Red.

My new favorite updo.

Hey look mom! I can throw fire!

That's my friend, guys. Seriously. 
She willing subjects herself to hanging out with me, even in public, in the middle of the street, 
as cars honk at us to get out of the street while we are just trying to be artsy fartsy.. OKAY?

Shoes: Steve Madden, Pants: Lucky Brand, Shirt: Forever21, Earrings: Dear Diary
Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo, Jacket: Thrifted, Sweatshirt:High School baby!

I smell like coffee. I started and ended my day at Starbucks. The second visit MUCH better than the first considering the fact that the first was at 6 AM and I was studying for my psychology exam.

Needless to say.. I have got to give a shout-out to the peeps up at my Montecito Starbucks! If I wasn't friends with Julianne, I wouldn't be cool enough to talk to ya'lls. I think you are all really neat.


Can't stress enough how awesome Hosea 2:16-20 is... you know what.. just read it


“In that day,” declares the LORD, 
   “you will call me ‘my husband’; 
   you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ 
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; 
   no longer will their names be invoked. 
In that day I will make a covenant for them 
   with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky 
   and the creatures that move along the ground. 
Bow and sword and battle 
   I will abolish from the land, 
   so that all may lie down in safety. 
I will betroth you to me forever; 
   I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, 
   in love and compassion. 
I will betroth you in faithfulness, 
   and you will acknowledge the LORD."

Now that's what I call a love letter. It reminds me of the song "Chasing Me" by Jimmy Robeson. Click on that link and listen to it. It's pretty awesome.

What a Weekend.

The beautiful bride to be!

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!

And by shots, I mean medicine. She was a little under the weather.
Come on people! This was a good wholesome bachelorette party! 

She probably won't appreciate me posting this picture, but this is cousinly love.
This perfectly describes what most of our time together is like. Deal with it Mary.
Oh, and thank you Shane for capturing this glorious moment.

This weekend I had the privilege of attending Mary's Bachelorette party! Mary is my cousin.. well, second-cousin, but who's counting right?

Anywho, Mary's sister, Maggie, put on quite the party! So much fun with scavenger hunts, funny shirts, junk food, game of things, helium and.. well maybe a 5:50 AM bedtime. I'm just sayin' it was getting PRETTY crazy.

Seriously a blast. Mary has the greatest friends who truly love her and know how to have a good time and a good laugh.

I am extremely excited for you, Shane and Mary! So happy to call you guys not only family, but some of my dearest friends.

Wait.

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."


-Russell Kelfer

Such a good reminder of how waiting on God's timing is not about the material things we are waiting for, but rather, it's about growing in God, learning to seek Him through everything, and truly knowing Him.  It's about learning to be still when there is so much noise around us and so many thoughts running through our heads.  

"Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

Beach Babes.

Oh... you know, just lookin like a pro.

Esther teaching Julianne how to be pro like her.

Esther shreddin' the gnar (is that what they say? I have no idea)

Esther + Pelican + Julianne

Oh hey Marisa.

I love my Julianne.

I know her...

Esther + Julianne (the newest surfer of the clan)

I lean not on my own understanding,
My life is in the hands of the Maker of heaven.
I give it all to You, God, trusting that You'll make something beautiful out of me.
I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open.
There's nothing I hold on to.

Bear, Beaches, and Buns (the hair kind)

Best friends. Esther + Bear.

Esther and I have one of the funniest friendships. We are complete polar opposites

(she is a tan, blonde, surfer. I am a white, brunette, artsy fartsy girl)

YET we get along SO WELL. I guess opposites attract right?

This one is for my dear friend Whitney! It's her typical 'Toddlers in Tiaras' face.
She is abroad in what I call Thanksgiving land... aka Istanbul, Turkey.
I miss her too much, but the occasional iChat will have to suffice.

Shoes: Anthropologie, Skirt: Anthropologie, Sweater: Thrifted, Belt: H&M 

Ok, so I know what you are thinking... 'style on the college dime' and Anthropologie don't go together.

I know this. Trust me. I worked there this summer and became a slight shopaholic... So what I have yet to explain is that this blog is not about how I am super good at saving money, because trust me... if I see anything striped, it's in my possession within the next 3 seconds.

It's more about learning how practice the art of 'pinching pennies.'

