Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience as a Distinguished Visitor

Recently my hubby was in the right place at the right time to accept an offer to be a Distinguished Visitor on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. His 15 minutes of fame came on Sunday, November 15, 2009 when he joined 11 other Distinguished Visitors as they boarded the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) Supercarrier for two days of VIP treatment during an active training mission at sea off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida.

My hubby is a pretty low-key guy who takes most experiences in stride, but this one got him pretty excited! Hearing that he would have such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I suggested he charge up his digital camera and take notes so that we could write a Squidoo lens about it!

Well, that was precisely what we did -- it was a joint project that took over one week of preliminary writing and staging of photographs and videos to tell the story. After hours of work, our joint project Squidoo lens was ready for primetime. A Distinguished Visitor of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was published on November 25, 2009. On December 1, 2009, this lens was awarded the highly-coveted Squidoo Purple Star; awarded to giant squids' lenses for quality content. I've selected one of my favorite videos which shows a F/A-18 Super Hornet in a picture-perfect tailhook landing.

You know there was another joint project with hubby that earned that Squidoo Purple Star. How to Create a Patio With Stone Pavers was published on July 13, 2009 and earned that Purple Star on July 14th. So, that is 2 for hubby and 4 for me.

Angels on earth can be heavenly indeed

Did you know that there are angels amongst us? Angels on earth? And that angels on earth can be quite heavenly indeed.

If you are a Squidoo lensmaster like JaguarJulie, you get to interact online with some wonderful lensmasters. It's really a great perk that you first of all are able to write about your passions and interests on the platform of Squidoo. Once you have become established with over 50 quality lenses, you have the opportunity to qualify to be a Giant Squid. Make over 100 quality lenses, and you may join the Giant Squid 100 Club. Giant Squids earn a number of perks for the honor of this role on Squidoo, and you will see gold stars on their lenses to designate that status. Take that a step further, and a Giant Squid might earn a purple star for their quality lenses. Purple stars are awarded weekly by the Giant Squid Organizers.

There is an additional honor that comes along a couple times a year on Squidoo, and that is the role of Squid Angel. JaguarJulie has been distinctly honored to regain her Squid Angel wings on October 13, 2009. Squid Angels have a code of ethics and honor in how they conduct their daily roles on Squidoo. They are entrusted with the ability to "bless" worthy lenses; to provide a little of their angel dust to deserving lensmasters' lenses. That is the glass is full scenario. Squid Angels can also serve in their roles to give a proverbial "thumbs down" to spam.

JaguarJulie grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and attended a number of Catholic schools. This 'rewarding' childhood presented her with the opportunity to attend daily masses, interact with priests and nuns and to learn more about heavenly angels. This childhood experience contributed to a deep appreciation for all things spiritual. So, JaguarJulie is quite the spiritual individual who is distinctly honored to be a bit spiritual in her role as Squid Angel. Thanks to those that made this possible! Blessings to YOU my dear!!!

A beautiful journey to Hollywood with the Traveling Squid!

To celebrate my three year anniversary with Squidoo on March 21, 2009, I launched The Journal of the Traveling Squid, Volume I. By now those of my friends who have followed this journey know that Gordon Hamilton in the U.K. was the first participant in this journey. And, you probably know the story behind my selecting Gordon? We had previously emailed each other to talk about my leaving a package for him at a Southern Spanish hotel. After deciding that might be a risky venture, I opted to mail the traveling squid directly to Gordon. However, I decided to leave a test package for Gordon with Juan, a receptionist at The Hotel Bali, Benalmadena.

In my package to Gordon, I include five brand new dollar bills -- USD currency. I wanted to send a little help with postage costs. It was from the five dollar bills that Gordon created a remarkable project, The Five Dollar Vacation - A Worldwide Charity Project with a Difference. This is a remarkable lens and an equally remarkable charity journey with a big difference. At Squidoo, a lensmaster can earn a bit of recognition for their remarkable work. It is called the purple star and it is a star that is purple-colored and appears on your work. Well, if you visit Gordon's lens, you will see a beautiful purple star there!

Well, Volume II of The Journal of the Traveling Squid departed Jacksonville, Florida on July 10, 2009, Seth Godin's birthday you all! The project had already spent 6 months in the U.K. so it seemed right to launch the second edition. As of this writing, the journal has visited Gil, Kimberly, Seth, Corey, Susan and now Kim -- Kim Giancaterino. The journal has traveled from Jacksonville, FL to Colorado, Wisconsin, New York, Virginia, Arkansas, and now California! Something beautiful happened in Hollywood with the traveling squid! We owe it all to our dear Kim who created a beautiful tribute and travel lens, The Journal of the Traveling Squid Goes Hollywood.

Oh, and how wonderful to hear that the Hollywood journey earned a coveted purple star when it was newly published? Congratulations to Kim and a big thank you for her beautiful, beautiful lens and journey. It doesn't get any better than this -- to think that the original lens earned a purple star, followed up by two additional purple stars for its goodwill journey around the world.

You'll want to take time to check out these wonderful lensmasters KimGiancaterino and Gordon_Hamilton as they write some truly amazing articles and lenses. And, they are remarkable people too!

P.S. Please be sure to check out my other writings over at Squidoo while you are at it! I'm known consistently as JaguarJulie there. And, if you are convinced that you are ready to put pedal to the meddle and maybe earn a purple star medal for your work, join me on Squidoo! I've helped many a lensmaster to succeed there; to write better lenses and to even earn giant squid status too. Oh, and be sure to check me out on Twitter -- Yep, I'm known as JaguarJulie there! I like being consistent with my messages. ;)