Silent Night

My mother has quite the skills when it comes to 'waterworks'. A talent she has most generously bestowed on her daughters. I didn't think I had it so bad when I was younger, but during the past months if I so much as see someone cry my eyes automatically respond by filling with tears. (Adam says it reminds him of a Disney cartoon when a helpless woodland creature's eyes slowly fill from bottom to top with a wall of water, complete with a quivering lower lip, then suddenly it's a downpour). To my dismay this superb skill has now expanded its original confines of Testimony Meeting, to music. I love music and I love to sing, and now find myself unable to finish any meaningful song. So long as I stick with Lady Gaga I'll be alright, but every time I travel to any of my favorites it's instantaneous waterworks! BlarG!


I was thinking about my family's traditions this evening and I can honestly say some of my favorite Christmas traditions surround my dear daddio. My dad is a gem. He is a stern, no frills kind of guy. However, this strong man is as tender as a teddy bear in the right setting. He taught high school German for over 30 years, all of my siblings have taken German at some point and 2 of us have even lived in Austria. On Christmas Eve after the games have been played and Santa has dropped in to say 'hello', we all sit around the Christmas tree and my dad sings 'Stille Nacht". We all join in (at least on the first verse). I love that spirit that surrounds us then. To an outsider we probably sound less than great, but to me it couldn't be farther from the truth. I look forward to that overwhelming, all inclusive, all consuming feeling of love, peace, and joy. It is tangible. It fills the air and my heart.


We taught the LDS primary song "Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus" a few weeks ago. I was unfamiliar with the song before then but this past Sunday, one of the speakers talked about Samuel; and I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude to these amazing prophets and disciples that came before Christ. Having complete faith and hope that the Savior of the World would be born! What glad tidings this is for all of us. I am not a scholar of the scriptures or even a regular reader as sad as it is to admit that. But I do know. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, did come to earth, did suffer and die for us, and He prepared a way for us to be with Him and our loved ones forever.


I hope that all my loved ones will have peace and joy this Christmas.


Happiest Holidays!


loves.
-me

December a la mode!

Thanksgiving gave us much to be thankful for. Adam got a part time job with UPS which will allow him to take, *gasp*, classes during the day! This is a first in 4 years! The downside is he works 10 pm - 3:30 am. It's been a 3 weeks and I am not really enjoying this schedule, but if it means only 2 years of school instead of 3, it is a sacrifice we'll make. Meanwhile, if you have any book suggestions send them my way!

We had planned on spending Thanksgiving with Adam's fam in AZ, but due to the new job we spent it with my family instead. We were sad to not get to see them, but glad that my entire family could be together which we commemorated with the oh so classic Family Portraits!

They turned out well considering the ginormity that is my family!

After Thanksgiving, Adam and I went into full Christmas mode. Decorating the house, hanging lights, finding and putting up the perfect tree, and planning the First Annual Hansen/Hadley Christmas Party. I have loved throwing parties since I was 14 (and I'm sure before then too ;-). I love myself a get together with lots of friends, fun, food, and festivities! My sister Vicki throws this incredible Christmas party every year, but sadly her move to Idaho means that we won't be attending those. SO! My sister Cindy decided that we should throw a party of our own! And honestly we could not have planned it to go better than it did, nor could my house hold more!

The party was complete with dinner, followed by a gingerbread house contest (each team was given 10 minutes to construct a gingerbread ouse, title the masterpiece, then we'd vote on the best one!).

This year had some classics:

And the winner is: Santa's Escape!

(It's an outhouse if you couldn't tell! Pretty sure it was the most hilarious thing I've seen in years! And yes, Santa is reading the paper).

Christmas edition Jeopardy:

white elephants:

(This was mine! It's a Snuggie for dogs!)

And lastly, but certainly not least, the Sub for Santa.

Thank you all for your amazing generosity.

Worry... it's a 'Me' thing.

I have ALWAYS been that girl. Ya know? The girl that has always been working tirelessly for a goal such as "graduation" or a vacation, or even the completion of a class or a project. I like the anticipation life brings. I like the accomplished feeling at a job well done and the fulfillment that comes from, ya know, contributing to society or even just to my home. But what does one do when life comes kinda to a 'yield' or '4-way stop"? I know that in the distant future Ad will be done with school, we will have our very own furniture that matches, home decor that is not from 1950 and a family, or at least I hope so. I know that the Lord has a plan for us, but I guess I feel like maybe I don't know how to read the blue prints.

So tell me. Am I a complete control freak and need to just 'ChiLLAx'? Do I need to brush up on the meaning of faith and have a more "it's in the Lord's hands" attitude? Or is it normal to come to these pauses in life and freak out? Sigh. Perhaps the answer is in door 1, 2, and 3? Or perhaps the answer is door 4 and the Sudafed Cold n' Sinus is getting to my head?!

Is it normal that you can feel perfectly content and happy but then people will tell you to keep a positive attitude you automatically want to rip their head off? Just asking...

More tales from the office...

Picture this if you will...

My co-worker Kyle, sitting at his desk drinking some water. There's nothing unusual about right? WRONG! He is drinking water from his CAMELBAK!!! WHAT THE!?!?! This is not the wilderness! This is not a triathlon! This is not the Sahara! This is an office in Salt Lake City not in the forest! Drink water from a glass or water bottle! Not from a plastic tube attached to a bladder on you back!

Isn't this TOTALLY something you could see Dwight Schrute do!?!

If you're not watching, then shame on you!

Ha ha. Jokes er'body. Jokes. But seriously. If you are not watching "Community" on NBC, I must ask you why? This show is simply HI-LarIouS and is competing with "The Office" for laughs in my book. Don't believe me? I do not jest. All you need to do is feast your eyes on episode 2 and 7 to be a true believer in the hilarium of Chevy Chase and company. Let's hope "Community" doesn't face the same doomed fate of the comically epic "Arrested Development."

