THANK YOU!!!!

To start this post I would like to make mention to the number of great companies, friends, family and strangers who have helped  put together one of the best and most exciting fundraisers in the history of fundraising. Of course “Bum Darts” went off without a hitch and I can honestly say that out of every party game I have ever played...That one has to be the most liberating and humiliating one of all LOL Great fun!!!  I shall take it on tour with me.

I would like to send out a great big Thank You to Miranda Zugelder, Barb and Gerry Mellersh, and Lorie Bevan for organizing the silent auction donations, constructing the tournament format for the games being played and making sure everyone at the fundraiser was involved and having a great time.  I would also like to send out a very special thank you to my mom Esther for all her help and support throughout the evening. I know it wasn’t easy for her but she did show everyone that there are people out there who are willing to support the ones they love, regardless of how they personally feel about the situation.

I would also like to thank Krista Sylvester for her story about this adventure in the Metro News, Bob Grayson of Scafcarp services LTD, Kristy Wannop of Critters Pet supplies in Cochrane AB, Wanda Miller and the Dirty Birdies of Edmonton AB, Whitney Joehnck of Calgary AB, John Maze of Calgary AB, Brittany and Nick from the Stongate Pub in Calgary AB, (Great Karaoke) Jennifer Emond of Calgary AB and Audra Nelson of Calgary AB for their silent auction donations, their charity cash donations and their food and fuel gift cards.  Also, a big shout out to Dan and Rose Mellersh for their more than generous contribution to this tour.  Thank you to all of you for your support, your donations and most of all your kindness.

Of course the evening would not have been a success without everyone else who supported this function as well.  To my entire hockey team the Calgary Chiefs “let’s go boys” ;-) Keri...the jersey is coming with me.  The small but fiery crew from the Macleod Trail Animal Hospital (Never stop laughing ladies) ps nice moustaches, the new and not so new members of the Chilly Peppers women’s hockey team, the tired and not so tired members of the Dirty Birdies women’s softball team.  Raz and Chrystal, Jamie and Val.  It was great to see you guys and I hope you enjoyed the party.  Anyone interested in getting to know a kick ass singer before she makes it big should check out Jamie Johnson.  You will not be disappointed.  Also to the Mellersh family who has been so welcoming and supportive and generous over the last few years.  I was so happy you could make it and I do hope we stay in contact while I am away.  Again, a big thank you to my mom for her support, my brother Rodney who is more excited about this adventure than I could have ever hoped; to prove it he joined in the fun and somewhat embarrassment of a competitive game of “BUM DARTS!”  Thanks for that, sometimes the little things say so much more then the grand gestures.  Too my Auntie Gloria and Uncle Ross for their kind words, their helpful advice and their undying support.  It really does reach further than you know.  Finally to Paula and Melanie who had to spend an entire evening watching me count and then recount a jar full of Mike and Ike’s candy beans.  Heather, I did wash my hands but that was before hockey lol Great guess by the way. 

I do apologize if I have missed anyone.  To all those who couldn’t make it but bought tickets anyway and to everyone who has purchased some of my personal belongings...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

Feedback

When I first started planning this trip I was originally set up to travel through Canada and the United Sates on the kindness of strangers.  However, I have quickly come to realize that the kindness part was simply the spark.  The kindling if you will, for something so much more intricate.  I have been so pleased with the comments made on the blog so far and the anonymous emails I have received.  Both of which have transformed this adventure into something even I could have never imagined. 

When I sat down to write my “No Shoulds” post, I was completely unaware of the impact that something like that could have.  That particular post has created its own little subsection to this tour and has already changed the complexity of the message I was hoping to send and as you all know, I haven’t even left yet.

