The Nashville Team is Rockin' it OUT!

So much change is in the air . . . and we're right in the thick of it! I remembered this morning that I have always felt as though my 30th and my 33rd years would be highly significant. Not only did I give birth to the most amazing children on the planet during each of those years, but I am also now in business again at 33, absolutely LOVING it, and thanking God for His promises!

I just HAD to share part of this e-mail with you. Every paid Cruise to Cash Vacations member received the following e-mail this morning. Thousands of people all over the globe are hearing about the awesome Nashville CTCV Team, and I'm part of it! SO exciting!!!

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 9:21 PM, No-Reply CTC Admin wrote:

We had one more open BYOB (Build Your Own Business) Call last night designed for info regarding the new products and websites. It was a very good call and we heard from Bill even more exclusive deals that demonstrate the high class and quality that you get by being a member of Cruise to Cash Vacations.

Check out this 50-minute call: http://www.byoaudio.com/play/WfM7kqC4

**The $500 off Voyageur special is coming ending very soon!** Don’t hesitate to
utilize this special price to grow your business!

TESTIMONIAL:

In Nashville, two members [DAVE DURHAM AND LORI TODD!!!] held a house-party about CTCV. They invited a number of guests and 14 non-CTCV members showed up. After the meeting and when the dust settled, within 48 hours there were 6 sales directly resulting from that one meeting with 14 non-members there! And two more coming shortly.

This group is holding a 2nd meeting at a restaurant Thursday night
and 40 people are expected! [THIS IS TONIGHT AT KALAMATA'S--JOIN US AT 8 PM IF YOU CAN!] They are also forming a cohesive team that works together to
train, do live meetings, form marketing co-ops and more!

One of the things that will be powerful about the Business Center is the Member’s Forum where things like this and many other ideas can be shared. We will be
preparing a kit on “How to Grow a CTCV Dynasty with Live Meetings.” Very
powerful stuff!


MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW TO JOIN US FOR THE GRAND BAHAMAS FULL SAIL GETAWAY!

The full info about the CTCV Full Sail Info is available.
Go register right away!
Make sure YOU ARE THERE!
Go now to: http://cruisetocash.com/getawaybahamas.php

Fun with Finger Paints

This is what happens when a 4-year-old boy discovers unopened finger paints in the art closet on a hot, summer day, spreads out a cardboard box on the porch, turns on the hose, and invites his baby sister to get in on the action. The result?

A "slip-board." And hosed-down kiddos. What Summer Fun!

New and Exciting Information!

I have LOTS to communicate this time, so here's a quick topical summary:

• SURGERY UPDATE
• GRAND OPENING LOCATION
• BAHAMAS GETAWAY--ALL INCLUSIVE!
• INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL
• MEET THE CREW CALL TONIGHT

SURGERY UPDATE
You may have already heard that I spent the weekend in Vanderbilt's emergency care suffering from a large kidney stone that was removed yesterday morning after it was zapped with a laser. My new motto is "Stay Hydrated!" That was the most painful experience I've ever had in my life. Worse than endometriosis, broken bones, and two natural childbirth experiences. I wouldn't ever want anyone to go through what I went through this weekend, so remember to "STAY HYDRATED!"

I'm taking it easy at home, trying to catch up on e-mail, and getting ready for a big week ahead.
This Thursday is the Grand Opening Celebration of my new travel business!

GRAND OPENING
We have an awesome location: Kalamata's Mediterranean Restaurant in Green Hills (in the same shopping center with Starbucks, Smoothie King, Fed-Ex Kinkos, Pier 1, Diamond Jewelers, Oreck, Sprint, Elan, Jenny Craig, and Bank of Nashville) just past the Woodmont/Hillsboro Rd. intersection at Crestmoor and Hillsboro Rd. (across from Krystal's).

We're going to get there around 7 PM for dinner (we love the fish special!) and the party will start at 8 PM with desserts, coffee, tea, live entertainment, prizes, and fabulous giveaways. You won't go home empty-handed!

Tod Bell, the co-founder of Cruise to Cash Vacations will be speaking. Join us if you can. We're going to have a blast!

BAHAMAS GETAWAY--ALL INCLUSIVE!
Join me and my family as we venture to the spectacular Grand Bahamas Island from September 25-28 on an all-inclusive getaway.

Arrive on the Island to be welcomed at the beautiful Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort to enjoy 3 full nights and 4 days on the 1,200 feet of white sands and endless crystal clear waters. As the only all-inclusive resort on the island, surrounded by tropical forests and parklands, Fortuna Beach is like having your own private paradise. Enjoy memorable snorkeling in one of the world's largest reef systems just off shore.

The Viva Wyndham Resort, is not just "another resort"--"All-Inclusive" means that meals at our three restaurants, cocktails, wine and beverages, snacks and much more are included in your package. So are numerous water sports, lessons, shows and activities, including the Kid's Club and the new Viva Circus, with thrilling acrobatic performances, stunts and interactive trapeze lessons. Optional scuba diving, natural-park and city-marketplace excursions, jet ski rental, golf, cruising and fishing are just a few of the many possibilities that round out a Fortuna Beach vacation.

The Total price for this Amazing 4 Day "ALL INCLUSIVE EVENT" is ONLY . . .
Event Package 1 (single person) - $550.00
Event Package 2 (2 adults in one room) - $785.00
Event Package 3 (Family of 4) - $995.00 (children 16 and under)

EARLY REGISTRATION (Ends August 31st at midnight EST):

Price Includes
» Accommodations
» Full breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
» Unlimited beverages, cocktails and wine
» Welcome cocktail upon check-in
» Daily activities and fitness programs
» Unlimited non-motorized sports with complimentary lessons
» Enrollment in the Viva Kids Club
» Live nightly entertainment
» Nightly turn-down service
» All taxes, surcharges, gratuities
» Entrance to ALL Product and Marketing Training Events
» And ... much, much more.

Click HERE for all the details about the Kids' Retreat, Delicous Dining, Activities and Entertainment, the Circus, and more! You won't want to miss this fabulous weekend! Join us by registering today!

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL
The introductory special will be drawing to a close in just a few more days. You have until midnight, Thursday, July 31, to become a Voyageur Member at $977 and enjoy a $500 discount. What comes with your membership? Take a look!

***Exclusive membership to travel deals and concierge service that are second-to-none. Book condos for a week and spend $700 instead of $2,300! Take cruises for pennies on the dollar. Travel on business and stay in hotels knowing you're getting the lowest prices available, guaranteed. You will be blown away both by the money you'll save on all your travel and by the VIP treatment you'll receive as a member!

