Join staff at PEAR Park, this Saturday, August 12, as the summer wildflowers and butterflies are reaching high points. Learn some tips for cultivating and caring for them in home landscapes as well.

For more information, Click Here.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaePpgwKYIY[/embed]

Traditionally, owning a home is touted as a smarter financial move than renting one. But with demand increasing and the supply of houses for sale falling, home prices have been rising nationally, according to real estate marketplace Zillow. So, you might be wondering: Is it better to rent or buy a home?

To find out where it makes more sense to rent or buy a home, GOBankingRates once again surveyed the cost of renting versus owning a home in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since conducting a similar survey in 2016, we found that the number of places where it’s more expensive to own than rent has increased from nine to 11 — this includes a few states where the price difference is minimal.

For this year's study, we looked at the estimated rent price for all homes listed on Zillow. (However, it's worth noting that in last year's study, we examined the cost to rent only single-family homes). We also calculated the estimated monthly mortgage to own a home in each state, based on the median list price of homes listed on Zillow, a 20 percent down payment and a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Click through to find out whether you should rent or buy a home in your state.

Read more by clicking here.

https://www.gobankingrates.com

"We had a wonderful experience with our Real Estate Broker, Nicky Martz. She was always very professional yet warm and friendly. We appreciated how she listened carefully to what our needs were in selecting our new home. We have developed a life-long friendship. We could not have asked for a better realtor!"

-Frank and Anne, July 2017

We’re all familiar with the term “snowbird”—someone who comes to enjoy the warm, Florida climate during the winter months when the northern states are unbearable. We also know that the southern summer heat packs quite the punch, but as the temperature creeps up, so do the number of fun things to do around town to beat that heat! Here’s just some of what the snowbirds are missing out on:

1. Relaxing in the Natural Springs

Did you know that Florida has more natural freshwater springs than anywhere else in the world? The water is clear, refreshing and often offers opportunity to see fish and manatee swimming nearby. Whether you like to swim, kayak or simply float in a tube, these springs are a great way to experience Florida’s tropical beauty while staying cool enough to enjoy it! Check out these affordable and popular springs around Central Florida!

2. Enjoying Some of the Best Beaches in the Country

Dr. Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, is a leading expert in coastal research. Every year he releases the Top 10 beaches in the U.S. This year, 3 of those top 10 are in Florida, and two of them (including Number 1!) are less than a 2.5-hour drive from Clermont.

1. #7—Caladesi Island State Park Dunedin in Clearwater
2. #4—Grayton Beach State Park located in the panhandle
3. #1—Siesta Beach in Sarasota

3. Taking Water Activities to the Next Level with Barbeque Donut Boats

If you love a good boat ride and enjoy eating BBQ, this excursion is for you! Enjoy a trip out on the water in a round donut boat featuring a charcoal grill as the centerpiece. Food, drinks, music and anything else you could possibly need are included in these unique party packages. You also have the option to rent a full boat, and bring your own food to cook up on the grill. Check out all the options here!

4. Cheering on the Orlando City Soccer Team

Our city’s young soccer team has boomed in popularity since its inception in 2015. Their season goes from June to the end of August, so summer is the only time to enjoy this amazing addition to Central Florida culture! Find out more about our home team and getting tickets here.

5. Adventuring in an “Underwater Playground”

Head south to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in the Keys, and go exploring in this approximately 70 nautical square mile attraction.  If neither scuba nor snorkeling flows with you, hop on one of their glass bottom boat tours! Either way, this is an experience worth having! Discover all that you can do at this wonder-filled state park here.

6. Touring Beautiful Gardens During Azalea Days

Just an hour northeast of Ocala, the Ravine Garden State park features beautiful walking, biking and driving paths. It’s just two weeks until the 21^st Annual Azalea Days, which will coincide with the Florida Azalea Festival, so it is a town-wide, fun-filled celebration.

7. Experiencing a City of Mermaids

Another note-worthy state park and Florida spring is Weeki Wachee, just over an hour west of Clermont. This park boasts being “the only city of live mermaids”, and is well-known for the amazing mermaid shows. In addition, a visit to Buccaneer Bay is included with admission. It’s a water park with water slides, a swimming area and a serene lazy river, all a part of the Weeki Wachee Spring. Get more information for visiting this must-see park here.

8. Exploring Indoors at the Florida Aquarium

Tampa is home to the Florida Aquarium where you can visit exhibits, go on a wild dolphin cruise or enjoy one of the many shows they put on for guests. This summer they are opening The Splash Pad, a wet & dry outdoor play area for children, making it a perfect summer outing for you and the grandkids.

These are just 8 drops in a bucket of fun Florida outings. The sunshine state has so much more to offer during the summer than heat, and we’d love to get out there and have fun with you. Check out our Meetup Group and see what we’re up to this summer. Florida has a year-round culture worth experiencing, and we can’t wait for you to come and enjoy it with us!

