my january in photos

i swear this will be my last post about january.  i'm very behind on my blog but want to make sure to highlight some of the things that went on that month.

my sister in law, jodi, turned 30.  her husband surprised her with a birthday party.  i helped him plan it a little.  it was fun and jodi was sincerely surprised!

my husband makes the best rice crispy treats.  the scouts love them too!


sundance 2012 came and went. my sister and i woke up early on a saturday morning to a beautiful snow storm and went and bought our tickets.  we even got a student discount (thanks to my college id...my college degree sure keeps paying off).  we went to acouple of movies.  they were good.  my sister's sister was my favorite of the two.

we enjoyed our family dinners. for one of them we celebrated my brother's 36th birthday and watch old home videos...the bike racing and fashion show kind.  on another we celebrated january birthdays with gordon's extended family.

over mexican hot chocolate, the mr. and i filled out some very important paperwork.

my friend nicole got married!

we went to the temple with some of the women i serve in my church calling with.

we haven't had the winter weather we had hoped for so the cruiser made some appearances.

 

we had our first ever food from slackwater.  this was the beginning of a very long food relationship.

my sister and i have sister tuesdays when we watch new girl together.  it usually involves some sort of treat (like her delicious mini donuts).

 

gordon got crafty and cut out his paper cruiser i got him as a christmas gift.  it's a mini version of his cruiser.  he put it with his other cruiser memorabilia on his desk at his work.  love it.


celebrated my sister's 35th birthday by showing our hands some love...manicure style.
gordon's back/leg started to hurt this month.  we've been told by a few professionals he has a pinched nerve.  it's been over a month since this all started.  we're hoping for a miracle cure so we can go on a road trip in march for his birthday.

and there's my (our) january.

dew tour 2012

the mr. drank mountain dew, while i opted for a warm and cozy drink.
we rode on a salomon school bus up to snow basin and down from snow basin.
we saw some very talented athletes bust out a bunch of sick tricks while we tried not to slide down the halfpipe.
we went to slackwater pub and pizzeria for dinner.
we had fun and can't wait to do it again next year.

new year's healing cleanse



last month my girlfriends and i got together for an evening of energy healing (and food). my friend's mom is a licensed massage therapist with an emphasis in energy healing. being it was the new year and all, and my friend's personal recommendation, we all jumped at the opportunity to do this.

i must admit, i was skeptical at first. don't get me wrong, i believe that each of us possesses our own energy, but what i skeptical about was that someone could sense certain things about my life (both past and present) and heal my energy force. i'm not a skeptic anymore.

my friend's mom believes, belongs, and practices the same religion as i do. i felt 100% comfortable with her and knew she wasn't going to perform some type of voodoo on me. it was just the two of us. i sat in a comfy chair, she sat on a stool in front of me. she explained to me what our energy is made out of. different chakras. different colors. she read my aura (blue with red specks). now this is where it may seem a little voodoo-ish but i promise you it wasn't. i felt nothing but calmness and peace this entire process. i held my palm out and she dangled a small crystal above it. she asked me about different relationships with my immediate family, including grandparents. if there was bad energy when i said the person's name, she could feel it and "heal" the broken energy around them. there was not bad energy around anyone in my family. there was some different energy around my mom and sister, and as she told me that she said that i was aware of this and knew what i needed to do to help this energy repair itself, which i did. we then went through each of my energy chakras. some of my shakras were strong. others needed to be cleansed. before she would cleanse my chakra we would discuss what the chakra meant and possibly why it needed healing. she never once told my fortune or tried to tell me what was wrong. she would say words that related to the chakra, a word or phrase would stand out to me, then she would choose a positive affirmation to say as she glided her hands around my upper body, tapping my chest gently and softly saying certain phrases to cleanse me. every time she did this i felt lighter.

