Season of Giving

It seems as though the month of December has flown by. Can anyone else believe it is already the 18th?? This time of year is a favorite of mine. The possibility of snow (which it did snow for a few hours yesterday, first snow of the season!), the hot cocoa, my all day latte's, the smell of my fresh-cut tree and wood fires, but most of all it's getting the spend time with family and friends. Throughout most of the year we can come up with "excuses" and how we are so "busy" and just can not find the time to see each other as often as we should. But for whatever reason, it get's time for Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone starts showing up! I love it.

In the spirit of giving, I have been trying to come up with ways to show my daughter, Breelyn, the importance of giving to others, especially those in need. She is two (nearly three) and so the whole process of sharing is a little crazy, far-fetched, unheard of new for her. I get "the look" right before she wants to snatch a toy from another child's hand. For those of you without kids, this look I refer to basically means "mom, if he/she doesn't give me my toy (or the toy I want) then I will either push them down or scream and throw a fit." Over the last few months she has truly done well and shares her toys and plays well with others most of the time. Of course, there are toys that not even mom is allowed to play with. She's set her boundaries for all toys!!

Anyway, in the spirit of giving, along with upcoming holidays of more gifts to come and her birthday, I decided it would be nice to donate some of her old toys from when she was a baby or that she no longer plays with. Once a week we are choosing a toy or two and donating it to a local organization called The Lighthouse Outreach Center. During my college courses, I took a nonprofit organization class and a classmate chose the Lighthouse as her focus. I encourage local readers to look them up and see if they are a place you feel compelled to donate to as well. It's truly refreshing to know a small city, like the one I live in, has an organization that purely donates it's time and resources to bettering the lives of the people they take in. Occasionally, they have young children that come in with parents who do not have a place to live and not a toy to call their own.

I want Breelyn to know the power of giving, no matter how big or small it may seem to us. Sometimes when we get caught up in the focus of our "wish list" we forget about the other side of receiving and that is to give. Give our love, give our time, give what we are able. I hope that by starting this small gift of her precious toys, Breelyn see's the difference she can make in another less fortunate child's life.

Any success stories for teaching toddlers the importance of giving? Any special ways you celebrate for the holidays? Let me know traditions you enjoy or have enjoyed passing on to your children.

Merry Christmas from us!!

Newest Chapter

I completed my college courses about two months ago-- to some this is not a big deal. BUT I officially (and finally, after 10 years post high school graduation) have my bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus in Management.

So the story begins ... I have changed my degree a million times it seems. I began with a major of International business with a minor in Arabic, which lasted a year into college. I switched to Interior design this lasted a semester and followed by a semester break to "figure it all out." I resumed school focusing on completing my lower level "must-have" courses for any degree. Then I decided I would move to China for 3 months to focus on my modeling career. I had an amazing time and I was able to do an online course to keep up with my college degree. While there I obtained my Associate's in Business.

A little background information before I continue...I am very responsible and know what I want, but sometimes I let my creative side loose and try to run the show. The creative side doesn't know what it wants and is a bit indecisive!

I moved back to Oklahoma for about a year, and began pursuing a degree in Nursing. A new-found passion. Although, I have always been a bit queasy at the site of blood, I enjoyed all of the biology, anatomy, and physiology courses I took. I moved back to China and Taiwan for the next year to pursue my modeling career further. The experiences, the people I met, and the culture are so intriguing and different from the Middle East and United States. I love to travel and with that comes a desire to learn and educate myself.

Moving back to Oklahoma, I began college once more and began working fulltime. I decided to become a licensed Insurance Producer (I was working for an Allstate agent). Life happened and I took another year (I do hope all of these years are adding up correctly :) ) off from school. Upon moving to Bartlesville I began an adult studies program at the Oklahoma Wesleyan University. It was an 18 months program and it feels amazing to know that after all these years this December I have my bachelors degree!!

I participated in the walking ceremony at Oklahoma Wesleyan University this past Saturday. It was a day filled with friends, family, and surprises. Saturday morning before going to rehearsal my mom and siblings surprised me by flying in from Saudi just to attend. My daughter, sister and family, boyfriend and his parents, and aunt and uncle and cousin were also able to come.  I am so blessed they were all able to watch me and be with me to celebrate my special day.

So now the big questions... What do I do now? Will I use my degree after all this time? What are my new goals?

Oolala Oils

There is a great group of women who have come into my life. Some more recently than others, but each still hold an important place in my heart. Over the last two years, we have grown closer and developed a future path. Some of us are bloggers, some of us are philanthropists, some work a full-time job, but all of us are passionate about essential oils as an alternative to modern medicine for our wellness. Our mission is simple:

We believe in the transformative power of an intentionally balanced life. 

We value a conscious creation of freedom that builds space in our lives for the things that matter most in our hearts. 

We imagine a world in which people empower one another to discover their purpose and passionately pursue it. 

We commit our talents and resources to creating balance, freedom, and purpose in the greater world around us.

We are Oolala Oils and you can visit us at www.oolalaoils.com.  

Our Young Living team is a special group of women and men who seek to empower each other to live better, more complete lives. If you aren't a part of our team and you want to be, just follow this link or fill in the Contact Me info and I will get back with you on more information on how to join us on this incredible journey.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Testing Faith (when it's all you have)

Faith is(may be) the absence of fear, belief without proof, to the religious it is trust in god (whatever he/she/it may be) to do what is best for you, love without boundaries, everlasting friendships.

How can someone loose faith? This is losing life...becoming angry with who you are and what you've become. Instead of loosing faith you have to put your faith in another place, not in people and not in things, but in yourself and in your heart. Faith cannot be created nor destroyed it just is--its the physics of life!

