Denton is a SUPER cute little town we enjoyed while staying the the Dallas area. It was about a half hour from our RV park, so after a long day of looking at motorhomes, we headed to the square for some dinner. This place got RAVE reviews online, so we decided to check it out: Cartwright's. This is the HALF order of chicken fried steak. Woah baby! We enjoyed walking the square and checking out this BEAUTIFUL museum building! We were told by a local Denton-ite that Beth Marie's was a must. Old fashioned HOMEMADE ice cream....TONS of flavor choices! After tasting several we settled on raspberry, peach, cotton candy, smores and I forget what Destiny picked. My peach was the BEST! Oh man, real chunks of peaches in there made it taste like my moms homemade ice cream she used to make back in the day. BOY was it WINDY in Texas! Like incessant, non stop blustery day. I think this Kansas girl had FORGOTTEN how bad it can get. We tried to go for a bike ride. Bad idea! Dale nearly blew away..... ;) I taught a few essential oil classes in the area for our builder, Lanya and her sweetie pie Miss Linny, and am so STINKING excited how many lives are being changed by these beautiful gifts of the earth. Vanessa drove in from Van Horn and hosted one in Andrews too. We had a nice group show up! Texas is HOT FOR OILS! Whoop whoop! Vanessa, had a birthday while we were there. Lanya and I asked her where she wanted to go, and she had ONE request: BABES! I was like, um what's a babes? You all, WOW. This pace is insane! Ok, so first of all no menus. You pick your meat: Chicken strips, bbq chicken, chicken fried steak, fried chicken or catfish. Then, they bring out all you can eat sides, family style. SO STINKING COOL! Sugar vinegar tossed salad just like great Grandma Schrock made, homemade biscuits, some kind of savory sauce green beans, creamed corn, mashed potatoes and gravy. Mm mm good! Banana Pudding for dessert. And of course they harassed Vee and made her dance like a chicken while they sang. We just love these gals so much! What a privilege to be able to cheer them on and support them as part of our job that rarely ever feels like one. God is so faithful! Speaking of CHICKEN.... I was scrolling through FB and noticed one of my friends kids had the chicken pox. I thought to myself, I'd really like for the kids to get them before they get too old. (Destiny had a mild case when she was little and Ty had a pretty decent case) Guess what showed up while we were in Texas? THE CHICKEN POX. So, previous to all this, Ty had itchy bug bites on his trunk and back, about a dozen or less and we blamed the dog, since she slept with him. I sprayed her with oils and Ty too. They bugged him a lot but went away in a few days, so we didn't give it another thought. Then the girls, who slept with Sophie, got a really really bad case of the bugs. So we stripped sheets, vacuumed the mattress, treated Sophie again with oils and the girls too. The bugs must be bigger in Texas cause boy were they were so extra itchy, right?! By the time we got home from an oils class, the girls were HEAD TO TOE covered and we realized quickly we were dealing with something else.... THE CHICKEN POX. That explained Avery's mysterious headache the day before and her eyes hurting. The girls got it the WORST, especially Avery! Oh man, head to toe dots and everywhere in-between. (ouchie) And poor Destiny. They say the older you are, the harder it is on you and I have to agree. Hers lasted by far the longest and were the BIGGEST! Pax got it last, and had the smallest pox yet, tiny dots actually. And his scabbed way faster than his sisters and again, Destiny is the last to heal up. She is still scabby on her face and body. I am actually grateful we got our natural shingles booster and the kids got this done and over with. We figure they got it at Sun N Fun when they were playing Gaga ball with all those kids every night. The gestation period is like 10 to 15 days. Our Arkansas friends begged us to come back for a Pox Party! LOL :) Do you remember those? So the secret to natural comfort care is the following: A glass spray bottle with 10 drops each doTERRA lavender, melaleuca, bergamot, eucalyptus, copaiba and a squirt of fractionated coconut oil. Fill with Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to the top. Shake and spray OFTEN! Seal in the oils with a good dose of calamine. The kids were getting relief for about 4 hours this way. On Guard and Oregano on feet bottoms as those are serious immune booster and the most powerful antiviral in nature. Do this hourly. (we set a timer) Bingo! Frank Touch Roller was for the head discomfort and body aches. And the Rose Touch was a powerful tool for