Author Archives: Vicki Reed

Oscar, Oscar, Oscar…

Posted on by

Yes, it’s that time of year again…Oscar time!  I love movies, but some of the Oscar nominated films are so far from mainstream, I don’t get them!  And let’s talk past winners…Titanic for example…guess what folks…the boat sinks!  and I didn’t need 3 hours and 15 minutes to know that!  Truly, I just love the fashion, from the horrific (Bjork and the swan dress) to the fantastic (seriously, does Helen Mirren EVER make a misstep???)    I watch bits and parts of the awards, but I’m checking out all the arrivals!

Have you seen any of this year’s best picture nominees?  For full synopsis and more information, click here to visit MSN Entertainment’s Academy Award section, for now…here’s my very short synopsis…

12 Years a Slave – Southern living in the 1840’s

American Hustle – drugs, boobs, comb-overs and scams!

Captain Phillips – Pirates…but not Jack Sparrow!

Dallas Buyers Club – AIDS and HIV treatments

Gravity – Lost in space

Nebraska – Father, son and those pesky sweepstakes

The Wolf of Wall Street – Crooked banker with a penchant for overindulgence

Her – Strange man in love with a computer

Philomena – Unwed mothers, adoption and mean old nuns!

How about Actor and Actress?  Suporting roles?  Here are your nominees:

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Bruce Dern — “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio — “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor — “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey — “Dallas Buyers Club”
Christian Bale — “American Hustle”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett — “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock — “Gravity”
Judi Dench — “Philomena”
Meryl Streep — “August: Osage County”
Amy Adams — “American Hustle”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi — “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper — “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender — “12 Years a Slave”
Jared Leto — “Dallas Buyers Club”
Jonah Hill — “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Jennifer Lawrence — “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o — “12 Years a Slave”
Julia Roberts — “August: Osage County”
June Squibb — “Nebraska”
Sally Hawkins — “Blue Jasmine”

And we musn’t forget Best Director

Alfonso Cuaron — “Gravity”
Steve McQueen — “12 Years a Slave”
Alexander Payne — “Nebraska”
Martin Scorsese — “The Wolf of Wall Street”
David O. Russell — “American Hustle”

Who are your choices?  I’m sure Ellen will do a great job hosting, I just don’t have the attention span to sit through it all, but I love reading the highlights and you know I’ll be checking out the fashion!

Oscar

What is Brickworld Indy 2014?

Posted on by

There is always something interesting going on in Indy and with the popularity of the Lego movie, I shouldn’t be surprised to learn about this annual event…Welcome to Brickworld Indy 2014!

Brickworld Indy 2014 will be held March 8 & 9 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the Agriculture Horticulture Building and will be open to the public on Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am – 5 pm. Ticket Prices:

General Admission: $8.50 on line in advance
$9 after March 5th and at the door
Military Personnel/First Responder:  $6 (At the Door Only.  Must Show ID)
Kids 3 & Under:  Free
All tickets are single day passes.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

From their Website:

Brickworld and IndyLUG (Indiana LEGO User Group) are excited to be bringing a premiere LEGO display and exposition to Indianapolis for the fifth consecutive year!

Bring the entire family for a day of fun!  See 45,000 square feet of spectacular creations all built from LEGO bricks by local LEGO enthusiasts. Enjoy interactive activities, such as the LEGO and DUPLO play brick areas, seek and finds, and fighting robots.  Buy your favorite LEGO sets, minifigures, and LEGO accessories from various vendors.

How does something like this even get started?  This is the History from their website…this is interesting stuff!

Brickworld began with a single convention/expo event in the Chicago area in 2007.  Our original home was the Westin Hotel in Wheeling, IL.  Brickworld expanded to hold a second expo in partnership with the Indiana LEGO User Group (IndyLUG) in 2010.  A third event (Brickworld Fort Wayne) was started in 2011.

Brickworld was founded under the prinicples of getting together with existing friends and making new friends.  Our motto (Share – Learn – Explore – Discover) reflects our intent to be not only a fun event, but also an educational event where LEGO artists and engineers learn from each other.

