Chia Seeds?

Chia Seeds

Every once in a while you stumble onto something really great! Today is your lucky day, because today I would like to introduce you to the Chia Seed! Have you ever heard of them? Yes, they are the tiny little seed that grows non other than . . . the "Chia Pet!" What a crack up --- don't grow the pet just eat the seed! Well, I hadn't heard of this little miracle seed until last night and thanks to Marc Coleman and some research I am now a believer in this power packed little seed!

This little seed might be tiny but don't let the size fool you!

My testimony came after one trip to the health food store and one morning's use! They're delicious, and you can sprinkle them on anything and everything. And probably the greatest thing I love about them is they stay with you f-o-r-e-v-e-r!!! Just for your information when you combine this little seed with liquid, pudding, or yogurt, the seed will grow 9 times it's size!

I want to thank Dr. Marc Coleman, he is Kaedell's boss. You can tell him today Kaedell that he is now famous, because he's made it all the way to the Crowther family blog, which I'm sure was one of his top priorities, right? LOL! I'm only sad I don't have a photo of him. Kadie can you please take his picture for me, ok? Tell him your mother needs a picture for the family blog!

Kaedell is a dental hygienist and she works part time for Marc in his North Ogden dental office. Let me just say Marc Coleman is a great dentist and Kaedell raves about him equally as her boss. So if you don't want to drive to Coalville and visit Glade then drive to North Ogden and visit Marc --- you won't be sorry! Besides being a great dentist and an equally great boss, more importantly I think Marc is just an great individual. He is one of those types of people you like the minute you meet him.

Besides just being an all around hard working, friendly, good, honest person, Marc is a runner. Now I've known my share of runners in my day and I've never known anyone who is a runner in the sense Marc Coleman is a runner. When I say "RUNNER", I mean drop down dead serious runner! In fact I don't know anyone else who runs like this man runs! How does 50 miles and 100 miles grab you? Yes, this man right now is training for two back to back one hundred milers in September. Yes you read that right! He's going to run a hundred miles and in a week he's going to turn around and do it again! I'm shaking my head as I'm typing. Marc can probably run to Walmart faster than I can drive there!

Well, yesterday I got Marc on the phone. My main question for him went something like this, "Hello Marc . . . Ummm how can I run one mile without dying? He laughed and wanted me to explain the dying part in detail, then once I described it to him in depth, he asked me if I'd had a good physical lately? Hahahha, I told him yes and unfortunately it hadn't improved my stamina any! I explained to him that I wanted to get my self in shape to run a 1/2 marathon, and then I reminded of him that a half marathon was 13 long miles. He scoffed "Oh, you can do that today!" He obviously doesn't know me very well! After all my Little Debbie Fancy Cakes are not really part of the recommended dietary intake for athletes and I'm sure they're not increasing my speed any.

Now I went on to remind him further, "Marc," I said, "You remember, there is a three hour time limit on a 1/2 marathon." Then I proceeded to expound on how I needed to finish in three hours and not three days. I also expressed a desire that at the end of the race I wanted to go home in something that didn't resemble a casket or a body bag! He was chuckling through my conversation, I was not! Now keep in mind Marc Coleman can run a half marathon in an hour and maybe 20 min.! Now I don't want to reveal his age, but he's not far behind me and a half marathon is just a stroll in the park for Marc! Oh how I envy him, he runs a half marathon daily! I'm huffing and puffing my brains out as I try to run in between telephone poles and then walk and then run in between telephone poles for four miles on the flattest land ever, and mind you, after only four miles I'm like a daisy that hasn't seen water in weeks. I have a long way to go in my training!

Ok, so now I've given you the scoop on Marc. I want to thank Marc for giving me the scoop on the Chia seed. Thanks Marc for all your help and good luck in September! I only wish I could see you run!

Now Here's A Little History on the Chia Seed

Once valued so much that it was used as currency, this unique little seed has exceptional nutritive and structural benefits. The list is endless!

Chia, is familiar to most of us as a seed used for the novelty of the Chia Pet™, clay animals with sprouted Chia seeds covering their bodies. Little is known, however, of the seeds tremendous nutritional value and medicinal properties (that's an understatement.)

