Black Heels and an Unfortunate Descent

There I was—in a little black dress and tall black heels.

Walking down the steps of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Serene. Graceful. Elegant.

And then—a heel slid across the polished white marble.

The rollercoaster began. Down I tumbled, legs tangled, arms flailing. And I found myself still sliding down those sleek steps, on my back, wondering when the ride was going to stop.

Well it did—and there I was sprawled across the steps. It wasn’t terribly ungraceful; I mean if you have to slide down a bunch of stairs on your back, I probably did it pretty well. Right?

“Are you okay?” my friend said as she hurriedly tried to pick me up in time to prevent me from receiving further embarrassment as another person rounded the stairway.

I picked myself up and continued on the few stairs left. One of the docents of the building was sitting at the bottom, trying to ignore the fact that I just made a complete fool of myself and allow me to retain my dignity.

But there was no chance of that.

At least I learned something. Completely invaluable. Want to take the speedy route down the stairs? All you have to do is wear heels…

Following the Light of the Sun

I hiked to the top of Mount Timpanogos with some friends this weekend. We set off at one in the morning and hiked by moonlight until we reached the summit. We waited there until the sun rose up from the distant hills and shone its glowing and constant light.

We look pretty happy for not getting any sleep, don't we?!
While we were waiting, someone asked, "Which is better--a sunset or a sunrise?"

Both are beautiful, but I have decided that for me a sunrise is much more beautiful and promising.

It ends the night as it rises from the darkness.
And no matter how dark the night, the sun shines with its radiant light.

We all have or will have times in our life where we will face nights so dark that it may be difficult to remember that there is light or even that the morning will come.

But just as we cannot doubt the reality that the sun will rise in the morning, we cannot doubt that the sun can light a new day in our lives.

We can believe and know that sunlight will come and chase out the darkness.

And isn't the sun just gorgeous? Its light is so illuminating!

I feel that even though at times I feel surrounded by darkness

a sunrise comes into my life.

In his journey across the ocean, Columbus said, "Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."

I'm ready to leave that old world.

I'm ready to let God "turn my darkness into light."
(Psalms 18:28, God's Word Translation)

Because he always does.

I'm ready to greet life's sunrises, its new days, its light!

To Be a Hero

Every little kid wants to be a superhero at some point.
So this past weekend I helped teach a group of children how to be one...and hopefully I learned a few things myself.

The Superhero Training Camp was in Granite Creek, Wyoming. A campground, a waterfall, plenty of trails, hot springs, and the infamous outhouses. It was perfect.

My cousin Caitlin and I were the official Superhero Trainers.

The first day at Superhero Training Camp, we gave each Superheros-in-Training secret identities and told them that their mission was just beginning.

They had much to learn if they wanted to be TRUE superheros.

And of course, what is a superhero without a cape?

And so it began, the rigorous training to become a superhero. Each day, the superheros in training received instructions on how to fulfill their mission as a superhero. The first day they learned how to obtain superhero powers. On the second day they learned how they could use their strength for good. On the third day they learned how they could overcome fear. On the final and fourth day, they learned how they could do ALL things required in their mission as a superhero.

The best part? We had two experienced Superheros who gave their stamp of approval to our work.

By the end of the Superhero Training Camp, we had 12 superheros ready to save the world.

Mission Accomplished!

Just for extra fun, here are Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and our Superhero Cheer.