just a little overwhelmed

I can't say that a day goes by when I don't think to myself, "I really need to write that down in my blog." Oftentimes lately I've said this 2 or 3 or 4 times a day. It has literally been a whirlwind of amazing events in my life since I last recorded anything. It is so frustrating as I don't imagine I will ever be able to capture these events.

The last time I wrote was just after my birthday. That seems eons ago right now, but it has only (?) been 5 weeks. Since then I have:

Gone to Green Bay, Wisconsin with Roger, Darius, and Alicia.

Gone to New York City with Roger, Darius, and Alicia.

Started back teaching early morning seminary (6:15 a.m. M - F).

Watched 2 Hurricanes threaten the Florida coasts, or was it 3?

Had so many inspirational moments I cannot begin to count them.

Rode several emotional roller coaster rides with Dorian and his family.

Booked a Bahamas cruise for Dorian and his family in November for Dorian's birthday.

Planned a trip to New York City AGAIN for this coming Thursday through Monday (school break) where I will participate in a raw food class with a chef we met at our last outing to NY (Raw Soul).

Been on the amazing NY subway system and become convinced that there was a genius behind its development.

Ridden a train (from NJ to Grand Central Station).

Been to a Mets game.

Been to a Packers game and toured their museum and stadium (awesome even if you are not a fan - did you know the Packers are the only public owned sports team?).

Watched the Daytona Cubs win the Florida State League championship (minor league high A).

Sorrowed about the Dodgers leaving Jacksonville only to be replaced by the Marlins...

Purchased season tickets to the Daytona Cubs for the 2009 season.

Attended the Orlando temple.

Visited the Manhattan temple.

Ate lunch at the Quintessence and Raw Soul restaurants in Manhattan - absolutely amazing (everything you've heard about the food in NYC is understated - it is amazing).

Gone to farmer's markets (one of my personal favorite activities) in Green Bay (where they had the most amazing little tomatoes I have ever eaten) AND Union Square (Manhattan).

Learned about the "Amigos for Christ" (http://www.amigosforchrist.org/). (This was a whole blog entry in itself. I usually avoid these kinds of booths at fairs and farmer's markets, but I kept finding myself being drawn to it. I purchased some journals for my seminary students and Orion. It is neat to think of Kathy Fox and her son going to Nicaragua to help build houses everytime I see the journals.)

Gone to Times Square.

Ridden the L train and lived to tell about it.

Attended a Spanish branch in Green Bay.

Taught an institute lesson to about 30 college aged kids in Jacksonville (Matt. 13). Realized myself that this chapter with 8 parables is Jesus' prophecies regarding the gathering of Israel.

Had a grandma camp for Wyatt during one of the hurricanes. Learned he loves corned beef hash and watching dolphins at Marineland.

Visited a 3 story Toys R Us in NY with a ferris wheel in the middle of it.

Bought some new clothes at an awesome Goodwill in Green Bay. Threw out old, way too baggy clothes.

Discovered LaraBars.

Locked ourselves out of Dorian's house while we staying with the children and had to call a locksmith. Upside: it was a stunningly beautiful night under the stars. We could even see the Milky Way!

Harvested the most awesome watermelons I've ever eaten along with tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and peppers, not to mention learning to eat more of the wild edibles our property produces. Chickweed, our most plentiful weed, is a daily salad addition now.

Learned to make a few raw salad dressings that we actually like. We've almost weaned Roger off the thousand island.

Made an incredible raw garbanza bean sprout hummus. I don't think anyone else liked it as much as I did, but I loved it! (Which is unusual - I'm not usually crazy about stuff like that, especially raw beans.)

Well, I suppose there is more, but you get the idea. And I haven't even gone into any of my spiritually uplifting moments.

I will share my most recent. I have been thinking about the China Study lately - written by Dr. Colin Campbell. I have been trying to think of ways to share the information in it with others. I have finally gotten over my anger over being brainwashed all of my life as to the foods I have eaten which are very unhealthy. I was remembering back in the 70's how there were lots of commercials for cigarettes on TV. Most were very enticing, and I'm sure not a few people started smoking as a result of the propaganda. Once the surgeon general came out with the statement that smoking could lead to lung cancer, laws were passed which restricted cigarette advertising. People still continued to smoke of course, but often times, people started smoking because it was the rebel thing to do.

