Category Archives: government

What a ‘Homecoming’!

  By Melly | January 11, 2009 - 3:35 pm | , , ,
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Well yesterday was one of the best days of my life.  The look on that soldiers face when I opened the door and said “Welcome Home’ was absolutely priceless.  There before me stands a strong Marine that has been through hell and made it back to his family.  There before me stood this strong Marine, a man with tears in his eyes.  He looked at me in a way that no one ever had.  Sort of like I was Santa Clause or a guardian angel walking on earth.

Oh I’m no angel, I’m just someone that knows what it’s like not to have anyone that cares about you or what you’ve done.  Or at least it feels that way at the time.  You make choices in your life based on what you have experienced in your past and your present situation.  I have made a choice to take what I have an try to make life a little better for those that have given to me and didn’t even know me, our soldiers and Marines.

God has blessed me and if I don’t use that blessing to bless others, then I have wasted my blessings and I’m not about to do that.  I’m into real estate and with that, I have the opportunity to help others in a way that it seems no one else is.  Hopefully there are others out there that aren’t taking advantage of the economic situation just to benefit themselves.  I’m not and I hope it doesn’t sound like I am.  I’m using what I have to help others, not feed off of them.

Went to my lawyers today

  By Melly | December 21, 2008 - 7:23 am | , , , , , ,
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My lawyer has drawn up all the paperwork on the house and now all it needs are the signatures.  Both sets of parents of this couple have asked to have the loan on the house put in their names.  Of course the house will belong to the people that will be back from Iraq, but the parents are cosigning so that if the family gets a little behind, they will be there to help them.

After the purchase of the house, the repairs that were done and everything else involved, I have a grand total of $47,000 in this ‘home’.  The interest rate I am charging is a full percentage under the prime rate right now which is the lowest it’s been in years.  I’m asking nothing down and they payments will be well within the range that this family should be able to make.

On Christmas Eve, both sets of parents will come see the house for the first time.  The children will not come.  They want the kids to see if for the first time with their parents.  It’s only a couple of weeks now before their father will be home.  Just a few weeks after that and their mother will be home too.  Their parents are going to put in what little they had left of their personal items when they come on Christmas Eve.

My heart is so full right now that it feels like it will bust.  The last family I helped is doing great in their new home and I couldn’t be happier right now.  Between the families, my friends, and everyone that has helped make my dream a reality for two families, I am a very lucky woman.  There is a Santa Clause after all.

The house looks great

  By Melly | December 17, 2008 - 7:52 am | , , , , , , , ,
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Well the house looks absolutely beautiful and now all it needs is a family.  There’s a Christmas Tree up in the living room all decorated with presents for everyone under it all donated by the churches.  The kitchen is fully stocked, the house is furnished and the beds are made just waiting for their new occupants.  All of this was also donated by the churches. Every bit of the home improvements came from people in the church working hard from the new flooring, to the furniture, to the new appliances.  It’s a wonderful feeling standing here looking at what we all have accomplished together.

I feel so much love in that house because of all the hard work all of these people put into it.  I can’t wait until the family gets home so they can come ‘HOME’ here.  They still know nothing about it and it will be wonderful to see their faces when they find out that so many people cared enough about what they have given to serve our country.  Again, I am going to finance the home myself so that I can be sure they can not only afford the house but are able to keep this house.

With the interest rates dropping, I’m still financing it below what the national rates are.  I guess I’m getting soft in my years (and no I’m not going to say older years because I’m not that old yet) but I have found something that not only makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile but I’m also helping those in need.  I have a good life and want to give back.  That’s what this season is all about but I hope to carry it on through out the year and not just during Christmas.

You would think Ty Pennington was here

  By Melly | December 12, 2008 - 6:15 pm | , , , , , ,
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Boy talk about working fast and hard, these men from both churches are doing just that.  One of them installs the double pane windows and donated windows for the north side of the house.  As most people know, that’s the coldest side of a house.  That will help them save on their power bills.

Another member does flooring and donated tile and laminate flooring.  Another member paints houses so he donated the paint for inside and out.  Another member does yard work and landscaping so he’s been working on the yard, digging up things and putting them in other places so they look better.  A local tree service donated mulch for around the house and where ever else the landscaper needs it.

The ladies of the church helped make curtains for every room.  They even made some quilts and shams for the bedrooms to match the curtains.  The furniture was all donated by members of the church.  Some pieces are being reupholstered by a member of one of the churches while another member is updating the main bathroom.  The half bath is okay once the new tile floor and paint was put in.

This is the one that brought tears to my eyes, one of the members donated a heat pump.  It came out of a home that only had it for a year and decided they needed a bigger one.  It’s almost like new and he ran all new duct work too.  These people have worked so hard on this home that it amazes me.  Every bit of their time and items they brought were in the form of a donation for the new owners.  I can’t wait until they come home to find out what these wonderful people have done for them.

Of course there will be a Christmas Tree with presents under it for the family too.  The cabinets will be stocked as well as the refrigerator.  I am honored to have worked with so many wonderful people to help someone in need that has served our country well.

Miracle on 34th Street

  By Melly | December 6, 2008 - 4:20 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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Do you remember that movie?  That’s a dumb question isn’t it?  Well the one I mean is the original with Natalie Wood playing the little girl.  That has always been one of my favorite movies at Christmas.  Well it just so happens the new house I bought is in all reality, on 34th Street.  I wonder if I can make it a miracle to a military family?  That’s what I have been thinking of a lot lately.

I contacted several local churches and asked them if they knew of a military family within their congregation that has suffered more than most because of their spouse having to serve active duty in Iraq.  The names began to pour in the next day.  I have narrowed it down to two especially needy families from two different churches.

The first family has two children that are 18 months old (a boy) and a 3 year old (a girl).  What has hit me the hardest about this family is both parents are in Iraq.  The mother had to go when the baby was just 3 months old and she was still nursing him.  The father will be coming home in 3 weeks, just after Christmas and the mother will be home in 2 more months.  They lost their house and most everything they had because of both of them being called into active duty.  They had their parents sell most of their furnishings to pay their car off so they wouldn’t lose that too.

The second family also has two children ages 2 and 4.  Their father was injured and lost his leg.  Their mother was a stay at home Mom until he was called into active duty so she had to find a job.  A waitress job was about all she could find.  They lost their home too.  The mother had to sell most everything they had to be able to keep her car too, and she had to move in with her parents while he was gone.  Now that he will be home soon, they need a new home.

The churches have both offered to help with the house for either family.  I’m trying really hard to find another one as quickly as possible so maybe we can help both families out.  At least the with the first family, the father does have a job when he comes home.  The second family, they aren’t so lucky because of him getting injured but he will receive disability benefits.

I want nothing more than to make a miracle happen for both of these families but for now, I have chosen the family with the father and mother both gone.  They are the ones that will need the home the soonest.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the remodeling.  Pray that I can make a miracle for both families.