The gift of memories.

As you get older, it’s funny how photographically you categorize events in your life. I’ve tried hard to picture my first memories of my childhood and images come and go in my mind. For example, I vividly remember 1976. That year had multiple significant events in my life, and the American Life.

I remember raising two fingers and saying, “peace man peace.” I remember the bicentennial American experience. My grandmother sewed me multiple revolutionary uniforms. Knicker and clawed tail jacket included. I was so patriotic, I wore then to school. The funny thing is, I don’t remember getting laughed at.

I remember being introduced to Jim McKay in the Olympics on TV. The Olympics were sponsored by Brim coffee, among other consumer products.  Another interesting thing I remember was a warm summer night when family friends, Donnie & Glenda Smith came over to watch the Olympics with us. Donnie owned the coolest 1970 Camaro.  After eating water melon slices and spitting out melon seeds, I was responsible to take the rinds into the woods. How did I know that a criminal had escaped the local prison and decided he needed a 1970 Camaro. I’m certain I walked right by him. Donnie and Glenda looked at the clock and said they needed to leave. When they walked outside, the 70 was gone. I have always wondered if the thief saw me and thought about kidnapping me. 

All of these thoughts make me realize just how eventful this year was. I tried to think before that time tonight, and all I could think about was a banana seat bicycle. That stuck out in my mind.

Closing my eyes, I cracked a little smile for these memories. My mom still has my revolutionary suits. I’m still friends with Donnie and Glenda, and I still watch the Olympics. When I see a late 60s early 70s Camaro, I think about Donnie. Memories are great things. I think they are gifts from God. Think about your memories.       

Update on Dad (Jerry Swicegood)

February it turns out was not much better than end of the year for dad. To recap, we took dad to  the hospital the week after Thanksgiving. He stayed there until January 1. He spent 20 days of January in rehab. After leaving rehab 21 days later, he made in back home. For two weeks or so, he enjoyed his living room where he has spent quality time since building the house in 1978. However, on a Monday morning towards the end of January, I received a call from Mom. "Kyle, can you come to the house". After rushing over, it was obvious we needed to call 911.  Dad has been at Novant/Forsyth since then.

Tomorrow(2/26/19),  Lord willing,  Dad will be leaving the Hospital and going back to rehab. While he still has a ways to go, we are all optimistic considering where he has been. As the doctors have said more than once, "he's a very sick man".

Elizabeth said the other day, "God has the ability to use this for His glory." With that in mind, I have been able to see the goodness of God. So many friends have reached out, prayed and expressed their kindness. On a personal level, associates in my business sphere have picked up the slack, constructed a few bridges for us to cross. God so often shows himself through His people.

Lastly, Mom has done just exactly what we expected her to do. She has been there beside Dad in the weakest time of his life. While it has been no fun to watch Dad in this time, watching Mom has been uniquely fulfilling; an example of what marriage is all about. Thanks for your interest in Dad.

What do we do with this real estate and all this personal property?

One of the constant questions we get from people is what can we do with our  real estate and all  this "stuff"?

It's a great question, and one that has a real answer. For many years, we have been a reliable resource for families who want to find solutions for both personal property and real estate. As a practitioner of  real estate for thirty years and an auctioneer, we  have seen our economy change. In fact we have been through multiple cycles. But more importantly,  we have witnessed the revolutionary way the marketplace has changed. Following that change, we have created a buyer and bidder experience an marketplace where consumers can look, scroll, visit, and bid online. In fact, our firm transacts more real estate with a cell phone that most conventional brokers do.

Yes, we transact real estate with a digital platform, and its easy!

Back to the personal property; we create online catalogs, displaying assets and asset groupings where the buyers/bidders can be seated in the privacy of their home and use their personal handheld device, cell phone or computer, and bid their price. We've actually had people on airlines at 32,000 feet use the plane's Wi-Fi and bid while flying.  And auction day weather is not a problem! Rain, sleet, snow or 102 degrees, our bidders find their comfortable place and enter their bids.

What have we sold?
Million dollar estates
Acreage farms & houses
Collector Cars
Guns, Gold, Silver
Household furniture
Tractors, equipment
Cattle
Lake houses
The list could go on and on!

