Ok. I know. Haven’t blogged in a while…ok, a LONG time!!! My CCF Mical told me recently that she was tired of reading about Christmas Crafts!!! :)  And now that it is almost Christmas again, I guess today would be as good a time as any to get back to blogging.  I don’t really have very much to say, nothing in my life is that exciting right now…but I do have one thing I would love to share.  As many of you know, I drive the horse carriages downtown Indianapolis. One day a couple of months ago, a sweet older lady was visiting Indy from England–she was here for a conference–and she decided to take a carriage ride.  All by herself, she rode in my carriage.  She was hilarious!! She was telling me stories about London, and living “across the pond”, and how much different America was than Great Britain.  Anyways, rarely after a carriage ride, do I remember people.  I usually say have a great day and that is that.  However, this special lady was different.  Throughout the ride she kept telling me about the cool places in America she had visited–the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park…etc.  I nodded with her, and finally she asked me if I had been to these places?  And….my answer was no.  To each place she told me about, I told her I had never been.  So she said, in a sweet motherly tone, but with a hint of condescension, “How can you live in a country you have never been to?” I laughed at the time and didn’t really think about it.  I told her that I would love to travel to visit them someday.  After she left, her challenge stuck with me.  I started coming up with a plan…a VERY exciting plan.

My first thoughts were to maybe go out West and see some things out there. (I really want to go to Colorado) Then I thought about the East Coast and all the things to do there. And as I thought about all the amazing things to see and do in my own country, my plan got bigger and bigger.

Right now, I do not have a house. I do not have a spouse.  I do not have loans.  I do not have anything tying me down to Indiana…at all (except for people). So, I started thinking, why wouldn’t now be a great time to travel? Why not invest (in the form of a personal loan) in education, an experience, and in travel.  Simply put, after I graduate from college, I will be visiting ALL 50 states in a year.  Yup…you read right…ONE year…50 states…one woman. :)  I plan on buying an RV and a dog and just hitting the road!! :)  I am sooo excited and hopefully my dream will become a reality after graduation.  I also would love to visit a Deaf Community in each state…to tie it into my education, and because it would be fun to visit Deaf people all over the country! Whether all the logistics will come together, I don’t know.  But my parents are pretty excited about it, as am I!! Who knows how I will pay for this extravagant trip, but I will figure it out and KNOW that it will be a once in a lifetime experience that most adults I know would die to do but can’t because of things tying them down.  I will never have another time in my life when I can take a whole year off and travel by myself.  Maybe I will write a book, start a travel blog, who knows!!! :)  But just a little taste of what I hope to be doing in approximately a year and half from now….

*Horseback riding in Montana

*Standing in 4 places at once (4 corners)

*Walking the campuses of Harvard and Yale

*Experiencing zero gravity at Cape Canaveral

*Walking the Lighthouse Trail in Maine

*Boston Harbor for the 4th of July

*Traveling over the Grand Canyon by Helicopter

*Walking through the fall foliage in New Hampshire

*Watching hundreds of hot air balloons at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival during sunrise

*Seeing the cherry blossoms in our great nation’s capitol

….among many, many, MANY others!!! (I will have a whole year….)

This Christmas I decided to tap into my creative side and make some of the gifts that I gave. The first one is a recipe book that I made for my mom. She had this huge basket overflowing with recipes–some were family recipes, some were cut out of magazines, and some were printed off the internet. I asked her if she wanted someone to do something with those and of course she said yes! I took them all and separated them into categories and then put them into page protectors (the kind that hold photos). Then I scrapbooked the front cover and the category pages. I also handmade the dividers and attached them with eyelets to the pages. It was a lot of fun to do and my mom LOVED it!! I filled a 2″ binder completely to the brim!! You can click on the smaller picture to see a larger picture.

The second craft I did was make journals for my sister and two best friends. I only have pictures of two of the three journals, but they are each different! They were super easy and hopefully my sister and friends liked them! :)

Every day on my way to the Indiana Deaf School for classes, I pass the Crown Hill Cemetery. It is a huge, and I mean huge, cemetery with beautiful trees and wonderful history. I kept telling myself that I needed to stop there and walk around while the leaves were turning colors, but never did. Yesterday, I decided to finally stop by after class. The trees weren’t quite as full, but the leaves on the ground were still just as pretty. I walked around for about a half and hour, just pondering these people’s lives, who they might have been, and thinking/praying about a lot of things going on in my life. As I walked around, stopping to look at interesting headstones and to take a few pictures, I got to thinking about if these people knew their lives were going to be reduced to a single headstone. Did they leave any kind of legacy? Did they leave their mark on the world? What was their purpose and did they fulfill it? Did they have a relationship with our Savior? Did they fear death when it came? Did they have peace?

