tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17313078091834852752023-11-16T04:42:22.718-08:00debunking the psychepeeling back the layers of the subconscious Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-83358530697754940192015-11-05T18:12:00.003-08:002015-11-05T18:12:46.995-08:00only inspirationI'm inspired.<br />
<br />
The last few years have been a whirlwind of searching. Searching for time I could not find. Searching for answers to questions I didn't even know how to ask. Searching for passion that had grown dormant and stale.<br />
<br />
<i>What could I do?</i><br />
<i>What do I love?</i><br />
<i>What am I good at?</i><br />
<i>How can I make money?</i><br />
<i>How can I find a way to keep my passions alive that grew in me far before having children or a husband? </i><br />
<i>How can I tend to those souls that matter more than anything to me now?</i><br />
<i>How can I do both?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Truth is, I don't know. I have no answers. Only inspiration.<br />
<br />
Inspiration to do what I <i>can </i>do right now.<br />
And once again, it is to write. The words in my head and the melody in my heart, they are alive and vibrant and raging from within. I don't have any clear answers, but I do have this. This writing, it takes nothing more than everything that I have. And that's enough.<br />
So I will begin, something.<br />
Something that could turn to ash.<br />
Or something that could grow into something powerful beyond my imagination.<br />
<br />
I hear your call, and I accept. Only inspiration.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-2882295078109514962013-02-25T21:11:00.001-08:002013-02-25T21:11:08.327-08:00The Heart Speaks YogaWow, it has been almost two years since I last wrote on this blog?<br />
<br />
What brought me to look through these posts tonight? It was the full and familiar feeling of my chest expanding to encompass my swelling heart.<br />
My heart is opening.<br />
Through asana practice, by this breath, from every single moment of every single day, by leading my son into the world, and from falling into the deepest, most vulnerable and fragile love I never imagined, with this man, this partner, who has agreed to run wildly through this life with me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
All these things, and more, have brought me to this moment, sitting at my computer and coming back.<br />
<br />
Two years ago I was sharing the adventures of a girl with an open road, living in Paris, who had vision that extended only a month or two ahead. She was free and wide-eyed and open to allowing life to go in whatever direction it would.<br />
<br />
Now, this full moon, I begin to share the new adventures. Everything in my life has found its way to come together and is manifesting in vision that runs deeper than me. All the places I've been and the people I've let in have brought me to this place, this moment of perfection, this Divine existence.<br />
<br />
Yoga, it is both the subject and the definition. It is illuminating every aspect of my Self as I move deeper into the practice every day.<br />
<br />
I am both in love and in hate with it.<br />
I desire it and I detest it.<br />
I don't want to step onto my mat and I can't leave it.<br />
I am afraid to teach, I am really the student.<br />
I find peace with it and I also obsess over it.<br />
I know it is, but I fear.<br />
<br />
I am imperfect.<br />
<br />
I am perfect.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I stay on the path. I choose Yoga, I move into freedom, I liberate my Self from my ego, I allow God to use this practice to open me, to remove the blocks, to shed the Light, to be Love.<br />
<br />
Stay real, do what you do.<br />
<br />
Namaste,<br />
<br />
Hannah Lee.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOoTjvhbguUxmjcIDGI5PseocTVnmNAGWdyY-AdGy-RA8vZu1vNuTX7y7YfgaJjoDlqoTuSk9rEkkvPD4iG8qJLuFyg_FmMua97PmPSAERrob8lN8i9lAXngjxCMvOa3bjyB1wJIJy7g/s1600/830464_10200427267820989_1872275713_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOoTjvhbguUxmjcIDGI5PseocTVnmNAGWdyY-AdGy-RA8vZu1vNuTX7y7YfgaJjoDlqoTuSk9rEkkvPD4iG8qJLuFyg_FmMua97PmPSAERrob8lN8i9lAXngjxCMvOa3bjyB1wJIJy7g/s320/830464_10200427267820989_1872275713_o.jpg" width="213" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-41992489478903602052011-10-03T12:57:00.000-07:002011-11-07T14:21:29.318-08:00Love is Liberating<div>"I don't need you to write me a song, I'll write enough for the both of us.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>You said you'd walk to Olympia to be with me,</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>so then I promised to teach our kids how to spell real well.</div><div>I want you here for it all,</div><div>I know we wont let each other fall"</div><div><br /></div><div>A little (much needed) wisdom from The Daily Love today:</div><img src="http://cdn.thedailylove.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/donttakeitpersonally1.jpg" /><div><br /></div><div>My interpretation? </div><div><br /></div><div>People will do what they will do, and it's just not about you. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you release blame and expectation and instead choose to look inside yourself, then you can simply meet another right where they are. In that, you will be free enough to love them, and free enough to be loved by them.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><p style="text-align: center; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">“All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won’t succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.”</em></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>- <strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Wayne Dyer</strong></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></strong></span></div><div>I am free and whole enough to have been able to let in the love of a new man in my life...a man that I can trust, and who has proved himself worthy of my love as well. Our plans are big and without fear, and I can't wait for what is to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have an incredible family here that supports my dreams and visions. </div><div><br /></div><div>And of course there is the Love of the Creator which replenishes and nourishes my spirit unconditionally.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-51868858344332224152011-07-18T16:55:00.000-07:002011-07-18T17:06:55.659-07:00Paris BluesI'm terribly sad to leave Paris.<div><br /></div><div>I'll write a better conclusion to my life here at some point.</div><div><br /></div><div>But for now I'm just terribly sad.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOs2FCRenGDKsTmRQ2MgRTMYsl7L5heLWAjPWeJMgcru-wp395uEMs9CytRkrxv5QRLGZR9SsKD2xz8mEHFwq5W5HNyQOJPqZ7GKYcDLCbcQtrL3u_crHCRKtEidpSJlKYaaqbkdoeDaE/s1600/SAM_1079.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOs2FCRenGDKsTmRQ2MgRTMYsl7L5heLWAjPWeJMgcru-wp395uEMs9CytRkrxv5QRLGZR9SsKD2xz8mEHFwq5W5HNyQOJPqZ7GKYcDLCbcQtrL3u_crHCRKtEidpSJlKYaaqbkdoeDaE/s400/SAM_1079.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630846066055867890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-81694392206876351182011-07-06T08:14:00.001-07:002011-07-06T08:46:32.167-07:00A Moral Dilemma.<div>Last night on my way home after dinner (around midnight) I got a good taste of harassment from a crazy, vulgar Frenchmen. </div><div><br /></div><div>I sat across from a man on the metro, whose penetrating eyes on my body made his misguidance evident, and within minutes he began to talk "at" me rather than to me, as I was but an object. He said some very inappropriate, crude, insulting, derogatory things to me (insinuating I was the kind of woman that would come home with him, to put it nicely), all of which elicited reactions from the other men on the train. I was grateful for the defense, as I really didn't know how to react. My first feeling was that of sympathy, as this man was clearly not right in the head. But then as he gestured to my exposed shins (I was wearing a just-below-the-knee dress, not at all scandalous) and stated, "C'est une salope," I was filled with the urge to punch him hard in the face, and spit on the ground in front of him. Instead, I alternated between laughing with the other bystanders at his impudence, and giving him stone-cold eyes for his abhorrent behavior. </div><div>The disturbing part of this situation was not the insult or debasement I received, nor was it even the disrespect for women in general that this man showed. Rather, it was the moral dilemma I faced afterwards, in trying to decide what would have been the most virtuous way to react. Was it virtuous of me to not really react to the man? Sure, it was safer and empathetic, as he was clearly not right in the head. But it also didn't feel just. I didn't do anything to teach or help the man, or even to simply defend myself against such degradation. I believe anger has its place, and I even think there are times it is important to react to the feeling of anger. But I also know the danger of such reactions, if improper.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone who reads this, I would be really interested in hearing other perspectives on this situation. Please post a comment or contact me in some way :)</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-79553294502518381062011-07-06T07:17:00.001-07:002011-07-14T00:59:30.620-07:00Biking in Amsterdam, and some other things...So I am going to do a little re-cap of the past several weeks...<div><br /></div><div>Three weeks ago I took a 4-day trip to Amsterdam! This city was absolutely amazing; I fell in love. The endless supply of canals make for a breathtaking view, no matter where you are in the city. As a Minnesotan, I of course advocate and love biking (Minneapolis is the number one biking city in the country, after-all; suck it Portland!) and thus loved Amsterdam. Their cycling rates are 10 times higher than those of the United States. </div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 32px; ">*Side note: I wrote a research paper in a class at UMN about cycling in Europe, and coincidentally focused on Amsterdam. Here is an excerpt from that paper:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 32px; "><i>"In Amsterdam, some of the reforms the Dutch government made in the 1970s hugely impacted the bike routes in the city. The bike lanes were made larger, nearly two times longer, bringing the total kilometers of bike lanes in Amsterdam to 400km. There are many streets to be found in both Amsterdam and Copenhagen—“bicycle streets”—where cyclists get the right of way and cars are forced to be cautious (Pucher and Buehler 2008, Figure 2). There has also been a major increase in a number of streets which are for bikers only—cars are prohibited from driving on them at all (Pucher and Buehler 2008: 514). Networks of paths have also been created in these cities to steer cyclists away from the busy streets. With this kind of integration, cycling is even more efficient for commuters, and eliminates the issues with congestion."</i></span></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI3juct7NwUlv24sS4zizydnmrMDZpDVIST5W-DkkSFSthI6jeQQ0358GYZJVwpb4MZnnqIFiKTgHQTWfiSeatOrohxbGlMnRJwf4MAApSfAqw8BCygrE0r_L6Ndice0mzh2HitF0g68/s1600/SAM_0828.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI3juct7NwUlv24sS4zizydnmrMDZpDVIST5W-DkkSFSthI6jeQQ0358GYZJVwpb4MZnnqIFiKTgHQTWfiSeatOrohxbGlMnRJwf4MAApSfAqw8BCygrE0r_L6Ndice0mzh2HitF0g68/s400/SAM_0828.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626270624186160050" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqlr4n3QbzNs9hGeDY0LfaKO7MwhGPfrGfbX-dw5oG_T8okAQYw501h5SUYWJ77AT7P68QVnLu1FlYVpOL319GaJcWCLOgyiwDvTmn4IsbzdxefxjOPOkkFp1LEpXAOQxTTr0-eRfpZ8/s1600/SAM_0856.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqlr4n3QbzNs9hGeDY0LfaKO7MwhGPfrGfbX-dw5oG_T8okAQYw501h5SUYWJ77AT7P68QVnLu1FlYVpOL319GaJcWCLOgyiwDvTmn4IsbzdxefxjOPOkkFp1LEpXAOQxTTr0-eRfpZ8/s400/SAM_0856.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626270618945014466" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_41zAFVBORNS8WhunzNIuQ0Q5_49Enzx90K1OHN1EvZxuKV5qN8Btv-Un9762729gESKiOiTTpv2WwjrhlTJbVlsyB5P1rW-53LvD-wFPawGtZzDTZsrM9SnEPHdlPeR9qX8v88jstg/s1600/SAM_0875.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_41zAFVBORNS8WhunzNIuQ0Q5_49Enzx90K1OHN1EvZxuKV5qN8Btv-Un9762729gESKiOiTTpv2WwjrhlTJbVlsyB5P1rW-53LvD-wFPawGtZzDTZsrM9SnEPHdlPeR9qX8v88jstg/s400/SAM_0875.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626270612049476050" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /></div><div>My good friend Ida and I (who joined me for my adventures in Holland) rented bikes for two days, and were able to see most of the city in that time. I highly recommend this city to anyone travelling through Europe; I found Dutch people to be extremely friendly and helpful, and the acceptance of English-speaking was very welcoming as well. Contrary to popular belief, the city is not defined merely by the Red Light District or the hash-bar Coffee Shops :) </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></div><div>Upon returning to Paris, I had the pleasure of welcoming my newlywed cousin Jesikah and her husband Jon into my home to stay for four days. We had a great time together, and I was glad to be able to show them around Paris. They have been traveling around the world for a 6-month honeymoon (how cool is that?), and wrapped up their travels here with me. We spent a day at Versailles, which I had not done yet. The palace was incredible. It was really interesting to learn about the state of things leading up to the French Revolution, and see first-hand how extravagant the lives were for the royalty, while the rest of the country lived in deep poverty. It was especially interesting to make the comparison to today, and to see how the same issues are still happening. People are richer than ever, and meanwhile people are also suffering more than ever. But I digress....</div><div>Jon and Jesikah have mastered site-seeing by this point in their journey, so we were able to see all the most important places <i>very </i>efficiently, leaving plenty of time for mindful conversations, lazy picnics, gooooood wine, and some live music. One day we got bikes and toured the city, and it was not nearly as convenient as cycling through Amsterdam was. </div><div>I loved having them here, and it definitely got me excited to see all the other people I love back home!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKoI1mbPnSmuc6shVC_xUlMFoTnbx6pPUykaKCoCBo2U0uUJlGofvHGM1k4z00mR4Dw3DpMzYxlpTA9LmSLBwALBOhx8DnS-INpLPRPvrVEO6DZ6Ux49v0aKDvICBF9Ct5MenqyMfdxo/s1600/SAM_0924.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKoI1mbPnSmuc6shVC_xUlMFoTnbx6pPUykaKCoCBo2U0uUJlGofvHGM1k4z00mR4Dw3DpMzYxlpTA9LmSLBwALBOhx8DnS-INpLPRPvrVEO6DZ6Ux49v0aKDvICBF9Ct5MenqyMfdxo/s400/SAM_0924.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626271003075057682" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGamupjFR2PEAa8o3Tmd9caasUoN1b_rmOLg6yCojVeCdbt9cpMQZ_3wY0OYfrHyZnaq4xbJdY7KSkAscINbeAvKMGWeHFN1gWiv17Hw42xeULXlQgAf-6UwFuZ8s78vqpMr48N8QxrGI/s1600/SAM_0926.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGamupjFR2PEAa8o3Tmd9caasUoN1b_rmOLg6yCojVeCdbt9cpMQZ_3wY0OYfrHyZnaq4xbJdY7KSkAscINbeAvKMGWeHFN1gWiv17Hw42xeULXlQgAf-6UwFuZ8s78vqpMr48N8QxrGI/s400/SAM_0926.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626270645481513266" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQryG_0-kLMHxBCVCvTSC6uzMUmygWH9FMHDmliwCPmor7NyecbXNBr9iyLS-o9IhdSq402B3m3SAnKaJhePAMCFgOesW8_IbN7Ny-_POejBzOCuObaPPXkPUvFFORwD9hbM7SgSWg6Q/s1600/SAM_0906.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQryG_0-kLMHxBCVCvTSC6uzMUmygWH9FMHDmliwCPmor7NyecbXNBr9iyLS-o9IhdSq402B3m3SAnKaJhePAMCFgOesW8_IbN7Ny-_POejBzOCuObaPPXkPUvFFORwD9hbM7SgSWg6Q/s400/SAM_0906.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626270631099252754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Early Spring I met a French-woman that asked me to give English lessons to her three children, and last week was my final week teaching, as they are now in Israel for summer holidays. Yet another tough goodbye, because of course I got close to the family over the past few months working for them. Last Thursday I brought the kids to my restaurant so they could practice ordering in English, and then this Monday we had our farewell picnic.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I8n7FJt97Q9xdBRtonAH3LlTHFXbub3q5haVD-D4yXaB9nqJD7r-sTdiVb1dEjNC555lLy8k0Rn9D9sSgkZtH-wraFk_LQLmjXxl8cavgEJptMOQ3VWPEKLl7m5CkfqaVcD78OV0W0c/s1600/SAM_0981.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I8n7FJt97Q9xdBRtonAH3LlTHFXbub3q5haVD-D4yXaB9nqJD7r-sTdiVb1dEjNC555lLy8k0Rn9D9sSgkZtH-wraFk_LQLmjXxl8cavgEJptMOQ3VWPEKLl7m5CkfqaVcD78OV0W0c/s400/SAM_0981.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626271013996003634" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6gSxWOgGa5789sFfDsWLtJrAal0cK0yCxQOxxWzaO7AUP8grbkXXXJVygKyjtvFLHXSvgDwEuDUhrTWPvopk7OksDGctq8aNx8QgTP3OZ-PyChPMSLmmphBZ0wv_mDF2zs5bEZhHF-0/s1600/SAM_0936.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6gSxWOgGa5789sFfDsWLtJrAal0cK0yCxQOxxWzaO7AUP8grbkXXXJVygKyjtvFLHXSvgDwEuDUhrTWPvopk7OksDGctq8aNx8QgTP3OZ-PyChPMSLmmphBZ0wv_mDF2zs5bEZhHF-0/s400/SAM_0936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626271007681503426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><div>Yesterday (Tuesday) I went to another farewell picnic for my friend Donna (another au pair, from Canada) just outside Paris at Bois de Boulogne, and last night went to the Paris Opera house for a Ballet with my friends from Kiwizine! It was magnificent, and definitely made me miss my days as a ballerina. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Now I have exactly two weeks left here in Paris, and I am really disoriented about the fact that my life here is coming to a close. And on that note, I gotta go spend the little time I have left exploring this vast and intricate city :)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-81706271284403444262011-06-30T13:15:00.000-07:002011-06-30T14:27:26.432-07:00The Men with the FlowersI have so many things to write about at the moment, but as I was about to start, I was interrupted, so I am not even going to talk about the several subjects I need to touch on (SOON!). As I write this, I am sitting at Culture Rapide (my favorite local, très bohemian cabaret) waiting for the Blues Jam night to start (which has become my Thursday night tradition). <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAl4z3FT1lESNnqzQW3Ke2pQcUXqxDHQOr6UhZ0LGVfIdWZUwvQismIt1pBk_3LJkWujC3sQOlC3rSnVS6mZ9d6Opxwcq5Q-RWhuPXeLRp_Rof-AfAR_wTL42Rf2VffcTl4-7PW9htgE8/s1600/SAM_0899.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAl4z3FT1lESNnqzQW3Ke2pQcUXqxDHQOr6UhZ0LGVfIdWZUwvQismIt1pBk_3LJkWujC3sQOlC3rSnVS6mZ9d6Opxwcq5Q-RWhuPXeLRp_Rof-AfAR_wTL42Rf2VffcTl4-7PW9htgE8/s400/SAM_0899.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624124207377088210" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div>I love this place; I can sit in peace, writing and thinking, without being disturbed by rowdy fellas or obnoxious gals. That being said, there is always the disturbance of the "Flower Men" (not an official title, just what I have labeled them). This disturbance has just happened, but it was welcomed :)<div><br /></div><div>Here in Belleville (the 19th arrondissement of Paris, if you forgot) anytime you go out to eat, you can expect for there to be several men who will enter the restaurant throughout the course of your meal, attempting to sell you flowers. Some of them are très pénible, as in they will just stand in front of you while you try and enjoy your entrée of skewered watermelon, feta and smoked salmon (with a Greek mint sauce), repeatedly asking you if you will buy a flower--yes, this is our entrée (appetizer) this weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>Working in a restaurant, I know all the flower men, as they come into my restaurant every night of service. Whenever I'm out-and-about in the neighborhood at other bars and restaurants, I run into them. Tonight I chatted with one of my favorites; he is never annoying, doesn't speak much French or English. In French he knows how to say "How's it going?" and "Is it busy tonight?" and "I will return later." and of course, "You want?" (beckoning to the flowers in his arms). I felt so proud tonight, as he carried on a long conversation in French, using phrases and saying things that he has learned in the last few months. Every Friday I buy a flower from him, to decorate Kiwizine, but when I'm outside the restaurant he always offers me one as a gift. After our chat tonight he gave me a flower, smiling and bowing as he continued on his way, a long night of walking up and down the hilly neighborhood ahead of him.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcxmCT72lAY45MsnB4FW3WNneTGHpi9mehYZ-EegZnvYGqtfh8sLAgGqrwooFAS9sqxdef-iZTrfniP9vxheSHLI4kRZbODaKN8WPrPkoiZhTyJ87w-CTU64_jYZPHBCyY2YRP9FlpNE/s1600/SAM_0988-1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcxmCT72lAY45MsnB4FW3WNneTGHpi9mehYZ-EegZnvYGqtfh8sLAgGqrwooFAS9sqxdef-iZTrfniP9vxheSHLI4kRZbODaKN8WPrPkoiZhTyJ87w-CTU64_jYZPHBCyY2YRP9FlpNE/s400/SAM_0988-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624124214934353170" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I sure do love people making an honest living.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-43727231701229323982011-06-17T04:16:00.000-07:002011-06-17T04:39:23.804-07:00The Routine of Clean<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(146, 208, 80); font-family: MingLiU_HKSCS, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; white-space: pre; ">Eliminate the clutter</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>clean up the dirt</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:6"> </span>vacuum the dust</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>reorganize...<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11.5pt; font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:2.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:.5in;line-height:17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>to</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt; font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:7"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>make </span><span style="font-size:11.5pt; font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 17.25pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:8"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>room.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"MingLiU_HKSCS","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#92D050"><o:p></o:p></span></p></span></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Did some <i>much-needed </i>house cleaning today, and realized how symbolic it is of the journey of inner-work!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-76941343723952214082011-06-16T06:29:00.000-07:002011-06-16T07:48:01.742-07:00In All The Secret Places<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl">Hey loves of mine, this entry is just a photo update, nothing more. I realize not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">everyone </i>I know is on Facebook (Barnabas, your anti-change mentality must end; cave already!) so here are some pictures from recent adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">*The lovely Eiffel Tower; never gets old...especially when one has great editing tools!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCvT_XITJr2W7vVaB17uc5LU8oGMTv5ciYmqdrFG121qGDJZs2y8pXADisSKhtWcxmxm1nrlhk3JdyUF3p3UDxPk8MSS6Kcq0hfJllo4WIkWurySVBGBBkjqdIMGgCvtqQcpg_fEM4UQ/s1600/SAM_0761-1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCvT_XITJr2W7vVaB17uc5LU8oGMTv5ciYmqdrFG121qGDJZs2y8pXADisSKhtWcxmxm1nrlhk3JdyUF3p3UDxPk8MSS6Kcq0hfJllo4WIkWurySVBGBBkjqdIMGgCvtqQcpg_fEM4UQ/s400/SAM_0761-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618812101848348594" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p></div><div style="text-align: center;">*I just love this one of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 32px; ">Lilia and I walking; taking a pause for a kiss.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5CaNxX-_cC0kqdO8WPj-FNPCEP-rIPpPgndgYzJacw5oKV6EQGerGW54Ni5Z1YA8Vbah8X8b1l3CNr6f3_RnjXG6bYV5oYDIwKyvamrHen4mnVa_pNnigSynMqeKv_m_0vDN1aR-of8/s1600/SAM_0413.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5CaNxX-_cC0kqdO8WPj-FNPCEP-rIPpPgndgYzJacw5oKV6EQGerGW54Ni5Z1YA8Vbah8X8b1l3CNr6f3_RnjXG6bYV5oYDIwKyvamrHen4mnVa_pNnigSynMqeKv_m_0vDN1aR-of8/s400/SAM_0413.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618811091970751442" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl">*This is my dear friend Ida; this coming Sunday this lovely Norwegian and I will be meeting up in Amsterdam!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-zzAr5XuYFVNm9SUbZFO37UF2l-0t2_4GZwCUySZPULiSUGWpv3jSMZ8nW2-TL299_dSEwoqNrk9BeOrg6KOEokUlqFs7Mc11XWUrfyYTdnlClD8iU_qnYw0Cq9eX0YUs8VPV0uSSA/s1600/IMG_9477.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-zzAr5XuYFVNm9SUbZFO37UF2l-0t2_4GZwCUySZPULiSUGWpv3jSMZ8nW2-TL299_dSEwoqNrk9BeOrg6KOEokUlqFs7Mc11XWUrfyYTdnlClD8iU_qnYw0Cq9eX0YUs8VPV0uSSA/s400/IMG_9477.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618811083590820114" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl">*<span class="apple-style-span">My friend Amélie was kind enough to kidnap me from the city and let me join her family for a day at the sea </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl">♥</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%; font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl"> How gorgeous is she? She has already birthed two beautiful children, and has her third coming this August. Both births were natural and painless for her (wow!) and she and her husband just published a book on childbirth :)</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <span class="apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 200%; "><div style="text-align: center;">My kind of powerhouse woman!</div></span><o:p></o:p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NAa3c0Og9EtKSRGF-QLQBwCJA2gONbyIR5Urgf9lM6MxhnAIC_UiVdW3AhCLkRAVkxq70o3CRfSZxkVq-D_wcWwkt1M-Vf-I-5BgcL2cFzoe3-l-1eN1raZjrJR2u99Z-ukW3_qLLKM/s1600/SAM_0673-1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NAa3c0Og9EtKSRGF-QLQBwCJA2gONbyIR5Urgf9lM6MxhnAIC_UiVdW3AhCLkRAVkxq70o3CRfSZxkVq-D_wcWwkt1M-Vf-I-5BgcL2cFzoe3-l-1eN1raZjrJR2u99Z-ukW3_qLLKM/s400/SAM_0673-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618812096575134066" /></a><br /></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="FR" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: FrankRuehl;mso-ansi-language:FR">*Au bord de la mer (at the seaside).</span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGpGDk3UupqqnMnx9mzc0lYkDcCisYdtfbt_8Qq9czh3pTDARom3thwxirznJRvn7wyDKNkgxf4eCxJLVkYsM9aLMgMbhLWjzy8b8C-6711c_-cX_pElLZ8GLxOi3x98AI-sKbkOMsJc/s1600/SAM_0642.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGpGDk3UupqqnMnx9mzc0lYkDcCisYdtfbt_8Qq9czh3pTDARom3thwxirznJRvn7wyDKNkgxf4eCxJLVkYsM9aLMgMbhLWjzy8b8C-6711c_-cX_pElLZ8GLxOi3x98AI-sKbkOMsJc/s400/SAM_0642.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618812083177294546" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: FrankRuehl">*This is Ètretat, a city located in the region of Normandy, known especially for these famous falaises (cliffs) from which many famous painters found inspiration (Monet, of course). Très belles!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBo1J6ArlE-CuaDG0dukQJn-VsGu9kpmfe5WiyZA-08PSG6yvqdr7S34qMOrDpdGHUw_aN_WMs6sABEvnrKA5vd4criwfGlJZ7ogwRX0PH88TdZuRW0W1KJlJf3p6CUXFOTRokO4h4Ne0/s1600/SAM_0670.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBo1J6ArlE-CuaDG0dukQJn-VsGu9kpmfe5WiyZA-08PSG6yvqdr7S34qMOrDpdGHUw_aN_WMs6sABEvnrKA5vd4criwfGlJZ7ogwRX0PH88TdZuRW0W1KJlJf3p6CUXFOTRokO4h4Ne0/s400/SAM_0670.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618812095512597410" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: FrankRuehl">*Even while sporting my hat, shades and scarf, my skin managed to get its fill of sun.</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: FrankRuehl"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EAgFXHYreWZWG6_bUbFHutm465lLu3a4nJjeLAzElbBIXlBiV1jUPqtCMVTtbSsJi_3FhdsPTU_4spS-DUbWcHDiw0_EEjfJG_GwcZzO1odQvstxoya9Gl8C4pmQFBXSHuWXmactJTc/s1600/SAM_0641-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EAgFXHYreWZWG6_bUbFHutm465lLu3a4nJjeLAzElbBIXlBiV1jUPqtCMVTtbSsJi_3FhdsPTU_4spS-DUbWcHDiw0_EEjfJG_GwcZzO1odQvstxoya9Gl8C4pmQFBXSHuWXmactJTc/s400/SAM_0641-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618812078986295554" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:FrankRuehl">*<span class="apple-style-span">It is officially my dream to one day own a little cottage in the hills...</span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiX7Cf5ODBjLuSDwz5FquLP0sIsqsJoJIie4mRtgJwL2sJ7WNzkPj9zoXFolNMK_70AQ-kM5PJKrTD6k5CEWjLnnuhS-qjqf-jp2jcSUK7adj89voNHBJzTZPj66-_WFwuG092iWOt864/s1600/SAM_0635.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiX7Cf5ODBjLuSDwz5FquLP0sIsqsJoJIie4mRtgJwL2sJ7WNzkPj9zoXFolNMK_70AQ-kM5PJKrTD6k5CEWjLnnuhS-qjqf-jp2jcSUK7adj89voNHBJzTZPj66-_WFwuG092iWOt864/s400/SAM_0635.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618811110602418066" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">* Such a gift to get out of the hussle-and-bussle of the city.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZARMG1Jw9ZDG-pgdIRaTrms18HBzcgAKc6l_oq-EIAWNXGQKfxF97WaCYn5g9z0ak-_mMI0CbcnaWjZriKkmXqxFppHbs57_kS-vZecQNj6qYa-8vXfKQ87TW3qP4pWcExKlMgCfiKQ/s1600/SAM_0619.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZARMG1Jw9ZDG-pgdIRaTrms18HBzcgAKc6l_oq-EIAWNXGQKfxF97WaCYn5g9z0ak-_mMI0CbcnaWjZriKkmXqxFppHbs57_kS-vZecQNj6qYa-8vXfKQ87TW3qP4pWcExKlMgCfiKQ/s400/SAM_0619.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618811107103662898" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"">*This is Donna, an au pair from Canada<o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCpJzaeKKHwq1rzalcd8IzCw-hxH_DvkBz0x4iTu58O3sB7nNzTgRQdo7MNvQRgfenyvdVClYqVBp32OMZR0vtM2gkTVe5srcq4nYmY8CB64cyBC0TW5pUwxk_BhbJMDexi9fwTMw4OU/s400/DSCN2835.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618811088068553218" /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*So, for the most part I think that's about it. Last week I had a friend (from my days at Minnesota) who came and stayed with me. We did the classic touristy places (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, etc) and also made our way to several lovely local bars/cabarets where we found some amazing live music. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday I went to the Musée de l'Orangerie, created to exhibit Monet's Water Lilly paintings. UNBELIEVABLE. Favorite museum by far. With my visa I get in free to all the national museums, so I only had to pay for the audio guide; I was the nerd who took notes the whole time. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Now it's already time for another great weekend of work at the restaurant. My friend Jordan just finished updating the website for Kiwizine, check it out if you like www.kiwizineresto.com . </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is an amazing video of Lilia</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGGmaumIT0U">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGGmaumIT0U</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is another one of her freaking out about a balloon. So adorable, she already knows how to entertain.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJlpp0lLzpo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJlpp0lLzpo</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-75309864939846468082011-05-29T07:52:00.000-07:002011-09-06T07:55:43.928-07:00Get Your Fix...or Not.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Several days ago I discovered a group/product/service that was created by a guy who was “<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:#111111">looking deeper for more insight on how to improve the human condition.</span>” As I see myself and my role in the world as a healer, it sounded much like my own quest. This man, Mastin Kipp, started sharing quotes and tidbits of wisdom and life lessons to his friends via Facebook, Twitter, and Email. Two years ago someone famous discovered his feed, suggested it to their followers, and his went from 1,000 to 10,000 overnight, and now has over 300,000! The Daily Love sends a daily email (or Twitter update), filled with quotes and stories that are created with the intention to spread love, wisdom, and overall consciousness. Check out the site and consider getting daily love updates via email at </span></span><a href="http://thedailylove.com/">http://thedailylove.com</a> .</div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111">I have had several days of receiving these emails, and already I feel the waves of energy that have begun to stimulate my soul. There is a commonality amongst the posts people create (Mastin is not the only contributor), and I have certainly been spoken to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111">Do your inner work. Learn the lessons. Get your thinking right. There is a recovery process. Your life is a gift. You are worthy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; "></span></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 14px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111">"Some of us would rather keep suppressing our emotions and working on ourselves, so these folks keep stuffing down parts of themselves that are dying to be seen, recognized and expressed. The path to self-destruction is filled with avoidance of yourself. That’s what addiction really is – avoidance of ourselves to our own detriment. There are LOTS of ways to be addicted. You can be addicted to substances, alcohol, people, work, fame, success, attention, flirting with people, sugar, food and lots of other things.</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">When we hit a rough patch in life, instead of just letting ourselves feel, we can choose one of the above addictions and keep avoiding what’s within us. This is not what The Uni-verse has in mind for you. No amount of chocolate, sex, alcohol, success, people or drugs can silence the Whisper of The Uni-verse within you OR your emotions." (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><a href="http://thedailylove.com/bummed-heres-12-tips-to-bounce-back/"><span class="Apple-style-span">http://thedailylove.com/bummed-heres-12-tips-to-bounce-back/</span></a>)</span></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span">So how do you get your fix? What way, no doubt ingenious, have you found to distract yourself from yourself? To numb yourself to the pains of the world, to the pains of <i>your </i>world? </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Take an inventory of yourself; figure out what you use;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> and stop.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111">Receiving a daily devotion such as The Daily Love is healthy; it is good fuel for the soul. Start the transition back into health by recognizing what healthy doses actually look like.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#111111">Ultimately, the resounding message of the co-creators of that site is that we must be proactive. We must <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">actively </i>choose to do life. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Actively </i>choose love. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Actively </i>co-create our lives with the choices we make. We can choose to replace unproductive and negative thoughts with productive, positive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">true </i>thoughts. We must start to recognize that every addiction and negative habit we have, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">at its root</i>, is an avoidance of ourselves</span>.