happy birfday, yo!

it's my dad's birthday today! yesssss! i have the best dad ever, just so you know. first of all, he's hilarious!.... well, he tells the same jokes over and over again, but we always laugh. ("well, dad, i gotta go jump in the shower." dad's response? "don't fall down!" ha!) he's also very caring and concerned about all of his kids. i don't know anyone who gets as many daily calls from their dad as i do. (oh, and it's double that when mom's out of town.) for a former marine and owner of enough guns and ammo to fully supply his own army, dad is also surprisingly sensitive. he loves babies and animals and i'm pretty sure he blubbered the most on my wedding day. cute. he's pretty much a REALLY cool guy and i love him!

here's dad pretending to be "on a plan".

aaaaand, five seconds later, off the plan.


trying to cuddle with some ducklings:



we're friends!!



you're the best, dad!!

mess you up!

okay, seriously, don't mess with my future brother-in-law, ok? just read the title. he's dangerous. how dangerous, you ask? well, more dangerous than the bubonic plague, if you're looking for clarification. travis is a "cage-fighter". i'm sure there's a more sophisticated and correct way of explaining his SKILLZ, but just look at the pictures from his fight the other night! this guy never knew what hit him.


here's travis sizing up his unworthy opponent with fire in his eyes.


catapulting this dude with minimal effort- impressed yet?


this move says one thing- PAIN.


whoa whoa! a sweet round house kick to finish him off.


"and by unanimous decision, travis mcroberts is the winner!" the other guy is saying "uh-guuuuh"

in conclusion, as eloquently as possible, i say: he shall teareth you limbeth from limbeth.

book of mormizzle, bizzle!

(what? we could use a little street cred. )

AHN-YAN!

logan got an internship with LG in korea for this summer! nice! well, logan is pretty stoked. i'm partially excited, only because i'm selfish and i'm not looking forward to being all by my lonesome for 2 and a half months. (at least i have gigi for some company) i guess it's time to actually take up all those hobbies i tell people i do, but i never actually do and i end up watching shows like survivor and american idol instead... ANYway, i do have a reason to be excited, however, because we are TOTALLY going to japan for a week at the end of this internship! i cannot wait. i hope it's as awesome as i i'm imagining it will be. i'm sure it will be, as long as laura comes with us. she's fun to hang out with and will know of cool places to go, i'm sure.

TOKYO here we come!!! (and korea for logan...that's pretty cool, too. :)


look excited, babe! you're about to work with a bunch of people who call you not just Logan but "MR. Logan". it's just what you've always wanted!

young love...

for those who didn't know, logan and i met when we were about 8 years old. for me, it was pretty much love at first sight! i don't know if the same goes for logan. i was at a bit of an awkward stage at that point. you know, the freckles, big teeth, "prince valiant" hair cut (as my sisters liked to call it). oh, i had it all! anyway, i was digging through some old photos at logan's parents house and came across this little jewel.


this is the hansen family at the sessions' home for dinner in fredericksburg a few days before we moved to italy for 3 years. from my description earlier, you can tell that i'm the one on the left. logan is the little one on the right. you can't tell from this picture, but we are totally playing footsies underneath the table.

this is a little piece of history, guys! i knew what i wanted from quite an early age...i make things happen, pretty much.

(ps: sorry, mom. you've updated the glasses since then, but now everyone knows what they used to look like. whoops.)

YUM-O!!

okay, so i just need to blog something, anything! it's been way too long, i know. (well, i know cuz shannon told me) i just have no life, people. i work, come home, take out gigi, make some dinner.... i barely even get to hang out with logan very much because he has homework and work and whatever else. usually he locks himself in the bedroom and i always try to run in during the commercials of some reality show i'm watching and do crazy and awesome dances to get his attention. his response? "this is why i go to the library to study." sad. (i know he secretly loves my scary dancing) this is life though. for the next year probably.

ANYway, i think rachael ray is as nerdy and annoying as the next person. but i gotta say, she is my GIRL when it comes to vegetarian recipes. i have her 30 minute veggie meals cookbook and i have to say every last recipe i have made from it has been to die for. so here's the most recent one i made and loved:

penne primavera

vegetables:
2 c. broccoli florets, separated into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, cut into thin matchsticks
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin matchsticks
1 cup water

sauce:
1 T. butter
1 T. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for the layperson)
2 medium shallots, minced
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. low-sodium veg. or chicken broth
1/2 c. half and half or light cream
a handful parmigiano reggiano or romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh thyme (naaaah)
1/2 pound penne

place vegetables in a deep skillet with 1 c. water. bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and steam the veggies for 3 minutes. drain and return to pan; cover and set aside.

in a small skillet or sauce pan melt butter into oil over medium heat. add shallots and saute, 2 minutes. sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute more. whisk in broth and bring to a simmer to thicken. whisk in half and half or cream and bring sauce back to a bubble. reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer uncovered, 4 or 5 minutes. stir in cheese, salt and pepper, and thyme. place veggies back on stock top and add pasta and sauce to pan. serve immediately.

thanks, rachael! it was just delish!

a shout out

i'd like to give a quick shout out to my girl Gigi! for those of you who would like a dog, but your spouse repeatedly tells you "no", this is how you go about it. secretly go and adopt a cute one that is already housebroken, bring her home, and tell your spouse "no refunds. sorry."

well, that's what i did, and logan was mad. i don't know that i would actually recommend deliberately going behind your spouse's back and purchasing a dog. but now that we've had Gigi for a while, i can safely say that he loves having her around and holds no grudges (that i am aware of).

Gigi is a mini australian shepherd and the nicest little dog ever! she is pretty shy though, especially when a camera is involved for some reason. we usually have to hold her in place for her to take a picture for us without running away. sorry...these are the best i could do.

logan's favorite new hobby--going outside in the icy cold dead of night to let Gigi trot around all of Provo until she locates the perfect patch of snow. no really, he just loves it! notice Gigi shielding her fragile eyes from the camera's evil light (as she sees it...).

"i'd like to just chew on my bone and lay on my dirty blanket in peace, thank you. get that camera out of my face."


ooooh, gigi....