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Monthly Archives

October 2021

    Church of Jesus Christ!, Inspiration

    Why does God make us do hard things?

    MY EXPERIENCE THROUGH TRIAL AND ADVERSITY

    Thank you to @foxandpebble for letting me share this beautiful depiction of Jesus Christ. You can find her work here.

    I’ve been home from my mission for TWO YEARS NOW! Yet-I am still having the same struggles I did when I walked off that plane and hugged my parents. Sometimes I regret going on my mission because maybe if I didn’t go, I wouldn’t have the issues that I have today. However, I know that’s not true. God knew I was going to struggle with Anxiety. He also knew that I was going to have a lot of gut issues-and not going on a mission wouldn’t have prevented them from appearing in my life.

    There are so many questions that are constantly going in and out of my mind. Do I really have to be eating gluten free? Why do I out of all people have to struggle like this? Why can’t Heavenly Father just make my pain go away? What’s wrong with my body? Do I have some rare disease that doctors don’t even know about? Why are all of my tests/labs coming back normal when I don’t feel myself? I don’t feel healthy, so what’s wrong? Is it all in my head? Why won’t the doctors believe me? These are questions I have recently thought, and they all leave me hanging in frustration, doubt and more fear.

    Let me tell you-I’m just SO sick of living in a state of panic and fear. I can’t let it consume me any longer. It affects my quality of life and when I think about it it makes it harder for it to ever go away. That’s the cruel part about anxiety. It really consumes you, especially after you try to make it go away on it’s own. Then it just wants to linger even longer.

    So here is my reminder to myself and to the world that MY FEELINGS ARE REAL. YOUR FEELINGS AND CHALLENGES ARE REAL. THEY ARE 100% VALID and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I am aware that my trials suck, that my anxiety sucks, but I will NOT let anxiety rule my life or define my actions. Life in general is hard. I have gone through so many hard things. BUT I make it through them every single time.

    I made it through my mission! I made it through the feelings of homesickness, fear, sickness, anxiety uncomfortable growing, etc.

    I have made it through a global pandemic-and a year full of earthquakes, power outages, no church, and quarantines. (@2020)

    I have made it through so many changes: moving to college, working several different jobs, moving into new apartments, getting married, buying a house, starting my own business, changing colleges, etc.

    I made it through college. I made the deadlines, survived the tests, did the work and lived to tell the tale.

    I have survived losing loved ones. I lost my sweet Grandma last November, and then my sweet mission companion this summer. Experiencing loss for the first time so close to home was such a challenge-and still is.

    I have made it through every single bad moment, day, week, and month so far. & each time I have come out a stronger and better person.

    As far as my diagnosis for my health issues goes-it’s all in God’s hands now. I came home faithfully from my mission after suffering and trying my hardest to be a disciple of Christ and I have since desperately hoped that God would give me answers. However, I am learning that the answers we seek for in life don’t typically come in the timeframe or way that we want them to. In fact, I have learned that I have to have the faith to accept the fact that there might not be an answer in this life. However, God does assure us that answers will come.

    I don’t always feel this way, but deep down I KNOW that these things are true. I KNOW that God loves me. I KNOW that he wants me to be happy. I KNOW that he doesn’t like to see me suffer, but it’s part of my growing process. We are here on earth to LEARN and to GROW! If we wished the hard times away we wouldn’t get the opportunity to become clean and pure like the Savior is. Growing pains allow us to become perfected even as he is. It allows us to

    So for now the only thing left for me to do is TRUST IN HIM. Trust that he will lead me to where I need to be, and that this suffering will be but for a small minute. As God himself quoted to a suffering, young Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;” Although it might not feel like a small moment, I have great faith in knowing that even in this moment, Our Savior is there and he WANTS us to feel peace in this very moment.

    REMEMBER GOD LOVES YOU! & YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!

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    Lifestyle, Travel & Fun

    What you need to know about Disney World & Food Allergies

    When Drew and I got married, we had to go straight into a new semester and back to our jobs. With that in mind, we never got a honeymoon! So, 5 months after being married, we headed off to Florida to celebrate what Drew calls our “money-moon” because we spent A LOT of money-especially at Disney World! Was all of that money worth it? 100%! Neither of us had been to WDW before, and we are so grateful we were able to experience the Disneyworld magic together!

    However, I was SOOOO nervous about whether or not I would be able to find places to eat. So today I am going to share some of my best tips I have for anyone who struggles with food allergies/sensitivities and want to go to Disney!

    1. DISNEY IS THE MOST ALLERGY FRIENDLY PLACE ON EARTH! Not only is Disney the Happiest place on earth-they are by far the most accommodating when it comes to food allergies! Every single place we went to eat had a separate Allergy Menu Created! Isn’t that amazing? They also have a chef come up to you so you can talk to them about your specific allergies and concerns. This made my allergy heart so happy!
    2. SKIP THE MOBILE APP Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many restaurant online offer mobile takeout only. HOWEVER, if you have allergies, you are totally exempt from this! Simply walk up to a cast member and let them know that you have food allergies, and they will direct you to a register where you can order safe food and speak with the chef. I felt like royalty getting to skip the lines and get to order in person!
    3. BRING SAFE SNACKS! I don’t think my husband and I would have survived the heat if we hadn’t brought a pile of Gluten Free snacks! I was able to stash some Gluten Free Pretzels, Fruit Leather, Granola Bars, Applesauce, etc. all in my bag along with a water bottle so that we would stay sane! It also helped us not spend as much money in the parks on overpriced food!
    4. BOOK RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS BEFORE HAND! Planning ahead is the #1 thing I wish I would have done on this trip. Mostly all of the highly rated Disney Dining restaurants were already booked when we got there. We were on several waitlists-but never actually got accepted into the restaurants. You can book reservations ahead of time on the app, or on the Disney website!
    5. BOOK A HOTEL WITH A KITCHEN! This is a MUST for me whenever I travel. I do not trust hotel breakfast lobbies to provide me allergy friendly food. With that in mind, I always book an Airbnb or a hotel room that has a microwave, and a fridge. That way-bare minimum, I can go to the store and buy some fruit, oatmeal, etc. This works for me, but of course I encourage you to find something that works for you! We all have different preferences and needs. This is just something that makes my life easier while travelling.

    I hope these tips help you feel more confident and ready to take on Disney with Food Allergies! It’s 100% doable, and worth every penny. Please don’t stress! Just prepare ahead, as you already are by reading this post and you will have a magical time!

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    Gluten Free, Recipes, Vegan

    The Perfect GF Chocolate Chip Muffins

    Not only are these muffins Gluten Free-they are vegan and free from the top 8 allergens!

    INGREDIENTS:

    1 cup Milk of choice (I have used coconut, 1%, and lactose free milk and all work well)

    1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

    2 cups of Gluten Free Flour (Namaste, Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, Grandpa’s Kitchen)

    2 1/2 tsp. of Baking Powder

    1/4 tsp. of Baking Soda

    Cinnamon to Taste

    A pinch of Salt

    3/4 Cup Sugar

    1/4 cup of Vegetable Oil (I have used coconut and olive oil, and they work, it just makes the muffins a slightly different texture)

    2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

    Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips-Free from the Top 10 Allergens. Add to your taste preference!

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees
    2. Line muffin tin with cooking
    3. In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar together. Let it sit until it has curdled.
    4. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
    5. Add all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
    6. Add chocolate chips to taste!
    7. Bake for 15-18 minutes
    8. Enjoy!

    I usually make a bunch and put them in the freezer so I can have an easy breakfast or snack! Let me know what you think!

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