"We were lucky enough to find Diana on 55places.com, and she is second to no one! She spent many days and nights with us looking at all of the communities in the Clermont, FL area and she was never a pushy sales agent; she's the best! The first day we arrived from Boston, she spent the day showing us the towns nearby and her knowledge of the area is incredible! Any time I called Diana she always responded within a few hours. She is simply the best and her people skills are what won my wife and I over and we are so glad we purchased from her! Thanks Diana for everything and stop buy for an iced tea!"

MaryAnn & Bruce, June 2017
Boston, MA now Groveland, FL!

 

"When you are thinking about buying a house, you want to have the best information you can get about the properties you are considering. You want a real estate agent that can give you their expert opinion and provide the type of real estate skills that will help you find the right home. Nicky Martz excels at finding the right home for her clients. She is an excellent 55 and over real estate agent. She is also a kind and compassionate human being that you wouldn't mind having as a good friend. She devotes 100 % of her time and effort to make sure the homes she shows you meet or exceed your expectations! She is a pleasure to deal with and you will learn a lot when you go with her looking at properties. My wife and I purchased our house in Clermont after one visit with Nicky three years ago. During the years that preceded the purchase of our house in Clermont in 2014, we dealt with real estate agents that were incompetent, sloppy, and unprofessional. Nicky Martz is different than just about every other real estate agent because she cares about finding you the right home and she will use all of her knowledge and expertise to accomplish that goal. She is diligent, hardworking, and tenacious. She is also kindhearted, cheerful, and trustworthy and the type of human being that you come across once in a lifetime. You will not regret spending time with her, so she can find you the right home. They don't come any better than Nicky Martz."

-Rory & Gloria Hirsch, June 2017

“Mark Wahlberg” sent me a Facebook friend request today!

Yes me! Isn’t that completely and totally dreamy?!? I clicked on the request and THERE WAS HIS PICTURE!!! The thing was, he didn’t seem to have any friends–like you’d think a big celebrity would, and aside from his picture and bio, there were no other posts–celebrities usually post a lot–they have people for that–which made me feel bad about my decision not to friend him–he seemed so alone. I might have been his first friend, maybe he’s just starting on Facebook and out of millions of pictures and profiles, he saw mine and thought, “Wow, I want to be that woman’s friend!” Only, isn’t he married?…No matter, nothing can quell my excitement!

…except that it was obviously a cloned account and the human behind the account could wreak havoc amongst my real friends on Facebook, and become super annoying on Messenger. That’s why I had to say no to “Mark”.

Welcome to the new Wild West for spammers and scammers on Facebook and Messenger.

I’ve been on Facebook for years now, and until recently, purposely kept my account small. I enjoyed interacting with my friends, seeing their pictures and catching up. Facebook was my happy place. When I started my blog, Sharingajourney.com, and it’s corresponding Facebook page, my friend count grew. I was happy to have new friends who shared my interests and followed my various posts. Then came Messenger, the add-on I didn’t want and never used.

Messenger opened the door to direct, private and more personal communication within Facebook’s platform. For years, my Messenger account lay dormant, then, people began to reach out and thank me for adding them as a Facebook “Friend”. For some reason it was better to use direct messaging than to say hi in a post. More personal, I guess. Some people wrote kind notes about my page or asked about the clothes I was wearing. But as my follower count has grown, so too have the reasons people direct message me.

People in direct sales offer me opportunities to join their down lines or buy their products; (Who knew there were so many different Direct Marketing companies!) The thing is, I’m not sure people want cold calls on Facebook and there’s the trust factor–you don’t know who you are dealing with–so this approach doesn’t seem very effective and is annoying.

I get messages from missionaries, and other religious types some sending random bible verses and blessings, some ask me what religion I practice, offering salvation in case I am not Christian. Others ask for money to support various missions and sick parishioners. This is, again, annoying and raises my scam alert radar.

A young girl reached out, looking for a mother–attempting to sell me on the virtues of her father–sending along his photo and bio for review and hopeful approval. People who say they are sick ask for money to pay for housing, food and medical support.

The Infamous Nigerian Prince has reappeared along with dying women wanting me to invest their millions into charities. (Like a stranger, completely un-vetted would be a good choice to manage a vast fortune)–ok, I did have a little fun: I suggested my trust attorney would be great for the job and suddenly, they disappeared. And anyway, I already know it’s a money laundering scheme.
To any and all of the above communications, I ignore, block and or report depending on the type of threat I think they pose.

And then there are the men of Facebook…

Ah, The Men of Facebook…In addition to “Mark”, a handsome general sent me a friend request, along with several famous politicians. Wow, really? Me, from a random small town in Florida?

About two months ago, I got an onslaught of male friend requests, handsome, prosperous looking guys in my age group all of whom were widowers with great sounding jobs–scam alert!   Could the world really have produced so many handsome widowers and then placed them all in my friend requests or “people you may know” feed all at the same time–a virtual smorgasbord of eligible bachelors? None of them seemed to have any friends, families, hobbies, or interests, just a picture or two and a very basic bio.

