Hope For Steve

Hi everyone!!

This month, I am doing a special fundraiser for some friends of mine.

This summer, Steve Baze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He and his wife, Dana, have spent their days since diagnosis trusting in the Lord and praying for a miracle. Steve is currently in the middle of treatment at MD Anderson, the leading hospital in pancreatic cancer treatment. Both Steve and Dana are full of faith that God has a plan and that Steve's body can be completely healed.

Getting top-notch treatment, however, comes at a high cost. My goal this month is to bless Steve and Dana by helping them to off-set some of the cost of travel, lodging, and treatment during their stay in Houston.

I am donating 10% of all Thirty-One orders placed with me this month to the Bazes. Start thinking of Christmas, birthday, anniversary, just-because gifts, etc.


Also, keep in mind the customer special this month. For every $31 spent, you can get our very popular Organizing Utility Tote for just $7!!! That's a saving of $22. The hostess special is if your reach $500 in orders at your party, you can get the large utility tote for just $5!!! That's a saving of $25.

So, check out the catalog here, and call or email me with your order, or to plan your party. Let's make this a great blessing for Steve and Dana!

LOVELOVELOVE

Life

So, I'm really terrible at this whole blogging thing. I keep up on everyone elses' blogs, but not so good at updating mine. Not going to make any excuses.

Life is just a big ball of fun with lots and lots going on.

I'm going on a trip this weekend...SUPER DUPER EXCITED!!!!!

I'm taking my commercial drive test next week...a little nervous.

I'm waiting to hear back from the California Credentialing Board...a little anxious.

I'm loving being a Thirty-One Consultant... let me know if you have any birthdays, weddings, baby showers, etc. to shop for. We have lots of great products!!! Or check them out at my website.

I'm not going to make any promises about the blog (cause I seem to keep breaking them), but I will try to do a better job...for real.

LOVELOVELOVE

Happy Birthday Sean!!

Today is my little brother's birthday. Sean is 22 today and still crazy as ever. (That's him on the ground)

He likes to pretend that he doesn't like me when his friends are around...but we get along really well and I love our brother - sister relationship. I know I can always bounce ideas off of him and ask for his advice in all kinds of different situations. He sticks up for me and defends me when I need it; he's had my back through lots of tough stuff and I love him for it.

(He knows he loves us too!!! :D)

So, here's to Sean James Hogan. Another year older. I am so lucky to have such a fun, kooky, crazy, loving brother...I couldn't ask for a better brother. Love you bunches!!!



P.S. The pictures are from a family photo session we had with our friend and photographer, Julie Dirkse. You can check out her blog to see some examples of her fabulous work. We love Moments of Grace photography and we love Julie!!!

HI Everybody!!

I'm still around...just been neglecting my blog.

Life has been a little crazy in the last few months. To make it quick, we went to Arizona for Thanksgiving and got to spend time with Grandma and cousins, I had my tonsils removed, went on a weekend trip to San Diego, and I've been crocheting up a storm...a BIG STORM!!! And...I'm getting a new tattoo on New Year's Day (SUPER EXCITED about that). I don't have my pictures on the computer yet 'cause I've been slacking, but I'll come back and get some pictures up soon...I promise.

I hope this finds you all doing well. A belated Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!!

LOVELOVELOVE

Mystery Hostess Party

Hi Everyone...

So, I am really excited to be doing a Mystery Hostess Party this month!!!! Here's the basic concept...Everyone who places an order under my October Online Party event will be entered into a raffle to win the hostess rewards. AND...if you invite your friends to order, you get an extra entry for every 10 friends you invite (cc me in the email so I know who you invited...thogan4110@gmail.com) The more the merrier...and the better the hostess rewards will be :D AND...if you book a party, you get 5 extra entries.

I almost forgot...the customer special for this month is awesome!!! When you spend $31, you can get the Organizing Utility Tote for just $5!!!!! Normal retail price is $22...that's a $17 savings!!! This bag is AMAZING!!! One great big center with SEVEN pockets on the outside. I've had customers use them for a diaper bag, swim bag, teacher tote...the possibilities are endless. Here's the flyer...it is available in 8 super cute prints.

So...send out those invites, check out the catalogs (Our new Holiday Gift Guide is available with some adorable new products and prints), place an order, ask me about hosting a party, and get excited...you could be the party hostess without having to do any work.

