In The (Pink) Tunnel

Have I really not written anything since September??  Sorry about that...I have a great excuse!  Remember at the end of my last post, when I announced that I was being promoted in my Mary Kay business?  I was choosing to promote myself, that is, because that's the way the wonderful world of Mary Kay works!  Well, that's why I haven't written lately!  I have spent the past nearly-4 months in a pink tunnel, working my Mary Kay business as much as I can, fitting it in to my schedule wherever I can, and allowing it to bless me beyond belief.  I am not kidding.  When I say "bless" I am not talking about financially, either.  Although it has definitely done that.  I am talking about blessing my heart and soul.  This Mary Kay business has been the reason that I have met some of the most amazing women and have gotten to know better some of the amazing women already in my life.  Furthermore, I have witnessed this business enrich their lives in many different ways.  Whether it's self-confidence, financial freedom, quality girlfriend time, or a number of other reasons, it is so fun for me to watch them grow and blossom in so many ways.  It really does remind me of why I got into this business in the beginning.  It is about so much more than selling lipstick.  So that's where I've been lately - in the pink tunnel.  If it hasn't had something to do with my family or Mary Kay, then it's been skipped.  It's been so much fun and so totally worth every minute!  By the end of the year, I will be a Mary Kay Sales Director!  I will have the honor and pleasure of training other new Beauty Consultants!  Then, by the end of February, I will have earned my first Mary Kay career car!  SERIOUSLY!!  What rewards they give for sharing this business!  And I am ginormously indebted to my husband and family for their support and faith in this journey.  It is not even close to being over - there is still much work to be done - but they have believed in me and taken on many extra duties to support me in achieving this.  I am so grateful to them. 

I will continue on in the pink tunnel until the initial phase of this promotion ends on December 31st.  Until then, I am looking for about 5-7 more team members.  Women who are looking to start something new before 2015.  Women who want to add just a little extra something to their life.  Women who keep their word and are excited to take advantage of a fabulous opportunity.  $100 might change your life - isn't it worth it to listen to the opportunity and see how it might fit into your life?  Please email me at avdayton@marykay.com if you have even the tiniest hint of interest.  You just might be surprised to hear the whole story and see the whole picture.  Why not gift yourself this Christmas with a new you, a wonderful opportunity, a life-changing gift?  You deserve it!

Merry Christmas! 

Clicking My Heels...

First, school started back on Tuesday.  Third grade and Pre-K.

Second, I STARTED A J.O.B. ON TUESDAY.  What?!?  I know!!  Working as the Asst. Director at the twins' preschool.  Being a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant is still a huge priority and I'm focusing on it more and more (see below), but the preschool job was an amazing opportunity to serve God thru my awesome church, educating children and sharing God's love with them.

Third, Adam has gotten the pick-up situation at school wrong 2 out of 3 days.  It's not generally this confusing, so hopefully we can figure that out.

Fourth, it has been in the 90s all week and my air conditioner stopped working yesterday morning.  And I couldn't get anyone to repair it until my landlord gave permission, which didn't happen until after he got off work yesterday.  So no one came to fix it until the least convenient time, right before I completely melted, which was about an hour ago.

Fifth, we received another speeding ticket from Germany in the mail yesterday.  That makes 2 so far.

Sixth, our dentist sent us a bill for $315 because they submitted the wrong date of birth for Audie and Tricare rejected the claim because Alan isn't covered (both officially "William").  Apparently neither place could figure out on their own that the one with the PEDIATRIC date of birth should be the one claiming services at the PEDIATRIC DENTIST. 

Seventh, one child pooped their pants today at the same time as the A/C repairman was here because apparently playing the Wii is just that exciting.  Then, in an effort to clean it up themselves (bless their heart, really), they ended up piling toilet paper into the toilet so that it was eventually completely filled.  Just completely awesome, really.  No, really.  Have more kids because it's awesome.

