Summer Reading


I always have an extremely long list of books I want to read.
So if I made a list of all of them, if that's even possible, it would take forever and you would probably not even bother to read it when it was all said and done, because it would look so overwhelmingly long and endless!
However, here are a few I'm hoping to get to this summer...

To Read

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl
The People of The Abyss
This Side of Paradise
My Life In France
Judy Garland: A Biography
Half Broke Horses
The Paris Wife
The Silver Star

To Re-read

Alice In Wonderland
The Glass Castle
Pride and Prejudice
The Help
Lord of The Flies
........................

What about you? 
What are you hoping to read in the upcoming months?

Life According To Instagram

This week I...

-Had a nice little mini vacation at the beach
-Went to see Best Coast. Can't stop listening to their new record. No really, I listened to it no less than six times the morning after the concert. And that was just the morning.
-Have been learning a few new things
-Went to the first annual RVA Bacon Festival! It was pretty fabulous. As is obviously expected with anything involving bacon. I may or may not have eaten a bacon s'more. To give you some idea of what it was like.
-Got my NEW CAMERA. Pretty excited about it. To say the least. My heart wouldn't stop pounding for a good ten minutes after I opened it. Can't wait to have a proper first shoot with it!!!!!
-Announced the giveaway winner!
-Shared some thoughts about knowing which way to go when you come to that fork in the road
-Posted photos of one of the cutest couples you will ever see


Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney


Lessons Learned Of Late

Photo Cred: Meagan Abell

Around this time last year I did a post about some things that I was learning at the time.
I always enjoy looking back at where I've been in various points in my life and seeing what I was learning/going through at the time, and comparing it to where I am now.
I've actually had this post saved as a draft since last week, so today I thought I would finally get around to sharing it.
Without further ado, a few things I've been learning as of late:
.......................

Never be afraid to go on adventures alone.
Because they often become the best adventures you've ever had.

"A good writer admires his heroes, a great writer wants to beat them."
A friend recently shared this paraphrased quote and I really liked it.
(I can't seem to find the original source, so if you know, please share!)
I'm trying to have this mentality with my own endeavors.

You should share what you know with others.
Because you get nowhere keeping all your knowledge and experience (however limited/great it might be) to yourself. So many people have helped me get to where I am, so I should help others when I'm able to with what I've learned from those before me.

Music is sometimes just better on vinyl.
Not because of the sound or anything about it's old schoolness, but simply because you have to make more effort to listen to it that way. You can't easily skip a track, you always have to flip it over half way through, there's more than just a button to push to make a song play.
You're forced to slow down a bit and really appreciate what you're hearing.

You have to take things one day at a time.
Over planning and over thinking rarely ends up benefiting you in the end.
Deal with today, today.
Deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

Mushrooms, if fresh and uncooked, are actually kind of delicious.

Sometimes it's okay to take the morning off from work.
To slow down, read a book, and just do something for yourself.
It's better to tackle a full work load refreshed and rejuvenated "late" than stressed and overwhelmed "on time".
You will end up accomplishing more in the end.

Things will look better after a good nights sleep.
Always.

On that note:
4 hours of sleep really is not sufficient.
Go to bed at a decent hour.
Or at least stay up late on a day you can sleep in...


This Is The Way

Photo Cred: Meagan Abell

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 
“This is the way; walk in it.” 
Isaiah 30:21 


I've been thinking a lot about this verse during the past week or so.
Just about how God's got us. 
In whatever situation, whatever circumstance.
Regardless of the decisions or choices we make, in the end, if we're really pursuing Him whole heartedly and as genuinely and honestly as we know how, things are going to turn out okay. More than okay actually. Because His perfect love involves such a beautiful plan for us. One that's better than anything we could ever come up with on our own. 
I've definitely learned this first hand.
God's plan > My plan.
Always.


Matt & Savannah

Meet Matt and Savannah.
Basically one of the cutest and funnest (yes, I pretend that's a word) couples I've ever had the pleasure of doing a shoot for.
They were so much fun to watch as they interacted with one another.
Not to mention I got to do it in front of this beautiful yellow wall, which I've driven past for years and always wanted to incorporate into a photo shoot.
But anyway, you can tell these two are just best friends, which is such an awesome thing to see in a relationship. They are just so fun loving and goofy with each other. Which is pretty much a dream when it comes to super cute candid shots.
I actually like candid photos more than posed ones.
For isn't that a more genuine and real moment captured?
One that's spontaneous and unplanned?

Side note: Savannah pretty much can't keep a straight face, ever.
Which I absolutely love about her, she has so much joy and happiness about her, it's infectious and I love being around people like that.
But I'll stop talking now and let you see for yourself.

 
 
 

 
......................
See? Told you they were the cutest.

Check out more here.
Interested in getting some portraits of your own done?
Email me for more info: by.leney@gmail.com


Life According To Instagram

This week I...

-Shared my Summer to do list
-Second shot a wedding with my main girl 
-Confessed my love for maxi skirts
-Dressed like I wanted to hang out with Jay Gatsby
-Wrote a little about how and why I love film
-Made/ate lots and lots of fried eggs. (No seriously. At least 5-6 during the week...)
-Was thankful for how good May was been to me
-Was personally serenaded by a barber shop quartet. Yea. I know. It's okay to be jealous.
-Shared a dream of mine involving travel. Of course.
-Announced a super awesome giveaway! Make sure you check it out. It ends Tuesday!!



Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney