Real Estate Blog - ActiveRain: My One Year Anniversary

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ActiveRain: My One Year Anniversary

An a continuation of my the first part of this post, ActiveRain, How Do I Love Thee, Let me Count the Ways, Today is the anniversary of my first post in ActiveRain so instead of calling this part II, I will call this a continuation, ActiveRain: My One Year Anniversary.

Very early in the morning on October 21st, I received a phone call that we must be ready to evacuate our homes as the wildfires in Southern California threatened our community of Rancho Bernardo. We were to pack any essentials and be ready to evacuate the raging fires threatening homes in Rancho Bernardo .

If you can imagine just waking up and having to decide what of your possessions you can collect in an hour, pack them in your car, and that that will be what you had to start your life over with if your home gets destroyed in the ragging fires. For a couple hundred families, where I live, that became their reality. Thankfully, I would be spared that tragedy.

That advisory was the first telephone call. But there were many to follow for several hours my phone rang off the hook from my many friends at ActiveRain. With phone in hand, I made decisions about "what would get packed and what records would go". I ended up having many more hours before evacuation to leave my home. The first ActiveRain member to call came at 6:30 a.m. from Jeff Dowler, I'll never forget that call. This was when I realized the full extent of what being a part of what ActiveRain meant.

Through the day, the evening and the next two days of camping out in a small hotel room about 20 miles away from where my home was, one by one I would receive calls from the many friends from ActiveRain that would call to see if I was okay. That 1st early evening, I would spend over 30 minutes on the phone with Woo Sally from Hawaii. It was that phone call talking from a pharmacy awaiting picking up my prescriptions ( part of what I forgot to take in my rush to pack ), that would confirm and cement an extraordinary friendship.

Over that first day and night, the fires would spread north west of where I lived and spare my home. But the calls kept coming, Marlene Bridges called several times for updates, and I was so deeply touched. Marlene knew all to well that with all the winds we were having, they could change direction again and re-threaten our area. She has set up a home network tracking everyone that might have been affected by these fires.

Even Bob Stewart, in our ActiveRain front office called to express his concern and wanted to confirm that I was okay. How could I have been so lucky to be part of something so wonderful as ActiveRain.

The ActiveRain members and the ActiveRain front office tracked my safety, long before any of my local friends, family or even my real estate office inquired. I knew I was part of a family that not only cared but went out of their way to ensure that their friend in San Diego was okay. I would also discover through those many phone calls that 2 of my good friends, Brian Brady and Jeff Turner were also evacuated with their families. Thankfully all of us were safe and returned safe and sound.

After returning home and settling back into the security of being safe at home, I would fully realize that in my lifetime, I never felt more a part of something so wonderful than I did at that moment.

Over the next weeks I heard from so many and built additional lifetime friendships. An old friend who had been such a great blogging mentor and supporter, Jason Sardi was there for continued support. My friends Joan Mirantz, Gena Riede, Teri Eckholm, Jeff Geoghan, Lynda Eisenmann, Bill Roberts, Roberta Murphy would all be checking in and encouraging me. Their words and support meant the world to me. Roberta had called on that first day, putting aside the time from her critically ill father to check on me. Believe me, you never forget the selfless things people do for you. I shall remember them as my friends all my life.

By the end of October, I had flown back East as a guest of one of a close friend and a trustee of Wilkes University to take part in the a celebration of the anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah and his 85th Birthday. I would also deliver a morning prayer before the congregation as part of his service. Having never been in a temple before, I felt a tremendous honor that I had been asked. Many of my friends suggested that I might have missed my calling as a minister. While back east I would see the countryside and the many areas that make up the Wilkes Bare/ Kingston area. I would be given a guided tour of Wilkes University and the many historical building on campus by the Trustee himself. Talk about feeling special.

I would also visit the new University of Penn extension located at the old Hayfield farms. The foliage was in its last stages of changing color and I knew I would want to share this with all my ActiveRain friends. The pictures as you can see were beautiful.

While I was there I had hoped to be able to arrange a visit with ActiveRain members Jason Sardi and Jeff Geoghan but with all the functions, arranged tours and dinners that were planned , there was little time. But I have plans later this year to return and perhaps then we will have those get togethers.

The holidays were approaching and needing many hours and days to prepare my home for the Holidays, blogging once again got away from me and my postings suffered.

Between Business and decorating the home for the holidays, I was just too worn out. Although I was inspired, I failed to keep my blogging on schedule.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas,I would make up for at least a few of the missing posts. I was able to add My Home Christmas Montage in one of my posts, get my cards out and the many Holiday messages for my ActiveRain friends.