I've got the urge...

Hey er'body!

This fall weather has really come and gone rapidly. Where have the beautifully colored crunchy leaves gone? I hope that they will return soon before the snow comes and makes you soggy.

HOWEVER...

Though I am not ready for snowy nights, I have the urge my friends. I have the irresistible urge to 'accidentally' select Holiday tunes on the iPod. I know that I need to wait, but its hard to ignore the crooning soothing sounds of Bing, Nat, and Johnny.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Christmas,

We will be together soon. I have some homemade root beer to drink, some pumpkins to carve, and some costumes to wear, but once that is all over with, we will be together again. Decking the halls. Drinking the Nog. Singing with choirs of angels.

Til then sweet sweet sugar plum.
Cheri

Is this really the world we live in?

Where to begin? I was looking up an article on the Salt Lake Tribune and came across the feed of the court notes taken in court of Elizabeth Smart's testimonial given today. No words can express the horror and sadness you feel when reading the detailed account of those 9 horrible months of rape and forced marriage in Elizabeth's own words in the court transcripts.

If reading the article wasn't horrible enough, the comments people posted regarding the article were much worse. I cannot believe the sick, terrible, and ridiculous things people say. One person actually said that it's Elizabeth's fault, that "she being raised in the Mormon religion brain washed her female brain to follow any 'man' claiming religious authority." Others are stating that "the more this continues the more she is lying about everything. Her own testimony is proving she has never ever been victimized or traumatized at all as everyone is making it sound. This family is only proving to be attention seeking and exploitive." To these people I am disgusted. You are the scum of the earth and clearly have an impaired view of right and wrong, good and evil, the truth and a lie.

To these despicable people I'd like to say a few things. First of all Elizabeth was a CHILD. Barely 14 years old when abducted from her home by knife point. She was raped, drugged, and abused. Abusers will tell their victims vicious horrible things in order to keep them in a state of fear. In Elizabeth's case they threatened not only her life, but the life of those she held most dear, her family. Abusers use all sorts of lies and, in this case, drugs to keep their victims powerless and fearful. Abusers, Mitchell in this case, told her that God was punishing her. That she caused this to happen. Mitchell used every horrible cunning tactic against this poor girl. People accuse Elizabeth saying she 'brought this on herself’ or that she is lying, they even say she was pregnant (because she came back chubbier than she left) and this 'kidnapping' is nothing but a charade to cover up her disgrace. Do we really live in this world? Do we really live in a world that calls the 3-4 times per day rape that occurred for 9 months this young girls fault? Do we live in a world where we are so obsessed with conspiracy theories and our own agendas that we begin to blame victims and validate criminals?

I have met Elizabeth Smart. She is poised, soft spoken, graceful, and eloquent. I stared at her picture on the billboard outside my work for 9 months when she went missing and she has become this beautiful talented woman. She is going on an LDS mission to Paris in the next few weeks. I am appalled by this world, and in particular the horrible collection of people that are speaking out against this amazing girl.

This is a sad day for this world in which we live.

FYI: I wrote this yesterday. As such, the transcripts the Tribune posted were apparently against a court 'decorum order' given. So they have removed the transcripts I read and now the article posted (that I have it linked to) about her testimony but it is in the words of the reporter, rather than the actual transcripts from the court.

A fitting tune, and an even better reminder.

Everyone has those moments which make it difficult to remember that there is indeed a plan for each of us. Sometimes when I read the cyber-version of people's lives, ie. blogs, Facebook, or even texts, it's hard not to compare, and it is even harder not to question. Today I took a very insignificant quiz on Facebook which promised to tell me what I should be for Halloween. Yay! I can never decide! This should be fun! The result was "a princess" and the description said "you are living a real life fairytale". I had to keep the snort laughs at bay! Ha ha. Well, I got a good chuckle thinking about how this period of my life is not exactly the fairytale ending I thought it would be and heaven knows I'm not the 'princess' I'd pictured either. After my chuckles subdued a song popped into my head "Count Your Blessings". A much needed reminder :-D. So! With that I will quit my bellowing, hunker down, and count. 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9... jokes. And I am going to leave you with the song , er, lyrics, which have been playing in my head all afternoon. enjoy!

PoWeLL BaBy!

the houseboat (summer sanctuary)

This past weekend was monumental! "Why?" you may ask. Well, the last time I was in Lake Powell I wrecked (more like damaged) one of our rented wave runners. I was young. Much too young to be driving a mega machine by myself and that experience I suppose has scarred me for many years. Any who! After an absence of 16 years I went back to Powell with the fam this past weekend and luckily this time I did not cause any harm to the boats/wave runners/houseboat/ skis /wake boards/tubes etc... SUCCESS! And the best part is the entire Vreeken family was there which was a first in 3 years! All 28 of us on an awesome houseboat for a few days! Ad and I could only join them on Saturday-Monday but it was absolutely SPLENDID! I have tons of pics but haven't uploaded them yet, so these pics posted are from my sista.

the boys (nephews: jakers, dj, zach, tanner)!

the girls (nieces: holli, kiley, bella)!

hangin out at the back of the boat (my sis shelli, niece kelli and brother jd)

It was Adam's first time being to Powell and I do believe he had a blast! He particularly loved the new wave runner turbo's courtesy of the Cooks as well as wakeboarding, tubing, and skiing (pretty sure the only thing he disliked was the fact I wouldn't let him go cliff jumping).

For me the best part was the company! I don't get to see 3 of my siblings and their families very often so the best part was just being together! The houseboat was AMAZING and I am convinced this is the only way to do Lake Powell! Though they never check this blog, I just have to say thank you's to Mumsie & Dad, J & Mar, Vic & Der, Shells & Gar, Cinders & Rustoner for a WONDERFUL end to this summer! When we look back on this challenging and hard year, this will certainly be the highlight! Thank you for convincing us we couldn't miss out and for giving us a literal summer sanctuary (ironically the name of the boat)!