It isn't Friday yet.  Unless you're in Okinawa.  Which is about where I wish I was.  I'd love to close my eyes and slip on Dorothy's slippers right about now.


In other (better) news...I have decided to take the next step (quantum leap, really) in my Mary Kay business!  So, if you have it in you to buy a lip gloss or cleanser, I could use your support!  Even better - if you are a smart, busy woman looking to be your own boss, then I can get you there!  Or maybe it isn't you - maybe you know someone who would be great at this!  Maybe you know someone who could use a pampering facial or a special gift!  Let me know - even if they aren't in my area, I can work out a way to make them feel beautiful!  www.marykay.com/avdayton for shopping and contact info!!

Just In Case I Thought I Was A "Professional"

photo credit

 

In case you somehow didn't know, I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant (SHOP HERE!).  I have been one for over 10 years - in fact, I'll celebrate my 11th anniversary this August.  But I haven't always worked the business very consistently.  I love that about my Mary Kay business - I can work it when I want and put it on the shelf when I'm overwhelmed with other aspects of my life, or just focusing on other things.  Then, when I'm ready, it's there again!  It's fantastic and flexible.  Anyway, I'm choosing to work it more consistently than ever right now and it's been very beneficial for our family.  I started to consider myself a "professional" again.  I get dressed every day, instead of always wearing workout gear.  I always put on makeup so that no one would get all judgy if I approached them in public claiming to sell makeup, while looking like a mother of three who hadn't slept well in eight years (yep, Mary Kay covers that up).  I am going way out of my comfort zone, approaching strangers in the Target cosmetic aisles about my business.  I have been sharing the Mary Kay opportunity with anyone who will listen, in an attempt to both grow my team and enrich the lives of other women.  In those attempts, my team has tripled over the course of the past two months.  Awesome, right?  I almost sound like a professional, right?  Well, one of those new team members, we'll call her Jamie because I don't have her permission to use her real name, was ready to place her first order yesterday so I stopped by her house on the way home from the pool with the kids.  I was dressed nicely, even though we'd just left the pool, and still had on makeup.  Totally looked the part - not that I had to - Jamie is my pastor's wife and she is a mom who totally gets that sometimes we have on workout gear and look like moms who haven't slept well in ages.  But I try my best when I'm "working" to be professional.  So I helped her with her order while my kids played with her kids, and just as we were about to wrap up Anaya started yelling for me.  I responded that I couldn't come right now, but she insisted that she "needed" me, so I followed her voice to the bathroom.  Where I was immediately knocked down by the unmistakable smell of poop.  As I took in the situation, she told me "I didn't know I had to go potty," and pointed to her underwear.  Which were full of poop.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Luckily, Jamie was able to finish her order without me while I cleaned up the mess and, with much embarrassment, asked to borrow a pair of shorts for my daughter.  I know without a doubt that Jamie didn't judge me, but that doesn't change the fact that I was mortified.  As we drove the couple of blocks home, I realized the irony of the situation.  Sometimes you think you're a professional...and then your kid shits their pants and makes you remember that no matter how professional you become, you still have to clean up crap.

 

 



Gone...er...Fishing?

A few weeks ago, Alan decided it would be fun to take the kids fishing.  He tends to have fantastically optimistic visions of our children's behavior.  It's cute.  So, we're going fishing.

Step 1: We're going to need a few new fishing rods.  So we head to the nearest Walmart (which, thank God, is about 25 minutes away).  I had read that a new one opened nearby so we headed over there.  It looked like this:

 

I call it the "Big City Walmart".  It's in a multi-level building, next to a 24-hr fitness and a larger office building.  When we pulled up, the parking lot had a gate and Alan was all, "Oh, hell no!  We better not have to pay to park at Walmart!"  We did not have to pay, but we were the only pickup truck in the parking lot and we had to take up two spots.  I'm pretty sure they're breaking some sort of "Walmart Law" that says all their parking lots must easily accommodate pickup trucks.  Walmart is Walmart, after all.  Can't put lipstick on that pig.  Anyway, we chose some adequately-priced-for-kids fishing rods and headed out. 

