Christmas Thoughts

As a Mormon, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is, "Why do Mormons have missionaries?" Many people don't understand why we would give up a year and a half to two years of our lives to walk or bike around in silly suits and dresses. Some people even approach me, offended by the prospect of us trying to "convert" people. They think that we believe we are better than people because of our church, or that we are trying to force our beliefs upon others.

Today during church we sang "O Holy Night", one of my favorite Christmas songs. While singing, I discovered the perfect explanation for why we serve missions. 

I am always particularly struck by the third verse. 

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

This verse always brings tears to my eyes. The Gospel of Christ is love. We celebrate Christmas because of two of the greatests acts of love to ever happen. John 3:16 states "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but haveeverlasting life."  God sent His son to earth for us.Christ died for us because he loved us. He taught us to love every person. His law is love. 

The third and fourth line also made me think of a discussion I once had with my mother. We were talking about what caused the Jews to reject Jesus as their Savior. My mom made the point that they were searching for someone to end their physical bondage. But the bondage that Christ frees us from is our spiritual bondage, He frees us from our sins and he frees us from the chains of death. 

But this thought crossed my mind: If we all followed Christ's teachings, there would be no oppression, no bondage, no wars or contentions, no murders or crimes. Even though Christ didn't phsyically and directly free the Jews from their physical bondage, He provided a way for them to be freed. 

Christ taught us love and peace. His love brings us the comfort and joy that nothing else on this earth can.

That is why we serve missions. That's why I plan to serve a mission when I turn 19.

I have always been an extremely empathetic person. When I was little, I would lay in bed crying because of something I saw on the news. I would cry if I saw an old man eating lunch all by himself. I have always had a love for everyone in the world. Because I love people, I want to help everyone that I can. This is what motivates me to serve a misson- the prospect to bring peace and happiness to people.
One of my friends who is not a member recently began taking lessons with the missionaries. She has been a Christian all her life and is happy with her religion. But she said something that I thought was amazing. She said that she was very comfortable with her church and her life, but if God wanted her to have more, she wanted it. She wanted to recieve all that God had in store for her. We as Mormons know that there are many wondrful churches out there that teach of Christ. However, we believe we have the fullness of His gospel. We want everyone know know of all that God has given us.

When we serve missions, we don't get any kind of credit with the church. We don't have any personal gain whatsoever. We do it for the sole purpose of bringing the hearts of men to Christ and giving them the fullness of His gospel. 

This week, as you all hurry to buy last minute presents and such, I challenge you to stop and think about Christ and His love. Try and spread that love to the people you come across. This can be as simple as smiling at a passing stranger, or complimenting a friend who seems down, I want to leave you with this video that inspired me. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and pray you all feel Christ's love for you this week. 

Hawaii Video

Finally!

Made the video during Thanksgiving break. Only like 3 monhts later.. Better late than never, right? 

Hawaii 2014 from Hannah Solomon on Vimeo.

Why more feminists (and people in general) should be opposed to pornography

Just a few comments before I launch into this:

I know this isn't anything like my typical posts, but I feel very strongly about this subject and felt I should voice my opinions.

While I wouldn't consider myself a full-fledged, man-hating feminist, I am very passionate about women's rights. For centuries, women have fought for equal treatment. It has been only this last century that the significant shifts on the views of women have occurred. In the 1800's, women started to fight to be viewed as more than mothers and vehicles to please men. In the 1900's, women started to fight for the right to vote and work. Now, in the country I live in, I can confidently say that women have equal rights as men. There are, of course, exceptions to that statement. However, I believe women have the opportunity to accomplish anything they want to here in America.

So why, then, do we allow pornography to destroy the hard work we have strived for so long to achieve? 

I will admit that I may be a bit biased because my church teaches against pornography. However, I think I am taking a secular view point for this post. 

Here's what's so bad for women about pornography: It teaches men that women are merely objects used for pleasure. It teaches men how to speak to us, how to handle us, and how to use our bodies for their own personal pleasure. I don't know about you, but my body is capable of a lot more than that. I have the abilities to produce and nurture children, serve and help others, and do basically anything I want. MY BODY WAS NOT MADE SIMPLY FOR SEX.

I am repulsed by the thought of a man looking at my body, a miraculous and beautiful creation in every way, simply for sex. I will not tolerate a man to view me that way, and I'm sure many of you feel the same. 

Why do we allow men to do that to other women? 

Imagine if the women in these porno films were your mothers and sisters. The thought is utterly repulsive, right? Well the truth is that these women are someone's daughters, someone's sisters. Of course, these women made the choice to participate in these films. But I find it sad that they even have that choice. I find it sad that pornography brings in more money total than regular Hollywood films.

This issue is creeping out into society. I walked into the grocery store the other day and browsed through the magazines while waiting to checkout. I saw a Cosmopolitan magazine with the words "Men only need two things: sex and a grilled cheese" in large, bold letters. I turned to another magazine that said "50 hot new sex moves to please your man". 

Now, I know my view on this matter may be a bit different than most. I am unashamed to admit that I am saving that part of myself for marriage. 