For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only bring the Chia seed for their nourishment.

If you try mixing a spoonful of Chia in a glass of water and leaving it for approximately 30 minutes or so, when you return the glass will appear to contain not seeds or water, but an almost solid gelatin. This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the Chia. Research believe this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilages, are eaten. The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar.

In addition to the obvious benefits for diabetics, this slowing in the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar offers the ability for creating endurance. Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in our bodies. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows creating a longer duration in their fueling effects.

One of the exceptional qualities of the Chia seed is its hydrophilic properties, having the ability to absorb more than 12 times its weigh in water. Its ability to hold on to water offers the ability to prolong hydration. Fluids and electrolytes provide the environment that supports the life of all the body’s cells. Their concentration and composition are regulated to remain as constant as possible. With Chia seeds, you retain moisture, regulate, more efficiently, the bodies absorption of nutrients and body fluids. Because there is a greater efficiency in the utilization of body fluids, the electrolyte balance is maintained.

(Now if you'd like to finish this article just click on "Chia Seed" in the introductory line!)

Here are just a few of the health benefits of the Chia Seed. I researched this and there is so much positive information I can't print it all.

Chia Seeds are high in calcium and naturally have

boron in them which transfers the calcium into your

bones.

Chia Seeds fill you up - When they come in contact

with water, pudding, juice, yogurt etc. they grow to 9x

their size and they slow down the absorption of carbs to

control the appetite. People loose weight on this seed!

Gluten free Chia Seeds are very good for a Raw Food

Diet because they are high in protein, calcium,

omega 3 and 6 and don't need to be cooked. Unlike Flax

Seed, you do not have to ground up Chia Seeds when

you make a smoothie. It's one of the highest Omega 3 sources in plants.

Chia Seeds are great for workouts. Prior to a run or athletic

event which you need to hydrate, Chia Seeds in a bottle of water

will help you hydrate. They will also help with protein to

do the event without cramping up. Chia is good for the

digestive system because it is a hydrophillic colloid.

Chia Seeds are high in Omega 3 - 1 oz of Chia Seeds

has 4915mg of Omega 3. Omega 3 fatty acids are loaded with

protein which is great for healthy skin, hair, and nails

Chia Seeds are good for a Diabetic - 1 oz of Chia Seeds

has a Glycemic Index of 1. Chia seed supplies fiber in

2 forms: insoluble (won't dissolve in water) from its

outer coat and soluble fiber (will dissolve in water)

from its inner shell. Soluble fiber has been found

helpful in lowering cholesterol and diabetes

Chia Seeds are high in fiber and help digestion.

Chia Seeds are good for your Thyroid - They are known

to help deal with thyroid medication symptoms like lack of energy,

dry skin and hair, thyroid weight problems, and colon

issues. Great for constipation or irregularity!!!

Chia Seeds are good for lowering cholesterol too!

Well, this little seed is a power house for nutritional value. I'm a believer! Wow, am I a believer!

Also if you'd like a breakfast that will hold you over until well into next week, go to Lee's in the frozen food dept. and buy a bag of Dee's cereal (It's nutty and grainy as all get out and oh so good) cook that up and sprinkle a good Tbsp of Chia seeds on it and all you little mother's out there with little children to chase all day - you'll have energy galore!

Chia seeds! What a find! Make them part of your diet today!

Can You Wait Until November?

Desi and I saw this trailer for the movie "New Moon" and we decided we don't think we can wait until November! Des thinks Jacob is the dream boat of all time! She's definitely a Jacob fan. So which is it girls, are you madly in love with Jacob or is it Edward that steels your breath away? There's nothing like a good romance!

Strawberries Romanoff

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFF from Kaylyn's Kitchen

You need juicy ripe red strawberries for the best flavor. If you can get locally grown strawberries, even better. Cut the strawberries into halves or fourths to make same-size pieces.

Then whisk together the sour cream and brown sugar and combine with strawberries. That's it!


(Makes 4 small servings)

1 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sour cream (I use light sour cream, but never fat free)
2 T brown sugar (Use more or less sweetener, depending on how sweet you like it.)

