Ignorance is Bliss...But Knowledge is Joy

I have noticed a pattern in my life: ignorance. Being raised in a culturally encapsulated environment (translation - homogenous group; pretty much white and LDS for starters), in an uneducated, unexposed family environment, I developed the ability (or limitation, rather), to make assumptions and form opinions based on my imaginative perceptions rather than on information or truth. Over the years, through travel, mission, college, work, and living with people from many parts of the world, I have been gratefully blessed with having this ignorance challenged. Over time, I grew to not fear the word "ignorance," nor to be ashamed to admit that, "I am ignorant," because it is not tied to my worth, it's merely a state of having knowledge or a lack of it.

Just the other day, I realized I have had yet another revelation of my former ignorance. The pattern I'm seeing is this: When a subject arises, of which I am ignorant yet have strong assumptions regarding it, I now seek more information from several valid and reliable sources in order to validate, or adapt if necessary, my position. The result has been that as I gain more credible information, I have the tendency to adopt a position on that subject that is outside of the mainstream's value base, or a more "radical" stance than the bulk of society. Not ever being one to feel insecure with peer pressure, this "outsider" position hasn't tortured me, nor tempted me to resist my movement towards a less popular alliance, when my move is based on my values and beliefs. Simply - I am okay with letting others have their beliefs even when mine are different and still being great friends.

What I have noticed is that perhaps this ignorance is a greater part of society at large than simply a reflection of a small town, LDS community and individual family.

There seems to be a tradition of ignorance in our modern American history. There's a broad difference in the education and thoughts of our founding fathers and mothers and the average level of education of an American today.

I digress.

What has brought me to reconsider that perhaps I am not the only ignorant person is being confronted by the uneducated, uninformed oppositions toward some of the choices I am making in my life: homeschooling my children and homebirth. (Just to pick 2).

I do not mean this in a condeming way. The oppositions simply remind ME of the uninformed beliefs I ONCE HELD on the same topics and the persecutions (whether they were verbal or kept to myself) I heaped upon others who have made the choices that I am now making.

I reflect in horror at how determined I WAS that somehow I knew, or knew better, than someone else who was in fact making an educated choice where I was not exercising ANY choice, simply following the popular crowd.

As I thought about these experiences recently, the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss" came to mind and I have challenged it for myself that if it is bliss, than "Knowledge is Joy," because pulling away from the mainstream and living my life in an assertive, empowering, personalized way has been liberating.

I'll get more specific next time.

P.S. Don't be offended - this is my blog - my thoughts - my opinions - it's NOT a reflection of anyone else's worth.

Washington DC trip photos....finally

Dad and Maika at Jefferson's home - Monticello (you can't see the home, but it's a cute pic.)

Little George (Sikeli) at Mt. Vernon, George Washington's plantation. Visiting this spot was Sikeli's goal of the ENTIRE trip. As we walked down the lane, he took my hand and told me this was the best day of his life. At that moment, it was mine, too.

Did we forget Maika? No, he was sleeping in the stroller - but Maika - we DID take you to the White House.

The Capitol. Exciting?

Jefferson's Home - Monticello - another highlight. Jefferson is my hero. What unbelievable genius contributed to the founding of our nation.

Stonewall Jackson's House. (Sikeli demonstrating his position as a Yankee. He made Aisea carry the confederate flag).

Washington and Lee University.

The Air and Space Museum - Smithsonian Institute

Safari Park - feeding animals right from our car!

Washington DC temple.

It's nice to finally get our trip photos uploaded and have a look at them. What great memories.

Halloween

Halloween eating...

Dorothy sneaking a kiss from Lion.

Last Winter we saw the play, The Wizard of Oz. We've been crazy fans ever since.

Using this love as our Halloween theme was a great way for me to participate and enjoy a holiday that I otherwise do not appreciate.

My sister was Glinda, the "Good Witch" and Sai - well, I guess he's "too cool" to dress up. He didn't think the "Great and Powerful Oz" needed any costume.

Where in the world are we?

This is just for the sake of updating, b/c I can't stand to think of my blog - it's like it's in a coma.

