Wuv, Twoo Wuv

Today, I read something interesting on love:

"Love itself doesn't scare me, but the fact is, I want to be loved without losing...

I'm scared to love because if I love I can feel loss. I guess it's something you sacrifice, but it's scary..."

I think that there is a lot of legitimacy to these statements. Love CAN BE a very very daunting and scary thing. When someone says "I Love You", thats BIG. I think that people throw that phrase around too much these days WITHOUT ACTUALLY MEANING WHAT THEY SAY. (And sadly enough, not enough people say it when they mean it with hearts)

The true definition (or at least the best one I have heard so far) of love is providing someone the absolute best possible life that you can possibly give over your own life.

So with this definition, love IS self sacrifice. When you put another person first, you ARE taking something that could be yours and give it to someone else, to better their life and make them a better individual.

The "five love languages" (great book btw) are:

Physical love

Gift Giving

Quality Time

Acts of Service

and Words of Encouragement


Somehow, someway, everyone feels the need to have some or all of the above.

However, I believe you can do these things out of love, or a very fake version of love. Love is a very powerful thing. It can move mountains or break a person down in an instant.

I think that one of the best and worst parts of love is that it can be very persuasive. Love can change a persons life in a second. It can be inspiring, heart-warming. It gives people wings to be the person they want to be but never had the courage to be.

Love Gives People LIFE.

The best example of True Love is the love God has for His people. He sacrificed His Son Jesus, who was perfect, on a splintery wooden cross so that maybe one day, we too, the sinning scum of the Earth, could sit up in Heaven where we were meant to be.

That is love. AND that is self-sacrifice. If that does not bring someone out of the dust, I don't know what will.

"Love" can also be very deadly and heartbreaking experience.

I had a guy once tell me he "loved" me. And I am sure to this day that he meant it. I have no doubts that he did not want the best for me. Then he let himself get in the way. He was not happy, and he didn't feel satisfied. It took awhile for me to realize that his love wasn't true and that there were terrible things happening I would have never guessed would happen to me.

Still to this day, I am surprised how long Love's Fake Face held my gaze. I thought it was legit, but turns out it wasn't true. However, I don't let this thing hold me down. I still want the best for the guy. He still deserves love (whether I think so or not)and as a Christian young lady who admires her God and wants desperately to be like Him, I chose to FORGIVE, FORGET and LOVE. (don't forget to forgive and forget because without doing this, are you really loving? Is that building the person up at all?)

My advice is to always love another person whether they return it or not.

Never be afraid to say you love a person but always always ALWAYS mean it.

Be careful for those who display fake love.

Be honest and faithful in your relations but don't put yourself in a position that would cause something to bring the other person down.

And when people do bring you down, (believe me, we make mistakes so this will happen over and over and over again.) forgive them and move on. You would not want people to not forgive you for all your wrongdoings right? unless you are perfect like God then there is no need for forgiveness.

Do ought to others as you would have them do to you

If you try and wrap you head around the way God loves - unconditionally and with full passion, in the long run, you may find that you won't feel like such a loser. =)

I challenge you to forgive someone that maybe you have been holding a grudge on. You may find that you will feel better about yourself at the end of the day. (and they may too! )

I also challenge you to LOVE someone --> NOT because I told you too, but find it in your own heart to put someone else ahead of you. Who knows? There life could be on the line, and you could save it. Reach out and touch someone today. They will thank you for it even though they may never say it. =)

Luke Warm....

Today, I really had to have a good solid laugh at society.

student in my class-

"Hannah, why do you try so hard? You have perfect handwriting, you take good notes, you always ask questions, and you always do really awesome work and ace every test. Why don't you just skip class one day, or "forget" to do your homework for once...It would be good for you."

my response-

"...."

"WHY shouldn't I do all these things????"

student -

"Because you don't have to be perfect to pass the class"

again my response -

"WHY should I not try and product quality work"

student -

"Because your work will not matter in the long run"



Ok, I know several of my family and friends that would fit RIGHT IN with my fellow peer today. People laugh at me for actually doing my homework, studying and being a diligent person in class.



What if everyone was like my peer? They do half-hearted work all the time. They are LUKE-warm people....

...at school, "Cs may get degrees" but if you want to get into certain programs, they wont even look at you if you are only mediocre.

...at work, an employer may receive 1000 applications and will TOSS INTO THE GARBAGE the applications that don't stand out.