Be sure to buy the reddest and ripest strawberries you can find for best flavor. Rinse strawberries, then cut big ones into fourths and smaller ones into halves. Put cut strawberries into a medium-sized bowl

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and brown sugar. Taste for sweetness to see if you want to add more sugar. Gently combine sour cream mixture with cut strawberries, divide into four small dishes, and serve.

Cute Kids!

I've been such a slacker when it comes to posting something on the blog. I think I will try Emy's method of a monthly update. We'll see how it goes!
For Father's Day, I decided to snap some pictures of Corbin and Eden. We gave Kyle a digital picture frame and loaded a bunch of pictures on it. It was a great gift because I NEVER print off pictures. They just sit on my computer. So, anyone who is in the same boat, you should get a digital picture frame. Then you can watch a slideshow of your photos and not have to print off a single thing! I was surprised that I got some good ones because Corbin and Eden were NOT in the mood for a photo shoot!

Grandma's Spring Clean Up

This old red house is over a hundred years old.
My mom has lived in it for nearly seventy of them.
Over the years she has made vast improvements to it. When she first moved in there were no sidewalks and no bathroom in the home. I'm glad she rectified those two things before I was born.

This old home holds a lot of memories and some of the very best of those memories are of the many times we gather as a family. This spring we got together for a family clean up.

It's true that many hands make lighter work.

Besides who can resist a good spring burn!

All the little kids had a hay day,

especially when Desi found a little lost birdie.

I did my usual thing, harped on people till they stopped long enough for me to snap a picture.

I love looking back at a photograph and remembering!

~Dorothea Lange said, "While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see."

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away!

Everyone had fun working together.

Work is funner when you have someone to share it with.

And the kids made their own fun!

It was a great evening.

After, grandma treated us all to pizza and pop when we finished.

Thanks everybody! Could you all come over to my yard now? Hahhaha

Toward the end of our cleaning I discovered something in my mom's old tree.

It's like it appeared out of no where! I have a thing with hearts and when I walked around the corner of the house and my eye caught this heart that surly had been growing for sometime. I couldn't believe it.

As I stood there and snapped a few pictures I started to get emotional. I think my dad carved it there! I think so, because in all the years I've walked past it I've never seen it once!
A little sign from Heaven . . . a sign he loves us!

Welcome To The World!

Welcome in the newest Crowther addition!

Baylee Anne Crowther, 7lbs 5ozs, 20 inches long made her way into the world June 21st at 8:47 PM. As I watched her laying in her little bed I thought babies are really heavens optimism gracing our presence! I think they are such a nice way to start out people, everything good in life packed into one tiny bundle! Sometimes I wonder how in the world God ever fully trusts us with them, but then just imagine if He didn't. I think maybe in His infinite wisdom he new we needed them really more than they need us.

Look at her, isn't she beautiful? Just looking at her gives me the greatest satisfaction a grandmother can have. Somewhere inside her is a little bit of me. Oh I hope it's the good part! I can't wait to see her life unfold! Baylee we love you! Welcome to life! Congratulations Gage and Missy! You make cute kids!

Another Good Story

So when the lead picture say's "Ray's Auto Body", you know the story is going to be really good! Right?

Now I was in a hurry, plus this was taken with my Iphone, so it's not the best picture. But if you look very closely you will see there is no window in the back of my car. And if you look even closer you can see lots of tiny dents where you open up the back of the hatch.

Not to mention the dents that go across the roof like a trail of cat prints and the broken windshield in the front, cracked in every direction! Oh and then there are the plethora of tiny indentations that travel down the hood like a babbling brook.

My car loves Ray's Auto body shop (and Ray Ellis loves me.) I have been giving him lots of business! See I just got my Envoy out of Ray's shop last week because Kelson doesn't navigate deer in Willard very well. Yes, there are enormous herds that cross the road in Willard and Kelson managed to miss the entire bunch, except for the last one. I think you might remember the deer hair in the engine. I'm sure I posted a picture of that a while back.

So I'm spraying weeds and I see Glade hook my Envoy up to a beautiful rusted chain. His goal was to pull out an old stump that had been rotting in the ground for years. I'm pumping my sprayer when I hear the engine roar along with a strange torquing sound. As I was taking in the sound of metal stretching, I made my way back behind the snowmobile trailer and preceded to kill anything green.

