Sarah Nyhan

I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to get back with you. I apologize. It is nice to be able to speak with you on the phone. I wish we lived closer. I just wanted to share what has been happening in my world.

After we visited you, Julie and I drove along the A1A to Miami and then to Key West. We drove through South Beach and Miami Beach. It was a little too crazy for me. A lot going on. I liked the trip to Key West much better.

I wish you could have gone with us. I always wanted to go to the Keys with you. I’m sure you would have helped us find better places to visit.

On our way to Key West, we stopped at Bahia Honda Key. That was my favorite part of Florida. The water was so clear and calm. I think I stayed in the water for over two hours. I loved it. I was wearing a t-shirt because I didn’t want to get burned. I burn so easily with the sun.

On our way to Key West we saw iguanas on the side of the road. That was amazing! I’ve never seen iguanas in the wild before. We tried but they didn’t let us get close enough to take their picture.

On the flight home from Florida, our plane was delayed with mechanical issues so when we finally boarded there were a few empty seats. Thankfully a super nice stewardess offered for me to move to one row that was empty. Julie and I were able to have a seat between us and I was able to have a window seat and take a bunch of pictures. That was really cool.

While I was on my way to visit you in Florida, I received notification that I was selected as the candidate for my new job at my new company. I started my new job at the beginning of June. They sent me out to Missouri for a few days of training. Now I am back in San Antonio.

I don’t have an office to work out of. I work from home and I love the freedom in that! I set my own schedule. I’m paid salary and just have to work 40 hours a week however I choose to work them.

My company is named Xceligent and they have been around since the 90s. They are a national company. My position is a Field Research Driver. They gave me a company car, laptop, and a nice Nikon camera. I drive around all day and take pictures of commercial properties and upload the information to our system which is used by commercial real estate brokers all over town.

In my first week, I was able to attend a meeting of brokers that was organized by my company. There were a lot of well-known brokers at the table. They talk about doing million dollar deals like it’s nothing.

I’m excited to be able to meet them and hope this job will help me be able to get my foot in the door of working for one of them. All in due time though.

Right now I am just looking to master my current position and learn as much as I can. I am learning about industrial, office, and retail properties for the most part. I am also learning the city. I am the only driver for an area that is over 400 square miles. Last week I drove about 300 properties.

It’s a cool job for right now. I feel so blessed by God to have it. It feels like a paid internship.

I am still in school. I have completed the required courses to obtain my real estate license but my mentor, Dr. Rosenauer, has advised me to wait and finish my Associate’s degree in Real Estate Management before I test for my license. His recommendation is to save up six months’ worth of money in order to live while transitioning to working as a real estate agent that is dependent on commissions. I am taking his advice.

I am taking two classes in the upcoming Fall semester. Then I will only have four more courses to complete for my Associate’s degree. The classes I am taking this semester are Real Estate Marketing and Principles of Management. So far I have a 4.0 GPA.

It makes such a difference to go to school when you know what you want to do and you are operating in your gifts and talents. This time has been completely different in a much better way than when I went to school as a teenager. Now I am pursuing what I love.

My mentor, Dr. Rosenauer is a huge blessing from God. The first day I went to class in 2015, he offered to be my mentor. He didn’t know me from anyone. I finally took him up on his offer and it’s been incredible. He writes books, wrote part of the state licensing exam for real estate agents, reports to the President of the college, has his own real estate brokerage, etc etc etc. I could go on and on.

It’s really cool because he is so encouraging. He tells me I could get my Ph.D. if I wanted it. It’s so helpful to have someone with so much knowledge and experience to help guide me down the correct path. I don’t know what I don’t know. He sees it so much clearer.

At the end of last semester, he was giving a talk to a group of real estate educators from around the state. The meeting was being held in San Antonio. He asked me to be part of a panel of three other ladies.

We sat in front of dozens of real estate educators and shared our experiences of being mentored. Then the audience was allowed to ask questions. I didn’t think there would be any questions but we were on stage for a total of two hours. It was such an awesome experience.

The first audience member to ask a question said, “My first question is for Sarah. When is your book coming out?” J I don’t have a book coming out but that was her encouragement for me to write a book. Several people have told me that. I hope someday that is something I can do.

But mostly it felt really good to have a room full of successful very intelligent experienced people in my field show me respect. There have been times in my life where people haven’t treated me well and I have internalized that and I am starting to understand that sometimes it’s not my problem when people don’t like me. I am beginning to find my “tribe”. J

Anyway, in June I also moved to my own apartment. It’s on the 3^rd floor overlooking my favorite park: Phil Hardberger Park. The park has a lot of trees – which is prime real estate in this Texas heat. And a beautiful long walking/biking trail that goes on for a few miles. I absolutely love it. It is so peaceful. I’m on the top floor on the corner of the building so I only share a wall with one person on my floor and one wall with my downstairs neighbor.

I haven’t had my own place since the beginning of 2012. It makes such a difference having your own place. I like living with people to some extent but I think I’m a person who needs some time to myself every day in order to recharge.

My mom was super generous. She was getting married, selling her house, and moving to Georgia so she gave me a bunch of her furniture. I am so thankful to God for that because I had no furniture. She also paid to have the movers take the furniture to San Antonio. I was able to move in without having to buy hardly anything.

My best friends, Jonathan and Julie, get together with me on Thursday nights for a Bible study. We are going through the book of Matthew. We do a chapter every week. We read the chapter and then write down our notes and share them with each other.

I cook them a meal and we even have a glass of wine with the meal. J It’s been so nice to have my own place to host them.

Actually an answer to prayer. We were trying to meet before at Starbucks, restaurants, and my college and it just wasn’t working out that well.

Now I actually love hosting and cooking. So far they have liked my King Ranch Casserole, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and chicken salad sandwiches.

I hope I can have my own house one day sooner rather than later so I can host more people. My apartment is pretty tiny (500+ sf) so it works out fine with just a few people right now.

As for my pictures, I submitted a few of them to my local radio station and they selected two of them so far to spend a week on their mobile cell phone app. So people all around the world have seen them. I enjoy so much taking the photographs. It is an added bonus that other people enjoy them.

Ok, I have to get to work. God bless you again.