It's Christmas in Killarney

Okay...well...it's the day AFTER Christmas...and we aren't in Killarney...but, that was basically the only time I will probably ever be able to use that title in a blog post...so I did:). We are getting ready to land in Dublin and I figured that's close enough!

The Philly airport really didn't have that many options for food...well any good looking options, that is.  The Chick-Fil-A was closed for Christmas, there was no Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts was sold out except for one crusty doughnut...no thank you.  So we went to the Healthy Market and got a salad and a wrap and had a picnic on the floor.  I was under the assumption (you know what they say about assuming...) that the airports would be like ghost towns on Christmas Day, but they were packed!  We had to search for a good floor seat and a plug to charge this iPhone!!!  Charging this iPhone is TOP priority...can't leave y'all hangin'...right?!!?!?!?!

On Christmas Eve my Grandaddy got a phone call from a man that he hasn't spoke to since somewhere in 1950!!!  It was an old roommate.  Then Christmas morning, we got a phone call from Medehen!  She lived with us while we were living in Ethiopia...I haven't spoken to her in 19 years and she sounded exactly the same:). Random facts, I know, but I wanted to add them...and it's MY blog...so I can:).  Nick would tell me to edit that last sentence out, but he's not reading this right now.

Thinking about Ethiopia makes me remember the good ole days of travel.  We would pack those XL duffle bags and had a weight limit of 70 lbs...AND each person could bring two of those enormous bags, plus their normal carry-on and purse and/or briefcase.  I also remember getting several meals/snacks/drinks per flight, good pillows, real blankets and little toiletry bags with eye masks, socks, earphones, chapstick, toothbrush, toothpaste and lotion.  Boy has international travel gone downhill...take it from a pro, we are all getting ripped off!  THIS trip is our most rigid yet!  The airline has the size and weight of the bags down to no bigger than our old carry-ons.  The pillows lost their fluff, the blankets shrunk and lost their warmth (unless I keep my knees hooked under my two front teeth that I got for Christmas...or you're 3.5 years old...then you're good!), the earphones have to be requested, the toiletry bags have totally disappeared, and the edible items---we won't even go there:(.  I even got to ride in the cockpit with the pilots on a flight from Germany to Ethiopia, as a little girl...never ever never would that happen now!  Anyway, If I wasn't a claustrophobic maniac and Nick wasn't a giant, travel would be wonderful!  Just kidding, I DO love to travel, but I tend to lean towards meltdowns and temper tantrums...Nick (of course) always remains calm and reminds me "this is a small thing in the large picture" or "it's not about the destination, but the journey"...seriously, how can someone always be so patient, so sweet, so calm, so positive...?!  That's why God put us together...when I'm a crackhead, Nick puts me in my place.  This is not a joke.  I'm serious.  Let's move on.

This is what we looked like two flights in with the longest yet to go...almost dead.

So we got on the flight from Philly to Dublin...let me sum it up, very crowded, old plane, dirty feeling/looking (due to oldness), children crying, two VERY giddy/giggly/loud/excited girls next to us in the back of the plane.  Meltdown began and I pulled out my oils to handle the situation before I did something I would later regret.  The girl in the aisle next to me says "I smell Thieves! Can I have a drop?"...yup...I shared my oils on the plane with a total stranger!!! 

So we are now decending into Dublin.  It's 2:45am in Florence, SC and we have yet to sleep (not for a lack of trying)!  We look like death...not warmed up at all...I actually have a dread lock forming on the back/underside of my hair...you'd think this was going to be a bad day.  BUT, we have gum, our loved ones love us no matter how scary we look/act AND we are landing in Dublin, Ireland...it's going to be a good day (and we are going to sleep goooooooooddddddd tonight!!!)!!!!

Good morning everyone!!!!

We're Leavin' on a Jet Plane

...but we know when we'll be back again!!!

Woke up this morning, washed a last minute load of clothes, opened gifts and stockings, had Christmas breakfast with family and said "see ya later"...

We are at the Florence airport waiting for our flight to Charlotte.  I have a front row seat and I'm soaking up vitamin D...it might be the only vitamin D I get until we return on Jan 16th:)

On the way to the airport, Maggie downloaded Instagram to my iPhone after years of begging me to "get with it"...so now you will all have new and improved photos from me along our journey.  Maggie sold me when she said "it will make your Blog better"!!!

So...our next stop is Charlotte, then Philly and finally, Dublin.  I'll see you on the other side!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

So I got my December oils order!!! Yay!!!  If you ordered one from me, you'll be getting it ASAP!!!

And here is what you were waiting for:

Yes, we are packing again...life is short and our bucket list is big!!!  We are off to visit Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland!!!  Stay tuned for daily travel updates:)

Happy Anniversary To Us!

     So, today we are celebrating our 6th anniversary!  Yes, six years!  It has flown by!  Each anniversary has been exciting in a different way...this one is exciting because we have just moved into our first house, like OUR house, like we are BUYING it and will OWN it and be OURS!!!  Sorry, but this is a BIG deal after renting for six years!!!  I just want everyone to know that this is the 35th time that I have packed and moved somewhere!  And actually since the last time I counted, I have remembered some that I forgot to count, so who knows!!!  I'm hoping that unless we go back overseas into missions, or move to another city in the USA for a job, THIS WILL BE MY LAST MOVE!!!!!!  Not likely, but whatever...a girl can hope!!!

     As you can see, it is a work in progress type thing, but we live here now!  We want to have you all over, but don't want to be responsible for anyone falling down the stairs and killing themselves, or breaking their neck and suing us and taking our house.  Bottom line, we will have an open house when we have stairs and rails!

So, I fell down the stairs...

     Well, it didn't really start there…I did FALL down the stairs, though, and we will get back to that ASAP.

     Rewind to somewhere around 17-years-old (I promise this post won't be a book...Nick said I just lied to you all…I'm sorry in advance).  During the summer before 12th grade, 2003, I came back to the USA to visit with friends and family and to work.  I worked part-time for Mister Mark's Fun Park (with Jennifer Hoffart…what a fun summer!!!) and part-time as a nanny for the Zavell family.  While I was watching their two young boys, Susan Zavell was taking classes in order to become an esthetician.  I LOVED LOVED LOVED everything about what she was learning.  I was already into waxing, hair and face masks, pedicures, manicures and pretty much anything that a very girly spa resort would offer.  I decided that I would go to beauty school, but my dad said "college first" and reminded me of the beauty school dropout scene from the movie "Grease".  Anyways…although I didn't go to beauty school, I spent an unimaginable amount of hours online and in magazines reading everything I could about caring for your skin and body.  I wore sunscreen like it was my job, hosted my own personal spa nights and even enjoyed waxing my friends legs in college…I know, its weird, but I LOVED it!

     However, while doing all this, I was completely unaware of all of the harsh chemicals I was so lovingly rubbing on, breathing in and soaking up and what they could possibly do to me!

     Fast Forward a couple years again to 2005.  Grandma Jackson was diagnosed with cancer and I don't remember all of the specifics, but her doctor didn't allow her to paint her nails because of the chemicals that would soak in through her nails and surrounding skin!!!  WHAT?!?!?!  I started to wonder "If she can't paint her nails because of the harmful chemicals, then why is anyone allowed to?"  And that's when my REAL researching and reading and researching and reading began!!!  Since that lightbulb moment, I haven't painted my nails (unless a girlfriend took me for a pedicure date…who can pass that up?) and I have changed A LOT of what I use in my home for cleaning, for toiletries and what I eat (except when I turn into a food monster princess, which happens every now and then…ok, maybe pretty frequently…everyday?...anyways…I try…).  Sooooooooooo…the more and more that I have learned, the more I have changed my ways and replaced things in my home with healthier options.  Just this year, my sisters, mom and I did more than a half of a year experiment where we washed our faces with the Oil Cleansing Method (yes, oil on our faces) and used Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar for washing our hair and Coconut Oil for everything from Hair Mask, to Shaving Cream, to Lotion, to Eye Cream, to…you name it, we tried it!!!  We used all sorts of essential oils and mixtures to the point that Nick started calling me "The Little Apothecary".  Don't let me fool you though…I'm not as crunchy granola hippy as I may sound…I still like REAL deodorant and no, I don't want to work in the yard to grow an organic garden.  Just wanted to set the record straight…

     So now that I've told you all of my background, you know that I already LOVED doing things the chemical free, all natural, all organic, 100% pure, all whatever you want to call it, kinda way.  So, when my friend, Vaughn, added an event to Facebook about Young Living Essential Oils, I was TOTALLY interested and told her I wanted to be invited (she was going to invite me anyway…I think).  That Wednesday night I said "Bye" to Nick and told him, "I guess I'm not buying anything at the Oils Party since we didn't discuss it".  On the drive over, I kept saying, "I'm not buying, I'm not buying…ummm, I'm not buying…ummm, I don't think I'm buying…ummm".  I pulled up, got out of DaBolbo (the volvo, lovingly named by Clyde Padgetts boys), knocked on the door, walked into the living room of heavenly scents, saw the glowing diffuser and cute little bottles of essential oils…"ummm…I'm buying"…and then tried to sit calmly and maturely and act like an adult even though I was super excited and just wanted to get my hands on those oils and sniff away!!!  So, by the end of the party, I bought the Premium Starter Kit and was super excited for it to arrive in the mail.




The rest of the weekend our family joked about "There's an oil for that" for everything that happened to anyone and "We need to diffuse some oils in here"…I think that I'm on my way to becoming THE CRAZY CAT OIL LADY (I do have one cat, but that's beside the point)!!!!

I LOVE when I find something new to go crazy over!!!…Poor Nick