The December Lesson: Receiving

   Again, I must apologize if this post does not make much sense, but when something hits me with such force and power I find it hard to articulate my feelings in a way that others will understand or comprehend.

   Receiving Anxiety: I think it's a very real thing :) This year has seemed to be the worst it has ever been for me. I literally made myself sick thinking about it. The Anxiety over receiving gifts from friends and family was overwhelming & honestly quit heavy!

   If you ask any child which is better between giving or receiving, they will probably tell you that receiving is a whole lot more fun then giving. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood I lost that mentality completely. As if giving made me superior(received praise) and receiving made me weak.

   Maybe, it was in 3rd or 4th grade when I had enough money to go to Santa's work shop at school & finally pick something out for my mom and dad. Pretty sure my mom loved the ceramic cow toothpick holder (nail that one) or getting dad a leather-man or pocketknife every year just seemed perfect. Maybe, it was when I was little and we would go out Christmas Eve doorbell ditching to give to those in need in our neighborhood. Or maybe, as parents we try to teach our children the right principles about not being spoiled and selfish. That in trying to teaching them about these things we use songs about Santa and how he's checking his list to see who's naughty or nice that we imply that gifts are earned or conditional.

  Everything had it's opposite we seem to learn in contrasts... Rich/Poor Good/Bad Right/Wrong Light/Dark Giving/Receiving. Rich is easier then being poor, Yes is better than no, right is superior to wrong, light is safer than dark. So it stands to reason in this deeply ingrained sorting system, that either giving or receiving must be “better. We've heard it over and over again from our parents and religious leaders “tis better to give than to receive," I must have really taken that one to heart. I don't recall every having a conversation about receiving. I felt like I never heard about receiving until this year, it could be that I was just blinded by my own ego or wasn't ready to hear it, but this year's First Presidency's Christmas Devotional Pres. Uchtdorf spoke about receiving.

  For the last five years I have been working on being unconditional LOVE. I never realized that by not allowing other to give me gifts, I was putting conditions/limits on their LOVE as well as the way that I received LOVE. Receiving is a part of the Atonement the receiver is being an instrument in the hands of the Lord in fulfilling his Atonement which is LOVE. Gifts are given to express emotion. Usually they are given to express the LOVE that we have for one another. Receiving those gifts is receiving LOVE as well as giving LOVE to the giver. Just as the Atonement is a gift given with LOVE we can not fully feel it's power until we are willing to Receive with LOVE

 According to the Bible, God’s gift of salvation is never because we earn it or deserve it. It is not because we’re givers that we receive His LOVE. According to scripture, salvation is a gift. Only the proud and foolish would ever think they could earn it. With the Holiday Season of celebrating the birth of our Savior in which even the 3 wise men brought gifts that represented so much more then just monetary value. Christ birth was a gift of LOVE given by our Father in Heaven. I am grateful and humbled to be a receiver of my Savior's gift as well as my Heavenly Fathers gift everyday.


 May we all work(me especially) at being better receivers of not only the Gifts given from our Heavenly Father, but also those given from our brothers and sisters.
Merry Christmas.

Family, Friends, Food, and Fun!

This month has flown by and I couldn't not post about how great Nov. has been this year. I decided this year that I wasn't going to do the whole "What I'm Thankful for Everyday"(It kinda drives me crazy), but I still love you if you do it thing! Instead I wanted to write letters to a few people that have made a difference in my life. These individuals where from the past, present, and I even wrote a few to future recipients:) I believe it's a new tradition for me every Nov.



The month of Nov. Instagram style.

Was able to go to a few BYU Women's Soccer (Elite Eight) and Volleyball games. I LOVE sports...such a good time.

 

 Catching up with old friends. Hadn't seen these two for 3 years.

 

Noah's had it's annual Shareholders Mtg. We are looking to have 7 new buildings operating by the end of 2013...These are a few of the amazing women I work with in the company that help make that happen.

2012                                                        2007                                                  2006

I am so GRATEFUL that I had a chance to catch up with some of my lifelong friends. They have always been there!

I LOVED being home for Thanksgiving...Beautiful Weather, Beautiful Family, Beautiful Blessings. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

 
So Grateful that I was able to share this moment with a friend. I love the blessing of the temple.

 

Gave my first Relief Society Lesson on M. Russell Ballard's talk "Be Anxiously Engaged". Such good stuff. I would highly recommend studying that one again! Its ALL about the LOVE! Hope everyone had a Happy November!