those spots that were driving them NUTS! Worked well. Thank goodness for natural tools to use and what a blessing to see them get relief! About day 5 they were all getting crabby, so we brought them home a treat after class..... Some famous food truck was in the area, so we stopped to check out these famous funnel cakes. WOAH BABY! I give you Sopapilla, yum. And Cookies and Cream, yum. Oh, and while we are talking food, I want to write about Fuzzy's Tacos, so when I re read this, I remember how amazing they are! The BEST tacos. Garlic sauce on the bottom, your pick of brisket, pulled pork, chicken or beef, normal toppings PLUS FETA. Oh my cheese loving heart! We ate these tacos THREE TIMES before we left. Yes, we love food. Yes we love new food in new areas. Totally a highlight of life on the road! ;) And again, lest you think I never cook. We had an Instant Pot recipe winner. So we are doing a new thing where the kids each pick a meal, make a grocery list, shop for their items with daddy and help prepare it that night in the kitchen. Everyone felt lousy, so daddy made the meal, but it was still totally yummy! You can trade Velvetta for shredding a fresh block of cheddar with some milk added in as it melts. We added extra seasonings too like more garlic and pepper and a drop of thyme essential oil. Great immune booster! This blog is getting longer than usual, but I have already uploaded the pics so I am committed to finish the Texas run ON THIS POST, haha! Last stop in Texas was Big Spring for a class.....dry, dusty, windy west Tx - Big Spring. Good thing we have some FUN friends their to hang out with!!!!!! Sweet Mark and Vera were not scared of our "chickens", and after our class was done, invited us all back for dinner. The kids LOVE playing at their house whenever we are through, and they ADORE Mr. Marks corn on the cob, so they were THRILLED to find it was on the menu along with fall of the bone ribs, and all kinds of fixins. He grills it husk and all, then peels it and dips it in a tupperware cracker container FULL of butter. It REALLY REALLY coated and the husk thingy makes its own handle. (very technical term there) We had such a nice time! Vera even came over the next day to pick up our chicken poxy kids to play at their house an hour while Dale and I were at another class. They are PRECIOUS friends and some of our Texas doTERRA business partners! We explored the area a bit one day, when all the kids were going stir crazy and get cranky at each other. They didn't last long out there, but the sunshine felt good and it boosted their spirits. That and natural fruit pops, worked like a charm! ;) That wrapped up our time in Oil country...... DoTERRA and otherwise. ;) Time to mosey on! Bye Texas, see you next time!
Hugs, T
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Welcome to Texarkana, Texas!!! Er, Arkansas.....Texas....Arkansas. BOTH!!!!!!! Texarkana, where you can be TWO places at once! :) We were excited to meet our new and growing Texas team! We had a lovely dinner out at an AMAZING authentic local Italian joint. I was so busy stuffing my face with the best alfredo I have ever had, that I FAILED to get any photos. WAH! I did however, get some pics with Lanya and Amber. These 2 are rocking and rolling in Texarkana, and I was honored to present them with their Elite rank name tags at our first class together. Woo Hoo!! It was a full but FUN day! Am class, meet and greet, business overview and a pm class before we said our goodbyes. We pulled out the next morning to head to Dallas area. We have classes planned in Oak Point, Denton and Andrews. If you are ever in any of the areas we visit and are interested in learning about oils, please message me! I would love to meet you at class! :) I try to advertise them on our 4 little traveling Fergusons - RV Oilers FB page so you can not read about them AFTER I blog. :) And just like that it was time to head to Bonham and the Dallas area for more classes.... We got into some pretty crazy weather on our drive to Dallas area!!!!! Thank the Lord for His safety! Tornado warning, hail and crazy strong winds that started to rip our awning covers. YIKES! Dale's birthday came and went on on a busy class day, so we stole a quick date night afterwards. My favorite was the fried goat cheese balls in tomato relish. Mmm! Sunday morning, the kids planned out and made daddy a birthday breakfast and the celebration continued the whole day. We found a great place to worship in Denton and then Dale picked to eat at La Hacienda. We told the waitress it was his birthday while he was in the bathroom. Haha, he was less than impressed! ;) Next up is Dallas area classes, then back to Kansas for a while!
