balloons full of hope for nie

tonight grant and i celebrated our sixth anniversary. normally we spend our anniversary talking about our love story, and our life together. this year, our anniversary meant something else to me. it meant that six years ago we moved in our first old house south of campus in provo. a house which was around the corner from the home of a couple named stephanie and christian nielson.

the lord in his infinate wisdom assigned me to be a visiting teacher to that stephanie girl. since i knew no one in the ward, and was looking for a kindred spirit, i quickly made an appointment. oh how i wish all of you could have been with me on that sunday afternoon when i walked into nie's little heaven for the first time. i was a scared newlywed. poorer than poor. grant just starting college. trying to decide when we should begin our family. from the second the nielson's door opened, i knew the answers to the questions in my heart were about to be answered.

stephanie explained she had just put her baby, claire, down for a nap. her pregnant belly was hidden by her knitting she was working on (knitting!). her next baby was to be a girl, she said. bronwyn jane, after her favorite novel's heroine, she said. or maybe jane bronwyn, she said. i was busy taking in the sweetest little room i'd ever been in. blue walls! red furniture! vintage chairs! i begged to see more. the kitchen made my heart happy. her purple bedroom with anthropologie bedding made me feel like i wanted to move in. i was in love with this girl.

i had so many questions. christian still has two years of school? and you are on baby number two? how? how did you know that it would all work out? please tell me, i am scared and trying to make these decisions. i feel peace here. teach me. by the end of the visit i had my answer in my heart. i felt courage. i felt like i wanted to be a mother. now. i wanted to live like this angel of a woman was living. we were pregnant with cate a month later. it was right. heavenly father sent me stephanie to show me that.

i was very, very sick when i was pregnant with cate. i knew no one else in the ward. steph talked me through it, she knew all about being sick. it was all i could do to make it through sacrament meeting to fulfill my calling as the ward organist. and i loved my front row organ view of the nielson family who sat in the front left pew every single week. they were always there early as i was playing prelude. what a wonderful family, i would say to myself. i want to be like that, i thought.

we both moved soon after that. and discovered blogging.

a couple of years later i was searching online for a whole wheat pizza crust recipe. a sweet little blog popped up. oh heavens, i thought, it's stephanie! contact was made and we both stayed up half the night reading the archives of each others blogs. i learned all about her family additions, and she learned about my struggle with infertility. but what she never knew is without her example, without her fierce desire to live the gospel and the teachings of the family proclamation, i don't know if i would've been brave enough to have cate. and i am crying now imagining this longing for a baby without my cate to get me through it. life without cate, oh i can't even think of it!

thank you, stephanie. thank you for living the gospel. thank you for being in my life at the crossroads. this year the anniversay grant and i celebrated was the anniversary of knowing you. and how wonderful that we got to celebrate with so many others who also love you tonight, in your favorite place in the world. the provo kiwanis park was filled to the brim with support and hope for you. we are all praying for you. i made sure to take a picture of claire and jane for you, as you are on a little break from being able to photograph your beautiful girls. get well, my friend. you have many more lessons to teach me.

crowds starting to gather.

all their cousins were surrounding them. they are so loved.

grant's sis bringing our fam's balloons.

prepare for lift off!

my wish for nie nie.

there they go!

everyone watching with hope in their hearts.

there were so so many people celebrating the nielsons.

mormons don't do anything without treats.

we love you stephanie and christian.

 

design mom has organized a nie nie day on thursday. i will be participating here with a silent auction of some wonderful things to help fund their recovery. if you want to help now, click here to donate:

Comments

[heather hales DESIGNS]

oh kelly this is beautiful! I have loved her blog for awhile and was hoping to meet her in sept, as I too live in AZ.

I've been lurking on your blog for over a year now. I love how you are so quick to photograph the beautiful within your own life. You inspire as well!

[Ashely Schultz]

What a beautiful tribute to your friend. I have been keeping her and her husband in my prayers and thoughts.

Thanks for this uplifting post. It brought a smile to my face.

[chelsea]

i've been thinking about you tonight and wondering how everything went. thanks again for taking time to hang with the davises.

[ashley m]

so i have never really been much of a nie reader, but i am now a fan. what an angel, and what a sad thing, but so many people have so much hope and faith that i am sure things will work as they are supposed to. and what a special thing to take part in.

[Laura]

Such a beautiful post...the picture with all the balloons made me all teary.

[cathleen]

This is a beautiful post. There are just no words to express how lovely a friend you are to Stephanie. It is pretty easy to see that you have a heart spilling over with glorious inner beauty. I will light a candle tonight especially for your dear friend. Take care.

