The Hansens

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

2012-02-10T14:47:00.000-05:00

Last month the Elder's Quorum had a ward dinner based around meals made from food storage supplies. Chris and I don't have a solid food storage supply yet, but we have enough food to get us through maybe 3 weeks without going to the store. Maybe. Anyways, everyone who came was supposed to bring something made with at least 1 part food storage. We decided to take Chris's concoction of read beans and rice mixed with sausage. Chris saw these Cajun Sides Red Beans and Rice packages at Wal-Mart one day and thought, "Hey, that looks good. I'd like to try that with sausage". Chris does that a lot, comes up with spontaneous food ideas. Usually they involve really spicy sauces or foods that are down-right gross to me (mac 'n cheese with garlic anyone?). Well, we tried it and we LOVED it! But it only works with this Cajun Sides brand. We tried it with Zatarain's and it did not taste nearly as good.

Anyways, back to the ward dinner. Everyone was asking us how we made this rice, beans, and sausage mix and if they could get the recipe. Some parents said their kids hated rice and beans but they ate this. I SO wished that I had this elaborate recipe to hand out but alas, I didn't. I fessed up that it was a store bought mix and that it was Chris's idea. But don't feel bad for me, feel happy for Chris. He won the prize of "Best Man-Made Dish" at the ward dinner and I couldn't be prouder! See, here's proof:

So the next time Chris wants to experiment with his crazy food ideas, I think I'll be a little more apt to go along with it! I love my little experimentor husband!

22 weeks!

2012-01-27T00:44:00.003-05:00

All I can say is "Whoa"! Watch out all you previously pregnant women who thought you were big for how far along you were; Nicole is taking over that role! I just had a doctor's appointment and little Will is measuring just right for how far along I am, except his head is really round and his feet are wide. At least, that's what the doctor said! So it looks like he'll be a Hansen replica!

I'm feeling pretty good except for the fact that I'm to the point where I'm uncomfortable quite a bit. I tried to squeeze into some clothes today and it wasn't working for me! I can honestly say that I'm totally content with not having a big bust (normally) because it is NOT fun! I also don't fit into my pants anymore, like, at all. I looked like I was advertising for an aerobics video or something as I tried all sorts of positions to try to get my pants all the way on. Yeah, not so much fun either. So I guess it's time to break down and buy some maternity clothes (you heard that right Chris!).

Anyways, here is a picture of me at 22 weeks. I know I haven't been consistent about taking evenly dispersed pictures but I'm happy to have what I have. So go ahead, admire my "bump" while I can still call it that!

Breakfast for Dinner

2012-01-19T20:49:00.003-05:00

I have always, always loved breakfast foods: french toast with powdered sugar, waffles with peanut butter, toast/biscuts with homemade strawberry jam, toasted bagels with cream cheese, hash browns, sausage, bacon, eggs, etc. I could go on forever! One of my favorite things growing up was either going to a place like Denny's with my family and being able to get breakfast food any time of the day or coming home from a long day of school/practice/rehearsal and smelling bacon sizzling on the stove.

Since I've been married I have really enjoyed being able to make what I like for meals and tonight I did just that! Using my BIL's recipe for crepes (pronounced "creps", not "crapes") I made crepes with a fluffy strawberry filling and cut-up fresh strawberries for dinner. It was so, SO good! I'm not very good at getting the crepes thin so I ate two and was totally stuffed. But hopefully with practice I will add crepes to my list of breakfast foods to make for any meal!

You can wipe up your drool now!

Lots of New Posts!

2012-01-06T01:52:00.000-05:00

I updated my blog with 4 new posts full of fun and quite a few pictures! Check them all out, I know you want to!

More Pregnancy News!

2012-01-06T01:50:00.002-05:00

For Christmas this year Chris and I were a little bit crafty in our approach to gifts to our families. We had artfully deceived our families into thinking we weren't able to find out the sex of the baby until the middle of January. But my doctor was willing to give gender-predicting a try so we could surprise our families for the holidays. Well, we were definitely successful in our efforts and were eager to package our results and gift them to family for Christmas! So I'm sure you're thinking "enough already, just tell us"! We are proud to announce that our upcoming bundle of joy is a.............BOY!

Can you tell? This is a shot from underneath, between the legs!

Yes, you read right folks, a boy! His name is going to be William Christopher Hansen...good, strong name, huh?! Chris and I couldn't be more excited and I couldn't feel anymore relief (even though it would be because of Chris if the baby was/wasn't a boy!)! Chris had imagined a boy all along and said he just couldn't see us having a baby girl first. Maybe one day, but for now we adore our little boy! We've even bought a few outfits for him to wear already! It's so crazy how fast time is going now that the new year is here and we know what we're having!

I totally slacked in keeping up with belly pictures with the Christmas season and traveling all over but I did manage to get one at 19 weeks and 3 days. I feel huge and I look just awful all the time but things will get back to normal after the baby comes, right? Right?! Chris is thrilled at the prospect of a big, strong, football player so at least he has a positive outlook! Hopefully I'll do better at posting more frequent belly pictures as well as all of the things I make for our little guy with my new sewing machine!

19 weeks and 3 days

New Year's Eve 2011!

2012-01-06T01:39:00.000-05:00

After being in Moab for Christmas, there was no way we were going to pass up seeing Jenny, David and their 3 kids (Jenny is Chris's sister). So we headed up to Provo on Thursday. We started things off on Friday with hitting up Tucanos, a Brazilian restaurant, in celebration of Chris's birthday. It is an all-you-can-eat meat fest and we absolutely LOVED it! While there, we made sure the staff knew it was Chris's birthday and they "let" him hold a maraca while they sang to him in Portuguese! Doesn't he look thrilled?! Haha!

Chris's 27th Birthday at Tucanos

For New Year's Eve we went with the family to Provo Towne Mall for "First Night". It was tons of fun! The kids rode the trampoline bungee, danced in a Wii contest, had balloon animals and swords made for them, got their faces painted, climbed through blow-up tent obstacles, made their own pixie stix candy, watched fireworks, and did all sorts of other fun things that I can't remember at this moment! Of course, Chris and I joined in the festivities too! If you are ever in the Provo/Orem area for New Year's Eve, I highly recommend going to first night at the Provo Towne Mall! We also ate at Panda Express while in the mall 'cause ya know, our life evolves around food! Once we got home, we rang in the New Year with some sparkling cider, watched the ball drop in Times Square, and called it an awesome, eventful night!

A butterfly...the balloon animal Jenny had made for Chris!

Chris and I on New Year's Eve

The wonderful, simple design I asked the painting lady to put on my face! She did awesome, even though I had one black eyebrow for a day!

