Nelson News

He Knows us and He Loves us...

2011-11-23T07:57:00.003-07:00

As you can tell from my post yesterday, I was in a pretty dark place. So this morning I woke and though about what I could do about it and the thought came that I need to go to the temple. So I am planning on doing that right after Thanksgiving. But what do I do right now... Of course.. read the scriptures. So I went to the scriptures with the sincere desire to get some direction, and this is what I read... Alma 13

27 And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance;
28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;
29 Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.
30 And may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be bound down by the chains of hell, that ye may not suffer the second death.

This told me that He loves me and wants me to have direction and that I need to be humble and patient and that I need to have hope. That is the one thing I felt totally without yesterday... I felt I had no hope. I also recognize that I need to repent if I am to receive these things. So I am thankful today for the scriptures and for a loving Father in Heaven that knows me and knows what I need to hear! And for the Scriptures that are given to us to help direct and guide us.

Tears and Heartache.... I don't like them one bit !!!!!!!!

2011-11-22T08:39:00.002-07:00

It is so hard to see someone you love on a road that you know is one of heartache. So what do you do? I want to throw myself in front of them as if a car was barrelling down on them ready to crush them at any minute, but I can't. I want to scream at the top of my lungs... "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING??? But I can't. I want to cry my heart out and beg them to change their path and chose the right path, that I believe will bring them more happiness, but I can't. All I can do is stand by, hoping and praying that in the end they will see the light and remember who they are and what they deserve and demand the best there is in life. I am so sad right now. But there is nothing I can do but pray for them...

Water Fun!

2011-11-15T07:20:00.012-07:00

Cozumel, Mexico This little Angel Fish followed us around the lagoon because Tim had dogfood and was feeding the fish.

Tabyana Beach, Roatan Isle, Honduras

This is a flounder in the sand.

Stingray City, Grand Cayman

Feeding the Stingrays!

Cruisin' 2011

2011-11-14T12:20:00.011-07:00

These pictures are backwards. So to see them in order, go from bottom to top!
Dinner on the friday night. Last night of the cruise. Not everyone was there because the seas were a bit rough...

Grand Cayman Stingray city! amazing!

Roatan, Honduras- Tabyana Bay!

Belize Xunantunich ruins

Cozumel, Mexico

Ready to go on our fun cruise!

Alex and Kailie Wedding

2011-08-06T19:03:00.011-06:00

2011-05-16T12:10:00.007-06:00

2010-09-22T12:38:00.000-06:00

2010-09-22T12:24:00.000-06:00

2010-09-22T11:54:00.000-06:00

2010-09-20T12:43:00.002-06:00

Our New Carpet

2010-06-06T23:22:00.004-06:00

you can see our newly painted walls and Alex, you can see our new TV (got that for Christmas last year) and green chair in the family room. The front room is missing the piano, coffee table and end tables. We still need a few pieces of furniture to make it complete but that will have to wait. The most important part is the carpet. The walls in the front room will be painted later too since we have worn ourselves out doing all we have so far. It is the summer and we want to just enjoy all that we have accomplished. There is also a picture of the wood floor in the entryway. Hope you like them!!!!

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-09T22:30:00.004-06:00

Tim worked really hared getting up the tile in the front room. We are going to put down a wood entry from the front door to the kitchen. It was back breaking work, but he hung in there and got the job done.

Below are my flowers from my family. I love them. I haven't gotten flowers in a long time. There was about 100 blooms.

My other Mother's day gift was a call from Alex. He has 7 weeks to go and then he will be home. I know these last few weeks are going to be difficult, especially since his companion is going home the transfer before him... so they have been working on getting his companion ready to go home. So Alex said he requested that his new companion be someone who is ready to work hard. I know that focusing on the work will help the weeks go by faster.

More Home Renovation for Dummies....

2010-04-11T20:54:00.009-06:00

So here is the latest.... We have had the wood laminate for a year and we finally decided to put it in the entry way from the garage. When we pulled up the carpet, the concrete was horrible. There were high spots and spots where they added the basement and the concrete was super low. So we used concrete level to try and fix it, but there were still high spots we we borrowed a grinder from a friend and tried to level it better. What a mess. Concrete dust everywhere... and just when we were about finished, there was suddenly smoke everywhere. The smoke alarms went off and so I ran to disarm the ADT alarm. Then we ran around opening windows and then I got a call from ADT. I explained that it was a false alarm and that the fire department wasn't needed. She said she would let them know it was a false alarm, but that they might still come. Fortunately they didn't come. But at that point Tim decided we were done and we would put down the wood and hope for the best! It looks good. Hopefully it is a good job and will last a while.

Finally I think we are done... with these rooms

2010-03-20T21:01:00.004-06:00

They could use a bit of embellishments, but other than that... I think we are done! Whew....

Oh and a side note about Alex's room... When he saw the pictures of his room and saw that it was orange.. he said, "I was just kidding about it being ORANGE." Oh I wanted to punch him... but really we are glad that we had to use a color we weren't comfortable with... It caused us to think outside our comfort zone... and I think we did OK with it. Hopefully he will like it... if not... oh well, next time he won't joke about it... or we won't take him seriously.

The wall is not as yellow as it looks, it is more like the ones above. Lighter, almost pastel, but definitely yellow.

Newest Home Improvement at the Nelson's

2010-03-14T05:12:00.004-06:00

We added a shelf to Alex's room. I had planned on putting up shelves on the wall, but after all the work we put into patching all the holes in the walls, we decided a nice stand up shelf would be better. It doesn't have much on it now, but at least Alex will have some where to put some of his stuff when he gets home.

The other pictures are of the kids bathroom. The colors didn't come out looking that great. They are yellow. A nice soft yellow. The pictures look more bright and more greenish. But at least you get the idea. The lighter wall is textured because the original color I picked out was too light for Tim's taste, so we got a little darker color and rolled it with a texture roller over the top. It is much nicer now.... at least we think so. We are also putting that peel sand stick linoleum over the old stuff. We did it in our master bath and the original linoleum is so horrible that anything is better than it was. The peel and stick is quick and easy and looks tons better.

.... next is Marley's room and the floors in the front and TV rooms...... hopefully.....

