On the Road

I'm back from one trip, and on to the next! Let me just fill you in on the details from my trip to Vegas last weekend.

The idea formed collectively among me, Perla, & Misty. When Misty suggested a weekend trip, we knew it was meant to be. We had felt the Vegas vibe. Note: the Vegas vibe should not be ignored.






I'd been to Vegas a few times in the past. I was excited to go, especially with the peeps I was going with, but I had no idea just how much fun I was in for.

We invited our friend Kent to come. He was down! Then he got sick the day before the trip, but at the last minute, he grabbed his things and came! We're so glad he did.

So Friday we drove to Flagstaff and stayed at Misty's. She had a theme party planned. The theme: Hot. That meant hot-tubbing, hot pizza, hot tamales, the movie Hot Rod... a solid theme for a guaranteed fun night.

Saturday, we headed west, Vegas-bound.
Here are the highlights:

The Bellagio water show! I could've stayed there all night and watched it! So incredible, you've just got to see it.

The Venetian! How have I never seen the inside of this place in all the times I've been to Vegas? I am a little obsessed with the atmosphere they created in there.

The Phantom of the Opera! I am SO GLAD we [Kent] decided on this show! It was outstanding. I wish I could've taken photos of the interior of the theater. If you've seen the movie, it's a pretty equivalently spectacular theater as the one in the movie, except it's not a movie set! It's really breath-taking.

We stayed at the Hilton (thanks, Priceline ...or should I be thanking William Shatner?). They had a little dance club downstairs with no cover-charge, so we ended the night getting groovy on the dance floor.

We had some pretty awesome interaction with random strangers on this trip. And if you know the people I went with, you can understand that even if we weren't in Vegas, we'd still be having a blast! I love my friends! It was fun to renew our bond after a few years of absence.

In 2 days, I'm off again to California with some other fun people (grandma & great Ju-Ju) to California.
I've got Vegas pictures, but I can't post them to blogger from my phone, so that'll have to wait 'til I'm back in Queen Creek.

A Thing Called Purpose

I am in a room full of light.
Sounds weird, I know. I'll explain.
I am at a point in life where, for a few months, I've been offered freedom like I haven't experienced in years.
The pressures and pace of school are packaged away in Rubbermaid bins. I've been free to completely shift focus onto other things.
And in the midst of the warm rays of the bright Arizona sun, I've found a renewed perspective.

I haven't drifted off into a meditation-induced Nirvana. But I've been able to gather my thoughts about some aspects of life. Ready?

First, as I contemplate the direction of my life path for the future, I keep asking myself, "to what end"? I am surrounded by numerous examples of people who have chosen as their life's purpose to perpetuate their own existence and to provide all the joys and comforts that life can possibly hold for them.

I wonder, isn't there more to this grand existence?
Then I have to stop myself and point the finger of blame inward. How much of my efforts are focused entirely on my own self-supporting endeavors?
I think it's good to learn the skills of survival and how to succeed in society. But there has to be more.
There has to be contribution. I've thought a lot about this. School has been such a justifiable time-consumer for me for the past half-decade of my life. When it ends, I will have a paper to show my academic accomplishment. And then, what? How will I contribute?
I know this can be over-analyzed to the point where it gets really depressing. I don't want to go that far. I'm just wondering. What, Steven Hansen, are you going to do with this life?

I've got ideas. I've got plans. Will they pan out? I don't know. But this I do know: people need to give, not just live.

So here's my challenge to you. How are you contributing? What are you doing (or trying to do) to reach beyond your own needs/wants and contribute? Find a way. It can be simple. It can be small. But it should be.

New subject. A small, heartfelt thank-you.
I am driving my own car again. I know I write a lot about my car, but it holds a lot of meaning for me.
I've learned so many invaluable lessons from it.
I decided to swap engines. Once I really got into "the neety greety" of the job, I kept thinking to myself, "what on earth did you do?" That was followed by the thought of Cogsworth's voice saying, "As I always say, if it's not Baroque, don't fix it!"
This task challenged me. I can handle quite a lot of frustration with cars, but this job kept me working long hours and facing some surprising challenges every day, right up until the last hour when I realized I needed yet another parts before I could drive it again.

But as I look back, it was all worth it. The car runs like new. I feel renewed satisfaction as I accelerate through an intersection and hear the tires chirp off the line. My efforts were all worth it.

Now the thanks goes to my family. Every one of them helped in little ways (and some in big ways) to help me through the challenge. I deeply appreciate the way they help in their own ways. I've often thought that with the combined skills of my immediate family we could run a small country. No joke. Anyway, thanks for your help, your care, your food, your knowledge, your sweat, your swearing, your laughs, your patience, and your love. I learned quite a bit through that challenge. Some about my car, more about my family.

Next topic: Have you dug a trench with a pick-axe lately? I highly recommend it. I dug a trench to lay sprinkler line last week and it was one of the best workouts I've had in a long time. Muscles throughout my body were feeling the burn and my forearms were on fire. Besides all those obvious benefits, it's also a time-tested sleeping aid.

