I've been Glutened! What Happens When I Eat Wheat

So, one of the biggest questions I get after saying I'm gluten free is "What happens when you eat it?"  Since I got "gluten-ed" (ate something with wheat in it) today, I figured it was a good time to talk about it!

After feeling the effects of it, it makes me wonder how I ever lived with it all the time before.  I'm not completely sick (only had a very limited exposure to it today) and even when I have a lot, I've never actually puked from eating gluten.  But with what I'm experiencing today, and knowing that I felt like this often before, makes me realize how hard it was for me to function at 100% all the time.  And no wonder I was tired and withdrawn a lot.

Anyways, here is what I feel after I eat gluten.  Many of these are fairly typical for people with allergies to wheat/gluten.

Headaches.  For me this is one of the biggest signs that I've been gluten-ed.  I used to have them ALL THE TIME.  Right now if fairly mild, but I would get migraines frequently before I switched.  And when I do get gluten-ed, they tend to linger longer than the other symptoms.  Sometimes, kind of associated with this is light sensitivity and vision issues.

Brain fog, or what I call "The Dumbs."  I have a hard time concentrating on any one thing, I get easily distracted, short term memory is slightly impaired.  Putting enough thoughts together to write this is stretching the limits of my mental capacity at the moment.  I tend to like to talk a lot, but I ramble or switch topics quickly.  Be glad for spell check- it's a good thing you can't see all my mistakes as I'm typing.  This usually lasts for 24-48 hours after.

Digestive issues.  I tend to feel tight, painful, and/or uncomfortable in my lower abdomen (intestines area), with the other lovely issues of gas, diarrhea, or constipation.  I'll feel slightly nauseous, and go back and forth between starving and not wanting anything to eat.  Loads of fun. This lasts about 24 hours or so.

Acne.  I'll break out afterwards, plus my skin will take longer to heal for a while after.  This effect lingers.

Aches and pains.  For me, these center in my hands (I'll have lovely arthritis one day), back, hips and sometimes knees.  Makes it hard to want to exercise when you hurt.  This clears up quickly when I avoid gluten, though.

Sometimes I get shaky, but this is rarer.  This is the more extreme cases, plus comes with ALL the others.  If I'm shaky, get me protein, water, and sleep, in that order.

Anyways, that's what happens when I eat gluten.  I know there's other symptoms, but that's what I get.  Since going gluten-free, head-aches are rare, digestive has settled down, acne has cleared (except for hormonal flares), and aches disappeared.  It's been much nicer.

Now I just need to convince myself I really can do sugar-free.  Permanently.  Sigh...

What Brings You Joy? Musings From My Life

So, Tuesday was Staff Development Day at the City Library.  We close all the libraries in the system, everyone gathers at Main in downtown Salt Lake, and we have fun!  There's speeches, workshops, lunch, snacks, massages (ahhhh...) and just a great chance to see everyone in the system that you usually don't get a chance to see.  Most years I have a pretty good time, and this year they did a great job.

One of the workshops I went to was about mindfulness and mediation.  We had a presenter from a local center with degrees in stuff (very technical there, I know) and she was great at leading the group in various exercises (short meditations for the most part) and educating us on being more mindful of ourselves, our emotions and feelings, and our surroundings.  I really enjoyed the class, the chance to slow down, calm down, and connect with myself, find my inner peace.  I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but I really enjoyed it and hope to incorporate meditation into my days.

One exercise that really made me think was one where we asked another person "What brings you joy?", listened to them, and then thanked them for sharing, then repeated the question.  There wasn't any more conversation than that, and after a minute we switched roles, the other person asking instead.  I was surprised that I ran out of things that brought me joy!  I thought of several things right away, but then had to think a little deeper, later though of more things that bring me joy.

Many of these things mean a lot to me, so thought I would share them with you! Here's a list of things that bring me joy!

First: my religion.  Many other things that bring me joy mean even more to me because of my religion.  I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I believe in God as our Heavenly Father.  I believe in Christ and His Atonement.  I believe there is so much more to our existence than just this life that we live right now.  We will continue after death, which makes my relationships with family and friends even more precious to me.  Because of my faith, I served a mission which helped shape my life and who I am today.

The next thing that brings me joy- my husband.  He has been a light in my life.  He make me laugh, holds me when I feel bad, makes me feel so loved.  He makes the silliest sounds (one day he made me believe a bird was chirping back and forth with me), supports me, encourages me to be the best I can be.  He makes it worth getting up in the morning, even though it's cold outside (brrrrr).  Above all, he loves me despite mistakes I make, despite my shortcomings.  He brings me presents.  Right now, I can't think of anything else in my life that makes me happier.  Knowing that I will be with him forever, through the sealing ordinance of the temple, brings me such joy it overflows.

Connected with that, the next thing that brings me joy is my family.  Again, they encourage me, make me a better person, boost me up, and are there for me whenever I need them.  My best memories are always with family, whether mine or Dan's.  Family reunions and camping trips are the highlight of our summers!

Another big thing in my life that means a lot to me and brings me joy and happiness: music.  It lifts me up, gives me answers to prayers, strengthens my testimony of Christ, and sometimes it's just plain fun.  I am so grateful for my musical talents, a mother that taught me how to play from a young age, and being surrounded by many great musicians.  I love listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and lots of other people too!  Music can take a bad day and turn it into a great day.