Alex's room

2010-02-20T19:29:00.011-07:00

So here is the story. Tim and I have been working on redecorating our house... mostly we have just painted some of the walls. But since Alex will be home from his mission in 4 months, we decided to redo his room. He had holes in all of his walls from things like a shelf, and a gun rack (used to hold his roleler blades) and a few pictures and things. A lot of the pictures were put up with push pins. And then there were the holes he made with his blow dart gun and his air soft gun. And the walls hadn't been painted in 14 years. So needless to say the room needed a face lift. I thought we could paint it a nice calm blue but decided that since it was Alex's room, he should have a say in the color. Tim said, "as long as he doesn't pick Orange." Well, we asked Elder Nelson and of course he chose the color Orange. At first he said he wanted it left the way it was, but we decided to do what we could before he was home. Since there is no one living in it, it would be a lot easier to paint and redecorate. So now our dilemma was, do we paint it orange like he wanted or just do what we had origionally planned. Well as you can see, we decided to use the orange color, but with a twist. We like the texture painting and so we decided to paint the bottom half orange (textured) and then the top a nice beige. We are putting a chair rail around the room as a divider between the colors. We like it and hope Alex will too. We will be adding new curtains (probably dark brown), a new fan (probably brown too) and some shelves and an orange bed spread. Let us know what you think...

Dec 5th... What a special day!

2009-12-06T18:28:00.005-07:00

This weekend our family went to Las Vegas (Logandale, NV) to celebrate my Grandma's 90th Birthday. It was a wonderful celebration and great to see so many of our family members. The pictures are of the quilt that Kori made. It has family pictures on them and is so beautiful. Everyone was amazed by how beautiful it was. Then after the party we went over to my Grandmothers house and my mom and Mike Kentera got married. Mike was my mom's boyfriend in high school and they ran into each other at their 50th high school reunion. Several years later, they were getting married. They are both very happy and we are happy for them.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T18:52:00.003-07:00

Tim and I usualy don't dress up for Halloween. This year however, I was in training and they suggested we dressup, so I did. I wore Alex's chef's hat and white chef's top from Dance Co. Tim bought a pair of blue scrub pants and a blue tee shirt and wore a stethiscope around his neck. Funny thing is that Tim figured he was dressing up as a nurse, since that is what the nurses wear. But when he got to work, everyone said he looked like a Dr. Then the nurses started calling him Dr McDreamy... from the show Grey's Anatomy. Of course I had to agree with him.. He is McDreamy!

Tim's Medallion Moment

2009-10-11T20:34:00.003-06:00

You gotta see this!!! Not Tim's proudest moment.. but it sure was funny!!!

While we were on our cruise, they played a battle of the sexes game. Guys against girls. I went up for part of the game and Tim decided to go up for another round. This wasn't what I did. This was a game where he took a "medallion" and stuck it between his butt cheeks and then try and walk, or hop to the cup on the stage and drop it in....

What a week!!

2009-10-04T10:37:00.010-06:00

Last Friday Tim and I flew to Miami, FL. In Miami, Tim realized he had left his shorts at home. We tried to think of every way we could get him some shorts before we left Miami, but we couldn't figure a way, There was no stores close by and short of calling a cab or renting a car, we figured we would have to wait till we got on the ship and hope they had some shorts.

The following day we boarded a cruise ship to the Caribbean. We had never been to the Caribbean before so we were super excited. Linda and Ken Hales and Linda and Kurt Brooks and Cindy and Keith Hales also went with us. Our first day was at sea. The water was so calm and blue it was amazing. The 2nd day we went to Cozumel. We took a ferry to Playa del Carmen and then took a van to Coba. While we were waiting for the Ferry, we met a couple from South Jordan. Their names are Lona and Gordon Graham. They were super nice and ended up joining us for our tour. While we were in Playa Del Carmen waiting for the van, Linda and Ken were in the shop arranging the van and they saw a Book of Mormon on the counter. Come to find out, the girl helping us was a member of the church and her brother was serving a mission in Mexico and she was getting herself ready to go to the temple. It was amazing to run into a member. She said she would love to come to Utah. Linda told her that is she came to Utah, she could stay with them and we would all take care of her while she was here. It took about an hour to drive to Coba and the driver drove very fast. There are about 7,000 ruins from the Mayan people there. Tim, Ken, Cindy, Keith, Lona and Gordon all climbed thetallest pyramid. Interesting thing is that the next day they were closing the pyramid so no one would be able to climb it. We were definately blessed to ge there on that day. After our tour, we were going back to where the Ferry was and a man on the side of the road saw Linda H's bag that said UTAH. He called her and Lind B over and asked them to send him a book. Linda B asked what kind of book, and he said, The other testimony of Jesus Christ. They realized that he was asking for a copy of the Book of Mormon. It was amazing that we could be missionaries any where we go!

Our next day was at sea and then the next day we went to Grand Cayman. It was beautiful and the people were very nice. We went to the Turtle farm and then to a town called "Hell" and then to swim with the stingrays. I thought I would be very scared, but they are really gentle creatures and so beautful!

The next day we went to Jamaica. It was very different there. Grand Cayman was totally flat and Jamaica was very mountainous. We went on a kind of historical tour in Jamaica and while we were looking at some of the unusual plant life we found some Marajuana.... yepper it looked like the real thing. LOL It was interesting, but very different. The roads are very rough and it wasn't the cleanest. I think I would like to go to Kingston or Montego Bay next time I go there.

Our last day seemed to fly by. We spent a lot of time playing cards. It was fun! What a wonderful 26th anniversary.

One more wall down... 20 more to go...

2009-09-06T20:58:00.001-06:00

Thank Heaven's for Missionary Mom's

2009-08-29T17:16:00.007-06:00

Great Display Tables!

Not sure why this is sideways?

Claudia Bellamy, you sweetheart!

Debbie showing us our Capes!

More Basement Pictures...

2009-08-22T21:51:00.001-06:00

So this weekend was busy. We painted part of the upstairs, did the texture glaze on it and we installed a hall light in the basement, and we put up curtains in the basement. We also fixed a couple of sprinklers outside. It was a good day!

Finished Basement....

2009-08-21T15:00:00.019-06:00

Before.............

