The New Nelson Family

Here are some pictures from the wedding day and reception in Las Vegas! We had a lovely time at the open house in Fresno yesterday.

The Happy Couple

The Whole Crew

Grandparents

The Parents

The Munchkins

Siblings & Spouses

The Kids (Minus One)

Immediate Family (minus the missionary)

The Men 

Congratulations! Love you guys!

-Danielle

Golden Gate City

I mentioned earlier that I got to spend some time at home before my brother’s wedding and what better place to fly into then San Francisco. Well I must admit it would have been a lot better if fog didn’t delay my flight by TWO hours, but in the end I made it. My mom, sister and two of my nephews came to pick me up and we made a day of it.

The first thing my nephew Benjamin had to show me was his "Champion" medal from his swim lessons. Apparently he carries it with him everywhere. It made me laugh since I used to be a swim teacher at this swim school. I'm sure all my other swim school friends can relate.

The Champion Swimmer

One of my favorite parts included eating lunch at a delicious Thai restaurant. I wish I remembered the name! It was probably the best Thai food I have had since my mission in Australia. Mmm good.

We also caught a view of the Golden Gate from the peaks. After wandering around and enjoying the San Fran air we grabbed some dinner at a FAB Italian restaurant. Either we lucked out or this city just has some killer cuisine because I hate to admit it but the Italian food I ate at this place was better than a lot of the food I had in Italy! Never mind that my youngest nephew kept screeching in the restaurant because he was so hungry. J

My cute sister (Cutest mom award? I think YES)

While I was at home it was mainly work and no play. My dad was training me so I can start my almond brokering from home here in Denver and the women (mom, sister and I) went on last minute hunts to find outfits for the wedding. But we were able to relax on Saturday at my nephew's soccer game. 

This last picture is just because. I love how all of my nephews personalities start to show as they get older.

 

Mr. Mischievous

Enjoy Conference!

-Danielle

Weddings Galore

I receive an epic fail in the blogging sphere. We returned from our Europe trip the end of August and it is already October! My how time flies. One day I hope to get around to recording our adventures. Our traveling has continued since returning to the good old U.S. of A. We will be kept on our toes with siblings getting married on both the Holbrook and Nelson sides.

Last Friday we enjoyed the celebration of Jens & Aprille’s sealing in the Las Vegas temple. It was a fun weekend and almost a big family reunion. My favorite quote was from my older sister Alicia in the sealing room, “We have been waiting for this for a LONG time.” I can’t help but chuckle to myself but it is true. Plus my sis can get away saying this since her four boys need some cousins to keep them company on our side of the family. 

My dear and lovely cousin Meagan Hamilton called it when she said Jens wouldn’t get married till after I did. Don’t worry Jens you can thank me later. ;) Welcome to the family Aprille we couldn’t be more thrilled!

The night before the wedding we enjoyed a delicious family dinner at the JW Marriott and of course had a blast at their reception the next evening. My brother got put on the spot to dance to Michael Jackson with a hat and sparkly glove and of course my 4 year-old nephew interrupted the newly-weds first dance together.

Next up on calendar for big item events is the lovely couples Fresno reception. For all my Fresno friends the reception is on Saturday October 13^th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (This is your invitation…I would LOVE to see you!) Just let me know if you need an address. Plus this time I won’t be the one standing in line woot! 

(Pictures to come this month)

-Danielle

Waiting...Wishing...Hoping.... For Europe!

Oh hey…you remember me. Yep folks it’s been a while, my apologies so what have the Holbrook’s been up to?

Life has been sprinkled with church, Europe planning (not as fun as you think, trust me), large amounts of one of our favorite games Monopoly Deal and lo and behold some episodes of the first season of 24. Yep Stephen and I needed a show that we could enjoy together and we found one, although, I’ll be surprised if I don’t have an ulcer by the end of it. The show makes me so nervous and stresses me out. Anyways, we decided we want to know how the first season ends before we head off to Europe. Big problem as we are only half-way through.

Well we’ve had some fun in the mix of things including two trips to Cold Stone Creamery…my addiction to sweets will only get worse in Italy. We also bummed around our apartment complex pool, played some Frisbee golf and went down town with our friends the Phillips.

Nothing too exciting until when we fly out on Monday. Cheers!

-Danielle

Holbrook Happenings

Before I share what we've been up to, here are some snapshots from last weeks  zip-lining.

It was a race. As you can see Stephen won.

Ok here are a few of the latest Holbrook Happenings.

Last Wednesday I attended the first of MANY activities as a Beehive advisor. It was fun to be with my girls in a more casual setting...and of course our activity was none other than the classic mall scavenger hunt. 