World er, Weekend in a Minute!

Thursday: FANTASTIC BBQ up BIG C with the friendicles! So awesome! Though, cut short. I remember the days when we would stay and stay till we were kicked out, however, this is no longer the case. We came, we ate, we socialized, those with kids left, those without kids left, the linger-longers cleaned up, then left. We were outta the canyon by 9 pm! Good times were had by all.



Friday: Chinese from our fav spot Dragon Diner + Desperate Housewives = a great evening.



Saturday: Um, strange day. Ad went to help Nick wire his home for some new lights as well as putting in plugs/surround sound hookups in their basement! I can't wait to see the finished product! These guys really are awesome! True Jacks of All Traits! This left me. Alone. No friends not working or tending to babes/homes, No fam near to chillax with, therefore I watched movies and did laundry. I watched "Victor Victoria". All I can say is miss this one if you can. I love me some Julie Andrews, but this was too bizarre even for me. Saturday eve howev's we went to a delightful bday party for Sir Brayden. Good food and good times had by all!



Sunday: Ad and I woke up early and went to the 9 am session of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. We got there right at 8:30 and luckily my cute sista's and bro's saved us a spot. The dedication was great as expected, but I must admit to getting distracted by what I like to call "Panda Woman". I was sitting in the chapel soaking up the inspiring words when I look ahead and see this woman holding what looks like a stuffed animal on her lap. It's kinda dark so I'm not sure, and this event is strictly for those 8 and older, so I knew it wasn't for a small child... Finally I looked over and she was kissing this little panda bear! I couldn't believe it! Then she put the bear back on her lap where I couldn't see it. I'd then forget about it and listen but occassionally would look back and this little panda bear stuffed animal up to her ear, then she'd kiss it, then she'd hold it to her shoulder as she would a baby his poor little soul then the bear would disappear again. It was very odd. I am truly not trying to poke fun as obviously this cute woman in her 50's had some sort of mental or physical disablity, but it was serioulsy one of the strangest things I have ever seen.

Rambings of a blogger...

The past few months I have not been able to get the idea of good vs. evil out of my head. Grimm I know. However, the term "evil" really turns me off the saying all together. It's so final. Hopeless. I suppose I mean "bad" more than "evil" anyways... and I digress.

Lately I have been hearing a lot about looking for the good in the bad and yes, this is always good to do. It is wise to not dwell on the dreadful. It is great to look for the hope and good in all situations... Count Your Blessings and all that. However, I have been hearing things lately that make my heart ache. In the scriptures and General Conference we are warned again and again that a 'sign of the times' is that even the elect will be deceived. Even the most righteous can have their hearts turned. And the 'chosen' can fall. Yes, there is good to be found in the bad... but with all I hear, and all I see, I cannot deny that there is bad in the good, in us.

I came across this quote on my dear friends blog. It is from the Life of Pi, by Yann Martel,
-
"There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. …These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."

This quote has really helped me to put things in perspective. No force outside of ourselves can cause our hearts to be corrupt. No one forces us to make bad decisions. We cannot lead a "tempt free" life. Even the Savior was tempted by the devil, but the difference is his heart remained pure and he did not faulter. Decisions are made in our hearts. We all know better and yet we willingly and knowingly turn our hearts from our Heavenly Father.

Yes. We have all been there once or twice, and will be again and again throughout our lives.

Though I am a completely flawed and imperfect individual, I can say without hesitation, nothing is worth it. Nothing is worth the pain/humiliation/sadness/depression and hopelessness of guilt.
--
I hope that when the next temptations come, and they will, that we will not let the "evil" out.

~Love you.

SuM-Ma Fun

I feel as if I have missed out on the joy that is summer. I have not been swimming. I haven't gotten a sunburn. I haven't been to the drive-in. I haven't eaten a snow cone. I haven't had near the amount of backyard BBQ's as usual... and ... well... it's just FLOWN by! I can't believe we are well into August already! I'm not ready to prepare for the end. I mean. I lOvE the fall, but I can't welcome the fall without saying "Goodbye" to summa... and I'm not ready.

Note to self, people are liars. You know who you are *coughbonniecough*

I have learned to NOT trust Bonnie my local nurse at the Intermountain Medical Center.

Dear Bonnie with her soothing voice and comforting tones is a con artist. She assured me on Monday when I called in that the biopsy/ultrasound Dr. S would be performing today on old 'roid was (and I quote) "Even less invasive than getting your blood drawn!" Oh really Bonnie? Have you had this done? I am convinced now that you have not.

I suppose "invasive" to me meant at the most, 3 stabs of the needle: 1 for "numbing" the area, the other 2 for the biopsy. Well 3 would have been a welcome joy! I, my dear friends, was poked and prodded at the very least 8 times: 2 for local anesthesia, 4 stabs on the right side, and 2 more on the left. What the!? I thought this was "non-invasive" Bonnie?

To me, non-invasive means in and out. No lingering and certainly no 'jiggling' of the needle while it is still in my jugular. Apparently not enough fluid was being extracted so Dr. S would literally jiggle her fingers for several seconds over and over and over till she was satisfied. I am convinced they need to give patients blindfolds when this happens.

To date, I am pretty sure I have never wished something to be over more quickly. I hate giving blood for the mere fact that the nurse can NEVER find my vein and thus gets over zealous, stabs me then spends several seconds 'searching' for the vein. Here’s a friendly hint person in the medical field: In and Out. Don't linger longer. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Just get in and get out!

You know that feeling you get after working out your legs or abs after a LOooong absence and how every time you walk up/down stairs or laugh you are reminded of this oh so neglected muscle by throbbing pain/discomfort. Well my friends imagine that feeling every time you laughed, swallowed, sang, or spoke. I hurt.

