Babies...

So... Sometimes I want one of these running around.

My family recently had our home videos put on DVD so we can watch them (because we no longer have a VHS player). Jake and I have been watching them every night this week. So fun. They make me want a little Hannah or Jake running around.

The Near Future

These are the things I am excited about in the near future...

1. End of school
2. Last day of work at Wingers on the 9th
3. One week of watching my sisters while my parents go to New York
4. Going on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera with the Thompson clan.
5. Moving to Montana
6. Starting Playmill with our awesome cast
7. Playing Sharpay and the Narrator
8. My birthday (It's the best day of the year)
9. Jake's birthday
10. and having time to read every single book I have wanted to this semester but haven't because I have no time.

It's nice to have things to look forward to. However, I am very impatient. I want these things to happen now!!

I want to be here....

Then here...

Favorite...

I watched this movie last night with

my husband. I forgot how much

I loved it.

Lovely...

I love my major. It's fantastic. I don't have tests... just projects! I haven't even stepped into the testing center this semester. It's lovely. My husband is jealous. Accounting students have tests ALL the time.

This Tuesday I have one 3,000 word research paper due, one 1,000 word journalism paper due, and one 750 word critique of another students paper... LOTS of writing. But I'm learning to love to write. It's a good outlet for me.

My dad edits all of my papers. He loves that job ;) thanks papa!

Jake had to work today... I hate when he has to work on Sundays. I have to go to church all by myself. Today however, I am going with my family. My parents are in the same ward that my dad grew up in. My grandparents ward. I'm not looking forward to everyone asking how we are doing since my grandpa died. Yuck. Fake smiles.

I don't want to write about any more depressing things... so lets talk about something happy! I only have four more days of class. FOUR. Thank goodness. I need it to be over. I need to go to West Yellowstone. The Playmill meeting is next Sunday. I get to meet everyone I will be working with this summer. That's always exciting. Start of something new...

My dad spoke at a fireside tonight about Savior of the World. He was fantastic. He reminded me about why I love theatre. He's the most talented person I know.

Big Dreams...

When I was little I wanted to be a waitress. I wanted to grow up to give obese Americans deep fried food. Big dreams huh?

Well... I am living my dream. Seriously. I wait tables in Idaho Falls at Wingers. It's a dream come true.

When I was little I would dress up in my home made wedding dress and walk down the stairs with my veil and bouquet. I would make my parents announce my entrance. "Here is the most beautiful bride in the world... Hannah Merrill!!"

Well... I am living that dream too. I married the most wonderful man I could ask for and he thinks I am the most beautiful bride in the world.

When I was little I would play house with my friends. I was the mother and always made them be my children.

Well... I am... NOT living that dream... I had you for a minute didn't I? I have been thinking about it a lot lately though. Babies are amazing. How amazing would it be to have someone rely on you for everything they ever need. What a crazy responsibility. Just makes me grateful for my wonderful parents who still... to this day... provide me with the help I need.

Love.

March 19, 2011

Grandpa Bunny passed away today. March 19, 2011. I went to see him this morning at 11:00. He wasn't awake. Sleeping. His breathing was labored. He couldn't respond to anything. I kissed his cheek. It was warm.

My family was meeting at his home this afternoon to give him a blessing. I tried to get work off but I couldn't. I figured I could go see him later tonight.

I got a text message at 2:30. Grandpa passed away. The family was gathered at his home. I was headed into work so I immediately turned around... It was a long drive. No radio. I drove to fast.

I got to my grandparents house and was greeted by my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Wet eyes. I felt guilty. I should have been there. I should have listened to my father when I was 16 and he asked me to take down his life history for my young women's project. I didn't. I figured I had lots of time to do trivial things like that.

My grandma was sitting next to his bed. Holding his hand. I walked in to see him. He looked peaceful. Happy. I grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek for the second time today. It was cold. He wasn't there.

My dad said something tonight that made me happy. He told my sister that he could now watch her every time she danced. Something he loved to do. He loved watching his grandkids. He was so proud of us. He loved listening to Sam sing. Watch Maggie tumble. See Eliza dance. He cried every time he watched me perform. He loved us. We loved him.

I think he's with his parents. With his horses. I think he's fishing. I'm sure they had a big reunion. He was watching my little sister today at her gymnastics meet. He will watch me this summer when I sing. He knows my children. He is getting to hold them.

I love my grandpa Merrill. He was a wonderful man who raised 7 children in the gospel. He worked hard. He will be missed.

Home Sweet Home...

I thought everyone might want to see our house! Its across from my parents house in Rigby and my they own it. We rent it from them for a very inexpensive monthly rate :) (thanks mom and dad!) We worked really hard on it and redid everything inside. It took a lot of work. When we started re modeling it, it was November. We got married in December and worked on it until the last minute. When we finally moved in we didn't have windows!! Just plastic covers! It was a fun time

and we created some awesome memories.

