A few of the little things.

Sometimes my husband picks me wildflowers.

It makes me happy.

Sometimes my husband does the dishes before I get home.

It makes me feel loved.

Sometimes my husband hugs me for a minute straight.

It makes me giggly.

Sometimes my husband plays board games with me all night long.

It makes me feel appreciated.

Sometimes my husband works out with me.
It makes me feel his support.

Sometimes my husband wakes up early to pack a lunch for me.
It makes me feel cherished.

Sometimes my husband listens to me ramble on and on and on and on.
It makes me feel how much he cares.

Sometimes my husband reads books to me.
It makes me worry free.

Sometimes my husband cuddles me when I have nightmares.
It makes me feel safe.

Sometimes my husband compliments me a million times in one day.
It makes me feel beautiful. 

Sometimes... I am the luckiest girl in the world.

80 Hours in a Car

25 + 15 + 6 + 9 + 25 = 80 hours in a car

A 25 hour car drive straight through the night landed us in Perrysburg at 7 am.  It was a wonderfully easy trip, but way too long.  Libby’s hometown is a very nice place.  I liked it  there.  After a quick day and a half “rest”, including a wedding open house and a day trip to Cedar Point, we were in the car again on a 15 hour drive heading out to North Carolina.

Because it was my first time on the family vacation, Libby took me around to see some of the sites and shops at the Outer Banks.  One place we went was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  It is the biggest lighthouse in the US, standing about 200 ft high.  This is really amazing because, when you are at the top, you are the tallest thing around as far as the eye can see.  Maybe it was that feeling of being “out there” that made Ben (Libby’s brother) so scared of being on top. The gusts of wind probably added to his uneasiness way up there.  I really liked being able to see forever.

The sand at the Outer Banks isn’t limited to the shoreline.  There is a place called Kill Devil Hills.  These hills are just big huge sand dunes.  People like to fly kites there, but mostly there are a bunch of crazies running and jumping off the steepest side of the dunes they can find.

Sandal tan lines are a Hannibal specialty

Libby and I decided that we needed to do something nice, so we went to lunch at Sugar Creek.  We had a great time and had some good seafood.  The restaurant sits on the water and overlooks the sound.  The water is much calmer there...but we still saw a crab in the water.  Weird!

The view from Sugar Creek Restaurant.

We split our drive back to Ohio in half.  A quick 6 hour drive took us to Washington DC, where we had the opportunity to stop at the temple with Libby’s parents and Ben and Becca.  It’s always nice to be in the temple with family.  An uneventful 9 hours in what seems to be my new home (a car) brought us back to Perrysburg.  It should be noted that toll roads are so stupid.  I’m really happy that they don’t exist in the western US.

Libby and I got an early 3:30 am start on our way back to Utah.  We toyed with the idea of driving all day and all night, doing the trip in one day again, but ultimately decided that 2 drivers probably shouldn’t do something like that.  Some highlights of our 25 hour return trip included: some tool driving in Iowa, partaking of the goodness of the Mississippi River, a cute gaze-bo Libby spotted at one of our pit stops, sleeping, and the saddle seats at a McDonald’s somewhere in Wyoming.

Locks of Love

The summer before my freshman year I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been.

I immediately began to miss my hair and vowed that I would grow it out.

As my hair grew I became very attached to it.

I almost cut it over Christmas break, but I used the excuse of my upcoming wedding to hang on to my locks a little while longer.

The wedding took place and I was left with no more excuses.

After three years of growing out my hair, it was time for the big cut so I could donate my hair to Locks of Love.

I was all sorts of nervous but Paul was there to cheer me on.

Following my hair cut, I cried my eyes out.

I'm slowly getting used to the new length... but in those times of weakness when I can't stop thinking about my long hair, I try my best to picture the little kid who needed my hair for a wig.

In the end, it was worth it.

The last time I straightened my hair before the cut.

That smile is fake...

You can sort of see me in the mirror. So nervous.

11 inches of hair

The final product. Over 12 inches gone.

And so it begins.

May 26, 2011 marks the beginning of The Paul and Elizabeth Hannibal Family.

We both felt this was reason enough to start a blog.

To start off, we'll give you a rundown of the wedding day.

The wedding day was absolutely perfect. 

I had been stressing out a ton beforehand, but everything came together.

That morning, Kaitlin did my make-up, Sierra did my hair and my Mom helped me get dressed.

I'll admit that I was a little bit nervous,

(Don't worry, Paul was too),

but we knew it was right.

I LOVED being surrounded by family and friends.

Following the sealing and the 43865983469 pictures, there was a baby blessing for Bryce and Sierra's little girl, Macie.

Next was the luncheon at Tucano's. 

Talk about delicious!

Paul and I learned that cake cutting is one of the most awkward things in the world.

Hopefully the cupcakes were good enough that everyone forgot about the cutting.

Then we took off for our honeymoon.

That is, after searching for our lost car in the parking garage for 15 minutes.

Romantic, huh?

Everyone at Tucano's