Transitions

Well, with much reluctance, Olivia has decided to allow me to post in Happy Hazens.  I think I had a pretty good case since I constitute one of the aforementioned Hazens that are happy. Some significant things have occurred since June. Olivia spent twelve weeks in Cincinnati doing a clinical at the children's hospital. If you haven't spent months of time apart in separate cities from you spouse (without whining about it too much) I suggest not doing so. Liv is back in Columbus now and is two weeks into a second clinical. This one is with Dodd In-patient Rehab. After this, she graduates from OSU and will be heading out into a full-time position in her field. Regarding my own changes, I will no longer be employed at JCPenney after this Friday. Olivia and I have known for a long time that this was going to be the plan, it's just finally happening. I will be starting seminary the following Monday at Ashland Theological. It feels a little weird to be going back to school after three years of working but I'm excited to be going into the ministry.  Luckily we've had a good amount of time to prepare for these changes and we're both excited about where our lives are headed.

Changes are-a coming!

There are some changes in the future for the Hazen family! We've had a pretty fabulous spring and beginning of summer. I was studying and finishing the last quarter of grad school and Dana was working at JCPenney. We've been hanging out with our small group more and attending lots of showers and bachelorette parties (ok that's just me). We're very blessed with our community of friends and lifestyle in general. God is GOOD!

Summer 2011 will bring several changes and excitement to our little immediate family and extended family!

• I just finished the coursework portion of my OT program and will now start the fieldwork portion. This means I'll be going out to different hospitals and working in a sort of apprenticeship to learn the hands on portion of Occupational Therapy. My first affiliation is at Cincinnati Children's Hospital starting June 13 through the beginning of September. I'll be living with my old roommate through the week and coming back to Columbus on the weekends. I'm excited!! And nervous. And will miss Dana a ton through the week. 
• After I finish this fieldwork, I'll be doing my second affiliation back here at OSU (yay!) from September through December. And then I'll graduate!! WOOP WOOP!
• Dana's twin sister is getting Married!! On June 25th Ashley and Joe will become husband and wife and we are looking forward to celebrating with them. 
• In other Hazen family news, April and Jordan are expecting their second child this coming November! Jeriah is thrilled to be a big brother (he told me) and we can't wait to have another niece or nephew to love on and take hundreds of pictures/videos of!
• My mom and Mike are moving out of the house I grew up in, in Westerville. Eddie and I loved growing up in our neighborhood and I'll miss coming home to that house. But it's a good move for them and we're all okay saying goodbye. Life just keeps changing!

• In about a week, Dana and I will be celebrating our first year of marriage together! It has gone by so quickly and we've been blissfully happy. People always say the first year tends to be the hardest...to which we say - ba ha. No really, I can understand how living together for the first time and merging lives can produce some conflict and you have to figure out how to work through all of it. Luckily, Dana and I have similar "living styles" which helps and we really worked on communicating well before we got engaged so now we're able to talk through anything. I'm really grateful for the amount of time we were able to date before getting married. It enabled us to work through some tough times and identify the areas that could be problematic before committing our lives together. Anyway, we're looking forward to many more years together and thanks to all of YOU who helped us rejoice in our wedding day last year!

Those are the big things coming up in our lives right now. What are you guys up to this summer? Would love to hear your plans!

Jeriah came to Ohio

Here we go again folks: several videos at length of our nephew being awesome! I hoping to get an actual update on our lives here but really he's more important and loved than most things going on right now. We can't get enough of this little nugget! So good to see you April and Jeriah!!!

 

Jeriah plays on the stairs.

 

Jeriah plays with blocks.

Jeriah being Hilarious. Minute :50 is hilarious...or at least we thought so.

Jeriah checks out the massage chair.

Jeriah spins!

 

Jeriah walks his dog and plays with Aunt Lish

And here are some throwbacks for your viewing pleasure!

I may be obsessed...oh well!

Here is Jeriah showing his enthusism for his gift from Grammie and Papa! 

Note: This was after April and Jeriah read through it once and he was glued to the pages :)

Such an entertaining fellow!

Videos of our Nephew :)

 

What's a Dinosaur to do?

 

Playing with the Chickens!

The iPad is fascinating!

 

 No Seriously, it's fun!

Sorry for the poor picture quality. We don't have legit video camera so we just use our point and shoot. 

More videos coming soon!

Gratitude

The message at church tonight was based on gratitude: the attitude of receiving grace from God as a gift and somehow removing our American/human feeling of "I'm entitled". Gratitude. Being thankful for everything I have because it's all a gift. Literally all of it. The most grateful people I know are also the most content people I know...which is really all we want to be right? Content and grateful. So in light of this wonderful sermon and a renewed sense of appreciation for the life, people, opportunities, and stuff I have, I want to let you know (all 3 of you) what I am thankful for...some more serious, some not so serious but thankful for them.

In random order

1. Being saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and being able to communicate with God anytime I want
2. My parents: I was lucky to be raised in a home that valued faith, family, and people
3. My husband: seriously...I can't even count the ways he has loved me, served me, challenged me, and accepted me. Dana is the best husband...hands down. 
4. Higher Education: I know it's a privilege to even study at the level at I am let alone some day (very soon!) be able to work in a career that I absolutely love. I'm so thankful to work.
5. I'm breathing...that's not a given
6. I have heat in my apartment and I'm currently listening to the rain hitting the windows which I love
7. I just made a turkey sandwich for lunch tomorrow and I really enjoy turkey sandwiches
8. The new issue of Real Simple came a few days ago and I'm excited to read it
9. I watched a video of my sweet little nephew earlier today (ok, I watched it 10x) and just listened to his sweet,innocent voice. My heart just overflows with love for that kiddo and I can't wait to visit the Leviens in just three weeks!!!
10. My planner...I love color coded organization

Those are just a few. I even debated as I was making this little list just abandoning this post, but too often the day to day truths are forgotten or in my case, replaced with 4 month picture catch ups.

