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What to Buy Your Mother-in-Law for Christmas-Oh Sweet Sadie!

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Kristin

My “can do anything” friend Dani Lassiter who organizes the Triathamom race and Goldilocks ride is hosting another Oh Sweet Sadie Art and Gift Show starting TODAY in Daybreak on Soda Row.

I got a sneak preview last night of the goodies on display. I couldn’t resist coming home with a homemade box of English Toffee made my an actual British person. For reals. She had an accent and everything.

I also bought these old-school jump ropes. We’ve already been out playing my favorite jump rope games from when I was in 4th grade. Which reminds me. If you can think of any old songs, please remind me how they go. Once I hear the first line, it ALL comes back to me.

I had one of our cute neighbor girls and her mom over jumping and I’m proud to say that I can STILL Double-Dutch after all these years.

Anyway…go get a jump on what you’re giving your mother-in-law for Christmas. They have SO many beautiful things to see (and eat).

Posted in INSPIRING PEOPLE, PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL TRAVELS | Tagged Gift Bottiques, Oh Sweet Sadie, Unique Gift Ideas | Comments Off

Microderm What???

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Kristin

Have you ever had a Microderm Abrasion facial before? Me neither until last week.

I’ve heard about them and I see the do-it-yourself kits in the make-up isle a lot, but I’ve never tried it until I realized it was a service that Elase offered. Being a brand ambassador means trying out the services they offer and sharing all the details. (I know, my life is hard.)

It began a lot like the Chemical Peel I had a few weeks ago. Warm bed, soft music, dim lights. It was a nice break in my day. I enjoyed being relaxed as I waited for my facial to begin.

The esthetician began by gently cleansing my skin with Obagi foaming wash. It smells good and feels so good on your skin. Once my face was clean, she laid protective pads on over my eyes and went to work.

She used a very sophisticated machine to both shoot micro-crystals into my face and quickly extract them and the dead skin cells it cleans off my face.

It was a really unusual sensation. It didn’t hurt at all. It felt almost like a cat tongue licking off my face combined with some gentle suction.

The actual procedure takes about 15 minutes and afterward your face feels so smooth and the skin feels tighter and looks a little younger.

Here I am directly AFTER the procedure with no make-up (okay fine, I’m still wearing my eye make-up here).

I look normal except my skin is a little pinker than usual. I stayed pink for a few hours then I was back to normal again.

I would compare this to having a chemical peel. The difference being a Chemical Peel targets what is UNDER your skin and this targets only the surface of your face. The results are NOT as dramatic as a Chemical Peel, but it’s close and it costs a lot less. The other positive about this is that you WON’T have ANY downtime. No embarrassing peeling and no need to hide out for a few days afterward.

In all, I liked this procedure, but if I were paying for this (which I didn’t) I think I’d rather wait until I had enough extra $$ and spring for the Chemical Peel. That said, I can certainly understand why a person would elect for Microderm instead.

If you think you’d like to try this service, this is a great time for you and a friend to try it out. They’re running a special through summer offering deep discounts when you schedule any service with a friend.

Posted in PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL SOKOL LOCAL | Tagged Elase Medical Spa, Facials in Utah, Microderm Abrasion | Comments Off

What To Do If You’re So Overwhelmed You Think You Might Die

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Kristin

The first thing I’d tell you is that you need to lower your expectations a little. Maybe a lot.

Even though I’ve had down times in my life, I’ve generally been a happy person. I feel very lucky about that. When I think about my life and wonder why I feel good when I know so many don’t, I think it’s because I’ve always had low expectations for myself and other people.

I know that sounds a little depressing, but it’s really not. Sure…I might underachieve a little, but on the bright side, I usually don’t disappoint myself or find myself disappointed by other people.

I was so fortunate to meet Julie de Azevedo Hanks a few months ago when she spoke at a conference I attended. She is a wonderful, beautiful person who has helped a lot of women, especially in the LDS culture.

I got an advanced copy of her new book called The Burn Out Cure last week. I’ve had my nose inside it all week long. What a great read. Talk about changing your perspective.

If you find yourself disappointed by life, yourself, your family or are generally sad or feel “burned out” on a regular basis, you should probably read this book.

