2020 has been quite the year! Thanksgiving time is always a great time to reflect on gratitude. Read below as the Burnett Team Realtors express what they are thankful for in 2020 in their own words!
GABBY FISHER
Unlike many, I have fully embraced and enjoyed all that 2020 has thrown my way. My husband and I were married in October 2019, went on a honeymoon to Europe the same month, found out we were expecting our daughter, sold our home and closed on a new home. So, learning of the pandemic this March, we looked back on the last quarter of 2019 and felt overwhelming gratitude that we were able to live out those moments. My husband and I welcomed our first baby, Leona to our lives on May 16th this year. I was able to exceed my goal of helping over 40 families buy, sell and invest in real estate (all through the pandemic, being VERY pregnant, and through maternity leave - thanks to THE BEST team and clients a gal could pray for). We had the time to renovate our entire home that we closed on at the end of 2019. We have had time to enjoy every tiny milestone our now six month old is going through. Without the curveballs 2020 has thrown us, we may not have had the experiences and togetherness we have been craving so much, maybe without knowing we needed it. My heart goes out to those who are experiencing the valleys that 2020 is bringing to their lives, and I pray a silver lining shines through and it has for my family and I.
ANNA KEMPE
2020 is going to go down as one of the most memorable years for myself and not because of the baggage that most will associate with the year 2020! The year 2020 marks a new career adventure- my first year in real estate. Honestly I never imagined I would enjoy being a realtor as much as I do. I truly enjoy the chess game of negotiations, this actually really surprised me but I do! As a first year Realtor, it has been exciting to work with 20 families thus far. I know I would not have had a successful first year without the leadership of Rochelle and the rest of our female strong team! The pandemic brought some challenges to our business, but thankfully we were considered essential workers. Thankfully, My husband, John was also able to continue to work during the shutdown. I feel very fortunate we were both able to continue to work. I actually appreciated the opportunity the pandemic gave us to slow down and start to reflect on what is truly important to us. I am thankful my family lives on an acreage just down the road from the farm I grew up on, we have several family members close by and staying home is not a punishment for me! I am thankful for the time at home to complete some long overdue projects and extra horse riding time! My kids adjusted to online learning easily and my son Rylin was a little too eager to embrace it. He utilized his gift of extra time farming and restoring his great grandfather's John Deere 3020. I am beyond thankful that both of my kids are independently motivated and are over 17 years old! My daughter, Madeline graduated in May with honors from ISU(ceremony in our living room), got engaged and this fall started her first year of law school at Drake! I have much to be thankful for in 2020 and feel extremely blessed!
CRYSTAL TOWNLEY
Throughout 2020 and the COVID world there has been much uncertainty. For me, this created a lot of time for self-reflection, which I am SO grateful for. Although there have been many things that can be said about 2020, I have been blessed beyond imagination and have found much good in it. I have had more time to spend with my family, I made four new best friends that are my chickens, I built and painted my own chicken coop (by built I mean put together from Tractor Supply LOL), I traveled, transitioned to the sales side of real estate joining the Burnett Team at Keller Williams Realty, purchased an investment property, and the list continues. There can be a lot of negativity found in 2020, BUT there is so much to be thankful for that we take for granted. With that said, I know that many have been negatively impacted and I pray for those who have lost a loved on or who have been severely impacted by COVID. However, it is my hope that COVID really helped people realize what truly is important and to cherish the good times and people in our lives. For me, 2020 has been a year of self-reflection and finding what is truly important in this life. Time waits for no one. Go seize the day!
ROCHELLE BURNETT
Sitting down to write this brings tears to my eyes as 2020 brought its challenges, yet thankfully, one momentous occasion stood out. Doug faced a serious cancer diagnosis in 2019, fought it head on with major determination, and won the battle this summer with news of "no evidence of cancer." Life did throw some curve balls with a broken right arm, getting COVID, and losing a dear friend to cancer. Yet, each of these instances just reminded me that I need to love harder, hug longer (when allowed) and make sure to say "thank you" and "I love you" whenever possible! I'm extremely grateful for my amazing family and girlfriends who got me through all these challenges. I'm blessed to have these 3 women pictured here as teammates. They support and build each other up...all while working from their home offices. They make me want to get up every day and be a better leader. I'm thankful that even during a pandemic, our clients and friends continued to support our team with never ending referrals. Life doesn't get any better than loyal clients who make great life long friends. The true gift of 2020 was realizing how much we took for granted in our busy every day lives. 2021 will definitely be the year of family, friends and laughter. Until then, I just wanted to say THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU.