I heard someone say one time, "What if you only had today, what you thanked God for yesterday?" Nothing like a dose of healthy conviction... :)

So, what are you grateful for today?

Happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, MLK day, Superbowl, and Valentines Day!

Apparently we took a break a from blogging for 4 months! And because we neglected to document the holiday season...we wish you all a Merry ThanksChristmaNewYearsMlkSuperValentines DAY! We've been doing a lot of living in the past couple months, although we have zero entries to prove this statement. We'll start with November!

November 2010
- April and Jeriah came to Ohio for a week! They came down to Columbus with Mama Hazen to spend the day with us and we had a great time walking the streets of German Village, playing with Jeriah, and pretending like we live in the same state and it was completely normal to hang out all day. It was a random, fun surprise and we wish it happened more!

- I turned 24! I love birthdays and it always makes me a little angry when young people complain about turning 23 or 24 (really? we're pretty young dudes). I intend to be one of those people that enjoys and looks forward to every age well into my 90s! Anyway, Dana took me out for a wonderful dinner at the Refrectory here in town...YUM! And got me some lovely gifts pictured here. So far year 24 has been a good ride.

- It was a Hazen Thanksgiving this year and we were blessed to spend some quality time with Dana's extended family in Alliance, OH. Good food, Great family, and some relaxation were exactly what we needed.

- The Westerville North High School Class of 2005 had its 5 year reunion and it was AWESOME! I realized after starting college that I had a unique high school experience...I actually liked it. I don't know what it is but Westerville does it right. I treasure the moments and friendships I experienced in those four years, so getting everyone back together was a blast.

- I started preparing for Christmas :)

December 2010
- December was CRAZY! Lots of parties, lots of people, lots of Christmas Cheer...it was crazy.

- We held an Ugly Sweater Party at our apartment with our small group. We had some pretty hideous upper extremity dressings and some absolutely amazing White Elephant Gifts (ex. Bibleopoly, a painted portrait of the entire cast of Friends, etc). Dana and I really enjoy being able to host events out of our little apartment so this was right up our alley.

- We attended an Ugly Sweater Party with my OT class. Our second annual that gave us a great ending to the quarter.

- My old roommate Liv got married!! She looked absolutely stunning and now gets to spend her life with the man of her dreams. It was such a joy to watch them exchange vows.

- How's this for random...we went to Atlantic City with my family the week before Christmas! We spent most of our time losing our money playing the slots, dreaming I could lay out on the beach walking along the boardwalk, and hanging out playing cards. It was a fun trip but sadly my camera erased itself and I have one picture...

- After AC, we spent Christmas Eve/Day at my mom's and it was delightful! We love Jesus!

-We had planned on heading up to Alliance the following weekend but went up a bit early to spend some quality time with Dana's grandmother. She went to be with Jesus on January 6, 2011 after a well lived 91 years and were very lucky to spend several days with her the week before she died. Everyone was home, even the Leviens, and it was a bittersweet time together spent laughing, crying, and reminiscing. We also celebrated Christmas together as well as New Years. Family = the Best.

Gram and Pap at April & Jordan's Rehearsal dinner in 2008

 


- At some point over Christmas break, I was able to spend some quality time with my Sisters. It's difficult to get all of us together since we're spread out across the country, now have husbands, and just have more stuff in our schedules, but we do our best to make time to hang out like did in high school. It was wonderful to be with these girls and we missed you Amanda!

January 2011
- It took a while to get back into a normal routine during this month. We were still celebrating Christmas' with families, grieving Gram's death, and trying to work/go to school, and it was a pretty stressful time. The weeks were packed and the weekends gave little time for relaxing.

- I started and completed a clinical experience at Grant Medical Center here in Columbus. I spent most of my time on the Trauma Floor and really enjoyed the populations and the hospital environment. I can't believe I'll be working in about a year...what does a life of zero studying look like?? Anyway, I learned so much about the field and was encouraged that this profession is the right fit for me.

- Dana has been working lots of hours but will be starting a new position later this month in a department he likes and he won't have to go in until 7:30 am!! This might seem early or weird that I have exclamation marks after this but after a year or so of waking up at 4:00 am...I'm pretty pumped for him that he'll be back on a normal person schedule. It's a good thing :)

February 2011
- So here we are! In the longest month of the year (at least in a Ohio) but we have a few things planned to hopefully make this month a bit more enjoyable. This evening we're hosting a Superbowl Party! WOOP WOOP! I'm excited for the commercials and a lot of salty food.

- Next weekend we're going on a Ski Weekend Getaway! We're heading to Holiday Valley in New York with our friends Dana and Ben Holt. Dana was my old roommate last year and have loved getting to know this couple over the past year. Our only regret is not meeting each other sooner so we're PUMPED to spend a whole weekend skiing, playing games, and spending time together.

- Also, I got to hang out with Gordon Gee and a bunch of my cousins recently. He's without a doubt the most loved university professor who has ever lived

So that's our update! We still love being married to each other and are looking forward to a slower pace of life before spring comes in again! I'm going to try and keep my updates shorter/coming more often...we'll see how it goes.