Thick as Thieves

There's about eight thousand one quotes out there about sisters and how wonderful sisterhood is and while I could quote them all, I will spare you the cliches and just give you my little shpeel.

Ever since I can remember, I wanted a sister. Sorry to Brandon, because brothers are great, but I think every little girl longs for that other little girl to dress all matchy with and play dolls with. The day my sister was born is one I will never forget. I won't get all sentimental, but boy was I happy when they said it was a girl baby! From day one, she was my little doll, even though she may not have liked that too much. But now she's 14, in high school, and growing up into one of the funniest people I know.

Always a little mother

Well anyways, it turns out that I don't just have one sister, but I have three other sisters. Sure, it may  not be sisterhood by blood, but the bond I have with these girls is one like sisters. Good ol' Mack is like a sister (amongst being a best friend) along with Ains. And then of course there is Isabel. The five of us make up a crazy little group who know how to wreck havoc and have a grand time. We fight, laugh, and make some grand memories.

Two weeks ago before seeing Katie Herzig in concert, I was listening to all her music on Spotify. I heard a song, Thick as Thieves, from her latest album that I hadn't listened to in a long time and it left quite the impression on me. It was something beautiful. I felt a sort of magic and instantly knew this song had a lot more in store for it.


The lyrics really stuck with me, especially these lines:

My love hold me to your side
My love just like the first time
Hold on hold me through the mourning
Hold on harder than I'm falling

I really love the idiom thick as thieves to describe sisters because we are close and tight knit and plus I just like how it sounds;) But in all actuality, I know for a fact that these girls would do anything for me. If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. And it ain't going to be pretty.

I had an idea, shared it with Mack, and from there it blossomed into a project. We alerted the little sister (haha I love calling them that) and told them to clear their schedules at sunset on Saturday. We all got ready and went out to a beautiful field right off a walking path. From there, we took some stunning pictures and this video was born. It's definitely more on the cheesy side, but I know that in a few years, I'll look back and be real happy I have it. Heck, it made me cry this morning because I miss them so much. 

 Here's 2 pictures of the hundreds (I'll share more once I get them from Mack's memory card)

We are so cute oh my gosh

Then, of course there is the real side of video making. But I think I will cherish this video just as much.




Sisterhood sure is a special thing.
xo
Hannah

Home Coming 2014

This year, I got to celebrate home coming (read as homecoming).  It was the high school's homecoming but for me that meant coming home! I was really excited to go home this past weekend because well, it had been a long time and I wanted to see Liv get to experience her first homecoming weekend.

My bags were packed and my dad was waiting for me back at my hall by the time I got out of class on Friday. We dealt with stupid traffic on the way, and by the time we got home, it was time to get over to the stadium to tailgate for the football game. I threw on a TR t-shirt and we were off again. I got to eat some chili, visit with parents, and then it was time for the game.

This year, the homecoming game was against Vista, our absolute biggest rivals. Honestly, I don't think I will ever hate CSU more than I hate Vista. I saw this thing on Twitter that a TR alum said and man was it true: "You grow up, you graduate, you go to college, you move on- but you never stop hating Vista". Amen! Anyways though, let's just say that our high school is having a bit of a growing year in football. They went from winning every game and being in the state semifinals toooo losing every game. Yikes. The thing is, Vista has never been good at football. In fact, we beat them 14 years in a row. But this year, they knew we were struggling and took advantage of the opportunity to come back and beat us. It was an extremely intense (I've never yelled and cheered so much!) and we were tied until the last 3 minutes, but then we lost possession of the ball and they scored one last touchdown:/ It was sad and disappointing but TR really showed such class in their defeat. I'm proud to be a forever Grizzly. Olivia performed wonderfully at the half time show though, I must add!

Proud Poms sister

 Later than evening, Isabel, Ains, Mack, Liv, and I went to Sonic, and then took over the town and had a ton of laughs. I love my sisters, biological and adopted. <3

The next day was the big day- Olivia's first high school dance. Personally, I loved every single high school dance and always had a blast (fun fact- senior year, I was going so hard on the dance floor that people thought I was drunk. I wasn't- I was just having the time of my life). My baby sister isn't a baby anymore! I helped her get all accessorized and couldn't help but laugh because she looked just like me at my freshman homecoming. She will tell you that she doesn't but I'm sure you'll think otherwise;)

Her best furry friend

Most of the girls she went with

Jumping pictures are never easy

These two have been best friends since birth

No words

Someone was sad she had to go inside

Pretty pretty poms

Hahahaha

Hmm, don't our dresses and hair look similar??

