(Another) Grateful Heart

Last year in December, I wrote this post after a particularly tough day. Since yesterday I basically just used this blog to throw myself a pity party, I felt like I should come back and reflect on all the wonderful things in my life because there sure is a lot of them. Good days do outnumber the bad days and even though life is tough, there's still an awful lot of joy.

I am thankful that I am done with chem lab for the semester. Glory glory hallelujah!

I am grateful for Amy Grant Christmas music that always makes me think of my mom.

I am thankful for cadavers. Without them, studying anatomy would be impossible, and far less fascinating. 

(Side note: I highly recommend this article and this article to anyone who thinks they DON'T want to donate their body to science. Pretty compelling)

I am grateful for music, and great Spotify playlists.

I am thankful for YoungLife, which always leaves my soul rejuvenated.

I am thankful for group messages with my best friends that leave me laughing out loud in chemistry.

I am grateful for PaperMate pens, my favorite pens to make thousands of notecards with. 

I am thankful for hot tea during the evening, and warm coffee in the morning.

I am thankful for pictures and the eternal moments of happiness they capture. 

I am grateful for friends that always know exactly what I need.

I am thankful for comfortable sweats that I change into every afternoon when I'm done with class.

I am thankful for the small Christmas tree, illuminating my room. Makes my heart feel a little more at home. 

I am thankful for the support I receive every minute of the day from my family. 

I am thankful for the therapeutic effect of painting my nails. Not sure why it's so calming to me but it is!

I am grateful for Albanese World's Best gummi peach rings. Forever satisfying my sweet tooth. 

I am grateful for hot showers on cold nights.

I am grateful for the calming scent of lavender oil.

I am thankful for the sweet little faces of my nanny kiddos who I love and miss so much.

I am thankful for December, as life speeds up and slows down, and is simply full. Full of joy, stress, family, friends, magic, reflection, just everything!

Happy Thursday evening, friends. Wherever you are, I hope you're taking things slowly, enjoying.

xo

Hannah

A Grateful Heart

taken two weeks ago when Boulder was a winter wonderland

Back again, back again, jiggity jig. As of about 9pm last night, I am back in good ol' Boulder after a restful, relaxing week. The break flew by, but it was exactly what I needed. I got to see friends, spend time with family, and be at comfort with the old and familiar. It was beyond difficult coming back. Even though I know I get to go home in 17 days, I just want to be home now. The holiday season is my favorite and I wish I got to spend every minute of it back home. However, I am trying to make the best of this situation. I know that when I do get to go home, the time will be even more special.

Today was a typical Monday after break. Blah with a capital B. I had a hard time going to sleep last night and once I was asleep, I struggled to get comfortable. I overslept and had to hurry getting ready for my 8am. The day sort of dragged along. I decided to go on a run to clear my mind. The run helped to give me some energy, but I think the running in the cold ended up giving me a cold. I got back to my dorm to get busy studying and doing assignments. My computer was acting funky and making it hard to get to my math assignment website. I began to feel frustrated and even more blah than earlier. I spilled my soup at dinner. My printer ran out of paper when I was trying to print important notes. I stepped on a tack and it went straight in my foot. All I could think about was being home. I sat in my room, on the verge of tears, wallowing in my pity.

I hate to complain on my blog. It's not a place where I want to be a whiner. But today sucked. It was just one of those days.

But even when I have these bad days, I am thankful. I think about how the good days outweigh the bad and luckily, the bad days are far and few between. Everyone spends a lot of time in November thinking about what they're thankful for. Well, I'm reflecting on my thanks in December too. Gratitude is not limited to one month a year, so I am carrying it with me as we enter the best month of the year.

I am thankful for family that lives close. It is such a blessing that I have been able to spread my wings and experience college, but also be close to home

I am thankful for friendship. I have so many new friends here at CU that I can tell will be forever friends. I am thankful for old friends. It's wonderful to see everyone on their new journeys, but always knowing they will be there for good times. 

I am thankful for coffee, or as I like to call it, the life blood. 

I am thankful for a warm bed to sleep in every night, in a safe building.

I am thankful for the joy the holiday season brings.

I am thankful for the education I am receiving at CU and the knowledge I have gained that will hopefully allow me to help the world in the future.

I am thankful for red rainboots.

I am thankful for good books, good music, and good movies.

I am thankful for pen and paper, one of my most favorite mediums.

I am thankful for snowy days.

I am thankful for running trails that lead to the most beautiful of scenery. 

I am thankful for cozy blankets and fluffy pillows.

I am thankful for technology. It has allowed me to connect with several people I would not have met otherwise and stay in touch with those beyond my little world of Boulder. 

I am thankful for hope.

I am thankful for drives to Sonic, where all of life's problems are solved and singing is loud and off-key.

I am thankful for the future. I am thankful for the peace of knowing what happens is meant to be and the promise that tomorrow is a fresh start.

Happy December everyone. The excitement of Christmas is amongst us! May the gratitude of November stick with us this holiday season. 

xo

Hannah

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

Goodbye 2012!

What a great year it was. Much time was spent with family, friends, and all those in between. May 2013 bring those great times too! 

Happy New Years Eve! 

xo
Hannah

"The Fault in Our Stars"

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.” 

