Brett & Adrienne Hansen

Beach Day

2010-08-20T21:58:00.004-04:00

We took a trip to the beach in New Hampshire with the family. We were surprised by the number of people there. It looked like a bunch of New Yorkers. As the waves were pretty small, it was a good chance to let Ronin try body boarding. He had a lot of fun and I didn't drop him.

Patrick in a Daniel Craig or Sean Connery moment walking out the water.

Olivier catching some air on the body board.

A whole bucket of sassiness.

Here is Locke showing how truly cool he is. Peace out.

Palmyra & Kirtland

2010-08-20T21:43:00.008-04:00

We took a long weekend trip to see some of the churches historical sites in New England. Our first stop was Palmyra, which is a beautiful place except for when it is 100°F and about the same percentage of humidity. Despite the smiles on our faces, we were dying. There were old folks biting the dust left and right. This photo is just outside the Sacred Grove.

Here is Ronin standing on a bench demonstrating the type of yalp that got him removed from the movie that the rest of the family was watching.

The younglings with their mommy.

This is Adrienne with a friend of hers in the cast of the Hill Cumorah pageant.

I tried a few photos of the pageant at night, they worked pretty well. It was a impressively sized production. I have to recommend the dress rehearsal night. There were no crowds and no concessions to tempt the kiddies.

The next stop was Kirtland, Ohio. I did not realize how big a historic site the church had here. It was really well done. This is where the School of the Prophets took place.

Locke and Charlotte looking happy together for a change.

Mama with her little Roe.

As there must be balance in all things we ended our trip with a visit to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. It was pretty neat. Especially where they had spots with music listening stations and I got the chance to expose Patrick to the Clash and the Talking Heads. As I have never taken acid, I did have a difficult time explaining the meaning of the Pink Floyd pig suspended from the ceiling. Hippies... geez.

Brett in China

2010-06-02T22:58:00.012-04:00

The day after Adrienne ans I return from the cruise, I had to fly off to China for trade show for work. Including the two-hour bus ride to the airport, and the layover time, it's an about 24 hour trip to China. When it's 1 PM in New Hampshire it is 1 AM in China. The trade show was really busy for me, but I had one free day after the show to do a little touring. I had not been to China since 1995, and things really changed. I did spend some time in the Forbidden City and made several unsuspecting tourists take my picture so I had proof that I was there.

After the Forbidden City, I went to a garden just north of the exit gate. There was a temple high on top of a hill with a great view of Beijing.

I also took a rickshaw ride through one of the old Chinese alleyways. Of course, I got ripped off on a tour by paying too much and by having the tour cut short by about 30 minutes. But I got some good photos out of it. And I got a little video footage too.

On the final day, I went to the Olympics sites of the 2008 Beijing games. The Birds Nest was pretty cool, as was the swimming cube. I got to go inside the stadium and see some performances for the day.

Finally, my plane was delayed for three hours was spent some time in the giant Beijing airport and try to take some cool photos while waiting. I can't say that I succeeded. That is why like Adrienne around, she makes every photo look better.

Caribbean Cruise

2010-06-02T22:12:00.015-04:00

We try to get away, just the two of us, at least once a year. Adrienne and I decided to cash in some of our credit card reward points and take a cruise this spring. We have only been on one cruise before, and never to the Caribbean. So we were pretty excited. We chose a seven night cruise with stops in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Mexico. We had a total blast as you can see in the pictures.

Haiti was interesting. The stop in Haiti is actually a private resort leased by Royal Caribbean. So the place was safe and somewhat inflated from the rest of Haiti, however, you could still see the sadness and desperation and all the people. Every Haitian working at the resort was looking for a tip for the smallest of tasks. That being said, apparently the cruise stop here adds a lot of money to local economy. So there was a give-and-take here. It was a beautiful place and the beach was fantastic.

This Is Our Ship, the Freedom Of the Seas. In 2006 it was the biggest cruise liner in the world. It is cool and has a rock climbing wall, a surfing simulator, a mini golf course, and even ice skating rink (on which you will see some of Brett's sweet moves later).

At the resort they had an "artisans market". This is where the locals sold you garage sale fodder. The sad thing is, the stalls in which they sold their products (which were undoubtably built by the cruise company) are a far better construction than their houses probably are.

