Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Hometown SUPPORT!

WOW! That is all I have to say about the turnout that we had at the 2012 Round Top Carmine Round Up! Just to give you an idea we had OVER 160 registered bidders!! We had OVER 160 items in the LIVE Auction, OVER 65 in the SILENT auction & raised OVER $23,000 in the LIVE AUCTION alone! UMMM...I'd say SUCCESS!!! They sold 800 MEAL tickets!! There's only like 103 people in CARMINE...maybe 98 in ROUND TOP so....WAY TO BE PEOPLE!!

For the 1st year....the EVENT was OUTSTANDING. A MILLION Thanks to all the BIDDERS, DONORS, & VOLUNTEERS that made this happen. Another HUGE THANKS to the Board of Directors, School, & Faculty! There are definitely areas for GROWTH & CHANGE, but all in all the EVENT was AWESOME!!

I know that some people are not quite sure what it was all about. This is going to HELP keep our wonderful little 1A SCHOOL open!! The funds will help create new programs like BAND & ART that are NEW to our school - in turn GENERATING INTEREST from parents to send their kiddos here. 100% of the $$ raised goes RIGHT BACK to the SCHOOL.

Jason Aldean's song: "Tattoos on this Town." says it BEST! If you haven't heard it....you should listen. Like every person @ every school....There were times that were kind of tough & maybe a little trying, BUT it shaped & molded us into WHO WE ARE. BELIEVE ME....there was WAY more GOOD than bad! I wish I could have taken pictures of the CROWD. I'm tellin' you.... if you could bottle & sell the PRIDE, LOVE, SUPPORT, TENACITY & STRENGTH of my little HOMETOWN area, we'd all make a FORTUNE.

I want to give a SHOUT OUT to DAN KEEN HORSEMANSHIP! They had a FANTASTIC turn-out & the KIDS LOVED the EXHIBIT! Be sure to CHECK OUT THE LINK!

Thanks Cindy Matthijetz Photography for the picture!
I'd also like to say CONGRATS to the 2012 HOMECOMING Basketball Beau - Mr. Weyand & QUEEN - Ms. Shelby. Another CONGRATS to the ALUMNI Boys & Current Varsity Girls Basketball TEAM!! ALL teams played HARD & sure made it EXCITING to watch.

My Sugar Britches (KYLE) still had it in'm. Here he's on the court with Chris Simpson & Reese Goebel. Thanks Cody Schley for the pics :). 
Thanks ALSO for helping watch Little Miss Kylee while I was  callin'  bids Saturday!  Her and those puppies...
On another note. I want to PERSONALLY THANK EVERYONE for the amount of SUPPORT you guys  CONTINUE to give me in this AUCTIONEER JOURNEY! It has SERIOUSLY turned into SO MUCH MORE than what I EVER expected & feel VERY BLESSED to be able to SHARE it with people....& make some $$$ along the way! I wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for UNCLE MELE (MELVIN) so cut him a little slack. I know ya'll are just pickin' on him, but he has SO MUCH EXPERIENCE...I've got a long way to go to catch up. I'm so PROUD to think of how much $$ he has helped NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS raise throughout his LIFETIME & how HARD he WORKS to get his CUSTOMERS TOP DOLLAR for their LIVESTOCK. I think we make a heck of a TEAM :)!

Even when times are a little tough it makes me feel....just so BLESSED to be where I am, have the FRIENDS I have, KNOW who I know, & have the OPPORTUNITIES that I've been given.

GOD BLESS you all & way to BUCK UP BABY!! I'm PROUD to be a CUBETTE!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cookin' Up Some Experience ;)

Well..... I'm gettin' a little behind on my blog posts. A couple of weeks ago, I helped call bids @ a BANK-ORDERED Restaurant Auction.

When I decided to pursue this industry, I had little idea of how much & how often AUCTIONEERS & AUCTION Companies are used. Let me kind of walk you through how this auction worked.

