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My most meaningful conversations with Clint Miller was never about real estate or business.  It was always about our families.  We had some things in common,  I raised boys and he has two, there was no doubt in my mind, Clint was a prankster, a joker and told it like it was.  I’ll tell you right now raising boys as a mother is not an easy job..I would do it again in a heart beat.  One thing we always had together was a lot of laughter, many pranks and yes, we all thought we were comedians.  I think it comes with the territory being a mother or father to sons.

@therealclint

I cannot tell you how Clint Miller and I actually started talking but I do know he was one of my first twitter followers or at least one of the most memorable.  We rarely talked about business but about our sons, the fact he was from Montana and how my parents love it there!  We even joked about having the same last name. But my most memorable conversation was about Montana Moose Poop, a gift from my parents.

The Terwilligers

The great thing about my parents when they went on their vacation adventures  is that they would always bring things back for us.  It has been a tradition since we were little kids.  So here is what those pranksters did…

So one year for Christmas my parents gave me a clear clear box and it appeared to look like chocolate but when I read the touristy box it said it was Montana Moose Poop. I thought to myself, yum raisinettes…my favorite but boy was I wrong.

I never took the time to read the box but I did open it and threw one in my mouth…it wasn’t raisinettes but little rocks that resemble moose poop.  My parents knew I would probably do that..I am lucky after biting down that I didn’t lose a tooth.  I told my parents..they laughed hearty and so did I.

When I first started chatting with @therealclint, I wanted to know so much about Montana because my parents loved it so much and I had never been. As silly as this sounds, I shared the story with Clint,we both wondered if his boys would fall for it. I had considered mailing it to him..but I never did..I think we decided chances were they would try to eat it!  Damn it twitter, I wish u had a timeline.

We continued to chat on twitter but my time on twitter dwindled down..too many social networks, too little time…I tuned out twitter for a bit…every now and then I would jump back on and say hello to Clint.  When he responded back..I felt pretty lucky..and it meant a lot..

Out of all the conversations I have had on twitter, this stuck out in my mind. It involved all the people that I loved because when I talked to Clint Miller he had that knack to get people to talk about what was important…life..family..and really living ..I always admired the man and I always knew he was an incredible father, husband and man.

I’ll miss Clint and I let him know just what his existence has meant to me..I didn’t have to talk to him everyday or be connected everywhere..because when he spoke the words meant something….and I made a promise to myself and to Clint…

“I want you to know…you have impacted many lives, including mine…..I won’t squander another day, hour or minute on the things that really aren’t that important..but what I will do is live life filled with love and joy.”

Every day I try….Its a tall order..life sometimes bring tears..I cry for his family and friends..

If Clint did one thing, he taught me there is more to life..its living it while you are here and being present and in the now. Your ticket could be up at any time..don’t waste time..use your time on the important stuff.  Living life and  impacting people and the legacy you leave behind. Everyone leaves a legacy impactful or not!

The loss of Clint Miller has deeply impacted me, maybe as I pay attention to my own mortality I find myself more aware of how I treat people and see life and try hard to do the right thing.

Clint Miller was the master at teaching lessons..boy he left a legacy not only did he live strong…the man knew how to live out loud!

To The Millers

Kids your dad was a wonderful man..he impacted many and he was so very loved!  He has touched many lives and lives in each and everyone one of us. Your dad loved you so!

The one thing I am sure of..with the legacy he left…. Clint Miller lives on. Truthfully the kind of guy Clint Miller was..not sure he would want to rest rest in peace.. but I will say it anyways…

Rest in peace Clint..I don’t know it sure doesn’t sound right.. the way I saw him…its more like Clint Miller lives on!  #weloveclint

FYI-Are you a website owner? One thing you should do for yourself on a regular basis, is check to make sure your contact forms are working.  Do yourself a favor and check your contact forms and email yourself to test every 2 weeks.  Sounds silly?  I don’t think so.  Too many times have I sent emails to website owners to only have the email bounce back..sad but true!

