You Raise Me Up, and Happy Birthday Christian!

You'll never believe what I just did a few weeks ago!! I hiked up to the top of the mountain Squaw Peak with my Young Women president, two of the laurels and her kids. For those of you who never hiked up to Squaw Peak but want to do it and think it'll only take 2 hours, believe me it won't!

It'll take 5 hours to get there. And oh boy it was intense but we made it to the top. I was pretty exhausted hiking up there and I did think I would never make it but through the prayer I said in my heart that I would get enough strength I survived and you can now call me, along with the others I went with, the survival of the fittest. I thought of two songs; one, "Climb Every Mountain" from the most fun musical of all time, "The Sound Of Music," and the other "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban. Both of them tell us to keep going despite by our earthly challenges. I'm sure the people I went with on the hike did think of those songs as they were hiking up the mountain. It'll be hard once you're climbing up on that mountain but you never know what's at the end of it unless you try.

On Sunday, October 23, it was someone's birthday who's no longer living on this earth. If Christian were still alive, he would've turned 35 years old. Down below is a letter I wrote to him even though he is gone:

"My Dear Christian,

it has been 2 years since you left this earth. If you were still alive you would've turned 35 and we would've celebrated your birthday. But we are celebrating it in our hearts by remembering you and the memories we have in our heads. I have very good ones about you. I remember when you came to our house with your face covered in Mexican dirt and you looked like Harry the bigfoot from 'Harry and the Hendersons' and the plane ride we had with my uncle and cousins.

I've known you since I was eleven years old and I have thought of you as my brother even though we are not related. I want to give my thanks to you for your love, compassion, testimony and spirit that has touched my heart and brought me closer to you as it did my family.

Although you are gone from this human world and unseen by us humans, we know you are still with us because we feel your presence every time we think of you. And we will never forget you or the memories. I love you with all my heart as an adopted brother. You've helped me grow and I also thank you for that. I don't know how long I will be here in this mortal world but I will wait, enjoy every moment of life and endure to the end until I join you and my loved ones especially our Heavenly Father and Savior.

All my love,

Caela."