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.

Hayley // Portraits

Hayley has been on my blog multiple times. This girl makes me laugh like crazy and I love how we can go from mulling over some serious stuff to laughing hysterically over the simplest of things. Tuesday we slipped away from everyday routine and huddled in Starbucks over coffee, chatting about her recent trip to DC, each of our dreams for the future and plans for the summer, and just life in general. We went location scouting for a shoot and ended up with a set of images, just like that. Some of my favorite frames from yesterday. Have a beautiful Wednesday!

Also, I recently redid my design site...check it out! And if you're looking for a blog design, head over to Jessica Shae's newly designed site where I'm giving away a design package. Good luck, friends! x

aspire

I aspire to...
be a woman who loves Jesus deeper.
who lives, loves, and gives extravagantly,
and celebrates today with a heart that is
thankful and full of praise.

I aspire to...
be someone who gives freely and joyfully
who is always ready with a helping hand,
an encouraging word, or a hug.
who will pray for a hurting heart
and comfort someone out of love,
because He loved.

I aspire to...
invest more time in relationships and love people
genuinely, deeply, and unconditionally.
to do unto others, to be there, and
to take time to celebrate the people I have in my life.

I aspire to...
eat healthier, live simpler, and to clean out the clutter.
to focus on what really matters and to spend time doing what I love
with people I love. Living every day of this messy beautiful life
fully, completely, and all for His glory.

I aspire to...
laugh more, encourage more, and sing more.
to have the freedom to be silly and to be who I am,
without worrying about what people may think.
To be comfortable in my own skin and
love who I am and who I'm created to be.

I aspire to...
start each day in prayer and the Word,
letting a sense of God's wholeness,
everything coming together for good,
come down and settle on me (Phil. 4:7)
so that my heart is focused and filled with Him,
and my day is blessed.

I aspire to...
be just me,
Hannah.

The Chocolate Bunny Saga

When my dad was a kid (think four or so), one Easter, he and his older sister Laura both got chocolate bunnies. Now, these were the real deal -- big, rich, and oh-so-chocolatey. As is often the case with little boys, he made short work of his Easter bunny and promptly devoured it. Laura, on the other hand, took a tiny bite and put it away in the freezer in the basement.


In the next few weeks, Laura would venture downstairs and eat some of her bunny, tearing off small bites each time. My dad, who had no Easter candy left, finally got to thinking that he'd like some more chocolate. So, everytime Laura would go downstairs to nibble some of her bunny, he would go down after and eat some too.


It was a great system! He would end up with just a little chocolate and no one would be the wiser. Pretty soon, the bunny was all but gone. The only thing left were the feet. One day, Laura ventured down to the basement saying, "I think I want to have some of my bunny...I haven't had any since Easter." My dad froze. Laura came upstairs, puzzled. "Well, I can only find your bunny, Todd -- only the feet are left. But where's mine?" To which my dad answered, "Uh, that is your bunny."


We discovered our chocolate Easter bunny was missing ears...and soon found the culprit. Four year old Elijah. A chocolate love must run in the family, and that easy to snap, easy to share must be just a little too easy. Oh, well. It got eaten and we had a chance to relieve the infamous bunny story. We even laughed a little (a lot) about it. And that's what really matters. Besides...look at that cute face! His smile gets me everrry time.

Happy Friday! xo

boys will be boys

the funny thing
The funny thing about growing up is
that when you were little, you wished to be
older. Then suddenly, the years catch up
and the days of batman and cowboys are
tucked neatly away in closets while you
wonder where all the time went by. Because
moments passed and toys broke and you threw out
dreams like old clothes that didn't fit, were
a little too tight. Comic books read to
the bone, now packed away in old boxes,
still hold the memory of your childhood
aspirations, found in each rustle of
the page. So mostly, you look back and think
"where did time go?" and sometimes you pull out
an old superhero mask, try it out
for size and wonder how it ever fit.
hannah nicole

A poem I wrote for my brothers. They just started Taekwondo yesterday, and already, I see the glimmerings of little boys growing up. I am so proud of them and love them dearly. I can't wait to see what they'll do, and am so excited to see who they will become. Mostly, I am just unspeakably glad that I get to be there to watch them become men. These boys are talented, loving, tough, determined, smart, funny, and creative, and I am so thankful I'm their older sister.

my manifesto

Do everything to the glory of God. Work hard and do what you love — make art that matters. Be a blessing, be innovative, and be open. Dig your roots deep, don’t be afraid of change, and dream. Mostly, do. Work crazy hard and be thankful. Let your gratefulness be contagious and your joy unquenchable. Don’t be conformed, be transformed, and give all the glory, honor, and praise to Him. Love deep and live fierce. Be.

