Like most little boys, my husband loved dirt, rocks, trucks and heavy equipment. He just never grew out of it I guess.  (And I'm quite sure my son will grow up to be like him.)  My husband, bless his heart, has always been a hard worker.

After working for his brother for many years, he decided since he would be  supporting a new family, that it was time to start his own Landscape Construction business. At the time, the economy was really going good in the Seattle area, and he was blessed to be working as a subcontractor for his brother and another high end builder right from the get go. 

 

Some of his jobs would last several months at a time as they worked on multi-million dollar homes together. And while he was out creating and executing exquisite landscape designs that included magnificent water features, I was home  being a full time mom by then, plus handling all the administrative aspects of the business.  

Well, I don't know about you, but  the terrorist attacks of 9/11 /01 changed everything for us.  First of all, it brought me to a deeper place in my faith and how I lived it each day.  I had become a Christian when  I was a teenager, but I can honestly say I hadn't lived like one for most of those years. I knew I needed to change, especially for my child's sake, and I believe that the tragedy was the catalyst for me to get my life right with God. And so I did. 

 

After 9/11, it seemed like it didn't take long before the economy took a beating.   The  high end builder we were a subcontractor for basically went out of business overnight because all of their  clients  backed out of contracts totaling millions of dollars in work for them. Those contracts would have meant over  5 years worth of work for us. This situation obviously left us  high and dry as well.   My husband, bless his heart,  still went out everyday, seeking clients and more work, but there just wasn't  much work available to sustain us for very long.  

 

In the mean time, we tapped out every resource we could get our hands on;  our retirement savings, life insurance, credit cards, and loans from family members. It's not that we lived a lavish lifestyle, it was just that the business overhead was huge with all of the employees, equipment and liability insurance. Needless to say, we quickly sank into a tremendous amount of debt, which included back taxes. Believe me, you don't want to get behind on your taxes!

It wasn't long before  we knew we had to take drastic measures, so in April of 2003 we began putting EVERYTHING up for sale, including our home.  

 

In June of 2003 my husband came here to Montana to do a job for his brother in law that is in the construction business.  What started out as a 2 week project turned into 5 months of work. It was a very hard time, but it was a huge blessing as well. His work kind of kept us a float for a while longer while the house was up for sale. But unfortunately, it was a little too late.

After being on the market for months with no offers,  our  home was foreclosed on, and the business vehicles and all of the equipment were repossessed and went to auction. In November of 2003 we were forced to officially shut down the business and my husband took a job working for his brother in law.

As difficult as it was, I can honestly say we had a "peace that passes understanding" through it all. Because we knew that  God had another plan for us. And that plan meant packing up and moving here to Montana .  We arrived here just days before 1 1/2 feet of snow fell. Now that was good timing! Or maybe I should say that was God's good timing. 

 

To say it was an easy adjustment to make, would be an understatement, because  it was extremely difficult especially in the beginning. We were (and still are) basically living in the middle of the forest, 20 miles from a small town, with no friends and very little family around us. To add insult to injury  my husband got pneumonia right after we got here and  he had to take 2 (unpaid) weeks off work. Poor guy. But from what I have been told he actually recovered quite quickly. 

 

I believe he recovered quickly due to our faith,  prayer and by taking a product called Transfer Factor Plus (tm) from 4Life Research. As a family, we have been taking the Transfer Factor Plus since 2001 because it is the most SAFE, effective and scientifically researched nutriceutical product on the market. And it's been proven to boost the immune system by up to 437%. That's HUGE don't you think? You know what you are without an immune system don't you? That's right... dead. 

Oh by the way, even my 104 year old Grandma takes Transfer Factor too and doesn't she look great?

 

 

So, I guess you could call me a Health Enthusiast! I research and read up on as much as I come when it comes to health and wellness done the more natural way. I really love learning new things ,  writing about them and even trying new products to enhance health and wellness of my family  and I love sharing that information with others.

 

My passion is truly  to help others achieve optimal health, in mind, body and spirit, and to help them escape the bondage of anxiety and stress and all of the problems those things can cause. I  really believe this can be achieved in  a matter of months, and years, NOT decades.

 

Because I am committed to getting in the best shape (physically, mentally and financially) of my life, and helping others do that as well,  I have  partnered  with Team Beachbody.  It is SO much FUN! If you could use a little help or encouragement in losing weight and getting and staying in shape as well, please let me know. It would be an honor for me help you out.

 

 

That takes us to Chapter Six - Lions and Bears and Moose, OH MY