Hi Y'all! I don't know if you remember Anna Beninati, the Utah college student who lost her legs in a train accident in Colorado last year. Well, look at her now! I read this article this morning on deseretnews.com and it is so inspiring! Please follow the link here to read it. It sure puts life into perspective.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765613957/The-comeback-kid-After-a-devastating-accident-Anna-Beninati-finds-happiness.html

This Wednesday I had an appt. with my GI doc in which we decided I would undergo another endoscopy in a couple of weeks due to more (yes, more) gut issues I've been having the past several months.  We've been digging this whole time for what exactly is causing the problem. I've made some lifestyle changes and tried different medications to see if they would remedy the situation, but none of them have.  I wasn't sure how the wheels in my beloved Dr. Sossenheimer's head would be turning and what he would suggest but felt I needed to go in with an open mind and trust in his expertise as to what to do.

Last week I underwent my 9th surgery (5 within the past 2 years)...
* Ear Tubes * Appendix * Gallbladder * KneeX3 * Jaw-Bilateral * Hernia RepairX2 *
I haven't had the best of luck when it come to my health ever since I turned 16. It seems my life was absolutely perfect up until this point, when I moved away from what I called home, Austin, Texas. Life was great, my gymnastics couldn't have been better as I was on the road to accomplishing my goals and dreams of being a member of the US Gymnastics Team. I loved school, I had a great group of friends and my ward was awesome - life was just dandy.
Then, all at once, it seemed, I was faced with trial after trial. My health went downhill, I spent weeks upon weeks in the hospital. I didn't have a normal junior or senior year, spending much of my time with a tutor in a hospital bed instead of a normal high school classroom. My family moved and then moved again, 6x in 4 years. I watched my younger brother go down the wrong path. My gymnastics dreams were slipping away as I lost strength and skill, then, just when I thought I was getting back on track, I blew out my knee. I haven't completed college as quickly as I planned because of these set backs. This is just a small glimpse of everything I had to deal with.
But these years are behind me and as I look back on all I have dealt with, it is hard to believe all that I have been through and conquered. I look at the person I am today...

I am stronger.
I am braver.
I am more aware of how much the Lord loves me.
I better understand the power of the atonement.
My testimony has been strengthened with every challenge.
I am more understanding and willing to serve those around me.
I am a better person and have had the power to overcome trials through my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love the following quote....

The black keys have strengthened me to become who I am today. They have brought meaning and purpose into my life. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to create a beautiful masterpiece. Without the black keys in our life, without the sadness, heartache, and challenges, we cannot grow to become more like our Heavenly Father. Our life becomes more meaningful and more beautifully perfected as we are given challenges to overcome. The beauty is, we aren't left to endure and bare these hard times alone; Heavenly Father is with us all along the way.

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort...
"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage....and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." -Mosiah 24:13-14

Life sure is sweet, isn’t it? Even in the midst of trials, tribulations, or let me speak candidly, lots and lots of crappy stuff, life is amazingly, beautifully wonderful. Sometimes the trials are what help us see and experience the best life has to give, and help us see our worth. This must be a lesson the Lord knows I need to learn, because he’s given me LOTS of experience with it.

My ward had fast and testimony meeting today, with it being General Conference last week. I love to bear my testimony! Today, I was one of the first to stand up. I was so full of the spirit and my heart began to beat so hard, I just had to get up and express my feelings to everyone in attendance.

I am so grateful for this gospel and I know that we have the full truth restored to us today, through Joseph Smith, a prophet of God. I know that I am a daughter of a Heavenly King and I know that he loves me. My heart is so full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father and I know he is there with me every step of the way. The past 2 weeks have been incredible with so much happening. As I have put Christ first, I have received inspiration as to what comes second.  I know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer my prayers. I am so grateful for the power that comes from reading the scriptures and how much can be learned from the prophets of old. I have found answer after answer just by reading its words. I know that our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, here to guide and direct us along the path of righteousness!

In the words of Sister Ann M. Dibb of the General Young Women's Presidency:

Last weekend, my brother Nick and his girlfriend Zoe stayed at the house. My parents were out of town and when I realized they were there Sunday morning, I ran upstairs with a box of blueberry muffins and asked them if they would like some breakfast. They said they would love to stay and I even made fruit smoothies. As we sat and ate, we all watched conference. I was filled with joy to see them in tune to the words of the general authorities and leaders of this church. I have prayed that Nick, and Zoe too, will come around and realize what is most important in life. This was an answer to one of the six questions I had written down, prior to conference.

