As the world turns...

It's so easy to get caught up in my day to day life, worrying about this, thinking about that.  And then I'm always quickly reminded of how lucky I am and how blessed I am and how some people deserve to be more blessed than I am but have to deal with things extremely tough, and they manage to show grace under pressure and somehow smile through it all.  I don't know how to be that tough.  I'd like to learn, though.  I'd like to take some lessons from these people.  I have a feeling it starts with God and goes from there.

So who most recently struck a cord with me?  A sweet family named the Hanner's.  Jennifer and Hunter both graduated from high school a year after I did, I'm pretty sure.  Jennifer played basketball with me, and Hunter played tennis I think.  I never even knew what he was dealing with in high school until I saw a post about them on facebook asking for A+ blood.  I read a couple of Jennifer's posts, and my eyes haven't been dry since. Jennifer and Hunter dated through high school and got married during college.  They have a 5-year old son (his birthday was this week), and 2-year old twins.  WOW.  Hunter has been suffering with a disease called CGD since he was 2-years old, and they recently decided that they would get a bone marrow transplant to cure him.  You can read more about his amazing story and attitude here:  Why is Hunter Getting a Bone Marrow Transplant.  That was about 48 days ago today, and Jennifer has been with him every day since.  She finally went home after 8 weeks of being away from her boys to see them and spend her oldest son's birthday with him.  I just can't even imagine.  Why do such tough things happen to such good people?  It has to be because they can handle it.  But it sucks.  Bad.  So, if you think about it, please say a little prayer for them...or a long one....or several.  I know they'd appreciate it.

So what have we been up to lately?  It seems so shallow to write a post about it knowing what they're going through, so I'll just show you a couple pictures and describe them.

David and I got to go on a date night a couple nights in a row!  What?!  Yes, we were in Abilene and my mom kept RA for us so we could go have fun.  So nice of her!  

(Oh, by the way, today (6/14) is our 5 year anniversary!  What??!)

I worked with my business partner in Abilene to launch the Rodan + Fields products to the folks at the Abilene Country Club over Memorial Day weekend.  It went great!  

RA saw his first turtle up close.  He wasn't into it.  He couldn't figure out why the turtle was so far from the ocean and wanted to take it back there.  He was afraid to get too close.

I saw a couple cute ducklings following their mom on the golf course while I watched David play golf over Memorial Day weekend.  Just a cute pic.  Nothing more.

RA slept the ENTIRE way from Abilene to Waco when we left to head home after Memorial Day weekend.  He's such a sweet kid...ahem, most of the time...and I'm so thankful for him.

(P.S.  I discovered this great app called "A Beautiful Mess" and now I'm obsessed with using it for ALL my pictures.  Please let me know if it becomes annoying or redundant.)

RA got a sleeping back from his Uncle Robert--one just like his!  He had insisted on sleeping in Robert's sleeping bag when we visited he and Allie at their house, so Uncie RaRa got him one, and he loves it!

Well, that's it, folks!  My life is not nearly as important as those people who suffer daily with disease, heartbreak, or anything else that's no fun, but I'm thankful to God that it isn't.  I'm so grateful that I'm blessed with a crazy kid who's healthy, and a husband who's healthy.  

Y'all take care of yourselves and each other.  I'll talk to you later!

Oklahoma

I just can't imagine what those people are going through right now.  I can't watch the news because I keep crying.  I saw a little girl talking about how she held onto the walls so that she wouldn't blow away, and all I could think about was what if Robert Alan was at a school and something like that happened?  Would he be able to hold onto the walls???

It's always hard for me to take him to school after something like this happens--Sandy Hook elementary, Boston bombing, West explosion, and now Moore, OK tornado.  Is it just me, or have there been WAY too many catastrophes lately?  I hate it.

All I can do is pray.  And donate money.  But that seems like so little to do when people are looking for their sweet babies, likely knowing they didn't survive if they haven't found them already.  Am I crazy for wanting to go pick up Robert Alan right now?  I didn't want to drop him off.  When I look at his big, sweet eyes, I can't imagine them not smiling at me tomorrow.  Or tonight, for that matter.

Last night, when we were watching the news, David said to me, "I don't even know what to say.  Tomorrow isn't guaranteed."  He is so right.

I just listened to a training for becoming a better networker, and she said the same thing.  "Live today like tomorrow isn't coming."  If that was the case, what would I do?  Well, I would definitely tell people I love them more, or that I appreciate them or admire them.  I would jump off this couch where I'm typing to you and GO OUT and get something done.  I would talk to everyone I love.  I would talk to everyone I saw.

I need to start living that way.  I need to have a change of heart and realize what is most important are those PEOPLE that I love and that love me.  Not a job.  Not things.  People.  And, ironically, people are what money can't replace.  I saw a picture of a plaque that was found in the Oklahoma rubble that said,  "The most important things in life aren't things."  Exactly.  Unfortunately, I think far too many people are missing their loved ones right now, not things.

