Book Review: "Hope in the Dark"

Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not by Craig Groeschel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Favorite Snippets:

"Honest questions, sincere doubts, and deep hurts can draw you closer to God than you’ve ever been before."

"To really know God, you have to wrestle through pain, struggle with honest doubts, and even live with unanswered questions. So while I won’t promise you that God is your copilot or that the Bible says it and that settles it, I will promise you this: if you wrestle with him, seek him, cling to him, God will meet you in your pain."

"WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH A SEASON OF STRUGGLING WITH God, remember: Habakkuk’s name means both to wrestle and to embrace. You can wrestle with God about all that you don’t like, yet simultaneously embrace him because he is good and trustworthy."

"Over time, as you grow in the grace of God, what normally would have rocked your world becomes something you can take in stride, knowing God is with you and will carry you when you are weak. "

"Even though I don’t like it, even though I don’t understand it, even though I know he could and he should but he’s not, yet will I trust in the Lord my God.”

Pray: Even though … I will trust you. You are my God.

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Book Review: "The Power of Moments"

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my various leadership roles and even my job as a real estate agent, this book challenged me to do better at making the little moments special. The first day on the job, the first meeting, the first showing, the closing table, etc.  All of these moments have the power to make someone feel valued, appreciated, loved and should not be taken for granted. 

Here is a good checklist that we should make sure our team can answer:

"1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? (Validation.)
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? (Caring.)
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development? (Understanding. Caring.)" 

Addressing these 6 answers/needs helps foster a positive work environment.

All-in, lots of good takeaways for any one who wants to be a better leader/influencer!

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Crown Realty Annual Awards Luncheon 2019 - My Speech

2018 was our 45^th year in business and also the year we said goodbye to my grandma who helped start Crown Realty with my Dad. She greatly influenced who we are today, and I wanted to spend a little time this morning sharing with you some things I learned from my Grandma, Naomi Hosack.

We have adopted a new slogan around here and it’s “where agents are family and clients are royalty.” We truly believe it and try our best to practice it around here, and I think my Grandma started that trend of treating each and every agent like family.  I used to love visiting her at the Olathe office when I was younger and I saw how she interacted with everyone.  She knew everyone’s name and what was going on with them.  As we grow larger and larger, I realize that gets harder and harder to do, but I’m thankful that with our smaller office sizes every broker and secretary knows their team so well! 

 

Another thing I learned from my grandma is the importance of celebrating.  She celebrated every victory, every closing, every listing won, every referral, everything.  And as Nick’s and my grandma, she celebrated everything with us too – basketball games, losing a tooth, getting a good grade, whatever it was – she was there to party with us.  Celebrating victories is what we’ll be doing here today too.  2018 was an exceptional year, as you heard from Dad.  

The other part of our motto is “where clients are royalty” – because we are family, we believe we truly can treat clients with the absolute best customer service.  We try to filter all of our decisions through that lens.  

Every website and tool that we provide to our agent family is to help us best serve our buyer and seller clients.   And because of our in-house training and high staff-to-agent ratio, each agent is able to be the very best they can be with the support of their broker, their education, and their secretaries.  We believe that when our agents have help setting signs, inputting listings, marketing, contract support, and more, that frees you up to treat your clients like royalty.

I recently read a book by Danny Meyer titled “Setting the Table.”  Danny Meyer started off with one restaurant in New York City at the age of 27.  He now owns a restaurant empire with hundreds of successful restaurants.  One, Shake Shack, is here in Kansas City, on the Plaza.  In his book, Danny writes that 75% of restaurants fail, and interestingly enough the stats for real estate agents are similar, 80% of real estate agents quit in their first 2 years.  Fortunately, Crown Realty agents, much like Danny Meyer’s restaurants do much better.  I went back and looked at our new agent rosters over the last few years, and over 50% of our newer agents are consistently closing over $1 million a year and only 15% have let their licenses expire. 

So what’s Danny’s secret ingredient?  I think it’s the same as ours.  He calls it “enlightened hospitality” and it’s all about how you make the customer feel.  Many restaurants have similar menus, appearances, and ingredients.  Every agent has the MLS, a lockbox, and a license.  But Danny Meyer’s argues that in this day and age, it is how you deliver your service that counts the most.  He writes, “In the end, what’s most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes for human experiences and human relationships. Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that hard."

Let me read that last line again, “Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel.  It’s that simple, and it’s that hard.”  My Grandma made everyone around her feel like family.  It is my hope that we continue that legacy with each other.  And that every single client of all of ours feels like royalty when they are working with a Crown agent.

Crown Family, THANK YOU for all you do to serve with all your hearts and represent our family well!

