Our BEST Christmas Present!

On Christmas morning, Tim and I were up brightand early because we were so excited about it being Christmas.We weren't thinking about the presents under the tree or the food we would eat, we were thinking about getting the best present of all... a call from our son Elder Nelson! He told us he would be calling about 10 am his time (8 am our time). So we hurried and got everything ready for Christmas and I got the rolls in the oven. I was so distracted I forgot to set the timer and so they got a little burned. Then we waited. At 7:40 we woke Marley up and made sure Grammie was up so we could all be ready for Alex to call. We had set up a tape recorder and put it near the base unit of the phone so we could put the base unit on speaker phone and tape it. So 8 am came and went...So we opened presents. 9 am came and went.... Finally at 10:10 am the phone rang and Marley answered it. We were all so excited! We got the phone # and Tim had planned on calling back on his cell and conferencing in the house phone and Alex, but that didn't work... so Alex called again.. so we just went ahead and called him on the house phone.

First off, it was wonderful to hear his voice and know at that very moment, he was on the other end of the phone and talking to US! I miss that voice so much! Marley yelled, " Merry Christmas!!!" and he laughed.Then his dad needed to take the first few moments to discuss finances, then after that, we chatted. He was at the home of the Pulvers and they opened presents there and then called us. They had 2 other houses to visit that day. So he was going to get plenty to eat and be very well taken care of. He told us that being a missionary was different because he thought people would be interested in hearing the message they had, but they aren't. He said they get yelled at a lot! He talked about finding out about other relegions and how interesting that was. He has finished the Book of Mormon in 6 months and talked about the things he learned from reading that and said, if you have a desire to learn and understand as you read the Book of Mormon, you will. He has grown SO much and we are thankful for all he is doing!

We didn't cry until after the phone call and then Tim and I looked at each other and just started crying and hugged each other. Then Marley came into the room and saw us crying and said, "now your gonna make me cry" and she started crying and then the 3 of us hugged and cried, and then Grammie came in and she was crying too. So we hugged too! We were all so thankful to be able to talk to him and HEAR how he was doing!

We are thankful for him and his desire to share the message of Jesus Christ with others. We know that what he is doing is so very important and we are proud of the hard work he is doing!
We love him and miss him but know that nothing is more important at this time than what he is doing.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

So we had a snow storm on Christmas Day! (Thanks to all those who have been singing, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas")

The Back Yard..... Mokey in the Snow!

Wonderful Neighbors helping each other out!! Thanks Aaron!!

White Elephants????????

What do you give for a white elephant gift? What do you get? Well, this is what Tim ended up with as his white elephant gift...

Yes, he is quite the model! He was actually EXCITED about it! And he did his best to give a good present this year. Oh well, it's the giving that counts, right?

Fun Weekend! 12/11/08

This weekend Tim's work allowed its employees to go up to Deer Valley (by Park City) and enjoy a couple of nights at the Chateau. It was a beautiful place and we had a great time. Thankfully the weather was great and we got to enjoy shopping and good food in Park City. It was fun being away from everything and just get to relax and be together! Thanks HCI!

Then on the way home... oh boy did it snow....

hey so when i got to the computer today i didnt see any email from you and i just got it when i was going to log off so im glad i stayed a little bit longer

so florida is great i really enjoy it here. so thats good about the insurance. the lord will bless us as we strive to do what is right. its so weird to see people watering there grass in december ha ha its crazy.

thats cool about the dance co concert you should go and record a little on a memory card and send it to me ha ha. that would be sweet. thats cool about the christmas dinner ours is this friday and it should be really good. so marley with math is like a blind man with a rubix cube ha ha im jk mar i still love you. she will catch on if she follows all of gods comandments i promise that. and good luck with the wisdom teeth take lots of pictures i really want to see ha ha ha please do.

church for us was amazing the spirit was so strong. 3 of the j***** kids boar there testimony and it was amazing to see someone come so far but so sad because they still cant be baptized. please keep them in your prayers. thats funny about the pics though you should send me pics when ever you want i love pics. ill be calling for the pulvers house on christmas i dont know what time yet but ill let you know. and its the same pulver as we had thanks giving with.

