No Strings Attached... Well, It's Only Missing One Anyways.

What I love about this process is that it is set up for success. As long as I continue toward my goal and keep at it, I WILL eventually get to my bass boat! Before we dive into my trade, I want to share some really exciting progressions in my story! I got an amazing email from one Tyler Reed who is the social media editor and the BASS Federation Editor for B.A.S.S. inc. He informed me that he had spoken to Trisha, the Texas sales rep for BASS that I told you all about, and they were quite interested in my project! He had visited my blog and decided that it was worth pursuing! They let me know that when I get closer to my bass boat that they would like to do a story on my journey! How Exciting!! We discussed what it might mean to be "close" and I decided to set a $$ amount to shoot for. That amount is now officially $10,000. So, what that means for BASS is when I get to about the $8,000 mark, they will be in touch with me to do a write-up. As if that wasn't incredible enough, they offered to share my story on their twitter page! Needless to say my ratings and views jumped like crazy! Here is a link so you can check it out! I also got in touch with Skeeter Boats. I spoke with a woman for about half an hour on the possibilities of working with them. She was pumped up about the potential for a story that she had me write something up that she could send off to the people who are over advertising to see if they might want to do anything about it! I'll let you know if anything develops on that front.

As most of you know, I have just opened up the spectrum of my trading audience to the whole state of Texas! And because of that, there are going to be many of you who are visiting my blog for the first time, so I'm going to do a quick recap of what we're doing here.

On January 9th, I began a journey to obtain my goal and realize my dream of owning a bass boat! I started with a broken water-pistol and traded up and up with that end goal in mind. In just 5 trades, I obtained a serger sewing machine ranging in the neighborhood of $500-800! In my next couple of trades, I really hope to bust into that four digit realm! AND You can help me get there!!

This trade took a while. In fact, I was sitting on my serger for something like 3 weeks! The longest I had gone before was about a week so this felt like an ETERNITY! All that said, it was expected as I explained it in my blog entry, Here's Where it Gets Interesting. However, it was not for lack of response. I had several offers for my serger, but they just weren't the right ones... until... I got that precious email from one Kim Marr of the Austin, TX area! She's not really as small as she looks... I am a giant! my 6'7", 300lb self makes most normal people look tiny. I had posted in several Craigslist cities that I was going to be in the Abilene, TX area last week and for Kim, that meant a win-win for her. She had some friends who lived in Brownwood, TX that she was dying to see and she had something she was dying to trade me for my awesome serger! So it worked out perfectly! It just so happened that one of the few storms that have hit Texas in the last year decided to try to rain on my parade! But, I wasn't going to let that stop me. I weathered the storm and drove the short one and a half hour drive to Brownwood so that we could make a trade!

 

Previously, Kim had informed me that she had the perfect item to trade me! She had a 1998 A.R. Seidel German made, 15" viola. I know what you are thinking... Did he mistype viloin...? And if not, what the heck is a viola?! Well, it is the much unappreciated, lesser known cousin of the violin. It is known for its smoother, fuller sound compared to the sometimes shrill nature of the violin. It's the alto version, if you will. From what I have been told, there are about 10 violins in the world for every viola. So, what that means to me is that they are harder to get a hold of, thus, in higher demand. Fortunately for me, I happen to know about 7 or 8 violists who hopefully can help me get hooked up with that next trade! Right now is the perfect time to try to trade it because UIL competition is getting ready to be underway and some people are going to be looking for a viola for their kiddos! 

Anyhow, after a little research, I came to the conclusion that this was going to be a good trade. It retailed new for over $1,700 according to this document that I found on Google. And that's just for the viola itself! This one comes with a hard case, bow, music stand and all the necessary stuff for maintenance and upkeep. Altogether, in the condition that it's in (which is immaculate), and given its age, it is priced at around the $800-900 range. It was not a big price jump for me, but what it provided me with is something that I can hopefully trade up quickly and for something awesome! It is missing a string which I will get replaced soon. In my next post, I will hopefully have a few more pictures and a video or two of someone playing it so you all can hear how beautiful it sounds!

