A Guy A Girl and thier Dogs

Angi's baby shower

2011-07-20T21:58:00.006-06:00

So this post is WAY late but... better late than never!

In June I hosted a baby shower at my house (with the help of my SIL Nancy) for Kevin's sister Angi! It had rained for weeks before and we were afraid it was going to do the same that day but the day turned out to be AMAZING!

I made a TON of cupcakes which my mom helped me decorate and everyone helped me eat! They were delicious if I do say so my self and they didn't look half bad. I am going to practice my skills and I hope to get as good as those girls on TV!

Cupcake bar

Food table

Nancy made the cute diaper cake! I supplied the ribbon.. that is where my contributions end! We have wanted to paint our shed since we moved it ( it was a nasty green color) and this was the motivation to get it done! Kevin spent most nights leading up to the shower painting it and getting the yard ready. We used some of the outfits I bought Angi as decorations. My thought was... why waste money on something we are just gonna throw away!For our activity we made scrapbook pages. It was so fun! I emptied my craft room into the back yard and let everyone make as many pages as they wanted! It was a wonderful day and I think everyone had a good time! Angi has since had her baby ( a few weeks early) and everyone is doing GREAT!

Braeden Michael

Someone to watch over me

2011-03-16T16:56:00.002-06:00

I have spent much of the last week laying on the couch because of the surgery. Most nights I had SA to watch over me! He would come down and make himself comfy right above my head. He also comes down in the middle of the night to check on me and make sure I am OK! What a good dog! Isn't' he sweet?!?!

It's finally done!

2011-03-12T19:57:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago Kevin said he wanted to get started on some home improvement projects. So we decided to start with an "easy" one... the Craft room! We went and picked out paint, fixed the wall and got it all ready for me to do while Kevin was on shift. I only wanted to paint one wall so I figured I could get it done in one day and be done with it! Two weeks later it was done! My husband is just a little of a perfectionist and couldn't just paint one wall. We had to paint all the walls, the doors and the ceiling! Here are some before pictures...

I know my desk is a DISASTER, but I didn't want to organize it until it was all finished
You can see why we had to fix the wall. The people who owned the house before us had some shelves on the wall and didn't bother to take them down when they painted so we had to pry them off the wall and in turn it damaged the wall. (Notice how they aren't even level with one another and make no sense where they were hanging.. classic!

The finished product! I got the desk a few years ago at the DI for $40!! What a deal right! I changed the curtains (which I scored at Target for $3.74 on clearance), hung some shelves, and reorganized.

OK so really Kevin hung the shelves. I gave him free reign of how to hang them. I think he did a good job!

My mom gave me this magnetic board for Christmas a few years ago and I didn't want to hang it until I got my room done!

So now that the "easy" project is done we are going to move on....OK we were until I had to have sinus surgery. But once that is all paid for we are going to demo the bathroom! CAN'T WAIT!!!

Silly dogs!

2011-03-12T19:46:00.005-07:00

A few months ago we noticed Peanut was licking his paws alot and also rubbing along the ground to itch himself. We took him to the vet and come to find out the poor little guy is VERY allergic to dust mites. I know of all things to be allergic to it's dust mites! we have started to give him allergy shots and he is doing better but he still licks him paws to stop them from itching. He licks them til the are raw and then they hurt him so we have started putting baby socks on him. He will wear them just long enough to take his mind off of it and then they seem to come off.

Then there is SA. He is not allergic to anything but he is VERY jealous! He started having "accidents" in the house. We took him to the vet to see if there was something wrong with him... NOPE just jealous of the attention Peanut was getting. So we have started putting socks on him any time we do for Peanut and he even gets a pretend shot when Peanut gets his.
I know it seems silly but it works! We haven't had any "accidents" since we started this and if a little pretend is all it takes then I will do it!

Holidays Part 2

2011-01-15T20:33:00.003-07:00

We started Christmas out at our house. Kevin and I opened presents and then we headed to James and Nancy's for the Patterson get together. Deacon is the first grand baby in like 10 years so it was fun to have a baby around for all the excitement! We opened presents there and ate all kinds of food... it was all so yummy! After we visited my Grandpa and went to a movie. It was a hectic but great day! Here are a few pictures from the day.

I think this was Kevin's favorite present this year. My mom picked this up on her trip to MI in October and has been waiting to give it to him. She was proud of herself for waiting and not giving it to him early! She found it in the back corner of an antique store that they almost didn't go into. It's a nice start to our collection. This fire truck bank has been in my family for as long as I can remember. My mom found it while they were putting their office back together and thought Kevin should have it. I found this ornament on the Internet and couldn't pass it up! It will make a nice addition to our tree. I surprise Kevin with ribbon candy, which we have been looking all over for! He didn't know I found some and was pretty excited! As excited as Kevin gets about anything!

When we got to James and Nancy's, Deacon was tired from the morning and Kevin was trying to get him to sleep. Isn't he cute?! Can you tell how excited he is about the blow up lion we got him?

Holidays

2011-01-15T19:53:00.007-07:00

I know I am late posting about the holidays but here it is!!!

I never really go totally into the Chirstmas spirit again this year... I think it's working in retail to long and dealing with people who make the month of December the worst month of the year. The song "Tis the season to be JOLLY" doesn't apply to alot of people this time of year! It doesn't help that I was sick alot of the month too!

I finally got my tree up and house decorated just a week or so before Christmas and started to get into the spirit alittle bit. I decided to try adding ribbon to my tree this year. I have seen it everywhere and thought I too would try it. It didn't come out excatly like I had hoped but there is always next year!

We were able to do a couple fun things with our family. We went to the Festival of Trees. It was the first time I had ever been and it was really neat! We went on the last weekend and it was PACKED so we didnt' stay to see everything. All the trees were beautiful and I could have taken pictures of all of them but here are just a couple of the ones we really liked.

Go UTES!

This one was for a little boy who was sick and loved fire fighters!

We also took a trip Downtown to see the lights at Temple Square and to the Grand America Hotel. It was freezing all week but the day we decided to go was a bit warmer. We all bundled up and headed down on Trax, wondered around the hotel and the Temple Grounds then had dinner on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The lights were even better from way up there! Deacon was all bundled up and had a good time!
We had a great time with my parents, James, Nancy and the baby! Now on to Christmas it's self!

Jackson Hole

2010-07-31T23:02:00.017-06:00

This year was our bi-annual family reunion. We all traveled from our various states and met in Jackson Hole. We had a blast as usual!! But how could you not with this AWESOME family??? All 18 of us at the Continental Divide... we convinced a very nice man to take this for us! We were all able to hike around Jenny Lake to the Hidden Falls. It was so beautiful!

Most of the Grandkids.. Miles is MIA

Me and Kevin at the Hidden Falls

We spent a day in Yellowstone... not enough to see it all but we got to see alot. We hiked down to this water fall. I barely made it back up!!!

We took the tram to the top of the Tetons and yes there was still SNOW up there!

You can't visit Jackson Hole with out seeing the Town Shoot Out! It is so cute! And we just happened to be there on a night where 2 of the actors got engaged...AWWW!

Our reunion wouldn't be complete with out a BIRTHDAY PARTY! This year it was Western Themed... seemed fitting being in Jackson Hole and all.

We did alot of ropin'!

Thanks Kevin for building us a great steer!

Even Graham was able to rope the steer

We made cupcakes (cowboys and horses)

And we played a variety of Minute to Win it games! There are videos of that floating around the family somewhere I will have to see what I can come up with!

These kids crack me up!

The cousins had a great time together!

But of course no one could go the whole week with technology!

I think over all a fun time was had by all!!!

This is the vacation I look forward to! I love getting to spend time with my family! They are the best! If I had my way we would all live close and would be able to see each other alot more!

Officially Official!

2010-06-02T20:02:00.011-06:00

Last week Kevin was sworn in at the Sandy Fire Department! He is now an official Sandy City Reserve Fire Fighter. The Chief in his "talk" said what I think describes the job of a "Reserve" the best... We pay you nothing and expect everything! This year already the reserves have volunteered 4000 hours and it's only just begun! It was a very proud day at our house! I am so impressed by Kevin and all the hard work he is putting in with Sandy! They announced that they will be hiring 1 full time fire fighter and his application is already in. His chances are much better with Sandy since they only hire from the reserves. Instead of a 1 in 200 chance it's a 1 in 25 or so! His test is on Monday... wish him luck!!! Taking the oath

Me... trying to stick him!

These guys went to the Academy with Kevin and were in his "company". It is cool that they are all in the reserves together.

With the wives

Me and my FIRE FIGHTER!

Yet another of my silly ideas!

2010-05-26T21:14:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow is a big day for Kevin and to celebrate it I made these... Yes they look like him on purpose!

The ones in the book I got the idea from look much better but as Kevin told me... They do cupcakes every day for a living!!!

My mom came over today and helped me cause there are just somethings I am not good at (the piping of the hair and the mouths)! So I give alot of the credit to her!

I got a book about cupcakes a while back and this is the first attempt and making them. There will be more to come in the future... I hope they get better!

Congrats Kevin!!!! There will be more on the big day, after it happens!

Our Garden

2010-05-26T19:53:00.005-06:00

We have spent the last few weekends getting our garden (and the back yard in general) ready. We have never had a garden before so we are just hoping to get some sort of return on it! Who knew it would be so expensive!?!? Kevin built the boxes and I came up with the plant makers. They are recycled silverware from the DI. I used a paint pen to write on them and we will be able to use them over and over!
Please pay no attention to the nasty looking fence in the back round! That is one of our next projects! That along with a whole list of other things for the back yard! I will post pics as soon as we get some veggies growing... cross your fingers that we don't get anymore freak snow storms other wise we may not see any veggies!

Peanut

2010-05-26T19:47:00.002-06:00

If you look really closely you will see a little Peanut! During the day I would find him in the living room sleeping in this chair,and when had had enough of him in our bed I thought maybe if we put it in our room he would sleep there through the night! It has been working... most of the night! We have found if we cover him up he sleeps there much longer!

Boys will be boys!

2010-05-26T19:40:00.004-06:00

We worked in the yard pretty much all weekend and this is how the dogs helped! Peanut layed around chewing on sticks!
And they both sunned themselves in the dirt!!!
It rained and turned the dirt to mud, can you imagine what my house looks like now?!

Grandpa Hansen turns 90!

2010-04-25T17:49:00.005-06:00

On Monday my Grandpa Hansen turned 90! Can you believe it!?!?! With such a big birthday comes a big party! My brothers all flew in for the party last weekend. I think my Grandpa was a really surprised to have them all there, he didn't think they would all make it! We got to see all of our cousins, that we rarely see and met lots of people who were close with my Grandparents. Doesn't he look great for his age?Monte and Ryan sharing a great moment with Grandpa

I love my Grandpa so much and he is such a great example to me! I can't believe all that he has done is his life! What an amazing person! Happy Birthday Grandpa!

In keeping with the theme.....

2010-04-25T17:39:00.004-06:00

We named him Peanut! Peanut is the bass player from 311. I guess you could call us obsessed if you want, more so me then Kevin but he goes along with it! We have been talking about getting another dog for a while and when I saw this little guy I just couldn't say no!!!He is a puggle and his previous owners just didn't have time for him anymore. We went down about a week ago and let SA and him play. They seemed to get along, so we brought him home. He has some bad habits that slowly we are breaking him of, but for the most part he is a good dog. He LOVES to be under the covers and loves to cuddle! His bark is incredibly annoying but that's the beagle in him! He and SA are still getting used to each other but I think it's a match made in Dog Heaven!

SA

2010-03-15T21:36:00.005-06:00

We have been trying to get SA to sleep in his "own bed" and not the kennel at night but we haven't had much luck! Until we bought this bed! He loves it! Most nights he goes right to it and he doesn't rip it up... BONUS!

He fell asleep like this on Saturday after we picked him up from Dog Mode! Isn't he just so cute with his tongue sticking out?

My husband the Fire Fighter!!!

2010-01-27T20:07:00.006-07:00

Kevin has been trying for months now to get a job as a fire fighter. He still doesn't have a full time job but was accepted as a volunteer for Sandy City. They require that you work on their "reserve squad" before you can be a full time fire fighter. He began his training with them a couple weeks ago and will start picking up shifts in February. I am so proud of him!!!!! He looks so handsome in his uniform... if you ask me! He also took his EMT intermediate test on Monday and passed!!! All of these things have been a long time coming so it's NICE to be done with alot of it! He will continue to look for a full time job, and hopefully all the time he will be putting in at Sandy will pay off!

Maybe one day SA will be a fire house dog!

Best Buddies!!!

2010-01-19T18:12:00.004-07:00

This is SA's best friend, Baxter! They have so much fun together that at night this is how we find them!

New Years Eve

2010-01-19T17:55:00.012-07:00

This year we spent New Years in Ceder City, at Kevin's sisters house. We had so much fun! We played alot of Guitar Hero and FINALLY someone played Sing Star with me and actually enjoyed it! Usually they will play just to get me to shut up, but Danny played because hewanted to! SA had a blast playing with Baxter and we had fun rockin the night away!We were able to stay the whole weekend, it was great to get out of town for a few day and have some fun!These are the best glasses ever! The first night Emilee wore them I coudn't tell they didn't have lenses and I went up and poked her in the eye and said..."Do these have lenses?". Good times, Good times!

I miss this girl!!!

SNUGGIE!!!!

2010-01-19T17:47:00.004-07:00

I have been telling Kevin for a while that all I wanted for Christmas was a Snuggie. He told me there was no way he was guying me one and that if I wanted on I would have to buy it myself! But much to my surprise on Christmas morning there was a Snuggie under the tree. I LOVE IT!!!! I know alot of you think it's lame and blah blah blah, but I use it all the time and it's AWESOME! We bought one for SA (as a joke) but it's not really the right size and he didn't like his to much! One of the guys at my work (who knows Kevin) told Kevin that he should buy the dog a Snuggie and not me! Don't I have the best husband??? I think I do!

Christmas Day

2010-01-11T19:59:00.005-07:00

We started out Christmas with opening presents at our house. It doesn't take long with just the two of us but it's always fun! We ate cinnamon roles... SO YUMMY!! (Maybe I will learn to make home made ones, one of these days), then we were off to do the family thing! First my grandpa's. He has a small house and there are always a TON of people there! But it's always fun to see family that I don't know very well or get to see very often. Next we went to Kevin's parent's and ate lunch/dinner and once again opened presents. We got a really cool dart board... now we just have to figure out where to put it! We finished the day off with a movie.... a very typical Hansen thing to do! All in all it was a fabulous day! Kevin got a new razor and the full collection of Two and a Half Men on dvd ( it's his favorite show). I got a camera.... and a SNUGGIE!! But that deserves it's own post! I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and that it was all you hoped it would be! Sorry this is late! I have been lazy! Not sure how but I got him to "pose" in front of the Christmas tree.. isn't he the cutest dog you have ever seen?

Christmas Eve

2010-01-11T19:46:00.010-07:00

Traditionally we go to eat on Christmas Eve, at Olive Garden with my parents. It was my year to close the store so we decided we would go to my parents house instead. Kevin's sister and husband were in town so they joined us and as did my Grandpa. It was a very fun evening. My mom made the BEST lasagna and we played "Chicken Foot". I usually cheat at almost any game we play but this time I wasn't the one doing the cheating! That would be Kevin! It was a great way to spend the evening!!

