Occasionally I will post something that strays from the topic of Fredericksburg or real estate.  This is one of those times.  I’ve been pondering this for about a week now; well longer than a week.  What is Respect?  Who deserves Respect?  Who do you Respect?  Why would you want someone to Respect you?  They all seem like pretty simple questions, but I think it gets muddled more times than not. 

Respect is defined as the condition of being esteemed or honored; esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability; and to hold in esteem or honor. 

So, based off these definitions, who deserves Respect?  It seems that people who deserve Respect would be people that have an admirable disposition, or have an accomplishment that you consider outstanding, someone who possesses a skill that you wish you were better at or wish you possessed, or even someone that you look up to as a role model.  What is amazing to me is that at no time does the definition of Respect say that you have to automatically Respect someone because they are older than you.  And, this is probably a good thing.  I can think of plenty of people who are older than me that I have no respect for.  There are also plenty of people who are younger than me that I have a great deal of Respect for.  I don’t think Respect was ever meant to be pigeon-holed. 

Recently I was chastised for not showing an elder enough respect.  The reason offered to me to show this person more respect was that they are older than me.  They’ve been in their job longer than me.  Other people respect them.  But is this enough to earn Respect?  Am I being asked to Respect them or admire them in a position of authority?  I think there is a difference.  When someone asks for respect are they really asking  to be marveled at and shown some pomp and circumstance?  Would you rather earn Respect through your actions and deeds and reputation?  Or, do you want to be given insincere appreciation for the mere fact that you were born before someone else? 

None of this is to say that I do not Respect my elders; I most certainly do.  I have a great Respect for my grandparents, who lived during some amazing points in history, are self-made, and are the leaders of my family.  I have a great Respect for many people who happen to be older than me.  But, I do not Respect them for being older than me.  I Respect them because they are good people, they are teachers in their own right, and they make me a better person.  I also Respect many people who are younger than me.  I Respect them for their accomplishments, for not being held back by their fears and uncertainty, and for their willingness to share.  But to be honest, the older people and the younger people that I Respect have only one difference, their age.  So, this is a variable I throw out when determining who I Respect. 

I guess what this all boils down to is that I don’t hand out Respect like it’s candy.  If someone’s actions and deeds contradict the values that I hold as Respectable, then they don’t make the cut.  I’m not going to cheapen my value system so that someone else can have an ego boost.  And, at the end of the day, the person I have to Respect the most is myself.

(Best Waitress In Years – Lara, pictured with Bill Lublin and Jay Thompson)

In honor of Waiter/ Waitress Day I decided to post something for the best waitress I have had in years!  Last week I went to the NAR Mid-Year Conference in Washington DC.  On our last night there a few of us stopped into Open City (2331 Calvert St NW) for dinner.  This was purely by chance.  It turned into one of the liveliest and entertaining dinners I have ever had thanks to our waitress Lara.  She was fantastic.  Her service was impeccable, but her personality really did make the evening.  She joked around with us, gave us “cute” nicknames and made the evening very memorable.  We were sad when her section closed at 10:30 and we had to leave.  Lara has been a topic of conversation since last week and I am sure we will be raving about her for years.  I know I will be going back to Open City the next time I’m in DC.  I suggest you scope her out when you’re in town.  You will not regret it!

Today I mourn the loss of my 20′s and celebrate the birth of my 30′s.  I’ve never been afraid of growing older; I’m just not a huge fan of growing up.  I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t have a moonbounce at my birthday party, or one where I can’t dance crazy-like at a wedding, or eat cereal for dinner.  I don’t want to miss or forget the joys of being a kid, like the feeling of the first day of summer, or the excitement of wearing your first pair of heels.   

I hear your 30′s is a good decade.  I’m looking forward to finding the truth in this.  But, give me a few days to embrace my new age!

 

I’ve decided to start a new series for SarahiouslySpeaking.com called Photo Friday.  Every Friday I’ll post a picture of something happening in my life that week.  Today is the inaugural photo.  This is my moonbounce!  My husband got it for me for my 30th Birthday Party.  It is the perfect present!

Or Happy Blonde Brownie Day (for those with no cat)

If you follow me on Twitter you have gotten used to this type of outburst from me.  For those of you who don’t, let me explain.  My father passed away when I was seventeen.  Shortly after this I decided that every day that I am alive is a day of celebration.  Years later I found out that in fact, every day is a holiday and celebration.  A rather funny conversation on Twitter led me to start posting these celebrations for my followers.  Well, it’s been almost a year and I’ve decided to bring the party to www.SarahiouslySpeaking.com! 

