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Printable Home Meal Planning

4/20/2022

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From my Kitchen to Yours, Meal Planning for a Week

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I needed something visual to help me stay organized when meal planning.  I created this for me, and thought I'd also share in case it helps anyone else! Just click the Acrobat logo to the bottom left where it says "Download File" & a copy of the weekly meal plan is all yours.  

I put mine in an 8x10 frame and am using a dry erase marker on the glass so I can simply use the same meal planning template over and over.

Cheers!
Christina
​Scottsdale, AZ
meal_plan_.pdf
File Size: 9329 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Murphy's Bridle Path in North Central Phoenix

2/22/2022

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Quick guide to Murphy's Bridle Path in North Central Phoenix

My first trip to Phoenix was a work trip, I was considering a move here for work, but I'd never actually been to Arizona (2011).  I worked for a national pizza chain and the Phoenix market was struggling.  The guys who would become my co-workers were dying for someone to come out and help as they were all being super overworked.  I promise I have a reason for telling you all this haha.  I'll never forget my co-worker driving me around to look at the homes in North Central Phoenix because they wanted me to take the job - and this area is incredibly beautiful.  And he was smart, it did in fact make me want to move to the area.  Not only are the homes huge and beautiful, but they sit on large mostly irrigated lots.  You can usually spot an irrigated neighborhood in Phoenix because they tend to be very green, with lots of trees, and you'll often see berms at the edge of the yards.  If you're asking "what do I mean by irrigated?" these lots have the ability to use canal water to flood their yards at different intervals depending on the time of the year.  Hence the North Central Phoenix area is so green and pretty.  When I think of North Central Phoenix, I think of 7th Ave to 7th Street and Glendale to Northern.  There are also some beautiful neighborhoods around there, but this is a particularly oh la la neighborhood. 

Flash forward, the neighborhood was a little over my budget and I did not move there as much as I'd have loved to, but these days I do get to occasionally show homes to buyers in there, and what a treat that is.  In this video, I had just finished work and knew I'd be in the area so I packed my tennis shoes so I could get out and walk Murphy's Bridle Path while I was nearby.

If you don't already live in the neighborhood your best bet for getting to the walking path known as Murphy's Bridle Path is to park in the church parking lot on the Southeast Corner of Bethany Home and Central Ave.  Note: the parking lot does become a Farmer's Market on Saturdays.  The path is along the East side of Central Ave beginning at Bethany Home and stretches up just a little beyond Northern where the canal crosses before you get to Dunlap.  

If you live in the area, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Net worth: Homeowner's vs. Renter's

12/17/2021

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Benefits of Home Ownership
From a young age, seeing inflation impact home prices that my grandparents purchased and then next my parents, I always knew it was an important piece of finding financial peace.
There are so many benefits of home ownership.  
To name just a few benefits of being a homeowner:
  1. Tax benefits
    Home owners can deduct property taxes and mortgage interest.  
  2. No rent increases
    For me this would be scary, worrying about if your rent will increase or if the landlord will even renew the lease when the time comes.  Home owners will see annual taxes change and if there is an HOA in place that could increase, but shouldn't be as dramatic as the possible rental changes could be. Check out this article that shows Phoenix, AZ rents increasing by 20% and one example where a mom's rent increased by $700.

  3. Pay your own mortgage, not your landlords
  4. Building Equity
    A combination of increasing values because of inflation as well as paying down that mortgage every month.  Check out this video I created on paying off the mortgage early and saving money in interest while doing it.
  5. Freedom of creativity with design choices
    Paint any color you want and hang all the pictures! And even beyond that, if you own your home you can make big design changes over the years and are perfectly suited to you.  New kitchen counters?  Great!  It's yours, you can do what you like.
  6. Higher Net Worth
    At the end of the day for me, I choose to be a homeowner for the financial reasons.  
    Recently published by CNBC was an article that detailed the difference in net worth: homeowners vs. renters and it's really eye opening.  Homeowners in the US. had a net worth of $255,000 while renters on average just $6,300!  Talk about eye opening.

  7. Increased credit score
    Taking out a mortgage and making timely payments may increase your credit score.
  8. Hedging against inflation

  9. Privacy
    If you rent a home, and landlord can come in to your space as needed.  If you own your home there is no need for that.  Along with that a single family home will keep you from having shared walls which could be noisy and if not in a rental community you may have less neighbors coming and going each year.

  10. Pride of Ownership
    There is a sense of accomplishment that comes along with owning a home.  And it's really easier than many people think it is. 


Comment below with any benefits of home ownership that you've enjoyed!





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Canal Convergence 2021

11/8/2021

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Old Town Scottsdale's Canal Convergence 2021

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This year (2021) from November 5 - 14 Scottsdale is putting on what they call Canal Convergence.  It's full of public art displays and live performances.  The event happens along what Scottsdale calls the waterfront district.  It's an area of Old Town Scottsdale with walking paths, restaurants and businesses surrounding a large canal.  All pictures are from this year's (2021) Canal Convergence.  Highly recommend you see it in person :)
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 It gets crowded, so if you can walk or take an Uber, that's a great idea.  If not, I've screen shot maps with the three local parking garages (all are free) and drawn an arrow to the one that I usually park in.  You'll turn in just before Barrio Queen and then go under ground to the parking garage.  There is also a good amount of free street parking, but when it gets busy most of those spots will be full.  The main Cross Streets are Scottsdale Rd & 5th Ave.  The area is also known as South Bridge and The Fifth Avenue Shops.