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-30T18:42:00.010-07:00

When we lived in Tn we had a tradition of making gingerbread houses with Monte and his family. You would come up with a design, cut out the pattern and then my mom would bake all the gingerbread you needed. Once they were done we would take them to families in the ward and stake. They were no ordinary "houses". One year Ryan and I were partners and he was just beginning Architecture school, so ours was a building with abstract sculptures on the lawn. We have made 18 wheelers (the year before we moved to Utah and my dad started working with my uncle), carousels and many other unique things. Monte and Jenny have continued the tradition and make some really cool houses. Yes they usually make houses. I heard on the TV that the Grand America hotel was going to have a display of gingerbread houses, so I made Kevin take me to see them! The were AMAZING! Here are just a few of my favorites!

Christmas Goodies

2009-12-30T18:36:00.003-07:00

This year along with the cookies I typically bake for Christmas, I decided to try something new. Last year we received chocolate and caramel dipped pretzels from one of our neighbors and I thought "That shouldn't be to hard to make!". So this year that is what we made. Yes, I said "we", Kevin helped me! For the most part they turned out good. Not all of them looked the way I would have wanted them to but at least the tasted good. (at least thats what I was told).

Our Christmas Letter

2009-12-20T16:54:00.004-07:00

This has been a wonderfully busy year for us. Kevin has been pursuing his dream and I have been supporting him in that pursuit! He started the West Valley City Fire Academy in April and after 4 long months is now a certified Fire Fighter. You can read about that adventure here, here, here, and here. During that that 4 month I spent alot of time in my craft room and SA did alot of this. Kevin just finished his EMT Intermediate and is still in the process of looking for a Fire Fighting job. He has tested with a few departments, and is on a few of the cities hiring list but no job yet. He will keep trying and one of these days I will be able to proudly say "I am married to a Fire Fighter!".

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary this year. I can't believe it has been that long! I guess time flys when you are having fun! Because of the Fire Academy we weren't able to celebrate on our actual anniversary but did celebrate with a trip a month or two before. You can read about that here and here. I am so blessed to be married to Kevin. I love him so much and can't imagine where I would be without him!

I did some traveling by myself this year because Kevin just couldn't get away. I missed him alot while I was gone but had a good time with my family! There are lots of posts on the trips I took so I won't bore you with links to them but you are more than welcome to take a look back at them.

I am still working at Target, going on 11 years now! I know, I know that's a really long time but I love what I do and where I do it! In addition to going to school and all the studying he has been doing, Kevin is still working full time for Cintas. It makes for one tired boy at the end of the week but we have to pay the bills somehow! LOL

Well, I think that pretty much sums up our year! I hope next year is as wonderful as this one has been. One thing is for sure..... I will get to see more of my husband and he will actually get to go on a few fun adventures with me! OK... MAYBE... if he gets a job that could all change.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Where is my Christmas Spirit?

2009-12-16T22:15:00.005-07:00

I don't know why but it has been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. It is usually my favorite holiday but this year I just haven't been feeling it. I finally got my Christmas tree up and my friend Jovania made fun of me. I know it was late but atleast I put it up! So Jovania this is for you!
Little by little I am getting into the Christmas spirit! I got my presents wrapped today and bought all the stuff to make my cookies. I am going to spend the weekend baking and I hope that will get me in the spirit! I am going to try a to try to make chocolate covered pretzels and a new cookie recipe. Wish me luck!!!

Latest baking adventure!

2009-11-07T10:58:00.007-07:00

As I have said before I don't cook but I LOVE to bake! So my latest baking adventure was over Halloween. Last year I made Halloween cookies for people at work and this year was no different. I wanted to try something new! I have always wondered how you make the royal icing on sugar cookies look so perfect, so I consulted Martha Stewart and my mother and figured it out! If I had known it was easier than it looked I would have tried it a lot sooner! That being said I am no pro at it yet but with some practice I will surely get better! I asked my mom if she knew how to do this technique and she just said "Ya!" Like DUH!!!! You should have let me teach you more when you were growing up! With all my baking adventures I tend to hear this alot! My family of Halloween cookies!

We sent each of my brothers and their families a box of cookies and I hope they enjoyed them! Now on to what I am going to make for Christmas. I know everyone forgets about Thanksgiving, but rest assured I haven't! I get to do an activity for the team members at work before Thanksgiving and I am really excited about that! And I am of course looking forward to Black Friday!

I love Fall!!!

2009-10-25T12:55:00.004-06:00

Fall is just the start to my favorite time of year! This year I wanted to put a "Fall Scene" on my porch... I know everyone is doing it and it's trendy but I have an obsession with decorating for holidays. I have been wanting to do it for the past few years and just haven't. So this year I decided was my year! I asked Kevin for some help. I said "I need to get a bale of straw from the pumpkin patch down the road, could you go get it for me or go with me and help me?" (He doesn't like me to spend money on stuff to decorate but I secretly think he LOVES that I take the time to do it. His Grandmother would decorate/have a party for every holiday, so I think it reminds him of her.) So when I asked he said " You don't NEED it you just WANT it!" and that "If I NEEDED it that bad, I was a big girl and could do it myself!" So that is exactly what I did!

I went to the pumpkin patch, grabbed a wheelbarrow, picked up my bale of straw and since he wasn't there to tell me no I got a bundle of corn stalks! I came home and this is what I came up with! I scored the scarecrows really cheap and Tia Pan and Joann's! I think the whole thing cost like 20 dollars! I am very proud of how it turned out! To bad we live on a dead end and no one will see it! OH WELL!!

HAPPY FALL!!!!!

Working off the chocolate cake!!!

2009-10-14T19:32:00.009-06:00

After dinner we needed to work off all the calories we ate (most of them from the cake!) so we went to the lobby and danced! We were the only ones dancing for a while but it was so much fun! Weslie and Paw-Paw

Allie and Monte

He is a little crazy naturally but his dad let him order Dr Pepper all night! He had a fun time dancing with everyone!

Unique things at the Greenbrier

2009-10-14T11:25:00.012-06:00

There are many things about the Greenbrier that are unique but that is what give it it's charm. A lot of the guests come to the Greenbrier for that charm and the hospitality they offer! Here are a few of my favorite unique things!

All the colors in the hotel are bright and vibrant like the ones here. They have Tea every afternoon in one of the lobby's and during Tea they have live music for you to enjoy. And the pastries are to die for! I think I gained a couple pounds from them!

All the room doors are painted green

This chandelier is in the main dinning room, but through out the hotel there are many of them in many different colors.

This is a bathroom... Yes I did say a bathroom. This is the "sitting" part of it. There is a couch on one of the other walls and big mirror with chairs, like you would see at a dressing table. I am not sure what the men's looks like but now you can see why we had to make so many trips to the bathroom during dinner.. It's just so NEAT!

Me in the really cool bathroom...Don't worry there were other people who took pictures of this too. Monte says people take pictures of their bathrooms all the time!

Dinner in the Main Dinning Room

2009-10-09T21:08:00.011-06:00

Monte arranged for us to eat dinner as a family in the Main Dinning Room. Gentlemen have to wear a jacket and tie and ladies have to wear a dress. There were 12 of us, so we were a little worried how it would go. The little ones did GREAT! Graham is 5 and Jude is 2 or 3 so as you can imagine it was a very long time for them to sit and be on their best behavior, HECK it was a long time for me to sit and be on my best behavior! It's hard to remember not to put your elbows on the table! That was the hardest part for me, oh and the fancy food on the menu. I ordered from the "young adults" menu with a few of the other "young adults"! I think a few trips to the bathroom (there is a whole post coming on that) made the 2 and a half hour dinner a little more manageable! Mom and Dad
Monte and Graham.. it's he just the cutest thing?!

This was after the chocolate cake!