</span></p> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111">This all made me think about a woman (Jen Lindwall) I heard once who spoke about the idea of peace. She said true peacemakers are people who are willing to sit down in a storm, find a bit of peace, and spread it. In order to do this on a large-scale (in the world of chaotic storms), we have to first be able to sit down inside the storm that is within ourselves. This leads back to all the discourse on inner work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111">In maintaining honesty and transparency, I do not put enough energy into my inner work. I am a master at distraction and avoidance. That being said, living here in Paris, I don’t have “my people” surrounding me, I don’t have my compulsively-busy life, I live without roommates, I am neither in school nor working a time-consuming job, I have consciously chosen to abstain from any romantic situations, thus the path has been prepared for me to actually give my first fruits of energy to my inner work. What does this mean for me? I’m still discovering that. Writing, purging my thoughts and feelings, dancing, sitting still, breathing, studying the Wisdom of the ages—al l of the above. Awakening consciousness, recognizing each day as a gift, attempting to see the lesson in every relationship and growing, transforming, setting intentions and sticking with them, being present with every moment while maintaining thoughtfulness for my greater visions…these are all vital practices that I have thus far adopted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111">It is not easy. Doing your work is full of uncomfortable expressions and discoveries, and that is only the beginning. From there, you have to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">choose</i> to learn, use the experiences, and change. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111">And of course, always remember, there is a Divine source behind everything (some people say God, Uni-Verse, Spirit, etc), which longs to help you with it all, and bring you the best for your life. Start There.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPISp36qk5WtCjwc0zvuu_AnleiHn3TwW-3zNaHHeBb1irApwBmSbmRFq5hPSKh-Qu-gKrgfcWW0d0yhjQeGhquXBYXQbs4Sij24_rfGOTqjP7CdcpjQvcMeH5avUPAHyYJZyAIjRdMU0/s1600/SAM_0484.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPISp36qk5WtCjwc0zvuu_AnleiHn3TwW-3zNaHHeBb1irApwBmSbmRFq5hPSKh-Qu-gKrgfcWW0d0yhjQeGhquXBYXQbs4Sij24_rfGOTqjP7CdcpjQvcMeH5avUPAHyYJZyAIjRdMU0/s320/SAM_0484.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612180217095318754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span>Stay real, and do what you do.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span>☮</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span>♥ hannah lee</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyimkir0asnkT4hr4jQrjNfFaqb04-LAOITwJTE_EUBJIkPTzJcNkWDJhpg3egIDubX83bCOuA2G5h-_wnpG4mmg6Lw5NKXvBgqQgEI6xFyr0JIXMeAbTBeB9ENDF2kpQzPaQVnWL7kc0/s1600/269147_1860230546810_1272300045_31744925_5238533_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyimkir0asnkT4hr4jQrjNfFaqb04-LAOITwJTE_EUBJIkPTzJcNkWDJhpg3egIDubX83bCOuA2G5h-_wnpG4mmg6Lw5NKXvBgqQgEI6xFyr0JIXMeAbTBeB9ENDF2kpQzPaQVnWL7kc0/s400/269147_1860230546810_1272300045_31744925_5238533_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649260267523667874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-59369231500840988442011-05-15T06:03:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:32:50.697-07:00expats, empathy, and a very important rule to live by...<span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center; "><h2 style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">My life has been exceptionally busy as of late, thus I have abandoned the ever-important practice of writing regularly. I'll be back to it soon, as I move into my new apartment tomorrow! I will be living with none but a ferret; the change of pace will be very drastic, but I'm looking forward to the next couple months of new adventures and lessons.</span></span></h2><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My heart is broken right now for a dear friend of mine from the restaurant next door. This person (whose name I cannot say for his sake) has been living in Paris for the past 5 years, as he has been exiled from his country for writing things his government doesn't approve of. He was forced to leave his wife and two daughters, found work here as a cook, and works long days and long weeks to support his family financially. His daughters were 1 and 3 when he left; they are now 6 and 8, and he has been robbed of being a father and watching them grow up. He had many problems his whole life, which he wont discuss, but finds this situation actually good. He doesn't complain about missing his family, or about the fact that he is stuck here (he can't even leave France at this point); he is just grateful he can give his family a house and food. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This last week he came over to the restaurant, and told us that his wife's heart is bad, she is in pain, and she needs a surgery (which will be the second one she has had) in order to live. He did his best to hide the tears that have lived behind his eyes for so long, but the shaking in his voice as he calmly wondered aloud why someone so young and beautiful will have to leave her family prematurely, he could not cover. Even if the surgery goes well, she may only have a few years left before her heart is too weak. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My friend is faced with the uncertainty of when and <i>how</i> he will return to take care of his daughters, and the impending question of how long their mother will be around remains. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Things feel hopeless for him. He is mad. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">At one point he looked up at the sky, and shouted,</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"What are you doing?! Where are you!?" </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Then to me he said,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"Yeah, I've been on my knees talking to Him all week. It's all I can do, you know?"</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought of how kind he is and how hard he works (thanklessly) and how real he is. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I smiled and said, </div></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"Friend, be angry. There are things in the world to be angry about. That's ok. You've got the right idea though; there's One who is just as angry about things not being right, and talking to Him about it is the best place to start." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>You wouldn't know where he has been and what he's going through by looking at him. You couldn't possibly know the pain he lives in, and the <i>survivor </i>that he really is, without taking time to </span>see him, to sit down and exist with him. When you remember that everyone has a story (and no less than an amazing one), and that the only place to start is listening, you're on the right track. </span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So be slow to judge, slow to decide, slow to make up your mind about someone, slow to dismiss, slow to classify, slow to write off.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And be quick to listen, quick to sit down, quick to see, quick to notice the unseen, quick to speak up for the unheard, quick to remember.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><h2 style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Rule One</h2><p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">by <a href="http://www.elabs7.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=fj6,qrxn,dv,d0ny,c5jq,9e9t,4d1j" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 65, 112); ">Philip Booth</a></p></div><div style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Rule One of all</div><div style="text-align: center;">rules one: </div><div style="text-align: center;"> No one ever knows</div><div style="text-align: center;">how much another hurts.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> You.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Kate. Ray. Randall. Me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> The nurses</div><div style="text-align: center;">who were kind to you, the gas-pump kid</div><div style="text-align: center;">across the bridge, the waitress here</div><div style="text-align: center;">this noon.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> No one ever knows.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Or maybe in a thousand, one</div><div style="text-align: center;">has the toughness to, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> to care,</div><div style="text-align: center;">to give beyond a selfish pity. Even</div><div style="text-align: center;">any given day,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr>given weathers, detours,</div><div style="text-align: center;">chances of what look like luck,</div><div style="text-align: center;">if we feel bad </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> we refuse the givens.</div><div style="text-align: center;">What blighted lives we lead.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> Or follow:</div><div style="text-align: center;">showering, feeding, changing shirts or</div><div style="text-align: center;">pants, working, as one used to say,</div><div style="text-align: center;">to make ourselves presentable.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> <wbr>Partial</div><div style="text-align: center;">strangers to our painful selves,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we're still stranger to</div><div style="text-align: center;">diminished friends</div><div style="text-align: center;">when they appear</div><div style="text-align: center;">to hurt. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> How much we fail them,</div><div style="text-align: center;">failing to come close:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> a parent,</div><div style="text-align: center;">newly single, in Seattle;</div><div style="text-align: center;">an upstate poet in intensive care.</div><div style="text-align: center;">You. Blanche. Alvin. Sue. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <wbr> Who hurts</div><div style="text-align: center;">and why.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Why we guess we know.</div><div style="text-align: center;">How much we never.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">"Rule One" by Philip Booth, from <em>Selves: New Poems</em>. © Viking, 1990. Reprinted with permission.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-jWT7uq10pEtggnfxW6446jgrBodiNiiIzLVUYZ5_gA2UvqOXxksmBHsJR6o4x15VC9RgVqHhw_71uQlD-jx87c8EhZx7IQl47EUAfJZcddhjFzBTnJNx8nFfflaE7PalalLhjS-h0A/s1600/SAM_0341.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-jWT7uq10pEtggnfxW6446jgrBodiNiiIzLVUYZ5_gA2UvqOXxksmBHsJR6o4x15VC9RgVqHhw_71uQlD-jx87c8EhZx7IQl47EUAfJZcddhjFzBTnJNx8nFfflaE7PalalLhjS-h0A/s320/SAM_0341.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606972808835204690" style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 16px; "></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-19065423399744181822011-04-11T12:37:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:33:21.365-07:00French Picnics, American Concerts, Naked Phalanges, Dutch Cheese, Irish Pubs, Australian Walks,A<span class="Apple-style-span"> lot has happened that I haven't written about. Apologies. I'll do my best to briefly recap some things that are memorable...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">There is a beyond-perfect picnic in a park, almost weekly. I had a <i>sunny day picnic, </i>with a bunch of fabulous ladies from all over the world, eating chocolate and drinking tea. There was a <i>drizzly day picnics</i>, with a French-press, fruit, and <i>pain au chocolat</i> sitting between me and my lady-friend Desire<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">é. The other night a few of us had a </em><em>hookah and beer</em><em style="font-style: normal; "> picnic overlooking the city, talking about dreams. Today a friend and I enjoyed the typical wine, bread and cheese picnic under the</em><em>Tour d'Eiffel. </em>So much goodness.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdWzYMFaT52O0GtPvy3cwg7NsvJkTXSrmwUm4BY-OzJAmrI74MextGE8re3z0f8QHKMG8YE_5ocjPrRlVoAI61rDjkvJ4YoiuzH5J-2PGJWPXF8uj8NCZyJug78ZnalPVTF2l9UnYkmI/s1600/SAM_0324.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdWzYMFaT52O0GtPvy3cwg7NsvJkTXSrmwUm4BY-OzJAmrI74MextGE8re3z0f8QHKMG8YE_5ocjPrRlVoAI61rDjkvJ4YoiuzH5J-2PGJWPXF8uj8NCZyJug78ZnalPVTF2l9UnYkmI/s320/SAM_0324.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594421940029364402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; ">Several weeks ago an amazing woman and friend of mine (Emma Vasseur) was here in Paris, because she is touring with Joan Baez. Emma went to school with my brothers, and even though we always sort of ran into each other back home due to our mutual friends, we never really got to know each other...until our rendez-vous in Paris! I had a great couple of nights with Emma, and even got to meet Joan and see her perform! We had so much fun!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; ">I had a faux-engagement. Not explaining this one :)</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Had some lovely visitors from Holland and (along with my roommates from Norway and Spain) spent time discussing our cultural differences.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; ">I spent an entire day walking around Paris without shoes. It was so fou. The streets are covered in excrement and garbage, and I walk so much that several days after-the-fact my phalanges are still hurting. The idea is sponsored by TOMS, an organization that sells shoes to consumers such as myself, and donates shoes to children without shoes around the world. It's one-for-one, which is pretty sweet, and all around the world on April 5th people walked barefoot, to raise awareness and support the cause.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVtQZStxabVAHGtsC1KKFel3NMQ9F2ydW-96aveyISFlYCbc62_kddZ3K6Bf8ShQmoLkl9h-X10QY4JgRQMiLR32ArxVSgo7QZwEk77gbXk6RyDhMdDC9ko1L6qQnESZSELWm19zowiA/s1600/215012_1796579506975_1014341402_1913349_3624745_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVtQZStxabVAHGtsC1KKFel3NMQ9F2ydW-96aveyISFlYCbc62_kddZ3K6Bf8ShQmoLkl9h-X10QY4JgRQMiLR32ArxVSgo7QZwEk77gbXk6RyDhMdDC9ko1L6qQnESZSELWm19zowiA/s320/215012_1796579506975_1014341402_1913349_3624745_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594420799163087474" /></a>(All the different states! Spot the Canadian?)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDq0-JGo0vYrKGy_pD-lV_AXI1WrhKiweJVj7wDF9Et3nul61QBcyreUW3UoCTJqcCNhHbqzbaUGszvTyH6jQTwDDgu-tGPLe0BLsNX9yPoW0ZXlW1s1vAoyCe6woPbdfH5KgP5YLEmU/s1600/215012_1796579466974_1014341402_1913348_3866233_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDq0-JGo0vYrKGy_pD-lV_AXI1WrhKiweJVj7wDF9Et3nul61QBcyreUW3UoCTJqcCNhHbqzbaUGszvTyH6jQTwDDgu-tGPLe0BLsNX9yPoW0ZXlW1s1vAoyCe6woPbdfH5KgP5YLEmU/s320/215012_1796579466974_1014341402_1913348_3866233_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594420786355448834" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">I ate Raclette for the first time. And <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">Tartiflette</em></span>. Two classic French meals, prepared for me with love by Claire. Such delicious nourriture, and really great quality time.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2X02TC3T5I0q3pqowzHZIHmCsMqJEXrpV4FhtrNb3JaMFnIUaktnZNtxGb3DiKlobPPa7AFavL1pYn8QNpoOg0Tk4D87sZpy06cbhkdzQekFXg-nR-goclYocXgmDI9rVaJiGBpZ34/s1600/197043_10150184178623373_754603372_8316692_648262_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2X02TC3T5I0q3pqowzHZIHmCsMqJEXrpV4FhtrNb3JaMFnIUaktnZNtxGb3DiKlobPPa7AFavL1pYn8QNpoOg0Tk4D87sZpy06cbhkdzQekFXg-nR-goclYocXgmDI9rVaJiGBpZ34/s320/197043_10150184178623373_754603372_8316692_648262_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594421944589175154" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Went to a couple Irish pubs on St. Patty's Day. It's definitely not celebrated here like it is back home in the States, but we managed to find a few cool spots here in Paris :) </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpT7HCtb1t8eS_6WggCpq1-O5a35rX2qYsqUC07hJ2d3eRkKehKjoCtAiNKosfvgs-VcaT1w_i4aWBzN5iYXyNeMkA1FACRjJ9aqdSEBtyprL0qixQkcaqrOHMc3HmApoapUldZWmeOI/s1600/SAM_0419.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpT7HCtb1t8eS_6WggCpq1-O5a35rX2qYsqUC07hJ2d3eRkKehKjoCtAiNKosfvgs-VcaT1w_i4aWBzN5iYXyNeMkA1FACRjJ9aqdSEBtyprL0qixQkcaqrOHMc3HmApoapUldZWmeOI/s320/SAM_0419.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594420803293737602" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">The restaurant connected to Kiwizine is known for its top-notch wine, and they invite us over for "a glass" after service every night. This last weekend our glass went until 4 in the morning. It's nice building community...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8sFEdK0rdEb2CPMpVq3VaT1HoLB0GMF6yLKylaU46DrVWg6PKvM_SVmt0FYmy7dQW8jmKTmcbamUvsIr__Q5D6c7S2FBDBl3RS-DJyqJLm1fwPRpi7gyESxxe99FIe9BSNp5JNu_7g8/s1600/229332_10150188240556937_556976936_7176090_3358681_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8sFEdK0rdEb2CPMpVq3VaT1HoLB0GMF6yLKylaU46DrVWg6PKvM_SVmt0FYmy7dQW8jmKTmcbamUvsIr__Q5D6c7S2FBDBl3RS-DJyqJLm1fwPRpi7gyESxxe99FIe9BSNp5JNu_7g8/s320/229332_10150188240556937_556976936_7176090_3358681_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603241077208352098" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">I still play at the bookstore every Monday, and though the experience is never the same, it's always exactly what I need, and I always meet someone fabulous. This last week was no exception. Elijah, a nice Australian actor traveling with his mum through Europe at the moment, fancied my music and sat with me for a bit. We have got on quite well in the short amount of time we've had.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0CpdGWXh_paN0k3RpUc9V-ew0DpokyozV8POdtfgevJzamREI0XhgPdbDUmu_yALErYdMKtV4Xyc8ZE16nX-ObYulecfHeVAoBRsMarq8mul3Iz7rq_YAXCk09xrUJ3XbSrsEBXYKzo/s1600/photo.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0CpdGWXh_paN0k3RpUc9V-ew0DpokyozV8POdtfgevJzamREI0XhgPdbDUmu_yALErYdMKtV4Xyc8ZE16nX-ObYulecfHeVAoBRsMarq8mul3Iz7rq_YAXCk09xrUJ3XbSrsEBXYKzo/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603241071723495186" style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">This morning my roommates and I did a photo-shoot at <i>Jardin de Luxembourg, </i>it was </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">très chic; so posh.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 15px; font-size: medium; "><i> </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2sTC3M1eNAjWPA_Aj9YTknxldS0w9QSmglMfZm3pzlzhFONu0YXt9pDjcsrMikuGv7YmFEXLK3mi0uuxppLWnycU7Gp6VC80f4C2BUPV_CBjHFUzxQAUU4AHbbN1C6_4dCNXwJrbt0g/s1600/IMG_7913.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2sTC3M1eNAjWPA_Aj9YTknxldS0w9QSmglMfZm3pzlzhFONu0YXt9pDjcsrMikuGv7YmFEXLK3mi0uuxppLWnycU7Gp6VC80f4C2BUPV_CBjHFUzxQAUU4AHbbN1C6_4dCNXwJrbt0g/s320/IMG_7913.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603241085101534546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 15px; font-size: medium; "><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">I was approached by a woman on the playground last week who asked me if I would be interested in helping her three children to speak English. I went there tonight and started working with them. They live in a beautiful apartment overlooking <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><i>Parc des Buttes Chaumont<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: small; "> </span></i></span>(the biggest park within Paris, which is conveniently 5 minutes walking distance from my home here), and the kids are going to be fabulous to teach. Feeling really grateful for this opportunity to get close to another family here in Paris, and to have a little more support for the duration of my stay here. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Ok, I'm sure there's more, but I am beat from walking a total of 13km on this beautiful sunny day we had (walked from park to bookstore to Eiffel Tower back to bookstore).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; line-height: normal; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">Stay real, and do what you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">☮</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; ">♥ hannah lee</p></span></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
