We have a WINNER!!!

Well, after much debate (with my husband) and prayer, Ralph and I have chosen a slogan that we think fits ME as a Realtor. As most of you know, I am a pretty down to earth person who likes to tell it like it is. So, my slogan couldn't be something that is just all positive and cute! Just doesn't fit me! LOL We chose the following slogan:

'Knows the realities...Finds the dreams' sent in by Becca in Co!

We chose this for numerous reasons. Life is hard. I know it and so will my clients. Life is especially hard here in Alaska with lots of extra challenges, even the challenges of finding a home that fits your needs and your dreams. So, I wanted to be honest, but let others know that there are dreams available here in the amazing state of Alaska. This slogan just seemed to FIT ME! I don't know if it will be successful or not. Only a trial run and time will tell, but I hope it will be.

I have my first listing already and I am just loving this job! I have so much peace about what the Lord is doing in my life right now. I have no anxiety about getting the next listing because I know the Lord will provide the right person at the right time. I am just working hard to do my job to the best of my ability and trusting Him to provide the rest.

So, thank you friends and family for the ideas to help make my business a success. I want to give a few honorable or 'dishonorable' mentions to some other favorites! There are a few of them I will be using on some pages of my website, including the Military link I am working on.

Here are the slogans or thoughts I will be using, followed by the slogan ideas that were just too funny to NOT let you all in on:

First honorable mention goes to Corrine in TX. She wrote that she would have something like this on her military page if she were in my shoes. I completely agree!

'A military family always has longings to plant roots in their dream home and community one day...let me help you realize that dream in one of the most caring and intimate communities I have found in my 20 years of travel as a military spouse: beautiful Palmer and Wasilla, nestled amongst majestic mountain peaks, rushing salmon-filled streams and a warm, small-town feel where everyone 'belongs.'

Second honorable mention goes to Vonnie in MN. She sent this wonderful little tidbit that I will also be using on my Military page:

'Whatever your mission, there's always good fishin'~ Alaska

Third honorable mention was from Karen in Alaska. I almost used this one Karen, but decided to go a different direction. If my first choice doesn't work, I may come back to this one! LOL

'No slogans, just results!'

Now for the rejects...ummm...I mean those that didn't win but just had to be shared! LOL

Dody can carry your loady
Don't get treated like dooty get Dody
Dial Dody for Deals!
Your Dream home is Dody's Duty
Dody...it's not just a job, it's and adventure!

And my favorite 'reject' of all: Give me your money and I will sell your house

So Becca sweetie! You are the winner of a $50 gas card. Please email me privately at rfkettler@gmail.com so Ralph and I can get that to you asap!

Blessings my friends!
Dody
"Knows the realities...Finds the dreams"

Many more slogan possibilities...

Well, I have received some pretty good slogan possibilities. Ralph and I are working this week to get my real estate blog and website set up and will make a final decision on the slogan contest. If you have been holding out on sending in your idea, this would be a great time to do so. We have typed them all up and are going to make a final decision by Jan 2nd! We will then announce the winner of the gas card.

Thanks to all of you who have sent in ideas, thoughts, compliments and encouragement. Many went to the blog comment section and I have received so many private emails of encouragement. Thanks for your prayers as Ralph and I develop this business. It is going to take lots of prayer and work to make a go of this, but I believe the Lord continues to open the doors for this so I will proceed, walking in faith!

May this Christmas day be a taste of what the Lord has to offer you in your lives. May you feel His presence today and each day of this new year!

Blessings~~
Dody and Ralph, Beth, Kyle, Jonas and the NEW puppy, Hatcher!

Slogans???

Well I received lots of emails and comments as to the perfect slogan! Some were down right hilarious! One that sticks out (thanks Dan and Barb) is 'Let Dody carry the Loady' LOL

I thought about all the entries, but nothing just stuck out as the perfect slogan for me. There are a few insights and thoughts that may lead me to my slogan and of course those are all still in the running. I am going to keep the contest open for a week or so and see if I can get a few more ideas or actual 3-5 word slogans. At that point I will really work to make something from the ideas and thoughts that came in during all of this.

So, no winner of the gas card YET, but I am still hopeful and will send it out as soon as the perfect slogan hits! Come on everyone, I just know someone out there has the PERFECT slogan for me!

Thank you all for your time and care. It is so appreciated and your kind words were very humbling to this stay-at-home-mom moving into the career world!

Blessings~~
Dody

I NEED YOUR HELP!

As of yesterday, I began a new career in real estate, working for Prudential Jack White/Vista here in Wasilla, Alaska. There is much involved in starting a new career in real estate and I am a bit curious as to how it will all come about, but so very excited to experience it as it unfolds.

Here is where I need your help. My family and my friends are the people who know me the best. You know my personality, good and bad, and you know my likes and dislikes, etc. Because of this I am coming to each of you to ask you to help me come up with a SLOGAN for my business!

What I would LOVE for each of you to do is to either add a comment on the bottom of this post or email me privately with either a slogan idea or something you think may help me figure out a slogan, something about me, my life here in Alaska, etc that might spur me on to think of that perfect slogan. IF I CHOOSE your idea or slogan, you will received a $50 gas card!! I need to move pretty quickly on this, so you only have a few days to get your ideas or slogans to me. I have to have an idea before Monday morning training. You have until 9pm EST on Sunday, December 2nd to submit your ideas either in the comment box here or to my private email at rfkettler@gmail.com

Remember, I live in Alaska, I have been 'military' for 20 years as of yesterday so I do feel I can concentrate on helping military relocate here in Alaska, I love to fish and fishing is HUGE in Alaska, I am a Christian and I love music and organizing THINGS!

