They say that people are happiest when they love the work they do. I didn't find my calling until I was in my 40s but it had been staring me in the face my whole life. I grew up in the Navy and my family moved every three or four years. Everywhere we went, no matter how small or run-down our base housing was, my mother always made it feel like home...like we had been there forever.

I started a career in government contracting in the mid-1980s because it was the thing to do. I worked at the Pentagon and the Naval Research Lab, which sounded exciting but it was truly boring. I didn't feel that I was accomplishing anything of value. After I got married, I decided it was time for a change. I worked as an administrator for a small real estate company in Northern Virginia. Still, I wasn't quite happy.

I had children, moved to Fredericksburg and became a full-time mom. I loved it! I would think back to all the places I had lived as a child and it would always remind me of how important it was to make my home a sanctuary...a place to feel safe, loved and accepted no matter what. I had created that for my family and didn't even realize it had happened. It was so ingrained in me that it came naturally. I think this may have been my mother's greatest gift to me.

So, if I tell you that this isn't all business, maybe you'll understand. Yes, I have done very well in the business of real estate but it isn't because I'm all business. It's because I'm all personal. You need a sanctuary, a place you love to come home to, a place to feel safe and happy no matter what kind of day you've had. Let me get to know you, understand your goals, listen to your history...then I can show you how the purchase or sale of your home fits into your life.