Leave.

Italy. The words that come to mind when I think about Italy are: spaghetti, wine, art, tuscany, roman soldiers, the mob, cathedrals, black stilettos, italian men, food on food on food, the colosseum, big hand motions when talking, and naps mid day. Oh and cheese. The one thing I hate most in the world other than hell itself, cheese. This trip will be known for overcoming the challenges of my life at age 21. Yes I want to deal with my bitterness towards the Catholic Church but first and foremost, I will be dealing with my hate towards cheese. Now now for all of you who know me well, this is a BIG DEAL.


In the next four months I will come to learn if my premonitions about the country of Italy are correct or those were far off opinions I have gathered from movies, books, and years of history classes. We all, to different degrees, come to a place or people group with preconceived ideas built up from our past. We talk about this much in my photography theory classes. About how each individual comes to a piece of art from all different back grounds. So the artist cannot be concerned how the audience will receive their piece. We all have our ideas, our hurts, our joys. I think God is just excited for me to take part in His creation. He is not concerned about how I will receive their food, cheese and all, or how I will fall in love with the Italian people, which I will. I think He just wants me to experience His creation, His art, and maybe forget my preconceived ideas about what He has created and just enjoy. Isn't that what all artist hope for anyway, for the audience to just enjoy their piece?

I love being a photography major. One, because I get to see the world and show others the world through my eyes. At the same time, it is limiting. Photography creates almost a "false" world. A world that does indeed exist but only to a few, maybe even one. Photography is a manipulation no matter how you look at it. Once the photographer puts the camera to his or her face and snaps the photo, the angle, composition, and cropping only gathers half of the information. No piece of machine, beautiful painting, or video could ever tell the full story of a place, event, or portrait. Now you can argue with me, but after many many many photo theory papers I had to write and read the last couple years, I have come to this conclusion but I am also ok with being wrong. Because of the beautiful invention of the photograph in 1826 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce, the world would be forever connected. Through the years, magazines, newspapers, add's started to market with photographs from around the world. This created something new in the hearts of modern day middle class people, wanderlust. The desire to explore, travel, marvel at the beautiful world outside of our four walls we are so bounded too. Because of photography, I want to travel. I want to see the world. I want to taste the sea salt ocean breeze from the mediterian coast and put my feet in hot desert sand. Because of National Geographic (gosh darn my grandpa for collecting just about every single copy) I have a lust for wandering, to explore, to travel. All because of photography. Who knew my two loves would be so connected and play such a huge puzzle piece to all my questions.
I love to travel because of photography. Because of photography I love to travel. Gosh doesn't that feel good to finally figure out.

 If you have not noticed yet, I am a verbal processor, welcome to the mind of Hannah Rose Gray. Details, explanations, stories. Goodness I love the way God made me ;)

During these four months I want to keep this blog not for you, silly people, but for me. So selfish I know. No I need to write, journal, process everything down or I would forget. Seriously, I would just forget my feelings, emotions, thoughts. So in this process of me helping myself you are coming along. Welcome. We gonnnnnna have some fun. (I could totally see Ariel saying this phrase with fun hand motions and a little dance added).



What to expect:
-PHOTOS! TONS AND TONS OF THEM. it's the best way I know how to communicate.
-VIDEOS! the second best way for me to communicate is through creating videos. And more fun when you add music behind. woo
-Stories. lots and lots. with details after details. It will be like you are here ;)
-My heart..duh it's me we are talking about.
-Class lectures
-Quotes
-Lyrics
-Prayers

EMAIL ME FOR MY ADDRESS at: Hrose1013@gmail.com (yes i know it looks like horse. it's actually H for hannah and Rose. ) I don't want to put no address online for just anyone to see! I am going to Europe...human trafficking is real bad as we all know from Taken. No need to worry mother and father, the Lord Jesus has his angles concerning me on this journey. ;)

BTW. I NEVER EDIT. just a fore warning. takes to much time. Lets be honest I only have one more year of college left without editing papers and hey i've done PRETTY dang good for myself since. hehe.


 From one of my favorite books: Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller

“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.”