Catching UP and UP with Preparedness Pro!

I don’t know about you, but I sure am tired of our site going down all the time. And it seems to be getting slower and slower and slower. So we are taking the plunge and switching over from Dotster to Blue Host. This is not an easy peezy task and it will take several days so I’m giving you fair warning. Starting this Sunday, June 10th, through Monday the 18th we’ll be transitioning our site to our new format. Not only will we be using a new server, but we’ll have some exciting new features for you as well.

Being all about self-reliance, I don’t like having to rely on someone else for getting the word out to Preparedness Pro readers–especially when that someone else continues to manifest questionable business practices including the violation of privacy and censoring of posts. As such, we no longer want to rely on Facebook to get the more timely information out to our readers. So when we come back after this upgrade we will have a new forum for you all to use safely and without Facebook nosing around and without having to see those pornographic advertisements to the side of your screen either!

We’ll also be coming back with some new features that folks will have access to via a basic membership package. It’s getting to the point that I’m drowning in hundreds of e-mails each day. Many people are just e-mailing me directly to ask me questions on how they should do a particular project or approach their preparedness. For years I have personally answered these e-mails but with so many things going on behind the scenes now I just don’t have the time to answer all of them. So I’m going to have to cull the herd, so to speak, and I’ll be answering such questions in the forum so that everybody else can benefit from them, and so that it can be a good research tool for everyone else as well.

Now, even more good news.  Marie Claire Magazine is coming out at the end of this month to do a piece on me. As such I’ll be putting together a local Feminine Fortress class (the rape prevention course that so many of you saw on National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers). This will be the full length class, though, so it will be complete and with lots of real-life scenarios to prepare for. I’ll also be teaching another one of the the Culinary Classes at the prestigious Thanksgiving Point Emporium Kitchen while Marie Claire is in town. This class will be a full 2 hours of creating typical labor intensive dishes in a matter of minutes thanks to the modern technology of pressure cookers! I’m SO excited to be able to do a full, intensive, and thorough exploration on this topic. It’s not only a must for any kitchen nowadays–in my opinion–but I definitely feel that it’s a must for any person who wants to be more self-reliant as it helps to conserve water, fuel, and effort and time! And it makes everything taste SO much better with a better nutrition content. Anyway, if any of you ladies are interested in participating in the Feminine Fortress class and you don’t mind if you’re mug ends up in one of the top fashion magazines in the nation, then contact me directly and I”ll give you details.

I probably should clarify just for good measure that the Feminine Fortress class is just for women. The only guy that will be there is the one that I’ll be beating up on–my hubby. (and I suspect the cameraman with Marie Claire might be male as well). This is a VERY SAFE environment. I will NEVER offer this class on a DVD as I have to be in tune with the emotions and state of mind of my students during the class. We are, after all, dealing with a very serious topic and I know that 1 in 5 of my students have been the victim of an attempted sexual assault or physical assault. I simply can’t exercise those kinds of sensitivities from behind a camera on DVD.  Women from age 13 and up are invited to attend. This is NOT a physically intensive class. In fact I tell people a couch potato can handle it. That doesn’t mean that you won’t break a sweat, though. But when you are finished with this event, I suspect that you will be like 95% of my previous students.  They have expressed that it’s the best one they’ve EVER experienced on this topic as it prepares you for REAL LIFE scenarios with strategies that you can actually execute and REMEMBER under a time of extreme stress and trauma.

Next–we are officially off and running on THREE books. A cookbook which will cover the entire gamut of making fabulous dishes from shelf-stable foods, including how to make the basic ingredients yourself such as cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and other dairy products. Another will be the focused on the 10 Principles of Preparedness and will be helpful both to the beginner and the seasoned self-reliant minded person. And lastly we’ll be putting out the Pantry Makeover book which will hold your hand and convert your culinary life from vulnerable to victorious in nearly every scenario and also convert your recipes from ho-hum to hallelujah! *grin* This has been in the works for some time and I expected for only one book to come out of this. But apparently the Lord wants all three to come to light and fast! So I’ll be pulling double duty in the writing department for a while.

There is also a very, very big surprise in the works that I’m unable to let out of the bag just yet. But suffice it to say it’s a really big deal and my jaw still pops open in awe every time I realize it’s really real. I’ve pinched myself so many times to make sure I’m not dreaming that I’m sure I’ve got a bruise or two. But suffice it to say it will be really great for anyone who wants to be more self-reliant, is just starting out, and/or who really wants the tried and true information as to how to get self-reliant without discovering the hard way that there are some nasty holes in their plans.

Now, for the not so good news. I had put a lot of work into planning a summer tour to teach the Feminine Fortress class in cities all over as well as a new 20 hour Preparedness Pro Boot Camp. This tour was also to be the launch of our new Preparedness Pro Chapters so that we can reach out more personally and provide a hands-on experience to other people. Apparently, though, my plans weren’t exactly what the Lord had in mind.  After fiercely struggling with endometriosis for nearly 15 years now I’m to the point that all of the alternative health options I’ve used just can’t keep up with the Stage 4 state that it’s at now. I’m 45 and it’s only going to get worse. Plus the DNA makeup of endometriosis at this stage is very similar to uterine cancer and with all of the adhesions that go along with the endometriosis, it makes it more difficult to catch the uterine cancer if it’s ever present. PLUS, I never really know when the endometriosis is going to knock me on my keester. I can feel just fine and dandy one day and then find myself writhing in pain the next. I simply can’t afford that kind of vulnerability. There’s much more to life than that and while I feel very blessed with how functional I still am able to be with this and the fibroymyalgia, I simply am not willing to be exposed to that vulnerability any more–especially if it were to jeopardize any of these other exciting things that are just around the corner. I need to get it taken care of with the help of qualified medical professionals in order to give myself a fresh start. After which, it’s our strategy that  my positive eating habits and alternative care methods will prevent it from ever coming back.  So, I’ll be undergoing surgery next week, with the accompaniment of lots of prayers that I get to keep all of my female parts, and then be recouping afterwards. At least I can still use my laptop from bed–though I may drool and write non-sensical things in the process–but you won’t notice any difference there, right? *grin*  It’s all good. I feel really good about my OB and we’re on the same page. And I know that it’s an appropriate action right now in my life. So, it’s onward and upward and upward and upward from here. I can’t wait to get back to my Krav Maga classes and hiking with the dogs and –oh yeah–teaching the Feminine Fortress class!!

To end on a more positive note, this month we’ll also be launching a new blog site that will cater to the faith principles that I have as they relate to self-reliance and this nation; and I’ll be able to have an outlet to share those with friends who share that same faith. I keep getting asked to give firesides (spiritual based lectures) but the timing is a bit of a tap dance between my schedule and the schedules of the wards/stakes/churches who typically plan an entire year in advance. As such, I’ll be presenting the more religious side of self-reliance based on scriptures and sound gospel doctrine  from the blog site so that those who have an appetite for that can go there without intruding on the beliefs and values of our regular readers.

The new site will be called The Song of Abinadi. (SongOfAbinadi.com) It will be up by July 1st!  I’ll only be able to post to it a couple times a month in order that Preparedness Pro can still be my primary focus. I’ve also cleared everything else off my plate, even winding down my contract copywriting work, so that I can be ALL-IN with Preparedness Pro. I would never have believed 3.5 years ago that it would come to this more than full-time effort, but it sure has. And I’m tickled pink!

So, onward and upward, folks. Prep on!