I'm so excited to be volunteering at the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer event on Saturday September 29th. Hockey was a huge part of my Dad's life and The Princess Margaret Hospital was where he received all of his treatments during his 11 year battle with cancer. I know he would be proud of this event and my participation in it. Click on the picture for more information about this great fundraising event! See you there!!

You see "For Sale By Owner" signs popping everwhere and there is a barage of new property selling services that allow you to market your home on realtor.ca and you think to yourself... "I can do this, I can sell my own house and save me all the money I otherwise would have spent in Realtor commission fees." Here are a few things you should consider before venturing down the very complicated path of selling your own home. 

1. The exposure your home will receive is extremely limited. There is much more to selling a home than simply posting it on realtor.ca. You are limiting your exposure to potential buyers and their agents which will result in it taking longer to sell your home which in turn will result in lower offers.

2. Negotiating is not a fun experience for most people. Buyers find it extremely awkward to sit accross the table from a Seller and tell them what they think their house is worth. They will either avoid for-sale-by-owner properties all together or the savvy home buyer will hire they're own Buyer Agent who is going to negotiate on thier behalf. The first thing the Buyer Agent is going to do is negotiate a commission, then they are going to advise their Buyer client to deduct 5% off the asking price before even contemplating putting in an offer. How much have you saved yourself now?

3. The legalities of the contract are complicated. It is one thing to get an offer, but will that offer be able to stand up to the scrutiny of lawyers and will the deal actually close? If you use a lawyer to review all offers before making them firm, you will pay substantial legal fees for this service.

4. The inconvenience of trying to sell your own home is mind boggling. You have to be home for all appointments and if your home is not easily accessible for viewings you stand a very good chance of losing a potential Buyer. As if the inconvenience is not bad enough, you also have to concern yourself with safety, are you really comfortable opening your door to complete strangers who are not accompanied by a prefoessional Realtor to peruse through your home and your belongings?

As always... thanks for reading.

Hi Dad,

I can't believe it's been 16 years since we said goodbye. Has it really been that long? I wanted to take a minute today to share with you all the great things you helped me accomplish in the last 16 years so grab a drink, have a seat and enjoy :)

First and foremost, I have the most precious little girl ever imaginable. I sometimes think about how much you would adore her if you were here. She is smart and funny and has such an amazing personality about her. She has beautiful red hair and we get compliments all the time about how absolutely adorable she is. She is mischevious and saucey and so full of spice! I know you are sitting there laughing at me right now saying "yea, I wonder where she gets that from????" I know she "knows" you. I know she feels your presence and she is always surrounded by your love and protection. I believe you have been guiding her and protecting her through all of the troubles she has encountered in her life so far and I know you will continue to do so and I thank you for that. She has a picture of you in her bedroom and she kisses it every night and says goodnight to her Grandpa Lionel. I always want her to know how very special she is to you, even if she never got the chance to meet you in person.

Of course you also know that I am married, yes, for the second time, lol. You would have a lot of fun with Steve, poking fun at him, making him squirm for your approval, all the things you so lovingly do best! Mom gave him your eagle ring for his birthday this year. He was shocked and honoured that she entrusted him with such a special memento and he wears it with pure pride. He is a good man, he works hard, treats us well and he loves us to pieces.

I have changed careers and I am now selling Real Estate. I'm sure you just spit out your drink when heard that. After 18 years in the electrical industry I am now a selling homes! Who would have ever thought that? I love the business, I love the people and I love that it is allowing me the opportunity to give back and be a part of so manygreat events for worthwhile causes. I will be volunteering for the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer Event on Septemeber 29th and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of something that I know you would feel so connected to.

I am still the best of friends with Danni! Danni had such a special place in your heart, didn't she? She is one of the kindest souls I know and I am honoured that she has allowed me to remain a part of her life for so many years. She is such a huge part of my life and I wouldn't be the person I am today without her in it. She makes me want to be a better person, I don't always succeed, but the effort is there lol.