It will open your eyes to a new way of thinking and provide you the permission and give you the tools to cope with your situation.

I won’t lie. This book is probably geared toward women with first-world problems, especially LDS women. Compared to the rest of the suffering world our problems may not compare. But…that doesn’t make our emotional realities any less important or less real to us than any other problem in the world.

I spent several years serving in the Relief Society and saw a lot of joy interspersed with a lot of pain. There are many women out there silently suffering. Overwhelmed by too many things that probably just don’t matter when you get right down to it.

This book will help set women straight. In our culture, many women feel an unrealistic need to follow suit. To live the same life their mothers did, or to be exactly like the neighbor next door who has it all together.

This book will tell you why bad things happen to good people. And…spoiler alert. If something bad is happening to you, it probably ISN’T God punishing you for not being righteous enough. According to extensive research by the author, many women think that.

The book will give readers permission to feel a full-range of emotions, including anger. Did you know that it’s okay to feel anger? This book will tell you a healthy way to both feel and deal with anger and disappointment.

It will also give you permission to say NO even if someone makes a reasonable request of you. Now…any of you who know me well know that I don’t like to say no. The truth is I DO say no. I say it a lot. But I say no to things like wiping down baseboards or changing my sheets on a weekly basis. I say no to keeping my car immaculate or making 7-course meals from scratch. I also say no to most optional church meetings.

I say NO to those things so I have time to say YES to things that are funner and more memorable and things that make me feel alive and give me cool pictures to look back at and say YES! I was there, I did that.

The book will help you take a look back at how you grew up and the way the behaviors you learned as a child have shaped you. It will give you permission to accept or reject the things you learned. It will show you how to choose for yourself how to live, despite what you were taught.

Finally, and most importantly it will help you see why taking care of yourself, even first, will not only result in your own happiness, but will give you the power to amplify your service and love for the people in your life.

I completely recommend The Burnout Cure to anyone. You’ll feel better about your life if you read and apply the principles in this book. Plus, you’ll have more fun.

If you think this book might help you or someone you know, please consider sharing this post on your favorite social media outlet.

Buy the book here.

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a cute video by Julie de Azevedo that spoofs our Molly Mormon first-world problems.

Julie will be signing books at the Fort Union Deseret Book this Saturday from 11-2. She’ll also be performing her smash new hit Molly Mormon Died Today.

Posted in INSPIRING PEOPLE, PLEASANT EVENTS | Tagged Julie de Azevedo Hanks, Self Help, Self Help Books, The Burnout Cure | 1 Comment

The Blind Man and the Panhandler-A lesson I learned

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Kristin

I recently wrote an article published on KSL.com about something I saw downtown last week. It reminded me about how important it is to be aware of the people around us and help them if they are in need.

I also learned another lesson after publishing the article. It seems by the mass amount of hate mail I received that the blind community wasn’t happy with the way I portrayed the blind man (his name is Quinn) as a helpless person.

What I didn’t know when I witnessed the incident was that Quinn was stepping off the curb to gauge where he was on the sidewalk. I was always under the impression that the blind and visually impaired were very good at navigating the world in total independence. That’s why I was surprised at the whole scene I witnessed.

Quinn (and many others) contacted be after the article was published to let me know that he was never in any danger and explained what I saw. It really helped me make sense of the whole thing and I am relieved that there was only perceived danger and not any ACTUAL danger.

Despite not liking the way I portrayed him, Quinn DID like the message of the article. He was touched that someone would reach out and help him (whether he needed it or not).

He also mentioned that after he read the article a few times he realized the article wasn’t actually about him. It was more about the Panhandler who reached out to him when it seemed he needed help. He really got behind the real message intended by the article; the idea that we’re all a little too busy to notice when were needed sometimes. So that’s why I’m sharing it here today despite the mass amounts of hate mail I received over it.

Posted in INSPIRING PEOPLE, THOUGHTS ON HAPPINESS | Comments Off

Laser Hair Removal DONT’S

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Kristin

So if you’ve been keeping up with my armpits lately, you know that I’m working with Elase as a Brand Ambassador having spa treatments in exchange for sharing the details with all of you. Last week it was time for my third treatment. To this point my treatments have been easy and totally painless. Read about it here, if you haven’t already.

