Clint Trickett ~ Distributor of the Year!

 Tuesday morning we were up and at it early enough to actually see the sunrise over the ocean...what a beautiful way to say, "Good morning!"

We hopped on a bus and headed to Tulum which is a place where they have ancient Mayan ruins...

 A few years back when Clint and I were here before we went to Chichin Itza, and this was kind of a follow up to that...not near as big, but just as wondrous.

 You can't help but wonder what these people who inhabited these places were like...

 ...and I LOVED how these lizards seemed to be like "guards" on all the buildings... :)

 If you look closely you can see them on ALL of the buildings...

 My favorite spot to see was at the top of the highest point of the area which is where they could overlook the ocean. There was the most beautiful view and the COOLEST breeze that felt soooo good when you thought you might just melt in the humidity!

 Visiting Tulum also made me think about stories in the Book of Mormon, and about our work here on earth and our duty to Heavenly Father...Something that kept coming to my mind was just how much these people valued their worship...they spent so much time building these places of worship, and then that was what they "did." Their priorities were things of a spiritual nature, that, and survival. Today, we have so many "things" to distract us and to "fill up" our time, that for some, things of a spiritual nature get little or NO time or priority at all. I don't want to be one of those people who forget God, or where all of my blessings come from...if anything, these ancient places are reminding me of valuable lessons. :)

 The brown stuff down on the beaches was TONS of seaweed!!!

 The locals there said that just before we arrived in Mexico, there was a big storm that washed it all up on the beach...I didn't really want to go in it, but I still really admired the view!

 Here is Clint with Cody Bock (his Sound Off sales rep), and our two new friends Pete and Rachel from Phoenix. We enjoyed the place together and lots of the other activities too...who would have known that Rachel and I would be the 1st ones on the dance floor at the party on the beach later this night?? ;) ;)

 When we got back from Tulum, Clint and I had a VERY relaxing and enjoyable hour and a half couples massage in the spa at our resort. We then got cleaned up and dressed up for our traditional "Dinner on the Beach" complete with food, lights, dancing, and a live DJ. :)

 I like to think we were the "couple of the hour" since Clint was the one being recognized at this special event...

 He was awarded the Distributor of the Year for Sound Off Signal! ~ Annndd... he is the first repeat winner of this award since Sound Off has been in business. :)

 Here Tom Palumbo presented Clint with his paper award and announced that they will be visiting his shop within the next 60 days to present him his bronze eagle statue...I hope we can be out of our moving mess by then!!! (Moving into our new and larger location in the next few weeks!!! :)

 I was very proud of my sweet husband as I watched him humbly receive this award and return all the praise to our Heavenly Father...He commented that he was very grateful for the award and for the chance to work with Sound Off, but that ultimately they should each just work on being the "winner" in their own homes and families. "As long as my kids think I am the best dad, or my wife thinks I am the best husband, then I think I've really won ~ and it all comes back to our Heavenly Father and all that He has given us..."

 Don't worry Clint, you've already earned that award in our book!!! ;) XOXO

(Cody and Clint with the award)

 The display of food at the outdoor buffet was beautiful, but I especially loved what they did with the fruit and desserts!

 Swans and hearts out of the melons...

 ...and dolphins and flowers!!!

 We kicked off our shoes after dinner was through and danced and had fun with everyone...

We did the YMCA, the macarena, the locomotion and lots of other fun old dances...:)

(Clint says that I won the dance contest by the way...;)

 We "let our hair down," dug our toes in the sand, and even thought about climbing the palm tree!!!

But....Na....;)  ;)

 What a great way to honor such great hard work! 

(And what a great place to decide to give out the honors!!!)

Thank you Tom, Mark, and George for the trip to Cancun...what  a treat!!! :)

Monday in Mexico ~ Being In LOVE

 Monday morning in Mexico we woke up, ate a bite of breakfast, and headed to the lobby to join our group on a bus that took us to a catamaran/snorkel cruise!

The sea was beautiful and we really enjoyed the ride out on the ocean...

 ...all until the waves started becoming very choppy...;(...and then I literally lost my breakfast at sea!

