Coco's Conversations.

This is my sacred duty

2014-03-13T12:12:00.002-07:00

This morning I was able to perform vicarious baptisms for the dead. Here's why:

Because this is my sacred duty.

No we don't dunk dead bodies. I was baptized as a proxy for those that have passed on and cannot perform their own saving ordinances. The person whose work was done can then choose to accept the work, or to not accept it. (Yes we believe in life after death and agency and in eternal progression and eternal families and all that good stuff)
" Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
(Malachi 4:5-6)
Ancient prophets foretold the return of Elijah before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This prophecy was also one of the first messages that Moroni gave to young Joseph and is being fulfilled around the world in LDS temples through saving and sealing ordinances.
President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:
“It is important to know why the Lord promised to send Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet with great power given him by God. He held the greatest power God gives to His children: he held the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it bound in heaven. … And the Lord kept His promise to send Elijah. Elijah came to the Prophet Joseph Smith on April 3, 1836, just after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the first temple built after the restoration of the gospel.
Your effort in behalf of your ancestors is patterned after the work of the Savior, although on a much smaller scale. The Savior enables all of us to return to Heavenly Father’s presence through the Atonement, and you help your ancestors receive the blessings of the Atonement by making ordinances available to them. You do a saving work for them that they cannot do for themselves.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that Latter-day Saints are to become saviors on Mount Zion. He explained: “How are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances … upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them."

Temple and family history work unites families. Husbands and wives, parents and children can be sealed through sacred temple ordinances. The goal of this process is that “the whole chain of God’s family shall be welded together into one chain, and they shall all become the family of God and His Christ”
To learn more about Mormons and LDS temples go to Mormon.org or watch this video on YouTube. : Why Mormons Build Temples

I know what's best

2012-06-11T18:14:00.001-07:00

We all feel that way right?

Our human tendency is to want things we desire to happen on our own time (which for me is yesterday) and in my own way. Many times people, including myself, condition their faith and allegiance to Christ and to the Church upon these desires and the fulfillment (or lack of fulfillment) of them.

I need to remember these words of wisdom from Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

"When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God's timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn't it--we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars."

To whom it may concern,

2012-06-07T23:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxGzWlNZfk4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sincerely,

Patiently (sorta) waiting

Love and Marriage

2012-06-02T00:16:00.001-07:00

I am overwhelmed by so many thoughts and emotions right now, I hope I can pull some words from my heart and brain and arrange them in some sort of coherent sentence. Love and marriage are on my brain. Not for any specific reason (or boy--sadly I am incredibly disheartened and cynical when it comes the the male race of Provo Utah. And that is exactly the problem. I am so critical and judgmental and so ready to stereotype all the "lame Provo boys" or all the "lame boys" in general. It is so easy to go into dating nowadays expecting it to fail. Expecting it to not work out for whatever reason. We are all filled with excuses. "there's always someone better" there's too many fish in the sea" "he/she is divorced" "he's a player" "he/she has kids" "I'm scared" "he's scared" "bad timing" "I'm too busy" "it's too much work" "not enough fish in the sea" "everyone gets divorced, even in the church" "he/she has a sketchy past" "I'm hung up on an ex" "he/she is hung up on an ex" "I just want to have fun" "we don't have a connection" .....the list goes on and on right? We all have a hundred reasons why we don't date, why all we ever do is date, and why we never commit. We are all focused on the past. Or we are focused on the future. Which are both good. And necessary. And wonderful. But we don't look at it that way. We look at the past, we look at the present, and we look at the future, and we worry, and we doubt. And we see all the reasons why it couldn't and wouldn't work out.

Self fulfilling prophecy?

I'm a big believer in that the universe gives back whatever you put out. Our attitude, thoughts, and emotions heavily impact the world around us. One thing I've learned from sales, that applies to all aspects of life: is its all mental. And might I add spiritual. If you go into a sale with a bad attitude or not expecting to get it, guess what, you're not going to get it. But on the flip side it's amazing what a positive happy tenacious attitude will get you. Go into a sale thinking, "I can totally close this person!" and "I'm an awesome saleswoman" and you're going to get that sale! It's exhilarating. Well I've been thinking, shouldn't that same formula apply to all aspects of life. Of course it does! Duh! Go into a relationship with a hundred reasons why it should fail (and maybe they are all valid concerns) but guess what, that relationship is going to fail. Go into it head first, fearless (Taylor swift has it figured out) and you're going to have one heck of an amazing relationship. A self fulfilling prophecy.

To bring the spiritual aspect in that ties this all together in a neat little bow (I hope, I feel like I'm just rambling and stringing random thoughts together) our capacity to love others is intertwined with our capacity to live the Lord. Below is a quote from an amazing article I just read in LDS living about an LDS couple in which the husband experiences same sex attraction. His wife beautifully wrote, before they were married: "...I felt that you love me now more than many people ever love their partners or spouses. Your love for me existed long before we ever went on our first date, because it was a love you were trying to cultivate with Christ as your example, before you even felt that marriage to a woman would be possible in this life. It was who you were trying to be"

How beautiful is that?

Here is a woman with the faith, the understanding, and the courage to trust in a mans love for her. In the love of a man who experiences same sex attraction. And this was possible for her because she had faith. Faith and doubt cannot coexist. And the man, Ty Manfield, what an awesome example of coming unto the Lord and being perfected through his trials. I am sure he has had many moments of doubt and fear in his life. But he decided I time and time again to focus on his faith. And through that he developed a love for a woman much deeper and more pure than hormones and emotions. It was who he was trying to be.

His wife continues " I think so many people rely on their hormones and or their emotions to drive them that they get stuck feeling for their spouse whatever those things tell them to feel. And then if they try to feel otherwise, to love their spouse more than what hormones or emotions tell them to, they feel like they're doing their spouse a favor rather than recognizing that they hadn't understood how to truly love in the first place."

And the most poignant part of what she wrote: " I think that us coming onto each others lives, feeling drawn to each other and attracted to who the other person was and is, and then DECIDING (important key words bolded) that we want to unite our loves and CONTINUE to care for and love each other and to build our love together all WHILE STRIVING to become more like Christ, as a TEAM with Christ...I feel sad for people who don't get it and who have reduced marriage to a mere shadow of what it was intended to be and how beautiful it can be."

