Update: I'm trying to get to the Rally and it looks like I'll make it thanks to DP readers

It really hurts me to have to tell this story.

Since the moment the Rally was announced, I promised myself I would attend, hell or high water. I pitched the idea to my wife and we decided to make an end of summer road trip out of it in our VW bus and celebrate her birthday early. I had a moderate income thanks to payments I was receiving from a business I sold last year, and she only had two part time jobs which meant she could easily bend her schedule to accommodate our trip. I bought tickets the moment they went on sale online, and we reserved a room in Minneapolis (actually a suite because it was all we could find).

Then things started to change. The wife got a full time job offer which she couldn't pass up. This cancelled out any chance that she had of going. Then a few weeks ago the buyers of my old business told me that could not meet their payment schedule. I was able to stave off disaster by selling some stuff I no longer need, including my pickup truck. My never ending quest for a new career has just started showing some light at the end of the tunnel, but these new gigs will take a while to get me back on track if the buyers of my business go belly up. My wife's income alone is enough to pay our bills, but not enough to cover my trip to the Rally.

So I have my rally ticket, a plane ticket, and a few bucks in my wallet, but not enough to cover expenses like food, transportation from the airport to the event, etc., and I'm just dying to get on that plane tomorrow morning.

Many of you know how long I've been on this site promoting Ron Paul with all my heart and soul. Fellow DPer photoshopwiz is a friend of mine and was a fellow candidate for County Central Committee here in LA (I made it in and she missed by one vote!). She has already taken the Ronvoy to the Rally. Evan Cutler can vouch for the effort I put forth researching delegate addresses for DVDs4Delegates. In fact he chose me as one of about 30 people who put enough effort into the project that he offered to send leftover DVDs to some of my friends and family as gifts.

If you can relate to my plight and you're willing and able to help out a fellow DPer, I'll be humble enough to accept. I can envision a scenario a month or two from now when my wife's probationary period is over at her job and she starts getting benefits and raises and bonuses, and I'm moving along on my new career path, and the thought of looking back at the missed opportunity for a once in a lifetime event like this would make me really sad. It sucks to have to grovel like this to those I consider friends, but if anyone here is able to pitch in a few bucks - even $5 or $10 - so that I can make this event, I will be forever grateful and good karma will come your way! I will even do my best to pay you back as soon I am able. As soon as I'm done with this post I'm putting my iPhone on Ebay.

If you want to help me out, you can send me a personal message through they Daily Paul.

In Liberty,
vincebodie

UPDATE:

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped so far. It looks like I will be able to make it to the Rally and back home without starving myself to death! Lodging is still an issue for Monday night, and money is still tighter than I'd like. I will sleep on the steps of the Target Center if I have to! It looks like I have bed for Tuseday though, so I've got that going for me, which is nice... ;-)