Travel Planning.

 Did you know that planning a trip is good for your mental health?  The actual going on the trip has no impact on your mental health.  Just kidding...it also is good for you, but if you plan a trip and don't actually go on the trip, you still reap mental benefits.  It's true.  Science.  

Dopamine, the brain's feel-good chemical, is produced while you are planning. Anticipation through planning makes the dopamine flow and you feel good.  You should try it sometime.  (Also, check out these articles explaining this phenom: The Transformative Power of Travel on the Brain,  and How Planning a Trip Can Improve Your Mental Health. )

Right now I am in the middle of three trip-planning dopamine flushes.  It can be overwhelming and exhausting but is totally worth it.

Trip one will be to Wisconsin to see the family.  We will make our annual stops at Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, and The Corn Palace.  Routine and repetition also help the brain. My son loves this routine, and interestingly enough, he is also one who experiences occasional anxiety. You can also read about how going to familiar places helps bring comfort here: The Comfort of Familiarity: What Happens in Our Minds When We Return to Familiar Places?

The ice cream is always tasty too!

We are also planning an epic road trip adventure with my sister via the shortcut through Oklahoma on our way back to Utah.  E got a National Parks Passport and is looking forward to getting stamps, like this one:

And last but not least, we are headed to Disneyland this summer.  This has been a dream of ours. I didn't realize how much Reub wanted to take the kids.  I think he has fond memories from his childhood going with his family.  I don't remember much of Disneyland.  I was there when 12, and it will be fun to see my own kids experience the magic.

I will keep reaping the dopamine benefits as we plan and experience these fun trips this summer.

Oh My Garden!

I have officially made it to older lady status.  I find great joy in my garden.  This year, we decided to get some new dirt.  Big Yellow Bag creates perfectly formulated garden soil for your area(if you are lucky to have a location near you).  I have a friend in my neighborhood who gets The Big Yellow Bag delivered to her driveway every year, and I have noticed how beautiful her flowers are in her front yard.  I also have seen how generous she is with her vegetables every year.  She has a garden that produces!  Our garden has not been the best the past few years and it was time to change it.  We are cheapskates so we brought the truck north to Salt Lake City and saved about fifty dollars without the delivery fee.  

Words don't need to describe how well this miracle soil has worked, here are pictures:

The Squash Box: Pumpkins and Cucumbers

Tomatoes and Peppers

Pole Beans

Flowers Galore!

This city girl has a bit of the farm still running through her veins.  The beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and carrots(pictured below) were all planted from seed.  The soil makes all the difference! Thank heavens for Big Yellow Bag! This little garden makes my soul happy. 

And bonus Pumpkin and Pepper pics.  I actually picked the first pepper today!

Turn to Light

 

My garden is a magical place.  The past few weeks I have noticed something happening during the day.  In the morning my sunflowers face toward the East, in the evening, they are facing toward the West.  They follow the light of the sun.

The Bible talks much about light.  In Psalms 27:1 it reads: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Our source of light is Jesus Christ. He is who we should be following. His perfect example of love and compassion is the way.

Isaiah urges us to: "...walk in the light of the Lord" Isaiah 2:5.

I like that my sunflowers remind me each day to remain focused on the light and that light is the Son! I want to be a Sonflower!

When we try to be more focused on The Savior, we find a peace and comfort that we cannot find anywhere else in this very distracted world.  

Hope you were able to have a restful Sunday(Sonday) today.

Sports are awesome, but can break your heart!

If you are reading this, you probably know two things about me.  First, I love sports.  Basketball was one of my coping mechanisms as a kid.  I spent hours on my driveway court, shine or snow.  Back in the day, my mom took me to a Harlem Globetrotter game and I was in heaven.  I had a blast and wanted to be a Globetrotter.

The second thing you probably know about me is that I love baseball.  It is so much a part of me that I think my white blood cells may look like baseballs!  Well, if you haven't heard about the Savannah Bananas yet, you are missing out.  I will share a link at the end of this post to allow you to enjoy a small glimpse of how amazing that team is.  They are the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball (with a little bit of the circus mixed in)and I love them.  

I was excited to learn they were coming to Salt Lake this fall, and I got myself into the ticket lottery.  I was hopeful that my name would be picked and I would be able to take my family to the game in August, but...

dreams do not always come true. The Bananas are so popular right now that tickets are hard to come by. It will have to go back into a dream.  For now, I will have to enjoy clips online and keep dreaming of the day I get to be a Banana supporter.  Enjoy this small clip from when the Bananas were at Fenway Park:

If you are excited to know more about how The Bananas started check out this clip:

Fantastic Favorites Friday.

 I love music.  I cannot be in silence very long.  Music speaks to my soul and it makes me feel calm.  I love live music as well.  I was fortunate to attend Sarah McLachlan's concert in Salt Lake City last night.  I debated going for months, tried to get cheap tickets on Livenation.com, and eventually talked myself out.  I looked for last minute tickets because I was worried I would miss out if I didn't go.  I found reasonable resale tickets and jumped on it, telling my friend: "We are getting out butts of the couch and going out."

And I am so glad I did.

1994: I was a junior in high school. How is it 30 years ago?

Yesterday the temperature was hot, but by the time Sarah took the stage, it was perfection.  The clouds and sunset were an ideal backdrop for amazing vocals and talented musicians.  I was impressed with how good McLachlan sounded live.  Her range is brilliant and to my ears: candy. Her bad is also filled with expert accompanists. 

I was brought back into my teens and early twenties and reminded of how much I love this music. My brain instantly had lyrics and I was singing along.  Music is therapy and it felt so good to be out there and enjoying such a treat. 

I cannot pick a favorite song from last night.   The good feelings were there from start to finish, all two hours and forty-five minutes of melody and harmony.  

No one song could be the favorite, they were all wonderful, but there is one thing that stood out as my favorite: Smiles.  Sarah McLachlan smiles so much when she is singing.  You can tell that she loves performing and delights in being surrounded by a crowd.  She also said thank you multiple times, as she chatted about each song's meaning.  Her humility and soft demeanor made me feel comfortable and a needed part of that venue's community.

What a wonderful smile and what a wonderful concert I won't soon forget.