So, welcome to the festivities!  I will be posting the day’s celebration every week day morning (Monday-Friday).  If you have questions about the holidays, feel free to ask in the comments section.  If you have any holiday suggestions, please let me know!  I hope you enjoy these holidays as much as Twitter does!

Having been raised in North Carolina, of course, I’m partial.  But, now I live in Virginia and according to North Carolina, this isn’t the south!  I was always taught that the Mason-Dixon line was the North Carolina/ Virginia border, cause that’s where good bbq stops.  My husband and I have truly loved living in VA, but at times we really miss living in the land of Dixie.  It’s funny ’cause both our families are from up north.  We recently went to South Carolina for our one year wedding anniversary.  This trip brought back lot of memories.  We also remembered 10 things we love about living down south!

1.  Girls have 2 first names – Our waitress on our first night reminded us of this.  Her name was Sarah Paige.  One of my good friends from high school was Mary Beth.  It goes on and on.  Boys are not immune from this southern tradition either.  Who can forget names like Billy Ray, John Thomas, and Carter Finley – and yes, I these people!

2.  Cole Slaw is a veggie and served as a side item – And I mean, it is served at every meal!  There are a few times when you can get sweet potatoe fries, but for the most part, you are getting cole slaw.  You will also find cole slaw on your bbq sammiches and burgers, whether you like it or not.

3.  Seer Sucker suits – My husband’s best freind actually wore one to his rehearsal dinner, along with an orange bow tie.  True, they are comfortable and breezy, but you won’t catch a northerner in such a thing! 

4.  Flip Flops – Yep, you can even pair flip flops with a seer sucker suit!  From April – October you will find a good southerner in a pair of flip flops. 

5.  Men Wear Pastels – Now, there is a reason behind the madness.  Wearing pastels helps keep you cooler.  Why do you think southern houses are painted pastel?  Same reason!  There is nothing better than a burley construction worker walking down a southern street wearing a pastel pink shirt (and flip flops).

6.  Shrimp = Breakfast Food - Southerners can actually pair shrimp with anything.  This is a problem for people like me who are allergic to shellfish!  I think my husband ate shrimp and grits every day while we were in SC.

7.  Southern Accents are Cute! - I learned this rather quickly when I moved down south.  Northerners aren’t known for their lilting voices and wonderful drawls.  It’s amazing how much more you can get away with saying with a southern accent. 

8.  Debutante Balls – This is actually a french tradition that has survived in the South.  If you are not familiar with Debutante Balls, they are a formal affair when the girls are presented to society.  One of my best friends was actually dumped by a boy when he found out she was not a Deb!  She was 26!  It isn’t the actual particpation in te ball that I love, it is the celebration of history.  In this day and age these balls are out of date, yet in southern society they continue.  I love that retention of history!

9.  Ice Tea – Let’s be honest, you can’t get good ice tea outside of the south!  And while we’re being honest, I actually hate tea!  I call it leaf sweat.  This is a point of contention for me and other southerners.  It is considered pretty rude to refuse someone’s tea.  But I just don’t like it.  However, given it’s prominence at the southern table, I have included it on my list.

10.  Humidty! - Say What!?!  Well, I have naturally curly hair.  Humidty actually helps me style it.  And I believe you haven’t lived until you’ve walked 6 miles in 95 degree weather with 100% humidity. 

So, there you have it, 10 reasons I love the south!  I am about to head to the mid-west on Thursday, Nebraska to be exact.  I am hopeful I can find 10 things I love about the mid-west!  

 

Well, it’s that time of year again, the Fredericksburg Fair is in town!  This is my second year attending the fair, and I must say, there have been some big improvements! 

First, there are more rides, including the re-introduction of the ferris wheel, a Fair staple.  Rides range in price and are not included in your general admission.  Lines seemed to move fairly fast. 

Second, there are more food vendors offering a wide variety of Fair food.  Now, I’ll be honest, this is my main reason for coming to the Fredericksburg Fair.  When I hear turkey leg, I come running!  Not since medieval times has it been appropriate to rip into a giant turkey leg with nothing but your teeth!  This year’s turkey legs are far bigger than last year’s and more delicious!  Other culinary delights are the Stafford Jaycees hand-dipped corn dogs, the gator sausage, funnel cake, homemade fudge, and hand-spun milkshakes.  A welcome addition this year is the beer tent!  They do have a limit to the number of beers you are served in a 2 hour time period.  There were 5-6 beers to choose from and the price was reasonable for a Fair. 

