The Adventures of Jake and Friends

Married!

2010-09-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Well I have neglected this blog for a long time and now that I am married I will just refer everyone to my wifes blog where she will keep everyone updated. =)

Check out her blog

www.ericalyle.blogspot.com

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-11-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

So we recently had a family Disneyland trip. It was an absolute blast in the happiest place on earth. Its a place where even sixty year old men can be taken back to Tom Sawyer boyhood adventures through classic rides like Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, I think the best part was not what I got to do but getting to watch the younger ones in our group soak up the magic of Disneyland for the first time! It took me back to the carefree days of boyhood adventures. After my trip some asked me who the prettiest princess was......well just look below. It was obviously Belle!

Lily and London....Cutiest Nieces ever......

Oh And we can't forget "The Boy"!
FINN= CUTEST NEPHEW IN THE WORLD!

Although sometimes he thinks I can be pretty lame!

Who Doesn't Love Disneyland.

My Spare Time

2009-10-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

Some people get the idea that I am a beach bum because of the pictures of my adventures in the sun. However you dont see the pictures of me working two jobs and finishing my major in International Business Management. I do have some amazing times here when I am not working or studying. This is because in most peoples spare time they....watch tv, play video games, or just engage in other meaningless time wasters.

here is what I do in my spare time........

Surf

Sail

Hike

Explore

Hang out with people as crazy as me....... yeah we went night surfing and they wore speedos....I didn't have one so I wore short shorts. hahaha

Oh yeah I also get to watch the greatest sunsets on earth!

ALOHA

Yet another post with pics of my limbs

2009-08-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

There is nothing more fun than body surfing in the moonlight.........
Until you get stung by like 4 jelly fish!!!!

My Red Swollen Shoulder

The bumps across my foot....those are from where the tentacle wrapped around my foot

I love Hawaii but I HATE Jellyfish

ps. There is a hurricane coming in a couple of day....should be an adventure!

The Life

2009-07-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

I like working Barefoot

Just living the good life

Aloha

America For Me

2009-07-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

I guess my fourth of July experience this year inspired me to write this Blog. Me and about 20 other friends went to watch the fireworks on North Shore. We gathered around the fire as the sun set behind us eating homemade snacks and lighting off small fire works.We were on a spot on the beach next to an old WWII bunker, a relic of some of the tougher times in America's past. Still, even now we all couldn't help but nervously joke about the modern threats from North Korea. The fireworks over the ocean were incredible, and it was a cool experience watching them from the window of a WWII bunker. Still, the best part of this all American night was not the guitar playing, not the watermelon, not the leis, not the Martinellis apple cider, it was something that happened after the fireworks.
We all gathered around the fire put our hands on our hearts and pledged our allegience to the United States. After this pledge we all sang together at the top of our lungs the National Anthem. The patriotism was palpable and real. Sometimes I get bugged by all the things that happen politically but it is moments like these that give me renewed hope in America and what she stands for.Now I am no world traveler but after living two years in Argentina, visiting Mexico, England, France, living in Hawaii (which I consider to be half American), and going to a school with people from over 60 different countries from every continent on earth I feel I have seen some of the world.

Still nothing can compare to the land that I call home. The other day a kid from Tonga said it well when he said "For Tongans going to the US is like going to Heaven". Often politics can sour us but from its beginning this country has been special. Its founders are totally unique when compared to similar characters in history. There they were, they had all the power, they could do whatever they wanted with it......and what did they do? They did what was right! They were the exception to the old saying "power corrupts." Instead of imposing what they thought defined a good society they gave the power to the people to decide for themselves what they wanted. They gave the people.....LIBERTY!

They created a society based on the idea that Government is not meant to make people good, but rather Government exists to make men free, a concept never before tried. The founders studied the great thinkers of the enlightenment, like John Locke and Montesquieu and realized the importance of a free society tempered by the private force of religion to keep men civil and moral.

John Adams Said
"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand."

These founding principles of liberty, virtue, a creator, natural rights, and the notion that all men are created equal and that no man has authority over another man by his birth alone have been tested throughout our great history.

In many great wars the US has stood up for Liberty, and Peace to the demise to some of the greatest Tyrannies the world has ever known.

In short I may not have seen the whole world but I have seen enough to know for myself that I will pledge my allegiance and loyalty to the America I love, the America I would die for, the America I will live for, an America of liberty, an America of virtue, an America of peace and prosperity. I don't care what anyone says America is the light in the world, the greatest nation on earth, and it will continue to be as long as the principles that made it great in the first place are lived by.

The Boys are Back in Town

2009-07-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Announcement:
There are now TWO Hansens at BYU HAWAII!

May the Lord have mercy on us all!

THE FRITZ

2009-07-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here she is....the Fritz....In ACTION!

Who do I want to be

2009-07-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well I am sitting bored in accounting and I realized something.....the people in my accounting class resemble the following individuals...

CEO SHELL

Founder of Forbes Magazine

Founder of Microsoft

you know what I have been thinking....don't think I resemble the other guys in my class...

Now I am not sure but in my life I hope to resemble these guys!

General Patton.... Most Bad Ass American General EVER!
Sir Edmond Hillary.....1st man to climb everest
Donovan Frankenrieter- Hillarious Singer / Surfer
Ben Hadow- Arctic explorer

Zac Sunderland- Sailed around the world alone at age 16

I don't care how rich you are.....it aint worth a thing if you are some dork with a comb-over!

CARPE DIEM!

Hawaii Moments

2009-06-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

So I have just returned to Oahu for the 4th time and I think I have plenty of blogs that already talk about my love for this place but I have to explain something that happens every time I am here. Every once and a while I have what I call "hawaii moments". Basically they are just random moments when I stop and it hits me how amazing this place is. Sometimes it during a sunset or while watching a storm roll in over the warm ocean.

Sometimes is happens when I am out in the blue water with the salty taste in my mouth or when I see a big hawaiian family having a Luau in thier front yard or when I am with friend singing at the top of our lungs oldies as we race toward our next beach or surf spot. The feeling in the air here is childlike, innocent, fun positive and more than anything care free. Not because there are no problems here but because here little problems stay little. That is why I love this place so much. This is a really amazing place and now having my brother Ian here with me its even better. I dont write this to make people jealous, in fact quite the opposite I write it so people know how incredibly lucky I feel to be here. Also I always want people to come visit so I can share this place I love so much with them.

ALOHA!

One California Day

2009-05-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

So me and some friends got back a few days ago from an awesome trip to Southern California. I went to visit some friends in Utah and while there my buddy Clint told me we should do a little surf trip with a couple girls he knew. Without hesitation I agreed. I always find the best experiences are the great ones that you spontaneously decided to do! It was a great trip.....

After Clint and Becky picked me up we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway

Our first stop was Pedro's Tacos....so good!!!

As we continued down the coast listening to our favoite songs we stopped to shop at a flea market and then watched the sunset from the beautiful cliffs next to the Torry Pines golf course. I provided a little bit of music too with my ukulele.

We then picked up Becky's friend Brittney and had some great mexican food in old town San Diego and after eating went and played in the old historic Park Good times.

After Spending the night with the best host in the world we then spent the next day exploring the home town of our hosts, my uncle John and aunt Ellie. We had a great time. They showed us historical sites and then we had a great picnic and pool party. Such a fun day. BEST HOSTS EVER!!!!!!