I recently had a birthday and went out with some of my best girlfriends I grew up with. Naturally my armpits came up during the course of our conversation.

It turns out that my friend started laser hair removal about the same time I did, but NOT at Elase. She told me in very definitive terms that our experiences have been VERY different. I didn’t ask who was doing her treatments, but she said it HURT like a mother in labor.

I couldn’t understand why mine was so pain-FREE and hers was so pain-FULL for her, so at my next appointment I asked my cute laser hair technician about it.

She explained that there are two different types of laser hair removal machines. The machine Elase uses costs several hundred thousand dollars and nothing on the machine ever actually touches you. The laser just pulses light across your skin. It looks like this. She said that there are probably only a few laser hair removal spas in Utah that have this type of machine.

Apparently, most facilities use a lower cost machine that the techniician actually presses into your skin. IT causes a lot more discomfort (pain) and requires MANY more treatments to get the same results. But…it is usually less expensive. It’s just another reason you should consider Elase if you’re thinking of starting Laser Hair Removal in Utah.

Speaking of pain during laser hair, I’d like to describe some Laser Hair Removal DONT’S that I learned during my last treatment.

I made a critical error that made my last laser appointment less pain-free than the others. I’ve already had two treatments and that seemed to be all it took to completely wipe out all my hair under there. My armpits were TOTALLY bald…Or so I thought.

The most important thing you can do to avoid any pain before your Laser Hair Removal appointment is to shave yourself as clean as possible. Seriously…you should razor yourself where ever you’re having a treatment, legs, bikini, pits, face and yes, especially Brazilian. Shave like an hour before you go. Because if you don’t, the laser will obliterate your hair and it DOESN’T feel that good.

Some areas hurt more than others. Don’t ask me how I know. Plus if the laser has to work on hair above the surface of the skin, less energy is seeking out the hair below thee surface. You want as much of the laser energy below the skin because first, it doesn’t hurt and second because that’s really what creates lasting results.

Since my armpits were already bald, and I hadn’t shaved for so long, I was out of the routine of shaving and just spaced shaving my pits before my appointment. If I thought there was no hair there, I was WRONG! There was peach fuzz hair. Hair that you can’t really see or even feel, but believe me…it’s there.

Don’t worry because the laser found that hair and burned it off and it was HOT and it smelled like burning hair. I won’t say that it hurt, but this experience was by far my most uncomfortable. My fault. Even still, the discomfort was tolerable since the treatment doesn’t last all that long anyway. But…Save yourself the trauma by NEVER FORGETTING TO SHAVE BEFORE YOU GO.

Don’t forget that Elase is having a special through the end of summer. It’s their Friend Frenzy! Bring a friend and you both get $100 off any service…see details here.

Be sure to like Elase on facebook if you are considering a spa service and want to be notified when they have their fun specials.

Posted in PLEASANT EVENTS | Tagged Elase Medical Spa, Laser Hair Removal Tips, Laser Hair Removal Utah | Comments Off

Heather and Kristin Do San Fransico (in one day)

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Kristin

(If you haven’t read about my trip to Bonnie’s wedding in San Francisco you might want to read that before you read this post.)

After the wedding we headed off into the sunset to let the bride and groom be married and let the family clean up the party(suckers). After 48 hours of complete stress, sweat, and hard work, we were ready to tear up the town. And by tear up the town I mean go to the hotel and go to sleep immediately.

We took a wild and crazy ride after the wedding to check into our hotel. The ride wasn’t meant to be wild or crazy, thanks to some bad driving on my part (despite having good navigation) we ended up going the wrong direction crossing the Bay Bridge in a Bus ONLY lane. That’s a bad thing.

Not wanting a big fat ticket on the other side of the bridge we pulled over and regrouped. We made a quick (illegal) maneuver and crossed the bridge in a more appropriate lane.

We got off the first exit onto a tiny little island where Google Maps told us we could turn around. It was wrong though, because after driving around for 15 minutes on the tiny island we discovered that we could not.

The good news is we were able to pull over and snap this incredible photo of the bay bridge at night.

So we just pretended that was our plan all along. Isn’t this the coolest photo! We totally meant to do that.