I said "YES"

There are moments when it seem like everything just feels right and the stars are alined something magical happens or something stupid... About 6 months ago a friend of mine asked if I'd do the Tough Mudder with him.  In that moment it felt right the stars were aligned so I said "YES".  Even after I watched the video (you can watch it here http://toughmudder.com if you'd like).  I thought to myself... "It's going to be okay I have 6 months to train for this thing". Well things come up and I didn't train as hard as I probably should have. Not to mention the week before I wasn't able to train at all because of the Kidney Stone experience. That really put me out of commission. So here's how it went down.

 

(My Cute roommate made me some good luck signs)

It rained the night/morning before the race so the condition were extra muddy & cold.  It was overcast and windy & our car read 42 as we pulled into our parking spot.  To say the least it was going to be a cold/wet/muddy 13 mile challenge.  I had 2 goals going into the race.
1. Run the whole thing.
2. Complete every obstacle.

   

Before the race...*Notice the gibberish on my forehead. It was suppose to be my bib number, but the guy writing it was so cold he was shaking!

     I'm not going to go into detail of every challenge, but if you are thinking you want to do this or are wondering what type of obstacles/challenges we did, here is the course map (Course Map).  

   Within a half mile from the start line the first obstacle "Kiss the mud" leaves you wet & muddy.  I knew that being cold would take it's toll mentally & physically.  Within another 1/2 mile, the cold took on a whole new meaning. The Arctic Enema, is a huge dumpster of blue ice water laced with 1000's of pounds of ice cubes with a large obstacle in the middle which forced you to go under water.  I decided at the beginning to not hesitate going into any obstacle.  Saying the cold took my breath away would be a serious understatement.  As my body rebelled and my mind calculated the damages, my legs moved me forward on autopilot.  I dropped beneath the water and it felt like a million needles poking my skull.  My arms became useless as I tried to push my body through the water.  I grabbed the ladder and struggled to pulled myself up and out.  Only obstacle #2 & I knew my legs and arms & hands were going to be useless because of how cold I was going to continue to be. (Almost all the obstacles had some sort of cold water).

 

                                    Will She Make it?                                                   NO!

 We started out with a team of 11, but a short distance in most began to walk.  I told them my goal was to run the whole thing and Casey, Liz, and Jarvis were in.  So the 4 of us took off from the rest of the pack at about mile 3 and worked together to finish together.

 

After the "Mud Mile" obstacle I was feeling pretty good.  Not sure Casey behind me was;)

   At about mile 8 no one was really talking in our little group of 4 we were all more focused on running and finishing. We would pass people that would say "Look, there are still people running".  I love being left alone with my thoughts and feelings & to be able to connect with my spirit.  I learn so much about myself & I believe that's a big reason why I participate or do the things I do.  Being able to completely focus on mind and body & listen.  To be put in a situation or experience that opens the door for you to connect with something within you that you wouldn't if you hadn't had the experience.

OUCH!!

The above was the final obstacle...Electroshock therapy.  This was the most challenging one of them all.  10,000 volts of electricity flowing through 100's of wires as you try to make your way through.  We all start off standing but few make it through without being knocked to the ground after being zapped once.  I got stuck under one of the wires & was continuously shocked about 10 times until my body caught up with my mind & I was able to drag myself out.

 

WE FINISHED!!

  

After the course I felt extremely beat up.  My legs were locked up.  My body temperature was low and I could feel my mental processes breaking down and my hand dexterity not working.  Once I changed out of my wet clothes, it took about 3 hours before I felt like my body was able to warm itself up. The Day after the event, my body had time to rest and process what I had done to it.  To say the least I wasn't moving around very well.  Although my body still fells like it went through something significant, it is on the mend.  My knee's took the biggest beating, they are still banged up a bit.

 I earned my Badge!!

The Sorcerer & The Stones

Please be advised that this post is going to be very very lengthy!  I couldn't not document this experience. Passing a kidney stone would make a suitable form of revenge for any enemies one may have because it not only causes severe pain, but psychological damage as well.  It's tactics are sudden and unexpected.  Most never see it coming, I was one of it's most recent victims.  The battle started on the morning of Tuesday October 2nd.