Something else that brings me joy- nature.  I love seeing the beauty in the world around us.  I love the mountains, forests, oceans, streams, meadows, flowers, trees, clouds, everything!  I feel humbled the God created this world for us.  And it's not plain, it's beautiful.  I am so lucky to live in Utah, where we have majestic mountains, lakes and rivers, cliffs, meadows, red rock, deserts, and more.  I find beauty and joy in everything from water droplets on pine needles to clouds at sunset and trees so big that the camera can't capture their size.  I love how flowers can be intricate or simple.

Along with this, I love taking photography of the beauty in nature.  I love it when I capture that moment perfectly.  My memory fades, but these photos are great reminders of what I see, and I can share them with everyone around me!  Sharing that beauty brings me joy.

A random thing that make me happy and brings me joy- being crafty and creative.  I love to quilt, cross stitch, crochet and pretty much make something from nothing.  I cut up fabric, sew it together, just to cut it again and sew it again!  Creating patterns with color, a little duck made of yarn, a picture from tons of little stitches, seeing something coming from chaos- this brings me joy.

Another thing that brings me joy- working!  Especially in the library. I love feeling productive, like I make a difference. When someone asks for a recommendation and I help them find something and they read it and love it, it's fantastic!  When I help someone find the solution to a problem, or a book that they need, I love it.  Helping people is one of the best things about my job.  And some days, just having a job, even if it's not ideal, is so much better than the alternative.

One last thing that brings me joy- teaching.  I teach a Gospel Doctrine class in my ward (an adult class where we study the scriptures).  I love teaching this class.  Most the time, I try to find ways to make it more of a discussion, not just me lecturing.  But being there, leading the discussion, sharing my testimony, hopefully helping other strengthen their testimonies, I love it.  Having a chance to share my love of the gospel, my love of the scriptures, my gratitude for Christ, it brings me joy every time, even if I stress about it too!

Making this list, I've started to wonder why I don't spend more time doing those things that bring me joy.  I spend way too much time on Facebook, or doing things that don't really matter.  That mindfulness session has helped me reevaluate my life, even though it was just this little presentation at the library.  Once again, the Lord watches out for me, helps direct my life.  Ever since I saw this session was being offered, I knew I wanted to attend.

I want to spend more time pursuing those things that bring me joy!  I want more joy in my life!  Finding joy despite the hard times, despite how crazy the world is around us, this will make a difference in our lives- improve them and make us happier people.  Hard times will be there, struggles will come.  But if we pursue joy in the right places, in things that matter, we will be happy.

What brings you joy?  I want to know!

New Job for Brenda! Hooray!

Finally, so good news in the job hunt!  I basically walked into a job near the end of October.  Wow!  It made me feel so blessed just because of all the timing involved.  I know that my Heavenly Father looks out for me!

Anyways here's the story behind the job:

On October 30th, I finally decided to take some books to a little used book store in Bountiful that I liked.  They had sat in a bag in my front room for months!   I had pulled them months ago, knew I wanted to take them back, and they had just sat there.  On that Thursday, and for a few days before, I had really urged from within to get more organized, de-clutter some stuff, and just get rid of unneeded items.  So, I picked up the bag, got in my car and drove up to Bountiful.

When I got there, I gave them to the girl at the desk, and started browsing while they processed my credit.  While I was looking, I heard the people at the desk talking about how a person had just left, without warning, and how they were adjusting without her.  I let them finish their little conversation, went to check on my books, and happened to ask, kind of flippantly, "Are you hiring?", wondering if they were looking for holiday help.

They said yes, but not just holiday- they were looking for someone to work part-time permanently, not just the holidays.  I told them I was interested, asked if they had an application, they asked if I had a resume.  I said I could bring one by the next day, but I was a librarian plus had retail experience.  They became very interested at that point, which made me excited.  They asked if I could come in the next day to do a trial run, see if I fit in the group and if I really knew my stuff.

The next day was Halloween, and they invited me to dress up.  I had the stuff from a couple years ago when I was Madame Trelany from the Harry Potter series.  Used that as my costume (bonus points for it being a literary character!), and went in for a couple hours.   They showed me around, had me do a few things on the computer taking a few books, and just making sure I really could do this job.  By the end of the day, they had offered me a job!  HOORAY!

I've been there several times now, mostly shelving books, helping them catch up on that, organizing as they shift their collection around.  They are super grateful that I like shelving and that I'm fast at it. Who knew those years shelving would come back and help me now!

Just in case you want to come visit (or want to trade in some books), I now work at the Book Garden in Bountiful.  It's on Main Street in downtown Bountiful, only about 15 minutes from home.  Click here to go to their site, and you can find them on Facebook too!  Come see me!

The way I found this job makes me know that God was watching out for me.  I had that bag for months before I was urged to go in.  They had just had a person leave, they needed someone with my experience, and I just happen to be there to overhear that conversation.  All of those influences meeting together at exactly the right time could not have happened on their own.  I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that watches out for me, helps direct me, and gives me hope when I need it.  I love Him and am so grateful to have His guidance in my life!  #imamormon

Oatmeal Cookies- Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free!

