FlorIDA Hansons

It's Wednesday and so far this week at work... a sixth-grade boy had a small packet of tissues on his desk that was actually one of his mom's pads I picked up what I thought was an eraser from the ground and it turned out to be a chewed up piece of gum. I couldn't decide whether to set my hand on fire or just cut it off my best buddy asked me "which Texas" I was born in  And there was this from a seventh grader...they're actually sweet when they want to be :)

Last weekend I left sunny, 70 degree Florida for 10 degree Pennsylvania. That could only mean one thing...Lyco's season opener!! Maxwell had been cleared to play the week before (mono) but was a little unsure about his play time. He was having a hard time figuring out where he was going to fit into the game plan. Not having played at all during preseason left him feeling a little disconnected. That lasted about 2 minutes into the game though. For the second year in a row Moose had the season opening goal for the Warriors!! I had a great weekend with him. More than ever, he seemed like his happy, confident self. He's never going to not worry and he's never going to cut himself slack, but he has an ease about him again. I miss him like crazy and am already counting the days until we're all up there again. Hopefully, it's warmed up a bit by then! Don't let the blue skies and shorts fool you... it was freezing!! For once I was prepared Pho...

Henry: Hey, we learned about gonorrhea today. Me: Uhhh, good? Did you learn how NOT to get it??? Henry: Wait! It was giardia. We learned about giardia today. You know, what I ACTUALLY had!! *Fun Fact - the summer of 2014 Henry got giardia from swimming in the Potomac River but his uncles kept calling it gonorrhea. That was also the year Vivian went to school and announced that her brother got gonorrhea over the summer. Ahhh, good times, good times.

Today was my turn...my first day of school/work! Seven and half hours with middle schoolers and I survived. My feet are killing me and I've been starving all day but I had a great first day! It was so good to be around other people, especially the kids. I had forgotten how funny middle schoolers are and that they really don't know their heads from their tails. The sixth graders are sweet and clueless, the seventh graders are much less sweet but much more clueless and the eighth graders are something all their own! Day one highlight: Kid: Mrs. Hanson, how are you feeling? Me: I'm good bud. We need to keep working, ok? Kid: Ok. Mrs. Hanson, can I give you a hug? Me: No, not right now. We need to keep working. Kid: Mrs. Hanson, are you going to be here tomorrow? Me: I am. Let's keep working, ok? Kid: Ok. I'll just give you a hug tomorrow. Saint Mary Catholic School  Middle School Teachers Aide  February 2, 2020 

Four out of five Hanson's are licensed drivers!  And just like every good military kid before him, Henry's path to his license wasn't smooth...to say the least! It covered two years and three states. In Colorado, he took his permit test and passed but was told that he took the wrong test. He took the test for 15 1/2 year olds instead of the test for kids younger than 15 1/2. Ridiculous, I know.  Fast forward to Alabama where we figured he'd just take the Drivers Ed course through school, get his permit and then get his license. The Drivers Ed course was taught by one of the football coaches and it turned out to be a whole lot of high school football talk, but Hen ended up with his permit and (bonus!) boating license. That was in January of last year. Come to find out, in Alabama you need to hold a permit for 6 months before you can test for your driver's license. That meant even though Henry turned 16 two months after he got his permit he wouldn't be able...

Henry's short story ended tonight. From 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 8 inches. He took his first Human Growth Hormone (HGH) injection on April 17, 2017, and his last one tonight. That's 1018 days of injections. 2 years, 9 months and 13 days and it's been all Henry the entire time. Not once did Matt or I give him an injection. Henry took control from day one and was responsible for his own treatment every day after that. I'm not sure why but it feels bittersweet to end this journey. Bitter in that I can still feel the self-doubt and second-guessing Matt and I put ourselves through when we first started Henry's testing, but sweet in that today I have no doubt we made the right decisions back then. Sweet in that Henry has come so far, and sweet in that I am so, so proud of him. So, there it is. The End. Florida State University  January 18, 2020

Last weekend Vivian and I were in Texas to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the new baby girl in the family! Viv isn't super excited about surrendering her title, but she's willing to take one for the team. As always, our trip went by way too fast. As my mom said, "it's like y'all came in through the front door one minute, and went out the back door the next!". We did get to see lots of old friends and family though which made the three and a half day trip totally worth it! Next time we're in Texas, we should be holding baby Parks herself!  First stop (thanks to Grandpa) was for queso flameado... could this possibly be why Viv doesn't want to give up being the "baby girl"?! Viv and I spent a night in Austin visiting with Luke and Les and James and Pepper... Pepper stole for the show for sure Saturday night was for old friends who are like family and family themselves It's not often that we're all und...