I'm Having One of Those Days.

You know..."those" days. I woke up late (10:37 a.m vs. 8:00 a.m.) which means I sacrificed the morning work out and breakfast; then I couldn't log in to my email from home because it was asking me to update my password (hmm, hope no one wants anything pressing this morning) and then I almost walked out the door with out my car keys.  As I turned around to head back up the stairs I managed to trip and fall (ouch, knees...bruised...owee!) I mean seriously, who falls UP the stairs? Oh, and might I mention the small green tea spill on the steps, which I'm hoping will just dry up nicely since technically that's what those stair cover thingy's are for, right? I forget that my wonderful husband has already left to run errands, so I shove everything in the back seat and sit in the 30 degree weather as my car warms up (oh how I love that he usually braves the cold for me!). Down the hill I go, and I happen to hit every red light on the way in, not to mention I actually have to stop at every stop sign longer than normal because there is another car coming. And just when I think it's all over, I pull in to the parking spot and as I get out I manage to spill more green tea on myself (Bah! Spill proof top is only good if its closed!). I'm so happy just to make it through the door and leave the morning behind me, and as I am laughing to myself, I am also repeating...I am having one of "those" days.

And then, like the sunrise every day, my optimism kicks in to rephrase my words to "I am having one of "those" days, the kind that start off really hairy but then get really, really good. 

If Utah had lotto, I would play it today :) 

Okay, now for an update, since my last post was a few months ago and many of you are wondering why I just said Utah, which is clearly not a typo for Thailand.  All I can say is that everything happens for a reason. You see, I was pretty hell bent on making my next move Internationally. I felt ready for it and I was excited about eating $1 street noodles every day and being closer to my sister in Thailand. Bobby was getting everything sold off and we were laughing about driving miniature trucks and deciding- will live closer to the beach or closer to the city? 

I get back from Thailand with the team, we have a great event in Anaheim with almost 600 people, where I told my story about being birthed from monkey's (yes, monkey's!) and then I get the news.  Apparently, Thailand is not in the cards for me after all.

I'm bummed. I'm realizing that Bobby has just sold his truck and we've sold off every piece of furniture less 2 beds and all the koa wood. Ugh.  Now, is Thailand happening? Well yes, of course it is. We are opening Ariix in Thailand. However, in light of the flooding and the process of getting all of our approvals in order, it isn't happening as quickly as we originally anticipated.  So then in comes the the new offer. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally grateful for an alternate route. However, I have a confession to make. 

You see...in my mind, I was so set on going International that I wasn't going to take anything else. If it wasn't sending me to Asia, I wasn't very open to it. If you had asked me back in August to move to Utah I would have said, uh-uh. No way. Too cold. So not happening.  However, over the course of that first month at Ariix I got to forge new relationships with all of the Owners and business associates. I got to get around the city and discover new places and people.  I got to experience a dry cold (trust me, its VERY different from wet cold!). UGG came out with a sequin boot. It's like they knew I was coming. A boba cafe opened just a few doors down from the office. I got out of my stubbornness and quickly found that I was now deeply in love with Ariix, the people here at Ariix, and Salt Lake City and even the snow! 

Flash forward to December: I moved in to my new house in Bountiful, which is up on the mountain over looking much of the county. I have great new friendships. I get to be a part of the core management team, heading up the Creative Department as the "VP of Infinite Possibilities." (I got to pick that one...like it?) 

This year, I am appreciating new opportunities. I am appreciating that I'm in a better place and better space, surrounded by many talented individuals.  I'm appreciating that one of those years, is just that...one of those years that didn't start out that great, but then got really, really good. 

Hope everyone had a magical holiday. There was snow in my yard for Christmas, and twinkling lights on my house, oh, and my first REAL live Christmas tree in years. Next weekend will mark my 3 year wedding anniversary, and of course, a brand new year for all of us! 

Cheers! And remember, the next time you are having one of "those" days, just be sure the full matra is "I am having one of "those" days; the kind that start off hairy but then get really, really good." 

All Things New :)

Many of you have been asking about what I've been up to lately. Well, I've made an official decision start a new chapter in my life. My trek with WMI has been so much fun, and I feel honored to have worked with so many great leaders over the past years. In network marketing we never really lose touch, we just move around ;) Long term success is always about surrounding yourself with the right people and I'm excited to be part of a new team, playing in a whole new ballgame and very optimistic about the future. 