This is why:

We came to St. George, Utah, from Aspen the end of September. I started the marathon on Oct. 4th and did 10 miles in the cold, rain. It DOES NOT rain in St. George - just that ONE day in all the days before and since that we've been here! Being 3 months pregnant at that time, I decided the weather was just too much of a stressor and did not want to risk getting pneumonia. I gratefully took the shuttle into town and look forward to next year's marathon.

We took our first ever "learning vacation." (Term coined by Sikeli). Frankly, it was our first vacation that wasn't just a trip home for me from Hawaii or Colorado. We spent 10 days in the Washington DC/Virginia area. For the past year, my boys have been enthralled with US presidents, US wars, slavery, the Constitution and Declaration, etc. Let's just say colonial history up to the Civil War. We kept saying, "When we have the money we'll take them back east to see all these sights they love reading about." I finally realized that my intention with that statement was continually attracting a lack of money. So we set the intention that we WERE going in October and set the dates and did everything AS IF it would happen - and it did. There was a huge miracle that came just 2 weeks before the trip that was totally unpredictable and made the whole thing completely possible.

Setting intentions (i.e. Faith - view previous post if confused) is real. You know those "dream boards" or "vision boards?" They work. This was on our dream board.

So, imagine 10 days with endless questions from my curious children - far too many that I could not answer, such as, "Mom, what countries fought in the Korean war and what were their strategies?" This was my sheepish response, "I don't know, son. Just look at the memorial. We'll get a book on it when we get home."

Really, I tried to do better at other times, this was on the last day and my brain was FRIED!

Some of the highlights -

Thomas Jefferson's home

George Washington's home

Stonewall Jackson's home

White House,.....and all in that neighborhood.

Awesome Smithsonian Institutes

And a safari zoo where you drive your car into a free range zoo, open your van door and feed the animals out of buckets as they come up to, and STICK THEIR HEADS INTO, your van. For real - camels are stinky and scary when they're nose to nose with your child!

So - have been wanting to blog - but guess what? We moved everything from Aspen to St. George (long story) but I can't find the camera cord to download photos.

Sai returned to Aspen last week to work - better job opps than in St. George. He visits on the weekends.

I'm now 21 weeks pregnant - expecting to have a boy - no official info on that yet, however. Planning a homebirth and have a great midwife. "Why didn't I do this before?" is my only question. It's just so much more normal to meet with someone who treats pregnancy and birth as a natural thing and not a disease. I used to think, "But what if something happens during delivery and you need the hospital's equipment and specialties?" But now that I know a little more, I'm embarrassed that I ever thought that! This midwife, I can only speak for her, b/c I don't know others, but she has safely delivered more babies without the need for c-sections, than any doctor I know. She actually knows other techniques besides incisions when things aren't going smoothly. What a concept? Anyway, she's delievered 2 of my friends in the past 2 weeks and has delivered more than 1,000 babies. I'm excited about this journey and thank all of my friends who have been inspirations to me in this area.

I also started using cloth diapers about 2 weeks ago. I searched for months to learn more and finally ordered from comfy bummy online. The main reasons I went this way were:

1 - environmental impact. The hundreds of diapers I personally throw into the environment MONTHLY is a shame.

2 - cost. Research estimates a savings (after all things considered) of $2,000.00 per child over the course of diapering years (0-3).

3 - my children's bodies, i.e. health and comfort. Knowing what I'm putting against their skin is natural.

Do I sound granola yet? Regardless - I'm happier and more content with life than ever before, so, it can't be too crazy.

Creativity in Education

If you are a parent who hopes for the BEST educational opportunities for your children, please watch this brilliant (and humorous) presentation til the end. When you are moved by its contents - decide to do something about it! Don't subject your creative children to a slow, uninspiring, educational death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

"I LOVE YOU MORE THAN..."

I was tucking Sikeli, my 4 year old, into bed and I said to him, "I love you more than anything in this whole world!"
He quickly replied with an even BIGGER, BETTER compliment, "I love you more than a box of macaroni and cheese."
I accepted the compliment, choking down the laughter. I knew I was a top rate mom - right up there with Mac & Cheese!!!

Today Sikeli told Sai that there are 3 important people in this world: Barack Obama, Jesus Christ and President Monson.


