food

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

Over Thanksgiving this year, we were able to take a trip to Arizona to visit my in-laws. We don’t get back there nearly as much as we would like to. Trips like these are very special to us, my husband really misses home. As part of our trip, we took our girls to see the Grand Canyon. We think visiting National Parks is a whole lot of fun. This year alone we have been to 2 National Parks and 2 National Monuments. It helps that we have a 4th grader so we get free entrance to any National Park and Monument through August. 🙂 While the Grand Canyon is an amazing place to visit and enjoy the beautiful views, it is the place where my husband proposed to me 12 years ago today. Wahoo!

There is a small point off the main trails with a one mile hike out to see the Grand Canyon. This is where Corban asked me to marry him and where we took our three girls. The day that we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it was snowing, windy, and quite cloudy. There was almost no view of the canyon at all. We did spot one break in the clouds and with it came this amazing rainbow.

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Most of us love seeing a good rainbow, right?! Here’s a fun little story for you. After my husband proposed, we drove to California to see my sister. On the way there and back, we saw 7 rainbows!! How cool is that?! Since then, we have loved rainbows and even went to the rainbow state for our honeymoon. The trip that we took over Thanksgiving, we saw a rainbow about an hour outside of the park and then this one above in the park. Super cool for us and even better that our girls got to enjoy our rainbow story and experience it too.

We stayed the night at the Grand Canyon when it was snowy and cloudy hoping for better weather the next day as we hiked out to the point. Lucky for us, we woke up to sunshine. It was cold, but we’ll take cold and clear at the Grand Canyon any day! We bundled the girls all up and headed out to do the one mile hike to share with them the place that Corban proposed to me. Once we got to the point, I almost lost my nerve. The point is about 12 feet across, that’s it. What were we thinking taking our three girls (the youngest is 4) to a point that was so small that one accidental trip the wrong way could be VERY bad?? I did my best and made it out to the point along with all of the girls. Corban of course thought I had lost my mind. 😉 Good thing we are already married. We managed to enjoy ourselves, despite my fear, and got a family picture at the same place we got engaged.

My middle daughter is a cute sappy girl so she REALLY enjoyed seeing Corban and I together in the same place he proposed to me. She even requested that he pretend to propose again. He did because he is sweet like that. Our daughter sat with her hands on her chin with googly eyes and a huge grin. We had no idea 12 years ago that this would be our life together. All we knew is that we loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We are amazed and SO thankful for where life has brought us. There have been times of great joy, sadness, loss, heartache, laughter, love, and everything in-between. We wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. I’m thankful that 12 years ago, Corban, went out on a limb (or a ledge) and asked me to marry him!

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What’s in the name?

What’s in the name?

Have you ever wondered what umpalaRAIN, the name, is all about? How do you even pronounce it? Those are fantastic questions, my dad recently asked me both of them. If he didn’t know, how in the world do I expect anyone else to know?! Back to the beginning to explain my heart and how I came up with the name of my business. While I could write a whole thesis on this topic, I will spare you all of the details that are embedded on my heart and give you the good nutshell version. You’re welcome. 😉

As a little girl, my heart grew in huge ways for Africa and the people of Africa. It grew over time, but I had no idea what to do with my heart for this continent or the people that lived there. Fast forward many, many years. When I was 27, I was given the opportunity to spend 10 weeks in a country in southern Africa. The life long dream I had, was finally coming true. As I flew into Africa, tears streamed down my face as I knew this is what I was meant for. The time had come for me to live the dream that was in my heart for many years, even just for 10 short weeks living there.

On our trip, we made three stops to different towns and villages. The second stop we made was Umpala village. There was no running water or electricity in this village. This village is pictured above. It had not rained in several years and people were starving. They desperately needed rain so they could grow food. While we were there, it not only rained, it poured rain. There was so much rain we had a river running through our compound and through many tents that we were living in. There was much joy, singing, and dancing that happened in this village when the rain came. This village has such a profound place in my heart for so many reasons.

What I know about humans, is that we need food to survive. The people of Umpala village needed rain to produce their food so they could survive. People with food allergies also need food to survive, but not all foods are safe for them. My heart for the people of Umpala village are no different than my heart for my clients with food allergies. I want to help kids be able to get the food they need to survive. There is an abundance of amazing allergy friendly food out there to help your allergy kids survive well. I’d love to work with your food allergy kid/s to see lots of food allergy friendly foods “rain” down on them. It is absolutely possible and I would love to help you get there! When we do, we too can sing, dance, and be joyful together.