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People buy their “Why’s” not their “Whats”!
The significant CHOICES that we make in life, when really dissected, come down to the baseline motivation of the "why's." For instance, 'why' do we want a big kitchen; is it because we like to have the family gather in that space to share in the cooking experience, is it because we entertain a lot and think that this equates to needing a ginormous kitchen space with fancy gadgets to prepare food for the masses? 'Why' do we want macaroni & cheese for dinner versus spinach and broccoli? 'Why' do we want 4 faucet heads in the shower? When talking about home choices, the 'what's' are the features; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 3 car garage which don't always satisfy the 'why's that bring you closer to functional and emotional satisfaction………so, when going through the decision making and selection process of your next home, try this exercise:
Each of those that will be involved in the decision making process are given a sheet of paper. Make 2 columns, the one on the left given a title of the 'WHAT'S' (features desired), the column on the right titled the 'WHY'S' (benefits derived from the features). Each individual typically is motivated by their own drivers, justification and desires for the 'why's' so it best serves everyone if each get their own sheet to fill out. Once each of you have filled out your paper, sit down and compare what has been listed. 
You might be surprised what are the why's behind the what's–some will be similar and some will end up being 'WOW's'. Once you have gone through this exercise, narrow your scope even further and, out of your 'what's and why's', prioritize them so that you know, understand, and have great clarity on which facets are your team non-negotiables in priority order for this huge life decision of purchasing a new or different home. After walking yourselves through this exercise, your home selection, toilet seat selection, or dinner selection will feel and be remarkably streamlined and efficient—it is the science behind choices. A simple exercise that yields great results.
‘She’s a Brick……..House’
What untold history may rest on the facade of your brick house in Tacoma, Washington? You may have the good fortune of your home being built with Clinker (sometimes spelled Klinker) brick. Clinker brick are brick pieces that when wet and placed too close to the fire in a kiln, became distorted and discolored–some even with a volcanic contort to them due to the extreme heat of the coal fires and slight melting principles that took place. The word, 'Clinker' is said to have described the tone or sound made when the bricks 'klinked' together. Colors of the brick, depending on heat levels, range from reds, oranges, yellows, browns, purples and blacks. You also see many with warted projections reinforcing their uniqueness much like a snowflake or pearl.
In the early 1900's these bricks began to be recognized as a valuable, artsy, and eccentric way of decorating a house, chimney or entry way. Sometimes the Clinker brick would be used to spell out the name of the home owner or the house numbers of a residence.These imperfect manufacturing accidents are no longer being produced in coal fired kilns. Instead, in this day and age of perfection where bricks are almost flawless in dimension, the result of mechanical production thousands at a time, most original Clinker brick is recovered in salvage operations and resold to those renovating or replicating a lost era in nostalgia.
So, if you go for a stroll through a Tacoma neighborhood or happen to live in a brick structure, take a close look–do you hear the musical nature of the crooked face sprinkled with Clinker brick? If so, share your homes' history with others and speak of days gone by where what was once viewed as manufacturer discard is now cherished as an unobtainable treasure.
Would your wish be to live within a ‘Driver’s’ reach of a Premier Golf Course?
When I was a little girl, I lived just a couple of miles north of what was at that time, a huge gravel and sand pit. I remember several times a week driving by the pit on the way to soccer practice in Lakewood gazing out the window at the beautiful Puget Sound and distant views of the south side of Fox Island. I used to tell Mom that, 'one day, I am going to build a giant house down there, right on the beach as soon as they stop digging gravel out of it.' She would always smile at me and just nod her head not wanting do dampen my vivid imagination or slow my habits of dreaming big.
While attending both Curtis Jr. and Sr. High Schools, the 'Pit' became a place where some would gather in the hours of darkness to enjoy the scent of seaweed and sips of refreshment while building their own memories and friendships. Just to the west of the gravel pit was conveniently the New Tacoma Cemetery-a place for teens to also explore and visit ghostly figures in the hours of darkness.
As I grew up, I decided not to wait for a someday opportunity to buy a slice of gravel pit heaven to build my castle upon and instead settled 3 miles north of the 'Pit' on a different slice of University Place landscape. Good thing I didn't hold out for a piece of the Pit because today, it has been transformed into a magnificent seaside world class 18-hole golf course, Chambers Bay. This is the home of the 2015 US Open, a links style course with sandy windswept dunes, undulating slopes in the fairways and mottled greens framed with wispy sea grasses.
The course is rimmed with a paved walking, running, dog loving trail. This golf course perimeter takes your breath away both physiologically and mentally as you scale the ups and downs of the hills kissed by tall Douglas Fir trees while hearing the whistle of the passing trains along the beach front. Inclusive of the childrens play area, a dog park and remnant monoliths of industries gone by, there are few who could not have some sensorial satisfaction or activity quenched by this hidden fingerprint of Scottish descent with a Northwest flare–how grand it would be, and is, to live just a 'Driver's' reach from such a magnificent, mystical place.
