What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

This is a FREE conference and we have plenty of room at the Nielsen Inn. This isn't just for teens and young adults, families attend of all ages. Make your reservations soon!

Facebook is Jammed, So I'll Leave my Thoughts Here

I think I ought to win the Nobel Peace Prize for breaking up sibling rivelry scuttles in my home. These are your future world leaders and I'm bringing peace to your world.

Say Good-Bye Duckies

Good-Bye Duckies, Good-Bye mold. For those of you that have visited us, you know we have tons of little duckies in our upstairs bathroom. They have been laid to rest. Due to a mold issue we are remodeling the bathroom. For now all 9 of us are using 1 bathroom. Talk about scheduling issues. We start showers at 5 am. This too shall pass. We are thankful we have running water.

The only thing we're saving is the bathtub. Everything else is gone, including the ceiling. More pictures to come!

New Season

It's the beginning of a new season in the Nielsen household. With every season brings a huge shift in the daily schedule. I'll save you the boring details of showing you our hairy schedule. Needless to say I've had to make some major shifts so the day's activities can run smoothly. I'm quitting my pt job at Dream Dinners. When the school emails and asks why your kids aren't doing their homework, it's time to make a change. I'm also considering relinquishing being on IHOP staff. My schedule revolves around everybody else in my house and I'm having so much trouble keeping prayer room hours and feeling guilty about it. I'd rather go when I can and not have the pressure of having to be in there looming over me. It's a delicate balance being a mother and wanting to serve. I'd love to be in the prayer room for many hours a day, but it's just not my season.

John has a few new things happening. He is teaching piano pt at the Forerunner music Academy. He's also training to be an Instructor for Simply Music. It's a way of teaching piano in a completely different way. Students learn to play music before they learn the notes. It's becoming very popular. The plan is to rent studio space and be able to teach group lessons. He also is in the midst of a new project at IHOP that has to do with his 19 years experience in radio. Yeah!

Zach is a 2nd year student at FMA. He plays on Marcus Meier's team in the prayer room several times a week. Check out the schedule and watch him live on the webstream. They will be leading worship this Sunday at FCF.

Rachel is starting her senior year at The Daniel Academy. She will graduate this year and then go to a community college next year. She is interested in fashion design. She's also got a gift in the area of writing. She has a job working for our neighbor who runs a travel company from her home. She enjoys it.

All the kids are attending The Daniel Academy this year. Parents are required to volunteer or help in some way. I am teaching 2 classes in the High School; Personal Finance and Yearbook.

All the girls, except for Sophie, are dancing again. They have all moved up into more challenging levels this year. That means they are required to take more classes and dance more hours a week. They are serious about it. Sophie decided it was enough to go to school. She's in 1st grade.

That's it for now. Pray for us as we navigate through this new season.

How I Spent My Birthday

We took advantage of the beautiful day and took a trip to the Deanna Rose Farm. Since it's geared towards small children, the oldest 4 opted to stay home and do the dishes. Our kids have been there before but it was a new experience for John and I. It's a really nice place, there's animals to look at, pet, and feed.

Tractors to ride, ponies to ride, and yummies to eat. Best of all it's free.Guess who....Josiah doing the bunny ears again!

The reality hit me while watching young couples with strollers, chasing toddlers, that we are finally way out of that stage of life. And I don't miss it. I loved it while we were doing it, but we are now the parents of young adults and teens. My little guys aren't parented the same as when my oldest were their age. When our oldest kids were little we hovered over them and were so protective, I must have been a nervous wreck. So sorry kids. I'm still like a mother bear, don't be messing with my cubs, but we are so much more relaxed. For example, this horrible picture. I would have made them stay behind these flowers until they were all smiling like angels. Truth is...the sun was in their eyes and my camera battery was dead. I managed to eek this one more picture before it crashed. Thanks for the great day!

Peaceful Haven in Door County or Narnia

We stayed with a couple in Door County who let us take over their peaceful haven in the woods. When we pulled into the driveway Zach said, "We're in Narnia". It was truly amazing and what's even more amazing is the couple, Jack and Gail Haag, who built the entire place themselves, inside and out. They were very humble, generous, and made us feel so welcome. The kids were able to feed the deer, chipmunks, and Koi fish. Gail has trained the animals to eat right out of her hands.Chloe did it. Jack and Gail did all the landscaping of the ponds, building of the bridges, gardens with much detail. Jack has a knack for wood carving and building things. Gail has an eye for color and design. It was a real treat to enjoy the beauty of what their hands had made.

