Italian Traditions

My grandma (aka Grammy) is a full blood Italian woman, who I'm most alike.  She loves cooking, baking, sewing, Christmas, and the theater. We're alike as two could be, haha especially when it comes to our temper;) We started a tradition where a few days after Christmas, she comes down and we make homemade ravioli. She learned from her mom, and now she's teaching me. I mastered the art of it last year, so now she supervises. It's great time together:)

This year, we made spinach ravioli in addition to plain ricotta. It went perfectly with our homemade 'gravy' (sauce, but that's what my Great Nanny called it). I made a little video to capture this favorite tradition. Enjoy!




xo
Hannah

The Merriest of Christmases to You

I hope you all had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas! It's always so surreal when my favorite day of the year is here. It simply is here and then gone, all in the blink of an eye. Here's a quick little video of parts of our Christmas. It was a day spent with family, watching movies, eating good food, playing games, and enjoying each other.



At Christmas Eve Mass, our priest told us that the Christmas season has only just begun. So I plan on savoring these next days, ringing in the Christmas joy and spirit.

xo
Hannah

PS- I've got a whole slew of posts coming up as I play catch up! Be sure to come back soon:)

Let's Play Catch Up

First of all... Merry Christmas Eve Eve! Can you believe that Christmas is in TWO days?! Because I know I sure can't. As usual, this past week has been insane. So over the next few days, let's play catch up :) Here's what life's been like lately. More in depth posts to come!

1. Ugly sweaters and Secret Santa.

2. Amazing Christmas decorations at school.

3. Enjoying break.

nothing beats christmas vacation

4. Late night party planning.

5. The best party you've ever seen.

6. Shopping with Marv.

7. The most precious cousins.

8. My most exciting college acceptance letter yet!

gonzaga!!!

xo
Hannah

Tis the Season for Singing!

Without a doubt, one of my favorite parts about the holiday season is the music! I can't even begin to explain my love for Christmas; every time I listen to it, I just want to cry! It makes me feel so happy and nostalgic. I will never understand the people who don't listen to Christmas music. To each their own I suppose.

Since there is only 8 days until Christmas, I decided it was only fair to share some of my favorite Christmas songs.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

This song always makes me think of "Christmas with the Kranks", which is one of my all time favorite movies. I love to get in my car and turn this up as loud as it can go and belt it out. It's the song that puts me most in the Christmas spirit!

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

This was my favorite Christmas song when I was little! It still is one of the best! Plus I always think of the end scene of "Cheaper by the Dozen" when I hear it:)

Same Old Land Syne - Dan Fogelberg

Oh man, this song. The sax solo at the end just brings it all home. Every year, I stay up until midnight on Christmas to hear the very last Christmas song on the radio, and one year, this was the last one. It has forever stayed with me.

Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins

This is a bittersweet song for me. It was me and my old best friend's favorite holiday song. I remember the days where we would listen to it on repeat, the happy days of our friendship. It took me a while to be able to listen to this song again, but now when I do, I think of the good times we once had, and the joy that lies beneath during the holiday season.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

The fragile but beautiful voice of Judy can't help but break your heart a little. She encompasses emotion perfectly in this song. Brings me to tears.

Carol of the Bells - Home Alone Soundtrack

I'm very picky about my Carol of the Bells and I believe this is the very best version :)

Happy Christmas (War is Over) - Celine Dion

I'm not usually one for remakes, but this version is absolutely my favorite. Love Celine's voice!

Christmas Canon - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

This song gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Simply the best. I want to go to a TSO concert so badly- my grandparents went and loved it! 

Somewhere in My Memory - Home Alone Soundtrack

Whenever I hear this, I think of Christmas. I remember watching "Home Alone" with my grandma, laying together on the couch on a cold December night, as the only thing lighting the room was the Christmas tree and fireplace. It sure is a special time of year.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

The name says it all!

This list is just a small, small sample of my favorite Christmas music! I love it all, there's hardly any songs that I don't like. You can find me singing loudly to all Christmas music any time of the year. But oh, when it snows, you better believe I just drive around playing my music full blast, soaking it all in. I LOVE this time of year!!!

xo

Hannah

Finals, College, Life as a Senior

Today was the first day of finals, oh what fun! But actually, I've had hardly any stress about finals this year. I only have four total finals but only one really mattered- my history final was just a practice AP exam, my APES final actually matters, I only need a 50% on my AP Calc test, and I have to sing a scale for choir. Easy peasy.

