America, the Beautiful

We are so lucky to live in a country that is beautiful and free. As I sat in my lawn chair watching the fireworks explode in the sky, I thought about how truly great it is live in America. I have had the chance to sing our national anthem at several sporting events in the past and I always get so excited to sing those beautiful lyrics. They're so powerful! I looked them up tonight and the second verse talks about how the next morning the flag could still be seen.

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I mean, wow. Talk about resilience. and that's why America is so great...we have so many success stories - of people's lives falling apart and how they have picked those pieces back up. Wether it be a natural disaster, death, or a divorce, people come together, stick by each other and move on. That's what America is to me. Remaining strong together. I know at times we have wondered "what in the world is happening?" with politics and such, but we have these days like the 4th where we all come together to celebrate the Land of the Free. 

Mom, dad, Monster and I traveled down to Tightwad, MO to see my mom's side of the family. We hung out, ate BBQ, fed some catfish, and then went into Windsor, MO to watch the fireworks. Monster was NOT a fan of the loud noises. Dad had to take him to the van for the remainder of the show :( 

TOO CUTE

ka-boom

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday. The (hopefully) day off from work certainly had to be nice! 

Tomorrow the parentals and I leave for a week long vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama! We are very excited. We'll be hanging on the beach a lot and doing other fun things. I plan on taking a TON of pictures so get ready for that blog post. Lots of sunsets I'm sure :)  

love y'all! 

xoxo

H

Oh my, July.

Happy July!
Can you believe we're OVER half way through 2013?! So crazy.
Time is such a funny thing. We feel like we have so much of it and yet, it flies by. Even more as you grow up I've realized.

June was a month of fun :) here's what happened:

The Royals game with Bradee! Her roommate Annie came, along with her parents, brother, and his girlfriend. The Royals won and then there were fireworks afterward. We tried our very hardest to get on the jumbotron screen, but failed. Next time - it will happen.

our view

fireworks! 

I dog/house sat for my cousins while they were on vacation at Disney. It was a week of driving back and forth and lots of responsibility. I enjoyed being on my own, though! Bella was pretty skeptical of me in the beginning but by the end of the week we were best friends. Lulu likes to sleep on the air vent and this is what would happen when her tags got stuck. Such a silly girl. 

Lulu - labradoodle 6 months

Bella - Great Dane 5 years

Father's Day!

new 'do 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I got my hairs cut! It's now stacked in the back. A small change, but I really like it!

<<<<<<  On Father's Day we went to church like normal. My dad was on call for his work so we did the fun things on Saturday. We went to see a movie titled "Mud." It was good. Look it up here. Then we went to Cheesecake Factory - always a good (and yummy!) time :) 

I went to an outdoor concert with mom and dad in Lee's Summit. The bands did covers of 70's and 80's music. We took lawn chairs and ended up staying until 10:00! The last band was really awesome - a power house woman lead singer. It was a good time :)

first dance

SISTERS FOREVER

On June 22nd my sweet friend Rachel married her best friend, Josh. This wedding will certainly be a highlight of my summer. Not only did I get to witness the (beautiful) vows between these two, I also got to see the girls from The Lighthouse after being apart for 3 months. What a joyous reunion!

We got to talk about our lives, boys, and upcoming events. It was perfect.

love is SO sweet

I've been working hard in my 2 online classes. I've taken a test and gotten a high B on it, so I know that hard work and studying actually does pay off - who knew?! :) Monster is wonderful as ever - getting bigger! He's 5 months now...so crazy we've had him for 3 months. I love him! He is still a great study buddy. 

I love you guys! I plan to write more in July :) 

I hope your lives are going well. 

<3 Hannah

Goodbye, May!

Hello, my lovelies.
I must apologize for taking so long to update you.
I know you've been refreshing my blog to see if I've added more picture of Monster :)

May was a month of precious memories.
We'll start with Mother's Day!

A cup full of love! :)

Love you, lady!

