Hope all had a good day. We tried to chill as much as possible. Crepes, Creme Brule, super yummy dinner (spinach artichoke stuffed chicken with steamed greens). All in all it was just nice spending time with one another.
the amount of flowers may seem overkill, but it was our anniversary as well.
This was a truly a choice experience to be involved with. As the Mormon Messages on YouTube grew, I knew that Stephanie's story would be a great piece to share. It seemed most the news channels and even Oprah focused so much on the drama of the accident, but nobody really touch the spiritual side of it, and to me, that is what was so amazing about the Nielsons. The more I thought about the experience they went through, the more aware I was of how our spirit is who we really are. Luckily, when I approached them, they were already fans of the Mormon Messages, and were more than willing to let us into their lives for a couple of days.
It was also amazing how the whole piece came together. With Chris Clark and Patrick Parker (two fellow co-workers and brilliant filmmakers) we were able to brainstorm ideas how we thought her message should be shared, and how it would connect to her audience. We were able to execute our vision, and it was amazing how many committees reviewed the final cut with little or no changes. it was like an anomaly in the typical committee review process. So it was a lot of fun to be able to start a creation from start to finish, keeping true to how we envisioned how it should be.
Thanks again to the Nielson family. You were truly inspirational to work with.
Enjoy the video.
P.S. A lot of people ask about the music. It is Mindy Gledhill.
P.P.S. We did agree that it was very cruel of us to have her make a snow angel, when her blog clearly states that the cold hurts her burned skin.
So we are now adding baby blankets to our Etsy store. It only makes sense because Rachel is like a baby blanket making machine. A Blank-o-matic. I leave for work with piles of random fabric all over the place, and come home to 32 hundred neatly finished baby blankets. I do have to admit, it makes the place pretty cozy.
So a few weeks ago, before the re-birth of winter, we went out to the Little Sahara. Grandpa Harris took Andrew and Emma out there to explore, and it sounded like they had so much fun, we all went out there on a weekend. Let's see, the best way to describe the experience is..... well, sandy. Sand everywhere. Tons of fun, but a painful reminder of how I need to exercise more. It is painful enough climbing a near 90 degree hill, but in sand, that cuss hill takes an eternity.
Oh yeah, were were there all of two seconds before Allie thought it funny to throw sand clods at the camera.
The process of rolling down a sand hill.
OH, this next sequence is fun. First you can see how eager Allie was to climb back up the hill. I was obliged to help, but I nearly died of exhaustion. Seriously, I came to the top of the hill chanting "water". But the way down was a lot more fun. The hill was so steep, and the sand so loose, it was like swimming down the hill. I could dig my arms in the sand and swim downhill. So it was like a sled ride for the kids. It was also kind of cute on the way back up the hill, Allie started freaking out about sliding back down, so Emma came to her rescue. Rock on 'M'!!
It wasn't long before I realized the sand a few feet below was a little more moist, and was easy to form. So in my attempt to distract the kids from dragging me up one more cuss sand hill, I made sand thrones for the Sand Princesses. Andrew was a punk, so I just buried him.
There was one major casualty. The wind picked up, and blew the M&M's over. I swear I could hear the faint sound of taps in the distance. RIP M&M's
