Catching Up

Hi, Everyone!

This is a catching up post. I'm still unemployed, still looking for a job, and still getting my ducks in a row to get some writing business going. It's hard to schedule your life when you don't work at a JOB for 8 hours each day, 40 hours per week. I always wished I had more time to devote to my writing business and now that I have it, I seem to be sort of lost when I do my usual schedule, meaning I get everything done by 2 pm and wonder what to do with the rest of my time.

I am confident that I will figure it out. Then about the time I get my schedule the way I want, I'll get a JOB and then I will be back to rescheduling my schedule. LOL!

The weekend was great, really hot and humid, but great. We went to the Back to the 50's car show at the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Over 12,000 classic cars from 1964 and older, and the weather was warm and sticky. I waited in line to get a new bag (for FREE) from the Ladies Showcase building and met a lovely lady and her daughter who were standing in line behind me from Watertown, South Dakota. We got to chatting and the forty-five minutes we were in line seemed to fly right by. I never know who I'm going to meet at these things and I truly enjoyed talking to them. I hope their journey home was a safe one.

In the meantime, there is only one week left for the writing contest and the fundraiser. So, if any of you are interested, please go to my business blog, www.crawfordwritingservices.blogspot.com and enter or buy a Thank You Card. To those who have already visited and entered or purchased a card, my sincere thanks. I have learned so much from doing these events this last month, and have a few ideas in the works for the next few months, so stay tuned!

Have a great week!

Reflections: I'm 40, What Happens Next?

Yes, this is my official birthday, June 11, 1969. Now that I'm "old," or what my perception of "old" was about 20 years ago, I'm both grateful and scared.

Grateful that I've made it this far, first of all, and that I've met the people in my life right now, the friends I miss and haven't seen in a long time, and family I have with Alex, my son, and QH, the love of my life. I realize that I would not be the person I am or be at this point in my life if it were not for all the people who helped me get here one way or another. I regret not one second of any of it, the good, the bad or the ugly. I've learned lessons that have helped me keep going, and the most important lesson I've learned is that life isn't much worth living if you don't love someone or the people in your life or they don't love you back. You need to give to receive and you need to receive to give. It's a wonderful cycle to be in and I'm blessed beyond belief with that circle in my life.

The scared part is the whole part about me living my dream of being a writer. I know I can do it, I just have the nagging voice in my head telling me that I'm never going to make it. While that voice is growing quieter by the day, the volume got cranked the day I lost my job. I'm worried that I won't be able to make it as a writer and I will have to go back to just having a job that pays the bills. I'm 40. I'm getting too old for that stuff. I want to get my portable empire, as Pat O'Bryan calls it, and I need it yesterday. I don't think my soul will take to just going through the motions for a paycheck anymore. So, I need to get over the fear, roll up my damn sleeves and get to work. John Carlton calls it "Gun to your head marketing." I call it, "Kick ass and take names marketing."

So, my goals for the coming year are to be financially free, have money for retirement, and be in a position next year to update you all and say, "I don't have to worry about money anymore! Whoohoo!!"

But I'll see you guys tomorrow. This is going to be fun!

Another Reason I Love That Man

If you have been tuning into the strange drama I call my life, you know this last week has been a roller coaster ride to say the least.

Saturday, I was reminded once again, why I love QH so much.

He threw me an early surprise 40th Birthday Party, complete with friends, drinks and a delicious birthday cake pictured above.

Ladies, if you don't have a man as sweet as mine, go find yourself one, or quite complaining about the one you have and start appreciating them.

You want them to be better, start treating them better. And by the way, MEN ARE NOT MIND READERS!! You want someone to read your mind, see a psychic!

Treat people the way THEY would like to be treated and see what happens!

In the meantime, I'm working and writing to get a job or line up a few writing gigs to keep the bills paid, and hopefully, get that man a Harley.

He deserves that and so much more.

You can help by entering my writing contest at http://www.crawfordwritingservices.blogspot.com/ and in return you have a shot at the $500 Grand Prize, in CASH!!

Now, I'm getting my butt back to work!

Bizarre Update to the Prosperity Experiment

Ok. I have to warn you, this is going freak you out a little bit.

I started this experiment on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. I have a few million dollar bills left, and I hope to get a few more. So, if you sent me a SASE, you will get one as soon as I can get them to you.

