I don’t know about you, but at this time of year, I like to take time to review the experiences the past year has brought me and to formulate in my mind my strongest wishes and desires for the coming year. It is amazing and quite serendipitous how life will offer us many opportunities to fulfill these desires and intentions. “Be careful what you wish for, as you may get it” is one of my favs, so spending a few minutes taking stock of where we are at and where we are headed seems well worth doing!

My Top 5 List

1. Move all our money from the big banks to our smaller community banks

check out this post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/move-your-money-a-new-yea_b_406022.html" and this video based on Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life!

Food for thought:

2. Ban all Medical ads of any kind on TV

I can’t believe our dollar driven society would put up with these depressing, fear based marketing tactics to push these drugs on all of us. I have travelled all over the world and never seen any other television stations abuse the general public so blatantly.

3. Have a TV channel with news and content that are positive instead of negative and drama driven

Life is bountiful with everyday snipets of kindness, love, compassion and joy if we take the time to become more aware of them! I need to remember that when the stress and hussle and bussle of everyday life seem to leave no time to appreciate the gifts that surround me.

4. Balance lofty unrealistic expectations with a good dose of reality

Much of the problems in the world and in our personal lives are caused by the chasm between our expectations and what reality deals us. Sure, reality can be brutal, but it can also be very liberating when we start to live within our means whether it be financially or emotionally, as an individual or as a nation. This year, I attended a Mindfulness Meditation program at U of I and highly recommend it! A true breath of fresh air for the over stimulated mind and body. Check it out http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/mindfulness/mbsr.html

5. Staying true to our integrity

How about letting go of the superficial trends and never ending fads that take us out of our integrity, provide us with no fulfillment whatsoever but rather leave us unsatisfied and frustrated? Easier said than done, but very liberating to eliminate major waste of time and $$$.

Happy New Year To All!

SANTA LIVES IN CORALVILLE!

Here is a suggestion I hope you will take me up on!  After sundown, bundle the kids in the car and head to Valley View Cir in Coralville IA, for a Christmas treat!

Santa does live here as you can see from these pictures.  If you are lucky, you can even take a picture with Santa.  You can park your car and walk around the multitude of Christmas scenes and lights.

Directions:  Holiday Rd to Valley View Cir – Times:  5:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily.

Would you like to send us your favorite Iowa City or Coralville Christmas decorations? We will post the best ones!  Send them directly to Toni.

Meet Terry Lavery, local Coralville developer and home builder.

With over 30 years of experience, Terry has single-handly redefined our local condominium market with TERRA RIDGE Luxury Ranch Condos in Coralville IA.

How did he do it? Simple:

• By introducing superior quality construction typically found only in high end Iowa City and Coralville single family homes, and combining it with distinct copywrited well thought out plans designed for the discriminating buyer who wishes to downsize without compromising on quality, elegance and space.
• By creating and maintaining a gorgeous eco-friendly environment, increasing the trees density, providing a natural lush landscape for the homeowners to enjoy for years to come.
• By being the first to introduce geothermal HVAC in Coralville IA and Iowa City IA condo market and providing 5 Star Energy rated single family homes as well as duplexes.
• By bucking the trend, anticipating his clients’ priorities, and successfully positioning himself at the top of a very luckwarm Iowa City real estate market without missing a step!

One on One with Terry!

Q: What inspired your vision for Terra Ridge?

A: There was a lack of quality product with the space and interior features that clients are looking for. I wanted to create a stunning environment to complement the luxury condos by applying the best use to the terrain. To me, looking at the environment given and transforming it for the better is an art.

Q: Why Geothermal, Eco-friendly Coralville Homes?

A: I have been building 5-Star Energy Rated homes for years. I decided to incorporate geothermal HVAC to make my homes that much more appealing to the sophisticated buyer. With the changes in the economy and the demand for renewable energy, I felt that the timing was perfect.

Q: Tell us about your Terra Ridge floorplans

A: I have evolved my ranch style living floorplans over the years to accomodate larger living spaces for my clients’ furniture needs, larger storage rooms, taller and larger windows throughout the house to give ample light and bring the outdoors in. One of the most popular floorplan features an open Great Room/Kitchen concept with upgraded features for our clients’ comfort and entertainment needs.

For more info and pics of Terra Ridge Luxury Ranch Geothermal Condos, visit www.geothermalterrahomes.com and the Coralville neighborhood of Terra Ridge Neighborhood.

Back By Popular Demand

What a great way to kick off the Holidays!  Englert Theatre is presenting the

2010 Festival Of Carols, a FREE family event featuring :

• sing-a-longs
• performances by Crescendo Children’s Choir
• Old Capitol Chorus
• Market St. Theatre School
• UI Swing Club
• Dan Knight                                               FREE HOT COCOA!!!!
• Kevin “B.F.” Burt
• and much more

This event will take place on Thursday, Dec 19th at 7:00 p.m at the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St, Iowa City, and is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Johnson County, MidWestOne Bank and Gay & Ciha Funeral & Cremation Services.  Thanks to all the sponsors of this wonderful event!

So bring kids, friends, and family and see you there!

Free $10 Gift Card

…and don’t forget  you can buy tickets to any TWO Englert Theatre events in 2010 and get a FREE $10 Englert gift card! Just call or stop by the box office (not available online). The free gift card can be used on any future event except movies.

Your Iowa City Area Community Blog

I am very excited to announce that The Iowa City Blog is live!  I won’t deny the steepness of my learning curve, and  ask for your patience while I find my voice and strive for rich and fresh content, all the while keeping the navigation simple and the features as interesting as possible.

This Blog Is All About You

This blog is all about You, our community, its people, places, news, real estate trends.  Because your feedback and participation are important, this site offers you the opportunity to comment on posts, to become your Neighborhood Ambassador, to nominate our Person Of The Month, to contribute information for our pages, and to share area pictures.  Don’t hesitate and tell me what You would like to see featured here.  Remember, we are just getting started!

Things To Come

In the coming days, you can expect posts featuring local events in the Iowa City and Coralville area, informative newsworthy articles, timely real estate news, fun facts, videos, picture updates, and so much more…

Here you will be able to virtually walk around our neighborhoods, find the newest hot spots, and stay connected with our area’s growth and activities.

We live in a vibrant, culturally diverse community.  Let’s share it with the world by offering a “real feel” for what it’s like to live here, and by discovering the many threads that connect us all.

So don’t hesitate, JUMP IN, and let’s have fun!