Property Management Blog

I don't know about you but I am glad that the Holiday season is over. Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas but I am just over it. I couldn't wait to put up my Christmas tree and couldn't wait to take it down. I love spending time with my family. I have such a big family. My favorite part is listening to my husband read "T'was the night before Christmas" to our children. A tradition he took over once his grandpa passed away :(

 It makes me so happy that even at 10 and 12 they will sit there and listen to their father read. I hope that this is a tradition that they carry on with their families. However I am NOT ready for them to even think about having families right now.

For the past several years my nephews come over and spend the night with us for New Year's Eve. We drink fake wine and the kids play on their tablets or Ipods. This year we decided to make cookies.

So with a New Year comes new roads, challenges, and adventures. I can't wait to see what this year brings. My daughter will graduate from 5th grade in May and I will have to children in Middle School. This really saddens me. Our son will start his last year of Middle school. I am not ready to have a HIGH SCHOOLER!!! We are trying to plan a family vacation to California. My husband and I have joined a gym to get healthier. What are some of your goals or resolutions for this year?

We all know by my last blog that I might be just a "Little" bit of a Colts fan! Well I got two tickets to go to the game this past Sunday. I had the task of picking who I wanted to take with me. My first pick of course was my husband however, he doesn't do well with crowds and didn't want to go. I thought about taking my mom but she is a jinx. Every time she watches the game they do bad or lose and I really didn't want to risk that. Well then there were my children. My 2 children. They are both big Colts fans as well. I sat and pondered about how I was going to take one and not the other and decided that maybe this was a bad idea and I should just take my brother but then I would have 2 angry children. So I weighed my options and decided to take my daughter. It was only fair since her brother is going on a Ski Trip to Michigan next weekend. So Ali and I took off for the game and arrived at 9:30am outside Lucas Oil Stadium. It was FREEZING. We went into the Colts Touchdown Corner and met Jim Sorgi. Ali got her face painted and took pictures of cardboard cutouts of T. Y Hilton, Reggie Wayne and Coach Pagano. When it was time to finally enter into the stadium that is when I saw my daughter's eyes light up. We had REALLY good seats. Lower Level row 15 in the end zone. You could see the players warming up and she was instagramming and taking pictures like you wouldn't believe. Coby Fleener at one point was only 10 yards away from her. She was too shy to yell out and ask for an autograph. Cory Redding passed us by as he was warming up. We shared a wonderful day together and I was extremely happy that she had the best time of her life.

May this year be the one in which all your wishes come true. The one in which your dreams may turn into reality and all your fears may fade away. Happy new year!

Until next time......

Was anyone else as scared as I was this past Sunday when I seriously thought that we were going to lose to the Cleveland Browns? I know during the 3^rd Quarter I had to walk away from the t.v. I was yelling at the players like they could actually hear me. I am also sure I held my breath for what was the LOOOOOOONGEST 45 seconds ever.

We get together on Sundays and watch the pre-game show and then watch the game. My son likes to state the obvious after almost every play. I am so happy for DVR because when I see Reggie Wayne make a one-handed catch or T.Y. Hilton run for 48 yards to the end zone I can’t help but hit the replay button.

So I thought I would give you a little bit of history on the Indianapolis Colts.

Well 1^st and foremost they were originally the Baltimore Colts. However depending on who you asked Indianapolis kind of stole them. So I don’t want to touch on a touchy subject so we will skip to right when they became the Indianapolis Colts.

In 1984 the Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay and Indianapolis Mayor William “Bill” Hudnut reached an agreement to move the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis and became the Indianapolis Colts. Just after 2 weeks there were 143,000 request for Season tickets. This was just the start of what was a “Racing Town” turned Football Lovers.

It was just the start of something that was going to lead to greatness. It was a struggle to get started but the Indianapolis Colts have come a long way in 30 Years.

In 1984 the Indianapolis Colts had the lowest yardage in the league.

In 1985 and 1986 the Indianapolis Colts had only won 8 games.

In 1987 now Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson joined the Indianapolis Colts and the team went 9-6 winning the AFC East for the 1^st time. They made it to the playoffs only to lose to the Cleveland Browns.

