New Family??

HEY! HEY! Welcome back to the blog.. Many new things have popped up and new things have changed in my so called crazy life. So lets get to the story....

Flashback to Christmas of 2017, my parents, aunts and uncles decided to get my grandparents the AncestryDNA kit, which allows for people to spit in a cup and it is then sent of to the lab to be tested. The tests then share exactly where our ancestors are from. Something cool the test also does is it allows for the opportunity to match other DNA strands with others who have done the test. This allows for you to find cousins, and other family members. And that's exactly what happened to us.

A little side note, my grandma on my moms side, Debbie, is the only one left out of her side of the family. My grandma had an older sister named Pam, a younger brother named Bobby, and her younger sister Cindy. They have all passed away, as well as her parents. 

So, my grandma and grandpa sent the test in and received they then received their results back. There were a few matches, but not a whole ton of new family that we received.

Jump to Father's Day which was in the month of June. Another person had received the same test by AncestryDNA from his sons. He received his results back as well and through the app that you can get for the test, it stated that there was a 99% match with someone who could possibly be a family member. 

My grandma Debbie also received the same notification. This man named Mark ended up messaging my grandma. They were both a match for being HIGHLY RELATED! Basically saying they were family. They talked for a few months through the app and then they finally found each other on Facebook. They talked for a few months and planned a day where they could meet each other. 

On September 20th, 2018, my grandma, grandpa and I drove up to Salt Lake City, Utah. The next day was the day my grandma Debbie and her long lost brother were going to meet. 

September 21st, 2018, was a day that I would of never thought would of happened in our family. It was such a great experience to be able to witness this sight.

How did my grandma end up having a long-lost brother? Well, my great-grandmother, Grandma Dottie and my great-grandfather, Grandpa Charlie, were not doing so well in their marriage. They were fixed to have a divorce. Apparently, my grandma Dottie ended up being pregnant and couldn't raise 5 kids, so she and grandpa Charlie ended up giving up the baby that Dottie was pregnant with (which is also Mark). For years my grandma and Mark never knew each other. The only way that they found out that they were related was through AncestryDNA. 

I also don't believe in coincidences... How is it that both Mark and my grandma Debbie had the same exact test? If either one of them used a different DNA test company, they would of never found out they were family.

Hopefully this all makes sense. I know I am still kind of trying to process such a thing, and I can't imagine what my grandma Debbie is even going through as she finds out she has a brother. 

It's amazing to know that we have great technology which makes these things possible. Below are some pictures of when they first met, and the two families which just became one.

Love, Hannah 

The first hug

Going through pictures!

More pictues!

Mark is the one with the blue background, and the other pic is of my grandma (middle) and her siblings.

The addition to the family.

Mark and my Grandma Debbie

Welcome Back to the Real WORLD!

PEOPLE!!! It has been a really long time since I have actually told you all what I have been doing in my life. I honestly wanted to share a few things I have been thinking about lately... Soo bear with me as I get kind of deep and personal here.

So, I got home last March. March 30, 2017 to be exact. Coming home from this grand adventure I just had was not easy. I had been away from my family and friends for a total of 18 1/2 months. Honestly, its a really long time, but during the time I was on my mission, I grew so much. Individually, I became a stronger person who was able to take care of myself. Mentally, I also grew stronger because I had to get through tough times by myself with the help of my Savior Jesus Christ. Emotionally, I had to go through so many ups and downs that I didn't know was actually going to happen while on my mission, but I definitely grew in those 18 months. I am so grateful for the time I was able to serve my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

For those of you who don't know, I struggled coming home. I honestly didn't want to even come home from my mission. I feel as if I could of stayed out there just a little bit longer, but I knew I NEEDED to come home to help others here in my hometown learn about the gospel and family members who were struggling. Stepping off the plane to come home was a weird feeling. So many thoughts were running through my head. Some of them were what was going to happen in this next chapter in my life and how am I going to have ANY purpose whatsoever. I was an emotional wreck and honestly even today I still have breakdowns about what to do with my next chapter. (Sooo if anyone wants to help a women out, please help me as I work on this chapter...) Haha! Just kidding! Something I am working on right now. 

I have almost been home for 18 months which is a mission. In those months I have had many ups and plenty of downs in my life. I am soooo grateful for the ups that I have had, of course not so much the downs. You know how it goes...  There were a few things that were totally different as I came home and I am still struggling to figure out.. Here's my list....

1. Friends: Literally this has been one thing I have honestly struggled with since being home. After being gone for 18 months and experiencing so many things and growing so much, it was and is still super hard to feel pretty normal in the real world. While on your mission your life kind of gets put on hold. You aren't going to school, work, most missionaries don't even have social media. So while you are growing in so many different ways, your friends are still living their own lives. Coming home you are just kind of jumping back into a routine they kind of already had. It's a pretty rough situation. People don't necessarily forget about you, but they do kind of move on in a way and its hard to remember that. 

2. Family: This is probably one the HARDEST things too. It's honestly very similar to how friends are. I have a younger brother and a younger sister. Trenton is 3 years younger than me, and my sister Madalyn is 6 years younger. While you are gone they still end up growing. Honestly, they start living like you aren't even there anymore. I know HARSH.. And when you get back you honestly have to just jump back into their routine (which you just came back with probably one of the craziest routines you will ever have as a human being). Relationships that I had before my mission were definitely different and continue to be different. That is definitely something that I have been trying to work out. Learning to work with relationships and trying to definitely strengthen them again.

3. Trying to fit in: This is still something that I am currently working on. Even after being home for a year and a half I am still honestly struggling with not saying stupid things and honestly not being a weirdo and making some weird comment (happens to me all the time). Haha! 

4. Clothing Style: As a missionary you literally wear like one clothing style basically. All you wear for 18 months is straight skirts and a nice top or dresses. Occasionally, you have the opportunity to wear pants but thats for service projects. Other than those times we have our workout clothing. But coming back into the real world its honestly not super fashionable to always wear skirts or dresses. So clothing to me has been a struggle to see exactly what is "me." 

I hope someone is in need of this. Just know you aren't alone and that there are other people out in the world who are struggling with coming home from the greatest 18 months or even 2 years. It slowly does get better. Just remember that Heavenly Father and Our Savior Jesus Christ truly do love you and know you personally. I have been wanting to write something along these lines for a while now and I just never knew how to write it and what exactly I needed to say. Something lately happened and made me really think about all of these experiences I have had which made me write this post. 

Below are a few pictures of my homecoming. I am seriously so grateful for my mission and the many things I was able to learn. I am grateful also for the things that I have been learning since being home. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I honestly hope this helps someone out..

Love you all!

<3 div="" hannah="" nbsp="">

Flying home! AHHHHH!! Sister Tibbits, Hermana Howard, Sister Johns, and Sister Olson. 

Lauren and I!

Koben showing me his sign he made!

First hug was my momma! <3 td="">

The best hug you will ever get! <3 td="">

Alix and I. Hadn't seen her forever!!!

Alix again!! <3 td="">

Hugging my not so little sister! <3 td="">

Hugging my great grandma! 

Cheesin with the grams <3 td="">

Another great hug!! with my Dad <3 td="">

Haha wet her sweatshirt with my happy tears!

He never wears t-shirts but he did for me! <3 td="">

Hugging so many people! <3 td="">

My Aunt Steph! haha don't know about the whole family!<3 br="">
So many friends and family were able to come and I am so grateful for the support that they gave me as I served the Lord. <3 nbsp="" td="">