Dad's Surgery

Hi Everyone...sorry it's been awhile. I'll have to fill you in in another post.

But this one is an update on my dad. He had his first knee replacement surgery yesterday morning. The doctor said it went very well and everything fit together perfectly. Dad spent a very very long time in recovery (from 11 to about 6:30)...he had a very hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Had a couple bouts of nausea from the pain and the pain meds.

He finally got moved into his room around 6:30 :) We are happy about where he is as we know a few of the nurses who work on the floor he's on (my Aunt Shivawn and Sheila, a friend from church).

So...he'll be in the hospital for a few days and then off to a rehab place for a week or two where he'll get lots of physical therapy.

You can all be praying for perseverance for him to make it through the pain, and be praying that he gets into a good rehab facility (After his toe amputation they put him in a facility that was more like a convalescent home with terrible care...we don't want to go through that again), and just for a speedy recovery (he's determined to get out there for track season).

Thanks for your love and prayers.

LOVELOVELOVE

Hello???

Is anyone out there???

Here's a picture of me and Anthony.
We tried to go to the Griffith Observatory for our one year anniversary...but due to a full parking lot we settled for a nice picnic in the shade across the canyon from the observatory.

Thirty-One

Hi Everyone~

It's been a busy couple weeks getting my feet wet with my new Thirty-One business...and it's been a blast. I was so excited to be able to get a full party's worth amount of orders before even receiving my enrollment kit!!! Did I say I was excited about that...yeh...super excited!

I held my debut party this past Thursday and I think it went pretty well. I was excited and nervous going into it, but we had a great time just hanging out as a group of women and looking at great products.

I'm having another party this week Thursday night at 6:30 at my house. If you're reading this and would like to come, just leave a comment and I'll give you all the info :) I would love to have you!!!

I realized I didn't include my website address in the last post...so here it is: www.mythirtyone.com/29846

Stop by and check it out. You can see this month's specials and look through the catalog. And if you can't make it to the party Thursday night, you can place an order online. Just go to my events and click on the "shop now" option.

Let me know if you have any questions about Thirty-One, if you'd like to host a party, or if you're interested in the business oportunity. I'd love to answer any questions you may have.

LOVELOVELOVE

A New and Exciting Journey

Hi Everyone..It's been awhile again, but I have something exciting to share with you all. As of yesterday I have my own business as a Thirty-One Gifts consultant and I am so so so excited about it. Thirty-One is a faith-based company (based on the scripture of Proverbs 31, the virtuous woman) whose goal is to "Celebrate, Encourage, and Reward" women. We sell purses, organizational totes, backpacks, thermal lunch boxes, wallets, and so much more. Check out the catalog to see all the adorable and functional goodies. Most items can be personalized, and this month only, it only costs $1!!! We also have great hostess rewards, so let me know if you would like to host your own party.

I already got my first couple orders in the first day of being a consultant, and I am so so excited to tell you all about our products. Please don't hesitate if you have any questions about our products or hosting a party.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been busy, busy, busy crocheting up a storm. I've got a bag full of awesome goodies.

I made this adorable green and brown baby blanket for my cousin who is just about ready to pop. She and her husband didn't find out the gender of their little "skittle", so I thought green and brown would be safe. Turns out it was perfect, because those are the colors of the nursery. I love when things work out that way. (Picture to come. I'm waiting to have it emailed to me as I forgot to take a picture before giving it to my cousin.)

And I wish I could talk about and post pictures of the things I've made in the last month...but they are meant to be a gift...so I'll have to wait awhile to show you those. I'm super excited to give them to the inteded recipient and see her face!!! So you will all have to wait for pictures of those.

I have come to love checking Teresa's Learn to Crochet - Free Instructions and Patterns blog. She has all kinds of great patterns...with instructional videos to follow along. Crochet is so relaxing for me...and a great way to keep my hands busy when I have nothing to do at work ;)

Anyways...just wanted to share that with you all.

LOVELOVELOVE

I am Terrible

Soooo...I said several months ago that I was going to be posting something everyday...a sentence, a picture, something. Since I put that up, I haven't posted a single blog. This was brought to my attention Sunday afternoon by my dear cousin. Thanks for the nudge ;) It's good to know that people do actually check in on me.

I'm going to be a little more realistic and shoot for one post a week for awhile. Maybe eventually I'll get to that post a day place...but not any time soon.