After two hours on the California freeways, a trip that was supposed to take 45 minutes, and crossing countless bridges, each with a $5 toll, we arrived at our hotel, totally exhausted. It might have been one of the best nights sleep I ever had. I didn’t even stir until 10 am the next day.

With only one day to see all of San Francisco we hatched a plan to see Muir Woods, The Golden Gate Bridge up close, eat some fresh Sour Dough Bread from Boudin Bread Bakery, and eat and authentic Chinese dinner.

The following photos prove that we made it all happen!

First stop, Muir Woods. Have you ever been there? It’s kind of AMAZING!!! The trees, they’re are ridiculous! Seriously. After being there an hour or so I started getting motion sick from trying to see the tops of the trees. These trees are tall. They’re tall like a sky scraper. Can you see the little people in comparison with these trees? For reals. Tall trees.

Despite how many people were there, and there were SO MANY, the grove was very quiet. That either because the people were in awe or more likely, there was just so much foliage that it just absorbs all the sound. It was really cool. It kinda reminds me of skiing and how quiet it is because the snow absorbs all the sound.

We totally loved it there. It was nice and cool too. I wouldn’t wear shorts. I was really glad I had my sweatshirt. It was the perfect temp all bundled up like that.

Also, if you’re ever planning a trip to Muir Woods, if you go on a weekend you will likely have to take the shuttle because the parking lots fill up if you go later in the day. And…it’s like a 40 minute bus ride. And…on your return trip, plan on waiting a while for a ride back. We waited about an hour in a line for a bus ride back to the car. It sounds worse than it is though. If you have a snack and a good friend to shoot some jokes off to, you’ll be fine. We loved being at Muir Woods and brought home a REALLY COOL prize.

After our half-day adventure to Muir Woods (that really is how long it takes) we headed towards the city on the Bay. We intended to go right to the Bread Bakery I love so much, but got distracted by this…

It’s the Golden Gate Bridge in case you were wondering. It was my first time seeing it to and it was magnificent. You just can’t believe the size of these bridges! Look at how teenie the cars are on there.

We made the most of this bridge sighting. I’m sure Heather’s photos are a bit more fantastic than mine, but you know…this is what I have so this is what you get. By the way…IT WAS FREEZING!!! It was like, the really unpleasant kind of freezing. So…if you do this, take more than a sweatshirt if you’re going with a photographer who is going to want to stand out there and shoot photos in the 40 mph winds for an hour. I’m sure that’s why I look like I’m having such a great time in this shot.

After I convinced Heather it was time to move on we crossed the bridge and headed into the city for some HOT, FRESH sourdough bread. The kind that you can only get when you’re in San Francisco. I was a little worried that since it was so late in the day and it was a Sunday that the Boudin bread shop might be closed. And when we arrived, paid to park and walked to the store front, my fears were confirmed. Closed.

But…next to the little breadshop was the actual bakery where the bread was baking. There was a garage door open about three feet up…So, I got on my hands and knees and shouted. “Can anyone hear me?” A minute later a worker came to see who was calling. I calmly explained that I had come here from Utah to get bread and that they were closed. I asked if I could still buy some and he told me there was a location open at Fisherman’s wharf. I explained that we weren’t going down there and could I just snag some here and I’d be happy to pay whatever price.

He left for a minute, and Heather snapped this picture. Do I look desperate? I was. Steve’s only request was that I bring back some Boudin Bread for him. I thought I might have blown that chance.

Luckily the worker returned and said that they didn’t have any bread left to sell. He asked if I would be interested in any of these “chowder bowls.” I quickly replied that I WANTED them! So he scraped up 5 hot steaming loaves and put them in a big paper bag for me. He told me that next time I was here I should tell them that I owe for 4 chowder bowls.

No person has ever been as happy as I was at that moment. Except for the moment that I started eating the bread. I think I might have been even happier then. It was seriously so delicious!

The last thing on our list was to get some great Chinese Food. Unfortunately, after eating a loaf of Sourdough bread, neither of us were all that hungry, but we didn’t let that stop us. We just did a little shopping first and bought some fun things for our kids and then headed for Chinese Food.

We were in some kind of China neighborhood. Not, THEE China town per say, but a “China town” for sure, meaning were were some of the few non-Asian people there.

