What Happens in Texas

I need to share some tidbits with the world.


First, quotes from my classroom:

a. "Mrs. Hansen, do you wear dentures?"

b. Student: "Look Mrs. H, I finished this book finally!"
    Me:  "Oh tight! I'm so glad! I hoped you would like it."
    Student: "Ya know, you don't need to say that to impress me. I'll think you're cool even if you don't say 'tight' all the time.".
    Me:  "Huh. I guess it's just habit...."

c. "Look, I can run like an Ostrich!"  after which he runs around the classroom with his arms out behind him.

d. Girl: "When were you born Mrs. Hansen?"
    Me: "1812."
   Girl:  "Whoa! That's a really long time ago!"
   Me: "I know it. I'm just really old!".

I love this class. They are such good kids, but so insane, and chatty and young. Oh so young. I forget sometimes that 9 and 10 really is so young! I love them. :)
 

Also, it's funny to me some things I see here that I never did in Utah. For instance, when did this whole "beverage" fad begin? Or was it always there and I never noticed. People say that cell phones have become an extension of people's hands, but in my opinion they can't be cause people's hands are already too busy holding drinks. Coffee, tea, coke, water, crystal light- it doesn't even matter. There are a few people at my school that I have never yet seen withOUT a beverage in their hands.
I see a lot of this.

 

And it perplexes me cause I never see this. Which doesn't add up. Where does all this liquid go!?

Yet people are drinking something constantly. CONSTANTLY. It's new to me. And I think it's so funny.

Also the mutton chops.  I've seen me A LOT of mutton chops just like this critter has here.

  

I've seen some other funny things lately too.

Christmas chocolates at a Big Lots. If this is the sampler, what on earth does King Size look like!? 

This was on the wall at a school we had a training at. I'm really not even sure if this really means what it seems like it means. But each toilet had a garbage can on top of it, so...yikes. Glad that's not my school! 

Anyways, the Holidays are now coming! I had to scrape my car off today for the first time. How grateful I am that it's been in the 70's here. We have Christmas set up too! 

Check out our cutesy pie mantle. 

 

And check out this cutesy pie boy holding our neighbor's little baby. There are some dang cute little kiddos here in our ward. We are in nursery right now and we love it. I've always wanted to get called to the nursery. We get to play with toddlers all day at church. I Love it!

Imagine how cute our own kids will be someday with that cute husband of mine! 

Well Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy your week. :)

Round Two

There are no more adequate more for how I feel right now than these. Thank you Robert Keen, for writing this hymn. I'll forever be grateful. 

" In every condition, in sickness in health, in poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, at home or abroad, on the land or the sea As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be. 

Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help the, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call the to go, the rivers of sorrow shall  not thee o'erflow, for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. 

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. 

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake." 

                                                                                         -How Firm a Foundation, Hymn 85

We are Texan.

Last Thursday morning we set off at 6am to drive to Colorado, the first part of our travelings to Texas. It was a 10 hour drive to Fountain, where we stayed for 2 days with my big bro Steve, his wife Sylvia, and their 3 kids, Sabrinna, Tanner, and Baby Brianne. Call me crazy if they aren't the funnest to hang out with. Check out them telling us about where we're going on this car ride. (Hint, we are heading to a water park called pirate's cove.)

It was so fun chasing them around the waterpark! I love these little hooligans, and we had so much fun seeing Syl and Steve. They are moving to Virginia in the fall, so it was good to get a visit in before they leave us for the east coast.

We went and saw  Brave in 3D. It was their first 3D movie. Sabrinna loved it, but Tanner didn't like keeping his glasses on. :)

They took this picture themselves with my phone. Is your heart melted yet? Cause mine sure is.

Thanks Steve and Syl for such a fun time!


Sunday morning, again at 6am, we began the problem free, but super sweaty 12 hour drive to Fort Worth.
Texas is flat as a pancake. This is a picture from the truck as we were getting close to Amarillo. Yes, we definitely listened to "Amarillo Skies" as we drove through. Thank you Mr. Aldean.

 This little grasshopper hitch hiked on our windshield wiper for about 200 miles. What a lazy way to migrate! 

AND I always thought it was just a stereotype, but everyone seriously has a southern drawl and says y'all.


Our apartment is great. It seems so big after our last place! It has higher ceilings and just a little more space in every room. We're on the 2nd floor, we have a cute little wood patio, a dishwasher-thank heavens, and a washer and dryer. It's already painted a light tan color which looks really good. This place is my blank canvas. I get to spend the next few years making it adorable. Here's our mantle so far, and the shower curtain I found and fell in love with!

  This is Steven's suggestion for decor: 

That's a Derek Fisher bobblehead, a Magic Johnson doll, a voodoo doll and alligator head from his mission, and Jerry West Doll. Unacceptable.

We're excited to be here and so far so good! It's crazy hot and humid (I love the hot, it's the humidity that kills me!), but we are here, and all unpacked, and ready to head to Aruba! Steven's parents live there and we'll get there tomorrow and stay until next Saturday. It'll be my first time leaving the country, and for a beautiful island none the less! Let's hope I come back super tan. :)

Repairs

This is me and my mom, Michelle.