In this first year , I celebrated a number of milestones along the way. First , I was invited to be a member of the Bronze Star Hall of Fame by Neal Bloom our amazing friend that sponsors the Week in Review here on ActiveRain. Then I made the Silver Star Hall of Fame, published my 100th Post and then the 200th Post. While all of this was happening, Another friend that I invited to ActiveRain, Bill Roberts was building a big following of readers and I am so proud of him. He recently founded his own group called "Ninety-ninth Percentile", Check it out, it is quite active. He has just joined the Silver Star Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bill.

So as my first year closes I have no regrets and so much to be thankful for. I have improved my writing skills and learned so much. But I also know there is much more to learn and many posts ahead to write in hopes of capturing the imagination of my new readers. Yes, I do love ActiveRain and through these two posts, you will understand the many many reasons why.

Posted by San Diego Real Estate Voice authored by William Johnson GRI CRS e-Pro CDPE on 03/31/2008 10:03 AM

Comments (33)

activerain, san diego fires, bob stewart, jeff dowler, roberta murphy, joan mirantz, jason sardi, bill roberts, wilkes university

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33 Comments on ActiveRain: My One Year Anniversary

MAR

2008

You are a good man William Johnson, a good man I've learned and will keep learning a lot from. Thank you.

Good Morning Jason, Thank You my friend. I am so glad I finally got to post something of my trip back east. And this year if I actually do make it back, maybe there will be a possibility to visit Allentown and meet you person to person, like I hoped to do last year. The Leigh High Valley is one of my favorite places. A lot of years ago, I had a very wealthy client and I designed his home there.

What a wonderful testimony to a year of blogging, William. Amazing how time flies. But more amazing are the relationships and the experiences. I still remember the first time we talked about blogging - rather a long chat, as I recall. So much has happened. I always enjoy your writing and look forward to much more. AND to see you in person again, soon.

Jeff

William, thanks for sharing a year in the Active Rain life of William Johnson. It was an interesting read.

Good Morning Jeff, Thank you so much. It is amazing, it seems only yesterday that we talked on the phone about blogging. I learned on thing. When you think about blogging, no one other than bloggers know the amount of effort that is put into it. It would seem simple but it takes great discipline to write everyday and keep it interesting. Learning all the tools it takes to provide the material and doing the photography and keeping track of details-hum , almost sounds like a job for no pay. Well we know there is a pay day somewhere down the line but it still requires a lot of effort. It would seem so simple. Realtors are said to not to have a life. Well if that is true, imagine what people would think if they said what a blogging REALTOR's life was like. Thanks you Jeff for being there and all your encouragement and support. You friendship is invaluable to me and I count you as a significant part of the treasury in life.

Thanks Brian, As you might figure, there is so much more than one could write and still limit it to two pages, lol. Many Thanks for your very kind remarks and I appreciate your continued support.

William...I know you thought that was long but I think you did well fitting a whole year (and an eventful one at that) into two posts.

I can tell that one of the attributes that make you good at what you do is your attention to detail. I'm impressed..I can't remember last week never mind a whole year!

I look forward to another year of getting to know you better!

I like that....cemented our relationship...woohoo! William, you've come a long way baby...in this thing we call blogging....and it has definitely brought out not only your creative side but the intellectual informational side as well (your left and right brain work wonderfully together :) Thank you for your friendship, your humor, your wit and your deep soulful writing. Hug, hug, and more hugs :)

P.S. and your ONE Year in the Rain!

William- i have read many of your articles and have learned much from you bloging. I signed up to read your blogs. Congrats on your one year anniversary and many more. It's great to hear that you can build relational on this site... business contacts. Keep on posting William.

Good morning Joan, Thank you so much. It sure was a difficult post in that I needed to edit so much of it out. It became a wall of words and one that unless you just adored me, no one would read, lol. As it is, that may still be the case,lol. I need to get less complicated in my posts and limit them to 3 paragraphs. I surely do hope to learn how to do that,:-) As I begin my new year, I would also want to build on our friendship. This will be an interesting year, business wise, economically, politically, you name, there will be much to talk about.

Wishing you a fabulous year Joan and one that is filled with business, fun and great friendships.

Woo Hoo!, Sure glad I got that finished. If it seemed long, I cut almost half of it away, just to get the highlights in. Do you remember that evening of the fires. It was the very first time we talked live. I tis such a pleasure to write comments to you and about you as well. You are very special and you actually inspire me to write when I would just as soon not.

I do one thing. If I could learn to write better, shorter and more to the point articles, I know it would be so much easier. I get these great ideas and they are so much work, they never get written, I start on them, must 50 or 60 of these and for one reason or another, I just can't seem to get through them.

My goal this year is to write more often but shorter posts. With video about to become a real tool here, that will fun and I might pick up that gauntlet and run with it.

