Home at last

After 36 hours of travel we made it back to America exhausted and hungry! The time zone change absolutley blows my mind! We left Mongolia on Monday afternoon at 3:40, traveled 36 hours, and arrived in LA at 9:30am Tuesday morning....I just can't rap my mind around it! We stayed with my aunt Tasha for one day - it was really great because we got to spend time with my grandparents. They have been traveling the country so we got to share our travel experiences with each other (although, they didn't experience anything as crazy as eating sheep head).

Yes, this is a boiled sheep head...which we ate!

We drove to Las Vegas on Wednesday and we will be staying here until next week sometime.

It is so nice to be home! We have been able to catch up on sleep, relax, and just enjoy the beautiful country we live in. Mongolia gave me a new appreciation for our freedoms and liberties.

I am so happy to be home with my family, home where I can speak the language, home where I can eat the food with out getting sick. Dorothy said it right "There is no place like home."

I will survive!

Only 10 days left in Mongolia. It has been one crazy adventure! I haven't written anything because....LJ's computer broke a few weeks into the trip - that has certainly made this whole thing a lot harder than I was planning on. Thankfully, I have been able to use a computer in the church when it has been available. We have had so many fun experiences! We went to the countryside (almost 100% uninhabited!!), we went to the place where Mongolia was dedicated for missionary work, we bought about a million cheap movies (haha), I ate SHEEP HEAD, but mainly I have learned how very blessed we are in America! I am so grateful for all we have and all we can work to have! I love America. I have also learned how much hope the Gospel brings into our lives. The people in Mongolia have nothing and nothing to look forward to. But, the Gospel gives the people here the hope of a brighter future, the hope of a living Savior. It blesses these people so much. I never realized how much I take for granted all I have until I came to Mongolia. Now, while I have learned so much and come to love the people so greatly...I am ready to go home! I miss my family, friends....FOOD!! I dream about America every night - no kidding! It started about a week ago...I had a dream about milk - I don't even like milk very much! But, when I dreamed that I was drinking a tall glass of 2% - oh baby! I got very homesick! I just want some milk!!!!! When I wake up every morning having dreamed about America I just keep reminding myself that I only have a few more days here. I am SO grateful for the experience I have had here but I am also so grateful that I am going home soon!

Recent Obsessions

Something that I have found to occupy some of my free time here has been The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. These books have become extremely popular at BYU-I (especially among English majors) and my mom convinced me to read them. Anything she suggests I read because she always steers me in a good direction. Mom sent me with books one and two to read over here. It took me two days to read them both (haha). Needless to say I was hooked after the first few chapters! These books are AMAZING! I love them - the story is so gripping and the main character is so lovable (which I find to be a big contrast with the Twilight series haha).
After I finished the first 2 books, I was DYING to get my hands on the newly released 3rd book! I tried calling every book store in the UB area, then I buckled and ordered the ebook. After complications with payment methods outside of the U.S., help from my aunt, and buying a power cord for LJ's computer I was finally able to get ahold of book 3...Mockingjay!!!
I really want to start a discussion board or something to see what other people thought of the book. I was a little disappointed! Things happened so fast - too fast for me! Characters killed with little explanation or emotion from the main character, love triangles coming to a swift close when one character was about to SLAUGHTER the other - not a lot of explanation or talk of healing there, main characters leaving the picture for good......the book ended exactly how I hoped it would but I didn't get to experience all the happiness and love that I was waiting for over the past two books!! Anyways, I am obsessed right now and dying for someone to discuss it with me! I loved the book but I have to admit it was my least favorite of the 3! I want to hear YOUR thoughts! Please comment :)

