Songs of Praise

This last General Conference Alex was asked to come join the men's choir in the priesthood session. After realizing that it meant I would almost never see my husband on Sundays because they would practice for about 3-4 hours after church, and what a fun little opportunity it would be, I told him he should go. I want my children to always remember that their Daddy sang beautiful songs of praise to our Heavenly Father on this day. It was difficult to get some good photos because the conference center is so huge. This was on their dress rehearsal night. I struggled to keep my kids from running up and down the aisles all night but somehow I managed. If you've never been able to sit right under the organ and choir, it's truly such a different experience than hearing it on television. It really feels like concourses of angels singing. When I wasn't chasing my silly children, I did get a few moments to sit and enjoy their singing. It was quite beautiful and filled my soul.

Yes, I am quite pleased with my hubby for volunteering so much of his time to sing so that many could hear and hopefully be uplifted and filled with the spirit of each hymn. And I want my babies to always remember what a great example he is to this little family.

Here, you can see him at 2:02 minutes quite clearly.

At 2:24 you can see him above the conductors head and slightly off to the right.

And between 30-38 seconds on this one.

The Ucedas, Velezes and Huntingtons

A lot of family on my mom's side is slowly migrating to Utah it seems. And so our gatherings as family has slowly begun to grow. Here is just a fun photo we tried to get the whole family into by setting the camera timer on. Taking such photos are sometimes chaotic. But always funny. No where near as chaotic as Grandpa Larson's 100th Birthday Bash and Family Reunion though. The parts of my family that are in Utah are still rather small.

I'm Grateful for . . .

It's true. Every person we come across in our lives has touched it. Whether the experiences shared are positive ones you can be inspired from or negative ones we can learn to avoid. But I'm not posting to talk about any negative things. This sweet girl above, my former roommate, Debbie, is one of the sweetest and wisest girls I know. She knows quite a bit about soil and vegetables and different plants. I believe frugality is one of her talents also. And she's a very giving person. It's funny. Back in the day, I always poked fun at her "silly hobbies" never realizing that one day, some of those would become some of the things I am most passionate about. So, I'm grateful for Debbie, for inspiring me in ways I might not otherwise have ever known.

This summer, Alex has gone through some crazy job transitions and has finally started to settle into a really promising one. But while all this was going on, money was tight and so our budget got tighter. Debbie's father-in-law apparently has a huge garden and had plenty to give away and so I was really excited when she asked if anyone wanted some because her kitchen looked like a farmer's market. I'm sad I only got an after picture, but twice this summer I walked away with a trunk full of fresh, home-grown produce. The picture above is what was left after I had raided her kitchen. She probably has no idea but for weeks, we literally thrived off zucchini and summer squash in salads and veggie stews. It was really yummy and literally saved us from having to go into debt to feed our family. So I'm grateful for Debbie's father-in-law.

She also linked us up to a guy who taught a wild edibles class out in Eagle Mountain. That was probably one of the most educational, fascinating, and inspiring classes I've ever attended. I had no idea Utah had so many wild edibles flourishing all over. I learned quite a lot, gnawing away at some plants with very unique flavors along the way. The above plant is called dock. It's quite like lettuce with a limey flavor to it. Super yummy.

This is the part that grows above the leaves so you can tell they're dock.

This happens to be amaranth.

And this is some kind of wild sage.

We learned that sunflower petals are edible and they taste good too. Just like sunflower seeds. Well, the texture is different. It's a petal but they taste just like the seeds and are great for throwing on salads.

We also came across wild spinach or lambsquarters, so named because of how fat they made a sheep's rear end grow. Interesting bit of info.

Also, the state flower, the sego lily, is completely edible and super nutritious but don't let anyone in Utah catch you eating one. It's apparently illegal. Who goes around eating sego lillies anyways? But they grow in other places outside of Utah too in case you're craving a sego lily.

I suppose I was just really excited to share this info. I wonder how much money this would save a lot of people if they knew fresh produce was growing wild and available almost anywhere. And people that get lost in the wild could probably live for days just foraging for such plants. Crazy. I think many members of the church could benefit from a wild edibles class, not just for good health, but as a survival method. On top of food storage, you could also have fresh things to pluck and consume free of charge. I've always wanted to learn more about foraging and am thrilled to keep on learning. I would love to spread the word about this and help others learn about wild edibles some more. So, among the many things that I'm grateful for, this is just one more. New knowledge and wisdom that sets me free and allows me to think beyond the box a little. Thanks so much Debbie for sending me that link and for sharing with our family so many fresh goodies. Both Alex and myself were so excited for it all.

