Girls Just Want to Have Fun

I've spent the past week in Utah with the ladies in my family. We've been crafting, shopping, giggling, and kissing babies all week long. It has been woooonderful.

Tonight we're "hiking" "(does it count as a hike if  its about a half mile round trip?) to a waterfall and building a campfire to roast our dinner. Vacations are just lovely.

These little babies are so delicious.

Sister's formerly known as Hansen. Just missing our sister-in-law currently known as Hansen--Tanya! We wish you could have made it.

Jefferson's first ever movie theater experience. Grandma's first ever 3D experience. They both managed to keep the 3D glasses on the whole time.

Oh Daddio

I'm going to tell you a little bit about my Dad today.

My Dad is a cowboy. A cowboy with a PhD in...Animal Science? A really smart cowboy.

My Dad likes to work. He's always working on something, and its usually BIG. A few weeks ago when my parents were in town for my Mom's birthday, I woke Cory up early so we could get on the road. As Cory prepared himself, physically and mentally, for a Saturday of intense yard work with his Father-in-law, I reassured that it couldn't possibly be that bad. Jesse had checked in on the yard the weekend before and did some work, and my Dad had already had the previous day to work on mowing, weed-eating, watering, and whatever else it is that people do with their yards. All the hard stuff was done! It'll be a walk in the park! Cory looked at me like he really, really wanted to believe me, but his eyes betrayed him.

I wish you could have seen his face as we drove up to their house. We round the final bend in the small road leading up to their house, and the first thing we see is a huge tree completely dismembered in the front lawn. Huge limbs were strewn about everywhere. Leaves and tiny twigs flew through the air. My Dad in the middle of it all, wielding his chainsaw with careful abandon.


How I wish I had a picture of it to show you. Needles to say, Cory had a fun-fulled, tree-cuttin' and haulin' afternoon. And he LOVED it, Dad. Really. He did.

My Dad saved my life, at least once that I know of. Probably more. When we lived on the ranch growing up, he would take us with him as he worked with the cows. (Little known fact about me: I've seen a lot of crazy cow related things. A lot. You've never really lived until you've seen your Dad tie a rope to a baby cow and pull it out of its mother.) Anyway, one day my dad angered a cow. It was really mad. I was...five years old? Maybe? And minding my own business. So much so, that I didn't hear the shouts for me to get out of the way of this angry, charging cow. I also didn't see the cow. Somehow my dad got to me before the cow and snatched me up just in time. Thanks, Dad.

Also, it was a really long time before my Dad let me go back on the rounds with him.

It was probably for the best.

My parents 30 year anniversary was earlier this month.

Speaking of the rounds, whenever I did go with him, we would be in the truck driving down the road, and we'd see the prettiest sunrises. My dad would sing a few lines of the Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun" to us, and I (We? I feel like my little brother Sam was there.) would refuse to believe that it was the sun. "NO, Dad." I insisted. "That is an ORANGE."  And he would laugh. But I still say, If the shoe FITS. You know?

Here he is with his first grandson, Master Jefferson, after my wedding.

I'm a lot like my mom. Right down to ALWAYS burning the last batch of cookies and an inability to tan. But I've got some of my Dad in me too. He hides it, but he's got some quirky spunk.  I'll always remember the shock he gave me when he offered to push me around Lowe's in a wheelbarrow he was purchasing. I was 14 at the time, and a little too self conscious to take you up on it, but try me again sometime.

There's so much more I love about my Dad. He built me bunk beds one weekend. He refinished countless pieces of furniture with for me. He steadfastly ate the mushiest, tasteless, over boiled pasta salad that I made for dinner once when I was twelve.  He tried to do my hair for school once when I was in second grade and my mom was teaching early morning seminary. (It wasn't pretty...but it means a lot that you tried!). Also, it had to be said, you can rock a 'stache. And that is no small feat.

I love that he's carrying my Mom's wedding dress and purse in this photo.

I love you Dad! Happy Father's Day!!

My blog got deleted this week.  Thursday afternoon as I typed in my blog address and hit enter, a funny screen came up. It said "The blog at this address has been removed."

I was shocked. Then I tried to deny it. "I must have typed it in wrong" I said to myself. So I typed it in again, this time slowly and carefully. 

I got the same message.

Then I was angry. All our stories were on that blog! I was going to make them into a book so we could remember our first year of marriage. I thought there must be something I can do to get my silly blog back.

I started researching the issue. Seems blogger has been trying to manage spam blogs with an automated system. Something in my blog triggered the spam detector. I initiated a process that will maybe bring the blog back, but it could take a while.

I'm a little bit offended that my life stories could trigger a spam detector, but I've decided not to dwell on that.

 I had wanted to switch over to a new url regardless (lindythehansen.blogspot.com wasn't really up to date), I just never had the motivation to do it. So, I decided to start anew. Maybe someday my old blog will be put back up, and then I can export those posts here. I finally accepted the loss, and was ready to move on with my life.

I can't believe something as trivial as a blog can send me through the seven stages of grief. But I learned my lesson, and will do better about keeping a backup of this journal somewhere safe from now on. And you would do well to learn from it too.

In other news, it's moving month! We had some overlap with our current place and our new place, so we get to move over an entire month.. Hopefully it will be a much better situation that what we're currently in. So far the staff at the new place seem much nicer than our current landlord, so that is most definitely a plus. And there is a window in the kitchen! Right above the sink! That fact alone is move worthy. I'll let you know how it goes. Pictures coming soon.

Cory's little brother will be leaving for his mission (the Tempe Arizona Mission) in two weeks. He went through the Orlando temple for the first time yesterday. 

Four generations of temple worthy Allens!

It was a really amazing experience to be there with him. I can't believe that it was me going through the temple for the first time one year ago.  

But, while the past year just slipped away like nothing, we felt every minute of the four hour car ride there, and again on the four hours back.

Cory's face says it all.

Every minute.

P.S. I was thinking about doing an "About Us" page on this here blog, so I asked Cory how he would describe himself. He said, "Sexy." I told him that was inappropriate. He decided to tone it down. "What about...cute as a button?"