Anyway, at 6:30 this morning, I almost called until I realized that you were 2 hours behind, then I posted and tried to get the business day started. Since you are off today, I might call you in a bit.

Good Morning Freddy, Thank you so much and you do so honor me. I sure hope to live up to all your great comments and it is indeed my desire to please. Many Thanks again, I loved your comments and take them to heart.

Hi William,

Wow what a reacap and an interesting year to say the very least. Like you William I feel I've made some life-long friends here in the Rain, and you're right on the top of the list.

As a follow up to the fire disaster, you had a lot of folks here concerned about you and several others. You could just see the concern spread through the Rain at that time.

Congratulations William. I enjoyed reading your chronicle, and remember a few of those occurrence's very well ;) Like Lynda said many of us were concerned with your safety....everyones safety that was affected. but that was just one thing......everyday we care about the people we have met here.....

William, I had my one year anniversary with the rain just a few months ago. You are right it has been a wonderful growing experience. I didn't quite make it to 200 post before I wrote my one year testimonial. I see you are at 271 post at your one year; that is a lot of posting. Congrats!

William, those were some scary times. We all cared about each of you that were in harms way. It was a time when we needed to know that all of you were accounted for and safe. Glad it turned out as well as it did.

APR

2008

Hi Lynda, Thank You for those very special words , they mean a lot to me. You are very special and a true joy. If you see Kaye and Marlene, please entend my best thoughts to them as well. We should have another soiree, don't you think ?

Hi Kathy, Thanks you, I always appreciate when you drop by and you say the the nicest things. AR has been good to all of us . And you are so right, we do think of each other is wonderful and caring ways, all the time. We also care for the ones of that hurt for any number of reasons and we always send our good vibes.

Hi Marchel, who's counting , right,lol. Considering the amount time off from blogging that I took this past year, I was being reminded that my 270+ posts was not all that strong of a showing. 52 weeks x 10 posts = 520 posts. 1/2 of the 520 = 260. As my friends would tell me, well, you haven't given better than a half,a---- effort. What gives? :-)

Just half kidding here, but my friends and associates DO expect me to be near perfect and when I am not, I always wonder if they feel let down. That crosses my mind a lot because I am never even close to any measure of word much less the concept.

Thanks for your great comments.

Hi Gena, It was a scary and magical time for me. Isn't that an interesting statement?. It just flowed out so I am leaving it as it represents the truth as I recall it. Many thanks for you concern and it sure is nice to cared so much about. In all humility, it was truly magical

Congratulations on your anniversary - you've come a long way (restraining from adding "baby"...my mom used to smoke Virginia Slims).

Looking forward to another year of your wonderful contributions in the Rain.

Good Morning Karen and thank you so much for your great words here. You are very much appreciated and I feel very honored , receiving those comments. Many Thanks again.

How cool. I love it when people are happy and grateful. You have had a lot of great experiences. Memorable experiences are priceless treasures!

Hi Dave, Indeed they are. It has been a magical first year and I am just getting warmed up,lol Lots ahead as we see some of the remarkable posts and wonderful people that have joined the ranks. I feel very grateful to be associated with so many fine talented and wonderful people!

William, just scrolling through all your First Anniversary Posts. LOL, so I'll just post here once and say Congratulations, the rain would not be the same without you and all the good you bring here.

Hi Missy, Many thanks and know that I feel the exact same way about you. You are an amazing contributor here and have helped so many of us and I think it would be safe to speak on many others behalf when I say " Thank you for being our great friend" !

What a wonderful and inspiring post. The active rain community certainly goes beyond "social networking". Like you, I have made many friends and this has been one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had. Congratuations and I look forward to more of your posts.

William, Congratulations on your one year anniversary. Great post and please continue.

Hi Joan, Thank You so very much Joan, I so appreciate your thoughts and agree that our group goes so far beyond just a social network. I am very humbled by your comments and feel so proud and happy to be a part of all this.

Hi Bob, Thank you and I am looking forward to a new year and a real commitment to our group to be the best I can as I continue to learn. Thanks again Bob.

APR

2008

William--I have been away from the computer for a few days...tending to a bad back and a house full of teenagers for a spring break birthday....I missed your anniversary posts. William where do you find the time to write such wonderful stories? You are very important to so many here. I remember one of the posts when you first started and asked how do you get noticed? Sally and I were the ones to visit everyone of your wonderful posts for a few weeks as you are a wonderful writer. Now with business picking up, I do not have the time to visit as many other posts as I would like but do take time to read yours. Congrats on your anniversary...It wouldn't be Active Rain without you! :)

APR

2008

Teri, You so honor me. I will tell you this Teri, you make me so proud to be associated with you. You are so right. It was you and Sally and Jason that really helped encourage me to be become a better writer and contributor.

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