So, I'm signing off for the day.  I'm going to go make the most of my time today.  I hope you do the same.  And don't forget to text the word "STORM" to 80888 to give $10 to the Salvation Army to help or text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to give $10 to the Red Cross.

If someone hasn't told you today, you are loved.  And thank you for reading my rambling words.

Talk to you later!

Traci

And here is my prayer:  Father God, please be with each and every person who was affected by or knows someone affected by the tornado in Oklahoma yesterday.  Please be with each little child, touch their heart and please ease their fears.  I know you love children, God.  Please heal them.  Please help them understand.  Please be with each parent who lost a child yesterday.  Please touch them, Lord.  Please lay your hands on them and heal their hearts.  God please be with those who lost their homes, their pets, their everything.  Please be with the first responders.  Please give them strength as they search for survivors and victims, and please give them wisdom, God.  Lord please give them the words to say to those who come to them broken.  Please be with the pastors and clergymen who will be working with everyone.  Please give them strength to stay strong for their people but to also give them time to be broken themselves.  Give them all time and strength to weep for everything that has been lost.  Father God I ask you to put your healing hand all over Moore, Oklahoma.  Your will be done.  Amen!

End of the Weekend Already?!

Why does it seem like the weekend is over the minute is starts?  Does anyone else feel that way?  I feel like it was just Friday at 5:00, time to start the weekend, and now it's Sunday, 3:15, time to end the weekend...or is it?  NO WAY, Jose!  Well, sort of.  :-)

Robert Alan just went down for his nap, which means he'll be up in about 1.5-2 hours.  That gives me some time to mindlessly peruse the internet, Pinterest, Facebook, blog, you know--very productive things!  Then, when he wakes up, I plan to make a little wine spritzer and sit by the pool while he swims.  Then, we'll cook hamburgers, and then bedtime for bonzos!  It'll turn out to be a pretty fun day, so why am I still dreading tomorrow??

I'm uncomfortable with this feeling.  I don't like it.  I want to look forward to Mondays like I used to.  I have a feeling I'm about to start looking forward to them again pretty soon, but in the meantime, I feel....lazy?  Ho-hum--that's a better word for it!  There's no excitement any more.  Therefore, I spend time looking at Pinterest boards about being a SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom, I've learned), home-schooling kids, and decorating houses.  Will I ever do any of it?  Not likely.  Or is that what's depressing me?  The fact that I won't get to do it?  Or won't let myself do it?  I've always seen myself as career-driven, and now, with changes on the horizon, I feel myself more and more wanting to give all that up in exchange for the life that is a SAHM.  But would I be happy?  I wasn't happy during maternity leave...wait, not that I wasn't happy, but I couldn't wait to get back to work.  I wonder if it would be different now.  Would I dread going back to work if I was on maternity leave?  I have a feeling that's the case.  Unfortunately.

So what am I going to do about it?  Nothing, at this point.  I'll go to work tomorrow.  I'll call my reps.  I'll help them with whatever they need.  I'll continue to recruit.  I'll continue to turn in reports.  And I'll do it all really well.  I really will.  I can't do anything less than my best.  It's not in me.  However, I'm almost done.  I think it should be a sign that 3 years ago, I couldn't wait to get back to work, and now, I don't want to go back.

I DO, however, have something up my sleeve.  Something that DOES get me excited.  Something I wish I could all day every day but can't because I have my "real job" and owe everything I have--all my effort, all my energy, all my brainpower--to it during work hours.  So, I have to put off doing what I really enjoy doing right now until late at night or on the weekends.  That's okay, though.  I know everything I'm doing now will pay dividends later, both with my "real job" and with this other gig.  "What is it?" you ask.  What am I doing that's making me excited?

Well, check out my facebook page and throw me a "like," if you don't mind:  www.facebook.com/SKINteresting.  I've partnered with the Doctors who created Proactiv to share their anti-aging skincare products AND offer people a chance to join in.  The company is only 5 years old, and we're already making HUGE waves in both the skincare industry and the direct sales industry.  The Doctors changed the way infomercials were perceived, and NOW they're going to do it with direct sales.

If you're interested in learning more, feel free to contact me either via my Facebook page, or via my business website:  http://tsimons.myrandf.biz.

So, I'm off to work on this business of mine!  I can't wait--I'm more excited than I've been in almost 2 years.  I can't wait to see what this does for my family and those who join the business with me.  I also can't wait to see my customers' confidence in their skin skyrocket as they go "Foundation Free!"

Here's a quick video of the Doctors explaining WHY they took a BEST SELLING product at Nordstrom's and Neiman's and turned it into a direct selling company (since I can't figure out how to write the HTML code correctly to make this object bigger in the post, you have to scroll down to push PLAY and then scroll over to make the video bigger...sorry!.  If you don't want to mess with it, that's fine.  Here's the link if you're interested...so much for making it easy for you!: Business Opportunity video link

And here's a video of the AMAZING results these products produce (same dang thing on this one...ugh):  Regimen Results video link

Now do you see why I'm so excited to be a part of this?  And you don't even know about the TOOL I get to sell!  I'll talk to y'all later!