Haldan, Garrett, Me and Allie

(The Young Adults)

Birthdays!

2009-10-08T12:09:00.011-06:00

One of the main reasons we went to WV was to see Weslie get baptized. It was her eight birthday and she is lucky enough to share her birthday with her Dad. She is not shy so everywhere we went that day she had to let people know it was her birthday. We were eating lunch in one of the restaurants and Weslie had told them it was her and her daddy's birthday and what do you know they bring out this piece of chocolate cake! It was the first of many that we ate in the next couple of days! The next cake came as a surprise from a bunch of Monte's employees. His secretary called him and told him he had to get down to his office right away. And then once we got there told him to take a seat. A few minuets later a bunch of people came in with the cake and sang Happy Birthday!

The last cake came on Saturday night when we were having dinner in the Main Dinning Room ( I will post more on that later). Once again a bunch of the staff came over and sang to him and Weslie. The cake was really good but I think I have had enough chocolate cake to last me a while!

Welsie had a dog cupcake cake for her family party! She loves animals so naturally she love her cake! And so did everyone else... as you can tell!

Graham
Garrett

Happy Birthday Monte and Weslie!

Our not so little drummer boy

2009-10-07T16:55:00.006-06:00

My nephew Haldan has been playing the drums practically from the day he was born! My brothers made him a tiny set of drum sticks and they were the first thing he held. It's no wonder the kid is so dang good at the drums! He is a junior this year and goes to Greenrbrier East High School. While we were in WV we went to watch his band practice. They are very small but have a good sound and the band director seems to be really good and have a passion for what he does (which totally makes a difference!). Haldan knows how good he is at drumming and you can tell by his "swagger" when he plays! He wants to march Drum Corps one of these next summers and I can't wait to see how he does!

There was a home game the Friday we were there so we were able to go watch him march at the game! It was so much fun and was very nostalgic for me! I spent many a Friday night sitting in the stands at BHS cheering on the football team and marching at half time! Oh what how would it be to be in high school again!? It's hard to believe that this 16 year old used to be my little Haldan who loved to watch BHS drum tapes and idolized his Uncle Ryan and Dad! Not that he still doesn't but he would mimic eveything they did when they sat down to drum.

Marching off the field

Allie, Graham and I chilin' in the stands at the game

The amazing Greenbrier

2009-10-04T20:06:00.007-06:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at the Greenbrier while I was in WV. It was AMAZING! I have never stayed in a hotel that nice so it took a little getting used to! It was nice to be spoiled for the week! The service is awesome and the ambiance just makes you want to do nothing and relax all day!This bed is AMAZING! I know, I know it's just a bed... But it's not! It's incredible! The fluffiness, the sheets, the comforter, the fact that they come and turn the bed down for you every night and leave you CHOCOLATE! It's the best bed ever!

The Greenbrier has their own Fire Department and this is one of their engines. We saw it last time we were there but didn't get this close to it and since Kevin wasn't with me I HAD to sit in it for him! My brother made a call and said I have a surprise for you and this was it!

We spent a couple days just chillin by the pool. It's right by the golf course... so I guess you better watch out for golf balls. And yes that is my dad being goofy in the background... can you expect anything less?

It was a wonderful week and this was just part of it! More to come soon!

West Virginia

2009-10-03T19:18:00.006-06:00

A couple weeks ago I went to West Virginia to see my brother Monte and his family. Kevin wasn't able to go because he was testing at the Sandy Fire Department that weekend. Anyways it was a very fun and relaxing week. It was great to be able to spend sometime with him and his family and the Greenbrier wasn't to shabby either! I took a TON of pictures so I am going to put them in a couple of posts over the next few days... Keep checking back!

Summer Fun

2009-10-02T20:43:00.017-06:00

Kevin and I weren't able to do alot this summer because of the Fire Academy. But we were able to go on a couple short weekend trips. One weekend we went down to Ceder City to spend time with Kevin's sister Emilee. It was nice weekend. We went hiking in one of the canyons and just hung out. We also went up to Bear Lake for a weekend! It is awesome.. if you have never been there it is definitely a place you need to visit. It is so peaceful and beautiful. We mostly relaxed while we were there but we did catch a play at the Pickleville Playhouse (Kevin even laughed and said he liked it), went hiking with my mom and dad and of course treated ourselves to a few Famous Bear Lake Raspberry Shakes! They are so delicious! Here are some pics from our trips! Enjoy... we sure did! Me and Kevin Emilee and BrentMe and Emilee Crazy water fall we have to climb up to continue on the trailSA and Baxter- very tired after a long dayMe and Kevin in Bear lakeThis is a just a cool shot- the mountains and trees reflecting off the lake Glacier Lake we hiked up to.. the water was FREEZING!

The job hunt continues

2009-09-06T18:45:00.002-06:00

For the last month or so Kevin has been going though the interview process with the city of West Jordan. He made it through the first 3 parts (written test, physical test and the Captain's interview). We have been waiting all week to hear how the oral interview went and if he would be moving on to the next phase. His letter came yesterday and unfortunately he didn't make it. They took the top 22 and he was ranked 42. He will be on their list for the next year, which means that if they hire again he will most likely get to interview. So the job hunt continues. He has put in applications at Sandy City and Layton and no we just wait. He is so passionate about becoming a Fire Fighter that I hope he doesn't let this get him down! Send some good thoughts his way!

HE PASSED!!!

2009-07-21T21:32:00.004-06:00

Saturday was Kevin's last day of the Fire Academy. He passed all his written tests, skills tests and even the CPAT other wise know as "12 Minutes of Hell". Here is a video of what the CPAT is.

This guy is amazing... 6:27 that's DAMN fast! Kevin completed it in 10:03 and he said "I didn't even try to hard!" SO HUMBLE! OK so really he said was that he didn't want to kill himself, but just get it done under the time limit. You have to walk the whole time except during the hose drag. Tonight was the first time I have seen this video and now that I have seen what he had to do I am even more impressed!!! I am so PROUD of him!!!!! (Kevin... not Big Bill.... LOL!)

It was a bitter sweet day for him. He is so glad to be done but will definitely miss it! Now it's time to find a job, not so easy here in Utah. He is going to test at West Jordan City, where they are hiring only a couple people and 160 people are applying. Hopefully he will be one of them!!! If not he will keep applying until he get hired on somewhere! Maybe we will have to move somewhere exotic... Australia?? Do they have a Target there???

Cowboy Boots

2009-07-06T18:39:00.005-06:00

Kevin has been telling me for a long time that he wants a pair of cowboy boots. It's probably more of a threat because he knows I hate them and he thinks it's funny. One day he comes home from work holding a pair of "used" cowboy boots. Turns out he was talking to a kid at his work about how he wanted a pair and what do you know the kid had a pair he was going to get rid of! So now he has his boots.

He hasn't worn them out of the house yet except to work in the yard.... I guess he thought they were good yard working boots. And yes he had to wear them with shorts!!!! I was laughing so hard and of course I had to get a picture of it! I hope you get as much enjoyment out of this as I did!!!My dad would say he is "Outstanding" in his field! (This is a long running joke in my family and also a line in one of my favorite 311 songs!!!) and I would have to agree... he is outstanding and I love him very much...but he looks ridiculous!!! Who wears cowboy boots with shorts you ask? MY HUSBAND!!!

As a kid he had a pair of Red Rain Boots that he would wear all the time. I guess since he is a little to old for rain boots these will have to do! He may never get to wear them any where but at least we didn't' pay for them! Gotta love free stuff!

Mystery Ball

2009-07-06T18:30:00.007-06:00

We have an apartment complex behind our house and on occasion we will go out back to find stuff that has made it's way over the fence. Most of the time it's food, which SA loves, but this time it was a ball. SA loves balls but for some reason this one freaked him out!!! He started barking at it and wouldn't go near it for a very long time! I admit I tortured him with it for a little bit, bringing close to him and watching him freak out, but then he realized it was a ball and loved it! So thank you to who ever lost their ball in our back yard! Now SA has a new toy!