I had a lot going on in my mind as I walked between the graves. I kept thinking, kept walking, kept asking. If the Lord would have been leaning against one of the headstones as I walked past, I think He would have said to me…

“Be still Hannah. Stop running around. Stop questioning your calling, your purpose. You are called to glorify Me in all that you do. Are you doing that? Am I in each and every thought? Each and every action?”

“But God,” I would have answered, “There are so many things I don’t understand. There are so many feelings deep inside. But I will have to tell you about it later, okay? I have so much to do!”

“Be still Hannah. Come sit with me, talk to me about what you are angry about, about what you are hurting about, about your questions and doubts. I want you to tell me. I want to you to give all that you are to Me. And I don’t want to have to fit into your day, I want to be your day….”

And turning away to keep walking I would have said, “Okay, but I really need to be going. I have so much more to do today! Can’t this wait Lord? I have to be at work in and hour and I still have to grab dinner.

“Be still Hannah. Be still…and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10 in the NIV version says “Be still and know that I am God…” But in the NASB version, it says “Cease striving and know that I am God…” That word striving? Do you know what it means? I always think of striving as aiming towards a goal, shooting for a mark. Though that goal may be the end result, the actual definition of striving to reach that goal is a little different. It is to exert serious effort, OR to struggle in opposition. I thought that was interesting because in both definitions, there is great energy involved. Either in going for the goal or in the struggle. And instead of striving, even though I am striving after a worthy goal, I need to just be still and dwell in His presence and allow His peace to fill me and permeate all of my actions and thoughts. Even when the daily activities seem to be too much, I need to stop and realize that my relationship with my God is a billion times more important. I also need to realize that I should not fit God into my day, but my day should fit into God and glorifying Him. Sometimes I think that when I question God or question His will/purpose for me, I think too hard. I get so caught up in finding answers or striving that I don’t just sit and be still. I need to just stop and know that HE IS GOD. And knowing that is enough.

This is a stolen post idea from Alec, Mical, and Alex. It is a great idea and fun to think about too! So here it goes…From each of the five senses, what do I like the most?

Sound: My mom’s laugh when she really gets going; my and my dad’s hiccups; Christmas music; The Doxology being sung acapella during family get togethers; my sister’s Indianapolis Children’s Choir–hundreds of kids singing together in harmony will bring tears to your eyes; leaves crunching; rain, thunderstorms; “I love you” from my mom, dad, or sister; people singing when they think no one can hear them :)

Sight: When an old couple still holds hands; a child’s face when it is giggling; the leaves changing colors; a fresh layer of snow blanketing everything; people using sign language around me and to me; old family pictures; seeing any of my friends with a big smile on their faces

Smell: My parents’ house just before a crowd of people walk in–my mom usually has candles lit, something baking, and it has probably just been cleaned :) ; leaves burning; that smell right before a huge rainstorm; my dad’s cologne; Christmas trees; suntan lotion, opening an old book at a library and sticking my nose right in the middle

Taste: My grandma’s fried chicken and mashed potatoes; my mom’s chicken packets; any Thanksgiving food; lefsa ( a Norwegian dessert that is always been a part of my holidays…it is so good!); ice cream; pizza

Touch: My dad’s hugs–I feel so safe and secure when he gives me one; my kittens when they are sleeping next to my head; the horse that I work with downtown, Levi, his velvety soft nose and ears; a newborn’s whole hand wrapped around my pinkie; my feet in sand; the heat from a bonfire

There you go! You all should try it, it is a lot of fun! Have a great weekend!