AFTER!!!

Our Mission Wall....

2009-08-16T16:05:00.002-06:00

This is what you see as soon as you come into our house. It is on the closet door. The close up is where Alex is serving right now. We have little stars with numbers for where he served in his first 2 areas. He is close to the shore now and we put his picture out in the water, but then everyone thought he was serving on an island or something. So we moved it more inland. :oP

Next Step in our Home Renovation!

2009-08-16T13:32:00.004-06:00

We painted the wall, but might lighten it with texturing. You can also see a little of the wood that will be on the floor when we install that. Carpet is coming in on Friday!!! well downstairs at least. We still need to touch up the baseboard. We didn't have the edger thing to keep from getting on the base board.

Aunt Rae Knight's Funeral

2009-08-16T13:15:00.003-06:00

Ed and JoAnn

Finally got the date added to Grandpa's headstone and got his full name added!

Thanks to Facebook Friends...

2009-08-11T07:41:00.004-06:00

Here is a wonderful picture and the most recent one we have of our dear Elder Nelson. It is from Brother Munoz's facebook. It was his son Alan's 15th Birthday and the Elders had been invited. Bro Munoz had added me to his facebook and so I was able to see this great picture!!! Doesn't Elder Nelson look happy! I knowhe loves this family and they have been so good to him. I am so thankful to those wonderful people who have helped my son while he has been in FL.

More Basement!

2009-07-25T19:58:00.001-06:00

It's beginning to look like a REAL room!!! Next comes the carpet!

4th Of July

2009-07-06T09:25:00.003-06:00

Mirror Lake

Evanston Sunset!

First Parade!!

2009-07-01T21:34:00.003-06:00

Float Pics

2009-06-23T09:24:00.008-06:00

California 2009

2009-06-14T15:52:00.007-06:00

Well, we just got back from our trip to California. The Nixon's were planning a trip to Disneyland and invited us to tag along... so we did. Marley even got to come along. We stayed at the Knotts Berry Farm Hotel. It was nice and the people were nice, but the beds were not the most comfortable.... but we survived the beds and had a great time. We spent 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventures and went to Huntington Beach one day (got burned) and then we drove to Long Beach and found the Queen Mary. Friday we went to the Soak City Water park across from Knotts. It was fun but chilly. Tim and I didn't stay the whole day because I was having a bad day (just not feeling well). Marley had to leave on Thursday to get back to work. It was hard to see her go. We loved having her there and the kids just plain loved her. It was fun having a vacation where there were small kids. We went with just Melanie and Tracy a few years back and Tim and I went to Cali about a month earlier and it was quite a different vacation. So this was nice. We did all the big rides in Disneyland and California Adventures. The kids were very brave. Bekah even went on the Matterhorn and soring over california. Everyone went on Tower of Terror (except Melanie, she'd been before and didn't like it so she sat this one out). I am thankful for the years we lived in California and were able to take the kids to Disneyland. We went about twice a year around the kids birthdays. It was great then and this trip brought back many fun memories.

The Shed is almost finished!

2009-05-31T22:33:00.005-06:00

Why I love Spring!!!

2009-05-24T13:36:00.003-06:00

So here it is. A real shed! It is exciting to finally be putting it together. Thanks to Tracy and Josh and Jake Nixon, we were able to get it together in a day. We built a piece at a time and then finished all the pieces Saturday morning and then the Nixon guys came over and helped Tim put it together. Now all we have to do is the tar paper and shingles and paint and the latches. But it rained last night so Tim is a little stressed about the roof not being covered. Hopefully it won't matter that it got wet from the rain and hopefully it will be warm and dry so we can finish the roof tomorrow. :o)

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-11T19:29:00.006-06:00

Mother's Day was a wonderful day!!! Yes, it was mother's day and yes I got a fun, fantastic present from my sweet daughter and dear hubby and yes my husband cooked me breakfast and dinner, and yes church was very nice. But it was a wonderful day because we got to talk to Alex (Elder Nelson). We didn't know when he was going to call, but at about 1:40, he called. We were surprised and Marley was at Church so Tim called her to come home so she could talk to Alex too. We called Grammie on the cell, put it to speaker phone and started the tape recorded to get every word and we were ready.

Alex is in a new area close to the bottom of the Orlando mission. He is excited to be there and looks forward to new experiences. His first week in his new ward was good. He was told the ward didn't feed the missionaries much, but on his first sunday there they had 8 offers for dinner and had eaten dinner at someones house the night before. We were glad to hear that! He says he knows how to work a dinner from the members. LOL! I think it is just that he is a positive fun person to be around and that influences the people and makes them want to be around him. He had a lesson set up for Monday and a baptism sometime around the end of the month.

He struggled in his last area and when we asked about his last companion, he said, "he basically hates me." It made me sad. But it is just another growing experience. He said his new companion is a good guy. Alex is still the senior companion and is now a District Leader. He talked about a really nice Missionary Couple that is serving there and he seems to really like them and respect them. His area is really large and the ward is small.

The weather is very warm in his new area, 92 the other day. He talked about the humidity, verses the dryness here in Utah. He didn't know his address. :( we should get that soon. He loves the diversity of FL. He is going to be taking spanish classes once a week in his new area. That is exciting to me since that will help him in whatever he does in the future.

He seems happy and excited about the work and as we are approaching his HUMP day, I asked him if he wanted us to send him anything special, and he said he just wanted us to take the Elders here out to a nice steak dinner. I was so proud and pleased with that response. Instead of asking for something for himself, he thought about the Elders here. He said he was excited to go on splits with the Elders here when he gets home.

We are so thankful for his choice to serve and his desire to do the right thing. He is a wonderful person and missionary.

It's Coming Along...

2009-05-10T22:17:00.004-06:00

Here is the base for the shed. It took Tim and I about 1/2 a day to get it done and don't look too close because it is far from perfect. We even put the floorboards down upside down. Yes they do have a right side... I guess.... But after we put more than half of it down, we read the writing on it and it said "this side down". Oh well... We will just paint it or something to seal it and hope that will be enough. Our plan is to build a wall each night and hopefully have it ready for the weekend when we can assemble all the walls at the same time.

