An Afternoon at Temple Square

A few weeks ago we had a pretty busy but excellent weekend. On Sunday we had an early baby blessing of a new niece (Breanna’s daughter Violet) and a baptism later that afternoon (Breanna’s son Joe). It was a gorgeous day so to fill up some of our time we spent a good chunk of the day downtown at Temple Square. It was well worth it as you’ll see below.

Temple, Fuji X-T10, 1/280s, f/11, ISO 200

We started our tour at the conference center for a bathroom stop. We walked into the main room and were quickly seized upon by a missionary volunteer. People are not allowed to wander the building alone. However, she was very willing to take us exactly were we wanted. The kids wanted to see the roof.
After visiting the roof we walked across the street. The square was teaming with the vibrancy of spring life following a cold winter. Trees with new leaves, vibrant spring flowers, blue sky, and nice clouds.
I snagged this photo of the temple with my new camera as we walked into the plaza. I’m very happy with it.

Julie, Fuji X-T10, 1/70s, f/13, ISO 200

We noticed some incredible blossoms near the RS building. I wanted a portrait of Julie but was having trouble getting the light to cooperate until I noticed the huge reflector (RS building itself) on the other side of the trees. Problem solved = incredible light for Julie. Nice! She just needed to brave the eye-piercing light reflected off such a huge white wall.

Flowers, Fuji X-T10, 1/450s, f/13, ISO 200

Here is my take on the spring flowers. I let the strong and direct sunlight light the blossoms from behind and make the blooms the main feature. Everything else fell to the background. Flowers are so frequently photographed because they are truly amazing and a delight.

COPB, Fuji X-T10, 1/210s, f/11, ISO 200

The Church Office Building played a central part in our history. Julie worked there on the 14th floor for years before Nate was born. I used to take the train back from the University of Utah and study for hours in the cafeteria until Julie was done working. She’d come visit me on breaks and sometimes bring me a treat. Those were good times. I took this photo in memory of those times.

Nate, Fuji X-T10, 1/250s, f/3.2, ISO 1000

Here is Nate soaking in an exhibit demonstrating some of the methods used to cut the stone for the SLC temple. He was pretty into that.

Cara Angry, Fuji X-T10, 1/400s, f/5, ISO 1000

Here is a photo of my Cara. She would not allow me to take a photo of her all day. Finally she acquiesced to my request on the condition that she be allowed to be angry in the photo. Here is the result.

Moss and Kids, Fuji X-T10, 1/480s, f/5, ISO 1000

The kids were very into the moss around a few of the flower beds. So much so they determined to smell it and really get close to it. I was lucky to capture it.

Tabernacle in BW, Fuji X-T10, 1/300s, f/9, ISO 200, Edited in Lightroom

The Tabernacle is such a majestic building. For this shot I was trying to get a nice mix of reflections from the metal roof and a batch of nice playful clouds. I like how it worked out.
The bottom line to the story is that we had a great time on a wonderful spring afternoon at Temple Square. It is a peaceful place to wander and spend time with the family.

We're Ruined!

Rob and I visited two sets of Mayan ruins while in Mexico, Tulum and Coba. We had planned to visit another site but I wasn't up for hiking in the sun the morning after I got sick. But we loved what we got to see!

These Tulum ruins are in a beautiful setting overlooking the turquoise ocean.

Those ruins were great to see but our afternoon in Coba (an hour's drive inland) was much more enjoyable for us because:

• There were far fewer people.
• The sites are set amidst the shaded jungle.
• It included the highest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula.
• We were able to rent bikes to ride around the extensive grounds. This was one of our favorite things we did on our whole trip!

The Mayflower

There's no denying that my dad has got to be one of the best ship modelers on this planet earth. His Enoch Train ship model was on display at The Church History Museum for a couple of decades.

I now introduce to you his latest work.

The Mayflower

The Mayflower was the name of the sailing ship that took the people, 

who would become known collectively as the 'Pilgrims', to the New World. 

