassandra, Sarah, Cheryl and myself at Clockwork Orange

Bald is Beautiful

So it takes a massive amount of courage for a woman to shave her head (if you aren't Britney Spears that is) and doing it for a good cause I completely admire.


Carrie is the most fanatic woman about her hair that I know. It has to be perfectly in place...and at all times. She's kinda high maintenance, BUT that is part of her charm. A co-worker of hers was diagnosed with cancer and has a tough road ahead of treatment. In support the CEO of their company offered to donate $200 to the cancer society per guy that would shave his head to support their co-worker...and leave it to Carrie to say "what about the girls?" and on Tuesday morning for $1000 for the two of them, Carrie and Liz had their heads shaved . Carrie is crazy and I expect nothing less from her. Carrie you are amazing, and this shows how beautiful you really are inside and out.

Ready or not...the razor is already goin

looks of dispair because they have NO IDEA how it looks

Carrie and Liz rockin their shaved heads

Mexico Monday

I read an article that caught my eye today that started with "Mexican Immigrants staying in Mexico." Is it so bad not even the border hoppers want in to Cali now? (and all those other Mexico border states) This article goes on to say that according to the Mexican Government, half as many Mexican's migrated into the United States last year than the year before. After thinking about it for a bit, I've decided to now partially blame Mexicans for our ailing economy. I mean without them we have no cheap labor or burritos, and that my friend affects California more than we realize. just sayin.

Rocky Road; I prefer the ice cream

What an absurd market we are in. There is no other way to explain the process of funding a loan and closing escrow than a drive down a rocky road, absolutely pitted with potholes. Okay, so that's a horrible analogy, but you see where I'm getting at.

It is unfortunate for so many families to be loosing their homes; but with this downward market headed at full speed, it presents many opportunities for those who never would have dreamed of home ownership 3 years ago. Although I am not one of the veterans who experienced the real estate plummet in the 90's; I have heard plenty. Everyone "knew" this was inevitable, the bubble always bursts yet no one was prepared.

I thoroughly enjoy my job, I like what I do for the most part and the money isn't half bad. It is gratifying to get people into homes, trying to solve problems along the way and making the numbers jive, if you will. It can be high stress because no transaction is smooth, nor do they ever seem to go the way they are supposed to. Deadlines are crucial and can be deal breaking. It is amazing how my every thought and effort will go into these files and our borrower's financial lives. No more than a week goes by before I have completely purged every piece of information in my brain to make way for new files and their information.

So while half the country is loosing their homes, the other half can buy them up for cheap...no big deal right? In theory it sounds like it could work, but it's nothing more than a false theory of mine. Just 2 Years ago I was qualifying borrowers to buy $400-500,000 homes without as much as batting a lash, but now trying to get borrowrs into homes for a mere $150,000 is like trying to prove UFOs exist.

If you look hard enough, you can find at least one reason why to decline every borrower. These lenders have completely forgotten that they want to lend borrower's money anymore, and it is absolutely frustrating. I have never dealt with so many problems in my life that these lenders are creating. 30 day escrows don't exist anymore, because it takes 2 weeks for the lenders to review the files, another 2 weeks for them to decide there is one solitary piece of evidence why they shouldn't lend their money to a borrower, another 2 weeks of us jumping over hurdles to prove why they should, only to have a 50% chance of getting lucky...or wasting the last 45 days.

I'm passionate about my job because I'm good at it. I'm not cocky, I'm confident. I have worked with and learned from some of the best and most seasoned loan officers, underwriters, and the like in my short 5 year career. But even now, we all question our sanity, because I'm almost possible, we have none left at this point.

So when it comes down to rocky road...I'd rather eat the ice cream than drive down that road to real esate hell.

I never want to hear the name Nadya Suleman again

I hate myself for even posting this blog, but I need 30 seconds to vent and then I'll be over it.

I am so sick of every newscaster, blogger and magazine covering the octo-mom. While we are in a global financial crisis, with 11.6 million unemployed in the US alone, Riverside county is in a droubt, near 5000 US Soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 and we still have HOW MANY of our men and women serving overseas and they choose to report about this WOMAN constantly??

she is not NEWS.

she is clearly not 100% mentally sane. I believe she had good intentions, but WHO in their right mind chooses to have 14 kids on purpose, as a single parent? not a sane one. I do feel bad for her...she may never get to bring her babies home, but she should have thought twice before stuffing herself with Sunday's breakfast with a turkey baster. She should have thought of her children's welfare before declaring she wants to be a mom to a soccer team. She has continuously declined donated help from organizations, because she's holding out for more. WHAT the flying fuck is she thinking? I have 357 other opinions about this, but I'm not going there.

I refuse to spend any more time verbally annoyed by this woman.

Is Blogging the new Black?

Because Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are not enough...

I realized this evening I use to post fairly regularly on mypace "blog" and for the last 10 months there was nothing! Well perhaps there was a post, but due to a myspace error it disapeared into cyberspace. It was a heartfelt blog that never had the opportunity to be read. I was so distressed after the incident, I refused to blog on myspace anymore. Now months have passed and I have healed. The time has come where I feel the urge to share my sweet nothings again, but much more regularly (because they won't be replaced every 7 enteries). It'll be like closing your eyes and grabbing a random crayon from the box... there's no telling what you will end up with, but it's sure to be a colorful.