It Takes A Village To Raise A Child         Just like the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”, well, it takes a village to reach a goal!!  Back in February when I/we started blogging regularly, 50,000 points seemed like an eternity. Somewhere along mid-April I set a goal of having 50,000 points by the end of the summer!! Then the 31 days of May Challenge came along and I readjusted and decided the end of May was a more likely projection.       Peg Barcelo-Jackson had a great post THIS IS LIKE WATCHING THE ODOMETER ON MY CAR.  She was totally enthused with watching the numbers jump.    As you will see from my comment on her post, on May 15th we had 43,565 points.                     Today, May 25th, we reached the goal of 50,000 points 6 days early!!!           Of course, we did... 05/25/2011

  Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery and a Little Presidential Scandal!         Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery in Murphy North Carolina is a tranquil piece of history right in the middle of town.   Built in 1850, it sits majestically on a hill overlooking the town of Murphy.                                 Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery is now under the control of the North Carolina Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  In 1984, it was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.           Of course, every piece of history has to have a little “mystery” attached to it as well and Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery is no exception!  It is rumored that Abram Enloe, who is buried in the cemetery, was actually the biological father of Abraham Lincoln.               You see, his mother Nan... 05/23/2011

When Inspiration Hits.... While showing one of our listings on Saturday, the potential buyers wanted to walk the grounds and talk.   I took the opportunity to grab the camera and shoot a few pictures! Inspired by such beauty around me, I stopped and photographed the barn on the drive home as well as a waterfall and a stand of River Cane by a creek.I’ve saved those for another day!  Enjoy!Cyndi         05/22/2011

Saturday after RFL, I was incredibly tired and even more so BRAIN DEAD.  So, I solicited the assistance of my business partner/husband to write his FIRST blog post.  He didn’t do too bad and I hope you’ll give him the same patience you did me! Enjoy.....   Me? Me, Write A Blog?     I don’t think so.  And especially after a 12 hour stint walking laps for the Relay For Life fundraiser.  Did I neglect to mention that the main event kicked off at 7:00pm and officially ended at 7:00am the next day?  That’s right, just after dinner (as we say in the country) and ending just before breakfast, our next favorite meal.       “But honey, I need your input on this blog”.  Begrudgingly I recall some rhetoric uttered through smiles, “for better or for worse, through sickness and health, till death do... 05/21/2011

The King Kong Zoological Park here in Murphy, NC had two male Siberian Tigers born on Saturday morning at 3:42 a.m.. The mother is a Orange Tiger named Juliet and the father is a White Tiger named Romeo. The orange cub is a little larger than the rare all-white one. Owner John Curtis took time out after giving a tour of the Zoo to some people visiting from Florida to tell me more about the tiger cubs. His father, Stan Curtis, showed me the photo albums of John throughout the years growing up around and with lions and tigers. The Curtis family moved here from Florida and in 1989 started the King Kong Zoo here in Murphy, NC. If you're here visiting the Zoo and have the opportunity to speak with John it's very evident that he has the knowledge and love for these wild animals that it takes... 05/20/2011

  RELAY FOR LIFE is happening tonight in Cherokee County, North Carolina and the Coldwell Banker High Country Realty team is ready to walk the night away.                 A drum circle alert has gone out, our tents are pitched, the air mattresses inflated and the firewood is in the fire pit. Tonight we’ll be enjoying a pork loin and chicken on the grill, yummy potato salad and, of course, S’mores for dessert.        We even have our own family of ducks!   If you’re in the area of Koneheta Park in Downtown Murphy North Carolina tonight. Stop by!  We’d love to have you walk a lap with us or just sit and chat.     Gotta run show some property now - no time to jazz up these pictures!Cyndi 05/20/2011

Lee and I love seeing all the creative billboards and signage around Murphy, NC and the surrounding north GA and east TN mountains. Here is one right on Hwy 64 West for the Church of Christ. Looks like there is something out there better than Facebook. Send us your favorite, creative or crazy signs that you find in your area too. Come visit the Murphy, NC mountains and visit Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team at www.MurphyMountainLiving.com 05/19/2011

