Hard At Work...or is it hardly working?

I'm wanted to take a moment and say Thank you for all those who have voted for me in the contest from Hotels.com.  I sincerely appreciate it, and feel free to continue to vote until September 6th, 2010.  I am slowly moving up and I would love to win this thing.  But then who wouldn't love to win $100,000 right?

To find my entry for this contest, you would need to go HERE and look for Lisa Renea M. I am so hoping that I will eventually make it to the first page of Most Popular. 

Being in a voting contest is harder work, than you might think.  I am trying to repay favors, and vote for other people, in other voting contest.  I am posting in sweeping message boards, calling family and friends, posting on facebook and twitter, and other various activities, to hopefully get more votes.

And to think there are some people that do this a lot!  Some people have a real talent for contest, and to be honest, there is a better chance to win a contest, than perhaps a sweepstakes.  That's because most people look at a contest, and either don't bother with it, or think they will come back to enter it, yet they never do.  The pool of entrants are much smaller, so you odds of winning are much better.  I just wish for this particular contest, I had entered when it first started, instead of when I did.  But like the old saying goes..."Better late, than never".

At the moment, I am trying to update here on this little blog, enter sweepstakes online and through my cell phone, as well as taking care of various things around the house.  It's hard to do some of the things that need to be done, as my scooter is in serious need of being charged.  I really need to replace the battery on that thing, as I am having to charge it more and more frequently.

I am so grateful for having a device like my little scooter, as it makes getting around so much easier, as well as enjoying any trips I may go on, so I don't get all tuckered out.  But other times I feel so dejected, because my butt keeps getting bigger and bigger from the lack of exercise.  But whenever I try to do more, without my scooter, I end up hurting and then I get depressed.  I hate pain! 

One of the things that I am *trying* to do, is clean house.  Why am I in the "cleaning' mode?  Because we have Merry Maids coming.  Yep!  I'm cleaning the house for the maids.  It makes absolutely NO sense, what so ever, does it?  In fact, I personally think all of this cleaning for  the maids, is a serious sign of a sickness or something.  But at least once Merry Maids have come, cleaned and then leave, I will be left with somewhat of a nice looking home.  For at least two days I reckon.

In "Winning" News, I've been fortunate to have won $10 Conoco gas card in the ConocoPhillips-Gas for Life Sweepstakes last week, as well as a Team Lowe's Racing drink coozie from Lowe's® Ultimate Man Cave for Dad Contest.  I've added the link there, so you might want to check them out, if you haven't already.

I missed out yesterday, mailing my daily ten snail mail entries.  I'm a bit bummed out about it, but oh well.  (That's always been my motto, for not letting things get to me).  In today's mail I have twenty entries ready to go to the post office.  I'm trying to stay on top of it, but I am *really* longing for another wonderful trip win (NYC or Paris/London are my two top choices)  In fact, I keep dreaming that I am in New York.

Have you ever been on a trip which you've won from Sweepstakes or a Contest?  If so, please share where you went and where you would like to go to.  I would love to hear from more people that also share this wonderful hobby as I do. 

Last but not least, I am seriously thinking about having my own little promotion here.  Now a lot of sweepers don't like blog sweepstakes, as it usually takes a lot of time to enter.  Sometimes if feels like you have to jump through hoops to get entries into those drawings.  I think if I do have a giveaway, I want to make it as painless as possible.  I am trying to also think of what I could give away too.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment or write me an e-mail with suggestions.  I look forward to hearing from you.

~Cheers~
Lisa

What I get up to when I can't sleep

Well it's after 4 AM here and I am still awake.  What happens to me, when I don't go to sleep like normal people?  I go and look for and enter contest and sweepstakes.  Now that isn't bad, is it?  However, tonight I found one that is actually a voting contest.  