I think the locals got to a number of the cruisers because by about 3 PM the beaches were pretty empty. It made for a good time for Adrienne and I to pose for some cool shots.

This is about as cool as I get. Adrienne looking pretty cute as usual.

Another cool shot of Adrienne and I in front of our ship at the pier in Haiti.

After Haiti, our next stop was Ochoa Rios, Jamaica. It is a tourist town on the north side of the island. We plan a couple of our own church versions. We hiked that Dunn's River Falls. It was really cool. A local guide to take about 50 people hand-in-hand up this waterfall. We didn't have a waterproof camera this day, but fortunately the cruise line in the local tour took a couple photos for us and magically 20 bucks later we have a couple good pictures of us.

An observation on Jamaica: where would their culture be without Bob Marley? Every single torus shop and every guide was Bob Marley-themed. Hiking the false, the guide sang Bob Marley. Floating the river on inter-tubes, the guide sang Bob Marley. A guy try selling you a painting of Bob Marley, he sings Bob Marley. I will say I'm grateful that it was Bob Marley and not Barry Manilow who is Jamaican. If I had to spend the whole day listening to Copacabana I might've jumped off the falls.

Our next stop was Grand Cayman. If only bought a waterproof camera, but the pictures are still sitting on it because he did not finish the whole role. The old days of film photography, I don't miss them. We did some great snorkeling on the island. We found this amazing reef with a 30 foot drop-off with thousands of fish and coral all over areas it was fantastic. There is also an old shipwreck you can snorkel over and see the ribs of the old ship that is rotting away. It was really neat.

Our last stop was Cozumel Mexico. We booked a Razor ride through the jungle. I forgot to bring my drivers license, they let me drive anyway but admonish me to be very careful. The White tried to be careful, the leader of the tour was driving like a maniac and was difficult to keep up with them. They took us to the uninhabited east side of the island where we drove up through the jungle dodging on off of the beach. It was totally gorgeous.

This is Adrienne I on our sweet ride. Another photo that cost us 10 bucks.

After zipping through the jungle for 30 minutes both Adrienne I are pretty muddy.

She looks pretty good with little mud on her face.

We also stopped by some old Mayan ruins or at least ruin. It was pretty cool, but the beachside location was the best part.

They also stop by a small resort to see us lunch after the Razor ride. I mistook the green hot sauce for guacamole. A big, big, big mistake. My blue eyes almost burst from my skull. I was pretty much done after the first bite.

As a mentioned above, our ship was really cool. I tried my hand on the surf simulator at the back of the ship I wasn't too bad, but I sure needed a few times. The simulator also had a tendency to rip off your swimming suit. What was writing, I noticed that there were three or four older men with cameras taking pictures somewhat indiscriminately. I did notice that whenever a woman showed up in a bikini top, without the recommended over shirt, they started firing away. The cameras went silent when I went up.

I also found out later that you could watch a live video feed of the simulator from your state room. I wonder how many other creepy dudes were watching that day.

Having become an avid (though rather untalented) pond hockey player, I relish the chance to ice skate in the middle of the summer. I showed Adrienne some of my totally cool moves.

I am sure she was impressed because she accepted my invitation to dinner that night.

We had a couple of formal nights on the cruise ship as well. As usual, Adrienne turned a lot of heads. I forgot to bring the shirts that matched my ties. So I went for the cool man no tie-look.

One of the best places on the ship, but right at the bow we could watch the water below you. I like to get up in the morning and watch the sunrise from there.

[Note: I dictated this entire Blog entry on Dragon, so sorry for any mistakes, but it was fast]

Disney World Music Video

2010-04-30T07:28:00.004-04:00

I try to put together a music video for each of our vacations. Here is my latest effort. (YOU'LL HAVE TO PAUSE "BRETT'S PLAYLIST" ON THE RIGHT)

2010-04-23T22:54:00.007-04:00

Adrienne's mother and stepfather came to visit us a week ago so we went to see a few New England sights and caught some beautiful spring weather. We first went to Cape Neddick, Maine one of the most beautiful lighthouses in New England.

Adrienne and I posed for a few glamor shots. Going for the American Eagle model look.

A little wind added to another nice photo. A lighthouse and the light of my life.

But after a long day at the beach and a 2 for $20 lobster dinner, we were all feeling a little sleepy. So Ronin offered to drive home. Unfortunately, the drool on the steering wheel made it hard for him to drive, even with the cruise control on.

