Thanksgiving 2009

Here are just a few pictures from this past weekend in Indiana with the family. The weekend can be summed up in just a few words: family, food, Monopoly!! I hope your holiday was just as great as ours was.

Our XS Booth at the Thoroughbred 5K in Lexington on Thanksgiving morning.

The whole family together for dinner.

Kyle and his kids

Stacey and hers....Luke

Caleb, Elijah

and Gavin.

And lots of wonderful food made by chef Micha.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Turkey time approaches

Its Tuesday morning as I write this, sitting at my desk at work. Daniel is in his Computer Science class at MTSU and I'm sure he is having about as much fun as I am today. Our office is getting ready to decorate for Christmas because they want the whole Trevecca campus to be pretty when the students return back from Thanksgiving break. I always enjoy decorating the office but this year, I'm not ready to be in the Christmas spirit quite yet. I LOVE Thanksgiving and each year Christmas sneaks in to take away all of Thanksgiving's glory.

We are leaving tomorrow afternoon to travel to Indiana to spend the weekend with Daniel's dad and Micha. This will be my second Thanksgiving with them and last year was so much fun, so I'm really looking forward to spending time with them. I'm excited to be out in the middle of the country, away from the hustle and bustle of Nashville for a while. I am excited to go shooting with Daniel again like last year in the woods around the house. I am excited to go back to the casino boats, and I'm excited about all the games of pool that will be played. I'm most excited about spending quality time with family and all the amazing food that Micha cooks.

We have a lot to still get accomplished before we leave tomorrow, like packing :) But to insure that we all stay in the Thanksgiving spirit, I have included a poem that caught my attention.


More Than A DayAs Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we're poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you've got;
Realize it's a lot,
And you'll make all your cares go away.By Karl Fuchs 

Limo Livin'

Last week we met Stacey, Jane, Steve and the boys in Cookeville to celebrate Gavin's 5th birthday. All he wanted for his birthday was to ride in limo. We met at Burger King and rode to pick him up from Head Start.

He was so excited when he walked out and saw the stretch Hummer limo sitting in the school parking lot, that he couldn't even stop laughing enough to talk. We drew quite a crowd of onlookers from the school as well. It was great to see the excitement and utter joy on his face.

We were excited to see the boys building their dream at such an early age. They already have such high expectations for their lives and its a joy to see. It was also pretty comical to see the limo filled with car seats...you just don't see that too often.

We had a great day with the family celebrating with Gavin. He told his mom that next year he wants an even bigger limo!! I like the way he thinks ^_^

Fall is my favorite time of year!

Fall is in full swing around here in Tennessee. The leaves are changing colors quickly, the wind is picking up and the temperatures are falling fast! Daniel and I have been enjoying this time together and I just wanted to show you some pictures of our latest adventures.

We went to the farmer's market here in Nashville last week on my lunch break and looked for pumpkins.

 We found a couple that we thought had potential so we choose those and started planning how we would carve them.

We started by drawing out the faces on the pumpkins and digging in! I had forgotten how much work it takes to carve a pumpkin. It has been a few years since I have done this.

Our finished products!

This past weekend we attended the Mercy Ministries first annual 5K race out at Edwin Warner Park in Nashville. We absolutely love this ministry and we love what it does to help ladies in our community to come to know Christ. Plus Daniel loves to run, so this seemed a great fit.

This was Daniel's first 5K since before I met him so he took it easy. I was still really proud of him for finishing in 23 min and 30 sec! He wasn't as proud because he used to run them in under 17mins. Its all about perspective I guess. I was proud because I'm not sure I would have been able to finish in under an hour, but he is helping me with that. I wanted to take his picture crossing the finish line but he finished so fast that I didnt get up there in time.

We also took the opportunity to set up a vendor booth to display our products such as XS and Nutrilite to the runners. This is another reason I didnt make it to the finish line to take pictures.

