Step one: Bus progress

I know, you are on pins & needles waiting to see progress on the bus! well, here we go!
As you know, the week we brought the bus home we took those seats out. (technically step one)

Thursday last week Jake & Madi pulled up the flooring to reveal the subfloor, (metal floor)

Last night we put on a coat of rust-stop and today Bryan & Wes are taking windows out....

It is progress!

Dilemma : What to do about a MIG welder, and how to situate the 400lb. generator!

Dream YOUR Dream!

Saturday, May 15, 2010
Living with purpose. For over a year I have been reading, studying and learning about success. About what makes some successful and others languish in poverty. I have found and learned immensely in the past year, WHAT makes others successful, and I struggled with what I needed to accomplish to considered myself successful. I searched, prayed, and analyzed. All in the effort to learn how to become happy & productive.

When I had thought about what I wanted to achieve, and how I would look at myself on the day of my passing, what I would want others to think or say of me, it had nothing to do with money, it had nothing to do with weight, or fame, or wealth.

I was surprised, as I am hard wired for business ideas, I have created and run business since I was 6 years old. I love to create, and I love to provide a valuable service to others. I also enjoy seeing my efforts pay off, incidentally that typically means I am amassing wealth to credit my worth.
And then one morning I remained in bed, wondering if this, redundant and repetitive life I was living was it. Was there nothing more, was all my energy to be used in the daily tasks to just remain in the same system I had been in for the past 15 years? I thought I was gong about it all wrong.
Honestly I don’t care about wealth, I do not care about material things, they have never brought me joy, peace or happiness, I care about people. I love to be around people, I love to meet, speak, and learn from others. And my paradigm shifted, I was surprised that there was not an earthquake, or galactic shift in the stars. My thoughts and efforts WERE futile, I was going about my life mission all backwards. My life mission was to be a PHILANTHROPIST , to care for, love and serve the human race. I had been scheming of a business to support my philanthropic goals for YEARS…
When this thought sank in, I realized all my efforts were futile, because my energies were to be spent serving others, and the way , path and methods of this would automatically shift so that I may serve this purpose. My money, and my needs would be met so long as I was serving my SOUL PURPOSE.



In the 45 days since I have made this discovery, I have been able to MOVE MOUNTAINS. I have overcome my fear of failure, I have formulated a plan, seen miracles wrought in achieving the goals, and had energy & vitality each day as I anticipate the changes and actions to live my SOUL PURPOSE.

What a difference it has made. I wanted to let you all know that you were sent here for a mission, your may not be the same as mine, you may not find peace, energy & passion in serving as I do, that is OK, that does not make you better, nor does it make you worse.
What DOES matter is that you seek out your SOUL PURPOSE, (mind you that is not SINGULAR) it means what SINGS TO YOUR HEART, what exhilarates you when you consider achieving a task, goal or dream… find your Soul’s Purpose, it is unique, and only YOU can achieve it .

LIVE the life you dream of… Follow what you know to be your PASSION, do not hesitate because of all the road blocks, obstacles and hardships that may or may not block your path. As you keep your eye on the goal, the speed-bumps will work themselves out. Don’t take your eye off your dream. As you focus on the END, the piddly and minute details of today will work themselves out. The way will be made available, and the problems will work them selves out.

DO IT NOW.
WRITE IT DOWN
DREAM YOUR DREAM!

Kansas City Temple Ground breaking

What a day! We were able to witness the ground breaking of the Kansas City Temple, it is going to be beautiful!

Hope shines bright! what a beautiful sight!


photos courtesy of www.perfectionimages.com our good friend Matt.. he is ONE talented Photographer!

6 years... and counting

6 years ago we started this blog (me & that sweet little bird on my shoulder)

We lived in Homer Alaska. That was a memorable time in our lives, we had 4 daughters in hockey, Wes was flying in his first real aviation job (not counting his stint as a flight instructor) We have no regrets from moving from Utah to Alaska. We had the time of our lives!

I got pregnant with our 5th child, whom we referred to lovingly as "buckets" up until the day he was born.

We left Alaska, and a part of our hearts in Homer April of 2006. Wes stayed behind as his job was stable and we felt that as soon as we were settled he could transfer jobs and join the family.

We arrived in Utah, spent time with family, and then in June of 2006, we packed up our VW van, and went looking for our Promised Land. We saw; Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, and finally landed in MIssouri. The Lord tenderly cared for our needs, we met a Home school family that needed a house-sitter, we took care of their beautiful home for 9 months, this enabled us to get out of consumer debt, and formulate a plan. Wes would start looking right away for work, so that he could be home every night. His current schedule took him away from the family for 18 days at a time. I thought that as he had a son, the motivation to be home regularly would push him to leave Alaska.

Our son was born into our hands, in the home of a ward member, who graciously provided a safe, secure & gentle entry for our First home birth.

Zeke brought our count to 5 kids.... and he is a joy!

Two more years we spent in MIssouri, looking for "the House" and "The Spot of Land" to no avail, Wes felt drawn to the Far West temple site; I felt drawn to live somewhere we would not be spending all our time and money fixing up forever....

We finally signed on the construction loan and began building a home.

Some days, especially in the Winter, I would be drug back down into depression (the original reason we left Alaska) As I felt my life had little meaning, Every day felt like the movie "ground-hog day" redundant, meaningless, monotonous.