We finally were able to rendezvous with our fun friends the Smiths on Sunday. They are one of the reasons we moved into our apartment complex. We enjoyed some bbqing and introduced them to one of our favorite games, Monopoly Deal. Couples this is a great game that you can play with only two people, and another thing we like...the price. The card game only cost about $5. What a winner. 

Yesterday I was up at girl’s camp as a taxi driver. We defeated a five mile hike before heading to the river. The girls had tons of fun tubing down the river while I soaked up the sun. My favorite...or not so favorite part: the girls asking what year I was at camp, how old I was, and inevitably mistaking me for a 16-18 year old. Really ppl. 

This might sound crazy to you but I made some stinkin good macaroni and cheese for dinner this week. It was an oddball of a meal but hit the sweet spot for Stephen and I. We will probably have to name it “Left over Macaroni” because we added bell peppers, ham, extra penne, and a handful of shredded cheese. Delicious and cheap. 

And last but not least Stephen and I have spent the last two nights catching up on some movie watching. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight brought us back up to speed just in time to enjoy our two pretty little tickets to The Dark Knight Rises. Sour patch kids and kit-kat bars may be part of tonight’s equation. The real question is will tonight’s movie live up to the others? Only time will tell.

--Danielle

On top of the world.....well almost

Mount Evans

Since we are the newest mountain-loving, tree-hugging...well okay I won’t go that far...but we are now Denver enthusiasts. Anyways, with our new found love of Denver we took advantage of Stephen's day off and had some fun. We may or may not have had the ulterior motive of finding some awesome things to do to use as bait to solicit visitors.

Incentive # 1 A view of the beautiful Chicago lakes

We kicked of the day by going zip-lining. For those of you who know me this was a semi-big deal as I am kind of afraid of heights. But don’t worry I prevailed and had a blast! Never mind that for the first two zips I was so focused on my technique that I didn’t look around and enjoy the sights, but stared down my destination. What made this gig even better was its price, which only included tips since Stephen is working for the company before his “real” job begins.

After the survival of our first stop we ventured over to Mount Evans. Seriously, this place was awesome! We drove on North America’s tallest auto road which is an obvious check off of everyone’s bucket list. But really, how many people can say they have been at the elevation of 14,130 feet without walking. To put this in perspective Mt. Everest’s base camp is at 17,700 feet. We walked the strenuous 130 feet to the top despite the elevation sickness warnings. 

It may be the HIGHEST auto road but they didn't say safest or well-kept.

We decided to drive straight to the top but inevitably took a few detours because the sights were too breathtaking to pass up. Stop #1 provided this lovely view. 

And we just happened to meet our first yellow-bellied Marmot. No big deal, I didn't even know these creatures existed until yesterday. The look like a bad theater prop to me.

Here is a picture of one a little closer up.

And then of course on the way to the top we saw your everyday Bighorn Sheep. Looks like the Bighorn is on the Slim-Jim diet to me. 

Of course they thought it was a good idea to cross the road.

  

And finally...we made it to the top. It was 41 degrees! 

Being on top of the world does have it's downside. Unfortunately we were surrounded by clouds and couldn't enjoy the view. Maybe next time.

Here Stephen is being adventurous and making me nervous. He was climbing a crevice with a steep drop off.

What I haven't mentioned yet is the MANY, yes multiply X100 DROPS OF DEATH that we encountered on this little excursion. Below is drop one at the top of Mount Evans.

Here is your average drop of death on the road. Can you see that van?

Another scary view.

Needless to say we made it home safe and sound. And even with all the emotional drama stemming from eminent danger, the trip to Mount Evans was well worth it and quite a sight to behold. Want to come next time?

--Danielle

Europe here we come

Europe Plans

Well folks it's official. The tickets have been purchased and Stephen and I have arrived at the point of no return.

As some of you may know our trip to Europe is official.

We leave Denver on July 30^th and return on August 29th.

Some of you may think this is a crazy idea....well it is...BUT here are our very logical reasons which I remind myself of whenever I freak about how much money we will spend.

Reason # 1 Stephen will start his "real-life grown-up" job in September and when else will we be able to simply take off for a month.

Reason # 2 HELLO...we are newlyweds and there is definitely no bun in this oven if you know what I mean which = perfect timing and no strings attached.

Reason # 3 My lovely college roomies backpacked through Europe (unfortunately I was mission bound and missed out). When Stephen suggested it the thought came to me, if I was single and my friends had planned to backpack Europe THIS summer I would be there 100% no questions asked. Well if I would do it if I was single why not now with my husband/best friend right? Thanks for the inspiration ladies!

Reason # 4 Gelato and I get along real well. When we were in Cairns I fell in love with a passion fruit Gelato...Best thing ever!

So since this is now the real deal and totally official any tips, hints, favorite hostiles (or ones you recommend avoiding) and sights to see will be greatly appreciated.

Plus since we are novices at the whole back-pack through Europe thing maybe someone can tell us where you keep your stuff during the day...If only I were joking.

