We are still here!

I can see why people don't update their blogs often, unless for a specific reason: keeping a 'scrapbook', money, information/education. There are lots of reasons I suppose.

Ron really likes to write, but has to be inspired. I hate to write, but I have been warned that I need to.

So here is how we are doing:

I am having a baby. I know we announced it on Facebook, but I don't think we have put any of our pictures up. This is at 20ish weeks. Ron loves me pregnant, for many different reasons (some literally, some facetiously).

We went out to Astoria, OR for a date. We visited a shipwreck.

We loved it. It was really cold. But we bought a new camera and had fun exploring.

And most recently, we had a baby shower for little Baby Beck, hosted by the AMAZING DEE! Love her.

Cute little clothes for a our little boy! So exciting.

So that is a little bit more of what is going on in our lives.
P.s. I am reading this book


Everyone should read it.

At least I say so.

Who is He In Yonder Stall?

I just finished watching a TV show that made a very strong impact on me. I won't disclose the name of the show for the fact that there is a lot of filth in the show, and I have resolved not to watch it any more (it's second season just ended and won't start up until this September----after which I will have had a baby and we will have just moved :)

However, I do want to share some thoughts from finishing the second season.
1) Love is the most powerful emotion that I have ever felt. I have felt lots of anger in my life, but love trumps it all. I wept last night at the side of my husband for the fact that I love him more than words can ever express.
2) Deep connection is what part of what the marriage covenant is based on. Ron and I talked about the need to keep connected, and I am in AWE at home many people never connect on the deepest level of themselves, let alone share it with someone. I am grateful to a husband who is aware of my "sensitivities" and is gentle with them.
3) The more I experience Mortality, the more I come to understand the depth of the Atonement (Sacrifice) of Jesus Christ. That is why I entitled this post "Who is He in Yonder Stall?". There is a man, Jordan Kimball Fowers who taught me just the beginning of the Sacrifice and love of the Savior. When he passed away, I was privileged to attend his funeral and I wept at one of the songs the Men's Chorus sang.

http://youtu.be/uhJ0WeVTZBY
Here are the lyrics:

"Who is he in yonder stall?
At who's feet the shepherds fall?

'Tis the Lord, Oh wondrous story
'Tis the Lord, Oh King of Glory.
At his feet we humbly fall
Crown Him, Crown Him Lord of all.

Who is he who stands and weeps
At the grave where Lazarus sleeps?

'Tis the Lord, Oh wondrous story
'Tis the Lord, the King of Glory.
At his feet we humbly fall
Crown Him, Crown Him Lord of all.

Who is he in Calvary's Thrones
Asks for blessings on his fold

'Tis the Lord, Oh wondrous story
'Tis the Lord, the King of Glory.
At his feet we humbly fall
Crown Him, Crown Him Lord of all.

Who is He, who from the grave,
Comes to seek and help and save

It is the Lord, Oh wondrous story
'Tis the Lord, the King of Glory
At his feet we humbly fall
Crown Him, Crown Him Lord of all. "


I never listen to this recording without literally weeping. I love Him, I love all that He has done for me. I am grateful to my Father for giving Him to us.
Words fail me, but that is as much as I can write.

I am excited to see them one day. "Soon" relatively speaking. I wouldn't want to see them prematurely, but I am excited to see them. Along with lots of other people.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored, and the ultimate blessings that God wants to give his children are here. I love Him for his gratitude in giving such gifts and making them available today.
 -Hannah
  

Life is Weird...

(First of all, I want to clarify that everyone's life experiences are different and the following is just a generalization of my personal experiences)

Life is weird...

As children we so much ahead of us. We can, for the most part, do anything we want and be anyone we want to be. Even when we are just playing around we dream and play as Doctors, Lawyers, Superheroes, etc. We spend those first 5 years learning how to do the basics, then spend the next 10-15 years figuring out who we are. We go through high school and go through the most influential period of our lives to that point. Every little detail about our lives seems to matter and not getting what we want is devastating.

It isn't until after high school (Generally speaking) that we find out that our small and petty problems are nothing compared to many many others in the world who go through much harder trials. It is usually at this point that we start to understand life for the first time. We are not completely there yet, but we are starting to get it. We finally start to leave our selfish little world of our mind and explore the idea that others have just as many, if not more, problems then we do. Keep in mind that this does not make our problems disappear  but it does help make them lighter.

After we finally start to come into our own and accept ourselves we finally are able to accept another for who they are and find that we, in fact, where never whole without them; thus, we get married. Since this is really as far as I have traveled on the road of life I can't really say what the future holds. What I can say is that marriage brings on all sorts of new challenges and joys.

Ultimately, despite what experiences we have throughout our life we always, at any given time, think that we know about what it has to offer, and although I contradict myself because I too am in a stage of life as I say this; we never truly know what life has in store for us. It is full of ups and downs. It turns and meanders unpredictably, and although we can't predict the road we take; we can always determine where we are going.