...at home, chores won't get done, relationships will lack LIFE and INTIMACY, something may always feel missing

...with GOD, if you slack, you are just another one of those "luke-warm" people who think they have a relationship with God but really, they are just putting on a fake little face and call themselves A "Christian"



Well, here is Hannah's little life lesson for YOU!! =D



I am here to tell you that studiousness and responsibility is NOT just for educational purposes ONLY. It pays to work hard in EVERYTHING YOU DO!! School, work, home life, being a Christian all takes WHOLE-HEARTED WORK - NOT anything less.

By putting all your efforts and reaching for As and Bs (you don't need a 4.0 to be deemed successful) you show you care. Most teachers are in the classroom, not for the pay, but because they love teaching. Why not learn something from their work? There are SO MANY children around the world who will never crack open a book to learn something new. Take advantage of the opportunities you have and BE THANKFUL FOR THEM! (it is not thanking the people who pay for your education, your parents,your peers, your teachers, and even your community if you SLACK and work "to just get by")

Pretend you are an employer : Are you going to pay someone who slacks on the job or the worker who wants to work, who works hard and produces the best work they can EVEN IF they go out of their way to do it? Hello. This is an OBVIOUS ANSWER. Today, it is HARD to find a job (I have been looking for 2 solid months) and it takes people who are OVER-THE-TOP to land the opportunity for work. I think that if you want to find a job (or keep one for that manner) you need to be diligent and put forth your best work because THAT will keep the boss happy and the paychecks coming.

If you do half-A** work at home all the time, from experience I tell you that
#1 - your home will be a mess!
#2 - people will not be happy, and often they will feel like they are not being well taken care of
#3 - others will look at you and think that there is something wrong
I am here to tell you that when the whole family cooperates, you can move mountains. Things will look nice, smell nice, and most important feel nice. Home will be a happier place to live. There will be less drama if everyone just puts in a little more effort than they usually do. Trust me on this one.

You can not call yourself a true Christian if you are luke warm. The Bible says in Revelations 3:16 "Because you are neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth." God makes it very clear that you can't be a Christian sometimes but not always. (such as 10 minutes a day- the average amount of time a"Christian" American spends with God each day) God wants a relationship with each and everyone of us but He asked that we put our whole hearts into it.

I hope that this explains a little bit why I get a little cranky when people ridicule me for being a hard worker. I also hope that people can be inspired by this to popped their lazy bubble and work a little harder today. You never know, you might just feel better about yourself after the day is over and others will be impressed by positive changes. (believe me, people take notice ALL THE TIME! =) )

A F.U.N weekend!

So since I live 6 hours away from the majority of my friends, I don't get to see them very often. However, one of my friends REALLY needed a vacation. (Miss Gossip Town- Lynden can get very old...)So Daniel made the trip for a few days to visit Josh, Karla and I. (sadly Karla could not see him because she is with her MARINE in Cali...a VERY good reason to miss the rare occasion)

While he was here, all my pals here: Myles, Daniel, Josh and I went ice-skating!!!

It was sooo much fun!

I was told that it is very similar to roller-blading...but I will have you know that I have not roller bladed since the 5th grade so it was like learning something foreign.

I learned 4 things that night:

#1) Ice skating is not nearly as hard as it looks, but my friends all disagreed (they fell and I never did ;D )

#2) Ice created after the Zamboni traveled over it is A LOT harder to skate on than ice that has been skated on previously for 30 minutes.

#3) Avoid people who are NOT ice-skating newbies. They have a thing for sliding stops and crashing into others. Hannah and friends are not nearly as skilled and thus tend to have a slow reaction time (You all know how that could end up...)

#4) The hokey pokey on ice is FAR harder than it looks

#5) When you see classmates, make sure that you tell them which of the 3 boys you are hanging with is your Fiance. They tend to be a little confused when they hear in class you are engaged but there are three possibilities.

...sighs....

Is is really weird that I am friends with more boys than girls. Girls tend to bring drama upon my life. (not that some boys don't but...) Girls are emotional and and moody. They tend to gossip and back-stab more. People may think that I am stereotyping girls but I am not going to lie, if the stereotype exists, there must be a reason. I know well that reason.

I just feel kinda weird sometimes because I am ENGAGED to the most wonderful young man on the planet but I still have other guy friends I talk to and hang out with. Sometimes it can be hard to not cross the fine line between a good friend and being too good of friends. (you know what I mean?)

I think that I do a good job establishing that line but sometimes, I wonder what people honestly think when they see my entourage of boys. I guess it doesn't really matter what they think as long as Josh is cool with it and my friends know where they must draw the line because I am happily and permanently TAKEN =D

Again, it was a packed weekend, but in reality, I am very thankful to have PEACE and QUIET to hang with MY MAN, study the bible and just have a little R and R.