October 2nd (6:30 AM) Just after waking up for my morning workout a severe pain attacked my lower back in my right side. The pain grew stronger & before I knew it I was on the floor possibly moaning, I crawled from room to room because standing and sitting were to painful.  I became chilled and had clammy hands as well as nauseated. This continued for about 30-40 mins.  I decided to call the parents, no answer.  So I called my sister Amber,  Thank you for answering! Thankfully my brother-in-law Dean was home & I was able to describe what I was feeling. As I was telling him what I was feeling the pain went away as fast as it came;  I was healed or so I thought.  Dean said it sounds like a Kidney Stone. I didn't have any pain the rest of the day.

October 3rd: Just another regular day.  I walked 18 holes at Hobble Creek & felt great...Drove home to Hurricane with my parents who had come up last min. for some meetings my dad had. I as looking forward to Conference Weekend...Golf, Marathon, Soccer games, crafts. Other than the Dentist it was going to be a great weekend. Dull Pain in my lower right side that night, but nothing to bad.  Just thought it was from walking 18 with my clubs on my back.

October 4th (11:00 AM)  First scheduled dentist appointment dull pain as I'm driving over. Had them give me the gas to take my mind off of the pain in my back(P.S. I love the gas @ the dentist) Went home nothing to bad, just a continued dull ache for the rest of the day,  which brought some discomfort, but nothing that I couldn't manage.  I called my Healer(Terry) who is located in St.George to see if I could make an appointment for the next day just to check out what was going on he was booked solid until the 18! Later that night went to my nephews flag football game & felt good. 

October 4th (9:00 PM) Not feeling so well, severe pain is back.  I decide to go lay down & read a book.  I didn't get much reading done, instead I sang The Star Spangled Banner as I rocked back and forth on my bed. **Side note...When in pain I have conversations with my pain as well as I sing whatever song comes into my head.** The pain subsides around 10:00 PM & I go to sleep.

12:30 AM: Pain wakes me.  I can't stand or sit up so I roll out of bed towards the bathroom, pain is the worst it's been.  Remember how I mentioned above about how I have conversations well...The conversation went something like this...Keep in Mind this is out-loud:)

Me:  "Holy Crap this is painful!!"

Me to my pain: "Please don't make me throw up!"

Me: "If I throw up I'm not going to be very happy."

Me to my pain: "Oh so you wanna play hard ball."

Me to my pain: "Holy Crap. why are you doing this to me?"

Me: "I think I'm going to throw up."

(1:00 AM) the above happened...Not fun!

Me to my pain: "Okay, Okay...Round 1 goes to you. You've won this round, but you haven't won the battle."

Me: "I'm not sure how much longer I can go"

(1:30 AM) the pain goes away.  I'm to physically & emotionally tired to get back to my bed so I lay on the floor with the rugs pulled over me because I'm freezing.

(2:30 AM) IT'S BACK!

Me: "Are you kidding me?!"

Me to my pain: "Why do you hate me?"

- feel nausea rolling back and forth on the bathroom floor

Me: "Not AGAIN!"

(3:00 AM) I lose my cookies

Me to my pain: "Wow you are really good,  I'll give you round 2 as well."

(3:30 AM) I lose them again : ROUND 3 goes to Kidney Stone

Me: "Please Bless, Please Bless Please Bless."

(4:30 AM) Pain is less and I'm able to crawl back to bed and fall to sleep.

(6:30 AM) pain is back...Thankfully it doesn't make me throw up. 

(7:30 AM) My mom comes to check on me. I tell her about my night.  I'm suppose to go for round 2 of the dentist at 11:00 AM to finish the work they couldn't get done on Thursday.  We don't want to talk about the cavity situation that I had going on! I told her I would see how I was feeling because I didn't want to have to come back down for the dentist at a later date.  I just wanted it done.  

(8:30 AM) Pain has been constant since 6:30. Sister Amber comes up with a clear cup and tells me to Dean will take my Pee to be tested at his work to make sure it's a Kidney Stone and not an infection or something else.  I dislike peeing into cups! 

(11:00 AM) Have my mom drive me to the Dentist because I don't think I would make it alive if I drove by myself. Everyone in the dentist office could see that I'm not doing well.  I let the dental assistant know that I expect to have a garbage can right next to me because I refuse to throw up on them as well as myself.  I immediately asked for the gas when they put me in the chair.  If you've never had the gas at the dentist well it's great.  It makes your whole body feel kinda fuzzy and you know what's going on, but you just don't care what you say or how you act:) I tend to tell people that I love them A LOT! While waiting for the dentist my pain got really bad even with the gas.  The rest is from what my mom told me because I don't remember a whole lot.

