Virchows

Holly's 40th Birthday

2010-07-20T23:31:00.003-06:00

JeNeil, Wendy, Kim and me

Tara, Kirsti (holding her new little guy) and me

Marie, me and Kimberly

-the world's BEST neighbors-

(chins out and down)

My sister Heather and me

My nephew Atticus was so excited to help me blow out the candle on my "happy cake."

40 is fantastic!

As my 40th birthday approached I actually had a few people say, "I'm so sorry you're turning 40!" It didn't make sense to me. I was looking forward to turning 40. I'll admit I didn't feel the same way ten years ago when I hit the big three-oh, but this year I feel really good about who I am and where I am in life. So good, in fact, that I threw myself a party!

My dear friend Tara helped me with the planning and made ALL the food for my party. The food was amazing....five different kinds of sandwiches, three kinds of salads, chocolate dipped strawberries....what's not to love?!

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday. It was a great week at work, with friends and with my family.

I have a feeling 40 is going to be a VERY good year.

Memorial Day

2010-07-20T23:25:00.005-06:00

Some of you may know I have an older brother who passed away as an infant. He was only six months old at the time. His name was Jason and he died in August of 1969.....I was born the following July. My childhood photo album has a yearly picture at Jason's grave in Salt Lake. It's been a few years since we were there, but I was grateful to be able to be there this year with my brother, Darren, and sister, Heather.

Weston - 2010 Baseball season

2010-07-20T23:18:00.002-06:00

Weston's All-Star Championship Game

Weston's team took 2nd place in their age division

1st place was a team from American Fork

This year Weston played for the Giants (obviously). He pitched, caught, played shortstop and second base. The kid's got some serious baseball skills.

Eclipse Premiere

2010-07-20T23:15:00.002-06:00

Willow - Team Edward

Kylie - Team Jacob

Mom - Team "I can't believe I'm here at 12:03 a.m."

Computer Crash

2010-07-13T21:47:00.002-06:00

I have several posts waiting to be "published" but I am without my computer right now. I got on the computer one night to check my email only to find a message that read,

"Your computer is now under attack."

That's never a good thing. I shut it off and passed it off to someone to have it looked at....I'm still waiting to get it back. All my pictures are on my hard drive and naturally I'd just deleted them from my camera. I did finally publish May's thought. It just happened to pop up under Grace's baptism post.

There's so much going on, but not always time to get it down on the blog. It's just one more aspect of my life where I feel like I need to set aside time if I really want to get it done. What can I say....I'm a work in progress.

Joshua's Junior Prom

2010-05-15T17:19:00.003-06:00

Josh's Junior Prom was on April 24th and was held at UVU (Utah Valley University). Josh went with Aubree, the same girl who took him to a dance in the fall. I adore Aubree. (She tells it like it is. She also keeps Josh in line and makes sure he stays for the full three hour block on Sundays.) Aubree's dress was the most beautiful shade of purple. A week before the dance Josh came to me and said he needed one more thing for Prom...mind you we'd already rented the tux ($90), paid for the Prom ticket ($35), ordered the corsage ($20), planned for pictures and set aside money for food and for the "day date" (and for the record I am not a fan of the day date) . I couldn't figure out what else he needed. He told me he and Aubree wanted to get matching purple Converse to wear to the dance. I love it. How could I say no?

Grace's Baptism

2010-05-15T16:47:00.009-06:00

Grace was baptized on May 1st. Grace's baptism was a really good day. She's been thinking about her baptism for over a year now. Although Grace loves swimming she's never put her head under water. That was her biggest concern about being baptized. Up until 3 months ago she told me she didn't want to get baptized for that very reason. I don't know what changed, but one day she came to me and said, "Mom, I want to get baptized now." Since that day we've been looking forward to her baptism. Grace was able to be baptized by her older brother Josh and confirmed by her Grandpa Hansen.

Some of my favorite moments:

*When Grace came home from her dad's house Saturday morning she walked up to Josh and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

*When I told Josh the baptismal prayer was written down for him to read he told me he didn't need it because he'd already memorized it.