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♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-24222101559201433612011-03-31T02:24:00.000-07:002011-03-31T03:59:09.789-07:00Tip From Across The Sea # 1<div>France (and Europe in general) has a lot of good ideas, most of which don't seem to reach home until after-the-fact. This is fine, but throughout my time I'm keeping a mental list of trends that my fellow readers can choose to adopt if they want to get ahead. Well, starting today, I am going to make an actual list here on the blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not saying Europe is better than North America by any means, so don't feel like this is an insult to the States and the many cultures she holds. The things I'm observing are small day-to-day things that I see as having a positive effect on the environment and people's overall quality of life. Today, for example, it's grocery bags. France has been doing policy work to reduce the waste created by plastic bags at grocery stores. In the majority of markets, there are no plastic bags to be handed out. You bring your own, and if you forget, you buy a new reusable bag. Apparently this year the legislation is heating up, and there are proposals to completely ban <i>all </i>plastic bags at grocery stores and convenience stores--forcing consumers to remember their reusable, biodegradable bags from home. Here's an article about it <a href="http://www.connexionfrance.com/plastic-shopping-bags-ban-supermarkets-hypermarkets-recycling-2011-11500-view-article.html">http://www.connexionfrance.com/plastic-shopping-bags-ban-supermarkets-hypermarkets-recycling-2011-11500-view-article.html</a>. I know loads of people back home that live "the European way" in a lot of aspects, this one in particular. But for the most part, people are still taking an innumerable amount of plastic bags every week (month, year, lifetime) when they frequent their local market of choice, namely because it is an <i>option,</i> and a convenient one at that. My second or third time getting groceries here, I forgot my bag. I didn't want to fork out any money to buy one, so I crammed my groceries into my purse, carried some under my arms, and even resorted to having Lilia hold a bushel of bananas! It was very difficult, irritating, and <i>teaching.</i> I haven't forgotten a bag since then. Lesson learned.</div><div>So,</div><div><b>Tip From Across The Sea # 1 : buy (or make!) several reusable grocery bags, and find a way to help yourself remember them <i>anytime </i>you take a shopping excursion!</b></div><div><br /></div>Today I woke up early (06:15) to the sound of rain. Paris sees a lot of rain in the spring, but most days start sunny and the rain shows up around 16h (4pm). Sometimes I like the rain, sometimes it drives me nuts (like when I am wearing my boots that soak up water), but I <i>always </i>love waking up to rain. So today was a treat :)<div><br /></div><div>Every Thursday morning Lilia and I get groceries for the weekend. Our outing starts with us getting bundled up, especially when it's raining. We then make our way down the three flights of stairs into the entry way, which is a pretty exciting feat when you're a 21-month-old discovering your body's full-capacity. Lately I've been avoiding the pram because Lilia is very able to walk a good distance now, all the while curiously exploring the many intricacies of the city and it's sidewalks that most commuters would never notice. </div><div><br /></div><div>With the rain today though, I loaded her into the pram, secured the grocery bag (yay!) and my purse around the handles, shielded her from the rain with a plastic covering, got out my umbrella and headed out. Our first stop is always <i>Lidl</i>. This German discount supermarket chain has most of the items we need; we buy all organic, natural and fresh foods, and at extremely low prices. It's phenomenal. As long as we go at a good time, it's not too crowded and cues aren't unbearable. I select whatever given vegetable or cheese I'm checking off the list, hand it to Lilia, and she sets it in our bag. It's a good system, though not entirely efficient. BUT, we have loads of fun, and she attracts a lot of "ooh la-la's" the whole time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next we head for <i>La Vie Claire, </i>the co-op nearest to Claire and Jono's apartment. Co-ops are really common here; there are 3 or 4 within a few blocks of my apartment alone! Here we get some grains and soy-milk, neither of which <i>Lidl </i>carries. Again, Lilia helps my carry the items around the store and tries her best to hand them to the cashier. She's such a helper!</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know how interesting grocery shopping is, but I realized I haven't done much writing involving practical living here in Paris. Happy Thursday everyone. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
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♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-4175527344069915572011-03-22T12:05:00.000-07:002011-03-22T12:53:32.026-07:00Old, Dirty Sweatpants.<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Missing people is weird.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I don't have much to philosophize about at the moment; things are flowing just as they should. I continue to feel the rhythm of this city, send out a daily intention to further sync myself with it, all the while keeping my heart and eyes open. I meet people that challenge me, and force me to go to my depths. Adversely, I meet people that feel like a deep, much-needed breath, where I can just rest. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I'm not dancing, religiously (now, dance isn't my religion, but it <i>is </i>a practice, necessary for me). I still find time to move my body and feel the beats of daily life, but I'm not adequately taking care of this need. Hopefully we'll see this shift in a post in the near future...</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I had a birthday here last week, that was cool. I set some good intentions, had a nice time thinking over the past year, and overall feel really good about saying adieu to my teens. It's a milestone, really, moving past the teen years. Well, you can make it one. I did. I made some conscious decisions to let go of some traits that I no longer feel are appropriate. I guess we call this growing up? I sound pretty monotone in this writing, but worry not. I'm alive. And much more mature ;)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anyway, missing people. Strange. For me, life has been one chapter after another--a series, if you will--of missing people. As of late, I find myself in a new spot on the planet, missing people from my former spot. But in the new spot, I unconsciously build new relationships, and when I predictably leave this spot for the next new one, the cycle starts again. I don't know if it's me being unsatisfied, or if it's just normal, but I have done poorly at being <i>present</i>. On that note, for the first time I'm seeing a part of myself that is timid in my social-behavior; I'm being relatively slow to get close to people. My last session of goodbyes was painful, and it's following me around. I wear those goodbyes like my favorite pair of sweatpants; so comfortable in them, I don't want to take them off.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>In the case of my sweatpants, I should really throw them out. Let go of them for good.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>With my goodbyes? Not so true. When it comes to people, you have to find the middle. The place where you honor memory, let it exist, but you don't live in it.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Alas, the sun shines brightly here. I have been blessed and taken in by an amazing family that I love. I am constantly meeting new people, that challenge and comfort, and I don't have to forget the old. All is well. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BUUUTTT</span>, missing people is <i>still</i> weird. There are some people you miss, even when you're with them. That's the worst. Word of advice? Count your losses and move along. If you miss a person when you're with them, that's a sign from the Divine that they are UNAVAILABLE, and are not about to be.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Then there are those whom you wouldn't expect to miss...but then the minute they're no longer within arm's reach, everything feels wrong. The longing is painful, but realizing the intensity of your heart's ability to love is startling and comforting. It's bittersweet. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; ">"Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them. Similarly, your identity and vision are composed of a certain constellation of ideas and feelings that surfaced from the depths of the distance within you. To lose these now would be to lose yourself." </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; "><div style="text-align: center;">— <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6224.John_O_Donohue" class="authorName" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); text-decoration: none; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; ">John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">O'Donohue</span></a> (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/72003" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); text-decoration: none; "><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Anam</span> Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom</a>)</div></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-81768810873742401282011-03-10T11:18:00.000-08:002011-03-20T04:24:59.441-07:00Miss Lady and I.<div style="text-align: center;">We start out cool...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUB8EfZ0Rt4uaTLS4PwGOFljBLny2H6N47YgtLAFDGaNMA1zGPWMPxxgDNUZq7sQQALGYi0rdCyPCuDEz902FentfAZ4xS6Cg1X6aVFuwKwuWyRfV_iE8hA12yhVEHaAJoT1uCPaNhJk/s1600/174024.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUB8EfZ0Rt4uaTLS4PwGOFljBLny2H6N47YgtLAFDGaNMA1zGPWMPxxgDNUZq7sQQALGYi0rdCyPCuDEz902FentfAZ4xS6Cg1X6aVFuwKwuWyRfV_iE8hA12yhVEHaAJoT1uCPaNhJk/s320/174024.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">...stay relatively normal...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrwKgyZ5tgFyCdeNihPRe7q4902qqLAu1wJPJtX4VnpPQP-Q5W1TcBjrd8nypXsVCsPGCqQqvh_aa8hbdhZF0ExMorZQIva2gpVcMTkoggaGktvpKUA4xovh0ooTP9Dy8Vmx7butF-6I/s1600/174103.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrwKgyZ5tgFyCdeNihPRe7q4902qqLAu1wJPJtX4VnpPQP-Q5W1TcBjrd8nypXsVCsPGCqQqvh_aa8hbdhZF0ExMorZQIva2gpVcMTkoggaGktvpKUA4xovh0ooTP9Dy8Vmx7butF-6I/s320/174103.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">..act like weirdos...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2S324uQoR8ISk__dVtC3wnFsGbf83UA5H1bPdFcc6kpJcP51yAYGyoyG6U6W88airkel2uE_bTy0XxdhPchJqMQvtpPOv_-o69famjJzVxAgXhAPK3e_G10ISo0NjrhT5-0NDN2h4dY/s1600/174113.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2S324uQoR8ISk__dVtC3wnFsGbf83UA5H1bPdFcc6kpJcP51yAYGyoyG6U6W88airkel2uE_bTy0XxdhPchJqMQvtpPOv_-o69famjJzVxAgXhAPK3e_G10ISo0NjrhT5-0NDN2h4dY/s320/174113.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">...giggle...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b7hbduRxqzKPE_zHr28rA0KFel8saZMb5_AEWz6UE76QhCxylvyjjNq8D5rald8CxJMBzk0704HpcmArpTLIjVCw4bl90KfK12UAA4OnWIIxT3Nntunk6fYNQHXPxcNwGUWstszQ9RQ/s1600/174116.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b7hbduRxqzKPE_zHr28rA0KFel8saZMb5_AEWz6UE76QhCxylvyjjNq8D5rald8CxJMBzk0704HpcmArpTLIjVCw4bl90KfK12UAA4OnWIIxT3Nntunk6fYNQHXPxcNwGUWstszQ9RQ/s320/174116.jpg" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">...settle down...</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b7hbduRxqzKPE_zHr28rA0KFel8saZMb5_AEWz6UE76QhCxylvyjjNq8D5rald8CxJMBzk0704HpcmArpTLIjVCw4bl90KfK12UAA4OnWIIxT3Nntunk6fYNQHXPxcNwGUWstszQ9RQ/s1600/174116.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QkqCZfpx0NCZhUG_TG_4ZzX-uiD-rQ0OnT3KJLHI3OuDp8YDYsi2ecInk06f0BQWpGvf_JOejkTjXco8PFbRBLRxQ-4M-dbblQdJAf2y-uELESIiI5fKekGNihNxHiEh3ZwCbqX0L0o/s1600/174120.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QkqCZfpx0NCZhUG_TG_4ZzX-uiD-rQ0OnT3KJLHI3OuDp8YDYsi2ecInk06f0BQWpGvf_JOejkTjXco8PFbRBLRxQ-4M-dbblQdJAf2y-uELESIiI5fKekGNihNxHiEh3ZwCbqX0L0o/s320/174120.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582533595120284242" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; ">...with a cuddle...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1vFkbdDQhatf-fpzhGu1vR_oxmzNIAy32NA3fwNoGSTLo2-KO26YxNRhfox8Rp3aocd2zInaIKNjspXuXRcT_FXNkVe9LlM5iECkst55OMAIrfGvoOIyPRUMljberfOKQ2QvpKlqRuc/s1600/174125.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1vFkbdDQhatf-fpzhGu1vR_oxmzNIAy32NA3fwNoGSTLo2-KO26YxNRhfox8Rp3aocd2zInaIKNjspXuXRcT_FXNkVe9LlM5iECkst55OMAIrfGvoOIyPRUMljberfOKQ2QvpKlqRuc/s1600/174125.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1vFkbdDQhatf-fpzhGu1vR_oxmzNIAy32NA3fwNoGSTLo2-KO26YxNRhfox8Rp3aocd2zInaIKNjspXuXRcT_FXNkVe9LlM5iECkst55OMAIrfGvoOIyPRUMljberfOKQ2QvpKlqRuc/s320/174125.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582533600784621474" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; ">...and we're back to being awesome.</div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl6XMYwpggq_AwKFmQVgDqQnzIcO8pHHopUJpx_9TYAvMGP0I3unJsicIcsX8y3YmUym3ESw_XO-Ooso8IDzKMa7_QhqHALdWvt-76QbEZ0AUAwKDUd4sZPaCyIy2Zd_RMr4Ig9htWG0/s1600/174139.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl6XMYwpggq_AwKFmQVgDqQnzIcO8pHHopUJpx_9TYAvMGP0I3unJsicIcsX8y3YmUym3ESw_XO-Ooso8IDzKMa7_QhqHALdWvt-76QbEZ0AUAwKDUd4sZPaCyIy2Zd_RMr4Ig9htWG0/s320/174139.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582533605658083426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;clear: both; ">So grateful for <i>all </i>the time I get to spend with this little bundle of Light. She teaches me more than anyone knows.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-59172757872712172162011-02-23T00:21:00.001-08:002011-09-27T09:14:17.243-07:00Lesson 2: How To Get Lost In Style<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium; ">Every time I leave my neighborhood of Belleville here in Paris, I get lost.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">No exceptions. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">It is always the same. Take, for example, my quest for Shakespeare and Co last week. First, I should give a little background on this temple of awesomeness. The independent bookstore, located in the 5th Arrondissment/Left-Bank/Latin-Quarter, has quite the detailed history, both classic and romantic. Founded by an American expatriate in the beginning of the 20th century, it was a place of inspiration for both the "Lost Generation" and the "Beat Generation", and was once stated to be <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; ">"a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore." It's aim now is basically to maintain the culture that is so specific to the Left Bank, and to act as a home-away-from-home for thousands of artists from all over the globe.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "> Filled with bunks for passing writer/artists to crash on, Shakespeare and Co. is the backpacking, starving artist's dream. It draws me in, in part simply because it's comforting to be in an English environment; it truly <i>does </i>feel like a home-away-from-home to hear other English speakers, making jokes that make sense, using slang that I can understand, etc. <i> </i>This little haven also appeals to me because of the beautiful piano tucked away upstairs that calls my name from all the way across this city.