[shawn]

Kelly, what beautiful photos and words. Stephanie will love them! I didn't realize you two were 'real life' friends. No wonder I ranked you both as my favorite bloggers! (http://intermissions.typepad.com/snapshots/2008/06/its-a-small-world.html#comments)I have to tell you, not being Mormon, I have been more and more intrigued and impressed by the values and love you all share. I sense such a peace from all of you, knowing that however it turns out, it will be ok. I will keep you in my prayers now too, as you worry and care for your dear friends.
Happy Anniversary!

[Mariah]

that was beautiful and had me tears! My prayers are with Stephanie and her family. Happy anniversary as well...another similarity we share...my husband and I will celebrate 6 years next month.

[Lindsey Z.]

Love you Kell...

[katherine mw]

isn't it amazing who the Lord places in our lives, at just the right moment, and who then, will have such a profound impact on us for the rest of our lives?

i wish your friend well, and all those involved, it is reminder to us that life and relationships are precious.

[Amy]

Thank you for this beautiful post. It is heart warming to see the turn out for the balloon send off. And to see smiles on those girls' faces.

[Heather]

Thank you so much for this post. I don't know Stephanie but I have read her story and our prayers are with her family. Thank you again for the example you are to me.

[em]

i love this post :)

[lauren]

kel, your rad. i heard about this from another friend of mine that is friends with her. the world is a small place when your mormon im learning. anyways, i miss you, and keep you and a baby and now this sweet family in our prayers. i think you need to come stay at my house, how about oct for nancy's wedding???? good idea....

[cjs]

I'm always inspired by your faith...

[mandee]

Happy Anniversary! This was a fun little way for us to celebrate with you and Grant. And I love your tribute to her- you were blessed to have met her when you did!

[Elizabeth (Nielson) Bryant]

Kelly, thank you for this! I know that Stephanie will love to read your beautiful compliments. When I first met Stephanie, I was the awkward 16 year old sister to her new fiance. I desperately wanted to be like her. Over the years, Stephanie was one of the few people in my life that was loyal during a really hard time for me. She has shaped my brother into an amazing husband and wife. I will share this post with my family. They will love to read it. Thank you.

[natalie]

happy anniversary Kelly. I love this post. it desperately makes me wish I had you guys as MY visiting teachers. your pictures are awesome as usual!

[tara]

i came over here this morning hoping for an update from you, i knew you would have gone.

xo

[Marilyn]

Thank you for this beautiful post, and for sharing the gorgeous pictures. It is so good to see Claire and Jane and their smiles.

[amy]

Wow. Such a beautiful post. I too have been so touched by the Nielsen's story and examples. They are obviously continuing to touch many lives.

I loved your story about being blessed by finding a kindred soul. I wish I could have a visiting teacher like that too! After living in a neighborhood where I'm the only young mom at home with kids (who also loves to sew and quilt!) and praying for a long time for friends who were like me :) one day I discovered Design Mom and you and a bunch of others all in one afternoon. When my husband came home that night I told him, I feel like I found so many new friends today! Thanks for being an inspiration and an answer to my prayers too. :) Here's to having faith that many more prayers are answered soon.

[Bobbie]

I think it might have been through your blog that I found nienie back in February when I started blogging.. when you had a blog roll on the side... and she too has made a difference to my life...

we were the ones who let balloons go in australia.. we are praying too that she may be healed.

thanks for your blog... it is a wonderful little piece of the internet :)

[Little Sweethearts]

What a wonderful post about a wonderful, inspirational friend.

Tania

[katieo]

Thanks! What a fantastic post.

[Meredith]

Isn't it wonderful - Visiting Teaching is such an inspired program. I only hope to have those kind of experiences! You were so blessed to find each other again. I just feel like I am part of a giant Relief Society project to help a sister. Amazing.

[misty]

Kelly, this is so touching. Your story is so sweet. WHen I learned about the Nielson's and started reading stephanie's blog in sept. my perspective changed on life. FOr some reason, motherhood doesn't come completely easy for me. I'm a good mother, I just am not that good at cleaning, cooking, organizing, crafting etc and so I've been getting down about all the things I CANT do. BUt after reading nieniedialogues I was inspired to appreciate what I CAN do (she is so inspiring isn't she?...) and that very same day, I rolled around on the floor just kissing and "mugging" on my girls. I'm very good at loving my family. ANd I will love them every single second of every single day FOREVER!
Wow, just goes to show how one person can truly make a differnece in somebody's life. I'm so glad you have your cate. You keep loving your cate. YOu are blessed. She is blessed.
Aren't we lucky to have the visiting teaching program? Makes we want to call my ladies up right now!!