The end of the year is at hand... I can hardly believe it all.
2012 has been an amazing year; I've felt like I've experienced more, grown a little more. It seems like the beginning of the year was only yesterday... and now it's coming to a close.
I will admit that my relationship with Christ wasn't great in 2012... I hit a hard spot in my life and it drug me down. But for the past month and a half, things have gotten far better. Life suddenly seems a little bit brighter and hopeful.
Journeying through the year has been an interesting ride; so many special things taking place and changing.
I've sadly overlooked the little things this year, and I intend to remedy that in 2013.
As this year comes to a close, I hope we can all look back and reflect on everything that's taken place. All of the good things and the bad things. I'm looking forward to a new year - a new adventure.
Look to Christ no matter what darkness surrounds you, and as a friend showed me yesterday... "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62:8)
Great things begin happening when we keep our trust in Him.
Please continue praying for me this year as I work hard to take steps forward - I'll need everything you can give. And I'll keep praying for you, that you would all be strong and never lose hope in our Lord.
Thank you so much for being readers of my blog, and thanks to my family for teaching me the things I need to know. Thanks to all of my friends who have encouraged me, tried me, and often times shoved me when I needed it. :)
You're all gems in the treasure-store of my heart, and I wouldn't give anything to replace you.
I love you all.
2012, we say goodbye. 2013... here we go, one more time.
Let's move forward with confident steps and a trusting heart.
Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a wonderful time at church today, talking, laughing and dancing. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed each other's company very, very much.
Again, we took a picture of 'The Gang', like we do every year, and once again, we've done some growing - both on the outside and inside.
I love all of you so much; you have no idea. Let's stay the crazy friends we are for a very long time to come, and I look forward to sharing another Christmas with you next year, and making many memories in between.
I can't believe it's already here! Instead of snow, we have rain, but that's okay - anything but a bright and sunny day sits well with me. :)
Christmas crept up on me this year; It's almost as if I weren't expecting it, and all of a sudden it's standing in front of me. I'm actually excited about it, really. Tonight we're going to open presents, and tomorrow morning, we're going to church to spend an amazing day with friends. I can't *wait* for it! I'm looking forward to the rest of today and all of tomorrow so much I'm giddy!
When I woke up this morning, I wasn't convinced that today would be a good one - but I've been proven wrong and it's turned out far better than I thought it was.
Last night, after everyone had gone to bed and I'd gone in my room and closed the door, I sat in my bed surrounded by warm Christmas lights and wrote a very, very long prayer in my journal about, well... everything, mostly. Some of my prayers had to do with today and how things would go, and guess what? They're being answered.
I'm sure all of you have heard the 'Christmas-turned-commerce' talk, so I won't give it to you again, but I will say this: REMEMBER. CHRIST.
He's merciful to us far more than we can ever imagine, and what do we do most of the time? Ignore Him.
Don't ignore Him. I've done that way too much recently, but He's always so faithful to show me His mercy again.
Thanks to all of you for reading my blog! I love you all so much. Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
... wow.
What. A. BLAST. 0_0
I've been gone to Georgia for the past four days and got to see my Best Friend in the process - EEK! We had a *wonderful* time. 'Twas absolutely amazing.
We (myself, mom, Nathan and Rebekah) left the house at around 4:45 am, bundled up and crammed in the Nissan to begin the six hour drive. It was long, boring, and totally uneventful, and we arrived at around 10:30 at grandma's house.
That afternoon at 3:00, a green van pulled into the driveway and I went thundering down the stairs to greet my Bestest Friend - it'd been four months already.
"Helloooo!" I hugged her, giddy but feeling like this was a regular occurrence all at the same time. Everyone exchanged hellos and we sat around for a while talking before her mom had to leave. We giggled over story ideas and such, debated what the meaning of 'juseyo' is in Korean, and over-all acted like our crazy selves.
When we went upstairs to settle in and get comfortable, the real insanity began. We sat on the floor beside the bed, listening to music, talking about people and exchanging silly stories, and writing weird letters to each other in our journals. ^_^ She was enjoying a mug of orange juice (instead of coffee?! 0_o), and I was enjoying my pepsi... hadn't had one for the past two weeks, kkk.
Oh, and then she began to draw strange things on my hand....
We sat up in that room for at least a couple of hours, enjoying each others company and laughing over the weirdest things.
