This is 17

-
Ok. So the car wasn't a surprise, but who wouldn't love to wake up on your birthday to a big red bow on your new(ish) car?! 

Happy 17th birthday to the girl that makes me smile every single day. To the girl who loves big and is always the first to offer an "I love you". Happy 17th to the daughter I never knew I needed. 

Happy 17th birthday, Viv. I love you with every corner of my soul. 

Love, Mom 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

100 days of January

-
Image
Has long did January lasted?? I swear it felt like 100 days! Most of mine was spent with ibuprofen and pajamas, so I guess it makes sense? I also feel like I had to readjust my mind set 100 times during January. From "this is going to be terrible month" to "thank God I'm able to take time off to recover" to "if I don't don't get out of the house I'm going to lose my mind" and then back to "I never want to leave my bed and my heating pad is my best friend" .  I tell you, it was a wild ride!  I did figure somethings out during January though. I figured out how to give myself some grace. I allowed my body to rest and recover. Maybe it was by virtue of getting older...who knows. Whatever it was though, it felt good. I slowed down and I focused on what I needed, and if it was help that I needed, I asked for it.  That's progress, folks.  I couldn't have done any of that without two of the very best though. Matt and Viv were the
Read more

Head of the Occoquan 2023

-
Image
I couldn't be more proud of Vivian.  She completely bought in to crew this fall, and something that she was kind of interested in, has turned into something that she absolutely loves. And even better, it's all her own. In the Hanson family, rowing belongs solely to Viv. It's not easy to be the third kid, behind two brothers that are strong and accomplished. She's risen to the occasion though and she's thriving.  Resilient Rowing gave Viv the opportunity to gain confidence and strength in both her body and mind. And it was her that chose to take that opportunity. Not every teenager would do that, and certainly not every new kid would. There are days that I wonder what this military life that Matt and I have chosen...what effect has it had on the kids? Viv especially. The last kid left at home; the new kid all by herself. What has that done? Have we screwed this whole thing up and made her high school years harder than they need to be?  And then a day like Sunday come
Read more

Alaska 2024

-
Image
In the last 20 years we've vacationed with the Shirley's throughout the world. Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Costa Rica.  Alaska 2024 did not disappoint.  Mount Rainier  flying into Seattle  Friday morning in Seattle Embarkation!  Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas  Tad's gift for all the boys... the official start of vacation  Dinner 1 - SHanson party of 11 Day and night at sea  Bigs and littles first breakfast together squeezed into one room \ Trivia Bionic Bar was a favorite of the Bigs  Juneau  Mount Roberts hike  Skagway Jordi and the boys hiked Upper Dewey Lake...   ...and Jennie and I took the girls to the top of a glacier to dog sled...via a helicopter! Jennie, Ella and Grace took off first  Cara, Viv and I followed the dog camp below  back to town for wine and more crab legs  White out for the evening... ...stalking the kids at the bar... Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier  Day and night at sea  Victoria, British Columbia  (my favorite
Read more