WHAT'S UP IN APRIL



Enjoying.... 
Finding new quotes/poetry. I honestly want Pinterest for this reason alone.

Listening to....
NEEDTOBREATHE, some NEEDTOBREATHE, and some more NEEDTOBREATHE.
Did I mention I love NEEDTOBREATHE?!

Watching...
i. The Princess Bride (cause that never gets old)
ii. First Position (a really interesting documentary on ballet)
And honestly nothing else because I really don't watch T.V much.

Reading...
Cold Tangerines. It is such a fabulous book and every time I finish a chapter I just sit in awe 
of her use of words and just every.single.thing.about.this.book. I can't even.

Wearing...
Tunics, tunics, and more tunics. 
Oh, and black gladiator sandals like every day. THEY ARE HEAVEN.

Groaning...
Because I treated myself to buying a banjo and then I got five minutes into tuning it
and I broke a string. GO FIGURE. Luckily, my strings come in today.

Fangirling over...
NTB live videos.
OKAY, I KNOW I MENTION NEEDTOBREATHE A LOT BUT THEY ARE FANTASTIC.

Drinking...
Earl Grey. I never had it before and I tried it and my life was changed.

Missing...
Fall. It's not even summer yet but I just really love fall.

Craving...
Still Starbucks iced caramel macchiato. 

Playing...
Hundred Miles by Judah & the Lion, and Washed by the Water and the Multiplied picking pattern, by
none other than.. you guessed it.. NEEDTOBREATHE!
I also am in the process of learning the Up and Star Wars theme songs on piano.

Hoping...
I accept the fact that I am indeed 15, May doesn't get hot, and I eventually have my
watercolor party.

#GROWINGTOLIVE III

I sincerely apologize for forgetting to post last weeks segment.
It was so busy last week and I completely forgot about it!
We'll make up for it this week :)

This week's quote is:

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one
wild and precious life?"
MARY OLIVER
JESSICA:

So last week Jessica from Apples of Gold posted a week-long #growingtolive segment!
It made me so happy and so encouraged.
She posted so many photos and commentary to go along with them! The link to that post is HERE!


ALIVIA:
 //blog//


Went fishing today at Lake Cumberland.
#fishing #growingtolive #explorekentucky #somerset


ME:

Not too great of a picture (#iphone), but photo shoots with my favorite nanny 
definitely makes my heart sing!
Annnddddd not to mention how this perfectly describes our realtionship.
#growingtolive


As always, email me at growinginhisimage@yahoo.com to be featured
next week!

BIRTHDAY REMINISCENCE

First things first, I want to (again) thank every single person who wished me a happy birthday in my last post. It made me smile ridiculously large. :) I had a fabulous birthday despite my weird, unexplainable feelings. 

I had such an awesome weekend! I got to have two friends come over the day before and we spent the day at the lake and Jacy and I uke-d til we puked while Veronica used her sneaky photographing skills and got loads of pictures and a few videos of us singing NEEDTOBREATHE (a.k.a best band known to man).
Uke-ing

Later on went to dinner (and maybe laughed at the redneck boys trying to act gangster) and then to the drive-in and seen The Jungle Book. But we mainly just laughed and made sarcastic jokes about the movie instead of watching it. #thatshowweroll

At the drive-in! #fleekbraids

We went home, drank tea, did DIY hair wraps, cut a penny in half (this actually happened), blasted music so loud you could hear it upstairs (honestly don't know how my parents didn't wake up), and watercolored and laid and bed and wondered if squirrels really do have feelings until 5:30am. True story. Even though we stayed up so late I managed to wake up and not be able to fall back asleep at 9:00am and my musical friend Jacy and I played all the instruments until she had to go home. It was fun :) Oh, and buffalo dip was involved, so that made this whole shin-dig 14984983393281x better.

Jacy and I water coloring at 4:30am and then us with our derpy faces and cut-in-half penny.
The rest of my birthday was spent with family and I did normal stuff. We went to Mexican, Lowes, spent some time at my grandma's house, went home, got a shower, and just relaxed. Oh, and we played on the net swing my dad hung from a huge tree.