More Alice

2009-05-05T16:55:00.003-06:00

Duct Tape Prom

2009-05-03T12:34:00.004-06:00

When Alex was a Senior, he and his date, Brianna Wood, went to the prom in Duct Tape outfits! She was such a good sport and her dress looked beautiful... Even her corsage is made out of duct tape.

In keeping the tradition going, Drew Weston made a duct tape suit for his prom. Drew Lookes very classy with his all white suit and green accents. The sun glasses add a touch of class too!

Ahhhhh Spring!!

2009-05-03T10:33:00.007-06:00

I love Spring! I love the colors and the beauty and the warming up and the amazingness of the earth coming to life again.

This is a picture of baby donkeys and baby Camels... that is right Baby Camels... like the ones you see in the Zoo. It is at a house right down the road from our house and they have about 3 adult camels and now they have 2 baby camels. They are soooo cute!!!

Little Alice

2009-04-26T19:42:00.009-06:00

Marley's boyfriend Chris got a little puppy. It is a mini Australian Shepherd! Hopefully you can see how cute she is!

Here's what we did in Cali...

2009-04-19T19:46:00.024-06:00

Tim Has been working soooo hard lately and I have been recovering so we were excited to be able to get away from it all and just relax and be together. We went to Southern California and hit some of our old stomping grounds. We realized that it had actually been 20 years since we had been to some of these places. The only plan we made was to go to the Newport Beach Temple. We think it was built on the same property that our old Stake Center was on.. not sure though. It was beautiful and I was thrilled to feel well enough to go to the temple. Some of our favorite vacations were spent on the beach so we wanted to spend time there. It was nice and we loved watching the boats and the people. Now we are back home and back to work.... but it is always nice to come home too!

There were bunnies everywhere. At our hotel and at the Temple!

I took this picture of our car from our 6th floor room. When we got downstairs, I realized that this isn't our car! It it the one to the right... lol

Ferrari!!

The Shed

2009-04-13T07:13:00.003-06:00

The Next Step...

2009-03-29T18:26:00.005-06:00

So we have been working on getting the basement finished since before Alex left on his mission. He challenged us to finish it in the 2 years he is going to be gone... so we have worked on it a lot. The next step is the carpet but in order to do that we need to get all the stuff out of the basement. So we got a shed... First step is to get a good foundation down to put the shed on. Soooo.....

What a SPECIAL Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T14:29:00.005-07:00

This our dear friend Penny Collins. She has been receiving the missionary lessons for the past month or so. She was baptized today by Tim and what a special experience it has been.

Elder Holden, Elder Elkington, Elder Emery, Tim, Penny, Stephanie Anders

I am learning...

2009-02-12T10:56:00.003-07:00

So while I am sick I am trying to get some things done. So I am trying to learn how to use the photoshop program I have. So here is my first try. Not bad, but very basic...

They found the problem... surgery will cure it... hopefully!

2009-02-10T09:27:00.007-07:00

So that is the reader's digest version... here is a little more detail... For the past 9 years I have been dealing with low potassium. Some times are more difficult than others. I have been to the hospital many times over the past years due to this. The first time it happened, they were sure that I was having a heart attack and sent me up to Salt Lake Regional for a cardio cateterization(sp?). Every test on my heart showed no problems at all and everything fine with my heart! About 3-4 years ago the Dr put me on Aldactone to help regulate my potassium. It did great until recently. About 5 months ago I began struggling on a regular basis with feeling like my potassium was low. To be honest, I tried many things to keep from feeling that way. I would work in my office with the window open a bit so I could have fresh air. I even ordered a Radon kit to test and see if radon was making me sick. I think when you begin to have health problems, you look for anything that may be the answer.

Finally after another visit to the ER, and no signs of heart problems, we went back tot he Dr and he took more blood tests and it showed my aldostrone was twice the normal amount. That generally meant that there was a lump/growth on the adrenal gland. So they took a CT scan last Thursday and sure enough, I have a lump on my left adrenal. It is 1 cm. The solution is to take the left adrenal gland and the lump out. So surgery is set for Feb 20th at the IMC.

We are so excited that a problem has been found and that 95% of the time it will solve the problem of both the potassium problem and the high blood pressure I have had for the past 12 years. We are planning for it to be laprascopic and that I will only have to stay overnight, and that after 2 -3 weeks recovery, I will be a normal healthy person when this is over!!!

I have lived my life with a large supply of potassuim in my purse in case I began to feel sick (low). I have had to decline offers to go places and do things with family and friends because of how I have felt. One of the little miracle I have seen in this is that, things began to get worse AFTER Alex was on his mission. We were very busy and had something to do everyday before he left. I also enjoyed each and every moment we were able to spend together. Then shortly after he was gone, I began to get worse.

For now, I am on a leave of absence from work because every day is a challenge. I have had some good days but look forward to the surgery as a true miracle and blessing from a loving Father in Heaven. Your prayers would be appreciated.

Our Newest Project

2009-02-01T20:21:00.003-07:00

So, I talked Tim into painting our master bathroom and when we got to the space with the light we realized that the light looked horrible and needed to be replaced and as we painted there were drips that got tracked all over the floor, so that was a great reason to look for new flooring. So here it is. The walls are kind og taupe-purple, the light is a more modern florescent fixture and the flooring is vinyl tiles that look like tile. We are excited to be getting some home improvements done since we have lived in the house for 13 years and haven't done very many improvements. (by the way, my new favorite channels to watch are HGTVand DIY).

Why do they call them WISDOM TEETH???

2009-01-11T11:49:00.008-07:00

So on Friday, Jan 9, 2009, Marley got her wisdom teeth out... why they call them wisom teeth I don't know. Marley did well, but like her brother, she cried a lot as she came out of the anesthesia. Funny thing is, that was one of the first questions she asked me when she started coming around... but she asked me about 10 times because she couldn't remember that she had already asked me that. LOL Also like Alex, her bottom teeth were empacted so they had to take them out in pieces. She had a hard time with her lips numb and trying to communicate. So...

