Just a little Mo'

Stay Tuned...

2009-12-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I've updated my blog. Several people who actually read my blog have been giving me a hard time. What can I say, life gets busy as you all understand. I definitely stay up to date on reading everyone else's blogs but I tend to neglect my own. Besides I have so much that I would like to blog about that it becomes overwhelming. Hopefully I will have some time over the winter break to catch up. School is out for two weeks and I am so thrilled. I love the Holidays and what makes them even better is not having to work during them. I also have wrapped up my two psychology classes and I did very well. They were both so fascinating. Next step is to take the GRE or MAT and then apply for the masters program to start next fall. It will be nice not to be a student for a little bit. So stay tuned, I'll be updating very soon. Don't be alarmed when you are reading stuff that happened clear back in August, it's all for my own record keeping sake.

On Top of the World

2009-12-21T15:21:00.009-07:00

My Mom, Mike B., Kara, and I had been talking about hiking the Wellsville's for several years. I have hiked the Wellsville Mountains once before but I was in high school. We decided to make it happen this last summer but kept putting it off and rescheduling, partly because of my surgery. We finally did it on Saturday August 29th.

We left my mom's at 5:00 am so we could do most of our hiking in the morning when it would be cooler. When we got to the base of the Wellsville's the sun was just starting to rise and it was beautiful.

We did a little stretching before starting our journey.

Here's the gang minus Kara before we started our ascent. Ramsey, Me, Mom, Mike B., and Mary.

The trail was so pretty.

The first few of the valley about a 1/4 of the way up.

Getting closer to the top.

Here we are at the first ridge at the top. The last time I hiked the Wellsville's this was as far as we went. The view was incredible from this point but I'm glad we kept going. We had to stop and take several pictures by this cool rock.

My Mom and a good family friend Mary.

A look over Cache Valley from the very top. It was fun to find our house and pick out other landmarks.

The view into Box Elder County

Ramsey and Mike carried this log for quite a distance so that we would have a place to sit at the top. Ramsey looks real tough:)

We enjoyed a light lunch at the top and sat around for awhile enjoying the view. It was tough to leave.

Kara and I kept singing the famous Carpenters song: "We're on top of the world looking down on creation..." It was so breathtaking up there and completely worth the tough hike.

Luckily the sky was fairly overcast so it wasn't too hot. The hike down was the worst part! The clouds broke by that point so it was really hot. I always hate going down! It definitely is the hardest part for me. My big toe was bruised for several months and my toe nail fell off a couple weeks ago because of it, disgusting I know, but it was worth it. This hike definitely is not for the faint in heart but if I can do it just about anyone can. I highly recommend doing it at least once in your lifetime. I look forward to hiking the Wellsville's again in another 5-10 years or so. Any takers?

Tinfoil Dinners

2009-12-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about summer is having bonfires. On August 19th I invited some friends over to make tinfoil dinners. At my condo there is a sweet fire pit and picnic tables that hardly ever get used. It has been fun to invite friends and family over during the summers to have tinfoil dinners. I definitely don't take advantage of it enough, especially because it is practically out my front door. That is one thing I will miss if I ever move.

Haylie, Chris, and Missy

Elissa and I showing off our dinner.

This was Heather's first time having a tin-foil dinner, apparently they do things differently at girls camp in California.

Kimi and Heather around the fire

Kimi, Heather, Betsy, and I

Heather, Betsy, and Kelli

Haylie, Nancy, and Kimi

I had to show off my banana boat, a new trick I learned this year and they are tasty!

As always we had a great time and great conversation around the fire.

A visit to Minersville, UT

2009-12-20T15:01:00.001-07:00

From August 13-15th I went with Shawna, one of my best friends from High School, down to Minersville, Utah to visit Cherstie and Jared Woolf's family. Jared is also a friend from high school and Cherstie is a close friend from College. Shawna and I are proud to say that we introduced these two. I hadn't seen the Woolf family in probably 2 years and I never get to spend enough time with Shawna so this trip was great. I was nervous about going just 3 days after my surgery but luckily the recovery was going so well I decided to go anyway. I knew Shawna and Cherstie would take good care of me if I needed anything.

Jared and Cherstie were great hosts. They moved into a new house in May so it was fun to see what they had worked so hard on. It is a beautiful home. I have never been to Minersville but have heard so much about it from Cherstie, it was fun to see the place. It definitely is a small town and has all of the great things you can imagine about a small town. It just so happened to be the Beaver County fair in Minersville while we were there so we were entertained every night at the fair. The fair was about 5 times smaller than the Cache County Fair and it was definitely an experience. It was also fun to meet all of Cherstie's family.

Here is Tommy and Henry (2 of Cherstie's 3 boys) and DeNaer (Shawna's little boy). They had a lot of fun playing together.

Thanks Shawna for inviting me along and Cherstie and Jared for being so welcoming!

Andersons move to Colorado Springs

2009-12-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

My oldest sister Jessica and her family moved to Colorado Springs the 1st of August. I watched her kids for several days while they moved out there to give them some time to get settled in without the kids. On August 6th I drove her kids to Colorado Springs along with my Mom, Dad, sister Mandy and her kids. It was a REALLY long drive. I knew it would take about 12 hours but it ended up taking us the whole day, thank goodness for DVD players, Nintendo DS and Ipods to keep the kids entertained during the long drive.

We spent most of our time there assembling stuff Jess had bought from Ikea and helping to finish the unpacking. When we left she was pretty well settled in. We did get to visit the Garden of the Gods while we were there. It was really beautiful.

I spent most of my time helping assemble Jessica's home office since everything came from Ikea. It looked great in the end.

Ella on the stairs in the entryway in her new home, she was excited about the new place.

They bought a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood.

It was very hard to say goodbye! Pretty sure we cried for a good 10 minutes in the car. I sure do miss them and look forward to going back for a visit so I can see more of Colorado Springs.

Lagoon with Diego and the Girls

2009-09-12T01:15:00.000-06:00

On Saturday August 22nd I went to Lagoon with some of my girl friends and Diego. Diego is a friend of Alli's from high school and we were all so lucky to meet him and spend the day with him at Lagoon. I'm pretty sure he planned this outing to Lagoon with Alli back in April. On the way to Lagoon he told me that he was a ladies man. He definitely was this day as he was the only guy with 8 girls.

As we were waiting in line for Dracula's castle this guy was in line behind us and I just had to get a photo. I seriously wonder when he was getting ready that morning if he left his house thinking that he looked good. At least he made for quality people watching. The way too tight pants and of course the hair. All I can say is Wow.

While on the Dracula's castle ride Jessie and I decided to snap a photo, hence my scared look. Right after I took the picture we looked at it (the joy of having digital camera's) we were both like "wait a minute, who is that" and we both turned around to find this creepy Lagoon employee right behind us. We had no idea he was there. It was really funny, he was so proud of himself. He kept reappearing during the ride, the next time he popped out on us he asked if he could see the picture, and then he reappeared at the end and was telling his other co-workers about it and asked us to show them the picture. It was pretty funny, but definitely creepy.

Here's the gang right after we got soaked on Rattlesnake rapids. It felt great since it was a hot day.

Oops, Elissa claims that her pants were still wet from rattle snake rapids but we had just gotten off of the roller coaster so I am wondering if she was a little scared?

I love this photo of Jessie- This was her 2nd snow cone of the day. It was very hot and they were apparently very delicious:)

I really hate this picture of me but I couldn't resist putting it on because of Diego. After all he is a Ladies Man. He rubbed our toes and feet (I know a little gross touching feet after you've been walking around Lagoon all day) and gave us shoulder massages. What a sweet guy! He put his head on my shoulders on the roller coaster because he was a little nervous and on the musical express. He was fun to ride with because he was like a little kid. I think he liked Nancy the best of all of us because"she has a nice body from head to toes" and she is a "delicate princess". But he made sure we all knew that we were just his friends.

Elissa, Alli, and Nancy getting excited for the Musical Express, a Lagoon Classic!

Here are the girls that couldn't handle the music express.

We had a such a fun day! I typically stay until they shut the place down at night but Diego had an early bed time so we left around 7. We also had our pictures taken in Pioneer Village. I'll post a couple as soon as I get a digital copy. They turned out so great. I really do love Lagoon. What a little treasure we have right here in Utah:) I'm contemplating getting a season pass next year. Anyone want to get one with me so that I can actually put it to good use?

Back to School- Ready or Not

2009-08-25T22:46:00.004-06:00

Today was the first official day of school. I have been back to work since last Tuesday but it was nice to have students there today. Mostly I was getting tired of long meetings! I think I'm going to have some fun classes. It's amazing how quickly you can tell which students are going to challenge you a little bit and which ones are going to be really fun. The classes were really short today so I guess we'll see how great my students really are when I have them for the full 90 minutes. The day ended with a fantastic Hello Assembly. After the typical performances by the Cheerleaders, Dance Company, and SBO's we had a great multi-media presentation that I found so inspiring, I seriously had tears in my eyes at least 3 different times. I hope the high school students really listened to the great messages that were being shared.

I stayed late at school last night trying to make sure that I had all the little things ready and when I finally left I felt pretty good about beginning a new year. I decided to snap a few photos of my classroom since I thought it looked nice, clean, and organized. We'll see if it looks the same way after the assignments start piling up in the in-baskets. Oh how I hate Grading!

Typically after the first day of school I am exhausted but tonight was different, I felt pretty energized actually. I was on a roll today I actually packed a lunch, something that I don't think has ever happened, I was home fairly early and made dinner (also a pretty rare occurrence) and to top the day off I even went to the gym tonight which is something I haven't done for way to long. Let's hope I'm off to a great start!

My classes started at Utah State yesterday as well. I am taking two Psychology classes online and it looks like they are going to be pretty interesting. It's weird to go back to school as a teacher and a student this year, I hope I can keep up with it all. Thank goodness I am not the official cheer coach anymore:)

Goodbye/Good Riddance to my Gallbladder

2009-08-16T22:29:00.001-06:00

About 4 or 5 years ago I became really sick during the summer. After having several tests done I found out that I had Ulcers and Gallstones. By the time the test results came back I was feeling much better. I wasn't sure which problem had made me so sick but at least I found out something. I was given medication for the Ulcers which must have healed but the gallstones were still a mystery to me.

Apparently those gallstones were just hanging out in my gallbladder and from time to time decided to remind me that they were there. Every few months or so for the last several years I would have a gallbladder attack. Out of the blue, usually in the wee hours of the night/morning I would wake up with the worst pain. It felt like maybe I was having a heart attack. It was a shooting pain in the upper right region of my abdomen and it hurt straight through to my back. The pain was absolutely miserable during the attack and would generally subside after about 2 hours or so. The worst part was that they almost always occurred during the middle of the night when I would much rather be sleeping and of course came at some of the most inopportune times like Christmas Day or when I had something big to do the next day. (it's not like there is a good time to be in pain though right?) Usually I would try to just endure the pain because I was pretty certain it was a gallbladder attack. A couple times I ended up going to the E.R. and sure enough as soon as I would get to the hospital the pain would start to diminish and I felt stupid for going in. The doctors usually would say the same thing that some day I would most likely have to have my gallbladder removed. Last December after an attack I went into the doctor that afternoon and the doctor finally recommended that I meet with a surgeon to talk about possibly getting it done. But I never followed through. It was mid school year and I didn't have the time to have it done so I never made the appointment. I should have known it was only a matter of time before it would happen again. Sure enough in mid July I had another gallbladder attack and endured it early one morning but when it occured again just a couple days later I had my mom take me to the hospital at about 4 in the morning. Luckily I was at my parents home at the time so my mom could give me the sympathy I needed. Of course the doctor told me the same thing so I decided I better just get the blasted thing out so I could quit having these attacks.

So last Monday on August 10th I had the surgery. I had it done in Logan so that I could be at my parents house for the recovery and they could take care of me (there's nothing like a mom when you need some TLC). I went into the hospital at 10 am and left around 6:30 in the evening. I felt bad having my mom take a day off of work, especially since she had taken some days off the week before to help Jessica move. I told her she didn't need to and I could just have my dad pick me up when the surgery was over. Good thing she didn't listen to me and took the day off anyway because as I was coming out of the anesthetic it was pretty rough and it was so nice to have her there to hold my hand and give me the support and help I needed. I love my dad but he just wouldn't have treated me the same, I don't think he would have held up the bag for me while I was throwing up or helped me to the bathroom (that would be awkward). I took my Grandma Reese to the hospital with me that morning because she had an eye appointment and my mom was going to take her home after the appointment but she insisted on staying with me as well. She was a trooper and stayed the whole time with absolutely nothing to due but wait. It was nice having her there as well and she took good care of me that night and the next couple days at home. The surgeon told my mom when he was done that my gallbladder was really infected and there were several stones, one that was quite large that he had to work extra hard to break down so he could remove it. Luckily he didn't have to move to an open surgery. It made me feel good to know that the surgery was really necessary in the end. It was done laparoscopic and I have 4 different incisions but they're all quite small. Unfortunately I don't think there will be any wicked scars that I can show my children someday:) It took a good two days of rest but by the third day I was feeling much better. Good thing because I really only gave myself one week to recover before I have to head back to school. I'm still sore but I'm hoping that will go away soon. All in all it hasn't been too bad. Good Riddance Gallbladder!!!

So Long Statistics

2009-08-12T11:58:00.004-06:00

I've finally decided that it is time to head back to school and work on a Masters Degree. It took me awhile to decide what kind of degree I wanted but I think I've decided to go for a Degree in School Counseling. I figure this way it will expand my horizons a little bit and if I get tired of the classroom, which hopefully won't be for awhile yet, then I will have another avenue. I was really hoping to start the program this fall but unfortunately a few pre-requisites have gotten in the way. So in May I started a Statistics 2000 Class. I was totally dreading this class and it could be one of the reasons I have put off starting a masters program for so long. I decided to take an online class through Utah State so that I could work it around my schedule a little easier. I have not had a math class since my senior year in high school when I took Math 1050 concurrent enrollment. I never was too bad at math but I knew that math would be a lot different in College than it was in High school. After the first assignment in the class I wondered what I had gotten myself into and was seriously contemplating dropping the class. Especially since it took me about 9 hours or more to do one assignment. I even had to work on an assignment while in Palm Springs with friends over Memorial weekend. This class really interfered with my social life but somehow I became committed. I kept plugging away and I actually was doing really well on the assignments which was boosting my confidence and helped me to endure. I don't think that I have ever read a textbook more thoroughly. I rarely read any textbooks while I was working on my bachelors and I somehow got through ok but it wouldn't slide in this class. The textbook for this statistics class was really my only source of information since there was no classroom lecture. Luckily there was a discussion board online so we could post questions and answer questions with other students. Needless to say I took my final on July 31st and I was so excited to have that Stats class over with and the best part was that I got an A- in the class. I needed at least a B so I was especially thrilled to do better than I expected. Yeah Me!

This fall I am taking 2 psychology classes and I am hoping that they will be a little bit easier. If any of you would like to contribute to my education fund donations are gladly being accepted! Unfortunately I think the Richard L. Nielsen Scholarship fund has run out:( I can't imagine why?

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen

2009-08-01T00:59:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite guy friends from high school got married on Thursday July 30th. It was so great to be a part of Grant and Nicolee's big day. They were married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. Nicolee looked so beautiful and her dress was gorgeous. Grant looked very handsome as well. They had a wedding dinner at Cafe Sabor in Logan that night and then a reception on Friday night. It was nice to catch up with a lot of old friends at the dinner and reception. So many great memories with Grant and the gang.

It was also fun to see Dave at the temple ceremony, another one of my favorite guy friends from high school and his fiancee Lindsay. The number of my single friends from high school is really dwindling now, but I'm holding strong or should I be worried:)

MLS All Stars

2009-08-01T00:30:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday July 29th I went to the MLS (major league soccer) All Stars game with Ramsey, Ashley, Griffin, and McKelle (Ashley's sister) at Rio Tinto Stadium. Ramsey and Ashley wanted to take Griffin to a game before he moves to Colorado so I decided to tag along.

The boys

The Girls

Of course we had to pose for a couple more shots after the game. Too bad the All Stars lost to Everton which is a European team. It ended in a shootout which is always exciting.

I'm sure going to miss Griff. He is my little buddy and we have a lot of fun hanging out together. Who else is going to bug me like he does?

Pioneer Day

2009-08-01T00:09:00.002-06:00

For the 24th of July (Pioneer Day to us Utah Folks) I did a little swimming at the pool in my complex with Kara and her kids then went to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. It is one of my favorite rodeos. My family doesn't have any big Pioneer Day traditions but the last few years we have gone to the Ogden Rodeo. The best part about going to this Rodeo on the 24th is that they crown Miss Rodeo Utah. When I was young I loved watching the Rodeo Queens and secretly I have always wanted to be one. I would love to own a horse, there is definitely some cowgirl inside of me. I'm not sure if I could pull off the pants very well though. I think it would also be great to love a cowboy.

Here's Miss Ella in her rodeo queen hat, I definitely think she can win an award for being Miss Photogenic.

Taegan really wanted to give Griffin's cowboy hat a try.

At the end of the rodeo they had the Ogio Airforce showing off some awesome tricks on motorcycles. They are so thrilling to watch and Griffin's face was priceless. Definitely a highlight of the rodeo and of course the night ended with some fireworks.

Summer night with Kenny

2009-08-01T00:05:00.000-06:00

Kenny Chesney is one of my favorite country singers. My brother Ramsey introduced me to his music many years ago and I have been a huge fan since. I have seen him in concert many, many times and he always puts on such a great show. My summer just wouldn't be the same without a Kenny Chesney concert. I was scheduled to have gallbladder surgery on July 23rd but when I realized it was the same day as the Kenny Chesney concert I decided to postpone the surgery a few weeks. The concert started at 5:30 with Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert also performing and we didn't leave the stadium until about 11:30. I was pretty bummed that Sugarland had to cancel because one of the singers lost her voice. I am pretty sure it was one of the hottest days in Utah. We were shaded from the sun and were still dripping wet. But as Kenny says in one of his songs "When the sun goes down everything gets hotter". During his encore he sang all cover songs which were all awesome but I was a little disappointed because he missed a few of his own hits.

Karlyn and I enjoying the show. The girls I was planning on going to the concert with backed out the day of so I was scrambling to find someone else to go with. (Seriously I had rescheduled my surgery, I had to go) I was so happy when Karlyn said she wanted to go. She has been living in NYC the last few months so it was so great to catch up with her and she is always so much fun. The best part was that we bought our tickets the day of and ended up getting seats that were normally $100 for $30. It was also really fun to run into my cousins at the concert and was impressed to see the whole Reese clan there. (Next time they better call me when they are coming to Utah for a concert, yes Raegan and Becky I'm talking to you!)

A fan in the crowd gave Kenny this U of U hat and he was nice enough to wear it during his encore. I lost a little bit of love for him during this moment but he was doing it for the fan. I took the picture for Karlyn since she is a Ute. (Boo) :)

Blogging Marathon

2009-07-21T06:39:00.004-06:00

I finally have updated my blog. It seriously has taken me two days to post everything that I wanted to. I had things from the beginning of May that I wanted to post about. I've got to be better at blogging more frequently. So if you're interested then grab a snack and read about the last few months of my life. I thought I would have updated long before now but I have been pretty lazy this summer and haven't accomplished much of anything that I wanted to yet. I have had a little retreat in Logan the last few weeks. It's nice to spend time at home with my parents in Cache Valley. I feel like when I go home it is a little escape from reality and a sort of safe haven from the responsibilities and pressures I feel from time to time in my life. Some of you may have noticed that I don't answer my phone or respond to messages very well while I am there. At least I was able to read several good books, see a few movies, hang out with my family, including lots of niece and nephew time, see all of my grandparents quite a bit, and definitely slept in way too late. I even spent an early morning at the emergency room in the hospital, but i'll post about that later. Summer is quickly escaping and I hate that the time is going so fast!

I might as well change my blog to represent my whole family since I am pretty well the family photographer. I do like to take a lot of pictures and I have had fun documenting my life this way. Hopefully it will become a good journal/scrapbook since I don't do either of those things very well.

80 years of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Fireworks

2009-07-21T01:55:00.002-06:00

On Sunday July 19th I went with my parents to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's 80th year anniversary broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. I love going to the broadcast. It's a tradition of my family to go to the broadcast the Sunday before Christmas but I need to do it more often since I live so close. The broadcast was beautiful as usual. After the broadcast they had a little program in honor of the 8o years. President Monson spoke as well as several other people. It was neat as they talked about how the broadcast brings a lot of hope and inspiration to listeners around the world. Not to mention that it is the longest continually running radio broadcast in the world. President Monson shared several stories about how peoples lives have been touched by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, he is such a great story teller. I was very touched by the broadcast and the program and was glad to be a part of the special celebration.

Growing up when we would make the trip down to Salt Lake for the broadcast it was always a special treat to go to the brunch at Little America. So luckily my dad didn't disappoint me and took my mom and I to the brunch at Grand America. I have to take advantage of being there only single child and let my dad pay for me once in a while still:). It was soooo delicious! Of course we all left sick because we ate so much, why do we do that to ourselves? I really wanted to go home and take a nap but I was good and actually did make it to my ward for Sacrament.

To top the day off I went to the fireworks in Ogden at Night with Kara and Taya. We met up with Ramsey and Ashley, my Aunt Polly, Aunt JoAnn, and Jenna. They were great. I love Fireworks!

Jack's Mannequin and The Fray Concert

2009-07-21T01:54:00.002-06:00

On Saturday July 18th I went to the Jack's Mannequin and The Fray concert. It was really good. I love outdoor concerts. USANNA is a great venue. Once again I had a great time with all of the girls. I had really missed them since I had taken a little retreat up to Logan since the beginning of July.

A quick photo at the end of the concert with the "Wuff" Blanket.

Nancy, Molly, and Emily enjoying the show.

Bear Lake

2009-07-21T01:02:00.001-06:00

On Friday July 10th I went to Bear Lake with all of my sisters and their families, Jennie Hess and her girls, and the Hansen family (my brother-in-law's sister and her kids). My brother-in-law Mike Budge brought his sail boat and gave everyone rides. I didn't go out on the sail boat this time, I was too busy playing with the kids in the water and sand. Hopefully we'll go again soon so I can ride on the sail boat.

It was Taegan's first time at Bear Lake, I think she really enjoyed it.