Sunday was also an eventful day...we tested out Jenny's new deep fryer! And let me tell you we had a ball with that thing! So much so, that our first trip when we got back to Ohio was to go find ourselves a deep fryer. We made deep fried twinkies, mozzarella sticks, Chris tried to deep fry a nut cluster (bad idea unless it's frozen...), and ended with delicious deep fried chicken wings topped with Frank's Red Hot sauce! Oh, and we threw in some steamed broccoli for good measure :)

All-in-all we had a blast at the Hoover household (as usual) and appreciate their hospitality and patience in putting up with us! We can't wait to see their family again! Possibly in December?

Christmas 2011!

2012-01-05T23:45:00.007-05:00

I have to apologize up front: we didn't take our camera so we hardly have any "people" pictures...sorry!

This year for Christmas my WHOLE family went to Moab, Utah! We've never had everyone together on Christmas and it was so much fun! Chris and I flew out to Utah and of course had a delay (what's new?). Anyways, the festivities began right off the bat with my sisters and mom greeting me at the airport telling me how "big" I was, but assurred me it was a cute pregnant belly! We had a traditional Christmas Eve dinner (we always do a big Christmas Eve dinner, not a big Christmas Day dinner), sang "Silent Night" in honor of my Grandpa Garrett, opened presents from friends and presents required for Christmas Day, and finished off the night with our family tradition of poker (Mom won and Natalie was runner-up!).

Christmas Day began bright and early since church was at 9am. We opened presents from Santa and looked in our stockings. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas program and then zipped on home so we could finish opening presents. Chris and I were very blessed this year and are excitedly using our Christmas gifts!

Garrett Family picture Christmas 2011...What a good lookin' bunch!

My BIL Corey was in Moab for the first time and wanted to see as much as possible so Monday was an all-day hiking day. He had his heart set on hiking up to Delicate Arch but Krystle (his wife) warned him it was no jaunt in the park. Corey was determined so most of us piled into the van with our water bottles and granola bars (which were definitely NOT enough to eat) and made our way to Delicate Arch. I opted for the upper view point--a 1 mile round-trip hike--while Corey, Chris, David, Dad, Gordon, Natalie, and Rachel took the 3 mile round-trip hike up to the arch. After returning, Corey said he would never hike to Delicate Arch again. I'm sure "I told you so" was in order from Krystle :)

Nicole, Natalie, and Rachel at Balanced Rock in Arches National Park

Delicate Arch #1 (aka "cowboy chaps")

Delicate Arch #2

Delicate Arch #3

Chris liked this rock formation and wanted Rachel out of the picture...Rachel thought that was rude!

However, our day was not over. Dead Horse Point in Canyonlands National Park wasn't too far up the road from Delicate Arch in Arches National Park so we made our way there next. I've only been to Dead Horse Point once and Chris had never been so it was good that we went. It is a beautiful, expansive canyon from which you can see the Colorado River and just glimpse a mountain peak in Colorado. We had lots of fun and were grateful that Corey was so persistent in making us go!

Dead Horse Point #1

Dead Horse Point #2

Dead Horse Point #3

Nicole at Dead Horse Point

This was a cool shot that Chris got...if you look, you can see the Colorado River just behind and below the rays of the sun

Isn't it beautiful? My family lives there!

The rest of the break in Moab was spent telling scary stories (thanks Annabelle), playing Just Dance 3, lots and LOTS of Modern Warfare 3, some Super Mario Brothers, eating, playing with Jude, watching Rylie cry and sometimes playing with her :), eating, exploring, playing air soft (to see an awesome video go here), laughing, celebrating Chris's 27th birthday with dinner and ice cream :), teasing and enjoying each other's company.

I stole this from my sister Krystle (air soft war pic)

I stole this too from my sister Krystle (another air soft war pic)

I've probably left out so many details and experiences but it really was tons of fun and I can't wait until we can all get together again!

THE Ohio State Game!

2012-01-05T22:33:00.002-05:00

At the end of October Chris took a monumental step in his life: he attended an Ohio State football game at the horseshoe (the Ohio State stadium)! Some tickets came available on short notice and Chris's brother Mat was kind enough to give them to Chris and his other brother Mike. Chris had this grand idea that we would go to his parents about 1.5 hours away and then Chris would drive with Mike to the game and then come back to his parents to pick me up and then we would drive home. I should've thought this over before I agreed to it because that was a LOT of unnecessary driving, plus the game was a night game and Chris and I got home super late and had church at 9:30 the next morning. Yeah, bad idea. But I can blame it on being pregnant, right?

Anyways, Chris had a blast, to say the least! He and Mike got to the game early and climbed all the way to the top of the stadium and then back down to their seats. Chris said his depth perception at the top was way off and it made him dizzy. He also said that climbing all of those stairs made his legs burn :) He and Mike came back very hoarse and utterly worn out from all of the rooting and yelling they had done!

I watched the game at Mat's house and the whole time Mat was rooting for Wisconsin to blow-out Ohio State because he was bummed that he wasn't able to be there. Well, Ohio State won and it was an exciting game! Sorry Mat! But Chris really appreciated the opportunity and couldn't stop talking about it to anyone and everyone for days on end. I love seeing Chris get so excited about something! I can honestly say it was one of Chris's favorite experiences, thus far!

Mike at the game (good seats, huh?)

Chris at the game

A view from the top of the stadium

Prego Picture

2011-11-29T00:12:00.001-05:00

So I've been feeling a little better the last couple of weeks and I am SOOOO grateful to be passing that phase! I can't imagine the women who are sick the whole pregnancy; it would be just awful! Anyways, here is a picture of me at 12 weeks. I feel like I'm so much bigger than I'm supposed to be but the doctor said I'm fine so I guess I'm fine. I'm just a little afraid of what I'm going to look like at 35+ weeks if I keep going at this rate!

Coming Soon...

2011-10-26T19:50:00.001-04:00

First of all, let's start with what has passed: my birthday. Chris surprised me with a candle-lit cupcake and sang me "Happy Birthday" all by his lonesome! It was very sweet and I know Chris went out of his comfort zone to actually sing to me! Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes!

Now, onto things to come...

#1. So the holiday season is fast approaching and I am loving it! Fall is definitely the best time of the year, with all of the changes in the air and the trees changing colors (vividly here in Ohio). Not to mention, Thanksgiving and Christmas! I'm a fan of eggnog, pecan pie, hot chocolate, Christmas punch, and poker and the holidays provide all 5 and more! But I LOVE these 2 holidays mostly because it means spending time with family. And when Garrett's or Hansen's get together things get a little crazy!

#2. The day is not far off when we will be done paying off Chris's medical bills and we'll hopefully be able to use the money to buy a new car, since our Accord now has over 220,000 miles on it (way to go Honda)!

#3. Hopefully soon I will post about when my mom came to visit in AUGUST (yeah, I know, I'm a bad blogger) and pictures of our apartment, which looks oodles better since my mom visited!

#4. Movie time! The holiday season is always jam-packed with good, heartfelt movies and I can't wait to get the ball rolling on the Polar Express, ELF, Annabelle's wish, etc.!

#5. And last, but certainly not least, coming soon...

