Festival of Lights

My favorite things to do is something I've never done.  Literally.  I love trying new things!  Or going new places, or experiencing something new, or learning about a new [fill in the blank].  It doesn't matter the time of year, the company or where it is, I just love it!

Most recently, I headed down to Spanish Fork, UT with some friends for Diwali - Festival of Lights at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple. 

This is the same place that hosts Holi - Festival of Colors every March (see this post for some great pics from Holi).  This festival is not as popular as the Festival of Colors, but it was very interesting to me.  Below is some information about it.

The Tradition
Diwali is a shortened version of Deepawali (deepa=lamps, wali=row: rows of lamps). Households in India put lamps in every window, and temples brightly illuminate their altars to bring in the best for the upcoming year. The date of the festival coincides with the return of the avatar of God, Sri Rama, to His ancestral kingdom after 14 years of exile and many adventures. All the citizens welcomed Rama home by brightening up his home city of Ayodhya and setting off fireworks.

The Festival of Lights occurs during the lull between fall harvests and the onset of the monsoons. Thus it is a time of thanksgiving, and that corollary festival is called Anna Kuta (literally meaning “heaps of food”). Lord Krishna inaugurated this festival by inspiring the inhabitants of His village (Vrndavan) to worship the cows on this one day per year and to prepare a huge celebratory feast consisting of no less than 108 preparations.

Guests are encouraged to prepare vegetarian dishes at home (without onions or garlic) and bring them to the temple to augment the devotional offerings. Optionally, one could bring fruits, or flowers.

We didn't take any food offerings, nor did we arrive in time for the cow worshiping.  But, we did arrive in time to see some  

classical Indian dancing...

I didn't take any pictures myself because I didn't want to be obnoxious

the lighting of the lamps and wishes for the new year which each person placed in the pond as they made their wish... 

and of course the fireworks!

It was really fun for me to experience this celebration.  I think it is important to understand other religions and respect the things they believe.  The more I learn about other beliefs, the more I can appreciate the people who believe it, and the better I am for it!

"We...have a great responsibility and opportunity to show to others our love and tolerance and respect to those who believe in other faiths. This attitude makes friends out of  strangers..."    -Gerald E. Jones

Ready, Set, Jump!

That's right my friends.  After at least three years of saying I wanted to do this, I finally took the plunge..er..uh...flight!

Yep, I went skydiving!  My friend, James, needed to get in a few more jumps this month to keep his certification current, so I decided to tag along.  After all, this was a Bucket List item for me!

 Gearing up!

 Climbing aboard the small plane

 If you notice the altimeter, you can see that it says 12.8, which means we were 12,800 feet in the air when we jumped!  Crazy!

I'm pulling the cord to open the parachute here

 Coming in for an insanely smooth landing.  About 0 mph wind that afternoon

Phil (instructor) and me.  I made it back to land safely, despite my now-crazy hairdo!

For a more in depth look, here's a sweet video!

COPS

Have you ever seen a live drug bust?  After last night, I can say that I have.  And not just those times when you see a bunch of cop cars with handcuffed guys sitting on the hood of the cars.  I'm talking about THE WHOLE SHEBANG! 

Here's the story.

I was driving home from my evening CNA class in Murray.  It was about 10:15pm.  I typically choose not to fill up my car this late at night, but I knew I didn't want to think about it in the morning when I would be hurrying to work.  So, I stopped at 7-11 on 4800 S. State Street (not the smartest/safest thing this late, I know).  There were a couple other cars at pumps so I had to pull around a car to get to the available front pump.  I'm now sitting halfway in my car, with the driver door wide open and my legs out the side while waiting for the pump to finish.  I see a K-9 Cop truck zoom up to the opposite side of my pump.  The driver flew in and parked so quickly I wondered what was going on.  I'd seen this truck a couple times already... I was behind it on State Street before I turned into the gas station and then I'd seen it pull through the station once already.  What was going on?