It took him years of research and crafting pieces by hand to get it right. 

None of the details were bought (how could they be?). 

He meticulously cut, forged, aged, wrapped, painted, tied, waxed, and placed 

EVERY SINGLE tiny impeccable detail on this vessel. 

"Haueing vndertaken, for ye glorie of God, and aduancemente 

of ye christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to 

plant ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia· doe 

by these presents solemnly & mutualy in ye presence of God, and 

one of another, couenant, & combine our selues togeather into a 

ciuill body politick; for ye our better ordering, & preseruation & 

furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof, to enacte, 

constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, 

Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought 

most meete & conuenient for ye generall good of ye colonie:  
vnto which we promise all due submission and obedience." 

The Mayflower Compact of 1620

Two Bays, a Lagoon, and a Cenote (Wait, I've Heard This Joke Before...)

I promise. Some day I will stop posting about Mexico. Unfortunately for you, today is not that day.

We went snorkeling and by "we" I mostly mean Rob. I'd snorkeled before but it was 10 years ago and I couldn't seem to get the hang of it. I thought my troubles were from me just being incompetent but when I finally tried Rob's mask at the end of the day I realized it was actually my gear that was incompetent. Oh, well. I still had a great time swimming with my face out of the water. I forgot an extra set of contacts and my glasses at home so I was not going to risk going blind losing a lens in the sea.

Admittedly, the snorkeling conditions weren't that great. It had been windy for a few days and the water was mirky. Also, we didn't hire a guide and maybe we would've seen better stuff if we had. That's okay, we had fun trying anyway.

We visited Pamuul which was a super cool bohemian-type community on the bay. I loved looking at all the different types of dried coral that had washed up on the beach.

Then we snorkeled in Yal-ku Lagoon. It was practically empty and serene. We couldn't hear anything except raindrops on the water and the surrounding jungle's leaves. We swam around from rock outcrop to rock outcrop and enjoyed the peaceful paradise while seeing fish swim around our feet.

We only took video here and it desperately needs to be edited down before it's posted so you'll get to see it later.

Then we headed to Akumal Bay so that Rob could snorkel out to see the sea turtles.

It was Locals Free Day so I enjoyed people watching.

This view ain't bad, either.

That night I ate my favorite meal of the trip...cocinita pibil tacos dipped in what I think was salty black beans (at least that's what I hope it was!). Mmmmm with a capital M!

One of our stops the next day was the cenote Multum-Ha (hills of stone in the water). We walked down a spiral wood staircase 18 meters under the ground until it opened up into a round cavernous room. The water is another 18 meters deep but it's so clear it looks like it's only 2 meters deep.

The water was really cold and took some courage to get in all the way but I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by. After just a minute it actually felt so refreshing and I loved how it felt after being hot and muggy for a few days.  There were slack lines secured under the water and it was exhilarating swimming from one to the next in such clear, deep, and cold water.

Only video was taken here, too. So you'll have to just take our word for it.

We did end up bringing a friend to our hotel with us wrapped in our towels. We didn't find him until the next morning while packing. I'm so glad we didn't find him under worse circumstances! I like to call this little video I Didn't Even Think About Scorpions.

Diagnoses: When Symptoms Collide Part II

I'm finally sitting down to write the sequel to Diagnoses: When Symptoms Collide, which was a continuation of The Worst Rubes Goldberg Ever.

I left off in early December after having my iud removed and feeling much improved, but not cured yet of my inexplicable acid reflux. A week after that appointment I had an orthopedic follow up. I almost cancelled because I had been feeling pretty good but decided to go in anyway just to have a few questions answered. AM I GLAD I DID!

During the conversation with my orthopedist, I mentioned the possibility of my hyper mobility being a factor in my acid reflux. He didn't think that sounded too likely but as I explained the symptoms of my gut he said it sounded strange. He went to school with a guy who he thought could help me out. Right then and there he called his friend (who is a GI nurse practitioner of 20 years) and told him my situation. Of course, lots of people experience acid reflux but once he was told how old I am and all the things I've done to fix it with no progress, the GI guy wanted to see me right away. He cleared his schedule and I got right in for a visit.

