Good things and good times

UCMT Masters Class D118MP

Just yesterday I finished massage therapy school...well the Master's massage classes anyway. There is no going back to UCMT now- I've taken all the classes that are offered there. I would love to go back as a teacher's assistant at some point but it doesn't look like that is in the cards at for the next quarter that starts on Monday.

I have to admit the past 10 weeks have been tough. I learned so much that has made me a better therapist. There were classes I struggled with because the principle behind them fought with my beliefs to a certain degree and I didn't like it. It did make me think outside the box a little bit but honestly I'm so glad I don't have to fight that battle anymore. I'm also pleased to announce I got an A in the class even though I didn't like it. I am still waiting for the grade in the last final that I took yesterday afternoon but I'm confident I didn't get less than a B in the class which I am thrilled about.

I was disappointed that I wasn't able to do the Master's classes with my classmates from the Professional massage program I graduated from in March but it actually turned out better because I was able to work with new people. I loved being in a group of people that all love massage therapy and bodywork and weren't just looking for a quick "career" fix to hold them over until something better comes along or maybe just didn't get it. It was so refreshing to be challenged to be better because of my classmates. They challenged me and for that I thank you all.

As previously written I am working at Massage Envy in Draper, UT and Advanced Dental in Provo, UT. I work on patients with TMJ dysfunction at the dental office and it is actually quite amazing to see the different that can be made and the classes I took give me even more tools to help them. I am looking for another job now as well...most likely with a chiropractor doing alignment therapy and massage.

I am still planning on continuing my education and pursue a degree in nursing. I have to take a CNA class first and that should happen the middle of August and I will likely give up a massage job to make it possible to work as a CNA and get experience there. (You have to do all you can to get accepted into nursing school.) I will also start classes at UVU in the fall...it got pushed back by a semester because of the master's classes I just finished but that's ok- it's all part of the big picture and goal I have in mind.

Last weekend, JD and I went to my dad's place in North Fork, ID for a semi- family reunion. My Uncle David and Aunt Katie and all of their kids came up, even Andy who now lives in Baltimore, as well as Lisa's son, Cody and his girlfriend Kylie. We had so much fun floating the Salmon River and just sitting around laughing and eating yummy food. Dad got some amazing steaks from Pete's in Salmon (if you ever have a chance get them...YUMMO) plus he made his amazing salsa. I love that stuff and can't ever make it like dad does.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend...or not because I don't have the patience to fight with the uploading of them right now. If you want to see them you can take a look at my facebook page.


Overall life is good. JD and I are so happy and doing well. We have been married for 4 months now and it seems like so much has happened since we got married. The biggest and most exciting news is J.D. will be going to the temple to receive his endowments on Saturday. We are so excited that this day is finally here. He was ordained an Elder a couple of weeks ago by our former Branch President, Winston Scoville. I am so proud of J.D. and all that he does to honor his responsibilities and to take care of our family. He is an amazing man and I count my blessings everyday that I get to spend the rest of forever with him.

Until next time...

What we've been up to...

These pictures are a little bit dated but I wanted to post them and show you some of the fun things we have done together since we got married...besides going to work and school.

Well our computer is being slow so after going through the pictures I will just tell you and have to upload the pictures later...or make a slide show if I can figure out how to make that happen.

Anyway, for JD's birthday, April 15 I took him to a Jazz game on the weekend before his birthday. It was so much fun. I splurged and got nicer seats than we could typically afford but it was worth it. My hubby is a Jazz fan so we got him a new hat at the game too. We had a lot of fun even though the Jazz lost the game.

Easter was somewhere in the mix off all of this and we had our first holiday meal together since we got married. Ham, funeral potatoes, asparagus, deviled eggs and some kind of jello salad. We had enough food we could have fed our entire apartment building but instead we had yummy leftovers for a few days.


Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival...BEAUTIFUL! We had so much fun walking around the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. I have played golf there on several occasions and had driven past the gardens and always wanted to go and see the whole thing. It was $10 per person to get in but in my opinion well worth the money. We got there later in the day so the vendors they have set up were leaving when we got to them but the walk around and the beautiful scenery is why we went. I think that will become a yearly tradition.

For my birthday, JD surprised me with a night at the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake City and dinner at our favorite restaurant Biaggi's at the Gateway. Yumm-o food and a serious getaway right in the middle of Salt Lake City. We will be making trips back there too. If you have never stayed at one I would recommend it.

JD and I met Tiffany and Ryan and a couple that they know at Hogle Zoo one very sunny Saturday afternoon and wandered around the zoo for several hours. Bless Tiff's heart she was nearing due date time with her sweet babe and I think she was hoping the walking around would help start labor. Unfortunately it didn't but we had a good time. I hadn't been to the zoo since I was about 10 or 11 and they just opened the Madagascar exhibit. They had a cockroach you could touch. I did it but it made my skin crawl for the next little bit..YUCK! I don't know how people handle living around those yucky creatures.

After the zoo, JD and I decided to drive up through Park City and through Provo Canyon to get home. I had applied for a job at Spa in Park City and we wanted to clock it to see how long it would take me to drive to and from work if I got the job. Anyway, we drove to Kimball Junction then up into Park City then drove past Jordanelle Reservoir and Heber City. Just past Heber we saw another reservoir and some parasurfers (I guess that is what they would be called) on the water. It was amazing to watch them. They can sure catch some air with those things. (PS I didn't get the job but it has actually worked out for the best.)

Ryan and Tiffany welcomed their beautiful little boy Rosten into the world. He is just a perfect addition to their family and Tiffany and Ryan are such cute parents. That little guy is definitely not lacking in love and affection from his mommy and daddy... or anyone else in the family for that matter. I love going to visit them and just holding that little angel...oh how blessed we are to have him in our family. Way to go Tiffany and Ryan!

When JD and I went for our drive through Park City we came across some picnic and park areas that we wanted to come back and visit so one Sunday after church we packed up some charcoal, burgers and such and headed up to enjoy the beautiful mountains near our house. It was so nice to get away from the noise of the city (even though Pleasant Grove isn't too bad, I love to hide away in the mountains and so does JD) and enjoy a nice picnic/BBQ. Thanks to my wonderful JD watching everything around us on our way home, we even got to see a moose. On our way home we also drove up to Squaw Peak. It has a beautiful overview of the valley and we enjoyed the drive up there. I would imagine the scene on the 4th of July is incredible but since I didn't really care for the drive (I hate heights and steep drop offs) I don't' know how soon we will go up there again.

In June we went to the open house of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House with a guy that JD works with and his wife. I didn't think to take pictures when we got there and it was light outside so the pictures I have aren't great but they will serve as a memory for us. It really fascinated all of us that from that temple you could see the Draper and Jordan River temple so easily. If there weren't large buildings in the way it would be possible to see the Salt Lake temple too. We are so blessed to be so close to so many temples.

We were also able to enjoy the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days festivities. We went to the rodeo a couple of nights- seriously some of the best rodeo I've ever seen. Let's not forget the free concert and FREE strawberries and cream they were giving out at the concert. I absolutely love this little town we live in. It is nestled right against the mountains and in the thick of a bunch of cities but you feel like you are away from it all at the same time. We are looking forward to many years celebrating with the city of PG.

I am just two weeks and one day away from finishing the Master Bodyworker classes that I started in May. It has been such an amazing experience going back and learning so much more than I thought possible. We truly did just scratch the surface in the professional program I graduated from in March. I am also working at Massage Envy in Draper and enjoy using the skills I learned in school. I enjoy the people I am able to come in contact with there but look forward to opening a private practice for massage therapy in the coming months. I am also working at Advanced Dental Care in Provo working with patients that have TMJ dysfunctions and migraines.

JD is still enjoying his job at DHI Computing Services and it seems he is busier everyday...thank goodness for job security! He is such a wonderful man and has such a gentle spirit. We are looking forward to him being ordained an Elder in the next few weeks and soon after being able to go to the temple. He is such a good example to me and I look forward to spending the rest of forever with him.

Until next time...

Put your thinking caps on...

Ok gang...not sure who really reads this but I am enlisting your help. I need to get a business license to practice massage privately and I am hitting a wall in every direction trying to come up with a name for my business. These are a few things to keep in mind when thinking of a name...