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Anyway, back to me and my wandering.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I generally look at my destination on a map before I leave my flat, get a vague idea of where I'm headed, and proceed to not write down directions or even the <i>address</i> of where I'm going (always my biggest regret, "what street was it on again?"). Once I walk up the stairs from the metro and surface on the rue, I'm always surprised to find that I have no real clue as to what direction to go. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Aside from when I first set out on my adventures, I try to not even look at a map. Pride issue--I don't want to seem like a stupid tourist, even though I am. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I tend to walk in circles, though unlike most people, I find this to be productive. Gradually, I start to recognize cheap c<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">rêpe-stands and </em></span>street-vendors that sell seemingly pointless knickknacks and that neat little crack in those stairs over there and those hobos that seem sort of happy...It's only natural that I would recognize these landmarks, considering after roughly an hour of strolling along I will have walked by each spot anywhere from 3-6 times. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">**This would be a good time to mention I had been to this bookstore before with my brother Barnabas. That made my trek even more interesting, as I was recognizing things my brain had processed years before! I really did have a "d<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">éjà</em>-<em style="font-style: normal; ">vu" experience, when I found myself drawn to the same corner cafe that I had bought an overpriced sandwich at</em></span> almost exactly three years ago. It was really strange to stand in the same spot on the sidewalk, feeling like a totally different woman...in a good way.**</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Oh, also, on this particular day it had started raining, and I of course was unprepared and without any kind of protection. Side note :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Resuming....</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">After a good hour and a half of walking in a purposeful zig-zag fashion, I found a trail that I felt right about, and BOOM!, stood in front of the most beautiful site I had ever found, simply gazing in awe...ok, not entirely true. I wish I could say it was that grandiose when I finally reached my destination, but it wasn't. I wasn't even thinking about the depth of my voyage, how I got there and the symbology (yes, it's a word) of my choices. Nope. In real-life, I frantically pushed my way through some people jabbering in German (blocking the door, I might add) because I was SO cold and ready to get in and maybe find that book I was looking for...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Most people reading this probably think I really am an ass, considering the entire route itself is 20minutes total, not two hours. BUT, in recognizing and registering the arbitrary things that I passed by numerous times that afternoon, I began to familiarize myself with that specific set of streets, which enlarged my understanding of that specific <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">arrondissemen</span>t</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium; ">, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium; ">which has thusly brought me one small step (or one "afternoon's worth of walking") closer to understanding this enormous and mysterious city.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">**************************************************************</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Now <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">during</em><em style="font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; "> </em></span>afternoons like the aforementioned, I think about what it would be like to start writing down bloody directions; to somehow start mapping out my plans. I could get a lot more done, appear more productive on paper--and, to use a cliche, "keep my eyes on the prize." </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I'm sure anyone who knows me can see where I'm going with this. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">In speaking to something larger than simply my quirks in exploring a city, in my own way of doing life, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I don't tend to make big plans, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">or map out where I'm going, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">or follow a set of directions. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Sometimes I listen to what others tell me. Sometimes I trust my instincts. Sometimes I use reason...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><b>each situation is different from the next</b></span>. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The one thing I rarely do, however, is to follow a way of life that keeps me so narrowly focused on one destination that I don't notice the guy who works at the cafe on the corner from open until close, or the Chinese prostitutes that are out on the street <i>every hour </i>of <i>every day</i> that I walk down the hill to get Lilia, or the homeless man that had his entire life on that sidewalk before they ordered him to move, or the lady that gives me a discount on my baguette every morning, or the sidewalk that I stood on three years ago, having no idea what life was yet to come. What is the purpose of getting to all the "places" I'm looking for, if I miss all that I pass by? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Even though I don't know what city I'm going to be living in six months from now, what job I'll have, what school I'll study at, or what people I will sip my morning coffee with, I choose not to lose sight of the LIFE that is going on around me constantly. I choose to say "yes" to really seeing people everyday, and to truly loving what I get to see. Even if that means I get to the bookstore a little late.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP05g9XVkJYkDYFsb5HK5Y51ow5AVQB1rjmUoZa0eGsXPSW0CgUUTs1C8eixy8ZiTpeYoNifyDDKohXHFG88SzNTcuzDTvvgEhSeP8S5SwR9k5HBcVf3o9txtYDJtdLQjXF5Tqq8BfP3Q/s1600/SAM_0292.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP05g9XVkJYkDYFsb5HK5Y51ow5AVQB1rjmUoZa0eGsXPSW0CgUUTs1C8eixy8ZiTpeYoNifyDDKohXHFG88SzNTcuzDTvvgEhSeP8S5SwR9k5HBcVf3o9txtYDJtdLQjXF5Tqq8BfP3Q/s320/SAM_0292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579254081385336434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(This ^^ is the cafe I had re-found. Recognize it Barnabas?)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lh5hBBt_EYCO3cFJZZdNtbQUwy5HibW1rMqGMacJKWB-TvP80buFebPrtmoiFs9saWtwLMfjMr6KmuAUIGo1FfzyZUo_71erykJYQdfi7Em4OG8bJyY19hhpP8xpzkjMs0AmQnNsCr8/s1600/261664_1905728124208_1271910212_31873698_7064014_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lh5hBBt_EYCO3cFJZZdNtbQUwy5HibW1rMqGMacJKWB-TvP80buFebPrtmoiFs9saWtwLMfjMr6KmuAUIGo1FfzyZUo_71erykJYQdfi7Em4OG8bJyY19hhpP8xpzkjMs0AmQnNsCr8/s400/261664_1905728124208_1271910212_31873698_7064014_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657073225196493522" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 239px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is Shakespeare and Co. </div><div style="text-align: center;">(photo by Jake Heinitz)</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-26755558177870547992011-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:002011-02-17T05:12:47.564-08:00Mornings ♥<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7YmwxyvtAg92Yl5aWEQDE8d4EAhqWWfoCa0VrzKSaqF77r2VuKihQxvzP0AhqhsjLnhV5T8yhJvYCj4DsjglRn8WxOf1dix24mi8PWPRuqzu0ZaNNyQRohN63p3Dz9GqgMk0yuOQwe0/s1600/100602.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7YmwxyvtAg92Yl5aWEQDE8d4EAhqWWfoCa0VrzKSaqF77r2VuKihQxvzP0AhqhsjLnhV5T8yhJvYCj4DsjglRn8WxOf1dix24mi8PWPRuqzu0ZaNNyQRohN63p3Dz9GqgMk0yuOQwe0/s320/100602.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574601030821602978" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sucking our thumbs...or rather, sucking each others' thumbs.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qynrGSvPN3KB85yEHtesrPVLRIcfSmxJgi5tXS3h-ciISh5jLed76gXxEhWWkY2_3Ec-xXV-jv8y38bnRC0mI8Agr47kOQW1puLzw4gW0kbrsE11kiu9aSwJ1RucsZLoXHy1kBRrHCA/s1600/100530.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qynrGSvPN3KB85yEHtesrPVLRIcfSmxJgi5tXS3h-ciISh5jLed76gXxEhWWkY2_3Ec-xXV-jv8y38bnRC0mI8Agr47kOQW1puLzw4gW0kbrsE11kiu9aSwJ1RucsZLoXHy1kBRrHCA/s320/100530.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574601028197334578" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Giggly girls </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8vbjUeZGcjFWWo_E90bGnE4nIoiP6xm-Q0Ynli_z5TXlPlnIImpXiX9PNaEqCkRIpJ1TukBuZ9USBQJfS1itixElZKJ_lJBFbIrsigL_cPOKGeRJe3BARkQqsl64J7BnHT50mRytqg0/s1600/100130.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8vbjUeZGcjFWWo_E90bGnE4nIoiP6xm-Q0Ynli_z5TXlPlnIImpXiX9PNaEqCkRIpJ1TukBuZ9USBQJfS1itixElZKJ_lJBFbIrsigL_cPOKGeRJe3BARkQqsl64J7BnHT50mRytqg0/s320/100130.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574601028096900338" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">She's pretty amazed how weird I am...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Also wanted to share some videos that capture Lilia's full-personality :)<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwptCztBKrp9UGrjIom_1IZWn1jRIMbUcuAl5vWNxonOhKn0tvaQ3fxWv-7XHhxUVAeXQfs2kWDOTKnx-AN4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrkhidkKegTBPyk-wal_wq0lkkP8WpWK8QGUx-UmBHiugbIxKBfGD1kYEOY6wAVEN4ufEhwGvksGTbfCeS5A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-85138014356998792832011-02-11T15:28:00.000-08:002011-02-11T15:43:23.177-08:00Cher-Cher Lilia, Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Café des Deux Moulins (Amelie's Cafe)<div style="text-align: center;">Not much to write tonight folks. Loads going on here--physically, emotionally, spiritually. Just wanted to share some photos with you. Had a nice couple of days exploring with Lilia and Claire this week :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Moulin Rouge (clearly)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoza47-rOU-tAjBDGtfgNkg4NTkPpjOLqswLCMzhkml2llJP-cMl74A1yYuJKUFMObNe_7P_o4vYN017gr3XujG_D3UkWqwaseB_erEyF9NVUCV7B7h4XZnk31hSa78lduq_26VAN8DoQ/s1600/SAM_0147.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoza47-rOU-tAjBDGtfgNkg4NTkPpjOLqswLCMzhkml2llJP-cMl74A1yYuJKUFMObNe_7P_o4vYN017gr3XujG_D3UkWqwaseB_erEyF9NVUCV7B7h4XZnk31hSa78lduq_26VAN8DoQ/s320/SAM_0147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572580277973131858" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">This is Café des Deux Moulins, the cafe Amelie worked at.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoza47-rOU-tAjBDGtfgNkg4NTkPpjOLqswLCMzhkml2llJP-cMl74A1yYuJKUFMObNe_7P_o4vYN017gr3XujG_D3UkWqwaseB_erEyF9NVUCV7B7h4XZnk31hSa78lduq_26VAN8DoQ/s1600/SAM_0147.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-jeGluaqtS_oIA8I92he1j9XEE31evFb24qz8eua3g_6V8GcBd44b49BGn-lshnj79q_HlOId24VRTxjTrEwKW3rWDsyVMMMNk6sKwOeS-jwsDhKAYnBQf77LsG12NeJutYCjvfZeCw/s1600/SAM_0145.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-jeGluaqtS_oIA8I92he1j9XEE31evFb24qz8eua3g_6V8GcBd44b49BGn-lshnj79q_HlOId24VRTxjTrEwKW3rWDsyVMMMNk6sKwOeS-jwsDhKAYnBQf77LsG12NeJutYCjvfZeCw/s320/SAM_0145.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572580270001848578" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">A random street in Montmartre, with some random lovers highlighted :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-jeGluaqtS_oIA8I92he1j9XEE31evFb24qz8eua3g_6V8GcBd44b49BGn-lshnj79q_HlOId24VRTxjTrEwKW3rWDsyVMMMNk6sKwOeS-jwsDhKAYnBQf77LsG12NeJutYCjvfZeCw/s1600/SAM_0145.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lIvQDEGcvSY656Uyc-rN7d1tdJUhqYJBzfU0k7qsmHPW__qBEDlFDksNU6J4B2Y9BpeD8sulhm_WdSr_BWO0LFq8aYW3yYASRgzU7XAOtFt3ACy_Mmi4DO34zSPYgjUxG9M3LLT-4M4/s1600/SAM_0139.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lIvQDEGcvSY656Uyc-rN7d1tdJUhqYJBzfU0k7qsmHPW__qBEDlFDksNU6J4B2Y9BpeD8sulhm_WdSr_BWO0LFq8aYW3yYASRgzU7XAOtFt3ACy_Mmi4DO34zSPYgjUxG9M3LLT-4M4/s320/SAM_0139.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572580260895847122" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Lilia a<span class="Apple-style-span" >nd I at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><em style="font-style: normal; ">Sacré</em>-<em style="font-style: normal; ">Cœur together</em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lIvQDEGcvSY656Uyc-rN7d1tdJUhqYJBzfU0k7qsmHPW__qBEDlFDksNU6J4B2Y9BpeD8sulhm_WdSr_BWO0LFq8aYW3yYASRgzU7XAOtFt3ACy_Mmi4DO34zSPYgjUxG9M3LLT-4M4/s1600/SAM_0139.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevrJeUby9gJGRcBCGCHQ1F6Pj9MTK87AZWB7f2IeAAxS3CRqGACdA0fJxGaPIZRJasfIgv8u92C4-gH0IgjzQqEecIIhZbhRhXTjCK33iZQ2H-gtPw6wSz7vPz64Gt690WdGucI2bf6s/s1600/SAM_0131.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevrJeUby9gJGRcBCGCHQ1F6Pj9MTK87AZWB7f2IeAAxS3CRqGACdA0fJxGaPIZRJasfIgv8u92C4-gH0IgjzQqEecIIhZbhRhXTjCK33iZQ2H-gtPw6wSz7vPz64Gt690WdGucI2bf6s/s320/SAM_0131.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572580260071001922" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Claire and Lilia on the rue of street art</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevrJeUby9gJGRcBCGCHQ1F6Pj9MTK87AZWB7f2IeAAxS3CRqGACdA0fJxGaPIZRJasfIgv8u92C4-gH0IgjzQqEecIIhZbhRhXTjCK33iZQ2H-gtPw6wSz7vPz64Gt690WdGucI2bf6s/s1600/SAM_0131.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzHc9qwLofGKdzPRy9miiHanQsiChFn-3PpkkBBdFk4XIaAQg7swBGjEDsRepksQbDoLHONgv8J9y8kBuvTEHJe7bs3mKS3Bm8OrdM7yPwUPnKf76aiv-UJM2qOLtL0djZDmMR4GrCPU/s1600/SAM_0122.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzHc9qwLofGKdzPRy9miiHanQsiChFn-3PpkkBBdFk4XIaAQg7swBGjEDsRepksQbDoLHONgv8J9y8kBuvTEHJe7bs3mKS3Bm8OrdM7yPwUPnKf76aiv-UJM2qOLtL0djZDmMR4GrCPU/s320/SAM_0122.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572580253643068114" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">This street for the street artists is just a couple blocks down from my apartment.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzHc9qwLofGKdzPRy9miiHanQsiChFn-3PpkkBBdFk4XIaAQg7swBGjEDsRepksQbDoLHONgv8J9y8kBuvTEHJe7bs3mKS3Bm8OrdM7yPwUPnKf76aiv-UJM2qOLtL0djZDmMR4GrCPU/s1600/SAM_0122.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vgLwedF2_yhMzNCmer0BNOJxnh_A6-qQ0lECJcPO9ylMpKhnrOx7LufiSNPtCLOhUw7hk7J0hlgz6HQwB76-61R6sftvL50CzFUwEqc4MTfVeWG9vqb6kCCLyLLvDEdYWcA8erZa6mg/s1600/SAM_0117.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vgLwedF2_yhMzNCmer0BNOJxnh_A6-qQ0lECJcPO9ylMpKhnrOx7LufiSNPtCLOhUw7hk7J0hlgz6HQwB76-61R6sftvL50CzFUwEqc4MTfVeWG9vqb6kCCLyLLvDEdYWcA8erZa6mg/s320/SAM_0117.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572579027270028562" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">This is Lilia, the cher cher I get to spend time with :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vgLwedF2_yhMzNCmer0BNOJxnh_A6-qQ0lECJcPO9ylMpKhnrOx7LufiSNPtCLOhUw7hk7J0hlgz6HQwB76-61R6sftvL50CzFUwEqc4MTfVeWG9vqb6kCCLyLLvDEdYWcA8erZa6mg/s1600/SAM_0117.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDIE5FlwAzkd5cRCtKveWPJGKXhIoYVNhCz4kXgfaCG26Cyg-APjtazZ1gC2buSh-1-2sqCkMAgmSxarwx3OD10CbI-Xkdv9uyrqrojE9tEPjXTnWq94JHIjHh9tO53Qj_2yyHiABl7o/s1600/SAM_0116.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDIE5FlwAzkd5cRCtKveWPJGKXhIoYVNhCz4kXgfaCG26Cyg-APjtazZ1gC2buSh-1-2sqCkMAgmSxarwx3OD10CbI-Xkdv9uyrqrojE9tEPjXTnWq94JHIjHh9tO53Qj_2yyHiABl7o/s320/SAM_0116.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572579017599993170" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDIE5FlwAzkd5cRCtKveWPJGKXhIoYVNhCz4kXgfaCG26Cyg-APjtazZ1gC2buSh-1-2sqCkMAgmSxarwx3OD10CbI-Xkdv9uyrqrojE9tEPjXTnWq94JHIjHh9tO53Qj_2yyHiABl7o/s1600/SAM_0116.JPG"></a>Doesn't she just have the best smile?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSqiZ3XjiBXIpOJng_gkh66sjeUJDnxX2wBtDoWkyF2-VyUZ7DhCPmSfX34cZQF-io2Veg2Ih-2qyZu4dEGv0Uv_OiZ6mQGhK7Ua7m6MtcbUHlFKifqm133o6rHqRmV3szw3tA1OJ4jE/s1600/SAM_0107.JPG"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSqiZ3XjiBXIpOJng_gkh66sjeUJDnxX2wBtDoWkyF2-VyUZ7DhCPmSfX34cZQF-io2Veg2Ih-2qyZu4dEGv0Uv_OiZ6mQGhK7Ua7m6MtcbUHlFKifqm133o6rHqRmV3szw3tA1OJ4jE/s1600/SAM_0107.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSqiZ3XjiBXIpOJng_gkh66sjeUJDnxX2wBtDoWkyF2-VyUZ7DhCPmSfX34cZQF-io2Veg2Ih-2qyZu4dEGv0Uv_OiZ6mQGhK7Ua7m6MtcbUHlFKifqm133o6rHqRmV3szw3tA1OJ4jE/s320/SAM_0107.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572579007001443954" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">She is already such a dancer too!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtxh4OnH7sGbXTWOA_FZ6uQQ6qCznzrkTr9h3RxrJXE-Y4BQMSFNIMDNMg9YcGBhBIPE2m_-73s-MRZvzoOu7UC1g-5On4hcZja7rrgcGF3xw4chC9FHyReD2VdJFZuVmpfC0eXAAASg/s1600/SAM_0105.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtxh4OnH7sGbXTWOA_FZ6uQQ6qCznzrkTr9h3RxrJXE-Y4BQMSFNIMDNMg9YcGBhBIPE2m_-73s-MRZvzoOu7UC1g-5On4hcZja7rrgcGF3xw4chC9FHyReD2VdJFZuVmpfC0eXAAASg/s320/SAM_0105.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572579003346344162" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pTuLxqvaAJCGqdFTiMydNceq7btSTlzFoh-H6L-gtGQYBkZbjak4mDxZnCzlfqq2XfXNAGyX2CXHCjm6J778ea4G8mmEzmUadpZuZy568EGhHBCF0O_pKTwsF82C3ptdgB-nKitD9zw/s1600/SAM_0100.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pTuLxqvaAJCGqdFTiMydNceq7btSTlzFoh-H6L-gtGQYBkZbjak4mDxZnCzlfqq2XfXNAGyX2CXHCjm6J778ea4G8mmEzmUadpZuZy568EGhHBCF0O_pKTwsF82C3ptdgB-nKitD9zw/s320/SAM_0100.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572579002072701218" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">C'est tout. Bonne nuit.