I speak of you often and think of you always. I share many stories about you with people explaining how you taught me so much and shaped who I am today through your ways. Even though at the time I know I didn't appreciate it lol. You taught me to work hard, that everything I want I have to earn and that life was not going to be handed to me on a silver platter. You taught me to not take life too seriously and to remember to play hard as well. You taught me to always be me and to stand up for what I believed in. Through your example you taught me what true courage, determination and strength were.

I hope I make you proud. When I accomplish something, big or small, I can almost here you whisper "that's my girl".

I miss you, I love you, I thank you.

Lotsa Love,

Boo XXXOOO

Lionel Sydney Jessop
10/26/42 -  9/17/96

With the change in Brokerages I am in the process of launching my new website
and I'm very excited about how it is turning out. Who knew I could be so
technologically creative? I will be moving my old blogs over here in order to
offer a "one stop" browsing experince for my customers. I am pumped about this
new adventure and I look forward to everything iPro Realty has to offer both me
and my valued customers! The support I have received has been incredible... a huge thank you to iPro Founder Fedele Colucci, our amazing front desk multitasker Cindy Morgan and the wonderful Gid Pereira from our head office in Brampton. THANK YOU all for making this transition so seemless!

Please feel free to share your comments and suggestions! 

K is  for... 
 
Kerrilynn... I kid you not, there IS another Kerri-Lynn out there! Well she's actually the 4th one I have met and it turns out two of them are spelt this way and two of us are spelt the same way as me. Can you imagine the world with more than one of me??

Ok enough about that, time to get down to BUSINESS.

Kerrilyn Shellhorn is a Spiritual Medium and Intuitive. What exactly is that you ask?? Does anyone remember John Edwards? I was a huge fan of his when his show was on air and I read all of his books. He gets messages from the other side and conveys them to people and he also wrote about the fact that we are all capable of receiving messages from our  loved ones, we just have to learn how to read the signs and get in touch with  our spiritual guides. Well, Kerrilynn's gift is very similar to that of John  Edwards and I had the pleasure of meeting with her last Friday, overstaying my  welcome I'm sure (LOL), and she spent some time with me sharing her special  gift. We are still piecing together some of the messages that I received and  talking to various family members to confirm who was coming through to us, it  was truly an enlightening experience and I can't wait to see her  again!

Along with private readings, Kerrilynn also does special events,  private functions and intuitive camps. She has an upcoming event at Greystones  Inn & Spirits Pub on August 23rd called Dining with the Dead: A Spirited  Night Out. With a ticket, a person receives their meal, gallery messages  from Kerrilynn and a gratitude bag (gift bag) filled with coupons, promotions, gifts from whoever would like to donate to the bags. What a great night out!  They are only selling 40 tickets so be sure to get yours today! 

Contact  Info:

Dining with the Dead Event: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/138502762954073/
Events Website: http://aspiritednightout.weebly.com/upcoming-dinners.html
FacebookPage:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kerrilynn-Shellhorn/185226024896696
Email: empowered.families4@gmail.com
Website: http://kerrilynnshellhorn.weebly.com/index.html
Phone:  226-820-8745

 ... The Perfectly Pampered Prince and Princess!!

What a fabulous idea for your little price or princess' next birthday party! Why not  book a Spa Party for your little Diva? Or a Rock Star Party for your budding  rocker? The Perfectly Pampered Prince and Princess can turn that special day  into something EXTRAORDINARY!

The company was started by RaDeana Goodyear-Montgomery, is a working and studying journalist studying Television and Print and a Public Relations Specialist. While rewarding, they can also be very stressful and she channels her stress into a creative outlet doing hair and makeup. In 2004 during her daughters 10th birthday party she got out all my curling irons etc, and did a spa party for  her. They loved it so much that she made a flyer and put it up around town and   the business was born. As the business has grown RaDeana has involved both of her daughters in this family run business. She has appeared on Breakfast  Television, Global and The Mom show and in all her spare time RaDeana works
full  time for the Chamber of Commerce and in 2008 she was the Winner of  the
Entrepreneur of the Year-Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce!! Where  does she fit it all in??