Elder Craig G. Christensen stated:

"The Holy Ghost is a teacher and a revelator. As we study, ponder, and pray about gospel truths, the Holy Ghost enlightens our minds and quickens our understanding. He causes the truth to be indelibly written in our souls and can cause a mighty change to occur in our hearts. 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit...
"Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;
"Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.

Last weekend was amazing! I look forward to conference weekend every fall and spring and it always goes by way too fast! This gospel is true! The words spoken by our prophet, the general authorities and all the leaders of this church, speak through our Heavenly Father. They are here to guide and protect us in such a world of unrest, disappointment, and trial. They give us hope and light the path for us to find happiness here on Earth as we make our way back to our Heavenly Father. President Thomas S. Monson is an amazing prophet. He shows concern for the Lords children all over the world and brings comfort as he testifies of the things which we should do. As he closed Sunday evening, he stated:

"Let us be of good cheer as we go about our lives. Although we live in increasingly perilous times, the Lord loves us and is mindful of us. He is always on our side as we do what is right. He will help us in time of need. Difficulties come into our lives, problems we do not anticipate and which we would never choose. None of us is immune. The purpose of mortality is to learn and to grow to be more like our Father, and it is often during the difficult times that we learn the most, as painful as the lessons may be. Our lives can also be filled with joy as we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"We offer our heartfelt gratitude to all who have participated in any way. The truths of the gospel have been beautifully taught and reemphasized. As we take the messages of the past two days into our hearts and into our lives, we will be blessed." 

"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
"And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage." Mosiah 24:15-16


For the past 9 months, I have been studying for my PTC (personal training certificate) test. When I first began, I didn't know how to study the material I was handed. My brain wasn't functioning the way that it was supposed to. Let me back up a little bit....
In February of 2009, I was involved in an ice skating accident. I fell forward while trying to attempt a Walze Jump, smacking my head on the ice. One quick ambulance ride and 9 hours later, I woke up in ICU. Thats right, the blow to my head knocked me cold for 9 hours. I don't remember a thing. It took some digging to figure out who I was since I didn't have my ID with me and I was alone. Luckily there was a girl there who recognized me from class, first miracle. The paramedics called my Aunt Sandi who happened to have the whole Inkley clan at her home for a sibling dinner and they were able to contact my mom this way, miracle number 2. The whole family drove down to see how I was doing but the doctors weren't saying much. They were all pretty much preparing for the worst. After scans and tests, they confirmed there was no bleeding in my brain, no fractures, and that I suffered a major concussion with a moderate brain injury...third miracle considering it could have been a LOT worse! I had to drop most of my classes that semester and was out of work for a little over 6 weeks. I basically had to allow time for my brain to heal. I attended therapy and rested a lot! because of this injury, I have had jaw issues including surgery, continuing headaches and migraines, and I have had to re-learn new ways of studying.

I have been given a priesthood blessing that I will make a full recovery and that I would be ok. It has been almost 4 years and I am still fighting the symptoms caused by this traumatic fall. I decided during my last fall semester I needed to go back to therapy. I was put on a wait list and didn't get in until after I had already begun this course through NASM. By this time I was so frustrated and nothing was sticking. I didn't know how to study and was running out of options. Ally, my therapist at TOSH Neurology has been great! She helped me get back on track and has geven me ways to work on improving my short term memory, multi-tasking, and other little study tips.
Over the summer I became distracted. I have never been the one to take courses through the summer. It is my favorite season and I just enjoy playing and going on vacation and having fun. Well, I started this internship in June, plus I was trying to study like mad. This didn't give me much time to have fun for myself. I missed our bear lake trip! I feel as though I have been studying non-stop, and the time has finally come. My test is just around the corner. I was supposed to be taking it as we speak, but the testing center somehow didn't get me on their schedule, so now I am taking it Tuesday morning. This gives me more time to study and prepare, however, now I have to take time off work to do it. But the more I think about it, this was a blessing. I really wasn't ready to take it today and now I have more time to really get down the things I need to know to be successful...
I have prayed for strength and understanding of what I am supposed to learn. I have prayed for an increased knowledge as I put in the time and effort and discover new ways of studying. I have had to work at it and as I do my part, I know my Heavenly Father will bless me. 
This week, I have had many other wonderful things happen...I got approved to refinance my car and this has been a HUGE blessing in my life. I have made many mistakes when it has come to buying cars and I am learning my lesson...the hard way. But now I know what NOT to do when it comes to buying a new car. I also successfully passed my CPR and AED training and am certified! That was such a great feeling of success! Just the thing I needed to boost my confidence knowing that I CAN DO THIS! The Lord is there in time of need! I have felt his presence so strongly in the past couple of weeks as I have moved my scripture study time to the morning. It is a great way to start my day and this way I know I will have time for it. 

