It's been a long time since my words have found there way here....onto this screen......for all the world to see. 

I don't know why it's been so long, other than maybe I've been waiting for something. Maybe I thought something would change or something big would happen or I would have this great lightbulb moment. But nothing has really changed and nothing big has happened and I haven't had any major lightbulb moments. 

But my heart has been stirring to write again (as it always does when I'm not writing), and all the while my heart has been stirring, this mean voice in my head says things like "What do you have to write about?" and "Who do you think you are that anyone would care what you have to say." and "Why would your words matter?" and "Someone else can do it better." 

And then today I listened to what I would consider a life-changing podcast by the Influence Network featuring author Shauna Niequist. Shauna has written several books including Bread and Wine, bittersweet, cold tangerines and her most recent daily devotional titled Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are. 

Shauna said these words in that podcast that literally opened my eyes to why writing and sharing is so vitally important. 

When I look back at the times that I wrote here, that I shared openly and honestly about our life and our struggles and our journey, those are the times when people came to me and said, "I understand what you mean when you talk about _______. I'm glad I'm not the only one who fears __________. You reminded me that I'm not alone." 

That's ultimately what writing is about. It's not about having life changing stories happen everyday, it's about having ordinary stories happen everyday and having the eyes to see the beauty and perfection in the everyday mess and chaos of life. 

So here's who I am...right now...in this 31-year-old place. 

I am a Christ follower. I am a wife and a mom 1st. I am a leader and an influencer. I am a writer and a thinker. I am a natural introvert. I am a foster mom. I am a mom-to-be {again}. I am a BRCA 1 and 2 carrier. I am a dreamer and a doer. I am a planner. I am a friend and a sister and a daughter.  

And this is where I am. 

I'm in a season of change, not only as we prepare for the birth of our 2nd daughter, but as we prepare for the transition of our 3rd foster baby into another home. In the midst of all that change, I'm in a place of peace that I haven't been in for a long time. There are so many unknowns in our world right now, but I'm willingly resting in a peace that doesn't care about the unknown. I'm trusting that God can write a much better story than I could ever dream of writing. 

I'm in a place where I'm sick of doubt and worry, and I'm running towards grace and grace alone. 

I'm sitting in my quiet office savoring the last few days of a quiet house before all 4 kiddos are home for the Summer, and I'm eating Lucky Charms for lunch because I'm pregnant, and I can. 

I'm in a place where I'm thirsting for knowledge and understanding. I want to learn about (and am learning about) margin and prayer and giving my best yes and stewarding well what God has blessed us with and loving by doing and living a better story. 

I'm in a place where I'm seeking and creating community, where I'm investing in my kids and my spouse, and doing my very best to use the time I'm given each day in the best way possible. 

And that's it. There is no magic happening here. We don't have any brilliant stories to tell. We are simply living each day as it comes and chasing after a man named Jesus who desperately wants to use us to write one heck of a story. 

So instead of wishing for something else, I'm going to plunge right into this...this space and this time our lives that is exactly what it is and nothing more. 

Let's Send Taylor to Kenya

I'm honored to introduce you today to a precious little girl who has a true heart for the Lord. Taylor is 17 years old and will be taking a mission trip to Kenya this year. 

This is her story in her words:

God works intricately with his creation. He allows events to take place, brings people into our lives, and takes us places we couldn’t ever imagine. And it’s all to his glory. Have you watched to see his hand working in your life lately?

There was a young girl in Kenya who was given a wonderful opportunity to come to America. This young girl went to school and graduated from university, but this was not all that God had in store for her life. She took this opportunity to return back to her homeland of Kenya to extend love and purpose and a future to the people. This woman’s name is Beatrice. She now has a ministry, Maisha International. The hand of God was working, and continues to work, in this woman’s life. And it’s all to his glory.

While Beatrice was attending school in America she babysat my brother and I. I remember many times that she would come to our home. We would watch The Lion King while she braided my hair, just like her’s, and I would ask her when she could take me to Africa. She always told me that if it was in God’s plan we would go together. I’m so happy to say that God has provided clear direction that Kenya is where I’m suppose to be this summer! Little did I know that a prayer offered to God out of my young heart so many years ago would come to fulfillment. And I get to experience this with my childhood African sister!

