The Perils of Home Teaching

Way, way, way too funny -

Brothers Birthdays

Josh and Dallin celebrated their birthday a couple of weeks ago - Dallin turned 5 and Josh turned 9. Congratulations to our birthday boys!

New Season

Oh yeah, it's here. Next Saturday. Tradition - Spirit - Honor. Bring it.

Marijuana at the Stake Farm

From the wife of President Joseph Fielding Smith, Jesse Evans Smith -

Brethren, what do you get when you grow marijuana on the stake farm?

High Priests!

:)

The Firetruck Song

I will give you one guess as to who's all-time favorite video this is -

Harry Potter vs. Edward Cullen

My buddy sent this to me. Thought it was funny and worth sleeping on the couch for a week to post it on our blog underneath the new Twilight movie countdown.

New School Soon

We are getting the kids ready for their new school in a couple of weeks and I hope that it will reinforce the things we have been trying to teach the kids at home. Kathryn has a wonderful creative mind and is always encouraging the children to do unique and different things and believe me when I tell you that some of our children have a very different way of expressing themselves.

We are excited because our new charter school, Excelsior Academy, will offer the children an opportunity for club time 4 days of the week. There is also time each day devoted to P.E., music, and art - they are emphasized and taught with the same respect as that given to math, grammar, and science.

I love that these subjects will be given regular place in school because they are usually the first things cut when funding is tight. We need kids to be creative. At work I have plenty of employees that are technically sound but they are afraid to take chances as we have demonized risk. I want employees who are willing to work outside of their comfort zone, who will approach the problem differently, who will not be confined to what everybody else says the answer should be.

One of the people I recently became acquainted with has profoundly captured my ideas on the subject and I feel like we are twins when it comes to this - although he gets all of the credit as he is the one that has vocalized it. Sir Ken Robinson is an award-winning speaker and writer, I first saw him at a TED conference and he was fantastic. Check out his site and explore some of his ideas.

Another favorite of mine is Tim Ferriss, check out his blog. He has some amazing ideas that challenge conventional thinking. I have been following Tim for several years after seeing his stuff at TED also.

Lastly I am posting a video I found today that I found that reminds me that we miss the point if our goal is simply to reach the destination. It is the journey that counts and the things we learn on it, like I taught my Primary class today about Zion's Camp.

God's Words Never Cease

Love this video from Elder Holland about one of the church's distinguishing doctrines - the doctrine of continuing revelation. Kathryn and I have been blessed by this guidance from a loving Heavenly Father and we hope that you have had opportunities to have the same experiences. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Have you ever seen anybody with such distinguishing jowls like Elder Holland . . . :)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review

Yes, Kathryn and I stood in line for about an hour to get good seats in Tooele.

Yes, we tried to get tickets for the midnight showing on Tuesday but the theater was sold out.

No, I didn't wear my Hogwarts costume. The knickers, white shirt, tie, jacket, and hat I am saving for my Angus Young (AC/DC) costume for Halloween. :)

I don't know if Kathryn cried when Dumbledore died but it was deathly silent with several male sniffles during that whole scene.

Yes, I didn't get home until 1:00 AM and then had to get up for work at 4:40 AM the next morning.

Kathryn and I saw the new Harry Potter last night and we both thought it was a good movie. Several of the movies have been PG-13 but this one was PG and deservedly so. It was not as violent or as dark as some of the previous ones, I believe we will allow the older kids to see it in the theater.

Great special effects and spectacular scenery. The main characters did a wonderful job in the movie, I am not tired of them even after all of the movies previous to this one. The movie followed the book fairly well until the end when the big battle scene never took place when Dumbledore died. Then again, I haven't read the book for years so maybe I 'misremembered' like some prominent baseball players accused of taking steroids are wont to do.

However, there were some things I didn't like about the movie. WAY TOO LONG, I felt like they could have cut 30 minutes out of it and still would have been fine. Not enough Quidditch with Ron Weasley as the keeper. The actor who played Malfoy seemed a bit uninterested in this film although his part was less prominent than in other films. The story was choppy and didn't transition well between scenes.

