Powering down. Leaving Steemit?

Some people have noticed that my account has been powering down these past few days. What's happening? Is GMuxx leaving Steemit? Has he grown weary of this community?

TLRL: No, I am not leaving Steemit.

Slightly longer version:

As some of you know, I won plane tickets to Steemfest in @theprophet0's competition a while back. I am eternally grateful not only to @theprophet0, but also to all the people who backed me and managed to get me past the post and win them by 1 vote. The plane tickets have been bought and my hotel is booked.

Last week @roelandp announced that the Steemfest tickets are now on sale. See his post HERE. I didn't take these into consideration when planning my trip to Portugal and was surprised to see the price; I am not sure what I was expecting to pay so slightly panicked when I checked out the site. For the minnow ticket I will have to pay 191 Steem or 272 SBD. From what I gather this includes drinkies, lunches, dinners, activities and shuttle service to the various venues. This I didn't expect, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. But it does mean I have to get my ticket as soon as possible, hence I have less time to save before November.

Although I have done far better on Steemit than I ever could have expected, I am on a fixed income due to disability (MS). I therefore have to generate the necessary funds for my trip to Portugal through my account here. Therefore, I began powering down last week. Once I have enough to cover my trip I will end my power down.

I love Steemit more and more each day. The opportunity to earn through my ramblings, my 3D artwork and my new found love of writing fiction has enabled me to buy those little extras for my family that ordinarily I would not be able to do, and for that we are extremely thankful. Overall, the community here is fantastic. The community at Minnowsupport however is very dear and special to me. We are like a family, doing our best to help each other out. I love being a moderator at PALnet and assisting newcomers where I can.

In summary, no - you don't get rid of me that easily. I am here to stay, through thick and thin, price drops and rises.

ADDITION: I have had some very generous donations and I am extremely thankful for them. In no way was this post meant as a fundraiser for my trip. I fully intended to cover my trip through my power down. Saying that, I feel blessed with love today. Thank you.

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Proud member and supporter of the #minnowsupportproject - brought to you by @aggroed, @ausbitbank, @teamsteem, and @canadian-coconut
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