That's when I heard it, a sound loud and resonating, like someone blew up a small building. "What was that?" I yelled. Then I decided to see for my self. What's Murphy's Law? "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." I stepped from behind the trailer and there was glass everywhere and I could see clear through my Envoy! And what's the other saying? "You're only as strong as your weakest link!" I looked at my car, I looked at the glass all over the lawn, I looked at the brand new windshield Gage just put in last week, or rather what was left of it, then I said nothing, no not a word, I looked at all those shiny pieces of glass spread out all over my lawn like a pin wheel and I just calmly turned back to my patch of weeds and began killing again! Life . . . it just happens, doesn't it? I was so proud of myself, I didn't even swear!

Well, to make a long story short, that nice rusty chain that snapped, whipping my Envoy something fierce created nearly four thousand dollars worth of damage! I told someone at my work the story and they said "Don't you own a tractor?" Well, it's probably a good thing the tractor was in Bear Lake, better my Envoy than a human head being smashed to little pieces.

So that's it! That's the stump of it! Nothing more, nothing less! Car's are replaceable, fixable, repairable, and much easier to mend than people.

Tomorrow is always fresh . . . with no mistakes in it!

I want the music on this video! Anyone know how to get it! I've been searching to no avail!

Well, I think I've watched this video and cried about a hundred times. I never grow tired of Ann with an E! I purchased all of the CD's and I've worn them out and I'm on my second set. I think I'll try the books next.

I'm planning my bucket list! Number one on the list is my Prince Edward Island trip. I've put it off long enough. So I've decided to plan ahead! Going to be staying at the Kindred Spirits Bed and Breakfast Inn. Can't wait to go to Cavendish, and Charlottestown to see the musical Ann Of Green Gables! Can't wait to see the North Shore and take a Mathew Cuthbert buggy ride!

Check out inglesideimpressions.com and http://www.tourismpei.com/anne-of-green-gables

So who wants to come? Better start saving! August 2010! Mark it on your calendar! I hope after visiting I don't want to move there! I'm worried!

Happy Birthday Anna

Happy Birthday Anna!

Today you are 1!

One whole year has gone by!

As you can see Anna is a doll! She is the cutest baby! And she has the most beautiful auburn hair. When I think today she has only lived one year of her life, it makes me wonder about all the years to come. I can't wait to see her life unfold! She is the sweetest baby, little miss personality! And her smile is infectious! Well, we hope your first birthday is spectacular Anna! We love you!!!

Birthday Wishes for Missy

Happy Birthday Missy

It won't be long and Missy will be celebrating a new birthday - Baylee Ann!

Only two weeks to go and I could be a grandma any day! Well, Missy . . . do not have this baby on your birthday! But I can't wait! You are probably wishing this was over . . . but soon enough! So I hope you have a great day! Missy is a wonderful person! She is kind, helpful, thoughtful, and so easy to get along with! I am grateful for her in every way! She keeps Gage in line, like when he breaks his thumb and keeps taking the cast off! Well, I love her dearly and I'm thankful she part of us! Hope you have a wonderful day! You better, because as soon as that baby gets here, little mothers barely get a moment to themselves! So be sure to enjoy the day! Love YOU!!! Just a few more days and then you can call me at midnight and tell me to come to the hospital! Gage - no more tricks!!!

The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

The Angel Moroni on top of the Oquirrh Temple was struck by lightning.

I was so happy I got to travel to the Oquirrh Temple for a tour. On the way down, someone told me the Angel Moroni on top of it had been struck by lightning. I was so happy I got to see this in person and capture it with my camera!

The Deseret news said, "Mother Nature added another sight to see at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Saturday June 13th, 2009. The temple is not yet dedicated!

As weekend rain and lighting storms moved across the Salt Lake Valley, one strike took a path through the Angel Moroni's golden horn en route to the ground.

Steve Allison, a resident of South Jordan who lives near the temple said lightning was dropping in the area Saturday and Sunday it was obvious lightning had struck the temple's unofficial lightning rod."

(The Angel) is the only thing up there, Daybreak is pretty flat," Allison said. "Saturday afternoon we were getting big strikes, one shook the house and knocked the power out."Allison said he first heard the temple had been struck when a friend walked into choir practice with a pair of binoculars hanging from his neck.