Here's a pretty rose Anthony gave me :D

LOVELOVELOVE

Diaper Cakes

So....My mom, grandma, aunt and I ventured to Northern California a couple weeks ago to go to my cousin's baby shower. When we got there, my other aunt asked if any of us had ever made a diaper cake. She wanted to make one as a surprise for Cheryse and she had gotten all the "ingredients" and printed directions from the internet. So the three of us dived in head first.
Here it is before decoration:

Then came the decoration. Since they don't know the sex of the baby, they chose green and brown for their colors. Aunt Grace had everything we needed. Here is the finished project as the centerpiece at the shower.

Now...two weeks later, I have another shower...which I won't be able to attend because I have to work. So I decided to try my hand at my own diaper cake. It was a lot of fun to plan what I wanted to go into the cake. Included in my cake are baby powder, bottle, bottle brush, fingernail clippers, washcloths, comb & brush, pacifiers, and travel-size lotion, shampoo, body wash, and desitin. I went the the color scheme of brown and blue for this cake...and here are a few pictures of how it turned out.I can't wait to see the look on mom-to-be's face. :)

If you have a baby shower coming up...a diaper cake is a creative and practical gift that any mom will love. The ingredients aren't set in stone, so you can include whatever you like. Let me know if you want me to make one for you, or want help making one...it's lots of fun.

We Meet Again

I am terrible. I haven't posted for 6 months...and I really don't have much of an excuse. So, let me fill you in on a couple things for now.

I currently work 3 steady jobs for two different places. I put together the weekly newsletter and publish it online for Valley Christian Schools. And then I work with Dash Transit and at the Weingart Senior Center for the City of Lakewood, Recreation and Community Services Department. I do have an interview for a full-time job on Wednesday morning, so I'll let you all know how that goes.

I do have a man in my life...and I am embarrassed that I am only now writing about him, since we've been together 8 months already. He is amazing and he makes me so happy. I wouldn't trade the last 8 months for anything in the world.

The end of last year and beginning of this year were incredibly hard, but I'll touch on that in a later post.

I no longer attend Sunday morning services at ERC. I am part of a church planting team who has started a house church in the city of Compton. What an amazing adventure as we are learning and growing together. I'm am blessed to be a part of that family.

That's just a bit to start. I am making it a resolution, starting today, to try to post a little something, whether it be just a photo, a sentence, or a full-blown post, every day. (Someone keep me accountable)

Thanks for visiting.

LOVELOVELOVE

P.S. Here's a picture

I'm Back

So...I've been absent for quite a few months now. I'm sorry. I don't really have any good excuse, so I won't even try.

This summer has been a busy one, full of big trips and little ones. Today I'll give you one of the smaller ones. Think way back to June. I flew back out to Iowa only two short weeks after vacation to go pick up and bring home my graduation present (which my parents didn't really have to pay for). His name is Wilson...

He is a five year old Bichon Friese and I love him buckets and buckets. I would dare to say he's the best dog I could have ever gotten. He came house and kennel trained, he doesn't shed, and he doesn't bark unless someone is playing with him. What more could you ask for really.

So, I've been adjusting to life with a dog over the last couple months. Getting up at 6 in the morning to take him for walk, making sure he gets out during the day and has food and water in his bowls. He's a pretty funny dog, so one of these days I'll post a video for your viewing pleasure.

I promise I won't be absent for months at a time anymore. I'll be back to tell the tales of my trips over the summer.

Thanks for reading.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Good Ol' Orange City

So...it's spring break for me and I'm back in Orange City for the rest of this week. I flew in yesterday and I head home again on Saturday. It is soooo good to be here (and really nice to not have to go to class :) I had a blast going around to find and surprise all my friends last night, and then some of my profs today. Their reactions were a visual and physical reminder of how much I really am loved.

I am realizing that I really do miss my life here. I absolutely love being at home in SoCal, but this is like home too. I miss the slower pace of life, and being able to walk home 4 blocks at 11:30 at night and not being worried that someone is gonna get you...which I did last night.

It feels so good to get away and just relax and have some down time, and time to really focus on a few things that really need to get done (i.e. job applications and my exit portfolio).

So...I am going to spend some good quality time with my friends and thoroughly enjoy the time I have here.

LOVELOVELOVE

Twilight Saga Completed!!

So...it's been quite a while, and I thought that I should maybe put another post up so you all know I am still alive. I am still here, though I disappeared for a bit.