But the messages these magazines told appalled me. A man only needs sex and grilled cheese? There is nothing else I can offer him? Not my love, my support, my advice? 

50 moves to please my man? Not 50 tips to strengthen your relationship? Am I really nothing more to a man than sex? 

I know this is not true. But pornography is teaching both men and women that it is true.
I want to clarify that I am not preaching against sex. It's true that physical intimacy is an important part of marriage. But pornography is turning this intimacy into a vulgar, violent act. The sex in porn is not real. It's calculated, edited, and made to perfection. Porn is creating unrealistic expectations for women and sex.
Porn is ruining the beautiful image of women. I don't go a day at school without hearing guys talking about girls in a vulgar manner. They look at my peers, beautiful, talented girls full of potential, and all they see is a "nice pair of  t*ts" or a "big 'ole booty". They talk about girls they know and remark only on their appearance or their sexual abilities. These girls have potentially wonderful things in front of them, but all the guys see are their bodies. I know countless amounts of girls who have sent nude photos of themselves to guys to get their attention. Girls are being taught that this is the way to get a guy. But that isn't a real relationship. I hate to break it to you girls, but the guy doesn't love you, he just loves your body. 

Pornography is changing our views of women and the dynamic of relationships.
I don't want to offend anyone with this overgeneralization. It is, of course, true that women can have a problem with pornography. But it is a much bigger problem among men because they are much more easily addicted to it.


There are many other horrible consequences of pornography, like how it effects and damages you physically, mentally and emotionally. I could go into significant detail about these and would upon request. But I felt I needed to talk about its affects on women because that is what most directly impacts me.

You may think pornography is harmless, but it's not. Porn is destroying the image of women.

**I found this poem extremely eye-opening, but felt it was too graphic to write directly on this post. If you feel comfortable doing so, please take the time to read it:
https://medium.com/@alexlenkei94/tell-me-what-happens-the-first-time-you-see-a-woman-naked-59d56017e799

For more information about the harmful effects of pornography, visit:
http://fightthenewdrug.org/get-the-facts/#sthash.IP7sXpod.dpbs

Halloween in the Village

I'm gonna try and be humble about this.... but how can I? 

We had the best Halloween group costume ever.

That's right. We were the Village People.

YMCA!

Young man. There's no need to feel down.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! 

Now it's time for CHRISTMAS!!!!

Homecoming Fancy Shmancy

I am so blessed to have the two best friends in the world, Rebecca and Jordan. For Homecoming weekend, they both slept over at my house so we could get ready together for the big night. We had so many laughs. 

My beautiful, talented sister in law, Katie, came to take pictures of us. I don't even need to say that she did an incredible job. The pictures speak for themselves. 

We love each other. 

This is our album cover. 

Cliche tree pic hahaha

Jordan is a goddess.

My dress is from Modcloth and my shoes are from Seychelles. 

Becky is a Venezuelan paegant queen. 

They love to love on me. 

I'm blessed. 

The lovely miss Casie.

We rode on a carousel in the mall. We're seniors in high school. That's right. 

Rebecca on the guys' side of the table. I had the best looking date by far. 

Funny story- There were 10 people total in the group, so we sat at a long skinny table in the restaurant. The table was split directly in half, conversation wise. One half of the table was talking about politics  and world peace and other boring, mature stuff like that. The other half was being immature and hilarious and awesome. Guess which side I was on? If you guessed the fun side, you would be correct. 

P.S. Here was the set up from our two night sleepover. They're crazy. 

Texas is Weird

That's right. I said it. Texas is weird. But I love it. I love this weirdness. If you ever happen to live in Texas, you will see the weirdness during a magical time called Homecoming. But I will explain that soon enough. 

Last week was the beloved Homecoming week! The theme of our dance was 50's, so the spirit days were decades counting down to the 50's. So fun.

80's workout day! But I couldn't find anything to wear... Rebecca had enough spirit for the both of us. 

We have a... strange friendship

70's disco day AKA OUR FAVORITE DAY EVER

We're mad for the 70s. 

Check out those genuine platform shoes. I'm just not entirely sure where my family got these but I found them in my house nontheless. 

60's hippie day. Easiest day for me to dress for because most of my clothes qualify as hippie. 

 I was sick for 50's day which is super sad because I had an amazing outfit planned. 

So here's what's weird about Texas....

MUMS. 

Those giant sparkly things dangling from our necks? Those are mums. 

Traditionally, you exchange mum and garter with your date. Garters are like mini mums that guys wear on their arms. I was asked to homecoming but the plans fell through so I ended up flying solo. Most senior girls get mums even if they don't have dates. Becuase you just have to have a mum if you go to high school in Texas. 

To people who are from other states- I know this is the weirdest thing ever. You probably won't understand it, or just think it's flat out stupid. But us true Texans love them! 

They really don't have a purpose. They're just because. 

life's too short to even care at all

I'm losin my mind, losin my mind, losin control..