I look forward to sharing the love that has penetrated my heart with others half way around the world. I feel truly honored that God would choose me to be used as his vessel. I am open to whatever He has for this trip. Likewise, I’m open to whatever He has for my future.

This will be the summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. His hand has always been intricately working in my life and this is yet another example of his greatness. God has created a whole world filled with new people and places to experience. I want to travel to the ends of the earth to tell people about my savior. I pray that there will be many more opportunities in my future to experience new places and to share the light that is within me for his glory.

Thank you so much for your time and I hope you will join me in prayer and support. Please pray for myself, and the team that I will be traveling with. Pray those with whom we will share, that their hearts will be ready to accept the gift of salvation. Please pray for Kenya.

Her heart shines so brightly through her words. I hope you would consider helping Taylor get to Kenya. There are multiple ways you can help.

1. Go to my Scentsy website by clicking here and shop from Taylor's fundraiser. A large portion of your order total will go directly towards funding Taylor's, trip. 
2. Give online directly to Maisha International by going to http://www.maishainternational.org/ and fill in the field to direct donation with Taylor Dickinson Mission Trip. 
3. Mail a check to: Maisha International, P.O. Box 570, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 Add Taylor Dickinson Mission Trip on the memo line of the check.
4. Pray. 

Thank you in advance for supporting Taylor as she follows the lead of the Holy Spirit to serve in Kenya. Oh if we could all have the courage and strength that Taylor does! 

The unexplainable gift of joy

I'll never forget the 1st Christmas. Our dining room was literally filled to the top with wrapped gifts. A ladder, a dollhouse, a new pair of shoes, new coffee cups....some things were as simple as crayons and coloring books, but they were all gifts meant to bless the lives of a dozen families. 

They live lives that no one wishes for.....lives that no one thinks they will personally ever have to live. All of these families were blessed with special needs children.....most of them have rare, serious, even undiagnosed disorders. Many of these families have buried children. 

We decided to provide Christmas for them. Our entire Scentsy organization came together sending gift cards, presents, personal notes....all to make Christmas for these families feel over the top. 

And it was. I have never had more joy in my heart than I did they day we loaded up vehicle after vehicle with presents to be delivered. 

And we're doing it again. Hope Link {the local non-profit organization that supports families of children with rare, serious or undiagnosed disorders} has grown in the past few years. This year they decided to nominate families within their organization that would benefit from being adopted this Christmas. 

Theys agreed on 10 families. So 10 families it is. 

There have been many of you who have asked about helping this year. I can tell you that it is the greatest joy to buy for one of these families. I thought that we would be a blessing to them that 1st year, and I'm sure that we were, but the incredible joy that came from giving was unmatchable. They blessed us so much. 

So here is where you come in. We are looking for individuals, families, organizations, whomever, to partner with us to provide an incredible Christmas for 10 of our amazing Hope Link families. 

There are lots of ways you can help: 

1. Adopt an entire family. We asked each family member to list 3 things he or she would want/need/or wear. We are hoping to fill all 3 items for all family members. If you would like to adopt an entire family, you could partner with your family, friends, co-workers, etc to provide Christmas for your family. 
2. Adopt a person. This would entail purchasing the 3 things from one person's wish list. 
3. Donate money or gift cards. Our ultimate goal is to provide a Visa gift card and a grocery store gift card in addition to the items requested. Anything you can give helps us make this happen. 

If you are interested in helping one of our special needs families this year, please send me an email at allisondalke@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for giving. I promise, you'll find more joy in it than you ever could have imagined. Will you join us this year? We'd love for you to be a part of such joy. 

A story worth reading

I know you're tired of hearing about our homeschool adventure....sorry. I'll stop soon. Maybe. {But really, if nothing else, scroll to the end of this post to see a story worth reading.} 

But tonight I'm still in the thick of it. Ya know...just trying to figure out what it looks like in our house and in our lives. It's a big change, but it feels small and simple and good and right. 

My planner looks like a crazy mess. There are suddenly a few more to dos. I'm having to be more intentional with my time. It'll just take some time for us to get grounded in it. 

As an added bonus, homeschooling with a 10 month old in tow is quite the experience. 

His homeschool activity consisted of pulling all my paper goods out of the cabinets. Fun. 

Later his daddy came to the rescue and they had a good manly day together at Gymboree while Addy and I had our first outing with a homeschool group. 

