Remarkable People

Let me begin for there is much to write about...

A couple months ago, two of my buddies were married on the same day--August 17th. Cameron Egbert married Katrina in the Salt Lake Temple and David Rackham married Erin in the Newport Beach Temple. In my opinion, both Cameron and David did very well for themselves!

Due to the circumstances, I could only attend one wedding. A couple days beforehand, Elizabeth, my sister, and I drove to California to attend the Rackham wedding. We stayed with the Moorhead family (wonderful relatives) who treated us like royalty!



The day before the wedding, Elizabeth and I spent the entire day at Disneyland/California Adventures. She would be turning 18 the day of the wedding, so it was my job to make this birthday one she will always remember.



Although it had been more than 10 years since my last visit to Disneyland, I was still in love with Splash Mountain! Elizabeth was a fan too, so we rode it like 5 times. We kept getting back into the "single rider" line, which saved us a lot of time.

The wedding party was indeed a PARTY! Now if you know Dave Rackham, you know the definition of thoughtful and classy. However, let's not give him all the credit! He is this way because of his amazing family. I was so impressed by this family, and specifically, Dave's parents. They've done an incredible job raising their family. Oh, and the siblings knew how to push Dave's buttons. They still make me laugh just thinking about them.

By the way, Dave said I could not date his new sister-in-law (Corinne, seen with me above) because there is an "age gap". It's fine, she's only 16 years old. Come on, Dave!

(I'm kidding)

This picture portrays one of the happiest moments of my life. I was invited to stand in the wedding line. Alright, I'll admit...I'm an extreme extrovert. If there is energy in the room--I absorb it. This is what happened while standing in the line (see proof above). I tried soo hard to bottle it up.

Because the day of the wedding landed on a Friday, Elizabeth and I spent the following day hanging out in Southern California. We started the day off by taking a hot air balloon ride in Orange County. Get this...it was free!

Next, the Moorhead's gave us a couple passes for Go Kart racing. Nothing is better than a bit of sibling rivalry. Elizabeth almost beat me. Afterward, we hit up the beach and then an Angels game (thanks again to Mike and Mary Moorhead).

After being married for only 5 months, Nick and Tasha happily ran their first marathon together. Oh yeah, did I mention they didn't even train for it?! A couple months before, I was in trouble for trying to "motivate" them. I seriously need to rework my approach because it had the opposite effect. They no longer need to be motivated because (a) they're running a half marathon this weekend, and (b) Tasha has already signed up for 5 marathons next year!

Along with our dad, the Nelson brothers reunited a couple weeks ago in Chicago. South Bend is a two hour drive from Chicago. In the above picture, I'm sporting a Kentucky hat. President Estes, my mission president, had given me his old Kentucky hat a couple weeks prior, making me promise to wear it at a future BYU football game. Faithfully, I wore it on the plane, in the car, and at the game. I keep my promises. It seems like EVERYONE arrives 2-3 hours early for pre-game festivities. We ate lunch at Panera Bread (one of four times that weekend) and made a quick stop at Dollar Tree. It sounds disgusting now but we spent $22.40 on candy. While traveling, my dad is known for saying, "I'm on vacation. Let's splurge!" 

Anyway, BYU lost to undefeated Notre Dame (now currently ranked #3) by only three points! It came down to the wire but BYU couldn't clinch it. Although BYU lost, it was well worth the trip. Attending BYU football games has been a family tradition for about three decades. My hats off (literally in this picture) to my parents who started this tradition not realizing it would bond our family for decades and (most likely) decades to come!

After church the following day, we checked out Northwestern University (where my dad went to school) and University of Chicago (where my cousin, Richard Painter, is currently attending). I love the Painters! Both Coulson and Kristen Painter have attended BYU the same time as me. I've noticed something. Whenever someone finds out that my cousins are the Painters, their respect for me immediately grows. Everyone in that family is remarkable, something noticeable by all who know them.

It's almost been 10 years since I went trick-or-treating myself. Yeah...I was that 16-year old who drove his car collecting free candy. So embarrassing! This monster (my nephew) belongs to Cam and Ashley. Looking forward to hanging out with the three of them for Thanksgiving!

Special thanks to my friend, Makenzie Johnson, who encourages me to keep blogging.

The World's First National Park

YELLOWSTONE

Ethan ("E") and I packed up my Corolla a couple weekends ago and drove 6 hours northward to West Yellowstone, Montana. You see, this became a favorite vacation spot for me and my older brothers while growing up.  Now older, it still remains a favorite. My memories include stuffing our camping gear into an old, plastic luggage carrier strapped to the top of the car and making the what-seemed-like-forever drive to West Yellowstone. Even today, there are still a few soundtracks that remind me of these memorable road trips, for example Les Miserables and The Last of the Mohicans.