I began studying, reading, learning all I could about my passions: Birth & Volunteer work. I dreamed of the day that I could devote my time in these ventures, I knew that as my children grew older I would find the opportunity to study midwifery formally, and become the full-time philanthropist I dreamed of. Someday my ship would come in, and I would be enabled to serve.

One of the books I read sparked a desire to search out the options of living my life dreams now, not waiting for another 18 years....

After reading books and researching for 4 years, I had an "ah-Ha" moment.

My role as a Mother (being my highest priority) was to lead, teach, and encourage my children to fulfill their Earthly Missions.
What better way to do this, than to create opportunities WITH my children to grow, serve & study. I began including my kids in my studies, teaching them what I was learning, even if Midwifery was not Their passion ;)
I hope that as they saw me peruse my life mission, it would give them permission to admit their dreams, and together we could formulate a plan to live out their dreams.

Thus we enter the phase of Life I am currently in.....

Not waiting....

Not wishing....

Finding SOlutions

Creating Opportunities

and Living my passions....

We bought the 1994 Blue Bird Bus... it is on its way to becoming a traveling dream-catcher . In it we will: travel and learn about our Government, our history, and our native culture.

We will Explore new cultures, we will meet new people, we will teach them, that they too have permission to live their Dreams.

My children will grow up knowing that their Soul Purpose was planted in their hearts because their Creator, Their Heavenly Father Wanted them to LIVE, to DREAM, and to CREATE,

We do not have any more money today than the day we left Alaska, we have grown, we have created, and we have experienced life... we are ready for this new portion of our life, the part that reaches beyond our comfort zone, That sees opportunities, Pray for answers, see the possibility and RUNS with it.... not Saunter,

not Walk

RUN

RUN

Run


We have a timeline:

MAY: Spend our efforts on Selling of our excess, trimming the fat on our spending, and creating income to support our Agenda. Learn Spanish.....
JUNE:Work our tails off, Rent our house, Drive to Utah for a Wedding.Learn Spanish..... PASSPORTS for Kids.
JULY: Work the entire Month in Nauvoo Earning the money that will support us during our BUS Extravaganza. Study Spanish....
August: Traveling, Visiting Family, Continue in earning money. Study Spanish....
SEPTEMBER: Finish the prep on the BUS , and prepare to CROSS THE BORDER....
OCTOBER: Make a pit stop (surprise to the kids) In California
NOVEMBER: Set up Camp In Guatemala ... Volunteer, Garden, Build, Work in the Clinics .... FULL TIME Service...
DECEMBER: Belize and R&R
JANUARY: Head North.... Depending on our success in Central America, we may stay longer, but likely we will start heading back and prepare to create our future.... Possibilities are endless..... Who Knows how, or what we will do.... All i Know is

LIFE .... Will never be the same....

Estimated Costs: $15,000.00

Two Giant Leaps!

MY Craigslisting soliciting help...


Our family is following our dream of serving others in far away places. We are planning on traveling to Central America this fall, along with another family, to help whomever will let us serve them for a few months. We aren't rich, but we believe that where there is a will, there is a way. Right now, we are in the process of renovating a 1994 Blue Bird school bus that we will convert into an RV and we are in need of the following items:
We appreciate any & all you have to offer!

Gray water & Clean water Holding tanks(may need custom sizes to fit undercarriage)
Generator
AC units
Upholstery for seating
Bedding (4 twin mattresses, and one queen) foam for twin beds 30" wide
Electrical Wiring
Converter from AC to DC
Linoleum
Ply wood 3/4"
Insulation
Auto paint
Cabinet hardware (hinges, knobs glides)
Deep cycle batteries
Water pump
Water heater
RV Toilet
Kitchen sink
bathroom sink
Solid wood doors(we can retro fit)
Foam for cushions
(2) 50 gallon propane tanks
RV Fridge
Propane Stove/range
Wood of any type that can be used for building cabinets/cupboards/bunkbed frames/sub-flooring/moulding/trim/framing walls/etc.
Paint
Laminate for countertops
Tile
Shower/tub combo walls
Screws, nails, glue, insulation

There are many other items, but this is what I am sure we need right now. Any help will be greatly appreciated. We are going to be starting up a blog and part of that will include pictures of those who have donated with their items, along with the end product and the travel log of our service trip to Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Costa Rica. The overall goal is to show that when we choose to serve unselfishly, we are blessed with what we need, when we need it.

So far, we have had many who have wanted to donate to our cause. We are amazed at the amount of love that is out there. We are in the process of starting up a nonprofit organization, and will hopefully have this up and running before the year is done. Part of our journey is to figure out the areas that are in greatest need of financial, educational, and nutritional support. For now, we are just using our own family's meager savings to purchase whatever we need. We are using free, cheap, used....whatever it takes. We are selling a lot of our family's assets, and will continue to sell until we complete our mission.

When we get closer to our departure date, we will have items needed for the charities that we will be attending.



(e-mail me or text me if you would like to help out or if you have a charity in those countries that will need our service)


We had a GENEROUS offer, we now have the funds to purchase the "Shaved Ice" equipment and we are well on our way to earning & saving money so that we can successfully follow through with this project!

It was a Transfusion of FAITH , Encouragement and Enthusiasm as well.

I Thank my Heavenly Father for His generous outpouring of blessings, so that we may serve our soul purpose and mission!