What a blessing that phone call has been! If I hadn't decided to follow up with my orthopedist and if he hadn't "known a guy" and if "that guy" just blew me off like all the other GI doctors I had seen, I'd still be a miserable sack of acid. INSTEAD, I'm almost completely cured. Finally!

But let's go back a step or two...

So this GI guy is a bit of a character but that's what's made him an answer to my prayers. He listens. REALLY listens. He asks questions and digs until he has a clear picture of what I've been suffering with and what needs to be done about it. The answers are relatively simple but require a lot of patience.

• He said it was likely that I had the clostridium difficile bacteria in my intestines for years. It's very common to have it and not have symptoms. But when I got sick with the flu going on two years ago, it kicked off the delicate balance started the acid reflux, which was a symptom of gut that was already just hanging on to normalcy.

• When the other GI doctors prescribed me strong antibiotic after strong antibiotic, it kicked my gut into fledged clostridium difficile colitis. 

• After getting that under control (it's never really cured and can come back with another bug or use of an antibiotic) my acid reflux was still bothering me. Getting the iud out helped because the nerve endings in the uterus are somehow connected to the nerves in the intestines and the whole area was under such stress.

• I still had acid reflux though, so he had me continue my prescription-strength acid reducer and strong probiotics. But the kicker? He prescribed me ground flax seed to eat at the same time as the probiotic. See, probiotics will go straight through, not doing any good if they don't have something to bind on to and sit in the intestines working their magic. Enter the flaxseed. I have to eat a tablespoon of it at the same time every day (I usually put it in nutella or cream cheese or orange juice) because gastrointestinal systems very much likes a schedule.

• This has to be done for quite some time so it can build up in your body.

After 6 weeks of this I had become 85% better of all my acid issues. And then I went to Mexico... dum, dum, duuuuuuuummmmm!

Mexico was great. Mexico was grand. Until I got sick. Probably from some pico de gallo or the hands that prepared it. Many people get sick in foreign countries but it usually lasts a couple of days at most. Mine held on for a week, then two weeks, then over three weeks! I finally made it back to my trusty GI guy and he said, YEP! That's a lingering symptom of ever having c. diff colitis. My system will forever be oversensitive to food poisoning. 

Getting sick in Mexico kicked in my acid reflux once again. It was so bad. I had to sleep sitting almost straight up for three weeks and was miserable all day long. 

Once again, I had to give my body time to heal itself with the flax and probiotic and acid reducer. After two more months, I'm practically healed. I still feel it when I lay flat on my back or have a really empty stomach but that's it. I can now actually sit and I don't have to leave my pants unbuttoned all day like a redneck (but I still do because I'm paranoid that the acid will come back). 

A few follow up notes:

• I've been catching every sickness going around because many of the germs that make us sick get absorbed through our intestines. Since I've had weak intestines, my immune system itself has been weak.

• I shouldn't visit countries that have a high risk for making travelers sick. Well, Mexico, it was nice knowing you! I wasn't happy hearing that about 1/3 of the world is now un-travel-able to me. 

• I can't take any antibiotics, EVER, without cultures being done first to see exactly what bacteria to treat and exactly how low and short of a dose can be taken. AND it has to go through my GI's approval first. 

• I will eventually be healed completely of my acid reflux and other symptoms to the point where I won't need to take any more medicine for it. It'll still take another 12-18 months, though. BLEH.

My body will always run the risk of getting c. diff colitis again. If I do catch it again, the likelihood of catching it again and again goes up exponentially. Then the only likely cure for it is (hold on to your seat, folks...) a fecal transplant. Say, wha??!!!! Yes I'm totally serious and yes, Rob has graciously volunteered his excellent poop. Oh. My. Goodness!!!! You, guys!!! Cringe, cringe, cringe!!  

So that's it. 

Easy as pie, I hang my head and sigh.