The Nellys

Resolution

2012-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

I don't know what my deal is, but I am not a fan of cooking, especially cooking dinner. It seems like I build up anxiety all day long as I think about how I have to cook dinner, and then dinnertime comes and I'm almost afraid to cook. I'm afraid fear making something that flops. It's expensive to make something and then end up hating it. This means I have my few trusted recipes, and it's easy to get sick of them. I also fell into a nasty pattern when morning sickness took over my life. What's for dinner? Well, I don't want to even leave the couch, so we're having a box meal, again.

I knew I needed to change my attitude toward cooking, so one of my New Year's Resolutions has been to be better about dinner. Sounds vague, but I needed it vague because I have a lot to work on. First, cooking isn't a big deal - why be such a wimp? Yes, things flop, but rarely so bad that you can't at least eat it. Then you don't make that again. And forget about those box meals - a real dinner will taste so much better.

The biggest lifesaver for me in keeping this resolution:

Have you discovered how amazing Pinterest is yet? You should. Crafts, DIY projects, fashion, humor, artwork, home decor. You name it. It's all on there and more. Including recipes. Thanks to some wonderful pins, I have discovered that there is more to cooking than just standing in front of a stove. It's about creation and creativity. And seeing how good you can make food taste.

So far, my resolution is basically a success. I have mostly avoided box dinners, and I have even branched out for dinner. Rich is happy about this - he encourages my exploration into the world of cooking. I'm still afraid of intense recipes that require more ingredients than I have in my cupboards and cooking techniques I've never even heard of, but I'm getting better.

Big success: Cafe Rio chicken burritos with cilantro-lime rice and creamy tomatillo dressing - tasted almost exactly like Cafe Rio

Flop: A certain recipe for crockpot macaroni and cheese - much too dry and rather chunky

Needs some work: Winger's amazing sauce - too runny and just not quite the right flavor

Excited for these:

Pesto stuffed shells

French breakfast muffins (not dinner, but they sound so delicious)

I discovered this great website today: Budget Bytes. The author breaks down the cost of each of her recipes for the whole meal and per serving. Plus, her recipes look super delicious.

If you have any suggestions on how to stay positive about cooking, I'd gladly take them. Also, any of your no-fail recipes would be much appreciated. I'm working on building up my own recipe arsenal.

Here's to a future of positive cooking!

In baby news,

things are going well in the belly so far. I reached 23 weeks yesterday, and I am feeling kicking and movement all of the time, although it took me forever to realize that what I thought was my stomach twitching was actually baby girl. Rich was able to feel her kick for the first time last week, too. I was pretty sure I was feeling her kick on the outside, so I had Rich put his hand on my belly to make sure. At one particularly strong kick, Rich said, "Was that her?" and I knew he felt her. And then I teared up because I'm already an emotional person, and I'm pregnant. I've only felt a couple kicks as strong as that since, but I'm looking forward to more in the future.

98%

2012-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

The results of our ultrasound are in. Rich and I are having a

BABY GIRL!

I guess I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself. Our little one was being stubborn during the ultrasound. She didn't want to move around much, except her arms and legs. But we needed her to flip her whole body around, which she wouldn't. Goodness knows we tried - I flipped from side to side, I went to the bathroom again, I took a walk down the hall. No such luck. Our modest little one just wouldn't give us the best shot. The ultrasound technician did her best, and left us with, "I'm about 95, no 98% percent sure it's a girl." So, we're now 98% sure, too. And that's enough for me. But wouldn't it be something if the baby came out a boy? For now, though, we'll take our chances on the girl.

People kept asking us if we wanted a boy or a girl, and we really didn't care one way or the other. Either one would have been perfect. We are just so excited to have a baby. But now that we know, it's been a lot of fun to start looking at baby things with a little girl in mind.

We haven't bought anything. Yet. But my mom sent us some darling things and gave us the most adorable dress for our little girl. I actually saw this dress years ago at Baby Gap (I think before Rich and I were even married). My mom bought it and saved it through all of the baby girls that have been born, just for us and our little girl.

I absolutely adore it.

Now, the real waiting game begins. The second chunk of 20 weeks 'til this baby comes. I think we have a lot of preparing to do.

Sayonara 2011

2012-01-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

Trying to be positive, I think I'll call 2011 a learning experience. The Nelly household never thought at the beginning of the year that we'd be in Spokane by the end. Last year, we learned that life rarely goes as expected. We wouldn't say 2011 was our most fun or most inspiring year, but we still know that we were blessed throughout and are still being blessed now. We know very little of what 2012 will bring, but we're mainly praying for two things here: a healthy baby and a good job for Rich.

Here are some photos to say farewell to a challenging (but rewarding) year.

Our anniversary was December 27th. We've pretty much accepted that this day is never really going to be anything fancy since it's so close to Rich's birthday and Christmas, and we're okay with that. This year we celebrated with dinner at Olive Garden (my favorite), and Rich, like a good husband, brought me flowers.

Rich surprised me with two bouquets this year to liven up our apartment. They're still going strong, which helps brighten the place up now that the Christmas decor is down.

Rich and I spent New Year's Eve at his parents' house at a party with family friends. There was much camaraderie and delicious food to be had. We just can't celebrate a new year without a bottle of Welch's sparkling white grape juice! (It always reminds me of my family - it's the Fredrickson go-to celebration drink.)

Rich got this awesome shirt from Cami and Ethan for Christmas, and it was perfect for New Year's Eve. You just can't close out 2011 without this song (that's LMFAO performing it on TV).

Oh, and I reached 19 weeks at the end of last year. And I pulled on the maternity clothes at last. It's nice to be in them, but I feel like putting them on made me look even bigger. Oh well. It's feels good to have clothes that fit again.

Yes, I officially look pregnant now. It's not just fat.

AND FINALLY...

We find out if baby Nelly is a boy or a girl THIS THURSDAY!

So, if you're reading this, please make your gender guess in a comment! I want to know what other people are expecting because Rich and I really have no idea. No premonitions or feelings or even good guesses in our house. We're going to be completely shocked when that ultrasound shows us the truth!

We are so excited to know!

Hope you all have a great new year! Here's to 2012!

Birthday and Christmas

2011-12-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

December is a busy time of year for everyone, and the Nelly household is no exception! We've been busy around here trying to fit in all of the celebrations, and the month isn't over yet!

Rich's birthday was earlier this month, and we celebrated the day of by going to a Gonzaga basketball game. One big perk of the volunteer coaching position are free tickets to several Zag games! We had the camera with us all day, but we forgot to take pictures. Oops.

We did, however get pictures for the family celebration a couple days later. Happy birthday, Rich!

I'm not all that crafty when it comes to cake, so this Jazz note candle setup is a pretty big deal for me. (And the cake tasted pretty good, too.)

The cake on fire - 27 candles on there!

Happy birthday to you!

I got 4 photos in by the time the candles were blown out! They kept relighting. (They weren't trick candles - I guess I placed them too close together.)

Camping stove for the birthday boy

Rich and I love getting our Christmas decorations up and look forward to how festive our apartment can be. I particularly enjoyed our setup this year.

We have this little electric fireplace that we never use, but it sure is a great place to hang stockings.

We were afraid for a while that Spokane wouldn't get a white Christmas, but the snow came just in time.

Rich got a Christmas present from the Gonzaga Athletic Department, and it meant a lot to us for him to be included in that. (Mark Few got the same gift!) However, they don't really have Mormons in mind when getting they're gifts. (And why should they, right? I mean, it's a Catholic school.)

It's a pretty cool set. Aren't those goblets awesome? We don't know what to do with the wine, but it looks pretty sweet.

This year we spent Christmas in Spokane, making this my first Christmas here. I realized this is the first time ever I haven't done some part of Christmas with my side of the family. But Christmas with the Nelsons was tons of fun, too! We got to spend a time with the Dre (and her new boy toy while he was here for a few days), and, of course, Doug and Edie.

Turns out Rich and I aren't very good at remembering to get pictures. We always had the camera with us for our Christmas celebrations, but we just forgot about it. Here's what we did get when we remembered.

Rich and my dad got the old Nelson train set to work while my parents were up for Thanksgiving. I love what it adds to the Christmas tree.

The family sitting down to dinner on Christmas Eve

You can see some of the Christmas loot all around. The monkey I'm holding is Baby Nelly's first stuffed animal from Grandma and Poppa Nelson.

The unwrapping aftermath at the Nelly household. Next year will be an even bigger mess with a baby to help make it!

We had a fun Christmas here. It's the last one for us with no kids of our own. We know next year will be very different, and we are excited for Christmas with our baby.

(Speaking of baby, I have just started wearing maternity clothes. It's quite the change. I don't feel like I'm big enough for this yet, but my old clothes aren't working anymore so I guess it's time I made the change.)

Life the Past Little Bit

2011-12-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

Well, I will first start off by saying that morning sickness (or pretty much just daily sickness) kicked my butt. I was pretty much not human for about two months. But thanks to prescriptions (Zofran saved my life) and the end of the first trimester, I finally feel human again (although I think any woman who's had a baby will agree that you never feel completely normal when pregnant).

We don't really have much to report in the Nelly household. Rich finished up the cross country season with the Gonzaga cross country team and is now looking forward to indoor track starting early next year.

We enjoyed our Halloween and got to see my parents and the Dre for Thanksgiving. Now, we're getting really excited for Christmas. We had our annual debate on when it would be appropriate to put up the Christmas tree, and this year we actually waited the longest we ever have to put it up (the Sunday after Thanksgiving).

Rich and Andrea ran the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning. My mom and I tagged along for moral support.

Putting the star on the tree

Our ornaments for the year (Rich's on the left, mine on the right)

And now that I made it into the second trimester (and I've stopped throwing up everyday) I've really started to get my baby bump. Rich and I notice it most, but I swear it has exploded (not literally) the past week. I already feel huge, so I wonder how I'll feel about 20 weeks from now.

We took this about a week ago (15 weeks), but I swear I'm bigger than that now.

I decided I'm going to take pictures every Thursday (this is the day, according to my due date, that I can say I'm starting a new week), so I'll compare my tomorrow picture with this one to see if it's just in my mind. It's still hard to not feel self-conscious when Rich comments on how big my belly has gotten. In the words of Cami (my also-pregnant sister-in-law who is due just about the same time as me), its really weird to gain weight and just embrace it with open arms!

One final observation, when you tell someone that you're pregnant, they automatically look at your stomach. That's also a little uncomfortable - not a region I generally want people staring at. Now I just can't wait for people to start touching my belly (I hope you caught the sarcasm). Apparently, I still have a lot of things to get used to about being pregnant.

Nelly, Jr.

2011-10-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we figured it's time to spread the word. Shara is now 8 weeks pregnant with Baby Nelly, due May 24th! The Nelson household is getting pretty excited for their next addition!

We've known for about a month now, but we wanted to wait until our first appointment to make our announcement to the world. The appointment was Thursday, and we were lucky enough to have an ultrasound, which we weren't expecting.

Things are going pretty well so far, except for Shara's morning sickness. I don't think people prepare you enough for how hard morning sickness really is (or monthly sickness as it's turning in to). Just a warning to future parents - it's no fun. And to those already parents - we admire your stamina. And to those who didn't get bad morning sickness - we're really jealous.

We're excited for what the future holds for us now as we start preparing for Baby. Good news - we already have a crib and a changing table! (We've actually had them since May because we figured we'd need them eventually, right?) We do acknowledge, however, that we still have a long way to go before we are even close to being "ready" to be parents.

We're also having fun talking about baby names, something Shara has liked to do since we were married. Before it was just kind of a game, but now it's getting serious, isn't it? Current names for Baby Nelson: Nelly Jr., Baby Shagz, Jelly Belly, Rio the Embryo (not going to be able to use that one much longer). I'm sure the list will keep getting longer.

Now our lives about to change forever. I hope we're ready for it!

Overload

2011-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

If you have any patience, check out the five new posts I just did. They're long overdue.

Lake Powell

2011-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell is perhaps my most favorite place on earth. I hadn't been in seven years, and Rich had never been. Until two weeks ago that is. Yep, it is still my favorite place on earth.

My dad just got into a timeshare in a houseboat on Lake Powell, so we went down with the family a couple weeks ago to bask in the sun. I loved just being able to lie around in the sun and be lazy, or go exploring canyons, or go wakeboarding, or read, or play cards. There's no schedule at Lake Powell. You get up with the sun (or with the little kids, whichever wakes first), and go to bed whenever you feel like. It's so relaxing. And I love it.

Oh, I hope we can go again next year. Until then, Lake Powell!

Andrea's Adventure

2011-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ever seen the movie "Hitch"? You know the part where Hitch has an allergic reaction to some shellfish? He looked like this:

I thought that was a little overdone, for the movie's sake. I didn't think swelling could actually happen like that. Turns out, it can.

Cami came to town a little bit ago, and one night she, Andrea, Rich, and I decided to make some shrimp pasta for dinner together. Andrea was in charge of shelling the shrimp, and she started to complain that her hands were starting to get really itchy, and then we noticed some hives on them. Yep, that should have been a good warning sign. But Andrea has eaten shrimp before and never had a reaction, so we didn't think it was a big deal.

We ate dinner together and then Andrea went for a run a little bit later. She gets back and pounds on the front door for us to let her in. She starts talking about how her feet are really itchy. We all thought we she was overreacting, and so Cami tells her to get into the shower and see if that helps.

It doesn't! She comes out and Rich and I can clearly see that her face has started to swell. We sent Cami to the store to get some Benadryl, and by the time she was out the door, the swelling had doubled!

We called Dr. Aaron to see what we should do to help her. He called in a prescription for her and told us what we could give her in the meantime. After giving her some medicine and establishing that Andrea could breathe and wasn't in any immediate danger, we got to work taking some pictures while waiting for the prescription to be filled. None of us could stop laughing, including Andrea. It sounds kind of wrong, but it was so hilarious!

This was one of the first shots that I got. She already has small eyes, but the swelling made them even smaller!

Look at the bumps!

This was about the worst that it got. The first picture and this one were taken probably 15 minutes apart, and I can definitely see a difference in the swelling! Her lips were so swollen! (It probably didn't help her feel better when Cami asked, "Can lips explode?")

Sorry that this is sideways. I wish I had gotten a better video. But this just gives you a little taste of how funny she sounded!

So, it turns out that Andrea is allergic to shrimp. Probably good to know for the future.

