Fifty.

I just want to take the time to write a quick little post saying thank you for all of you wonderful readers! I hate saying followers, cause that makes you sound creepy, and minions would do but I want to be "professional". So thank you. All 50 of you! So be expecting a little giveaway to be happening soon. 

Photographs.

How pretty are Kati's moles? I love them.

I've discovered I'm a drinkaholic. My first tea of the day: Nasty. This is not good. Do not drink. Casie's hair is pretty much just the prettiest thing on the planet, amirite? Okay, this picture was actually taken by Casie. But I liked it. And thought I should appear in at least one. Second tea of the day. Actually delicious. Highly recommended.

Funny thing. There's this rivalry between Hunter and I any time I wear anything that says Michigan State on it. Him and Tanner are huge Wolverines fans, and they seem to think I'm in love with Michigan State. When in reality I'm just given clothes sometimes, and they happen to say State on them. These are mega comfy, though. 

I'm really wanting to turn into a better picture taker. I won't say "photographer" because I think that word is thrown around way too freely. Sort of like anyone can be a singer with auto-tune, anyone can be a photographer with Photoshop. All I want is to take quality pictures. So these past few days I've really tried just taking pictures. Taking pictures and pictures and pictures. Of everything I think is pretty. I just want to document life in every way possible. Through blogging. Through pictures. Through writing. I want to document every part of this beautiful life. 

So sorry about the complete picture overload. But not really. Because this is my blog and I do what I want. 

Picture in a Bottle {Or a Jar}

My Open House is fast approaching (The 23rd if you're wondering!) and I'm finally getting some things ready that I've had planned for eons. Sunday night I tried out putting some of my senior pictures in olive oil. I had seen the idea on Pinterest months and months ago, and have finally gotten around to testing it out. Needless to say, I'm really in love with the results. The only thing I did differently was use a smaller jar and wallet-size pictures, and I also used two pictures per jar. Probably for some bigger jars I'll use 4x6 pictures and flowers instead on the backside rather than two pictures. 

Invitations have also been sent out. Some handmade, some store bought. Only because there really was not enough time to make them all. Now I've gotta find some "vintage" (Meaning probably new, but a vintage print) material for tablecloths. At first I thought that was wasteful to buy a bunch of material just for tablecloths, but I decided I'd use the material later for skirts! Smart idea, eh? 

What I Wore// Out of Focus

Dress/Shirt- Forever21; Jeans- Delia's; Shoes- TOMS; Necklace- Gift (Noey's) 

So this "shirt" is actually this dress. Cool, hey? It really made me realize that I need some more button-down nice shirts. Like a chambray, maybe a white. And a few other colors to boot. I'm just usually such a t-shirt and jeans sort of girl that I forget there are other options. I guess if it ain't broke don't fix it, but I would like to get out of my little clothes comfort zone. I also tucked in a shirt. Big steps I'm making, folks. Big steps. Oh! Annd I used a necklace. Like one other than the one from Hunter. Boy I'm on top of the game. 

I was basically just overjoyed by the fact that it wasn't raining Sunday and I could take some outfit pictures. Even if it was a little cloudy: no rain! It's been raining non-stop since last Monday and I've hated every living second of it. It's June already, and gosh dang it I want to lay out in the sun and have fun at the beach! Not be stuck inside freezing to death.

Also, I know that last picture is out of focus. But I really sort of love it that way, anyways. 


On a completely different note, how interesting is this thought:
You're never really not conforming. You're just choosing a different group to conform to.  

I was watching a television show about conforming and it said something along those lines, and it really reminded me of myself. I take great pride in not dressing like a lot of the people around me, but how I dress is still not original and it's conforming to something. Sure. I might like it. I might really like it, and I'm dressing to please myself, but I'm also conforming. Ever notice how a lot of fashion bloggers say that no one else around them dresses the way they do? But a lot of bloggers seem to dress very similarly? Interesting. 

For When I Am Weak

There is nothing quite like snuggling up in bed with a brand-new homemade quilt that you got as a graduation gift and a good book. It's even more exceptional when you happen to be talking to the love of your life after you've already spent a good chunk of the day with him. 