A major element of the convention is the spirit of giving.  Registered attendees come to share their knowledge with others through seminars, workshops, and impromptu discussions.  But the spirit of giving does not stop there.  Each year we hold an auction to raise money for charities.  Items in the auction are also donated by sponsors and attendees.  Over the years, the charity auction has become more and more prominent at the event and adds a lot to the fun.

As the event has grown, so has the team running the event.  In 2007, a team of 14 people led the way through the convention.  That team is now 37 people and all their efforts help bring the event to the attendees and public each year.

This event sounds like a great family thing to do…buy your tickets early and head out March 8 and 9 to check out this great family event.

download

Vicki Reed

The Greatest Movie Romances…Happy Valentines Day!

Posted on by

MSN has published it’s Top 50 Greatest Movie Romances, from Notting Hill (#50) to An Affair to Remember (#1) what is your favorite movie romance?  There are some obscure…have you ever heard of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg or That Obscure Object of Desire…me either!  Many of my favorites were on the list, who doesn’t love Say Anything?  So…counting them down from #50…

50.  Notting Hill…”I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”  love this line!
49.  Sleepless in Seattle
48.  Ghost…”ditto”
47.  Four Weddings and a Funeral
46.  That Obscure Object of Desire
45.  Two for the Road
44.  Barefoot in the Park (one of my favs!)
43.  That Hamilton Woman
42.  Before Sunrise/Before Sunset (actually 2 movies made 10 years apart!)
41.  Harold and Maude (May-December was never like this!)
40. Now, Voyager ( this is the movie that introduced the gesture of lighting two cigarettes in one mouth and giving the other one to the person you were being intimate with)
39.  The Bridges of Madison County
38.   Jane Eyre
37.  Pretty Woman
36.  Rebecca
35.  Brokeback Mountain
34.  The Apartment
33.  Sense and Sensibility
32.  Jerry Maguire…”you had me at hello”
31.  The African Queen (Love Humphrey Bogart)
30.  City Lights
29.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
28.  Reds
27.  The Crying Game
26.  Vertigo
25.  The Philadelphia Story (I loved the remake…High Society with Grace Kelly!)
24.  An Officer and a Gentleman (who didn’t dream of being swept away by a guy in uniform!)
23.  Love Story
22.  The Way We Were
21.  Say Anything (do kids today even understand the boombox?)
20.  Notorious
19.  Moonstruck (another fav!)
18.  In the Mood for Love
17.  A Man and a Woman
16.  Jules and Jim
15.  The Awful Truth
14.  Wings of Desire
13.  Splendor in the Grass
12.  Make Way for Tomorrow
11.  Titanic (guess what folks…the boat sinks and Leo looks like he’s 12…I just don’t get this one!)

and now for your top 10!!!!

At Number 10…Gone with the Wind…it’s the story of a girl, standing in front of a boy with big ears and a pencil mustache, asking him to love her, and him telling her he frankly doesn’t give a damn.

Number 9…Wuthering Heights…Those crazy kids Heathcliff and Cathy and the moors and the brooding.

Number 8…Annie Hall…a film of love among neurotic New York intellectuals

Number 7…When Harry Met Sally…just love Sally’s oft-parodied fake orgasm in Katz’s

Number 6…Casablanca…”Here’s lookin at you kid”

Number 5…Roman Holiday…A weird reverse Cinderella story, but Audrey Hepburn is great!

Number 4…Doctor Zhivago…the love story is a beating heart

Number 3…Breakfast at Tiffany’s… the ultimate in Manhattan romance

Number 2…The Umbrellas of Cherbourg…it’s French…need I say more?