Great news for Murphy, NC! According to our beloved Mayor Bill Hughes Cherokee County will be getting a couple of very well know named businesses in the near future. BIG LOTS is coming to town and will be located at the former Ashley Furniture building and Krystal is coming to the downtown area. I know Lee will be happy to see a Krystal's here in town! Little by little the economy is beginning to move forward and Murphy is proud to have these two new great businesses join our communities and help us grow.    For more on Murphy, NC and the surrounding north GA and east TN Mountain visitLee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team www.MurphyMountainLiving.com 05/18/2011

    Movin’ On UP!    I’ll bet those of us with a few gray hairs popping up can remember the theme song to the old Jefferson’s sitcom.         Today I am excited to announce that Team Daves has “moved on up” on the ActiveRain Leader Board to the #3 spot in our County!  For those of you who have been around forever, this may not seem like much of an accomplishment.  Especially since we were able to reach that level with less than 50,000 points.  However, for us “newbies” it is quite a milestone.     A little ActiveRain history: We first joined AR on December 15, 2009 filling out the profile and adding all required information.  Hardly makes us sound like a newbie, right?  Except that we NEVER logged in again until September 15, 2010. The next time after that was November 27, 2010!!!  Aft... 05/18/2011

  Cherokee County NC will have it’s Annual Relay For Life Walk this Friday night, May 20th.  From 7pm Friday to 7am Saturday, Bill and I will be “camping out” at Konehete Park. We will be manning the tent for the Coldwell Banker High Country Realty Team!       Almost everyone has been touched by cancer, either through their own personal battle or through someone they love.  Bill and I have been very fortunate that we have not had an immediate family member suffer this serious decease.  However, we have had numerous close friends who have.  We will be walking in honor of those who have overcome and are survivors.  We will be walking in memory of a close friend, Jodi Rey a young mother of three who died a few short years ago from lung cancer.  We will be walking because we want to make a... 05/17/2011

    Ever since our kids were young and we knew they were about to ask for something Bill always reminded them “presentation is everything”.  THINK about how you’re going to ask for something before you do it.   Somewhere, in a land far-away I can tell you someone missed this life lesson.   I was in a meeting tonight at one of our local churches.  Our daughter is doing her Senior Exit Project on Autism Awareness and she provided refreshments for a Parent Support Group meeting.  About halfway through the meeting, this gentleman (and I am obviously using THAT term loosely) stuck his head in the door and rudely interrupted the guest speaker.  He wanted to advise the group that the church was revamping it’s policy on meetings and, going forward would have to charge a fee to use the faciliti... 05/16/2011

      It was late, I was tired and at the stroke of midnight, my proverbial “carriage” was about to turn into a pumpkin right before my eyes.  My carriage?  The 31 Days of May Challenge. It was Day 14 and up until then I had been able to keep up with daily blogging.  But after a long day my brain was just not in the game.   Knowing I needed to post something, I ran with an idea I had earlier in the day and just typed.  I proof-read it, added some pictures, hit POST and shut down my computer.   Imagine my surprise when I logged in this morning to see that the post The Forecast Said Rain..... had not only been featured in two of the groups to which we belong, BananaTude and The Art of Marketing You, but had also been re-blogged by Toni Weidman from New Port Richey, FL.   REALLY????  Hone... 05/15/2011

There is nothing more fun to do in Murphy, NC than come on out to the Konehete Ball Field in downtown Murphy and watch the Coldwell Banker Murphy Blue Sox's practice or play against another team. They are all so cute and their parents and siblings are all involved and cheering for the team too.They've all been practicing and we've got a fabulous team of hitters, runners and catchers, but most of all we're all having lots of fun out on the ball field!      So if you're out in downtown Murphy, NC any Friday evening make sure to stop by and cheer with us for the Murphy Blue Sox's T-Ball team. Visit Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team for more information on Murphy, NC and the surrounding GA and TN Mountains and to get our Game Schedule. www.MurphyMountainLiving.com   05/15/2011

    Sometimes you have to take a risk.  You have to ignore the percentages stacked against you.  You have to shut out the “nay-sayers” and remember the saying - Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained.       Today was one of those days for us.  Everyone needs some type of “mental therapy” and, on the days when we get away from business, our favorite form of therapy is motorcycle riding.  We had planned to take about a 75 mile ride through the mountains to a fundraising picnic.     Unfortunately, the weather forecasters  all week have been predicting 60% - 70% chance of rain, wind and storms.  Not necessarily the best odds for a good (or safe) motorcycle ride.  To go or not to go.  Will it rain or not?  Will the picnic be totally rained out?             Having been jammed up and totally busy fo... 05/14/2011

