Nicole Haley Photography, LLC - Blog » The Little Things

On Serendipity: I was supposed to be in Pittsburgh.

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:10:29 +0000

For months, my friend Storm and I (REMINDER: Some of my friends have “trail names” which were given to them during their thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. For those uncomfortable with this notion, her real name is Patrice.) had been planning to meet somewhere in between the two of us for a weekend visit. Storm lives in New Jersey and since I’m here in southeast Michigan, we thought Pittsburgh would be a good compromise – until the night before we left and we changed our destination to the Allegheny Mountains near Cooksburg, PA. We thought we’d do some hiking or canoeing and relax a bit. We thought we pretty much knew what to expect for the weekend. Especially since I’d been there before. But then we met Rob.

As we were eating dinner on Friday night, Rob introduced himself as the lodge’s wine guy (I really don’t think that’s what came out of his mouth but nor did “sommelier.”). We talked for a bit about where we were from and that was that. After a bit of a stroll around the lodge grounds, Storm and I headed back inside for one more glass of wine. Rob poured me his favorite sauvignon blanc and poured Storm some pinot noir. Then Storm started to tell him why we had both driven to meet in the middle of nowhere and how we’d met. Before she could spit out how we’d both hiked the A.T., Rob finished her sentence. He went on to tell us that hiking the A.T. had been a dream of his when he was about 16-years-old and how he now does some work with the US Forest Service. In there somewhere was also a mention of the Student Conservation Association (SCA) which got my mind running. I knew my dear friend, Melk (Real Life Name: Liz), who I hiked with from Virginia to Maine with in 2007, was working with an SCA group in Pennsylvania for the summer. I didn’t know where, I didn’t know when. Actually, I didn’t really even know she was with an SCA group. I just assumed based on her Facebook status saying she’d be in PA for the summer. We hadn’t talked in a few months and it had been about a year since we’d seen each other. But I threw it out there. Rob’s response was, “Liz is here. And if she is she’ll probably be at a party we’re all having tomorrow night.” But he said he’d let us know for sure the following day.

So, the next day at dinner, Rob informed us, “I can’t confirm that it’s your friend but I can confirm that there’s a Liz from Rhode Island.” That’s pretty much all I needed to know my friend Melk was nearby. How many women named Liz can live in Rhode Island but also be working in PA for the summer? I sent her a text message just to be sure and, as we raced to the party through the hills behind Rob and Jody, who’d also come along from the lodge, she called to confirm. When we arrived to the party, it was dark and there was a large group gathered around a campfire with a few folks playing various instruments. I scoured the illuminations of the fire on each person’s face until I saw Melk. When our eyes landed upon each other we ran and hugged and started shrieking and talking about how in the world all of this had happened. It was a great moment. And I was so thankful it was happening.

We spent about thirty minutes talking before Melk had to leave with her group. Storm and I spent the rest of the evening around the campfire with a handful of people we’d just met talking about a handful of topics and realizing what great company we were in.

I told Rob later in the evening that it seems every time I’m near the A.T. or am with any of my trail friends, something incredible like this happens. He said it was serendipity and the fact that we were open to it all and had put ourselves out there. It seems that, even though I thought the story of my hike was over, I’m still learning such great lessons from it all and I’m still finding so much magic and so many amazing people. I feel lucky to have learned over and over in my life just how many wonderful people are out there in that great big world of ours. I feel so lucky to have met Rob and Jody and to see Melk again!

…

Speaking of seeing Melk, here’s a photo from our reunion! Thanks to Storm for sharing the photo!

And here are a few we took back at the lodge after the festivities. Thanks to Storm for her masterful self-timer action (through which I appear to be sleeping) and to Rob for getting a photo of Storm and I.

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The Little Things: Miniature Heirloom Tomatoes

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:30:39 +0000

Sometimes things can be just ordinary. Run of the mill. Like a handful of red grape tomatoes. But other times, life gets spiced up a little. And it’s a little un-ordinary. Like a handful of multicolored miniature heirloom tomatoes.

I hope you’re having an un-ordinary day. Happy Friday,

nicole

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The Little Things of Summer

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:05:11 +0000

Well, here it is: the unofficial start of summer. Time to get out the picnic blankets, flip flops, hammocks, the Slip ‘n Slide (Oh, how great were those?), and all of the other fun things that go along with summer. This weekend I plan to do a little hiking in northern Michigan and a bit of canoeing in southern Michigan. I’ll get to see a little bit of the woods and a little bit of the water. I plan to get together with friends. Maybe enjoy a few refreshing summertime foods. But, most of all, I’ll have the opportunity to enjoy some of the little things that make summer such a great time in our state and that make me smile. I hope you, too, will have the chance to enjoy some of your favorite little things this weekend – and all throughout the summer! Happy weekend,

nicole

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The Little Things – Surprise Inspiration

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:22:09 +0000

For those of you that are friends with me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that I like to wrap up most weekdays with a short note about the highlight of my day. It’s usually something small – sometimes seemingly insignificant – but to me it’s one thing on that given day which made me grateful. And, no matter how little, it’s something that made me smile real big that day.

Today, my highlight began as I walked up to my porch after work. I had totally forgotten that a package was on its way to me from Compendium Incorporated. And while I love getting any packages in the mail, it was what happened next that made my day. I opened the cardboard box which was decorated carefully with a sticker that read, “live inspired.” I pulled out the various products I had ordered which, even if they had come alone, would have made me feel happy and inspired. Then I saw a something bright at the bottom of the box. Compendium had included, free of charge and totally as a surprise, a reusable bag with the most wonderful thoughts on it. And I fell in love all over again with the company. Because they made me smile.

