I’m not sure how exactly this happened and how we lived through it, but somehow this:

Became this:

Who rode on a bus over 8 hours each way to  protest the war with us in San Francisco when she was 8:

At that protest, Hannah passed out fliers, sold T shirts, and was interviewed for a radio show. It was bitterly cold in San Francisco that day and we had to buy hats, gloves and scarves in a Walgreen’s. She was thrilled with the entire experience. There were something like 30 thousand people at the event. We’d been to a march in LA already and heard Martin Sheen speak and at that event, Hannah was passed forward by the crowd so that she could be near the front row. What an amazing time to live in L. A.

and then blossomed into this:

There’s my kid, growing dreadlocks in middle school without a care in the world. That’s her homecoming dance photo when she wore her spiderweb dress. She wore combat boots with it, of course.

And then fought the Nassau County school board when they violated her civil rights, and won her case- now students at YHS are successfully holding GSA meetings; this Christmas they did a fundraiser for Heifer International.

And now she is this:

When she cut into her red velvet cake, she slashed at it with a huge knife. “this color is appropriate” she said. “I’m killing fifteen. I’m saying good riddance to fifteen. GOODBYE FIFTEEN!” She’s feeling optimistic about Sixteen. Me too.