Nevertheless, Bonnie will not be getting a Christmas card this year.

Hansen Hotel

Today at work this cute old man complete with cowboy hat and suspenders came up to me. He was very sweet and is the first old man I have met that reminded me of my wonderful Grandpa H. I'm not sure if it was the cowboy hat, the way he held his hands, his complexion, his gentle eyes, or that he said I had "beautiful smile and a twinkle in my eye" but I instantly adored him. Speaking of 'twinkling eyes', this past week Adam and I celebrated 3 years of marriage! My sweet momsie gave us a copied page from her journal that she had written the day we got married. When we were sealed, the sealer made reference to my dear grandparents, and though they were not with us in person, I know that they were with us that day, especially Grandpa H. He was a temple worker and sealer in the Mesa, AZ Temple for 17 years and I am positive he was with us that day. I sure miss him and am so so sad that Adam never had the privilege of meeting any of my dear grandparents. Come to think of it, Adam hasn't met much of my extended family. That is sad and needs to be remedied. In other news, Adam is still looking for a job and I hope he'll be able to find something that will work with his school schedule. I am hopeful... perhaps some good will come out of this after all. Also, the past 2 weeks we have been the Hansen Hotel :) For a small home we have surely been packed to the brim! Adam's mom and hubbie Glenn came all the way from Georgia to spend time with us. They are quite the busy pair and have been going going going since they arrived! It has been nice to spend some time with them. Also, Adam's sister Charity, her hubbie, and 5 kids came to stay with us for 4 days, as well as Adam's lil' bro Daniel who is going to Russia on his mission came up to spend time with Adam's mom's side of the family as well as do some shopping for the mission. Adam is constantly giving him tips and advice on how to make it through the winters in Russia as well as what to and not to pack. So, I believe I can sum up our life in one simple word: Busy. But that's normal right? Life is so fast pace. It will be nice to escape 'responsibility' and chillax with the Vreeken fam in Yellowstone this coming weekend, although even there we are usually go go go. I hope for some low key nights chattin' with the fam, making classic mallows (even though no one likes them its a tradish!) and playing some games. Is it sad I'm looking forward to a nap on the boat? It seriously is one of my favorite things! I inevitably will get bored of fishing and will hand Adam my pole 'to catch a big one' and then I will lie on the back of the boat where the sun has warmed the leather seats. With a fresh breeze in my face I will drift to sleep as I listen to the sound of the water against the hull of the boat as it rocks. Sigh :-) Summer Perfection.

The 'unlucky' ones...

Who knew so much could change in 24 hours?

The past weekend was spent like most weekends. We spent Friday with friends, Saturday we ran errands, repaired the Blaze (surprised? you shouldn't be...), and we ended the eve celebrating Kari’s day of birth and Cold Stone ice cream cake! Delish! Sunday we spent with the fam playing games, eating delish food etc... Normal right? Right.

Monday morning we both go to our workies. Normal right? Right.
Monday at 11:00 a.m. I get a call from Ad. He's been fired.
I'm in shock. Then, I freak out. Normal right? WRONG.

The reason is what really TICKS me off. Apparently he had excessive absences. I can see how that is a problem IF they are unexcused. HOWEVER, in Ad's case... ALL days off were approved by his manager. She could have told him he had to come in if she had a problem with it. ALSO, less that one month ago Adam had his performance review with this manager who did nothing but praise his performance as a Team Leader. NO mention was made of his absences. WHAT A FRIGGEN joke!

Anywho. I just don't get it. Adam's absences were sooo long ago. If they had a problem why did they wait till half way in June? Why not fire him on the spot in February when the said 'absence' problem occurred.

Anyone who knows Adam knows what a hard worker he is. There is nothing he can't do. His being fired is definitely not normal and came as a COMPLETE shock to both of us. Wow.

So yesterday was a definitely difficult day (alliteration point!).We spent the majority of the day filling out unemployment sheets, and filing for tons of jobs. Luckily he has an interview tomorrow. So please help us and cross anything you can: eyes, fingers, legs, arms, toes, heart, hairs, stitch etc...

We spent most of the day in waves, sadness, frustration, disbelief, shock, anger, worry, panic... You name it. We felt it. I finally fell asleep around 3 a.m. The morning was better. Somber, but refreshing to have the worst behind us. I got ready as usual: shower, get dressed, etc. Normal. Got in my car and began to pull out of the driveway. Normal? Yes. Very normal.

Then I noticed the back door to the Blazer was wide open. Normal? Nope. Not normal. I looked around wondering if Ad had followed behind me and was getting something out of the car, but nope. No Ad. I put the car in park and walked up to the door. It looked clean. That was the problem. I recalled Saturday when Ad was working on the Blaze that it had a computer in the back. .... You guessed it.... Computer? Gone. Subwoofer? Gone. CD's? Gone. Adam's school bag with complete with books and calculator and homework? Gone. Gun loading supplies for Ad? Gone.

My refreshing day? Gone.

Oh well. I have come to terms with the fact that I absolutely, without a doubt, have the worst, most completely UN-lucky luck. Sigh.

Another day, another first.

The past few days have been a day of firsts.

Last week while driving on Highland Drive Ad & I saw a woman carrying nothing less than a gallon of milk on her head! Talk about serious balance! I consider myself lucky if I can get my beverages from the cart to the trunk safely, let alone balancing a gallon of leche atop my locks! WOW! Kudos for this mama.

The second 'first' was a Scouting Recognition Dinner I attended last evening... alone... which can be summed up in two words: awkward & painful. In an attempt to escape the horribly awkward table conversation, or lack there of, I went to the ladies room and atop my 'throne' was a Glade air freshener with FEATHERS attached to it! How, uh, charming?