The next Day was our beach day. We spent the whole day pretty much at Trestles Beach surfing and enjoying the sunny weather. It pretty much was a picture perfect beach day!

Our last night there we met up with my buddy Skylar and had a big dinner together at a great restaurant then went down to Dana point and took a long walk down the beach at night. The air was salty and brisk but we didn't mind.

It was a great trip and one none of us will be forgetting

Trip Quotes......

"I cant lend my stick to some hodad........ He's not a hodad squid lips!"
-from the movie Big Wednesday

" Johnson I've got a vee-hicle"
- Also from the movie Big Wednesday

" I think I will call it.....Ye olde colour thearte shoppe at towne centre"
- What I wanted to call my store that specializes in cards using weird old English spelling"

" MMMMMMMM ASPAN....lets make some bacon"
- just our favorite street in lake forest....Aspan Street

Plumbers

2009-05-31T19:23:00.001-07:00

We are true American heroes....just watch this video to see why.

Coming Home to Nevada

2009-05-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

Well right now I am home and working like a slave!!! Still its good. Its weird how debt and a bad economy can make digging holes and slaving in peoples yard until 8 at night a happy experiences simply because you get paid something to do it. Yeah my life at home is normally filled with as much work as I can because during school its hard to work, do school and socialize. So I try and get as much work done when I am home. Its also is great to see the family and friends here on the mainland.

Also coming home always reaffirms my love for my home state of Nevada. Its about the exact opposite from my home away from home Hawaii but its the place where I grew up and will always be home for me.

The big open desolate country filled with tales of the old west pioneers always intrigues me. Also it still maintains a flair of the wild west with its brothels and old west saloons filled with country music and good old fashioned flag waving Americans. People who don't think America has culture have never been outside the U.S enough to realize it most definitely does and most states have their own culture as well. I love my wild west Nevada roots. Heck my first ancestor, Jake Johnson (who I am named after) was an old west sheriff in Pioche Nevada and came to Nevada in 1872. Coming home is always a nice thing because deep down I am a country boy and as the song says "Home means Nevada to me!"

Hawaii Winter Semester 2009

2009-05-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well after returning to Hawaii for the 3rd time I finally have decided to stay. It definitely was not in my original plans to live in Hawaii for a few years while finishing college but that is exactly what I have decided to do. This last semester was different than the others because I had to focus more on school but none the less every minute of free time was just as wonderful as all my other semesters! A life filled with school and work is normal and I had plenty of that this last semester. Still the spare moments were spent with good friends around campfires listening to guitar after days of surfing, hiking, exploring, sneaking into hotel hot tubs, hitchhiking, watching movies in my van, enjoying sunsets over the ocean, and having every other kind of island adventure we could think of.

See that's why I came back to Hawaii. Its so unique and I know that these moments I have now will be little gems as I look back on my life. Hawaii has really taught me through experience that life is not about money, its about experiences and people.

What a wonderful group of people I share my time in Hawaii with. For those of who wont be coming back to the island. I WILL MISS YOU GUYS! Still memories never die and life will continue to be filled with wonderful experiences and people as long as we let it!

Kauai- The Adventure Island

2009-02-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

Well just last weekend I got back from one of the best times I have had yet here in Hawaii. Just imagine it. A bunch of college students in Hawaii living out of a Uhaul van, sleeping under park benches and in hammocks under the stars while exploring the one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific, Kauai. Yes we really lived out of a uhaul van. We were pretty much bums........

Only 19.99 a day plus 70 cents a mile. Still it was a little crowded. hahaha.

But is was well worth it seeing all the beautiful places in Kauai.

The Adventure began with us finding cheap tickets to kauai. They were only 80 bucks round trip. Then we got our boards filled our backpacks and headed for it. Upon arriving in Kauai I could not believe how little people there were there. Its what you image Hawaii to be like. Super green, few people anywhere and a little one strip airport. Kauai has kinda of a hippy feel to it and the people there are very friendly. From the moment of arrival in the small airport I knew it was gonna be a fun trip. After Tony got the Van we all piled in and we were off. Our first Stop....Wailua Falls. It was only about 10 minutes from the airport and was a sight to see. It was like Niagra Falls or something. We walked down where you are not allowed to go.....(no adventure is complete without some rule breaking!) and even walked behind the falls. The power of the falling water was incredible!

Then we headed to a surf spot nearby and got some decent surf. After this we headed to a friends house who lived on Kauai because he was going to make us a BBQ. Sounds pretty normal huh? Well did I mention he lives in an abandoned school bus! SWEET HUH. This is a pic of the interior. It has surround sound a bathroom a kitchen, air conditioning, a flat screen tv....the works. SO cool. After the BBQ we played guitar Hero in his bus!

After our BBQ we headed up to the northern part of the Island and found a spot to camp. I found my home under a park table where I made myself a nice shelter and actually slept pretty well except for the bum who came and sat on the table while I slept. hahaha

The next morning we got up and began our trip down the Na Pali Coast. Some of the most beautiful terrain in the world.

We ended up heading up the jungle Valley in the Picture upbove to the Hanakapiai falls. Word cant describe the place, and the pics don't really do it justice either.

Anyway after this we headed back down towards civilization and found this great hippy/taco place called Shaka Tacos. It was their open mic night so me and a couple of the other guys took a stab at it. We were not great but they clapped and cheered for us. It was fun.

After this we headed to the western side of the island where we camped ad waited for the morning. We woke up and headed up into the mountains to the Waimea Canyon. Let me tell you.....That place was unreal!!!! Its like a mix of Hawaii, The Grand Canyon and Swiss Family Robinson. First stop was the over look at the canyon. It was amazing. So big and so beautiful!

After this we went to the Top of this Giant waterfall that fell into the Canyon below!

The last stop in the canyon was this beautiful x shaped waterfall.

We swam and joked and enjoyed the sunny day. It was like the scene straight out of Swiss family Robinson where the family enjoys the day a the waterfall.

After our amazing Adventure Day at the Waimea Canyon we went back to the small town and stocked up on some food supplies (mainly peanut butter and jelly/ oatmeal cookies) I also found a hammock to sleep in. We then went to sleep and prepared for our final Day. The last day was great. We just hung out on the beach and surfed, cliff jumped, and enjoyed the abundant sunlight!

oh and we found a giant chair on our way back to the airport. hahaha

Sometimes you do things you know you are going to remember forever. My Kauai trip was one of these things. I am so lucky and blest. I hope that all who read this can have adventures like this one and if I can help you do it I will. Enjoy life! Its tough but with some work and sacrifice times like these can be found. It really was the perfect trip!

LEAVE A COMMENT!!!

MY RIDE!

2009-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Having a car in Hawaii completely changes your experience, and to speak like Jack Sparrow from pirates of the Caribbean (he referred to ships I will refer to cars). " a car is more than wheels and windows and doors.....thats what a car needs....but what a car is........is freedom!" Anyway I have had some memorable cars while being here. I bought them cheap and sold them cheap so it has been good for me money wise as well. Here is a brief history of each.

This beauty is one of my all time favorites. Its tough to compete with this wonderful 74 Plymouth Valiant. His name was "Moby" and me and my brother got him for 250 bucks because he didnt have breaks. Still we learned to stop with the e-brake. But being the super studs we are we fixed the breaks and he ran like a dream!

