I Can Only Imagine (with lyrics) - MercyMe

Love this song! Happy Friday Everyone

The Christmas Dare

 

So this year Christmas started with a dare. Makenah told me that she was going to wake us up to open gifts at 3:00 AM! I informed her that there is NO WAY she could get up that early, even throwing in a dare. She set her phone alarm in an attempt to prove me wrong. I told Scott last night that all the kids were in on waking us up at 3:00 and he wasn't amused. I told him that it was a dare and I had to follow through. He told me to set my alarm to 2:49. I woke up in time to brush my teeth and heard the footsteps of Makenah running down stairs. I stood by the door in my room and just as Makenah opened the door, I jumped out at her and scarred her half to death. It was AWESOME!! Madisen came down, then Dalton came down, and then the biggest task was getting Scott up. We had fun opening our gifts, playing with our gifts, reading some of our gifts, and then we all went back to bed (except Dalton who stayed up to play his new Wii game). I think next year we will go back to tradition of not opening gifts until after 7:00 AM, then enjoying breakfast after a good nights sleep. I hope everyone has a VERY Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I am so grateful for such a tiny little baby that was born under such humble circumstances, and for the gift that HE ultimately gave to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Eve 2009

 

I know! Once again I have been MIA and I have LOTS of catching up to do over the next week. Last night was Christmas Eve and we followed through on our tradition of the kids opening up a gift. They (well, Scott and I) chose to have them open Grandma and Grandpa Tippets gifts. It looks like Grandma Tippets spent some time making cozy blankets for the kids and they LOVED them. Makenah's blanket has dolphins, which matches her room perfectly. So many of the items that make up the cowboy theme in Dalton's room are hand made from Dalton's grandparents, great-grand parents, and Scott. The horse blanket is so fitting for his room and one more thing to make up the love that surrounds him while he sleeps (or is in time-out). Madisen has a volleyball theme blanket. She found her love for volleyball this year and played on the 7th grade girls volleyball team. She is VERY good and I can't wait to see where the sport will take her. Happy Christmas Eve and the kids will enjoy the warmth of the season even more with Grandma and Grandpa's hand-made blankets.

Meet Lucy

Yes, this is our new puppy Lucy. We have had her now for about 5 weeks and I LOVE this little thing. Scott knew that I wanted a puppy for my 40th birthday (which happens to fall on Thanksgiving this year),and he didn't believe me. Our last experience with a dog was an 8 year ordeal with a labor and service, the original Marly story. Well, now that we have had about 5 years to recover, I have been ready to have a dog again.

Scott was going to take some convincing though. I began doing some research on breeds after talking to a friend of mine who has a Shih-Poo. I looked at lots of breeds but had some guideline: small dog, not yippy, no shedding, good temperament, small poops, great with kids, playful and content. So, I told Scott that a Shih-Poo was the breed of dog I wanted. I went on for a couple of months about wanting a dog, then I said, "Maybe, if you are going to get me a dog, we should wait until Spring when my busy season is over." So one Saturday, I was having a team training and Scott told me he was taking the kids to Kentucky for a service project. I didn't think anything of it because him and Dalton have been going on these Scout service projects for a while now. I had a little "wonder" moment when they had been gone for 6 hours, but then thought, there is no way he is getting me a dog yet. Sure enough when they walked through the door, Scott had this little, tiny fur ball in his arms. I was SOOOO not ready for her. I didn't even have a name picked out yet. Of course they had a list of names ready for me, but I didn't really like any of them. It came down to Charlie or Lucy, and I chose Lucy. Scott had been looking online and found a breeder in Kentucky, so she was an early birthday gift.

I don't what she weighed when she came home, but is now up to about 3 1/2 pounds. Shih-Poos will weigh in between 6-8 lbs when grown. I'm thinking she will get close to the 6 pound mark because she is so stinkin' little. She went to the groomer for the first time about a week ago, and it was funny to see her without all her wavy hair -she was all shaved down. We are still working on the potty training, but crate training her has been pretty easy. She is now sleeping through the night, she loves to chew on cardboard and paper and is SOO playful. The kids are in love with her and she goes running for them when they come home from school. Scott likes her to sleep with us. We never really let the kids sleep with us, so I think it is funny when he takes her bed and puts her right up above our heads to sleep with us.