At this moment I became grateful that 11 year old boys aren't interior designers. Oh... and let us not forget the tender message inscribed on the duct tape. I bet you all are dying for one of these bebes! Eh?

Naming Your Child 101.

Occasionally I think we all come across names that make one wonder "What were that poor child's parents thinking?!!!"

Well, here at the Scout Office, we come across more than our fair share of 'special' names. Some of our previous findings include: David Pettagrew Huffaker Fitz. ALL ONE NAME, and his brother, Skyler Pettagrew Huffaker Fitz. That my friends is a huge name for one person. Not to mention that it sounds like a character from a Dr. Seuss book. Some others are: Orangello, Dow Jones Jr. and the list could go on and on!

Well I think this name takes the cake for parental stupidity: La-a. Say it with me now La-a. Feel like your singing? Well, we had to call the parent of La-a, asking for a correct SS# and when we said that it was for "La-a", this parent FREAKED out! Saying "I don know whys ya'll can't pernouce 'er name. It spelt jus like it sound: Ladasha." SERIOUSLY! I kid you fellow blogger's not. This is as true as it gets! This woman actually believed that people would sound out the hyphen in her child's name! WOW! Wonders shall never cease to amaze!

Scout-O-Lame-A

What do 2 horribly off tune singing & dancing groups, along with a Abraham Lincoln impressionist AND a bagpipist all have in common? Well I'll tell ya! These were the 'highlights' of my weekend peeps! You see, I had to work on Friday and Saturday at the Scout-O-Rama and let me tell ya... I don't think my ears and eyes will soon recover from the pain and horror endured on Saturday between the hours of 6:30 am and 1:00 pm. Holy shmolly!

My day began bright and early checking in all the VIP's for the breakfast being held(not a bad way to start the day I might add, speaking with Kyle Whittingham, a few mayors, a District Attorney, and the LDS Primary and Young Men's presidencies). My count was for 64 people. ANd let me tell you, "people came that totally did NOT rsvp (<-- Clueless reference anyone?) and above all those people brought their spouses! I was freaking out! Anywho, we were able to work it out in the end, but come-on peeps! You've got to RSVP to these things! Once I checked in the peeps, it was off to organize the honored guest area, which sadly, was right next to the main stage. The person in charge of entertainment was some 50 yr. old idiot on rollerblades that wore strange hats (one was a top hat with the head of a flamingo coming out the top, legs coming down to the sides, and wings...). The only thing worse than a comedian that isn't funny, is one that thinks he is and isn't!

So this rollerblading finatic was in charge of booking main stage entertainment. I never thought that I'd actually wish for the "dazzle dogs" show from last year, but I suppose wonders never cease to exist. I'm not sure if these teenage performers were from a high school, or just a community song and dance group, but OH MY GOSH! I do NOT exaggerate when I say that not a SINGLE note was in tune! The term 'pitchy' so lovingly coined by AI is being kind I assure you! I had to 'man' the special guest area, but at times had to walk away as my laugh could not be silenced any longer. Sigh. I still can't decide if their singing was worse than their dancing however... I suppose I'll never know. Sigh.

I felt such relief when their final number was finished and they left the stage. I'm not sure why because on walked an Abraham Lincoln impersonater who recited portions of the Emmancipation Proclamation while inserting horribly rehearsed lines.

The best part was watching his long and awkward pauses when he'd lose track of where he was in his recitation! It was painful. Oh so painful. All I could say at this point was wow. And then he ended with a horrible and inappropriate joke about someone pulling a gun to his head. HELLO! You're impersonating Abe Lincoln! To all those "Office" fans out there, I couldn't stop laughing as I remembered the Benjamin Franklin impersonater that Jim hires for Phyllis's bachelorette party. HI-Larious!

Anywho. The day was redeemed. I was able to leave around 1 instead of 4 like originally planned, and spruced the house up for the evenings festivities. Dinner with friends + cupcakes for Paul's bday (and Marci's as hers is on Tuesday) + some late night games = FUN TIMES!

I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend.

Now. Any ideas of what to get 2 mother-in-laws for Mother's Day?

Ewwwwwwe!

True Story.

I'm sitting at work today, and Beverly Oouts, a sadly unfortunate and awkward seasonal worker is speaking to her daughter on the phone (we are part of a 4 part cubicle thing so I'm not trying to listen in, it is just unavoidable in close working conditions). Turns out, Beverly's family has had a case of Lice! YIKES!!! I have never been in contact with lice before, but just the thought has given me the heebiejeebies! She was giving her daughter instructions to get this 'spray' and spray everything down with it. Um. Spray? Aren't you suppossed to like strip down everything and wash it like crazy? Then she says, "Yah, thats what we've used in the past. It doesn't get them all though, there are always a few that don't die so we'll just get them next time." Whoa whoa WHOA! Next time?!!!" Who are these people! Shouldn't lice be a one time thing? Something normal people avoid like the plague? Who prepares for a 'next time!' *shudder*

I can't stop itching just thinking about it! Anywho, when I returned from lunch the following picture was on my desktop, courtesy of Sam, one of my fellow employees who was present!



Happy Monday!*shudder*

Nifty Gifties..err not...

I worked on this event for the Scouts and the chairman of the event a Mr. McDougal, decided to honor me with a certificate titled "The Worlds Greatest Secretary" and a gift. What is this amazing nifty gift you might wonder? I mean, after all it has to be a gift befitting the "Worlds GREATEST Secretary" right?! We shall see!

You see there is nothing wrong with giving gifts, and there is nothing wrong with giving gifts with a slogan or phrase, ensignia of your place of employment, (i.e. when the Scouts give gifts its perfectly normal for it to be 'Scouty' in theme or have a fleur-di-lis etc. on it). Well, Mr. McDougal gave me an ice cream scoop. That's normal right? Sure! What's disturbing is that Mr. McDougal runs a mortuary!

