Monday, April 30, 2012

overcast skies





















We've been living in a state of perpetual gloom over the past few days. I profess to love the rain, but I can only take so many gray days before I'm yearning for sunshine. Clouds shadowed our city the entire weekend and Grace and I shivered from the cold. There's something intrinsically melancholy and moody about an overcast sky, and though it was gray, it was beautiful nonetheless.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Hannah Nicole, part 2.


A month ago, I published a post called Hannah Nicole. I talked about how I was pursuing my photography, beginning my business, and going full force. And now, a month later, I'm excited to reveal the next part of this journey.  I've spent the last few weeks working on this little blog of mine and today is the big day for the reveal. I can't even describe how excited I've been about this project, and how oh-so excited I am to finally share it. My sweet friend Carlotta (who's just relaunched her site too -- go check it out!) and I have been planning this day for awhile now, and we've both been on pins and needles waiting for Friday to come around.

Originally, I contemplated starting a new blog for my photography but couldn't do it, because I love this space here. I love this blog of mine and I love seeing where I've come, where I'm going, and where I'm at. And on top of that, I love the connections and friendships I've built through this journey. I didn't want to lose Aspire in the midst of it all, so I decided to switch everything around just a bit. Soo...Aspire became Hannah Nicole // Aspire and now consists of my official photography blog and personal blog. But never fear! Same old me, same old words, same old images and same old stories that I love. Make sure to look around and check out the updated pages + information and drop a note below!

Have fun poking around. So excited for this next part of the journey + ready to go. :)

xo

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

wednesday favorites


This boy's face // sweet tea // warm summer sun and perfect weather // freckles popping up on faces faster than grass growing // late night jam sessions withfriends // summer plans // this friday // rice krispie bars // budding raspberry bushes // the fact that june is only a little more than a month away

The end of April draws steadily to a close and all I can think about is that it's almost May. My summer plans are exciting for probably the first time ever, and I can't wait for June to begin. I've been hard at work for the past few weeks with changes coming to my site that will be unveiled on Friday, and I'm so excited to share them with you. Just dropping in a quick hello and an update about the quietness lately! How's your week been? x

Monday, April 23, 2012

moments that I love



These are the moments I love. The in-between moments when people are truly themselves -- when there is no pressure to smile, no embarrassment in crying, no reason to laugh other than because you're happy. They aren't forced, there's no pretension, and they just unfold naturally, seconds passing like petals unfurling and blossoming quietly into still and authentic minutes, raw with real life. It's safe to say that these moments are my favorite.
--
Would be blessed if you'd take a moment to read this and to be praying for this friend of our family. Share his story and keep him and his family in your prayers -- thanks so much, friends! Here We Go / How You Can Help

Friday, April 20, 2012

telephone in the backyard






We made a telephone out of tin cans and played around in the backyard. I'm itching for summer days and this whispered of lazy evenings spent outside under sun setting golden. It was one of those nights where everything was bathed in warm light spread soft, touching each branch and illuminating every object. The sound of clinking cans and laughter rang in the backyard and for a second, I pretended it was June. Not quite yet, but oh-so-very-soon. And with it, many exciting things. Happy Friday! x

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

branding // image collages + brand boards


All images via pinterest and properly credited on their respective boards
I've got a couple changes planned in the next few weeks that I'm preeetty excited about. They involve a couple turning points, crazy (exciting) opportunities, and a new outlook + purpose. Part of that also includes a rebrand, and I thought it would be fun to share my brand board with you all! I've never taken the time to really brand myself, so it's proved a frustrating, difficult, but overall enjoyable challenge. It's easy for me to connect with my clients, but figuring out my own brand is something that I've struggled with, simply because it's myself. I've been collecting images on my brand board on pinterest, and finally made a collage out of some of the images.

I've found that it's easier to identify pervading themes and connect with the overall feel if the images are together. So while I love boards on pinterest, the turning point for me is always assembling the images into a collage. It's almost a light bulb moment, because it's so fun to see how everything flows concisely and the overarching style permeates the images. After that, I like to examine the board and ask myself what I like about the images and what are the similarities that each individual photo has.