Tyce and Taegan had fun playing together.

I was mad at my sisters as they spent the whole day on the beach chatting and eating treats. Good thing I was there to play with there kids in the water. I told my sisters that having kids must make you boring:) I tried to enlist the help of my nieces and nephews to get them wet. I asked Ella, Taya, and Sydnee whose mom we should get wet and they all started whining not there mom, so then my sisters over heard us and knew I was up to something. Luckily Taya and Griffin got into the spirit of things and we tried coming up with a game plan to get them wet but my sisters were staring us down the whole time. What good is an Aunt if she can't get her nieces and nephews into a little trouble with their parents right? Jessica is the only one who I was really successful at getting wet. I finally got her when she left the canopy and didn't have Taegan in her arms. Mandy really got mad at me as I threw a bucket of water on her as she was trying to deal with Chloe's little incident, Chloe took the brunt of the water which made Chloe cry and Mandy to get even more mad. I mean really who goes to a lake and doesn't get wet! Kara was a big chicken and put my camera around her neck so I wouldn't get her wet.

I have to share about Chloe's incident, keep in mind she is 3. We noticed Chloe was just at the edge of the water on the beach taking her swimsuit off. So we informed Mandy that her daughter was stripping for everyone. Next thing we knew Chloe spread her legs and poohed on the beach. Mandy grabbed some wipes and a bag and went to run get her. But then the best part: Chloe started to bury the pooh in the sand like a cat. I was laughing so hard! When Mandy asked her why she did that Chloe told her that she saw Sydnee do it. Way too funny!! There was a lot of people there that day and the family next too us was cleaning up when it happened. They were pointing at Chloe and had the most disgusted look on their faces. I wanted to say to them: She is a little girl people and doesn't know better. We all thought it was hilarious, well except for Mandy, and then I had to get her mad by getting her wet. I had to take advantage of the opportunity of her finally leaving the safe cover.

Griffin and Chloe playing in the sand. Isn't Chloe's hair cute?

Of course I made them pose for a bunch of pictures before we left the lake that day.

They all wanted a turn holding Taegan and getting there picture taken.

Cute Sisters Ella and Taegan

Taya also loving Taegan

Chloe loves being a big cousin now and loves to help take care of Tyce and Taegan.

I thought this one was precious

We were having fun writing in the sand. I heart all of my nieces and nephews

I also heart Bear Lake

Family Photo Shoot

2009-07-21T00:57:00.001-06:00

On Thursday July 9th we had family pictures taken. This is a much dreaded event by all! It is almost impossible to get all the little ones to cooperate. Here are a couple of the photos that I snuck in over the photographers head. I hope that the her pictures turn out much better than mine. I'm sure they will. The kids 4th of July outfits were perfect for family pictures.

Anderson Family

Beck Family

Budge Family

I thought this was cute of Jess playing peek-a-boo with Taegan. Griffin and my mom look just as entertained.

My mom and dad with all of their grandkids.

It was really tough getting all of these little ones to cooperate. Taegan was not loving it if she wasn't being held by her mom, Tyce would not sit still for one second, and we couldn't get the others to all look at the camera at the same time. But we weren't really expecting it to be a cakewalk.

Finally they could just play together!

Sorry Ramsey and Ashley I guess I didn't get a photo of the two of you, and the pictures of myself are too cheesy to post.

Grandpa and Grandma Nielsen

2009-07-20T17:05:00.000-06:00

July is an exciting month for my Nielsen grandparents as they celebrate their wedding anniversary and both of their birthdays. They were married on July 3rd and just celebrated their 63rd anniversary. My Grandpa still carries in his wallet pictures of my grandma that she sent him while he was in the navy several years before they were married. He finally made a copy of the pictures because they were getting so worn out after carrying them around for over 60 years in a wallet. I need to get a copy of the pictures for myself. I think they have such a great love story. I wonder if I could find a guy out there to marry that is as cool as my grandpa. I'm not sure if guys like him exist in my age group:). They are both such great examples to me.

My Grandpa turned 88 on July 12th. He is such an amazing man! I love hearing stories from his past. I thought I had heard them all but I still am learning new things about him. I also love hearing him play the organ (even when my Grandma gets after him for playing it too loud:). He is an avid gardner and I love that he is so willing to share his produce with all of us.

I stole the wedding picture above along with this picture of my Grandpa during his Navy years and the following sentiments from my Aunt Barbara's blog because I thought she described him so well.

He was a successful missionary, husband, father, dairy farmer, active community leader, grandfather and great grandfather and a very honest hard working man who has lived a really good life for all of these 88 years.

He sure was a handsome young man.

I was lucky enough to be able to celebrate with him twice. His birthday was on a Sunday so my family took him to dinner on Saturday night and again on Monday night with some of my Aunts and cousin Jenna. Saturday night at dinner I sat by him which was great because then I got to hear some of those good stories. I am so amazed by his health and he told me that he hasn't been to a doctor in 8 years besides the eye doctor and he doesn't take any medication. Pretty impressive for a guy his age. He does like to get home before it's dark so it's hard to get him to stick around at parties for a long time.

My Grandma will turn 84 on July 21st. She is also an amazing woman. I loved going to grandma's house as a kid (and still do). It was such a treat because she took such great care of us and made the best breakfast. It seems like even if it was something simple like oatmeal it was a fancy meal because she made everything so nice all the way down to how she set the table. She is one of the best cooks, a dinner at Grandma's was the best! I think when I would go to her house the first stop was always the cookie jar. She always looks great too with her hair and make-up done and she dresses nice. I think the only time I've seen her without make-up and being all done up was when she was in the hospital. I always have thought of her as such a classy lady. She probably worries about me when she stops by in the afternoons and i'm still in my pajamas with no make-up on and my hair in a pony tail. (What can I say, I get really lazy in the summer or on Saturdays:).) It's hard to see my Grandma slowing down a bit and in pain frequently. She still manages to have a great attitude and gets out a lot even though it's kind of hard on her.

I feel so blessed that while I was growing up I lived close to my Nielsen grandparents. They have always been a big part of my life supporting me in everything that I do from dance recitals, birthday parties, graduations, and staying up to date on what I'm doing. I am glad that I still get to see them frequently. They rarely miss a family function. They take so much pride in their family even the ones they don't get to see very often, they love talking about their posterity with anyone that will listen.

I hope that I get to celebrate many more birthdays with them!

4th of July Fun

2009-07-20T16:50:00.000-06:00

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays! I love everything about it: fireworks, feeling of patriotism, summer weather, traditions, parades, ice cream, homemade rootbeer, and above all being with family, including extended family. The 4th is a big holiday for the Nielsen Family and I am glad that we were able to see so many cousins and relatives.

Here we are waiting for the Logan fireworks to start on July 3rd. I love going into the stadium for the fireworks so I'm glad that everyone went inside this year. It was pretty windy and we were nervous they would have to be cancelled.

My mom buys all of the grandkids matching patriotic outfits for the grandkids so they always have to endure a photo session.

We always go to the Hyrum Lions breakfast the morning of the 4th and it's typical that we show up at the tail end. This year they had ran out of food by the time we got there so we had to go elsewhere. We ended up going to the Cracker Barrel in Paradise for breakfast and it was really good. Some in the family think that should be our new tradition but I am pretty resistant to change. The Lion's breakfast is really not very tasty, but I'm all about tradition. It did feel pretty patriotic being in the small town and the Cracker Barrel is a classic.

Anderson Kids

Beck Sisters

Budge family

Waiting for the Hyrum Parade to start with Jenna and Trevor.

Waiting for candy, doesn't Griffin look protective of all his cousins

The Nielsen clan gathered at the parade. A tradition of the Nielsen family that is many, many, years older than me. In all my 29 years I've never missed the Hyrum Parade. As I was talking to my Grandma she doesn't think they have missed a parade since they started going decades ago and wishes that we had documented it somehow, so I might go on a little quest and try to find pictures of us gathered at the parade each year. I know the parade really isn't very good it has become more of an advertisement parade than a float parade and some of my cousins have decided to quit coming, which I get, but I still just love being there for the small town celebration with family and fighting the crazy crowds for candy and especially trying to stake out a parade spot the night before. Getting a parade spot on the square requires some stealth work especially for our large group.

I just had to post this awesome picture of Jeremy since he was so generous to be the photographer. So typical.

Making the kids get another photo at the square.

After the parade we all gathered at my Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen's house for a picnic. I'm glad that so many came I'm thinking that it needs to become an official reunion, like it used to be when we were kids but now just the R. Lynn Nielsen family.

Mandy brought over the slip n' slide for the kids. We'll have to plan it better next year so everyone can have a swimsuit (it is fun to see Payson in his underwear but he might out grow that soon).

Ella on the slide

Taya going on her belly

Griff was a speed demon, watch out below

Chloe running for another turn

Sydnee, I love this of Brandon who stood at the bottom drinking water. He's a cutey.

That night it was also the Cache Valley Cruise In' main street parade. My brother-in-law Mike A. restored a VW bus a couple years ago. This year he finally decided to enter it into the cruise in' I think mostly for the parade. I wish I knew all the details about his bus, but I do know that when he bought it it was basically just a rusted frame of the bus. He really did an amazing job restoring it. It took several years and he still is always looking for ways to improve it. He loves to take it on family camping trips.

All the kids loved going for a cruise in the bus during the parade.

Kirstyn and I had to get a few model shots with the bus.

Syd and I enjoying the cruise in'

Tyce is always on the go

It was a great 4th of July!!!

God Bless America

Big Bad BBQ/ Arts Festival

2009-07-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

My great group of girls and I decided that we needed to try to plan more activities with guys. So on Thursday June 25th we threw a BBQ up Millcreek canyon. We figured a little networking would be a good idea so we all invited different people that we know that the other girls might not know. It turned out to be a huge success and each of us met a lot of new people. I'm pretty sure a lot of digits were exchanged that night.

Jessie and Kimi are kind of like the same person. Good thing they are some of the most likeable girls so it's nice having two of them around.

Yummy 'smores

Great dogs and brats.

Lots of cool guys

Alli's special hot dog roasting device. I'm pretty sure she dropped several hot dogs. Good thing we had plenty.

On Saturday June 27th we ventured down to the Salt Lake Arts Festival. I would have liked to stay longer than we did but it was still fun and very crowded.

Father's Day

2009-07-20T16:33:00.000-06:00

Here are the three R. Lynn Nielsen men. My brother Ramsey Lynn Nielsen, my dad Richard Lynn Nielsen, and my grandpa Roland Lynn Nielsen (although he goes by Lynn). What a great group of guys. My grandpa was putting a little pressure on Ramsey about how he is the only one to carry on the Nielsen name so he better have a son. That prompted a discussion about what R names Ramsey might use. Well I think it will be awhile before they have to really worry about names.

It was good to be able to spend Father's day with some of the most important men in my life. Although Ramsey's not a father yet we let him and Tyce get in the picture. I love how my grandpa is grabbing Tyce's hand and looking at him. Sometimes it's just as hard to get my grandpa to look at the camera as it is for a little kid. But it does demonstrate how much he loves his great grandkids and really knows each one of them.

