Glowing Memories

Our church held a beautiful service to pay tribute and honor those that could not be with us this year for Christmas.  

Names were written on slips of paper and pinned to wreaths at the front.  Many children were there pinning grandparents names, some mothers and fathers pinning their child's name along with wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles and friends.  We were all there to just say we love you, we honor you, we thank you and we have not forgotten you.

My two cards held the names of both of my dad's.  My dad who passed when I was a child and my dad who passed just this year.  The relationships I carry with each of them is so different yet when coupled together on unassuming white slips of paper it is just, quite simply, my two dad's who, today, share a wreath with many other loved ones.

Songs from Heather Bays soothed and reminded our hearts and candles were lit to show their ever present light in our lives.  We also had a candle lit for Brian's grandfather, Bill Frohliger, who passed just about a year ago.  His name too hangs on those wreaths.

For all of you who have those you are remembering this holiday season, Merry Christmas to you and to them as well.  

Her Choice

We just received Skyla's baptism packet in the mail and it was breathtaking to open.  In the busy of the day I opened this one envelope and was reminded of everything so precious.  Our God and our family and our friends.  The scanned quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea.

Skyla had the pleasure of being baptized by not only a great man,  our children's pastor Joe McAlpine, but also the father of one of her closest friends and a good friend himself.  It made it all that much more memorable.  Such a beautiful moment as she talks to Joe right before the baptism.

It is official!  She will carry this for the rest of her life as a reminder of this day.

THIS was the most heartwarming though.  I was so excited to see that some kind person took an extra picture and added it in there for us.  The moment right after she was baptized.  Enveloping daddy in a sopping wet bear hug, radiating smile on her face and me so proud of our first born little girl.  I love this picture and all it embraces about the day, our faith and our family.

This was one of those moments that we get so few of where it seems no one exists on earth except for just the three of us and the God that blessed us with each other.  

Good day, Great memories..

Holiday Cheers!

The tree is up, the house is filled with Christmas cheer, the music is going and the parties are scheduled, but wait!  I forgot to do one little thing.  Oh yeah, I haven't started a single bit of Christmas Shopping still.  This is SO not like me, but it is what it is and I will roll with it and hopefully I will roll in with some gifts when I do.  

Decorating this year was fun and it gets better and better every year as my girls understand more about Christmas and get into the Christmas spirit.  

This year our family ornament is bears.  It is getting harder and harder to find groups of six we do not already have, but we came across this and loved it.  I have a bag for every year since 1997 that holds special ornaments just for that year.  The one from 1997 is one I gave Brian with a letter titled the "Christmas Promise" and we read it allowed to the girls to commence the decorating.  We go through every year's bag saying what important things happened that year and they get to put their own ornaments on the tree that Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Gene get them.  Journey, of course, gets a little inpatient having to wait all the way to 2009!!  But, it is a great tradition that we always look forward to.  So here we have our big, full family ornament for this year right next to the small pewter one with just Brian and I engraved on it from our first Christmas together.

The living room looks beautiful and it is great to walk downstairs in the early morning and be greeted by such warmth.  The girls like to play around it and play Santa on the less than usual cold days we have had.

This tree and rockin' Santa, that you can often find paired with a child, is from Brian's Grandfather who passed last year.  I love having a holiday decoration in the house from a loved one who has passed on to remind us and to celebrate them this season even when they are not physically here.  I know my dad was a collector of sorts of anything Christmas and has loads of things my mom is brooding through.  Maybe we can get a piece from him as well.  

I pray all of you are having a beautiful build up of your holiday season and enjoying the time together.  Gotta run!  I have to go get some shopping done now!

Hats Off to Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, like every monumental event this year, seemed to sneak up behind me and surprise me at the last minute.  I have a calendar right on my desk everyday, but I can be entirely blind to something staring at me in the face sometimes.

We went up to Michigan again this year for Thanksgiving, but everything was a little different.  We went to Frankenmuth as we have for many years, did some shopping, relaxed at the house and had a fun game night.  But, it was all skewed and shifted this year.  This was our first Thanksgiving without dad.

The picture, though not bad and full of great laughs and fun, looked different this year.

The new normal is setting in slowly and it will take time.  It didn't stop the silly though!

Doesn't everyone do this at Thanksgiving Dinner?

Yes!  It was warm enough in NORTHERN Michigan to NOT wear a coat on Thanksgiving.  The next day, however, was whirling and swirling ice.  That is Michigan.

