Oh, Glorious Golden Hour!

^ Isn't she gorgeous? That's my amazing friend, Nina.

It's a well-known fact that Golden Hour is my absolute favorite time to shoot pictures. It turns every color to its most vibrant state. In fact, it makes everything so spectacular that it's hard to edit a photo to something more beautiful than the original. Sunflares and bokeh, of course are added benefits for anyone like me who describes such things as 'delicious.' 

When is your favorite time to shoot photos?

xx.

Lindsey

to live

via tumblr

xo, Hayley

summertime fruit

you have to agree, peaches are, really and truthfully, the fruit of summer. they represent warm sunny days on the back porch, evenings spent together with family and friends, and Frisbee playing in the backyard. at least, they do to me.
crazy how something so simple could hold so many memories of summers gone by and hopes for the summers to come.
xo,
gracie

for when you're wasting time

Just a little list for you. Enjoy!

xx.

Lindsey

summer is here

summer is here. parties to attend. ice cream to be eaten. forests to be camped in. pools to cannonball in. roads to be traveled on. maxi skirts to be blown in the breeze. friends to laugh with. cupcakes to be baked. flip flops to be worn down. all nighters to be accomplished. fun to be had.

summer has finally come.

xo, hayley

road ridges.

There are hundreds of thousands of roads that you've traveled by. Asphalt and gravel and even through the grass in the country. Some roads you just have completely memorized. Even the car knows where it's going, and sometimes, you often find yourself driving home when you actually have no intentions of going there whatsoever. You're on autopilot. It feels familiar to you. In the neighborhood, there's a certain road you take that gets you to the swimming pool. There are warehouses on either side, rows of houses behind you, and even more warehouses in front, just laid out so you can get to where you want to go. There's a small hill you cross before you take your left towards the swimming pool. You cross it to go, you cross it to come back, and for the first time in years, you think about how familiar this feels to you. The three dents in the asphalt that make their presence known as the car skids over them. It's like skin, and you're feeling every ridge of skin that's underneath you. Every flaw and freckle, every dimple and bruise. They're road ridges. We don't seem to pay attention very often, but when we do, it feels like home. Because it is home.

from the drive to piano practice yesterday.

xx,

jocee

enjoy the simple life

xo, gracie

little coffee shop.

The little coffee shop on the corner. There's something so surreal about those little buildings, with the smell of coffee beans wafting through the air as the door is opened and quickly shut again. Maybe it's the lonely nostalgia it enthralls, perhaps of a past love one might have spent their time with at the cozy table by the window on a blistery afternoon. Or maybe just nostalgia for familiar faces and laughter that was swept away with the wind. Sitting there alone, one could easily and obviously stare past the outrageously large picture window on a world of what could have been. Even as the smoke curls deliciously above the hand-warming cup of coffee- a slowly fading memory.
- © katie daughtry 


short story I wrote on my tumblr.

In which I feel like a hipster

If you were to walk into my closet, you'd see plenty of cute clothes. I love to shop at Plato's Closet and thrift stores and really where ever I can get cute, colorful, unique clothes. However, if you walked into my house on any day but sunday, you'd probably see me in shorts and a t-shirt. That's because it's more comfortable to look like a slob. ;)

 But yesterday I got a wild hair. I put on a semi-stylish outfit, braided my curly mop into some kind of hipster up-do, and set out with the girls (Mamma and the Libster) with my cookie in hand, to do some junking. I must say, I was proud of myself, and I think my Mamma was surprised.

shoes: payless

shorts: forever 21

pink top: gift

lace top: forever 21

purse: vintage, thrifted

pearl earrings: gift

note: this is after a long day, so it's a bit beat up. Thoughts?

Do you like to dress up?

xx.
Lindsey

p.s. I am so sorry for not posting last saturday! 

just two blocks away.

grandma sugar {from my mom's side} used to have a summer house in ann arbor, michigan. it was just mommy and daddy and i at the time, and when we went up north for thanksgiving or a spontaneous trip, all in the car, mommy would tell all of these stories that she cherished from her childhood. i think then, i didn't pay attention as much, but now that grandma sold that house and now has a vacation spot here in texas, i treasure those times just as much as mommy does.

compared to ann arbor, what we don't have here is the lake within a five minute's walk, the cool, spicy breeze, and tons of evergreen trees. instead, we have humidity, and while that's pretty much it, i don't complain.

when grandma comes to texas from her hometown in illinois, we make it a point to spend every evening with her. she makes dinner for us {sometimes chicken, sometimes porkchops and applesauce, sometimes burgers and fries and barbecue}, and then daddy turns on sports of some kind. joy and i grab and ice cream sandwich from the freezer, and the four of us settle with a thomas kinkade puzzle or The Word of the Day from the newspaper. we always end up leaving late.

the best thing about going to her house here is that there's no obligations. we don't have to cook, we don't have to clean, we don't have to go anywhere or really do anything at all. we subconsciously bond over our various drinks {read: water, orange crush, pepsi, peach tea} and our favorite basketball teams. our love for jazz records and judging whether or not it's soda or pop. whatever.

