Thursday Music Video Jan 29 - Bocelli and Brightman

I have really enjoyed Sarah Brightman's music ever since hearing her as the original Christine in her ex-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Andrea Bocelli is an amazing singer, his voice has such feeling in it. Here they are together singing "Time to Say Goodbye".

It's a girl

It's a Girl

We are so excited to announce that baby number 11 is a girl. Greg is a little worried about having 4 girls in a row when they become teenagers but luckily we have about 10 years.
I wanted to scan in the ultra sound pictures but you can't make out anything from them.

Dust Particle Man

(To the tune of "Particle Man" by They Must Be Giants, go here to see the video and hear the song)

Dust Particle Man, Dust Particle Man


Dust Particle Man meets No Pajama Top Girl


They have a fight Dust Particle Man wins


Dust Particle Man

Thursday Music Video Jan 22 - Part 2

Now on a more serious note. My father-in-law sent me a link to this video last week and we showed it to the kids for FHE on Monday night. It is an address by Elder F. Enzio Busch to BYU students the month after I graduated from the Y (May 1996).

Powerful and so positive. I loved this video.

Thursday Music Video Jan 22 - Part 1

Kenny kept me sane on Wed night. Thanks Kenny!

I was working very late, by myself, in a darkened cubicle trying to get my application ready for the mass of angry users that would see it for the first time Thursday morning. I had my laptop cranking with an eclectic mix of Alphaville, John Denver, and Kenny Rogers. It was Kenny that kept me going late into the night and helped me to finish.

First the story about my connection with Kenny.

When we were developing our website, jobs.utah.gov, a couple of years ago we had lots of links on different pages but we hadn't developed the pages behind the links. To make all of the links look normal while we developed around them we linked them to a website that we thought was hilarious - Men Who Look Like Kenny Rogers. We have laughed and laughed over that for years, it has become our default link when we develop.

Sorry, must be a computer nerd thing.

Here is a good Kenny song -

Greg and Kathryn Movie Review - Bride Wars

Here is the disclaimer-

I am a guy. Guys don't like movies about the troubles girls have before marriage and all of the follies leading up to the big day. Sure, your hair looks great. Yes, the dress is nice. Oh, that cake sounds delicious for the reception. More importantly, how much does all of this cost?

So, with that being said, Kathryn wanted me to come see this movie with her and I thought she was joking at first. She wasn't. She promised me that she would write a blog review of the movie so, trusting in that promise, I went. Heh, so much for the promise of the blog entry from Frank and for the movie too.

I was late for the movie as I had to pick up Lauren from a birthday party at 9:30 so I missed the first ten minutes of the movie. More importantly I missed the previews. I think they might have been better than the movie itself.

Guys - warning to you all - CHICK FLICK.

There were some funny scenes like the orange tanning spray on Anne Hathaway and the crazy dance instructor but that was it for me. The best actor in the movie was Anne Hathaway's father and he was only on for 5 minutes and had about 4 lines. The bachelorette party- no. My wife, sister-in-law, and nieces laughed long and hard throughout the movie while myself and the other three guys in the theater with their wife or girlfriend kept checking their cellphones to see what time it was.

At the end both of them find out they are pregnant and due on the same day.

No, please, for the love of all that is good, don't make a Bride/Baby War Part Deux.

Two thumbs down for me, at least the popcorn was decent.

PS- I watched The Dark Knight again. Still didn't like it and yes, I was fully awake this time. Batman Begins was much better.

Greg vs. TV - One Week Victory

One of my New Year's resolutions was to stop watching TV so much. I find myself staring blankly at whatever is on after the kids go to bed when I could be doing something else.

So I tried for one week. Made it. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I guess I am so used to not watching TV because I rarely had the time to do it when I served in the bishopric for 4 years. What did I do with all of the free time?

Prepared my Primary lesson.

Read.

Played my guitar.

Wrote on the blogs.

Read.

Talked to my wife - while she watched the last few recorded episodes of Seventh Heaven.

Went to choir practice on Saturday nights.

Read even more.

So how did I reward myself for this significant victory? Bought a book. What else would I do? :)

I am going to try it now for a month, I will check back in then to let you know how it goes. Try it yourself for a week, you would be amazed at how much time you have and how much better you feel.

Thursday Music Video Jan 15 - The Cardiff Wonder

Loved this clip from Britain's Got Talent. Who knew such beautiful sound could come from a car phone salesman . . .