I do not wish to get into a debate about same sex attraction. I simply share this story about a beautiful couple who love each other deeply and have a wonderful loving relationship that is filled with struggles and hardships just as is any other relationship. But some might say they have a trial bigger than most. An elephant in the room. Think of all the reasons this couple had to fear, to doubt, to make excuses for all the reasons this relationship marriage could not and would not work. His wife Danielle wrote "I have no doubts or regrets about choosing to marry Ty. Early on, long before we were engaged, I felt a momentary flash of fear, but almost as quickly as it came, I felt a powerful, calm reassurance -: the thought, 'you can trust Ty. He is who he says he is. You know what you have felt.' the fear never returned."

I'm willing to bet that fear could have easily returned, if she had fed it. If she had decided to focus on her fears. But she didn't. She obviously made a choice to have faith and trust in her feelings and in her love. And that I guess is the point I am trying to express. That we get what we focus on. Whether it be bad or good. Her and Ty made the CHOICE to love each other and ACT on their feelings for each other by COMMITTING to each other despite their challenges. I am so humbled. I am the first to admit I have so much to learn from Danielle's amazing example. We all have pasts, but they do not define us. We learn from them, and grow from them, but we are not our pasts.

It's all about love baby. And self fulfilling prophecies. So let's all quit the games and let go of the fears, the judgments, the blame, and the reasons why not. Instead, let's focus on all the whys. All we need is love. Pure, Christlike love<3

1 Peter 5:10

2011-10-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Happy Sunday!

2011-10-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

Can I just say that I have moved into the best ward and made the BEST friends ever. Yes, my friends are better than yours. And my ward is better than yours. So get over it. But seriously, I don't think I have ever been in such an amazing ward before. I've hardly been in the ward a month and I've already made so many wonderful friends and feel apart of the ward, and like I belong. It's because there are so many amazing caring and friendly people in my ward, and you can just feel the love and concern everyone has for one another. We truly have a ward family.
Today was fast and testimony meeting and I woke up with that "dang it, today I need to bear my testimony" feeling. You know the one that nags you all day long and you try to reason out of or ignore because getting up on the pulpit is so nerve wrecking. But then sacrament meeting starts and that feeling turns into a pounding of the heart that beats so fast and hard you cannot ignore it, and so you finally make that move to get up from your seat and walk to the front in between testimonies. (Making that first move to get up truly is the hardest step) Anyways somehow I made it up there and blubbered through my testimony. I was so anxious I don't remember half of what I said. But I'll share a little of my testimony here. I know we have a father in heaven who loves us and knows us by name. I know that his son, and our brother, Jesus Christ, loves our Heavenly Father and loves us, and because of that love his will was swallowed up in the will of our father, and he atoned for and sacrificed himself for our sins, so that we might be perfected and saved through him. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and that he is a Prophet of God, and that he restored Christ's church in these latter days. I know this gospel is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it is the word of God, and another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that as we prayerfully study it we can come to know Christ, and that as we abide by the counsel and principles taught in it we will find joy. I know that although in this life we will feel loneliness and sadness and at times even forsaken and despair, that Christ can succor us. Christ too felt forsaken and bore the full weight of the atonement on his own for a moment in the garden of gethsemane and on the cross. Heavenly Father completely withdrew his presence. Not because he didn't love Christ, but because he had to let him accomplish so humbling and painful a task on his own so that he could have all glory. Such is the case at times in our lives. Sometimes we feel as if our Heavenly Father is not there, that we are on our own. But it is during these times, if we remain faithful and keep God's commandments, and continue to pray and seek guidance and endure, that we learn and grow and receive more strength than we ever thought we were capable of. And Christ understands. :-) I know that this truly is the gospel of happiness and that we can inherit all that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have. We can be with our families and Heavenly Father and Christ for the eternities. What could bring more hope and joy than knowing that? This life is not it. :-)
On another note, the rest of my Sunday was just as beautiful and wonderful as church was. My roommates and I had a delicious picnic with our good friends Tyler, Stu, Trevor, and Logan. We cooked this time and in two weeks they are cooking for us, aren't they the best? We enjoyed each others company out in the crisp Utah air, eating casserole, chips, apples and watermelon, and drinking dr. Pepper, trying to pretend it was still summer as we enjoyed the sunshine. After our fun little picnic I went and celebrated my cousin in laws birthday and spent a fun time with family, and then went to ward prayer where I received and gave hugs and smiles, and felt so loved. Oh and ate delicious cookies and drank hot chocolate around a warm fire. I love my ward. I love my life. I love my friends. <3

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-08T14:35:00.001-07:00

Ok I know Halloween is still a few weeks away but I think all of October should be dedicated to celebrating Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays... I love everything about it....dressing up and going all out, carving pumpkins, HAUNTED HOUSES that scare me silly, eating pumpkin seeds, trick or treating, and Halloween parties!! Last night some new cool dudes that I met in my ward put on a super fun Halloween dance party at classic skate...shout out to Brandon, Marcel, Skyler, and CJ, I love you guys! They are so much fun and becoming such good friends! Ashley and I went dressed up as Taylor Swift and Silk Spectra...it was so fun getting dressed up in all the glitter and glam and going out with all my wonderful friends and partying up, letting loose and dancing and singing like crazy! Things even got a little crazy in the cage, oh snap! Ash and I danced the night away looking super cute and sexy with our friends Noelia, Karen, Mylee, Kiffin, CJ, Marcel, Brandon, and Skyler. It was such a good, good night. Here's to Halloween and great friends!

Look Up

2011-10-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

This post is short and sweet:

"It is better to look up."
-President Thomas S. Monson

I'm BAACCCCCKKKK....oh and I'm here to tell you everything that's wrong with our society and marriage today: SELFISHNESS

2011-02-25T01:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogworld.

Miss me?

I don't even know what happened to me,

but I hit a blogging slump.

At first a couple weeks went by.

Then a couple months.

Next thing I know it's been 7 months since that sad day I wrote my last blog.

Never again my friends.

I plan to grace you with my presence from here on out.

And here's why:

Good things happen.

Bad things happen.

Funny things happen.

Cute boys happen.

Life happens.

And I write out a whole blog entry in my head,

about whatever happens.

But I never actually put it to computer and share it with you all

But I want to share it.

And I know you're all dying to hear what I have to say.