- The types of massage I will be practicing- deep tissue, pre-natal, structural integration (10 sessions to put your body back where it belongs), injury, reflexology, cranial sacral, hydrostone (hot and cold stone). I will also offer some body wraps- they are AMAZING! Eventually lymphatic drainage will be part of this list but I haven't recieved that training yet.

- I will be using essential oils in my practice as well. Not with everyone but there are definately benefits and I want to incorporate that.

- While I do want to offer a relaxing environment and maybe one day bring in an esthitician to work with me for now it will be me but I want the business to be able to function with multiple facets at some point (JD thought of Simply Massage and while I like the name it doesn't bring it all together) Additionally, it won't be like a spa environment in that type of relaxation. It will be more "clinical" in nature. My goal is to help my clients feel better. I want them to walk away feeling better than they did when they got on my massage table. (I know you are thinking it isn't possible to feel worse after a massage but I PROMISE you that it is possible- I have experienced it first hand...NOT FUN!!)

- I actually like using the name bodywork or bodyworks in the name of the business somehow since it isn't just massage as people typically think of it but helping the body function as a whole unit the way it is meant too.

Let me just throw in here for good measure how amazing our bodies are. I am doing the Master Bodyworker classes right now at UCMT and oh my goodness is it amazing. I'm turing into kind of an anatomy geek. I can see even more ways to help people that I know personally with issues they are having physically. I don't look at people the same way anymore. It may sound odd but I look at dysfuntions of the body now and work through a protocol in my head of how I would help them. For the mommy's out there...lympathic drainage is awesome stuff as well as structural integration...wowza!

I am submitting an application to set up a booth at the Pleasant Grove Promenade that takes place every Thursday for 4 hours. It is a farmer's market type event to help build my client list so I can start working for myself instead of someone else. I need to have a business name so I can register with the state of Utah and City of Pleasant Grove to make it happen.

Thank you all for any ideas that you will send my way. I hope this gives you an idea of what I'm looking for. I'm working on my mission statement now. Well I guess I have it written above but I need to condense it down so it is a quick read.

Until next time...

This is what we' ve been up to...

At the first of the year I thought that I would try to write on my blog at least once a week. I saw that someone else that blogs had a book made from their blog and I thought "wonderful idea I want to do that!" However, life happens and it seems that I write once a month instead of once a week. So many things have been going on since my last post and here are a few of those things- some exciting and some just so I remember we did it.

I am no realizing as I am uploading pictures that some of things may have happened before my last post...oh well.

Why I love him...

My husband is fantastic...let me tell you why...

I have just been overcome with gratitude for him the past few days. It really struck me this morning as he drove past me as I was pulling out of the driveway to go to work and he blew me a kiss from the Durango. He always does this. Some people would say it is no big deal but I've discovered in the past 7 weeks I've grown used to it when the timing is right and we pass each other going opposite directions to work. As much as I'm looking forward to being done with the drive to Salt Lake everyday for work- and in 10 weeks, school- I'm honestly going to miss those last minute exchanges we get to share before we have to leave each other for the day.





I could never doubt the love this man has for me or how much he adores me because every time I call him or he calls me I am greeted with "Hello Beautiful!" How lucky am I!!! Funny story about this greeting however...Oh my goodness it gives me the giggles just thinking about it. Yesterday I got a twitter message from him that read, "Look at phone number of incoming calls closely before choosing your greeting, or you might say "Hello Beautiful! to your boss."

I can only imagine the dead silence on the other end of the line when J.D.'s boss JEFF got that as a greeting. Once he was over being surprised with that greeting he said, "well it's nice to be told you're beautiful every once in awhile." Now before you all think I'm mean for telling this story I got clearance to share it. I love it that my sweetheart isn't ashamed to call me beautiful or say I love you when I need to call him at work even with the guys standing there.

Laundry, loads and loads of laundry. I have never had an issue doing laundry. I always just assumed when I got married that would be one of the chores I would do. I think because that is how it was in my house growing up. I actually don't mind this chore (dusting is another story)and I actually enjoy ironing. However, it seems like every weekend (that's when we do laundry) since we have been married I have had something going on Saturday's and don't get a chance to start laundry before I leave to go to whatever activity, etc that is happening.

