SEIZE THE SUMMER.

“Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”
— Ernest Hemingway

“Read. Read anything. Read the things they say are good for you, and the things they claim are junk. You’ll find what you need to find. Just read.”
— Neil Gaiman

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.”                     --Shauna Niequist

“What day is it?"It's today," squeaked Piglet.My favorite day," said Pooh.” --A.A. Milne

 "And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."- Roald Dahl

it's gonna be a good one.

i have no idea what to call this???/?/?/

The month of May was:

Imagine Dragons.

The awakening of the world.

Heroes of Olympus.

Spending more time with my older brother.

Making summer plans.

Walking barefoot again.

Seeing beauty again in places that I never expected.

Late nights.

Chats with the best of friends.

Watching the moon rise.

Rain storms.

New adventures.

I've always said that the month of May is the one that I can never remember at the end of the year. But if I do remember, it was good. I'm starting to feel a little more aware, and a little more restless. Midnight greets me most nights, and no matter how tired I am, I just want to stay awake and soak up the rest of the day. Much to the dismay of my parents.

Summer is so close that I can touch it. I've only got two weeks left of school, and the I'm free to have the best summer ever. Let's see if I can survive that long.

abbie grace / xoxox

I am not infinite.

I watched the most amazing video today. The most inspiring thing I've ever seen. If you take 20 minutes out of your day and watch it, it'll probably inspire you too. 

God chose to give humans the two most extravagant gifts He could offer.

The most important was salvation, and love, and forgiveness and freedom, and His son, Jesus.

The second gift? He gave us the gift of LIFE. Full, rich life, with its beauty and joy and love. He has given us so much on this beautiful earth. And when I take a step back I start to see an inkling of the bigger picture.

I am going to die someday. 10 out of 10 people die. That is the truth. And I don't wanna live like I'm infinite, because I'm not. I want to embrace my life. I want to wake up every morning and think, "I've never seen anything more beautiful than the beauty that today holds."

We are here for a reason. (It's no accident we're here tonight.) We have an amazing chance - to change the world around us. Look at the lives that Zach has touched. And even after his life ended - he touched mine today! Zach didn't let death stop him, and he didn't let circumstances stop him either. He lived FULL - right where he was! He loved people. He always had a smile. He brightened people's days. He changed his circle of influence. He said, "I want everyone to know... that you don't have to wait until you're dying to start living."

Oh, how I want to live like that. I want to live and love with every bit of my body. I am going to die someday. But I'd rather be killed by a life well lived than by apathy.

The rain falls heavy and my mind is heavy with thoughts. I will live a full and amazing life. But I also don't want my life to be just about... experiences, and goals, and whatnot. I want people. P-E-O-P-L-E. I want to love my family and friends with every fiber of my being. I don't want to just float above the surface of the earth. I want to put deep roots into this world and leave behind an incredible legacy. I want to dance. I want to live hard. I wanna eat sugary cereal and see live music and take long car trips. I want to see more of the world. I want to have the best of times with the best of people. I want to walk barefoot in the cold fresh creek and read books until 3AM in the morning (but only once in a while.) I want to take canoe fishing trips with my older brother. I want to eat ice cream cones and watch fireworks and swim in lakes, and someday, in the ocean. The best part is, you can start living well right where you are.

This is your life Are you who you wanna be?

(switchfoot, this is your life.)

you don't have to be a photographer.

Here it is: You don't have to be a photographer.

I'm not trying to put down photographers. I think photographers are awesome. I love photography. And photographers. I love taking pictures myself. But I am saying right now, you don't have to be a photographer.

Because right now, it seems like waaay too many people are "teenaged aspiring photographers" who are "just starting their business" and shooting weddings, and did I mention how many of them are homeschooled?

Heck. I was guilty of that last summer. I thought that because I enjoyed taking pictures & people told me I was good, a booming photography business was my destiny. I opened up an amateur Facebook page and proclaimed that photography was my passion.

How wrong I was. I've realized that I enjoy taking pictures, but a photography business is NOT the path for me. Photography will remain mostly a hobby. And if someone asks me to take their pictures or shoot their wedding, I'll gladly do it. But a business is simply not my thing. I've made mistakes, and I've made lots of them, while trying to figure out this huge, crazy, wild & fantastic thing called life. I don't have much figured out yet, and I don't really know what I wanna be yet. I wanna do something with music involved, or something that has me traveling internationally a lot. I really don't know yet! But the beauty of this is that I'm only 15, so I have time.

You are your own person, with your own heart and your own dreams. And I want you to chase them, even if they're crazy. Don't feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, and if the idea of a photography career seems unappealing and unexciting to you, then by all means, don't start one. BUT if a photographer career thrills your soul and you know that you'd like to do nothing else, then go for it.

to quote tangled... "What about you? What's your dream?"