He is sniffing it trying to figure out what it is!

Now he is attacking it! Which would explain why it is almost flat!

Trip to Bryce

2009-07-06T17:49:00.010-06:00

A few weeks back I went with my Parents and Grandpa to St. George and Bryce Canyon. My Grandpa and Grandma went to Bryce Canyon on their honeymoon in 1940 and we thought it would be cool to take him back and stay in the same hotel that they did all those years ago. So the second night we were there we stayed at Ruby's Inn. My Grandpa didn't know that it was named after a man until we saw this sign. He always thought it was named after a woman... my Grandma Ruby. We drove into the park and did lots of walking. We were defiantly not prepared for the weather that day. It was rainy and cold so we didn't do much hiking. We were able to go to alot of the look out points and the views were AMAZING. This was the first time I have been to Bryce and I can't wait to go back and explore in the canyon. My mom is a little paranoid about being close to the edge so she was a little scared when I asked her to take this picture... I wasn't even that close to the edge. My mom and I were able to hike around the rim of the canyon from one look out point to the next, she was always on the inside of the trail so she wouldn't fall off! I think that this was my favorite part of the canyon..... It is all incredible but this was just really cool. It's called Fairy Land Canyon and alot of the formations look like castles. I loved it!

Grandpa was not able to do alot of the walking (he is 89 years old), but we were able to get to to walk up to some of the look out points! I hope he enjoyed the views as much as I did. On Friday night we went to Tuacan and saw Annie! It was really good and I had a great time, even though they didn't sing my favorite song... Dumb Dog!!!! The dog in the show was very old and he was hilarious! He didn't want to cooperate and reminded me of SA in the respect! Before the show they have a few fun things you can do (photo ops) and of course my dad had to do all of them! This is my favorite! I think my dad is a bit of a Peter Pan and that he will always be a kid at heart! It was great to spend Fathers Day weekend with my Dad and Grandpa! I can't wait to go back to Bryce and go camping... we are already planning our trip!

My favorite father!

2009-06-22T21:11:00.007-06:00

OK I only have one but he is still my favorite! (He calls me his favorite daughter.. he only has one...HAHA!) Any of you who know my dad know that he loves to tell jokes and sing silly songs! We went on a road trip this weekend and I got to hear ALOT of those silly songs! One of my favorites that he sings is the "Plastic Jesus song". He learned it on his mission and when he sings it, it cracks me up! It is also in the movie Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman. My dad sings it a little bit different but you can get the gist of it! Just imagine a little more up beat and in a very twangy southern voice!

When I was thinking about what to get my dad for fathers day I had no clue, until one day I walked into Zummies and saw this...
Yes it is a plastic dashboard Jesus... don't worry he has no plans of putting it on his dashboard!!! It will most likely sit on his desk at work and drive my mother crazy! Why you ask? Cause when he looks at it he will probably break out in song and she will have to listen to it many times each day!

I have a wonderful father and I love him alot! One of the greatest things I have learned from him is patience! He is the most patient man you will ever meet! He is a little silly from time to time but it makes life interesting! Thanks DAD for doing a SUPER job for this family!

My dad and Grandpa at Tuachan

P.S. This is post/gift is all in good fun... please take no offense to it!

Two months down, one to go

2009-06-21T21:54:00.004-06:00

Kevin is finished with month number two. He took his Fire Fighter 1 and 2 final and passed both of them!! Now on to Hazardous Materials training. He has to practice putting someone in the Haz-Mat suit and yes you guessed it I get to be the "victim". I now have a small glimpse into what it's like to be a Fire WOMAN... OK not really but we can pretend. The suit is HOT and STINKY!!! Kev says to me "At least the boots are mine and you don't have to wear someone elses but the suit who knows how many guys have worn that!" GROSS! But I did it cause I want him to succeed!!! It was kinda fun but I don't think I want to volunteer again! Here is a pic of me in the suit. It was GINORMOUS on me!

I had to wear the air tank which weighs like 15-20lbs. It's hard to breath with the mask on... especially when he attaches the regulator and the air IS NOT TURNED ON!!! Yeah he did that and it was scary! I still love him and I am very proud of him!!! Next month he will take his state test and will then be a certified Fire Fighter. Then we will just have to find him a job!

Really Big Stick

2009-06-08T18:20:00.004-06:00

It has been very windy here for the last week. One night SA and I went out side and found that a branch had broken off the tree. SA was in heaven!!! He has been trying to drag it around the yard and any time you come near him he thinks you are going to take it, so he "tries" to run off with it!

Missing Kevin

2009-05-18T21:22:00.006-06:00

On nights when Kevin is as school there are couple places you can find SAThe window sill is just the right height for him to rest his head. He will sit here for hours waiting for his Daddy to come home.His other favorite place is at the top of the stairs where he can see both the garage door (which Kevin uses most often) and the front door.. just in case he decides to change it up.

This is how I found him the other night. I guess he had a hard day... because he has such a tough life!

He is getting used to the routine of it just being me and him. He still doesn't listen to me all the time but is much better than he used to be. Sometimes even when Kevin is home SA will come find me and hang out. Don't those eyes just make you want to give him whatever he wants??? Even when he is being naughty I still love my cute puppy!

One month down, two to go

2009-05-10T19:20:00.006-06:00

Kevin is done with his fist month of the Fire Academy. I asked him what he would want people to know about his first month and he said "It's not just about fighting fires". He has been studying alot and when he gets home on Saturdays is soaking wet (from sweating) and exhausted. Yesterday he had to carry an 180lb man down a ladder 3 TIMES!!! Today his arms are hurting. I have been learning stuff to... Friday night we saw what you and I would refer to as a Fire Truck, but to them it's a FIRE ENGINE. I guess depending on it's size and what it carrys they are called different things. So he explained to me the types and now when I see one I will be able to tell the difference.

We have had lots of "Fire Drills", some some suprise and some not. He is getting faster and when I timed him yesterday did it in 45 secs! Much improved!!! SA is not a huge fan of the fire drills, especially when he puts on his oxegen tank and mask. He runs around with his tail down and barks like crazy. He usually will not go any where near Kevin in his gear so I am not sure how I got this pic.

I guess you can see by all the gear he has to wear why he sweats so much. They spend most of the day in all their gear doing drills and lost of push ups. Needless to say he has lost a little weight! It's only May.. it's just going to get hotter!!!

5 whole years!

2009-05-08T22:41:00.016-06:00

I can't believe it but today Kevin and I have been married 5 years! It's crazy to me how fast time has flown by! I have the best husband and I am so grateful for him! I am proud of him for going after his dream! I can't imagine my life with out him! I thought I would post a few (OK so more than a few) pics of us through out the last 5 years... Enjoy! Just Married!

On the beach in Hawaii

Volunteering at Shriner's Hospital Bear Lake... Before I climbed the 888 stairsFourth Of July A typical Kevin picture faceUs being UsTemple Square at Christmas timeBeer Man and CleopatraKevin fishing... Me hanging outWashington D.C. Four year anniversary

I can't wait to see what the next 5 years have in store for us!

And so it begins!

2009-04-15T21:34:00.005-06:00

Last night was Kevin's first night at the West Valley City Fire Academy. It was a lonely night for me, because the house was so quiet. I know I have to get used to it. I have gotten lots of projects that I am going to do while he is at class but last night I was not feeling it so I just veged. He has to bring home his "turn out gear" so that he can practice putting it on in under a minute. And me being me, had to take a pic for everyone to see!

