A little over a year ago I started using the oils for any ailments that . . . → Read More: doTERRA Giveaway – Intro to oils]]>

I haven’t been blogging much lately – life has been exciting! I’ve been writing a novel, preparing for a new baby due in June, and have been sharing my new love of doTERRA essential oils.

A little over a year ago I started using the oils for any ailments that happened in our home, then started using them to help my son with his ADD and Autism. This past year and a couple of months we have been able to help with allergies, anxiety, RSV, bladder infections, ADD, prevent the flu and other illnesses our family has continually been exposed to, sleep issues, ear infections, weight loss, pain from a hiatal hernia, acid reflex, I could go on and on and on. We have yet to use an oil and not have it help.

Ever since we started using doTERRA, we naturally started sharing the oils with other people. It’s hard not to, when you have something NATURAL that works. I personally believe that every single home should have a family physician kit. To be able to help someone in your home without having to run to a doctor’s office to have them mask your symptoms and not care about what is causing them is empowering. I can tell you that when my daughter woke up in the middle of the night screaming with an ear ache being able to avoid running to the hospital and not only making her feel better quickly, but the ear infection completely going away without antibiotics was VERY eye opening to me.

My mission in life right now is to educate people; educate them on a better option out there for them. In the past year I’ve been able to personally help so many families be able to implement doTERRA in their homes, they in turn have done the same. Together, we all have put doTERRA in 127 homes in a short year. Amazing.

So why doTERRA? Why not an essential oil from the local health food store? doTERRA is the highest of the highest quality that you can imagine when it comes to essential oils. doTERRA not only goes to the place where the oil is grown at its best, where it is indigenous from to extract it. Example – our lemon comes from Italy, our lavender from France, our Frankincense comes from Oman. BUT it uses an external source not affiliated with doTERRA to run 7 different tests on the oils to make sure that it is the purest of the purest {higher quality than organic}, they ensure that there is NO outside sources affecting the oil. They deem this as certified pure therapeutic grade….they are so pure that you can actually ingest them. THAT is why I choose doTERRA. I trust these oils with my children; in my children.

I’m going to start doing some more frequent blog posts here addressing specific things to help have a spot for everyone who I work with to go to and learn.

I’m also feeling like giving away an Intro to Oils kit. This kit has 3 of my favorite oils that doTERRA has to offer. There is SO much that you can do with lemon, lavender & peppermint….this is a great way for you to experience doTERRA for the first time. This is a list of 101 things you can do with this kit http://www.doterraeveryday.com/101-uses/

So enter! Spread the word and please come back and learn more as I continue to share these oils with you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner of the giveaway is…..

Out of 246 raffle tickets, #59 is the lucky winner!!!  Brenna Guderian, CONGRATS!!!!

I will email . . . → Read More: And the winner is……….]]>

I am so happy to say that we have raised $775.00 for this family!!!  Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible.

The winner of the giveaway is…..

Out of 246 raffle tickets, #59 is the lucky winner!!!  Brenna Guderian, CONGRATS!!!!

I will email the winner and she has 3 days to respond

This happened recently to a very dear friend of mine’s sister.  She lost her baby boy in a very tragic accident only 2 short months of her husband had a very horrible accident at work leaving him paralyzed.

When you hear of stories like these you rush to . . . → Read More: A HUGE signed book giveaway for Elliot]]>

Sometimes the unthinkable in life happens.

This happened recently to a very dear friend of mine’s sister.  She lost her baby boy in a very tragic accident only 2 short months of her husband had a very horrible accident at work leaving him paralyzed.

When you hear of stories like these you rush to your children and squeeze them tight.  As a parent this is a very unfathomable thing – I just can’t even begin to imagine what emotional heartache they are going through.

The financial burden from her husband’s accident has now been intensified with funeral costs of having to bury their baby boy  I wanted to help in any way that I could, so I have contacted some of the best of the best indie authors who I love and adore so much to see if they would like to donate a signed book for a raffle that I’m going to hold.

To win ALL of these signed books you can purchase a spot in the raffle that will take place on Sunday, September 30, 2012:

1 Entry: $5.00

3 Entries: $10.00

5 Entries: $20.00

THE DONATE BUTTON IS AT THE END OF THIS POST

I want to thank all of the authors who are donating books to help this family out.  My heart is just absolutely crushed for them, and your generosity means the world to me and will to them as well.

