2012 in pictures

 

 

 

 

 

A few pictures

As some of you may know I had a long-awaited, greatly-anticipated visitor last weekend. He arrived on Friday bringing with him a dozen  red roses, chocolate, and his own sweet self. :) 

The entire weekend was fantastic so I thought I'd share a few of the pictures we got. 

My roses :) 

Saturday morning's daunting task: get rid of dead plants and cover the garden in a very thick layer of woodchips. 

Before pictures

 

Loading up wheelbarrows

That's my guy :) 

Amber looking cute for the camera

Don't ask me what we were talking about here: I don't know. Whatever it was, it was distracting us from work, obviously. :) 

Angela yelled down from the roof for us to look up at her

Us four on our pile of woodchips

Gavin helping me down and Amber looking on... I can't decide if that was approvingly or disapprovingly. :P 

Mission accomplished!

This picture cracks me up. :D Gavin is intently watching Dad's fingers on the guitar while I am obviously not paying anywhere near as close attention to the song. :)

Sunday night Angela told us to get together for a picture... so of course Daniel had to get in!

Ok, that's better. :) 

What happens...

when I straighten (or attempt to straighten) my hair? I've tried it a few times (on very rare, random occasions) but today was the first time I actually got pictures. After washing my hair this morning I decided to try blow drying it and then taking the straightener to it (a process that took somewhere around half an hour -maybe a bit more - less time than I expected but more time than I like to spend on my hair). In the end I got it mostly straight for a very short time. These pictures were taken just a little while after I finished and as you can see my hair's not even completely straight here! It got curlier as time went on. :)

 

  

 

My mini Lilla Rose clip (lillarose.biz/CurlyFashion)

  For a long time there's been a question in my mind: why is it that so many girls with straight hair want curly hair so badly, and yet the majority of curly girls (at least those that I've seen) do everything they can to tame and straighten those beautiful curls that are the envy of every other girl out there? 

  When I was little I always wanted curly hair. When I was very little I didn't have curly hair, it was fine and straight. But it wasn't long before my hair became a frizzy, tangled, unmanageable mess.  I remember loving to twist my hair around my fingers so it would have a sort of curl, and wishing my hair were curly. Little did I know that it really was, which was why we had so much trouble brushing it out and getting to do what we wanted! Then my lovely oldest sister (who, btw, always had the hair that I loved!) read a book that changed my life - at least where it comes to hair: Lorraine Massey's "Curly Girl: the Handbook" (Disclaimer: the book in the link is a newer, updated version that I have yet to look through - though I'm hoping to get my hands on it one of these days). Fab Sis read the book and sent me an email telling me to read the book and try the things Lorraine said. I was 14 at the time and ready for my hair to be pretty, instead of such a mess. So I borrowed the book (either from the library or from my sister, I can't remember which) and started an experiment that turned into my every day routine.  So after about 14 years of wishing for beautiful hair instead of the frizzy hair I had, I found out how to wear it in a way that was beautiful, and the way God intended my hair to be! So why try to straighten it now? God created each of us special and unique and yet I look around and see so many girls and women trying to look like society says we should (which, btw, changed constantly!) instead of the way our Creator made us! Why? God made us beautiful! No one else looks like me! And I don't look like anybody else. I am Hannah Grace. I was created to serve and bring glory to my Creator. And the best way to do that is to accept the way He made me. Who am I to say "God, I don't like the way You made me. I'm going to change this or this about me."    

  "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."  Psalm 139:14

  So my challenge to all of you who might be struggling with anything about your looks: accept how God made you and just be you! Don't look at the magazines and pictures of celebrities for the way you should look (those pictures are mostly edited anyway!). God made you perfect and beautiful as only He can! Don't try to change His creation!

Just because...

I feel like blogging, but can't think of what to write about, I have decided to just sit down and write. The question is... what more do I write? Should I just not give my fingers any rest? Just keep them going typing whatever comes to them? Or should I ponder carefully and decide on one specific topic to address?

  Can you believe it's already almost November? Elections are almost here. Then it'll be Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then 2013 will be upon us!

   My life has changed in so many ways over the past 10 months! Some ways are obvious, some perhaps not so obvious but they're still there. One huge change is that my sister Amber is engaged (for those of you who don't already know)! She and her fiance are getting married next spring so she's been working on wedding plans and such, though those will be gotten to in full force after Christmas.

    I also got a job and now, besides Dad and our senior warehouse technician, I have been around with the company longer than anyone else in our warehouse crew (since the older members have either left or moved up to the office). It's rather interesting being the one who knows where things are, how to do things, and all, at work, instead of being the one who is only there for several weeks at Christmas time. All summer I've worked there 4 days a week, but in another week or 2 I'll be full time till Christmas.

      A couple months ago I happened to see a book lying on the desk downstairs that had a picture of a potter's hands working with clay. As I glanced at that picture I thought "I should learn pottery" and I did! It's been so much fun sitting down with a lump of clay and making it look beautiful... or just interesting. :P

 The biggest change in my life, though, has come in the last couple of weeks when one of my very best friends asked for (and was given) permission to court me! There will probably be more on that later. :)
   
    
    

What do I do at work?

Why play with Cobi blocks, of course!!!




 OK, OK, so not really. I really put things in boxes and send them so other people can play with the Cobi blocks (and all of our other products). But recently we put together this video and actually did get to play with some of our stuff. :) We're trying to get to 1000 views by November 1st so we only have a couple more weeks so please, check it out and share with with your friends! (To be even more helpful, our second and much LARGER goal is 50,000 by January 1st, so you could just keep on sharing!)

Weekend Trip (#5)

   I didn't get any pictures back at the farm Monday evening but Tuesday I just had to get pictures with the family. We were meeting my family for lunch so my time at the S. farm was limited, but it was great while it lasted. Mr. and Mrs. S. and Gavin were driving me back to meet my family so I had to tell the girls all good bye first. I missed them just about as soon as we got in the car and drove away. :(
 But anyway,  I'll get to the last pictures.

I like lamp posts. :D

The host family. I love you all!!!! <3 br="br">

Gwen, Allie and me

:D

Ginger was very interested in what was going on.

Me with all my girls :)

Us older four

       And then, good byes were said and we were off. And no, I didn't get any pictures of the drive. When you get into good conversations on a drive it's hard to remember to be getting pictures of anything and everything that might catch your fancy out the window.
     The drive was long, peaceful and uneventful (thankfully), full of good conversation (and donuts ;)  ). But at last we reached the truck stop where my family had just arrived and we all walked over to Wendy's for lunch (which, yes, resulted in more conversation: the parents seemed to get along quite well!).
  And so ended one of my top favorite vacations of the year. I just hope I haven't bored any of you with all of these posts about it. :D