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.
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