 

Step 2: We are going to need some worms.  A few weeks prior, we had planted some seeds in a flower bed and noticed tons of nice, fat worms, so we head home and put the kids to work digging up worms:

 

 

Step 3: Go to Dick's to buy worms:

 

Step 4: Find the perfect spot:

 

 

Step 5: Find a different perfect spot than the one we had in mind:

 

Step 6: Bait the hooks and cast!

 

 

Step 7: Fix the cheap-ass reel from the stupid big-city Walmart and re-cast:

 



 

Step 8: Wait for the fish to bite:

 

 

 

Step 9: Cut the hook out of the tree:

 

Step 10: Give the kids a break and a snack.  They've been fishing a whole 1/6 hour.

 

Step 11: Cut the hook out of the tree:

 

Step 12: Do the hokey pokey:

 

 

 

Step 13: Call it a day:

 

 

No fish were harmed in this outing.  But plenty were fed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Little Jar of Mine

On December 30, 2004, we loaded up the car and started our first PCS together from San Antonio, Texas, to Jacksonville, North Carolina.  I looked at Rosie and wondered what the hell I was thinking, leaving Texas.  But when you fall in love and promise to marry someone in the military, you are inevitably also promising to do a whole lotta leaving.  So, I had to leave Texas.  I cried, obviously, as we drove away.  An hour or so into the trip, Alan handed me this:

 

It's a jar of Texas.  He gathered limestone and dirt and huisache branches and stuck it in a jar for me to "take a little bit of Texas" with me wherever we went.  I cried some more, obviously.  I thought it was a nice gesture, but honestly I didn't think that much of it.  A few months later, we got married and he deployed for seven long months, plunging me into the military life.  I looked at the jar a lot at first, but eventually became distracted enough to not really think about it much.  But today, we are celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary and I thought about that jar.  I still have it.  It's a little shaken and stirred and not quite as perfectly arranged as when he gave it to me, but that's because it's been packed in boxes and moved from place to place, as our life has moved.  It is a perfect representation of our life.  We've been shaken and moved, turned upside down and stirred, and sometimes little pieces crumble.  We've lived together in five different states and two countries.  We've added three kids to the mix, and encountered numerous challenges.  But we've stuck it out in our little jar, not letting the elements of life wash us away.  We've made every effort to protect what we have and we've sealed it off.  I quite think we deserve a pat on the back!  Nine years and counting...I miss Texas every day, but I wouldn't trade this life for anything.  Protect the things you love with great strength, people.  If that glass jar had been thinner, think of how easily it would have broken.  

The Back Story

In honor of Frozen Release Day (Seriously, it's a day marked on our calendar - my kids knew I had pre-ordered the DVD to be delivered today and they sat watching out the front door until the mailman delivered it), I'll share a little bit about our trip to Disney World.  You may have seen some of the pictures on Facebook, but I have a few exclusives for you blog-readers.  Cause your special. 

For starters, here's a picture of the beaut we drove with 8 passengers from Greenville, NC down to Orlando:

 

 

Just kidding.  But how awesome is Adam's pose?  In the first picture he's raising hell because he wanted a picture by himself.  Then, we got the second gem.  Here's what we really took on the 11-hour trek:

 

 