Wherever we travel, Mom always loves to tell us about the history of the place. So while Dad would drive through these scenic landscapes of Yellowstone National Park, Mom would point to the blackened, rotting trees and tell us about the fires of 1988.

Without fail, our family would pitch our tent at Lionshead, about a 5 minute drive outside West Yellowstone. This is where I caught my first fish! I recall Dad would ask to put us next to the stream so (of course) I followed family tradition and requested the same site (see below). 

The most predictable geographical feature on Earth--Old Faithful.

Erupts about every 91 minutes.

The bison (aka buffalo) were everywhere...

...and Mom would never have let us get out of the car and get this close.

Photo taken by Ethan while I drove

Although longer, E and I drove home through Wyoming. And trust me, the long stretches of nothingness were worth the gorgeous landscapes of Teton National Park.

A Few Shout Outs

I keep taking pictures thinking I'll sit down and post them to my blog. Unfortunately, my laptop is on its deathbed, so I have to wait until I visit my parents to upload new pictures and update this blog. I know what you're thinking...first world problems.

There are many important people in my life but I'll use these pictures to highlight only a few of them. 

Elizabeth Nelson

Holy smokes! My little sister has grown up! About a month ago, my parents were back in Washington D.C. supporting my oldest brother, Cameron, at his graduation from George Washington University (nicely done!), which left me in a pickle...to say the least. You see, I was in charge of getting my only sister ready for her senior prom. Honestly, few experiences have caused me this much stress in my life. (Hard life...I know) I think it's safe to say that dudes have no idea how much girls do to get ready for their prom. Trust me...I know now! Below is a picture of the final product in our backyard. I couldn't have done it without a couple good friends--thank you!

A couple weeks later, Elizabeth graduated from Olympus High School. It was weird. I hadn't been to a high school graduation since my own six years prior. Now that my sister will be a university student in the fall, one thing is for certain--I can no longer ask out freshman. :(

Logan Nelson

My nephew had his first birthday this past month--June 8. He visited us while his parents were in Africa. I took this shot at Elizabeth's graduation and later framed it for a nice Father's Day gift. My dad likes the photo but my mom (the real artist in the family) says he's falling out of the photo. I argued using the "rule of thirds" but mom is probably right. Good thing she never reads my blog...

Lilly & Lexi Morton

My cousins had their dance recital during the first week of June. I secretly want to be their favorite cousin, so I'm willing to do almost anything. It's a pride thing...I know...I'm working on it. Anyway, I've never been a prouder cousin. There was probably over 100 dancers at this recital but my two cousins stuck out due to pure talent. PLUS, not only are they gifted at dancing but both sing and Lexi has a rare gift for the piano. I love these girls!

Nick & Tasha

My buddy, Nick, finally married his best friend, Tasha, on June 19.  Nick and I have been friends for almost 10 years. I can't believe this is the same kid who would bully me in the hallways of Olympus Jr. High. A year later, we became friends and I became his permanent chauffeur for another year until he finally got his license. Nick was the first to kiss a girl in high school but I was close behind...and kissed the same girl a few weeks later. This time, Nick, it won't take a few weeks to get where you are. Honestly, it may take a few years...

I promise she loves him. He's just a little too rough sometimes.

Easter Sunday

It's Easter Sunday, so I wish to share a few thoughts on my blog.

It was a tradition in the Nelson home to wake up on Easter morning and immediately start looking for my hidden Easter basket. Once I found my basket, I would open each plastic, colored egg to see what kind of candy the Easter Bunny had left for me. Honestly, I could eat Starburst Jelly Beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, however, the treat I cherished most was the large chocolate egg sitting on top of the fake Easter grass. Eloquently displaying the name "Graden" in beautiful white cursive (written in frosting) made this chocolate egg no ordinary treat. I valued this egg because it made me feel valued.

Now at college living away from home, there are no baskets nor chocolate eggs waiting to be found. Recently, I learned the word Easter comes from Eastre, a Norse goddess whose pagan festival was observed at the spring equinox. The association of this pagan goddess with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was only by adaptation and synthesis.

As a 24-year old Christian, I now celebrate Easter to commemorate and worship my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He lived on Earth as a mortal man 2,000 years ago. He lived a perfect life teaching people how to live their lives in a way that was pleasing unto God. Jesus taught, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." I feel valued knowing that the Savior of Mankind truly knows me, Graden Nelson.

Two millennia later, I am developing my personal relationship with Him. I celebrate Easter by remembering His life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection. I feel much gratitude knowing that Christ laid down his life for me. I love Him for the gift He has given me.

The LDS Church has brought the New Testament to life by producing Bible Videos. Here's a short Easter video. Enjoy!