Gigs For President

I sent this photo to the family text group
and wrote:
"Gigs for President".
This is so classic Gigs.
He's such a G.

This photo was taken 10 years ago.

Time is a thief.

Silhouettes

 Here are the updated silhouettes of the Nielson family.
Who's who?

Oliver in Brazil: February 2025 LAST POST!

 Here are a few of Ollie's departing photos in Brazil:

This is Oliver's favorite mission buddy, Elder M., who he met on his first

day at the Brazil MTC and has been with him for the whole mission.

They flew together all the way to Atlanta, where they said their goodbyes.

Ollie said it was one of the hardest goodbyes he's ever had.

These are some photos he took out his window as he said his farewells

to his beloved Brazil.

Good to be back on US soil,

and back into my arms!

And this concludes my "Oliver in Brazil" series

that has been ongoing for TWO WHOLE YEARS!

Amen.

Happy March!!

Happy March!

I call March the transformation month here in North Carolina!

Things go from dreary to lush.

Brown to green.

It's a lovely month where we still get to have fires in the fireplace at night,

and enjoy short sleeves during the day.

My daffodils are emerging, and blossoms are starting to bud after a long winter's sleep. 

This is a time for renewal, growth, and anticipation of brighter days ahead.

This was my life 20 years ago

in New Jersey, where on March 1st, we were still dead in winter.

In this photo, Oliver and Christian are on the couch in our little house in New Jersey. 

One of my favorite memories from that time is when 

Christian would come home from work, play with the girls, and hold 

Ollie while I made dinner. I often felt busy and overwhelmed, 

but I was incredibly happy. 

I felt mature and independent.

I felt strong and capable.

I had never felt any of those feelings to this degree until

I was stretched into motherhood at such a young age.

I don't regret anything and am, in fact, so thankful

for the lessons I learned and the challenges I faced up to then

that prepared me for other things that would surely come later.

And they did.

Boy, did they.

Looking back 20 years, I see so clearly the hand of the Lord

guiding me as a mother and our family as a strong little unit.

This little toad, Ollie, is now a strong, grown returned missionary.

His future is SO bright!

But sometimes, I wish I could go back and hold him again,

savor the moments and the smells. (He kind of smelled like a little goat).

But life just keeps "marching" on.  

So, happy March!

Take Myself Out

 On this last day of February, I decided to take my legs out for a walk.

It wasn't too bad.  

Really, the only thing that is terrible now is my crampy stomach.

So, I decided to be productive, and I gathered up all the 

luminaries lining our driveway and putting them away for another season.

I was only keeping them up longer than usual, so

 Oliver could see them when he got home from Brazil.

I walked back to find Gigs' motorcycle that he's completely restoring

almost in drivable condition.

I am really impressed with his skills.

Then I went inside and put my leg up and stayed there for 

the rest of the day until Christian took me out to dinner.

My Trademark

 

Today, I got up and made the bed.

Then I got back in the bed.

But I got up and made it, and that's what counts!

While I was in the shower, Kitty climbed onto Christian's side of the bed,

where she stayed for the next four hours.

She only lays on his side.

I think she has a crush.

I'm feeling behind with work stuff.  

It's hard to feel productive when I feel crummy,

especially since my job is to literally move my body.

And I can't do that right now.

But if anyone knows about healing and patience, it's me.

Every day, I feel better, and my leg is improving.

This afternoon, I worked on my silhouette project.

You know, I've been creating silhouettes for my family since 2006!

It's kind of my trademark.

I hadn't updated them in years!

While everyone was home last week, I was able to get a nice

profile photo of each Nie.

I'm excited to put those up on my blog banner!

Cow Vibes

 I'm home and taking it easy. 

I'm keeping my leg up and taking my antibiotics, 

which actually feels like I'm swallowing glass shards. 

My tummy is so sick.

But I can see it's working, and that's what I want!

Christian took me out in the car to check on the cows grazing in the pastures

while the boys zipped around on the motorcycles.

The cows appear so happy and content. 

Observing them can teach us a lot about life. 

If you show them love, respect, and care, they will give unconditionally. 

I understand why Christian enjoys feeding and checking on them

twice a day: it’s calm and quiet, the air smells pleasant, 

and it’s just generally a peaceful experience. 

Truly good for the soul.

Whenever my health is compromised, I feel super contemplative

and look at life differently.

I'm soooo thankful for daily health and a working body.

I am so grateful to be outside, breathing in the fresh air.

It's definitely healing.

Source Of Joy

 To cheer myself up today, I reflected on this hilarious photo that 

my friend Sarah, who photographed our family last week, sent:

And this one, that my SIL Ashley sent of Christian probably in 1992

with his brother, Marcus:

Update on me:

My leg is still very painful, but medication and antibiotics are 

working great with the swelling.

