A State of Being


I think my blogging friend Erin said it best when she said she was working on experiencing thankfulness as a state of being instead of a list.

And as much as I love lists, I think I love this mindset even more.
It's actually been a reoccurring theme for me over the past few months and I think it's only appropriate to mention it on this day that we celebrate thankfulness. I have so much to be thankful for all year round, not just on one day, and I want to be more mindful of that in my day to day living.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, I hope it's a very filled, happy and blessed one!

♥


Sartorially Inclined: A Ladies' Knit Lookbook

Another

shop

update! Hurray!

After posting the

mens knit lookbook

, I kept meaning to post the one for us girls too but the time got away with me and so I'm just now getting around to it.

(You did know though that I couldn't knit up a bunch of new knits for the guys and not make some more for all you ladies though right?)

A shout out is in order, once again, to the lovely and ever so talented 

Meagan Abell

 for taking these stupendous photos for me! Thanks love. You're the greatest.

Also, if you want to see a few behind the scenes shots you can go 

here

.

Enjoy!

Sartorially Inclined: A Ladies' Knit Lookbook

Wool and the Gang

So a few weeks ago a super cool company called Wool and the Gang reached out to me and asked if I'd like to try out one of their knit kits!
Obviously I said yes.

Wool and the Gang is a global fashion brand that not only designs and creates awesome knitwear, but also enables you to make their knits yourself with their knit kits!
And let me tell you, I had a pretty hard time choosing just one kit. I mean, go take a look. 
Don't you just want all of them? 
One of their slogans behind their purpose in creating the brand is to make knitting and knitwear cool again. Being a knitter for 14+ years, obviously that's a movement that I can get behind. ;)

So anyway, after much debate I decided to choose The Cross Country Coat! I can't wait to get started on it. Hopefully I can get the shop's orders done early for the holidays so I can get to knitting it up asap...

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Be sure to check out their...

I Don't Know About You...


Twenty Two.
It's a little weird, but I suppose I'll get used to it soon enough.
I had quite a lovely Birthday and was was spoiled just the right amount. So thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life who make me feel extra loved on these sorts of occasions.
Lots of happy list material that's for sure.

Also, for anyone who missed the pop culture reference see this.

At Twenty Two

Last year I made a list of things I knew at twenty one.
I decided to make a similar list this year.
Because I think we should all sit down from time to time and evaluate our lives to make sure that we're still growing and learning on a regular basis. Those things are really important.
Probably more so than we realize.

//Things I Know At 22//

This is a time of abundance in your life. Be grateful for that. Don't you dare take it for granted or make it a smaller deal than it actually is. Big and exciting things are happening. Run with them.

It sometimes takes doing a bunch of small/medium sized things in order to be ready for the big crazy things. They are just as important though, and if you do them with the right attitude and perspective, the big things will come along and take you off guard and surprise you in the most wonderful way possible.

That one Taylor Swift song can be my personal theme song now.

Mushrooms really aren't so bad afterall. At least when they're fresh and uncooked.

Coffee is still amazing.

Taco Bell is no longer good after 11pm. Or ever really.

A good nights sleep is still almost always better than anything else you'd give it up for except probably driving to the beach for a concert and then driving back with the sunrise chasing you. That will always be worth losing sleep over.

Don't stop writing. It helps you figure things out. It also makes you feel more artsy and complicated than you actually are, but that's okay. Just don't let it get to your head too much.

It's always a good idea to give your Chickfila nuggets to that homeless man on the street corner. Giving them away and hearing his thanks and seeing his huge smile of appreciation will always taste better than eating them yourself ever would have.

Driving stick is still just as hard as you thought it was when you were twenty one. Maybe by twenty three you'll get it. Maybe.

Knitting in movie theaters, bowling alleys, on park benches, on buses and while you're walking down the street is fairly productive, but be prepared for the looks you will inevitably get as a result.

Being on TV isn't quite as scary as you thought it would be.
Maybe only half as much.

Don't listen to the negative nancys half as much as you are. You're better than that.

Write more letters to people. Especially your friends. They mean more than a text or Facebook message ever could.

Don't be afraid to talk to that girl with the cute coat in line at that concert. She could end up being one of the best friends you've ever had and stretch and challenge you in ways you didn't know were possible.

You need time for just you.
Don't go too long without it or you will burn out.
Rest and recharge.

Riding a bus alone to another state and back can be one of the greatest experiences you'll ever have, in a weirdly eye opening simple kind of way.

When one of your best friends says that he likes you, don't question and over analyze it so much.
Just believe him.

If there's anything worth making time for, it's reading. Don't go too long without it.
Articles online don't count.
Pick up one of those books you bought because you thought the cover was pretty. Its insides are just as nice.


21 was amazing. One of my best years yet.
22 though, this is going to be even better.

♥

My RVA: The Bus Depot

After having it on the to do list for quite some time I finally made it over to

the old GRTC bus depot

a few weeks ago. There was an art festival over the summer (which I am still kicking myself for missing) where artists came and covered the whole place with murals and various pieces of art. It's amazing. And it's still being added to, which is even cooler. It's just one big evolving piece of art.

(You can actually sort of see before pictures in

this post

and

this one

)

It's definitely a new favorite spot.

I seem to have a lot of those.

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I love this city...

Which one?

Richmond.

Maddie & Taylor | Wedding Part 1: Getting Ready

Here's part one of Maddie and Taylor's wedding!
Goodness, where do I even begin in talking about this day?
Well, for starters I was debating on whether or not to wear makeup when I got ready to go in the morning. I mean, I knew I was just going to cry it all off...
I almost did too, but I managed to hold it together for the most part. Although when Mr. Popham came in and saw Maddie for the first time in her dress... man I lost it. 
Goodness I just love this family.

For those of you who don't know, Maddie is my high school best friend.
So I'm admittedly a little more invested in this wedding than some of my others and it's probably going to get an extra blog post or two as a result... But you guys don't mind... right?
More pretty photos to look at!

This whole day was filled with so much sentiment and memories though. Especially because Maddie got married at her beautiful house out in the country which we grew up having sleepovers in and other various outdoor adventures at.
 (Black berry picking, star gazing, movies in the barn, canoeing and that one time she tried to get me to ride horses, to name a few. The latter wasn't attempted more than once... I am not a horse person)
I love this girl and her family dearly and I've come to love Taylor as well. Getting to meet all of his close family and friends during the weekend was so much fun. The joining of these two and their families was definitely one of the best things I got to witness during their big day.
There was just so much joy and love.
An expected thing at weddings to be sure, but this had a little bit extra that is just something words can't describe sufficiently. They truly were one big family. In all of the best kinds of ways.

I really couldn't have imagined a more perfect day for these two.
I feel so immensely blessed to have been a part of it and to say that I'm so happy for them both is an understatement to say the least.


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Check out more here.

Interested in getting some portraits of your own done?

Email me for more info: by.leney@gmail.com



Be sure to also see their...

Hey There Good Lookin


This beauty arrived in the mail for me the other day.
(the lens, not the phone...)
I pretty much did an endless happy dance for the rest of the afternoon.
So excited to finally own a 50mm 1.2!
Can't wait to take this beauty out and shoot with it.