On Saturday January 23, 2010, the students of Los Primeros School of Science & Arts will be holding a bake sale at the Camrillo’s Farmers Market from 8:00am to 12 noon.  The money raised will be donated to help the earthquake victims in Haiti.  The funds raised from the students’ bake sale will be matched Dollar for Dollar by Amgen.

The students participating in the back sale came up with the idea, have arranged all the planning, and are doing their own baking!  If you are in the Old Town area of Camarillo tomorrow, please stop by Los Primeros bake sale table and help support the students’ endeavors and a great cause!

Thanks in advance for supporting our kids!

On this beautiful sunny and warm Thanksgiving Day I am thankful for my beautiful family, my true friends, clients who have placed their trust in my hands, and numerous other gifts that God has bestowed upon me and my family.  As I look outside the window at this amazing place I call home I can not help myself but to recognize and be grateful for living in such a breathtaking corner of this universe.  Ventura County’s beauty has always kept me amazed and surprised.

They say pictures speak a thousand words and Kurt Preissler does a fantastic job to capture the incredible beauty of our County.

Below are just a few of Kurt’s captivating illustrations of Ventura County.

Happy Thanksgiving

As a devoted Blogger and a social media geek I saw the opportunity to once more enhance my knowledge of the ever changing Web 2.0 at the 2009 BlogWorld and New Media Expo.  I met many incredible bloggers and podcasters from all over the world.  Among the many brilliant minds that were present, I had the opportunity to meet with Rocky Turner, the founder of Mothers Fighting For Others (MFFO), a non-profit organization composed of mothers who are dedicated to providing orphans with opportunities to live a better life.

As a mother of four and as an individual who is passionate towards children’s causes, I have been inspired by Rocky’s hard work and persistent dedication to make this world a better place for children.  That’s why I’m pleased to announce that Ventura County Real Estate Talk has chosen to participate in a program initiated by Mothers Fighting For Others called Gift of Education.

Many of us take education for granted.  However, in many parts of the world education is not easily attainable.  In some countries, like Kenya, high school public education is an unrealistic goal for poor young women.  Hence, MFFO has formed The Gift of Education program which is dedicated to sponsoring the school expenses and everyday living requirements for a few orphan girls in Kenya. Listening to the stories of these innocent girls and their passion to defy all odds has encouraged me (with your help) to become a proud sponsor of an incredible teenage girl named Jane.

Meet Jane Washu

I would like you to meet our beautiful, quiet student Jane Washu.  Jane’s heart is full of love, yet she needs to be loved by people like us.  With your help and support, this courageous young woman can achieve an easy (yet to her, far-fetched) dream.  Everyone of us can make a difference and have an unforgettable impact on Jane’s life.  We can send Jane to high school and provide her a life full of our love and support.  Jane needs us to tell her that despite the difficult life that she has had, her future is bright and we are there for her to help with her future.

Our team, Team Jane, has set a goal to raise $1,500 to cover Jane’s cost of living and education for one whole year.  I believe in us and have witnessed Ventura County’s power of giving and compassion. We can do this.

Twitter, Facebook, Weblogs, are just a few of the well known forms of social media.  The interaction, marketing, and business opportunities offered by new social media networks are, unfortunately, still a mystery to most people.  My experience in social media first began as a blogger, hence the design and creation of Ventura County Real Estate Talk.  Today I’m involved in many different social media networks and I’m here to tell you why.

As a Blogger:

A week ago my blog, Ventura County Real Estate Talk, displayed strange fonts and paragraph spacing.  As a novice programmer I began hacking into my blog theme.  The problem was beyond my capabilities.  I posted a 140 character help message on Twitter and within few minutes I had several answers.  Latter on that same day, Dave Smith (@DaveInTucson) helped me over the phone and fixed the problem.  I’m forever in your debt Dave.

As a Pet Owner:

In the past few days our little Welsh Corgi was acting peculiar.  Her smiling face looked sad, she was sleeping for most of the day, and her appetite had disappeared.  I mentioned this issue on both Twitter and Facebook and once more within a matter of seconds I had an answer.  A Ventura County fellow social media friend, Jesse Luna (@jesseLuna) on Twitter put me in touch with an animal specialist, Bridget Pilloud (@petsaretalking) from Portland, OR.  My friends on Facebook and Bridget all had some very wise and insightful suggestions to help our dog feel better.  Today, our dog is feeling much better and is back to being herself again.  Thank you all for your help.

As a Realtor:

It is unfortunate when you see a friend, client, or a family member move away to a different location.  To make sure the people close to me are in good hands, I use my social media networks to find a suitable and experienced Realtor in their new area.  I have put a few friends in touch with some amazing Realtors in different parts of the country.  At the same time, I have had the opportunity to assist a few home buyers in Ventura County who were referred to me by other networking agents from different locations in the U.S.

My involvement in social media networks has also been beneficial for my home sellers.   With my home sellers’ permission I advertise their home on different networks and my blog.  Most of my home sellers were able to sell their home through a contact I receive from my online presence.  You may already know this; most home buyers do search online for their new home.

I love my job and I enjoy spreading my wings through the use of social media networking.  I take delight in knowing I have established many life long bonds with people from all over the world.  Every now and then when I have the opportunity to meet these incredible online friends face-to-face, the bonds grow deeper because there is nothing that can replace direct human interaction.