While she was dancing the night away, I got to see Riley!!! And Mackenzie!!! (wow we never get to see each other!!) We decided to hit up Sonic again but their slush machine was broken?!! This is the not the first time this has happened and good lord was I upset. The primary reason Mack and I go to Sonic is for the slushes! We were still craving something icy so we went to Taco Bell to get Baja Blast Freezes. We talked and then we went to spy on high schoolers leaving the dance. We were then invited to Village Inn by Isabel and Olivia so we sat and observed the homecoming groups there and then the five of us all talked and it was such fun.

We took a lot of selfies

Reliving the glory days;)

Early that next morning, Liv, Mom, and I did the Race for the Cure. We were up at the crack of dawn after two very late nights. However, breast cancer is a cause that I hold very close to my heart as my grandma fought it, as well as most of her sisters, and several other important women in my life. After the race, we got a yummy brunch at Egg & I and then went home to take naps. I ended up staying home pretty late and didn't get back to Boulder until 9:45. It was really hard to leave home this time because my favorite season (fall/winter/holidays) is starting and it was my mom that made me really love it all. She always made it very special with decorations, yummy treats, wonderful smelling candles and wall plug-ins, and an overall spirit. The first thing I did after she left (besides wipe away a few tears) was plug in my Autumn Wallflower. It's sort of like home, but nothing will ever replace the real deal.

I'm definitely still recovering from the busyness of it all but it was well worth the exhaustion. There truly is no place like home. :)

xo
Hannah

Home

via

Home:  a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household; the place in which one's domestic affections are centered; any place of refuge

This is a post that's been heavy on my mind for the past few months. I've began a new chapter of my life here in Boulder. I'm still adjusting and getting the hang of it all, but home is always on my mind. You can't just forget a place where you were you for 18 years. But what truly is home? 

It's something we think and talk about it often. I have nine songs on my phone called "Home", each a little different, but with one main underlying theme- home is simply a part of us that we can never leave behind.
 
To me, home is more than my house on Ironwood. It's not just a physical location; it's the day to day routines, the usual motions we follow. Attached with these are emotions of comfort and solace, happiness and warmth, joy and gratitude.

It's drives to Sonic with Mackenzie. It's my black cat following me around, crying for more attention. It's Olivia saying the most absurd things, causing me and my mom to double over laughing. It's my dog going crazy playing a game on Olivia's iPad. It's Brandon moving slow as molasses when we are trying to leave. It's belting out the lyrics to ABBA songs or Christmas music. It's weekly trips to Sam's Club with my dad. It's my neighbor knocking on the back door to play with the animals. It's movies and group hugs with my best friends. It's babysitting the cutest kids. It's catching up on the high school drama with Isabel and Ainsley. It's my mom laying next to me on my bed at night. It's hearing the steady thumps of my sister practicing her dances in the kitchen. It's always seeing someone I know at Target. It's my brother's weird as heck noises. It's stopping in my mom's classroom with Starbucks. It's picking produce from the garden. It's late nights that us three kids are up studying. It's Olivia taking my clothes. It's two arms holding me tight when I need it most. It's being with the ones I love most, wherever.

While all of this will always be home, I am trying to make where I am now, home. It's difficult as I try to pick up these new pieces. With just two weeks under my belt, I know that it will take time. But I sure do crave for that feeling of security and comfort. I am making friends who I know will be essential to that home feeling, as I create new routines and find my new rhythm to life. 

Perhaps home will be jumping to get on my cozy little corner bed. Flock nights with Andy and EB. Coffee between math and bio. Seeing familiar faces, smiling and waving. Talking with floor mates in the bathroom. Laundry on Thursday mornings. Smelling the green apple smell when I pass the planetarium. Fearing the ducks of Kittredge Pond. Young Life and Swing Dance Club. Riding the Hop to 29th Street Mall for window shopping and Target trips. Laughing at myself far too often in my dorm room. Sharing goodies from home. Admiring the Flatirons every morning. Girl talk outside my RA's door. 

This place will never replace home, but it is what I make it. I suppose we never just have one home. Home is multiple pieces that make up each of us, each one providing reassurance and truth. There are days where I miss home. I miss the simplicity of childhood, of high school, of life before. While it seems different when I go back, parts echo the past and that comfort is restored.


