33 REASONS WHY I LOVE NICK STEWART

Today is Nick's 33rd birthday!  I've already taken him out to breakfast, gonna treat him to lunch at a new place in town and then planning to cook and bake something he'll love for dinner...maybe rent a new movie.  I love him so much and always want to throw him some big party and invite everyone, but he doesn't like attention and wants it to be low-key and just us every year.  So, I'll remain calm and just use my blog to channel the love.  Here are 33 reasons why I adore my 33-year-old Ironman:

1. He always put others first
2. He forgives quickly
3. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt
4. He's slow to get angry or freak out
5. He's calm and laid back
6. He's tall, blonde and handsome
7. He's got a great smile

8. He's strong and athletic
9. He's talented
10. He doesn't leave a job unfinished
11. He loves the Lord
12. He's kind to everyone
13. He's a great listener
14. He's the most patient person in the world
15. He's honest
16. He's a hard worker
17. He's a good provider for us
18. He doesn't make rash decisions
19. He's a good friend
20. He say's sorry
21. He puts up with me

22. He's disciplined
23. He's loyal
24. He's responsible
25. He's funny and has a good laugh
26. He's a gentleman
27. He's generous
28. He makes the best out of every situation
29. He goes along with my crazy ideas
30. He's compassionate
31. He loves to travel
32. He always does his best
33. He's my hero

Let's just say, he's the best.  Can we agree on that?!  Leave him a "Happy Birthday" below.

HOW I FAILED MY FIRST TRIATHLON

A couple months back, I competed in my first triathlon.  It was a total flop.  I trained for months and I got up to all the distances I needed to swim, bike and run.  But, when it came down to it, I wasn't prepared and ended up riding back to the finish line in an ambulance!  Here are the areas where I believe I went wrong:

Me, when I still had no idea what I had gotten
myself into...

Bike.  Contrary to all the friendly suggestions I received, I was too cheap to buy the right type bicycle and ended up doing the race with the one I had.  I always thought it was a mountain bike, but apparently it's some type of hybrid.  Whatever it is, though, it's not a road bike and wasn't the right one for this triathlon.  I had nothing to compare it to, but my friend took a ride on it and told me it's too heavy and bulky and it's no wonder I couldn't finish the race.  Add that onto the huge hills that I faced and I was done.

Water.  The night before the race, I was afraid that I would have to get up to use the bathroom all night and not sleep well.  So, I solved that by not drinking any water past 7pm.  Then, when I woke up in the morning, I was afraid to drink too much and have to use the bathroom during the race.  So, I solved that by only drinking about 16 oz.  So yea, I pretty much started out my first triathlon dehydrated.  On top of that, it was a day of record breaking heat and humidity, so I didn't stand a chance.

I was actually as happy as I look at this point!

Food.  Although I ate breakfast before the race, I didn't take any snacks to have during the race.  I didn't know that it was important during such a short race.  However, I was later told that I should have had some type of gummy snacks and water enhancer for the electrolytes and salt.

Training.  Finally, as I was training, I was doing so on flat ground.  I didn't factor in that we would be racing in Greenville, where there are hills everywhere.  The swimming was fine, but biking on hills is much different than biking on flat ground.  I never even got to the running part, so who knows how that would have gone on hills.

Me, on the first hill, and I already was dying.

So, here's how it went down.  I started the race all excited, with the goal of just crossing the finish line.  I wasn't trying to beat anyone or break any records.  Just cross the finish line.  That's it.  The race started and I jumped into the water.  Because so many people were swimming in the pool, I got stuck behind a slow swimmer.  Plus, the water was so choppy, I swallowed tons of salt water.  So, by the time I jumped out, I felt a little nauseated.  I ran over and got on my bike and took off on my already jello legs.  After the first hill, I knew this was going to suck.  My legs were on fire.  I couldn't catch my breath.  I don't know how much time passed when I started to fill sick.  I was super thirsty, but every time I took a sip of water, I would feel like I was going to throw up.  All of a sudden, I started blacking out.  I tried to stop by bike and just stand there, but I was shaking so hard I couldn't hold myself up.  I laid my bike down on the road and sat down in case I fainted.  It wasn't too long before some women caught up with me.  They gave me something salty to drink, some type of gummy snack to eat and called the police.  Within minutes, I felt significantly better.  A police officer showed up and had me sit in his car with the air conditioner blowing on me to see if I improved, but since I still couldn't stand up and get on my bike, he called the ambulance.  The ambulance showed up and checked me out.  They said that I looked like a ghost, my blood pressure was super low and that they didn't want me to continue the race.  I was so disappointed to quit, but at the same time, felt too sick to care.  So, I got my first ambulance ride back to the finish line to find Ironman there waiting on me, worried.  By the time my friend Emily finished the race, I felt mostly back to normal, but the rest of the day was a combination of feeling disappointed and exhausted.