On Thursday April 16, 2009 Camarillo celebrated the grand opening of its long anticipated Promenade.  However, not all Camarillo or Ventura County residents welcome the expansion, and have some suggestions for stores that provide a better fit with the younger portion of Camarillo.

On an article previously written by yours truly about the Camarillo Promenade E.J comments:

Mana, it may seem nice for all the shoppaholics, but we definitely need much more for the family entertainment.  How about a Dave and Busters! Our college age young people would love it and there is definitely nothing like it in Ventura Co. Kids, families and singles would sure make use of it.

How could this be promoted?
E.J

Another frustrated reader writes:

These new developments are so disappointing (so far). I was born and raised in Camarillo, but have since opted to move to Ventura about 2 years ago. Why? Because Ventura has fun things to do. There is nothing better than small, non-chain restaurants where you know the food quality is good. Camarillo and their lack of vision burns me up. All of this land and more retail space…what for? The outlet mall isn’t even that great…unless you live out of town because its a novelty. Why would we want to expand upon that with more nonsense stores! I’d like to see a Cheesecake Factory or PF Changs if we have to go the chain route. Like someone said earlier, a Dave and Busters would be ideal. In case the old folks running this city forgot, Camarillo has become a college town…even though you wouldn’t know it since all of the college students go to T.O or Ventura to have fun. How about keeping the revenue in Camarillo and create, even a small scene, for college kids to congregate and have a fun time at. Just my thoughts…

The city of Camarillo claims that the new Camarillo Promenade will provide 400 new jobs.  What city officials have failed to see is that the same number of jobs could have been provided for employees of stores in the new Promenade that served the local residents rather than the visiting shoppers.  When city officials proposed a promenade in Camarillo many residents were under the impression that Camarillo’s promenade will be some what similar to that of Westlake’s Promenade.

A large chain book store or a few restaurants would have served the families and students of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) better than an extension to Camarillo’s Outlet Mall.

With the Promenade adding another 28 stores to the existing Camarillo outlet, Camarillo now houses the largest outlet center in California.  Why? That is the million dollar question…

For as long as I can remember McDonald has been a prominent fast-food restaurant and feature at at the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County.

On December of 2008, the McDonald located at the upper west end level of the Oaks Mall stopped serving the mall goers permanently.  The high cost of rent and drop in sales were some of the explanations given to the Oaks Mall shoppers.  Apparently, the long lines at this McDonald location were getting shorter and shorter as Ventura County residents were becoming less and less certain about the state of the country’s economy.

What do you think, mis-management or signs of bad economy?

Christmas has always been the most splendid celebrated holiday in my family.  My husband and I have not only embraced the holiday traditions we both grew up with, but have also created a few traditions of our own.  My family’s celebration of the Christmas holidays involves more than just the members of our household.  We love Christmas and especially the joy the holidays bring to children.  Throughout the years we have come to a conclusion that no matter how rough life gets, there is no room for sadness during Christmas Celebration.

For the past four years, my husband has been decorating his baby-blue, 1968, Dodge truck with Christmas lights.  Each year he adds or improves just a bit.  This year, old-Betsy (the name our daughters gave the truck) has a light up Santa hood-ornament, low-power LED lights, and a musical Christmas snow globe.  We really enjoy this simple, joyous means to celebrate the beauty of the Christmas holidays with others.  We especially love to see the children’s reactions when they notice the Christmas Truck, the big eyes, smiles, and waves are adorable.  Every year a group of us, which seems to be growing year after year, climb in the truck and spread the joy of the season by singing Christmas carols.

So next time you see a baby-blue dodge truck all lit up like a Christmas tree don’t be shy, wave, honk, or even stop to say hello.  Don’t be shy, Christmas is about loving each other and sharing the gift of love.

I’m very proud to announce that my 11 year old daughter, along with her younger cousins, is participating in Ventura County’s 1st Annual “Santa to the Sea” half Marathon and Relay.

The event will take place on December 13th, 2008, in Oxnard.  Santa to the Sea half Marathon and Relay is a fundraiser to help raise money and toys for the less fortunate children through out Ventura County.  The goal is to collect enough money and toys for 1000 unprivileged children in Ventura County.  The collection from the Santa to the Sea Marathon and Relay will be presented to the children on December 20th at the Santa Park, the location of the giant Santa off the 101 freeway, in Oxnard.

We are very excited about this event and hope that you can join us to cheer the runners (See map).  And if you do join us, please don’t forget to bring an unwrapped toy for the less fortunate children of our beautiful Ventura County.

Register for Santa to the Sea half Marathon or Relay.

No doubt times are tougher this Christmas.  In Ventura County we have witnessed many well established retailers and companies close their doors.  As hard as it is to see your favorite retail store or company close, there are a few entities that we should support in order for them to stay in business.

Did you know Sears Holding Corporation, the parent company of Sears and K-Mart, has helped and supported our men and women in the military since 1916?!!

Sears Holding Corporation not only helps our active military, but also the men and women who are in the reserves.  The corporation has received a few awards from the Department of Defense.

Sears Holding Corporation supports our military by:

• Providing employer support for our men and women in the National Guards and in the reserves.
• Allowing deployed Sears employees to participate in the company’s Life, medical, and dental insurance.
• Holding  a comparable position for deployed employees for up to five years.
• Providing deployed employees an annual merit pay increase.

Read more about Sears Holding Corporation’s Military Support.

So this holiday season consider purchasing your holiday gifts from a corporation that salutes and cares for our men and women in the military.

Location of Ventura County’s Sears and K-mart stores: