Welcome to Philanthropic Travel (a.k.a. Obscene Generosity) at www.buysavegive.com

Did I mention that I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow?

Yep, I'm driving to Murfreesboro bright and early tomorrow morning (8/28) to do an interview with Solid Gospel 105 for their Business Expo. You can listen in from 8:00 to 8:30 CST if you'd like. You don't even have to be local. Check out the interview HERE.

One of the aspects of my business that most excites me is the ability to give extravagantly toward non-profit and charitable organizations. I can also help friends with mission trip fundraisers. All the details are right HERE.

If you're going on a mission trip soon, contact me so we can work together to help raise money for your trip. If you know of a non-profit or charity that would benefit from being featured on my site, let me know and chances are, I'll add them. Then, if someone chooses your organization to receive a donation, 90% of the proceeds will be sent their way.

If you have any feedback for me about the site, I'm all ears. I really want it to be as clear, concise, and confusion-free as possible for the radio listeners tomorrow--and everyone else, of course. Thanks!

This post is one of the many found at Watercooler Wednesdays. Check it out!

Lori Todd
(615) 496-8079
loritodd@increasingfreedomnow.com
http://buysavegive.wordpress.com/

Lori in Nashville a.k.a. Her Royal Excitedness

Technology-Induced Need for Catharsis

Twice in the past week I've found myself in conversations relating to frustrating moments at the computer or with technology in general. I have to remind myself occasionally that my reaction should be registering a 1 or a 2 and I'm at a 10 (or higher!). I spoke with a friend this afternoon who is a professional videographer. He and I discussed the lack of physical catharsis in our work. We spend most of our frustrating moments working with technology, without a physical outlet for our pent-up emotions (I think of chopping wood, for example).

Interestingly enough, the word "catharsis" means: An experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis, catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness.

"Often inspired by or through art." Not the result of hard, manual labor. Not the result of a 5-mile run. Not the result of 10 minutes with a punching bag.

So what happens, then, when we're too busy to stop for art? Too hurried to notice nature? Too caught up in our screens to listen to a song? Too wrapped up in work to stop for a puppet show or a tea party? Too tired to play pirates or princesses? Too fried to paint or sculpt or write?

When I press play on my CD player, I wish you could see the expressions on my baby girl's face. She absolutely LOVES music. As soon as she hears it, she lights up, she smiles, and she takes my hand along with her big brother's and begins to dance. We push the coffee table to the side of the living room and dance and dance and dance.

One of my favorite movie scenes comes from Life is Beautiful. In the midst of a dull, gray, cold concentration camp, the main character devises a way to broadcast classical music over the loudspeaker. Everyone stops. You can almost feel the intensity of their depravity in a single moment--yet, somehow, there is hope.

Every time I let myself stop and really take in Jenn Johnson's song "A Little Longer," I can't help but cry. That song leaves me completely undone (and, according to the definition of "catharsis," purified and cleansed). Jenn wrote "A Little Longer" after the birth of her baby girl. She transitioned from a lifestyle of writing songs with her husband, leading worship at Bethel Church in Redding, and traveling to help invite others into a sweet place of intimacy with the Father . . . to sleepless nights nursing a newborn, receiving gifts of spit-up and soiled diapers, staring at mountains of laundry with absolutely no energy left. From this place, she wrote "A Little Longer." Take a minute to listen--really listen. Drink it in. Close your eyes. Allow your spirit to connect with His. What if all He wants right now is one moment more?

What is worship? For me, one expression of worship happens when I corporately gather with other Believers and sing songs to our Great King. When I slow down, close my eyes, truly listen to the words, take in their meaning, offer them up to my Great God . . . I am often reduced to tears.

How brilliant of our Father to provide a way to release pent up emotions through the simple act of worship--an act that can happen no matter who we are, where we are, or what our circumstances. Slaves and prisoners who sing songs to each other--with each other--preserve their humanity with song, and hold onto hope. As a prisoner to my own fear, frustration, and unforgiveness, much healing has come simply from worshiping with reckless abandon.

My kids, who are 4 and 20 mos., stop to look at everything. They notice art and music where ever we go. They take in nature. They ask questions. They respond with raw emotion.