 Words could never ever describe how much this lady means to me. The Lord's plan is one of great timing. I never thought I would be living with my parents again - I honestly never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do. One of the reasons I love it so much is getting to spend more time with my mom! We're quickly turning into friends along with her being apart of my incredible support system. On Mother's Day we went to church and then later went out to dinner so she could get some fried chicken. It was delicious. On Saturday while she was out running errands, dad and I surprised her with setting up her new Keurig! We were pretty proud of ourselves because it's even red to match our kitchen decor! She has used it every morning since - a gift that keeps giving! Love you, mom :)

I took a trip to Chillicothe in the middle of May to visit my bestest friend, Shannon. She's leaving this coming week for California! She'll be working at a children's camp in the mountains. I am going to miss her a LOT, but I know she'll be having an incredible time - those kids are so lucky to have her! While in Chillicothe we went to the favorite Mexican restaurant, El Toro with our friend Meredith. It was super great to catch up. We then went fishing! This was the first legitimate time I had gone, so I was pretty excited! I ended up catching 10 fish! They included crappie, 1 bluegill, and bass! How crazy is that? We couldn't have asked for a better day, it was beautiful.

lil' bass!

Sally, the blugill!

 

love him so!

Mr. Monster is now 4 months old and as rambunctious as ever. We love going to the dog park, going for walks, and he just started jumping off the couch! He still needs to learn how to jump UP, though :) He also got his first haircut! We can now see his eyes and I really think he is super handsome!

before/after

Also in May my cousin, Jennifer graduated from high school. Talk about making me feel old - I remember holding her when she was a baby. We traveled to St. Louis for the weekend and celebrated with family. It was great to see everyone! 

me, Reagan, Jennifer, and Ashley

I got to watch my other cousin, Harper one Friday night! We watched Disney movies, played outside, and she made me lots of Playdoh hot dogs :) she's always so fun to play with!

Our neighborhood pool has opened - I've spent a couple of afternoons over there already! It's nice to have it so close to our house...less than 500 steps, I counted. Yesterday it was empty for most of the time I was there and the clouds were gorgeous. 

I've started my first online class for UCM! It is Education of the Exceptional Child. I've already had the opportunity to observe a couple of classrooms at Lone Jack Elementary. We are required to and then report about it for a large portion of our grade. I did a lot of work on it yesterday and should be done this week even though it's not due until July 7th! This is just one of the many ways this month has shown some self-growth. I'm much more focused and determined to get into a classroom. Observing got me so excited to one day have my own kiddos and be able to teach them. It's just very nice and comforting to finally be doing what I really want to do. I feel like I have purpose - like I can make a difference. 

Monster makes a great study buddy :)

On Sundays I help teach a Sunday School class of 3 and 4 year olds. This morning we talked about the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. They are such a blessing and light in my week! We had fun making our little coats today!

I'm very much looking forward to the month of June! Coming up on my calendar:

a Royals game with Bradee

Mumford & Sons concert!

Rachel's wedding! 

lots of summer activities :) 

I hope to be better about writing! Lots of pictures and stories to come, I can promise you that. Have an amazing week, y'all. I love each and every one of you!

xoxo

H

photos and words!

hey y'all :)

here are some pictures and some words about what's been going on around here!

my brother, the working man

Kansas City skyline

me being productive at work!

flowers on our porch :)

encouragement from sweet Rach

I love our kitchen sky lights!

crossed paws, he's a fancy pup

he sleeps while I get ready

mom and dad's anniversary is May 10... 27 years!

God's beautiful act of promise

So things have been going well! Lots of walks with Monster, lots of work, and lots of good times with the parents. After a weird snowfall incident, I think that Spring has finally sprung. It's so pretty! Things are green, flowers are beautiful, and I've seen a TON of bunnies. 

Therapy is still happening, I'm now at a point where I'll go once a month so that's really encouraging. I've learned a lot...about myself, how I've changed/grown, and where to go from here. If you've ever even considered of going to talk to someone, do it. Try it once. It's so nice to talk to someone who is literally paid to listen to you. 

Monster is growing everyday. He's probably up to around 5 pounds by now and learning so much! He can walk up the stairs in the backyard and go down the stairs to my room. I'm a proud mama. 

I start my first online class for UCM on May 20th! I'm excited to get started which makes me even more excited/nervous for this fall! Yay learning! 

I love you all so much! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo

H

"Time Flies When You're Having Fun"

hi, you

the quote in the title used to make me roll my eyes

but weekends like this one have helped change my mind.

FRIDAY

worked 9 - 12:45

went home

Bradee came over!

we took Monster to the vet 

he's now 4.1 lbs at 13 weeks

vet said he looks great! 

Bradee and I watched TV til the parents got home

we went to IHOP

I ate french toast

me, Bradee and mom went to Target

I got new pens

and some hair color

at home, Bradee helps me do my hair

we then play an intense game of Taboo

mom and dad end up beating us by 3. [97-100]

bedtime

SATURDAY

I subbed for a teacher at work 9-1:45

afterward Bradee and I went shopping at Independence Center!