Or, if you want to get your own, check out eBay and the category, "Everything Else" and type in million dollar bills. There are a lot of them on there. Pick which ones you like. They are also under the "novelties" tag.

So, I started this on Tuesday. Wednesday was pretty much a typical day, but most of the people at work I gave them to were pretty friendly to everyone. I saw a lot of smiles. It was great, a true "I-feel-like-Oprah-giving-the-cars-to-the-audience" great.

Thursday, I came to work, and the vibe was charged up, but not in a good way. Uh, oh. I went to the clean room where I work, and my supervisor says, "Um, we need to go to a meeting." Meeting? I felt it, but didn't say it. Ok. So, we go to the conference room and well, in short, I lost my job. I was shocked. I also learned that I wasn't the only one, but what could I do? I had two choices. Be angry and negative, or take the high road, chalk it up to just a part of being in business. I think you could guess which path I took.

So, I was full of mixed emotions, and yet, in a way, I felt the doors of opportunity open. Kind of like graduation day, when you work your butt off to get that important piece of paper that tells the world you actually achieved something. I felt like that in a way when I left with my "walking papers."

When QH, the love of my life came home, it was not a "glass-is-half-full" kind of conversation. He's seriously worried, and for me to say that I'm running around cheering, well, I'm a little scared too. But, I am also a firm believer that things will work out they will work out. I have to have faith that God will show me the path and tell me which way to go to help me through this, not just for myself but for the love of my life, too. I let it go. All the worry and the fear and the uncertainty and the anxiety. I let it go. Asked God, please help me with this one, ok?

This morning I took my MIL to file some paperwork in Brainerd (yes, fans of the movie "Fargo", THAT Brainerd!). We were on our way home when we stopped for lunch at the Grand Casino in Mille Lacs. We went to the Grand Buffet, had lunch and then thought, "Let's play a little while we are here." So, we set out to find some machines that might pay out. First, I wanted to get some one dollar bills so I could play, since I only had a ten dollar bill, a five dollar bill and a ten dollar bill that my MIL gave me that morning.

So, we stepped up to the cashier counter and there was a nice man by the name of Thomas who reminded me a little of George Carlin, the comedian. He made change for me and I set out for a machine. I found the Sizzlin' 7's machine and played 3 dollars and felt that it wasn't quite the one I was looking for. Somewhere I lost my MIL and thought, well, I'll find her later or she'll find me.

Then I saw a section called "Fall Fantasy" and over by that wall, I saw a fishing game machine and sat down and thought, "I still have that ten dollars she gave me this morning, I'll play that and then we'll go home."

I slid the ten dollar bill into the feeder, and I chose to play all the lines possible and bet 2 on everything. I hit the button. Nothing. I hit it again. Nothing. I hit it the third time...the lights start flashing, the wins are climbing and climbing and climbing. It won't stop! What did I do? I thought I broke the dang thing! Oh, no. I then saw the red button that said, "Cash Out" and pushed it, thinking I'd have that and play a couple more dollars. Thinking I at least won back my ten dollars.

That ten dollar bill I used, that my MIL gave me, I borrowed to her last week when she was out of cash and Walmart was so busy and chaotic that it was going to be a hassle getting to the ATM machine. She said she would pay me back and she did that morning. It was the money I gave that came back to me that brought about the next events.

Hold on to your hats, kids. I won over 400 dollars!! $400 DOLLARS!! I looked around and I can't see anyone around me, but I knew that if I didn't cash out, I would just blow it in the machines. I nearly ran to the cashier counter. There was Thomas, putting the largest amount of cash in stacks I've ever seen in my entire life in the drawers. He asked if I could wait while he put the money away, and I said, "Sure." I was thinking, "Gee, a couple of stacks of that money would probably eliminate all our problems. I smiled, thinking what it would be like, holding it for a few seconds and feeling it in my heart a little bit.

"How may I help you?" asked Thomas with a smile. I pushed the ticket to him, he looked at it, scanned the bar code to verify it and looked at it again, and said, "Didn't I just give you ten ones?" I smiled and said, "Yes, sir, you did!" and he looks at me, grins and says, "What did you do?!"

"I won! I've never ever won in my LIFE!" and he smiles and asked me how I would like it paid out. I told him, took my winnings, thanked him and then left to find my MIL.

I found her, she was on a progressive machine that was not doing anything for her. I told her what happened, my hands were still shaking and she laughed and said, "Well, let's get out of here then." And we left.

