Happiest birthday yet!

What an amazing birthday I had this year! For those of you who don't me, I will say that I turned 53 years old on December 25, 2010.

I used to hold to the principle, "A woman who will tell her age will tell ANYTHING!" Then, at age 48, I lay on my deathbed and now I praise God that He saved me from an early grave. I am HAPPY to say that I am alive and well and, as I age, I will rejoice more every year that He spared my life. Besides, age is a matter of thinking and each day I'm thinking younger and younger since I'm shedding the old self-destroying habits that made me feel old even in my 20's.

So here I am on the last day of age 52. Robert had gone to town that morning and I was pretty sure that it was, at least in part, to get me a birthday present, as this has happened before. When he got home, he was empty handed but I know better than to ask questions. When I got out of the bathroom, I was surprised to have this picture snapped of me as I entered the dining room right before lunch.....

but then I saw this in the center of the table. PRETTY AND IT SMELLS SO GOOD TOO!!!!!!!!!!!

The only sad thing about that day is that Cora had to go to work. She just couldn't find anyone to work for her on Christmas Eve--aren't you surprised? This is what our Sabbath table looked like with one place setting missing. ):

Robert had bought 3 bottles of bubbly at Sam's to celebrate my birthday. We decided to crack one open, even though Cora was at work, as there were still 2 left for my birthday. This is apple juice with FIZZ. Ask Jacob how he liked a great, big swig of this. :)

Robert breaking the seal before the feast of Sabbath.

Now this is Christmas day with our sweet Cora at home with us. I'm not sure if I've shared why we don't celebrate Christmas anymore, but we are all happy that we have a birthday in the family to celebrate instead. These are the precious people who made this my happiest birthday yet. I'm not sure why Andrew was making such a goofy face, but he makes me chuckle many a time with his comic expressions.

Here I am in my new birthday dress. I have avoided red clothing for years (a long story) but I sure felt special in it this day.

We decided that whomever gave me a gift would come and sit by me and tell me all about it. Cora bought me a new piano solo book by someone she has admired for a long time. Lorie Line arranges hymns and patriotic songs in the most lovely fashion and then plays them on the piano with such heart that it is impossible not to sigh with delight--but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Here Cora was giving me the piano solo book, THE HERITAGE COLLECTION II by Lorie Line.

It is full of WONDERFUL arrangements which, I might add, we have both enjoyed already. :) Thank you, Cora dear!

Lady was not at all interested in what was going on--she was just happy to be inside on such a cold day!

Jacob was next. When he gave me this package perfectly wrapped with a kittie on the front, I couldn't help but wonder out loud. "So Jacob, is this Mylo?"

He hesitated but said, "No." Then after I opened it he burst out laughing, "It's Clyde Bauman."

It was Mr. Bauman's brand new serious CD called PRAIRIE MEMORIES which I have been pondering buying. It is JUST WONDERFUL--such a special tribute to life in North Dakota! Thank you, Jacob!

What do you suppose he is thinking?

Yes, Andrew came next with a gift to help my office in Bismarck run more smoothly. He bought me a brand new microphone and a mini hub. After a translation from our resident TECH-SPERT, I got excited.

You see, although I've been enjoying recording my sessions on my iPod here at home, Robert
could see that it would be much more simple if I give the session report to my clients before they leave my office. Then when the session is finished, it's finished, and I don't have to think about it all the way home.

Andrew set to work to make it happen. He found a place where I can buy bulk MP3 players at a very reasonable rate. This plan is very simple if one has the equipment and now I do thanks to Andrew! God bless you, son, for bringing me up to date with technology. Although I really only enjoy it for how it blesses people's lives, if it weren't for you, I'd not even know what tools are out there to make that possible.

Once I understood Andrew's gift, I was VERY grateful. He must be getting older as he didn't even mind my motherly love and Cora got it on film.

Then Jacob came back again and, by his smirk I was almost positive that this package WAS Mylo Hatzenbuhler in CD format. YUP--I now own, I'M BIG-TIME NOW!!! Oh my, who could ever forget, "Born at the PCA," or "The Ballad of New Salem," or "In the Coop," or "Send in the Cows......" Who could ever be depressed with Mylo and Emma in this world?

After that Cora came back over to me with this very large box! I had thought it was from Robert earlier in the week when she had set out all of the birthday presents. However, when she wrote her name on it so I knew it was from her. What could she have gotten me that was THAT big, I had wondered for several days before this. What indeed!

It was 5 of Lorie Line's CDs from her heritage collection. Look how my clever daughter packaged them all. That foam strip had protected my SunSplash when it came from Dr. Mercola. All she did was cut slits into it and slid the CDs into the slits and put them in a big box. WOW!

Who is happier?

Then it was my sweetie's turn to sit in the hot spot.

In the box I found these old dishes. Jacob and I both dug through the box again and carefully inspected the stuffing for clues, but this is all there was. Three old dishes but then we found that big metal thing on the bottom of the plate and had to wonder if that wasn't part of the clue.

Cora was splitting a seam, trying not to give away the secret, when the phone rang. It was a favorite aunt who called to wish me a happy birthday. I visited with her while the boys figured it out in the living room and large sighs were heard from them. I tuned them out and enjoyed my phone call but returned to the living room VERY curious.

I don't know why but I kept thinking that the metal ring was a gasket. All of a sudden, when I picked it up, it ran through my mind that it was a washer. I looked at Robert and said, "Dishes and a washer." Then it clicked and I asked him, "A dishwasher?"

Not wishing to seem presumptuous, Jacob and I went and looked in our old dishwasher which hasn't been in working order for almost a year. Now THAT was the only unpleasant part of my birthday. YUK!

Finding nothing there, I picked up my courage and asked Robert, "Are you getting me a new dishwasher?" He smiled and said, "YES." Here are my clues....

and HERE is one happy wife!!!!!!!!!

Robert explained that he has been observing my life getting more busy as my business expands. Also Cora is working at the nursing home 3 days a week so that takes both women away from the kitchen sink.

"I don't have it picked out yet," but I want you to know that I think it's time that we get a dishwasher again." I couldn't agree more!!!