Trying to keep a good attitude after not
finishing the race.

I definitely don't want to end on that note, so I hope to compete in another triathlon in the future.  Next time, though, I want to be prepared.  I want to have the right type gear.  I want to be hydrated and carry some type of drinks and snacks with me.  And I want to pay attention to training for the type of landscape that I'll be competing in.  It was really hard not to cross the finish line, but hopefully it means I'll do better next time!

8 REASONS YOUNG LIVING IS THE BEST JOB FOR TRAVELERS AND MINIMALISTS

Over the years, I've had many jobs.  I've cleaned offices, babysat, tutored, taught elementary school, washed windows, worked for a catering company on weekends, worked in Magic Kingdom and MGM Studios and shipped books in a warehouse.  I'm sure I'm forgetting a few and feel like I've done it all.  But, I never really enjoyed any of it.  I had those jobs because I needed a job.  Practical, yes.  Fun?  No.  Young Living Essential Oils is the first job that I've ever truly loved and, because of that, I've done better and stuck it out longer than any before.

At the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona, Utah

I know that if you're a traveler or a minimalist like me, you'd love this job too.  Here's why:

1.  I work online.  I don't have an office building, employees, lease, utilities, or overhead.  I just need a wifi connection and can literally work from anywhere in the world.  It's a travelers dream!

2.  I don't have office hours.  No boss is telling me what day or when to come in.  I work when I choose and take time off when I want.  The freedom is amazing and has lead to much more travel than ever before!

3.  I don't keep stock or make deliveries.  Nothing is cluttering up my house and I'm not making local deliveries or shipments from the local USPS.  This means that if I take off for three months to live in South America, I can still run my business from afar.  And yes, I did that in 2015!

Planting at the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona, Utah

4.  My team is made up of friends and family.  Business meetings, classes and events are often fun times catching up and planning with my favorite people.  And for the ones who live far away, it gives me another excuse to travel.  Travel hardly seems like business when it's so much fun!

5.  All the resources I need are already provided.  I don't have to have all the answers, I just have to know how to ask questions and find information.  And since it's all online, it's not cluttering up my home or even keeping me home!

6.  We already have a team brand, the Lemon Droppers.  All the websites, graphics and training is done for me so that I can focus on my business.  This means that I have professional graphics and more, without having to figure out how to create it myself.

We found ourselves on the Leaderboard!

7.  I'm my own boss.  I don't have anyone making decisions for me or telling me what to do.  This means when I want to hit the road for several months next year, I don't have to ask for time off at work (I'll just work as we travel!).

8.  My commission is residual and direct deposited each month.  I can be in another country, sick or on vacation and still know I'm earning commission.  Talk about freedom!

Being recognized on-stage in front of over 20,000 people!

Basically you just need an internet connection to do this job.  That's it!  It seriously can't get more simple than that.  This job is the best I've ever had.  I have so much freedom and truly appreciate it.  I believe that this can be a blessing to anyone, but especially if you love to travel frequently or live a minimalist lifestyle.  This is the job for you.  Believe me.  Since beginning my small business in 2013, I'm healthier because of the products and I'm happier because of the job.  You really can't lose.  I'd love to help you launch your own Young Living Essential Oils business.  Please reach out to me if you'd like to talk!

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE A WISHLIST

For most of my life I've had a wishlist.  I've pretty much always got something on my mind that I wish I had.  Each Christmas or Birthday that roll around give me renewed hope.  But as they pass and I don't get what I want, I feel disappointed.  What a spoiled child, right?!  It's pretty embarrassing to admit.