I shot a video of him practicing. He did pretty good this time but as the night progressed he got slower. He asked me to yell "FIRE DRILL" at some point in the evening so that he would be suprised.... Oh I loved it! I got the stop watch ready and yelled, but I didn't just yell once I yelled "FIRE DRILL" like 5 times and he was laughing so hard it took him a really long time to get it on. So the next time I only said it once and he did much better. By the end of the class he will be a pro and then I will video him again. It can only get better right?

Ok I can't figure out how to make it turn so it is right side up... I hope you can get the drift anyways!

More Vacation Pictures

2009-04-15T21:27:00.005-06:00

We spent some time in Houston visiting the sites. The Space Center.... it was awesome. The aquarium... not as good as I thought it was going to be. They did have a white tiger there that I think wanted to eat Kevin. He would squat down by the glass and it would come up and paw at him. We got a kick out of that. I have just a couple pictures to share... Enjoy!

Kevin... pretending to be afraid!!!

Me... not being afraid... just chillin!

This was actually in San Antonio at the River Walk. But it is a good one of Kev (no crazy face) so I had to post it!

San Antonio

2009-04-09T19:39:00.013-06:00

Last week Kevin and I went to Texas. We aren't able to go on a trip in May to celebrate our 5 year anniversary so we went a little early. We spent the first few days in San Antonio. It was beautiful weather, it snowed while we were gone so I guess we picked a good time to go. We went to Six Flags and then spent the evening at the River Walk. It is really a cool place. We took a "gondola" ride down the river and heard about the history of the River Walk and San Antonio. We got to eat dinner outside along the river and enjoy the music of a Mariatci (sp?) band.

On Sunday we visited the Alamo. Kevin's nephew is studying the history of the Alamo at school and he was our "tour guide" , at least that's what he said. It is so incredible! It's amazing to me that it has being standing as long as it has. So much history there. It was so great to spend time with Kevin's sister and her family. Thanks for being such a GREAT tour guide Quinn! He has to be like his uncle and do the thumbs up to.

Six Flags is AWESOME!!! It's hidden by what I will loosely call "mountains" even though I know they are not but I can't come up with a better word. There are some really sweet roller coasters! It's hard to say which one was my favorite because I loved them all! Except for the wooden one! It was AWFUL! I had the worst head ache after! They have a cool water fall that makes for some great pictures. I of course made Kevin stop and we actually got a good pic. OK well a good pic minus the thumb... Kevin's trademark.

It was a great weekend. We drove back to Houston on Sunday and enjoyed the rest of the week there. More on that later.

Thanks to Google...

2009-03-24T23:00:00.001-06:00

I am able to wear my American Eagle shorts on vacation!!! At the end of fall this pair of shorts I wanted finally went clearance enough for me to buy them. I put them away since it was not short weather. I take them out Sunday night to wash them so I could take them on our trip and they had left the anti-theft device on them!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRR! I was pissed!!! I asked Kevin if he thought he could get it off because I didn't want to look like an idiot walking into the store with a pair of shorts I bought months ago. After a few failed attempts I decided to get on Google and see what I could find. 5 min later the tag was off and the shorts were in the washer! It is kinda scary what you can find on there! But I am grateful to who ever decided to share that video! I will pay extra close attention next time I buy cloths with security tags on them!

Happy Birthday Kevin... Part 2

2009-03-23T17:36:00.009-06:00

Thursday the 19th was Kevin's "actual" birthday, and I had to close... BOOO! So we went out to eat this weekend with his friends and had a very fun time. He loves sushi, so we went to his favorite sushi place... Tsunami. They have a giant round table that you can spin around to share your food and of course we had to try it out. It was pretty cool, alittle hard to turn but was still really cool.

Kevin's little sister was up from Ceder and bought him a Guiness hat (he has been wanting it for ever and I wouldn't let him get it but she didn't know that!) and he wore it (tag and all) for the rest of the night. And probably will wear it everyday for a long time!

She also bought him another present that is perfect for him, considering he has been on a "Jesus Kick" for several months now. It all started with the "Pick Jesus" shirt and wrist band he picked up on our trip to Branson.

If you have been around him lately I am sure you have been told at least once "Jesus loves you!" So when he opened the gift we couldn't help but laugh.

You put it in water and it grows. But when I asked him the next day why he didn't make it grow he said " I didn't want to ruin the package!!" So if he ever decides to open the package I will take a picture and post what it looks like.

Amazing Hammock!

2009-03-15T18:43:00.008-06:00

Today we went to the International Sportsman's Expo. We saw some pretty cool stuff, but only can home with one thing... ok well really two but two of the same thing. It's this TOTALLY AWESOME HAMMOCK! It's made by Trek Light gear.

We put it up in the back yard and we love it!!!!! Even SA enjoyed it!

I have always been afraid of hammocks because you can fall out so easy. Not with this one (you can find out more on the web site), because the way it is designed you won't fall out. You can use it as a chair or lay sideways in it! It only take a minute or two to set up and it super easy! It weighs a pound, so you can pretty much take it any where. It is amazing! We will definatly get our use out of it. Once it warms up I think I will set it up and do some reading out side while enjoying the weather.

Hapy Birthday Kevin ... Part 1

2009-03-15T18:18:00.005-06:00

This weekend we celebrated Kevin's birthday with our families. We went to McGrath's fish house and they had him wear this FABULOUS hat! And true to Kevin fashion he is making a silly face! Kevin is not a lover of cake except when it comes to Nothing Bundt Cake! Then he could eat it for days. We became fans of their cakes when we lived in Vegas and were sad when we moved back and there wasn't one here. Then one day we were out and about and just happened to stumble upon one! We were very excited! If you haven't ever been there you should really try it out! They will decorate the big cakes for you and have many different options, so for his birthday I chose this.....

It is chocolate chocolate chip flavor with a cream cheese frosting (pineapple upside down cake is his fav but they only have that one in September). The card reads....

Next weekend we are celebrating with his friend and I am sure there will be many fun times to tell about... with them there is never a dull moment. Stay tuned!

It's about time!

2009-02-04T18:36:00.005-07:00

Kevin FINALLY signed up for the Fire Academy. He has been trying to get in for a LONG TIME!!!! (as many of you know) It has been at least a year since the first time he signed up and it got cancelled. He starts on April 14th. Time for him to get in shape... can't have him passing out the first day! Although the thought of him running into a burning building scares the crap out of me, it's what he wants to do and as his LOVING wife I am going to support him. As long as I have know him when asked "What do you want to do when you grow up?" he tells people he wants to be a fire man. So who am I to tell him NO! I love him and want him to do what he wants to do and if this ends up being it, then I will get used to the crazy shifts!!! I will update through out the course and let you know how it's going!

What a lovely New Year...

2009-01-05T19:11:00.013-07:00

Complete with LOVELY new sweaters!!!! Emily decided that our New Years Eve party had to have a theme and so we all set out to find the "BEST" Ugly Sweater. We found some pretty good ones at the DI. Sad thing is that in the 80's these sweaters were considered "HIP". We had a fun time playing Sing Star. Ok, I had a fun time playing Sing Star!! No one wanted to play, I think they were scared to get beat by a "HIT ARTIST". They took video of me playing and let this be a waring to those of you that have that video... NEVER SHOW IT TO ANYONE. If you want to see my mad singing skills you will just have to come play with me.

Emilee and James looking OH SO STYLISH!!!

Loving the GQ pose! if you can't tell it's florescent yellow in the middle of the grey and blue! AWESOME!

Emilee and I were able to find masks to match our sweaters. Is that sweet or what?

Thanks for ringing in the New Year with us in such style! I hope you all keep your resolutions.. I make the same one every year and don't keep it. So this year I made a new one... Do what ever it takes to not be sick all the time! We will see how that goes!