I normally stay far away from voting contest.  Mainly because they are just so dang hard to win.  The people that do win, are usually either college kids, who understand the whole twitter/facebook a lot better than I, as well as staying up with their friends and keep voting, well into the morning.  Then the other problem is that some techy person knows how to set up bots and rig it, so that they have the most votes.  This will usually get the person disqualified, however someone else has to bring it to the sponsors attention.  Plus, some sites don't really care, as they are thinking it's getting people to their sites and that's the main objective to them.


So I stay away from voting contest.  Except tonight.  I found a post on a local board that I belong to, and thought I would go ahead and enter it.  Mainly because the prize is fantastic.  The grand prize winner will recieve a check for $102,250 check.  This is so that the grand prize winner can take a vacation every year for the next 50 years.  Now granted, I seriouly doubt I will live to be 93..BUT I would travel so much more, if I had an amount like $102,250 in my checking account!

So I thought to myself after I entered this, how/what is the best way for me to get votes.  Cause the winner with the most votes win.  From what I've seen, you can't vote down someone else's entry, which I'm glad about.  That's when voting contest can turn real ugly, real quick. So I started thinking and I first posted my request for votes, by the method the website suggested, which was e-mails, facebook and twitter.  Now I don't have hundreds of friends that I coresspond thru emails with, nor do I have hundreds of friends on facebook, yet those friends have friends that I don't have, so I am also hoping that they will "share" this with their friends and on their facebook accounts. 

The other way that I thought I could get votes, is by asking for them in various sweepstakes message boards and forums.  That will hopefully bring in some votes.  Then I also remembered "DUH" I have a blog for goodness sakes!  So if you care to help this little sweeper/bloggie person, win a wonderful contest, that honestly would make a HUGE difference in my life, please check my entry out and vote for me.

The contest is being sponsored by Hotels.com and the web address is...

http://ineedavacation.hotels.com/Gallery.aspx

Just go to most recent and look for "Lisa Renea M"  At the moment, I am the most current, but that will change...so you should be able to look for me by my name. 

This promotion actually ends on September 6, 2010 and I am sure you guys will get sick of me mentioning this.  So I am going to try and limit my request for votes on this blog, only at one a week..or maybe one every two weeks.

I am still trying to think of other ways to gather votes, and so far the only idea I've got is to take an ad out on Craig's list, but I'm not sure if that's allowed.  LOL.  I have no shame, do I? :)

btw...the photo on their site is a bit small, so I thought I would also post a bigger photo of it here, so that you can see me in my full glory!  The idea is to submit a photo of yourself, and why you need a vacation.  I personally feel like I need a vacation, so my eyes can return to normal from looking at my computer screen all the time.  Sadly, they didn't let us add comments to our entries, but I hope I get my point accross in my little pictures...I mean, it could happen right?




If anyone reading this has any ideas on how I can get votes for this contest, please please, pretty please send me an e-mail or submit a comment.  I honestly would appreciate it so very much!
Another thing I forgot to mention, is that there is a daily prize of a Flip camcorder for the people that vote, so think of it as an incentive to vote. 

On to other news....

Not much has been going on with me.  I actually got back from vacation with my daughter and my cousin Ricky.  We drove up to Fort Collins, Colorado and met some wonderful people in our guild on World of Warcraft.  We also drove all around Colorado and I now wish I lived there.  Especially during summer.  Texas heat and humidity is about to do me in.

While I was gone, my husband won a PS3 game, called backbreaker or something.  I have no clue.  We just bought a PS3 for my birthday and I don't play those kind of games.  I am more of a cutesy easy, looks more like a cartoon, gamer.  I actually want to get the new Toy Story game on the PS3.  I actually play more with my Wii than the PS3.  (I love Harvest Moon games)

Nothing else is going on with me.  Which is so totally boring.  That's probably why I haven't updated the blog that much.  I have won a few things, here and there..like a facial mask and music downloads.  I know the next fun/big win is just around the corner.

Now I'm off to contemplate if I should take an ad out in our local newspaper, wear a T-shirt asking for votes or getting a magnetic sign to put on my car, asking for votes...See how desperate I am?  I really, really want to win this!

~cheers~
Lisa