Hi friends! Today is Monday, March 14, 2022. Yesterday was the start of daylight savings, and today, I feel a fresh sense to tune into something I’ve been thinking of for the last several months (and maybe year?).

I’ve realized more and more lately that time is fleeting. I know this is quite a cheesy and very predictable saying, but I’m telling you, it’s hit me to my core lately. In 2021, my eyes were opened and my heart was convicted of the work directly in front of me that I should be doing to spread the Gospel. In January 2022, we lost our sweet Lucy, and life is just different now. Throughout the last two years, I’ve learned a lot about myself – and this life God has intended for me.

I have always wanted MORE. From a young age, I wanted to live in the biggest city, have the biggest office space, travel the most, know the most people, and be seen anywhere and everywhere. I glamorized fame and thought being a celebrity was the ultimate achievement. Then, on a trip out west, my eyes were open at the age of 17 that Los Angeles is just another city. At 20, I learned that marrying your best friend is a different kind of magical. At 21, I learned that climbing the corporate ladder could be lonely, time sucking, and not as life-giving as I imagined. At 24, I learned that a baby changes everything. No more did I want to be a total girl-boss, travel every other week, and be constantly busy, I dreamed of quiet days at home, Saturday morning cartoons, serving in our church, and quality family time free of distractions. Not to say these realizations are the same for everyone, but I started to realized that the life I had once dreamed of was not the same life I desire today. It was (and still is) hard to completely change the goals you’ve been after for so long. It’s been hard to know what I even want or desire because my goals and dreams have shifted so much in the last two years.

So, in 2021, I shared that my beloved business Haley Nicole Photography would be taking a pause. Today, I am sharing that I am shifting my online space to one centered on cultivating a more intentional, purposeful, and impactful every-day-life.

So…why share?! And what in the world does that even mean?

Yes, good question! I’m sharing on here because this online journal has been with me since 2017 (& I’ve blogged elsewhere before that!), and I think it’s important to document a change. The content you’ll see on here and on my Instagram will be much different. I’ll be sharing things to encourage and empower you in an intentional life. Things will likely look messy and imperfect…but that’s what I’m going for. I’m excited for a fresh start. This space will house a lot more of my thoughts, our daily life, and some practical things you can do too. It’ll have all of that…but without the pressure I’ve put on myself for the last several years to be more, more, more. I’ll just be sharing life!

There’s a strong push for “creators” to constantly create and “go, go, go,” and I’m here to challenge that. I used to believe in the idea that you have to keep pushing and keep going to have a better life. That there’s always more for the taking. If I didn’t do those things I was lazy. I know that certain seasons of my life might require more elbow grease, and some days I will have to work sunrise to sunset. However, sometimes I just have to say no. Today, I’m choosing that. There might come a time when I start back up a million businesses, and I have events left and right. However, it’s not now.

So, I’m eager to share our mundane. Our every day joys. Our not-so-picture-perfect life. Our mess ups. Our total failures. Our happy days. Our life-hacks. Just us.

Let’s go!

xoxo! Haley