Hugs, T We made it as far as Arkansas before calling it a night. We found a nice RV park with a lake view! We had some visitors right away! Pax and Avery fed them grapes and bread pieces..... The kids were starving and anxious to get out of the RV, so we ran in the rain, across the street to a little catfish joint for dinner. We try not to get the car out of the trailer for short stops like this! We left early the next morning to head to Little Rock! The kids get so creative with their playdough while we travel. I love how they entertain themselves! See King Kong on the building and all the army guys below? Apparently, the mid-west is experiencing a bit of a cold snap. We have been oblivious to the weather as we laid by the pool in Florida, so this was a RUDE awakening!!!!! I am a nature girl, myself, so I found this industrial area we stayed in, interesting and different, but not beautiful. UNTIL EVENING....... The bridge was lit up so beautifully and changed colors every few seconds!!!! I LOVED IT! The next day was MUCH warmer! We explored the River Market area. It was over the bridge and down the walking path and made for a fun little outing! We read rave reviews about David's burgers, they didn't disappoint! We did something FUN before we left Florida, and I just now got after pics! (Daddy said yes.) It goes with our current goal and life theme: Go big blue! (DoTERRA BLUE Diamond that is) 💙💎 Girls are proud to match momma's blue stripes. Theirs is the entire underside! Whoop whoop! 😊And I am not dyed a Smurf color like I feared. Only one drop on my leg. Phew! After our walk, I got my things together and prepared for our upcoming essential oil class. Dale took care of dinner and BOY was it good! Do you use an Instant Pot? I don't know what we would do without it! Dale doesn't believe in mixing fruit with savory, but he still followed the recipe directions per my request, it was delish! He added sriracha to his and it added a beautiful and rich flavor pop that I LOVED! Lest you think I never work, my hostess and new friend, Alyssa, got a pic of me teaching our oil class at the local Chiro office that night. We had a great time! The next night, Alyssa and her husband, Mike, had us over to dinner. We had a ball! They are total foodies and we got along GREAT! Mike smoked the most amazing burgers and beef ribs that tasted like burnt ends of a brisket, my FAV! Alyssa made home fries and some delicious caramelized onions while we chatted and the kids played. Everyone had a blast! It continually boggles my mind, that this is our lives and part of our "JOB," because meeting new people, connecting with them, teaching & encouraging them, and breaking bread together in fellowship, never feels like one.
Thank you, Jesus for new friends and doTERRA business partners we love to hang be with! Tomorrow, we head across the border to Texarkana for some more fun... :) Hugs, T This is how I handle stressful days......a little PEACE oil deeply inhaled. Ok ok, this may be a little TOO deeply, but it worked. We had our single worst travel day in the history of mobile Fergusons. I don't know if it was because we had had so many late nights and busy days in a row at the wedding. Or, if the wind rocking the RV made us all sick (thank God for Digestzen oil), or if it was just us being rusty from not traveling much this past year, but by the time we got to Florida (after leaving at 5 am) we were CARSICK, GROUCHY and EXHAUSTED. 