(Thanks, Andrea, for being such a good sport about all of this! Those pictures really are priceless!)

One Short Day in the Emerald City

2011-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

While the Dre was in town, she, Rich, and I took a trip to Seattle for the day to see a Mariners' game. This game just happened to be not too long after they went on a 17-game losing streak. They ended the streak a couple games before this, but our hopes still weren't too high for a win. We were happily surprised, though, when Dustin Ackley hit a homerun in the first inning and the Mariners managed to pull off another win.

We pulled out all of our Mariners gear the night before the game. Notice the tiny Mariners cap? Andrea gave us that cap probably two years ago for our future Mariners fan. Nope, this is not an announcement. Just another Mariners item to add to the collection! I'm sure the hat will be well used someday.

We sat right over the bullpen and got to see the pitchers warming up.

Pineda, starting pitcher today

Ichiro!

After the game, we explored the city a little. Rich and I went to Seattle on our honeymoon, but we were there on New Year's Day. Everything was closed, and we didn't even get to see them throw the fish in Pike Place Market. I was determined to see them throw the fish on this trip.

We drove to and from Seattle in one day (at least a four-hour drive each way), so we didn't have time to do much. But we had fun while it lasted!

(Like) New Table

2011-08-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

When Rich and I got married, we (gratefully) inherited several furniture items from our friend's sister. This included a couch, a coffee table, two lamps, and a kitchen table. We don't have the couch or lamps anymore, but the two tables are still ours. The kitchen table was well used and needed to be refinished, but Rich and I had neither the time nor the means to do that. It was covered in permanent pink and orange stains, so we just covered it with place mats and let it be. When we got to Spokane, we inherited some kitchen chairs that also needed a little love. Good thing being in Spokane means being close to an accomplished woodworker (aka Rich's dad). He gave us a little instruction, and then Rich tackled the table and chairs like a pro (with a little assistance from me).

I wish I had gotten some good before pictures of the table. But by the time I remembered to take pictures, we were well into the project. I snapped what pictures I could with my phone, and then started bringing my camera along.

This shows the natural wood color and then the color of the stain we chose. I liked the natural color, but we wanted something a little darker.

I don't know if you can tell, but the legs hadn't been stripped of the original finishing yet. That was the color of the whole table before we got to it (with plenty of orange and pink spots on the top).

The master at work. I wish I could say we worked on it just as much as he did, but that would be a lie. Most of the finished project is Rich's doing.

Oops. We thought we were done with the table but then noticed these little spots, the ends of the tracks where the table expands.

Before and after of the chairs. We considered trying to refinish the seat of the chairs to match the table, but that seemed like more work than it was worth. So we just painted the chairs entirely black. I think it turned out pretty well.

The finished product! I finally have a nice kitchen dining set. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. And so much cheaper than buying a new set.

Petersens in Town

2011-08-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last month, Rich's sister Carolyn and her family came to Spokane for several weeks. It was great spending time with them, especially Aaron who returned from Afghanistan in June. Their kids just crack me up. All of them have such fun and vibrant personalities, so it's always a laugh when they're around.

We had a fun time at Riverfront State Park with the Petersen clan. We all rode on the historic carousel, and the kids had a great time on the giant wagon slide.

On another day of their visit, we decided it would be fun to take the kids to the splash pad. Of course, that had to be the windiest, coldest day of their visit. The kids took one trip into the pad and decided it wasn't for them. Rich, Carolyn, and I, on the other hand, tested our bravery in the FREEZING cold water. Alex joined us after a little bit. The water was so cold it gave me a headache, but it was a fun time all the same.

I lost count of how many times Rich did this. He's crazy. That was was soooooooooo cold!

We miss the Petersens now that they're gone again, but we sure had a great summer with them here!

Never Thought the Day Would Come

2011-07-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

No offense to my brother Skyler (not that he'll even read this anyway), but it's true.

My family waited a long time for it to happen, but my big brother Skyler finally tied the knot, and, Courtney (you brave, brave woman), I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. (I promise I really do love love LOVE my brother.)

We went to Utah a few weeks ago to witness this bwessed awwangement. Man, how I miss it there. Spokane is nice and it's absolutely wonderful being around the Nelson clan here (Doug, Edie, the Dre for now, and pretty soon the Petersens). But I can't deny how much I miss Utah and all those people we left behind. I had a hard time leaving it again.

I just wanted to share a few pictures from Skyler and Courtney's special day (well, week). She was the most beautiful bride, and I have NEVER seen Skyler as happy as he was when he was holding her hand and showing her off (and that definitely made my sister and I cry like the babies we are). He is a lucky guy, and we are so lucky to have her in our family.

Max absolutely adores Uncle Rich. It's so stinkin' cute!

I am loving this laugh face.

The Fredrickson girls at the temple right before the ceremony.

Okay, so funny story. I knew that one of my best friends from Kentucky that I have known since I was 7 was getting married the same day as Skyler and Courtney, I just didn't know when. Turns out, she got married at the EXACT same time in the ROOM NEXT DOOR! Crazy! She was absolutely gorgeous (Val, I never told you, but I could not get enough of your dress. To die for!). I snuck in and got a picture with her while we were waiting for Skyler and Courtney to come out and her groom was busy with the photographer. It was so nice to see the Hubbards again - haven't seen them in forever!

Side note: I seriously had some connection to almost every couple that was getting married around the same time as Skyler and Courtney's ceremony. (This is the Salt Lake temple, folks, where they had 83 couples get married the day Rich and I did. This day had probably close to/just as many weddings. There were brides EVERYWHERE.) I worked with one girl who was the bride. I worked with another guy who was a guest at that same wedding. Rich's cousin and aunt were guests at another ceremony. And I saw two people from my graduating class - I took the guy, Shem, to Morp our senior year - that had just gotten married to each other. It came to a point where I was seriously not surprised to see someone else that I knew in the temple waiting room or on the grounds afterwards.

This picture does not do her dress justice. I am SO glad I was able to see her since I wasn't able to make it to the reception that night (for obvious reasons).

Mr. and Mrs. Skyler Fredrickson!

Just look how happy he is! Skyler is head over heels for this girl, and I love it!

My newest sister-in-law! Love her!

Isn't he just so handsome?!

The reception was so adorable. Courtney has impeccable taste. Unfortunately, though, I didn't get very many shots of it to share.

Eating some dinner before pictures. Khloe was so pretty in her yellow dress.

Isn't he dashing in this suit?! Carrie would probably want me to let you know that, no, he did not wear the Crocs all night.

I just thought this was too cute to pass up. (Don't let it fool you, though - Rich is still Max's favorite uncle.)

First dance. I wish I had a better shot of her dress and hair. This is the best I could do. If I could do my wedding over, I would do my hair like hers.

I love how weddings just make me fall in love with my groom all over again. (Don't tell Courtney, but Rich was the cutest guy of the night.)

Skyler was the last of the Fredrickson siblings to tie the knot. This means that the only single sibling left on both sides of the family is the Dre. So, no pressure, Dre. (But seriously, don't mess up. We've got the best in-laws ever and would hate to ruin the streak.)

Before and After

2011-07-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

So, I was totally going to be all noble and grow my hair out and then donate it to Locks of Love, but... well... that's what I always say. So, I chopped it off (but only 6" and not 10" like you need to donate) a few weeks ago when I was in Utah. I think I am pleased with the results.

Before.

After.

Zags

2011-06-12T15:29:00.001-07:00

You are looking at the newest member of the Gonzaga Cross Country and Track and Field coaching staff (pending a few NCAA qualification tests). Rich is the new volunteer assistant coach for the Bulldogs, working under Pat Tyson. While this is only a volunteer position, we are looking forward to the doors that this will open for us in the future.

So, from now on, it's "Go Zags" at our place (and, as always, "Go Cougars"). It's going to be difficult getting used to the red, but at least their colors are red and blue.

100

2011-05-22T15:33:00.001-07:00

I was trying to come up with a clever title for this post. Then I saw that this is my 100th post, so I'm off the hook this time.

We are still in Spokane and have been in our apartment for about a month now. It's an older building, that's for sure. The floor is completely warped in many places (you should see how tilted our TV stand is - it is seriously going downhill), the apartment manager told us not to lick the paint (who wouldn't want to, right?) due to the potential of lead poisoning, the walls and ceilings are ridiculously thin (we've heard far more than we'd care to from our neighbors) and our ceilings are probably filled with asbestos.

Sounds like we hate the place, right? Well, we actually love it. It's in a really nice, quiet, and pretty area (Spokane is beautiful now that spring has finally decided to arrive). The people are really nice (we love love love our ward). We have a good amount of space (it's really nice going from one bedroom to two). We're close to pretty much everything. It's a good place for us.

But, the main reason for this post is pictures. Last month we went back to Utah so I could walk in my graduation, and we came back with some pictures worth posting (mainly because we have adorable nieces and nephews).

The three graduates: me, Cami, and Ethan

Momma and Craig Daddy

Grammy and Gramps Fredrickson

Krystle, Khloe, and Tyson

Carolyn and her kids (Ainsley, Sydney, Camryn, and Alex)

Rich said, "Strike a pose," so Sydney pops her foot and Camryn pulls this pose. What sass!

Camryn has the most adorable pout. I am SO glad someone caught a picture of this for me! (And I can't get enough of Sydney's skirt. So stinkin' adorable!)

We were also in Utah for Easter and had a good time with the kiddos on both sides of the family doing an Easter egg hunt. These next pictures were too adorable to pass up.

Rich, feeding Carson Nerds

I LOVE this picture. Camryn was about to give up reaching for this egg, but we told her to keep reaching, at the risk of falling, so we could get a picture of it.

Carson was so adorable on the egg hunt, and all the kids ended up with pretty good loot. Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Ainsley is such a happy baby, and very well dressed, I might add. (Yeah, I made that onesie for her.)

I also got to spend some time with old roomies. We went to Olive Garden like old times, hoping that maybe the spicy zuppa tuscana might put Leanne into labor, but no luck. Little Miss Anilee didn't come until over a week later (congrats again, Leanne!). And, of course, we missed Kelsi, Becca, and Emily!

Julie, Leanne, Alex

So, that's some of our life so far. While I miss Utah and my family a TON sometimes (ask Rich how I responded to getting a letter from my sister yesterday), Spokane is treating us well. It has been really nice being around Rich's parents, and we are looking forward to the summer when the Dre is back and Carolyn and her family (including Aaron this time!) will come to visit.

Just Venting

2011-05-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

So, Rich and I went to get our Washington licenses yesterday. I got mine smoothly enough, but getting Rich's has gone beyond being a hassle.

Rich went up to the counter and the lady at the desk told him his license had been revoked or suspended. Um, excuse me? That's what happens to people who get DUIs or way too many tickets. Rich falls into neither of those categories.

Turns out he didn't sign a form while he was getting his Utah license last December. Okay, that's fine. But then shouldn't he have never gotten his license in the first place? Instead, the employee at the West Valley City DMV signed and stamped the bottom of the form saying everything was fine and dandy and that nothing was missing, and the state of Utah went ahead and sent the license, all the while failing to tell Rich that his license was suspended. So, Rich has unknowingly been driving with a suspended license for 5 months now. Not his fault! Just imagine if he had gotten pulled over or in a wreck! What a joke!

Well, we spent this afternoon getting everything sorted out. Hopefully in a few days we'll hear back from the West Valley City DMV to let us know they finally got the completed form. But going off of the fact that they NEVER told Rich he was driving illegally, I think we may have to do some more checking.

(P.S. I'm planning on posting pictures from Graduation and Easter and our new apartment, but we still don't have Internet - I'm writing this from my phone.)

Pet Fox

2011-04-06T16:24:00.001-07:00

I want a pet fox.

I have since my 11th grade AP Psychology teacher talked about people who were breeding foxes as pets. I had kind of forgotten about it until Rich's dad got a National Geographic featuring an article about a research facility that has been domesticating foxes since the late '50s. It was an interesting article, but it mainly just made me fall in love with foxes all over again.

One problem. They cost $6,950.

Yeah, we definitely don't have that hanging around the house. Heck, we don't even have a house!

One reason they cost so much because you have to import them all the way from Novosibirsk, Russia. But don't worry, the $6,950 includes to-your-door delivery. If you want to meet your fox before the adoption, you're going to have to go to Russia. But then, if you're buying a pet fox, you can probably afford that, too.

So, when I become a millionaire, I know what pet I will get. (No, I will not name him Todd like in "The Fox and the Hound.")

You can check out the website for the organization here.

I've already found the fox I want. Now I just need to find the money....

Opening Day

2011-04-03T21:13:00.001-07:00

As I told my sister, I have gone from being a basketball widow to a baseball widow. The Mariners currently have Rich's heart.

Hello, baseball season. And this year, we're in Mariners' territory. Rich is in heaven. And I will be doing a lot of reading.

There is something to be said about the beginning of a new season. It's a fresh start, and, if you know anything about how the Mariners did last year, they really need that. And it's fun to see the excitement start all over again for Rich. The possibility that the Mariners might be able to pull off a winning season this year. The hope that this year he can win his fantasy league. And a new plus now - we'll most likely be going to a Mariners game this year.

To help get everyone else excited, I've posted two Mariners commercials for your viewing pleasure.

This one is just hilarious. Love King Felix.

And this one Rich can seriously relate to. He has honestly said, "Oh, I can take it. I'm a Mariners fan."

We're Not in Utah Anymore

2011-03-15T19:32:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the Wizard of Oz cliche, but it fits, right?

After a very uneventful trip (hallelujah!), Rich and I have arrived in Spokane.

I was honestly expecting much more difficulty on the move. Rich was a champ for driving the beastly moving truck and trailer towing Vince (Rich's '91 Toyota pickup - I'll have to explain the name later for those who don't know) the whole 12 hours. And I did well leading with our lame Dodge Stratus. Only a sore bum to report. (Maybe you already know this, but my family is not known for sitting still. I inherited that trait, so a 12-hour drive was perhaps one of the most daunting tasks of life.)

The only almost eventful thing happened in Montana when Rich was close to running out of gas. I didn't know how close the next gas station would be, so we pulled off the Anaconda exit (honk if you know where that is) because the freeway sign said we could find gas here. Turns out Anaconda is about 6 miles from the freeway, so we had to truck out there, then truck back out with our caravan. But I didn't want to take the running out of gas risk. That is perhaps the most embarrassing reason to pull off the road.

