Eleventh: The sibs

So, here are the sibs. These are the sibs I've spent my entire life around. Love 'em to death.

Kayleen: Two years, two weeks, and a day younger than I. We fought tons growing up...now we keep it to the bare minimum.:) She's got style...major style. She's a rockin' hair dresser. Seriously, I would trust her to cut my hair blind folded. :) She loves what she does and she's great at it. Kayleen always goes for what she wants. She never wavers. When she's in, she's in all the way. She never fakes anything. She's always known what she wants and goes after it. She's hard core. Gets really passionate about things and lives what she's passionate about. She knows how to be a good friend. She's a good listener...and soooo much fun to be around. I love hanging out with her.

Kevin: Six and a half years younger than I. He was my little Kevie for so long...and somehow...someway he turned into a man when I wasn't looking. He knows how to make me laugh. He's the type of guy that definitely doesn't need to be...or ever want to be the center of attention. But he does know how to make people laugh. He's quiet. Never gets into fights...never gets mad. He just lets things roll of his back. I haven't seen him cry or yell since he was about 8 years old. He's a musical genius. He plays the piano and guitar...and plays anything and everything by ear. He writes brilliant pieces. It's like he's been writing for years, but he's been writing less than a year. I really think his stuff will be on the radio some day.

Bobby joined our family, um...well basically when I got home from my mission. That's when he started coming around all of the time. Kayleen and Bobby have been married for over a year, almost two. I think it will be two years in July...or June? I can't even remember. Shoot. Bobby is a month and a half younger than I am. When we were little kids, he always liked to tell me he was older than I was, because he was born in February, and I was born in December, and February comes before December in the year. I'd try to correct him by telling him I was born in 84 and he was born in 85...but 7-year-old boys don't usually listen to 7-year-old girls. :) Bobby and Kayleen are perfect together. He's a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. He doesn't waste any time. He's a really funny guy. He cracks me up all the time. He's goofy funny...if you know what I mean. He'll just make random crazy noises...or start jumping up and down. He's full of energy and really knows how to have fun. He's a brilliant computer guy...and can fix any computer problem. But he hates macs. HATES macs...

Here's the Hanchett clan. We all became siblings several years ago...January of 1996, I believe. Front row, left to right: Me, Crystal (yes, two Crystals in the fam), Jonna, Heather, Kevin. Back row, left to right: Kayleen, Mike, Penny. From oldest to youngest it goes, Heather, Jonna, Mike, Penny, Crystal, me, Kayleen, Kevin.

Heather: Stay-at-home mom, has one boy and 3 girls. Her oldest, Kevin (two Kevin's in the fam as well) is waiting for his mission call, attending BYU-I. Heather's kind, soft-spoken and sensitive.

Jonna: A nurse...the kind that works with babies. She's married and has two kids, Grace and James. I took care of Grace last Spring and got really close with her. Jonna's very practical. She's got a good head on her shoulders. Makes wise decisions and is sensitive to people's needs and concerns. She's been a good friend to me...very patient with me and my emotional outbursts at times, whether over the phone or in person. Jonna didn't get married til she was 36. I respect her a TON, because she didn't make the fact that she was single her identity. She set goals and went after them and really enjoyed life...and then found a man when she least expected it.

Mike: Honestly...don't know the guy. Never lived around him and we never talk. What I know of him is, he's a nice, sensitive guy and a good father to his children. He owns his own construction business in Arizona...works hard for the money.

Penny: Another hair dresser in the family. She's got a girl and two boys. She's the type of person who can move a mile a minute. She and her daughter are best friends. She loves to shop...and she's good at it. If shopping could ever be considered a talent, Penny's got the talent. She knows how to find the best items for the cheapest price. She always comes over with the cutest outfits...or her kids are in the cutest outfits, and then she'll tell us the ridiculously low price the entire outfit was. It's amazing. She likes to be surrounded by people...never wants to be alone. She's a fun soul.

Crystal: Very tender-hearted. She lived with us for a couple of years...so I got to know her as a sister really well. She's also a hair dresser/stay-stay-at-home mom...only doing hair out of her home or other people's homes when they ask her. She's got three beautiful little girls. Crystal's that type of person who's totally beautiful, but doesn't recognize it. Or, if she does...she doesn't let on. She humble and kind.

So...there are the sibs. Glad to have them. Glad I'm not alone in this world. :)

Julie and Julia

I may be the only person who cried during this movie. Well, mostly toward the end. Am I?

It broke my heart that Julia didn't want to meet Julie...said Julie was disrespectful. But I'm glad they kept it real. And at the very end, when Julie was looking at Julia's picture and said, "I love you Julia," well, I choked up over it.

I understand. Julia inspired Julie. Changed her life for the better. Pulled Julie's drowning body out of the ocean, as Julie puts it to her husband, to which her husband responds "not so dramatic." But it's true. And I understand.

So, here's to you, Amy.
Thanks for being my Julia.

Dating

I'm not good at it. I suck, actually.

It's going to take a miracle for me to find someone who can put up with me forever. And that's the honest truth.