With the last book taking up two movies and taking place away from Hogwarts, I will certainly miss the scenes of the school - that was one of the magical things about the film. It had as great a role as any of the actors.

All in all, we both enjoyed the film and would see it again if we had the opportunity. I give it 3 stars out of 4.

Old Pictures

A few weeks ago we were cleaning and came across a whole box of old pictures. We have started to scan them into our computer and here are a few samples - more to come later!

This is what started it all - a beautiful girl looking past a guy's 'Dumb and Dumber' haircut. Greg and Kathryn as an engaged couple Fall 1995.

Kendal, Aaron, and Suni Norman (Nieces and Nephew) 1997

Zachary 1998 South Jordan, Utah

Dad and Zach South Jordan 1998

The education of Brennan by our favorite awful child influence - La La 1998

Zach and Brennan at a TRAX stop 1999

Dennis Nelson family 1999

The Freedom from Fear

This has always been one of my favorite paintings, a piece entitled Freedom from Fear by Norman Rockwell. The mother covering up the children while the father stands by with a newspaper in his hand that talks about the bombings in Europe during WWII. Growing up I never knew fear and I hope my children don't either. Kathryn and I cover them up at night and I love to watch them sleep, especially our little girls. All of our cares and worries seem to melt away.

At the end of our community choir practice (tenors have all of the fun!) each Saturday night we sing this song and when I hear it I think of this painting. The words fit so well.

May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Amen.

Who I Am, and Who I Am Not

I read a great article at Meridian today about Satan and his thwarting of identity - who we are as God sees us. Since the passing of Calissa in March, Kathryn and I have both struggled with different things relating to her loss. We know and understand that it is the adversary using doubt and criticism to try and destroy us and our family, but to apply it and make it real is harder than we thought it would be. I never imagined it would be like this but he is very good at what he does. Last evening we talked about an eternal perspective and the need to keep that constantly in mind as we view our situation. May the Lord help all of us see ourselves for who and what we really are!

Read the article here.

New Moon Trailer

Kathryn hasn't even seen it yet . . . :)

Jon Schmidt - Taylor Swift Meets Coldplay Video

Incredible passion, love this video and I think you will too if you haven't seen it. It makes you feel so good!

God Bless Truman Madsen

Truman Madsen (1926 - 2009)

Thank you Brother Madsen for your teachings on the Atonement and the Prophet Joseph Smith. May the Lord bless your family as you part company with them physically for a season.

Truman Madsen website

Great article by Scott Proctor

Memorial Day 2009

Pictures of Memorial Day 2009 with the Shelley family -


Elias, Austin, Porter, Lauren, Joshua - actors of the first rate

Our first roses usually come out near Memorial Day

Lauren and Chase stopping to smell the roses

Lauren injecting herself into a picture of Dallin

Joshua stealing a drink from Lauren and raising his arms in victory

Austin Shelley - it only took 3 tries to get this picture right

Dallin wandering with his wagon

Dallin drinking his whole drink at once, before touching any of his food

Elias and Porter, contemplating trouble

Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones

In honor of Memorial Day we have chosen to post a video of this song. The guy singing it is kind of cheesy but I love the message and the images.

Fathers and Sons 2009

All of the Nelson boys (minus Brennan for reasons that will not be explained, but can probably be guessed) went out to the friendly, dusty, bathroomless campsite at the Vernon Beef Ranch in Vernon, UT. Don't know where Vernon is? If you blink you will miss it, kind of like thriving metropolis of Faust, UT.

We had a good time, nobody was seriously hurt and we all survived the night. Dinner was mainly soda, hot dogs, chips, more soda, then burnt marshmallow smores. Then some more soda. Did I mention there weren't any bathrooms at this ranch? Ask my brother-in-law Dave if there were any working toilets . . .