The next car was my first car after coming back. His name was "Willy" and I got him for 250 bucks cause he could not go over 45 (but thats enough to get to the beach and back lol). He was kind of boring at first so we spiced him up with a strip down his sides and a winged W for his name.

After getting busted by the cops for driving Willy with no registration, safety check or insurance I decided to get a car that was legal and a little more pricy. I found this little doll named "Rosy" (for her color) at a used car place in Honolulu. I got her for 800 bucks. However they lied to me and she had overheating problems, but after some tough mechanic work I found a rag stuck in her cooling system and after that. SHE RAN LIKE A DREAM!

AND NOW FOR THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

MY NEW CAR!!!!
After arriving and scanning craigslist for the best...I found it. My new car. I had to hitchhike about 20 miles to get to the new car. After arriving I haggled them down two hundred and got it for 800 bucks. Still the car was green and just looked a little soccer momish....so with a few friends, spray paint and creativity we fixed that as you can see. We also removed the middle seat to make it more roomy. I still don't have a name for it so I want everyone who reads this to give a suggestion (Some ideas so far have been, Rusty, Vanimal, Chester Molester, The Man Van, Bolt, and others). Anyway armed with this new super van (that is actually legal) I am unrestricted to the adventures I can have. ALOHA!

Why surfing is the greatest thing EVER!!!!!

2009-02-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone to a football game to stare at the field....of course not. However you have probably gone to the ocean to just stare at it. See the thing about surfing that separates it from anything else is simple....its the waves! Waves are unique to surfing. They are beautiful, powerful and can be so fun!

Perfection (I took this pic at rocky point just before we paddled out).

I am so lucky live on North Shore Oahu. It is probably the best seven mile coast of surf in the world. Surfers call it the seven mile miracle. The experience of getting up all excited with friends. Piling in a car with the boards and listen to Bob Marley with the sun and wind in your face is great.

Its always an adventure. Then you arrive at the beach and everyday its different. No surf session is like any other. Nothing beats a day with friends in the sun taking wave after wave in clear warm blue water. Here are a couple highlights of me and my friends (the only disadvantage to this is that I get great shots of my friends but no one ever takes pictures of me! Still most of them are better surfers than me)......

Tony gettin a big drop!

Taylor gettin in the tube!

Tony's brother Mike tucking into a gnarly one

Jordan tucking into the barrel!

Me getting a fun drop

My Brazilian Bud Gabe rippin a big turn.

See surfing is not just about riding waves. Its about the whole experience. Not only that you can surf until you are 80 years old if you want. Its so fun to be out on the waves and see a 5 year drop in alongside a 60 year old who started surfing in the 60's. Still, I cant stand the stupid crap surfing gets. First off so many people get into surfing....not because they want to surf but because they want to be labeled as a "surfer" cause that's cool. Still luckily surfing itself weeds out most tards with this attitude simply because learning it takes a while and its not that fun until you start to get the hang of it. Also snowboarders love to compare snowboarding to surfing. I HATE THIS. They always say "why do you like surfing, you only get up to ride for like 10 seconds". This just proves that they have no idea what surfing is all about and what those ten seconds are like. I will take ten seconds on a clean barreling wave at rocky point over a day of snowboarding. AND I GUARANTEE ANYONE WHO RIGHT NOW DISAGREES WITH THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER BEEN ON A CLEAN 10 FOOT BARRELING WAVE. I ALSO GUARANTEE THAT ANYONE WHO HAS WILL AGREE WITH ME. Sorry about that little rant. hahahaha. Anyway Its so great to be back in the waves...I honestly love it and nothing can compare with a beautiful day at the beach with friends and girls riding wonderful waves and being left stoked for the rest of the day.

To try and describe the feeling of surfing is like trying to describe a color in words. You just don't know how good it is until you have done it.

Back to my Island

2009-02-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well.....I am back! This was not in my original plan but sometimes adjustments to plans are good. And in this case its great. I would like to say that I took so long to write about coming back here because I was lazy.....but probably more honestly I wanted to avoid having to put pictures of me being really white.

See in the summer I posted this pic to my eternal shame... look at my back.... GROSS (I dont even think heavenly garb is that white!) Anyway, it was kinda weird coming back at first. Its weird to be here without the people I was with before. But now......Its fantastic! Basically my life is .....

-Work in the morning
-Class at midday
-Surf in the afternoon
-Homework and Socialize at night (hopefully with girls...hahaha)

It is different not being here in the summer. First, its a lot greener! It is so beautiful, but its also a little rainier and at night can cool down a little bit (to about 67 degrees, yeah I know...not bad for January) Socially, there are more people but its also a little more focused. During the week people are pretty busy, but the weekends are beaches, waterfalls and adventures for everyone! Coming back has been all I had hoped for and more! Now come the new adventures and memories that make this place so special!

LIFE IS GOOD!

WONDERFUL AND SWEET!

2008-12-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

When I think wonderful and sweet I think Abby and Briana!!!!

Miss you guys ;)

Ode to my semester at BYU!

2008-12-15T00:07:00.000-08:00

Well I have finished my first semester here at BYU and I must say that this has been an amazing and very unique experience. I have decided to go back to BYU Hawaii in the January but it is not because I have not enjoyed myself here. To be perfectly honest this place has been a blast.The work load here has been substantial but not over the top and I have not had great grades but have done fairly well overall.
BYU is a unique place. Its the land of the over achiever. Nearly everyone here is a good student, good person, who has some sort of talent in music, sports, art, dance, or they can at least speak another langauge. As far as girls go there are a LOT of pretty girls!!!!! The problem is there is also a lot of cool guys.
Its actually is a funny thing. Lots of people at BYU get married, however very few people date. The other day I was in a hot tub and I asked how many of the eight guys in the hot tub had a steady girlfriend......no one raised there hand and these were eight, cool guys who played sports, had served missions and were good looking. However almost all of them had been on a date in the last week. Everyone here is afraid to hook up because in most cases they are a cool guy hooking up with a cool girl...and when that happens then the inevitable is that the relationship will work out. So everyone dates casually. Its weird but I have been able to date a lot of girls this semester.

The religious atmosphere of the school is great. It is so refreshing to see so many people honestly trying to stand for something. So many people my age are just out looking for a good time and something to please themselves. Its great to see so many people looking to serve something greater than self. Not everyone here is perfect but there is an honest effort to live better and it shows. My classes also have been awesome. OK ANYONE GOING TO BYU MUST TAKE AMERICAN HERITAGE WITH BROTHER HOLLAND!!!!!!! Best class of my life. Its this amazing class, not so much about history as about ideals and principles that America is all about. Still, all of my classes were interesting. The work sucked but the lectures were entertaining, engaging and thought provoking.

This semester like so many was filled with good times, great friends and adventures!

Like driving through the mountains of Utah in the fall in a BMW convertible that your super cool uncle let you borrow!

Like Waking boarding in the coldest lake ever

Like Going eighties dancing every Thursday we could

Like going to southern California on an "epic surf trip"

Like Caroling with real Llamas to random people!

Like Snowboarding!

AND ALL THE OTHERS!!!!!!

