Linda's (from Indiana) Journal

I hope you are feeling better soon. You have a positive mind even when down. It goes along with Dean's blog for this week. I hope you can get back in the saddle with REI soon. I have had difficulty recovering from my back and hip problems, but I have found naproxen helps a lot. I am sure your energy will return when you get over your sickness. Get healthy Linda.

thanks for the encouraging words. i am working on getting better and have decided to take it slow so i don't overdo it. slow and steady wins the race, so i've heard. i know you will continue to improve as time passes, but sounds like you are still moving forward.

i'm still here, believe it or not. i'm going slow for now, but at least trying to do something. while in bed sick, i still did a lot of studying and listened to 3 webinars, which were very helpful. i am reading "The Law of Success" by Napoleon Hill. this is the 1928 version, which i've been told is the "watered-down" version, but i will order the 1925 version as soon as i get the debit card for my business account. should be this week. anyway, i just wanted to get started on it and since there are almost 600 pages to read, it will take me a while. plans for my trip to Tulsa have changed a little and it looks like i will be going down by myself and meet up with my son in Tulsa, not Fort Knox. i have to be flexible. Dean's blog this morning on negativity was very good. i don't listen to the news anyway; when you have someone in the military, that is the worst thing you can do. but.....i get on the phone this morning and most of the conversation was upsetting and negative. i didn't have much to say and didn't stay on the phone very long. it is important to keep that positive mental attitude going and overcome all the negativity that can just blind-side you out of nowhere. i will be practicing it daily.

i'm wondering when i'm going to be well again??? sitting at the computer is really difficult, but i wanted to at least post something. i have had a couple responses to ads i ran last week. i sent my questionnaire this morning to one couple and the other person texted me on my phone. i really don't appreciate that because i save my texting for my kids, but i have texted the person back to ask if he has an email address so i can send him my questionnaire. if i don't hear back from him, he's not serious. if he doesn't have email, i don't have a way to send it to him and will say so. unfortunately i don't feel that my ads bring in the T/B's i'm looking for. i need to change things around a bit when i am up to it. i still have not found my co-op L/O notes. i had a dream i found them and the dream told me where they are, but i cannot remember enough of the dream to figure it out. am i losing it?? where would i put my most important notes that i need to use? i can't think of any place i haven't all ready looked. if i'm not better by Thursday or Friday, i will have to see the doctor. maybe he can run a brain scan while he's at it.

I hope you are feeling better very soon!! You'll have to have the same dream again and take notes this time

Lea

i'm really beginning to wonder about myself. i told my daughter this morning that if she needs anything hidden well, give it to me. we'll never find it again.

i have done a little better today. just trying to be careful and not do too much. i managed to go to The UPS Store and renew my post office box for another 6 months. that's where all my LLC stuff goes and anything else i want shipped there. they allow me to show it as a suite # so UPS and whoever else will deliver there because it's an actual address with a suite #, not just a P. O. Box. i ordered Jared a St. Barbara's medal and received it yesterday. we are not Catholic, but he likes the idea of a Saint for different things and she is the EOD saint. he lost the last one i bought him and i wanted to replace it before he deploys. he'll wear it with his dog tags. i also ordered him an Army Bible today and had it shipped to my oldest daughter's, where i'll be staying for 2 weeks. he had one of those too, but with all his moving around he has no idea where it is. Psalm 91 is the protection scripture and i want to make sure he has it with him. he is in AL training right now and is with the team he will work with in Afghanistan. they have been doing exceptionally well for a team that has never worked together before. he is a Team Leader, but until he can get all his certification done, he has an interim Team Leader who is female. she is what the military calls "squared away" and that means she is excellent. she is the only woman he knows in EOD and she is married to another EOD tech. i'm just glad he has a good team and they work well together. my daughters are doing well, but i know Jared's leave and then saying good-bye will be tough for them. i don't know that they will get to see him again before he deploys. my kids are unusually close and so everything is between them first, then their parents. i have not heard from either prospect i emailed yesterday about rent-to-own. i didn't think they were serious. an investor friend of mine emailed me a property he has under contract and i have a couple people to email it out to, just in case they would be interested. he also called me today to find out about an appraiser and i told him to call our mortgage broker. i sent him to her for a refi and he really liked working with her. he also asked if Chuck would be interested in doing a residential rehab quote for him and he's going to contact Chuck directly on that. it sounds like he is looking at a sub-to deal on this one. Chuck's nephew called the other day and asked us to keep an eye out for a house for him and his fiancee. Chuck mentioned that i was a realtor too. i'm hearing a lot about all these foreclosures being stopped and read something today about title insurance not covering this mess and that one bank is putting an addendum in their contracts on REO's that says they are not responsible. i would be very careful right now with buying REO's unless you have something to cover your "assets". you could end up with nothing and out a lot of money. my last post to Lea got me up to 2500 points. hard to believe someone can be that gabby. kind of a milestone for me. i know one DGer who suggested to someone else not to post so much and go and do deals. well, she has one deal done and is on to another one. i don't think he realizes the true value of keeping a journal on here. it's not about wasting time; it's about keeping yourself accountable, keeping track and giving back. none of that wastes time, in my opinion. but, if it does, it's our time to waste. just my 2 cents.........

