"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.