December Decorum

December, the month of giving,recieving, believing and remembering----

We were able to again participate in giving with Service for Humanity. Dale, Danica and I went around to the homes of four Sr. Citizens and sang carols and delivered gift bags. It's always a joy seeing their faces light up. Danica and Garrett also got in on the wrapping of gifts for the families that were sponsored. I can't think of a better way to kick off the official Christmas season---I feel very fortunate to have been able to help out with this effort for the past 14 years.

Dale, Garrett, Danica and I went to Salt Lake to see The Blue Man Group preform at Kingsbury Hall. They had the whole crowd involved in their program through movement and song. It was very unique as well as entertaining. We all had a great time and were sad to see it end. To curb Garrett's ravenous appetite we had to stop at In N' Out Burger so he'd be able to make it through the show. I had Animal fries---not bad, but I'd recommend they use real cheese on the fries instead of that imitation stuff. :)

I was able to serve in the Youth Center twice this month. Once with an adorable 7 month old that hardly ever made a peep and once with a darling 2 yr. old that wouldn't stop talking until we got out in the hall and were heading up to the sealing room. It's like she knew what was going on and the sacredness of the temple. I thoroughly love serving in the Youth Center and seeing families sealed for eternity----seeing God's precious children all in white kneeling at the alter, priceless!!!

Danica's friend, Josh, had his mission farewell and then left for the MTC on the 28th. She made sure she got in as much "quality time" as possible she could with him----we had to split on who went where when he had his farewell because Dale and Garrett had agreed to sing in our Sacrament Meeting the same day. So, the Mallory's went with Dale and Garrett and Andrew, Lindsay, Danica and I went to hear Josh speak. They both did a great job.

We met at Val and Nancy Potter's newly remodeled house for the Hansen Christmas Party. We all fit very comfortably and enjoyed a tasty ham dinner, games and visiting with the family. Thanks Potter's for hosting this, I have a feeling we may be doing more of the same in your "great room" in the near future!! (Or until someone spills red punch on the carpet)

For the Petersen Christmas party we went to a live Nativity that was put together by Craig and Janet's boy, Michael. We took the scenic route in getting there, but we made it just in time to see the program.

You know when Mary came in riding on the donkey it really made me think how uncomfortable it must of been for her---that donkey needed lots of urging!! Seeing the three wisemen coming in with a live camel was pretty cool too. I've never seen a camel go from standing to sitting. It was very amazing!! The atmosphere and the music really made you think about what it might of been like on that special day. I was touched---as were others.
We met at Casper's Malt Shoppe after for ice cream treats. I had a "Hot Shot", it's hot chocolate with ice cream. Very satisfying!!

Having the Mallory Clan around added the excitement that we lacked for the holidays with a wedding pending. We even made graham cracker houses, I haven't made those in forever! There's nothing better than seeing the wonder in a child's eye and hearing the joy in their voices.

Dale, Garrett, Andrew, Grandpa Hansen, Josh and his dad all went rabbit hunting near Yost. With very little snow it was more of a challenge, but they still seemed to find them. All had a good time.

Zandra recieved her endowments in the Logan Temple on the morning of the 23rd. What a special day it was for her. I was her escort and felt very blessed. She was so excited and just beamed the whole time. She's anxiously awaiting when she'll be sealed to Garrett and become Mrs. Garrett Hansen. We had a small group at the temple and went to dinner at The Bluebird after to visit. It was a neat experience for us all.

Dale and I made another trek to Salt Lake and we took in the Manheimn Steamroller Concert. We left early enough so that we could walk around Temple Square and take in the whole Christmas spirit. It was a wonderful evening with all the sights as well as the fun, funky, and delightful music. What a way to truly get me in the spirit of the season.