I am excited about this opportunity to add some different layers to my blog posts. As most of you already know, I will be starting to post my video diaries on YouTube in a few days.   I have asked a friend of mine to help me come up with some important questions to ask people throughout my travels.  I really want to get an everyman view about life and what makes it worthwhile.  I want to ask questions about how we as a society can make life better, not only for ourselves but for each other.  I want to step outside the realm of politics and find out what real people really think.  Yes, I say real people because I am not convinced that politicians are in fact real people. (tee hee)

 I would like to get as many of you involved in this adventure as I can, and get as much feedback as you are all willing to give.  So anyway, here is my challenge to all those in this small yet significant blog world so far... Send me your questions.  Send me something you have always wanted to know about the general public but were too afraid to ask. :-) Send me your comments and feelings on what makes you happy, sad, glad, mad.....well you get the picture.  Most of all, send me your ideas of what you think would make a great segment for my first few video diaries.

Feel free to send them to my email if you would prefer to remain anonymous.  I look forward to reading your ideas and I am excited to get started on the next phase of this adventure.  I hope to see as many of you as I can next Saturday September 25^th  for those of you who can’t make it but wanted to be there, thank you so much for your support through your letters and emails.

See you all soon

Margo

IT'S OFFICIAL

Ok, it is set. the official start date of my little adventure is October 1 2010




my heart skipped a beat when I finally made it official. "what in the name of socks are you doing, you crazy woman?" was one of the first things to pop into my head (language may have varied a little)



I was talking to a friend of mine today and she said it best. "Crazy, Scary and awesome all at the same time" yes, yes it is. I am not going to lie and say I am not a little freaked out about it. Honestly the closer we get to october the closer I may be to accidently pooping in my pants :-) Never say never!



I have had a lot of people in the last few days ask me to elaborate a little more on why I have decided to do this and what brought the thought on in the first place and why I have chosen now to do it. So, I will put my thoughts together tonight and try to come up with something somewhat intelligent to post later this weekend.

Who,What,When,Where and How come!

WHO: Me Margo Nelson

WHAT: I am setting out on a venture.  A wild and crazy idea but I am excited to get it started.

WHEN: I plan on setting off just as soon as I sell my stuff and pick up my passport.

WHERE: This trip will be starting in Edmonton Alberta.  I will be heading east through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and perhaps New Brunswick.  Once I am east in Canada I will be heading south across the border to the United States.  I hope to go through Main, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington then back over the border to Vancouver British Columbia, where this idea came to me in the first place

HOW COME: I would like to prove to others, but mostly myself that there is still a kindness in the world.  I want to show that Canadians and Americans can come together. They can put aside their differences and work together to save this world that is as we can all see; falling apart all around us.  I want to prove to anyone in this world that has ever felt alone, or useless or  ever felt like they were just one person and couldn't make a difference even if they wanted to; that one person is only one person until they share their ideas with another.  There is no such thing as alone!

Side note:  I am selling everthing I own to pay off credit cards and loans.  what I have left I will pack in my car with my massage table, painting supplies and puppy dog and head out on the highway.  I have no time line for this trip and I have no solid route planned out.  I will go where the kindess takes me.  In exchange for food, shelter and gas money I will paint (houses,rooms, pictures) ok maybe not pictures :-)  I am a Certified Massage Therapist so I will also exchange massages. (the legal kind) of course! I will accept donations of anykind.  However, any cash donations that I do not spend on food, shelter or fuel will be donated to three different  charities. 1. Lupus Foundation 2. SPCA and ASPCA 3. Women's cancer research

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this.  I look forward to hearing from each and every person that makes the effort to check out my blog.

VIDEO DIARY TO COME!

Why I lost my mind!

Ok, so this is the best explanation I have for where the idea of this adventure came from and what I truly hope to get out of it.  I will try to keep it a little shorter than a novel.