"If you put Jesus Christ first, he will tell you what comes second."

Well, I have to get back to studying, but stay tuned for more....I have plenty more to share relating to general conference! 

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be truly humble by recognizing our nothingness compared to God. Just when you feel you finally "get" something about life, or that you just "get" life, you learn something else that makes you "get it" again. Translation: We as human beings aren't even beginning to scratch the surface of God's knowledge and marvels.
When I think I've seen the most beautiful sunset and that I'll never experience anything to top it in this life, when I feel depressed because that moment is gone, another moment occurs and I see a more beautiful one. When I've had an experience that's amazing and think life can't get any better, the Lord proves me wrong by showing and blessing me or those around me with an even more amazing experience.

There will always be more. More sunsets, more calm spring nights, more crisp mountain mornings, more enchanting holiday seasons with snow and lights all aglow. There's more revelations, more inspiring words, more moving music, more touching portraits and photos, more scriptures that speak to you in a new way. God always has more. There is never an end to His glory, His works, and His love.
I have sooooo much to learn here and I want to ask, seek and open myself up to all that He has to offer.

Look for the sunlight in the sunsets Y'all!

Here's a post from my personal blog that I wanted to share on Look Up! I originally posted it on February 24, 2012.

My souvenirs from the E.R. (Har, har, har.)

What a week! Some of you know that I began experiencing severe-and I'm talkin' E.X.T.R.E.M.E!!!-abdominal pain last Wednesday afternoon that sent me to the Emergency Room.  This was a complication of some problems I've had for the last month.  After a few tests, several vials of blood, and a bunch of poking and prodding from a very ornery nurse, I was sent home with no conclusive answers as to what was wrong.  I had hope that the worst was over only to get home and become violently ill.  No need to paint you all a picture of what happened but it was wicked.  I hadn't been sick like that since I had an intestinal infection six years ago.
After 24 more hours and 45 trips to the bathroom, I was back in the ER because I couldn't keep anything down and was dehydrated.  They released me just after midnight and I went home to get 5 hours of unsettled sleep before it was time to be up and back to IMC for an abdominal MRI.  Man, was I tired. And not only me, my dear mother, who was sick with a nasty cold herself, was exhausted.
Thankfully my MRI came back normal, but I still don't know what's wrong with me.  Since last week the possibilities have been narrowed down to a few options. It will take a few weeks to talk to doctors, get tests scheduled and completed, and get results.
Through the first few days of this latest trial, I was very scared.  I was feeling pain I'd never felt before, sickness that I hadn't had in years, and my thoughts couldn't get off all the bad that was happening to me in that moment.  My mind zoomed in on the past, where my illness had lasted 3 months, to the future, where I thought I was never going to get better, where nothing would ever change.  I was anxious, and I struggled with the fact that I couldn't feel the spirit and felt like God had once again abandoned me.  How can you let this happen?!? I cried.  Please don't make me go through this again!  Why, with everything else that's happened to me in my life and with how little I have right now, would you do this to me?
You see, I believe everything happens for a reason, probably a little (or maybe a lot) more than I should.  I don't believe in coincidence or luck.  I don't believe bad things happen without a real purpose behind them either.  And at this particular time I prayed aloud, "What is the purpose of this?!? What good is supposed to come from this?!"  I couldn't help it; I was too distraught.  At this point I awful because I wasn't, "enduring well", or, "cheerfully" my adversity. I  felt like a spoiled child, whining, complaining, kicking and screaming my whole way through.
Looking back, I can now see that my initial response and emotions weren't because I was an unfaithful person, they were because I was a human being experiencing opposition.  God doesn't expect us to always immediately submit cheerfully to our problems.  Some people may be able to do that, and all power to 'em, but if God expected that we all do that all the time in order to be saved, then none of us would be making it to the Celestial Kingdom.
What I'm saying is that it's okay to have hard times, and to let ourselves feel our true emotions, while at the same time trusting that our Savior is walking with us, helping us all the way through, even when we may not feel Him, even when we aren't happy with our own performance. We can be scared and trust in Him at the same time. And it's going through the fear and doubt and sorrow and coming out on the other side of them; seeing that God has been there all along, and feeling the love and joy from getting to that place, that is the real lesson and gift here.
I don't know yet what the ultimate cause of my problems are, but I believe that the answer is out there.  It may come after a lot of trial and error tests, tears and smiles, disappointments and hopes.  It may be needed that I spend a certain amount of time, money and energy in order to find the answers.  In the end, I have faith that none of that will be wasted.  This will turn out.  Answers will be found, treatment set forth and, I do believe, some sort of restoration of health given.  I give this all to Him, who knows and has all the answers. He'll give them, in His time.
I hope we can all have the courage to do the same.

