When I signed up for Member Spotlight I had no idea who I was going to write about (except my assignment of Jeff Turner - see below).  I get so much valuable information from AR by reading featured posts, and my subscribed blogs.  However, the feeling that there is so much more out there always haunts me. 

The other day I was clicking around on the state map . . . why I don't remember . . . .sometimes my mouse takes over from my brain.  I stumbled onto New Mexico and was immediately drawn in by the vivid descriptions local members have written.  Without even looking at the breathtaking photos I felt I was with them in their wonderful state.  But, even more than that, what caught my attention is that after reading several posts, was an underlying theme (by multiple AR members) about environmental awareness.  You could feel the writer's passion.  Passion for the land they call home and passion to preserve everything Mother Nature gifted to New Mexico.

Anyway, I'll cut to the chase and tell you New Mexico AR members are my Member Spotlight.

My attention was first captured reading Eloise Gift's localism post on environmental stewardship:  We are Not Alone.  However; when I asked her what posts she is most proud of she drew my attention to 2 equally compelling pieces:  Last Year, Chimayó This Year, Tomé and The Old Town Square.

 Eloise shared a sentiment that I too have expressed.  She said she is ambivalent about her posts. "I think I am still striving to write a post with which I am completely satisfied."   I think her standards must very very high! 

When asked whom she admires on AR, Eloise said  "I admire the writing of janeAnne Narrin, Lola Audu and Sarah Cooper.  I admire George Souto for his ability to communicate knowledge about his industry (mortgage). Danny Smith has empathy, Lola Audu, janeAnne Narrin are also great at motivating. Many on AR share knowledge unselfishly.  Blanca Cholewczynski and Dee Copeland (Where's Dee? Are you still blogging?) were both generous in offering helpful newbie orientation when I first joined AR. Toby Barnett has also shared generously. I admire Chris Elizabeth Griffith's consistently beautiful posts on localism and Dena Stevens'constancy in posting.  I appreciate the encouragement of several Active Rainers like Colleen Kukilowski who encourage with articles like Why You Should Stop Lurking and Start Participating..."

It was when I asked Eloise the difficult question of "is there anything you want the AR community to know about you,"that I realized where the depth and poetry of her blogs come from. 

Eloise told me "This is the most difficult question to answer. I am the child who grew up on a tropical island thinking that the sun would always rise up from the ocean. The child became an adult and through many transitions traveled far inland into the desert and there discovered that to find east one had to look towards the mountains and the sunrise could be beautiful anywhere."

A final note on Eloise.  My random spotlight question was "if you were one of the infamous AR fruits which would you be and why?"  Appropriately enough Eloise said "Persimmon. It is sweet, not too common and a little exotic." 

New Mexico's AR community is also complimented by Ashley Drake Gephart.  Ashley is most proud of her post "How to file your taxes in 20 easy steps."  But take a look at her posts she has a lot more humor and knowledge to share.  Her sense of humor can be seen in the AR fruit she chose:  "Kumquats, first off it's just fun to say. Also they are hardy and are generally in season from late autumn to mid-winter which is a great time of year!" 

The New Mexico Localism site is rich with photos from Ashley and Eloise, Laura Warden (Choices Real Estate), Tracy Venturi (Keller Williams Realty) and many others. 

If you are in need of a desk-side vacation click here and visit the great state of New Mexico.

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As if this post isn't long enough already!!! 

Next week's writer is Jeff Turner so it is my turn to write about him.  When I first learned of this assignment I thought OH NO!  How can I ever write about someone so well known in the AR community?  He shares so much of himself in every post and every project he undertakes.

For me Jeff Turner was the first "face" I came to recognize on AR.  How can you not with his piercing stare jumping off the computer screen.  Jeff's blog was the first one I subscribed to and like many of you I'm still an avid reader.

Here are the questions I asked Jeff and his answers.  As always they are honest, thoughtful, and thought provoking.  Thank you Jeff for sharing even more of yourself with AR readers.

How did you find out about Active Rain and what do you enjoy most about this network?

"On November 28, 2006, an email came into customer service from Russ Perslowski, one of our members at RealEstateShows.com. It was basically a heads up email. "Hey, you should know about http://www.activerain.com/." I was notified by customer service and signed up that morning. That was just five months ago, almost to the day. I consider that day as my awakening to real estate blogging. I came to this party late."

What post are you most proud of?

"Well, Sex And Real Estate :: Part 1  is my most viewed post, as I write this 6534 people have viewed that post. But, the post I am most proud of is actually a series of three posts. I didn't start out wanting to do a three part post, but I was so overwhelmed by the response to the first post, about mentoring and values, that I decided to share the results of the mentoring in two additional parts. I'm proud of it because it's something that was very powerful for me in my life and in my business career. It has shaped every aspect of how I view business."

Who do you admire on Active Rain and why?

I admire so many people on Active Rain. I've made more friends in the last five months than in any other condensed period of my life. The energy is amazing. I've fallen in love with TLW and Bryant. Well, mainly TLW, but they come as a package, so I put up with Bryant.  Teresa Boardmanhas been a true friend as well, always honest with me, willing to say things to me that others might not. I had instant connections with Nick M and Ed Rybczynski. There's  Sarah Cooper, Craig Schiller, Ines Hagedus-Garcia, Laurie Manny, Pat Kitano, Dustin Luther, Ardell Dellaloggia, Renee Burrows, Mariana Wagner, Maureen Francis, Maureen White, I could go on and on. I almost didn't name anyone for fear of leaving someone out, but that's too late. And every week I meet someone new. I just had an amazing call with Lenn Harley two days ago. What an incredible woman. I'm impressed by so many here. 

What do you love most about your career?

I love that it's been MY career. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm driven by ideas. My mind races from place to place and I've been lucky enough to be able to follow it wherever it goes. I'm a very lucky guy.

Least?

When I sold my last company I stayed on and accepted a much larger role with the company that bought us (President of Vertis Advertising Production Services,  a $250 Million division with 2500 employees). Taking that position was torture for me. It stole my peace, it drained me creatively. It took me away from my family.  No question, what most would have seen as the high point of my career, I see as the low point. I'm much happier working out of my home office, eating dinner with my kids and doing what I'm passionate about. 

Anything you want the Active Rain community to know about you?

You mean there is something they don't know about me? 

If you were one of the infamous AR fruits which would you be and why?

This one is easy. Passion. For me, passion is everything. Just ask my wife. :)