Born Free

The chicken hoarding husband and I just returned back from the Hawaii Island of Oahu. While our hotel was on the famous Waikiki strip, we never once put our feet in the water there. We rented a jeep and headed up North stopping along the way to see many of the breathtaking sites.

Our first day out exploring we stopped along some beautiful cliffs and snapped some photos before taking a dip in the Ocean in the vicinity of Kaiona Beach Park. It was amazing, but for myself just taking a dip was not enough. I wanted to challenge myself, and challenge myself I did indeed.

The next day, Sunday, the hubs and I rented some snorkel gear from a place near Shark's cove. We walked a bit to the beach at 3 tables and my first snorkeling adventure began.

Now, there's many things going against me at the time. The fear of not being able to swim well since my wreck, claustrophobia from the mask, learning to breath out of the mouth part, and the fact I'm about to take a swim in waters that may or may not have sharks.

You can only imagine the hysterics Super Dave had to put up with, but he was great and it turned out to be a wonderful experience for the both of us.


First things first, I gotta get my flippers wet right? Well not so fast...the tide coming in swept me off my unstable legs and my fear and anxiety worsened. Luckily there was a very kind woman who scooped me up and helped me adjust my gear. So with a death grip on Dave we were off.

It's amazing what happens when you put those flippers on. They help ya float. I couldn't believe the ease of it, but I still held tight to my mr.

After about 10 minutes of getting the hang of it I was off on my own, with David in close proximity. I could not believe my eyes. My heart was filled with so much gratitude towards what my Heavenly Father has created for us. The ocean, a mystical place that He has created for His beautiful sea life.

I'm not even sure how long we snorkeled for. It did wear my legs out, which in reality was a great workout for them.

After that day, I was addicted. I've found a new hobby, a new adventure, a new something that my husband and I could do together.

We snorkeled in 4 more locations during the trip. Electric beach where we came across a pod of dolphins and swam with a sea turtle. Then we ventured up to Turtle bay where the coral is amazing in hues of neon yellow and purple.

The last spot was by far our favorite and what's so funny is David was mad because he wanted to go back to shark's cove, but I demanded we visit Sunset Beach, and boy did his attitude change once we got in the water. The wildlife was amazing to say the least and the numerous underwater caves were gorgeous homes to sea life of all kinds. We snorkeled out very far that day, and David was quiet surprised. I tried to explain it to him, since he really thought I was going to be scared out of my mind.

While in the water surrounded by all the things God has created it was very freeing to me. I did not have to be reminded that my hip is bad or that I am not 100%. It aroused emotions in me that I didn't even know I had. It was an experience where I learned things about myself and it was even a bonding experience with my spouse. I knew he was there with me, if I needed him.

Our last night in Hawaii we went to Paradise Cove and had a luau with my fellow Scentsy Sisters. It was a beautiful experience. At one point in the evening they played a traditional wedding song and dance where couples got up and danced. David and I danced with our feet in the sand and the ocean to our side. I couldn't help the tears that began rolling down my face. I had one of the most amazing weeks of my life with my husband. I saw things and visited places that just 2 years ago were what I thought completely out of reach for me. I was so full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for creating such a beautiful earth, and grateful to Scentsy for giving me the opportunity to earn this trip.

I'm not sure when or if I'll ever be able to visit the island of Oahu again, but I do know there is a piece of my heart that will forever be there.

This gal is headed West!

This small town girl is heading West alright....straight across the Pacific to Hawaii!!! I'm so ready to celebrate accomplishments I never dreamed I could achieve.

It's amazing what your body, mind and spirit can overcome when you literally hit rock bottom in every aspect unexpectedly. I know a lot of people won't or can't understand it, but I am so grateful to Scentsy for helping me through some of my darkest hours.

After my wreck, which left me in a wheelchair for several months struggling to learn to walk again i fell into a deep depression. I physically hurt all the time, I was an emotional basket case, and financially...lets just say there was major room for improvement.

My whole family made every effort to help me through my trials, but i had to literally experience the personal accomplishment for myself before there was any improvement on my self worth. That's when Scentsy came into play. I challenged myself and slowly began to set small goals and then bigger goals to help improve our financial situation, and you know what? I started improving myself.

I feel like a completely different person than I was a little over 2 years ago. I've gone from a frumpy, moody 29 year old Scentsy selling mom of 4, to a new improved (some would say alter ego) "Wickless Wonder Woman" who loves life, and does what she sets her mind too.

I will always be grateful to this company and the people who have built it....I've gained so much that money cannot buy. While I am headed on a free trip to Hawaii that I worked hard for to earn, it is so much more than that, and I cannot express my gratitude for what this company has done for my soul. I will never be able to thank Orville and Heidi Thompson, along with their team enough.