-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Over the summer, I compiled a list of books that I just had to read. I always look forward to winter break because I know it's a time where I can just read my heart out, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

The first book I read this break was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 

Reading a John Green book for the first time is a little bit like reading your own teenage diary. What he says and how he says it is dead on teenager. This isn't your typical teenage love story. It's about teenagers, falling in love, who both have cancer. However, it's charismatic and honest diction does not make it another Lurlene McDaniel novel. There's depth and wisdom that cannot be found in most other young adult novels, and it's not entirely depressing

Hazel Grace, a 16-year old with terminal cancer meets Augustus at her cancer support group. There, she introduces him to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction by Peter van Houten. Together, they start on the quest to meet their favorite author and find out what happened to the characters to the open-ended novel. Through this journey, they learn about love, friendship, death, and finding happiness, even when their time is short.

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old. It's story is beautiful and it make's you think. The thoughts that John Green puts out are compelling and one's I think everyone should know- our days are limited, but despite that, joy can be found, and true and deep friendships can be made, no matter how sad the circumstances.

xo

Hannah

Boxing Day

Let's be honest. December 26 is the worst day of the entire year. It means we have to wait another 364 days until Christmas! 

I personally think the Christmas season should be extended through all of December. Christmas music should stay on the radio longer (oh how I HATE that is off so quickly!), the snow stays forever (and it keeps snowing), the happiness, forever! 

We had a wonderful day yesterday. It was spent well with family, eating, playing games, watching Pitch Perfect, and of course, talking. I just adore Christmas day!

Today, we were pretty lazy. We played the Wii and Blokus for most of the day, and then around 4, we took the yearly day-after-Christmas trek to the mall. My mom hates it. I, however, love it. A few exchanges and purchases with gift cards were made, and we zipped out of there to grab some dinner from Costa Vida. The plan is to watch a movie and make popcorn in Dad's new popcorn maker. 

I'm still so sad Christmas is over. But we're still on break, the stores are having great sales, and the snow is still on the ground. For now, I suppose I will just watch all my recorded Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music on Pandora. :) 

Happy Boxing Day! 

xo
Hannah

Silent Night

There are not enough words to describe how much I love this time of year. It is my favorite. All year long, it is all I look forward to, and then once it's here, BAM! It flies right by. I have oh so enjoyed the celebration so far, and will soak in the rest of it.

Today, the last presents will be wrapped, a few more cookies will be baked, Christmas movies will be watched, to church we will go, lobster will be for dinner, the Night Before Christmas will be read, and the three of us kids will (hardly) sleep in my room. 

Snow is slowly beginning to fall, and the dreams of a White Christmas may be coming through.  

Merry Christmas Eve. 

The Night Before Christmas -- Amy Grant

One of my childhood favorites

xo

Hannah

The Snow

 The Snow 

O snow, which sinks so light,
Brown earth is hid from sight
O soul, be thou as white as snow,
O snow, which falls so slow,
Dear earth quite warm below;
O heart, so keep thy glow
Beneath the snow.

O snow, in thy soft grave
Sad flow'rs the winter brave;
O heart, so sooth and save, as does the snow.
The snow must melt, must go,
Fast, fast as water flow.
Not thus, my soul, O sow
Thy gifts to fade like snow.

O snow, thou'rt white no more,
Thy sparkling too, is o'er;
O soul, be as before,
Was bright the snow.
Then as the snow all pure,
O heart be, but endure;
Through all the years full sure,
Not as the snow.

(Edward Elgar)

 

We sang this song at our holiday concert last week.

It is by far my favorite.

It's soft.  It's whimsical. It's powerful. It's emotional. It's intense. It's beautiful.

It's the snow.

Happy snow in Colorado.

xo

Hannah

PS: This choir does a lovely job singing it. Enjoy.

The Week Before Finals

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. 



During this time no one dare enter Hannah's lair,
 

for 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, Facebook, 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 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, drowning 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 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

Dear December

via

 Dear December, 

Where do you go so quickly? It is already the 13th... Christmas is less than 2 weeks away! There is so much to do still. I would appreciate if you would stay for much longer and for you to slow down. I would like to relish the Christmas season and spirit far longer and not worry about school and finals. Thanks and much love.

xo

Hannah

Holiday Humbug

via

Oh, the holidays! My favorite part of the year! I look forward to Thanksgiving to New Year all year long, and when it is here, I am so happy, I can hardly figure out how to express it! The house smells of fresh balsam, the trees are lit, the decorations are up, Christmas music is always on, it's snowy out I'm pretending it's snowy out since it's way too hot, cookies are always in the oven, Jasper has arrived, it is a magical time. But let's admit it, the holidays aren't always a bunch of cheer. 

Although I don't experience the same grievances parents and adults do, such as getting gifts and planning activities for the little ones, I do see the hardships of the season. Here's some from a teen's perspective.

• It's only a week and half away from finals. EEK!
• I need to get my Secret Santa stuff together for Friday.
• Do I have an outfit to wear to The Nutcracker on Saturday night?
• What should I get my parents?
• Babysitting, babysitting, babysitting! Last weekend was the first time in over a month I didn't have a job! But this weekend, it starts back up- Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
• Holiday parties- planning for my own, availablility for others, goodies and gifts.
• I WANT TO WATCH CHRISTMAS MOVIES!
• I just want to be done with schhhool!!!!

Although these all seem silly and juvenile, my mind is constantly going, thinking about them! High schoolers are just antsy and are DoNe! And those like me have a gazillion things to think about! How about we just are done with school, and have it snow so I can drink hot cocoa, go sledding, and watch Elf and Christmas Vacation? Sounds perfect to me.

xo
Hannah

December Photo a Day

Because December is my favorite month, I thought a blog series of some sort would be fun. I found this great December Photo-A-Day Challenge from C'est Ma Vie and thought it was perfect!

xo
Hannah

My Favorite

Today, is the first day of my favorite day of the year. A month of cheer, joy, hope, and celebrating. 

Happy December!

xo

Hannah