"after that day, we become seekers."

the sun glints through the pines and the heart is pierced in a moment of beauty and strange pain, like a memory of paradise. 

after that day, we become seekers. 

// peter matthiessen // 

it amazes me how one moment 
in the depths of a month no one cared to take note of
could change the ellipse in which time previously treaded. 
it still amazes me how one little moment
conjured the power to set this little world on fire. 
from that point onward, we plotted a path of stars to pursue. 
someday, we won't simply be seekers, sifting for that one moment in this great wide somewhere. 
oh, no, darling, we'll be finders. 
xx 

pensacola christian academy {a beka} graduation 2014

|| right: mr. smith 12th grade economics teacher!!! // left: via lauren || 

|| photo credit betty neckar via Facebook || 





|| video teachers: mr. mcbride {Bible doctrine, history}, mr. ridgley {chemistry}, mr. zila {american government}, miss autrey {speech}. I also had the opportunity to meet, mr. birx {Bible doctrine}, mr. howe {math}, miss stancel {science, biology}, mrs. thompson {english}; and saw, mrs. mclamb {spanish I & II} and mrs. howe {algebra I} || 

this is what happens when over 380 video homeschoolers from all 50 states + all over the globe get together in Pensacola, Florida to graduate. they instantly become paparazzi when a video teacher is sighted. they squeal over seeing the classrooms in which the video lessons were filmed. and they all stand in line to personally shake Mr. McBride's hand. 

I can't even describe how full my heart is after a week of touring Pensacola Christian Academy and Pensacola Christian College, reuniting with family after five years, making new friends, and connecting with future college students. The Lord could definitely be seen working throughout my visit to the PCC campus including: connecting me to amazing people and future PCC students, keeping a torrential thunder storm at bay, and giving me peace in my decision to move to a college across the country. in such a short amount of time, i have learned so much: that college life is daunting but exciting and whatever you may believe, you are never ever alone. as an A Beka homeschooler {K-12th grade}, it was absolutely incredible to be able to meet the teachers who have had such an impact on my life as well as fellow classmates who have been through the same rigorous curriculum.  

congratulations, class of 2014!

to say the least, I can't wait for college. :)
to you homeschoolers, what homeschool program{s} do/did you use? 
xx 

ask moi.