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If you're thinking you might want to grab dinner and drinks before hand, here are a few of my favorite places that are all very close to Canal Convergence.  I always recommend calling to see if the restaurant will take a reservation (same with all Old Town Scottsdale restaurants), and if you're going on the weekend you may want to make that reservation at least two days in advance.
Pictured on the left: thedrunkmunk.com/
Also love the following:
www.oliveandivyrestaurant.com/
https://barrioqueen.com/location/
https://www.tapaspapafrita.com/​
https://www.themontaukaz.com/
https://handcutchophouse.com/​​
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They put on a pretty cool pyrotechnic show over the water called Floom.  It's to music and lasts about 3-4 minutes.  We found that lots of people grabbed a spot before it started, so be ready for that.  You can find the schedule for Floom in a booth on site, or you can get the schedule here: 
https://canalconvergence.com/work/floom/
Additionally there are other live performers, from dancers to musicians. As you can see I didn't get the best vantage point for this one, but wow were they talented!
Nightly performance schedules can be found here:
​https://canalconvergence.com/events/category/performancescanalconvergence.com/events/category/performances
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Some of the art from this year:  A few of these are interactive.
Additional information can be found directly with the Canal Convergence website itself.
And should be the primary source of show times etc. just in case they make any changes.
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What's happening in Old Town Scottsdale this week

10/20/2021

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Christina Vance earns internationally recognized designation for performance in luxury real estate

10/18/2021

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 For more information, contact:
Christina Vance
North&Co.
480-648-6305
joyofarizona@gmail.com
www.joyofarizona.com

Christina Vance earns internationally recognized designation for performance in luxury real estate

Scottsdale, AZ | October 11, 2021— Christina Vance with North&Co. in Scottsdale earned The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing’s Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist™ (CLHMS) designation in recognition of experience, knowledge, and expertise in high-end residential properties. Vance joins an exclusive group of real estate professionals who have completed The Institute’s training and have a proven performance in the upper-tier market.
“Agents who have earned the CLHMS™ designation are performing at the highest level in their community,” said Diane Hartley, president of The Institute. “The CLHMS™ seal is a symbol of distinction. Affluent buyers and sellers from around the world look for this symbol of luxury home knowledge and expertise when putting their trust in a real estate professional.”
The specialized training and ongoing membership with The Institute provide Vance with the knowledge and tools to better serve clients. The CLHMS™ designation provides evidence of the successful commitment to service at the highest level. “I aim to always live by the golden rule, treating others how I myself would like to be treated,” said Vance.
Christina has been in real estate since 2017 and specializes in Old Town Scottsdale.  She lives works, and invests in Old Town Scottsdale real estate.  Additionally, she has her MBA from Grand Canyon University.
For more information about the luxury market in Scottsdale, AZ, contact Christina Vance with North&Co. at 480-648-6305 or joyofarizona@gmail.com.
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Joy of Arizona

10/8/2021

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Why I chose my handle Joy of Arizona @joyofarizona

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"Joy of Arizona" started as a play on words from the cookbook Joy of Cooking.  When I first moved to Arizona back in 2011 it was with the expectation that Arizona would be for just a period of time while I was getting groomed for a VP position with the company I worked for at the time and then I'd move somewhere else, wherever they needed me to go.  Little did I know that I would fall head over heels for living in Arizona and become non-relocatable.  It was the second time I had relocated with this company.  Prior to moving here, I expected Arizona to be tumbleweeds and dirt.  Boy was I wrong.  My first impression of Arizona was a visit here prior to taking the job.  It was the month of April, I stayed in an airport hotel and was amazed when I saw people swimming in the outdoor pool.  Back East where I was living it was cold and frigid still.  The amount of sunshine we get here is probably still the number one reason I love living here, you can be outdoors so many days of the year here, and I live for being outdoors - not in a camping kind of way but a brunch on the patio kind of way, and Arizona fits that perfectly.  Coupled with low property taxes making this a great place for future retirement, a great food scene, gorgeous parks for walking, and the sunsets, oh the sunsets.  Arizona is now my forever home.  Back to the company, I was working for, the Phoenix market of which I was a part of was purchased by a large franchisee, and my choices were to move with the company to another corporate market or take a position that required 100% travel and it was a BIG deal for me making that decision.  I had worked for this company for many years, it had been my 16-year-old high school job of which I had been climbing the corporate ladder ever since.  My decision was to start over in a new career ... enter real estate ... and stay in Arizona where I find so much joy, hence Joy of Arizona.  I am forever grateful for the corporate experience as it taught me so much about business, and has led me to an industry that I am truly passionate about and apply that business acumen for success.  So excited to continue to grow in the real estate field, and wow what amazing people I have already gotten to meet because of it!