J.D. doesn't blink and eye or complain for one second that I don't get it started, he just sorts and takes care of it. I know he did his own laundry for years so why should saying "I Do" switch a magic and invisible switch but I just assumed it would I guess. I have started ironing J.D.'s polo shirts that he wears to work and he seems to like that I do that. I'm not sure what it is about it but he likes it and he lets me know. I am so grateful there is some small thing I can do to serve him- however small it may be. Honestly, it made my day a few weekends ago when he came to me with a shirt I hadn't seen before, while I was ironing and asked me if I could fix the collar on the shirt. Basically, it had dried weird the last time it had been washed and it wouldn't lay right. It may seem silly but I was so glad that he recognized what I was doing was helpful and could "fix" a problem he had and didn't know how to fix himself.

Honey Do's and Will You's

I may be bragging but I never have to ask twice for anything to be done. Even before we were married I had moved all of my stuff into our apartment. I just mentioned that I would like to have some pictures/decorative signs hung up in some places and next time I came over they were up. If I ask for help with anything he is right there by my side helping me or just simply doing it for me. I always thought I enjoyed that "independent woman/ I can do it myself" thing that I had going on. I'll be honest, that's great and I do like my independence but it is EVEN BETTER having someone there you KNOW that you can rely on to help you out.

Yesterday, I volunteered us to go help my friend Carla get her travel trailer ready for the first BBQ competition of the year.. The trailer is a nice addition to the competitions but it definitely needed some work and Carla has done a lot already but the door to the trailer needed some attention. Weather stripping, straightening some bent metal, a latch that would work, etc. Carla mentioned to me when we were at lunch last week she was worried it wouldn't get done in time because her husband hasn't been feeling well so I told her if she needed help to just let me know and we would be there. I knew that I didn't even need to ask J.D. first because he would be more than willing to help out. No surprise, he was more than happy to help and we went over and J.D. and Carla's husband got most of the work that needed to be done finished. J.D. told me on the way home they could have finished the project but it wasn't ours to finish so they stopped when Carla's husband said they were done for the night.

I love my husband because he takes such good care of me too- obviously from what I've already written but it's so true. The past weekend I just couldn't seen to get enough sleep. I swear I slept all but maybe 6 hours on Sunday. It was ridiculous. Again, he just went about his business and just took care of lunch, dinner and let me sleep. I have a maintenance medication I have to take and he reminds me to take it every morning and every night. I worry about finances while I'm in school because I don't have a job yet. Whenever I mention this he tells me it is going to be ok. It isn't a brush aside but with genuine belief that everything will be ok. I know it will be ok but he will make sure it is so.

He prays for me when I don't feel well. He consoles me when I am nearly unconsoleable. He makes sure that we say our prayers together. When he was traveling for work at the first of the May he reminded me to say my prayers when we said goodnight. He is such a good example. He reads his scriptures EVERY day. I am amazed by him and his testimony. He has such a desire to do those righteous things and to lead our family. I am so excited that he will be ordained an Elder in the next few weeks and then we will be able to go to the temple together.

I can't wait for us to be parents and to watch this gentle and patient man with our children. Our children are going to lucky to have him for a dad. He is like a little boy with some of the things he does. It always makes me giggle when he does some of those little boy things. Sometimes I just stand back and imagine little munchkins with him playing and happy. He makes me playful and I hope more fun. Even this morning, I was teasing him and going to give him a wet willy...he wouldn't have it and squirted me with his water bottle which started a small water fight. After it was over we just laughed like little kids then proceeded to get ready for work. Who gets to be 32 and have water fights in the morning before work?? Me and my J.D.- that's who!

I tell him how much I love him and I truly am amazed daily that such an extraordinary man fell in love with me but he did! He did and he makes sure to tell AND show me every day how much he loves me! I love you, J.D. thank you for being everything I hoped for and never knew I wanted in a husband! You really are my best friend and I love you!

Until next time...

Back to school...

It is ridiculous how much I don't really care for change but how I can keep it coming at nearly constant pace in my life. I have wanted to take the classes to become a Master Bodyworker at UCMT for quite some time. It hit me really hard at the end of my professional program that I wanted to do it but I couldn't seem to figure out how I was going to make it happen and keep a job because the program is during the day only.