On Sunday streams of passersby stopped to view the damage and take pictures."A work crew will re-gild the statue as soon as possible" he said in a prepared statement."

Click here to read more about it.

Now for my personal opinions - don't you just love those?

I felt so bad when I took this picture! It looks like even Angel Moroni is not exempt from the trials of life! I'm laughing because I can totally relate to exactly how he looks and surely must feel if he could! Sometimes life just bolts right through ya, doesn't it? One minute your standing there fine and the next minute your face is molten and black! Hahahha I'm laughing because it's so true!

I have had many experiences in my life that have left me blackened and cinged! I mean look at poor Moroni's face! Who can't relate to that? Some more than others. I love to look for symbolism in life and there is great symbolism in this! No matter what life throws at me, when the thunder is rumbling and the bolts are flyin, I'm not going to get out of this life without taking some hits! God promised us hits (trials)! But He also promised us great blessings for holding on with faith. D&C 122:7 He tells us, "Know my son (or daughter), that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." Then in verse 17, he encourages us how to behave in our trials, "Let us cheerfully do all things!" Wow, that is a tough one - we are to be grateful for our trials and travel through them cheerfully!" I got a little work there to do! LOL

Today I'm so grateful for my trials, because I've learned one thing; if I hold on with faith and do my best, My Father in Heaven and my Savior are always right there to re-gild me!!! Boy, do I have a testimony of that - the re-gilding process! I can't believe my fingers are typing this statement, but trials can be good if we choose. They're Gods way of shaping us up and helping us grow!

I will forever love this picture - so symbolic!!!

Happy Birthday Craig

Happy Birthday Craig!

Hope you had a great day!

Craig is an avid golfer, so I'm guessing he was probably out on the course today, even if it was pouring rain! But that's the great thing about Craig - he sticks to something until he masters it. He's a pretty dedicated guy. I love how he sets goals and accomplishes them. He serves in his the new Bishopric in his ward and I can see why. He's a doer and he's reliable and you can always count on him to follow through. He's also fantastic with the youth, dedicated in everything he does. Well, we are glad we have that dedication in the Crowther family. He could teach a few of us how to better do that. Hope you had a great day today! We love ya!

Greatest Conference Ever!

Sunday I had the chance to attend a conference at the Weber State Dee Events Center. Thanks to Des, she, I, and Kaedell joined the choir. I won't go into the fact they were going to bail on me after the first practice. (Way to stick it out girls!) I love to sing, but I must confess, I had other motives pushing me to sing. I'll get to those motives in a minute.

The Plain City Stake was invited to join the Farr West Stake in attending their stake conference due to the growth in our area a new stake was to be formed. Hence they were taking two stakes and making a third. This left everyone to wonder who was going where. I think that's the most excitement I've had for a week.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was assigned to be the visiting general authority. Elder Holland has always been one of my all time favorites, when it comes to being an apostle. At conference time I always wait patiently for his talk. I could listen to him speak all day. Knowing the choir sits close to the speaker gave me great incentive to join the choir. My goal after the conference "Shake the man's hand!"

The conference began with the new changes. I learned that my ward, (the Plain City 7th ward) and Plain City 2nd ward would be moved to the Farr West Stake. It's amazing how things change over the years. I still remember when there were only two wards in Plain City. For 40 years I was a member of the Plain City 2nd ward. I sat in the tabernacle as members of two different wards were taken and used to form the newly created 7th ward. Glade was made the Bishop over that new ward. Now 15 years later and here I am in the Farr West Stake. I've learned it doesn't pay to get too attached to anything when you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Our church is forever growing and change is most often good.

Now for the best part of the conference, Elder Holland's talk. This is one day I wish I would have had a tape recorder. It was one of the most inspirational meetings I have ever attended and I say that in all honesty.

He started out by saying that as General Authorities go out into the field, there is no more recurring revelation, more direct communication from the Lord, than there is in the reorganizing of a stake. It is a reaffirming testimony of the divinity of God that He rules and reigns. He says every weekend they go into an area without knowing anyone and within 24 hours, they totally take apart a stake and reduce it to nuts and bolts, then put it back together again, announce changes and drive away without a ripple in the pond.