His 3 year old brother, Aisea, corrected him on one of his nominees: It's John McCain, not Barak Obama!


We have our own little political campaign going on at home, apparently!





CLEARING THE MISTS OF DARKNESS


Building on the last entry about the POWER OF INTENTION, which truly, I believe is FAITH. I wanted to share another component of power. But I'll begin with a little story.


Two years ago, I started training for my 1st marathon. We lived in Laie, Hawaii (sigh....) and I found that running was not about running. (I love Lance Armstrong's book entitled, "It's Not About the Bike." I feel the same about running.) So, while I was running one day, I chose to meditate about a long-term problem I'd had ...anger. Now, this anger, in childhood, was a protection, a defense, I didn't let ANYONE push me around. I remember in 5th grade being teased after school by one of our grade's biggest bullies (TJ Linfante, for those of you who went to East Elementary) and do you know what I did? I shoved him into the bushes and walked home. I often caused fights with my siblings - but they're all too mellow (darn peacemakers) to ever fight back. I sassed my parents (but didn't get to far with that). I discovered, during that personal development class at Dixie College, that I highly value JUSTICE (later discovered that is a common trait among social work professionals). So any time that I felt that I, or anyone else, was being treated unfairly or disrespectfully, I came UNGLUED!


As an adult, the anger, although subdued, could be sparked again with unjustice - if I felt I wasnt' treated fairly in the home, or in public, by an institution, etc. And I'd really get angry with people that I thought were just plain stupid (an indication of an incompetence complex within myself, but that's another story for another therapy session).


So, there I was, running down Naniloa Loop, past the gorgeous BYU-Hawaii campus, heading toward the ocean, and I ask my Creator a question I'd asked myself so many times before, "Why do I STILL have this anger problem? And, "How do I fix it?"


For a minute I rambled on, "I mean, I know that anger is really just a mask for fear - I learned that in therapy classes. And that the antithesis of FEAR is FAITH - so do I just need more FAITH?" That just didn't seem to be enough for me, so I asked again, "Why do I STILL have this anger problem? And, "How do I fix it?"


This time, I shut up and got the answer - it came while running, of all things. But first, came this question, "What is the opposite of Anger?"


"Hmm. Anger is hatred, so I guess the opposite would be love???"


"Yes! That's it." confirmed the Spirit. "The opposite of anger IS love."


"Great. So I just need to love more people?" Came my not-so-satisfied response. That just sounded SO cliche.


"No. You don't need to love more people, you need to love God and be filled with the Love of God."


WOA! "You mean, I'm not?" That stifling reality that I, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was NOT filled with the love of God, was a bit of a blow to my religious ego. However, not hard to admit, in all honesty, that it was true.


From this point on I went home and began a study of the Love of God. "What exactly is the Love of God?" I asked. "Where is it?" And "How do I get it?"


So fast-forward to today, Sept. 19, 2008, I was running again this morning, training for a marathon, and this whole experience came back to my mind. I reflected on how life changing it was for me and truly freeing of 29 years of being burdened by anger in my life.


Just to share what I've learned - It all comes from the Book of Mormon and Lehi's dream. Lehi teaches that the Love of God is the Tree of Life - which bears a fruit more desirable than any other thing. His dream also teaches us how WE can love God and be filled with the Love of God - it comes in the form of an iron rod. Holding to the rod will get us to the tree - it's the path. The iron rod represents the Word of God. That word is the scriptures and words of modern day prophets.


So my answer to years and years of a weakness, a crippling personality trait of anger, was really so simple (as is all of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), "ABSORB THE SCRIPTURES & THE WORDS OF PROPHETS."


I think of a mission companion who once said in her testimony, "I love the scriptures so much, I wish I could eat them." (I thought the pressure of serving in the staunch, Catholic country of Spain had consumed her brain.) Then she continued, "Because if I ate them, then they would become part of me."


What a concept - think of the metaphor - to eat something so that it goes into your body and becomes part of the matter that nourishes and builds every organ, every bone, muscle and cell. Wow. If we could consume, digest and absorb the scriptures, metaphorically speaking, we would be filled with the Love of God.