Here's a little history on this beautiful viola. Kim purchased it in 2000. She was a double major in music and theater and needed to learn a stringed instrument. She claimed it was the perfect instrument for her because she has small hands and it wasn't a strain to try to reach what she needed to in order to make beautiful melodies! She enjoyed it so much that she bought it after her class ended so that she could keep learning. As many of us understand, when life gets crazy, some things get re-prioritized. For Kim, that meant that her dreams of being a professional violist had to be put aside for now. So it has not been played for quite a while and is in DIRE need of someone to put it to some good use. For sure, I am not the one to do that so I need to trade it away to someone who can as soon as possible. :) 

I have a couple of questions. Do you think a YouTube channel would be helpful? I was thinking about starting one so that I can show everyone exactly what all of my trades can do; how my viola sounds... how the serger would have worked... show you all how good the picture on the flatscreen will be... and how well the awesome giant pick up will sound when you crank it up... and finally, how my awesome bass boat runs! Let me know what you think in the comment box! 

So, now I leave it to you! All I ask is that someone out there will trade me something a little bit better than my viola! The options are wide open! If you have something you might want to trade me, feel free to email me at cag04f@acu.edu. You are also welcome to call or text at a decent hour. My number is 432-twoeighteight-four7zero6!

Thank you all for making this so exciting. To date, my page has received over 2500 hits from 10 different countries including Canada (maybe that's Kyle MacDonald of oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com coming to check out my progress)! Before you close out this page, I encourage you to subscribe to this page so we can keep in touch! Thank you again so very much! I'll keep you posted on all the excitement to come! Until next time... 

-Something Bigger Something Better

Sew...How's it going?

So... there I was, rocking back and forth in my beautiful solid wood rocking chair, texting my mom, checking my Facebook on my phone, visiting bassmaster.com to get my fantasy fishing team lined up, (yes, there is actually such a thing!) when all of a sudden, my phone sounded that glorious sound that now gets my heart pumping every time since I began my journey... I had received an email! Now, on any normal day, I would not have paid much attention to this beautiful chime because the chances of it being something that truly deserved my body going into adrenaline overdrive were slim to none. However, since I began my journey, every buzz in my pocket, every sweet email chime is worthy of a party and gets my full attention, because you never know when that next trade offer is going to come through!! And this time, it was sweeter than ever.

One thing I have learned from this experience is that you never know the answer to five simple questions: Who? What? When? Why? Where? And each opportunity to trade is an adventure in and of itself. Well, Sunday evening, I answered these questions regarding my next trade! I got an email from one Angel Qualls of Midland, TX who had an incredible deal to offer me. (I have a feeling that it was the Fabio voice in her head that told her she needed my rocking chair!) As soon as I saw it, I knew that it would be the absolute perfect thing to have!

I have a confession to make... I have always wanted to learn how to sew... and fortunately, Angel, eager to help me realize my dream of being on Project Runway (only joking...), offered up her Savant serger, fully equipped with everything one would need to become an expert seamstress! It is a 3 year old model that to my knowledge has only been used one or two times. It is basically BRAND NEW! How awesome is that?! BUT WAIT! It gets better! It comes with about $100 in replacement parts just in case it wasn't sweet enough already, the owners manual, a VERY useful (as you will see in a minute) expert sewing book, brand new carrying case and so much more! Before I go any further and show you pictures of this masterpiece, I want to give a shout-out to my wonderful sister-in-law Megan Greathouse of Greathouse Photography for taking the pictures of the serger! You can see more about her and how awesome a photographer she is at greathouseportfolio.com!

 

Here is a picture of everything that comes with this. (from left to right: 10 year limited warranty, owner's manual, replacement ruffling foot, replacement beading, piping and cording foot, Savant serger, replacement blind hem foot, something that looks like a loooong needle, and a serger guide to help you learn to serge!)

It also comes with a foot pedal for added convenience!

Here is a sample of at least one kind of stitching that it does.

This bag is basically brand new! Still has the tag on it and everything!!

Ya know that feeling when you get that one thing, the thing that is going to take you to the next level? Maybe it's a set golf clubs made out of adamantium that are claimed to hit the ball a solid 5280 feet or maybe it's the world famous Paula Dean's cookware that will cook dinner for you. Well, this is my adamantium golf clubs... this is my cookware... I decided that before I traded this amazing machine away, I had to give it a go! So, I busted out the "Serger's Guide" and got to reading! 

 I read and read, learning all that I could. But, you can only learn so much by reading; you gotta get out there and try it! I found the perfect piece of scrap cloth and got to work. 

I stitched until my hands wanted to bleed!

Finally, I started to see some progress...

This machine was so efficient and professional that it only took me a few minutes before...

 I had made my very own shirt! And let me tell you, if I can do it, you can do it! 

