Cali!

I took a last minute trip to San Diego last weekend for Pres. Day weekend. Two of my friends had a couple extra days off as well and we just hit the road south bound. It was beautiful

and fun in every way. There were many memories made!

Here are just a few...

-last minute hotel in San Diego over pres. weekend for $50/night
-Sand Castle carving of the San Diego temple.

-jumping in the ice bath ocean with Breck and Caroline, screaming like little girls as we ran and splashed around.

-running in the morning on the beach in Coronado

-Meeting Terri on the beach, the nice lady who gave a tour of Del Coronado hotel, including the elevator.

-One of my best friends Amy happened to be in San Diego on a suprise trip to be proposed to, getting engaged the same weekend I was there on the same beaches!

-Nightly phone calls of exciting news (every night someone called one of us to tell us they were getting married! It was endless excitement)-Living out of our Playmate cooler and Trader Joes and a can opener-Authentic Etheopian food-nicest people in every store

-trying to lay out one day and freezing!

-trying to lay out on other days and soaking up the sun!
-the beach, the beach, the beach!
-Caroline taking pictures of every seagull
-Amazing San Diego Temple

-Renting Beach Cruisers and touring the island on our bikes

-Getting locked out of our Condo at 3am

-Driving home after no sleep, switching drivers every half hour or hour from post vacation

-All the music, laughs, conversations, messy cars, jokes, and memories that come along with a road trip!

temple

"Just as this is the dispensation of the fulness of times, so it is also the dispensation of evil. We and our families must find safety. There is no safety in the world; wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this church alone cannot bring it. As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate us. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over and guarding out temples. Angels attend every door. As it was in the days of Elisha, so it will be for us, "Those that be with us are more than they that be against us." There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend will feel their strength and this companionship. We will not be alone in our temples. The Savior will come and will honor His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him. Let us prepare our children with the faith to surmount every trial, and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples. Come, come, oh come up to the temples of the Lord and abide in His presence."

Vaughan J. Featherstone, 1987

I love this quote. The temple is an incredible sanctuary and source of light. I have been privledged to start working as an ordinance worker at the Salt Lake Temple. It has been amazing to feel the difference in my life as I have spent more hours of my week at the temple. It is so sanctifying and uplifting to be a part of that work. It is a small sacrifice for the recieved peace and joy!

Another atempt to return to blogging...

Well, last time I tried to get back into this, I got so excited that I started up 2 blogs. That was a great idea that crashed and burned :) But I went back and put my few posts back on this one, so we are back to one singular standing blog with more of my simple adventures.

Just a quick sum up...as of today...I am still living in SL and loving it. I am working at Deseret Book part time and teaching dance is my main drive right now. It has been so rewarding to shift my focus back to dance. It just does something for me, and I hope for my students as well!

As always...to be continue...

Continue On

“Savor life right now. Season it, delight in it. Some events are yet to come-be happy. Happy that you are right where you need to be. Know right now, right at this very moment how much God loves you. It's easy to think that we aren't amounting to much. Don't minimize your individual worth. Don't worry that your life may seem anonymous. In the kingdom of God we each stand independent in front of the bar of God. We each have a personal standing with God. We are NOT anonymous before Him. Be aware of what it means to be a child of God. Think and act celestially. At some point in our lives, we need to get that! Stiffen your back, square your shoulders because this is the way. This is the truth. This is the light. Do you love Him? If you do, then you are in this forever. He has got to have you!”
–Elder Holland

Don't you just love this!

The Abundance Life

“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”Sarah Ban Breathnach

Embrace Life

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities. God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe." - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Real Living

After the REAL Christmas tree, I was inspired to make REAL butternut squash soup...oh what a sucker I am for the seasonal vegetables. And it was so easy!

Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan-adapted from www.instructable.com)
5 lbs Butternut Squash - I bought a gigantic 5lb one, you may need to buy 2-3 smaller ones.
4 cups Vegetable Broth (optional or replaced with water or almond/soy/coconut milk)
4 cups Water
1 Onion
2 Potatoes (optional)
Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Serves 8

Peel and chop squash and potatoes (I don't really love potatoes so I just put squash in my soup) boil until soft (or squash can be put directly into oven whole or cut in half for about an hour at 400 degrees). Saute onions and oil. Combine cooked Squash and Onions simmer then puree with blender.MMMMmmmmmmmm