The way it was -- this week -- July 19, 2009

Nels' big news is that he got his haircut. For your pleasure, here are the before and after photos! Let's start with AFTER!

>

And Before!



So maybe you can't tell just how long his hair was getting. Anne cut off FIVE INCHES!

Pay no attention to the fact that on successive Sundays, Nels is napping on the Family Room couch. Pure coincidence.

BILL

Bill's 40th Skyview Reunion was last night. He renewed acquaintance with a couple dozen friends. One girl told me at the end of the night that Bill had been the talk of the class, because he joined them as a senior as a cute, smart California boy -- Bill said afterwards he'd never had the chance to talk to her before in his life! What you don't know people are saying about you!

RACHEL

Ray spent the weekend at a Youth Conference Mission, enjoying her immersion in all things New Zealand-ish and mission-ish. She wore one of Maggie's mission outfits, complete with worn-out shoes!

MIKE & VANESSA

Vanessa's going to help us capitalize on our own natures while being tolerant of our liabilities (and others' too!) through Carol Tuttle's book "It's Just My Nature." Vanessa was able to attend a Carol Tuttle workshop during her most recent Utah visit. We're going to get ourselves a copy of the book and get figuring ourselves out, but we'll be turning to Vanessa for help, you can bet! Here's the link to Carol Tuttle's info: http://www.caroltuttle.com/cmd.asp?af=1013381

BJ

BJ entertained Bill and Lisa (& Rachel) on Friday night at his most amazing and beautiful apartment complex. We swam and hot-tubbed and watched Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie up their sparring ante as Mr. and Mrs. Smith on the big screen in BJ's apartment. Family members are not likely to believe this, but I didn't fall asleep once during the movie! Rachel laughed at the end that she and I were the only ones awake. So, it was an anomaly. I love BJ's apartment complex. Part of me wants to shake off the huge house and its incessant demands and find a niche in his nice little Italian villa.

AMELIE

We're looking forward to Amelie's visit in Payson beginning Monday night. And we promise photos next blogging day.

MAGGIE

Maggie's enjoying her last month before graduate school begins again in unyielding earnest, promising no time to think about personal things or engage in personal activities (so she's been told). We've loved having Maggie live at home in this fast-vanishing interim. She's always up for a conversation about what's happening in this or that arena. Her witty incisive insights and even better questions make great conversation. I know I should illustrate rather than tell, but the quality of her wit exceeds the quantity of my memory.

MELANIE



Melanie is staying a few days with Serena and Roberto at a place on this lake (Como) in Italy.



Serena is the cutest expectant mom!

BILL

Every day Bill comes up with a new Chuck Norris joke emphasizing the intelligence, the ubiquitous presence (and violence) of Chuck. Recent dailies include: There is no chin under Chuck Norris' beard, just another fist. Another one. Chuck Norris once aced a calculus test by writing in the word "violence" as the answer to each question. Chuck Norris solves all problems with violence. OK, one more. Chuck Norris was the fourth wise man. To the baby Jesus, he gave the gift of beard, which Jesus wore proudly until the day he died. Today's edition: You probably didn't know that Chuck Norris discovered Mars. That's why there is no life on that planet.

MOM

This week I'm discovering the Community of Christ hymnbook. Each day a new hymn (or even better, a familiar melody with new words).

Hansens will have no blogging next Sunday cause Bill and I will be in the Uintahs battling either merciless sun or pounding rain, and loving every minute of being away from the 21st century (except for the extraordinarily wonderful sleeping bags and dehydrated food).

Pleasant dreams to you all!

Potpourri of Hansen Summer Stuff

We shoulda posted this in June (when we actually took the vacation), but it took a while to put this little presentation together. Fun, though.


You can tell from this video that when we arrived (the first slides are evening in Waikiki) we were TIRED OUT! We'd been up about 40 hours straight. It's hard now to even look at the pictures, exhaustion oozes from my face. By the last days in Hawaii, we look as relaxed and happy as we felt! Parasailing was the best! It was hard to come back to work!

MIKE & VANESSA

We promised photos from their Fourth of July in DC, and they're still coming. . . We discovered this week that Vanessa is the quickest ever at helping Bill and Lisa find online directions to wedding reception centers that have non-existent addresses in time enough not to miss the reception. Monday is Max's last T-ball game of the season

BJ



BJ's Patio of Fire pictures are coming in now! When BJ's Michael Jackson tribute comes in, I'm gonna post it here.

AMELIE

When the cutest little clip from Cooper comes in, I'm gonna post it right here!

MAGGIE

Maggie is 23 and has never really had a car of her own. She says Am's husband, Cody, is gonna give/lend her a car. Maggie bought a keyring to give to Amelie that says "I love Cody" but she's considering hanging it on the rearview of the car, just to remind her who gave her the wheels!

MELANIE

This is the view from the top of Mel's hotel this week. She also visited. . .

NELS

Nels is distributing resumes like a madman. He had such a responsible position with his last employer (a private school that closed its doors), he should be snapping up a job, but not so. Nels was sometimes in charge of the entire cafeteria -- making meals for up to 60 people all on his own, opening, cleaning and closing the place, never called in sick, was super dependable. If anybody knows of a job for our Nels other than landscaping at the law office (he does great at that), speak now.

RACHEL

Ray is teaching piano lessons and playing bassoon in the Sunday night city band concerts, rubbing shoulders with the folks who have lived a lifetime in Payson. She's also teaching piano lessons and mowing the HUGE lawn at the house.

THE PATIO WAS AFIRE! (as expected!)

Friday was the 8th Annual (no quibbling, there's been a concert for eight years now) Patio of Fire Concert!!

As BJ announced: Best show ever this year!! We had three sets, with three opening bands. Willie Nelson started, followed by Reuben Holdaway and then some from the Blues Brothers. Meels on Wheels [BJ's band] headlined the 3 sets and even had a "chic set" (ode to the girl bands). What a blast!!

The audience filled the hillside there. Couple hundred people, maybe. The sound system was great, and the fireworks fired up the sky after the concert to the tune of some pretty inspiring patriotic music. Nice job, BJ & Friends.

BJ rested post-concert by bloodying up his head in a game of water basketball on Saturday.



No stitches. Just stopped the game for awhile.

In other news. . .




Rachel passed her driver's test! Now we just need a trip to the DMV to get Rachel and Nels' smiles plastered on official holographic cards that cops can look at when they write Rachel and Nels speeding tickets.

So Nels and Ray may have passed their drivers' tests . . but they are now wishing they had jobs, and are a little late on the summer job lookout. While keeping their eyes open to be economically useful, they make music and write and mow lawns and do landscaping.

Meanwhile, Melanie is currently in . . .


ROME! And word is that the pope has blessed her phone. Or something on her phone. . . Or that he would have . . .

and while Melanie celebrated the Fourth of July in the ancient city of the seven hills, Mike and Vanessa celebrated the day in the nation's capital!



They took Max and Addie and explored the National Treasury and museums aplenty. We can't wait to find out what Max's favorite part was. They'll come home tonight and share photos we'll post next week! Sunday they went to the DC Temple grounds.



They sent Mom and Dad a phone photo of the temple, leading to reminiscences of that day over thirty years ago when a couple of kids all dressed up in their wedding finest were there contemplating and committing to a family just like the one we have!

Amelie reports that the bird funeral opportunities in Burley appear to have increased . . .

Maggie convinced Bill to run 5k yesterday morning, and convinced Lisa to hang up a few pictures on some bare walls, already. She also organized and labeled our linen closet, and can give the best Minnesota-accented tour of the linens! Her help is lovely and encouraging to all who dwell beneath our roof.

Maggie and Cammie had an interesting coincidence. Cammie handed out a pass-along card to a Spanish-speaking couple at a Sonic Drive-In who asked directions to Park City. The couple looked at the picture of the Salt Lake Temple on the card and exclaimed "That's the place we wanted to go see tomorrow but we wondered if there would be anybody who could speak Spanish there and tell us all about it! That's why we're here in Utah!" Well, Cammie and Maggie assured Alfredo and Rosa (originally from El Salvador, now from California) that they would be most happy to meet them at Temple Square and make sure they learned (in Spanish) anything they wanted to know. And they did. How fun for Maggie and Cammie to be missionary sisters together!

At church yesterday, Maggie and Cammie got adopted as Primary helpers. Cammie played the piano for the whole shebang, and Maggie taught the six-year olds about Ammon and the incident of ahem. . . the arms. . . by illustrating with a box of crayons. Oh, not that they used the crayons to draw pictures of the scene. Oh no, they used the box of crayons to imagine a . . box of. . arms. As they acted out the scene, Maggie's students expressed appropriate horror at the grisly box passed from servants to king. They may never look at crayons the same.

Our family owes thanks to Mike and Vanessa . . . . Lisa followed up on their brainstorm for her study by . . .


. . . finishing the COMPLETE overhaul! Now Bill and Lisa each can work at (a clean) desk and have access to all the stuff they need at the same time. Good work, everybody!

Lisa also went to see the Tabernacle Choir sing at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver. She didn't have a ticket to get in, and it was sold out. But she hung around the entrance till somebody fessed up they had an extra ticket (at $120) and they'd give it to her for free! It was a spectacular concert. She got a ride from a Colorado family who found out about Nephi's Courage, and told her that their oldest boy Levi (now 27) used to ask the Primary Music Leader to sing "Levi's Courage." It was his favorite song.

Thanks for sending mom your news and pictures. It makes the blog a snap to put together!