it's that time of year again!

what time of year, you ask? the time where i start blogging more! it's a proven thing. just look at my archives. i think it's because winter is FINALLY over and i come out of hibernation. i always thought i was a fan of the winter, and i am, but i think i've come to realize that i like my spring, summer, and fall more.

here's what's going on right now.

i have two weeks off from teaching in omaha and even though i love those kids, i really love just being able to hang out in my garden with my dog and my chickens. plus, jake hung up the hammock we received as a wedding gift and we plan on spending many more evenings out back.

since it's back to the blogging time of year, i already have a few things in store...

like updating my 23 by 24. my birthday was last week so it's time to set some new goals! i was a little late to the game last year, so i'm going to carry some of the things that i didn't quite get to over to the new list. i'm hoping to do a better job of updating it as each goal is accomplished. we shall see.

i do lots of little projects and need to do a better job of documenting them. i hope to share those more on this space.

if you don't already, follow me on instagram! i am there all the stinkin' time. no joke. it's the easiest place for me to share things, especially when i don't have the time to write a full blog post. :)

you'll be hearing more from me soon!
hannah

march.

i can't believe it's already march. this year has already brought trials and so many blessings. let's play catch up.

j a n u a r y
// traveled to seoul in a moment's notice for my aunt's funeral. it was a very trying time for my family. however, i'm so grateful for that time with family that i haven't seen in close to 20 years. jake is the best for letting me go.
// started driving back to omaha four days a week instead of the two. love seeing those cute little 3 and 4 year old faces again!

f e b r u a r y
// traveled to new york! i was beginning to think i wouldn't meet my 23 before 24 goal. so glad i was able to see my best friend.
// my sleep schedule is finally normal. i've never talked about how sleeping has been an issue for me. i always considered myself a night owl... but now i'm thinking that maybe i'm just an insomniac. there were so many nights where i just could not sleep until 4 am. i'm hoping those days are behind me.
// i auditioned for grad school. what?! yeah. never thought i was going back. and maybe i won't? still waiting to hear the results. if i get a GTA, i'll be going back and definitely giving it my all, i have a greater appreciation for my professors and colleagues now than i did in my undergrad. if not, i can look forward to spending more time with jake and even maybe attend some seminars. we'll see!
// baby chicks are in the house! but only temporarily before it gets warm enough for them to be outdoors in their coop. their names are Dolly, Dottie, and Patsy. if you can figure it out, you must be a country music fan. not that i am, i just thought it was fitting. we've had them for two and half weeks. they were complete fluff to begin with but their feathers are starting to pop out! just look at those cute little tail feathers.

m a r c h
// jake and i will be celebrating our one year anniversary. i can't even believe it's been a year. at six months it felt like we've been married for years. but at a year... it only feels like a few months. funny how that works.
// i've been battling a huge cold this entire week. it progressively got worse as the week went on and yesterday was the pinnacle of this darn cold/flu. this morning i woke up and felt 50% better, minus the stuffy nose and cough. i always forget not to take my health for granted. i'm guessing that's why we get sick, to remind us of how blessed we are.

i'm so looking forward to the warm weather coming up. i've been watching the extended forecast, hopeful that this winter is finally over. you could say that i have spring fever.

encouragement.

I managed to stumble across some lovely, literally lovely, posts of encouragement today. French Press Mornings offers these 4x6 prints for free! Below are a few of my favorites. Enjoy and be encouraged!

2013: The Highlights

Here's my obligatory New Year's post for 2013. I may have stopped blogging for a bit but life still goes on. I'm excited to ring in the New Year and at the same time sad to see 2013 go. It was a good one. Like one of the best years of my life. I don't know how much merit that has considering there have only been 23 years of my life...but that's kinda saying that 22 other years didn't measure up, which is something, right? (I'm writing this late at night...so the run-on sentences and ramblings are about to come out full force.)

>>  In February we purchased a home.

>> Then we got married in March and I finally moved in to that home. 

>> Three days later we added a family member.. Charlie. 

>> I graduated from college in May (and got my diploma via USPS.. I'm too cool to walk across a stage.)


>> Planted a garden. (This really is a big deal.)


>> Overhauled our living room. New walls and new floors. This is the before.


>> Played for Michael Bublé on the opening concert of our local arena. (Yep, that's Michael and that's me talking to him. My 5 minutes of fame. It was glorious and embarrassing all at once.)

>> I also took a job in Omaha teaching preschoolers violin. (No picture for that, really, but it's the main reason posts have been so infrequent! My apologies.)

So you see what I mean? 2014 has some big shoes to fill.

I hope you all have had as great of a 2013 as I!

From me to you, Happy New Year! 

hannah

uhh.. do you still blog?

That's a good question! It's been, what, a month since I last shared anything? 

So many exciting things are happening in these parts, friends. I left the studio I formerly taught at and have been privately teaching from my home. I am teaching more now than I was at the studio, which is crazy to me and awesome! {Don't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.} Working from home is something that I will never take for granted...ever. Come take violin lessons with me! :)

Other opportunities have popped up! 

Not only am I teaching at home in Lincoln but I'm teaching in Omaha as well. I was thrilled when the Omaha Conservatory contacted me to be a part of their new after-school program for "at risk" schools. This program is allowing kids to have violin lessons for FREE. No price. All paid for. All inclusive. Yes! The possibilities with this program are endless and I can't wait to see where it goes.

All in all, 

Life is so much better when you're busy doing what you love. 

Hannah

float on | niobrara

i got to fulfill one of my 23 before 24 goals! hurray! 

jake, a few friends, and i were able to head down the niobrara river in the middle of july.

it was a long drive to get to valentine, nebraska. fortunately, we had enough episodes of the vampire diaries to get us there. coming back we weren't so lucky. 

it was definitely an experience. a six hour long experience!
by the end we were already planning our trip for next year.

// our neighbors for the weekend.

// the niobrara

// the men pulling us back on to the river after a lunch break

// just floating along.

// soaking up sun

// the sky started changing by the end of our trip. we barely missed the storm.

//the end of our trip we were met with knee-high mud!

we enjoyed every bit of the niobrara. 

what experience have you had that needs to be experienced more than once?

because for me, this was one of them. 

hannah

A slideshow from our wedding day.

Jake made this little slideshow for our wedding. Some might call it destiny or fate, but it still amazes me to see God's hand in our lives leading us to each other in His perfect timing.

Wedding Video from Hannah Jensen on Vimeo.

It seems that Jake chose to put more embarrassing photos of me than himself in this slideshow... I might need to create my own as a rebuttal. ;)