And finally…Number 1 of the greatest movie romances…An Affair to Remember!  Directly from the MSN captions:  “Yes, this IS the movie that Meg Ryan and Rosie O’Donnell go on about in “Sleepless in Seattle,” and indeed the movie that “Sleepless in Seattle” adapts its climax from! This film’s place at No. 1 ties Leo McCarey with Alfred Hitchcock as the most cited director on the list, with three titles each. This 1957 film is itself a remake of McCarey’s 1939 “Love Affair,” and while some believe the original’s still the greatest, it’s an arguable point. This particular viewer is highly taken with the remake’s lead actors, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and its sumptuous color and widescreen look. And, yes, the Vic Damone-crooned theme song, so there. For all intents and purposes, the perfect Hollywood heartbreaker and, for all its gloss, another proof of McCarey fan Jean Renoir’s observations that Leo understood people better than any other filmmaker of his generation.”

Did your favorite make the list?  Who did they miss?  Happy Valentines Day everyone!

vd

Vicki Reed

Wow…it’s the end of 2013!

Posted on by

So what did you accomplish in 2013?  I had my best year to date in Real Estate and am moving into 2014 with 4 active listings, 2 pending sales and 2 active buyers!  My volume as a single agent was $2.5 million in homes sold!  I want to double that in 2014…anyone want to take a bet on it?

The biggest deal for me personally is one of the pending transactions (and one I’ve mentioned several times) and that is the sale of my Grandparents farm.  The last few weeks have been challenging as we remove my family‘s stamp on the farm and ready it for the new owners…the main reason I’m so excited about this is that it removes a worry from my Dad and Uncle Bob and takes a responsibility off their already full plates.

This year has been challenging in other ways, I found out that I’m going to be a Great-Aunt…yeah, I already know that I’m a great aunt, but my beautiful niece Jordan Pyles is expecting March 25…we have a family pool going for date, weight and length…hope I win!  Jordan also completed her high school education in December and will go through graduation ceremonies with the rest of the class in June.

I’m working on selling my home, haven’t quite accomplished it yet, but I know I don’t want to carry the burden of that too big house for another year.  I’ve paid off debt and am working through the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover…by the end of 2014, I will be debt free and living a cash based lifestyle – so excited about the next chapter in my life.

What’s amazing to me is that I will turn 50 in August of 2014…I remember when 50 seemed so old, now it feels very young!

2014 is going to be an amazing year for all of us and for the first time in a very long time, I’m babysitting on NYE – well, they aren’t babies, they are 11, hanging out with Riley Ray tonight and one of her friends while my sister and brother-in-law go out for a few hours!

So for 2014, the family will have a new baby, 2 high school graduates (Allyson is graduating too!), my 50th birthday and my Dad’s 75!  Sounds like a good year already and it doesn’t start until tomorrow. Happy New Year everyone, I hope your 2013 was great and your 2014 will be even better!

images

Vicki Reed

Ah…memories…

Posted on by

Many of you know, I’m in the fortunate position to be the Realtor who sold my Grandparents farm recently and as any full service daughter would do, I’ve been working alongside my parents and uncle to clear out the house, garage and barns for the new owners, looks like we might be ready to close in early January!

I know I’ve written before about the tears and memories, and the weekend before Christmas was especially exhausting because we were just getting started, but today was the first time I didn’t feel like crying most of the day.  It’s been a lot of work and we have so much more to go…but I thought I would share of few of my favorite memories with the next few posts…since it’s Christmas, let’s start with a few Christmas memories…

Growing up, our Christmas followed a very strict routine…Christmas Eve at Aunt Ruth and Uncle Loren’s…with the entire McKay side of the family.  For most of my youth, that meant a big brick house painted red on Main Street in Vevay and later a much smaller home overlooking the river – boy did that house ever seem small with so many of us crammed into it!

Dad worked 2nd Shift most Christmases, so Mom and my sisters, brother and I would go for dinner and gifts then come home and watch the Sound of Music on Channel 3…for you youngins out there, that was before we were able to get satellite out in the country and we only got 2 channels!  Then off to bed with us!  A lot of the time, we would all sleep in the upstairs bedroom that belonged to Paula and I…then it was Christmas morning!  So much fun!  Mom always worked really hard to get us each exactly what we wanted, heck she still does!

