Once Upon a Time...

as our beloved friend Sebastian the crab from The Little Mermaid said oh so eloquently, 

"the human world...it's a mess."

a'int that the truth. 

our world..our nation..even our state is a wreck.

I was originally planning on writing about Robin Williams' death. I was going to selfishly remind you about my own journey through the dark tunnel that is depression. I was going to remind you of the things people who suffer from depression HATE to hear. I was going to give you the perfect and simple tools on how to be a good friend to someone who is Sad. (capital S because I hate overusing the word "depressed.") But I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to keep shoving words about this awful thing down your throat like so many people on social media networks have done (myself included..) 

Instead? I'm going to tell you a funny story. you may not actually laugh out loud..but if you crack a tiny smirk? that's better than reading an article and walking away feeling like someone punched you in the stomach/soul. (that's how I've felt for the past few days.)

Okay so growing up my best friend Jessica and I did pretty much everything together. one summer we went on a trip to the great state of Iowa to see and spend time with her grandparents that live there. there are many parts of this trip that I will never forget - an INSANE amount of flower gardens, sleeping (kinda) in the back seat of their truck with my legs intertwined with Jessica's, giggling at night listening to grandparent snores that LITERALLY sounded like a chain saw, etc. 

the one event that I will NEVER forget happened the day her grandparents dropped us off at a small water park for the afternoon. we were so excited. FREEDOM! we made the rules, we decided what to do, and we got to flirt* with cute boys.

*stare awkwardly at boys until they caught us staring then giggling and looking away*

*also kind of follow them around at a safe distance but act like we weren't*

we felt so old, independent, and ALIVE.

the park had a wave pool - so fun! so we hung out in the wave pool when we weren't going down slides or following cute boys. if you paid extra, you got a wristband and you could use an inner tube in the wave pool. we did not have wristbands, but because we were on our own, making our own rules, we decided to REBEL and surreptitiously float on a tube with our wrists in the water so the lifeguards couldn't see that we in fact, did not have permission to use the tubes. 

living LIFE on the EDGE, people. 

as brilliant as our wrist-in-water plan was, it did not work. we got caught and yelled at which I absolutely hated. so we were now Those Girls. the Fugitives. 

we decided to stay in the pool and just swim around. at one point I decided to start being a mermaid - duh - and began diving in and out of the water picturing my wildly beautiful fin behind me. 

Ariel would have been SO jealous of my sweet mermaid moves. 

the next 2 minutes (probably not even that long) are going to be burned into my memory for the rest of life. 

I was under the water. swimmin' along, feeling the simulated waves push and pull me through the water. I had my eyes closed - I hated when they would get red from the chlorine - and I was just the happiest little mermaid. the need for air came upon me so I started to swim toward the surface. (as I'm sitting here typing these words I am literally giggling from the absurdity of what happened next.) I can tell I'm almost to the surface when I feel myself having to push against something. in my head I'm thinking, "oh I must be right in the middle of a fake wave and that's making it more difficult. I should just keep pushing because man, I need to breathe." so I go with my gut and keep. on. pushing.

when I get to the top of the water, open my eyes, and look around I am super confused. right in front of me are a pair of swim trunks/legs that are attached to the torso of a boy my age. behind his torso I see the yellow colored inner tube that Jess and I tried to float on earlier. then I see that the torso is connected to a head of one of the cute boys were flirted(ish) with earlier. then I see the look on his face that read, "what are you doing?" then I hear his words, 

"ummm.....I was here first."

I was in his inner tube. my head had popped up from the water INSIDE HIS INNER TUBE. he had just been laying in his tube, enjoying the push and pull of the fake waves, when suddenly this girl's head POPS UP FROM THE WATER INSIDE HIS TUBE. 

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "mortify" is defined as "subject to severe and vexing embarrassment." there could also be another definition added - 

"like the time Hannah Morgan's head popped up in cute boy's inner tube"

I don't really remember what I said to him. I probably stuttered an apology. I then quickly went back under water and desperately searched for Jessica and my dignity. 

I found Jessica.

///

I tell you this story because I still crack up just thinking about it. 

I tell you this because it truly is my most embarrassing moment, and sometimes it's good to be vulnerable and be open about the times you wanted to crawl into a hole and live there the rest of your life out of sheer humiliation. 

I also tell you this to hopefully lighten your day/afternoon/evening.

 I hope that you laughed or least smiled. 

I love making people laugh. I think besides showing people the love of Jesus, teaching, and being the best mom to Monster, making people laugh is one of the most important life goals I have. 

I love you. Please go have a fantastic day. if the headlines, articles, etc. get too heavy for you - take a break. put your phone down. log off Facebook. go outside. take a deep breath. think of 3 things you are thankful for, and then move forward. I'm definitely going to try it! 

xoxo,

H

Destruction//Reconstruction

Dear Readers:

I can only assume that if you are reading this and have been reading my posts you are more than slightly curious/interested about the things that are going on in my life. It's either that or you're to the point of boredom where reading about some girl's life is better than what is on Netflix - which is great. 