Of course, there are also animals at the Fredericksburg Fair.  My party met a delightful gentleman in the Chicken Exhibition area that showed us a chicken that has blue skin, blue meat, and black bones.  He also offered to let us purchase the chicken for our dinner, but we politely declined!  We also saw sheep, cows, rabbits, pigs, emus, a wallaby, and a camel!  There are several areas where you can pet and feed the animals and handwashing stations are close by. 

All in all, this was a pretty good Fair for a small town and I highly recommend you attend this year!  You can find more information at www.fredfair.net. 

Admission:  Age 4-54 – $7 and Age 55+ – $5  – this includes parking, but no rides.       

I went to my very first Bluemont Concert Series last night.  My husband and I are always looking for fun new things to do and this seemed like it could be interesting.  We were lucky enough to see Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, a California bluegrass group.  Laurie Lewis is considered one of the premier bluegrass and Americana artists of our time.   I am now a big fan of bluegrass!   

Bluemont is a non-profit regional arts organization that has been presenting events since 1976.  Bluemont helps bring music programs to Virginia school systems, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the region’s communities.  The music programs are as diverse as the communities enjoying them. 

Fredericksburg’s summer concerts take place every Saturday,  June 28th – August 30th, at Maury Stadium in downtown (corner of Kenmore Ave and George Street/ Hanover Street).  It is $5 for Adults and $2 for children under 12.  You are encouraged to bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, outdoor toys, and refreshments.  A community group usually has some refreshments for sale with the proceeds going entirely to the group to support their volunteer efforts. 

I highly recommend locals and visitors attend these events.  There was a great sense of wholesome community.  We really enjoyed watching some area children dance and play in the field while listening to amazing live music.  We have decided we will definitely be taking a picnic dinner the next time we go!  

If you would like some more information, please visit:  http://www.bluemont.org/Concerts/Fredericksburg.html        

Yesterday was a huge milestone for my husband and me.  It was the one year anniversary of buying our dream home.  July 16 will forever be ingrained in our heads as the day we bought our money pit.  Don’t get me wrong, we love our house!  But, let’s call a spade a spade, it’s a money pit.  It is very fitting that the traditional gift for a one year anniversary is paper, ie money.

The Dream

Like many home buyers, we had a dream when we bought ths house.  We drew up a To Do List the day after we had our home inspection and vowed we would have these items completed by July 16, 2008.  Let’s see how we did.

The List

1.  Re-wire House – During our home inspection we were informed that this home had the most active knob and tube wiring the inspector had ever seen!  On top of that, the previous owners had installed a central a/c unit in the attic and had decided to upgrade the insulation at the same time.  (Thanks for the central a/c, not so much on the new insulation).  The new blown insulation was laying on top of the exposed knob and tube wiring.  Can you say fire-hazard?  So how far did we get?…

Not too shabby.  After creating a trunk to run all the new wires, we are on our way to being a house with modern electricity!  We are also now wired for phone, cable, and ethernet in every room.  We have a ways to go, including setting the new electric panel, upgrading to 200 amp service, and patching the holes; but we are almost there.

 

 

2.    Paint – This was not supposed to have been done until after we were done re-wiring, but we soon realized that we needed to multi-task.  So…

I invited friends over and we painted 6 rooms in 6 days.  (P.S. We are still friends after this and hubby and I are going to their new house in 2 weeks to help them paint!)

 

 

 

3.  Fix Random Hole in Dining Room Floor – Yep, there’s a random hole in the Dining Room Floor. 

Here it is!                                    

                      

 

 

                                 

 

Here’s the fix – a small area rug over the hole.  This helps prevent the cats from running thru the Dining Room and accidently falling into the hole or one of our dinner guests putting their chair leg in the hole.  Eventually we’ll get that hole patched.  I promise!

 

 

4.  Yeah, the “Basement That Never Leaks,” LEAKS!!!!!

 

 

 

 

We have a FAIL on this item.  This has been moved to the Will Handle When We Put Up That Addition List. 

 

5.  The Chimney Allows Carbon Monoxide to Come Billowing Back Into the Living Room – Eeeek!  This was a must get done before winter sets in item. 

                                 

The old chimney came down and the new, safe chimney went up!  This took about 3 days to complete.

 

 

 

The Verdict

All in all, I don’t think we did that bad getting items checked off our To Do List.  Most of the safety items have been taken care of, some of the cosmetic items have been postponed for that addition and my husband has learned when it is just easier to hire someone else to do the work.  If I had to do this all over again, I would still purchase this house.  By the time we finished, in say 5 more years, it will truly be our dream home.  It’s amazing what you learn to live with in the interim!