thats also so cool about legacy i miss that place so much i realize that the spirit is so strong there because god is sending his angels to take care of his children before they die. thats kinda sad but its weird.

well family i love you so much and im greatful for all you do for us and i really hope you all are doing what you can to become closer to your father in heaven keep doing service and keep going to the tempel. do all you can to serve the lord. i just finished 4th nephi and i have learned so much its nuts. i really hope you all can keep reading and doing what is right. oh and guess what we are going bowling today sick im so excited ha ha.

oh and you should send jc and alex a little something something from me just really anything would be cool. oh and about my companion all ill say is that he is really teaching me about patience. REALLY TEACHING ME ABOUT IT. so please pray i dont kill him i love you all so much. dont worry about me because im not worring about you.

the lord will take care of all of us if we just focus on serving him Love you all so much and happy holidays

Love Elder Alex Benson Nelson

HOLIDAY TAG! Hey....lets play. Just copy and paste into your own blog and answer the questions.
I tag Marley, Kori, Grammie
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? . Fake
3. When do you put up the tree? This year Thanksgiving day..
4. When do you take the tree down? New Years day or the weekend after that
5. Do you like eggnog? The only Egg nog I ever liked was some homemade egg nog made by Ann Weekes, a friend in Calif.!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Tubsy, she was a doll that splashed when you bathed her in water.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Alex, he buys everything he wants, well he used to.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Marley - she likes everything
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, from Tim's mom. I love it!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? hmmm
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I see something I think would be a good present.. the trick is remembering where I put it at Christmas. I usually find presents in March that were meant for Christmas the year before :oP
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep, they make the best white elephant gifts.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge... I have to agree with Cricket
16. Favorite Christmas song? The Forgotten Carols
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home.
18. Angel on the tree top or a star? An Angel
19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve and the rest in the morning
20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Commercials and Christmas music before Thanksgiving.
21. Favorite ornament theme or color?
22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? All of it together!
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? New Carpet… not gonna happen
24. Do you go "Black Friday Shopping"? Not normally, but this year Tim and I did.
25.What is your favorite Christmas cookie? My sisters white mice...

Fun Weekend

So we had a little getaway this weekend with theNixon's. It was fun! We just went to Park City, UT for overnight but it was fun swimming in the indoor pool. Of course we love spending time with the Nixon's.

The little dots were Hot Air Balloons!

Will it ever be done?????????

So Tim and I were up bright and early and working on the basement again. Today it was the plugs and the light switches. Then Brother Brooks came over to check on the breaker switches Tim put in. It was a long day, but it is great to see it transforming into a real room. The dimmer switches are cool. We also put most of the ceiling tiles up. It looks awesome!

Marley's hair...

Cute huh?

Working on the Basement

So we almost have the basement finished. It took 3 days but our suspended ceiling is almost finished.... Below is a kind of step by step...

25 Wonderful Years!

25 Years - Happy Anniversary

Yep, Tim and I have been married 25 wonderful years. What an amazing blessing! Our Silver Anniversary was spent in Northern Utah at Sherwood Hills resort. It was nice. Tim golfed and the mountains were full of color and I took lots of pictures. We enjoyed out time together (as always) and are so thankful for one another. One special thing is that we got to go to the Logan Temple. Neither of us had ever been there so that was special. I thought it was interesting that we were married in the southern most Utah temple, and then spent our 25th in the Northern most Utah temple. We also got to have a couples massage. We also walked around outside and saw several deer a couple of times. While we were there, we decided to record all the times we went on a trip together or as a family. We came up with 33 trips... not including all the trips to Vegas for the holidays and the day trips to Disneyland when we lived in Calif. We did that about 2 times a year. We also didn't count the times that Tim went on trips for work by himself. It is amazing to think that in 25 years we have had 33 family or couple vacations. Awesome!

So here are some of the pictures ...