Sundance Film Festival

Last weekend, Mr. Nielson and I watched the documentary "Mitt".

 directed by Greg Whiteley at the Sundance Film Festival.

It is a beautiful film about a wonderful patriotic family and really, 

I didn't feel like it was about politics at all.

To me, the film is about a man (Mitt) and his family, 

his devotion to the country and to God.  

The relationships Mitt has with his five sons and his wife, Ann

throughout the film is what makes the film so moving and accurate.

Since I have had the honor of knowing the Romney family, the movie was very dear

 to my heart as I watched the emotions of those I know 

and care about being portrayed on screen.

 After it was all over, Mr. Nielson and I were excited to have a

 few quiet moments to meet the director and his sweet family.

We chatted about some of his experiences throughout the six years following 

and filming the Romney family.  We talked about his sweater and how it 

belonged to his late father and was his "lucky charm."

I also enjoyed talking to his beautiful wife Erin and 2 very bright children.

"Mitt" comes out on Netflix on January 24th.  You'll love it.

Happy New Year! 2014 2014 2014

We welcomed the New Year by moving from the Briar House to Fox Hill.

Our neighbor/pediatrician and her family took the children for most of the night 

while Mr. Nielson and I took load after load to our new unfinished home.  

Mr. Nielson packed items while I cleaned the house. For the last time.

We both raced against the clock because we wanted to 

ring in the new year together with our children.

When 10:00 came around, we still hadn't cleaned out and 

packed up the garage, and I was panicking.

The Little Nies wanted to be together, and so did I, but we were on a deadline 

since the new owners (whom I do not know) wanted to be in the next day.

When 11:46 rolled around, Mr. Nielson and I dropped everything we were

 doing and picked up the children. 

 {Lottie had long since fallen asleep at my Mom's house} 

We packed the children in the car and drove up to Fox Hill.

 Mr. Nielson found a long piece of wood from the house construction and made a 

platform for us to let off some fireworks. 

We didn't even need a watch to tell what time it was; we saw hundreds 

of fireworks in the city below.  It was a sight I will never forget.

We let our fireworks off and drove the children home (Umi's)

where they were promptly put to bed.

 Mr. Nielson and I continued to work until 3:00 a.m. in the frigid cold.

It was a New Year's Eve that I will remember for the rest of my life.

It was both memorable and exhausting.

When I lay my head down next to Mr. Nielson that night on a blow-up 

mattress on my parents' living room floor,

 I kept thinking how grateful I was for a healthy body.

 I felt pain-- particularly in my hands, but I was proud of my body

that could move and lift and work hard from sunup to sundown

over and over these past few weeks.

I am grateful that I can do hard things.

Happy New Year from our home to yours!

 And then Lottie looked like this the whole rest of the day.  It was awesome.

***Happy Birthday to brother JESSE!!!!***

The Nielsons Move

I only broke three plates, one frame, and a glass jar while moving

 our belongings out of the beloved Briar House. 

The past few weeks have been bittersweet as Mr. Nielson and I packed up the house.

This sweet house has been filled with healing, peace, traditions, color, love, 

and best of all, we brought Lottie home here after she was born!

It was so hard to actually turn off the lights and lock the door and know 

I'd never come back.

I think I have major PTSD from that one time I did that and 

never DID go back!

Of course, I am excited to move to Fox Hill, and 

we'll be in the same neighborhood after all!

But The Briar House has been so good to us, and there are

many people who have spent time 

preparing it for us to move into after the accident.

Here are some photos I took over the last few days 

as we moved, and what I am going to miss:

*The empty dining room and the chandlers.

*The Dutch front door Mr. Nielson made, and the wallpaper 

he put up two months after I came home from the hospital.

*Lottie's little seat attached to the bar, looking out the window

towards our favorite neighbors, the Kendalls (who is also our pediatrician!):

*The messy garage 

(thanks, brother Jesse and Andrew, for helping us move}

*The girl's pink room downstairs:

*The cork floors:

*The basement revamp and the windows in the dining room/living room:

*The fireplace/mantel:

*Then we took the little Nies around the house before we said goodbye.

They cried and were sad, so I told them we could visit every room

 in the house, and I would take a pic of them.

And, so we did. (Here are a few of those photos.):

*the office:

The playroom:

*My bedroom, where Mr. Nielson took down the little note

that he wrote me and taped above my side of the bed.

It was to help encourage me out of bed on those tough mornings

when life was horrible and painful.

And, yes, even the Choky!:

Lots of tears!

The next morning, we spent all day watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy 

at my Mom's house in our PJs.

THE END.

Have a great weekend!