Graduation....of all sorts

I graduated from Brigham Young University today. It is kind of crazy to think that I don't have to go to school in two weeks. All of the job interviews I have been going to have surely reminded me of the growth that comes with life milestones.


I also have another friend graduating, but not from BYU. She is one of the most kind people I have ever met in my life. When I was a little girl, I think it was 4th grade, I was really sick and she came and picked me up from school because she was the emergency contact on my records. She never did graduate from college, that I know of, but she was always learning. She has been a great influence in my life and I went to see her before my mission and after. She even came to my wedding reception, even though she has been sick with cancer. My sisters and I are planning to see her before she 'graduates'. I read two of her daughters blogs and I am amazed with how well they are preparing for the adjustment that comes after graduation. I was speaking to a good friend just the other day. She said something that really stuck out to me. "Hannah, I truly believe that the people sent to us in our lives, especially our families are here to help us, and we them, to become exalted." I witness of the truth of that statement.

I believe there is no interaction, day to day, in our very geography region, in our ecclesiastical areas, that is by mistake. We are supposed to meet everyone we come into contact with. My witnessing of this idea has grown over the years and gets stronger when I see people like my friend graduate. I love them, I miss them, and I look forward to that day when we can be reunited, not only symbolically like we are here, but literally and with full emotion.

I will miss my friend greatly and I want to become like her one day. I am grateful for truths that make me stretch and learn about the great school of my father. I am grateful for tender mercies that teach me so much and for classmates that make the curriculum bearable. I am grateful for a perfect principal who runs his university with exactness and perfection and I am grateful for being a student there.

Portland, and how much I want to live there.

I have been to the Northwest twice in my memory: once when I was 9 and visited my dad and the other a month or so after my mission (April 2008). I remember liking it from my second visit, but I didn't remember how amazing it really is.

Our first full day! Of course, we had to visit the world-famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. It was slightly anti-climactic, but still worth it.

Also, visiting the Portland Temple...A MUST!! Even if it is closed.

My husband took this picture. The temple is being worked on, but it does not diminish the beauty of being hidden in the forest. We got lost by taking a turn to early and I thought it was interesting that I couldn't even see the spires of the Temple because it was so hidden in the forest. I loved it.

Here we are at McMinneman's in Hillsboro. Again, super beautiful.

We got to see the beach while we were there. I haven't seen the ocean in three years. It was worth it, although, I miss the warm water of Florida. It was still worth it though.

It was slightly windy, but totally worth it.


Seaside is awesome. One thing that the west coast has done well at is preserving there towns and keeping them historic. Now, only if they could preserve their lives (too much smoking in that state).

(of course I had to take pictures myself)

I loved being on vacation because Ron and I just got to lounge and enjoy life. It was really good to be with close friends (adopted family really) and just enjoy the beauty of Father's creation. Ron and I are closer to the idea of being in that area than before we left. I guess it is something worth considering, maybe not.

Before our trip began- "Listen to your heart"

My husband picked me up from work and when straight to school. I stopped by the store to pick up chocolate chips for our trip ( a couple of cookies always kept people awake on medium length trips) and then I made myself dinner and watched a movie, something I am enjoying since I am not in school right now.
A young couple, both with completely separate backgrounds, end up falling in love. The movie is about experiencing that love in all its forms. But there was something that overcame me and reminded me of some who loves greatest of all. In the movie, the character Roger, becomes the brother to Danny, the main character. While Danny is experiencing adversity, Roger is a support. Even though it is a major trail for Danny, he expresses how much love he has for Roger and Roger reciprocates.

While watching this movie I was reminded, ever so gently, of how much I am love and how much I miss my brother. You see I don't have earthly brothers (just brothers-in-law) and so the ability to feel the love of a brother has been something I have had to work on. Whenever I am in just the right mood, I start to think about my brother I have not seen in a while. It feels ever so long ago that I saw him and how handsome and beautiful and amazing he is. But I know that I will get to see him sooner than it feels at the current time. One thing I miss most about him is the ability to feel the love he freely gives to me. The only thing that has come close to that memory, and is most similar, is the love I feel for my husband.

Love is truly a gift from above. I realized something while watching this movie: Love is the ultimate gift in our lives. It is the reason we live, the reason we exist, and the reason we keep going. I am grateful to have found someone to love so much and to feel as much love from. I love my husband and every time he does something selfless, I am reminded of the love I have for him. I am so lucky to feel this love and to allow myself to feel and express it back.

The excitement begins.. I am stoked.

So here I am, at work, helping my husband with his work, (kind of fun to me, by the way) and I am looking at some of my facebook friends and their lives, something I hardly ever do, surf Facebook for work, not lying either....So back to my point, I am looking at a friend of mine's blog, a friend I haven't talked to in a long time (the guilt is coming all too quickly) but I find that I am on her bloglist and I think, Wow! I need to post something about what is going on in my life. So here is the excitement for the week, and follow ups to come!!


Drumroll.............................. Ron and I are going on a journey, to one of the wonders of the world.....

This is just one of the amazing things we are going to see! The Beautiful Portland Oregon Temple.

We are also going to be able to touch the ocean (Something I haven't done in 3 years, and this is coming from a Florida girl).

These are just a taste of the goodness we will be partaking of in this week. Stay tuned for the post-trip pictures.

How we started.....Ha, Ha, Ha

Ron doesn't like pictures (actually I don't remember) but he didn't like getting his picture for the ward directory, so I had to go to his house and get his picture for the ward directory.

Yeah, who could turn down this face? The next time we said Hey to each other was in October some time. I said, "Hey Ron!" and he was like, "Who are you again?" What a great pick up line, eh? I reminded him of who I was and how I knew him, "I'm Hannah. I took your picture for the ward directory...." "Oh, yeah. Well, Hey."

We would say hey every once in a while. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas time, Ron and Joe came to church. I was excited because I hadn't seen Joe in a long time. I sat by Joe and Ron and then left for some reason. He said that was the first time he was like, wait where did she go?, but that didn't really spark anything other than a thought.

Fast Forward to end of January....Ron invited me to come in the van (Chris' van) and so we talked the whole way to Alpine and all the way back. Super flirted and lots of chatter, but after an invite to watch a movie (Ron invited me) and I turned it down because I had to work early the next day, he was like, "You're such an old woman!"

President's day 2011, we had FHE and then played games afterwards. While a lot of flirty went on that whole night, Ron was secretly trying to ask me out. After getting home and starting my cleaning check, Ron texted me and asked me on a date. I said yes. We went to the store as we were planning our date and talked till 3 in the morning, wanting to talk more, but we had school the next morning. We went on a date on Wednesday and 27 days later we were engaged! After lots of dates and time to plan (3 months, just a little too long) we got married in Logan, Utah.

and held a beautiful reception the next day! Then it was honeymoon....of course, no pictures!

Thus we continued making a new life together.