Yes...we are expecting our first baby in May of next year! We are oh so excited to begin this chapter of our lives. I can't say it's been an easy road getting here, but I know the outcome will be spectacular!

What I've dealt with thus far:
*constant nausea (I have to eat every 2-3 hours, even during the night)
*vomitting
*sleeplessness at night
*crazy, vivid dreams
*awful taste in my mouth after I eat or drink anything (so I brush my teeth after I eat everytime and now my toothpaste and mouthwash make me sick, I also can't stand the taste of my mouthguard so my mouth is, therefore, unguarded every night)
*sensitivity to smells (no more scented candles or wall plug-ins, even the drains in the sink make me gag)
*bloating and some indigestion
*distaste for many a foods (no cravings yet though, just eat what doesn't sound gross)
*headaches
*dizziness/clumsiness
*extra oily face and scalp (as if I needed any extra oil...)
*ears being plugged (usually the same ear)
*frequent forgetfulness and interrupted thoughts
*irritability, of course (Chris is so patient with me)

Hopefully with the year coming to an end some of my symptoms will come to an end as well. Chris has been great throughout this whole feeling-sick-and-not-getting-a-lot-done phase! He'll kill me for telling this, but he likes to pat my belly and call our baby by name (one of two since we don't know what it is yet). It is the sweetest thing ever!

We had our first real ultrasound last week and it calmed a lot of my nerves, knowing that there really is a baby in there and that everything looks fine. The doctor said my levels of hcg were so high from the blood work that she thought it might be twins. Yeah, that freaked us out a little! But we only saw one baby, so Chris is extremely relieved! But now that the news is out I'll be sure to update when I can!

P.S. For those of you who don't know, Brutus is the Ohio State University mascot.

All Over the Place!

2011-09-12T18:54:00.000-04:00

So this post is going to be a mash up of all of the things we've been up to for the last couple of months. Back in July Chris and I went to a really big car show in Dublin, OH. We really enjoyed it and afterwards we tried Steak 'n Shake, which we both really liked!

The Batmobile!

Chris and the Corvette ZR1

Dodge Charger

Nissan GTR

We then went "Back to the Future" when we saw this Delorean!

I thought the inside of this one was pretty sweet

This is for Rachel...or maybe Annabelle hahaha!

It's amazing to see how far we've come with cars!

Towards the end of July Chris and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! We went to eat at Outback Steakhouse (I LOVE their pumpernickel bread) and planned to go see HP #7.2. The movie fell through that evening, but we were able to go a few weeks later.

I can't believe it's been 4 years! That's all of high school!

This was after we saw HP. I wasn't happy we couldn't get a good picture!

The first week of August I was able to go to Arizona for Natalie's little boy's baby blessing. I had a lot of fun being with my sisters and mom and dad (we missed you Gordon)! I can never seem to get enough family in! And can I just say that Rylie and Jude are the cutest things ever? I love those 2 kids to death and can't wait to see them again! And thank you, David, for putting up with all of us and our endless demands! And Natalie, you are a beautiful mother and person!

Gpa and Rylie

Gma with her sun hat

Jude sleeping (what he does best)!

David, Natalie, Rachel, and Annabelle

Jude and his momma

Rylie and Jude

Rylie and Jude--so cute!

Rylie's pretty swimsuit

Natalie and her 2 kiddos

Trying to be like gma!

Rylie and Aunt Rachel

Rylie and Aunt Annabelle (her favorite)

Wake up, sleepy-head!

The Reheis Family

While I was in Arizona, Chris whiled away his time by going to an American Leman's race where fancy cars raced (Ferrari's, Porsche's, etc.). Chris was in automobile paradise, need I say more?

Ferrari Italia 458

Porsche GT3

For roughly 3 weeks, Chris's sister Jenny and her 3 kids were out in Ohio, along with Maria (back from BYU-Idaho) and DeDee. We had fun seeing them and catching up on all we've missed since we've been here in Ohio. We enjoy the fun times and are able to laugh off the rough times (due to tantrums and lack of naps) when the whole family gets together!

The other day Marysville had its annual hot air ballon festival. They've been holding it since 1976 and each year more and more hot air balloons are shown. We didn't pay to go in, but we could see the ballons flying over us and snapped a few shots. We kept waiting for the legendary Darth Vader hot air balloon, but I guess you have to go inside to see all the really cool ones! Around the time it gets dark they light up the balloons in sync with music and we could see a little of that too. I think next year we'll pay to go inside and give you a real blog post about Marysville's hot air balloon festival!

Lately, Chris has been uber busy with work. He says every day is challenging and he's been working LOTS of overtime to show it! I was recently called to help out in Activity Days and I am so excited to get to know all the girls! As summer begins to wind down, Chris is anxiously awaiting cooler weather and I am sad to see warm weather go. But as always, we'll just keep on keepin' on!

The Fourth and Furniture!

2011-07-06T16:55:00.004-04:00

So I almost missed fireworks this year. Yeah, I know, that would've been awful. But things are done a little differently back here and I'd better learn the ropes or I'll probably miss out on a lot. Columbus does a really big fireworks show called "Red, White, and Boom" (clever, right?), but they had it on Friday, July 1st. Not clever. That seemed to be a pattern everywhere I turned; no city appeared to be having a fireworks show on the actual 4th of July. What is up with that?! Well, we planned on going to Chris's parents on Saturday to go boating and spend time with his family so an early fireworks show was in the books. However, things didn't work out to allow us to go and we missed the fireworks show in that area. I frantically searched city web pages for surrounding areas doing shows on the 4th and lo-and-behold Dublin (a city which Chris isn't very fond of) was going to fulfill my hopes. I was stoked!

We arrived about 90 minutes prior to the start of the fireworks and laid out our spot on the grass. We had to park really far away and literally hiked to get close enough to not be blocked by trees. As the fireworks started, Chris and I looked at each other in surprise because we were in a perfect spot--right below the fireworks. I could feel the pounding in my chest as each firework went off and I was in Independence Day heaven! I kept feeling bugs land on me and wondered why they were attacking me and hoped they didn't ruin the show I had worked so diligently to attend. And then Chris, being the wise man he is, stated that ash was raining down on us because we were so close to the fireworks! I didn't like it, but I was appreciative that it wasn't a bug infestation. A little girl behind us kept shrieking out that things were landing on her and I wanted to reassure her that it wasn't bugs, just ash, but I couldn't stop laughing everytime she burst out in cries of shock. They played music in time with the fireworks and the finale was awesome! You know when the finale comes and you're not quite sure if it is the finale? That was so not the case. Chris and I left the show in awe and amazement and will definitely be going to Dublin again next year for the 4th of July fireworks show.

In other news, Chris and I FINALLY have somewhere to sit! We bought couches for our apartment last weekend and they were delivered today. They look so nice and new I hesitated to sit on them! We are so glad and so grateful for the things that we have, but it is nice every once in a while to get something new!