I open with this because this post is an update of mega proportions.
I have decided to be raw and honest with you. In today's terms I would say this post has a significant amount of "Real Talk" in it. SO enjoy all the words :)

When it comes to questions about faith, God, and Christianity in general I think one question that is asked by millions of people - believers and nonbelievers alike - is 

"Why does God allow bad things to happen to the people He loves?"

It doesn't make sense. 

Last year I wrote about the events that led up to my move to Lee's Summit to live with my parents. If you're new here and didn't read it you can here.
I had decided to leave Springfield because my depression was getting to a point where I was not safe and needed to come home to heal. 

A few weeks before I decided to leave, I became a victim of date rape. I was physically and emotionally broken into a million pieces. I turned to alcohol and marijuana as a way to cope which led me down a path of even more hurt. This all came to a head the night of February 4th when I decided (as stated in last year's post) that I would rather die than keep breathing.

are you still with me? don't go, it gets better.

I tell you all this so that you can better understand the most recent happening in my life. After this incident of rape, I started to have nightmares, flashbacks, and feelings of paranoia. When I started driving to Warrensburg for class I would think I'd see his car on the highway - coming to get me. While on campus I would see other guys who looked like they could be him - trying to find me and take me away. The nightmare is always the same. It's an instant replay of that night in January where my rights as a human, my right to the decision of what happens to my body, were so suddenly taken away.  January of 2014 marked a year since this happened and these PTSD symptoms started happening more frequently. I hadn't told anyone about them - I didn't want to bother anyone with my "sad little story." I still had so much guilt, shame, and brokenness to deal with myself, I didn't want to bring anyone else into the darkness.

Now you are up to speed for these past two months.

hey! this post is not meant to bring you down. read on to find out what happens - it's good, I promise.


If I could put a type of label on the months of March & April I would choose

Destruction//Reconstruction

Now, I am going to break this label down for you so you're not just reading it and thinking I'm weird for labeling these months something other than Spring.

March - Destruction

In March I spent my spring break in Indianapolis, spending time with Korey. I loved spending time with him, his family, friends, and of course their bulldog Eisley. Korey and I had some great afternoons spent together talking and relaxing. I also got to spend time with Mandi - we had a girl's day complete with brunch, manicures, and shopping.

The night before the plane was going to bring me back to Missouri, we went out to dinner with Korey's brother and his girlfriend. After we left the restaurant and got back to the apartment I had a severe flashback/paranoia episode. I thought that the person who had hurt me last January was coming to get me. I began fighting (literally) to get out of the apartment -I needed to leave so that he wouldn't hurt Korey or anyone else. My attempts to leave the apartment failed, thanks to Korey and others, and they decided to get me checked into a hospital so that I was in a safer place.

My parents arrived in the afternoon and we were able to speak with a social worker. I told her everything about the rape, the flashbacks, and the paranoia. I've been in therapy in the past for depression, but after the conversation with this social worker, we realized I needed to be seen for PTSD as well. The effects that this traumatic incident had on my mind and body were presenting themselves very clearly and it was time to take a step toward true healing. She got us the number for a partial hospitalization program (PHP) right here in Lee's Summit. We set up an appointment for the following day.

I started going to ReDiscover  9:30 - 3:30 every day. I would meet with my therapist, the psychiatrist, and the nurse every day. When I wasn't meeting with them, I would be in group therapy sessions. We did several different types of groups - coping skills, time management, use/abuse/dependence, creative therapy, and more. It was a time to build a foundation of knowledge of things we can do to get to a more stable place.
Sitting through group, participating in discussions, talking about feelings? Talk about hard work! I'd come home in the afternoons and crash on the couch - emotionally draining yourself all day is, well, draining! I met some great people, learned some incredible lessons, and have come out of the program being able to say "it was worth it."
Notice I didn't say it fixed me.
I didn't say that I'm a shiny, happy, unicorn-loving-butterfly-chasing person because of treatment.
I am saying that I am stronger than I thought I was.
I'm saying that I learned that I am not alone.
I also learned that not everyone is out to judge or hurt me.
I learned that being open with someone can lead to a relationship filled with trust.
I also learned that painting and other forms of art is an incredible way to express myself.

My time at PHP was a time of rebuilding, reevaluating, and refreshment. It was the hardest thing that I've had to do in my life so far. It really was. But it has also been one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life. Now, I could type a novel about all the things that happened while in treatment, but I won't do that to you - ask me to Starbucks and I'll tell you everything :)

Now some other huge changes were taking place while I was in treatment.