24 years old!

A while back I was talking to someone about getting gifts as an adult.  What they said really got my attention.  They said that as a kid, you usually don't have much money, so celebrations are a way to get things you want or need.  However, once you are an adult, if you really want or need something, chances are you can afford to go out and buy it for yourself.

It's like all of a sudden it all made sense.  I don't need to write out a wishlist and put the burden on others to provide for my wants and needs.  Instead, I should act like an adult and take care of myself. Of course, I don't really go out and shop for myself very often.  So, when I do, here are the questions that I ask myself.

32 years old!

DO I TRULY NEED THIS ITEM?  If the answer is yes, then stop wishing.  Change that item to a goal.  Budget and save.  Go get the thing that you need once you can afford it.  For me, this was a pair of jeans!

DO I SIMPLY WANT THIS ITEM?  There is nothing wrong with buying something for myself because I simply want it.  The question is can I afford it?  For me, this is usually a facial!  I guess I could argue that I need it to keep my skin clear, but really it's a want...and a want that I'm willing to pay for.

As adults, we really should throw out the wish lists.  Provide for yourself and when friends and family give you gifts, count it as the icing on top, especially when those gifts happen to be exactly what you need or want anyway!

4 REASONS WHY I'M QUITTING MY BUCKET LIST

Last fall, I put together a pretty intense Bucket List.  And I was actually stressed about it.  I had to do all the things.  I had to document.  I had to blog.  You know me, I'm the Bucket List Queen.  I love a good Bucket List, but I also feel like there's a right/wrong time and right/wrong reasons to work on it.  Before I add new items to my Bucket List or cross off old items, here are a few questions I want to begin to ask myself:

1.  Is now a good time to work on my Bucket List?  Our Fixer Upper has been pretty stressful for the past two years, so thinking and concentrating on other things has been harder than normal.  Bucket List's are meant to be fun, but last fall I ended up feeling like it was just one more burden.  Maybe right now isn't the right time for us to be working on crossing things off of a Bucket List, but who knows where we will be next fall once our Fixer Upper is done!

2.  Do I really want to cross this item off of my Bucket List?  When I looked back at my fall Bucket List from last year, I noticed that I had put a few things that I really didn't care about.  Like, "jump in a pile of leaves".  Sounds all fun and cute, but in reality, I don't want to rake leaves and I hate spiders, so why?  I think I felt like I was supposed to do because it was fall and that's what all the other bloggers were doing (or saying that they were going to do).  My Bucket List should reflect what I truly want to do and will look forward to, not what I think I should do.  Side note: I just went to my Bucket List and removed stuff that I really don't want to do, but thought I was supposed to want to do.  It felt good.

3.  Am I taking advantage of positive things in my everyday life?  The problem with a Bucket List is that my everyday life can tend to be pretty boring.  I wake up, tidy my home, exercise, do some laundry, run errands, work some, blog, fix dinner, eat with my husband and then watch Netflix together or read books.  Not too exciting right?  I don't want to feel like life is only exciting when I'm crossing off an item on my Bucket List.  I want to enjoy everyday, do things each day that I enjoy and look forward to.

4.  Is my Bucket List making me feel bad about myself?  Sure, I'll never do it all, but it's fun to dream right?  As soon as it stops being fun, it might be time to step away from the Bucket List.  At least for a little while.  If you have a Bucket List make sure you have a plan of how you are going to check those items off.  Save your money.  Plan your trip.  Take time off work.  And go.  If you are always saying "one day", you'll feel worse and worse.  Don't say one day.  Say "when" and make it happen.

Long story short, I won't be working on a fall Bucket List this year, but I'm keeping my regular life-long Bucket List.  Don't worry.  I'm not that crazy.  I still love Bucket Lists, but I want to focus this fall, instead, on things that I know that Ironman and I love to do together.  We love to carve a pumpkin.  We love to go camping.  We love to watch ELF.  We love doing these things each fall.  So, I'm keeping it simple and going to just focus on doing things we love, without checking them off of a list.