But I have to give it up to Kim Iverson....

you know...Your Time with Kim...Kim Iverson.

While I find her incredibly annoying,

and although she shares incredibly destructive belief and ideas

over the radio,

she has sparked my return to blogger.

A few months back she outraged me.

A few nights ago she impressed me.

But it reminded me how a few months ago she outraged me.

She illustrated everything that was wrong with society today

With marriage today.

With families today.

With so called "marriage therapists" today.

With people today.

I was listening to her show one late night.

I was intrigued because she announced she had

"one of California's top dating and marriage counselors"

on her show.

I forget the therapists name at this point.

Sorry, I have an incredibly horrible memory.

But that is not the point of this story.

And the therapists name is not significant.

What is significant is that she is even a therapist at all.

Let alone referred to as a top therapist.

Let me give you some details:

The topic for the show was how to know when to call it quits in a dating/marriage relationship...or how to know if you should be with someone. A woman called in with her story. She had been married for 6 or so years to her husband, and has two children with him. They have a wonderful marriage, her husband works full time at a great job, and it allows her to stay at home with her children, something that she cherishes and is so grateful for. It gets even better though. She is also very into photography, and so some nights when her husband gets home he will stay at home and watch the kids so that she can go shoot various events, such as weddings. He is a great husband, a great father, he provides for his family, she gets to be at home with her children. Sounds like a fairytale right? What's the catch? Well....let's rewind a few years. A year after they were married, before the couple had children, her husband cheated on her while out of town for business for several months. He confessed, she forgave him and they decided to stay together. Let me just put in my two cents here. At this point she has every right to end their marriage. He has had an affair with another woman, which in my eyes is unacceptable. But she chose to stay. Back to the story. He has never cheated on her since, or so he says, but she says she has no reason to be suspicious, as he is always at home with his family when not at work. Now, 5 years and two kids later, she wants to divorce her husband.Not because she doesn't trust him, not because he's cheating on her, not because they have a horrible abusive marriage. But because she hasn't loved him since he cheated on her, and doesn't know if she can ever love him again. I'm sorry honey, but the time to decided that was 5 years ago when he cheated on you, not now when there are children involved and you have a great marriage. You missed you chance to bail. I don't care if you're not in love, you made a commitment, and there are now children involved who need the stability of loving MARRIED parents. ParentS. As in both parents. Not one parent for two weeks and another every other weekend. A marriage is about commitment anyway, not about romance and "love". People can fall in and out of love multiple times within a marriage, but you stay together anyways, work through the bad times, because that is what true love is. And the happy, lovey dovey good times will come. Sometimes you may have to endure 5 bad years. But 20 wonderful years may follow. The point is that you made a commitment, and once children are involved, your "happiness" is no longer the priority. Your children's is. Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox. Obviously this woman asked the therapist what she should do. I waited for the "top" marriage therapist to give her an earful of what I just said above, but to my horror and shock, she basically told the woman that even though she has this great marriage that allows her to be a stay at home mom and raise her children and she has a great relationship with her husband and her husband is a terrific father, and that ending the relationship would be terrible because she would have to work and couldn't be at home with her kids and they would have to go to daycare, she said that she should end the marriage because she is not in love and DESERVES to find a man that she loves. Excuse me????!!!!! Deserves!?! DESERVES?!?! Excuse me, what about what her children DESERVE!?! They DESERVE to grow up in a home with TWO parents who love them. They DESERVE to have a mom who isn't so selfish that she would give up staying at home with them so that she could go out and find "love". They DESERVE an unbroken home. They DESERVE a happy childhood. With both parents. Because going through a divorce is hell for children and they should never have to endure that pain, that loss, and that heartache except in situations of abuse, drugs, or cheating.Who the heck does this "marriage therapist" think she is giving such selfish, immature, selfish, wrong, selfish, destructive, and did I mention, selfish, advice!?!? Then, thank goodness (or so I thought) Kim butted in and said everything I just said. That children need both parents, that a divorce should be avoided at all costs. That she may not be even be happy with another man considering all that she gave up. That it's so much better to be in a great relationship with, if nothing else, a good friend, so that her kids can grow up with their father in their home, and so that their mother could raise them. For a minute I loved Kim, and had some hope for marriages and families, and society. But then Kim said something as shocking and upsetting as the marriage counselors advice. She said BUT of course every woman deserves to be in love, and if you can't love your husband anymore, then you should go to him and tell him "honey, look I'm not in love with you anymore romantically, but we have a great marriage, a great life, two wonderful kids and so I want to stay together for them and we will be best friends, BUT (here's the kicker) I'm going to go out and DATE and find a boyfriend that I love and we will have an open relationship so that I can be happy. Like that won't complicate/upset/hurt/harm the children and family when mommy is out every weekend with the boyfriend? What, are husband, wife, boyfriend, and kids all going to have Sunday dinner together? What about when the boyfriend wants more commitment, what if he wants to marry her, what if she wants to marry him. What happens to her kids then. That is just sick sick sick!!!! !?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?! Are you freaking kidding me?!? These two woman should not be allowed to give advice to anyone EVER on marriage, let alone over the RADIO! I was appalled. But unfortunately too many people in today's world have one of the above attitudes towards marriage and relationships. And what both suggestions boil down to are PURE SELFISHNESS. Marriage is about commitment. And I'm sorry that that woman had every right to leave her husband right after he cheated, but she decided not to. She decided to stay with him. She decided to continue to commit. And then she brought children into the equation. Her husband has proved himself to be a great man, husband, and father in every way, and she now has no grounds, or right, to leave her husband. Even if their were no children involved I would have the same opinion. The fact that kids are now involved though makes it all the more obvious that she should honor her commitment not only to her husband, but to her children. Their happiness and well-being should be most important.She is being selfish, and rather than thinking about how she does not love him anymore, she should go out and serve him and count her blessings, and one day she WILL love him again. That is what love, real love, is all about. I was completely angered and saddened to think that both the therapists and Kim's suggestions are are all often the norm, and totally acceptable solutions in our society. Lady, whoever you are, I hope you ignored their awful, sickening, heartbreaking, home-wrecking advice and stayed with your husband, CHOOSING to love him, rather than going out to find that love elsewhere at your children's expense.

Ok wow, I wrote a novel there.

Obviously I'm not passionate or worked up about this at all.

