IM BACK!!!

Hey there lovelies! I have been crazy busy, and I can’t wait to tell you all about my past few months while I’ve been MIA!

So…. I GOT ENGAGED! WHOOP WHOOP! My man popped the question…FINALLY (; …. on Christmas Eve! Although many other things have happened these past few months, this is by far the most important and exciting event that has occurred.

That being said, let’s just go ahead skip to the good stuff. Here is HOW HE ASKED!!!

I knew the time was coming for when my wonderful boyfriend would ask me to become his wife, but he totally surprised me with how he asked.

 

Every Christmas Eve, our church does a service and Nathan and I are usually involved with the worship band. Thinking that the night was coming to an end, I relaxed as we spent the evening opening presents and eating comfort food with our family.

Suddenly, Nathan stood up and said his sister’s car had broken down on the side of the road and he had to leave to go and be her Knight in Shining Armor. It was a believable story because her car had actually broken down earlier that day at my house. Of course I offered to help him, but he urged me to stay with my family. Little did I know, he was being sneaky and setting up for the proposal. There was no broken down car!

I couldn’t figure out why my family was rushing the “kids” (even being adults we’ve accepted we’ll always sit at the kids table until we’ve had children of our own #notbitter) to open presents! Usually, it is the other way around! We gave in and opened our presents together. Once we had finished, my cousin jumped up and with a giggle and excitement in her voice she said, “wait there’s one more!!!”

Inside this last present of mine, was a book that Nathan had put together of memories, cards, tickets, and notes from places we have been together.

On the last page, there was a note that read, “Hannah Elizabeth, this book is just the start to something so much greater. Memories and stories will fill these pages. I’m so honored and blessed to have called you my girlfriend and best friend. If you could please join me at the place where we had our first dance. I’d like to make one more. I’ll be waiting patiently.”

Long story short, I walked down a path showered with roses that led to my soon-to-be husband, who was standing under a gazebo that he had strung lights around. He asked, and of course I said YES!!!

We are so excited for this new season of engagement that God has for us. I am the luckiest girl on earth and cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with Nathan Justice!

Love,

Hannah

xoxo

 

Standards that Set Young Living Apart

Have you ever wondered what sets Young Living apart from other oil companies?

Why you shouldn’t buy oils from the store and how it can actually be DANGEROUS!

In this blog, I want to share a podcast by Young Living that talks about what sets them apart! Tune in HERE!

OTHER PODCASTS

1. ESSENTIAL OILS & SCIENCE

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

2. UNCOMPROMISED STEWARDSHIP

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

 

 

A Heart of Worship

Hey Fam!

A few months ago, I read a book called, “How to Worship A King, ” by Zach Neese.

After reading this book, God placed a huge burden on my heart to talk about what a heart of worship looks like. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect. I am still on this journey just like everyone else, but if you take the time to let me share with you the story God has written on my heart, I promise it’ll be worth it.

This post is going to be more focused on those in a current leadership position in a church. If you do not play a role in church leadership, apply what is said into your daily life and current situations. (Leading your family, your job, etc.)

Intro

This passage I have here for you guys takes place in Malachi 1. The first time I read this passage was at Hillsong college, in Australia. It’s a longer passage, but it is too good to shorten it!

If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then that means that His heart for us and worship is still the same!

I want you to read and meditate on this passage before we dive into some deeper points.

No More of This So-Called Worship!

1 A Message. God’s Word to Israel through Malachi:

^2-3 God said, “I love you.”

You replied, “Really? How have you loved us?”

“Look at history” (this is God’s answer). “Look at how differently I’ve treated you, Jacob, from Esau: I loved Jacob and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town.”

⁴ When Edom (Esau) said, “We’ve been knocked down, but we’ll get up and start over, good as new,” God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, “Just try it and see how far you get. When I knock you down, you stay down. People will take one look at you and say, ‘Land of Evil!’ and ‘the God-cursed tribe!’