So, after over a week of sugar free, I finally broke down and made sugar free cookies last night.  My husband Dan and I were watching a movie, both had the munchies and wanted a little something.  We had no ice cream (not that I could have had any), or anything else really that sounded good.  So, I made some cookies! 

Sugar Free Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies!  Yum!

These were super easy to make!  I had a couple recipes from a friend to try out- including Oatmeal Cookies.  These were great!  I made a couple changes to the recipe, depending on what I had at home.  Hope you like them too!

Oatmeal Cookies- Gluten Free, Sugar Free
Yield: about 15 cookies

1/3 c. + 1 T butter or shortening (I used tub butter)
1/3 c. + 1 T honey
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. gluten free flour (I used a mix of rice, tapioca, and cornstarch)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
dash of cloves
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 c. raisins
1 1/2 c. gluten free quick oats

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your cookie sheet.

Mix together butter and honey, until well blended.  Add egg and vanilla: mix until everything is binding together.

Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.  Carefully mix until blended.  Fold in oats and raisins.  Mix until just combined.

Drop by large tablespoon full onto the greased cookie sheet.  I got about 15 cookies out of this recipe. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove immediately onto a cooling rack.

These were fabulous warm!  And the next day.  Got a little crumbly, but still super yummy!

Next time I make them, I want to do add in chocolate chips and craisins, but I know those usually have added sugars, so I will be careful what I add.  Also, the original recipe had a little molasses, and I definitely want to try that too!  I was just out last night.  

Sugar Free: Week One is Done!

So, been doing sugar free for about a week now.  It's actually been much easier than I thought it would be!  I even visited family and managed to not eat any sugar there!  Hooray!

I really think that it helps that I'm gluten free as well, and been doing that for the last 8 months or so.  Already having cut one thing out of my diet, and a major thing at that, I was more prepared and knew what to expect.  I haven't been perfect (I'm pretty sure my bread has sugar in it, plus I had some fruit that was in light syrup, not juice), but just avoiding sugary treats has been my major focus.

Things I have avoiding:

• Soda or pop of any kind (not too hard, I don't drink much anyways)
• Candy and candy bars
• Ice Cream
• Cookies, cakes, sweet breads (like zucchini or banana bread)
• Chocolate (sigh)

Things I can eat!

• Fruit!  Lots of fruit!  Mostly fresh fruit, or fruit I have frozen myself.  I have had some canned fruit, and try to do in fruit juice, not syrup.
• Veggies!
• Honey- gives me the sweetness I crave without the drawbacks of refined sugars.  I've used it in fairly limited doses- a drizzle on toast or on my oatmeal.
• Protein- this has been fantastic.  
• Lots of water!  I think my body has been thirsty forever, and I misinterpreted thirst for desiring sugar.
• Peanut butter.  Watch your peanut butter- look for one that is just peanuts and salt- no fillers or sugar!  
• Cheese- yum!

Overall, this has been fairly successful!  I have felt pretty good.  Light headaches a couple times, but I think I can trace those to other sources, not just sugar crashes/cravings.  A couple times I've had cravings, but as soon as I feed myself something else, the craving goes away. Biggest indication of success for me- I've lost weight!  And not just a pound, I have lost over 4 pounds in a week! Holy cow!  I'm fairly sure that this trend will not continue at that drastic of a rate, but it is so nice to see something happen.  Fantastic!  Even eating late at night this entire week, I have lost.  Hooray!

Favorite snack I've done this week that's refined sugar free (this totally saved me one night that I was starving and craving sugar to the max):

Easy Yogurt Dip:

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt (not vanilla, PLAIN!  No added sugars!)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter (make sure no added sugars)

dash of cinnamon

drizzle of honey

Apple slices (or other fruit!  Would probably go well with pears, celery sticks, berries...)

Mix together yogurt, peanut butter, cinnamon and honey.  That easy!  Serve with fruit!  YUM!

  

Sugar Free! Tips and My Progress

So, been doing sugar free for about 3 days now, and it oddly hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.  Yes, I still have cravings, but feeding them with the fruits instead of sugar has been a lot better.  I did get some Stevia to help where needed, but haven't opened it yet since I just got it yesterday. So far, I haven't been excessively picky- I'm still using the same ketchup which I know has sugar, I had some canned fruit which might have been in light syrup, not fruit juice.  I've also had some jam: I know, I know, a little fruit and a whole lot of sugar.  I'll need to invest in some sugar free stuff.

Things that have helped when I've had the cravings: fruit and water.  I think that my body has been so dehydrated that I have been misinterpreting my body's need for water for a desire for sugar instead.  Between drinking more water and eating more fruit, I've been pretty good.  Nothing out of control, no huge headaches, no super cravings for a cookie.

Some tips I've received from friends, several of whom have done sugar free successfully!