We used Google maps and located a Chinese Restaurant nearby that had great reviews and headed inside. We were quite tired at this point. It had been a long weekend of wedding, work and a day full of sight-seeing. We were glad just to have a place to sit down. The blurry pic matches the tone of how we felt.

As you can see from this photo, we were the ONLY non-asians in this place. AND…The food was incredible. They served us tea and white rice with our meal and even though we weren’t all that hungry, it was still completely delicious and just what we needed to end the trip!

After our last supper, we headed back to the hotel. This time we were experts and navigating our way there and had no problems.

We packed up our bags and went to bed. Our 6:30 a.m. flight went off with out a hitch. Well…there were SNAKES ON THE PLANE, but they were pretty non-threatening since they were gummy and delicious.

Posted in FOR COUPLES, PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL TRAVELS | Tagged Muir Woods, One Day San Fancisco trips. Boudin Bread, What to do in San Francisco | 1 Comment

Look Better for FREE-Chemical Peel Giveaway!

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Kristin

Many of you know I’ve been working as a brand ambassador for Elase Medical Spa for the last couple months. You’ve seen me in my laser hair removal appointment and watched my chemical peel.

A lot of you have stopped me in the store to tell me how lucky I am to be doing these things for FREE. And…I agree. I’m super lucky. Even though I’m not a hard-core, “beauty-is-pain” type person, I’m loving these services. I’m starting to see why so many regular women, like me, are having these treatments.

If there’s something that bothers you about your face, there really are a WHOLE BUNCH of non-surgical relatively inexpensive (compared to surgery) things you can do to take care of the problem.

Here’s the good news for you…Now I’m not the only lucky one getting in on the FREE beauty magnification.

I have a FREE Chemical Peel like the one I had to give away! In addition, the winner will receive a bottle of Obagi Sunscreen. I’ve been using it for a few months now and…It. Is. Fantastic. It’s a good prize all on its own. In case you were wondering, the value of this prize is more than $130. Thanks Elase!

I love what the peel has done for me. I hope you can see from this silly pic of myself. My skin is tighter and just smoother generally. It both feels and looks smoother. I just love the results, way more than I even thought I would. I hope you will too!

It will be given away at random. You can enter below. One little note on this. The catch…This is for NEW Elase customers. If you’re on a first name basis over there, this contest is not for you, but you could certainly tell your friends.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted in PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL SOKOL LOCAL | Tagged Chemical Peel Draper, Chemical Peels in Utah, Elase Medical Spa | 27 Comments

Attend a Wedding #91

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Kristin

I am so blessed to have so many good friends. I really don’t know what I have done to be so richly blessed with good people around me.

My good friend Bonnie, whom I lived with during college at least twice, came to visit me from the Bay Area over Christmas this last year. During her visit we had a serious, serious talk about getting her married asap. She’s turned 34 this year and wanted a family and husband to share her life with. At nearly 34 we didn’t have a moment to spare.

Together (and by together I mean mostly me) we decided to improve her dating profile on her preferred dating site. We adjusted the pictures, and re-wrote the greeting so that interested suitors would see her in the best light.

Additionally, I took it upon my self to cast the net as far as possible and sent cute little messages under her name to dozens and dozens of men. The results of those messages yielded many returned messages and several phone calls.

There was one profile I looked at that I felt particularly strong about. Unfortunately this person was not a paid member on the site and could not easily exchange messages. He did however cryptically leave his e-mail address in his greeting. So I forwarded his profile to Bonnie and demanded she e-mail him.

She finally got around to sending him a message about 10 days later. He responded quickly and they quickly began talking on the phone. The first night they talked for an hour, the second night they talked for several hours and before I knew it, they were planning their future together.

Now it’s several months later and I just returned from their Wedding in San Francisco.

As you can see from the photos, she was a beautiful bride. You may notice the quality of these photos are top notch. I talked one of my other besties, Heather into coming with me. She’s an established photographer and takes breathtaking wedding photos.

The wedding ended up being a joyous time, but was filled with a lot of really hard work.

