Scenes from Several Sunsets

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Hannah

“Tout crépuscule est double, aurore et soir. Cette formidable chrysalide qu’on appelle l’univers tressaille éternellement de sentir à la fois agoniser la chenille et s’éveiller le papillon.”

 “Every sunset is twofold, dawn and dusk. This formidable chrysalis that we call the universe quivers eternally, experiencing simultaneously the death of the caterpillar and the awakening of the butterfly.”

–Victor Hugo

 I spent this past weekend in Michigan, and was blessed to witness some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. More posts from this amazing trip to come, but for now, I just wanted to share some images of these sunsets, the “formidable chrysalis” that marks the death of one day, and consequently the birth of another.

See more of my intense sunset love here and here and here and here.

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Summer is…

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Hannah

Summer is time at the pool with Grandma or Amanda and trying to slowly lower my SPF to get the right tan. Summer is eating the first tiny ripe tomatoes off the plant because I am too impatient to wait any longer. Summer is the grass crunching under bare feet and the hot sun and the long days and praying for rain. Summer is watermelon and peaches and juice that makes everything sticky and runs down your chin. Summer is time to read the good books that I forgot about during the year. Summer is dinners that you eat outside because life feels better and slower when you eat outside. Summer is sleeping in and staying up and wondering if you are too old to still catch fireflies.  Summer is pink lemonade and sweet tea and ice cubes that clink in the glass. Summer is concerts in the park and bug bites and the sounds of insects in the bushes.

This summer is also endless discussions over flowers and ties and whether people care if their invitation says Miss or Ms. This summer is laughing with my mom over plans and then fighting over whether the directions should say “Turn Left” or “Go South.” This summer is painting signs and tying ribbons and staining wood. This summer is writing cards and sticking stamps and shopping for favor bags. This summer is fittings and hair trial runs and planning and hoping. This summer is long discussions about the wedding when really we just want to sit on the floor and hug and cry because it won’t ever be like this again.

And this summer is different than the others. And I can’t wait for it to end because it means my life with James is just beginning.  And I am wishing it would last forever because it means this stage of life is ending.  And it goes too quickly and not quickly enough all at once.  Which is really just like every other summer.

 That is what summer is.

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Midwest Midsummer

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Hannah

In general, I am kind of a snob that thinks the South (and yes, Kentucky is totally part of it) is superior to the rest of our fine country.

But I have a confession: I kind of sort of love the Midwest a little. I went to college in Michigan, and James is from northern Indiana, so I have spent some time there. While in the midst of my Midwest residency time, I mostly focused on how the winters were long, the accents were different, and the roads were straight.

But the Midwest quietly grows on you.

This past weekend I went up to Indiana to meet James for his best friend’s wedding and for a wedding shower in his hometown (where I ate myself sick on the best butter-cream frosting…). I was reminded of the unparalleled beauty of Midwest summer evenings, the bigness of the sky over the cornfields, the beauty of a sunset on a flat horizon.

I also got to be with some of my favorite people this past weekend, including my roommates from my senior year of college. These are friendships forged in the long winters of the Midwest, winters that force you inside and make you appreciate the people who make it pretty great to be cooped up with some puzzles and Bananagrams.

May you all find yourselves seated on a porch in the Midwest on some summer evening, because it really is the best.

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Shower: Rejoicing while one shoves one’s face with finger foods

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Hannah

I have been remiss in blogging about the amazing wedding shower that I was thrown a couple weeks ago. Let me pause to say that there are lots of not-fun parts to wedding planning. Tracking down addresses, remembering lots of little paper work things, paying for stuff – these things are not fun.

But showers are truly fantastic. You get to eat impossibly good food (often presented in bite sized quantities, and I pretty much prefer finger food above all else) and spend the afternoon with great ladies. Here are the two great ladies who threw me a shower here in Wilmore:

Tina, the very first person who ever trusted me to babysit for her children, and Karen, my mentor from high school (who has kind of continued this roll…).

Before I show you some pictures of how much fun we had, I want to saw that wedding showers are also really humbling. That may seem like a strange choice of words, but let me explain. Every person who shows up to give you gifts (and eat finger sandwhiches) has given of their time to be there, and of their money to get you great gifts. Why? I like to think it is out of hope for the home that James and I will build and joy for the family that we start when we commit to be with each other forever. To be rejoiced over and showered upon in this way is humbling indeed, and it makes me so very thankful to have people in my life who are genuinely excited for the decision James and I are making.  It makes me think of a verse I have always loved:

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

So here are some pictures of our afternoon of rejoicing.

In case there was any doubt as to who the bride was, I got to wear this subtle reminder. 

Yes, these are macarons, curtesy of Tina. They, as well as the ammmmazzzziiinnngggg cake of which I ate 5 pieces (yes, FIVE. And they were not small) were from European Delights Bakery.