It was 4-6 year old girls' day at the farm. 

Addy was in heaven. They had 40-50 chickens free ranging all over the farm.

We ate our sack lunches and took a tour to see all the animals.

And then, there was this tree.

It had 3 swings hanging from it, and I definitely could have stayed there all day. Under the shade of the branches, it was perfect.

Our free parting gift was a dozen fresh eggs. And we were equally excited about that!

On a completely different note, my dear, dear friend just started a blog. And you absolutely have to go check it out. 

Her name is Ryan McLaughlin, and if you'd followed here for any amount of time, you've probably seen me write about Ellie Kate. Well, Ryan is Ellie momma, and her story is beautiful. 

Since Ellie's diagnosis, 7 years ago, Ryan and Mike have been keeping their friends and family updated via a program called CarePages. Ellie's entire story is written there. 

I am currently taking all the Care Pages posts and transferring them to Ryan's blog. Before long, you will be able to read Ellie Kate's entire story on the Wonderfully Made blog.

 Go check it out! Follow Ryan. Her faith and her story is one that will inspire you and move you. 

You can check out the Wonderfully Made blog by clicking here. And if you want to start reading Ellie's story from the beginning, click here. It is definitely a story worth reading. 

My Heart is Full and Oh, so Proud

Almost 6 years ago, I started my Scentsy journey. 
One of my very first recruits was my sister-in-law, Jacquelyn Roy. At the time, we were just sister-in-laws. She had lived with us for a while while she was in college, but for whatever reason, we never really became close friends. 
I may even have made her hate me at one point when she rang the doorbell when I had just put a baby to sleep. I was sort of not nice to her. 
But I digress. 
When she started selling Scentsy, I was excited to have someone else to do it with. And then, she didn't do much. She was selling at work and doing okay, but she didn't care too much about coming to meetings or recruiting. 
Then all of a sudden, something changed, and she became this recruiting superstar, and she just couldn't stop talking about Scentsy. 
I watched her team grow and soar. 
And over the past 5 years, I have watched her change. She has become an incredible leader. I do not know anyone more encouraging or inspiring than Jacquelyn is. 
She is the person who I turn to when I get discouraged or unmotivated  She is the one I turn to when I need a pep talk or a reminder of why I do what I do. She is joyful, encouraging, and I am proud to call her my sister and my friend. 
Jacquelyn, I don't know if I would love Scentsy as much as I do if it weren't for you. You have kept me motivated and inspired, and when I look at your life and my sweet nephew, Jaxson, and everything that Scentsy has blessed you with, I remember so clearly that this business changes lives. It has changed mine, yours, and countless others. 
We have been changed because of Scentsy. 
I don't know what our lives would look like without it. Would we be as good of friends as we are? Would we just be sister-in-laws? Would we still share the way we do? 
I really don't know. But I do know that I am incredibly grateful for the change that has taken place in both of us because of this great company. 
My heart is so full. 
I remember when I used to want so desperately to be nominated for Shining Star. It is Scentsy's greatest honor. Of course you would want to be nominated. I think we all secretly want our name on that list somewhere. 
And then I was nominated, and it was wonderful. An incredible honor. 
Then I watched you get nominated last year, and I experienced a whole new side of joy. I think I was happier when you were nominated than when I was. I was just so proud and excited. I felt like a momma bird watching her baby bird fly for the 1st time. 
But tonight was a different story. It's been another year of us working together and leading together and loving together. And it's been a hard year for our family, and there have been challenges within our teams, but in the end, it's been a great year. 
You have kept me up. You have kept me going. You have been my constant reminder of why I want to do this, and why I want to help other women do this. 
You are a light that shines so bright, and your light shone so bright tonight when you were nominated for the 2nd time for Scentsy's shining star award. 
And then having Kelly Clarkson announce it?! I mean, it doesn't get better than that. 
I love you so much. I am honored to call you my sister and my friend. In my heart, you've already won. 
Thank you for being a light to me and to so many. 

Being chiseled and changed tonight

Tonight is one of those nights that I don't know what to write or how to write it or what I want to say exactly.

But my commitment to write everyday for a year forces me to stare at that stupid blinking cursor until I can come up with something halfway decent to write.

 And here we are....still thinking.