Far and Away

2011-06-09T17:01:00.004-04:00

So I know it's been FOREVER since I last posted, but so many things have happened in the last 6 months that posting just wasn't an option! After graduation I went down to Moab to stay with my family while Chris went out to Ohio for job interviews. After 6 weeks apart--yes, 6 weeks--Chris and I finally reunited after he secured a job working for Honda. We headed back up to Rexburg to get our stuff out of storage and move it out to Ohio but when we got there our storage unit was frozen shut. What a "welcome back" from the coldest place on earth! Chris worked his magic with a blow torch and we eventually got our stuff loaded up (thanks Rob and Kaylyn). We then headed out to Ohio travelling around 14 hours a day and I absolutely loathed it! We arrived in Ohio on Valentine's Day.

In March I was able to fly out west and be there when Gordon got home from his mission. I flew into Arizona and rode up and back with Krystle and Natalie. He looked so handsome and it was such a spiritual experience for me! I could tell right away that Gordon had matured in the gospel and had grown so much from his mission experience. I have to say, though, some things never change! All of the brotherly qualities Gordon had when he left were still present when he got home! I had so much fun and that trip was probably one of the best I've had with my family yet! It's a big change to live so far away from my family, and it's been hard for me, but the older I get the more I realize that I need to cherish those times because they will come fewer and farther between.

Once we got to Ohio we stayed with Chris's parents for a few months and we are so grateful to them for their hospitality and pateince in putting up with us! We are now living in Marysville so Chris can be close to work. After many episodes of experiencing life in Ohio (humid weather, LOTS of bugs, 4-wheeler accidents, etc.) we are finally adjusting. We like our ward and have met lots of friendly people and can foresee our life here.

Graduation and the New Year

2011-01-08T22:19:00.014-05:00

So...Chris and I are BYU-Idaho graduates! It's been a long, trying, stressful road, but it was oh-so worth it! Did I mention it's been long? Chris used to always joke that if I would've been graduated when we got married I could have been making money these last 3-and-a-half years! He knows I don't think it's funny. But we are official graduates now and are in the process of moving on. After graduation, we spent Christmas with Chris's sister Jenny and her family. It was fun to be around little kids again during this time and watch their excitement as they opened gifts.

After Christmas, Chris and I went our separate ways--me to Moab with my family and him to Ohio and Indiana for job interviews. He had his first in-person interview with Honda on Thursday and he thinks it went well. Hopefully we have good news in the next couple of weeks. I am so proud of him and his determination to find a job. He is the best husband and we are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives!

P.S. These pictures came from my parents camera so there aren't any of Chris's side of the family. I will try to post those when I get them!

Mom Garrett, Nicole, Chris, Dad Garrett

We sure enjoyed getting to know the Robby Garrett family better while living in Rexburg

Nicole, Rachel, Annabelle

My dad has a picture just like this from his graduation, with him and his parents

Garrett Family

Chris receiving his diploma

Nicole receiving her diploma

Chris, Granna Duke, Nicole

2010-12-03T20:00:00.013-05:00

So I know it's been quite some time since I last posted, but let me tell you why. Chris and I are graduating in 15 days! We've been so busy this semester that I'm surprised we're still sane (well, at least partly sane in my case). We are so excited to begin a new era in our lives. Chris is anxious to begin working and I am anxious to be done studying!

For Thanksgiving we went down to my family's in Moab. We were able to relax, watch lots of football and eat any 'ol time we wanted--it was great! Chris also went duck hunting for the first time with my dad. We also spent a few days with Jenny and David and their family. We sure do enjoy having family close by and we appreciate their letting us stay with them. Anywho, here are some pictures/videos for your entertainment.

P.S. I think I'm more excited for graduation than I am for Christmas. Is that a bad thing?

School and Yellowstone

2010-09-21T16:44:00.005-04:00

So a new semester has begun and life is back to being crazy busy and uber stressful. Chris and I certainly enjoyed our 6 or so weeks off traveling to visit family and looking for a job. We were privileged to see Jenny, David and their kids along with DeDee, Eden and Keith in Provo; my parents and sisters in Moab; Natalie, David, Rylie and Krystle in Arizona; Marty, Gail, Maria, Kimmy, Matt, Eve and their girls in Ohio; and Mike, Heather and their kids in Indiana. We drove to all of these wonderful places in our car and for those of you who know me know I get car sick and don't like to travel this way if I can help it. But I survived and am now firmly planted in Rexburg until graduation in December.

Oh...did I mention we're graduating in December? Chris and I are thrilled to be weeks away from being able to say we endured to the end! It hasn't really hit us yet because school is school and it feels the same as any other semester, but none-the-less it is all coming to a close.

Sidewalk drawing in Moab (Annabelle)
Sidewalk drawing in Moab (Nicole)

This past weekend Chris and I took Maria and Keith (who are now at BYU-Idaho with us) to Yellowstone National Park. We didn't see a whole lot other than elk and buffalo (nope...no bears), but we made the most of it and had fun. On the way back to Rexburg I was able to stop at the cabin in Macks Inn for probably the last time for a long time and it was good to see it again and relive some of my favorite memories from vacations there.
Maria and Keith
Chris and I

All in all life is the same as usual: Chris and I are madly in love and ready to begin another winter here in Rexburg as we continue our education at the "Y" of "I".

Spanking

2010-07-12T18:28:00.005-04:00

Not long ago a sister in my ward posted on her blog her opinion on spanking children and stated some research on the subject. But it got me wondering what my family and friends think about spanking their children. So if you wouldn't mind giving me your opinion I would greatly appreciate it!

Ohio

2010-07-03T21:26:00.003-04:00

Chris and I went to Ohio in June for Mat and Eve's sealing. They were sealed to each other and then to their 3 beautiful daughters. The trip was a lot of fun--short, but sweet--and we wished we could've stayed longer! Here are a few pictures at the temple and one of Chris doing a "wheelie" on a four-wheeler. He had a blast scaring the kids with it!

P.S. We went target shooting and I got the high score for the round (a 43 out of 50)!

Father's Day

2010-06-20T00:50:00.005-04:00

I just want to give a shout-out to all of the wonderful men in my life...Chris, my dad, my father-in-law Marty, my grandpa Nicoll, and my grandpa Duke. I am so thankful to have the love and support of these GREAT men! I look to them for advice and I count each of them as a blessing every day! I love you all!

Dinner

2010-05-23T00:03:00.004-04:00

So this...

Is what we had for dinner. No, we didn't go out to eat, we made this at home. This is a Christopher masterpiece! He was wanting to make pita sandwiches and this is what his turned out to be--salami, pepperoni, pastrami, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, mayonnaise, pickles, banana peppers, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Here are some more pictures so you can salivate along with us!

