Mothers in my Life

This mother's day I have really been slacking. There is no excuse really. Especially since I have so many wonderful women in my life that I need to recognize today.

First of all, my mom. 

This woman has been with me through the ups and downs of my life and all the in betweens. I can never thank her enough. She has put up with my attitude and has made me a better person. She is an example to me in many things: organization, cleanliness, spirituality, and now even my career path. 

Some of my fondest memories are of the time I have spent laughing until I have cried with my mom. Also, the times that we have gone on girl trips and gone out just to buy pickles and ice cream. We have been best friends for a long time.  I am glad to have her as my mother.

This lovely lady is my grandmother. She has also been with me through many stages of my life. I look to her example in patience and in love for learning and reading. She is one of my good friends and always knows what I want or need. I love her laugh and her love for family history and solitaire. I am so glad that I have been able to live close to her for most of my life.

























The last mother in my life right now is my sweet mother-in-law. From the first day that I visited her home I felt like I was welcome. Recently she put a sign by the door of her house that says "enter as strangers, leave as friends" this is exactly how you feel in her home. She is so talented and kind and I am the luckiest to have her for my mother-in-law. Not to mention she raised an amazing man that is now my husband.

I feel so blessed to have these three mother figures in my life right now. They are so amazing! There are so many other women that I look up to as well and hope to be like in some ways. Happy Mother's Day! "Better late than never", as I always say. I love you ladies. Thanks for showing me how I can and should be.

Anniversary 49 for Grandma and Grandpa Neese

You are the ones
I am Named after.
You are the examples that
I'll follow forever.

You work hard,
and love much.

Through the years
of my life
You have been near
during the strife,
concerts, graduations,
birthdays and my sealing.

You support me in situations
now in college, newlywed
always lend me a hand
and occasionally some dough
(to eat and otherwise).

You strengthen each other
that is easily seen,
throughout whatever
live could bring.

I hope my marriage
will be like your.
Happy Anniversary this year,
may there be many more.

Happy Valentines Day

What did we say to each other
That now we are as birds
Who sing daily
With out reason, it seems-
With no restraints.
With long phrases, but
With quick and cheerful notes.
What did we say to each other?
We must have said 'I love you'

The Sunday Before Christmas

Every Sunday is special

Each one is filled with thoughts of Him--

Jesus Christ.

But this Sabbath day 

Is a little different

On the other Sundays 

Throughout the year

We think of Him as a man

We think of him as the Savior

The healer

The example. 

This Sunday we think of him as a babe

We think if him as a joy

A light

A miracle. 

We remember him as

A small 

Innocent

Pure

Babe

A gift to the entire world

From our loving Father in Heaven. 

Lying in the most humble of circumstances

Already

as a babe

Preparing to be 

the man that we remember daily. 

The Sunday before Christmas

We remember Him as 

The best gift 

Ever given. 

Victory at Mt. Nebo

“Are you going to come?” he asks me with a hint of surprise in his voice. I don’t know if it is because he is the man I once loved, the one who helped me start conquer my fears, or because it is that if I said yes, I would be climbing the second tallest mountain in Utah, I hesitantly say, “Yeah, what time?”.

At 5 am the next day I am the first to get to the parking lot where we are supposed to meet.  It is mid July but I get goose bumps every now and then. No one is in sight. There aren’t cars or pedestrians. Not even the sun has shown her face. And yet, there I sit, with my car doors locked and the windows rolled up. The next first arrives and I don’t know him but I roll down my window half way and ask him anyway, “You going to Mt. Nebo?”

“Yeah,” he says.

“Me too.” We both get out of our cars but lean against them, to each his own, keeping our distance. We wait for whoever else, we’re not really sure who, glancing back and forth at nothing and making small talk. One by one a few more arrive.

Then he gets there, the man in charge, and half of us jump in his luxurious 1986 Buick with six seats that smell like dirt and energy drinks--and he drives. Another person drives behind us in her silver Prius with three others in the back seat that I don’t know. I only know the man in charge and we don’t talk much anymore.

For about an hour he drives and I’m in the back seat trying to curb the knot in my stomach. Do I really want to do this? Yes. I’m determined to make it. The sun is just starting to come up.

We get there and, at first, we are all moving forward and up at a quick and steady pace. I step aside for a minute to catch a breath and let the others pass. Another girl stops too. But when he comes up instead of passing he stops and looks at me and says “Hey! Don’t stop. If it is getting hard for you, the best place to be is in the front.” And then he waits for me to get in front of him with a toothy smile and a hand gesturing to my place in line on the thin trail.