The best part about finals is definitely half days. Tests start at 8:45, and you're out by 11:45. Today, Mack and I did some party planning. I cannot believe our party is on FRIDAY! I am sooo excited! It's going to be amazing!

Anyways, it was a pretty low key day, getting ready to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year! I cannot believe that Christmas is 9 days away! NINE! I remember when it was 90! Time flies for sure.

I plan on spending doing minimal studying, and watching lots of "Gossip Girl". Oh, and celebrating this:)

wooooohooooooo!

xo
Hannah

Finals

In honor of finals week, a repost from last year :)

The Week Before Finals
An original poem by Hannah

'Twas less than a week before finals,


When all through the school


Not a student was cheerful,


Not even the fools.



At home Hannah studied and did her work,


In hopes of her grades staying high or being perked.



No one dare enter Hannah's lair,


doing so meant going in with writhing fear. 





With her computer fully charged and Hannah in her sweats,


She sat there for hours, trying not to fret.



When what she really wanted to do was sit with friends and chatter,


She instead tried to do her best at what really mattered.



Away from social media, she tried her best to stay,


But breaks were necessary as not to fray. 



On Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and blogs she would bask 
Causing her to waste lots of time and go extremely off task.



When what to her wandering eyes should appear,


But things that made her life seem rather drear.



So back to her studying Hannah went so quick,


Wishing the material would just already stick.



More confusing than the French Revolution was horrible physics,


Which was honestly was the worst of all academics.



Watts, Newtons, power, energy, and joules,


meters, velocity, acceleration, so many stupid rules.





Guillotines, the three estates, peasants, sans coulettes


Louis XVI, Robespierre, Marie Antoinette.



“Why must school be such a long death?”
 Hannah thought, 

as she drowned in her studying, trying to catch her breath.



She organized the thoughts of a semester’s full brain,


by writing everything out and eating a candy cane;



Christmas was not far away at all, 


But the spirit was blocked by the intensity of finals, creating practically a wall. 



As she looked outside at the twinkling holidays lights,


She thought of how late it was in the night.



Drinking Mio Energy and eating whatever sugar she could find, 


Hannah worked through the study guides with nothing but school on her mind.



A bundle of note cards with rhetoric terms for AP Lang,


sat next to her as she avoided them and loudly sang.



Her eyes- how they struggled to stay open! her brain- how it felt so tired!


Her hand was so shaky, her thoughts uninspired!



Her droll little thoughts came random and slow,


As she stared out the window, wishing for snow.



Eventually her pencil was running quickly out of lead, 


And Hannah could only dream of going to bed. 





Her tired face grew pale and weary  


And the quiet house was getting eerie.



She needed more food and to go downstairs,


but feared not to do so, considering Toby lived there. 



A blink of her eyes and a yawn of her mouth, 


It seemed like Hannah's studying was beginning to go south.




She listened to "Les Mis" and made herself work,


To the point where she thought she would go berserk.



After far too much time, she put away her books,


Giving the material one good last look.





She then sprang from her chair and leaped ahead,


Climbing under her covers and going to bed.



She whispered last words, as she closed her eyes tight,



"Happy Finals to all, and to all a good night!"

xo

Hannah

Again.

Columbine High School- Littleton, Colorado- April 20, 1999

Arapahoe High School- Centennial, Colorado- December 13, 2013

There's not really a good way I can start this post. I'm still in a state of shock, of not being able to comprehend what has happened, again.

Today, December 13, started off like any Friday. I enjoyed my very last 2nd off and slept in until 8:30. I went to school for AP Calc, and enjoyed a day of doing nothing. We ate cake, Sierra and I stamped everyone's homework, we looked at the doors that are decorated for the annual contest, Sierra got her Secret Santa present- it was a great and lazy day. Afterwards, we met up with Riley and Mackenzie, did some (not so) Secret Santa exchanging, and caught up, like always. Riley, Sierra, and I went to Pho for lunch, and I went home. I had a choir thing all day- we would rehearse from 1 until 5, then have performances at 6 and 8. I packed a bag with snacks, a water bottle, and my choir dress and shoes, and drove to the church where we'd spend the rest of the day.