She discovered her shadow the other day and went running after it, and she is afraid of fire hydrants. Yep, we all love little Lucy.









Lucy slept in the bathtub the first week, easy clean up of accidents:

MIA AGAIN!!

There are so many reasons I have been MIA, but the majority of those reasons have to do with my Scentsy business. I now have 67 members on my team, and it is crazy, but in a GREAT way!! I am having so much fun as I watch my team grow and be successful. Last month I spent a good amount of time getting my Authentic Wickless Candles blog re-done. I found a gal online and after checking out her work, I knew I wanted her to make my blog look amazing. I bought a couple of digital scrapbooking kits so she would have lots to work with, then I created some posts specific for the tabs that she would be putting up. It was quite time consuming, but I love the results.


After getting my blog done, I thought it would be a good idea to get a domain name for my website and candle blog:
www.iamwickless.com and http://blog.iamwickless.com

I found a domain host that is very inexpensive and with my own name, it will be easier for potential consultants to find me through tags(and it is working!!).

Another reason for my lacking is that not only have I been working on my website/blog stuff, but I have been trying to earn the Alaskan cruise. I needed to have 16,000 points to earn the cruise for myself, and 24,000 to bring my mom. I was bummed that at first I didn't earn it for either of us, and was only short by about 1500 points for myself. When I got on the Director's call a few weeks ago, we found out that Scentsy would be giving us an additional 4,000 points. Scentsy overbought thinking more would qualify so they had to "grade on a curve". I now qualify!! In September, I will be heading out to do some whale watching on an Alaskan cruise. My mom could have bought in for $1600, but that's not an expense she was expecting, so I'm a bit disappointed. I know I will have another opportunity, so I will try again next year. I would have taken Scott (of course), but he has no more vacation this year, bummer!! My Scentsy Sister, Christie P, will be sharing a room with me and we are going to have so much fun. One of the stops will be in Victoria Canada, so I am excited about that, along with 4 other stops in Alaska. :)

Scentsy has been such a blessing in our life and I am so grateful for the leadership position that I am in. I have an AWESOME team!!! It was a hard choice to leave school, but to see the difference Scentsy is making in other people's lives, it has been so worth it. I feel like Scentsy has become an extension of my family and have made so many close friends in the process of building a such a wonderful, fun, life changing business. I can't wait to see where Scentsy will be in the next 5 years as Scentsy Spirit continues to explode in the East, and will go international in the near future. What an exciting journey it will be and I am so proud to be a part of it :)

Makenah just returned from a week at EFY in Granville, Ohio. She made some great friends and memories, but wants to go back to the Indiana one next year. She went there last year and decided to check out Granville this year. She was supposed to have other friends going, then they flaked out after we already registered. She has been gone so much this summer. She had Stake Youth Conference for 3 days, then left for with a friend (and her family) to Florida for 9 days, then she was home for 4 days before going to girls camp for 4 days. She was home for 1 day to do laundry, then she was off to EFY for 6 days. She will now be home for a little over a week before starting band camp for the high school. She really wants to throw in a job, and would like to have her permit, but I don't know when she will have the time.

Madisen is busy reading and writing a book report because it is due 2 days after school starts. She is in honors English and is so proud to tell people that. She is also taking percussion lessons because she will be making a switch from clarinet in the fall. We are thinking about getting a drum set for Christmas because all three of the kids want to play percussion. Madisen will also be trying out for the Jr. High Volleyball team. I have no doubt she will make it -she is very determined (wonder where she gets that from).