A Break

2010-04-20T17:56:00.007-04:00

For those of you who don't know, Chris and I will graduate in December and will have gone year-round (4 semesters in a row) when that time comes. We finished up the Winter semester on April 9th and are now into our first day of the Spring semester (our 3rd semester in a row). I am somewhat saddened at the fact that I have to go to school during the summer because I've never had to do that before. Summers were always a literal break from school, but I don't get that this summer. However, this means that Chris and I will graduate in December instead of next April and I'm sure when the time comes I will be happy I "skipped" my summer vacation.

Anyways, we went to Provo to see Jenny and David and their kids for most of the break and we spent a few short days in Moab with my family. We had time to relax for a day or two and then we were off to the mall, Jumping Jacks, jeeping :), the tulip festival, Cabela's, Costco, and various other activities. We love getting to spend time with family and we are so grateful for the hospitality shown to us when we visit.

Here are a few pictures and videos from when Chris and I went jeeping. Because of this experience Chris is now convinced we need some type of four-wheeling machine so he can go trail riding whenever he wants! Needless to say, he LOVED it! We were both a little sore the next day from being jolted around, but it was so worth it in the end!

School, School, and More School!

2010-03-29T12:58:00.005-04:00

I just wanted everyone to know that Chris and I are still alive and doing well! We only have 1 1/2 weeks left in this semester and then only 2 more after that until we graduate! Chris says time is going by so fast, but I think it's pretty stagnant most of the time.

We've been having pretty nice weather here in Rexburg (which is a change from the norm), and I am loving every second of it. Chris says the farmers are down-and-out about the lack of moisture, but I like to think of it as a blessing...

Chris and I are both busy with school, church, etc. but we still find the time to go out every once in a while. Thursday Chris and I went to the temple. We love the Rexburg temple and we love how close it is to us. We can look up the street from our apartment and see it. Anyways, after we went to the temple we were hungry and tried the Pita Pit. We'll probably eat there again, but it wasn't our favorite. After that, Chris and I both heard the call of BRC's custard, which ended an almost perfect evening on the perfect note. On Friday, Chris and I wanted to eat on campus; they built a new "food-court" called The Crossroads a while ago and we wanted to check it out. When we went, most of the food areas were closed, but we still wanted to go out. So we decided to go to Winger's. We don't usually eat out that often, but we've come to the conclusion that once we leave Rexburg, our food options will greatly increase!

We've also been going to a new stake building since the beginning of March. This stake center is the largest chapel in the whole world! It's pretty neat to be the first group of people to attend meetings there (it's SO clean and new)! It's also a testimony of the blessings of tithing.

I don't have any pictures for you all to enjoy, but I'll try to post some in the next few weeks.

Valentine's Day and President's Day Weekend

2010-02-17T19:58:00.003-05:00

Chris and I were able to go down to Provo, Utah for the 3-day weekend and we had tons of fun! Saturday Chris went with my dad and Annabelle to Sam's Club, Uinta Golf and various other masculine places. Chris also got his picture taken next to a Lamborghini (I'm sure it was the highlight of his day!) Meanwhile, my mom, Rachel and I went to a bridal fair at Provo High. We had tons of fun looking at dresses, sampling food, and getting our hair done! Later that day Chris and I, along with Jenny and David (Jenny is Chris's sister), went to a session at the Salt Lake temple. This was a neat experience since neither Chris nor I had ever been to the Salt Lake temple. Afterwards we went to dinner at The Roof, which is atop the Joseph Smith building. We ate TONS of food (Chris made sure he got his money's worth!) and laughed and had a really good time. Thanks Jenny and David! We spent the rest of our break relaxing, playing with kids, and watching the Olympics.

The Big News...

2010-01-27T14:37:00.008-05:00

It's all gone...

BEFORE

AFTER

I got my hair cut off! Most people probably don't think this is a big deal, but I've had my hair long for most of my life--like 99%. So to get 8" cut off is a big deal. Not to mention this is the shortest I remember it being since kindergarten.

To those of you who thought I was pregnant, I don't know what to tell you other than "sorry". One day that may be the title of my post, but not right now.

Stay Tuned For a BIG Update...

2010-01-26T17:35:00.001-05:00

A New Year!

2010-01-07T14:40:00.025-05:00

It's crazy to think that another year has gone by! There were days when I thought time was going by so slowly, yet here I sit at the start of 2010! Anyways, Christmas was a blast this year! Chris and I were able to go down to Moab and we thought we would get a break from all of the snow. Yeah right! Moab got hit with snow and cold weather the entire 2 weeks we were there. But we still had tons of fun!

Chris and I arrived in Moab the Sunday evening before Christmas. Due to rooming arrangements, I slept in Annabelle's twin bed and Chris slept on a matress on the floor of Annabelle's room. At first I wondered if it bothered Chris that he was on the floor. But then it dawned on me that he was probably relieved that I couldn't take up 2/3 of his sleeping room (I tend to sleep really close to Chris at night!). But don't worry, Chris is thrilled to be sharing a bed again. Natalie, David and Rylie arrived Wednesday afternoon and we celebrated Rylie's 1st birthday. Of course, she didn't really know who all of us were, so she cried most of the time. On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional family poker game. I think dad came out the winner??? Just kidding, dad, I know you won! And Chris was runner-up so he got to put his name in the book! Way to go Chris! (No actual gambling occurred).

Christmas morning was full of surprises and lots of excitment. After opening presents, the family was able to talk with Gordon! Chris spoke to him in Spanish and assured us that Gordon is really picking up the language. It was good to hear his voice, especially since Chris and I don't know if we'll be able to talk to him next Christmas. The festivities continued with the whole family going to see Sherlock Holmes on Christmas day and the start of a crash course on Mario Brothers Wii. The next few days were filled with endless Bowzer battles, football games, and fun. Natalie, David and Rylie said goodbye on Sunday and I did well not to cry.

The next couple of nights were occupied with intense football games and on Monday we celebrated Chris's 25th birthday! On Tuesday my mom, dad, Annabelle and I went to Grand Junction, CO for some "after Christmas" shopping. On Wednesday, my mom helped me sew some burp cloths for my visiting teaching companion who had her baby at the end of December. They are so cute! On New Year's Eve, we all spent our time at the Stake center in Moab watching the youth eat, dance, and karaoke. The Stake had a count down to the new year and hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling of the gym--it was pretty cool. New Year's day was filled with nothing but football and 7-layer dip! It was a blast to observe Chris and my dad while watching these games! Chris worked at the Potash plant while we were in Moab, but I know he really enjoyed being able to come home and watch football--especially the games where a Big Ten team won (Go Buckeyes!)! All in all, we had lots of fun and appreciate the hospitality of our families. We love you!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas vacation. Enjoy!

Rachel licking the snow--crazy girl!

Rylie opening a present

My favorite picture! This is pretty much how the whole party went!

There's a smile!

Natalie and Rylie on Christmas Eve

Rylie on Christmas morning eating one of her presents...so cute!

Natalie, David and Rylie on Christmas morning

Rylie and Grandpa Garrett--Grandpa working his charm!

Grandma feeding Rylie. We had to give her a bath after this!

Sunday afternoon nap--arranged by Bob Ross!

