First, I would like to thank Elliot for giving me this platform to discuss  an issue that has recently hit very close to home in the Domainer world.

My dear friend, Matthew Berrier, used to work for me at DNS.com (located in  Louisville, KY) until he left to start his own domain brokerage firm.  He  has spent the past year building his fledgling business and has working day  and night to support his family. Matthew had even begun teaching his  daughter, Brianna Berrier, about domains – so much so that she had acquired  some names of her own and had even started her own business.

Tragically, on April the 12th, Brianna passed away.  She was 13 years old.

With her passing, they are left with an infant child and 12 year old boy  with a single family income.

Along with the emotional burden they now carry, they’ve also been dealt a  massive financial blow. I spoke with Matthew and the cost of the funeral,  arrangements, and everything else is going to exceed $15,000.  Currently  they are in need of funds to help bury their little girl.

If you are able to make a donation of any size it would mean the world to  Matthew and his family.  BriannaBerrier.com has been setup as a memorial  site and also as a way to take donations.

You can make a direct PayPal donation to ourangelbrianna@yahoo.com  and  please visit the site BriannaBerrier.com  to leave an inspiring comment  to the family showing your support. You can also keep up with the donation  amount at BriannaBerrier.com/make-a-donation/.

Even if you cannot donate, leaving a kind word on the website would mean the  world to them.  Thank you for kind consideration. It is truly appreciated.

Just wanted to say thanks for the emails, texts, instant messages, and phone calls today. We are safe and sound after watching my friend Joe run the Boston Marathon this morning. Luckily for us, he ran at a pace of about 7:30/mile and crossed the finish line before the explosions.

I was finishing up a run when I heard the news (thanks to my friend Scott Ross for being the first to check in on us).

It’s a sad day in Boston, and I hope those of you reading this who were in the area or had friends in the area are safe.

I wanted to share something with you that my Dad told me about, and I think you might enjoy learning more about it. The Chocolate Bar Book is a great story about the friendship shared between two children. I’ve embedded the video above so you can learn more about how Dylan is raising money to help his best friend Jonah who is sick with a liver condition called GSD.

You can find out more on the Chocolate Bar Book website.

Our move is almost complete, and I am officially a Massachusetts resident. We started moving in to our home a couple of weeks ago, and Verizon Fios was finally installed today. For the last two weeks, I’ve been going back and forth between Starbucks wifi connections as time permitted, and using my iPad and iPhone to try and keep things operating.

I certainly have a lot of catching up to do. I feel so disconnected after not reading much on the blogs, forums, and other domain industry websites. I wish I could say that I spent that time lounging around and relaxing, but a move is a pain in the you know what!

I just want to give you a quick head’s up to let you know I’ll be responding to all emails I missed very soon. Sorry that it’s taken a bit more time these last two weeks, but that’s life I suppose.

I sure am glad I am not in New York City right now… With Hurricane Sandy about to strike, the city appears to be virtually shut down. There were lines out the door at grocery and wine stores yesterday, and people are making sure they are prepared.

As I mentioned yesterday, we’ve been staying in southern New Hampshire until our house is ready, and it sounds like we are going to avoid a direct hit from Hurricane Sandy. We are still expecting some rough weather (rain and wind), but hopefully it won’t end up being too bad.

Here’s a funny sign advertising ark curtains from the Linen & Shade Bin, a store that sells window treatments in New Hampshire. 🙂

If you are in the path of Hurricane Sandy, I hope you make it through without any damage.