We had Danny, Terry and Lance, along with Grandpa and Grandma Hansen, Andrew and Lindsay, Garrett and Zandra, Danica, Dale and I here for Christmas Eve. We followed tradition and went and lit luminares and caroled at Dad and Mom's grave and then had warm soups, a cheeseball and crackers and vegetables. We went caroling with the neighbors and did our little program with the kids each participating. Danica split up her time with us and even brought the Whitman's here to get in on the program. I must say Andrew and Lindsay perfected Jingle Bells on the pipes! Garrett and Zandra kept the music going and we had a nice reminder of the Life of Christ.

Christmas morning was quiet, but we still carried on tradition and the kids here piled on our bed as we read from Luke 2 --- the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then we moved onto the gifts---Santa was good to us again this year. I have music filling the kitchen again!! (Dale gave me a nice CD/radio/IPod player). With church falling on Sunday we all went to church where our choir put on the program. Dale and I are both in the choir, so we were probably more spiritually fed. I love singing the songs of Christmas. We had a nice meal here and then went and visited Dale's folks. Merry Chritmas Everyone!! You know we don't even have much snow, but it still felt like Christmas. I guess it's what you make it.

Danica went to Kaysville and went to a soccer try-out for Iowa Lakes Jr. College. She felt good about how she did and is hoping to hear from them next month. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

                                    

We got ALL the family here again because of the wedding. What great help they were in setting up the room. Thanks too, to Danny, Terry and Stephanie for all their help!! I'm sorry if I got a little crazy---it just happens when I'm a little stressed. We officially met the Dennis family and decided that Zandra did alright by them. They are very easy to get to know. We're already looking forward to when we go to Washington in May, to hang out on their turf.

Grandpa Hansen sealed Garrett to Zandra in the Logan Temple on the 30th. We had all of our kids in the temple (except Danica). It was also neat to have Zandra's mom and close friend there as well. We did a ring ceremony right after the sealing at the Logan River Golf Course where her dad gave away the bride and Garrett and Zandra exchanged rings. Then we ate dinner at the Tandoori Oven and headed back to the golf course for a little program that Garrett and Zandra put together for close friends and extended family. The reception followed and we had a great turn-out and a fun time. Jaxson and Kennlyn were the cutest couple out on the dance floor (sorry Garrett) and we all got to see Garrett and Zandra's friends do some serious swing dancing. There was plenty of hot chocolate, cake, cheesecake, cake balls and clementines to go around and the place looked beautiful. We all lined the sidewalk and lit sparklers for the new couple to run through as they headed out as Mr. and Mrs. It was a wonderful day---thanks to all for making it happen. I've been blessed with some great friends and an awesome family.
I must say, my bed did feel good that night-----

We brought in the New Year by having all our family around as well as Zandra's dad, mom, and brother. We ate and played games and even set off fireworks to bring in the New Year! I do have to say that the Hansens do know how to party! The guys even took the challenge to see who could improve on their body image the most in the next 3 months. They took pictures and will track their progress through skype. Dale's determined to win---he's bought a pull-up bar/exercise system and been running already. We'll see who wins---I'm not sure what the winner gets other than bragging rights and a new look though.

Now all the hype and excitment is over it's kind of a bittersweet feeling. We're down to just having Danica, Dale and I in the house. It's definitely going to be a change, but at least we'll know when to turn out the porch light!! It's been quite a month, but I wouldn't change it for anything---loved it!!!

November Narrative

November....the month of Thanksgiving, of reflecting on all of the many things we have to be thankful for.
Family is at the top of my list---

Nate and Kim celebrated their 3rd anniversary of blissfull marriage. Nate's still hitting the books and Kim's doing photography for the newborns at the hospital as well as doing photo shoots for weddings, families, Sr. pictures, etc. They both are managers for the apartment complex that they live in. Nate's "Tool-time" skills are growing as well as his "foot" skills.

The Mallorys are loving their new house, Jaxson still loves school and Kennlyn is in a pre-school group. Matt and Amie "team coach" the 7th grade girls basketball team at Oakley Jr. High and are starting to see some success. The girls won their last game by 14 points!! I'm sure having Jaxson and Kennlyn as cheerleaders has helped as well.