You can see sweet Elliot’s memorial facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/ElloitLandon

I don’t think I compared myself too much to others before, because their life wasn’t publicly put into my face – daily. There are so many beautiful benefits to the internet, and keeping in touch and being able to follow along with your friends and family is top of the list. One of . . . → Read More: A little perspective oh…and I’m writing a book!]]>

Comparing.

I don’t think I compared myself too much to others before, because their life wasn’t publicly put into my face – daily. There are so many beautiful benefits to the internet, and keeping in touch and being able to follow along with your friends and family is top of the list. One of the downfalls is feeling as though you aren’t good enough in the things you do, because Sally over here is doing it SO. MUCH. BETTER.  Well, newsflash….she’s not – she’s doing it her way, and your way is perfect for YOU.

We’re all traveling a journey of our own. I love that I can pick and choose aspects of my friends’ and families’ lives that would make mine a bit easier and implement them into mine, but I also love that the things I’m not a fan of I don’t have to acknowledge. When they are doing things that I sit back and think….how the heck do they do it?! I have to remember that it’s their journey. We’re all traveling on these curvy, straight, bumpy, rocky, and glorious roads, and when you’re on one road I might be on another – that’s the point….it’s OUR own journeys.

So comparing?  It’s a sucky, sucky, PRIDEFUL thing to do – and we as humans just can’t help it.

I’m trucking down a new road on my journey – I imagine it to be a little bit of bumpy, rocky and in the home stretch I hope to find it glorious.

I’m writing my first book.

I’ve got this bucket list that I’ve got to get to working on, and writing a novel is on that thing.  I’m excited.  I’m nervous.  I’m scared.  I’m thankful.  I’m so thankful, because there’s this REALLY amazing community of indie authors and readers that have been helping me and supporting so much.

I’m surrounded by some of the MOST amazing, successful authors like – E L James, S C Stephens,  Abbi Glines, Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher, Tammara Webber – the list can go on and on and on.  I’ve watched them traveling on their own roads, and their own journeys and I admire them and respect them ALL – even the ones I didn’t list.  Their books and their friendships have all have had a VERY profound effect on me.  A lot of their books I still think about months after I’ve read them….. before I started reading Indie authors that didn’t really happen very often for me.

It’s hard to start on a book writing journey when you have so much amazing talent so close to home.  You can’t help but start to, well, PANIC, that your book isn’t going to be nearly as good as theirs, or as successful.  Those were the first thoughts I had when I made my author facebook page four days ago.  Right when I announced it was made I started to panic….and then the # of likes kept rising and rising and it all became more and more real.

I remembered in my public speaking class what my teacher told us  - it’s all about perspective.  You can take your nervousness and turn it into excitement.  After she said that, and my heart fluttered back to Andy Andrews book the Noticer, I realized she’s so dang right.  Life is all about a little perspective, and I am realizing VERY early on that all of this nerve wrenching, scared to death fear that has been going through me just needs a little perspective.

I don’t really need to be scared, because this is MY journey.  If I allow my nerves and fears and comparisons to overtake me, then I will push my dream away from me, and I definitely don’t want that.  It’s all about perspective and I’ll just be allowing the intoxication of it all seep into me and MAKE this a glorious journey….. because it’s MY journey.

I posted a preview of my book on my new {AUTHOR FACEBOOK PAGE}, but I’ll post it here as well.  When my facebook page gets to 300 likes (not very far away) I’ll be posting the prologue to my new novel…..and VERY shortly after I’ll be doing a cover/title reveal as well.  This is happening, and I am so grateful to everyone who is supporting me and pushing me towards my dreams.

HERE’S THE PREVIEW…..ENJOY!

We were fifteen when Dawson first called me Bay.

He grabbed my hand as we ran through my back property out to the lake. The type of swimmin’ we’d do never required any clothing; I loved my private property for that reason. That day I could hear all of the crickets chirping and there was a light breeze givin’ me the chills. Dawson held me in his arms and whispered in my ear, “Bay, I know that Liam was the first boy to ask you to marry him, but I promise you right now that I’ll be the last. I swear to God”. The tiny little bumps erupting over my skin had nothing to do with that light breeze and everything to do with Dawson James.