The  Perfectly Pampered Prince and Princess offers a unique experience for both boys  and girls while  allowing the kids to be themselves, treatments are never forced  and the children are  encouraged to participate in all of the treatments being  offered. They offer 10 different Party Packages for for girls which can  include hairstyling, makeup application and manicures or you can Rock out that  special little man with 4 packages being offered which can include face  painting, Rock Star hairstyling, tattoos and games! For a full list of the  packages and services offered follow this link to the website and book your  special party today http://theperfectlypamperedprincess.com/index.html!

Contact  Info:

Website: http://theperfectlypamperedprincess.com/index.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ThePerfectlyPamperedPrincess
Email: info@theperfectlypamperedprincess.com
Phone:  519-216-1917

...Tina McNulty's Uppercase Living!!

You say you have never heard of it?? Well neither had I, but the second I took a look at her website I was IN LOVE. Have you ever wanted to have a mural painted in your baby's room but lack the artistic talent? Or have a beautiful saying scrolled across your living room wall showing your heartfelt love you have for "family". You all know the ones I'm talking about right? Well Tina McNulty's Uppercase living is your answer!! The easily installed DIY wall decals look hand painted and will make your home look like it came straight out of a magazine.

Tina's strength and love for her family shine through in everything she does. She is a dedicated wife and  mom and she is equally as passionate about her business!

This month is  Create Hope month with Uppercase Living and Tina's team will be donating free  vinyl expressions to the hospice for cancer patients "Lisaard House" in Cambridge. The team will be donating an equal amount to what every hostess receives for free during a home Uppercase Living Party and they will be  personally installing the free vinyl expressions September or October. What a  fabulous way to give back and inspire hope and courage to those at a difficult  time in their lives. If you love this product as much as I do it is a fabulous time to book your home show and help Uppercase Living touch the lives of others while you're at it.

Call Tina and get a home show booked today! And don't  forget to put me on the invite list!!! ;)

Contact Info:

Website: http://tinam.uppercaseliving.net/Home.m
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coolstickers
Email: coolstickers@rogers.com

When looking for a Real Estate Agent to represent you in selling or buying a  home, what kind of qualities do you look for? Obviously honesty and integrity would rank high up on the list but can you really tell that from a brief  conversation with someone? I guess it all comes down to first impressions. In  that case, we probably form an opinion of someone within the first 60 seconds of  meeting or speaking with them. Even if we can be engaging enough to make it past  the first 60 seconds, we better be able to continue holding someones interest so  they want to continue to get to know us better. Like it or not, our appearance  plays a huge role in the first impression we make. That is the first thing  someone will notice about us when they meet us. And after the initial encounter,  people are forming opinions each step along the way, we judge each other not  only by what we say, but also by what we do. Our body language is quite often  more telling than anything that actually comes out of our mouths. Are your first  impressions of people normally right or are people able to fool you and you  later find out what a dufus they are? Personally, my first impressions are  almost always right but that might be because I'm sceptical of most people so I  pay a lot of attention to both their verbal and non-verbal
queues from the very  beginning. With me, you likely won't get a second chance
to make a good first  impression.

I want to hear from you... What qualities do you look for in  a Real Estate Agent and what do you find to be the most important? How quickly  can you tell if your Agent possesses the skills you deem important? Is it  something he/she says or something they do?

Confidence?
Arrogance?
Friendliness?
Assertiveness?
Attractiveness?
Compassion?
Loyalty?
Diligent?
Transparency?
Personable?
Meticulous?
Persevering?
Dedicated?
Innovative?
Forthcoming?
Sociable?
Reputable?
Knowledgeable?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

Picking up where my previous blog left off...

