Tee-Ball Time!

Last Thursday Rowan started tee ball. He was pretty dang excited about it too! He felt comfortable and got right into the game. He is very outgoing and not very shy at all. I love that about him! Its pretty funny watching these boys try and play the game. They are all over the place. Eventually they'll learn I guess. I love watching him but its not as exciting as soccer. They dont really score playing teeball and they only get to run to one base. However they all get a chance to hit and the kids are happy...and thats all that matters!

California...here we come!

So its official! We are moving to Southern CA! Loren told his company yesterday that we have accepted there offer. The new building will be in San Bernardino but we WONT be living there. Its a serious dump! Dollar Tree flew us to California for a few days to check out the area before we gave them our decision. We loved Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and Yucaipa. We are now going to get a realtor to help us get a sweet deal on a home. There are tons of foreclosures right now so that is a huge plus! We are getting a little excited. We have to I guess. There is just nothing we can do to stay and we have prayed about it. We fasted on Friday and went to the temple. We both felt peace about it all. We know that Heavenly Father will guide us to where he wants us to be and we are doing our best to listen to that guidance. We will be putting the house on the market this week. Uugh! I am not excited! I just went through all this a year ago and now we have to go through it all over again. The stress of keeping up an immaculate, organized, perfect looking home is a bit overwhelming but worth it. We hope to sell it quickly so that we can start making some offers in California. Dollartree wants Loren to be there recruiting January 4th. Thats not far from here. They have offered us a lot and are doing all they can to make this transition and easy one. They are paying for everything and have also offered to cover a huge loss if we were to take one on the house. They are an incredible company to work for!

We will keep you all updated on everything. Keep us in your prayers. We will be going down again at the end of October to look at some more houses and go to Disneyland. We cant wait! Ive been playing all sorts of Disney movies for the kids so they will know who everyone is. It will be a wonderful vacation! I feel like a kid already! I get so giddy just thinking about it! Then its all business when I get back. The Fresh Pearl is booked for Christmas shows and that will be my life until December. Ive got to have some fun while I can right?

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes!

There are a lot of changes going on over here at the Nielsen home. I feel like I haven't blogged about our family forever and need to do some catching up.
First off....Lorens job is moving to Southern California. That is one HUGE change! We are praying about making the right decision but are feeling like we might be going. Luckily we wont be going until after the first of the year.... so Ive got time to slowly adjust to the thought of this change. We were planning a trip to Disneyland in October anyways and are now going to go look at the area and see what we think while we are there. We are going with some good friends and are going to have a blast!

The second change is...I chopped my hair. This was a long awaited, must needed change. My hair was getting long enough to start hanging out with the hippies... so its gone. I feel ten pounds lighter and realize now that its short, that I was looking like Hagatha putting it in a ponytail most of the time. Now that's its short...I am forced to style it...and that's a good thing!

Rowan is sure changing into a big boy. He has started preschool and is loving it. He also plays soccer with the neighborhood crowd on Wednesdays. He is suddenly obsessed with guns and whenever we go somewhere he wants to know if they will have a gun to play with. He has a big boy bike and I just smile watching him ride around.

Lia is changing as well and is jabbering a lot all though she often doesn't speak my language. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what she wants. She just got a bike like Rowie...a trike...and its a good thing I bought one that has handles like a stroller and I can push and steer her.... otherwise my back would be in worse shape. She copies everything Rowie says and is completely crazy about him. She cries when I drop him off at school:( We have also learned on a recent camping trip that she loves to Hike. I have learned to not pick her up and carry her......she gets pretty mad!

Loren really isn't changing because he is training for Marathon number THREE and that is his life. Running, running and more running. He is hoping that third time is a charm and that he can qualify for the Boston. If so....we are going back east so he can run this April. He is running with his sister Jen and I am so excited for her as well! She couldn't run the Salt Lake with me due to an injury right before the race.... so this is her time to shine! I will be there to cheer her on at every stop I can. That is what she did for me and she was an incredible support!


As for me...every day life has been hard. I have been dealing with a torn disc. I have two bulging discs that I have dealt with before, but this torn disc is a whole other ball game. Usually I am out for a week with a bulging disc, but this time it has been about six weeks. I miss running, spinning and weight lifting. You all know that exercise is my THING and its been hard not doing it! I got two steroid epidural shots today and will know if they worked in a few days. I do have to say however, that I am grateful for blessings and know that my life may not always be easy. I know that I may struggle for the rest of my life with my back, but the Lord will help me through these trying times. I have to always remember that things could be worse and I am grateful that they are not. I am also learning that I need to put just as much time into building my self spiritually as I do my physical self. They are both important and I know I need to work on my spiritual side just as much. I love life lessons don't you?