A little while later he passes me up. Him and the others. I am left behind with the girl who stopped by me earlier. She too is breathing heavily and complains about her legs aching from dance the day before. I ran a 5k yesterday but what is slowing me down isn’t my body but my mind and the rock in my stomach.

For a while we can still see their red, blue, and white t-shirts. One guy has a pair of hiking sticks, but slowly we get another tree or hill behind them.

We hear him yell something to us. Something like, “You’re doing great!”

But we aren’t sure. We just keep going. We talk about food and Denmark and Guatemala, and about our families and hopes and dreams. There are times we pass the long grass and wild flowers in silence. But it usually doesn’t last long. I offer her some Jerky that I bought the night before. She just has graham crackers. She says she is glad that I am going at the same pace she is. I am too.

It seems like the farther we get the higher the peak is. Shouldn’t it be the opposite?

The trail started out thin winding through white spotty trees and grass. Now we have gotten more than half way and the scenery is dwindling. There are mostly just slippery rocks that taunt my feet and balance reminding me how close I am to the 10,000 foot above sea level edge. That is about 9,995 feet higher than my own skin that I feel calm in. Even high heels make my face flush and want to close my eyes a little. But I keep going and the sun is starting to show her face. We stop every now and then to drink water and take a breath.

When I was nine everyone at school was excited for a special day, a day we would never forget. There was a long line of kids. Some younger and some older than me. I was hesitant to get in line but decided, “Why not?”  All too soon I was at the front.

“You’re next,” the man with the helmet told me. And he handed me a mangle of ropes and told me that I was supposed to put them on my legs and hips, real tight, and then I was going to be hooked in. I looked up and up. That was a lot higher than my 4 foot stature was comfortable going up. Up. Who knew whether I would choose how I come down. Or when. But I looked back at all the kids in line and swallowed hard and stepped into the mangled ropes, pulled the straps tight and got hooked in. Then he showed me where to put my small, cold, sweaty hands. I pulled myself up and looked for more fake rock shaped plastic things that would hold my trembling arms and legs up long enough to find the next one. As I reached up I took a deep breath and pushed down what might stop me from going further. I didn’t even look down but I knew I couldn’t possibly go further without falling to my death. That thing wasn’t stable. “I’m done!” I declared.

The man with the helmet came to my side and looked me in the face and asked “Are you sure?”

“Yes! I’m too scared,” I told him. I couldn’t do it. It was too high.

Today was going to be different. Now, years later, I remember that day and many instances similar to it when I had given up. These memories get forced into my mind by some unknown power as the path is getting steeper and I look up at the rocky terrain of Mt. Nebo. It goes higher and higher. I feel the same cold sweat and that rock in my stomach.

We are short of breath. I tell my companion “I’m not sure if I will make it to the top. Keep going if you would like. I’ll wait here for you and the others.”

But then we see two others from our group that left us behind, the guy with the hiking sticks and the other one I don’t know. They are at the top of the first of three pointy, slippery, rocky peaks. They are just going around and they seem fine.

“Look! We aren’t that far behind!” my companion says.

I say to myself “Why did you come here anyway? To turn around when you’re more than halfway? Of course not.”  I tell my companion I’ll follow her. She says that I need to be in front of her so that she knows where she should go and so that she doesn’t give up. Sure. I’ll help her not give up. Yeah.

We take a couple wrong turns and I think we should just turn around all together. The others are sure to be coming back down by now. It has been too long since we last saw someone from the group. But another man with hiking sticks and a big back pack probably with a parachute and landing gear just in case, points us in the right direction. Why didn’t I bring that stuff? We decide to take fewer breaks. Two of my three water bottles are empty and so is the jerky bag. She saves her graham crackers for the way down. I save my Reese’s Fastbreak. Less breaks means more for later. And less opportunities for my racing heart to tell me I’m too high and should turn back.

We pass the second peak and my heart is racing. There is a cloud blocking the sun and a chill in the breeze. I look only forward not to the sides and heaven forbid I look down. I feel like a trapeze walker except our trapeze is a little wider than that rope they use in the circus. It’s got to feel something like this. One fall and my face could get scratched off or I could crack my head open. Stop thinking about that. Keep on moving. There is no way I could let myself turn back at this point.

