.a story.

I have a story to tell.
are you in the mood for a story?
Even if you're not, you can read this one because it's pretty marvelous.

It began with a hectic, last minute flight swap that would throw me into Vegas for a pit stop before reaching Phoenix. No, layovers for two hour flights are not common...but my original flight had been delayed from 9:30pm to 1:30 am and the Sin City option would only delay my arrival time to Phoenix by 1 hour. Not 4. So we boarded the plane in SLC (we is really just me in this case), and approximately 8 years later we landed in Vegas for a lengthy 20 minute wait.
-Did you know they have slot machines at the Vegas airport?! Not too shocking I know. And I was tempted to slip a quarter just because I could...being 21 and all...but did you also know that every person at the slots was either obese, extremely hairy, or had a bum leg? Yeah. ultimately i opted out of the airport gambling scene, and eventually boarded airplane dos.
Destination: PHOENIX!
This flight, much like the first, passed at painstakingly slow speeds.
I sat with my nose pressed against the window and made a wish at 11:11right after landing, as the pilot took forever to guide us to gate c7.
But when he finally did , and when I finally saw B., my heart jumped and my eyes watered
and we hugged and stared at one another in disbelief for a very very very long time.
He lugged my suitcase out to the truck. What a gentleman. And we drove to Cottage apartments where he and Z reside.
After meeting Z, who is quiet and kind, I received a tour of the tiny apartment. The last room to see was B's.
He had filled the entire room with balloons and hearts and loves just for me! How thoughtful right?! That's what I was thinking. "oh what a great welcoming gift."
There were cards scattered on the bed. Cards that said lovely things. For me. From B.
He said I could gather them up and we could read them together.
I was in the middle of my gathering, when I saw it.
Tiny and silver.
I jumped up, squealed (not unattractively like a piglet, but just out of surprise and delight), and rushed over to B who was at the foot of the bed.
It was at the foot of that corduroy-covered bed, that Brenden L. Smith asked if I would marry him.
I said yes!
Can you even believe it?!
I can't.
I'm still in shock, but could not be more ecstatic!
This is going to be the greatest, grandest adventure of them all!


As we read those cards he'd scattered..yeah the ones I gathered (rhyme!), in addition to another separate, special letter, I knew it couldn't be more right (it equals us. He and I.)I knew this before I said "yes", but everything he's done and continues to do for me and for us makes me that much more sure.


We're lame and didn't take any photos that night, but here is a picture of my ring for you. He picked it out all by himself.

.not too shabby.

I am the luckiest.

AND I'M TOTALLY GETTING MARRIED!!!

September 3. Be there.

love to all
with love from me.

Deux. Dos. Two. Poo!

Two days.

5 meals

Two sunsets.

50 hours.

Two showers.

201,600 heartbeats

Two people.

1 suitcase.

Already packed. (you'd better believe it!)

When the meals are eaten, the suns have set, and the showers are taken, I'll be finding myself in the Scottsdale Airport in blasting, blistering heat...

with HIM!

In HIS arms, kissing HIS forehead, holding HIS hand.

I cannot sufficiently express the joy my heart is filled with

at the shortest, simplest thought of it!

I'm so in love, and so ready to be with my love.

For five days at least.

I've got a feeling (woo hoo) that beaucoup will happen in these few days that I'll be away.

Great things! Lots of them!

I can't wait to come back ready to share all the beautiful happenings I'm about to experience.

Love is joy.

and with that, life is joy.

thats the plan anyway! So lets do our best to stick to the plan team.

Can we be a team?

Thanks.

Teamwork never seems work!

See you in one week team.

Go team.

Go life!

Go Arizonian adventures!

DISTANT

the most beautiful thing about having a blog that no one follows (except for my dear tifanafit of course), is that you don't have to feel bad about not posting for like 3 months.

HA!

try that on for size you popular blog writers you!

..or something.

I mean no offense.

ANYWAY

Yes, it has been awhile since I've posted anything, but that isn't because muchos hasn't happened.

School is over and done. 3 semesters to go! woop holla holla.

