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Columbus Ohio Honor Flight Homecoming for World War II Veterans

When: November 7, 2009 8:00 PM

Where:
Columbus Int’l Airport
4600 International Gateway
Columbus, OH 43219

The final trip of Honor Flight for the season, Southwest Flight #8284 from BWI, will be arriving in Port Columbus carrying around 90 Ohio World War II veterans at 8:45pm. Honor Flight is taking them to Washington, DC for the day so that they can visit the WWII memorial, and other sites. For many of them, this is their first and only chance to see the memorial built in their honor.

We would love to have anyone who is able, kids included, come out around 8:00pm to be ready to greet the veterans for their homecoming. Meet us near the SWA ticket counter on the departures level.

Most of them came home from the war only to have a clerk hand them a small amount of cash and a bus ticket. This is our chance to make that right, some 60 years later. There is no need to RSVP.

To learn more visit:  http://www.meetup.com/The-Columbus-Ohio-Glenn-Beck-Meetup-Group/calendar/11749135/

I got together with some women friends last night and a wonderful woman made the best Pumpkin Cheesecake that I have ever tasted.  I really loved the flavor and crunch of the gingersnap and pecan crust. I don’t often like American style cheesecake because most of them are too sweet and/or too creamy for me.  Being from Germany, I miss the authentic cheese cake that I’ve had in Germany.  It’s not nearly as sweet as what we have in America and it’s less creamy too.

I’m always looking for unique pumpkin recipes to make for Thanksgiving, as an alternative to pumpkin pie.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought this recipe was worth sharing with anyone looking for a new pumpkin recipe to try on your family.  Don’t be afraid to try this one, trust me, they’ll love it!! It’s so good you might not want to wait until Thanksgiving to try it though. My friend was reluctant to try this new recipe out on her girlfriends, but I’m so glad she did, otherwise I might not know about this one.  Thanks Lori!!!

Deluxe Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies (about 20)
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup butter, melted
4-8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½  teaspoons ground nutmeg

1. Place a greased 9-in. spring form pan on a double thickness of foil.  Securely wrap foil around pan.
2. Using food processor crush cookies until they are fine crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, pecans and butter.  Press onto the bottom of prepared pan.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool.
4. For filling, in a large bowl, beat one package of cream cheese, ½ cup sugar and cornstarch until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Beat in remaining cream cheese, one package at a time.  Add remaining sugar.  Add 2 eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Add vanilla and remaining eggs, beating on low speed just until combined.
5. Place 2 cups of filling in a small bowl and add the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg to it.  Remove ¾ cup of this new pumpkin filling; set aside.  Pour remaining pumpkin filling over crust; top with remaining plain filling. Drop reserved pumpkin filling by spoonfuls over cheesecake; cut through with a knife to swirl.
6. Place spring form pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.  Remove spring form pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.  Refrigerate overnight.

I hope you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and remember to give thanks to God for all that he has done for you this year. We are so blessed in America and I think we often take it for granted. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to stop and share with one another what all you have to be thankful for over the last year. ENJOY!!

Just in time for Halloween - check out these skeletons sporting OSU Buckeyes outfits and spelling OHIO.  A friend shared this picture that I thought “die” hard OSU - Ohio State Buckeyes fans might enjoy:)  GO BUCKS!!!

For "Die" Hard OSU - Ohio State Buckeyes Fans

Wow!!!  What a wonderful voice this lady has.  Such eerie, yet powerful music.   I hope you enjoy.

To learn more about the artist visit:  MistyEdwards.com

This video just goes to show how crazy or should I say dedicated, Ohio State Buckeye Fans can be.  Since The Ohio State University is located in Columbus Ohio, game days should almost be a holiday because it’s like a ghost town here, everyone is either at the game or watching the game somewhere.  Nothing else much is really going on, on OSU Buckeyes game days.

I think this video says it all:)  GO BUCKS!!!

Being the kind of person that really gets a thrill out of getting a good deal on something, I love Odd Lots!!!  I typically go about once a week because it’s on my way home from the gym I work out at and I just can’t stop myself.  My car seems to automatically gravitate to the parking lot, without me even thinking about it.  What I find so thrilling is that I never know what they’re going to have and I can always count on finding something new and unique.  Some days I get luckier than others and find lots of wonderful items and other days it’s hit or miss.  I almost always find something that my family can use though.   Today was one of those days that I had lots of luck!!