These are just a few of the birdhouses Jack has built. And Swingset.And the Church that's really a shed.We took advantage of the beautiful patio overlooking the pond and did our practice outside. Gail and Sarah. Jack was helping a Habitat for Humanity project that morning.

A headboard Jack carved. It would be impossible to show every detail of the work they have put into this house and the land, but we were entirely blessed by every minute of our stay there.

That was Then.....This is Now

Little did we know after honeymooning in Door County 20 years ago we would get the opportunity to move there a few short months later. That was then.....This is now.

We celebrated our 20 year Anniversary where we honeymooned. How fun is that? Our house hostess made this cake for us. She is a woman of many talents. More about that later.

While living in Sturgeon Bay we made good friends, Cory and Darla Dahl. Cory has pastored the First Baptist Church for 21 years, wow.

We ended up having our first babies together. The day they checked out of the hospital we checked in....to the same room. That was then...

We made our babies suffer through countless first time parents photo sessions. They were propped up as neither one could sit yet. At 6 months the fun didn't stop. I think she got his hair in that sitting.

They allowed us to do a simulated baby sitting 18 years later. This is now....

They're still cuties.

Door County ....... Part 4

Cave Point Park Our kind of park. Go climb and get dirty.

Dream big.....

Rod and Laurie, keep your eyes peeled. You never know where you might find a greeting.

Cleaning the sand out of the toes.

Door County ....... Part 3

Cana Island Lighthouse

A close up of the lens.

View from the top.

Door County ....... Part 2

Let's Go Shopping......

They Match

I managed this shop for a few months while I was pregnant with Zach....the smell of chocolate made me sick. I can't imagine that happening now. The store owner's employee policy was to try one of everything so you could tell the customers how good it was. I couldn't take advantage of that policy at the time.

Our little Chipmunk

Some of Our Favorite Things To Do In Door County..Part 1...

Walk the Harbor in Sturgeon Bay.

Check out these ships.... That building in the background is what Zach is calling the coolest Applebee's ever. John and I agree.....we will never get tired of the sight of the Harbor in Sturgeon Bay.Sarah and Sophie

Leave me alone, I'm eating Chocolate.

Another Great Thing To Do ....Let's Go Cherry Picking

Chloe is a brave girl.

Eating as you pick?

Yum!

Zach's Birth Place

Zach was born in Door County, WI 18 1/2 years ago. This is the house we lived in at the time. It was a four-plex, we were on the top left just a view blocks from church and the Bay. Our first night there we were treated to a "Door County Meal" by the Wilson family. We were served delicious dried cherries, cherry butter, cherry juice, and Wisconsin cheese curds.

The children taught a card game to Drew and Drake. Collin is a cutie. These pictures were shot in their beautiful field of wild flowers.

First Stop.....Rochester, MN

Our good friends Pastor Todd and Sharon Olson shepherd the flock at Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rochester, MN. They allowed our family to lead worship for all 3 of their Sunday Services.

Zach and Rachel singing together. I'm so proud of them. There's nothing like sibling harmony.

Practicing in the hotel room the night before.

Hotel pool fun.

Hannah walks on water! Freaky.

We had a great time.....but then hit the road to destination #2.

Road Trip

On our way to Rochester, MN and Door County, WI. Poor Chloe.
Running off a little energy at a wayside rest area in Iowa.

On the Road Again

We're packing up and heading to Rochester, MN then to Door County, WI. Door County is where Zach was born over 18 years ago. We will be ministering in both these cities as a family. Pray for a smooth ride, our house/dog sitter as she cares for our fearful, anxious dog, unity in the family as we minister together.

I Have the Evidence

From time to time I will find my camera with pictures on it that I didn't take. Do they not know that I can tell who's been playing with my camera.....

BTW-Hannah makes awesome cookies, she's cute too.

Here's another culprit ...or two!

All American Pastime

Just for fun we took the family to a Twins/Royals game last night. Except for Rachel who was working at ATC. Tickets on weeknights are only $5 in the upper deck. The Twins didn't do so well but it was fun to see so many MN fans at the ballpark. We even ran into some old acquaintances that work for R & J tours. They were on a week long trip following the Twins from Milwaukee, St. Louis, and then KC. Check out this scoreboard. It's massive. When the Royals hit a home run the top of the crown shoots off fireworks. It looked cool but not when it's the other team. Now is it just us or do we attract dead rodents and other animals? We all smelled something really funky. I mentioned to John that it smelled an awful lot like the dead mouse in our van a couple of weeks ago. It took until the 3rd inning to discover a dead bird stuck in the back of Sophie's seat. Ewww! Shortly after John told the usher, a gloved man came to the rescue and took it away. He then handed John a coupon for free concessions. Yeah for that.