Watchmen On The Tower.

Last July, I got a text from Jane, who informed me that

The Killers were coming to Raleigh in September.

Jane loves LOVES The Killers!

*LOVES LOVES LOVES.

She woke up suuuuper early to buy tickets for her, Ollie, and Gigs, too!

And since then, we've been listening to only one band exclusively:

 The Killers! Obviously.

Yesterday as we were doing homework at the table 

I heard an audible gasp followed by tears.

"NooooooOoOOoOOoooooOOo!  

The Killers canceled the concert because of COOOOOOVIIDDDDD!!!"

We had a moment of silence for losing that opportunity, along with many things that have juristically changed

 our lives and, most prominently, our livelihood.

It's been another disappointing blow from this horrific pandemic.

I am reminded of some lessons President Nelson taught

us to as we think about what this pandemic has taught us:

"Adversity is a great teacher. 

What have you learned in the past two years that you always want to remember?

 Your answers will be unique to you but may 

I suggest... lessons I hope we have all learned and will never forget."

"Lesson: The Home Is the Center of Faith and Worship

Lesson: We Need Each Other

Lesson: We Hear Jesus Christ Better When We Are Still"

Despite the personal anguish and heartache we've experienced

in our homes, lives, communities, church, and schools,

 I am trying so hard to see it differently because, honestly, somedays

I am so resentful and mad.

I am so thankful for a prophet who is our watchman on the tower

and who is and will continue to

 warn and guide us during these difficult times.

"I have set watchmen upon thy walls,

 O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night:

 ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence."

Isaiah 62:6

What do you call a lizard that sings?

Each night before bed I make the Nies lunches.

Lottie usually helps me by picking what she wants or doesn't want 

in her lunch (she hates Doritos).

I don't know if it's her age or what, but she's been on a joke kick lately.  

She has a million jokes in her head that she's read, or seen,

or heard and remembers. 

 But the best are the ones she makes up-- they're hilarious!

Each night she writes these fantastic jokes on the brown lunch sacks 

I pack for the boys.  Sometimes she'll even draw a little picture

 of the joke or other random stuff.

It's the best.

"What do you call a lizard that sings?

"A RAP-tile"

We did it!  One week of school down!  

Happy Weekend!

Spiritual Enlightenment: 

"Jesus Christ sees people deeply.

 He sees individuals, their needs, and who they can become."

-Michelle D. Craig

One week down!

One week down! We did it!  The first week of school is in the books! 

And luckily for us, Lottie's teacher isn't big on homework (HALLELUJAH!)

We've got some logistical things to figure out especially since 

we only have one car at the moment.  Christian drives his motorcycle to work 

and I feel like I live in the car because by the time I get home, 

I swear it's time to get back in the car and pick them all up.

I don't mind so much.  I listen to a lot of conference talks and podcasts

 about introverts and stuff like that.  

A few days ago I saw a black snake slithering up the tree next to the house.

I think I died. 

Whenever I see things like that, I immediately yell for Gigs.  

Chances are he knows what kind of snake it is and if it's poisonous, 

and how to carefully and kindly remove it and set it free somewhere else.

Yesterday a snake was stuck in the fence that protects the blueberry bushes.

We called Gigs who promptly rescued the rotten thing 

and let it go across the street into the forest.

He (and Lottie, too!) are naturals at finding and caring for little critters.

It's super cute.

This weekend we are focused on one thing: finding us a house!

Pray with us, the market is brutal!

Code of Life.

Yesterday as I was studying about my incredible ancestors online, 

I found an amazing document that my great-great-grandfather,

 Elder Angus Maloy, my Nana Aurora's father, had typed up and titled:

 "CODE FOR A.E. MALOY".  

1. Must be honest and above board in all my dealings.

2. Retain respect for my family regardless. 

3. Must not play ball or attend shows on Sunday.

4. Must not be a card player.

5. Have family prayer as often as can under circumstances.

6. Teach my children to pray also and have faith in prayer.

7. Teach my children more by example than precept.

8. My secret prayer shall be expressed in cheerfulness, optimism, 

encouragement, singing, whistling, patience, charitableness.

