Now, I know Mama was pregnant with JoJo when she started her real estate business, so that means I was 2.5 years old when I started one of my many entrepreneurial journeys. I have very distinct memories to! For example,
Letting go
There was a friendly-dude, Mama’s investor. Mama and I were measuring all the bedrooms and in the smallest bedroom I was holding the end of the tape measure, Mama was holding the big part. Mama said, “let go”. I let go too late so it closed on my figure. So, the next rooms every time Mama said “let go” I let go right away. I remember that the room had a huge wide closet and purplish-blue rug.
Mama: I still don’t remember this story…and, I asked, “who is the dude and why did you bring him up?” Her reply he was talking to you, waiting and walking around. I just remember him because we did many things with that dude.” Everyone of my investors were distinct, so as I described different people we agreed and I said, “Oh, that’s Matt.” “Yay! Matt. I remember now. He was friendly”. He was one of a handful of investors I served because I was a foreclosure and short sales specialist. Interestingly, his wife was a big fan of me and my girls back then because they were newlyweds not interested in kids anytime soon, but she loved how involved and excited my girls getting business-training. They were the only ones who bought multiple copies of my best-selling book the day it was released. I shared “together, they helped me become a best-seller”….so I digress.
Thumbs and Toes – the work hazards of real estate
Mama’s toe got hurt a lot of times and even my thumb whenever we measured rooms with our measuring tape. I remember so many times, that only now–Mama and I are laughing!
Mama: I actually remember my toe once…never my daughter’s thumb. Urgh, I don’t know what that says about my parenting…but, happy to say, this work hazard is no longer present in real estate business because they have laser light measuring devices that bounces from wall to wall. I’m told they take mere seconds….cool.
JuJu: “That is cool!” 
Lion Mailing
There was one time we were delivering mail. Mama was pushing JoJo in her baby carriage. There’s the basket area on the bottom and we had a pile of newspapers with their elastic bands. GiGi and I were racing each other delivering this mail to each home. Then, Mama told us to take turns. When it was my turn there was a big house with big stairs really wide, at the end of the railing there were huge lions with their mouths open. I didn’t want to go it but Mama was encouraging me to do it. Later, Mama told GiGi to help out. So, she took the paper ran up and ran down…she just wanted to get it done and over with.
Mama: Not even remembering this story as she began to re-tell me, I finally figured it out. I had 2 subdivisions which were “my” target areas and this one was a tiny multi-million-dollar mansion neighborhood. While I was never fortunate to get a transaction there (there weren’t enough homes and I was in the business for less than 2-3 years due to health reasons); all the owners appreciated my girls and my home delivery of the City’s local monthly newspaper who I was a partner with as a freelance writer and real estate columnist…another position I forgot I held after all these years.
Newlyweds and Gramma
One time my sisters and I went to show houses with Gramma. They were newlyweds and across the street was one of Gramma’s favorite mom & pop shop, Paul’s Market. Once you go into the house, there was a little area you can sit in (Mama: an enclosed front porch). There was a hiking stick leaning against the wall and the man said “Oh wow! We could go hiking sometime.” The basement which comes from the pretty white kitchen had a cool falling-out ironing boards, like the ones you see in Tom & Jerry; so we went down with way-steep stairs. It was an ugly unfinished basement. The lady asked, “THIS is where we get to do our laundry?” Gramma said “don’t look up” because it was all hanging and gross, they weren’t even real walls, wood was even sticking out.
What was so cool about Gramma was she always made good friends with everyone she sold houses too. This couple had a home which had grape vines, like a mini grape yard. They invited us over because they said they could never it all. We went to get Mama.
The lady each gave us a paper bag to collect grapes but there were grapes on the ground too. So, Mama yelled “Don’t step on the grapes. You’re going to make wine!” Mama had a stiff neck and was sitting down when she yelled, so I remember her turning her whole body–it was so funny! Mama always says crazy funny things like this to make sure we watch ourselves and makes the funniest faces or gestures. None of us (even Mama) forgot this episode. When we returned not dirtry, Mama said in her calm, non-joking, smirking voice, “you know, these grapes stain really bad, so I’m glad you watched where you walked.”
My sisters kept asking (even today) “HOW can we eat grapes that make wine…how is that okay!?”
We miss Gramma and this is just one of many great memories we have of her–it was no surprise that present and old real estate clients were all at her funeral…of course, all her co-workers were there too.
photocredit: The Travelling Bum
Disclaimer: We are participating in a Missouri real estate blogger campaign with Bucks2Blog. We’re excited because we’re getting paid (with Mama) to write this post. We’re not being forced to tell you only good things, because that wouldn’t be fair, and lying is not a good thing.
