Fruity Dino-Bites

All my life sugar cereal has always been a special treat reserved for once in a while. But when we buy it, I love to eat it! (Which is why we don't buy it often.)

That being said, there are a a few cereals that have never appealed to me. Fruity Pebbles is one of them. Its never been even remotely tempting. (I did like The Flinstones, though!)

But a few years ago the boys talked me into buying Fruity Dino-Bites (the bargain version of Fruity Pebbles -- which is another thing I don't buy -- bargain cereal brands.) And I said, "Sure," because they looked gross and I wouldn't be tempted to eat any. But sugar is sugar and I guess I was desperate and I tried them and discovered that I love them!

All that yummy sugary crunch without the razor blade sharpness of Crunch Berries! They are perfect!

Also, Kershaw finally learned how to stick his head out the window today!

Something More

Have you ever come to a chapter in the scriptures and wanted to skip it because you've already read it a million times and you know what its going to say? I already read Matthew 6 & 7 this week for Come Follow Me. But today as I furthered my study, it suggested I read it again. (Remember how I also read 3 Nephi 13 & 14 a few days ago and it says the same thing? I'd re-read that again along with Matthew yesterday because that was one of the "exercises.") So I was sort of tempted to skip re-reading again today (as advised by another of the exercises). Plus everyone knows what the Sermon on the Mount says.

But then I wondered if I could get something more out of it. Maybe see the Sermon on the Mount differently. I realize one of the main points in these chapters is to not tell everyone about how great you're doing in prayer, fasting, service, and I'm sure scripture reading is included in that. But maybe this is more of my testimony rather than me "bragging." Because I did get more out of it. I didn't necessarily have an "aha" moment. But I did study, ponder and make notes, and by actively working with my scriptures, the words become more precious. And it became more real that these are the words of God and Jesus Christ.

BEFORE

AFTER

Being Martha

I'm a Martha. Christ goes to her home and she keeps working in the kitchen to get the meal ready. (I wonder if she's worked all day to have everything just so when her guest arrives. And perhaps, she needs just a few more minutes or a few more hands to help...)

Her sister, Mary, drops everything and kneels at Christ's feet, washes them and annoints them.

And then Martha is bugged. And even complains to Christ that Mary has stopped helping and left her to work by herself. And then he (gently?) tells her Mary has chosen better.

I'm a Martha. But I'm working on it. Because most of the time what I'm working on isn't that important. I realize that. Like doing the dishes. Or finishing work on the computer. Those things can wait. And I can pause to give my husband a hug when he walks in the door. (Why is it sooo hard to pause?!...)

I do like to get stuff done. And I'm scatterbrained enough that if I get distracted, it's hard to get back on track. So I like to stay on track.

Yesterday in Diane's scripture class she was teaching about Lazarus. And Mary and Martha. And she casually mentioned, "Martha sometimes gets a bad rap. But I think they're both great. We need Mary's and we need Martha's."

Thank you. We do need us Martha's who make sure things get done. I'm good at organizing and doing what needs to be done. And I'm happy to do it.

But then there are the Mary's. Who don't hesitate to drop everything and run to the aid of a friend. Who know how to comfort and say just the right thing. I love my friends who are Mary's. I need them. I admire those that always know just what to say.

But it was good to be validated that being Martha isn't such a bad thing.

We need both of them.

--Originally written in 2014. I found this in my Draft folder. Along with seven other posts over the last 10 years I started writing but for some reason or other didn't finish. 

Master's Degree!

Courtney sent me this little e-mail last week:

Hi!

I think I'm going to get an official printed one in the mail and it doesn't really matter, because my PhD will overshadow the MS, but I'm emailing this along to you cuz it's kind of cool progress!

-Courtney

Um... Courtney, it DOES matter! Having your Master's is AWESOME -- even if you're also working hard on your PhD! I am so proud of you working hard to achieve your goals! BOOM!

Does "Boom" sound weird? Because it just seems to go perfectly for this achievement! Boom!

  

Perfect Sunday

It was a perfect Sunday. Except that Nick was sick with a fever. But he was feeling good enough in the evening that he joined us for dinner, FHE, cleaning his room and dessert.

It was Elise's farewell. She did a phenomenal job with her farewell talk. Seriously. I'm a little critical when it comes to farewell and homecoming talks. Not all of them are good. Not all of my talks or lessons are good. That's just life. But some are FANTASTIC. And that was Elise's. (And Marty's. I'm not biased. I'm really not.)

Because we had Elise's farewell, the boys skipped Sacrament Meeting in our ward which was frustrating because it was Ward Conference and our bishop gave a fantastic talk as well on EXACTLY what we've been talking with Chris about on gaining a testimony. Grandpa's 30 days to a testimony sums up by saying, "Do you want to be a Nephi or a Laman and Lemuel?" And that's pretty much what our bishop talked on as well. I kept thinking sometimes Heavenly Father answers our prayers, but we're not there to hear the answer. Fortunately he keeps trying. I had the idea to have Chris teach the rest of the family about Grandpa's 30-days-to-a-testimony instead.

Marty gave a great Come Follow Me lesson. It's so amazing to hear him teach so confidently. Not just talk, but actually teach. It's cool to see how he knows where to find relevant scriptures -- even when they're not listed in the lesson. It's cool to see how smoothly he asks people to read scriptures and what they think it means. Aaaahhh. I just love it. It's so cool to have Come Follow Me that we can all take turns teaching. And I love that he so willingly accepted when I asked if he'd teach.

Part of the lesson was the Sermon on the Mount. I mentioned how cool it was that I'd read the same thing in the Book of Mormon that morning when I read Mosiah 2 while studying Preach My Gospel. Chris said, "That's kind of weird because Mosiah 2 is King Benjamin." I realized he was right. Then I looked back at my notes and realized I'd also read 3 Nephi 13 and Marty said, "that makes more sense" and Chris said, "Yeah, when Christ came to the Nephites."

And I felt a lot of gratitude that my boys are really learning the scriptures! And amazed that Chris is remembering so much of what he is reading! I'm impressed at how much he retains!

Chris shared Grandpa's 30-days like I asked, as well. He said when he finishes the 30 days this week, if he doesn't get an answer, he'll just keep reading to the end. I love his attitude. It shows true Faith.

Dan shared a cool object from his talk from Elder's Quorum today too. He talked about how his dad, Marty, was an excellent pilot. He trained carefully and always checked out the plane for any safety issues before he went up. His careful preparation served him well when he encountered emergencies.

One time his Dad's engine blew a piston causing the engine to go out and having limited time and distance to glide into an emergency landing.

Dan showed this satellite image of what a plane would see from 15,000 feet. That's what Marty could see from the plane.

But because he had taken the time to train and prepare properly, he was able to spot a crop duster's landing strip amongst everything else and he was able to land the plane safely.

What a great metaphor for preparing ourselves spiritually. By reading the scriptures, going to church, saying prayers and attending the temple, we'll be more in tune to avoiding sin as well as taking precautions that help us keep the commandments.

After FHE/Come Follow Me, we worked on some brain teasers that Marge had brought for everyone. It's fun to have Marty home because he loves that kind of stuff. I do too. Even Dan worked on them. And then I made bundt cake. Chris and Dan worked on mission papers. Marty kept running up from downstairs to make plans with Dan about his trip to Japan with his friends. I love it when we're all nearby and hanging out together. That's the best part of Sundays.

Chris is working on making some more knee-room in his pants.

Curing c.Diff Naturally

A few weeks ago I finally met with my GI to discuss my razor blade/rectocele problem that has actually become much improved during the wait time for the appointment. (It took three months to  finally end up with him.)

1) OB in October recommended I see a GI for this particular problem.
2) I made an appointment with a young, female GI who seemed desirable because she was young and female. But I couldn't see her until December. So the receptionist suggested I see my General Practitioner.
3) I got into the GP right away but she had her resident do the checking and she said she didn't see any issues. No rectocele or cystocele or fissures. (Later I was accurately diagnosed with Stage 3 of both.)
4) I waited until December and that young, female GI was not knowledgable, was fearful and downright annoying:
Dr: "Can you describe your pain in more detail?"
Me: "More specific than 'it feels like sitting on razor blades inside me?' No. I can't. That describes it perfectly."

