Nie Nie

Somehow I stumbled onto a news story (Today just interviewed them this past week) about a family I grew up with in Provo and I am now obsessed with reading about them online. Unfortunately I am sort of a blog idiot and don't know how to post a link, but I am sure you can search under the Nie Nie dialogs to find her blog and her story. She and her husband Christian (she calls him Mr Neilson which I find so funny! Like the monkey in Pippi Longstockings), were in a nearly fatal plane crash and are fighting for their lives. They have 4 kids. I didn't know her personally, but her blog is absolutely fantastic. What a great spirit she has. I knew her older siblings. Matt (my 5th grade crush), Page and Steve. There were 9 or 10 kids in the Clark family. I recently saw Matt at our 20 year high school reunion. I also bumped into Page at church while we were there. She is so nice and has like 8 kids herself.

Anyways I have been reading up on Nie Nie's past blogs and her sister and brother's blogs as well. Such good writing! I am getting nothing done around the house and my eyes are red from crying over this tragedy. It has also done something else for me though, it has made me want to enjoy my kids more, eat better, take better care of my body, and just be grateful everyday for everything God has blessed me with. I have been so richly blessed that I feel like the other shoe will drop soon.

We recently avoided Troy being deployed (twice in a month actually). One of those times it would have been to a seemingly dangerous place and he would have left in the next 7-10 days. I can't tell you how somber I was for the next 48 hours. The other thought I kept pushing out of my brain was that because the winds switched and someone fought to keep Troy just where he's is at right now, someone else now has to go (or stay there) in his place. Is that fair? Selfishly I want him here more than I want things to be fair for everyone, but it does make me feel a bit guilty. This situation we have in Iraq is so sad and just needs to be over. We have made so many sacrifices as a country for this cause and it just seems to be mis-managed right and left. I don't know what the answer is, but I know life is precious. I need to take a walk and breath deeply and get myself together before the kids come home. I am grateful our family is in tact for now, that we are taken care of. I will be praying for this family. Bless their souls!