Thanks river

I just got home from church to find a whole slew of emails/attached photos in my inbox from various river passengers. I feel like I always tell my friends and family how great the river is (i.e. the scenery, the water, the FUN, the tan, etc.), but I may fail to convey how great some of the people are whom I'm privileged to meet. I feel extremely lucky to get to know some incredible people. I'm glad for the gorgeous medium in which these acquaintances begin, and for the sheer magic that the Canyon provides in order to facilitate our friendships.

Thanksgiving photo feast

Warning: there are a million pictures here of my family; you may not love them as much as me, and therefore don't care to look at all of them. I, however, think they are the greatest people in the world and had a fantastic Thanksgiving with them at Scott and Shellie's house in AZ. It was a bit tumultuous getting down there; it involved an epic 16+ hour car ride complete with a broken down minivan, driving through blizzards, and seven people in very close quarters. Even though the trip had the makings of a bad holiday movie starring some B-list actor, it turned out great and made me realize how grateful I am for all of these people (and many more people not pictured who weren't there :)

The frenzy; everyone trying to get their share of deliciousness.

The kids table

After dinner game extravaganza

B & V, making a business call

Cute girls

Hostess extraordinaire checking our rolls (I ate six)

Jacob, schooling everyone in the cup game

The two who got me there; Thanks Matt and Tristan for taking on a fifth child for the weekend!

Our day-after "digestion" hike to South Mtn.

I never tire of taking pretty lichen pictures

The marvelous hosts, thanks again guys!

Hear no, speak no, see no evil

70 degrees F is a far cry from the frigid temps we left in SLC!

And last but not least... here is a video from Emilie, I especially love the cameo appearance at the end. You never know what you're gonna get when you give your camera to a 8 year old for an hour:

beach babes

Welp, since I forgot Robin's birthday, I thought I'd make it up to her by posting some long-overdue pics from my trip home to CA two months ago! Plus, EmmaJane's b-day is next week, so let's just make this a double whammy birthday post (and a cute babies-at-the-beach picture frenzy).

Diligent mothers keeping a watchful eye on their elder children

Cute little Rose, perhaps that concerned look on your face is because you can foresee into your teen years when your mom won't let you wear a bikini to 42nd street... like mother, like daughter!

Sweet DaviJewell, if you're anything like your mother, in 6 or 7 years time, instead of eating that sand, you'll be using it to bury your best friend and turn her into a mermaid.

Oh Diego, my little future-shredding-sponger/surfer, little do you know that you'll probably be back at this spot strutting your stuff for hot chicks

And ElvisAnn, little do you know that in approximately 12 years you'll be back at this very same beach, scoping for lifeguards and surfers, just like your mom used to...

This is me pretending to be a hot mom, with my super hot mom friends.

EJ, thanks for letting me borrow EA.

Gals, here's to 20 + years of friendship, happy 27th to both of you! Thanks for a fun day at our old stomping grounds, and for allowing me to take copious photographs of your beautiful kiddos!

Weekend warriors

Had fun poking around Logan Canyon with these goons last weekend...

yeah, that's a blimp that reads "GUNS." Nuff said.

Pretty day in the backcountry!

rime & reason

Winter's here

Just last week I was running outside in shorts and a tank top; now everything is covered in snow and it's freezing! Here's some photos of the last warm weekend of the year (it looks cold b/c we're at 9,000 + feet, but it was actually in the 60's in the valley).

Happy to be done with a steep hike

Northwest view of Big Cottonwood Canyon

Oquirrh Mountains sunset

Greek god, jumping atop Mt. Olympus

Don't forget to vote!

Just a friendly reminder :)

Die Utah County construction, die!!

That pretty much sums it up. I couldn't be moving to Salt Lake at a more appropriate time. The traffic from the FrontRunner construction on I-15 and everywhere surrounding my house in AF is starting to wear on me...

Kind of a stretch to make this picture relatable to the content matter, but hey, it's the best I could do. (it's from Montezuma, CO last summer)

Does anyone else share my sentiments??

A Welcome Sight

This is what I was graced with this morning on my way out the door, and I couldn't have been happier. SNOW! On our jack-o-lanterns!

Happy (almost) Halloween.

P.S. I won the pumpkin carving contest at FHE with this beauty. Just bragging.

P.P.S. My roommate won the "cutest" category for her Mickey Mouse rendition, well done.

engaged!

+

=

Since it's not officially news until it's announced on this here blog, I thought I'd let you all know that Andrew and Holland got engaged last week! I'm super excited for them.

Couples that barbeque together stay together I guess.

Congrats Brother.

of baseball and fathers

I feel very disconnected from the MLB postseason this year as I have no TV and the only playoff team I had any vested interest in got swept by the Yankees in the ALDS; way to go Twins. Now we are left with four teams, three of which are honest-to-goodness my least favorite clubs in the majors. The outcome of the NLCS will be an absolute lose-lose situation. In the ALCS, I'm left to cheer for the Texas Rangers, a team I'm mildly interested in. At least I can live vicariously through my Dad, brother Matt, and nephew, Jacob (Ranger fans of various loyalties...). My dad used to live in Arlington (where the Rangers play) and I was able to see a game there when I was thirteen. Being a child of Mike Nielson, I was forced into a love of baseball from an early age. Little did I know that he was planting the seed for one of my life's ambitions. You see, just like any loving father, my Dad only wants a few things for/from his daughter in life:

-graduate school

-marry a guy who doesn't deal drugs

-make lots of money so that I can support him in his old age

-visit all the major league ballparks in the country

Well I'm happy to announce that I'm two steps closer to that last goal! A few weeks ago I visited Heidi and Cameron in Michigan and we were able to go to games in both Detroit and Cleveland.

Good looking couple at a good looking ballpark

Baseball was not intended to be a cold sport, but this is the Midwest in Fall afterall.

"Heidizzle, make sure you can see the sign in the background, you know, to prove that I was here." Don't worry, Cameron was able to remedy this situation and get the right shot.

famous Fox theatre in the background

steam rising from the sewer

Lions and Tigers and fans, oh my! Ford Field is literally next door to Tigers Stadium.

Progressive Field, formerly called Jacob's Field or "the Jake"

H & C, looking particularly great on a chilly Cleveland evening.

The entire stadium was so empty! Apparently Ohioans aren't too jazzed about their near-last place team on a cold Tuesday night in September

it was officially the emptiest game I've ever attended. I would estimate less than 4,000 spectators.

All in all, a positive experience. A special thanks goes out to Dizzle, Cameron, Bud Selig, Papa Nielson, Ty Cobb, and these guys

for making it all happen. There may be more coming on my Midwest Mayhem 2010 Tour... stay posted.