Tenth: What I wore today

To work:
*Uncomfortable black pants
*A pink tank top
*A black button up sweater over the tank top...it has cute ruffles
*Black socks
*Black slip on shoes that used to be way cute once upon a time, but they're way old and worn out

When I got home:
*My brown BYU-Idaho sweatshirt
*Navy blue sweat pants
*Mustard colored fuzzy socks

*Two rings I never take off...one is my mom's wedding band from my dad, the other is an Endure to the End ring a companion on the mish gave me
*My glasses

Song of the week

I've decided to pick theme songs for each week. I'm going to post them every Monday. I'll decide what song it is based on my mood that day...and maybe what it's been the previous couple of days. So...this is the beginning of my Song of the Week journey.

This week it's Kris Allen's "Let it Rain."

Things haven't quite turned out how I wanted them for myself...different from the majority of my friends. I've got a lot of voices in my head telling me a lot of different things. This song is perfect for how I feel. Bring it on.

Ninth: My beliefs

I believe many things.

I've often had a debate in my mind...over using the word "know" instead of "believe." For a time I used the word "know." I'm starting to use the word "believe" more often now. For one, knowledge comes down to fact for me. And someone can challenge a supposed fact. But belief, no one can tell me a belief is wrong. No one can challenge a belief. The other reason is, I don't always know. I don't. Sometimes I think I do, but I don't always. Sometimes I know some things...but I don't know all things. But I do always believe...which is a form of faith...so I'm okay with that.

So, with that said, I believe God knows and loves me on a very deep level. He knows me the best of the best, and he loves me because and despite of it all. I didn't used to believe this. I believed in God, but I didn't think he really really loved me despite some of my weaknesses. I do now.

I believe that sometimes we can't choose to be happy. (Not all this is spiritual.) That phrase, "No one can make you sad or mad." Yeah...I don't really agree with that. I understand the idea. But I believe this is just a phrase made up by the people who like to push buttons. I do believe we can control our response to the mean person...but I do believe that another person's behavior can and will affect a person's mood. Why else are we taught to be kind, loving, caring, honest...so on and so forth to each other?

I believe in the power of the word "good." If we're told we're good from the get-go, I believe we'll be more inclined to do good things. We'll feel good. We'll want good. If we're told we're bad with every mistake we make, we'll feel bad. We'll feel that all we can do is bad. I believe in the power of good.

I believe the Book of Mormon to be another testament of Jesus Christ. Every time I read that book, my life, attitude, demeanor gets better. Sunnier. Happier. More positive. Bearable. Is it true...or just the placebo affect? I don't always know, but I believe it is true. It speaks to my heart. I feel God with me as I read the words off the page. It expands my mind and heart. Makes me a better person. Gives me ideas and answers. I believe the Book of Mormon to be another Testament of Jesus Christ.

I believe Jesus Christ was more than just a prophet...more than just a good teacher. He was and is the son of the living God. His whole purpose is to save us...from ourselves, our natural man. He offered to fulfill God's plan, came to earth, taught and performed miracles, set up and established His church by his authority...passing his authority on to his apostles, suffered on our behalf, feeling every pain, sin and heartach we've ever felt or caused, died and then rose again, overcoming both spiritual and physical death.

I believe in communicating. Openly communicating. I don't always do it. I sometimes carry things around for a long time. I sometimes don't want to listen to people when they want to communicate with me. But I believe that the more we try to openly communicate, the better we'll be at it. I believe open, honest and respectful communication can prevent huge problems...in friendships, families, work relationships, and even relationships between different countries.

I believe in the power of love.

I believe in setting healthy boundaries.

I believe that Jesus Christ's church has been restored today and that He is at the head. He runs His church through a prophet who holds His priesthood authority. That prophet today is Thomas S. Monson. I believe that through faith, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then continuing to try to live a faithful, God fearing life, we will all make it back to God where we can live with Him, Christ, and our eternal families and friends.

I believe there is good in every person. And I believe that we will find whatever we're looking for...whether it's the bad or the good...in anything.

Knocking on Death's Door

I had a near death experience tonight. In fact, I'm still suffering from the pain of it all. You see, I ate one of Salvador Molly's famous great balls of fire.

These balls of fire are so famous that the guy from the Food Network, the one who takes challenges to eat crazy things all around the world, has been to Portland's popular Salvador Molly's and executed the challenge of eating five in one sitting. If you can eat five in one sitting, you get your picture on the wall. And, for every fireball bought, the money goes toward heating a poor family's home.

So...I bought five...to share with the family for an appetizer. My mom, Chuck and Kayleen opted out. I ate one and Bobby ate four. I'm still in pain. Severe pain. From ONE fireball...made with habanero peppers.

I'm a person who enjoys heat. Everyone knows I'm the spicy girl...the girl who likes the sensation of a burning mouth. Nothing's ever spicy enough for me. Well this, my friends, is a different story. This fireball went to the pit of my stomach and decided to explode there. I am not kidding. I've never felt such pain, burning and...well...FIRE in my stomach before. I couldn't even eat my main course...had to put the entire dish in a to-go box. I'm in so much pain, in fact, that I couldn't even go into the grocery store with my mom and sister on the way home...I'm sitting in the car, very still, writing this blog about it... Oh. My. Word.

I nearly died. And Bobby nearly had his picture on the wall.