The Power of Intention

I am so into personal development right now. During my associate degree-seeking days at Dixie College, I took a 1 credit class called "Personal Development" taught by a hippy-style woman that was the coolest person I'd met up 'til that point. I loved the class so much and asked the instructor why it wasn't a required class! Looking back, it was the most beneficial, impactful course of my entire college career! (All for 1 credit.)

Moving on,

Life is about cycles and my current cycle is back into personal development.

This week we have been putting into practice the "power of intention." And I just felt like sharing.

An intention is different than a goal - maybe it's just semantics - but in my mind, they're different.

My own definition of intention is that it is something you're grateful for now, that exists now, but may be currently en route to you. You may not have it, physically, literally, at the moment, but it is an "intention" in your life that is real, possible, perhaps even inevitable AS LONG AS you participate in the equation that predicates its receipt.

Let's see if Mark can explain this better - (Bible, Mark 11:24)

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

And from the "voice of 2 or 3 witnesses..."

Moroni 7: 26 (Book of Mormon)

"...Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you."

These two examples of intentions introduce, or expound on, an equation, a pattern, an actual formula for obtaining anything. Imagine you're wanting something, praying for it. Is that thing you want suddenly created after your prayer is received? No - it exists already. Where is it? When will it come to you? How will it get to you? Will it ever come to you if you don't instigate its receipt through participation in the equation/formula upon which it is predicated? That's my question - that's my journey.

Will you receive it if you pray for it WITHOUT faith? Without REALLY believing that you deserve, or can possibly receive it? Let's be honest, how many of our prayers are undermined by these negative, fearful, disbelieving feelings? Perhaps only unconsciously for many of us. This will be another topic for another day, but I'm convinced that many of us who consider ourselves to be "faithful" individuals actually run day to day on Premium, Unleaded Fear, not faith. I digress...

What does an INTENTION sound like?

Example, "I am grateful for the home we own."

Is there a home out there for us? I know there is. Am I in it right now? Nope. Am I grateful for it today? Yes!

Example #2, "I am grateful for the successful home birth of my 4th child." Have I delivered yet? Not for another 6 months. Am I grateful for it? Yes!

What is the purpose of having, stating, believing in intentions?

It is the process (literally, the formula/equation/process) of bringing into our lives the things we most desire. Without it, obtaining our desires is as unpredictable and as fleeting as catching, and keeping, a bubble on a toothpick.

Where did all this come from? You ask. I had a nap today. It's amazing how many synapses can fire when I'm not sleep deprived.

Photos and Stuff

Here's more about Mr. Sai, the handsome guy.... So, after 2, 30-day cleanses, he's lost 50 lbs. We found a nice photo from 1 year ago in Hawaii showing the old Sai and wanted to compare it with today's Sai.

Below is a photo from a Nutritional Cleansing Convention I attended in Las Vegas at the beginning of August. Pictured with 2 sisters-in-law, Annie and Fiona, and my cousin, Amanda. We had so much fun!

Next post will be pics of the kids, I promise. They're much cuter than we are!

More details???

It was suggested that I needed to share more details about my pregnancy - due date, etc. But, I don't have anymore details! All I know is that I'm pregnant, there's a bit of discrepancy as to how far along I am.. I honestly have no clue. So, I'll keep you posted as we figure it out!

SIMPLICITY

I'm inspired today by simplicity. Yet it is so difficult to create it in our lives today. I marvel at the constant motion of everything around us, I wonder how we don't exist in a constant state of vertigo. Cell phones buzzing, ringing, dinging, "New Text Message," or "Voicemail." Emails, Ipods, noise, noise, noise and distractions -
When was the last time you tried to read a book to one of your children? What happened? Phone rings, oven timer dings, doorbell chimes, other child starts crying or is hungry, dryer buzzing - more laundry to fold....it's crazy. And for me, it takes a serious effort to BLOCK OUT all of that distraction, and stay focused on the most important - that one on one moment with a child (or two, or three, or soon-to-be four!)
I love where we live - in the mountains, b/c it is far from a city and can help remind me of the need to create a space for SIMPLICITY in my life. Simplicity brings peace, happiness, focus, and closeness of relationships. No wonder there's such drastic opposition to it!