- My mom was asked to come into the room because they didn't think they should work on me, but instead have her take me to the insta-care.

- I insisted that I would be okay & the I would find "My Center" & be fine.

- Started shaking really bad my mom said it looked like I was convulsing. She was seated in the corner of the room.

- Put a blanket over me and started working:)

- My mom got a call from Dean with the test results which indicated blood in the urine.  100% certain kidney stones but no infections.

- I may or may not have sang or hummed "I'm trying to be like Jesus"

- Half way through I felt like I was going to throw up. I patted the arm of the assistant and grabbed at the trash can.  That was my signal.  I was told that it wasn't very good timing. I had to jaw spacers, wires and wedges that they had to undo.  All I know is that he got out just in time.  I sat up and it was over.  I wasn't able to feel my complete right side so I couldn't tell if I had spit or anything else coming out of my mouth.  My my was a sweet heart and wiped my face.

- After that I was on oxygen only and made it through the rest of the appointment. 

- About 5 mins before they were done, the pain had went away and I was doing okay other then I was still chilled and have the cold sweats.

(1:30 PM) My dad calls down to Terry's office to see if they can get us in.  Again, we are told that he is completely booked, but if we wanted we could come sit in the waiting area to see if by some chance he can sneak us in we are more then welcome.  So my parents drive me down to St.George to wait.  

(2:30 PM) Terry (Natural Healer) is able to slip me in.  He tells me I have 1 stone in my Uretha and one still in my Kidney he dissolves them and tells me to drink lots of water & that I might feel like a horse kicked me in the back while I pass them, but you should be good after that.  The rest of the night I have zero pain.  Played with my nieces and nephew that night jumping on the tramp:) Good Times.

Saturday: No pain!!  YAY! I enjoyed the entire day.  I got to see my Brother-in Law finish the St. George Marathon, watched a soccer game, spent time with the girls while men where at conference.

Sunday Morning:  Pain came back for about an hour and I've been good every since.

I'm so grateful that I was able to be home with my family while this was happening because I can't imagine what it would have been like by myself!  Thanks Family I sure do LOVE you guys!

The Beauty, The Freedom, The Rush

Hard to explain why people go skydiving.  For me it was a way to challenge myself mentally and emotionally.  I wanted to know if I could control the emotions that are naturally accompanied by any high risk adventure.  I'm happy to say that I was successful, unlike the other girl that allowed her emotions and fears to completely shut her down... I was as calm as I am sitting in this chair typing about the experience.  I loved every second of it & will probably do it again in the near future with anyone else who might have the desire.  

Amber this video is for you.  I look like a dork, but I'm okay with that;) 

Purpose of Life...To Learn

I struggled with whether or not to post about my latest thoughts & feelings, but my heart won the battle with my ego this time and although my ego is fighting me by saying "people will think your are an idiot" my heart tells me that I am surrounded by LOVE.  so although these thoughts are my own they are ones that I would like to share with any and all that may read them.
     
A line from a scripture has stuck with me the last couple of days.  I recently read Jacob 7:26 "I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our LIVES passed away like as it were unto us a DREAM..." a primary song also came to mind after reading this sentence..."row row row your boat gently down the stream merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream." LIFE IS BUT A DREAM...What kind of dream am I creating?   I realize how often we choose to create nightmares in our own lives. Just like the primary song indicates we are to live our lives MERRILY(cheerful way, brisk & lively way) How often do we hear the word "Awake" in the scriptures, which indicates that we are asleep.  To be asleep is to be stagnant, not moving, or to have a consciousness.

I guess you could say that I have been on my journey or quest of "Awakening" for about 5 years now.  The Purpose of life is to LEARN.  To awaken is to see (D&C 76 116-119), feel, move, be alert, arise. I feel as though my heart was the one that needed the awaking. We are living a dream away from our Heavenly Family, but as we awaken our hearts & learn line upon line, precept upon precept, we will "see" how much good surrounds us.  We will "feel" and radiate the LOVE that is within all of God's children.  We will be "moved" to action to serve all of God's children. We will "arise" & let the light of Christ shine.  I feel as though I can't adequately articulate how big of an impact this study had on me.  My intention of documenting this is not to be preachy, but maybe to spark a study of your own,  possibly even an awakening.  I might add to the statement I made above.  The purpose of this life is to LEARN...to LOVE.

