One door closes and another one opens

So you never expect it but it always happens the rug gets pulled out from under you and man that fall hurts. For me it was the ending of a chapter in my life. Of course I am sad to see a relationship end but I am excited to see what doors have been opened for me.

In light of the crazy events of last week my classes suffered greatly, that may be because the only time I wasn't crying was when I was in class or on my way to class. I wish I had super human powers and could over come those moments and concentrate on the bigger picture. Because so much of "the event" last week involved my family, I thought a lot about the mapping assignment we were given. I leaned a lot on the relationships that involved a dashed line or "permeable boundaries." These would be the healthy relationships where the boundaries aren't crossed, when I can be open but it doesn't cross the line of being too open. It was good for me to be able to look at it in that light seeing that I still have healthy relationships. Where one story ends another begins. Now I see the benefits of all these different subsystems in life, even when they aren't healthy this way I can move toward improvement. It definitely can be difficult trying to find that boundaries.

Don't worry I wasn't talking about Nick, he and I are all good.

My insights from the week... Jan9-15

This week we talked a lot about research. We discussed how we know if the research is valid or not. It was interesting one of our assignments was to research bad research. It is amazing how much there is out there. One guy shared his example and I think most people can relate to it... the National Inquirer. It is the prime example, it knows how to take something and blow it completely out of proportion. Next time you are in the line at the grocery store take a gander at the bad research. We had a short discussion on Monday but Wednesday sparked a lot of questions of my own.

We talked more about research. We talked about the difference between a law, a theory, and a hypothesis. And somehow we ended up on the discussion of Organic Evolution. So freaking interesting. BYU came out with a booklet talking about it. I was so interested that... get this... I looked it up! Here is the link if you are interested. I haven't made it all the way through but it does spark some interesting ideas that as a Latter Day Saint you don't think of right off the bat. Some other things people pointed out was that we don't need to understand evolution. It isn't essential to salvation, so spend time doing the things that will take us closer to Christ. Which if you are me makes sense but the man that spends his whole life researching it probably doesn't appreciate that comment. Then someone else made the comment that in the booklet it takes about Adam and Eve are the first humans to be born on the earth. So that means that Lucy could in fact be part of evolution. Things change for the better and for the worse all the time. That is what we talked about on Friday.

We talked about the different trends that are being made in families today. There were multiple trends we talked about, the one that really got me thinking was the living alone one. So I am not going to be one of those people that lives alone, specially cause I am getting married and all but before I met Nick it crossed my mind often. I was actually looking forward to it. I can defiantly see why people live alone. Something take really made me think about it more was when someone made the comment that life is harder when you aren't responsible to someone. When you don't have to report to someone, how it can be destructive. It makes sense. I am glad that I am not going to end up being alone. I am just like everyone else and I crave personal relationships. I need to talk and be able people or I'll go crazy and start talking to walls or something.

Well those are my insights from the week in my family relations course. I hope something as perked your curiosity and you can now use google to your advantage.... Please leave comments, that is the whole point of this blog so you can give me feed back

Family Relations Course

I have an assignment for Family Relations Course to start a blog... good news I already have one. For the first assignment when needed to set up some objectives for myself. So here they are...

• For I would really like to become comfortable with all the different stages of family. There is a different manner in which to hold a conversation with newlyweds, first time parts, families that have been together for 10, 25 and 50 years.
• I would also like to prepare myself for marriage being newly engaged there is a lot of unknown ahead of me and becoming comfortable with different aspects of marriage will be beneficial to me.
• Another aspect that I would like to be introduced to is the more secular look on marriage. I have grown up in the church and have always understand that this is an eternal commitment. I would like to understand more of my in-law-to-be's perspectives, they are members now but they have some different views on how long we should date and be engaged. I want to be prepared in case my child ends up marrying someone that isn't from an LDS family.

So I have tried to update this thing so many times.

I think that I really have written like 4 or 5 posts that updated everything but every time something has happened and I choose not to rewrite the whole thing. So here goes another try.

So since my last blog a ton and I mean a ton has happened. I am now a nationally registered EMT-Basic. It is so much fun. I got to go home for Christmas. It was so weird there wasn't hardly anyone there and with Sam being on his mission and all, things just weren't the same. Ginger had her babies. They are seriously the sweetest Heuers in the world. I love them dearly and try to make it down to Utah as much as possible. I love it. It is the perfect break from Rexburg. Soon it's going to get harder to go because the second block of the semester will be starting and my time will be swept away from me... blah! Life goes on. Last semester was cold. Really cold. I made it through the semester my grades weren't the best but Spanish killed me and all my other classes suffered because of it. Another part was I started dating and then shortly after becoming official broke up with an amazing guy (it was my choice). Being in a relationship takes a lot of time. It's crazy though. Somehow life continued. I went home for the short break between semesters it was way over due. Now that you've gotten the reader's digest version of the last 5-6 months I'll give a more in depth look into the now.

