White Christmas

I can’t believe it is going to be a White Christmas in Seattle this year! It is crazy because last year we were so excited for the inch of snow that melted away as soon as the sun came up.

This year we had a “Winter Blast” as the melodramatic news would put it. But it really is uncharacteristically snowy here! The 10-inches of snow has kept Ben home from work this week and part of last week. It has been so nice to have him bustling around the house. He has been able to work on the sheetrock for the garage and finish up the Christmas shopping. I think we spoiled each other this year. Even though we tried to simplify, I think we still spoiled. We decided this year we were going to give each other four things: “something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.” The categories helped me focus but I think I got a little carried away. It was too fun buying for each other.

Last weekend was the annual Gingerbread House contest with our friends! It was a little bit of a cop out year because most of the competitors bought Gingerbread kits. Usually, everyone goes all out building over-the-top edible displays from scratch. Dustin and Jenny won the trophy this year with a miniature Seahawks stadium! I will post pictures of it later but it was AWESOME! It was probably 18-inches high and 3-feet wide. It had jelly beans as the players and the fans. It was framed out with wood but completely frosted and decked out in candy. It even had candy cane goal posts and stadium lighting.
Way to go Dixons!

This has been a really nice Christmas season seeing lights, playing in the snow and baking all the holiday crap food. I am sorry Maren but I am the worst culprit! But this year I am baking and getting rid of it.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

"It Beginning to Look alot like Christmas"

My world has been a bit of a whirlwind since I got back from Utah. (I must apologize to my friendly, Utahans who may be reading this post whom I did not see during my ten-day stint in the Beehive state. The trip was wonderfully jammed packed with Family Fun Day after another. So much so that my Mom even needed time away from the hustle. Two weddings, a baby shower, Girls Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and three trips to Cabelas, is likely to exhaust any woman.)

Well, if that doesn’t sound bad enough, reality gave my whiplash when I got back into town. Technology was not cooperating with me for this issue of the newsletter. I thought I was going to slit my wrists and do push ups in a bath full of salt water…reminiscent of my University Journal days. It was another little miracle that it is off to the printer.

Then there was the housework and my time-consuming church calling that were both terribly neglected during my trip. I am sure you can imagine the long to-do list. Thank goodness for a helpful husband and wonderful counselors.

But honestly I can’t complain.
I have made time to enjoy the Christmas season. Ben insisted that we put up the tree the day we got back. So, my house is very festive. Jan and I went to the Victorian Country Christmas on Saturday to enjoy the food, shows, and Christmas crafts. While we ladies went to the craft show, the guys went to the gun show. Ben is a proud shot gun owner now. And I brought him back a solid chocolate revolver that I found at the Victorian. He didn’t even eat it the first day. He put it up in the tree like an ornament.

Then we all went to the Festival of the Nativity down in Tacoma. The whole cultural hall in the church building was covering with tables of nativities of all sorts. It was actually really beautiful. It was amazing how many renditions of the nativity there were: from the traditional, to Native American, to Veggie Tales. I realized that I don’t even have a nativity but I want to start collecting them.

I am already feeling the Spirit of Christmas. I don’t want the month to go by too fast. I love this time of year. There are so many fun traditions and memories. You have all the Seattle traditions with Caroling Ships and dancing toy soldiers. Then you have my local traditions of the annual Dorsey White Elephant Gift Party where all the ladies fight over the best Nutcracker and the infamous Gingerbread House-building Contest with edible houses sometimes 5-feet high. Sigh….all the memories…for another post. Merry Christmas!

Top 5 Reasons this was a good week:

1--Halloween, of course. I love it all--the candy, dressing up, and begging strangers for candy when dressed up. Halloween is a great kick off to the whole holiday season. I even dressed up my dog this year...hmmm....I think I need kids so I don't subject my animal to this cruel and unusual punishment. But little Batman liked it. Look she is smiling!

2--We have RENTERS! Yay! We have renters for the Tacoma house. That is a serious stress-reliever!

3--Pierrogies--I know this is a weird one but I found those little pasta potato dumplings this week and stocked up. Ben and I used to eat steak and pierrogies every week when we first got married. We ate like kings! Well, I haven't been able to find them in the stores... until now! Needless to say I have been living off of these yummy things all week!

4--Mom and Dad come home next Tuesday! It makes this week good because of the anticipation. I am so excited. I don't get to see them until the 19th but still. It feels nice to have my friend back. Now, I can call my Mom whenever I want to.

