Thoughts From a Frazzled Mind

I had a very interesting and quite spiritual experience this week.  A good friend of mine has had a very difficult decision to make.  She had two choices, both were good choices and either would lead her to a good, happy life, although each path would be quite different from each other thus the destinations would end up totally different.  She had been worrying and stressing over these decisions for weeks.  She has been so stressed that she has not been able to sleep, her stomach has been in constant knots. My friend is a very spiritual person.  She is not of my faith and she does not feel the need for organized religion, but she prays frequently and feels that she has a good relationship with God and Jesus Christ.  She and her husband have been praying fervently for help in making the decision that would be best for her and her family.  When she and I were talking I asked her what she was specifically praying for, I wondered if she was just asking G...

We had a perfect start to our morning!  We headed over to Shear Pleasures for a 90 minute full body deep tissue massage (I know - two massages in a week - I'm getting spoiled!)  It was heaven! Massage Therapists Amy and Dean Shanne's masseuse told her to go right from the salon to see the sights at Ecola, Indian Beach, and Cannon Beach and that is what we did.  OH MY GOODNESS!   I honestly cannot express how incredibly beautiful it was!  I wish that there were some way to describe the sight from Indian Beach. . .the majestic cliffs surrounding the sand beaches with the waves crashing to shore.  It was a sight I will never forget! We went to a fun little place called Cheri's Cafe for lunch.  I really don't like fish, but decided that I would give it a try since I was on the coast.  I ordered a fish sandwich, made with breaded tuna, and it wasn't too bad.  We also had some bread pudding that was heavenly! That night I stay...

Our condo was located right on the beach.  It was so incredibly relaxing to just sit on the beach and listen to the waves.  The wind was blowing just enough to keep the air a brisk temperature, but not bad.  I was continually amazed at the size of the beaches in Oregon, it seemed as though there was miles of sand to get to the water! We spent most of the next day enjoying the beach at Seaside as well as shopping on Broadway at the cute little shops. That afternoon we headed a short way up the highway to Sunset Beach - a place where you could actually drive along the beach.  We drove and drove and drove and never hit the end, although on the north end we did run into a rusted piece of a ship.  The beach went on and on forever!  It was so beautiful! For dinner that night we ate at the Pig N'Pancake (mostly because I loved the name of the restaurant!  The food HAS to be good at a restaurant named Pig N'Pancake - right?)  Later Shanne got her...

Day 3 of our vacation was spent driving down the coast and back.  I believe we saw some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever seen!  I took picture after picture hoping that there was some way to capture the splendor I was seeing, but of course nothing is as good as being there in person. We stopped at Tillamook for some cheese and yummy ice cream.  There we met some fun ladies there having a high school reunion vacation.  They were so fun that we just had to take their picture! At the Waterfront in Newport we saw sea lions, literally less than 10 feet below us.  We had a great time listening to them bark and watching them jump and swim! The sunset was incredible!  We drove up the coast trying to get pictures. We stopped in Lincoln for a fantastic hamburger at McMenamins.  The waiter treated us to "Portland's own natural ketchup - it's gluten free!" The only down side to the whole day was that we didn't notice a sign indicati...

I have always heard that the Oregon Coast has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, so naturally I had a desire to see it!  When the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance.  Shanne and I decided that we needed to use some of my WorldMark credits and treat ourselves to a vacation.  Who could pass up an opportunity like that?  Not me!  Beautiful countryside, beaches, and spending time with Shanne - all the ingredients necessary for a perfect vacation! We took off Saturday morning and flew into Portland.  From the airport we drove up to Multnomah Falls.  WOW!  The falls were absolutely incredible, and when surrounded by the colorful, fall leaves it felt like we were in a gorgeous painting! We then drove to our hotel near the Portland Temple.  After checking in and changing clothes, we headed to the temple for a session.  We got to spend extra time in the chapel while an American Sign Language group went before us. ...

Today I had the opportunity to spend a good portion of the day with my great friend, Shanne , as well as Tammy, Marilyn, and Keri. We had a terrific time! We started off the day at the Weber County Fairgrounds at the scrapbooking sale. Unfortunately Shanne wasn't able to go to the sale with us, but Marilyn, Tammy & I managed to have a good time nonetheless. We got some fun scrappin' supplies and then headed to a little roadside shop that sells all kinds of beautiful wreaths. We still had a little bit of time before we were to meet Shanne and Keri for lunch, so we drove down to "Grandma's Attic" craft boutique in North Ogden. They had some of the cutest ideas for wall decor that I have ever seen! Too bad that I didn't have tons of money, I could have spent a bunch there. After craft shopping, we drove down to Bellas (Molinas) where we met Shanne and Keri. It was a great lunch! Great food, great atmosphere, and great friends. We laughed and talked for hou...