This is our house before... it needed a lot of work. This is the kitchen...

Back room...

Living room... GHETTO!

REMODELING! We had a lot of fun working on our home. Long days and nights

of painting, and rebuilding. Our parents helped a lot with the whole thing.

Bathroom...

Living room...

The final product! The is our bathroom. We put up new

sheetrock, new windows, and tile.

This is our cute bedroom. Again, new sheetrock, closet, carpet,

paint and windows!

This is our kitchen. We didn't really do anything to this room because it had been redone recently. We did however, have to deep deep clean everything...

Living Room!! This was the room that required the most work.

New windows, carpet, sheetrock, paint, and heating.

We love our house!

Thursdays...

Thursdays start early. 6:00. Im out of bed hopping into the shower. It's still dark outside. I hate getting up when it's dark outside. Especially when I'm up by myself. Jake is still tucked into bed. I turn on the radio and listen to the same 15 songs that are always playing on 94.3 (thats the only radio station we can get in our house.)

I bring all of my hair tools and makeup into the living room and sit in front of my favorite spot in the house, the heater.It takes me 40 minutes. Then I make my morning shake and and get everything into my backpack. Books, wallet, earphones, and dance clothes. I wake Jake up. He has to take me to school. Having one car is awesome :)

We run to the car. The wind almost blows us away but we make it into our seats. I automatically turn on my seat warmer and put on my seatbelt. We pull out of our driveway. My siblings have just been picked up by the bus. Great. We are stuck behind it. Lynn, the bus driver, has gotten used to us being stuck behind him so he now pull to the side of the road to let us pass so he can make all of the stops he needs to without us riding his tail.

It takes us 30 minutes to drive to Rexburg. We listen to the radio. Same 15 songs I listened to earlier that morning. We make it to campus and I kiss Jake goodbye. I will see him later tonight. It's 28 degrees. Too cold. But the snow is almost gone.

I hike up the hill for my first class, COMM 111 Writing in Journalism. My long day of classes begins.

Thursdays are long. Too long. All I want to do today is go sit by my grandpa.

Grandpa Merrill

My grandpa Merrill isn't doing well. He was in the hospital for 2 months and was moved home On Sunday... Hospice is coming once a day to check on him and make sure he is ok, but other then that... no help. He is dying.

Death is weird. I've never had someone I'm close to die. Never. Its a strange feeling. I can't imagine being the one lying in a hospital bed looking at the ceiling all day waiting to die. Or the spouse of the one in the hospital bed waiting to die. What would you do? How could you function? I can't imagine.

Watching my grandma and grandpa together the last couple of weeks has broken my heart. My grandma Merrill made a goal that my grandpa would never look at her and see her without a smile on her face. She has done it. She's smiled the whole time. During the dialysis, toe amputation, nutrition tubes. She's smiled. Always smiled.

I've only seen her cry once. Once. She's strong. I want to be like her.

He's skinny. We were watching home movies of our family trip to Disneyland. He was eating a chocolate covered banana... his favorite. He was so chubby and cute. Now... he's skinny. No appetite. My grandma asked him what he wanted her to make him for dinner when he got home and all he could get out was, "Juice." V8 juice. It's the only thing that sounds good.

When I was younger I found out that my grandpa had never tasted pizza. Pizza! Can you believe it? I swore to him that on his death bed I was going to make him try pizza. We both laughed then. It doesn't seem funny now.

I am amazed at what is important to him now. Not money. Not possessions. Not the cars he drove or the horses he raced. Just his family. Memories. And his V8 juice.

I love you grandpa.

First post!

This is my first post! Yea! I had a blog two summers ago but I never kept up on it. This morning I tried to log into it, but I had forgotten the password... oops! So I now have a new blog with a new password that I won't forget :)

I read blogs all the time that I am inspired by. Blogs written by amazing people who are doing amazing things. This blog... is not amazing. Not inspiring. Just my everyday life. Nothing crazy.

Right now I am in school. I go to BYU-Idaho and am majoring in Public Relations. I love my major. It's full of excitement and professionalism. I am taking 14 credits and have loved this semester. I am ready for this semester to be over though. I always get antsy toward the end of winter semester because Playmill is right around the corner. PLAYMILL! It's so close. Jake and I are headed to Montana on May 3rd. I am in all three shows and Jake is going to be in one :) He is such a good sport. I am Sharpay in High School Musical, Narrator in Joseph, and I am in the Ensemble in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Jake is going to be Benjamin in Joseph. So fun. Jake is also going to be doing an internship with the Playmill. He is going to be in charge of all of the numbers and accounting. All the boring stuff. But he loves it.

Before this summer Jake and I are going on a CRUISE to the Mexican Riviera!! The Thompson's have never been on a cruise so we all saved up our money and leave the end of April. Its going to be a much needed vacation.

This is Jake and I on our wedding day! I haven't posted any pictures of our wedding on Facebook or anything so this is the first :)