The AUCTION was on-site. You walk in the door & register & get your BIDDER #. The auction started at 10AM, so (if you got there early enough) you were able to walk around and take a closer look @ items. EVERYTHING in the establishment went....no RESERVES. Just to give you an idea.... WE sold COMMERCIAL stoves, a vent hood, freezers, tables, booths, chairs, pots, pans, dishes, a meat slicer, an ice machine, mops, brooms, desks, telephones, dry-erase boards, signs....LITERALLY everything that was in the establishment.
Fountain Machine...Those cups, dispensers, & lids went too. 
Meat Slicer
Lots of smaller items that sold. The racks & FIRE EXTINGUISHER sold too!
If you've never been to an ON-SITE Estate AUCTION, then you may be a little unfamiliar with this. I, PERSONALLY, have NEVER called bids where I had to walk with the merchandise. ALL the lots are organized by LOT #s. We went in order & down the line. I started if off. I was a little NERVOUS & you could tell in  my voice. I think it was more of me being excited & getting a little winded. I hadn't called bids @ an AUCTION since BEFORE Christmas.

It was different. That was the 1st time that the AUCTIONEER that hired me had ever ACTUALLY heard me in ACTION! He was HAPPY with me & so was his PRETTY, SWEET wife (she was clerking). He gave me a few pointers.... I bet ya'll will never guess :) SLOW DOWN & BREATHE! Not the first time I've heard that. Maybe one day I'll REMEMBER!

I helped him with ANOTHER this past weekend. This one made me feel pretty GOOD! It is a GENERAL MERCHANDISE Auction. So....there is all kinds of STUFF like: cars, trailers, equipment, coins, jewelry, Rolex watches, tools, antiques, furniture, guns, knives, swords, computer equipment..... REALLY...all kinds of stuff. What I LOVE most about getting to help @ this type of AUCTION is the EXPERIENCE that I'm getting on ALL kinds of different merchandise. You know...figuring out the "value." The bidders REALLY tell us the VALUE, but...just what ball park I need to be in to start some of these items.

Here are just a few of the items, to give you an idea of the VaRiEtY.
1924 $20 St. Gaudins 1oz. GOLD Coin. 
COLT 1911 .45 Rattlesnake 1 of 1000 - NEVER Fired. 
There are 2 other AUCTIONEERS that come in to help, also. I met them @ the last AUCTION where I JUST helped SPOT bidders. Everyone was REALLY nice & welcoming & all, BUT after they heard me sell a few items @ this last AUCTION...it made me feel like they held me to a little HIGHER regard. Not sure if that makes sense. BELIEVE ME! I get QUITE A FEW diFFerENT looks when I tell people I am an AUCTIONEER. NOT mean looks or anything. More like.... PUZZLED looks...maybe even CONCERNED looks sometimes. And well....SOMETIMES I even have those looks of DISBELIEF, but not really SURPRISED disbelief....more like "yeah right" DISBELIEF. BUT...I get the SURPRISED disbelief too.

Anyways....I guess when I look at it from the point of view of an OUTSIDER looking IN....I GET IT!
There just aren't that many FEMALE AUCTIONEERS. I mean when I think of an AUCTIONEER, my thoughts & MEMORIES go to (usually) STOUT MEN, wearing their boots & COWBOY Hats talking about COWS & HORSES & TRACTORS. What?! Wait?! Did I break the NORM :)?

I'll be HONEST. I LOVE IT! EVERY bit of it! I KNOW that I will have to combat LOTS of STEREOTYPES & DISBELIEF of all sorts. It is still AMAZING to me how this "thought" that popped in my head @ 2AM in the morning, back in March - has turned into WAY, WaY, did I say WAY more than I EVER expected! I have MET & become FRIENDS with some AMAZING AUCTIONEERS...some that have been doin' this for awhile & some brand new & had OPPORTUNITIES that I NEVER, EVER thought I'd have.

ALL I know is that I just PRAY that the GOOD LORD gives me the GUTS, KNOWLEDGE, & FAITH to follow this path & stay TRUE to all that I BELIEVE & BUCK UP BABY! Like Mr. Moon says: "I have no FEAR, I'm an AUCTIONEER." Thanks for READING!! God Bless!!

2012 Round Top - Carmine Round Up

Hello! Hello!! I want to remind all you Cubs & Cubettes out there about the Homecoming festivities THIS Friday!! ALL past Academic & Athletic STATE-WINNING teams & individuals will be recognized! Not only that, but the current RTC Varsity Boys & Girls Basketball Teams will play the ALUMNI!!! I CAN'T WAIT to watch it!!! FOR REALS.... Girls game starts at 6pm & the boys game will follow. My bet goes with BOTH ALUMNI teams. I bet they can whip those young WHIPPERSNAPPERS into shape :). Following the BOYS game - the HOMECOMING festivities will begin. Good luck to ALL!

