You are now the size of an apple! You are the apple of my eye. :) Had some great conversations with some friends this week about you.Courtney Semrau wrote that her and Nick are expecting Semrau #3 on December 28! Congrats to them and I hope that timing works out: could be a Christmas Baby AND a nice little tax deduction for 2008 or a New Years Baby (and not a tax deduction, but a prize-winner in those First Baby of the New Year contests.:) She also mentioned that all that manner-talk (Please, Thank you, Excuse Me) is going to be tested by you the first few months (and probably forever).
Michele Herman wrote a nice e-mail and supported my sentiment on clothes: "And yes! Why buy new clothes when they grow out of them in a month!? I'm the youngest and sometimes I'm pretty sure I was wearing boys clothes, not that I minded, being a tomboy, so, kudos to you! You can spend the savings on braces! ; )" She's funny. :) She grew out of her tomboy-ness to be a quite stunning young lady. Though I bet she can still play catch with a softball and throw a spiral with a football. If we have a girl, I'm betting YOU'll be able to do those as well. Right Bay-bee?
Scott Wesley and I had lunch yesterday. Always good to get together with him. He was adamant that we not find out the sex before the birth for the "surprise effect" of it. I was just as adamant that we find out early for planning purposes. I'll be stunned and surprised and amazed and overwhelmed enough just by the birth of a happy, healthy little human. :) He has three children so he's looking for surprises. :) But here's to his good health as he did break his back 60 days ago in a Baja Motorbike Race. Bad stuff. Broke his L1 (extreme lower back). Ouch. But his back was in good enough shape for him to buy me lunch. :) His wife, Brooke, is a saint for putting up with that guy. Of course, many would say the same about Sheri.
Shawn and Natilya Smeltz are potentially moving. Natilya is pregnant and expecting on July 13. Rumor has it that it will be a boy. This will be their first as well. It's a shame they may be moving out of town. That is one of the problems of my profession. I get a call, "We're moving. Can you help us sell our house?" I don't know who the person is: most of the time they are referred, sometimes they respond to an ad or see a neighbor's house sell quickly. Then, I meet them and it makes me sad that I had not met them before because they are so cool. Shawn and Natilya definitely fit in this category. Shawn and I could definitely share some conversations about people, selling, and standards of performance. He's already very successful with a very bright future ahead of him. The next city's gain is Kansas City's loss.
Sheri is feeling better, Bay-Bee. You wiped her out there for a couple of months. Now she is doing the things she loves to do: mowing the lawn, working on our rentals, helping our team members succeed, scrapbooking, etc.
I also met with Jovi Katana to discuss selling their home. He and his wife, Joan, just had a little baby Christene. Precious little girl. When I met with Jovi, he mentioned different things about his home that need to be improved. As Jovi was talking, I was mentally going through all my friends who do business around the home: he mentioned a possible re-finance so I thought of our mortgage friends, he mentioned some dry wall repair so I thought of Handyman Matters/Karen Pierce and 12 Stones/Kent Warden. He mentioned not being a yard guy so I thought of Solutions Lawn and Landscape/James Schneider. He was referred by Darrin Wolff so I reemphasized to him how great Darrin was and what a leader Darrin was at our BNI - KC Plaza group. The mechanicals and electrical were good (new home) or I would have brought up Scott Carpus of Metro Mechanical and Brian Hatfield of Mr. Electric.
I also met with Marilyn Schoenfeld about putting her home on the market. I went to work for my professional friends again when I was talking with her. What a great lady! Used to be a teacher and has some great stories. We could have talked all day. As she spoke about her home (built in 1960 by her and her husband), I continued to think of my friends in the professional world and added many more referrals to my To Do List.
I'm a dot-connector in the network of life. I'm helping Jovi while also helping these top professionals. I'm helping Marilyn while also helping my Stellar Sellers. It's a win-win-win. You see, Bay-Bee, you get what you give in this life. The more you give, the more you will receive. And it's absolutely not about the receiving, it's about the giving. Give and give and give. No keeping score, no manipulation, and no friendly blackmail. Just give without conscience, without reason, continue to produce and practice these random and not-so-random acts of kindness. It will come back. Perhaps not directly, perhaps not in business, perhaps not for a long time, but it will and all the while, you are helping your friends and you are helping build your base of friends. The way I see it is that I am building my funeral attendee list. :)
Someday I will die. It's okay Bay-Bee, it will be a long time from now, but someday, inevitably, it will happen. And at that funeral, some of the greatest people in the world will stand up and say that they knew me. They will talk about the things I did for them and the help I provided them. You will stand and speak. And all will be well. The tears will stop flowing as more and more of these great people stand and deliver. People will realize that it is not a passing, but an honoring. It is not the end of a period, but more of a comma in life, a moment to stop and reflect on what has come before. Remember, Bay-Bee: You live as long as there is somebody to remember you.
Because that's what friends do and that's what friends are for...
To Your Success,
Bay-Bee's Papa (Michael)
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