In 1991 with no luck in the post season since 1987 the Colts fired Head Coach Ron Meyer and re-hired Coach Ted Marchibroda.  For the next several years the team struggled. In 1994 the Indianapolis Colts hired Bill Tobin has General Manager. He drafted running back the Great Marshall Faulk and talented Jim Harbaugh. In 1995 the Colts won their first postseason game and went to the AFC Championship game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, the Indianapolis Colts lost.

In 1996 the Colts drafted out of Syracuse one of the greatest and most productive wide receivers in NFL HISTORY! Marvin Harrison. 

Coach Marchibroda retired the following year being replaced by Lindy Infante. However, that didn’t do the Colts any favors since they went 3-13 during the 1997 season. In 1997 Robert Irsay passed away and Jim Irsay became the principal owner for the Indianapolis Colts. Irsay’s first line of business was to replace Tobin as GM with Bill Polian.

In 1998 after a horrible season Jim Irsay started cleaning house. He also fired Head Coach Lindy Infante and hired Jim Mora. This was also the year that the most talented quarterback to ever touch a pigskin was signed as the new Quarterback. The one and only Peyton Manning. Fresh out of college but in a world he was all too familiar with Peyton Manning only led the Colts to 3 wins that season. However he did pass for 3,739 yards and threw for 26 touchdowns. He was also named NFL All-Rookie First Tem.

In 1999 The Indianapolis Colts drafted the man of steel behind the wheel Edgerrin James. The Colts went 13-3 and finished 1^st in the AFC East for the first time since 1987. In true Colts history the Indianapolis Colts fell short to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional playoffs.

In 2000 and 2001 the Indianapolis Colts began to struggle again. In 2001 They fired Coach Jim Mora and replaced him with Tony Dungy from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Under Tony Dungy, the Colts returned quickly to the playoffs with a record of 10-6. In 2004 the Indianapolis Colts became AFC South Champions and for faced the dreadful and much hated New England Patriots for the AFC Division Championship game. It was a battle between two great quarterbacks. Tom Brady for the New England Patriots had made a name for himself but could never really stepped outside of Manning’s shadow. However, history repeated itself and the Indianapolis Colts loss to the New England Patriots.

In 2005 the Indianapolis Colts began their season with a 13-0 record. They had an outstanding year breaking records and making name for themselves. They made it again to the playoffs vs the Pittsburgh Steelers and again sadly lost.

In 2006 with a seasoned quarterback, veteran receivers, and outstanding defenders Joseph Addai was drafted. They went 9-0 to start the season but had their first loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However the Colts still went 12-4. They made it to the playoffs yet again for the 5^th consecutive year. They beat out Kansas City Cheifs in the first round and there old hometown team the Baltimore Ravens in the second round only to be faced with the New England patriots again for the AFC Championship game. It didn’t start out as the Indianapolis Colts fans would like. At half time the score was Patriots 21 the Colts 3. However, after coming back from the locker room after half time the Indianapolis Colts had changed their game and came back to win 38-34. It was the 1^st time as Indianapolis Colts going to the Superbowl. This was not only a big deal for the team but it was a big deal for the Coach Tony Dungy as he and Lovie Smith were the first African American coaches to ever Coach in a Super bowl.

The Indianapolis Colts went on to face the Chicago Bears in the Super bowl in Florida. The rain was falling down and Indianapolis Fans were nervous. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were not great at playing in the rain. However the Indianapolis Colts WON the super bowl 29-17.

For the next several years the Colts made it to the playoffs but always fell short of the AFC Divisional Championship Game. In 2008 the Indianapolis Colts moved from the RCA Dome to the new and very improved Lucas Oil Stadium. Also after the 2008 Season Coach Tony Dungy decided to retire. One of the greatest coaches in Indianapolis Colts history Coach Tony Dungy led his team to a total of 92 wins and only 33 losses.

Jim Caldwell was hired to replace Tony Dungy and he led his team to a 14-0 start. They could have gone 16-0 but Coach Jim Caldwell decided to bench his starters for the last two games to keep them safe and protected for the playoffs. It was a bet that paid off because the Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets to advance to the Super bowl again a Cinderella team the New Orleans Saints. However with much disappointment the Colts lost to the Saints 31-17.