I guess I can write about what the Lord is stirring in my soul at the moment. In the midst of the craziness of life, I constantly feel the Lord luring me to the next thing.....the next task He has for our family.

I am, finally, for the 1st time since baby #3 made his grand entrance, starting to feel somewhat normal about daily life. Apparently, I'm slow to recuperate. It's been 8 months people.

But that means that I'm in God's word again, and whenever that happens, I find clarity over so many things that I have looked at as issues in my life. Everything starts to become clearer. And I can begin to see how He is preparing a new and exciting way for us.

I'm pretty sure that I have shared with you that I would like to have 4 kiddos. I just think the world is made for evens so we're gonna go with that.

But I do not want to be pregnant again.

Of course, if that were to happen, I would gladly and happily and graciously carry another child. But I feel like we have been called into foster care, and that our story there is not over yet.

Now foster care is obviously foster care and not adoption. But foster care often turns into adoption. Sometimes.

Let's not get too far on that rabbit trail, lest I'll start crying. We don't need that tonight.

But I know that our time spent with our foster babies and everything that has happened since they've left our care was not just for that instance.

I feel like our foster care experience has left a holy ache in my soul. There are so many things about it that are not alright with me.

But being a foster parent is most definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. And honestly I don't know the end of our story with the babies we had. I hope that part of our foster care story is not over, but it could be.

I was incredibly encouraged this weekend by a phrase my pastor used in one of the most powerful and moving teachings I've heard in a long time. It will continue to be live online thru Friday, June 28th. See if you can check it out here.

Anyways, Pastor Craig said that when we are promoted by the Spirit to do something, we will feel certain uncertainty.

Amen. Because I have never felt more certain and uncertain in the same breath about anything in my life than foster care.

Certain uncertainty.

He also talked about making history by putting Christ at the center of all we do. The question becomes, "Am I courageous enough to live like its not about me but all about Him?"

We can only make history through Him, centered around Him, when it's all about Him.

So I took that information and started thinking about our foster care journey. And I realized in an instant what I did wrong.

It was all about me. You can go back and read it. I was hurting. I was confused. I was tired. I didn't understand. I didn't love enough. I loved too much. It was all about me.

Yes, we absolutely did it because I felt like He called us to. No doubt about that. I did it for Him, but once we were in the midst of it, it became all about me.

Yes, I cried out to Him; Yes, I sought His word; Yes, I wanted it to be for His glory.....but I honestly don't know if it was.

I know He used the experience to humble me and to help me trust Him more. But I don't know that I lived like it was all about Him. I think I lived like it was all about me.

And there He goes again.

What started as a blinking cursor turned into a chiseling moment.

Thank you Father for bringing me clarity. Thank you for humbling me. Thank you for continuing to move me. I want to live like it's all about you. I want to be used by you to bring Glory to your kingdom. Continue to chisel away my hard places. Continue to take away everything that doesn't look like who I really am. I love you and am continuing to trust in your perfect plan.

Let's be changed by it

Today was a fairly normal day. 

I did the laundry. I tried to work through emails and facebook messages and reply to texts from so many of you wanting to help. A conference call, feeble attempts to work, playing power rangers with my 4 year old....today was a fairly normal day. 

But in the back of my mind, I thought constantly about the families who had no laundry to fold, no computers to answer emails on, no anything at all. 

The outpouring of love from people all over the world wanting to help Oklahomans affected by such terrible tragedy has been overwhelming. Specifically, those of you in our Scentsy family have nearly begged to help. Thank you!

Our community has a long road ahead. Even though we don't live in Moore, we live close. And we know so many people who have lost everything. 

But only 2 days after the tragedy, we have started to attempt to go back to our normal lives. We'll have to, but for those directly affected, "normal" is so very far away. 

I am asking that you'll stick with me and continue to hear stories and be changed by this tragedy. 

It would be much easier to pretend it didn't happen and return to life as normal. I think so much inside us wants to forget it quickly. 

But I've decided I don't want to forget. I want to be hurt by it, moved by it, changed by it. If we don't allow ourselves to be changed by it, how do we grow? 

But I also want to be around for the long hall. The rebuilding of this community is going to take a long time. Moore, Oklahoma and it's residents are going to need our support for a very long time.