He said that no where else in the world outside of the church could that happen. He said he had spent a large percentage of his life out in the world and usually there is a lot of fall-out when change happens. People get angry, picket, lobby, and slash tires - " Then he laughed and said, "Would somebody please go check our tires?"

He said that often when they get off a plane in other countries, someone will stick a microphone in his face and ask when was the last time he received revelation and he always says (if the person is reasonably sincere) that it was the previous weekend when he reorganized a Stake and then that allows him to explain what that is. He can always name the specific hour, the names involved etc. of when he last received revelation. He said, "we couldn't do it without you" (meaning us members). He said there is great symbolism in the raising the hand to the square. In the bible, it was when the Israelites raised their arms that they were allowed to go into the Red Sea. Conversely, when the arms are low, they were defeated. He explained that the members of the church have to help each other and do all this together (adjusting to the changes and serving where asked) because he said, by the time we're dead, we'll all have had each other's jobs.

He stated, "In the Gospel, loved shared is love multiplied" That love does not diminish but just continues to grow. I was a great speech for inviting everyone to embrace the new change. Then he directed his remarks to the young people and this is where I wish I'd had my tape recorder!!!

He asked the youth to pay their tithing to him today. Not in money - he said, continue to give that to your Bishop. Instead he said he wanted 10 percent of their lives! He asked them to tithe their lives to him and to Christ! He wanted us to assume the youth will live to be 100 years old - for the sake of easy math. President Holland asked them to give 10 years of their lives to him. The 10 years they give are the ones they're in right now - about 12-24 years of age. He said if they pledge these 10 years right now, the other 90 will be so much better. Because he said, it is during these years the youth will make every important decision (pretty much) of their lives in terms of significance and impact. There is no other decade like it in their life. Then he named the important decisions - "you will date your friends and you will marry your dates". Boys - every one of you! - will serve missions and the girls too if they can. We don't put quite as much pressure on the girls but if they can... He said give this time to the Lord and he'll give you the rest back to do with what you will."

Then he woke everyone up (as if anyone was sleeping which I really doubt) by shouting and literally pounding the pulpit with his fist: "Youth I am speaking to YOU, DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE THIS CHURCH!!!!" Tears filled his eyes and with great love he said "Listen to your parents and leaders, listen to us, because we've been your age and you've never been ours"! He went on to say "You're not smart enough to leave this church." In fact he said "If I can be so bold to say, you are just not smart enough to make those kinds of a decision." The smarter you are, the closer you'll stay to the church. "DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!" Then he said as an aside - I can see the YM/YW theme now: "Don't Do Anything Stupid". ha ha. "What we're saying is - we love you like crazy - we have a few scars that we're not sharing with you but 'we've been through a few experiences and have learned from them." He said "We're not making this stuff up!" He said, "We didn't get up this morning and say to ourselves lets just go confuse the youth!" We don't get up Sunday morning and say: "Lets tell them the church is true and all that goes with it just to fool them" We want to help you, we love you, we care about you!"

He said: "I am a product of this church. My father was not a member". My parents were Irish/American - staunch Irish Catholic and very poor and had very little. To look at them they had WELFARE written all over them. In just one generation, here I am - I will report to President Monson on Tuesday about Farr West and Plain City. It's a good thing my priesthood leader loved me. It's a good thing my wife's young women leaders loved her. Believe it or not, I was young once. I know it's hard to imagine and I know you all think I'm just short of parking the Ark! But I want you to know something, we had teenagers on the ark and I know a thing or two. (yes I rose from my grave and parked the Ark) and then he pointed his finger at the youth and he said, "I will follow you around to that parked car and I'll point my finger at the window and say "Get outta there!" By this time I was laughing and crying so hard at the same time. But then he got serious and said: "You've got to trust me - the Gospel is your salvation. I pledge my life to keep you close to the Lord".

Then he told us that he wanted to give us all a blessing as the ancient apostles did. He said he'd read everything he could on the ancient apostles and how they administered blessings to the multitudes. An apostles duties include two things:
1. To bear witness of the gospel and Jesus Christ
2. To give blessings.

