Lakeland and Me

I was gonna start by saying how long I have lived in Lakeland, but upon calculating that figure, it made me feel too old. So, let’s just say I’ve been here long enough. I moved here after graduating from high school and now I have a daughter that will be graduating this year, so like I said Long Enough!

I have seen Lakeland grow in leaps and bounds since I was a teenager. Some growth good - too much growth - makes it a pain in the butt to get around. I hate traffic and it seems that no matter what time of day it is- there’s traffic. I generally stay on the South side of town, no reason to wander up to the North when I can get whatever I need down here. Maybe once a year I’ll visit the Lakeland Square mall - guess I’m just not a shopaholic. The new Lakeside mall has provided everything I need, lately.

Boy the housing industry here has really hit a bump in the road. It is amazing how it has bottomed out. I am not a realtor, thank goodness. I feel for all those people who jumped on the band wagon when things were hot and now they are searching again. Well, I was in an industry that related to the housing market. I managed a Title company that performed real estate closings. Not doing that anymore! Kinda glad I got out of that - I stayed in it longer than I really wanted, mainly because I felt people needed a Title company that really cared about the buyers and sellers. Unfortunately, in that industry most of the buyers and sellers listen to their Realtors about where to close. Not a wise decision, but the general public is unaware of how things really should work.

I also have years of management experience, prior to the title company I ran a national mail-order company. I enjoyed that position for many years. The people that I worked with were like family. O well some of them actually were family, but there were many others that joined our family. I enjoyed the people, responsibility, and the ability to use my brain on a daily basis. I tried to make work there a pleasure for the employees. When your employees are happy and respected then they give their all to the company.

The reason for this blog is I enjoy writing and since I live in this area, why not put a little information out there about our town. Not the who’s who of Lakeland, but on a more personal and down to earth level. Not sure what will be included, you’ll have to stop by and see what’s up.