I agree with you about keeping a journal.

I heard the same thing about the title companies not covering REO's. What a mess.

I'll keep Jared in my prayers. I'm glad you were able to get him a St. Barbara's medal and also his Army bible.

Congrats on the 2500 Gabby uh ... er ... I mean Linda

Looking forward to talking to you when you are feeling better.

Lea

I hope you are feeling better. I for one did not think we needed a journal to make it in REI. I have to say since we started our journal we have been doing a lot better at REI.

We are going to the home land on the 22nd for that weekend to work on the house we have there in Indiana.

I hope every thing works out well for you Linda.

Steve and Veronica.

always nice to "see" you. thank you for the prayers. and thanks for the congratulations. i had to laugh when i read that.

thanks for stopping by. i'm trying to take it one day at a time and seem to be getting better little by little. you will be coming into Indiana that day and i will be heading to Fort Knox. i hope it's a great weekend for working on the house you have and travelling. i don't fly anymore with all the restrictions (good excuse) and it would cost me $1000 just to bring all my bags!! i have to try and pack a lot lighter this time since i'm riding with my son.

Have a safe trip to Fort Knox and back.

God Bless your Son and America Semper Fi.

Steve
USMC

thank you again.

the last couple days have been kind of rough. i got to talk to Lea on Friday and we had a nice conversation. i needed that since i won't get to talk to her for a few weeks again. i did manage to make it to my REI club meeting yesterday, which is very important to me. i love the networking and talking about REI. our speaker was a local investor who spoke to us a year ago. i really like him and he seems to be a good guy. he was a luxury home builder and then lost everything when the market tanked. now he rehabs foreclosures and is very successful at it. he seems to be a simple guy, yet very sharp. he is not afraid to talk to total strangers and tell them what he does. (that is where i want to be, if i can stop cowering in the corner.) he had some good information for us. i went to Redi-Med down the street from our house to see what is going on with me. they could not help me. if they gave me a prescription, it would just make me worse. said i would have to go beyond medicine to get well. so, i did. i went to the health food store and talked to a lady there i trust. she told me to get on a probiotic and take 2/day, changed my magnesium and that i may have a problem with my ileocecal valve being stuck open. i called my sister because she is now going to biofeedback and was told she was having problems with the same valve. she told me how to help it myself, so i am working on that. if i cannot get it to work, i can go to a chiropractor familiar with kinesiology and they can fix it. i would rather know how to do it myself in case it happens in the future. something is definitely wrong and needs help, but the doctor told me he couldn't really do anything and that medicine can only go so far. at least he was honest with me. i also have to replace my electrolytes so instead of drinking Gatorade or Powerade and all the crap in those drinks, i can drink Emergen-C from the health food store and only get the good stuff in me. i hope to feel a lot better tomorrow. my son told me i should be fun to ride with from Fort Knox to Tulsa. i hope to meet with people in Tulsa to see about doing some deals there. i know my oldest daughter has a few foreclosures in their neighborhood and i hope to also talk to her and her husband about their banks' REO's since i'll be staying with them this trip. we always have to come from a place of "what's in it for them" so we can help them understand the benefit of doing business with us. i hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Hi Linda,

Thank you for the warm welcome post on my journal here. I thought I would take a look at your journal to get a chance to see what you are up to and noticed that you are having some health issues, which I was sorry to hear about.

Although I have no idea what you must be going through, I do know how unsettling it is to be unwell and unable to get answers from anyone on how to go about feeling better.

To further explain;
While living in Los Angeles I had back pain that the UCLA Hospital Emergency Room, and two Beverly Hills back specialists couldn't or wouldn't diagnose. The pain was so severe that I had to stay on my back in bed, and finally had to come to Tulsa in order that my family could take care of me while I tried to recuperate.

3 days after I got home I went to a specialist, who within seconds poked my back in it's most tender spot, diagnosed and fixed the problem, and within a few days I was back in L.A.