9. Observe the Word of Wisdom and pay an honest tithing.

10. Don't get so religious that I go crazy over it. Know my capacity and never overload, and stay sane and fit so I can take care of my family.

He is my blood!  I came from him!  I will meet him someday!

I have a lot to live up to, I have a lot to look up to, and a lot to learn from.

When times are hard (and they have been lately), 

I pray for the strength I need and remind myself of those who came before me,

 and it inspires me to keep going! 

I can do this, especially focusing on numbers eight and six!

Thank you, Grampa Angus! 

(He is why we named our pooch Angus!)

First Day of School 2021!.

 The first day of school has officially come! Yay!  

Oliver: Junior

Nicholas: Freshmen

Charlotte: 4th Grade

The Nies are finally back in school!  

It's literally been a whole year for the boys 

since we opted out of the in-person school option

last year because of COVID.

I was so excited for them!

I am way more excited for them than they are!

It's been a looong time since I've had the house to myself for a few hours.

I need that time alone; I think my introverted self requires a little

alone time to function normally and to be happy.

It's a win-win for us in the Nielson house!

Ollie and Gigs will be attending early morning seminary starting

next week at 6:20, so they will need to be up at 5:30.

This is going to be a great year for growth and responsibility!

Go, boys!

The boy's high school needs more parking passes

for all the students who want to drive, and sadly, Ollie didn't get one.

So he'll be hitching a ride from a friend for a while until

we can get a pass; the school suggested possibly mid-year? 

I'm not going to lie; this makes me a little mad.

Life would be much easier if he had a parking pass and 

could drive to seminary and school.

Perhaps I'm just mad because I swear everything seemed 

WAY simpler and easy when I was in high school!!

I don't remember any of this drama!

I swear, once I turned 16, I walked into the DMV and got my license.

Then I could drive with whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

There are so many rules now. Sheeesh!  

What's it gotta take to be a kid these days?

After the boys left, I drove Lottie to school, and then it 

 all came back to me as I was in the three-mile carpool line:

I live in the car a lot during school days.

So I downloaded some good Audible books about personalities and biographies, 

stocked up on mini Dr. Pepper's, and Trader Joe's olives and suddenly

it doesn't seem all that bad anymore.

The heart and a willing mind.

The boys participated in a three-day youth conference with

  the kids at church.

The youth theme this year was:

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation

 of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.”

 (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34)

They ate good food, took life classes, enjoyed activities, 

did service, and they even went boating.

For Oliver's service day, he went with a small group of kids his age to the

Carolina Tiger Rescue here in Pittsboro.

They cleaned cages, picked up trash, and prepared food for the tigers.

Nicholas and his age group cleaned up trailheads and camping areas

near the beautiful Jordan Lake.

Hands down, the best part of the conference was boating.

Over a dozen members brought their own boats to the reserved marina,

and hundreds of kids were able to go boating, tubing, and skiing.

It was epic, and organized perfectly!

Chrisitan helped out with the boating activities.

Oliver fell asleep on the boat (and got sunburned) because he 

had worked a 5:00 am shift at the golf course earlier that morning.

Lottie and I went school shopping

for some last-minute things (socks, baggies, and lunch chips).

We even rescued a super slow turtle crossing a busy road.

I'd say this last weekend was truly a perfect way to end our summer!

Going back to school 2021!/ Jane in Alaska.

Tonight we attended Lottie's Back to School night

 and visited her 4th-grade classroom!

This year we were thrilled to learn that her 3rd-grade teacher,

Mrs. C and her whole class will be exactly the same for 4th grade!

Yay!!

It feels so weird to think my baby is in 4th grade!!  

I told Lottie stories of when

 Claire and Jane were in 4th grade, and what they 

wore to their first days of school, who their teachers were, 

and what they were like "back then."

Lottie is a good mix of Clane!

In other news, Jane left the desert behind for the mountains of Alaska

 with Page and her family to finish off her summer.

I am so excited (and proud) of her adventurous spirit!

She will be back in North Carolina in September,

 and I'm really, really forward to that!

Barre3 Boy

 

Today Oliver took his last summer Barre3 class.