What did we do while we were there? We helped the bride fix her MAJOR wardrobe malfunction, moved her into her new apartment, made corsages and boutineers for the entire wedding party, did the brides hair, took bridal photos on location in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, helped the bride dress for the wedding, took wedding photos at the Sacramento Temple in 105 degree heat, framed a bridal photo, and took photos at the reception and various other projects.

In all, it was wonderful and totally exhausting. We had one day to recover before we headed home. More on our one day trip titled Heather and Kristin do San Francsico next week.

This was the ULTIMATE pleasant event for me. I can’t tell you how much joy it gives me to see my dear friend find her love. So…I’m totally counting this at #91 on the list.

Posted in INSPIRING PEOPLE, PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL TRAVELS | Tagged Bay area weddings, how to get married in 6 months or less, lds planet, my best friends wedding | Comments Off

How to Grow a Giant Sequoia Tree in Your Yard (whether it’s a good idea or not)

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Kristin

I have traumatic childhood memories of weeding our family garden which took up what seemed like at least a quarter of an acre. The thought of slaving away in the hot sun hour after hour pulling weeds is about the farthest thing from a good time in my mind.

Over the years since I have become a grown up the idea of growing things has grown on me. I’ve added a plant here and a plant there and have quite enjoyed taking care of potted things. See my pretty deck garden!

I’m even growing, a boisterous tomato plant (which my dad totally set up for me). I think I’ll have dozens of tomatoes to eat here in just a week or two. There’s only two things money can’t buy and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes.

After a whirlwind trip to San Francisco and a visit to the Muir Woods home to the world’s tallest trees, I’ve picked up a new plant to grow. Well, it’s not really a plant, it’s a tree. And… it might be the largest living thing on earth. Why not plant it in my back yard.

I bought my daughter Alyssa a cute little tree seedling as a prize since she didn’t get to come with me on this trip. It’s adorable right?! It’s not important that someday the tree could grow 500 feet tall and 30 feet wide. That certainly won’t happen in my lifetime, so…no big deal. Who wouldn’t want a tree the size of the Statue of Liberty in their own back yard. (by the way…we live on a1/5 an acre of land)

So if you’ve ever considered growing a tree from a seedling, you might want to read on. Here’s how to grow a Giant Sequoia in your back yard. Never mind if that’s a good idea or not.

First, you take it out of the bottle

and soak the roots in water for at least an hour or so. Dry roots tend to not be very helpful to a new tree.

After it’s good and soaked, you get your self a 2-5 gallon pot and fill it will good draining potting soil. It helps if you look totally cute while you’re planting like these two did. My husband Steve was surprisingly excited about this new adventure. He likes when I do crazy things.

Then you make a hole in the soil with an inch to spare on all sides of the root ball.

Then you drop your seedling into the pot.

Then you cover your seedling and gently pack in the soil around it. Then you give your tree a big ole drink of water.

Be sure to give it plenty of water. The potting soil can hold more water then you think.

The Giant Sequoia likes to dry almost all the way out between waterings. So place your pot in a sunny place and watch the soil. When it’s just barely damp it’s probably time from another drink. Here it is with all the other plants in my deck garden. The sunflowers Alyssa planted in 1st grade from a seed. They’re doing good too.

You may be asking yourself…”Why is she planting the world’s largest tree in a two gallon pot?” That’s because it has to grow into a 5 foot tree before it can be planted in the ground. So it’s totally meant to be enjoyed on a deck or as a house plant for 5 to 8 years. Then…it can be planted in the yard where it will grow about a foot a year for around 500 years.

It’s kind of crazy to plant something you know will out live you and your children and their children. It’s also kind of fun to stick some future generation with a $50,000 tree removal bill. Ha! Hilarius!

If you’re interested in learning more about Giant Sequoia trees, so you can have one for your yard here’s where you can get more info. They even have a facebook group that of course you would join so you could see all the tree geeks talk to each other.

If anyone is counting, this is # 268 on the list and I’m planning to get an eternity of pleasantness out of this one.

Here’s some of the super cute photos I couldn’t fit in this post in case you wanted to see them.

Posted in PLEASANT EVENTS | Tagged Deck gardening, Giant Sequoia Trees in Utah, How to grow a Giant Sequoia Tree, How to plant a tree seedling, Largest living thing in the world, Muir Woods souvenir | 2 Comments