Community Blog

From historic Old Town to new urban areas, Gaithersburg has so much to offer its residents. Here are a few restaurants and attractions you don’t want to miss:

Vasilis Mediterranean Grill
If you like Mediterranean food, you must try Vasilis. Sit outside and dine street side or grab a seat in the colorful indoor dining room.  The service is friendly, the ambiance is relaxing and the food promises to please.

Dogfish Head Ale House
This neighborhood brewpub serves up craft-brewed ales and tasty wood-grilled food in a casual and comfortable setting.

RIO at Washingtonian Center
This is the ultimate place to entertain yourself. You’ll find waterfront restaurants, an 18-screen movie theater, a sport and health club and shops galore. During the spring, summer and fall, you can rent paddleboats on the water. There’s also a great live concert series on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the summer.

Water Park at Bohrer Park
When it’s hot outside, this is the best place to cool off.  Kids love making waves in the children’s splash pool, but the main attraction is the  250-foot double water slide.  Let the fun begin!

Seneca Creek State Park
When you want to explore the great outdoors, head to Seneca Creek State Park. The 6,300-acre space features hiking and biking trails, boat rentals, fishing areas, riding trails, picnic pavilions and more.

The season that most of us put off is around the corner. April 15th will be here before you know it. Have you started your taxes?

In the past I always did mine by hand, but this year I tried it online. Instead of spending a few hundred dollars for an accountant or a few weekends doing it by hand, I did my taxes online in less than 5 hours with Turbo Tax online. What a difference!

Turbo Tax lets you trial it for free and you can pay for it at the end if your satisfied. It really helped me maximized my deductions and their resources for help saved me time. They double check your work and guarantee you the biggest refund. It’s safe and secure, and next year your information will be ready to go!  Try it and let me know how it works for you…

Sometimes my best ideas come from seeing others. I decided my bedroom needed a “new look” and some major TLC (tender love and care). I found this episode on YouTube for inspiration and wanted to share it with you.

Design on a Dime is an awesome TV show from HGTV that shows you how to make-over your rooms on a strict budget (usually less than $1,000).  It’s realistic and a great place to get ideas. After watching this video, I realized how easy it is to make your own pillows (decorative pillows are always expensive to buy), create my own artwork, and ways to revamp of furniture.

Here are a few places in town that I use to spruce up my bedroom/apartment:

• Tuesday Morning – always has great deals!
• Jennifer Furniture – the clearance outlet = great treasures!
• Furniture 4 Less
• Craigslist.com
• Pier 1
• Goodwill
• Garage Sales – you can find local ones in the  paper!
• Classified Ads

Feel free to share any ideas you’ve used to decorate your pad!

Need a better way to manage your money? Quicken has a great tool, Mint.com, a free application that you can use to manage your money. It’s a great website because you can use Mint.com to maintain all of your financial accounts (credit cards, stocks, savings, etc). I’ve set up my Mint account to have monthly budgets and you can see the breakdown of your spending habits. It’s really changed the way I spend. You can even set up your account to notify you when you go over your budgets and they can send you text messages.

If you’re worried about hackers, don’t worry about people getting your financial information. Mint.com provides bank-level security by signing in anonymously.  You can not move any money, it’s a read-only service.

Try it out to save and go green!

Anyone grow up on musicals? Sound of Music was my favorite and when I saw this video it brought back so many memories of my childhood! I enjoyed the songs, the scenery, and wanted to be in the Von Trapp family.  This video was filmed in a train station in Belgium.  I can’t believe over 200 people participated in this movie. It’s paid off because it has captured millions on YouTube!

How long do you think it took to choreograph this dance? I really enjoy this remix of “Do,Re,Mi”.  How would you react to this if you were at the train station?

Everyone should be doing it. The question is: are you doing it? Give into the peer pressure, and pick up after your pet. It’s one of the things pet owners ignore, but we’re asking you to do it.

Do you enjoy stepping on gum? It’s the same feeling when you step in a pet’s waste.  Think of your neighbors when you take your pets out. Not only is it necessary, it’s also healthy for you. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites  can spread and the waste creates a nasty odor.

Things to remember:

• Golden Rule:  Treat others the way you wish to be treated!
• Do-it-Yourself: Pick up your animal’s waste
• You can help keep down the amount of illnesses
• Use Flushable bags: A bag that breaks down any wastes and won’t affect your plumbing

We love your pets, but we also love our property. Help us take care of Watkins Station and please remember to clean up after your pets!

Do you need a refresher course on interviewing? The Bureau of Labor Statistics put together an Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010-2011 on the best ways to interview.  First impressions are everything, so read these skills – they could land you your next job.

Preparation:

• Learn about the organization.
• Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
• Review your qualifications for the job.
• Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the job.
• Be ready to answer broad questions, such as “Why should I hire you?” “Why do you want this job?” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
• Practice an interview with a friend or relative.

Personal Appearance:

• Be well groomed.
• Dress appropriately.
• Do not chew gum or smoke.

Read the rest of the tips on how to “wow” your future boss….

Please share if you more ideas!

Fat Tuesday is here!! Mardi Gras season, in English, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras/ Fat Tuesday has become an entire season, not just a day in the year. It’s celebrated all over the world – especially  in New Orleans.  People get decked out in green, purple and gold and partake in the parades and parties!

Need a place to party? Come to Bourbon Street Ballroom in Baltimore. The Mardi Gras Parade inside Bourbon Street will have floats, stilt Walkers, jugglers, palm reader, witch doctor and many more street performers! Doors open at 8 pm – you don’t want to miss it!

The East coast has been taking a beating with snow in the last week. Two feet of snow covered the grounds in Gaithersburg, Maryland and more could be coming. Shelves at the grocery stores were emptied with the panic of predicted snow. They were right… Are you staying safe and keeping warm?

Here’s a reminder for Community Management Responsibilities

• Clear sidewalks of snow and ice
• Clear stairwells of snow and ice
• Clear breezeways of snow and ice
• Plow and salt roadways through the property

Resident Responsibilities

• Clear snow around and in between vehicles
• Place snow onto grassy areas
• Please do not place snow onto sidewalks, roadways, fire hydrants or other areas that have already been cleared

Spring cleaning is almost here, why not use these 10-minute green home makeover tips?

• Want a cozy living room?
• Need to get rid of old electronics from the 80’s?
• Sick of your old sofa?
• Have outdated kitchen supplies?
• Need more counter space?
• Want to recycle, but don’t know how?
• Do you use too much water?
• Is your desk covered in papers?
• Want a “green” office?
• Can’t concentrate anywhere in your house?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, read this article from Earth911.com!

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