In 1972 Judi had never heard the term "trailing spouse", but that year, as a brand new bride of an eager young executive, she became one. Along with her husband, Jim, she left family and friends in Ohio for the Windy City. The suburbs of Chicagoland felt most "like home", and in 1976 they purchased their very first home in Bloomingdale. Three houses and two wonderful children later, Bloomingdale is still the town they call home. Judi recalls "we loved the small-town atmosphere where we knew our children's friends and their families, we had wonderful schools, great proximity to the airport, shopping, major expressways, and yet downtown Chicago, with all the wonderful things it has to offer, was only a short drive or train ride away. It's been very much the best of all worlds! "
Raising the kids (now in their 20's) in the quiet western suburbs was truly a joy. As a Brownie Leader, Judi was able to share in some wonderful learning and growing experiences with her daughter, Shannon. They explored nature through camping, shared wonderful lessons of compassion for children with disabilities by involvement with the local Marklund Home, and expanded personal horizons by trying a whole host of skills and crafts together. Judi says "As a child myself, I never had the opportunity to do any of those things. Learning how to do things so I could teach my daughter and the other girls was like reliving my own childhood, only this time was much more fun! " Interestingly, for about 5 years after graduating high school, Shannon worked either full or part-time with the mildly or profoundly disabled. Needless to say, that's one of the reasons why Mom & Dad are very proud!
Being Mom to son Cliff was yet another adventure! "Between Scouts, bicycling, skateboarding (I even built him a small "half-pipe" so he could practice his jumps and turns at home where I could watch over him) and so many other things he became involved with, he always kept me on my toes! One of my very fond memories was when he was 15. He wanted to drive a car but was not yet old enough to get his license. So every so often he would say "Mom, how about going out to the Par 3 with me? " Lest you think that was to avail himself of my expertise on the links, I don't golf! He subjected himself to a couple of hours on the golf course with ole' Mom just so he could drive the car the 15 minutes each way! That thought alone still puts a smile on my heart! "
While the children were still in school, Judi began her real estate career, loving the fact that she could schedule her appointments around her family, and get much of her work done from home. As the kids grew, so did her business, until now, nearly 20 years later, Judi is immersed in her career. "I've never thought of this as a "sales" position, but rather a "service" one, where I have the opportunity to meet countless wonderful people and help them realize their own dreams. Whether they are trying to purchase a very first home, or upgrading, downsizing, relocating, etc., they are involved in something that most folks only do a handful of times in their entire life. Bearing in mind that this involves what is likely one of, if not THE largest investment of their lives to date, the purchase and/or sale of a home is stressful, even under the best of circumstances. I look upon it as part of my job to do all that I can to insure my clients' move is as smooth and pleasurable as possible. "
Always eager to find new and effective ways to service her buyers and sellers, Judi has enthusiastically embraced the opportunities and potential that new technologies have afforded. "I've always believed there must be a better, more efficient way of servicing our clients and customers". Committed to that belief, Judi is consistently at the forefront of her industry, to the extent that colleagues look to her for ideas and training on how to be more effective and efficient in servicing their own clientele. In Judi's words "the end result is that, not only am I able to give my own clients top notch service, but I can also be instrumental in "raising the bar"of outstanding service for my industry as a whole. Watching that take place is in and of itself very gratifying to me".
There's an old saying that goes something like "lucky is the person who loves to do something, then is able to find a way to make a living doing it". For Judi, helping others through one of their own life's major journeys is not just a job….it's a joy!
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