Annabelle's cute toenails

Rachel on New Year's Eve

Chris and I on New Year's Eve

Annabelle on New Year's Eve

Mom and Dad Garrett on New Year's Eve

Annabelle and Susan at the New Year's Eve party--crazy girls!

Mom and Dad Garrett dancing before the balloons fell

Chris and I dancing before the balloons fell--our first dance since our wedding...!

Here are some videos from Christmas! Enjoy!

Rylie laughing!

Birthday preview!

Rylie's sneeze--so funny!

Christmas Day with the Wii!

Chris's birthday!

Rachel singing "I Will Survive!" on karaoke with some young women!

In addition to all of this excitment, Chris and I have begun a new semester and with any luck, we will be done in December! I can't wait! Both Chris and I have pretty hard classes this semester, but we're used to that fact, and hopefully we can once again pull through. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Pictures

2009-12-04T19:04:00.011-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving trip to Ohio. We only used our camera for the first few days, so there aren't as many as we'd like. But when you're having fun, who remembers the camera? While we were there, Chris's niece, Hayleigh, was baptized. We were so glad that we could be there! We were able to attend the Columbus temple, which was a first for me, and it was a wonderful experience. There was horse riding, shooting, naps, and more food than I needed. "The Girls" went to see New Moon--which was a lot of fun for me--and surprisingly enough, there were little video games played, which didn't bother me in the slightest. We also got some face time with the local missionaries, which made me think of Gordon. His most recent letter said that he was able to enjoy Thanksgiving and I'm so grateful for the loving families that made that possible! Chris and I really enjoyed our time in Ohio with family. We wish we all lived closer so we could get together more often.

Hayleigh with her 1st set of scriptures

Hayleigh, Keith, Mat, Eve, and Chris's Mom at the baptism

Chris's Dad, Maria, and Olivia

Ella, Lydia, and Maddie--so, so cute

Olivia and Lydia--try not to get those names confused--and Landon, who didn't want to look at the camera

A video of Olivia playing the piano with Maria

All in all we had tons of fun and can't wait to all be together again!

Thanksgiving and Finals!

2009-12-03T20:20:00.002-05:00

What an awkward combination...Thanksgiving was great, but finals are a killer (2 more weeks!!!)! Chris and I had the wonderful opportunity to fly to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Most of the family was there and it was so much fun! We played BANG! quite a few times and had late nights talking and laughing! There was also a lot of watching out for the little "chillin's" that were there! But more info and a few pictures will be coming, if I can get my camera to cooperate!

Some Projects

2009-10-29T20:47:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the projects Chris has done for his Advanced CNC class. This is an advanced programming class for different types of computerized machinery. Chris had to create the designs and write the codes for the cutting process. For the brass heart, he used a wire EDM; for the name plate, he used a CNC mill; and for the Horse head, Chris used a CNC plasma cutter. I don't know what all of that means, exactly, but I really like what he has been able to do! He is so creative and comes home with all of these ideas for his next project!

Chris originally planned to make the brass heart as a key chain ornament to give me for my birthday, but it turned out bigger than I thought it would! The name plate says "HANSEN" and has a Bugatti symbol on the left and a football helmet on the right (I really liked this one when he brought it home!). And the Horse head cut-out is actually a gift for Chris's mom. He created the branding symbol (her initials) in the bottom right corner. I am so proud of Chris and the hard work he puts forth in all of his classes and I can't wait to see what he brings home next!

Birthday!

2009-10-19T14:58:00.004-04:00

Saturday was my 24th birthday and it was a good one! Chris serenaded me with "Happy Birthday" and surprised me with a digital picture frame. He remembered me saying something about it over the summer and kept the idea in the back of his mind for months--I am so impressed! He also treated me to dinner and the ever famous G's Dairy Delights, an ice cream shop that Chris and I enjoy. My family showered me with phone calls and text messages, birthday cards and cake and ice cream. I am so blessed to have so many people who love me and I am reminded all the time. So thank you to all those who helped make my birthday a GREAT one--even though it is somewhat depressing that I am already 24!

Drive-in Movie!

2009-09-23T15:38:00.002-04:00

On Saturday night Chris and I had the unique opportunity to go to a drive-in movie theater. We were pretty excited considering neither of us had ever been to one before. We pulled in, they told us which radio station to turn to, and we found a pretty good spot to park our car. There were some serious drive-in-movie-goers who brought couches and mattresses to put in the back of their car or truck, and some people set up camping chairs and sat outside their vehicle. It was too cold for me to do that! There was a concession area and Chris got a milkshake and I got something to drink and a candy bar. We saw "G.I. Joe" and it was really nice to recline our seats back a little and have control of the volume! One of the only draw backs was that a few people arrived late and their headlights shone right into our mirrors. Other than that we had a good time. I still like the theater best, but at least now Chris and I can say that we've experienced the excitement of a drive-in movie!

I know, I know...

2009-09-08T02:31:00.006-04:00

I haven't posted very much the last several months and hopefully with internet access that will change. But I'm going to get you up-to-date on what has happened since I last posted. Well, as some of you know, Annabelle came to stay with Chris and I in Wendover, Nevada for a week. She celebrated her 8th birthday with us and we had a lot of fun with her. We took her to the park, to see ICE AGE 3, to the city pool (where there are 2 really fun slides--right chica???), we made a cake for her birthday, and took her all over the vast city of Wendover. She had some crafts that my mom sent with her, which we did a lot of, but her favorite thing was to take the cushions off of the couch and build huts with them. Annabelle also swears she gained weight while she was with us, but I don't know about that! Anyways, Chris and I had fun with her and we hope she had fun too!
Chris and Annabelle at our pool

Annabelle couldn't wait to get up and celebrate her birthday!

Some of the stuff mom sent

Enjoying the fruits of our labors!

Annabelle decorated her own cake...

Chris and Annabelle eating cake!

Annabelle's makeover and photo shoot

At the end of August, Chris and I were able to go with his family to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple open house. It is beautiful inside and is built a lot like the Rexburg temple--with numerous flights of stairs and such--but has its own unique characteristics. Hayleigh, our niece, counted all of the pictures of Christ in the temple and I think she got to 32??? It was a wonderful opportunity to visit this temple. And for those of you who don't know, this temple is the 13th temple in Utah (which makes Utah home to 10% of all the temples in the world. Amazing, I know!)
Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Also since our last post, Chris and I have moved back to Rexburg, Idaho. There are a few things we miss from Wendover, such as seeing my dad on his work trips, the sun and warmth, Wendover Will, our branch (especially the Young Women!) and of course our pool. However, I am glad to be back, but I know Chris misses working. What an upbeat provider he will be! We are happy to get the ball rolling with school, though. We have spent the last few days unpacking and getting ready for school, which begins on Thursday. Both of us are a little nervous for this semester, but we know with the Lord's help we will make through yet again.

No, We're Not Dead!