I bought all the things for spring/summer

Bradee and I hugged and we went our separate ways

at home, the parents and I watch an episode of The Bible

Jesus is born...which was beautifully done

we then watched Family Feud 

we really like that show, but only when Steve Harvey is the host

parents go to bed, Monster and I watch Friends

bedtime

SUNDAY

church!

worship was great. sermon was great. God is great.

children's ministry

I love children. God uses them in such huge ways.

home - tacos for lunch 

mom, Monster, and I went to Walmart then Sonic for happy hour!

I cleaned my room while Monster ran in circles [literally]

we went for a walk, met some other dogs

now the parents and I are watching the Cardinals game

PHOTOS!

this is what work looks like!

Monster's Sunday selfie

new hair! ombre! [lighter on the bottom]

Life Lesson: You don't always have to have big, exciting plans to make great memories. Simplicity makes life better.

I hope your weekend was wonderful. Take a deep breath, Monday is coming. 

but we can do it. 

love you guys!

xoxo,

H

All the Feels

hi friends

today I went to therapy. we discussed my feelings. sounds so cliche, huh? but what it made me do was open up, become vulnerable, and be uncomfortable for 45 minutes...oh the HORROR!

our world has become so surfacy. by that I mean we as humans are becoming more and more used to putting on our facade every day and being "fine, just fine." how often are you asked "hey, how're you?" "how are things going?" and how often do you quickly respond, as if on autopilot, "doing well!" "things are good!" how honest are you being?

we have become avoiders. we avoid what we're really feeling. if someone were to actually be honest and respond with a "I'm not doing too great...today's been pretty tough" then the person they're talking to is instantly asked to slow down their pace and be concerned with someone else's life.

I know that this can get in the way of life. you might be late to a meeting or picking up your kid at school...but what if by stopping to talk to that person you ease their mind just that little bit? what if that's all they needed to move on with their day. I don't know about you, but I know for me it's always good to release my thoughts after I've hoarded them too long. I either talk to my parents or write in my journal. we all have our own way to release.

so here's my challenge:
today I want you to Examine Your Feelings. [you will survive, I promise.]

Step 1
check in with yourself.
are you angry?
sad?
happy?
confused?
anxious?
nervous?
indifferent?
excited?
hopeful?

whatever the emotion, feel it. explore why you're feeling that. and if it comes down to the answer being "just because.." that's okay. you've thought on it. you've accepted it.

Step 2
share your chosen emotion(s).
tell your spouse, best friend, dog [animals are great, but sometimes they don't have much to say...]
go through your entire thought process with them.
discovering the emotion, why you're feeling it, then what you're going to do about it.
write it down. on a post-it, napkin, or in your journal.
spell out what your
brain has got going on.

Step 3
take a deep breath.
remind yourself that you are human.
that you are allowed to feel.
NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR EMOTIONS

you may think I'm crazy. and again, let me remind you, I am in no way trying to be a therapist. I'm just wanting to share with you things that have helped me. today's session was pretty tough. I talked about difficult things. but now as I'm sitting here in the living room with Monster, I feel a little lighter. I don't feel as burdened with those feelings. I know that they are there. I confronted them. and now I can move on. and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

as of yesterday, Monster is 3 months old!

I'd also like to share with you an article I found while on Tumblr.
it's called "Depression Isn't Selfish" and it is beautifully written.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/depression-isnt-selfish/

I hope this entry didn't come across too weird :)

and a picture of Monster...of course.

all my love!


H

An Update? Part 2

Well hello again.

There's one more thing I'd love to share with you!

I have been accepted to the University of Central Missouri (UCM) in Warrensburg, MO.
I toured in the beginning of March and met with the head of the Special Education department.
I really liked the campus, enjoyed the tour, and got some great advice from Dr. Neal.

After some serious time with the Lord and after starting to work with the kids at church, I've come to realize my huge desire to work with kids with special needs. There's a huge need for it, and I like to think I'm blessed with the patience and the desire to love the ones who need it most. (did that make sense?)

I will start classes online this summer and then go to Warrensburg on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take classes on campus. The faculty and advisement staff were all really great and accommodating. I already feel taken care of and that's another thing we as humans tend to enjoy, right?

I'm super excited to get started on this new journey. It's definitely given me something to look forward to!

Alright, that's it for real this time.
i love you!
xoxo
H