So, here we are in Spokane. Trying to find somewhere to live. If you have any hints, we would greatly appreciate them. We're hoping we can rent a house here. Spokane is MUCH cheaper than Utah, and that's very promising.

Big Brother...

2011-03-10T20:21:00.001-08:00

...is getting married!

Why, yes, this is the picture he sent in the "We're engaged" text. It's the only one I've got of them with a ring on her finger.

So now Rich and I have another excuse to come to Utah. I'll take it!

Changes

2011-03-06T20:03:00.005-08:00

I was going to do a post about my birthday (because I really LOVE my birthday), but I never got around to it. I got some awesome presents. Topping the list are "Horton Hears a Who" (the movie) from my husband (he knows my sense of humor well) and my very own brand new SEWING MACHINE from my mom! I'm ridiculously excited for that one. I just need to learn how to sew more than just a straight line... That should be an adventure.

Here are some pictures to make up for my lack of posting.

This picture isn't from my birthday. We've been to a bunch of BYU games lately, and I liked this picture better than the one we took on my birthday.

The night of my birthday, Rich was recognized for being an All-American in the steeplechase at the BYU vs. CSU game. This is him getting his (second) leather planner thingy. (Just so you know, BYU athletics, a plaque or trophy would have been much cooler.)

This one is a couple days after my birthday. My family came down to the Ghettovale to take me to Buca di Beppo. They give you a candelabra to blow out. Cool, huh?

Aren't they adorable? This is Skyler with his girly friend, Courtney. Max actually gave a real smile for us (no, for Rich).

Carrie loved my bangs so much she copied them (just kidding, sis).

But anyway, this post is called "Changes" for a reason. Rich and I have a big change coming up.

We are moving to Spokane, Washington.

In a week.

Kind of sudden, right? But that's how Rich and I work. When we make a decision, we don't like to wait around. We might have already left if we didn't have to pack everything still.

We really started considering a move last Sunday. And this past week things have just kind of pointed us more and more in that direction. It just seems to make the most sense. Nothing is happening for us here, and it seems like we'll have more opportunities in Spokane. So, Thursday we bought our way of our contract (I don't recommend it if you can avoid it), and we scheduled the moving truck yesterday (again, not cheap). We pack the truck this coming Saturday, and officially move a week from tomorrow.

We have mixed feelings about the move. First of all, all of my family is here, and quite a bit of Rich's, too. It's going to be really hard to leave them. And, though Rich and I don't feel like we have a lot of close friends, the ones we have we are going to miss a ton. But, like I said, we aren't getting anywhere here. Spokane has more to offer us for jobs and grad school options. Plus, Rich's parents are there so we're not setting out completely by ourselves. And Rich has a lot of friends from his high school days who are excited to see him return (seriously, it's like the prodigal son is returning when he's talked to them). And Spokane is less than half a day's drive from Utah. It's not like we're never going to be here again. But I don't think that will stop my from bawling my eyes out next week.

So, we're nervous, scared, sad, unsure, worried.

But also excited. We're ready to get up there and make things happen.

That's what is coming up for us. Wish us luck, and if you're ever up in Spokane (it's a real hot spot destination, I'm sure), look us up!

New Hobby

2011-01-27T12:12:00.001-08:00

I found something to do to while away the hours at home. With encouragement (and supplies) from my mom and sister (you'll see I'm definitely not doing this for anyone in my household), I have myself a new hobby.

My favorites, so far.

This one was my first. Wouldn't this be adorable on a cute little man? Too bad the onesie is too small for any of the little men in my life. Who did I make it for, you may ask? I have no idea.

Becca, I think you may recognize the fabric. The cool thing about this project is that I can literally make it from scraps. And the onesies my mom has just hanging out in her craft room. Carrie requested the chunky little elephant for Lola Bug. Not that she's going to fit in a 9-month onesie for much longer.

I really like this little birdie pattern. I think there will be many more like it. No idea who this one is for either.

So, now I have a new hobby. I will be making tons of these. If you have any requests, seriously let me know. I can tell you Rich won't be wearing them anytime soon. And I just want to make stuff.

I Drive a Dodge Stratus!

2011-01-18T14:30:00.003-08:00

If you know me, you probably know that I don't really like talking on phone. Okay, I pretty much HATE talking on the phone. So much so that it's basically a fear. It's fine if it's Rich, or my mom, or my sister, or Alex. (No offense to anyone who's not on the list. I promise - it's not you, it's me.) For everyone else, I am just afraid I won't be able to come up with things to say. Or that I will say something wrong. I get really nervous before I dial the number, and then I get all tongue tied when I try to talk. It's ridiculous, I know. (Just FYI - I think texting is perhaps one of the greatest inventions. Ever.)

I used to work at the Heritage Halls Front Desk (a residence area at BYU), and I dreaded when the phone would ring. I knew the answers to most of the questions, and I had usually a manager to fall back on when I didn't. But I hated answering that darn phone. I would NEVER be able to work in a call center.

This absurd fear also makes it difficult for me to call to make doctor appointments or to report visiting teaching or pretty much anything like that. When possible, I make Rich do these things (and he graciously does them).

Which is why I'm pretty proud of myself today. The transmission in our car ("I drive a Dodge Stratus!" - see below) is having some serious issues, and we needed to get it towed to a repair shop. This would typically fall under Rich's realm in our household, but he has to work and can't call around to figure things out. I am proud to say that I (finally) stepped up to the plate for this one. I called the repair shop and then got a tow truck. I almost had a panic attack getting myself to do it. But it's done.

Maybe I'm one step closer to conquering my fear. Or maybe not.

If you didn't understand the "I drive a Dodge Stratus!" reference, watch this SNL skit. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, you can skip to around 2:40 and watch from there.

Fredrickson Family Pictures

2011-01-11T13:11:00.006-08:00

The last time the Fredricksons took family pictures (besides weddings) there were no children. In fact, there weren't even any in-laws. Needless to say, these were long overdue. We found out it's a lot harder to take pictures with all the chilluns, and with my dad's transition lenses.

There are only three kids in this picture, and we still can't get them to look at the camera.

"Dad, take off your glasses!"

Check out Max's fake cheese. Not in the mood for a photo shoot. Khloe wasn't either, but it's a good thing she's adorable, as this photo clearly shows.

Best Present Ever (Well...In My Top 5)

2010-12-29T18:19:00.007-08:00

So I have an obsession with sports. The secret is out.

Along with this obsession comes a strange fascination with team logos. I used to draw the NBA team logos and put them up on my wall (colored-in perfectly, of course). I also love tracking the progress of teams and looking at the current standings on a daily basis. I appeased the baseball nerd in me by buying an MLB standings board a couple of seasons ago that includes a little batting helmet for each team. However, since then I have always wanted a similar contraption for the NBA. I described to Shara one day what they should invent to please basketball nerds like me...and apparently she was taking more careful notes than I realized because on Christmas morning I opened this:

That's right. My wife is AWESOME. She went online and printed out every NBA team's jersey and logo and mounted them on magnetic paper. She even included the Eastern and Western Conference logos and a complete Finals bracket for when the playoffs roll around!! Her thumb is still a little numb from all the intricate cutting...

I wouldn't have been able to guess in a million years what the present was while it was wrapped. She included a big magnetic frame which she will put to good use during the off-season...unless I get a baseball or football set next year. Not even Santa's elves could have followed through the way Shara did this year. She even offered to hang it up in the kitchen...which even I have been a little hesitant about. Needless to say, my evil plot to brainwash her into my sports-infested fantasy world is nearly complete. Thanks honey!!!!

Christmas

2010-12-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to put up some pictures from our great Christmas.

Max knew just what he wanted for Christmas - he just couldn't form the words for Santa.

"How about a nice football?"

"Football? What's a football?"

Lola was all about climbing on the presents.

We wrapped up Max for his mom.

"I don't want to be a present!"

Trying to get to the forbidden tree

Opening Christmas joys

Hope your holidays were fun! Happy 2011 in just a few more days!

Birthday Boy

2010-12-13T20:17:00.003-08:00

I'm not the best at planning parties, so I'm always a little anxious for Rich's birthday because I'm afraid I won't do enough for the hubby. Rich will have to say whether or not he enjoyed it, but I had a pretty good time.

Rich started his birthday at 4 AM and worked until 5 PM. Great fun, right? I had a good day at school (my second to last day), and I had an even better eye appointment. No more SPK! For now. (Cassandra, I'm going to follow your advice about Clear Care to see if I can keep it gone.) The doctor seemed a little surprised that it was gone, and I thought in my mind, "It's a birthday miracle!" And it wasn't even my birthday!

We had a Papa Murphy's pizza with artichoke hearts for dinner (all for Rich - I realized I am not really a fan). And then Rich got to open his present from me. I think I was more excited for this than he was. I got him a Kevin Durant shirt, his second favorite player in the NBA (he already has a D-Will shirt). He loved it, or at least was a really good actor to make me feel good.

Later that night, we had the 5th Annual Christmas Cookie Party on our schedule. Our friend Chad's sister Krista and her friend Susan throw a cookie party every year, and Rich has been to every one. I was happy to be pulled into the tradition (now in my third year), and we are looking forward to "Four more years! Four more years!" (Arrested Development? Anyone?) Here are some pics from the night. You'll see Rich couldn't wait to don his birthday apparel (which I'm telling myself is a sign of a great birthday gift).

Just have to say - notice the lack of glasses. Hallelujah!

See Rich's cookie scene? Don't ask about the facial expression.

Sorry, Chad. Had to put it on here. He didn't pose this at all. It just happened.

Friends, with some cookie loot

Us, with Chad, Bethany, Susan, and Krista. Merry Christmas Cookie Party!

Saturday brought Fredrickson family pictures, the BYU vs. Arizona basketball game in the Energy Solutions Arena (don't worry - we won 87-65 and Jimmer was on fire), and then a trip to the lights at Temple Square. We finished it off with cake and ice cream at our place, along with some Sorry Sliders.

I think this first picture is so cute. He was actually just taking a breath before blowing out the candles, but he looks like a little kid overcome with birthday excitement. Love it.

Like I said, I had fun. I hope the husband did, too. Now, I have way too much free time, and Rich has none at all. It's going to be a crazy rest of the month. Well, at least for one of us.

Nearly There

2010-11-30T11:41:00.001-08:00

I took my last college exam last night. My very last one. It hasn't quite hit me yet.

And I have two more weeks of student teaching, which isn't really quite teaching... I am team teaching this week, and next week I am observing. I can't believe how close I am to being done.

Then I will be graduated, with no idea what to do with my future. Anyone interested in hiring me. I have a BYU degree in History Teaching (with a Psychology Teaching minor)? It doesn't have to be in a school? Anyone? Please? It's probably going to get desperate over here.

Yeah, the job is my next problem. Along with what on earth to do with the upcoming free time, time when I would have been studying or writing lesson plans. Anyone have any good book suggestions? If not, I think I hear Harry Potter calling my name. (Make fun of me all you want - they're great books and J.K. Rowling is a genius.)

"My Boss is Literally the Devil"

2010-11-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

In my US History classes, we are talking about the Industrial Revolution. To give students a little taste of working conditions during this time period, I formed a little factory in my classroom. Students had to pass books around the room, while not smiling, talking, laughing, or sitting; I even cranked the heat up to about 90 degrees while they were working. And I did a lot of yelling (I don't think I've ever really yelled at a class before this).

A lot of students realized that this was just a simulation. Their assignment after the activity was to write a letter home as if they worked in a factory during the Industrial Revolution and describe the conditions. After reading through their letters, I found that some students took the simulation a little too seriously. One girl wrote, "My boss is literally the devil." I know she was talking about me, not a fictional boss, because she was describing our box-moving factory, and she said "she" when referring to the boss (there were few, if any, she-bosses during the Industrial Revolution). I feel like that should have hurt my feelings, but it only made me happier.

In other news, Rich and I went to the BYU basketball season opener versus Fresno State on Friday, and it was a wonderful blowout. It's going to be a great season! Have I mentioned that BYU basketball is my favorite?!

2-in-1

2010-11-07T19:08:00.002-08:00

Yesterday was a sports-filled day for the Nelly family. We started our day with a drive to Provo for BYU vs. UNLV. That game was reminiscent of the BYU in John Beck years, with a final score of 55-7. It's always nice to watch a blowout like that. It helps your self-esteem. (Sorry any UNLV fans. Nothing against you.)

Our seats were the best we've had all season. On the second row by the north end zone. And the people in front of us never showed, so Andrea and I sat in the very front row. The weather was AMAZING. In the 70s in November, and I even got a little tan line from my glasses (hopefully, only a couple more weeks of glasses left).

This is how close we were to the field. I think this may be the closest I have ever sat in my 5 years of college football.

We also scored tickets to the Jazz vs. Clippers game, so after the football game (and lunch in the Cannon Center provided by Andrea) we quickly came back to Midvale, changed gear, and headed to Salt Lake. We thought about taking Trax to the game since we live right next to a station, but we're glad we drove because we even scored free parking.

Our seats at the Jazz game were pretty much the complete opposite of the football game. Here's a picture of our view for comparison.

We were literally in the VERY top row. You can see everything from up there. Only, things are the size of ants.

My brother Skyler has season tickets to the Jazz, and Rich I actually found him and his buddies from our seats. (They're kind of hard to miss - they're perhaps the craziest ones out there. If you know Skyler, you know what I'm talking about.) He even came up to say hi to us, after catching his breath from our thousand-step climb.

The Jazz game turned out to be pretty intense. Things didn't look so hot as the Clippers dominated the first half, but the Jazz came to life in the second half, and the game ended after a second overtime with some pretty crazy shots and dunks. It all paid off in the end when they pulled off a 109-107 victory.

I think our pictures from Jazz games look almost identical. But it's nice to get a shot every time. (Thanks again, Scott, for letting me use the jersey. Maybe someday I'll get my own Jazz gear.)

To top the weekend off, Utah got dominated by TCU, 47-7. A BYU win. A Jazz win. A Utah blowout. What more could I ask for in a sports weekend?

P.S. This has nothing to do with sports, but it's funny. Rich and I totally forgot about Daylight Savings Time this morning. We didn't set back any of our clocks and got ready like normal this morning. It wasn't until I turned on my computer right before we were heading out the door that I saw the real time - 7:44 AM. Yeah, we went back to sleep for another hour.

Happy October 30th!

