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