As I turned to look behind me, I realized there were already 10 cop cars parked with their flashing lights brightening the station!  I counted them, so this is an honest number.
There were probably 6-7 men and women standing around two cars with their hands in the air.  I have a clear view of several cops with their guns out, aimed at these alleged criminals.  After only a split second, the K9 cop was out of his truck with his police dog and passing between MY pump and the pole next to it.  This guy was literally next to my car!!! I could hear the cop say to his dog, "Watch him...watch him.  Keep you eyes on the guy in the black."  That dog was ready to pounce at the earliest command!  His back legs were straight, his head up watching the guy in the black for any quick movement, ready to just go!

Are you kidding me?  I am seriously seeing this go down? Yep.

I probably have the only citizen view possible during this showdown.  The station parking lot is a pretty small one and the 10 Cop vehicles have filled almost all available asphalt, with the exception of my car.  In fact, I had helped block in the two drug cars.  Go me!

Then I heard the mega phone. "Red shirt, down on your knees.  Crawl this way."  I watch the guy in the red shirt crawl to the opposite side of his pump where he was handcuffed and pulled back up to his feet.  The mega phone again, "Step out of the car with your hands in the air."  Oh my gosh, this is just like the show COPS!  The car door opened and I see two hands peek out above the frame.

Its probably only been 1-2 minutes at the most.  So much has happened and so many thoughts have run through my head in such a quick time.  Should I take a picture with my phone?  Would there be legal reprocusions if I did? ... What if gunfire starts and I'm sitting here halfway out of my car?  What if my car gets hit and the pump is still in the side of it? ... These 'criminals' are staring at me ...  Man, where did all these cops come from? ... Should I just leave?

Final thought.  I should leave.  I get out of my car (yet another dumb idea) to put the pump back on the handle and get my receipt.  I get back in my car, turn it on and pull away.  As I drove away, I realized just how dumb I was.  Who in their right mind gets OUT of their car when guns are pointed at people?  That was stupid.  But its what I did. 

I have no idea how many arrest were made last night, or where all those cops had stashed themselves or how they simultaneously appeared out of what seemed like thin air.  I figure they had been tipped off and were waiting in alleys, on the side of State, in the parking lot behind the gas station that services Desert Star Play house.  They could have been anywhere just waiting for the deal to go down so they could attack!

I felt like I was smack dab in the middle of a COPS episode.  Everything in that show is apparently real.  The phrases they use, their tactics, their precautions.  It was freaking awesome!  Overall, I'm just glad I made it home safe and have a rad story to tell. 

Hope your week has been just as exciting! :)
xoxo, Rachel

30 Day Challenge

I dare you to....

Try something new for 30 days.  The time will pass anyway.  Why not make it memorable?

I found this website, http://www.ted.com/, "IDEAS WORTH SPREADING."  Talk about great movivational speeches all in the same location!  This particular video stuck out to me as I am continually trying to do/learn/experience new things.  We've all heard that doing something 20 times creates a habit.  Well, who would have thought that doing something new 30 times will send you on a path of trying new things and challenging yourself for the rest of your life?  I didn't until I watched this video.  But now thinking back on the idea, I can, in fact, testify to it.  Last summer when I did my weekly "Something New" challenge, it put me on the path to doing new things for the rest of my life.  I've accomplished so many exciting things since then.  It helped me create a zest for life!

Now repeat with me...

I will take this challenge.  For the next 30 days I will... [insert challenge here].

As for my challenge? I will take a picture each day and post it here for you to see my progress.  I plan to find something meaningful, beautiful, or even a new type of photograph I've never done.  I've always said I wanted to be better at taking pictures.  I even went as far as buying a nicer camera (do I know how to use it well yet? No.)  Here's my chance!

What is your challenge?

