Welcome to Floridays!

The evening of Thursday, February 20, 2020 was a memorable evening for Floridays, brokered by eXp Realty as we officially opened our offices located at 638 Skinner Boulevard in beautiful Dunedin, Florida. After several weeks of preparation, our whole team was excited to finally open our doors and welcome all of you inside for the first look.

Guests arriving for the evening were among the first to see our new office space. With a name like Floridays, our office is all about having those desired Florida vibes. Everything has a tropical feeling - from the furniture to the abundance of natural light to the seashell driveway. In addition, the interior walls are decorated with fine art photography from the Mark A. Middleton collection, with each photo having been taken somewhere in Florida.

The evening began shortly after 4:00 pm with a welcoming speech from the Floridays team's founder, Mark Middleton, and an introduction of the entire team. Following Mark's speech, the entire team stood on the front porch (a great outdoor meeting space) for the official ribbon cutting. Afterwards our guests enjoyed the gorgeous, perfect Florida evening and live music.

It was an incredible evening to share with family, friends, clients, and people from all over Dunedin and Pinellas County. To everyone that stopped by to say hi, tour the office, and enjoy an evening of music and refreshments, thank you! We appreciate all of you and are so grateful you came! To everyone who could not make it, you were all with us in spirit, and we hope you stop by soon to see the office in person. We would love to see you! Blue skies and ultraviolet rays, we're living here in Floridays!

Grand Opening Celebration!

You're invited! Join the Floridays team brokered by eXp Realty as we celebrate the Grand Opening of our new office in Downtown Dunedin on Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm! We will be having a Ribbon Cutting at 4:00 pm, and all are welcome to join us!

To those of you who are new to my journey, I have been a real estate agent for just over two years although I have been involved in real estate for over 12 years working as a real estate paralegal and then attorney. My real estate career began as a single agent before I met Mark Middleton and made the decision that a team, and his team specifically, was the perfect fit for me.

In recent months, our team has moved to a new broker, eXp Realty, and we have a new name, Floridays. We are Florida's Real Estate Team, and we are so excited to open our office in Downtown Dunedin on February 20th.

The office space includes comfortable furniture, so it feels more like you're working from home. Our conference area is the perfect place for a meeting and will be open to reserve as a meeting spot for your local book club, knitting club, or of course, a meeting with clients. We will also be hosting classes to expand your knowledge like our List Your Way to Success class on March 19th.

The walls are adorned with fabulous pieces of art by local Dunedin photographer and our team's fearless leader, Mark Middleton, and the office will do double time as a studio meaning your walls can be decorated with amazing artwork as well.

Outside on the front porch is an incredible handcrafted farmers table perfect for outdoor meetings as well as doing one of my favorite things, working outside in the gorgeous Florida weather.

My words cannot do our new office space justice, so make sure to save the date and join us for our Grand Opening Celebration on Thursday, February 20 from 4p-7p. Look forward to seeing you there!

Book Review - Girl, Wash Your Face

About a year and a half ago, it seemed like everyone was talking about this book, Girl, Wash Your Face. I would see it on social media, hear people talking about it, and stumble upon it when browsing the aisles in Target. Eventually, I was intrigued enough to add it to my Amazon wishlist. Some time later I purchased it. Then for months, it sat on my bookshelf. Each time I finished a book, I would look at it sitting on my bookshelf and decide the time was not right. I did not want to read a self-help book. I was doing fine. Or there was another book intriguing me more to read it.

The last several weeks have been a struggle for me. Things have not seemed to be going my way. I was feeling a lot like I was taking one step forward and two steps back. I was putting in the work and not seeing results. I was putting myself out there only to be rejected. I was doing my best to help people and just getting yelled at and told I'm horrible. Needless to say, I was left feeling beaten down and defeated. I was not giving up. It's not who I am. I was just tired.

When I finished reading The Flight Girls (see my review HERE), it was time to decide what to read next. I looked at my bookshelf, and Girl, Wash Your Face stuck out to me. I still was not sure if it was what I wanted to read, but I picked it up, flipped it open, and it landed on a chapter titled "The Lie: I'm Not Good Enough". It was a lie I was currently telling myself in various areas of my life, so it felt like fate that I flipped to that page.

At 220 pages, Girl, Wash Your Face is a quick read. Rachel Hollis writes in such a way that it feels like one of your friends is sitting with you telling you her experiences to help you get through tough times. Like me, I am sure many of you are guilty of being hard yourself, being your worst critic. Rachel is right there with you telling you she is the same, she knows exactly how you feel, and these are the things she recommends you do to stop beating yourself up and start caring for yourself. Become your number one cheerleader, your top advocate.

There is nothing in this book that was particularly mind-blowing. Nothing that I have not been told or realized at some point or another in my life. However, there are so many things you need to hear over and over again, and from multiple people for it to really stick. Or in some cases, it sticks, but when something comes up to derail you, it's hard to get back on the right track. That negative voice in your head takes over, and it is a strong voice.