Of course the first thing she wanted to do was text Chris, but her mind and her hands weren't on the same frequency... I gave her the cell phone and she started texting, but her fingers weren't really moving, so I took the phone and this is what she wrote... "I'm olda we're huddauelal" Don't ask me what she was trying to say. She doesn't even know. She was sure texting a lot. I am sure she doesn't remember most of it. I even gave her a piece of paper and pen to write what she was trying to say, but that too was unreadable. She was very focused as she wrote, but when I looked at it, it made no sense. Of course it made me laugh and she didn't understand why I was laughing, it made perfect sense to her.

She also fainted twice the first day. Not what we were hoping for. It was scary but when she woke up and we told her she had fainted, she just laughed.

The second day was better... at least she didn't faint. Today she said she actually had no pain thanks to the pain meds...

Thanks to all of you who kept her in your prayers :o)

Day One The white thing is the ice pack holder they gave her with little ice packs in them over her cheeks. It was very helpful!!

Day 3

Our BEST Christmas Present!

2008-12-26T18:45:00.003-07:00

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!

2008-12-26T10:20:00.011-07:00

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????????

2008-12-21T21:27:00.005-07:00

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

2008-12-14T22:21:00.008-07:00

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....

2008-12-08T13:10:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-04T17:45:00.005-07:00

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

2008-11-16T18:17:00.005-07:00

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?????????

2008-11-08T16:48:00.005-07:00

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...

2008-10-26T18:37:00.000-06:00

Cute huh?

Working on the Basement

2008-10-26T17:37:00.008-06:00

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!

2008-10-13T17:30:00.001-06:00

25 Years - Happy Anniversary

2008-10-02T20:45:00.012-06:00

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 ...

We Finally Got Pictures!!

2008-09-27T08:05:00.003-06:00

Yes, Elder Nelson finally sent us pictures. He actually sent his picture disk so we got LOTS of pictures. So I have created a page for him... elderabnelson.blogspot.com Right now it is just pictures, not much description. But it is fun to be able to see him and his companion and his district and where they are. There are pictures of the rain and water they got with Tropical Storm Fay and there are Pictures of the people they have taught and baptized. And then there are pictures of some of the fun things they have been doing. This past Pday they went to Daytona and went go carting... Marley says he is serving on a vacation... they have had a bit of fun... golfing, bowling, going to the beach (but not getting in the water). Anyway, take a peek and see what he has been up to. He always tells us to tell everyone hello... so .... Elder Nelson says Hello!!!

Marie & Michaels Wedding

2008-09-21T18:44:00.007-06:00

Marie Christensen and Michael Bordelon were married on Saturday Sept 20th in Las Vegas Nevada. It was a beautiful ceremony and you could feel the love and happiness of both families.

Here are some of the pictures!

Pictures

09/08/08 Letter From Elder Nelson

2008-09-08T20:57:00.001-06:00

thank you family for the emails i have been getting. they are great. also thanks for the byu scores i have been worried. lol

but also thanks for letting me know about home its i good to hear about whats going on in the inside. so this week was good we were on bikes all week and it was hot hot hot. but it was good. i got to go on exchanges with elder kennett the kid who i went to high school with. so that was pretty cool we talked alot about home and things like that.

so i was wondering if you still are going to send me pics of like all the school dances i have been to. i dont really know what but i just want some pics and also send me some dance co pics i want to show they elders that i really was on dance ha ha. but the weather is good. i guess there is a catagory 4 hurrican headed for us. so thats pretty cool but i dont really know who really knows were it is going. so ya.

well a member brought a friend to church last week she is a 26 year old lady and she has a son and we are teaching her now so its cool she really wants to know more and we are close to challenging her to baptism. so ya.

but all is well out hear sorry i dont have much to say this time around but i love you all and i dont have grandma nelsons adress or i would wright her. so yes yes i love you all and please stay out of trouble and remember to always fallow the straight and narrow.

Love Elder Nelson

It's getting there!

2008-09-07T14:59:00.006-06:00

Here are the pictures of the basement. It is painted now. The pictures makeit seem more pink. It is kind of cranberry and the tan is called sandtrap. Next comes the ceiling and then the carpet, baseboards and then we are done!!! Oh and the hallway needs to be done too!

Letter to Marley....

2008-09-02T21:52:00.001-06:00

one thing you need to realize is that you can put your self in those situations were tempation is high. like you cant tell someone to quit smoking but have them work at a tobacco plant. so really stay away from the evils of the world because they can only bring you down. one thing im now realizing more and more each day is what made grandpa such a great person. and its because all he did was serve others. remember how you and mom went and helped out at the shelter around christmas. and you felt good well grandpa would do little things that surved us which servied the lord. i want to be the kind of guy that wakes up at 4 in the morning to come over to my familys house and put a balloon and a happy birthday and doorbell ditch you at 5 in the morning just because he loves us. its the little things that mean so much to us and are so easy to do. so if you try each day to become a better person a little at a time and serive the people around you each day a little at a time than the spirit will help you. if all the members did what they were asked and invited others to come unto christ than there wouldnt be any missionarys today. they lord works in misterious ways and you need to be able to recgongize them. i love you marley very much and hope you do your best to fallow gods comandments. it says in my patriartical blessing to help set example for my family and im trying hard even though im your little brother i still can be looked up to and i love you alot really i do so be strong and read and pray EVERY DAY I MEAN IT lol so stay out of trouble Love elder nelson

Elder Nelson's letter about the storm...

2008-08-25T09:35:00.003-06:00

hello family how are you all. Im great hear ok so about the storm. it was so coooool. wow it was nuts the wind only got up to 40 mile per hour but. the thing about this storm is that it just stayed in one spot and didnt move fast. so we got about 20 inches of rain in 2 days which is more than the last 4 huricans combined. and lots of streets are completely closed off due to flooding like the post office has about 4 feet infront of it so i cant really send and packages or anything anytime soon. and dont fret i took some sweet pics. so when i send the memory card home youll see. but it wont be for a while because i cant get there. ha ha but our house is completely safe and lots of roads in our neighborhood are flooded as well so ya thats crazyness. also all of tuesday we where in side all day and all of wedenesday and thursday and friday morning it rained and rained. we had a baptism last friday of marcinson duprena. but he wasnt able to come to church to be confirmed because his family was moving so we have to wait for a week to do that. but its ok. Im sorry the blazer has not sold it will when winter hits prob but ya remember God is watching Please read 3Nephi 27; 13 to the end.. as a family.I love you all and pray for you all individually every night and day tell every one hello and im doing great call classic and tell them to wirght me a letter from everyone ha ha but i love you lots stay safe.Love Elder Nelson

It is edited a bit, but I included the main stuff!
He types like he text messages on his phone... lol
I should have known it would be a wonderfully fun adventure for him. He's just that kind of kid!

