And the Winners Are...!

Hey, everyone! I'm baaaaaaack!

And by everyone, I mean those of you who haven't jumped ship in the last month - thanks for sticking around!

I'm not going to bother you with a blog post today, because, well, let's be honest - there are bigger fish to fry.

In other words... It's time to announce the winners of the Longest Contest Ever!

I allowed Rafflecopter to choose the winners. No favorites here, though I'd like to think you're all my favorites!

Here they are!

The Prizes and Their Winners:

1  - $25 Amazon Gift Card - Zee Kleshchar

1 - Free-For-All Guest Post (by you!) on Life Before the Bucket (Anything goes!) - Thomas Mason

1 - Free Guest Post from Me About Anything You Please - Bekah Freed

1 - Month of Free Advertising - Aly Lewis


If you're one of these lucky individuals, shoot me an e-mail at awaller1990@gmail.com to claim your prize! If you don't claim it within 30 days, it goes wherever it is unclaimed prizes go (which would just be sad). Can't wait to hear from you!

For everyone else: how was the last month for you? Anything groundbreaking happen while I was gone? I'd love to hear from you!

An Announcement and a Giveaway!

Beginning today, May 11th, both my wife and I will be unplugging from the world for a month.

This is a part of our challenge with 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. 

I know, I know - how ever will we survive?

We're still checking e-mail, so if you need to get a hold of me, that's one way. Or there's thing thing called a phone, and I think they still actually make phone calls. So if you know us personally, you can get a hold of us the old-fashioned way.

Meanwhile, this blog will be silent for a month. Trust me, it hurts me more than it hurts you.

But, as incentive to stick around, I'll be holding the Longest Giveaway Ever.

image credit: Avolore - sxc.hu

It's pretty simple. I'll be using Rafflecopter for this one, so check out the widget below this post to enter! Here are the prizes:

1  - $25 Amazon Gift Card

1 - Free-For-All Guest Post (by you!) on Life Before the Bucket (Anything goes!)

1 - Free Guest Post from Me About Anything You Please

1 - Month of Free Advertising

The contest ends at 12:01 AM on June 11th. I will be announcing the winners that morning, Monday, June 11th (one month from now!).

However, there's a catch: I won't go looking for you - you'll have to get in contact with me to claim your prize! This is a way to ensure that some people don't just go looking for a free prize without any interaction or contribution. Plus, it's a nice way to make sure at least 4 people don't abandon ship in the next month!

So there you have it! Get to entering in this contest! And remember, you can tweet about it everyday for the next month to REALLY help your chances!

And, by the way, thanks SO much to those of you who would be willing to stick around anyway. You guys mean the world to me. Can't wait to be back!

P.S. - Rumor has it that I might start writing a book during this month! You'll have to come back in a month to see if the rumor is true or not!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Winning Answer

Did I mention that we're looking for guest post submissions? Because we are. Just check out this post on Living to the Fullest and then send me an e-mail with your guest post idea!

... ... ... ...

Alright, people. The moment you've been waiting for... The real answer to the riddle was... (drumroll, please!)

Actually, I have an app on my iPod that makes a drumroll sound... and it claps, too!

Oh, wait... you're looking for an answer. Right.

The correct answer was...

An elevator!

If you think about it, it makes sense - I promise!

However, as I suspected, nobody guessed that. And, despite the fact that I said it wasn't my poor, beat up car, many of you still suggested that.

The best answer, then, was...

Michael, with "coffee!!"

Exclamation points always make stuff more interesting.

Anyway, if you look through the comments, you'll see that Michael didn't comment there - he actually submitted his answer in the form of a comment on the mobile version of this site (which I can't get to sync with my real website).

For his creativity (which was amazing - coffee actually works for every clue I gave!), Michael wins a $5 Amazon gift card! 

I hope to do more mini-giveaways like this in the near future, so keep a lookout for them!

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading!  

