I think some of life's biggest, most commonly asked questions probably revolve around happiness. Whether it is where to find it, how to attain it, or who to turn to for it, I think most people across the world are seeking this out. I know that I have my own answers for finding happiness-and yes, as most readers of this blog would guess, most of them can be found in my religion. After all this is a core part of who I am, and a huge factor in the way I live my life and seek happiness....

....and yet for some reason, lately I am finding lots of people, some who share my essential beliefs, some who don't, all asking the same questions. They wonder why? What's different? They are doing everything they feel they can, and yet they still aren't there-there are still heavy burdens that weigh them down and seem determined to keep them there. What more can they do to be happy now-not just in some far away, but never here future? 

This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. So the other night when I was lucky enough to go see a movie with some friends, I was shocked to see that they had put a lot of what I feel regarding this into words. The character says, 

"There are two wolves who are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. The questions is..which wolf wins?" 

Sitting in my chair in the dark theater, I tried to figure out this little riddle quickly-but before I got there, the girl answers. She said..

"The one you feed."

I am not one for deep thoughts and I certainly like to stay away from feelings if at all possible haha. But I felt in that moment the truth of that statement. In my recollection, there has only ever been one time in my life that I struggled hard with myself and my self esteem-it was when I was in the throes of post part depression. Whether I meant to or not, I felt the downward spiral as I fed the wolf the worst part of myself, comparing who I was and what I had to others, taking my stress and pain out on those around me, and thinking about all that could go wrong-and I only made it worse. When I finally realized what was happening, and where I was headed, I started to actively do the opposite. And although it took time and lots of help and consistency, it worked. I was able to find a way out of it, and to start to feed the light and hope, and I became a happier, more whole person-one that I was happy with, and one that other people wanted to be around.

The fact is everyone struggles. In my life right now, things are pretty great. But there are still hard days I have, people I get frustrated with, problems I can't solve and things that I just don't understand. This is a part of everyones life, including mine. I wonder sometimes if because I keep rolling, if people think I don't feel this way, or I don't feel things-but I do. I have days where I feel overwhelmed or offended or hurt-days where I feel sad or upset, or mad at the world at large. But I recognize those feelings when they come now-and I can identify that the source of those feelings is not productive or helpful, but rather one that would do me, and everyone around me, harm. From the moment I see this, I try to do everything I can to focus on something positive and uplifting. Sure, sometimes I fall short-but for the most part I would say it works, and a majority of my life is filled with days where I look around and feel entirely happy and wonderfully, wholly content with my life and who I am right now. I am happy, and that is a gift that I will have to work on earning every day of my life to keep.

Gordon B. Hinckley said "We are creatures of our own thinking. We can think ourselves into defeat or we can talk ourselves into victory...Don't partake in the spirit of our times. Look for the good and build upon it. Don't be a pickle sucker..."

He also says:

“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”

I think its easier to compare ourselves down, and to focus on the negative-its easier to go downstairs then up. But its better for our bodies a
nd our hearts to go upstairs, and think positively, and look for the good. Being happy is imagining all of the good and wonderful things that could be coming-and thinking about all the things you'll learn and the stronger person you'll become from the trials that come too. Its thinking about all the wonderful things you do have, and not the ones you don't. Its taking time to look at all the wonderful people in your life, and how great they are and how much you  get to learn from them, and all they can learn from you as well. Its putting others first and appreciating the moments when you see how happy you've made them, and how happy they are to serve others in turn. Happiness is not something you find or stumble upon-its something you work at, something you earn, and something you share.

Its like Anne says-"I am happy Dianna-and nothing is gonna hold me back." Your whole life, things will try to do just that-hold you back where you can be perfectly miserable-or you can starve that force till it dies, while you feed and nourish the light and hope till it blossoms into everything you wanted and more.



After such a long, wonderful but sometimes intense trip it was SO nice to be with more family at a home. All day Addy had been asking for Audrey and Hadley and it was so nice for us to be able to deliver and give the girls some play time. Isla crawled and smiled to her hearts contents as well, and we loved being with the adults as well.

