Wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year.

Don’t forget to click on the “Details” button for a short personal message from me.

Happy Holidays!

Today is Thanksgiving for my friends in the U.S. and I want to wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. I couldn’t be happier to have come across an amazing blog post today with news that has without a doubt given many of us a reason to be thankful.

Not so long ago, I came across a tweet posted on Twitter by a friend and colleague of mine, Laura Monroe of Creative Agent Solutions.com. This “retweet” really hit home for me and after retweeting Laura’s post myself, I immediately followed the link to read more.

I was saddened to read that Lisa, The Domestic Diva, has a teenage daughter Marielle that was hospitalized due to a deteriorating kidney disease. Marielle’s condition was worsening and they were desperate to find a kidney donor. I proceeded to go back in The Domestic Divas’ posts to follow this incredibly difficult journey Marielle, Lisa and their family had been on.

Today is a good day! Today I learned that Marielle is home and happy to spend Thanksgiving with family. Not only that, with thanks to the news of Marielle’s situation going viral, they have finally found a match. Lisa’s news of her daughter needing a kidney donor was spread over the internet via blog posts, Twitter, Facebook and eventually wound up on Fox News.

It is amazing to see that with the passion of family, friends and even strangers, backed by the power of the Internet, news can be spread globally in a matter of days, hours and even minutes. Without the outpouring of support from these people and the ability to reach them via the internet, Marielle may not have received the overwhelming response of donor applications that they did. Donor applications came from all over the U.S., Africa and Saudi Arabia.

I can’t tell you how happy I am for you Marielle, Lisa and your whole family. I wish you all the best in the coming weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

I came across a wonderful YouTube video today, via Sarah Cooper’s blog The Putnam Scoop , that made me laugh and really feel great. As I sit alone at my computer I found myself laughing out loud while watching this video with nobody to share my giggles with, so here we are.

In this fast paced, ever changing, real estate industry we are all in, we all have moments when we throw are hands in the air and think, what the heck are we doing this for? It’s times like these when we need to take a step back, and a deep breath, to try and put things into perspective. This video did just that for me and I’m sharing this with you in hopes to brighten your day and put a smile on your face.

I think we can admit that winter has finally touched Calgary and it is likely here to stay for the next few months. Thankfully though our winters here are not without a fair amount of sun and the occasional chinook, unlike our neighboring province of British Columbia to the west. With the cold snowy days that we are in for here, winter brings with it, obstacles and challenges for a number of Calgarians especially for our seniors.

The City of Calgary, our local television station CFCN and The Calgary Sun have partnered together in a community initiative called Snow Angels and they are ready to launch this years 2008 edition on December 1st. The Snow Angels program is designed to lend a hand to our neighbors in an effort to keep our city sidewalks and driveways shoveled and free from snow and the ice that hides beneath.

To participate in the Snow Angels program is extremely simple. All you have to do is adopt a neighbor’s and/or senior’s sidewalk and help keep it clear for the winter. Have a look at the Snow Angels Promotional Video to see how easy it can be. We all want our sidewalks to be safe for everyone to enjoy this winter.

You may also want to visit the City of Calgary website for more Snow Angel Frequently Asked Questions and Snow Angel Stories. If you are interested in becoming a Snow Angel or starting a program in your community to help senior’s this winter, Contact Snow Angels. They will help you in developing your program and provide tips on how to approach your neighbor’s to let them know you would like to be their Snow Angel this winter.

Stay safe and stay warm.

HOWDY ALL!

Have you ever played Trivia Pursuit and had to answer the question; What is another name for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth? Did you know the answer or were you totally bewildered?

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is none other than the Calgary Stampede and on Thursday July 5th we kick off the ten day long fesitivities with Sneak-a-Peak night down at the grounds followed by the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday morning through the streets of downtown Calgary. For those of you that are not familiar with the Calgary Stampede it is a 10 day celebration of western heritage and the unique culture of the City of Calgary, occasionally referred to as “cow town”.

There is something for everyone at the Stampede including our world famous rodeo, chuckwagon races and the elaborate and entertaining evening grand stand show held daily. The midway is full of rides, food and games as well as a ton of entertainment and music with such acts as Finger Eleven, Hinder, Good Charlotte, The Road Hammers, and the ever so popular Hypnotist Terry Stokeson the free concert Coca-Cola Stage. In addition, our Pengrowth Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames) presents Bon Jovi, the Tragically Hip, Gretchen Wilson with Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy and Reba as this years headline acts.

Calgarians partake in this western celebration in many ways. Cowboy hats, boots and a lot of denim is the typical dress code for work and play during Stampede week as most of us spend a fair amount of these ten days attending stampede breakfasts and afternoon/evening bar-b-q’s held by local businesses all over the city, which does not allow for a lot of work to get done. Downtown Calgary could almost be mistaken for a ghost town during this time (well not really) as a lot of businesses have shorter work days and sometimes shut operations down to enjoy the festivities.

Many locals would rather avoid the Stampede altogether, but I personally love it. The general feel around town is everyone is happy, friendly and simply enjoying all the traditions the Calgary Stampede has to offer. I believe everyone should experience the Stampede at least once. It’s an outdoor carnival like no other.

Kick up your spurs and visit The Calgary Stampede for more information and history.