All is good in Spokane

Oh

and for all of you who prayed about my financial aid issues, all was resolves thanks to a lot of help from my mommy =)

She is Awesome, Patient and thankfully, Tech Savvy! =D

Frustrations...

Today, I find myself slightly frustrated.



Normally, not much ticks me off.



Burnt cookies stink, but you can scrape off the burnt edges and eat it.

Rainy days make running a wet and soggy experience, but there are many puddles to jump in along the way.

Even shattered car windows with expensive repair bills don't tick me off as much as this.


People who honestly just don't care DRIVE ME UP THE WALLS!


I proceeded to turn in my financial paper work awhile ago for school. After working diligently to round up the necessary paperwork to turn into "The Establishment" they ASSURED ME that everything looked "dandy".

Last time I checked, "dandy" was a synonym for "good, great, wonderful"...."looks good"

Apparently, the school rolls otherwise.

Today, "The Establishment" told me that my paperwork is not complete and that I have until Friday to find the signature.

Thanks for update.

You would think that this is something really really important to most students and it is something that should be double checked. (If I were in the system, I would double check paperwork , especially papers that may determine if a students gets an education or not.) Apparently Not.

Luckily for me....My dad lives 6 hours away, 3 days by mail, so this signature will come quick. Not really....

Hopefully, all will work out and the overnight mail system will not fail me.

(Pray that everything works out fine. I would much rather spend the mega millions on bigger and better things (like a wedding) than something that COULD be paid for)

Otherwise, I will be paying WAYYYY too much for my education (Have I mentioned that college is WAY too expensive....)

Life The Past Month

Hello Friends!

I am glad that you could find my blog. I am attempting to keep a "diary" of my life over here in Spokane, which is not my hometown. (I have never been good at keeping a journal in my 19 years of life so this could be very interesting not to mention sporadic. I'll work hard on keeping them coming but forgive me if I slack a little)

Well, I moved here over a month ago.
And just like anyone else,
A LOT has happened in the 36 days since I have moved here.
I will give you guys a brief idea of what my agenda's pages have been saying.

#1) I moved here and unpacked the things that took 2 trips across the state to get here. I have a tiny little car so I left half of my possessions at Josh's house. He helped me unpack my things which was nice because it helped me settle in better. (My room back at home, was not very big. My room here is HUGE! I had no problems finding places to put all my stuff)

#2) I started going to school full time (well, 15 credits which is MORE than full time for 3 hours each day which is virtually nothing) I take the bus to and from school nearly everyday. And you know what? It actually it is a really efficient system over here. I don't mind riding it at all. My classes are pretty boring but it has been really interesting talking to the students who are from everywhere. Some are military people, some are out-of-state residents and some people have never really left the Spokane area. It is a TOTALLY different culture than what I am used to. But I have made new friends and I am enjoying the education that I paid in full for.

#3) My active lifestyle has been staying consistent during my stay here. I have run in a relay race with my friends and our team got 2nd out of 22 teams!! =D WAY TO GO TEAM! When I am not running, I am walking in the BEAUTIFUL parks here, throwing a frisbe around, or rockclimbing on local walls or on real cliffs in the area (Josh and I have a climbing fanatic friend who shows us all the good, safe spots to go =) )

#4) I have a new church here I LOVE! The preacher is FANTASTIC and the people there are pretty accepting. Tonight I am going to their youth group for the first time and I am very excited about that.

Another awesome thing is that Josh and I have started a bible reading study. Our goal is to read the entire Bible from start to finish in one year. We plan to do this 100% outloud and 100% together. =) (When Josh moved over to Spokane to start school last spring, it was REALLY DIFFICULT to keep a consistent bible study. I am very thankful for his fellowship - he is a wonderful Christian man to talk and pray with.)

#5) 3 days after I moved here, My wonderful best friend for several years and boyfriend for several months popped the question of all questions. (yes, this happened 3 days after I moved away from home) CRAZY huh? I am SOOO excited for our wedding. The ring is absolutely STUNNING. It is NOT your typical wedding band. It is very unique. (once I get a decent picture of it, I will post and share =D )

While Josh and I are very excited to planning our wedding, there have been some friends and family that are not very happy with this decision. People are nervous about the fact that we are very young (on the proposed day, we will be 19 and 20) and the fact that we are both in college. People are worried about us for financial reasons. It is REALLY really, tough, to have to explain to people that we have faith that things are going to work out. We are not making leap into this marriage contrary to popular belief without putting lots of thought on how things will work out.

We are not worried.

We are sticking to our grounds.

We are going to make this wedding happen whether people like it or not.


....So, that is just a teeny tiny glimpse of what my life is like around here. I really love it here! I look forward to telling everyone a little bit more of my life later! =D peace.