“You’re so beautiful, Lyla Bayou, that I can’t help but feel exactly as I do when I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay.” He started singing the song; I always melted at the sound of his voice. “So, from here on out, you’re my Bay.”

After that moment, the only time he called me Lyla was when he was angry or hurt. I sure as hell didn’t like to piss that boy off and hurting him was the same as hurting me. I quickly grew to dislike the sound of my name escaping his perfect lips.

 

Social media sites have a really fantastic way of making you look out to be like you have it all together.  Everything is perfectly lined up and slapped with a beautiful rose on . . . → Read More: Where I raise my hand and say…..]]>

As a mom it’s hard to raise your hand and say…. “Yup, I’m in over in my head.  Please help me!”

Social media sites have a really fantastic way of making you look out to be like you have it all together.  Everything is perfectly lined up and slapped with a beautiful rose on top.  I didn’t realize that I myself sometimes come off like that until somebody from my husband’s work said to me, I don’t know how you manage to do everything and still have time for Facebook.  Um…..then I started thinking….does everyone think I have this perfect life and I don’t let the ball drop on everything?

I don’t.  Plain and simply I absolutely don’t.  I might have a lot of “jobs” that I do from home, but just because I’m a photographer doesn’t mean I’m out there every day doing pictures – heck, lately I’m lucky is once every couple of months I have somebody in front of my lens…honestly.  Scentsy?  I’ve had 1 home party – the rest, online.  doTERRA?  I’m JUST sharing what is working for me and hoping to be able to help lots and lots of people.  Is there a business side to doTERRA? Yes.  Do I care about the business side to doTERRA? No.  It’s definitely a nice little bonus, but my main goal from day 1 has just been to enlighten other people on a natural way to replace medicines and cleaners in our home.  That’s it.

And then there’s homeschooling, my school, and now my new found bookkeeping job that I’m going to take on.  Homeschooling and my school have 100% always been at the top of the important list….honestly, above everything.  I’ll let the house go all to hell before I skip out on these, because THESE are the most important.  My education is my family’s future, all of our goals and dreams are based around my education.  My children’s education is a whole other story…..

2 years ago I made the decision to homeschool Jayden.   I wasn’t one of those anti public school system people who was adamant that the government is ruining our children.  I just merely was not happy with the way Jayden wasn’t grasping things due to his communication disabilities, AND I didn’t like how kids treated him differently.  Since I was homeschooling Jayden I automatically figured I would homeschool Ella.  I started getting this sick feeling inside like I wasn’t doing the right thing by keeping my social little butterfly at home.  So after praying and speaking with my husband, we decided that while we would continue to homeschool Jayden, Ella needed to be in school.

Fast forward to the past couple weeks and once again I have this sick feeling inside like I’m not doing the right thing with Jayden by keeping him home anymore either.  I know that he is going to have different struggles in school, but I honestly know from within the depths of my soul that because of the doTERRA oils, Jayden will be okay.  He will be okay to go back to school, because first and foremost his ADHD is under control.  With his ADHD being under control he’s now being able to write his thoughts out.  I’m noticing him being able to focus so much better with school work, and I know without an ounce of doubt that this decision that we are making is the RIGHT decision for Jayden.  In regards to the social aspect, ever since Jayden has been using the doTERRA oils, his social skills shock me.  He isn’t so introverted as he once was, and is very social with other kids.  

Come 5th grade, Jayden WILL be back in school.  I will of course be VERY involved and the second I feel like it’s not working, we can decide what step to take next.  I feel as if I don’t try that I’ll be doing an injustice to my son.

If I wasn’t such a busy mom, I might be thinking about this differently. But I AM a busy mom, who doesn’t have the stay at home mom plan forever.  Yes, I know that stay at home moms are very busy too, trust me!  I’ve been there, I AM there – but I’m not JUST a stay at home mom.  I’m a full time student and about to have a part time job to expand my experience in the field I’m going into.  I am a working mom, and even if I am home, I’m working when I am here with the kids.  If I’m not working I’m doing school work of my own.  As much as I wish that I could be the all mighty mom that feels so passionate about homeschooling her kids, I’m honestly not.  I’m okay with the school system teaching my kids.  I know that just because I’m sending them off to school where there are influences, that we do a WONDERFUL job instilling values into them at home.  These are things that I know they will keep with them.  We are VERY active parents, and just because we are choosing to not homeschool doesn’t mean they are doomed.  Once I started homeschooling I started seeing the different reasons that people normally choose this way of life.  I don’t hold the same values in this as they do, and that’s okay!!  We’re all supposed to be different, and having different people in this world is EXACTLY what makes it go round.

