Happy Anniversary to us!
Our weekend plans fell through, and through, and through and we ended up spending a lot of time together just the two of us which was great.
We went to the free opera performance at the Gallivan Center. We saw the baby elephant, snow leopard, giraffe and tiger cubs at the zoo. We hung around at the house. We went to 5 Alls for dinner. Then we spent most of Sunday, our actual anniversary, with Oliver's extended family up Mill Creek Canyon eating yummy fire food and enjoying the spectacular changing leaves.
We decided to do our anniversary gift-free and come one step closer to being debt free instead.
Here's to the best two years and many many more!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Singing Group
I belong to a group that sings together every week. We sing in various wards and have a Christmas program that we perform. These are seriously the best ladies ever! He we are celebrating two birthdays and the announcement of a BABY!
Yard Work Can Kill...
While Oliver was mowing today he almost died of a heart attack when this little guy came slithering in front of the mower.
So we picked him up and moved him into the neighbors yard :)
Oliver was too freaked out to take a good picture but I have fond memories of these little guys from when we were little...and then right after that he got stung by a bee. Rough day!
So we picked him up and moved him into the neighbors yard :)
Oliver was too freaked out to take a good picture but I have fond memories of these little guys from when we were little...and then right after that he got stung by a bee. Rough day!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Happy Birthday
My best friend and the love of my life is turning 28 today and here's a list of some of the things that make me love him more and more each day....
1. He always vacuum and mops the floors (I hate that part of cleaning).
2. He is patient.
3. He says his prayers.
4. He loves to cuddle.
5. He loves to take pictures.
6. He thinks I'm funny.
7. He provides for our family.
8. He does his calling and honors his priesthood.
9. He loves to travel.
10. He is a hard worker.
11. He does the last of the pick up - I can pick up until there are just a few things left and then he always puts the last few things away.
12. He loves my cooking.
13. He gets excited to see me at the end of the day, everyday.
14. He is loyal to his friends and family.
15. He puts others first.
16. He has high moral standards in what we watch and listen to.
17. He loves to try new things.
18. He tires to embrace my spontaneity.
19. He is fiscally minded.
20. He is honest.
21. He thinks I'm beautiful - even when I haven't showered in four days and we're camping.
22. He helps clean the house regularly.
23. He takes me to the temple often.
24. He listens to my rantings and ravings and opinions and long-winded ideas.
25. He goes along with things when I volunteer us to do things and help people.
26. He is a great decorator (I buy it he displays it).
27. He loves to do yard work.
28. He is committed to our relationship and making it work no matter what is happening.
I love you now, always, and forever - have a Happy 28th Birthday!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
First time to Yellowstone and first time to Montana
At the end of our annual Hansen family Teton trip this year, Oliver and I decided to spend an extra night in Yellowstone. I have never been to Yellowstone and Oliver only recalls driving to the park from the Tetons - straight to Old Faithful - and back to the Tetons. When we got to the entrance we asked about a camp spot and the attendant told us that the park had filled by 1 pm that day (it was 4:30 pm) and that we would have to go back to the Tetons or stay out in West Yellowstone.
I was really bummed, but we decided to go in and explore and see Old Faithful and then maybe just drive home through the night or stop in West Yellowstone and come back into the park in the morning.
We first stopped to look at Lewis Falls. It was really pretty in the late afternoon.
Then we made the decision to stop at every campground and see if we could find a spot. We stopped at Lewis Lake Campground and the sign said full. But after driving around - we found the very last spot for walk-ins only. It was technically a biker/back packer campsite, but a Yellowstone worker said that we could stay because it was so late in the day and probably wasn't going to be used. YEAH! So here is Oliver paying for our $12 miracle in a full park.
Next, we made dinner, set up camp and then decided to go and see Old Faithful so that we could go other places the next day and still make it home at a decent hour. This is Castle Geyser. I didn't realize that Old Faithful was surrounded by dozens of other geysers which were intermittently going off. It was an impressive sight.
Andy then, we were lucky enough to watch Old Faithful go off during sunset and it was spectacular. We enjoyed walking along the boardwalks during dusk and then sunset and then dark. We drove back to our campground in the pitch black, which was a little scary, and then slept great!
The next day, and some the night before on our way to Old Faithful, we saw all kinds of wildlife. It was a very successful wildlife scouting adventure.