I have to give a little shout out too my dad who always takes such great care of his family. He is a hard worker and is so patient! I think he learned that from growing up with 5 sisters and being the only boy and then having 4 daughters and only 1 son. He usually is a pretty quiet man and doesn't say a whole lot unless you get him on a few specific topics then he can carry on a conversation for hours. I love when he shares stories from his past. Thanks Dad for all that you do for me!

Lagoon

2009-07-20T16:12:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday June 16th we had a fun day at Lagoon! I went with my sisters and their kids along with my cousin Mica and her family. Luckily I didn't have to spend the whole day by the kiddy rides, Griffin makes a great ride partner at Lagoon and Sydnee is just about able to go on all the rides. Plus Seriah and Carson were fun to hang with.

I had to post this picture because Mandy looks like she is having so much fun.

I couldn't resist posting this picture because it illustrates the high caliber of ride operators at Lagoon.

Taegan looks like she loves Lagoon. She is a mommy's girl so I'm sure she was content in the sling with her mom.

Taya, Megan, and Sydnee getting ready for a ride.

It was fun to take Tyce on the Odysea. He's not so sure about the rides yet. At least it's fun having him be a little cuddly during the rides.

Cute Ava

The Highlight of the day was discovering that Sydnee and Taya could ride Wicked. I don't think they knew exactly what they were getting into and agreed quickly to go on the ride. I think they loved it but didn't want to ride it a second time. They were having a sensory overload after the ride. Taya's face was priceless, she said she will ride it again. They loved bragging about being able to ride Wicked. Poor Ella is just a little shorter so she'll have to wait another year or so. I always love a good day at Lagoon.

Thunderbird Air Show

2009-07-20T16:08:00.001-06:00

On Saturday June 6th I met up with a lot of the Nielsen family to watch the Thunderbirds Air Show in Layton. Thanks to Jackie for getting everyone together.

I would love to be a pilot and be able to fly that fast. It looks absolutely thrilling. I bet some of those pilots are pretty hot in their flight suits too. Maybe someday I can go for a ride in a fighter jet. I'm sure I would have to build up my stomach to handle the flight.

Tyce didn't love how loud the jets were. I think it made him forget how to suck on his binkie for a minute.

I was completely thrilled with all of the action but the kids grew tired of it quickly. At least they had a lot of fun playing together.

High School Friend Sleepover

2009-07-20T16:06:00.000-06:00

On Friday June 5th I got together with some old high school friends. I don't get to see these girls very often because we are all in such different places. I love that we can get together and pick right back up where we left off and can still have a ton of fun together. We went to dinner at Frederico's and then stopped by Albertson's for a lot of junk food. We then went out to Michelle's house for a sleepover. Her husband was nice to take their kids and go have a sleepover at his parents house so we could have the place to ourselves. Her house was so beautiful and was fun to see. I'll admit it made me pretty jealous of her. I love where she lives and that she is so settled. That seems so far off for me. It was fun to hear about their families. Emily showed us how to do the worm and tried to teach all of us, that was awesome to witness. We stayed up most of the night talking and laughing. I'm pretty sure this picture was taken at 4 am. Poor Kelli had fallen asleep on the ground and we woke her up for the picture, good thing you can't tell:) I wish we could do this more often.

Palm Springs

2009-07-20T16:04:00.024-06:00

Brace yourself for a super long post about my Memorial Weekend in Palm Springs. What can I say I take a lot of pictures and it was a fun trip. I want to make sure that none of you miss out on the details of the weekend events. We made some good memories!

For Memorial Weekend I went to Palm Springs with the Girls. I seriously love this group of friends! We have so much fun together. Elissa was so nice to let all of us go stay at her family's place where her Grandma used to live. We were all excited for some sun and a whole lot of relaxing! We thought we might find us all a sugar daddy as well, but no luck. It was a great kickoff to the summer. We flew into Long Beach on Friday May 22nd rented some cars and drove to Palm Springs.

9 girls means a lot of luggage and we only had 2 cars so we were having a tricky time trying to get all of it in the trunk. I think we rearranged things at least a dozen times. Kimi decided just to climb in to get things to fit better.

Once in Palm Springs we had lunch at a great little Italian restaurant.

After lunch and some grocery shopping to stock up on some good treats and a few other things to eat we headed back to the condo. I put my swimsuit on and thought I would head out to the pool with the crew but I also had to finish a statistics assignment that was due on Saturday. I realized quickly that I couldn't see the screen on my laptop pool side so I ended up staying inside to work on it. This was the biggest downer of the trip for me. It was brutal doing homework and having to ignore the pool and fun until it was finished. I did take a little nap in between but I seriously worked on it the rest of the afternoon, evening, and early into Saturday morning. I felt like the biggest loser doing homework and missing out on the fun conversations in the other room. I was determined to finish it so it wouldn't ruin any more of my trip and so I could enjoy the day Saturday. I finally wrapped up my assignment at 4 AM! It was torture and it was only the second assignment in the class so I was still really struggling figuring out some of the basics of statistics. Luckily I did end up doing really well on the assignment but it obviously took me a LONG time.

When I was looking for blankets in the closet I found this awesome thing. I guess it is a sleeping bag, kind of cute and creepy. So Jessie saran wrapped it on herself and decided to scare the girls in the other room while they were sleeping. It didn't even phase them apparently. She came in and gave me a good laugh while I was working on my assignment.

This is where we spent a lot of time on our trip. We started early on Saturday relaxing at the pool. It was fantastic!

After a long day lounging at the pool we went shopping and to dinner. I love how Kimi tries things on at the store. Who needs dressing rooms anyway? We both bought cute sundresses at this store.

Our shopping trip was obviously a success. We all left with about 3 bags each. I'd like to say we are doing our part to help boost the economy.

Dinner at the Daily Grill was exciting. We sat out on the patio and witnessed a drunk couple getting out of a cab and getting into an argument. He seemed like a huge jerk and she was pretty wasted. They were oblivious to all of the diners at the restaurant that were staring at them. They gave us all a good show. I guess that is one reason not to get drunk:) We also learned not to put Kelli in charge of figuring out the bill. I think she was trying to get more money out of all of us:) Love ya Kell Bell!

On Sunday we hit up the swap meet. We found some awesome stuff but made very few purchases. I was really tempted to buy this hair piece.

It was incredibly hot so we enjoyed a little frozen lemonade. Notice Kelli's awesome silver sequinned fanny pack, compliments of Elissa's grandma.

Some day we might have to start a red hat society, at least we know where we can pick up some great hats.

Elissa's looking Hot.

Kimi found true love with the parking lot shuttle driver. Isn't he a Hotty! There wasn't a lot of single guys our age around to choose from.

After the swap meet we went back to the condo to get ready for church. We found the singles branch and went to Sacrament. Wow did we make an appearance. I am pretty sure we doubled there numbers that day. We were hoping to find some quality guys to invite over for a BBQ the next day but unfortunately there were hardly any guys there and most of them were quite young, pre-mission and fresh off the mission age. Everyone was so nice to us and several people came over to greet us. The best part was that we were invited to be part of the program with a special musical number. We sang Love One Another with the Relief Society. The bishop thought it was so beautiful that he asked us to sing it again. I think there were 4 girls from the ward and 9 of us.

After church I decided to head out to the pool to do some reading and relaxing all by myself. When I came back inside this is what I found on the sliding door. Sorry it might not be the most appropriate thing to post but it was too funny not to. These girls were quite creative with some magazines and a bra. Such details.

I think they're just jealous:)

For dinner on Sunday night we went to Don Diegos. Haylie and I had to get a picture with Don.

While at the swap meet Kelli, Alli, and I picked up these sweet "Wuff" t-shirts. I have always made fun of shirts, blankets, and stuff that have things like this on it (really anything with wildlife, kitties, puppies, native american stuff, etc.). Kelli and Alli also share these feelings and think they are creepy. They have become quite obsessed with "Wuff" stuff lately. There was a booth at the swap meet that was classic with all of the kinds of shirts I described above. We hit the jackpot. It was hard to choose which shirt to get. I chose mine because it had all of the classic wildlife: a bald eagle, bear, deer, and of course a wolf. Alli's was great with the dreamweaver and Kelli's with all of the wolf faces. They don't get much better than this. Alli and Kelli had the guy selling the shirts so confused about how to pronounce wolf, he obviously doesn't know the correct way of saying "wuff".

We had to show our appreciation for our find by howling to the moon!

Here is a photo shoot of the crew:

Myself sometimes referred to as "Mo Money"

Elissa

Missy aka "Masty"

Kimi or Kimbi or Cob

Alli

Jessie

Jenny

Haylie

Kelli dubbed my little brother

Each night we would go for a walk around the condo's/golf course. Seriously we had to do something a little active after all the lounging and treat devouring. It really became more like a parade each night. Palm Springs was pretty dead but we didn't mind because we are our own entertainment.

I was so excited to take the cruiser bike for a spin one night during the walk/parade.

I was nice and let Kimbi have a turn.

We even held a speed walking competiton. I was the referee because I was on the bike.

Here are the champions.

The Losers

My favorite thing was the Golf Cart. Golf Carts are pretty much the main mode of transportation in Palm Springs. I had no idea that they made custom golf carts, apparently that's the thing around there. Elissa's grandma's golf cart matched her car. Isn't it AWESOME! I don't think I've ever driven a golf cart so it was fun to take it out for a Sunday Drive. The Golf Cart also became a part of the nightly walks so we could play music and have a little spotlight for all of the dancing/marching in the parade.

Kelli taught everyone the USU fight song actions since she cheered at USU. I was bummed that I was on the bike, I've always wanted to know them:)! I guess she'll have to give me my own personal lesson one day. Hey what is a parade if you don't have some marching group.

Of course we practiced our Toyota Jumps.

and our heel click jumps.

Elissa, Jenny, Kelli and I were pretty stoked to show off our cheerleading stunting skills. I'm glad I've still got the skills. I should since I've coached cheerleaders the last three years but I never stunt with them so it was fun to try it out with Kelli. We got her up first time. She wouldn't let us try a lib or a basket toss. What a chicken, doesn't she trust us? It's not like we were on pavement or anything that could seriously hurt her if we dropped her.

One night we played a pretty random game. Some of these girls come up with some strange ideas sometimes. I was pretty skeptical at first and was making fun of it but it was pretty funny in the end. We were each supposed to bring pictures of boys we've dated or kissed and then we tried to match up which one of us dated/kissed which guy. Hey you can't go on a girls trip without having a little boy talk right. A couple girls sure get around a lot, I won't mention any names:)

Here are a couple pictures from the pool. I was forbidden to post some of the pictures. Too bad because I had some awesome pictures. Sorry about swimsuit pictures of myself.

We each bought a raft at the local store. Thanks to whoever got us a sweet deal. I think the price was marked wrong but we made sure that we got the best deal.

A fun game of jumping onto our rafts stacked up

I was sad to fly home on Monday evening a day before the others but I couldn't miss another day of work. Once again being responsible gets in the way of my fun. Oh well I did pick up a really great tan to start the summer off right.

I can't wait to go back and look forward to many more trips with these gals!!! Thanks again Elissa!

Fancy Nancy Birthday Celebrations!