>> instas from march & april || silence day calls for tally marks, sonic screwdrivers, TARDIS blue dresses and - wait, what was I saying again?! || it's official: my neighbor hosts the best parties 
[french macrons, capris salad tarts, and hedge hog doughnut holes, - need i say more?] || breezy spring walks in dappled sunshine || coffee con mon amee at the amsterdam cafe || slipping back into practicing after a year and a half || petite white roses that are no longer || pink lemonade w/frozen berries || letters from her || late march entries || 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. What is you middle name? 
2. How old are you? 
3. What is your birthday? 
4. What is your favorite color? 
5. Do you have any pets? 
6. Where are you from? 
7. How tall are you? 
8. What shoe size are you? 
9. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 
10. What was your last dream about? 
11. What talents do you have? 
12. Favorite song? 
13. Favorite movie? 
14. Who would be your ideal partner? 
15. Do you want children? 
16. Do you want a church wedding? 
17. Are you religious? 
18. Have you ever been to the hospital? 
19. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? 
20. Have you ever met any celebrities? 
21. Baths or showers? 
22. What color socks are you wearing? 
23. Have you ever been famous? 
24. Would you like to be a big celebrity? 
25. What type of music do you like? 
26. How many pillows do you sleep with? 
27. What position do you usually sleep in? 
28. How big is your house? 
29. What do you typically have for breakfast? 
30. Have you ever fired a gun? 
31. Have you ever tried archery? 
32. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? 
33. Do you have any scars? 
34. Do you secretly admire someone? {instead of do you have a secret admirer :P}
35. Are you a good liar? 
36. Are you a good judge of character? 
37. Can you do any other accents other than your own? 
38. Do you have a strong accent? 
39. What is your favorite accent? 
40. What is your personality type? 
41. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? 
42. Can you curl your tongue? 
43. Left or right handed? 
44. Are you scared of spiders? 
45. Favorite food? 
46. Favorite foreign food? 
47. Are you a clean or messy person? 
48. Most used phrased? 
49. Most used word? 
50. How long does it take for you to get ready? 
51. Do you have much of an ego? 
52. Do you suck or bite popsicles? 
53. Do you sing/talk to yourself? 
54. Personality type? 
55. Are you a good singer? 
56. Biggest Fear? 
57. Are you a gossip? 
58. Best dramatic movie you've seen? 
59. Do you like long or short hair? 
60. Can you name all 50 states of America? 
61. Favorite school subject? 
62. Extrovert or Introvert? 
63. Have you ever been scuba diving? 
64. What makes you nervous? 
65. Are you scared of the dark? 
66. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? 
67. Are you ticklish? 
68. Have you ever started a rumor? 
69. Have you ever been in a position of authority? 
70.  What color nail polish is your favorite? 
71. What time do you normally wake up? 
72. Who was your first real crush? 
73. Can you roll your R's? 
74. How fast can you type? 
75. How fast can you run? 
76. What color is your hair? 
77. What color is your eyes? 
78. What are you allergic to? 
79. Do you keep a journal? 
80. What do your parents do? 
81. Do you like your age? 
82. What makes you angry? 
83. Do you like your own name? 
84. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? 
85. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? 
86. What are you strengths? 
87. What are your weaknesses? 
88. How did you get your name? 
89. Were your ancestors royalty? 
90. Do you have any scars? 
91. Color of your bedspread? 
92. Color of your room? 
93. Favorite book? 
94: Favorite song? 
95: Do you play an instrument? 
96: What is your worst nightmare? 
97: Favorite movie quote? 
98: Best dessert you ever had? 
99: Who are your heroes? 
100: What is your earliest memory?
101. Do you miss anyone? 
102. What are you looking forward to? 
103. Is there anyone in particular who can always make you smile? 
104. Is it hard for you to get over someone? 
105. What was your life like last year? 
106. Have you ever cried because you were so annoyed? 
107. Who did you last see in person? 
108. Are you good at hiding your feelings? 
109. Are you listening to music right now? 
110. What is something you want right now? 
111. How do you feel right now? 
112. When was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you? 
113. personality description. 
114. something you wanted to tell someone but didn't. 
115. opinion on insecurities. 
116. Do you miss how things were a year ago? 
117. Have you ever been to New York? 
118. What is your favorite song at the moment? 
119. description of crush.*
120. fear(s). 
121. What is your height? 
122. Role models? 
123. things you hate. 
124. I'll love you if...
125. favorite films
126. Are you friends mainly with girls or guys? 
127. something you want to learn. 
128. most embarrassing moment.
129. favorite subject. 
130. three dreams you want to fulfill. 
131. What age are you most mistaken for? 
132. what my last text message says. 
133. Where do you want to be right now? 
134. something that's worrying me at the moment.
135. description of my best friend. 
136. why i joined blogger. 
137. ask me anything you want!

if you read all 137 of those questions, then you're awesome. questions/idea snatched from tumblr and idea from this lovely lady.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ask me anything and everything {well...almost :D}! comment with an above number, and I'll answer you in the comment section below or ask me your own question that you've been dying to ask for ten bajillion years {but not really}.  i want you to know me how i am, not what i may portray myself to be on blogger. so ask away, and i'll most likely ask you a question in return. ;) 
xx

there is a story in this / edition 2 / round and round.

:: Round and Round :: 

round and round i won't run away this time, till you show me what this life is for. round and round i'm not going to let you change my mind, till you show me what this life is for. 

// imagine dragons //

how could i rationalize this, when we never saw each other? or perhaps worse yet: i was invisible to you. we ran in a full flung circle - a never-ending, dizzying carousel ride. in opposite directions. you were a piece of art, a masterpiece, and i was the absent minded coffee stain in the left hand corner of the canvas. you were the developed photograph. i was the left over negatives. you were effortlessly graceful. i was born awkward. you danced. i stumbled. you were the sky, and i was caught, dumbfounded on earth. we would be a paradox. together, we would inevitably create the epicenter of the storm that would tear this world apart.
but then, there was this one moment, a sultry day at the end of july, where even carousel circles had to meet at one point. where midsummer gave a sliver of hope to the {literally hopeless} romantics by making anything and everything seem possible. and you were the impossible.
the fair had come to town and by some miracle we crossed paths in the labyrinth of popcorn, cotton candy stalls and deafening rides {by "crossing paths" i mean, my almost tripping you with my inherent clumsiness}. your face seemed to brighten with recognition in the dusty evening glow, as i apologized profusely. but my smile beamed, when my eyes interlocked with yours. hello's, were exchanged, awkwardly on my part, but you laughed lyrically. and like an introvert, i chuckled, praying it would be enough to cover up my nervousness. with a soft goodbye, you flitted away, while my heart sank with a harsh thud.
the rickety iron gate creaked open, allowing a wild flood of people into the arena. oddly enough, every swing i attempted to claim, someone always arrived there a second sooner. baffled, i frantically scanned the forest of silver chains.
"quick as you can!" the ride operator barked irritably. without any determined direction, i began to sprint. little did i know, the circle was closing. finally! i grasped an empty swing towards me, and nearly jumped when i saw you tug at the same time. the circle closed. i apologized for the second time that evening, and was about to slip away, when you stopped me. "it's a two-seater," you grinned.
midsummer must have been laughing hysterically, as i blushed. the ride operator was coming round checking the clasps. fumbling, we raised the bar and squeezed into the swing before he came around for inspection. we bid the earth "adieu" as it began to swim into a fairyland of blurred lines and lights. bokeh flickered about us like fireflies. round and round. we spun. only, i didn't have a chance to run away this time. the wind caught our laughter, and i felt the world soaring underfoot. our arms flailed wildly about over our heads like we were bound and determined to not let life pass us by. moments slipped by like an eternity, spent in a midair heaven. it was only until my feet touched the ground again and my ears were full of the hasty clanking of iron that i realized how dizzying reality was. i gave you my hand. standing uneasily, i was the last person who should have helped you to your feet. but somehow we managed without staggering to the ground. 
"thank you," instead of letting you, you squeezed my hand. "again?" you laughed vivaciously. and for once, i knew we had stepped off that whirling carousel circle in dizzying ecstasy.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

