In The Shack with my T-mobile Wing and Bubba Keg!

Word of mouth marketing. What a fantastic way to find the best pulled pork in town or the best summer blockbuster, or the easiest way to keep a tan or stay hydrated or even answer your deepest questions about God and faith. I know, it's all over the map, but that is how unsolicited PURE word of mouth works. It is also why a restaurant with a line a mile long is the place we all want to be instead of the one without any patrons. Word of mouth can also KILL a company's reputation, make it go out of business or single handedly stall a promotion. No amount of marketing dollars can pay for true unadulterated word of mouth and no amount of money can stop negative word of mouth once it gets out of hand. One thing I love about blogging is that I get to tell MY story in MY way, share MY opinions, tips, recipes, you name it. I guess that is why so many advertisers are after the "mommy bloggers" to make mention of their diapers, their books, their phone service, and are paying good $$ to those with the traffic for the prime real estate on their sidebars.

OK, just in case it needs to be pointed out....NO.ONE.IS.PAYING.ME.FOR.MY.OPINION. Which makes it even better because you'll know I'm just being honest. So, this week I am kicking off Word Of Mouth Monday and next week will start my very first Carnival with Mr. Linky and everything. I don't care what you suggest, but the rules are that you can't be getting paid to promote and it. What books are you reading and loving, what restaurant keeps you coming back for more, what shampoo is making you tell someone and so on and so on?

Here are my three picks for this week:

I told you I would post about the best book ever that made me cry a river and almost shrivel up in a dehydrated mess.

First let me tell you that a friend mentioned this book a few months ago and said that she wouldn't be able to get through it. I remember walking away thinking, "Is she really THAT fragile? What could be in a book that would be THAT hard to get through?" Imagine my surprise when I called a friend saying,"I don't know if I can finish the book, it's too hard." I was only 186 pages into it and I felt the same way my other friend did." I am so glad that my friend told me to promise I would keep reading. I did and I finished the book a day later.

I won't spoil it, but The Shack by William P. Young is truly one of the best books I have ever read. It made me think about life and death and the death of a child in a way that I NEVER would have thought I could. It gave me more insight into God's love for me, for all of us. It made me cry tears of sadness and grief, it made me smile and think and cry all over again this time with tears of happiness and it gave me hope and it took away some fear of the unknown. It made me hug my children a little closer and a little longer than usual and it made me want to tell friends. Keep in mind, however that this book was written not for a mass audience, but for his children. It is FICTION, but it does a fantastic job of stirring up some thought provoking ideas and questions.




Yes, I'm still in L.O.V.E. with my T-Mobile Wing. Even more so since last night I found a site where I can download the iphone skin!!! Now I can have all the features and look of the iphone with the added benefits of Windows Mobile and stick with my T-Mobile service. I'm a techie geek and I stand proud! Oh and the fact that I had a promotion code and got the phone for $50 makes it even more exciting!

I took my next favorite with me to Vegas for the hot car test and it passed with FLYING colors! The Bubba Keg jumped out at me one day while I was at Target getting the money sucked from my pockets. That place is amazing, seriously. Anyhoo, The Bubba Keg brags that it will keep liquids cold for 12 hours and warm for 4. I didn't really believe it when I bought it , I was a sucker for the cute PINK and the fact that it would fit in my cup holder. If you can't stand it you can go here to get it now. The fact that mine has a bottle opener right on the handle is like Christmas came early!

So, in Vegas I filled my Bubba Keg up with ice and water and headed out for the day with my dear friend Linda. She is from Vegas and thought it comical that I would bring along my own mug. Little did she know I was doing RESEARCH! I left it in the car when we went looking for crap junk souvenirs for my kids. When we came back after 2 hours (mind you 105 degree heat outside = like a gazillion degrees in the car) and not only was my drink cold, the ICE was still in there! Linda my little desert friend was moderately impressed. Sheesh, what do you have to do to get a little excitement out of these Vegas locals? Sing like Cher, prance like Sigfried and Roy, dance like a show girl? Well, hours into the night when we were heading home and MY water was STILL cool (not cold, but what do you people want from me)!

So, the Bubba Keg gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me!

I can't wait to hear what floats YOUR boat. Post in the comments this week and get your post ready on your blog for next week when Mr. Linky is up and running!