• Eat a lot a fruit and veggies- they taste better once you get off sugar!
• Exercise away the craving (but nourish the body in other ways when you do it).
• Use natural sweeteners such as honey and pure maple syrup instead. 
• Chew sugarless gum.
• Find a healthy snack to eat instead such as chips, popcorn, nuts, fruits, veggies, plain yogurt, water with lemon, etc.
• Sugar free chocolate.  I need to find this.  
• Reward yourself for progress!  I need to find something to reward myself with.
• Make achievable goals (one sweet a day instead of two) and gradually get off sugar. (This is why I haven't been super picky- I know going straight cold-turkey no sugar would be awful.)
• Fruit as a dessert was repeated by several people.  Peaches, apples, bananas- slice with a little cream or cinnamon.  Yum!
• AND...  almost everyone said that if I can do it for one to two weeks, the cravings will dissipate!  No more sugar cravings!  I hope that's true!

Anyways, making progress with the sugar cravings!  Next week, I will try doing without even more sugary stuff- cut it out of salad dressings and stuff like that.  I had ketchup this week on some fries (super healthy, I know) and the first bite I took my reaction was "the ketchup is sweet"!  It surprised me to find sweetness even there!  I'll have to find sugar free stuff next time I buy some.

So, there is hope!  I'm definitely making progress, got some great tips, now just on to less sugar!  I can do it!

Health Journey! Beginning (Again...)

So, anyone that knows me should know that I would like to lose weight- to be healthier, be more active, live longer, and hopefully have kids.  Both of us gained weight after we married (he likes my cooking!) and it's stayed with us for 9 years. Almost everything I've tried, while I might see temporary success, I either have issues staying with it, not seen results that I felt my effort merited, or as soon as I have a bad day (one bad day) it would negate my efforts.  I've been extremely frustrated with my health efforts.

Some other issues I've had: shin splints.  Ouch.  Walking, one of the easiest, cheapest and beginning level exercises is painful for me.  I've tried replacing my shoes, getting inserts, stretches, but that didn't help.  Just finding motivation to exercise is one of the biggest hurdles I'm trying to get over.

Hopefully, figuring out I need to be gluten free will help.  It's helped with some stuff (reduced migraines, no sore joints in the mornings, less break outs on my face, and stomach does much better), but I haven't seen a huge reduction in weight after an initial loss right when I started eating gluten free.  There are still days I don't feel perfect, but gluten free helps.

So, this time around, trying some new stuff.  See if I can really kick some bad habits!

First thing I'm trying: sugar free!  I don't know that I will be super picky, but I will avoid sweet treats like cookies, cakes, brownies, sugary cereals, candy, chocolate and everything like that which contains way too much sugar than what is good for me.  I crave sugar daily if I don't get it.  I've talked to several people about it, and I have more hope than I started with.  Initially, I was scared that I would be a plagued by those cravings for a long time.  They all say about a week, maybe a little more and they go away.  I can do that!  At least I really hope I can.

Another thing, in connection with sugar free and gluten free, I will be trying is just more whole foods in general.  Less processed, full of who-knows-what, and more whole, wholesome, good foods.  Fruits and veggies will be my friend!  To complement all of this, I will need to focus on drinking enough water.  That's another thing I really struggle with.  I just don't get thirsty, I'm so used to being slightly dehydrated all the time.

Final thing I really need to do- find a workout I enjoy, find motivation to workout consistently, and just get it in!  I do usually feel better after working out regularly, I feel more powerful, more muscular.  The more muscle I have, the more calories I will burn, the faster I will lose weight.

So, three things to focus on!  Sugar free (eek!), whole foods, especially lots of fruits and veggies, and exercise.  I can do that!  Today was my first day of sugar free- worst craving was right after dinner- had some canned fruit to tame it.  Yay!  Next time will be tips on how to beat those cravings as shared with me by several of my friends.

Silver Lake Hike and Picnic

Just like many other families, Dan and I struggle with finding activities to do for Family Home Evening.  So many plans and ideas out there is focused on families with small kids, or even teenagers.  It's hard for us to come up with ideas on what to do that is interesting, challenging or just fun to do.  But this week, success!

Right after Dan got off work, we packed up a picnic lunch and headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon, wanting to see some fall colors.  Unfortunately, we're a little late for all the yellows of the aspens.  Sad, sad- I love seeing all those colors.  There were a few hints and left over colors mostly on the mountain sides, but the peak had passed.

We made it up to Silver Lake, and got out of the car.  Wow, it was chilly!  Yes, it's October in the mountains, yes it was the evening, but it was cold!  Thank goodness we had our jackets.  The sun was lingering just at the top of the mountains, so we decided to wait on our picnic and walk around the lake while we still had light to see.

The grasses around the lake were dried out, and most the trees had lost their leaves, but I still found it beautiful and peaceful.  I've always had a fondness for the mountains, especially my Rocky Mountains.  I love camping in them, taking pictures, visiting them, watching them as I fly over in an airplane, anything to do with mountains!  Except skiing- I don't like the snow that much. But even though I missed the pretty part of fall up here, I found it enchanting, even if chilly!

We walked around the boardwalk circling the lake, took pictures and just enjoyed ourselves.  There were a few other people up there, and every time we saw someone in shorts, we shuddered....  Brrr!  On the lake we saw some people fishing, plus we saw beavers (cool!) and a few ducks.  One of the first times I've seen beavers in the wild!  They have a lodge (their little pile of wood that they construct) on the side furthest away from the road.  Saw at least a couple different ones swimming around, bringing something back to their lodge.  The lake was so still it was perfectly reflecting the mountains and the sky.