At risk of butting in with my thoughts when I shouldn't... My point is that perhaps while you are in Tulsa you should try visiting a doctor who might be able to give you a new perspective on what is ailing you?

Best wishes,
Terri in Tulsa

thank you for stopping by. i finally seem to be on the mend and it is thanks to the lady at the health food store, but i appreciate your input. are you still in Tulsa? i will be there Saturday night for a couple weeks. i'm getting kind of excited. i do love Tulsa.

i have not been as faithful to post since i've been under the weather. i was doing better yesterday in one respect, but was so weak and exhausted i could hardly keep my eyes open. today i am a little stronger and i believe each day will get better. i did manage to listen to a webinar on abandoned properties yesterday and that was very good. this morning i had to spend some time on health insurance again. fun. i was reading a post on the REO situation earlier and it reminded me why i like lease/options. talked to my Dad and told him Jared and i plan on stopping by to see him in AR on our way to Tulsa. it will be short and sweet, but Jared really wants to see him before he deploys. their military experience is a bond they share. i need to get my EOD Mom sticker on my car before i leave. i still haven't found my co-op L/O notes and it is really frustrating. there are only so many places they can be. i'll be taking my books on L/O's and abandoned properties on my trip because i usually have a little time to read. i really feel bad about not being able to get a deal done before i go back to Tulsa, but i have to believe everything works out for the best. i will be looking around and checking into some things while i'm in Tulsa/Owasso/Bixby. i might even think about AR because real estate isn't going too well in the area Dad lives in either. that's why my cousin's son gave up being a realtor, although he is like most other realtors out there that don't understand investing at all. there comes a time when you have to start thinking outside the box.

to leaving, that is. i guess that also puts me one day closer to a deal. i'm getting excited to go. Jared wants to leave at 5am in the morning. i told him he will have to grab me out of bed and throw me in his truck. he said he would need a nap after that. well, he did a big run this morning carrying 75 pounds and since i only weigh a teensy bit more than that , i don't see the problem. i really wish i was less than 5 hours away from Fort Knox because i would be a lot more interested in doing some deals down there. i just hate to be that far away in the beginning. i know that once Jared and all his roommates deploy, the owners are putting the house up for sale. it's a very nice home and will probably sell quickly, although i don't know what the market is like down there. i got to talk to Lea today. it was really nice to hear her voice and talk some real estate before i leave. i applied for health insurance again today. the broker i am working with is a very nice guy and hopefully this one will work out. i'm really about fed up with that issue. i may try to do a webinar tomorrow on REO's. i like the 2 people doing it and one is also an expert on L/O's, so i'm sure that will enter the mix. Chuck has a meeting and if it runs late enough, i can work the webinar in. shame on me.

i just want to say that i am so thankful for this website and those who contribute to it. i haven't been able to keep up with all the journals i follow, but i do try to read the few forum subjects listed on the home page. so many of us are going through tough times and rough experiences, but what an amazing group of people we have here to help us get through those times. all i can say is THANK YOU!

i can't believe it's been so long since i posted. i am in Tulsa and things have been so hectic and i don't have my laptop with me. i met Jared in Elizabethtown (near Fort Knox) and we left at 5am Saturday morning for AR to see my dad. he was so glad to see us and we brought him a box of his stuff he had left behind. we then headed for Tulsa and got here about 6:30pm central time. long hard trip. i could not stay awake; thank goodness i wasn't driving, although i do some of my best driving asleep. unfortunately, Jared said he does too. we hauled his motorcycle back with us (a Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak 1600 - there's a reason i'm posting that), but we still made good time. i have been staying with Desiree and today i will move to Danelle's for a few days while Jared is in CO. have to make my rounds. i found out that not only is Jared being deployed to Afghanistan with the bomb squad, but he is also being recruited for something far more dangerous and serious. not sure i'm ready for that, but he has to do what he feels is best for him. he may not do anything until he gets back in a year. believe me, some of the stories he has told me are hard for a mom to hear. mostly he talked about his training to be certified as backup until a medic can arrive for someone that is wounded. talk about wanting to faint and throw up, and i don't do either. i talked to my son-in-law about REO's at his bank. he said that they have about 30 residential and a few commercial properties. the commercial properties are what is causing them trouble. i mentioned what Chuck and i are thinking about doing, working with smaller banks on their REO's. he said they just did a similar type deal with the bank's attorney, who will rehab the property and then sell it retail. my daughter's bank sells all their loans. so...what i'm hearing is that if you can show the banks how it will benefit them, you may very likely have a deal. it's all about what you can do for them. it will require us sitting down and actually putting a plan and business plan together to present. Chuck will have no problem with any of that as far as presenting it. He is going to be in Indy Monday for Monday Night Football. an electric company he does business with is taking him and they will be in the Budweiser suite. my mom better be talking to Payton a lot that night (she always loved Payton Manning).