What great challenge caused you a lot of fear and doubt, and what did you ultimately learn from it?

No matter the challenges in our lives, we can always choose our attitude. Some days it's easier to choose to be cheerful and go with the flow, and some days things go so badly you literally couldn't paste on a fake smile if you tried. The darker days can be clouded with the failures of the past, the harsh reality of the present, and the fear of the future.  But the way we choose to see and respond to things makes all the difference. I gained some good insight from Charles Swindoll, who said: 

At times in our life, things can become so hectic and chaotic that we forget to see the tiny miracles and blessings in our life. Our Heavenly Father is so aware of us and what we are dealing with day to day. He wants us to be happy and he wants the best for us. As we make our journey through life, we will have bad days. We will have disappointments and frustrations. There will be times we may want to give up. Stop! Look around and try to see the positive. Try to look at a horrible situation in a positive light. I promise, you will find good in every situation. Sometimes it may take a bit of deeper digging to see and understand. But our Heavenly Father will never leave us alone.

There are so many little things in which He blesses our life with. Sometimes, we don't take the time to realize how blessed we are. Life is not easy. We will be asked to do many things and endure many trials. But as long as we keep believing in faith, knowing he will provide a way, we will be blessed. Open your eyes and see your own blessings in your life. 
“[The Lord] will not permit us to fail if we do our part. He will magnify us even beyond our own talents and abilities. … It is one of the sweetest experiences that can come to a human being” Ezra Taft Benson 

Have you ever had a dream taken away from you, one which you worked your whole life to get? Even when you try your hardest to rise above what may seem the impossible? Then, when you think you have given it all you've got, a small glimpse of hope enters your life and it makes you realize that this dream, this goal you have always wanted to achieve may still be a possibility.


In my own life, I have always had goals and dreams based on gymnastics. Many things in my life have happened, making it seem impossible to accomplish what I think the Lord wants me to accomplish. In the past month, since the Olympic games, when the Woman's US Gymnastics team earned gold, I have had many thoughts racing through my head. If they can do it, why can't I? If a 37 year old German women can be incredible on vault, why not me @ 30? If the USA can win gold in Woman's Gymnastics, only the second time in history and Gabbi can be the first African American to win the individual Gold all around, why can't I do something extraordinary? Something that others may think completely impossible and ridiculously insane? I CAN!

My body is falling apart and is exhausted from the stresses placed on it. But I feel strongly that He still has a mission for me in this sport. Through Him, nothing is impossible. You must have determination and faith that He will strengthen you as long as you come to Him for help. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and His guiding hand, leading me the way to success and living my life in line with his will. I know I will be happiest when I do this and

"Do you look forward with an eye of faith?" Alma 5:15

"Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive it in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it." Enos 1:15
"I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith." Enos 1:12

These are just a few verses I came across when I was searching my scriptures. The scriptures can be so powerful and so many answers can be found just by reading its words and pondering. Then, with faith and prayer, you will find answers! 

This past weekend, our dog went missing. Rex is part of our family and we all love him so very much. I will admit, he can be a big pain and is the world's greatest trouble maker, but has become apart of our family. At the beginning of October, 6 years ago, I bought him as a puppy. He quickly stole our hearts and brings us joy to have have around. Then, Friday night, he went missing. Rex is like Houdini - he can find his way out of anywhere! At first, I didn't think much of it because he is always getting out and then easily finds his way home. But when I found out he still hadn't returned by nightfall (I was out on a date and then with friends) I became more worried. It didn't fully hit me until I climbed into bed, then the tears began streaming down my face. I kneeled before my Heavenly Father, pleading to bring him home. Praying for his safety and given direction as to where we should look.