“One person with commitment accomplishes more than a thousand with an opinion.” –Orrin Woodward
From functional freedom to freedom from debt to financial freedom, almost anyone in our society can jump into the Life Leadership experience and find a place to excel. While success in any area of life takes time, the Life Leadership founders have committed to making the journey as rewarding and exciting as possible. One program that has been greatly under-promoted is that of the Incentive Trips. In the midst of learning how to build communities of freedom-minded individuals, any member has the opportunity to join the Trip Tracking program to earn an incentive trip for two to one of four incredible destinations: Disney World, Costa Rica, a cruise in the Bahamas, or Jamaica.
During a crazy time in their lives, Corey and Melva Barresi caught the vision of what they could do for their family through the opportunity presented by Life Leadership. Although going on a free trip wasn’t the number one priority, it definitely grabbed their attention–so they joined the Trip Tracking program on Day 1 of their journey. Needless to say, in November 2014, the couple from Texas qualified for the incentive trip and made the extra arrangements to take their entire family of seven on a vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. After arriving home, Corey, Melva and their five kids were all very excited to share about their experience. As you read through Melva’s summary of the trip below, be prepared to get sucked in to the excitement! 🙂
Life Leadership Sends the Barresi Family to Disney World
Our Disney trip was amazing! When our flight landed, we got to ride on Mickey’s Magical Express bus to the Art of Animation Resort. We spent the first two days at the Magic Kingdom Theme Park, and our favorite ride was by far the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. All of the food and drinks and snacks were included. It was more than enough! I loved the shows and the parades and the fireworks show. The fireworks were worth the entire trip. They were so cool and elaborate and all to music from the movies about following your dreams. My mouth hung open the entire time in amazement.
“It was the funniest place on earth! Be sure and get the Fast Pass. I rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 3 times! The food was good too. I’m so proud of my parents.” -Valeria (12)
We spent one night in Downtown Disney, where we went sightseeing and shopping. Our favorite stores were the Lego Store and the Ghiradelli chocolate store. They also had a Rain Forest Cafe with a big volcano that shot out fire, and a huge Lego Loch Ness Monster in the middle of the lake.
“It was exciting and relaxing all at the same time. I didn’t drive a car for almost a week. The resort pampered us the entire time we were there. The room had an amazing Lion King Theme. We got to schedule all of our rides and barely had to wait. It was the most quality family time we’ve had in a long time. There were plenty of rides that the whole family could ride on. It was an experience that we will remember forever.” -Corey Barresi
The next day we went to the Epcot center, where they were having the Food and Wine festival. It was so much fun, and we got to taste all kinds of food from all over the world. My kids couldn’t wait to get to the Japan area, where there was a bunch of Manga and Anime stuff. The decorations around the entire park were so intricate and detailed. It was amazing. Our favorite ride there was the Test Track. Our 2 year old, Levi, loved the aquarium in the Finding Nemo ride. It was so cool to see all of the different kinds of exotic fish, and we even got to see a Manatee and Dolphins do some amazing tricks.
“It was really fun. My favorite ride was the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I liked seeing all of the Disney characters. I recommend everyone go.” -Caleb (9)
Corey and I loved seeing all of the amazing research that they do in growing food and fish farming. It was also great to experience the rides that show the changes in technology over the years. It was very educational.
“It was amazing, the most magical place on earth. We had Timon, Pumba and Simba right outside our window. The hotel room was big and comfy. It was worth watching my little brother a lot so that my parents could work on earning our trip.” -Makayla (13)
Our last day was spent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We got to watch the Indiana Jones stunt show, where they showed how all of the stunts and explosions were done in the movies. We also did the Star Wars ride, where we got a 3D experience of flying on one of the fighter ships; and we watched as the kids fought Darth Vader and a Sith Lord with their lightsabers. We went to the Frozen Sing-along, where we saw Anna and Elsa come alive. There was snow and bubbles everywhere at the end. We also got to see a 3D Muppets show that was hilarious. Our favorite ride was the 3D Toy Story Mania ride, where we got to ride around, shooting targets and competing with each other for the most points. Corey beat me by 100 points.
“There are really good shows there!” -Noah (7)
From there, we rented a car and drove to Treasure Island to spend the day on the beach with the kids. We swam in the ocean for the first time ever and made sand castles. Levi loved jumping in the waves. We came home with a huge bag of sea shells! The night before we left, we walked along the pier and watched all of the cool birds. I loved watching the birds fish, it was the first time we had ever seen a pelican.
This trip was a dream come true. With a family of seven, I don’t think we would have ever been able to afford a trip like this without Life Leadership. I loved watching the amazement on my kids’ faces. I can’t even count the number of times I heard, “Look at that Mommy!” It was great. It was worth all of the effort and the stretching of our comfort zones to make it happen. I’m so fired up now to help some more of my teammates go on their incentive trip.
This trip of a lifetime became real the second Corey and Melva decided to put their excuses behind them and commit to a brighter future for their family. Although it was just one stepping stone on the way to their freedom, the Barresi family has a renewed sense of belief and passion to help so many more families experience their very own awesome vacation. Life Leadership is proud that this family, along with countless others, are going to battle for their freedom on a daily basis. The very point of the incentive trips is to give the up-and-coming leaders the extra push that they need to break through some of the invisible barriers that society has helped build in their lives. So, from the entire Life Leadership community, Congratulations Barresi Family!
David & Cathi Thomas says
A reward well earned! Congratulations for making no excuses, putting in the effort, and qualifying for this amazing family experience!
Luis Morgan says
I am so incredibly thankful for the Barresi family. They were brought by our home by our leaders Willie & Kristal Seid and my wife and I were instantly attracted to Corey & Melva’s naive excitement about what the future was going to be like. We envied that naiveté and decided to get on the train with them & ride. Thank you Barresi’s for deciding to drive the train to inspire and love others like us.
Jim Storhok says
We are currently planning our trip to Costa Rica! Love Life Leadership! Looking forward to sharing our story when we get back!!
Jim Storhok says
Great job Barresi family!! Congrats on your accomplishments!!
Katrina Lucas says
l’m blessed to be able to count Melva and Corey among my best friends! They are incredible leaders and motivators! If you haven’t met their kids yet, you are missing out! Those children, along with their parents, light up the room. Melva and Corey exemplify true servant leadership. #lovelifeleadership
Heather Mines says
Cuddos to the Baressi family! Sounds like a week of magic and dreams come true. Commitment and consistency paying off for the whole family. Thanks for being awesome time models for all of us to follow!
Sandra Leal says
Wow! This is incredible, what business is out there that rewards your efforts as a family to help other families and singles out here to create a business with life-changing information. Life Leadership, that’s who babee! Life Leadership!! Fired up! Thank you Barresis for your friendship, love and your leadership.
Anthony Nieto says
Fired up article!! Exciting to see our very own Dallas Team Explosion leaders. I love this family, we’ve grown so close over these years growing the business together. Nothing more exciting than to see your friends making it by helping others like myself continue to make it!!
Joan & Fred Malmstone says
Life is Fabulous!!! Fired Up !!