Now that smoking is seen as such a health hazard, I assume fewer people are beginning the habit, but I don't know the statistics. My point has nothing to do with smoking except to say that I see our food habits changing along those same lines. It is undeniable the harm that is caused by certain foods, especially processed and/or high fat foods. Of course, people persist in eating them for a couple of reasons: they induce feelings of satisfaction; they are addicted to them; they think the research is a bunch of rubbish; and it is the rebel thing to do.

The China Study outlines 45 years of research that determined "even relatively small intakes of animal based foods (from 0% to 20% of total calories) could encourage biological processes that, over a lifetime, would give rise to higher risks for a wide variety of diseases typically found in Western societies (e.g. cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.)."

My a-duh moment came yesterday as I was thinking of what I should prepare for the Relief Society sisters in terms of preparedness. I was thinking about the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89). I remembered that when this revelation was given to Joseph Smith during the 19th century, the word caffeine had not even been invented yet. No one knew the harmful effects of alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine. The early saints that obeyed the Word of Wisdom simply out of faith. It wasn't until the 20th century that science learned about the harmful drugs in these foods commonly consumed by most Westerners.

Now, here we are in the 21st century. Dr. Campbell, and others, have done extensive studies that have again proven the Word of Wisdom to be true.

10. And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11. Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13. And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14. All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15. And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16. All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17. Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

I am amazed at how we look at verse 12 and see it as a license to kill animals daily for our food when verse 13 so clearly indicates it is only supposed to be during extreme conditions of hardship. True also for grains (vv. 14 AND 15).

My a-duh moment came when I realized the scientific research is here now to substantiate these unpopular teachings. It is being received as negatively as it was when cigarettes were found to be bad. We don't like change! We want to keep doing what we're doing even when it doesn't work. Just as the people in Joseph Smith's time found it hard to give up addictive substances, so are we. It doesn't matter how much evidence there is to the contrary, WE personally are going to beat the odds.

Unfortunately, the dialysis labs and cancer clinics and cemetaries are full of our loved ones who did not beat the odds. It is likely some of us aren't going to either if we don't make an effort to change. While we all have to die, I agree with Sister Davis' 97 year uncle who said, "If I'd have known I was going to have to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." I assume he meant he would have enjoyed a better quality of life in his older years if he had taken better care of himself.

Dr. Oz has introduced a concept known as "biological age". Everyone of us who is eating poorly and not exercising has a biological age far beyond our chronological one. The degree to which we are hyper-aging depends upon our degree of overconsumption of foods that detract from our health. According to the 45+ years of research from Dr. Campbell, "One of the most direct ways to think about which foods to favor is to consider the concept of 'nutrient richness'; ... it is clear to me that these are the whole plant foods: whole vegetables, beans, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, and cereal grains. This also means that, as much as possible, we should avoid or minimize the consumption of any foods that stray from this group. These include animal foods and fragments of plant-based foods (like sugar, white flour, oil) that are used to make 'junk' foods."

I am grateful for a-duh moments. They never sound quite so profound on paper as they do when I have them because I am not able to write with the same intensity and energy with which it is delivered by the Holy Ghost.

If you have not already read the report by Dr. Campbell, please do so. I have a PDF summary of it I can e-mail you. I'm off to finish off the hummus with some crunchy celery sticks.

New York, New York

!

Birthday Fun, Good Times, Good Times

While doing my garden walk through today, I saw a dark something or other in the sweet potatoes, so I stopped to look. There was this beautiful butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, so I ran to get my camera to capture it before it flew away. When I first saw it, it was still damp. By the time I got my camera, it had dried off quite a bit, so I'm sure it was going to ready to fly off soon. Isn't it beautiful? Just another blessing from doing my daily "chores".

I'm sure better authors than I have done some brilliant parables regarding the butterfly as he emerges from the chrysalis, but I can't help but see this wonderful phenomenon as a type of our lives. I won't bore you with the analogy. I just hope you will spend some time today thinking about it!