Tomorrow they will look while I'm with my clients in Bismarck so that is VERY exciting. I'm never been all that excited about comparing features so I'm going to let my men-folk do that for me. Whichever one that they pick will be just perfect!

After that I asked Cora to take some pictures of me while I was all dressed up. I've been wanting to take a new picture of myself. Since I am now a practicing member of the International BodyTalk Association (meaning that I have a BT practice working with the public), I can put my picture and story on the IBA website.

These are the photos that my daughter took of me on my 53rd birthday. Perhaps I should ask you all to share which one you would pick. Go ahead, cast your vote by leaving me a comment. I'll number them for your convenience. This is just spur of the moment but it should be fun to get every one's opinion.

#1--Me with the birthday centerpiece that Robert gave to me.

#2--Me with the most intriguing gift that I've ever received. Cora gave these to me for an office warming present. They're hand made somethings from India and I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with them. Someone suggested buying a huge, clear bowl and putting them in (these are about half of them). Someone suggested stringing them together and hanging them on the wall. Someone suggested stringing each one individually from pretty ribbons and suspending them from the ceiling. Someone suggested putting them over a fan and blowing them in a case so that people can be entertained as they wait for their turn for a session. WHAT WILL I DO WITH THESE? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

#3 Me in my mother's chair that I bought at dad's auction.

#4--Me in front of my piano and the book which I gave Robert for our 30th wedding anniversary called, THE STATION--A REMINDER TO CHERISH THE JOURNEY! You are all welcome to come over and read it as it is a phenomenal reminder that life is PRECIOUS!

#5--Me in front of the little Winter display that Cora made to spruce up the place.

There were many more but these were the only ones that I had considered for this post. Please feel free to let me know if you think any of these would make a good impression on my new bio page on the IBA website.

Well, that was almost all of my delights that I experienced on my birthday--almost but not quite. How can I help but cry tears of joy now as I recall the phone call that I got that morning from my brother, Russell.

I'm sure that many of you can grasp what this meant to me. For the others I will simply say that my brother has NEVER done anything to acknowledge my birthday before. Well, we had just sat down for a breakfast of nice warm oatmeal with apples cut into it--just the way I like it best. Thank you Cora!

The timing wasn't the best, but when my brother started singing, "Happy birthday to you..." I didn't mind missing my birthday breakfast, as you might imagine. We talked for about half an hour and, for the first time in my life, it didn't matter that my dad doesn't love me.

You see, Russell and I decided a while back that we would be unloved children together. Somehow it doesn't matter so much now that I'm not alone. Of course my dad did nothing for my birthday, but it didn't matter. He's emotionally retarded and one mustn't expect too much of someone like that.

My brother Russell actually called me and wished me a happy birthday and that was the start of one of the most wonderful days of my life!!!!!!! He actually told me that he loves me and there are no words to express my joy at that moment. One would have had to have been starved for brotherly love all of one's life to be able to grasp how his words touched my heart!

I am NOT alone any more! I may be alone in a lot of ways from here on out, but I am no longer alone without someone from my family of origin to truly care whether I live or not! I am speechless with delight as I leave you with that wonderful answer to prayer.

Many of you deserve thanks for your prayers that led to that moment with my brother so this post is full of my heartfelt thanks. I love you all! Thanks for being there and thanks for caring!!!!!

Truly happy,

Dawn

Link to stress relief PLUS....

Hi again everyone,




Those of you who haven't read the post that I wrote last night will need to do so for this one to make any sense. Anyway, here's the link to the BETAR website: http://www.betar.com/.

I urge all of you, as you do your best to deal with the hustle and bustle of the season, to take a moment to ponder how much better your life would be if you owned one of these tools. Of course, I'll write more about my new venture as it develops. However, I so despise getting curious about something and then not knowing where to go to get the information for me to learn more about it. Just in case you're like me in this, I am sharing the website so that you can learn from the people who designed this blessing to mankind!

And now for the PLUS part of this blog post. I also shared last night that after a long month of hair pulling and eye rubbing here, our family has finally ALL agreed on the design for our label. Our goal for decades has been to direct market our farm products to consumers. How well I recall the year that Robert sat down and figured out that, for our load of certified organic sunflowers, WE WERE NOT THE ONES WHO MADE THE REAL MONEY!!!

Robert meticulously figured out that the corporation that we sold our semi-load of sunflowers to made over $60,000 while we made just under $7,000. Does that seem fair to you? Well, I could get on my soapbox here but, with Christmas tomorrow, probably nobody would listen anyway. Instead, I'll bless you all with this picture of our newly approved label.

This is a picture of our farm from the airplane when we were returning from San Francisco. What a wonderful way to remember our 30th wedding anniversary! Every time we put one of these on a bag of our organic wheat, flax, sunflowers..., we'll remember how grand it was to rest from our labors for one whole week!

I'm sure that it would seem strange to most people that I am sitting here crying tears of joy as I look at our very own label, but it's a dream come true. SO HERE IT IS FOLKS!



That's us. The right side of the road was home to Gladys Johnson who prayed for several years that a Christian family would buy her farm. On the left side of the road is our homestead. Notice the curve of the road on the right side--I JUST LOVE HAVING OUR VERY OWN CURVE!

You will also notice that we had to list a website on our label. You can actually go there although we haven't done much work on it. Andrew has begun but that is going to be our next hair-pulling experience. Please keep us in your prayers as we do our very best to market the incredible grains that we produced here this year.

Best go join my family for lunch. If ever there was a heart full of joy, though, it is mine today!!!
Here's a hug to all of those who have prayed for me/us over the years. I LOVE YOU ALL!

Dawn--on my last day of being 52 years old

BIG NEWS

I realize that this is probably the slowest posting in the universe! I have been meaning to finish this post about our trip to Georgia this summer for months!! However, I've been so busy with the farm; the garden; building LINKS TO HEALING; the animals (both ours and those who call for advice) and now home schooling. However, something has happened recently that has inspired me to return to the joyous days that Jacob and I spent there. That something is BIG NEWS to me so finally I will finish the story.