7 hours later, we arrived in beautiful to Sarasota, Florida. PHEW! We made it! (barely) Dale & I made the decision to get the kids some pizza, have them get on jammies and stay home for early bedtime and some cable tv. (a big treat!) We headed out for a grown up dinner with Dale's family at our favorite sea food place, Anna Maria's Oyster Bar for all you can eat fish and chips. It was gorgeous so we requested the patio! It was SO GOOD to be back! Florida feels more and more like home, the longer we spend time here. For the next two weeks, we ate yummo food and played in the sunshine. We saw Grammy Drea, and ate out with Dale's aunts as much as possible! The rest of the time, we relaxed and road bikes! Oopsie, got into a good book and 18 chapters later, someone got a little burnt! doTERRA toner, Roman Chamomile and Lavender to the rescue. INSTANT relief! I gave it a couple days to heal up and hit the pool again, this time the back of me got a wee bit red. Oopsie again! We were just leaving when a nice couple came up and asked, are you the Ferguson's? We read your blog! What a SMALL WORLD?! We adore meeting our blog reading friends and this darling couple is giving RV life a go. Hi Jena & Charlie! I hope you are having a great trip! We discovered an authentic, gooey, drippy, Philly Cheesesteaks place. Wow! They fly in the bread fresh daily from Philly. Gentile Brothers is hidden gem of Sarasota! We fell into a routine of bike rides every night after dinner and it was LOVELY! Sophie GOES NUTS and jumps around whining excitedly until I get her up in my basket. This RV park is MASSIVE, so we can go new ways every night and discover new parts. 1300 spaces for RVs and then darling park model housing too. Lest you think I never cook, I do have a few new Instant Pot recipes we made and loved. The first is Pioneer Women's Enchilada Dip for Easter snack supper. YUMMO! I used the packets of red enchilada sauce instead of canned because I prefer the simple ingredient list. Tasted great! Leftovers got turned into a layered enchilada casserole, totally divine! The second is a Baked Frito Pie that we turned into a Frito Platter. Very yummy! Instant Pot makes things more liquidy, so I used the sautee button to boil and stirred in some cold water with corn starch to thicken. Recipes in slideshow: Grammy headed to Germany to see her momma and family, but Uncle Dan and Aunt Torrey were still in town. We had them out for burgers one night. GOAT CHEESE stuffed burgers, mind you. Holy amazing! There is a really cool Amish market nearby, so we grabbed freshly made homemade buns, local tomatoes and corn on the cob too! Avery set a nice table for them, complete with name tags. Destiny made herself an appointment at the Apple store to get her phone fixed at a nearby mall, so we all headed in. We had NO idea there were such big and fancy malls in the world apparently, because every person in our family stopped and gasped. The girls when we went IN, and the boys when we went OUT. You will see why in a sec. First of all, it was just beautiful. Light and airy, and infinity fountains everywhere. While we waited on the iPhone people, Avery and I slipped away to go look at formals for our doTERRA event in September. It's prom time, and I have learned you either snag one early, during spring prom, or they are ALL GONE by September and not coming out with new dresses until Christmas. She was in princess ball gown heaven! I tired on a billion teeny bopper dresses, not made for a mom bod, then narrowed it down to two, and once Dale joined me, he quickly picked his fav once he joined us. RED of course! For my doTERRA Dorothy team. And the color is nice and happy too! :) We walked out of the mall, past valet parking, and the boys all GASPED. ..... Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore! Right before we left, the girls got to do something CRAZY cool to their hair...... Daddy said it was all good since we have a GO BLUE theme going at our house right now as we run for Blue Diamond in 2018. (thus my blue stripes in mine) We took advantage of the hot sunshine and warm outdoors to get it done! I ran out of time to get "after" pics, so that is another blog for another day apparently, SORRY! ;) A few more sunny swim days and hot tub nights and it was time to pull out and head up to the COLD states. (pretty much everywhere else right now is snowing or un seasonably cold) Bye again, Florida! We miss you already! Until next winter........
