Danna
Golden's Biography
I was born in Houston, Texas and
spent most of my life in eastern part of it. A small town in the
Ark-La-Tex, Marshall is known for its rolling hills, piney forest
and beautiful lakes. If one were traveling through Marshall, the one
thing I would say not-to-miss is the unique Marshall Pottery. It’s
worth your time. Trust me on this one.
Many happy years were spent raising
our young children in East Texas and most of our family continues to
live in this area.
We often went camping in Arkansas
and developed a love for the mountains; and in 1994 my husband and I
made the decision to move our family to North Carolina. The Blue
Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina proved to be a wonderful
area to raise our two children, Chanda and Dakota. They both
graduated from the Blue Ridge School, in the picturesque small town
of Cashiers North Carolina.
Today, both are happily married to
wonderful people. Chanda and her husband, Eli, live in the capitol
city of Kansas, in Topeka. She continues to amaze me; you just never
know really what pathways your children will choose in life.
I’m so very proud of the person she
continues to become. She has also found an inner talent that
continues to blossom and grow. She has an amazing eye for color,
decorating and has become quite the artist. Using her skills to
transform the walls of local homes into showpieces of conversation.
Saying that she ‘faux finishes’ does not really begin to describe
what she does - it’s exceptional.
Dakota and his wife, Cortni, live
in our hometown of Marshall, Texas. I have many joys in life and
their three children, my grandchildren: Teryn, Noah and Shelby,
continue to bring us great joy.
Our son Dakota was his father’s
shadow growing up, he taught him the useful life skills of carpentry
as a boy, along with the wonderful shop program in Blue Ridge. As an
adult he now applies the skills he was taught masterfully to provide
for his family. He is an avid outdoorsman, and loves to fill the
freezer with fish and venison. Spending quality time with his
family, working and keeping the freezer full keeps him pretty busy.
I have a sign in my office that
reads, “By the time your kids are fit to live with they’re living
with someone else”
Parents, can you relate? This
brings me to today, after basically being dumped by our children in
North Carolina. We looked on a map, thought about where we might
like to live to be closer to the kids and closer to our hometown of
Marshall. We didn’t want to give up living in or near the mountains
and wanted to be in a fun area with lots of activities.
We wanted to be in an area that was
growing, economically sound, full of life and possibilities. We
wanted quality health care nearby, lower cost of living, affordable
housing, oh and yes (on my husband’s list) a great place to fish!
Oh, I can almost read your minds
at this point. (DREAM ON!)
Well I will have you know we did
find what we were looking for in a small but fast-growing town we
visited years ago when the kids were small. Branson, Missouri.
I now frequently tell folks I
wasn’t born in Branson but I got here as quick as I could! I can’t
tell you how much I’m enjoying our new life here in the Ozarks, the
very mountains we vacationed in so many times over the years when
the kids were young. I often tell young folks that life is an
ever-changing journey, full of surprises, twist and turns, most
definitely ups and downs. I could not have imagined how different
our life would be today.
If you would have asked me three or
four years ago where I saw myself living, what I saw myself doing, I
would not have even been close. Funny isn’t it, you would like to
think at this stage of life, forty-something (maybe you might have
it figured out, fat chance!!)
We’re still hanging on though, and
really the journey is half the fun, for I find myself facing a new
and exciting year. Over the winter I went to school and passed the
needed test to be a Broker/Realtor in my new fun-filled town. You
could not ask for a better area to be involved in real estate.
We’re a thriving, growing part of
the country where many are retiring to for all of the same reasons
that brought us here three years ago.
Baby Boomers from both coasts are
both retiring and investing in this affordable part of the country.
The founders of the website you are
visiting today (Branson Critic) are very good friends of both my
husband and myself. He has asked me to be a part of it for some time
now. I’m not sure if it was his persuasiveness or my ever-changing
life that brings me here, but I can tell you this, I truly am
looking forward to being out there among what I consider to be some
of the most talented people I can ever imagine meeting in my
lifetime.
Branson is home to some amazing
people as I hope you find out for yourself when you visit, vacation,
retire or build your vacation home in our community. I joke with all
the Branson celebrities and tell them this is my FUN job.
My REAL job, which I equally enjoy,
is to assist you nice people out there with your Real Estate needs,
as well as some amazing investment opportunities.
The development that I work for is Stonebridge Village, owned by
M.P.I. We are also a Prudential Real estate office. We’re just west
of Branson (maybe three miles from Silver Dollar City). With the #2
rated golf course in the whole state of Missouri right on property,
our approximately 4,000 acre soon-to-be fully gated and private
resort is BOOMING!
So, whether you’re looking at my
column to get to know the scoop about the latest and greatest in
Branson, or maybe you have a question for me to include in my next
interview with your favorite Branson celebrity, write me and let me
know.
Or, you may be looking at this area
for more permanent reasons - please feel free to email me at the
appropriate address provided and I will be happy to assist you. I
look forward to hearing from you soon.
Danna Golden
For Branson Shows questions:
bransoncritic@hotmail.com
For Real Estate questions:
dgolden@pruofozarks.com
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