"Look fast, or you'll miss it," came to be our joke as we drove through downtown Lakemont, Georgia on our way to class at the dome 3 times a day. This picturesque little town is so small that you could miss it if you blink and yet unforgettable for it's historic appeal.

One of the most memorable rooms that I have ever been privileged to enter was the library at Kelly Research Technologies. This is the room where our class was held. Not only was it crammed with books on all sorts of natural healing modalities, it held radionic treasures from the past that one cannot find anywhere else on earth. If you ever get within a thousand miles of the dome, take the chance to go and check out this library! This is about 1/4 of it.

Viewing the class from the second layer, Jacob took this picture of me during one of our breaks. Jacob loved going upstairs to visit Cathie in her office or Ed in the BETAR room.

Even though I had taken a one day class on radionics up here several years back, I still was lost most of the time. What a blessing it was to have Jacob sitting next to me as my brain tried to wrap itself around this technological wonder. I was so glad that I had developed my intuition through the upper level modules in BodyTalk before I took the class so that I wasn't completely lost during our 4 days spent at the dome.

You cannot imagine Jacob's joy to find himself so welcome at the dome. He is a natural radionics operator and a favorite of both the instructor and the owner of Kelly Research Technologies. At the end of the class, the instructor remarked, "How I wish that I had gotten started at age 14!" It made Jacob realize what a gift he's been given.

Oh, what would an office be without an efficient, capable, friendly, helpful, intelligent... secretary holding the place together? This is now my friend and advisor, CJ. Cathie was open to receiving a free BodyTalk session as my love gift for all that she had done to pull the class off. She left that night with far less pain in her arm and she was impressed with BT. Later we traded one of her machines for BT sessions and we BOTH have been very blessed as a result. Jacob is already saving his money to go to the dome again next year and so am I. I am eager to see this smiling face again!

Using my radionics machine on a daily basis has removed my doubts about it's effectiveness. Many nights I put my picture in the input well, when I have that aching pain in my neck and shoulders. I set the machine to the rates that I need; go to sleep; and wake up refreshed and pain free! Now that is the life for me!!!!! Thanks so much, CJ, for the trade!!!

Choosing to take care of my needs, instead of ignoring them, has been a wonderful change of thinking. Each session that I do on myself makes it easier to do as I get rid of those old thoughts from childhood that I don't deserve to be happy. My continual healing has led to a new view on life. Things that used to seem insurmountable, now seem like opportunities--most of the time anyway.

Here is an example. Last week we received the newsletter from KRT (Kelly Research Technologies). In it I read that they are producing a product which repeats the affects of the BETAR machine for a fraction of the cost. I got all excited. You may recall my sharing how wonderful I felt after Ed had given me a free ride on their Master Edition BETAR machine. Now I can give this effect to my clients!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready to share my "New" discovery, I found Jacob and told him excitedly, "Now they're making BETAR in a box," and showed him the article. He stared at me and said, "Mom, I told you about them when we were in Georgia! We stood right there while they were making them." WHAT? How could I have missed this information completely?

Intrigued by the idea of sharing these with everyone I know, I sent Ed an email. I asked him if I might purchase the products in bulk. Everyone I know is over-stressed and has a hard time relaxing. Many of my clients tell me that they can't sleep without a sleeping pill. These little boxes help reduce people's stress by emitting sound waves that help them to relax or sleep. You must imagine my surprise when Ed wrote back offering me the opportunity to become a BETAR dealer!

Surely you can imagine how a home school mom, who has "ALWAYS" been determined to stay at home and let the world go on without me, would feel when this opportunity came along. A thousand reasons popped into my head why it is just impossible for me to take on "One more thing."

Still, when I pondered that for only $125 a person can have a tool to help them relax or sleep for the rest of their life. I know well enough that stress is what almost killed me in 2006 and how many of my clients are very ill because of their inability to cope with all of the stressors in their lives. How much is it worth to be able to rest thoroughly each and every night?

Can you guess what I decided to do? Yes, I wrote to Ed after a lengthy discussion with my family and told him that I would like to know the details of what it takes to be a BETAR dealer. When he sent over the contract, I at once knew that this is what I wanted to do. I had been nervous that I may have to buy X dollars worth of product to get started, or so much per month, but there was nothing of that.

I gladly wrote back to Ed and told him that I accept and THAT is my BIG NEWS! Now I have to get a sales tax number and then I'll be ready to start. Being I'm now writing on Andrew's computer, I can't get the website address to share with you, but I'll do it soon. I can hardly wait to get one of these stress-reducers for myself and I just know that there is not a person on the planet who wouldn't benefit from owning one. If you're already wanting one, please let me know so that I can order one for you right away when I put in my first order.

God is so amazing how He leads me and I am happy to share my other big news now too. You who read my children's blogs, though, already know that God has blessed me and I have been able to move into a much larger office in Bismarck. I loved my first office but it was a bit crowded when family members came along or when clients came early for their sessions.

Little is nice but big is better in this case. Soon I will post a picture-full epistle of the move and the wonderful new wall the men are building for me so that I can have complete privacy when I'm working with my clients. It's going to be so nice when it's finished as I picked out the most lovely upholstery for the wall on Tuesday.

I had thought about including all of the pictures that I've saved up from that project but this is getting long already. Please pray for me to know exactly how to furnish the room as I want it to be a sanctuary of peace for all who enter within it. Yesterday we spotted some awesome chairs for the waiting room on Bis-Man online but I haven't heard back from the man yet so they may not be the right ones.

Another big news item for our family is that we recently completed a month-long project. In order to direct market our grains, we needed to design a logo and a label which summarizes how we feel about our grains. Did you ever try to put 5 people's ideas into one small picture? One person would like SEEDS OF HONOR (the name of our organic farm) in red; another in blue; another in brown. One wanted a combine to symbolize our farming operation; another a wheat field; another a bag bull of grain.... Finally we settled on a grain bag and then on to designing our label.

Nobody seemed to have any strong ideas about what to put on our labels. We knew that we needed to have our logo on the label along with many other things which our certifying agency insists upon. We were stumped by this for several days until Robert hit upon the idea of using the picture of our farm as the background. He had taken this picture from the airplane on our trip home from San Francisco. After that everything fell into place and we submitted our very own label to International Certification Services for approval.

Only another family farmer could know the joy and pride that filled our hearts yesterday morning when we received the email stating, "YOUR LABEL IS APPROVED FOR USE!" We're going to sell our wheat in my office, you see, along with everything else that the Lord brings to me to share with folks to build up their health. It's all such a wonderful dream come true!!!!! So you see, I really DO have big news to share with all you whom I love tonight! I hope that you were encouraged to know that the Lord has been doing wonderful things in the Bornemann family.

Good night now everyone! Keep checking back for pictures of my new office and our new label! Behold God maketh all things new!!

Dawn

PS. Have I mentioned about how wonderful I've been feeling since I got my SunSplash from Dr. Mercola? Many who have seen me since I started using it 2 weeks ago has commented how much more health and vibrantly happy I look. Isn't sunshine wonderful?

FANTASTIC IDEA

My friend just sent this to me and I absolutely LOVE this idea!!! Now this is down-right creative -- a real winner. This won't take much time and costs less than a dollar--unless you chose to send Hallmark that is. :)

I'm going to do this (send the card, I mean, not send a Hallmark) and I urge everyone of you to do so also. If you feel particulary rebellious, you can pass it on to all the rest of your friends who are weary of these people throwing their unwelcome weight around in our lives.

LET'S UNITE TOGETHER AND SHOW THEM THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE!

LET'S DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dawn

PS. I must add here that our family gave up the Christmas traditions a decade ago, but I still think doing this right now is a great idea!

Christmas cards VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!

Pass this on to your church, coworkers, family, and friends. What do you have to lose but 44 cents, what do you have to gain ----------- more than you will ever know?
What a clever idea!
Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.

Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.

As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude:
ACLU
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas (and the whole year) alone.

And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the US Government to take God, Christmas or anything religious away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war.

Third most incredible day ever!!!

What a way to start a blog post of such significance. Cora said, "You're not REALLY going to post that picture, are you Mom?"

"Of course not," I laughed. However, on second thought, I wondered if it wouldn't be a good mystery picture. I decided to let you wonder about this a little bit but will tell you all about it by and by. Any guesses what these are for?

Here is a clue for you.

Now I think it is time to get on with the story. I am not stretching the truth here folks--yesterday was the third most incredible day of my life! First was when I became a Christian on June 24, 1969; second was when I became Mrs. Robert Bornemann on October 10, 1980; and the third was yesterday when I became set free from the old pattern of self-hatred which has kept me from being totally happy all of my life.

I have already shared in my previous post about how my day started, so I won't dwell on that subject. However, I'd like to share how the Lord totally went on to bless my day in ways that will make the day unforgettable for my entire family.

Shortly after I had posted, we received a phone call from our friend Randy, at North Country Trucks, stating that after 4 weeks of waiting our truck was finally repaired. YIPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, when Robert first asked if I'd like to take him up to get the truck, I had declined. "I have too much to do here," I said.

However, while he continued his search for a driver, it began to register in my mind that I could do a little shopping for office things for my new office if I were to be the one to volunteer to take him up to Bismarck which, for us, is a one hour drive on good roads. After getting Jacob to agree to go with me, I told Robert that I had changed my mind and we got ready to go.

The trip itself was pleasant as the roads were much better than the last time I was on them and I busied myself doing a session for Cora who is still fighting a cold. When we reached Bismarck, I dropped Robert off at North Country and Jacob and I began our day of adventures.

We went in search of a nice chair for my waiting room; a hall tree for my client's coats; frames for all of my certificates which I STILL have not hung up in my office; and anything else that we could find which would make my office complete. I have more than twice the room that I had before so I need to fill it with just the right things to make it as lovely and "Health conscious" as my other one had been.

We made our way to Kathyrn's thrift shop which has come VERY highly recommended to me from numerous sources. Jacob and I had a ball there and we came out of it, over an hour later,with a very large, elegant brass hall tree; a brand new dress which cost me $1.25; and some new videos and dvds for school and family viewing.

The ARC brought me a "New" badly needed pair of black shoes, but nothing else for the office. When we came out of the ARC, I noticed that snow was starting to fall lightly so I decided to head for Sam's Club and then head for home. Robert had cautioned me not to hang around up there if the snow started, as a storm was predicted for late afternoon.

At Sams we took 2 carts. One was for the household stuff and the other for my business stuff. I knew that I needed a new binder for my (as Elizabeth calls hers) "Big book of everything." All of my resource information has been in one large binder which gets used a LOT. Being it's starting to loose it's cover, I decided it was time to fork over for a new one.

I put the pack of 2 (I'll use the other one for my Reiki information) new BLACK binders (which Jacob insists is more professional than white), into my buisness cart along with 3 new BLACK chairs for my office. Along with that went one pink something which shall remian nameless until further down in this post.

After writing out 2 checks, we headed over to the Member's Service counter to pick up the certain something which went along with the cardboard. All of you who have bought one of these at Sam's must certainly know what it is by now, but please don't tell anybody. ;)

Well, we headed for my office where we hung my new FIVE ELEMNTS poster; put the new/used hall tree in just the perfect spot; and took the plastic and singage off of the new chairs. After a little debate we settled on spots for the chairs and headed for home.

It was a journey I'll always cherish in my memory as Jacob talked ALL THE WAY HOME! I have a hard time getting him to talk usually but, you see, he was pumped up about my mystery purchase. I am so ignorant about technology that it will probably take a dozen such trips before I can get the hang of using my new addition to my business. It was so wonderful, though, to have this common link with my son and the hour passed quickly with only a few snowflakes falling as we pulled into our driveway.

Well, I came into the house excitedly as I knew that Andrew was especially eager to see my new purchase. I walked around the kitchen a few times and it seemed as though Robert, Cora, and Andrew were a bit nervous. We all talked gaily, for the approaching Sabbath always produces this affect on us. In addition, my heart was so light and happy from the night before when I began to understand how to help myself become truly happy AND healthy.

I showed them my new/used shoes which they all agreed were just "Perfect." I showed them my new mystery purchase which we all agreed would have to wait until the supper was ready and the kettles all washed and put away. I kept walking around excitedly and Andrew especially is in my memory as one who has swallowed the cat.

I can't recall now what it was that took me into the laundry room but when I did, my heart lept into my throat. Andrew burst into laughter and, as I looked around the small group which is my family, I saw them all smiling at my shock. There, leaning up against the back refrigerator, were two HUGE boxes which I knew could only be my tanning units that I had ordered from Dr. Mercola.

Suddenly I just broke into laugher of immesarable proportions and ran to sit down at the table. I was trembling with excitement and my feet stomped happily on the floor. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME," I asked?

Robert laughing said, "Because we wanted you to find them for yourself." This is the box of the one that we didn't open but will transport up to my Bismarck office in it's packing.

After we lugged the humungous box into the dining room and took the straps off, they let me open the box.

It arrived in perfect condition with awesome packaging.

I'm so glad that my guys aren't afraid of assembling things.

"Please put the coasters on now, Andrew and Jacob."

After some pondering on the perfect location, we put it in this little nook right outside our bedroom. In case you're like me and have never seen the special glasses that one needs to wear to protect your eyes when using a tanning system like this, that is what I was wearing in the picture up above. Cora was laughing uncontrolably as we each put them on and she took our pictures. Of course, when it was her turn to try them on, she held on tight to her camera and I was too excited to go for mine.

Just in case any of you are wondering, YES, I did use it this morning for the very first time and yes, I did wear those silly looking glasses. I am so excited to have the Sun Splash in my life now!!! For anyone who wants more information about this health product, please look at my former post on the subject.

And now, for the rest of the story. Yes, there is actually more to make yesterday so phenominal for me. You see, Andrew has been doing a great sales pitch and Jacob has been pitching in for awhile now too.

You see, they watch me doing my distance sessions then typing them out in an email to send to the clients thereby doing them over again. You see, last week one night Andrew said to me, "Tonight, Mom, you WILL record your session on my IPOD and I'll show you how to send it to your client tomorrow." You see, I absolutely LOVED not having to type the session all over again the next day!

So, yesterday afternoon while Jacob and I were in Sam's Club, he said to me, "Well, Mom, are you ready to buy your very own IPOD?"

GULP!

To make a long story short, I called Andrew and asked his opinion. "For recording my session reports, and everything else that you know that I need for my business, do you think that I need a laptop or an IPOD?"

After a lenghty discussion, Andrew and Jacob both convinced me that buying a Gen 4 34 GB IPOD TOUCH was just the thing for me.

SO I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What in the world does that all mean? I have no idea right now, but I do know that I was getting pretty excited with all that Jacob told me about it on our way home together. You see, I have always been pretty suspicious about technology pulling our family apart or worse--pulling me away from God. Now, though, I have come to see that God can use this new tool to give me more time to be with my family or helping more people through sessions, or even reading my Bible on it when I do have a few moments alone with my King.

I amazed to think that this little technological wonder, which can do so many things to simply my life and my business, is so small that it can even fit in my purse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jacob was so cute when, after I had slipped it into my purse, he said, "You keep your eyes on that, Mom! Lots of people would love to come along and help themselves to THAT!" And so I entered the world of IPOD owners.

So then last night, after the lasagna was in the oven and the Sun Splash was in it's new home on our wall; I called the boys to watch me open the small package that will change my life in so many ways that I can't even imagine yet. I do know, though, that I do not have to purchase a date book for 2011, as I was planning to do, because I can record all of my session times in my IPOD. Can you tell that my son's have been trying to help me to come to grips with the near $300 price tag?

"Will you hurry up and open that thing, Mom?"

Here I am holding my very own IPOD. Actually, as I write this, it is now playing the Raleigh Ringers handbell choir's CAROL OF THE WISE MEN which Andrew put on it for me. Indeed, he just told me that he put his entire musical collection on it for me in "Around 10 minutes." Thank you, Andrw and Jacob, for pushing me over the edge into this new world--I THINK!

Well, it is the Sabbath and everyone is playing Foosball downstairs. I'm tired and in need of my usual Sabbath afternoon rest, but I just wanted to finish this post. I just HAD to share with you this thought which entered my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night.

As I bade my loving Heavenly Father goodnight, I felt Him again very close to me. Then I sensed Him asking me this question, "Dear Dawn, do you really think that you'd have bought the iPod if you hadn't had the experience last night of understanding your self-destructive ways?"

"What do you mean, Lord?" I asked in the darkness.

I almost heard Him chuckle as He said, "Well, you know, if you STILL believed that you were stupid, would you have ever thought that you could master an iPod?"

Tears flowed then--tears of joy--as I saw how God Himself has step by step brought me out of the land of darkness, fears, doubts, and self-hatred that I was born into.

As I drifted off then, I heard myself and perhaps another voice comforting me with my most recited Bible verse found in 2 Timothy 1:4: FOR GOD HATH NOT GIVEN ME THE SPIRIT OF FEAR--BUT OF POWER, AND OF LOVE, AND OF A SOUND MIND!!!

Isn't He absolutely wonderful?

Sabbath blessings to all,

Dawn--new iPod owner

Nighttime revalation

Last night I came to understand myself. This is so profound that I may have to write a book about it someday. Seeing as I have a busy day ahead of me, though, I will have to make this brief.

Although it seems like a crime to treat such a life-changing event as though it deserves only a few paragraphs, I must do so for I cannot go through this day without sharing this new insight.

Those of you who have been with me awhile may recall that when I had my second Reiki attunement the Lord gave me a vision. It was of a violent, horrible man beating me with a chain. I prayed for the beating to stop and he turned around to go. That was when I saw that the horrible man was really ME wearing a disguise. At that time, I heard the voice of God saying to me, "I want you to stop beating yourself for every little thing."

I've tried, I really have. The Reiki has worked in me a desire to be kinder to myself. However, it was so ingrained in me that I blamed myself for everything that was wrong in my life. Now I believe I understand why.

