I hate to complain . . .

But it seems as though the last few postings in my blog have been less than happy postings. And this is no different. My assistant is leaving next month. She gave notice on Wednesday. She has some family issues and is moving back to Ohio. I'm bummed, we were just starting to get into the groove. So if you happen to be reading this and know someone that would make a GREAT assistant to a (successful?) Real Estate agent in Washington, let me know. I'm looking.

I haven't made it to the gym in weeks and I feel crappy about it. I have a transaction in escrow that just doesn't want to close and we had another hiccup on it yesterday. Hopefully that can be resolved today. OK, just paused to call the septic company that is supposed to be handling this issue and it certainly won't be resolved today. But hopefully by Monday or Tuesday.

OK, lets try to make this positive. I'm going on vacation tomorrow. I'll be gone for 10 days. That will be nice. I'll play lots of golf and try to forget about work for at least a few days. I'll have thanksgiving dinner with my family. Teri and I will get to spend some quality time together in the sun. It'll be awesome. I'll be sure of it!

It looks like I'm going to shatter all of my production goals for the year. That rocks. I'm going to set the bar even higher for next year. I'll need to really focus and bear down though if I'm going to do it without an assistant. At least for a little while.

OK, that's it for today. That's it until next month probably. I'll be in AZ and CA for the next 10 days. WOO HOO!

We'll Miss you Leo . . .

A good freind of mine passed away on Saturday. Leo Forch. Leo started out as my neighbor and over the years became a good friend. His death was sudden and mostly unexpected. It caught me completely off guard and I miss him. I attended his funeral today, only it wasn't called a funeral, it was a "Going Home Celebration". Leo was a deeply spiritual man and believed 110% that after his passing, he would go home to his maker. Even though I'm not very spiritual myself, it comforts me to know that Leo was comforted at the time of his death by the belief that he was going on to a better place. The circumstances surrounding his death were not necessarily peaceful, but I believe that he was at peace. You see for the last year, Leo has been suffering from seizures and it was one of these seizures that finally took him from us Saturday morning.

Leo was the guy that always had a smile for you and regardless of the day you'd had, he could always pick you up. His "can do" attitude and bright outlook on life were enough for a dozen men. Leo was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and son. Throughout his celebration today, everyone that got up to speak about Leo said the same thing. That he was a man among men. He put his family first and never wavered from that drive.

Over the years, Leo and I's friendship was fostered through his love of hating his computer. Leo figured out early on that I was somewhat of a computer guy and anytime he had issues with his PC he'd call on me for a helping hand. I knew that he would always be happy to return the favor. When I was laid off from Adobe, his words of encouragement gave me strength and he always wanted to know what he could do to help.

Leo always had a story. And they were never short. I don't mind saying this because this was what endeared Leo to many people. I knew that if my doorbell rang, odds were it was Leo coming by to ask a computer question or just shoot the breeze. He was always interested in my home improvement projects and always happy to provide his input. (He wasn't fond of the color I picked for my bathroom) As I was hanging doors in my hallway last week, I kept thinking I couldn't wait to show Leo what I'd done now. He always complimented me and I liked showing off the work I was doing. I'm sorry my friend that I didn't make it across the street to show you one last time.

We were painting the hallway last week and decided that the old "off-white" fixtures like the smoke alarm and doorbell didn't go anymore and we needed new white ones. So as I was replacing the doorbell on Sunday, I couldn't help but think that I was replacing Leo's doorbell.

Leo, we love you and miss you. Enjoy yourself where ever you are now. Be at peace. Keep telling your stories and we'll keep trying to live up to the legacy you left for us. You really were a man among men and I'm proud to have known you and called you my friend.