Some highlights of the night -

• High Council reading poetry for part of the program. Ugh.
• Kids running, riding their bikes, screaming all over the campsite at 11:30 pm. Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep.
• Elias burrowing into the Guacamole Cave. He had a green-colored sleeping bag and in the morning we found him curled up in a ball inside the bag, at the very end.
  
• Dallin waking up, we think, at 1:30 am and beginning to giggle. This continued for 4 hours. That must have been some dream!

We all had a good time and look forward to next year. Before we go I do need to get one thing off of my chest - Fathers and Sons are for fathers and their SONS. Not their daughters. This isn't a girl activity. Don't bring your daughter, adopt somebody else's son, bring a nephew, come solo. Having girls there changes the dynamics, how am I supposed to teach my boys how to belch properly after good swigs of cream soda and beef jerky? :)

Slow Dancing

I found this poem a couple of weeks ago in a book I read and I really like it. It reminds me of what I need to do so often - slow down. Those of you who know me know that if you mess up the schedule I have - your name becomes mud. Slow down, don't dance so fast Greg.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

David L. Weatherford

Happy 10th Birthday to Lauren!

Lauren celebrated her 10th birthday on Saturday but we waited until Monday night for cake and ice cream. Hooray for 10!


Obviously not 10 candles here but candles can become expensive in our home with as many birthdays as we celebrate. Thank goodness we only have to use 19 for Kathryn's birthday!

Lauren is quick on the draw, knowing that there are many brothers and sisters waiting to blow out the candles right before she starts. Savannah is just out of the picture frame on the left, she blew out one of the candles right before we started to sing so Kathryn had to relight it.


Lauren trying to look at two cameras at once and the flash going off on Kathryn's camera as I am taking a picture. That is not the wild-eyed demon look. Like something out of Twilight.

Tabernacle Choir Goes MTV

Every time this song is played or we sing it I get a lump in my throat. Too many good memories I guess. They didn't show any Russian footage in the video, guess they didn't want those who served stateside to be jealous . . . :)

Park City With Greg and Kathryn

Kathryn and I were able to get away for a night to a bed and breakfast place in Park City. We had stayed at the Woodside Inn a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it so Kathryn decided that we should stay there again. We highly recommend the Woodside Inn!

This trip was originally planned for mid-March but kids got sick and we were not about to pawn off our children on my sister and her family with them being sick. It was good that we didn't go as that was the weekend that Calissa was born and died.

So our new weekend came at a good time. We had dinner at a nice local place off Main Street and then took the free shuttle over to Main Street. Our impression of Main Street in April - not impressed at all. Over half of the stores and restraunts were closed for "Spring Break" and we wandered through some art galleries, trinket shops, and clothes stores. Mostly it was a nice walk after a dinner of almond-encrusted trout and teriyaki salmon.

The next day we went to the outlet stores and we were about 30 minutes in when the power went out in ALL of the stores. I have never seen an area empty so quickly. Some stores tried to stay open but many of them just locked their doors and posted a sign that said they will open when the power comes back on. We wandered for about an hour but left after learning it wouldn't come on anytime soon.

The two pictures are of Kathryn and a bear on a park bench on Main Street, then of me discovering the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the side of the bed. I saw it when I first entered the room but didn't realize what it was until Kathryn started playing with it - I told her "Don't touch that, it says 'Do Not Disturb'". Needless to say she had a pretty good laugh at my expense.

Many thanks to Chris and Mindy who stayed with the childrens as we were out.

Bus Load of WHOA ! ! !

There I was this morning, reading my novel on the bus as we approached Salt Lake. We started on the overpass that goes over I-15 onto 600 South when suddenly our bus driver slams on his brakes and the bus starts to go sideways. This is what I see -


There was only a 6 inch concrete barricade between my bus and falling to the highway below and I seriously thought we were going over the edge. Luckily the bus skidded to a halt about 6 inches away from the barricade and I swallowed my heart back into my chest. The bus had just been in an accident.