I'll Try Anything Once

Today on ksl.com, I saw a new segment titled "I'll Try Anything Once."  So far, they've sung live on-air, paraglided, and did a high ropes course.  Here's a clip from their excursion paragliding.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Watching these segments got me thinking... maybe its time to resurrect my "Something New" challenges again. 
However, I've got a lot on my plate for the summer so it can't be as often as it was last year, maybe only once a month.  And, I think I'll retitle it "Your IQ Demands It" in honor of my late Grandma (see my explantion to the right).

It makes life so much more exciting to do new things all the time!

Remember when I tried paragliding too? Oh, it was amazing!

What would you like to see me try this summer?

CONQUERED!

13.1 Miles

2 hours 36 minutes (unofficial time, of course)

And I never once stopped running!

I didn't train as well as I had hoped, but it was enough to get me through the race.  The Ogden Marathon is a very beautiful course and extremely well organized.  This is one I would definitely do again!

sprinting to the finish line

The Parkinson family was so hospitable letting me stay at their home last night.  They even made the trek to Ogden this morning to see me come in.

It was a beautiful day for running!

My brother-in-law, Doug, also ran the half...but much faster than me!

Fish Spa

My preparations for Malaysia found me looking up things do to on TripAdvisor.com.  I knew we'd be spending a few days helping to unpack and babysit the kids so I had a small list of "must do" items and a longer list of things to do if we had time.  My must do list looked like this.

Must do

Fish Spa

Yep, that was it.  Just the fist spa.  So when my brother teasingly said he knew where the fish spa was, I surprised him that I actually wanted to go. I had even convinced my sister to go with me on the basis that her "IQ Demands It!"  (Thank you Grandma for the greatest excuse EVER!)

Well, we found it, stuck our feet in a fish tank for 30 minutes and followed it up with a foot reflexology massage for 60 minutes.  It was by far the most exotic thing I've ever done, and totally a great afternoon!

Ready for some pics?

 

Batu Caves

The Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples.  It's about 8 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, which is about a half hour drive (assuming you don't get lost like we did!).  Its name comes from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill.  The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India.

 

272 steps to the cave

39 more steps inside

311 steps total (up, then again on the way down)

And, they were super steep!

Because the cave is an active Hindu temple, there were all sorts of shrines throughout the whole place. Additionally, we saw a bunch monks and worshipers.

And of course, monkeys!

It was so incredibly hot when we got back down to the base, drinks were a must.

So what do you drink when you're in Souteast Asia?

Coconut Water!

We actually didn't love it so much, but its what we bought so we kept drinking it.  Its a good "IQ Demands It" sorta thing.  Check that off my list of things to do in life!

Christmas

This year was an "on" year for our family during Christmas.  Unfortunately for me, the siblings now have old enough children that they all prefer to do Christmas morning at their own homes.  This would leave me and the 'rents only.  Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but Christmas without kids is only so fun for so many years.  But... this year my brother and his family are between homes (more specifically between countries) over the holidays so we had a few more bodies for Christmas morning! 

But, before the awesome pics from Christmas morning, let me humor you with something totally awesome from Christmas Eve!  Because of the "on" year, we had a big Christmas Eve dinner, complete with a crown roast, unique stuffing, delectable salads, mashed potatoes, and my dun... dun... dun... cherpumple.

Success!
Can you believe I finally pulled it off after a mere 3 tries?

 

Sadly, the two hours following my successful construction were spent eating dinner and chatting.  During this time, the weight of the two top layers took out the bottom layer so you can only see the top two in the above picture.  Regardless, it was totally awesome!  Probably not worth the time, but awesome nevertheless!

I would maybe consider a "pumple" again in the future, but not all three layers.

For all you ambitious chefs our there that might possibly want to make this, or part of it, here is how you do it.

1. Bake frozen pies as directed on the box.

2. Let cool really long.  For instance, put in the fridge over night.  This avoids loosing the pie during the cake transfer.  Trust me...

3. Mix the cake batter just as directed on the boxes.  You can make a combination of any that you prefer.

4. Cover the bottom of a greased 9" round cake pan (extra high sides) with cake batter.  Carefully transfer the cooled pie into the cake pan, without the tin of course, and pour a layer of cake batter over the top.

