let your living spill over into thanksgiving // cultivate thankfulness

“[From the Shadows to the Substance] My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.” - Colossians 2:6-7 MSG

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” - Colossians 3:17 MSG

this is my sister in november, after our first "real" snow.

It snowed and I shot my sister.

Much more to come from Thanksgiving and today, but for now, some photos of one of my best friends, the girl commonly mistaken as my twin, and one of the most wonderful, silly, talented, sweet, loving, and honest people I know. Chloe is generous, gracious, and giving, and she greets everyone with open hands. Her heart is beautiful, her laughter is contagious, and she is the best breakfast maker I know. I cannot count our hours of laughter, late night movies, the many games we've played over the years, and all of our silly inside jokes. I'm so blessed to be her sister and I hope that that shows, if only a little, in these photos. Happiest of Fridays to all of you!

a small anthology of thanks, from a to z.

This is just a very small list (because, as you know, I love lists) in honor of Thanksgiving, to celebrate a few wonderful, simple, ordinary, extraordinary things I am so very thankful for. I want to cultivate a spirit of gratitude and I want to have a heart that finds and sees joy. Taking time to reflect over the blessings in the past year makes me feel all fuzzy and warm and grateful, and it's so vital and good for me. In a few scattered sentences, from a to z, twenty six or so things I'm grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve and early Thanksgiving Day!

always thankful for simple days and honest moments.
breakfasts with my family at the lake, sleepy-eyed and clad in pajamas and vacation wonder.
costco runs, chai tea, coffee, and chocolate. all things delicious and good for the heart.
duluth trips, taken with family and a hearty helping of laughter.
envelopes holding penned words innumerably better than emails.
family, friends, and fellowship.
giving thanks anthologies, small and incomplete, but heart warming.
home, that place that is because of the people, not the house.
inside jokes and laughter between my sisters and I.
joy.
kept traditions every year
love. Jesus Christ's love for us, out of which spills love for others.
merry Christmas mornings at grandpa and grandpa's, egg bake and homemade cinnamon rolls with orange juice to begin the day.
noise, like the sound of the boy's laughter, the piano singing, the kettle whistling, games being played, and my family together.
open doors for the future, met head on with breathless excitement. also, oatmeal for breakfast.
photography, playing the piano, and pomegranates.
quiet of winter and still of morning.
recent reasons to smile, uncountable, but this is one of them:

starbucks coffee dates with my mom and dear friends.
time. such a weighty, wonderful gift!
ultimate baseball rules made by the family for Woodland, complete with a logo.
vision and purpose.
woodland. dear wonderful woodland and the wealth of memories from there.
x-rays, from last year that led to a surgery and now, to a foot that is healed.
yellow, red, green, blue, orange, purple, and all the unendingly varied shades and hues that paint the world.
zoo, that time we packed up the car and went as a family this fall.

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-small-anthology-of-thanks-from-to-z.html"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="An Anthology of Thanks | Hannah Nicole" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/ASPIRE%20DESIGN/ananthologyofthanks.png"></a>
If you would like to link up your own a to z anthology of thanks, or simply a Thanksgiving post, feel free to! I hope to read some of your collections of grateful stories. :) Blessings on your Thanksgiving, sweet friends! Have a day filled with joy, wonder, thanks, family, and grace. And of course, some pumpkin pie. xo, h

monday lists + a few things about me.

I love lists. I seem to gravitate towards them like some girls gravitate towards a new pair of shoes. Instead of suede or leather or glittery pumps (that I admit, I do secretly have a crush on), I'm drawn to the often hurried, sometimes thoughtful, oftentimes methodical process of putting words down on paper to create a list.

A call to action, a to-do, items to purchase at the grocery store, the fragmented similes of a poem yet to be put together. They all fascinate and excite me, and I save them away much like a squirrel with nuts come winter. They sit stuffed in the nooks and crannies of my desk, slipped in between pages of my journal, hiding in boxes underneath my bed.

Perhaps it's the change in season that makes me excited to begin things, but I seem to collect new ideas and projects like a cozy room with cookies collects people come Christmastime. And so, with 2013 looming ahead on the horizon, I'm going to attempt a list writing project. Not sure how many, not sure how long, but that's the fun of it, after all.

Lists number one through six. A few stories caught in between syllables. Happiest Monday to you, friends.

things that change me.
winter
this Truth
Singing at the piano
Woodland
cinnamon and peppermint
the wonder of the first snow
traditions, history, and family
honesty
friendship and the beauty of coffee dates
anything homemade, handmade, and made with love
heart to heart talks
picking apples at grandma and grandpa's
photos

books that make me cry.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery
Sky Memories by Pat Brisson
Baby by Patricia Machlachan
The Giver by Lois Lowry

places I want to visit.
New Zealand
Italy
Czechoslovakia
Alaska
Ireland

photographers who inspire me.
We are the Parsons
Rosina W. Photo
Molly Flanagan
Ray + Kelly Photography
Jamie Delaine
Andria Lindquist
Tim Coulson

smells I like.
woodland
the lake
wood, from trees to plywood in home depot
cinnamon tea
freshly cut grass
petrichor
gardens and dirt
my dad’s old shirts
pies baking
my grandma’s kitchen
apple cider dripping and apple sauce cooking
blueberry pancakes and bacon sizzling in the morning at the oak cabin
towels fresh from the dryer
my home when I step in for the first time after a vacation

favorites I love.
the color red
Christmas morning at Grandma and Grandpa's
my Family
Pomegranates
Classical Music
scarves
moleskines
long socks
Starbucks coffee
my grandpa's Duluth sweater that is now mine

guess who just ate all the candied pecans off of the pastries from panera??