A 5x5 elk...
A baby elk nursing...
A stag...
A buffalo sticking out its tongue...
A buffalo rolling in the dirt...
A weird looking black bird...
A nest of osprey (can't really tell but there are babies in there)...and all sorts of other animals.
We also stopped to walk around Dragon's Mouth Spring/Mud Volcano/Gizzly Fumapole and some other interesting bubbling features. Churning Caldron was so steamy that this is what it looked like to walk past it - and keep in mind - all that steam smells like rotten eggs. Which probably didn't smell a whole lot worse than me, seeing how I hadn't showered in 5 days!
From there, we went and hiked around Upper and Lower Falls which was spectacular.
And then, after driving through construction, we exited the park. I discovered that we were in Montana! Having never been to Montana I was ecstatic! I admit that we didn't see or do anything in Montana - but now I have been.
On the way home, we stopped in Rexburg to have our lunch on the temple grounds. Neither of us had seen the new temple before, but it was peaceful and pretty. A bonus, it was closed for cleaning so there was no one around to mind our stench...
What a great and unexpected trip to Yellowstone - we will surely be returning!
I was really bummed, but we decided to go in and explore and see Old Faithful and then maybe just drive home through the night or stop in West Yellowstone and come back into the park in the morning.
We first stopped to look at Lewis Falls. It was really pretty in the late afternoon.
Then we made the decision to stop at every campground and see if we could find a spot. We stopped at Lewis Lake Campground and the sign said full. But after driving around - we found the very last spot for walk-ins only. It was technically a biker/back packer campsite, but a Yellowstone worker said that we could stay because it was so late in the day and probably wasn't going to be used. YEAH! So here is Oliver paying for our $12 miracle in a full park.
Next, we made dinner, set up camp and then decided to go and see Old Faithful so that we could go other places the next day and still make it home at a decent hour. This is Castle Geyser. I didn't realize that Old Faithful was surrounded by dozens of other geysers which were intermittently going off. It was an impressive sight.
Andy then, we were lucky enough to watch Old Faithful go off during sunset and it was spectacular. We enjoyed walking along the boardwalks during dusk and then sunset and then dark. We drove back to our campground in the pitch black, which was a little scary, and then slept great!
The next day, and some the night before on our way to Old Faithful, we saw all kinds of wildlife. It was a very successful wildlife scouting adventure.
A 5x5 elk...
A baby elk nursing...
A stag...
A buffalo sticking out its tongue...
A buffalo rolling in the dirt...
A weird looking black bird...
A nest of osprey (can't really tell but there are babies in there)...and all sorts of other animals.
We also stopped to walk around Dragon's Mouth Spring/Mud Volcano/Gizzly Fumapole and some other interesting bubbling features. Churning Caldron was so steamy that this is what it looked like to walk past it - and keep in mind - all that steam smells like rotten eggs. Which probably didn't smell a whole lot worse than me, seeing how I hadn't showered in 5 days!
From there, we went and hiked around Upper and Lower Falls which was spectacular.
And then, after driving through construction, we exited the park. I discovered that we were in Montana! Having never been to Montana I was ecstatic! I admit that we didn't see or do anything in Montana - but now I have been.
On the way home, we stopped in Rexburg to have our lunch on the temple grounds. Neither of us had seen the new temple before, but it was peaceful and pretty. A bonus, it was closed for cleaning so there was no one around to mind our stench...
What a great and unexpected trip to Yellowstone - we will surely be returning!
Maggie for 4 nights and 4 days...
Over the Fourth of July we were the proud stand-in parents of a two-year old. While mom and dad were having this adorable little guy...
We were watching this happy girl...Because of some complications during birth and some problems with Grandma's health - Oliver and I got to watch her for the entire holiday weekend. The truth is she really is as happy as the picture makes her look. She was fun and happy and we loved watching her.
We went up the canyon and had a picnic lunch and the next day we went hiking around Silver Lake.
She and Oliver had to keep looking at the fishes - but she kept telling us "shhhh" because they were all sleeping (and we didn't have the heart to correct that!).
We saw several "chip-monkies" and she loved chasing them around the boardwalk and through the trails.
She played on the teeter-totter.
We enjoyed cake to celebrate her 2-year old birthday (just a day after little brother).
