Patience

This is something I have been working on for the past few years, and felt like I was starting to master, but I have come to realize that I have a long way to go. I may have strengthened my ability to be patient with the kids I work with and with the changes that occur unexpectedly in my life, but when it comes to matters of the heart.....well that's a different story, and i've got a lot to learn.

No Impact Man Blog (You should check out this blog....it will pretty much change your life)

I watched this documentary a couple of weeks ago at the library and it became one of my favs! Colin Beavan's wife is hilarious!

This book made me think A LOT! Woah! I would have to say that it is one of my favorites. It made me realize that life isn't what we read, or what people tell us. Life, and the truth of all things are inherently inside of us. All we have to do is listen to our hearts.

For the past few years I have felt pretty sick on and off. I thought that something awful was happening to my body. Turns out, the sickness I was feeling was a direct result of what I was eating. I don't have insurance, so I started getting into self healing with herbs, and they have worked wonders. That is what kind of catapulted me into thinking about what else I was putting into my body. Ironically, eating a big mac meal from mcdonalds (which used to be one of my favs) started making me really really sick. That is when I started to realize that my sickness may be from what I was putting into my body.

What some fail to realize is that the harmful substances we are consuming are coming from the everyday foods we are eating. High fat, processed foods are full of chemicals. Do you know where your food comes from, or do you just eat it without thinking about it? People are sick today because they aren't thinking about it. They are going for the quick and easy. I believe that the reason why is because it is just that, easy and cheap. People aren't being informed. There are less farms than there used to be. If you ask a kid where something they are eating came from, they will name the grocery store.

I have always been very passionate about physical education and now nutrition. Kids need to have that knowledge, and it is getting cut out to make way for science, math and english. Don't get me wrong, those are great subjects for kids to learn, but so is nutrition, and so is taking time to learn how to be physically active. We are going to have a future of obese people who won't outlive their parents if we don't do something about this crisis that is enveloping the nation.

I watched Super Size Me a couple of days ago, and it really hit home for me. I am almost embarrassed to say it, but I even got a little teary eyed while watching the parts at the schools and with the students. For some reason, kids have a special place in my heart. I don't want them to have low self esteem from being overweight. I don't want them to have the pain of dealing with diabetes and heart problems. I don't want them to be limited in this life because they were uninformed about nutritional importance. It really makes me sad!

I want to do something about it, but I am not sure how. I have taught a class at work about lifetime fitness and nutrition, but I know that's not enough. I want to be involved in a bigger way, on the larger scale. I know that there are others who have some of the same concerns as I do. Michelle Obama is working on fixing the messed up school lunch problem we have in America, and props to her. I just hope it comes through and that changes actually do occur. The local Whole Foods here is helping raise money to put salad bars in schools here (when did salad bars stop existing in schools? They were always an option when I was in school) and help make school lunch more nutritional for kids (If you live close to a Whole Foods,go and donate!) I am going to do more research to see how I can involve myself more fully in the cause, but I also ask for your help.

I have felt so much better since I have been eating a well rounded diet of "real" food. It is AMAZING! You really would never think that food has that much of an influence on your body, but it does. If you look at the science of it, it is plain to see. I have planted my own garden to try to be self sufficient and know where my food comes from. I buy my meat at the farmer's market, or from places that sell local meat without hormones. I have done my research on tofu, quinoa, flax seed, and lentils. They have become a part of my daily diet as well. I know it isn't cheap, but it is worth it. I have found that I actually started spending less after a while because I wasn't filling myself with empty calories and didn't have to eat so much.

I urge you to think about what you are putting into your body. Don't let the big corporations make you sick. Take control of your life and be healthy. Educate yourself! Let's make this world a healthier, happier place, and let's do it together! :)
One more recommendation for a film to see....Food Inc. It will blow you away.

I have had a lot of time to think about love and life as of late. My last few relationships have left me with a heavy heart and a questioning mind. I kept wondering how things could have been different, how I could have changed things. I have come to realize that I couldn't have changed anything, and I still can't. Sometimes in life, much to our dismay, things just don't work out. We shouldn't keep wasting our time dwelling on the past, we must live in the present. I used to be afraid to admit failure, or rejection, but I now know that admitting it is what heals you and lets you release the pain that failure and rejection bring. I am continuing to live my life as open and honest as I can be, and I am finding joy in the little things. Fleeting love is all I know now, but I know that someday it won't be, and that gives me hope. Thanks to those who have taught me something about myself and helped me to become stronger. I will forever be grateful :)

One of my all time fav's

Digest
By: Ben Taylor

When it gets me depressed I find
That it's best with my chest high
As I stretch my lungs & express my love,
Hold my breath & forget my pride,
To reflect that the rest of our lives are a measure of time.
We may as well try to express some style.
I exhale my prayer.
(And) follow it with my eyes as it fills the air.
In the back of my mind I imagine that you can hear
As if you could still be near me.