Hugs, T Even though it was hard to leave Florida, we were all ready to be on the road again! 2017 was hardly a year of travel as many times as we ended up back in Kansas. The RV park we stayed at was BEAUTIFUL!!! The Battle of Broxton Bridge happened here and we love history. And trees. And quiet. It was a perfect fit! EXCEPT, zero cell service. Almost as bad as way up in the U.P. two summers ago. Like red bar, no service nada. Oh well! I can work while we are in town, right?! ;) A nice gal from the RV park took us around in her golf cart, and showed us all the interesting sites and points of interest. I guess every March thousands of people and actors come in with cannons and battle gear and reinact the whole thing. I LOVE stuff like that!!!! Too bad we missed it. I was thankful for our own private tour though! Right before this pic, our guide hollered, watch our for gators, this is the swamp lands you know!!! I don't know if the kids are smiling or grimacing! Haha, maybe both?! We walked a ways and then got outta there! Bunkers were the soldiers hid and fought. There was also a cool church back in the woods..... There was also a post office and black smith shop. And an old timey bed and breakfast on the other side of the lake that I didn't get a pic of! Neat place! We were here for the wedding of our doTERRA upline and friends, the Trents. So we headed into town to see everyone and see if we could be of any help pre wedding day! Eating was the first thing on the menu so we went and enjoyed some local fish and lots of friends from doTERRA, the Vissers (whom we met from the 4 little Fergusons blog) and the Esteppes, our other uplines in doTERRA. SUCH a fun crew! While we were in the south, my dad's birthday came and went. Happy happy birthday, Daddy! We made sure we had the oh so special, Florida Betty Cake along with us to celebrate for him. The kids wanted to light a candle and sing for him. You can watch here: Happy Birthday To You Papa, we miss you every single day, and feel so thankful you are up there hanging with Jesus & the Father in paradise. ❤ We ate some Betty Cake and blew out the candle you! 🎂 (Just one, we didn't have 71!) 🙂Love you always, miss you forever, see you again someday....Xoxo Wedding set up wasn't until the next day, and no one needed our help, so we took a little family trip into Savannah, GA. It. Was. STUNNING! Wow. We explored the park first.... I couldn't get enough of the HOUSES. We walked along the whole street just staring at them all with their neat shapes, narrow sizes and details. We drove around historic downtown to see more....what I wouldn't give to see INSIDE some of these! We use Trip Adviser a lot to see what the local digs are, where to eat, what to order....we kept reading about the sea food, so much to the kids shegrin, we once again picked to eat local fish. We try to always eat the local culture and Savannah is definitely not known for their beef. Silly kids! Despite their initial response, lunch was amazing. When we were done and walking to the car, we wandered by the famous ice cream shop we read about, and decided to see what all the hubbub was about. Good thing we stopped when we did. The line was already out the door when we arrived and by the time we walked out with ice cream it was winding it's way down the sidewalk! I've eaten my body weight in ice cream sine we left Kansas 3 years ago, and I have to say, this ice cream falls second on my list!!!! It was fabulously thick and creamy, all homemade and SOO soo good! FYI: #1 is Jack the Dipper in North Carolina, ONLY because they make homemade cinnamon waffle cones fresh on the spot before filling it with homemade ice cream. {DROOL} And just like that, it was time to leave a town that TOTALLY stole my heart. I swear, I was born in the wrong era! :) Back to the RV we go for groceries, dinner and bedtime before a busy wedding prep day. Outdoor seating for the service and a twinkle lit dance floor! Wedding day dawned beautiful, thank goodness, it had been COLD. But very very windy! We probably set up the reception tables 3 dozen times because everything kept blowing across the yard, glass vases and all. We made emergency run for battery powdered tea lights, and sent the guys all over town for tablecloth clamps when the duck tape failed to work. In the end we did duck tape, table clamps, chip style clips AND twine before they stayed put. PHEW! Reminded me of Kansas! :) Thankfully, as the event went on, the wind died down and it was perfectly lovely out there for a good ol fashioned southern wedding. I didn't get many pics, so thank goodness Spring did! The kids had a ball and even danced the night away with their friends! Slideshow: We stayed to hear Pastor Brian preach and worship with our friends before hitting the road again. Sunday afternoon was full of catching up, relaxing, and the teenagers jammed it out with their guitars and worshiped. Great group! 4 generations of doTERRA right here..... We had plans for classes in Florida pan handle and Louisiana that changed, and we had been praying and asking the Lord where we should go to kill 2 weeks before we needed to be in Little Rock, AR and our Texas classes.
Not long after, Dale's mom called. She was in the car with 2 of Dale's aunts, heading to southern Florida to move out of Grandpa & Grandma Miller's winter place, since Grandma is with Jesus, and Grandpa needs to go to a home for more care. So many sad changes this year for our Florida families.... We felt very led that we were supposed to turn around and go the 7 hours back down and see them and help in any way we could. Thank you Lord for our mobile lifestyle! Cause Florida, here we come.... Hugs, T We got back from Leadership Retreat and just like that, it was time to leave Florida. Because we stayed in Kansas so much longer this year, just trying to heal our hearts from losing our beloved dad and Papa, our time in the sunshine just simply FLEW BY! We tried to squeeze in some fun with Uncle Chad, Aunt Lauren, Nana and the cousins before we all went our separate ways again. Oh, and our friends from Kansas and business partners came by and hung out too. They are new full time RVers! SO FUN! We planned a family skate day and headed into town....... Let's get a photo of all the skaters!!! Whoopsie, down went Dylan. One more stop by the house for final goodbyes and it's time to hit the road.....we have a wedding to attend in South Carolina! Come on guys, TRY to be normal! There we go...... See you both back here next winter! Love the Florida sunshine! Then it was time to pack up and clean up my dads beloved Florida "farm" and it all started feeling official. The heart is a fickle funny thing.... ❤ I cried because I didn't want to come face this place, and now I cry because I hate to go! The Lord is so faithful to have helped us through our first tough winter without Papa, to hold space for us and put us in a place where memories to flow in and out as gently as the warm Florida breeze. 🌴☀️ It was a safe haven and a place for the next level of healing. I am grateful for our time here! South Carolina, here we come!
