Gaining a testimony of the Word of Wisdom

I feel I want to write about something that has become an important part of my life.  I want to share how I began to gain a testimony of the Word of Wisdom.
As a child I never had to worry about what I ate and as a teenager I was very active in sports and was very lean ( a mere 100lbs) so I never even thought about food.  Food was something you ate to satisfy hunger, and also to enjoy as a treat once and a while.  My mom tried her best to feed, us as healthily as possible.  I grew up in the 70's-90's and fast convenient foods were becoming the fad of the day so that is what my mom fed us.  I remember Mac-n-cheese, frozen burritos, and banquet meat pies, with a nicer meal on Sundays.  She would use whole wheat bread, and we did have fresh fruits, and she would usually make a frozen vegetable for dinner.  So we were eating healthier then our friends families.  I remember some of our friends wouldn't even have fruits of veggies in their diet, and ate lots of white bread, white crackers, and anything else white they could get their hands on.  Needles to say, nobody was eating very healthy back then, at least not the examples in my experience.

I grew up, got married and had to take on the responsibility of feeding my own family.  I began to cook for my family the same way my mom cooked for us.  We ate a lot of processed foods, and quick meals.  We Would go out to eat often and ate treats often.  I started to gain weight, I stopped exercising and became caught up in life of being a busy mom.

When I became pregnant with my third child Brynn I tested high on my glucose test.  I didn't have gestational diabetes, but I came within 4 points of having it.  This was a wake up call for me and I realized if I wanted to have any more children I needed to get healthier.  When she was about 2 years old I decided to start running.  I started by doing a run/walk 5 days a week.  At first I mostly walked with a little running in between, but as I was consistent I began to get stronger and I began to mostly run with a little walking in between.  I had more energy and I started eating less. I lost 12 lbs in 1 1/2 years just by this one small change.  When I got pregnant with my fourth child Drew, my glucose test was normal.

To be continued....

Bread! Bread! oh my aunt Bonnie's WONDERFUL homemade whole wheat bread. My Aunt Bonnie has made the most delicious homemade bread for as far back as I can remember. I always loved to go visit their house in Torrence California because I knew I would get to have some of her bread. My mom was never a baker and getting homemade bread was a real treat.
My Aunt gave me her recipe a few years ago, and I was never able to make it as good as she does. It would either be too dry, or too crumbly, or it wouldn't rise properly... there were plenty of failed loafs.
I moved to Colorado about three years ago, and with the elevation and stuff it is pretty tricky to bake here. I again had many failed attempts.
One night we had a young women's activity where a woman in our ward showed us how to make bread with all the tricks and secrets that come along with baking homemade bread in Colorado.
After only a few attempts, I was able to make a good loaf of bread. Though the recipes I received from the ward and other places were good they were never as good as I remembered my aunts bread to be so I tried her recipe one last time ( this time with all the tricks) and lo and behold I had a loaf almost as good as hers. The reason I write about bread is because as I sit here, the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread is permeating my nostrils. I love it and I give thanks to my aunt Bonnie who inspired me in this way, and many others. Thanks aunt Bonnie. Everytime I make bread I think of you. Love you.

Don't have much to say except this summer has gone by in flash. I have had struggles and blessings along the way. I have had learning experiences and teaching experiences and have been enjoying the journey that is life.
In May Eric, Diana, Scott (di's man) and Colin went to Disneyland. It was Colin and Scott's first time and we had a blast. A memory that will last forever.
In June I was asked to be a part of the Stake girls camp committee as the Assistant camp director would be moving the week of camp. It was a good experience, but it sure takes a lot of energy and time to serve in a calling like that. It took me a few weeks to recover after the fact.
We have had a lot of family visit us this summer. Eric's parents came to help us put up a swing set for the boys, and Eric's sister Becca came with her family for a week. That was a real treat, because she lives in Tennessee and we don't get to see them as often as we would like to.
My sister Cassie and her daughter Josie came for a week and we will be expecting Erics parents and my brother Nic before the month of August is over.
Colin starts 1st grade in about two weeks and I can't believe how fast he is growing and how smart and sweet he is.
Life is busy. I just wanted to give you a little update on the goings on around here. Thats all:)

Yeah I know it has been way too long since my last blog entry. What can I say I suck at blogging.
But I had to write this one down today. Colin has been getting 8 cavities filled, one root canal, and a crown put on in three separate dental visits over the past month. He has had to take a Valium pill one hour before his appointment to help him relax. Anyway, so today I picked him up from school early so he could take his pill, and on the way to the car we were talking and I said " Colin we need to hurry and get home so you can take your pill" he said "What pill?" I said "The one you always have to take before the dentist" he then said "Nooooooo! I hate taking that pill IT TASTES LIKE SPIDERWEBS AND DUST" I said "SPIDERWEBS AND DUST? How do you know what spiderwebs and dust taste like?" He said " I don't know, but I KNOW that's what the pill tastes like SPIDERWEBS AND DUST YUCK!"
I started laughing. He is so cute and smart and weird all it one. I love him, and I love these precious moments in my life because of Colin.

P.S. The appointment went well, we had about a dozen crying spells throughout the rest of the day as the Valium wore off, and hopefully he wont have to taste "SPIDERWEBS AND DUST" ever again:)

Finger Painting

This little stinker decided to use Colin's toothpaste to do some finger painting all over my house on the eve of his second Birthday. I was upset, but he is too, too cute to be mad at, so I took pictures instead :)
He just had to remind me that he is 2.

He is 2 and I love him!


Oh yeah. The toothpaste did come out of the carpet (thank goodness).

Swing Picts

My basement after the first day of work.


Grammy, Pops, Jodi, Chase's head, Eric and Colin at our traditional Christmas eve Italian dinner.

The Hansen family in Sun Valley Id for Christmas

Me, Becca, and the cute, cute kiddies.

Gettin into the swing

Has anyone else had a hard time getting back into the swing of things this year? Man I feel like i'm creeping along. Though if I think about it I have done a lot in the last month or so.

We went to Sun Valley Idaho to be with Eric's sister Becca and her family for 4 days... as she is a caroler up there at Christmas time.

Then we went to Utah for E's littlest brother Daniels wedding on the 19 the of Dec. So we have a new sister in law named Rachel.

And E's Parents and Sister Jodi came back to Colorado with us for Christmas. We had a great holiday, and I actually was able to rest for a few days after Christmas bacause Chase got sick shortly there after.

I have spent two saturdays down in my basement chopping wood, hammering nails, and framing the walls in an effort to add more square feet to our house and a guest area for family.

I also cleaned our carpets last night with my parents bissell cleaner.

So I guess I have gotten it to the swing of things a little. Maybe my problem is having too much swing for my own good. Thats ok...... one step at a time right?