Shortly after getting there, us ladies worked on dinner and caught up on life [with Pride & Prejudice playing in the back ground of course!] while the men folk headed out with Ray to 'wash his car' aka go four wheeling and shooting. For Lester, this was heaven. It is so different there, where everything is public lands and completely legal. They shot hand gun and shot guns at clay pigeons after four wheeling for a bit, and even saw some jack rabbits and wild horses [I'm such a city girl I didn't know that was a real thing haha!]. Meanwhile, the kids played in the kiddie pool in the backyard while we blew bubbles. It ended up being 107 degrees while we were there-which apparently is nothing. So crazy! When the guys came home later that night, we ate a delicious homemade dinner and hung out a played for the night. It was perfect end to a great day.

The next morning was Sunday, and while everyone else headed out to church we slept in for a bit, took our time getting clean and ready for the day, then went to the LDS temple in Mesa. This particular temple is one of the original 50 and there is only one other one in the world [out of hundreds I should add] to be designed like this. It was beautiful and we were able to feel our spirits rejuvenated, and our testimonies solidified once again. I'm so grateful for the temples and the things that happen in them that enables families to be together for eternity-this life and beyond. When we got back we cleaned up, worked on lunch and were joined by my cousin Melissa and her family. It was so fun watching the kids interact and see how much our family has grown. Life is so good! We played games for a while, and then our clan packed it up to head to our last pit stop of the trip. Poor Addy was finally starting to feel a little sick, and so before we left she received a priesthood blessing. I'm so grateful that God speaks to us and has blessed us with the priesthood to comfort, heal and communicate with us. It was bittersweet to say goodbye, but I am glad we got to visit.














Our last stop was our friends the Tait's. We are lucky to have so many good friends here, but every single time we hang with them I forget how incredibly easy it is to be friends with them. We have a million good memories and ridiculous inside jokes-and every time were able to make million more. The time passed to fast, and I can't wait to get together with them sometime again. After eating a delicious Brittney made dinner, we took them up on their suggestion of hitting up the park at night-after all, it was only in the 90's at that point! Haha we played three on three with the teams being Brian, Britt and Isla and the other being Lester, me and Addy. Both girls were in the backpacks, and in the end victory was ours-of course haha. It was so fun, and Addy kept telling us so. Afterwards the girls played on the swings, slides and play sets while we hung out. They loved having B & B chase them around the park, and it was fun to see them in their element. Afterwards, we went back and ate cookies Brian had made, put the girls to bed and just hung out the rest of the night. It was like the good old days-only different because we all had responsibilities, like jobs and kids. Not bad-just different. I look forwards to seeing how it is a few years from now.






Finally after a late night, we headed to bed and got ready for the last long haul home. This time we went by way of L.A. and Gilroy and apart from a few lunch/pit stops, we made it home to our waiting family, cookies and comfy beds.

Like I said, we had been planning and look forward to this trip for months-and although we had to make some minor adjustments along the way, it was everything we hoped it would be and more! We made so many wonderful memories as our own family, but also with our extended people and we got the appreciate the stunning world we are a part of. Thanks to all the who helped or participated-we are so grateful and look forward to returning the favor if any of you are traveling! So that was our incredible Pineda vacation circa 2015.

On Friday, we set out on for the second half of our vacation in Arizona. Driving out of Zion's National Park we passed some of the most beautiful and unique mountains and rocks-it reminded me of ice cream swirls, the way they were so smooth and spiraled, and once again the colors were too much. There was even one called the checkerboard, because it naturally looked exactly like it was a giant version of the game board. We pulled over several times along the way, sometimes to see the mountain goats or other wildlife up close, sometimes to take a quick climbing break or check out the view. We also stopped at a delicious and super random German bakery along the way, but eventually, we made it to the Grand Canyon. After hiking around viewpoints and up the Watchtower, we all finally caved and decided that rather then camping again as we had originally planned, we would get a hotel right outside the entrance. No regrets though, it was the right choice. We were able to spend some time there, then have a nice dinner and dessert, go for a family swim at the pool, and even shower and do laundry. This was just the refresh we needed, because the next morning we set out at 5:00 am to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking-the colors truly do change an already beautiful landscape. The rest of our time there we took the buses throughout view points and little hike areas-Lester said he felt like the Grand Canyon was kind of like a toy you didn't know what to do with-really cool and fun, but unless you were a hard core backpacker and had a lot of time to do it, all you could mainly do was stare in awe and wonder at how vast and lovely it was.




