Hugs, T As a leader with doTERRA, we get invited to the Orlando Leadership Retreat each year. We stayed at a local hotel this time, instead of renting a condo. Sweet Avery filled up her traditional "Love Box" with hugs and kisses so we wouldn't run out or be lonely while we were gone from them. PRECIOUS! She also made sure we went from kid to kid and filled their hearts with extra hugs and kisses for when they missed us. <3 Even though we miss the kids and the comforts of the RV, it's always so fun to connect with our team leaders, and learn more how to lead strong with this great company called doTERRA! I love learning about all the latest things doTERRA has been up to in their giving and growing. My favorite part about doT is their HUGE hearts and humanitarian efforts all over the world. They are a billion dollar, debt free company with a heart to SERVE and give and help! LOVE this! We pay the farmers we hire, fair wages, on time, no middle men gouging prices. We help drop wells, build schools and build and staff medical clinics and hospitals in rural areas with no help. We have an organization called Healing Hands Foundation that helps to pay for all these things as well as supporting other ministries like micro loans for small businesses, Days for Girls and Operation Underground Railroad to rescue and rehabilitate sex trafficked kids. Slideshow: DoTERRA is also expanding its campus and adding a medical clinic using all the areas of care, chiropractic, nutritionalist, holistic and adding oils to it all! Health care is about to change. In addition to this facility in Salt Lake City, UT, they are looking to open other clinics all across the USA! Pretty exciting! Slideshow: We also got to work with Gallup on Strength Based Leadership and how to focus on what our leaders are GOOD at, as opposed to our weakness focused society. POWERFUL stuff! We got to take the strength finders test, and here is what Dale and I got. I am anxious to utilize these tools with our team and our own growth, to use those God given giftings for HIS glory and for really big things in doTERRA! It's not ALL learning, we get to have some fun too. There is always a THEMED PARTY night! Whoop whoop! We've done 80's, Super Hero, and now..... Into the Deep Blue Sea Get it? Like Deep Blue Oil. Pretty awesome! No I am not bruised, that's makeup scales! I packed a little piece of potato sack so I could make the scaley look. Too bad I couldn't find another color, green and purple looks like a bruise, but OH WELL, still fun, right?! Dale wouldn't dress up with me - party pooper! So we found him a Shark Week shirt and added a phrase to the back: It's Shark Week Ya'll. Thank God there is an oil for that!!! It's called Clary calm and it TOTALLY works for the females in this house. Haha! :) We had matching shirts, Mermaids and even a Sea Week Queen! We were still hungry after, so we hit the streets to go find a place to eat. You'd have thought Orlando had never seen hungry sea creatures before! Haha :) It got cool enough, Dale decided to go get the car and come pick us all up. How many mer-creatures would fit inside good ol' Flexie? We were about to find out! SUCCESS! On the last day of retreat, we could NOT find parking, just one spot remained by 2 mom mobiles that both parked crooked over their lines. I hopped out to go search out another spot. Low and behold, I see Dale preparing to back INTO SAID TIGHT SPOT. What a nut! It was so tight he had to crawl out the BACK HATCH......I was DYING laughing as was everyone else that drove by. Never a dull moment with this one I tell ya. Sure do love doing life with him! <3 And just like that it was time to celebrate new leader ranks and head back home to utilize all we learned.
Hugs, T |
Tonya Ferguson
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