On the back of my scoop it says "“Service measured not by gold, but by the Golden Rule. Best Wishes from McDougal Funeral Home." Are you serious! Like I want to think of corpses as I scoop into my Mint-Choco-Chip? Yikes!

I'm so glad...

I'm so glad when daddy comes home glad as I can be!!!

This past week Adam's dad and his little brother Daniel came to visit us! It was great to spend some time with them as the times we see them are few and far between.

I really love Adam's dad, Tracy. He is a very hard working man, and so full of ideas and plans. He reminds me so much of Adam, and I am so grateful to Daddy Hansen for raising a good man. Adam truly rocks my socks! He is so full of optimism and love of life. He has a lot to give and if he doesn't know something he will research the hell out of it (pardone my French)! Sometimes I give him a hard time about being an encyclopedia, and true, hanging out with him and his dad is like being wedged between two special edition car facts reports, I admire their enthusiam for things!

In other news I met with a personal trainer at the Gold's Gym, and he totally kicked my BUTT! I sersioulsy thought I was going to pass out and it felt so great! Too bad we can't affort the $270-$880 it would cost each month to have a trainer, but I am excited to be heading in the right direction.

Stay tuned for updates regarding Phantom @ Hale Center,Easter with the fam, and of coarse the Britney Spears concert! Lata chickas!

Ol ' Roid

Hey guys!

I met with the doc yesterday to review my blood work. Everything looks great! All my red and white blood cells, my kidneys, my liver, my sugar levels etc... are all ship shape! So luckily there is no chance of diabetes or kidney problemos! HOWEVER, she did find a little something wrong with my Thyroid. Apparently it's a really common problem called hypothyroidism... which is basically a fancy term for an under productive thyroid. I didn't realize all that this wonderful little part of our bodies does for us, but the thyroid is an intricate and vital part to our bodies regulation. The thyroid regulates everything from your metabolism, oily/dry skin, your temperature, and mood, to how babies develop. Basically I get to take a wee pill every day for the rest of my life to regulate what my body isn't doing naturally. She also said that taking care of the ol' roid will help regulate the water retention problem too! YAY!

So the plan is lotsa wata, exercise (Ad and I just signed up for a 3 year membership at the Gold's Gym), watchin my sodium intake, eating/cooking healthy meals combined with portion control which will hopefully lead to the losing of about a billiondy pounds over the next year... oh that and taking a wee pill everyday and getting my blood drawn every 6 weeks to make sure that the dosage of my 'roidacious medicine is correct for my body! Yay... i think?! I am just happy that with the weight loss, the majority of these issues will be bye bye. Maybe one day the old roid will be regular again and I will be pill-dependant free!

Here's to hopin'!

the small things...

Well groupies, it seems that blogging isn't really what anyone is about anymore. To those of you consistent bloggers out there I say thank you! Blogging is great to break away from the monotony that is my day and enjoy some updates from my favorite peeps.

So here's the skinny. I will be brief.

Water retention. No biggy right? Wrong. Yours truly has been diagnosed with edema. Can I get a What What? What? What is edema you ask? Well basically its where my el bodio doesn't get rid of water like a normal body and likes to hold onto it causing my widdle feet to become puffy and uncomfortable. Yikes. It usually goes away but the past month it has been frequent so I went to the el doctor the other day and she says I have a REVERSIBLE (thank heavens) stage 1+ edema.

The treatment you ask? I can be cured! Great news! The recipe to the new edema free me is: water (not drinking empty calories as my doctor put it), exercise (5 times a week for a minimum of 30 min.), a low sodium diet (didn't realise how much Na is in everything! How do people do it? I suppose I will do my best), oh and dropping 70-100 lbs (5-10 Lbs. a month). Yep you heard it! Doctors orders as a matta of fact.

The worry? Two things. The first is blood work. Edema is often a sign of a much more serious problem, such as kidney failure and/or diabetes. So I went back today and got some blood drawn. The Dr. said she'd call me if it's anything serious, otherwise they will just mail me the results. Knowing me, and my incredible lack of patience, I will probably call her. Better to know than to wonder right?

The second thing is fear of failure. What if I can't lose the weight? What if I have caused irreversible damage?

I do have faith in Heavenly Father, and I pray that things will be alright. That He will give me the strength do overcome my weaknesses... Sigh.

Wow. This was a total Debbie Downer post. But hey it's whats goin' on up in h'r so back off!

Kisses.

Where did all the SUNSHINE go?

That mother nature sure is one fickle lady! One day its 70 degrees, and the next moment its 38 and snowing! I really enjoyed the sunshine and spring-like weather we had over the weekend and can't believe I had to get the scrapper out this morning to remove the 3 inches of snow that had accumulated literally overnight! Humph!

The weekend before last, Adam and I along with our friends Marci and Paul went to sweet old Las Vegas Baby! We left Thursday and spent the night at a ranch in Ceder City that belongs to Adam's aunt! She was out of town but was kind enough to leave the door unlocked for us! Once we finally found it in the darkness we were greated by horse size dogs! I kid you not! I have never NEVER NEVER seen dogs that big! Luckily they were friendly!




We left Friday morning and headed to Vegas! We shopped, enjoyed an amazing dinner at the Venetian, gambled, and drank some Beverly's at the CocaCola Factory!


Saturday we met up with Nick, Kari, Shannon, and John who were also in Vegas for the weekend! We went to 'Whiskey Petes' and 'Buffalo Bills' about 40 miles outside of Vegas and road this wickedly awesome rollercoaster then shopped at the outlet malls. We ended the day on Freemont Street with LOTS and LOTS of gamblin and my personal favorite pastime, people watching! No better place than Vegas baby! The girls and I by about 12:30 am had had enough smoke inhalation and were a little tired so we went back to the "Vegas Club" (our hotel) and chatted and laughed till about 2:30 am when the gents were coaxed into wrapping up their gambling spree... (well... almost all of them).