***Access to unlimited vacation certificates for personal use or to give away as promotional offers or gifts (give away vacations to your family, friends, employees, colleagues, customers, wait staff in hotels and restaurants, or anyone who could use a vacation). Recipients can activate the certificates for a small fee of $5 to $55. Once the voucher is received, travel can be booked within one to two years, depending on the certificate. The recipient is only responsible for paying the room tax or port fees on hotels, condos, and cruises. If you haven't received a certificate from me, let me know so I can send you one!

***A $70 hotel card which includes a free weekend getaway at any Wyndham Resort in the Continental U.S.

***A $150 cruise card which includes a free cruise as well as a pre- and post-hotel stay.

***An $1,800 condo card which provides $1,800 worth of discounts on condos as well as a $350 cash-back rebate.

***Access to all three Travel Concierge Cards at wholesale prices. Buy them for yourself, buy them as gifts, or sell them for profit. For example, as a Voyageur Member, you can buy a $6,000 condo card for $800 and pay $0 for your next week-long condo stay. Use the card yourself or give it away--where else can you buy a $6,000 gift for $800?

***Rewards points on all travel, which translates into hundreds of dollars toward your next vacation: Get Paid to Travel!

***and SO MUCH MORE!

If you haven't signed up as a FREE MEMBER, now is the time. Take a look at the back office. Check out what Cruise to Cash Vacations has to offer. We have a full-disclosure policy. If you don't like what you see, simply unsubscribe. It's that simple!

DAILY MEET THE CREW CALLS
We have daily "Meet the Crew" conference calls going on throughout the week. I host the Tuesday night call at 8 PM EST (7 pm Nashville time) and I present on Wednesday nights at 11 PM EST (10 pm Central).

1-605-475-6910 Access Code is 190241#

Our call schedule is as follows:
Monday-Thursday-- 1PM EST, 8PM EST, and 11PM EST.
Friday--1PM EST only
Saturday-- 11AM EST only
Sunday-- 8PM EST and 11PM EST

If you'd like to hear Tod Bell, the co-founder of Cruise to Cash Vacations present the business on a pre-recorded call that you can access 24/7, call 1-618-355-1490.

Whew, that's a lot of information!

Hope to see you on the conference calls, on Thursday at my Grand Opening Celebration, and in September on the Grand Bahamas Island!

"Why did Mommy have a ROCK in her back?'

Night before last, I woke up in excrutiating pain at 3:30 AM--pain FAR worse than childbirth, endometriosis, or broken bones.

After an all-night stay in the emergency ward of Vanderbilt hospital, I had a kidney stone surgically removed by ureteroscopy.

I'm back at home on the mend, but I won't be able to pick the kids up for 2-3 days. I'm still pretty sore, but that's nothing compared to what I went through with the stone lodged in my ureter.

Prevent kidney stones! Stay hydrated!

Helen Keller, the reader.

During a recent trip to the downtown Main library, I picked up Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life. I happened to land on a page describing her love of books. She writes:

"I have thus far sketched the events of my life, but I have not shown how much I have depended on books not only for pleasure and for the wisdom they bring to all who read, but also for that knowledge which comes to others through their eyes and their ears. Indeed, books have meant so much more in my education than
in that of others, that I shall go back to the time when I began to read.

"I read my first connected story in May, 1887, when I was seven years
old, and from that day to this I have devoured everything in the shape of a
printed page that has come within the reach of my hungry finger tips . . .

"At first I had only a few books in raised print . . . but I read them
over and over, until the words were so worn and pressed I could scarcely make
them out" (copyright 1954, p. 90-93; originally published 1905).

Helen Keller dates the beginning of her "true interest in books" to the first time her teacher, Miss Sullivan, read to her the book "Little Lord Fauntleroy." She remembers the experience with such vivid clarity that I simply must share it here:

"I recall distinctly the time and place when we read the first chapters of the fascinating child's story. It was a warm afternoon in August. We were sitting
together in a hammock which swung from two solemn pines at a short distance from
the house. . . . As we hastened through the long grass toward the hammock, the
grasshoppers swarmed about us and fastend themselves on our clothes, and I
remember that my teacher insisted upon picking them all off before we sat down,
which seemed to me an unnecessary waste of time. . . . The warm sun shone on the
pine trees and drew out all their fragrance. The air was balmy, with a tang of
the sea in it. Before we began the story Miss Sullivan explained to me the things that she knew I should not understand, and as we read on she explained the unfamiliar words. At first there were many words I did not know, and the reading was constantly interrupted; but as soon as I thoroughly comprehended the situation, I became too eagerly absorbed in the story to notice mere words, and I am afraid I litened impatiently to the explanations that Miss Sullivan felt to be necessary. When her fingers were to tired to spell another word, I had for the first time a keen sense of my deprivations. I took the book in my hands and tried to feel the letters with an intensity of longing that I can never forget" (p.92).

Later in the book, we hear from the editor, John Albert Macy, who has studied Miss Keller's letters and as well as the reports and letters of her teacher, Miss Sullivan. With regard to Keller's unusual command of the English language, Macy writes:

"No innate genius can invent fine language. The stuff of which good style is made must be given to the mind from without and given skilfully. A child of the muses cannot write fine English unless fine English has been its nourishment. In this, as in all other things, Miss Sullivan has been the wise teacher. If she had not had taste and an enthusiasm for good English, Helen Keller might have been brought up on the 'Juvenile Literature,' which belittles the language under pretense of being simply phrased for children; as if a child's book could not, like 'Treasure Island' or 'Robinson Crusoe' or the 'Jungle Book,' be in good style" p.336.

I couldn't agree more, which is why I often seek out books that were published before 1960 to read to my children. It is also why I eagerly flip through Honey for a Child's Heart for excellent book recommendations. This week we have the treasured Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and Summertime from Porgy and Bess by Gershwin, Heyward/Wimmer. Lovely books. Rich, beautiful, transcending reads. Books to read over and over and over again.

Who needs toys when you have an imagination?

Judah is nearly always dressed up as something. Usually, he has a towel or bandana on his head and a sword in his hand. Prepare to hear an, "Arrrrgh, Matey! Where's the buried treasure? Are you ready to sail the high seas?" in his best pirate-growl. This behavior is not restricted to our home. No, it happens at restaurants, too. And parks. And grocery stores. And farmers' markets.