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-76648749649178056812011-02-07T12:45:00.000-08:002011-02-12T19:08:09.765-08:0067 Rue de Belleville; Beaucoup de Langues<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large; ">(That's ^ my address for now. If you would write me, which I would love, be sure to send to "JEM Paris (attn: Hannah Birkeland)" as my name is not on the post box. Also the zip is 75019. So here's the spot, in its entirety:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">JEM Paris (Attn: Hannah Birkeland)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">67 Rue de Belleville</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Paris, France</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">75019</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Right now as I write this, my roommate Marthe is running around our room on the phone with her mother, laughing and shouting in Dutch, her native tongue. In the hallway, Kindra (another flatmate) and Richard (our visitor of the week) are joking in Spanish, as the former is from Spain and the latter is from Venezuela. Ida is in the kitchen, and though she is quiet tonight, she is often heard speaking her native tongue of Norwegian, as she hails from Norway.</span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hKdFqxjK1nZHII6eB-KLee3a-Qu5zc2d8h85_Fi-BGynnbTPggqOCN7JBXLLY9EPow5TXxlTIus3ws0Ek1EBtJvKdZ-XwBDIozrLNsX2Mgbp60NRkmlC_0cubgL9_K4ahDziF7r0h-M/s400/SAM_0049.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571067420239384258" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(my room)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Can you believe how rich this environment is? I am surrounded so intimately by such different cultures...we all have <i>so </i>much to learn from each other. Around Belleville (my "village" so-to-speak here in Paris) I have been doing my best to keep up with the French. Due to the beautiful an</span><span class="Apple-style-span">d illuminating diversity I am surrounded by in my flat, I don't hear a lot of French when I'm sitting at home (which does not happen frequently). This has definitely saved me from that immediate head-ache that I find always accompanies one's first bit of time in a foreign country, where the native tongue is not one's own. But that being said, improving my French is a significant intention of mine whilst here,</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> so I sort of wish for the head-ache. Lucky for me, Claire (I'll introduce her in the following paragraph) is from Paris, so she speaks perfectly clear and articulate French, and I have asked her to speak to me in French as much as she can remember when we are together. Already in our two days of time together she has taught me more than she knows.</span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYl4aqjOBKKcZMHpD1zNjakUNdFcoRY-j1Ch5LKfztsmeWi9WqG9UOtMceUemaXEBCY6vfmhP8XLpQV7xLeUAHe7n7J1U_mJ9DwtA0MFu4jigqhAkM8MZ0GON6jBKdx6snzqFr5mXh9s/s400/SAM_0043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571067411611472674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " />(the view from my bedroom window)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I am here for loads of reasons, all of which are derived from the fact that <b>I simply am </b>(there's that abstract brain-vomit...*refer to post #1). My primary duty right now is to take care of Lilia, the 19-month-old daughter of Jono and Claire Bevan, the couple that are in charge of Kiwizine (the community-operated restaurant/art-gallery that brought me here). This will be my main responsibility for the next three months, at which point the Bevans will be moving to Vietnam and my duties will clearly change. Thus, my secondary duty for the time being is to be trained by Claire, to replace Claire for the period in which she is not here. I am excited about this, as Kiwizine is just fabulous and I absolutely feel at home being a part of it. But there are definitely nerves associated with this as well, considering I will be the main person serving and dealing with our customer's questions (about the food, the cafe, our group, etc.)...all of whom only speak French. Oh la la!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Jono is Claire's husband, and he has already become a dear friend to me. From New Zealand, he has come from a whole other culture, but gets on here in Paris quite naturally. Jono is an excellent chef, and is the leader of all the goings-on of JEM Paris. At this point I am not quite sure who will step up for his role when they depart...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I do not have much else to report about the experience so far. I have been here only three and a half days, so there is a whole lot more to come.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >As far as my psycho-spiritual analysis of the situation and my new life here, well of course there has been a lot of that ;)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Immediately upon my arrival I was struck by a feeling of lonesomeness that definitely surprised me. Not because I think I'm above feeling lonely, for I have definitely spent my fair share of time in solitude, but simply because I have never experienced the emotions that would naturally accompany a move such as I just made. It was a pretty intense consciousness to be made aware of that huge</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> 4,000 mile gap, which separates me from <i>everyone </i>who knows me. A couple nights ago I could<i>not </i>sleep, and after the standard methods of attempting it (counting sheep/counting blessings, reading a book, writing a journal entry, mindlessly surfing </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Facebook, chatting with loved ones), I found myself still wide awake at 4:30am. My last resort (I don't know <i>why </i>I always wait last minute to do what I know will work) was to do my dance practice. I did</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "> an hour-long dance, in the dark, in my apartment, with the windows open, watching people walk through the street (NO idea what they were all doing out at 4:30...maybe same as me?) and started to feel better. Grounding myself is near impossible (in my life, so of course in my dance), but as there are four other people living in this apartment, and these floor boards creak like they're doing a dance on their own, I was literally FORCED to keep my feet in one spot, whilst my upper body did its natural chaos dance. If anyone could have seen it, it must have been entertaining to say the least, but therapeutic for me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); " ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Through the embodiment and sequencing that occurs whenever I enter into the dance, I was able to come back to myself, and remember that really, <i>I am home.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >This temple is my home, and that memory is the greatest comfort my Creator has given me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Things are always a stitch difficult for a while, in every new place I find myself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Before long, I adjust.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I fall in love easily.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Then the time comes to return "home", and though I'm usually ready, I always know I'll miss this most recent place and way of life intensely.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >It has become clear that no matter what I do or where I go, I will be more than taken care of; more than satisfied.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(view from the park across my street)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; " ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6pJEEtfo4qa0_0Vqpf4CYmY1zZ3j1bEO5yO3r-O2CGWn-hqMSsc4T0IQdnn7msLMknXKPZJXAGDh4mVAEA3S6KHldiFPl7QrgQPK-_k8wk6SDCo-WGf9Pz9YkkkKIevlZ2ZDHmg2hEI/s1600/SAM_0093.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6pJEEtfo4qa0_0Vqpf4CYmY1zZ3j1bEO5yO3r-O2CGWn-hqMSsc4T0IQdnn7msLMknXKPZJXAGDh4mVAEA3S6KHldiFPl7QrgQPK-_k8wk6SDCo-WGf9Pz9YkkkKIevlZ2ZDHmg2hEI/s400/SAM_0093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069794741305986" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(l'entree of my first night at the restaurant)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCz5IWnI-6VM555u8ZeXN8QSAbLMCNf8FYbVsAHr3PbmccKA7ulg8EqcYu4wn1HbMcFJRHVmvS70jUaqzAWC9u6FKcRceWtIpdU12mIcjqFflq6f6Z3KaSk0Xu7Hf8zVd95NQUEYvSU0/s1600/SAM_0078.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCz5IWnI-6VM555u8ZeXN8QSAbLMCNf8FYbVsAHr3PbmccKA7ulg8EqcYu4wn1HbMcFJRHVmvS70jUaqzAWC9u6FKcRceWtIpdU12mIcjqFflq6f6Z3KaSk0Xu7Hf8zVd95NQUEYvSU0/s400/SAM_0078.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069099946953650" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(I got to snip and gut all these little guys)</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-bFHcfDpmJeLtkRxZwKaBzrRLVI793IBxXuChK6hkX8QTKUNDPUhte-ozaDCf53rqVSq_67sEceyNn93vWx749LwpKPZkjwiv6jsuim-hkvZ4Md-CQfmtH5qJxIk9Z0o9GXgLtY0XRc/s1600/SAM_0068.JPG"></a></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-bFHcfDpmJeLtkRxZwKaBzrRLVI793IBxXuChK6hkX8QTKUNDPUhte-ozaDCf53rqVSq_67sEceyNn93vWx749LwpKPZkjwiv6jsuim-hkvZ4Md-CQfmtH5qJxIk9Z0o9GXgLtY0XRc/s1600/SAM_0068.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-bFHcfDpmJeLtkRxZwKaBzrRLVI793IBxXuChK6hkX8QTKUNDPUhte-ozaDCf53rqVSq_67sEceyNn93vWx749LwpKPZkjwiv6jsuim-hkvZ4Md-CQfmtH5qJxIk9Z0o9GXgLtY0XRc/s400/SAM_0068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069096112372786" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(and the finished product !)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5yujDw5qvb-qqvw0cbAYxWb7q5s1suq6PpR2tYorZGZJh2aSi3KYExO5F8KYOUQusZfKK0E9gHQJhdv9u_jpfKxFaP9REKdBWtGzrGsruUn6E-wE3irfhKQ_W5amsVkQkiuOtDvA_K8/s1600/SAM_0088.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5yujDw5qvb-qqvw0cbAYxWb7q5s1suq6PpR2tYorZGZJh2aSi3KYExO5F8KYOUQusZfKK0E9gHQJhdv9u_jpfKxFaP9REKdBWtGzrGsruUn6E-wE3irfhKQ_W5amsVkQkiuOtDvA_K8/s1600/SAM_0088.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5yujDw5qvb-qqvw0cbAYxWb7q5s1suq6PpR2tYorZGZJh2aSi3KYExO5F8KYOUQusZfKK0E9gHQJhdv9u_jpfKxFaP9REKdBWtGzrGsruUn6E-wE3irfhKQ_W5amsVkQkiuOtDvA_K8/s400/SAM_0088.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069105978805650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(this is the kitchen of Kiwizine)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWRYda4NBoAvjfJsju4hG9vGtqnZMk4MzXa8Zm0n2eyOWov0LC7w65ztZ2KE7mud1ywLaxHLyVh2uTUdEDuBlbHOdB2jXvfrdOUZdqmuviNGdJU8KhGk3hSloA9ozTaF_Fodur4HU5As/s1600/SAM_0066.JPG"></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWRYda4NBoAvjfJsju4hG9vGtqnZMk4MzXa8Zm0n2eyOWov0LC7w65ztZ2KE7mud1ywLaxHLyVh2uTUdEDuBlbHOdB2jXvfrdOUZdqmuviNGdJU8KhGk3hSloA9ozTaF_Fodur4HU5As/s1600/SAM_0066.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWRYda4NBoAvjfJsju4hG9vGtqnZMk4MzXa8Zm0n2eyOWov0LC7w65ztZ2KE7mud1ywLaxHLyVh2uTUdEDuBlbHOdB2jXvfrdOUZdqmuviNGdJU8KhGk3hSloA9ozTaF_Fodur4HU5As/s400/SAM_0066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069089452960498" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(this is Kiwizine)</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo8STJ0tMUfOCbhHcTowYPORfhERHXfUzxb7Pu48dkPFiWbIy0j8CLCTepEra7-ZtNyWMtlqruqY4QHhtF_Ygv2yH9DMeidxrghWfI2w9Njw2R4clqJig9F1A-vID6jz2VJV3GDhhFFM/s1600/SAM_0073.JPG"></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo8STJ0tMUfOCbhHcTowYPORfhERHXfUzxb7Pu48dkPFiWbIy0j8CLCTepEra7-ZtNyWMtlqruqY4QHhtF_Ygv2yH9DMeidxrghWfI2w9Njw2R4clqJig9F1A-vID6jz2VJV3GDhhFFM/s1600/SAM_0073.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo8STJ0tMUfOCbhHcTowYPORfhERHXfUzxb7Pu48dkPFiWbIy0j8CLCTepEra7-ZtNyWMtlqruqY4QHhtF_Ygv2yH9DMeidxrghWfI2w9Njw2R4clqJig9F1A-vID6jz2VJV3GDhhFFM/s400/SAM_0073.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571069085153898834" /></a><br /></span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-74438098854207858202011-01-25T18:05:00.000-08:002011-02-15T23:03:38.964-08:00Why DO They Use Artificial Turf In Iowa Stadiums?<div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Des Moines sure knocked my socks off. Tomorrow is my last full day here, and I'll say I never expected to have such amazing experiences.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">I have grown so much in this place, thus I've learned a lot--about myself, my path, this life.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">I had invaluable adventures, created impressionable memories, and met so many new souls, all of which enlightened me.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Being around my niece and nephew, and watching these small humans in their stages of total dependency and attachment, I also developed this huge understanding about love. I have begun to see how love is the foundation of all the basic human needs. Our needs for touch, affection, physicality, affirmation. If we're lucky, we get adequate amounts in our childhoods. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; ">But now as adults, outside of our homes and away from the comfort of family, we still need just as much. We need to feel other bodies. We like someone close to us when we fall asleep. We crave attention. Eyes that notice us. We need kisses. We want someone to grab us. To hold us tight when we need a good cry.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>So we find it in the places we can, and we hope those sources are trustworthy and healthful to us; places of substance.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">And I think it's ok that way.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; ">I think when we find ourselves in those moments o<span>f uninhibited love with another human, we get a</span><span> glimpse and a taste of God's character--its perfec</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; ">tion and wholeness.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">As far as my own inner discovery goes, I've realized I naturally see the highest potential in people. This can be destructive, as I live in a world of idealism and don't always acknowledge where people actually are, but I'm working on the balance. The true beauty in this gift surfaces when you choose to see the possibilities for all the human life around you, because then you have the power to make people's lives a little better, in the simplest of ways. Namely because you help people to see the abundant light in themselves.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">I'm rambling, and being extremely nostalgic because I have spent a few months loving people here and now it is time once again to be on my way. As some of my favorite artists have said,</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; ">"I move on to another day, to a whole new town with a whole new way (<i>Modest Mouse</i>)"</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; ">and </span>I feel "like a rolling stone, with no direction home (<i>Bob Dylan</i>)" but I will continue, because "you pass through places and places pass through you, but you carry em' with you on the soles of your travelin' shoes (<i>The Be Good Tanyas</i>)"</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">for</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica; ">If I leave here tomorrow</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica; "><div style="text-align: center; ">Would you still remember me?</div><div style="text-align: center; ">For I must be travelling on, now,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.</div><div style="text-align: center; ">But, if I stayed here with you</div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica; ">Things just couldn't be the same (<i>Lynyrd Skynyrd)</i>.</span></span></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxhUh0ECJeFb3Us3ruZE0ET6ICx9lEthRrPZ0IzJyOSI5OH1eckteWlRpdQS8RH2ZVT56SgcqAoinfM6v0DQN5-utwuD0nT0P5eiFb4QpdfYlwr64I9Z-uEHolaYWm9MKFzn7WI9pMl0/s1600/168746_192330010785887_100000266680627_684939_6438978_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxhUh0ECJeFb3Us3ruZE0ET6ICx9lEthRrPZ0IzJyOSI5OH1eckteWlRpdQS8RH2ZVT56SgcqAoinfM6v0DQN5-utwuD0nT0P5eiFb4QpdfYlwr64I9Z-uEHolaYWm9MKFzn7WI9pMl0/s320/168746_192330010785887_100000266680627_684939_6438978_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574179144897725426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedMbStPdTjI4IU0OP0HVBPCp6VpPwLJIdxmOh-HqwoB10PhfEk4JwY-I1cD8O4Bnv63EdWf3nI73HgtXLLTqGY_AtnPRighlCh_w3Vh31CmBuXwX9CwCGaD_zgqNMC7F_A2sCpE_xZgA/s1600/168746_192330020785886_100000266680627_684942_1389454_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedMbStPdTjI4IU0OP0HVBPCp6VpPwLJIdxmOh-HqwoB10PhfEk4JwY-I1cD8O4Bnv63EdWf3nI73HgtXLLTqGY_AtnPRighlCh_w3Vh31CmBuXwX9CwCGaD_zgqNMC7F_A2sCpE_xZgA/s320/168746_192330020785886_100000266680627_684942_1389454_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574179147056399458" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDI60XnmExAC4rGa-RLyaHSqmdwDXA_TnMwkgg7l6um_ryd6ju7XtRDoGbwDXFdLbfGzvD-CvzBHEMdrZLAS0fUtga97OyF10OJWK7YAmQIN4YU9M8_C0Lz3Q6kdD09qGp867qrG3MAg/s400/168303_1622121871196_1180920183_31429236_6788071_n.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 364px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566382432164927714" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PCnP3WZmJTTBkZumlUL-ktHahHmBrS6iEjoMpjvrnehaQpwRdvys8SBfq_e_n-qho3B6062ollkimCv6F3B2GnLUEbnz0g3xrMu5JcYKAB_2l57sFp7J6kDXetjX3EwnM583uRLbQ58/s400/163263_1622126551313_1180920183_31429252_302595_n.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566381614136744786" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica; "></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Oh, and the answer to the blog title is "to keep the cheerleaders from grazing." Had to throw one Iowa joke in here...I <i>am </i>still a Minnesota gal' ;)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-85201593571064869002011-01-16T10:22:00.001-08:002011-01-17T17:03:46.529-08:00She's Just The Sweetest ThingI noticed my last couple posts were somewhat dark and twisty...maybe not so dark, but a little dreary if nothing else.<div><br /></div><div>I was thinking about how fulfilling my life has been (and continues to be), how much joy I experience daily, and how there is an overflow of love and an abundance of community for me, no matter where I lay my head down on this earth.