How cathartic.


This post is one of many featuring arts and culture: Watercooler Wednesday

Oracle Productions Auditions & Fall Show

I just got the following e-mail from Scott Crain of Oracle Productions and, of course, had to share!

I don't know if I'll be auditioning, but I'll definitely be attending if I don't audition!

Oracle Productions will be holding auditions for The Warp and the Weave, a play by Scott Crain, on Monday and Tuesday evening, August 25 & 26, from 7-9:30 PM at Lamplighters Theatre, located at 14119 Old Nashville Highway in Smyrna. Roles are available for 9 men and 6 women, ages 16 and up; auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Performance dates are October 23-26, 31, and November 1 & 2 at Lamplighters Theatre. For more information, call 364-5199 or e-mail the director at scott@oracleproductions.org.

Please note that we're in a new location; due to the increasing difficulty in booking weekends at the Shamblin, after much prayer and discussion, we've decided to move into a new (and somewhat larger) venue: the Lamplighter's Theatre in Smyrna. Auditions will be held in their blackbox space, but performances will be on their main stage. Here's a link if you need directions:

http://www.lamplighterstheatre.net/contactus.html

Please help spread the word---we need lots of talented folks---and we hope to see you all there!

Delicious Caribbean Food--At the Farmers Market!

Jamaicaway Restaurant and Catering, which is run by a delightful mother and son team, is my most recent "excellent food" find. Their food is SO flavorful that I just had to write a quick post about it. Here's another online review.

The kids and I stopped in for lunch one day last week. I ordered one plate with chicken and two sides (sweet potatoes with pineapple and rice with beans) that easily fed all three of us. Then, last night, Mr. Honey asked me to pick something up on my way home from having some dental work done (he wasn't feeling well--Tuesdays are usually our night to stay home and eat dinner made from our fresh, delicious CSA share delivered that afternoon, but I was coming home from the dentist and Mr. Honey was not only feeling puny, but also trying to finish up some work), so I stopped by Jamaicaway again.

For less than $20 I came home with curry chicken, jerk chicken, sweet potatoes, rice and beans, green beans, turnip greens, johnny cakes, and more (free) fried chicken than we could eat. The whole family ate dinner last night, the kids and I ate lunch this afternoon, and there are still some leftovers in the fridge.

The service was excellent. The owner took the time to walk me through the different options, and she gave me a ton of free fried chicken. Everything we ordered was different and flavorful. I loved it!

Since the Nashville Farmers' Market is undergoing major renovations, this restaurant appears to be a literal "hole in the wall," but a little time spent inside sampling the fare and mingling with the clientele will undoubtedly uncover a pleasant surprise.

Narnia in Crisp, Morning Air

Two things:

1) I LOVE THIS WEATHER! The morning air has been crisp, and Judah and I spent at least an hour on the porch yesterday morning reading the final book in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. We still have four or five more chapters to go . . .

2) I LOVE NARNIA! I told James last night that occasionally, I'll get glimpses of C.S. Lewis's theology and I find it really interesting. In the book we're reading now, I'm getting pictures of humanity, and C.S. Lewis is an excellent photographer. It's so easy to get lost in the stories, fall in love with the characters, and find myself in tears as I'm reading aloud.

If you haven't spent time outside in the mornings recently, and if you've never read Narnia, I just want to let you know that both of these things are making me really, really happy today!

Unabashed EXCITEMENT

Imagine me jumping up and down, doing a Happy Dance, and screaming, "I am so excited! I am so excited! I am so excited!"

I know, it's a stretch. But you've got a great imagination. You can do it.

OK, do you want to know what I'm so excited about???

Check this out!!!!!

http://ltodd.cruisetocash.com

We have all new websites! All new videos! A brand new Business Center! An upgraded Travel Center! New Concierge Cards! New testimonials! And . . .

I'm featured on the testimonials page!!! Woo Hoo!!!

I spent the last hour and a half talking to my husband about how excited I am.