 My favorite ladies, Mom and Grandma.

This picture is just to prove that even when you have a great hair day, you can still be caught in really unattractive facial expressions. It is also slightly fascinating how my arm looks like about the size of that of a T-Rex, and it seems to be protruding directly from my side. (And Megan looks adorable, so I had to put it up. Plus I am super obsessed with that awesome serving tray, the one that my T-Rex arm is clutching.)

Every shower should end with trampoline time, so that all the dainty finger foods that were consumed can get jumped off.

Happy weekend!

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ihave [an] iphone.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Hannah

I have an iphone. Now, for most of you reading this, this is no big deal, as you have all had smart phones for quite some time. But for me, who has been using a phone that was mediocre at best, this is exciting and worthy of its own post. All through highschool and college I used a phone that I affectionately and descriptively referred to as the Brick. Remember those cell phones in One Fine Day?Pretty much like that. When the Brick finally fell apart, I got a phone that was one step up, but still 5 steps down from smart phone-hood.

But now I have an iphone.

I too can waste time Instagramming random things and making them look artsy. I too can check my email and Facebook way more than necessary. And I too can leave maps at home, give up all sense of direction, and follow a blinking blue dot to my destination.  I still am not really sure how to use my phone, and I still text with one finger (but hey, I still only really type with 6 fingers), but I could do so much.  In theory, I have twitter, but I a) don’t really think people need to know or care about random facts of my day b) stress too much about phrasing witty moments of my day with so few characters and c) #donotunderstandhashtags.  Pretty much it seems like twitter is like a lame facebook status without the gratification of likes and comments. Thoughts?

But I have entered the smart phone world.  And now I can make random collages of disjointed moments from my life. Here’s the past week.sunshine. wedding prep. the General. summer evenings. this peach cake. besties. chores with the animals. picnics in the park. friends. pretty things.

Happy Summer!

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Bikers and Shakers

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Hannah

Despite the fact that many days seemed consumed with wedding errands and Pinterest inspired bridal breakdowns, I have been able to enjoy some of these early June Kentucky summer days. Last week my friend Kristen and her boyfriend Lee passed through town and we went out to Shaker Village for breakfast. I hadn’t been in years, but I have a fond spot for it as I worked there as a server during my senior year of high school. Those Shakers may have denied themselves the pleasures of the flesh, but they certainly enjoyed the pleasures of the plate. I single handedly gaining my freshmen 15 pre-college through sampling one cornstick from every basket I prepared and sneaking “damaged” pieces of Shaker lemon pie.

Now, I really should preface what I mean when I say they “passed through town.” Here is how conversations went towards the end of the year in the French TA office.

“Hannah, what are you doing this summer?” “ Oh, getting married!” (Pretty impressive, right? WRONG.)

“Kristen, what are you doing this summer?” “Oh, biking across the entire country.”

 Feel free to go back and read that until it sinks in. They are riding their bikes across the entire country. From side to side. As in, every day they just get on their bikes and ride really far. People, that’s over 4,000 miles. But they did take a break early on so that Kristen could quickly fly to London ( no biggie) to present a paper at an academic conference (because she is super smart). And when they get to the other coast, they are flying to Australia where they might try to dive with sharks.

SHARKS.

Apparently this is super cool, which they would know, because Kristen and Lee usually spend their summers teaching scuba lessons off the coast of Honduras.

(Feel free to take stock of your life and feel significantly lazy now, it’s what I do.)

 I am super fascinated with their trip and spent lots of time asking questions like what they wear (the same thing every day), where they sleep (in churches, campsites, and random people’s houses), what they do when it rains (keep riding (?!?!?!) ), and what they eat (anything – they have to get like 6000 calories idea to keep on going).  I encourage you to go to their website to read their super funny stories, donate to the charities they are supporting, or host them when they bike through your state.

Kristen and Lee are using this trip as a chance to see America, the off-the-beaten-path way. They go through lots of back roads, small towns, and rural areas that do in fact define our nation. And what they are seeing is the reality of our motley patchwork national identity. Which is actually something to be proud of. We are still the melting pot, albeit a messier and more uncertain one with a whole lot less idealism.

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Taking back my wedding from Pinterest

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Hannah

Dear Pinterest,

I’m not ready to end it with you just yet, but I do have some complaints. I love how you make it easy to re-find recipes, or how you store my pictures of children dressed as animals to cheer me on rough days.

But I hate you for what you are doing to my wedding.

First of all, I hate how you are making all of us – a whole generation of brides– have the same wedding. Our pictures are interchangeable, full of blush-toned peonies stuck in mason jars balanced atop old stuff and strung with bunting and burlap. We got sucked in to your promises of originality and instead we all are ending up cookie-cutter DIY rustic-chic with a touch of modern class affairs. And then, to feel like we are breaking the mold, we have to do RIDICULOUS things. What was so wrong with getting married in a pretty dress and eating awesome food before breaking it down to the electric slide?

