Blog Site I Created

I know that I told you that I would show you the blog site that I created for my sister's business as soon as it was finished. I am so excited about how it turned out. It was a so fun for me creatively thinking of ways to make it.
Here is a snap shot of her main page:



Isn't the title picture all cool. It matched her business cards. The menu bar is a neat feature that lets you go to different pages on her blog site. And one of my personal favorites is what I like to call the "button thingy". You push that button and it goes to a place where you make appointments. I know that this is just normal every day web stuff, I am just giddy that I can actually create all these bells and whistles!


You can go see all my impressive work and check out my sisters massage business by clicking here:

(showing off the new button thingy trick)

By the way, she is an excellent massage therapist. It is fall asleep, drool on the sheets, relaxing.

The rest of the story

So the rest of my birthday happening. Because I know your dying to know. We ended up leaving the seminar a little early. The lady was saying all obvious stuff and it was really boring. Talmage took me out to Chipotle and then Jamba Juice. Two places that I really like.
Erin and Taylor watched the kids. Hannah throw up on the way to their house. One or twice while at her house. Erin was so helpful and gave her two baths and even blow dried her hair. And since her car seat had throw up all over it I held her on the way home and she throw up all over me and her. Poor thing little girl.
Now I have the flu bug and I think that Nikki's blog sums up my feelings. Her blog is not open to the public so I'll post what she said here:

Dear Flu Bug,

I hate your stinkin guts.

You make me vomit. (literally)

You're scum between my toes.

Love,
The Grandy's The Hansens

Birthday Happenings

• I stayed up last night till midnight helping my sister make a blog site for her massage business. It was a fun way to ring in my birthday and a new year of 22.
• Talmage came home from school round ten and brought me Taco Bell for my birthday. He also got up with Heber so that I could sleep in. Sleeping in these days means 7:45.
  
• I worked on my sister's website some more this morning. I think I did a pretty great job! I can brag, it's my birthday. I'll show it off when I am all done with it.
  
• I went clogging and then did some grocery shopping while getting some exercise by riding my bike there. All the groceries and kids went into the buggy that Mom and Dad Hansen gave me for Christmas. I bought a lot of groceries that were heavy (cans, fruits, jars of stuff, a case of water) so I got a really good work out riding back. That is my favorite type of exercise, exercising while being productive or going some where that I was going to go in the first place. So I am pretty happy.
• I worked on my sister's blog site some more. And now here I am blogging.

What else do I have in store for my birthday?

• Listening to Jane Erye. I got a free audio book from audible.com and am half way through with it. I like it so far. I love listening to books because I can clean and take care of Herber and Hannah and not have to wait for their nap. And I don't feel like I am wasting my time. I know that reading books is not a waste of time but I feel so lazy sitting down and reading a book for more than an hour. Plus I get head aches if I slouch and that is hard not to do when reading a book.
• Tonight Talmage is taking me on a Hot date to a graduate program seminar things where they talk about graduate programs.

Pictures

Here's some pictures of us by request:











And last but not least to blupper pictures that are bond to make you just want to squeeze Heber and Hannah more:

Nursery

I just got a new calling last week. I was called to be in the nursery. I am absolutely happy and thrilled about this calling. It is a huge relief. I know what your thinking, "nursery... thrilled? ... a relief? are you kidding?"
No, I am not kidding or pulling your leg. The reason why I like it so much is because they let me bring Heber and Hannah with me, even though they are not old enough to go into nursery (they need to be 18 months old and are only 14 months old). Heber and Hannah are so good and half the time just sit there and watch the other kids.

Sure beat trying to keep them from fussing in Relief Society. Or stopping all of Gospel Essentials because Heber's head got stuck under the chair (yeah everyone was crowding around as we managed to pull out his noggin').

PS. Nikki, the other girl in the picture looks so much like a younger version of Paysen. Can you see it even from the back of her?

Start em while their young

oh yea, hebs and hans have taken their first steps. So cute!!!

The Perfect Storm

Since school has started (3 days ago) I have been riding my bike to school. It is about 15 miles one way and takes me 45-60 minutes to ride (as opposed to 25-30 minutes driving). Despite bad weather, I have continued to ride. Yesterday morning it was the rain. By the time I arrived at school I was drenched thoroughly from my hair to my shoes, only important items in my backpack wrapped in plastic bags were somewhat dry. But it was a nice ride and good training.