I am proud to say that I have read all four of the twilight books!!! :D

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.



Soooo good...you can't say anything about them until you've read them. I was a little skeptical until I read the first one...and then I was hooked. I took about a 2 month break between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn because I was waiting for my friend to finish the last book. Then I got tired of waiting, so I bought it myself, and I read the whole thing in 8 days!! AMAZING!!

And yesterday, my mom bought the movie, since it's finally out, and we watched it, since I hadn't seen it yet. It was pretty good. Bella's house and the Cullens' house look nothing like what I had pictured in my head while reading the books. But it stayed pretty true to the book, which made me happy.

So, there's a little post for you to enjoy.

Life is getting better. I'll try to keep you posted more often now as to how I'm doing and what's going on in life.

As always...

LOVELOVELOVE

New Hair :D

So...here's the new look. I cut about 8 inches off of it. I decided I needed to have a fresh start, and so...off came the hair.

Here's another view of the hair

And a crazy face...just for fun

Still Sad, But Oh So Blessed

This weekend has been the most painful of my life. While it's hard, if not nearly impossible, to see it right now, I know that God has a plan for me. He will use this situation to prepare me for something better down the road. I have been so blessed to be reminded of this by so many of you. Blessed to know that I am surrounded with family and friends who care deeply about me and are praying for me. It's going to take a while, but I know things will get better. And it's because God is holding me in his arms, and because all of you are holding me in your prayers and thoughts. I can't thank you enough.

This is a poem that a dear friend sent to me. I found it to be very truthful, though I still have "a while" to go.

"After a While"

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

It's a Sad, Sad Day

Well, I've neglected my blog for a while, and I wish I had happy news to blog about. But that is not the case.

As of yesterday, I am no longer engaged. Mike called off the wedding and our relationship is done.

So now, as I try to keep up with life, I ask for your prayers. Prayers for strength and prayers for guidance.

What A Start To The New Year

Happy New Year...just a couple days late!! I hope this finds you all well.

New Year's Eve was a lot of fun. Mike and I hung out with a bunch of my friends from high school. We spent the night playing all sorts of different games and just spending time together. It was so good to see most of my friends again. Driving home was super scary though. The fog was insanely intense. I was glad Mike was driving and we were in his truck...that made me feel much safer.

New Year's Day we spent just hanging out as a family. We watched the Rose Parade off and on, which is always a good time. We went over to my papa and nana's house for the traditional lunch meal of pigs-in-the-blanket...sooooo good. Then we headed home to watch USC kick butt in the Rose Bowl. GO TROJANS!!!!!!

I also spent the day reading New Moon...the second book in the Twilight saga...and I finished it too. I started Ecilpse this morning at work. I'm hoping...rather ambitiously...that I can get this book and the next one done before Monday. I need to get done as soon as possible so I can focus on student teaching, which I start on Monday.

Today hasn't been the greatest. Yesterday, mid-morning, I noticed that the left side of my throat was pretty sore. I knew right away it wouldn't end up well. When I got home from work, I checked it, and sure enough, my sore was back. In the last 7 months, I have now had this sore 4 times. My throat and glands get swollen, and I get a really nasty looking sore in the back left side of my throat. So, after work and a coffee meeting with my first cooperating teacher, my mom and I headed to urgent care to see what we could find out. After waiting for 2 hours, I finally got brought back to see a doctor. I had a fever of 100.3...bleck. Then the doctor came in and asked what was up and checked my heart..."deep breaths, now"...then he looked at my throat...this is what he said, "That looks terrible!!" He decided I needed to be tested for strep and mono...which I've been tested for the last two times I've had this stupid sore. They did the tests and both came back negative. But he decided to give me a shot of penicillin to try to combat whatever it is. So...after a total of three hours in urgent care, they swabbed my throat, pricked my finger, and stabbed my butt....and we still don't know exactly what this stupid thing is. He said that it is probably something to do with my tonsils...so the next time it comes back, I should head to an E.N.T. (Ear, Nose, & Throat Dr.), and that they may decide to take my tonsils out...YAY for me. So now I'm at home with a sore butt and feeling a little loopy and tired after taking some medicine for the pain. What a day!

I'm soooo looking forward to starting my student teaching experience on Monday. I just have a really good feeling about it. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. For now, I think I'm gonna give in to the drug induced sleepiness.

LOVE LOVE LOVE