I was lucky enough to be a part of promoting an incredible gathering to help the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma Monday, and yesterday was honored to serve beside a group of very special people in our local community.

It’s times like these that you’re reminded that there’s so much more to life than the day-to-day routines we each run through to make sure that our own needs are met, that our families are taken care of, that we return phone calls and get the kids picked up from school, etc.

It’s about making a difference, and seeing the good in those around us.

Last night I was truly honored to work side-by-side with local attorneys, salespeople, bank executives, youth pastors, hourly employees, stay-at-home Moms, corporate managers, salon owners, videographers, and so many more… all working with one goal; to help people -even if only in a small way- to move toward getting their lives put back together after a terrible occurence.

Now I turn to you, asking you to PLEASE clean out your closets & garage and bring us your unused items to help these folks replace what they’ve lost.

These videos will show you what we’ve done so far, and when/where you can bring your donations:

Well, to say that Greyson Chance made Edmond proud this morning on the Ellen show would be doing a huge disservice to his performance. He rocked it!

My wife and I were just talking last night about how he very well may put Edmond back on the national stage the way Shannon Miller did in the 90′s, and he’s well on his way to doing that.

Way to represent, Greyson! Edmond, Oklahoma is P-R-O-U-D of you!

There are plenty of us who want to help, but don’t know what to do or where to get started, right?!

Here’s your chance! We’re calling for donations of household items to give these folks to help them either just get by, or to help replace at least some of the things they’ve lost. Bring any household items, furniture, clothing, etc to the drop off points (any of the OECU branches) as quickly as you can!! You can also stay up-to-date on the efforts by watching the twitter stream below.

Clients, this is a great chance to purge some of the things you need to before or after your move. REALTORS®, this is your chance to show everyone how much you love the community you serve!!

HUGE PROPS to those who worked so hard to put this all together!!

Well, all the buzz around OKC over the past couple of weeks has been about the return of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to Oklahoma, to work with Ideal Homes on their next project.

Our local RE pro, Richard Mize printed a nice summary of the festivities, as they ‘moved that bus,’ and here’s a nice little video about the project:

For the local Extreme Home Makeover fans, there’s a nice little surprise coming soon. The popular TV show is joining up with Ideal Homes to build a home for a family to be revealed early in February, so stay tuned!

Steve Lackmeyer of the Oklahoman just put together a very cool video about the history of Bricktown and the surrounding area. Call me a geek, but I kind of enjoy hearing about what used to be and how we got to where we are, as well as where we could be going. Enjoy!

Each time I witness a fire, flood, or any other devastation to property, it gets me thinking about my insurance coverage, and with the high-profile media coverage of yesterdays (and today’s) fire at the Enclave at Covell Village, I would guess there are many more folks thinking about the same thing.

Thankfully, this complex is under construction and unoccupied, but the fire could have easily spread into the adjoining neighborhood, as well as the neighborhoods and middle school north of it, thanks to the 30mph+ winds. Now would be a great time to call your insurance agent and review your policies to make sure you have adequate coverage because, as we all know too well, these things happen without notice and have the potential to turn your life upside-down without the proper coverage in place.

According to Marketwatch, Tulsa and Oklahoma City are tops in the country, due to stable local economies and strong housing markets.

Of course this is no surprise to us, but I think some folks around the country might be caught a little off guard, and by the looks of some of the comments, maybe even offended.

One of my many iPhone shots from the live Town Hall For Hope broadcast last night
Originally uploaded by rhukill

Last night was a great, encouraging time. My Wife and I had the pleasure of attending the live ‘Town Hall For Hope‘ event at Lifechurch.tv and hearing directly from the man, Dave Ramsey, about his take on the current economy. I, of course, love to have my own beliefs validated, but I think my wife might have thought she was listening to me in a Dave Ramsey costume or something

The common thread running through his hour-and-a-half talk was that the world is NOT coming to an end, that we are NOT in a depression greater than the great depression, and that if you want things to turn around, you have to take personal responsibility for your own finances and your own situation and make things happen. In other words, QUIT listening to the doom & gloom media, QUIT being scared, QUIT making excuses, and QUIT waiting on the government or the President to fix things.. it’s not their job, and even if it were, they couldn’t possibly do it! It’s up to each of us individually!

I’m hoping to have some video to post up on here soon for those of you who missed it, but for now, I’ve got a few quotes from Dave to leave you with, that directly addressed the real estate market:

• “Housing will lead us out of this recession.”
• “It’s the best time in 30 years to buy a home.”
• “I’m continuing to invest in real estate.”

Follow the smart money. Dave knows his stuff, and he’s right on the money about the real estate market.

According to News9, the Oak Tree Golf Club, under it’s new ownership, is making a dramatic change, and will now be called “Oak Tree National.” If you’re wondering WHY, as I was, check out this video of Owner, Ed Evans discussing the coming chages.