2010-10-31T19:00:00.004-07:00

Only in Utah can you change the day of Halloween if it falls on a Sunday. So, it's Halloween today, but all of our Halloween happenings have already happened.

Our Halloween weekend started on Friday with our ward's trunk or treat. We had visitors, lots of them: my mom and dad, Carrie, Ryan, Max, Lola, and Ryan's parents who are visiting from Kentucky. Rich made some delicious chili for the chili cookoff, and it turned out to be a hit. Max looked adorable in his fireman costume, which he has probably worn every day since they bought it three weeks ago.

Our trunk, which consisted of pretty much all of the Halloween decorations we own

Lola with Grandpa Steve, in her Halloween tutu

Fireman Max got a TON of loot this year, which makes sense after trick or treating 3 different times

Saturday night brought us to the Durhams' house for their annual Halloween party. As far as favorite costumes for the year go, Chad and Bethany definitely win. The party, and the food, were a huge hit, yet again! Thanks, Durham family! I just wish I had gotten a picture of Chase and Savannah in their costumes - they were adorable!

The food setup, complete with Witch's Brew and Mummy Dogs

Being the poor, starving couple that we are, we didn't go all out for costumes this year. We decided it would be fun to pull out the Jazz jerseys again, and the masks are recycled from last year (and they terrified Savannah again, like last year).

And here are the winners of best costumes...

Bleaker and Juno. Their costumes are really spot on. Especially Bethany's. Right down to the orange-striped shirt and plaid skirt. I put the movie poster there so you can compare. Pretty darn good, right?

And now, it's Halloween night, and we've had two trick-or-treaters come to our door. At least we got someone. I guess Rich will have to finish off our giant bag of Skittles and Starbursts ( I don't think that will be too hard for him).

Farewell, Halloween. Til next year. When we will actually celebrate you on October 31st.

Life's No Fun Without a Good Scare

2010-10-25T20:05:00.002-07:00

Happy Halloween, all!

My absolute favorite Halloween decoration. Rich discovered it at the Stop & Shop in Ogden.

We carved pumpkins tonight and are pretty satisfied with our work. (Mainly Rich's work. I don't trust myself with the little details.)

Picking the pumpkin's nose

Our works of art

Oogie Boogie and Jack the Pumpkin King look pretty darn good with the lights off

High School

2010-10-23T20:46:00.002-07:00

Just a couple of thoughts about teaching.

First, I worked hard in high school. No, it wasn't college, and classes weren't terribly difficult. But I still worked. I did my homework, and I did it on time. When we had time to work in class, I worked. And the rest of my classmates worked, too. I rarely remember free time in class.

I don't know if high school has changed since I was there (a whole 5 years ago), but I don't feel like students work today. From what I've seen in my student teaching and observations at different schools, kids just don't seem motivated. Maybe Weber High was a little weird - we did have pretty dang good academics. But still. Kids just don't seem to work these days.

Most schools where I have observed have given some form of "advisory time" during the school day. This is basically makeup time where kids talk with their teachers about what they are missing or how to bring up test scores. This seems wrong to me. It seems like schools are saying, "Rather than trying to prevent this from happening, we just have to give in." I'm probably not the only one to think this, but maybe kids would work harder if they knew the first time was actually going to count? Just saying...

Another thought. I think people have a very skewed idea about the life of a teacher. They, in fact, do not live in the school. They aren't even there until 5 o'clock every night, nor should they have to be. Their day starts early, so, therefore, their day should be done early. (For example, Westlake teachers need to be at school by 7:15 AM and can leave at 2:45 PM.)

So, students shouldn't expect for their teacher to be in his or her classroom at 3:30 PM. I have been at school a little later than desired grading papers and have seen students come in at this time, asking to re-take a test which will take another half an hour or so. This is not right, folks! Teachers need to have a life, too! They already get paid way too little, so don't make them stay longer than contract requires them.

And, it's one thing for a student to do this, but I feel like parents should just plain know better. I know it's hard to get in to the school on a teacher's schedule, but don't get mad when your child's teacher is not there two hours after school is over. I have good news for you - email works pretty much just as well as a classroom visit, and I can guarantee a teacher would rather respond to an email.

Please tell me other people have noticed these things as well?

Special

2010-10-17T16:40:00.002-07:00

This past week as a special time for my family. My sister Carrie and her husband Ryan were sealed to their kids for time and all eternity in the Logan temple. That means that Carrie and Ryan get to be with

this handsome young man

and this adorable redhead

forever. That's a pretty amazing thing. And it was really special for Rich and I, and the rest of my family, to be there with them.

Here are some pictures from the week.

Ryan says Lola drinks like a little calf. But an adorable little calf.

Dinner at the Prairie Schooner (Ogden has some weird, but delicious, restaurants)

Uncle Skyler on a walk with Lola at the restaurant

The Bear Witch Project (Rich's clever title)

Khloe's adorable even when we force her into my glasses

Such a gorgeous family

Max is too stinkin' cute

I received my endowment at the Logan temple right before Rich and I were married, but we never got a picture there. We finally did.

Sick Day

2010-10-10T18:23:00.001-07:00

Poor hubby was sick today. Not just cold sick but full out sick.

This morning, after an upchuck incident, I offered to clean up in the bathroom so he could lie back down. He refused, and I didn't know what to do. Either he is too much of a sweetie to let me clean up such messes, or I royally failed because I didn't force the rag out of his hand and him back into bed. Probably a combination of them both.

Today I found that I had very limited resources to help him recover. It turns out we are not well-prepared for illness here in the Nelson household. We don't even have chicken noodle soup. Instead, our soup of the day was Cup of Noodles (one of my lunch staples). At least I served it to Rich out of a bowl instead of the styrofoam cup.

In other news...

Fun things this past week:
   - Khloe's 1st birthday party
   - Hanging out with Scott while he was in town
   - Cheering the Cougars to victory against San Diego State
   - Today's date is 10/10/10, which is pretty sweet

Good things to look forward to this week:
   - Fall Break, which means NO SCHOOL Thursday and Friday
   - Carrie and Ryan going through the temple and us being able to there with them

Alejandra

2010-10-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

Guess who I got to see this weekend! Alejandra! (For those of you who don't speak Spanish, that means Alexandra.)

Me with the ever-amazing Sister Ahern and her gorgeous little sister, Brooke

Missionaries in the Salt Lake Mission are allowed to see friends and family in between sessions of General Conference. This is Alex's last Conference before she is no longer a missionary. so I knew I had to go. She was willing to forgive me being the worst writer and for still not having sent her Christmas present from last year (I have seriously had it since November of last year, but for some reason I still haven't sent it). I can't believe she only has 5 months left. I know that the mission field is going to be losing an amazing missionary when she gets home, but it'll be fun to have her back! Good luck with the last 5 months of your mission, Sister Ahern!

Seriously Disappointed

2010-10-01T20:36:00.006-07:00

I was looking forward to pizza and Pepsi tonight to celebrate making it through another week of student teaching, while watching the BYU football game. Instead, Rich and I had to leave the house because the game was utterly impossible to watch.

It's never a good sign when you're afraid you're going to lose to Utah State. And it's just plain wrong to actually lose. I guess every team has its off year once in a while. But knowing this doesn't make tonight's embarrassment any easier to bear.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still cheering as hard as ever for the Cougars. I'm no bandwagon fan. I know where my loyalties lie. They're my team. I'll be at every home game this year in my rotating student section seat cheering as loud as I can, just like any other season.

But let's just say I'm already looking forward to basketball season. I like basketball better anyway. So, here's to future hopes. Make me proud, Jimmer.

Congratulations, Petersen Family!

2010-09-26T13:53:00.002-07:00

Rich and I have a new niece! Welcome, Ainsley Kate Petersen, weighing 9 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 21" long and born early early yesterday morning, just in time to share a birthday with cousin Carson.

I think Carolyn deserves a major pat on the back for the size. I already feel a special bond with Ainsley because I was 9 lbs. 11 oz. when I was born. I think this makes her the closest niece or nephew to my own hugeness.

Look at those cheeks! So adorable!

Congratulations on your newest addition, Petersen family! Alex may have been rooting for a brother, but I'm sure this little one will be just as loved even if he can't play tackle football with her.

Crap, It's Back

2010-09-22T19:31:00.001-07:00

Remember SPK? Well, it's back. And I foolishly thought that I got rid of those stupid spots on my cornea a year ago.

But now there's something up with my right eye. Again. Things are a little blurry (sometimes, but not all of the time) and I can't wear contacts. Again. I'm going to the ophthalmologist. Again. I'm probably going to cry in front of him. Again.

Obviously, my goal is not to cry when he tells me I have to wear glasses for whatever length of time. But, if you know my family at all, you know we get emotional pretty easily. And I really HATE glasses. Not a good combination for me.

I never thought I would seriously consider lasik because I really don't mind contacts. And, I still can't seriously consider it because that's a lot of money that we should spend on things like rent, maybe, or food. But, if Bill Gates were to give me a couple thousand dollars (he could afford to give me a couple million, so I'm really not even asking for that much), I know how I would spend it.

I hope that I won't be a permanent glasses wearer. If the doctor tells me that, my willpower will most definitely break, and I will be bawling in front of him once more.

Wish me luck for Friday!

Well, Here We Are

2010-09-09T19:05:00.004-07:00

Rich and I moved from the oh-so-friendly Happy Valley about two weeks ago, so I am coming to you now from the not-as-friendly Salt Lake County. I've never been the type who absolutely adored Utah County, so I didn't realize how much I would miss Provo once we left. Now, I long to be back there. Where you are surrounded by fellow Cougar fans. Where it's not an accusation when people ask if are you a Cougar fan. Where you don't feel like you're going to have your window bashed in for having a Y sticker on your car. Well, take this Utes:

We're Cougars through and through.

But seriously, I mostly miss Provo for the people. And the familiarity. I miss being able to hang out with Cami and Ethan a couple of times a week, playing Block Party and having BBQs. And, though we didn't really get to experience it, I miss being around Andrea who just got to BYU. I miss BYU campus, and I miss my friends at work (though Jana, bless her, is the only one still working with RHA). I miss going over to the Durhams' for "Office" and "Community" parties and having Chase and Savannah come running out the door to say (a very shy) hello. I miss Y Mountain, Provo Canyon, and the Provo River Trail. I miss being able to go running from my house (it turns out Midvale is pretty ghetto and a little bit scary).

So, I'm going to start looking for the positives about being in Midvale. One, we're closer to my family. Loving this.

Especially since this one, Khloe, is now starting to walk.

And this one, Lola, is now crawling.

Plus, Max absolutely adores Rich. Two, we like our apartment (it's smaller than our last one but nicer, and our complex is adorable). Three... well, give me time. I'm working on it.

Anyway, I started student teaching, and that's going well. I haven't completely taken over in the classroom yet, but I have taught a few times. It's tiring, but it's much better than sitting in classes all day (although it requires lots of patience because teenagers do not know how to stop talking). In a few weeks, I will be the teacher of four US History classes and two Citizenship and Government classes until December. Rich has thrown himself completely into the job hunt. I don't think there's a job opening on the Wasatch front that he doesn't know about.

So, that's us for now. Life has definitely changed a ton. We'll see what changes the next little while will bring.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-08-15T22:41:00.004-07:00

Two weeks ago, we decided we needed to go to Disneyland, so we bought tickets and were off within a week. We planned to leave Monday morning and drive all day. That was the plan until Sunday, when right after church we realized we couldn't wait any longer, and made another last minute decision to leave Sunday night and drive all through the night (Rich is really good at this, although I am proud of my midnight to 3 AM shift) so we could spend Monday at the beach. Good decisions.

Funny story. We were so eager to leave that we left too early. We planned on staying with our friend Chad's parents in Long Beach, so we called and asked when the earliest we should call them would be. 8 AM. Well, we got to Long Beach around 6:30... obviously too early. Well, I wanted to see the beach right away and we had time to waste, so we drove straight there. But not to a pretty beach. A gross one right by the LA port. The water was gray and the sand was yucky. But we made it to the beach. Still, we had another hour before we could call the Durhams.... So we slept in the car right by the road, as runners and dog owners and homeless people walked by us, probably wondering what on earth we were doing.

Monday we went to Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. It was too cold to really get into the water, but it was fun to be there. Perhaps the best thing was seeing dolphins off the pier, and a seal playing right below us. We had just missed the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. That would have been fun to see.

Tuesday was Disneyland, and Wednesday was California Adventure, plus more Disneyland. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough time to do everything, but we worked a good schedule around the Fast Passes and did more than everything. Favorite ride - Space Mountain, which we rode 5 times.

There are lots of pictures in the slideshow, but I couldn't narrow them down.

Thanks again to the Durhams for letting us stay with them - we felt so taken care of!

And finally, I feel I must share this picture, even if it means embarrassing myself. This is from one of our coaster rides. Don't mind the poor quality - we were too cheap to buy it so this is a picture of the picture from Rich's phone. I am doing what we call the horse face, and this camera caught it at pretty much the perfect moment. I hope you enjoy:

Mr. August

2010-08-08T12:32:00.001-07:00

Rich's picture is featured for the month of August in this year's BYU athletic calendar. He's Mr. August, you might say.

(Why yes that does say Disneyland on our calendar. I'm so excited!)

Welcome to Utah, Kirtley Family

2010-07-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

My sister and her family just moved to Utah from Kentucky, and I am so excited to have them here! Carrie and I have lived too far apart for too long! It's going to be great spending more time with her, her husband, and her two adorable kids, Max and Lola!

Max in his gator pool - I think he's been swimming in it everyday since they moved

Lola and her adorable red hair (where'd that come from?!) - she's usually pretty smiley, but this was the only look I could get from her for a picture

Khloe (Tyson and Krystle's little girl) did not just move here, but I had to post a picture of those beautiful blue eyes! She is such a doll!

Let's just say with all of this family here, Rich and I are spending much more money on gas for trips from Provo to Ogden. (We went up last Sunday, I went up again Monday and stayed until Wednesday, we're going up again tomorrow, and I'll probably go up again sometime next week.)

Mrs. Gloop

2010-07-18T22:09:00.002-07:00

Presenting James "Benchpress" Murphy as Mrs. Gloop in "Willy Wonka":

We saw the show at the Scera outdoor theater in Orem, and Benchpress was hilarious - loved his accent. He just auditioned for Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray," and I really hope he gets it!