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Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is full of stories and gems of insight for anyone in business or leadership no matter what field!

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Book Review: "Only Love Today"

 

Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Empowering and Beautiful

This truly is one of the most life-giving books I have ever read. This inspires me to be a better mom, wife, friend, worker, and person. I highly recommend this one!!!

"Pause in the busyness of your day—even a moment or two will do. For that moment, pay attention. Notice. Listen. Stop. Breathe. There’s a good chance you’ll catch a moment when all is right in your perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, happily chaotic little world. Peace, love, freedom, and joy, right there at your fingertips. The most meaningful life experiences don’t happen in the “when”; they happen in the “now.” It is the sacred pauses within everyday life that heal our frenzied souls. Let us pause and live today." 

"Now, more than ever, we must catch glimpses of that which can lift us up.        

Now, more than ever, we must search for these barely noticeable glimmers of light that have the power to carry us. 

Now, more than ever, we must not let cynicism, negativity, or the busyness of life allow us to lose sight of the good."

"Today I will turn my attention away from the negativity filling my senses and my News Feed. I will turn to the people I love and notice that there is still so much goodness to be grasped and celebrated. Goodness comes down the stairs with crazy morning hair. It has a milk mustache and stinky feet. It puts gasoline in my car and kisses me good night. It bags my groceries with a smile. It teaches my children. It hugs me with shaky, wrinkled hands. The ability to detect goodness where others see nothing good is more than a day changer; it’s a life changer. Today I will notice the good in the world and in my world."

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Tomatoes Preaching

On Saturday, after working my shift at the Crown Realty booth at the Cider Mill, my mom and I took the kids on the Miami County Farm Tour.  We stopped at a delightful little farm (Metcalf & 327th) - Foxfire Farm and picked strawberries and bought (8!!!) tomato plants.

Saturday evening McKenzie broke out with a terrible rash and her knees & elbows were swollen and hot to the touch.  At first, I thought maybe she'd had an allergic reaction to the strawberries - although she's eaten them many times before and these are organic, pesticide free, so I couldn't imagine these would be worse than any others she's had.  In fact, they were so incredibly delicious and perfect!  Sunday (Mother's Day), we went to the walk-in clinic at our family practice (College Park Family) and found out she had strep!  24 hours of antibiotics and steroids later, she was back to her normal cheery crazy self.

So, long story short, my 8 beautiful tomato plants sat in my dark garage for 2 days.  They were wilty and browning.  Cut off from sunlight & water, they were dying quickly.  Monday evening, the kids and I got them planted, watered from our rain barrel, and they instantly perked up.  2 days later, they are really thriving.  They smell so wonderful and we can't wait to pick some beautiful tomatoes!

All of this has gotten me thinking.  Reminding me how much my life is like those tomato plants.  One day disconnected from God's Word and prayer connection with Him, and I am worse off than these little plants.  Wilted.  Worn out.  Unable to produce fruit.  Thankfully, it just takes time in His life-giving presence to perk right up.  Thankful for that truth!

When I Don't Understand...

I'll just let this song speak for me today...  I don't really have any words better than this.

Another negative pregnancy test today.  I don't understand why God doesn't bless my friends Adam & Natalie with a baby.  I don't understand why they have 6 babies in heaven.  I don't understand how He could ignore thousands of prayers for this.  I don't understand why His answer appears to be no.  I don't understand why it's so hard for good people to have babies.  I don't understand miscarriages.  I don't understand infertility.  I don't understand cancer.  I don't understand heartache and broken dreams.  I don't understand this fallen world.

... but I will choose you God!

Gun Shy Confidence {6dp5dt}

Feeling anxious today.  I hate the waiting period.  I'm just crying out to God to make this surrogacy attempt successful.  My God can make dry bones live, can make all things new, and can certainly do this!

Our last go-round I was SOOOOOOOOOO confident, so this time I'm very gun shy, but still cautiously optimistic and trusting God, because what else can I do?  I faithfully did my bed rest, I have avoided lifting over 10 lbs (much to Kenzie's dismay), and have been eating eggs, avocado, black beans, & salmon + drinking whole milk!  It's in His hands now.

Today is 6dp5dt (6 days past 5-day embryo transfer).  If you spend too much time on surrogacy and IVF blogs you will become fluent in crazy abbreviations and also a little crazy!  I shared this last time, but here's a look at what's going on with these 2 little embryo-babies!

5-Day Transfer

Days Past Transfer (DPT)	Embryo Development
One	The blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell
Two	The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus
Three	The blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation
Four	Implantation continues
Five	Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop
Six	Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream
Seven	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Eight	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Nine	Levels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy