13 years later....

For years I couldn’t sleep without checking on our 3rd son Levi, to make sure he was still breathing and alive.  Hear the story of how when Levi at only 19 days old quit breathing multiple times, would fight for every breath and ultimately overcome RSV after a week in ICU at Phoenix Children's Hospital. How God had orchestrated every detail which made it possible for us to have a fighting chance for his life.  He is one of our Mercer Miracles and on December 20, 2020 we celebrate 13 years with him; a complete miracle! To God be the glory.  

Hunting with the Mercer clan isn’t your everyday adventure!  Preston and I discuss what is involved in the hunting logistics, the family dynamics and the formation of boys becoming men through challenge.

Hear the stories behind hunting, harvesting and helping get the job done with Preston Mercer.

Hunts mentioned

Corabelle Mercer- deer

Colden Mercer - deer and elk

Levi- deer

Garrett- deer and elk

Our homeschool curriculum:  Robinson Curriculum. A classical education based on the 3R’s- reading, writing and arithmetic. We do school by the book whenever we are not doing life in real time.

That means having the discipline to see experience and education serving in an “exchange” relationship.  If I do this- what I want to do, I need to make sure I make time for what I have to do…..

That is the journey of all of life…

We believe there is no separation between “life skills” and school and we decided long ago we would not allow “school” to get in the way of life.  The school of life we experience includes every skill you will need for a life well lived on the ground going not held to a chair behind walls.

Get outside.  Live your adventure.  Discover what you are made of and have the courage to stand out rather than fit into the “box” of comfort and safety! 

Many of us spend most of our life trying to discover who we are,  no less defining who we are with a title.  One of the most challenging questions I have to answer is defining what I do.  Although I am a fitness instructor I find myself going against the grain of the industry's messaging and transforming what people believe.   Where traditional fitness focuses on weight/diet, hard workouts, heavy weights; I teach everything opposite of that! Fitness that transforms and becomes a lifestyle of results, is based on self love and positive body image,  DIET FREE, functional movements, light weights, small muscles and flexibility being as important as strength.  

Some call me Dr. Pilates, therapist, healer, coach, even NO Mercy Mercer (yes I can make you sweat and be sore too)!  With over 10,000 hours in the industry studying bodies, mechanics and movement,  I have had the very unique opportunity to be trusted with helping people lives and the journey to re-discovering their best pain- free, energy filled and empowered life.

 Our health is foundational to the enjoyment of our life.  When we have our health, we feel empowered, awakened and fully alive in our heart, mind, body and soul.  

"Definitely NOT just a pilates instructor! Your in depth knowledge & experience of the body, mechanics, posturing, usage, ability to identify & target deficits & imbalances is truly a gift and a recognition that deserves true respect and appreciation.

😘💗💕 I have such admiration for you & when I talk about you to others so many people say the same thing: "oh my gosh she is SO amazing" "she is a miracle worker" "oh I have heard she's incredible"...

I just wanted you to know how much I & others respect you & KNOW how you impact lives."- Michelle Boyer, Pain PA, Flagstaff AZ

With our world in a state of mass destruction and chaos, hear first hand what it's like to be on the line and in the mind of a Wildland Firefighter!

Meet, Preston Mercer,  a wildland firefighter for almost 25 years, from his first job in high school as a hot shot, to repelling into fires from a helicopter when we met and now in full operations and management,   he has truly lived life in the fire from the inside out with a tenacious fireman's heart.  

From being a hero for putting fires out, to being "hated" for lighting fires to manage (fire prevention), its all part of the job.  A job that requires facing the flames with more heart than the heat of the fire, more head than the hard hat you wear and more strength and resilience than any job with 2 feet on the ground.

The joke in our home is no matter where Preston finds himself he is always putting fires out!  The passion behind this mans heart for leading fireman, managing the land and providing for his family is nothing short of LEGENDARY!  The world needs more Heros like these!  

A powerful conversation through life and death from the eyes of a grandchild, daughter and spouse. It was only 25 years ago some days and a life time others, when Kelsey at a tender age of 16 had to decide with her father to pull the "life plug" and say good bye to her mom at only 37 years old. After a shocking struggle with chicken pox, turned pneumonia, the Good Lord called her home. 

Join Kelsey along with her father and 3 youngest children for a stroll down memory lane to hear some of the stories of how they met, what it was like in their early days and what being married right after coming home from Vietnam war looked liked in the 70's.  You will hear stories of Lori's fight for life as a child and all the way till the bitter end,  questions from the eyes of a child and answers from the heart of a grandpa and mother who lived through it all and still feel the pain and power in the story 25 years later! 

Along the journey of this beautiful life, the reality is, scars often teach us more than trophies, however each serves its purpose in the ultimate plan when we understand our purpose in the process. We discuss how in the process we discover who we are and what we are made of in both the trials and trophies, although each teacher is unique in how we move from the internal and external challenges of a scar or trophy mindset. We share the times when we grew in the tests of abuse, abandonment, image and identity complexes, reveled in the beauty of shining moments receiving our trophies and the dulling dangers of remaining in either the “scars or trophy” mindset.  In whatever space or season you are in, our desire is you find HOPE and believe in your miracle, find moments of clarity through conversation and feel the connection that comes through compassion and empathy for yourself and others around you.  When we understand that life happens FOR us and not to us, we can believe God works all things for HIS purpose and we move from the pain in the process to the purpose in the plan.

The MINDSET:

Trophies    

Scars

Psalm 22:9-10

On this Father Day,  we share a deep discussion about the journey we have with our fathers, as a father and the relationship men and women share with their earthly father and heavenly father. 

Along the journey of earning our PHD of life, one of the most important aspects is our relationships with others; our family, friends, and co-workers. In our discussion we highlight the D in PHD as it relates to real life and relationships.  Let’s be clear about something- the “big D” in our journey is the dEVIL; the original deceiver.  The little “d’s” we will discuss are the devil’s devices to delay and defeat us on the journey especially when it comes to our relationships with other. These include:

deception

doubt & discouragement

defeat

division

detachment

decrease

devalue

decision

D-Day

done Day

dad’s day

defining day

deliverance