We get to see Andrew, Lindsay and Titan at least once a week. Andrew has his official license to fly helicopters, Lindsay is honing her homemaking skills and Titan is growing like a weed. He has an infectious smile and is just a pretty good kid. It appears that Lindsay's mothering skills are working and Andrew jumps in when he can. Andrew's "Shear Force Detailing and Pressure Washing" business has been keeping him busy. He's not afraid of a little hard work, and it's paying off.

Garrett has been walking in the clouds since he got engaged-----he has managed to focus on his school work and job however still. He's been pretty blessed to find a deal on a car as well as some much needed furniture and household goods to fill the apartment he'll be calling home after Dec. 30th when he ties the knot. Garrett and Zandra are pulling things together to make their big day a special one for them.

Danica closed her soccer season with a team banquet where she recieved the hustle award and MVP award (she shared each of these with another team-mate). She also got first team all-valley defender recognition and they had a little write up about her in the local paper. WAY TO GO DANICA!! She's been applying for colleges and is seriously considering playing soccer on the college level. We'll have to see what comes from that.

Danica went to the schools Sadie Hawkins Dance (girls choice) with some of her soccer friends and had a fun time. They cooked breakfast for the guys at our house and then went and played Fear Factor where they ate worms, crickets and got pudding licked off their face by a dog, just to name a few of the events. After the dance her carload slipped away from the group and went to see the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn. Fun times----

Dale went muzzleload hunting with some friends up on the Uintah mountain range. It snowed the day they went in and the day they left, but he didn't let that slow him down. They saw a fair amount of elk, but never were able to get off a good shot. In my eyes it was a successful hunt--he had a good time in the outdoors and didn't bring home the meat!!

We had my brothers, Kim and Danny and their families at our house for Thanksgiving as well as our WHOLE family!!! We had a houseful, but it was a great day, tastey meal and fun times. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Terry, made cookie turkeys, ate, visited and played games. Then we headed to Dale's folks and tied a quilt for Garrett and Zandra as well as had a family bridal shower and visited with family. It was a full, fun day.

Nate even got some back-country skiing in before we ate. He was bound to make the most of his time here.
Amie and I braved the cold and the crowds and hit some of the Black Friday sales staring at 10:30 pm. I've never seen so many people crammed into a store (thank you Wal-Mart employees for the crowd control). I'm still wondering how some people were able to stand in a line for 2 hours waiting for the store to open, when 20 min. out in the cold waiting for Old Navy to open at midnight was enough for me!! While waiting for Smith's Marketplace to open at 5:00 am, we tried to sleep in the car for a bit but after getting too cold decided to go get an early breakfast to warm us up. Thanks Angies for opening up at 4:00 am the hot chocolate hit the spot!!! Well, Amie got most all of her Christmas shopping done and I got my eyes opened on how crazy some people can be. We both got 3 hours of sleep, but it was an adventure.

The guys, Kim and Danica went skiing at Snowbird, leaving Friday morning as Amie and I were coming home to hit the sack!! We hooked up with the whole group at the Eccles Ice Arena and did some ice skating. We were ALL on the ice, even Titan!! (They let us push his stroller on the ice) Zandra gave us "spinning" lessons and we tried, but it will take practice.

Saturday the Mallorys headed back to Idaho and the boys went back-country skiing while the girls went to The Nutcracker at the Eccles theatre. We all ate and played games after.

Andrew turned 24 years old on the 29th and to celebrate we had a nice Sunday dinner with his favorites and played games. We even got Grandpa and Grandma Hansen in the game.

Kim helped me get the house all decorated for the Christmas season, it's the fasted I've ever got it up---thanks Kim, you're hired!!

