February 15, 2014:  Yesterday, for Valentines day, I was off from school, (which is always good) and I got to do two important things. First, I went to Crosses for Losses and met Amanda who is the director, and some other nice volunteers who were working there. I got to unload some food for their food pantry. Then Amanda told me about Crosses for Losses and the people they are helping. The stories are sad; many people didn't have insurance and are living in tents and campers. FEMA said the area did not qualify for assistance even though 480+ homes were lost in the fire. If you live in Colorado Springs, you should visit or call Amanda. They need help and no one knows how bad things are in Black Forest.  
Afterwards, I made my trade for the TV with my teacher. This is one if the biggest and best trades that I have made so far. THANK YOU  Mr. McCann for making me part of your birthday "year of giving back!" Here is something that I learned yesterday: I learned that this project is not all about getting the car, it's about getting to meet people and helping people who are in need and going through a difficult time. It's already starting to happen. I started trading and decided to add a second trade line to help Crosses for Losses. Many people have been helping me out, including Mr. McCann, and now he is starting his own trade project for charity. See more about Crosses for Losses: http://www.crossesforlosses.org/

 February 13, 2014:  I’ve been working on the trade with my teacher for the past couple of days. Today we shook on the deal, so I think I can tell you what I have traded for the watch….drum roll…. A 50”, Panasonic Plasma Flat Screen TV, and it’s only 5 months old! The TV is an awesome trade, but the reason he is making the trade is even more outstanding. My teacher had a birthday on Monday and he decided that he was going to spend this year helping other people. That morning, he told me that I was the first person he was going to help. He was inspired by my project and is starting his own trade line that will go to charity. This gave me an idea for a challenge for all of you. Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, maybe you can think of a way to give back to others or help a cause that’s important to you. Let me know if you do anything to meet this challenge. Tomorrow, I will officially get the TV, so I don’t have a photo yet.

February 11, 2014:  I told my teacher today that I made the trade for the heater, and offered him the watch. He was still willing to trade, which I was happy to hear. I haven’t told you what he offered yet, but it definitely is a huge trade up and will get me a lot closer to my car goal. Its value is close to the BG 1000 Home Gym that I’m still trying to trade.

     Remember that one of these trade lines is going to support Crosses for Losses http://www.crossesforlosses.org/  who help victims of the Black Forest Fire. Many people are still struggling to put their lives back together after this fire. My school is less than a mile away from the fire zone. I still am hoping to get something big for the home gym and I might have someone who’s interested….  

February 10, 2014:  (Here is how everything happened on Monday):  I finally got two solid offers for the heater, almost at the same time this morning. The first one was from O.C. who offered me an antique pocket watch that was made in 1874. Actually, he offered the watch last week, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good trade until I did some research. Last Friday, I said that I would take the offer, but we never connected until he called my secretary (mom) this morning. Here’s a little bit of information about O.C.:  His actual name is Francis, but he was nicknamed O.C. which is an abbreviation of his last name (given to him by his drill sergeant). He's a chef in the army and has to work a lot of long hours. Originally, he is from Connecticut, and has been in Colorado since 2008. That’s when he got the watch in a trade deal; he originally traded an outdoor shed for it.

   The other thing that happened this morning is that I got a great offer form one of my teachers, but I had already committed to O.C. I met him late tonight and we made the trade. The pocket watch is really cool and I found out that it’s worth $200-$300. I think this might be an even trade from the heater, but that’s okay. I hope my teacher will be interested in the watch.