I'm sure you're wondering, "Where did that come from?" I think it mostly came from the ever present changes that Hannah and I have experienced in our marriage. In our year and a half of being married we have moved 4 times and are contemplating moving again. So i guess I am just saying life is weird and you just cant predict it. :)

-Ron

Great Christmas! But no pictures...

So we had a great Christmas! I admit that this year was a tad bit strange because this was the first year that I did not fly back to Oklahoma. It was Hannah and I's first Christmas on our own..... And we didn't have a Camera... : (

Although we were not with my family back in Oklahoma, we were with our surrogate family here in Oregon, the Temperinis. I LOVE them! We had a great time with some great people. Curt and Kiley came over with their 2 children Cassey(Cubby) and Jaxon. They are some of the cutest little stinkers I have ever seen and although Cubby pretty much hates me (not really, she just gives me evil stares) I loved having them around, especially Jaxon's cute little smile.

One thing that I realized this year was how grateful I am for the family I have all around me. Hannah and I just recently moved out to the northwest and really didn't know very many people, but the few people we did know have been indispensable. If it were not for the Temperinis we would not have had a place to stay and would not have found the home we have today. If it were not for Tom Gibbons I would not have the job I have and would not be able to afford anything, let alone the new place we are renting. Also, with Hannah being pregnant we have a FLOOD of people saying how they have toys, car seats, swings, cribs, cloths, and almost everything we would need for a baby that they will give to us. We are so lucky and blessed! I know that it is no longer Thanksgiving, but I am really grateful for all the help and love we have received.

Once again, we don't have a working camera, but as soon as we do we will have pictures :)

"The One"

Disclaimer: This post is not about finding "The One". It is more about how we are all our own unique individuals and how this impresses me.

Well friends, I made some of my goals. Ron and I did make a gingerbread house, and we were going to post pictures but currently do not have a device that will take pictures the way we want them to be taken. I did NOT make the plate of goodies. I did make spritz cookies (something my mom did growing up, I can now appreciate why she hated making them) and Ron and I ate all of the batch (oops!). I did visit my best friend in town. I talked to her for like 4.5 hours. Oh how I miss my best friends! Their children are growing up so fast and I miss talking to them, especially that I will now be in a similar stage of life (although having multiple children won't be in the picture for at least 2 more years with us). Still having a child brings lots of things to relate about, something I have been looking forward to since I got married. I could literally write pages about this, but will spare you all that fortune.
We did not make it to the temple before Christmas, and I am still pondering about what I want to give Christ this year. There are a lot of things I have thought about, but have not solidified one to be of the right criteria.

So onto what really inspired this post....."The One".
I have been following this blog for at least 6 months (I found it by accident one day and have kept reading.) I like her inspirations and really appreciate how organized her thoughts are. Today she talked about meeting up with a friend in Durham (NC for all who don't know where that is). She hyper-linked it and I started reading her website too. After about an hour of reading (it was great to read someone else's birth story....makes me excited...and makes Ron laugh at me. Love that man) I went to some of the blogs she follows and stumbled upon a great chef and photographer. I didn't really have a chance to explore her blog more, but I am excited to excavate and discover what gems are there.








I have never really felt that I write well and this is why: I don't get to the point fast enough for what I think others want. It hit me just how unique everyone is in this world, with our 7+ billion population, not to mention the billions that have already lived. When I reading the blog of the person in Durham, NC, she mentioned her anxiety about having a child and working full-time. She discussed how she didn't have a role model for that: her mom was a stay at home mother who cooked wholesome meals and watched over her children. I find that so fascinating. I had just the opposite. My mother choose to work full-time from the time I was at least 4 years old and would have worked more had we not been in a foreign country with the Army. By the time I was 7, she had to work full-time because my parents divorced. Well, she went to school for a couple of years and then worked full-time. When my sisters were in high school she worked a second job to have more money and to take care of their needs (we all played sports and that can be expensive even when you are being frugal). This blogger didn't elaborate much about her childhood, but I sat for a second to think about what that would have been like to have a mother at home all the time. The woman who took care of me if I was sick passed away a year ago. She was the stay at home mom who had great meals and priceless advice. Even to the last time I spoke with her, she was still her amazing self. Interestingly enough, she was a stay at home because her husband grew up in a divorced family where his mom worked full time to provide for her kids and he never wanted his children to have to experience the same loneliness and independence (not a great thing sometimes) that he was forced to experience growing up.
As to the food blogger, it looks like she has never had children and I am not sure if she is married. Two things very common in society today. But so different from me. And I don't share this observation with criticism: I share my thoughts because I am intrigued as to what makes people tick. Why do people do what they do? Why do some people have an innate desire to populate the earth, while others are scared to death with the idea, while some are just not ready and they want that some time in their life, but not sure if now is the right time? Honestly, it fascinates me how this is. I guess I should mention I have spent the last 10 years studying this in depth, and I still have very few answers. But, I do care to share one observation: There are thousands of things behind why people are who they are and what they do. I will never know the full answer to the my questions, and I am learning to accept that.




So- That was my one musing for the day: "The One".