Our Californians left us Monday night and now the house is back to pretty quiet.
I did some ushering at the Eccles and saw some fun shows--The Golden Dragons, AFC Veterans Concert & the Nutcracker twice. I'm gearing up for the holidays as well as the wedding and am trying to make it so I can enjoy them both.
November's narrative leaves me feeling pretty blessed. I am so grateful for all I have been given-----

October Objectives

With General Conference falling on Danica's 18th birthday we decided to kill two birds with one stone and head south for some new scenery and a spiritual up-lift.
 (We also had to pick up Kim in Salt Lake, she had done a wedding there and then we got to spend some time with her).

So we got tickets to the afternoon session of General Conference and made the trek. This time we were in the Conference Center hearing and seeing the speakers live---not watching it from a screen in the tabernacle.

 What a spiritual high!!

There's something special about being there to hear it for real.

We thought about seeing if the choir would sing Happy Birthday to Danica, but decided that it might not fit into the program so we sang to her around the dinner table instead. It's hard to believe she's 18!

Kim got to see Danica play in her soccer game under the lights on Crimson field. We had our very own cheering section and it must of worked because she played great. They won, and secured second place going into the state play-offs in girls soccer for Sky View.

We were all very thrilled!!

Sky View went on to win the next play-off game against Olympus 4-2, but lost to Timpanogas 7-5 in double OT and losing in the second round of a shoot-out 5-7.

 (Timpanogas ended up taking state by the way)

Dont' like those kind of losses :(

Every good thing has an ending, right?

We joined with the Hansen Clan in celebrating Dale's mom's 80th birthday. They had a nice dinner and program at The Coppermill  restaurant to honor her, and most of her posterity was present.

 It was a nice tribute to a special woman. We wish her to have more happy birthdays.

We had fun carving pumpkins with Jaxson and Kennlyn while they were here. Danica used her artistic skills and Dale used his carving skills and they came up with a horse pumpkin for Kennlyn and a Sonic Hedgehog pumpkin for Jaxson. Guess who came up with the ideas?

Dale and I joined some old neighbors and good friends, Floyd and Alison Griffiths, and went to Island Park to stay in their cabin over the UEA break. Dale was in heaven---fished his little heart out and even got enough to bring some home for the freezer.

We had a great time relaxing, going on walks, playing games and visiting. We stopped at Mesa Falls on our way home and enjoyed one of nature's natural wonders.

Danica took her first "solo" trip and drove to Oakley, Idaho to stay with the Mallorys.

She conquered the highway and had some quality time with her sister.

They went to a huge straw maze, played and worked in the yard, and Danica just soaked up the hugs and kisses.
What more could she ask for?

Andrew really did it this time....He passed the test and is an offical commerical helicopter pilot!!
WAY TO GO ANDREW!!!!



I got in some quality time with some of my high school girlfriends by heading to Park City for the last week-end of the month. We stopped and shopped on the way and even conquered the mountain by going down a zip-line up Provo canyon. It was at night so we never really knew how far above the trees we were, but we had fun. Check that one off my bucket list!

We also hit the outlets in Park City and then went to a Halloween Comedy show at The Off Broadway Theatre; Dracula vs Jekyll & Hyde. Very entertaining!!! We've got ideas for next years trip in the works already. The "Golden Girls" are making their mark!

Good times!!

Dale has taken up the hobby of remote control airplanes and built a "trainer". After a few earlier failed attempts he had a successfull flight with a perfect landing.

We were all smiles!!

My uncle, Jack Whitlock, passed away---he lived to be 92 yrs. old and lived a good life. We attended his funeral and realized more, how blessed we are to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers will be with his good wife, Vonda. I'm sure glad that we have the knowledge we do, knowing that we can be be with our loved ones again. We'll miss you Uncle Jack!!

We had a fairly quite Halloween this year with not very many trick-or-treaters, but Garrett, Zandra, Danica, Titan, Andrew and Lindsay dressed up to help get us in the spirit.

That's the fun of it!!!!

 

 

Looks like this month was full of emotions----happy, spiritual, thrills, sorrow from losses, and full of love...... however, that's my objective :) :) !!