Who wants to hire someone that is only available a few days a week? (I'm still wondering that as I am looking for a massage position that fits me and will fit my schedule) A few weeks after JD and I were married we were talking about school and what our goals were for school and I told him that I wanted to do this master's program but I was worried about the job situation and I would have to leave my current job as an administrative assistant to make it possible because it was only during the day that the classes I need to take are offered. Granted the program is only 10 weeks and it is only 4 days per week for the first 3 weeks then it is only 3 days per week but I am one who has always had a job that was 40 plus hours per week and a "guaranteed" paycheck every pay period. Well enter CHANGE...I put in my notice at my current job several weeks ago, enrolled in the Master Bodywork program and will start school again for 10 weeks on May 26. I am so excited to go back to school and make this dream come true. I am even more excited and grateful that I have married such a wonderful man that makes it possible for me to follow my dreams and encourages me to follow them. When I get stressed about how everything will work out he is cool as a cucumber and says it will be just fine and not to worry about it. Some how that seems to work and when I get scared again he is right there still cheering me on and encouraging and telling me it will be ok and I know it will.

Now on to the massage therapist job search...it has been an interesting experience. You may or may not know that when a massage therapist applies for a job it isn't the typical face to face hand over your resume interview- it also includes a hands on massage session. Honestly, as much as I love to talk I love to give a massage more so that part of the interview if my favorite. Every company or group is different how they do it too.

Last Saturday I spent 3 hours in the breezeway at a COSTCO in West Valley City, UT doing chair massages and helping the company I was interviewing with promote their new business that is opening in mid- June. Now I was raised to be honest and I had this nagging feeling working there last Saturday that these fellas may not be the most honest guys I had ever met. I expressed my concern about telling people about what I was supposed to tell people while I was massaging them because I didn't know anything about the business besides the 2-3 minutes they had told me about it when I got there. One of the owners actually said to me, "Don't worry about it just tell them whatever because people forget 70% of what you tell them anyway." YIKES!! This threw up a big red flag but I finished up the interview and by the end the owners had offered me a position at their Medical Spa. However, a big portion of it would be selling a coupon to get people to come into the business and try out the other products. Now don't get me wrong I'm a team player and I'm willing to jump in and help but that was to be my main focus. I just didn't feel good about it but I wanted to talk to JD before I made any decisions. I went home and explained it to him and he said it didn't sound right to him either and he knows my passion is for massage, so I opted out of that offer. An interesting addition to this is my friend from school who set up the interview for me and was to be their spa director isn't going to be working for them either because everything they had previously agreed to they had backed out on... I am so glad I have that voice inside me that I listen too (most of the time).
The second interview was this past Tuesday at a place only 10 minutes from our home in Pleasant Grove. It is a very flexible schedule and they are willing to work with my school schedule and seemed to be impressed with my desire to continue learning more massage modalities and that I was close by. My hands on massage for them only lasted 15 minutes...very limited. I loved it! The office just felt right...it felt good...it felt like a place I should be. I am in a holding pattern now waiting to hear back from them. A good plug for us farm kids from Idaho that like to make connections with our little towns...the owner grew up in St Anthony and used to pheasant hunt in Mud Lake...I love making those connections especially in an interview- it always seems to give you a leg up somehow- let's hope it happens that way this time.
Finally, I am applying for a teaching assistant position at the UCMT campuses in Salt Lake City and Lindon. Although I will be in school all day I won't be in class at night and both campuses offer night classes and I want to be in that environment again (even after I'm done with Master's)...I always learned more when I was explaining a technique or concept to someone else and I love UCMT and the instructors and TA's I had were awesome...I want to be able to help someone else find their passion like those people did for me.

So my plea to each of you that read this is please pray that I am able to find a job that will be wonderful and work for me and JD...that will allow me to do what I love (and miss so much) and will be flexible for 10 short weeks while I add to my menu of services available.

Until next time...

I'm now a Mrs and an LMT!!!

Our wedding day was Saturday, March 28. The ceremony was short and simple but wonderful.I am now Mrs. Joseph D.(J.D.) Nielson and I love it! We have been married for 1 month today. I can't believe how fast the last month has gone but it seems like much longer than that, in a good way.