</div><div><br /></div><div>How should one person be so fortunate?</div><div><br /></div><div>All this led me to think about one person. Someone who grew up without getting the support and affirmation that I've always known, but yet turned into the most stable vessel of unconditional love and acceptance that I've ever even heard of. Her big heart beats, and emulates the spirit of God consistently day in and day out, as she serves everyone around her with a joy and willingness that I pray will one day become my own. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last year she had a moment of crisis, as her life took a change and she found herself questioning her role in the world. She thought about new career options, more schooling; any kind of change. None of it fit though, and for a while she remained restless. As we all knew however, she would soon have something concluded, and our role would simply be to give her the room to move in whatever direction she needed. It was her turn to have room. She had spent the past 25+ years raising a family, our family, putting herself last 110% of the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ma always has that look about her in the morning. It'll be 9 o'clock, I'll be groggily stumbling into the kitchen sniffin' for my french press, and she has already been awake for 4 hours. Normally, you can tell she has taken care of herself </div><div>1) spiritually--surrendered her day to the Lord</div><div>2) physically--gone to the gym and eaten her daily dose of eggs</div><div>3) mentally--done 30 min worth of reading, while thoroughly enjoying her 20oz of coffee</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(really, the coffee part could be in all three categories <3><div>but throughout the month or so when she was feeling restless and looking for more to do, her face didn't have the same calm about it. Then she hit her moment of enlightenment, realized she had not truly submitted her restlessness and uncertainty over to her Master, and everything changed drastically. Within a couple months, her days were busy from start to finish. Once again, her time became dedicated to the well-being of others, as she went from meeting to meeting counseling other women, giving herself to the world emotionally and physically and spiritually. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have gotten to have a mother that knows how to love, despite not being taken care of as a child.</div><div>I have been raised by a woman that values compassion, forgiveness, and stability--and she has taught me to do the same.</div><div>My mother gave up her plans at 24, because she believes in giving your all to whatever you're doing. </div><div>She lost her first son, but proceeded to choose to be a mother and a wife. She made herself present, constantly.</div><div>She accepted me without hesitation, no matter what terrifyingly stupid choices I was making (am making, will make, etc.). </div><div>Ma showed me her unwaivering confidence in my character, which has given me the strength I need to be the woman I'm meant to be for the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe it's the fact that soon I'm going to be somewhere quite far for quite a while, or maybe it's just because she is the kind of woman that puts an imprint on your heart. Regardless, my mom has been on my mind a whole lot these days...</div><div><br /></div><div>I wish the whole world could get enough time for a cup of coffee with that woman, because everyone who sits down with her stands up feeling encouraged, motivated, inspired. She makes new friends feel loved simply by speaking their names, and for all of us who get the privilege of knowing her intimately, we know we have been blessed by the Divine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Love you ma. More than I can even come close to articulating.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs488.ash2/76112_460979418438_662033438_5514290_2688385_n.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/183/95/1272300045/n1272300045_30095705_3220.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2561/31/55/1016955522/n1016955522_369736_4185571.jpg" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-27181179110790042132011-01-09T22:09:00.000-08:002011-01-09T22:23:52.058-08:00Lesson 1: What To Do If You're Drowning<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >One day I'll show you the song that goes with this. But it's a nice little ditty, nonetheless.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG0EupNxClor-qR2ZOE_dmg7l3D605b5j3QLylRGoVwVzGHDF8HX3V2kD9X5uGs2sxmAVOuVewm9qPVOCyZQY8zXmu8I7_KqlNk7ME8hXNkZ0TXXuhLh-h3rkWY_zHdnmUDJNZ8y4nkU/s1600/213743.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG0EupNxClor-qR2ZOE_dmg7l3D605b5j3QLylRGoVwVzGHDF8HX3V2kD9X5uGs2sxmAVOuVewm9qPVOCyZQY8zXmu8I7_KqlNk7ME8hXNkZ0TXXuhLh-h3rkWY_zHdnmUDJNZ8y4nkU/s400/213743.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560438518132651730" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >"Lost in a sea of light and dark,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >he stood with his back to me as I became my own worst enemy.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >My sheets got stained with tears he made.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >So I left town, packed my life into a black composition notebook,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >and swore he would never touch this heart again.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Darlin' you were drownin',</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >in your foolish, prideful ways.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I fought so long, stood too strong,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >but now my legs and back are shaking,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >and I'm in need of a resue too.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Could ya' be my savior? Could you?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >No, I think not.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Showed up in the foreign place on the cold November blue,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >knew not more than a face or two, but could finally hold the moon.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Then he showed up, squeezed my hand and held me harder than is healthy to.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Called me his Angel, he was more than grateful.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >It made me remember, how it could be better, lyin' next to someone who feels</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >their own heart ache.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >He knows how to believe in somethin'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >counts to three,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >never lies to me,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >and already offered me his key.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Burr it's getting colder.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Burr it's getting colder.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >But when darkness falls, he is like the rest.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >At the end of the night, he's more sunk than most.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Chokes down the liquor, shuts down the world,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >gettin' high on nicotine and vodka,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >his legs are crampin' up underneath the weight of it all.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Darlin' you're drownin',</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >in your compulsions, which stem from your sadness.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I could fight so long, I know how to stand strong,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >but in a breath I'll be gone,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >and it's my turn,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >to have someone step in</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >and rescue me this time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cuz I'm drownin'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We're all drownin'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Just dronwin'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Without You."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-90299840485077586372010-12-29T18:18:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:32:00.102-08:00so it burns, so I live...<div style="text-align: center;">For Meghan</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3brWQjipsOv1IynPRyxsqq66aXCiShnhIanQpEKQxXejwNchq3w" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">I feel so many things,</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I think <span class="Apple-style-span">too </span>much.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My </span>mind <span class="Apple-style-span">is always <b><span class="Apple-style-span">r<span class="Apple-style-span">acing</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">,</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>my insides are always <i>fluttering</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">My <b>tear </b></span>ducts</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb2G-oEsfXpl5GnJRKi50P2mvD_1jkq5hSxbLRA1GhTQ2rOxTFIcPurE6tuqFwDGVxq2ee4NwK6HtHcNgdFWDyi_mlQgmwSJSYDePlE9vfOAUNsGwyt3h7escZusXSUbV8PzHn_rdQrM/s400/Fullscreen+capture+12292010+93727+PM.bmp.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556321637177788562" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">are constantly open,</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span">and </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">my</span> <span class="Apple-style-span"><u>heart</u></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><u> </u>is permanently attached to my sleeve.</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEMz9ldTFMhbQKMDhC_I-ewalh7fUQ2vrshzRRmBLKIJzeJ4cgbeyn-Ewa4w" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Though I avoid commitment,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I have also learned when to ground <b>my feet<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></b></span> <img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpVg5Qmd4bs4_PqVwzp4nln4xQjxkhBmn0AExHaSao9lmUFsZW" />in the earth, </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> for I'm </span>never able to <i>walk away from a heart</i>-----no matter how it <u>thwarts</u> my own.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I lose my breath at night, </span><img src="data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAkGBhISEBAQEBIQFBQQFBQPFBQVEBAUFRUQFRAVFRUVFhYXHSYeFxkkGRYUHy8gIycpLC4sFh8xNTAqNSYrLCoBCQoKDQwOFA8PFCkYFBgpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKSkpKf/AABEIAOUA3AMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAbAAABBQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBQYEB//EAD0QAAEDAgMGBQIDBgUFAQAAAAEAAhEDIQQSMQUiQVFhcQYTMoGhkbEjQvAUUmJywdEzgrLh8RZDU5KiFf/EABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAv/EABkRAQEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEQIhMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A9wQhCBJQlQiEQhCASOSprlRGlBSOahXWTnBARkToUUx1kBDxKaVUKlCSEoVCgqRRhSSs1YEqRKooQhCKEIQgEISoEQhCAQhIgEqRKgEQhCATU5CBsISoRASmkoa+Ux9UA9rqhWlKoxXBNuyJ+qIlaEJuZOzIolGZIU1BKEqYCnSgVCEiilQhCAQhCAQhCBEJUIBCEIBCE1xQOSJoclzIFTHOSPeq3aG1qdIA1HROliSewCI6cRjGU2Oc5waACSToFidveORkiiHNqPJa17iz/DB33QDLb6SJ+i5vE/illUNYzNlY7O8HdLnCzG/c+wWKxFc1HOcQ2XQ0RYBo0A6frmpaLb/qLEZN6q8NeSfUS6HfmAmYMfJU+zvE2KoQWOJa4SQ4vqM7gHSO/O5VTh8PUczLJyRmkAwKh5ntb2V5T2cxgaHOygBheIY4NzNLnW4wREoNnszxTmFPzvLy1IDatMnKHkSKdQG9N3K8GDdaakLHvdeOY+maNNwYZF7h1+e9feEiRytGq9G8KeIxi6Ac3dcwBlRsyc2Sx9yHfRUaByiypQd0dh9k2VqJT5Tg5RSllMTU0pVGCnAqNHoTU5RQlSJUCISoQIlQhAFIlSIBQudqplDUZeUCZkhfwSErlr1conldVD8TjGs9TgL8T7Lz3buMNbEBlQ6kwQHHci4aDYEQBNiSVa4rHmpUnnZgjmbuHWCQOQk8VWeIdnRWLjwptIAOjQYIPcuPwpRTtwVKs55DsjGg8JJaHATyHEz+jw/s4DXOMtDXANYRLy0n4sdYvPdWWCpE52OIbGZ7yAHWZvkAaXhouuJkkOqVJzVJhzhoD6n31JvAHPhxg68LV3G0mz6H1DGbUyCNTpBAOuqbtXEB2UgS4gZnRoQwgNjgIiY4ldGysKD5rdHVKZYwGQWsH5u0A3niq6lUaWvDiRkYS12pzwcrSe8369FB1mg4HDg3NSmXxmsQTkb7jl35rv8AA9GvTxD30mk0twvjjTipGvqOhjXRUtLHlrXEGC2nkZEGDAafgu9ytv4H25SGDpg7uUEERqb37mDx+isGwp1g5oI0Nx1nilKq9kYkE1GtnKIcJ4Zi6R2kT7qylbjNOCUBNCcCqh4S5U0J4WWitCckQilSpEKKVCEIECVIlQCRCECEpj0+Ex6IhcVR7Z2nkzNAmGZzfmcrR7mfYK5q8Vl8cwOr12umDRYT/LmdOn6ulR27LwrHtp1oiW5miNJAk/RUe2cOQcWHmajzTqNAEB1GCAwdAfmOYV9sqqHMEQALADgAAAPZM2phm1mFzRenoekDQ8iI+EGHNDfqAy1r8rnQLyRJbPsB7qLE1z/itaNwktaJsS6JHIAmyscbQcGVXiZDcvEi+XL2/OuLDbNNSkSJc1ha3KIkkaAT1JP0Kiuaji2ine1TUvNgy3pHMneLtZsNVy0sZSBcXA70h3QG9gbl3I2iylrbKIytYc14nUuqWLwBJOUc93qo6GwqlV7WCS9/pGUt3JMvM2DBBvdQROqF+choaHAU6YE7ozAD4En3XoGx9mMp4Ollbc7xJAB3tPiFXYzwLFAPZVc8tAJG4GkN1cwxMdJvzVxiNuUf2cmm4ZmtgNJFyB8rUHb4dOY1nj05gwC0S2ST8gfVXRaq3YGF8vD0mnUtDnWjedvH7/CsVqM0JyQJc6qHNTgUwFPClWHgpwUYTmlRo5KkSqARKEIoQhNJQOlEpoSogUbwpEhQctRqzu3KGR4xEEtDfKqDj5ZM5h/KfgrS1QqzaVMFjwQCCCD2hVGTp4l7H+SHRnIaDxAcZm33V66h5WQBziHENnhEHlpzWadVc8Ug0b7GB9MwDma2ZHUh0fCtMRthtRgBnMLkTcGPsFB0Vq+HcH0hBNRuQuF9CSD1j+qzW2WPoANa83k2MRAygD2tforGsH1RSp4VsNZepVIgOPIcXC0yNVPtOnTfLaggtZLHEWL2kGZHG0RzAQcWyMAG2rMDX1WAse2IABaLsNjfLrI3gu/BYNwDnPdDqhc14c4Mc9rRAbLRZg5Aa3XTtDDVXOouDQMgvBvLssxbSw+qkxFUzBbQJEnecPeQeM9UNdOAx5GYVS0B27TYC0sIAg72k/w8IVPs+iHV3w38M5pY5kADzIYNIdIcbXs0LlxGIY2oGhlCcu9lcclzcuHpntpGqsquEr1MODSePM3XB0nfy9fzCNDPLmgutjOINZgcXMY4Bk/lBbJZOpAI+VZqk8KEik5tRuWoHfiNnR0CIPEZct1dqhCmEp9TRQlyuomYVOFBTCllA+UoTAUrSoalCEiVGioSJVFBTSE5IgQBBKUqN7lUPlNeVG2onlBG481x4niuuquCuURkv2V01Ws3amHqGpTJsIMyOxBhUjcK+tiQW5gyAak2ym4cB7wLc1oNr1TTxQcNKjQOMWOnyu7AYVrfMqkQHGIE3gaxz/ssiXY5B3GCAyG9BboptrYAuacrWF5s0uAPHiI/sujB5GMBbYHevyPNdouPkLaPMsJtyoxzmVJJB/w872tbBdIADlo3uoObTAL2lzSWjM0Q0BxMxoAAeKofGGyvKrCs0HKX7wi0GAf6/VdNHBGoKThcSaX9R8ArCrjE7Aovptytyuc9jS6S4mSMxJOpgJu0NsjC0wxhJio+iZHpMEtzQehV7g6eVnYQPlYXalJzqGMdeWvFeJBux4/oSrehtdm4jepuP/cpyTzcIn3v8K6Wa2BixUbhiP44I5ZAb/8At8LShII6qgan13ptNVMdDE9MaE8lXQqcFGpGpVSBKmhOUUIlCFAqEqRFNcoHldEKJ7VUc03XUzRcz2wZU7HWRDaq46jZXW8qFzUGP24Zrkf+NgP+Z9gFf4fBxSy6kACf4uJ+pKpGN8zG1OQeSe1MAD/6atBtAkYeoRM5HRzuDdSDPbfZUz0mtIFNrdAYLnX1HIW15q92dWljY5AfCyDsW6pTovcSYY4Gf3gRMntP0XdsjHEBoI/3vYpqLfxDs1tWk4ETukfFj7GFUeG61m0zwMNtq6CStMyoC2+hCx9VjqGJIvkLvMaRxGh+T8pRr67srHdGn7LCbEreZXxIfOR9OqDuiAIuXHgttjj+E+/5Tf21WJxrBQwNR2hrubSnXcLpdHsClWLHwWS1uEpu4irVBB0aIaAbX116LdhZbw1hgPLfETTytBAloEHUcy74C1RFkiuPEFPw7EPpqag2AqiQNhNJSuemoHNcpmBRMCmaEDoQhCKEIQgVCEKKExwTkkIiCq1MYbKYhNDFURuakdYKaFy42tDHn91pM9gUGV8OUi6rWqSIzFonUEvLj91o8U9opODtCCw9iIWf8Jn8EE+uoXVTqd0Hn3K4dt7ZqHNTtDXAzEm2ve/2Ugrdk0vNp1KEwQczT3MX6TI90Yd7vNDXzEkXHEHKZ+FxOxHk1m1RcOBJExLSbjvy6hW+NcxwbUYQ9lUtl0emoBYnkSInqFBqaOFmhkkXEdJWaq4V5AovMeW+abv4REs+kR2XdsTbFwx5s4AtJN7nLHa4Vzi6Ae2IuN4fzC4WvUJiXA0CTJBaO5WH8XVpqYbDtj8Oarhym/w262ZrNFIudZrRnPQC5+hBXnWFqHEV3VSL13EC4tTmLewA91OSx6LghlZhqrTIcAw24Pu131HytGBZUeY/s+T89NrXcNWkEj6BXVEy0JFI5qSErkoVQ0BKGpYSoFhPaka1OARQlQhQCJQhAqEIRSISpCEDYQQkhOkKoieVXbVbNCqBxpu/0lWFYqF7JBb+8Mv1EIjOeHiAQ1o3RRa7oM73m0qn8Q0B5u7qLnQDe7K18NVQQGccgpnhvUyWkKLxBgsjvMvA1114KDL1qGdjSBIyZrG3Ayodj7UNCoGuANOoSC31XB1jnqu/APkC0DKYi+kf2VNt5gNRmWLR20173UVoMRhDTdLZ8okluu4eLStLsnaQqNExmiO5i6yeE2sWPrU68mm57gQeAzaybx/ZduHqHD1xlJc0jMAT+Ug2MW53VlRceKMA5+Eqsp2m5A1LJl4H60lYDwxiclUOymzSwfwuieHUBeo0MayrSztBPAtjpDhB14915htzAeRX8yjIp1SXM1EObIcwjgenIpyI3eG2rcsgwASTrIi/66LUbO/wmfyj7BeY+HcUarmgzmO5YkeqRB6QSfZep0hlaByCRSlqIRmTwqGhODUsgIDlA4IQhAIQhAIQhA5CRCKEiCUxz0DyExzU3zUnmqohxLw0Eu0Co8Xt5wLW02Zpi99Jg6wPlS7d2mMuRhzOkAid2/Bx9+HFURZEuqVBJEw0mxIIE3MwCoh+No5XHE4cjKXHzW8WOOrhw4ifqruhWa+m0TLw0ZgRfMAJB5LLYo1GOaaZlpGh0gg2hN/aajKlN9EOuBLLOMBplkH1Dlx4clFR4zDhlSoG6tkgTrN/uqSpgprtA0c4MbpxeAdOxVzW21Te/NlIdcPHGYIJEcuViuHZ+IL8VQbDRkcXaz6Qf6Qg1HiHANqUoytNR7xlcdQAefKCVV7KqinFPEWEua1zgJBsDB1g5v1eNJXoyGOP8vueKx3iyt5mKLRfyG5Z4ZrE/rorUi3wNV2GrBrpLS6ASbOa4gZvp9l1+ItgipmA9NWHCxOWsBAd2ix6Lg8P4x5Hl1mZmNBy1DG7cCDPDkei0WBxWZ7qFWLXYby4a/WEVhcJh8Tg8tQUzmBzTYgAOgT3nRdbvGWNkl7gxoiwYy2pvPZbWth2kOouJAdyMFYTbODGHdD4JLnFuVhzGTr1sB9FEaTwx4rfWqinU0PGROlrdbrZtXkuyy81Gk03hoMnVziR0C9WwdXMxrr3E3BB9wdCqqUtGqNbJYSoEASoQEUISpIQCEIRCoQhFR1CoHroem5URz8FS7UxzhIzEdG3tNldY2g8tinAPGZ04x1WO2liTSe9jmlxABcS0x0vyQQEucBnOsgagazYC3JRzcgRMfe/D9dVyVsQXuAda3a5Gl+EKVjIzZQ4kwSTAbxtmm0SPooh7qDsxO7zDnENHI2PHsubF03taH5pzbwygA8Y7WHyon7JxFV7R+V2mXPAPVxbJ+y1OzvCga2SS46yY1iLAorz9xdUdnqgaRIa7PrY5m3cdBN1dbF2Tk/FOcPqfhsaZs0m5dMX4LaM8MsGoB14N1KhdhmivTbaGifcA3+sIJapylo4MaXunsf7Km27sxrW0DDWkuOZ4JBc8tJDSAJMmePABW2PxYYH1BBu1otYuJgA9NVD4jdnwzA6RmAfI1zASAO8/BVZjKPxTC4h/G0TNjYnXl2WgoYzMKNdrTLBnAmM1OC0kcuBg8wsZicw4tDR0LZJ6albLwoDUwwBABoksAE3YQDBkW/2RV5j6fm0xUpSHt3m6iRxaehWX/8AzKlWp5jYJcZcXG7DoWnXnoArzA4g0qmR7nEP9OabEAS2e0GF0V9nua81qJEkbzDGV8fY9UEmyNhspQQZcRcq7aFW7Lx4qAwC0tOVzSCCHRMdR1VkCqpUFMqPgEwTAJtrYcOqjwuKFRuZs8DfUSJHxBUE4QuTA4hxaM8ZriRaS0kH3BC60UqEx7wASTAAk9gkpV2uAc0gg6FA8oSoQCQhOSIIy1OASwiEBC4dptOQ5WZncBmDR3k8l3FNLJRGUZ4ceTLi0CBpvHjxdb3i67qGwWNcCZcRoXGf+Fe+WmFl0ENDCNHBdDRwShKqGv0K8/2zjHnHZGEhoDGmP3ZLqhPECGhvD1HotptXEFtNxbcmzRH5iQB8kLMY3Z2UlzQSXNa17tT0JHbTupUdGKotdRAn0uLtY0BGn61TNu4sNoCnlDiW8TAAEgGZTnPaGFlhoHHle4noAbcSqja9V1UkBu7MDdLZgwNJsBwQVeFwucO33kD1Fr4AIvA1ke69E2RgxTptaAeZ1kk3JM8Vm9h7MIfvMMASC6NZtAk6CTccldYrxPhqRLH1QHC2UNeTI5QLoE8QUW5Q92gMO6cQ7obQO6Nj7Szl7cwIpuNKTGYuBIkxb+6o9r+OKL2vpNpVn5rZi1rAL6gOMnTkFTYKk4V8Oab96SXNJILiDnIuLyyY6yg3WMpvEVqBGYXyuMNe3i08ieB4HpKtMPXDgCD7WseIMcVitk7cf+KypOakCbCJc0mde3wV0u22Q+nUw4cRXaXlmV0EtjM0x6Xdfe4QbNVWH/Dq5BoXGn/lc0vZ9CHt/wCF0bO2i2q3MJBHqadWmJg+3FcO26uR9JwvnLWjq+mfMH1Gce6K6nOjzgNWnz2+4n/U1491NisaWhpDSZBOjiTpDQGgmTPwqrEF4hgaYpNFKpUn/tPAzmNTcTbgCrDCYRpmXGo2SAHZS0XB0AvrEmUEGJ2gXOLTIptgudLSX5phoaNZIjrdd2EoGzniP3WCIaOsau+Bw5qQ4ZpLSWjcu22hiJHK1lMECoQkRTkJJRKAQglJCAQlhCATU5NRKUISBBKoq9tVDDQCBJcbmGkhpLQTwkx9FSOolpNXI5xdUDixpzTDYAP+af8Ahaiq0HUAjkRKidQabQL68PsiMzRw9apOdvfeGXPN9LEzJseKsGbLiC8gkaQBAPNXGVAo80xHFRpQuTFeH6bi94bvuAvpYK6bSUhpIrA1tlMY57X8DoL/AA0XXLUp5ILKbyaZDmvIDS14nejj7nivSDTlNNIaQI5QI+imDFbOx7C6rnpsY6oGu3vTULfUGkx6tfcrvo4tjMzWRkJECnTfJY4SYyi8RPTTitFW2VRf66bHT+80H7rpbTAsIAHIQis9skPdW8xrHsblg5qbmSJn81ze4taSF27YwIdlqlz5pvYWgGA2XBriOsHWeCtYUdegHtLTMGNDGhB/ogSjh8oglzv5iD9gE9lIAQAABwAgJ4SoEhCVCKEiVEoBIShCBAnIQgEiEIBIhCqFCRCEDHBRuCEKxkoFk5qEJViQBLCRCilQUiEDghCFAiEIQKhCEUIQhAJIQhB//9k=" />thinking of him, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>and I wake up sweating with teeth clenched.