5--Hot Yoga...I started Hot Yoga this week. They opened a new studio about 15 minutes from my house. I used to do hot yoga (literally, yoga in a heated room to about 100 degrees or so) out in Tacoma. When we moved I tried to keep it up but it was way too long of a drive. So now, my friend Dyan and I go together. I am hoping to get my rockin' yoga body back. I was my healthiest when I was doing yoga twice a week. Now, I am soft and insulated. Sigh. Without any good excuses. So Miss Lazy (or as my brothers would say "Fatty Face") has a goal to be looking good and 15 pounds lighter by Christmas.

See. I told you I had a good week.

Concrete beautiful concrete

Post the 4th photo from your 4th folder and describe it. I couldn't not do this little tag when I saw my 4th photo from the 4th folder. ahh. The World of Concrete...

This is a concrete sculptor creating sea turtles. Yes. This is the kind of story you find when you are a feature writer stuck writing for a concrete magazine. You would never guess how fascinating the concrete industry really is!

To be tagged.

Hah. I did this even before my sister Emily tagged me. So, now I don't feel like such a dork and a true member of the blogging society. I thought this one was fun.

5 fears
*Knives. My brother Blaine would always play up this fear and pretend to cut himself with the dull end of the blade. It would make me gasp every time.
*Losing Ben. I don’t know how I could live without him. A psychic once told me he is my soulmate, how could I argue?
*Being attacked. I travel a lot by myself for work and I am afraid of being mugged or attacked and raped.
*Being a bad Mom. I am a little apprehensive jumping into the whole Mom thing and I think this fear is one reason why.
*Losing Becky. Becky is my friend I happen to caregive for. She has Cystic Fibrosis and I am scared of losing her and more specifically me finding her already gone without me getting to say goodbye. She has become one of my very best friends and I will never forget how she has affected my life.

5 joys
* My Ben.
* My silly dog Sadie.
* The Nielsen Clan. My family is hilarious and we really “get” each other. It is a joy when we are all laughing together around Mom's huge table.
* The temple
* Traveling--especially the spontaneous trips.

5 obsessions/collections
* Stampin’ Up. I started making cards and other fun paper crafts so I now collect stamps and all the crafting goods.
* Books. I have found my love of reading. I have to buy a new book every time I am in the airport. I buy books more than that but it is a must in the airport unless I am already reading a new book.
* Blogs. I love reading other people’s stories.
* Holiday decorations. I love them. I started collecting holiday hot pads and oven mitts that I put up for the seasons in my little kitchen.
* The News. I am a total news junkie; talk radio, newspapers online, local news. I also love the Today Show. It reminds me of my mom.

5 surprising facts
* I have thoes—little tiny thumbs that resemble baby toes. But I have found two thoe sisters (Mallory and Tiff) and a thoe brother (my thoe brother, Tyler, actually has one normal thumb and one thoe—that is even weirder than just two thoes.)
* I took Science classes as electives in college. I had all the requirements for a Bachelor’s of Science before my Junior year without even knowing it.
* I laugh really hard at commercials. I love dorky commercials.
* Ben and I collect shot glasses from everywhere we go but we don’t drink.
* We own four houses in three states: Washington, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and we don't live in any of them.

I don't know who to tag...

"Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"

Married couples fight about a lot of things. Money. Kids. Religion.
But Ben and I only fight about one thing: politics.

Ben is a staunch republican; as conservative as they come. It could be the corrupt liberals in Washington State who have destroyed his outlook on American politics but he is not very open-minded about the whole thing.
I love him for his passion but when it comes to politics he can get a little too passionate.
I am a moderate; a typically, conservative-leaning moderate. But I don’t know who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. We'll just say the Sarah Palin choice didn't impress me. But that may be for another post.
I made the mistake of telling Ben not to shout at the TV during Friday’s debate and let me hear both sides. Later, he confronted me about “liking” Obama and now I am in trouble. He actually said he might have to divorce me if I voted for Obama! (I know that wasn’t a literal threat but see the kind of crap Ben says in a little political squabble? I guess he missed Friendly Political Debate 101 and goes straight for the throat.)
I am trying to have an open mind and decide who would be the best leader for our country. I found a website of journalists to help in understanding the truth about the candidates and the campaigns--www.factcheck.org. Hopefully, it will help in my decision-making process.
I will keep you updated but if I want to stay married, I better not post who I finally decide to vote for. All I know is that I am voting in this historical election--I just might cancel out my husband’s vote.