In 2010 the Indianapolis Colts hit a rough patch and didn’t do very well. It was also the last time Payton Manning played in a game as an Indianapolis Colt.

In 2011 Peyton Manning was sidelined for the majority of the season due to neck injuries. He still wore his uniform proud and tried to coach 3 different quarterbacks into a winning game. Kerry Collins took place of Peyton as the starting quarterback only to lose the job to back up quarterback Curtis Painter. Curtis Painter also could not fill the shoes of the Great Peyton Manning so they gave 2^nd string quarterback Dan Orlovsky a chance. He failed as well. The Colts went 2-14. With a horrible record the only thing the Colts won was 1^st round pick in the 2012 Draft. Along with the winning season Bill Polian was also fired. Indianapolis Colts fans were left in limbo about what was going to happen with Peyton Manning. Was he recovered enough to plan another season or five? Should they let him go and sign Rookie Andrew Luck and start fresh? Was it a ploy all along? Did the Colts decide that Peyton was not going to have a future with the Indianapolis Colts and they needed and wanted a Rookie Quarterback to last the next 10 years? Again it is all who you decide to ask. There were 2 great choices for Quarterbacks that year in the draft. Some wanted Andrew Luck and some wanted Robert Griffin III nicknamed RG3. After much deliberation Andrew Luck was the 1^st pick of the 2012 Draft and he was welcomed with mixed emotions in Indianapolis.

With Bill Polian out Ryan Grigson was hired on as the new General Manager and Jim Caldwell was let go and hired in his place was Coach Chuck Pagano. It seemed like 2012 was a time for a change. Peyton Manning wasn’t the only star player released from the Indianapolis Colts. Following in suit behind him were greats like Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark and Defensive Captain Gary Brackett. In came Andrew Luck, Colby Fleener and T.Y. Hilton.

The season started off not so great when just shortly into the season Coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. Indianapolis and the players rallied behind him and became #ChuchStrong. Under Interm Head Coach Bruce Arians the very young and very new Indianapolis Colts went 11-5. Unfortunately, the Colts feel victims to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.

In 2013 Peyton Manning returned home as a Denver Bronco and was welcomed with open arms. Several fans had #18 jerseys that were half Indianapolis Colts and half Denver Bronco. Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis beat the Hometown hero 39-33. The Colts again made it the playoffs only falling short of bringing home the AFC South Championship or Super bowl title.

The start of the 2014 season has been a great one has well. The Colts are leading the AFC South and are in the Hunt for the playoff spots. Hopefully with Home field advantage. Remember to stay #ColtsStrong #BleedBlue.

Not only is December 15^th an important date for the game but it is a special day. Mayor William “Bill” Hudnut (longest running Mayor of Indianapolis and one of the greatest men to ever live) is being honored for all of his hard work and dedication to the great state of Indiana. Indianapolis has built a monument downtown that they will unveil before the game on December 15^th. Without Mayor Hudnut Indiana probably wouldn’t have a football team or many other amazing things like the RCA Dome, Monument Circle, Union Station, IU School of Medicine, Indiana Convention Center and Eli Lilly. His goal was to make Indiana a “happening” place. Indiana became a very sports affiliated state thanks to Mayor Hudnut. So we are not only Celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Indianapolis Colts, we are celebrating the Man that helped bring them here.

Greatest Players as the Indianapolis Colts

Marvin Harrison~He caught for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. He has a record of 143 catches in one season.

Peyton Manning~ Do you really need a reason? He is just the best of the best!

Edgerrin James~has 9226 rushing yards, 62 touchdowns

Dwight Freeney~#93 was the most outstanding Defensive End I had seen in some time. In his 11 seasons as a Colt he has 107.5 sacks and 43 forced fumbles. He will always be famous for his signature spin move.

Robert Mathis~in his 16^th season with the Colts Robert is the BEST OF THE BEST. He leads the league in sacks with 19.5. He also has the NFL Record of most strip sacks with 43

Jeff Saturday~best Center in Colts’ history. He has since retired as an Indianapolis Colt.

Adam Vinatieri~Mr. Clutch is the BEST KICKER OF ALL TIME!!!!