The Alexes Plaques

2008-08-24T19:17:00.006-06:00

Here is the Alexes Missionary Plaques! Before Alex left for his mission, he made us promise that his plaque not go up until Alex Burrows plaque was up. Alex and Alex have been close friends for so long and have shared so much that it seems only fitting that they share the space together. Even when we went to the temple with our Alex, Carleen Burrows was there and she said, "it just doesn't seem right without (her) Alex here." She was right. I know Elder Burrows would have loved to share that special moment with Elder Nelson. They are both amazing guys and I know they are doing a great job serving the Lord! We love them both!

2008-08-21T00:30:00.002-06:00

Still Swirling.....

2008-08-21T00:16:00.002-06:00

Another day has gone by and Fay has decided to hang out in central Florida a little longer. The eye of the storm is almost directly over Orange City, where Alex now lives. I have watched the colors swirling around Orange City turn from orange/yellow to dark/light green. That is a good thing and soon, if the storm continues on its present path, it will be clear and calm over Alex house. But that will only last a little while, because sooner or later, the storm will progress to the north and the strong, damaging winds of the storm will once again engulf Orange City. North Melbourne has had approx 30 inches of rain. Normally that includes the swells from the ocean, but they said this is purely from the rain. North Melbourne is just to the south east of Orange City. I am trying to be faithful, but I guess I am not doing a very good job. And I know that elsewhere in the world, other disasters are going on. So please pray for the missionaries... and their families. Thank you!

Faith

2008-08-19T03:16:00.007-06:00

It is 3 o'clock in the morning and I am sitting here at the computer watching the monsterous greens, yellows and reds on the little map of central Florida swirling towards the words ORLANDO. They are still a bit south of those words and so I am sure it is still clear sky's in Orange City where Alex now lives. But I know it WILL, within a few hours, engulf the words and cover the whole area that Alex now calls home. I knew this would happen, sometime within the 2 years he is going to be gone, I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. Last year the hurricanes were few and far between, the year before that, there hardly seemed to be a break for the poor people in Florida.

Having a son living in the area makes me think of all the people who live there and who are having to adjust their lives to deal with this monster that is bearing down on them. I pray for them. I know SOMEONE else's son or daughter is serving in the very spot that the hurricane is now... I pray for them. I know, that after it has safely passed Orange City, it will be headed towards the north, and though Alex will be safe, someone else's child will be affected by the storm. I will add my faith and prayers for all those nameless people, and those whose names I know, to those of the other family members who are sitting at the computer watching the swirling greens, yellows and reds over the state of Florida.

Summer Projects

2008-08-17T19:07:00.004-06:00

Working on our basement. Laying Tile!
These are armenian cucumbers! Guess we let them grow too big! :oS

A Picture from Florida....

2008-08-10T19:23:00.003-06:00

2 actually... sorry the top one is crooked... I don't have a very good photo editor..... :(

Elder Nelson's Address... for now

2008-08-10T19:11:00.002-06:00

Elder Alex Nelson
750 Delray Dr.
Orange City, FL 32763

We went to Tim's niece Cynthia's wedding this weekend everyone was asking for his address, so here it is. Please DO write to him. He would LOVE to hear from you!

Help Please!!!

2008-08-07T12:50:00.004-06:00

It is funny how some days I can't think of anything to write and so days go by with no new postings. But today I had a thought and needed to ask your help.

I want to get a Greenie Package together for Alex (Elder Nelson). I have some ideas, a green tie (though he has too many ties now), green soap from bath and body, green silly string, bubbles in a green bottle. Someone from our missionary moms site also suggested a thing that you get wet and it activates a cooling gel and you can wear it around your neck to keep cool.

So if you have any other ideas, please leave a comment with your suggestion, or email me. tanlan61@msn.com. I am only now beginning to collect ideas and will be searching for these things everywhere I go. I may not be able to find everything, so the more suggestions you give me, the better!

Thanks for your help. Love ya!

The Lastest Pics from Elder Nelson

2008-08-05T14:06:00.004-06:00

Even though he has been in Florida for 2 weeks, we just got these in themail last week. I hope to get some from FL soon.

The harder I try, the behinder I get!

2008-08-04T17:55:00.007-06:00

It has been a while since I have written anything, but life is good. Tim and I have been working on the basement. That was our assignment from Alex and we only have 2 years to accomplish it. If you know us at all, you know we are not the speediest at home rennovation. Tim took about 5 years to put our tile in our kitchen. Now we are looking at a bathroom/with tile, a family room/with dropped ceiling and a closet/with bi-fold doors. Also a hall and food storage door. In my dreams, we carpet the whole upstairs (including the bedrooms upstairs), put wood in the front room, and paint all the walls. But that probably won't happen for another 12 years.

In refrence to my title, I just sent out 2 wedding cards w/gift cards for weddings that took place in April and June. Sad huh? Well, I hope it really is the thought that counts.

Alex is doing well. He is struggling with the heat and humidity, but he gets a car every other week, so he isn't out in the weather constantly on those weeks. They have had 8-9 investigators come to church every week. He is still adjusting to mission life but seems to be doing well. He said he will be sending pics of Florida. I am anxious for that!

Other than that.....

2008-07-21T17:12:00.003-06:00

Memory Lane.....

MEMORY LANE- I saw this on my friends blog and thought it would be fun. Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! I guess good or bad, but be nice!!!!!!!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Pics of Elder Nelson

2008-07-15T07:01:00.007-06:00

I love these pictures! It might have to do with the fact that I haven't seen him in several weeks, but I think these are awesome pics. I think his companion must be a photographer because these are amazing angles and creative ideas! I love the last one because he looks happy!