That should do it for now.
Remember my challenge. Reach out. Give. It can be something as small as a listening ear or a smile. It can be a strong hand to help someone through a challenge. It can be thoughtful words of kindness not left unshared because of fear or timidity. I'm going to try too.

What a World, What a World!

Blogging has not been a huge priority for me for quite a while.
Life has kept me hopping. So I need to take some time to update.

I'm warning you, this is gonna be random. You've been warned.

I once harbored hatred for all things anime. It was a genre that I couldn't connect with and an animation style that made me want to lash out irrationally at household objects. I really couldn't stomach it and so I never thought I'd be caught dead watching it (dead? watching? quite a feat in and of itself).

Then I saw Avatar: the last airbender.
I was staying in a hotel room in Denver. My friend Patrick was flipping channels and stopped on Nickelodean.
"Oh, sweet! It's Avatar! Do you watch this?"
I was shocked. Patrick didn't strike me as the anime type.
"No, it doesn't really seem like the type of show I'd get into."
"That's what I thought at first, but I think you'd be surprised with this show."

So I watched an episode with Patrick.
That did it. It was anime and I actually liked it. It was clever, funny, and very well-designed.
Now, I'm nearing the end of Season 2. I admit it, I love it. It's totally anime, and I'm loving it.
Moral to this story: Never say never. Unless you're using it to say that phrase.

Shift. New topic. The weather.
I opted out of Idaho for a more mild climate and I have fallen in love with my home state all over again.
The coldest days here have been in the 40s, and those were rare. Today was almost 80 degrees. I have to feel sorry for the poor people in Rexburg.
I'm not a snow-bird. I just have to go north for school. After that, I want to come back to Arizona and never ever leave. I know some of you are thinking "wait 'til summer hits". I know. I can't wait! Swimming, barbecues, monsoons, ahh. There's nothing not to like about this place.

Next topic: bachelor status.
I'm usually pretty good-natured about other people and their dating suggestions, but after a few years, it starts to wear on a person.
I meet a new person. They hear I'm a bachelor. Then it starts.
"I hardly know this guy, but he's single, and I can fix that!"

Please, I beg you, spare me. I know you have the most noble intention. Let me explain something to you. SO DOES EVERY OTHER PERSON & THEIR WELL-MEANING GRANDMOTHER!!! Excuse me for saying it, but DANG!!! (and I'm thinking the other word)
I used to entertain those suggestions out of courtesy. But the patience account is officially overdrawn at that bank and all I can offer is a frank, honest answer. I hate being set-up. I make my own choice. Period. I'm not desperate, I'm not reclusive. I'm a bachelor. I do hope to change that in the future. For myself, all on my own. I just had to say that.
Thank you to those of you who inherently seem to get that concept. I appreciate it more than you know.

Whew! Next topic: dogs.
I was never a dog person. I hated the dogs that chased me on my way to school in grade school. I hated the idea of dog breath, drool, shedding, and poop on the lawn.
Something changed. I met Rarri & Kaci, my brother's dogs. They're Italian Greyhounds and I love those little stinkers!
I could have a dog someday. A good dog. I could. What do you think of that?

That's all I've got for now. Until next time, ...go catch a chicken.

How I Roll

Lately I've noticed something. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. Maybe some of you have already noticed, but I always seem to drive old brown vehicles.

Let's have a look at my past wheels.
I learned to drive in this:

A 1960-something? International Scout. I was around 13, not even thinking of the legalities of it as I was needed to help with farm chores. Once you mastered driving "The Scout", you were pretty much qualified to drive anything with wheels.
I was reminiscing with my brothers last week about some of our mishaps in "The Scout". The steering linkage came loose a few times, and that meant a bee-line straight off the road into whatever stood in the way. Either that, or the front wheels would both point outward, bringing you to a sudden skid of a stop. The doors would bounce open, or swing open when you took a corner. There were times when the starter was going out so you had to either arc the power leads across it with a screwdriver to start it, or jump it by rolling it down a hill and slamming it into gear (note: the key has to be on). It is a vehicle that added a lot of flavor to my teenage years.

When I was old enough to want my own car, I went and selected an abandoned vehicle from the Hansen's Auto impound lot. There is always a reason (or two) for a vehicle being abandoned. I chose this:
(This is a photo I got from the web and edited) It's almost exactly what mine looked like. It was the best option at the time. I had to rebuild the engine in it, and I learned a lot about the fundamental workings of an automobile. I knew every last piece of that car. It was really reliable and got really good fuel mileage. When I left for my mission, I told my Dad to sell it if he could. And he did.