As we finished circling the lake on the boardwalk, we got back into the car- getting very chilly as the sun went down!  Yes, that is SNOW in the pictures!  I'm not ready for snow!  Anyways, we had some hot sloppy joe meat in the car, plus bread, grapes and some sugary treats! Fun little activity for FHE this week!

Grateful Day, October 12, 2014

Today, as I've been thinking, I've had a harder time coming up with something specific and immediate to be grateful for.  It's not that I'm not grateful for things in my life (like the gospel, music, my calling to teach, family, a house to live in, good books, my husband!), I have so much to be grateful for!  But usually I have a specific reason to be grateful for specific things: grateful for family since I had seen my grandma, grateful for the promptings of the Spirit since I had some that day, or something like that.

I guess this means I get to be grateful for everything!  Looking at my life, Dan and I have been going through hard times.  Changing jobs, tight budget, health issues, stuff like that.  But how many blessings do we have in our lives?  Sitting down to count, I could write lists for hours and still not cover every way that we are blessed.  The Lord loves us, He wants to bless us and help us through every struggle.  The more I have turned to him, the more I have gained, more spiritual gain than gain as the world would see it.

Major blessings I can list right now:  Dan accidentally paid the mortgage twice in September, so we don't have to pay it this month.  Which means that when I thought we couldn't pay a bill until it was really late, I was able to pay a couple days ago.  We have never lacked food to eat.  We have a home that is ours- I can paint walls and not live in off-white blandness!  I love the green that we painted our front room!

I am so incredibly grateful for having the promptings to try gluten free.  Since I have done that, I haven't had nearly as many migraines, which makes life so much better.  I had one about a week and a half ago that nearly knocked me off my feet for a day.  It's been months since I've had one that severe.  If for nothing else, avoiding gluten to avoid the migraines is so worth it!

So, even though I was having a hard time thinking of something, I've ended up with so much to be grateful for.  I have my trials, but right now with the Lord's help, I can do it.  I have so many blessings that it is silly to dwell on the hardships when there is so much going right.  Life doesn't follow the plan you make. Despite this, I am happy.  If you had asked me at 20 what I thought my life would end up like, I would have never come close to what has happened.  But I have learned so much, and grown so much.  I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven that looks out for me, even when I try to go astray.  I guess that is what everything connects to today- grateful for God and all He has done for me.  I can feel His love as I see how He guided my life to become what I am now. My little thanks can never completely express the depth of my gratitude, but I will continue to try.

California Trip! September 16-25, 2014 Part 2: Northern California

Northern California!  Hooray!

So, in northern California, we were able to stay with my Aunt Katherine and Uncle Ron in Ukiah- a little town about 100 miles north of San Francisco.  We were so grateful for a place to stay!  It was perfect!  Plus we got to see them and my cousin Edward and his family as well.  I love seeing family!

So Day 5 (September 20th) was a Sunday, so we went to church.  Kind of weird not going to our own ward, and not having huge responsibilities (teaching, playing organ, that sort of thing).  It did make me grateful for our ward's young men and the adaptations they have made for me and others who are gluten free that we can still take the sacrament.  I didn't even think about it until we got to church and then I was like oops.  Should have brought some of my bread.  I took a super small piece of regular bread, had a slight headache and was super tired that afternoon, but not too bad.  There was a linger longer after, where they had a salad bar.  Fun to get to see them all interact!

That evening we had dinner with my cousin Edward, his wife Laura and their family.  Super cute kids! While at first they were slightly wary, not knowing who we were, but they quickly warmed up to us.  Vivian loves books, Sam just loves playing, as did Elijah!  Wish I was closer to spend more time with them!  Fun to talk and get to know them a little better, since we live in completely different states.

Dan in front of a Redwood

Day 6, Monday September 21st- We got to see the Redwoods!  I had been once in my early college days, but forgot just how impressive and huge they are.  Dan didn't believe me, or ever really have a good idea of their size.  We were both amazed at how simply HUGE they are.  Even trees that had fallen were gigantic!  Unless you see them in person, it is so hard to understand the scope of their size!  Go see them if you can!  Despite dipping my camera in the touch pools at the aquarium, Dan and I got some awesome pictures from the places we went either with the barely working camera or with our phones.  :)

Me in comparison to a fallen
Redwood trunk

Monday we drove to Humboldt Redwoods State Park and saw tons of the redwoods there.  Some of the first redwoods we saw Dan was like- pull over!  I've got to see one up close!  So we did.  And it was one of the smaller ones.  Once we got to the deeper woods and the older growth, they were huge!  I don't think I can really do justice to how big they were!  We drove along the Avenue of the Giants, where the trees are growing right up to the edge of the road, walked a couple smaller paths in the park, and eventually made it to the visitor's center in the middle of the woods.  There is a fairly short trail nearby, between a half mile and a full mile.  We were taking so many pictures as we walked along it though, that it took us a long time to walk it!  More like ambling along, more than walking.

Our tour guide, Joe Joe

Another thing that really struck me as we were walking through was how soft the ground was where the redwoods grew.  Their foliage (not really pine needles, but not leaves) falls as old branches loose the light and die.  This makes the ground around them layered with these cast off foliage, and makes it really soft.  Coming from Utah, were everything is super dry and we have hard ground, it was such a difference to walk through those forests versus our forests.  I loved it!

