Meditation Retreat

My friend Felice, who teaches Kundalini Meditation, came here from California to do a Meditation Retreat.
We rented a lovely cabin in the Shenandoah Valley for the weekend. There were only 4 of us (plus Felice) but it turned out perfectly.

Me and my dearest friend, Rebecca.  We are soul sisters.

Felice with Jessica and Rebecca.  Lisa was also there. Why don't I have a photo of her?

The setting could not have been more lovely.  The sky was blue, the trees were ablaze in red and orange, and the mountains were purple in the distance. We drank tea on the balcony, ate healthy salads, meditated, prayed, and felt closer to God. At night we sat in the hot tub under a clear sky, with a billion stars. It was spectacular.  

Yummy salads, catered by me!

 Our hot tub and stunning view.  It was an amazing weekend that I will never forget. We all returned home feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and renewed.   This meditation is wonderful.  It's changed my life.

Halloween and Fall Fun

Leo's love of Star Wars continues.
A friend gave us this hand-me-down costume for Anakin Skywalker.  Not only was it a great Halloween costume for him, but he's had a lot of fun wearing it- almost daily.

The kids in Leo's preschool class all looked so cute in their costumes!  

(Lots of super heroes, and princesses.... what a surprise)

We went "Trunk-or-Treating" at the church on Saturday, and had fun with some friends.  We also went to the "Dia de los Muertos" festival at the American Indian Museum. Leo decorated a skull, and we looked at all the colorful displays.

We also visited the Annandale Fall Festival, where Leo rode some rides, we ate corn dogs and popcorn... and then Leo disappeared for 15 minutes, which gave Mom and Dad a serious heart attack.  We finally found him, coming out of the dollar store, shoplifted items in hand.  (yikes)

Fall Camping at Pohick Bay

Another great campout at Pohick Bay with the Hansens!  The Gallachers joined us too, this trip, and all 7 kids had a blast roaming the woods, playing with sticks, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping in the cabins.  We really love this place.  The weather could not have been more perfect- warm Fall days, with cool nights that were just right for a campfire!

The kids loved riding bikes down the ramp, playing on the playground, and hiking the trail down to the lake.
 

Cox Farms

It's our last Fall here, so it was our last trip to Cox Farms- one of our favorite things all year!

Leo is almost 4 now, so he loves the big slides even more now. Look mom- head first!

Eating Kettle Corn on the Hayride.  Good times.

We were a little sad and nostalgic this trip, when we realized this is our last time at Cox Farms. Leo has really grown up in the last 4 years. Look how small he was the first time we came here!   Time flies...

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DoTerra Convention 2013

I began a business with doTerra about 2 1/2 years ago. It's been the perfect business for me because I love to TEACH, I love helping people, and I love working with a team, and being a leader.  This last year I have been blessed to work with some really amazing people, and we've seen phenomenal growth in our team. It's exciting to see my leaders accomplishing their goals, and touching so many lives.

One of the goals from my Vision Board, and something that I've been dreaming of for 2 years happened this month. I attended the annual doTerra Convention with 6 of my top leaders at my sides!  It was wonderful to be there with them, watching them grow and catch the vision of this incredible company.  Here they are, my top leaders:    Vintah, Stacy, Shannon, Kate, Alison, & Jaci.   (We missed Heather in Colorado, & Susan in Virginia)

We learned from doctors, surgeons, researchers, and other experts about the powerful healing properties of essential oils, and how we can use them for healing.  It was incredibly informative, and inspiring.
Several of us stayed in a condo together, which was also very fun. We had a great time cooking together, and yes- we stayed up way too late chatting and laughing! On our last night we had a few more people from my team over, and we had a great dinner together.  Valerie, Heike and Nassera-  my lovely European ladies!

Colonial Williamsburg

We just got back from an incredible trip to Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.What a trip!


We decided to stop at Colonial Williamsburg on our way down there. Traffic getting out of the DC area was pretty heavy, but we expected that for a Friday afternoon in August.  It took us about 3 hours to get there.  Leo was asleep when we arrived, so we transferred him to the stroller, and started walking around.

For most of the 18th century, Williamsburg was the center of government and education for the colony of Virginia. Men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Wythe walked its streets, and met to create the Commonwealth of Virginia and even the United States of America.
It's now a 301 acre Historic Area. The buildings were mostly built between 1699-1780, and some that were reconstructed during the 1930s.  We had a great time touring the sites, to see shoes being made by hand, dresses sewn, bread baked, and keys forged.  The tour guides, in full colonial dress, were so full of information and interesting facts.  Leo was mesmerized by the marching soldiers, the flutes and the drums, and the firing of the cannons.  After that, he had to have a colonial tri-corn hat and musket.  He was in little boy heaven!   (Looking so serious here, ready to fight off some bad guys)

They cooked a traditional colonial dinner, using traditional methods, as an example of what the Governor would have been served each day. The staff began cooking at dawn, and then served the large meal at 2pm, because it was too dark (and too hot) to cook much in the kitchen after that.  Any leftovers from that meal were served for supper, around 8pm.

I love, love, love seeing how they cooked back then. It is so fascinating to me!

I love all the beautiful bowls and buckets and copper kettles.

 A tour of the Governor's Palace. The entry way included this display of swords and rifles- a blatant display of his power and prestige.  As the tensions mounted between the English governor and the colonists, these weapons would have been used to defend the palace.

The soldiers lining up.

Leo was so excited to see the soldiers lined up, and marching to the beat of the drums!

The church, with some pretty pink clouds.

 I loved watching the shoemaker work on pieces of leather, and creating beautiful shoes. Aren't these shoe forms great?

The forge, where they make rifles, keys, swords, horseshoes, and more.

The apothecary, where you would have bought herbs, ointments, and medicines.

This was really a fun place to visit. We loved the history, the costumes, and the interesting facts. Leo loved the soldiers, the cool hats and toy muskets...

Goodbye friends

We said goodbye to some dear friends, as they head overseas for a new assignment in Morocco.
We will miss you Kyler and Melyn!

Over the last 3 years we have shared tears with them over their infertility struggles, and now they have beautiful twin babies! In fact, as I look at this photo I realize that nearly all of us have dealt with loss, infertility, and adoption.  What a blessing that we now all have beautiful children, and that they've come into our families in different ways- so many miracles!

So grateful for good friends!

Back to School

Leo started his second year of preschool in the 3/4s class with Ms. Millward.  He will be going 3 mornings a week.  He loved school last year, and after a long summer... he is so ready to be back in school, learning and having fun!