⁵ “Yes, take a good look. Then you’ll see how faithfully I’ve loved you and you’ll want even more, saying, ‘May God be even greater, beyond the borders of Israel!’

⁶ “Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where’s the respect?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: “You priests despise me!

“You say, ‘Not so! How do we despise you?’

“By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship.

“You ask, ‘What do you mean, “defiling”? What’s defiling about it?’

^7-8 “When you say, ‘The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,’ that’s defiling. And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you’re trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn’t that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.

⁹ “Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I’ll pay attention to you?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.

¹⁰ “Why doesn’t one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don’t want any more of this so-called worship!

Offering God Something Hand-Me-Down, Broken, or Useless

¹¹ “I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They’re saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.’

^12-13 “All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,’ and when you say, ‘I’m bored—this doesn’t do anything for me.’ You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it’s a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I’m going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!

¹⁴ “A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I’m a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I’ll not put up with it!”

Wow. The first time I read this, I had to actually repent for not giving God the honor and respect he deserves.

Now, I am not going to tip toe around this subject because of the seriousness and importance of it. Let’s dive in.

BEING PREPARED!

I want you to recall the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4.  Abel was very concerned about his sacrifice being special to God. He chose his first and best lamb and offered it to the Lord. Abel gave up his most prized possession. It was important to him to try his best to do as God had asked. Cain, on the other hand, did the opposite. Cain was a farmer and gave the least of his crop.

WE do the same thing in our daily lives and especially worship!

• Musicians, Singers, and Teachers, do you come to church prepared and ready to worship? Or do you come thinking “well it doesn’t really matter if I know all the words/songs/chords.” That is the same attitude that God says he despises.
• Musicians, it is not just the job of the singers to lead the congregation in worship. You are a team working together in perfect harmony to usher in the presence of God.

My God deserves my best. Realizing that worship is not about me was a huge wake up call.

• There are too many worship leaders who come to practice unprepared and their excuse is “Let’s just flow and let the Spirit move.” Now don’t get me wrong, I love ushering in God’s presence, being sensitive to the Holy spirit, and allowing Him to move us.

But let me explain the importance of being prepared: When you are prepared, it gives the Spirit room to move and creates the comfortability and readiness for more flow in the service. When no one knows what is going on, this just equals chaos and confusion.

In addition to us being physically prepared for worship, we need to be spiritually prepared!

Here are a few questions I ask myself:

• Is my heart in the right place? Am I on platform for the right reasons?
• How is my personal relationship with the Lord. Not when I’m being watched, but am I making an effort to learn scripture and grow my relationship with my Savior.
• Are you living in harmony with those on your team?
• Is my life outside of church pleasing to God?
• Is there anything I am doing outside of church that could be a stumbling block to myself or others?

As a worship leader, I am not just called to live a life of worship on stage. True worship is pursuing Christlikeness daily and glorifying Him in everything I do.

I want to encourage you to re-read over the list above. Pray and ask God to humble your heart and show you if there is anything you are doing that is negatively effecting your worship. I myself have to ask myself these questions often.

We are all on a journey. None of us have “arrived.” Give the grace to others that God has so freely given you.

Thank you for letting me share my heart with y’all! Each one of you are so precious and you have a heavenly father who loves you dearly.

Love,

Hannah

xoxo

 

 

Getting Started With Essential Oils

YL Lavender Farm. Photo Credit: Oily Families

I’m so glad you are wanting to get started with Young Living Essential Oils!
First of all, you for sure want a WHOLESALE MEMBERSHIP. When you have a wholesale membership you get 24% off all oils for life! Wow.

(if you are ready to sign up now and skip all the info, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to find the sign-up link!)

Let’s dive in!

How do I become a wholesale member?

• Get a YL starter kit!
• There are many to choose from, but the basic starter kit is my favorite.
  

  Basic Starter Kit. PC: Oily Families

What comes in a Basic Starter Kit?