Gary Brackett 754 tackles

Dallas Clark~He is an amazing Tight End. He broke several franchise records and has made 427 catches 46 TDs

Marshall Faulk~One of the greatest running back to grace the NFL. The Colts were lucky to have him for the four years they did. He is one of the very few RBs to have 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.

Antoine Bethea~has 857 tackles 17 interceptions

Bob Sanders~303 Tackles 6 interceptions and a star safety.

Reggie Wayne~A true Colt through and through. He had been a Colt since the beginning and doesn’t show signs of slowing down. Before the start of the 2014 Season Reggie had 13,566 yards and 80 touchdowns.

Until Next Time................

Thanksgiving~

I can almost smell the turkey cooking in the oven, pumpkin pies out resting, and the sounds of friends and family members laughing. It is by far one of my favorite Holidays. It isn’t about anything other than FOOTBALL, FOOD and FAMILY. I like that the only thing exchanged are a few choice words at the t.v. while watching football or between siblings because they are fighting over who gets the wishbone.

Thanksgiving started back in 1621 however it didn’t become an annual tradition in the USA until 1863. This feast lasted 3 days between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. Thanksgiving is held on the 4^th Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is known for setting aside time to give thanks for one’s blessings.

I don’t know about your family but I am a part of a HUGE Family. My father in law is 1 of 9 kids. Some of those kids have kids of their own. Thanksgiving has always been so amazingly fun and entertaining. You have never met a family more loving. I remember my first Thanksgiving with their family and I was greeted with hugs and kisses. It was truly all about giving Thanks and about family. A Grandpa sneaking his grandson cranberry sauce under the table because mom said he needed to eat more meat, an Aunt meeting her niece for the first time, and so so so much love.

Traditions are a big thing in my family. Every year we get together at my sister in law’s house and my mother-in-law teaches her two granddaughter’s how to make Sweet Potato Casserole. I love hearing them laugh as they are crunching up the corn flakes and getting their hands all messy from mashing the sweet potatoes. I am always in charge of taking pictures because I always seem to have a camera in my hands. Plus I love getting to capture those wonderful moments.

And if 2 Thanksgivings aren’t enough welcome to my family and the 3^rd Thanksgiving. My mom is also a part of a big family. All of her brothers and sisters have kids and even some of them have kids. We normally all pitch in and bring some sort of side and one of us normally get stuck baking the Ham and the other the Turkey. Most of my mom’s family live in another state or not so close so when we get together everyone tries to catch up. We also take a LOT of Family pictures. It is amazing how much everyone grows.

One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving were the conversations I had with my Grandpa. We would sit at the dining room table and we would have very heated discussions about the new and hip things. My grandpa didn’t like change very much. Plus every year my grandma would ask what we wanted for Christmas and he would say that we weren’t getting anything for Christmas because he was taking my Grandma and going someplace warm. However, EVERY year we went to my grandparent’s house for Christmas.

My favorite food on Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes and corn mixed together. I know you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to have them but I just love them. I have really never liked Pumpkin pie or Sweet potato casserole. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving? What is your favorite Food?

Until Next Time………

I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall. I love the rustic reds, burnt orange, and the smell of bonfires at night. My children spent the weekend raking the leaves in a huge pile in the back yard just so they could jump in it. They did it for hours. They would get the pile big, jump into it until it was flat and then rake it into a big pile again. Brings back memories doesn’t it. It was so beautiful this weekend it almost felt like the beginning of Spring and not Fall. My family had family photos taken on Sunday afternoon at a local park. They turned out beautiful.

Saturday was the perfect day. I spent most of my day out on my motorcycle with my kids and my mother. We went and got my son’s haircut, a few new pairs of jeans, and their Halloween costumes. I must admit that I HATE HATE HATE Halloween. I am not a big fan of Scary Clowns and the kids like to make fun of me for it and try to scare me every chance they get. Also, I am not a fan of scary movies and that is the only thing that seems to come on during the month of October. We spent the afternoon and evening on our back porch playing cards with my brother and sister in law while our kids and the kids I was babysitting were playing a weird form of tag in the backyard.

