The Best Cure for Hiccups

Without a doubt, there is a long-standing discussion on how to get rid of hiccups. Do you hold your breath? Eat peanut butter? Have someone scare you? Drink water upside down? The list goes on. But do any of those really work? From my experience, not usually.

That’s why I need to share this new simple method my wife taught me. It really is the best cure for hiccups! Okay, here it is. Drink 9 sips of water without stopping. That’s it. It works pretty much every time!

Put Water on Rice in the Microwave

I’ve been microwaving food my whole life, and it’s always been a struggle to microwave rice and have it turn out as soft and moist as fresh rice from the rice maker. Usually it’s fairly dry and kind of hard. But my wife taught me to drizzle some water on the rice and then cover it with a silicone cover thing.

But don’t stop there! There’s one more piece that makes the difference. Microwave it for twice as long as you normally would. That way the water and cover partially recook the rice. It makes it so soft and yummy — just like freshly cooked rice.

Folding Clothes

Being the perfectionist that I am, I have a tendency to allow that nature to affect most areas of my life. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes striving for perfection is good, but it can often be a hindrance and a waste of time.

Folding clothes is one of the areas where striving for perfection can be a waste of time. Growing up, I would always fold my pants in a very specific way — align the button and zipper, fold inward, fold exactly in half, and then exactly in half once more.

One day while watching my wife fold pants, I realized something. Does it really matter how pants are folded? Like really?! They get folded and put in the closest, just to later get unfolded, worn, washed, and refolded. Over and over this cycle repeats. She simply folded them in half, button out, and then in one quick motion, folded them in half twice lengthwise. It takes her like two seconds to fold a pair of pants. Whereas when I fold them in my “perfect” way, it takes like nine seconds. Nine seconds! For a pair of pants.

Now it may seem like I’m making a big deal about this seven second difference, but over time, it adds up. And it’s the principle really. Do I want to waste my time folding pants “perfectly” when there are way more important things I could spend my time on?

I’ve used this as a learning opportunity for me. Where else in my life do I strive for perfection when it isn’t necessary? Let me go ahead and answer that to drive my point home.

Loading the Dishwasher

I used to think there was a “right” or “perfect” way to load the dishwasher — an optimal way to load the dishes to fit the most in while also making sure each dish gets clean. But really? Dishes?! They get used, rinsed, loaded in the dishwasher, put back in the cupboard, just for that cycle to repeat. Over and over and over again.

These two areas have taught me to be mindful of how much time I spend on various tasks. I try to spend less time on less important things, and more time on what really matters.

Intro

Someone I knew also knew Savannah and they wanted us to meet. It seems pretty simple, and that answer may satisfy some, but for those longing to know more details, read on.

Alternate Intro

This is one of those typical questions people asked us, and the answer isn’t the simplest. So I thought I’d write a blog post about it so I can refer people here and save my voice a little. All kidding aside, it’s so cool to us to look back and see how God orchestrated our meeting and all the events that took place in our lives individually beforehand. Here’s part 1 in our story.

Preface

The first time we met wasn’t in a casual way or in a social situation where we happened to cross paths. It was actually a meeting at my parents’ house that I scheduled. Let me back up to explain how we got there.

I tend to be more introverted by nature, and talking with girls has never been my strong suit. In addition, my family holds to the courtship model instead of the boyfriend/girlfriend method of relationships. This is more of a traditional or seemingly “old-fashioned” type of relationship. And we love it. There are plenty of reasons why I prefer courtship, but that’s another blog post entirely. My point is, I wanted to be really intentional and wise when looking for a wife. 

Chapter 1: Peter’s Path

After high school, I went to a community college to pursue an education in graphic design. After college, I got a job doing design in house for a company. All the while I was teaching kids parkour Friday afternoons, teaching Awana at church Wednesday evenings, among many other things.

One endeavor needs some specific attention. Because of the encouragement from my Dad, I started mentoring a deaf young man through a local youth mentorship program (Youth 71Five). That young man along with his Mom, older brother, and deaf younger sister happened to go to the same church as me. I began spending a couple of hours with him every weekend doing a variety of things. I would often pick him up and drop him off at his house and spend some time with him there as well. 

My decision to mentor him was one of those “Why not?” choices. God has given me so much and loves me beyond measure, surely I was able to spare a little bit of my “oh so precious” time for this deaf, fatherless young man. So I jumped in! And while mentoring this young man, his mom got to know me pretty well (that will be important later).

Chapter 2: Savannah’s Path

After high school, Savannah knew exactly what she wanted to do — she wanted to be a Personal Support Worker working with kids with disabilities. She took a few classes for training and began. Now if you’re familiar with disability ministry at all, you have probably heard about Joni & Friends. If you haven’t, here’s a quick explanation. 

Joni & Friends is built on Biblical truth and the foundation of Jesus Christ. Since 1979, they have been advancing disability ministry and changing the church and communities around the world. One of their ministries is a family retreat camp for families affected by disabilities. Families sign up and bring their kids to camp where they are taken care of for a week by short term missionaries (STMs). This gives the parents a break from everyday life taking care of their kids. These STMs are called “buddies” of the kids. Each kid (camper) is assigned a buddy for the week. Savannah and several of her siblings have served at Joni & Friends camps for many years. Some of my siblings have as well, although I never have. 

At the August 2017 camp at Twin Rocks, Oregon, since Savannah knew sign language, she was paired with a deaf girl. She connected with her really well at camp and began to spend time with her on the weekends even after camp was over. This girl had an older brother who was also deaf and another older brother. As you may have guessed, this girl was the younger sister of the young man I was mentioning. 