• 10 everyday oils + an extra 5ml stress away bottle
• 4 ninxgia red packets
• diffuser of your choice
• sample packets for on the go (great to keep in your purse, or in your car).
• roller cap attachment

What’s the big deal about Young Living? Why can’t I just buy oils for cheap from the store?

• First and foremost, quality matters.

• YL oils are 100% pure. Nothing added to them. They have a strict seed to seal policy. You can actually visit their farms!

• Sadly, the FDA only requires that 5% of the bottle be essential oil in order to label it 100%. So if you’re buying oils from the store, chances are they are making oils the cheap way and they aren’t actually 100% pure essential oil. This is no bueno! Know your brands!

• YL does not use any kind of pesticides on their farms. They use their own oils for weed killer and pest control.

• These oils are very concentrated and powerful. This means that they work and they will last longer! (15ml bottles have 250 drops, and a 5ml bottle has 120 drops). You usually use 2-3 drops per use, but if you’re using a cheap store bought brand, you many have to use up to 20 drops to feel any benefits from the oils!

Office Goals! Picture from Alyssa with Oily Families.

Young Living is not “Just another Network Marketing Company.”

• Did you know that YL is a Christian company?!
• When you hear someone say, “I sell oils” do you automatically think “they are just trying to make money off of me.” With most Network Marketing companies, this thought would be true. However, Young Living as all about finding a need that someone has and meeting that need.
• Young Living has provided financial freedom for so many people, including myself. (If you would like to hear more about the income opportunities with YL, contact me through our contact page).
• Those of us who share Young Living with others do it because we believe in this company and have seen their products do amazing things! Why wouldn’t we want to share it with those around us!

 

When it comes to starting a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family, I want the best. I trust this company and their integrity.

I’m in love with YL and that is why I want to share it with you guys!

Now that you know why you should choose Young Living, let’s get you signed up!

Once you order your kit, I will send you a step by step guide on how to use your oils! I am so exited to help you and watch you grow on your journey to wellness! Thanks for joing my YL tribe!

Click HERE to sign up

If you still have some questions, feel free to contact me anytime! If you’d like to learn more, you can sign up for one of my monthly oils classes via My Instagram!

Top 12 Date Ideas

Spending quality time with your significant other is precious and so valuable.

Here are a few dates Nathan and I have been on.

(And others we plan on doing soon)

Enjoy!

 

1. Seasonal Picnic!

• Winter / Fall: Cozy up with some warm fuzzy jackets and blankets while drinking hot cocoa (or a warm cup of joe). You can even visit a park and sit on a bench and watch the sunset!
• Spring / Summer: Grab your favorite quilt and relax by a nice pond and talk about your future dreams and goals.

2. Rock Climbing

• This date is perfect for yucky weather.
• Staying healthy and active with your partner is a great way to keep your relationship (and body) strong LOL! Texas Rock Gym in Houston

3. Thrift Store Double Date Game

• Grab a few friends and head on over to your local thrift store.
• The boys buy outfits for the girls while the girls wait outside and visa versa. Next, head out to a restaurant or go bowling in your goofy outfits!
• YOU CAN ONLY SPEND $20 per person on outfits! (Nathan and I hope to do this one soon!)

4. Hammocking

• Visit a nearby park, set up a hammock, and enjoy the weather!
• You can even go on a walk, or add this to your picnic date!

5. Some Home Cooking

• Surprise your significant other with their favorite dish!
• Or make a “from-scratch” pizza together. This can get a little messy, but messy is fun! Pizza Recipes

6. A Few Places to Explore in H-Town

• Talk to strangers, meet new people, maybe even take a tour! (Houston and Galveston offer many great segway tours) Segway Tours on Groupon
• GO SHOPPING! (One of my favorites)
• Visit a museum, animal shelter, or go to all the different painted walls in H-town!