Anyways, that night I decided to boycott Kim's show and never listen to it again.

I was infuriated and did not want to support her in any way.

However, the other night as I was flipping through stations,

I overheard her pose an interesting scenario/question regarding marriage.

Marriage and appropriate relationships with coworkers.

Another topic that I can easily deliver an earful on.

When I "wrote" this post in my head,

I included both stories in it.

But as I ranted and raved more than I planned,
I'm going to end here and leave you all hanging.

Don't worry, I won't take another 7 months to blog

about how Kim surprised me.

And although she can never redeem herself in my eyes,

apparently she gets some things right regarding marriage.

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2010-07-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Another lovely chance to win a Shabby Apple dress!

It is the Ooh La La Dress and it is gorgeous!
Giveaway hosted here by Le Blog de la Mome!

It's the dress on the left.

So chic, huh?

And I love the red!

I'm crossing my fingers this time,

I really hope I win.

But I'm going to share this giveaway with you all.

Last time I entered a Shabby Apple Giveaway

I was selfish.

I didn't blog about it,

or tell my friends about it.

Because I didn't want to decrease my chances of winning.

Well I entered the giveaway secretively,

and then the next day my dear friend Amy

shared a link with me on facebook for another

Shabby Apple Giveaway.

I felt horrible.

So of course I shared the link with her to

the giveaway I had found.

She commented back and wrote

"Consider me entered."

"P.S sorry for decreasing your chances of winning."

I feel like such a jerk at this point-

that is exactly what I had been thinking.

Well I checked back every hour after the giveaway ended,

and who do you think won??

Sure enough, it was Amy!

That is karma people.

I texted her to give her the happy news,

(Ok, so I was jealous, I really wanted to win)

so it was bittersweet for me.

But I love her to death so I really was happy for her.

Deep down.

Way deep down.

But consider my lesson learned.

I will now share any Shabby Apple dress giveaway I find.

And wait patiently for the day that I finally win!

TRIA Beauty Giveaway

2010-07-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

TRIA Beauty Giveaway here.

Win a TRIA Laser Hair Removal System.

It is just what I need.

I shave and two hours later my legs are sharp enough to cut someone.

Anyone else have that problem?

Well now that you all know about my hairy legs,

peace.

Oh and Happy Fourth of July!

Hope you all had a happy patriotic weekend.

And remembered to be grateful for all those who have fought and died for us.

So that we can have FREEDOM.

Here's a few pictures for you to enjoy.

I have many more to post later :-)

We love sparklers,

can't you tell?

2010-07-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

I woke up so grateful today for so many things. So first I'd like to thank my Father in Heaver, and His Song Jesus Christ, for everything. Because I owe all that I have to Them.

Other things I'm grateful for (order does not signify importance):

My family.

My cousins.

My friends.

Kelsey moved back to Oregon.

The gospel of Jesus Christ.

My beau. (Old fashion for boyfriend).

Prayer.

God hears and answers my prayers.

I can change with the help of my Savior Jesus Christ.

The Atonement.

Lucky. (My kitty-an answered prayer-literally sent to me from God- found him at Church).

My vitamins. (without them I'd be in unbearable pain each day).

Sunshine.

Rain. (It makes Oregon so green and beautifu, its's fun to dance in...ok and to kiss in :-) )

Honey. (My horse...Ok and you too Casey haha wink wink--inside joke)

My life.

My passion.

Love.

My clothes and the great deals I find in getting them..

I recently purchased three lovely fun $7 dollar skirts and four $5 adorable shirts.

The beautiful world around us.

Repentance.

The Prophet of the Lord, President Thomas S. Monson.

Lemon Drops.

Chewy Gobstoppers.

Sunflower seeds (they are so addicting and have kept me awake on many a drive).

Lik a stix.

My comfy shoes (they are adorable and made a world of difference in my foot).

I have my own bedroom.

I'm going to the rodeo this Saturday with my best friend in the whole world-Kelsey.

I am giving 20 lessons a week.

My job-can't beat getting paid to be with kids and teach them my favorite thing, horesback riding.

Music.

Alex is serving a mission in Ecuador.

The Book of Mormon.

Karlas smoked salmon and oysters. Yum.

Trials (strange I know, but after I quite banging my head against the wall, and humble myself,

they help me to become a better person).

Any blog readers that I have out there. You rock!

The above list doesn't even begin to cover all that I am grateful for.

But I am grateful for all that I have.

And recognize that all my blessings come from God.

Lime Ricki Swimsuit Giveaway

2010-06-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to share another giveaway with you!

Two giveaways in one day.

Lucky you!

That is two reasons why you should follow my blog.

Do it.

Follow it now!

Anywho, if you're in the market for a lovely, modest, adorable, fun swimsuit

(And what girl isn't)

Then you must visit Lime Ricki

I love there swimsuits, they are so bright and hip!

And, thanks to Thanks, Mail Carrier

you have a chance to win one of their super fun, flirty, and fabulous swimsuits.

Choose from their colorful tankinis and one pieces!

For your chance to win go here.

Good luck to all you lovely ladies!

(And to myself as well.)

TOMS: A Lovely Giveaway for a Lovely Vision.

2010-06-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

TOMS Giveaway here.

ONE FOR ONE.

Such a lovely, beautiful act of service.

With every pair you purchase

TOMS will give a pair of NEW shoes

to a child in NEED.

ONE FOR ONE.

How Lovely.

Go check out TOMS.

You will fall in love.

With their mission.

And their shoes.

I promise.

OH DEAR! How do I begin to describe how badly I want a pair. I heart TOMS shoes to death. Not only are they absolutely love and stylish, but the whole idea behind TOMS is one of the most lovely, unselfish ideas. One for one. That seems like no way to run a business and make money...and yet it works. Because charity never faileth.

"Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about. The TOMS One for One business model transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support."

TOMS vision and humanitarian efforts is so beautiful.

I want these little beauties if I win.

Please let me win!

(Crossing my fingers)

Romancing the Woman You Love

2010-06-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Romancing the Woman You Love

This is all any girl wants, to be romanced and wooed. It doesn't even have to be a grand gesture as shared in the article, but it's the little, corny, sweet and thoughtful things that shows he cares and wants to make you happy that totally sweep us off our feet, and what girl doesn't want to be swept off her feet...ladies, am I right??