"Communing with nature"

Who: Ben. Melissa. Adam. Megan. Sadie (the hyper-active little yellow lab). Dolly (the deaf Dalmatian)
What: A spur of the moment overnight campout
Where: Greenwater--just about an hour into the mountain heading east
When: beginning of September
Why: 1. Too much work and not enough play= spontaneous "get-out-of-town" trips. All work and no play makes Ben a stir crazy boy. 2. It was beautiful weather. 3. Ben and I didn't have to teach on Sunday, and that is a RARE occasion to be taken advantage of. 4. We were communing with nature.

P.S. Ben and I ended up hiking in the morning. We started the 3 mile hike and just kept walking. We came to a sign that said Echo Lake--4 miles. It sounded like fun... We ended up hiking 17 miles that day. Whoa huh? Let's hear it for the weekend warriors.

Dance, baby, dance baby.

I found these photos again and realized I hadn't shared them on my blog. This is of Mackay at the Dance Festival this summer. Isn't he cute in his sailor suit? I hope you can see the effect just a little bit.

The girls' costumes were by far the cutest in this dance. I have to tell you: during the costume fitting Mackay accidentally put the shirt on backwards. heeheheh He looked like he had on a huge bib. It was pretty funny.
Once again, we really did love having Pookay here for the summer. (Pookay, he would kill me for that one. )

Well, there you go.

I need to vent

I just ran down 15 flights of stairs. Well, more than that...15 floors. Someone pulled the emergency alarm at my hotel as a joke. It was 4:30 a.m. and my hotel has two towers of 25 floors.
All I grabbed was my cellphone.

They said a false alarm like this happened a few months ago when the hotel hosted a polio convention. They had to evacuate 200 people with polio.

No.1. I am grateful for my working legs. and my running shoes. I would have had a problem jogging the stairs in my heels or in a wheelchair.

I always wondered what I would grab in case of a fire. Well, being in St. Louis. I should have grabbed my whole purse but I just grabbed my cell phone. I guess I could have made it back home, seeing how my flight was already booked but I would have had to beg for money.
Why my cell phone? Well, my thought process was, "If there is something bad, I have to be able to tell Ben that I am alright. And that I love him."

No one else grabbed anything, except the room key. Why didn't I think of that?
Again, with the whole purse thing.

Anyway, thanks for listening blogging world. I just needed to vent.

"Food, glorious, food"

Last weekend Ben and I vacationed in Seattle. I know we live in Washington but we rarely play tourist in Seattle. We have been so insanely busy lately. Ben the workaholic that he is, has actually been overloaded. That will tell you that we have been pretty busy. Well, we had a lovely weekend of just playing. Ben kayaked on Friday while I hung out with the non-kayakers holding babies and playing Bocce ball. (I sucked. I threw it way too hard. But it was still fun.)
Then on Saturday after our good friend Dave's wedding, we went in to Seattle. Dave goes to BYU Idaho and a few of his friends came to Seattle. So, Ben and I invited ourselves to crash their party and tour Pike's Place market and the waterfront. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and Seattle never really gets old to me. It was a true, Nielsen-style getaway. Let me explain.

"Nielsen-style": the kind of vacation dictated by food.

Lunch at Fishermen's. Then to the fudge shop (we can't pass that place without getting some chocolate, If you have been to Seattle with us, you know the place. Emily ask Mackay about it.). Sampling all the food in Pike's Place. And then the Gelato. Ben's eyes lite up ...Italian Ice Cream... we had to try some. Needless to say, we were stuffed. The photos are of our new friends and the adventure in Seattle. Jake and ReNette, Michelle and Jessica were so much fun. Following my traditions, I walked away with a bouquet of Pike's Place flowers and some fruit from my favorite fruit stand.

The fun didn't stop there. I am telling you, when you get Ben rolling he just plays as hard as he works. We headed to the backyard reception and enjoyed the food AGAIN. And of course we had to decorate the car in order to send them off on their honeymoon. (We probably shouldn't have documented the perpetrators.) I felt like I was in college again, chilling out with kids my same age and just laughing.

You would think it would be back to work, but nope. Sunday, Ben, Adam, Megan and I went on a hike through the tunnel. The old Iron Horse Tunnel in Snoqualmie Pass. It is a couple mile hike through an old railroad tunnel. Don't worry Mom, there is no train anymore, it is a designated hike. It was very cool and relaxing. I love to see Ben take time off and just hang out.