And we sat on the curb and watched a fun firework display - she loved it!
All I can say is hopefully our kids turn out so well-behaved and happy.
It really was a joy!
We were watching this happy girl...Because of some complications during birth and some problems with Grandma's health - Oliver and I got to watch her for the entire holiday weekend. The truth is she really is as happy as the picture makes her look. She was fun and happy and we loved watching her.
We went up the canyon and had a picnic lunch and the next day we went hiking around Silver Lake.
She and Oliver had to keep looking at the fishes - but she kept telling us "shhhh" because they were all sleeping (and we didn't have the heart to correct that!).
We saw several "chip-monkies" and she loved chasing them around the boardwalk and through the trails.
She played on the teeter-totter.
We enjoyed cake to celebrate her 2-year old birthday (just a day after little brother).
And we sat on the curb and watched a fun firework display - she loved it!
All I can say is hopefully our kids turn out so well-behaved and happy.
It really was a joy!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Italy Pictures At Last
We flew from Salt Lake to Rome and arrived in the afternoon. That afternoon we boarded the cruise ship and left Rome that evening. The next morning we landed in Sorrento, Italy and went and visited Pompeii. We didn't make it back to Rome until the end of our trip - but I have posted all of our Italy pictures in this posting. Enjoy!
We ate gelato everyday that we were in Italy. This is our first gelato in Sorrento - as you can see Oliver was really excited!
A pretty standard Pompeii picture...
The Colesium...
The Colesium...
The Colesium...again...
In the Coliseum with our backs to the Arch of Constantine. You can tell we are both listening to our free Rick Steeves podcast tours on our iPODS - seriously our best trip preparation that we did. (Thanks Reini and Jared for the advice!)
Roman Forum
The Pantheon on our night walking tour of Rome.
It really was a beautiful night!
Trevi Fountain at night.
St. Peter's Square
St. Peter's Square
Bernini sculpture inside the Vatican Museum. We saw a lot of Bernini work while we were in Rome and I love his sculpture. I am so glad for the recommendation to go the Borghese Gallery (no pics allowed) because it was my favorite museum of the entire trip. (Thanks Michelle!)
Oliver outside the Castel de San Angelo (and yes we did see Angels and Demons the first night we were in Rome and yes Oliver can tell you the discrepancy of the film and the actually places because we checked them all). Yep - more great Bernini work!
The last day and the only two hours of rain our entire trip we went to Villa D'Este Tivoli which is an hour or so bus ride outside of Rome. Beautiful gardens and almost exclusively natural gravity powered fountains.
The steps up and down.
Oliver and the biggest fountain.
Me and the big fountain.
The water was safe to drink...
And there really were fountains everywhere.
Please check back later for pics of Egypt, Greece, Israel and Turkey.
We ate gelato everyday that we were in Italy. This is our first gelato in Sorrento - as you can see Oliver was really excited!
A pretty standard Pompeii picture...
The Colesium...
The Colesium...
The Colesium...again...
In the Coliseum with our backs to the Arch of Constantine. You can tell we are both listening to our free Rick Steeves podcast tours on our iPODS - seriously our best trip preparation that we did. (Thanks Reini and Jared for the advice!)
Roman Forum
The Pantheon on our night walking tour of Rome.
It really was a beautiful night!
Trevi Fountain at night.
St. Peter's Square
St. Peter's Square
Bernini sculpture inside the Vatican Museum. We saw a lot of Bernini work while we were in Rome and I love his sculpture. I am so glad for the recommendation to go the Borghese Gallery (no pics allowed) because it was my favorite museum of the entire trip. (Thanks Michelle!)
Oliver outside the Castel de San Angelo (and yes we did see Angels and Demons the first night we were in Rome and yes Oliver can tell you the discrepancy of the film and the actually places because we checked them all). Yep - more great Bernini work!
The last day and the only two hours of rain our entire trip we went to Villa D'Este Tivoli which is an hour or so bus ride outside of Rome. Beautiful gardens and almost exclusively natural gravity powered fountains.
The steps up and down.
Oliver and the biggest fountain.
Me and the big fountain.
The water was safe to drink...
And there really were fountains everywhere.
Please check back later for pics of Egypt, Greece, Israel and Turkey.