Farewell to Dustin and Alyssa Groff

As a side note, before I begin this post and in case anyone outside family was wondering who Uncle Elliot was (because of the previous post) here is a picture of Elliot with his beautiful little girl.

Lillian up close.

Sweet smile.

Tate with a mischievous grin.

This was a while back, but a small family gathering came together to eat yummy food and bid Alex's cousin Dustin and his wife Alyssa farewell. They are now in California. We didn't spend nearly enough time with them. We should have but it was nice to get together one more time before they moved on to their newest adventure in life.

Some snapshots of cousins eating together.

Dustin and Alyssa. Hope all goes well for you two out in Cali. We'll miss you.

Like Uncle Elliot

Hinckley's hair was starting to look messy enough that I figured it was time to give him a nice clean cut look. His FIRST haircut.

See, around the ears and the neck. Shaggy enough to me.

I thought he looked adorable with a new clean cut look.

Upon showing this to Orion we asked him, "Now are you ready for your haircut?" His response was a very set in stone, "NO!"

Me: "Why don't you want a haircut like Hinckley's?"

Orion: "Because he looks like Uncle Elliot."

Apparently he didn't want to have his head shaved as short. I guess he's finicky about his hair. I must admit though, his response made me laugh. No offense to Uncle Elliot. Kids will be kids. So here are the boys with their haircuts. Hinckley's was pretty short. We made sure Orion's wasn't quite as short.

Revelations

So today, Hinckley has started to take a few steps on his own without us getting him started.  He is twelve and a half months old.  Orion walked at eleven months, and Chrysalis at nine.  The interesting thing about it is that Hinckley has been physically capable of walking since about eight months.  But, even though he was physically capable, he was not ready.  I would venture to say that most parents have observed the same tendency with their children.  Prior to my little revelation, I thought that this was more of a baby tendency.  However, I've learned today that it's a human tendency.

I have a revolutionary idea that I've been "trying"to work on.  Which means I've been thinking about working on it, but haven't actually worked on it.  When I think about why I haven't done it yet, I really have no good excuses.

Here is what I now understand: I'm no different than Hinckley.  The analogy goes even further.  As we have tried to help Hinckley walk, we have used many words and gestures of encouragement.  Certainly, he doesn't understand all of our words or gestures, but I know he feels their meaning.  At the same time, I know that I don't understand and internalize everything Heavenly Father does to answer my prayers, but I can feel that he wants me to actualize my idea, or at least work towards it.

Another common trait is that, if Hinckley were only brave enough to fall, he could be walking within a day.  At the same time, if I were only brave enough to fall, I could probably have the idea up and running faster than I, or many other people, could even dream of.

How frustrating!  To understand all of this, yet to still not know how to go about doing my idea!  If anyone can give me some advice about starting up a business, or about where I can go to learn about starting up a business, I would be EXTREMELY grateful.

Ended Juice Fast a Couple Days Early

Well, today would have been day six of my juice fast but I broke it last night with a huge salad. After five days of juice, salad never tasted SO GOOD. But I've learned a couple things about myself in the process.

1. I eat emotionally a lot. And I have a tendency to eat out of boredom. Even though I was only drinking fresh juices, I wasn't starved. Yet, every time I put the kids down for naps, I almost instinctively was at the pantry searching for crackers before I remembered I wasn't eating.

2. I actually enjoy searching the Bible dictionary for interesting bits of history.

3. I like juicing with other people more than I like juicing by myself.

4. I actually have more energy when I juice and don't eat as much food. Interesting. Didn't think I would.

5. The taste of vegetable juice is actually becoming addicting and I crave it. Same with coconut water. It's really sweet. It didn't always taste so sweet to me. Probably because my taste buds were adapted to refined sugars. But it's starting to taste sweeter to me for whatever reason.

Well, that's what I've learned on my first juice/detox fast. Do I plan on doing it again. Yes. Hopefully next time, I can last a week. And my Beloved. Well, he lasted a full three days. I was quite proud of him. Didn't think he'd make it past two. But I appreciated how long he kept up. And I owe a thanks to Marissa for helping to keep me accountable.

My newest goals are to juice every day for at least one meal. I find that one juice a day is a great substitute for vitamins and minerals. And drinking it more consistently may curb my appetite a bit.

October 6, 2011 - Juice Fast Day 4

I'm considering breaking my fast today. Maybe not.

Interesting bit of info that I learned while reading one of my books:

"Green vegetables such as kale, cabbage, collards, and broccoli, plus some non-green vegetables such as cauliflower and turnips, are called 'cruciferous' vegetables." This I already knew. What was insightful was what followed: "They are named for their flowers, which have four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross--hence the Latin word crucifer meaning 'cross-bearer.' "

Dr. Joel Fuhrman then proceeds to explain the important compounds of such veggies to both boost immune function and protect our cells from developing into anything cancerous.