What a great weekend! I am still recovering from the gluttony. :)

"On the Road Again"

It has been far too long since my last post. Well, I have been in Forks, WA. Figuratively and literally. Figuratively, I road the bandwagon to Forks with every other red-blooded American woman over the age of 12 with the time-sucking, Twilight Saga. I had a late start so I have been reading the series over the past month just in time for Breaking Dawn's release. I am glad I gave in and started reading it. It has been so much fun.

But Literally...I went to Forks this weekend. Ben and I got a call on Friday afternoon telling us the boyscouts needed a ride home from their 50-miler down the Washington coast. So, they got us "the willing couple who needed a good excuse to get out of town" a van and some cash to stay in a hotel and we started out on our little adventure. I was so excited to know the closest town to the end of the scout hike was FORKS, WA! I couldn't believe how excited I was to visit Bella and Edward. I am such a dork but I was a little giddy. I kept referencing the book. "Well, the book says La Push is about 15 miles outside of Forks." and "It should take about an hour to get to Port Angeles from here, well, that's how long it takes Bella to get there." I even grabbed my book instead of the map one time and Ben and I just laughed.

At about 10:30 p.m. we thought we might be sleeping in the van. The whole town was booked! No Vacancy in Forks, well almost... There was one hotel with a no show but he couldn't give the room to us until 11 p.m. At 10:55, the no show, showed up and we were out. But luckily, another hotel called with another no show. We ran out toward La Push, and Jacob greeted us at the border... just kidding. No, it was a tiny little cabin on Maxfield Homestead Road...(Thanks Angie.) that resembled a stable. No room in the Inn you know... There were chickens, roosters, and Lamas, surrounding the 8 little 10x12 cabins. But that is all we needed. It was so much fun.
It was a quick trip but so nice to have Ben all to myself. We really needed a mini-vacation.
And I got to go on my unofficial Twilight Tour!

"Memories in the corner of my mind"

Here are the rules:
1. Add a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.It should be funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. I've done this on a couple of my friends blogs and it is fun to see every one's memories! Please, take the time to comment and write a memory of us!

"Do you love me, now that I can dance..."

This weekend the South Sound area put on a 12 stake dance festival! 12 stakes! At first I really thought this was going to be too big, too much time, trouble and way too much wasted money on costumes, food and renting out the Tacoma Dome! But now that it is here, I understand why. I went to the first performance last night and the dome was packed with people to see the show, members and nonmembers alike. But when all the kids from 12 stakes around the region all ran out and filled the floor to do the opening number I was giggling and wanted to cry at the same time. I was so excited for these kids. It was so fun to see them all come together knowing how much time and effort it took to put it together.
This neat, proud parent-type experience, (well, pseudo-mom, Mackay was in the front row, and his sailor costume was soooo cute) turned into a spiritual experience for me when a youth choir sang the EFY As Sister's in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth number. The spirit was so strong. This really is His youth, the next generation of leaders in the church. It was just amazing. My heart really was filled.
I love these kids so much(especially my nephew Mackay). I learned a new love for my YW girls this year especially at Girls Camp. I saw a small glimpse of how God sees each one of His girls and how much he loves them and wants them to be happy. Even though, Girls Camp for me was an emotional one and my patience was tried, I know I was used as an instrument in God's hand to tell my girls certain things. My group of girls at camp were some of the hardest behavior-wise, but also some of the most troubled. Truly, refugees just trying to find a safe place.
I really am learning how to share the gospel and to truly not be ashamed of the gospel of the Lord. The secret is to just be myself. Sharing myself is sharing the gospel.
I hope everyone has a good weekend. And yes, Emily, I will post photos of your sweet, lady-killer son. Man, I'm gonna miss him. I will try to get some of him in the sailor suit, you are going to die!

"And bombs bursted in air..."

Whoa, that's a lot of fireworks! After the traditional 3rd of July fireworks show at the Emerald Downs, Ben, Mackay and I headed up to the Muckelshoot Reservation to buy illegal fireworks. It was so much fun bartering and bargaining to get the best deal on this HUGE pack of cakes, rockets, shells, crackers and other showy fireworks. Ben donated some money to the cause and Mackay had a blast setting up this immaculate display and blowing off hours of fireworks. Needless to say it was a Lake Tapps 4th of July, with lots of firework shows, fun and food. Although, it was a little rainy and cloudy we still had fun--just not in the lake (it was way too cold for that).

The next day Ben and I went to the Tall Ships Festival in Tacoma with Josh and Jerusha and the kids. It was a lot of fun to see the pirate ships but it rained on us there too. Hence, the wet dog hairdo. But a little rain never stops the true Washingtonian from enjoying a good street fair.