I was really proud of him for finishing his goal to work-out almost

 every day in August until school begins!  

He plans to start a motocross club at school this year, and he loves the way

Barre3 has helped his body with balance, strength, and agility.

The Barre3 ladies even asked him to start training to become an instructor! 

 He's pretty good, stays on the beat, and follows instructions well.

And just to sweeten the deal, they told him about all the pro-athletes who Barre3, 

You never know...

13 years! Happy RE-Birthday, Nielson Family!.

 Together with my beautiful family,

we celebrated our THIRTEENTH RE-BIRTHDAY!!

We've been rising up from the ashes since 2008.

We were so grateful that the accident anniversary landed on a Monday this year

because we got to talk to Claire in Brazil!

Also, Jane and Lindsay drove to the burn center in Arizona

where Christian and I were taken to be treated for our injuries/burns,

and delivered treats to the fine people who saved our lives!

I am eternally and thoroughly grateful to all our heroes;

the nurses, doctors, techs, and therapists forever and ever!

This is what Jane wrote on her IG:

@jane_bronwyn

Today marks 13 years since the accident. Every August 16th is special,

 but for me, this year, especially so. I had the opportunity to go with Lindsay 

(my second mother since being here in AZ) to the burn center, 

where we took some cookies to thank those doctors and nurses 

for the life-saving work that they do.

It was a unique experience for me to tap back into some of those old memories, 

but I am so grateful for it and for the support of Lindsay and my parents.

 (Thank you! 🥲)

Sometimes, when I see these pictures of our little family 

living a content, happy life in Mesa, I wonder why.

Oh, that poor family! And then I remember...that happened to MY family! What?!?

And it was hard. But now that I am older and understanding more, 

I can truly appreciate what it taught and is still teaching me!

God is aware, miracles do happen, and people are so good! 

My parents taught me so much through their examples of faith and perseverance.

I thank God for preserving our family and for making smart

 doctors who know how to care for trauma injuries.

And while our family isn't physically together this year,

 with Claire far away in Brazil, me here in AZ, 

and the rest of my family back in NC, the gang's all here!

So today, I feel grateful. ❤

A story about shoes.

 When I was in 6th grade for Christmas, I asked for a pair of Air Jordans.  

Real ones.

All the cool boys who were good at basketball had them.

Well, Greg Wing had them, and I wanted to be like the boys and

I really wanted to be good at basketball.

I felt I had earned the right to be a baller since my 

brothers were good, and I was a Clark.

I also wanted the boys to look at me and think,

"Wow, she's cute and good at basketball, she deserves those shoes!"

Anyway, so I asked for a pair for Christmas.

On Christmas morning, I woke up, and Santa had left me a pair

of  XJ-900's.

XJ-900s are the rip-off Jordan's made by Payless.

But I didn't know they weren't real.  

They looked pretty real to me, the same colors and style, 

plus I figured that my mom (Santa) wouldn't have bought Jordan's

without consulting my brothers first, especially since they were a little pricy.

So I put them on and wore them everywhere during Christmas break.

When Christmas break was over, and we went back to school, the

only reason I got up on that chilly bleak Monday morning in January

was to wear my new Jordans to school. I was so excited!

I put on my Girbaud jeans with my new XJ-900 "Jordans" and confidently

walked into my 6th-grade classroom, and literally the first 

thing that anyone said to me was (of course) from Greg Wing

and with disgust, he said, "Are those XJ-900s?"

Then I was like, "What?  What are XJ-900s?"

Then he was like, 

"You're shoes are!  Those are rip-off Jordans, you know that, right?

See my shoes; these are Jordan's, yours are fake from Payless."

My heart sank.

How could my mom do this to me?

I felt betrayed.

I went home, took them off, and never ever wore them again.

40-year-old Stephanie.

 Today definitely was FRIDAY the THIRTEENTH!

It lived up to its name because it was a no-good, very bad horrible day.

It was one of those days when things didn't go as I had hoped and planned for.

There were crushed expectations and heartbreak.

It was a day when I actually wondered if God really heard me

and my pleading heart.

I drove to Christian's office and cried to him while the kids

rode around on their skateboards and scooters in the 100-degree weather.

