For the Love of Red Lipstick and Purple

My aunt put it best, "She loved summer thunderstorms, baby calves racing, purple anything, wild sweetpeas blooming in the spring, cooking for her family, red lipstick kisses, toodling around the farm with Melvin, dancing with her sons, long visits with her girls, hearing stories again and again, her grandkids, and all of the simple things in life. Eight years ago we said good-bye-for now...today we remember with laughter and smiles, and embrace her sweet memory."

I will forever miss my beautiful Grandma but do remember those precious memories with her. I was only eight when she passed away, and was always so upset that I only got to know her for a short amount of time, but now I know that that short time was a gift. She had red hair, like me, more of an orange-carrot color, but I still smile knowing that my hair came from her. She always had chocolate pie made for when we would visit, teach us a little Czech, and make us eat our lima beans. Even though in most of my memories she was sick, you would have never known. Her spirit was incredible and she always was smiling. Her pickles were the best in the world and she hated wearing a wig. I will never forget her love for purple; she was baptized in a purple outfit, wore purple at any family occasion, and was dressed in purple when she was buried. She loved red lipstick and gave us kisses that stained our cheeks. We always peeled potatoes together and would eat half of a raw one after we were done. She chose the most beautiful china dolls for me for Christmas when I was seven. They are so special to me, as they were the last gift she chose for me. In my last memory with her, I had just taken a shower and she asked to brush my hair. I quickly said yes, as I love to have my hair brushed. We sat there in her chair for over an hour, as she brushed my hair and talked to me in a way that only grandmas can. When my parents came home from a trip early, to tell us she had passed away, I was crushed. When we drove the three-hour trip to go to her funeral, I sat in the back under a blanket crying. The funeral was so pretty and I loved seeing the pictures from when she was young. I look just like her. I had never seen my dad cry the way he did at her funeral and it made me so sad. But that's not what Grandma would have wanted. She lived a wonderful life and raised a spectacular family that is adored by many. 

I miss her with my whole heart. 

Grandma as a baby

Grandpa & Grandma

A year before she died

But I am a lucky girl- I got her red hair and love for red lipstick. :) And no one else in my family can say that.


xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 31

31. Why do you blog?

I blog because I love it. I love having something for me to look forward to and do every day, even if it's just a small thing. When I blog, I can just let it all out, it's therapeutic. It makes me think about the good in my day. Often, when my day's going not how I planned, I seem to forget about the good. This blog makes me reflect on the positivity each day brings. It's a way for me to remember the small, happy things in my life, like a journal or diary. There's this one quote about dancing, "Dance to express, not to impress", and that is wholly how I feel about blogging. I blog to express, not to impress. If there comes a time when I have thousands of visitors a day, yay! For now though, I'm happy with the fifty to seventy-five. One day, maybe this blog will turn into my college journey, or my time with my family, or who knows! Until then, I blog to celebrate my friends, my family, music, food, my hopes & dreams, and the greatest moments in my life. :)

xo
Hannah

ps- I'm sad that the Blog Challenge is over! I loved it and hoped you did too! Maybe one day I'll do another Challenge. :)

pps- I'm thinking tomorrow will be the big day of the new blog design launch! I can't wait!

Blog Challenge- Day 30

30. What's in your makeup bag?

Not much, honestly! I usually only put on powder and some eye shadow, liner, and mascara- the blush is for when I'm feeling fancy. ;) I like quick and simple!

xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 29

29. Where have you traveled?

I am very fortunate to have gone to lots of places in my life already. Each trip was special and very memorable.

Florida (Disney World, Seaworld, Universal)- 2000, 2001, 2007

Swimming with beluga whales, 2007

Chicago- 2002
Washington D.C.- 2009
Virgina- 2008, 2009
Pennsylvania- 1999
New Jersey- 1999
Hawaii- 1999, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011

Dinner in paradise, 2008

Nebraska- too many times to count

At a wedding, 2010

South Dakota- 2010

Oh my Lord, my hair. 2010

Kansas- 2008, 2010
Wyoming- 2010
Las Vegas- 2010

M&M World

Kentucky- 2011

Not my best picture, but the stunning Cincinnati skyline

Ohio- 2011, 2012 

Me and Miss Martha sneaking around Nationals, 2012

And that's all that I can think of without asking my mom. ;)


xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 28

28. What are you looking forward to?

Besides the obvious...

CHRISTMAS!
(in case you didn't already know)

I'm really looking forward to going to Europe next summer with my friends! It is going to be SO much fun! I really, really, really hope all my friends who want to come can, it will not be the same without them! We're going to Germany, Czech Republic (yay!), Poland, Hungary, and Austria and we will be seeing some beautiful things. It's truly the trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to embrace it all!