Read the lates Press Release on Mary Dee here!

Scroll on my photo and watch it m o v e! 

Gimme Some Lemons.

When life gives you lemons, don't just make lemonade, make the BEST lemonade on earth. Make lemon cake, and feed your friends. Make lemon oil and enjoy the aroma. Then climb up the tallest lemon tree and shout "I LOVE LEMONS!!

I found the cure for cancer.

I never thought that my family would be affected by cancer. It never occurred to me that anyone in my “bubble” would have to go through such a life-altering event.  The worst part of it, is that cancer doesn't just affect the person who has it, but it affects everyone who loves that person or comes in contact with them. About a year ago my brother in law, Bill, did have cancer, and it was in its final stages, so we sat patiently praying, one day at a time that God would either heal him or take him.  On January 22^nd of 2010, our wait was over and my brother in law took his final breath.

The effects of the cancer didn’t stop with Bill though.  You see, because as I previously explained, it touched more lives than just his own.  His church that he and his family built from the ground up had to get a new Pastor. Bill was like a dad to me, I mean, he practically raised me and even walked me down the aisle once. The oldest daughter busied herself to exhaustion with school and work, pretending that Dad was just away on a long vacation. The oldest son, having just turned 18 years old a few days before his dad passed away, was feeling like the pressure of manhood with his #1 role model removed from the position of guidance and mentor. The youngest child wasn’t sure how to feel but the one thing she did know is that she was robbed of growing up with a father to finish out her most influential years of junior high and high school. My sister was robbed of her soul mate, her 25-year partner, and the man she had expected to grow old with her.  The house no longer felt like a home and the memories, full of both pain and pleasure were overwhelming.

A little over a year later though, I remember the trials of the last year and the other things that cancer started. It started a determination in my sister to go on. It meant going on a trip to Thailand to rediscover and help others. It opened connections with other family members that we didn’t have before. It created a way to carry on the good work of Bill through his wife and oldest daughter, who leave for Thailand to do missionary work in May. It leased a house to a young couple trying to start their first family in an economy that was telling them no.  It brought baptism to a young teenage girl, who was sure her Dad was watching from a distance.  It made a respectable young man out of a boy, virtually over night. It made the yearning power of doing more for others a fiery glow in all of us.

I spent this last week in California with my sister and her kids for spring break. We went to places that we visited when Bill was alive, and retold the stories as we re-lived the memories.  We went to the spots where the kids were born and celebrated how far they’ve come. We reconnected with old friends that we consider extensions of our family and shared the love and memories of the past with a brilliant hope for the future.  I took them to my old stomping grounds to enjoy the ocean, the breeze, the mountains and the city.  We ate, we shopped, we laughed and we cried. 

From start to finish though, cancer leaves a little heartache, but that holds no candle to the love that fills a family who will go on, and hope that all that they do spreads that love to make a bigger, positive impact on the lives of so many others. 

I’ve heard people say that time heals all things, but I don’t think it does. I think love heals all things, but we need to take the time to express our love to the people in our lives. Our love for each other is curing us from what cancer took. L
ove carries the rest of us, and multiplies it over and over and over again.  

 

Rental car for one week…$682.00

Meals for 5 people…………$787.12

Value of time spent with my loved ones…Priceless

Sow. Grow. Give. (repeat)

SOW

Plant the seed.  Think the thoughts. Take the action necessary to create your desire. You will reap what you so= what you think about you bring about.

GROW

Water the plant. Expand your mind past the possibilities. Be consistent and disciplined to reach your goals. Cut off the dead branches, prune the good branches, and add fertilizer. Don’t forget to bask in a little sunshine every day.

GIVE

You’ve sown, you’ve grown and now it’s your turn to take a portion of what has blossomed and share it. Pay it forward. Teach someone how to reproduce your results. Give a smile to the weary. Give a coat to the cold. Give a hug to a child. Give the gift of success to someone else by mentoring them.

 (repeat) Apply the same principal to your relationships, health and finances.

Happy New Year Everyone, may it be full of sowing, growing and giving!