The next day we went down to Boston with another perfect day. Adrienne and Char were both working the camera.

This is the old cemetery where John Hancock and Sam Adams are buried along with the victims of the Boston Massacre. A little trivia, did you know the first casualty of the American Revolution was black? (Boston Massacre victim Crispus Atkus)

The kids were all smiles in Boston, even when playing amongst the dead.

Ronin and I look cool at the Quincy Market, but what did you expect. Patrick blending in with a tree.

We took a ferry from the Aquarium to the the naval station. This a great poor man's option for a boat ride in the bay. The two girls posed with their grandmother.

2010-03-20T17:05:00.002-04:00

I also made a little video of our trip. Enjoy!

2010-03-16T22:01:00.007-04:00

We took the kids to Disney World in January/February. It is the cold rainy season, but it also seems to scare away the more feeble vacationers. We had a great time. I traded in my timeshare for a Marriott resort there. They are always the best.

Ronin had not yet acquired a rain jacket, so we had to put him in Charlotte's extra jacket. He appears to recognize that pink is not a boy color, not to mention that this jacket was not very waterproof and he ended up soaked about 30 minutes later. Fortunately, we came prepared with a couple extra pairs of clothes for him.

Patrick and Char Char looking pretty cool at the front of the Magic Kingdom. Not quite sure who the guy is. I don't think it is Uncle Walt.

I love the shot of Charlotte. The sassiness is not just a glimmer of a moment caught on film, it's a way of life. A true Latina.

Expedition Everest is one of Disney's coolest rides. The area is really well done and puts on pretty good Nepal. So we went with the third world look in this photo.

The family really loves the International Pavilions at Epcot. On our second day there we set a goal to eat something from each country's pavilion. It was a lot of fun, but by the time we got to Mexico, I was ready for a bucket of Tums. The family seemed to agree that the Norway sandwich and pastry place was the best. Who'd of though it.

Flash Back - Fall Time

2009-12-20T21:30:00.005-05:00

I dropped the blogging for a while as times got busy and because most of the blog information gets put on Facebook anyway. Nevertheless, I thought I'd update a few things here. We had some fun fall trips.

My (Brett's) parents came up to visit us for a week. We took a few fun field trips. The best was to Minuteman National Park. We hiked the battle road, where colonist and the redcoats fought the first battle of the revolutionary war. It was one of the most beautiful New England days you could have seen.

The big four. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

Lots of old walls and old house and a (getting) old guy.

Baby Update

2009-06-28T17:11:00.002-04:00

Little Ronin sleeping soundly after Dad bounced him to sleep.

Ronin NOT sleeping soundly and making a good effort at matching his own shirt color.

Track & Field

2009-06-28T17:00:00.004-04:00

The boys have been in track for the summer and they competed in their first track meet yesterday. A long day in the sun, but we had a good time. I do think that a few folks thought our boys were skin heads though. Also, at these ages, the girls' times were usually better than the boys.

Here is Locke giving his all at the standing long jump. When you are 8 and not too tall yet, "long" is relative.

Patrick made a good showing at his standing long jump. Patrick's friend Carson (just behind Patrick in the purple jersey) crushed all other kids a the meet. I guess a little collegiate athlete in the DNA sure helps. I brought no such genes to the table.

Patrick showing some nice form in the 200 yard dash.

Locke showing some nice form in the 200 minute sit.

California 2008

2009-06-14T18:56:00.004-04:00

A little movie I put together for our California vacation in 2008.

Live from the Hospital

2009-06-04T09:37:00.004-04:00

Adrienne and Ronin continue to do well from the hospital. Both mother and baby (and even daddy) are eating well from the hospital. Ronin even slept through the night last night. Looks like he is a keeper.

He continued to look more like a Hansen each day - somewhere between me, my brother Danny, and my dad. But he appears to proudly sport the Hansen nose.

Of all our kids, Ronin was the heaviest, but looks the shortest (no official measurement yet). Maybe it is because he is fuller.

The kids really love holding Ronin when they come to visit. Though I am not sure they are getting their homework done.

The other kids are massive compared to Ronin though - he is in there somewhere.

And after all of the commotion and attention from the kids, Dad gets a little time with Rice-a-Ronin too.

IT'S A BOY!!!!

