Vegas, baby Vegas

So with a baby on the way, nothing seemed more suiting than a trip to Vegas, perfect for pregnant ladies (0f which we had two). Actually, it was a fabulous to spend several days with just the girls indulging in our favorite activities: chatting, eating, and shopping! The highlight of the trip was a fabulous birthday celebration for my dear friend Rebecca.

Connie, Rebecca, Rachel at Tao Restaurant

Rebecca and Connie in Birthday Delight

Giant Fortune Cookie, YUM!

Our cool hotel!

Connie at the giant tree in Lake Las Vegas, almost as big as her belly at 33 weeks!

Tis the Season'

I can't believe that summer has passed, Fall came and went, and now it is winter. According to my blog I am in denial of such recent changes in weather and life. But I must come back to the present (christmas present?)! Halloween and Thanksgiving came and went, and now Christmas is in the air. Oct brought us a trip to lovely seattle and a Halloween Shindig, November brought baby blessing, Thanksgiving and more. A few highlights:

The lovely seattle horizon.

Pikes market, I wish I could go everyday!

Yoga Rocks! Adho Mukha Vrksasana, on Bainbridge Island.

Notice the Warrior II rock behind me.

Vrksasana, so steady and focused.

With all the yoga influence on this small island west of Seattle I am certain it is the right place for me!

On to halloween festivities. This year Micah and I had a family and friend party with all the lots of creepy treats!

The Whole Spread

Mummy Dip with Fingers, ooh scary!!!

Ghostly tortilla chips

Healthy Pumpkin Face

Mummys in a blanket, these went fast!

Banana Ghosts!

Pumpkin Cakes!

And it can't be a party without cookies!

and scary spiders!

Spooky Decor!

Thank you pumpkin for this season!

Then came the chill of november, beginning with Baby Alec's blessing, he was dressed in the most adorable white tuxedo!

Grandma Karen and baby Alec.

The only picture of food on Thanksgiving Day, and it was yummy!

And Baby Day's first Thanksgiving!

Developing Roots

I wonder how anything on this earth can grow without establishing "roots"? I mean our little garden wouldn't produce without firm roots, babies wouldn't be born if not for an umbilical cord, careers wouldn't flourish, flowers would never bloom. Basically this earth would be one heaping mound of darkness, death, and decay. Luckily, we all have "roots", some are strong, some weak, but they all connect us to something, something greater that what we are on our own.

Little plants like to stay connected to mother earth for nourishment, protections, and growth. Babies need nourishment to grow and live on their own, and we all need the root to a greater 'source' than ourselves. Whatever you call your 'source', whether it is God, Universal Spirit, Love, Peace, etc, it seems to have the same effect. We realize there is something much larger than us, much greater than ourselves, a force so strong that we can do things beyond our own power, and flourish beyond our own imaginations. It may mean submitting to a plan that we didn't foresee for ourselves, being present in the moments of adversity, but it is a plan so much greater than our own. It is a plan that I am sure will provide innumerable benefits, countless implications, of the which we surely couldn't understand. It is a great plan, that began with establishing 'roots', and remaining connected to the right source of all strength, power, and ability.

Growth

It seems to be that at least 50% of the days in May have brought rain. I thought the song went "April Showers bring May flowers." Apparently Utah doesn't espouse to such adages.

While this one to one ratio is great for the life recently planted in the soil, it sure makes it tough to take a walk without getting wet. I love springtime, I love to walk by houses and look at how they have landscaped. I like to see the reflection of personalities in what flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees people like to adorn their home with. I love that people take great pride in their homes.

I lived in NYC for 3 years where one was lucky to claim a step of a concrete sidewalk their backyard in the urban dwellings. Oh how different it is here. There a 400 square foot studio apartment for one was a haven of spaciousness. Here a home under 1000 square feet seems like a meager living. In NYC no need or space for a car, here it seems each house needs at least 3. A big family in NYC is a couple of two, here it is ten. There the outdoors consisted of a run in central park and trip to Union Square Market, here it is planting your own garden. In NYC we walked outside rain, sun, snow, cold, hot, because if you don't you can't get anywhere, here we walk when its sunny and warm but not too hot. There the kids played on the stoop and the sidewalk, here they play in their backyard. In NYC the opportunity to grow came in a bonsai tree kit from Urban Outfitters planting in my refrigerator, here it is in the open sunlight of organic matter, real sunlight, and real rain.