--Danielle

A Series of Fortunate Events

Our Fortunes

To kick-off my initiation into the married-life blogging world I absolutely must update you on a series of very fortunate events. Better yet, I’ll record these momentous occasions in order. Warning very long post.

# 1 We Graduated. Thank heavens! What a great feeling. Life didn’t seem any different until I put on those navy blue robes and hair smashing hat. But I have to say it didn’t hit me that I was finished with school until I put on that not so flattering ensemble. Which of course followed in smiles and an unforgettable feeling of relief and excitement. 

But in my opinion graduation was just the tip of the iceberg.

#2 We got married! Yes cliché I know, but the day after graduation was wonderful timing for us and Stephen and I were sealed in the Draper temple. This of course knocked graduation out of the park and I am the luckiest lady alive, hands down no argument.

#3 You all should know after marriage comes honeymoon and Stephen and I had a delightful time soaking up the sun in Cancun, Mexico. We enjoyed finding authentic Mexican cuisine and finally put all those scuba lessons into practice. One of the days we headed down to Cozumel for our first dive and it was amazing. The reefs were breathtaking and it was such a good experience we went for round two and tried our first night dive. This was so so scary, holy moly Stephen held my arm the whole time but...all the trauma was worth it after seeing a sting ray, lion fish, and huge turtle that just about mowed Stephen over after being awakened from his slumber.

A glimpse of our view

At Playa Del Carmen headed to Cozumel

Looking fashionable on our first dive

Enjoying dinner at one of our finds


#4 After Cancun we enjoyed seeing family and friends at our Clovis reception before heading off on another adventure. That’s right Stephen and I had this great opportunity to go on a family trip to Australia with both sets of parents. We started out the week with the Holbrooks exploring the Whit Sunday Islands on a sail boat and continuing our scuba diving. Then we met up with the Nelsons in Cairns where we snorkeled/scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef, enjoyed the rain forest surrounding Kurranda and went to a crocodile farm. The reef and croc farm were definitely my favorite. After Cairns we headed back to my old mission stomping ground in Sydney visiting old friends and my mission president and his wife. Then we were off to Stephen’s mission in Melbourne where we enjoyed all his reminiscing.

The group on the Kurranda scenic railway

A HUGE Croc!

Back to my stomping ground with my Hubby

Catching up with President and Sister Simmons

#5 After this exciting trip we spent some time with friends and family in Clovis, Las Vegas and Provo before heading to our new home in Colorado. The apartment hunting began while we stayed in an extended-stay…it makes you grateful for a stocked kitchen. We are now officially moved in and what do you know the last of our furniture arrived today! That means no more boxes!!

Stephen and I are so happy that we are getting settled and organized now all we need is some visitors. ;) It was fun to see Alison and Alyssa, my sister-in-law and niece while they waited out a long lay-over but it just made us all the more excited to see family and friends.

--Danielle

Lets start at the beginning...

Since this is my first venture into the blogging world why not tell you all about how I met my man and how our happily ever after began. Plus I already wrote the tale for the wedding website. If I already have such feelings about posting this may just be a love-hate relationship.

Our Story

In September 2006 our paths crossed for the first time. As new high school graduates and students at Brigham Young University we felt the world was at our fingertips….and it was. We were simply acquaintances when Stephen left for Melbourne, Australia as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just 5 short months later.

Stephen with Melbourne behind

No letters were sent, none were received, but our paths would again cross in February 2009. I had received my mission call to Sydney, Australia when I bumped into Stephen who had recently returned home. Although no romantic thoughts were in mind for either party, a friend and I met up for lunch with Stephen as he shared with me the wonders of the world down under in a thick Aussie accent.

My adventures in Sydney

And then it was my turn for an adventure. No letters were sent, none were received but our paths would cross again in January 2011. I had just returned home from my mission abroad when I discovered that my friend Stephen just happened to live in an apartment complex near mine and was also a member of my ward.

My first Sunday back at BYU Stephen gave a talk in sacrament meeting. I was impressed and obviously awkward because as I went up to thank him he expected a hug and all he got was a handshake.

A couple of days later I wanted to watch a movie and was texting friends to borrow one. Not only did Stephen offer his movie, he brought it over and stayed to watch it with me. Instead of watching we ended up talking the whole time and to this day Stephen claims I have never watched the movie all the way through. (I have at least three times.)

We both recognized that we were interested in each other, and after just a few times spending time together we began to date. As they say, the rest is history! Over the course of the next year we realized our similarities (and of course, our differences), and most importantly we realized that we were in love! Once we realized this, the decision to get married was an easy one. We’re so excited to start our new life together, and can’t wait for the many days we will get to spend together throughout this life and on into the next life as well.

Making delicious Nepalese dumplings together