After a quick breakfast, it was off to Mamma and Pappa Reed’s for Christmas lunch, gifts and and our annual picture of Dad stretched out on the couch asleep…we added a Christmas bow for an accessory and took a picture…we have one for every year up through 1988…He was always exhausted because he never got enough rest at Christmas.  It was always a great time, my favorite year was when the “old” pond was frozen over and Pappa dug out his ice skates and we all went ice skating – he was really good!  So much fun, then back to the house for hot chocolate and pie!

Then after a great afternoon there, we went back home and Mom’s parents – Granny and Pappa Howie would come up to see what we had all gotten…I have a picture somewhere of Granny sitting on our bean bag chairs we had gotten one year – a better pic would have been her trying to get up!

Bear with me, more memories to come…let’s talk about Easter next time!

images

 

Vicki Reed

Recap of 12 Wishes of Christmas from last season….

Posted on by

It seems like yesterday that I was writing the 12 Wishes of Christmas series, hard to believe it’s been a year!  I thought it was time to run through them again and see where we are in 2013…

Wish # 1 – I wish for my family and friends to find happiness and success in their everyday lives….let’s see…we’ve had a few job changes and promotions, a pregnancy (slightly unexpected), a wedding (no it’s not the same one), a couple of deaths and a more successful year in real estate for me.  All in all, things improving or at least moving in the right direction…

Wish # 2 – My second wish is that everyone feel loved and valued…I found that over the last year, I have made an impact on a number of lives of friends and even the new agents in our Keller Williams office…I simply do what I do and several have graciously shared with me that I have had an impact on their lives…makes me cry tears of joy, but I’m weepy at this time of year anyway!

Wish #3 – Everyone remember to be human, not just during the holiday season, but all year long.  I have tried to pay more attention to those around me this year, held doors for others whose load was greater than mine, taken the time to speak when in the past I might have been caught up in my mind (or my phone!) and not paid attention.  I intend to continue this trend, it gives me a warm feeling inside and I’m sure it translates to my outside!

Wish #4 – we, as a society, remember the victims of senseless acts of violence and make changes in how we treat ourselves, our loved ones, and one another.  This was written immediately following the Newton school shooting.  I struggle with our media as it creates a “psuedo-celebrity” of those who commit the crime and doesn’t focus enough on the victims.  They are looking for their “15 minutes”, let’s not give it to them!

Wish # 5 – is that society curb their consumerism.  I don’t know about you, but I truly need…nothing.  I have clothes, furniture, shoes (way more than I need, but love them all!), bags, accessories, well, just everything!  in 2013, I bought 2 long-sleeve white t-shirts (on sale total was $21) and a pair of black sandals on sale for $20 – mine broke in the middle of my day and Payless was closer!  That’s it…what did you buy?

Wish # 6 – goes along with Wish # 5 is that we as individuals work to reduce our debt on a path to eliminating it.  I have!  I can say that I no longer carry any credit card debt!  I do still owe my Dad for a few things, but he will be taken care of by the end of 2014…on thing at a time.  I’ve also working on The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey – the man makes sense, wish someone had introduced me to this years ago!

Wish # 7 – that we turn off  the television more often and lessen the constant bombardment of advertising, noise and a 24/7 news cycle.  I’m the first to admit, I am a TV junkie…but only for the noise! I am one of those people who have the TV on all the time, I am likely not really watching it, but it is on while I’m reading, working at home, or cooking, eating…I’m still working on this one!

Wish # 8 – that I would win the lottery…I’ve won about $12 this year, haven’t been able to make a big change with this, but I’m still wishing!

Wish # 9 – that we open ourselves to receiving help from others when we need it and not being shy about asking for help from our family and friends.  This can be humbling, but sometime necessary…be grateful that you have people in your life who are so willing to share what they have and be ready to share with them in the future.

Wish # 10 – that we curb our excess eating and drinking and work toward a healthier lifestyle.  I have failed miserably on this one…my 2013 has been very stressful, the hope is that 2014 will be easier and I can get myself together!

