A Giveaway!

It is HIGH time for a giveaway on this blog...  and since I just spent a week in Pink Mary Kay land where we were given things every time we turned around...  and since I ate my dessert first.  Twice.  ...this giveaway is just fitting.

Last year, I had the distinct privilege of being personally trained by one of the most fabulous personal trainers and dietary coaches I've met.  Kristi Fox is super motivated and even more motivating!

She is the owner of StrongerUFitness and more than that, she is the sweetest lady who'll ever make you work 'till it hurts and then make you want to thank her and ask her to do it again!

StrongerUFitness is located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, but the coolest thing about StrongerUFitness is if you don't live within driving distance, you can actually receive personal training via free online video conferencing!  No joke!  I've actually never met Kristi in person - a fact that definitely needs to be changed.  She trained me entirely via Skype.  How cool is that?!

She and I are SO excited to offer you all the chance to win FOUR PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS absolutely free!!  PLUS, the winner will also receive a personalized Mary Kay basic skin care set!  So your body will be rockin' from head to toe!

Here are all the ways to get entries into this drawing:
1.  Leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to win the giveaway
2.  Follow Kristi on Twitter and/or "like" her Facebook page and leave a comment on this post letting me know you did (or already do).
3.  Send a friend this way to join the drawing too!  When he/she enters, be sure to let me know in a comment on this post that it was you who sent them our way.

The giveaway will last for a week so you have until Saturday, August the 6th at midnight to enter.  Good Luck!!!  And a special thanks to Kristi for making this all happen!

Pink Infusion - Day 3

It's been absolutely non-stop go-go-go, learning and inspiration from 7a.m. 'till 10p.m. and I absolutely love every minute of it! Kingdom work is being done. Women are being drawn to the Lord and taught about a more abundant set apart life and that is out-of-this-world exciting!

I've just gotta' take the time to recognize you all and let you in on the honors I've received over the last two days! I have been recognized as the #1 consultant for recruiting in my unit and the #10 consultant for recruiting in my national area (consisting of a couple thousand consultants). What that really means is that our team is the hottest team ever!

To the team: Gals, I get to represent you here in Dallas, but I want you all to know that it is because of YOUR dilligent work and pursuit of an opportunity that I am here! I am SO proud of you and I wish to congratulate you on your achievement! I am thankful for each of you and what you bring to my life!!

I have also been honored as the #1 consultant in sales for my unit! Friends and family: That victory is YOURS. Every single one of you who come to me for your cleanser, moisturizer, eye shadow, mascara, shower gel or whatever... YOU are the reason I get to have this business in the first place. Without you, I have no business. YOU helped me earn this honor and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the privilege of being a work-at-home mom with the freedom to put God first in my life, my family second, and my career third.

A huge cyber hug and a heart felt thank you don't seem enough, but for now, it's all I have.  So,

THANK YOU!!! 

Oh, and Sarah called me out on not posting any proof that I was actually at the banquet the other night, so here you go:  

This is my new friend, Liz, and I.  She's a pretty neat lady.  I completely failed at getting any pictures of myself with the whole gown showing, except this one... and it's blurry.  But here you go:  

That's me receiving a gift of beautiful earrings on stage.  I'll do my best to get more pictures tonight at our awards ceremony. With that said, I'd better go get another gown on.  Life's rough here.  But somebody's gotta' do it.

Love you guys!

Pink Infusion - Day 1

I'm just going to give you all fair warning right now...  I am at our annual Mary Kay Seminar Party Inspirational Workshop Theatrical Production Training Girlfriends Get-Away Beauty Pageant Seminar and I'm not even going to attempt to try to curb the amount of disgustingly gushy enthusiasm that is about to spill onto the pages of this blog.

This is one of the funnest weeks of my year and I SO wish every single one of you could come experience it.

I mean, for one thing...  there's the food.

I mean, like a piece o' heaven on a plate Good Gracious, the FOOD!

I started with my salad.  

And since dessert was staring at me in the face between my glasses, and the main course had not yet been served, I ate it next.  Yup.  All of it.

And for the record, Mary Kay Ash always ate dessert first.

Secondly, there's the party.  

It is a kickin' party to end all parties!

Add to that, the best girlfriends ever.  

Girlfriends that ask you the sucker-punch-to-the-gut hard questions and won't let you off the hook, but rather, challenge you to be better.  

Girlfriends that make you choke on your chocolate cake because you're laughing so hard.

