#payitforward - helpful tips - giveaways... There are so many things floating around in my brain that I don't even know where to begin so I'm going to call this post
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What's on my mind?
In alphabetical order:
- #hamburgersaintproject
- #payitforward
- Helpful tips for Steemit newbies
- My boys in bootcamp
- Steemfest 2
- SteemGnome
That's a lot on the brain, right? So I guess I'll just work my way down the list with these random thoughts and see how many of you make it to the end.
#hamburgersaintproject
As one of the first gift recipients of the #hamburgersaintproject it is my responsibility to carry on the legacy of Sgt. Michael Barkey through a Pay It Forward initiative based in love, giving, and a bit of fun.
I NEED TWO VOLUNTEERS!
Find 2 of volunteers and gift them with something meaningful...and maybe include a snack bag of Cheetos.
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So far the names I have to pick from a hat are: 
For updates on the project please also follow 
#payitforward
This is my Steemit passion project. If you've been following me for the better part of a year you know that I love outreach and helping Steemians get over the hump.
What hump?
Any hump! Could be a tiny financial boost because I donate the liquid funds; could be putting their # nameinlights as a way to highlight a fellow who could use a boost in morale or followers.
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These calls to action are so important. When you participate you are telling the world that you care because WE ARE COMMUNITY.
Just in the last 28 days I've managed to create 9 blog posts and donated liquid funds from three of them.
#hamburgersaintproject received a total of 134 SBD
received 175 SBD to after he fell, further injuring his back and finding himself facing medical expenses and possible eviction. His post is here
To Pay It Forward does not mean strictly financial giving. If you see a worthy cause, give it a 100% upvote. Resteem them. Write a post a dedicate the liquid funds...or don't. The simple fact of sharing a Steemian's story with a broader audience is usually enough to bring organic traffic to them.
#
Helpful tips for Steemit newbies
Strangely enough, some of the posts I've created 8 to 11 months ago are starting to gain traction. I have every intention of updating them; clean them up and maybe omit some of my anecdotes but here's a short list of the ones I feel are most valuable.
- Best Practices for Steemit Newbie Artists
This post is also very appropriate for photographers and vloggers who think posting one thing and nothing else is going to generate a huge following. - Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Your Steemit Wallet
- What is a "QUALITY" post?
- Steemit Blogging 101: Title, Picture, First 100 Characters and WHY they're important!
- Steemit Blogging 101: Headers and White Space and WHY they're important!
- SteemVoter and the organic curator
In the interest of transparency, I have temporarily shut down SteemVoter to get a handle on how HF19 is affecting my voting power but it's coming back online soon...possibly with new people to auto-follow.
Something to think about
STEEM and SBD are the two liquid currencies that you can easily trade on the exchanges. The past few weeks have been great with both trading well over $1. These are amazing times for me because it wasn't that long ago when STEEM was down to EIGHT CENTS.
My estimated account value was crap. I stayed anyway.
Sure, now the money is pretty great. The potential to earn has no limits - but bad times happen. I want you to really think about what brings you here to Steemit and then ask yourself what is it going to take make stay if/when the price tanks again?
In order to stay a happy Steemian, I've always maintained that I have no expectations of earnings, which makes a payout that much sweeter. Whether or not STEEM or SBD is $10+ or $0.02 I'm going to continue holding the torch because it's still 100% more than what I'm making on Facebook.
Think about it.
!!! IMPORTANT !!!
Listen up, newbies...
You have a very important responsibility that you may not even be aware of:
STEEMIT WITNESS VOTING
Your homework is to read 
Your Steemit future lies in their hands. Vote wisely.
My boys in bootcamp
 | Jeremy (3050) is my middle child and he's got one month left of bootcamp. He's managed to survive the gas chamber, Swim Week, Grass Week, and he's getting ready for Team Week and Table 2 firing. |
|---|---|
| Joshua (2061) is my youngest and he's just finished up Swim Week and the gas chamber. I'm still waiting to see how his platoon did for Initial Drill! He's three weeks behind Jeremy but so far he's hanging in there. |  |
I try not to worry about the future and where they may go once they've been assigned a permanent duty station - or if they're deployed. I focus on their achievements and the steps they are taking in becoming fine, young men. I am so proud of my boys.
Steemfest 2
There, I said it.
I. Want. To. Go.
It's nice to wish something. It's entirely different to see if it's even remotely possible! And I couldn't just buy one ticket. This would be a trip for two and it's been hell trying to convince my husband that traipsing around Europe is a good idea. He's very security-conscious and doesn't like what he's reading in the news. Traveling abroad is not on his list of "good ideas."
But it's not FOMO that's making me anxious about going but rather a feeling that I should be there. I love Steemit and its people with all my heart. As an early adopter I feel like it's calling to me. I want to break bread with you in the worst way.
I mentioned possibly traveling by myself and he gave me the look. Well, I certainly wouldn't be alone; I have my Steemit family! Ideally, I want my husband with me. He's my partner in all things. It's going to take a lot of convincing and a lot of saving to make the trip.
I could shoot for the moon and try.
What do you think?
Is it worth powering down for airfare and accommodations?
SteemGnome
This guy is still waiting to travel!
If you're interested in hosting SteemGnome, please leave a comment. I'd like to pull a name out of a hat and send him on his way. He's getting cabin fever.
ONE MORE THING...
I'd like to close with one more #payitforward mention.
About four months ago,
Here is her original post
I purposefully kept the image large in case you wanted to download and save it. You see, one of the things that I do on occasion is fill the window with something goofy and leave it as a comment on her posts.
This is the last one I sent with the crazy thing from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In other words...
DON'T PANIC!
Read their story and give them your support - however you see fit.
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