7. Drive in Movie Theatre

• These are so much fun! And very affordable!
• The Showboat Drive-In is a great option! They play old fashioned music (by tuning in through a radio station) and they even have a snack bar! I would suggest bringing your own snacks, the line is very long!
• You can even bring lawn chairs, blankets, and portable radio so that you can enjoy the movie from the bed of a truck or outside of your car.

8. Old Fashioned Coffee Date

• Find nifty coffee shops and share a drink at each place you go!
• Try pastries and just enjoy getting to know one another. No matter how long you’ve been with your partner, there are always new and exciting things to discover about one another. Maybe even adopt a cat while you sip on that cold brew. (or just admire from a distance if you’re more of a dog person!)
• Here are a few of our favorites: Blue Cat Cafe in Austin, Onion Creek Coffehouse in HOU, The Honeymoon Cafe HOU, Boomtown Coffee HOU

9. GO TO AN ARCADE!

• Most arcades are very affordable and they feel like a blast from the past!
• The Game Preserve WOODLANDS TX

10. Simple, but Elegant Dinner Date

• Dress up and show off your date!
• Men, this is your night to impress your lady. Be a Gent and open doors for her (this a regular thing for us southern women #spoiled).
• This doesn’t have to be over the top expensive. Just let your date know how much you admire and adore them!
• Some of our FAVORITE restaurants: The Olive Oil – Woodlands TX (Live Greek music, a dance floor, and AMAZING FOOD! Make reservations). The Goode CO. – Woodlands TX (A bbq and Mexican restaurant next door to each other),  The Conservatory – HOU, Fielding – The Woodlands ( honestly the best food I’ve ever had).

11. At Home Movie & Spa Night!

• Did someone say Hallmark? Pull out all the romantic comedies and giggle and even make fun of the insane amount of cheesiness together!
• Get a cheap face mask, or hair mask from the store, OR make your own using essential oils!
• Ladies, maybe do something sweet for your man: like making him his favorite dessert (since he has to watch all those romantic comedies with you! hehe)

12. JUST HAVE FUN!

• Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you do! Taking the time to invest into you relationship is what matters. BE SPONTANEOUS!
• Honestly, Nathan and I have some of the most fun and entertaining grocery store trips! He’s my best friend and makes everything a blast!

Take the time to appreciate one another and spend quality time with the person you love today!

Love,

Hannah

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe

Howdy!

I am so excited to share with y’all about how to find “your people.”

A group of like minded people who will lift you up and bring out your best qualities!

You may have heard the saying “your vibe attracts your tribe,” but what does it mean?

Or maybe you’ve heard the saying “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Let’s take the next few minutes to talk about who your tribe is and how can you find them!

Why Does Your Tribe Matter?

Your vibe attracts your tribe. I’ve heard this saying basically my whole life, but never really thought about it until a few years ago. I believe this little nugget of wisdom to be 100% true!

so let’s dive on in…

• One of the best ways to attract “your people” is to be yourself.
• If you are pretending to be someone that you’re not, you’re going to attract a tribe that has nothing in common with the real you.

– love my Michelle-

When I was in Jr. high, I found myself constantly critiquing and criticizing almost everything about myself! I would look in the mirror and find at least 10 things that were wrong with my body every time I looked at my reflection.

One day, I had the realization of where the core of my negativity was coming from! I hung out with a group of girls who were always so hard on themselves and even me! I had fallen into their unhealthy habits.

Once I understood that my friend group was causing me to put myself down, I knew I had to walk away. I stopped spending every weekend with them. I loved them and encouraged them, but they were not my core group of friends.

I surrounded myself with leaders and friends from my church who poured love and affirmation into me.

I realized that I didn’t hate myself! I actually loved myself. I knew that I had a Heavenly Father who had made me in his perfect image.

Fast forward: now I’m serving at my church where I am surrounded by so many Godly friends who love me for me. (The ugly and pretty parts!)

-My sweet friend Ariel-

So It’s Everyone Else Who Has To Change?