Yes, I was actually IN the water on my way back to the boat after snorkeling when I first got sick...then Clint and I both ended up sick once we were back on the boat. I "lost my cookies" twice, and Clint 3 times. ;(

We were fine while we were moving, but NOT when we were just rocking back and forth while we were stopped...I don't think we will go on this excursion next time...;(    Our tummies are just too sensitive.

 Once we made it back on land we both felt fine. :)

We headed out from our hotel and walked the beach, explored the area around our hotel, and had some food. :) Food ALWAYS helps! 

We saw MONKEYS in the trees outside of our hotel...

 ...and these furry little creatures were everywhere! I'm not sure what they were, but Clint called them Mexican rats....;)

Each day we would come back to our room and find a new folded towel creation...:)

...and as much as I LOVE the ocean, we did not even have NEAR enough time to just sit and relax by it...I could have spent the whole week just sitting and listening to that calming sound...

 Clint and I spent the few extra moments we had when we weren't out on an excursion just trying to enjoy the beach. :)

We took some fun pictures...

 Collected sand and seashells for some souvenirs...:)

 ...and then we went back to our hotel and got cleaned up for a night in the city.

We ate at the authentic Mexican restaurant called La Perria and listened to the live Mariachi band serenade us all night long! :)

 Clint had fresh Tuna and I had fajitas...

 ...and we talked and laughed and listened to more music...

Then when dinner was over we walked around the area and did a little shopping, took some more fun pictures, and had a fun time together...being in "LOVE!"

We Made It To Mexico!

 On Sunday February 25th, we left our house at 3:30 a.m. (after Clint gave a blessing to a sad and sick Kambriella😓), drove to the airport in 17 degree weather, hopped on a plane, and arrived in a tropical 85 degree paradise...Cancun, Mexico!

 We tried sleeping most of the way on the plane, and like little kids we just kept wondering, "Are we there yet?"😊 We knew we were close when the stewardess told us to look out the window at the reef below... AMAZING!!!

 When we arrived at our hotel the first thing we wanted to do was go and see the ocean. It was beautiful!!!

 With it being Sunday and traveling all day we did not have a chance to go to church, but sitting down by the ocean and taking in the beauty and losing ourselves in the sound of the waves felt so so good and PEACEFUL. 

 I could immediately feel Heavenly Father's love for me as I always do when I am filled with gratitude for His wondrous creations... it makes me think of the song "I stand all amazed" because that's exactly how I feel. 

I was so grateful for the opportunity to be in a beautiful place with my sweetheart, and I felt soooo loved. ❤

Later that evening we met up with all of the people from Sound Off Signal, visited, ate dinner, and called it a night. With a fun and busy schedule for the next few days,  we were excited but needed to get some rest. But not without a prayer of thanks... My heart is so full and I feel sooo LOVED!!!💕

Girls Night Out

 On Friday night I had the opportunity to take 2 of my little angels on a date! From Cafe Rio with baby dolls, to snuggle time and off to dream land...I am sooo in love with my kiddos!!!😍💕

(And now I am off to Mexico with my sweetie! ~ Details coming soon!😘

Deer and a Dress

 These cute white tailed creatures have been hanging out in our neck of the woods lately! 

The other morning as I was leaving for aerobics there were 3 of them standing together in the middle of the road! And these pictures from last night were a group of 6 of them trying to cross the road together! 

4 of them on one side, and then 2 on the other...

I hope that after I drove away they were able to get back together with their family. :)

 Goal for today: 

Finish laundry and packing for our trip...and find a cute black slip extender to go under this dress! :) 

Happy Friday! :)

Preparations...

 My day started early as I woke an hour before my alarm was to go off...

I have had so many things on my mind...

But right now, this morning, I am working on the details of preparations for my trip to Mexico with Clint this week! I took a picture of my itinerary so that I would always have it with me, and I also realized in looking it over that we have a 5 hour layover in Denver! I am hopeful that we will get to see Kierra and Riley maybe for a minute if their schedule permits. But, that would just be another tender mercy of this trip.Again, another way that God is showing me that He is in the details of our lives, and cares about even the smallest things. :)

 Also in preparation for our trip, I've been thinking about little Kambriella and WHO is going to do her hair??