I also found out a couple of new things about her (perish the thought! Is that even POSSIBLE?!) 1 - She drinks her coffee black. For some odd reason I always thought she was a cream and sugar gal. 2 - She didn't. know. what. CHEESE. TOAST. was. 0.0 Okay, okay; have I gone mad, or is that beyond comprehension? That's kinda like me not knowing what 'boom shakalaka' meant. *smiles*
We stayed up Saturday night until 2:00 am after deciding on a role play, having an absolute blast. We decided that if one of us ever breaks up with the other, we'd have to hire assassins to kill ourselves because we simply know waaay too much. >:)
After role playing for a few hours, I think I mentioned something about it and she says, "THAT'D be awkward," in a completely in-character voice. Unfortunately, that threw me OUT of character and I broke down into a giggling fit, which prompted her to do the same thing. (Needless to say, that ended the RP...)
*my lovely brother*...
The next day was Sunday. I woke up before her and decided to let her sleep while I went to shower. When I came back - she was still sleeping. Not exactly a surprise. So I went downstairs and got two cups of coffee; one for myself and the other I hoped would appease her morning-monster-wrath.
I sat down on the bed cross-legged and tapped her shoulder, expecting a fist to meet my face. She mumbles and rolls over instead. I cleared my throat, holding the coffee out so she could see it.
"I was nine?"
She blinks, and a slow smile appears. "Yeah. Give."
(The 'I was nine' joke came from watching a Korean drama, where Mirriam's sister misheard the guy asking his girlfriend if she wanted coffee... don't ask me how she got 'I was nine' out of that...)
We laid around talking for a few minutes, and then finally forced ourselves into 'walk' mode and began to get ready for church. The day went by, the sermon was good, and HO boy... I was getting a cold. Nathan had kindly passed it on to me.
But despite the cold, we continued to have a blast - we took some hilarious videos and backtracked over old jokes we had. A new one came in the form of my terrible grammar mistake when instead of saying "the Blacks and I", I said "the Blacks and we". Leave it to Mirriam to take something like that and morph it into a joke we'll never forget.
"The Blaxonwee?!" she squeaked. Thus we now have a fell beast from the depths of the earth that haunts our conversations, and anytime we see anything that could be the slightest bit disturbing, it gets labled with the title of Blaxonwee.
That night we stayed up until... um... *whispers* 6:30. In the morning. However - we have noooo regrets!!!
In all honesty, I think the following was my favourite moment out of all the laughter side-stitches and embarrassing things she said. We had to take her back the next morning, and on the way down the Interstate, we sat in the back seat of the Nissan singing at the top of our lungs to some of our favourite songs, coffees in hand and driving my poor, wonderful mother insane. =D There'd be the random "Look at that building! It reminds me of UNIT!" followed by brainstorming over a book scene or plot. I loved it so much. ^_^
It was sad to say goodbye. *IF* they come up for my birthday next year, that's eight whole months. :( Maybe we can come up with something between now and then.
Mirriam, I love you, unnie. You had me in a constant state of smiles and laughs - it's just what you do to people. ;) And the jokes we shared were hilarious; I wrote them down for good measure. You're so sweet and insanely cruel all at the same time, and even if I DO get annoyed at you on the rarest of occasions, it's doomed to fail because there's no way I can stay that way towards you for more than ten minutes. ^_^ God gave me a special gift when He brought us together, and I have a feeling that we'll always and forever be Best Friends. (Our husbands will die of old age trying to figure us out. =D) You're such an encouragement to me, you inspire me, and you make me want to steal your memories when you write something brilliant that I never would have thought of. ;D
당신을 사랑합니다, 언니.
You're fantastic. ;)
Au Naturale :P
She weareth shoes....
This edition was dubbed 'CRAYON', because we literally got our crazy on. XD Enjoy these videos I put together - the first one a conglomeration of some of our craziness, and the next is Mirriam's rendition of The Tale of the Blaxonwee.... have fun. ^_^
Happy Birthday to my adorable friend, Caroline!
She's 17 today! My little friend is growing up. :) (Actually, most of the time, she's more grown up than me, anyway....)
Caroline, you're a special girl with a sweet smile. Thanks for being there when I needed a level-head. We've been through a lot together, haven't we? Ups, downs, in-betweens, and who knows what else. :P
These last couple of years, though, seem to have been pretty important for us, don't you think? 2011 and 2012 especially.
