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,
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"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.