I had a great weekend with my family. I celebrated my birthday, and Dorian and his family as well as Darius and Alicia joined me in Daytona. We spent some time at the beach, shopping, playing games, and watching baseball. It was great. A big thank you goes out to those who joined me for making it special for me.

It has been an issue for our family, this food thing. In the past, when we have had family activities, they have been very food centered. In fact, when we rented houses for everyone to stay together for a couple of days, our main activity has been preparing various dishes to show off our culinary skills. Since we have made some dietary changes, we have had a hard time finding other activties to replace our previous ones, and it has been a real challenge.

When the children were little, we used to play games. Granted, many of them were sedentary as we were too fat to do many physical games with them. Once Dorian became a teenager, we didn't have as many family activities as he spent a lot of time with his friends. The younger boys and I spent a lot of time doing 4-H projects and running the store. Roger worked his regular job and worked at the store after he got off work, so there wasn't a lot of leisure time although we did spend a lot of time together.

The point being, we lost a lot of the game playing we used to do. I had the bright idea to play some games at my birthday party, and it seemed that everyone had a good time. It didn't take up the time having a feast would have, and I'm sure some didn't enjoy it as much as they would have enjoyed the traditional Bar-B-Q, but I did the best I could coming up with family unifying things. When I am with the grandchildren, they enjoy playing card games and doing crafts, going to movies, and such, so that is working out ok. It is the big kids that are hard to amuse!

I am going to start a file of games that we can pull out at a moment's notice. I'm not good at remembering this kind of stuff, so I have to write it down. I used to have some great books when the children were young, so I'll have to dig some of that up. I'll bet it would help if I started a prize box too!

Yesterday at church, I had to give a talk in Spanish. I didn't do very well for the talk part, but I guess my testimony part was ok. I wish I knew more verbs and nouns. I still struggle with conjugating in the past and present tense as well. We had a nice treat as well as Darius was the 2nd speaker, and he did a great job. He used Alma 37 as the basis for his talk with the Anti-Nephi-Lehis and their committment to not pick up weapons of war once they were converted to the gospel. When we are committed to something, amazing things can happen. The Spanish members love hearing a gringo give talks in Spanish, especially when they can actually understand him!

3 of the Spanish sisters gave me gifts. It is very humbling when they do that as I know that their means are very slim. They always remember me on my birthday and at Christmas. They are truly a blessing in my life. I consider them my friends as well as my sisters even though the language barrier prevents us from sharing as many things from our hearts as we would if we could communicate better. It truly speaks to the fact that we communicate more from our heart. I love the card from Graciela. The card was Spanish, and of course, she signed it in Spanish "para mi amiga y hermana".

Volunteers

Doesn't all this greenery look lush and beautiful? This is our volunteer sweet potato patch. We planted NONE of these plants. They all volunteered to be in our garden this year based on some roots left over when we picked last year. This is truly a beautiful stand. Isn't it neat thinking that there is food under it? You can never starve when you have a garden.

I was thinking this morning as I combed the garden and yard for weeds that I might be going crazy. Surely anyone knowing what I was doing would think so. I have even potted some up to show to a friend who knows wild plants. I decided though that it doesn't matter what they are. I know the big danger is that I might juice something poisonous, so it is more important to know what plants we shouldn't be eating. I think I know those, so I am not worrying about it. I don't think I have anything poisonous in my yard.

Just to be safe, though, I only add one different kind a day. That way if it does make me sick, I'll know not to use it again. It is all getting a little blurry though, so if I'm serious about this method, I should be a little more systematic about it. The other worry would be that the plants picked might not taste good. I have not found that to be the case, surprisingly. I heard someone say you should taste the plant to see if it tastes good, and if it tastes good, then pick it for your salad or green drink. That wouldn't work for me. One of the things I've been putting in my drink is something I don't like to take bites of: aloe. It is weird how the plants have a good flavor when they are all mixed together. One day there was a slight bitter taste, but it was not unappealing. Maybe my tastes are changing. I suppose if you're used to soda pop and Koolaid, my green juice might not appeal to you at all.

