Near Death Experience in Iraq

I discovered Natalie Sudman's story on NDERF.org. After reading a little bit about her story there, I immediately bought her book, "Application of Impossible Things." In it, Natalie relays her incredible story of what happened when she and her convoy were struck by a road side bomb in Iraq. She left her body and had an amazing spiritual experience.

Near-death-experiences are often difficult to describe because what happens beyond the physical realm often there are corresponding words to accurately describe those experiences. Natalie, however, uses words deftly. Her precise descriptions deliver you right into her story. You get to experience right along with Natalie, the sensations she experienced.

Why You Should Read This Book

This is a slim volume, (120 pages) but it is very full of revealing and inspiring information. This is what michael kors bags sale I liked and what came away with after reading her book:

1. Life is a continuum. We may or may not have been here before and we may or may not be back after this physical life is over. But we certainly did exist before our life on earth and will continue to live afterwards.

2. Heaven (my term) is all about creating, exploring, expanding our consciousness (not sure how to describe that), experiencing truly unconditional love, and enjoying it all.

3. michael kors handbags uk outlet Physical Life is all about the same things as heaven. It's a continuum! We continue our work, our creating, our love, and our joy – where ever we are, whether physical or spiritual. One of our greatest purposes is simply to enjoy our life! How liberating is that!!

4. Heaven is not boring!! It's beyond our comprehension because we are experiencing life through our physical body which acts like a filter. We can't see, hear, taste, feel, etc things in their pure form. Once we are released from our physical body, the kaleidoscope of experiences begin.

5. All is good. Even bad things are good. You must read the book to get the full explanation on this, but the bottom line is that everything that happens, even bad things are not only ok, but good because of the learning that we receive from them. This can be tough to wrap our minds around, but when you consider the entire continuum of our existence it starts to make sense. And opening to this idea, I believe, is quite liberating. It gives us the permission to release bad experiences. We don't have to hold onto them in a negative light.

6. You are the co-creator of your experiences, both here and beyond the physical life. You have more control over your experience than you realize. Your heaven may be very different from mine. It will be what you want

7. We are unique individuals AND at the same time we are all part of one source. This may seem contradictory. It is. Which leads to 8:

8. Contradictions are all correct. The answer can be both yes and no. Again, this is hard to wrap our minds around, but Natalie does an amazing job of scratching that surface enough that we can start to get a twinkling of how that could be true.

9. We have guides or angels, whatever name you want to give them, who do watch out for us. We can call upon them to help us. Our openness to them can help us.

10. No religion required and at the same time no religion excluded. This is my own observation. I am Christian, but I am very liberal in my beliefs. Her experience doesn't seem to limit anyone's belief system. I see it as an add-on. For instance, Jesus is the son of God, but so are we all, in our own way. We all come from the same source.

11. No Gurus. Natalie doesn't prescribe any religion in particular. In fact she says, "Don't follow me. Don't trust me. Trust your own experience." I like that!

I felt so joyful after reading this book. I truly feel like "Life is Good" after reading this book. In fact, it's more than good. It's unbelievably awesome!

Giant Omelette Festival, Louisiana, USA

Every November, the townsfolk of Abbeville band together to create one of the largest omelettes imaginable in honour of the large-scale omelette festivals in France. More than 5,000 eggs are piled into a 12-foot stainless steel skillet — along with 52lbs of butter, 50lbs of onions, crawfish tails and more — and they are cooked over a wood fire by a team of select chefs who are part of an omelette sister-city programme that spans from France to Argentina. Once cooked to perfection, the omelette is served up for free to festival-goers. The tradition of the giant omelette originated in the 19th Century, when Napoleon was visiting the town and was treated to a local delicacy called “hens’ gift”.

Fried Fish Festival, Torremolinos, Spain

Known locally as “Dia Del Pescaito”, this seafood festival takes place annually on the first Thursday in June in the fishermen’s district of La Carihuela. An astounding 12,000 kilos of fresh fish are given out to thousands of eager visitors. La Carihuela beach becomes a feast for the eyes, nose and mouth as fried anchovies nike t90 football boots and sardines are on offer for hungry guests.

International Soup Festival, Krakow, Poland

The Polish are known for their love of soup and in appreciation, the city of Krakow hosts a soup festival. It is the only festival of its kind in Poland; first held in May 2002 it was loved so much that it has become an annual event. Regional chefs battle to be the king of soups earning themselves the Golden Spoon award. Visitors can taste a wide range of free samples at restaurants and market stalls in the Kazimierz district, from traditional Polish Kapusniak and Zurek to unique variations created especially for the contest. Previous top flavours have included watermelon and mint.

La Tomatina Festival, Buñol, Spain

La Tomatina — not so much a food festival, more a food fight — takes place this year in August. It has the accolade of being the world’s biggest food fight. One hundred tonnes of ripe tomatoes are thrown through the streets of this quaint Spanish town by more than 3,000 participants. Be warned: the fight can sometimes get a little physical, with clothes being torn and people wrestling in adidas nitrocharge a tomato mush. La Tomatina festival has been a tradition in Buñol since 1944, but nobody is certain how the event originated.