Riddle Me This

Reminder: I'm still accepting "Living to the Fullest" submissions! If you've got an idea, don't hesitate. Send it my way!

... ... ... ...

I have a riddle for you. I'll give you 5 clues. If you figure it out, you'll feel smart and you'll know something more about me that you didn't know before!

Clue #1 - What... smells like some rancid mixture of old lady, alcohol, and pizza... But sometimes smells delightful - like cinnamon, even?

Clue #2 - What... relaxes me and brings me a moment of solitude and space to myself... But sometimes makes me as slow as molasses?

Clue #3 - What... allows me a quick chat with friends, or even strangers... But sometimes causes people to think I'm lazy?

Clue #4 - What... moves me from place to place... But keeps me stationary at the same time?

Clue #5 - What... makes my life easier... But makes it more complicated, too?

You've got until 5 PM CST (US) today to figure out this riddle. I'll post the answer then, along with an explanation. The best answer - not necessarily the correct one - will receive a small prize!


Also: In order to be eligible, you must be subscribed to Life Before the Bucket in some way (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, or a Feed Reader). When you answer, be sure to mention how you follow Life Before the Bucket!

For example... If you guessed car, you may be right, but it's a lame answer. If you, on the other hand, guessed a segue, that'd be epic (except it wouldn't be now). Be creative!

Good luck!

photo credit - svilen001 - sxc.hu

Deja Vu

I know, I know. You missed me yesterday. I'm contemplating posting twice today to make it up to you.

Last Saturday, I posted a video of my sister rocking out on her guitar. I claimed that she was awesome, and a few of you agreed!

Well, folks, I'm here to shamelessly plug my sister one more time. The contest she entered with her song, "Impossible Dream," just began. She needs about a million votes (just to be safe), so would you be willing to help her out?

Just visit this link, register (it takes about 2 minutes), and then vote for my sister's video! If she wins first place, she gets $1,000 and promised to take me out to dinner... just kidding!

But I'm betting if you helped catapult her to first place, she'd be willing to donate money toward an Amazon gift card giveaway. And I'm betting I could match that. So whaddya say?

Check out my sister's video, vote, and share it with your friends. Together, we could all win something from this!

And the Winner Is...

So I slept until 8 AM for the first time in months, thanks to some good ol' fashioned melatonin. Felt amazing.

So I hear there was a book giveaway going on around here...

Maybe? Maybe not?

Ooookay. Just kidding!

I'm looking to give away a free copy of Out of a Far Country by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan!

So, without belaboring the point any further... 

The winner is...

Hannah!

Congratulations, Hannah! I'll be getting in contact with you to get your mailing information.

Be on the lookout for more giveaways around here! I love giving out free stuff! Lucky you!

Have a great weekend!

If You Love Me, You Will...

Saw a new doctor yesterday. He had a Keurig in his waiting room. Don't care what he charges or what he does - he's a keeper.

Tell me you've never seen this conversation play out before...

Love-Struck Girl: What are you doing tonight?

Clueless Boy: Watching the Royals get creamed by the Indians. Why?

Love-Struck Girl (Who Happens to Be Clueless About Baseball): We should go shopping!

Clueless Boy (Who Clearly Has Plans for the Night): Well, I'm busy. I'm watching the game, remember?

Quickly-Falling-Out-of-Love Girl: C'mon, just this once. I promise.

Not-So-Clueless Boy: Didn't you say that last week?

Definitely-Out-of-Love Girl: But... Well... If you love me, you'll go with me!

Clueless Boy: I... Uh... Well... 

Love-Struck Girl: Great! Pick me up at 7!

Puzzled and Clueless Boy: How DOES she do that?

You know what I'm talking about. Whether it's been with your spouse, your child, or your best friend, you've probably been in this situation before. One of you wants something that the other clearly doesn't care about. In a futile attempt to appeal to their heart, you guilt-trip them and get what you want, knowing that you'll get what's coming to you in the near future.