My DWTS Obsession

Ok, I'm a little hesitant to even mention this, but I am a big-time fan of Dancing With The Stars. Why the hesitation, you ask? Well, here's the deal: we don't do cable or hulu+ or anything like that so I watch the episodes on regular hulu eight days after they air. Eight days. Which is totally fine with me, but DWTS is a pretty huge show so if I'm listening to the radio or surfing the web and anything DWTS-related comes up, you will find me covering my ears and "la-la-la, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" as loud as I can, as quick as I can. I do not want to know what's going to happen before I see it. I do not want to know who got eliminated or who got the first perfect score of the season or ANYTHING before I get to watch it. Capiche? So having said all that, I cannot help but share one of the cutest dances ever this week on the blog.

But I swear, if you give anything away: I will cut you.

On this particular episode, all the remaining couples had to do what they call a trio dance and this is probably the best concept for a trio dance that I have seen on the show. I mean, Derek and Nastia aren't even my favorite couple this season (Go Riker & Allison! Go Rumer & Val!), but this dance is just too freakin' adorable. Way to go, Derek. Way to go.

But seriously though....

                                                                                                            .....do not tell me anything.

Wonderstruck Wednesdays

I posted several weeks ago about a new Bible study I was working through called Wonderstruck by Margaret Feinberg. For anyone wondering, I am still loving it, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone out there looking for a study to do. In the study, Margaret highlights six areas of wonder in our lives: the wonder of divine expectation, the wonder of God's presence, the wonder of rest, the wonder of prayer, the wonder of friendship, and the wonder of forgiveness. This past week I completed the homework portion on the wonder of friendship. God has blessed me with so many beautiful friendships throughout my life, and I wanted to take today to talk about just a few of these sweet women. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of all my friends, but these five women have stuck around and been my friends for a very long time, and I can't thank God enough for them. 

First, there's Amy. If I remember correctly, Amy was the first girl my age I met when I moved to Florida at the fresh age of seven years old. From the moment we met, we were bosom buddies and if you ask any of the members who attended Faith Baptist Church when we were children, they'd tell you they rarely saw one of us without the other. We've been friends for over 20 years now, and Amy is one of the most loyal women I know. When I spent six months in Johannesburg, South Africa, Amy wrote me letters every week without fail. Amy, I love you with all my heart and I look forward to the next 20 years of friendship we'll share.

Next is Erin. I also met Erin when I was seven years old right after moving to Florida. Erin is probably one of the most steady people I know. I have said on different occasions that Erin has probably been the most consistent friend I have ever had, and that remains true today. Even though she has been living in Arizona for the last several years (which is killing me, Erin. get your butt back to Florida!), I never feel as if our friendship has stopped or even lagged. Whether it's a phone call or a visit, I enjoy spending time with her, and I know I can trust her with anything. I love you, Erin, and your friendship is a treasure to me. 

Lyndsey is another one of my lifers who is now my sister-in-law. That's right. I married her brother. Over the past 20 years, we have gone through times where we haven't seen each other as much as other times. In those times, we never missed each other's birthday parties, talked on the phone for hours, and wrote each other real, send-it-in-the-mail-with-a-stamp letters. Lyndsey and I can't tell each other a story without one of us stopping to ask, "Wait, what were you wearing? What time was it? Was it before or after such-and-such?" We have to know every single detail about each others' lives, and I wouldn't change that for anything. Now we have been sisters for three years and she'll never be able to get rid of me even if she wanted to! Lynds, I love you to the stars, and I'm so glad you've always been my sister....even before I married Cody.

Christina and I met during our turbulent middle school years and instantly became BFFs. Nearly 15 years later, we can't go for a week without at least texting each other, and I can't imagine my life without her in it. From countless sleepovers where absolutely no sleeping occurred, to our shared love of music and singing together (come on, Shania), to our Ben & Jerry's chic flic therapy, to our appreciation for and strict enforcement of correct grammar, to our blogging endeavors, to our love for Christ and our desire to walk closer with Him; she is my girl and she's always got my back. Christina, I love you forever.

Danette has been my friend for almost a decade now, and I can't even begin to talk about how much joy and fun she has brought into my life. Even over this past weekend when I was deep in a pit, she brought me out of it just by being available to spend time with me talking, laughing, and shopping. And then following all of that up with a trip to the beach! Whether it's wearing green wigs to a wedding, lathering each other up with sunscreen, broadening our horizons by sharing books and movies together, exaggerating merely for the sake of exaggerating, or frequenting one of the many fine eateries in the greater Winter Haven area, I would pick Danette every time. Danette, I love you, buddy, and count on me frequenting all of the fine eateries in the greater Talla-assee area with you in the future!

Henry Ford said, "My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." You five women bring out the best in me, and I thank God for each and every one of you. 

I am wonderstruck by my friends.

Liberty and Justice For All

Well, I just got done writing letters to our nine Supreme Court justices. For those of you living in caves, our justices are currently facing the decision of whether or not to redefine marriage to include the recognition of same-sex couples as married. They will make this decision in the next month or so. I'm considering writing a post on my feelings about this, but I'll be honest, I'm a little hesitant to put my thoughts on this subject out on the interwebs for all the haters to see. I've mentioned before how ugly comments tear me up or my belief that the internet is full of narcissistic jerks.