there were times she could stop in the middle of this process because something would come into her head that she felt like i needed to hear. she said so many things that were meant just for me, it was unbelievable. some of these things included:

trust (in a higher being and in myself)

good faith

if i would let 'things' in, 'things' would happen as they should

(the 'things' are personal...i knew exactly what they were when she mentioned this to me)

that i have a work to do so i need to be patient and the said 'things' will come

delegate

make time for you (and she specifically mentioned yoga...she didn't even know i was a yogi!)

find a way to be creative and use my talents when said 'things' come into my life

visualize my dreams...your thoughts are your reality

powerful

leader

i share my energy and light with others

this experience was one that i will never forget. everything she said to me that night was meant just for me, at the specific time. i walked out of there that night feeling refreshed and like a weight had been lifted from my chest. i could breath easier (strange, i know). it was beautiful.

i loved sharing this experience with my close friends. each of our experiences were so different from each other, yet each of them were meant just for us. i know it sounds a little crazy, but my experience was real and necessary. what a great way to start out the new year.

a valentines to remember

i love valentines day.  why not have a special day dedicated to doing extra special things for the ones you love.  don't tell me that every day is valentines day at your house...i won't believe it!

i wanted gordon to feel extra special this day.  he is the best at making sure my holidays are perfect, so i wanted to out shine him.

i made yogurt parfaits for breakfast in bed.
i set an alarm on his phone to go off while he was at work telling him to check his wallet.  i stashed a love note in it.  in the note i mentioned that i upload a special cd to his itunes...he was to listen to it and think of me (cheesy, yes.  but i love it!)
when he got home we had dinner.  nothing fancy.
and then came the highlight of the evening...i had made a fort in our bedroom!  complete with christmas lights (thanks matt and jenny) and everything!  we ate donuts arranged in a heart and drank pink hot chocolate under it.  pretty much my favorite thing ever!  i wish we could have a permanent fort set up somewhere in our house.  maybe once we have chillin' we will!

at the end of the evening gordon told me he had the best wife ever.  i can never hear that enough (mostly because i don't...and not because gordon isn't sweet, but because i'm rarely the best wife ever.  i'm usually just marginal).

do the dew tour with us!

2012 dew tour is here!  we've been each year it's been in utah and always have a great time.  there are other events going on because of the tour too...like a salomon athlete poster signing tonight at ogden's salomon center from 8-9pm.  because i'm the star struck person that i am, i'm excited for this!  and if you're hip to it, there's a free concert tonight as well.  the artist's name is mac miller.  i'm not sure who he is, but free concerts are pretty good way to mingle and have some fun with your friends.

once again, this is just another reason we love where we live!  come out and support rad events like this so we keep getting more!

receive and trust

this is a rather long post (with no photos)...i typed a lot of notes during this conference.  and i couldn't leave any them out!  i also included scripture references...something i have never done before.  i feel kind of strange doing it but they are necessary for me to remember.