Math continues to be a strength for Dalton, as well as anything related to the computer. He is in the gifted program for math, and will be tested soon for gifted English. He loves the Scouting program and is now working on his Webelos. I am also looking to start him on piano in the fall. I think it will be good discipline, and will get him out from the "screens". Summer is hard because there is no routine, and he THRIVES on routine. He continues to be an oral processor, so he talks from the time he wakes until he goes to sleep. He is so smart and likes to share with us EVERYTHING that he knows or thinks he knows. We are trying to work on his negativity, being accountable, and point out the positives whenever we can. There is a possibility we will be getting a small dog in the Fall. This would be a great diversion from "screens" and give him more responsibility. I also think it would be good for his positive outlook, and add an additional listening ear for him to talk to :)

Scott just came back from a 3-day business trip in Denver, and now that the rec. center just re-opened, he can play racquetball again on his lunch hour. He helps me with Scentsy whenever he can, and he is really enjoying being the Cub Master, having Dalton in the group. I think he will be buying a new mower soon -something just died in the old one. I told him that if he got a self-propelled, then I would have the kids mow the lawn for him -he is VERY excited about that!

Hope everyone is doing well, and I have so many more things to post about, but I figure this update is long enough.

Happy Father's Day

 

I'm a little late in this post, but it was a good Father's Day :) I was a bit worried because with our vacation plans, I neglected to think about Father's Day. I was so happy when Makenah came in with her gift. She had a few ties that she had pulled out from his tie collection (thank goodness she picked the inexpensive, old ties)and had taken them to Young Women's to decorate. I loved how the "green monster" turned out. He was a bit embarrassed to wear it to church, but there were a few other dads that had their Young Women ties on as well. It was fun to watch the almost envious dads that didn't have any daughters in the Young Women's program -they had the look of yearning for their very own sparkly, pom pom, flowery, eyeball rolling, sea shell glued decorated ties. Makenah was so happy that Scott was a good sport and wore her tie to church.

 

Madisen emerged later in the day with a candy filled decorated jar that she did in Young Women's. We all ate some of the candy before he actually remembered to take the jar in to work. It was nice of him to share ;)

 

Dalton got a candy bar from church to give to Scott, so he was happy he had something to give.

 

Scott made his own Father's Day dinner, because he is just so dang awesome at cooking ribs! I told him my gift was getting him on the Banff Trip with me -he agreed that it would be hard to top that trip. I will have to work really hard this Fall to make sure I earn next years Father's Day trip ;)

Happy Father's Day Scott! Most Most :)

Our FREE Scentsy Vacation!

In January, I set some goals and earned the FREE "Rally in the Rockies" trip. On June 15, Scott and I, along with almost 200 other hard working consultnats and companions, left for our 5-day, all inclusive trip to Banff, Alberta Canada. This was a FREE trip that Scentsy gave to consultants that earned enough points during the qualification period. Every detail was planned out on this trip, and it was so wonderful that words can't even describe. We saw so many beatuiful places in Banff, made some life-long frindships, ate some AWESOME food, and came home with expiriences and memories that we will never forget. Scentsy is the BEST direct sales company EVER! Thank you for such a wonderful, amazing trip. I am excited to see what else Scentsy has in planned for us, and the growth that will happen over the next 5 years! Here are more photos of our AWESOME FREE TRIP!

 

My parents came to watch the kids while we were away and they seemed to have an enjoyable time. I tried to make sure that all the places they needed to go were programed in to the GPS, or they would get lost on these roads.

Day one of our vacation, we flew in to the Calgary Airport where there were 4 charter buses waiting for us to board. It was nice as my stomach was growling, that there were plenty of snacks for our 2 hour bus ride. When we got the the Banff Springs Hotel, our luggage was waiting for us in our beautiful room. This hotel is AMAZING! We registered and were given some money for the few meals that we would be eating out on our own (Scentsy covered all the meals!). After registration, we were free to roam for a few hours. That evening was spent at the "Welcoming Dinner" in the hotel where there were some "to die for" treats. We had a small presentation, then wrapped things up for dinner. We got together with Becky and Kevin Preece, and Casie and Doug Stevenson to play cards in the common area of our wing (which was HUGE, 2-story level with a bar). We played until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.


Before our trip, we were given options for different tours. There were almost 200 consultants and companions on the trip, and 5or 6 tours to pick from. There was the white water (too cold!), glacier national park (too cold, and a long bus ride!), bike and hike (not in shape for that one!), fishing (could have been fun), Lake Louise, and the photo tour -which is what we did since we have such an awesome camera. So day 2 was all about taking some awesome photos!

