hannah magdalene

hello, twenty twelve.

2012-01-03T17:45:00.001-06:00

My friend Rose and I are sharing a chair, each of us perched on an armrest, sparkling apple juice in hand. The basement is crowded with lovely families, and there is laughter and chatting and just a bit of apprehension. From the little ones there are squeals of excitement and some noisemakers being blown. We're watching as the TV counts down the seconds to 2012.

And then is comes. A surge of fresh, new, lovely. A scribbled, maybe crumpled page is turned to reveal a blissfully blank new one. Blank and yet filled with endless possibilities. I clink my class with Rose's and we drink our juice and hug, just like we told ourselves we'd do. And then we proceed to do it with everyone else. It's loud and a little crowded and everyone is smiling. I realize that I wouldn't want to welcome twenty-twelve any other way. Because New Years traditions are the best.

just dance on wii. and much laughter.

oh, and i met this baby. love.

So of course the whole new beginnings and fresh possibilities aura makes my list-making-heart happy. But I've decided to do my resolutions a little differently this year. Since, I must admit, I have never actually followed through with any of the resolutions I've made for myself in the past, I'm bringing things down to a monthly level. At the beginning of each month I'm going to list a few things that I want to accomplish, maybe building off of past lists, maybe new. Seems a little more...manageable, right?

So for January of twenty-twelve, I'm going to:

-create a daily school schedule for myself that is successful.

-read for 30 minutes everyone morning and night.

-take seven photos that i'm proud of each week. and take advantage of golden hour.

-stretch as much as I can.

-start keeping a diary (yes, again. i am determined.)

-be thankful. every day.

January is going to be so much busier for me than usual. This is generally the time of year when I have nothing on my schedule but school work, it's too cold, and I'm constantly dreaming of being in Europe or at a beach (oh hey, a European beach works too). But what with various things on the weekends, our co-op play coming up, and then my very first time going on the Pro-Life Walk in DC, I'm thinking I'll be pretty occupied. And that makes me excited.

What are your exciting plans for this January, or for 2012 in general? Do tell!

love,
hannah

hello, chicago. i like you.

2011-11-27T23:52:00.001-06:00

Currently smiling back at Thanksgiving break:

There's something about Chicago that puts me on cloud nine and makes me start dreaming. This year I imagined living in a cute little apartment in the middle of the city (like my aunt does) for a year or two, when I'm twenty-something with that future wedding photog business. And I thought of how lovely it would be to spend a weekend there with a friend (blogger friend maybe?)--walking around, taking pictures, drinking coffee, and people-watching. Seriously, if nothing else, I must just spent a day in Chicago to people-watch some time, preferably in a Starbucks with a book and laptop. That would kind of complete my life.

Oh, and also, I have a new favourite coffee place now. Caribou Coffee, where have you been for the past fourteen years of my life? How did I just consume you for the first freaking time in Chicago? And, most important, why the heck are you not located in St. Louis? I mean, the closest Caribou to me is about 100 miles away in Columbia Missouri (yes, I kind of totally looked it up). Meaning that I'll have to wait until our summer Chicago trip (if it even happens? hopefully) to be completely delighted there again.

So tell me, do y'all have Caribou near you? Do let me know (if you do, I might just have to come visit).

have a lovely week!

-hannah

practice + creative

2011-10-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

I know I said I'd stop apologizing, but let me just explain that schoolwork + procrastation + the fact that I'm so unused to blogging right now = going this long without writing. Okay, moving onward.

I think it will take me awhile to relearn blogging. To remember how to pick out those little (or big) blog-worthy moments and photograph them, and then to find the time to post about them in a way that I'm proud of. Not that I ever had that process down completely, but blogging has become something that's almost foreign to me, and that I'm incredibly out of practice at. So I'll try to slowly ease myself back into the art of creating posts and accept that my first try isn't going to be a perfect one. Today I'm determined to begin practicing, because really, it's the only way to go about achieving something.

My past couple of months have been...how to describe it? A little overwhelming, maybe. I am liking and, well, disliking high school simultaneously. Liking the courses and teachers and the blissful feeling of being productive (that is, when I even am productive), and then not really liking the amount of work and lack of free time that it provides. I'm still technically homeschooled, but I'm registered with a distance learning school now, so I am taking some online classes through the school, along with a French class through Skype and a Biology course through co-op.

I've also been introduced to something called deadlines - an amazing thing that this homeschooled girl had not had a ton of in the past. I love that structure, and it's so, so good for the procrastinator in me. While there have been some close calls and late nights, I'm wonderfully on track in most of my subjects right now.

One thing I have been hating about this whole school thing, though? It's terrible for my creativity. Maybe one day, I'll figure out a way to be productive with school and creatively inspired at the same time. Recently, however, it's been an either/or thing, and most of the time I've been forced to go with the former. What are some ways that y'all stay creative in the midst of school and crazy-busyness? I'm trying, I really am...I've gotten to listening to Pandora while I do homework, have sticky-noted favorite quotes onto my desktop background, and joined Pinterest....even though I haven't exactly pinned anything yet. Ahem.

And oh, daylight savings, I don't like you either. True, getting dark early means that it feels like winter, and I love the feeling of seasons changing. But it also means that I have approximately zero time to use my camera now, because once I'm finished with school things, all of the lovely light I'm used to in the evenings is gone. I couldn't help but take out my camera yesterday morning, though, as everything looked so incredibly grey and monotonous that I had to take a few pictures. The SOOCs you're seeing is a result of that.

Thanksgiving break has begun, though, meaning the annual trip to Chicago is happening today (ack - we were technically supposed to leave an hour ago). That makes me incredibly happy--I love that seeing my relatives, and making dinner on Thursday, and visiting places in the city, and that we do it every single year. It's all so full of tradition, and I like that. A lot. I think, of course, that much photographing will be in order. And for the record, though I know the weather forecast says otherwise, I hope is snows. :-)

How has your autumn been, friends? I've missed ya!

love,
hannah

fresh start

2011-10-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

Hey, lovely friends. How are y'all doing?

I realize that it has been weeks and weeks since I have last posted, and even longer since I was updating my blog on a regular basis. Why? Well, I've been busy with school starting, of course, but I also simply felt the need to continue my blogging hiatus, grow a bit, think about where I wanted this place to go...and what I needed to do to make it go there. After praying and thinking about it all, I am ready to say that I will be back for good now. And I'm sorry I kept leaving you.

I feel like I need to explain a few things upon coming back, because I know that at the time I stopped posting some things were in desperate need of change. It took my time off to realize that, yes, I love blogging, but to make me love it even more, I need to do some things differently now. I am excited about these changes, because it's going to turn me in a new (and better) direction.

-I'm going to be realistic. During the past year, there was this common theme: I would continually start off my posts by saying that it had been too long since I posted last, apologizing, and saying that I needed to do better. But I'm finally realizing that this simply does not work out. I'm a busy high school student, a procrastinator, and a perfectionist. No matter how much I tell myself and all of you that I'm going to write more often, it won't happen, and I will be frustrated that I'm not meeting my goal.

I will never be the blogger who whips out inspiring, artful posts (or even posts at all) every day, but that's okay. I'll do my best to write something weekly, maybe biweekly, or maybe bimonthly. We'll see, but the fact that I won't be feeling guilty every time I write something is freeing and wonderful to me.

-I'm going to focus more on community + less on numbers. This has actually come naturally with my break from blogging. I realize that my number of page views has gone down quite a lot and my following has decreased. I also realize that I haven't been keeping up with my dear friends and everyone who reads my blog nearly as much as I did. And you know what? I miss my friends and readers and community so much more than that higher number of page views and the fifteen followers I lost.

My main focus needs to change. I'm not going to think about numbers or statistics or whatever. Instead I will simply be thrilled and thankful whenever I receive a new follower or a post gets an exciting number of comments and page views. And, I'm going to try to visit, read, and comment on more blogs, adding to the lovely blogging community here.

-I'm going to be authentic. I have a feeling this is going to be hard to write about, but I will try. For some people, it looks like the whole "being yourself" thing comes naturally. And for the longest time, I thought I was doing it "right", but I simply wasn't, at all. A little less than a year ago I was to the point where I would read over my post, and if it sounded like Ree Drummond or Kelle Hampton or whoever, I smiled and thought "okay, good". Except it wasn't good at all; it needed to have sounded like me, and it just didn't. For some reason I was having a hard time writing like myself, so I chose to try to write like others. And somehow, without meaning to, I was swallowed up into a hole of comparison and doubt, followed by disgust with myself. When I was blogging, I lacked confidence. I slaved over posts, worried that they didn't sound right, and just wasn't satisfied with myself when I hit "publish".

I think that's why this break has really been so refreshing. In "real life", I wasn't comparing, I was just being. And I came to the realization a week or two ago that, when I started blogging again, it would be more painful to continue creating myself through other people, than to go through the process of breaking old habits and finding myself. And so I made the decision to be 100% authentic.

In a nutshell, the number one thing that I'm challenging myself to do is find myself on blogger and learn to write authentically. I'm sorry if it takes some time, or if I continue to fail for awhile. But I need to start moving in this new direction.

And before I go, a few other changes that are taking place:

-new blog title...basically because I always hated my old one and was just too tired of it. I wanted to make it something that I could still be recognized by, though, so my first and middle name it is. I like it. And it goes nicely with my URL, as well.

-new design. I love yellow and grey and b&w pictures, and it's wonderfully authentic.

-and a note about clicked and captured, my photography blog: I haven't written on it in a very long time, and to be honest the whole managing-two-blogs thing never exactly worked out for me. I think that, for the time being, I'm going to say that I will no longer be updating that blog. I would like to be able to put my time and energy into this one, and also be able to create more photography-related posts right here. Clicked and Captured will definitely still stay upon, I just will not be posting anymore on it. Sorry!

So, I am back, friends. With realistic goals about posting, a new focus, and a desire to be authentic now. I am excited.

with love,
-hannah

i think the title's supposed to go here?

2011-08-18T11:41:00.001-05:00

Hello!

So, wait...how does one write a blog post again?

I had forgotten for a second there.

During the past month, I think I've started about seven posts that went to the "save as draft" pile. They just never felt right, inspiration never struck, I never wanted to finish what I wrote. And so I didn't. I took a month-long break from blogging without planning on it or even realizing it. It just happened.

I think I've probably lost eight or nine Google Connect followers. To you who is still here and reading, thank you so very much. I am truly blessed to have you. Note to self: those nine followers don't matter. But anybody reading this totally does.

Oh, and I'm way too chicken to look at my statistics or number of page views this past month.

To the blogs that I follow, I'll be completely honest and say that I haven't been keeping up with you as much as I should. But I'm going to start again, I promise.

I've probably gone, at max, about two weeks without blogging in the past. This was new and different and weird and strangely refreshing. It was a reminder that I could go without blogging if I wanted to. And that gave me a nice new perspective.

But that aside, I am going to start again, and hopefully be better about posting frequency. Because, sitting here, writing, forming words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into a post

(and all whilst listening to Adele)...I'm reminded again that I kind of love it. A lot. When I was away, that thought would pop up sometimes--the "what would happen if I did ever decide to stop blogging?" thought. I'm now confident that I could do it. Blogging doesn't define me. But now that I'm back, I'm reminded that I don't want to stop. And that's just where I want to be.

Sometime soon, I'll post about life. About travel {Amsterdam and our Hannibal/Moline/The Wedding trip}, about my latest play {Midsummer Night's Dream - it exceeded all of my expectations}, about little weird random musings. Though actually, you might have to hold your horses there...my laptop decided to crash on Monday and I currently have no access to pictures. This gal is a little frustrated about that, but then, it's a reminder that I can go without. My picture files and Lightroom don't define me either.

Thank you for sticking with me, y'all. You're really the best--to go a month without me and then read this haphazard little post? ;-) Yep, I'm officially blessed.

What's the most exciting thing that's happened to you this past month?

love,

hannah

favorites ( this week )

2011-07-19T20:18:00.003-05:00

This past week has been tiring and busy and wonderful. "White Christmas" tech week and performances, and now getting ready for a little five-day vacation up to Illinois for my Uncle Steve's wedding. We're leaving in just a few minutes, so y'all won't hear from me until next Sunday. But rigjt now, I'm sitting in the middle of my messy room that's screaming just-about-packed (except for more like a three week vacation...definitely not a five day trip. ahem) comprehending my lovely, lovely week. Highlights:

getting my domain name to work...at last.
Yes, friends, the legit ".com" I bought for my blog last January is finally working for this blog of mine. Say hello to hannahmagdalene.com. It makes me crazy-happy. (For those of you unfamiliar, though--if you type in my old url, hannahshangout2.blogspot.com, you'll still be directed to my new address. So don't worry!)

Every bit of thanks for this goes to my sweet {talented} friend Amanda, who offered to fix what had gone wrong. Meaning that I didn't even have to call GoDaddy (was dreadign that) or stress out or be confused. I am so grateful for this online community--probably my favorite thing about blogging.

the arrival of my 28mm.
I haven't really gotten a chance to use it yet, but my wide angle lens came a couple of days ago, and this girl is excited. I'm sure it will get its own post in a bit, after we've gotten a chance to get to know eachother. ;-)

what i've taken so far? my preparing-for-vacation room. pardon the mess.

my friend emma at botd.

We got to know each other so well this summer (after having barely known who she was this spring), as we danced on pointe together in the song "White Christmas" and did jazz together in "Blue Skies". She's beautiful and hilarious and lovely, and whenever we look at each other we laugh. I am missing her.

iced coffee.

I followed Pioneer Woman's ridiculously awesome recipe, and oh my. It's so handy and delish...totally got me through tech week, I think.

an afternoon of coffee and reading and journaling? love.

steak n shake.
I love theatre traditions--and going to Steak n Shake after at least one of the performances of a show is at the top of the list. This year, I went twice...still not sure if it was the best decision to stay up until past 2am before the production was even over, but whatever. I like it so much, especially reminiscing about other Steak n Shake experiences over the years. And our waiter was wonderful and friendly this time (versus waiters in tears because of our size and complicated orders...no joke).

and okay, just botd in general.
It was such a blessing to be able to hang out and work with such amazing and lovely people. And "White Christmas" was just so much fun. Have I stressed that enough? ;-)

photo credit: mr s, our photographer.
the entire cast...love them.

harry potter 7. part two.
Mom, CJ, and I finally got the chance to see it last night. My thoughts? Well, the movie-must-follow-book nazi in me is saying it could have been so much better, the Deathly Hallows always having been the best book in the series and all. But okay, fine, I loved it. A lot. Did you see it? And if you did, did you burst out laughing during the epilogue when they attempt to make the actors look old? Yeah, I found that just slightly amusing.

shopping.
We made a a trip to Kohls and Old Navy (oh, and Starbucks) to grab some much-needed clothes before leaving. And so I quickly scoured rack after rack, searching for more tank tops and shorts to add to my once-small collection. Ever so very pleased with what I found--successful shopping trips are the bestest.

What are the highlights of your past week, friends? See you next Monday!

love,
hannah

ps--my two photos in this post? SOOC. Yes, I am lazy.

hello, july

2011-07-10T20:08:00.000-05:00

Inside my mental calender, I am still picturing myself back in May. So I was just slightly thrown off when I realized that June had seeming disappeared and ten days ago marked the arrival of, well, July. I don't really know when my summer started or when my school year ended--there was traveling in May, I never quite finished school, and suddenly so many summer activities hit (read: play practices for White Christmas started and somehow I no longer had time for too much else). I'll admit it--June totally got the better of me.

And this month? Well, we've been busy and that's not about to stop. We had lovely relatives in town this weekend, then there's "White Christmas", and the week after that we go up to Illinois for my uncle's wedding. Which I am unofficially photographing. Completely pumped about that, by the way.

But between tech-week, traveling, and everything else, I'm challenging myself this, um, rest of July. To be productive and live life to the fullest. I'm hoping y'all will keep me accountable?

I have so many goals, so many things I want to do. I have no idea if I'll actually be able to accomplish all of it, but I'll try. Hard. What's on my list this month:

---

finish a certain english book

and do that last lovely science test

so that you can officially say that you're finished for this year.

call GoDaddy.com, and get your domain name

(the domain name you bought back in January)

to actually work for your blog.
um, long story, lovelies.

buy some yellow nail polish for yourself

because yellow and nail polish are too awesome not to be one thing.

read some books on your "to read" list

and book love about at least one of them
(i know...remember book love?)

limit your time on the computer
to one hour a day (time yourself)

and be productive with what you have.

write and send the thank you notes, like you've been meaning to

and even "just because" notes to friends
because they so deserve them.

rewrite all of the pages on your blog

(about me is already done!)

and document more of amsterdam
and life in general.

make time each day to read your Bible and journal

and drink iced coffee.
and it doesn't have to be early in the morning.

(looking forward to this one)

have at photoshoot with megan (at golden hour)
expand your photographical knowledge,
and enjoy a certain new lens that's coming next week.
(the 28mm f/1.8...excited.)

laugh and smile more than necessary

be a blessing to others

and remember that

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13)

What have your plans been for July, friends? I want to hear about them.

ten things to know about amsterdam

2011-07-02T21:54:00.001-05:00

{one} don't walk in the bike lanes.

The Dutch hate it, and will rely on you to dodge them. And let me tell you, that's no easy task. So please, there is usually another sidewalk for pedestrians.

{two} there are coffee shops...and then there are coffee shops.

Smoking marijuana is legal 'round those parts. And the places one goes to do it at? Called a "coffee shop." I'm not quite sure why that is, and it's heart-wrenching to me that my favorite and least favorite places have the same name. Sigh.

But don't worry, friends. It's usually pretty easy to tell what kind of coffee shop is which. Titles such as "The Coffee Company" and "Small Talk Coffee Shop" imply real coffee being served. Titles such as "Coffee Shop" or, even more obviously, "Smokey's Coffee Shop" tend to imply marijuana being smoked there. And if worst comes to worst, inhale deeply. That will probably do it.

{three} some things are nasty.

Coffee Shops aside, The Netherlands is simply a rather liberal place. There's crazy nightlife, and the famous Red Light District, and disturbing things in souvenir shops and on magazine covers. While there are beautiful windmills just outside the city and the designer shopping area and lovely canals and incredible museums, other parts of Amsterdam are, um, present as well. But, if you don't actually pursue it, you really won't run into it much. And when I did, because I'm a sensitive person, I would say a prayer in my head...which at times, I'll admit, went, "Lord, give that person a life!" ;-)

{four} jet lag and canal tours don't mix.

On our very first day, when it felt like the middle of the night and we were trying to stay up for about 24 hours straight, I had the brilliant idea of doing a lovely canal tour thing to "see a lot of the city right off the bat!" Problem was, I sat down, the boat started slowly rocking, the sun was warm, I was tired....and I struggled to keep my eyes open for the entire time. Let alone actually see or learn anything. If I went back to Amsterdam, I would totally want to redo the tour, but when I'm fully awake. You really see a ton if you're not sleeping!

{five} bring good, good, good walking shoes.

While the tram and subway systems are totally amazing here, you will still be walking lots. I decided to be cool and only bring my Toms, some dressy flats, and flipflops. I managed...but ouch.

{six} there is no normal iced tea.

Well, except at American restaurants, that is (above is the only real iced tea we had, courtesy of Hard Rock Cafe--ha!). If you order an iced tea anywhere else, they give you this little glass bottle. You'll pour it into your glass, take a sip, grimace, and a few minutes later notice that the bottle says "sparkling" on it. Carbonated iced tea, folks, is basically all that they have. It's the weirdest stuff ever, in my opinion.

(But of course, that's if you're me. If you're anyone else you would have read "sparkling" on the bottle before you drank it. Ahem.)
{seven} if you come after the 20th or so of May (I can't remember the exactly date), tulip season is over.

It should be noted that I arrived in Amsterdam on the 25th of May. Sigh. But there are still flowers and tulip bulbs for sale in the city, including this beautiful flower market, right up against a canal. Love.

{eight} buy your museum tickets online before you go.

{i now get chills whenever i look at pictures of the anne frank house. just wow.}

We heard this from everyone we talked to. Make a reservation to avoid the crazy-long queue, they said. I also learned that, unless you're on a flexible schedule, this should be done much in advance online. For the Anne Frank house, we bought our tickets on website a couple days before we went, but most spaces were filled...meaning that we had to make ours for 8:30pm or so. This website has links to many places in Amsterdam, and from there you can go right ahead and make your reservation...to avoid the queue, friends. Not line, queue.

{nine} if you're in need of a quick meal, a restaurant is not the way to go.

The Netherlands--really, Europe in general--has incredibly slow, relaxed service in sit-down restaurants, and you have to ask a couple of times before they'll bring your bill or give you menus. So, if you're super-hungry and in need of something fast, try McDonalds. Or, more original, get hotdogs from one of the many little stands on the street. I had much fun sitting right by the Van Gogh museum, munching on chips and peach iced tea (which was not sparkling!) for lunch one day.

{ten} you need to spend some time outside of the city, too. seeing windmills and such.

My favorite part of my trip to Amsterdam was the day I spent away from it--does that sound bad? Really, I'm not much of a city person at all. And you cannot to go Holland without seeing some windmills, sampling homemade cheese, and watching Dutch clogs being made.

My dad's incredibly kind friend Gerard (who had put on the whole conference and made me feel at home) took us and some other people to Vereniging Zaanse Molen one day--so much fun. From what I saw, it was like a Dutch version of Colonial Williamsburg. Meaning that I loved it, and now totally wish I could have spent some more time there. Definitely recommending it...

So there you are, friends. Ten quirky, maybe-possibly-helpful that I learned while visiting Amsterdam and thought I'd share. You are welcome.

Happy July!

love,

hannah

three things

2011-06-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

{because i lack the time to write a normal, coherent post at the moment}

one // i am now twittering.

Or tweeting. Or whatever you call it. Basically, friends, I've made myself a twitter account. If you are a twitterer and would like to make my day by following me, you can find me here. After much time spent longingly browsing the website, I'm a tiny bit excited about this.

two // i was at the doctor today.

Annual check-up thing. And you know what? He was rather concerned...about my weight. Because, unlike the rest of America, I'm in no need of loosing weight. I'm stick-skinny; underweight and now down in the 5th percentile. Basically, y'all, I was told to eat lots of peanut butter and milkshakes and cookies to try and gain another five pounds, at very least. So as soon as I got home I was searching for ice cream and chocolate syrup and milk, and dusting off our blender. The result was delicious. Homemade milkshakes always taste best, I'm just saying.

didn't think to take a picture until is was pretty much gone. i know.

While I would love it if I was about fifteen pounds heavier and have been in incredibly awkward conversations about my oh-so-petite figure, today I felt rather blessed that I'm being told to eat more milkshakes rather than avoid them. Even if I do still have to occasionally shop in the children's section for jeans. Ahem.
three // i'm buying a new lens.

A wide-angle lens, to be exact. My one little problem? I have no idea which one to get. If I had $1800 on my hands, it would totally be the 16-35mm--such a great range of focal lengths and it sounds like an amazing lens. But the price? Oh, browsing camera websites can be depressing. As it is, I'm thinking about the Canon 35mm f/2.0, 24mm f/2.8, maybe even the 28mm f/1.8...basically, I need your help. Wide-angle lens suggestions or recommendations for me, photog friends? I'm considering both primes and zooms, and anything within the $300-$800 range. (Yeah, sorry, 16-35mm dear.)

And oh, I lied. One more thing. My friend Caroline is looking for opinions on which beautiful point-and-shoot photos of hers to enter for a 4-H poster. I know it would make her very happy if you went over here and told her your favorites. Thank you lovelies!

Happy Friday! What are your plans for this weekend?

love,
hannah

life right now

2011-06-20T19:23:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was Dance Recital Weekend--and believe me, it's well deserving of those capital letters. Four long performances, very little sleep, late nights, using up cans of hairspray, getting sore. Before it all begins, I start to dread it. During the dress rehearsal and first performance or two, I decide I love it. On Saturday (the last day, with two performances and an early morning), I'm exhausted and anxious for it to end.

first legit pointe dance. holla!

megan's dance; littler girls are lucky and only have to perform in one show.
let's just say she rocked her dance on saturday night.

I mean, I've gotten used to it, not having a life for five days and all. I really, really like Dance Recital Weekend, even if I'm a tired, sore, messy, disoranged mess by the end of it. There's something kind of fun about fighting through and realizing how much energy you actually have left.

On the other hand, while I generally get sad and nostalgic when performances are over (see here and here for just a couple examples), relief, along with aches and exhaustion, had to come first this time. I performed my dances--and they were much fun--four freaking times, after all. No one was about to want to do it again.

Basically, I've been rejoicing in little things this weekend.

Like emailing friends telling them how exhausted I am and getting replies saying something along the lines of, "keep going...you haven't died yet, Hannah!" and then smiling.

Like doing my makeup before each show. It's therapeutic. Don't judge me.

Like warm-ups on the stage when I get to the theatre. There's no barre to use, so I work on balance. Physically and mentally. With every plié , tendu, and port de bras, I decide that I'm content. And happy.

Like drinking Snapple and sharing food backstage. Maybe unhealthy food, but that's okay, too.

And, if it even counts, like yesterday: sleeping in, church, coffee, celebrating Father's Day, picking my camera up for the first time in weeks, starting this blog post, and organizing my thoughts. I'm so thankful for normal. While I love dancing, singing, acting, performing, I could never, never do it for a living. I would die for reals, friends.

We didn't do anything "special" for Father's Day. But special still came in the form of opening gifts, our neighborhood pool, and scrambling to decide what was for dinner--which ended in an impromptu, late at night grill-out. It wasn't all good; we were worn-out from my dance recital and I needed sleep and our plans kept changing and there were some tears and a few harsh words and maybe a little complaining. In fact, over dinner, CJ was kind enough to tell us all the things that had gone wrong...which included Albert Pujoles getting injured and his having to go the dentist the next day. But whatever. It still worked.

And by the way, Dad, I feel honored to have made you a father and I'm grateful for everything you've done for me...so grateful. I love you.

Hope you're having a lovely Monday, friends. What did y'all do over the weekend?

love,
hannah

ps--I realize that this is the first non-Amsterdam post I've written in a crazy-long time. That doesn't mean that there won't be many more to come, of course; I love writing them, and I know y'all like reading them, too. But I'd like to integrate my messy, every-day posts back in here, too. Just letting ya know, friends. :-)

of windmills + wind

2011-06-12T10:02:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time

There was this girl.

Who had thick, curly, frizzy hair

That occasionally (or often) was kind of a pain.

On a certain trip to The Netherlands

She spent a day outside of Amsterdam

Getting to visit these.

{They were absolutely beautiful.}

It was on this day

That the girl

Decided to wear her hair held back

By just a couple of bobby pins

And because of her faith in the anti-friz conditioner she'd used that morning

Brought along no hair bands, or other means of putting her hair up...

Despite the "wind" being in "windmill" and all that.

Now this day

Happened to be extremely windy {and extremely cold, too}.

By windmill standards, a really good day.

By frizzy hair standards:

The wrong day to wear it like this.

So basically

The wind really, really liked the girl's hair,

And not only totally got in her way

But also, as a favor, styled it for every single photo taken of her.

This girl

Would like to let you know

That if you ever visit windmills

In Holland

{which you should}

You should wear your hair securly pulled back, or at least

Bring along means of doing so.

Unless, of course

{this should be in the dictionary, under the definition of "unflattering." ahem.}

You want extremely cool looking hair.

Which, by the way, is probably the latest trend over in The Netherlands by now.

Just so y'all now.

and so we began.

2011-06-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

We arrived back from Amsterdam last Tuesday, y'all. And now it's Monday. What can I say, friends? This whole "trying to finish school while doing summer activities and everything else" thing is a bit much for me.

And on top of that, when I finally started to think of posting this weekend, I was met by complete uninspiration. That uninspiration where you feel far too behind to post, and aren't sure what to write about. Or how to write it. Yep, that kind. *shudder*

Finally, upon opening Lightroom, I was greeted by the several pictures I'd taken on my very first day of traveling, all shot at airports and on the plane. For some bizarre reason, it was what I needed to get me...moving. I loved that day, because we had this exciting week ahead of us, waiting to be lived. I was going to Europe, spending time with my daddy. There was so much energy and laughter, and so much to look forward to. I miss that feeling now, but I simply hope I lived life fully that week as I should have. It's a gift. Such a gift.

And for some reason or another, I like taking pictures at airports. Generally, most are taken at the beginning of my trips: on the way back I'm tired, and ready to be home. But "beginnings" always excite me.

So basically? Now in those questionnaires when I'm asked "what inspires you?" I can resolutely respond, "airport photos!" How awesome is that?

The day started by taking a cab to the airport (very legit. or maybe it's just me.) and listening to people bashing Opera Winfrey on the radio...my dad and I kept glancing at each other and laughing. Upon arriving, we learned that our flight had been delayed forty minutes, meaning we got to enjoy some white chocolate mochas. Any trip that starts with Starbucks is automatically a good one. Definitely.

my brand spankin' new toms, before i got them hopelessly dirty on the trip (but i still love them--great shoes). also, excuse the blurriness factor. *cough*

From there, we flew to Newark Airport, where we had an epicly long delay (six or seven hours? yeah). We spent it eating sushi, looking up some things online, waiting, snacking at Auntie Anne's pretzels (which I had always thought was "Aunt Annie's" for some reason...well then), waiting, taking pictures, and oh, doing a little more waiting. Though actually, looking back, it wasn't at all as bad as it feels like it should have been.

If that makes sense or anything. (I don't think it did.)

going on one of these awesome trams is now on my bucket list.

this sushi place was darling, especially for being inside an airport and all. Just saying.

i absolutely love reading auntie anne's napkins, bags, and cups now. very fun.

researching some things in amsterdam. it's a serious matter, y'all.

beautiful new york skyline in the background here. i still need to visit that place (only been to the airport there--sigh).

But no, for this gal who's not a huge fan of airplanes, it was the six-and-a-half hour flight to Amsterdam that was the killer that day. We were in row fourteen, right in front of an emergency exit. Meaning that our seats didn't recline. So we're squished in the middle/window seats, with another woman on the aisle. Oh, and half way through the flight our televisions stopped working. Just lovely.

Now here's a little something about me: I cannot, not, not sleep in any form on transportation. Oh, I wish I could, but no. At 3am, I had my light on and was getting caught up on Religion papers at an incredible speed. My father thought I was insane, and the lady sitting by us was out cold...seriously, she probably slept five out of the seven hours of our flight. Jealous!

Finally in the morning, while trying to wake myself up by listening to Florence+The Machine (gorgeous album, by the way), I fell into a light, light sleep. Sigh.

Buuuut, pretty soon came this:

Not only a gorgeous sunrise and deep, azure sky, but Europe as well. Eeeep. It was definitely my favorite part of the flight: landing. (Yeah, I know.)

So we began. And I'm quite sure there will be more to come.

Do you like airplanes, and flying?

with love,
hannah

destinaton revealed!

2011-05-27T08:36:00.003-05:00

Hello, lovely friends! I had lots of fun reading your comments when we arrived on Wednesday. Thank you for sticking with me as I traveled, did some site-seeing, was excessively tired, could not sleep, did some things at my dad's conference, explored a little more, edited photos, and then patiently-or-not-so-patiently waited as the hotel internet decided it didn't like my laptop and would not let me get online again until just now. {let's hope it lasts.}

So, yes, I'm in Europe. But no one actually named the city or country where I'm at. And I don't blaim ya, either. It's not like this place was on my top "must visit" list, like France, England, Italy, Greece, and Spain are. I hadn't thought about it much before my dad told me I could come with him on another of his business conferance trips, but long story short, I'm so thankful I'm having the opportunity to visit here. Goodness, it's beautiful.

Here some hints to build up your suspence (what, you thought I'd just tell you? mwahaha).

--There are about a bazillion canals and therefore a bazillion bridges bridges here. (Not Venice, though.)

--We're visiting the Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum sometime soonnish.

--Bicycles are popular. Well, that's an understatement. You really can't look anywhere without seeing a bike, or someone biking...there are bike paths by the side of every road. (I've already been nearly killed on multiple occasions. Well, kind of.)

--It's tulip season right now (though being in a city, I really haven't seen any yet).

--The language spoken is Dutch.

my guess is that this means "bakery." anyone know for sure?

Got it yet? I'm in The Netherlands. Amsterdam, to be exact. And I'm so happy about it, despite the fact that last night was the only time I've actually slept eight hours in a row the past three days (jet-lag, why must you exist?). It's a lovely old city.

There will definitely be more to come about these first few days: flight stories, photographic ramblings, awkward moments, things about dad's conference. And then this weekend we're visiting museums, heading to see windmills and flowers, and doing some other various things (like shopping, I hope?).

But for now, I’m sharing a few pictures I took from yesterday, when my dad took the subway down near Dam Square during his break. City/lifestyle/tourist photography is something I'm not used to doing, but I loved finding quirky details and other beautiful things. Way, way fun.

wearing my "i heart roma" sweatshirt in amsterdam. i know...

if this building is a house (i think not, though), i'm living there someday. totally.

the sign on the right cracks me up.

the royal palace, which is open to the public except when it's not. like right now. gawsh.

hope you're having a lovely week!

with love,
--hannah m.

so, where am i traveling?

2011-05-24T11:08:00.001-05:00

I had been completely planning on telling you where I was going today. In fact, I had even started a blog post about it, and was in the midst when I realized that I simply didn't have enough time to do the topic justice. I'm off to the airport in just a few minutes.

So, I'll simply say this: I'm traveling somewhere today, somewhere extremely amazing. I forget whether or not I've mentioned this trip on my blog before (somehow I'm thinking yes, though I forget where), but I've been looking forward to it since, oh, January, I think. I'll have my laptop and internet there, which makes me happy. Oh, and one last thing: I'm kind of really excited. Just thought I'd mention it.

yes, so very flattering. i know. ;)

Any guesses as to where I'll be, friends?

thankful

2011-05-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

I'm back from our little vacation to the Ozarks....letting out a huge sigh-of-relief here. I don't know what is was about this trip--we never did anything that should exhaust me so--but when I got arrived home on Wednesday, I just felt extremely ill. McDonald's Mocha Frappe, I'm going to blame that partially on you.

Technically, now should be the time for writing parts two and three of our little adventure, but I feel like I need to cut in here and let y'all know about a little big thing that happened just a day after I posted on Sunday.

Time is such a funny thing. On Sunday, I had no idea that I would actually like going upside-down at the Silver Dollar City roller coaster. On Sunday, I had no idea that CJ and I would get stuck in the branches of a tree while attempting to use a double kayak (quite epic). And, on Sunday, I never would have guessed that we'd get into a nasty little car accident the next night.

Because that's exactly what happened. We were driving into Branson for dinner, the road was twisty, and Dad stopped to let the person ahead of us turn into one of the many "most extreme zipline ever" places. The young driver behind wasn't paying any attention, and, before he could step on his breaks, he had rammed our bike rack, which accordingly crashed into the back windshield. Which shattered. Epicly. In fact, it's pretty much nonexistent right now.

hellooo, glass-less back windshield.

It took me a minute to realize exactly what had happened. There was the initial crash, an exclamation from my dad, and then I turned around and saw that we had no back window. Then I freaked out, asked urgently if everyone was okay, and got a blessed "yes". Relief followed, though not without phone calls, apologies from the dude who'd hit us, waiting, a bit of worrying, and a very delayed dinner. (Which was delicious, by the way. Oh goodness, I love fancy Mexican places.)

We managed to carry on with our trip: Silver Dollar City was done a day early so we didn't have to be packed up, Dad had to get our car cleaned out, and him and I spent some time duct taping plastic onto it before our trip home. No one was really injured; for some of us, our necks got out of whack, but they're healing and being treated. Stephen was asleep throughout the entire thing.

So where am I going with this? I guess it's just that I'm thankful. Incredibly thankful and blessed. I think that every once in a while, God decides that it's time to remind me that He's completely in charge no matter what. Sometimes it's in little ways, like making it rain yesterday, resulting in co-op Field Day being canceled; and sometimes it's in bigger ways: like a car accident in the middle of vacation, or definitely what happened last summer on vacation.

Through it all, He's in control. I can't change that, and what's more, I don't want to--ever.

Happy Friday, friends.

{ps - have you noticed my new blog button? i saw my old one on a blog the other day, and nearly died from "oh goodness, it's so ugly!" please, please, if you have my old button on your blog, replace it with this one...or, even if you didn't, you're extremely welcome to take it, friend! it's on my sidebar. >>}

ozarks in pictures // part one

2011-05-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Saturday, began an adventure. That's the way I like to think of traveling: an adventure. Because as much as you plan and schedule and overthink, nothing is going to pan out perfectly. Once you embrace that fact and learn to make it work, however, it makes things extremely fun. I love it.

The rain wasn't planned, for instance: I hadn't bargained for getting soaked as I cleaned out the car that morning. Neither had we planned on leaving at 3pm. Packing and cleaning the house the day we go on a five-day road trip probably isn't the best idea...I'm just saying. I think it's safe to say that by the time we left, everyone had lost their patience multiple times and we were all a little edgy.

Road trips do have a certain magic to them, though. My exasperation was left behind with St. Louis and soon I was truly enjoying myself in the car...squished in with Megan and CJ in the back seat as I was. Taking pictures, getting quizzed with BrainQuest's, laughing hard. We were headed to a resort near Branson, Missouri by Table Rock Lake, right in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. Beautiful.

The resort we're at right now is (though maybe not exactly what we were expecting) wonderful. The decor in our little condo is lovely...and full of mirrors. ;-)

And this is our view from the back, of the lake.

Last night I wrote in my diary: I'm excited for the rest of this adventure, but so far it's been fun. Full of laughter, despite the things that have gone wrong. Yes, I think that sums up "day one".

More to come, friends! It's late right now, and I'm beyond ready to get some sleep.

with love,

hannah

frolic // lovely guin's party

2011-05-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

My dear, dear friend Guin from Singing in the Rain is having a blog party. By the name of Frolic (so you just know it's going to be pretty awesome). The questions are lovely, and there some pretty fabulous prizes, too. Do go link up for yourself!

Favorite thing about summer?

This year? It's deifnitely my schedule...crazy-busy, but because there's lots of acting, travel, and lovely friends, I could not be more excited. Now to finish school. Sigh. Also, once said school work is under control, I'm going to be making a few minerly major changes to this little blog of mine. I was thinking about it quite a bit last night...and I'm really excited.

In your opinion, the best scent in the entire world?
That absolutely delish smell of when you walk into a coffee shop. Ahhh.

An embarrassing moment:
Oh, here's a little story I never to y'all about from Rome. So, the zipper from this suitcase I used to have had, uh, issues. Like, you had to zip it up in a certain way to actually get it closed, otherwise it would unzip. Not good. On our flight to Atlanta before coming home, we dropped our suitcases off, and, apparently, when they went through security someone opened mine up and search through it. And then zip it back up...not in the right way. (Thanks a lot, security.) So, at the Atlanta airport, we--and everyone else from the flight--are waiting at the luggage pick conveyer belt thing when suddenly this shoe it shoe appears in the midst of everyone's suitcases. My shoe. Then comes a giftbag, another shoe, and finally my suitcase, wide open for the whole airport to see. And, if you've seen any of my posts about Rome, you know how I make fun of myself for the not-so-fashionable wardrobe I brought along on the trip.

But, no joke, when my suitcase comes riding along there was seriously a collective gasp. It would have almost been humorous, had I not had to walk up, grab it, and look through it with my dad to make sure I had everything. Not one of my finer moments.

This is a bit overdone, but, what's your clothing style?
I hate trying to describe my clothing style. Not that I don't love clothes, or style, but it tends to change, and when it comes down to it, what I love one day I don't like on myself the next. Recently, however, I've been loving modern styles plus a hint-of-vintage appeal.

Deep question time: vanilla or chocolate?
Unless we're talking about cake (but not icing), definitely chocolate. Though I've always been the gal who can't choose and ends up getting the vanilla/chocolate twist cone at Dairy Queen. I'm indecisive, y'all.

What do you think: is the Twilight fad dying out? And if it is, are you dancing over its grave?
I honestly don't know if Twilight is dying out (not like I keep up-to-date with it or anything), but if it is, I'll totally dance over its grave. I mean, I don't take ballet three times a week for nothing, right? ;-) And this seems to be the perfect opportunity to share a certain video that I kind of laugh over every time I see it. I love Charlie's accent and dark chuckle.

Favorite quote?

"there are only two ways to live your life, one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle." --albert einstein

I can't just pick one favorite quote (really, Guin!), but this is one I saw recently and loved. Beautiful.

Best thing that has ever happened to you and why?
The one answer is obvious: I've been saved by my Jesus and given the opportunity to live eternally in Heaven. That's obviously the bestest thing that's ever happened to everyone. But putting that aside, I think the best thing that ever happened to me my Dad's job transfer to Missouri. At the time it was so hard to leave Indiana, but God had this incredible plan, and I could not imagine living anywhere else. My dance stuidio, co-op, friends, everything...is perfect. I'm blessed.

Traveling: where would you want to go?
Everywhere, perhaps? I love traveling...y'all will get to hear about a really exciting trip I'm going on soon. Right now, I think Paris, France (and it's surrounding area) is at the top of my list. And I'd also love to spend a few weeks visiting Italy.

Favorite food?
Call me crazy, but I love sushi. Love it.
Canon or Nikon? (If you're not a photographer, don't feel like you have to answer this...)
Canon. I mean, it's the best. Duh! (Okay, no offence to any Nikon users out there, I seriously don't have anything against you. But if I use all Canon equiptment and loooove it, well, yeah.)

Are you a squeamish person? Any stories?

Kind of. In our science class for co-op, we went on a field trip that included going fishing. That included braking worms (nightcrawlers, to be exact) in half and stringing them on the hooks. I did finally do it, but, I still don't like to think about it.

clearly rebecca thinks i'm funny.

Oh, and we also had to do this:

i make great faces

That was a little scary, too. Just saying.

Flipflops, bare feet, or heels?

May I say all of them? I love flipflops--I'm lost in the winter without them. Bare feet are lovely, too...I cannot have shoes on for very long periods of time, nor can I bring myself to wear them around the house. But on this five-foot-one-inch-and-three-quarter girl, heels are an amazing thing. And I'm pleased to say that I'm really not bad at walking in them at all

Do you like old black and white films?

Depends. In general, though, I'm not their biggest fan.

Skirts or jeans?

As much as I do love skirts (not too long, with leggings and boots, please), I'm going with jeans. Definitely at the top of my "must have in wardrobe at all times" list. (Which, for the record, came into being about five seconds ago.

Fresh or saltwater?

Fresh, though I honestly don't mind saltwater. And, of course, the ocean gets extra points for being picture-esque.

Have a lovely day!

with love,
---hannah m.

and so it was mother's day.

2011-05-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

I can remember last Mother's Day: I didn't write a blog post. And seriously every other blogger I knew did. It was like this huge who-had-the-best-momma-contest thing. I remember promising myself that next year, I'd want to write a Mother's Day post. And talk about my mom who is patient, humble, funny, hardworking, sweet, fair, open, selfless, loving...and mine. (I love you, mom. Thankyou thankyou for all that you do.)

But today, I'm feeling the urge to, instead, write about my yesterday. Because it was beautiful.
Perfectly imperfect.

We went to Mass at 9am so that we'd have time to get an early start on our planned bike ride, and accordingly left the house at 1:30pm. Because we're cool like that. Not that we didn't have fun in between--Mom opened her cards, we ate omelette's and drank coffee, and Dad pumped up twelve bike tires and loaded the back of our car. It was warm, too, man--over 80 degrees. It felt so much like summer...hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago it was snowing, right? ;-) We headed to a point on Grant's Trail where we'd start riding, unloaded, and set off.

Because I'm stupid, I tell Dad that I probably won't need my camera and leave it in the car. Then I'm biking and viewing these suburban/rural scenes that are just begging to be photographed. And I'm also planning this blog post in my head that is currently just asking for some pictures. Yes, I know. I'm such a smart person.

As is usual for us, we don't bike as a group. It's CJ, me a little behind, Mom pulling Stephen's burly; then Dad and Megan lagging pretty far behind, the latter still working on her biking skills. Except it's a bit more complicated then that: twice I'm turning around because I have no idea where anyone else in my family is, and I keep running into the same people on the trail who probably think I'm crazy. This road doesn't go in a nice lovely circle, you see: it's basically a nice, newly-finished suburban walk/bike way. So we're crossing busy streets, going by neighborhoods, passing a baseball field. And for me, wondering where the other five members my family are. But I like the adventure involved this way.

One thing I love about biking trails is that sense of community...the "on your left"s, friendly smiles from passers by, and the request you get from a random lady to tell her daughter-with-training-wheels up ahead to stop and wait for her mom. (For the record, this little girl was really, really cute. And going pretty fast with those training wheels.)

Eventually, Mom, CJ, Stephen (who was sleeping), and I are together, on a street corner by an AppleBee's that looks extremely tempting. Mom calls Dad, and he and Megan drive over to meet us. In the mean time, we're sitting, exhausted and sweating, under a little tree, as Mom tells us various stories about our births, and her very first Mother's Day as a mom, when I was less than a month old and slept for the majority of the day. Soon enough, Dad and Megan arrive, and a long story short, we had a super-early dinner at AppleBee's. And drank Strawberry Lemonade. (I've got to tell you, though, if you're there anytime soon, don't be deceived by the gorgeous picture of Orange Chicken on their menu. Flavorless rice + frozen veggies = not good. Just saying.)

Upon arriving home, it doesn't take me long before I'm in the shower. (Does anyone else hate that dried-sweat-and-sunscreen feeling? Blah.) A little while later we're all outside. There's some absolutely gorgeous light in the front, so I'm backlighting the daisies in our yard and inwardly squealing with every photo I take (see above photos). This stuff makes. me. happy.

The weather is perfect. There's Dad, working in the garden; CJ and Mom playing an informal game of basketball (both laughing at my mom's mistakes); there's Megan and Stephen who are playing in the mud, swinging, frolicking, laughing. And then there's me: really tired (and sore: I don't ride my bike often), a little slaphappy, photographing everything.

A little later, we go inside and watch "The Trouble With Angels." Sweet, hilarious movie from the '60's. Our evening is full of popcorn and laughter and love.

And so there you have it.
Mother's Day 2011.
My heart is full.

today, hannah's feeling...

2011-05-04T09:58:00.001-05:00

1. Kinda guilty.

Because it's been, what, two whole weeks since I've shown my face on this little blog of mine? Yeah, just about. I almost feel like I need to introduce myself or something...uh, hi, I'm Hannah, you might remember me?

But, thank you so much for sticking with me through this completely unplanned blogging break of sorts. Not posting was definitely what I needed to get me through the past couple of weeks, but I missed it so much. Especially your visits and comments. (I haven't checked my stats this past week because I'm afraid of what I'll find. Eep.) I'm back now--at least for the moment. ;-)

2. Oldish.

Last Sunday, Easter (oh, yes, Happy Easter?) was also my birthday--this gal is now fourteen! (And, as I mentioned to my dad, only a year away from my driver's permit now. He accordingly freaked out, as he should.) It was such a fabulous day: celebrated Easter, ate chocolate, dyed eggs, made a delish dinner, had cheesecake, watched Tangled for the second time (there'll be a third, and a fourth, and a fifth time, too, because I love that movie), opened presents, felt blessed. My Grandma came into town for the weekend, which was made for some extra fun!

I now officially have a cell phone, which is just a bit exciting. No more waiting at dance class wondering where on earth my dad is, or not being able to find a clock, or going somewhere with out a camera of some kind. Plus, it's blue and my background is now, well, a "Tangled" image. Love it.

3. Like an official photographer.

Because in addition to a blue phone, my other "big" birthday present this year was this program called Adobe Lightroom 3. Let me just say that I love it...and that I'm actually inspired to edit photos now. I'm also amazingly pleased announce that after just a week and a google search or two, I think it's safe to say that I have the basics figured out. In fact, I'm starting to feel tempted to write a Lightroom tutorial or two. But, I should probably spend a bit more time with the program first...I mean, I can't know anything that other Lightroom owners haven't figured out yet?

But before I go on, let's all pause for a moment of silence to honor of my trusty old Picnik account that I will no longer be using (at least, not that I know of). It was never a very smart editing program, but it was always there for me. Except when it froze up or the internet when out.

Okay, I'm just gonna stop there. Lightroom is fabulous--it's such a blessing to be able to edit on a legit program now. Ahh!

4. Potentially productive?

I was looking at my calender a couple of days ago--and there is absolutely nothing "special" going on this week. I'm doing school, going to dance class, having violin, and that's pretty much it. Co-op is over for the year, so today is empty. Empty--am I actually using this word to describe my shedule? It's the only week like this for a while, so I'm determined to get as much done as possible. (Is posting about it helping? Probably not.)

5. Pumped.

Something that is just around the corner, though--auditions for the summer musical (generally known as BOTD, or BOD, or something) that I'm usually in are coming up on Saturday. Saturday at 8:45am, to be exact; a time of day when I don't appreciate having to sing. This summer's performance is "White Christmas" (in July, because we're awesome like that) and I've been told by manymany people that there's going to be a ton of dancing in it, which definitely excites me.

So, I'm pumped...if not a little apprehensive and a lot nervous. I'm setting aside some time today to choreograph my dance to the 8 bars of music provided and have been singing my song, Castle on a Cloud (from Les Miserables...sweetest song ever), nonstop.

It's not that I don't think I'll make it in or anything (our director is absolutely lovely, and I happen to know she needs dancers), it's just that these things always freak me out; and I'm desperately afraid I'll randomly hit a wrong note, or my voice will suddenly start to sound wacky, and/or I shall just all around make a complete and utter fool of myself. Am I the only one who is like this?

-----

Okay, so reading back, it seems that I've simply written a rather disjointed summary of my currently crazy-busy (and dare I say a bit boring for ya?) life. To be honest, I actually hated reading back through it. I, I, I, me, I, me...gosh. Crossing my fingers that this didn't sound as egocentric as I think it might have. Ack!

hope you're having a lovely week, friends!

--hannah m.

Annie ( in pictures, and, okay, words )

2011-04-19T10:31:00.002-05:00

Performing has always been one of my favorite things. Always. I can remember how much I enjoyed dance recital time as a little kid, and one of my fondest memories from our old house in Indiana is singing and dancing to musical soundtracks in the living room.

And ten years later? Not much has changed. ;-) I've found I love theatre...costumes, getting my hair done, late-night rehearsals, whispered "good luck"s as the curtain opens, and the fake crying (because we're so great at acting) after the show has come to an end and we're feeling nostalgic. I love our traditions, like going to Steak 'n Shake after at least one of the performances and unintentionally stressing the waiters. And the various people I do shows with are always amazing. Love them!

With Friday and Saturday came our co-op's performance of Annie. And it was great, great fun...definitely more fun than I'd bargained for when, on a whim, I joined the "younger kid" theatre at co-op in addition to the older one (we did Pride and Prejudice...y'all know about that). Being one of the older members of the cast was a new experience. A good one. An interesting one. A slight more stressful one, too, I think.

It also meant my first official lead in a musical. I was Miss Hannigan, y'all.

Nope, not kidding about this. Many people didn't think I could to it--be that ~~mean~~ really cool lady who runs the orphanage. I didn't have much confidence in myself, either, at first. I'd made it pretty clear at auditions that it wasn't the part I was trying for; I'd kinda wanted Grace, later thought I'd get Lily. And then I got an email telling me I'd been cast as Miss Hannigan and wishing me a pleasant day. Accordingly, I completely freaked out.

I was especially mean to this orphan. Just saying.

A lot has happened since then. I've gained confidence, and, apparently (according to a ton of sweet people I was talking to after the show) really wasn't that bad. Um, alright, so I was actually told I did an amazing job...and a few people said that I had a great singing voice, which was touching: singing has never been my forte in musical theatre (though I still love it) and "Little Girls" was rather nerve racking. But I did it...it worked. I'm thankful.

But, most importantly? Being in this production was crazy-fun. I had the experience of being a humorous character (I've always gotten those super-sane-and-collected rolls in the past) and, well, being laughed at. My amazing friends and I had "dance parties" in the wings when we weren't on stage. There were the usual privet jokes, and freaking the waiters at Steak 'n Shake out due to our large numbers. Sometimes I think the waiters at Steak 'n Shake (as fate has it, we alwaysalways get the same ones) are the best part of the weekend. Um, okay, so not quite. ;)

I've written way, way more than I was planning to...but I guess it just sometimes happens this way. You're planning on composing a paragraph, but the memories are far, far, far too much for such a small space. And sometimes memories just need to be documented.

Closing with a few more pictures that I love...

{photo credit goes to either me or my mom}

megan, an orphan // hannah, miss hannigan // cj, bundles the laundry man //

Our Daddy Warbucks? Let's just say he shaved his head for the show. Seriously. For the record, I told him not to...but I think I've finally gotten used to it. Sigh.

We're all homeschoolers, so of course there was lots of reading going on back stage.

Okay, I'm kidding. But still.

My mom took these at home after Saturday's show. Pretty much what I look like when I talk, I suppose. Hee.

Have a lovely rest of your week!

--hannah m.

rome :: on wednesday morning

2011-04-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

I'm carrying on, determined to post about all of my trip to Rome from March of 2010. All of it. At first, I was planning on writing about our Wednesday as a whole, but then realized that our morning was plenty to cover in one post. It was spent at the Vatican, attending the weekly audience with the Pope. Awesome, blessed experience.

I reviewed my diary for details about the visit...and though my handwriting (I was on the plane back, if that's an excuse) was horrific and writing style, um, different, it brought back so many forgotten moments from that morning. And then fingers were on a roll, thoroughly abusing my poor key pad. I totally hope I did the morning justice.

shortly after arriving - the front of the auditorium.

Basically, an audience with the Pope is just as it sounds: Benedict XVI takes most Wednesday mornings as an opportunity appear before a huge number of people and groups from around the world. He gives talks in several different languages (it was crazy--his English was fluent and he spoke maybe six others?) and blesses the various groups, as well as the people as a whole. It's a really big thing; each week the (really, really large) auditorium at the Vatican is packed.

oh my...the ultimate "i just woke up" face. sigh.

It was a truly incredible experience for me. There are so many different groups of people visiting--be it youth groups, college groups, there was even an orchestra group--from literally around the world: Mexico, Japan, United States, Russia, and France are some places I remember. And then there are those like my dad and me, on our own, but still representing so many places.

Before the Pope's entrance, there are songs, there are prayers, there are dances to the songs. Different languages and races fill the room. Yet we're all connected. As we pray the Our Father in Latin just before the Pope arrives, the connectivity is so clear: we're all believers. All brothers and sisters in Christ. Different, yet the same. People of Faith, of God. Last year, I'm not sure if I got it--got that feeling of connectivity. But, looking back, I totally do. It gives me chills. What an incredible gift!

Love for Christ and Pope Benedict filled the room. And overflowed. As he entered, there was clapping, cheering, pictures, songs, shouts in different languages that all represented the same thing. I was standing on my chair so I could see him. Even from far away, his personality was clear: kind, humble, Christ-filled, loving.

The ceremony (of sorts) took a while, due to the fact that everything said had to be translated six times over. But it went so fast, not boring at all. My personal favorite part of the day? Well, you see, as a bishop announces the groups visiting in their own languages, there's usually an eruption of joy as he calls each one's name...naturally, right? In the case of the Italian violinist group, this meant a spur-of-the-moment performance of several pieces of classical music. I could tell this greeting was a bit out of the ordinary--Pope Benedict's face as they played was completely priceless. I think he was totally taken off guard at first. My dad and I were bemused.

I'm not really sure how I can complete this post. Except that, when I left, I felt refreshed, grateful, in a new perspective, and in love with my faith. I can't really describe it, but it makes me feel small. Humbled, because I'm part of something so much bigger than me. If you're a Catholic, this is one of those "must do" things. Totally. Going to Rome is win-win, y'all: you go to the Pope's audience, experience something big and amazing...and then go eat gelato. Perfect!

I'm thankful that I had this opportunity. Thankful and blessed.

Just leaving you with that.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

Love,
Hannah

apparently, i'm stylish.

2011-04-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

A long, long time again, I was a blogging tag and award geek. Well, perhaps not like some, but still, I guess I liked answering pointless questionaires and passing along random badges. A while back, I decided that my blog needed to focus on bigger and better things, so I cut these out almost entirely. Now I only participate in an occasional blog party, and it's been wonderful.

However: my friend Libby passed along the Stylish Blogger award last week. And I decided to give in against my "no award" rule. One, because Libby happens to be incredibly lovely--and British. We all know how I am about anything European (Libby, I'm coming to England to see you sometime, just so ya know). But seriously, she's beautiful, witty, stylish, and takes awesome pictures with her point and shoot. Love her.

And, secondly, because part of the award was listing seven things about yourself. For some reason or another, that sounded fun...as in, something I could make into a decent post.

But wait! First, you've got to thank the person who gave you the award. Aren't award rules the best, y'all? They're kind of like Elf for me: so stupid it's hopelessly funny. (Though on a much lesser degree, I'm just saying.) Well, thank you, Libby! You're brilliant. (For everyone's information, I said that in a British accent. And I'm figuratively drinking tea.)

But no, seriously, Libby, thank you. <3

And, finally, seven things about moi. In the order I think of them.

one: I can't get into bed at night if it hasn't been made.

Crazy-weird, I know. However, the ironic part is that I'm horrible at actually making my bed in the morning...meaning that usually right before I go to bed, I'm tucking the sheets in, folding blankets, and slapping the decorative pillows on. Only to take them off five minutes later. It's a strange habit, guys.

two: my summer is beyond booked right now.

I'm going to be unbelievably busy over summer break--my summer break just before highschool--and though I usually love that time for lack of schedules and such, I could not be more excited. First off, I'm going out of town twice in May, then have rehearsals for the musical "White Christmas" that I'm doing with BOTD (an incredible Christian theatre group that I love). In late July we're headed up to Illinois for my uncle's wedding, which I maybe possibly could be photographing (eeeep!), and whilst coming home I have dance classes and rehearsals for "A Midsummer's Night Dream", a play I was invited to be in by some awesome (and very talented acting-wise) friends. And to top the summer off, a mere week before school starts I'm going on a co-op trip to the Smoky Mountains for science classes and such with some amazingly sweet friends.

Oh yeah, I'm way excited for this summer. And I'm sure you'll be well acquainted with everything from my schedule soon enough. (Kudos if you actually read that paragraph - a bit long, I know. And possibly boring for someone who's not, well, me).

three: i adore traveling.

You probably already knew that...but seriously. Nothing thrills me more than the thought of hopping on a plane (or into our car) - with a camera and the thought of exploring somewhere new. Different. Exciting. Though it's true I don't like change in general (I'm a nostalgia addict if such a thing exists), traveling is a definite exception. I crave "new" every once in a while, after all, and it does the trick. I'm super pumped for all of the traveling I'll be doing within the next year: I can count at least eight times I'll be out of town in the next twelve months. Way awesome.

four: if i could change one thing about my appearance, i'd want blue eyes.

A little confession: I love blue eyes. They're so striking, and beautiful. Especially with brown hair - it's a gorgeous combination. Not that brown eyes aren't beautiful as well, of course, because I really do love them (how couldn't I?). But if I could change something about myself? Totally the eyes. Blue is an amazing color.

five: when i was little, i thought that "board games" got their name because you played them when you were bored.

Get it? It was a total "duh" thing for my awesome five-year-old brain. And I also got "seminary" and "cemetery" mixed up. Back in Indiana, there was a cemetery near our house, and every time we passed it I wondered where the heck one could study for the priesthood there. I never saw a seminarian, either, but I looked. Every time.

six: nature valley oats and honey granola bars are the best.

Love them. If they were a little less crumbly, I would totally love them. But still: they're delicious. And as I don't exactly consider it to be a sweet, I've been eating lots of them lately. (Oh, Lent, please...hurry up and be over.)

seven: i recently finished watching Jasmine Star's creativeLIVE course. and i loooved it.

Oh, man. All you lovely photog friends were totally missing out if you didn't tune in to see J* on creativelive Friday and yesterday. I wasn't able to watch all of it because, well, life happens, but what I did see was inspiring, and so informative. Most of you know that I want to be a wedding photographer, and it's the not-so-much-photogrpahy part of it that tends to scare me. I've been doing my best to soak it all in; Jasmine talks way fast, man. But still, I love her. Ah-mazing.

I'm now supposed to pass the award onto seven other Stylish bloggers. But because I don't want to pressure anyone (I know lots of you don't do awards, either) and because I'm a such a rebel, I think I'll leave it. Though if you'd like, feel free to join in and list seven things about yourself.

Happy Sunday, friends!

with love,
---hannah

i'd thought it was spring

2011-04-03T19:20:00.001-05:00

March 22nd was a happy day. It was seventy degrees and the afternoon light was gorgeous. I slipped on flipflops and headed outside to take some pictures of the blooming daffodils near our garden. You'd have seen me wondering around our yard, inwardly squealing at every tree, bush, plant that I saw blooming. And then photographing them. Well, of course.

After a long and snowy winter, it was spring, I thought. That made me happy, content, alive.

I'd thought it was spring.

Let's fast forward four days. It had been getting colder. But I never thought that this would happen to me...seriously?!

On Saturday, March 26, it snowed. It snowed in Missouri--that's not even remotely considered to be "up north", right? So why the heck was this happening now, in almost-April?

It was a gorgeous, wet, beautiful snow. I'll give it that. Infact, Megan's friend came over and I hopped into the car when dad took him home so that I could snap some pictures from the car. Gorgeous. But still! I'd thought it was spring. As in, not snowing.

{Last} Sunday was warmer. By that I mean, above freezing. Now, at the beginning of the weekend I had been totally determined to boycott the snow and not go outside with the intention of having anyfunwhatsoever in it. But then I read this post of Kelle Hampton's. It was inspiring and beautiful, as so many of her posts are. (Really, go read it.)

And so, I kinda relented and decided to go outside. Ya know, rock it out. Embrace life full on, cold or no cold. I talked the rest of my family into it as well--though it included some false promises to CJ about a snowball fight. Well, actually, I wasn't technically lying. I'd just forgotten how much I hated CJ's competitive, merciless approach to things...until I stepped outside, was pelted with about a gazillion snowballs, and promptly surrendered. Thankfully, Dad and Megan intervened for me:

And I just took pictures. Which is, hands down, what I do best in the snow.

(I never say "hands down" - ever. Did I actually just write it?)

The weirdest part of the day was the fact that the bushes were still green and sprouting, and the daffodils remained. From when I'd thought it was spring.

{right photo credit to my mom...if only i'd thought to look, uh, normal in it. ack!}

To be honest, at this point it was really more like slush than snow. My boots were literally soaked through...and I'm convinced when I wear them now they're still a little damp. Sort of.

There was more snowball fighting, none of which I was a part of. It's so awesome to have an expensive camera as an excuse to keep at a distance...

And so, now, looking back? I'm so glad I did it - so glad I made memories in the snow, reguardless of whether it was technically spring or not. So glad, and so thankful, because, really, it was fun. It was an adventure of sorts, playing in St. Louis's freak March slush.

Though, of course, this hasn't stopped me being way insanely excited at how warm it finally is today. Eep! I'm crossing my fingers that is stays. And that I don't see a snowflake until next December, needless to say.

Have a lovely week!

with love,

---hannah m.

awkard + awesome thursday

2011-03-25T00:02:00.008-05:00

awkard:

--Planning this post in my head last night, and now not only forgetting to do it until now, but also forgetting what "awkard and awesome" things I was going to write about. I was feeling really sick yesterday, okay? I mean, almost-midnight works too. ;-)

--Me sleeping until a little past eleven, as a result of said sickness. I know, I know - it felt weird. But also incredible, because I felt so much better today. However, twelve hours later...I'm still up and going, kind of like a little kid who took an extra-late nap and won't go to bed. (Update - for the record, I was that little kid more than once in life.)

--Doing close to 3,000 pirouettes in ballet, and, as a result, my hair completely coming out of a bun. As in, first my hairnet and bobby pins come out so I put them aside, then I go to tighten my ponytail and the hair band snaps. Causing me to walk briskly out of the room to get another one from my bag, as the class looks on. Pretty darn awkward.

--The fact that I had to look up the word "pirouette". And that it still took me five tries to spell afterwards. I'm not French, you see.

awesome:

--Health; feeling completely better today. It's so awesome - and I'm always taking it for granted. Today I woke up (enough if it was late - heehee), felt better, and felt blessed.

I was looking through some past comments recently and came across those from "observations from my bed." It was so inspiring to read through your thoughts - here are some bits of a few of your comments:

Being sick always puts things in perspective for me, and makes me appreciate "normal" more! It's so easy to take the everyday things for granted.
~Lindsay

It is encouraging to hear that even though someone is sick they aren't complaining, which is something that I tend to do more often than I should. And when we complain we are saying, "I could have done better than God," which is not so not true.
~Emily Grace

It seems to me that life is always bittersweet - if it was perfect all the time we wouldn't appreciate it, and if every aspect was horrible all the time we wouldn't want it - so having enough sadness to make us appreciate the good in our lives makes sense, even if it isn't easy to make it through some times.
~Elizabeth

So true, dears! Y'all (each one of my readers) inspire me everyday. Thank you for that.

(And also, I really hope that you ladies don't mind my posting your comments here. You can hollar at me if you have a problem with it and I'll remove it pronto, okay? ;-))

--Answering a bunch of emails that I'd been procrastinating majorly. (Maybe this is also awkward? But to me it's just wonderful.)

--Browsing Jasmine Star's wedding and engagement archieves. I mean, I constantly anticipate becoming a professional wedding photographer, but reading her blog posts and dying over her pictures makes that dream feel so real. It makes me anticipate, and fantisize, and want to do something about it. Swoon! (Also, if you're a photographer, please go do yourself a favor and visit Jasmine's blog. Her posts are amazing, and, to say the least, you'll be inspired.)

--The fact that I can eat sweets tomorrow (it's what I gave up for Lent), since it's the Feast of the Annunciation. I'm so excited: since I'll be at Panera after dance, I'm going to take advantage of the free smoothie that's on my Rewards Card. Yes, my day is slightly overplanned. Why do you ask?

----

I'm linking up here:

Have a fabulous day! Anything awkward or awesome happening by you? Do come share!

with love,

--hannah

Rome :: the vatican

2011-03-22T14:37:00.001-05:00

(Excuse my, erm, sense of style, would you? I cringe just looking at this...that skirt...with those shoes...and the jacket...oh, dear. *blushes*)

In March of 2010, I had the opportunity to visit Rome, Italy with my Dad...he was speaking at a conference there and the folks in charge generously paid for me to come along as well. Long story short, the week I spent there was an amazing, exciting, blessed experience. Very much so. I journaled a bit on the trip, posted a couple of pictures when I got back, and last summer started an epic saga of blow-by-blow posts about my adventure. Which I never ever finished.

I feel that I really need to document the time I spent in Rome...because it's something that I don't want to forget about. Years from now I want to read my "Rome" posts as memories return and tingles of nostalgia travel (uh, no pun intended) up and down my back. So now, a whole year after the trip, I find myself inspired to do that documenting, before I forget much more. And plus, I'm going to Europe again in May (eeeep! details to come...) and will then have lots more to write about.

I'm coming back from where I left off last summer (don't want to make myself write anything over again), although the whole chronological-order thing was cramping style so I've changed things a bit. I guess what I'm getting at is, if you've started following me within the past six months, you might (but no pressure) want to check out the following:

Roma, part 1: intro+the flight
Roma, part 2: first day+thoughts
Roma, part 3: monday {afternoon} adventures

Disclaimer - I wrote these posts last summer and, well, let's just say that my writing style has changed a bit. Ahem.

Also, I sincerely wish I had some decent pictures to show you here, but let this post stand as a testimony to that, in a year, your photography can progress in leaps and bounds. Take it from me and these pictures that I took last March, okay?

this is the view looking out from st. peter's

I think it's safe to say that Tuesday, spent touring the Vatican, was my favorite day on the trip. I'm going to run out of words really fast trying to describe it, so let me just tell you right now, if you ever get the chance, please go to Vatican City. Really, you'll thank me. Promise.

The only not-so-great thing about Tuesday was that I was running on about 3 hours of sleep and a cup of coffee. Jet lag is the worst, y'all. But I still managed to have a fabulous time, and stay awake and sane (but I mean, you saw my outfit and me above, so perhaps this had something to do with it).

Here's what I loved that day:

--Our tour guide. Her name was Eve...she was seriously amazing and oh-so-sweet. It was very, very fun (not to mention, like, helpful) to have her around. And she had a half-British-half-Bulgarian accent when she spoke in English. Pretty epic, no? ;-)

this was the best i could find of her...totally should have asked for a picture of us together. sniff!

--The other ladies on our tour. There were only two of them - Carol, and her mother, Millie. (You can tell just from their names about how old they are, right?) From Texas, I believe. So lovely to be around.

taken inside st. peter's. yes, i know it's blurry.

millie and eve. at the vatican museum

--The Vatican Museum. It was ginormous, chalk full with ancient statues, tapestry, paintings, and much more. I was so glad Eve was with us, otherwise I would have been thoroughly overwhelmed. Okay, so actually I still was....

they have a huge number of sculptures here - and a number of parts of sculptures. as i recall, no one knows what statue this myserious (and big) toe was once a part of.

--St. Peter's Basilica. Simply. Stunning. And deceiving: it's the largest basilica in the world, but from far away it doesn't look that huge, right?

Now take a look at the people standing under it. Looks a *bit* bigger now, hmm?

The inside was incredible. I truly have no words to describe it with, so let me show you some ultra-grainy pictures, okay? You're welcome. (But really, could someone pleeeease take me back to Rome so that I can re-take all of these shots? Goodness!)

--Our lunch. Ha - that sounded funny. But seriously, down the street from Vatican City there was the cutest little pizza place, that was beyond delish. And as I recall, it was really fairly priced. The downside: I completely forget its name. I'll have to ask my dad and see if he remembers!

--Climbing to the top of St. Peter's. We climbed a crazy amount of steps, but it was worth it. From the very top, you could see Rome - so, so much of it. Oh goodness, it was worth it. Breathtaking.

--Mass at the Vatican. It was a very neat experience, even though I had no clue what was said, or even what parts were in Latin and what was in Italian. Also, to clarify, Mass was did not take place at the main alter in St. Peters, which if I remember correctly is only used for Easter and Christmas. Nope, it was held in the "small" - but bigger than our church, probably - chapel behind it, as seen below.

taken while climbing st. peter's - there were many different places to look out.

And then, that night, I collapsed onto my hotel bed and slept! through! the night! Oh, finally being on Rome-time was awesome. In fact, it might have even been my very favorite part of the day.

Coming next week (or next month...or next year...well, probably not quite that): Wednesday morning was spent back at the Vatican. This time seeing the Pope. Stay tuned, sweet friends!

with love,
--hannah m.

bits of miscellany

2011-03-17T23:43:00.002-05:00

(So sorry...I accidently published this post this morning before it was complete. Eep! I hate when blogger does that to me.)

I've been wanting to post since last Saturday. Seriously. But, it just...never happened, I guess? I've been so insanely busy and uninspired lately. Which is not a good combination.

If it was indeed Saturday, I'd say that my excuse for writing a rather incoherant post was that I still wasn't quite feeling well after my coming down with stomach flu, but as I'm completely and utterly better right now (thanks for your sweet comments, friends), I really have no actual reason for it, except for the fact that I'm feeling super-miscellanious. (Um, run-on sentence, anyone?)

Moving right along.

happy st. patrick's day, y'all!

Something kind of embarrassing - I actually had to look at my calender to make sure it was actually St. Patrick's day before writing this (I started my post this morning). I'm not really Irish, you see. Also, I guess "y'all" isn't exactly the most fitting term to use here. Oops...like I said, this girl doesn't have a bit of Irish in her blood. It's kind of a bummer - I admit that I occasionally wish I had a really good excuse for decking myself out in green. Though, as you know, if it was gray everyone was wearing today, things would be so much worse for me. ;-)

look what i woke up to on monday:

Yes, for real. It snowed. I cannot tell you how much this ruined the beginning of my week. However, I'm excited and relieved to report that there's not a bit of it on the ground any more. And it's so summery today; I actually went outside and had the surprised of feeling hot rather than cold. Such a fun change!

this year for lent...

I'm giving up sweets/desserts. And even though it's my third year in a row doing it, it's so difficult. I guess I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Okay, I have a major sweet tooth. And suddenly all I'm craving is, well, sweets. I've got a tough six weeks ahead of me, I think.

(Although I completely adore Sundays, when I can celebrate a "mini Easter" and munch on chocolate. In fact, I kind of planning to stay up until midnight on Saturday, then sneak downstairs and have something delicious. Don't tell anyone!)

bracketology - you doing it?

I think we all know this, but I'm not a sporty person. At all. I can't play them, I usually don't watch them. However, certain members of the family (such as my dad and CJ? Um, yes) can tend kind of obsess over such things, and apparently, this is the time of year to obsess over the NCAA tournament and fill out brackets.

Last year, I was talked into filling one out to enter into the pool Dad's office, and though I had no clue what I was doing, I did it. And it was actually pretty fun. Well, especially because (are you ready for this?) CJ and I placed first and second in the brackety-whatever-list and won a couple hundred dollars. So, believe it or not, part of the money I used to pay for my Canon Rebel came from, you know, pretending like basketball. Weird? I agree. But needless to say, CJ and Dad were pretty impressed. Heheh.

And yesterday, I darn well did it again...not that I'm expecting any luck this year. And not that I've been keeping up with basketball any better this year, either, like my brother has. But, what about you? Doing brackets this year? You should. Like, really. (And, go OSU - I'm counting on ya!)

photographically uninspired.

Unfortunately, it's how I've been feeling lately. I could blaim it on the weather, or the fact that Picnik has really done all it could for me but it's time to move on (and I've yet to buy Lightroom and Photoshop)...I really don't know what it is. Over last weekend, I made myself get a little creative and made a list of things to find beauty in and photograph. The first item I chose to do was our globe. I set it near the front window and shot from as many unusual angles as I could find. How are you liking the result?

and lastly, outfit posts?
I've been absolutely loving some super-cute fashion blogs lately...and I'm contemplating occasionally sharing my own outfits here on my blog. What are you thinking about that? I love the idea, but fear it would look ridiculously cliche. I've set up a poll on my sidebar and would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Blessings, friends! I'll be back soon, I promise;-)

Love,
Hannah

csn giveaway winner!

2011-03-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

Eek...so sorry for getting this out so late after my giveaway closed. Hopefully friends visiting from Florida and me coming down with stomach flu is a good enough excuse? Because that kinda sums up my week.

Moving along, the winner of the $25 CSN stores gift code is...

Congrats, Hannah! Please email me and I'll send the code right over to ya!!
Thanks again for entering, lovelies - I had lots of fun with this!

Love,
Hannah

Book Love (+ link up) : the witch of blackbird pond

2011-03-05T11:42:00.003-06:00

(Haven't entered my giveaway yet? Click here to join - and hurry, it ends Tuesday!)

Loved seeing all of your reviews from my first Book Love link-up a while back. I've been meaning to get a new post out since the last link-up ended...and I'm just getting around to it now. But hey, that's pretty much the whole reason I never made up a schedule.

Rules and link-up are below, but here's my review.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of the Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean islands she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger...she herself is accused of witchcraft! (Summary taken from the back of the book...yep, I'm lazy.)

What can I say? I really like historical fiction. And I also really, really like some of Speare's other books (namely, The Bronze Bow), so I figured that I would really enjoy this, and wasn't disappointed. It's written beautifully - seriously, I often have a hard time getting through long descriptive paragraphs in books, but for some reason I loved them here. The plot caught me and made it hard to put down, and I fell in love with several of the characters (figuratively, of couse...kinda). One of my favorites was Mercy. It crossed my mind so many times while reading that I needed her as a role model. Her meekness, kindness, humility...so perfect, but not at all preachy. I want to give her a hug right now and say "thank you". Is that weird? ;)

I do love romance in books, as long as it's clean and not what it revolves around, and especially when it's sort of old fashioned (like, Betsy Tacy, anyone?). And this pretty much fit the bill. Yes, it was completely predictable, which would occasionally bug me, but still perfect. I heart Nat!

In the way of objectionable content, any language was extremely mild and brief; the romance was perfect and old-fashioned; violence included mention of whipping posts, etc. and talk of the punishment inflicted upon those accused of witchcraft. (Note: this really has nothing to do with the Salem Witch Trials - more like the aftermath of what happened in Massachusetts, I guess? Not that I'm an expert on the subject or anything.) Recommended for ages 11 and up.

Would you like to link your own review up to Book Love? I'd be so happy if you joined...all I ask is that you do the following super-simple things:

-Review a book that you enjoyed and want to recommend to others. Like, if rating, a 4 or 5 star book.
-Keep your reviews clean, please. And let us know if any objectionable content is in the book.
-Link back to Hannah's Hangout and/or include a Book Love button in your post. (If you choose to use a post you've already published, please edit it to let everyone know that you're linking up with Book Love.)
-Even if you're entire blog is focused on books, I ask that you only link up your single Book Love post to my linky. If a link is entered incorrectly, it will be deleted. (Why? Because several months from now if someone is browsing Book Love posts and reading reviews, they will NEVER be able to find your post - which is unfair to both them and you.)

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

with love,
---hannah m.

bloom! staff behind the scenes

2011-03-03T20:37:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of Bloom! Magazine? It's an online, Christian magazine for tween and teen girls, geared towards 11-20 year old young ladies. Bloom! features inspiring articles, recipes, an advice column with questions from our subscribers, amazing interviews, and more in each issue! If you are interested in subscribing to Bloom! Magazine, you might just want to visit their website! Seriously, do it. And then subscribe (it's free!). You'll thank me for it, I promise.

As you may know, I'm a photographer for Bloom! Magazine (is that why I promote it so? quite possibly). And I totally love it. For about an eternity, I've been wanting to get to know the rest of the staff at Bloom! better - because they're so very awesome! - and at the beginning of the year, KyAnn (the ah-mazing and oh-so-sweet gal in charge of the magazine) and I started to plan a little blog hop for the Bloom! staff girls. I came up with questions and rules and KyAnn added her own ideas...it's been lots of fun. You can read the post here and read other staff members' answers there, too.

Moving along, here are my answers. To my very own questions. They're basic...I know. But the main purpose of this post is for the lovely staff gals to get to know me better. And my readers might just get to know me a little better, too.

1. Your blogging name, age/birthday (if you're allowed to reveal it on blogger), location (as detailed as allowed) and Bloom! staff position:

Hannah. You totally didn't know that, right?
I'm 13. Will be 14 on April 24th. Yep, that's Easter! I'm excited.
I live in St. Louis, MO. (Come visit me if you're in the area, okay?)
+ I'm a Photographer on Staff 1.

2. How many siblings do you have and what are their names/ages?

I have three: CJ (11) Megan (8) and Stephen (3). They inspire and annoy me daily. I love them.

3. How are you educated (homeschool, private school, public school, etc)?

Always been homeschooled. It's something I love so much, and will definitely do with my own kiddos some day.

4. What denomination of Christian are you? What are your personal Christian beliefs, in a nutshell?

I'm a Roman Catholic. I could write you a book here, but (you know, in a nutshell...) everything I believe is summed up in the Apostles' Creed. Click on the link to read it for yourself. And if you'd like to learn more or have a question, I'd be thrilled if you emailed me.

5.What are some of your hobbies - such as sports, musical instruments, artistic talents, etc.

I'm a photographer. And a dancer (ballet and tap). I play violin, though I'm not extremely serious about it. I adore acting/musical theatre. Right now, I'm working on Annie...and I recently performed in one of my favorite plays yet, Pride and Prejudice. Eep - so fun!

If traveling counts as a hobby (does it? it should), then I'd throw that in there too...though I don't get to go out of town nearly as much as I'd like to, I love it when I can! And photographing seriously everything when you're traveling is half the fun of it.

6. Describe your personality in a few sentences:

Ohh, I'm horrible at questions like this. But I'll try and paint you an accurate picture.

When you first meet me, I'm pretty quiet. In fact, many conversations I have start out with awkward silences, but then progress into me talking and laughing far too much. I laugh. A lot. Seriously, I can find a reason to laugh in nearly any situation, and I think my laughter is contagious because I've gotten many a stony-faced person to crack a smile.

I'm not really an easy-going person (contrary to what most people think when they hear me laughing) and my temper can get the better of me. But I'm working on it! ;-) It doesn't take a ton to make me cry - be it from a movie or book or a real-life situation. I love passionately, and I dream incessantly. I resemble Anne Shirley way too much. Being alone gives me energy, and I love spending quiet mornings with my Bible, jounal, and God (not that that happens a ton - heh!). But I love being around people so that I can burn the energy off!

Yep, so there you have it. And, a few sentences? Bah!

7. Do you consider yourself more of a girly-girl or a tomboy? Or somewhere in between?

I'm very much a girl - lover of dresses, fun shoes, chic flicks (along with other movies, I promise!) flowers in my hair. But, "girly-girl"? I really can't bring myself to call it that. Getting messy is fun and blue outshines pink by lots. So, somewhere in between. (Not that pink is necessarily a girl's color any longer, with all the guys ya see sporting it. I kind of enjoyed it back when us gals had the color to ourselves. But anyways.)

8. Picture yourself ten years from now. What will you be doing, where will you be living, etc?

Let's see...I'd be about 24, right? Well, hopefully, I'd have a successful, up-and-running wedding photography business (yay!). And I very much wish that by that time I will have found the man that God wants me to spend my forever with. Where will I be living? My first thought is, Paris or London or Rome! But seriously, as long as I'm doing lots a traveling, I'd be more than happy to be in St. Louis. Or maybe California. Ha.

9. What is some of your favorite books? Favorite movies? Favorite foods?

books - some of my favorite authors are J.K. Rowling, Shannon Hale, Lois Lowry, Richard Peck, Jane Austen, C.S. Louis...and, well, the list goes on. ;)

movies - Truth to be told, I'm a terrible procrastinator when it comes to watching movies. My friend Kathleen is continually listing all of the movies I need to see and the list is getting longer and longer. But, let's see...Pride and Prejudice (newer version), Chronicles of Narnia (all of them), Tangled, Enchanted, Ballet Shoes, Pirates of the Caribbean (well, parts of them, at least), Harry Potter (I was especially impressed with the last one...apparently it is possible for a movie to stick to the book. hmm.)...and, once again, I'm probably forgetting something.

foods - call me crazy, but I love sushi. Lots. And pretty much anything sugary. Hee hee!

10. What got you interested in becoming a part of Bloom?

KyAnn had started to follow my blog over the summer, and she mentioned the website in a comment. At the time, I'd just been accepted into another new Christian girl's magazine, but for some reason or another, it never started running. So, at the last minute, I applied for staff photographer...and I am so, so blessed and happy that I did. The idea of the magazine really interested me, and the being a part of it just got me excited.

11. What's one way - or more - that you've been blessed, inspired, and/or challenged through becoming a part of Bloom?

It's so much fun and a blessing to read the finished magazine and think "I was a part of this!" And I love getting to know KyAnn and the staff better through email and other things...like this! It's challenged me to think outside the box for a photography assignment, and having to get it done by a deadline is very, very good for me. ;-)

12. What is your favorite thing about Bloom! as well as one thing you would like to see improved behind-the-scenes?

As I mentioned above, viewing the finished magazine is so much fun - it's so much fun to see how everything comes together. I also love going out and shooting my photography assignment and getting The Shot. Something to improve? I'm so bad at this (for the record, Kyann came up with this one)....get back to me in a bit, would ya?

13. What brings you inspiration (for life in general - not specifically Bloom!)?

I've been thinking about this question for several minutes now, writing and deleting my answers. All I can come up with is that I find inspiration in so many places - little details, my siblings, blogging, journaling, being outside, prayer. In the loud and the quiet, in the outwardly beautiful and the hidden beauty of things we usually forget about.

14. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? Who would you take with you and how long would you stay?

Hmmm...I would love to go visit France right now. Paris kinda makes me swoon. I would take a few besties from co-op...or maybe some sweet blogging friends who I'd love to meet in real life.

15. What's your favorite dessert/treat?

Cheesecake. And (almost) anything from Starbucks.

16. Coffee, tea, or soda?

Coffee. (Did you see that coming after my answer to that last question?)

17. What's your favorite color combination? Or combinations? ;-)

I answered this already in my giveaway post (which you may just want to check out - hurry, because it ends Tuesday!) but I'm obsessed with pretty much anything and the colour grey. And, the British spellings? It's way cooler like that.

18. What's your favorite time of year? What about least favorite?

With the exception of a crazy amount of school to do, I love autumn. The weather, the colors, the smells, everything. As for least favorite, I'd have to say January/February. The thrill of cold weather and snow is getting old, nothing much is happening, and catching a cold is nearly imperitive to make it all complete. Ugh.

19. Would you rather have one very close best friend or a group of close friends?

As it is, I have a group of about six close friends at co-op (and our co-op is small, so basically these girls are the ones closest to my age, but we still get along perfectly). We hang out in smaller groups, together, with others...but really, these girls are all my bestest friends and I love every chance I can spend with them. I love the idea of having one super-duper close friend...it's just never happened to me. But I'm so not complaining.
20. Who is a role model for you in your life today (could be your mom, grandma, family friend, celebrity, etc.)?

These questions usually have me tongue-tied. Or keyboard-tied? Whatever. I'm not the type of person to have just one role model in life. It's more like I'm picking out amazing qualities from the many people who have blessed my life and, without really thinking, shaping the ideal person I want to be. So I truly don't have an answer for this question!

21. Share a favorite quote or Bible verse. Why is it your favorite?

I have so many favorites, but I love Philipians 4:8...

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

This verse often starts running through my mind as I'm seeing or watching something I don't feel comfortable with...and thinking of it usually gives me the courage I need to turn away. Is is true, honest, just, pure, lovely? If not...as a Child of God, I'm far too good for it. We all are.

22. What is one thing that you've been trying to accomplish in 2011?

I'm horrible with New Year's Resolutions. Really I am. I did come up with some at the beginning of the year which I posted...and maybe practiced for about a week. One goal of mine that actually happened was to start keeping a journal again, and now, although I may not write every day, or even every week, it's so good to be doing it again.

23. What is one way (or more!) that you are trying to strengthen your relationship with Jesus right now?

Recently I've been trying to focus on the importance of prayer in my life...just talking to Jesus at various times throughout the day. It's so incredibly refreshing, and a reminder to myself that He's constantly, continually, always with me.

----

Well, that's that! I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to come up with my answers, everyone...I've seriously been working on it every chance I've gotten all week long. Eep.

And Bloom! Staff friends, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you stay and explore for a bit. ;)

Also, my giveaway ends Tuesday...don't forget to enter if you haven't!

with love,
--hannah m.

csn store love for you (giveaway!)

2011-02-26T11:25:00.003-06:00

{Giveaway now closed.}

Happy Saturday, friends! I have something super-special planned for you all today ...

Have you heard of CSN? Composed of over 200 unique stores, and they seriously have about everything. Stores such as Pendant Lighting, along with others that carry swoon-able furniture, fun shoes, kitchen lovelies...it's been so much fun to browse their websites these past few days!

And today, because CSN is super-awesome and because I love ya, you can enter to win a $25 gift code to any and all of their stores! How exciting is that?

Here's how you can enter ::

Mandatory - leave a comment answering the following question:

What's your favorite color combination?

For me to answer be able to answer, I'd have to make it combinations. Because I have a lot. And they all tend to revolve around a "grey" theme. A few favorites right now: yellow/grey, pink/grey, green/pink/grey, yellow/blue/grey. I'm a little obsessed, I know. ;)

for extra entries:
-Follow my blog through Google Connect (new or old, itdoesn't matter).
(+ 1 entry)
-Tweet or facebook about the giveaway, or mention it in a blog post.
(+ 1 entry for each way you do it ... that could mean 3 total!)

also, some additional details:
-Please oh please leave a separate comment for each entry. Meaning that if you entered in every way, you would have five separate comments total. This makes things so much easier for me.
-The giveaway runs from now through Tuesday, March 8th at noon CST.
-This is open to US and Canadian residents only. As always, I'm so sorry to my dear foreign readers!

So, enter away, friends! Looking forward to hearing from you.

And thank you, CSN, for providing this giveaway opportunity. I so appreciate it. ;)

with love,
---hannah

ps - Though I'm sure you'd never guess it, all of the images in this post belong to CSN. However, I used my brilliant Picniking talent to make the above collage; you're welcome to use it to spread the word, but please don't use it for other purposes or pretend that you made it. Thanks a bunch!

why i haven't been posting

2011-02-25T08:41:00.003-06:00

Yikes - I hate having to point it out, but I've been bad about posting lately. It's been over a week...something I really to try to avoid. So, I'm quite sorry!

Why haven't I been updating thing blog of mine? I've just been wondering that myself. And I came up with the following amazing reasons:

1. I was hoping to update you all and say that I was feeling totally spectacular, but my cold - as that's what my little nondescript sickness turned into - seriously stayed with me this entire week. I'm still blowing my nose...though it is getting better. And I'm feeling fine right now, if a little tired.

2. The weather has been totally nasty outside. Although, of course, before it started being cold and rainy spring decided to come and tease me a little on Sunday. Seventy degrees. It was complete heaven (and I spent it at CJ's flag football game with friends - so fun)...now, not so much. Ick.

3. I've been planning two blogging-related-thingies this past week. And it's taken up lots of my limited computer time. (You'll find out what they are soon, I promise!)

4. I've been wanting to post recent pictures and thought I hadn't taken any until I just emptied my memory card today. Oops - forgot about these. But I love them.

5. School work has decided to start dominating my life...not that it's anything new.

6. I've been kind of lazy about it.

7. I then decided to blame my laziness on the fact that I "didn't want blogging make up such a huge part of life." Even though I was still visiting blogger regularly (read: ~~kind of~~ a lot). Then I reminded myself that I could blog when I chose and that I shouldn't feel pressured to write anything if Iwasn't in the mood. Which is true. It felt good to remind myself of that, but seriously, I've missed blogging. Lots.

8. And, well, I've been eating lots of yogurt, you see. With this kiddo. It's addicting and takes up a lot of my spare time.

See you soon, I promise!

love,

Hannah

PS: A little announcement:

For those of you who have your names on the list for Pay It Forward, please email me with you address ASAP, after you get your post up. So far I have two addresses (Allie and Anne...thank you, girls!). I need three more right now. I'll be sending the packages out all at once, as soon as I have all five!

Also, if you have a preference as to what type of note cards you'd like to receive (thank you card, no message, nature, flowers, etc.) you can go ahead and email me. Otherwise, I'll just send out what I hope fits you best. ;-)

observations from my bed

2011-02-15T18:53:00.004-06:00

As I grabbed my laptop to start writing this post, I considered how to begin. Should I start it off with a "bleh" or other virtual noise of discomfort? Should I begin with a boring "I'm sick today and hate it" statement, since it'd be the truth? Should I start out poetically? Or should I begin completely off topic and apologize for not wishing y'all a happy Valentine's day yesterday?

It was then that I decided to start it like this. ^^ Because everything else would have sounded really pathetic.

But yes, friends, yours truly has one of those annoying, nondescript illnesses going today. You know, it can't just be labeled with "fever" or "cold" because it's some weird, achey thing in between. I feel horrible...because I'm behind in school and was hoping to get a move on today, because I feel like a burden, because physically I'm feeling, well, horrible (though not quite bad enough to feel justified for lying in bed all day - it's so annoying!).

I'm sitting here, wearing pajama's. I don't think I've left the room for the past three hours. Some parts of my body are sweating, others are begging for another blanket. A shower sounds so inviting, but I have a feeling my head would start aching like crazy if I took one. I feel unproductive. Simply put, today has been blah.

But through it all, if I search for it, there's still been good. And that's what I want to focus on. The good, the happiness, the moments where I felt blessed. So in no particular order...

-When I had eaten my delish noodley thing at lunch and mentioned (or maybe whined in a cracked and strained voice - whichever!) that I wanted some more, and Stephen brought his over and gave it to me to eat. Even though he'd been enjoying it himself.

It put love into perspective for me. And I love him so much.

-Reading Pride and Prejudice at killer speed (well, okay, for me). I had tried to read the book at the start of the school year, then struggled and failed. But after doing the play and watching the movie way too many times, I know and love it much more, so I'm trying again. Long story short, it's been most enjoyable.

-Consuming far too many oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Or as CJ reminds me to call them (the recipe says so), vanishing oatmeal cookies. He made them yesterday, and they quite live up to their name. I hope there's still some left, because I want one right now.

-And lastly: knowing that it's warm outside. Seriously, on Sunday it got up to sixty degrees. To celebrate, I wore flipflops and went outside with my camera. Let's just say it was a little awkward tramping through still-to-be-melted snow like that, but so fun and freeing. How I adore spring!

Despite my soar throat, my worries, and the fact that when I come downstairs the cookies may be gone (yikes!), I'm blessed. Life can be good and yucky-feeling at the same time, right? Or is this sickness starting to affect me mentally, too? ;)

I'll go ponder that, but I think the answer is yes. To the first question, I mean! I'm fairly sure I'm mentally stable at the moment. Like, kind of maybe possibly pretty sure. Ahem.

Ciao, sweet friends!

with love,

---hannah

ten on ten

2011-02-13T15:43:00.001-06:00

I think it was back in October when I found out about Ten on Ten, and I've been putting it on my calender and wanting to join ever since. In a nutshell, you take 10 photos - about one each hour - on the tenth of the month, documenting your day. How fun is that? The problem was, me being me, I would tend to check my calender on the eleventh, then bang my head again a wall and vow to do remember the next month. It went on for quite a while.

I was most excited that I finally remembered participate last Thursday. And even though we didn't do anything amazingly special, nor did I tote my camera with me everywhere, it was still fun to document the day.

{oh, and note - the times listed are estimates. i just realized that, even having purchased my camera back in july, i never quite put it's clock to the correct time. ahem.}

10:20am :: I was lucky enough to glance at my calender and remember to start my 10 on 10. Could I get an ovation or something, please?

11:30am :: Tidying my desk. So I realize this is going to sound cliche, but I do school work so much more productively with a clean desk space. So I dropped what I was doing in English and tidied for a few minutes.

And notice how I labeled the "before" and the "after." Just so you could determine which was which. You're very welcome!

12:20pm :: My mom and are are doing Religion, and Stephen's working his musical talents. And wearing one of Megan's dress-up necklaces.

The sweet guy has a nasty cough/cold/little bit of a fever going right now, though. And it's one of those times when you just wish you could endure his pain rather than him, because he's much too sweet to have a cold.

See what I mean?

1: 00pm :: Frozen pizza for lunch. Okay, so I'll be the first to admit that frozen pizza is pretty darn icky, so I'll neither confirm nor deny that I didn't actually have more than a piece. But I will say that Megan had whipped up some limeade to go with it, which made me super-happy. Megan, please don't ever grow out of your limeade-making-obsession. I hope that you will continue to surprise me with cups of goodness at random intervals of my day forever and ever.

2:00pm :: I'm doing...algebra. No comment. (Though as I told a friend the other day, 'no comment' is such a dumb expression. I mean, not to state the obvious or anything, but it is your comment. So, seriously?)

3:00pm :: This is what I'm looking out the window at.

Ihhh. Not fun at all. Amazingly enough, though, it's gone now. And replaced by a temporary 55-degrees. Oh my goodness, I'm so in love with this.

4:00pm :: My mom drops me off for an hour at our parish's adoration chapel. I love it here - so quiet, so refreshing. Puts me in perspective. I love doing religion assignments there, especially because it keeps me focused and inspired. Didn't take my camera, but this is me just before going.

7:00pm :: After dinner and dropping CJ off at an event, my mom, Megan, Stephen and I go to Kohl's. We didn't have a ton of time since we needed to pick CJ up again - my dad had some work things going - so unfortunately I couldn't really delve into the gorgeous spring clothes.

Picked up these shoes though. And I'm smitten.

{Please excuse the nasty lighting :-/ Bleh!}

10:00pm :: (as I skipped a few more hours) Stephen and Megan are in my room saying goodnight...and Stephen's showing off his new super-man pajamas.

11:00pm :: I'm practicing my lines for Annie in bed before going to sleep. And just for the record, I've almost got 'em all. (Let's just ignore the fact that we were supposed to have everything memorized by the start of January, okay?)

I'm linking up to a bit of sunshine.

with love,
---hannah m.

ps - one space is still open for Pay It Forward, if you're interested. To those of you on the list, please email (with your address!) me when your post is up. (So far I only have one address.)

pay it forward

2011-02-10T12:57:00.003-06:00

update - sorry I didn't include this before, but no, I am not willing to ship internationally for Pay It Forward. I am so, so sorry about this, because I know all of my foreign readers totally deserve something from me:) I just don't have that kind of money on my hands right now. thanks for your understanding, friends!

I'm sure you've heard of it - Pay It Forward has been pretty popular this '11, and I've decided to join in. (Thanks, Amanda - and so sorry it took me this long to get my post up.) How it works - the first five of you who comment and say you'd like to participate in the chain will receive a handmade-by-yours-truly gift in the mail.

But, there's a catch. In order for me to send you a prize, you have to pay it forward and do this same thing on your blog. As in, spreading the love and sending a handmade present to the your first five commenters who want to join the chain. (I know - rather annoying. But being creative is never a bad thing, and your readers will love you for it. ;)

As for what you'll be receiving from me...well, first of all, note that I'm not really a crafty person. I don't make fabulous jewelry, I don't own a sewing machine and am not sure if I remember how to use one, simple project DIY's tend to confuse me, and I'm in awe of people who can draw. ("Draw" is not to be mistaken for "doodle" - many are jealous of my skills in that area.)

I'm a photographer, though. That would be my art. So what I'm thinking is I'll send you a set of my photography notecards (you can even choose what you want) that I had made a couple of months ago. I must say, they're quite lovely, and I've been using my stash rather often.

a little bit of what i have here...so cute!

So here's how I'm working it:
- You comment on this post letting me know that you'd like a slot and that you'll join Pay It Forward.
-At your earliest convenience, write your own Pay It Forward post offering five people a handmade product of your own.
-Then email me with a link to your post and your address and we'll get everything set up.

For MY convenience though, you have two weeks to write your post and email me. After that, I'll open up your slot and use the next person who expressed interest.

~~As of now, five one slots are open. Shout it out in the comments if you'd like to grab it and I'll add your name below!~~ All slots are now full! To those of you on the list, please email me with your address once your post is up. ;-)

1. Allie
2. MONKEYGIRL1
3. Emilie
4. Hannah
5. Amanda

with love,
---hannah m.

ode to pride and prejudice

2011-02-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

I haven't even started it yet, but I have a feeling that this post will be a long one. And it may not completely make sense or be in a perfect order. But I'm okay with that.

This weekend was my Pride and Prejudice play.

And the "was" is making my eyes sting.

I'll back up. It was last spring when it was announced the a sweet and ever-so-talented mom at our co-op would be directing the "Pride and Prejudice" as a play for the older students. I was excited, even if barely new what the book, movie, or play was about at the time; even if hadn't a clue who my dear part of Kitty was. Now, although I still haven't read the book to this day, I've watched the movie (new Keira Knightley version = love!) and know our script a little too well now. I've come to love the story.

We started practices at the beginning at co-op in September and drama quickly became my favorite class. Practicing for plays are so much fun...this was no different. And our cast was simply perfect - consisting of all of my dear, talented acting friends who I know and love even more now. Seriously, I could consider every cast and crew member to be a bestie. And I thought I knew my friend Mariana, who played Lydia, pretty well last fall, but now I think she could be my sister. If there's such a thing as laughing too hard (which I don't believe there is), I think we've done it.

Okay, now I'm going to brag a little about some behind the scenes friends who are amazing at what they do. My friend, Kathleen, who played Elizabeth, is so incredible - she made most of the dresses for our play. Sewed 'em all on her own. And a friend of cast, sweet Lexi, did our hair in the loveliest regency do's. She too is incredible, and one of the many things I love about her is that she has so much fun doing our hair.

Another friend of the cast, lovely Katie, painted our set along with a few helpers - so talented. Bunches of people complimented how beautiful our set looked, and I think we're now using it for the spring show, Annie, too. And then there was our director - so sweet, so talented, and you could just tell how much she loved to watch us. I'm thankful for them all.

We were scheduled to have rehearsals all of last week, and I was so excited and pumped. To my great distress, however, the weather did not allow for it. So although we weren't covered in feet of snow like so many other places (we got a few inches of sleet instead - ugh!) practices Monday through Wednesday were canceled. It was depressing for me - I was a little afraid for the show and so disappointed about not seeing everyone. But if anything, those few days were a reminder to me not to take all of this for granted. Once again I remind myself that I'm so blessed.

Thankfully enough, we were able to practice extra on Thursday and Friday morning before our two performances. And the weekend has been a beautiful blur. I wore curlers, I danced to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack with friends, I lost sleep, I had Starbucks, I wore dresses, I laughed, I performed. Just thinking about it makes me want to relive it - and I so wish I could.

It's a homeschool theatre tradition here to go to Steak 'n Shake after performances, and that's what pretty much all of the cast and their families did on Saturday night (after our - sob - last show). There were a ton of us, and the poor workers' attempts to "strategize things" were for naught. I laughed hard, smiled big, hugged long, loved a lot. Dear Lord, thank you so much for moments like these. They're special, and I'm grateful. (And the Butterfingers milkshakes? Made me extra happy.)

you'll have to search for me...i'm on the right and third from the back.

And now, it's over. Finished. Well, for the most part - we're still uploading pictures having virtual conversations on the Shutterfly site. There's still our cast party, an English Country Dance, coming up in a few weeks that I'm insanely excited for (eep!). I'll still be seeing these people at co-op, and quoting lines, laughing over stupid privet jokes, and agreeing that we should start traveling the world performing our beloved play. So maybe over is too strong of a word, but it won't be the same.

Nevertheless, I'm thankful. Happy, if a little nostalgic. My life has been blessed in so many ways through these past few months, and this last week particularly. I've been acting, something I love so much; I've strengthened relationships with dear friends; I've loved. And love is such a precious gift.

I've been trying to figure out a way to end this post without starting to repeat myself or something, so I'll end with some (more) favorite photos. Credits go to either me, my mom, my friend Kathleen's mom, lovely Amanda (friend of the cast) who rocked her point-and-shoot and has taken some real lovelies these past weeks. She's also been sweet enough to start a Shutterfly website where everyone can share their Pride and Prejudice photos, which has been so much fun. Thanks Amanda!

the bennet sisters. oh how i <3 these girls!

this would be dancing to the pride and prejudice soundtrack. my friend rebecca and i are both quite amazing (and notice we're being videotaped too?) :-)

Yes, I'm thankful. So very much.

Have a lovely day! (And I promise, I'll get back to my regular posting soon. As you may have guessed, Pride and Prejudice has thrown me a little off-track. But in a good way.)

blessings,
--hannah m.

Of snow and cold and beauty

2011-01-27T10:50:00.124-06:00

I'm not a cold-weather person. Never have been and most likely never will be. Yes, I was always that gal who'd get insanely excited whenever it snowed and be out the door and into the cold before anyone else. But only to come back in about ten minutes later, frozen stiff and asking for hot chocolate. Seriously, my dear northern readers, I don't know how you do it.

On the other hand, I'm not a hot-weather person either. I have a tendency to become a total crank when the temperature inches close to ninety or higher. And I'll never forget the terribly sweaty day a few summers ago when our friends from Florida were visiting, and they remarked on how cool it was. Whereas I'd just been complaining about the heat. So all ya southern folks, I admire y'all too. (Though even if I can't survive your summers, I can still do all of y'all's accent.)

I'm a major wimp when it comes to weather. Just incase you needed the clarification.

But where were we? Oh yes. The Cold. With a capital C.

You see, it snowed last week. And it was quite beautifully picturesque - I do love snow. But it was also around 15 degrees, and creeping down to as low as around 5 at night. And I don't do 15-degree weather. Just don't. But me being me, I had the brilliant idea of opening up our front door and snapping a few shots through our glass door. See?

I know, I'm so smart. But as many of you know, I'm more of a macro photographer than a landscape one...And the door was crampin' my style.

Then on Sunday, it got, for lack of a much better term, "warmer" - around 20. Deciding that it was the best I could hope for, I took advantage of the weather, put on a scarf and gloves and hat and pea coat, grabbed my camera, and...went outside. Eep.

I stayed out for a full twenty minutes. And found beauty. Oh goodness, I found beauty. Winter is so gorgeous, it really is, if you look for it. I took some of my favorite photos ever. {Insert extremely happy sigh.}

Then, when I was thoroughly freezing (as in, my fingers were having a hard time changing the shutter speed on my camera - I'm a wimp and know it) I came inside to...de-thaw.

And see if there was any hot chocolate mix to be found.

Do you folks get super-cold winters where you live? I'm quite curious as to how many people are going to totally make fun of me for - ahem - disliking 20-degree weather. Truly I am.

Have a lovely day, friends!

-Hannah m

ps - Okay, do you guys realize that I just wrote an entire post about the weather? My gosh, how lame is that? I think I'll blame it on the fact that...it's been cold outside lately. Which would explain, like, everything, right?

thank you, clarification, & a little idea

2011-01-24T09:59:00.000-06:00

First of all, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for the sweet comments I received in Wednesday's post. You guys encouraged me...totally let me know that I wasn't alone. And, reminded me once again that I do have some super-duper sweet readers. So thank you. Beyond all of that, though, I wanted to address a few other things I saw popping up in the comments I received:

-A few people kind of hinted that they thought I had a habit of comparing myself to others. Maybe I totally took this the wrong way. But in all honesty, I'm not that someone who's constantly feeling they're "not as good as the rest", especially in the area of photography. (Woah - don't take that sentence the wrong way, guys; I'm not trying to brag. Just read my last post and balance the two out, 'k?) It happens to us all sometimes, though, and as I stated in my post, I need patience and practice. Right now, my photos are still beautiful.

-Someone mentioned that one thing I could to to improve my photos was to have less blank space in the background and move in on the subject. While I completely and utterly agree, I realized after reading the comment that I'd hardly included any of the close-up shots I'd taken during the shoot. I had, at random, simply chosen more far-out photos to post. Just to clarify, not all of my shots are like that.

-And lastly, one common theme in the comments y'all gave me was, "I'm going through the same (or a similar) thing with my photography right now! Maybe we could encourage each other?" I liked that idea. Okay, I totally loved that idea. I started thinking, like, wouldn't it be cool if I could start a sort of weekly photography link-up here? Not a themed photo challenge, not something devoted to a particular area of photography (macros, people, landscapes), but a place where aspiring photographers could share their ups, downs, successes, failures (and maybe even some tips) from the past week or so? A place to inspire and be inspired in our journey as a photographer?

I am so far from having this all thought out. But the idea is striking to me. I would love it if we could all encourage each other to really grow and bloom in our photographic endeavors. Could you guys give me your opinions, and possibly ideas? Are you interested? Because I would be more than happy and blessed to host something like that. I think that we could put something really amazing together.

Please let me know what you think, in a comment or an email. If you're interested, lovely. If not, that's completely and utterly okay, too.

Alright, before I write a novel here (this was supposed to be a really short post - go figure), I'm going to wish you a lovely Monday (I know, blah) and be off. ;)

love!
hannah m

photograph.

2011-01-19T09:07:00.004-06:00

Sometimes...

The realm of photography simply depresses me.

I'm inspired by amazing, amazing photographers

And I want to be like them.

Talented. Successful. Inspirational. Unique. Incredible.

I want to take these "perfect pictures", and I want to take them NOW.

But sometimes?

My images aren't sharp enough.

Backlighting had drastic results.

Way too often, at least for me, my work is underexposed, or overexposed, or incorrectly focused.

And that can get frustrating.

I don't have a snazzy, expensive (like, nicer than my Rebel) camera, or an extensive array of lenses.

I don't have a variety of clients. Or actual clients at all.

And Picnik. I edit my photos in Picnik.com. Cringe.

My friend who can't tell the difference between a blurry and nonblurry photo edits on Picnik.

On the other hand, Photoshop CS5 will be purchased shortly, and when it comes?

I will not even BEGIN to know how to use it.

The thought itself intimidates me.

Help?

I have to realize, more than ever, that being - more like BECOMING - a professional photographer means practice and time and patience and then some.

Obviously I know that. Always have and always will. It's just not something I'd like to believe.

I need patience so badly - patience as I improve, as I learn more, as I work up Hannah Magdalene Photography (my business specializing in wedding and lifestyle photography, that I want to launch so badly, but am so far away from doing so). And as much as I want for that to be RIGHT NOW, I know it's just not possible. Not quite yet, and I need to accept that. I need to wait for "go".

Lord, please give me patience.

All of the pictures in this post,

Were taken the other day with my Canon Rebel T2i.

And my new lens.

And edited on Picnik.com.

I needed some practice working with and photographing people

So I asked Megan if she'd come and model for me.

(Megan, I do believe that the reason for you being my sister has been revealed. I need a model.)

I'll tell you right up front - these aren't the best. At all. Just looking at them now before I publish my post, I cringe and want to look away. The focus, the exposure, especially the editing...it could be so much better.

But these are my pictures. They're what I've got.

And I need to be completely and entirely okay with that.

They're still beautiful.

Book Love - a new book reviewing link-up

2011-01-15T11:31:00.014-06:00

So perhaps some of you have been wondering, what exactly happened to Monthly Book Reviews? Well, I've known this for quite awhile, and I might as well let everyone know: Monthly Book Reviews (MBR) will not be continuing in 2011.

There. I said it. Monthly Book Reviews was a solely 2010-based thing, after all, and in my opinion, it wasn't worth keeping another year. Writing reviews on time were becoming strenuous and time-consuming, and participation was most disheartening. When I began in January, I had about five participants per weekend. Since then, my blog readership has, like, quadrupled, and I still had the same number of folks joining in November. (To those of who made it so fun for me - Tarissa, Hannie, Libby, Izzy, Caroline and all other linker-uppers - I love ya lots. Thank you for all that you did.)

About MBR for this past December, I can honestly tell you that I really was planning to have it. But, after a series of unfortunate events on Friday, including a friend's Grandfather's funeral, a completely freak tornado warning, and our internet subsequently being out for the rest of the day, it was clearly not able to happen on the day I had planned.

When I went to post it on Saturday instead, for some strange reason I was expecting gobs of comments and emails asking me what had happened the day before. But there were none. Zero. And that's when I realized, I seriously didn't want to have to slave over a book review that I didn't feel like writing, and not unlike other MBR participants, I couldn't care less about skipping December's MBR.

(I would, however, like to thank those of you asked a few days ago if I was ever going to put it up. Your comments were definitely appreciated.)

But moving on, I also knew that I really would like to keep up something book related here on Hannah's Hangout. And I've recently come up with Book Love link-ups. MBR's loverly alternative.

{grab a button}

Unlike MBR, these book-reviewing link-ups

-will happen sporadically and spontaneously on Hannah's Hangout, whenever this gal has the time and desire to do it
-do not require you to have read the book you are reviewing within the last month
-will have a linky open for two whole weeks
-make it easy for you to link up a book review that you've already posted on your blog before and gain more traffic through it

When linking up though, I DO require that you do the following super-simple things:

-Review a book that you enjoyed and want to recommend to others. Like, if rating, a 4 or 5 star book.
-Keep your reviews clean, please. And let us know if any objectionable content is in the book.
-Link back to Hannah's Hangout and/or include a Book Love button in your post. (If you choose to use a post you've already published, please edit it to let everyone know that you're linking up with Book Love.)
-Even if you're entire blog is focused on books, I ask that you only link up your single Book Love post to my linky. If a link is entered incorrectly, it will be deleted. (Why? Because several months from now if someone is browsing Book Love posts and reading reviews, they will NEVER be able to find your post - which is unfair to both them and you.)

Keep in mind that I have every right to delete your link if I consider your Book Love post inappropriate.

If you're interested in joining me for our very first Book Love or viewing more entries, scroll down for the link-up below. Really quickly (or not?), here is my review:

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
I'm kind of going through a Lois Lowry phase here. First I was head-over-heels enthralled by The Giver, and now I'm enthralled by this. Are there any other of her books that I need to read, guys? I'm all ears. And eyes.

Storyline: Ten-year-old Annemarie lives in Copenhagen in 1943 - a place that at the time is filled with Nazi soldiers, food rations, and difficulty. And things begin to get worse: the Nazis start searching for and rounding up Jews, meaning Annemarie's best friend Ellen and her family are in danger. Can Annemarie stay strong and brave as she helps her friend and others escape to safety - even when it's up to her to save their lives?Although fiction, all of the history in this book is completely real...something that I found really interesting, especially since Denmark isn't where you usually think of the Holocaust taking place.

To be honest, I was skeptical when I started reading. For one thing, I'm not a huge Holocaust fan...and for another, this book is really quite short. But it drew me right in, and I sat frozen in my bed a few nights ago as I read it in a one or two hour sitting. Everything seemed so real; I literally had to keep reminding myself at the climax that it's just a book and everything's okay. ;) Lois Lowry is a truly amazing author, and it was neat to see how wonderfully she tackled historical fiction after reading The Giver. In the way of objectionable content, there is no romance or typical Holocaust violence and any language was very brief/mild. Recommended for ages 11 and up.

Want to link up? Just write a review of a book you love, grab the button (it's on my sidebar and earlier in this post) and join the fun by linking your Book Love post below. Would love it if you blog-hopped around a bit, too!

Have a lovely Saturday!
-hannah m
PS - I just realized this post was really, really long. I'm sorry about that, guys!

virginia beach '10 :: watching for dolphins

2011-01-11T08:21:00.022-06:00

I recently realized that, aside from a bit about Williamsburg and the news about my momma's miscarriage, our summer vacation to Virginia Beach has remained - for the most part - a mystery. And for the record, I'm really not sure why I didn't post about it before this. I completely and utterly stump myself sometimes, and I think this is might be one of those times.

Anyways, you see, I've been having things called travel pangs lately. Like, I'll be writing an English paper, and randomly start wishing I was in Paris, or Copenhagen, back in Roma, or even, like, California. Taking pictures, and blogging about it, and just having a marvelous time. It is at this point that my English paper tends to kind of fly out the window.

Usually what I do to cure this, besides fantasizing, or, you know, booking a flight to Europe, is going back and looking through photos from past vacations, and editing them, and making myself feel all travel-like. Somehow, it keeps my longings, for the most part, at bay. (Yes, I do indeed realize I'm a bit weird. Sigh.)

That brought me to my going through Virginia Beach photos from last summer. Which made me want to post about it, since I never really had. Which brings me right here.

Probably one of my favorite days of our trip (or, really, more like one of the most photographed ones) consisted of taking a boat ride tour out to spot...dolphins. It actually hadn't really been a planned part of our vacation, but I think we wanted a little break from the beach (or something like that?) and all 12 of us ended up here.

By 12, I mean my Godparent's family and ours. I know I've mentioned before (right?), but they came down and spend our time in Virginia Beach with us. So fun!

This is Megan and a certain member of the C family who I still believe is her twin, two years older though he may be. They're about the same size, though...and were rather inseparable. Megan lived in their car.

my parents and stephen

Our boat start off. It was a wee bit tipsy, in a think-you-might-just-all-over-if-you-don't-death-grip-the-hand-railing type of way. Well, at least for this gal right here. But it was fun and exhilarating at the same time. Occasionally, if you stood in just the right place towards the front, you'd get splashed. It became addictive;)

see how seriously i took the whole death-grip thing? *wink*
(this was taken with by my mom with her p&s)

After a ways, the engine stopped for a bit...and we spotted a crazy-lotta dolphins. You're kind of going to have to trust me here, though. You see, these dolphins, being the unpredictable creatures that they are, are not that great at telling me where to point my camera so that I can shoot them as they jump out of the water.

But I don't blame 'em Who wants to be shot, anyway?

Hardee har har.

Here's what I did snap. (The picture below is my current desktop background. Swoon.)

Totally beauty-ful, no? And it really doesn't do it justice at all. Apparently, it was a good day to be watching...they were literally everywhere. And there was that wonderful sense of how everybody, whether you'd known them for thirteen years or about five seconds, took it upon themselves to shout, clap, or point for you whenever a dolphin happened to show itself. Which was often.

All in all, it was a very fun couple of hours. Well, for me, at least...CJ got a little seasick and spent the ride back lying down inside. And Stephen, well, Stephen fell asleep.

Nothing like churning water and a bit of excitement over spotting to make you wanna hit the sack like that.

But really, if you're planning a trip to Virginia Beach any time soon, you may just wanna check this place out, touristy as it may be:

Rudee Tours Dolphin Watching
(It looks like there's some loverly photos there, too)

Thanks for letting me partially cure my travel pangs, guys. ;) Now, I need to go bang my ahead against a wall, because my father is headed over to Germany in a few weeks and not taking me along. It's tech-week for my Pride and Prejudice play is that week, he says. And he's kind of right.

I think I need to go find some photos from Rome now,
-Hannah m

you like?

2011-01-08T15:56:00.002-06:00

Please don't freak out...this really is the same Hannah's Hangout. And I really am the same Hannah M. I promise. ;)

But - as you just might have noticed - things are looking a ~~bit~~ lot different over here. I've finally - finally - worked up the courage to use a Minima Template and create a design for myself. And personally, I'm simply loving how free and open everything is looking. I still may switch up some things or make little HTML tweaks, but overall, I really do love it.

Would love to hear your opinion, though - what are you thinking?

Oh, and I've also overcome my procrastination in making myself a blog button. You're very welcome to snag it - it's over on my sidebar.

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While I'm at it, I've decided to link up with the lovely Ara (aka Awel) and join her "life is sweet" bloggity hop. Okay, so maybe she didn't exactly call it a "bloggity hop", but, for lack of a better one, it's the word I'm using. To learn more and join yourself, do click above.

ten things that make me happy.
{1} staying up late into the night...reading.
{2} my dad surprising me with a trip to starbucks.
{3} laughing until my stomach hurts.
{4} traveling internationally (something i've only done once, but man, did it make me happy. ;)
{5} nailing ballet combinations on pointe.
{6} sweatpants from american eagle - i'm wearing mine right now.
{7} sunflare in my photos.
{8} curly hair.
{9} a to-do list with everything on it checked off.
{10} prayer. and my bible. and Jesus.

What are some things that make you happy?

Have a wonderful Saturday, sweet friends!

love,
Hannah

For This Year - a list

2011-01-04T10:01:00.007-06:00

It's hard to believe I'm sitting here wishing you a "Happy New Year"...a happy, blessed 2011. It's hard to believe that just a year ago I was here heralding 2010.  But then again, looking back, it's hard to believe how young I immature I seemed - and was - compared to now.

I realized, especially today, how very wonderful this past year was for me. The Lord blessed my life in so many ways, and I'm incredibly thankful for that....
I went to Rome, Italy.
I bought my DSLR last summer, and received a new lens just recently.
I moved on from 7th to 8th grade.
I visited relatives, and my Godparents and their family over the summer.
I found out that my mom was pregnant...and that Baby E is now in Heaven, after three months existence, alive, in my her womb.

I've laughed. I've cried. My faith has been challenged, but through it all, I think - I hope - that I've grown so much closer to the Lord.

And this year, I'm making a list.  No surprise, obviously - making lists brings great joy into my life (though completing them...we won't go there). There are so many things I want to accomplish in 2011, but I've done my best to be - ahem - practical with my expectations...and I've come up with the following.

(Also on the list should be something about "following through with the lists you make." But, well, I'm not sure if I'd really follow through with that. Hardee har har.)

challenge my photographic creativity.
I've started a Project 365, focusing completely on me, myself, and I (read more about it here). But other than that, I'm just going to find beauty, and snap, and find emotion, and shoot. Not worry so much about imperfections - just capture love. I'm going to - hopefully - have Photoshop CS5 to figure out shortly (yep, I'm excited). I'm going to buy some more equipment (God and income permitting) and branch out. I'd like to start selling prints on Esty, and begin doing photo-shoots, and so much more.

read my entire bible, straight though, every day.
I'm super-excited to be joining these lovely ladies in a three-month Bible-Challenge. But, I'll just be honest and say that I definitely will not be finishing in the three months given. The Lord has been telling me to take it a bit more slowly, and plus, my Bible (the Catholic Bible) has seven more books than what the schedule was made for.  This is definitely something that I can do everyday, though, and finish within the year for sure.

For sure, Hannah. Did you hear that? For SURE.
Sorry. I'm talking to myself.

cook and bake and create.
I love spending time in the kitchen, but really, I don't do it enough. At all. So, I'd like to try and bake something (or make dinner, maybe) each weekend, or something like that. We'll see how this goes. ;) (Writing this is making me hungry for blueberry bread. Not sure why.)

learn more html.
It's pitiful, folks. I'm getting to know HTML a bit better - I've created simple layouts and such - but still...I'd love to be able to give myself beautiful make-overs by next year and learn a bunch more about CSS, too. (Speaking of that, I was planning to make some design changes for the new year - whoops!) I know many of you are at least rather skilled in this arena...are there any books or online-tutorial type things that were helpful for you when you began? Because I would love to know.

keep a journal.
I've kept diaries/journals on and off in past years, and have never really kept with it longer than a few months. I'm aspiring to kind of document 2011 this way - the thoughts, quotes, the things I did. It is my goal to - although I may not write every single day - be consistent throughout the year.

Be consistent throughout the year, Hannah. Did you...Oh, never mind.

finish 8th grade before our co-op's graduation.
This'll require a lot of perseverance on my part, but seriously, I'd love to have all of my school things totally finished by whenever in mid-May I "graduate" from grade school. Wouldn't it be the pits if I went and graduated and then had to finish up all my work for another three weeks? No thank you!

(I think I'm going to read that paragraph every day before I do school. And memorize it. And put it in a frame over my desk, just to be safe.)

get through all of the books on my to-read list.
Okay, so this list currently does not exist yet. But, although I may not be a particularly avid book-lover, I so enjoy it, and there are several books I've been meaning to...tackle. Once I make a list, I hope to complete it before next year. Perhaps I'll share it with y'all sometime.

and...re-access my priorities.
We live in such a messed up world...Suddenly what's most important in life seems worth about ten minutes, and everything else - everything that doesn't even matter - gets pushed in front of it. This year, I strive not to forget why I'm living...who gave me life, along with every other blessing...who loves me unconditionally no matter how much I fall. I strive not to forget my Savior this year, amid everything else my life holds.

I want to focus on the truth. On being a blessing in this messed up world that I'm a part of.  I want to life for CHRIST - because it's what life is all about.

Then there's everything else in between that I'll do - dance, sing, act, blog, write, laugh, cry, love, and so much more.  I have no idea what is headed my way this year, but He does. And He'll see me through.

What are you wanting to accomplish in twenty-eleven? I would love to hear your goals...and perhaps what you do to stick with 'em? ;)

Now I'm off to go accidentally write '2010' on one of my school papers. Happens every year. ;)

with love,
Hannah

Christmas at 50mm and Then Some

2010-12-29T18:45:00.005-06:00

Hey, everyone - and merry after-Christmas! (Okay, so I guess what you're supposed to say now is "happy almost-new year", but whatever.)

How was the 25th for you all? My day, overall, was beautiful - partly because of the snow we had been blessed with and mostly because of the Reason for the Season.

Oh, and also...

because I received a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 (USM) lens!

So giddy and excited about this - it's a lens I'vewanted pretty much ever since I first heard about it. (And yep, this was the box from B&H camera and video, if you're wondering.)

Seriously, I'm in love. The bokeh, the fuzziness, the smaller ISO in in lowlight, how very light-weight my camera becomes. All incredibly awesome. I put it on my camera body as soon as I opened it up and it stayed on the entire Christmas day. Here are a few moments from my 50mm Christmas...

stephen so adored his gifts this year...which mainly had to do with buzz lightyear and various super-hero-related things.

my uncle's fiance (so practically my aunt...;) and father, being themselves.

we do everything the old-fashioned way around here...and make crescent rolls from that nifty refrigerated tube thing. it was a hit.

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Since then, I've been so enjoying my little break in school work and activities. It's so very divine. Here's just a few things I've been up to....

-sleeping late. Okay, so let me justify this statement...It's not that I've been oversleeping, it's that I've been going to bed epicly late. I'm reading the last two books in the Betsy-Tacy series (Betsy and the Great World and Betsy's Wedding, both by Maud Hart Lovelace) like a mad woman so that I can review them for Monthly Book Reviews on Friday. And also because I can't seem to put them down.

It will neither be confirmed nor denied that you could have found me shedding tears in my bed this morning at 1am, book in hand. They are an epicly sweet series.
Speaking of Monthly Book Reviews, though, remember to get your reviews ready for the "something special" that's coming up. Come to think of it, I should probably start planning that right now. I know, I'm so on top of things. Not, not, not.

-doing bits and pieces of school work. I'm so extremely proud of myself for this! My goal is to finish my English chapter and Science module by next week. Not sure if I'll succeed entirely, but I'm determined to catch up a bit.

-botanical gardens. The whole family went for a short little visit yesterday. I didn't bring my new lens because I hadn't bought a filter or hood yet for it (have 'em now, though) and was paranoid it might break or something tragic like that. I still snapped some lovely macros, f/5.6 and all:)

-The Giver discussion. I read this book last month (reviewed it here) for a book discussion that was held last night with some families from co-op. Let me just say, it was a such blessing to be a part of. The book made me think, ponder, and re-access life...and discussing it with these dear, challenging people did the same thing for me at a new level. It was so inspiring.

And lastly: I finally saw Voyage of the Dawn Treader today. It was everything I had imagined and then some. I hadn't read the book in a few years, but it all came rushing back to me...the lovely plot, the characters, the total perfectness. I love these movies so much (better than the books, really, although I know I'll be shot for saying it). And, Eustace was awesome and perfect. Just thought I'd mention it.

Here's a little fact that a friend of mine told me...Did you know that Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) is 29 years old in this movie? Twenty-nine! I'm not kidding. He looks at least five years younger, doesn't he? It's crazy! I'm jealous...Or, I mean, I will be when I'm his age.
I am not really sure why I just spent that past minute and a half rambling about Caspian's age. It's probably because I had a nutritious lunch consisting of popcorn, popcorn, and a bit of popcorn today. Ahem.

I need to go eat something.

What have you all been up to lately?

Love!
Hannah

Have a Beautiful Day...

2010-12-25T12:10:00.000-06:00

It's December 25th, and I'm here wishing you a blessed and merry Christmas - I truly hope that you all have a beautiful day. It's so easy to loose perspective, isn't it? I know that I'm super-excited for some new camera gadgets I'm getting, and desert, and spending time with my amazing extended family. It's all good, all a blessing that I'm so very thankful for. But, why am I even here celebrating? What is its purpose? I strive not to forget that today.

Because I'm so incredibly grateful for my Jesus, my Savior, my Lord. He is so amazing - look at everything He's made, everything that He's done. And then, my God humbled Himself like this. And, He did it for ME. He did that for me. My heart simply leaps with joy and love and admiration when I think of it. He did this all for me, so that I - His creation, this sinner - could have eternal life.

He did that for me.

And for you, too. Have you taken the time to say thank you today? Or everyday?

Merry Christmas. Have a beautifully joy-filled time celebrating...and don't forget the reason for the season.

A little heads up - I'm taking today off from my laptop (this post was scheduled). It seems so right - more time to focus on Jesus, family, and food. In that order.

love!

Hannah

And, here's a little video that a friend told me about the other day. Will never fail to crack me up. Okay, so I was just thinking about it and I started laughing. (I'll blame that part on the fact that it's 11:30pm as I'm writing this, though. My bed looks so amazing right now.)

Enjoy...