Really my life is so blessed and I am thankful for the time I have had here. Still, I have a chance to live in Hawaii and I have decided to investigate it futher by trying it out. We shall see, perhaps my heart will call me back to this place, perhaps not. However, regardless of what happens in the future this semester has been a great time and I hope to have more like it!

My Dad is a tough BAD A!

2008-12-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Well I decided I had to dedicate a blog to something that is pretty cool about my dad. My dad is a trapper! Yeah you heard right. Just like Daniel Boon and Jim Bridger my dad is a real life fur trapper.

Now I myself am an amateur trapper and can skin a bobcat pretty good but if you want to see an expert look no farther than Ira Hansen. All hyperbole aside, what my Dad does is impressive. My dad is no weekend warrior trapper, his trap lines will stretch over the course of several hundred miles through some of the toughest terrain Nevada has to offer (again this is not hyperbole).

Sometime I even get a little nervous about him doing it as it is so incredibly demanding and he is in areas that are so remote.

Actually trapping has been a major part of my life. Many of my baby cloths were paid for with fur money. Also my mission was paid for with fur money. I helped my dad trap the year before my mission and of the 25000+ dollars we made doing it, my cut was the money for my mission.

My dad has trapped everything from beavers to muskrat, to kit fox, grey fox, to coyotes, to our number one and most important animal.....The Bobcat.

Trapping with Dad is always so fun. Still, its also tough. Waking up at 4:30 and spending the whole day bouncing in the hills of Nevada checking sets in every gully, canyon and rockpile along the way is tough. I remember on one of the checks, pulling up in the frosty night to an old shack in the middle of nowhere. It was an old cowboy line shack that cowboys use while moving cattle over long distances. Sleeping in the complete silence of that cabin with my just my dad and me there and no civilization for more than 50 miles in any direction, is a cool feeling. Then waking up to the beautiful desert sunrise just gets you ready to take on another day.

There is something very satisfying about going out into nature and making a living from the raw materials nature provides you with. And there is nothing more thrilling after a hard days work than seeing a nice big Tom in your trap.

Like father like son.

I only hope to be half the man my Dad is!

NEVADA MEN!

2008-12-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

I have not blogged in while.......yeah i know i suck! Anyway I am now finishing my first semester at BYU and upon thinking on the events of this past semester, I have decided that our yearly deer hunting trip and the trapping adventures with Dad deserve a full blog!

Every year since I can remember all of us Hansens gear up for the ultimate man adventure in the wilderness. We head up to a remote area north of Elko and engage in around a weeks worth of hunting, hiking, camping, shooting.....shooting....shooting, bomb making, football playing, fort making, jeep driving paintball playing, army playing, story swapping, candy eating, super man adventures. Its so much fun every year and some of my fondest memories growing up are of this yearly trip. This year was no exception.

We had a blast doing all of the stuff we love to do.

We hunted sage hen and rabbits.

We fished for trout

We shot guns

we shot more guns

we shot bigger guns

we did dumb things!

We blew up propane tanks by shooting them in a fire with a 30-06!

And we hunted deer

Still more than just the cool things we do there is the environment. Its a chance for us as guys to embrace our rustic natures and abandon civilized life and get dirty and have fun. Its great to forget about girls, work, school, and drama to simply bask in the joy that comes from watching a propane tank explode like something off Bond flick! Its fun to share these adventures with dads brothers and cousins and then swap stories in the cabin at night!

I sure hope this trips tradition never fades!

A New Life At BYU

2008-09-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well after a dream summer it was time to get to work. I got home from Hawaii and spent the last month or so working like a dog in Reno.

Still I was happy to have the work considering I BLEW all my money in Hawaii.

Hours and hours under sinks was fun and all but after a month I was ready for a little change. So Off it was to the new adventure. BYU!!!!

My first impressions have been great. Ita really is a fun place, though the classes are challenging. I am currently taking 16 credits and working 25 hours a week so I have a pretty full schedule. And like most college students a complete lack of sleep nourishing food and money.....lol. I am taking American Heritage from Elder Hollands son and it is an incredible class. It explores the real roots of the American founding and what America is all about. It is very pro American and still is honest with some of Americas mistakes. I am also taking Physical Science from a really funny professor. I am taking an intro to dance class which is fun and a Book of Mormon class. I am also taking a health class and a very interesting class called western polital heritage where we study the great philosiphers of the west from machiavelli, to hobbes, to locke, to nitezche. Its a very interesting class. My classes are interesting but also VERY HARD. Still I manage. Work has been very good though pretty mundane (it makes plumbing seem exciting). I am a sales qualifier and I am still learning how to do it well but I am doing good and I am very thankful that Patrick helped me find this job which gives me some good business experience. Still, I know you all dont really care about my school and work....You want adventure stories. Now its different here than Hawaii....But I am JAKE THE SNAKE HANSEN and come hell or high water I will find the way to have an adventurous life wherever I am (even if it is a little tougher to do here than hawaii) Well the best and favorite of mine is ...... 80'S DANCING every thursday night. (and yeah the girls here are pretty cute)

Also it is extra cool when you have a great uncle who lets you borrow his BMW convertible.

You have no idea how cool you feel rolling up to the place with your long blond hair in the wind bouncing Micheal Jackson and MC Hammer. Every time hot chicks walked by we would wind up the engine a bit....you should have heard the gleeful squeals. Yeah it was pretty much unreal plus 80s dancing is the white mans specialty...hahaha. SO FUN. Anyway another fun thing are the BYU football games.

BYU is really good this year and right now are 4-0 and just beat UCLA 58-0. Yeah it was great. I am also on an intramural football team and after dominating our first team we played 35-6 we then got the favor returned and got beat 40-12. ouch! Still we will recover and do well. I think some of the best things about my time here has been the chance to see mission buddies and other friends I haven't seen in a long time. The other day I went to go see my trainer "ELDER HEWLETT" and my first zone leader "ELDER ENCE". They were probably two of the most influentual guys on the begining of my mission when things were tough for me. Seeing them again was sooooo great, it was so nice to they were still the same wonderful guys I had met 3 years pior. Also seeing them married with kids was great. What stud examples.

Guess who the single one is....hahaha yeah i think when you get married you get bigger automatically.
It really is fun here but very different than Hawaii and to be honest I am not sure what the future holds. I am considering returning to Hawaii and going to school full time there. This is not to say I don't like it here because I REALLY DO. But a once in a lifetime chance to live and study in Hawaii is in front of me and it is very tempting and in the long run could be the thing that I see myself happier doing. But I have this whole semester to think and pray about it and I am sure that no matter what the future will be bright.........because I will make sure it is. For now it is time to focus on the here and now.

The pretty mountains ...(and girls..lol)

The Good friends

And the good times.

Love you guys.