I love just laying in bed. Thinking about my day. Listening to the hum of a fan lull me into a land full of dreams. Thinking about how nice it is to have straightened my room up, and about how fun it is to play board games with Hunter (Casie & Brad, too, of course!). And how wonderful it is to have something to cover me up tonight that was made from someone I truly love. What a lovely day. 

That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 

In Which I Write

There are days when I long to simply write. To put ink to paper, or in a not-so-romantic way type on my laptop. The great thing about writing is that you can write and rewrite. You can make everything perfect. And eloquent. And beautiful. Whereas when you're talking you mess things up a lot, or at least I do. 

I long to change the world. By writing true and inspiring things. I want to make a difference, and make life better for others. And maybe it's silly of me to think that writing on this little blog of mine will do that, but a girl can dream can't she? My deepest desire is to have someone read about my life, read things that I have written, and have one simple truth jump out at them. To maybe change them. 

I won't pretend that I have the most brilliant life. And I can't say that I have the most brilliant thoughts, either. Maybe I just feel this way because if no one ever learns anything from my life I'll feel like everything I've had to go through was in vain. That there was really no reason to have to go through it if it didn't at least help someone.

But, then. Maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point is that I have to go through it, and there's no real reason. Maybe there's no real point at all. I really don't think that there's a reason for everything. I think that that's what people tell you to make you feel better about the crummy situation you're going through, when really they're just saying it because they feel sorry for you and have nothing else to say but they feel like they need to say something. News flash: Sometimes it's worse when you talk. Sometimes you don't need words at all. Sometimes (Most of the time) just being there is more than enough. I think a lot of the time people will tell you that they're "so sorry" that such and such happened because they want to feel better. It's not really about making you, the victim, feel better. It's about making them feel better. About themselves. Make them feel like they're doing their part and that they're helping you out. Even if it's no help at all. Over the past two years I've experienced that a lot. And sometimes it feels like I have to help everyone else by letting them think they're helping me. 

I'm not really sure what this whole thing is. A confession? A rambling? I don't know. I just knew it needed to be said. You know the feeling? That rumbling in your heart? Something that's been eating you alive, bothering you, and you knew that if you just hit publish you'd be free of it. I encourage you to do that every so often. To open yourself up to the world. It's terrifying, I know. But it's so freeing. 

You Are Dear To Me

Follow me on Instagram @hannahbyard

Rain. You make everything grow, and you make everything such a pretty color of green. The bright green leaves against the blue, blue sky can't be topped. It's beautiful.

Puppy. You look so elegant, even when you're being a goof. As much as you annoy me, you're really pretty darn sweet.

Nail polish. You make my toes so pretty, and you give me something to do when it's raining and I can't be outside. 

Piano. I don't know what I would do with my time if not for you and playing and making music. It's one of the most beautiful things in the world. You bring beauty to the world, and all I need to do is learn about you to unlock everything the world has to offer.

Lemon water. You really are delicious and seeing as I love you so much I'm sort of sorry that I drink you. But not really. Cause you're delish. 

Hunter. Even though you're not with me today because you're out being a big kid working (First day on the job, too!), I love you. And I wish I was with you. I had the best time ever with you Wednesday, but I'm sure the next time we're together will be the best time ever again. You're really the bees knees.

What's In My Bag

1. The purse :: This was actually at one point my Mom's purse, and once she got tired of it I knew I wanted it. I really love cross-body purses, and this is the perfect size. 


2. My phone :: My goodness, I love this little phone. I never thought I needed a smart phone, but now that I have one I really love it. 


3. My other phone :: This could get a bit confusing, but my usual phone doesn't get the best reception in some places around here, but this little TracFone does. So it goes with me when I'm driving, in case something goes wrong.


4. iPod Touch and Hello Kitty headphones :: I've had this little baby for a few years, and it really is the best. I'm basically just in love with Apple products, and will testify for them forever. This little thing has been through wars. And I love these headphones. They were a present from Hunter, and they're just too cute.


5. Inhaler :: I try and remember to bring this in my purse as much as possible. I haven't had an asthma attack in years, but sometimes I experience wheezing. So I bring it just in case I have to go through a candle aisle or something.


6. Benadryl :: Hunter likes to make fun that I'm pretty much a walking pharmacy, but lately my eyes keep puffing up and the only thing that helps is Benadryl so I've been carrying it around the past couple weeks.