Savannah began spending a couple of hours with her every weekend doing a variety of things. She would often pick her up and drop her off at her house and spend some time with her there as well. Sound familiar? We were doing the same thing with siblings from the same family without knowing it and without ever crossing paths. We learned later that there were times we missed each other by minutes. I would leave this family’s house and a little bit later Savannah would show up. 

Chapter 3: Peter & Savannah’s Paths Overlap

Here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. The mom of this family knew me pretty well since we went to church together and I mentored her son, so when she met Savannah at Joni & Friends camp, she immediately thought we’d be a good match for each other and she began thinking of ways to get us to meet.

Throughout September and October, she invited both of us individually to various events and gatherings. At all of which we never met. Since that casual meeting method wasn’t working, one day in October she mentioned Savannah to my Dad. During the first weekend in November, while attending a grandparenting seminar in Texas, my Dad spoke with my Mom about Savannah.

After they returned, my Dad asked me if I had heard of the Hill Family, to which I answered, “No.” So we discussed it and he shared what he knew. 
Throughout the months of November, December, and January, my Dad and I had numerous conversations about how I wanted to proceed with pursuing Savannah. I wasn’t in a particularly big rush, plus with Christmas and the New Year I wanted to wait until that busy season was over before taking action.

I had decided I wanted my Dad to meet Savannah’s Dad, Mike, first before I met either of them. That way the Dads could develop their own friendship and talk freely about their kids. But the main reason for this was protection. Mike protecting Savannah’s emotions and heart, but also my Dad protecting mine. If nothing came from this meeting, Savannah and I both had very little emotional involvement and could move on easily.

After my Dad had lunch with Mike, I texted Mike on February 13, 2018 to ask about setting up a time to meet to get to know each other. We met for dinner at Black Bear Diner the following Monday, February 19. We had a great discussion covering a wide range of topics. The following Wednesday we had lunch together and continued to correspond via text and email.

On March 9, my parents and Savannah’s parents got together for dessert to talk and get to know each other. That was a great meeting and they all thought things should move forward. After that, Mike and I emailed to plan a time for both sets of parents, Savannah, and me to get together since that was the way I wanted it. We decided upon snacks and games at my parents’ house.

So on April 14, 2018, Savannah and I met for the first time.

The beginning.

My first six months of marriage has brought a lot of learning and growth. I’m especially thankful for some subtleties of communication that I’ve picked up on. Here are a few details about communication that I’ve learned and realized. I broke it down into four aspects: Content, Frequency, Technique, and Location. I hope these ideas encourage you to be more purposeful in your communication with your spouse. And as a result, may that spill over into your communication with family, friends, and all other people.

1. Content (What do we communicate about?)

Everything. Even little insignificant things? Yes. Even about something that doesn’t really matter? Yes. What about the things I don’t want anyone to know? Yes, especially those.

There should be no secrets between spouses. We should always desire complete honesty and openness. Openness breeds more openness; secrecy breeds secrecy. Choose openness.

2. Frequency (When do we communicate?)

All the time. Seriously? That sounds like a lot of talking. All the time doesn’t mean non-stop talking. It means always being in the attitude of communicating. Never go crazy long periods without saying a word.

3. Technique (How do we communicate?)

Listen. Then talk. Then listen again. This should be pretty straightforward, but it can be harder than it seems. Stop thinking about other things when it’s your turn to listen.

For the talkative people out there, don’t forget to let your spouse have a turn to talk. Sometimes this means being quiet for minutes to give your spouse the chance to compose a thought and share it. That may seem easy, but multiple minutes of uninterrupted silence in a conversation can be harder than you think. 

For the less talkative people out there, this means stepping up and having courage. If you have a thought to share, don’t wait too long before saying something. Otherwise, the moment may pass. Know that your spouse loves you and it’s okay if your thought is only half-formed. 

4. Location (Where do we communicate?)

Everywhere. Really? Everywhere? Yes. If you ever think to yourself, “This seems like an awkward place to say something.” It probably isn’t. Obviously, what you should talk about changes depending on who you’re around. Use discernment to know what is appropriate to talk about in public. But when it’s just you and your spouse, it doesn’t matter where you are, just talk.

TL;DR

Wherever you are, communicate often about everything by listening and speaking.

In case you didn’t read the intro on our blog homepage, we are Peter and Savannah Hulce. With names out of the way, here’s a brief explanation of who we are. We’re newlyweds who love Jesus, love each other, and love others. We met on April 14, 2018 and got married less than a year later on April 13, 2019. Our goal with this blog is to share stories and thoughts from our life, from playing with our nieces and nephews to baking cookies together.

Welcome to the Hulce Life.

About Peter

I’m a Graphic Designer who designs logos, websites, t-shirts, and more. If you’ve ever spent much time with me, you might know how much I love fonts and will randomly say the name of the font on a sign or flyer I see. I’m a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) black belt and a parkour coach, AKA, I do martial arts and climb up walls. 

About Savannah

I’m a Personal Support Worker who works one-on-one with kids with disabilities in the home to help them achieve their goals and to provide respite for their parents. I’m a filmmaker along with two of my brothers, Light Symphony Productions and Wonder Animation Studios. Together we’ve made numerous award-winning short films, attended film festivals, and carried 3 violins and a cello up Pilot Rock. I also wrote and published a children’s book several years ago.