Chapters

Monday morning, I snuck out for a little alone time to enjoy a Chick-Fil-A biscuit and a pumpkin spice latte before we started our first Whole30 on Tuesday. As I was sitting at City Park, sipping on my coffee, it struck me how momentous the Tuesday after Labor Day has been in my life lately.

Eight years ago (well, eight years of Tuesdays-after-Labor-Day), marks the day I started at Southeastern Seminary. Fresh out of college, with a journalism degree and a summer job that was more "fun" than "fund," I got invited to come interview at SEBTS for a position that sounded right up my alley. When I arrived for my interview, the team quickly cut to the chase and challenged me to a game of SPIG, or Speed PIG, on the office basketball hoop. I won, and I was hooked. I worked there two months shy of four years.

Four years ago (four Tuesdays after Labor Day), I started working at a new job in a new state. It was my first day at Ashford, and though it was super short-lived (although 8 months was a lifetime there!), it marked a new chapter - life in Colorado.

This Tuesday after Labor Day, I began another new chapter in my life. It seemed only fitting that four years after Ashford, and eight years after Southeastern, I'd have another "career change" of sorts. I received word Monday afternoon that my photography site was (unwittingly) in violation of a trademarked name of another photographer here in Denver. And so has begun the process of taking down all of my photography-related sites and social media, and trying to come up with a new name.

Lately, I've been trying to figure out priorities and what I want to devote my time to. As I write this, I have two littles demanding my attention - one trying to bite his sister's toy and the sister trying to type on the computer with me. Obviously, being a good wife and mom is first priority. After that, how do I decide what to devote my time to? Essential oils, which I love and believe in and am passionate about? Photography, which I sometimes enjoy but doesn't feel like a perfect fit? Writing, which is my gifting and passion, but hasn't been a money-maker since I left Southeastern?

I've had several irons in the fire, and recently began writing a book, as if I needed another project. Is it possible to be good at several things, or should I focus only on one? These are the thoughts I've been wrestling with the last month. I've heard it takes 10,000 hours to become great at something. Who has that kind of time these days? Between kids, cooking, housework, church, life...how do I decide where to invest my time and energy?

With that said, I've been trying to come up with a business name that is all-encompassing for this next chapter of life. Something that can grow as I grow - creatively, business-wise, etc. Any brilliant ideas? Due to the nature of A's job, I'd prefer to avoid using our last name. The Oily Lens, Soma Creatives, The Lavender Lens...all ideas I've had and trashed. Soooo - give me your best suggestions, and meanwhile, I would covet your prayers for direction in this new chapter of life!

Why I Talk About Essential Oils

About a year ago, I was introduced to essential oils. Like any bad introduction, not much was told to me about oils or this oil in particular. It left me feeling....awkward. I was told this oil would help me feel strong and courageous. I was about 7 months pregnant, so courage wasn't high on the priority list. What I wanted was help with swollen feet, heartburn, feeling gigantic and SLEEPING. I wish a proper introduction had been made, for it might have saved me a lot of issues and time.

Fast forward several months, and a different friend posted about how that SAME OIL helped with her husband's snoring! I figured my husband would like it if I stopped snoring (and crazy-talking in my sleep, but that's for another day). So began my relationship with Young Living essential oils. I started researching what they were, what they did and how I could get my hands on some. Like a good little (ex)journalist, I wanted to get to the bottom of the story, so I researched for mooooonths.

Back in April, I finally ordered my starter kit. The day it arrived, I had what I am pretty sure was strep. Fever of 103, swollen glands, sore throat. I was miserable. When my oils arrived, I began ingesting them, putting them on my neck and throat, diffusing them into the air...and by Saturday (3 days later), I was golden. Granted, I was also a little cranky and detoxing, due to the overkill on how much I used right off the bat, but the fever, sore throat, swollen glands were all gone. Since then, I've been getting more and more familiar with the oils that came in the starter kit. We're learning how to replace medicines with oils, treat common things more naturally and I'm loving it. Call me Granola Girl ;) (But don't, because compared to other Denverites about as non-granola as they come!)

So, just as an idea of some things to do with the kit oils and an introduction to what comes in the kit, here are a few of the things I have used oils for the last month:

• Stress Away: This, combined with lavender, is like "lights out" for us. Also great in a bath when you get threatened with a lawsuit or find yourself snapping at your husband for no reason....hypothetically.
• Lemon: Good for detoxing your body and/or weight loss. I put it on my swollen glands and also drink it in some water to help detox.
• Purification: Put it on scrapes and cuts on my hands. I put some in my face cream to help clear up acne. I've also diffused it to make the air in the house fresher.
• Frankincense: LOVE THIS. It's good for skin issues, so I put it on a sun spot on my face and in my cream that I am applying to my post-baby belly stretch marks.
• Joy: Put it over your heart or in an Epsom salts bath.
• Peace & Calming: A looooot of people find this helps them sleep. For me, it jazzed me up a little. I prefer to put it in an Epsom salts bath to help relax.
• PanAway: Super pain oil! (PanAway/PainAway). This helps kill aches and pains!
• Peppermint: I use this a ton. It's great for bringing down fevers (I heavily diluted it and put a drop on Selah. It brought her fever down 3 degrees in 40 minutes). It also works wonders on headaches and migraines for me. When I start to wean Selah, I can apply it to my chest to help dry up the milk supply.
• Lavender: A MUST-HAVE for us. This was the one that hooked us for sleeping! We put a little lavender on our wrists before bedtime and sleep like rocks. It's also great for cuts, itching, bug bites.
• Valor: Lessens my snoring!! I put it on my big toe and instead of a gargling freight train, Adrian reports that it's a nice soft heavy breathing :)
• Thieves: My favorite. Hands down. This one killed my strep, attacks Adrian's colds and I put a drop on my toothpaste every morning to help freshen breath, kill illnesses and whiten teeth. The other day, Adrian asked me if I had used my Thieves. I hadn't (it was packed for a trip!). He said he could tell a difference in my breath having not used it a day.

Thus far, I have made a "night night mix" for us with lavender, carrier oil and the Stress Away. I made creams with coconut oil, frankincense and lavender for Adrian's mom and aunt. I added Purification to mine and use it on my stomach and face. I made a pain cream for A's dad with coconut oil, PanAway, peppermint and Valor. He texted me last night and said he could hardly finish a walk because of knee pain, but within 30 seconds of putting the pain cream on, he was feeling good! We diffuse lemon, lavender and peppermint for allergies. I'm going to start the "weight loss trio" which is lemon, peppermint and grapefruit. 

So, I am hooked, to say the least. I'm really excited to order more on Friday! I'll be getting some cedarwood for sleep (and hair regrowth for Adrian...shhhh), Progessence Plus to manage my migraines and hormones, more Thieves, orange and grapefruit!

Sorry if this sounded like a sales pitch. After months of researching and my husband being super skeptical, I was soooo excited to find that the oils actually worked for us for really practical things. If you have an issue you're trying to find a solution to, let me know. I'd love to research and help you find an oil that addresses that, you know, because I'm a stay-at-home-mom with a ton of time on my hands ;) But for real, just wanted to share some of the really practical ways that YL oils have helped us! I'm going to be doing a couple classes in June (in TN and CO), so if you're interested, come to one of those and let's chat!