Crazy Busy Weeks

This past week my sister Maren came out to visit and see the sights... And we've been having fun. We spent 2 days roaming around New York City and seeing all the sights. We went to the Empire State Building, and spent some time in Central Park where she was totally scared of getting killed... :) silly... She also didn't want to go near the East River or the Bronx or Queens... dang Law and Order....

We went on a ferry over to Liberty and Ellis Islands. The statue was so pretty and huge! We did the audio tour which was really interesting. We climed the 167 steps to the podium... which was funny because on every landing it counted down the steps ... it was funny...

Then we went to Ellis Island and walked around for hours looking at everything... We had gotten about 3 hours of sleep and had had to get up and out of the house by about 4:15am.... to get to the ferry on time... So after hours of walking around the Liberty Island and hours of walking around Ellis Island, we decided to go in to a 45 minute movie they had and we both fell asleep... it was a great show... :) it was a good power nap. :)

Then we went back to Manhattan went to Time Square to see a show. We saw one called 'Rooms, a rock romance' it was good and pretty funny. We went out to eat at some fun places and were exhausted when we finally got home late every night... it was great.

After that weekend I dropped her off at a phsyco woman's house for an 'apprenticeship'... which is a whole other story... probably the craziest of them all...

So the next weekend I went and picked her up, two weeks early, and brought her back to my house. She wanted to spend the weekend in NYC and I had plans already so she went there and I went to spend the day on Saturday at West Point with some friends we'd made at AWE. It was such a good time. We got there around 2 and went to meet everyone at the dock. We got to take a boat trip up the Hudson in the Superintendent's boat. It was beautiful and there were lots of people there.

Then we played some ultimate frisbee and football, and had a BBQ on a big lawn. We got the grand tour of West Point campus which was beautiful! So old and big and ... beautiful... I think it's definately my favorite of the schools I've seen so far.

It took a couple hours to do the tour and it was awesome! It was dark by the time we got back so we were hanging out making smores when the MPs and a firetruck came by and put out our bonfire.... :) that pretty much killed the party so we headed home.

Next weekend I get to spend the day in NYC at the temple there for a banch temple trip and hopefully going to see the new X-men movie... (which I've actually seen and it's REALLY good)... :) Fun times all around!!

Work, Work, Work

Here are the two wonderful children that I've been watching for the past two years... It seems crazy that I've been here that long. Lexi is almost 7 and is all girl. She loves dancing and drawing, talking on the phone and dressing up. Robert is almost 5 and is all boy. He likes all sports and is really very good at them all. He likes trucks and fast cars, racing and he really likes doing everything that is sister is doing (and driving her crazy at the same time). With these kids pictures say it all!! :)

A weekend in MA, an AWEsome time.

This last weekend I went to AWE which stands for, All New England Winter Extravaganza. It was a blast! We went up to a town near Boston on Friday night and got our boarding assignments. We got to stay with a really nice family that had deluxe accommodations for us... :) We stayed up late and got pretty crazy, it was ... fun...

The next day was full of workshops which were great. I went to one on the Atonement, one about keeping focused on the Savior through a turbulent world, and the last one called 'I used to be indecisive, now I'm not sure.' They were all really good.

After that was a yummy pizza lunch were we made a few new friends from all over.

After lunch was our service project of organizing the food and clothing that people brought ... Then was free time.... So a few of us headed up to Lexington to see the sights... unfortunately it's winter so most of the historical sites were closed for the season. We did however get to see the Mason lodge museum... which was interesting. They had a folk art exhibit and an Ellis Island exhibit, which were very cool. We also had fun taking pictures around town... :)

We got back in time for dinner and it was one of the yummiest meals I've had in a long time. With shredded pork, salad and chips to make a big salad type thing with delicious sauces to go on top. And after dinner came the dance... of course... :) which was interestingly different then Idaho dances and even quite different then Connecticut dances. Lots of salsa and hip hop club type music... which I have to admit isn't my kind of dancing music.... :) but with the right kind of company any situation can be a blast.

The dance ended just before eleven and it was time to drive home... :) I recommend not going to bed so late before you need to be awake for church... :) It was all well worth it though. Good times with these fun branchies and new friends!

Family Time

Over the last year and a half since I've moved to Connecticut I've been able to visit my family 9 times. Every trip is crazy, busy, and completely fun! When I'm home during the summer it's camping, rodeo, white water rafting, and lot's of outdoor time with the neices and nephews. During the holidays I take the few days I get off to travel through 3 different states to visit all the famly. I first visit my Grandma and cousins in Utah then drive up to Idaho to spend Christmas with my sisters and their families. Then it's up to Washington to visit my brother and his family. And it's back to Idaho after that to have a fun filled New Year's Eve, staying out till the wee hours of the morning, only to fly out early the next morning to go back to work.

This last summer I was able to go home twice. Once in June then again in August. In June I went home for a week and I was there when my little sister had her first baby. A little girl they named Hadley Sarah. She's adorable and it's so fun to have another little niece.

In August I went home again for the Nielsen family reunion. There was camping out in the backyard, potluck at Lucky Peak, going to the Twin Falls Temple open house, family pictures, rodeo, and lots of cooking and chasing kids around.

Spending time with my crazy, big family is the best!, and I can't wait to go home this summer.
I'm working here in Connecticut till June when my parents and maybe my sister will come out to go sightseeing around the northeast and I'll go home with them... :)

For right now though it's nannying, hanging out with the friends I've made here, and seeing all the fun sights around Connecticut.

No News

I figured it was about time to write again even if I haven't really got anything to write about. Life consists of work, church, and occasionally I get to go spend time with friends at activities. I got to go home a few times this summer and loved being there. My little sister Melinda had her first baby, a little girl named Hadley. And I found out my oldest sister is expecting her 5th. :) I got to hang out with all my nieces and nephews and a few of my friends. I can't wait to go home again for Thanksgiving to see my family again and eat some yummy home-made food!! (Not the kind I make... :) )
Other than that... I'm also taking an online course... British Literature and it's hard. I have to read everything 5 times, and read 2 different handbooks before I understand it enough to complete the assignments. :) Maybe by the time I get to Shakespeare I might have a shot... :)
Yay for me... :)...

Re-entering the world of blogging

Hello all friends of the blogging world. Well I'm back and there's no garrauntee but that I'll only be around here once in a very great while...
Hope this finds you all very well.
:)