2009-07-20T16:01:00.000-06:00

Fancy Nancy Birthday Party. Sydnee, Ella, and Taya all have birthdays in May. Finally this year my sisters decided to combine their birthday parties. On Saturday May 16th we gathered at Jessica's for the party. It was a cute theme based on the Fancy Nancy children's books. My mom took the 3 girls to a local beauty school where they had a full make-over getting their hair and make-up done as well as a manicure and pedicure. I am sure they had so much fun getting the full pampered treatment. When they arrived to the party my mom introduced each one as Miss Fancy Sydnee, Miss Fancy Taya, and Miss Fancy Ella and they each came out and modeled for us. They loved all the attention.

They each had so much glitter and hairspray in their hair and definitely were sporting grown up hair styles.

Taya's hair was especially wild. But she doesn't have a ton of hair so I think they just ratted it a lot and added the trendy bump. She thought she looked amazing which is all that matters. She's always a great model for pictures.

Then they all got dressed up in fancy clothes and jewelry and each one received a darling tutu for their birthday. Chloe had already gotten her tutu on her birthday so she got into the action and of course they couldn't leave Taegan out so she also got a tutu. They were sooo cute! I wish I could wear one and look just as darling.

Miss Fancy Taya turned 5 on May 20th

Miss Fancy Ella turned 5 on May 10th

Miss Fancy Sydnee turned 6 on May 28th

Cute little Miss Fancy Taegan

Tyce and Mike showing off their cool trick.

My sisters do a great job of throwing their kids fun themed birthday parties. It is alway quite a production.

Hogle Zoo

2009-07-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

At the end of the school year we always take our daycare and preschool students on a field trip to Hogle Zoo. This year we went on Tuesday May 19th. It made me a little sad to realize that Taya and Ella would not be a part of the annual trip next year as they are both off to Kindergarten. It's been a lot of fun having them both at the daycare at Highland and especially fun having them be a part of the preschool this year since I work more closely with the preschool.

Bee's Game

2009-07-20T15:44:00.005-06:00

On May 15th I went to the Bee's game with some of my friends. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I love going to Bee's games.

You just can't go to a baseball game and not get a hot dog. I decided to go for the Chicago Dog, it was massive and delicious. I love this photo of Jessie and I, and hey who is trying to steal my pickle? Probably Kelli.

After the Bee's game we went to Leatherby's for Ice Cream. Kelli and I each ordered something to share since we couldn't decide. Apparently we should have ordered just one since we didn't even come close to finishing either one. It was yummy of course. Kelli, who is affectionately dubbed as my little brother, and I were on one that night. Sometimes we think we are so hilarious, which we usually are if I say so myself. We were with a lot of new people that we hadn't hung out with before. On the drive home I was thinking to myself other people must think we are so weird, but hey at least we have lots of fun!

Race for the Cure

2009-07-19T12:10:00.001-06:00

The last two years the cheerleaders I work with have been asked to help with the Race for the Cure as "Cureleaders" (cute name, eh). I love when they get the opportunity to do something in the community that is service oriented. Some other things they have been involved with is the American Heart Association Walk and the MS Walk.

The Race for the cure is such a great cause for them to be involved with. I hope that they all have become a little more educated about breast cancer as they helped with the race. The week before the race they hold a survivors luncheon at Little America and our squad along with another school performed the cheers/chants and showed off a couple cool stunts for the survivors. I always get emotional as I watch all of the survivors and am amazed at the struggles they have gone through as they fight breast cancer. Several of them are at the luncheon with scarves covering their bald heads which is a sure sign of the battle they are facing. I don't think these cheerleaders will ever forget the experience as well as the chants that they shouted during the race to support and educate the survivors, runners, and crowd.

Of course since we were at Little America we decided to have lunch together at the coffee shop after they finished cheering for the survivors.

The race took place on Saturday May 9th. We had to arrive so early to help get things set up. It's kind of a challenge to get 26 teenagers (as well as myself) motivated to be somewhere at 6 am on a Saturday morning. But once they arrived they really got into the spirit of things and I know they all had a fun and rewarding day.

Don't they look so excited to be there so early, good thing they had some food for the volunteers.

Here they are cheering on the runners/walkers.

Some of the chants they shouted:

"Raise your voices for healthy choices, I am the Cure"

"Best Detection is Early Protection, I am the Cure"

"Every person, everywhere, I am the Cure"

and my all time favorite

"With Mammograms and Breast Exams, I am the Cure"

These chants were made up by the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the "Cureleaders" to shout at the races across the country.

Several groups come up with t-shirts with really cool sayings. Humor is always a great way to deal with difficult things and breast's are an easy target. This was a good one, in case you can't read it, it says "squeeze a lemon save a life". One of my friends family wore tutu's and shirts that said Tutu's for Tata's. I especially love seeing the men wear these things.

My cousin Elizabeth ran in the race in honor of her mom, my Aunt Mona, who has been fighting Breast Cancer. Elizabeth lives in Idaho and my Aunt Mona lives in Washington so I rarely see them, maybe once a year. I knew she was doing the race but we really didn't think we would see each other because there are thousands of people there. I was so excited that she noticed me as she ran by and they came and found me after they were done. It made the whole experience even more special! The race is always the Saturday before Mothers Day, which I think is quite appropriate since so many women are affected by Breast Cancer. Next year I want to actually participate in the race. I think it would be awesome to do it with my mom and sisters.

Audrey was having tons of fun with the cool super hero cape they were giving out at the promo booths. She even created a stunt with it. She's such a fun girl.

Ok so I really got into the super hero cape and all the fun promo stuff at the booths as well (occasionally I might be a tiny bit guilty of acting like a teenager when I'm around them for awhile). It was a fun day.

It was so rewarding for me to see my cheerleaders really getting into the race. As they led the breast cancer survivors in during the survivor parade and cheered them on as the survivors made there way to the Gateway steps I loved that as I looked around several of my cheerleaders had tears in their eyes as did I. It really was a touching experience.

No more pencils, no more books, no more students dirty looks!

2009-06-10T21:05:00.005-06:00

Schools officially out for summer, Hooray!!! Maybe I finally will have some time to catch up on my blogging, amongst many other things. The last couple months have been busy and exciting and I have a lot to blog about. Graduation was today, it seems like we are the last school district in the state to get out of school. The end of the school year is always a little bittersweet for me. I look forward to summer and can't wait to get rid of some students but it seems that each year there are always several seniors who I become attached to and it's sad to see them graduate, but exciting at the same time.

I have tried not to blog about students because it's probably not very professional but I might have to break my rule for a couple posts. This year in particular there are 4 senior girls who have been on the cheer squad all three years that I have coached and I really have grown to love these girls. I look forward to hearing about all of the great things they do in their life and I really will miss the almost daily interaction that I have had with them the past 3 years. There definitely were times when I wanted to kill each one of them but overall I really have grown to love them and will look back on these years with many great memories. Best of luck to them and all of the class of 2009!

Sarah, Alexa, Me, Ally, and Audrey

Here are all of the senior cheerleaders on senior night after the last home basketball game.

I love Mothers!

2009-05-26T21:00:00.001-06:00

May has been busy as usual and so I'm behind on my blog posting but I didn't want to forget to pay tribute to my mom. Stay tuned for more May happenings, luckily summer is right around the corner. 2 more weeks till school's out and I can't wait!

My mom is one of my best friends along with my sisters. I am so lucky to have so many amazing women in my life who are always there for me and are such great examples to me. My mom is one of the most kind and considerate persons I know. She is always willing to drop anything if I need her, which sometimes I take full advantage of. There have been a few times when I have been sick and she has taken time off work to come and take care of me even though I am a capable adult, sometimes you just need your mommy. Not to mention many late night conversations as she lets me vent about all of the happenings in my life, I mean really who cares about all of the drama of my job and social life, well at least my mom does. She has such a fun and bubbly personality and is a great friend to all.

It was so nice to be able to spend mother's day with my mom, both of my grandma's and my sister Mandy. My Grandma's are also amazing women, whom I have always looked up to, I am so grateful that they are both still around and that I get to spend time with them every once in a while.

My mom knew that I would be coming to Logan in the afternoon for dinner but I decided to surprise her and made it in time to go to church with her, which started at 9:00 am which meant I left Salt Lake around 7:30. Those of you who know me well know that I rarely wake up on a Sunday before 10. (Hey my church is at 1:00 so I take full advantage of a nice sleep in day.) The look on both of my parents face as I walked into Sacrament was great, it made the early morning drive to Logan worth it. I was surprised that my parents were actually at church on time:) I stopped by the house first and they had already left. It was also nice to be able to enjoy sunday school and relief society with my Grandma Reese, who was spending the weekend at my mom's.

We enjoyed a nice brunch at the Logan Country Club and it was such a beautiful day. I hope that all of you amazing mothers out there had a nice relaxing day.

Happy Birthday Jessica

2009-05-04T23:18:00.006-06:00

Happy birthday to my oldest and wisest sister Jessica. She is one of my best friends! She also takes good care of me, I claim that she is my mom in Salt Lake. She always gives great advice and is a great listener as she will let me ramble on for hours to her sometimes. Mike was out of town on business today so I decided she needed some quality girl time with me. So Kara watched her kids and I took her to get a pedicure and manicure. We then met the rest of our family for dinner in Bountiful at the Mandarin, which is very tasty. It has become a family favorite recently. It also makes it easier to meet up with the family coming down from Logan.

Jessica's family will be moving to Colorado Springs the end of July as Mike was offered a great job that they couldn't pass up. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do without them around. It is because of Jessica that I moved to Salt Lake in the first place. She convinced me to come live with them and do my student teaching many years ago. Luckily it worked out and I was offered a job at the same school a year later. I told her she can't move because who will watch her kids. Unfortunately it wasn't a selling point. Although I am excited for them and know it will be great for their family, I can't help but be very sad. She is the first one to move more than an hour 1/2 drive away from the rest of the family, I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later but that doesn't make it easier, we are all very close, probably too close if you ask some of my brother-in-laws. I know that many of you can relate to living far away from family. Luckily Colorado Springs is only about an 8 hour drive away (I looked it up right after I found out) so it might be possible to make some weekend visits every once in a while.

(The pictures above are from Taegan's blessing and Griffin's baptism that took place the end of January)

Wicked

2009-05-04T22:57:00.006-06:00

On April 30th I was able to see Wicked again and loved it. I have seen it in New York and London and now right here in Salt Lake City. It was every bit as good as the big cities. I was so excited to be able to see it with my family, unfortunately my Mom and Kara ended up not going. My Grandpa Reed passed away so my mom went to the viewing to be with my Grandma and Kara gave up her ticket since she saw it in Chicago recently. It was really fun to have Raegan and Terry join us though, they had tickets for Friday but sold them and took my Mom and Kara's so they could go to the funeral on Friday. We went to dinner at Market Street Grill before the show which was delicious. I don't really like fish but I ordered the halibut anyway and loved it. It was also fun to have my Aunt Vicky come with us. I don't get to see her enough, even though we both live in Salt Lake. I used to see her a lot more when her kids were at Highland and I was there teacher.

Ramsey barely snuck in the picture and we are missing Ashley and Vicky in the photo. When I asked my dad if he liked the show he made a negative comment and then said he could have had 30 acres of hay (or some crop) planted. Typical of a farmer this busy time of year. I guess he does have to take advantage of any nice spring day when it hasn't been raining. Oh well, I know my mom would have loved it. He just might have to see it again with her.

