Kissing the Teenage Years Goodbye

     this morning at 6:29 am, i left the world of a teenager behind. it's a little sad in some ways, but it's also exciting; a new stage in life is before me and it's bound to be interesting.
     the picture of the necklace has meaning; the pendant on it is the symbol for a leo, which is my sign; i bought it friday when i went to the mall, and thought it was suiting. leos are at their height on the 28th of july, which is the day i was born.
     i just came back from a walk... the sun is setting, the air is cool, the wind is rustling through the trees and it sounds like waves washing over my senses. i'm listening to
1, 2, 3, 4 by the Plain White T's and Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, and my furry black cat Sheba is curled up in my lap.
     today was mostly quiet; my grandma came up and we ate pizza and sat around talking, and i mostly spent the rest of it sipping coffee and skyping with friends.
      this coming year for me of 20, i'm going to try to focus more clearly on the smaller things in life; the soft sensation of my cat's paw resting on my forearm, the way the sun catches the delicate white petals of Queen Ann's Lace, the feeling of grass under my feet and the sun on my skin.
      i have forgotten to remember them.
      until today.
      God has given me another 365 days.
       when i awake, he is still with me.

19th Birthday

So for the past few days, I've been having a blast and shopping and giggling and being ridiculous. ^_^ My dear friend Abigial from Texas came up to see me, and we made a day of it. (Well, four days, actually.) We went to the mall in Winston Salem and goofed off, bought matching tees, stayed up late, and had good conversations. It was really great getting to know her better. She's awesome <3
We walked in and out of stores all around the mall and listened to blasting music. We had an epic, epic time. I'm so happy she could come over.
She has more pictures on her camera, so I'll post them later :) 

Here are some pictures we took throughout her stay.

Rainy Days

Photo from Google - Credit goes to Photographer

It's 6:31 in the morning; the house is still quiet, and it's raining outside. Everything around me is still dark, except the glow of the computer screen.
      I woke up at 5:10 to the sound of happy music, and forced myself to get up, though my covers were trying to keep me down. I apologized to them for the premature breakup, and then got out of bed, heading directly for the coffee pot. Since no one else was up, I went ahead and turned it on, going out onto the back deck. Rain! It fell from black skies into the night. The beautiful sound of rain. I love the rain.

     Today we're having some friends over, so we have to get everything done before they come; but I'm looking forward to it. We'll have a wonderful time.

I also want to say Happy Birthday to a special someone: my mom. Yesterday was her birthday, and I totally forgot to schedule a post to come out!
     Anyway - Happy Birthday to a lovely lady. Mom, you've done a lot - I'm sorry I'm such a pain so often. You're amazing, and I admire how you put up with stuff. I love you bunches! Always be happy - life's too short to frown. Happy Birthdaaaaayy! (((hugs!)))

     Give your moms a cheer and hug today - they deserve it!

Fighting!
- Hannah

Birthday Bash

I'm officially 17! Last night we took pictures like we do every year, so, here they are. :)
This morning my CD player went off at 5:20, and I immediately got up. As the music began playing, it brought me out of sleep and I rolled over in my pile of pillows and blankets, blinking in the dark. As habit, I stretched, rolled over again, and plopped my head on the pillow next to the rail so that I was looking down on my room. The clock glowed red. Right on time. I smiled to myself, trying to remember the nice thoughts I went to sleep with. Sitting up, I laughed quietly, falling over again on my face.
"Ah... I love my bed."
I made myself get up, walked around my room in the dark. In an hour, I'd be 17. I meandered into the bathroom and removed the dark makeup smears under my eyes. I MUST start doing this before I go to bed! ^.^
Walking into the kitchen, everything was still dark, the house was quiet, and the floor creaked in various places as I walked across it. Everyone was still asleep. Quietly, I walked to the back door and stepped out into the cool morning.
The sky was a deep blue, and the stars were still out. The moon was just coming up through the trees. I could see the big black orb, with a tiny slit of moonlight gleaming behind it. I stood there, breathing in the crisp, clean air, listening to all of the sounds. I smiled again, praying quietly about the day and people I love.
Going back inside, I got my coffee, stirred in the creamer, and quietly slipped into mom's bathroom to shower.
It was still dark when I finished, and as I walked out of the bathroom, mom said from the dark room, "Happy Birthday, Hannah." I smiled as I walked by. "Thanks."
I spent the remainder of my time in my room, thinking, praying, and, thinking again. ^.^ Then the phone rang. It was two minutes before 6:30. My best friend!
I stepped outside, and by now the sun was rising. I got to talk to her and watch the sun glow red, rising through the mist, and I turned 17 while I was talking to her. It was very nice. We got to brainstorm about my story, Cafe, and came to these conclusions:
1. We love characters most when we beat them up and put the "happy, smiley" guy in a dire situation.
2. We found that we can brainstorm best in the mornings.
3. The "small but beautiful" are the most amazing.
4. And we came to the conclusion that we can "Edit, but don't delete!" ourselves. ^.^
It was very nice. I enjoyed it very much!

After that, dad and I went to breakfast and enjoyed ourselves, and from there on, it was just slow. My friend Kayla of 8 years came over and we chatted. It was a nice, slow day.
Thanks for the birthday wishes!!!

Fighting!
- Hannah