Family Reunion

2010-07-15T21:22:00.001-07:00

This is what it looks like when you try to cram tons of family into our little apartment:

(A little bit of chaos from dinner one night)

But it's all worth it when you have these adorable nieces and nephews:

(Not all of them - wish they all could have been here!)

This past weekend was the Farnsworth family reunion, as in all of Rich's mom's dad's siblings and their descendants. A LOT of people.

And we got to experience "The Compound." What's that? Only every child's wildest dream fulfilled. Six families that live on the same block in Lindon (part of this family reunion) went in together to make a huge sports complex in their backyards. Let's see if I can remember everything: swimming pool with water slide and separate kiddy pool, a tennis court that doubled as basketball court with 6 hoops, 6 soccer goals outside, a separate indoor soccer field, indoor racquetball, 2 batting cages, put put golf holes, and to top it all off a train that circles the entire block. This place was nuts. Rich and Ethan were in heaven; they played soccer for hours in honor of the World Cup. Even Grandma Farnsworth took a ride on the train.

This family reunion brought to Utah Rich's sister Christine and her three kids from Colorado, another of Rich's sisters Carolyn and her three kids from South Dakota, and Rich's mom from Washington. It was great, though a little chaotic, to have everyone in town.

Especially for adorable moments like this:

Camryn and Whitley (aka Wookie - her nickname from her dad)

And this:

(About to go swimming, aren't they so cute?!)

But it can get a little exhausting.

On Sunday night, Camryn put herself to sleep. Her mom went into the room to get her for a picture and found that she had read herself to sleep.

The family reunion's over now, but there is more family to come! My sister Carrie, her husband Ryan, and their two kids Max and Lola just moved to Utah from Kentucky. This means that my whole family is in Utah now. I can't wait to meet baby Lola!

Fireworks: One of God's Greatest Gifts to Mankind

2010-07-08T21:43:00.002-07:00

We in the Nelly household love the 4th of July. This year especially rocked because Utah had the ability to change the day its citizens celebrated Independence Day to the 5th, and events ended up being spread out across a 3-day weekend.

We began our wonderful weekend on Friday night by going to our first ever Major League Soccer game, Real (as in the Spanish word for royal) Salt Lake vs. the New England Revolution, with Rich's old teammate Reagan Frey and his wife Sarah. It turns out Real is really good and New England is pretty awful. Real won (very) easily, 5-0. Soccer games are so different than any other sporting event I've been to. We brought rolls of streamers with us, and after the goals we threw them into the crowd and even down onto the field. And that's COMPLETELY allowed. I'm used to BYU games where you get a piece of confetti on the floor or field and they're after your life. Soccer is so much more laid back, and I like that.

I felt so out of place because I didn't have anything Real, or anything soccer for that matter, to wear to the game. Rich happily sported his USA jersey.

The CRAZY supporter section at the game. Their "band" played the entire game, but their trumpeter only knew about 2 notes.

The game ended with a pretty good fireworks show (though nothing compared to what we would see the next day), just perfect for kicking off our Independence Day weekend. They even let us go down on the field to watch the game. You would NEVER see that at BYU.

A really cool shot of the fireworks (thanks Sarah for all of the pictures!)

Saturday brought us an all-American BBQ with Cami and Ethan. It was delicious! We headed up to BYU campus afterwards to claim our spots to watch Stadium of Fire. We weren't close enough to the stadium to hear much of Carrie Underwood, but we had a pretty good view for the fireworks. This show put the Real one to shame.

Waiting for the fireworks to start

We sat around Sunday basically waiting for the night when Cami, Ethan, Rich, and I could head over to Chad (another of Rich's old teammates) and his wife Bethany's house to set off fireworks. Chad and Bethany have two adorable kids, Chase and Savannah, and it was awesome setting off the fireworks with them. It's just something else seeing how little ones appreciate it, smiling and yelling and wanting to choose which one we do next.

Chase helping Savannah pose for the picture

A little taste of our fireworks (we put Stadium of Fire to shame, right?)

The official day off for Independence Day in Utah was Monday, which began early in the morning with the Freedom Run 5K for Rich. He thought he could just take it easy in this race and easily earn us $300 so he hadn't really trained for it, but real road racers decided to show up and ruin the fun.

At the start of the race

Rich finished in 4th (with a pretty decent time), but he still may be able to get the 3rd place prize because his teammate Jon Kotter (who came in 3rd) still has eligibility and can't accept prize money. Rich also got a cool trophy for being the first finisher in his age division. And guess who we saw there!

Steve Young!

Rich was brave enough to ask if we could take a picture with him. He had just finished running the 10K and I know he gets this type of thing all the time, but he was gracious enough to let us be adoring fans.

We headed over to the "Grand Parade" after the race, but it wasn't really all that grand. I mean, it was cool. But people camped out overnight for good spots, and there were almost no places left to sit. It wasn't that cool. They didn't even throw out candy.

We finished out our 4th of July weekend with dinner at Burgers Supreme, a Provo classic. Can I just say that In-N-Out is completely overrated? Burgers Supreme is a thousand times better. (If you love In-N-Out, can we please still be friends?)

USA Nationals

2010-06-24T11:52:00.004-07:00

This may be my last ever post about how to watch one of Rich's races. That's really weird.

Tomorrow, Rich races in the prelims of the USA National Championships. This is different from NCAA Nationals because this includes professionals, actually is for professionals. Like Walter Dix. And distance runner Galen Rupp (He just signed a $1 million contract with Nike with a $2 million signing bonus. Sure, that's nothing compared to what LeBron's about to get, but for a runner?!)

Rich's goal for this race is to run his heart out in the prelims to get a new personal best time. If that gets him to the finals, then we'll see what he can do there.

You can watch his race online tomorrow from this address:

http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/video.asp

He races at 3:15 MT, and he'll be in the first of two heats. The video isn't exactly the best, but at least it's something!

There will also be some coverage on ESPN tomorrow night from 6-8 MT. They might (though I'm not sure) do a recap of the steeplechase.

The steeplechase finals are on Sunday. Could be Rich's first Sunday race... That will be shown live on ESPN at 11:50 AM MT. Finally, a channel that people have.

It's really weird to think that this might be Rich's last steeplechase. I really don't want it to be. As much as I hate it when he goes on trips, running is a big part of him and of our family, especially the steeplechase. I just don't think either of us are ready to see that end. But it can't last forever, right?

I Love this Dress

2010-06-20T20:28:00.001-07:00

Remember that dress I was going to make someday? Made it.

Well... I technically helped my mom make it. She had just gotten a new sewing machine and "needed to test it out" so she did most of the work. Plus, I didn't want to mess it up. End result - a pretty stinkin' adorable dress.

I killed two birds with one stone with this project. I made the adorable dress, and I used Becca's fabric. That fabric was perfect for the dress. You're amazing, Becca (and Melissa)!

So, I now have my first piece of baby clothing... just no baby and not even one on the way. Maybe I should give this dress to a niece.

Two-Time All-American

2010-06-18T15:46:00.003-07:00

Last week, Rich competed in NCAA Nationals, and he finished 8th place, earning his his second All-American title in the steeplechase. This is, of course, an amazing honor. But it was a little bittersweet for us in the Nelly household. Rich had the potential to be one of the top competitors in the race, but it just wasn't meant to happen this time. Still, he obviously gave the race everything he had, and Rich can now proudly display his trophy and a second All-American plaque (although if it's like the last one it will take about a year to get it!

We got a pleasant surprise on the morning of race day. I knew Rich's parents were driving from Spokane for the final race, and I was pretty sure little sister Andrea was coming, too. But, we didn't know who else was coming! As we were waiting for them to get there, I looked out the window and saw the infamous Nelson van (lovingly nicknamed "The Shaggin' Wagon"), and I wondered why they needed a van for 3 people. Then Rich says, "I think that's Scott..." We both ran outside and found there was a reason for the Wagon - inside were Mom and Dad Nelson, Grandma Nelson, Andrea, Andrea's friend, and Scott. It's always great to have a large cheering section!

Rich was so excited to see everyone there, but seeing Scott really meant a lot to him because Scott is probably Rich's second biggest fan (of course, I'm number one). Awesome job, family, on keeping Scott's trip to the race a secret!

Here are some pictures from our trip to green, wet, rainy, track-loving Eugene.

The most beautiful water jump I've ever seen (they LOVE track)

Rich doing a water jump during prelims

Getting his trophy

Coach Eyestone and us with the loot

Next week, Rich is going to Des Moines, Iowa, for USA Nationals. He's main goal is to get a personal best that will get him on the BYU top-10 board!

On to Finals

2010-06-10T16:12:00.001-07:00

This is just a short post to say that Rich had a great race yesterday in the prelims here at Nationals. He finished 5th in his heat, which is just what he wanted to do, though it made his family nervous (especially Scott). They're used to Rich giving it his all to finish on top. However, that was not the plan for the race yesterday. He knew he needed to do just enough to qualify for finals while still saving as much energy as possible for the race.

After the race, Rich's sister Christine called me to say that he had made them nervous when they were watching because he was hanging back. They weren't sure how he was feeling and was afraid he wasn't going to qualify. I assured her, and many others, that he knew what he doing and was watching his back to make sure he was in the top 6.

So, the final race is tomorrow! We're pretty excited here! Rich's parents get here tonight, and we've just been taking it easy here, making sure Rich is plenty well rested for the race (which means we see plenty of the hotel room).

If you get CBS College Sports, you should definitely watch this race. Tune in tomorrow night at 6 PT and look for Rich in his white BYU uniform!

Welcome to Track Town, USA

2010-06-08T14:58:00.003-07:00

Well, we're finally here in Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This place is nuts. I've always heard people talk about how they call this place Track Town, USA. (Well, not always... Let's face it - I knew practically nothing about track pre-Rich.) I thought the stories had to be at least a little exaggerated.

WRONG. Eugene, Oregon, LOVES track.

If the signs around the town welcoming one and all to the meet weren't enough to prove this, the fact that the key card for our hotel room was made for this week and looks something like this

definitely gave it away. Seriously. It's so cool to be in a place that actually cares about track. It's so... different. And awesome.

Rich races tomorrow in the prelims, and then, with any luck - no, with any skill - he'll race again on Friday in the finals. The steeplechase prelims are tomorrow at 6:15 PM (PT), and Rich races in the second of 2 heats. The top 6 in each heat qualify for the finals, and then the top 2 times after that. I'm pretty sure that the race is going to be broadcast online, and this link should get you there:

http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=182243

The finals, on the other hand, will only be available on TV on the CBS College Sports channel that very few people actually have. But, if you have it, watch the race. It's at 6 PM (PT) . GoDucks.com will have real-time race recaps and video interviews, so you can turn there if you have . (I stole a lot of this info from Rich's devoted brother. Thanks, Scott).

This should be really good competition because there isn't really a favorite to win and it could be anyone's race, including Rich.

The good news for me is that I don't have to scramble around trying to find the broadcast of the race. Nope, I'm going to see it up close and personal. I am so excited to be here! This is going to be a great week!

Thank Goodness for Fire

2010-06-02T19:53:00.005-07:00

For Memorial Day, Rich and I thought it would be fun to go fishing with Cami and Ethan. Let's just say an hour drive to Strawberry Reservoir, yards of tangled line, the loss of a brand new $6 lure, and no fish later, it was a bad idea.

At least we had a backup plan. Bonfire. We drove into Provo Canyon and found the PERFECT spot. We brought hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting (though we had been planning on cooking up some of the fish we caught). I was afraid Rich's frustration would last through the bonfire, but, seriously, nothing cheers a guy up like fire. Our food was delicious (why does cooking things over a fire make them taste so good?), and we had a fun time.

At least some of our Memorial Day was a success.

At the bonfire site (you can tell because Rich is smiling - fire works miracles). Yes, I like this picture, as you can probably tell from seeing it at the top of the page.

Cami, Ethan, and me around our bonfire (sorry the picture is so blurry - our camera doesn't do well in the dark)

We're Going to Oregon!

2010-05-29T11:15:00.002-07:00

Last night, Rich ran in the NCAA West Region Championships in Austin, Texas, and had an awesome race. The top 3 runners in each heat of the steeplechase qualified for Nationals, and then the top 3 times after that, coming to a total of 12 runners from each region. Rich ran in the final heat and knew what he had to do to qualify for Nationals. So, don't worry, he decided to win the race and have the fastest time of the day.

It was a really fun race to watch. I was at my parents' house in Ogden, and we had a lot of family over for dinner: my aunt and 3 of her boys from Arizona (plus my cousin's friend who joined them for the trip), Grandma and Grandpa Burnham, and my brother Tyson and his wife Krystle and their baby Khloe. We all crammed into my dad's small study and crowded around 3 computers to watch the race (a grand total of 13 people - a tight fit). It got so loud in there as we were all yelling and clapping and cheering for Nelly. And it was well worth it!

I talked to Rich a little bit later about the race, and he told me something funny. The guy with the fastest time going into Regions was Hillary Bor from Iowa State. He was at the front for all of this race, and Rich caught up to him with around a lap and a half to go. He was debating about whether it was enough to just qualify or if he should try to pass Bor at the end. At the last water jump (a little over a 1/4 of a lap to the finish line), Rich noticed that Bor was missing a shoe. Rich's pride kicked in, and he wasn't going to let a guy with one shoe beat him. Rich pushed in front (at this point the floors and walls were shaking in my dad's study from all of the cheering) and won the race.

Rich got an interview with the Flotrack guys after the race. You should watch it. Don't mind that fact that he is drenched in sweat. Give him a break - Texas is HOT and HUMID, and he just won a race. You can see Hillary Bor in background of the video, still wearing only one shoe.

So now, Rich is going to Eugene, Oregon (Track Town, USA), for Nationals and a shot at the national steeplechase title.

But wait, this post is called "We're Going to Oregon," and by we I do not mean Rich only. I get to go with him to cheer him on! Sweet! I am so excited that I get to be there! Rich's parents (and sister Andrea, too, I think) will be joining us as well. We're looking forward to a great week in Eugene.

Rich (Plus 30 Pounds)

2010-05-23T19:42:00.008-07:00

One of Rich's old mission companion just sent him some pictures from their mission in Vina del Mar, Chile. As soon as Rich opened the email with said photos, he practically shouted, "Man, I was fat!" Yes, fat for Rich is a relative term. He was never HUGE, just much bigger than he is now. Hard to imagine? Here's the proof:

Notice how forced his smile looks. It's like he has to force the smile around the chub (he pointed this out to me).