If you don't know these song lyrics, you're missing out. The song is Cough Syrup by Young the Giant. Speaking of Young the Giant..... I SAW THEM IN CONCERT LAST WEEKEND. Along with Kings of Leon! AHHHH. I'm such a concert junkie. And these are two of my favorite bands. You know how it can be scary to see one of your favorite artists live in fear that they won't be as good as they are recorded? That wasn't a problem at all. They were both incredible! The singers both sounded exactly the same if not better live! And KONGOS opened for them; they were even better live than they are recorded! It was such a freakin amazing concert. The tour is still going on, so PLEASE go see them if they are coming to your town! You will not regret it!! 

BIG shoutout to my crazy friend Anna for taking me and giving me the ticket for free! 

Young the Giant

The lights were incredible

Kings of Leon asked us to hold up our phones. It might be cheesy... But it was magical. It felt like the whole crowd was united by the music. Music is amazing, isn't it?

I just had to buy one of Young the Giant's Mind Over Matter tour shirts. 

Here is me modeling the shirt at school. I'm a model. 

P.S. I went to our dear friend Kari's wedding last weekend. 

SHAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PICTURE, HEY YA. The sister of the bride and I were all too willing to pose for the Polaroid. 

I CAUGHT THE BOUQUET. I'm the master. I guess that means I'm the next to get married... Husband, where you at??

Oahu Pt. 2

Here is the promised part 2. I'm too busy eating M&Ms to write a clever intro so I'll just jump right into the pictures. We all know that's the only reason you go to a blog, anyways. 

We did the Koko Head hike. Words cannot express how evil this hike was. Seriously. It was evil. I loved it though! And by that I mean the view from the top. It was spectacular! If you are in good shape, I would totally recommnd doing it!  I am in good shape and it was still killer for me. I had to take breaks like every 5 minutes! I'm not sure if you can really tell from the picture, but the trail is steps straight up the mountain. And that sucker is steep. But it was most definitely worth it!

My GoPro doesn't take the best pictures. But this is the view from the very top! You could see 360 degrees all around of the whole island. Like wow.

Do you see those sketchy steps? That's the whole hike. Hard.

If you go to Oahu and you don't go to Kua'aina... are you even living your life? I don't think so. Best burgers ever.

My sister and I are almost twins. Yuh. 

Can't get enough of those Hawaiin sunsets!

Here's an Oahu hidden secret. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck! I know it looks a little crusty, but it's delicious. I always get the shrimp scampi, in case you were wondering.

I had some boba tea! (Herbal, of course). Also, I'm not wearing makeup. Those of you who know me should know what a big deal that is. I hardly ever step outside without black cat eyes drawn on. 

As I have previously explained on the blog, I am obsessed with VW vans. They had them everywhere over here! Just one more reason why I should move to Hawaii. 

Hehe Sarah's eyes are closed because it was so bright. 

Both our eyes are closed but Max photobombed it so I had to post it. What a goofball.

A lot of people have also asked about this swimsuit. I got it from DownEast Basics. 

North Shore. Our friends have a house right on the beach here! They have this perfect hidden beach practically to themselves! It was so fun! And they had a rope swing off a giant tree right on the beach that was the best thing ever. I got some great videos of that to share. 

Maggie is an island girl.

Laie Point. Nature is pretty cool, isn't it?

Hehe.

HELP I'M FALLING INTO THE OCEAN! Haha...ha.......ha...

Okay, this probably looks pretty gross. But I promise, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DELICIOUS THINGS EVER. Since my dad served his mission in Japan, he loves to eat Japanese food with us. So one of our favorite places to eat is Tokyo Noodle House. This is real ramen! So it's like the amazing instant ramen that we all love, minus the cancer! What's not to love about that?

We also hiked up to Manoa Falls. This was a much much easier hike! It was soooo  beautiful! Most people who go to Oahu only go to the beach, and forget about the rainforest! If you can bear to pull yourself away from the beach for a couple hours, do this hike! You won't regret it!

Group selfie! It was pouring rain when we hiked it so we were all drenched. But that made it all the more fun!

We really felt like we were in Jurassic Park. You know, they filmed some of it there! Half the time, I was expecting a raptor to pop out and eat me. So that was pretty exciting. 

I was trying to be a monkey but it didn't work out too well. 

Yeah I just love nature's creations. 

A pink Waikiki sunset! Let me tell you something. If you plan to go to Oahu, DO NOT STAY IN WAIKIKI. I mean, stay there a couple nights if you wish, but don't make it your whole trip! It is way too crowded and busy. The beach is constantly packed so you can't just sit and relax. Don't get me wrong, Waikiki is fun and they have great activities and shopping! But if you make it your whole trip, you'll probably regret it. 

I actually wore makeup on this trip so I had to take a selfie. 

We celebrated my brother's birthday by going to Shorebird. This is another one of our favorite places to eat.  It is right on Waikiki beach so you sit and eat your dinner watching the ocean. You pick the entree you want and they bring the meat out for you to grill yourself! I know you probably don't go to a restaraunt to cook for yourself, but it is actaully a really cool experience! But maybe that's just because my dad is a master griller. He's a pro. 

And finally, after 10 days of heaven, we had to return home. There was a magnificent sunset over the ocean out the window of the plane. I took this as an omen of good times to come!

I hope your summer adventures were as amazing as mine! And I hope you each get to go to Hawaii someday.