My dream, honestly, is to live on a large plot of land, with a huge, organic garden, a clothesline, a horse or two, and mountains and ocean nearby (likely, in Fiji.) I would wear a skirt or dress nearly every day and sing like Maria VonTrapp to my 10 children. Okay, this fantasy has gone far enough, but that is my dream.

You Know You're Pregnant When....

1. You crave everything but can't stand the sight or smell of anything.
2. You have slept all night but feel like you've been hit by a steamroller when it's time to get out of bed.
3. You feel nausea around dinner time..."hmm, this is unusal???"
4. You leave the library bawling after receiving an unhappy email.
5. You tear the head and neck off of customer service reps who do not effectively and efficiently solve your problems the first time you call.
6. You feel like just getting to and through church meetings on Sundays has the same effect on your body as running a marathon (okay, maybe this applies to just any time when you have 3 boys under the age of 5).
7. Your husband can't do anything right.

So why did I need to take the pregnancy test? Just to confirm it, I guess.
YES, WE ARE EXPECTING BABY #4!

Pictures, Finally

As promised, here are some before and after shots. These are from our 30 day cleansing experience. We are so glad we did it and we're continuing to learn about health and nutrition. We learned that .... we have a lot to learn!

Awesome Year

I've been waiting to make this post until I had internet access and my digital camera in the same place at the same time - but I've decided my luck is NOT that good!

I feel grateful for friends and family. I have had an awesome year of connecting and re-connecting with people I love. I have wanted to post pics of some of these reunions, but we'll have to try getting the photos up another time.

I have had 3 great friends (all at 30+ yrs. old) get married this year - and a 4th is not far behind. I love that! I love seeing timing and opportunities unfold in other people's lives.

I have seen several good friends from our old "Laie Playgroup" and it has been AWESOME! They are so much fun to get together with! They kids all play like it was yesterday that we were together in Laie and the moms are just as creative, smart and beautiful (and pregnant) as they were the last time I saw them. (Someone is always pregnant in that group).

I've seen relatives and adopted grandparents and taken the kids to fun, new places.
This week we're in St. George. We went to a small town (Gunlock) rodeo one night and then on the 4th we went to the play of High School Musical. Quite a contrast, rodeo one night - where the boys did a "Chicken Chase," and then a play the next - but it's fabulous! They are learning so much and being exposed to so much. The play was amazing - now I understand what all the hype is about.

Today is just about gratitude - for health, love, dreams and relationships. These are the best days of our life.

(Happy Birthday to Amber and Trevor - friends since childhood!)

The other day....I met a BEAR...A great big Bear...

Oh way out there!

I was running early in the morning, on a trail IN TOWN - right down a residential street, when I saw a fluffy "black dog." As my eyes became more focused, I realized it was a REAL BEAR! "Oh, so cute!" I thought. Then realized, "Wait a minute!!! This is NOT Hogle Zoo!" It looked right at me. I stopped running, so as not to encourage a chase. Then I grabbed for my cell phone to get a photo, but the bear turned and ran into the back yard of the home it was near. It was awesome!

Earlier in June, I was in Salt Lake City, running in West Jordan, and I saw 5 peacocks on the side walk. This week I was running near Snow Canyon in St. George and I saw 2 bunnies. I feel like a regular forrest ranger. I love animals in nature!

Update on the cleanse....

Unbelievable - I'm sorry I haven't been able to blog more regularly, but let me say, Sai and I have gotten more out of this then we even hoped for. It has been LIFE CHANGING not just physically, but emotionally, socially, mentally and spiritually.

Starting with me - I have lost 15 lbs of FAT! I weigh now what I did in middle school. I am sleeping so well, in REM, having dreams and getting rested. I have more energy --- I'm waking up at 5 a.m. to go running. And if I were not in marathon training, perhaps, I would not even realize what FUEL it is to my body. But because I am running hard, I have seen it spur my strength and endurance and even speed. I'm running at a rate that I hadn't even hoped for.

(I planned to train for a 10 minute mile marathon, and now I'm doing 9 minute miles.)

Plus - my baby is able to take sips of my shakes in the morning and night and he no longer needs the RX laxative that 3 pediatricians recommended. He is gaining weight, eating better, sleeping longer and having regular, healthy BM's.