Right now, we're raising money for 5 Scensty friends who lost their homes. Two of these families lost their 9 year old daughters as well. 

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to distribute to these families to help them get started getting back on their feet. 

If you can, please go to the website below and donate what you can. Every single dollar makes a difference. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity. Together we can show the love of Christ to so many. 

Click here to donate.

Humans are amazing

Today was hard.

There just aren't any other words to describe it.

The day started with my bible study group getting together to make a list of the people we knew who lost their homes.

The closest was a family member of someone in our group. So we set out to buy clothes for 4 littles boys to get them through the next week or so.

In the car, on the way to Wal-Mart, I made the comment that doing something was so much better than watching the news. The news was becoming too much to bear. I watched until 2:00 am last night just waiting for good news.

The good news came this morning when the news reported that 101 people were rescued during the night. Praise the Lord!

So I was beginning to feel better. We were out. We were actively helping. And that felt good.

And then I got a call from a dear friend who had the most horrific job today of being in the room with parents as they found out their children were confirmed dead. I can't even type it without tears running down my cheeks. I just can't imagine.

Ryan and Mike buried their daughter Ellie Kate in December, so they understand more than most what it's like to lose a child. It's not the same circumstances, but it's still the loss of a child. And most of us have no idea what that pain is like. We can only imagine, and our thoughts alone are terrifying and horrific.

But Ryan called me with a very specific assignment. One of the families they were able to minister to not only lost their daughter but also their home yesterday (as so many families who lost children did). This momma asked for an outfit to take to the funeral home tomorrow. Specifically, a shirt with a unicorn on it.

As soon as I heard from Ryan, I was on it. Ready to work and do whatever we could to make this happen for this family. I immediately contacted a friend of mine who has an embroidery shop to see if she could make a unicorn shirt.

Of course, she not only made 1, but she made several for this momma to choose from. And then it was the matter of a skirt. We needed to complete an outfit. Emily loved frilly skirts and tutus.

So many of you offered your time and money and talents to make sure Emily looks beautiful. At the end of the day, I picked up a perfect purple tutu and a gorgeous black petticoat (her favorite colors were purple and black). Two beautiful souls drove from Chickasha to Edmond to bring them to me.

And as I drove home in the midst of a beautiful evening in Oklahoma, I couldn't stop the tears.

And I sobbed and I wailed and I told God a thing or two about how I really feel about all this.

It all suddenly became too real.

And I wanted to argue. I wanted to yell. I wanted to say that it sucks.

And I said it. I told Him that I think this is horrible and not fair and horrific.

I told Him that I knew He could have saved them, but He didn't.

But He didn't.

And then through my tear filled eyes, I saw the sun break through the clouds as it began to set over the horizon, and I couldn't believe that it was only yesterday. It feels like a lifetime already.

And in that moment, it occurred to me, that if there is no pain, if there is no sorrow; If we never mourn and we never question and we never get angry....then we don't need Him at all.

But there is pain and there is sorrow. And we mourn and we question and we're mad about it. And it's not fair.

And I need Him.

And we need Him.

And in my rage and anger and sheer sorrow, He was so incredibly close.

I saw the hands and feet of Christ today so very very clearly. I watched as people full of sin and self righteousness, stepped out of their selfishness and gave freely of all they had.

Humans are amazing.

In the midst of our sin and imperfection there is something good that rises up that so desperately wants to give and serve and love.

In the hardest of times, at the core of who we are, we are so much like Christ.

It's when the day becomes monotonous and common that we stray from our spirits of giving and hope and love and become consumed with ourselves.

But in times of crisis we begin to act more like He who created us. And beautiful, beautiful things happen.

Today, I am proud to be a human, made in the image of God.

He is good in the midst of the bad. He is true when everything seems false. Sovereign always.

I heard Him whisper to me today that this is only a breath. Only a moment that we are here. There  is so much more that we don't understand or see.

I will not pretend to have all the answers. I don't. But I will reassure you that if you cry out to Him, if he seek Him, even if you get mad at Him, He will comfort you. He will reassure you. He will bring peace that only He can bring.

Father, tonight I pray that you would comfort those who seek you. Bring peace to the families who lost loved ones. Only you know their pain, Lord because you sent your only Son to die for us. And we are eternally grateful. Help us to trust you. Help us to find comfort and solace in your arms.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

I'll take a white picket fence with a slice of imperfection on the side, please

One of my biggest problems is that I battle with wishing I had or did what other people have or do.