I spent the hour before that looking at travel deals on the Internet with my dad. He spent $10,000 on a timeshare that allows him to receive discounts on his vacations. He pays a maintenance fee, and he's limited to resorts only--no condos or cruises--and there are only certain times of the year that he can take advantage of his investment. He has to keep track of points and schedules. He doesn't make a dime when he shares his inventory with friends and family. In fact, friends and family have to pay a fee to be able to use his service.

Now, compare that to what I've done. I spent $1,477 (and until this Thursday at midnight EST, the price is only $977) to become a private member of a lucrative travel business. My travel center offers condo stays around the world for less than $700 per week (most are in the $300 range--for the WEEK!). I get lowest prices guaranteed on my hotel stays. I get a free weekend at any Wyndham resort and a free Bahamas Cruise. I get unparalleled concierge service with access to my very own travel agent who customizes my travel for me and takes care of the most minute details.

And . . . I get paid every time I share my membership with someone who wants the same travel deals. I've already made back my initial investment and taken care of my monthly fees for the next year. Every cent from here forward is 100% profit. Goodbye debt! Hello, travel! We're planning to see the world this year!

Can I tell you how excited I am? I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I LOVE CRUISE TO CASH VACATIONS!!!

OK, I just had to share that. Whew. Now I can go to bed. :0)

~ Her Royal Excitedness

Eat Local. Eat Cheap.

Let me preface this post by saying that I LOVE promoting my favorite local restaurants, and my husband thinks that I'm decreasing his chances of getting the best online gift certificates in the morning by sharing this information. He looks at you as competition. I still can't help but share. :0)

If you like supporting local restaurants and saving money at the same time, click on http://eatlikealocal.com/ tomorrow starting around 7:00 a.m. to get discounted Original-to-Nashville restaurant gift certificates.

$20 gift certificates for $12

$25 gift certificates for $16

$50 gift certificates for $35

WARNING: the best gift certificates go FAST.

Then, go out and enjoy all of our favorite "original to Nashville" restaurants. It's how we eat out often without spending a fortune. We LOVE Nashville Originals!

Sign up to receive their quarterly e-mail at http://nashvilleoriginals.com/ and get e-mails like the one that follows delivered to your inbox:

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: Nashville Originals nashville@originalsgc.com

To: herroyalexcitedness@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 10:57:06 AM

Subject: New Gift Certficates online Wednesday

New Nashville Originals discounted restaurant gift certificates will be available for purchase Wednesday, August 6th!!

Check us out Wednesday morning by visiting the following link: www.eatlikealocal.com/nashville

Certificates can be printed immediately after purchase. More detailed information is provided at the link.Thank you so much for your interest in The Nashville Originals and for your support of our community's independent restaurants. If you have any questions or need any assistance with gift certificate purchases, please call our gift certificate support line at (877) 870-DINE, or send us an email at support@eatlikelocal.com.

A Great Night and THANKS!

The Grand Opening Party for my new business was a HUGE success! Approximately 45 people were there enjoying the best Mediterranean food in Nashville while mingling around baklava and mango tea. Mmmmmm.

I want to publicly thank Kalamata's Restaurant for graciously hosting the party that went on and on and on and on . . .

Another HUGE thanks goes out to Cirvant (Terrance French, Tracye Dukes, Christina Pflueger, and Doug Pflueger) for providing some powerful, tear-jerking entertainment,

and my unending thanks to the following local authors, musicians, and artists who generously provided prizes and give-aways (these are all favorites of mine, too!):

Andy Reese for donating an autographed copy of his new book Freedom Tools,

Denise Roschelle Ridenhour for donating an autographed copy of her book Cottage Porch Stories,

Jennifer Martin for donating copies of her CD Near and Far,

Anthony and Mary Keith Skinner for donating copies of their CDs Forever and a Day and Crush,

Julie True for donating copies of her CD Healing Love,

Shon Hudspeth for donating two beautiful kaleidescope paintings,

Lydia Hejny for donating one of her fabulous Jazz paintings,

and Sheri Bertolini for donating two hours of free organizing from her business Sheri's Organized Life.

Finally, to everyone who attended, THANK YOU for spending your evening with us. We had a BLAST!

