Just a new note

We had fun this morning with some "paintchalk" that Hiett got for his birthday. It's wet like paint but then it dries like chalk so it just will wash off! The boys had so much fun! I think they actually had more fun finding the red fire ants and "coloring" them, but it was a great activity for the morning. It got a little out of control when Hiett started after the dog. She was game, but I didn't care for blue chalk footprints all over the furniture which she thinks she owns. Tonight we get to go to St. George and watch Hans play ball for one of the last times with his team there. He will miss his ball, probably more than he will miss me, once he starts his new job! We will miss is too, a little but. It is fun to play on the playground, watch dad and eat snowcones.

OK, so I might have lied in the last entry. We might be leaving Parowan earlier than we thought, because I finally figured out. . . why prolong the inevitable? So after a few more fix ups around the house and some adjustments in the landscaping we will probably put the house on the market. Sorry to everybody! I really do wish we could be here forever, but I think me and my boys will miss Hans too much to live apart for too long.

To settle all of the rumors. . . .

Wow. Where to start. Well, most of you already know that Hans took the test out at the power plant in Delta, a place called IPSC, where his dad has worked for years. The tests were in September and we found out he passed them a few weeks later, he was excited then, but nothing compared to how excited he is now. Once you pass the tests, which are available about every two years, you are eligible for hire. The catch was that you could be hired the next week, the next month, the next year- or still not at all. So, as Hans puts it, we were in the "waiting place"(like in Oh, the PLaces You'll Go). Then, Friday the 1st of August, we were standing in Wal-Mart, shopping for a family reunion, and IPSC called to ask for an interview. Well, if you get an interview with these people, it pretty much means that you are in. They have only not hired one guy that they interviewed and even then they hired him the next time around. So Hans was ecstatic. I mean going crazy jumping up and down, pumping his fist in the air crazy and smiling like I haven't seen him smile in a long, LONG time. His interview on the 15th went well, and they let him know today that he will begin his employment on the 15th of September. As good as an opportunity as this job is, along with it comes some very hard consequences. Probably the worst one, was telling Hans' employer, Dean that he was going to quit. Dean and Geri have been like grandparents to us and have pretty much given us the life that we have. We could have never have been where we are know without them. I cry every time I think of leaving such a great work relationship that has meant so much to us. I pray that they truly understand how much we love them and have appreciated all that they have done for us. It will likewise be hard to leave our other work friends that we have grown close to, we will miss the Tyler and Danielle and Mike and his family, Dan and Jenny, of course, Kim and Sharisa(but they won't really be rid of us- seeing as how we are related) and all of the guys out back. That job has been a great experience and we were fortunate to have met some of the greatest people on this earth. A few of the other hard consequences are not really going to be dealt with at the moment because we aren't moving right now. Hans will be working 4 10s so he will be home three days of the week. When I get fed up with being a single mom for more than half the week, then I will move to the Delta area. So, as of right now, no, we are not moving so don't get write us off quite yet! But yes! Congratulations to Hans on his new job! We are excited to make this next step into the unknown, kind of????

Just a little about us. . .