SO, if you have a little time to help me in this matter I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks and may the best slogan win!
Blessings~~
Dody

Okay, ready for the bears!!!

After searching for bears in the park, we finally realized that we could locate the grizzly bears by looking at the snow and following the footprints. These prints were a little too close for comfort, but did eventually lead to this bear!
Wowza!
Here he is sitting by a tree!
Here he is scratching his back on a tree! These are REAL photos friends and family! I was amazed!!
So, I decided to be a little artistic. I believe this photo may be included in my Christmas Cards this year! Enjoy!

More animals...

These are caribou but they were very far away. In fact, these were the only 2 caribou we saw the whole day I believe.
Dan and Sherry attempting to share the binos to watch the dall sheep.
The first bears! Triple cubs and a mom but so very far away that you can barely make them out. Click on the picture and you will be able to find them. Don't worry though! The coming photos of bear in Denali will make you cheer!
A nice, medium-sized bull moose walking pretty near the road. We were pretty excited about this moose and thought it would be the only moose we got to see! We were wrong!

Dall sheep and more dall sheep...

Isn't this one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen? This is one of the 56 Dall sheep we were able to see inside Denali.
There are some BIG rams. They were pretty far away so the picture isn't great, but you can see the curls in their horns really well if you click on the picture.
More female sheep. These were on the side of a hill just above the road. TONS of cars were pulled off to get pictures of them. We were so close, the rocks that were falling due to them walking about, were hitting the cars that were pulled over (including ours!)

Driving to Denali and just inside the park

Beth is taking a black and white photography class at the college so she was having a blast taking pictures on this trip. I think she took 3 rolls of film.
My dear brother. Please don't ask what he was doing?
Weren't the colors just amazing?
The first animals to greet us just after entering Denali were three moose, a mom and two babies. This is one of the babies. Notice the hair on it's back is standing up. It was getting pretty nervous with all the car stopping to look at it, so we quickly moved on down the road.
Here are all three of them from our car.

My brother's visit...

What an amazing summer we had. Our final visitors were my brother Dan and his wife, Sherry. I can't tell you what a great time we had. It was two weeks of wonderful Alaskan fun and fellowship. If you don't know my brother and his wife you wouldn't understand, but they are just so fun and loving and YOUNG for their ages that you can't help but have a great time with them. Our visit started before Ralph returned home. In fact, just after we picked them up from the airport (well, the next morning) we headed straight up to Denali for the driving lottery. I was blessed by a wonderful lady in Anchorage with a driving lottery ticket and was able to share that experience with Dan and Sherry and Beth and Kyle. As you will quickly see, it was an experience of a lifetime! Here is just a sampling of things we were able to see on our trip!


Here they are arriving at the Ted Steven's International Airport in Anchorage!
Our first view of Denali on the drive up to the park.
A beautiful Ptarmigan changing over from summer brown to winter white.

The boys!

What a difference a year makes. This picture was taken at Kyle's baptism in Sept, 2006. These are his best buddies.
This is one year later. Although they couldn't remember where they were standing for the baptism picture, this is them one year later, still best buds and still working hard to become black belts in Tang Soo Do. I think they have each grown 4 inches this year.

Blog updates?

Where are they? Well...Did I tell you all that Ralph just got home 2 weeks ago?? LOL

Actually, the computer that is holding all of my pictures for my 365 days and our trip to Denali will not stay connected to the Internet. I have tried to figure out what is wrong, but can't seem to find the exact problem. So, I can post to the blog from this computer, but have no pictures to upload and because I am NOT a writer I would suspect each of you would find it rather boring to read about my trip without pictures. Pray I can figure out what is going on so I can upload absolutely amazing pictures of our last trip to Denali and some beautiful photos of our EXTENDED Fall season here in Alaska, although it is 23 degrees as I type this and the leaves are dropping 2 or 3 at a time as the sun hits them and they thaw from their very hard freeze last night. I suspect the trees will be bare soon. The fire place is roaring and the brisk air is refreshing. Winter is so very near here in Alaska.

Hopefully we will get this blog updated very soon.

COUNTDOWN IS OVER!!!!!! HOME!

ONE!!!!!!!!!

TWO!!!!

THREE and holding...

Well, this is our THREE countdown. We should have put up TWO today but Ralph's flight has been delayed a day so we are sitting here on THREE and holding!

FOUR!!

FIVE!

Termination Dust in our mountains and SIX!

This is the first morning for termination dust, also known as snow, in our mountains. Pioneer Peak had some a few days ago, but this is getting pretty close to home now!
And Ralph's favorite snack honors his homecoming!!

My countdown continues...

By now you have all figured out that this is my version of a countdown! Guess what day it is??? LOL

Fall in Alaska

This is just under the base of Pioneer Peak. The colors are getting more beautiful each day!
This is the meadow near our house. Sometimes it is brimming with swans and moose and even the occasional bear, but lately it has been quiet except for two swans that should be nearing their migration back south. The colors are so wonderful.
This is another spot in the 'meadow'. I don't think it is actually a meadow, but that is what I call it!

The leaves in our driveway. I keep asking them to slow down so that there are at least a few on the trees when Ralph gets home, but with the wind like it has been I am not sure that will happen.

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10 from a friend!

This was in my inbox this morning, sent to me from a very dear friend who is counting down with me!

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Termination Dust and ???

Okay, this is Pioneer Peak and it is September 6th! In Alaska we call this Termination Dust! Oh my!