Amy Adams does the perfect job of summing it all up in Enchanted. I love this song/scene!

Vintage Pearl Giveaway

2010-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled by this giveaway. A Lovely Lifestyle is hosting a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl, where you can customize your very own necklace or bracelet! I adore this jewelery, it is so simple and so beautiful. I entered a giveaway hosted by The Vintage Pearl, but did not win. Alas, I have a second chance. To win this beauty:

I think it will make the perfect remembrance necklace for my dear Carla. I will have her name inscribed on the necklace and wear it always/ Carla will always hold a huge chunk of my heart. I still miss her more than I can put into words. I cry daily because I miss her so much, and because I would give anything in the world to see her one more time, and to find out if she is happy. That is my prayer. That she is happy and loved in her family. I also pray that her family, if not already members, will be visited by the missionaries and will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. This has been my prayer for three years. Now some may call this coincidence, but my brother was just called to serve a 2 year mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Ecuador happens to be where my precious little Carla lives. I don't believe in coincidences. Of course I am ecstatic! And I don't believe in coincidence. I have also prayed the last three years that one of my brothers would be called to serve there, so that they could be led to Carla's family, and baptize them. Coincidence? I think not. I know that this is possible. I have the faith. More miraculous things have happened in this life. So I continue to pray for this, and I have been thanking my Heavenly Father for sending my brother there. Who knows, maybe my brother will get there and find that her family is already strong members of the church. That would be wonderful! But I do hope and pray that somehow, at some point, he will cross paths with her. Anyways, I got a little off topic there, but just so you all know, that is what I will do with my necklace if I win! Oh and I also love this little beauty as well, I would just put a C on one heart for Carla. Now I can't decide which one I want, I think I am actually leaning towards this one though, what better way to remember her than by having her carved on my heart?? Yes, this is definitely the necklace that I want. But the first one is so pretty too!

What will you do??

To enter to win:

Visit A Lovely Lifestyle for details!

Another Nicole Moment and Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2010-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today will be a day I will always remember.

Today is the day I learned the correct way to use a staple remover.

I never knew I was using it wrong, but up until today they never really seemed all that useful or handy to me.

Because I was not using the staple remover as it was intended to be used.

At 23 years of age, this is probably a skill I should have acquired by now.

In fact, I had a serious inner debate about the pros and cons of even admitting this to all of you.

My blog readers.

If there are any of you at all.

Ok I know I can at least count on Kelsey and Amy to read this.

And I know that you will get a laugh out of this "Nicole Moment"

So if it will bring a "roll your eyes, oh my gosh Nicole, and a chuckle"

then it would be selfish of me to keep this story to myself.

And if by chance I do have any other readers out there in the cyberspace world,

and you too have been using the staple remover incorrectly,

and wasting precious time,

then I owe it to YOU
to share the correct way to remove a staple using the staple remover.

To use it the way it was intended to be used.

You're probably a tad bit curious now as to how on earth
I have been removing staples with this handy, simple, little device.
I mean, it's not exactly some complex machine.

Any child should be able to figure it out?

Right?

Well, leave it to me to take a simple object and be competely dumbfounded by it,

and then invent a completely ridiculous way to use it
because I'm too embarassed to ask it should be used.

Ok, so here it is.

My little confession.

I have always used the staple remover in this fashion:

1. Turn paper over so that back side of staple is exposed.

2. Use pointy prongs on staple remover to lift up each side of enclosed staple.

3. Set staple remover down.

4. Pull out staple with fingers.

As I type this out I'm having second thoughts about sharing this.

With anyone.

But it's too late now.

The imagery in my head of me prying up the staples edges with the staple remover,

and then setting down the staple remover to pry out the staple with my little fingers,

is TOO funny.

I'm laughing at myself.

So now at this point you're probably wondering how I came to finally learn the correct usage.

I'm filling in as a receptionist today for a person and a business.

I won't name any names.

I was asked by someone in the office to go through quite a few files and unstaple about a million papers that were stapled together at the top,

and then restaple them in the middle left.

I was flabbergasted.
"This is going to take all day" is what I thought.
Mostly because it takes me about a minute to take out a staple, give or take a few seconds.

So I took out some files and began my slow and painful process of staple removing.

Fortunately for me, I came across some papers that I was not quite sure what to do with.

(Little did I know this would set the course that would change my life.

For forever.)

So I took them to said person who assigned me this horrible task

and asked what I should do with the papers.

Then, to my amazement, as she explained what she wanted,

I watched in wonder as she took the staple remover,

placed both prongs around the front side of the staple,

closed down on it,

and grabbed it out in one quick, effortless, two second motion.

I was stunned.

It was so simple.

It is just like me to take something so quick and easy

and make it as complicated and time consuming as possible.

I recovered quickly and returned my eyes to normal size

(I'm pretty sure they looked like huge cartoon bug eyes for a moment)

I then nonchalantly nodded, took the papers, and headed back to my little work area.

With a new piece of information that would make my job so much less daunting.

And so much faster.

And staple finger pricks would be reduced from a gazillion to ZERO!

YES! WOOHOO!

This is up there with some of the most life changing, happiest moments of my life.

Seriously.

The End.

On another note,

remember how I said I'm a college graduate

living at home

and sharing a bedroom with 4 siblings?

Not anymore.

I moved out.

Of my old bedroom.

My sister Collette moved out, and I got to move in to her room.

I have upgraded from a twin bed to a full.

And I don't have to share a room with anyone.

However, while I now have my "own" room,

I am no where close to having my own bed.

I have had my new room for about two weeks now,

and have only spent a handful of those nights alone.

Sophia and Jacob, with their sweet little smiles and huge innocent eyes,

have perfected the art of coyly asking me to sleep with me in my bed.

It goes something like this:

One of them will run up to me, jump on my bed,

and give me a giant bear hug and a huge kiss.

They then turn those bright eyes to me and say in the sweetest voice they have:

"Can I sleep with you tonight pwweasse?"

And if it's Jacob he will add on, "I want to snuggle fuggle with you."

I hesitate.

I try to say no.

I want to say no.

But the sweet smile doesn't leave their face.

And they snuggle in closer.

So I hear "Yessssss" come out of my mouth.

And then if it's Sophia she says: "Yes! And giggles and cackles.

And Jacob's smile gets triumphant and he says: "Thank You'm!"