Leave a comment

Hawaii.....A Dream Summer of the Aloha spirit

2008-08-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since my last blog. I now am back from Hawaii. Back to reality. Still its nice to be back with the family. Its nice to finally make some deposits in my bank account instead of only withdrawls. hahaha. But I want to write a little something now looking back at what this last summer was......it was a dream. I think I annoy everyone around me telling stories about this last summer. Have you ever seen one of those movies about an amazing summer of friends, beaches, adventure, romance, fun and excitement. THAT WAS THIS SUMMER. Honestly a dream! It also came at a great time in my life. Coming home from the mission was hard. You feel out of place, you feel uncomfortable, you feel like everything in your life has changed and you have to find a new niche in life. Going to Hawaii was the perfect remedy. See in Hawaii they believe in the Aloha spirit. Aloha means, Hello, Goodbye, and I love you. It really can be seen in the friendly loving and accepting feeling that permeates the Island. It was like Hawaii took me in and gave me a big hug. It helped me to feel comfortable again, it was like I readjusted there. I feel like I am back to myself again. I have found my niche again. I want to thank my Mom and Dad for getting me there and encouraging me in everything. They are perfect parents for me and made this time possible for me by paying for school and the plane ticket. Still, the friends and the memories are so priceless to me. As I look back on it I often think to myself, "wow I really did it, I did what everyone dreams of". Actually I feel kinda bad talking about it because not everyone get the chance at things like this. I guess its something personal, something I should keep to remember in the hard times. I will never forget my perfect summer. To try and describe it is in vain. friendship, fun, surf, love, adventure,.....ect....ect...ect........................................A DREAM

Now on to the next chapter of the story of my life!

Sorry

2008-07-16T15:41:00.001-07:00

Hey sorry I haven't posted a blog in a while. My internet at my new place doesn't work well, but to make it up to you all I posted THREE!!!! Enjoy and leave a comment!!!!

Hooked!

2008-07-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

CRAP!!!! Well…..I don’t know how to say this……..ummm…….well….ok I will just tell u. I HAVE AN ADDICTION. No its not drugs its something far more addicting……………SURFING.

Me on a fun right at Pupukeas

I cant really tell all of you how much I have grown to love surfing. It is my new passion. There is nothing that I enjoy more at this moment that a good northwest swell at Pupukeas or Rocky Point. I also have the problem that none of you (that I know of) surf much so I don’t know if you will understand how I feel about it. It is so fun and so relaxing and so therapeutic you have no idea. One of my new best buds in the world is Toni Clark.

He is from Tennessee and is a really good surfer.

Tony taking a wave at one of our favorite spots "Kaiwalos"

Since I got here we have been surfing together and have been having a blast doing it. We even have gone night surfing a couple of times. You cant imagine the thrill of ripping down a wave in the moonlight with the Waikiki skyline in front of you. ITS SO AWESOME. Surfing also makes you forget any problems you have. Especially when you do it in killer orange short shorts.

If me or Toni are having any kind of a bad day we just look at each other and say…..Well lets go surf it off.

Rippin Sunset in the short shorts

Several times when the swell is good we have got up before sunrise to go dawn patrol surf just so we could get the best waves before the others get there. Sitting on your board watching the sunrise or set over the waves is a near euphoric experience. I have gone tandem surfing with some cute chicks (this is two people on one board and is way fun). I also have mastered the headstand on the longboard which also is a blast. So basically I am hooked. If any of you want to make me happy at any time in my life its simple…….help me get to some waves, preferably Northshore oahu.

A Fun drop at Pupukeas

I love Nevada with all my heart but it can be hard on someone with a love for the ocean…….there just isn’t much oceanfront property….lol.

Climbing Lifes Mountains

2008-07-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was about four or so and my babysitter Christy Nance came over to watch me and she brough along her little brother…Skylar. He had a Nintendo, and to a four year old a Nintendo is about the coolest thing that there is……..and therefore, its owner is too. In short, this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship between me and Skylar.

We decided we had to do something great to celebrate my return from the mission and we decided on an epic trip to Hawaii. Skylar came to visit these last few weeks and they rocked. WE DID A TON. We swam, we hiked to two waterfalls, we cliff jumped and even jumped off one twenty footer naked at night with a group of friends, We camped on the beach, we danced at a fun school dance, we went to pearl harbor, we hiked the insanely steep “stairway to heaven”, we surfed, we ate shave ice, we kayaked, we fished, we explored some smaller islands, we night swam, we night surfed, ………in short we did it all. One of our favorite thing we did was hike chinamans hat, a small island about a half mile off shore.

See we climbed it and decided to pretty much forget the normal trail and climb the hardest part.

Still we were victorious and after kayaking to the island, making a steep climb we reached the top.

See that’s been our story. Me and Skylar have been climbing the mountain of life since the beginning…..and we have done all of it together. Good times bro!

The Island Invasion

2008-07-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

So these last few months I have been on this island enjoying my time all by myself thinking that nothing could end this wonderful island peace I continually feel here. Still I did not know that my parents were plotting and invasion. The decided to deploy there worst agents to destroy my peace.

My little brothers Ian and Forrest.

Suddenly my peace was shattered and all hell broke loose!

Actually it was the adventure trip with three handsome devils exploring every crack of the island. We did everything. We swam, we snorkeled, hiked, we jumped off rocks, we camped on the beach, we surfed, we visited pearl harbor and had a blast together.

Also Ian and forrest were the talk of the campus among the girls and two hot chicks from Sweden were all over them.

Ian also dished out a few solid losses to overconfident tennis players. Forrest and Ian both picked up surfing quick though were sure to whine about there sore nipples….hahaha you get that when u first start surfing.Basically it was brother time of the best kind and we enjoyed ourselves to the max but alas not all good things last forever and it was time for them to go. Still we had fun and the memories are not soon to fade. Surely this wont be the last time that the Hansen boys take this island by storm.

My Spring Term Slide Show

2008-06-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok I made this video for all my friends and me because the spring term ended and many of them are leaving. So I made this little slide show as a memory of our good times together. I will still be here for about another month and a half and still have more to do as my brothers and best friend skylar are coming to visit so the summer is still young. hahaha!!!!!

Leave a comment!!!!

My Dad is Better Than Yours

2008-06-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

Well its fathers day and that means its time to brag about my old man. Now lots of people say "my dad could beat up your dad" when they are little kids. However in my case I still say it frequently! See I am not just referring to the physical A kickin he could surely give anyone. See my dad is tougher than yours (the guy goes into the brutal mountains of nevada in the snow and catches and kills animals most people fear and sometimes does it with his bare hands).

My dad is smarter than yours (I think my dad has read twice every book in existance......as proof of this he has even read the book "Shrubs of The Great Basin" and no person would ever touch that book unless they had read all the rest). Bottom line..... my dad is cooler than yours.

He has a radio show, he was trapper of the year, he married the homecoming queen, he has eight kids, what a stud, he ran for public office, he started a successful business from scratch, he coaches sports, he has run a mini triathlon in his forties and is going to competition for me this year, he gives better speeches than Napoleon, he has a sweet goatee, he scares even the fiercest man or beast with his angry dad yell, he love to brag about his beautiful daughters, he makes the best "trapper toast" and hot cocoa ever, he is the greatest outdoorsman ever, he knows every rock in northern nevada by name, he can recite the movie Patton, he has the funniest and greatest laugh ever, he is a true blue patriot, he not only provides for his family but spoils them even if he doesn't get himself the nicest things, he loves his family more than anything! Ok the list could keep going but its late and my fingers are getting tired. See the thing is that my dad is not only the best definition of a man, he is....THE MAN. See both my parents fit their role perfect. My Dad is the perfect dad. He is strong and tough yet loving and has his soft spots if you can find them. Actually my dad is the tough softy I know. I too have this same type of personality and I think I got it from him. I have learned soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much from my dad. There is no one who I respect more in this world than my dad. His entire life has been the story of the all American man taking what he was given and making it better through hard work, love, faith and shear guts. I KNOW I speak for all of us kids when I say that my dad is the person I have the most respect for in my life. What he says has the most weight. When Dad criticizes it hurts, when dad praises it is enthralling because he is so sincere. Still he is always sure to give praise before criticism. So dad thanks for being who you are. I am your cub and always will be.