  

She grew up in Ohio. Her parents are from Poland and Czechoslovakia. She was a convert to the church in her  20's, married my dad and had 4 (super awesome) kids!  She is a fantastic mother. 

She would teach me how to cook alongside her as she made dinners.

She gave me popsicles and 7-up when I was sick. 

She bought me a mini palm tree (my favorite thing ever) when I won a high school election as a congratulations gift. 

She didn't just sit on the porch and watch me rollerblade, she got rollerblades her size and rollerbladed with me. 

She told me everyday before I went to school "You look pretty today!". It was always those exact words too.

She took me shopping and let me pick out hair bows. 

Once while waiting in line at the car wash we saw the lady in front of us open the back of her van and she had like 3 costco size containers of blueberries. My mom and I spent the rest of the time making fun of her cause who on earth likes blueberries!? And who could eat that many? We felt bad for her children that were going to have to eat hundreds of blueberries. 

Once I came out of my room and my mom was on the couch eating hot fudge with a spoon out of the jar. I asked why she was eating hot fudge for breakfast, to which she responded, "Well it's too early for ice cream!". 

She has a sense of humor, she loves kids, and has cared for many children besides her own. I love my mom and there are lots of things about her that I want to be like. For instance, she doesn't see the boundaries between people. She'll talk to that crazy old man with the hat and the fanny pack in line in front of you at Walmart as much as she'll talk to the socially awkward teenager. She is kind to them no matter what they look like. 

She isn't perfect, and neither am I, and there is plenty that is different between us. She is no longer LDS, whereas that is the foundation of all my life and purpose. She is stubborn as anything and it's definitely frustrating. She deals with things differently and has been through different things than me. Despite how much she could frustrate the living daylights out of me, I love her very deeply and appreciate what she tried to do for me growing up- how she tried to raise me to be successful, kind, caring, and smart. 

Since March, my mom has been in the ICU at University Hospital in Salt Lake. She had burns over more than 60% of her body, and has had ups and downs of healing. Right now we're about at a standstill. She has just as much chance of not making it through as she does of making it and continuing her life. It's made me think a lot about both options, and what my life would be like with either. I still want my mom to be a part of my life, but it's not really up to me. Whether she makes it or not, I love her, and I can do some things to keep her in my heart.

When I was little my mom bought a beautiful china hutch. She was so excited about it. She put the china dishes she got from her mom at her wedding in it for display. She would change the decorations on it and in it over time, and it moved to different places around the house, but she always treasured it. I know that she loved that cabinet. She always told me too that it would be mine someday. She wanted to make sure it went to her only girl. Not that any of my brother's cared- a china hutch is kind of a girly thing anyway- but it was this cool thing between me and my mom that it was "our" cabinet- hers now, and mine to care for down the road.

In February of 2010 the house fire happened and almost everything in my childhood home got ruined by either flame or smoke. I can't even explain what it was like walking into the house the first time after that fire. That was one of the lowest moments of my life. Oh man, one of those moments you hope to never feel again. If you've ever dealt with a fire, then you know that smoke is a monster. It permeates and destroys everything. Our couches got trashed, the cabinets, the oven, like all major furniture and appliances. The house was repainted, repaired, and brought back to life thanks to my ward's and my dad's tireless efforts. When everything was getting cleaned out and thrown away, my dad mentioned to a good friend in our ward that the china hutch was special to my mom and me. It was smoky and water damaged, and smelled terrible. Instead of throwing it out that good man wanted to salvage it. He spent all his time at our house that day using this special cleaner to wipe off as much smoke as he could, knowing that it was for me. I am so thankful to him. I was living in student apartments then, so it went in the garage where I planned to take it with me when I was married and had room for it. My mom was elsewhere and would likely not have a place of her own again to keep it in, so it now became mine.

Next Thursday Steven and I are moving to Texas! We'll be living in a little bit bigger apartment than we have now, and will be there for the next few years. We probably won't ever live in Utah again, so it's now time to take the cabinet with us! We brought it to our apartment last week from my dad's garage, and I had forgotten what bad shape it was in. It still smelled so smoky, and was really damaged. So, since we are both temporarily retired and had the week open, the repairs began! 


This week we spent hours and hours stripping the stain, sanding, restaining, refinishing, and repairing. It was really  neat to work side by side with my husband who I love so much to repair and restore and make new a precious memory of my mom that got destroyed in a fire that broke much more than a house. It was a symbol to me of new beginnings, fresh starts, and healing from past burns. We'll keep that cabinet forever. My children will inherit it now, and hopefully it will mean as much to them. I love Steven for helping me do this! It's going to go in our kitchen in Texas always to remind me of my mom and the things I love about her, and a reminder of what we can accomplish when Steven and I work together! :) So cheesy, sorry, but isn't it great!?

Here's the before, after, and in-between!