Two Full Days in Egypt
We spent two days in Egypt cramming in all the northern sites. The Cairo Museum and pyramids and Nile and a lot of other stuff. Here are just a few of our hundreds of Egypt pictures.
Me and Oliver at the Step Pyramid of Sakkarah - the oldest remaining pyramid in Egypt.
They are continually working on restoration of the pyramids to try to keep them preserved. Originally they were covered with limestone or marble but as people have come through the centuries and conquered and expanded Egypt they took material from the pyramids to build other things. Here are two of the restoration workers whom were really excited to have me take their pictures.
How come no one told us that the pyramids are right outside the city and not somewhere in the middle of a desert? Look how close they are! If you look at the pyramid on the right you can see that it still has some of its marble coating toward the top that wasn't easy to take and use somewhere else.
But when you go around the back, because of the elevation changes, it still looks like the middle of nowhere - don't be fooled!
We rode camels and I thought it would be pretty pricey - nope - only $4 for both of us - a lot cheaper than a horse at the fair.
Please excuse the bad manners of Oliver's camel.
Just chilling on a camel by the pyramids.
The Sphinx and a pyramid.
Kissing the Sphinx.
We saw a laser light show at the pyramids which told the history of these three pyramids and ancient Egypt. It was really fun but without a tripod we didn't get any great pictures of it. While we were watching the show the prayer cry for the Muslims evening prayer occurred and it was so loud and overwhelming that you couldn't hear anything else but the wail for prayer.
Here we are on our River Nile breakfast cruise. I didn't realize just how big the River Nile really is.
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali (Alabaster Mosque), built in the Turkish style.
These men were our escort all around Egypt. We had a two bus caravan with four truckloads of soldiers watching out for us. Because Egypt has such bad infrastructure and because tourism is so vital to their economy they send escorts with every tour group for ease getting around the country and for safety.
Lastly, some very pretty flowers on the Nile side of our five star hotel - seriously it is the nicest hotel that either Oliver or I have ever stayed in.
We loved Egypt and we will go back one day. We would like to take a cruise on the Nile River from Cairo to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings - but for now we are happy with our introduction to Egypt. We also loved out tour guide and will seek her out when we make it back to Egypt.
Stay tuned for pictures of Israel, Turkey and Greece.
Me and Oliver at the Step Pyramid of Sakkarah - the oldest remaining pyramid in Egypt.
They are continually working on restoration of the pyramids to try to keep them preserved. Originally they were covered with limestone or marble but as people have come through the centuries and conquered and expanded Egypt they took material from the pyramids to build other things. Here are two of the restoration workers whom were really excited to have me take their pictures.
How come no one told us that the pyramids are right outside the city and not somewhere in the middle of a desert? Look how close they are! If you look at the pyramid on the right you can see that it still has some of its marble coating toward the top that wasn't easy to take and use somewhere else.
But when you go around the back, because of the elevation changes, it still looks like the middle of nowhere - don't be fooled!
We rode camels and I thought it would be pretty pricey - nope - only $4 for both of us - a lot cheaper than a horse at the fair.
Please excuse the bad manners of Oliver's camel.
Just chilling on a camel by the pyramids.
The Sphinx and a pyramid.
Kissing the Sphinx.
We saw a laser light show at the pyramids which told the history of these three pyramids and ancient Egypt. It was really fun but without a tripod we didn't get any great pictures of it. While we were watching the show the prayer cry for the Muslims evening prayer occurred and it was so loud and overwhelming that you couldn't hear anything else but the wail for prayer.
Here we are on our River Nile breakfast cruise. I didn't realize just how big the River Nile really is.
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali (Alabaster Mosque), built in the Turkish style.
These men were our escort all around Egypt. We had a two bus caravan with four truckloads of soldiers watching out for us. Because Egypt has such bad infrastructure and because tourism is so vital to their economy they send escorts with every tour group for ease getting around the country and for safety.
Lastly, some very pretty flowers on the Nile side of our five star hotel - seriously it is the nicest hotel that either Oliver or I have ever stayed in.
We loved Egypt and we will go back one day. We would like to take a cruise on the Nile River from Cairo to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings - but for now we are happy with our introduction to Egypt. We also loved out tour guide and will seek her out when we make it back to Egypt.
Stay tuned for pictures of Israel, Turkey and Greece.