Strawberry Festival,  Plant City, Florida

In Florida, the peak time to enjoy strawberries is from December to April. The festival, which takes place in Spring, serves up a wide range of local produce ranging from strawberry pizza to cocktails. There is a variety of different puddings and desserts on offer to keep your taste buds tingling all day, as well as tombolas and rides for an afternoon of entertainment. If you’re conscious of the need to consume your “five a day”, you might be happy to hear that you only need to eat eight strawberries in order to have had more Vitamin C than one orange.  Worth it for that alone.

Do you have a favourite food festival? Leave a comment. 

Thanks to the travel team at lowcostholidays.com for contributing to this article

Photo credits: Fried Fish Festival, International Soup Festival, Strawberry Festival

The atmosphere at Sziget is one of joy and laughter mingled with camaraderie and a little cheekiness – I lost count of the number of times I got mocked for drinking lots of tea by non-Brits.

The sun was dazzling and temperatures reached up to 40 celsius. Fortunately, the Sziget staff were on hand to hose down sweaty visitors with gallons of water. Many visitors also had their own water guns and had fun using them on this 'Island of Freedom'.

Festival founder, Károly Gerendai, had never attended a music cheap converse uk festival until he decided to create his own. He imagined a place of colour and music where young people could have a taste of freedom. He is particularly proud of Sziget's non-musical aspects: art installations like the Sziget rocking horse, and areas such as the Eastern European Funfair. Here visitors participated in a whole host of old-school ring and ball games, while witnessing impressive circus tricks and various musical delights.

Visitors were not allowed to bring alcohol onto the site. Instead, there were fixed prices for beer, wine, and spirits so there wasn't much drunkeness but lots of energy to rave the night away.

Highlights by UK/US acts included a deliciously sweet performance by Regina Spektor, a brilliant set by British rapper Dizzee Rascal, and an energetically flamboyant performance by Mika.

The final act, French DJ David Guetta, was somewhat stunned by the sheer volume of fans at the main Pop-Rock Stage. The music, generic pop with a twist, had a spectacular atmosphere, with friends dancing and embracing – the fireworks at the end were a proverbial cherry on top of the Sziget cake.

Some Europeans were a little less impressed, partly due to the high quantity of British acts at the main stage. Having said that, French ska and reggae group Babylon Circus put on a stellar performance, attracting in a fun-loving crowd and getting them into a dancing frenzy. For me this was what the festival was all about: bringing all nationalities together for the love of music and dance.

Dutch DJ Kees van Hondt also drew in a huge and rather unique crowd at the A38 Stage, all carrying tree branches, airbeds, inflatable sharks, and any other paraphernalia they could find. Here an hour or so of mayhem ensued, with everyone dancing like there was no tomorrow.

The festival experience at Sziget was great but there was one frustrating point: the food. Seven days of eating stodgy pizza, hotdogs, and burgers did not do wonders for my constitution. For such an international festival, the food was anything but - I would like to see a little more variety next converse leather trainers uk year.

If you attend the festival in 2014, don't forget to visit the city itself. Budapest's fascinating history and vibrant, lively nightlife are not to be ignored (read our Budapest Top 10 for more information).

You can camp at the festival. There is plenty of space in the shade if you do wish to do so, but Budapest also has numerous low-cost hostels for those who prefer a comfy bed and a hot shower after each night of debauchery. Book hostels a few months in advance as they tend to fill-up during the Sziget week.

Sziget is also a relatively cheap festival. Early-bird tickets for the 7-day camping option cost less than €200. Tickets can be purchased in advance or during the festival itself, although VIP camping tends to sell out quite fast. Food and drink at Sziget is also modestly priced: less than €3 for a beer and €4 for a burger. Just remember, the currency here is Hungarian forints (300 HUF is equivalent to €1).

So there you have it: 362,000 visitors, 54 program venues, 34km of street lights, a 60-meter high ferris wheel and an artificial beach.

Don't miss Sziget Festival next year. Visit www.szigetfest.co.uk if you are in the UK or www.sziget.hu for the international site.

Here are a few awesome ways to use pumpkin leftovers that we found and tried out. Try them yourself!

Fitness and food blogger Peanut Butter Runner gave us the idea. Why not add pumpkin puree to your morning smoothie? It has great health benefits, especially when it isn’t paired with butter and sugar. The blog’s recipe calls for berries, spinach, pumpkin, dates, yogurt, almond butter, almond milk and banana. You can definitely taste the pumpkin here, but it takes a backseat to the berries.

Pumpkin pie oatmeal

But if you really have no idea what to do with your pumpkin, you can always freeze it. We’d suggest putting it into a plastic baggie and flattening it before you let it freeze. Libby’s Pure Pumpkin can be stored for up to three months in the freezer, and up to one week in a covered container in the fridge. Libby’s recommends you stir it after defrosting, as the pumpkin can expand and separate a little in the freezer.