Happy Birthday Chloe

2009-04-30T00:14:00.005-06:00

Sunday April 26th was my niece Chloe's 3rd birthday so I headed to Logan for a fun birthday party at her house. We are definitely upon birthday season in the Nielsen family. It seems like there is almost a birthday each week starting with my birthday until the end of May. So prepare yourself for future posts. Chloe is absolutely adorable. Although she is only 3 she is the little bully in the family and loves to pick on her older cousins, especially Taya. It seems like when one of the other girls is crying it's because Chloe did something. She is quick to say I'm sorry and then moves on like it was no big deal. It seems like if anything is broken Chloe also gets the blame, we joke that she doesn't know the meaning of soft. Poor little Chloe. At least she knows how to hold her own. Chloe is a stubborn little 3 year old but we all love her nonetheless. I sometimes can't figure out how she belongs to Mandy who is my sweetest and nicest sister.

I couldn't resist taking this picture of Ella sleeping on our car ride up to Logan. Notice that Ella and Griffin both already have headphones on listening to their ipods. It's just like all of my high school students. What will they be like as teenagers I wonder?

Cute sisters in matching butterfly dresses.

I love watching my grandparents interact with all of their great-grandchildren. They have more great-grandchildren than grandchildren now and I am always so impressed with how well they know each one of them, even the ones they rarely get to see. They both have great memories. They truly are such amazing grandparents and are very supportive of all of us. It's tough watching them age, but they are still very active for their age and in pretty great health. This is a cute picture of my grandpa holding Tyce. Kara thinks that Tyce has my grandpa's large lower lip.

Mandy made Chloe a cute butterfly cake.

Girls Weekend in Park City

2009-04-29T23:21:00.009-06:00

I love being able to celebrate my birthday during the entire month of April. Last weekend I went to Park City with the greatest group of girls. Three of us have birthdays in April so our awesome friend Kimi planned a fun weekend in Park City.

The night began at the Hapa Grill where we enjoyed Sushi and Utah's Best Hamburgers (it's been voted on), if you ask me that's a random combination but it was delicious. As you might imagine a night out with 8 awesome single girls could get a little crazy.

We bet Haylie $25 to eat a heaping spoonful of ketchup (she hates ketchup by the way and just the smell of it makes her ill). She handled it like a champ!

We had a pretty cute waiter so we decided to leave him an extra tip by giving him all of our numbers. Lucky guy, how many guys out there can get 8 numbers in a night without even asking for them! That started a chain of events that was hilarious. Needless to say I felt like I was 14 again.

Next stop was to our favorite Cold Stone in Park City. We came to this Cold Stone hoping to find our buddies again who sang aggressive heavy metal to us last time we were in Park City for Sundance. Just our luck they were working. They not only gave us a sampling of some delicious Ice Cream but also another sampling of aggressive heavy metal. There group name is Devil Dethroned. 'nuff said. Check them out next time you're in PC, it is entertaining to say the least. My favorite comment was from another customer in the store who asked if there mother had heard them sing. Or should I say scream.

We then headed to the condo we had rented for the night for more fun. You know, the stuff girls typically do at a sleepover, pillow fights, manicures, facials, boy talk, etc. Just Kidding we did none of those things, ok maybe only one of those things.

Here are the 3 birthday girls: Kelli, Jessie, and myself.

So at about 3 am Kelli realized she forgot her toothbrush which warranted a trip to the gas station in the middle of the night. You know there are bound to be some crazy stories from going to a a gas station at 3 am. Unfortunately, I can't mention them on my blog. I've been sworn to secrecy. The snow was coming down pretty hard, gotta love the unpredictable spring weather in Utah. As we pulled up to the gas station the lady working was sitting out in her car smoking. I really wish I had taken a picture of her, she was classic. She looked about 90 even though I am sure she is in her late 50's. Her face was so wrinkled and sunken in, not to mention she had no teeth. I guess that's what you get when you smoke a couple packs a day. Alli does a great impression of her. She gave us some pretty crazy advice. I think we gave her the wrong impression about us, I can't imagine how that happened:)

I always love a night out with the ladies! Thanks Kimbi for arranging it!

Great memories were made.

Oh I also need to give another shout out to Kimbi. On one of my previous posts about my birthday party that Kelli had thrown for me I forgot to mention that Kimi also helped bake all of those wonderful cupcakes. Unfortunately she chose Brittney Spears over me that night so I forgot to thank her for all her hard work. I'm so grateful for some really awesome friends.

"Eggs"iting Easter

2009-04-29T20:30:00.000-06:00

It has taken me awhile to finish my Easter post because I had so many fun pictures. So forgive me for the long post but it was a fun filled day!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love our families Easter traditions. I was sad that I missed out on the annual egg coloring on Friday night because I was down in Provo buying a new car. I headed to my parents early Saturday morning so I didn't miss out on any of the other festivities. I love helping hide the eggs and even more I love helping my nieces and nephews find them. I asked all of my nieces and nephews who wanted me to help them because I am so good at it and Ella was the first to raise her hand. Chloe also wanted to ditch her mom and have me help her, have I mentioned before that I am the coolest Aunt:).

Here's the crew waiting so patiently for the hunt to begin!

I love this picture of Ella pointing out the egg in the tree, we made a great egg hunting team. Her basket was so full the handle broke.

I asked Chloe why she was laying down and she said she needed to take a little rest. This egg hunting was hard work for her!

This picture is classic. Tyce already knows how to torture his big sister.

After the egg hunt at my parents we always head up to Utah State to roll eggs down Old Main and have a picnic on the hill.

Kara made my egg for me this year, hence the Mo-stink. It survived a trip or two down the hill.

It's always fun having JoAnn, Jenna, and Kristie with us, too bad more of the family doesn't come up anymore.

I love the view of Cache Valley from Old Main.

We also had a little birthday party for Tyce on Old Main. He turned 1 and it was really fun to watch him devour his cake. Probably one of the best one year old cake eating frenzies that I've seen. Great job on the cake decorating Kara and Mike.

After we left Old Main we went over to visit Grandma and Grandpa it was fun to spend some time with them. I really need to go visit them more often. I miss the good old days of hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's with all of my cousins. It's hard to do that now that everyone's families are getting so big and we each do our own celebrations.

I really wanted to go bowling on my birthday but it didn't work out so we moved it to Saturday. It was a great way to end our fun day of Easter activities. Jenna pretty much beat all of us (Mike was just a few ahead of her), I think she bowled a 132 or something. Way to go Jenna! I had a terrible game. I guess that's what I get for bragging about my mad bowling skills. My nieces showed me up. I'd like to say that my broken back may have impaired my bowling form, at least it sounds like a good excuse. How else can I explain losing to a 4 and 5 year old:)

Taya and Tyce in their cute Easter get up on Sunday

Me, my mom, and Taya decked out in our pink for Easter Sunday, Kara apparently didn't get the memo.

I walked into the room where Tyce was taking a nap and this is how I found him sleeping in the pack and play. How can a kid sleep like that? A couple days later I caught him sleeping in the same position.

Grandma and Grandpa came over to my parents for Easter dinner. Grandma was helping make deviled eggs but Taya was having a really hard time letting all of her pretty eggs go. She was pretty emotional about it. She would not let us roll them down Old Main the day before and if you touched one of her pretty eggs she would freak out. She gets pretty bossy sometimes. Kara made a compromise with her that they could take a picture of her favorite ones. She had a lot of favorites! I can't figure out why Kara wouldn't let Taya keep just a couple:)

Viva Las Gevas

2009-04-21T23:29:00.008-06:00

Last week was my spring break. Now that Kara teaches in the same district as me we finally had spring break at the same time. Kara had to judge a dance competition in St. George over the weekend so her and Mike decided to go a couple days early and go to Las Vegas. They were offered a free room in Vegas if they attended a time share presentation so they decided it would be worth it. They were nice to invite me along. I think they had a couple motives for inviting me- they needed a babysitter so they could attend the presentation, Mike needed someone to hang out with in St. George while Kara was judging, and of course because I am the coolest sister and aunt so why wouldn't they want to spend several days with me. I was happy to tag along. I couldn't pass up free lodging and a get away for a couple days. We drove down on April 15th which was Tyce's 1st Birthday. I was there when he entered the world so it was only appropriate that I also spent his 1st birthday with him.

Taya was pretty excited to go to "Las Gevas" and really caught the spirit of Vegas as she performed this song for us when we checked into the room. I think she has a future as a performer of some sort, let's just hope it's not a performer in Las Vegas.

I think her performance name is Mermaidia or something like that. Here's another one just to show how crazy she is.

Tyce was enthralled with the performers at Circus Circus.

I had no idea there was a Serendipity in Las Vegas. I was so excited as I love this place in New York City. Taya and I enjoying some delicious Frozen Hot Chocolate.

The gardens in the Bellagio were amazing as usual, I loved the Spring decor. They had beautiful tulips, daffodils, and poppies. Plus a greenhouse full of butterflies. Taya loved smelling all of the flowers and playing with the water displays.

Tyce loved riding on his dads shoulders, isn't he so cute in his little hat.

A little pose with the Coke Bear at the Coke store.

The Venetian also had a beautiful spring display. I loved the Umbrellas.

Taya and I waiting for the scandalous show at Treasure Island after we had stuffed ourselves at the Treasure Island Buffet.

Sunny St. George

2009-04-21T23:27:00.000-06:00

While Kara was stuck judging a dance competition while we were in St. George Mike and I took Taya and Tyce on a hike up Red Cliff Canyon. It was a great little hike and was fun to watch people jumping off cliffs into the water. It was the perfect temperature for a hike. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel pool. It was fun playing Mermaids with Taya. She is great at playing make believe.

Look at this super dad, carrying two kids across the water.

Amazing Bryce Canyon

2009-04-21T22:58:00.003-06:00

On the way home from our fun little Spring Break Vacation we decided to take a little detour to Bryce Canyon since I had never been there. I am so glad that we did. How is it that I have lived in Utah my whole life and haven't taken the time to visit this amazingly beautiful place? I forgot about all of the treasures right here in Utah, I think I need to plan a few more road trips to see some of these beautiful places. I look forward to going back again and taking more time to hike around and enjoy the scenery.

Taya and I had to get a picture together since we were both wearing pink and our cool shades. It was her idea to make the hang loose sign. She's so funny!

Kara and I were laughing at Taya's outfit. Taya had been wearing her pink plastic shoes that are awful! They don't stay on her feet and they give her blisters but of course they match her cute dress perfectly and Taya is all about fashion already. Walking was nearly impossible, it took her forever and her shoes kept falling off. So Mike and Kara made her put on her "fast shoes" with a lot of complaining from Taya about how they don't match her dress. We all assured her that they looked fine. Kara did make the comment that she looked like a little FLDS girl with the long dress and tennis shoes. Good thing she's adorable no matter what she's wearing.

Poor Tyce is constantly being malled by his mom.

More Birthday Fun

2009-04-21T22:44:00.002-06:00

My good friend Kelli (a.k.a. my little brother, because she acts like one sometimes) threw a little birthday party for me a couple days after my birthday. She is the Greatest! I was joking with her about how I wanted a Barbie cake and she totally came through! I should have known if I even mentioned it she would do it. She is talented in so many ways and very creative. She didn't even use a mold. She baked 2 cakes, froze them, and then shaved the cake to make the dress. Unfortunately she had to break off Barbie's legs to put her in the cake. She also baked and decorated a ton of darling little cupcakes along with another friend Haylie. They were all so delicious. It was a fun get together with friends. Thanks again Kel! Her birthday is right around the corner so any suggestions on how I can one up the Barbie cake would be appreciated:)

Haylie, Kelli, and I

The master piece from the front and back.

