UPDATE: Just having a “scrolling through old photos” moment. Here's a throwback to our 2007 Christmas Letter—a little time capsule from when we were growing our family and building our business:

2007 brought our share of challenges, but through it all, one truth stood firm: adversity is opportunity.

As we stayed committed to studying and living by principles of prosperity, those challenges ultimately bore good fruit. That year, especially at Christmastime, I felt a deep pull toward reflection. The result? A powerful need to simplify, simplify, simplify (which is why this letter was a bit less creative than usual).

The biggest blessing from being ultra-selective with my commitments? An incredible increase in quality time with my children—especially during the holidays.

The year began with our two-month-old baby taking up nearly all my attention and energy. Knowing she would be our last, I did my best to soak up every sweet moment. All nonessential commitments? Off the table.

Trevan stayed busy with real estate deals, business endeavors, and growing interest in financial services. By spring, I was finally ready—and physically able—to pick up some of the projects I’d paused during my 2006 pregnancy. I even took on the role of taxi-mom for tennis, karate, soccer, and swim lessons, thanks to our wonderful helpers Caitlin L., Erica B., and later Sarah A.—who quickly felt like adopted big sisters.

By March, I was pouring my spare time into creating a self-directed home study course—so people could access life-changing material 24/7, whether or not I was presenting seminars. This not only allowed me more time with our seven children (all under 15!), but aligned with our bigger goal: claiming precious family time before the nest starts to empty.

One of our big goals in 2007 was becoming more financially portable.

One major task was getting health insurance separate from employment, since our 18-month COBRA plan was expiring in May. What I expected to take 30 days turned into 150, while we worked through some unexpected uninsurability issues—but we got it done just in time. We didn’t realize until later that the delay was actually a blessing in disguise. (Law of Polarity in action! Keep reading, and I’ll share why…)

We recorded the audio version of our books, accepted a deal for a Turkish translation of Jackrabbit Factor, and started work on a Spanish version, which we hope to release soon.

There were setbacks along the way—some quite humbling. But we continue to see God’s hand in our lives, and we testify that He is keenly aware of all His children, supporting them through trials, even when it's not obvious. We’ve taught for years that “every adversity contains the seed of equal or greater benefit” (Napoleon Hill)—and we’re grateful to have seen this play out in our own lives.

One particularly memorable “opportunity” came when our A/C quit during the Arizona summer. I finally jumped into the pool—clothes and all—just to cool down enough to keep working. (Water damage? Nope—the heat took care of that before it could happen.) Despite our home warranty, every fix took a week… sometimes it broke again the same day, starting the wait all over. We figure we went without proper A/C for 6–8 weeks total. Character-building at its finest!

A sobering, sacred moment came in May. During the brief three-week overlap between our old and new health plans, 3-year-old Bethany was found floating face-down in the deep end by 7-year-old Jared. By God’s grace, she was revived after I performed a very unpolished version of CPR. She took an ambulance ride, spent the night in intensive care, and—miraculously—fully recovered. Because our new insurance was barely in place, we were spared major financial strain. Had we obtained it months earlier as planned, she might have been labeled uninsurable. We saw divine timing in the delay.

We’re also deeply grateful that Nathan’s cardiologist gave him a three-year clearance—a first in his life. For twelve years, he’s needed constant monitoring following open-heart surgery, and to now go three years between checkups is an incredible milestone.

To navigate real estate setbacks, Trevan took a short-term contract doing work he’d stepped away from two years prior—similar to Richard returning for another sack in Jackrabbit Factor with a new mindset. We declined the job’s health insurance (still finalizing our private plan) and stayed committed to his freedom to leave when needed. After the contract ended—and the day before shipping out our very first home study orders—we decided our best next step was to join forces full-time and help others with their financial challenges. Trevan stepped into a leadership role at ThoughtsAlive LLC, giving me more time to homeschool our youngest five and pick up new skills… like how to cook a whole chicken. 😉

He and his brother took the business to the next level by launching the prosperity forums and planning for a digital product bank so readers can access their materials online. He also prepped our books for Amazon’s new Kindle reader (which I now want—because reading!).

I’m so grateful for Trevan’s talents, his interest, and his availability—especially for the tech stuff I never had the bandwidth or desire to tackle. Together (finally, a dream come true!), we’re building toward our shared goal of helping families around the world achieve time and money freedom faster than ever before.

I stay connected to readers and course participants through the forums and this blog, and collaborate with Trevan daily—dreaming, planning, growing, and helping others, one inspired idea at a time.

Family updates:

• Jacob (15) continues with trumpet and choir, played soccer as keeper, had his first EFY experience at BYU, and keeps us laughing with stories of singed eyebrows and stitches.

• Nathan (12) is thriving with the clarinet, staying on top of homework, and also joined his brother at a local “Best of EFY.”

• Kayli (9) is homeschooled and still plays violin in the school orchestra. She’s a kitchen wizard and hosts beautifully presented family meals—menus, name cards, and all.

• Jared (8) was baptized in August and attends the gifted ELP program on Wednesdays.

• Nicholas (6) quickly outgrew kindergarten work, passed the post-test, and is now doing first grade homeschool lessons.

• Bethany (4) is giving up the thumb! As of Nicholas’ birthday, she proudly says, “I don’t do that anymore.” Fingers (or thumbs) crossed!

• Sarah (1) surprised us all by walking at 8 months. She’s already mastering the stairs and has every one of us completely smitten.

Trevan still volunteers with the Scouts and loves it. I’ve received a new church assignment (to be made official soon) and have much to learn but look forward to serving.

Our summer vacation took us through Utah and Idaho, with four free seminars along the way. We played with cousins, stopped at Lagoon, 7 Peaks Water Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park.

Another unforgettable highlight: MY side of the family (scattered across the country) held our first family reunion in 10 years—right here at our home over Thanksgiving!

Oh, and spring Tuesday mornings were spent teaching an abundance class at Jacqueline’s house, where I presented my seven-week series on the Laws of Success (now available online as Working with the 7 Laws of Success). It helped me get back into the groove post-maternity leave, and we met inspiring guest presenters like John Gray (Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus) and Loral Langemeier.

Since then, I’ve spoken to various audiences, including Loral’s alumni and Bob Proctor’s Wealth Lab. I joined the Executive Idea Council for a new think-tank-style organization, and was humbled to see Hidden Treasures become an Amazon bestseller in the “Money & Values” category—where it has stayed consistently since September. We were also named IdeaMarketers.com’s Official Prosperity Experts and SelfGrowth.com’s Official Guides to Prosperity (SelfGrowth being the #1 self-improvement site online).

All the “labor pains” of creating the home study course have been worth it—to see how it’s blessing others has brought such fulfillment.

We send our love and gratitude for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the wonder of His birth—through whom all things can be overcome. We are grateful for His mercy, the refining nature of trials, and the outpouring of blessings—whether in the form of relief, abundance, or growth.

May you feel the peace our family enjoyed at Christmastime all throughout the coming year.

With love,
Leslie Householder and family

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