Sorry it's so dark; it was pretty late.
And that was a wrap on my birthday! I went to bed and crashed because I was so incredibly tired. (Literally almost fell asleep in Lowes that day) It was really simple but really amazing.
It still doesn't feel like I even had a birthday, or that I could possibly be fifteen but oh well.

Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for all the sweet comments in my last post! I replied to all of them individually, but just thanks so much!

Let's see what God has for 15!
-aaliyah xo



THOUGHTS ON MY BIRTHDAY EVE


Well, you guys. This is the last day before I turn a year older.
Feels kinda weird. I keep thinking it's so far away but it's really only twelve hours.
This post should be titled: Aaliyah Being Weirdly Sentimental #64348563736387287.
It just "lowkey" scares me that I'll never be fourteen again, ya know?
Now I know probably the day after my birthday I won't give a flip, but oh well.

Every year I sit on my floor and watch the clock turn from 11:59pm to 12:00am. It's really strange to me how within a span of sixty seconds you can turn from one age to another. Or how the same act can take you into a new year. New day. New century. Just sixty seconds.

Every year I get less and less excited about my birthday which makes me really sad. It makes me realize that each year I am leaving childhood further and further behind. Which also makes me realize that I am growing up. Since when?! Since when will I be driving next year? Since when will I be able to get a real job in twelve months time? I'm going to be graduating high school in two years. What am I going to do afterwards? Will I go to college? Do I want to go to college? If so, what for? 

Maybe I just think way too far ahead. Probably. Yes. But these questions have constantly flooded my mind this month as I get closer and closer to my birthday. 
But maybe that's a good thing..? But maybe not..?

My brain right now is like a million jumbled letters and numbers. Like you know that thing we do (or at least I do) when we don't know what to say or "the feels" come's on and we just express it through, "asdfghjkl"?
Yeah, that's me.

Ugh, I'm so blessed. Someday's life is really hard and I honestly do not want to deal with it but when I get past it I have a totally different outlook. Life is such a beautiful occasion. There are some days where I don't think I could get happier. There are some days I look at the sunset and honestly don't think it could get prettier and then I get proven wrong every time. Every simple Saturday stocked full of porch-sitting and lake visits, every cool breeze that messes my hair all up, I am so grateful that God has given me fourteen years to live this crazy adventure called Life and that I am soon starting my fifteenth.

So here's to getting older, asdfghjkl, being nervous, weird feelings, and 15.
*all the birthday emojis*

- fourteen-year-old me xo

POETRY WEDNESDAY


"She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines.
She was beautiful for the way she thought.
She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile even if she was sad.
No, she wasn't beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful, deep down to her soul.
She is beautiful."

-F. SCOTT FITZGERALD-

OOTD COLLAB

Hey, you guys!
My lovely friend Alivia made a new blog a couple of days ago called A Blessed, Beautiful Life!
It's a fabulous blog :)
She and I collaborated and did an OOTD yesterday! So go check that out and give her a follow!

POETRY WEDNESDAY


HOW TO BE A POET
(to remind myself)

i   
Make a place to sit down.   
Sit down. Be quiet.   
You must depend upon   
affection, reading, knowledge,   
skill—more of each   
than you have—inspiration,   
work, growing older, patience,   
for patience joins time   
to eternity. Any readers   
who like your poems,   
doubt their judgment.   
ii   

 Breathe with unconditional breath   
 the unconditioned air.   
 Shun electric wire.   
 Communicate slowly. Live   
 a three-dimensioned life;   
 stay away from screens.   
 Stay away from anything   
 that obscures the place it is in.   
 There are no unsacred places;   
 there are only sacred places   
 and desecrated places.   

 iii   

 Accept what comes from silence.   
 Make the best you can of it.   
 Of the little words that come   
 out of the silence, like prayers   
 prayed back to the one who prays,   
 make a poem that does not disturb   
 the silence from which it came.
-WENDELL BERRY-

#GROWINGTOLIVE III

Hey, you rad people!
I actually almost forgot about posting this until just a few minutes ago. Oops.
Many thanks to Grace for joining in this week! (Forever jealous of your hand-lettering skills, girl)
This week's quote (that spoke leaps and bounds to me) is:

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the 
length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
-DIANE ACKERMAN-


GRACE:
// blog //

Hello, lovelies! I have TWO super exciting announcements this morning!
First up, I can thank Aaliyah (@growinginhisimage) for getting me back into 
hand-lettering-- I've been inspired ever since she tagged me for The Text Tag!
That's up on the blog right now, so you should check that out. || ALSO, I have a super
fun guest post up over at @silvermess!!! Rachel approached me to be a part of her
April Avenue series, and I'm excited to share a day in my life with you all!
Check it out over at Silver Mess! I hope you all have a lovely, adventure-filled day!
#growingtolive


ME:


Rainy day + hammock + sweet tea + rad socks = joy
#growingtolive



If you would like to be featured next week, just email me at growinginhisimage@yahoo.com!

FINDING YOUR STYLE: CLOTHING

Today I wanted to share about finding your clothing style and tips to follow after you found it!
HOW I FOUND MY CLOTHING STYLE:

This honestly took me until this past year to figure out.
When I was younger I was probably the girliest girl on the planet. But as I got older, that wasn't
me anymore and I didn't really know what my style was.

For as long as I could remember my shopping mindset was, "Okay, so, anything that I remotely like, buy it."
I would buy anything I thought was cute just to have it. Luckily, Goodwill was my main shopping place!
But that mindset left me with a closet full of clothes I never wore because I didn't love them.
This also left me with not knowing what my style was, or what I really liked and would wear.

Now when I shop, I only purchase something if I absolutely love it.
I have found that with doing this I have a certain "style"
I can absolutely guarantee that if you do this you will easily find that you, in fact, have an exact style.



TIP #1:
When you've found your style, stick to it.
I know there have been several times, even recently, where I've seen something in a store and I think
 it's adorable and I consider buying it. Eventually, I purchase it and then I go home, try it on, realize
it's not me, and then end up taking it back.
For example: I find that I love (and feel best) in darker colors. So, therefore, I don't tend to buy
anything that's Fourth of July red. Unless of course, it's the Fourth of July, BUT YA KNOW.

Or take my Easter dress for example. I tried on a dress (that just so happened to match my friends)
 and it fit me well and wasn't too short, but it was bright peach. I mean bright peach. And huge polka
dots all over. I knew my friend really wanted us to match if we could cause,  I mean, #Instagrampictures
 and #friendshipgoals, but it wasn't me and I knew I would not feel myself wearing it.
So I didn't get it. I ended up wearing a comfortable maxi dress that I loved. It was mainly
black and white but had a short piece of color at the bottom.



TIP #2:
Do not, under any circumstances, wear some just because it's trendy.
I hate when people do this.
It's not them, we all know it's not them, but it's just the trend so. *girl with hand up emoji*

Old Navy never fails me. Tent dresses are my pride and joy.

Or to turn this around:

TIP #3:
Do not, under any circumstances, wear something just because your friends like it.
If your friends are super girly people don't dress girly just to please when that's not you.
Actually, come to think of it, the two friends I see the most are girly people. Exhibit A is in the
Easter picture. So I obviously don't dress for the people around me *laughing emojis*
Veronica may love something and be like, "OOooooooooOOOOooo! You should SO get this!"
 but I will be second guessing it because I know it's not me.
She loves brighter colors, I don't. She loves dresses, I don't. (unless, of course, we are talking about
knit tent dresses or tunics. In that case, I love dresses.) She's very much basic, but I'm not.
Be. Yourself. Always. Okay?


honestly, the closest shade to pink I've worn in like, a year.


TIP #4:
Even if people don't like your style, wear what you love anyways.
I recently took a strong liking to round sunglasses. I just think they're positively adorable.
I was wearing them one day and two people said they didn't like them.
Now I am a very tender hearted person and I take things to heart more often than I should. I could
have easily kept thinking about it and never wore them again just because someone else didn't like them.
But I didn't.
I kept wearing them babies all day. I almost let it get to me but I stopped myself.
All my life my style has been dictated by what I thought other people would like to see me in either
because I wanted to be liked, or other dumb reasons and I'm tired of that! If I like my clothes no one
else's opinion should get in the way of me wearing something just because it's not their taste. For the first
 time in my life, I am dressing how I want to, not how I think other people want me too.