If you need a free consultation on how to turn your assets in cash, give us a call! We are members of the National Auctioneers Association,  National Realtors Association and various state organizations. We have a long list of satisfied customers and clients.

Swicegood elected at State Association

The Swicegood Group, Inc announced today that Kyle Swicegood, CAI, CCIM, BAS, GPPA was elected by the membership of the Auctioneers Association of North Carolina as a Director. This position is a 3 year term.  The Auctioneers Association of North Carolina's mission is to provide education and communication for the auctioneer and the public in order to promote the auction method of marketing.

Swicegood w/ IAC Champion Dustin Rogers  & Eli Detweiler jr and most likely future IAC Champion Hudson Rogers

Swicegood has been a member of the AANC since 2009. He is a member of the National Auctioneers Association where he serves on the NAA Education Institute as a Trustee. Swicegood teaches continuing education in various states and has been an adjunct instructor for the Nashville Auction School.

Swicegood said he is “excited to participate on the board. Education and networking are the paramount pillars of the association”. The Auctioneers Association conducts two annual conventions and has members across the state of North Carolina as well as members from neighboring states. You can learn more about the AANC by visiting their website at Northcarolinaauctioneers.org.

Swicegood is the president of The Swicegood Group, Inc., a minority-owned company that specializes in Real Estate Marketing and Auctions. They are headquartered in Mocksville, NC and hold licenses in South Carolina, Virginia, and North Carolina. Their team consists of 5 licensed auctioneers and four licensed real estate brokers. They are a premier real estate auction team conducting both live and online solutions. They have a proprietary bidding platform that boasts over 200,000 visitors annually. Their digital home is TheSwicegoodGroup.com.

Jerry Swicegood & A Yellow Ribbon

"I'm comin' home, I've done my time" is the first line of the old song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon".  A small yellow ribbon was waiting for my dad yesterday as he arrived home. If I'm correct, Dad spent his first night back home since November 26, 2018. That's 55 days away from home. Since that afternoon the EMS came by, he has had more sticks with a needle, more visits from doctors and nurses, and three procedures. 

While dad is not back to his normal self, he is now in the comfort of his own home.

Mom has made more trips to the parking garage at Novant, awakened early every day to spend the day by his side, and demonstrated the lifestyle of a soul mate. We are all so happy that now, she will be able to rest and maybe see the clock say 8:30 am a couple of mornings.

While the memory and images of the last two months will not be considered happy, I have taken away some positive things from the experience. 1.) A community that cares. I can't count the likes on social media for prayer request, I can't count the calls, text or IMs all of us received. We all truly felt enveloped by our faith communities. It was truly an ecumenical experience as churches and people from all denominations surrounded us in prayer. As dad said, "it was truly humbling". 2.) The medical community. Doctors, nurses, and medical workers have a very difficult job. I believe more so than most people realize. They exercise their roles in rooms with human emotion seeing people at their lowest. Despite their hectic patient rosters, I have seen how they care for the patients and their families. If you're in that role, thank you!

It hasn't been "two long years" as the song lyrics say, but I promise you, dad feels like it has been.  Home has never been a more beautiful word!

Addiction, Movies and Goose's wingman

Movie going, for me, has always been a 2 hour escape to an experiential place I'd like to go or a character I'd like to be. All of us who watched Top-Gun pictured ourselves in the cockpit with Goose. 

Last night, while surfing Amazon Prime Movies, I happened on a movie called "Beautiful Boy". Bored, I honestly had no idea what the movie was about. The next two hours took me into the world of methamphetamines, a father and son and their journey. It was the sad story of a young son who began smoking pot at a young age to fill a void in his heart, and ended up injecting his veins with meth, heroine and other narcotics. This was not a feel-good movie. In fact, the movie left me feeling hopeless for the young son. 

Drugs have the ingredients to make a person hopeless; they have the power to break up families and ruin marriages. The trajectory of small decisions can spiral a life into a meaningless world and even death. 

I have never used any type of illegal substance. However, I have seen the destruction that it can have on the person and their family. There is nothing good, and I mean nothing, that comes from a "little" high. Its like opening the door to pandora's box. Small choices can generate many complicated problems.