Tree in Hendy Woods
Reminds me of the
Deku Tree

So after we saw lots of Redwoods, we needed food.  We looked at some of the smaller towns throughout the park, but didn't see anything that really looked good, so we made it up to Eureka.  There we stopped at Applebee's (yum!) and had a really late lunch.  Drove back to Ukiah through lots of mountains and more redwoods.  Beautiful day!


Day 7, Tuesday, September 21st, we went to a smaller state park called Hendy Woods.  It is a little south of all the other parks, and fairly tiny compared to the others but it was gorgeous.  More trees, very green despite a drought in California.  My aunt said that there is usually a lot more fern growth, and lot more green everywhere.  In my mind I was thinking more green?  It can be MORE green???

After Hendy Woods, we drove out towards the coast.  It was a fantastic day for pictures!  Blue sky, some light wispy clouds, and a hint of a breeze.  We drove up the coast to Fort Bragg and saw a friend that used to live in Utah in our ward.  We miss her, her quirky sense of humor, and the entire family!  Glad to see that things are going well for them there.

Point Cabrillo Light House

After that, we went back south a little and stopped at Point Cabrillo to see a light house and the shore there.  It was a long (not that really) walk from the parking lot to the light house, but with all the walking we had been doing all vacation, we were a little tired of walking.  But it was worth seeing the light house and the coastal view was great!  After that we were ready to just drive back.  We did dinner with Edward and Laura and their place, and had steak for dinner!  Yum!

Us by the Golden Gate Bridge

On Day 8 (Wednesday) we decided to drive down to San Francisco, see stuff there, and then stay the night in that area instead of driving back up to Ukiah and then right back down for our flight the next day.  So, we booked a room north of Oakland (since we were flying out of there), and spend a few hours in San Francisco!  We drove down in the morning, and stopped to take a look at the bridge from one of the vantage points just north of it.  Very cool!  HUGE bridge.  (We seemed to been seeing lots of huge things on this leg of the trip.)  In Utah, we don't have very much water, so a big bridge is a couple hundred feet (if that).  This was much bigger than that.  Dan got an awesome video of crossing the bridge, so ask him if you want to see it.

After crossing the bridge, we went to Golden Gate Park in the middle of San Francisco, and went to more gardens.  We wanted to see the Japanese Tea Garden and the Botanical Gardens, but both of them charged admission (grrr....).  Since we had to choose one or the other, we sent to the bigger one, the Botanical Gardens.  They were beautiful!  They had different sections that were themed with various parts of the world.  Everything from the Far East (still saw some Japanese gardens!) to South America to Africa and rain forests!  I loved the succulent garden with cacti and other succulents.  Dan and I both had fun with our cameras!

Because of all the walking we had done over the past week (museums, Aquarium, forests, coast line), we were tired.  We really wanted to see more of San Francisco like the piers and China Town and stuff like that, but we were exhausted.  We drove through part of the city just to see a little of it on the way to our hotel: we saw a Korean, Italian, African and Thai restaurant all right next to each other! Then we crossed one of the other bridges (I think we drove on the biggest three), and drove to our hotel.  We ate at Red Robin for dinner- they have gluten free buns for their burgers and chicken sandwiches!  It was yummy, once it finally got there.  They were short staffed that night, so it took a little while for the food to come out, but once it did, it was great.  I loved filling full!  Sometimes it is the hardest thing for me to fill full eating gluten free.

After spending the night in the hotel, we had an easy morning, drove back to Oakland, returned the rental car, and flew home to Salt Lake.  It was a fantastic trip, even though we didn't get to see everything we had thought we would see.  Once again, we are super grateful for family that let us stay with them, and it was as much fun to visit with family as it was to see all the other stuff.

Click here to see the first half of the trip!

Grateful Days: October 5, 2014

A couple days late is better than never!

This week I am so grateful for General Conference!  Having a living prophet and other leaders that are led by inspiration from our Heavenly Father is fantastic!  Everything I was able to listen to was so relevant to me. One of my favorites, that I took copious notes on, was in the Saturday afternoon session by Elder Jorg Klebingat.  Text and video are now out, but you can watch it here!  I love it because it made me do a personal evaluation- how would I really feel if I had to stand before the Lord right now?  I loved that he not only asked that question, but then gave us steps as to how to increase our spiritual confidence.  My favorite step was to be "really, really, really good at repenting": do it constantly, daily, minute to minute, not just day by day.  I can really improve in that area.  Another talked I really liked was by Elder Godoy of the Seventy.  Watch it here!  Another one that had a list, this time tools to make sure we are choosing the best possibilities in life, not just good ones.  Another thing I can work on...

Salt Lake City Public Library

I am also very grateful for continued work, even with random hours, with the Salt Lake City Library. After our trip in September, I was showing some very empty weeks ahead.  I don't like empty weeks- I hate being bored!  And even with everything I like to do (read, quilt, cross stitch, crochet, I could keep going), when I don't have anything scheduled such as work or church activities, I get bored.  Like out of my mind bored.  I am glad that this week and next and the one after that are filled with work shifts!  I rest a lot easier knowing that I will be working, so that will bring in money, so I can pay my bills!  It is so nice to have managers that ask me specifically if I'm available.  I'm so super grateful that the City lets me sub for them!  Not only do I get to work with amazing people, I get to be around books all day!  Plus, I get to work in this beautiful and amazing building!

