Emelyn Morris-Sayre, CRS, REALTOR Lakewood and Denver Metro homes

Over the past five days, we have experienced a lot of rain and storm activities here in the metro area. The other night, I watched as clouds built in the sky just east of my home. In just a matter of minutes, the clouds grew in size, color, dimension and ferocity. I was able to capture a few shots before the storm moved further east.

Recently I had the most wonderful experience...traveling, exploring and seeing incredible real estate in Europe! How did this happen?.....well, this is a tale about Sock Monkey and her expeditions in Europe.

Mid-April, I received a phone call advising me that my mother was ill. My sister and family, including my mom, had a Mediterranian cruise planned for over 9 months. Upon the disturbing news, I decided to make the trip as well and would end up sharing a suite with my mom. To have a little fun, I invited Sock Monkey whom would eventually become under the charge of our new grandson, Colin. I figured her adventures on a cruise would be a great story to tell a one year old.

So,

She was as excited as I was about our upcoming trip, We had to share a suitcase and we managed to pack most of the things we thought we needed to take.

Sock Monkey saved my seat at Denver International Airport while I went to grab a cup of coffee.

Our flight from Philadelphia to Barcelona was delayed due to weather. Sock Monkey wanted her picture taken with the airplane so that she could prove she actually made the trip!

Barcelona at last!!! The room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel was on the 18th floor with the most incredible views. Sock Monkey was thrilled to be overlooking the city as well as the waterfront.

Sock Monkey was the first to head to the roof-top pool at the Ritz-Carleton....nothing like a few good rays to brighten a girl's spirit!

We toured the old roman walk in Gothic part of Barcelona. The architecture was incredible.

So much to see, so little time.

Back on board, Sock Monkey relaxeson the balcony of our suite as we sail to our next port.....to be continued..........

It must be after 2 in the morning and it has been another one of those nights....my mind just won't shut down so that I can sleep. Rather than just laying there, I finally got up to see if I could accomplish something...anything!

I just finished reading a whole series of blogs about the REBAR camp held last week in Denver. Mike Henderson recaps the day with great comments and a wonderful sense of humor. With social networking taking off at lightning speed, it was energizing to listen to so many knowledgeable people discuss the issues it has created. The question I find myself asking is how do I want to incorporate any or all of these opportunities in my professional as well as personal life? Lots of choices and lots to think about.

I think I will try to get some sleep....maybe if I count tweets....

The annual mid-year meetings of the Council of Residential Specialists were held in Washington, DC, May 14 through May 17th. I had the pleasure of attending most of the varied committee meetings as well as those on which I have served for the past year - Regional Vice Presidents Committee (I am 2009 First Alternate), the communications advisory panel (oversees the CRS publication The Residential Specialist) and the MemberConnect Advisory Panel (our online resource for CRS members). Many ideas were shared, some of which will be implemented in the near future.

I had the distinct honor of applying and being appointed Regional Vice President for 2010-2011 for Region 5 which includes Alabama, North Alabama and Georgia Chapters. In August, I will be attending the Leadership Retreat in Chandler, AZ, where I will have the opportunity to network and get to know the leadership of these chapters prior to assuming my role as their RVP.

You may know some of the other brokers who were appointed RVPs for 2010-2011:

Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts - Nancy Rogers, CRS

Region 3: Maryland/DC, Virginia, Central VA, West VA - Hap Hilbish, CRS

Region 4: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee - Deborah Kniss, CRS

Region 5: Alabama, North Alabama, George - Emelyn Morris-Sayre, CRS

Region 9: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma - Bonnie Dailey, CRS

Region 10: Louisiana, Alamo Area South TX, Lone Star TX - Dave Anderson, CRS

Region 13: Northern CA, Southern CA, Hawaii Aloha - Julie Tetsworth, CRS

Region 15: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado - Carol Murphy, CRS

Alternate #1 - Shirley Matlock, CRS

Alternate #2 - Beverlee Vidoli, CRS

Alternate #3 - Jan McClanahan - CRS

The remaining 8 regions will completing the second year of their terms in 2010. Congratulations to everyone.

I spent this morning attending a class on social media and blogging and I found myself defending and plugging my site and blog on ActiveRain. The whole internet system is mind-blogging (excuse the pun) and as it is changing daily, we, obviously, have to stay on top in order to compete....or just stay on top of things.

First let me say, the Realtors that gave the class, I have the utmost respect for and they are highly successful. And I definitely intend to continue to learn from them....and I am going to give them a plug here....Drew Shope (http://localism.com/neighbor/dshope ) ....if you are into tatoos...this is your man!) and Mike Welk (http://activerain.com/mikewelk ) - the short sale expert in the Denver market )....both talented and very on top of how we are doing business....they are also probably 20 years my junior...but their perception of how real estate is going and how we communicate is relevant. And I want to stay relevant and am working hard to be connected to all of my clients and future clients. They believe Realtors need a presence, but not necessarily the level of rainmaking that I think is important.

A big concern today is that there are so many sites that are free for Realtors to promote their business, then why should Realtors pay to be on a network....I believe in ActiveRain and cannot possibly express the personal rewards that I have experienced from the new friends that I have met through the site. I just felt that I needed to share what I am hearing.

To me, there is nothing more uplifting than a fresh rainshower on my uplifted face.