OMG!!!  It was PRICELESS!!!

After such a remarkable experience,

I cannot imagine sitting back knowing Steemfest 2 could go on without me...

...instead spending my birthday alone as my fellow Steemians bask in the glow of another unforgettable, connecting and inspiring experience together.  

My Birthday Wish

• to have given away at least 150 hugs at Steemfest
  
  with my @gardenofeden family.  
  
  That would truly be a blessed gift.

Here are some details of why I want to go, why I ask your assistance, and what I have to offer:

I am a full-time volunteer at the @gardenofeden, a sustainable eco-village in Texas.  On any given day there are between 10 and 20 inhabitants here who are also full-time volunteers.  We invest our time not in working for the man, but in creating a better world for all of humanity.  It is our mission to share the possibilities of living a responsible life of freedom based on unconditional love.  

We feed, house and educate people on sustainable realities, while having learned to live ourselves on only $1 a day per person.  All of our donations, Steemit post rewards (not only the @gardenofeden account, but our individual accounts as well) and the money we save from efficiently caring for ourselves, is reinvested back into the local community.  We fed 40,000 free meals and saved over 350,000 pounds of trash from the landfill in one year alone.  We are ecstatic to be living every day as an example of being the change we wish to see in the world. 


@theprophet0 has been a great supporter of the @gardenofeden, appreciating our way of life and what we give back to the community .

That being said, it is my desire to continue our humanitarian efforts, without in any way draining the funds allocated for that purpose.  I would much prefer to write compelling posts to earn my way to Steemfest, so that I can engage with my fellow Steemians, connecting face-to-face in support of growing this Steemit community to be an even more powerful platform than it has already become.  I will be sharing more posts about Steemfest to help fund my way...this is just the beginning!

I base my life on community and bring this passion to Steemit.  I have been an integral part of the expanding artists community through my Collaborative Art Journey project, bringing together over 75 artiSTeemians in the creation of over 335 collaborative masterpieces.  Our repertoire is quite astounding and is an incredible representation of what we can do when we share our passions and come together for common purpose. 

Just a little taste of our collaboration - Power Spirit Collaboration by @paolobeneforti:

Here are  other potential offerings and inspirations for attending Steemfest this year:

• Meet and hug all the artists who have contributed to the Collaborative Art Journey, and every Steemian who feels called to hug me too.
• Share the art we have made together on this Collaborative Art Journey, in either a slideshow, a collage display, a raffle, gifts or otherwise.
• Provide an opportunity for the creation of a large, live art collaboration.
• Create and host art workshops together with @opheliafu.
• As one of my specialties is building community, I will help solidify the relationships we have created and reconnect with those with whom I have already established.

My needs are actually relatively few.  You'll see below how frugal we were throughout our Amsterdam journey, and I feel certain will be as sustainable as possible this year too.

WHAT I WOULD NEED:

• Flight from Texas to Portugal - at this time the cheapest air fare is approximately $600-$700 roundtrip.
• A ticket to attend Steemfest and all the incredible perks that come with being a part of this spectacular event.
• Sufficient funds for any necessary transit.
• My added birthday frosting wish:  For my fellow beings from the @gardenofeden to travel with me and attend this sure-to-be spectacular event.  They also have this same wish for my birthday, hopefully their added energy to securing these means will help make it so.
  

IN ORDER TO KEEP MY EXPENSES DOWN:

• I am willing to find a hotel alternative by couch surfing, camping, or finding other accommodations 
• I'm not a big eater, so  my Steemfest ticket will be more than enough to fill my little belly.
• I would be extremely conservative with transportation--use my feet a lot!!!

Last year I had a nearly spur-of-the-moment inspiration to attend Steemfest in Amsterdam.  I sold my art and began doing Steemit art collaborations to earn my way.  Here is my post of Gratitude for the experience, and I thank publicly once again these amazing people who helped me make it happen:

@quinneaker provided my upfront airfare and unbelievable support for this journey and my journey through life!!

@opheliafu helped me to get the ball rolling with my art as did other artists who donated their earning to me from our collaborative art works

@steemfestdreams and @richardcrill went out of their way by posting up opportunities and making posts on my behalf

@infovore provided the opportunity for me to win my Steemfest ticket

@roelandp guided me in many directions to make it happen 

@trf helped me with my travel through donations by @liondani and @bhuz, as well as ballinconscious @konstantin @donkey @christoryan@christoph3 @mrwang @pong @joseph @anduweb

@willemjanvandort wined and dined with spreads of cheese, wine and chocolate!!! <3  @saramiller and I couch surfed in his lovely home during the event.

Even with all the help, @saramiller (my laughing travel buddy and daily housemate co-creator at the @gardenofeden) and I did our best to keep our expenses to a minimum by cutting corners where ever possible.  We took 8 planes with round-trip transit time of about 108 hours.  We slept on benches, on planes, on the ground inside and out, couch-surfed instead of hoteling-it, walked 45 minutes to and from the venue, and hauled our luggage through the city on foot instead of taking taxis and other expensive transit.  Not only in the grand scheme of things did we do it inexpensively, we also stayed true to our commitment to sustainability by keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible--while literally walking our shoes off! 

@burnin facilitated the Golden Steem Awards where I was nominated in 4 categories, and won the Best Undiscovered Author Award for this post about one of my favorite subjects, children.  I received a nice cold beer as as my Golden Steem Award!!!

BIRTHDAY WISH:

November 6 is my birthday.  Last year I traveled on that day to Amsterdam, and so I wish this year to celebrate my birthday as a finale to what I imagine will be another beyond believable event.

I also wish that my other @gardenofeden community members will be able to attend with me.  If we all make it to Steemfest, we will certainly share with you our profound experiences living in community--a primo opportunity to see it in action.

Being amongst some of the most brilliant minds on the planet, people who are going to be world leaders in unimaginable ways, people who feel like family, are dedicating their lives to making change, and supporting, loving and encouraging one another is of great value to me.  

I will definitely continue to support this community as it has supported me.  And I will pay it forward through my humanitarian works and sharing the possibilities of thriving in community.

With plenty of time to prepare for Steemfest this year, may we all be blessed to experience the magic that is bound to unfold.

And....a shout out to @aggroed who is also doing a great service to many who will benefit from Steemfest.

And....one more important note...I would love to see @quinneaker share his wisdom on life, parenting, relationships, education, housing, sustainable living, and solutions to just about everything that needs upgrades in this world.  

Thanks for your consideration in helping my birthday dream come true.  

Steemfest Lisbon, here I come!!!

Happy Birthday to me!