He told me he probably gained 40 pounds in fat and lost most of his muscle weight. I've always known Rich as a skinny distance runner, so these pictures were quite a shock! I don't feel bad about posting them because he's definitely lost the fat and gained the muscle again. Plus, everyone needs to see his missionary hair. Love you, honey!

Champions

2010-05-18T22:01:00.011-07:00

This past weekend were the Mountain West Conference Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, and Rich's parents helped get me to the meet this year. (Thank you so much!) It was well worth the trip. Plus, it was my first time in New Mexico. Add another one to my list of states visited!

The steeplechase was on Friday, and it was the first race of the meet. It would have been nice to compete early, except the wind was blowing about 30 mph all day. Still, despite less than ideal conditions, Rich was able to take first place! Two years ago at the MWC Championships he got third, last year second, and this year first. He now has a medal from this meet in every color!

About to win the race

Rich and teammate Ryan Merriman, finishing one right after the other. I think this is such as cool shot. These two really had to work together with the wind.

Look at the BYU on that stand. 1st - Rich, 2nd - Merriman, 4th - Reagan Frey, 6th - Josh Adams.

The steeplechasers and Coach Eyestone

Right after the race, and my hair is going crazy in the wind

Both the BYU men's and women's teams won the team title (not really a surprise). Here's some pictures of the celebration.

The winners

Rich, Merriman, and Jon Kotter (he medaled in the 10K) with the team trophy

Overall, an awesome weekend for BYU and for Mr. Nelson. Next up, the West Regional meet with this year's ridiculous format for going to nationals. We'll keep you posted!

Saul Gets Married

2010-05-18T21:48:00.004-07:00

Rich's former roommate, Saul Howard, got married earlier this month, and Rich and I got to go. His bride, Jade, was beautiful, and I loved her style for the wedding. Great colors, and awesome bridesmaid bouquets. Plus, Tucanos catered the dinner (I LOVE the grilled pineapple).

These pictures are from a while ago, but I still wanted to post them.

Don't they just look so happy?!

Rich would not take a good picture...

It Paid Off

2010-04-30T16:44:00.003-07:00

This is our kitchen table while I was writing my 25-page capstone research paper. I cleaned it up a couple of times, but it always seemed to come back to this state again and again.

And guess what. It all paid off.

When I first started off as a history teaching major, I put so much effort into all of my papers. I wouldn't turn it in unless I was fully confident about it. But, as time went on, I noticed myself feeling less and less sure of my papers. My grades didn't really change, so maybe I was just getting used to writing papers and I felt like it should be harder. But still, it's not a good feeling to have when your entire undergraduate learning culminates in the beastly 25-page capstone research paper. I know that there are much bigger papers out there (namely doctoral dissertations), but this is still a lot of writing and the longest paper I have ever written!

So, when I turned in my beast of a paper ("The Function of Miracles: Catholic and Protestant Uses of Miracles in Early Modern England"), I knew it wasn't my best paper. But I didn't care. I was so sick of papers. I was just a little hesitant to see my final grade in the class.

And then I wanted to cry when I checked my grades. I got an A-.

A-! Hallelujah!

I don't think I'm so excited about the actual grade but the fact that my paper couldn't have been half bad. History professors are pretty picky with the capstone papers, so this means I must have done a good job on it. That just makes me feel good about my writing abilities.

Ironically, now that I know this, I am planning on never writing another history essay again. And I am completely fine with that.

Graduation and Family

2010-04-27T17:56:00.003-07:00

Last week was a very busy week in the Nelson household because RICH GRADUATED! He's officially done with school. I wish it was me, too.

Rich's parents came into town on Wednesday, and we started off our week of celebration with a meal at the Roof at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake. It was beautiful, and we had a perfect view of the temple (we had a hookup).

The next day, we had a luncheon for the graduating student athletes. Again, more delicious food. And it hit me just how amazing it is that Rich has been able to run with BYU for 5 years. It has been such a cool experience for him.

Later was the commencement ceremony where they ran out of seats for the graduates. I feel like whoever runs graduation should know about what to expect every year for graduation, but they ran out of seats about halfway through the processional and had to seat the other half of graduates behind the speaker. Maybe far more people decided to walk this year than usual. I don't know.

Rich's convocation was Friday, and it was exciting up until they read Rich's name, and then it was a lot of sitting and really wanting it to be over. We did, however, get to see Sandra Bullock and Alicia Keyes walk in the same ceremony (obviously not the famous ones, but this Sandra Bullock still got the loudest applause). I think when Rich's name was called I heard a "Yeah Richard!" from the graduate section - my guess is that it was Kyle (the same yeller from the Y Awards).

We spent pretty much the rest of the weekend hanging out with Rich's parents, Cami and Ethan, and Grandma Farnsworth in West Valley. It was so weird not to have any deadlines or assignments or even anywhere to be. We had no schedule on Saturday, and I don't know if I liked it or not. We just don't know what to do now that we don't have homework.

So now Rich is graduated, he is officially done with school, and we are officially done with eating out for a while now (we ate at least one restaurant a day last week, plus pizza two nights). Now, I just have to remember how to cook.

I felt like a picture slideshow is the easiest way to show pictures from last week, otherwise this post would be way too long. Enjoy!

Owie

2010-04-19T16:47:00.010-07:00

Rich had a pretty good race at Stanford. He almost got a PR (probably by about 4 seconds), until... he fell.

He hit one of the barriers on the last lap with his knee, fell on his other knee and on his chest and head. He popped right up and probably finished the race on pure adrenaline, still placing 4th and getting his best time of the season (8:43). With this time he's still the #2 collegiate ranked athlete in the nation. Not too shabby, eh?

But, now he's hurt. He bruised a rib (we thought it was broken until he had an x-ray today). His knees recovered quickly, so those don't hurt when he runs. Instead, it now only hurts his chest when he sneezes, coughs, opens the fridge, leans over, breathes. Recovery is not going to be fun, but he's still planning on racing in 2 weeks at Stanford and running sub-8:40. He told me that he won't be happy until he does.

Plus, he learned that he can run sub-8:40. He would have, if he wouldn't have fallen. And he can run with Hillary Bor, sure to be one of his biggest competitors at nationals this year. He was making his move and almost caught Bor before he fell. He might not have beat him in this race, but it definitely would have been close.

I just wish he could recover faster. But, there's nothing you can really do with a bruised rib. Just suffer through it. Rich isn't one to complain, so I can tell that he's really hurting right now because even climbing into the car has him wincing in pain.

I highly recommend watching the race if you didn't get to see it live, or if you've never seen a steeplechase before. The last 2 laps in this race are where it gets exciting.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Wow

2010-04-13T20:38:00.007-07:00

At 2:50 today, I walked out of my last class of the semester.

No, wait, of my undergraduate life.

Wow.

Yes, I still have finals and one more Independent Study class to take and student teaching to conquer until I have officially graduated, but I will never sit through a class again. Not until I get a master's someday, which is not really anywhere in the foreseeable future (I need a break from school).

Rich and I are completely done with sitting in classes at BYU. This is incredible. Now, let's just make it through our finals. Hopefully by this time next week Rich will only have to worry about how he's going to get a cap and gown for graduation.

Oh, and I found out where I am student teaching. Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs. It's not what I was expecting, but I'm excited. Two of Rich's great friends teach there, so at least I'll know someone on my first day of school, right?

Also, I passed both of my Praxis tests (teacher certification tests, I had to take two on the same day - history and psychology). It's a relief knowing $200 didn't go down the drain.

Finally, Rich has a HUGE race this Thursday at Mt. Sac. Pretty much any big name in the steeplechase is going to be there, including past Olympians. It's going to be broadcast on Flotrack. Here is a link. He races at 6:15 (Pacific time). Should be great!

Picture Update

2010-04-11T13:46:00.017-07:00

Rich and I have actually been pretty good at taking pictures lately, so I wanted to put a few photos. This post is long, so I understand if you only look at the pictures.

Scholarship Banquet

I just have to say that some people are amazing. Rich has been able to have an athletic scholarship because someone, Henry Marsh (former BYU runner who still holds the BYU record for fastest time in the steeplechase), is paying for it. And he's not the only one. This banquet was for both donors and athletes. These donors are paying for at least one athlete's entire tuition. That is so amazing to me, and I know Rich and I really appreciate that. Someday, when we have millions of dollars, we want to pay for a scholarship, too.

General Conference

On Easter Sunday morning, Rich and I drove up to Salt Lake to go to General Conference. Well, not really. We ended up watching a broadcast of it in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building because we didn't have tickets. We mainly went so I could see my former roommate/best friend for life (after Rich, of course). She's on a mission in Salt Lake right now (yes, she went from being in Provo for 3 years to a mission in Salt Lake). SLC missionaries are allowed to see friends and family in between sessions of Conference, so we met up with her (and her sister who's at BYU, her parents from Kentucky, and her grandparents from New York who all came to see her). It was fun to see her. I can tell that she is an amazing missionary.

Easter Dinner

Rich and I didn't really know what we were going to do for Easter until the day before. My mom was in Kentucky visiting our newest niece (Lola Grace Kirtley, born to Carrie and Ryan on March 16), so we didn't think we would be having dinner in Ogden. But, my Grandma Fredrickson knew my dad would be all by himself, so she had dinner at her place. My brother Tyson and his wife Krystle came with adorable baby Khloe. She is so stinkin' cute, and she's getting so big. My brother Skyler and I fight over who gets to hold her (he's going to be a great dad someday - he just needs to find himself the right woman). Dinner was delicious, and I think my dad really appreciated the company.

Jazz vs. Thunder

Rich has been wanting to go to this Jazz game all season so he would be able to see his two favorite players: D-Will and Kevin Durant. We went with a couple of his teammates and their wives and Skyler because he loves the Jazz. Rich's favorite Christmas present was a green D-Will jersey from Skyler, and he finally got a chance to wear it. (I am sporting Rich's brother's Stockton jersey from sometime in the '90s.) It was a really good game, intense at the end, but the Jazz won!

The Y Awards

I didn't know there was such a thing as the Y Awards until I married Rich, and I didn't know how big of a deal they were until I went to them last year. This is where BYU Athletics gives out different awards for athletic performance during the year. The school pays for presenters and nominees to get dresses and tuxedos. It's a big deal. Rich was a presenter this year, and he did a really good job (even though his friend Kyle made him laugh by whispering "Hi Richard!" to him while he was on stage). There was one award that kind of made me upset, though. I think that Kyle Perry, the whispering friend, should have won male athlete of the year because he was the national champion last year in the steeplechase. That's kind of a big deal. But, instead, Jimmer Fredette won it, making it his third personal award this year plus being a part of the team of the year. I have nothing against Jimmer - he's actually kind of my hero. But Kyle was a NATIONAL CHAMPION! How often does that happen?!

So, that's enough pictures for now. In other news, Rich is GRADUATING in a week and a half. That's so crazy! He has two more days of class and three finals until he is done with school. I'm jealous. But then, I'm pretty much done with classes, too. I just have student teaching in the fall, and then I will be able to join him in the land of the graduated. Hallelujah!

Athlete of the Week

2010-04-03T18:21:00.005-07:00

Every week, the Mountain West Conference names an athlete of the week in different sports. For this past week, Rich was the track and field Athlete of the Week. Here is a little writeup about it.

Excuse me, Co-Athlete of the Week. He shares the title with Air Force's Justin Tyner.

The MWC loves to use "co" when giving titles. For example, during this past cross country season BYU freshmen Jonathan Nelson (endearingly called Little Jon by his teammates) should have gotten Freshman of the Year for the MWC after the conference championship race. BYU Coach Ed Eyestone pointed this out to the MWC, but they had already awarded the first trophy to someone from New Mexico (we don't really like New Mexico). To make up for their mistake, the MWC sent Little Jon his own trophy. And it said "Co-Freshman of the Year."

Lame.

So lame that Coach Eyestone sang "Co-Freshman of the Year is Gay" to the tune of Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA" in his end-of-the-year song. A nice touch.

Anyway, Rich is Co-Athlete of the Week. And that's pretty cool. Apparently, he's a pretty good runner. We're looking forward to a great season.

It's Steeple Season

2010-03-27T09:32:00.008-07:00

(This picture is actually from last year, but it gets the point across.)

Rich had his second race of the year, and it went really well. He raced at Stanford and placed 4th with a time of 8:46.91. He was the first collegiate finisher in the race (the first 3 were all pros, including his former teammate Kyle Perry who runs for New Balance). Right now, Rich has the best collegiate time in the nation!

And, he got some love from the BYU Athletic page.

You can watch his race here. I love that Flotrack films races and that I sometimes even get to watch them live. The announcers do call him Ryan Nelson at one point, but I think they were just getting names confused.

Anyway, it looks like a pretty good start to the season!

I'm Obsessed

2010-03-22T13:09:00.007-07:00

Lately, I've become obsessed with being crafty. I want to make so many things: headbands, quilts, clothes. Here are some of the adorable things I have found so far. I am going to be crafty this summer and make these things.

Adorable rosettes, that I want to put on a headband:

(http://madebythemamamonster.blogspot.com)

I still can't get over Becca's fabric. I 'm going to make a quilt out of some of it. I will use these ones:

(The whole line can be seen here)

And this dress, which I know I know I won't be able to make for a LONG time, but it is so CUTE:

( http://portabellopixie.typepad.com/)

Now I just need the time and the money for all of this.

I Know a Fabric Designer

2010-03-16T19:30:00.007-07:00

I just wanted to let the world know how amazing my friend (she was basically my roommate) is. She and her sister designed a fabric. I don't know how you get involved in something like that, but isn't that so awesome?! And, it's the most adorable fabric. I wish I knew how to do something crafty. I am seriously considering learning because I really want to use it. Maybe a blanket for a future baby? (No, that is not an announcement. I just LOVE the fabric and need an excuse.)

Here is her blog post with a picture of the fabric. It (and Becca and her sister) are so cute!

Best Purchase of the Day

2010-02-16T20:46:00.004-08:00

Rich and I went grocery shopping today, and I had to share our best purchase of the day, maybe of my life:

One of our favorite restaurants in Winger's because we love their sauce. Neither of us care much for wings, but Winger's is not your average wing joint. There's something special about their Original Amazing Sauce (formerly Freakin' Amazing Sauce).