TIP #5:
 Unless you love sewing, try to avoid buying anything that will need altering.
This tip is really for certain people, I guess.
I just know for me, if I find something at Walmart that isn't in my size and will need altering the clothing
article more often that not ends up in the "to sew" pile and is never seen again.
So for people like me: if they don't have you size, try coming back a few days later and checking again.
The only time I throw this tip out the window is if I really love or need the item.
But again, this tip can really just be applied to my fellow procrastinators!


aaliyah xx

#GROWINGTOLIVE II

Hey, lovelies :)
I'm here for round two of the #growingtolive weekly segment where I feature what you and I have
been doing this week that makes our hearts sing.
*original post HERE if you haven't seen it*

Special thanks to Nina for joining in this week!
(Your embroidery is amazing, and um so is your singing. Wow. #blownaway)

 This week I'm sharing one of my all-time favorite quotes:
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long
to play with your hair.
-KAHLIL GIBRAN-

NINA:
// blog // IG post //


Finished this embroidery last night, now I'm at rehearsals for SoM! Pray that I
can get over my cold, since I cannot sing at the moment! #growingtolive

   ME:


This past week my close friend and I went adventuring to the lake behind our farm (Lake Cumberland) and
hung out and took some pictures. The beauty of the surroundings as the sun set is indescribable. #growingtolive


Remember, if you want to be featured next week, just shoot me an email with your photograph
and optional caption included at growinginhisimage@yahoo.com!

THE TEXT TAG

// credits to Ava //

Ava from Quiet Land recently made this tag and nominated me to participate and I was more than happy to!
It's a fabulous tag and let's all clap for Ava. She did such a great job creating this! Thank you, girl!
Let's jump right into it!

Guidelines:
i. Thank the person who nominated you and give a link to their blog
ii. Answer the original 6 text-themed questions
iii. Add a typography/word related question of your own for those you tagged to answer
iv. Tag 6+ bloggers and let them know
v. Include these rules in your post


Questions:
i. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?
ii. What are three words that you love?
iii. What are three words that you hate?
iv. If you were to create a word, what would it be, and what would it describe?
v. What is your three favorite puncuation marks?
vi. What are three of your favorite fonts?
vii. (Question from Ava) Do you prefer writing on paper or typing?

My question to the nominees: What do words mean specifically to you?

My answers:
i. "A"
ii. happiness, epiphany, rad
iii. fetus (haha, the pro-life in me), algebra (*shivers*), flesh
iv. I've given this a lot of thought and cannot think of one.*sinks into a sorrowful place*
v. # ; "
vii. It all depends on what I'm doing! If I'm doing a paper for school, definitely typing, but if I'm writing a letter to my friend, definitely paper :)

My nominees: JacyRaynAliviaEmilyGraceJessicaRachel



HELLO APRIL | GOALS



Hello, April!
This is one of my top favorite months of the year :)
Spring is in full swing, the weather is just perfect, and it's my birthday month!

I am going to grade my goals from last month and set some new ones!



i. Practice, at least, two of my instruments every day.
A+! I practiced every day.

ii. Watercolor
A+ I watercolored almost every single day in March.

iii. Look into volunteering at my public library.
A. I went to the library and asked about it, I just haven't filled in my application.

iv. Work on planning the parties and sleepovers I've been wanting to have for ages now.
F+...? I started planning the sleepover part two days ago. But I won't see the sleepover happen until this month :(

v. Do a creative photoshoot.
B+. I did do a photoshoot this month, but it wasn't wacky like I had meant by "creative".

vi. Get on the ball about learning my Greek and Hebrew.
Big. Fat. F. I did it one day. Whoops.

vii. Finish Pride and Prejudice.
A+! It was the hardest book I've ever tried to get through, but I did finish it!


GOALS FOR APRIL:

i. Finish Death Comes to Pemberley.

ii. Continue practicing my music every day.

iii. Keep on keeping on with my Hebrew.

iv. Get the Multiplied picking pattern down pat.