Random Bits of Information

We have a new team member, Carrie Hill of Diablo Realty.  We are very happy to have Carrie on board.  She has lived in the area for most of her life and is familiar with the neighborhoods. Carrie is an animal lover, which goes a long way with me.  She has currently been added as a volunteer at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, which is so fun!  She gets to educate children and adults about local wildlife and how to protect it.  The Wildlife Museum also takes in injured wildlife to nurse back to health. 

I'm also happy because Carrie is fun.  She and I recently had lunch at Harvey's in San Francisco and found out we have a lot in common and are good "hanging out" buddies (and she showed me a "hidden" parking lot in a very busy city).  Woohoo!

And the bonus?  I got to make her a brand new website and blog style to match!  

Carrie is practicing yoga and is a "water person".  She wanted her site to reflect that and feel calm and soothing.  The symbol in the top left means water.  I have a lot of fun creating websites for people, it doesn't even seem like work.

www.CarrieHillHomes.com if you have a chance to check it out.  I am going to be moving the photo of water on the home page to the right and adding some text or bullets to the left, but we haven't figured out what to say yet.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce you to Carrie and say, "I love my job!"  : )

Oh by the way... I am never too busy for your website design, redesign or maintenance.

Amanda Hall asked me for an update about our local crisis center, and I am sorry to say it's not great news. From the Crisis Center website I was directed to a video and article on ABC News. 

According to this article, the Crisis Center is receiving an average of 70 new families per week requesting help.  According to this article, the Crisis Center will not have enough holiday meal baskets to take care of all of their clients.  They will be holding a Holiday Raffle for both Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner and only the lucky "chosen" families will receive assistance and enjoy a traditional feast.

I'm an opinionated person.  I'm not afraid to say there are many things going on that I'm not a fan of.  I have to help where I can in order to feel less powerless over the things I cannot change.  This is one thing I can change.  This is one thing I can help with.  I found this article too late to help for Thanksgiving, though I will visit the center with a donation.  (In fact, I am going to check with them to see if grocery store gift cards could be handed out in time).

According to ABC News, this is happening all over America.  Please check with your local food bank and see if you can help.  Most local agencies will also accept donations of winter coats and nice condition used clothing, so you don't always have to spend money to assist families in need. From the News article:

"In 31 Christmases with the Salvation Army, this is the first Christmas where two months before Christmas I'm anticipating the need to tell people 'No. I'm sorry, we can't serve you,'" said Major Clayton Gardner, a Salvation Army Corps Officer.

Thanks for reading.  Please help if you can, when you can, where you can.

There is no exuse for Proposition 8 to even be on the ballot in California since discrimination is illegal. I thought I would share one of the wedding stories I have had the pleasure of posting to a community center website.  Vote No on Prop 8.

Tara and Alix, married 20 June 2008

The first time we met, we both thought “she’s the one!” – then we didn’t see each other again for three months.  The second time we met, at a singles’ brunch, we talked for over 14 hours, until the owner of the restaurant where we had dinner tiptoed into the dining room to turn out the lights.  The place had been closed for almost an hour.

That was in 2001, in Kentucky.  We moved in together in 2002, and after seeing the San Francisco weddings on CNN, we decided to have a wedding of our own, to affirm our commitment publicly, in June 2005.  We didn’t have much money, so we made everything ourselves, and had an exhausting but wonderful day with our family and friends.  We were really touched by how many straight friends and family shared our joy that day, in a state that had passed an anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment only seven months before.  Since we didn’t need a licensed minister, the wedding was performed by the dear friend who had introduced us that very first day.  And instead of a marriage license from the state, we made our own document that was signed by everyone at the wedding, affirming that they considered us married.

Shortly after our wedding, Alix’s career brought us to California.  We had so many more rights and protections in California than we had had in Kentucky, that we certainly didn’t feel deprived.  But when the State Supreme Court announced its decision on May 15, we finally felt like “full” citizens, with ALL of the same rights as straight Californians.  On Friday, June 20, we were married “under the laws of the State of California!,” as our delighted officiant proclaimed.  Our witnesses were two straight friends, one of whom brought her infant son and got teary when she recalled the 2004 San Francisco marriages being annulled, fearing that her children would never see equal marriage rights.

Being legally married has brought a lot of subtle but important changes.  The biggest is that we now legally have the same last name, for the cost of the marriage license (about $160, versus $640 for two legal name-change orders).  We had wills before, but it’s reassuring to know that we have more protection for our home and other joint property as a legally-married couple.  And, as we try to start a family, it’s important to us that our kids know their moms are married.  We just want the same protection for our family that straight couples have always had for theirs.