2009-06-02T13:29:00.004-04:00

Ronin Revere Hansen arrived safely and well just around noon EST time. We got ourselves all ready and I got to pretend to play doctor. We were all ready for No. 5.

They gave Adrienne some special medicine so she would not get sick, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

After about an hour wait for a room and for the doctors, they wheeled Adrienne into the OR. I had to wait outside as doctor after doctor went into the OR. 6 at last count. Adrienne had a rough start. The non-puking medicine didn't work so well and I didn't love the smell of cauterized flesh in the morning. Once I got into the room, they worked on Adrienne for 20 rough minutes or so. And finally...

Ronin made his appearance.

He was 7 lbf 8 oz.

Full head of hair and big eyes.

About 30 minutes later all of the king horses and all of the kings men, finally got Adrienne Loiuse put back together again.

So far all looks great!

The kids came to see Ronin and are very exicted.

Ronin also got his first bath. Mommy and baby are doing well.

Boston "The Video"

2009-05-30T22:52:00.004-04:00

Think I'll Go to Boston

2009-05-29T22:02:00.010-04:00

We thought it might be fun to use the Memorial Day weekend to have a mini family vacation before the baby arrives. So we planned a weekend in Boston. It is actually nice being a country bumpkin and visiting the city on memorial day. All the city folk came up here so little traffic and lots of parking. It was also nice to eat in some real restaurants.

We started the trip in Minute Man National Park. The kids actually were interested in the history, or at least they expressed interest in between asking when we could go swimming in the pool.

We also went to the Boston Children Museum. They actually had some kind of ant farm for kids maze. The kids loved it.

We spent Monday on "Crane Beach" in Massachusetts. I found the name of the beach in a list of recommended beaches. It was well off the beaten path. When we got there, we saw that it had an admission fee. A $6 park fee I figured. Nope. $22. A bit of beach sticker shock.

Apparently, the beach used to be a private estate of the wealthy Crane family and though they gave their beach to the public, they gave it at a price. I knew that I had heard of the name Crane before, but I couldn't place it. As we were leaving, I had to use the restroom. There I found it, Crane was the name on the urinals. It was the toilet company Cranes. So I guess after generations of having people whizzing on your name, you'd charge them to use your beach too.

Father and Sons Camp Out

2009-05-19T23:25:00.008-04:00

The boys and I went to the annual stake Father and Sons Camp Out. With a truck full of junk food we arrived ready to party. As soon as we jumped out of the truck we found out that the bugs had the same idea and we were their junk food. After running a 40 DET intravenous drip of bug spray into each of our circulatory systems, we managed a great time.

There was a little lake there and the boys had fun playing in the water, though I was scolded repeatedly for not telling them to bring their swimming suits.

The stake had a little fireside that night, right at the water's edge. A little preaching as the metaphor for hell fire danced before the boys.

The next morning they boys got to do some shooting. Fortunately, no animals (or paper targets) were harmed in the taking of these photos.

Photo Shoot Time

2009-05-02T22:42:00.006-04:00

Since this is to be the last time Adrienne will be a little round mound of rebound. We went outside during the last few rays of the evening an took a few shots. I sounded a little like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters 2, but the shots came out nice.

She really takes nice photos. That is why I like to stay on this side of the lens.

Miami

2009-02-26T23:30:00.008-05:00

I take Adrienne with me every year for my continuing educations conference that I have to attend to keep my law licenses. The conferences all end up being in a fun location... hmmm... I can't figure out why? Well this year it was in Miami.

While I DO attend the classes, we also squeeze in as much fun as we can in the nooks and crannies. Since my first meeting did not start until noon, we caught the first airboat ride of the morning. It ended up only being us on the boat. Loads of fun.

Of course I had to head to the meeting afterward. She found herself alone in a strange town with exotic people. Imaging my surprise to return home from a meeting to this:
Forgiving this indiscretion, we had a great trip.

We went to a zoo called Jungle Island, just between Miami and Miami Beach. While looking at some of the large alligators, I suggested to Adrienne that it would be a good idea to feed these alligators stray dogs and cats. Of course I got a look telling me my comment was in poor taste. I say its "green" thinking. Anyway, on the way out, as the park was closing, in pulled two "Humane Society" vans, barking away. Good call me!

Begining

2009-02-26T23:26:00.000-05:00

I'm going see if this blogging thing works. This is my first attempt.