I called QH as soon as we got out to the car and he thought I was full of it. "Right! You can't win money like that on those kind of machines." I said, "Here. Ask your mother!" and I put the phone to her ear and she said, "She cheated!"

Of course, he was still doubtful until I got home and he saw the money in my hands.

It doesn't take all the worry away for him, he's been disappointed too many times before. You can't expect one event to convert a cynic overnight. And this is great, but it doesn't solve my unemployment problems or the long term effects that might entail. I acknowledge that and release it.

For me, it was relief, and a sign I'm on the right path. It restored my faith and eliminated any doubt I had if this experiment in prosperity would work or not.

I'm so excited about tomorrow, who knows what will happen!! I'll keep you posted!

Thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you,thank you!!!

I hope you all have many blessings come your way!!

The $50 Million Dollar Prosperity Experiment

What would you do with a million dollars?

Have you ever thought about it?

Have you ever thought how it would feel to just hold it in your hands, and feel that relief hit you that you don't have to worry about money ever again, the freedom you would gain?

In this time of economic bailouts for large corporations and the roller coaster ride of the stock market, and the constant bad news you hear every night on the television or read online or in the newspaper, I decided it was time for a change.

I call it my $50 Million Dollar Prosperity Experiment.

It all started when I was surfing eBay one night and found an auction that was offering fifty (50), one million dollar bills. They are FAKE, of course, but I was inspired to bid on them and I WON!!

I received them yesterday, and I sat there holding them, thinking, "I'm holding $50 million dollars!" and my heart started to beat a little faster. Then I got a brilliant idea.

Here's how this is going to work:

If you received a million dollar bill from me, you have the next thirty (30) days to follow these steps:

1. Everyday, for the next 30 days, hold that million dollar bill in your hands and look at it. Imagine it's real.

2. Be grateful for having a million dollars and all the other blessings in your life. Don't just say you are grateful. FEEL IT!

3. Think of all things you could do with a million dollars: pay off your house, pay off all your bills, go on vacation, help out your family, buy that plasma television you've always wanted, buy that brand new car, and anything else you would ever want. The sky's the limit, because you are doing this in your mind, so there is no end to what you can buy or imagine for yourself with this million dollars! You could even get another million dollars if you want! There are NO LIMITS!

4. Here's the important thing: Keep track of anything happening unexpectedly during the next 30 days and write it down and report back to me. You can remain anonymous, but I'm putting a book together and you could be a part of it! The kinds of events I'm looking for are POSITIVE: you came into money unexpectedly (the REAL stuff), you got a new job, things seem to be going better for you, you won the lottery, it doesn't matter what it is, how big or how small, but if you notice a significant change or even just a small event that makes you go, "Hmmm," I would appreciate you reporting back to me.

5. It's important that you do this when you are feeling good, happy, or upbeat. If you have any negative or cynical thoughts at all, you may be setting yourself up for the opposite effect. Nothing goes right for you, bad things start to happen, money doesn't seem toflow to you but away from you, etc. It's also important that you count your blessings that money can't buy: your health, your family, your job, your home, your ability to provide for yourself or your family, your community. You need to feel GRATEFUL, really FEEL IT, whethere you have money or not.

The reason I am doing this experiement is more than just for the purposes of writing a book. I have been interested in the subject of manifesting your own prosperity for a few years now, and this idea came to me so suddenly and gave me goosebumps that I knew that this is what I needed to do. I also want to shift the current energy around me and around those who are my friends and family and help them find the power within themselves to make their lives better.

So, are you ready to give it a try? Are you willing to see if it will work or not? If you need any help, please don't hesitate to contact me or if you have questions about this, please let me know.

This should be fun and you should have fun while doing it! After all, if it ain't fun, don't do it!

I should also point out that I cannot guarantee any results for anyone, since results may vary depending on how consistent you are in following the steps. I do not promise fame, fortune, or any other results from you participating in this experiment.

If you are concerned aobut this being some kind of witchcraft, or spell, or that it may go against any Christian religion, just know that in the Bible it says, "So as you sow, so shall you reap," and that applies to your thoughts as well. Most of the successful atheletes and actors and celebrities you know and hear about use some type of visiualization (which this is what this is), to attain their success.

They thought it first, felt the feeling of success and then it happened!

And, I just don't want to do this all by myself! :)

Good luck and let me know your results before July 2, 2009.