Christian took the rest of the day off, and Ollie joined me 

at my Barre3 studio, and together we took a class.

It was just what I needed.

My mind cleared, and moving my body helped me settle my thoughts

and sort through my feelings.

Lottie and Gigs were at the pet store across from the studio 

where they spent the whole hour looking at all the critters 

It worked out great.

After, we grabbed dinner and took it over to the UNC campus.

The summer evening was humid, and the fireflies were aplenty!

We watched new students move into dorms and apartments 

on the lawn near the basketball stadium.

Occasionally, a U-haul truck would pull 

into the parking lot, followed by families in cars.

It's an exciting time for many.  

And I felt envious.

When I was 23, we lived in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

 Claire was 3, and Jane was 2; I was pregnant with Oliver and super sick.

Christian would take our only car to Piscataway to work each day,

and I felt like I was dying. Those were tough days for me.

I was so sick I couldn't even go into my kitchen unless I HAD to.

It was like my worst nightmare was in that dreaded room with all

its smells and weird stains, and oh my gosh, even typing

 about it makes me dry-heave a little.

Claire: "Mom, I'm hungry."

Me: "What? You're hungry? Whyyyyy?"

(Looks at the clock, it's 11:00, and no one has eaten since 

waking up at 7:00 am.)

Me: Just wait until the show is over.

(1 hour later)

Claire: Mom, the show is over; I'm hungry."

Me: How about one more show? No?  

OK, come on, we can do this.

Let's get as much stuff as we can so we don't have to 

go back into the kitchen until daddy comes home."

We had many "picnics" on the living room floor back then.

And I am trying to remember what my kids ate.

But we all survived.

One day I was lying on the couch

 waiting for Christian to come home and rescue us

 when a knock came at the door.

It was the mailman, Todd.

He handed me a small package, and I immediately opened it up.

It was from my friend, Mindy, in Utah, who had made an album of

 beautiful gospel music and graciously sent me a copy out of the blue.

 It SAVED my life.

I played that album over and over and over and over and over again that day. 

The music, the words, and her calming voice helped me feel strong and capable.  

When Christian got home from work, I was in tears, 

which wasn't uncommon at that time.

But this time, the tears were different.

I asked him to take me out of the house and for a ride in the car

(plus, the smell of my house was killing me).

We drove the 30 minutes south to Princeton University, where we drove

around the campus with the windows down and music on volume 100.

I sobbed the whole time.

Christian held my hand, letting me feel and process those feelings

not saying much but offering sweet glances and hand squeezes.

It's a memory I'll never forget.

Claire and Jane were tucked in their car seats, looking out their windows

while sucking on their binkies.

At that very second, all was well in my world.

I was going to make it.

I'd have this baby.

I wasn't going to be sick forever.

My house wouldn't be a dump forever, and

we'd save enough money to fix it (at least buy paint! And we did!).

The house wouldn't smell like mothballs and old people forever.

I wouldn't avoid opening my fridge forever.

I'd cook again.

I would find joy and purpose again.

I'd be stronger.

And I did, and I was.

Now, lately, I've been listening to this album again.

Something about that situation 16 years ago seems so familiar now.

It has brought back so many feelings, good and bad.

But best of all, it's brought up a

sense of confidence and strength that 23-year-old Stephanie 

discovered in herself back then and now is teaching and helping 

 40-year-old Stephanie remembers about herself and

about her own resiliency.

That wasn't even hard.

Hard would be four years later:

* * * * 

"Let me be direct and clear. The answers to the question "Am I good enough?" 

and "Will I make it?" are "Yes! You are going to be good enough" and 

"Yes, you are going to make it as long as you keep repenting and do not rationalize or rebel."

 The God of heaven is not a heartless referee looking for any

 excuse to throw us out of the game. 

He is our perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to

 have all of His children come back home and live with Him as families forever. 

He truly gave His Only Begotten Son that we might not perish 

but have everlasting life!

 Please believe, and please take hope and comfort from, this eternal truth. 

Our Heavenly Father intends for us to make it! 

That is His work and His glory."

-Elder J. Devn Cornish