We got started a little later than expected, but the food and fellowship was so good, I don't think anyone minded much. Ken Shaw videotaped the presentation, and we all sat back to listen to Tod Bell, who (along with Mike Churchill) co-founded Cruise to Cash Vacations.

When Tod Bell started sharing about his journey with network marketing, I looked around the room. It was almost like introducing the Internet to a group of Amish people, expecting them to fully understand how to make it work for them after a 30-minute introduction.

Becoming a business owner and looking at the prospect of making tens of thousands of dollars a month working a few hours a day from home is so foreign when all you've known is working for tens of thousands of dollars a year working all day every day for someone else at a conventional job. Tod likens it to trying to drink from a fire hydrant.

Then, Tod told us about a man who works for an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) company. He has 100 people in his downline (people he has directly sponsored or people who are on his team). He makes $800 a month. That's a lot of work for less than $12,000 a year.

Tod told this man that with the same amount of work, he could have already made well over $100,000 by directly sponsoring the same number of people, and there is no telling how much he would have made in residual income since each member of his team would be passing up two members, half of their membership fees, and either $100, $200, or $300 with every subsequent sale.

Even if he only personally sponsored three people in one month and those three people sponsored three people the next month, and so on and so on for 12 months, he could have made 3.5 MILLION dollars in one year. Granted, that is a "perfect-world" scenario, and it often takes longer than one month to sponsor three people, but even if it took three years or five years . . . would it be worth it?

One of the main differences between MLM and Direct-Sales is that in MLM, it takes a long time to get established and you have to wait for a few dollars or cents to trickle up from your downline. In Direct Sales, you get paid first, and with Tod's company, you get paid BIG. You don't wait for the company to cut you a check; the people you sponsor pay you directly.

Big corporations spend millions of dollars in advertising to maintain and increase brand-recognition. On the other hand, companies that rely on network marketing invest their millions in their sales force. They know that the investment is worth it because they're not sending out a blanket message to millions of people who may or may not be paying attention. People still like to do business with other people. They like to buy from people they like and trust. That's why network marketing is so successful: it's me telling you about how great (fill-in-the-blank) is and you going out and trying it for yourself.

When's the last time someone recommended a movie that you saw? Or a restaurant that you visited? Or a new cleaner that you tried? That's network marketing. The difference, though, between that and what I'm doing is that when I share travel deals with my friends and family, I get to share in the profits.

When I book travel through Expedia, I get great rates, but Expedia doesn't pay me to use their services. However, with Cruise to Cash Vacations, I get great deals on travel AND I get paid. I have access to more hotels, condos, and cruises through Cruise to Cash Vacations than any other travel provider on Earth since we're backed by the largest private-label travel provider in the world. (For example, Expedia has 6,000 cruise itineraries to choose from; whereas, CTCV has access to over 13,000). We also have one million condos internationally that you can book online, but if you don't find what you're looking for, you can call a toll-free number and find out about another million that are available through contractual agreements.

If you've ever considered buying a time-share, you can now enjoy all the benefits of a time-share without sitting through a time-share presentation or shelling out thousands in time-share prices (not to mention the maintenance fees). And . . . instead of spending thousands on vacations, you can actually make thousands by taking vacations. It's a win-win all the way around.

For the next week, while all the new websites and training videos are being rolled out, CTCV is continuing to offer the introductory special: the $1,477 Voyageur membership for $977, which saves you $500 and gives you access to thousands of vacation options for pennies on the dollar, as well as three travel concierge cards that will enable you to travel and make money at the same time.

You can even make back your initial investment when two people you have introduced to the business become members. You can work from home and make an executive-level income. You can actually get paid to see the world. It's an absolutely glorious scenario for those of us who need flexibility and who love to travel.

Once you get your head around all the possibilities, you'll be as excited as I am! If you want to know more, we can get together, e-mail, or talk on the phone. I recently upgraded my cell phone plan so I now have unlimited minutes to talk about the unlimited travel destinations and unlimited income potential that comes with Cruise to Cash Vacations. I can't wait to start marketing the travel concierge cards as fundraisers for charity organizations and non-profits . . . .

Hooray for LIMITLESSNESS!