So the end result is this: With everything that I have stacked up on my plate, I’m raising my hand and saying…

“I can’t do this all on my own.”

Today I finally took the plunge and went back to church.  I needed it. . . . → Read More: A different outlook, a new path – my life.]]>

It’s very easy for me to allow life to get in the way of my faith.  Not a statement I’m very proud of, and definitely not a statement I enjoy being able to say.  But it’s a truth for me.

Today I finally took the plunge and went back to church.  I needed it.  I needed to hear whatever message would be awaiting me – and THANK GOODNESS I did.  Every message in every class was like this amazing breath of fresh air – the kind you didn’t know you really needed until your soul expanded with it.

My journey with church really hasn’t been a very long one.  I just can’t count my childhood experiences with church in my journey, because it wasn’t stable, consistent, nor did it have much of my thoughts and heart into it.  Back in 2007 when my family first started going to church I found myself molding very quickly in the “Mormon” form.  I think that I molded into what was expected of me so quickly that it just was too much for me.  I actually found myself being overwhelmed with it all, and when I’m overwhelmed I tend to want to turn around and walk the other way.

I started to compare myself to others at my church, realize that my thoughts will never be like theirs {funny I even thought I KNEW what their thoughts are}, and found myself not agreeing with certain aspects of the church.  I do 110% with all of my heart and soul believe in the Mormon church – there has never, ever, EVER in my entire life ever held one ounce of doubt on that being what I believe to be the church of Jesus Christ.  HOWEVER…. certain things that the church was putting energy into just really bugged and annoyed me.  One example: Proposition 8 – I don’t believe that our church needed to put forth so much effort in trying to stop gay people from getting married – I don’t share the same views on this as the majority of my church does.  I don’t see anything wrong with allowing them to be married, to be happy – who are we to stop that?  I didn’t like how I felt like certain members held themselves at a higher level than other people.  These were the things I struggled with.

I’ve had a lot of time to ponder things and I think it took me a while to realize that NONE of the above matters.  Those are things that are happening in not only my church, but a heck of a lot of other churches as well.  At the end of the day all that matters is my relationship with Heavenly Father and my example to my children.  I don’t need to worry about the social aspect of the church, the people of the church, some of the things the church does that I don’t agree with – all that matters is that I am there with my children to soak in whatever message Heavenly Father has for me and to give my children the values that I think are important.  And I have no problems with being ME while going to church.  I’m not perfect, I never will be – and I’m not going to change me.  I’ll continue to grow inside and keep the principles that are so important within me, but I’m not going to completely change who I am just to go to church.  I’m going continue watching R rated movies, and reading books that have hot as hell scenes in them.  I’m not going to stop doing the things I don’t have an issue with – and this is what I believe separates me from the majority of the members of my church.

So – I’m here at a new road in this journey, with a different outlook and attitude for it.

I feel so good about how my life is going right now.  Gino and I have been setting some amazing goals to tackle together and are continuing to just grow closer and closer together as a married couple.  Marriage is definitely not a walk in the park, but I feel overwhelmed with thankfulness that we are so blessed to be rewarded with happiness together for sticking with each other through all of the hard times.

The exciting thing about life, is we each have our very own; we each get to direct our own courses.  I love that what’s constraining for me might be an area of expertise on the people close in my life, and vice versa – I love this because together the people who are amazing forces in our lives are people who we can learn so much from.  I hope through my life’s journey I might be able to enlighten my friends and families on values and philosophies that I learn along the way just as I have learned from them – and continue to learn.

I am one lucky person to be surrounded by so many inspiring and selfless people on this journey in life that I am venturing on.  I love each and every one of you who have ever put any sort of profound effect on my life.  Everyone always enters our life for a reason, and Heavenly Father uses us all as tools to help Him do his work on this earth.  I want to be able to look back at my life one day and smile knowing that I was aware of the different lessons and attributes that each soul bestowed into my life.