Anyone else?

I went to that networking luncheon today and I had to prep myself before walking in the door.

I knew that the house would be beautiful. I knew that the hostess would be well put together. I knew that there was a chance that jealousy would cloud my afternoon.

So I prepped myself.

I promised myself that I would not compare. I promised myself that I would not lust. Period.

And low and behold! You know what happened?! I didn't!

Yes, the house was beautiful. And yes, the hostess looked great. And yes, the food was delicious, and I felt welcomed and well cared for while there.

But while sitting in the living room with a dozen or so other women all involved in small businesses, it became so utterly clear to me that we're all just human. We're all doing our best with our circumstances, with our current situations, and regardless of how we look on the outside, there is a little side of imperfection to us all.

And it was incredibly comforting.

When we can take away the false assumption that we're going to live a life encircled by a white picket fence and acknowledge that the fence is just a false representation of an idyllic and carefree life that none of us really led, we can be free to be authentic and real with those around us.

When we pretend that the white picket fence exists in our life and everything is as it should be always, what we're really doing is making others feel less about themselves.

Look, none of us have it together. Everyone walks a tough road at some time or another, but there is a lot of freedom in remembering that we're all human.

Comparison and jealousy will kill your business, your faith, and your self esteem in an instant.

So just remember, no matter how straight and perfect the fence looks, there is a side of imperfection to all of us. And honestly, that's what I love about people. We all have a story. We all have a fear. We all have a battle to fight and a victory to win.

There is nothing wrong with a white picket fence. I just prefer mine with a side of imperfection.  

Cheap Fruit

I was talking to my dad today via text, and I asked him if he would come harvest avocados for us if we ever moved to California and bought a house with lots of avocado trees. He said he would. He said he would do just about anything for $15/hour if he could quit working as a pharmacist (it's what he's done my entire life).

My dad is pretty laid back. Brian and I joked that all he really needs to be happy is his mountain bike, his dogs, and a place to lay his head at night.

I would live here. I really would. I mean, why wouldn't you? The weather is amazing all the time. You're only an hour from the beach. You can have fruit and avocado trees in your backyard. Our family would come see us. We could drop everything and do whatever we wanted when they're here. We have friends here already. How could that be bad?

I know I promised to take pictures. But I only took one today.  Sorry! Don't be mad at me.

We drove around more today. We got lost again (sort of) and found some cheap avocados.

Just for the record, we pay $1 a piece for avocados in Oklahoma. 

I'm very ready to go home tomorrow and see my babies, but I'm not at all ready to leave this beautiful weather. 

I really just wish I could fly them out here. That would be more fun. 

We spent the day outside. We drove all over Temecula. We ate dinner outside. We walked the streets of Old Town Temecula and got chilly. Really? It's just so beautiful here. 

I really want to bring my babies here one time before this new baby comes in November. It's just dreamy here. 

Tomorrow is our anniversary. Eight years married to the man of my dreams.

I always thought it was crazy when people said they love their spouses more after years and years of marriage than when they first got married, but now I get it.

I have loved spending the past couple of days here with him. It's been great. We've laughed and dreamed and essentially done nothing but enjoyed each other's company. And I couldn't ask for anything more. 

.....day 353 of a year of writing.....

Take Away

Convention has always been a time to recharge, remember, and be inspired.

I have definitely been able to do those things this week. But it's about so much more than even that.

The past two days have reminded me of where we started, the struggles we faced, the obstacles we overcame, and the people who came with us and essentially changed our lives.

When I signed up to sell Scentsy almost five years ago, I had no idea that this is where we would be such a short time later.

We went from being bound by credit card debt to being debt free. We went from being bound by our situations and our jobs to being small business owners and our own bosses.

We went from living paycheck to paycheck to giving away more money in a year than we used to make in a year.

In five years.

But it wasn't us. We are part of an incredible company that has done the hard part. They risked it all, they came up with the money and resources to get started. They hired employees and came up with new ideas and a plan to lead the fragrance industry.

We paid our $99 to get our starter kit and put our heads to the ground and worked.

Today was a reminder of all that.

