Jeffrey & Shawnee got married!

My brother just got married to a wonderful girl! It was a simple & beautiful ceremony with just family and a few friends. Our pastor Bill married them. We spent the day together, getting to know each other's families. It was nice that everyone got along well, she has a very nice and down to earth family.

Shawnee & Jeffrey have moved away from Montana to live in Alabama so that they can go to school. My brother has to go there to get the degree he wants; marine biology, so that he can play with algae. :) 

It sucks that they've moved away but I'm happy for them. They're gonna have fun living closer to the beach for a time and then they'll have to move back to the mountains eventually because I don't think they can stay away for too long!

Here are some pictures I took from the wedding day.

this way to plunge!

getting ready

getting ready

smooch!

JUST MARRIED!!!

Making it official

Both families combined

CONGRATULATIONS 

JEFFREY & SHAWNEE ZABOLOTNEY

I love you

a continuous filling

Hello friends. I have just returned from 3 and a half days at the Montana Youth Conference (MTYC) in Eureka Montana.  This is their 4^th year putting this on but the first time I have attended.  I wanted to write about my experience before it left me. I am so thankful for what God has allowed me to see this year. I’ve attended two excellent programs in the past 6 months and it has helped me to remain focused. As you may know, it can be hard to stay focused on Jesus and His work if we are not fully engaged and filled with The Holy Spirit.

Speaking of being filled, that was the theme of this years’ MTYC. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they SHALL be FILLED! Matthew 5:6

A promise from Heaven. If we hunger and thirst after Jesus we will be filled.

This past week was just what I needed to get back on track. I was living day to day and not focusing on Jesus. I was cramming in my Sabbath School lessons on Friday nights and Saturday mornings instead of working on them throughout the week. Granted I’ve been very busy. I’ve spent this past month moving and packing up and entire house with my mom and other family. But that is an excuse and it’s not even a very good one. God should always be first in my life.

So I went to MTYC. If you know me at all you know that I’m a “slow friend maker”. Everyone there either already knew a bunch of people or they came with someone. For the first few days I felt out of place socially but still enjoyed the daily presentations. I forgot to ask God to help me socialize with everyone. I just kept expecting everyone else to do the work. Well by the time Sabbath rolled around I decided that it was going to be a special Sabbath. I asked God to help me and fill me and work in me. And of course he did. I started being more social and opening up a little.

They even did outreach that day and it was the very first time I’d done anything like that. Wow. It was truly a blessing. Nothing obvious to the human eye came of it but it did something for me. We knocked on people’s doors and talked to them… SCARY! But I did it and I praise God for that.

And not only that… I had another triumph. The day I left I had some extra Glow booklets. I stopped at a gas station about 3 minutes after leaving the church. After spending 4 days in the church and with other MTYC youth, walking into a gas station felt like another world. I felt like I was a foreigner in another land. But I had decided that it was going to be the first time I gave out a Glow booklet on my own. I was so scared but God gave me the courage and I did it. I gave it to the clerk… and then ran out of the gas station!!! But I felt so good!

All the way home I prayed. I’d listen to music and talk to God. The whole 4 hour drive home God prompted me every hour to speak with Him. It was amazing. And since returning home He has reminded me to stay connected with Him. I have had my shortcomings as I always do, but I am determined to walk in faith with God and increase my walk daily. Some days have been more difficult than others.

I have also discovered www.audioverse.org. It’s been a blessing. I’m a brain person and I love to learn. I love filling my brain with God’s teachings. The Bible is SO FULL of information! It’s so deep and intricate and I love it! Somehow there is always more to learn.

Well that is all I can write for now. My aim is to continue learning and I hope that I may share some of my thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to share this little story. I’ve been blessed. May God also bless you in your life with what He knows best you need. 

a little bit of skiing

I went skiing at Lost Trail for the second time this year; first time skiing in about 12 years! And I gotta say, I did a pretty good job. I'm not as scared as I used to be. But there are a lot of things I'm not as afraid of anymore. Maybe I'm growing up a little.

It was a little foggy this time around. You can see the mountain just peaking through the fog.

Two kiddos that came with us; their first time skiing off the bunny hill. They did great!

These next few pictures are from the first time I went; as you can see, the sun was out.

Enjoying a bit of sun...