7. Travel Contact Case :: How cute is this thing? Inside it has a little bottle of contact solution and a contact case. 


8. Glasses :: I never used to carry these around, but when driving the moped sometimes my contacts dry out and I need them. So here they are.


9. Aleve :: See? Pharmacy. I get migraines a lot, so these are pretty mandatory sometimes. 


10. Gum :: The current favorite gum around here lately is 5's Rain. I'm such a mint-lover and spearmint is my ultimate favorite!


11. Hello Kitty Sun-Glasses :: Are these cute or what? 

May Day

Oh. My. Goodness. Yet another month is gone. Where in the world is all the time going? Ha. I sound like an old woman. But, seriously. May is over with. So what are some of the big accomplishments on the blog and elsewhere this month?

On The Blog-

• Ivory Giraffes had 37 posts in May (Post 37 coming later today!!)! And 2,596 page views, which is almost a thousand more than we've ever had, 85 comments, and a few new readers. I forgot to keep track, so sorry about that. As of today there are 49 of us, so dangerously close to 50! 
• 20 Things- 2.0  went awesomely! Check it out to learn 20 things you probably didn't need to know about me!
• I did a guest post for Michelle. 
• Ivory Giraffes became affiliated with Shabby Apple! Which is basically just a fancy way to say that if you click the Shabby Apple button on my blog and purchase something, I'll get a commission. Which is rad.
• I talked a lot about being happy. 

Off The Blog-

• I turned eighteen! 
• Can we say DONE WITH HIGHSCHOOL FOR LIFE?
• I started working, and driving a moped.
• I drank my first Starbucks and had my first taste of Panera. 
• I also ran into a barbed wire fence, resulting in cutting up my leg.

All in all, what a great month. And many more to come, I hope! 

What I Wore// Nemesis

Skinny Jeans= Delia's; Grey Cami= JC Penney; Black Cardigan- Walmart!!; Peacock Scarf- ModCloth (Noey); TOMS 

It has become the time of year where I wish to remain mostly naked. Seriously, as much as I love clothes they are my nemesis (Somehow I spelled that right on the first go. I'm so awesome.) in every sense of the word. Sometimes I think about joining a nudist colony (Are there really such things? It seems people make it a joke... Are nudist colonies real things?) just so I don't have to put on clothes. Or at least just run around in my underwear all day. I suppose that's what bathing suits are for, but even bathing suits are not quite as comfy as a pair of my favorite Victoria's Secret panties (I am not averse to the word "panties". Some people are, but I am not. So deal.). Just know that today I'm actually not wearing what you're seeing... I'm basically trying to soothe my want of being naked by wearing yoga pants. Same thing, right? But, I did wear this Sunday. So it counts, amirite? 

On a completely unrelated note I'm trying to make a little hair tutorial for you hotties, and I want to know if you prefer video tutorials or picture/written out tutorials. Your pick, hot stuff. So make a good decision! 

Okay, I better sign off now as I'm obviously in a crazy mood and who knows what I'll say next. Plus, I really need to finish up some homework so the boy can get his butt over here in a few hours and we can have cuddle time! Be jealous. As you sit in your hot house, reading this somewhat weird post and asking yourself why in the world you're even still reading; I will be having the best time with my one and only.

Never Grow Up

I always seem to pick the most inopportune times to go places. Such as deciding to go to the beach when it's cloudy, windy, and cold. In any case, I still had fun being all by my lonesome. I'm generally pretty okay with being alone, but I'd always rather have the boy along with me. Oh, well. What can you do?

I've just begun reading Peter Pan and I have to say I'm really liking it. As a kid I of course saw the Disney movie multiple times, but still, nothing beats reading the book. Some of the things that Peter says are just so poetic and lovely. Lovely thoughts. I especially like the idea of staying young forever, as horrible as that probably sounds. I don't want to grow up. Sure, I want to live on my own. Have a family (No worries, Mama. In the very distant future.). Do adult-like things. But grow up? Never. There's a certain wonderfulness in having a childlike love of the world. Of being hopelessly optimistic. I wish to remain young-like forever, even when I'm old and grey. 

You Look Beautiful Tonight

This weekend was basically just a blast. I started working (No kidding. This is actually a wonderful thing), went camping on Friday, worked some more, went to the local graduation, spent some much-needed time with the boy, and spent a day walking around Mackinaw City with Tanner and Noey.