at the week mark of the new year i had the opportunity to attend a woman's conference with the keynote speaker being Sherri Dew.  i have read a few of her books and love the inspiration i get from each one.  she asked each of us to review our past year and ask ourselves "what did i learn last year?"  i answered to myself "the Lord trusts me so i should trust him."  she then asked "what is turning out to be harder than you ever thought it would be?"  again i answered to myself "making the decision to start our family...and actually starting it."  she went into discuss how our spirits are preprogrammed to progress.  our spirits want to keep learning & progressing. built into all experiences is opportunity to learn & keep progressing. you can tell when you've done something that makes you not feel as close to the lord. real progression comes with those baby steps. constant progression has set backs & that's okay. but remember progression is upward. she encouraged us to do a 2011 recap: see what the Lord has blessed me with. what ways do i know that the Lord was with me in life lessons last year? she suggested that to help do this think about it this way "The lord did this for me and I learned this, he protected me from this, etc.  all of our answers are a reflection of how we much we love the lord...that why we serve & do the things we do.
her main discussion was about the need for us to learn how to receive. it is crucial to learn how to receive. she referenced 2 Nephi 28:30: unto him who receive with I will give more and 3 Nephi 9:14: arm of mercy to everyone & I will receive all who come to me...which means he will not leave anyone out! He is saying that if you come unto me I will receive you as my daughters that you are. in D&C 88:32 it says we will enjoy what we are willing to receive. Celestial Kingdom!! I want to receive that!!
What is out there to receive?  in D&C 76:7  (side note: the first ten verses are amazing!) it says that all mysteries will be revealed to those who serve in righteousness and truth unto the end - mysteries teach us how god works & are tutored by the spirit, how broad & dramatic this scope D&C 121:26 no knowledge will be withheld from us...we live in the time of fullness dispensation (verse 28). Everything the lord has will and can be given to us...(wow, what is my problem!!) All of this will be given to those who have learned to receive.
the Atonement of Christ: entire salvation hangs on this! We're in a position to learn & receive. our temple covenants: gift of knowledge & power!! Priesthood: gift through the access & benefits (how do I draw the power of the priesthood in my life?) try not to focus on the here & now...focus on the bigger picture.
we need to know for ourselves why we're here so we don't get side tracked.  where are our roots? are they deep? she told a story about her planting some flowers in her yard and woke up the next day with each one gone. she thought maybe the deer came and ate them all, but could quickly tell that wasn't the case.  she called the police because she could see footprints and thought she had been vandalized.  after a quick look around the policeman told her that all of her plants were in her neighbors backyard.  they knocked on her new neighbor's house - very early in the morning...welcome to the neighborhood - only to be told that their little girl loves flowers and pulled out each of them.  she related this back to our spirituality and if our roots are not deep we will be easily moved.  she said that he part you can't see (roots) is more important of the plant than what you can see (the pretty parts). it's what's on the inside that makes us grow - fed, nurtured, receive testimony & knowledge, gifts etc. again she asked us to look at ourselves...what does the part you can't see look like? what does my courage, testimony, knowledge, & faith look like? do i believe? the lord has built you up and protect you before...is he not going to do it again?! we believe he atoned & is full of power. yes the roots are most important but the outside is important too: be stewards of what we have been given. but what's on the inside is what's more important...& it's usually what we don't give as much attention to.
The influence of a righteous women is hard to beat (satan hasn't an ounce of the power a righteous woman has). The bond between mother & child are beautiful.
she again asked us questions: what are we here for & are we rooted? Be strong, be true, teach instead of being taught, don't resist the dark & dreary world...the world needs you. Adam & Eve didn't resist it. The potential influence we have!!  we have the power of the priesthood to protect & the power of the savior to heal us. in Ether 12:27 it says: come unto me and I will make weakness strengths.  he can heal us from our anxieties, our wear & tear, & our fear. the healing power of the atonement is what this is.
if you want to see the view you have to make the climb. we're here in this life to make an ascent.  with every step you take the more you will receive. the more sincere my prayer...the more scripture study. the more we make an ascent the more we will receive. if we want to learn what heavenly father wants for us we have to make a sacrifice. somethings matter more than others. what's on the inside is more important...the roots enable the flower.
you are not alone in the climb and it can be fun! sometimes we are critical of ourselves & others...don't be! be a team!  in every single sermon Joesph Smith taught he said be nice to each other! it's not a surprise that the adversary wants to go against us...women are the healing balm of society. she challenged us to watch our thoughts for the next 3 days.. it may surprise you.  what you think may not be delightful.

on the climb be tethered to the bridge. are we tethered to Jesus or the world?
the lord had said i will give. he will teach you everything...make our roots deep. to learn to receive is the only way to tether ourselves to the lord. set specific goals! if the goals are set in mind to help us receive, our roots will become deeper and deeper. we will be more beautiful because that's what will show through.
she ended with the question: what do you want to be able to say a year from now?  the father can make a lot more out of our lives than we can...we can look back & see this.

and my one of my most favorite things she said...the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints is the church of happy endings!  i know this is true!