Welcome 2009!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-05T18:43:00.008-07:00

Our tradition, since we have lived in this house, has been to have our families over for brunch on Christmas day. This year was no exception! We were minus a couple because my parents went to West Virginia to spend Christmas with Monte. We missed them and I was SOOOO JEALOUS! Who wouldn't want to spend Christmas at the Greenbrier? Any how... we still had a great Christmas. We had our house full and it was nice to be able to spend time with Kevin's family.

This is our little family on Christmas. Couldn't really get SA to hold still, he was to interested in his present and the string he stole from Doug and Pat's present.

We all hung out for a while, watched a movie and took a much deserved nap. Kevin and I went to my Grandpa's to represent the Cal Hansen family, we are always WAY out numbered. He too had a very full house which was great! There was a huge snow storm and I was afraid that would deter lots of people. But it ended up clearing for just long enough that people were able to veture out. It was sad to not have Grandma there this year but it was great to see the family.

I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas!

Better late than never

2008-12-21T16:15:00.008-07:00

In June my family went to Branson, MO. It is hard to get us all together, so every other year we all go some where together. We had blast! I am just now posting about this because it took this long for me to get the pictures from my brother. This is a picture of all of us. In back ground is Silver Dollar City and one of it's AWESOME roller coasters! I think we road it about 30 times in one day.

I had been looking through the pictures and I almost cried because I miss them so much!! We were only all there for a few days but we managed to squeeze in alot and had a great time! Thanks Mom and Dad for making this all possible!

This picture is for Elena. She is my cousin in law and also our "Hair Designer". She styled Kevin's hair in a "fo-hawk" once when he went to get it cut, my dad saw it and wanted his done to. My brother Ryan also styles his hair this way sometimes (although I am not sure how appropriate it is for a Bishop). So while we were in Branson we took this picture for her! Some of the girls even got in on the action... those whose hair was at a length that it would work. I am not in this pic although they tried really hard to get me to do it to! I might be in trouble with my Sister in Laws for posting this but I LOVE this picture of them!

I have a wonderful family and I am very thankful for them! We have such a fun time when we are all together. It gets alittle loud and sometimes out of control but it's to be expected with that many people! I can't wait for the next get together! I love you all!!!

Go Titans!!!

2008-12-17T22:50:00.011-07:00

Kevin is a huge Tennessee Titans fan. No it's not because I am from Tn, he liked them before he met me. Over the weekend the Titans played the Texans (they call it the TNT Rivalry game) and since Kevin,s sister lives in Houston they invited us to come down. It was so much fun! We flew down on Saturday and came back Monday. Although it was a short trip, it was well deserved and a GREAT break from the cold weather.

We got all decked out in our Titans get up and headed for the game. We had to get there early to see them warm up and to make sure we saw the kick off. Kevin took a ton of pictures of almost every player on the team, but I won't bore you with those I will just share one.... I think this is just before kick off.I am not a huge football fan but I will say games are much better when you are there! We got razed by the Texan fans that were sitting around us, one imparticular who was just obnoxious. We had a few Tn fans sitting near us and they were giving it back to him just as bad.

The Titans lost... by one point. Despite that we had a great time! It was fun to spend time with the Overdieks since we don't get to see them often enough! Thanks again for showing us such a great time!

They are headed to the playoffs!!! GO TITANS!!!!!

SNOW!

2008-12-01T18:44:00.004-07:00

It's officially December and here in Utah we have NO SNOW yet!!!I really wish it would snow. It just doesn't feel like the holiday season with out it and the lights we put up on our house just don't look as good. I would post a picture of them but they will look better once we get some snow so I will post one once it happens! After a few snow storms I am sure I will complain about how I hate it, but until then "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T19:24:00.003-07:00

Every other year we have a huge Thanksgiving with all the Hansens, anywhere from 80-100 people. And every year it gets bigger. With that many people we have to have it at a church. This year we had it at the building my Grandpa went to when he was 12 years old. The building has been remodeled but has beautiful crown molding that is original to the building. It is always a fun time.

I was in charge of keeping the small kids entertained while they were getting everything ready. We made turkeys out of apples. It was a hit! The kids loved it and it kept them entertained for a while. We also played a game of "Family Jeopardy". It was great! And I learned alot about my family.

All my brothers and their kids live back east and are never able to attend. I wish they could have been here today! I am not sure that any of them have ever been to the big Hansen Family Thanksgiving. Not having my brothers and their families there is sad but this year Kevin wasn't there either! He woke up this morning and was SOOO sick! So it was just me and my mom and dad from our family. That is typically what you get from the Cal Hansen Family!

Today I am grateful for my family! I never take for granted the time I get to spend with them! We don't see each other nearly enough, so when I do get to see them I take full advantage of it! I am grateful for my husband and for all that he does for me and SA. He takes good care of us!

Now I am off to bed so that I can wake up bright and early in the morning (4AM) to go to work! Got to love BLACK FRIDAY!!!! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Awesome Halloween Cookies

2008-11-01T21:54:00.005-06:00

Anyone in my family will tell you that I do not cook or bake. In fact I have a saying on the wall in my kitchen that says "The only reason I have a kitchen is it came with the house!" But last year I caught the baking bug! It was close to Christmas and I wanted to do something nice for the people at work who I get to close with every week. I found some cool muffin tins shaped like mittens and snowmen and have been baking ever since... cooking not so much, still working on that one. We were at Trolley Square a few months ago and I came across some Halloween Cookie Cutters that were AWESOME! They make a stamped cookie so you can make a cookie sandwich. And I had to have them. I found a sugar cookie recipe and thought "I can do this" , it was my first time making any type of sugar cookie so I was a little nervous. The first batch was a disaster, I just couldn't get it to work right. I called my mom and she came over with "her recipe", which of course is the best! Next I need her to give me a lesson in decorating! She is an awesome cake decorator and if she had done the decorating they would have looked much better. But I think they turned out pretty good for my first time! Thanks mom for your help! You are the best! Growing up she would try to teach me all that she knows but I wasn't interested, I should have listened! It would save me a few calls and her the headache of my calls!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-31T19:51:00.009-06:00

Here are our pumpkins. I did 3 while Kevin worked on one. Granted 2 of mine were very easy. One was like a light bright. You hammered pegs into it and the light shines through and lights them up. And of course the skull with the pirate eye patch is mine! I LOVE PIRATES!!!

The Titans game was on while we were carving so of course Kevin was watching. GO TITANS! This was how he watched most of the game!

Happy Halloween!

Fun times at Cornbelly's!

2008-10-31T19:15:00.016-06:00

Last weekend we went with James and Nancy to Cornbelly's. It is a really cool corn maze (not just a corn maze there are tons of things to do there!!) at Thanksgiving Point. My camera was acting crazy that night so I apologize for the quality of pictures.

There was a huge tree of pumpkins. They were all hand carved by a couple and were AMAZING! I of course liked the PIRATE section of the tree!

We took a stroll through the insides of a GINORMOUS dinosaur,

Rested in a HUGE rocking chair,

And we went through the corn maze dedicated to Utah's American Idol... David Archuleta. It took us a while and we are not sure if the exit we used was the "right" one, but we all had a great time and thanks to this weird weather we didn't even freeze!

My cute puppy!

2008-10-29T17:32:00.007-06:00

Monday night Kevin and I carved punpkins. SA was very bored! He usually barks when he wants attention but not tonight! He layed on the landing and watched Kevin as he worked his pumpkin magic! More on the later!

New Friends

2008-10-24T21:03:00.007-06:00

While we were in Ceder City SA made some new friends. Emilee's neighbor has a boxer named Boozer. He is huge, but very lovable. They brought him over to play and SA was in heaven! Whenever we take him to Dog Mode he finds the biggest dogs and plays with them. He thinks he is a big dog. So needless to say he was very tired after hours of running around the back yard. At one point in the day they found this stick. (SA loves sticks and they are all over our house) Neither of them were going to let go of it so they just walked around sharing it. SA would get tired and want to rest but Boozer wasn't having any of that. So SA would run and "hide" under the swing in the back yard. I guess he figured Boozer was to big and couldn't get to him. After a few minute rest he was back to playing.

