Gigs' Is Here!

 This evening we went to see Gigs graduate seminary!  So SO proud of him!!

Seminary is no joke.  He had to get up at 5:30 each weekday to be at

 seminary at 6:00 am, for FOUR YEARS!  

All of my children have successfully graduated from seminary!  

I thought about when I graduated in 1999. Seminary was like my 

4th period or something at my school. This is totally different, 

when it's early in the morning, 25 minutes away from home, 

and in a separate building from high school.  

It was easy for me to graduate; this isn't like that.

All that to say, I am beyond proud of gigs.  

This is a huge accomplishment!

I'm sure that for the past year, everyone in seminary has loved

hearing Gigs' SUPER LOUD car zoom into the church

parking lot each morning.

"Gigs' is here!"

Also, a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to his instructors for the last 4 years,

their sacrifice and dedication to helping Gigs graduate

has been monumental, and we couldn't have done it without them.

My Team

 We took some team photos today in the studio.
Behold, my team:

And, our cute play-lounge team:

PS:  SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE

that Barre3 Chatham Park (that's me!) is teaming up with

my besties, Madsen Cycles to give away a free bike on 7/6/25

for anyone who purchases a founding membership! 

Thanks, Madsen team, I LOVE YOU!

So Jazzed

 

I taught my last free community class at the
neighborhood center this morning.  Wahoooo!  Next time I teach, it will be
in my studio!  I'm so jazzed.

Yesterday, Christian and I visited the studio, and the sound system was going in.  

It sounds incredible!
Sam, my right-hand gal, worked with another instructor this
afternoon, after class, and my heart just softened.
I am so thankful for all the people in my life who are so amazing
to help us get this dream running!  

Everything in my life seems to be happening right now:

the studio, the wedding, Gigs' mission, the list goes on.

Can I do this?

Am I crazy?

Delivering A Baby

 If we're not at the studio, we are in the kitchen working on Barre3 stuff,
we set up our computer where I've been scanning in retail and merch 

into the computer and figuring out how to work everything.  

I feel like an old dog that can't learn new tricks.  Woof.
The studio clearly wasn't ready for us to go this weekend, and we're really disappointed. 

We'll have to postpone everything by a week. However, it's alright; 

I feel like a tornado trying to get everything organized. 

Almost all of my instructors are certified and will be prepared to teach when we open.

Including Caulin, whose wife, Emily, is due any day!!

Their lives are just about to change as they welcome a

 new baby girl into their home.   
I feel like I am delivering a baby, too.  

Barre3 has been a huge labor of love!

Storing The Tradition

 

Jane and Claire are happily with their significant 

others this week at the ranch in New Mexico.

One of the main objectives for going to the ranch was to get 

in our storage containers, and retrieve my Nana's purse.

This beautiful vintage purse is adorned with intricate beading and delicate details,

and was what I carried on my wedding day, and soon, it will be in Claire's hands

on her special day, too.

She said the pearl earrings, bracelet & necklace that I wore on my wedding 

day were stored inside the purse.

Awwwwwwww!

I love these sentimental traditions!

These two cuties will be married in a few short weeks!  

Can you believe it?

Albion Fit + Barre3

 I am so excited to announce that my friend, Liz, owner of Albion Fit is

 teaming up with Barre3 Chatham Park to sell in our studio!!!!!  

This is really cool, and we're the only authorized sellers of

 Albion Fit in North Carolina.  Flex!

Assessing The Damage

 I woke up and assessed the goat damage a little better.  

My heirloom sunflowers were chewed, and I had to dig them out 

along with a few other varieties of seeds I had planted.

Even if I plant more seeds, they won't be ready in time

for the wedding.

Luckily, most of my Zinnias are going to be OK.

I held my chin high as I had thoughts of murdering Gigs' evil goats.
Then I took Jane to the airport.  She and her *friend*

 are meeting Claire & Nate at the ranch in New Mexico for a fun little gathering. 
We hurried out of the house with wet hair and jeans, 

which she stuck out the window as we drove to the airport.

Mingling In My Garden

 Months ago, I bought our family Mission: Impossible tickets while we were 

all around the table for dinner.  The Nielsons are a little obsessed with this franchise.  

Need I repeat that Christian and I had our first date at the

Mission: Impossible 2 movie at the theater in South Provo in 2000?

One of the best nights of my life.

Anyway, tonight was the long-awaited night.

Behold, a few photos of us and MI through the years:

And then the worst thing happened.

When we got home, it was late and dark, but as the car lights pulled up to

the driveway, I noticed the goat gate was open.

Then I noticed the goats were mingling in my garden.

MINGLING IN MY GARDEN.

I couldn't get out of the car fast enough.

Upon the gruesome discovery, they had eaten most of the flower sprouts that

were coming up, and I had explicitly planted for Claire's wedding.

I knelt down like an overdramatic actress and cried.

I was really so sad. 

The sunflower tops had been eaten, amaranth chewed to smithereens, 

And my zinnias and dahlias had been stomped on. 

The hydrangea tops were gobbled up with piles of disgusting goat poop

all over the front yard.

Oliver helped me up while Christian was yelling at Gigs

 "come tomorrow morning, the goats are gone."

My dreams of Claire's wedding dinner with the vibrant garden as a beautiful

backdrop to the intimate event with family and friends

was dashed and now visions of a brown, empty, ugly garden.

The homemade wedding bouquet I planned to create for her

bridal photos was ruined.

I cried myself to sleep.

Goat really do go to hell.

Gigs, The Covenant Keeper

Today was a very special day in the Nielson home. 

Nicholas went to the temple for the first time with a full-access temple recommend, 

in preparation for his mission in August.  

In 2018, when he was 12, he went to the temple with a 

limited recommend with his siblings in the South Carolina temple.

Tonight, while we were inside, Lottie waited for us outside in

the beautiful temple gardens and took some stunning photos of the temple

and talked to Claire on the phone in Arizona.

She's not old enough yet for a full-access recommend.  Soon enough.

After we went to dinner, I reveled in my children and family!  
We'll all be back for Claire's wedding in July!  

Then we had dinner:

People often think of Jane and Ollie as twins.

I am so excited and proud of Gigs.  

He has taken control of his own personal covenant path with Jesus.  

He has proceeded with questions, personal inspiration, and ultimately, 

his his own relationship with the Savior.  

He is a doll, and I am so excited for his mission and beyond!

Dinner & Self-Esteem

Today, we got a call that a big shipment of our props had arrived at the studio.  

Our weights and mats came!

Boxes filled the space next to the studio.

When we got there, Oliver was hanging up the light fixture in the play lounge.

I've been feeling guilty because we don't sit down to eat as a family

like we used to, and I know it's because we're super busy with the studio

and getting it set up and ready, but the absense of family dinner is felt.

Jane sent me this cool study she read in one of her classes at BYU:

There have been more than 20 years of dozens of studies that document 

that family dinners are great for the body, the physical health, the brains 

and academic performance, and the spirit or the mental health, and in terms nutrition, 

cardiovascular health is better in teens, there's lower fat and sugar and 

salt in home cooked meals even if you don't try that hard, there's 

more fruit, and fiber, and vegetables, and protein in home cooked meals, 

and lower calories. Kids who grow up having family dinners, 

when they're on their own tend to eat more healthily and to have lower rates of obesity.

Then the mental health benefits are just incredible. 

Regular family dinners are associated with lower rates of depression, 

and anxiety, and substance abuse, and eating disorders, 

and tobacco use, and early teenage pregnancy, 

and higher rates of resilience and higher self esteem.
Here

Yes to higher self-esteem!