Yesterday at Kalamata's, a man asked me if this was just a phase. I responded, "I hope not. I hope he continues with imaginary play for the rest of his life. I hope I'm raising another James M. Barrie, the Peter Pan playwright." It's easy to forget how to pretend. Our kids remind us, though, that it's like riding a bike. You never, ever lose your ability to make swords from rolled up paper, eye-patches from rubber bands and old scraps of leather, and treasure boxes from anything that will hold a simple object.

More and more, I'm convinced that kids--especially boys--don't need conventional toys. Nearly all of the (plastic) gifts Judah received for his 4th birthday on March 1 are now broken and tossed in the trash. It's only July. At the same time, he rarely plays with anything more than his blocks and his "dress-up stuff." He loves to dress Miriam up, too, and swordfight as you can see from the picture. Give the kid a couple rocks, some sticks, and some dirt and he'll be deliriously happy for hours.

Miriam, on the other hand, loves to hold hands and dance. Put on some danceable music (our favorite right now is "R U Ready" from Godfrey Birtill & Band's Very God), and she gets Judah on one side and me on the other and instantly gets us all dancing. She's all of two feet tall, but she can move!

She has also taken to carrying around a little purse (thank you, Nana Pajama Pants!) and a little doll (thank you, Auntie Bec!) as she makes her way around the house and to the car, just like Mommy.

People often ask me about the kids and their imaginations, their verbal skills, and their temperaments (when they're not mid-meltdown, of course). I tell them that my secret is very little screen time (less than one movie a week for Judah and no screen time at all for Miriam until she's at least two) and LOTS of excellent books (check out Honey for a Child's Heart for recommendations).

We read book after book after book after book--all day. My favorite part of the day happens when Miriam goes down for an afternoon nap and Judah and I read the next couple chapters of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

We cuddle up in my bed and read for at least an hour. We're approximately one-fourth of the way through the final book in the series. As excited as I am about finishing, I'm also sad that it's about to end. Those books are treasures. The real treasure, though, is the sweet time I'm getting with my growing young man while he's still small enough to sit in my lap and "cozy up."

This post is part of the Water-Cooler Wednesday blog carnival at Ethos.

Update on Caroline and Whitney

Here is the latest on the girls:

Whitney broke her back. If she stays immobilized her spine is lined up perfectly and she is not paralyzed. She will be fine as long as the body cast can keep her lined up that way. Caroline suffered a clean break in her upper arm. She will be fine as far as they can tell but, she is in a tremendous amount of pain. Pray Pray Pray.

A day in the life . . .

A beautiful 13-year-old asked me what I did today. This was my response:

mowed the lawn. :0)
made food.
changed diapers.
wiped poop.
washed dishes.
did laundry.
talked to people on the phone.
responded to e-mails.
prayed.
read stories.
played pirates.
danced with my kids in the living room.
i'm sure there's more. :0)
oh, cuddled and laughed a lot.
and took pictures.
and two videos.

A day in the life of a work-from-home mama.

Update . . .

UPDATE to Urgent Prayer Need:

Both girls are stable and are on an ambulance right now on their way to Vanderbilt. She and Whitney were in a 4 -wheeler accident out at the Huskey's lakehouse. Caroline shattered her arm between the shoulder and elbow.Whitney may have been hurt more seriously--looks like a ruptured disk.

Please continue to pray!

Urgent Prayer Need

Urgent Prayer Need:

Caroline Smallwood and Whitney Huskey were in a serious accident and are being rushed to Cookeville hospital. That's all I know right now.

Yet another Judah Conversation

"Mommy, I need to go poop! Will you come and wipe me?"

Runs to the potty holding his bottom, then yells from the bathroom.

"OK, Mommy, come and wipe me, please!"

I walk in and sit down on the side of the tub getting ready to have him lean over my knee so I can make sure he's nice and clean. He says:

"Let's see if it's a GUN poop."

He looks in the potty.

"It IS a gun poop!"

I get up to wash my hands. He says:

"If I didn't touch my butt, do I need to wash my hands? I can just pull up my pants and walk out, right?"

Ah, the joy of parenting an extremely verbal boy.

********************

One of his favorite games to play is "rescue." Tonight he had me pretend to be the King while he pretended to be the Knight. I had to create dangerous scenarios for the Queen and the Princess. He slayed the dragon and cut off his head and threw it into the ocean. He killed the witch. He rescued the damsels in distress. He received high praise from the King and all of the Kingdom. A mighty warrior in training.

********************

Earlier today, we were sitting on the front porch. I had Miriam sitting behind me (really close--we were sitting on a folded up stroller together) and Judah beside me. He wanted me to put together his toy castle. I was busy with some business e-mails, so I told him he'd need to wait a few minutes. He put 2/3rds of the castle together and nearly jumped out of his skin, he was so excited. He threw his arms in the air and cheered like he's never cheered before. Ah, the feeling of accomplishment. He asked if we could invite Miss Gwen (our neighbor) over to see it. He shouted for her, but she was inside. So we called Daddy and left a message. The next 1/4th of the castle he struggled with, but the whole time he was saying, "I know I can. I know I can. I know I can."

********************

We met Mr. Honey for dinner tonight at Kalamata's (so we could confirm with the owner that we'll be able to use the restaurant for my Grand Opening celebration in two weeks). We managed to get out of the house with a simple, "OK, let's go!" and while I buckled Miriam into her seatbelt, Judah climbed into the van and sat in his seat. I felt like Super Mom. I came over to buckle him in and said, "Judah, you never cease to amaze me. I love that you just climbed right in here and sat in your seat without me having to ask you." His response?
"And I'm only 4 years old."

I love being a mom.

Guilt or Freedom . . . I choose freedom.

After my shameless promotion of the most recent big sale my company offered . . . which, by the way, has been EXTENDED!!! (I know I'm over-the-top when it comes to promoting things--extend grace, please! It's part of my DNA as a sapphire--I'll explain more in the next post), I strapped the kids in the car this morning and we headed to playgroup.

Well, our playgroup leader had a baby yesterday, the co-leader forgot today was Thursday and headed off to Nashville Shores, and the other Nashville mama who joins us most often had her mom in town, so the kids and I went to Kalamata's instead and picked up food for Wendy, our fearless leader and, as of yesterday morning, mother of four.

Wendy's brand new baby's name is Zivah Rain Knight. Zivah (pronounced ZEE-vah) means "radiant." And radiant she is.