To elaborate on the whole graduation part, it was an interesting experience. I've only ever been two high school graduations and both were at very large schools. I've mentioned time and time again how small of a place I live in, and the school is no exception. It was a pretty interesting ceremony and I'm glad I went. I was telling Tanner that although I would never want to change my home schooled education, it's sort of sad in a way to see a lot of friends up there receiving their diplomas together while you sit and watch. I can't imagine how it would be for some of the people who actually had attended that school and had to leave for various reasons. 

I was really quite glad I got to see my good, old friend, Ben graduate. That kid has been in my life for, well, forever. And I'm so proud of the person he's become. Congrats, Ben! After all the world has thrown at both of us, we're still standing. As individuals, and best of all, as friends. And, not only are we standing, we're thriving. 

Grab Life By The...

So what's going on in the daily life of this kid? Oh, nothing much, really. But in case you're dying to know about the oh-so-lame life of Hannah I'll tell you. Cause, I'll do anything for you guys. (Okay. Maybe not dance around naked or something. But nearly anything else.) 

Today is my first day of work for the year, and I'm really excited about driving up to Mackinaw with my little moped. Boy, oh boy, do I love that gas mileage. It's basically prime. 

I got brand-spanking-new glasses yesterday. Which is actually super duper exciting if you're as blind as I am. I was happily surprised at how much clearer my vision is in these glasses rather than my old ones. I really hadn't realized how bad my prescription had gotten. Also, it's a pretty awesome thing that my eye hasn't  gotten puffy in the last week! Hip hip hooray for the little stuff!

Hunter is officially done with school for the year! Which is basically awesome for me because now I get him much more often. Which equals a very happy Hannah. I sincerely cannot get enough of that boy. Seriously. He's wonderful.

I've been listening to a lot of Pandora Radio lately. It's the perfect thing to listen to while addressing a trillion-and-four graduation invitations. Currently my favorite station is She & Him with Joshua Radin in a close second... or maybe Elvis. 

I went camping last night with Casie, which was super fun. Her and my other cousin, Kati, woke me up at six screaming about a huge spider. I, of course, couldn't see it because (as said earlier) I'm practically blind. All in all it was a pretty fun experience. Except for peeing in the woods. I'm not a huge fan of that. Okay, scratch that. I'm not a fan of it at all. 

My dog is really weird. I'm not entirely sure why but she has this obsession with licking pillows. Creepy, right? She's sitting next to me just licking one of our pillows like crazy. No one knows exactly why she loves licking them so much, but it's one of her favorite things. Also, my cat is as cute as ever. Seriously. Also, I really want a hedgehog. If anyone wants to send one to my house, feel free. 

I've found that being eighteen really isn't that awesome. There really isn't anything spectacular that I can do that someone a year younger than me can't. Except get a tattoo... maybe I should do that. Ha. Who am I kidding? I don't want a tattoo. 

Okay, well that should be enough rambles to get you people through your day. And it wasted some time for me that otherwise would have been dull. Annnnd, I'll see you on Monday, John.*

*If you know what this is from, I will love you forever. And we can get married. And have beautiful, little intellectual babies who read Jane Austen by the time they're five. For realsies. 

What I Wore// Lay 'Em Down

Grey & Black Dress- JC Penney (Noey); Hair- Reverse Roll; Nailpolish- Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hard-core Party

I really love how easy it is to wear a dress in the warmer months. It's basically heaven. No tights to worry about ripping, no cardigans to forget in warm buildings. Just a simple little dress and BAM! you're done. No pants, extra breeze. It's prime. I'm really loving driving around on my little moped when it's warm with a dress on. It's just so freeing. But, then again, I've always been a motorcycle kind of girl.

Tomorrow I start working again (woot! woot! for a cash flow!) and I'm pretty excited. Especially excited about driving this little baby. The fact that I get 100 miles to the gallon is about the best thing in the universe. 

Lately my hair has been looking sort of reddish. I usually get naturally red highlights during the summer, but this year it seems to be out in full force. But, it got me thinking... 

If I were to turn into ginger would that mean I lost my soul, or never had one? 

Kidding, kidding of course. I'm actually so freakishly jealous of "ginger" hair. If I could pick any hair color in the world it would be red. Though with my skin tone I'd look a little funny.