Don't you just love my awesome 80's snow outfit. Got it out of my grandpa's closet!

Beating the Winterland Blues

I was perusing through my Natural Health Magazine that I get for free somehow because of my wonderful (sometimes) brother who is always getting stuff for free... and came across an interesting little article called "win over winter" and they had some little tips for keeping the wintertime blues at bay. The article said they were tips from Scandinavian culture. Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. ways that "prevention is better than any cure", and I SO agree! Eating a healthy diet full of nutrients is better than popping a vitamin pill.

1. Go for a morning walk - I know it's cold, but even a few minutes of AM mild aerobic activity and sunlight can brighten your mood for the whole day and keep you healthy and full of Vitamin D3.
I have read that if there is any pill that you should take, Vitamin D3 is one of them. Vitamin D3 is not the same vitamin D that you get out of milk or in a Calcium pill. It's what you get from sunlight. I've read that Doctors say 1000 iu's is a safe dosage for everyone, but some people need more; you doctor can tell you if you need more.
click to read more on algaecal.com: a whole food source powered by marine algae.

click here to take you to Amazon.com to buy Vitamin D3

2. "During the winter, Swedish cafes set out colorful blankets and pillows to help customers feel at home." (Natural Health mag). It is a coping technique for wintertime called mysig; which basically means cozy. 

Here are some pictures that look mysig to me..

 I would love to cuddle up in this chair with a nice book and a cup o joe.

15house cozy chair

To have your own mysig cafe you could set up your living room with a bunch of colorful pillows and candles. Invite some friends over for a mysig date. Play games or watch movies and wrap up in cozy colorful blankets.

   ....

Here's an interesting video on a Swedish Light Cafe...

click to go to Amazon.com

3. Be a waterbaby - get a quick blast of hot to cold. Like we used to do as kids, get in the hot tub and then jump out and roll around in the snow and jump back in. I guess there was something to all that, we just didn't know! You can get the same thing by alternating hot and cold water in your shower. (Be careful if you're pregnant or have a heart condition!)

4. Use Candles. They create a warm and welcoming environment. Some Sweeds even eat breakfast by candlelight. Sounds welcoming.

..

and of course...

Eat More Kale! - this didn't come from this particular article about winter blues... I just think it's great advice.

out for a stroll

There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.  ~Ruth Stout~

I found these in my grandpa's garage and went for a little walk on the day of our first big snow in the Bitterroot Valley - Montana. It was a lot of fun, my first time snowshoeing... but I was so sore when I got home!

Every mile is two in winter.  ~George Herbert~

Pretty trees I found along my walk

More cool trees covered in snow.

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.

~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.

~Minna Thomas Antrim

Cruel and cold is the judgment of man, Cruel as winter, and cold as the snow; But by-and-by will the deed and the plan Be judged by the motive that lieth below.

Lewis J. Bates

Kale Madness

Kale is a baddass vegetable! It is known as the Queen of Greens & the "healthiest vegetable on the planet". According to webmd: "One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus."

My Mother introduced me to Kale Smoothies

• several leaves of fresh kale
• 1 1/2 banana (frozen works really well because it's like banana ice)
• 1 1/2 cup apple juice or more
• cloves and allspice for an extra kick of flavor

They really just taste like banana and don't have a very strong kale taste. Banana covers up everything. You could even add an apple in there if you liked. This is a fabulous breakfast smoothie. Just what you need for that extra kick of energy in the AM.

Here's a guy that makes tshirts about kale - EatMoreKale.com. He prints his shirts one at a time so you know it's been individually made.

KALE CHIPS

tear/chop up your kale 

put it in a big bowl and toss with olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, 

add chili powder if you like it spicy

I like to also toss up some minced garlic as well

lay it out flat on a pan and toast it on 350 for 10 minutes

You can leave them in a little longer if you like them extra crispy.

Just take one out and test it.

I like to sprinkle mine with lemon or lime juice. It just adds an extra somethin'-somethin'.

You could even sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on there if you wanted. I'll bet that would be fabulous.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post. It's been fun!

Remember...

EAT MORE KALE!

Welcome 2012

It's my first post of two-thousand-and-twelve!

I have nothing to add right now, but if you'd like, please check out my Pinterest Page. There's always new and exciting stuff on Pinterest!