    Living and working in Murphy, North Carolina is almost like being on vacation everyday (go with me here - I said ALMOST!).  Think about it, we get to live and work where many people come to vacation.         Since it seems like the trend today is to share photographs, I took a stroll through several of our online albums and pulled some of my favorite shots that capture the beauty of the area.             Trying to pick just a few was very difficult and looking at them brought back great memories of when and where each was taken.                      We welcome you to come play in our wonderland anytime!       But we will warn you, once you get here - you won't want to leave!!                  We hope you’ll enjoy -Bill and Cyndi           05/13/2011

This is the first in a series of articles to introduce you to some of the people, places and things in Cherokee County, North Carolina that we love.Murphy, the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina is a quaint little town in the far southwestern tip of the state.  Bordered by Georgia and Tennessee, it is where the mountains meet the sky.  It is literally where more land is owned and maintained by the US Forestry Service than by private individuals.   When you visit Murphy, please make time in your schedule to visit Mountain Spirit Essentials conveniently located at 35 Tennessee Street in the heart of downtown.       Owned and operated by Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist, Theresa Victa this Therapeutic Spa and Natural Health Center will soon become your favorite retreat. ... 05/12/2011

Kickin' Asphalt Half Marathon & 5K November 5, 2011, 7:30 a.m. Konehete Park, Murphy, NC  28906   If you have been thinking about a visit to Murphy -now is the time.  Cherokee County is situated in Western North Carolina, where forested mountains (rather than skyscrapers) seem to touch the sky.  The lakes sparkle.  The air is crisp and clean. The charm of small town America still exists.     This race is certified by US Track and Field (NC-11030-PH) and will be chip-timed.   There will be lots of fun stuff along the route to make it more fun for the runners and walkers.  Whether you’re a professional runner or just want to get out and experience the beauty of the mountains this will be a fun day!   Early registration fee for Half Marathon is $45.  After September 5th it is $55. Early r... 05/11/2011

    The Murphy Blue Sox T-Ball which is sponsored and coached by agents from Coldwell Banker High Country Realty had practice on Monday night. And practice they did. They started with “Assistant Bill” helping with some batting practice.   No, you’re not seeing things, some are batting toward the fence which kept us from having to chance the balls and because there were other groups practicing catching and throwing.  “Keep your eye on the ball” was repeated over and over until these young players were smacking the ball pretty good!  It was so cool to see the smiles on their faces when the bat connected solidly with the ball and sent it flying into the  backstop.   After everyone had arrived they divided up into two “teams” and played a scrimmage game.  With everyone getting two or three ... 05/10/2011

      Thanks to brains and determination our youngest daughter, Huntyr, is graduating from high school this year.  I say “brains and determination” because she is graduating a year early!  She started the 2010-2011 school  year as a junior with her sights on having enough credits to promote to a senior at the beginning of the second semester.     She had taken both high school and college classes in her freshman year and took a number of college classes this year in order to reach this milestone.  Not only did she take these additional college courses, most of her high school classes were Honors classes and she maintained a straight A average for the entire year!!!            Of course, part of being a senior means Senior Prom and our town has a very fun tradition to start the night off... 05/08/2011

  Whether you are vacationing in Murphy, North Carolina or live here full time, you’ve got to check out the Downtown Farmer’s Market.   It’s held on the square in downtown Murphy every Saturday from now into Fall.   This is THE place to come if you want to get a taste of what life here is like.  It’s laid back, friendly and you’re bound to make a new friend or two.  Plus, you can find everything imaginable from fresh fruits and vegetables to hand-made, one of a kind pottery. There are fresh jellies, banana nut bread and home-made pickles, hand-crafted furniture and jewelry, local photography framed to perfection and so much more.   I visited the Farmer’s Market this morning and in less than 15 minutes, I tasted home-made banana nut bread, zuchinni bread, bread and butter style pickled ... 05/07/2011