I looked up Zivah on Google and remembered that a baby names website tracks the popularity of names. Interestingly enough, "Judah" wasn't even on the chart until 1999, which is the year I married James. Now it's quickly gaining popularity. In September 2000, the Lord gave me the name Judah, so I began praying for my future son (sometimes I would think the name was for some other purpose but I secretly hoped that would be the name of my son). I wonder what God is doing by suddenly increasing the number of Judahs on the earth. By the way, "Judah" means praise.

Anyway, we all piled in the car, took lunch to Wendy, and headed back to Kalamata's for our own lunch. The kids dined on lamb and rice while I enjoyed a nice salmon stuffed with feta and spinach over a Greek salad. Once we got back in the car, the "what should we do next" discussion commenced. Since Tiffany was hot and wanted to either go swimming or enjoy an air-conditioned venue, I eventually decided to head back home. On the way home, I realized that she had converted me from "I'm not going to be inside on a gorgeous day like today" to "I'm hot and tired and don't want to suffer in this humidity another second."

We pull into the driveway, get out of the car, and I hear the rumble of a lawnmower next door. It's Mr. Tidwell. He's MOWING THE LAWN in the heat. He's 93 years old! I felt like a total wuss.

After a short rest, we ended up taking Tiffany back home to her family since she hasn't seen them in approximately two weeks. On the way back to the house, I decided to stop at the downtown main library. I ended up checking out six books for the kids about pioneer life or life during the Depression era. Nearly every story tells of the normalcy of hard labor and the time-consuming, intensity of travel--without cars.

Pair this with coming back from a seminar that teaches people how to live without being a slave to materialism, how to get out of debt without increasing your income, and how to enjoy life without succumbing to the pressure of what someone else wants you to have or the way someone else wants you to do things.

On top of that, I've been doing a little proofreading for a friend who is a professional organizer. As I read her stuff, it gets in my brain. I start looking around at all the crap in my house that we wouldn't have if not for materialism, debt, and other people's opinions. What if we lived in a simple cabin in the 1930's? What if everything in my house brought a smile instead of guilt or frustration? Oooooh, speaking of guilt, JennyB wrote a fabulous post about that HERE.

This weekend, Dani Johnson said, "Options are a disease." When I shared this with my dear friend Leilani, she said, "A disease is something that invades your body and causes it to behave differently than it normally would." Exactly.

So, how do you get out of debt without increasing your income? Eliminate options.

(This is straight from the Dani Johnson seminar "First Steps to Success" this weekend. I HIGHLY recommend it!)

How many options do you have for breakfast in your pantry?
How many options do you have for breakfast in your refrigerator?
How many options do you have for breakfast in your freezer?

Do you know why you have all those options?

Because you have the money.

Now, how many options do you have for lunch in your pantry?
In your fridge?
In your freezer?

Do you know why you have all those options?

Because you have the money.

And, finally, how many options do you have for dinner in your pantry?
In your fridge?
In your freezer?

Do you know why you have all those options?

Because you have the money.

And most of you still go out to eat!

(Please, please know that this came directly from Dani Johnson and that I'm talking to myself, too. Somehow, her examples completely revolutionized how I think about money. I'm beginning to scrutinize purchases more. I'm sensing the freedom of having a budget; whereas, before it felt constraining. I'm undergoing serious change. And I'm convinced that we'll have at least non-mortgage debt paid off by the end of the year. We're already making progress!)

Dani said, "Eat what is already in your house. Look for and cut the "fat" in your budget--the excess--your empty purchases. Apply that money toward your smallest debt and pay it off. Once it's paid off, (and this is basic Dave Ramsey stuff, too) you add the "fat" amount you cut out of your budget to the amount you are already used to paying from the small debt you just eliminated, and apply that chunk of cash every month to your next smallest debt until it's paid off, and so on and so on, creating a snowball effect. She had me convinced that we could eliminate our debt even if we didn't make any additional money this year.

Dani says, "Debt is a habit. You can be the wealthiest person in the world and still be a slave to debt." So true. Even more reason to get out at your current income level!

OK, so then, on the way home from the seminar, I finished reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. He laid out a simple budget plan that I got really excited about. I actually got excited about a budget! Probably for the first time in my life! Before, I felt as though we needed a budget to be our watchdog or our guard, like a policeman or soldier. Now, I'm feeling like it's our welcomed ticket to financial freedom!

If you haven't read that book, it's a MUST read. It will change you. It is truly like getting a financial sozo (translation: emotional, physical, and spiritual FREEDOM through salvation, healing, and deliverance--the word actually means ALL THREE. Do you know what JESUS means? Healing, salvation, and deliverance!).

And I'm ALL about increasing freedom!

The BEST investment you've EVER made . . .

Unbelievable Promotion from My Travel Company . . . I'm so excited about it I want to share it with the whole world!

You know how Costco works? You pay a membership fee and you get access to discounted goods in bulk, right? My travel business works the same way. You pay a one-time membership fee and you gain access to travel perks that have traditionally only been available to timeshare owners and industry insiders. With my business, I get timeshare privileges without timeshare prices or timeshare presentations. I'm also not limited to a small inventory of hotels, condos, and cruises. My company contracts with the largest private-label travel provider in the world. We are an international travel business offering tremendous discounts and concierge service that is unparalled.

For the next 24 hours--from now until noon EST tomorrow, 7/16/08--Cruise to Cash Vacations (CTCV) is running a HUGE promotion. You can come in as Voyageur Member (a $1,477 fee) with all the perks, but pay the Cruiser membership fee ($977), saving you $500! The window is closing, so if you're seriously looking for a way to enjoy traveling the world without spending a fortune, this is the time to JUMP.

A major perk to this business is that when you share how awesome your last trip was and how little it cost you, and people ask how they can do the same thing, you make money when they join as a member. You can make up to $1,177 every time someone joins as a Voyageur member. Now, if you bought a timeshare, you would spend as much as $38,000 with NO opportunity to make money unless you can eventually sell it, and good luck doing that. With my company, you make money every time you travel, every time someone buys a travel membership, and every time someone travels using a travel concierge card that you sold them (you also make money on the sale of the cards!)--with CTCV you instantly tap into multiple streams of income. And . . . it is not uncommon for people working part-time to make upwards of $5,000 a month. In fact, some are making $20,000 a month and more. I have personally spoken with them. I have met them. They are just like me. Simple, hard-working people who understand the value of the dollar--people who recognize a good investment when they see it. The only difference is they are experiencing financial freedom and I'm working toward it!