Eat pie at three in the morning if you feel like it, listen to music that you love, laugh more than you frown. Take time to celebrate life, love deeper, and remember that today is a good day to be alive. Paint with words and acrylics, let your hair go long, and jump in the lake without hesitation. Have impromptu dinner parties where the only thing you watch is the stars and sit beside a campfire till even the mosquitoes have gone to sleep. Be bold, be spontaneous, be creative, and be you. Embrace who you are and follow every ungrateful thought with three things you’re thankful for. Worship God and pursue him passionately. Fall more in love with Christ everyday.

Wake up early to watch sunrises. Backpack across Europe, backpack across the US, backpack around your state, backpack in your backyard, backpack. Go travel and remember that coming home is the sweetest. Run outside and take time to play with the littles, laughing with them. Don't be afraid to be silly. Love God, and love people unashamedly, unconditionally, extravagantly, and wholeheartedly. Do the hard things. Love the simple things. Make the most of things.

Eat good food. Exercise to be fit, not to be skinny. Run because you love it. Take the time to make it yourself. Grow gardens and get messy, get in the dirt. Laugh more. Live more. Give gifts to people you love. Don’t stress. Don’t stress. Don’t stress. Life is too short for disappointments and frustrations. Be grateful with what you have and allow yourself to be happy. Don’t pretend to like something you don’t and don’t change yourself. Remember that your identity is in Christ.

Give, love, and live extravagantly. Be quiet and still and start your days with Christ. Take walks, meander through the woods, and sit on docks, watching the water. Appreciate the here and now while still being excited for the future. Tell everyday stories of a bigger story. And remember…you’re only passing through this earth. It is not your home. Live the kingdom here on earth. Share the Gospel, sing praise, and let your life be a reflection of Christ. Always.

Love deeper and live fiercer.

That’s my manifesto.

words that hurt me :: a letter to my sister.

Dear Grace,

First of all, I want to say that I love you. You are a beautiful, strong, loving girl who is swiftly growing up. I admire your tenacity, encourage your spirit, and am blessed by your heart. The way you care for your family is beautiful and the depth of your love is apparent for all to see. You are a hard-worker, diligent, and just a little bit stubborn. I love the freckles on your nose and the way you dance and how you like to do search-and-finds and crosswords. You are a smart, pretty, talented, kind girl, who I love very much.

But this world is cruel. There will come a day when you will feel dissatisfaction. How I wish that there was something I could do to stop it from ever hurting your heart! You will look in the mirror and wish to be thinner, wish to be curvier, wish to have a straighter nose, wish to have thicker hair, wish to have bluer eyes, wish to have less freckles, wish to be taller, wish to be shorter, wish to have a smaller jaw, wish to have thicker brows, wish for this wish for that, wish.

I want to tell you to stop. Words that hurt me are words that say, you are fat, or you are ugly, or you are not worth it. Words that hurt me are words that tell you that you are not good enough, that you are not smart enough, that you are not talented enough. Words that hurt me are words that say you are not enough.

I wish desperately that I had been a better example to you. I'm praying that I daily would be. I don't want to let self-doubt percolate down to you. I want you to avoid being concerned about weight and your face and whatever. I want you to know deeply, truly, and passionately that your worth is not in your weight, hair, height, talents, intellect, possessions, popularity, wealth -- that your worth is in Jesus. Your identity is in Jesus. He says you are beautiful. Every hair on your head he knows, every freckle dappling your face are marks of His fingerprints.

Gracie girl, I don't want you to ever let anyone squash your dreams or quench your spirit. I love the way you love the Lord and desire to know Him deeply. Let that be your driving force. Words that hurt me are words that put you in a box and tell you that your only value is in the things of this world. That is a lie and I don't want you to ever have to fall prey to those thoughts.

My sweet Grace, I am so blessed to be your sister. Please know intrinsically that your identity is in Christ. Please know deeply that you are loved with a love that surpasses all understanding. Please know that you are forgiven, loved, redeemed, precious, blessed, and made whole because of Jesus. Please know that your inner beauty matters more than your outer, and that a woman in love with the Lord has a beauty that the world cannot even hope to touch.

Words that hurt me are words that say you aren't enough. But you ARE enough -- because of Jesus. Cling to that when life gets hard and your heart gets hurt and you feel as if you can't go on for whatever reason. He is enough, and He has said that you are enough because you are His.

I love you so much.

Hannah