Cattle Convention Day 1 & 2 /St. George/Hurricane/Zion National Park

On our last day in St. George, we drove to Hurricane

 (about 20 minutes from our hotel)

 to drop Christian off at his cattle convention.  I was so proud of him! 

 His dreams are coming true- he's making this company a reality. 

 Slowly but surely all his hard HARD work is paying off.

 It's been one heck of a LONG ROAD, and we're still not there yet,

 but he's doing it!! 

 After we dropped him off we went to lunch and Swig for drinks. 

 It's so nice being somewhere with familiar food and lots of options.  

That's one downer about North Carolina- not a lot of options- 

which is probably for the best or I'd be 200 pounds.

We drove by the Manti temple which is deep in construction mode.  

It's still so beautiful and reminds me of Elder Holland.

Then I drove the Nies around showing them 

some of the places I visited as a

silly high school spring break-er in the '90s.

We went back to the hotel and took a nap, went swimming, 

and Oliver, Jane, and I did a Barre3 class.

Later in the evening we pilled back in the car and picked up Christian 

(we were late, and he was the only one left at the convention..doh!!!).

We drove to Zupas (Lottie's fav) and had dinner. 

 Jane was feeling a little bit anxious about taking the plunge and 

moving to Arizona.  We went back to the

 hotel and watched Christian and the boys swim while we

 talked about her upcoming future and life. 

I assured her everything would be alright.

How could anything go wrong with Lindsay?  She's the best!

But also, we both just really miss Claire.

In the morning, Christian woke up super early on and caught a 

ride to his cattle convention in Orderville, Utah.

The Nies and I woke up and since the exercise room was closed

Jane and I ran the hotel stairs together and

 Lottie went swimming again (it was freezing outside!!).

Then we grabbed lunch (Cafe Rio, Einsteins, Chick-Fil-A, and Swig, AGAIN) 

and drove through Zion National Park on our way to pick up Christian

 at the convention in Hurricane.

Zion's was BEAUTIFUL!!  

The Nies loved driving through the glorious canyons,

 and I scored a lifetime National Parks pass, too!

We got to the entrance where the park ranger asked me my name, 

and if I was a US citizen.  I confirmed the afimative and then she wrote down some

 information on a clipboard then handed me a special card.  

She told me that it was a very special card because it was a

  lifetime pass to any national park, forest service, fish and game,

and some other places.

I think the park ranger thought I had a disability because

she presented the card to me like I was disabled

and well, you know I kind of look it...I guess.  

The Nies and I laughed soooo hard- especially Oliver.  

He was so excited and keeps the card in his wallet.  

He's proud of it because he tells everyone about it!

We picked up Mr. Nielson at his last convention and he was smiling ear to ear.  

His presentation about BOV-IQ went great!

 He was relieved it was over, but so happy with his work there!  

He brought a box full of hats to give out, and he did!

We brought him Cafe Rio which was eaten on the top of the car while

the rest of us stretched our legs and took a bathroom break in the wilderness.

Then we were on the road again headed to Gilbert!

NC-TN-AK-OK-TX-NM.

 On Saturday morning, bright and early, we embarked on another

 cross-country trip bound for the West!

We didn't make it to the stop sign out of our culdesac and the 

the car made a funny, loud noise.

I've been worried about our Navigator lately.  

The AC works ONLY when it's cold outside, and the heater

 ONLY works when it's hot outside.  

The running board on the left side doesn't go up, and the running board 

on the right side won't go down.

The sunroof broke, and somehow, it doesn't leak

 (maybe because we pay our tithing).

And, the left window motor broke and doesn't go down using the button,

 But it will go down with bumps, so it's taped up with clear tape.

Oh, and the left taillight is held together with tape, too.

Somewhere in the middle of the Oklahoma plains, we hit 200,000 miles!!!!!

It was a momentous occasion, and I silently thanked God for this

sweet car that has taken us across the country 4 times!

We spent our first night in Arkansas in a dumpy hotel.

Gigs slept on the 2-inch window cushion. Jane and Ollie took a bed

while Christian, Lottie, and I snuggled in the other queen bed.

Since it was Sunday, I woke up early before everyone else

 and snuck to the lobby to attend my Zoom ward council.

Christian and I HATE traveling on Sunday and try to avoid it at all costs, 

but this trip was hard to avoid, so we planned ahead so we

could keep the Sabbath as holy as possible.

We went to Whole Foods in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday night and

bought pre-made salads, hummus, bread, cheese, a cooler, 

and dry ice to get us through Sunday. 

 I hope God knows our desire to keep His day as holy as possible. 

 I hope He blesses us for our efforts- though not perfect.

Christian took us to a home of a woman, 

Jaynea, who he baptized in Kentucky 23 years ago.

She's since moved to Searcy, Arkansas, with her son Patrick

 (who he baptized, too), and Patrick's wife, Brenda.  

We pulled up to a tiny apartment where Patrick was smoking in his church clothes.

We visited for about 30 minutes, ministering and sharing our

love for Jesus and the missionaries who found Jaynea.

Christian gave them blessings, and through God's power,

he blessed them with strength, love, and courage to take on challenges

and concerns. I was overwhelmed with love for Chrisitan and his ability

with words. He is so loving and eloquent.

