Peru

Okay its true. Its actually real. I am going to Peru. I am going to Huancayo Peru to volunteer in an orphanage for about 17 days! This picture is a view of the city I will be living. Learn more about the location http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Huancayo%20%20Peru&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl

I will arrive in Lima Peru on the 14th of August, go through an orientation on the 15th and then take an 8 hour bus ride to Huancayo. In Huancayo I will be staying with a Peruvian family who will provide all my meals. I will walk to the orphanage everyday and work 8-5 there. After this I will take Spanish classes at a steep 5 dollars an hour from a local Peruvian team. I then will have the weekends to travel perhaps Machu Picchu on the weekend, depending on my friends made through the experience, and if I trust traveling with them. So I am about six weeks away from leaving and have already started trying to get donations from local businesses. I have had some success, and LOTS of no..sorry..no we are going to have to regretfully decline..no sorry we only offer community help. But I would like to take as much as I can to Peru to these little kids. I have asked around and from what I hear these people are fascinated with something as little as a click pen. Now school supplies, balloons, colored paper, five dollars, your old cell phone that doesnt work you just have lying around, anything that would fascinate your two year old could be wonderful for me. Even notebooks or gluesticks, or chalk, or old toys, books. Really anything. I am trying to steer clear of clothes because I think I can just buy them for cheaper than I could haul them over there. Unless you have a small amount in fairly good condition that you want to see a Peruvian orphan wearing, then I will take the clothing. :) I really am excited to go and wont stop with the effort to accumulate as much as I can carry to Peru to take to this orphanage. I probably will take a pair of shoes for myself, a couple of sanitary items, my camera, a sleeping bag, and a change of clothes for this trip, so that I can carry as much donations as possible. Please please please email me with anything you would like to provide, or anything of that sort. This has been something I have wanted to do my entire life. I also promised myself that if I went I would take as much as I could from America for these orphans to have, so anything will be of help. Also if you know of any companies that would be willing to donate that would be greatly appreciated as well. My email is brittanyhhansen@gmail.com I am so excited!!!!!!!!!! I want to put more !!! but that might get boring :)

Oh and if you have any horror stories about how dangerous and deadly Peru is...please dont tell my mom, nor me.

Landon Came Home, And I cried.

So Landon's homecoming was on Father's Day, and Faith's birthday. Faith turned one, isn't she a doll face! Family was everywhere, and we took some beloved family pictures which turned out great :) Faith and Aunt Raquel
Niece Molly, and Sister Hannah. This shot probably should make it to the next parenting magazine. How to kiss your baby.
Whole family with Inlaws and nieces (minus Jeremy Hannahs husbando)
Faith turned 1! YEs yes yes!!!!
I loved the Watermelon, and posing.
WE just did this...Jamie is hidden in there..you can see her hand.
Landon and I on Saturday just hanging out, good thing he is so attractive.
The dinner after.
Sisters...in our dresses Brooke discovered. THanks Brooke!
Faith is so cute in this picture..i Just couldnt escape posting it. I was bound by her loveliness.

Sal Pal's State Track

So it happened, we went to state track...we all wore the same jeans...it rained.
All the sisters at Sally's State track except Hannah.
I said something freakin hilarious, and Echo couldnt let go of my hood.
Thanks Raquel for taking these awesome pics of our matching bums!

Our Trip to Colorado

Faith, Mom, and my aunts Kathy and Amy, and my cousin Jamie and my granny went to go visit my aunt Tenaly in Otis, Colorado. It was a total surprise for Tenaly's birthday. We walked into the school where she teaches and she was so happy/mad at us. Now forgive these pictures because they were with a disposable. I am still working on a newer-nicer camera. Anyway, this is an adventure you all need to hear about. This was Faith on the airplane. She didn't cry at all, and I'm carseat-in airplanes handicapped, so they we were always thirty minutes delayed to our arrival time because of my inexperience with these crazy carseats. This is our car-rental place, we waited in line forEVER! I believe this is right after I finished telling some randoms that Faith was my baby, and my hometeacher was the father..and I think my mom was still in the process of telling these randoms that I really wasn't the single mother. Ha! Oh mom, just let the story go, they would have enjoyed talking about me once we were gone. We sat at the rental place for atleast an hour and Amy watched the luggage, or rather..slept on it all. And you better believe that is my shadow takin that picture :) Now this was fun, this was at the school where we surprised Tenaly, so the students there did something or other and WON this loft for their library, I thought it was also pretty awesome that my grandma donated the leaves for the trees..which was a workin progress. This was at the Senior Citizen Center after church where the branch of Otis is located, or Twig as they liked to call it. There were a total of 7 people in the Relief Society, and my aunt and the other lady were the only ones who weren't visitors! I suppose my dress was see-through and everybody was talking about it, but I packed light and my slip was on the leave home list! These were the ducks we fed popcorn to. Where did we get the popcorn you ask? We got it from the popcorn machine in the Senior Center. Kept me full all through church, then we fed the ducks with it. I thought it was brilliant.
I couldn't express enough how happy I was to be in Otis Colorado.
This is Chloe and Becca Sue and I feeding the ducks after church, or should I say after our bingo/popcorn activities at the Senior Center :)
Now look at this. Im so glad we documented this at one in the morning. This is in Denver at a motel 2 probably. We drove from Otis on Sunday night and got there really late. My grandma was being thrifty and decided to get one motel room for 7 people. I packed light so I left my blanket at home. Jamie and I were voted to sleep on this lovely thing they called a rollaway bed. It barely fit, and we didnt have a blanket except for grandma's couch throw. We had to discuss turning over during the night, in order to gain optimum comfort. All I remember is a bar in my ribs and Jamie sniffing all night. In the morning there was kleenex's spread all over. Apparently during the night she decided to just throw them. HA! We actually ended up building a fort around this with blankets. Who needs two motel rooms? Oh we finally went to bed at 2Am but had to get up at 4 Am to go to the airport. When we awoke Granny couldnt find her prized golden pjs, which were apparently PURE silk and only 15 dollars, a gift from her dear friend. Anyway after much searching by delusional people at 4 am, Kathy spotted them shining out of her pants, which she had pulled over her gold gem pjs. Oh we got a laugh outta that. So this was most of the trip to Otis. I think I could write a book about all the profane, hilarious, and memorable things that were done, said and accomplished on this trip.

Thrifty: Elder Packer

So Elder Packer gave this talk and the famous words were used:

Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.

Now I am just trying to decide how I can apply this to my life in everyway. I made a short list of five things I can do better. Now this is kinda cheezy in a way, but just read it and enjoy.

#1: Stop buying things that I function without. Like shoes. I'm so bad at this one. So bad. #2: Cut your toothpaste tube open and squeeze out the remainder. (About 3 months ago I was like, "wow I'm out of toothpaste" and now I am still using that same tube of toothpaste. You ask how? I cut open the bottom :)

#3: Drive the old car compared to the new, and just think of how much money you saved :) And don't covet somebody with that new Lexus, because they are most likely in debt.

#4: Wear things out, and if you cant stand to look at it, make sure it goes somewhere it can be used. Like the DI, or younger siblings :) (this pic is a little extreme)

#5:Give Give Give. Give more. (Give said the little stream)