There will be some changes around the house as well. On Saturday, my good friend Ian from England will be coming to stay with us for a while. I met him years ago and haven't seen him for 9 years. He was a roommate of Jared's at BYU. I will never forget the first time I met him. He was dancing in his boxers (they had British flag on them).... around in the living room. I just about died and have loved his infectious laugh and fun personality since. I cant wait to have some of that around THIS house. This picture is called Ian in Yellowstone.

I hope all of you are doing well and hope that now you know a little more about whats going on in our lives. Blogging is a great way for me to keep in touch with everyone and I need to be better at doing it more often!

Here's to changes!

Hawaii......the last few days!

Gosh...this has taken me forever to finish! Ive been a slacker lately. It has been really busy around here and my back has been KILLING me! The last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer.....so here I am standing up blogging away.

Anyways ...onto the last few days in Hawaii. The last few days of any trip are a bummer. Reality sets in and time seems to fly by. By this time...we were missing our kids and wanted to see them ,but we didnt want to go back home into the real world. I really hate comimg home from a trip. We flew through the night and that made coming home even worse. You cant sleep and its miserable. I was finally glad to be home when we arrived!

Monday was a fantastic day! This was the day we all went to swim with the dolphins. Now...we didnt end up swimming with them because they werent in there resting mode but we still had fun. This was the activity that I always wanted to do but was too afraid of doing. I had been trying to find the courage for a long time and finally decided that I would conquer my fear of the ocean in Hawaii. Im glad that I had sometime during the week to snorkel and start feeling more secure in the water. It really helped a ton. By this time ..I was feeling good.

The tour guides ended up taking us snorkeling in some deeper water. Probably about 30feet. I jumped into the water and just stayed close to the bioligist. Believe it or not...I liked being in deeper water rather than shallow. I wasnt as close to the coral and fish, so It didnt scare me as much. I was really proud of myself. The coral and fish were beautiful and we had a blast. We did get to see the dolphins pretty closely and they entertained us for quite a while. I dont know what it is about dolphins...but I LOVE them! I have always been very intrigued by them.

Now...These people are quite intriging themselves! Heres all the girls(and boys) doing some poses.









While we were doing our dolphin adventure...most of the guys went deep sea fishing. They brought back some yummy fish and we ate some of it raw. Alan made us some sushimi made with Ono.

On Tuesday before we headed to the airport Loren went golfing and so a small group of us we wanted to go see Turtle Beach. I was so excited to see this huge sea turtle basking in the sun!


After the beach we went to the Dole Plantation and then headed to the airport. My camera had a dead battery so I didnt get any pictures. It was fun and Loren and I really enjoyed there pineapple ice cream. We said goodbye to Hawaii and were sad to leave(minus the humidity) Loren and I would like to go back but next time we would like to go see the other islands. Thank you Mom and Dad for such a memorable trip!

Day 6!

Day six fell on a Sunday. After we went to church, we thought it would be a nice day to visit Pearl Harbor. It was a very touching experience and my heart felt sad for those who lost there loved ones that day. It was quiet and people were very respectful. It was nice to be able to peacefully reflect on our wonderful freedoms and the courageous people who have fought for them.





After Pearl Harbor we went home. Loren, Dave, Angie and I were in charge of dinner so we had a little Luau. We lit the tiki torches, played some Hawaiian music and had Pina Coladas with our Teriyaki Burgers. It was a nice night at the Plantation. We then hit the hot tub while the others played some games. It was a very relaxing evening and I really needed one of those!


Oh..... and look what was waiting for us when we came home that day.... a family of peacocks!


We also had the sweetest Mother Hen with her 7 baby chicks that lived on the property. I watched them every morning as I sat and ate my breakfast. So sweet! I dont think I will ever quite understand how she can gather them all in underneath her at the same time. AMAZING!

I just have to add that in Hawaii..there are tons of wild chickens everywhere. When Loren and I would go running... we would hear these crazy noises in the vegetation. It freaked us out and It almost sounded like a velocoraptor was running around in there. Then to our surprise... out would jump a little chicken. It scared us every time we heard these crazy loud noises and then we would bust up laughing everytime a chicken came out! How they can make those noises.....I will never know!

Day 5 of our Hawaiian Adventure

Day 5 was the much anticipated shopping day and this day was all about me! JK. Well...it kind of was. I was really looking forward to hitting the flea market and was excited to start buying some gifts for eveyone. Im glad I waited because the prices here were REALLY good. You had to do some bargaining but after my bargainig expereinces in China..... I must say...Im pretty good. The bargaing here didnt involve physical contact so it was all good! Speaking of China.... most of the crap here was from China so I tried to find unique things from local artists. That was my goal. I was happy to find some local photography and some hand carved, good luck walking sticks that were carved from a local family. I bought a lot more stuff but Im pretty sure it was mass produced in China. However.....the day was fun and Loren and I enjoyed being together. We walked around the whole stadium and finished in just a few hours. We did good!