Stay tuned: I am going to write more tomorrow (hopefully).

"Christmas Time is Here"

I am sitting in one of my friend's house (we have been house sitting since last Wednesday, I like it, Ron is excited to go to our home) and listening to Sarah McLachlin and her Christmas album, trying to decide what I want to make for dinners and what I need to buy to make those things and where to buy them.

I had goals this Christmas, things I wanted to become traditions. I hope that I can still accomplish them before the actual day of Christmas.
-Make  a gingerbread house with my love.
- Drop off goodie plates/bags to a handful of people who I have come to love much in this mortal journey.
- See my best friend (she gets here on Thursday, hopefully) and her family
- Attend the temple before Christmas
- Ponder and make a decision on what my gift to Christ will be this next year.

Writing about these things makes me feel that I can actually still accomplish what I wanted to. Hooray for adjusting expectations. It is one of the best qualities a person can possess and I think I am starting to accomplish things.

On to another note:
I taught Relief Society yesterday and it was so poignant. The lesson was titled, "Righteous Living in Perilous Times". There were two people there that are not members of my congregation. I hope that they were able to feel of what the message was: We can have peace amid such wickedness. It will be hard to maintain, but it is not unconquerable. It means making and keeping commitments. It means in essence living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have thought about the hard things that have happened in the world this past couple of weeks: two shootings, one school stabbing are just some of the big headlines. We haven't heard about the person who was murdered in our city or the various people who passed away tragically, unexpected, finally after long bouts with cancer. There is much sorrow in the world it seems. I don't wish to dwell upon them, not because I want to block them out, but because I wish to dwell upon goodness that is still going on amidst such wickedness. I was watching a talk show the other day (haven't watched it until or since that day) but they were discussing transgender children. There was a child on there, who is 7, and has male genitalia, but looks exactly like a girl. He believes God only messed up on one thing and that was his reproductive organs. He wants and believes he is a girl. His parents have given in and treated him like a girl. But there was something that came to mind when I was watching this along with reading an article written by a mother of a 13 year old boy who struggles with lots of things. I have a best friend who has a son like this, however he is only 4.5 years old. Super smart, but has lots of breakdowns.

I think about the challenges people face in this mortal experience. Some things are so hard. Some things are not. But I find that the only real thing that brings sense to it all is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is not just doctrine, it is PERSONAL SPIRITUAL HABITS. Every day contact with Deity. Checking in, talking with them, talking with the person you made a covenant with (your spouse). If you don't have a spouse, it is finding people to talk to. It is becoming clearer and clearer that one cannot solely rely upon their previous witnesses to help them ride out the waves of life. It is reaffirming those witnesses everyday, and when the Giver of those experiences gives those reassurances (after much asking usually) we express deep gratitude for them. My heart does weep in its silent chambers for the sorrow of man. However, my heart rejoices because of the deliverance of the Almighty, who is full of grace and truth. We will make it out of here alive, if we choose to.

Christmas time is here. Happiness and cheer. Even though the real Christmas is April 6th, I am grateful for a world that still has goodness in it. Be of Good Cheer my friends. Our future is as bright as our faith.

-Hannah

The World is ENDING!

Well, I figured I should write a post since the world is going to end in 8 days!! :D I think this whole Mayan calendar/ Nostradamus/ dooms day / whatever else you want to believe in, are all kind of funny to me. Don't get me wrong, I actually do believe that eventually the world as we know it today will end, but it is my belief that it will be because of the coming of the Savior. Anyway, regardless of what you believe I think we should all still be pretty hopeful.

I've done a decent amount of research on the whole 12/21/12 thing and from everything I have found is that IF something does happen it is only going to be something to move us forward, not stop us in our tracks. Just because the Mayan calendar ends does not mean its the end of the world. They where very intelligent people who aligned everything they did with the starts and since the calendar had to end somewhere why not end it on a time that is significant to them; the ushering of a new age?

I do not see any reason why people need to be frighted, no matter what they believe. Sure, it is good to save and stock up in case a situation happens where you can't go to the store, but I don't think it needs to get to the point of expecting it. Doesn't this remind you of the Cold War?

In the Cold War almost everyone was certain there would be a nuclear fallout. They believe the world would start setting off nuclear bombs and would end all life as they knew it. It went so far as to have everyday people buying bomb shelters and and stocking up food supplies to last them for months. Some researchers even say it was a merical that we never actually got to that point and in some instances was only one button push away from launching the missiles themselves. To me, these people had much more of a reason to worry. They saw that it could happen any day and began preparing, but even int hat "sure" circumstance the threat never happened. Which leads me to think that the end is not as predictable as we may wish to believe. The bible tells us it will come as a "thief in the night" implying that nobody will know, and isn't that the point? If we knew when the end was coming we would all prepare and "Change our ways", but God doesn't want deathbed repentance. He want full and true repentance.

Ultimately, I think we just need to chill and relax a little. We should be preparing for the end constantly so if the end should come sooner or later you should be the person you want to be and have prepared for the future.