I also felt overwhelmed with love for a Heavenly Father who freely gives

 His love for all His children to bless them with.

After we said our goodbyes, we left the house, pulled over to the side of the road

before getting back onto the 40 and changing out of our church clothes.

I thought a lot about Claire, who is serving a mission and having

similar experiences. I am so thankful she is doing what she is doing.

She is wonderful and amazing, and I am so proud. I was so glad all the Nies

were there to see the family Christian baptized!

 I was glad they got to see the obedience, love, and dedication 

that a 19-year-old boy had toward a family so long ago.

We stopped for lunch at a rest stop in Oklahoma and ate bread and cheese.

We ran around, stretched our legs, and some of us used the restroom,

That is something I will NOT do.  

I made Christian pull over to the side of the road

every time I needed to tinkle. 

I'm a pioneer at heart.

We pulled into a gas station in Texas to eat our salads and get one more 

tank of gas before Albuquerque. Amy Bingham texted me to tell me

that John's cousin was a stake president in Park City, Utah, and had

BRANDON FLOWERS as their speaker. Jane was able to zoom in and watch

the fireside while we drove at dusk through Oklahoma into Texas.

  She was so excited, I thought she was going to die!

We had such an uplifting Sabbath, regardless of our having to travel 

pretty much all day.

Brandon's fireside was actually pretty cool, and I was very impressed by his solid

testimony since he's a famous rock star.

It was so refreshing to watch!

We got into Albuquerque around 10:30 and collapsed in our hotel.

 It felt a little bittersweet being back so close to the ranch.

We miss New Mexico! It will always be home.

 

Clane! Come back!.

 Today we are getting ready to go to Arizona tomorrow

for a 14-day trip! 

We finally made a plan, scraped the money, and will head out early tomorrow. 

We will drive to Arkansas, where Christian will finally introduce me to a woman

and her 2 kids (who are adults now) that 

he baptized in Kentucky almost 23 years ago. 

He wants to bless her and give her a hug.

We will drive to Albequaque on the second day, then into St. George on

the third day, where we'll stay for a few days while Christian attends

a cattle convention where he is the keynote speaker (Go Bov-IQ!).

Our last leg brings us into Gilbert from Thursday until Thursday.

We have many appointments with the burn center and are preparing to

leave Jane in Arizona for the summer. (and our car!).

I can't believe I'm letting Jane leave me.  

She spent most of the day (actually the past week) upstairs getting things

put together for this trip.  

Part of me is so excited for her to have an adventure, 

and I know it will pull and stretch her in really good ways.  

And she needs that right now.

Barre3 asked her to work for them this summer at the front desk like 

what Claire did last summer, and she is really, really excited!

It feels so odd to send both my girls away from me.

Clane! What is happening to you?

Where is time slipping away, and what will Lottie do without you both?

Claire asked me to download her photos on her phone 

so she'll have more storage on her phone for incoming mission photos. 

Going through her pictures and seeing

life years ago was so much fun. 

But, I also felt a little melancholy, too. 

 Life was such a dream years ago when we

 lived in Fox Hill in our gorgeous home 

surrounded by family and mountains.  

Then I started feeling homesick for a life gone by. 

It's hard to feel any other way

when right now, life is really stressful and overwhelming.

Following your dreams is less glamorous and inspiring than one thinks.

It's actually very, SUPER stressful.

But I believe in Christian and his vision for our family and BovIQ.

I hate that our plans have yet to be realized yet.

I feel out of control and irresponsible.

I know it's so important to stay faithful and to trust in God's promises,

and He promised we'd prosper in the land if we kept the

commandments. Christian and I are trying more than ever to do that,

and most importantly teach it to our Nies.

Up and leaving a VERY comfortable life, with opportunities, and 

experiences, in a way, have been the worst.

But also, the best because I believe in us!

And boy, we've had some great times along the way!

Introducing Bov-IQ

What does Mr. Nielson do?

This:

Documentary

 For two days a film crew was at The White House filming an interview

 for the Arizona Burn Center Night Of Heros gala at the end of April.  

The footage and interviews they got will also be used in the feature film-length movie.  

Last summer we were supposed to hike Mt. Kilamanjaro with other burn survivors.  

Covid blew those plans.  We were planning on going this summer but again, 

Covid strikes again.

We are hoping the third time is the charm.

SUMMER 2022!!!

Our interviews were long and exhausting.  

I shared my feelings and thoughts and what

 I remembered about the accident and my recovery.  

It was really emotional and by the end of the day, I was exhausted! 

I sat in bed that night with Christian next to me thinking about

our accident and the journey we've been on.

Sometimes I wonder with present hardships and some pain why 

I'm not stronger and more courageous.

Sometimes my faith waxes and wanes.  

I know the Savior wants me to find solace in Him and His

atoning sacrifice He made for me.

I need to rely on, and put my trust in Him more!

This is not optional, it's critical!

I'm trying.

I wish I could conjure my inner amazing self to remind me

what I can do, and the power I have inside.

Sometimes I wonder where it went.

I need to pull up my medical accident photos to give me strength.

They are incredibly graphic and scary to look at,

but so powerful and inspiring to me to see how far I've come

and what I am capable of overcoming!