Then....I hope you all come out THIS SATURDAY for the 2012 Round Top - Carmine Round Up! This event is being put on by the Round Top - Carmine Education Foundation (401(c)3) and ALL proceeds will go towards RT-C ISD. One of the main focuses this year is the implementation of a school BAND & MUSIC department & growing the ART program!


SOCIAL hour & TRICK-HORSE show provided by Dan Keen Jr. will kick it all off at 4PM!

There will be a LIVE auction. Uncle MELE (Mel -E) aka. Melvin & myself will be your AUCTIONEERS!!!! We have some AWESOME ALUMNI volunteers helping out as well and just one HECK of a crew that have gathered items & worked out all the nuts & bolts of the operation of things.

I URGE YOU ALL TO DONATE SOMETHING TO THE AUCTION....if you have not done so already.  We have a FANTASTIC start, but every little bit helps! There will also be a SILENT AUCTION! You can drop the items off @ The ELEMENTARY in Round Top OR @ The RIFLE HALL Friday evening OR Saturday Morning!

I hope you got your TICKETS for the MEAL! There will be a VERY limited amount (if ANY) available @ the door. It's gonna be YUMMY BBQ Chicken & Sausage!

FOLLOWING the AUCTION will be LIVE Music provided by Charles & the FaBuLOUS 4!!

COME ONE, COME ALL!! Let's get FIRED Up & have a BALL!

For all of you that are not familiar with Round Top...I want you to check out these links. This is JUST a TASTE of the COOL stuff that happens back HOME!

Festival Hill Institute: This is one of the most BEAUTIFUL places you will EVER see.The Institute was started many years ago by WORLD-RENOWNED CONCERT PIANIST - James Dick. The Institute has YEAR-ROUND education & performance programs for individuals interested in the PERFORMING ARTS. The CONCERT Hall & it's ARCHITECTURE is a sight to see all in it's own. It makes a FANTASTIC wedding venue. Check out MORE right here: http://festivalhill.org/about/
RTC ISD not only has their Graduation ceremony there, but also uses the grounds for Cross-Country competitions!

Round Top/Warrenton Antiques Festival: (http://www.antiqueweekend.com/indexmain.html) MANY people know our little piece of HEAVEN for this BI-ANNUAL event (April & October). Words can not describe.... If you LOVE ANYTHING :).... you WILL find it here. It is SORTA like a flea market, but MORE FABULOUS. Kinda like a party, but more like a MEGA SHIN-DIG! Maybe like a Canton or a Fredricksburg....but BETTER!! Maybe I'm partial..... I'm just sayin'.... If you LOVE: JunKin', Antiques, Fine Furniture, UniQUe STUFF, FreSH DUDS, BLINGIN' Jewelry, Metal Work, Wood ART, FuNkY Stuff......a TURKEY LEG.....you can find it here!

Royer's Round Top Cafe: DELICIOUS! Folks come from MILES around & Miles AWAY! Lip SMACKIN' Good PIES & grub & some kinda GOoD Company! It will be an EXperiEnCe you'll NEVER forget. Can you dig it? http://royersroundtopcafe.com/

Junk Gyspy WORLD Headquarters: http://gypsyville.com/ If you don't know about'm YOU SHOULD!! I blog about their AWESOMENESS regularly. The JUNK PROM....is all about them :). They give me & my GAL PALS the OPPORTUNITY to get WiLd & WooLY for a night! Watch their TV Series on HGTV....starting in MARCH!

LOTS of COOL Stuff happens in MY HOMETOWN! Tell your FRIENDS! Tell the WORLD! When you got somethin' good....you gotta SHARE it!! Our little COMMUNITY is Chalked FULL of some pretty AWESOME, HARD-workin' people! I'm very PROUD to call it HOME!! Stop on by for a visit!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Goodness Gracious! Thank You Jesus!

Hello Everyone!

The end of last year and the beginning of this year has been....(and still is) filled with some mental turmoil about a few important things that I have NO idea what will happen with them, where we will be, and how we will be effected. One thing that is FOR SURE is that there WILL be some sort of change....soon.