I have to say that I will always be a florist at heart! I am ALWAYS attracted to the beauty and scents of flowers. Especially tropicals!



After Loren and I recieved the award for buying the most crap....we headed out to do some kayaking. Some of the clan rented these for the week and were kind enough to share them with us for a bit. We wanted to head out to the sunken island but it wouldve taken too long. I wish we would have scheduled a whole day just to kayak out there. The holy book of Oahu said it was a must see. Maybe next time!


Look at this cute couple! They are still in love after eight children and many years of marriage. AND...there the best inlaws I could ask for!

I love this crazy clan! I cant imagine life without them. They really ARE my family!

After we did some kayaking, we headed down to see the blow hole. When you are at the blowhole...this is the beautiful view of Sandy beach. The waves here were crazy! They came right out and crashed right onto the beach. I had never seen anything like it before. Uusally the waves crash further out but not here. This was the infamous place where my brother Terry almost drowned. I had no desire to go in that water what so ever.

The Blowhole...or as we would call it...Melissa's Blowhole. Dont ask!

After the Blowhole experience, we headed over to Hanauma Bay to do some snorkeling. We wanted to night snorkel but the water was murky and we didnt see very many fish so we ended early. The water was rough, so it made the hard to enjoy. I hear the snorkeling is beautiful here and that there usually are many fish to see. We just had bad luck I guess.


Heres a picture of some people night snorkeling. They do this there every second Saturday of the month and its free. Its hard to see but people have flashlights underneath the water. Cool Huh?

Well....We had another fun day and as you can see... we were pretty busy everyday. It was one place to the next, but we had a blast. By the end of this day...I was EXHAUSTED. However.... we wanted to have a nice dinner out and decided when we got home to get all spruced up to go have a nice late dinner somewhere. Even though we were BEAT...we got ready and headed out with Ben and Melissa for a nice dinner in Northshore. Wow! Lets just say that it was quite the adventure! To make a long story short..the latenight party included running a redlight while shouting "midnight buffet!"....many, many stomach hurting laughs....sleep talking about swordfish and a crappy dinner at Tacobell! It was the best night EVER!

Hawaii...Dia Quattro!

Dia quattro of our Hawaiian adventure was all about Loren. This was his day and the day he was looking forward to the most. As you can tell by the picture.....some of the Nielsen clan went golfing. This was Lorens highlight! He was looking forward to golfing in Hawaii for over a year! If your a golf lover....Hawaii is a beautiful place to golf...an expensive one....but worth every penny... right Loren? I made him take the camera so that he could get some good pictures in of his favorite day. I absolutely love the picture above. It is my all time favorite picture of Loren. Blaine...you did awesome on this one. I owe you one! As you can tell....Loren said the course was like a jungle...a well trimmed jungle I guess. He said it was sooo green and beautiful. The course was big and at times you had to take quite the ride to get to the next hole. If you happen to hit your ball into the vegetation...there was no way to recover it. That ball would be lost forever. I think they all went through quite a bit of balls that day. Too bad I wasn't a golfer or I would've gone. That is something I would like to get better at but I just cant find the time. I usually stay home and watch the kids while he goes golfing with his brother or his Dad. I don't mind that at all and I think he likes having that time away. I think its good for them to be together.

Loren and his brother Alan. We love Alan...he is such a easy going, fun loving guy!

Can you see how you could lose some serious balls playing here?



Now...Im sure all of you are wondering what I did while Loren was golfing right? Well...I did one of my favorite things and that was.... I hung out at the beach. Marianne, Jim, Melissa and Ben went out on some kayaks while Jen and I sat on the beach and chatted. That is another favorite hobby of mine...chatting. Something I love to do and am quite good at:) I love chatting with Jen...we could talk for hours. When we trained for the marathon together and would run our big miles we would just talk the whole time. It sure helped the time fly by and we really got to know eachother better. So...Im glad Jen was there with me. We had a nice time relaxing without the stress of kids and it was really, really nice. Thanks for a perfect morning Jen!

After everyone got back from golfing, we decided to head to Sharks Cove to do some snorkeling. I was excited about this but a little nervous...especially because of my earlier freak out moment in the murky water AND because of the name of this place. WHY did they have to name it this? I mean really! It must have that name for a reason...right? Well....after many prayers.....boy did I say a lot of prayers while in Hawaii....I got in. It was rocky and slippery but once you got in it was GORGEOUS! I couldn't believe how clear and beautiful this place was! I saw sooo many fish and we even swam with a huge sea turtle. It was AMAZING! I saw a needle fish which was cool.... but it scared me at first because it looked like a snake. Occasionally, I would let out a muffled scream through my snorkeling tube and people eventually got use to it and knew that it was just me and that it was no big deal.



Sharks Cove at Sunset

If you go to Hawaii....you've got to snorkel here. It was definitely my favorite snorkeling spot of the whole trip!

Stay tuned for day five!