Burgers, baby.

If I had a last meal, it would be a quarter pounder with cheese, and a Dr. Pepper.

Greasy it may be. But I'm a girl who appreciates real good, delicious, American food.

Sure, maybe my life expentancy has dropped to 59, but there really isn't anything better than a burger straight off the grill. Even the grills of the McDonald's variety.

Never Been Kissed

Why yes, I am 18 years old and have never been kissed.

Occasionally I am embarrassed about it, particularly when I am in a group of girls that is going around in a circle sharing first kiss stories and then it gets to me and they all look at me with eyes full of knowing and pity and tell me that I should just make a story up.

I was always one for a little bit of cheese so I make up this perfect kiss story, they all clap, and then we continue going around the circle. (What's super awesome is that one of my friends later asks about who the boy was, totally forgetting that the story was completely made up).

But later I remind myself about the multiple opportunites I have had to kiss, and I'm glad that I never took them, because let's be honest, sitting on a filthy park bench at 12:30 at night, being asked by some boy to kiss him because it's his "last night in town" is not exactly what I want to tell my kids about down the road.

It's just that you know when you really like someone, and everyone else kind of pales in comparison? Yes. Because of this you could say that I have become a very picky gal over the years. I know what I want. I'm not expecting perfection, but I do have a pretty good idea about what I'm looking for in a man and just because I am not tempted by every Tom, Dick and Harry doesn't mean that I have issues.

The other night I was sitting around a bonfire discussing my VL-ness with two of my guy friends. One of them was criticizing me for being picky. I told him that I would rather kiss nobody then kiss someone I didn't really like. He then offered to let me kiss him. He was completely serious. I was completely uninterested, although very amused.

I am by no means 'saving' my first kiss for my husband. But should I end up kissing someone and he ends up being the person I marry and I never brush my lips with another soul for as long as I live... I am totally cool with that.

What I'm really trying to get at is that I want to kiss someone I like a lot. Not just someone I'm attracted to, or someone who happens to offer up their lips so that I can "know what it feels like". I want to kiss someone who makes me go weak in the knees, someone who will take my hand and ask me to dance with him on the side of the road just because. Someone who will steal a glance at me when I'm not looking and smile that crinkly smile of his because he adores me so much. Someone who loves me for me. That is what I'm waiting for. And when I am finally lucky enough to be kissed by said man, it's going to be the end of it all. The end of life as I know it. And I am going to be walking on cloud nine because of how absolutley wonderful it all is. It's going to be freakin awesome!

Nostalgia

As the end of my senior year in high school approached I began to anticipate feelings of sadness that would assuredly come.

Graduation passed.

None such feelings came.

I took some sort of strange pride in that. Like "Ha! I'm not sad at all about high school being over! Take that you bums!"

But this afternoon, I came across this video that was made for Cavestock.

I don't know what it was about watching a bunch of people I know dancing around the halls of American Fork High to Chris Brown... but I felt a momentary twinge of sadness.

High school was awesome. Super awesome.

And ya know what I'm gonna kinda miss it.

I was talking to my aunt the other day about why high school is such a huge event in people's lives. I mean people talk about "Back when I was in high school..." all the time. There's like countless movies and TV shows about high school. I swear people just can't get enough of it. My aunt said it makes such a huge impact on people because it's the ending of childhood. It is the transitioning point from little-kid-wearing-footsies-and-watching-saturday-morning-cartoons-with-your-favorite-sugar-cereal to big-adult-kid-wearing-paisley-ties-and-eating-Raisin-Bran - cuz let's be honest, anything else might cause the diabetes.

It's surreal almost. I feel like I've kind of waited my whole life just for this moment, and now that I'm here I'm not so sure what to expect.

I'm moving out. To like, Idaho. In like... 1 1/2 months. Woah. My parents are giving up my room! Heck, I might never have a room all to myself ever again. That's a crazy thought. But ya know what, I'm totally ready for it. I'm ready to move on and start the next stage in life. I appreciated my time at American Fork High School. It was time well spent, I'd hope to think. I will miss it now and again I'm sure. But now it is time to move on.

