Monday's Musing"s

I know, it has been a couple of months.

Life is different in the Nielsen home but we embrace the ever-changing seasons of our lives! A run down of our children:
Chad is still in LA working - yes, working is a good thing when you are a Architect in this current economy. Kayla and I along with my parents were able to see him in February but everyone else has not seen him since Christmas. But, he will be home for Christmas this year and we are excited!

Cort is currently working on his Master's in School Counseling doing night classes. During the day he is a stay-at-home Dad to Lincoln and keeping up with his homework. Chandra is at a new private school this year which just specializes in students with learning/emotional disabilities and is loving not having the restraints of answering to a school district and their want for better test scores to get better funding and not caring about the students. She cares about her students and wants them to succeed as much as they can in life and works hard with them. She is a saint!

Kelsy & Jeff are really loving the Gilbert area and Jeff is enjoying his job too! We as parents and grandparents are really loving that they love Gilbert too as 2 hours away is soooo much better than 13!

Chanelle & Tyler moved from Salt Lake to Saratoga Springs to help with Tyler's commute to work but still close enough for Chanelle to finish up with her Interior Design degree. This has been a great move for them as they love the area and their ward plus being closer to some family members. Chanelle will be done in April and has really enjoyed being employed by Osmond Designs and hopes to pick up some work in her field soon.

Kayla is really liking BYU-I except for the cold! She is learning a lot, probably maturing, dating quite a bit and even talking about staying the summer and finding a job. Living with 5 girls has been a challenge but she is weathering through it!

Ric and I just plug along in the quiet house. He is still serving in the Young Men program and I am in the Relief Society presidency of ward. We recently joined a Gym - believe it or not, Ric's idea! We are looking forward to Christmas with everyone home at once!

Monday's Musing"s

* Help Kayla sort through clothes making piles of: college bound, give-away, sister/cousin might want - check.
* Finish buying last minute things for that almost College student - check.
* Start getting ready for our first annual "Mother/daughter/daughter-in-law weekend" coinciding with my (icky) birthday year to occur right before taking the one daughter to that College - check.
* Make a list of cold-weather items to shop for in Utah before we kick the girl out in the cold (literaly) of Rexburg. Hoping that we desert rats know what to get - check.
* Need to finish stocking up the freezer for Ric who will not be with us in our travels. Yes, lone man in the wilderness...
* A little bothered when in the make-up section for concealer at Target, I am standing next to two boys buying eyeliner...
* Missing my oldest son. Haven't seen him for awhile.
* In charge of Super Saturday as the Relief Society Counselor and not very crafty-ish. Glad I have some talented people on my committee!

Rains bring out friends

When it rains in Tucson, the tarantulas come out to play! Kayla caught this one and thought we needed it as a pet. She named it Roosevelt.

Summer in Arizona

Splash Pads are a big deal in the Phoenix/Mesa/Gilbert area where all the grandkids live with many to choose from. Even ones open at night with lights!
Tucson, when are you going to get on the bandwagon?...

Short Stuff

* Got Jeff, Kelsy & the kids moved to Gilbert from Utah!
* Jeff is loving his job so far and glad to not be a student anymore.
* Kayla is working long hours as a lifeguard and saving money for school.
* She and I are gathering apartment stuff for her departure to BYU-I.
* Our State is on fire in many places... Fasting and praying for rain to come.
* Tyler started a new job in Utah being a doing maintenance on drone planes for the US Army.
* Cort has a new job for fall as a Teacher's assistant with a disability class that will allow him to do his Master's program plus give him some experience.
* Chandra also got a new job with a pay increase at a private Middle school for kids with Emotional Disabilities - her passion. Yes, she will automatically go to the Celestial Kingdom for her endeavors!
* Ric has a new Church calling along with his Young Men's calling to be the Stake Public Relations Rep.
* I have a new calling also working with the younger girls in Activity Days. Very fun stuff!
* Chad will be running his own project this summer with his Architecture firm in California.
* Life moves rather quickly!

Bad Blogger

Since I have not updated this for quite a while, I thought I would share a few quick thoughts:

* We are still here on earth - I tend to go with Mark 13:32!
* Kayla our baby is graduating high school tomorrow night - sigh...
* After almost 3 years, I was released from being Young Women's President in our Ward. I am sad but know it is time for someone else. Now I get to work with the young girls and Activity Days. :)
* Our daughter-in-law Chandra, just graduated with her Master's degree a couple of weeks ago. Cort our son is beginning his Master's program in the fall.
* Our son-in-law Jeff just graduated from Utah Valley University and got a great job in Gilbert Arizona. He only has 2 weeks from getting the job to moving his family and beginning work!
* With that move, ALL 3 OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN in one state!!!

Signs of Hope

This is what happens to things like citrus in Arizona
when you have an unusually devastating freeze.
You are looking at one of our lime trees with a
grapefruit in the back where it too is frozen a
couple of weeks after the fact.

Now, warmer weather is producing hope! We are
seeing new growth on the orange, tangerine, kumquat and
grapefruit but, the lime trees are not so quick to come back.
Our big lime may be ok but the little one may need to be
replaced. Besides the citrus, 1 out of 5 queen palm trees so
far seems to have survived.
I still have some hope!