I can't express enough how incredible this is. I mean, think about it. I started with a busted water-pistol two weeks ago and now, I have a machine worth hundreds of dollars! From what I can tell, this machine new was $899 retail and even though it is a few years old, it is barely used and likely still holds most of it's value! Not to mention, it comes with over $100 worth of accessories and replacement parts!! It is absolutely amazing and takes generous people like you all who have the vision to see vision! Thank you all for getting behind me as I travel down this incredible, exciting road! Allow me to repeat myself, but I can't wait til I get to log my last entry with the news that I have officially traded up to a bass boat!

If you would like to be part of my journey, first I encourage you to follow my page here and second, consider what you might have to trade me! I am open to all offers as long as it is at least a little bit better than what I have! Feel free to email me at cag04f@acu.edu or call/text me at 432-twoeighteight-four7zero6! 

One more shout-out to greathouseportfolio.com and to Greathouse Photography for the incredible pictures! They totally tell the story! Way to go Meg!

Here's Where It Get's Interesting!

Hey Avid Readers!! This is the point where it gets really, really interesting on my end and yours! I've begun trading for items that are quite valuable. Today, hopefully I will exchange my rocking chair for my most valuable trade thus far. I try not to blog about trades until I have it in hand (which should be some time this evening). So on that note, stay tuned tonight for the exciting update!

I want to take a moment to thank you, my readers, for being committed to following this story! To date, we have just under 1000 people who have logged in to check out my story! All in just over 2 weeks!! Also, there are 6 different countries represented in that figure including Russia, Germany, The Netherlands, Honduras, the United Kingdom and the USA! HOW COOL IS THAT! This thing has gone international!

Now, I know that I have not been writing nearly as often, but the thing about having more valuable items to trade is that it is really going to take the right person who wants or needs the items that I have to offer or someone who wants to be awesome and has the means to help me out. All that to say, it might be a while between posts simply because it's going to take longer to find a trade. This is only a projection, however, because I didn't think I would trade the rocking chair so quickly and for something so awesome, but I got the offer on Sunday for the chair and have been waiting for today when we can go make it happen! So my promise to you is that as soon as I have a trade confirmed and in hand, I will let you all know!

I tell you what, this has been such an exciting journey! You all have made this whole process possible and I'm excited to one day write the final submission for this adventure as my journey reaches its awesome conclusion. I mean seriously, I started with a broken water-gun and I am about to finalize a trade for an item worth in the vicinity of $400-500! I'm hoping that I can reach my goal within about 10 more trades.

I can't tell you much, because details are not finalized, but the next leg of this journey might include a power presence known as the internationally recognized bassmaster.com website and B.A.S.S. Organization. I'm really excited about the possibilities and I'm looking forward to seeing where this road will take me! Only time will tell! Stay tuned for more exciting updates as the story of "trading on up to a bass boat" unfolds!


If you want to be part of this and might have something to trade down the road, let me know and we can work something out when the time comes! My number is 432-twoeighteight-four7zero6 and my email address is cag04f@acu.edu!

Who needs a nap? I NEED A NAP! Fortunately, I have this rocking chair!

Good Morning from the dry country of Odessa, TX! If you have kept up with me thus far, you know that I had a dell laptop that was traded to me for my Asian decorations. Neither Miss Cynthia nor I realized it at the time, but the computer had some issues that were going to make it hard to trade it to someone in good conscience without taking a pretty good step backwards and so Cynthia, so excited to help in any way, was gracious enough to take the computer back and trade me something even better!

Thanks Miss Cynthia!!

Allow me to set the mood. Read this like Fabio is reading this in his smooth accent... Close your eyes (JUST PLAYIN! You can't read with your eyes closed silly :) ... You're a hard working woman...You've had a LONG day doing what you incredible women do... Your shoes have worn blisters on your feet and all you want to do is take them off and get off of your feet... You learned on Dr. Oz that the gentle swaying of a rocking chair affects your inner ear, causing you to become soothed and relaxed... and so you look around your house and low and behold, you had just traded Coy something bigger and better for that rocking chair that looks so good over in the corner... OOOOOOOOHH... So you make your way over there, losing your shoes on the way, and you plop into that chair with your favorite book and rock the night away! (If you're a man, think about that hard working girlfriend or wife and do the right thing... get this for her! She'll love you forever!!)

Now THAT looks like a good time!