So it's a learning process. You get me? Work with me here.

Anyways... Esther and I took Bear on a walk along the beach this afternoon. I love me some time with Esther. She is such a giggly friend. I always leave my time with her in a joyful mood. And I forgot to mention that she is married.. so fellas, back off (not that any men read this except maybe my dad). She is an incredibly Godly wife to her husband Isaac. What an example I have to look up to in her.

OH! A little bit of exciting news... I just turned in my first deposit for my semester abroad next fall in EUROPE!!! Can you say Prague, Berlin, Salzburg, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, Normandy, Brugge, Amsterdam, London, Rome, Florence, Avignon, Bilbao, Madrid, Granada, Seville and Lisbon!!! WAHOOO! I CAN!

Oh man. Can't wait. It's gonna be shall I say ehrfürchtige, impresionnant, impressionante, ontzagwekkend, incrível, and awesome! (looks like I have some work to do!)

Just keep printing, just keep printing!

Boots:Nordstrom, Jeans:Express, Shirt:From Hallie!!!
Sweater:Nordstrom, Scarf:Thrifted

I couldn't help that face...
I was staring into the eyes of a goddess with majestic lion-esque hair.
(see picture below)

Ok, hey! How much did you buy that great dress Sara?
Just $1! There is no way you are serious! Yes, she is. And she's looking good.

Today. I turned in my first print. That's right ladies and gentleman. I, Hannah Ippolito, am in printmaking and I LOVE it! That's Julianne up there too! She made some awesome flamingos... seriously impeccable. Anyways, it was probably the most frightening thing in the world after I rolled that brayer (that is for Martha... if she ever reads this) on my block and then when I finally lifted that rice paper up to see... DUN DUH DUH DUH! My 50's dress printed just how I wanted!!!

So Neat.

Also. Hosea. Read it some time (mainly chapter 2:16-20, what a love letter that is!). We are so not worthy of the LOVE God has for us, but He is so good and gracious to give us grace.

It's time to buckle down and do some journalism and communication research reading... (super unwilling voice) yay...
Over and out.

Heart for Haiti

This sweatshirt is in honor of my mother.
It was hers. It is now mine and when I
grow up I wanna be JUST like her :)

I am so blessed to have the family that I do.  The pictures at the tippy top of this post are of my Mama, Shirley (the lovely gal who my mom sponsors/my mom's best friend), Mrs. Jillane, and my sister Heidi in Haiti.  I am SO impressed by the devotion my mom and sister have for the orphanage in Haiti. This is their 3RD TRIP!!! Mrs. Jillane... she's practically a citizen.

Keep them in your prayers! Both the team and the kids at the orphanage! I wish I could have one of the Shirley Fan Club shirts!!!

Pitter-Patter

Boots:Target, Jacket: Anthropologie
Lower photos: Skirt and Shirt: Thrifted

Woah, who's that hott chick?
Oh, just no big deal or anything, It's Julianne. I know her.
She works at Starbucks and always smells like coffee... jealous?

5 reasons why I knew today was going to be a good day.

1. I woke up not to my alarm, but to the sound of rain on the window by my face. Score.
2. I knew I was able to not only wear my rainboots and beautiful jacket I got for Christmas, but I also got to sport my Mary Poppins umbrella.
3. I was breathing.
4. I woke up with enough time to get ready AND go and make toast.
5. I got a text from my mom saying her and my sister Heidi have safely arrived in Haiti! (Keep them and their team in your prayers. It's my mom and Heidi's 3rd time there!!!)

Hosea's Wife

The boots in the picture above are about to become your new best friends whether you like it or not... I wear them almost every day. So you might as well get used to them.

Pants: Lucky Brand Boots:Nordstrom Shirt: Forever21 Sweater: Forever21 Jacket: Thrifted

The last two days have been spent in a way many might call "alone," but I like to refer to it as a date with just me, Norah Jones and my book, Redeeming Love (<----- That's the link to buy it so you have NO excuse). Trust me, you won't regret this read.  I sat on my couch for the past two days and got up for nothing except to feed myself and to relieve myself. Basically, I stuck to the essentials. A nice relaxing weekend if I do say so myself. 

Also, Norah Jones album "The Fall" is rockin' my world right now. You should take a stab at a listen.