Last night when I got home from work, Roger parked in a little bit different place. When I got out of the van, there was a beautiful dandelion plant. I was thrilled and couldn't wait to pick it today. Most people have tons of dandelions, but we don't here for some reason. All the organic stores sell dandelion greens, so they are being cultivated nowadays. I really like them. I would plant them in my garden, but that seems really absurd...isn't it? One of the other things I like about picking weeds for my drink is that it is hard in the summer time to find greens for juicing here in Florida. Lettuces and other greens thrive in the winter time, and we have more than we can ever use. That dries up as soon as the spring heat sets in. I think I had lettuce this year until about April. So being able to pick weeds that don't seem to mind the heat at all is a nice boon. Likewise, the weeds don't thrive as much in the wintertime, although there are some.

One thing I've noticed in my daily collection walks is that different things sprout at different times. I know this sounds obvious, but right now there are thousands of tiny weeds sprouting that waited until this particular time to do so. Some of the others are waning (not too many though). Some weeds only grow in certain areas. It is very interesting.

One thing I have been picking the last couple of days is volunteer watermelon sprouts. Roger emptied some of our compost bin into a couple of our raised beds. We started doing that a few years ago when our bins were full but our boxes were lying fallow. (Nature abhors a vacuum, don't you know?) We've been eating a lot of watermelon since our garden is producing so much, and the volunteers are producing far more than can ever survive as plants, so I am thinning them for my daily drink. Then I had a bright idea while eating my watermelon today: why not save the seeds, rinse them off, and plant them in my little sprout planting system (like I do the sunflower seeds). I think they taste similar. They are good in the drink, anyway.

It makes me think we buy a lot more stuff than we need, especially when it comes to food. There is an old pioneer saying: make it do or do without. We have truly lost sight of that in our current economic plenty. Perhaps our tight money times will lead us back to that way of living.

Personal Development for Smart People

While it's fresh on my mind, I'd like to give a heads up to Steve Pavlina. I've known about him for about 6 months now, but I have tread lightly trying to figure out if he is for real or not. He makes a living out of helping people improve themselves, and he sells a lot of self-improvement type books and products. My reason for mentioning him is that I find his business model pretty interesting. I believe he has gotten into this business by his own self-improvement lifestyle. Each month he does a 30 day trial of something he sees as an area he would like to improve in his life. He has some pretty interesting trials. He started doing this in 1993. He said he got the idea from the shareware industry where they will let you download software on a 30 day trial basis.

In the self-improvement vein, he uses the rationalization that anyone can do anything for 30 days. If you find out after the 30days is over that you don't want to continue the activity, you can do so, but you commit at the onset that you will stick to the plan for the designated 30 days. Some of his trials he has adopted, and others he has let go. His criteria for accepting the practice is interesting as well: if his life is improved with the new habit or activity, he will continue doing it. (There was one trial he did with sleep habits that did vastly improve his life, but he felt like it was too difficult to implement into his schedule and his family's schedule.)

Here is his website:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/04/30-days-to-success/

He gives a list of suggested 30 day trials. He chronicles his 30 day activities on his blog: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/

I don't read his stuff every day, but I am definately fascinated by his methods. I think the business model is one that could be emulated as well. I have always believed we would have a better country if people were not so dependent on "the man" for how they support themselves. There is only one way to make a living, and it is by depending on ourselves, our gifts, our talents, our enthusiasm, our energy, and our smarts. While the income may not be as dependable as a traditional job, it is more rewarding in lots of other aspects. Of course, that goes back to the old adage that "money isn't everything". Of course, for some people, money IS everything, so none of the other perks mean anything to them.

For me, the biggest advantage is that I can schedule my time to do what I want to do. Yes, I have to schedule time to do the actual work needed to keep my business going, but because I like doing this work (usually), that is not a difficult thing to do. Of course, if one is self-employed, the choice should be something that is enjoyed enough that time will want to be spent doing it.

I am actually trying to change this up a bit right now. I am feeling impressed to move on. I am not sure where this will end up, but I am sure it is going to happen as I follow the direction into which I am being led.

Isn't life a wonderful thing when someone like me can decide that I want to do something different, and then I can actually do it? I will be 55 this month, and I am sure this is a pattern I will follow all of my life.