We were surrounded by family and friends when we reached Sick Kids hospital. People who loved us, who loved our little girl. It's always amazing to  see how quickly people rally together out of sheer unconditional love. 

We waited ever so (im)patiently to see our baby girl and they finally called us down to see her around midnight. We watched them do an echocardiogram as our precious little angel lie there quietly, peacefully, hopefully dreaming of angels and rainbows and butterflies. There was a team of doctors and nurses in and out of her room and we told her "story" over and over and over again as they tried to determine what caused our baby to be so sick. After spending some time by her side and being reassured that she was stable we made our way to our tiny little family sleeping room to get some rest.

The next day Jaidyn's  health had improved dramatically. The breathing tube was taken out and she was  given oxygen support for a few hours and then she was transferred to her own  room where we could stay with her. It was amazing to see her turn around so  quickly and it felt so good to be able to hold her and feed her and rock her  again. We hadn't held our little girl for 2 days... words could not
describe how  great it felt to hold her in my arms again and kiss her beautiful
little  face.

They continued diagnosing her and she underwent an esophegal test  on the Monday morning and they're suspicion was confirmed that Jaidyn has a  condition called SVT (surpa ventricular tachycardia). A condition where her  heart has an extra electrical pathway causing it to go into tachycardia. They  prescribed medication, monitored her for another day and then sent us on our  way.

What a week!

After everything we had been through previously  I don't think we ever took our baby girl for granted. We knew what a precious  gift she was from the moment we saw those beautiful 2 pink lines on the pee  stick. But this week seemed to remind us of all the little day to day things we  may not have thought about. Holding her in our arms, 2am feedings, 5am feedings  lol, hearing the sound of her cry.

We count our blessings every day.

Today Jaidyn is a happy and healthy 14 month old who is the light of our  lives. She is loving, smart and funny and so full of personality.

To  anyone who may be reading this, take nothing for granted. Squeeze your  kids more, let the housework wait and listen to their laughter, soak in their  smiles and love and cherish the little things.

Sometimes a picture is  worth a thousand words...

One year ago today my baby girl was 7 weeks old. We had a fabulous photographer (http://www.devonpetersphotography.com)  coming to take her "newborn" photos  in the afternoon and life was good. We  were tired but so very happy to have our little girl in our lives. For the first  time she slept for 8 full hours through the night and I remember how thrilled I  was to get some good solid sleep!

I fed her her morning bottle and almost immediately she vomited the entire bottle back up and then was hungry again so I  fed her some more which she kept down. She then went back to sleep and slept a  few hours until her Daddy got home for our afternoon photo shoot. Little did I  know what lay in store for us in the next couple of days.

Our precious  little peanut was placid and sleepy and we got some really great shots of her curled up in baskets, snuggled in a sling and my all time favourite, stretched out on Daddy's arm. Exhausted from her afternoon of fame she ate and slept well again in the afternoon.

I has just finished making dinner and Steve fed Jaidyn a bottle and once again she vomited the entire contents back up. It was this time that we noticed her breathing seemed a little "off" to us. We counted and timed her breaths which seemed normal and then I proceeded to call Telehealth to seek some expert advice. After running through the symptoms and Jaidyn's behaviour with us the nurse suggested we go to emerg, and her words were "sooner than later". With dinner left on the counter and rushed attempt at packing the diaper bag we headed out to the hospital in Orangeville.

We arrived and Jaidyn was assessed by the triage nurse and when we took her
clothes  off to weigh her the nurse noticed a deep indraw under Jaidyn's rib cage when  she was taking a breath in and it sparked enough concern that they decided to  admit her. We spent the night with Jaidyn in her room as she received oxygen  from a machine whose alarm sounded all night and drove us a little loopy. lol.  The next day the pediatrician arrived in the morning to  assess the situation and  started running various tests to see what was causing  the laboured breathing.  Chest Xray, upper GI Xray, blood tests, all were clear. It was a bit of a  mystery but Jaidyn otherwise seemed fine. She was eating and  she didn't have a  fever, her saturation levels were good, her only symptom was  some listlessness  and the deep indraw under her rib cage. The investigation and treatments at this  point were pretty calm and relaxed and everyone was pretty calm and relaxed,  although perplexed lol.