I arrived around 12:45, and just a few minutes after arriving, I received a text from Riley that sent chills down my spine; "There was a shooting at Arapahoe?!" Arapahoe High School is a neighboring high school, ten minutes away. One I drive past regularly, one where I know people who attend. One too close to home, again.

I was only three when the shooting at Columbine High School occurred, but learned of the events when I was in third grade. I read the book She Said Yes, a book that has stuck with me for years and years. In 8th grade, I read Nineteen Minutes, an amazing novel by Jodi Picoult based on the events at Columbine. Sophomore year, we had the Rachel's Challenge assembly, which is still my favorite assembly to date. The images, the videos, the 911 calls, they're all things that haunt me.

I was sitting with the other girls in my choir, when suddenly, a flood of tweets, texts, and notifications came in. Our teacher came in, and told us that we were on lock out, meaning no one could leave the room. Only a few students from other schools were in the room- everyone else was stuck at their schools, waiting until they could be released to go to the church. I was texting my siblings, who were at the middle school and high school, checking on them. My sister, at the middle school, was unaware of why they were on lockout, so I filled her in. Kylee, as in shock as me, pointed out how just yesterday we were passing Arapahoe around the same time the shooting occurred, on our way to lunch at Cafe Rio. 24 hours separated us from an ordinary day and a day that would leave us numb. My mom, a teacher in the district who was on lockout with her children, had no information as to why they were on lockout. She was asking me. Classmates began trying to call friends at Arapahoe, as the worry increased. Finally at 1:45, we began to rehearse. Our director promised to tell us when any new information was released, but for now, all we could do is sing.

What I have always loved about singing is how it transports me to a different world. Today, it was oh so much harder to leave the reality that I was in. I could only think about the kids at Arapahoe, and if I was in their situation. "What ifs" filled my head, until finally the music took me away. The harmonies and rhythms consumed me and my stress was slowly alleviated. But soon after, our singing stopped, as our director had news. Two were injured, and one person, the shooter, was dead. A room of nearly 100 students was eerily silent. My body became numb, and as we were dismissed for a break, to collect ourselves, not a word was said. We exited the risers, looking for support from each other.

Our afternoon and evening continued seamlessly, as the rest of the schools showed up after being dismissed. We would check for news, and did the only thing we could do- pray and send positive thoughts. We turned to the music for distraction, for solace. We whipped out two spectacular performances. Seeing my mom after the first performance however, gave me a feeling of peace nothing else could. Sometimes, you just need your mom.

I came home to watch some of the news. The footage of lines of students walk out of the school with their hands above their heads will stick with me forever, as will the pictures of students reuniting with their parents. Learning more and more details of the situation gave me some closure, but did not dismiss the pit in my stomach or answer my question... will this ever happen at my school? After all, Columbine is only 7 miles away, and Arapahoe, 5.

I've been inside of Columbine High School for various events, but each time I'm in it, I just think of that day in April, when lives were forever changed in that building. I've stood in the halls and wondered if something happened right where I was standing. There have been times where I'm at my own school, walking from class to class, minding my own business, but thinking about what I would do if there was a shooting in the hallways of my own school. School is supposed to be a place of safety, one where every child can go without fearing their life. But unfortunately, that is not an option. I have no idea how the students of Arapahoe will be able to go back to school, and be where such horrific things happened. I can only pray for them.

My day has been long and draining- physically and emotionally. But I'm staying close with my family, counting each of my blessings twice, and thinking of the day where this never happens.

xoxo
Hannah

"And He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the old order of things has passed away." {Revelation 21:4}

"Doesn’t matter how tough we are, trauma always leaves a scar. It follows us home, it changes our lives, trauma messes everybody up, but maybe that’s the point. All the pain and the fear and the crap. Maybe going through all of that is what keeps us moving forward. It’s what pushes us. Maybe we have to get a little messed up, before we can step up."

{Grey's Anatomy}

Hi I Really Miss Europe

oh the budapest parliament building on the danube gets me every time.