 I became a single woman.
The story of Korey & Hannah ended. Now, when the break up was happening I thought that the story of my life in general was ending but alas, I am still here - living :)
I will not go into too much detail about our conscious uncoupling - no one has time to pull out the tissues and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (although...that does sound good..). Yes, our story has ended, but oh my friends - new stories are great! For both of us - our stories have been written since the beginning of time and we were so lucky to have been characters in each other's. Korey Elkins will always be the best friend who turned into my love. He will always be one of the funniest guys I know (besides my dad, Bryan Prewitt, and Jimmy Fallon of course) and he will always be my "almost high school sweetheart." Our time together over the past 9 years has been the greatest. I miss him - but I know that The Lord has amazing plans for both of us!

I am no longer a two-day-a-week nanny.
While I was in treatment, Hazel & Houston's parents had to go ahead and make other childcare arrangements. This has been something else I have dearly missed. I had a great couple of months getting to watch and love on those kiddos. I still get to see them at church and that such a blessing.

I stopped driving to campus for classes. 
For about a week after my hospital stay in Indy, I was quite afraid of driving. My wonderful, wonderful mother made tons of phone calls to professors and UCM faculty to see if there was a way for me to finish my semester online. I had to take an incomplete and drop one class, but the others I am finishing online. The teachers and staff have been incredibly understanding and shown such support - it's incredible.

I decreased my workload at Gymboree.
Because I was going to PHP Monday - Friday I was unable to teach my little ones at Gymboree. My boss Karian is an incredible woman and graciously allowed me 2 weeks off to finish therapy. I now teach a Lvl 6 (28-36 months) class on Thursday nights. I have also been picking up shifts when someone needs a sub. It has really helped with my stress levels and has given me more time to myself for school work, puppy cuddles, and Grey's Anatomy.

we're almost to the good, happy parts! stick with me!

that was March. the darkest, hardest times of my life so far.

April - Reconstruction

these are the happy things I was talking about...

I was officially discharged from PHP on April 4th. It was an exciting day. I got to say encouraging words to people who were still in the program and say goodbye to the staff of therapists who had taught me so much. 

The week after treatment ended was honestly pretty tough. I was on my own in the "real world." 

Reality didn't knock on my door - it crashed through with a bass drum and cymbal strapped to its belly. With the help of my "supports" - my parents, Bradee, and others, I was able to power through that first week and get back to life. 

I have started going to a yoga studio here in Lee's Summit called The Zen Zone. I've pushed myself to practice harder and have learned even more about breathing techniques that help with my anxiety. 

I have continued with school online - next week is my last week! I have a week off and then summer semester begins. I'm taking three classes. I have mixed feelings about this...on one hand I know that I will be glad I did them now instead of later...on the other hand? I JUST WANT TO SLEEP AND LAY OUT ALL THE DAYS. But hey, life isn't fair - and I need to learn all the things so I can teach all the things :) 

I interviewed for a position at our church's preschool ministry, Mother's Day Out,  about two weeks ago. I got the call last night that I will be the lead teacher in a room full of 4 year olds. *insert squeals of delight*  I am beyond excited. I'm hyped up to teach in a place where the children are learning about the structure of a classroom. I'm also REALLY hyped about the kids learning about Jesus.  It will be a lot of hard work, but I know it will be rewarding work! 

Okay, for those of you who are still reading I admire you for reading all those words. I know that you didn't come here to read about my roller coaster of a life - you may have come here for a "Hey! I'm good! Here are some pictures of Monster!" post  and this was far from that. (Monster is still the cutest dog in the world though, thanks for asking.) This post, like a lot of others, was possibly done more for me than for my readers. I know I am not in any way obligated to tell any of you about what's been 

going on. I know that I did not have to tell you my "sad little story." 

What I do know is that these past 2 months have been an incredible showcase of how God can take a beaten down wreck of a person and heal them. When I was at my lowest, wanting to die, crying myself to sleep, abandoned by the ones I love, He was there. 

He was there when I first sat through group therapy. When the story of Korey & Hannah ended. He was there on the days when the thought of getting out of bed was the physically painful. He was there, and continues to be there, through it all. He has never left my side. He has shown me incredible mercy and grace. He has led me to a place of peace and healing. He has opened my eyes to the needs around me. He has opened my heart to knowing that I have never been alone. 

He has restored me. 

Experiences of the past have made me question why we live here on earth. Recent happenings around the world have just shown us that the world is a corrupt, dark, and messed up place. All of these things are happening and we sometimes feel like we are the only ones going through them. Please take me seriously when I say YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. When Jesus died on that cross He took on the entire world's sin - He felt every ounce of pain, grief, rejection, fear, and hate that everyone in the history of the world, present and future, had ever felt. His Father, God Himself, had to turn His head because it was too hard to watch Jesus go through that amount of distress. I tell you this because we need to be reminded that Jesus has gone through what you are going through. He has felt the guilt, pain, and loss that you may be walking through. He literally understands EVERYTHING that has happened to you. I've said it before, give him your hurts, your fears, your joys, and your happys. He wants them all. He wants you broken at his feet so that He can lift you up as a new creation. 

I love each of you so much.

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

H