A Mother has to think about EVERYTHING when she is going to leave...and I mean EVERYTHING!!

I talked to a neighbor of ours who has a daughter that is going to have Kambriella come over every morning that I am gone at 8:00 a.m. to get help with getting her hair combed. :) It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but to ME, my children's mother, I want them to be well taken care of while I'm gone! I still want them to have the same amount of confidence in themselves and in their day, and if that means getting help with hair, then that's what I will arrange! :)

I have been working on laundry and my calling, setting up arrangements for people to take care of the details that I will not be here for...someone to visit Bernice, and someone to go to my meetings. Planning meals that will be available and easy for my father in law who will be staying at my house...arranging rides to and from practices, rehearsals, and games, and leaving documentation that consists of passwords, and codes, emergency contact information, and a calendar of events so that everyone can get where they need to be and when...

All of this silly busy-ness is a reminder to me of what matters most...

At times in my life things are pretty much the same...day to day routines are in place, and living the gospel is at the core of everything we do. When times like this arise, and things are a little DIFFERENT, I am reminded yet again that the gospel is still at the core of EVERYTHING I am doing!

Leaving my children is not something that I plan on doing permanently of course, but leaving them long enough to show them that my marriage relationship with their father is my priority is a good life lesson in itself. Leaving them long enough to "fill my bucket" and long enough for them to have some fun as well, and hopefully miss me just a little ~ enough to appreciate what we do for each other, is also a good thing. :)

Then, when I get back and routines are back in place, and my bucket is full to overflowing ;) ;)...we can pick up where we left off. Serving each other and the Lord in ALL we do.

With this in mind, I have been contemplating and being prayerful about how Clint and I can MAXIMIZE our time away together by not only soaking up the sun and playing in the sand, but also by growing our relationship in every aspect...including spiritually.

As I have prayed and sought answers, I continue to feel that finding special "places" to enjoy studying the scriptures together will add to the experience we will have together in Mexico.

Obviously we won't be doing that on our zip line tour or at the spa, but where there are moments of peace for us, I am going to try to solidify those promptings that I have received and share thoughts and testimony together that will make us ONE, complete AND whole. 

I have ALWAYS felt that my marriage is my top priority, because when that relationship is strong and secure, it is so much easier to move forward together and strengthen the other little spirits that reside in our home.

I have been studying a few different conference talks, along with the Family Proclamation, and I am so inspired and motivated to be a force for good that my Heavenly Father needs me to be...Here are a couple of things that have stood out to me...

Mothers Who Know Are Leaders

Mothers who know are leaders. In equal partnership with their husbands, they lead a great and eternal organization. These mothers plan for the future of their organization. They plan for missions, temple marriages, and education. They plan for prayer, scripture study, and family home evening. Mothers who know build children into future leaders and are the primary examples of what leaders look like. They do not abandon their plan by succumbing to social pressure and worldly models of parenting. These wise mothers who know are selective about their own activities and involvement to conserve their limited strength in order to maximize their influence where it matters most.                

                                                               Mothers Who Know Do Less

Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.

From our study of Eve, we may learn five fundamental lessons of everlasting importance:

1. She labored beside her companion (see Moses 5:1).
2. She and Adam bore the responsibilities of parenthood (see Moses 5:2).
3. She and her partner worshipped the Lord in prayer (see Moses 5:4).
4. She and Adam heeded divine commandments of obedience and sacrifice (see Moses 5:5, 6).
5. She and her husband taught the gospel to their children (see Moses 5:12).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.

As I live each day and devote my thoughts and will to be aligned with the Lord, whether I am at home with my children, or in Mexico with my husband, at church in the middle of a discussion, or in a neighbor's home seeking the spirit to tell me just what to say...I am PREPARING my family and I for eternal life! I LOVE the Lord and the gospel of Jesus Christ! I LOVE how my life is happy and whole and complete when it is CENTERED on Him...and no matter the weather, sunshine or rain, His umbrella of love is always there covering me and my family.