Once that's happened, I'll start drafting a design -- sometimes going right at it in photoshop, othertimes, sketching and mapping it all out on paper. After the design is finished (or, mostly, finished), it's on to coding + little tweaks and changes until the site is just how I want it. Sometimes the process takes a couple weeks, other times, a month or so, and needless to say, it's taken a bit longer for myself. But the process is crazy gratifying!

So, I thought it would be fun to get a brand board link up going! Look at your blog and collect some images that you think describe YOU, make a collage, and link it up. I want to see what makes YOU tick and I'm excited to see images + words that shout your style. It can be simple or elaborate, long or short, color orientated or black and white, image based or mostly text, as long as it describes who you are. Can't wait to see! Have fun! x

feel free to link up anytime...there's no end date. :)

Monday, April 16, 2012

gluten free peanut butter cookies (and a thank you)




Cookies are a universal staple in every home. You can argue about whether they're better chewy, soft, crunchy, crispy, crumbly, or whatnot, but in the end, it doesn't matter. There is nothing better than coming home to a house smelling sweet from desserts baking in the oven. One of my favorite traditions is from when I was little and my dad I would make chocolate chip cookies on Saturdays. The recipe was from an adorably illustrated children's cookbook featuring cartoon animals cooking the recipes and I loved it to pieces. I dreamed of becoming a chef and pored over the pages, wanting to make the simple food they described while pretending I was a cook just as good as Rachel Ray. After all, in my six year old mind, she was the best of the best.



Chocolate chip cookie making days were my favorite. We'd carefully gather the ingredients and I'd be given the important job of mixing, a designation I took very seriously, mind you. Licking the spoon was never a question, it was an always, and I can still taste the sweet crumbly chocolate batter on my tongue. I smeared flour on my nose to look like a "real baker" and my dad teased me and laughed with me and pretended not to see when my little fingers sneaked a pinch more batter from the bowl. We'd pop the cookies in the oven and I'd stick my face against the glass, fingers sticky, watching the cookies rise. There is no better smell than that of desserts baking, and in this instance, cookies may take the cake.


After Sam was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, we struggled to find a decent cookie recipe. Either the cookies crumbled if you picked them up, or they required five plus different flours, creating a complicated job when all we wanted to do was whip up a batch quickly. Sometime last year though, we stumbled upon a peanut butter cookie recipe, reminiscent in its simplicity with the chocolate chip cookies my dad and I used to make. Tentatively, I made a batch, and we all fell in love with the chewy, yet crumbly texture, and sweet peanut butter flavor. The beauty of the recipe is that because of the simplicity, it's easy to have a little one help make them. They love the chance to be given the important job of the mixer, too, and somehow, the cookies taste yummier because of that.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe from Simply...Gluten Free Desserts
Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the peanut butter and sugar thoroughly in a bowl until it's a sweet, sticky mixture. Add the egg, baking powder, and vanilla, and stir until it's completely mixed. Roll the dough into one inch round balls then lightly roll in sugar. Crisscross them with a fork, pop them in the oven, and bake for thirteen minutes. Let cool for a two minutes, then transfer to rack to finish cooling. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy!

The only problem with these cookies is that they should be preceded with a warning. It's all too easy to intend to eat only one...and then you realize out you've eaten three. The perfect blend of moist and chewy with just a bit of a crunch on the outside adds to the charm of these simple treats. Rich yet not heavy, they're deliciously sweet without being overbearing and deceptively light, which perhaps accounts for why it's so easy to eat just one more. Don't believe me? Make a batch and start your morning off right. You'll thank me. Happy Monday!

I was absolutely blown away and completely humbled by the responses to my last post. I cannot express how thankful I am for all your kind words and sweet notes. The honesty and authenticity is beautiful. I am so grateful for this community of friends and crazy thankful for your support and love. You all are truly the best! I cannot truthfully express my thanks enough...please know that I was so blessed. x

Saturday, April 14, 2012

here is the truth:


I do not live a very glamorous life.