He said he was going to bless us all as if his hands were on our heads individually. He blessed the brethren that they may grasp what happened when they received the priesthood; that they can grasp what it means so they don't live their life after receiving the priesthood the same way they did before - without changing anything. How profound a call to the men! Then he blessed them so that they could live more like Christ lived, care like He cared, speak like He did ESPECIALLY AT HOME.

He blessed the women who carry the flag of faith. He blessed us for being strong. An author (not LDS and I missed the name of his book on the pioneers) but he said that "the Mormon men were strong but the Mormon women were incredible". The strongest, safest...voices (in Elder Holland's life) were from women - his mother, his grandmother and now, presently, his wife. It's from the women that we know we are loved and it is their great abiding faith that moves mountains.

He blessed the newest of babies that their lives would be happy. He blessed the seniors who are aging and ill and also those who have experienced deaths. Death is part of the plan and it's ok. He gave a health blessing to all those who needed it.

Then he said, (as he was talking about those needing a blessing of health) that he had just been prompted to say and that he was inspired at that moment to say (paraphrasing because I quit taking notes) that there are those present who wish a blessing on someone else. That there are those who worry about loved ones and said may those people be blessed also just as if my hands were upon their heads.

Well, by the time he sat down I was a blubbering mess, and now I wanted to hug him! To heck with a hand shake. So after the prayer I cut my path to the stand. Here is where I have a confession. I crowded. Yup, I snuck my way right to the front of the line. I have repented but this is where I have to say that sometimes God knows just what a heart needs.

For the last week and a half, I have had my own personal struggles. Sometimes we fight things on the inside of the heart few people see. During this time I have been listening to Elder Hollands talk from the 2006 April conference "Broken Things To Mend." If you haven't heard this talk, I suggest you listen to it today. I have listened to it everyday for well over two weeks.

Just as I approached the stairs leading up to where Elder Holland stood, he parted from the line and apologized to everyone for having to leave to set people apart. Suddenly there he was standing right in front of me. Quickly I stuck out my hand to shake his and as I did I said "Elder Holland, I have listened to your talk "Broken Things To Mend" everyday for over two weeks." It is the greatest talk ever." Suddenly this man looked down at me with so much love I could barely take it all in! And as quick as I felt that all encompassing love, his hands reached out and grabbed a hold of my face with such force. I can still feel the warmth of his large hands on my cheeks, those giant warm inspirational hands! The next thing I knew he had pulled me so close to him, eye to eye you might say, and he said to me with such loving light in his eyes, "You don't look broken to me!" Then he just held me there for what seemed like ten minutes, and with great love he said "Nope, you look fully mended to me!" Then he gently let go of me and patted my shoulder. I stood there in shock. "Was I just two inches from an apostles nose?" "Did that just really happen?" were a few of the thoughts going through my head. What a gift! Sometimes the Lord knows just what you need right when you need it. I watched in awe as he smiled at me and parted through the crowd.

It was all I could do to keep from crying and will long be one of the most profound memories I will ever have. Not because of what he did but because he was in tune with the spirit and my Heavenly Father knew what I needed that moment! Apostles are truly men of God!!!

For the last week I've been trying to record in my journal if I've seen the hand of God in my day. I try to record this each day, encouragements from Elder Eyring's talk "O Remember, Remember!" That night I took my pen and wrote in my journal, "I saw the hands of God today!" Yes, they reached right out of Heaven and grabbed hold of my face!"

Well, it was the greatest experience ever and one I'll never forget! If you'd like to read more about Elder Holland CLICK HERE!

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More Hawaii!

I can't look at pictures it's too painful...but sometimes pain is good right? Road to Hana is proof of that!








Dive America Photo Shoot!





The gear was so uncomfortable you were actually hoping a shark would come rip you apart to end you're misery...haha

Discovering an Apple

What is this thing?

Into Data Processing Center

Mmmm, I like this thing!

I LOVE this thing!!

Thanks Mommy!!

This is the first of a few stories to come from the Umbrell house, I know-I am overdue for some posts. Anyway, I gave this apple to Anna to entertain her while I was doing the dishes. At the sound of her laughter, I dried my hands and took out the camera. This simple apple slice provided 45 minutes of entertainment! And some pretty funny pictures :)