This is AFTER we wiped it down and cleaned it off. That white stuff is all water and smoke damage.  The black on the back side of it was super smoky. When we bought it that was a light brown. And it's the porous kind of wood that soaks up everything-hence the cause of the smoke smell! We took the entire back boards off and got new ones.

All stripped and sanded! I never want to sand anything again. This took SO LONG!

 Steven sanded the top of the top piece, and you could smell all the smoke dust coming out. It was all black before this picture. 

 

 Staining the doors and drawers. We chose a darker stain just to make it different than it was before. Something new. :)

 We had to fix the drawer frames, so you can see the orange jenga game container holding it up in the back.

DONE!!! 

 We ordered new handles for the drawers, but they are going to Texas, so we'll put them on when we get down there.

 Here she is in all her repaired glory. Yay!

Lately.

So a lot's been happening around here! Let's recap...

Steven, Steven's mom Robin, and I graduated. Woohoo! I was really done in December, but all the hooplah party stuff is only in August and April.

Here we are looking so smart. Steven's parent's actually live in Aruba now, so they came ALL the way from their island paradise for her to graduate. She's been working on her degree for years, it's impressive she finally finished it! And poor Steven is only at the beginning of years of school to come. 

 Here are Robin and Rick, my wonderful in-laws. How many people can really say they have wonderful in-laws they love to spend time with? That is one blessing I am infinitely thankful for!

 Hansen family! They all came to support. Michelle and Justin came all the way from Vegas.

Wentz fam! Yes, we are much smaller in numbers that the Hansen fam. That's ok, some families are bigger than others. :) All I wanted was ONE good picture of me with my fam, and they just couldn't manage a SMILE the bums! My dad looks confused, I think he was telling someone how to work the camera, and Kyle just wants to look tough. He get's that from our brother Steven. Brother Steven doesn't show his teeth or smile in pictures, he just tries to look tough. :)

 I love the waterfalls south of campus.

Anne wants to graduate too! This is Steven's brother Michael's daughter. She is in first grade and toothless!

 

We went and got our toenails done before graduation. 

Also in April, I got a new niece! This is Breanne Lillie Wentz! She was born on April 6th, 7lbs 8 oz, and 20 1/2 inches. Healthy and happy! Sabrinna is loving this, she wishes more than anything to have a baby of her own.

  I made the first quilt I've ever made for little baby girl Wentz. It's not the greatest, but it's my first one and I figure it's not too shabby! Instead of just little cutesy pinks and stuff I went bold and did super bright colors. It's not really baby-ish I guess, but fun!

So school is almost over too! May 25th is our last day.We took some pics outside for them to make a frame thing for mother's day. We got a group shot at the same time. This is my little bunch of munchkins and hoodlums. They stress me out like crazy, but I will totally miss them when the year's over.

 We had an etiquette dinner a few weeks ago. The kids had to come in their very best dress. They brought the utensils, plates, decorations, etc. for their groups table and learned how to eat like a polite real live person and not a baboon.

Ok, biggest of all, we move to Texas in 7 weeks from tomorrow! That's like kind of 2 months, but also kind of like no time at all. I'm scared out of my mind to not know anyone, and to be away from my home, and to have no idea where I'm going to be able to find a job or if I'll be able to. AAAHH! Its kind of making me stressed out.

 But then it's also a fresh new start. We'll have a fresh new apartment for me to decorate my heart out with. I have a pinterest board solely for ideas for our Texas apt. I'm so excited to paint stuff, and put it all together. We'll have a fireplace, mantle, a little balcony, and a pretty good sized laundry room. Since we'll have the whole mantle/fireplace, we decided we wanted to get a really pretty picture of the Timp temple to put up on the wall above the fireplace. We wanted a little taste of home as well an awesome missionary tool as it will be the first thing you see, the clear focal point, of our living room. We looked around at Deseret book and found some pretty great ones. Then we looked around in the mall just to check. One of my favorite stores in the mall is Tai Pan Trading. I usually start hyperventilating going into that store. It's everything I love that could ever been rolled into one store. Oh, so great. We were a little surprised as we walked to the back and they had temple pictures! Steven saw this one of Timp and called me over. Right as I saw it I started crying! What a baby! But what a pretty picture! The tears sealed the deal, and that was "the one"! So this gorgeous sepia/ red floral picture will be the pride and joy of our living room. Do you love it like I do? I know it's not a bright/colorful type one, but it's just gorgeous to me. I love the vintage/sepia look, so that's perfect. The temple looks like a castle and I'm so excited for when people ask what it's a picture of I get to tell them it's where I got married. :)    (sorry, the price tag got in the picture. I didn't notice it till I uploaded it)

So, Texas here we come. Do you know any people in Fort Worth that I can be friends with? I decided I need to make a cowgirl friend that will do cowgirl things with me. But also a teacher friend who can help me know how to get acquainted with the school system down there. And a maybe a friend from Utah. That would be a really comforting friend to have.

Thanks for reading my big ol chapterbook today! Have a nice rest of the week. :)