Our Story

We’re so glad you’ve found our little corner of the internet where we share what we are learning everyday about faith, family, and health.

As a family of five, including three young children, we are a little bit wild but are loving every minute of our sweet life. We want to share everything we know, including how to grow, harvest, prepare, preserve and share the flavor and beauty of the world. Come along with us as we make the world a sweeter place one table at a time.

My Story

Read my backstory so that you can feel comfortable joining me for the stories to come. I was born and have been raised in Utah, and have chosen to stay here with my family, near the families of both my husband and me. It is such a beautiful place to stay with the city and nature so close together. Our home is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with a view of the Great Salt Lake that makes for sensational sunsets. I often joke with my husband that I would love just a little more land, only an acre or three. His response: he would never see me inside the house. I know it’s true. For now we’re content, and my hands are full with little children and the yard we have.

We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although we don’t speak for The Church in any way, I will share my personal testimony along with scriptures and words of modern-day prophets and apostles as they impact me, especially related to health and nutrition.

Education

In college, I studied nutrition and the human body, and after graduating from Utah State University (USU) became a Registered Dietitian. I have always been intrigued by the complexities and resiliency of the human body. There is always more to learn with new studies being published that enhance our knowledge of the human body, nutrition, and disease prevention.

My favorite job just happens to be my very first job as a dietitian. Working with Food $ense, a part-time position at USU, enabled me to help others learn how to make simple lifestyle changes by simply adding nutrient-dense foods into their lives. I firmly believe that you and I can always find good foods and activities to add to our lives. My co-workers and I were able to see real change in people’s lives as they made small changes to their food and lifestyle habits. This real change is possible for you too!

A few years ago, I began pursuing a new passion: learning to grow and sell flowers to florists. Along with growing the plants came time spent learning the art of floral design. I’ve found both aspects of flowers, the growing and the designing, to be so fulfilling to my creative needs. Through this process, I’ve become so much more aware of and grateful for the beauty of the world in which we live. 

Gardening, especially combining food and flowers, brings me joy. The best part is working alongside my children, noticing them actually enjoying it. I watch them take chunks out of tomatoes and devour all the raspberries before we make it inside. In my pursuit of growing the best flowers, I learned more about regenerative agriculture and now know that growing my own food organically while supporting a healthy ecosystem is priceless. Can I manifest my dream of buying land near my home to teach others the beauty of being a steward of the earth? One day, I know I’ll have a huge garden with room to grow everything my heart desires, but for now, I’m content to work with you to transform our yards into our own personal oasis.

Although I began my education with Western Medicine, I have added to my knowledge by learning more about Eastern Medicine. There is a wealth of invaluable information and countless ways to support the body, from foot zoning to adaptogens and herbs, and even the amazing properties of salt. Most recently, I took a course on foot zoning, becoming a practitioner. From this course and other studies, I have loved learning about the four bodies: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

Health

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started experiencing small health issues, as I’m sure many of you have as well. For example, I no longer enjoy running because my knees start to hurt after I run. I attribute this to many issues, ranging from the simple fact that I know I need to strengthen my quads and stretch more often to the more complex issue of having Morton’s Neuroma.

Along with knee pain due to foot issues, I found out after having my children that I’ve got the gene for Hashimoto’s Disease. This was several years ago, and thankfully, I didn’t have to start any medications or have any procedures done. For some reason, I didn’t think much about my thyroid after that experience. Looking back now, I wonder why I didn’t immediately start researching how to nourish and strengthen my thyroid to prevent needing lifetime medication(s) or procedures.

While at an annual checkup a few years later, my bloodwork indicated my thyroid needed a little help. The thought of taking medication every day for the rest of my life seemed daunting and very undesirable, even with immediate family members who have taken thyroid medication for years. I hope I’m not the only one who would feel unhealthy if I have to take a pill for the rest of my life. I’m grateful for one amazing endocrinologist who is willing to listen and support me in my pursuit to naturally bolster my thyroid with the use of adaptogens and diet.

Family

Along with Mr. and me feeling the pains of aging despite being very young at heart, I’ve recently seen my children going through some health issues. The worst by far has been Little Miss, who got bouts of hives all over her face. 

If you’ve ever had a child with an allergic reaction, you know how miserable you both are as you try to help them stay comfortable and not itch. At the same time, you avoid letting them see you become emotional because it’s so hard for you to watch. It feels like we tried everything. Nothing helped, from calamine lotion to oat baths to ice packs. You know it’s serious when the television doesn’t distract them.

For us, it’s at least a week of itching. It starts slowly over a day and a night, worsening with more red and itchy spots spreading over the face for the next day or two. Next thing you know, their face is puffy to the point they don’t look like your little girl anymore. Rightfully so, they beg not to go to school even after they get a steroid and the itching stops because the other kids might laugh at their splotchy, puffy face. Once it’s finally cleared up, you’ve missed a week of school, and you’re not even sure what caused it in the first place. Have you ever experienced this, or something similar?

After our first experience of an allergic reaction, I set up an appointment with an allergist where I learned the basics of allergies and confirmed that she reacted initially to the bee propolis that I sprayed in her throat prophylactically. In a period of four months, we went to the Instacare three times for her allergies. The third time I had no idea it was even due to allergies because it began to affect her eyes rather than her skin. This entire time I reached out to the allergist, there was little they could (or were willing to?) do. Thankfully, we haven’t had this issue as frequently, although it still pops up occasionally. It was either a miracle from God or a foot zone of the liver and salt bricks that helped her clear her most recent reaction, for which I’m very grateful. We still have no idea what the cause is, but we’ve found some things that have helped us.

All of my own personal health issues and my children’s health issues, which are always my biggest motivator, have led me to action. I’ve been learning more about growing and harvesting my own adaptogens, fermenting foods, and using foot zones to help support our body as a few ways to supplement the help I receive through Western Medicine.

Why

I’m writing and sharing this journal for several reasons. First, it helps me remember what I’ve learned and helps me process information more deeply. By spending more time in the material, both reading to comprehend and teach, then compiling my thoughts into this journal, I will deepen my understanding through my pondering on the subject. My hope is that I’ll learn how to prevent and relieve the health problems that my family and I experience by improving our natural defenses and having options to help us when we do get sick.

My second reason is that I love to share my knowledge and experiences. Posting my journal to a website is an easy, inexpensive way to do so. Anyone who wishes to learn more alongside me is welcome as we all strive to help ourselves, our family, and loved ones live the most joy-filled, healthiest lives possible. This is a relatively safe space to share my thoughts and experiences. I hope you’re willing to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences with me and the rest of our friends here.

Will you join me?