The last rise of the Peak was steeper than the other two but shorter. I take long steps and prepare myself for what I will see on the crown of Mt. Nebo. I’m there. I stand tall. Breathing heavy. Not sure where to put my feet.

“Great job! You made it in less than 3 hours!” he says. I smile and nod. He’s in charge so he has to say that. My legs tremble a little. I sit on the biggest rock I see.

I look in front of me. The sun is almost above our heads now. It is warm and shining on me. “Less than 3 hours,” I think. I look down and down and see all we have passed to get to this crown. The crown of a mountain. My instinct is to look away but I can’t help it. We are all here so high and no one is hurt. I’m not hurt. The mountain didn’t crash down under my weight. My shoes didn’t fall apart. With all the times I could have, I never turned back and so here I am 11,928 feet about sea level. My brothers will not believe this! My stomach is trying to escape through my throat, or is it my heart? I don’t care. I’m here. I’m fine.

“Hey,” I say, “what’s the highest mountain in Utah?” I ask the man in charge.

“King’s Peak,” he says smiling.

“When are you doing that one?” I ask. Thinking, I might go with him and take another step closer to the edge. And as I take that step, know that I’ll be safe. Heights and past relationships would no longer be something I fear. They would from now on be things I embrace. That way they can make me a better person. Fears are meant to be conquered, like I conquered Mount Nebo. 

I really should be doing homework....

Today I did somethings that I have not done for a while. I have realized that I have not made time for myself lately and my stress levels have gone to an overload causing me to feel...not like me.

Right now I am just finding another outlet for that stress...BLOGGING :) There is something so stress relieving about blogging. I write here and I know it will be here forever and maybe no one will even read it but my thoughts are here.

Another thing I have done today for myself is go on a RUN! Wow. That is the best feeling. Running is so exhilarating. It makes my heart beat fast, and every step hitting pavement seems to give a shot of energy through me wiping away the tiredness. My mind wakes up because it finally is in time with my heart.

Stress reliever number three was MUSIC. Oh. My. Goodness. Don't even ask me why I have not been listening to much music lately. Some of my favorite "Go and and get 'em" songs is "Bring on the Rain" by Jodee Messina and "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. Check out those songs, especially if you haven't heard them.

If you are stressed about finals, or whatever else that is stressful in your life, try one of these things. :) Along with prayers (especially vocal ones) Heavenly Father has given us so many things so that we can make it sanely through this life here.

Satire #2: Healthy in 31.5 days with Cocllo™

Dr. Susan Kale Collards

Presentation notes and slides for east coast tour

Healthy in 31.5 days with Cocllo™

**Put up the slideshow and have “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys gently playing in the background as people are getting seated**

I just want to welcome all of you here. Are any of you feeling extremely exhausted and not quite there? Depressed maybe? I’m sure many of you are and if I am right, and I believe I am, you are all in the right place. If you listen and apply what we talk about today you will feel and LOOK better in a matter of only 31.5 days. That’s right, I heard some of you gasp, but it is the truth.

How the Cocllo™ came to be

There is a very interesting story behind the creation of the Cocllo™

·         Twenty years ago I was tired all the time. I was fat and had no drive to do anything. **Show pictures** Then one day I realized I needed to change something.

·         I went to my kitchen and there wasn’t much in the fridge since I never felt like going shopping. There was a coconut on the counter so I grabbed that. Then I went to the pantry and saw a package of strawberry gelatin.

·         Like I said, I felt tired and had no drive to do much, so I decided to just make something out of these two items.

·         Since I was so tired I didn’t quite read the gelatin instructions very carefully and replaced the water with vinegar. Since I had already decided to use the coconut but didn’t feel like looking for a knife and cutting it open I simply pulled off some of the hairs on the outside and brushed them into the boiling vinegar on the stove.

·         I knew I needed a pan to cool the gelatin in so I grabbed the closest thing to me that happened to be a mini muffin tin.

·         As I poured the gelatin mixture into the tin I didn’t realize the life changing recipe I had just created.

The results of the new recipe

When I first tried the now called Cocllo™

·         Several hours after the Gelatin had finally congealed I took a spoon out and ate one portion. It had an amazing texture. I had another portion. It tasted like something I had freshly pulled out of the garden in my back yard.

·         About twenty minutes later I felt like going on a run! I hadn’t felt like even rolling out of bed but within only 20 minutes I had the urge to go do EXERCISE!