See men aren't like you now days, you are the perfect man and an example to everyone of what a man and father should be.......even if you sometime sleep through priesthood class. =). lol. Well Dad I love you and want everyone to know that my dad is the best dad ever.

LEAVE A COMMENT PLEASE.

note: Please dont be offended. I am sure that in you opinions your dads are the best......but your opinions are wrong! =) lol

MAN VS MACHINE

2008-06-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just want let everyone know how proud of myself I am. I don’t know if I told you all but after a run in with the law I was forced to sell Willy. It was sad but had to be done. So with the money I sold it for I got a new car for 800 dollars named Rosy.

I got her from a used car dealership. Still after a short time I felt that I might of got ripped off. The car began overheating. =(. I was so down but decided to get myself some tools and do something about it. Now there are three main components to a cooling system in a car, a thermostat (that acts like a valve) a radiator (that cools the water) and a water pump. First I took out the thermostat to make sure it was good….it was. I even took it to a mechanic and he said he wasn’t sure why it wasn’t working. So I got a new radiator as the mechanic told me that it may have been clogged. So after installing it, I still was having no luck. I seriously had spent several hours on various days under the hood of the car. Believe me it sucks in Hawaiian heat to be under the hood while your friends are out surfing.

I was so down about it. I had no transportation and had wasted time and money. I had blown into the tubes that carry the water and it flowed fine so I thought," Well, it can’t be clogged, it must be the water pump". So at my wits end, I was about to take on a five hour task of taking out the water pump but I decided to try blowing in the tubes one more time to see if the water flowed. I blew in and it went fine but then I realized I was blowing in the opposite direction of the flow. So I blew in the other tube……AND THE WATER DIDN’T FLOW. So I started blowing frantically in the other end to push out whatever was inside. YOU CANT IMAGINE HOW HAPPY I WAS WHEN A ROTTED GREEN RAG FELL OUT OF THE TUBE ONTO THE GROUND.

The rag had been clogging the line. So after flushing out the tubes with more water, SHE STARTED RUNNING PERFECT. I was so happy and felt like such a sexy man god for my mechanical achievement. So now Rosy is running fine. Packed with friends, and carrying us from adventure to adventure, it’s a great car (though a little soccer momish I know)!!!!

An around the Island Adventure!!!!!

2008-06-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well this last weekend we had one of the best Island adventures I have had yet. We made an epic trip to the southern part of the island to visit Waikiki then a drive around the main part of the island.

We got the great Idea from my sister Sarah, who was visiting, to get a bunch of friends together in a hotel room and divide the cost. So we got ten friends together and piled in the minivan Rosy and headed for south shore. We arrived in the evening and the waves were coming in strong so we headed out. I got wave after wave. IT WAS A BLAST.

Then we went to the cheesecake factory and ate to our hearts content. It was great. We were all swapping stories and listening to the island music and had the nicest server ever.

After this we randomly found some other BYUH students in Waikiki. So we went with them to a club (don’t worry mom it was a nice one). We all had a blast and finally got back at 330 in the morning. I arrived a little later than the rest of the group and came home to find this funny sight of ten people sprawled out all over our hotel room.

We actually had to be really sneaky not to get caught because we only paid for two people to stay there. Still it was nice because we only had to pay 13 dollars a person. The next morning we again got up and hit the waves. We then left Waikiki and went to the Swap meet (a giant Hawaiian flee market). Then we continued back towards the northern part of the island and got ice cream and pineapple at the dole plantation, then we went to the surf mecca of the world, Haleiwa. Last, we got some more ice cream then ended our trip around the island at sunset beach.

There, we swam and enjoyed the last rays of daylight together.

We played home run derby on the beach and just relaxed as the sun lowered in the sky. After taking pictures we all loaded up and headed back home…..exhausted but in a very good way!

Island Life

2008-05-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well I am a little over a 3rd done with my time here in Hawaii, (***sigh). Sometimes I am tempted to just want to stay but I can't because I would turn into a beach bum. Anyway life is great here. I guess I just wanted to give you guys an idea of what my life is like here. ITS TOUGH.....I have class till 1 monday wednesday friday and tuesday thursday until 10 am. Then the rest of my time is spent at the beach surfing or hiking to waterfalls in the mountains, like this one.

My best surfing friend is Tony. We get along great. He and I have the best time together catching waves and chasing girls. lol.

Yeah I know I look white but this was in our first few days here.
A few weeks back all us guys put on the best 80s gettup we could (ok its not that great but its all we had) and we rocked the welcome dance. You should have seen the people look as we walked into the dance.

The other day me and a bunch of friends went to Honolulu and rented mopeds.

It was great. We had a blast but got the crap scared out of us when one of the girls crashed into a wall. She was alright but had to pay for some scratched paint of the bike. At the end of a day of cruising around the island like hells angels with the wind in our hair along the beach we decided to catch some waves at sunset. We rented longboards and went out as the sun turned the water red. It was so fun catch waves while looking across the ocean at the fiery sunset.

All you could see was the dark surfer silhouette of your friends against the red sky and warm red water. Then exhausted from so much fun we went shopping for some small stuff and ate a good dinner then headed for home. Amazing! Also I have come to find that surfing is the most therapeutic thing in the world for me. I LOVE IT. Whenever I am stressed or worried a few waves calms me so well its unreal. See all this tempts me to stay but.......I would end up being a beach bum and with only 2000 students and only half or less of them from the states its tough socially. Still I love my island and as long as I am here and have my board, LIFE IS GOOD!

See This is more recent. I am getting a little more tan tan. lol

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Underdogs

2008-05-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

So the other day I am in the cafeteria eating and my phone rang. I pick it up to here my friend Jordan (who is striaght out of the 70s with his curly fro and hippy clothes, and love everybody attitude). He was out of breath and told me that in five minutes his dodge ball team was playing and they were short one person. So I ran to the gym in my still wet swim shorts (wet from a great day of surfing) and my slippers (flip flops), I was just gonna play barefoot. I got there just in time to see our ragtag team just put together randomly waiting to play. I found out I had to wear shoes so I ran home and changed. Finally we started playing. Sure it was great fun but every team but ours seemed way serious. We were laughing and yelling, it was great. Then I found out that is was a double elimination tournament. Still I didn't care. We lost our first game but then won the next two (a game is best 2 out of 3 sets). Then I found out why it was all so serious. If we won we got tee shirts and some of these other teams had been together in a bunch of different intramural events. Anyway we got all the way to the finals but it was to late so we moved the game to two nights later. The team we were playing was apparently the team that won all the intramural events. The were stone faced serious. By the way out team acted it seemed our motto was "for hells sake its just dodgeball". We also had the disadvantage cause we had to beat them twice because they had never lost and we had. Anyway long story short, the underdogs kicked there A's, and the were all pissed off. It was funny. Even the lady who was in charge of the shirts was happy and said, "those guys always win everything, they are really mad".

So just like the ragtag revolutionary army, Rocky, Rudy, Ghandi, we, the ragtag underdogs were victorious and will shortly receive our shirts with "dodgeball champions" written on the back.