But most of all, I hate you for what you are taking from me every time you taunt me with your pictures of those perfect weddings: my contentment.  I hate you when you describe how one bride “hand-stamped their guests names on each vintage/antique fork attached to the cupcake favor!”  Do you know Pinterest, that many of us don’t have time to hand stamp antique forks?????  And before, I didn’t mind, but now I am paralyzed with anxiety over a unique do-it-yourself gift from my heart, but even if I find a great idea, it won’t be unique, since you already prostituted it around the internet.

And if it isn’t DIY impossibility (hey Pinterest – WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WHO CAN DO THESE THINGS THEMSELVES???? Because the average American female CAN NOT turn a t-shirt into a ruffled sundress in 3 easy steps), then I hate you for the unrealistic budget expectations you are setting. I can’t afford to “send guests home with a personalized night cap: A mini bottle of bourbon wrapped in a custom label,” nor can I arrange to fill the sky with lanterns as I leave or purchase those insanely perfect lace dresses.  And Pinterest – don’t even get me started on flowers. You are eternal spring, promising fat peonies year round or ranunculus that come in sizes not found in nature. And I feed on your promises before crashing down to earth.

And it’s hard Pinterest, but I want it back, my contentment with my wedding. I want to remember that I get to marry the man that I love, surrounded by the people we cherish. And it won’t be in a refurbished barn strung with lanterns, or a vineyard whose mosquitoes and scorching heat have been obscured by a talented photographer. And I won’t have a s’mores bar, and a mimosa bar, and place cards painted on old window panes hung by flower garlands.

But if I can tune out all the things that you are showing me I have to have to be happy, maybe I can focus on what I need to be married, and that list is surprisingly short.

So Pinterest, I’m keeping you around, but I’m going to try to remember that you spin webs of impossible weddings, and if I chase after them, I will be forever unhappy. And I’m not going to let you win.

Sincerely,

Hannah (and the multitude of other brides who are exhausted from chasing your promises of ethereal wedding perfection)

ps-  I do still really like mason jars.

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Paris: A Love Story

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Hannah

Once upon a time, I was a young silly undergrad without definite future plans for my life. I went to Paris to study abroad, and quickly found that studying abroad is pretty amazing as you don’t do much work. Unfortunately, when you have no friends, lots of free time – even in Paris – can get pretty lonely. And at first, I really didn’t have many friends. But then on my birthday, a random person I met at church asked if I wanted to meet for lunch.  Ana-Joel became my kindred spirit. She was working on finishing her MA in art history, and also in possession of a flexible schedule.  We would buy flowers from markets and sketch them, wander through new exhibits at the Louvre, and she would listen to me drone on about the boy I liked back in the states who WOULD TAKE WEEKS TO RESPOND TO MY EMAILS. (Were it not for her sage advice and counsel, I would probably not be marrying that boy in less than 7 weeks.)  When we said goodbye in front of Notre Dame the night before we left, it was so sad knowing that I might never see this dear friend again.

Flash forward.

When I was back in Paris a couple years ago, Ana-Joel was in Canada working on her PhD, but 2 years ago, she returned to Paris for a year to complete her dissertation research. Meanwhile, in Wilmore, my brother told me that one of his closest friends from college would be moving to Paris for the fall. I gave him my French cell phone, told him to track down some of my amazing friends at my beloved church, and he did.

And with one of them, he fell in love.

This past summer when I went back to France, I stayed with Ana-Joel, after having not seen her in almost 5 years. But with some friends, you pick up right where you left of.  It was so much fun to stay up at night talking about the boys we loved again, only this time that boy was responding to my emails, and hers had sent little gifts over from Kentucky with me.  When she came to Kentucky to visit him over Christmas, I was home and I was able to take these pictures of them. (Yes, they do look cooler than the rest of us.) 

And then, this past week, he flew to Paris where she happened to be for a month and asked her the most important of questions in front of Notre Dame.

Which is too fantastic a love story to not share.

One of our friends took pictures of the surprise and emailed them to me for some edits, and I am so excited for them that I had to share some. (Though for the record, I can in no way take credit for any part of this proposal, despite putting it on my blog. I only knew slightly in advance because I made VERY dramatic threats to Joseph about my incapacity to live if he didn’t tell me what was going on. Nor do I take any credit for their relationship past passing off the cell phone and names of cool French people. But I would also like to recommend to the world trying to get people from different spheres of your life to fall in love because it is SUPER exciting.) Image

Ana-Joel and Joseph – I am so excited that God brought your two lives together and I can’t wait to see what your future holds!