·         As I ran I listened to the beach boys “Good Vibrations”. I realized that would be me new theme song. I had finally found those good vibrations that I needed and that everyone needs.

·         When I returned home from my run my fibula was not hurting as much as it used to after strenuous movements.

·         My doctor was so amazed that my fibula went from near to a fracture to solid as a bone can be. Incredible he told me. Actually, I believe his word was “Inconceivable”. That’s right.

**Post photos of my marathon and where I am wearing my custom pink t-shirt that says “My fibula doesn’t hurt, does yours?” on the front and “The Cocllo™ miracle” on the back**

·         The next 30 days were a time of life changing happenings for me. I went shopping (and bought more gelatin and coconut of course), biking, dancing, I even started dating, and, as you can see, I completed a marathon. Oh, and did I mention that I lost 50 pounds? All in 31.5 days.

·         I made more and more batches of this amazing recipe that I had created and called it the Cocllo™. Try it and you will know it was more than just a simple gelatin recipe.

You will not be the only one to notice the benefits

People started asking me about it

·         All my friends started asking me “How are you looking so good?” and “what have you been doing?” They were amazed by my change in physique and personality. I knew it was all because of the Cocllos™ that my changes for the better had happened so quickly. 

·         I started to share them with my friends. One of the first was Meg. I think you might recognize her.

**Start Video of Meg Ryan’s testimonial**

“When Susan told me about her Cocllos I was so excited. Many of you might have seen my performance in “You’ve Got Mail”. There is a scene in that movie where I am very ill, depressed, and not very nice. I actually really felt that way while filming that video. I didn’t know what to do. But thanks to just 3 Cocllos™ per day I felt better and ready to finish the film within minutes of taking the first one. I am still taking them daily and I feel great! Thank you Susan. The Cocllo is a miracle.”

-Meg Ryan –Actress and Co-Founder of Healthy in 31.5 Days

·         That’s right everyone. My dear friend Meg Ryan takes Cocllos™. And who doesn’t want to look like her? I mean she got Tom Hanks at the end of “You’ve Got Mail”. She is also the cofounder of “Healthy in 31.5 Days with Cocllo™” a now worldwide company. Her annual income from selling Cocllos™ is higher than her income from her career in acting. 500,000 dollars a month! Can I say that again? Okay. 500,000 dollars a month people. Incredible.

Scientifically proven

·         When I first decided to market the Cocllos™ I was unsure how people would react to such a simple fix for a plethora of health problems. So I decided to take a batch to IHC, The Intermountain Health Care center.

·         They took the batch to their Gelatin Additive Clinic where they ran tests. They found that the Cocllos™ were full of antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, and Z (really hard to come by), Folic acid, Chlorophyll, and other chemicals that still seem to be secrets of the universe. Their report to me was “These are out of this world.”

·         Now all of the members in the Gelatin Additives team at IHC are takers and marketers of Cocllos™ and they tell me that they couldn’t feel better.

You can be a part of the team too

Are you ready to be a part of this? Well, all you have to do is a few simple steps.

1.      Fill out the 6 page application.

a.       It is a straightforward application. We will have someone from our team there to help you out.

b.      Bring your own pen.

c.       Have your debit/credit card, birth certificate, driver’s license, and proof of address at hand.

d.      Be thinking of 10 people that need the 31.5 day plan and have their names and phone numbers ready.

2.      Earn MONEY!!!!!!!!

a.       You will be assigned to one of our fantabulous sales personages.

b.      They will call you every other day to make sure you are taking that Cocllos™ and getting the results you wanted. They will also be making sure that you are doing your best to spread the word.

c.        All your neighbors will need some and their dogs could definitely use some too so don’t worry about suggesting some Cocllos™ for them as well.

**If there is time, tell story about Orange, the goldfish who grew to be 5lbs. after his owners put Cocllos™ in his fish bowl**

3.      Get FIT AND FEEL GREAT!!

a.       Buy a 32 day package of Cocllos™ and the plan to go with it for only $559.99 on your way out today. You will be glad you did.

b.      If you don’t like it, or don’t see the results you were hoping for we will give you another 32 package of Cocllos™ and a t-shirt FREE OF CHARGE!

For any questions or concerns call: 1-800-315-DAYS or 1-800-315-3297.

Or visit our website: healthyin31.5days.com