www.joyofarizona.com
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Gardening in Scottsdale

9/17/2021

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Flowers that grow in Arizona

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Pictured above: Salmon colored Zinnias.  
These Zinnias are probably the plant that I'm most excited about.  I grew them from seed, and as it turns out they are actually pretty easy to grow and just gorgeous.  I had this idea that I wanted to start a flower garden and keep cut flowers in the house most of the time.  I've had some trial and error when it comes to starting seeds.  I've learned that for me, starting a seed indoors is nearly impossible.  Seeds like natural sunlight, and more of it than I would have imagined.  Even outdoors on the porch if the spot never got hit with direct light, the seeds struggled to grow.  

Zinnias somehow do an amazing job in full sun during the summer months even with the extreme heat we get.  I grew these in South Scottsdale.  They did absolutely love the Monsoon rains we got this year but were also doing well in the extreme hot temperatures we got in July this year.  Full sun, no shade and these babies are still going strong!

The more you pick these beauties, the more they grow.  They only last about a week or so indoors, and have little smell.  
Pictured above: Elephant's food.  This might be the easiest plant to grow outdoors here in the Valley. They are gorgeous and green, and if you simply water them when you think about it they'll do great.  You can even cut a piece off, stick it in dirt and it will grow!  The plant on the right are pieces I cut off from the plant on the left and they've grown bigger in just a few months and I did nothing special.  I always recommend this plant to anyone who thinks they just can't have any outdoor plants, they are SO easy.  They do need the sun, so I don't recommend them as an indoor houseplant, however that being said, just because I can't make them work indoors, doesn't mean its not possible.
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Pictured Left: Bougainvillea
This is a love it or hate it plant.
Me personally, I fall into the love it camp.
When I bought my house there had been unknowingly to me a bougainvillea plant cut all the way down to the ground.  I never watered it, it just started growing and today is a large healthy flowering plant.  I occasionally hit it with the hose and that's all the water it takes and it thrives in full sun.

Reasons that some people don't like it:
​It does drop a lot of flowers, it has thorns which makes it difficult to cut back, and it does need trimming because it grows pretty quickly.
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Pictured Left: My planting calendar.
I couldn't find something that I liked online, so I created my own.  & I've got a blank version attached below that you are welcome to download, and fill in your own planting calendar.
planting_calendar.pdf
File Size: 947 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Tiki bars in Old Town Scottsdale

8/27/2021

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Tiki Bars in Old Town Scottsdale

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The Drunk Munk

7133 E Stetson Dr. Suite 1 
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
http://thedrunkmunk.com/
Located in the Waterfront area, also known as the South Bridge District of Old Town Scottsdale you'll find the Drunk Munk.  It's my personal favorite of the local tiki bars.  A huge patio is great when the weather is nice (Fall, Winter & Spring).  Great interior decor.  The food was delicious too.



​Their tiki style drinks come in specialized mugs or glasses that match the name of the drink.  I ordered the "Bikini Girl" and it came in a mug shaped as a bikini girl.  Awesome drink too!  The drink on the right is the Flower Goddess, also good!
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Hula's Modern Tiki

7213 E 1st Ave
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
https://www.hulasmoderntiki.com/
Hula's was great too.  The interior decor a little less themed than Drunk Munk had been, maybe where they get the wording "modern tiki".  Similar style drinks with fancy mugs to go with!  Always fun to have a tiki drink.  I unfortunately do not remember the name of the drink I had a Hula's but I'm sure it had some sort of coconut in it.    If you check one of these spots out, let me know!  I'd love to hear how it was for you.
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Arizona Museum of Natural History

8/3/2021

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Things to do in the Phoenix Area During the Summer

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Looking for some indoors activities during the summer months in Phoenix?  The Arizona Museum of Natural History might be a fun one to check out.  It's located in Mesa Arizona, near the Downtown section of Mesa.  From the outside it doesn't look like it will be much, but looks are deceiving.  This museum has multiple levels and you can really spend some time in there.  
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Do you know what the Five C's in Arizona area?  You can learn all about them at the museum.  Hint, one of the C's is copper.  
Pictured to the left, a lookalike tunnel for mining copper. 
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If you are planning a trip here it is recommended that you buy your tickets online in advance to secure your spot.

​/www.arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/

The dinosaurs were definitely my favorite part of the museum.  & in the above video check out the flash flood.  Look for the schedule while you're there to make sure you catch it.  Much of the museum is focused on the South West.  Pretty neat!
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    Thanks for stopping by!

    Hi, I'm Christina! I'm a full time licensed real estate agent in the state of Arizona.  I am passionate about all the things that go into making a house a home.  I love the state of Arizona and consider myself a specialist in the South and Central areas of Scottsdale and Phoenix. 
    I try and share a combination of local places of interest, real estate tips, and general homeowner tips.  Thanks for checking out the website!

    Want to know more?
    Let's connect!

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