Next, dear Sai .....

He has lost over 30 1bs! He is in shock and TOTALLY ELATED!!! He's exercising every day, loving it, and feeling his strength increase, great sleep, and a new mental clarity. He is TOTALLY CONVERTED!

We have learned so much about nutrition - my favorite is the difference (and benefit) of CLEANSING VS DIETING. Cleansing is a gift of gratitude and health for your body - whereas dieting is about food restriction and self inflict :)

I'll share more in coming days (including photos as soon as I see Sai again!)

Here's a glimpse of "before" photos taken the 1st week of June - Kudos to Natalie Norton (http://www.natalienortonphoto.com/ go there to see more photos of our family.)

Gaining Insight

(I hope to have some pics up soon - hang in there.)
Had an awesome visit from some good old Hawaii friends this past week. The Norton's came to Aspen - what a treat! They were inspiring....

Within that inspiration, I began to gain some insight, as I cleanse, into some of my PATTERNS of behaving and eating. Patterns are important to recognize, because if we don't change the patterns, we'll continue to get the same results. The hard part, sometimes, can be changing the patterns.
Here's mine:
Quite often in late afternoon - I get tired, sleepy. When I'm sleepy, I "transform" (one of Sikeli's favorite new words, always used in lieu of "change") into Grumpy Dwarf. At these times, I begin to feel overwhelmed,as if I can't get done everything I need to get done. I feel less and less hopeful until something happens to change this negative, downward spiral - which usually is to go to bed. Most often, by morning, I'm renewed and hopeful again. (Usually. Unless someone wet the bed and another had a night terror and another needed a snack during the night, etc:)

I have just learned that when I'm tired and feeling stressed, my BLOOD SUGAR DROPS! When blood sugar drops, I feel hungry. When I feel hungry and tired and stressed ALL AT ONCE, I eat - and I overeat - and I overeat things that are not rejuvenating. I eat things that take all my digestive energies and make the rest of me shutdown and want to sleep even more.

I fell off the cleanse wagon one night - and had Little Caesar's pizza. I paid dearly. I immediately felt sleepy, but it wasn't bed time yet. The rest of the night, that negativity returned that I hadn't felt since beginning the cleanse. I literally saw and felt the polar opposite in mood as it is impacted by nutrition. I was in awe. If nutrition can help me stabilize and maintain a positive outlook and optimistic view, I'm going to do all I can to keep learning about and LIVING nutrition.

Into the Cleanse

Sai and I started our 30-day c leanse on May 30...I just couldn't wait!
It is so awesome! We are both enjoying the great benefits and feeling the positive effects.
We are sleeping so well and feeling really rested. Which, in turn, allows us to get up early and exercise.
We started preparing for the cleanse 2 weeks before by eliminating any unnecessary foods and adding more nutrients/vitamins/minerals into our daily consumption. From those 2 1/2 weeks ago until now, - Sai has lost 20 lbs and co-workers were the first to notice (after me, of course.)
He was just in shock when he got on the scale!
The awesome part is we know it's not water, because we are increasing our muscle mass and our body fat % is decreasing. It's just all that fatty "food storage" we've been hauling around. When our church leaders encourage us to have a 2 year supply of food - we took them a little too seriously!!!
We want to recognize our "cleanse buddies" as well - Bridgette, who has lost over 20 lbs in 30 days and Jen who is currently doing a 9-day. To the friends beginning this week - WELCOME TO THE CULTURE OF FUN, FIT & FEELING FABULOUS!

Family Photos

Maika Ramon: cuddle bug, dog lover, dust-buster, wants to be in the middle of his older 2 brothers at all times! Aisea Omar: hard to photograph! Always, always on the go, STRONG-WILLED, loving, INDEPENDENT, curious, and very, very funny!
Sikeli Paul: wise beyond his years, articulate, intuitive, spiritually sensitive, a teaser!
The Naivalu Clan - Family Mission Statement: Learn, Work, Serve, Love

On Your Mark, Get Set...GO CLEANSE!

LIVE FROM ASPEN COLORADO! (We're back blogging already)

And this is my exciting news....