The other night as I was squished in between the two of them,
with Jacob grasping onto my arm on one side,

and Sophia laying on my tummy,

I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

And then I tried to trick them into thinking they wanted to sleep in their own beds.

But they are much too smart for me.

I said:

"Don't you guys want to sleep in your own beds, they're so much better than mine.

You have Lightning McQueen and Princess Beds!

And you won't have to be so squished.

And you two can stay up all night talking but in Coco's bed you have to be quiet and go to sleep.

Wouldn't it be much more fun in your beds??!!"

Sophia then said:

"But I like to sleep with you and lay on your tummy"

Which she knows I'm a total sucker for.
Jacob says:

" I like to sleep with you. It's good to be with family in the bed."

These two.

They know exactly how to butter me up.

I cannot say no to them.

Yesterday I was playing outside with Sophia and Jacob,

enjoying the sun that finally decided to make an appearance,

and they were playing with worms and I was telling them how gross that was.

So of course then they brought them over to me and tried to get me to hold them,

and went on and on about how they loved worms.

Sophia then decided that they worms probably had a family,

and that she should return the worms to their family.

So she put the worms back in the dirt and said:

"Goodbye, I will miss you!" In her loud singsong voice.

And then Jacob said,

"I know, let's bite him to dinner."

I said "ewwww",

and he said "no let's BITE him to dinner."

It was then I realized he meant INVITE.

Nonetheless I'm sure the poor worm didn't realize bite was really invite,

and was happy to finally be put back down, with no bite taken out of him.

I shouldn't have made such a big deal about the worms though
because then they moved on to slugs.

I hate slugs.

I told them that.
I also told them I like to pour salt on slugs because it kills them.

Sophia then got mad at me and said "Nicole!" in a really scolding tone.

She then proceeded to find two slugs and hold them as she cooed to them sweet nothings.

I was finally thoroughly grossed out enough to tell her to put them down
because they are slimy and sticky and they eat mommy's flowers.

That convinced her.

She said fine.

I then told her I was going to pour salt on then because they eat mommy's flowers.

She was mad but said fine.

I got the salt and poured it on, telling her she probably shouldn't watch, but she insisted!

Once they were shrunken and dead she ran inside to wash her hands,

huffing and puffing because I had killed them.

In an attempt to make her feel better I finally said,

"It's ok they're in Heaven now with Heavenly Father and Jesus."

She liked that idea and stopped yelling at me.

As she was inside washing her hands Jacob told me:

"Let's just look for regetty bugs you like."

Translation:

"Let's just look for regular bugs you like."

I told him find a ladybug, caterpillar, or a potato bug.

Those are the only bugs I like.

As I watched him poking around in the dirt he took the huge can of iodized salt

and started pouring it all over.

I quickly told him to stop pouring it all over.

His reply was:

"I got a tiny beetle so he can go to heaven."

Whoops.

Guess you need to be careful what you say around kids.

He then proceeded to pour salt on every bug he saw so they could die and go to heaven.

Not exactly the lesson I was trying to teach,

but as long as he doesn't move on to larger animals I don't see the harm.

In my opionion he's doing the world a favor.
The world is much better off without bugs.

So each insect "sent to heaven" makes Nicole a happy camper.

Last little story.

While Jacob was going around sending bugs to heaven,

I picked up the two dead slugs in a leaf and threw them in the bushes.

Apparently Jacob then put two little sticks in their place in their piles of salt.

At this point Sophia came back outside after scrubbing slug slime off her hands,

proceeded directly to the dead slugs(which she didn't know I'd removed) and their piles of salt,

and then screamed:

"Ooohhh they turned into sticks!"

I couldn't help but laugh and I then explained to her that

I had thrown them in the bushes and Jacob had put sticks in their places.

Anyways, I think the point of all this is that I love Sophia and Jacob, that they are pretty much, hands down, the two most adorable kids in the universe,

they know how to turn up the charm to get their way,

and that kids say the darndest things.

Well, I best be getting back to all those papers waiting to be unstapled.
They won't unstaple themselves.
But as I now know, the staple remover is more than qualified for the job,
and will do the trick!
(But maybe they could include an instruction manual, just a thought.)

Energy Addict? Yes Please!

2010-06-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm currenty reading Energy Addict by Jon Gordon and I am feeling so motivated to become that person that we all know, the one who seems to be the energizer bunny and can just go go go,

all with a smile on their face, and energy to spare, and share.

That person that we all secretly hate because they are just so full of life and energy, and well, it's just not fair.

Well, as of yesterday, I am getting addicted to positive energy.

This book is packed full of 101 physical, mental, and spiritual ways to energize your life.

My favorite suggestion so far?

Getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

Yes, you heard right.

8 to 10.

Haven't I always said that?

Now I can justify that through scientific research.

In fact, according to a scientific study, 8 is good, but 10 is better!

" While there are a few people who can consistently get by with only four hours of sleep per night, most of us require at least eight hours of sleep--and nine to ten a night is optimal, according to Cornell Psychology Professor James B. Maas. One third of Americans get less than six hours of sleep a night. Research shows that if you get less than eight hours of sleep, you are operating in an 'impaired' state; your alertness, productivity, creativity, and general health are all affected. We all know about the risks of driving while impaired...but living in a perpetually impaired state is another matter altogether.

Acorrding to Mass, 'Between the seventh and eighth hour of sleep is when we get almost an hour of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the time when the mind repairs itself, grows new connections and recharges us. If you only sleep six hours a night, you're missing that last, important opportunity to repair and to prepare for the coming day.'

This means less energy for your body

and less energy for you."

People, like I've always said, sleep is important for your body.

That's why I love it so much!

I'll share a few other physical energy energy tips, but I highly suggest purchasing the book today,

because he has many mental and spiritual strategies as well!

Take back your life and beome an energy addict!

Physical Energy Addict Tips:

1. Eat breakfast.

2. Eat more earlier.

3. Eat organic, whole foods.

3. Exercise in the morning.

4. Take a short walk after lunch and dinner.

5. Take a nap.

6. Energize with yoga.

7. Drink lots of water.

Those are only 7 of 39 physical energy suggestions.

I'm telling you, if you're constantly feeling sluggish, tired, and like you're running on empty

this book can help you!

I've only read the physical tips so far, but I'm already feeling energized and motivated by having the knowledge and the drive to make a few changes so I can be one of those people that I always complain about, but am secretly jealous of.