Third, there's the slammin' gowns we all put on.  Yeah, we rock it.

There's sitting at table number 13 - Mary Kay's personal lucky number... 

and realizing later how perfect it is.

There are new faces.  

A total absorption of world-changing inspiration and 

challenge to take the next step in God's plan for you.

There's powerful talk about walking in His Spirit and Truth even though it's not trendy or expected.  

Yes.  This is Mary Kay.

There are women who raise the level of your belief because if she can sign up as a brand new consultant, become a director and earn her pink Cadillac in nine months, well, maybe I can, too.  

It's an unforgettable four days.  This is just the beginning. 

I wish you all could experience this kind of community.  There's simply nothing like it.

Love At First Sight Among Potties

Tonight we decided to walk off dinner with a stroll through Lowe's. (Uh, yes, this is our idea of a relaxing evening. I know. We are sick and twisted.)

After following Danny one lap around the warehouse, we headed back past the display toilets to use the restrooms. Alejandro perused sinks as Danny admired potties and waited for me. Then he spotted a business acquaintance who he'd not seen for at least two years with his wife and their two-and-a-half year old little girl. They said, "hi," and then, before he knew it (and this is according to him because I was, you know, using the adult potty) the little girl (whose name is Eisley) climbed off of her toddler seat in the shopping cart, walked over to Danny, grabbed his shoulders, wrapped her arms around him, and planted a kiss squarely on his face. And Danny reached to hug and kiss her back! She was, however, already playing wedding scenes out in her mind apparently, because then she took his hand before he could plant one back and they went strolling down the lumber aisle.

When I walked back around the corner from my trip to the restroom, the two were holding hands, smiling ear to ear, having a grand ol' time! They spent the next five minutes playing while the adults caught up and talked about toddlers, potties, poop on the kitchen floor (don't ask) and business as usual. When it came time to say goodbye, the two little love birds were NOT happy. Eisley gave a healthy holler and Danny - well, if looks could kill, I'd be dead. Alas, Romeo and little Julietta will have to wait at least another couple decades before their romance born in the toilet section of Lowe's can be realized. If I have anything to do with it anyway.

Renee

Done

Thank you, Josh!  We couldn't have done it without you!

This t-shirt is so fitting.  Alejandro lived in Kansas - his first experience in the U.S. - in 2001.  During that time, he survived a severe tornado and then did roof work with the family business owned by the folks that hosted him as an exchange student.  The town came together and he helped repair damage, gained experience and created lifetime memories that would forever knit his heart to the people of Kansas.  Who knew he'd be putting that to use on our own home 10 years later for his own U.S. home?  

Dreams really do come true.  

Well, not the roofing part.  The owning-a-home part.  ;-)

Denver Zoo

A few weeks ago, Danny and I went to the zoo with Karina and her 5 kids.  It was awesome!  The kids had a blast.  The mommies got to have mommy time.  It was a great day.  

I really like this picture of a lion making a really cat-like move, as opposed to the pictures of lions looking regal and majestic, which are more typical.  

Danny was so fun to watch as he saw so many new sights!

There was lots of looking, pointing, and snapping.

Here you have the whole human gang (minus me of course).

Although, this is how we actually saw them throughout most of the day.

Karina cracks me up.  It was too funny to watch other pretentious moms stare in disgust as she pretended to misuse her kids' helpfulness.  Tim went right along with it.  About 30 seconds later, Karina laughed at how much work it actually is to hold your legs up like that!  

In the cat house, Danny was just feet away from this leopard.  Then, all of a sudden...

...it turned around!  I would not want to be at the other end of that predatory stare.  

Yikes!

We saw tigers...

...sleep.  

And would you believe that Karina speaks peacock??  No lie.  She started, um...  squaking, and that peacock came right over!  Too cool!

 The polar bear was in the water, so we headed down to watch from underneath.  Danny was so excited at those HUGE set of paws!!

Then the polar bear dunked his head and...

he and Danny looked each other square in the eye.  

It was awesome!

It was a great day...

...at the Denver Zoo!

The Roof

This morning Alejandro and I woke up at about 6:30 a.m. and began a 14 hour work-day on our roof.

Every single solitary muscle in my body aches.  My shoe soles have melted off of my shoes from the heat of the tar paper.

I don't ever ever want to do that ever again.

Ever.

But the roof is just about done!  And I feel SO good about that.  Plus the fact that today I used a nail gun.

Ha!