The biggest thing I love about the fall is it is the start of FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! I know that the season is almost ½ over but there is nothing I like more than watching the Indianapolis Colts play on Sunday. Win or lose I have been a fan of them since as long as I can remember. I think my next blog is going to be about them. They have a lot of history here in Indianapolis and this is their 30^th year here so why not.

Well a few tips for fall clean up.

1)    Clean out your gutters

2)    When raking leaves, rake them around the base of a tree. This helps mulch the tree.

3)    This is the time to start cleaning out your flower beds if you want to plant flowers that will bloom by spring time.

4)    Make sure your downspouts are not clogged when cleaning the gutters

Enjoy time with Family and Friends.

Until Next Time………

Labor Day~

Did you ever wonder what Labor Day was actually about? I did. So I googled it and I found out and it is about ME and YOU and any hard working individual. Here are some important facts about Labor Day for you.

1)      It is celebrated the first Monday of September  

2)      It was originally celebrated on May 4 back in 1886 but they moved it to September in 1887.

3)      It became a Federal Holiday in 1894

4)      It is known to a lot of people as the end of summer and the start of football.

Most families celebrate by having a cookout. Brats, burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans and lots of other good stuff. Others go camping and enjoy the peacefulness of Mother Nature.

Whichever you prefer I hope that you have a restful week.

It is that time again. Indiana’s 2^nd largest racing event the Indianapolis Brickyard 400. It is also the 2^nd largest racing event in Nascar Racing (Daytona holds the #1 spot). The event was first held in Indianapolis in 1994 bringing in over 250,000 spectators. The Brickyard is a 400 Mile race which consist of 160 laps.

The term "Brickyard" is a reference to the nickname historically used for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the race course opened in 1909, the track surface was crushed stone and tar. That surface was the cause of numerous and sometimes fatal accidents, so the track was repaved with 3.2 million bricks in time for the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911, giving rise to the name Brickyard. Over time the bricks have been covered with asphalt, and now only a one-yard strip of brick at the start/finish line remains exposed.

Racing legends like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliot, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, and Ryan Newman have all had the pleasure of winning at the Brickyard 400 over the past 20 years.

Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett have each won the race twice and Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson have both won the race 4 times each. Jimmy Johnson is the only winner to have back to back wins in 2008 and 2009.

The names of the winners of the Brickyard 400 are inscribed on the PPG Trophy, which is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 on August 6, 1994. Since 2012 the Brickyard 400 and Crown Royal have teamed together and have named the race in honor of a U.S. armed forces or first responders.

Hope you all enjoy the Brickyard 400

Happy 4^th of July.

Here is a little history lesson on the wonderful holiday that is filled with a bunch of Friends, Family, Fun, and Fireworks.

Fourth of July is a federal holiday in United States of America commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 declaring independence from Great Britain.

Some cool information about the Declaration of Independence:
~John Adams and Thomas Jefferson the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States

~John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration

~ Edward Rutledge (age 26), was the youngest signer, and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest signer.

~ The first and most famous signature on the copy was that of John Hancock. (This is also where the phrase “Please sign your John Hancock”)

Fourth of July at my house consist of going to the parade and a festival afterwards. It is really awesome seeing all the people that come out to celebrate. After we spend the morning and afternoon riding rides and eat “fair” food till we pop we head of to our friend’s house for a pool party and BBQ with all of our friends. We continue to stuff our faces and complain about the weight we are putting on but don’t care cause it just taste OH SO GOOD. When it starts to get dark we hand all the kids sparklers and watch as they run around spelling their names in the air and hearing them laugh. There is nothing more precious than a child’s laughter. Once the sun as went to sleep for the night and the only thing you can see is those big beautiful bright white stars we all gather around in our chairs and watch as the loud scary booms turn into big, bright, and beautiful colors. It is amazing the different shapes and colors the fireworks take on. I love it when the Patriotic songs are playing in the background and you hold your love one’s hand as you are singing along to “God Bless America”.

Then as soon as it began it is over. You stand around talking about how awesome the firework show was and how you are so thankful for your friends for inviting you over. You drag yourself to the car and drive home. Excited to finally be in bed after a very long day. As you lay there with a smile on your face you remember how blessed you are to have a great family and wonderful friends.

Until next time……….