Anyway, back to the task at hand: I don't know about you, but marriage is something I feel very strongly about which is why I took the time to write a letter to our justices expressing my opinions and concerns about their upcoming decision on this matter. As an educated adult living in a country where I have the right to vote and have exercised that right since I was of legal voting age, I think it's important that I take the time to make sure that the people entrusted to make decisions for this country know where I stand on monumental issues such as this one. Earlier this year, I wrote to all my state representatives expressing my extreme displeasure in the events leading to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" in my state. 

From what I have observed, my generation and younger have become increasingly apathetic about our right to vote and the legal system in this nation. This is very disheartening to me, and I wanted to take the time today to advocate for being informed about current issues and exercising your rights as a citizen in this country. It is not difficult with the technology we have to figure out who your representatives are and how to get in touch with them. 

If you didn't know, our nine Supreme Court justices are:

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

Justice John Paul Stevens

Justice Antonin Scalia

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy

Justice Clarence Thomas

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Justice Stephen G. Breyer

Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

To mail them a letter, you would address it like this:

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

Supreme Court of the United States

One First Street N.E.

Washington, DC 20543

When writing a justice of the Supreme Court, it is appropriate to address them like this:

Dear Justice (or Chief Justice) [last name]:

For example:

Dear Justice Kennedy:

When you write a letter to any of our politicians, be sure you include your own name and mailing address. In my letters, I include my phone number as well. Be respectful in your tone and concise. Make your position clear. Check for spelling and grammar errors. Type it up so they will be able to read it. It's not rocket science, people, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to write a letter to one (or all) of our justices.

If you are interested in writing letters to your state representatives or senators, this is a really helpful website for figuring out who they are and how to do that. If you are interested in reading the letters I have sent or have more questions about how to write to a politician, feel free to email me at hannah(dot)hancock87(at)gmail(dot)com, and I would be more than happy to show you my letters, answer your questions, or help you in any way I can. 

We really do live in a great country, and I, for one, want it to stay that way.

Have you ever written to your senator? Your representatives? Our Supreme Court justices? Or the President? What did you write about? Did you receive a response?

A Word for Wednesday

"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."

-P.J. O'Rourke-

Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Mother!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you forever!

1992

2012

Modest is Hottest

Happy Monday to you! Today I'm not talking about the way you dress, I'm talking about humility. In chapter seven of Little Women, we read about a scrape the youngest of the March girls gets herself into. Amy is the only one of the sisters that still goes to school and the latest rage at said school is limes. Well, the teacher had banned them, but Amy managed to get her hands on two dozen juicy, delicious limes to take to school to give and trade among her favored friends. When the aforementioned teacher finds out about it, he punishes her pretty harshly (among other things he makes her throw every single lime out the window--oh the horror!), and Amy leaves school never to return. Seriously. She doesn't go back. She continues her education at home with her sister Beth. 

After she shares all the details of this traumatic incident with her mother and sisters, her mother offers her this beautiful bit of wisdom:

"'I should not have chosen that way of mending a fault,' replied her mother; 'but I'm not sure that it won't do you more good than a milder method. You are getting to be altogether too conceited and important, my dear, and it is quite time you set about correcting it. You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.'"

From chapter 7 ("Amy's Valley of Humiliation") on page 82.

Jesus Himself said, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14)

There's not much I can add, and I couldn't possibly say what Marmee said any better. Nobody likes a know-it-all. Stuck-up people don't have many true friends. Even if our good qualities are never noticed by anyone in this world, I hope that the consciousness of possessing and using them well will always satisfy us. 

Casual Fridays

Tomorrow is my best-friend-turned-sister-in-law's 5th wedding anniversary. WHAT?! Lynds, I can't believe it's been five years since we drove over to the beach and got you married. Happy Anniversary! I love you, girl!

Next, I'd like to take a minute to talk about my new favorite ice cream: Ben & Jerry's The Tonight Dough. Yes. It's important enough to blog about. In case you can't read the description in the picture, The Tonight Dough is comprised of caramel and chocolate ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cookie dough.

Y'all.

It. Is. To. Die. For. 

I may or may not have eaten a pint of it yesterday while watching The Gay Divorcee. Don't judge me.


Speaking of The Gay Divorcee, do I have any other Fred and Ginger fans reading? I could watch them dance all day. They are some of my ultimate comfort movies. I think my favorite line from this particular one is, "Pining?! Men don't pine. Girls pine. Men just...suffer." Oh Fred.

I've been jamming to Reba's 50 Greatest Hits this week. It's been a while since I've listened to straight-up Reba, and you know something? That woman sings more cheatin' songs than I know what to do with. But she makes it sound good. Not cheating....just the songs....I love her voice....oh nevermind, I'm never gonna be able to dig myself back out of that hole.

Colonel's Corner
Oh my. This dog. On Wednesday, I gave him a bath--he's been needing one in a big way--and then yesterday, we go out in the backyard, and he bolts straight to the lake to jump and roll around in the muddiest part. So much for being clean. What am I going to do with him?!

Good thing he's so darn cute. I guess we'll keep him.


Well, that's it for today. Can you believe it's May already?! May's a big month around here. Tomorrow is my niece's last soccer game and then BOTH my nieces are spending the night! I hope your weekend is as fun, fun, fun as mine is going to be!

What are your ultimate comfort movies and snacks? Do you have a favorite Ben & Jerry's? How about a favorite Fred & Ginger flick? Holla' back at me in the comments especially if you hate to love cheatin' music.  ;)