*Grace wore a white t-shirt and white knit dress for her baptism. When Grace was changing into her white jumper she looked at all the other white dresses hanging in the changing room and said, "Geez, those dresses are all so fancy!"

*Grace was the first child confirmed from our ward group. During each of the other confirmations Grace leaned her forehead against mine and kept it there through the whole prayer.

*The next day Grace got to sit on the stand during Sacrament Meeting. About halfway through the meeting she leaned forward and mouthed to me, "Can I go home after this?!"

Thank you so much to all of our family and Grace's cute friends who came to support her!

May's thought

2010-05-15T14:33:00.010-06:00

Here's to good women.

May we know them.

May we raise them.

May we be them.

Here's to all the good women in my life

beginning with my sweet mom.

MOM

I love my mom. I am beyond blessed to call my mom my best friend. When my mom was working full-time and I wasn't we went to lunch together at least twice a week. When I need to run errands while the kids are in school I always call to see if my mom wants to tag along. Now that I'm working full-time and she's not, she brings me drinks at work and picks up my kids after school, which almost always includes a trip to Sonic during happy hour. My kids have a great grandma. She also serves as my dad's full time caregiver since his stroke. Since my dad has now thrown himself, heart and soul, into family history and geneology being his caregiver also means frequent trips to the temple, the family history center and numerous cemeteries. Bless her.

SISTERS

I have two amazing sisters. Even though they are both younger than me I am continually learning from their examples. I love my sisters. We get along fantastically. My sisters are beautiful, intelligent, funny and great mothers. I love my little nieces and nephews. It also doesn't hurt that their kids think I'm cool because I have a trampoline and I always have candy at my house. One sister served a mission in Bordeaux, France which means I always have someone to go to when my kids need help with French homework. My other sister is an attorney which means free legal advice.

FRIENDS

Wow....how do I even begin to describe my amazing friends. The only word that keeps coming to mind is blessed. I am blessed more than words can express to have so many amazing friends. My AH girls aren't co-workers, they're some of my best friends. My nieghbors aren't just the people I live by, they're some of my best friends. How do you describe people who follow those little promptings to call or text you? How do you thank people for sensing a need and just filling it? Friends who meet me at Chili's at 10 p.m. after my kids are in bed. Friends who drop off drinks on my porch. Friends who willingly help with the dreaded chore of yardwork. Friends at work who accomodate my crazy, single-parent schedule. Friends who talk to my kids and let my kids know there are people around them who love them and care about their well-being. Friends who listen to me vent or cry or share in my excitement. Heavenly Father knew I would need great friends and sent me more than I feel like I deserve sometimes. I absolutely love my friends.

Thank you to all the good women in my life!!

time to play catch up...

2010-05-15T13:25:00.004-06:00

I've been reading blogs today...smiling, laughing, crying. I realized how much I enjoy getting a glimpse into the parts of people's lives I don't always get to see. I've been doing very poorly (for numerous, sometimes complicated reasons) at keeping up with my blog. I want to do better. I learn great things from my friends and family by reading their blogs. I also have a lot of things that have happened in our family the past couple of months that I want to share. Here's a list (in no particular order) of coming blog entries:

-family trip to Altamont
-Grace's 8th birthday
-Grace's baptism
-Josh's Junior Prom
-Easter

...and the receptionist in me wants to say, "Thank you for your patience."

It came as a shock!

2010-03-19T14:18:00.000-06:00

Something happened yesterday that came as a shock to me. I thought it might happen eventually, years from now. Grace brought home a book order from school. I told her she could choose one book. She had already chosen the book she wanted. She told me it was about a homeless puppy. Then she showed me the book on the book order and said she was ordering it because it came with a necklace! The necklace had a charm shaped like a dog's paw with a stone that changed color with your mood. She told me two girls in her class have mood rings and if it's green that means your kooky.

I knew at some time Grace would probably want something feminine. I just wasn't expecting it until at least junior high. I couldn't even convince her to pierce her ears by promising her skull and crossbone earrings.

My little Gracie wearing a necklace. Who'd have guessed it.

March's thought

2010-03-12T20:43:00.001-07:00

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.