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><b>My. Peace. Has. Been. Shaken.</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Still, my heart beats recklessly, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> impulsively and foolishly.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I have a passionate fire</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSDJAFcsZ56AitUO8dNO2ZT2hG7p_0BrP2z8SVY3rtG9ajpIgmUcw" />that consumes my insides.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It's beautiful and yet dangerously out of control,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>the way only fire can be.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I <b>hurt</b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>I miss</b>.</span><img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9o6ej91pgbJDQUzzXWUT7kF-B5kFfyTpAx5lurHLUpDzr7gaFjA" />I <b>long</b> for.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">But <i>I am well</i>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> I would never smother my fire,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>for though its <b><i>burn </i></b>is <span class="Apple-style-span">painful . . .</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <u>the life it brings me is invaluable.</u></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I will never trade my burning fire;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">its worth incalculable.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And I will never settle for the stagnant, <span class="Apple-style-span">lifeless </span>existence that </span></div><div style="text-align: center;">is left<img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSKOnuz2QocbQQ4dVSOFEg8vYphxqpU6WsSIpANeoNb9dLOncn" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">in the remains</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>of </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The Fire.</span></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-46315611870773934552010-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:002010-12-14T21:53:59.210-08:00"[...] see this flame [...]"<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">"My Burning Heart"</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><b><i>My heart is burning with love</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>All can see this flame</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>My heart is pulsing <b>with passion</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><b><i>like waves on an ocean</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>my friends have become strangers</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>and I’m surrounded by enemies</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>But I’m free as the wind</b></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>no longer hurt by those who reproach me</i></span></div></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><b><i>I’m at home wherever I am</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>And in the room of lovers</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I can see with closed eyes</i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>the beauty that dances</i></span></div></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Behind the veils</i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>intoxicated with love</i></span></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><i><b>I too dance the rhythm</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><i><b>of this moving world</b></i></span></div></b></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>I have <b>lost my senses</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>in my world of lovers.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>-Rumi</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >When something good gets thrown at you,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >just </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">let your feet </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">be </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">free.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">It feels good to catch it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">And the earth remains below you,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">whenever you're ready to ground</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">again.</span></p><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; "><br /></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6kp_JRSF1EQzPWrrkwGJz-8PWoQdtqOkwLhKNBQjwYjej8T2lP2aFIheXPslyOkbw5jcdoyp64x88zDynTatci03Z5VYYqHhGHnRE2HgAo_pWuswnsOwsUvjfX89493_izaeODG4z2k/s1600/n103301256_30099792_1558.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6kp_JRSF1EQzPWrrkwGJz-8PWoQdtqOkwLhKNBQjwYjej8T2lP2aFIheXPslyOkbw5jcdoyp64x88zDynTatci03Z5VYYqHhGHnRE2HgAo_pWuswnsOwsUvjfX89493_izaeODG4z2k/s400/n103301256_30099792_1558.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550780992119439058" /></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6kp_JRSF1EQzPWrrkwGJz-8PWoQdtqOkwLhKNBQjwYjej8T2lP2aFIheXPslyOkbw5jcdoyp64x88zDynTatci03Z5VYYqHhGHnRE2HgAo_pWuswnsOwsUvjfX89493_izaeODG4z2k/s1600/n103301256_30099792_1558.jpg"></a>(Yes, that's me catching the bouquet </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >♥</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large; "> )</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 20px; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><br /></p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731307809183485275.post-72428577308677805772010-12-10T10:49:00.000-08:002010-12-10T14:38:22.365-08:00A Sequence of Breathing<div>Don't Forget to Focus On Your Breath...</div><div><br /></div>Ma showed up yesterday, and we're all glad.<div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Normal, But Not" 1:00 am</i></b>: everyone in the house was asleep, and in general, everyone was breathing normally. Energy was moving, but we all knew we needed our rest.<div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Ready To Go" 4:00 am</i></b>: my attic light flickers on, Ma's standin over me, anticipation on her face..."Bek's contractions are about 3 min apart now...thought you'd like to come down!" Breathing starts to speed up, within minutes we're all in the living room, Bek on her hands and knees, me and ma squattin' over her, and all three of us are starting our deep breaths as a team, but with a good 3 or 4 minutes between each full-body breath. </div><div><br /></div><div>At this point we headed to the hospital, and meanwhile started the 8-hour-long music playlist we had set up for the labor...it was amazing to have such beautiful art throughout our entire morning.</div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Here was our room with a view of the city and the sunrise!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6458TKijUK_NN5IKh9oGoMEl7twEhwBo-NIfHxssIsFte_VyO3xpl5g2X-2NVMAikjbdsOCzs77LEIcIZEJoAMyOuN8OBxnO4tXl7jXolzbvMMfsb4-ZLRWFv2lV5wn6bDPUtA9N8xws/s1600/IMG_4635.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6458TKijUK_NN5IKh9oGoMEl7twEhwBo-NIfHxssIsFte_VyO3xpl5g2X-2NVMAikjbdsOCzs77LEIcIZEJoAMyOuN8OBxnO4tXl7jXolzbvMMfsb4-ZLRWFv2lV5wn6bDPUtA9N8xws/s400/IMG_4635.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181093501570498" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>"Things Are In Motion" 8:00 am</i></b>: regular (half-screaming) breaths, every 30 seconds. Intensity. Tears. I find myself sweaty and out of breath after each contraction, as I'm strattling and squatting and lunging and basically doin' full blown yoga all morning; group yoga with the girls.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2bF2Kb5JSn9LFC4HAhYq7iIPAD6DEfQoMRXMeGMIxmBmBhwy0fFNTKFjpUk8BlFJJffsRNImq6KIbDKPtK2JM-1QFXQZrSMThA0pjImXMTpjaaEI2ECpfNlEDUHLFWzK3Nuz7wJzUZI/s1600/IMG_4632.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2bF2Kb5JSn9LFC4HAhYq7iIPAD6DEfQoMRXMeGMIxmBmBhwy0fFNTKFjpUk8BlFJJffsRNImq6KIbDKPtK2JM-1QFXQZrSMThA0pjImXMTpjaaEI2ECpfNlEDUHLFWzK3Nuz7wJzUZI/s400/IMG_4632.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181244221450786" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a>Here is a nice image of the skype birth with Jas, far away in Afghanistan, but still being present.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me interject here, that the power and magnificence that lies in assisting a woman through the birthing of her new baby (especially when it's your blood) is indescribable. I felt like I got to play Jason's role, not nearly as well as he would have, but nonetheless I felt like I was infusing life into my sister, on behalf of Jas, and for the sake of baby Dre. Every moment with my hands placed on her back or chest was me getting to inject love energy; every time I shoved my head into her tail bone I got to be a part of Dre, a part of Jas, a part of Bek. Even though I had no clue what to expect from a birth, my core knew exactly what to do. More than ever I am convinced that we are <i>all</i> intrinsically designed to know how to love and nourish those around us, from the little people inside our bellies, to all the other faces that walk across our paths throughout our lives here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Moving on...</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF5Ta92ce95TKZlzEG2W0YPi6YPS6dUNJu-et34d6UaTNIKWA4VsIsFFITkMQvEPySnaYH8mRHEcwf6EVhT-cnBocvBT4g_XSi9rr5TC-KG9JFwo0YzkoJXHMJFYyqyzCFilaUrNhdIw/s1600/IMG_4654.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF5Ta92ce95TKZlzEG2W0YPi6YPS6dUNJu-et34d6UaTNIKWA4VsIsFFITkMQvEPySnaYH8mRHEcwf6EVhT-cnBocvBT4g_XSi9rr5TC-KG9JFwo0YzkoJXHMJFYyqyzCFilaUrNhdIw/s400/IMG_4654.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181346999866034" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></i></b></span></i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>"Are Things </i>Really <i>In Motion Here</i>?" <i>10:20am: </i></b>not much progress. Bek is in a lot of pain, au natural of course. I'm basically punching her in the back to keep her sane, she's clawing at my neck and writhing around, nearly breaking the bed and really for the first time so far, finally allowing the scream that has been begging to come out for the past 7+ hours to fill every room of every floor of this hospital...</div><div><br /></div><div>....I'll skip over the next 20 minutes, for mystery's sake. It wasn't even altogether eventful...</div><div><br /></div><div>(ha)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"This Is It" 10:40am:</i></b> Bek is only halfway on the bed, Erica is dutifully holding onto Bek, Dre is pokin' his head out, Ma is nowhere to be found (unfortunately stepped out at the worst time), Jason is basically pissing his pants from the computer screen (from Afghanistan) and I am racing in and out of the room, because "WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS THE DOCTOR?!"</div><div>Suddenly there are at least 6 nurses in the room, lookin' a little panicked, trying to convince my poor and focused sister to stop pushing until the Doc gets in here. At this point, I think I'm going to be a witness to this nurse's first delivery (she was a doll) and I am just overcome with the electricity that is jetting all over the room. </div><div>Doc comes running, shows up just in the knick of time, sliding under my sister like Hank Aaron sliding up to the home plate at the bottom of the ninth, and says something about his head. Waaaaaiit, whaaat? That's his head? What the ****? Doesn't look entirely right...ok, that is definitely not right, his umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck. Twice? Yikes. He's not breathing. Is that normal? I know he's not entirely out of her yet but come on, this is my first live birth--I have no idea what's what.</div><div>"Somebody hand me a scissors," murmurs Doc, way too calmly in my opinion. Shouldn't she be freaking out a little bit? Snip, snip. Cord is good, no longer strangling this little man. Ok, Doc is now officially Dr. Bad-Ass.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next moment was undoubtedly one of the most illuminative and enriching milliseconds of my life;</div><div><br /></div><div>Everett's first breath.</div><div><br /></div><div>The journey of getting to watch this little human learn Taekwondo in his momma's tummy for 9 months, singing to him and cultivating some familiarity for him while he sat cookin' still, was invaluable. And after all was said and done, I got to pump loving energy into him for his last 7 hours of gestation before he entered this world and joined the rest of us. Incredible.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBig7-wAtPxpK2bUgvIuSQhMR7Q-SO8hDdBKllM8duKIHFIUdgiCIIRv4EeFpjR5ELiRcFzjy2M6mvGT6JCkQ_K9CP76Jdj05Lby0-dvodYa9YE7yzTFzpKSkilNzb5acFAAQyGFamGMc/s1600/IMG_4699.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBig7-wAtPxpK2bUgvIuSQhMR7Q-SO8hDdBKllM8duKIHFIUdgiCIIRv4EeFpjR5ELiRcFzjy2M6mvGT6JCkQ_K9CP76Jdj05Lby0-dvodYa9YE7yzTFzpKSkilNzb5acFAAQyGFamGMc/s400/IMG_4699.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181450670724450" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DTMWW9UhOFaTs51Q5UAPYHczapgCuQ1XYquznf-oC08Pm0dNB4vKWpPmoDqm7c5mndLYk8FrA2FEG3Gv1vs_HGULnLsacw_O2N_ZsklwrrpFh7RjdPh8v7t7W0svGFPldyypUY1G1JU/s1600/IMG_4683.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DTMWW9UhOFaTs51Q5UAPYHczapgCuQ1XYquznf-oC08Pm0dNB4vKWpPmoDqm7c5mndLYk8FrA2FEG3Gv1vs_HGULnLsacw_O2N_ZsklwrrpFh7RjdPh8v7t7W0svGFPldyypUY1G1JU/s400/IMG_4683.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181541284848418" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div>But the pinnacle of it all? The acme? Getting to experience that split second where he went from being a blue mutant-like blob lying motionless in Doc's hands, to an eruption of animated life, all from that single first breath. </div><div>That moment, from inanimate shape to wiggling little boy, was sacred. </div><div>Transcendental. </div><div>As he erupted into life, I erupted into hysterical tears of elation.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iRSMWMsTBv2UL7Qn6qfc77D1aTY6A7UBqb_3ayw0w1ANBwciB_8bns8dRE1IUcxEOOvVRkUiS1nBRyRwLK86a7oAnD4QmjL123Mp9hBNGqeyYmf68ZdadMfCWhUvQj5LYOmn7-3twFM/s400/IMG_4701.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549182042140380002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">"Temporary Wrap-Up For The Last 26 Hours" 3:00 PM</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9uKGDGlhCGwfa9NIc13HWWFS_XOmmPemmyRFb9xgeP22_COUhJa6iW7oCHSTd8NGn671ihU56tyT2ZEWnFef9ovblgU9Qwp_hrDhWJGtfdhmdFDuzGM4JZUjUAn3A3RuRbQEd0GXnjo/s1600/IMG_4671.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9uKGDGlhCGwfa9NIc13HWWFS_XOmmPemmyRFb9xgeP22_COUhJa6iW7oCHSTd8NGn671ihU56tyT2ZEWnFef9ovblgU9Qwp_hrDhWJGtfdhmdFDuzGM4JZUjUAn3A3RuRbQEd0GXnjo/s400/IMG_4671.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181646576183522" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px; " /></a>Ma, Bek and I fully honored the beauty that we got to experience together today, as a trio. How unbelievable to get to share what we all did.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdlXTlt7qrMF-X0BStVBdcoycWHG6h3fnwJQGwcBHuZ3RPHLmITqYMrvilVka3hyphenhyphenlFVi_fw7vWWhAjVX87t-po13uFMAlaZ_9RJt9BQec9mN2CzUIdiGCAWJ0n_dWjia1MNw2qg-cg0/s1600/IMG_4690.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdlXTlt7qrMF-X0BStVBdcoycWHG6h3fnwJQGwcBHuZ3RPHLmITqYMrvilVka3hyphenhyphenlFVi_fw7vWWhAjVX87t-po13uFMAlaZ_9RJt9BQec9mN2CzUIdiGCAWJ0n_dWjia1MNw2qg-cg0/s400/IMG_4690.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181739341953666" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a>Our mom has been a part of a lot of births in her day, and she was there for both Ava and Ev.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYWSuTJ2_xA-aPpncisHTwcQW-fIK05sdmuQHjOTRbp6zDfLYceDogIIK7sF-xwpe5PYzrOIHVk1UttSCBOmkOEKYBTefwfi2X8tjo8cbfufBIWdljuSUbIq2KSppsSc93M6eYW38DZ8/s1600/IMG_4727.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYWSuTJ2_xA-aPpncisHTwcQW-fIK05sdmuQHjOTRbp6zDfLYceDogIIK7sF-xwpe5PYzrOIHVk1UttSCBOmkOEKYBTefwfi2X8tjo8cbfufBIWdljuSUbIq2KSppsSc93M6eYW38DZ8/s400/IMG_4727.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181833135649010" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a>Dre getting his first of many kisses to come from his big sister Ava.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iRSMWMsTBv2UL7Qn6qfc77D1aTY6A7UBqb_3ayw0w1ANBwciB_8bns8dRE1IUcxEOOvVRkUiS1nBRyRwLK86a7oAnD4QmjL123Mp9hBNGqeyYmf68ZdadMfCWhUvQj5LYOmn7-3twFM/s1600/IMG_4701.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CtfR65m0KbQN40cXfX3ZJNiW8LJ544guyS-40K5KoHelwS1sE1ulhheLzkdAFIgqRj6CaM5MQ6lALlFN3EsjmVmOspjp4_QH6JRLbnGPnHvqT5fUW9VXt2O9vrbUf93DZ11B6Bzf1hM/s1600/IMG_4709.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CtfR65m0KbQN40cXfX3ZJNiW8LJ544guyS-40K5KoHelwS1sE1ulhheLzkdAFIgqRj6CaM5MQ6lALlFN3EsjmVmOspjp4_QH6JRLbnGPnHvqT5fUW9VXt2O9vrbUf93DZ11B6Bzf1hM/s400/IMG_4709.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549181915832769682" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a>Of course, we all still love Ava Rene like none other.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; ">♥ ☮ ♥ ☮ ♥</span></div><div><br /></div><div>So my conclusion?</div><div><br /></div><div>Never forget your breath.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>It's what separates the dreary from the spirited;</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>the mundane from the inspired;</div><div><br /></div><div>the living from the dead.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stay real, and do what you do.
☮
♥ hannah lee</div>Hannah Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01519516608527299628noreply@blogger.com5