I so often get caught up in the day to day, in the here and now, that I forget to remember where we've come from, who we've met along the way, and who we are now as a result.

Today was that gentle reminder of all those things.

I'll admit. I've been coasting for a while now. I've been working for sure, and helping my frontline and offering myself, but I haven't really been working my personal business the way I should.

We have great customers who sustain our monthly minimums with no problem, so it's often easy to get into leadership mode and let my own business goals and aspirations slip away.

Leading is what we do and who we are, but for our business to continue to grow, we have to be doing the things that made us leaders in the first place. And that is all centered around home parties and recruiting....sharing the Scentsy vision and opportunity.

I was definitely inspired today. Moved. Reminded. Recharged. But it can't stay here. It has to come home and turn into discipline and movement in our lives.

So as a reminder to me, and possibly a help to you, here are some of my favorite quotes from today's speakers:

From Carrie Wilkerson aka The Barefoot Executive

Turn your excuses into your reasons why you must. You can let your children be the reason why you can't or you can let your children be the reason why you must. 

Their business is not your business. Their life is not your life. Their way is not your way. It's your life. Do it your way.

No one can fire you except you.

In order to have true freedom, you must embrace routine, discipline, and a schedule.

You are your own boss. Be a tough boss.

Ask yourself: If you were working for someone else the way you're working for yourself, would you still have a job?

It's not about making more. It's about living more.

Until you know your "why," you can't get excited about the way you work.

You are no good to the Scentsy family until you know why you're doing what you're doing.

Your struggles are success training.

In order for it to work, you have to make a choice that's it's going to work.

From Dewitt Jones:

It is not trespassing to go beyond your own boundaries.

Train your technique. Put yourself in the place of most potential. Open yourself to possibility.

Focus your vision by asking yourself what's right with the situation.

Life is not about looking for the right answer. Life is about continually finding the NEXT answer.

Don't strive to be the best in the world. Strive to be the best for the world.

From Orville Thompson:

Stop worrying about what others are doing. Focus on what you can do to build your business.

Contributing more than you take only truly works if you believe in the spirit of abundance which says that there is enough business for everyone.

We are either motivated by love or by fear. Which are you motivated by?

The fear of competition is greater than competition itself.

My mind is reeling. I'm brainstorming my goals for the year.  I'm reevaluating my why. I'm working on being inspired again so I can be inspiring.

Whew! I needed all that. Motivation is a good thing.

Going to be bed motivated tonight....

.....day 350 of a year of writing.....

Peace

Today was beautiful. Blue skies, green grass, trees, and a trail.

I grew up near the Wichita Mountains, and I count them as close to heaven.

Today we ventured deep into the heart of the mountains with Addison's classmates. No cell service. No to do list. No one to worry about but us.

It was a day of freedom.

It was hard work. We were out on a pretty tough trail for about two hours. But, it was a ball!
I was so proud of my girl. She learned a lot about climbing and hiking today. She was a trooper.

We encountered many kinds of creatures out on the trail. Mr. John is good at pointing out and explaining things. It's always a learning experience.

This trail was tough. A lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. And Addy hung tough. She was proud of herself and listened well.

And as we walked and talked, I cherished her. I miss her.

Sometimes with the babies here, I feel like I'm missing things. Opportunities, chances, experiences.

And today we got all those things at once.

We saw buffalo. Lots of them.

We saw land and lots of it.

We ran into Grammy (who took a half day off from work and spent half the day driving around looking for us.....remember...no cell service.)

And we did those things that I love to do, but don't ever get to.

We dreamed a little.

We loved a lot.

We were reminded of the big things of the world.

And we were reminded of the little things, too.



And, all in all, we were reminded of the good and beautiful things in life.



Thank you Lord for this day that You made. You know my soul needed it, and it was perfect, and it was beautiful, and it was peace.

.....day 251 of a year of writing..... 

To My Five Year Old Baby Girl

You specifically asked if we could eat at the food court at the mall. I told you we could go anywhere and that's what you wanted. Specifically, you wanted "those noodles and chicken and rice."

A promise is a promise.

So, we headed to the mall, just the two of us, to celebrate your fifth birthday.

You wanted to ride every car/helicopter/vehicle thing in the food court before we could make our selections for lunch.

You informed your passengers, "Attention, this is your captain speaking. Everything is going great!"