Most days you'll find me with my hair pulled into a messy bun, jeans on, and a baggy sweater slung over a t-shirt. I never wear socks and always brush my teeth. I like big breakfasts and have been known to eat more fruit than is good for me. I get up late, have to force myself to work out, and am a hot, sweaty mess when I'm done. I bite my nails and wear Christmas socks and procrastinate writing papers. Sometimes I think I'm funnier than I really am, I burst out into spontaneous song (loudly), and can turn almost any phrase into a movie quote. I don't eat all organic, all gluten-free, all vegetarian, whatever. I like my meat and I especially like food and I can never turn down dessert.

My room is usually messy, my makeup is cheap, and I don't have a specific cleansing routine for my face. I do my school, and often stop in the middle of it to do a round of Just Dance with my sisters, or make lunch, or sometimes, take a nap. I like to grill but sometimes burn the chicken, I once made rice pudding with three times as much rice as it needed, and I'm a hopeless romantic. Run-on sentences are my specialty, I'm surprised I'm not failing in math, and I'm terrible at going to bed early. I can't sleep in, I prefer tea over coffee, I worry too much about my appearance/weight, and I still have shirts from seventh grade. I laugh easily, talk with my hands, and sometimes go days without picking up my camera.

I haven't worked out once this week, although I've had good intentions, and I've ate more jellybeans than I care to recount. My mornings in the Word have been moved to hurried prayers and quick chapters read at night, and I've felt the business of time pressing on me. I've spent too much time working, too much time online, and not enough with my family. I haven't read a book except for school and I've consumed countless cups of tea. I've never traveled out of the country, I hardly ever go out to eat, and I rarely (if at all) visit urban, artsy, hipster places. I have laundry that's piled up, a journal that's laid almost completely untouched, and a heart that's aching to be still.

Why do I write this? Because I want to be real. So often I feel like we highlight the utopia and not the ordinary. The gritty, hard, mundane things of the everyday. I like to celebrate the good, the beautiful, and the simple things, but I don't want to ignore the messy. There is good in working through pain, ruminating on hard things, praying about difficult things, opening your heart up to say, "this is who I am and this is where I am and by God's grace, I will get through."

It's important to not forget the messy, because most of our days are stitched together with everyday thread. Some days are laced with memorable moments, sweet occurrences, and beautiful times. But the majority of our cloth is cut from plain material. It's ordinary. It's commonplace. And sometimes there are dropped stitches, fabric that is stretched, wrinkles that won't go away. It's important to speak of both. We cannot just downplay the bad till it's seemingly nonexistent. There is beauty in the hard things, joy in the messy, peace in the gritty places of life. There's good in the ordinary.

And that's what I want to share with you.

I am not the best blogger, I am not the most talented photographer, I am not the most eloquent writer, I am not the neatest daughter, I am not the most stylish dresser, I am not the healthiest eater, I am not the most intelligent person, I am not the most hipster woman, I am not the most artsy creator, I am not the most meticulous chef, I am not the most beautiful singer, and I am not the most glamorous girl you'll find.

But I am me, and I am dedicated to celebrating the good in the beautifully ordinary, messy moments of life. I am determined to be real. I am passionate about telling small stories in the everyday of a deeper story that He is writing through people and their lives. I love Jesus and His people. I love who I am, who I'm becoming, and where I'm going. I dream and wonder and believe that we are all called to be worldchangers. I love deep and live fierce and want to glorify God with every breath. Here is the truth: I do not live a very glamorous life but I wouldn't trade mine for anything.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

freckle faced under the cloudy sky




















Easter Sunday we sat under the sun streaming dappled through trees and I watched as he blew bubbles just for me. A breeze blew and I sat barefoot on the stoop, darting in and out of the grass and getting dirt on my knees. Clouds cast shadows but we took photos and I got that queer ache because I'm so unspeakably glad to be able to do what I love. I love people and love being able to celebrate who they are -- their lives, their passions, their stories. Just a set of shots of Caleb, but they're some of my favorites, because I feel like they really showcase who he is.