My Girlfriend

2008-05-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yep thats right I now have a Girlfriend. She is so beautiful and I am crazy in love with her. She is very nice, if conditions are right but when she gets pissed she throws me around and the other day she smacked me in the head. She is about 3 to 7 feet tall depending on wind conditions. Yep thats right I am in love with the ocean and more especially her curves....the waves. Actually to be more honest I haven't really gotten to know all that many girls here because whenever I take them with me to the beach I leave them behind and go hang out with my Girlfriend.

I really love surfing but I want to preface this blog with the fact that I AM NO GREAT SURFER! Sure I can catch some waves and ride but I am no hardcore wave shredder. Still I have been doing it a lot. There has been a pretty solid North Shore swell this spring that has continued later than normal. So conditions have been awesome. For all of you that don't know North Shore Oahu which is fifteen minutes from where I live is the greatest surfing location on the planet. All the biggest pro surf competitions are help here. Still, this is all in the winter when the swells get as big 30 to 40 feet high in some spots. THAT IS INSANE. ITS LIKE A BUILDING FALLING DOWN. Luckily in the spring and summer its a lot calmer and smaller. Surfing really is a great sport and I don't think it gets enough respect. Sure everyone knows the pro golfer Tiger Woods. Oh....wow.....he can hit a little ball a few hundred yards. Yet yet many don't know about guys like Laird Hamilton who voluntarily stands in front of mountains that fall down and rides them like a pro.
Whats more amazing a nice straight drive or Laird Hamilton at Teahupoo Tahiti.

Heck I would take a punch to the face from Mike Tyson before going in front of that wave. Surfers get a bad rap and are portrayed as losers and true...... some are. But thats not what surfing is about. Surfing was created by the Hawaiians purely as a form of recreation.

So surfing is really all about fun. In my favorite surf video "Step into Liquid" one of the best pro surfers is asked who he thinks the best surfer is....his reply "the one who's having the most fun". Thats the beauty of surfing. Its so cool to see 60 year old guys on longboards still riding with there sons and sometimes grandsons and all of them having fun together. One of my best buds here, Toni, and his brothers have surfed together for years. His brother lives here in Hawaii and the other day he went and surfed with us. It was cool to watch them cheer for each other as they took wave after wave. Oh here is a pic of Toni, he is the good surfer of the group.

Also a week ago I took some girls down to the gentle surf of Waikiki to teach them. To surf. At first they were having a little trouble but slowly started to get the hang of it. But one girl had not really got a wave so I showed her some things and pushed her in front of a wave. She stood up and rode it all the way to shore. I don't know who was yelling louder, her or me. See that what its all about. FUN. It also is so incredibly different depending on conditions and where you go. The other day I went to a gentle spot near campus called Goat Island. Is was near sunset time and I paddled out and was all alone. The water was warm and lapping quietly against my board. All there was was the sound of the waves and the beautiful red sky in front of me with the silhouette of the palm trees on the horizon. I took wave after glassy wave. Another surfer cam out and we made small talk. The next morning, still on a high from the sunset surf, made a 5:30 surf run with a buddy I have from Brazil named Gabe. The sun rose and the water was glassy and clear as we took the fun waves in. Surfing can be so relaxing or Scary as Hell.

The next day we went to North Shore and the waves were dropping some 7 to ten foot waves on the bigger sets. I got out and my heart was pumping and I felt a little out of my league. I was with Joey Pugh who body boards well and Tony and his brother who are both pretty good surfers. A few sets came through but I was a little unsure and didn't take them.

Then a solid 7 footer came and I decided I had to. The wave came up behind me and I paddled hard. I felt myself lift up. Tony and his brother watched and thought I was gonna eat it and they said that when they saw the wave crash they thought " Ouch he just got crushed". But to their surprise I emerged with arms in the air cheering. When the wave came it walled up hard and My nose dropped sharply but I was able to get up and turn down the face. It was the greatest rush. I felt on top of the world and suddenly found my courage. I got several other good waves but none as big as that first one. I also got crushed a few times.

Actually I got smashed pretty hard one time. The wave flipped my a few times and I landed on my board with my head and actually chipped a part of my board. I also lost my necklace in the water. Still beaten bruised and sunburned it was a great day!

Yeah that me. Joey got a GREAT SHOT!

So yeah I have a Girlfriend, the ocean, and there is nothing I like doing more than surfing with her.

So here is my poem

"Ode to the Surfer man"

Heres to you great surfer man
you with a body so tan
you charge the raging sea
with a long straight surfboard in hand.
and leave all the hot chicks behind
to the other guys on land
Up and down a fall or two
but it is not so bad.
When you get back you will just lie
about all the great rides you had!

Aloha and I miss you guys

Leave a Comment!!!

My Confession

2008-05-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well everyone I have a confession to make. I am a mommas boy! Yeah.... I love my momma, even though I am posting this the day after mothers day. Hey I said I love my mom not that I am punctual. Well the reasons I love my mom go on and on. It amazes me that she hasn't died of exhaustion. Just giving birth to eight children takes more energy than whats necessary to power a nuclear sub. The crazy thing is that not only did my mom give birth to eight children she somehow raised us and we all (with the exception of me) turned out pretty much sane. I will never forget growing up at the farm and the terrible shrieks of anger when we came in with muddy feet or the shrieks of glee when Mom finally got her finally got tile floors.....(i guess my mom has some weird hang up on flooring). I also will never forget the endless trips to football practice where we would always arrive a few minutes late and I would have to run extra because of MY MOMS tardiness. As I ran those long extra laps I would be so angry at the injustice and think that my mom should be running not me. So thats why I did well in track!!!!! Its all so clear now. Well I guess I should thank you Mom.I also remember the special bonds I made with coaches late at night as we sat and waited for my mom to pick me up from practice 30 minutes late...lol. Thanks Mom. But in all seriousness my mother is a saint. I am so lucky to have two parents that fulfill their roles so well. From my Dad I have learned to be a man. I have learn to work, to study, and how to be tough and self sufficient. From my mom I have learned to love, to care, to nurture and befriend all. Actually both parents have taught me these all these things together but it seems like they have there areas they are more specialized in. People often praise my optimism and I know that I learned that from my Mom. In whatever situation we are in my mom makes the best of it. People also say that I seem cheerful. Well again thats not me.....I learned it from my cheerful Momma. The list goes on and on. My Mom has fulfilled her role as a mother perfectly. Yep, I lucked out getting Alexis Hansen for a mom and as you can see I have been happy about that from the start.

Now I am a little bigger and a little less cute but I still am happy and love the Mom I got.

And there are 7 others who feel the exact same way.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM (a day late)
I LOVE YOU

Waterfalls in paradise

2008-05-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

The other day I finished class and decided it was time to break the law. Near our campus is a trail into the mountains to a waterfall called sacred Falls. This park is closed and full of signs that let you know this. Still, hell itself is not going to keep me back from a waterfall in paradise. So called a few friends and we loaded up in Willy and headed for the park. We snuck in and began our hike. We headed up the trail past a few papaya farms and then entered under a thick jungle canopy along a stream.