Dr. Murphy decided we would try a Ventolin  treatment through a mask in case there was some constriction in her airway,  hopefully this would open things up. Her first treatment went well but her condition didn't change. During the second Ventolin treatment things took an  entirely different turn and it was the beginning of a nightmare that had us  heartbroken and helpless in the hallways of Orangeville Hospital.

I sat  snuggling my precious little monkey with an IV in her scalp in her hospital room  administering the Ventolin treatment prescribed by the doctor and as she lay in  my arms the monitor that she was hooked up to measuring her oxygen levels and  heartrate suddenly alarmed. I looked to the machine which had been alarming  falsely all night and her oxygen levels took a dive and her heartrate plummeted.  I yelled for Steve to hit the nurses button and get a nurse right away. Dr.  Murphy was out in the hallway and him and a team of nurses rushed in, got Jaidyn  on the bed and at this time the panic and urgency of the situation set in. We  left the room and sat outside watching people rush to and from her room for what  seemed like hours. Dr. Murphy rushed in and out and for the first time he  wouldn't make eye contact with us, he wasn't his usual calm and placid nature,  he was worried. After what seemed like an eternity Dr. Murphy came out to us and  said "you have a very sick baby". Although he still didn't know what was wrong,  he had consulted with Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto and had arranged for an  emergency transport team to come and get our sweet little angel to try and  figure out what was wrong. 

When we walked back into Jaidyn's room our  hearts sank as we saw her with a tube down her throat lying there helpless. She  was a feisty little thing even at that age as she continuously tried to pull at  her breathing tube. We stroked her and snuggled her and waited for the transport  team to arrive. 

Here we thought things couldn't get any worse at this  point. Just before the team from Sick Kids arrived Dr. Murphy noticed the  monitor was picking up a rapid heart rate. He immediately listened with his  stethoscope and then sent a nurse for some ice. He placed a baggy of ice on  Jaidyn's tiny little head and once again, it seemed things were getting suddenly  more critical. The team from Sick Kids arrived and when they walked in Dr.  Murphy immediately explained that there was a bigger issue that needed to be  dealt with because Jaidyn was in Tachycardia. They hooked up additional monitors  to her and we watched in horror as the doctor took the baggy of ice and smashed  it into our precious little babies face while saying to us (this isn't going to  be pleasant but it is necessary). We couldn't watch any more and we quickly left  the room and sat outside her door once again listening to urgent phone calls and  watching nurses rush in and out of her room getting meds and running tests. The  entire situation felt surreal. Why was this happening to our baby girl? I made  pleas to my daddy, her guardian angel, to take care of her and keep her safe.  Our hearts sank as we heard them call "all clear" several times and we knew that  they were defibrillating our tiny little peanut. Once they had her stabilised  and ready for transport we were able to go in and see her. 

Our tiny,  precious little baby who we fought so hard to bring into this world, lay there  lifeless in an isolette, hooked up to more machines than I could count with a  breathing tube, iv's and an empty stare. We kissed her and said we'll see you  soon (no goodbyes) and watched them wheel her away from us to the awaiting  ambulance to be rushed to the greatest hospital on earth. 

At the blink  of an eye our lives were changed. We were living a parents worst nightmare with  a critically ill baby and no answers in sight. We were numb and terrified and  thanks to the Mario Andretti driving skills of my sister, arrived downtown  Toronto in record time, actually beating the ambulance there. We were panicked  to know how Jaidyn was doing after being away from her for an hour and  thankfully we bumped into the transport paramedics in the hallway who informed  us that Jaidyn was still stable and she had no further episodes during the drive  down.

The next few hours while we waited in the waiting room to see our  sick little girl seemed to take a lifetime...