And now, you can buy that sauce in the grocery store. It's not exactly cheap, but I know it will be well worth it. I can't wait to make our very own Sticky Fingers. It's going to be delicious.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-11T19:23:00.005-08:00

Let's just start this post by saying that I can be a real baby sometimes. Tonight was one of those nights.

Rich and I went to the store to get some milk, and I was in a little bit of a bad mood. He's going out of town tomorrow on another track trip, and I have a hard time when he's gone. I get really sad and lonely. That had me down, and that also meant that he would be coming back on Sunday (i.e., Valentine's Day). I know this is pathetic, but I really wanted flowers before he left. I knew he wouldn't be able to get me flowers when he got back on Sunday, so I was kind of expecting him to get me flowers for tonight, even though I'd told him that I didn't want anything for Valentine's Day (girls can be silly like that sometimes). I came home from work, and...no flowers. So, I was a little sad.

We went into Smith's, and, (me obviously not thinking) after seeing the Valentine's Day section in the store, I told Rich, "You didn't even get me flowers." Wow, I am rude. So, now I was upset, and Rich didn't feel so good either.

Anyway, we got home, and Rich asked me if I could warm up some water for hot cocoa. I went into the kitchen, and Rich went into our spare room (his room - where his closet and dresser are). He came back out with these:

I started to cry (making me even more of a baby) because I was so happy that he'd gotten me flowers and that I had been so mean to him. All I could do was apologize and smile and thank him. Isn't he so sweet?!

He'd gotten the flowers before he went to practice and had hidden them in the closet so I wouldn't even be able to smell them. He knew that I was expecting flowers and wanted to surprise me. And he did!

The flowers are beautiful - lilies and roses. These are the prettiest ones he's ever gotten me.

I asked him if I needed to get him anything, and he said that letting him buy "Little Big League" last night ($4 at FYE) was enough. He's so easy to please. I think I'll share my chocolates with him, too.

New York State of Mind

2010-02-09T21:45:00.008-08:00

The thing that I have most enjoyed about being at BYU these 5 years is the trips that I get to go on with the track team. Last weekend, we got to go to NYC completely on the school's budget :). I realized that there wouldn't be another time in my life where I would have a trip of this magnitude completely paid for by someone else! And I really feel like we made the most of it this year.

We got to NYC late Wednesday night. After a run through Central Park Thursday morning, a bunch of us got tickets to see David Letterman's taping for the day. It's the "Late Show," but as many of you already know, it is filmed at about 3 in the afternoon. We won the "ticket lottery" and I'm glad we did because it was a blast! It was really fun being there and the guest, Jamie Foxx, was really awesome. After that we spent time in Times Square and ate dinner in Little Italy. We had unlimited subway passes, so Manhattan was wide open for us to explore!

Friday morning we ran in the park again and then took a ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was cool being there and also seeing the city from the boat.

Friday night we kept the fun going with a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. What an atmosphere for sports! I brought my binoculars so I scoped out the front few rows for celebrities. I was able to spy C.C. Sabathia (pitcher for the NY Yankees) and Howard Stern.

Saturday was my actual race. I ran the mile in 4:16 which was pretty good. But that's not why I was there :). Just joking...but seriously.

We spent the rest of the trip walking around and checking out the stores and scenes. We had cheesecake at the "world famous" Carnegie Deli ($10 a slice!!) and enjoyed the amazing night scene of Times Square, 5th Avenue, Broadway, etc.

It was an amazing trip and I am going to really miss all these experiences when I am done running at BYU!!

Big Top Cupcake

2010-01-07T21:45:00.007-08:00

At the Fredrickson white elephant gift exchange this past Christmas, I was lucky enough to win a Big Top Cupcake mold. I was surprised when I was the only person to steal this gift. I thought it would be in high demand. I mean, it makes a giant cupcake! How awesome is that!

Rich's sister Cami heard about my new treasure and was just as excited as me to try it out, so I invited her over for the trial run tonight. We were both so excited today that we told everyone. The funny thing is that people don't seem to know what a giant cupcake is.

Example:

Cami: "I'm so excited! I'm going to make a giant cupcake tonight!"

Classmate: "What's a giant cupcake?"

Cami, using hands to show size: "Well, it's a really big cupcake."

Classmate: "Oh, so like a giant cupcake?"

Cami: "Yes. Just what it sounds like."

Cami and her new husband Ethan came over (I'm hopefully going to post some of their wedding pictures soon) and we all had Papa Murphy's (the delicious stuffed chicken bacon garlic pizza), Rich and Ethan watched the BCS Championship Game, and Cami and I made a Big Top Cupcake. It was awesome, and we had to photo document every step. They take forever to bake, and we were a little impatient and didn't wait long enough for the cupcake to cool, so our ice cream kind of melted everywhere, but it was still delicious!

I want to make another one. Next recipe: Boston Cream Cake.

Not Done

2010-01-05T17:41:00.001-08:00

We still have another semester of classes to make it through. So, we're not done.

But Rich applied for graduation today, and I'm getting my application for student teaching in pretty soon. So we're closer to being done.

We just have to make it through another semester.

We love BYU, but we hate the classes.

Good News

2009-12-18T10:39:00.003-08:00

I guess I wrote that last post too early. I wore my contacts yesterday with no problems, no redness, no irritation. And I even accidentally feel asleep in them for like 20 minutes. I decided to wait to go to the doctor until after break. Hopefully my eyes will be fine over break!

I think the difference might have been the contact solution. I had been using the expensive Opti-Free Replenish kind, but Rich uses the Costco brand. (See this post.) I tried using his yesterday, and my eyes felt fine. So, Costco's Kirkland brand pretty much rocks.

Done

2009-12-16T21:31:00.008-08:00

I just wanted to say that I am done with finals. And I love it. Rich still has one more to take, so I'll try not to rub it in around him. That's why I'm writing about it here. I've already told Rich once, and I don't want to make him jealous.

Oh, and I tried to wear contacts last Saturday, and things did not turn out so well. I'm going to the ophthalmologist once again on Friday, and he can hopefully figure out what the deal is because the SPK problem should be gone by now. At least, you'd think it would be after 2 months of drops and 4 months without contacts. I hope he has some answers because I really hate wearing my glasses. I've gotten to the point where I take my glasses of for almost every picture. Some days I'm tempted to just not where glasses at all. I can at least see well enough not to run into trees.

This is what I feel like doing to my glasses sometimes.

Christmas Season Happenings

2009-12-12T14:31:00.007-08:00

Christmas season is here and we are enjoying every minute of it! Even though we have been busy with school, we are still trying to do as many Christmas activities as possible. Out tree is up and lookin real good, we went to Temple Square to check out the lights, and we made some Christmas sugar cookies with the soon to be Provo Wings (Cami and Ethan). We are excited for finals to be over so we can enjoy it without worrying about grades!!

Hip Hop Christmas

2009-12-07T22:12:00.002-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

26-20, OT

2009-11-29T20:01:00.005-08:00

As always, the BYU-Utah game was a thriller!! What a fun rivalry! I must admit however...I HATE Utah. Probably at an unhealthy level, but there are many of you who understand!

The game was awesome right from the opening kick as the Cougars donned their royal blue throwback jerseys to honor the 1984 national championship team. We jumped out to a 20-6 lead, but let those pesky Utes back in it. Utah hit a field goal to tie it with under a minute left and we headed to OT. Utah scored a field goal on their opening OT possession, but it didn't take long for Max Hall to hit Andrew George for a 25-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory! The crowd erupted and IMMEDIATELY rushed the field. It was a beautiful sight for those who bleed blue!!

Final Score (Notice Andrew George crowd-surfing on the video screen)

Nationals

2009-11-18T13:31:00.012-08:00

(Image from the BYU Cross Country Online Media Guide)

Cross Country Nationals are this coming Monday in Terre Haute, Indiana. For once, the weather seems like it will be pretty nice there (as opposed to freezing temperatures of past years for Nationals).

The race is on Monday at 11:45 AM Eastern Time. It's going to be live on TV on Versus this year, so tune in if you can! If you don't have that channel, it will also be broadcast live online, and you can find the link on NCAA.com. You should watch if you can. It's going to be a great race! BYU is ranked #5 right now and has an awesome team.

It's going to be great to see the race live! Thanks for everyone's support this season!

ESPN College Gameday @ Provo

2009-10-25T20:26:00.006-07:00

This weekend was pretty exciting because ESPN College Gameday was broadcasting live from Provo, Utah in LaVell Edwards Stadium. It was a really cool environment and brought out a lot of people! I ran down to the stadium and took a few pictures. So here are a some of them. Maybe you saw it live on ESPN on saturday. LaVell Edwards made a guest appearance. It was great.

Hilarious

2009-10-20T19:35:00.003-07:00

This is Halloween

2009-10-18T20:42:00.002-07:00

We are really getting excited for Halloween!!

P.S. For all of you who need Halloween decorations and accessories...it's all about the dollar stores!! (Thanks for the tip Christine!)

BYU Football

2009-10-18T20:18:00.004-07:00

Each year there is one football game where all of the other "non-football athletes" get to go on the field and make a tunnel for the football players when they enter the stadium. Well this year we decided to sneak Shara on the field too! We just hung out around the rest of the athletes and no questions were asked. So we got to go down on the field together and take these pictures before the game...

On the "Y" at midfield!!!!

What is SPK?

2009-10-03T13:07:00.010-07:00

It stands for superficial punctate keratitis, and it has something to do with spots on the cornea from wearing contacts too much. Whatever it is, it means I have to put these eye drops every 2 hours for at least a month.

This little guy costs about $20 a bottle and only lasts about a week. Not fun for a poor college student.

The whole every-2-hour-eye-drop-thing gets real fun in my 4-hour class on Tuesdays. I can either put them in in class (awkward) or go to the restroom every 2 hours (still awkward).

SPK also means I can't wear my contacts until it goes away, and that could be a very long time. I hate wearing my glasses.

SPK, please go away. I want to wear my contacts again.

Anticipation

2009-09-25T12:31:00.009-07:00

It's exciting to wait for your siblings to have a new baby.

It's even more exciting when you get to read their blog for updates because they don't have a cell phone.

Good luck and congratulations, Scott and Karolyn!

This Is Just Wrong

2009-09-19T20:53:00.014-07:00

I looked in the corner of our room, and this is what I saw. A stack of 5 pairs of EXACTLY the same shoe. Rich's shoes. All of them paid for BYU. And there's another pair in his locker. Oh, and I don't know how many pairs of shoes he's given away, too. Again, the same pair. Should one person have this many pairs of the same shoe? Rich doesn't know how lucky he is. I would love to get free shoes.

Cross country season has started, by the way. Here's a picture from the BYU meet a couple weeks ago. Rich placed 5th and BYU dominated the race. BYU dominated again this week at UC-Riverside; Rich got 13th overall.

Oh, and Rich is Mr. August on the BYU athletic calendar. That's probably every BYU athlete's goal. Rich can get you a calendar if you want.

Hogle Zoo

2009-08-26T20:33:00.007-07:00

A couple Saturdays ago, Rich and I took a trip to the Hogle Zoo. Amazingly enough, this was only the second zoo I'd ever been to (not including Sea World, if that counts). Rich LOVES animals, so he'd been wanting to go for a while. Here are some pictures from our trip. My favorite animals were the red panda, the baby giraffe, and the kangaroo.

I Have the Best Husband

2009-08-16T14:41:00.005-07:00

This is true for many reasons, but here's one thing that he did that I just loved.

For a couple months, our dryer was making this really obnoxious squeaking noise, sort of like metal grinding on metal. Our neighbors must have hated us every laundry day because the it was not a quiet noise. After getting some tips from his parents, Rich decided to see what he could do about fixing our dryer situation.

I came home from work one day to this:

I think a lot of people might have been a little upset to their dryer completely torn apart, but I was so excited because Rich was fixing the dryer, partly for my sanity (I couldn't stand doing laundry). He's going to be a great fix-it hubbie!

Even more exciting, he fixed the problem, although he doesn't really know what he did. He tore it all apart, put a little oil on something on the inside, and put it all back together. Voila! No more squeaking! Our neighbors don't have to hate us every time we do laundry!

Farewell Spicy Valencia

2009-07-24T09:52:00.011-07:00

The time has finally come to say goodbye to my faithful (well, at least it has never really died on me) blue beast, the '91 Chevy Blazer, lovingly known as Spicy Valencia (my old roommate helped me come up with the name).

On Monday, Rich and I will be traveling Spokane, Washington, to spend some time with this family. While we're there, we're going to buy a car from a man in Rich's family's ward who owns a car dealership. This means that the Blazer is going back to my parents on Saturday.

This was the car I drove in high school, and then it came down to BYU with me. This really has been the only car that I've considered mine, and it's been mine for over 5 years.

And yet, I'm not really sad to see it go.

Why? Well, the picture might say enough. But, to back up my case a little better, here is a list of just a few of the things I am NOT going to miss about Spicy Valencia:

The complete lack of air conditioning. It is the worst car to drive at 3 PM on a 97 degree day in stop and go traffic.
Along with no air conditioning, the necessity of driving with the windows down on the freeway in the summer.
The way the windshield wipers turn on when I signal. It always happens more often in warmer weather.
The way one of the headlights points almost completely sideways and is threatening to fall out.
The passenger-side speaker in the front seat only working about 25% of the time.
The oil leak and how much oil the engine burns.

The clear coat coming off the paint so that it looks like the car has leprosy.
Never being able to roll down the backseat windows since the day my family bought the car.
The window to the back hatch squeaking so obnoxiously that you just want to tear it out, also a problem from day one.
The back seat's squeak that developed in the past year.

The complete lack of a rear bumper. I am not exactly sure what happened to it.
The way you run out of gas at 1/8 of a tank, or somewhere around there. It's never the same everytime.
How the tinted windows just trap in the heat in the summer, making the car an oven.
The glove compartment front that falls off when you try to open it. Every time.
The spare tire sitting in the back, rather then underneath where it belongs.
The way that it sounds like the engine is going to fall out when you go over any sort of bump, even bumps that you don't notice at all in other cars.
The handle to roll down the window on the driver side falling off when you pull on it too hard.

This car has been through a lot. All of my siblings drove her car at some point, and it was both Tyson's and my first car. It has been backed in to a lake, driven cross country from Kentucky to Utah, towed our boat countless times, and been through who knows how many trips back and forth between Ogden and Provo. Really, it's just been a well-used Fredrickson family car. That's enough life for any vehicle. And still Spicy Valencia has not gone kaput. Rich and I are getting rid of her while we can.