But
Lately I've been breaking my mind,
Trying my best but it's taking its time.
Cause
I've been forced to digest this wasteful emptiness.
I'm supposed to laugh as if there's nothing going on.
I know life goes on regardless,
But nothing's been the same
Since you've been gone.

Another run around the sun,
Look at the things we've seen.
What have we both become?
What have we dreamed?
Who have we lost?
And what have we won?

I never could've believed that you wouldn't have finished what we'd begun.
I never dared to imagine you would've been taken away from us.

Lately I've been breaking my mind,
Trying my best but it's taking its time.
Cause
I've been forced to digest this wasteful emptiness.
I'm supposed to laugh as if there's nothing going on.
I know life goes on regardless,
But nothing's been the same
Since you've been gone,
Since you've been gone,
Since you've been gone.

Now times change & the game plays on,
And the truth remains but the rules have all gone wrong.
Life rises, now here we are
Still looking for the place where we belong.
Stronger than habit & fantasy,
Deeper than gravity.
What will be has to be.
God planned it, I understand it.
I hadn't imagined you'd leave me stranded
On this stage in these lights where I'm standing.
No right to complain
Cause it's already more than I'd ever had asked.
But without you
The best has yet to pass & now this song is about you.

And I've been forced to digest this wasteful emptiness.
I'm supposed to laugh as if there's nothing going on.
I know life goes on regardless,
But nothing's been the same
Since you've been gone,
Since you've been gone,
Since you've been gone.

If you like the lyrics, you will love the song. Look it up :)

Oh how I love the library

Until this past year, I have never really taken advantage of my local library, and boy was I missing out. Libraries are AMAZING places where you have everything you could possibly want to read, watch, or listen to at your fingertips for free! What a great blessing to our community. If you aren't already taking advantage of it.....please do. Lets spend more money on the things that really matter in the community. Support your local library!

Ripe for the picking

This is my first garden beauty of the season! Yay :) I love having a garden!

Hope is the Thing

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches on the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all

-Emily Dickinson

Happy First Day of Summer!

I celebrated today by taking a lunch time nap in the sun! :)

Fear vs. Love

February 28, 2010

While walking home from church today, I thought a lot about fear. We live in a society driven by fear. We are slaves to it. There is the fear of failing, so we don't try new things. There's the fear of someone hurting us, so we don't walk alone outside, or we don't go to certain parts of town. There's the fear that no one will like you, so we act fake and phony so that if they don't like us, it doesn't hurt your real self. There's the fear of becoming obese, so we spend hours on end exercising, and thinking about how to eat healthier. These are just a few of many fears I witness in people every day. Fear motivates us. How did this happen? Shouldn't it be love? I want love to be my motivator, my driving force.

The Alma 32 Date Relate

So, while reading Alma 32 November 22, 2007, I had these thoughts. It is amazing how scriptures can relate to you during any situation/phase of life. Check it out....

Alma 32 as it relates to dating....

Verses 6-7: Don't try to change someone and make them interested in the idea of dating you. Seek out those who are ready. Don't waste your time on those who are not.

Verses 16-17: You don't need to "know" everything perfectly in your mind before/during dating, just believe in what you feel through the spirit. Don't seek for signs from God (Verse 21)

Verse 27: Experiment, broaden your dating horizons to wherever the spirit leads you, and as you do that, you will be lead to many people that will help you to learn and grow in relationships, and eventually to your eternal companion. You will know when it is right (verse 28)

Verses 30-32: Every seed bringeth forth unto it's own likeness. You will know if a relationship is going to work out or not. If it's not going to, "cast it away".

Verse 37: You must nourish and take care of your relationship.

Verses 38-40; If you neglect a good relationship and don't take care of it properly, it will not take root, and it will wither away. Not because it is a "bad" relationship, but because you didn't nourish it, it was taken away. You will not be blessed with the fruit thereof.

Verses 41-43: Nourish your relationship with faith, diligence, patience, seeing the great potential "fruit" thereof. It will take root, and you will reap the rewards from your faith, diligence, patience, ect.

Ensign Favs

Preparation Brings Blessings

Continue in Patience

Act in all diligence

All Things Work Together for Good

He Lives! All Glory to His Name!

Yellowstone Adventures

A bunch of us stayed in a cabin in Island Park a couple of weeks ago. We stayed on the lake and were able to paddle boat around. We also hiked Mesa Falls just outside of Island Park, and explored Yellowstone. It was beautiful!

New Painting!

My latest and greatest in the world of painting.....Titoi.