Talk about beautiful. Budapest, Hungary
{via}

xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 27

27. Post your favorite recipe

Yikes, how on Earth am I supposed to choose a favorite?! I'll just choose one of my many favorites. :)

Holiday Brie en Croute

• Ingredients

  
  

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • All-purpose flour
  • 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberry
  • 1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
  • 1 (13- to 16-ounce) Brie cheese round
  • crackers

  Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
  2. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Spread the preserves on the pastry to within 2 inches of the edge. Sprinkle with the cranberries and almonds. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes. Serve with the crackers.
     
     
     

My Grammy makes this just for me every Christmas and I basically eat it all, sharing with only my mom and aunt. It is divine!

xo

Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 26

26. An old photo of you

Well... I couldn't choose just one!

Don't you just love old pictures?!

xo

Hannah

High Five for Friday!

It's that day of the week again!

1. Babysitting Dillon is always an adventure. We made tie dye cake with vanilla and chocolate frosting, yum! :)

2. My awesome tennis team made t-shirts for the last day of practice (that I sadly had to miss:(  It was a blast, I love those girls!

Ignore the ink and mistakes ;)

3. Snooze brunch with Mack!

Heaven on a platter

4. A little girl I babysit had her schedule hanging up in her room, it was too cute. I wish my schedule was that easy!

5. We went to Whole Foods to get dinner. I seriously love that place, it's my favorite. Fresh, healthy, delicious food!

xo
Hannah

Be Right Back!

I will be in Breckenridge for the next two days and did not have time to schedule my posts! I'll update as soon as I get back. :)

xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 25

25. Your five favorite blogs

{via}

1. nieniedialogues.com
   I just love nie, plain and simple. 
 
2. 71toes.com
   I love her family, I want mine to be just like hers.

3. thesmallthingsblog.com
   I love all her cute hair ideas! 


4. frommygreydesk.com
   Cute home projects, cute clothes, cute blog!

5. amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com
   Healthy living, good recipes, and spiritual guidance. 

xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 24

24. Your favorite childhood book

Well, I've always loved reading! I was even skilled enough to read upside down when I was little. ;) 

My favorite childhood book would have to be When I Was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis. I read it every night and loved the illustrations (and still do). As I got into the chapter book stage, my favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series. What made them even more special was my mom gave me her boxed set from when she was little. They were treasured and still are! And now, I still love to read! The summer is simply wonderful when I can free read and enjoy each book without worrying about school books, well, until that time comes around.

xo
Hannah

Blog Challenge- Day 23

23. Your dream job

It was in 7th grade I knew I wanted to have a career in the medical field. First, I wanted to be a neonatologist, then I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist, then a general surgeon, next a neurosurgeon, then a pediatric surgeon, then a pediatric cardiologist, and finally I settled on a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. Yep, I changed my mind a lot (and it totally could change again) but I like kids (let me rephrase that, I like helping kids especially when they're sick. oh, and it's sorta kinda nice they're asleep the majority of the time;)), surgery interests me (I don't know how to explain it, but it's complex and artistic, delicate and a total balance of connecting to a patient while not getting too involved) and I LOVE the heart. Love it so much, I have a picture of one hanging on my wall that's labeled. I love to look at it before bed and have it memorized. 

Ain't it a beauty? Well of course it is, it's keeping you alive!

But what really inspired me was Miss Libby Lu.

For about four years now, I've babysat Libby and her brother Chapin. I love her family, they're so kind and the kids are very well-behaved. Chap has always been bit of a homebody and prefers to build airplanes or construct things on his own, with me checking up on him occasionally. Libby however, sticks to me like glue, but I don't mind. :) We make all sorts of things- mini cakes in old cans, homemade ice cream, playdough, homemade finger paint, candy buttons, all sorts of things. We turn up the music and dance around and have a grand time. Last June, she told me she was a little sad because her parents had just told her she was having heart surgery in two weeks. Like any 8-year old would be, she was nervous so we went to the park to forget about it for three hours (man alive I was tired after that!). Lib was diagnosed with truncus arteriosus when she was born. Basically, instead of having a blood vessel come out of each ventricle, there's only one for both ventricles, compromising her heart and lung health. She had surgery after birth and would need it when she was 6- she made it till she was 8. The day of her surgery, I was in Hawaii and had positive thoughts going her way! When we got home, my mom told me though things had taken a turn for the worse. After surgery, Libby was recovering in the cardiac ICU when her heart spontaneously stopped. She was in cardiac arrest and had to be opened up bedside and have her heart manually pumped for 38 minutes. Most doctors would have given up and pronounced her dead, but the her amazing doctors had a miracle in mind. Her parents were told to expect brain damage. She was on ECMO (basically a heart-lung machine) for a few days and was in the cardiac ICU for a week. I'll never forget reading updates from their family's site and having my heart hurt to know Libby was so sick. I prayed and prayed and prayed. But I knew Libby was resilient and had to heal- we still had a list of crafts and projects to do! After going back in, her surgeon did not understand why her heart stopped. To this day, it is still unexplained. And the beauty of this story is Libby is fine. Spunky, smart, pretty dang healthy. When Lib woke up, she was functioning normally, a miracle. Her only post-arrest issue was some pain swallowing because of the breathing tube being put in so rushed and a weakened immune system (she's had to stay in the hospital four times). Miss Lib Lu is a tremendous girl who spreads smiles and hope for other kiddy cardiac patients.

