Nestled amidst World Golf Village‘s beautiful natural landscape, tucked under majestic oak trees and surrounded by a lush blanket of green space, GroveWood feels like a personal discovery. It’s that rare gem of neighborhoods: cozy, inviting and centered around family. It’s a place where quality family time is around-the-clock. A place where neighborly comes naturally. A place where bird songs and kids playing fill the air.  And a place where trees outnumber, well, most everything.

Kristen, her husband, Austin, and their daughters Audrey and Lauren moved to GroveWood from Jacksonville about two years ago, drawn by its “small town atmosphere” and “natural setting.”  They quickly realized they found home. Kristen loves the impromptu get-togethers with neighbors and Austin has found the winding drive through The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village to GroveWood helps him decompress and recharge after a long work day.

I don’t think of myself as a wine snob…although I am pretty sure many of my friends do! (I will admit I like a nice glass of Pinot Noir more than most people though.) So when I decided to visit San Sebastian Winery on Kings Street in downtown St. Augustine, a few friends told me to keep my expectations in check. This was a Florida winery that used Muscadine grapes. However, I have to tell you, it was a wonderful experience!

They offer complimentary winery tours and wine tasting seven days a week. During the tour they teach you about wine making and show you the room where they are aging their Port in wooden barrels. Then, they take you to the tasting bar. And they teach you how to evaluate wines with four of your sense by using five S’s – like see, swirl and smell. I’m not going to tell you the other two so you will go enjoy this quaint little place for yourself! The whole tour/tasting took about 35 or 40 minutes.

The Murray Family is the lucky winner of The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village Holiday Photo Contest. Little Sophia stole our hearts with her not-quite-focused stare.  We all have felt a little “cross-eyed” during the holidays! Too cute! Congratulations to Sophia and her family.  They will receive a $100 Visa gift card.  We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and got lots of funny snapshots to capture the memories for years to come.

For more information on The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village become our Fan on Facebook.

We are very fortunate to be living in St. Johns County for many different reasons.  One important fact that you may not be aware of is that St. Johns County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) since 1973.

The NFIP is a federal program enabling property owners in participating communities,  such as St. Johns County, which includes The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding.  The NFIP was established by Congress in 1968 and is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government (FEMA), stating that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance, to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community, as a financial protection against flood losses.  A SFHA is a high risk area (A or AE), defined as any land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1-percent chance of occurring in any given year (also referred to as the base flood).

When I was a little girl, Christmas was a magical time. I would literally become giddy with excitement. But as the years passed, it was harder and harder to get in touch with that feeling. Some holiday seasons I didn’t feel it at all. Then I discovered St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights! Although the event lasts from November through January, I like to go on a brisk December evening with my family and friends. As we drive into downtown St. Augustine and see millions of white lights twinkling throughout the city, I get that old feeling again!

Depending on the activities scheduled for that evening, we may tour a historical inn and hear romantic stories from our guide who is all dressed up for the holidays or we may take a train ride to see many, many more lights or we may simply stroll through the narrow streets and stop in a quaint restaurant for a glass of wine or a decadent dessert – sometimes both!

There are some people who make everyone they come into contact with feel happier. Mark Downing, managing partner of CornerStone Homes, is one of those people. So, it is no wonder that 99% of CornerStone Homes’ clients will happily recommend them to their family and friends!

Of course, there are a few other reasons too. When I spoke with Mark Downing recently, he shared that the foundation of CornerStone’s success is built on attention to detail and customer care.

If you know Mark, he has a quiet confidence about him. And it was in this humble, but assured manner, that he recommended I compare the finished work in a CornerStone Home with any other builder’s home.

Well, we just had another successful Sneak Peek Open House in Heritage Landing at World Golf Village on December 5. Families from around the area strolled through five homes in the community that are available for sale through Davidson Realty. One of them told me they like being able to look at a bunch of homes without any pressure. And that is great – because that’s exactly why we host the Sneak Peek Open House every month! Since we encouraged visitors to bring toys to donate to Sertoma Toys for Tots this month, the event was a double success. Thanks to those that donated!

As I mentioned, we normally have Sneak Peek Saturdays on the first Saturday of every month, but since the first Saturday in January is the day after New Year’s, we thought we would skip January and host the next event on February 6.

We’re bringing a little giggle to the jingle this holiday season. We want to see your most amusing holiday photos. You know the ones: junior crying on Santa’s lap, the dog dressed up like Rudolph, bad reactions to a gift. Get the picture? If you have the funniest photo, you could win a $100 Visa gift card.

Email your photos to pdavidson@davidsonrealtyinc.com. We’ll post them on Facebook and let fans vote for their favorite. The deadline is Friday, December 18th so don’t delay! Voting will be the week of December 21st, and the winning snapshot will be announced on Monday, December 28th on Facebook. Fan us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WorldGolfVillage or follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WorldGolfVillag

Winter is my favorite time of year and nothing gets me more in the Christmas spirit than St. Johns County’s Festival of Trees! This wonderful event combines holiday cheer AND giving with proceeds benefiting two St. Johns County Charities – The United Way of St. Johns County and The Empty Stocking Fund. This event is free and open to the public!

Anytime between Friday, December 4th and Sunday, December 13th, come see a beautiful display of over 65 decorated trees and wreaths throughout the St. Johns County Convention Center adjacent to the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. Visitors are welcome to vote for their favorites for a $1 donation or take a tree or wreath home with you by bidding through the silent auction.

You can vote on categories like “Through a Child’s Eyes”, which honors the best representation of the spirit of the season as seen through the eyes of a child. The public also votes on categories like, “Handcrafted with Heart”, “Good Sports Tree”, “Holiday Memories”, “Greatest Gifts”, “Nature’s Beauty”, “Non-Traditional Theme” and “Spirit of the First Coast”. It really is so much fun to stroll around and vote on your favorites, especially with interesting categories like these.

The new owner of Laterra Links, Homes by Deltona, a division of the Deltona Corp., has selected Legacy Builders of North Florida to build five new multi-unit buildings in 2010. Construction is expected to start in January. The Laterra Links buildings each have four premium coach homes. According to Legacy Builders President John Unkefer, “We expect the first building may be completed as early as July 2010, with all five buildings, a total of 20 units, to be completed before the end of 2010.”

Laterra Links is beautifully situated around golf holes two through eight of the King & Bear. The Laterra Links concrete-constructed coach homes will continue to range from two to four bedrooms and 2,160 square feet to 2,780 square feet, with two-car garages and screened lanais. Various high-end finishes are offered at Laterra Links, including granite countertops, stainless appliances, wood floors and more. The neighborhood’s beautifully appointed amenity center was recently completed. The 7,200-square-foot facility features a fitness center, pool, veranda, event room and kitchen.