I have a new job as a receptionist at Human Performance Physical Therapy. If you need some PT, come see me! (rhyme)

I'll help sign you in and give you peppermint salt-water taffy if I like you enough.

Really, come see me. The people I work with are marvelous human beings. Life is joy.

I'm TOTALLY 21 years of age now as well! Go me right? yeah i know. You're probably 21 too. Or older.

And you're cool too. Now we can all be cool and 21(+) together. Party!




These two buckaroos came to shower me with birthday gifts

...and this is my twin
.he is 21 like me.





In between the "schools out scream and shout" and the "Happy Birthday to me I'm 21" something else happened. Something big and something wonderful, but also tres facile.

B. got a job. Not just any job though, it's one of those once in a lifetime type jobs that no one in their right mind should ever turn down even if it means making a lot of big, hard changes for awhile, and sacrificing much.

He's translating slash interpreting for a Taiwanese baseball player in the minor-leagues who we'll just call Z (because his real name is Taiwanese like he is, and I don't speak that and neither do you). The catch is that he's in Arizona from May 11th until Halloween-ish.

THATS FOREVER!

not really, i'm just being dramatic...and it IS an incredible opportunity. The distance just makes things sorta poo-ish for us. Skype is totally number one, but still...pretend you're me and you'd think the situation was poo too. (another rhyme).

I now have great empathy and appreciation for all the folks who have dabbled in this business of long-distance love. I'm glad you were strong. Strong for each other and strong for me. Your example helps loads so gracias.

*Haha i know this is super random, but guess what?! I know one full sentence in spanish. My dear twin taught it to me upon request. Ready?...it's "Mi cellular es une higante" I'm not spanish so i'm sure the spelling is wrong but it means "My phone is a giant." Cause it is! Want to trade? ok sweet.

Anyway, like I was saying, B. left. It's a definite struggle, but I know it's worth it. He's oh so totally worth it!

And then I turned 21 like I said, and guess what the best birthday present I ever got was?! A plane ticket from my best person in the world. B!!!!

i saw the ticket...
smiled SO big...
then cried tears of joy.





The ticket is to AZ for 6-23 and I am so giddy!

25 days and counting. Today is like my December 1st and we're officially on the countdown till Christmas. I love christmas! I love B!

Love to you my friends.

Enough to last until I post again.

.hannaH.

Smile to Smile

Today is just a Sunday.

We had ward conference which was sweet. Is that supposed to be capitalized though? I don't know..

Anyway, the ward choir sang, and Tawnette Smith said beforehand that the men outnumbered the women, so I said I'd boost our womanly numbers, by joining them.

I don't read music. Nor am I a particularly gifted singer. But the girl next to me squeaked super loud on the first line, so I felt fine. (Even when I sang the lyrics and should've been ooo-ing.) Quick, and smooth recovery is key. I just hopped over to the ooo's mid-stanza. So sly. I think maybe I inherited some of Grandpa T.'s swift spy skills.

(My grandpa really did used to be a spy! Before the parkinson's of course. We can't talk about the spy days though.)

So that was my Sunday, and now I'm home. alone. Left with time to think in peace and quiet for a few solid hours.

Wanna know what I think?

I think life is so marvelous!

Truly. I don't know if you know this, but life is great.

Simple as that.

The good, the bad and the ugly. All of it mooshes together in some crazy complicated mathamatical formula I'll call LIFE, and it equals GREAT, because both grand and the rough times serve a purpose. I think.

So happy sunday to you my friends! happy everyday. But especially happy sundays to you because they're the best of the best.

In other news, I'm dating a one Brenden Lynn Smith.

Yes, Lynn has 2, count them, 2 n's.

He is the greatest. If you think life is great, which you should because it is... you should meet B. cause he wins.

I'll introduce you two. He looks sorta like this...

...and this is what we look like together.

Truly guys, I didn't know this level of joy was attainable for me in my life right now.

Seek joy in your life my dears.

I believe that it is the purpose of this life we're living .together.

Big love and loads of joy are my gift to you on this the happiest day!