The dark tropical clouds loomed along the mountain tops in front of us and occasionally the Jungle canopy would open just enough to let us see the super steep mountains we were headed towards.
It was about an hour walk through the Jungle, then suddenly we came out of the thick foliage and into a deep canyon and after rounding a corner there it was. Our waterfall in paradise.

It was great we swam in the dark green pool and played under the waterfall for an hour all by ourselves. We took pictures and goofed off then headed back down but of course had to take a picture to celebrate our rebellion by a park closed sign.
On the way down we laughed and talked about how cool everything around us was. We didn't think it could get any better.....but like Hawaii always does we were in for better. We found a wild Guava tree, and there in the jungle ate wild guava to our hearts content!

It was so good!
So if you are wondering how I am doing.....I am pretty sure you can tell.

ps. ok ok I know you are all wondering why I am still white as an albino in a snowstorm......*Sniff* I dont know why *Sniff* but promise eventually I will get one.

Leave a comment please!

WILLY

2008-05-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

The cars name is willy and holds 10 beach bums at a time....and yes we painted on the stripe and winged w. Still the sad part is that my tan is slow in coming..lol

Getting settled

2008-05-02T01:05:00.000-07:00

Well I did it! I am settled in here and having a blast. How did this happen you ask? Well it all began on day two of my adventure when we finished with orientation about 1 in the afternoon and I realized that I had the rest of the afternoon to do .......whatever. So off I went on an adventure and quest to find "the car". I grabbed my stuff and began hitch-hiking south towards the town of Kaneohe following a lead on a car for 500 bucks. I finally got a ride with a really cool guy that for a few extra bucks took me all the way past where he was going to the car. And there he was, a brown 89 ford aerostar minivan with no seats in the back. After a test drive i was sold, but I was clever and pointed out every flaw I could and got the guy to sell it half off for 250. Armed with my new car I headed north following a lead on a surfboard for 150 dollars. Upon meeting with the cool surfer dude I talked him down to 120 and bought my board. All that was needed then was surfin buddies to fill my van. So over the next few day I began to meet some really cool guys and girls at various orientation and social functions. Now there are far to many girls to mention so I wont.....lol. But some of my buds are: my roomate JJ. Hansen. He is from penn and just got back from Taiwan where he served his mission. Good guy. We have clicked and have had a lot of good laughs. Adison Raider (cool name huh) is a big guy from California who served in japan. He is a really relaxed guy and with deep voice. Steve Ferrin is a bud from last time though not from the exact same group. He is a great piano player and a way nice guy. Britton is a guy from Washinton. He is the one young guy in the group who has not gone on a mission. Crazy kid who loved to yell out that van at every girl we pass "AROHA"- (which is aloha with a thick fake asian accent). He is a funny kid who fearlessly talks to any girl in any situation. Emerson Bustamonte is a way cool mexican kid,that served in Washington. I joke with him in spanish all the time. And Toni is from Tennessee and a hardcore surfer who finished his mission in Honduras. He is your typical surfer and is really good. He also is always full of good advice on surf spots and techniques for posers like me. lol. So with this group of good buddies (and others I have not mentioned) we have had tons of fun. We officially named the van "Willy" and decided to upgrade him a bit. We got spray-paint and painters tape and made a cool black and yellow stripe down the side and a winged w on the hood. It actually turned out good. (sorry the pics of the van and board will be posted shortly). So since then its been non stop fun, except my classes which are a math class a religion class and a Hawaiian culture class. Actually its not so bad......I just forgot how to add and subtract. I guess I should have paid attention in high school. But as to the good times today was a perfect example. In the morning I had class then helped a girl move and her and her friends upon hearing that we were going to the beach wanted to come. So about noon we loaded Willy up with 6 girls and four guys and about 5 surf boards and headed into the solid waves near pipeline beach to a break called pupukea on northshore Hawaii. We rolled up all packed in but were elated to see some nice 4-5 foot swells rolling in. We spent like the next 3 hours surfing to our hearts content. Conditions were good and lead to some pretty sweet rides. Still we certainly didn't look like pros but it was fun. We then headed down to Waimea Bay at sunset. Just picture it. All of us in the setting sun jumping of the 20 foot rock into the warm clear water to cap off a great day of surfing and fun in the sun. Actually don't picture it. Just check me out taking the plunge from the rock.

So basically I am settled and enjoying life

I love Hawaii!
Leave a comment and preferably one that doesn't make me feel guilty for being here...lol

The Hawaiian Adventure part 2 BEGINS

2008-04-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well I have arrived. Two years back me and my brother Dan had the summer of our lives in hawaii. Beaches, Sun, Surfing, girls, Fun, Adventure, and a 74 Plymouth valiant named moby that was baby blue and complete with surf racks. Coolest car ever! Anyway that summer left such a wonderful mark on me that I bought a CTR ring that said "aloha hawaii" that I wore around my neck on a necklace. I kept the ring as a promise to myself to one day return and throw it into the ocean from the island where I got it. Over the last two years I have experienced a ton and the ring went with me through it all.

But today I returned to my island and here is what happened. After a cramped and anxious 5 hour flight we arrived. It was so great to feel that warm soothing hawaiian air again wrapping around me like a blanket. I then went out to meet the shuttle and after a short 20 minute wait it showed up and me along with about 7 Asian kids and one American headed up the through the mountains to the other side of the island. Now mind you that when i talk about asians I am not talking about "american asians" I am talking about the, can't say r's right, take lots pictures and make peace signs at disneyland kind of asians. Anyway there are a lot of asians here on hawaii......well we did lose the battle of pearl harbor....lol. Well after a lot of hassles in the heat getting into my room I finally got settled in and then went to eat dinner..............alone. Its ok, because there was only like one other person on the cafeteria. (most people, especially Americans, dont arrive for another day or two). So after a pleasant but rather uneventful day evening was quick approaching and I longed for a little adventure. So I decided that the beach could wait no longer. As I headed down to the beach I got this smack in the face with the salty breeze.....oh the joy that filled me! lol. I missed that smell so much. The smell of salty sea air mixed with the smell of flowers. I grinned as my feet hit the soft sand of the beach.

Still my lust for Hawaiian fun was not satisfied. So, in a fit of impulsiveness, I went to the local store "foodmart" and bought a cheap boogieboard. I then hit the road with thumb out trying to hitch a ride and soon arrived at my favorite spot, "pounders beach". When I caught my first wave it was great. I seriously think that there is something therapeutic about riding a wave. Just the feeling of harnessing the power of a wave is such a rush, and the soft salty water against your skin as you await the next it so relaxing. I ended up having a blast for about an hour but then the sun started to go down and I decided I had better head back but I decided to walk as far as I could down the sandy beach toward home before hitchhiking back. It was awesome. Walking down the empty beach as the sun set occasionally looking back at pounders where the remaining body surfers were catching the last waves of the day was so picturesque.

After walking in the dusk down the beach I hitched a ride in the back of a pickup and went to "the point". The last meeting place of our little group from my last trip in hawaii. There I took off the ring i had carried for so long and (in a kinda gay titanic like way) threw it into the ocean feeling that now after catching some waves I officially had kept my promise to return to hawaii. I finished the night buying shave ice and chocolate covered macadamia nuts (SOOOOO GOOD). And now its official. I AM BACK ON MY ISLAND! Now its anyone's guess on what happens from here, but in hawaii its bound to be good.

AND YEAH I TOOK THAT SHOT!