doTERRA Convention 2017: Our Family’s Excursion

doTERRA convention  2017 was my 5th and Brent’s 3rd time attending.

Initially, Brent and I were going to go on our own as usual. As time got closer, we started to reflect back on previous years’ experiences of leaving our kids behind. Here are a few:

• Last year, we left our kids on their own (our oldest two being 15-16) with very close friends to checking in on them throughout the day. The smoke detectors’ batteries went off because they needed batteries.
• Another time, one son was a passenger in a minor car crash and it hurt to not be there to soothe him.
• One year, the person we left in charge allowed someone to enter our home who was on the “do not let these people in” list.

We also were considering what was going on right now. Our family has endured some emotionally challenging times over the last year. My mommy heart wanted to keep the kids close.

Even without all of the reasons I mentioned above, we decided that since 3 of our kids have only left our state during a state of emergency (impromptu trip to 4 Corners during the Black Forest Fire in 2013) and since we have a son turning 18 next year, we needed to do as much together as possible.

After we made our decision to bring the entire family team, some appliances at the house we’re renting stopped working right. Of course, it happened during Labor Day weekend, so we couldn’t reach the landlord to have either fixed until we came back. At this point, I was very grateful that we already made arrangements to bring our kids. I can’t imagine what the results would have been if one of the appliances was used while we were gone.

Our plan was that Brent and I would take turns attending sessions while the other took kids around Salt Lake to see the sites. We also bought the video on demand of doTERRA’s convention so that anything we missed out on would be available to us after getting home. Thank you doTERRA for offering this! It was a HUGE blessing!

Where to Stay

Since our plans were pretty last minute, all the hotels that could accommodate a family of 8 were taken. We also didn’t want to spend a boat load on lodging because we’re striving to stay debt free and use our resources in more desirable and creative ways.

We ended up choosing to stay at an Airbnb in South Weber, about 30 minutes away from the Salt Palace where convention is held.

What we liked about it: We got a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house in a quiet neighborhood for $106 per night. This certainly beats a hotel room or two any day. Everything we needed was there and our host was friendly, even though he was gone for all but 8 hours. I liked that I am also supporting an individual instead of a huge corporation.

Get up to $40 toward your first Airbnb reservation

What We Did

Salt Lake City has a lot of free things to do. There are museums, historical houses, conference centers and the Mormon Temple Square Visitors’ Centers. So, while either Brent or I attended convention with our oldest son, Caleb; the other was taking the other kids from site to site.

One disappointment: We were happy with all that we did, except one thing. We were hoping to show our kids Gardner Mill at Gardner Village and see something historical because Archibald Gardner is my husband’s and kids’ ancestor. It turned out to be a bunch of shops and restaurants. The kids were disappointed. I was surprised because we’ve been taking them to a lot of historical sites. Perhaps it was a let down because they thought (thanks to me) that they’d learn more about a relative and his life.

Before “touring” Gardner Village

After Touring Gardner Village. It wasn’t easy taking a picture of “happy” kids- or a picture at all.

The event most of the kids talk about still: doTERRA hosted Rachel Platten (think Fight Song) for the street concert. My entire family got to enjoy it (some of us from outside the fence). It was included with our convention tickets, so you could say it was also free. It was my kids’ first professional concert. It was Brent’s my first concert experience in years.   Here are some clips from the concert

Since we were staying in Weber, which is very close to Hill Air Force Base, we also went to the Hill Aerospace Museum (also free).

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Before heading home, some of the family attended the Music and the Spoken Word. The Music and the Spoken Word has broadcast weekly for 89 years, which makes it the longest running weekly network broadcast in the world. It is a non-denominational program, which is not a worship service though the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings every time.

Was it Worth It?

Definitely, YES! While the emotional challenges my kids are facing can’t dissolve that quickly, it certainly helped. It is my opinion that essential oils and high quality attention were top contributors. I also believe that removing them from certain situations helped, too.

My son, Isaac, hasn’t smiled this big in months. He and some of the others said they wanted to do it again.

My kids are already asking to go to next years’ convention. We’re looking for recommendations for memory-making activities we can do in Salt Lake that are kid friendly for kids ages 7-18 (I can’t believe they’ll be that OLD next year!!!). Please help us plan our next Salt Lake City vacation and share your ideas in the comments below. Thanks in advance!

Make sure to visit my essential oil site where I share what I learned at convention, other events, and my own life experiences.

Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter