HAPPY MARCH!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the weather forecast predicts snow on Friday -- it's truly spring in Maryland.

Jokes aside, I think I speak for many of us when I say I am excited to be out of the winter blues. I love winter, its coziness, chilled air and snow storms...but only when I can stay curled up with a hot cup of tea and my friends from One Tree Hill (if you haven't seen the show, stop what you are doing and start watching!) Once school and work enters the scene, I am ready for the cold weather to go. 

Check out the professional photos from this shoot I styled with Joy Michelle Photography!

This spring is an exciting one for me, as I both graduate and move house! 

 Our new home under construction!!

I am undoubtedly excited about moving and ready for the DIY projects I can craft, rooms I can design and blogs/videos I can create. 

Enter graduation. 

Now this is where the bittersweet emotions come in. 

When asked daily if i'm excited to graduate from college or what my post-grad plans are, I typically respond with two answers:

                     1. It's terrifying & exciting.

                     2. I am ready to be out of school, but not ready to be out of school.

I'm not alone in this feeling either, most of my friends and classmates feel the same way. So why is this? Why are we both nervous and excited to begin our lives?

My guess, because it's not the beginning of our lives, but the next step.

We are often told that the "big bad real world" is a place to be scared of and told to "enjoy college while you can, working sucks." Call me optimistic, but I would like to think the next 60 + years of my life have not plateaued at the experiences I've had in college. I love my university and I love the experiences that come along with it, but I believe there is still much more to come.

So, while the scary thought of graduation, a career, bills and a "big kid" life terrify me, I aim to focus on the fact that these thoughts also excite me. 

If you are graduating soon or are coming up on a new life experience, remember the excitement over the fear and watch as the opportunities unfold. 

xoxo
HaileyGrace

A Day in DC

For being a mere 30 minutes away from Washington DC, I do not visit nearly enough. Last month, I made the trip with my sister who was visiting from California and my mom. We went to the Smithsonian first, which I never get tired of. Between the dinosaur exhibit and the marine life center, I could explore the museum all day!!

A beautiful chemical element called Bismuth was in the gems & crystals shop 

 and I couldn't help but admire it! I mean honestly...it's rainbow and geometric!!

The highlight of the trip was definitely finding a delicious Gelato & coffee shop. It was my first time at Pitango Gelato & I wanted to come back as soon as we left. I chose green tea and coconut gelato and they tasted great together. I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the coffee, it was one of the best cappuccinos I have had! The shop is small with a few seats looking out on the beautiful streets of DC. I would highly recommend checking this place out, it's peaceful & the treats are delicious.

We ended the day with a beautiful sunset at the Washington Monument & went to pick up my brother-in-law at the airport! 

What is your favorite spot in DC?

xoxo
HaileyGrace

Reflections & Resolutions

With the holiday season coming to an end, I have realized a few important things & established a few new goals for 2015. 

I have learned:

• To value the little moments.
• To take more pictures to remember those moments.
• To take stressful situations & break them into simpler steps to solve. 
• That family & friends are immeasurably valuable.

My goals for 2015:

• (The classic one) To eat healthier & exercise. Here's that trick, I'm not setting this goal with a specific weight limit to lose or value to hit, but rather with the goal of simply feeling more energetic, healthier & all around bettering myself. 
• To stay organized consistently. I love schedules, planners and organized rooms, but one thing thrown on the floor seems to spiral into a messy room that doesn't get cleaned for weeks. This year I hope to put things in their place right after I used them to avoid the spiral of disorganization. 
• To be kind & understanding. I want to love others and listen to them more. I try and do this every year & sometimes it is not an easy task, but each year I make it a goal. 
• To write more blog posts & upload more YouTube videos. This blog is such a passion and love of mine & I want to create more content that is interesting, fun and quality to post for you guys to read! I also love filming, editing and creating videos! I plan to upload more regularly and test my creativity on both of these platforms. 
• To read more. I love literature, especially poetry, but sometimes I can't seem to find the time to read. This year I hope to read more, so that I can not only dive into an amazing book, but so I can spend more time thinking, writing and dreaming. 

The New Year is a time that I think is valuable. It is a chance to revamp your life, reflect on what happened in the past years and use what you learned to improve the upcoming year. 2015 is an opportunity to become a "you" who makes you inspired. 

So keep dreaming, keep loving & stay postive. 

These beautiful photos were taken by the lovely Joy Michelle Photography

What goals have you set for 2015? 

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

xoxo

HaileyGrace

Life: Applesauce Day

One of my favorite Fall traditions is called Applesauce Day. My grandma, cousins, and I make applesauce from scratch all day. This year the weather was chilly and the air was crisp -- definition of a perfect Fall day.

While the recipe is a family secret, the process of making the applesauce is quite interesting. We slice the apples and boil them to a mush. The we place them in a nifty machine that separates the good applesauce from the peels. My cousins and I are able to spice each bowl to taste & replicate grandma's recipe perfectly!

Then we put it in containers & freeze it so that it will last until the next Fall! YUM!

 Spicin' it up!! 

What Fall traditions do you have?

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!!

Have a lovely day! xoxo
HaileyGrace 

Life: Coffee Date

 

There are some days that are rare beauties. Moments in life that I sit back and appreciate the tiny moments. One of these days was a few weeks ago when I met my older sister Stephanie for coffee. We can always stay and chat for hours; the conversation filled with laughter & love ( it may sound cheesy, but it is so true). 

Our favorite coffee shop is Bean Rush in Crownsville, so to hear that they were opening up a new store even closer to my house, in the beautiful city of Annapolis, made me incredibly excited! The shop is on a quaint & quiet little street, sitting comfortably beside a few adorable vintage shops.

After chatting for a couple of hours and enjoying the most delicious coffee & sandwiches around, we stopped into the little store right beside Bean Rush called Twisted Sisters. It is a two story shop that essentially embodies most of the things I love. Artisans from all over the area contribute various pieces of jewelry, paintings, bags, furniture, home-ware and many other beautiful products. Everything is hand made and it seemed that almost everything in the store was just my style. I loved the nautical feel of many of the pieces & cannot wait to take some of my friends there! 

If you live in the area, be sure to check both Bean Rush & Twisted Sisters out, you will not be disappointed. 

I absolutely adore finding little local shops, it reminds me to find beauty in simplicity and appreciate my hometown to the fullest. 

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!!

Have a lovely day! XOXO 
HaileyGrace

"Happily Ever After"

Recently I have wanted to place higher importance on staying motivated, remaining positive, setting goals, and most importantly 

dreaming. 

Not the kind in your sleep that you can never remember, but the type of dreams that we imagine for ourselves. The answer to the question: If you could do anything you want, be anyone you want, or go anywhere you want, what would you do, who would you be, and where would you go?" 

I think it is imporant to not give up on your Happily Ever After. 

Everyone endures hardships and trials, but how you deal with them and how you let them effect who you are as a person varies for everyone. You will come across people who have allowed their troubles to make them jaded or pessimistic towards the future, but it is important to remember that they are not you and their life is not YOUR life. 

One of my absolute favorite quotes is:

"Don't compare the beginning of your life to the middle of someone else's." 

I think that quote is inspirational on so many levels and can be interpreted many ways. One of the main ways I interpret it is as a reminder to not compare the point I am at in my own life with that of others whom have already accomplished similar goals to the ones that I have set for myself. The journey I am taking to accomplish my goals and make my dreams a reality takes time, more time for some than others, but I don't want to become discouraged by looking at other's, but rather inspired to continue pursuing my own path towards realizing my dreams and shaping my life. 

Another way to interpret the quote is to not see the harships or failures that those in the middle of their life have endured and let that discourage you from beginning or continuing on your own path. Those that might be having a hard time staying motivated or believing in a positive future are not going to have the same story as you and that should be inspiring. 

Happily Ever After doesn't have to be unrealistic if you adjust the expecations you have for what it means to be happy for you personally. Think of your ideal life, your goals, dreams, and inspirations and then work towards falling more in love with those things, devoting more time to them, and figuring out a game plan to turn them into reality. 

You might find that your dreams simply become bigger and bolder as you accomplish the ones that seemed impossible at first. It is when you recognize the importance of dreaming and not giving up on the happily ever after that you realize everyone's is different. Your happily ever after doesn't have to be an end goal, but rather a tale of the journey, a story of your life, your dreams, and the things that inspire you most. 

I still believe in a happily ever after, do you? 


Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Hope you have a lovely day!! XOXO
HaileyGrace

*Image from Google

Mini Midweek Post: Easter Fun & Birthday Preview

I had a really fun weekend with Easter festivities, my birthday celebration (blog post to come on event planning) and of course my birthday itself! A very busy weekend filled with fun, friends, family, and laughter! Here are a few snippets of my weekend I wanted to share! :) 

How cool does that water look from the dye?! 

This is an awesome recreation photo from when I was about 7 or 8 with a few of my cousins! 

Here's a little sneak peek of my upcoming blog post on my 1920's themed golden birthday celebration! :D

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed & had a lovely holiday!

Have a lovely day!! XOXO

HaileyGrace