Overall, this year's Independence Day was really fun. It was a little more relaxed than other years but I think we needed it to be.

"High on the Mountain Top"

Talk about a weekend warrior! Ben climbed Mt Adams last weekend with his brother Adam. Honestly, a part of me thinks it was just a good excuse to buy more gear from REI. But nonetheless, I am so incredibly proud of him. Mt Adams is the 2nd tallest mountain (or shall we say glacial volcano!) in the state of Washington next to majestic Mt Raineer. He climbed up 12,300 feet in elevation in a day. They left home last Friday morning and started the hike at noon and got to high camp that evening after 8 miles. They started the climb at midnight and hiked through the night. They reached the summit at 9 a.m. and back down by noon.

This was Ben and Adam's first mountain and Ben says it was the hardest thing he has ever done. But they say they will do it again. There was only one portion of the mountain that Ben said he would never do it again. But once he hit the real summit, he understood why people do this kind of thing. --The view--

I am just glad he was safe. They say this was a really good "beginner" mountain. It was steep and hard 8,000 elevation gain and 20 miles round trip but not really any crevases to fall into.

Our mountaineering friend Doran and his brother Lance, led the group up the mountain and pushed Ben and Adam to the tippy top summit. They are very experienced and I felt good trusting my husband's life in their hands.

Well, way to go babe! I knew you could do it. Seeing how you can do anything you put your mind to. I love him so much. He is my motivation.

"Isn't it Ironic?" --Alanis

The irony of this post is that it will probably describe exactly why I shouldn’t be blogging right now. My little simple life is a little jam packed and I technically should be too busy to blog. But I needed a break from writing…ironic.

Girls Camp is in a week and a half. Lucky me, I am the ward camp director which means I am tracking down registration forms and money and doing lice checks. Eew I am also going to camp as the 2^nd Level Certification Leader. That means I am a glorified babysitter for the week over the 13 year olds. (ooh my favorite age, can you sense the sarcasm?) It also means I am spending hours hunting dollar stores for little trinkets for creative little handouts that will just be thrown away. But it is all in the presentation, right?

So, because I am going away for a week to sing camp songs and plan silly skits, I have to get caught up on work before I leave. So, I am writing like a banshee this week and next in between everything else.

Oh yeah and our Tacoma house is recently vacant and ready for me to clean, paint, and rent out again. But the other drama of being a slum lord has died down. (Ben, hates when I refer to us as slum lords, hehehe) No one wants to sue us anymore and nothing is broken as of this moment in time. Sometimes I wish they all burned down. Now that would be an interesting post.

Sigh…

So, instead of just simplifying life, I decided to get into one more thing that makes me happy. I actually started doing digital scrapbooks. It is SO much fun! It really is so ironic. I write and do layout for a living so I just joined Heritage Makers to write and do layout for a hobby. And here I am taking a break from writing to write and layout my blog. I guess I love what I love.

Anyway, check out my new little love….www.digitalscrapbooksonline.com

I started my 2007 Florida trip. I will post a preview when I get a chance.

One more thing about our life: My sweet Ben is climbing a mountain this weekend. Why, you ask. Well, I don’t know. I imagine he just wants to see if he can do it. So, I am being supportive. The little bugger talked me into making him lasagna to load up on carbs and I will send him and his brother off to Mt Adams tomorrow morning. More on that one later. Wish him luck.

Wish me luck too. I think I will need it to survive July and 25, 13-year olds for a week.

"Where, Oh Where Did the Dad Go..." -- Ron Nielsen

Your first impression of my father would depend entirely on where you first met him. If you met him at a family reunion, you may think he is the funniest, goofy little man you have ever seen in a sombrero with a Danish accent. But if you met him at church you would think he was the most profound, enlightened man with such compassion and wisdom.

But to me my dad is both and so much more.

He really has the best sense of humor—one that he knows when to pull out and ham up. One of my favorite memories of him is of course the famous “Where, Oh Where did the wife go,” song. He would play the same two cords in different octaves over and over in this little song about Luanne. Oh, it made us kids laugh and laugh. We would dance around singing along. He had so many funny little stories that we can all still recite.

For example: “Peter Magorie”
I’ll tell you a story of Peter Magorie.
Now shall I begin…
I will tell you another of his brother.
The End.