2009-07-05T15:48:00.006-04:00

I'm sure many of you have wondered why our blogging has stopped. Well, we are in Wendover, Nevada and have no internet. I have to go to the local library or to Chris's work to access the internet, but I'm not allowed to plug anything into the computers. So we are in Moab, Utah for the weekend and I am taking advantage of the internet available here!
Anyways, we had a lot of fun going down the river, having a barbecue, watching the fireworks and shooting off some of our own. Here are some pictures from this weekend.

Here are some pictures from our trip to Disneyland. It was Chris's first time in Disneyland so we stayed as long as we could both days. We were sore, but it was totally worth it!

This is a picture of Chris and his favorite car at the car show in Moab at the end of April. There were a couple hundred cars at this car show and Chris took about that many pictures! Boys and their toys!!

I hope this post has given you a look into what's been going on this summer. Annabelle is going to Wendover with us this week and we (hopefully) will post some pictures of her time there. Until next time...

What We're Up To..

2009-04-04T20:26:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been a crazy past few weeks! Chris and I have been hard at work studying for finals and they are finally here! On Thursday our finals for this semester will be over and the following Monday we will be on our way to Wendover, Nevada, where Chris will be doing an internship for the summer. We are sad to leave our ward and our friends, but we have been preparing for this adventure!

We made a visit to Wendover last weekend to find an apartment and we are lucky we did. There are lots of people who go to Wendover to make some quick money at the casinos and then they are on their way, so you have to hit the apartment market at just the right time. Although our apartment isn't what we have here in Rexburg, we are happy to have found the one we did. We have a washer and dryer unit and a swimming pool, but we have no dishwashwer and no microwave. I guess this is how "real world" people live--making sacrifices in one area for something in another area! We didn't take any pictures of our apartment, but we really liked the landmark that welcomes you into town (too bad it's so far into town that only the locals see it). Say hello to "Wendover Will"! I have a feeling he and I are going to be good friends.
I also had my last big hoorah with Enrichment and I think it went pretty well considering we had to tell the sisters that it was getting late and we needed to start cleaning up! We had about 30 sisters from the ward show up (that's maybe half), and we fed them soup and salad in celebration of the Relief Society's birthday and did a service project. Our Stake Relief Society President spoke to us about service and then we made lap-quilts for the nursing home here in Rexburg. This calling has been very stressful for me, but I know the Lord helped me in reaching out to the sisters, and I have felt many blessings from magnifying my calling. Here is a picture of some of the lap-quilts we made.

Gordon's "non-farewell"!

2009-03-19T10:47:00.011-04:00

Gordon had his "non-farewell" on March 8th and Chris and I were able to be there. It was really great to see him one last time before his mission and it was a lot of fun. We got to see Natalie, David and Rylie, Grandparents, and lots of other family members. We heard Gordon speak in church about prayer and faith and he did really well. He's going to be a great missionary!!! We love him and are so proud of his decision to serve a mission. He's been preparing for it his whole life and the time has finally come! Here are a few pictures from that day. I'll post more later.

Dad (Grandpa), Shane, Matt, and Gordon

Mom (Grandma), Rylie, Matt, Gordon, and Kaylee

Gordon and Kaylee

Gordon and Rylie

Some of Gordon's Friends...

More of Gordon's Friends...

More Friends...

More Friends...

Still More Friends

Gordon

It's Been a While...

2009-02-21T13:38:00.009-05:00

Sorry that it's been a while since our last post--there's been a LOT going on! First of all, I had mild bronchitis for about 3 weeks. This did not serve me well. No one likes being sick and coughing all of the time, but it is especially bad when your classmates start asking if you've been to see the doctor yet. That's a tad embarassing! Also, it's been difficult with my calling as Enrichment leader to get meetings and activities together. But I was somehow able to pull it off--with the help of a few of my committee members!
Also, Chris and I have been busy with school. This past week we had midterms, which is always hectic and leaves little room in our schedules for anything else. But we were allotted a little break from school during Presiden't Day weekend and we went down to Utah to see Krystle and Corey. We were able to visit, sleep in, and play with Baily (which mostly Chris did). We also ate some yummy lemon chicken made by Krystle, and now Chris is on a "marinade everything" streak! We had a lot of fun with them and it was good to get to know them better (of course, I already knew Krystle!). While we were down in Utah, we spent a day in Wendover, Nevada at the potash plant there. Chris has an opportunity to do an internship there this summer and we were checking it out. We feel really good about this internship and Chris is in the process of filling out all of the necessary paperwork. We will try to keep posted about the internship and post pictures of Wendover when we visit again. We look at this internship as our little adventure!

Other than that, we are happy and healthy (mostly) and keep trudging on with school, friends, family, life, etc.!

An Update

2009-01-23T17:57:00.003-05:00

This post is just to keep people updated on what's going on here in good ol' Rexburg! Chris and I are going strong with school, church callings (don't even get me started!), etc. We have some good leads on internships for this summer and are hoping things work out for the best. We also will be coming up on 18 months of marriage next week (the 27th) and can't believe how fast the time has gone! But we still love each other and like each other's company so that's a good sign!

The Past Few Weeks!

2009-01-10T16:54:00.010-05:00

Well, the past few weeks have been adventurous, exciting, crazy, hectic and awe inspiring! To start off, Chris and I were to arrive in Ohio for Christmas vacation at 7:25pm on Tuesday, December 16th. Amongst all of the delays caused by snow and not having a pilot for two of our flights, we eventually landed in Columbus, OH at 8:30am Wednesday, December 17th. I will spare all the gory details.
Once in Ohio, being with family was a ton of fun! We played games (mostly MarioKart) and had some late nights of friendly competition. We ate a lot of good food with dessert practically every night (thanks Gail!) and are now both trying to lose the holiday weight. We visited Cosi (a science museum), went to the church sites in Kirtland, bought Chris some new steel-toed boots from Amish country, rode horses, went target shooting, put in a ceiling, celebrated Chris's and Marty's birthdays, etc. We caught up on our visiting and became, as usual, the favorite aunt and uncle/sister and brother/daughter and son!

After Ohio, we flew to Arizona for New Years to see Natalie and David's new baby, Rylie. she is SO adorable! We were also able to get family photos because guess what--all of us were together!!! Arizona was warm and I didn't want to leave my sister and her baby. Nonetheless, Chris and I left Mesa, Az and rode home with my parents, Gordon, Rachel and Annabelle to Moab, UT.
We left Moab the next morning and finished our trek to Rexburg, ID. Upon arrival to Rexburg, Chris and I met our home with 18" of snow and our parking space chock full of snow on top of ice. I always knew I didn't like Rexburg! In addition to all of this chaos, school started on January 7th for Chris and I and we are getting back into the school routine. Overall, we LOVED our break and can't wait to retire to Mexico.

To my sister, her husband and her brand new baby...

2008-12-23T20:06:00.003-05:00

Chris and I just wanted to say that we are so proud of Natalie and David and we are so glad that everything went well with Natalie and baby Rylie!