I'm going to be energetic, and powerful

I'm going to be an energy addict.

The Vintage Pearl: new stuff, old stuff, a giveaway!

2010-06-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Found a great giveaway- they have three necklaces and a bracelet that you can choose from if you win! I love love love them, I am entering myself...just thought I'd share this with anyone out there that actually reads this because hey, what girl doesn't love free jewelry??

The Vintage Pearl: new stuff, old stuff, a giveaway!

Snuggle Time with Cub

2010-06-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

How am I supposed to get out of bed in the morning,
and get anything done,

...when I have this adorable little munchkin asking me to

"stay in bed for a long long time and snuggle with him??"

Ok Cub. I'll stay in bed till noon snuggling with you.
How can I say no to that smile?
And those dimples?
And how can I pass up an opportunity to snuggle with you?

I'm sure that won't last much longer.

One day, all too soon, it won't be cool anymore
to snuggle with your big sister.
So I've got to stock up on snuggle time now while I can!

Billy Joel - Tell Her About It

2010-06-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Words to live by from good ol' Billy. A girl needs to hear it. Don't you agree?

Is Do Allowed In Scrabble?

2010-06-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday's late night scrabble game:
(Time-12:30ish)

Me: Staring at the scrabble board with nothing to do because we're getting near the end. Finally realize I might have a two letter word option. I pick up the paper with the list of acceptable two letter words to verify that my word is on the acceptable two letter word scrabble list. It is. Score. I put down the letter D in front of an O.

Casey: "You checked to make sure you could spell do (as in doo)?"

Me: (Sheepishly) "Uh...oh yeah. Do (doo) is a word huh? I was using it as do (doh) as in 'Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti'....but I wasn't sure if that was allowed in scrabble. But I guess Do (doo) works too. Whatever, it's really late."

Casey: (thinking I'm a total idiot and laughing uncontrollably at me) Yeah it is late for a scrabble game....

Me: I cannot stop laughing for the next few minutes.

....Casey you were just being nice. There is no good excuse for forgetting one of the most basic, common words in the English language. I don't care how late it is a person should never forget the word do. That was a total Nicole Moment. Yes, I have had so many dumb blonde moments that many a person now just refer to it as a Nicole Moment.

Up at 5 AM

2010-06-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

Up at 5 AM? Why yes, yes I was. I wish I could say it was because that's just the type of person I am...the type that is early to retire and early to rise. But that is so not me. In fact, it is rare for me to ever be up at 5 in the AM, but if I am, it is more likely than not due to the fact that I have yet to go to bed, as opposed to because I woke up at the butt crack of dawn. Now you're probably thinking I'm some crazy party animal out making all kinds of trouble till 5 in the morning, but nope, my life is not even that exciting. If I am staying awake that early it's most often because I'm caught up in some book I just started reading during the day and now must stay up all night reading because I just have to find out what happens. I have had many sleepless nights, and many "baggy-dark-circles-under-the-eye" kind of days due to a good book. But I've gotten way off subject and started rambling. Back to the reason I was up at five this morning...it was because of my foot. Maybe you already know this about me, maybe you don't, but I have complex regional pain syndrome. You probably have no idea what that is, don't worry, no one does. And I don't feel like explaining it right now, but google it if you're interested. Also, side note to any physical therapists or doctors out there that might just happen to stumble across this--there's a lot of money to be made in this area I'm sure, as researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what causes CPRS, what treatments work best, and how to cure it. (There is currently no cure, it can only be managed.) Find a cure and you will become super wealthy, I will see to it personally! Anyways, the point of the story is this: I had yet another sleepless night due to the burning and aching pain in my foot, and I am so sick of it! My little white pills (a.k.a vicaden) did absolutely nothing to help. My mom rubbed my foot some and it helped, but she can never do it hard enough for very long. She, and Kelsey, are convinced I'm a masochist. And maybe I am. Because the pain level is excruciating when my foot is finally being rubbed the way I want it to be. But I'm telling you, even though it's almost unbearable, it feels way better than the dull, burning ache deep within my foot that never goes away--that is until someone else is rubbing my foot to the point that the pain level is ten times greater. Okay, so I really am sounding like a complete masochist. But in my defense after one of these extremely deep, extremely painful foot rubs my foot begins feeling much better. The pain is so deep inside that the only way to reach it, and get rid of it, is to squeeze and push on it as hard as possible and make it hurt! To desensitize my foot. And on the plus side the deeper the rub, the more all the scar tissue gets broken up. So even though the pain is unbearable, in the long run it's totally worth it and going to help! Alright, excuse my venting, I think I'm good for now. Chronic pain kinda wears on a person every once in awhile, but oh well, that is life, and we all have our own struggles and trials right? I know firsthand than ongoing hardships, illnesses, pains, etc., can be extremely difficult to bear and bring a person down. But I try to remember that I do not have to let anything control me. I can control my own attitude, I do not have to let CPRS control me. Sometimes this is difficult--when the pain becomes too much, when I have lost sleep, or sleep too much to help with the pain, when I have to miss out on activities I once enjoyed, and when I feel like a burden to those that massage my foot for me. But what it really comes down to is that I can sit around and mope because my foot always hurts, and I can let CPRS rule me, or I can decide to be happy and enjoy life anyways. I try to count my blessings if I really start feeling down. I have made up my mind to be a happy person, no matter what situations I am facing in life.

Elder Robert D. Hales gave a beautiful talk about pain entitled "Healing Soul and Body" The following passage is from the talk.

In this mortal life, each of us is going to experience pain in one form or another. Pain may come from an accident or from a painful medical condition. We may feel deep pain from the mourning that appropriately comes with the loss of a loved one or the loss of affection from one we hold dear. Pain may come from feeling lonely or depressed. It often comes as a result of our disobedience to the commandments of God, but it also comes to those who are doing all they can to keep their lives in line with the example of the Savior.

The scriptures teach that “there is … opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11). Just as times of joy and happiness come to each of us, so also comes pain to every mortal. How can we understand those moments in our life when we experience physical or emotional pain?

Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God, … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire”

Read the full talk here!