She's putting up a good fight. I don't think she'll ever die.

A Little Laugh

2009-07-09T12:17:00.005-07:00

I love finding random websites that make me laugh. It's the best. You might have noticed that some our "Favorite Links" happen to be such sites. My newest find, thank you Facebook, is AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. Always good for a laugh. Here's why I find it so entertaining.

Anyone know of any other good sites?

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-07T19:18:00.013-07:00

Our 4th of July weekend started early Friday morning laying sod at the grandparents Fredricksons' house. That project turned out pretty well considering that only one of our group had ever laid sod before. We finished their backyard in about an hour and a half, which is pretty good considering we thought it would take about 4. I have to say that sod is amazing. At 7 AM there was no grass on the ground, but by 9:30 my grandparents had a beautiful green lawn that looked like it had taken months to grow. It's nice to see the product of your work so quickly.

Friday night, Rich and I went out to eat with some friends of mine from high school that I haven't seen forever. Brianne Eyre and her husband Tim were up in Ogden from St. George, and we met up with Trevor Barker and his wife Blaire for dinner. It was great to see those guys again.

Friday night, Tyson and Krystle came over for the Fredrickson family fireworks show, where we all got eaten alive by mosquitoes. You should see the bites I have on my legs, my toe, my finger, pretty much anywhere they could get me.

Tyson and I have this tradition of doing a tank war with those little firework tanks. We buy a bunch of them, put armor on them (aluminum foil), put extra guns on some (taken from other tanks), and line 'em up to fight each other. We only fought with four tanks this year, and we tied. There seemed to be equal damage to our tanks.

Preparing the tanks (with cute pregnant Krystle!)

These were my tanks. I named them after Mariners' players for Rich (he thought Tyson and I were nuts).

Getting ready for war

The aftermath

We ended with a wonderful display of fireworks from Costco. Nothing too huge because they were all legal. Tyson and Rich were the official fireworks starters because they love fire. I thought it was funny when my dad realized he was missing out on the fun and went to join them at the end. We also had sparklers, on my request, because I feel it is not really the 4th of July without them.

Saturday, the 4th, started with a breakfast with my parents' ward. I felt a little goofy there because Rich and I don't really know anyone. This isn't the ward I grew up in, so I couldn't talk with old leaders or anything like that. But there was good food and fun times. I got to ride in their childrens' parade on the back of my dad's motorcycle. This consisted of a bunch of primary kids riding their bikes around. Think that's awesome? We just rode around the church parking lot. Now that's awesome. I got to throw candy to all of the adults because the children were in the parade.

Later on Saturday, Rich learned to drive a motorcycle. I was a little scared at first, especially when they were just going for a ride around the block that took like 20 minutes. My mom suggested that we call to see if they were okay. Finally, they got back, and we eventually took a drive out to Little Mountain, pretty uneventful because you have to stop at a random point in the road where it becomes US Air Force property.

Saturday night, we didn't really get to see a big fireworks show. We were just going to see what we could see from my parents' backyard, but everywhere there was a good show there was a bunch of trees or a building or a hill in the way. Oh well. There's still the 24th of July to look forward to.

Okay, that was a long post. Sorry. I'll try to keep them shorter. But anyway, hope you had a happy 4th of July weekend!

Is This Weird?

2009-06-29T13:13:00.006-07:00

Rich and I have our own separate bathroom items. Things like toothpaste, floss, and contact solution. When I run out of toothpaste, for example, I can borrow Rich's for a little bit, but I still feel like I need to buy my own. I guess it kind of makes sense for when Rich goes on trips. He has his own stuff that he can take with him, and I have some at home with me.

But when we're both home, we make no effort to combine our items. I have my own drawer, and Rich has his own drawer. Some of our items go into our medicine cabinet, but even in there we have our own shelves. Our items just don't mix.

Maybe we do it because we're used to this from having roommates. I don't know.

Are we odd?

Last Track Update

2009-06-29T13:06:00.006-07:00

Well, the last one for a while, anway.

As you probably know, Rich raced at USA Nationals last week. It was a really good opportunity for him to be racing with all sorts of professionals. He placed 16th overall in the semifinals, only 2 spots away from qualifying for finals!

Two of Rich's former teammates were in the final round, Josh McAdams and Kyle Perry, both running for New Balance. Josh placed 1st, making him a two-time National Champion in the steeplechase. Kyle placed 4th, which is pretty amazing for someone who just finished winning the NCAA National Championship. Josh will be competing for the USA in Berlin at the World Competition in August, so that's going to be pretty awesome.

And now, Rich's track season is officially over. It has been a long one, going from January until last week. I will be very glad to have my husband home with me for more than two weekends in a row! Next up is cross country season, starting in the fall.

This is Rich jumping a hurdle at USA Nationals.

Here is Rich with Kyle, Josh, and coach Ed Eyestone.

USA Nationals

2009-06-25T12:21:00.002-07:00

Here's a little more info about Rich's running to add to the blog, maybe to Rich's dismay.

I just wanted to let people know he is running at USA Nationals tonight. The race will be broadcast online. Here's a link to the race. The first heat of the steeplechase is at 7:25; Rich is in the second heat.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/streaming.asp

Rich's Update

2009-06-23T16:56:00.005-07:00

Ok, so I guess I'm supposed to give an update of what I am up to. Though I think that everyone is a little Riched-out because it seems this whole blog has been about my running so far...which is pretty much all I've been up to! This long track season that started in January is just about over. I will be relieved at the end of the week when my season is officially done, but also excited for cross country that is just round the corner. Running keeps my busy 360 days a year!

I'm also taking independent study courses for BYU which has turned out to be a real bummer. If there is anything I hate more than homework, it is homework in the summertime! But fun is on the way because I get to work the BYU track and cross country camps in July and then Shara and I are going to Washington for a little bit in August.

Sidenote: I went into the MTC 5 years ago today...time really flies.

Rich's Article

2009-06-23T15:35:00.003-07:00

Last week, Rich got a call from this man who wanted to write an article about him for The Latter-day Sentinel, an online magazine for the Spokane Temple district. He talked to Rich for about an hour and half in all, plus all of Rich's coaches since high school and his parents. Here's a link to the article. Some of the information is a little off, but it's a pretty good article.

http://spokane.latterdaysentinel.com/archiveEmail.asp?theEmail=6

Shara's Update

2009-06-23T14:00:00.013-07:00

Rich has been teasing me that this blog has pretty much become devoted to his running. True... but that's what's interesting in our life right now. However, I guess it's time we updated a little on other parts of our lives. Here's what's going on in my life right now. (I'll see if I can get Rich to do his update; I don't want to mess anything up.)

For those of you who don't know, I am studying history teaching, with a minor in psychology teaching. Someday, when I'm finally out of school, I want to teach high school, preferably European history or psychology. Right now, I am taking a break from classes, which has been really nice. I had a busy winter semester and a crazy class schedule for the first block, so I wanted some time to just relax.

Instead of classes, I am working full-time (well, sort of) for BYU Housing. I say sort of because I am yet to work 40 hours in one week. I'm what's called a student coordinator. During fall and winter semesters, I work with the Residence Halls Association, or RHA. Basically what I do it advise the student RHA council in Heritage Halls as they plan activites like dances and talent shows for their fellow residents. It's a different kind of job: I buy 20 cans of insulation foam to use to make a tree for a homecoming float, I supervise Mr. Heritage pageants, I rent dunk tanks and popcorn machines from Partyland, I use acronyms like NRHH (National Residence Hall Honorary) and IACURH (Intermountain Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls) daily, and so on.... I really enjoy it.

During the summer, though I techinically hold the same position, I do much different work because there is no RHA council. Instead, my fellow coordinators and I basically do whatever the housing managers need us to do. Currently, we are working on doing apartment inventories in Wyview Park, which is pretty tedious work that we've been doing since the beginning of May, but it can be fun because I work with great people. I get to choose my own hours, which made it easy to take time off to go to Arkansas with Rich. However, sometimes it can be difficult to stay at work because my hours are not set in stone.

Since I am not taking classes, I am excited that I can read what I want with no due date. I enjoy always having a book to read, which is kind of a Fredrickson trait (Grandpa Max, my dad Craiggers, Carrie, etc.) Rich makes fun of me because I can pick up my current book and read only a paragraph at the time (while brushing my teeth, for instance). I am currentrly re-reading Harry Potter because I knew it would keep me busy for a while. I'm on the 5th book right now. My goal is to finish the 6th one before the movie comes out.

Rich and I are looking forward to the Nelson Family Reunion at the end of July and going to Spokane in early August. He wants to show me Spokane when in the summer, when there aren't 6-foot snow piles on either side of the road (like the Spokane I saw for our open house last winter). We are looking forward to spending some time with his parents, Cami, and Andrea while we're there. Another plus about going to Spokane - we are going to get a new car! Our '91 Blazer will finally be put out of its misery (a little overdue).

So, this is my life right now. Nothing too exciting. Oh, except for the fact that my husband is an All-American steeplechaser and is heading to USA Nationals this week! I guess I can have some excitement in my life right now, via Rich.

Duck Pond

2009-06-21T17:15:00.008-07:00

Rich and I often go for Sunday walks, and one of our favorite places to go is the Duck Pond just south of campus. It's fun in the spring and early summer because there are so many new ducklings swimming with their moms, and there are so many little kids who are so fascinated with all of the ducks.

Today, we went for our walk, and we saw the funniest (and cutest) thing. First of all, when we got there, all of the ducks were all cuddled up taking naps on the shore of the pond. We've never seen so many of them out of the water at once. Then, we got a closer look at the pond and saw this:

In the middle of the pond on this log were these ducklings and turtles taking a nap together. Not only that, some of the ducks were sleeping right on top of the turtles!

These were our favorite ducks. So funny! And then, one of these two ducks fell off of the log and tried to scoot in with the three on the other side, and that started a fight because there was not room for four.

Oh, the duck pond. The water may look gross, but the ducks sure are entertaining.

All-American

2009-06-15T18:57:00.011-07:00

Well, it was a long trip to Arkansas. We had a lot of fun, but we're glad to be back home.

Rich raced Friday night, and he placed 10th. He ran a time of 8:50.08. He put a lot into semifinals, and he didn't have much time to recover before the finals. He ran a really good race and put everything that he had into it. His 10th place finish means he received all-American honors, which has been one of his collegiate running goals. He is excited about the next track season because he will be one of the top returning steeplechasers.

Rich's teammate, Kyle, won the race with his new PR of 8:29 and became BYU's newest national champion. That was really exciting, although I have to admit I wasn't paying that much attention to Kyle during the race because I was focusing on Rich. It was a strong finish for BYU!

In two weeks, Rich will be running at USA Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. He's really excited for this because he's going to run as fast as he can in the prelims and try for a new PR. He and Kyle will both be there, so it will be fun for them! We're excited to see how things go!

This picture is from the prelims. Rich saved it on his computer as "nicehurdle." I thought that was funny.

Race Time Change

2009-06-12T13:47:00.002-07:00

There has been another rain delay, so my race is going to be a little later tonight. It will be at 7:45 PM CT if you want to watch it!

Good News from Arkansas

2009-06-10T23:28:00.004-07:00

It was a wet day here in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the NCAA Track and Field Nationals, but it was well worth it. Rich had an amazing race in the semifinals of the steeplechase, after a rather long wait.

The steeplechase was originially supposed to start at 8:30 PM, but there was a long rain delay. First there was rain, then thunder, then lightning, and finally a tornado sighting (not near us, but near enough to move everyone inside). Eventually, after a three-hour wait, the meet resumed. Rich's race didn't take place until 11:30 PM.

There were two heats of the steeplechase. Rich ran in the second one. He needed to be in the top 5 of his heat to qualify for the finals, or have one of the top 4 times overall after the top 5 of each heat (sorry if that's confusing). Rich knew he could qualify for finals somehow, but he didn't know just how well he would do.

He was around 5th and 6th place for most of the race. Then, he started to pick it up in the last few laps. He pulled into first, backed off a little, then pulled back again around the last lap and a half. He stayed up there and finished first in his heat, with a new PR of 8:41.85, about 3 seconds ahead of the guy behind him. This means that he is advancing onto finals on Friday, and he has also qualified for USA Nationals in a couple of weeks (which is where you try out for the world team). Way to go, Nelly!

Rich's mom and I were yelling so loud for him, and I probably looked a little ridiculous with how excited I was. But I don't care! I was so nervous, and he was running so fast! The home stretch was amazing. Rich turned to look at his mom and me and gave us a thumbs up! I started to cry when he crossed the finish line. He was so nervous for this race, and it all paid off!

Rich's teammate Kyle won the first heat of the steeplechase, so BYU definitely stood out in this race! It will be a good race at finals with Rich and Kyle running together.

If anyone wants to watch the finals, they take place at 6:40 PM CT. They will be broadcast on the CBS College Sports Channel and online, too. This website has a link to the video feed if you can't get the race on TV:

http://www.ncaa.com/loc/ncaa-c-otrack-loc.html

Hopefully there won't be a three-hour delay this time.

Nationals

2009-06-07T17:06:00.002-07:00

Rich and I are really excited for Nationals this week! We leave tomorrow and will be traveling pretty much all day to get to Fayetteville, Arkansas, home of the University of Arkansas and the 2009 NCAA Track and Field Nationals.

The semifinals of the steeplechase will take place on Wednesday at 8:15 PM (central time). We're going to be cheering for Rich to have a second race, the finals, on Friday at 6:40 PM. The Friday race is going to be broadcast on CBS College Sports, but no one really has that channel. We've heard a rumor that the race is going to be on ESPN360.com as well, but that may not be true. Hopefully if you want to watch it, you'll be able to find some way!

Rich is going to have quite a bit of family support at this race, which is great. I am flying to Arkansas with Rich and the rest of the team. Grandma Nelson and Aunt Marj live about half an hour away in Rogers, Arkansas, so they're going to be there. Rich's mom is also flying out on Tuesday and staying with Grandma Nelson, so she'll be able to be there, too. If Rich makes it to finals, then his dad is going to come down for the race on Friday. Rich will have a pretty good cheering section, and we're excited to see some family! This is going to be a pretty fun week for the Provo Nelsons!