 

Check out the buffalo on top :)


After our photo tour, we toured the Banff Springs Hotel (with Marty and Angie Chipps), then went downtown and had some dinner with a group of friends. After dinner, we did some shopping -we saw some really fun things, but just window shopped. :) I was too tired to play cards by the time we got back to the hotel.

 

The third day was spent going for a 3 hour horseback ride, and I'm happy to report that my thighs have finally recovered. It was a beautiful ride and we went with Becky and Kevin Preece. My horse was named Pedro, but because he didn't want to keep up, and had a mind of his own, I called him "Juanita". He just didn't want to keep up in line and it made all the other horses mad.

Scott did awesome on his horse.


After our horse ride, we went back to the hotel, changed and went for a ride in the Gondola. It was a 4 seater and only took us 8 minutes to get to the top. There was a resturaunt with huge windows and the most breathtaking views, and the food was wonderful (I had salmon with this orange sauce -yum!).

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to hand out in the hot tub for a bit. When we got in our room, we noticed a couple of cowboy hats and bandanas on our bed. They were given to us for the cowboy dinner we would be going to that evening -that was a fun find :)

 

At 6:30, we were all taken in the coach buses to a fun cowboy dinner. We started out with some virgin fun drinks and root beer. The meal was just some good ol' fashion downhome cookin'. After dinner, they had stuntmen come in and do a show for us, taking Orville (our CEO) as their "horse theif". We laughed quite a bit during that part of the show. Then came the line dancing, maybe not too good on a full belly, but it was a fun, great workout. It was good that we worked off some of our dinner because after the pie came smores outside. It was so beautiful to look up and see mountains all around us! We went back to the hotel on one of the first buses so that we could play some more cards. When we went to our room to get the cards, we noticed a top hat and a black and white boa on the bed with an invite to the Gala the next evening. SO COOL! I guess we got a little loud while we were playing cards because one of the guests came storming out of his room and yelled, "Are you guests here?" After we told him yes, he yelled to us "THEN SOBBER UP!". We told him were were so sorry for being loud, we didn't realize there were rooms where he was (up by the bar?), and that we didn't drink. He gave a small huff, then high tailed it back to his room. We were a lot more quiet after that. I felt a little like a rebel :)

 

Friday, the last day, we had breakfast at the hotel with everyone, then had a training session with Orville. It was great because there was an improptu panel discussion with Adie Mitchel, Becca Levie, and Diane Drayer. I learned so much, and it was so wonderful to listen to thier words of wisdom in how they are building their businesses. We then got on the buses and headed to an Indian Lodge for lunch. It was interesting food (I stuck with the salmon -again). We sat next to Becky and Kevin Preece, and Colette Gunnell and her husband. It was fun when Scott asked Colette a little bit about the Scentsy idea, and she told us the whole Scentsy story. Colette is so beautiful, and she is so humble and down to earth.

After lunch, we were driven to the Fairmont Palliser Calgary Hotel where we would spend our last night and have our Gala dinner. It was so elegant! They had a "big band" orchestra and Scott and I enjoyed dancing by ourselves on the dance floor for a few dances. We were treated to 5 course meal, with about a 15-20 wait between courses. We took lots of photos, then found a connecting reception area where we had some beautiful chocolate covered strawberries and hot drinks. We rounded up a group of people and had one last round of cards with about 20 people crammed into a downstairs board room. We asked the conciers desk if there would be a quiet place where we would not disrupt the other guests if we to loud. He hooked us up. I then went up and aksed if when our Gala was over, if we could have the extra chocolate covered strawberries where we were playing cards. About 10 minutes later, we were given 2 platters! They also provided us with bottled waters :) It was a VERY fun last evening.

On our way home, we got stuck in the Chicago airport that had closed down due to thunder storms and tornado warnings. So, this was really our last evning because we ended up having to stay the night in Chicago. We were going to sleep in the airport, but found one last room available. We actually found a few of our friends from our trip that got stuck in the airport as well, so they stayed in the room with us. I should have took pictures of how crowded the airport was -lines 4 hours long of people trying to get re-routed. It was okay though. I knew our children were fine, and I wasn't going to let a little airport mishap mess up, or foreshadow our awesome vacation!

Join my team, let's set some goals, and you could be on the next BIG Scentsy trip with us!