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

An Update? But really, just pictures of Monster.

hello my lovelies.
it has been quite some time since I have updated!
I know you've been anxious to hear how my life has been going.

First I would like to show you the various positions in which Monster likes to sleep. (riveting stuff, I know.)

on my belly, under a blanket

curled up on my neck

between my dad's feet

on his back, paws up

this was after a long walk, on my chest

under a towel in the car

and curled up with my tough guy Uncle Ron at Easter
(my favorite picture ever)

As far as puppy training goes, this last week was a tough one. He had multiple accidents and his chewing/biting on us/everything was a little ridiculous. He has been really good these past couple of days, though. I got him a couple more toys yesterday and today he's been doing really well at responding to "sit" before he gets a toy. We've had lots of fun walking around the neighborhood. We also went to a dog park one day! He loved it. I didn't take my phone in so I don't have any pictures, but next time I will be sure to capture those moments, he LOVES other dogs, kids, and other humans. It was a lot of fun. 

Work is going well. The note and baggie of chocolates are from my first night of teaching all on my own without anyone helping/observing. I've been really blessed with having a great boss who supports all of us.

One special moment from my Lvl 4 class (16-22 month olds):
I have bonded with a little girl named Brynlley...she is a super great listener and LOVES to help me clean up. One night she came in with red rimmed eyes, the sign of a recent breakdown. Her mom said that she was throwing a fit before they got in the car to come to class but when they mentioned my name by saying "you get to go play with Miss Hannah!" and the tears stopped. I myself got a little choked up for like, 2 seconds. It was a great moment of reassurance and encouragement. A moment of clarity, really. A moment of "hey girl, you got this. you're doing well." and I think as humans we all need little moments like that every once and a while. :)

Easter was a great time! We served at church on Saturday during the first of three services at church. What a great joy it is to be able to witness the purest children of God learning and soaking in the phenomenal events that changed the WORLD. On Sunday morning we went to church and then drove to my mom's side of the family in Tightwad, MO. (yes..that's a town.) We took Monster which was so fun! They live in the country so he got to be off his leash and run. He is sooooo fast. I'm working on recording him sometime. He loved it. He was worn out when we got home and was pretty tired for the next couple of days. Lots of naps :) my cousins brought their puppy, Lulu, too.

 She's about a week younger than Monster. she's a Goldendoodle. retriever and poodle. at first she was pretty skeptical of Monster but then she warmed up to him and would just put a paw on his chest and pin him to the ground. It was great. The kids did an Easter egg hunt, we ate lots of food, and sat around and talked. It was pretty great. and the weather was PERFECT.

our Easter selfie

Monster discovered car scenery 

Opening Day of baseball was on April 1st so Monster celebrated by being himself - super cute.

(His shirt says "Daddy's Little All-Star"...and it's Cardinals colors so I HAD to get it for him.)

Okay! Please stick with me. I wanted to show you how much he's grown!

March 13, 2013

April 12, 2013

To say that I love him would be a huge understatement. If you say I'm obsessed? I will ignore you.












Okay. That's all for now. I hope you didn't get bored or rolled your eyes too hard at all of the puppy pictures, but MAN he's great. I hope your week starts off wonderfully tomorrow. It's only a Monday, we've survived others, we can survive this one! I love you, thanks for reading :)

xoxo
Hannah

Words Words Words

Hi you!

I hope this Tuesday treated you well. Just think, tomorrow is Wednesday and that means we're almost to Friday!

Thought I'd give you a little update on what's been going on around here lately!

Monster has turned into a playful pup quite quickly. Last week when I gave him a bath I was worried about how skinny the little guy was, but he now officially has a belly on him! He's eating more frequently and being much more active. Today he got another bath because I accidentally dropped some of my curling mousse on his head, so his hair got gross....whoops. He still hated the bath, but at least he smells good again :)

My parents received a new-to-them bed from one of my grandma's friends and when they brought that home from STL they also brought back our piano that had been at grandma's house for almost 2 years. We put it down in the basement so now I have a yoga studio AND a music room. I've played every day since it's been here and I've fallen back in love with losing myself in the notes. It's super great, I just play lots of Disney songs and hymns.

Last Wednesday I went into my dad's work, Crossroads Hospice, to go through Volunteer Training. When I moved back my dad had the idea of me volunteering because I love the elderly and I have the time so why not cheer someone up? Also, now that we've got Monster, I can take him to nursing homes and cheer people up of ALL ages. At the training we learned about Crossroads itself and talked about what we'll do as volunteers. I told them I'd be flexible as far as the different things I can do. I'd love to sing, read books, or just sit and talk with someone who needs another someone. I'm excited to get started!

Gymboree is still going well! I'm completely on my own and loving it. I love being able to create relationships with the little ones and their parents as they come in each week. Yesterday we had an Easter Egg Hunt and one little girl grabbed my finger and helped me hide the eggs. Those little moments are the ones I love, the ones that make my heart go "oh! hey...we like that."

Life with mom & dad is still great. I love when mom plays with Monster. She was definitely the least "into" getting the dog, but I think maybe, just MAYBE his cute little face is convincing her to love him. [it probably helps that I'm the one up with him at 3 in the AM.] We started watching the miniseries The Bible and we really like it! It's such a cool way to present the greatest story ever to the whole world.

I am still going to therapy which is still a positive thing, still working on the daily to improve my "self-image" - still striving for improvement. If you have gone through this same type of thing you'll understand when I say uhhhhhh it's tough. It is literally a day-to-day process of redirecting my thoughts to the positive side. Crushing the voice of Sad that still whispers in my ear saying, "hey girl, you're tired...just go back to bed..." I've improved from giving in and crawling back into bed to now saying No to Sad and saying Yes to Positive. Notice I didn't say Happy. I've realized that being Positive is different than being Happy. Positive takes work and has lasting effects. Happy lasts not so long and just leaves you searching for more. Positivity is something to strive for and work at. [Did ANY of that make ANY sense?]

In conclusion - life is going well.

Okay okay I'll stop making you read all these words - with no pictures?! Next time, I'll have pictures.

Oh! - Life Lesson: Don't give up. Ever. You're MUCH stronger than you think you are. 

I love ya'll.

xoxo
H

a puppy gets a bath

Happy Monday :)

after working this morning I came home to a note from mom on the counter:

"He [Monster] pooped in kennel.

Will need a bath."

Poor thing stunk like a skunk. 

This was his first bath time at home! When I first turned on the faucet he freaked out. He's so little loud noises really get to him - which really makes him just THAT much more adorable. He whined quite a bit during the whole bath, but I think he secretly enjoyed the little puppy massage he got with the shampoo process.

during 

after

dry!


The middle pictures makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. These pictures are roughly what it looks like when I'm getting ready for church on Sundays.

He really didn't like me during, whining and staring at me with a look that said, "uhhh why are you doing this...?" but now he smells much better and a lot less like poo.

I hope your day was great. We're done with Monday! Yay!

xoxo,

H