Oh how my life has changed over the past 2 years. I have gone from urban dweller in its surprisingly simplicity with little space and little room to grow, to the expansive burbs' of Bountiful Utah. Every day I am still amazed at how much space there is here, how much convenience, how much ease in daily living.

At times I miss the city of NYC, even in the tiring nature of carrying a bag of groceries on your back, and walking everywhere you need to go. Yet I realize that in my small home there, as wonderful as it was, I didn't have an essential ingredient nor the space to grow. Now with my husband, we can plant and grow.

Scripture

I am reminded ever continually of the power of God's word.

"His commandments are the voice of reality and our protection against self-inflicted pain."

Elder Todd D. Christofferson in GC April 2004, The Blessing of Scripture

"Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked."

Helaman 3:29

32 peas for 32 years

After celebrating many significant holidays (birthdays, Valentines, Christmas, New Years, 4th of July, Halloween, you get the point) for years as a single gal I learned long ago to bring significance to your special day without bringing TOO much attention to yourself (aka annoying songs belted out by servers that are perfect strangers in a cheesy chain restaurant). And a birthday party cannot turn in to a party of self pity, or it isn't a real party.

So I ask the question: What significance is their in celebrating our day of birth and each year of life we have survived from that date of birth? Well, I decided in my days of single-hood to make it a day of purpose, including but not limited to either personal accomplishment, service, creating, or otherwise ridiculous feats. For example in years past: 25 years from birth brought running 25 miles, plus 1.2 for good luck, a marathon. 30 years from birth brought walking Manhattan Island top to bottom (13 miles) in honor of my favorite movie, 13 Going on 30. So what would 32 years of life bring? I racked my brain on this one, and after some thought I could think of nothing more important on this day that to give birthing rights to 32 peas in our garden. And Micah's awesome card accompanied the peas birth.

32 peas now have 32 homes: a home to keep them warm, a home to be nourished, a home to take root, a home to grow, a home to create offspring, a home to nest. Ok, so truth be told, I may have gotten carried away and planted 64, but can you blame me? Their new home is in our backyard.

As if 32 peas isn't enough excitement for a day to celebrate 32 years: Micah and I decided to relive our wedding day in Logan, visiting Nefertiti's Court at the Anniversary Inn in Logan.

Logan has always brought Leopard Prints into my life since my college days, so I couldn't resist. As it turns out the Anniversary Inn also provides Love Swans in addition to Leopard Prints, can you feel the love?

And they feature nice beds to share the love.

Don't worry we kept ourselves busy with lots of activities, like going for a ride in Logan Canyon to utilize my new awesome gift from Micah. The basket.

And the canyon is beautiful this time of year.

And full of cool trees.

And 32 years olds.

Rejoice

This is quote from the diary of Sarah DeArmon Rich, February 1846 right after the saints were forced out of their home in Nauvoo (for many a 2nd or even 3rd move from their homes): “To start out on such a journey in the winter . . . would seem like walking into the jaws of death but we had faith . . . [and] we felt to rejoice that the day of our deliverance had come.”

From "The Rock of our Redeemer" by Elder Anderson in April 2010 General Conference

Personal Revelation

"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

Sister Beck, April GC 2010

Elevate

In yoga philosophy, the 39th sutra of Patanjali states, "yathā 'bhimata dhyānād vā". Translated this means that "one retains the undisturbed calm of the mind by focusing on any thought that elevates the mind." What thoughts elevate your mind? I visualize a calm, blissful body of water, a noble individual, an act of kindness, a generous offering, a sweet innocent child. There are numerous thoughts to elevate the mind. When we first focus to bring this elevating thought in steadily, continue to focus on it, with time and discipline, it eventually becomes a part of our nature. The 'mind stuff' is constrained and we become elevated ourselves. It isn't merely a good idea, it is transformation on a cellular level. In yoga classes I encourage students to look inside and find that which is noble, elevating, inspiring; we then experience it in the tantric way by elevating our physical bodies in practice, our arms, our hearts, our legs; allowing ourselves to move from one place to a higher place, literally.

