Crazy Lady Gets the Vote!

    

Crazy Lady Gets the Vote!!!!

     Man oh boy....It's been a long time.  I knew that when I started this blog that it would be a challenge for me to update it regularly.  In my own defense, I have been so busy with chasing bargains that I neglected to take the time out and blog about it.  Recently, I entered a family photo contest that I became consumed with for about two weeks.  I can look back and laugh now, but during that time, I was so stressed out, it was crazy.  Okay, since I started this story, I guess I have to tell you the whole thing.
    
     One day I was braiding my mothers hair (another one of my hidden talents), and my bestest cousin Tameka gave me a call.  She told me that a local radio station was having a Easter Sunday's Best photo contest and the prize was a family pack of tickets to Great Adventure.  My FREE radar went up. I was so excited because I was already in the process of lining up activities for the kids for the summer and  winning this contest would be a great way to kickoff to the summer.
    
     It just so happens that last year, my family took a picture at our church's 90th Anniversary Banquet. It was a formal banquet so  we all had on black and white.  Everyone said that it was a great photo of us.  My cousin said that as soon as she heard the announcement, she thought this photo would be perfect for the contest. So, I call my husband, since I was not near the computer, so that he could upload the photo and get things started.  The object of the contest was to get the most votes for your photo.
    
     At first, I thought that I would upload the photo and wait to see what came of it.  Soon and very soon my competitive side got the best of me and I went off on a full fledged campaign for votes.  It started off innocently enough. When the voting polls opened, I updated my facebook status requesting votes for our family photo, easy enough right?  I also registered an account so that I could vote for myself.  Hey, if you don't vote for yourself, then who will?  Anyway, once I voted, I realized that you could cast ONE vote per day.  Once again, my mental gears began to turn.  I immediately told my husband to contact EVERYONE in his contact list and tell them that we needed their votes.  I had him contacting old classmates from college, ex-coworkers, past and present church members.....Everyone!!!!  Voting was to be the top priority for the next two weeks. 
    
     From then on, I was pinned to the computer, looking for votes from facebook.  Every time I saw someone log onto facebook, I was sending them instant messages reminding them to vote daily.  I was writing out song lyrics on facebook like, "Ain't too proud to beg (for votes)" and everything.  It was getting intense really fast. I was constantly watching the vote count and every time I received a vote, I would update my facebook status with "I see that vote..."  I was really on the campaign trail to win those tickets.  I was saying things like,"I see 20 votes on facebook right now." or "Can I get 10 people to vote for me right now."  I was on a mission. One of my slogans became, Please help a Mom on a Mission!  It was crazy.  I was forgetting to eat and everything. 
    
     The funny thing about the contest is that there were like 27 entries but it was only myself and another lady really getting votes.  I don't think that the other people understood the concept of the contest.  Anyway,  I was in the lead for most of the contest.  I was getting votes all day consistently.  The other lady kept scaring the mess out of me because she would get like 50 or 60 votes overnight.   During the day, she would get like 20 votes in two minutes.  Needless to say, that caused me to go in campaign overdrive.  I sent messages to EVERY friend that I had on facebook, begging for votes.  I was harassing my husband daily about sending out his mass text from his phone.  I had my mom send a mass text to everyone in my family.  I had my pastor, my deacons, ministers everybody on board.  I was a nervous wreck by now and I know that I was getting on every one's nerve but I just HAD to win those tickets.
    
     On the last day, I had to step away from the computer.  I think I was having heart palpitations or something.  I updated my facebook page with "I'm stepping away from the computer right now. My nerves are shot...LOL...I'm trusting that everyone will cast a vote for me today. Thanks again!!"  With that, I walked away from the computer.  Of course, I couldn't help myself so a couple of hours later, I went back on facebook to solicit a few more votes.  I was in the lead but my competition was fast approaching.  I was looking crazy by this time, trying to think of other ways to get votes.  A few days earlier, I asked the cashiers from Sears to vote for us.  I even asked a lady that was shopping for her daughters Easter dress to vote...and she DID!  My husband just looked at me and shook his head through this whole ordeal.
    
     The last time to vote was 4:00pm that evening.  I updated my facebook status with "It's almost 4 but let's keep voting til they tell us to stop. Let's shut it down Fb....."  At 4 on the dot, the voting polls shut down.  Ask me how I know?  I wanted to make sure that the votes stopped because I didn't want to see any surprises from my competition, so I tried to vote at 4:01Pm...I know.....too extreme, but I was on a mission...
    
     Well, once the polls closed, the count was 297 to 359...WE WON!!!!!  The crazy thing about it was that they did not announce the winner until like a week later.  I was miserable that week. I kept thinking, "What if there were some hanging chads or something?"  "What if she recieved some uncounted votes later?"  I was a mess.  When my husband called and said that they FINALLY called, I slumped on the floor.  I was praising and thanking God and everything. It felt like a 2 ton burden was lifted. 
    
      Like I said in the beginning, I can laugh at my shenanigans now ,but then, I was force to be reckoned with.  I don't think that I will do a contest like that again.  It was just too much pressure. On top of that, sometimes, I snap back into "campaign" mode when I'm on facebook but I have to remember that IT'S OVER........
    
I will definitely post pictures from our FREE trip to Great Adventure so stay tuned......