Here are a few quotes from some books that I have been reading.  I love to get lost. Sometimes it's in the pages of a biography or murder mystery & yes your occasional romance.  More recently it's been in the pages of books that make me think, reflect, ponder, meditate, become open, books that push me to stretch my thought process past the surface and to dig deeper.  I love to be challenged, but I'm not sure challenged is the right word.  I love the books that make you feel like you can become elevated.  These 2 quotes below seem to fit well with my scripture study. (D& C 90:15) "become acquainted with all good books".

Eckhart Tolle

Quote #1: Be present as the watcher of your mind -- of your thoughts and emotions as well as your reactions in various situations.  Be at least as interested in your reactions as in the situation or person that causes you to react.  Notice also how often your attention is in the past or future.  Don't judge or analyze what you observe.  Watch the thought, feel the emotion, observe the reaction.  Don't make a personal problem out of them.  You will then feel something more powerful than any of those things that you observe: the still, observing presence itself behind the content of your mind, the silent watcher.

Quote #2: Many expressions that are in common usage, and sometimes the structure of language itself, reveal the fact that people don't know who they are.  You say: "He lost his life" or "my life," as if life were something that you can possess or lose.  The truth is: you don't have a life, you are life. The One Life, the one consciousness that pervades the entire universe and takes temporary form to experience itself as a stone or blade of grass, as an animal, a person, a star or a galaxy.

Can you sense deep within that you already know that? Can you sense that you already are That?

Death is not the opposite of life.  Life has no opposite.  The opposite of death is birth.  Life is eternal.

Greatest American Tradition

 I set goals back in January like most of us, that would make me stretch. I get really comfortable in my own little world and routines. One of my goals was to stop being that girl or person that said "That sounds fun we should totally do that". or "Yeah we should plan something sometime" and never follow through with it.  I set a goal to follow through, if I wanted to have a girls night;  I would do it, or if I wanted to go on a trip; I would start planning.  I also wanted to follow through with my word.  If I said I was going to do something I wanted to be my word!!  Well this trip was part of working on the goal.

One of the greatest American traditions is the road trip.  Every once and awhile I realize that sometimes my life traps me and before I know it, another year is gone & I haven't enjoyed the moments in my life.  I had met some pretty amazing girls this summer and wanted take a road trip home, to share with them what I love about Southern Utah.  Let's be honest road trips are great for getting to know each other better:)

These 2 quickly became those girlfriends that seem to take a lifetime to find.

I can't say we did anything extravagant but we didn't need to. We did all those awesome, simple things great friends do that we may take for granted. We talked, we ate, watched a few embarrassing home videos of my Steve Erkle impression, talked some more, hiked Zion's, swam, went golfing & went to Tuacahn's Aladdin.  Here are a few shots that we captured along the way.

SOOO EXCITED!!

ALMOST THERE...

TUCKERED THEM RIGHT OUT:)

SUCH A GOOD TIME

PERFECT WEATHER FOR TUACAHN

POSSIBLE LPGA PLAYER RIGH HERE!

 Couldn't help but put this one up... I was half temped to just post pictures off all of CC's faces, but decided against it this time. 

It was such a great weekend.  I was with my family(who I absolutely love being with), the weather was perfect & I was able to learn and share with those that I was surrounded by.  It was one of those weekends that you experience a change because you allow the light of others to teach you.  I'm so grateful for the blessing of friendship.  Not just with the girls that I brought with me, but the friendship I share with my Mom, Dad, Sisters, Brothers, my Sister/Brother in Laws, my nieces and nephews.  They truly are some of my best friends.  Love you guys!

Rasp"berry" FUN

Raspberry Day's in Bear Lake always brings the family together...I'll be honest.  I love me some raspberries, but raspberry shakes just don't do it for me! Now that we got that out of the way we can continue on with the other good stuff.  As many of you know; I absolutely love being with family! Well the first weekend of August was no exception.  We were able to have everyone except Amy(my little sister) & Devin (Brother-in-law) together.  I can't wait for next year.  