Alli, Me, and Melinda

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-04-12T23:53:00.011-06:00

My 29th birthday was on Thursday April 9th. The day started out pretty great with breakfast at one of my favorite places The Original Pancake House. Luckily my first class on B days is Cheer so we went to breakfast to celebrate! It was delicious, and of course I had to order the Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

I always have a lot of fun with these cheerleaders. Can you believe that not one of them offered to pay for my meal? I honestly wasn't expecting it, I know them well enough to know better. In fact I shared my meal with one of the girls who didn't have enough money. Typical of teenagers.

My students also knew it was my birthday and several of them brought treats to class so the celebration lasted 2 days as we are on a block schedule with A/B day classes. One girl asked to go to the bathroom and just happened to come back with donuts:) In another class a boy made brownies with frosting and sprinkles, unfortunately they were hard as a rock and the rest of the class laughed at me as I was sawing them out of the pan. They did taste good, just extra crunchy, plus the frosting was about an inch thick so they were extra sweet. It's the thought that counts right! So needless to say I got a lot of junk food from students and a lot of begging to do nothing since it was my birthday and they didn't want to make me work on my birthday, I of course gave in and we had a movie day in most of my classes. I rarely do that plus it was right before Spring Break and a lot of students were already gone. The day before my birthday one of my students wrote this on the white board "Happy Birthday Monique! Sweet 29. She likes bright colors, (I can't remember what she wrote here), and Men. Anyone who has a brother or Uncle that is 29 or older please have them call Monique at ######."

I thought it was pretty funny so I didn't erase it (they begged me not to) and it led to funny conversations with my students. I did make her change the age of the brother or uncle because I told her I didn't want any men that were super old calling me so she changed it to 25-35. I have two beautiful black Somalian girls in my 4th period who are cousins. One of them got so excited and wondered if she could seriously set me up with her Uncle. On Friday I did get a call from their Uncle. He is their Guardian on the school records, I'm sure it's because their mother doesn't speak English, at first he was asking about their grade and how they were doing in class but before I knew it he was asking me if I wanted to go to dinner or lunch sometime and he was asking for my number. Not sure how this is going to play out, it could be very interesting. I'm worried that they have set their expectations too high. I guess I should be flattered that they think highly enough of me to set me up with their Uncle. Oh I love that my students are always trying to be matchmakers.

During lunch I had a surprise visit from all of my nieces and nephews (minus Tyce he was still asleep in the daycare) and my 2 sisters Jessica and Mandy. They brought me balloons and Tulips.

That evening I went to dinner at Red Rock in downtown Salt Lake with all of my family. I was excited as my Parents, Mandy and her kids, and Ramsey and Ashley all came down from Logan to celebrate with me!

My dad didn't think they were going to make it down for my birthday so he had bought some cupcakes to send down with Mandy. I was happy that he hand delivered them instead. There were only 6 so he said there was one for me and each of the grandkids. I'm glad that I at least got one. The kids loved them especially the frosting!

Sydnee loved the frosting so much she had to lick it out of the container.

As usual all the little girls wanted to sit on my moms lap which was creating a big fight. I was giving them the guilt trip that they should be fighting to sit by me since it was my birthday. Taya always the sensitive and thoughtful one did come and sit on my lap since it was my birthday. Sydnee and Taya are on this kick lately that I am the Coolest Aunt Ever! I wonder where they got that idea from? I know I really am the coolest Aunt and sure do love spending time with these kids.

Mandy and the girls were spending the night at Little America so I had a sleepover with them. We had a lot of fun swimming at the hotel with Jessica's family as well. Taya was so sad that she couldn't stay and swim (she has some weird skin thing that is contagious so she can't swim until it's cleared up). It was a great birthday. Thanks to everyone who called, e-mailed, sent messages on facebook, or came to visit me! One more year left in my twenties, I guess I'll have to live it up.

March Sadness in Boise- So Close!!!

2009-03-23T22:07:00.001-06:00

I really wanted to go to Boise to watch the Aggies play in the NCAA tournament but I just didn't think it would happen. I have missed so much school lately and I figured tickets would be hard to come by so I decided to not even plan on going. However, the day before the game I got a text from my brother Ramsey while I was at school that said Call me ASAP. I was nervous for about 2 seconds and then I knew he must have tickets. Sure enough I was right. He had bought 4 tickets off of eBay. I just couldn't say no, I really wanted to go all along and knew if the chance came up I couldn't turn it down. So I wrote up a sub plan, cancelled some other plans I had made for Friday night and headed to Logan since we were leaving early the next morning.

It was a fun trip with the guys as I went with my brother, my dad, and my brother-in-law Mike B. We left Logan at 5 a.m. Not much will get me out of bed that early. We arrived in Boise around 9 a.m. and headed to the Taco Bell Arena. The game didn't start till 10:30 so we had plenty of time to watch both teams warm up and get pumped for the game. The student section was already going strong as they were chanting each players name during the warm ups. It was exciting. I love the spectrum on wheels cheering section.

Unfortunately the Aggies couldn't pull off the win even though they were so close! 58-57 It was a heartbreaker as they lost by one point in the end. The first half wasn't the best as the team seemed a little shell shocked. The second half was exciting as they came back and took the lead by 6 but they couldn't hold on to the lead. I'm not sure what's worse, losing by one or being blown away. I think if they had lost by 6 I might have felt a little better. I guess it is time to move on. I am still proud to be an Aggie! It was a great record breaking basketball season as the Aggies went 30-5.

Although the Aggies lost it was a beautiful day on Friday. Spring better be right around the corner because I decided that Aggie basketball is what helps me get through the winter. So go away Snow!!!

P.S. Since the Aggies didn't win I was thrilled that Utah and BYU also lost. I am so sick of what little respect the USU Basketball team gets on the local news stations. Honestly they were nationally ranked for several weeks and hardly anything was mentioned about it. It's sad that the Big Blue incident at the New Mexico game (ripping off Pistol Pete's mustache) received more attention on the local news and nationally than the fact that USU had a record breaking season and won the WAC championship. Living in Salt Lake makes me dislike those 2 schools even more! I know I'm a little bit of a crazy fan.

Utah State Aggies WAC Champions! Ready to Dance!

2009-03-15T23:12:00.012-06:00

It was a great weekend as I was able to go to Reno and watch the Aggies sweep the WAC Tournament. What made it even sweeter was beating Nevada on their home court. I really hate the tournament in Reno (not the greatest little city in the world after all) and I really dislike the Nevada fans (I had a little run in with one a couple years ago after the championship game and I still have a bad taste in my mouth). I had to miss the first game on Thursday, unfortunately I have to be a responsible adult once in awhile. My mom and I flew down on Friday afternoon and met up with my dad who had driven down by himself on Wednesday and also met up with my Brother Ramsey and his wife Ashley who had flown down earlier. The game Friday night against New Mexico was too close for comfort and I almost had a heart attack as Utah State pulled it off in the final 7 seconds of the game winning 71-70. Saturday's championship game was exciting from start to finish. I love how supportive Aggie fans are. There was a huge crowd of Utah State fans one that closely rivaled the local Nevada fans. Everywhere we went we saw Aggies.

Coach Stew Morrill cutting down the nets after the championship. I love this guy!

WAC Player of the year, Tourney MVP, and USU's lone senior Gary Wilkinson celebrating after taking the first cut of the net after the championship.

It was really fun being able to spend some time with my cousin Raegan and her family. Her husband Terry is a Nevada fan, he is the exception to my dislike of the Nevada fans luckily I do really like Terry and he is a very gracious Nevada fan.

The final score. Nevada never once held the lead and it was fun to start the game off with a 21-4 run for the Aggies. It shut the Wolfpack up quickly. The arrogant Nevada guys sitting next to me even left the game early, obviously not true fans. I was very happy when they left! Right from the start of the game they stunk like alcohol and I'm pretty sure he had 2 more beers during the first half. He started the game booing the Aggies really loudly and obnoxiously. He had a very limited vocabulary as every other word he said started with a F. He kept making the most ignorant comments. It was all I could do to hold back from saying something. Luckily the score spoke for itself which was my saving grace! Once again he proved my dislike for the Nevada fans and the tournament in Reno. Are you sure you're not ready to jump ship and become an Aggie fan Terry?

Randomness in Reno

2009-03-15T23:10:00.000-06:00

I sometimes wonder if my mom has narcolepsy. She was falling asleep at the table in the restaurant after we ate a late night dinner after the championship game. This was not the first time this has happened. She sometimes falls asleep mid sentence.

We had to get one last picture in Reno before heading home. We had just stuffed our faces at a buffet and I just cashed in my chips from my black jack winnings. I actually walked away from the blackjack table with the amount that I had started out with and was able to play for a couple hours. However, Ramsey told me I should just go put it all on Red at the Roulette table. Luckily I didn't listen to him completely. I put $25 on red and that was the end of that $25. At least I walked away with a little more than half of the money I started out with.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of this beauty.

While in Tahoe we saw this 4-runner in the parking lot at the Heavenly ski resort. My dad called this car Tie-Dyed, ha ha. Even the inside dashboard and console was completely covered with Ties. Interesting!!!

Concert Crazy

2009-03-11T21:57:00.013-06:00

I love going to concerts! I went to the Rascal Flatts concert a couple weeks ago. Another teacher and I snuck out of Parent Teacher Conferences early to go to the show. It's hard to be a responsible teacher sometimes when it interferes with my social life!

I was a bit surprised when I found out that Jessica Simpson would be the opening act. I was very disappointed as she started out singing "These Boots are Made for Walking" wearing heels. It just felt so wrong. Rascal Flatts was amazing! Not only did they sound great but they were also pretty funny. The stage set up and lighting was fabulous as well.

This past Monday I went to see Donavon Frankenreiter at the Depot with a group of friends (Gary Jules opened). I only knew one or two of his songs before the concert, I really went for the social aspect and I love live music. I left the concert a big fan and have already bought 2 of his albums. I like how my friend Alli described the conert on her blog "Both were looking super homeless but super attractive too which is all a little bit ironical. I don't know what it is about a guy and a guitar. He could be the ugliest guy in town but as soon as he starts singin' I'm a goner." I couldn't agree with her more. It was my first time going to a concert at the Depot. I liked the smaller space and the ability to actually see the band up close and personal along with great sound but I did feel a little out of my element. We got funny looks from the bartender as we only ordered cokes. My favorite was the 40+ year old woman in front of me who kept bending over to smoke pot. At first I thought she was tying her shoe but when she stood up I could smell it very strong. I think she would bend down, light up, take a hit, and then put it out. Luckily it was towards the end of the concert. People watching is a definite perk of going to concerts.

A couple guys in our ward also put on a small concert for Kelli, Alli, and I in their basement a couple weekends ago. Our ward always holds an Auction right before christmas to raise money for sub for santa. Kelli purchased a personal love song from these guys in the ward. After several months of anticipation they finally finished. I felt honored to be part of the debut. We showed up at their house expecting a corny song but left very impressed as they actually wrote a great song in addition they played several other songs that they have wrote. I think they have great potential. I'm trying to figure out a way to get my own personalized love song. They are still trying to come up with a group name. We suggested they call themselves "Chasing the Goods" in honor of "The Goods" which is the name of the group that Kelli, Alli, Kimi, and I started. That's a story for another post sometime.