So anyways, today was one of those discouraging days that I felt was totally wasted because of my foot. I ended up sleeping in until two pm because I was up until 5, and if I don't get enough sleep the pain in my foot is totally aggravated. So my whole day was pretty much wasted, but my foot is feeling much better and I am ready to take on the day tomorrow! Watch out world, here I come!

Here are a few books about complex regional pain syndrome I found on amazon, they look pretty good if anyone is interested in learning more or if you are struggling with learning to cope with it yourself! (Or if you've decided you want to be that person that discovers what's actually going on in the brain and how to cure it!)

So Domestic...NOT

2010-06-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

I've become quite the Rachael Ray fan as of late.
I adore her, her show, and her recipes!
Yesterday I was feeling, as my dear friend Peyton terms it, "so domestic"
and I decided to tackle one of Rachael's recipes-
one that I had seen her make on her show a couple of weeks ago.
It seemed simple enough.
It was her Extra Spicy Linguini with Sausage, Chili Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Arugula.
The plan was to cook a yummy and delicious gourmet meal for Casey-
and wow him with my cooking skills of course.
So Casey came over and we took a trip to Market of Choice (currently one of my favorite places in the world by the way) to buy the necessary ingredients.
Because I don't know about you buy I don't just happen to have Arugula lying around. If any place was going to have it though, it would be Market of Choice. And they did.
Casey made himself extremely useful and pushed the cart as I searched the vegetable aisle for Arugula. (Don't you just love that word- it rolls right off the tongue)
Let's see how many times I can use the word Arugula in this post.
We found the Arugula and it was the freshest salad I had ever beheld.
It was still attached to the sod it was grown from.
I am not kidding.
It does not get any fresher than that.
And it was expensive-2.99 for a small bundle.
And the recipe called for 4 bundles.
Casey talked me into getting only three,
and we then got the rest of our vegetable ingredients and fresh garlic.
I'm going to pause the story here though and put in a little side note about Arugula.
I didn't know what Arugula was except that it was a leafy green-I had never even heard of it.
So I just googled Arugula as I was sitting here blogging and Wikipedia has all kinds of useful
information about Arugula in case any of you are interested in trying it out.
(I recommend it-it was delicious!)

And I found one thing I agree with President Obama on:
In an intent to note the disparity between producer and retailer prices Barack Obama caused a stir when he asked “Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula? I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.” at an Adel, Iowa campaign stop.

In a nutshell everything you need to know about Arugula is this-it comes attached to the dirt, it's rich in vitamin C and Potassium, has a peppery flavor, is great mixed in with pasta, has been considered an aphrodisiac since the first century AD, and as President Obama himself stated, is pretty darn expensive.

Anywho, back to the store.
I now have all the ingredients except the linguini and the pork sausage.
And Casey is still pushing the cart.
We find the linguini-organic of course, because that's just the kind of store Market of Choice is.

So now we just need the pork sausage.
Italian pork sausage to be exact.
We stroll over to the meat section and I begin perusing the sausage labels,
not only looking for Italian sausage, but Nitrate free sausage.
Because even though I can't tell you what nitrates are, everyone knows they're extremely bad for you, duh.
Well I find the only nitrate free sausage they have and put it in the cart
-even though it's mini sausages and definitely not Italian.
I ignore the nagging feeling telling me this is not the right pork and that I should just ask the Meat Man behind the counter.
BIG MISTAKE.

After purchasing all the ingredients we headed home to cook our feast.
I started into the recipe feeling extremely confident and thinking I was such a homemaker.
Well I didn't get too far before I was sufficiently humbled.
I had just started cooking the sausages when my mom informed me that:
a) I had bought breakfast sausage
b) they were in casings and needed to be cut apart (and therefore wouldn't crumble as the recipe called for)
c) one of the packages of sausages was maple flavored
d) I should have asked at the meat counter for the right kind of sausage

Thanks Mom. What would I do without you.

But there went my plan to impress Casey with my Rachael Ray recipe.
I'd already butchered it and bought breakfast sausage!
My mom came to the rescue though and we pulled out the maple sausage,
spiced up the remaining sausage with italian seasoning and garlic,
and added in hamburger meat to make up for the lost meat.
Whoops! Guess I should have listened to my gut.

My big blunder aside, the pasta turned out great.
And yes Casey you were a big help.
Thanks for pushing the cart, cutting the arugula off the dirt, chopping the chili peppers, and peeling the garlic! Muchas gracias!
The pasta was beautiful, I should have snapped a photo.
But we had enough to feed a small army.
Did I mention that I doubled Rachael's recipe because it only served four.
Well she has very generous helpings because the recipe doubled fed my family of 9, plus Casey, and there was still enough leftovers to feed us all a second, and perhaps even a third time.
Let's just say I'll be eating the linguine dish all week.

Click here for the recipe if you want to try it, it was incredibly tasty and actually pretty simple. But word to the wise-don't buy breakfast sausage!

Mere Christianity

2010-05-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows me at all, they know that I am a total bookworm. I adore books...books of any kind. Fiction/nonfiction, romance/adventure, fantasy/mysteries...etc. You get the picture. My current read is C.S. Lewis'Mere Christianity. I grew up watching the old The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe series, and read the books as well, and I loved Narnia and Prince Caspian. But I have never ready any of C.S. Lewis' other works until now. I've always wanted to, and I have no good excuse for not. He is quoted so often by General Authorities and in church lessons that he is obviously worth reading, right? Right! He absolutely is...whether you are Christian or not, I 100% recommend this book. He provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful and rational case for Christianity. If you have have any desire to learn more about the Christian faith, whether it be for personal, religious, or educational purposes, Mere Christianity is the book for you. I have even made it incredibly easy for you to take the first step toward reading the book, which is of course purchasing it. Below are links to purchase Mere Christianity from Amazon.com in hardback or paperback. I really hope that if you have any interest at all in Christianity and it's doctrine, beliefs, and teachings, that you will purchase the book and read it, you will not regret it!

Next on my list are The Screwtape Letters and The Weight of Glory

One of my favorite C.S Lewis quotes thus far comes from The Weight of Glory.
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no "ordinary" people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."

....Humbling, no? And definitely gives a whole new meaning to the Golden Rule. And that to me sums up what Christianity is all about anyways, loving our family, our friends, our neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies. Because that is what Christ did. And what He does even now, because He lives. Christ lives. Christlike love really is the solution to all of the evils and problems of our world.

Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review, said "C.S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way."