For the month of JUNE, I am going to embark on a 30 day cleanse!

It just so happens, I'll be turning 31 in June, and I fully expect to make my 30's the best decade of my life (in terms of health and happiness).

So far, we're on the right track. St. George marathon, Oct. 2008 - Here I come!

What is cleansing? See this awesome explanation - go to this page and click on "Cleansed for Life" Video. http://www.isagenix.com/us/en/tours.dhtml

(Also watch "Dr. Dr...." video for great nutritional info.)

Several years ago, I learned the benefits of cleansing. I returned from 3 months in Fiji with countless boils - ya, pretty thought, I know. I'd also had dengue fever (an island sickness) and who knows how much food poisoning. A result of this depleted immune system was a very depleted state of mental health as well. I cleansed and recovered immediately! (Much to the astonishment of my therapist at the time :) From then on, I have LOVED CLEANSING!

I have tried various types of cleanses, such as the Lemon Colon Cleanse (from the Master Cleanser) and I try to make cleansing an annual part of my life.

This year, I am so excited, because (I'm not pregnant or nursing) and can do a full 30 day cleanse!

These are some (but not all) of the benefits:

• INCREASED ENERGY (hip-hip hurray!)


• INCREASED MENTAL CLARITY (i.e. ideas, creativity, ambition & inspiration flooding the brain)


• MOOD ELEVATION


• FAT LOSS


• A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD - NEW, HEALTHIER HABITS (like not using food for emotional comfort)


• A FLUSHED, EFFICIENT INTERNAL SYSTEM (= less susceptibility for sickness).

If any of these sound appealing to you, I invite you to JOIN me for the month of JUNE. I want a CLEANSING TEAM to share in this life enhancing experience!!!

If you are bold enough and disciplined enough to commit - email me for more info at:

first name last name (then the number) 17 @yahoo.com

I would LOVE for you to share in this!

Moving to Colorado

Here are my cute boys. Growing, so amazing, and such a privilege to parent.

We're taking a blogging break - We're on our way to Colorado for the off-season.

No internet for a while - hope you all can survive w/out us :)

SALT LAKE 1/2 MARATHON

All I can say is, "I finished." It wasn't pretty (my running, that is,) and it wasn't a record, but I finished.
Here is the highlight. I was at the starting point, really disappointed to be alone in a strange place, on an unfamiliar course, without anyone I knew to cheer me on by my side. Then, someone shouted, "Angel Mathews!!!" (maiden name). And there in my face was an old St. George friend of mine and her husband - in a crowd of 12,000 people. How kind is our Heavenly Father. And we were at the same pace (well, for about 1/2 of it. Then they left me in their dust.)

There were times I wanted to quit, but I had some pressure to finish, though. Sai had to be at the airport by 10:30 a.m. to catch a flight to a wedding in San Fran. That, and Johnny Cash singing, "Orange Blossom Special" on my ipod shuffle kept me shuffling!!!
I just learned of a new site that looks fun - marathonmommies.blogspot.com. Check it out if you like to run.
I'm looking forward to the St. George FULL marathon this Oct.
Thanks to my pals for your comments.

What is this all about, anyway?

Obviously, I lost the blogging fire.
Sorry, Nat, for being the "worst blogger ever!"
I just don't get it? I just don't get it. Blogging?
I haven't been writing, but I've been doing ALOT of observation and introspection in regards to blogging.
Right now, I'm blogging, for the reason, I suspect, creates the addiction for people like me - I'm avoiding and escaping reality!
I need to pack the car so my boys and I can do on a trip tomorrow. I'm stressed. What a great time to blog!!! (Procrastination!)

Here's an update -
My husband and I have been geographically separated since October 2007 (that's going on 7 months). Just for the record - that's "geographically" because of work transitions.
In Jan. he started working in Aspen, Colorado. Nice job. Too cold for me, and no available (affordable) family housing in the winter. We're hoping to reunite within the next couple of weeks as the snow melts. He's been great to drive the 7 hours every week he can make it to see us on his days off.
THIS SATURDAY - APRIL 19 -I'm running the SLC 1/2 marathon.
Overall, we are doing well - much to be grateful for!