5. Bake the cake for 1.5 hours at 345 degrees.  TAKES FOREVER!

6. Let cool, or better yet, put in freezer to solidify.

7. Carefully remove from cake pans and stack using cream cheese frosting between layers and around the edges.

8. Cut soon and serve your awesomeness!

Next post, the legit Christmas pics.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Love, Rachel

Kitchen Successes & Failures

Wow!  Has it really been almost a month since my last post?  A lot sure has happened since then.

First, you should all know that I got released from being Relief Society President in my ward.  It was a long, but fantastic 2 years!  Now I get to relax a little.  Haha, who am I kidding?  This is me we're talking about it!  It only took one week before I'd completely filled my life with new adventures.  There is just something about feeling productive and busy that makes me happy.

On my list of new adventures, I decided it was time to try honing in on my cooking skills.  I've never done a whole lot of cooking for lack of time and desire, but that has changed now.  In Oct/Nov, I spent a couple Saturdays with my mom and sister, Rebecca, and her son, Gus, canning applesauce from our very own Golden Delicious Apple tree in the backyard.  I haven't done any canning since I was a wee child, and let's be honest, I probably didn't do much then either, except maybe create a mess for my mom...

Blueberry sauce and me as a 1 year old probably aren't the best mix :)

This year was different though.  We canned a whopping 40 or so bottles of homemade, perfect applesauce.  It is the most delicious applesauce!  My mom prides herself on the fact she doesn't put ANYTHING in to sweeten or preserve the applesauce.  It is as pure as applesauce can be.  Let me tell you, its the best I've ever hard!

Note: I've chronologically placed my pictures from canning more for my remembrance in future years than anything else...


Step 1: Pick apples            Step 2: Slice the 8 boxes of apples

 

Step 3: Render (or boil down) the apples

 

Step 4: Smash the apples in the cool tool that I can't remember its real title

 

Step 5: Pour into many bottles and place the lids on tight

 

Step 6: Seal the bottles in boiling water, then carefully remove so they don't break



Step 7: Let cool and finish sealing.  Long day, but the taste is worth it!  No added anything, pure applesauce.
Day 1 is complete!

 

Mom and me in the kitchen

 

Gus "washing" the apples.  Aka, dropping them in the water

 

Day 2 finished products, including three cinnamon applesauces


Also on the "Must Bake" list is the incredible Cherpumple. The name stems from a combination of CHERry, PUMpkin and apPLE.  I saw this on msn.com one day and thought it would be fun to try. 
A Cherpumple consists of a Cherry pie baked inside a white cake, a Pumpkin pie baked inside a yellow cake, and an Apple pie baked inside a spice cake.  All 3 layers are to be stacked and cemented together with cream cheese frosting.  In a perfect world, it would look like this.

Apparently someone did have a perfect world, and therefore a perfect cherpumple.  Just not me!

Here is the history of Rachel's Cherpumple attempts

• Attempt #1 - A complete and utter disaster!  Ended with cherry pie filling dripping down the side of the countertop and down my front (reminder: ALWAYS wear aprons!).  Also not where it belonged was the pumpkin pie strewn across the floor and down my mom's front  Sitting on the countertop were two seperate bowls of cake batter, mixed but then untouched, and burnt cupcakes forgotten while cleaning up the pumpkin pie. On the up side, the apple pie was a hit at my FHE Pie Night after I decided to scratch the idea of continuing this cherpumple!
• Attempt #2 - Two weeks later and surrounded by friends for a hilarious night of grilled tri tip dinner and dessert.  My cherpumple came close to awesomeness, but ended in a presentation failure!  Sure tasted good, but the look left much to be desired...and a lot to be cleaned up. 
• Attempt #3 - Has not happened yet.  But, the list of those wanting to see the completed masterpiece is growing.  Before I know it, I'll have the whole ward waiting for the grandiose completion or the comedic destruction of my 'tri-pie' #3.

Documentation of my failure...