Last night I felt God so close to me. He explained to me that the reason I have hated myself all of my life is that it has been a SELF DEFENSE MECHANISM from my earliest childhood moments. At first I couldn't grasp it, but the more that I pondered what He was telling me, it started to make sense.

You see, I was powerless to change the abuse that was heaped on me constantly in that home. Now with a little bit of pondering, one can see that this does actually make sense in a sick sort of way.

The thinking goes like this. Being I can't stop you from hating me and abusing me in this fashion, I will hate myself. By doing this, I will take the only control that I can possibly have over this dreadful situation. By hating myself, I will take from you the power to have an affect on me. Yes, you will continue to abuse my body but I WILL STAY IN CONTROL OF MY MIND!!!!!! I chose to hate myself so that you can not think that what you are doing is destroying me. In other words, I WOULD RATHER DESTROY MYSELF THAN THINK THAT YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT TO ME!!!!!!!!!

WOW--I was trembling as this nighttime revelation poured new understanding into my whole life. It took a long time to settle down after that, but when I did, I slept like a baby. I know that my life will never be the same and I am SO GLAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I praise God who has been my nighttime companion through all of the horrible moments of my life. I praise Him, especially, for what He shared with me last night. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometime people say to me, "How can you share such personal things with the world?" It's like this, I'm here for a reason. I survived all that I have survived for a reason and that reason is to give others who have lived such nightmares HOPE.

CLING TO THE LORD FOR HE IS A HIGH TOWER TO ALL WHO ARE WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please pray for me today, dear friends!

Dawn

UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED!

Yes, I really am unbelievably excited tonight. I don't have much time to share the details right now but tomorrow (weather permitting) my family and I are going to Bismarck to move me into my new office.

I can't recall if I had shared that I've felt the Lord drawing my attention to Suite #48 which is right across the hall from my office. I've been feeling these nudges for several months so I've spent quite a few moments window shopping and dreaming of having that much space. Every time I looked into the window I said, "Ok Lord, if this is what you want for me, then you need to make it happen." AND NOW HE HAS!!!!!!!

You see, for about half a year I've been also feeling led to consider buying one of Dr. Mercola's sunlight replacement (over-the-door) units. The price tag of $1,500 has kept it a dream, though, until today. It simply amazes me how the Lord works things out and even better than I could have imagined. Let me explain.

You may know that our semi is in the shop for the past 2 weeks. It has been so frustrating for Robert as he sits and waits for word that it is ready to go. Twice already he's ridden up to Bismarck with me to bring it home and it hasn't happened yet. However, the Lord has not been idle. Instead, He's given Robert time to help me ponder this expansion project which is just the nudge that I was needing.

Robert was with me in my office on Tuesday and I got to talking about Suite #48. He had mentioned to me that he thinks it would be good for me to get a 2 room office if I plan to pursue my plan of sharing Dr. Mercola's sunshine units with my Bismarck clients. However, the 2-room offices that we looked at that day did just not seem to be "Right."

Well, to make a long story short, after a very long discussion, a plan began to formulate in our minds. Today, then, I had peace to tell Mr. Gordon that I want both of the rooms. Also, I ordered not one, but two, sunshine units. One I will leave here and one I will leave there and we have a plan for that too.

Anyway, so that you can begin to grasp why I wanted to invest so much money into the units, I'm going to copy Dr. Mercola's newest article about the sunshine machines that I bought from him. I hope that you'll take the time to read this as it can be a big blessing to anyone who lives nearby us or Bismarck. Sorry but this is one thing that I cannot even imagine using from a distance. :)

I'll share pictures soon of my new office but I'm writing to encourage all of you to consider buying 10 minute segments from me standing in front of this awesome health product. All of us are terribly sunlight deprived here in ND and I am VERY excited to be able to offer this high quality machine to you!

Here's the article that inspired me to take the plunge. I hope that you will make some time to ponder how this can help your health, then call me to set up a time to get your daily dose of sunshine!

Sleep well,

Dawn

Recommended by the Vitamin D Council
Scientists at the Vitamin D Council agree that both children and adults should have a Vitamin D level of 50 ng/ml all year-round. They recommend the use of any Mercola Tanning Systems as a safe and effective way to help you achieve natural levels of Vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to educate the public about Vitamin D deficiency and how to prevent it.
Yes, you read that correctly -- finally, there is a vitamin D producing system that I can recommend...

In case you didn't know, taking a vitamin D supplement is not the optimal way to regulate your body’s vitamin D levels.

On the other hand, many experts (including me) believe that there are no health concerns with regard to vitamin D concentration associated with sun exposure.

That's why I feel that the best way to make sure you don't end up with too much or too little vitamin D is to produce it in your own body, by getting some exposure to beneficial ultraviolet A and B rays, like those produced by the sun.

And, as an added benefit, you'll also help give your skin a more healthful glow.

Tanning beds produce ultraviolet A and B rays as well...

And yes, I've been asked many times if there is such a thing as a tanning bed that won't put you at risk.

My answer was always: A tanning bed can be useful, but in my opinion most commercial tanning beds can be a cause for concern.

You see, there are potential problems associated with them that may have a negative impact on your health:

X-Rays -- These rays, emitted by the ends of the bulbs, are a form of radiation, and can be potentially hazardous.
So although they produce the same beneficial ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as the sun and add a pleasant tone to your skin, I've always believed that the best source of those beneficial rays is the sun itself, in moderation.

You see, the UVB rays from the sun help your skin to produce up to 80% of the vitamin D in your body. Your body simply can't make vitamin D without exposure to UVB energy.

Your Skin is Designed to Tan as a Natural Body Function!
And the UVA rays produce a tan that not only makes your skin more pleasing in appearance, but is also your body's natural defense against sunburn.

That's right. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural bodily function!

But for many of you, getting ample sunlight just isn't an option. You have busy lives that don't allow for getting outdoors a lot, much less sunbathing.

And depending upon where you live, it could be cold out, raining out, or cloudy for weeks on end... you get the idea.