So what exactly do you get for an investment of $977?

***you instantly become a business owner, enjoying all the tax advantages of owning your own business without any overhead or administrative hassles***you gain access to unlimited travel certificates that enable you and everyone you know to travel for pennies on the dollar***you can begin using your travel center, which provides discounted fares on everything related to travel with concierge service***AND--THIS IS HUGE--you'll get three travel concierge cards at wholesale (cost is approx. $40 for a savings of nearly $400)*****The hotel card retails for $79 and guarantees you lowest prices on hotels for life. It also includes a free stay at any Wyndam resort nationwide.*****The cruise card retails for $149 includes a free cruise with pre- and post-cruise hotel stay.*****The $1,800 condo card gives you $1,800 worth of discounts on condo stays, and includes a cash-back rebate of $175!
. . . and there's more!

I just can't imagine any other place that you can spend $977 and get SO much value for your investment! This is some SERIOUS bang for your buck!

Do you think $977 is a lot of money? Think about it this way: How many of your car payments add up to $977? How many times have you spent at least $977 on ONE vacation? Is an investment of $977 worth the potential to make a six-figure income this year and travel for next-to-nothing? Is it worth spending $977 now to not only join an exclusive travel membership giving you both the lowest prices guaranteed on your travel, but also concierge service? What if that investment turned around and made you thousands more by the end of the year? We're talking about an investing--not spending. There is a huge difference.

Tod Bell, a long-time friend and the co-founder of CTCV, went into debt with his first Internet-based network marketing company. He put a couple grand on his credit card (which is something he hadn't done in years and years--he HATES debt), but within six months he earned $140,000. That's hands-down the best investment he's ever made.

You can do the same thing today!

You just go to http://ltodd.cruisetocash.com/opportunity.php and sign up as a free member. Whatever username you use will be what goes in front of your website (as you can see, I used ltodd). Then, when you sign into your back office, you go to the "make payments" tab. You will end up making three payments that the system will walk you through. If you need help, just call me and I'll be happy to explain anything that's unclear.

Can you believe this?!?

I'm completely blown away. I had trouble sleeping because I'm so excited. If you know ANYONE who has ever considered owning a business, who loves to travel, or who knows a good investment when shes see one, have him or her contact me ASAP!

Have an awesome day!!!

Lori Todd . . . (615) 496-8079
http://increasingfreedomnow.com/ (my business website)
http://increasingfreedomnow.wordpress.com (my business blog)

"Working toward living on 10% and giving away 90%"

"You'll never get rich . . . "

While sitting in the Pittsburgh airport this weekend, waiting for my bag, I picked up my Secrets of the Millionaire Mind book by T. Harv Eker. He hasn’t touched on network marketing much except to say, “Consider network marketing” when I was considering other options. Just minutes ago, I read the following excerpt:

I encourage you to work “for yourself.” Start your own business, work on commission, get a percentage of revenue or company profits, or get stock options. Whatever your vehicle, make certain you create a situation that allows you to get paid based on your results.

Prior to this paragraph, he quoted his father, who said, “You’ll never get rich working on straight salary for someone else. If you’re going to get a job, make sure you get paid on percentage. Otherwise, go work for yourself!”

T. Harv Eker, in case you didn’t already know, is a multi-multi-millionaire. Something that occurred to me in the airport restroom is that most people get their advice from people who are very near the same level of financial success as they are, but I’ve decided that in order to break past the level of comfortable and into obscene generosity, I’ve got to get my financial advice from extremely successful people.

Next, Eker says:

Personally, I believe just about everyone should own their own business, be it full-time or part-time. The first reason is that by far, the vast majority of millionaires became rich by being in their own business.

Secondly, it’s extremely difficult to create wealth when the tax man is grabbing almost half of everything you earn. When you own a business, you can save a small fortune in taxes by writing off a portion of your expenses for such things as your car, travel, education, and even your home. For that reason alone, it’s worth having your own business.

If you don’t have a brilliant business idea, not to worry: you can use someone else’s. First, you can become a commissioned salesperson. Selling is one of the world’s highest-paid professions. If you’re good, you can earn a fortune. Second, you can join a network marketing company. There are dozens of excellent ones, and they have in place all of the products and systems you need to get started immediately. For just a few bucks, you can become a distributor and have all the benefits of owning a business with few of the administrative hassles.

If it resonates with you, network marketing can be a dynamite vehicle for wealth. But, and this is a big but, don’t think for a minute that you’re going to get a free ride. Network marketing will only work if you do. It will take training, time, and energy to succeed. But if you do, incomes in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 per month—that’s right, per month—are not uncommon. In any case, just signing up and becoming a part-time distributor will give you some excellent tax advantages, and who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy the product enough to offer it to others and end up making a nice income to boot.

. . . In the end, the only way to earn what you’re really worth is to get paid based on your results. Once again, my dad said it best: “You’ll never get rich working on straight salary for someone else. If you’re going to get a job, make sure you get paid on percentage. Otherwise, go work for yourself!”

Now that’s sage advice!

Now for my commentary on Eker’s quotes:

“Just a few bucks” for Eker is different from my definition of “just a few bucks.” At the same time, when I think about how much it would cost to, say, start a restaurant or a retail store, it’s significantly more than I can currently afford, and I’ve heard that it takes about five years to really start seeing a profit. Five years!

With CTCV, we didn’t have to borrow any capital to get started, and we make our full purchase price back after two sales. We start seeing a profit after the third sale. Some people make their first two sales in the first day they become a member, making their investment back right away! (From noon on Wednesday, July 16, to noon on Thursday, July 17, you can actually make a profit on your SECOND sale!) Contact me to find out how! E-mail loritodd@increasingfreedomnow.com or call (615) 46-8079.

Eker also mentions avoiding the administrative hassles that come with most businesses. To quote Eker again (same chapter, page 128):

You have to understand, it costs a company a fortune to have an employee. Not only do they have to pay salary or wages, but they have to pay a whack of money on top of that to the government, often to the tune of 25 percent or more above what the employee earns. Add to that the cost of the benefits package that most employees get, and you’ve probably got a 50 percent savings to a company that chooses to hire you as an independent consultant.

Eker also says there are “dozens” of excellent network marketing companies. Not “hundreds” or “thousands,” but dozens. That’s because there are hundreds and thousands that are not excellent. One of the main draws for me with CTC is that I personally know the co-founder. I know that he’s not a crook peddling a scam. He’s genuinely interested in building a home-business that’s second-to-none. He’s genuinely interested in helping other people become wildly successful. He’s genuinely interested in increasing his support of the organizations he has volunteered with for years.