Last night, I went to Young Life for the first time with some friends just to try it out (more on that later). We sang some songs that weren't all just worshippy and this was one of them. Tuesday morning I was having a pretty bad bout of homesickness and was feeling sort of lost in the crowd. I hate to go all "divine intervention" on you,  but I totally believe that there is a reason we sang this. I so needed it as a reminder. The lyrics resonated within me, especially these few lines :

"Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble—it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home"

College is the place where we're all a little lost, all trying to figure out who we really are. But we will always have our roots to fall back on. I miss home and the happy memories of the past and the future is uncertain which is scary but you know what? I'm going to be just fine.  

xo
Hannah

    "So I'm trusting in my feet
            And I'm skipping to a beat
             Of a heart that's sweet on finding home"

Don't Judge Me By My Bubble

For my Advanced Writing course, I had to write "a vignette, a story or scene that captured a small truth or insight". You have no idea how hard it was for me to figure out what I was going to write about. The example paper we were given was about a crazy uncle but our professor said we could write about anything really. You see, I love blogging because I do get to write about anything- but I only like getting to write anything on my blog. When it comes to school writing, I like to have direction and structure. For this reason, I will probably never take a creative writing course. Anyways, I decided to share it because I am pretty proud of it, and that's what this blog is for, right? Since moving up here to Boulder this past week, introductions are a daily occurrence. You know the basics- Hannah, IPHY major, from Highlands Ranch, living in Smith. Every time the words "Highlands Ranch" came out of my mouth, people would reply back, "Oh you're from Highlands Ranch?", almost rolling their eyes. Just another rich white kid. If only they knew I am SO much more than where I came from. So here is my insight, my small truth. 


I was raised in a little suburban bubble where nearly every kid gets a car on their 16th birthday, mothers wear high end workout clothes everyday, even when they don’t actually work out, and from a young age we are taught that if you are walking in a parking lot past 10pm, you should be afraid for your life. It’s a homogenous pool of white, Christian, Republican families who are financially comfortable, at the very least. You will see young kids playing with the latest of gadgets as they sit in their mother’s carts at Target, as they avoid being home so the cleaning lady can clean and if you venture into certain subdivisions, you will indeed see neighbors driving around on golf carts when there is no golf course to be found for miles. There are not any white picket fences even though people might love to put on that illusion. It’s my little Mayberry, my safety net, my home.    

It wasn’t until I had moved away that I discovered how many people had such negative preconceived notions about where I grew up and what kind of person I would be because of it. Sure, there were a few remarks here and there when I would go elsewhere, but they were few and sporadic. I knew that I was very fortunate in the amount of opportunity I had because of where I grew up, but I never once took that for granted. I always counted it as one of my biggest blessings to live in a wonderful, safe town. The second I tell people where I am from, their tone of voice will change and they look at me a little differently. It is as if they think that all that I need in life is simply handed to me on a silver platter. I did not know that it was ranked as one of the richest counties in the United States. I did not choose to be born into a stable family. I did not choose where I lived for my childhood. I did not choose the life that I was given, so why am I judged by it? 

Just because I lived in this place where life seemed to be “easy” does not mean I was raised with an entitled disposition. While yes, I have been fortunate enough to go to Europe and have nice clothes and live an opportunous life, above all else I was taught that I had to work hard for anything I wanted in life. I babysit, my brother mows lawns, and all of us kids are required to help around the house, doing what seems like a superfluous amount of chores. Much to my sister and I’s dismay, my mom does not just buy us new clothes whenever we would like. We limit the number of times we go out to dinner to usually about once a week and do not go on lavish vacations every summer. The car I drive was my dad’s old car and I occasionally pay for my own gas. My mother wears work out clothes in the morning when she does Crossfit, then professional attire during the day; she’s a teacher. I bought my own iPad with money I had accumulated from babysitting over a few months. We don’t have a cleaning lady; we clean the house every Friday afternoon as a family. The only place I have ever driven a golf cart is on a golf course. But alright, I do admit that I hate being in parking lots late at night. Our lives are nothing of extravagance, just a multitude of thanks and proof of continuous hard work and dedication. The name of my town may be associated with diamonds, but in reality, we are mostly just cubic zirconia, bearing semblance to the wealth that is so desired.




xo
Hannah