Though they live a beautiful home with a swimming pool and a terrific view of the 12th green of Lantana Golf Club, Mike and Diana Carey say it’s the sense of hometown and community that makes Lantana a great place for them to live. While they know many adults their age in Lantana and have great social connections, they are especially appreciative of the young families and children with whom they also have frequent social contact. The children in their neighborhood know them as Aunti Di and Mr. Mike. The local kids will frequently knock on the door for a friendly visit or even when they need an easy sale for coupon books, Girl Scout cookies or some other fundraiser. Even the Careys' dog, Kelli, a 13-year-old Sheltie, is glad when children come calling. Diana says the dog especially loves Halloween when Diana and Kelli get dressed up to meet trick-or-treaters at the door. An avid Kansas State Wildcats Fan and always in purple of some sort, Diana even has a purple witch costume. The children always pet Kelli before they go on their way and Kelli loves the extra attention.
    The Carey's know quite a bit about building a social network. The couple moved frequently during Mike's career as a corporate executive. While others integrate into the communities, meeting parents of other children, the Careys, who have no children of their own, often had to work a little more to meet people. Mike says Diana, who never met a stranger, was good at joining clubs, volunteering and doing other things to connect with the new community. Mike, quieter by nature, comes across as sincere and makes people comfortable in his home. But, when the Carey's moved to Lantana, building rapport with caring neighbors wasn't really any work at all, Diana said.
    Neighborhood children know they will be welcomed and comfortable. Mike loves to tease the youngsters and they love to hear him tell stories and tease back. When a neighbor’s child informed the Carey's her family was moving, Mike asked, "Now who is going to bake my Girl Scout cookies?" "I don’t bake them, I just deliver them," said the neighbor, whose cheerful but exasperated expression made it clear she's covered this topic before. The Carey's are a two entrepreneur family. Leaving the corporate world, Mike opened Foot Solutions, a specialty foot care center dedicated to help clients relieve and avoid foot pain. Located in the Tom Thumb Shopping Center on FM407 in Lewisville, the store gets a steady dose of repeat business and is thriving in its seventh year of business. Mike has done a terrific job of developing staff. His two employees, Sandy Alexander and Brian Chatlain, are both fully trained pedorthists and have been with him pretty much since the doors opened. Diana operates Diana's Bookkeeping services, a home based business that takes care of bookkeeping for Foot Solutions and numerous other local businesses, usually in a range from sole proprietorships to 10 employees. Diana said her business is designed to help businesses whose owners don't know how to keep books, don't like to keep books, or simply don't have time. She can also help these small businesses implement good controls and train their bookkeeping staff. Diana’s motto is “I do bookkeeping on purpose.”