Wish # 11 – that we allow ourselves more spontaneity in our lives and be more lighthearted, it is important to see the joy in your life.  I have continued to enjoy this aspect of my life as a Realtor – if I have a “break” in my schedule…I love the ability to pop in and have lunch with a friend or stop by a clients home…try to find it for yourself next year!

Wish # 12 – I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and my wish is that all your wishes for positive change come true.  Ditto for 2014!

Christmas

Vicki Reed

Indianapolis Symphony Yuletide Celebration

Posted on by

In its 28th year on the Hilbert Circle Theatre stage, the Yuletide Celebration is still considered Indiana‘s greatest holiday tradition. Five-time Grammy Award-winner and Indiana favorite Sandi Patty returns to take the stage with Jack Everly, the ISO and a cast of Broadway’s best singers and dancers.  For those of us who are fans of The Sound of Music and to story of Captain and Maria von Trapp…The von Trapp Family Singers, the great-grandchildren of Captain von Trapp, performing a Sound of Music medley and other classic holiday music.

Other highlights include a Holiday Motown Medley, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and of course, the Tap Dancing Santas! And as always, you can enjoy pre-concert holiday cheer with cookies and wassail for sale, the magnificent Christmas tree in the main lobby, and live reindeer in the front of the theatre.

There is still time to see it this year and I highly recommend it!  I had the opportunity to attend last night with my friends as well as clients, the Denkers and a great time was enjoyed by all! Below are the dates and times of the remaining shows this season…you really don’t want to miss this!

December 14, 2pm & 8pm
December 15, 2pm & 6pm
December 17, 7:30pm*
December 18, 7:30pm*
December 19, 7:30pm
December 20, 8pm
December 21, 2pm** & 8pm**
December 22, 2pm** & 6pm**
December 23, 2pm** & 8pm**

Click here for more information…heck there is still time to go tonight!

2013 yuletide

Vicki Reed

You look good for 197!

Posted on by

Indiana turned 197 years old today, as it was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816.  Though we often think of something or someone having a birthday, this occasion is called Statehood Day.  Governor Pence hosted a day of events and speeches at the Old State Capitol and birthday cake at the old governor’s headquarters in Corydon yesterday.

The Old State Capitol program included historical impersonators portraying debating delegates to Indiana’s first constitutional convention, as well as Elizabeth Pennington, the wife of convention delegate and future state Senate leader Dennis Pennington.  Pennington wrote the resolution which moved Indiana’s territorial capital to Corydon from Vincennes in 1813. It remained the capital for the first nine years of statehood.

Today, Governor Pence will host a program at the State Capital in Indianapolis.  Fourth-graders will also gather for Statehood Day observances in Indianapolis at the statehouse, Indiana State Museum, Indiana State Library and Indiana Historical Society.  Click here for today’s agenda of events.

The state museum and the state bicentennial commission are already working with Harrison County tourism officials on plans for the state’s 200th birthday in 2016. Convention and Visitors Bureau interim president Jeremy Yackle says subcommittees are floating ideas for arts, education, and agricultural observances, as well as a bicentennial ball or other community celebration.

As for all birthdays…at least as an adult…it becomes a day of reflection…where you’ve been, where you are today and where you are going.  So here are a few things about where we are today:

Credit Rating:  Governor Mike Pence announced on December 5 that Indiana has maintained its AAA credit ratings from all three bond agencies: Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch Ratings. Indiana has held AAA ratings with all three agencies since April of 2010.

From the press release:  “Fiscal discipline is the foundation of our prosperity,” said Governor Pence. “Today’s news is a testament to the hard work and discipline of State employees at every level and the fiscal leadership of the Indiana General Assembly. In the years ahead, our administration remains committed to maintaining a fiscally stable environment within our state for the betterment of both Hoosier families and businesses.”

And what about Hoosier jobs?  From a November 22, 2013 release:  Indiana’s unemployment rate is more than one percentage point below where it was in January, which is definitely significant” said Scott B. Sanders, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “The steady private sector job growth the Hoosier State has been experiencing for some time now is finally beginning to be reflected in the unemployment rate, which many businesses and individuals rely on to make important economic decisions.”

