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Hannah's Wedding

Welcome!

Welcome all newcomers to my blog! Hopefully this will keep ya'll posted on the latest in my life! It really isn't too exciting!

My Visit to Utah!

From April 28 - May 2 I visited Utah for my good friend Rita's wedding! While I was there I also got to visit lots of friends and family that I haven't seen in a long time!Right after I arrived to SLC, Camille and I went to lunch with Aunt Gayela and Angela! Angela didn't tell Gayela who they were meeting, just that it was a "surprise guest." It was so nice to see them! I haven't seen Angela since her wedding, which was 7 years ago, and it has probably been just as long since I've seen Aunt Gayela too! (Pictures to come!)

After lunch, we headed south to Provo where I was reunited with Rita! I got to meet her parents (who only speak Hindi) and got to see her fiancee again. We did some last minute wedding shopping--shoes and jewelry for the bridesmaids.

For dinner, we had a girls' night. It was a pseudo bachelorette party, except not, because all we did was eat. But it was good to meet all of her soon-to-be sister-in-laws.Thursday, I hung out with Adam. We did lunch, and then headed to BYU. While he was getting more assignments from the professor he works for, I visited the BYU Museum of Art :) I have just barely recommited myself to my art, so it was really nice to have the inspiration of others' work.

A nice serving of ColdStone ice cream later, Adam and I headed to "Indian Night," which true to Polynesian culture, started nearly 2 hours later than planned. Rita's dilectable curry is well worth the wait though! MMMMmmm... SO good!

At Indian Night, I got to see Lillie again, who I knew at BYUH with Rita, and I got to meet the other bridesmaids! Carrie and Maggie were lots of fun and we all hit it off really well!

After eating way too much good food, and capped off with yet more ice cream, we headed off to do Henna! At Indian weddings, it is tradition to decorate your hands with Henna. I'm not sure of the cultural or historicalsignificance, but if you're curious, I'm sure Wikipedia or Google has the answers you're looking for!

Thursday night, as well as Henna, we also altered our dresses and glued flowers onto our shoes. Yes, it was the night before the wedding. It's okay, everything worked out just fine :)Late that night, we headed off on a long drive to north of SLC, and almost hit a deer! It was a near-miss, but we survived! Good thing we were very actively conversing about past BYUH commrades, or we may not have been alert enough to avoid it!

Last-minute wedding preparations for the bridesmaids almost caused us to be late to the SLC, but we arrived just after the bride and groom emerged from the Sealing Room. They were married!! AHHH!! They're married!!

Lots and lots of pictures inside, and then we headed outside. In short, thin, short-sleeved dressed, and flip-flops...

we headed outside in 30 degree weather. It. was. freezing. Luckily, they were done taking pictures of the bridesmaids after not too long and we headed indoors!

Luncheon time! More good food, and yes, more ice cream! I ate so much food... Oh man. But it was really good! Thanks to Adam and his good soul,

I was able to visit Uncle Tom and his family straight after the luncheon! They took us out to Outback Stakehouse, which was really yummy. And because it was Adam's birthday a few days later, guess what? They gave him a free scoop of ice cream!

Another long late night drive, and this time I could hardly stay awake. Good thing I wasn't the one driving! Lillie was kind enough to let me stay at her apartment, and she even let me sleep in her bed! I slept in late, and then headed to Zupa's for my favorite sandwhich and soup where we met up with Cat and her hubby of a month, Michael.

Reception time! We showed up a little bit later than it was planned to start, but no worries! It started 2 hours later than planned, and there was lots of time for socializing before the festivities really began! I got to catch up with Cat and goof around with the other bridesmaids. Thanks to Adam for taking some pictures for me!

After the reception, I said farewell to Rita, Lillie, and Cat for who knows how long... and then met up with Alex, who I hadn't seen for 3 years! Alex, her mom and I went to dinner and got to catch up on everything. It was so good to see them! Staying at her mom's house was like coming home :)

Alex and I had a little sleepover and barely managed to stay up until 1am before falling asleep. Here's to growing up! Sacrament meeting at her mom's ward, and then back to the airport!

I know that my Redeember lives.

I will not be afraid to call out to captain to calm the waves in me.

He is the hope I hold on to.

He lives eternally to save;

I don't know if I've written this in here yet or not, but it is something that really struck a chord in me and I just have to share it!!

President Wright shared this at the end of one of our Multi-Stake YSA meetings, and it just rings so true to me!

The Lord loves us, and when we forget the fact that He loves us is when we start doing our own work and we stop doing the Lord's work. Our will comes before the Lord's will. When we remember the Lord's love for us, it reminds us that our purpose here on Earth is to do the Lord's work. When we remember the Lord's love for us, we put Him first.

I LOVE THIS!! Whenever I feel like I am losing ground in the constant battle we are fighting, I ask myself if I can feel the Lord's love. Am I remembering His love? Am I remembering His sacrifice? If I cannot feel it, if I cannot remember His love, I do what I need to do so that I can feel it again. Feeling that love makes everything easier!! It is easier to be obedient, to be faithful, to have the courage to do what is right.

It is true. The Lord loves you. If you feel like He doesn't, do what you need to do to feel His love again. Lock yourself in your closet and cry unto Him like you've never cried before if that is what it takes. And don't get off your knees until you feel it. That Love is vital to your happiness. Everything in your life could be going wrong, but if you know that the Lord loves you, life is still hard, but that knowledge makes coping that much easier. I promise.