So in the end I made an appointment with the GI I used back with my tracheal stenosis and GERD issues. I loved him and his bedside manner at that time. But he was a man and that felt awkward for backside issues. But in the end I went to see him. He was fabulous and funny, his questioning thorough and sensitive. Upon examination he immediately saw the fissure and we were done.

BUT, here's what I'm actually writing about. He was concerned about the c.Diff (something the previous GI ignored). He was concerned about using Coptis rather than the antibiotics to cure it. And asked if I'd be willing to submit another stool sample. And if I still had c.Diff, he hoped I'd be willing to take antibiotics. (My GP had said she couldn't take another sample for six months.)

So I submitted another stool sample. And guess what? I don't have c.Diff. So, thanks to Dave's Nutrition, I cured my c.Diff with a two weeks dose of Coptis. I think it cost about $8. Maybe it was $38. But wow. Amazing.

Seen Around Town

I had to run downtown to run some errands today. 

I was so excited for these two grown men who were clearly living 

their childhood dream...

Sporting around town on Heely's and Rollerblades!

You go, boys!

And it looks like this lady got revenge...

Can you read the license plate? HIS401K

Also today, Marge and I saw a matinee for "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder." 

Super entertaining! We met Dan for dinner at Simply Thai afterwards.

Lots of snow still on the ground and temps in the 20's. 

We'll be excited for the weather to start warming up next week.

Although this has been a fantastic winter! Snow from Christmas through February!

It's Coming...

It's coming...

Back to Normal

It's freezing. 

Welcome Home.

Oh, and I don't want to forget what Clara said today. 

She's got a lot of phlegm caught in her throat that's hard to clear.

(So do I. We have so many similarities.)

She was clearing and coughing then blowing her nose.

"Whew. That's gross," she said.

"I had to clear out my dance hall!"

Oh my. Made me laugh out loud. 

Too Short

This trip was too short! I think it's a sign I'm getting spoiled. 

We had to check out of the Villa by 11:00, so we rented a cabana for the rest of the day.

There's something nice about being forced outside. It's like being in Pagosa. If you can't be inside, you enjoy being outside. We kayaked, played on the beach, swam in the pool, had lunch at the cabana, slept, read and tanned. And we were all together. It was a nice way to end our trip.

Yes, that's me. But this story isn't about me.

Instead look at that kid behind me. It's Chris. Reading his Book of Mormon.

He's a pretty, great kid.

Happy Coincidences

We had the choice of getting up early for 8:00 church. Traveling a little farther for 9:00 church.

Or sleeping in and going to 10:30 or 11:30 church. 

Three different buildings, four different time options.

We decided to sleep in and go to 11:30 church then go straight from there to our hike at Twin Falls.

We listened to a Sisters in Scriptures podcast on the way.

Ended up sitting across the aisle from good friends from home. 

They'd slept through their alarm so had to end up driving farther to get to church a later service.

What a great example of commitment.

The service was sweet. The opening prayer was one of the most simple and profound I've heard.

"We are grateful to be here. To be able to step out of the world for a few minutes today."

"Bless those who aren't here. We know thou has a plan for them."

A gentleman gave a talk and said he hadn't given a talk for over 40 years. 

Keeping his thoughts in a straight line was clearly difficult for him. 

But they'd asked and he'd said yes. He spoke about praying before he read the scriptures and what a difference that made.

He said Isaiah was difficult and he could never remember what he read. Even Nephi admitted his own people had difficulty with Isaiah. But it was important.

This was a concept Chris and I were just discussing last week. 

I found it inspirational that it would be confirmed through this talk at church.

After the service, Marty recognized a man and his daughter. 

Turns out their family (including his wife) visited Japan last year when they were considering a move, and taken Marty and his companion out to dinner -- twice! 