Since I was at the back on the left side, I couldn't see the accident as it was on the right front side. But the emergency vehicles were all out and we sat there for about 1 hour. In waiting for the bus to get going again (big bus, indestructable apparently) I saw 4 other accidents within about a 2 mile vicinity.


We had some snow in the valley last night and there were some nasty patches of black ice. The car in front of us must have hit some and slid. I have had lots of other moments on the bus but never a scary moment like that.

Lauren at the U

A few weeks ago Lauren and I went on her field trip to the University of Utah's Natural History Museum. We saw frogs, big bugs, dinosaur bones, stuffed animals, butterflies, gems, and Indian artifacts. We also saw typical U students - hats on sideways, flip flops in March, that faraway glassy stare of Ute scholars, women with unshaven legs - you know what I mean. It was more than a Cougar could handle . . . I felt like I needed to take a long shower. :) Here is Lauren eating her lunch.

No Watches in the Temple

My blog consultant tells me that I need to write more frequent but shorter posts so that is what I will attempt to do. Since I came home from my mission I haven't worn my watch to the temple - I have considered the temple timeless and eternal. Then I saw this great article that articulates some great reasons to not wear your watch in the temple.

Link to it here.

Thursday Funeral Schedule and Directions

Here is the schedule and the directions for Thursday, March 26 for Calissa's graveside service-

• A family meeting is scheduled for 10:30 AM at the home of our grandmother, Lois Beck, in Alpine. Go to the roundabout in Alpine and after exiting while still going north, turn left on 120 South, go to the end of the road, and make a right. It is the second house on the east side of the road. Greg's father, Dennis Nelson, will give the family prayer.
  
• The graveside service will begin at 11:00 AM in the Alpine City Cemetery. The directions are below. Once you get inside the cemetery gates, go up the hill and then turn right so you are facing south again. There is one road that goes south BEFORE the Veterans Monument, turn right and her gravesite will be on the immeadiate left. Kathryn's father, Robert Norman, will dedicate the grave and Bishop Myron Miller will preside. For those of you arriving first please pull down as far as you can, there isn't much room to park and you could block the road if you don't pull over far enough. If you park on the main road than many might not be able to make it up.
• The cemetery entrance is a bit tough to see from the road unless you are right on it. It is .20 miles from the Alpine roundabout. When you see the blue tarp on the right side of the road you turn right and there is the cemetery. My wife tells me that these sound like New England instructions - "turn right where the old Miller barn used to be and then go straight until the big cottonwood tree where the dove family used to roost." :)
• There will be a luncheon at the church by our home at 1:00. Those of you who can't make it to the service please come to the luncheon. We are so in need of our friends and family. If you wish to contribute to the luncheon then please call Stacy Norman 435 882 0130.
  
• Any questions then please call Greg's cell 801 301 2732
  

Here are the official directions from our home in Tooele -

Driving directions to Alpine City Cemetery, Alpine, Utah, Utah

62.1 mi – about 1 hour 17 mins

47 Aparicio Dr Tooele, UT 84074

1.	Head west on Aparicio Dr toward Berra Blvd		108 ft
2.	Turn right at Berra Blvd		400 ft
3.	At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto W 2000 N		0.4 mi
4.	Turn left at UT-36		9.1 mi
5.	Merge onto I-80 E via the ramp to SALT Lake		23.4 mi
6.	Continue on I-15 S (signs for LAS VEGAS/I-15)		21.0 mi
7.	Take exit 284 toward Alpine/Highland		0.3 mi
8.	Turn left at W 11000 N/W 3500 N/UT-92 Continue to follow W 11000 N/UT-92		5.6 mi
9.	Turn left at 5300 W/UT-74		1.2 mi
10.	At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto S Main St/UT-74		0.8 mi
11.	Turn right at Alpine Cemetary		0.2 mi
12.	Turn left to stay on Alpine Cemetary Destination will be on the right		266 ft

Alpine City Cemetery, Alpine, Utah, Utah