Oh how life steals time away from you. I still work in the library and at the beginning of the semester I wrote down all the big events or important events that had happened in the last year. It's official I've been back to school for a year now and have a little less than a year before I graduate and become a real adult. Personally I can't wait. However that tune may change a couple of weeks before I graduate. I'm not making any promises. My classes this semester aren't too tough just very time consuming and like I said earlier about to get more time consuming with the second block about to start. But in the words of my father, "everyday is a new adventure." Trying to pinpoint which of my classes ids my favorite is near impossible. I like them all. They all are so different. My sports medicine class and lab have the medicine aspect that I love. And I get to actually treat people which rocks! My Spanish Lit class is just fun, my teacher is fantastic (thanks Jesse!). I feel like a day doesn't go by in that class that I don't laugh. My emergent children literature class is amazing. I learn something new every time and the spirit is always impeccable in that classroom. My young adult literature class has taught me how to enjoy reading. It's crazy I've always got a book in my backpack or in my purse in case I have a spare moment. (Check out my other blog about the books I've read for that class http://readingsunshine.blogspot.com/). My other class starts at the block and basically we watch movies. It's called intro to film arts. It is going to be a good class too.

To update the love life, there is none. And I kinda like it that way. The last relationship I was in didn't end well, so dating right now isn't in my top ten favorites. The weather is finally getting nice and I can wear 3 shirts instead of 5 and my sweatshirt or coat usually end up coming off when I enter buildings. This is my favorite time in Rexburg. So that is life I guess, not much but school and visiting my niece and nephew in Utah. Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll get better at this whole keeping my blog updated thing.

Finally November

My favorite month of the year has arrived. I don't know what it is that is so appealing about November. It could be that it is full of birthdays of my family and friends. It could be that It means that the semester is getting closer to the end. I think however it is all the pumpkin flavored yumminess!

Last week was mid-terms and I made it through them successfully. I have B's in all my classes. I am thinking that is pretty darn great considering how rough it has been this semester and I know it is only going to get tougher. My EMT class is so so so much fun. I learn so much in this class. The best part is I can apply almost all of what I am learning because I have seen it before. I am surprised how much I am not behind after catching the flu. I was able to go back to school and make up my exams. I took 6 exams in one week. (I only have 4 classes). I saw a lot of the testing center.

Oh I dyed my hair. It is now a dark brown and I love it. I am surprised at how many people don't notice it looks natural. Thank you 3 dollar dye from Walmart! The past few weeks have gone well. Went on a couple dates with a guy named Brian. It was fun. We have decided to be friends. It is actually a really great thing. Our sense of humor fits well together. I am really glad to have made a new friend. And to be honest I think friendship is a better road for the both of us. I have a few more dates coming up in the next couple weeks they should be fun. Next weekend I am headed down to Utah to see Ginger and the Olsen Family. I am excited. It will be so nice to get out of small town Rexburg.

And the Flu Snuck In...

Today I came to the conclusion that although sometimes I think I am super woman I am not. I got the flu Monday night and tried to go to class on Tuesday and nearly fainted during work because I was not feeling hot. I got sent home from work. I called my teachers and they were understanding. But needless to say I am behind on two exams and I have already missed 2 days of classes. I am not allowed to return to classes until my fever has been gone for 24 hours. The problem. I wake up with a fever. I don't have one all day even without medication but I wake up with a tiny little fever 100.2. Man is it frustrating. But I will make it through. Hopefully I won't get to behind in my studies. The hard part is trying to stay awake while doing the readings for my classes.

On a lighter note. I have being having tons of fun the past couple of weeks. Taking time to laugh and still get my work done. I have been on a couple of dates with different guys and had a lot of fun just doing random things. My roommates are wonderful. Rachel is so sweet and has been taking good care of me. She helps me to remember to do my daily things with a laugh. She is just so awesome! And Meredith always has a funny comment. She is so good at pushing me out of my box. She is just too much. I swear I have lost a ton of weight because of how much they both make me laugh.

Well I am going to attempt my homework again.

Always,

~Hannah~

Things Happen and Life Get's Better

Recently I had to get my student ID replaced because my old one was beginning to not work and it looked nothing at all like me. Afterward I placed them side by side to look at the pictures and there was such a difference I decided to make a better comparison. The one on the left was taken in March of this year and the one on the right was taken in April 07. There is quite the difference. I have lost a total of 115 pounds and have never felt better or looked better for that matter. I am proud of my weight- loss it was a tough road that still isn't over but I am closer than I have ever been.

On a different note it is freezing in Rexburg. I am looking forward to when my parents bring me my car. It will be nice to not be an icicle by the time I get to class. The worst part is it is only the first of October. Classes are keeping me really busy along with work. Spanish seems to be my biggest challenge so far this semester. That and men. Spanish at least has a how to manual. I have gotten myself a few study groups and a tutor so hopefully by the end of the semester I'll be able to hablar en espanol. I guess we'll see. I love my EMT class! I love the humor and the fun I get to have while learning about medicine totally fun and totally worth it. It a ton of work though! The other two are interesting classes that take time also. I have had a hard go of it this week but hopefully next week will go better. I have confidence that it will.

General Conference is this weekend and I can hardly wait. I am nervous about getting all my work done but I am sure I will. I did last weekend even with the power outage at my apartment and the intranet going down the next day. Well I should go to bed. Tomorrow is only a half hour away but at least it is Friday.

Always,

~Hannah~