Funny how true this quote is. Lately it seems like I’m tapping my fingers WAITING for bedtime, then I turn around and wonder how in the world is my baby turning 2 this year?! How in the world is my baby starting . . . → Read More: Some of God’s greatest gifts – unanswered prayers]]>

The days are long, but the years are short.

Funny how true this quote is. Lately it seems like I’m tapping my fingers WAITING for bedtime, then I turn around and wonder how in the world is my baby turning 2 this year?! How in the world is my baby starting Kindergarten this year?! How in the world is my baby turning into such a handsome young man?!

When I was in highschool I had this dreamy vision of my life – New York City, High end accounting firm, living the fast paced life. It WAS going to happen.

Today I haven’t showered, I’ve been in my gym clothes since 3:00pm, pajamas before that – I’m rugged, no makeup ever graced my face, and I’m shocked as all hell that after this day I managed to floss AND brush my teeth today. At around the time that I’d probably be in some gorgeous board room, with exquisite chairs that have foam that remembers how my ass likes to feel in it, I was teaching my child pronouns. My plans changed SO much. My plans that I thought I wanted…. turned into what I realize my true dream was.

I’ve been thinking back on things that I really thought were going to happen, and things I thought I would accomplish by a certain age. My life was planned out by the time I was 16 – I knew who I was going to marry, what college I would be applying to, what career was going to make me the big bucks, and the city I would live in. It’s funny that not ONE of those things have happened. Starting with the boy – it’s amazing to me to see that what I thought was one of the most life crushing heartbreaks of my life, was just the entry way to my true destiny and happiness. What we truly think we deserve in life isn’t always what God has planned out for us – this I’m certain of.

New York City? HA! The town I’m living in I can walk from one end to the other within 15 minutes probably seeing a couple of people I know. There’s only 3 stop lights and there’s a little bar down the street that every once in a while you’ll see a horse parked out in front of. Definitely not New York City.

I don’t regret a single thing. I don’t regret my heart aches, and I definitely don’t regret not living my fast paced life in New York City, because here I sit the mama of 3 of the most beautiful little souls I could have ever asked for. I have been given the blessing to be able to be at home teaching them the things they need to learn from their mama. When I get frustrated in my long days with them, I really need to remember how blessed I am to be able to have them ask me ten million questions, because I could be holed up in an office in the middle of a busy tax time not being able to spend one hour of the day with them. I really need to treasure the messes, the loudness, the cuteness, the frustrations, and every second of my days with them. Because whether I realize it or not, the years are fluttering by fast and soon it will be quiet when once I heard screams, laughter and commotion. I won’t hear the pitter patter of feet running across my ceiling when they’re SUPPOSED to be sleeping. It’ll just be me, my rock star of a husband and our quiet thoughts and memories. These little people of mine have an amazing, fresh start at life that is so full of possibilities, dreams, and wishes. I have to remember that I as their mom have the sole duty of slowing down and making sure that I’m here to fully embrace their desires and help them fulfill their dreams. It is my duty as their mom to not get so frustrated over the little things in life, and the messes that stress me out, because honestly…. what’s the big deal?

All of my plans changed over one boy. One boy who wasn’t in my plans. One boy who swooped in to heal my broken heart. One boy who ended up being the best damn thing that ever happened to me. Together we have formed this life that I can’t help but be so proud of. We’ve got to travel down many different roads together as a couple – some unmarried, unhappy, and ready to throw in the towel – some happy, married and living in bliss. There’s been roads we’ve traveled down that I could have done without, but I know if we didn’t travel down those bumpy, rocky roads and experience the pain and loss and heartaches that we have together, we wouldn’t be us. My life as I know it starts with this boy – this boy I never knew would end up being my soul mate and the best damn partner in this crazy life of mine.

Through all of these detours in my dreams, somehow, some way – one of those dreams has fluttered back into my life. I applied to Southern Oregon University today after spending the last 2 years working towards the credits needed to enter the school of business there to FINALLY reach my dream of becoming a CPA. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to this point – kids, a husband, a house to run – but I’m here! I don’t know if we’ll ever end up leaving our little havenous place we’ve found here in Oregon to move to New York for the remainder of my dreams to unfold. No matter what, all that matters is that I have this amazing family of mine backing me up every step of the way.

Some of God’s greatest gifts TRULY are unanswered prayers.