When we were out shopping Trinity had to try on hats.  The girl LOVES Hats and Cats and even Cats on hats and, unfortunately for our cat, hats on cats.

Mom!!!  Help!!

That smile looks good in anything!

Um....  not sure.  Moving on.

We had a great time with family and relaxed, watched some movies, just sat (ahhh...) and saw a movieat a theater even!  Go us!

Now we stand in the four week holiday cloud where it seems like event filled days are passing without your permission and you just have to stand ground and hope you catch the next day by the horns.

When nothing else works just make this face and the whole world will look better and brighter.  Good luck and God speed my friends, the Holiday Train is a comin'!!

A Brief Pause

In the ins and outs of your life do you ever have those moments where the world stands still for just enough time to bring clarity to everything else?  If you are like me those times are often lost in the shuffle again moments after they happen because of, well..  the list of possibilities in a household of six people, two cats and a dog are endless so I won't even attempt it.

But, those moments are the exact ones I need to grasp tightly to, lean into, learn from and grow from.  The moments are different for everyone.  They are the ones that make you stare a little longer.  The ones that you physically feel your heart move just a little.  The ones where your eyes meet the eyes of your children and you can palpate the connection between you.  Sometimes the moments come from others lives as well, and you are struck with all the blessings your life has held all at once. A good book, like The Shack I am reading for the second time through now, can bring focus in a refracted world.

As we move into the holiday season I pray that you, as well as myself, can take these moments we are given and stay in them for a while longer.  I hope I can play in the sands of their pondering and learn all I can from them.  Our world is so busy and we loose time everyday to the nonsense and hurt and do not give enough time to the truly substantial.

I wish you all a beautiful and plentiful Thanksgiving this year filled with a cornucopia of these moments.

Colossal Convention of Compassion!

Is this true?  Am I really leaving my family for four days, getting on a plane for the first time in five years and going to Dallas Texas with over seven thousand people I don't know?

YES I AM!!

When I made this decision in March/April I didn't completely understand the impact it would have on my life.  I didn't know that I would have personal growth that would stretch every boundary I thought I had.  I didn't know that I would travel and see places I had never seen.  I didn't know that I would meet life long friends, mentors and be surrounded by a team that gives me support unparalleled to anything I have felt before.  I didn't know that God would be breathing into every move forward I made and every relationship I fostered through this business.  I didn't know I was becoming more of a woman my children could look up to by helping people, being brave and having courageous compassion for others.  I didn't know how many times I could fall down and get back up again and I didn't know how much support my husband was capable of giving me.

I didn't know I was on the verge of finding a big hidden, secret room of ME.

It had been a while since I felt so anxious, proud and loved all at the same time.  I was anxious about taking this opportunity for me (something, like many moms, I am not accustomed to).  I was proud of myself for pulling through and getting on the plane and having the courage to do what I set out to do. I was also SO incredibly proud of this company, NSA, and what it represents, how it does business, the passion and the devotion to research to make sure they have the best product possible.  The philanthropy, both inside and outside of the company, the encouragement and personal touch a company this large gives each of its distributors is very unique and rare.

This was the view from my balcony!  It was gorgeous and by far the best hotel I had ever stayed in.  Again I ask...  Was I REALLY here?

While I was at Conference I had the pleasure of listening to people that have made it.  They have been able to reach out and help hundreds of people with their health and hundreds of others with this beautiful business model that NSA has created.  The perfect storm of Direct Sales, Multi-level marketing, Franchise Ownership and Corporate America with a full benefits package, has left even wall streeters in awe!!  (Thank You!  Says the woman with four kids who hasn't been able to put away a dime yet!)

The stories, the perseverance and the team attitude were overwhelming at times.  I have never seen so many people really, truly work together for one another with out expectation or chance of being rewarded in any way but a "Thank You".

I had the pleasure of hearing from an amazing young woman Winter Vinecki, who has started a true movement among young people with their fitness and doing so while raising money for Prostate Cancer Research (a disease that took her father at a young age).  She just wishes Juice Plus would have been in their lives before her dad passed because "I know it would have made some difference".

Juice Plus and the Tower Garden have Partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of America to promote healthy living in the hardest of areas by teaching and helping and giving.

Janelle Isis and Josie Bissett were there to share their words of wisdom and how they came to Juice Plus, why they have stayed on and how it helps in their lives.