I PRAY....all the time. I say short prayers all throughout the day, but let me tell you....the devil is at work...CONSTANTLY. In 100% honesty I have been WORRYING  about the current situation I have found myself in NON-STOP. I've been praying and asking for guidance, strength, needed knowledge, etc. The one thing that I HAVE NOT been doing, is actually TRUSTING the GOOD LORD to let the HOLY SPIRIT work in my life. A beautiful ANGEL friend made me quite AWARE of this -this past weekend. Let me tell you....sometimes you need to have someone take you and SHAKE YOU!

I sent in something that would exhibit my strong interest in something that seems like it could, positively, affect our lives - and after I sent it....EVERYONE in the room PRAYED over it. My sweet friend, her sister-in-law, my sweet little girl, my husband, and myself. It was APPARENT that the HOLY SPIRIT was in that room, right there with us. We all felt it! Yet somehow... I found a way (with the devil's help) to  continue to WORRY about the situation that we just GAVE TO GOD TO HANDLE.

I'm the kind of person that likes to be PREPARED. It's important to know that I DO NOT have control over anything, EXCEPT my actions and reactions. So...I trot into my friend's sewing room and start asking her what MY next steps should be IF this doesn't happen, or if THAT happens, or what the result COULD be.

She stops me and reminds me of the prayer we just had, the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. She flat told me....YOU NEED TO LET IT ALONE AND LET THE GOOD LORD TAKE CARE OF IT. If this situation doesn't pan out like I would like it to...that door will close and another will open. I know that. I need to act like I believe it!

Let me tell you....I had an OVERWHELMING feeling of PEACE yesterday. So much so....that it felt like something was OFF kilter. It made me realize how much WORRY was in my life. I actually stayed up until almost 11pm letting Kylee make me dinner (with her play food and kitchen). I was also able to see things a little clearer. I FOCUSED on what I DO know. The things I don't....I won't worry about.

I've also found myself on the edge of a REALLY interesting place that I always wanted to be....that place where you THROW all the WORRIES, EXPECTATIONS, what people think you HAVE to do/be to be successful OUT THE WINDOW!! (Watch out, so you don't get knocked in the head.) This has to do with ALL of life, not JUST the current situation.

Life is TOO short to WORRY about all the things that COULD be. The bottom line of it all is: What will be, will be. I need to ENJOY life and TRUST that we will be okay...no matter the outcome. I DO know that, I just have to start acting like I BELIEVE it and LIVE it.

It takes quite a bit for me to get OVERWHELMED. I was there. In ALL situations KNOW that GOD is the end all, be all, ALL-KNOWING SAVIOR of this world and YOUR world.

I want to leave you with a few quotes that have helped me rein in my thoughts a little over the past few weeks. Thank you TWITTER! GO FIND ME!!! @hdskaspar :) That would make me happy.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty not knowing what comes next. - Ursula K. LeGuin

"Someday could be one moment away." - Disney

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"I want to feel my life. I want to stop agreeing to things I don't really want." - from Living Out Loud (1998)

"Let no man pull you low enough to hate him." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Know that the pain will pass, and, when it passes, you will be stronger, happier, more sensitive and aware." - Mel Colgrove

"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Ambition and love are the wings to great deeds." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

"In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip." - Daniel L. Reardon

"Don't go through life, grow through life." - Eric Butterworth

"The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity." - Zig Ziglar

"Keep your chin up." - Disney

"Man imposes his own limitations. Don't set any." - Anthony Baily

"A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with. A man is what he makes of himself." - Alexander Graham Bell

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -Mae West

"Strong reasons make strong actions." - William Shakespere

"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." - Maya Angelou

"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men." - Roald Dahl

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." -William Arthur Ward

"You cannot live your life to please others. The choice must be yours. " -Alice in Wonderland (2010)

"People may forget what you said but they'll never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. " - William Arthur Ward

I live my life with the constant thought to BUCK UP BABY!! Be aware that sometimes our RESPONSIBILITIES, FEARS, DRAMA, UNCERTAINTY...can CONSUME us - before we even know it. Stay steadfast in PRAYER and look for your ANGELS.

GOODNESS GRACIOUS, THANK YOU JESUS...for being a presence in my life and guiding me when I feel lost!... "but the path of the just is like a shining light: it advances and increases, even to the day of completion." - Proverbs 4:18

I have 2 fun (at least they are fun to me) blogs coming out this week yet. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!