I've been your friend for eight years, but these past two years it seems that I've really just gotten to actually *know* you. And we've dealt with a lot of stuff. And we've come up with the craziest ideas (bleached hair with red glowing eyes in the window, anyone?). We've cried together, laughed like the crazy teenaged girls we are, and brainstormed our minds into nothingness.
And, well... I hate to say this, but... I didn't get you anything. :P
HOWEVER - I think you'll like the card I made. :) I'm forever in your debt, so... come up with something I can do to pay you back. (I'm going to regret saying that... =D) But anyway... I love you, girl. Keep calm and love the Cat, wot wot! *throws you a salute*
I hope we can continue to go on many more escapades and adventures, and keep going crazy over things like hair brushing the back of a shirt. ;)
LOVE YOU!
I'm currently in the process of drawing this face.
This face. Who's face?
I don't know who's face it is. It looks familiar to me, but not quite; it's like, as I just recently read out of my friend's novel, "an echo without a voice".
I realized as I was adding the little details to him, making him unique in his own way, that every time I draw someone and begin the meticulous process of shading, adding fine hairs to the brows or lines to the lips, that in a sense, they're being brought to life.
The gift of drawing is an amazing thing. God has a place for art, and it should be used like He intended.
If you're an artist, you know what I'm talking about.
With every stroke of the pencil we breathe life into the thing portrayed on paper.
God is an artist - and He breathed life into us.
It's quiet, it's rainy; the skies are overcast.
It's loud, it's bright; the skies are hidden.
I'll never give up, never lay it down and say 'I quit'.
It's all too important. Life... it's too important.
We win souls for Him - we use the tools He's given us.
But sometimes, those tools are invisible, bearing the label 'PRAYER'.
We must pick it up anyway, though we cannot see it.
We must use it, remember that faith helps us to see the unseen.
Its more powerful than we know - more active than we see.
And with every heartfelt word reaching to heaven, the angels are unleashed.
It's quiet, it's rainy - the day is coming to a close.
It's loud, it's bright - the night is just beginning.
I took this picture a few mornings ago at around 6:14 in the morning; I had gotten up at about 5:30, and stepped out onto the back deck to take in the cold air before starting my day, but when I saw the moon and the way the trees looked like spilled ink, I *had* to go grab my camera.
Life has been remarkably interesting lately. Just so many things going on. It just keeps spinning, going around and around.
Somethings that have recently been on my heart lately are working towards goals diligently, and being there for people when they need you.
I posted about the working hard a week or so ago, but the being there for people is fairly new. It's hard to draw the line between fixing someone and knowing when they simply need you to listen.
When I say 'fixing' them, I mean giving them advice or trying to point them in the right direction; not trying to shape them into what I want them to be. I think that's wrong. Trying to change them is never a right move to make, unless they're involved in a sin that is obviously against God's Word or unsaved.
But listening... just listening is so important. Letting them know that you are there for them no matter what. I've had to just listen so many times to so many people.
Listening is important; but the way you listen also communicates how you care. You might be listening, but if your body language, the tone of your voice when you say something, isn't alert and attentive, it'll send the wrong message. I've talked to people before that I know are listening, but the way they acted completely gave me the vibe that they didn't really want to listen and had better things to be doing.
I try to listen, and show that I want to listen... but sometimes the person talking doesn't quite get it. That's frustrating to me, but patience is another vital tool when it comes to listening.
They'll open up to you when they're ready. No sooner. It may take a little nudging, a little repeating that you really do care, but it's when they decide to.
I once told a person that I'd wait for them to tell me what they were thinking, even if the wait would be long. I don't know if they'll ever tell me, but if they do, I know for certain that the wait will have been worth it.
Nothing is more aggravating than having someone force you to tell them what's on your mind, and I'm trying hard to not cross that line, but be encouraging at the same time. It's a fine barrier to tread upon, and how we tread it in the meantime will determine if the person opens up or not.
It's all very delicate and hard to walk - but a listening ear can help far more than we realize.
So don't act apathetic when someone's talking to you - when they really need you to listen. Look them in the eyes, try to understand; put yourself in their place and listen. Just being there can comfort them.
And no matter how many times you say it, reassuring them that you're there for them never gets old. Always let them know that you really, truly care.
