Emergency Alert System Test November 9 at 12PM AZ Time

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.(EST), the federal government will be conducting the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The test will last up to three and a half minutes. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. Please inform your staff and visitors that this event will be just a test, and not a real emergency alert.

The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA's National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency.

Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wire line video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally. The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.

Visit the FCC website for more information about the test, including additional answers to some frequently asked questions.

Additional links:

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

Unique Christmas Boutique in Cave Creek

Northridge Community Church in Cave Creek is holding its 4th Annual Christmas Boutique,
Saturday, November 5th from 10 am to 4 pm.
6363 E Dynamite, Cave Creek AZ 85331


There will be over 50 vendors selling unique and specialty items such as gourmet food, decorations, candles, purses, jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, and much more!

Get a jump on your Christmas shopping!

This event is sponsored by Kate’s Cup – a place for moms of young children to connect, relax and grow in a fun environment.

Running of the Bulls in Cave Creek

RUN WITH THE BULLS – October 14 & 15, 2011 in the town of Cave Creek, AZ , the 4th Running of the Bulls in America will take place. Join over 1,000 thrill seekers and experience an adrenaline rush of a life time by running a quarter mile in front of forty 1,500 lbs. raging bulls. Also at the event will be live music, vendors and food booths.

To Learn more click here... BULLS IN CAVE CREEK

FHA Limits Lowered as of October 1

FHA loan limits for Maricopa County have gone down from $346,250 to $271,050 as of Oct. 1st . Congress raised the conforming loan limits in 2008 and has extended them annually through 2011, but no action was made to meet the Sept. 30 deadline, therefore, the limits have decreased.

The effect on the marketplace began in August when major lenders stopped approving jumbo loans in anticipation of the decrease in loan limits. With the lower limits, many buyers will now have to put down at least 20 percent compared to the 3.5 percent previously available to them.

Despite the drop in conforming loan limits it is still a good time to purchase a home as rates are still extremely low. According to Freddie Mac, the average on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.01 percent from 4.09 percent this week.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call! 602-318-5341

Cave Creek Film Festival Call for Entries

The Town of Cave Creek is taking entries for their annual Film Festival . The theme this year is “Our Community Through Your Eyes”.


Turn your mind’s eye to a personal experience or memento that is stirred by this diverse community. Are there interesting locations or features that appeal to you? Put your creative energy to work and submit your ten minute or less film.

There is a Youth Category and an Adult Category each eligible for cash prizes!

All films which comply with Festival guidelines will be shown at the Taste of Cave Creek, Wednesday and Thursday October 5th and 6th.

www.cavecreek.org for more information.

Chris Doc Stewart Playing in AZ this Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend?
Chris Doc Stewart is performing in two excellent venues.

Saturday, April 9th
Glendale Jazz Festival
3:15 to 4 pm
This is the 28th anniversary of the Glendale Jazz and Blues Festival which features outstanding musicians as well craft artisans and delicious food and beverages, including wine tasting by Kokopelli Winery.

Sunday, April 10th
Rhythm and Wine Cafe
2 to 5 pm
Rhythm and Wine Cafe is celebrating their one year anniversary in their beatiful location in North Scottsdale with a wine tasting. Enjoy the outdoor patio, cityscape view, excellent food and live music!

Come on out ~ you will be glad you did!

Maintaining Balance?

It is time to check back in again, time to evaluate how I am performing on the balance beam. Am I living a balanced life, balancing work and family, building great relationships, making good decisions, and remaining basically happy? It is easy for me to evaluate this from my current position, as I am forced off the beam, for reasons beyond my control. (Thankfully God is in control and I am not –another topic.)

This past month I truly made an effort to focus on things that matter. When my kids called, I tried to immediately make myself available which resulted in special times: lunches, shopping, packing, exercising, but most importantly, exclusive conversations. I learned things about my kids that I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t spend that special time with them. I intentionally left my work at work and spent quality time with my husband which created an environment for better communication. However, valuable time spent with my friends was much too infrequent, an area I definitely need to work on.

Real estate has certainly kept me busy. I have some wonderful clients and have been working with some great agents, but the daily schedule has been wearisome. I am constantly responding to emails, calling clients, speaking with agents, evaluating the market, doing paperwork, and most recently, keeping up with social media. I am starting to figure out that I can work hard and enjoy the pleasure of running my own business as long as I make time for important personal relationships. When I prioritize those relationships, my work as a real estate agent becomes less invasive, more manageable, and definitely more enjoyable.

Time to mount the beam again and work on maintaining the equilibrium I am so carefully trying to obtain.

Paleo in Costa Rica

Sitting on the plane… laughing out loud-oops… back to concentrating …some of these scientific explanations are going right over my head! I put my book down and turn to my husband, “Chris, let’s try eating a paleo diet while we are in Costa Rica these next 10 days.” To my astonishment, he agreed! Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution, not only entertained me with his humorous writing style, but also educated me on the why’s and how’s of eating much like our ancestors ate. Chris, an ER physician, doesn’t totally agree with the concept of eliminating whole grains from his diet as he makes homemade, whole wheat waffles every morning for breakfast (hence the shock I experienced with his conformity!) He is beginning to read Robb Wolf’s book so maybe this meal plan will eventually make sense to him.


Our usual Costa Rica diet includes rice, beans, and tortillas chips at almost every meal. Can we really alter our diet to include only lean meats, seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables? To my surprise, it was much easier and more delicious than I thought – and Chris agreed! As we shopped we looked for locally grown foods and went to the farmer’s market and pescaderia (fish store). We made some excellent meals: sashimi grade tuna with mashed cauliflower and cabbage, fresh pink marlin with steamed asparagus, homemade spaghetti sauce with fresh chicken served over lightly cooked zucchini, fresh pineapple, papaya, berries, and so much more! After every meal we pushed ourselves away from the table saying “That was delicious!”


Experimenting with the unique foods of Costa Rica was entertaining and enlightening. We discovered that camote is much like a sweet potato (I hope our research was correct) and we made a tasty camote hash for breakfast and topped it with fresh eggs. One balmy evening we were invited to our new friends’ home because they wanted to cook us an authentic Tico (Costa Rican) meal. Much to our surprise, instead of tortillas, they served us cooked platanos (plantains) with toppings much like we would put in a tostado – fresh tomato salsa and vegetables. They also served beans and cheese, not paleo, but we had to partake at risk of offending them. I must say that I felt the effects in the morning. Thinking in the paleo mode though, meat can definitely be added to this meal to give it more protein. We will be giving that a try soon!


Of course, you can’t be in Costa Rica without experiencing the beautiful sunsets on the pristine beaches with a cocktail of choice. Thanks to Robb Wolf, we found a new alternative: NorCal Margaritas. Sticking to only one is another matter!

So now we get ready to go home. Can we hold fast to this way of eating? I am motivated to stick to this lifestyle because I would like to see how it will affect my performance during my Crossfit workouts. However, I am curious to see if Chris will go back to his old favorite-waffles!

Classic Car Sightings in Scottsdale, AZ

Recently I have noticed an increase in classic cars on the roads here in Scottsdale, Arizona. It must be due to the Barrett Jackson Auction coming soon. Our great city of Scottsdale will be hosting the 40th Anniversary of the world’s greatest collector car auction from January 17th to January 23. If you have not been to the auction, I highly recommend it! The minute you enter the gates you will be drawn in to the excitement of the venue. Not only are there over 1000 exotic and collector cars from around the world but there are many activities for people of all ages, including over 350 exhibitor and sponsor booths, including some excellent food too. A great experience for the entire family! Check out their website for more information on all that the Barrett Jackson Auction has to offer.