We are sad that we weren't there, but we will see your new little family in a little over a week! Love you guys!!!

Two Things...

2008-12-05T20:02:00.006-05:00

First, I wanted to post a picture of our Christmas tree. I love Christmas decorations and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE curling up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate with only the tree lights on. We don't get to have our tree up for very long because we are going out to Ohio on the 16th, but I wanted to post a picture of it so all of you could see what we see!

Also, our friend Taylor, who is in the Marines, got married last weekend in the Salt Lake temple and Chris and I were able to attend. It was beautiful and we are so prould of you Taylor!

Kimmy!

2008-11-17T17:53:00.004-05:00

Chris and I just want to give a shout-out to Kimmy on her 13th birthday! You're now a teenager...yikes!!!

It's Official!

2008-11-12T12:58:00.007-05:00

Well, all the paperwork finally went through and we were able to bring home our (big) bundle of joy about a month ago!! He came from China and we couldn't be more thrilled to have him in our home!

For those of you who really know us, you know this isn't true! This is our neighbors little boy and he is so cute we just had to put up some pictures of him! Enjoy!!!

Us...

2008-11-05T13:25:00.005-05:00

Well, my mom said that I don't post enough pictures so here are a few. The truth is that Chris and I don't really take a lot of pictures of ourselves and even when we want to, who do we have to take them? Anyways, we are both doing well. Chris just finished potato harvest last week and is now coming home earlier---yeah! I only have 4.5 weeks left of school for this semester and couldn't be happier! We got our first real snowfall last night and are so grateful that it came so late in the year. We are now preparing ourselves for another Rexburg winter and hopefully we don't get frost bite or die of hypothermia over the next 5 months!

BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-10-18T20:11:00.003-04:00

Well, yesterday was my 23rd birthday! I had four hours worth of classes and Chris didn't get home until 10 pm. But believe it or not, it was a good day! My parents called me and I was able to talk to them, Rachel and Annabelle. Gordon called me and Natalie and Krystle sent me texts. I also got a package from my family with way cute stuff in it and a card from Natalie--totally cute also--and a card from Chris's parents and my Gma and Gpa Nicoll. When Chris got home, we went over to our neighbors and they had a German chocolate cake with candles and all and sang "Happy Birthday" to me! It was a lot of fun and I am so lucky to have a husband that likes to surprise me! Thanks to all who made my birthday a great day!

October...already?

2008-10-02T22:23:00.004-04:00

I just have to say that I can't believe it is already October! I truly believe that the older I get, the faster the time goes! However, I do want to state-for the record-that October is probably one of my favorite months. I love the fall leaves changing and the way the air smells as it cools (poetic, I know!). Some of my most cherished memories are those of the football lights on over the players during the fall season (Chris made me put that--just kidding!). But all is well here in the Hansen house. Chris is working hard and long and getting those 'taters harvested. I am forging on with school and can't wait until Thanksgiving vacation--ha-ha! We are anxiously awaiting General Conference and want to thank our parents for instilling in us the importance of the gospel in our lives. We love you!!!

The Wait is Over...!

2008-09-24T13:01:00.009-04:00

For some of you, this didn't come early enough! But a picture of the rag-quilt my mom and I made for Natalie's baby (Rylie) is now for viewing! This project took longer than expected and was a little more difficult than we thought it would be. My hand is probably permanently damaged from all of the clipping I did, but it was well worth it! We are so happy about how it turned out! I also threw in some of the burp cloths I made while in Moab. (If you click on the picture, you can see in detail what the blanket looks like). Enjoy!!!

Haircut!

2008-09-18T00:31:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to post a picture of Chris's haircut because I am pretty dang proud! This is only the 2nd haircut I have given him (and the 1st one wasn't nearly as good). We haven't saved any money yet, but we will soon! Maybe I could start an in home business....Just kidding! Doesn't Chris look so handsome!!! Love you all!

School!!!

2008-09-06T20:12:00.003-04:00

Well, school starts for me again on Monday and I am getting pretty nervous! I always get a little nervous at the beginning of each semester, but then I get in a routine and press onward! Chris is off-track this semester and is working for a family of farmers down in Idaho Falls. He works long hours and I don't see him very much, but he is a good, hard worker and a wonderful provider. My neighbors have offered to give me a ride up to campus since they have classes the same time I do. How I appreciate them! Also, the temperature has been cooling off. The high today was only like 70 degrees--and it's the beginning of September! (I guess I ought to let you know that the first snow last year was in September). I am still clinging to summer! Anyways, here is a picture of one of the potatoes Chris brought home last year from work.

Eventful Weekend!

2008-08-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

So many things have been going on since about Thursday afternoon! I left Chris at home =( and went down to my Granna and Grandpa's homecoming from their mission in Nauvoo, Illinois. It was good to see family (and also my grandparents since I hadn't seen them in 18 months!) I then proceeded to Wendover with my dad for a few days while he was on business. I thought there wasn't much to do in Rexburg, Idaho but there REALLY isn't anything to do in Wendover, unless you like gambling! I am now in Moab with my family and will be for the next few days. I like the warmer weather and am enjoying this mini vacation before school, but I desperately miss Chris!

The Olympics!!!

2008-08-15T03:46:00.003-04:00

I was reading on Natalie and David's blog about the Olympics and decided that I needed to write something about them too! I, due to my work schedule, am able to stay up and watch pretty much all of the Olympics. And I just have to say GO USA and GO Michael Phelps!!! We are such a competitive nation and I am so proud to be a part of it--the nation, not the Olympics! I must also say that Chris is seeing a side of me he hasn't really ever seen before. As I watch the Olympic athletes compete, I get all tense and nervous and anxious for them! We were at our neighbors on Sunday watching Michael Phelps and when he won his race I jumped up and shouted and it scared their little boy and he started crying! I felt so bad! When someone I want to do well does well, I scream or jump off the couch or throw a pillow or something! Chris thinks I'm crazy!! During the women's all-around artistic gymnastics finals, I was so nervous that my knuckles were white from squeezing my hands together so hard! I also have to mention that as soon as Nastia Liukin took gold and Shawn Johnson took Silver, I ran into my bedroom and woke Chris up to tell him the results! It was about midnight and Chris gets up for work at 5:30a.m., so I hope it doesn't affect him too badly tomorrow!

Our Wedding and Honeymoon in Mexico!

2008-08-12T21:24:00.003-04:00

Ice Cream!!!

2008-08-09T22:07:00.003-04:00

Whenever Chris eats ice cream, at least later in the afternoon or evening, it puts him right to sleep! There is no cure for this random phenomenon! So now I am going over my lesson for church tomorrow and Chris is sleeping and it is only 8 o'clock! What a party-pooper married couple we are!!!

We've conformed!

2008-08-09T18:21:00.000-04:00

We held out about as long as was possible!!! But we've joined the ranks in a hopefully effective way to keep in touch.