There are so many memories I am just giggling as I type. But all the funnies aside my Dad was also a teacher—in word and deed. He taught us the basics of everything from sports to balancing the checkbook. Sorry Dad I still don’t use my register very well but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how.

Although, he often sat us down for a formal lesson in whatever it was at the time, he also taught us through his example. He taught us how to work hard. That you never miss a day of work unless you are throwing up or bleeding. Especially retiring with dignity in the old fashioned way with months of sick leave still saved up. He taught us how to have integrity and what it means to serve with dedication. He taught us how to love and show someone that you love them. I never doubted that my father loved my mother or any of us kids. He always knew how to show it and that meant more than any words could express.

I also have never doubted his love of the gospel. He has always had a testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior. I always knew that and I didn’t hear him verbally bear it very often. His testimony is in how he lived everyday of his life.

And now with him serving the Lord and his fellow Mexicano hermanos, he is too far away for me to thank him in person and tell him to his face how much I love him.

So, here it goes on a public blog on the internet—plus I had to make it even, since I blogged a roast to Mom last month. Dad, you are the greatest. I love you so much and thank you for being such a wonderful example to me. You truly make everyone around you want to be a better person--including me. Happy Father's Day.

"Just a teenage dirtbag"

It must be the combination of catching up on work and sleep that has made this week hard.

First, Lack of Sleep. Cause: driving 13 hours in the middle of the night to Utah. Staying up late with my family and getting up early from Thursday to Sunday, and driving 13 hours in the middle of the night back to Washington.

Then of course it was straight back to work. This week was deadline week for the newsletter. I was finishing the final touches to my new color newsletter. I worked so hard to research and network to get it approved to run color. I am so excited to see a more professional newsletter. I will have to post the link when it prints.

Also, I have been putting out all the fires with our projects. Fires that I don’t really want to detail here on a blog but fires that were making me heated nonetheless! Believe me I am usually a patient person, but this week I had my claws out. But after a million phone calls and coordination from a couple thousand miles away, things are looking better. I think Ben and I deal with things in our young age that most people never have to even think about. One thing I can say is I am learning and growing. I feel like a completely different person from when I got married and I owe it to Ben and all the life experiences he dreams up for us.

It was so nice to see my family. It has been almost a year since I have seen the family and I missed them so much. I can’t believe how big the baby girls are now. I met little Lia, Loren’s daughter, for the first time this weekend and I wanted to steal her. She is the sweetest thing.

I didn’t end up stealing the baby but I did steal a teenager. Well, maybe not steal. Mackay, my 16 year old nephew, is living with us for the summer (with full permission of course.) We got him set up to work side jobs for the neighbors and friends from the ward. He will be very busy and learn how much money he can make by working for himself if he works hard. It has been pretty good so far. We like having him here. I was telling my friends that I just went from no kids to the pseudo mom of a teenager. Talk about a lesson in parenting. Wish me luck!

"Love at Home"

My mom, Luanne Anderson Nielsen is a beautiful woman and has been for her entire life. Even as a baby she won the beautiful baby contest. As a kid, I loved seeing that photo of her with the rosiest cheeks I have ever seen on a baby.

She is smart, full of love and integrity, and has impeccable penmanship. Ask anyone who knows her and they will probably mention her flawless signature. One I even tried (and failed) to master as an adolescent.

She is driven and authentic. I looked up to her when she went back to school to earn her masters degree. She was so dedicated to her education but so dedicated to us; to her family.

As a grown woman, I understand the sacrifices she made for us. For the time she spent just making our home comfortable, clean and organized. She made holidays wonderful and Sunday dinners memorable. I know now that it was her who made it all come together. Those cookies in the cookie drawer, the clean carpets and the peace in our home—it was all her doing.

She always listened and always cared. Some of the fondest memories of my mom are the simple ones; where she and I are just chatting as we get ready in the morning. I didn’t realize how close we were becoming but looking back we talked nearly every day through high school and on through college and beyond. We talked through my classes and stressful professors, jobs, and boys. We talked about everything and anything. She confided in me and me in her. She has become my best, most cherished friend.

She is a woman of such strength, meekness and humility. She has no idea how wonderful and strong she is. She doesn’t know how smart and dedicated she is. But she can do anything she puts her mind too—even learn another language in her seasoned years. Blame it on her father’s stubborn flare but she gets what she sets out to get.

I love my Mom with all my heart and am so proud to know her. I have the same blood running through my veins of some wonderful women. Donna, Alta, Eunice, they were all women I am proud to be related to. I hope I can become half the person any of them was and a smidgen of the woman my mother is.

