2010 Time to Blossom Young Women's Conference Highlight Video

Debbie Forrest and I came up with the idea to do a Young Women's Conference last June (2009). I have spent everyday since working 40 or 50 hours a week on it. It has been the hugest thing I have ever attempted in my life!!! Lots of work but so rewarding:) Debbie compared it to planning 5 wedding receptions at once. I think that is an understatement!

We had 250 girls and 21 counselors June 14-18 staying at the Mesa Hilton. We had lots of speakers with spiritual and inspiring messages, plus service and fun.

I am working on an hour highlight video right now and viewing all the footage of our event. I really believe we did change lives. The girls left with so much confidence and that was so beautiful to see. They actually blossomed:)

Whew....what a year!

What are We Waiting For?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

I am a big believer in dreaming big. Sometimes my dreams of changing the world, helping women or finding purpose and meaning in what I do gets some snickers but I don't care. I would rather dream big dreams.

This quote sums up my feelings pretty well.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."-- Theodore Roosevelt

Today is the day to take action on something you have said you want to do someday. It only has to be a phone call or google search but take a little action to move yourself forward one of your dreams:)

Naomi Judd

I enjoyed reading Naomi's Breakthrough Guide. Naomi Judd is such a sweet, unpretentious woman. After high school, life got really rough for her. This is page 24 of her book.
In that moment of truth in front of the mirror, I saw that I was more than a battered face; my life had a greater meaning than the choices I'd been making up to that point. I began to see that choices are sacred. God created us and gives us the opportunities to make choices. This means that we can become cocreators with God in deciding our future.
I didn't fully realize it then, but I've since come to understand that there is an invisible, spiritual world. As we make inspired, conscious choices, we're opening up to infinite possibilities.
There was another Mirror of Truth the night of my beating. Behind the front desk at the sheriff's station where I went to seek help was a two-way mirror. I could see only myself, but on the other side was an invisible source of help and support. I found this out only a few weeks later when I took Wynonna's Brownie troop on a field trip to the station.
So it is true with God. He is always there, invisible but all knowing and available for us to turn to.

This is now one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it!!!!!!

"If I Were Brave" by Jana Stanfield

I just bought this song off of Itunes. I liked it so much I found a youtube video for you to enjoy too:) Have a SPECTACULAR day!!!

Are you familiar with her? I had never heard of her until last week. Is there any other songs you recommend?

J.K. Rowling Delivers Commencement Address

Author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Harvard Alumni Association June 5, 2008.

I found her sincere, humble and funny. I enjoyed listening to the path she followed. She continued to follow her passion no matter what. It was her failure that gave her courage. She said "I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive..."

If you prefer to read this 24 min. video click here:

http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html

Sunshine Acres Children's Home

There is an orphanage close to my home. I had heard about it but had never gone to visit. Yesterday my mother took me there to meet her high school friend Priscilla. Her parents are the ones who started this children’s home called Sunshine Acres. All these years I had pictured these children having a really sad life with a bleak future. What a surprise to find out the opposite was true. It was one of the most special places I have ever visited!
It was not hopeless at all. These 70 children have a pool, church, library, doctors office, mechanic shop, wood working shop, computers, horses, pool tables, and big screen TV’s. More importantly the people taking care of them are loving dedicated people. There are about 15 kids per home which have permanent house parents in each one. The kids each share a room that is model home perfect and they keep the entire place spotless! I couldn’t believe it. Each room in each home was neat, clean, smelled good and felt good.
This part really blew me away. There was nothing on the counters in bathrooms, nothing out and not a bed unmade. She said that a design team had come in and decorated the houses for a total cost of $374.000. I’m talking, these home were NICE! The furniture was donated by model homes. It was humbling to think that a children’s home was nicer, and cleaner than my own.
What also blew me away was the fact that nobody knew we were coming and we went in home after home and looked in the bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas and there was not a thing out of place. The only way I could tell that any people lived there was a graduation gown out with an honors award by it.
When I am cleaning to make my home look this perfect, my kids always ask who’s coming over? Hmm