Updates or a change can have an impact on your contact form’s functionality but even worse your contact form may be calling your potential customers or contacts spam.

Sounds ridiculous but had 7 emails bounce back from people’s business websites. All of them were from their own web address. Regardless of whether you have a web master or you are a do it yourselfer you should follow-up and check up on this. Chances are I was called spam or the contact form is not working properly.

Most people love using their own dot.com email but when I send attachments I do not.  Test your contact forms or you could be missing conversations and opportunities!

It’s Saturday night and my head is filled with many things..so many things I have to write for myself so I can write for others..sounds weird I know but its the best way that I can express myself and it’s very therapeutic. And once its released, I usually end up feeling better.  Not only does my writer’s block disappear but it usually ends with me feeling better and left with a big smile . Relief and ready to move on to the next thing on the agenda.

Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hash out my dirty laundry but what I will tell you is that this year I turned 49 years old and its probably the most important time in my life, it’s truly the first time in my life that I have realized that no matter what happens, life goes on.

Don’t think I am sad I am just filled with clutter in my head, reminders of the past and a realization we humans waste so much time on silly things and so many times the silly things do not ever happen.   At 49, I am thinking about my mortality, looking ahead and what am I gonna do that is meaningful that is gonna fill some of the cracks that are deep in my heart.

We all have them you know, they are wounds we developed through the years from various stages of life.  Mistakes we made, the wrongs that occur, loves gained and loves lost, I think you get it, we all have cracks when we feel sadness, heart ache and/or suffering.  The old saying that time heals all wounds is somewhat true, after-all there are many joys in life.  The new joys, passions and moments of happiness will always help to heal some of those cracks in your heart.

We have to remember that no matter what life goes on regardless of how we feel.  That our time is limited here on earth regardless of your age.  I don’t know about you but time seems to fly by, I can’t believe that Christmas is around the corner again.   At 49 I feel like I don’t have much time left to stop and smell the roses, to watch the sun set or watch my sons become old men.  We just don’t know, do we?

There are three things I am 100% sure of when it comes to life, the first thing is to expect change, the 2nd what once lived will die and do I need to say it? Well think of it as a friendly reminder no matter what happens, Life goes on!  Do yourself a favor and starting living!

People often ask me what the heck should I blog about to attract real estate buyers and sellers?  Put yourself in a consumers shoes and think about the important information that a buyer or seller needs to make the decision of buying or selling a home in a specific area.  What would you look for to make such a drastic change in your life?

Depending on your niche should help you determine the best blog topics to attract buyers and seller within your specialty.  That means if you are targeting the luxury home market you want to blog about things that appeal to luxury home buyers.

Real Estate Topics To Blog About

• The dos and don’t of buying or selling a short sales and foreclosures
  
• Notables and celebrities who live in your area and are selling or buying a home.
• The steps in finding a home
• Your hot new listing of the week
• What new in the area 
• School achievements
• CNN/Money Mag rankings of your city or town
• Mortgage and tax information
• New home developments
• Specific neighborhoods
• Dog parks in the area
• Water parks in the area
• Wifi locations in the area 
• Favorite places such as farmers markets, museums
• Market Reports
• Steps in selling a home
• Investments, Investors and Investing
  
• Hiring the right REALTOR
• Questions consumers ask
  
• Your specialties
• Your farm area
• Inspections, appraisals and the mortgage process
• Home staging, clearing the clutter and increasing your chances of selling
  
• Local Businesses and experiences
• Interview local people, city officials, veterans, teachers and business owners
  
• Happenings meaning special events..most cities have monthly events such as baseball games, parades, fairs etc.
• Nite life, schools, family activities, clubs, organizations and houses of worship
  
• Historical sites…every city has them
• Important phone numbers and information such as the post offices, electric, water, cable, police..etc..etc.
• Important tax information and changes
• Real Estate Law changes
• Home Owners Associations, Condo Associations and city and county home owner’s regulations
  
• Recycling, charities, schools, parks, vacation spots, beaches and lakes and rivers, local news, your affiliates, hobbies, things you do
• Properties that you have sold
• Homes that sold for the day or week in a specific neighborhood that you farm
• Things you enjoy about your neighborhood and your area.
• Things to do with the kids
• Great places to dine whether it is casual dining or fine dining. 