Oh, and just so you don't miss out on how big and FUN Robert Alan is now, here are a few pictures...

 "Bob the Builder" on Saturday morning

 "Green Lantern the Elf" also Saturday morning

"Spider Man" on Mother's Day...we're clearly REALLY into Super Heroes and dressing up!

TGIF!

It's FINALLY FRIDAY!  I'm so happy the weekend is here.  RA has NOT been good lately--he got sent to timeout yesterday because he had an accident in his pants (I'm so tired of it, by the way, that I told him if he did it again, he would get a cold shower----is that bad parenting??), and when he was in timeout, he colored on the door molding!  So irritating.  He was no better today, but he's napping now, so maybe, by some miracle, he'll wake up better behaved.  Fingers crossed but not holding my breath!

I'm excited about this weekend!  I'm hosting a Cinco de May Skincare and Skinny Margaritas party for my Rodan + Fields business this Sunday.  I haven't had an event in awhile because it's not a "party company," but I didn't want to pass up a good theme for an event!  The only bad part is I just sent out the e-vite today.  YIKES!  Hmmm...I may be partying by myself this Sunday.  **Note to self:  PLAN.  AHEAD.

I'm trying really hard to build my business, but I think I've just had a revelation:  I have REALLY been trying.  I've been posting things on facebook and sending messages on facebook, but I haven't been TALKING to people I see.  In order to do that, I'd have to look presentable in public, and when I'm working from home or running errands, I'm typically in sweat pants, dirty hair, and no makeup.  Not exactly the look people will buy skincare from, huh?  So, this means I'm going to have to get my booty out of bed and get dressed from now on!  That's a goal I'm setting for myself EVERY DAY next week.  I don't care what I have planned, I need to get up, get dressed, put some makeup on, and be ready to talk to anyone I see.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I'd post a pic of myself today, but I can't figure out how to get this blog to connect to my phone's pictures....it exhausts me just thinking about figuring it out, so I'm not going to. : -)

Anyways, it's Friday, so I think I'm going to go mix myself a little cocktail or two....or 4...hehehe.  Which reminds me, I started the Dr. Oz Jumpstart your Energy Cleans (I think that's what it's called) this week, but I only lasted 1 day because we went to the Rangers game in the middle of the week, and that just killed it.  Next week, on Monday, I'm going to start it.  It's only 3 days for crying out loud!  I could tell a little difference after the first day, so I'm looking forward to doing it all 3.  The "prebiotic shake" it tells you to drink for breakfast was AWESOME.

So, next week's goals:  Get dressed with makeup every day and do the cleans.  Oh yeah, and TALK to people about Rodan + Fields, not just text and facebook!   

Y'all have a great weekend!  Talk to you later!

OH yeah, and if you're bored, check out my Rodan + Fields Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/SKINteresting

Bye!

Long Time, No See!

Well hello there!  It's been a little less than 3 years since I last posted!!!  I've missed you.  :-)  A lot has happened since October 2010, so I'll give you the quick scoop:

Everything was fine and dandy and then I took a promotion with Pearson to be a District Manager in July or August 2011.  And that.  Changed.  EVERYTHING.  Since then, I've been running around like crazy, working with 7 reps covering the span of Austin, North Texas, East Texas, a little of West Texas, all of Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas.  It's exhausting.  But thankfully, David has done a great job of supporting me through all of the craziness and is a wonderful dad to Robert Alan.

Then came the news that David was getting a promotion.  Woo-hoo!!  But wait.  It's in Ohio.  What?!  Yep, that's right.  We're moving to Ohio in October this year.  I'm actually excited about it.  It's bittersweet because we'll be leaving all of our family, and RA won't get to see them whenever he wants, but it will also allow me to step down from this management position and spend some more time with him before he goes to Kindergarten--I've only got 2 more years!

So, besides moving this year away from everything and everyone we know, the OTHER thing that has me most excited lately is my new venture into a company created by the doctors who created Proactiv.  It's an anti-aging line called Rodan + Fields, and it.  is.  AWESOME!  I love it.  I get to partner with the best dermatologists in the world and be in on the ground level of a company that will be as big as Mary Kay.  I'm so excited.  I'll blog more about it later, but for now, just like my page on facebook, if you will:  www.facebook.com/SKINteresting. 

Okay, that's it.  I'll be keeping these pretty short for now so that I don't get so daunted to post.  Please spread the word...I'm blogging again!!

And to end, here's a pic of my sweet little boy this past weekend.  We did a quick shoot with the amazing Shelly Negrete and Lindsey Bates of The Studio on Austin to benefit the victims of the West, Texas, explosion.  Can't wait to see the rest!  TTYL!