Dr.DuBois was a brilliant speaker on the science and research in the past, present and future of Juice Plus.  The thrill of fellowship, the spectacular views, awards, pomp and circumstance mean nothing without the research.  It is truly the core of what Juice Plus stands for and believes in.  28 Published, peer reviewed, 3rd party, gold standard studies and still more to come!  

I had time for me.  Between the hours of terrific training and the sharing of meals with team members I had time for me.  I worked out at a gym in the morning with some people I consider mentors in my work both in the business and in the medical field.  I stayed up and did work in a quiet room.  I walked the halls and just looked around without distraction.

As much alone time as I might have had, when you are surrounded by over 7300 friends, it is hard to be alone for long.  

More than ever I learned that with everything out there that lines the shelves and inundates our lives that you can't outsmart nature!  In every study done fruits and vegetables always produce better results than synthetics and I walked away feeling even more fortunate to have found a way to get more into the bodies of my children, my husband and myself. 

The friends that I was able to meet and share time with were incredible.  Men and women from ALL over the world gathered together with the mission in their hearts.  This is our Indianapolis group that was there.

Our Mission?  Inspiring Healthy Living Around the World!  We are all One Team with that One Mission and we are getting their with patience, persistence and education.  Not only are we helping inspire healthy living, but we are changing lives with a certain business in an uncertain world.  It not only helps others, but comes with amazing benefits, no pressure on your own time line.  The part time business for busy people that so often is a Plan B that turns into the Plan A.  

So.  Am I Really here?  Really doing this?  YES I AM and I am enjoying and gaining so much from every curve, hill and mountain on my journey.  I didn't know this would be me, but I am so glad it is.

Fall Cleaning!

When I was away in Dallas (more posts to come from that one!) my husband took the initiative of cleaning out our Tower Garden for the winter growing season.

You can imagine that a growing season with extreme temps and LOTS of growth with all those minerals would cause a mess.  They did!  Consequently, while he was doing this I was learning that a partial cleaning should be done once a month to avoid such a mess.  Live, Go to Conference, Learn and Teach!  There is a booklet that comes with the Tower Garden for a reason! 

This is the top shower cap where the water is pumped up to and then showers down on all the roots inside.

This is what the inside of the Tower Looks like!  The roots are literally sprinkled with necessary minerals every 15 minutes.  This is why there is such great growth!

Section by section he took the Tower down and he used vinegar and water (1:1 concentrate) to soak and rub down the pieces.  The roots and little baskets were discarded.

Ta'da!!!  It came all clean after an afternoon and they are ready to start our winter harvest.  We just have to plan what we are putting in, get it filled, started and go for it!

We just had to put it in the garage for a day because of lovely Hurricane Sandy's wrath in Indiana and not having it's spot ready in the house.  But, we are digging in the books and excited to start the Winter round!  

Juice Plus is making great changes with the Tower Garden site and we are getting them into restaurants and grocery stores across the country.  The main idea was to get them in YOUR back yard though.  The 100 step diet is a reality and anyone can do it!

Our first season was terrific with our Tower and we are so blessed we had it this summer.  Our produce bills were substantially lower and the education and lessons we were able to give ourselves and the girls were priceless.  

Contact me, or your Juice Plus representative, anytime for more information on how you can get started with the Tower Garden!  We had the honor of meeting and learning from Tim Blank, the creator of the Tower Garden at conference and we were able to learn from him.  I will be writing a piece on that coming up as well!  I will also be taking advantage of those great home shows in mid winter and help others discover the fun, savings and simplicity of the Tower Garden!

Halloween 2012!

Halloween 2012 snuck up on us and right when we least expect it, it jumped out from around the corner and shouted "Here I AM!"

This month has been so crazy.  I know we have all had months like this, but it was so crazy that we FORGOT to carve pumpkins!  Brian and I remembered the night before Halloween and there was NO time the following day.  Major Fail!  We always do the patch and pick some great ones out followed by a night of carving and pumpkin seeds and goo.  Not this year though!  The birthdays, the conference, the job change, the general running around, and a few more things I have plain forgot about, robbed our schedules.  

Brian came through with the costumes though.  We haven't really dressed up for Halloween in years and this year his going away party for Conseco was a costume party and he was not holding back.  He took care of everything and just told me to put it on right before we left.  It was a nice break from the crazy.  Well, it was just a different kind of crazy.  