I was recently having a conversation with a friend of mine.  We were discussing the state of the world today and how it seems like regardless of where you go, it really is difficult to find someone who will hold a door for you, or give a quick wave if you let them into traffic or even just a simple thank you.  people are in such a hurry to get where they are going these days that they forgot to stop and take a minute to (as they say) "smell the roses".  The simple things in life like a smile or a thank you or even a heartfelt compliment to a total stranger are all too quickly disappearing from society.  I used to be so proud to call myself a Calgarian.  I couldn't believe the difference in the people from other Cities to my own.  It used to be a city of such friendliness and hospitality.  However, in the last few years the population has almost doubled and it seems as though the more people you get in one area the more rude and uptight they become.  Of course, this opened up a hole new can of worms for us when we started talking about why that is.  Why people become angry in heavily populated areas and why racism, sexism, homophobia, agoraphobia well, maybe not agoraphobia :-) just trying to lighten the mood as most people don't like to talk about these kinds of issues.  Anyway, all the ism's and phobias seem to be at an all time high the closer you get to the metropolitan areas.   We had a few disagreements in that department, however we did manage to agree that it is the political ideologies and not the people themselves that are causing such chaos and mayhem throughout Canada and the United States.  Oooops, did I just talk about politics :-/

  She, being an American was extremely candid about how she was feeling like Americans were hated, pigeon holed and even discriminated against because the rest of the world thinks of them as rude, arrogant, ignorant and self centred.  And why Canadians were thought of as so friendly and open.  "her words, not mine." :-)  Which once again brought us back to why that is.  We all know there are some not so nice people everywhere we go.  But we also know there are some really great people all over the world.  People who are kind and caring and respectful and would give anything to see this world in a much better place than it is right now.  Americans and Canadians included.  We managed to agree once again that Americans are ahead of all the kids in school when it comes to the media.  The rest of the world is not shown what a true American is, they are shown what I have dubbed as a "Media American" The rest of the world sees two countries not standing united but falling divided.  Yet the "Media American" is proud of their county and happy with it the way it is.   Of course the rest of the world is going to look at that and wonder why.  Why are Americans and Canadians alike so proud of a place that is so obviously segregated and two sided.

  This is what we came up with. 

I am proud to be a Canadian because of what the rest of the world is told we stand for.   She is proud to be an American for what the rest of the world doesn't see. 

So there you have it.  The conversation which sparked my all too vivid imagination. 

This venture, not having a political agenda; I am sure will end up that way.  Perhaps that is what is needed.  I am not a political figure.  In fact, ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I stay as far away from politics as I possibly can :-)  I am not a person of great influence nor am I someone who pays particularly close attention to persons of great influence. I really am just your average citizen.  I am someone who truly believes that the class system is so far out of control that it's time we take a good hard look at what purpose it actually serves.  I am someone who believes that this world would have a completely different outlook if the little guy had more of a voice.  No not short people.  But I can honestly say that world can be kind of scary when you are always looking up at it ;-) 

I may have gone a little off track but I know it will all come full circle in due time. 

So, to put an end to this novel I will simply say that my goal for this trip and what I truly hope to get out of it is this...


Prove to myself and anyone else who is following this endeavour, that there are people all over these two great Countries of ours who are in fact, kind and caring and frustrated with the way the rest of the world perceives us.   Most of all I need to see for myself that there is hope, that there is a chance that we can turn this world around and that it's not too late.  If I get nothing else out of this, I want to know that I have at least educated myself on what it means to truly be a Canadian citizen and what it truly means be an American citizen.  I want to know that I know what I know and not what I hear. tee hee, that was a fun sentence to write :-) 

I am looking forward to any and all comments to this particular blog.  For or against...bring them on.  I am excited to hear your views as everyone should have a voice!

Thank you

Margo

Deliberation

So as most of you are aware, Parents never stop being parents regardless of how old their children get. My mom, who has stood beside me with any and every decision I have ever made, is once again attempting to do the same. :-) I say attempting because like most mothers out there, she is worried. Her exact words to me when I first told her I needed to talk about something I was planning were, “why, what are you doing this time?” I know it has been difficult for her in sooo many ways to have a daughter like me. But I do need to say this. You have no idea how powerful it is to have someone love and support you even if it goes against everything they believe in. I truly feel it is those people that will change the world.