Now that you've been convinced that this is something you need, you should know I will have a very hard time giving this up because as soon as I got back from picking it up, I felt the sudden urge to take a nap, so that's exactly what I did! My son had fun with it too as you can probably tell from the happy expression on his face... (you should know that the chair is bigger than it looks! I'm 6'7" and 300 lbs! That says something about the integrity of the chair too! :)

A few specs on this amazing piece: Cythia was kind enough to trade me this beautiful solid wood rocking chair! I purchased a chair cushion just to make it extra comfy! It was from wal-mart and whoever wants to trade will get the receipt in case they are trying to stick with a specific color scheme or want to get one that fits a little better! It's pretty big and can hold me, so chances are it can hold you! Super sturdy.

I know that someone out there is looking for this rocking chair that will make their lives easier, plus you'll be helping me out along my journey! You can find it on craigslist by clicking here.

If you are interested in trading from somewhere in the west Texas area, feel free to hit me up. My cell number is 432-twoeighteight-four7zero6. Also, I thought I'd include my email in this one, cag04f@acu.edu.

Thank you all for helping me make this possible! Let's keep going!!!

Heading East to the other side of the world

I feel so accomplished today! The lovely 1 lb wicker bass is standing proudly as the centerpiece of one Shanann Plaag's coffee table last I heard. She was so excited about the opportunity to help me on my journey that she made me an AWESOME deal!  At first, I was a little hesitant because it was such a jump in value, but it sold itself when I saw it in person! I know someone is going to want to have this for their very own!!

 

It is a whole set of Asian decor! Here it is! Check it out!!

 It comes complete with 4 individual wall panels with raised figures...

...A very nice teapot/teacup combo...

 ...a beautiful soap stone dragon...

...stylish blue ceramic jewelry box and rosewood lions...

Man! I feel like throwing a party! But, it's gotta go. However, you can now throw your own Asian themed party or decorate your home with this lovely set! Each piece is between 15-20 years old approximately and is fine quality. She originally purchased each piece for around $35 from different stores. Rough trade value is around $120ish, but feel free to offer whatever you want! Let's make a deal. If you would like to trade for this lot, shoot me a text at 432-twoeighteight-four7zero6! Thanks for checking back with me! Stay tuned for more exciting trades to come!!!

There's something fishy about this

Thank you Bubba Stallcup (to my right) of Odessa, TX for the wonderful trade experience. We met for lunch to discuss a potential trade. Little did he know that I drive a hard bargain! However, we both walked away fully satisfied with our trade. Bubba is a local youth pastor here in Odessa and has a knack for collecting odd things to use as discussion starters. Luckily he was willing to part with what he called his "1 lb wicker bass"! His group made quick use of the stickers by fashioning them to their foreheads for a photo-op. Thanks Bubba for helping me progress on my journey!

it's kinda smiling at you

I was so excited about this trade that I had to go get some good use out of it before I had to say goodbye when moving on to the next treasure... But that's the name of the game. So, I did a little fishing practice, and sure enough... caught it. Biggest bass within 120 miles. Sadly, that's probably true.

I know, I know... all of your mouths were watering when you saw this luscious piece of white meat, but sadly, it already has a destination. Not ten minutes after I traded the stickers away, I got an email from woman in Midland excited about the opportunity to own such a beautiful piece! So tomorrow, I'm off to Midland to see what kinds of things she will be wanting to trade for my wicker fish. Thanks for checking in! Check back soon to see what exciting things tomorrow has in store!

The real world is out there... I know it!

The great Morpheus of the world class flick The Matrix once stated, "Welcome to the real world."

I am so excited to be on this journey! It is so exciting! It is also unknown... which I think makes it all the more exciting! I made my first trade yesterday morning around 10 a.m. or so and I posted that new item on craigslist, on Facebook and on my blog and waited... I waited and waited and waited... and then FINALLY I got a response! It was from one "Luba Cuckler" and turned out to my severe disappointment to be a scammer trying to buy my stickers for $10,999 (just a little over my asking price)! I wasn't going to sell them anyways because I wanted to me true to myself and to my principles. But, in the end, it was just a sad attempt to get my hopes up! Thanks a lot LUBA! That doesn't even sound like a real name!!! (sorry if your name is actually Luba...)