I knew that if they could find a way to shield those harmful emissions and make a convenient and affordable tanning system, there'd be a huge demand for it.

Guess what?

They finally did it. And that's great news for you because now you can get this beneficial energy in the most convenient place of all -- your own home!

Put a little sunlight into your life, anytime you want to, because...

You'll Never Lack for the Sun's Rays Again
I previously introduced you to two revolutionary new Systems for tanning or getting the UV light you need. These systems provide the same beneficial UVA and UVB rays that you'd get from the sun, but with the potentially harmful emissions eliminated.

And now, I added a third system that combines all the benefits of these two systems into one.

Here are the details on all the systems:

The D-Lite System Provides You with UVB Rays While Supporting Your Optimal Wellness

The SunSplash is an 8-lamp system that produces both UVA and UVB rays (and tanning) -- the same beneficial energy that the sun produces.
I use this high-quality, well-designed tanning system in my own home because SunSplash 8 provides such high quality tanning rays. Ordinary tanning lamps use unfocused UV rays that bounce around randomly. By the time they reach you, the UV rays may have lost up to 50% of their tanning power.

But SunSplash 8 is different. Its mirror technology uses ESB Sunergy™ RFL lamps, which are specially designed with 180° reflective coating along their entire inside surface. The coating concentrates UV rays on a straight path towards the surface of your skin to give you concentrated UV rays -- for what I believe to be the highest quality indoor tan possible.

The revolutionary new D Lite System, the first of its kind in the country, is a 12-lamp system that produces ONLY UVB rays. It is designed for those of you who want the benefits of the sun without tanning. Because many of you have told me you're interested in vitamin D-producing rays but not tanning, I'm very excited to offer you this great system as a Mercola.com exclusive.

In addition, the phosphor formula used to make the lamps in the D Lite unit produces UVB light and red visible light in the 633 nanometer (nm) range. That's great news, and you'll see why in just a bit..
And now, the all-new, innovative SunSplash Renew combines the extraordinary benefits of the SunSplash Tanning and D-Lite Systems into one.

This 10-lamp system provides you with both UVA and UVB rays. Plus, you get all the advantages of red visible light pioneered in the D-Lite System.

This energy-efficient system helps provide you with a high-quality tan plus vitamin D producing rays.
The latest innovation, SunSplash Refresh, combines all of the light technologies into a single unit.

The SunSplash Refresh is a 10-lamp system provides you with UVA, UVB rays, red light to give you a more youthful appearance, and new blue light to help your skin health (more information on revolutionary blue light in just a minute).

With the SunSplash Refresh, you not only get the vitamin D producing rays, but also the ability to help your facial skin gain a more healthful appearance and get a great-looking tan at the same time.

The SunSplash Renew System combines the benefits of both the SunSplash and D-Lite Systems by providing you both UVA and UVB rays as well as red visible light.

All of these upright tanning systems are easily portable and plug into any standard 120v outlet in your home.

Their simple design allows them to fit on most any door or wall in your house, condo, apartment, dorm... wherever they'll work best for you!

In the privacy, comfort and cleanliness of your own home, you simply stand in front of your personal unit and enjoy a full body exposure. Ten minutes maximum is all you need for what I feel is the fastest session in the tanning industry!

And your unit will never be in your way. You'll never have to worry about having too much of your valuable floor space taken up, or bumping into it all the time.

Talk about convenience. Whether it's day or night, rain or shine, or even snow, beneficial ultraviolet rays can be yours!

Think about what this means to you, your family or any one you care about (unless they can't tolerate any UV rays for some reason)...

Enjoy the benefits of the sun's UVA and UVB energy
Relax in the comfort and sanctity of your own home
Feel peace-of-mind knowing privacy and sanitary concerns are no longer issues for you
Throw dinner in the oven, toss in a load of laundry, put the little one down for a nap, then go into the other room and treat yourself to the same beneficial rays as the sun!

Save Time and Money While Supporting Your Optimal Wellness

The luxury of owning your own SunSplash or D Lite System gives you more than just the benefit of the sun's rays and high level of convenience.

Think of all the ways you'll be saving valuable time and money by staying home to get those essential rays:

No longer having to pay for tanning salon visits...
No more burning through expensive gas driving to the nearest tanning salon...
No more having to waste your precious time making appointments...
Never having to look for a parking spot, or driving out of your way...
Reducing (but not eliminating) your worries about getting a sunburn...
Yes, having to pack up the car (nuisance), fill the gas tank (expensive) and drive someplace sunny or to a tanning salon (loss of valuable time) can be a show-stopper for you.

And for those reasons, you may be depriving yourself of getting an ample amount of ultraviolet rays everyday.

No more!

Just picture yourself with a nice healthy skin tone. Your friends and coworkers can only admire your color while they spend the off-season all wan and pale. (Tell them you just came back from Aruba!)

Maintenance? What Maintenance?
In addition to being conveniently mountable and out of your way, and all the time and money you'll save, there is extremely little maintenance associated with your unit. Each lamp in your unit is rated for at least 1,000 hours of heavy duty usage.

You can use them for many years before having to make any replacements.

And if you do need to replace a lamp for any reason, it's as easy and as fast as replacing a bulb in a fluorescent lamp. No tools required...

Every unit is built using the most energy efficient electrical components on the market today.

Each SunSplash tanning or D-Lite session costs you only pennies!

These units are all manufactured in the USA. The 16-year-old company that makes them is a leader in the home tanning industry.

And of course, your unit comes with a timer. But there is also a backup timing device which will automatically turn your unit off after 11 minutes. This feature isn't even required by the FDA yet.

Rest assured, these innovative units are well ahead of the curve.

Wait A Minute! I'm Supposed To Avoid
the Sun's Rays These Days, Right?
Despite the health benefits you can derive from the sun's ultraviolet rays, they've still gotten a lot of undeserved bad press lately.


UV Rays from the Sun or a Tanning System Have Many Benefits, in Moderation
Everyone from health officials to your well-meaning friends seems to have the same advice: The sun is your enemy. They tell you that it will wrinkle your skin and cause you to look older prematurely -- even increase your risk of cancer.