Mongolia...a new chapter

A few months ago LJ decided to apply for an internship in Mongolia and I, being quiet innocent, encouraged him! He found an internship with an international bank in the capital of Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar. All the arrangements seemed to fall into place. The church asked me if I could help out in the mission home (which I was extatic about) and we were able to find rather inexpensive flights. We had a hard time getting LJ's visa - in fact it didn't arrive until 6 hours before our flight left but we made it here!
We landed in Ulaanbaatar on September 1st. It was a pretty big culture shock. The way these people drive is insane! No lanes, no blinkers, no speed limits, no lights - NO NOTHING!!! I think I almost died 23 times after leaving the airport. It's amazing that they don't hit eachother! We wanted to shower and turned the water on - no hot water! I had to heat water on the stove to wash my hair. We went grocery shopping and didn't get any groceries...apparently LJ never bought food when he was here - that would explain why he was so skinny! I am loving the mission home! I have only been here for a few hours and I haven't done much of anything but the people are so wonderful and the Spirit is very strong.
LJ is going to enjoy his job. He will be working on a project for the bank and will be working very closely with a member of the church named A.K. I can tell that he likes being back. His mission was such an important time of his life. He learned so much and became the man he is today in this city. We have already seen a lot of people he knows and all the missionaries know him as a "legend." Everyone always says "You're NIELSEN?!?!?!?!" My husband is famous!
I am trying to learn some Mongolian words and phrases. It's a lot easier than learning in American because I'm submursed in the language here. I like it! I have already learned a lot and I'm sure being around the elders will help me learn more. The mission president, President Mecham, made the goal to learn the language - that is a lofty goal!
I'm sure I will have great stories to come. As for now I am still in shock! I have eaten new foods, almost died 50 times, and showered with freezing cold water but things will get more exciting!

Finding Joy in the Journey

This new semester has proved to be more trying than last semester! We are both working two jobs. We are both doing the early EARLY morning cleaning jobs, LJ is still a teachers assistant in the business department and I have been hired as a "mentor" for a music theory class (I teach classes 5 hours a week). Work keeps us pretty busy and LJ is also serving on the student representative council as the rep. over Academics and I got cast as a lead in this semester's Opera. I am performing as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni. I am very excited! All of these activities have us going non-stop but we really try to apply the principle of "find joy in the journey." These years are going to zoom by and eventually we will remember these times and think "Oh, if only we could go back." Some days, I just want these years to be over but then I realize how truly blessed we have been and continue to be. We are very happy. We are healthy, we have great friends, we have sufficient for our needs, and through all of this our Father in Heaven continues to bless us with the physical and spiritual strength we need to complete all of the tasks which are required of us. I am gaining such a strong testimony of simple obedience. What I mean by that, is when we do the "simple" things, Heavenly Father blesses us tremendously. When I say my morning prayers (even though some mornings I feel half asleep) I know that Heavenly Father hears me and answers my righteous desires. When I study the scriptures I am blessed to understand what I am learning in my classes. The mercy and love of our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, are incomprehensible. I know that if we turn to the Atonement, even through trials (or busy times), we will find joy in the journey for we know that our experiences are for our benefit.

Coulda' Woulda' Shoulda'

The title is how I feel about writing on my blog! I cannot believe how crazy life gets and it goes by SO fast! We are already at mid-terms...I have no idea where the first half of the semester went! LJ and I are doing well in school. We love BYU-Idaho! We haven't had anytime to relax until this past weekend. We went to LJ's parents house for the 3 day weekend and it was AMAZING! They always pamper us when we visit! We had a blast eating, watching the olympics, eating, shopping, eating, relaxing, eating...did I mention that we ate A LOT? I think we came back 10lbs heavier! As much as we love school it is always nice to get away! We didn't do anything too special for Valentine's Day...LJ bought me 2 roses and some chocolate covered strawberries and he wrote me the sweetest note EVER! In a nut shell it said that he feels bad that he couldn't afford to buy me anything big or take me out to a fancy restaurant but that I will always have his heart! CUTE CUTE CUTE HUSBAND!!!!! Coming back to Rexburg has been rough - reality is never as fun as relaxation! We have been a bit disoriented and our house would prove that - it is a mess! But, I think we are getting back into the groove of things. I am heading down to Vegas next weekend for Becca Stewart's wedding - woo hoo! I am excited to go home, but LJ isn't going down with me - that is going to be awful! He has so much going on though so I don't blame him. OH, while we were in Utah, LJ had a conversation via webcam with his mission president. President Anderson is a very VERY successful business man and has spent 28 years in China doing so. LJ told President Anderson that his goal is to be a corporate lawyer and that he is interested in working in Hong Kong. President Anderson said that the market for corporate law is BOOMING in Hong Kong and that if he does well in his undergrad and goes on to a prestigious Law Program then he will have no problem getting a job in Asia...WOW WOW WOW!!!! That scared me to death at first, but after discussing it I don't think it sounds so awful. It would be a huge change for me and I would be nervous to be so far away from the U.S. but I think it could be amazing! We wouldn't have any financial problems and there is a temple in Hong Kong. Maybe LJ and I would have neat opportunities to serve the Lord over there. We aren't planning on moving to Hong Kong but it is a possibility! Who knows, maybe in a few years I will be blogging from China! Well, I hope everyone is doing well! I love you all!