California Trip! September 16-25, 2014 Part 1: Southern California

So, Dan and I got to take an amazing trip this month!  Almost a year ago, Dan won a raffle that had 2 free round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the lower 48 states.  Initially, we were wanting to do something along the East Coast, either Florida or New York, but due to budget, we had to choose something a little less costly.  So, we ended up going to California!  While there we were able to stay with family, which was a great bonus to the travel.

We flew to LAX on Tuesday the 16th.  Our flight got delayed like three times, but we finally made it!  I got a window seat, which I love!  I watched the sunset from the window, until it was too dark to see much else.  I did see Las Vegas as we flew over it.  So many lights!

After landing, we got our rental car and then drove to my Grandma Wilson's house in South Pasadena.  She was so great to to let us stay with her!  We enjoyed talking with her, eating with her, and just spending time with her.  I have the best memories of her house, spending holidays and vacations there, and reading all the cool books that she has!  Thanks, Grandma!

The first day, we it took kind of easy.  We did a little grocery shopping to get the stuff I needed for eating gluten free (like pasta and bread) for our trip.  We helped my grandma with some stuff in her garden, had lunch and then napped!  Yes, rebellious little kids!  Adults take naps, if they can!

After we woke up, we decided to go to the Griffith Observatory.  I have been there several times as a kid, but hadn't made it in years.  We missed evening traffic (yes!) and got there about 4 o'clock.  The Griffith Observatory is dedicated to science, especially understanding the universe. Upstairs is pretty much as I remembered it- several different exhibits including everything from why we get solar and lunar eclipses to the history of astronomy to a table of elements with examples of each element!  Really cool stuff!  They also have a domed theater where they do light shows and star parties and other fun stuff.  On the roof, they have a few different telescopes for viewing.  We tried to stand in line, but gave up after it looked like they were having technical issues.

Dan and Einstein 

Downstairs was completely new!  To get down there, you follow a sloping, curving ramp.  Along it is a timeline of the universe.  To decorate it, they have a collection of jewelry all related to astronomy. Anything with stars, moon, sun, and even comets!  Two specific places I loved: they had several together that had a cow jumping over a moon, and then one piece that was a woman's head with stars and moons in her hair.  Beautiful!  Once downstairs, you could see models of the planets relatively sized to each other.  So you can see how small earth is compared to Jupiter and Saturn.  It also has a station for each one, including a scale that shows how much you weigh on each planet.  Dan was like 700 lbs on Jupiter!  I rather liked some of the lighter ones!  ;)  All the new stuff was sponsored by Leonard Nemoy. They named the little auditorium down there after him.  I really enjoyed all the new changes they have made!

Leafy Sea Dragons!

Day two!  We woke up and decided to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific located in Long Beach.  Drive down and back wasn't too bad, especially since we purposely timed it to NOT coincide with rush hour.  Only way to drive in L.A.!  The Aquarium was amazing!  Probably one of my favorite things we did this trip!  I loved seeing all the different aquatic life.  They have done such a great job with not only having the creatures, but also staging them in appropriate settings.  There were a few pools that showed off tidal areas, and they actually generated the flow of the water, the push and pull of the water.  Very soothing to stand and watch that.  They also had tunnels you could walk under so you could see various fish and sharks swimming around and above you.

One of my favorite things there was all the touch pools they had.  They had everything from star fish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers to sharks, sting rays and jelly fish!  It was so fascinating to feel the different textures of all the different animals.  I'm used to feeling trout and other fish like that, sharks are a little leathery, but not really rough.  Jelly fish feel like, well, jelly in a zip lock baggie.  Sting rays were the most fun- they felt like wet velvet.  Smooth, not scaly at all.

Dan and I were thinking as we walked through all of it- there is no way that all of this beauty came about randomly- no way that this all happened by chance without some direction.  The more I learn about nature, the more I see around me, the more I understand how vast the universe is, the more I know there must be a God.  And He created such a beautiful world for us to live in!

Getty Gardens and Museum

 So, third day we went to the Getty Museum and Gardens that my Grandma recommended.  We had been thinking about it for day two, but decided to do the aquarium instead.  Short drive past Griffith Park and Hollywood area, just up a canyon is the Getty!  Ended up being a really cool day.  We went to the gardens first, to try and avoid the heat later in the afternoon.  It was beautiful!  It's got a pond in the middle with maze-shaped hedges growing in it, then all sorts of flowers everywhere! While we were there, the Dahlias were in blood.  Gorgeous!  Whenever we have a garden, I think I will grow dahlias.  I got some great pictures of them, at least, to have inside the home.  :)

Enormous bed!