This book is a great read when your mindset is more negative than positive. When you feel like no matter what you do, it's not right, not good enough, not making a difference. This book will be your best gal pal telling you she knows exactly what you're going through, she's been there, and she's there to help lift you back up to be that marvelous woman you are.

I picked this book up off my shelf at the right moment. Exactly at the time when I needed it. To anyone having a rough time and feeling like each day is struggle, I recommend you pick up this book and let Rachel be your supportive friend. She'll help put right back on the right track to being amazing.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
When to read: When you're feeling down and out and need a lift

Book Review - The Flight Girls

Often when I am in an airport, I spend some time before my flight browsing the books available at Hudson News or a similar store looking for titles to add to my "Want to Read" list on Goodreads. A few months ago I was in Chicago Midway Airport and stumbled upon a novel titled The Flight Girls.

I read the description on the back and was intrigued. It was a novel about a female pilot, Audrey Coltrane, in Hawaii in 1941 when the war in Europe began. Her job was training military pilots. She had dreams of owning an airfield one day and didn't have time for any derailing romances, even from the charming Lieutenant James Hart, who quickly became a friend. After that fateful day in Pearl Harbor, Audrey returned home to Texas before deciding to enlist in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (“WASP”). Forming a story of powerful females, and the role they played in World War II. 

Admittedly, when I read the description, I had never heard of WASP. I have always enjoyed historical fiction novels set during World War II, and this was an area of the war unfamiliar to me. I had this book on my Wishlist, and when I saw it on sale on Amazon, I grabbed it and started reading it in early December. Due to the busy holiday season and the fact that I have a habit of reading multiple books at the same time, I recently finished it and decided it was worthy of a blog review.

It begins in Hawaii some time before the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Knowing what was coming, I found myself nervously and anxiously awaiting that historical moment, how it was going to affect our heroine. This was definitely a book that grabbed me right from the beginning.

As Audrey’s journey takes her to WASP, her friendship with Lieutenant Hart deepens, and new bonds are formed with her fellow female pilots, I found myself fully engrossed in her journey. Audrey and her fellow pilots are put through Army training. After training, their job was to test planes, ferry them throughout the states, and train pilots. The work of these females freed up the men for combat. Although not in active war, these courageous females were not free from danger, and as tragedy struck, my heart broke right along with Audrey’s.

It is a story of bravery and history intermixed with romance. I am a fun of romantic storires with a strong female character who does not allow a love interest to slow down her pursuit of her dreams and goals. The whole novel was filled with laughs, love, and heartache. I could not put it down, would read it well past my bedtime, and looked forward to reading every moment I could. 

It was a well-written story that provided some insight into what life was like for those female heroes during World War II. It was also a tale about staying true to dreams and not giving up no matter the obstacles. I would highly recommend The Flight Girls to anyone looking for a strong female character, a little history, and a dash of romance.

If you've read this novel, I'd love to hear your thoughts and review as well in the comments. Also, I love reading, and I am always looking for new books to add to my list. If you have any recommendations, please share.

As always, have a magical day!

London Travel Tip - Sky Garden

London, England is overflowing with amazing places to visit, activities to do, and areas to explore. Like so many cities, there is never enough time to do it all, which means you need to figure what few things are a must do for you. As I said in a previous post, I usually have a few must do's, a few more nice to do's, and the rest are just those places you stumble upon. 

A place in London I would recommend you consider putting on your Must Do List is Sky Garden. It is best described as London's Highest Public Garden and provides some amazing views of the city. The best part of all? It's free. 

You will need to plan your visit ahead of time because a ticket is needed, and a limited number of tickets are available each day. Typically, you are able to book a ticket up to three weeks in advance. More information about the booking process can be found on their website HERE.

Sky Garden is located at 20 Fenchurch Street, and it spans three stories at the top of the commercial building some have nicknamed "The Walkie Talkie." The space includes lovely and exquisite gardens that visitors can wander through. The area also includes a bar and two restaurants. Lastly, it provides 360 degree views of the city of London that are simply spectacular. 

We visited Sky Garden during the first half of our trip and later in the afternoon. Although the ticket does state you have one hour, I did not observe anyone coming around and throwing people out after an hour. When we arrived, we started by sitting at a table to relax and enjoy a drink before venturing to the windows to check out some of the views. After some time, we walked up the stairs and to the other side to take in more views as well as to sit and relax some more. It was a great way to end a day in London and to see the city from above.

Why Sky Garden? There are other options out there for views of London. One is The Shard, which is twice the height of 20 Fenchurch Street. However, the Standard entry fee for one adult is £25. London is an expensive city, so spending £25 just for views of the city is a lot of money especially if you're on a budget. Sky Garden offers views just as spectacular for free, so before your trip to London, make sure to book your tickets for Sky Garden. It will not disappoint.