Elder Nelson is on his way to FL

2008-07-14T10:06:00.011-06:00

So Alex is on his way to Florida... He took off at around 10:00 am...just moments ago. We did talk to him and that was so great! I am glad I didn't go to the airport, I probably would have cried the whole time. It was wonderful to talk to him though. He is very excited to be out of the MTC and going to Florida. This week weather forcast is for thunder showers for the next week. Tracting in the rain will definately be a new experience for him. So, please keep him in your prayers (and all the missionaries out there). And don't forget to pray for the families of the missionaries too... we sure need it!

Oh and just a side note about the animals they leave behind... On sunday after we got home from church, Marley came home from her trip with Chris's family to Bear Lake in Northern Utah. Mokey got very excited when he saw that Marley was home. And then Mokey sat by the garage door looking at it like he was expecting Alex to come home. I know Mokey knew that Alex was the only one NOT home and he sits and waits at the garage door, like he thinks someone is going to come thru it. I know he misses Alex. This was not the first time since Alex has been gone that he has done it. Poor puppy. Also Alex gave Mokey a stuffed animal before he left. Usually Mokey chews the toys to pieces, even sock toys are chewed into string all over the house... but Mokey will play with this toy and take very good care of it. I think he knows it is from Alex and maybe smells Alex on the toy. It is amazing that he is acting so different with it. I know he misses Alex.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2008-07-08T22:07:00.008-06:00

Hello Everyone! Hope your 4th of July was great. Ours was! For the 3rd year, we have gone up to Evanston Wyoming to visit the Mangans, spend Becky's birthday with her, set off fireworks and then watch the fireworks all over the valley. The BIG fireworks are legal up there and instead of bringing illegal fireworks home, we decided it would be fun to go see John and Becky and celebrate it up there. John and Becky used to live across the street from us and we became very close to them and their family. They are like family to us, so it is nice that they live close enough to still visit.

On the 3rd we drove up to Mirror Lake with the Nixon's and then the Fischer's and Carter's drove up that way and stopped and had lunch with us. It is so beautiful up there and the kids had so much fun fishing. Tracy, Tim and the boys went out on the boat. The battery was dead so they jumped it and got it going, but then it died while they were out on the lake so they ended up rowing. They didn't catch anything till they were on their way back to shore, and then Jake caught one. Bruce Carter had said the best fishing was just off the boat dock and we had seen a guy standing there and he didn't catch a thing. Tracy took the kids to the same place after he left and as soon as they threw a line out, they caught one. Each of the kids said they caught about 10. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. They sure kept Tracy busy unhooking the fish and putting them back out in the lake. Tim had fun watching... as you can tell from his recliner rock he found. :o) What a blessing to have such beauty and such wonderful friends to spend time with!!

Marley & Chris

2008-06-30T12:34:00.015-06:00

This is Christopher Robinson... Marley's boyfriend. They have known each other for about 1 1/2 years and decided just recently that they should get together. He is going to be 23 next week, a member of the Church, he's 6'4", the youngest of 5 kids, and works in IT and is going to school for Computer Science. He has a great smile and laugh, and loves Disney movies, just like Marley.

Yep that is a bullet bike....

Our First Letter

2008-06-29T10:14:00.003-06:00

We got our first letter from Alex yesterday. He had written it at 10:10 pm on June 25th, the day he entered the MTC. It was short but full of good news. We are going to Scan it so it can be on the page, but haven't had a chance to yet. Probably later today. Anyway, he said he saw us "frantically" waving to him on the bus. Of course we couldn't see him becasue the windows were very dark, but it is nice knowing he saw us. He also said it was intense there at the MTC. I am sure some of that has calmed down and he has picked up on the routine. He said he really liked his roommates and his district. He said one other guy had even skydived. So he is feeling like he is among friends. He also said he has seen LOTS of guys he knows, including one from elementary school and our neighbor Brandon Heffron. He didn't include any other names but Brandons... we will have to suggest he include names in the future.

Again, we are so thankful for his faithfulness and desire to serve a mission. Please keep him and all the wonderful missionaries (and their families) in your prayers.

We have such wonderful Family, Friends and Neighbors

2008-06-27T12:16:00.010-06:00

Saturday we had an Open House for Alex! It was great and we appreciate all our wonderful friends and family coming!
.

Taylor, Drew and Alex... Cassie Smith and Grammie and Aunt Kori

Grammie and Nathan with Uncle Ed's family in back... and more friends..

The Family on Sunday and Alex's friends at the house after church!

Grandma and Darrell Child... Grammie, Auntie and Nathan

Mar and Chris Alex and friends!

The Carroll family Jenni Miller and others....

Alex in on his mission NOW!

2008-06-25T17:37:00.018-06:00

He's in the MTC!! Yep, he finally made it! It seemed like it would never come, but now it seems to have come too quickly. We are all terribly sad, but very proud of him for his descision. It was a challenge getting everything ready. Last night we had to get a second BIG suitcase because he is taking so much... two large towels, 14 ties, extra pants, extra shirts, a big blanket... I realized this morning that I hadn't done the Immunization Card. That was terrible. I don't know how I missed that. So we had to go to the Dr's office and he had to sign for a copy of the immunization record. I was just glad I had caught it before it was too late. Alex called his grammie and grandma as we were travelling down to Provo, that started me crying.... a little anyway. Yesterday was the worst crying day, today is more business and getting it done.

We had to check in at the church by the LaVell Edwards stadium. It is the site of the church that Tim and I went to when we were newly married and at BYU. There were tons of missionaries going in. I tried not to look at all the crying moms as we drove in or I may have started up again. The volunteers were all wonderful. They congratulated Alex and were so nice. He checked in his suitcase and got his badge and then we took pictures and then we went into "THE MEETING." It was nice to hear the wonderful advice and information they gave. Alex was acting a bit nervous, but excited. When they said for us to say our good byes, I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. Alex said, "I am not going to cry!" Then he was funny about hugging us. He hugged us each about 3 or 4 times. Then off he went. Tim was outside when they walked by on their way to the bus. He got to see Alex one last time before he was gone. Tim gave him the gang sign they always gave each other (teasingly). Alex did it back and off he went.