(As you look at the handsome, prosperous looking guy in the profile, imagine what he may really be like, all scroungy and stinky sitting in a grimy Internet cafe somewhere unpleasant–because that’s most likely the case.) Ever suspicious, I began researching online dating scams, and here’s the typical scenario:

He tells you he’s recently widowed and lonely, looking for a serious relationship with the the right woman. (I wonder if this is what “Mark Wahlberg” have said…). He quickly lets you know that he’s thinking you are the right woman and drops hints of his wealth. He likes fine dining, likes to treat his women right and loves romantic vacations. He misses his deceased wife, but feels he might be willing to try for love again with you. He wants to make plans to meet, and to take that special trip. If all goes well, the two of you begin making plans for the trip, but he has a glitch and needs you to send cash or your credit card info to him; or, he offers to help you with your business goals, by his investing in your business or an investment dream of yours. He makes a nominal investment or a series of them, all the while angling to get into your financial accounts. Once in, well you know the rest.

(And, no, the story doesn’t end with his being the real Mark Wahlberg, or some other wonderful guy and you got married and lived happily ever after–remember, you are really communicating with that scroungy Internet cafe guy, whom, if you are lucky, you will never see nor send money to.)

Now, if you for some reason friend one of these crazy people, they can be seen on your real friend’s “people you may know” feed and the scourge makes it’s rounds. While you can’t stop a scammer or spammer from trying, you can be careful who you “friend”, exercise a little healthy skepticism, and make use of Facebook’s block and report features. With those simple tools, you too can live happily ever in Facebook Land, with your bank account and heart intact.

The post Why I Didn’t Friend Mark Wahlberg on Facebook appeared first on Sharing A Journey.

Change your Perspective, Change your Life:

By the time we’ve hit middle age, we’ve suffered a ding or two along the way. While I would rather not go back and relive any of my hardships, the things I have learned from them have have shaped and improved my life immeasurably. As I reflect on my life’s biggest lessons, those which most helped me heal and grow, I have found that gratitude, compassion, curiosity and a sense of adventure have added deepened meaning, peace and dare I say it, joy in this middle aged woman’s perfectly imperfect life.

Gratitude:

My daughter and I used to keep gratitude journals in which we wrote five things we were grateful for each evening. We reflected on the day just past and found within it treasures both large and small. When the recession hit, I found myself terrified as I watched my clients disappear, and my neighbors lose their homes. Two of my colleagues committed suicide having lost all hope of improving their circumstances in life. It seemed that every where I looked, there was loss, and yet, when I practiced gratitude, I found all sorts of things to be grateful for. My former husband still had a job, and we were healthy. We still had our home, food, clothes, friends and family. We had sunny days and picnics in the park.  There were all sorts of things we could enjoy that were completely free. We found joy in the little things–things I never noticed before. Things that have made my life rich and much more meaningful. In upping my gratitude practice, I was able to appreciate what we had, and spend less time on what we’d lost.

Compassion:

I always thought I was different than others, incomplete or broken in some invisible way. I was hopelessly self critical and of others as well. I was sure that others were “better” than I was, and that I was somehow undeserving of happiness and joy. I drove myself on, never satisfied with my progress or achievements. I had not learned to love or appreciate myself, and was always devouring the latest self help book in hopes that it would be my salvation. That is, until I began to learn compassion, first for myself, and then toward others. Learning to forgive myself, to love even the things that seem broken is an ongoing process, but well worth the endeavor. Compassion lead to my ability to love myself, to see myself as whole and to a deepened appreciation and love of others. Learning to be compassionate has brought me a sense of peace.

Curiosity:

They say “curiosity killed the cat,” but I have found such richness in curiosity. I love learning new things about the world, people and myself. My first business mentor encouraged me to always be curious, always ask questions, and be open to learning new things, It has opened the door to my learning more about people, about how things work, and why things are the way they are. I love hearing about what people do, what they are interested in and what makes them tick. I love watching nature, and growth and changing seasons. Being curious has broadened my perspective and helped me to find even more beauty in the world.

A Sense of Adventure:

As an introvert, I tend to avoid going too far out of my shell, but my dad loved adventure. His passion for photography, travel and nature took him (and his reluctant daughter) on all sorts of adventures. We once crashed a wedding while searching for a desert monastery in Abiquiu New Mexico, and learned how Jamaicans celebrated Christmas in Port Royal. We were always in search of the perfect Key Lime pie or a rare gargoyle he learned of while researching Cathedrals to photograph. While my adventures have been much more mundane since he’s been gone, there is nothing that lights my board so much as an adventure, whether grand or small.

Reaching out and embracing life again and again with gratitude, curiosity, compassion and a sense of adventure restores life’s richness, brings peace and fills the heart with joy.

So, with that, Let’s join the Ladies who Link up Party!

The post 4 Life Changing Perspecitves to Embrace Now|Link Up appeared first on Sharing A Journey.

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