All and all it was a wonderful trip! We didn't win much but we didn't lose so that is good! I came home $7.00 richer, and Adam came home with $30 extra buckos in his pocket! Sweet! (Not as) sweet as our dear friends Nick and John though! They made bank!).




Oh why oh why do we have to return to responsibility... Sigh!

Happy birthday dear Chuck, happy birthday to you!

Everyone, I am a little late in posting this ode to Chuck Norris, but I thought for Adam's sake mention of this is a MUST for our blog (even if it is a day late! Blast!)

DID YOU KNOW:
1 - If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
2 - There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
3 - Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
4 - Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
5 - Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
6 - Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
7 - Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
8 - Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
9 - Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
10 - When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

Yes, my dear Adam LOOOOVES himself some Chuck Norris. He even had me make 2 cakes for his works "Chuck Party" which we decorated to look like Chuck! It was without a doubt a good time! We couldn't stop laughing! Iam a failure however, and didn't take pictures of them! DANG IT DANG IT DANG IT! So to make up for it, here are some pictures to honor Mr. Chuck Norris. Enjoy!

Valentines, transportation, and other ramblings

Valentines Surprise! Adam totally earned bonus points for his Valentines Eve date. He arranged dinner at this delicious and secluded Bistro in old-town Ogden. The ambiance was perfect, the food mouth-watering, and the company was top notch! It certainly was a memorable and enjoyable evening with my hub and friends! The evening ended with fondue and chit chat!

Although most people make fancy things for breakfast in bed, we are more 'cereal' people... okay... maybe I am just lazy... but anyways, why breakaway from a classic? So I brought Adam breakfast in bed! What could be more delightful than some Oatmeal Squares with fresh strawberries and grape garnish?
Alright, Alright! My breakfast in bed was HIGHLY unimpressive due to Adam's Valentines Evening out, but it's all about the thought right?

Moving on, lets talk about the SUCKY OLD BLAZER or to be brief the S.O.B. (THE OTHER ACCRONYM APPLIES TOO I SUPPOSE). This story begins last November when Adam and I replaced all of our old tires with bright and shiny new ones (on both vehicles... not a cheap task right before the holiday season but it had to be done). We decided at this time to get a 2 inch lift on the S.O.B. and re-due the suspension while we were at it. This all seemed well and good. Shortly after revamping the S.O.B. (one week later to be exact), the brakes would lose pressure upon sharp turns. So since November, we have had to pump our breaks like it was going out of style to get enough pressure to say break at a stop sign etc. Not a big deal right? Ha ha he hummm... Anyway this brings us to February of this year. The break issue has gone beyond redunculous and it was time to bite the el bulleto and figure out what has been causing these issues. We took the SOB into the Chevy Dealership and $3200 buckaroos later, our cars brakes STILL aren't working. We went and picked up the car 2 weeks ago, after it had been "fixed" and Adam pulled out of the dealership, did a U turn, the brakes went out, did another U turn and returned promptly to the dealership from whence he had come. It has been almost 2 weeks since then, and our vehicle is STILL not fixed. I am having some issues with the fact that even the MAKERS of the SOB can't fix it... sigh. Such is our life. Luckily the el dealershipo is paying for our rental car whilst they fix this puzzler. yay.

Sorry whining time is over, moving on to other random thoughts.

Tonight I was hanging out with my BFF murdy while Adam went and hung out with his guys. We were playing a good old fashioned round of Tetris when she starts humming "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". At this moment I was flung into a most RANDOM memory! A few years ago the gang and I went to a SL Bees game. Those that have been around me enough know that I have what they call TB. No not Tuberculosis. A Tiny Bladder. TMI? Probably. Sorry! Anyway, I upon coming out of the stall, the individual using the handicapped stall opened her door as well. Even though I was technically in front of her already, I felt awkward jutting out of my stall like an insensitive jerk, so I smiled and said "Oh! After you." The woman said "Thanks" wheeled on by. She wasn't in the best shape for lack of better terms and she wheeled herself up to the sinks. I followed behind then used the sink next to her. This woman then looks at me and says 'Could you help me?" Me: "Sure". She then takes both hands and grasps onto the sink and hoists her body up, exposing her bare buttocks. She then asks me to "Would you please pull up my pants!". Oh dear! Oh dear. What have I got myself into here! I blindly reach 'bellow' into the dark depths and pull up her pants. Yikes! I had already washed my hands... would she be offended if I wash them again? She can't expect me to walk out of here without washing them again... As I contemplated my next move, She hoists her body up again, the same as before and says "You didn't get my underpants.." Gulp! Wow! Uh... WOW! Now I begin perspiring. "Oh. Uh...mmmkay" I then again reached below this strangers lower regions and grasped the said underpants and pulled them gently over her rump, and repeated the same action with the sweats. How long had I been in there? Surely my friends wondered what was taking so long! I hurriedly washed my hands a 3rd time and with a quick 'Have a nice day!" booked it out of there! Seriously... the most random things happen to me. I get myself into some strange predicaments and with that I am realizing why it's probably a bad idea for me to write blogs at 12:30 in the AM. Ha ha ha. I hope you all have a wonderful morning/Sabbath. Wow. I'm special.

What if...

Well, I have procrastinated blogging for the simple reason of photos. Why is this? It's not as if I am particularly photogenic (as these frightening elementary classroom pictures posted by some random individual on face book will attest to... sigh...***shudder***). I guess the photo craze is due MAINLY to my completely VISUAL learning model, and SECONDLY that one of my favorite parts of blogs is to SEE what ya'll have been up to. ALAS! I am still photo free... due majorly in part to my terrible laptop which I am hoping will be going "Bye, Bye, Bye" soon! Sob story over! Moving on!

So! The past week in 60 seconds!

