4TH of JULY in Los Angeles

I'm in L.A. with my Czech family right now which means I get to be in America for the 4th of July which happens to be my second favorite holiday. (Insert happy dance).

The backyard of the house we are staying in has a great view of the Hollywood hills.

I made sure to buy American flag clothing for everyone to wear.

We spent a fun day at the pool

with red, white, and balloon fun.

William is the new grill master and cooked up a yummy BBQ feast.

We ate and listened to some patriotic music.

Then around 8:30PM, fireworks started going off like crazy all across the valley.

I wish you could see the fireworks in this picture better. It was amazing. I have never seen so many firework displays going off at one time all throughout L.A.

We had a great view on top of Mulholland Drive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

#unashamed BOOK from #FlyBy GIVEAWAY

Life is good. It used to be really good. I remember saying I was "luckier than a rabbit's foot." Then I had a rough few weeks and things just didn't seem to get any better. I felt a lot of emotions including: anger, hurt, loneliness, and sadness. I found myself crying sometimes because I don't hate people, but I had a lot of hate in my heart and it was hard for me. But I know life is still good. One bad day (or a couple of bad years) doesn't make a bad life. 

I was given the opportunity to read the book Unashamed: Healing Our Brokenness and Finding Freedom from Shame by Heather Davis Nelson. She is a writer, counselor, and speaker.

and speaker.

This book offers hope for those struggling under the burden of shame. It talks about the things that leave us feeling worthless and rejected and reminds us that God promises to forgive and help us through tough times. The book helped me remember that God loves us no matter what. Shame is everywhere and we will ALL experience it, but we can overcome it. 

You can purchase this book in kindle or paperback versions HERE. It is an easy read with 192 pages. Do you want to win a copy of this book for yourself or someone you know who might need a little extra hope? Enter on the form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Oral7 Challenge

Have you ever experienced dry mouth at night while sleeping. It is a horrible feeling, am I right?!

Sometimes this happens to me and I wake up and drink a ton of water to try to make it better.

Maybe you didn't know that saliva is super important in our overall health. It helps with eating, swallowing and digesting. Without the proper amount of saliva our mouths can feel dry, we can have chapped lips, and (the worst) we might have really bad breath. If this happens, you can have trouble speaking, difficulty swallowing, altered taste, oral problems that you'll have to see a dental professional to fix, and more.

Want to hear about products that have helped my household with dry mouth problems? These Oral care products from Oral7 have been great for me. They don't contain any harsh ingredients or alcohol, they help soothe/moisturize my mouth, relieve dry mouth symptoms, freshen breath, and makes my mouth feel so clean.

I have found that these products are safe and easy to use daily for the entire family.

I want to challenge you to find out if you have a dry mouth problem.
Click HERE to learn more about Oral7!

BEES BASEBALL

The first day of summer is approaching and what makes my heart smile this time of year?

(Well, besides parades, lakes, and vacationing) It is baseball and fireworks!

My friend Joe Keller and I headed to the ballpark for a great night with the Salt Lake Bees.

 The view in the park is fabulous.

 It looks even better closer up.

I scored a great souvenir helmet to help Day-Z be a fan too.

ZOORIFIC DAY

It's almost summer and the perfect time to visit the zoo.

 I grabbed my friend Rachel along with her baby Claire and we headed to Hogle Zoo in SLC.

We were able to see 3 new baby lion cubs wrestle,

a family of orangutans play,

 large elephants eat,

 sea lions swim,

and some hilarious otters do this:

This is my favorite part of the zoo (it took me a bit to appreciate them).

"People forget the good that zoos do. If it weren't for zoos, we would have so many species that would be extinct today."

-Betty White

STRAWBERRY DAYS - UT

Pleasant Grove city's Strawberry Days is the longest continually running event in Utah. 

It is full of rodeos, carnival rides, fireworks, parades, and, of course...

strawberries! 

I grabbed a few friends and joined other Summer festival lovers for a night of fun!

 Giddy up, Utah!

MORE THAN POTATOES

What is the first thing you think of when I mention Idaho? Well, I'm here to tell you this state has more than just good potatoes.

Well, at least in Boise. It is a super charming city for me.

It might be because it is so artsy.

 I'm a sucker for cool street art.

Even the electrical boxes around town are decorated.

Apparently, it is the birthplace of Albertson's Supermarkets.

It is also the home of some super yummy food (featured on the television show Man vs Food). 

The Flying Pie Pizzeria might be THE best pizza I have ever had.

The city also hosts a fun farmer's market every Saturday starting in April

where you can buy awesome local food and goods.

Plan a trip to Boise if you haven't already been and walk around the super fun city.

CHARCOAL

There is one time I was in Sand Diego and went to a super hippy gelato shop. They had a vanilla charcoal flavor that tasted so good I wanted two scoops. Turns out I learned charcoal is great at helping you have a healthy digestion and detoxing. Yeah.

I was given the opportunity to try some raw activated charcoal powder by Moody Zook. Charcoal can also be used as a face mask to clean your pores, to remove stains from your teeth, and promote healthy gums.

It looks a little crazy because it is a super dark black powder, but don't be afraid. This powder is awesome. It's charcoal, but that doesn't mean you should go grab a briquette off the grill in the backyard.

#moodyzookboss

I was given the opportunity to purchase this item at a discounted price in return for my honest opinion.

BFFriends

Sometimes you learn your BFF from high school has moved closer to you and you get to go visit her and her cute little family.

Sometimes that meeting includes the world's largest hamburger (don't actually check the record books and quote me on this one) at Famous Jud's in Boise.

Then you go to the local nature center and let her children take about 179 photos of flowers 

 and bugs with your cell phone camera.

 and then you end the whole trip with a photo with giant antlers. 

Now that is true friendship. Love you, Danae.