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“How to Fall in Love,” as learned from reality TV

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Hannah

Confession: During the summer I like to let my brain and better judgment go on vacation. This means I listen to country music and watch really horrible TV.

Which is really the only explanation I can give behind why I watched last summer’s The Bachelorette…which led to me watching this past winter’s The Bachelor and this summer’s The Bachelorette. See, whoever got rejected the worst on one season (and looked best in a bikini) gets to come back on the next season and try again to find love. Because America watched them experience heartbreak before so we all are rooting for them to find true happiness.

People, this is love.

I am not even going to begin to describe all that is wrong with this show, but I do invite you to go here to read the funniest description of it ever. I watch the show with equal part fascination and horror, as it is designed to bring out the absolute worse in every single person on it. In other cultures, there is a word to describe one man showing up to an elaborate mansion to smooze with beautiful ladies and bestow gifts on his favorites: a HAREM.

People, this is a problem.

But my personal favorite part of the show (other than the way that Chris Harrison dramatically announces when there is one rose left to give. Yes, Chris, the bachelors(ettes) are obviously deluded to go on this show, but I think they are still capable of the elementary skill of counting, at least in single digits.), is how every.single.person. goes through the same steps in falling in love. Because obviously, anyone would fall in love with anyone else given enough hot-tubs, champagne, and helicopter rides.

Behold, I give you the “Steps to falling in love” as seen on the Bachelor (ette).

  1. “Feeling that connection.” This is important. When you step out of that limo and have the most awkward greeting ever, you better feel a connection. To up the connection, giving awakward tokens for the Bachelor(-ette) to remember you by is a good sign.
  2. Letting everyone know that you’ve been “hurt before.” This is crucial because it lets the Bachelor (-ette) know that your heart is a fragile little thing that he (or she) better take  of. It also gives you a chance to pause dramatically in the middle of sentences, let a tear sparkle for the cameras, and offers the producers a chance to cue the soft music.
  3. “Opening yourself up for love.” Once you have admitted your former pain, it is important to instantly let the Bachelor(-ette) know that your fragile little heart is open to love, and your hands open to receiving those illusive roses. Declaring yourself open to love is best done on a one-on-one date after you bared your soul (see above) in a stolen (and much gossiped about) moment on a group date.
  4. Really bad analogy involving some natural structure and an action verb. After  declaring yourself open for love, it is important to really let him/her know that you are ready for the next level. This is best done through veiled references like “We are at the edge of a cliff and we need to jump” or “I just feel like we are diving into a precipice.” Typically, producers will sense your eagerness to express this next level and they will facilitate a date that lets you ACTUALLY do what you described. As you skydive/bungee jump/ risk your lives in skimpy clothing, you will know that it is love.
  5. “Having serious doubts.” By this point, you are pretty much ready for a ring, having seen the bachelor(-ette) at least 5 times. But first, you have to have some doubts, preferably while standing on a balcony and letting the wind ruffle your hair across your furrowed brow. These doubts often center around the fact that you’ve been hurt before and want to love, but the person you love is also “establishing connections” (read: making out in hot-tubs) with lots of other people. On national television.
  6. Proposal. Duh, doubts are gone. Because in that final moment you are given a ring that the giver sacrificed absolutely nothing to give you. And you are so happy because you never thought this would happen but you’ve found love again.

Who knew a) that love was lost and b) that it could be found on reality TV?  Truly, the modern world is an amazing thing.

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A last date with my brothers: Shakespeare and Co!

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Hannah

Have I mentioned that I have really awesome brothers? Because I do.

Lyman has an internship in DC starting this week and before he left, Zach insisted that we do one final sibling thing, just the three of us. It really won’t ever be like this again, Team Stone against the world. Lyman will get back the day before my wedding and Zach heads of to UVA to start a PhD in the fall, and then I plan on being pretty tied to James.

Dinner options in Lexington are vastly improving, as what used to be a redneck capital is increasingly a mecca for yuppies and hipsters. In fact, our waiter informed us that Lexington is ranked #1 in the nation for best cities to open a new restaurant. What can I say, we really like to eat. We had been planning on going to the new Table 310, but Memorial Day closings led us instead to the just-opened Shakespeare and Company. (No, not that Shakespeare and Company.) Image

Looking at these pictures, you should be thinking, how did Lexington end up with a restaurant that is half  Ladurée, half Arabian Nights, and all class? This is a good question. The answer is that the restaurant is based out of Dubai, spawned by unabashed love of Paris, and then dashed with a little British tea room feeling. The sheik of Dubai or someone equally important has horse farms near Lexington and decided he wanted his awesome restaurant here. Or so I am told.

Look at that classy menu. And yes I would like tea called “Jasmine fairies”, thanks for asking.Image

Whatever the case, we now have an amazing restaurant in downtown Lex that has lots of swanky class. And it was a perfect place for a last evening with my brothers.Image

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