With the Pacers win over the Miami Heat last night…and of course, the IU win over Oakland…kinda feels good to be a Hoosier.  Happy Birthday Indiana…

Indiana

Vicki Reed

Who should be Time’s 2013 Person of the Year?

Posted on by

Today, time released the finalists for their 2013 Person of the Year…The award is given to “the person who’s had the most impact on events this year for better or for worse,” Time Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs said Monday…I’m not sure that explains why Miley Cyrus is included with Pope Francis.

Have we become a society that is more interested in psuedo-celebs (Yes, I’m talking about the K’s) and the misbehavior of a brat, no matter how talented?  To name them Person of the Year?

The tradition of selecting a “Man of the Year” began in 1927, with Time editors contemplating newsworthy stories possible during a slow news week. The idea was also an attempt to remedy the editorial embarrassment earlier that year of not having aviator Charles Lindbergh on its cover following his historic trans-Atlantic flight. By the end of the year, it was decided that a cover story featuring Lindbergh as the Man of the Year would serve both purposes.

Since 1927, individuals, classes of people, a “Machine of the Year”, and “Planet of the Year” have been selected for the special year-end issue. Despite the magazine’s frequent statements to the contrary, the designation is often regarded as an honor, and spoken of as an award or prize, simply based on many previous selections of admirable people making an impact of society.  There has also been such controversial figures as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev and Ayatollah Khomeini have also been granted the title.  

In 1999 to become more “politically correct”, the title was changed to Person of the Year. However, the only women to specifically win the recognition have been “The Whistleblowers” (Cynthia Cooper, Coleen Rowley and Sherron Watkins, in 2002) and Melinda Gates (jointly with Bill Gates and Bono, in 2005). Before then, the title was changed four times and these ladies were granted the title as individual “Woman of the Year” – Wallis Simpson(1936), Soong May-ling (1937), Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986).

I’m saddened by our collective fascination with celebraties, the truly talented live their lives well, want respect for their privacy, work as hard as most of us do daily and just try to live their lives.  Those like Miley…simply show that we have become a society with little self-respect and a need to be in the spotlight.

Who do you think should be this year’s Person of the Year?

images (2)

Vicki Reed

Well…this wasn’t something I thought about before…

Posted on by

I’m working with a great couple, newly married in October….in Jamaica no less…and we’re shopping for their first home!  Their lease ends at the end of February, so we are getting a great start on the search, pre-qualification…done and the home search is on!

Clients always start the search with location, number of bedrooms/baths…you get the picture, but this client has a special need…he’s 6 feet 7 inches tall and a former college football player!  This is a big man and he needs big rooms.  I’m finding myself thinking of a lot of things that I really hadn’t thought about before…the width of the hallways, the height of the ceilings, even the height of the doorways.  We were in a home on Friday that was great, they both really liked and then we went upstairs…he had to duck to go through the doorways to the bedrooms and closets…ceiling height was about 10′, but doorway height was about 6’4″…and the shower…he’d have to sit on a stool to get under the spray!

The client prefers remodeled, older homes of the Old Northside and Fall Creek Place area, most of which have tall ceilings, but small bedrooms – a king size bed it a must for this couple so I’m taking more time in selecting listings to send for their review…have to make certain that master bath isn’t in a converted attic space with slanted ceilings…that just won’t work!

I have another other active buyer client right now, he is 5’4″ and 12 foot ceilings and huge walk-in showers make him feel really small…talk about the other end of the spectrum!

As I grow my business and my client base, I’m constantly changing the way I look at homes for my clients, I care enough to take the time to really make certain the time we spend looking at homes is not wasted by looking at properties that simply won’t work for them…and my clients are so appreciative!  Each of their needs are taken into consideration, I listen as they walk through homes, make notes and then look for what they said…sometimes we are so far away from what they originally said they wanted, it’s kind of funny!

So what are your special needs in a home?

images (1)

Vicki Reed