I'm feeling so much peace because of this:

"While experiencing sorrow is a natural part of this life, 

it is not meant to be the only thing you experience. 

God blessed us with many beautiful and wonderful things to enjoy on this earth.

One of the greatest sources of joy and meaning in your life can be your

 relationships with other people. Giving and receiving love is part of the purpose of life. 

The promise of eternal life with God and your loved ones

 can provide hope that carries you through difficult times."

I Need That Right Now

 Turns out I have a terrible case of Cellulitis.  

It's SUPER painful.

But my hospital view is lovely, and the first thing I did

this morning was ask my nurse to open the shade.

She said,

  "Oh, it will get really bright and annoying."

and I was like, 

"I need that right now."

We've Been Here Before

I had a terrible night last night.  I had a humdinger of a fever, 

was nauseated and sleep-deprived.

I woke Christian up at 2:30 in the morning to tell him I felt like I was dying.  

I just felt better waking him up to tell him, cry a little, 

and then I was able to go back to sleep.

He's been there for me a million times.

I love him.

(Oliver's "Farewell" in church):

This morning was Oliver's "homecoming" talk in church.

He reported on his two years in Brazil, the lessons he learned, 

the miracles he saw, and the hearts that were changed because of

the message he shared and taught of Jesus Christ.

It was SO BEAUTIFUL, and I was beaming with pride.

At home in bed.

I was able to watch it because they filmed it for me

(and for family out of town).

Gigs also got in the action and spoke.

He read his Mission assignment letter from The First Presidency!

It was epic!

I couldn't have been more proud of my boys.

I was so sad to miss this beautiful day!

I didn't even get any normal photos of my boys except one

of Gigs headed out on his way to church without me, and one

of Ollie at the side of my bed.

I cried, lying in my bed.

It felt all too familiar;

sick me missing out on SO MANY wonderful occasions, 

birthdays, weddings, school performances, etc...

because of sickness.

Then, after church, my health declined.

I got sicker.

Christian called our favorite ER doctor, Dr. Mangum, who was just getting

off his shift in the ER and stopped by.

He told me to get to the ER.

He made some calls, and then I found myself admitted to the hospital

while my good doctors tried to figure out why my leg was swollen 

and discolored. Was it a blood clot? 

My nurse attempted THREE TIMES to give me an IV

but she doesn't know that I DON'T HAVE VEINS.

I mean, I do, but they are very hidden.

My arms are basically scar tissue and grafts.

They even used a special ultrasound detector and

after I screamed like Mel Gibson when he gets tortured in the end

of Braveheart, the third time was the charm.

It was a pediatric IV, but it worked.

I got all the medicine and antibiotics I needed in that little tube.

Around midnight, Christian gave me a kiss and left for home.

Oh boy, we've been here before.

Pushing Through

 

This morning, I woke up feeling super achy and yucky.

But I pushed through.

My daffodils are pushing through under miserable circumstances,

and I felt I needed to do the same.

I spent the afternoon working on the girls' bed in preparation for my

 barre3 community class this evening, and I also

worked on our church's primary training.

When the night was over, I felt exhausted.

No, actually, I thought I was going to die.

My leg hurts and is visibly red and puffy.

I'm Here For It!

 Everything is canceled.  Everything!  

North Carolina has about 

2 inches of snow (and it's still coming down).  

Now, if I had announced that while living in Utah, 

that would have been no big deal, but here, it's a big deal,

and I'm here for it!

I walked around my house, taking photos of what it looks

like with snow outside since it's a rare sighting.

I love it.

I had a meeting today and felt super achy and sick halfway through it.

I got in the tub and went to bed.

I think I'm coming down after an all-time high.

So Long, My Beauties

Christian and I woke up at 4:30 am to drop Claire and Jane 

off at the airport for their journey home.

No sign of inclement weather yet.

Whew!

After our heartfelt goodbyes, Christian and I left our two

 little girls in the TSA line. I turned around one last time

 to see them chatting together, filled with love for them, 

grateful that they are mine and that they have each other.

On the way home, the sky seemed heavy.

I don't know how to describe it any other way.

It felt like me.  Heavy.

Just as we turned on our road, the flurries started.

I went back to bed, and when I woke up,  

the yard was lightly dusted with snow.

Then I picked up the house from last night's celebration and found

Jane had left her shoes, her earrings, her sunglasses, 

and her portable phone battery, and I wanted to cry.

But the snow kept falling, making for a 

very, very Hygge evening!

And that helped cheer me up some.