CONCUSSION: Last Monday Adam received a doooosie of a concussion after running down our stairs. TWO HOURS after the initial 'impact' to his cranium he called me at work saying he'd "been out for 2 hours and was fine." Me thinks No my friend! Two hours of unconscious rest does not equal a worry free nap! So I rushed home from work. One visit to the ER and one CT Scan later, Ad has a concussion and a headache which is deemed to last for 3 weeks. No bueno, but we are so grateful it wasn't worse! So Adam has been a dizzy, muffled hearing, headache-ing mess for exactly one week! YAY...er not. He is going to be FINE though which is key.

Aside from concussions, I got my hairs cut by the talented Miss Marci and then got together with our FantasticallyFallontheFloorLaughingFriends on Saturday night! We played games till about 2 in the AM and my abdominals are still sore from the laughter that ensued!

Lastly but certainly not least: There is a new chorister in town! Woot WOOT! It's about TIME gang! Not that I haven't LUUUVED singing these solos weekly but I am grateful that I will have a week off here and there to uh I don't know... get to know some other peeps in the el-wardo. Plus... it's tiring to try to find ways to teach songs to kids each week... 10 minutes just isn't enough time to teach multiple verses to a song or play a game, and half the time my 'teaching ideas' fail miserably. Gladly the 'heckler' is gone (<--yes, I had a wee child that enjoyed heckling the music leader) and is now one of Adam's Deacons! Ha ha ha this leads me to my last little story:

Last weekend before the Concussion incident, the young men went on a camp-out. Saturday Adam and the guys went sledding and the little heckler was going super fast down the icy hill and refused to put on his breaks or turn. He slammed into 2 trees and hit perfectly so that his head became wedged between the two trees. He didn't have a concussion or anything folks I am not THAT mean, he just hit with enough force that his chubby little face became stuck between the two woody masses until the Scoutmaster could push the trees apart for him to be free. I know. I am going to hell. But that Karma... she is one funny gal!

Love you all! Happy Monday!

As Time Goes By...

WOW! I feel a bit ashamed that I have allowed my blog to be stagnant for over a month now! How boring is that? Well I will try and be brief… (is there such a thing???).

Thanksgiving was awesome! We went to Colorado to be with my fam and it was lovely! The day after Thanksgiving the gents competed in a paintball war extravaganza! For Ad's birthday his dad sent him this Full-Head Paintball Helmet... which Russ and he decided would be even cooler covered with some serious camo-fringe! This led to the camofication of his gun barrel! I was pretty impressed! All the guys looked awesome and Russ totally dominated in his ultra swamp-man guille suit!

The kids went to the pool so my 2 sisters and I competed in Ultimate 80's Trivia! I, the youngest of all, completely dominated... well at certain points... It was mostly a group effort!

My Family + Quads + Snow + Trees = THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE HUNT! Adam and I got such a gorgeous tree which to our great pleasure kept all of its needles for the entire Christmas season! Truly a Christmas miracle!

December was a whirlwind! Things built up very fast and it was difficult to keep up with everything happening (Thank you Megan for everything! You saved my life multiple times!). We had a fun baby shower for my dear little Marci McDaniel! Complete with the most awesome of ugly baby shower games: Jeopar-baby (Adam helped with the questions… which led to an interesting game of trivia), Diaper something game (candy bars + diapers = grossly hilarious), and lastly the Bottle-drinking contest which yours truly won by a ridiculously HUGE margin… ;)

This Christmas season was certainly not dull! The week before Christmas Adam’s Mom and Glenn (step-dad) came to visit us from Georgia along with Adam’s newly married sister Angela and her husband Dustin. Poor Angela is newly preggo and wasn’t feeling well at all, but we managed to go to a family Christmas party, visit the lights at Temple Square, and have an early Christmas Eve with them before Adams Mom and Glenn left to visit Glenn’s family in Seattle.

The day Mom & Glenn left for Seattle, the rest of us (Angela, Dustin, Adam and I) drove all night (as Celine Dion once sang) to Phoenix to be with Ma & Pa Hansen for Christmas! It was a wonderful time and it is always great to get closer to Adam’s family as we don’t get to see them very often (especially my 19 yr. old bro-in-law Daniel! He is just a doll and a total crack up)! The best part was my new iPod! My hubbie is the best!!! And thanks to his little side-kick Marci Ferre, it came loaded with songs for our million-hour drive home!

We spent NEW YEARS EVE with my family which was really fun! We did the annual taste test, this year was marinara and lemon-lime soda. Just so you know SPRITE & 7 UP were not even in the top 3! The favorite lemon-lime soda was the generic Wal Mart brand “Twist-up” with second runner up “Shasta”. The best marinara sauce was Classico brand. We played BUNCO and rang in the New Year with some bubbly! Alright… it was just Martinelli’s but it was delicious! And we also had a great White Elephant (I am beginning to think though, that children should NOT be allowed at a white elephant as we had to hide half of them from their innocent eyes). I think the favorites of the night was FLAME Body Spray (with accompanying WHOPPER) and the Motion Censored “Farting Angel” tree topper… yes it really does make special noises when you pass by.

NEW YEARS DAY Adam and I went with our dear friends Nick & Kari and Nick’s brother Wes and his wife Renee and her little sister shooting! It was quite fun (a little packed) and I shot Wes’s awesome AK74. It was a lot of fun to hang out with Adam and do something that he really enjoys! The day ended with a Viennese Dinner at my parentals to celebrate their upcoming trip to Germany, Vienna, and Prague in March! SOOO JEALOUS! I have been homesick for Vienna and can’t wait to go back… one day…

I hope that everyone had a glorious Holiday Season. It’s always sad to see it go but I am getting super good vibes about 2009 (I’ll send good vibes your way for making it through this freakishly long post)!

There is much to look forward to and much to be grateful for. Love you all!