I thought to myself this morning about what it must have been like for Kyle MacDonald when he approached his computer screen and thought..., "now is this really going to work?!" I know that this whole thing seems trivial and kinda silly, but you would have a permanent place in my memory and in the memories of all those who read this blog! I traded yesterday for a pad of stickers with my co-worker. THANKS CO-WORKER! But now, it's all "welcome to the real world!" I'm not going to get myself down after one slow day of craigslisters, because truth of it is, I tripled... no Quadrupled my daily views yesterday so I know that someone out there is reading it in the Midessa/Big Spring/Lubbock/West Texas area thinking, by golly, I sure do have something I could trade him! So let's do it! Be part of my journey! I'm pumped to see what might turn up today!

Stay tuned for more action!



"WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD"

craigslist

I was just thinking, I will be posting items in different sections depending on the category the item falls into. For example, right now, the stickers fall into the arts+crafts section. If you would like to search for my items in particular, you can type in "SBSB" in the search bar in the Odessa craigslist page. Thanks for checking it out!!

You and me baby we're stuck like... Stickers!

YEEEHAWWW! Got my first trade just minutes after posting my fresh new item up for trade. My good friend and co-worker, Terra Tindle, asked what I was up to with the blog and after I told her, she gladly offered up a trade for the busted water weapon!

I am the proud new owner of this lovely set of stickers! But not for long!! Hopefully by the end of the day, one of YOU will be a proud new sticker connoisseur! This is worth about $0.25 so let's see if we can outdo that!

If you have something you'd trade, (honestly I dont care where you live, I will mail it to you. However if you live in the Midessa area, I will take it to you to swap) let me know ASAP! 432-288-four7zero6

Today is the day!

So, I decided that it would be best for me to start smaller. I think people could get behind it if they are not out a lot! So... I started this morning fresh. I was meandering around my house when I stumbled upon this watergun! It is a very nice watergun in a lovely shade of purple. The stopper works just fine and would be prime for soaking your co-workers or friends... EXCEPT that it has a giant crack down the side.

If you would be interested in trading me a single item of greater value than a busted watergun, which by the way most things are, I would be glad to ship it on over!! hit me up 432-288-four7zero6

And so it begins! The quest for a bass boat!

I have always understood the value of the dollar. Since I was a young child, my father taught me about business and how to make money to provide for myself and for my family. Whether that was by washing widows or mowing lawns, I got a taste of what it meant to be able to have the things that I wanted and needed. As I grew, he showed me first hand the importance of putting your family first and I hope and pray that I can be as good a father and husband for my family as my dad was for me!

I caught my first fish when I was 4 years old. It was a 5 lb alligator gar on my Mickey Mouse rod! (I think it actually may have been Goofy :) I was absolutely consumed from that moment on! I grew up on the coast so I dove into surf fishing and loved the intricacies of working the tides and fishing the cuts and bays. When I went to college, one of my best friends became my fishing partner. Since there was no saltwater outside of the wellwater within 300 miles, we turned to the hard fighting, finicky, technically tough black bass to satisfy our need for tight lines and early mornings on the water!

Sadly, Odessa, TX is not the place for bass fishing enthusiasts... So really my best chance to make the best of my limited opportunity is to go to lakes a couple of times a year and an hour or two away and bass fish from a boat. Man! It has always been a dream of mine to own a bass boat of my own! I have fished 3 bass tournaments at Lake Fork and I KNOW that if we had've had a boat other than our dinky rental, we would have done MUCH better! Thus, the persuit of owning a bass boat began!

Now that I am a husband and a father, my priorities have changed. My love and passion for studying and catching elusive bass however remains as fiery as ever! However because of my understanding that family absolutely comes first, I have done my best to provide and because of that, have not had the finances to have my own boat.

One of my favorite things in the world is thinking outside the box and finding creative alternatives to achieve anything from daily tasks to big roadblocks. I was inspired by a story I heard when I was in college. In 2006, a man started with a paperclip and just over a year later had traded all the way up for a house in Canada simply posting in the barter section of craigslist. It wasn't long before he had national and even international publicity. What an inspiration! Don't get me wrong, I don't neessarily expect this to put me on the cover of BASS Magazine or anything. I really just hope this can be a means to an end in helping me achieve my dream of owning my own bass boat!

Given the explosion of Facebook, and the hundreds of millions of people who are a part of it, I felt there was no better venue than Facebook to achieve this goal! My plan is to post a new blog each time I get an offer or trade so that you, my faithful reader can keep up with all the excitement! I will make sure to post links on Facebook and if you are not my friend on FB, feel free to add me so you can stay up-to-date!

Im so excited to begin this journey! Thank you all for walking beside me during this adventure and I know that with all of your help, we can make it happen!