This belief is very harmful to your relationships. Scripture talks about how we often try to pick the specks out of our friend’s eye while we have a huge plank in our own! If you are having an extremely difficult time finding faithful and solid friends, have you ever thought that maybe they aren’t the problem?

I️ encourage you to take some time and ask God if there is anything you are doing that is toxic to your relationships.

It makes sense that the kind of people we tend to gravitate toward are those who make us feel uplifted, loved, encouraged, inspired, and supported. When I take a moment to think about it, those are also qualities of the kind of person I want to be—someone who makes others feel comfortable and valued, someone regarded as reliable and generous.

– I met these two amazing ladies through YL! Thank you Jesus-

Courageous Choices

• Sometimes you have to be brave enough to let go of those who keep weighing you down.
• Surround yourself with those who are on the same mission as you.
• Choose to believe what the Bible says about you. There are chapters upon chapters in the Bible where God tells you who you are and your value. He actually says you are far more valuable that any precious jewel. WOW!
• Find friends who see you the way Jesus sees you. Ask God to help you become the type friend you’d like to have. Are you gracious when others around you make mistakes? Do you give others the same love that Jesus has given you?

This little life lesson is so valuable. I pray that you can find “your people.” Those who will lift you up and encourage you to be the best version of yourself!

Love,

Hannah

Xoxo

Top 10 Travel Hacks

Nathan and I both love to travel!

It is so fun exploring new cultures and spending heaps of time with those you love. These next two months, Nathan and I will be traveling a lot! I am most excited for our trip to Park City, Utah in December! (Hopefully I can snowboard and keep up with my Nathan Justice)!

Let’s be real for a moment. There’s a lot of hassle and exhaustion that comes with travel.

In order to avoid the common stresses of travel, I’m going to share with you the things that help me get through, and ENJOY the not so fun parts of traveling!

TOP 10 TRAVEL ESSENTIALS / HACKS

1. COMFY CLOTHES: I love comfy clothes! Riding in the car for 2 hours+ or flying in jeans is NOT comfortable. When traveling to a destination, I typically wear loose fitted clothing (joggers, cute sweatshirt) and slide on shoes during the trip. About thirty minutes prior to arriving at my location, I go and change into whatever I want to wear once I land/arrive at location.
2. MAKEUP: Girls, wearing makeup on trips makes your face feel greasy and heavy. Just like with the clothes hack, apply your makeup 30min prior to arriving at you destination! This will make your face less greasy and you have a better chance of not having a breakout!
3. ROLL YOUR CLOTHES: Rolling your clothes up in your suitcase creates more space, that allows you to fit in more things. You can even roll your socks and underwear for ultimate space-saving.
4. DRYER SHEETS: place a dryer sheet in your suitcase to keep your clothes smelling fresh!
5. PEPPERMINT OIL: This oil is a life saver. I get extremely car sick and nauseous when I travel, so keeping peppermint on me at all time is a must have! It will also clear up your sinuses! Take a few deep breaths, or apply it to the back of you neck and temples.
6. FREE ACTIVITIES: When driving, find free and exciting stops along the way! Most cities have free museums you can visit. These impromptu stops have made some of the best memories for Nathan and I!
7. SUNGLASSES CASE: store your power cords in an old sunglass case. This will keep you from loosing your mind!
8. WATER BOTTLE: Bring your own snacks and drinks when driving! When you are in a time crunch you usually have to go through a drive through or get some unhealthy snacks at a gas station. When Nathan and I bring our own snacks, it saves us heaps of time and makes us not feel gross! We tend to bring a cooler filled with fruit, nuts, and sweet potato chips!
9. NITRO: Nitro is an energy shot made by Young Living. It’s healthy for you and is made of wolf berry purée and essential oils!
10. MUSIC: Since Nathan and I both LOVE music, we always make sure we have an auxiliary chord or a speaker with us when we travel. It makes the time go by faster AND makes for fun sing a long moments!