I got to looking at the calendar and realized that it has been almost seven years exactly since Hans and I met. So I thought I would share with you a few of the detail and memories of our life together.
We met on my 19th birthday at Snow College. Well, I guess we had met before- Hans says- but I don't recall actually ever talking to him- just yelling across the basketball court at him. He was reffing basketball and I was the intramural staff scorekeeper and none of the refs ever said who fouled who and it bugged me so I yelled at ALL of the refs. And I never even knew his name, just noticed that one of the refs had REALLY white legs and insisted on wearing black socks with his basketball shorts. ( DOn't ask me why he couldn't remember black socks for our reception since he was so fond on them!) So, we met. Hans lived with a way fun apartment full of guys just two doors down. When I first met them all I thought his roommate Jory was by far the cutest- he was a cowboy from Nephi, so I guess we are even because Hans actually asked my roommate out first. I don't blame him, she was a lot more fun, and funnier than me. But then he came to his senses and realized it was me who he wanted to pursue.
I've really got to give it to Hans for trying for me. We had gotten together with his apartment one night and were all talking about the kind of people we were physicallly attracted to. So I listed my requirements along with all the other girls- #1 and most important- he HAD to be taller than me, #2 Dark brown hair and brown eyes, #3 It would help if he had a larger than average nose( don't ask me- I have no idea why). Of course, this was before Hans had even ever asked me out, and yet he still did after that, crazy boy. He must have known something that I didn't. And then he did ask me out, kind of; and then I kind of turned him down, cuz I didn't realize it was a date and broke his heart. But then I asked him to take me out the next week after my roommate had told me what a jerk I had been. I did have to keep telling myself not to think about how short he was and just to have fun, and you know what? I did have fun. I had the time of my life.
And then things went really quickly. We went on hundreds of walks, a few drives, one or two movies. I went on a vacation with my mom and dad and little sister for Harvest Holiday and realized I had fallen in love when all I talked about was Hans. ANYTHING anybody said, I could think of something that reminded me of something Hans said or did, or what he would think of the comment. We got engaged over Thanksgiving Break and were sealed in the Manti Temple on February 8th 2002. Hans surprised me with a Honeymoon to Reno, Nevada to go Snowboarding at Tahoe, which I loved every minute of, except for the car mueseum which was slightly(terribly) boring. That was my first time snowboarding and I absolutely loved it.
We lived in my 2nd grade school teacher's vacation home in Sterling and drove into school and work each day. We paid an awesome $200 a month rent, which was awesome and really good because being full time students we didn't make much more than that. My favorite vacation with Hans happened while we lived in Sterling. We took the fourwheelers that were included in the rent and drove up a nearby canyon and camped under the stars. We woke up and drove all over the whole mountain. We did a ceremonious burning of the Sociology book which was Hans' most hated class ever and caught a lizard together. I love lizards, I try to catch them whenever I see them. It was so simple, it was so fun and it was so filled with just us.
After we graduated from Snow we moved to Cedar City with a prayer in our hearts. We knew nobody, had no jobs and were hoping for kindness. Hans only had to look for a job a few days, and Dean at Imperial hired him on the spot, no real interview or anything. And we have been so blessed ever since by that association with Dean and his family. I got a job soon after at a office supply place working with some fun and the hightlight was that my job offered insurance. School started in the fall and HAns I both attended SUU. Graduating college had always been a dream of mine and I wasn't about to give it up just because I got married. I found my second love- art and began to seriuosly major in that. HAns jumped around between pre-dental, business and biology before settling on Biology with a Botany emphasis and Ag minor.
After two years of marriage we were blessed with a baby to add to out little family.
Gabe HAnsen was born July 25th, 2004. He was and is still a sweet baby that is sometimes moody. BUt is generally a giving caring little soul who is quite sensitive and intelligent. I continued my schooling, as did HAns, although we were dependent on only Hans' income from then on. Then when Gabe was about twenty months only, Hiett Scott entered our family, just days after HAns graduated from SUU. Hiett makes everybody laugh and never, NEVER quits moving. I quit my schooling with only about 18 credits left for my minor of Geology beacause the lab hours were so long and it required a TON of work that I felt would infringe on my being a mother of two. So HAns continues working, I continue at home and we live the "American Dream" pretty much. We even have a puppy dog and a house with a lawn! Most days I seriously wake up and wonder what else I could possible ask for. I have been so blessed and I thank my Father every single day for the blessings of love and health that he has given me and my family.

We were able to go up with Julie and Will for the Miller family reunion. We hadn't been for six years so it was good to see everyone again and actulaly truly remember who most of them were. This is Julie's side of the family. I actually didn't take many pictures of the extended family but pictures of the fun activities that we were able to participate in. Of course at a lake you MUST swim and fish! We had a lot of fun, more because the boys were there than anything. Thank goodness that Hans' folks are very understanding people. My little family got some stomach virus while up there and we weren't bery great company- downright disgusting at times, but we made it and all had a great time in the sun and water.

Miller Family Reunion