Tod Bell, the co-founder of Cruise to Cash Vacations, said to me in Orlando, “It’s selfish to want just enough.” Think about that for a minute. So often, we have heard that the desire for more money is selfish. But , truly, when you’re not in a position to be able to give, when you only have just enough to get by, you’re in a position of selfishness. Compare that to the person who is able to give out of his abundance.

By working CTC, we’re working toward abundance. We’ve always wanted to live on 10% and give away 90%. This weekend, I met someone who is doing just that. I also discovered that one of my husband’s financial heroes lives on 10%. Both people make millions. I’m fully expecting to join their ranks within a few years. Watch me.

Former Student in the News

Years ago, when I was teaching language arts at New Song Christian Academy, I had a student named Taylor Hyatt. Taylor is a natural born writer. He's artsy and creative and unconventional (the girls called him "weird"). I LOVED having him as a student, and I LOVED reading his stuff. His mom sent me this news update today and I was so excited about it that I couldn't help but share . . .

From Taylor's mom, Heidi:
Hello y'all, I don't know how many have had a chance to see this yet. It's an interview/performance on NBC's CH 4 Nashville, WSMV, of Taylor playing his dad's music. Now that he's older he's getting so many great opportunities to do this... very cool. Enjoy :-)
Heidi
(Note: there's a short ad / intro.)
http://www.wsmv.com/video/16641009/index.html

Special Calls *TONIGHT* 7/15/08

If you've ever thought about working from home . . .
If you've ever thought about creating multiple streams of income . . .
If you've ever wondered how people all around you are making thousands of dollars every month leveraging the Internet . . .

Get on these calls TONIGHT!

"Meet the Crew" M.A.G.I.C. call:
7 p.m. CST
1-605-475-6910
Access Code: 190241

"B.Y.O.B." Build Your Own Business call:
9 p.m. CST
1-605-475-6900
Access Code: 100776
***This call is normally reserved for paid members only, but we're opening it up tonight to share loads of new information and a very special offer--exclusively for the people on the call. Do everything you can to be on this call!***

See you there!

Lori Todd
(615) 496-8079
http://increasingfreedomnow.com

What a weekend!

Just a few hours ago, I flew in from Pittsburgh, where I spent hours and hours this weekend listening to Dani Johnson. Wow. Even though I'm completely wiped out and need to go to bed, I felt like I needed to get on here and say it was a REVOLUTIONARY, LIFE-CHANGING experience.

The first day, I walked in, sat down, and heard BRIAN AND JENN JOHNSON playing over the loudspeaker. I knew right away I would LOVE the seminar. Dani spent part of the time talking business and the rest of the time walking us through forgiveness as we ministered to each other in tears. Unbelieveable. What a sweet time of connecting with hungry people in the marketplace.

That night, Dani led a session on spiritual equipping. Hundreds of beautifully diverse people packed out the huge conference room, ranging in age from infants to elderly, and from a host of different countries. By the end, we were all on our faces.

The next day was spent focused on business building and working with different personality types. I can't wait to share more. I came away RICH, loaded with all kinds of gems. I also received the paradigm shift I was looking for and now feel ready to launch my business with GREAT enthusiasm.

At the end of this month, Thursday, July 31, at 8:00 p.m. (location still being determined), I'm going to host a GRAND OPENING celebration to kick-off my new business venture. If you haven't received an Evite, e-mail me and I'll happily add you.

Many, many blessings to everyone reading this blog and all of your awesome endeavors!

Traveling Girl

Tomorrow morning I leave for Pittsburgh. I'm going to a Dani Johnson "First Steps to Success" seminar. There's a breakout session Friday night and a spiritual equipping session on Saturday that I'm looking forward to in addition to the all-day Saturday and Sunday training.

On a TOTALLY different note, I'm listening to "Thirsty" by Terrance French and I'm going to have to turn it off because it's breaking my heart and I have stuff to do. :0)
http://www.myspace.com/cirvantsheart (Click on ThirstyFinished)

I keep talking to people who are traveling, going on vacation, planning trips . . . if you want to run your plans by me (city and dates), I can check my travel center or offer a couple certificates and you might get by with just paying the room tax on your hotel or condo. But I probably won't get back to you until Monday since I'm leaving in the morning myself! :0)

Have a great weekend, all!

Love,
Lori

The Math of Food, which doesn't suck.

Today was an exceptionally good food day.

I started the morning by eating a couple dried figs.

Then, I made French toast for the kids using a recipe from The Working Parents Cookbook. I used four eggs and four pieces of bread (freshly stone ground wheat bread from Great Harvest Bread Company) and cut them into four strips. Even though I can't stand eggs, I ate two of the strips and rather enjoyed them drizzled with organic maple syrup.

The girls ate blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries as a mid-morning snack.

Lunch for the little ones was simple: a turkey roll (a rolled up piece of turkey deli meat with no hormones or antibiotics from The Turnip Truck).

Lunch for me and Tiffany was DELIGHTFUL: a spinach salad with mixed berries, sweet and spicy pecans (another recipe from The Working Parents Cookbook), and toasted pine nuts (I learned how to toast them from Lucy Rizzo during her fabulous cooking class).

Tiffany requested a smoothie as a mid-afternoon snack. I recreated the blackberry/mango/banana/peach/spinach smoothie from yesterday. She had it drunk by the time I got back downstairs from transitioning the laundry.

James brought home Lucayan salads from Calypso cafe for supper. The big ones at the salads while the little ones ate rotisserie chicken and sweet potatoes.

I felt energized and joyful all day long and managed to accomplish more in one day than I usually accomplish in a week. I attribute it all to eating a little nutritious something or another every few hours. For me, it's the best way to level out my emotions and maintain my energy levels.

Oh, and I even cleaned the upstairs bathroom last night. It's so clean and shiny that I ended up lingering with each trip just to admire the shine.

Today, I managed to do four loads of laundry (washed, dried, folded or hung, and put away) and two loads of dishes (one is put away; the other is still in the dishwasher). I wiped down nearly every surface in my house because with a 4-year-old and an 18-month-old, the messes abound (my life has become a series of cleaning up other people's messes--my grandfather says "Oh, so the tables have turned!"). I weeded the little garden area in front of my house. I listened in on two "Meet the Crew" calls. I spent time building my business. AND I read approximately 12 books to my kids. Judah and I read the first chapter of the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia. I'm excited that we've read so much, but I also don't want it to end.