so she's coming tomorrow, and i can't wait to wrap my arms around grandma's familiar scent. and even when she's not here, her house is only two blocks away. touchdown.

xx,

jocee

{pea ess: oy vey, i write long posts, don't i?}

growing

last night, i had this dream. in that dream, some random person told me that "if you stuck with the way you edited and did things when you first started, you would be more successful."

i thought about that long and hard. i told that person "you know what? you're wrong. dead wrong. i never would have gotten anywhere had i stuck with what i started with. i'm constantly growing, and i don't ever want to change that. thank you and goodnight."

as human beings, we may stop growing on the outside, but on the inside we're always growing and changing and learning. we're constantly seeing things, reading things, learning new techniques. we shouldn't want to hate or stop the change, because change is what makes us. life is always unpredictable, that's how it's been and how it will be forever.

darling, please don't stop changing. change is good, no matter how much you dislike at first. it's alright to cry and laugh about it, too. in fact, i encourage it, because that's how you grow.

xoxo,

gracie

some people are so poor

xo,
abby

hey there, it's me.

There isn't much I don't want to be- an author, a traveler, a teacher. Anything to do with art and words and old photographs makes my head spin, heart flutter. Good music, letters via snail mail, a camera around my neck, and various notebooks with scatter-brained scribbles are my life. I'd really rather drink coffee than tea with a good book. Laughter is nothing more than the spirit singing. Most importantly, Jesus is who I live for. My dream is to inspire people, notice what is hidden, and maybe even be ordinary, as long as I'm real in every way. I believe  'we all need to know what it means to be honest. Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.' -James E. Faust. My blog is a reflection of what I love most. It's where I learn about myself, learn about being creative, learn about being inspired, learn to see the extraordinary.  These words that will slip away as the shadows, what is eventually forgotten by fading memory- this is what is now, this is who I am, this is my story. My hope is that you are heartened to pick up a pen and write your's too. I'm Katie- it's nice to meet you.

ps- thanks to Jocee and the girls for inviting me to contribute to AOU!

xo Katie

- channel your inner creativity -

If you're bored, which everyone gets eventually, we tend to drift toward the computer, and then of course we get sucked into the vortex which is the internet. And we often seem to lose track of time in this world, and then our day has been wasted and we pound our fists into the table and look to the heavens screaming "why!?!?" because pretty soon it's time to go to bed. 

But my dears, I have a solution. No matter how much your mind is convincing you to get on the computer, stay away and do something creative. Like making collages! Channel your inner creativity into snipping up magazine clippings into something significant to you. 

Like mine up above. It's about summer and all the things to come. Like boating, dresses, sandals, flowers, traveling, the beach, sun&shade, picture taking, bird watching, friends, and I added the number 6 in there because that's the month summer starts. Making collages makes me feel like an artist and makes me happy.

So try it out! (:

xo, Hayley

for the times when you don't know what to post

we've all had those times. i'm in 'those times' right now. where you seem to have run out of inspiration and everything you want to do someone else has already done, and you can't do it because it's totally copying them and it won't be as popular. nothing remotely interesting has been going on in your life, and therefore, there's no point in telling others something they already know.

as of late, i haven't been posting on my blog as much, because the words haven't been coming to me. it's almost like i've been in a rut. posting the same things over and over again, in a noticeable cycle. and i don't like it. it's even been happening here, on AOU. but when it happens, i don't want to force it. force makes it even worse. so, a list for the times when you don't know what to post.

•  TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
  usually, when a blogger falls into a rut, they turn on the synthetic rain, make a hot drink, and read an inspirational book. i'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but why not make a change? do something that coincides more with the weather. make some kool-aid. eat a doughnut. watch television. big things have small beginnings. 
• PAY ATTENTION
  take in the little, common things around you. your siblings laughter. the way the sun seeps through the blinds. people-watch if you're not at home, or sit on the porch and watch the ants cross your path. it's these things that are constantly overlooked that beg to be noticed. so notice them. 
• JUST TAKE A BREAK
  if it's still not coming, don't worry about it. get up, refresh your mind, and come back when you're ready. because sometimes, taking a breather is all you need.

and the irony of it all? i'm not good at taking my own advice. {i'm slowly getting there, though. you should probably pray anyways.}

xx,

jocee

all around town

sometimes, waking up early-ish to walk around town in the texas heat and becoming indiana jones to find at least one item worth money at a yard sale is worth it. 

as long as you bring your camera, that is.

xoxo,

gracie

(p.s. sorry i'm posting so late. i completely forgot that today was my day to post. fail, grace, fail :P)

monopoly

(that blurry blob up there is my dog sitting on my lap. he was trying to get his picture taken. hah.) 

xoxo,
abby

Our Newest Addition

Meet our newest addition: Fiona.

Sweet. Affectionate. Hungry for affection. Protective. Small. Wide-eyed. And barely twenty pounds.

She adds a new dynamic to our home, and never fails to greet me in the mornings by leaping onto my bed to smother me with kisses. In response, I usually turn over and hide my face, but I appreciate her effort. I really am growing to love her.

Do you have any pets?
xx.
Lindsey