In general conference this April Pres. Boyd K. Packer in "The Power of the Priesthood" spoke about how we who live the gospel of Jesus Christ will have this power of elevating as well. He said "President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “While it may be said . . . that we are but a handful in comparison with . . . the world, yet we may be compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, which will eventually leaven [or lift] the whole world.”

I bake cookies almost daily, without a leavening agent I would have very ugly cookies; lifeless, small, and hard. I am certain no one would purchase them, and I am more certain I would not find such joy in creating them. The ratio of leavening agent to other ingredients is relatively small, very small, maybe one teaspoon to maybe 96 teaspoons of flour. Yet without this crucial agent, my cookies would most certainly not elevate.

Similarly, it takes one elevating thought in 96 that pass our minds to elevate our entire soul. Can you imagine 96 thoughts passing your mind without one of them elevating your mind or heart. Wouldn't life be dull? Isn't it the one in 96 that makes all the other thoughts worth thinking? In fact, just like the cookie, the elevating power has the ability to spread into all the other thoughts bringing them all to a higher level. Just one elevating thought to influence 96 others. Powerful is an understatement.

So, I am grateful for elevating thoughts, even if they don't come as frequently as I would like, they elevate the rest of my thoughts that comprise my day. I am grateful for a leavening agent in cookies, without it, just like life, it would be one tough cookie, and nobody likes a tough cookie.

seriously, was that spring?

Umm, ok, I might not be completely accurate, but I believe it was just 7 days ago we woke up to snow, yes, thats correct, snow! Today, mind you 7 days after snowfall, I passed a sign that said in Bold Red lights: 81 degrees. That is correct within a 7 day period we experience snow and 81 degree weather. Only in utah.

"So springtime, are you over, I didn't get much of a chance to experience you before summertime scooted its way in. I feel that you get jipped every year, and for that, well, all I can say is I am very sorry. Just when I was beginning to really enjoy your beautiful tulips, daffodils, and budding trees, so soon you leave. Next year I hope that winter is courteous enough to leave sooner giving you some freedom to express your beauty, and that summer isn't so impatient to begin. I love and cherish you springtime!"

Spring has sprung

Spring, the most wonderful time of the year (well ok, right behind Christmas). Both of them bring trees covered in white! It helps that I get to go on walks in this sunshine with my fabulous neighbors, Julie and Claira. They are the cutest neighbors this side of the mississippi! Sometimes we even play games with them, if they can keep Micah and I from hurting each other.

So here's to springtime, in all it's beauty.

And fabulous walks with cute Claira.

Cherry Blossoms.

Claira walking.

I meant really, really loving to walk.

Life springing up where you least expect it.

Julie and Claira-cute as the budding flowers.

Finally, a season with pink trees!

Take time to stop and smell the flowers!

Yoga Shrine and say goodbye to the Apple Tree

Last weekend was a good weekend. Micah and I went to Park City to help with Sam Granato's US Senate Campaign. If you haven't met Sam you need to. He is a fabulous man, a business owner of an Italian Deli here in SLC, and you should find out more about him!

While Micah helped raise funds, I helped deplete funds by taking a side trip to one of my very favorite stores in the whole World: World Market! Yes I purchased my very first futon/couch there about 5 years ago, lugged it home in a tiny Audi TT, and then shipped it to NYC to adorn my very first studio important. It was, and still is that cool, take a look. Oh how I miss my little studio, wasn't it cute to boot!

I wondered if my days of World Market had passed after moving back to the burb's of Bountiful and confirming my home decor purchases with Micah. Well, as it turns out, I was in desperate need for some adorning of my little yoga space, which quite frankly he has no say over. So here it is, an itty bitty, lovely Yoga Shrine. Thank you, World Market for satisfying my soulful pillow desires, I adore you.

Someday this little shrine will be a large studio, someday.

As if that isn't enough to excite you, it got better with the Saturday afternoon, Micah chopping down the Apple Tree. The best part is I think he is way cuter than George Washington.

This guy was diseased and producing bad apples, or we would have kept him. Regardless, I still mourn for the apples that could have been. I helped cut up all these branches, what a mess.

After, better, all tidy and ready for trash pick-up!

Bye, bye apple tree.