Speaking of 11-hour treks - have you ever gone on an 11-hour road trip overnight?  We had done it once before with the kids when the twins were about 9 months old.  I never wanted to do it again and I really didn't want to do it this time.  It's just so much work to drive when you have kids still in car seats.  But I was out-voted.  It wouldn't have been as much of a problem if we would have been able to adequately prepare for it.  Take a nap during the day.  But nope.  See, we had to first drive the 5 hours down to Greenville, then there was no napping with four crazy-happy cousins running around.  So by the time we left, I was already tired and we hadn't even left the neighborhood.  Anyway, it started out fine, until we had to stop for gas.  Believe me, you do not want to stop for gas anywhere off I-95 in South Carolina or Georgia in the middle of the night.  You just don't know what you'll see, and you definitely don't want your children seeing it, and sometimes you aren't even sure you'll get out of there alive.  Seriously.  We saw boobs.  I was miserable the entire time and by the time we made it to just outside of Orlando and decided to stop for breakfast, I was so tired I was nauseous.  Thankfully, we had the foresight not to plan to go to a park that day (it was also Daytona 500 day, so that was a convenient reason to hang out at the hotel and watch the race).   Too bad the race was rain-delayed for like 6 hours and by the time it restarted we had passed out from exhaustion and Alan missed Dale Jr winning.  I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered that I said I didn't want to drive and he didn't listen.  So we woke up the next morning to lots of celebratory texts.

 

Here are some highlights from the trip.  Here is Anaya riding Thunder Mountain with Robert, Catherine and Pierce.  Brave girl.  Alan had already taken Audie to do something else because, bless his heart, he wasn't quite 40" tall (this really did break my heart the entire week - that his twin sister got to ride Soarin', but he didn't - and yes, we tried boosting his feet).  So the rest of us hopped in line, but at the last minute, Adam chickened out and I had to stay behind with him.  Not Anaya, though, she went!  'Atta girl! 

 

Here is Anaya telling Snow White that Rapunzel is her favorite princess, which Snow White took in stride, telling her that she liked Rapunzel too and that sometimes she helps her brush her hair and it takes three hours.

 

 

 

This was hilarious.  It's kind of long, but there are so many awesome moments I couldn't clip it.  It's the Incredibles Dance Party.  Alan and I took all the kids while Catherine and Robert rode Space Mountain.  Then they took the kids to the Space Ranger ride while Alan and I rode.  Here are the kids busting some moves:

 

Another awesome moment:  Here is Audie touching the Green Army Man to prove to the others that he's not real, he's plastic...

 

 

Here, Adam is pushing Buzz's red button:

 

 

What I didn't get a picture of was what happened next.  Buzz acted as though Adam had just turned him off.  He slumped over and dropped everything he was holding and just froze until Adam figured out what he had done and pushed the button to turn him back on.  It was fantastic.  Kuddos to that Buzz for being creative and for taking his role seriously!

 

 One day we went to Universal Studios Orlando and Alan and Catherine got excited about meeting Doc from Back to the Future:

 

While at Universal, we saw the character that we unanimously agreed we would want to be:

 

Awesome. 

 One day, while we were at Hollywood Studios, a pilot was doing a little sky-writing:

 

While at Epcot, I decided to take a selfie with my glass of wine:

 

But Robert thought I was holding my phone out taking a picture of him, so he was doing this while I was taking my selfie:

 

Meanwhile, Anaya had wandered off to talk to this nice man. 

 

She was telling him that her Daddy's name was "Alan!  Alan!  Alan!"  If you haven't seen this video, do it now or you won't get why this was hilarious.  She was in a mood.  Here, I have no idea what she was telling Princess Aurora, but it must have been good.

 

 

Later, we caught her dancing:  

Finally, this is a great one of all the kids, but Audie in particular.  I don't think he knows what Stitch is and whether or not he bites.

 

 

Of course, we have the standard Disney and Universal shots, too, but where's the fun in that?  I like a photo with a back story.  Here are some good ones, though:

 

Then, we loaded up in the white stallion and headed home.  Anaya puked on the way home, which was awesome.  Did I mention how I didn't want to drive?  Then, she did it again the next day, as we drove back to DC from NC.  If you read my previous post, then you know what happens next...

 

All in all, I think we can chalk one up in the "W" column.  The kids had an awesome time hanging out with their cousin at Disney World and we made lots of memories.  Isn't that what it's all about?

 

God bless y'all!