I found so many cool things today.  I was recently accused of being a “foody” and I think you’ll see why:)  Hence the need to workout!!  Since most of what I bought today is somewhat healthy, I don’t feel too bad.

• Izze Fortified Sparkling Pomegranate - Naturally Flavored Juice Beverage (It looks like a natural soda in a can.)
• Muir Glen Organic Beef & Vegetable Soup and Muir Glen Organic Chicken Tortilla Soup (The colder weather is already making me want soup.)
• Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings (What attracted me is the colorful red, white and blue can and on the top it says AMERICA’S FAVORITE.  I hope it’s true, because we’ve got sick and picky kids in the house that this sounds perfect for.)
• ROTEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (we love to put these in our chili and sausage & cheese dip)
• Amber Harvest Mills Beer Bread Mix - this would actually make a great gift because it’s in a really cute beer looking bottle and comes with an orange iridescent bottle opener.  But I don’t think I’ll be saving it for a gift - I’m planning to make it for my home Bible study group.
• Green Tea - Herbal Slimming Tea (now this is probably the only thing that makes sense, since I was after all, on my way home from the gym.  I know it’s probably just a gimmick - but since I’m a tea drinker and it’s green tea based - which has lots of health benefits already - I figure I might as well give it a try:)
• Mount of Olives Treasures Earl Grey Tea with Pomengranate (Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas and this one sounds so good - it says it’s a blend of healthy black tea combined with natural bergamot oil known for it’s citrusy aroma, enhanced with a twist of lemon plus it has olive leaves, grape leaves, pomegranate and hyssop.
• Royal Moments Belgium Milk Chocolate Biscuits - says they are made in Belgium too!!  Ok - here’s what sold me - it has a story on the back of the box about how Pharmacist Charles Delacre started making chocolate in 1870, originally for it’s medicinal qualities.  Due to the inviting aroma and delicious taste, his chocolate became ever more popular, so much so that he was officially appointed as chocolate supplier to the Belgian Royal Court.  So I figure if it’s good enough for royalty - then it’s certainly good enough for me - being the Queen of Columbus Castles:)
• Kuhne Traditional German Barrel Sauerkraut - what perfect timing.  I love making pork and sauerkraut in the fall, plus it’s Oktoberfest season!!  I’ve had this brand before and it’s really good - it’s the real thing - made in Germany.
• ITOEN White Tea - Natural grape flavored tea in individual sized bottles - perfect for when I’m on the go to meet clients looking at homes:)
• Twinings of London Indian Spiced Chai Tea - this tea smells so good even through the plastic wrapped box that I couldn’t resist.  I love Chai Tea!!!
• OLDE CAPE COD All Natural Soup & Chowder Oyster Crackers.  My son loves oyster crackers and I typically won’t buy them because most brands have partially hydrogenated oil in them.  When I read the ingredients in these, I was really surprised.  They are truly all natural with pretty healthy ingredients and there’s a testimonial on the box that says “The best oyster crackers I’ve ever eaten!”  So I figured I might as well give them a try too.
• Triscuit Parmesan Garlic Thin Crisps (I know these don’t sound like anything special - but they are triangle shaped - so they seem a little more classy looking, than the typical square shaped Triscuits.  Plus these will go great with the Comte cheese imported from France, that I recently bought at Costco - which is my other favorite place to shop (but that’s a whole other story that I won’t get into here:)

These are just a few of the wonderful items I found today at the Odd Lots in Westerville.  Since I live in Westerville, I typically visit the Westerville Odd Lots.  However, I also make it a point where ever I am showing homes to stop in at the local Odd Lots stores all over Columbus because I have learned you can find different things in each store.  The Polaris Odd Lots is one of my favorites because I think it’s got to be one of the largest stores and it seems to be better organized and laid out than some of the others.  I also like the Odd Lots store off of Olentangy River Road and Ackerman in the OSU/Upper Arlington area and the Great Western Odd Lots on the West Side of Columbus, because they usually have a great food section too.

Check out the Odd Lots website, Biglots.com,  for a special 20% off  discount coupon that’s good from October 5 - October 10, 2009 to get 20% off your entire purchase.  Odd Lots is already a good deal, but this coupon makes it too hard to pass up!!  I hope you enjoy shopping for good deals too:)

Honor WWII Vets in Columbus Ohio

On October 10, 2009 at 8pm, Honor Flight Columbus a regional nonprofit, volunteer organization, is organizing a rally at the Columbus International Airport, to welcome home WWII vets on their return flight from visiting their memorial in Washington D.C.

