Over ½ way.

When we arrived in Nauvoo we were so glad to pull in to town and get into our vintage hotel. It meant we were over ½ way through our trip. Yay!

We quickly went to dinner and while we were there realized that Miriam wasn’t feeling well. She had a headache and a fever. She didn’t want to eat (which is definitely a tip off for us that something wasn’t right) and she was just really lethargic. We got her an advil and hoped that it would help her.

That night in Nauvoo there was a pagent about the history of Nauvoo and Joseph Smith. Before the pagent there was a field filled with pioneer activities like sawing a log, branding, quilting, dancing, ducks and geese game, and the cast walking around meeting and talking to everyone. It was really fun for the kids. The pagent has about 175 people in it…150 of them are volunteers that come for 2 week intervals through out the summer. There is a core cast that stays all summer long and Matt Dickamore and his brother, Jeff, were Joseph and his brother, Hyrum. Matt and Jeff are very gifted in so many ways but even more than that they are genuinely good people. They care about others and their faith in Christ is strong and it’s evident in the way they are so gracious and kind to people around them. If you get the chance this summer I really recommend going to Nauvoo and seeing the Nauvoo Pagent.

We got to go to the Nauvoo Temple Open House when Emmett was about 5 years old and Miriam and Emma were about 18 months. After over 150 years the Nauvoo temple was rebuilt after being burned to the ground by mobs that forced the saints from Illinois. The inside of the temple is so beautiful and there is such a sweet spirit there. Every detail was so perfect. The furniture, the mouldings, the architecture is so reminiscent of the time when the temple was originally built. It was really a gift to get to be there in Nauvoo…

sweet. LIFE.

yellowstone.

After leaving Hooper on Wednesday night we drove straight to west Yellowstone and arrived at 2:30am where we all fell into bed for five short hours of sleep after a very long and intense day.

Thursday morning we piled back into the car and headed out to see the paint pots and Old Faithful in Yellowstone. Shelby, our neighbor gave the kids travel journals When Gracie got out of the car at the paint pots she decided to write in her travel journal. She drew a picture of the fountain paint pot with it’s bubbles and wrote in her travel journal (and then asked me to translate) “Gracie loves this white place.”

The paint pots are just incredible. It’s hard to believe unless you see it. The earth just bubbles up. In some places it bubbles up mud and in some places it bubbles up and creates these gorgeous colors. The blues are my favorite. I don’t know if any one remembers Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip by Bill Watterson but I remember loving it and looking forward to reading it every day in the paper. Now, my son, Emmett reads all of the books tht we bought back in the 90s. He loves them and laughs at Calvin’s lunacy. When we stood looking at that bubbling Fountain Paint Pot Emmet said, “This looks like a planet Calvin would dream up.” And at that very moment both Mike and I were thinking the very same thing. Funny.

We arrived at Old Faithful to find out we had just missed the geyser irrupting by about 10 mintues. The next explosion wouldn’t be for another 90 minutes or so. We decided that we were all getting a little hungry so we trailed over to the café for a bite to eat. I would NOT recommend eating there if you want something that tastes good, has good service, and has what’s on the menu actually in stock (our first choice of everything we ordered they were out of). There is another place to eat there besides the café…not sure if it’s any better or not. I did see people walking around with ice cream that looked really good, though…I would recommend filling your cooler before going through the park or planning to eat when you are in west Yellowstone. Another thing we hadn’t realized is that west Yellowstone is where all of the hotels are located. If you’re planning to stay somewhere on the east side of Yellowstone the closest place is Cody, Wyoming (and although it IS the rodeo capital of the world it didn’t look like it had a wide variety of places to stay).

We sat waiting for Old Faithful while everyone around us wondering if it really would ever go off. About 10 minutes after it predicted geysering time it exploded into the air…it really is a complete wonder the way the earth is so different in so many places of the world. How one location can have these amazing paint pots and be so hot that no one could even live near them and have a geyser that erupts every 90 minutes or so and then be surrounded by this gorgeous lake and trees and mountains and be so peaceful. In one place it seems like the earth is just rumbling and gurgling and busy. In another it’s quiet and beautiful and relaxing.

This earth and this country are so beautiful and open and wild. There are so many places that no one lives that are untamed country.

I’m not sure if Emma saw the geyser or the paint pots; she did see every flower along the way and kept asking me to take a picture of all of them. Emma is really good at being in the moment of loving whatever she is doing. When she started spinning around and singing about ‘feeling the wonderful wind’ in the middle of the trail and a bunch of people around her it was a perfect moment of who Emma is…oblivious to anything but the wonder of the moment that is right now.

Since I am Gracie’s parent of choice these days (and pretty much since the day she was born) I’m the only one that can hold her hand J . That being the case, I get a lot of cute pictures of the back of everyone else that’s in front of the two of us…

adventure. LIFE.

wow.

Natalie, Becky's daughter wrote me an email about her mom.  She told me that she was legally blind but didn't let it stop her from living a very full and beautiful life.  When I went to meet Becky I walked into a marriage and family therapy office and met a woman and hesitantly asked if she was Becky.  She had walked right up to me and shook my hand.  I was thinking, "Am I in the right place?  Is this the right lady?"

Over the next hour or so Becky showed me some goggles that she had made to help children be able to see what she sees in her everyday life.  The picture above is how she sees the world.  She has absolutely no peripheral vision to the side of her or above and below her.  She sees only through a little peep hole.  Because her vision is so completely limited she hits her head on things a lot, she's fallen down stairs and tripped over more things than she can count, she can't drive, and she walks every where. 