DAY AT THE LAKE

RASPBERRY DAY PARADE

RANCH HAND BREAKFAST

BAPTISM, GOLF, FOUR WHEELING

"Things to Chew On"

  I recently was told that I was not as open as I claimed to be.  This gave me pause because I feel that I am a very open individual.  Then I realized how many different ways being open can be taken. Open- Minded, Open to Love, to Feelings, to feedback, open with communication... To be open has so many different meanings.  So am I less open then I claim to be?!  Maybe, in some areas, but here are my thoughts.

- Open to me means reserving judgement, trusting, having an equally strong belief in everyones potential, being self aware enough to recognize ones own blind spots and the value of all perspectives. 

- Open is the polar opposite of guarded, defensive, hiding, closed down, afraid, self protecting.

- Open is Courageous, Humble, Powerful, Willing, Accepting, LIGHT, Unconditional.

- Open(ness) comes natural. It doesn't have rules or regulation to follow. Open doesn't have to look a certain way. One's openness is not defined by a single moment or event.

- Open is individualized and generalized 

- Open is not forced, but living in the moment

- Open roots you (This one might make you think:)

- Open is not limited, or restricted. 

- Open is LOVE

I feel as if there is a strong shift taking place in the way people are thinking.  We no longer want to be held back by judgement and someone else’s idea of normal. As my personality develops and my needs become more unique, I am bound to start seeing how my path diverges from others’. All the while, we hold on to our commonalities and seek new ways to connect with our fellow human beings. Between the pull to connect and the pull to specialize, we find ourselves challenged with new ideas and old ones. Changes are naturally seen as foreign and suspicious. We inevitably form opinions about others who make choices which contract with our own.

Now these opinions can go one of two ways. Firstly, they can shape our view to become narrow(limited perspective) – singling anything out of our scope as bad or wrong. Yes, perhaps wrong for you, however, right for someone else or as I like to say "there is no right or wrong" only "working and not working". What works for you might not work for someone else.  Secondly, it can be used to grow our perspective. Growing our perspective is what is referred to as ‘being open’. Although indirectly, taking noticing about how others differ from you can allow you to make choices about how you will continue to treat people. Instead of reacting with fear to another person’s choice – because this choice for you would have bad consequences – you can choose to act with perspective.

I Look at it this way. You are a religious person and you meet an atheist. You, a strong believer in faith, can (a) treat this person with an attitude expressing your view as better, or as RIGHT or (b) understand that this atheist holds their own beliefs because of their unique life experiences and that they are entitled to their own choices. 

Being open can go a long way towards bridging communication between people with opposing views as well as those who have the same views. Also, being open can free you from narrow black-and-white descriptions of things, giving you room to express freedom, creativity, preferences and much more. Thirdly, being a person who is open demonstrates your skills to accept, understand, grow, mature and, above all, strive for greater things...such as to live a life of LOVE.

I found the following questions in a book that I was reading a while back and liked them so much I thought I would share.

Ask yourself these questions now, and think about what it means to be someone who can achieve ‘being open’:

• Am I willing to push past my assumptions and take the time to understand why people act the way they do?
• What will I lose when I refuse to judge people according to my view of the world? What does being RIGHT really mean to me?
• How can I find a way to act, that will free someone from unfair oppressing expectations?

OPEN ARMS:) hahaha couldn't resist

Oh The Places We Go...

I'll let the pictures tell the story! Summer vacation...

 June 25th-29th

June 29th-July 2nd 

July 2nd-6th

July 4th in BOSTON was amazing!!

Me "Mor" ial Day Weekend

As many of you know I love going home to (Hurricane)...So this past weekend I decided that although I love going home because of family; I also love going home because of where it is!  I feel like Hurricane is a hidden treasure that hasn't yet been discovered or ruined with over population and commercialism.   There is so much to do within a 10-30 min drive from my humble abode.

Zion's National Park

Gotta Love I-phone Pictures

   My Sister Amber and her family were able to come with us.  We hiked to all 3 Emerald pools with them since they still have semi-small little ones:) They all did awesome!  We had some good moments on this little hike.

1) Bathroom Dance (Shaylee needed to go to the bathroom)...Sorry Amber!!

2) Addison was our Fearless leader...no but seriously she was a quick little hiker. But when she ran out of juice she really runs out of juice.

3) Shaylee was holding my hand down the hike and fell in some sand & I thought she had her feet under her and then I realized I was dragging her through the sand!

Shaylee, Addison, Myself and Rana excited for our hike:)

After we ate lunch Rana and I went back to do Angels Landing...It's been a few years for me! I absolutely love it.