I am always excited when something new looms on the horizon. Some of the best times in my life have been when change has brought me to a new place. I can remember almost all of them vividly. Even moving from being a single person to a married one, and then from a couple to a family are changes that make life more interesting. I definately am not one to sit in a stagnant pool. I can even recall times when as a child changes came about. When my sister(s) were born, the family dynamic changed. Moving from one house to another brought more exciting elements into our life as did my mother's choice of husbands. Joining the church was another amazing change of very long lasting consequence. Some changes were more welcome and enjoyed than others, but none the less, the element of change kept things hopping. I thrive on this apparently.

I never realized this until a couple of years ago when I knew there were going to be changes in my life. I could just feel it! As an adult, I have learned that I usually have an inkling that change is in the air if I listen closely enough to the spirit. I usually don't know what the change will entail, nor do I know which area of my life it will affect, but I know to look for it and consequently welcome it as something that will benefit my life.

I forget about the fact that something good will come of it when the change comes in a difficult, challenging manner. I tend to think of it as an O-Crapper until I see the intended result down the line. Such has been the state of affairs in the last year of my life. It has been an incredible roller coaster ride that didn't look like it would be very much fun at the beginning. Still not sure about some of it, but I'm trying to have faith!

The fact is that change (and the resulting positive benefits) NEVER comes without a price. Sometimes we might decide that price is too high for the benefits we see that might be attained. Unfortunately, we cannot always see all the benefits, and this limited eyesight causes us to sidestep something that could bring many great things into our lives. Other times, change is thrust upon us. We try to hide from it if it is seemingly unpleasant, but we will not reap the benefits until we fully embrace it, pain and all.

Isn't this aversion to pain and discomfort a funny thing? For me, it has really caused me to waste a lot of time while I tried to avoid them. Ultimately, the pain and discomfort don't go away; they are temporarily assuaged until I accept their reality and succomb to it. As I get older, I would like to learn to consent earlier to the imagined unpleasantness as it is never as bad as I think it will be. (Real pain has come more often in ways I could not control.) Then I would be able to reap the benefits sooner without wasting the time avoiding something that never happens. That is a nice goal for this new year (decade? millenium??).

Summer Camp Comes to a Close

Last day of summer camp for this year! Angelina got a nice certificate for her efforts and a ball with the signatures of all her coaches. At the beach on the way home, she found a starfish in one of the tide pools which certainly bodes well for her week.

I think she had a good time although I know she will be glad to be back home. I hope she can remember all the things she did so that she can tell her family about it. She is already talking about next year!

We went to the game last night; it was a double header, but she didn't make it through but a couple of innings before she was bored. Rich Hill pitched who is a player in rehab I think, but he was pretty stinky. Hope he hasn't quit his day job. I guess it will be a few years before baseball camp actually involves baseball!

I am trying to post videos on UTube, but it takes a long time. Most takes have to be done several times, so I don't know if it is my connection here at the hotel or my computer or the nature of the downloading beast.

The beach was absolutely gorgeous this morning and this afternoon. If not for the sun, I'm sure we could all stay there forever. I couldn't believe how temperate it was and how calm the water was. It really has been a nice time for all of us.

I found a health food store in Ormond Beach which is about 20 minutes away. It has a juice bar which is great along with organic fruits and vegetables. They also carry items made by Glaser Farms. This is a raw foods farm in Miami that ships dehydrated items through out the health food circuit. I bought a couple of treats for Roger and Darius. Love's Whole Food Market for those traveling in this area.

Summer Camp

We're in beautiful Daytona Beach again at our first annual Grandma and Grandpa summer camp (girls first). The Daytona Cubs Single A ball club is hosting a baseball camp for ages 7 to 12, and we signed up Angelina to go. Instead of just running her home each day, we rented a room on the beach, and we are seeing the sights along with her morning "lesson". Today we went to see the sun rise before class started and went swimming this afternoon. It has been wonderful beach weather if you don't consider the daily afternoon thunderstorms. We also brought puzzles, crafts, and games to do in the "off" season. We are hoping this is something we can do each year with the grandchildren; we got the idea from Jac's mother who does this with her grands each year. It is a very smart idea!

I am trying to put some videos we made on UTube. Here is the URL I think:

http://www.youtube.com/user/desacad