chicken or dumplings or just the simplicty of family!

On our last full day in Ohio, my Aunt gave my dad a party. It was a great day. My aunt had made food to feed an army. She had been cooking the last four days trying to get ready for such a day.

After four long days of cooking, she is still smiling

Dumplings and Sauerkraut


She made our famous dumplins and saurquart, stuffed cabbage, ham, macroni salad and bbq chicken. It was an amzing meal.

Crazy in the kitchen

 Not only did we have great food we had great company. Here are several pics of the family we enjoyed for the week.

My cousin Dee and I

My cousin Barbie and I

My two aunts Butchie and Stella

Donuts and more donuts

My favorite part about the trip besides seeing family was , Donuts!! My uncle owns a donut shop, Jack Frost Donuts. Yep, seriously I have eaten more donuts this week then I ever have in my life. I have doubled up on probiotics and enzymes because I knew there would be no stopping me. This is what my uncle brought me this morning.

Yummy!!!

Here is the wide assortment that I have eatin this week except for the chocolate ones. There is German  chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, crolers, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, snicker-doodle, healthbar, snickers, chocolate, butterscotch, butter-creme, banana split, all these flavors come either dough cake or yeast and then there's the Elvis. Interesting donut but it's a big hit here..Raised Powder Sugar with Banana Cream filling, topped with Peanut Butter Cream and Real Bacon Pieces! Yes bacon bits, I tried it but yea..no winner for me.

I am sad that I will not be able to taste the pumkin donuts that come out in October. I love pumpkin, anyone who knows me, knows fall is all about the pumkin.

So my favorits are carmel sea salt, maple creme filled, maple cake donuts, peach filled, and plain glazed cake donuts.

My mischievous Father

As soon as my Father recognized his hometown landmarks, memories started to resurface. I thought to myself, who is this guy?

My Father and I have taken a trip to his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. This trip will be his last trip to see family and one of my few opportunities to gain as much genealogy, recipes and whatever I can lean about our past heritage.  Well first let me say, the weather is awesome compared to Houston's 90 degrees. Here it is in the low 80's and nights in the 60's, wow, I love it!

The House My Father Grew Up In

Its funny to hear stories about my Father when he was young. I mean why now did he choose to voice these stories. I felt like I never knew him really until now. I am so happy to be able to share these moments with him.

Story number 1-
The restaurant was painted and named differently now but the original restaurant was called The Red Barn, where my Father use to manager. I never knew my father was a fast food restaurant manger. He showed my out back where he use to shoot illegally rifle guns outback. He even told me one time that people called the cops on them and they had to hide the guns. How funny!

Story 2 -
We passed another restaurant where he told me he use to skip his morning class (stagecraft) and meet up with friends to drink coffee and smoke cigarettes. This story is really funny because both Julie and I have taken tech theater which is a stagecraft class. I skipped class a lot before and after while she slept through the class. I think its so funny how none of really payed attention, I guess it runs in the family. I guess  I know where it runs in the family from :)

Cleaning the temple chandeliers

What an amazing day! I have always wished I was in a temple ward. A temple ward is a ward that is assigned to the nearest temple. This ward gets to help make sure the temple has all the details that is needed to complete the daily functions of the temple when it is first opened. For instance, hanging and stringing the temple chandeliers in the sealing, celestial and bride room; knit sweaters and shawls; and organize all materials needed when the temple first opens.

The Houston temple is a special temple to me due to the fact this is the temple where I took out my first endowment and when the open house took place I was stationed in the celestial room. That was such a great experience to open the double doors as visitors were able to see the remarkable chandeliers and beautiful angelic room. It was such an ah moment

So, I was not able to able to string or hang the Houston temple's chandeliers when it first opened but I was able to come close. I had the opportunity this last Friday to be able to clean the sconces and string crystals on the chandelier in the bridal room. What an awesome opportunity to take literally each crystal off one by one and clean the dust off. We were reminded crystal cleaning is just like the atonement. We gain dust and must continually repent to wash away the filth, we gather on a daily basis. Once cleaned, we can then sparkle before the Lord. WOW!!! What a wonderful experience. We were also reminded, the chandeliers are like the light of Christ and it is our job to make sure the light of Christ illuminates within and around us.

I will be forever grateful for this wonderful experience my Father in Heaven gave me. I am so grateful God placed me at a point in my life where I could have this moment!

Mochi

#3 - Meatless Dinner (eat mochi)

Mochi (餅?) is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice (not to be confused with gluten) pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki.[1] While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.

I found one of my friends make Mochi waffles one time and since then I have always wanted to make them, since it is a gluten free meal. I have yet to find the rice cake to actually make the waffles but I actually found flavored Mochi at Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt yesterday. I was so excited to see the rice cake because it meant I was getting closer to my goal. Yeah!

It tastes just like it sounds, a puffy rice cake or like a rice gum drop.

i finally found Her

# 20 and 21 - Spend time with a friend each month, laugh more and mingle with those that uplift

After many years of trying to find one of my kindred spirits I lost contact with, I found finally found Her. I love how when you let God lead the path, he takes you to an even better place you couldn't have even imagined. Thus, this is again a lesson for me to just TRUST, just let go and TRUST!

Cheers to YOU

When I read this quote, it perfectly described the time I had with Her and how my views and outlooks changed for the better because of Her. I love this lady!!! She makes me laugh, think and defiantly brings the spirit to the table. I was so blessed last night to be able to catch up with her over the last 24 years. I cannot believe it has been that long since girl's camp and young women's. She taught me to endure, when life (camp out) I thought was incredibly hard. Who would of thought it was a lesson, I would utilize the next twenty-four years...plus. I am so grateful our paths have gotten to cross again. I wonder what the Lord has in store, what will I learn, give and take being in her life again? I just hope I will be able to give back to Her, what she has done for me. I am super BLESSED to know Her! :)

I am sad I wanted to take a pic last night, so that I could add to my blog today and then later down the road post my old camp pic of us. Hopefully soon, I will find the pics and add them to this post of the before and after.

Rilke's Predictions...A MUST

As, I was reading the book Gifts by the Sea, I came across a passage, I would like to share. There was a German poet fifty years ago, Rilke who foresaw a great change in the relationship between men and women that would no longer follow the traditional patterns of submission or dominance or possession and competition. He described the relationship as a "state of space and freedom for growth, in which each partner would be the means of releasing the other. 'A relation,' that is meant to be of one human being to another,... And with this more human love (that will fulfill itself, infinitely considerate and gentle, and good and clear in binding and releasing) will resemble that which we are with struggle and endeavor preparing, the love that consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other."

I love how he described this new phenomenon. This is what I am looking for! To many times I see and hear the opposite sex say, "I love to compete in relationships" Who wants to run in front or behind your spouse or significant other. How can this couple truly help each other grow?  I love how he talks about gentle and good in growth. I am a person who will grow much more when being empowered then pushed/forced into doing something, I may not be ready for. What a great reminder to find that ONE, who wants to walk beside you to help push the fog (distractions) away from the path that leads us back to our Father in heaven.