Tiffany and I did a little math lesson in the kitchen while I was working on the pecans (quick commercial for Math Doesn't Suck, a book I recently discovered at Davis Kidd: it will change how your teenage girl thinks about math. It will make it relevant. It will make it easy. It will make it fun. I LOVE IT!). I needed to know how many teaspoons were in a tablespoon, so I had her look it up for me in a cookbook. (There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, by the way). That got me to thinking about how there are approximately four grams in a teaspoon, which reminded me that there is a can of soda on top of my refrigerator that Tiffany brought home from a party a couple weeks ago. I took down the can of soda and showed her how many grams of sugar were in it.

39 grams of sugar per 12 oz. serving.

I asked her how many teaspoons that was. She gave me a blank stare. So I asked, "How many times will 4 go into 40?" She answered, "10." So then I asked again, "So how many teaspoons of sugar are in this can of soda?"

"4?"

"No. There are 39 grams of sugar. Let's round it up to 40 since 40 is easier to work with. Since there are four grams of sugar in every teaspoon and there are 40 grams of sugar in the can, how many teaspoons do you need in order to get 40 grams of sugar in this can?"

"4?"

"No. How many times will 4 go into 40?"

"10?"

"So how many teaspoons of sugar are in this can of soda?"

"I don't know."

I finally got out a sheet of paper and a pen. I drew 40 circles. I circled groups of four. I had 10 circles. She got it. Finally. She couldn't believe it. Then, we pretended to put 10 teaspoons of sugar in the can.

I proceeded to tell her that more people in our country are overweight today than any other time in the history of America. More children have Type-2 diabetes than ever before. Type-2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes, but it is no longer referred to as such because so many children are now diabetic. I said, "A lot of kids drink sodas and eat candy all day and think it's OK, that it's not hurting them, but if you're not burning off that sugar as soon as you put it in your body, it gets stored as fat." Her 18-year-old uncle is grossly obese and diabetic. I think she gets it.

Speaking of candy, Judah had more candy on the 4th of July than he's had in his entire life. Today he asked me if we could buy some candy the next time we go to the store. I said no. I told him that I didn't mind if he had some every now and then at someone's house, but that I don't buy it because it's really bad for our bodies.

I explained to Tiffany that the treats I like to offer my children are homemade. They're made from real ingredients. Stuff that I recognize and can pronounce. We talked about some homemade cookies that she helped to make one night with James and Judah. She still remembers how delicious they were. (She had never made cookies before!) I have a hard time passing up warm, chewy, homemade cookies. I have no trouble passing up anything that's mass-produced with a shelf-life of 10 years and filled with fake crap.

Mary Enig and Sally Fallon of The Weston A. Price foundation talk about the Diet Dictocrats who have fed us full of misinformation regarding health and nutrition. For example, a friend recently said he eats his oatmeal with soymilk every morning. Why not real milk? Marketing and advertising. He even said, "The shelf life on that stuff is amazing!" Nutritious food is not meant to sit on your shelf month after month. Real, nutritious food is meant to be consumed or decompose.

Another friend said he makes his French toast with egg substitute and sugar-free syrup. Why not the real thing? Marketing and advertising. Unfortunately, I have to explain to my 4-year-old that the people who sell all that garbage are more concerned about how much money they can make by selling it than how nutritious it is. Even more unfortunate is that people are consuming it in the name of good health.

The last time I tried to get a shovel full of compost, I was struck by how little was in my bin. I put a lot of waste in there. Do you know what happens? It shrinks. Do you know what happens to packaged food waste? It grows. Not only does it not decompose, but it also comes in plastic and paper and aluminum and styrofoam and . . .

Real food doesn't take up space in landfills. It becomes the earth. It replenishes the nutrients found in the earth. My friend Wendy calls it black gold. She's right. It's amazing.

There will be LINKS tonight! (to be said in the voice of Inigo Montoya)

JennyB of My Messy Sanctuary recently wrote two excellent posts that I absolutely had to share.

Check out Unplugged and Hard at Play.

Becki, if you read this, I'd LOVE to get your comments on the latter. Reminded me so much of you.

There's one more. I recently discovered JourneyMama through Sara's June 15 post at WalkSlowlyLiveWildly (Sara is also the Happy Foody, which is where I discovered my new favorite Emerson quote). Since we spent some time in Uganda (while I was pregnant) and JourneyMama is currently pregnant and living in India, I connected with her "Potty" post. Priceless.

I doubt, Patrick, you will ever read this, but that alliteration made me think of you.

If you like JourneyMama, you'll especially like her in more detail at FlyFishesFly. Adina, she reminds me a lot of you.

OK, I said one more. I meant two. It's been too long since I've been to Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience so I thought I'd link there, too, just to remind both of us of the awesomeness to be found there.

And that is truly all I have to share tonight. Well, except that I made a delicous smoothie this morning using fresh spinach that the kids actually fought over.

RECIPE:
Two fresh farmers' market peaches, a fresh mango, half a pint of fresh local organic blackberries, two tiny bananas, a big handful of spinach (the mango, bananas, and spinach came from the international market inside the downtown Nashville farmers' market building), and frozen mango (on sale at Costco a few weeks ago). Mmmmmmmm. A green smoothie disguised as a blackberry smoothie. Delicious!

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

My favorite quote was spoken (or perhaps written) by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

Today I found this one by him, too:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

I love it.

Grand Opening and Pre-Sale!

Announcing the GRAND OPENING of my new travel business!

Lori Todd, Her Royal Excitedness, is now a business owner with Cruise to Cash Vacations! I am officially your source for great discounts on travel!

In just a few weeks, my company will be rolling out international discount travel cards with concierge service. This is your chance to pre-order. The first 10 orders (friends and family only) will receive a 10% cash-back rebate.

This offer is only valid on the premium condominium card, which retails for nearly $2,000 but is worth a full $7,000 in discounts and rebates. This is how it works:

You get your first $1,600 condo stay for free (after your discounts and rebates) and you can use the card nine more times, saving you $600 each time. In other words, your $2,000 condo card gives you not only a $1,600 condo stay, but it also gives you an additional $5,400 in discounts for a total savings of $7,000.

Stretch your vacation dollars and pre-order your card today!