After spending some time in the gardens, we went inside to escape the building heat.  We started with some paintings, but Dan was like, ehh. We found the illuminated books which I loved!  But Dan really enjoyed the area that had furniture from the 1600's through the 1800's.  He likes it because it was useful, not just decorative, not just something to hang on the wall and look at.  His favorite pieces: these super ornate beds!  They were like sleeping on a throne!  One of the notes on the beds talked about how they would put the beds on wheels, except the headboard which would be mounted on the wall, and then when it came time to make the bed, the servants would just wheel the bed out!  So much easier than trying to reach across to do it!

After the museum, we were ready to go back.  Instead of going back directly on the freeway, we decided to take a round about route and see some of the Hollywood houses!  We drove up Beverly Drive through a shopping area (talk about traffic.  Bleh!) and saw the Beverly Hills Hotel and things in that area. Then it changed to Coldwater Canyon through some of the mountainous area with some super spiffy houses.  Took a little longer than the freeway, but worth the time!

Overall, it was a great time in L.A.  Very relaxing, got to sit and talk with my Grandma, see things that we hadn't seen before and just slow down a little.  Very nice!

On Saturday (Day 4), we drove from L.A. to Ukiah, north of San Francisco a couple hours.  Boring drive since we went up the 5 freeway.  Dry land since they're in a drought.  Tried to avoid as much of the madness of the Bay area as possible.  Got a little traffic just north of San Francisco, but other than that, smooth sailing!

Click here for the second half of our trip in Northern California!  Redwoods, coast and San Francisco, here we come!

Grateful Sunday! September 28, 2014

So, each Sunday I've been trying to record things that I am grateful for, either this week or that day or whatever strikes my fancy that day!  It has helped me see the blessings the Lord has given me, keep a positive attitude,  and discuss hard things in my life by seeing how they have blessed me.  I love looking back and reading how blessed my life has been!

First thing I am grateful for today: the small promptings of the Spirit that remind me to do little things.  Little things like including fast offerings in my tithing check. Smiling at a sister across the room in Relief Society. Enjoying the Spirit during the lesson in Relief Society. While these might not seem like huge things, these are what boost my testimony.  They let me know that my Heavenly Father loves me and is mindful of my small needs. I am grateful that He cares enough about me to send those small promptings to benefit my life.

Another thing I am grateful for: the vacation we had last week and a half!  It was fabulous! More posts about it will be coming, but just know that it was so nice to relax, spend time with family, especially my Grandma Wilson, and spend lots of time with Dan!  We also saw lots of nature, which I love, and just grateful for this beautiful world!

Last thing today that I am grateful for: great friends that are almost like family!  We got to spend this evening with some close friends: eating dinner, playing games, watching a little football.  Just so nice to spend it with them.  Very relaxing and I got to hold a baby!  Hooray!

Who Am I and What Is This Blog All About?

Well, once again I have the need for a place to write, to talk about who I am, express my struggles, share my life high and lows with everyone.  Life is interesting, life is fun, life is hard.  

This is me!

Me and my hubby!

This is me and my husband, Dan.  We have been married for 9 years.  We live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and love it here.  He works for a company called Bikewagon selling bikes and accessories, while working on his degree through Western Governors University.  I work for the Salt Lake City Public Library as a substitute librarian- working those random hours that they need filling when others are sick or otherwise occupied.  I love libraries!

My interests: lots of stuff! I love to read (hence working at the library), especially teen, fantasy, some mystery, fairy tales, and more.  Recent favorite reads: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Seraphina by Hartman, and pretty much anything by Patricia C. Wrede. I love fantasy, most of all, especially dragons!  Check out my Goodreads shelf, where I keep track of what I am reading here!  I collect little stuffed animals, especially the Beanie Boos by TY.  super cute. At last count, over 100 total.  Oh dear...  I also love crafts, especially quilting, crochet, and cross stitch.  I have an Etsy store that I'm selling various stuff.  Check it out here! I've recently been playing with a cross stitch designing program.  Very excited about creating my own! Another interest is photography, especially nature.  I love capturing the beauty that I see so that others can see it as well.

Issues in my life: Last 6 months I have been eating gluten free.  Big changes, but really helped various symptoms that had been really interrupting life. I've noticed some changes, but wondering if I need to do more.  I've also been trying to get consistent employment.  Working for the City Library has been great, but working consistent hours would be much better.  Applying for jobs all the time, just trying to getting something that works.

Biggest struggle recently: dealing with infertility.  Notice our 'family' picture.  Dan and I.  I love him, but we both want kids. So much.  Part of that struggle is weight, which both of us struggle with, and part of it is still mysterious.  With job turmoil and budget issues, we don't have the money to research it more.  While I am so excited every time someone tells me they are pregnant, I also ache a little each time that it's not me.  That, combined with everything else, makes me struggle a little with maintaining positive attitude.  It's hard with everything that goes on in life.

One of the biggest things that helps define me and give me courage to face everything is my faith.  I believe in God, I believe in Christ.  I believe in prophets, including prophets today.  I know that my Father in heaven loves me, has plans for me that I might not understand now.  I believe in the the Atonement and forgiveness.  I know that God created this earth for us to prove ourselves, and that is one of the reasons I love sharing it's beauty through photography.  I have read the Bible and I know it to be true.  I have read the Book of Mormon, and I know it to be true.  I am Brenda Lower, librarian, crafter, photographer, wife, and I'm a Mormon.