I think during all the time of the unknown with Lib, I realized how much I wanted to help. Give them a second chance at a life they deserve. And the heart is pretty darn spectacular:)

But want to know a secret? My dream of being a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon scares me a little (especially after reading this article . Four years of high school, four years pre-med, four years med school, six years residency, plus about two years fellowship, by the time I'd be a full-fledged peds CT surgeon, I'd be the tender age of 38. Oh and I want to get married and have kids (four or five of them) and a life. Yeah, I'll fit that in somehow. 

For now though, that's a lot to worry about. I should probably get through high school first... but they always do say begin with the end in mind. Yeah, I have too much time to over think things. 

xo
Hannah

Adventures in Running

I don't know why, but I've always wanted to be a runner. It's a great way to keep in shape and it's a sport where you all you need is good shoes. Mackenzie and I have both been considering doing cross country this fall. As the time nears where we need to sign up, we decided to do some training. Every night for the rest of summer break, we are going to go running on the various paths near our homes. Last night, this started! 

We met at the path by Mack's house and started off! She said it was about a mile one way, so we would get in a good two miles. It was so beautiful! 

Along the way, we decided towards the end of our training, our challenge would be to start at the trail by Mackenzie's house and follow it to my house. However, as we reached the end of the trail, we saw the way we could get to my house, so decided to do the challenge right away! We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, to say the least. As we crossed the street, the bit of trail we saw from the other side that we assumed would curve, ended. Our options were to turn back or to run down Santa Fe in a ditch. We chose to sprint and look ridiculous down Santa Fe. ;) We turned into a church, thinking there would be a trail behind it. We walked through dry grass and weeds, getting scratched and keeping a watchful eye out for snakes. 

When we got to the back of the church, we saw a trail! But it was blocked by a barbed wire fence. What are the odds? We made it over that, being poked only a few times. 

 {the view from each side of the fence}

We trekked down a trail still unsure of where exactly we were in terms of trails. We saw a winding hill in the distant, not looking forward to climbing that. 

 As we kept going, we saw a sign!

Yes! A sign telling us where we were and that yes, we were actually on a trail. As we kept going, we saw the winding hill was hardly steep but a hill on the right of us was spectacularly steep. 

I decided to hike up it, looking for snakes as Mack watched and took pictures. I put on this song, and once I reached the top, it was just amazing. 

The song truly connected to what I saw and felt at the top of the hill. It was stunning, you could see so much. It was the most energizing feeling! Mackenzie hiked up next. She was so small from the top of the hill!

The two of us just could not believe how beautiful it was!

The sky was amazing!

Chatfield in the distance

A beautiful CO sunset

After just taking it all in, Mackenzie and I kept walking and before we could take ten strides, we saw a hawk/falcon (neither of us really know what it was). 

We silently and slowly walked on, getting about three feet away when it flew off. That itself was majestic, flying into the sunset. As we kept going, we saw what looked like an equestrian area but again, couldn't figure out what it was. The path abruptly ended and we hiked through some cactus and high grass to come across yet another wire fence. 

Without thinking twice, we climbed over and finally were on an actual trail, not the side of the road and private property. ;) After that, we walked near the park and down the path to my house.

So pretty with the shadows

Horrible quality, but a wonderful time!

When we got to my house, it was dark and the warm air was cooling down. We had my dad drive us back to our cars by Mackenzie's house and then we went to get some yogurt. :)

Necessary yogurt picture ;)

We talked in the parking lot until 11:33pm, when a police car drove by, and we were afraid of getting in trouble for being out past curfew, we just got in our cars mid-sentence and left. ;) We both remembered after that curfew is later on the weekends, whoops. ;)

It was honestly one of the most fun nights I've had all summer! I will never ever forget sprinting down Santa Fe, climbing hills, screaming because we thought we saw snakes, yogurt, and most importantly, finding a new way to get from Mack's house to mine. ;)




xo
Hannah