And everything was going great, baby.

We made our way to your favorite Chinese food restaurant in the food court and you picked out noodles, rice, and orange chicken. And you nearly cleaned your plate.

Oh, what a great lunch date you were!

There is your birthday lunch....just for the record.

After our lovely lunch, we headed off to get our nails done! You were so excited! They even had a little pink and yellow pedicure chair made just for a little girl like you.

And this look that you give me all the time still brings me to my knees. What a beautiful, smart, and wonderful girl you are. Oh, how I love you!

You picked a sparkly blue polish for your fingers, and they added a few flowers just to make the day extra special.

You said it tickled when she messed with your toes. I agreed, and we laughed and laughed.

You let her paint a zebra pattern on your red toes.

After our mani/pedis, we found a great pottery painting place in the middle of the mall. We walked around the rows and rows of shelves looking for the perfect piece to paint. I landed on a water pitcher, and you found a very appropriate plate with a cupcake in the middle. Perfect for a fifth birthday celebration.

We picked our colors and set to work.

You have artist in you already. You are careful and detail oriented even at five. 

And you're not afraid to make mistakes. You changed your mind halfway through and re-designed your original design.

You watched the way the ladies made the flower on your finger at the nail salon, and you replicated it on your plate. I couldn't believe it. You are a smart girl.

It turned out beautiful. But even after our painting, our day of celebration was not over yet. We stopped for snack at the pretzel place and ate the entire pretzel before I even thought about getting a picture. 

Then we headed back to the Disney store where you were treated like a princess. They made you a birthday crown and gave you a birthday button with your name on it. You loved every second of it. I let you pick out a couple of things, of course. 

You chose a light up Beauty and the Beast tea party set and a Cinderella's wedding dress up gown complete with veil, bouquet, and wedding ring. When we got home, you made me be the boy and we got married. 

After our trip to the Disney store, we made a couple more escalator rides down to the food court. I forgot to tell you! You love escalators! You are a little afraid of the ones that go down, but you love the ones that go up. The escalators were a highlight of the mall trip.

Your frozen yogurt consisted of vanilla yogurt, brownies, and sprinkles. A true birthday treat!

A birthday girl complete with sparkly nails and a birthday crown!

We ended the day by buying you (and me) a new purse. Yours was a dog that you have affectionately named "Maddy." You took her to school today.

The day ended at the park where we met Amy and Luke. As a birthday bonus, Avery, your friend from school, was there, too. 

I told you you could have anything you wanted for dinner, and you picked McDonald's (even though I tried to sway you to Chick-fil-A). We ate dinner at home with Luke and the babies while Daddy was at church. 

And when I put you to bed last night, I couldn't help but cry as I prayed over you. 

You changed me. From the moment you entered this world, I was different. 

You made me want to be more than I ever planned on being. You made me want more for our life. 

I held you and began to know what unconditional love meant. I could never not love you. Ever. You were mine. You are mine. 

And I know that from this point on, we'll slowly grow apart. You have to learn how to live without me, just as I had to learn how to live without my mom. (But for the record, I don't think I could live without your grammy. She lives and breathes for you and Luke, too, and has been instrumental in helping your daddy and me raise the two of you without going crazy.)

But, I know that you and I will slowly (it better be very slowly!) continue to pull apart. You were once a part of me. We were so close that I couldn't wish you out of my belly even when I couldn't go one more day without seeing you. And now you're big. You tell me stories and sing me songs. You make me laugh and occasionally you make me cry. You have a mind of your own, and sometimes you want to do what you want to do and nothing else. 

You are stubborn, head strong, and passionate. All things that both your daddy and I are. You are a leader, not a follower. You are the head and not the tail. You are a child of God, and you have an incredible purpose for His kingdom, my love. And although I'm not crazy about how fast you're growing up, I'm crazy about you and the little girl you are becoming. 

You are a child of God who will do great things during your life. I pray it over you daily. You will lead. You will inspire. You will probably make me and your daddy close to crazy during your teenage years (and we will deserve it), but you will be and do incredible things in the time you are given, my love. I have no doubt about it. 

Oh, how I love you! So much that it hurts. I don't deserve you. You are good, and I am so incredibly proud to be your momma. 

I love you sweet girl. 

.....day 216 of a year of writing.....