4 Years...

of wedded bliss.  :)  Mark and I always like to celebrate our anniversary by doing something memorable.  This year we took advantage of being so close to New Orleans and went on a riverboat dinner cruise.  It was awesome.  We boarded the steamboat - one of the only riverboats still operated with steam and listed to the live jazz band.  The boat cruised down the river for an hour or so, while we got a little tour of some of the sites we were passing.  Then we had dinner - a traditional Louisiana buffet.  It was delicious.  We ended the night by watching the skyline of New Orleans come back into view as we sailed back up the river.

Thanks to my love for making sure that each one of our anniversaries is something to remember!  I love having you around!

Boys and Their Toys

I had the opportunity to host a baby shower for one of the amazing women in my ward.  We decided to wait until after the baby was born so we could show him off.  We had so much fun!  The theme we did was "Boys and Their Toys."  Here are some pictures from the event:

The food table

Dirt Cake

Bow-tie Pasta Salad

Snail rolls

Gummy frogs and fish

Tricycle Diaper Cake

It's Time for a Reunion

My family met in Colorado over the 24th of July for a family reunion.  My mom's parents come from the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado.  We used to spend time every summer there, but we haven't been since I was about 15 or 16.  We were long overdue for the trip!  Unfortunately, Mark had to attend some job training in Houston, so he couldn't join Brielle and me on the trip.  We flew to Denver and met my parents, then drove the 5 hours south to Alamosa, CO.  Brielle flew like a champ.  She was obseessed with the ear phone jacks in the seats and spent about an hour of our 2.5 hour flight plugging and unplugging her ear phones.  When we got to the airport in Denver, my parents were waiting for us, having just flown in an hour earlier.  Brielle started running toward my dad, who knelt down to catch her.  As soon as she got within arms length, she put on the brakes, came to a screetching halt, turned around, and ran right back to me!  It was pretty hilarious.  She'd warmed up to him by the time we reached the rental car and wanted to help him roll the suitcases to the car.
The day of the reunion, we traveled to the church building in La Jara, CO.  La Jara/Romeo is where my grandma grew up.  We had lunch, played some games, visited, and had a little program about my great-grandparents.  Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen met while they were both serving missions in Canada.  After they had both returned home, Grandpa wrote to Grandma and asked for a conference report.  She sent him one, and they kept up a correspondence.  Eventually, Grandpa asked Grandma to marry him, and she refused.  Grandpa wasn't going to give up, however, and after more letters were exchanged, he proposed again, and was accepted.  My grandma has the letters that they wrote to each other, and she and her brother used to read them to each other when their parents were away.  So, my grandma typed up the story of how her parents met and married, along with a few of the letters.  It's the cutest story ever.  I love it!

After the reunion we drove to see the ranch house that my grandpa still owns and where we used to spend our summers.  The house is in disrepair from not being used, and the mosquitoes were horrific.  As soon as we opened the car doors, they swarmed in and we were slapping mosquitoes for hours!  I loved seeing the ranch again.  I have lots of memories from staying there with my grandparents.

When we were finished with the ranch, we went to visit my mom's cousin - on my papa's side of the family.  The visit was pleasant, and Brielle had so much fun playing outside with my younger cousins.  My mom's cousin lives just around the corner from where my papa grew up, so we drove past the house.  Then it was on to the cemetary to see my great-grandparents' graves.

The rest of the weekend was taken up with 24th of July celebrations.  The Valley was settled by Mormon pioneers, so the 24th celebrations are a huge deal there.  Brielle had so much fun at the parade and the carnival.  It was great to catch up with everyone.  I'm excited for the next one!

Sometimes

We just like to spend Sunday evening with popcorn and a movie.  Especially popcorn.

We Looked...

"We looked and we saw him step in on the mat.  We looked and we saw him.  The Cat in the Hat!"

Mark and I took Brielle to see the Cat in the Hat at our local Barnes and Noble bookstore.  After waiting for what seemed like FOREVER, he finally came in.  Brielle LOVED him.  She wanted to go up to him the whole time the story was being read.  Finally the story was finished, and she got to go get her hug.  She sure was excited.  Hopefully we can do some more of these.  They're so much fun!

Playing with Color

Brielle and her little friend Morgan were introduced to the world of fingerpaint.  It was a BIG hit.  They loved getting their fingers in the paint and swirling it all around on the paper.  They used so much paint that I was afraid the papers would NEVER dry.  Luckily, we live in a very warm climate, and they dried by the end of the day.  Here are some photos from our painting day.

Me and My Friends

I want you to meet someone near and dear to my heart.  Meet Armen:

He's the guy in the wheelchair.  Years before I met him in 2004, he had been in a car accident.  He was paralyzed from the waist down, and bed-ridden.  He needed an operation to be able to sit up in a wheelchair because he had bed sores that didn't enable him to sit up.  Not even in bed.  We visited him while he layed flat on his back for months.  Thankfully, a doctor came from the States to do some humanitarian work, and Armen got the surgery that he needed.  He received a wheel chair and was later baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He serves as a branch president.

Meet Malcolm:

He's the guy standing next to Armen.  Malcolm is actually the one who found Armen and taught him the gospel.  I got to teach Armen's sister (in the picture with me on the left) and mom (standing next to Malcolm).  After Malcolm returned home, he raised money to install an elevator in Armen's building (he lives on the 5th floor), build a wheelchair ramp, and widen the doorframes and hallways in his house.  However, the money ran out before modifications could be made to the bathroom.  Armen currently relies on his mother to help him perform all necessary bathroom-related functions.  She is getting older, and cannot adequately help him.

Malcolm is raising money to help renovate Armen's bathroom.  The money he collects will go towards making the bathroom wheelchair-accessible by widening the doorway and installing a new toilet and shower that can accommodate Armen and his wheelchair.  The goal is $3,000.

If we can get 300 people to donate just $10, we will reach our goal.  If you can help Armen, please make a donation through the GoFundMe website.  All donations are made through Paypal, which is a very secure website.  Also, you will get a donation receipt emailed to you from GoFundMe.

Thanks for meeting Armen.  I have never met such a kind-hearted, patient, good person.  I had an accident right before I met Armen that left me with a temporary limp.  Armen didn't know that, and told Malcolm that he felt sorry for me because I had such an awful limp. The guy had been laying in bed for years and felt sorry for me and my limp.  If you can donate to our cause, I think I can say that Armen thanks you from the bottom of his heart.  And so do I.