The trip home was rough. I thought Tim might have to pull over because he couldn't see thru his tears. But I knew I couldn't drive and Marley was sitting between us in the front seat so she wouldn't have to cry alone in the back. We have been crying off and on for several days and today, since Alex has been gone, has been the worst. I never expected it to be THIS difficult.

Some interesting things. Last night when Alex got set apart, he thought he would have to go home and stay in his suit and not do anything. We had to go to the store to get that other big suitcase, so Tim told him he could change into his regular clothes, and he could come with us. Then today, when we were walking into the chapel, the lady in front of us told Alex they were from Nevada and asked where Alex was serving. He said, Orlando and she pointed to her son and said, "so is he!" Small world.

Packing up the car...

Our last Family Meal... for 2 years anyways.

He had to check in at the church next to the stadium at BYU!

Putting on THE badge!

He has a new name now... it is ELDER!!!!!
Our last Family Picture

Then they got Bussed to the MTC. Kinda sad we didn't get to go to the MTC.

2008-06-10T20:24:00.009-06:00

Today we went to the Salt Lake Temple. It was a challenge getting there,

but when you are trying

to do what is right, Satan

throws whatever he can to keep you from doing what is right. We won! It was a beautiful day and beautiful session!

Alex goes to the Temple

2008-06-08T18:29:00.006-06:00

Friday, June 6, 2008, Alex went to the Jordan River Temple for the first time. It was a wonderful day and we are so thankful for those who came and joined us. He did really well and we are so proud of him. See our pics below!

What's up with Marley?

2008-05-08T15:15:00.008-06:00

That is a common question I get asked because she is always off with friends and she is attending a Singles ward is South Jordan. So here are some pics and a little about what she is up to.
One of her Best friends, Cassie, got married and Mar was her Maid of Honor. Amy Iverson helped serve.

Beautiful Girls!

Marley celebrated her 22nd birthday this year and the Nixon's came over and had cake with us.

Marley went to a few concerts these past few months. This one was Making April and she got to go back stage with her friends and hang with the band. She has become good friends with Greg the bass guitarist and the lead singer. Another Group she met was New Frontiers. She got stuck in traffic on her way home from UVSC on the night the weather was REALLY bad and it took her 4 hours to get home. She was sitting on the freeway when Guy from New Frontiers handed her a CD - her window was rolled down a bit so she could get fresh air since her car wasn't moving. He told her they were performing the next night in SLC and said she should come. So the next night, 2-14, she went. During the concert they asked if anyone came that was stuck on the freeway with them and Marley told them she had and they were super nice to her. They gave her a free t-shirt and the next time they were in town, Guy texted her and told her they were coming and that he's put her name on the list to get in free.

Greg and Marley

School is out for Summer and Mar did really well. She is going to be a WONDERFUL teacher because she is so creative and loves kids.

Dear Elder Alex Benson Nelson,

2008-05-07T21:41:00.011-06:00

Well, I am a bit behind on the news.... Alex received his call on Wednesday, April 16. We planned on opening it at 7 pm at our house. He invited some of his friends and Marley invited her friends (they all call him "brother") and we invited our close friends from the neighborhood who have known him since he was a little guy. Needless to say, the house was packed and some of Alex's friends didn't get there till after 7:30, so it was a suspensful evening. We don't have any family close by and we were thankful for all our dear friends who came to share this special day with us. We hooked up a web camera so Grammie and Aunt Kori could watch from Grammies computer. Alex stood up and he asked his dad to offer a prayer and then he opened the envelope. He hesitated before he started reading it, and I could tell his eyes were scanning down to see where he was being called to. Then he started reading. He said , "the Florida Orlando Mission" and I thought he was kidding. Of all the places I would have picked for him to go, that would have been one of them. Wonderful climate, normal food, a place we have been several times as a family. Amazing! Then as he read more, it said, "English speaking" and he said YES! It was a wonderful testimony builder and I knew my prayers had been answered in regards to my concerns about where he would serve. Of course, I knew that anywhere he went would help him grow and that he would touch the lives of those he met and taught.

We have spent many hours since shopping and appreciating the time we have to spend together. He got his suit and pants and shirts and shoes and socks, and all the incidentals he needs. Our next goal is to get him a bike and of course the very special event of going to the temple.

I will be including pictures as time goes on of each step, and will eventually create a page for him so I can share what he says and does while he is on his mission.

Preparing for a Mission

2008-04-14T14:04:00.003-06:00

This week will be monumental in the life of our family. Alex will be receiving his mission call on Wed or Thurs. He has been running on his own schedule since he got out of high school, but as soon as we get his call, he will be on the Lord's schedule and I hope we can get everything done we need to, without driving each other crazy. I will update this page as soon as we know something...

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

We want to wish everyone a Happy 2008! Wow I can't believe it is already 2008! 2007 has included some health problems for our family and we are hoping this next year will bring an increase of health and strength.

We had a really nice New Year's Party at our house last night. We are so blessed to live in an area with such caring, fun people. There are many of us who live away from family and are pretty much alone. We have all kind of adopted each other. We are truly like a family and I am thankful to have such good people in our lives. Alex helped build a house during his senior year in High School. It is a beautiful home and in a nice neighborhood. Alex asked me if I thought we could buy it. Although we could probably afford it, I told Alex, "If I could move that house to our lot, I would, but I wouldn't want to leave our neighbors for anything."

We are extremely thankful for the people in our lives and or our many blessings. Marley wrote something that says everything I feel....

On this beautiful Christmas Eve I have really been hit by the true meaning of
Christmas......  a neighbor passed away tonight, a friend, a mother, a
sister and a daughter of not only earthly parents, but of heavenly parents as
well. I wasn't close to this family, however I know what it feels like to lose
someone close to you. I am so thankful to know of the plan of salvation, I am so
thankful to know that I will be able to be with my family forever. Jesus was
born on this glorious day so that he could atone for our sins and so that we
could return to our father in heaven again one day. Christmas isn't
to get presents... it is to remember the blessings that we have received and to
remember the reason that Jesus came to earth. The true meaning of
Christmas is to serve others, to be selfless, to be kind, to be giving and to be
as Christ like as we possibly can.

Our prayers are with this family.

Alex will be going on his mission and we are all excited to see where he is going. Send your guesses/predictions to tanlan61@msn.com.