Overall, it was a great day. We supported a great ministry and met some wonderful people in our community. Now the search begins for more 5K's in the next couple of months. And my training begins so I can run one with Daniel soon enough. Wish me luck because I really dont like to run. My motto is "I only run when being chased." This should be interesting :)

A Korean Night Out with the Boys

When I got home from work yesterday, Daniel asked me if I wanted to go eat Korean food at a near-by restaurant. I agreed...I mean I have only had one experience with Korean food and that was the food that my Father-in-laws fiance made me last Thanksgiving. Micha's food was amazing, but eating in an authentic Korean restaurant was a whole new experience. We went to Seoul Garden off of Edmundson Pike in Nashville. Now if you know me at all then you know that I am adventurous when it comes to thrill rides, and rollercoasters, and the like...but not when it comes to food. I will turn my nose up like a champ at foods I don't recognize, that smell fishy, or just look weird. This was definately an adventure for me! We sat down and were greeted by a very friendly woman who took our drink orders and placed a menu in front of us. I took a look and immediately my stomach started doing flips. I saw things straight off of Fear Factor staring me in the eyes....and Daniel was laughing at me. He has an iron stomach and loves trying new foods. I'm slowing learning...and I mean slowly. We decided to get three different meals and all share. That turned out to be a great idea because I recognized most of the food on the table and really enjoyed my meal!! We didnt take pictures while we were there but here is a sample of what we experienced last night.

We started with fried dumplings and I think these were my favorite. They had some kind of cabbage mixure inside and a spicy dipping sauce. So far so good...

Next, they brought out a bunch of small dishes that contained an assortment of vegatables, and things to cleanse your pallate...boiled egg in soy sauce, radish, pickled radish, green bean gellatin, potatoe, kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), tofu, and rice.  I tried a bit of everything except the gellatin...and was shocked to find that it was very tasty.

One of our entree's was short ribs. These were delicious!! We also got some stir fried spicy chicken. It was a lot different than Chinese stir-fry. This had more spicy seasoning and was mixed with carrots, onions, cabbage, and zuccini. It was also very tasty.

Lastly, Daniel got a bowl of seafood soup. I am not a fan of seafood so this one was a stretch. It had tofu, squid, muscles, and shrimp. I tasted the broth. That was enough for me.

Overall, I had a great time. I was stuffed when I left and I'm eating left-overs for lunch today. I will definately go back for the dumplings and short ribs! And I cant wait to see Micha again and have some of her home cooked food at Thanksgiving. She will be so proud :)

A life lived in high-definition

This past weekend, Daniel and I attended one of our fall conferences in Greensboro, NC. As most of you know, we own a personal business and we are a part of LTD (Leadership Team Development.) I know that alot of people do not understand what we do, or why we do it...but this weekend was a blessing and I want to try to explain to you why we do what we do.

The fall conference is called Summit 09. Its a weekend designed to help motivate, train and inspire IBO's (independent business owners) to continue pressing on towards the goal of being free. Freedom was a theme this weekend, and not just financial freedom, but freedom from ordinary living. God made us for a specific purpose, each and every one of us. He didnt create us to sit around for 65 years being miserable so we can make the mortgage payments and then retire on a fixed income, only to be dependent upon our family to take care of us, or worse...the government to take care of us. Freedom is huge to us...especially to Daniel. He served our country proudly, and everytime I see the men come on stage to present the colors in their various uniforms, tears of pride come to my eyes for what my husband has offered our country and what those men and women stand for each day. Freedom means the world to us.

This weekend we celebrated with the LTD team a new accomplishment for one couple from Florida. They reached a level in business called "Diamond". This is one of the highest achievements in LTD, and they literally rolled out the red carpet for them on Saturday night. There were about 15,000 people filling the Greensboro Coliseum all cheering for this couple, who throughout the years have changed thousands of lives by introducing their team to the idea of Freedom.

Larry and Pam Winters, Founders of LTD along with the Diamond Trophy

Gary and Nancy Ayres, the new Diamonds on the LTD team

We realize that what we do probably seems strange to many of our family and friends, and we feel its because you dont truly understand what or why we do it. Another word that seemed to be a theme this weekend was Passion. I personally have been praying that God would reveal to me what my passion in life is, so that I could persue it with reckless abandon. I feel that I found clarity on my passion this weekend. I define Passion as what brings tears to your eyes. Daniel and I dont get passionate over selling laundry detergent and vitamins...thats just the vehicle we use to accomplish our goals...and our goals help fuel our passion. Let me explain. LTD introduced us not only to some incredible leaders and mentors, but they lit a fire within Daniel and I to accomplish more with our lives. We know that God called us to serve and to be a blessing in this world. We have so many things we want to accomplish in this lifetime, and we dont want to waste one opportunity to change a life.