Queen of Hearts and The Mad Hatter!

The next night it was the girls turn and after they all changed their minds a handful of times before we landed on our costumes. 

Skyla the Clown

Trinity the Princess (costume mostly covered by coat!)

Lana the Cat

Journey the Witch

We ran out of the house, unknowingly almost an hour late, to meet friends with a pot of chili in hand.  A hurried dinner, redressing and a potty break later we were good-to-go!  Skyla ran from house to house with the big kids and my mind flashed memories of my own childhood.  Lana, Trinity and Journey all wiped out on the pavement at some point and, content with their loot, had enough after one round around the block.  We played the divide and conquer parenting game and all met back at home for a quick treat, clean up and a warm bed.  

Thanks for the fun!  ...and, Halloween 2013? I promise to get my act together by next year!  

A Clever Disguise

The birthday week came this year and like every year, we begged the question...  "What do we get these girls??"  

What do we get that they will not think is awesome for five seconds and then move on and that will last a while?  "American Girl" Dolls!!!!  

Skyla saved up for hers over the summer and loves every precious moment with her Claire.  But, the twins and Journey do not get an allowance or have the funds that that girl has been able to rack up.  Plus, honestly, do I think my five year old's and three year old need a $100 doll???  Ummm, NO!

Target has a great alternative.  The "My Generation"  dolls are the same size, have the same look and, besides the hair, I can not find a single difference on them.  The Genuine AG dolls just have hair that is easier to brush and manipulate, but we are getting along just fine.

I had the girls look through the new AG catalog the night before my purchase to see what each of them liked and hit target in the morning.  The loaded two carts I had was enough to get some looks in the store until I cried out, "I have three daughters birthdays in the next two days!" and then they understood.  It all came to a small fortune, but not nearly what it would have been had we gone with the name brand.

The twins have a birthday the day before my youngest and when they opened their packages they lit up!!!  They were SO excited to have "American Girl" dolls!!!  Do I need to correct them?  Do I need to have them think theirs are inferior in any way?  I don't think so.  We will just let them go on enjoying their dolls.

We have "Rose"

and "Mirabella"

It was torture for Journey to NOT have a doll and it was torture for us not to give it to her until the next day when her sisters were carting around theirs all night and day.  When we brought down Journey's packages after daddy came home, she bellowed "NOW, do I get my American Girl Doll?"  Wow, am I glad we got her a doll as well.  I am pretty sure there would have been a titanic sized melt down.  But, instead we had happy...

and "Holly"

Now, there are pajama parties, clothes swaps and all sorts of adventures in our house with these four, I mean eight, little girls.

Oh the fun!!!

The Three C's

A good small town parade rounds out any good weekend.  After a crazy Friday and Saturday this past weekend we headed down to Martinsville IN to visit grandparents, celebrate MORE birthdays and see the Fall Foliage Festival Parade.

If you mention Cousins  Candy and Cake you have the kids hooked.  No question.  The eager monkeys flew from the car and into the house.  It is always fun to see them play with their cousins and watch as they have grown.  The "big girls" sometimes do their own thing.  The 4-5 year old's hang out together and Journey just goes with whoever is around her because she thinks she is the oldest in the bunch.

Can't help but wonder what this picture will look like in five and ten years.  Oh, the years we have ahead.  Good thing my brother in law is IMPD... could come in handy!

We headed to the parade and during the long lulls between entertainment the girls would wrestle their Papaw.  He was loving being smothered by all those tiny hands.  

It was a fun time for all.  After the road trip home, showers for all we had approximately 10 minutes to spare before we had guests coming over for life group that night.  We were exhausted.  I don't even think exhausted is the right word.  I think sleep walking was more of our state.  But, it was a beautiful night of giving praise, hope, reflecting on relationships we all have with one another and building each other up.  It was a beautiful way to round out a chaotic and fantastic weekend.  

This past week was filled with a lot more cake as we celebrated actual birthdays with mine on Monday  the twins on Wednesday and Journey on Thursday.  This is always a memorable week every year and this was no exception.  

Thank you to all of those that celebrated with us, helped us, thought of us, read about us and were just there with us.  You all mean so much to me and my family.

Now I have to get used to saying I have a 7,5,5 and 3 year old!  Crazy how the years pass us by so quick, but the days can seem like a lifetime sometimes.