Dana's Blog

Several years ago I found myself in the middle of a downsizing whirlwind. The aftermath of that storm left me unemployed, with a son to care for and bills to pay.

My boyfriend/future husband, believed this would be a great opportunity for all of us if I would go back to school. He offered to take care of everything so I could focus on my studies and that is exactly what happened.

After completing real estate school and passing the state exam I woked under several Brokers. The first brokerage was a small company in Griffin, GA. It is there that I learned how to locate properties, find owners, and all of the basics I needed. I was off to a good start.
My second move was to a local Jonesboro group where I worked with homeowners and dabbled in commercial leasing and sales. I learned to assemble land tracts, how to meet with developers and what information they needed. Business had doubled and I was ready to move forward. I moved my license to a brokerage that dealt with single family homes, townhomes and condos. It was not really my cup of tea so I went back to school and secured my Broker licensure and we soon parted ways.
For a little over a year I brokered a company owned by someone else and the housing market, along with the economy virtually disappeared!

So here we are in a head on collision, where the past meets the future in an explosion of the present and it creates Vanguard Commercial, LLC. Terry and I pooled our resources and opened up a new company in the beginning of a recession. The greatest thing is that when God has his hand on something and you are doing your best to walk in obedience it does not matter what the world economy is like and it does not matter if you have all the right connections. He is able.

A huge thank you to my husband Terry and my son J.D. for continuous love and support.
Thank you also to Mike White & Jerry Lanier for listening, teaching, encouraging and coaching.

Our company logo is almost complete! Watch for it!

Republican Party of Butts County Precinct & County Conventions
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
 
The Butts County Republican Party will conduct Precinct Meetings & hold the County Convention.
Registration will be from 8:30 AM until 9:00 AM. You must register before 9:00 AM to participate!
The meeting begins PROMPTLY at 9:00 AM.
 
A fee of $5.00 will be collected. The location is the Butts County Administration Building,
625 W. 3rd Street, Jackson, GA.
 
All Butts County residents who are registered to vote & believe in the principles of the
Republican Party are urged to participate.
 
Anyone interested in running for Chairman, First Vice Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer please
contact Ron Moon, Chairman of the nominating committee at this email address or call 770-504-0469. 
 
For any additional information contact Debbie Moon, Chairman, at 770 504-0469 or email at GOPbuttscounty@gmail.com.
 
Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

I don't understand. I mean I REALLY don't get it!

Every day you see it on the TV, blogs, websites, radio (you get the picture) people are demanding equality for "their group" or acceptance of "their group" and yet they do not offer what they demand.

How can you say we are the United States of America yet we seperate ourselves at every opportunity.

The recent elections were a good example. Some said they voted for Obama becuase he was black, others voted for Clinton because she was female, McCain becuase he was Republican. None of those reason should even be considered when voting. I mean, why wouldn't we vote for someone because they were just the best qualified candidate?

Is this really what we, as a human race, have come to? Have we advanced so far that we have left behind the value of people?

This is one of those posts that some comments could cause someone to get very worked up about and that is ok. Let's just keep our wits about us as we read and reply.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:
 
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.  And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees..  I don't feel threatened.  I don't feel di scriminated against. That's what they are:  Christmas trees.
 
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.  I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it  It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu   If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
 
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.  I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.   I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country.  I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
 
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we are n't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.   But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
 
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke;  it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
 
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. 
 
She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
 
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK.
 
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  And we said OK.
 
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
 
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
 
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.  Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.  Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the s chool and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of u s than what God thinks of us..

Pass it on if you think it has merit.  If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.  

My Best Regards,  Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs.  For example;
the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
those of the canary in 14 days;
those of the barnyard hen in 21 days.
The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;              
those of the mallard in 35 days.
The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven). 
 

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant.  The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction.  No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs.  For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.

The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first.  A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first.  How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!
 

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.

Each watermelon has an even number of strips on the rind.
Each orange has an even number of segments.
Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
       

The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linneus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
 

Thus the Lord in His wonderful grace can arrange the life that is entrusted to His care in such a way that it will carry out His purposes and plans, and will be fragrant with His presence.
 
Amazing! What an Awesome God we worship and serve!

Last year I was contacted by a group that was tring to establish a new Arbor Day progam with elementary students. They called it the Fourth Grade Foresters Project.

I did some research on the program and decided to participate. It was great!

Here is how we did it:
The trees were purchased thru the organization from GA Forestry (or whatever state your in) and bagged by individuals with disabilities. The trees were then shipped directly to us with planting directions attatched to each of them. We attaced postcards with our company info on the opposite side of the bag and gave them out to all the fourth graders after a presentation from the GA Forestry Commission and some high school students were studying agriculture.

It was a great day with the kids, we got to advertise to all those families, they learned about trees and we made our county 500+ trees greener.

Here is a link if you would like to check it out!
http://www.freetreesandplants.com/FGF1.html

or to see pics and info for this year:
http://www.vanguard-commercial.com/Community/page_2012750.html

 GREAT NEWS! Coleman Tatum of Tatum Tree Tree Care & Removal Co. have agreed to not only co-sponsor the event but he is bringing his team of experts to educate the kids on the importance of trees, hold a tree climbing exhibition and let the kids try on some of the equipment!!!!

I am looking for an investor who has 60K to put into a commercial real estate expansion project. Monies will be used for land purchase and partial closing costs.

Property is commercial and located in Jenkinsburg, GA.

ROI will be 15% for a 1yr and 20% on 13 months to two years. Must be able to close quickly.

Here is a great deal! I have an investor that needs to dump a piece of property and has priced it to do just that!

REDUCED TO $750,000.00

Approx. 30.55 acres in Spalding County, GA
86 Lots
Zoned for mixed use (can be commercial, sf, and 25% can be mf)
All DOT requirements met.
All engineering done.

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.  

 
 
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith hand addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith , 'in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

God Created Everything, Did He Create Evil?
A University professor at a well-known institution of higher learning Challenged his students with this question.    

"Did God create everything that exists?"  
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"  

"God created everything?" The professor asked.  
"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.  

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created Evil.  And, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our Works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."  
The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's Hypothetical  definition. 

The professor, quite pleased with himself, Boasted to the  students that he had proven once more that the Christian Faith was a myth.  

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, Professor?"  
"Of course," replied the professor.  

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"  
"What kind of question is this?  Of course it exists.  Have you never Been cold?"  
The other students snickered at the young man's question.  
The young man replied, "In fact, sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality The absence of heat.   Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits Energy and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of Heat.   And all matter becomes inert and incapable of Reaction At that temperature. Cold does not exist.  We have created this word to describe how we Feel if we have no heat."  
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"  
The professor responded, "Of course it does."  
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong, sir, darkness does not Exist either.  Darkness is in reality the absence of light.  Light we Can study, but not darkness.  In fact, we can use Newton's prism to Break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of Each color.  You cannot measure darkness.  A simple ray of light can Break into a world of darkness and illuminate it.   How can you know how dark a certain space is?  You measure the amount Of light present.  Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term Used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."  

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"  
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already Said.  We see it everyday.  It is in the daily examples of man's Inhumanity to man.  It is in the multitude of crime and violence Everywhere in the world.  These manifestations are nothing else but Evil."  
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it Does not exist unto itself.  Evil is simply the Absence of God.   It is just like darkness and cold, a Word that Man has created to describe the absence of God.  God did not create Evil.  Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's Love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is No heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."  

The professor sat down.  

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein