Nothing New!

Well, Emily's been gone to Utah now for two weeks and we miss her tons! She is having a great time, playing in the snow, visiting her friends, shopping and travelling. She is going to spend a few days at Thanksgiving with Tom's parents so they'll get to spend some time with her. She will be home Dec. 4th and that can't come soon enough for me. I don't know what I'll do when she goes off to college.
We are so waiting for the weather to change down here. It was 85 degrees today! Where's our winter weather?? Last year it was freezing on Thanksgiving day for the ward Fun Run and Turkey Bowl, so maybe there's still hope for some cooler days ahead.
There's not a whole lot of new stuff going on right now. The boys are done with marching season and on to Jazz Band and Regions if they make it. They don't really want to but it's required so it'll be interesting to see how hard they try! It's nice to have them home in the evenings and not at practice til 8:00.
We're all just moving along with our everyday lives, just like you all are. We think of all of you often and send our love.

Happy 18th Birthday, Emily!!

Happy 18th, Emily! I can't believe the tiny little babe I used to cradle in my arms is an 18 year old woman now. And quite a beautiful one at that. Her birthday was yesterday, and we had a couple of her closest friends over to have cake and ice cream with us after dinner. We had such a good time that the girls were laughing until they cried. It was too much fun!
Emily and I are going to Time Out for Women this weekend; just the two of us. We are going to spend the night on the Riverwalk after the Friday night session and walk over early Saturday morning for that day's events. We are very excited to get to spend some time together before she leaves for Utah next week. No boys allowed!
Alex is healing nicely after his "severely sprained" ankle from last week; he even went to school today with no crutches. He's been hopping and hobbling around the house since someone jumped on his foot (accidentally) on a trampoline after a dance last Saturday night. It was humongously swollen and gross and purple for a good week afterwards but looks much better now. The doctor thought he might have broken the foot or the ankle; it was so swollen that we couldn't tell if it was the foot or ankle, but the x-rays were negative, thankfully.
Adam is looking at working at the UPS store in the time he's not working at Domilno's so he can save money faster for his mission. I personally just think he should go and let us worry about paying for it, but he's trying to help. He is a good boy...or man, I guess! Oh, and anyone wishing to donate to the "send Adam on his mission" fund is welcome to contact me! Hee hee!
Evan is doing great and just plugging along. He's doing a great job on the drumline and really enjoys it. He's trying not to get a big head since the drumline has a reputation as being the most prideful members of the band, but I think it's grown a little!
We send our love to all our friends and family and hope to see you guys soon! Great day to all!

Happy Birthday, Evan!

Happy Birthday to my dear baby, Evan. You may be fourteen today, and may be taller than me, but you are still my baby. I hope you love your new phone and that you have a wonderful day and a wonderful year!

Much Ado About Nothing

Not much exciting going on here, just the everyday madness! I think we've finally settled down to a routine with the younger two kids in seminary and school. We're trying family prayer in the morning before the kids go to seminary and scripture study at night before bed, and that seems to be working well. Hopefully it will continue to work well! Alex and Evan did really well at their first band competition on Saturday. Their band took first place in several events and overall. For the first competition for the high school's first year, it was outstanding! We are so proud of them when we see them marching on the field.
Emily had two high schools fighting over her to have her work for them assisting with the color guard. She chose to work with Johnson, the school the boys attend. She worked with many of the girls when she was on the color guard in high school last year. She's very excited and begins work today.
Adam was promoted to Assistant Manager at Domino's and is enjoying having more money to spend and more money to save for his mission. He is doing well and enjoying life, maybe a bit too much!
Tom is so happy to be retired from the Air Force. He is doing the same job he did while active duty, just as a civilian now. He likes having all the pressure off and having a more relaxed day. He is happier when he comes home now.
I'm still working at the Distribution Center for our church, and I really enjoy it. We are losing our manager because she is getting married in December. I'm very happy for her but sad for me because she is such a sweetie and I will miss her. It will be hard to get used to a new manager with a new style but hopefully it will work out okay.
That's about it for us now. I've been working on scrapbooking and making Christmas cards and that has been a stress-reliever for me. So when you get your cards at Christmastime from us, remember they were made with love!
'Til next time....

Our Anniversary "Vacation"

We had an AMAZING four days on our little vacation. I've included pictures at the end of this which correlate to the things I'll tell you.
We decided to be tourists in our own town and check out the things that we've never done before in San Antonio. We stayed downtown, next to the Alamo, at the Menger Hotel. You should google it; it's haunted! The rooms were gorgeous, as was the rest of the hotel. We spent the whole time "sightseeing" and eating out and buying souvenirs. We walked along the Riverwalk and went into some places that we've never seen before. We went to a glass blowing shop and you can see the picture below of the huge design that hung in the front window. We had dinner the first night at the Rainforest Cafe on the Riverwalk; neither of us had been to a Rainforest Cafe before. It was fun...we got to sit by the giant elephant on the third story. We actually ate the Mudslide Brownie, I'm ashamed to say. It was HUGE and delicious! Then we walked around a little bit and explored the hotel. I didn't see any ghosts, and I was disappointed. Oh well. We got up early the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel and the food was wonderful and everyone was so kind. Then we got an all-day trolley pass so we could scoot around town and not have to walk so much (bad knees!). We went to the old Mexican part of town, La Villita, and went to the shops there. It was so quiet, and in the middle of downtown. We went to a little church that has been there for over a hundred years. It had beautiful stained glass windows and was very peaceful inside. When we were done there we went to the Mercado and lazily walked around, doing a little bit of shopping. We saw some amazing artwork, and the artist came and talked to us about his work. He was so neat; it reminded me that everyone has a story...too cool. We had lunch at the Mercado in a park across the street. Then we got on the trolley again and went back to the Alamo and looked through the shops across the street, which we've never done before. They were interesting to say the least! We went back to our hotel and dropped off all our goodies that we had bought, took a little nap, and went back out to the trolley. It took us around the King District and we saw some incredible houses built back in the day and just more interesting places to visit. For dinner that night we went to Casa Rio on the Riverwalk, which is a famous restaurant here, and had great Mexican food in great surroundings. Then we walked up toward the River Center mall and checked out the little shops on the way. There was a cool one where they were burning incense and selling candles and stuff. We walked on into the mall and did some shopping there before heading back to the hotel.
The next day we got up to an elaborate brunch at the dining room in the hotel. We had salmon and leg of lamb along with anything else we could have wanted. That was Sunday and it was a little quieter around town. We did some driving around the area and saw some of the old town. We went to the Brackenridge Park and the zoo. We drove up to Bass Pro Shop (Tom said he knows many men who would be thrilled to have their wife want to go to Bass Pro for their anniversary!), and looked at all the cool stuff there. After that, we went to LBJ National Park and drove around and then visited their visitor's center. We were looking for stuff on LBJ's wife, Ladybird, because Alex and Evan are going to a brand new high school named after her. They didn't have much on her, so we headed back. On Monday, Evan wanted us to be home to drive him to his first day of high school, so we did that. Then we just puttered around town, taking it easy. The next day we went to lunch with Adam and Emily at a cool place called Artisan's Alley. After lunch we looked around at the works that the different artists had made. They have some amazing stuff there. It was a lot of fun looking at all the works and being able to talk with the people who created it. After that we realized that we had to come down from our fantasy world and go home. It was actually fun seeing the kids and finding out how they did on their own for a few days. The next day was back to normal, but I have that weekend to hold on to and look back on when I feel overwhelmed. We enjoyed each other's company so much that we'll have to do it again, sooner than our next anniversary!

23rd Anniversary Vacation

We had a WONDERFUL time on our little vacation. We stayed downtown at the Menger Hotel on the Riverwalk and pretended that we were tourists and checked out our town. You should google the Menger Hotel...it's haunted!! This is a couple of pictures of our room.

Happy Anniversary Tom and Deb!

Yesterday was Tom and Deb's anniversary! We've been married 23 years now. Seems like just yesterday that we were sealed in the Manti Temple. We didn't do much last night--ordered dinner out and Tom got me some of my favorite perfume. We are going away for a few days this weekend, and I can't wait. We're leaving when I get off work tomorrow afternoon and coming back on Tuesday evening. Tom won't tell me where we're going either. So, it should be a lot of fun and hopefully very relaxing.
The kids, at least half of them, will be starting school on Monday. Evan will be a freshman and Alex will be a sophomore, and they will be attending a brand-new school that isn't even all the way finished yet. It sits high on a hill and is bigger than you can imagine. Crazy! It should be a great year and we're excited to get it going.
Things are going great. We're all doing well and feeling pretty good. Alex and Evan are still growing like crazy; I don't even want to buy them school clothes because I know they will outgrow them very soon. Emily is still looking at different colleges and is really looking forward to her trip to Utah. She will be checking out several campuses out there along with having fun with her best friend, Dani. Adam just needs to make an appointment for his Patriarchal Blessing and then he will be one step closer to his mission. He expects to be gone by December, but I don't know if it will be that fast. The way they do everything by computer and email now, it could be possible I guess. We're just ready for him to take that next step in his life.
Well, as usual, I have to go run the kids somewhere. Never a dull moment!

Count your blessings!

It's eight in the morning on Sunday morn and Tom and I are the only ones awake. It is so peaceful in the house right now, like our world is gearing up for the kids to come alive. I love early mornings like this; I just don't love getting out of bed to enjoy them! Adam came home from his date last night around midnight to tell us that a deer ran into the side of his car when he was leaving Kaitlyn's house. I just went out to see the damage and it isn't as bad as it could have been. The dent goes all the way to the window on the driver's side door and he was driving with the window down! I'm surprised the deer didn't just jump on in with him!
Alex and Evan begin extensive band camp this week...three-a-days. It lasts until school starts so I've basically seen the last of them for a while. And with Adam and Emily working all the time, I'm missing them all. They grow up and have their own lives too fast. But they're all healthy and strong and great kids so I'm thankful for that. At work on Friday I was helping a mom and her daughter who was probably almost thirty get ready to go to the temple. The daughter had her kids, a six-year-old and her four year old son with her. While the daughter was trying on her dress, the mom told me that they had had a rough year. The daughter's husband had left her, and they had found out that the little boy has leukemia. That really slapped me into reality. Just when you think you've got troubles, someone like that comes along and you realize how bad it could be, and just how blessed and lucky you are. That was my lesson for the day. Now I am going to try to post a different picture of Alex 'cuz he doesn't like the one I already put on here. Everyone have a great day, and count your blessings!

Where has all the time gone?+

I've spent a lot of time lately reflecting on where my life is going. I seem to have hit "middle age' with all the feelings that go along with it. I'm finding myself with a son who is almost ready to leave me for two years to serve a mission for our church. That is a good thing, right?? Then why do I have such mixed emotions about it? Maybe if I didn't like him so much, it would be easier to let him go, but I truly adore this kid. He is funny and nice and has a great personality. I know the people he will touch on his mission will love him; he's easy to love. I just know I am going to miss him so much, but I also know it is time to turn him over to the Lord for a little while. It will be bittersweet to watch him go. Then there is his sister who will be going to college in the spring, probably way far away from us. She is going to visit a friend in Utah for a month around Thanksgiving time. I will look at it as a practice run for me to have her gone. Heck, she was gone to Girls' Camp for a week and it felt like she was gone forever. Maybe I'm just not willing to let them grow up. Nobody told me it would be this hard. It is so neat to watch them grow and become such awesome adults, but sometimes I just want my babies back. :( I'll still have the two younger ones at home, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them without their older siblings around. I'm still in the middle of "Tom and Deb's Excellent Adventure", so I'll take the good with the (sorta) bad. Overall, I have a wonderful life and have been very blessed over the years with a great familly and great friends...Lucky Me!!

Hello from the Hansens!

Hello friends and family!
Well, so many of you have done such a great job with your blogs that I've decided to try my hand at it. Because we are so popular, I'm sure you've been waiting and waiting for us to join the blog world so you could read all about us and see our darling selves! So, hopefully I can figure this out and get some good stuff on here!