So I started going to this thing at my church called Craft Night. It is were some of the ladies from my church get together and do, yep you guessed it, crafts! Most of them scrapbook, but there are some like me, that make cards, some sew, and some work on other miscellaneous projects. It is pretty neat for me to be able to go because I am able to interact with some ladies I don’t normally hang out with. And let me tell you, these women of God are pretty darn cool!! They welcomed me in with open arms, extended their supplies, and dished out stories and advice!! They come from all walks of life and it is such a blessing to be able to gain from them and also just hang out with some new friends!! Well, as I said, I make cards during these things and have loved it!! It gives me a way to express some creativity I didn’t know I had!! And I like the cards better than scrapbooking because I feel like I can get more done and each card is an accomplishment in and of itself! I have enjoyed it so much that I did it again today with my CCF Mical! She wanted to do some scrapbooking and I wanted to do some more cards so two days in a row I got to be crafty!! :) It was really good hanging out with Mical! We made dinner, talked, and of course, scrapped! It was so much fun just hanging out and talking about all sorts of stuff!! And then, we were looking at old pictures and started talking about high school and all those old memories!! It was hilarious looking at pictures, reading letters, and making fun of me and my “REC SPECS.” If you don’t know what those are, I can show you a picture that will more than demonstrate the embarrassing power these sports goggles had!!! :) Needless to say, it was a great two days full of card making and fun!!

Here a few of the cards I have been working on:

Sorry, this one is sideways, but it is a thank you card

This one isn’t finished yet. I am trying to find a really cool stamp to finish it off.

This is another thank you card

Again, a thank you card! This was the first card I ever made! :) Not that great–definitely can tell I had no idea what I was doing!

This is my favorite one I have done so far. I will brag a little bit and say that I drew that whole thing. The cake, the wagon, and I did the writing. :) I love it!!

You can’t see the writing very well, but it says “Kind, Thoughtful, Caring, Generous, Wonderful, Sweet”. And I got to use a really nifty thing called an eyelet!! It is where the bow attaches. It adds just an extra touch.

Those are all my cards that I have made so far. I am pretty excited about this new hobby!! Yeah for craft nights!! :)

Yes, today is my birthday. 21 years ago at 9:35 in the morning, I, Hannah Joy Baker, was born.

I guess today feels a little bittersweet. Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited to be turning 21 and even more excited to be celebrating it with my friends and family, but I am also a little sad because today I officially became an adult. It is the end of an era in my life. My childhood is officially over… And yes, it has gone by extremely fast!! I don’t think I am ready to embark on this next era of my life, on this journey God has me on. It really is scary. However, My Savior is right there along side me, walking it with me, encouraging me. I also have amazing support from my amazing family, and my awesome friends!

I guess today I am feeling a little introspective. What will my life look like in 21 more years? What decisions will I have made? What mistakes will I have most certainly have made (and hopefully learned from?) I am also thinking about everything I have done, experienced, and said that has gotten me to this point. I can not believe that just one year ago today, I hadn’t changed my major, I hadn’t moved out on my own, I hadn’t changed jobs, I had just started getting to know my best friends…all of those things happened in one year!! When did life start moving so fast?

Okay, okay, I will stop. But really, I am definitely thinking about these things today and hopefully will continue to prayerfully consider what is in front of me!! And thank you so much to everyone that has wished me a happy birthday!! It really means alot!!

P.S. Now that I am 21, I guess I can legally get drunk now right? (Wow, bad joke. Anyone that knows me knows that I am deathly afraid of alcohol or anthing realated to it….ask anyone…I will not be drinking today or probably any other day. Ask me some day about the “dialated pupils story.” :) )

Today was my first ever presidential election that I was able to vote in! When I turned 18 it was 6 days after the election :( so now, at 21, I voted in the 2008 election. I was excited and made sure that I fit time into my day to vote. However, I was very disappointed in the amount of people I heard the rest of the day that didn’t vote! I went to class after voting and people were discussing it and I can’t tell you how many times people said, “oh, I didn’t vote.” “I didn’t want to stand in line….” “I didn’t know who to vote for…” “I didn’t want to get up early…” Countless excuses to perform the one right that Americans have that stand us apart from other countries and governments. I voted at 10:30 in the morning…I was able to sleep in!! I didn’t mind standing in line for 20 minutes to make my voice heard the one day it will be listened to. Needless to say, I was quite frustrated at my peers in the apathy that is continuing to make its way into our generation. I started thinking about the millions of soldiers that have fought, served, and even given their life for me and the rest of America so that we could make our voice count, so that we could vote. They sacrificed everything for people they didn’t even know, and I can’t sacrifice 20 minutes of my time to press a button? I guess I will have to add ‘not voting’ to my list of soapboxes that I have in my closet….