Yesterday evening was different. I was already late getting off from my school work (5:00 pm), but the elements combined against me as to try and keep me from ever getting home. At first it was just the wind coming from the south. I ride in a southeasterly direction, so I was either going against a headwind that was slowing me down or in a crosswind that was pushing me toward the street. I admit that the first half of the ride home was a rather fun challenge. It provided good training for my legs, keeping the bike steady on a straight path and just riding in difficult circumstances. Granted that it was taking me twice as long to travel, I was somewhat enjoying it. The powerful gust of wind would blow rocks and dirt on me that stung badly. Thanks to my sunglasses, my eyes were not damaged. However, as the intensity of the storm increased, I started to become worried for my safety.

Because of my slow progression, it got dark much sooner than I had expected causing me to remove my eye protection just to be able to see. The road got very narrow at some points and it was everything I could to not lose control of my bike and have it veer into busy traffic. The only rest I got was in a short span of neighborhood where the height of the houses diverted the wind and left me in somewhat of a calm. But the rest of the time I was going against a head wind that at times would cause me to almost come to a stop and then would let up just enough that I could keep moving forward.

When I got to the last 3 mile stretch I really started to worry. This was an open stretch on Ironwood from Empire to Bella Vista with no protection and no lights. I decided that I would try to hitchhike, but did not want to stop my progress in fear that I would never get home. So I continued forward. That stretch usually takes me 10 minutes, but now seemed to not get any shorter as I rode. I carried no water with me as I'm used to a 45 minute ride that doesn't require it. At this point I was pushing 1 and 1/2 hours of riding and really starting to feel the fatigue (I had not eaten since breakfast either). I kept telling myself that it would be alright though and that I would eventually get home, slowly but surely.

The storm did not let up or pass like I had hoped. Instead it got worse. I started to stick my left hand out with my thumb up as I saw the lights of a car coming up. I was hoping for a generous passer-by, but didn't have enough confidence that one would actually stop so I had to keep pedaling forward. I eventually stopped doing this as it caused me to lose control of my bike. Thoughts of wanting to see Rachel and the kids again were motivating me as well as that of a warm dinner waiting for me (which Rachel delivered on). But the storm's peak was too much. It finally stopped me in my tracks and I had to twist out of my pedals and start pushing it. Only after getting off the bike did I realize how weak I had gotten. I felt like a drunkard staggering along the side of the road, and who'd stop for that? Nevertheless, I pushed the bike with one arm and outstretched my left arm with my thumb up hoping that someone would stop. It would take a special person, however. Traffic was going too fast to give people a chance to think about stopping. They would have had to already made up their minds and just react.

After 10 minutes of trudging along, that person drove by. In a compact car, they stopped about 50 yards ahead of me. When I finally made it to their window I looked in to see a lady in nun apparel. She told me to put my bike in. I first tried the trunk but could not get it in and was getting beat by the wind blowing the trunk door down on me. I told her and she said I could put it in the back seat which I knew would work. Opening the door caused some trash and piece of Tupperware to fly out and get lost in the darkness. The door did not want to stay open and I had to wedge my body between it and the car. I eventually got the bike in and then assumed my place in the front seat.

Happier I could not have been to be safe and know that I was going to make it home. the lady introduced herself as Sister ______ (I immediately forgot). She seemed so happy to help and got me home within minutes. After she dropped me off and before she left, I asked if I could have a way to contact her to which she replied, "No, no. I'm just returning a favor for all those times others have helped me." Not willing to argue I said thanks, again, and bid her off. I was safe at home and so grateful that for a house in which the effects of the storm could not be felt while within.

A few things can be learned from this story.

1. We need to be prepared to react. I believe that because helping others was on the forefront of this lady's mind she was able to. I have found that when situations for need arise, I seldom have time to think and decide what I'll do.
2. Attitude is everything. I don't think I would have made it as far as I did if I didn't have the right attitude. In fact, I saw it as a fun challenge and a blessing to my training. I compare it to a time in8th grade after a basketball game when I had to walk home because someone forgot to pick me up. I was already mad because we lost, but I also didn't feel appreciated. It was a long miserable walk having to carry my things while dressed in a shirt and tie and feeling sorry for myself and mad at others. But in reality it wasn't that bad of a walk. If I had the right attitude it would have been fine.

Going off that last point, I don't think that having a good attitude is a matter of just being positive out of sheer will. It is about having the right perspective, which can cause us to be positive. Knowing that God loves us and what our purpose is here on earth can give us that perspective. It can help us to see trials as being for our good (training) and know that God is in control and will watch over us if we obey Him (and even sometimes if we won't). I'm sure there is much else that could be learned, but that is all I have for now.

This was written before I had heard how big this storm was. A call went out from our Stake President asking us to check on all our home teaching families and see if they were all right. Someone else said there was even a tornado.