If you're a parent, consider watching the movie. It will leave you with the urgency of understanding the fallen nature of the world we live in. Speak to your kids. Be an example to them. As the movie demonstrated, a child has an empty space in their heart, help them fill it with God! 

Unlike putting myself in the cockpit of Tom Cruises' fighter jet, where I ended up this glorious naval pilot hero, this movie placed me in the shoes of a helpless, hopeless parent. It provided for me the compassion each of us should feel for a parent that is doing everything they can do for a situation that makes them feel hopeless.  Today, I spent a few minutes in prayer thanking God for the kids I know who are recovering addicts and I prayed for the parents who woke up this morning asking "why?" Join me in that prayer.

A month of Advent ....ure

If you would have told me November the 1st what our December was going to be like, I would not have believed you.

Lewis came home from the hospital a few days before Christmas. 9 days and approximately 23 lbs later,  Lewis is attempting to piece together his post-graduate life. He has had one post-hospital visit with the doctor saying he is on the mend. As the doctor said, he was one sick kid.

Papa Jerry, we hope, is spending his last night in the Forsyth hospital tonight, Sunday, December 30. The doctor and caseworker gave dad the go-ahead to leave the hospital on Monday with a 4-6 week prescription of formal rehabilitation. His insurance/doctors have chosen Bermuda Commons in Advance, NC for this next chapter.

On the last Monday of November, mom called me indicating that dad could not get up and she was unable to get him mobile. I arrived and we decided to call 911. That was the beginning of his month-long stay at Novant Forsyth Hospital. He was diagnosed with some type of infection that we believe was causing communication problems between his legs and brain. He simply couldn't walk. Soon after entering the hospital, he was diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (klos-TRID-e-um dif-uh-SEEL), often called C. difficile or C. diff,  which is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. (Source*Mayo clinic)

This began a month of terrible diarrhea.  When I say terrible, I mean terrible. The ordeal caused weakness, significant nutritional interruption, and weight loss. In fact, his entry weight in November was 250 lbs. Today he weighed in at 215 lbs; a 35 lbs loss. Needless to say, he is weak. His body has been on shut down because of lack of hydration, food and no exercise. The nurses have only been able to get him out of the bed a few times to sit up in the hospital chair in this room. His room has been a prison. He has been stationary in a 4x6 bed for the entire month.

All of that being said, we are excited to say his Cdiff has been controlled; his desire to eat has been regained. The doctor told him, "if you want to get out of the hospital, you're going to have to eat". In an effort to awaken his taste buds, I asked the doctor if an old fashion honey bun would be ok, he said, "yes, eat 8 if you want". I asked dad if he would eat one, he said "yes'. So Friday afternoon, I fed him an old fashion honey bun like he had eaten 100s of times at my grandmother's country store. He ate it all. Saturday and today he continued to eat more normal including a sausage biscuit, Arby's roast beef, and other common food staples.

Regarding rehab: The doctor said to expect 4-6 weeks at Bermuda Commons. He will receive approximately 2 one hour strength training daily.  We'll just call this chapter 2 of his medical story.

Two final comments:

Mom and the family have had many reach out to us via social media, calls, cards, and socially. Dad told me many times he has felt the prayers of so many. We will never be able to thank each of you personally, but please know that dad, mom, and the family appreciate the sincere outpouring of our friends. The phone calls, post, and visits have been relayed to him; every one of them.

A Day in Montana - 2015

Regarding my mother. Daily, she has been at the hospital, spending approximately 8 hours each day, 7 days a week being by dad's side. She has been his advocate, soul mate, and life love. Her dedication to him in his absolute time of need has been heroic and beautiful. Mom may be a small little lady, but she is tough as nails. Thank you for your example of a Godly wife. Better or worse gave you a little worse this month. Your example is powerful.



Christmas is over. December was the beginning of Advent, the period beginning four Sundays before  Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting. Many of you in your own personal way used this season for celebration of the incarnation of Christ. I witnessed the embodiment of the deity of God through Christ through so many people. The prayers were felt, they were received. My family's personal advent became an adventure. It was one that I would have rather not gone through. But despite the fear, the pain, and interruption of our lives, I know that something good has come from all of this. All things work together for good for those that love the Lord. Praise God!