After doing all that we wanted to do, we headed back to the hotel to grab all our stuff, have breakfast, and get back on the road. We drove to Mesa, stopping to admire Sedona [kinda like a desert version of Tahoe-beautiful!] along the way and eventually arrived at my cousin Natalie's house where Hillary and family are living for the summer. After such a long, wonderful but sometimes intense trip it was SO nice to be with more family at a home. All day Addy had been asking for Audrey and Hadley and it was so nice for us to be able to deliver and give the girls some play time. Isla crawled and smiled to her hearts contents as well, and we loved being with the adults as well.
On our last day at Zion's National Park, we woke up to another gorgeous sunny day, built a fire and made breakfast burrito's, hot chocolate and had fruit while we planned our day. I had made and frozen them [along with our other foil meals] ahead of time so all we had to do was heat them up and for the most part they were all a success. We also encountered an insane amount of wildlife throughout this trip-mountain goats, elk, deer, fish, mule, jack rabbits, wild horses this morning it was yet another pack full of deer, going right next to our campsite. This is one of the millions of reasons I am a fan of camping-a few people have asked why do a trip like this when the kids are so little, since they probably won't remember it. That may be true, but I think that they will begin to gain an appreciation for nature and a love for the outdoors, exploration and animal life. So I'm all for that!

After figuring things out, we decided to make it a fairly easy day. We used the free park shuttle system for the whole day [while Addy sang Wheels on the Bus] and started at Weeping Rock. It is a short, lovely hike that leads to a spot where the rock overhangs and is continually weeping, making lush gardens over the top. From here, we headed to the lower Emerald Pools trail which has a small waterfall and lots of fun little climbing spots for Addy along the way. After a lunch break and more bus rides, we got off at the Court of The Patriarch's [a gorgeous towering rock formation] and found a secluded spot and played in the Virgin River for a while. All throughout, the girls were great sports, but I think they especially loved the parts with water. After this we said goodbye to the Last's, and they headed home while we spent our last night checking out the town, showering, cleaning up and getting ready for another long drive and the second half of our our trip. But more about that later!

















When planning our trip, Lester and I had decided to load the beginning of the trip with all of the more strenuous or hard hikes and things that we wanted to do-the logic of course being that then we will get the best out of it, and be able to scratch or add any other small activities later. So after an intense, but beautiful day at The Narrows in Zion's National Park we decided to do the Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden Trail at Bryce Canyon.



Bryce Canyon is unlike any other place I've seen. It is made up of natural amphitheaters and 'hoodoos' which are natural formations that point upward to the sky, and the whole thing is covered in beautiful reds, oranges whites and browns. When we first arrived, we met up with our friends the Morco's [who are typically who we do all our outdoor adventures with] and shared a delicious lunch they had brought. Addy enjoyed running around the wooded area and playing hide and seek with Mariah and Ross while we all caught up, and she found several sticks with which to play Gandalf and tell the Belch that he 'SHALL NOT PAAASSSS!' Haha she is a girl after my own heart. After we got our fill, we drove over to a viewpoint and the start of our hike. Honestly, even the walk up to this section was underwhelming, and I think we were all wondering if this was an unnecessary detour. But  as soon as you see the canyon itself, it smacks you in the face as payment for challenging its beauty. Gorgeous upon gorgeous.








The hike itself starts at the top of the canyon, goes all the way to the bottom and back up. If you are scared of heights and ledges [like Lester is a little haha..] this hike might not be for you. But if you are able to push through it, it is so worth it, and no view is like the last. We all had fun enjoying our surroundings, climbing, talking and just hanging out like the good old days. The longer we hiked though, the more we were worried that we were still going downhill for so long, since we knew at some point we would have to hike all the way back up haha. It was definitely a lot of work, and even though we all started out with jackets on, we all ended sweating and huffing and puffing back up the canyon. Still-worth it.




























After finishing the hike, the Morco's headed back home, and the rest of us headed back for our campsite at Zion's National. We made hot dogs and banana boats, and had fun playing with glow sticks and playing-or I should say everyone else [including the girls did] did while I barfed and slept [DO NOT forget to drink your water throughout the day-dehydration is no joke people!] It was another busy, wonderful day and I recommend everyone checking this out at some point in their life.


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The Pineda Family

The Pineda Family

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