Alrighty, a funny story for you all!  Some of you may know Mical over at Fun and Faithful Tales, well, she and I ran into each other today on campus.  It was cool because I haven’t seen her on campus yet and had been hoping to see her at school before Christmas break rolled around!! :)  It was also cool because I was thinking about all the stuff I needed to do and some other stuff that was going on and kind of in my own world when whose face do I see?  My CCF, Mical!! (If you don’t know what a CCF is, go check out her blog!! And maybe I will do a post on my CCF soon!!) And of course just talking with her for a few minutes definitely brightened my day!! However, while we were catching each other up with our lives, and filling each other in on some silly stuff, we were apparently talking and laughing way too loud because this “library security guard” comes up to us and says,  “Can you quiet down, your talking is echoing up to the second floor.  Especially your giggle…”  I am not even kidding you!!  He comes over in his blue “security” vest and pretty much scolds us like little kids!! It was hilarious!! It made us “giggle” even more!!!  It was like a scene out of a movie where the librarian tells the rowdy kids to SHHHH!!!  :)  So today, I was able to cross off one more thing off of my “to do before I die list”–get scolded by a librarian for being too loud!!  It was great!  :)  But really, me and Mical weren’t that loud and we couldn’t help it…we were just being CCFs!!!  Hope you can picture it because it really was very funny!!  Have a great day all my blogger friends!!

This post link is from one of my favorite blogs, Stuff Christians Like.  He is a youth pastor with quite a sarcastic streak!  He is hilarious and points out the stereotypical stuff Christians do or like–such as holding hands when praying, the singer Carmen, funny stuff like that.  Most of the time he is just downright silly but yesterday, he wrote a serious post that almost made me cry.  They way he worded it and how he presented it was wonderful… go check it out for yourself.  I, for one, really needed to read that yesterday!!

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2008/10/413-trying-to-find-cause.html

I am currently taking a Classical Mythology class to fulfill one of my requirements for graduation and in the midst of nodding off, our professor started telling this story about Pandora. For the most part, I find the Greek and Roman mythology just somewhat interesting and that is the extent of my involvement with the class. I don’t usually pay that close attention (enough to get through the tests –which are easy by the way–It is terrible of me, I know…) However, this story caught my attention.

As the story goes, the first mortal woman created was named Pandora. She was beautiful and had a somewhat of a curious nature. All the gods contributed somethings to her being and one of the gods, named Hesphestus, had to give her a box filled with all these gifts inside. “Beautiful evils” they were called. Hesphestus had to give Pandora all these evils because the earth was being punished by Zeus for something one of the other lesser gods did. Anyways, Hesphestus sent her down to earth with the box and one warning–”Do NOT open the box under any circumstances!!” Well, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her and, yes, she opened the box. When she opened the box, all of these evils came out of the box–jealously, lust, anger, gluttony, greed, etc. They all flew out and as they fled the box, Pandora got scared because she realized what she had done and quickly shut the lid on the box. The only thing that hadn’t escaped from the box was…HOPE.

As our professor told this story, I realized that the ancient Greeks and Romans had to have something to explain how they could keep going in the midst of all the evils that were going on in their world, all the tragedy, all the sin. They knew how important is was to have this thing known as hope. And even though their hope was in something that wasn’t real, it made me think about hope and how it relates to Christianity.

What sets Christians apart from everyone else out there? What allows us to go on in the midst of tragedy, of sin? HOPE!! We have hope in the fact that we will be brought out of bondage of our sins and “brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21) And we hope for what we don’t have yet–the return of Christ and our resurrected bodies!! Because in this hope we were saved!! (Romans 8:24) I like the following quote that sums up how Christians wonderful expectancy is so very different than the Greek and Romans’ hope, the unbelievers hope, and all those that don’t have Christ. “Our hope—for salvation and redemption and the kingdom fully realized—is not grounded in thoughts of our invincibility but of our vulnerability, not on the strength of our will to accomplish our goals, but on the strength and finished work of Christ. “

What a wonderful and overlooked gift from God!! We do not need to worry!! We do not need to wonder!! We have faith in a merciful and gracious Savior and that faith brings us HOPE!! Along with that amazing gift of hope comes a commandment…a calling… I will leave you with this passage from 1 Peter 3:15-16:

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the HOPE you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”