Lately I have been Europe sick. So, so, so Europe sick. It's an incurable disease. I could go back to Europe, but even that wouldn't 100% cure it. It will never be the same as when I went with the best group in the sweet month of June.

I completely admit to watching this every. single. day. And everyday when I watch it, I cry a little (or making the sounds of crying, actual tears only form once in a while)




With each part of the video, I remember what it was like when I was taking the video or picture. For example, the part at 10:37. You have no idea how bad I wanted that gelato that night. We were walking through Krakow, laughing like crazy and having the best time of our lives (and we didn't even realize it until now!). Or at 6:23. We were on a hunt that evening. We were looking for something very specific and were extremely, extremely disappointed when we found it but couldn't get it. Hahahahaha oh my gosh, but don't worry, the hunt continued until Prague. Then the hunt was over;)

After that, I listen to the songs on repeat and think of riding the bus. I remember looking out the window at the green fields, and seeing the small little houses, and the signs in languages I will never understand. I remember the awful neck pain from sleeping on the bus. It doesn't matter how comfortable my neck pillow was, your neck is just not supposed to bend some ways. I remember packing and unpacking my suitcase at every hotel, making sure I didn't lose anything along the way. Oh my gosh I remember how bad my suitcase smelled by Vienna. Disgusting. I remember public bathroom in Berlin, where a hobo tried to make us pay one Euro to go in (don't worry we snuck in when he wasn't looking).

It's all the little memories that fill me, that make me miss it. I can't wait until the day I can go back, even if it will be different.... Europe was the best decision of my life.

xo
Hannah

PS: If interested in reminiscing with me, you can go back and read my blog journal entries from the trip starting here

PPS: And here is another version of Europe, through the eyes of my bff Smack Mack

Finding Time

I hate that my favorite month of the year is also the the month of the year that goes by fastest. I wish I could savor each freezing cold day that's filled with holiday spirit for longer than 24 hours. It's not fair that school is most stressful and busy this month, but so that's life.

With a weekend filled with...
52 pages of history
5 hours of babysitting
3 science FRQs to prepare for
6 gingerbread houses built and decorated
1 science test to study for1
2 movies
1 argument/research paper to write
7 hours of holiday shopping
1 science project to complete
and 10 calculus problems to finish

And a week with...
3 choir concerts to perform at
3 additional choir concerts to attend
1 science test
1 math quiz
1 Christmas party to prepare for
and lots of homework/studying for finals

It's hard to find time.

When I get overwhelmed, I clean. I can't focus with a mess around me. I then resort to the shower. I took a long, hot shower today and gave a fantastic concert. It's a treat to be at my house when I'm singing in the shower for sure! After a shower, I paint my nails. Because who can focus with plain nails? Oh, and be sure to watch some Gossip Girl while you're doing that. Because Gossip Girl is the best show. Then get a gingerbread latte from Starbucks because you definitely can't go wrong with happiness in a red cup! If you're still feeling overwhelmed, definitely go shop and talk with friends. This is best done for at least two hours. Then, go home, eat, and get to work.

I guess what I've learned today (and through the course of high school years filled with rigorous classes) is that it is important to find time for you. An unhappy you or stressed out you is surely not an efficient you, so do what makes you happy.

xo
Hannah

My Favorite Month of the Year

Isn't it funny how all year long, we wait and wait for December, for Christmas, for the holiday cheer, and bam! Suddenly it's here, right in front of you. That how this December has been for me.

December is my favorite month for so many reasons, but I also think of it as my "wow this year went by fast" month. I think back to everything that has happened, how so much has changed in just a year, and smile. Because that's all you can do. Take it all in, each memory you've made, and smile, because everything that has happened to now. Remember the past, hope for the future, but love the now (I made that up, pretty good huh?)

So far, this month is flying by. Christmas is less than 3 weeks away people! there's so much to do and to be done! But I love every second of holiday anything so it's not that bad;) The weather has been freezing- literally. As I type this, it's a toasty 3° out! When I went school this morning it was -9°! So I've been bundled up, under blankets, drinking lots of hot cocoa:) What a rough life!

May your December day be merry and bright!

xo
Hannah