Sorry I haven't written in a while, life has been crazy! With work, school, chores, and trying to spend time together - my blog has fallen through the cracks. So, now it's time for an update!

We are still going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 3am every morning. I don't think my body will ever adjust. Once we get home from school we do homework after which we are so tired that we usually eat dinner, clean the house a bit and go to bed. LJ and I are both part of the Student Representative Council (SRC) this semester and we have meetings Tuesday night. LJ hopes to run for student body president next summer (2011). I am participating in Opera Scenes and have rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday nights until 7:45. LJ is working as a teacher's assistent for a few hours in the afternoons - he never complains but I'm sure he feels overwhelmed. We are trying to keep up on our social lives, but it's difficult when we go to bed so early. We have Jake and Bre Bierstedt over about once every two weeks, we see our friends Todd and Ashleigh at our SRC meetings are we are actually going to their house on Sunday for a Super Bowl party - YAY - And we spend as much time as we can with our friends Chris and Audrey Lambert - in fact we are going over to their house tomorrow night for Navaho tacos - mmmm! We got a new TV this week which is VERY exciting! Yesterday we got all of our homework done early and watched the Dark Knight! It was AWESOME! We love the new TV!
I always end my posts this way - I LOVE LJ! He is the greatest husband I could have ever hoped for! He really is my dream man! I hope you all are doing great! Love You!

School House Rock

We made it back to Rexburg safe, sound, and reluctant haha We were able to find jobs on campus working as custodians, but we are EARLY morning custodians and by early I mean 4am-7am!! I am not a morning person so this has been quiet the change for me. We go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 3am! I have been cleaning bathrooms everyday this week - I have never really minded cleaning toilets so this job doesn't bother me at all. LJ says he likes the job because now if he hears people complain about their jobs he can say "I have it worse...I take out trash at 4am" haha LJ also has a job as a teacher's assistant and he works about 8-10 hours a week in the afternoons (poor guy). He really likes the job luckily and the teacher is one of the heads of the business department so it is a good connection to have. It's rough, but we are making enough money to take care of ourselves. We are always so blessed! School is going well thus far. LJ has been a little disappointed because he was not able to get into very many classes he wanted but at least he is taking classes he needs. His favorite class is Mandarin Chinese! He is interested in doing international law and Chinese is a valuable language to speak so its a good thing he is really enjoying the class. My classes are pretty awesome this semester. I am taking 4 music classes, a religion class, and an upper level English class. OH, I forget to mention that we have religion together - that is super fun! We both have lite loads and are done with school by 1 at the latest. One of our new years resolutions is to both get 4.0 gpa's and having a lite load will hopefully make that goal possible. In our spare time we have been either cleaning house or doing homework haha Last night we got to go on a date which was really nice, but by 9 o'clock we were DEAD! Our bodies are adjusting to "early to bed, early to rise" so we were asleep at 10 haha I am so glad that LJ is so helpful around the house and that he is so darn fun to be with! It is nice to know that he is always here for me! I know that we can make anything work as long as we are living righteously and stick together! In the words of John Lennon...All You Need is Love!!!!