Call Lori Todd at (615) 496-8079 or e-mail her at loritodd@increasingfreedomnow.com to place your order. Remember, the first 10 orders receive a 10% cash back rebate when the card arrives at the end of this month!

NOTE: If you're not in the market for a card but you know people who are, please send them my way (and you might just get some free travel perks!)

Lori Todd is "Lori in Nashville," formerly "Lori Timberlake," Sonic's National Carhop of the Year (that was a looooooong time ago).

Independence Day Parade Pics

 

 

 

 

Cottonwood Subdivision has an annual Independence Day parade, and this year the Mulvihill party took home the GRAND prize. Dennas and Evan Davis are the creative masterminds behind the dragon float. Paula Mulvihill, with all her mad costume skills, is the magnet that draws everyone together. I don't know everyone who participated, but I do remember that Hayden Myrick was the prince; Valeria Davis and Chloe were the fairies; Evan Davis, Wesley Toledo, and Mark Shaffer were the trees; Crumpet the dog was the green frog; Mike Mulvihill was the bear; Paula Mulvihill and Laura were something; and Ruthie Davis was the wicked witch. The theme was Enchanted Woods. Congratulations, friends!!!

All Dressed Up on the 4th of July

 

 

 

FunShine by Tiffanoozle

Tonight James took Judah to see WALL-E the movie while Tiffany, Miriam, and I played in Davis Kidd, ate at Kalamata's, and looked for a toddler gift in CVS.

Tiffany was on the lookout for a gift for her baby sister who turns two tomorrow. She found things she liked in Davis Kidd, but they were things that were geared more toward her age than to her sister's. She wanted to buy a paper-purse-decorating kit and a fashion kit. She said that she wants to design clothes. She wants to learn to sew. She wants to make beautiful dresses (like my mom does).

She was playing hide and seek with Judah at my parents' house recently when she discovered my mom's sewing room. She couldn't believe how beautiful the dresses were that my mom got to work on. She rarely talks about her interests. Mostly she shares things that she's seen on television shows or in movies. Tonight, I got to peek into her heart.

At Kalamata's, we heard a plane overhead. She commented about the plane and asked me what it's like to ride in one. When I was finished, she asked me what it was like to ride in first class. The, she said that when she's famous, she's going to own her own jet. She plans to help Miriam pick out her wedding dress and help pay for it. She wants to buy us a new house on a farm with horses. She wants to buy her mom a new house. She wants to be famous and generous. She wants to build a homeless shelter. She wants to own a shop selling clothes that she has designed call FunShine (we've been talking about "sunshine" hair recently, which is hair that sticks up all over the place).

As we passed by CVS tonight, Tiffany found two pennies on top of the trash can. I encouraged her to pick them up. I said, "God's going to see you pick up those pennies and say, 'Look at that! She appreciated those two pennies. I'm going to send her two more.' Then you'll find two dollars and then 20 and then 200 . . . " and we went on and on to a gazillion. Again, she mentioned being famous and generous. That girl is a nation-changer. She's got what it takes. I'm sure of it.

Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait.

P.S. I'm not sure how to work this in since it's so late and my computer is acting up which frustrates my brain cells, but Tiffany told me that four people have told her that she could be a model (she receives nothing but insults from her immediate family, so this is a BIG deal). She also said that people always tell her "Thank you for hanging out with my kids." These are people she meets through us. She is the most amazing big sister. She lets 3- and 4-year-old boys chase her all over the playground and pretend she's the bad guy. She spends hours with my Miriam, holding her, swinging her, helping her, making her laugh . . . Tiffany is an absolute gift from God. I can't imagine life without her.

Obscene Generosity

Somehow, I get inundated with requests for donations. Most of the time, I want to give extravagantly. I want to be obscenely generous. However, living a relatively simple life on one income for the past five years hasn’t exactly lent itself to extravagant generosity.

When my husband and I first met in 1996, he told me that he would like to live on 10% of his income and give away 90%. I was smitten.

I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to achieve that goal since we’ve added two children and one part-time child to the mix and the cost of everything from gas to bread is going up, up, up. We currently support a family of four on one income. We support an additional child in Nashville. We support a deaf child in Uganda. We support domestic missionaries. We support foreign missionaries. We support the liberation of child soldiers. We support the education of orphans. We give until it hurts.

I’ve been praying for creative ways to increase our giving-—not just an extra $25 here and there (which is nice, don’t get me wrong). But I’m looking for ways to be obscenely generous. Extravagant. Offensive.

I want to give thousands toward the work of my compatriots. I want to invest in their non-profits with the knowledge that I’m supporting not only organizations but also entire nations. I want to be an integral part of an international grassroots movement that loves, nurtures, educates, and invests in needy children around the world. I want to say YES more often than I say no.

Enter: Cruise to Cash Vacations Travel Concierge Cards. Since we won’t be rolling out the cards for another couple weeks, I can’t disclose too much, but suffice it to say that I’m about to EXPLODE with excitement. I’m planning to use the sale of the cards to invest in my favorite charities, my favorite non-profits, my favorite world-changers.

I’m planning to host a class that teaches people creative ways of being obscenely generous—-how to fund your favorite charity without stretching your budget. I want everyone I know who has the mind of an entrepreneur and the heart of a giver to know about the travel cards. I want to create a revolutionary new way of giving. I want to help people become obscenely generous.

I’m about to shake things up!

The Incredible, Edible Front Lawn

My awesome friend Jen (creative, artsy, jewelry-constructor extraordinaire) sent me this link from Time magazine:

The Incredible, Edible Front Lawn

Said it reminded her of me. Too funny because my tomato plants are in my front yard, and I was just talking to an old friend about it just mintues before she sent the link. Maybe next year, I'll grow a little neighborhood-accessible garden. What an awesome way to get to know your neighbors!

Quiet Wendy the Author

Wendy and I met before James and I got married. Years passed before I really got to know her. Actually, it wasn't until she started a blog that I began feeling a strong connection with her. Wendy doesn't say much. She's not outwardly emotional. She doesn't wear her feelings on her sleeve. She's hard to read. Until you get to know her, which takes time. Lots of time.

This quiet but deeply passionate and absolutely brilliant Wendy friend of mine (well, brilliant when she's not suffering from pregnant brain) has written some pretty powerful blog posts recently. Her blog can be found HERE (or on my blogroll--look on the lower right-hand side of my blog for recently updated blogs that I frequent). I absolutely love the following posts: "Food for Thought" and "Going Deeper."

She is truly a deep well that I'm fortunate to be drinking from.