Anyway, my nostalgic feelings are over.

I am Hannah. I am nearly 19 years old. Bring it, world!

Tomato Cages

This is how I've been spending a good deal of my free time.

Since I am currently enslaved to working toward college tuition costs, I have been unable to afford my usual flower roof garden. So instead I decided to take over the family garden, considering that my parents are too busy to do it themselves this summer it all worked out quite conveniently.

There's something about watching your very own plants grow that is real special.

There's something about weeding everyday and dodging leaping spiders and other strange insects that isn't special at all.

In the end, when I shall reap the fruits of my labor... or in this case vegetables, it shall be worth it.

Try gardening, it's therapeutic.

Discontinued

They stopped making my favorite eyeshadow. That's right - DISCONTINUED.

I'm a little confused. I've pretty much worn the exact same shade every day for like... three years.

In fact I think I've become quite attached L'Oreal's #823 Bronzes.

Pathetic? Yes. But I'll have you people know that I have bought lots of makeup over the years and have still not found a more awesome copper color.

I searched Wal-Mart, I searched target. It was nowhere to be found. I've just been going eyeshadow-less for like a week. I even tried buying some other copper eyeshadow from Revlon. It's just not the same, guys.

I feel like I just lost a kitten, or like my favorite shirt shrunk in the wash, or like my ice cream just slid off the cone onto the ground as I was trying to lick it.

Truly this is a devastating moment. I'm going to have to figure out some sort of alternative.

I am now officially on a search for a new favorite eyeshadow.

Empty...

Questions

Sometimes answers are witheld from us so that we can grow a little first.

Sometimes these questions bring you on your knees every single night, and you feel exhausted because you've been trying so hard for so long.

But really, that's all part of the plan, because you need to learn to rely.

To trust.

And finally, once you learn to trust, and you've grown up a little...

That's when you receive your answers.

The Silversmith

Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:

"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Malachi 3:3).

One lady decided to visit a silversmith, and report to the others on what he said about the subject.

She went accordingly, and without telling him the reason for her visit, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?"


"Oh, yes ma'am," replied the silversmith; "I must sit and watch the furnace constantly, for, if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be destroyed"

God sees it necessary to put His children into the furnace; but His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "How do you know when the process is complete?"

"That's quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

Running Down a Dream

If you will remember back to this post - it was one of my dreams to run through a lavender field.

Today, I at last realized that dream. And oh what a sweet smelling dream it was.

You know what, I don't even care that I had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn this morning! And then drive an hour away to some little hicktown called Mona (wherever the heck that is)! Because it was totally worth it!

Before the race.

As you can see Whitney and I, though much shorter, are also much more muscular than the two lads next to us.

Eh who am I kidding? Jackson and Cade totally dusted us. They both got a time like below 30 minutes. They even had time to run back up the road to come find us after they had finished.

Here was Whitney and I's strategy:

"Ok, let's run to that pole ahead of us and then we'll walk like a mile..or two."

*run only half way to pole*

"Alright... *pant* .... whew.... ok... nevermind *pant*.... let's start walking here..."

Although we did end up walking basically half of it, you've got to give us props because the both of us finished with a time of 38 minutes! Not bad if you ask me!

After the race. Notice the look of pain on our faces. Well... the girl's faces.

Oh boy those fields were sure beautiful too! Lavender is mah favorite flower. And through my panting, struggling breaths, I was able to occasionally catch a whiff of its sweet scent, and also the scent of some sweaty man who hadn't bathed for a while... or just had terrible running B.O.

Basically, it was just everything I imagined it to be.

You know what I think is funny? They tell you that you get a "free" T-shirt. But really, you paid twenty bucks to register for the race, so pretty much it's a twenty dollar T-shirt. I don't know about you guys, but I wasn't fooled!!! Who do they think they are, trying to trick me like that? Sheesh.