this girl!

also, a couple handfuls of pirates booty (which is a hilarious name for aged white cheddar cheese puffs. although, truth be told, the aged just seems like it was add for emphasis), and five grapes that I didn't wash. oops. and I literally just burned my hand on my tea cup because it's so hot. please ignore my aeropastle shirt. I somehow had it handed down to me from some cousin or aunt or another a few years ago (okay, like five) and since then, it's become a pajama shirt. because I don't wear real pajamas. Just sweats. Or sometimes flannel soccer pants, because they're so comfy.

Anyways, I sang in Church today and that was wonderful. So blessed. It sounds cliche to say that all the time, but it's so true that I will echo it again and again and again. God is so good and I'm just beginning to taste His goodness. Taste and see that the Lord is good...amen.

Lotsa good things coming, folks. Like trip plans and weddings and Christmas cookies. Also, did I mention I'm buying a 35 1.4? I'm preeeetty excited. This pecan-eating gal is gonna get herself some real glass -- a legit lens. Hopefully before Christmas. I'm counting down the days...okay, no, I'm not. I'm just embracing them as they come. It's so strange to think that 2012 is almost over. Here's to a wonderful 2013. I know, there's still four days until Thanksgiving, but in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season (that my ambivert heart adores!), we don't have as much time to reflect on the past year.

But I really want to reflect on it and remember His goodness. He blesses us because He loves us. How wonderful is that?

Too tired to form anything more than a rambly stream of consciousness post, but thats okay. Small bits and pieces of my day and a little of what's on my heart.

Happy Sunday, friends.

. h

"Her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering..." : the wonderful Tyler + Shara are engaged!

Being entrusted with a couple's story is a precious thing. They give you pieces of their history, and their words are wrapped up with I love you's and their first dates and traditions they've kept up and inside jokes they tell again and again. The way she looked adorable in art class. How he played cards with her and they had fun, lots of fun, fun that spoke of more to come. These small bits and pieces that make up a bigger story, a deeper story. And it's a blessing and a joy to be able to come alongside couples to be there to document a little of their story and to celebrate them.

"I remember she was always very confident and competitive."
Tyler and Shara grew up in the same small town. Shara's best friend was coincidentally, Tyler's younger sister. He was a grade older than her, had a girlfriend in high school, and come on, was her best friend in elementary school's older brother. She never thought of him romantically. They had an art class together and Shara laughed at how funny he was.

"He's quiet at first, but once you get to know him, you see his hilarious and sometimes strange personality."
They first started to get to know each other through a mission trip to Iowa. They both went and both saw each other as acquaintances -- maybe friends. Then, one night, she was wide awake, wanting to do something and asking anyone if they wanted to play card games. And who but the sweet, older-brother-of-her-best-friend in elementary school, Tyler said he would? It was just the two of them up, playing card games and laughing and talking. A few friends winning and losing at Slap Jack and Baloney or whatnot.

"She is smart and kind and always puts others first."
Shara's senior year in high school, Tyler was going to the local community college, when she heard that he and his girlfriend had broken up. Later that year, they started texting, and then hanging out as friends. Just friends, of course. Then.....fast forward to a couple months later, and Tyler asked Shara out. They were giddy and sweet and goofy around each other. The transition from "just friends" into something more happened in a blink of an eye and they started dating that September.

"I love how funny he is and how easy it is to be weird with him!"
A few years passed and they both knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Tyler was ready to propose but was adamant that it would be a surprise. September rolled around and Shara opened up her laptop to see a photo of her and Tyler on a newsfeed and under that, the question. She turned around to find Tyler on his knee and answered with a happy yes (a thousand times, yes)! After clicking "yes!" on the computer, it led to a video which played a song of theirs.

"She is beautiful, funny, and I love spending every moment with her."
The first movie they ever watched together was Sweeny Todd and now they watch it once a year as tradition. Tyler used to make Shara watch his card tricks, and now she has to beg him to show them to him. They love taking walks by the lake together, going to drive-in movies, and spending time with their families. And they always have an inside joke -- in fact, every time they're together, they end up with another one. I loved watching how sweet they were with each other, and seeing how much fun they have together. They truly enjoy each other and go from being goofy to tender to serious to silly in a split second. These two exude joy -- they are smiley, happy, and oh-so-in love.

"She is my best friend and understands me better than anyone else."
"We have so much fun doing nothing with each other and he understands me better than anyone."
They love the Lord, they love each other, they love their families, and they love people -- extravagantly, fully, and intentionally. They're very wonderful and I'm so excited for their wedding next year. Dear Tyler and Shara, please enjoy these photos! I can't wait to see you in June!

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering..."