I guess this simply struck me. I never knew what differentiated cruciferous vegetables from all others. The symbolism that can be found in plants created by deity is absolutely astonishing to me. A plant that our Divine Designer has created and that carries such a beautiful symbolic flower can heal us from everyday ailments.

Just my thoughts today. Other than that, my juicer and I have become best friends. That's all I do all day. But it's getting easier. I'm getting faster with clean-up. Oh, and Alex is on Day 3. Still doing it. Still determined. He woke up at 214 lbs. today. Down from 229 lbs. Considerable weight loss. And surprisingly, he's not starved either. I'm impressed with his commitment to all of this. It makes it easier for me.

My sweet friend Marissa is juicing with me in the mornings. She's not quite doing a sole juice fast. More of a juicing and raw foods cleanse. But I'm super proud of her discipline as well. She's keeping me on track with my own goals. Always good to have a friend tag along on difficult journeys.

October 5, 2011 - Juice Fast Day 3

Felt good in the morning. Had a bit of a slump mid-day and close to the evening, I was wanting to give up. But I had a coconut's worth of water and I suddenly felt better again. Amazing how much those young Thai coconuts can revitalize you. Good source of electrolytes perhaps. It wasn't always the best taste. But it's growing on me. And the juices are starting to taste better too. I woke up this morning at my pre-pregnancy weight of 132 lbs. That's a happy side effect. But as exciting as this was, weight loss is no longer my ultimate goal, the way it used to be when I was in high school or college.

October 4, 2011 - Juice Fast Day 2

In case anyone is interested, these are my two new favorite books. I've been reading a lot lately to keep my mind occupied. I really enjoy Dr. Fuhrman's research. He was actually a professional ice skater back in the day. How he turned to medicine? He had an ankle injury that refused to heal and when a doctor suggested a new experimental procedure to cut slashes into the muscle tissue to force it to heal itself faster, he'd simply decided to turn to a more natural approach. Which worked so much better, he decided to get a degree in medicine. But unlike many (mind you, I said "many" and not "all") doctors in our modern medicine world, I truly feel he is a caring doctor giving people correct information, rather than another prescription to suppress a symptom that is warning us of further underlying problems in our body's own system.

The question of the day: How is the fast going? Okay, I was warned. The second and third days of a juice fast or any type of fast are hard. Your resolve is tested. Since it's still a juice fast, I'm certain I'm still getting plenty of nourishment. I haven't felt starved at all. But the urge to snack on things is definitely there. Especially when I pause to get a moment to think about food. If I'm busy, it doesn't seem to bother me as much. That definitely tells me something. I need to keep busy. Maybe I haven't been as busy as I thought. Training my mind to focus on other things is hard. I've been reading a lot.

Still, making rice and beans with tomatoes tonight for my kids, which normally doesn't look as appetizing was hard not to salivate over. I just kept on drinking my juices and tons of water. I'm starting to think I might only make it to day four or so. Still, I'm determined. My digestive tract could use a break to clean house. One day at time. That's how I'm doing it right now. Is it all that hard? Not terribly. But my emotional connection to food is what seems to be suffering the most. Coming face to face with my addictions and telling them who is in control is not easy to do. Alex has joined me today and so today is his Day 1. We'll see how long he lasts. Either way, it's kind of nice to have a few people on board to do this with. Even my kids drink the juice. And it's not exactly the most palatable juice. Of course, they're not fasting.

October 3, 2011 - Juice Fast Day 1

So I've decided to start a day early. I wanted to start a day early so that I could break my fast on Sunday. I intend to break my fast with a lot of raw foods. And slowly work my way back into the heavier grains.

This will be a quick post. But wanted to keep track of my journey. Today is day one. Had my three servings of veggie juice and a whole coconut's worth of water, along with other water. So far, I feel good. Nothing great. I'm not starved. Just bored. I've discovered I tend to eat out of boredom at times. So it's hard to fill the void. Temptations are around every corner. I'm reading a lot and trying to squeeze in my bike rides and yoga.

The hardest part about doing a juice fast is having three kids who are not fasting. And since I prepare their food, it's hard not to lick my fingers when something spills on me. Mom habit I suppose. I lick everything up. Can't waste it I guess. Well. Here's to hoping day two is better. I want to enter a painting into the LDS Art thing. I think I will start working on it tomorrow. My concept has already been done before. But I want to perfect it. Perhaps I will post it later. Anyhow, this gives me a goal to work on while I fast.