Get local and break it down based on state, county, city, zip code and neighborhood.  Bottom line is to provide area information and become the go to person for real estate and your local area.  Now that you have an idea on what topics to blog about…what are you waiting for?  Go for it!  If you found this useful please subscribe and request blog posts in your email!  

My birth certificate has been MIA for some time and a few months back it surfaced but the problem was the original date was 1962.  The thing about an aged birth certificate is it fades, sometimes tears and I hate to admit it, this birth certificate is 48 years old.  Well almost.  When I found my birth certificate I was so happy, after all we need these important documents for various reasons.  When I found my 48 year old document it was in 6 pieces.  The paper tore with time and wear and tear in the same shape as the birth certificate was neatly folded and tucked away and forgotten.  There is writing on both sides of the document, I thought about piecing it together but if I were to tape it together, I think no one would take it especially in this day and age and with my luck immigration would show up at my door. LOL

I had been freaking out because I thought I would have to go through hoops to get another copy.  Here’s the thing, I was born in Japan, on U.S. soil..in a army hospital, my biological father was American in the Navy and my mother was Japanese.  I have a social security card and everything to obtain another copy but I had no idea where to obtain a duplicate copy of my birth certificate when I was born in Japan on a U.S. Army hospital.

The best way to obtain a copy of your birth certificate if you were born in Japan and either born in a military hospital or United States Military base in Japan here is what you need to do:

Submit a signed and notarized written request including all pertinent facts of the occasion along with a copy of the requester”s valid photo identification. Only the subject, parent, or legal guardian may request a birth record. The following information must be included in the request:

General Information
Date of request
Purpose of request
Document Requesting (Certificate of Birth)
Number of documents requesting
Current mailing address and daytime telephone number
Facts of Birth
Name (at birth)
Name after adoption (if applicable)
Date of birth
Country of birth
Father’s name
Father’s date and place (state/country) of birth
Mother’s name
Mother’s date and place (state/country) of birth
Fees for Certificate of Birth the fee is $30.00 for the first copy and $20.00 for each additional copy:
Certificate of Birth (DS-1350)
Check or money order must be signed, dated, and made payable to “Department of State.”
Remittance must be payable in U.S. dollars through a U.S. bank.
Do not send cash.
Additional Requirements
Notarized signature
A copy of a valid identification of the requester, such as a driver’s license, military ID, or passport.
If you possess a Report of Birth/Death or Certificate of Witness to Marriage, please enclose a copy to aid in our file search.
If you are requesting an amendment or correction to a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, please include certified copies of all documents appropriate for effecting the change (i.e., foreign birth certificate, marriage certificate, court ordered adoption or name change, birth certificates of adopting or legitimating parents, etc.). The original or replacement FS-240, or a notarized affidavit concerning its whereabouts also must be included.
SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST TO:

U.S. Department of State
Passport Services
Vital Records Section
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20522-1705

Turnaround Time
Most consular vital records must be retrieved from off-site repositories, including the National Archives. Thus, the time it takes varies greatly based on the type of record and date of occurrence, making it difficult to give a definite timeframe. However, in most cases, turnaround is four to eight weeks.

Expedited Service
Overnight delivery can save about ten days processing time, but there is no way to reduce the retrieval time. Overnight return via Federal Express is available for an additional $16.25 or the requester may provide a pre-paid airbill for the carrier of choice.

So why did I write a post about this?  I googled and searched and never came up with anything for months on end.  Really its been stressing me out and it really surprised me in how difficult it was to find the information.  So I thought I would share.

If you found this information useful please subscribe!  And I really appreciate you taking the time to read this post!