I first saw this saying on a poster at a friend's house while I was at Snow College. The saying has stayed with me ever since. I'm trying to spend more time focusing on the needs of others. I often find myself spending more time trying to think of something fancy or elaborate to do for someone rather than just making a phone call or sending a text message to let them know I'm thinking about them.

Happy 17th birthday Josh!

2010-02-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Joshua's actual birthday was on January 12th, so first I need to tell Josh I'm sorry for not posting something sooner. I was waiting to have pictures to post as well, but if I wait for pictures I may never get this done.

Josh (the name he prefers to "Joshua") is such an amazing kid! I love him and appreciate all of the help he gives me on a daily basis.

Do you know Josh....
- taught himself to play the piano?
- is an amazing violinist?
- runs cross country track at American Fork High School?
- cleans for me without being asked?
- has a job at Alpine Pediatrics cleaning 2 nights a week
and does it without complaining?
- loves scones?
- can do his own laundry (when he wants to)?
- wants to continue in music when he attends college?
- loves jackets?
- has a Rubik's Cube collection?

Love you Josh!

February's thought

2010-02-13T12:17:00.001-07:00

I want this months thought to be about love. I looked through many, many quotes from poets, authors, songwriters and people who lived their lives with love...like Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Martin Luther King. The quote I felt most connected to describes the pure love of Christ....charity.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things,
believeth all things,
hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
Charity never faileth...

January....here and gone

2010-02-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

I so clearly remember thinking to myself, "Once Christmas is over I can start thinking about Josh's birthday." Josh's birthday was on January 12th. Because of a constantly evolving daily schedule the month of January has seemed like a blur.

This past year has been a year of learning and growing....and that's still probably an understatement. I've had to change the way I spend my time and which things in my life were true priorities. It's still an adjustment for Josh, Willow, Weston and Grace as they continue to learn that more is expected of them in a single-parent home. I love my amazing kids.

Things I've given up....and still survived!

1. CSI - For those of you who follow CSI all I can say is that it's just not the same without Grissom.

2. Survivor - I didn't see any of last year's episodes and realized I was watching faithfully to see Jeff Probst....the man's got the greatest job!

3. daily Facebook updates - I find myself checking updates via my e-mail....however, if you want to see who's following facebook faithfully all you have to do is change your relationship status.

4. daily Diet Coke - I still crave it every now and again, especially with chips and salsa, but I've managed to decrease the daily drive to the gas station.

5. my black minivan - I gave it up by default when I crashed it and at the same time my kids gave up the option of watching movies while we drive, but instead of buying a new van I opted to go back to my old 1998 Dodge Caravan since it's paid for.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

January's thought

2010-01-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Love begins at home and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put into the doing that matters.

Mother Teresa

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

The spirit of Christmas began on Christmas Eve at our home. We had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Hansen's followed by the grandkids and a few uncles acting out the nativity. After the nativity Grandpa requested we sing Christmas songs. Scarlet knew all the words to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and requested it over and over. We sang it 5 times. It was so fun to watch the kids faces.

After the kids and I got home we were preparing to go to bed and heard a loud knock on the door at about 9:30. When we opened the door there was just a small green felt bag filled with candy canes and marshmallow santas. I handed the bag to the kids to divide the candy and Weston said, "Mom, there's a notebook in here." I took out the "notebook" to find a stack of one hundred brand new one dollar bills in a rubber band. The kids were wide eyed....I was teary eyed. If MY Santa Claus is reading this, please know how grateful I am for your generosity. You helped me teach my kids an amazing lesson of giving.

The year has been filled with changes and I wasn't sure how hard our first Christmas since the divorce would be, but it ended up being a really good day. I got to enjoy being with the kids Christmas morning and then they spent the afternoon with Kenyon and his family.

I hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ginger, Holly, Heather and Harper

Grandpa Hansen holding Eli

Holly and Harper

This has been a difficult year,

but my blessings still far outweigh my trials.

I am grateful for....