It's been a long time since I've posted pictures of my babies, so I decided to take my camera up to the barn a few minutes ago when I went to feed them.
Enjoy!
Happy first of October, everyone!
I hope all of you have the best month ahead of you - I'm excited about it!
October is one of my absolute favorite months.
I've recently been talking to a friend about managing our time, and I'm hoping to use this month to its fullest in every way.
My life is slipping past, and I need to get a hold on it.
I'd appreciate your prayers on that subject, and I'll be praying for all of you, even though I don't know you by name.
I'm 18. It's going to be time for me to step up and grow up soon. And like my friend pointed out, we can't just wait for a 'magic time' to happen and suddenly we're there. We have to work for it. And work hard.
Things don't just happen. We have to make them happen.
And we can do none of it without Christ's strength.
Let's work hard this month, okay?
And a big thanks to my friend for conversing with me about it. :)
When leaves start to fall, I find myself in a very thoughtful state of mind; curled up in my chair with a blanket and a steaming mug of coffee, journal open in front of me.
I woke up this morning to the sound of rain, the draft of cold Autumn air seeping in through my window.
The are the kind of days I love.
The days where I stop to think about people that are special to me, where I smile as I go through the memories I have of them and flip through the well-worn pages of my journal to read about them.
The days where I stop to do a lot of praying about anything that comes to mind. Where I go outside onto the porch as it rains and just talk to God about everything.
Everything seems to slow down and breathe a little, and when it does, I have to as well.
I have to take a small step back and look everything over and try to piece things together, wondering what happens next in this crazy, wild plot of a story.
This kind of weather makes me want to write. To weave some fantastic scene and bring characters to life.
I'm a writer at heart, even when I feel like I'm doing a terrible job and no inspiration comes.
But, I'm a writer nonetheless. Of all things I thought I'd be, it was never that.
Not long ago, someone said five simple words to me that inspired me to keep writing. Just those five words made a difference.
"I think Cafe will publish."
That was it. It made me so happy to hear that. Five words that pushed me to keep going.
Kind words from a friend are the most beautiful things to hear. Even small words. Even just a smile.
It uplifts like nothing else.
God commands us to speak kindly to one another; to uplift and encourage.
One small word can completely change a person's day, so find something kind to say to a family member or friend today - it'll make a big difference.
Autumn is my favorite time of year - it gives me this feeling inside of being alive and knowing that exciting things are going to happen. I just have to wait for them to start unfolding.
Pour your favorite cup of coffee today (after all, it IS National Coffee Day,) and open a book or your journal - dive in write, your thoughts down.
Enjoy every moment of it, because every moment, you're still alive.
- hannah
P.S. This is a mini-video I put together yesterday on a whim. Nothing fancy; just trying to capture the feeling I have when writing. :) Enjoy!
Nathan and I were featured on Rhett and Link's GOOD MYTHICAL MORNING! AAAH! I'm totally freaked out right now! IT HAPPENED SO FAST! We just sent it in LAST WEEK!
Thank you Rhett and Link for posting us! GOOD MYTHICAL MORNIIIIIING!!!!
Hello, chaps and chapesses!
Yesterday, I went to the top of the world.
Well... almost. ^_^ I went to Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina. We had a really good time and were gone all day. Dad's training for a 100 mile bike ride, and we're sorta his road crew; yesterday was 75 miles, and Grandfather Mountain was the nearest-to-location-interesting-thing-to-see.
Check out the pictures!
Passing dad on the road
My lovely mother. ^_^
Hm. Somehow, I'm not convinced...
These bears were hilarious!
DONE with 75 miles!
AhHA... the mile high bridge...
Nathan clinging onto the rocks for dear life
I'll be fine... as long as I don't have a Last of the Mohicans moment. ^_^
We brought along Rushdoony to enjoy the view. He wasn't very fond of the heights, though. XD
The Thinker
"I got it!"
"'Scuse me, Dr. R., but what exactly are you trying to say?"
Yours truly... the devious duo.
We then went to a picnic sight afterwards, and stayed until around sunset.
Myself rendering a picture of a veined neck... I have a thing for them, you know. >.<
Myself, Nathan and Rebekah then went for a walk and came up with some... strange... pictures. :)
Like this one.... not sure what the story is behind THAT. 0.o
Nathan wearing my leather jacket... >.--
And that's about the end of the story... until we do 100 miles next week. ^_^