Titoi, the man in the maze
The story of Titoi is also the story of every human being, traveling through life as through a maze, taking many turns while growing stronger and wiser as death at the dark center of the maze comes closer. Tracing the light path with your finger you will find one more turn at the end, away from the center. Here we can look back on the trail and find acceptance of the last step.
-Tohono O'odham

Summer fav's as of late

This week I experimented and made some sweet potato hummus.....DELISH! Click here for the recipe I added some sesame seeds, and diced garlic to the top.

I am not really a juice drinker, but let me tell ya, I absolutely love the Mango Lemonade from Whole Foods.....It is something everyone should try....it will change your summer for the better :)

Stumpjumper

It has been about two years since I've been mountain biking, and I forgot how much I love it! At work, we have partnered with the Utah Bike Collective to do trips for kids. They take us mountain biking around Salt lake for three hours twice a week....(what a job I have! :) Last week we took the Bonneville Shoreline trail and rode some single tracks up in the hills-AMAZING! I'd been wanting to purchase a new mountain bike, and now the desire is amplified times 1,000. The bike I am thinking.....the Specialized Stumpjumper.

If my life was turned into a television show, it would definitely have to be Dharma & Greg. They are an all encompassing version of my life.....my classification.....the hippie yuppy preppy!

New Album!!!!

The lovely, the talented, JOSH RITTER has a new album out! I can't wait to get it! I am not usually one to pay to go to concerts, but he is coming back for a show in the fall, and I am going to fork out the dough.....he is AMAZING!

R.E.I

This past week I attended two free classes at R.E.I. Wildflowers of Utah, and Camp Cooking Basics. They were GREAT!

I LOVE dutch oven cooking. I've yet to purchase my own dutch oven, but I have been able to learn about them, and create many tasty recipes over the past few years thanks to my many kind friends who have been willing to share with me. I think the time has come to purchase my very own 12 in. standard :D

The wildflower class was taught by the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation. They showed us all of the wildflowers found in the canyons of the Salt Lake valley, and what time of year to look for them, and what trails to find them on. They offer free guided tours Saturday mornings at Alta, which I am definitely going on. I decided to compose my won book of flowers with the info. they gave us, so that I can use it as a pocket guide when I hike. I am excited! :D

www.cottonwoodcanyons.org

April Fool's Day

Can I just say that I really dislike April Fool's Day....I just don't see what's funny about laughing at someone elses expense. I know I don't like being the brunt of the joke, so why would others? Why not spend our time out helping others laugh and find joy in other ways like spending time together, and doing service? My family has never celebrated April Fool's Day to my knowledge, but my Mom's favorite holiday was May day, so this year I am going to celebrate that by making gratitude cards and giving flowers from the garden. That just seems better to me!

Tofulicious :)

TOFU.....I know some of you are thinking....YUCK, but seriously, if you make tofu right, it is AMAZING! Check these suggestions out!


10. Hot and Sour Soup. Quick and easy to make, your hot and sour soup creation will taste like Chinese takeout. It’s high in protein and calcium too. Another advantage: it will clear your head and chest congestion instantly.

9. Tofu in a Dessert. When you substitute tofu for some of the fattening ingredients in desserts, like cream and cheese, you’re adding protein and losing the fat. Your creations will be high in calcium and lactose free.

8. Deep fried Tofu with Dipping Sauces. An Asian take on fried cheese sticks, fried tofu is crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

7. Eggless Egg Salad. This one’s great for people watching their cholesterol and vegetarians who lust after an occasional eggy indulgence. Choose firm tofu and dice it fine.

6. Crispy Barbecued Tofu Slices. When the grill is fired up and you have vegetarian friends over, this is a good way to include them in the fun. It’s also a great way to get the BBQ vibe without the fat.

5. No-Turkey Turkey. A vegetarian and cholesterol free thanksgiving meal that won’t put you to sleep before dark. Who could ask for more?

4. Tofu Parmigiana. Honestly, you won’t be able to tell that the tofu isn’t eggplant or veal.

3. Tasty Tofu Tacos. When you have a craving for healthy food but can’t afford to be naughty, try a tofu taco with your salsa.

2. Grilled Tofu and Chicken Pad Thai. If you have a craving for Thai food but don’t feel like climbing out of your fuzzy slippers, you can whip up a tofu meal that will make you feel like a world traveler. Tofu cooking is easy, even for a beginner.

1. Easy Tofu Dressing. Tofu doesn’t have to be chunked, diced or sliced. Use this versatile ingredient as a base for salad dressing, sandwich spread or vegetable dip. Just select a silken tofu and start blending.

Check Out This Link

Childhood Obesity
I am passionate when it comes to health and nutrition and feel that something has to be done. I am glad people are taking a stand :)

I love this song/video! It's soooo upbeat and it has a wonderful message :)
We are all BEAUTIFUL, never think less of yourself!