there is a story in this: is a collaboration between myself and the ever-astounding, forever lovely, incredibly talented, and one of my dearest friends 

miss mikailah of wander/wonder. the concept is to take stills from this board, to motivate us to set aside time to spin stories amidst our busy lives, and to unearth the pinches of fiction, inspired and gathered from daydreams and reality alike, currently squeezing our hearts. read my first installment here and mikailah's breath-taking compositions: EDITION I & II on her lovely blog. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

xx 

*disclaimer: image above via pinterest 

on journaling / loo / documenting the dog days wk. 1

if the story is in you, it has to come out. 

// william faulkner // 

this is loo - petite and a bit exotic just like the lovely actress {louise [loo] brealey} she's named after was a gift from my world traveling cousin who purchased this lil' notebook on her trip to korea. loo is a bit different than the rest of her precedents as she is the smallest notebook i have ever owned, and contains completely blank pages {and a completely blank kraft cover}. she may be small but between her hard cover, there's loads of dreams, observations, and aspirations tucked within her pages. 

|| all images taken with iPhone + edited with VSCO || 

| journaling prompt:: what is your summer manifesto? what are your aspirations, your plans, your reading lists, soundtracks? 
"I like beginnings because they are so full of promise. The first page of a book, the first day of a job, the first time you buy flowers for yourself, your first date...I like beginnings because I know there's always more to come." Shymera Perera 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

whether you follow me on instagram or not, you may noted that i just might have a slight thing - more like obsession *cough, cough* - for journals. if there are only three things i post here in my garden walk it's either about flowers, prose, or my journals {add "food" to that list and voila! you have my instagram feed in a nutshell}. :)

by tradition, i am starting a new 'summer journal,' and thanks to your interest, i want to share with you as i document these deliciously long weeks of summertime by posting daily entries, prompts, tips, inspiration, and quotes every week or so. i'm so excited to see where this goes! my hope is that you will be inspired and will feel free to post your own journaling creativeness on your blog or instagram feed {<< be sure to use the long hashtag #documentingthedogdays}. i'd love to see. 
 xx
take a peek inside // here & here. 

in which i played a song for you because you were on my mind.

of late, i've been thinking of all the songs we listen to and how easily i bump into you when they are reeling in my mind. i think of us playing a duet or two in the summertime - you at your grand piano playing "into the west" or "wishing you were somehow here again," and i will no longer feel this void of missing. i played this song last night because you were on my mind, as you always are. i hope sometimes you spare a thought for me too. 
-MH

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ever since I watched "The Sign of Three" {the second episode of the third season in the BBC life-ruining telly show "Sherlock"} and heard the world's most brilliant consulting detective play this sweet waltz at John and Mary's wedding, I knew I had to get my hands on the music and learn it. 
after quitting violin lessons last year, my musical interest has lingered, and i have not practiced faithfully [or even at all for that matter]. i am always a bit reluctant to record pieces and share with the blogging world, because it makes me feel vulnerable. after all, there are SO many of you who are far better players than i ever will be. 

the piece above is far from perfect, but it reflects my imperfect heart. and for the first time in a very long while, it's starting to breathe music again.

piano? violin? cello? lute? what is your musical outlet?
xx