It is true that anything, no matter how healthy it might be for you, can be harmful in excessive amounts. Remember:

Always avoid overexposing yourself to the sun's rays! This applies to tanning beds or systems as well.
You should definitely avoid sunburn at all costs.

With that being said, in moderation, ultraviolet rays from the sun or a tanning system can have many benefits for you.

On the other hand, in my opinion, avoiding the sun's ultraviolet rays can have detrimental effects on your health simply because you are depriving yourself of the solar nourishment you were meant to have.

Of course, the amount of exposure depends on you, so if you're not sure, start out by getting just a few minutes a day and gradually build your way up.

Just don't expose yourself long enough to get sunburned. Make your exposure to vitamin D-stimulating rays a positive one.

Avoid the Winter Blues with "The Sunshine Vitamin"
Why does it seem that more people are "under the weather" during the months November through March?

Or why many people feel fatigued and run-down during that time?


The SunSplash Tanning System Provides You with Both UVA and UVB Rays While Supporting Your Optimal Wellness

Coincidence? I don't think so.

During that period, in most of the United States the sun won't stimulate vitamin D in your body, due to its increased distance. Your vitamin D levels can drop as much as 50% in the winter.

Depleted of vitamin D, your immune system may not be up to its full potential, leaving you more susceptible to certain health concerns. In fact, I strongly believe that vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic!

Vitamin D has demonstrated support for:

Your healthy immune system
Your cardiovascular system
Your prostate
Helping increase your level of white blood cells
Your healthy skin
Your body doesn't produce vitamin D on its own. You need exposure to ultraviolet rays to stimulate the production of vitamin D in your body.

Yes, there are vitamin D supplements on the market, but I feel that the best place for you to get your vitamin D is from ultraviolet B rays.

Many of these supplements are synthetic, which you should avoid. Also, vitamin D in excessive doses can lead to other health concerns (visit my website to learn more about that).

So get some exposure -- the good kind!

Guess what? The SunSplash and D-Lite Systems are excellent sources of UVA and/or UVB rays...

Want to Reverse Your Wrinkles?
Then Go To the Light... For Younger Looking Skin
There's another way that light benefits you, specifically light produced in 633 nanometer (nm) waves. (Incidentally, the D-Lite, SunSplash Refresh, SunSplash Renew Systems and Vitality Beds produce light in this range.)

When you are exposed to light in this 633 nm range, your skin cells are naturally stimulated, leading to the production of collagen, elastin and certain enzymes that support your skin.

As you age, collagen and elastin break down and you begin to see wrinkles, creases and folds in skin that was once taut.

This process may accelerate if you smoke or have poor eating habits.

Light in the 633 nm range pulls collagen back to the surface of your skin to fill in lines and wrinkles, and help reverse the appearance of aging.

Also, light in this range helps strengthen the walls of the small blood vessels in your skin, which results in improved oxygenation and detoxification. Hydration is increased, and the ability of your skin to retain moisture improves.

Improved natural healing and the creation of healthy conditions for your skin will follow.

Another important effect of 633 nm light is that it affects the permeability of the membrane of your skin cells. What this means is that it becomes easier for the important active ingredients of topical skincare products to pass through the walls of your skin cells, increasing their effectiveness.

In a nutshell, light in the 633 nm range can improve the clarity, tone and texture of your skin, basically giving you a more youthful appearance.

New Blue Light Can Promote
Even More Skin Benefits for You
There is one more truly special type of light from the visible spectrum. Gentle blue light in the 417-419 nm wavelength has some extraordinary properties that your skin will love.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, blue light can actually help your skin health.

Best of all, blue light is totally safe and generates no additional heat or harmful radiation. Indeed, blue light therapies are known to help support your body’s skin health.

Now, you've seen how important all four of these light forms are to your overall health and wellbeing. So wouldn't it be great to have them available to you 24/7?

Night or Day, Rain or Shine -- Get Some Rays
Don't be underexposed!

You need to get some exposure to beneficial ultraviolet rays regularly to help achieve your optimal wellness. Now you can! Winter, night-time, rain, while supper is cooking -- anytime is a good time to catch some vitamin D- stimulating rays.

Your UV Light System May be Tax-Deductible!
According to the manufacturer, the IRS may subsidize your UV Light System if your doctor recommends light therapy at home. A doctor's written order could turn your home System into a piece of tax-deductible medical equipment, as long as you satisfy a few IRS conditions. Please consult your tax professional to see if you could qualify for this benefit!

Recommended by the Vitamin D Council
Scientists at the Vitamin D Council agree that both children and adults should have a Vitamin D level of 50 ng/ml all year-round. They recommend the use of any Mercola Tanning Systems as a safe and effective way to help you achieve natural levels of Vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to educate the public about Vitamin D deficiency and how to prevent it.

The luxury of owning your very own unit is almost like owning a little bit of sunlight to use whenever you want. And the benefits will improve your life in so many ways:

Bask in the relaxing glow of the powerful UV rays available from Body Sunergy Selectra VHO lamps (and help reverse the signs of aging)
Easily mount your system to a door or wall with simple hanging brackets (wall mount not included)
Realize years of usage with bulbs rated at up to 1000 hours (saves you money on maintenance)
Quickly tan in just 10 minutes a day -- whenever you choose (Tanning System only)
Get the perfect amount of rays with the automatic shut-off timer and backup timer (no worries here)
Rest easy knowing your eyes are protected with your included free pair of UV goggles (included with your system)
Save money by using standard 110V outlets (you don't need any expensive electric work done)
I think you'll agree -- these units will quickly pay for themselves in tanning salon costs, gas, time and convenience. And when your friends and coworkers see your great looking skin, the look on their faces will be priceless!

Plus Another Two Bonuses...
And when you order today, you'll also receive a free copy of my "Sunshine Report" (valued at $9.97) on the important role Vitamin D plays in your health.

If that wasn't enough, you'll also get FREE SHIPPING on your System! (Limited time offer only...)

Turning heads, feeling good, being well -- what is all that really worth to you?

Have your very own SunSplash or D Lite Tanning System shipped to your home or office today!