On that note,

After a few conversations with my mother, some friends and a meteorologist I have decided to be really confused as to the direction of my tour. We, decided that driving Canadian Highways in the middle of winter was a little on the nutzo side and figured it was best for everybody’s sanity if I were to head south first and go from California, East. Of course, that still probably puts me on the East coast in the dead of winter instead of at the beginning when it is hopefully coming in like a lamb :-)

My original plan was to head East in Canada in October and be well on my way into the Southern part of the United States by early November.

HELP!!! I am hoping for a lot of feedback on this one as the direction of this tour seems to be the only
stressful thing right now. That and my Passport!

NISSAN CANADA

A lesson learnt. It never hurts to ask!

I sent out an email to Nissan Canada in regards to my adventure. I told them what I was planning and asked if they felt they could help me in any way.

To be quite honest, I was expecting a great big...well... (Up yours) :-)  Much to my surprise I received an email today from that very same company.

I will not go into all the details until I clear it with them and they agree to let me discuss our conversations on this blog. But I will say this; I am phenomenally impressed with the speed of their response, the respect they have shown me so far and their genuine interest in my journey.

They have come through and offered me more than I could have ever imagined. And I am so excited that a big corporation like Nissan Canada can take the time to not only listen to the "little guys" but lend a hand as well.

So here’s to you, my contact at Nissan Canada

Thank you, Thank you, so very much

NO SHOULD'S

I was having a couple drinks with some friends from my hockey team tonight and I heard something that I can honestly say I have never heard before. Believe it or not, it did not involve a four letter word. ;-) We were actually there to discuss the upcoming hockey season, but of course managed to get a little off topic a few times. Which if anyone has ever sat at a table with four women before knows it happens all the time.

(No should’s or should haves.) I am someone who likes to live by the motto “no regrets” but this was new to me. I loved it. Why go through life saying, “I should have done that” or “I really should have said that.” Or “I should have put myself out there when I had the chance.” True they are still regrets but in my world, regret is something I really should not have done as opposed to something I should have.

They are both equally important to live by and both as much a regret as the next.

Say what you feel, feel what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Other’s reactions to you are not your responsibility. If you happen to disagree with someone, than disagree with respect. Listen to what they have to say because their opinions are just as important as yours. Don’t say something you will wish you hadn’t and don’t walk away without saying anything at all.

In the words of a long time friend, ”if you have a “should” in your life right now, than do something about it or throw it away. Stop dwelling on it and move on.”

Let’s not wait until it’s too late and we are out of time with a list of should’s

M

Fundraiser / Send Off Party

Well, here it is.

Saturday September 25th 2010 @ 7:00pm
Calgary Alberta Canada
Schanks Sports Grill  (South Location) sorry to those of you in the North ;-)

Tickets are being printed as I am writing this and you can bet your butt when I receive these tickets I am going to hunt all of you down personally to make sure you at least come out to wish me luck or tell me I am crazy. Either one works for me as long as you are all there.



There will be a silent auction, games with prizes (no you are not required to participate in anything you do not wish to participate in) you will however be ridiculed by your peers but please, don’t let that pressure you in any way ;-)there will be an appetizer buffet supplied by the great people of Schanks and best of all ME lol just kidding. I will of course be there but I hope the fun alone will bring all of you out for the evening.



Anyone from out of town planning on being there can contact me through e-mail and I will hold tickets for you at the door.

If you would like to be there but just can’t find the time....well, I don’t know what to say to that ;-) If that is the case and you would still like to contribute to this cause, please contact me through e-mail unitethemnow@gmail.com and I will make arrangements to be in touch with you that way.



Thank you all for the support so far and I am looking forward to this great night.

I do hope as many of you that can be there, will be there!

See you all soon,

CHEERS!!

Margo