My favorite quote, one that has kept me positive and humbled in my faith is Exodus 14:14 which reads, The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still. In our world it is easy to get caught up in the hustle ‘n bustle of daily life, but if we can take a moment to be still and listen the Lord is caring for us all. He is with us in every choice we make, every path we chose, and every hello we say. So when you feel like you are losing your faith, be still. Listen. Embrace your future. Keep your faith.

If ever taken by the hand and asked to follow, would you? If told to trust and ask no questions, would you? If given the opportunity to turn back time if just for a moment, maybe to say something differently or to change something that you'd done, would you?

I honestly think that life has its higher purpose, even if there was a time machine that could take me back to when I was younger or to a certain time in my life, I would not use it. I have never been more humble in my life and i hope to continue to become more humble as i grow. I have had a great man in my life who I loved with my all my heart and soul; who took care of me and loved me for who I am, he gave me a wonderful daughter. Family and friends to make my days go a little smoother and make things more interesting. Attending a great school--trying to get that degree, and as the days go by doing more and more things that interest me and are benefiting myself as well as others.

So when asked if I would change anything in my past.. I wouldn't, everything in my past has lead me to enjoy all the wonderful things I have now. The past has taught me how to better myself in situations and I have learned from previous mistakes. When asked to hold a hand and follow, I will not. I will simply hold the hand and help to guide me (us) in the right direction. Hoping along the way things do not get too rough and we can always find our way to better places. If asked to trust and ask no questions, I would not. How can we live life without asking questions, like how or why? If you are ever in doubt of something, ask. Because from that you will learn, from that you will become a more knowledgable person.

Fighter in me

I was once told my strongest quality is I am a fighter. Not the fighter that punches people or gets angry easily. Rather a fighter that does not allow myself to fail or settle for less than what I deserve.

Life is an experience and a learning process. Sometimes we have to get knocked down only to get back up and fight even harder to push away life's negativity. Every morning we make a choice on how to spend the rest of our day, either in a great mood or a bad one. We make the choice to let the little things bother us or not. Each day life will present us with negative energy and we have to make the choice to push it away and accept only the positive energy. For the positive is what allows us to have a good day, to find new passions, enjoy exciting adventures, explore new endeavors, meet new people, and so much more. We have to learn the things that bring us joy and fill our days with them. Experiences are what makes life, well...life. So experience away and enjoy every moment of it because this is your life and why waste it on negativity and being angry? Who says life has to be full of anguish and demise?

How can life be made more simple? What is the true value of it? It can be made more simple by the sheer pleasure of enjoying what life has to offer and not drown yourself with the bad. Life is extremely valuable to us all; it is what connects us all. On a path of self discovery, I have learned such an incredible amount about myself. New things I can endure, power I possess within me, the light and energy I can bring to a room, the depth of my inner thoughts. I have a feeling that my life is going to be a great one and that makes me live and breathe each moment in and progress to the next step of my life. I do not need to be rich and I do not need material items, but I do want to grow as a person and find myself in odd situations with people I would have never thought possible. I want to travel to countries only to discover the way the locals live in their society--to be completely immersed into one’s culture.

Do you find yourself wanting more out of life? To discover that inner zone of "happiness"

Building a better me

Anyone ever get the urge to do more with their life? To be somewhere better than where you currently are?

Well, I did! The combination of some big things happening (cannot discuss in detail now, but more to come on that later), an executive leadership course (one of the final courses in my Adult studies program at Oklahoma Wesleyan University), and a desire from within to use my degree and knowledge to really make a difference in my life and my daughters life.

So.. now I had this urge and some things that could potentially be of use to me in my life, but it wasn't/isn't so simple. I need to have a plan and a purpose and a WHY for whatever path I choose to take. That is where the leadership course and a book written by Dave Braun and Troy Amdahl, Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World comes into play. It is a great quick read and with a little effort ( okay a lot of effort on my part) I can make changes every day to a greater good, a more balanced life, a dream world so to speak. The leadership course made me realize the things that interest me in life are far from my grasp and the book has lead me to a belief that with the right path and discipline I can achieve my goals.

Digging a little deeper: a little over two years ago, I lost my best friend, my love, my partner, my daughter's father, and my fiancé. I had always believed we should live each day to the fullest, but that became a more prominent task after realizing this life can be cut short when God says it's time. This event has sparked a desire to live a balanced and healthy life. Over the last two years I have grieved and mourned and had to be strong for our daughter. Was it easy? Absolutely not. But finding a way to balance the way I was feeling with the needs of my daughters seemed to push me to continue every day.

So over the last month I have been reading the Oola book and want to continue to balance my life out. They suggest seven keys areas of life are worth balancing in order to stay healthy and happy. The areas are Fitness, Finances, Family, Field, Faith, Friends, & Fun. Towards the end of the book they give a three step method for living a more Oola life (this can also be found at www.oolalife.com ) .

Step 1: Fill out an Oola Wheel. The areas I need to focus on the most are Field, Finances, Fitness, Faith, and Fun. I am not sure what their basis for areas needing improvement, but for me it was anything with an average less than 7 out of 10.

Step 2: Develop a plan to change the key areas where you are wanting to make changes. start with small goals and work up to a bigger goal so that daily we are improving and making progress to a better me.

Step 3: Follow a path- make a conscious choice and write it down for a path that I will take to obtain my goals and alter it with any changes that need to be made along the way.

Just wait for it-- give me a year and I will be a much more balanced and developed version of me.