Nelson Basement in the News

Our basement is now famous. It had it's picture in the news yesterday with a story in the local paper, the Tooele Transcript Bulletin, about local contractors struggling for work. Hey, the Nelson and Norman families are doing there part to help the local economy by having their basements completed. Many thanks to our contractors, J Rock Builders, they are doing a fine job! Too bad they didn't get a shot of Kathryn in their too, their subscription rate would have skyrocketed! :)

Mission Picture

One of my buddies posted an old mission picture that I found myself in. I am only 2 days away from going home in this picture. It is July 1993 in Vyborg, Russia, about 2 hours by train north of St. Petersburg. Our new mission president, Tom Rogers, was touring the mission cities and I was his host as one of the AP's. I look like a dweeb in the picture, trying to be silly. That is me just right of the middle standing next to Sister Rogers.

A lot of memories in this picture. Thanks, Nate, for posting that picture where I could get it.

More pictures later as I scan some of them.

Thursday Music Video Jan 8

This week I have posted a video by the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I first heard Ladysmith back in high school when I heard Paul Simon's Graceland album. I have followed them since and their harmony is just amazing, it seems so effortless. I can listen to this music for hours, Kathryn thinks I am nuts. Close your eyes and listen to the story even though you don't understand the words.

Happy Birthday Vanessa!

The first of our Irish Twins turns 3 today! Hooray! Vanessa is the reason for much happiness in the Nelson family.



One of her favorite things to do, much to Savannah's disagreement, is to crawl in Savannah's toddler bed at night with her and pretty much take over the bed with all of her dolls and her huge comforter. Savannah will usually end up crying as Vanessa is more than likely to push her out of the bed.


Any toy that belongs to Savannah is now Vanessa's as well.

If you don't hear Vanessa for a little while that means she is probably getting into something that she should not be.

Vanessa loves to play with her friends and has a wild imagination. She loves to sing Primary songs at Family Home Evening.



Pulling her own hair is a big problem with Vanessa. Kathryn would love for her hair to grow out long but if it does, there will be a short spot on the right side between her bangs and her ear because she pulls her hair out and puts it in her fist when she sucks on her fingers.


She does the same thing with sofa stuffing, her "fuzz." Now Savannah does it as well and we wouldn't be surprised to see Abi do it once she can reach the part of the sofa where they pull the stuffing out. If you look at the right cushion on the sofa, it seems a little saggy - no stuffing in as the girls have pulled most of it out.


We love you Vanessa! Happy 3rd Birthday!

Greg and Kathryn Movie Review - The Dark Knight

OK, I know that we have taken forever to get to this film but hey - when you have 10 kids with one on the way then some things are more important than others. I was reluctant at first to see this film as I had heard reports of how violent it was. For some reason I can do the Lord of the Rings violence but the "real-life" violence doesn't sit well. The movie had gotten great reviews and I know our cousin Alan had loved the movie. So with great anticipation we watched it last Friday . . .

Maybe I need to see it in the theater, maybe I was too tired from all of our New Years festivities (come to think of it, I don't think I have yet recovered from Dad Norman's wild New Years Party), but something just didn't click with this movie.

I didn't like it.

In fact, I fell asleep during the middle of it.

Heath Ledger did a great job as the Joker, he was spooky in an emotional way although I didn't care for his costuming. Christian Bale was better in Batman Returns, here he just didn't seem to get into his role the same way. There were a lot of plot lines running at the same time and I had trouble making connections at times. The return of the guy who played the Scarecrow didn't do anything for me. And who decided that a change to the role of Rachel would be a good thing?

For me the scenery was fantastic, the action was fast-paced at times but a little slow at times. The movie was also too long for me, which I don't mind if it keeps me engaged but this one didn't. I also thought it worked too hard at the end to set up the next movie, kind of like the first X-Files did.

Sorry, this movie didn't do it for me but it wasn't a bad movie. One thumb up and one thumb down.

Been There, Done That

Thought you might like this video -



Never mind the earlier post about getting Kathryn that vacuum . . .

Content Changes to This Blog

As Kathryn and I were speaking about New Year's goals for our family I mentioned how much I would like her to post her thoughts and pictures on our family blog. She commented that I dominated the blog with my stuff, particularly my political and current affairs views, and that she felt it had become more of a Greg blog than a Nelson family blog.

I agreed so in exchange for her promise to post on the family blog (this one), I agreed to start a new blog just for my thoughts and feelings. Without further ado I present my own blog, The Ardent Love of Liberty. I hope it will help us to dedicate this site for our family. I will still post some book and movie reviews on this site, but all of the political stuff will be on the other site.

We have resolved to post 3 times a week on this site (more if the occasion arises) and 3 times a week on the other site. I have also resolved to make my writing much more succinct and to the point, I tend to run on and on in my writing, not knowing where to stop. I think it goes back to my graduate school days where at Ohio State, length of papers seemed to trump content. Please be patient as I work with the new blog, I don't have the decorating talent that my wife possesses.

Here is to a fun and different New Year for the Nelson family!