The public is encouraged to participate, by welcoming the World War 2 vets at the Columbus International Airport around 8pm on October 10, 2009.  Feel free to show your patriotism by bringing signs to show your respect (no sticks or poles to keep security happy please).   This particular flight is supposed to be one of the larger flights with about 90 WWII vets aboard, so there will be plenty of hands to shake and war stories to hear.  Don’t forget your camera!

Honor Flight Columbus honors and celebrates World War II veterans’ service by flying them to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. The veterans are provided this experience at no charge as a token of our gratitude and respect for their service to our Country. Our primary mission is to safely escort America’s World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to create an unforgettable experience at the memorials dedicated in honor of their service and sacrifice. Veterans of other wars, who are terminally ill, are also included. The one day trips to the nation’s capitol occur during April - November as funds permit. Honor Flight Columbus is part of the National Honor Flight Network.

The 2009 Columbus Honor Flight is sponsored by the City of Westerville.

Honor Flight #8284 Southwest Airlines Columbus Airport 8:45PM
Columbus Int’l Airport
4600 International Gateway
Columbus, OH 43219

To learn more visit:  honorflightcolumbus.org

LIFE DOESN’T HAVE A REWIND BUTTON, SO WE SHOULD SEEK TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

You might wonder what do these thoughts have to do with real estate.  When you think about how buying a home is one of the biggest investments, thus commitments, you will ever make, it is wise to consider how this commitment will affect you and your family’s life.

Following are some deep, meaningful and thought provoking quotes from a book by John Ortberg:  “When The Game Is Over, It All Goes Back In The Box.”  I think this author provides some very striking ideas for us all to consider, before making any major commitments in our life.  I highly recommend this book because it really makes you stop and think about what really matters in your life.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Life doesn’t have a rewind button, so we should seek to get it right the first time.  Time is our one indisputable, non-renewable resource.  All of our moments can either be celebrated or regretted, but can never be retrieved. Life is one of those games in which you can only move forward.

Part of the pleasure of reading a novel lies in not knowing how it will turn out, until we get to the last page, then thinking back about how the characters might have lived differently had they known what the end would be like.  But real life has an urgency so different from fiction.  At the end, it cannot be changed.  The meaning of life on this earth is that at the end it stops.  We will never figure out how we should live our life, unless we fully understand the significance of the fact that it will end.”

Do Your Commitments Match Your Convictions?

“There is often a gap between what we value and the way we spend our time, money and energy.  Often we drift into other commitments that keep us from living out our deepest values.  Regret prevention requires we take an honest look at what commitments are shaping our lives.”

After all these deep thought provoking comments, John gives an example that I can totally relate with:

Buying a home close to work or on the outskirts of Columbus

He goes on to talk about various dramatic commitments people make in life like:  marriage, having kids, changing jobs or career or buying a home.  He says one advantage of dramatic commitments is that they are easy to recognize.  But we don’t always think about their hidden cost. He points out that sometimes people buy a home that requires commuting an hour or more each way to work.  They can see the increased square footage, but they don’t see the cost of the time they’ll be losing with they’re family.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people seek to buy a home on the outskirts of the Columbus area because they can get more home and more land for the money.  I usually remind people about the costs they’ll incur for gasoline and wear and tear on the car, which then becomes a consideration for them.  But another, more important consideration, is the time lost with family and friends, as a result of living so far away from work.  I hope you’ll consider the value of your time spent with loved ones, when making commitments in your life, including when buying your next home.

The older I get, the more I realize how precious and valuable time is.

America’s oldest German club, The Mannerchor in German Village (just South of Downtown Columbus Ohio) is holding it’s annual Oktoberfest October 2 and 3, this weekend (Friday and Saturday), at 966 South High Street.  The Mannerchor German Club, established in 1848, will present German music and folk dancing, as well as a full Oktoberfest menu including typical German favorites like bratwurst, cabbage & noodles, sauerkraut & pork, potato pancakes, red cabbage, sauerkraut balls, German potato salad and more .

Gates open Friday, October 2nd, at 5:30 pm.  The parade of flags and the tapping of the keg commence at 6.  Admission is just $6 each, and there’s plenty of free, on-site parking.  For more information, visit www.maennerchor.com.

To learn more about German Village visit:  columbuscastles.com/communities_german_village