The other friend he made was Jersey. (Isn't she just the cutest thing you have ever seen?) She to is a boxer but she is only 3 moths old. I aways get worried when I see them playing. They look like they are going to kill each other. But Kevin tells me they will be fine and not to worry. She is just so little and inexperienced compared to SA. So I kept a close eye on them. They to had a great time and were both very tired. Jersey is around cats a lot and in this picture I think she must be imitating one of them. It makes me wonder if SA was around goats before we got him because he likes to graze the back yard and sometimes you have to pick him up and carry him inside.

Ceder City Trip

2008-10-23T11:16:00.006-06:00

Kevin and I decided that we needed to get out of the city before the holidays. The busy time at work has only just begun for me and I won't be able to get away once it starts!!! We didn't want to spend a lot of money and didn't have a whole lot of time so we went to visit Kevin's sister in Ceder City. Yeah, I know what you are thinking... why did you go there? We have a great time when ever we go hang out with them and this time was no exception.

Mostly we were just lazy!! (My kind of vacation!!!) We drove down to St. George and did some shopping, played cards with some friends and relaxed! On Sunday afternoon we drove up the canyon to Ceder Breaks. It was beautiful! A little cold but beautiful!!

It was great to spent time with Emilee and just to get away for a few days. We took SA with us and he even had a good time! He made a couple new friends (More about that later) and was very tired on the way home. Thanks Mimi for letting us come down and visit. Now it's your turn to visit us!

My favorite Halloween decoration

2008-10-22T21:34:00.009-06:00

I found these metal skeleton yard stakes at Pottery Barn when we lived in Vegas. They have orange Christmas lights for eyes and poseable hands. (Yes Kevin likes to put the hands in odd positions.) We didn't have a yard then but I loved them so much that I had to get them anyway. OH THE DILEMMA.... Where am I going to put them? So I got a little crafty with some terracotta pots that have a perfect size hole for the stake itself. I used black and grey paint to disguise them and made what I think could be tomb stones. Although I do have a yard now I can't bring myself to put them out side. I don't know if I am afraid of what the weather will do to them or if I am afraid someone will steal them. So for now they are in my front room and get knocked over by the dog almost every day! When I get tired of picking them up I am sure they will end up out side. When I do, don't any of you try to steal them because you like them so much!

Holiday Decorating

2008-10-04T17:24:00.002-06:00

I love to decorate our house for every holiday.. or time of year! I love Halloween and most of all Christmas! My husband will tell you that he hates that I spend money on stuff but it reminds him of his Grandma because she used to do the same thing. Since it has been raining all day I think it is a good day to get out the decorations and start putting them up! I LOVE HALLOWEEN!

Loving the weather!!

2008-09-29T20:41:00.003-06:00

I am totally loving the weather right now! I came home from work today and put on SHORTS!!! It is almost October and I can still wear shorts! AWESOME! This is the best time of year. Not to hot during the day and I can sit out side at night next to the fire pit and just enjoy! I don't want winter to come!

Grandma Hansen's Molasses Cookies

2008-09-27T17:27:00.005-06:00

At every Hansen Family get together that I can remember my Grandma would make Molasses Cookies! They are my favorite and I look forward to them every time! Since she passed away last year there have been no Molasses Cookies! A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to learn to make them as good as her, and so my adventure began. I never used Molasses for anything. Most people who know me know that I don't cook. Let me just say that Molasses STINKS! It smells good when you cook it, but when it is coming out of the bottle it is NASTY! I have made the cookies a few times and I am getting better at them. I don't think I have mastered all the techniques yet but I am getting there. I think the hardest part is getting the icing on the top to drizzle nicely... not so good at that yet!

A few summers ago we had a family reunion at Bear Lake. My Grandma and Grandpa were able to come up for the day. For a few of my neices and nephews it was their one and only time to meet her. This is my neice Weslie, she loved her Great Grandma Hansen.

There are many things that remind me of her and this is just one of them. Thank you Grandma for teaching all of us so many great things. I love you and I miss you!

Wouldn't it be nice!

2008-09-25T11:08:00.004-06:00

Every couple of weeks or so we take S.A. to a place called Dog Mode. http://www.dogemode.com/ It is a doggy day care and a boarding facility. I know you are thinking... "You take your dog to a doggy day care?" We take him there so he can learn to socialize with other dogs and to just play for the day. He has ALOT of energy and this is a good way for him to get ride of some of it! When it's time to go he knows and he wags his tail with such excitement that his whole butt wags too! He loves it there! When he comes home he is sooo tired that all he does is sleep.

Yesterday we took him there and of course he came home and slept. Today he is still wandering around the house all tired. I am making cookies and usually he would be tangled in my feet, wanting to be in all the action. But no... he is laying in front on the window, taking in the rays, SLEEPING! Every once in a while he will come and check things out. Then he goes back to his spot in front of the window and goes back to sleep!

For anyone who lives in SLC and has a dog, this is a great place to take them if you need to go out of town or just need to get some stuff around the house done. The people there are awesome! We have taken S.A. there 2 or 3 times when we have gone out of town and we don't worry about him at all!

Wouldn't it be nice to just lay in the sun all day, sleeping, with out a care in the world! Oh.. what would it be like?

What his name means...

2008-09-17T22:12:00.000-06:00

When ever we take our dog somewhere new and people ask us what his name is we usually get the question "What does S.A. stand for?". Even my mom asked me one day after I sent her a Christmas card and she realized his name was spelled S.A. The night we got him we went to Kevin's sisters house and everyone wanted to know what we were going to name him. We hadn't really decided and one of us said S.A. They all started calling him that and he answered to it. Then there was no going back. If you are a fan of 311 you may recognize the name SA . I guess in a way the dog is named after a member of the band. http://www.311.com/Picture/05EDB7D01017DDB5E00070099DD61

SO CUTE!!

If you know me well this will be no suprise to you as you know I am a HUGE 311 fan!!!

Some days we say it stands for Stinky Ass. He is our child (for now) and he, like a child, does weird things and gets in trouble. Many of you post stories about your kids, well I will post stories about S.A. He may be funny looking (yeah, we get that comment alot) but that's why we love him!

Hard work paying off!

2008-09-10T13:33:00.000-06:00

Kevin's work has a 4th quarter contest every year. The top five from each division and others randomly selected get to go to the company headquarters in Cincinnati. He worked his butt off so that he could win only to be told he came in 6th place by $120! Come to find out they gave his brother $600 that belonged to him! When all was send and done they took the top 8 this year and we got a free trip!!! So about a month ago we went to Cincinnati. They picked us up from the airport in Cadillac and put us up in a really nice hotel. They have a dinner and every one wins a prize, ranging from $2500 to a BRAND NEW CAR!!! So we didn't win the car but we got $4000. Or I should say Kevin, since he did all the work. But yes, I am enjoying it too!!!

Are you wondering what we got with the money??? We got a dishwasher..... I know boring, but the old one broke and I don't do dishes by hand! And of course we got a TV! And we HAD to get a PS3 because "You can't have a HDTV with out a HD DVD player and why spend that much money on JUST a DVD player. We might as well get to play games too!" -Says Kevin and the guy at store! We didn't just blow all the money on crap... we are going to redo the bathroom... SOMEDAY!

Just starting out

2008-09-09T21:52:00.000-06:00

When you live far away from the people you love this is a good way to let them know what's going on in your world. So here I go. I am not making any promises about how interesting or great my blog will be, but I will try. I do promise to update more than my brother! I love you Ryan!