One ministry that LTD wholeheartedly supports is Mercy Ministries. We have fallen in love with this ministry, and what a blessing it is to have the headquarters of Mercy right here in Nashville. Because Pam Winters is such a huge supporter of Mercy, and she encourages the LTD team as a whole to support them, Mercy Ministries has been given over $5 million dollars to date from IBO's just like Daniel and I. That is an incredible blessing for these girls, who have no where else to turn most of the time. That's what we are passionate about.

Another thing that brings tears to our eyes is watching God move in people's lives each and every weekend that we get together as a big team. Every Diamond couple on the LTD team are Christian people with a passion of changing lives for Christ. This business team is their vehicle/ministry. Its not all about making money...its about changing lives.  Every Sunday morning at these conferences, Larry Winters comes on stage to share his testimony and tell the truth of the gospel to a coliseum full of people. What a platform he has to make a difference!! He offers each person listening to take a step of faith and offer their lives to Jesus. I'm not sure if you know this...but Daniel dedicated his life to Christ at a business conference just like this a few years back. This is our passion.

This Sunday we moved from our seats near the stage, and travelled to the very tip top of the coliseum so we could see the big picture of what God was going to do in that room. We prayed for the people who would be set free that day and would finally come to know Christ in a personal way. I get chills just thinking about how God works so diligently for us. Here is what I saw when Larry gave the invitation...

The first guy to go forward.

The coliseum full of people wanting more out of life

People beginning to go forward in faith

This is why we are passionate about our business

Thousands of lives changed for Christ!

I hope this helps explain why we do what we do. We know our ministry is different than most...but God doesnt want us to live within a box. We know God called us to live differently and to share our faith. Why cant business and faith work together to change lives? We hope and pray that you, our family and friends, will support us in our ministry and support our decision to use this business opportunity to make a difference in our society. We would love to share more about what we do if you are interested in learning more.

Ultimately...this is where our passion lies.

We want the opportunity to spend our lives together with friends, family, and people who know how to live a life of purpose. I married my husband because I could tell he was a man of character and I knew he had a big life of influence ahead of him. I also married him so that we could spend our lives together, not separated due to our jobs for 40+ hours a week. We want to get to a point where our only job in life is to travel, play, have adventure, and help others do the same!! Here are a few of the people that we want to spend our days with, together on the beaches of world...

Lauren Fields

Steve, Bryan, Daniel and Anthony

6 months and counting...

Six months ago yesterday, I was waking up to a crisp spring morning in a cabin with 4 of my favorite ladies...my bridesmaids and my photographer :)  I awoke at 5:30 in the morning and could not for the life of me go back to sleep due to nerves, excitement and anticipation. I had been waiting for this day for 26 years and planning this wedding for what seemed like years, even though it had only been 8 months since we got engaged. I got up and walked around the cabin, trying not to wake everyone up. I just needed a few minutes to think and pray, and prepare myself for what was to come. I went into the living room to find Nikki, my photographer and best friend, curled up on the couch shaking because it was so cold in the living room. I laughed at her and we sat up talking and eating cereal for a bit before deciding to go down to the reception hall to finish some last minute details...like teaching me the Cupid Shuffle. After a couple of hours we were back at the cabin getting ready for the day.

Although the day went by so extremely fast, it was filled with treasured moments for me, and I am so thankful that I have the pictures to capture the moments. Looking back it all seemed a blur of confusion, rushing and nervous tension, but in the end I remember it as being a day filled with the people I love the most, and laughing a lot. Here is a little tribute to our most special day so far...

The get-away car. Daniel looked so handsome in his tux.

One of my bridal shots on the amazing bridge in the park.

Our programs

Our gorgeous cake made by my friend Sarahbeth

Our beautiful mothers

And our handsome fathers

This was an amazing day for us, and especially for me. I have never felt so beautiful and so special, and the look on my dad's face in this picture says it all. I truly felt lovely...which is every girl's wish.