Josh

Willow

Weston

Grace

my parents

brothers and sisters

the gospel

old friends

and

new friends

good health

a home to live in

a job

nieces and nephews

my cell phone

good books

Josh Groban CD's

Christmas

.....just to name a few.

Twilight - New Moon premiere

2009-11-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yes....I've read all the Twilight books.

Yes....I own the DVD "Twilight."

Yes....I saw "New Moon" on opening night

with Willow and her friend, Kallee.

Yes....I think Jacob (Taylor Lautner)

looks better with his hair cut.

Yes....I'm going to buy "New Moon" on DVD.

No....this movie won't win an academy award.

We are the champions!

2009-11-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

American Fork Caveman Football

Weston and Chandler

Weston with Max Hall,
BYU Quarterback

Weston with Coach Andy Brown

Weston and Willow with McKay Jacobsen,

BYU Receiver

Kenyon and Willow with Max Hall

Weston played tackle football for the first time this year and, how shall I put this, LOVED IT! This boy understands the game of football. Sometimes early in the morning I'd wake up to find Weston watching Sports Center on ESPN. He amazes me. Weston's team won the championship for their age division. At their awards banquet the coaches surprised the boys with a special appearance by Max Hall (BYU's Quarterback) and McKay Jacobsen (BYU's Receiver). Weston was in football heaven.

car accident

2009-11-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

On November 5th, while I was on my way to work, I was in a car accident. I was following a whole line of cars and before I knew it everyone was hitting their brakes. I was wearing high heels and when I went to hit the brake my foot slipped off the side. When I finally hit the brakes it was too late and I hit the car in front of me. I was going about 20 to 25 miles an hour. Both of my airbags deployed....the one in the steering wheel and the one above the brake and gas pedals. I was shaking pretty badly and wasn't sure how badly my legs and stomach were hurt.

The airbag above my feet left some fantastic softball size bruises on my shins. My stomach was actually cut from my seatbelt and I had burns on the inside of my arms from the airbag. I didn't want to be transported to the hospital, but I knew I should go to the ER to be checked. At the hospital they x-rayed both legs to make sure neither was broken. They also did a CT-scan on my stomach to check for internal bleeding. Everything was ok. The pain medication they gave me in the hospital made me so sick I spent the afternoon throwing up. Sounds fun, eh?

I've also been going to the chiropractor to try and get rid of the headache I've had for the past three weeks. I'm getting there.....slowly, but surely.

I wouldn't have thought an accident at 25 miles an hour could do enough damage to total a vehicle, but that's exactly what happened. I am now in the market for a new car. My kids are hoping for something similar to the rental car we had....a 2010 Chevy Traverse. It was a beautiful car that still had that "new car" smell. They're afraid I'm going to want another minivan. Their fears are justified. I want a minivan.

AFHS Preference

2009-11-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Josh looking fantastic for

American Fork High School's Preference

(girl's choice formal dance)

Josh & his date, Aubree Reda

Josh was asked to Preference by one of his good friends, who also happens to live in our ward. Aubree's dad and I actually went to high school together. Apparently she asked him by making an announcement in Sunday School opening exercises that went something like this, "I've got dibbs on Josh!" What's not to like?! I also love that she broke with tradition and didn't have a "day date." They actually just went to dinner and the dance. My friend Kristen's 4 year old daughter said it best when she saw their picture. She said, "Oh, she looks so beautiful."

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

Alpine Pediatrics

back row: Chelsey Smith, Norma Barton, Kenzie Sorensen,

Linda Lanning, Amanda Pickup

sitting: Natalie Arnold, Holly

1920's flapper

Kimberly and me

I've always liked dressing up for Halloween and working at a pediatrician's office gives me an extra excuse to dress up every year.

Halloween House

2009-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

To say my next door neighbor likes Halloween would be a bit of an understatement. Sometimes the easiest way to give directions to my house is to tell people I live next door to the Halloween House. On Halloween night he gives out about 2,000 glow sticks. The neighbors on the other side serve hot chocolate and hot cider while people watch Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on an inflatable outdoor screen. On Halloween night, this is where the party is.

Sunset

2009-11-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.

I'm constantly amazed by the world

Heavenly Father has given us.