I love you, Mom. What you have given me through your example and the way you just live life is something that will always be with me. Your influence has made me who I am. I see pieces of you in me, and I’m ok with that.

"In Sickness and In Health"

My sweet Ben is sick. He has been in bed for the past two days with fevers, a sore throat, and body aches. About three weeks ago he was sick with the same thing. It went away but now it came back with a vengeance. The first time he worked right through it. Crashing at about 5 p.m. but working still the same. He couldn't do that this time. If any of you really know Ben, you know it kills him not to work. He has never called in sick a day in his life. (OK a couple times, but not very often...and only when he is too sick to move) He really loves to work. When he is off work he works on other side jobs. This week he has almost slept 36 hours in two days.
Another telltale, is that he went to the doctor yesterday. Now, that was a breakthrough. He hates the doctor. He had to go to the doctor almost every 6 months as a kid and when they never knew what was wrong with him or finally concluded that there was nothing wrong with him, Ben completely lost all respect and faith in doctors. I pestered him and persisted until he agreed to go get checked out. They said it was a deep sinus infection and they gave us antibiotics.
I feel so bad for him. I love him so much and I hate to see him sick. I find myself grateful for my own health and the health of my family and friends.

The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy

I thought Jeff Foxworthy did Southern humor but he seemed to nail this one.

1. You know the state flower (Mildew).

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement 'sun break' and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the 'WALK' signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it's not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Tully's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight-
hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by 'Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and 'Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17 You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see t hrough the cloud cover.

20. You notice, 'The mountain is out' when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots
and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from 'heat' to 'a/c' in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: AlmostWinter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road
Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).

30. If you understood those jokes, you probably live in the Northwest.

"Well, we can't all come and go by bubble" --Alphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West

I am back just in time for Ben to leave me at home. He is out camping with the scouts, and he doesn't count that as a vacation. I guess I can't really complain. I mean, I was just gone practically all week. California was really nice. We mostly shopped, ate, and chilled. Of course we went to see Wicked. This clever, prequel spin-off of the Wizard of Oz was fun and energetic. It is the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West. Overall, I loved it. The morals of the play: Things aren't always what they seem; Sometimes being smart and passionate is better than being beautiful and popular; and It ain't easy being green. It was fun. Sixflags was awesome. Oh, my gosh it was some freakin' crazy roller coasters. I love a thrill and I have never been scared of coasters but some of those rides were pretty intimidating. Some went 70 miles per hour (I am NOT exaggerating) and dropped nearly 90 degree angles. I swear I thought I was going to die...but I didn't and I loved it after I knew I was going to live and walk away with my feet still in tact. There was no crowd really so we walked on to every ride without waiting in a line. That was the best part. My favorite ride was Tatsu, so if you make it to Sixflags Magic Mountain hit that crazy ride up. I enjoyed myself. Krickett, Robyn and Keirie were fun chicks to go with. Thanks for letting me tag along. I decided that women need women. We can't live without female kinships. Men just don't get us. I feel crazy sometimes when I try on a million outfits or circle the store four times just checking if I missed something. But then I realize I'm not crazy...I'm just a woman. And there is nothing wrong with any of us. Our men just don't understand us. I love all the fun ladies in my life right now and my girlfriends from every stage of my life. Especially my sisters and my mom, whom I miss terribly. We need a sisters day as soon as Madre gets back into the country. I love ya'll and miss you tons.

"Stop worrying. Hollywood won’t turn your daughter into a nymphomaniac or get her hooked on drugs... I will." -Bill Maher

Hello Hollywood! So, I am going to California next week. I know, I didn't know either. I just found out about two hours ago. A couple of my girl friends had a trip to LA planned to go see Wicked and one of the girls bailed. Since they had an extra ticket and an empty spot in the hotel I just couldn't pass up the invitation. So, I booked my flight on Friday night and I am flying out on Tuesday morning ... I am CRAZY! But I am so excited. I am always up for a spontaneous trip and especially to warm and toasty southern California. It will be a quick trip but worth it. We plan to go to Sixflags Magic Mountain, the play, and do alot of shopping. We are actually staying in Hollywood. Holla to Robyn and Krickett! See you in LA!
I feel like my summer has already begun. I feel so spoiled. Number One: I have a job that I can totally go on a last minute vacation and Two: Ben and I just went down to Seaside Oregon last weekend for a getaway. By the way, that trip was so nice. It was cold and stormy but Ben and I got to be together and finally relax. We ate way too much and walked the beach and the shops. It was a Nielsen-style vacation--completely planned around what to eat next. I loved it.
I will post photos of my trip later. Woo Hoo. And don't worry about Ben, I will have Tuna Casserole in the fridge so he doesn't starve. I figure I have to go away every once in a while so he keeps appreciating all I do.