As a recap from the wedding for those that weren't there and for posterity. My sister, Tiffany Wood, bless her 8 months pregnant heart and my good friend, Brittany Belinski were my bridesmaids. They were so helpful and I love and appreciate them so much for helping me on our big day. J.D.'s brother Mike Nielson and his best friend or as we call him- the other brother- Josh Lowden were his groomsmen. What a great couple of guys! I look forward to the many years ahead getting to know both of them better. Tiff and Mike were originally asked to do our toast but opted out and the honors were given to Josh and Brittany at the wedding and they both gave lovely toasts.

A couple of "funny" hiccups at the wedding/reception at The Historic Shelton...

Our toasting glasses weren't the normal champagne flutes you would think of but wine glasses. I ordered champagne flutes and we we arrived at the Shelton for the rehearsal and I saw them setting up wine glasses I asked why...I was told they are champagne flutes. Now keep in mind, I don't drink but I've done enough events to know the different between the two. It was very apparent that the Shelton wasn't going to be in a hurry to fix the problem so I just let it go...honestly, it didn't change anything about our wedding or reception- the glass shape was just wrong. I write about it only so I can remember the funny things that happened that day.

Second, our flowers. I sent a picture of the bouquet that I wanted my wedding bouquet to look like.

Here is the picture. Well you will see from the wedding pictures it wasn't anything like that...apparently they thought I liked pink...and only pink! Holy hannah the bouquets were all pink with some green. For my bridal pictures I had a bouquet made by Modern Display and it was perfect and exactly what I was looking for. The funny thing is the flowers on the tables were exactly as the picture that I showed them. I'm not sure where the miscommunication happened or why they turned out all pink but they did. I'm completely convinced that I had an angel on my shoulder that day because I didn't freak out about either one. I just shrugged my shoulders and said well not what I ordered but what can I do about it now...I'm getting married today and that's what matters. If you know me even a little bit you know that is not how I react to anything. I guess my sweet husband has rubbed off on me and I didn't even realize it.

I love spending every moment I can with my wonderful husband. He calms me just by being who he is. He loves to surprise me by doing little things for me. A good example was tonight when I got home from work he had already cooked dinner, set the table and was just waiting for me to walk in the door so he could surprise me. How lucky am I? He is such a good leader in our home. He encourages me to follow my dreams and is my best cheerleader...I count my blessings everyday for him and his love and peaceful influence.

So many people have asked what we did for our honeymoon. The answer...we hung out in Idaho for a couple of days then came back to Utah. The Wednesday after we got married, April1 JD had a colonoscopy scheduled. We picked that day before we were married since we were both going to be off work already and weren't going away anywhere. I am happy to report that everything is fine thank goodness. I was pretty scared that he had to have this done but we are relieved now that everything is ok.

This is a video I took when he got back after the procedure. He had been saying for several days before that he was going to be probed...guess that stuck with him in the subconscious because he was out cold for the whole procedure. Now before you think I'm mean for laughing keep in mind I didn't record myself and the tears when I saw my new husband wheeled back to me unconscious... however, when he started up with what he says on the video I couldn't resist.

JD is going to kill me for putting this on our blog but every time I watch it I die laughing. Just remember , J.D. I really do love you and there will be plenty of time for you to get even with me for this.

This wasn't the end of our week long "honeymoon" I also took the national exam for massage therapy on the Friday following our wedding. I passed the test and I am now a LMT!! To be perfectly honest I felt very confident taking the test until the very end when the computer kept asking if I was sure I wanted to exit that section because I would not be allowed to go back once I clicked ok. I'm not kidding when I say it asked that at least 6-8 times. I really started doubting myself. I wanted to shout for joy when the screen popped up that I had passed the exam although I'm quite certain the other people in the room taking tests wouldn't have appreciated my excitement and joy.

I have to admit I love being a Mrs.- it just suits me. I am so grateful for a loving husband who is so kind and patient. I am grateful for a wonderful family that is so supportive. My dad so generously made our wedding day possible and I so appreciate him for everything he did to make it possible. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that loves me enough to put me through the refiners fire and tested me multiple times and led J.D. and I to each other. As we have compared the time line of our lives especially the year leading up to when we met I can't imagine there was any other choice than for us to be together. We both had things to accomplish before we met and obstacles to overcome and we did it!

Until next time...