Love, Hannah

xoxo

DIY BEESWAX CANDLES

Did you know, most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). In fact, the toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel flames.

After having a realization of how toxic candles and other household products are, I seriously started caring about what went in and on my body. Candles is one of the WORST things for you. Now I love my candles and that is why I made this super easy DIY project to share with your guys!

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of organic coconut oil
• 1 pellets bag or pound of beeswax
• Candle wicks
• Glass jars
• Pot and bowl
• Young Living Essential Oils (your desired drops)

Directions:

• Place beeswax and coconut oil in bowl and place over boiling water
• Stir until completely melted
• Add essential oils
• Pour into glass jar
• Wrap candle wick on stick and place in jar
• Let candle cool!

Growing Up In Hawaii

Growing up in Hawaii helped me experience many things that helped me grow into the man I am today. Anything from hearing 50 cents “in da club” on my friends 8th birthday party for the first time to pretty much scrapping and breaking all of my bones. I’m totally joking with you, but I was definitely prone to injury during my childhood!

(My sister Mariah, my dad, and I)

I was extremely adventurous and a little bit of a daredevil. The higher the tree, the bigger the wave, and the faster I could fly down a hill on my little bike the better!

While I lived in Hawaii, I lived the childhood dream! It was near perfect weather year round and I LOVED surfing at the coveted beaches that only the locals knew about. It’s crazy to think back on all of the blessings my family and I had there. I was genuinely blessed to live there and had no idea life could be any different.

(My dad and my 3 siblings)

The last two years of my family’s time on the Island were spent loving on three foster children. All three were brothers and local Hawaiians/Philippinos. The boys had come from a broken home. Before we took the boys in, they were living in a van with an abusive father. I appreciate the time my parents took to accept them into our family and show them what a loving home looked like. My parents, being the Christ followers they are, were able to provide comfort, guidance, food, and most importantly Godly parenting for them.

(My family and the three foster boys)

I won’t lie to you, these boys had their ups and downs. Which is why patience and forgiveness were often practiced in our home. Being able to see my earthly father reflect our Heavenly Father in his love for our family was life changing for these boys. As you can tell, it spoke to, changed me, and still encourages me to be do the same with kids of my own one day.

(My sister Naomi and I)

Hawaii and the memories that came from living there, will always have a special place in my heart. One day, I’ll take my sweet Hannah back and show her where I grew up and all of my favorite places! Thanks for letting me share pals.

Gotta blast,

Nathan Justice

How We Met

Hey guys! Today I get the privilege of writing about how Nathan and I met! Enjoy! -Hannah

Nathan, and I met in August of 2012. (Wow that seems like a life time ago!) His family was visiting my father’s church and I just thought Nathan was the cutest thing ever! As the giant butterflies in my stomach began to settle down, I approached him and introduced myself and tried to play it as cool as possible! (I think it was a bit of love at first sight for the both of us). We were so young and full of life and love.

 

(May 2014)

After becoming close friends and spending basically all of our time together, it was obvious we were beginning to dip our toes into this crazy ocean called love. I fell fast and hard! Which I am so glad that I did!

(April 2014)

Now you may be asking yourself why I just compared love to an ocean! The reason I feel as though love can be compared to an ocean is because there are many highs and lows in relationships that are continually crashing over you. To survive those waves you have to be firmly planted in God’s word and His plans for your life. At times you feel like you are just drowning in the love and admiration you have for one another. Yet at other times, between friendships and trials, you feel confused and alone as if you are lost at sea. There was so much uncharted territory in relationships for the both of us when we first met. (Like I said we were just babies when we fist met!) With the gracious help of those around us and our amazing Creator, we were able to figure out how to navigate through those stormy seas together. No, life has not been perfect for us in any way, but by the grace of God we have made it through life’s darkest moments!

(August 2017)

Nathan Justice is one of my most valued treasures and he is my greatest adventure! Hold close to those God has given you never let them go.

Love, Hannah

xoxo