“Minimum Wage HeeYaw dodododo…” –They Might Be Giants

So, apparently, Mormons work for their food and pay for it. I was working the assembly line to earn our canned taco meat last week and the hard work brought back memories of the Sprout Farm.

Oh, the Sprout Farm. I only worked there a couple of months my first summer in Washington, but it was unforgettable. (it was the only job I was fired from, but that is another story)

That summer I signed up to work at Labor Ready—a skuzzy, temp service for hard labor jobs. It is a “work today, get paid today” kind of place so, you can imagine the caliber of people signing up. Usually, big burly men are for hire there to work construction or move things like refrigerators, which happened to be the running joke…Can you imagine petite little Mel showing up at your door to move your fridge? Yeah right!

But Labor Ready found me my fair share of crazy odd jobs. I worked as an eviction mover one day; at a car wrecking yard cleaning up engine parts; and at the infamous Sprout Farm packaging sprouts of all kinds with other assembly line women. They hired me the first day I went there on Labor Ready assignment. That same summer I got a job as a personal assistant for an Asian Furniture store in the mall that I was pretty sure was smuggling drugs or at least cheating on their taxes. Finally, I finished the season out as a bank teller before moving back to Utah.

So this reminiscent day at the cannery reminded me of all my many odd jobs that got me through school and the summer breaks.

I worked at an impound car lot as a secretary; at a customer service booth at an adult science fair (weird I know but it was a research show for real scientists set up like a huge science fair); and at a banquet serving alligator jumbo and other southern cuisine.

I worked also as a housecleaner for a lady whose son had a crush on me; as a baker; as a DI sales associate; and as a deli girl at Macey’s, who was always stuck cleaning the chicken fryer.

Macey’s Food and Drug got me through my high school and some of my college days as well as two telemarketing places both inbound and outbound; and then of course my favorite place of work the University Journal that wasn’t like work at all.

Man, I miss having a summer break but I don’t miss working for minimum wage. By the way, I can’t stand the smell of sprouts now and I gag every time they end up on my sandwich or salad.

But remember next time you go to the store that some college kid probably packaged those veggies in an assembly line somewhere and be grateful it wasn't you.

“Life is what happens when your busy making other plans.” --John Lennon.

It starts when you are born. Life just moves us all through time and phases dictated by age. With each "right of passage" there is usually a title with things you are supposed to have accomplished in that level in life. Society and culture sets the criteria. A 16-year old is supposed to be in high school, driving and dating. The patterns start when he enters the world and the steps are set for the American kid through kindergarten until high school and college graduation.

Then real life starts. There are no more set levels or hoops to jump through. The decisions of what to do in life or where to go next is not predetermined anymore.

Here I am. Recently, age 25. Waiting… Realizing this is it. This is my adventure. I am completely in control of my life and my future. There is no title or door with my name on it. There is no rule book determining what a 25-year old ought to be doing or how she should be dressing. How many kids she should have or what she should be doing next.

I don’t know where I thought I would be. The decisions I made, the small seemingly meaningless decisions, have brought me here. Whether I knew it or not, my everyday choices were shaping my path in life. And my life is simple and sweet. I don’t live a grand life but I can’t say it isn’t what I wanted. I don’t think we can ever even dream up the details. But I am making goals. I am setting my own next level and it isn’t scary anymore.

I am thrilled I have so much freedom before me. Every choice is mine. And I choose to live in my moment right now and stop worrying about what’s next and why I’m not there yet. I still plan and think about tomorrow but I enjoy my today a little bit more.

A year ago this Saturday we got little Sadie, my yellow lab. Ben got her for me for my birthday and I was so excited. I don't know how he is going to top that one. I wanted a dog so bad and I love her to death. She is a fetch-aholic and swims every chance she can get. She usually disappears to the lake next door or gets the other dogs in the neighborhood in trouble. She is probably MIA as we speak. Ben says he hates her but we all know the truth.

I thought I would wait until I had a couple kids to show off before I entered this world of web logging but here I am. I blame it on my friend Jill. I wanted to post a comment on her page and it forced me to have a login name. One more thing to distract me from productive internet surfing. I needed a new hobby anyway.