Marty invited them to our BBQ dinner that night.

After church we went to pizza in Paia and then to Twin Falls.

What is generally a fantastic hike to several gentle waterfalls into calm pools where

we cliff jump and swim, was this week raging torrents of  muddy water!

We walked to Twin Falls and another fall up higher but the rest of the road was closed

due to flash flood danger. 

Short, but fun to be out and about.

As we left, the McBride's called to confirm they could come to dinner. 

I snapped a photo of Marty speaking Japanese to Tee McBride. It was so fun to hear him have a long conversation! I think its our first time hearing him speak a lot rather than just phrases!

The McBrides came just at sunset and brought a delicious dessert of almond custard topped with mango and lilikoi. Along with fresh apple fritters. Turns out Tee is a chef for the Japanese dishes at an upscale resort here.

Tee speaks mostly Japanese so Marty, Jason and their daughter Sonya translated when needed. But that didn't stop us at all from sharing stories, getting to know each other and laughing.

They were a friendly, fun family and we loved getting to spend the evening with them! They're moving to Nakatsu to be closer to Tee's family and opening a bed and breakfast. We're looking forward to visiting them again some day when we go back to Japan!!

What a happy coincidence that we ended up at their ward!! 

Tonight's movie after the McBride's went home was Guardians of the Galaxy 2. 

So sad that we go home tomorrow!!

Kids Camp

It was finally a Hawaii morning. Warm and not as windy. 

Dan and I walked on the beach path instead of the neighborhoods. 

We passed a lady as she remarked to her companion, "This is the Wailea Road to Hana!" 

Ha, ha! The path is very narrow and tricky to walk side-by-side.

The boys had a morning scuba diving lesson. 

First they received instruction in the pool and then a shore dive. 

 While they were scuba diving, Dan and I laid out on the beach 

reading, sleeping and playing in the waves.

It was kind of like we'd put the boys in Kids Camp.

After lunch Dan took the boys golfing. 

I was supposed to spend the three hours writing, but I read my book and napped instead!

Tonight's movie is Thor. Last night was Black Panther. 

Marty's getting all caught up in the Marvel Universe.

So am I. 

Island Star

We got up early for our morning out on the Island Star.

It's been windy and rainy, but the rain cleared up when we arrived.

There was enough wind that they put the sail out.

I wanted to remember how they displayed this beautiful fruit tray!

We also enjoyed veggies, shrimp, chips and guac. 

We escaped the wind by heading into a cove to take a look at a beached monk seal.

The boys and Dan also snorkeled.

I was too cold to want to get in the water (and have to get out)! 

Fortunately it warmed up so the boys weren't cold at all when they got out.

As we continued our trip, we came across a sick turtle. It was large with giant white sections that looked like paper stuck to its shell. Our captain said it was a disease turtles got who lived too close to golf courses (from the chemicals on the turf). 

We thought he might be dead, but as we got close, we noticed him still moving a little bit.

We headed beyond to a mother whale and her baby.

We watched the mother and baby for a while, and then they went under water.

We thought they resurfaced near the turtle, but realized it was two huge tiger sharks eating the turtle!

They swam right around the boat!

We had whales on one side of the boat and sharks on the other! Nick said, 

"I don't know what to watch!"

We ended up getting watch both for a long time. Even our crew were getting cameras to film.

To see these sharks attacking was a once in a lifetime experience!

We another squall (is that a rainstorm on the ocean? I think that's what its called) 

on the way back to dock.

When we got back the boys went to the play in the hot tub and pool and body surf.

Then in the plunge pool back at the condo.

We had dinner at Coconuts in Kihei but stopped at the park to watch the sunset.

Now we're watching Black Panther. Getting Marty caught up on all the Marvel movies!

Hawaii

Well, its not very warm, but it is Hawaii and we're on vacation. I'm so happy to be with my family!

Dinner at Nick's Fish House -- February 2019

2015

Morning 6 mile walk with Dan

Beach, hot tub and card games.

Egyptian Ratscrew, Uno, Phase 10, Rummikub, Indian Poker.