Not him.... Him

Is it normal that I want to hear from him? Just to hear that he's doing okay... and maybe to know that he still thinks of me? Maybe even that he might care a little bit that I'm doing well? I feel like that's normal... As short-lived as it may have been, we shared something special.

As normal as it might be to desire to hear from him... I don't desire it enough to go seeking his attention. There is another man whom I should be seeking after instead. My Lord and my Savior. He would never lie to me, deceive me, take advantage of me, or do anything to harm me. He is perfect. He wants what is best for me. He is patient, kind, and full of love. He is honest. He is all that I need-- with Him alone I am happy and life is full of joy-- if I will but seek after Him.

Consider this an action of seeking. Lord, I need Your strength. I need Your comfort. I need Your love. Lord, see my heart's desires to know Thee and my love to obey thy commandments. I need Your spirit to guide me. Without Your spirit, I can achieve nothing. Everything that I do comes from Thee.

Institute: Alma 32

Brother Evans is an excellent Institute teacher. He presents things so clearly and it is so easy to understand-- he teaches by the spirit.

Last night the lesson was on Alma 32. More specifically on faith. Usually this lesson is about how "faith is like a little seed." But this time, it was different.

The seed is the "word," not faith. Faith is the desire to garden. You have to have faith IN your seed that it will grow. And you have to have enough faith to keep watering your seed and nurturing it. Your faith isn't what grows, but the "word" grows within your heart. Of course, as the "word" grows, your faith is reinforced and increases, but the word is what grows. It sounded so much more succinct and clear when he said it last night.

Now, for a story about how I put my faith in a seed and how that seed has grown to bear wonderful fruit!

I started working for Ann Taylor LOFT in September 2009. By October, I had expressed interest in the sales lead position that Andrea was trying to fill. She had me interview, and she started grooming me for the position. She had me go around to different stores to meet different prominent people in the district. The key person she had me meet was Leslie, the store manager for Northpark.

Andrea wanted to hire me for the position. The only catch... I'd have to work Sundays. I had decided to try my faith and be obedient. Keeping the Sabbath day holy is one of the ten commandments-- It's kind of a big deal! So on numerous occasions I made it very clear that I don't want to work Sundays for religious reasons. They kept persisting and both Andrea and Annett believed in me so much that they kept persevering on getting me into that sales lead position. In order to get Sundays off as a sales lead, I would need the District Manager's approval. When I initially wanted the position, Rebecca was the DM. She is currently on maternity leave, and Leslie is the acting DM until she returns. Annett, acting in her faith on me, approached Leslie with a proposition: I can have my Sundays off, as long as I work every Saturday. Annett admitted to me her utter shock that Leslie went for it. She said she would have never expected her to go for it, but she did! She said she didn't know why-- but I did. The Lord blessed me for my obedience.

Before hearing this news, I had decided that I wanted to transfer to the Watters Creek location, because it is half the distance from my house than Willow Bend is. I figured at least I can save on gas if I can't get a raise because I won't give up my Sundays. Little did I know that they needed a Sales Lead at Watters Creek. I would need the store manager's go ahead to get my Sundays off-- and she would have to like me enough to hire me onto her team. She was fine with the Sundays AND she liked me!

So because I was patient, and because I was obedient, I am getting promoted (including a pay raise), and I will save money on gas, and I will save driving time.

My heart is so full of gratitude. I've never had something work so much in my favor.

Life. Love. Christ.

It just so happens that I am in love with my life here on this earth. It is the greatest blessing that I have a body and that I have living breath in my lungs. I have a body that functions well, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and a family that loves me more than anything in the world. And they are mine forever and ever. I know who I owe my life to, and that is all that I need.

Christ is my savior. He hears my cries and He loves me and knows me. He knows what I need. He hears my cries when no one else even knows there is anything wrong. His timing is genius, and I wouldn't have it any other way. How powerful His gospel is! Every bit of it! I challenege anyone who doesn't know it to be true to simply commit your life to obedience with your whole heart and let it transform you. It is incredible. To feel your heart change... to feel your life change... to feel joy--true joy-- perhaps for the very first time in your life... It is amazing. I highly recommend it.

It's that time of the year...

With the dawn of a new decade, it is a time for reflection on the past, and optimism for the future.

2009 seemed to last 3 years to me. This new year is more than just a new year for me. It is a symbol of rebirth, or a continuation of a fresh start that I've already begun. This new year seems to be the first year of the rest of my life-- as if I haven't really been living up until now. In a lot of ways, I wasn't really living at all. I was battered and bruised, and down on myself. I really thought I was just fine, really. However, by comparison to what I am today, I was miserable. The last several years are all blurred together into one mess of melancholy misery, a longing for something unknown. How wonderful it is to have found that happiness that I so desperately longed for! And with that truth and happiness, I have new life.

So for the first time, I am celebrating a new year for what it is. I am not biding my time until my next temporary high, or just passing the time until I find true happiness. I am celebrating this new year because life goes right on past you, whether you find happiness and joy in it or not-- so why not choose to enjoy it?

And as we all know, the key to happiness is through Christ. Without him, true happiness cannot exist, for joy stems from truth.