First of all I'm sorry to hear about Jared being recruited for something more dangerous with the bomb squad. From everything you have said about him he is EXCELLENT at what he does! I'm glad that you got him the medal and the bible. I will continue to keep both of you in my prayers.

GOOD going with your research on the banks! You are definitely making progress with this and I know your business plan will be awesome. Chuck will be presenting? How cool is that!?!! It wasn't that long ago that he didn't want to have much to do with this so look at what you've accomplished! It's great that you 2 are working together in REI. I read a post that Randy made in Jay's journal and he said that he has developed a good relationship with the smaller banks and they will even look at properties with him.

Enjoy your time with your family!

Lea

so glad to hear from you. seems like forever! you know, i'm very proud of Jared and what he does, but it can be hard on an old woman.

anything on those properties? any other properties?

yes, i would want Chuck to do the presentation because he is never embarrassed and he doesn't care if they like it or not. i am still working on not caring and not being emotional about REI. i'm doing better, but he also knows alot more about this area than i do, so he has all his years of experience in residential/commercial building to back him up. he can also say he is a General Contractor and all that good stuff. he also has relationships with city/county people, which might help too. you just never know what they are really looking for. what i have also heard is that once you build a good relationship with one bank, others hear about it and want in on it too. remember me asking Chuck how many rehabs he could handle at one time??? he thought i was kidding. i always expect big things!!!

i think i read that post from Randy, but it's good to be reminded of it.

hope things are going well for you and in the direction you want them to.

Yes I know you are proud of your kids You are too funny with the old lady comment.

Nothing on those propeties. If they go anywhere I'll be sure to let you know. We are working on getting more properties.

Chuck will be a perfect fit for presentations to the bank with his confidence level, contacts and because he is a genral contractor with extensive rehab experience. I know you guys will do great REI things together! Keep expecting BIG things !!

Lea

We just want you to know we will be praying for your sons safety.

We had a good time out in Indiana we left there before the high winds came in.

Steve and Veronica

okay, at least i got a little bit of my "Lea fix" today when i saw your post. can't wait to hear more about what properties you are working on. i am expecting BIG things and it's about time they start coming in!!

thanks so much for your prayers; they mean a lot. i am fortunate that Jared is a strong man of faith as well. i heard about those awful winds; glad you were able to head home before they hit. did you get a lot done on your property? i bet you had a great time with your family too.

i am watching my granddaughter, Gentry, and then i will head over to pick up
Grayson from pre-school. he loves to go to school. when i dropped him off this morning, i happened to remember my friend works pretty close to his school, so i headed over this morning and surprised her. we weren't going to be able to get together this time, but God helped me out there. we got to talk about a little REI and she and her husband are wanting to rehab another house. i mentioned what my son-in-law told me and so hopefully they will follow up on that. her husband had to put a 5-day quit on one of their renter's houses today. he hated to do it, but my friend said she is not working to pay that lady's rent. reminds me that REI is a business and we have to run it as such, not as a charity or hobby. tomorrow Danelle is having Grayson's birthday party in the afternoon and then a Halloween party for adults in the evening, so she is getting everything ready for that. my son is driving back from CO tonight so he can be here for both. oh, to be young again!!! i hope everyone has a great weekend and great REI happenings!

We did get a lot done and yes we had fun with the family. I just can not get over how much they are helping out. I know they love me but to take on extra work that just blows me away.

You are welcome for the prayers for your son and for you to stay strong as well. I do believe in the power of prayer. I know my Mom was always praying for my safety when I was in the Marines 30 years ago.

Steve and Veronica.

Glad you are getting tme in with your Grandchildren. That's too bad about your friend having to do this with the tenants but like you said its business. When we lived on the other coast of FL one of our old landlords had a lot of different size rental properties and if one of her tenants couldn't afford to live in a larger home because of reduced income she had smaller ones that they could move into (if other tenants weren't living in them at the time.)

Have fun at Grayson's birthday party and fun at the Halloween party! At my request Denny hid the Halloween candy until tomorrow night so I don't get tempted It will all be gone tomorrow night.

Lea

awesome that you got so much done. how long before it's ready to go? it's always wonderful to have that kind of love from your family. maybe they will get into investing too one of these days.

Jared told me the Marines are always the first ones in. your Mom's prayers worked and look at you now!