Giving Thanks

Well our time is short here, and it feels like it is the most natural thing to move on, and we are ready to shift into the next phase of our lives. But, not without giving thanks for our many blessings right now.
We are tremendously thankful for:

• Amazing friends and family near and far, who build us up, strengthen us, and help us be better people
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which literally helps us keep our focus where it should be- on Christ and our families
• The Church, which creates a family for us where ever we are
• The Temple, which provides peace and learning in a turbulent environment
• Good health, which has been a tremendous blessing for our family
• Beautiful children, who are a delight and help us to be a little less selfish
• Music, that makes life more full
• Diversity, which makes all things more wonderful
• Art, that stimulates every feeling
• Talents, which we all have and those of others that bless our lives
• The earth, and its many bounties and beauties that bring us gladness
• New York City, and all the marvels that she holds
• Warrensburg, and all the potential that is there
• Public and private transportation, that gets us where we want to go
• Challenges and trials, that make us stronger
• Laughter, that makes everything more bearable
• Holidays, that help us reflect on our blessings
• Change, which keeps life interesting
• Good food, that delights the palate and encourages gathering with friends and family

Much love and appreciation from the thankful Nielsen's

"Peace, be still"

Yes, the mighty beast doth play. Despite a few setbacks, the organ is being tuned and will play for the November 30th service at the cathedral. It has been an amazing experience to work in one of the largest cathedrals in the world. I am really happy that Linda and the kids could come here and be with me. The experiences we have been blest with will forever change our lives.



Yesterday, our family went to the Norwegian Seaman's Church for their annual Christmas festival. Oh, it was wonderful to hear Norwegian again- to sip on gløgg and bask in the culture the will always be a part of me. The kids got to compare the real norwegian waffles with mine, and I have to say that my recipe came out on top.



After our mad rush home, Linda and I went to the Metropolitan Opera House to see Madame Butterfly. Wow. What more can I say?



I can, without hesitance, see the hand of God in our lives. We have seen our prayers answered in so many ways, from the selling of our house in Warrensburg to the events of this day as we sat and listened to an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ pronounce a blessing upon our heads. He compared the time we are going through to the experience of the disciples as Christ lay sleeping on the ship. "Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"

The Wall is Down

OK for all of you who are wondering exactly what the progress is on the very large musical instrument- I thought I would add a few little tid-bits. Few, being the operative word there, anyway, It is Alive! Yes, the organ has blasted its way back into the world, and the wall that has been dividing the Cathedral these last 7 years has finally come down.
The tile throughout the interior has been sealed to make it more acoustically sound, and sound it does! They have arrived at the most crucial and taxing part of the installation, and it becomes challenging to get all the kinks worked out......by like next week! We, the other people of the family, have yet to see it in its glory- but have no fear this will occur in the very near future. We meant to go there last night so we could pick Joe up and go to the play- but due to insane transportation issues we were all at the mercy of the MTA and a crazy taxi experience for Joe! The play was great- as live performances always are, and we will come out conquerors in the end, when we see and hear the marvelous instrument at St. John the Divine! Joe is going to hang out here in the big city for a few extra days, first of all, so he can attend the big party on the 3rd and then to make sure it is in pristine condition before it's care is placed back into the hands of the cathedral.
Too bad he can't take any time off to enjoy all the offerings of the city with the family during these last weeks, but I guess that is why we have video cameras. One thing I am looking forward to upon our return to Missouri, is having my husband back. I don't know how people survive here without quantity (and quality) time with their spouses- it is no wonder this city never sleeps, people work insane hours then when they come home at 9 o'clock at night they go out for dinner, never sleep and then start all over again the next day. I will treasure the days when Joe will be back to his 8-5 job and has weekends off! Slower pace.....bring it on!

Winter....yep it seems to be here!

So the weather has turned cold and we don't necessarily love the fridgid breeze that blasts through you when you reach West End and numbs you by the time you reach the front of our building. This is one time when the view of the Hudson doesn't quite make up for the shock of the wind!
We are busily winding down our journey here in the big city- we are stuck in the so sad vs. so happy state of mind. We have made some fantastic friends here that we will miss tremendously, we love all of the amazing activities and outings we have been on- but we realize that all good things must come to an end...and then begin again!
We have been without a computer for a little bit, but were rescued by our friends who lent us their laptop. So what this means is, no pictures of our activities! We have been to the National Museum of the American Indian at Bowling Green- it is an incredibly beautiful building and there were some amazing things to see there. They had some people demonstrating their handy work at beading and feather works; quite remarkable.
Today I took the kids back to the Brooklyn Children's Museum, where Bella wants to spend the rest of her life. Eli wore himself out and slept the entire subway ride back- nearly an hour. He would have slept longer but the Arctic breeze was a little difficult to sleep through on the walk home.
We shipped home some of our things on the truck that was heading from the Cathedral back to Warrensburg; we have just had to do a little shopping since we have been here.....not much, really! Let the shopping begin!!!! The Christmas season is definitely descending upon New York- we really love the decorations at Columbus Circle- they light up in sync with the holiday music! We look forward to seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center on Friday- then again next week after it is lit. Tomorrow we are going to a play that some ward members are in- The Importance of Being Earnest. It just stacks up from here!

Some nice moments

On Sunday we had a brief stop over to visit Alice and Hans in Central Park.

Today we made it to see Peter Pan at the Swedish Cottage Marionette theater in Central Park. The kids really enjoyed it, as always the puppets are amazing and the story clever- the indian princess was actually from India instead of a Native American- she kept saying "Namaste", Kaija thought that was a great little detail! Captain Hook had a great voice, and there were some amusing songs throughout.

New York Botanical Garden

So today we took a trek up to the Bronx and went to the Botanical Garden. It was amazing to say the least! And my favorite part....it was free! I love that perk so much.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

We had a great outing to the Brooklyn Children's Museum with some of our friends today. For you history buffs out there, allegedly it was the first museum (established in 1899) specifically for children, in the world. I hoped it would be worth the effort and we were so glad that it was. In fact, it was one of the kids most joyful experiences yet!

The museum is set up brilliantly- it includes actual museum artifacts incorporated into a fun, interactive learning environment. The part they enjoyed most was the interaction between the different areas of a town which were connected to each other through phones. So that meant they were calling each other from the pizzaria, to the grocery store, from the travel agency to the mexican bakery. What kid doesn't like getting phone calls! There was just so much fun to be had, we were there for 4 hours and they could have stayed for much longer. The only regret is that I didn't go there sooner!

Excitement with Uncle Dave

Well, I haven't posted in a while again due to a visit from our brother-in-law. No problem though, because that means that we were out exploring the town. We had tons of fun going to places we haven't been before! I think our favorites were the hidden chambers at St John the Divine, and the north half of Central Park. The park is ever so beautiful in the autumn; the day was perfect, and the weather was gorgeous!