tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84295988902423043562024-03-08T17:34:55.698-06:00Fort Bend LivingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429598890242304356.post-62881271497794323562010-09-10T16:16:00.001-05:002010-09-10T16:31:27.121-05:00Hurricane Season Is Upon Us<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hurricane Iniki deeply affected the Hawaiian islands (mainly Kauai) nearly 18 years ago in September of 1992. During this time I was living on the island of Maui. I remember certain parts of the storm, but I was too young to fully appreciate the gravity of the situation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hurricane Ike (September 2008) was very different as I saw it through the eyes of an adult instead of from a child's perspective. Thus my memories of the experience are much more vivid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The process of preparing for Ike felt almost unreal, especially as we drove through our neighborhood observing many neighbors boarding up their windows and doors. Even a simple errand to get ice and propane became a major ordeal as almost every store was sold out of these and many other necessary items. We filled our bathtub, put our gas grill in the garage and got out every flashlight we could find. We didn't know if any of this preparation would be needed, but looking back I am so glad we did even that little bit as we lost power for about 20 hours. Compared with many other areas of Houston we were lucky to get our power back so quickly as we know several people who went without power for weeks. Ike really was an eye opener to the extreme power of mother nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past Labor Day weekend Tropical Storm Hermine rolled through the Houston area and brought with it an interesting mix of sunny skies and torrential rain. "Hermine's weakening march north through Texas flooded homes, set off tornadoes and led to more than 100 high-water rescues." <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Associated Press) </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The storm was devestating in some parts of Texas, a very important reminder that we live in an area of the country that is very susceptible to many different types of weather related phenomena, many of them dangerous to both people and property. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">All of these storms remind me how important it is, particularly during this time of the year, that we prepare ourselves and our homes for the possibility of a storm and the rain, winds, and danger it can bring with it. In an effort to educate myself more fully on how I can be better prepared for any upcoming storms I found a few articles with helpful tips. I hope these resources can be of assistance to you as well. </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 40px !important; padding-right: 40px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; width: 485px !important;"><ul style="float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; list-style-image: none !important; list-style-type: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding-left: 0px; width: 485px;"><li style="border-bottom: #ebf0f2 1px solid; color: #777 !important; display: block; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; line-height: 20px !important; padding-bottom: 30px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 30px !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: 485px;"><br />
<div style="float: left !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 12px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: relative !important; width: 100px !important;"><a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-roof/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; text-decoration: none !important;"><img alt="Man inspecting roof" src="http://c0263062.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/content/images/sized/hurricane-roof-homeintegrityhomeinspections2_1x1_d9aedaed2027a72dfc1e5f127027618a_jpg_80x80_q85.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" title="hurricane-roof-homeintegrityhomeinspections" /> </a><br />
<div class="houselogic-new-sash">(New!)</div></div><h3 style="float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 16px !important; font-weight: bold !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px; width: 373px;"><a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-roof/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Hurricanes: Protect Your Roof</a></h3><div style="float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px; width: 373px;">More hurricanes than usual are expected to blow in this year—protect your roof to minimize damage and lower homeowners insurance premiums. <a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-roof/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Read</a></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></li>
<li style="border-bottom: #ebf0f2 1px solid; color: #777 !important; display: block; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; line-height: 20px !important; padding-bottom: 30px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 30px !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: 485px;"><br />
<div style="float: left !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 12px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: relative !important; width: 100px !important;"><a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-windows-and-doors/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; text-decoration: none !important;"><img alt="Rolling shutters for hurricane protection" src="http://c0263062.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/content/images/sized/hurricane-protect-windows-rollerstarusa_1x1_7a01009c7c2d6a5257960ba10a6dcc58_jpg_80x80_q85.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" title="hurricane-protect-windows-rollerstarusa" /> </a><br />
