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Happy Thanksgiving! 10 Things I am thankful for.

THANKSGIVING is the holiday that we all get to take a moment to be thankful. 2009 has been one wild ride for many of us. Many times we can get so caught up in the middle of the ride we forget what we have to be thankful for. So here goes my TOP TEN things I am Thankful for:

1. Jesus Christ – He is my Lord and Savior and without him I would not have the opportunity to be thankful and reminded of the things that I am so truly blessed with.
2. My Children – I have three of the most wonderful children in the world. They love me through it all regardless of my status. To them I am famous and so is there mom as she was on TV recently. A simple hug from one of Children is a constant reminder of my many blessings.
3. My Parents and Family – For being there for me through all the things that they do. They love me unconditionally.
4. Realtors that refer me business – This is one of the most important although it is fourth on the list. I have been so blessed that there are Real Estate agents that have come to trust me enough with not only there clients but with their financial well being. As I perform they perform because no house is bought without Money:) Those people include but are not limited to: Nathan Novelo, Dayna Neuse, Karen and Robert Wallace, Peter Bond, James Herron, Keisha Mathews, Brook Terhune, Bryan Hill, Marcus Fillipi, Paula Nelson, Jennifer Walker and Melanie Wright. There are several others that I would like to mention but these mentioned I successfully closed at least one transaction and enjoyed working with them immensely.
5. My Clients – Thank you for placing your trust in me. In today’s world it can be hard to trust a Mortgage Professional as the picture that is painted s not always rosy. For whatever reason you placed that trust in me. I am thankful for you and your families and I hope to serve you for many years to come. You are the backbone of what I do and without you and the interactions and the lessons that you taught me about life I would not still be a successful Loan Officer today.
6. Adversity - adversity is the obstacle that leads to growth and change. Without it I would remain the same and would not grow. Growth is necessary always and I hope to continue to grow until my final days here. 2009 has placed so much adversity in front of me that I feel like a new man going into 2010.
7. Capitol Mortgage – Greg Teeter has done an amazing job giving us a place to work. It has been a pleasure to be part of a company that is moving forward, growing, and so Loan Officer friendly.
8. Facebook – This has giving me the opportunity to reconnect with so many great people in my life. I recently received and email from a friend I have known since Kindergarten letting me know that I have always been one of his dearest friends and that he cherishes our friendship. It came at a great time!
9. Opportunity – I am so happy to live in the United States. I am thankful for the soldiers that fight for our Freedom and Independence. I have had opportunities that some will never see. The opportunity to be a homeowner, Father, Husband, to own my own business, to get a degree, to learn grow and develop and even when I do not accomplish them at the highest level I get the opportunity to try again. I am thankful for that.
10. THE RAIDERS AND THE FACT THAT THEY PLAY THIS THANKSGIVING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are you thankful for? There is so much that I could write about that I am thankful for. This just touches some of the things. Feel free to comment about the things that you are thankful for……………………………………..

Authenticity is my style. What you see is what you get!

Some feel that in business you have to present yourself a certain way. Suit and tie, professional demeanor, correct grammar and representation and many other items that I am sure you are aware of. In many respects I do not disagree. However, I give up being someone I am not to be authentic. When I am comfortable you get the best me. The knowledge that I have is still the same. The advice is the same. When I act the part I lose a little authenticity. I am trying to be someone I am not. I am simple in spirit and I do my homework. I know what it takes to get you in to your home and that is who I am. Here is a short video about me, California Home Strategies, Capitol Mortgage and how I want to help you!!!! Enjoy!

PCAR Variety Show Fundraiser for CanTree and the Salvation Army

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to be part of an amazing fund raiser. Placer County Association of Realtors banded together with the food sponsor Capitol Mortgage and the Bar Host Chamber of Commerce to throw one heck of an event. Much of the credit for the organization of the event has to go to Val Berlin Douglas (North American Title) as she was responsible for corralling and organizing a bunch of entrepreneurial professional that like to wander around and do our own thing. Great job Val.

So what is a variety show. We did everything along the lines of musical skits that were pieces of movies like 13 going on 30′s Thriller dance a tribute to the man Michael Jackson and Santa Baby musical. There were several one and a half minute lip syncs done by many of the volunteers from artists like Rod Stewart (Geoffrey Poulos), Prince (Kevin Capps), Beyonce (Tami Hinkle), Katy Perry (Deb Newton) and so many more excellent solos. We even got a guest appearance from Willie Nelson (Bill Johnson).

The show started out with a bang and had two groups perform their stuff. That was followed by another round of songs and performances and finished off with all the solos. Then there was an encore presentation to end the night. Many of the attendees stayed after the scheduled performances to take part in some Karaoke set up and put together by Joe Crespillo of Sell State Realty First our emcee of the night.

I do not know the final count I think that it would be safe to say that we raised in the ball park of 3K -4K for the evening. This was my very first year to be a part of the event and one of the things that I learned and respected from all the volunteers is that they were all repeats. So many of the volunteers were on their 6th year of the event. I now know why. It is so much fun and the camaraderie was awesome. I was welcomed in as the newcomer and assisted and helped the entire evening.  We were able to get away from the normal stressful situations that are present in Real Estate transactions. We were able to do something that is above and beyond our own self interest which showed me the true values of the agents in this industry.

I want to say thank you to all the participants and all of the attendees that came together to make this event happen. I am already excited about what next year may bring!