Fantastic February Fun

2009-02-22T20:55:00.003-07:00

February has been fun and eventful with a little mishap in the midst of it all. Check out my other posts for a recap.

Sun Valley- Sledding Mishap

2009-02-22T20:53:00.003-07:00

After getting back from Hawaii on the 11th I decided it was already time for another getaway. It was Valentine's and President's weekend so I went up to Sun Valley, Idaho to a new friend Elissa's beautiful condo. Thanks Elissa!It was a fun girls weekend with Kelli, Kimi, Alli, and Elissa. We shopped at the Goldmine, watched several old movies, played the game Ticket to Ride several times (it's my new favorite), ate at some great restaurants, ate a lot of junk food, sat in a giant hot tub (a pool converted to a hot tub for the winter), enjoyed a nice sacrament meeting at the Sun Valley ward, went sledding, and to top it all off I spent some time in the Hospital.

The Goldmine is a thrift shop in Ketchum and we found some sweet one piece snow suits. The store's name is very fitting! I also picked up some great goggles and a snow hat.

We sported them around town on Saturday as we listened to a band at the town party. We also were excited to go Sledding on Monday as we were all decked out in our new gear.

Me, Elissa, Kimi, Kelli and Alli ready for a great day of sledding.

Elissa's magic carpet sled wasn't working out as well as she thought it would.

Sledding was a little short lived as I hit a huge jump on my 2nd slide down the hill. I thought I had chosen a good path but my sled veered to the left straight for the jump, I had no sense of how to steer my sled obviously. I caught some serious air and apparently looked awesome doing it, but I landed extremely hard and I heard something crack in my back and was instantly in a lot of pain. As I was rolling on the ground in pain my friends were laughing (they still couldn't get over my awesome jump) and I had to call them over to let them know I was really hurt. I felt bad cutting our sledding trip short. As I was attempting to walk to the car I decided I better go to the Hospital and get it checked out since I felt like I was going to pass out. Good thing too because I ended up having a compression fracture in my back.

This picture is so funny to me. It was taken just after I was injured. I like that they are all posing while I am laying on the ground. Notice the smile on my face, I was trying to pose for the picture as well even though I was in a lot of pain!

I was glad to have great friends that took good care of me. It was a little funny having Kelli push me around the hospital in a wheel chair and also nice to have someone to laugh with me as the doctor told me I would need to use a walker or canes to get around. I started to black out while we were in the hospital cafeteria getting some lunch, Kelli was great as she got me a cold napkin and some ice cream. I owe her one.

Not a great picture I know, but we had to document the time spent in the hospital. Really does anyone look good in a hospital bed?

I'm happy to report that I haven't needed the walker although it would have been pretty funny. I did carry a cane around when I went back to school but I didn't really need it. I spent all of Tuesday sleeping and went back to work on Thursday. I was feeling pretty guilty after being gone to Maui for a whole week and then needing to take more time off because I broke my back, my students were starting to think they had a slacker for a teacher. I am feeling pretty good now but my back is still really sore and I have a hard time bending. I guess we'll see what the doctor tells me tomorrow. I am lucky cause I know it could have been a lot worse.

Beautiful Maui

2009-02-22T20:52:00.006-07:00

February 3rd to the 10th I went with 3 other friends, Kelli, Kimi, and Heidi to Maui, Hawaii. Kimi's birthday was February 6th and it was the big 3-0 so we decided it was necessary to be in Hawaii to celebrate. It was so hard getting back on the plane to come home. We actually landed back in SLC at 5:30 am the morning of the 11th. It was pretty rough as I went right back to work that morning with little to no sleep after the red eye flight. At least my students seemed excited to have me back and they were pretty jealous of my sweet tan.

Maui was amazing. I am seriously considering moving there. It was so beautiful and relaxing plus everybody was so nice there. We loved just relaxing by the pool and at the ocean. I decided that is the way to live. How can I make that happen?

Our Hotel was so nice. We picked this hotel off of expedia because it said there was a rope bridge and water slide. We were excited as we discovered that we had actually chosen a really nice hotel and the water slide didn't disappoint us either. I don't think many guests at the hotel fully appreciated the water slide like we did. We could go over and over and every once in awhile we would have to wait for a little kid or two.

I felt rich as they walked around with cold towels and otter pops as we laid out by the pool. I couldn't resist ordering a drink and lunch one day pool side (it was expensive though). Good thing I don't drink Alcohol I would have paid at least $5 more for my Pina-Colada- actually this one was called a Tidal Wave.

We visited several different beaches so we could see different parts of Maui.

We watched some crazy surfers in Paia. It was so windy in Paia. We tried to relax on the beach but couldn't handle the sand blowing in our faces the whole time.

I loved the Old Lahaina Lua.

We braved the road to Hana, I loved it although it did get a little tiresome. The waterfalls at the end and the scenery along the way made it worth it.

We went snorkeling at the Molokini Crater and Turtle town. We were able to see several sea turtles along with some cool fish.

It is whale season in Hawaii right now so we were able to see tons of Humpback whales. It was fun to spot them as we would walk or drive along the ocean. We were able to see several up close from the boat on our way to our snorkeling spots as well as a couple dolphins.

The sunsets over the ocean are amazing.

My 30th is next year and I am already thinking about celebrating it in Cancun or at least somewhere warm and tropical, any takers?

Bear Lake Monster Winter Style

2009-02-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

One weekend in January I went to my friend Kelli's cabin in Bear Lake with a group of friends. We always have so much fun up there. Kelli and I have known each other since about 6th grade so I have fond memories of going to her cabin while in high school as well. Last summer on a trip to the cabin we were playing on the beach and created a relay called the "Bear Lake Monster". So we decided we had a new tradition and this time we held "Bear Lake Monster 2" winter style. It was hilarious, not to mention exhausting. I'm proud to say that my teammate Kimi and I took 2nd place with a time of 2 minutes 18 seconds! We took plenty of pictures but luckily no one was at the finish line taking pictures so you are all spared from my cookie snot, sorry about that Kimi:)

Kelli and Corey who lost and cheated!

The Champions Alli and Troy.

We also had fun being pulled around on a sled behind a truck on the beach. The beach was pretty icy in spots luckily no one was injured. I also made one of the best purchases of my life up there- a pink flamed snow mask for my face, everyone was so jealous. Luckily I am nice and was willing to share with others.

It was such a pretty day and evening. We were still out sledding when the full moon rose over the mountains and reflected across the lake with a beautiful winter scene surrounding Bear Lake. I love being able to get away for a weekend with good friends, good food, and lots of fun!

My Sisters Keeper

2009-01-19T11:36:00.002-07:00

I just finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. WOW! It was such a great book. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet. A friend recommended it to me about 4 years ago and I just barely got around to reading it. It is so well written and you feel for each character in the book. When I was trying to find a picture to add to my post I found out that there is a movie that will be coming out in June based on this book. I would definitely read the book before it comes out on the big screen.

Show me a True Blooded Aggie Fan

2008-12-05T14:30:00.005-07:00

Although the Utah State Football program is not currently one to brag about our family is definitely True Blooded Aggie Fans and we still had a lot of fun watching the team this year. Thanks to Casey who provided us with tickets most of the time. The season was full of ups and downs with a couple exciting games the Aggies did win and a few frustrating games that they almost won and several disappointing games where you wondered if they knew what sport they were even playing. Maybe the next coach can finally turn things around. Here are just a few shots from some of the Aggie football games. If you can't tell we are definitely preparing the Nielsen Grandchildren to become Future Aggies. At least basketball season is underway which is something an Aggie fan usually can brag about!

Tyce at the game against BYU.

Chloe and Sydnee practicing their cheers after one of the games.

Taya and I had fun during one game making funny faces. Taya definitely wins the prize for the best faces. I wonder where she gets her crazy personality, it couldn't possibly be from her crazy mom:)

Nutcracker

2008-12-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I went to the Nutcracker with my Mom, Sister Mandy, and Nieces Sydnee and Chloe. It was a fun girls outing. We went to the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea before and were able to meet a lot of the characters. It was fun to watch Sydnee and Chloe dance with some of the ballerinas. We didn't have great seats and were up in the top balcony where the temperature was about 100 degrees. It was miserable but the show was still great. Sydnee was ready to strip down to her underwear she was so hot but we were able to keep most of her clothes on.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was very quiet but still nice this year. It was the off year for our family which left me alone with my mom and dad for the first time since Ramsey got married in April. My Grandma and Grandpa Humphrey's came down from Idaho to join us. We had quite the feast nonetheless, enough probably for the entire family. The biggest downside was that it was just my mom and I preparing the food, with a little help from my dad. The next off year if I'm still single we are for sure going on a little vacation (maybe finally to Seattle Aunt Barbara:) or New York, I had a lot of fun there for Thanksgiving several years ago). Although I missed the whole family it was a relaxing day with way too much food and yummy pies! I have a lot to be grateful for and Thanksgiving is always a nice time to stop and think about all of the many wonderful things in my life.

October Fun- Frightmares and Halloween

2008-11-20T20:40:00.006-07:00

During the UEA break I took my nephew Griffin to Frightmares (I really am the coolest and favorite Aunt in case you didn't know). We also went with my Aunt JoAnn, Cousin Jenna, and her boyfriend Trevor. Frightmares is such a fun time to go to Lagoon with all the decorations, cooler weather, and fun shows. But it was so crowded, I think the secret is out, it wasn't nearly that crowded a couple years ago. I think we waited longer in food lines than ride lines, it was crazy. Griff is so fun to hang with at Lagoon, we love riding rides and of course drinking a giant Icee. They have an amazing assortment of Icee Flavors:) We had to coax him into one of the haunted houses but he ended up doing just fine, he's a brave little guy and also loved riding Wicked. This year I had a season pass to Lagoon but I think I only made it two or three times.

One saturday in October after the Homecoming Football game at USU we went to the Pumpkin Walk in North Logan. It was great as usual. I couldn't pass up getting a few photos as Cinderella and Prince Charming with Sydnee as Sleeping Beauty.

My Favorite display was of Brent, he truly is an Icon in Logan. I especially love the couple kissing on the A in the background that stopped to wave to Brent.

For Halloween the daycare and preschool at Highland (the high school where I teach) always do a trick or treat parade throughout the school. It's my excuse to dress up for Halloween, since it's not really that cool to dress up in High School. Luckily I have the excuse of working with the preschool. I especially love that my nieces Ella and Taya and nephew Tyce go to the daycare at Highland so I get to see them frequently.

I always did want to be a Rodeo Queen so it has become a favorite Halloween costume of mine. I just love these adorable witches!

Tyce and Anna, one of the daycare employees. Anna takes such great care of Tyce (except for when she is dressing him up in University of Utah clothing:))

Why Not?

2008-10-07T01:02:00.001-06:00

I love stalking everyone else's blog so I decided to give one a try myself. Don't set your expectations too high. My life is mostly full of High School Students (which is not right to blog about) and my Nieces and Nephews (whom I adore). I'll try to share some of the fun things of my life that I try to fit in my minimal spare time.

2008-09-12T00:27:00.001-06:00