It doesn't look like it, but I was at the highest point on top of Angels Landing!

Post Angel's Landing...Such a good DAY!

   So on Sunday we went to church the next morning & it was one of the most interesting sundays I have had in a while.  I just have to say that being in the Primary Presidency is probably one of the hardest jobs in the church.  I know, I know,  some of you are shaking your head thinking that there are so many other calling that are harder.  Let me spell it out for you.  Not only do they have to deal with kids, they have sharing time, birthdays, and bulletin boards to decorate, weekly talk schedules, planning a yearly program, scouts, achievement days, & last but not least you also have to deal with the teachers.  I couldn't believe how many teacher would just leave town without finding a substitute for their class...Anywho, because I was visiting and happen to know someone in the presidency I was asked to substitute last min.  As I was teaching the lesson to the 9-10 year old boys about the conversion story of Limhi's father, I realized how easily as adults we miss what a blessing it is to be among his children. 3rd Nephi 11: 37 we are to become like them.

My friend Rana did have an admirer :) He loved that she would listen to all the of interesting things he had to say which were many! Priceless face...Thanks Rana you were such a sport! 

GOLF

Sand Hallow is Beautiful

Finished off the trip with a little SnoKaps!!

hOw tO sEe & ReMeMbEr...

    I recently read Henry B. Eyrings talk "How to See and Remember God's Kindness"  I feel as though I have been asleep spiritually lately & needed to experience a personal awaking... I had this very visual image of sleeping soundly and having a pail of ice cold water thrown on me (It woke me quickly, but I wasn't happy) vs. the other visual of waking naturally after a good nights sleep to the sun peeking through my window(Much more peaceful and pleasant experience).   I feel like I sometimes expect my Heavenly Father to be holding that "Pail of Water." Even though that thought brings a smile to my face, I prefer the light that comes through my window to be coming from him waiting for me to finally wake up & to see that everything in life is good and he is waiting to teach me line upon line.

   Every once and a while I feel as though the "Pail" is needed in order for me to wake up.  I'm not sure if the Pail of water represents anything specific other then what's specific to every individual.  Maybe your pail is a huge trial that opens your eyes wide enough to draw closer to your Father in Heaven.  Maybe, your pail is a bad relationship, a health issue, losing a loved one, self-confidence issues.  Whatever our "Pail" remember it is there to help us See and Remember God's Kindness!

  This talk allowed me to recognize all of the good things that God does for me on a daily basis.  I'm not the best journal keeper...(Does this blog count?) but I have decided to make an effort in being more conscious to all the blessings he does bestow, which are many.  I believe it's easy to get mad or unhappy when we have a trial(or pail of ice cold water thrown in our face), but to keep the perspective that God wants us to be happy changes everything.  Take a moment and think of what your reaction would be to being waken up with a pail of water and the difference between if it was your Father in Heaven vs. someone else that was doing the waking up.  
   I feel like my thoughts don't flow as clearly when I have something that was extremely powerful for me, but here it is documented...Happy Day!

Face Paint of Life

The history of face painting includes painting faces for reasons of camouflage, religious purposes, entertainment, inclusion in sports and as a statement about society. This past trip home for Mother's Day the face painting was for pure entertainment...Thanks Shaylee & Addison:)

Yes, that is me concentrating for her:)

Both Shaylee and Addison took "Face" painting literal no matter how many times Amber & I said we just wanted a little close to our eyes...You can see that didn't happen!

When we went to get our treat for the night we couldn't figure out why everyone was staring at us & then we realized we had forgotten we had some serious face paint going on:)  I love me some SNOKAPS!!

So even though face painting was super fun & definitely a highlight of the trip, The real reason I drove down was to celebrated my Mother. I can't put into words how much this wonderful women means to 

me.  So Mom, I hope you know that I love you & I'm glad that I am able to call you my Best Friend.  I hope that I am able to be a small reflection of the Women you are!

We celebrated with some Pedi's and lunch at the Olive Garden

Can you guess who's toes are who's?  My sisters think it's weird that my second toe is longer then my big toe...Don't worry I get it from my mom:)

Oh yeah I had to say goodbye to my sister Lisa who is moving to Florida this week. I'm excited for her to start such a great adventure with her family, but I will miss her sorely!! 

P.S she's not taller then me she has on heel's & me flats:) 

This little one was asleep when I said goodbye...Love you Tyn!