My first gluten free cake...

Double Chocolate with Swiss Cream Meringue frosting!

A success with no collapsing in the center or uncooked areas, and I actually think it tasted good.
and if you are worried about the extra pounds, try my father in laws jiggle machine, it will melt right off!

Sunshine in my soul today

The only words I have to describe how I feel are not my own... they have been running through my mind all day long...

There is sunshine in my soul today, 

More glorious and bright 

Than glows in any earthly sky, 

For Jesus is my light.

Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine 

When the peaceful happy moments roll. 

When Jesus shows his smiling face, 

There is sunshine in the soul.

Wednesday began with an amazing yoga class at the Bountiful Davis Arts Center! The first one, and there was 10 of us! Loved it! It was wonderful to see so many beautiful faces I haven't seen and some trying yoga for the first time. We let today be an offering to something other than ourselves. My offering is to my creator, the source of all the abundance I experience daily.

It got even better when I taught at Welcome Home, an assisted living center. Their are amazingly sweet little ladies that come each week to experience Yoga.  I greet them individually, we have a 30 minute class, and I leave by saying goodbye to each individually.  What stood out to me today was my sweet Bessie, as I asked her how she felt after our practice before leaving, she told me as she often does "Oh, well I try my best, but I am just not sure if I am doing it right." I replied, "but Bessie, YOU DID IT." And then it came, that soft gentle tug on my heart that invited me to ask Bessie, "Bessie, did you enjoy your experience?" As the tear rolled down my face, Bessie's discouragement turned to a warm glow, hope filled her eyes, and she replied with a warm smile, "YES".  The question of "Did you enjoy your experience?" pierced my soul in a way it never had before as it came out of my own mouth.  I recognized in that moment I was being taught from on high.  I visualized myself beyond the mortal frame before my creator, and he wasn't there saying, "Connie why did you do this or why did you do that, sheesh, what were you thinking?" He wasn't judging all the little details of my life, my mistakes, or overanalyzing every decision. Rather he reacted the way I felt with Bessie today, he simply was so pleased that 'I did it'! And the question again resounded through my entire being "Did you enjoy your experience?" I don't know for certain if this is a question we may be asked someday, but I feel the need to have an answer for that particular question at the end of my journey on earth. For the first time, I didn't just 'know', but I felt the gift of 'joy' in our lives. I have always known the small decisions aren't everything, but I, like all of us, get caught in the small details of daily living. When I step outside of that thinking and give my mind and heart space, it is filled with the all consuming love and truth of a heavenly being. The Creator that seeks for my very existence to be full of joy. There indeed IS sunshine in my soul today.

The things I can't live without...

Love,

Breath,

Food and Water,

A connection to source,

and now, me sweet Micah.

Why is it that we don't really appreciate things until they are gone or almost gone? I was thinking about this concept quite a bit today. We place more value on things when they are scarce. We value our income more in a recession, heat when the furnace is broken, breathing when air quality is poor, food after fasting, and spirituality when we have allowed the demands of life to take precedence. It is a privilege of mine daily to take a moment just to acknowledge and value my breath, without which I would not be alive and experience what I do.  This acknowledgement of breath connects me to the essence of life and divine creator which grants me daily breath. When I get caught up in the complexities of life, which I so often do, it is that sacred moment I step back and realize what matters most of all. The true essence of who we really are is always there.

This past week we went for about 5 days without a working furnace. A little control panel came and saved the day on Wed.  I appreciate warmth.

When I lived in NYC I learned to really appreciate any sunshine I could get, in the midst of all the buildings.

And after 31 years of being single, I appreciate the sweet kisses of my husband.

 I have so much, I am richly blessed.

Faith

This weekend I was reminded again of the power of God, through his prophet, disciples, and witnesses. The Brother of Jared had the faith that I aspire to have someday. He also knew the Lord's power looked "small unto the understanding of man." (Ether 5:3) The world can never teach what the spirit can. In 8-10 hours of conference there was more truth shared than an entire lifetime of teachings that the world could offer. It is amazing what the lord offers us for hope in these latter days. I am blessed. 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I was fascinated with the first line of "The tale of two cities", but I'll be candid, that was about as far as my investigation went. I'm pretty sure I appreciated it as much as cliff notes allowed me too, but it wasn't my favorite read as a sophmore in highschool. Someday I will revisit it and read thoroughly.

However I can't think of any better way to descride this week than that. It has been a week of extremes: summer to winter weather, a huge tree to no tree in our yard, little work to lots of work, clean house to AHHH!, hot house to chilly house, white walls to painted walls, and finally but not least a/c to heat to NO furnace. All these changes are good I'm sure, but sometimes as I go through them, I am wondering while they all happen at once? Does anyone have this figured out, why life is peaceful and then everything goes wrong at once? Ok, not everything, thats an exaggeration, I still have my saviors love, my cute hubbie, and the things that matter most! But really what is the dealio?

Let me give you a sample: on Monday I was cleaning the kitchen and moving around a few things in the fridge. I picked up the bottle of Homemade spaghetti sauce that I had simmered for 12 hours and...

Not only did it get the floor, but every other nook and cranny in the surrounding area including my pants. Gross, it reminded me of when I threw up on a girl sitting in front of me in 2nd grade. Poor girl.  

That was repaired quickly but Tuesday brought it's own mass destruction. Micah has been excited to get rid of our Box Elder tree for sometime, and with next week as pick-up week, he couldn't miss the opportunity. And it's a good thing he did when he did given that the 85 degree temp on tuesday dropped to mid 40's on wednesday.  

This change in temperature was all ok, as it gave me the opportunity on Wednesday to finally paint the hallway as I have wanted to for some time.

Before

And After... there was lots and lots of corners to work around!

The problem came in when cooling temperatures required the furnace.  Micah turned it on, but then it stopped coming on, and temperatures slowly dropped. That means aside from the warmth of the cookie oven, cold, cold, cold!

It wouldn't be so bad except Micah has the busiest week at work given he works at the Ticket office at the LDS conference center. He doesn't have lots of extra time to repair a furnace with conference this weekend. I have been known to be able to spend lots of time outside of the house for the most part, but this week I've had significantly less yoga classes to teach, only 5, and I simply don't find bountiful all that exciting. So while Micah is busy away from home at work, I am shivering in a lonely house with little work. I'm not all that pathetic though, I did spend 5 hours at the Yoga studio this morning, teaching and taking class, basking in warmth of a heater that works and a body that moves! 

So, it was the best of times, and the worst of times. But I have a feeling things will only get better, and worse...