She told us story after story of the miracles that have happened there. Including a story when there was a huge drop in temperature and the children were cold. A lady dropped off 30 blankets in the middle of a storm and disappeared. (The exact number they needed) She was their angel. It felt so good in the houses I wanted to move in myself. They call it their miracle in the desert. Priscilla said in all the years of running Sunshine Acres, they have never once sent out a letter asking for money. She said everything is always provided. In the early years, the State put kids in and out of the home on a whim. She said that one 13 year old girl made her home there and the State came in and made her move to Phoenix. She cried and screamed when they took her away and later attempted suicide. After hearing this, Pricilla’s dad said he will never take State money again and they will never take anymore of their kids away. Children can come to Sunshine Acres for any reason and stay as long as they want, including when they go to college. The people working there are good, good people doing an amazing service. She said they have had more than 1500 children live there through the years. Pricilla’s sister said she came to help out as a house parent for six weeks and she has stayed for the past 48 years. These people are as good as gold.
The couple that started Sunshine Acres had a dream of helping kids. They didn’t know how it would turn out, but they had passion and hope. Priscilla’s mother was called Aunt Vera by all the kids and was the best storyteller around. They have a picture of her 4 months before she died with all the kids gathered around listening to her tell stories. Next to it are her words, “Don’t worry about anything but pray for everything”.
I came away wanting to do more. What a wonderful life it must be to work around good people, working for a good cause. The people there were the real deal. I met many of them and they were all like family. I could see why. One lady I met at their Thrift shop had been a house mom for 19 years.
Priscilla was proud to tell me of the accomplishments the children made and who they had become today. She said when some of them show up they had never slept in a bed. They were given a beautiful room and bed, and would still find them curled up on the floor. They even have a school on the premises to help the children catch up so they can go to public school. I guess you can see what an impact this all had on me. I am inspired to do more.
We and our children are so blessed. Thank goodness there are special people in the world that rise to the call, and help children. These people are the angels. This place is truly a miracle in the desert. Thanks to all the Aunt Vera’s, for leaving the world a better place than they found it. I hope we can too!
There website is http://sunshineacres.org/index.php

Wendy Soderman is an Amazing Crusader

I heard Wendy Soderman tell her story on the Bob Proctor Cruise last year. Her story helps people know that they can do anything, if they have enough passion.
Wendy faces her challenges head on and turns them into gifts for the world. If you are in the education profession in anyway, you have to read about the school she has created. I hope someday every child in the world has a chance to get an education this way. Her school is positive and beautiful, not only that, her students learn faster and gain a total education, as well as, self esteem.
Her schools blow public school education out of the water in every way, including test scores, and she is a hero in her community.
She got started when she couldn't find a preschool that would take her wheelchair bound son. Instead of giving up she started her own. She loved her school so much that when her son began to out grow the preschool she started an elementary school. She has a preschool, Ideal Elementary School and Dream Middle School.

Check out the pictures of her school. I wish an artist could come and paint every child's school this way.
http://www.jcforms.com/idealphotoalbum/idealphotos.htm

About her schools http://www.dreamideal.com

Bob Proctor from "The Secret"

I went on a cruise with Bob Proctor to the Mexican Riviera. The entire ship was filled with speakers, coaches, authors etc. I went to classes most of the day for a week. I was in heaven!!! I met so many like minded people. The ship was full of positive energy.
I own nearly everything Bob has published. He has a great message and he makes a lot of sense.
Here is a youtube video of him teaching how to shift your paradigm.
http://youtu.be/Urun_rE79_Q

Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul

I heard Mark Victor Hansen speak several times and he was amazing. He really caused me to think much bigger. He has huge goals to help change the world.

His book, Dreams Don't have Deadlines helped me to realize it is never too late to follow your dreams.

Dream Big

This is me in 5th grade. I was dreaming big dreams even then. Look at what a grand snowman my brother and I made with no snow on the ground. That was dreaming big!

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."-- Theodore Roosevelt

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Dr. Robert Schuller