Becky has a sweet guide dog named Cricket...they go everywhere together.  Cricket, even though she is a young guide dog, is still so protective of Becky.  She keeps Becky from falling into holes and being hit by cars.  As long as Cricket is on her harness she knows she's at work.  She doesn't rush to be pet or ever run off from Becky.  What's amazing is that she is still a puppy.  The moment Cricket is let off of her harness she turns into a wild and crazy puppy.  She runs and chases other dogs, adores getting loved, and races around the yard like a maniac....you wouldn't know it's even in her to be wild when she's at work with her harness on.  She loves to work and to help Becky and you can tell that the relationship between them is a special one. 

The thing that I love about Becky is the way she smiles all of the time.  She laughs and she laughs at herself.  Her perspective on her life is a beautiful thing and I love the time I got to spend with her.  She sees the blessing in every experience.  She uses her own life challenges to bless the lives of others.  Listening to her talk about her job was so inspirational; she had me convinced that I would love to go back to school and get my counseling degree.  The way she talked about the experiences she's had in her profession with clients who are grieving with personal loss of loved ones, of their  deterioriating health, of fighting cancer and the hope and understanding that she gets to give, was touching.

We sat and talked about her life and the process of her losing her vision over her teenage years and into her early twenties, the day she couldn't drive anymore, and the way she looks forward to every spring....and wonders if this will be the last time she will see the flowers that she plants in her garden.

Over her lifetime her vision has gradually faded and at some point she will wake up and not be able to see anything.

As much as this is not something that she is looking forward to, she went for a time completely blindfolded to face that inevitable fear, to stare that tiger in the face and not back down.  After that experience she decided that she would be able to handle her biggest fear. 

Becky's husband went to great lengths in their new home to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt walking around her own house.  He had custom flooring put into each room so that she would be able to tell by her feet what room she was in, he had all of the corners of the walls rounded so that she wouldn't walk into them with her face, he raised the cupboards so that if they were left open she wouldn't walk into them.  I love the dynamic between the Becky and her husband...the friendship, mutual admiration, concern, and love...

Becky hasn't let anything stop her.  While most people with failing or failed vision essentially give up on living a full life, Becky has embraced it.  She is an entrepreneur with her own marriage and family therapy practice, she tandem bikes with her sweet husband in marathons across the country, she gardens, she's raised two children (and managed that without driving a car), and so much more. 

Becky's disease is called Retinitis Pigmentosa.  To learn more about Becky and how you can help fight blindness go to the following websites:  www.fightblindness.org  ; www.blindness.org  ; www.wardelfamily.blogspot.com  and to keep up with Cricket:  www.cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com 

Both times I got to be with Becky were a gift to be able to see her life and the way she smiles and laughs and makes the best of every aspect of her life.

true. LIFE.

progress.

Our builder, Matt Swyt of Alluring Homes,  is building our home in record time and the quality is wonderful.  He sends us a picture every week of the progress.  The picture above is the one he sent us at the end of last week.  The pictures below are the ones he sent us in the middle of this week.  He just sent us an email saying that the rough plumbing and HVAC are being completed. 

At first we were on a time table to have our house sometime in October.  Then it moved up to September.  When we received our contract info it said that our home was going to be done at the end of August.  We talked to Matt a little later and found out that it will be done at the beginning of August. 

I'm so excited to get to be part of the process from a distance with Matt sending us pictures each week.  Our house just seems to be going up so quickly, it's fun to see!

I can't wait to get out there and see it in person.  We're moving from an 1800 square foot house to a 2700 square foot house with a sitting room upstairs and all kinds of fun stuff.  The land is a 1/2 an acre mostly filled with a forest in t he back, which is just what we've wanted in a yard for the kids. 

fun. LIFE.

So all of you consistent, fat burning people....

I posted here and had a lot of people want to get off their booties.   So...don't wimp out on me now!  

Every Monday I will give hints and tips to help you out and also a little push to take it to the next level.  Make sure to comment and tell me what you think!

I'll also be starting a contest for those that are inspired more by contests....

I'm thinking that Monday could be our check in day.  In the comments post how you are doing.  How many days you got to go walking, how long, if you kept your commitment to yourself to walk at least 20 minutes 6 days a week and if you're leaving food on your plate.  You can let us know if you did more or less and any tidbits of help you want to offer to everyone.  If you have a recipe that you think is a great one you can send it to me at davina@davinafear.com and I'll feature it here on the blog.  If you have a picture of you and/or the recipe, send that too (if you don't have one that's okay).  Make sure you send your info, name, blog address, etc. so I can make sure to let people know who you are.

Move it Monday.  Make sure you're moving your body every day and then telling us about it every Monday.  I can't wait to hear how everyone is doing at being consistent.  Remember that's the most important...just do something.  Move. Everyday.

So...I walked everyday but Sunday since I posted.  I've also eaten smaller portions and then left some food on my plate.  Except when I went to Noodles and Company...I totally ate it all before I realized that I didn't leave any food on my plate...I did order the small though, instead of the regular (that's what I usually get...).  So I'm becoming more aware of what I'm eating so that's a good thing, right? 

Even though it was cold enough to make my eyes water this morning I still went for my 20 minute walk this morning....I'm committed!

I'm down 3 1/2 pounds...not sure if that means anything at this point....

So how are you doing?  Tell us in the comments!  It's check in day....(And don't forget to send recipes or helpful tidibits to me so I can feature you on the blog!) 

****NOTE:  Make sure to be posting in the comments if you want to be part of the upcoming contest!****

move. LIFE.