When I got back from my mission, I inherited a new set of wheels:
My dear friend Minnie gave me her old car. I can't say enough about the kind of friend Minnie was. But this act alone says a little about how giving she was.
The 1974 Dodge Dart has been my friend through a lot of changes in the last 6 years. It's traveled all over Arizona, up to Provo, Utah and back, up to Rexburg, Idaho and back 3 times, and never missed a beat. Last year, it passed the 100,000 mile mark and kept going strong. This month, I am swapping in a newly-rebuilt engine. The old one was still going strong, but my brother owned a newly-rebuilt Dodge Dart engine sitting in a car in his yard. (Boy, that sure sounds red-neck) He sold it to me for an amazingly good price. I expect a little better performance from a newly-rebuilt engine and it will surely save me from having to rebuild my current engine down the road. I've never been able to settle on any other name for that car. It is "The Dart". That's the only name that suits it. Every time I get in the driver's seat, I think of Minnie. That car holds a lot of special meaning. If ever anyone insults it, it's hard for me to not think less of them. One day, it will get a nice paint job and a new interior. It's sitting at Hansen's Auto shop right now, patiently enduring the engine swap. And while it sits, my Grandma was nice enough to allow my the honor of driving:
The Beast. While I work for my grandma, this is how I get around. It's a '60-something Ford. For two days, the headlights wouldn't work. Today, the blinkers stopped working, but the headlights are back. It's got a lot of personality and power. It's built like a tank and it sure can haul a lot of cargo. If anyone got in a fight with the Beast, the Beast would come out unharmed.

We all have to get around somehow. It seems that for now, I'll be rolling old-school and brown.

The Merry Day

My favorite things about Christmas are memories, being with family, traditions, and the excitement of little kids.

My Dad pulled out his horse carriage and hitched up my sister's horse, Jet, to deliver goody plates and to give rides on Christmas morning. I love this tradition. It brings a real old-time feel to our holiday and I hope that it's a memory that our next little generation will cherish in their holiday memories. My parents always come through with making the day a great one.

My Mom always makes her amazing orange rolls for us. It's officially Christmas when I smell them baking.

And we still have something amazing to look forward to: my parents bought tickets for the entire lot of us to go on the "Polar Express" train ride on Tuesday in the Williams Grand Canyon Railway. The grandkids are all anticipating this event and Lacy has it in her head that Grandpa will be driving the train. After all, why not? He drives just about everything else. Why not the train? I love it. I think the engineer/conductor/whatever should let my Dad go to the front and take the reins for a bit. I'm not sure who'd be more thrilled, Lacy or Dad.

Thanks to my aunt, I got (as a Christmas present) a copy of the DVD from the Hansen Reunion this summer: a slide-show of my great-grandparents and their posterity. We put that in to play while we opened presents. What a treat that was. It made Christmas morning all the greater. Thanks Auntie Juju.

Here are the pictures of our carriage rides. Some are pretty similar to each other, but I just had to post them all. Merry Christmas!

Ringing, Singing, and Making Merry

It's something I look forward to each Christmas Season: the festive sing-a-long. Can you blame me? There you will find the debut of local talent, the debut of local improvisation, the sound of bells ringing and merry singing, a visit from Suzy Snowflake, and the promise of hot chocolate to warm your heart.
Here is the Kinkade-esque cottage where we hold the merry event:




I dedicate this post to Suzy Snowflake and to the children who still beleive in her.
And now for a flashback to the sing-a-long of Christmas Past:

Home

I made it! I donated plasma yesterday morning and left right afterwards to hit the road. The roads were beautifully clear and I made good time. Leaving Rexburg, the temperature was a whole 4 degrees.

I got stopped once, just past Idaho Falls. The officer told me I needed to scrape the ice off my back window. Then he realized that there was ice on the inside too. So he told me, "Try to get it to thaw so you can see out the back."

As I headed South, the temperatures got a little warmer and the ice and snow that was left on my car slowly melted away.

I have (or had, rather) an SD slot in my car stereo, meaning I can play SD cards. So I dumped all my entire collection of Christmas music on an SD card and listened to that on the way down. But at highway speeds, the cab of my car is pretty loud. So I crank the volume of the stereo to compensate. Not a good idea. I guess after about 10 hours of that, it was through. It gave a loud electronic squeal and poof. That was it. All I heard was the bass line coming from my speaker box in the trunk. I fried the audio output of the other channels. Oops. I knew too much Christmas music wasn't a good idea. Apparently, the old stereo agreed. If only I'd had some sort of warning before it was too late. I guess this Christmas I'll be saying farewell to the stereo. She has served me well. And now, she can rest.

The car performed amazingly well, once again. That's up and back to Idaho 3 times now without any trouble. She is a real trooper. She's never let me down. I bought a new engine for her and I'll be putting that in sometime in the near future, then she'll really rock and roll (look out).

I calculated the fuel mielage for the trip. 20.5 miles per gallon. Not bad for an old clunker.

For your gee whiz file: it takes 13 hours to get from Rexburg to Joseph City, and that's if you stop and have a sit-down lunch, which I highly recommend to anyone driving that far.

It feels so good to be home. I can't wait for all my siblings to get back into town. By that time, I hope to be over this blasted cold.

Arizona, I love you!