<div class="houselogic-new-sash">(New!)</div></div><h3 style="float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 16px !important; font-weight: bold !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px; width: 373px;"><a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-windows-and-doors/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Hurricanes: Protect Your Windows and Doors</a></h3><div style="float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px; width: 373px;">Protect your windows and doors during this year’s busier-than-usual hurricane season to lessen damage and lower homeowners insurance premiums. <a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/hurricanes-protect-your-windows-and-doors/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Read</a></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></li>
</ul><div style="float: left; width: 485px;"><div style="color: #000 !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Visit <a href="http://www.houselogic.com/" style="color: #16a8d3 !important; text-decoration: none !important;">houselogic.com</a> for more articles like this.</div><div style="color: #000 !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 11px !important; letter-spacing: normal !important; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429598890242304356.post-88519346249183188172010-09-03T13:00:00.009-05:002010-09-04T19:14:03.267-05:00Labor Day Weekend FunLet's face it... 3 day weekends are a big deal throughout the United States. They are looked forward to and thoroughly enjoyed by most people who get the time off work. It's a time for parties, barbecues, road trips, vacations, family, friends, and the list goes on and on. Even I, a real estate agent working almost every weekend, love a holiday weekend with no work. So in trying to plan my own Labor Day weekend for 2010 I looked online for a good deal on a quick trip out of town, fun activities in town, and kept an eye out for the big sales. After researching a bit we finally settled on staying in town this year. The weather is supposed to dry up here in beautiful Sugar Land, Texas and the temps. are supposed to come down a few degrees. So overall I expect it to be relaxing and full of my favorite activity, spending time with my family.<br /><br />So what are your plans for this Labor Day weekend? I am always curious what everyone else is doing...<br /><br />Oh and if you are holding a party check out the article below for a cool idea for a great way to entertain!<br /><br />Be Safe, Have Fun, and Enjoy!<br /><br />Micah<br />www.MicahSellsHomes.com <br /><br /><br /><div style="letter-spacing:normal!important;width:485px!important; padding:0 40px!important; font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;"> <ul style="letter-spacing:normal!important;list-style:none!important;margin:0 0 30px!important;padding-left:0;float:left;width:485px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;"> <li style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;display:block;vertical-align:baseline!important;padding:30px 0!important; border-bottom:1px solid #ebf0f2!important; color:#777!important; font-size:12px!important; line-height:20px!important;float:left;width:485px;"> <div style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;position:relative!important; float:left!important; width:100px!important; padding:0 12px 0 0!important;"> <a href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/labor-day-tip-pay-homage-mad-men-old-school-luau/" style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;color:#16a8d3!important; text-decoration:none!important;"> <img style="border:0 none;" src="http://c0263062.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/content/images/sized/buzz-mad-men-joan-amc_1x1_be810de5648186d632679c636797405c_jpg_80x80_q85.jpg" alt="Joan from AMCTV's Mad Men" title="buzz-mad-men-joan-amc" /> </a> <p class="houselogic-new-sash">(New!)</p> </div> <h3 style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;float:left;width:373px;margin:0; font-size:16px!important; font-weight:bold!important;"><a style="color:#16a8d3!important; text-decoration:none!important;" href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/labor-day-tip-pay-homage-mad-men-old-school-luau/" target="_blank">Labor Day Tip: Pay Homage to Mad Men With An Old School Luau</a></h3> <p style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;margin:0;float:left;width:373px;">Looking for something unique for your Labor Day soiree? Go retro with a Mad Men-inspired luau. <a target="_blank" style="color:#16a8d3!important; text-decoration:none!important;" href="http://www.houselogic.com/articles/labor-day-tip-pay-homage-mad-men-old-school-luau/">Read</a></p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> </li> </ul> <div style="float:left;width:485px;"> <p style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;margin:0 0 12px!important; color:#000!important; font-size:12px!important;">Visit <a style="color:#16a8d3!important; text-decoration:none!important;" href="http://www.houselogic.com">houselogic.com</a> for more articles like this.</p> <p style="letter-spacing:normal!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif!important;margin:0 0 12px!important; color:#000!important; font-size:11px!important;"> Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®</p> </div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0