A few minutes later, Eric walked through the front door and I held up the bag for him to read and he said, “Oh, that’s so you.”

I hope you too will find huge inspiration in the little things that happen in your life.

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The Little Things – Hiking

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:53:14 +0000

It’s finally March. And, for me, March is the time of year when I really start getting the urge to be out hiking more often. I love getting outside year-round but something about March signaling spring and spring signaling hiking clicks in my brain and I start thinking of all of the places I still have left to see in this big world. So I started digging through some of my hiking pictures…

There’s nothing better than a day’s worth of hard work paying off at a sensational waterfall, a great wooded camp spot, or an incredible vista. There’s nothing better than getting there on your own two feet. There’s nothing better than getting there for close to free. It’s really a simple thing for those of us lucky enough to be in good health and near some sort of trail. It’s just a small thing that I like to do that makes me feel much more alive.

It’s just a little thing. A little thing that makes me happy. Cheers to the little things that make your life happy.

Credit for this image goes to my friend and hiking partner, Chris. That’s me – the speck on top of the cliff – so, thankfully Chris was there to capture the moment.

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Happy Christmas!

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:31:44 +0000

Wishing you the merriest Christmas of them all … and may your favorite little things be all around.

The Little Things – Apples and Orchards

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:22:59 +0000

Throughout the rest of the year, I am pretty indifferent to apples. I don’t crave them nor do I dislike them – they’re just sort of there, existing as happy little fruits and keeping the doctor away. But, in the fall, when visits to the apple orchard are common and all kinds of apples are just waiting to be picked, I can’t help but love them. For me, it’s the whole experience. I really believe that an apple tastes better when you see the orchard from which it was picked. Or when you can actually pick it yourself. In the fall, one of my favorite things to do is to visit the apple orchard. I love picking the apples and making pie. I love the cider. I love the doughnuts.

When Eric and I were up in Leelanau a couple of weekends ago, we visited Christmas Cove Farm in Northport to pick up some apples. And, while we didn’t pick them ourselves, this place is more than you would ever imagine stumbling upon. They have hundreds of different varieties of apples for sale in their barn, sort of a little apple wonderland. I was in heaven taking photos… of apples. To me, it was a perfect way to spend a fall morning enjoying all of the little things I love about the fall in Michigan. So cheers to apples and orchards and perfect fall days! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

It was fascinating reading about all of the different kinds of apples they had and all of the colors were so brilliant!

Apple. Wonderland!

I loved something about these containers… just waiting to be filled up with some more bright apples at any minute.

It took us a while to read about all of the different kinds of apples and decide which we wanted to take home but we walked out with Macoun and Bread & Butter apples (which, as they noted, are great with bread and cheese!). Macouns are delicious!

The Little Things – The Kindness of Strangers

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:51:04 +0000

Two years ago today, I finished my hike of the Appalachian Trail. It was a seven-month long journey from Georgia to Maine with twelve states in between. It was hard at times. It was fun at times. But all the time I was amazed at the many people who came together to help us hikers out along the trail. People who went out of their way to drop off leftover meals to a trailhead. People who hiked a couple of miles with their kids a few times each week just to drop off a cache of water where the springs weren’t reliable. People who gave hikers rides to town. People who opened their homes, kitchens, and laundry rooms to provide us with a little comfort. Strangers who sent me post cards in the mail. Strangers who I still talk to via email that cheered me on. Strangers. Complete strangers.

Today I wanted to reflect on these people. They were the only way I ever could have completed my goal – my dream – of hiking that trail. Without the kindness of all of these people I had never met, I’d probably still be walking around in circles somewhere in Atlanta before I ever stepped foot in the woods!

Sometimes I forget how important it can be to take a minute and help someone else out. Today, I wanted to remind myself to remember. A little time, a little action, a little thing, can go a long way. If you put a bunch of little actions together, it go even further. More than 2,000 miles.

The Little Things – Celebrating Simple Pleasures

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:30:15 +0000

Simple pleasures. What are those? For me, they are all of the little things in life that make me stop for even a second and appreciate they are happening. They’re some of my favorite things in life. Period. They’re small. It doesn’t take much to make them happen. But when they do, everything seems right with the world. I’ve talked about a few of them here on my blog. Like visiting a farmers market, sipping tea, canoeing, or preparing and eating fresh berries. I’d make a list of more of my favorites for you here but it’d spoil my upcoming posts about the many little things I love and there are so many coming up this time of year! But I wanted to share one of my most recent favorite little things…

My friend, Genna, sent this canvas painting to me after we got together one evening for a family session of fun and photos (coming to a blog near you very soon!) and I immediately loved it for so many reasons. It’s like a twofer of simple pleasures. No, a threefer!

1) It’s such a sweet and thoughtful gift and, really, what’s nicer than that?

2) It’s YELLOW! For some reason, the minute I turned 26, I fell in love with the color yellow. It makes me happy. It should make you happy too!

3) It celebrates the simple pleasures in life and makes me think about all of the little things I love. And I can always use a reminder of the good stuff.

So cheers to yellow painted gifts that celebrate simple pleasures. Cheers to the little things! And thank you, Genna & Family, for sending me such an awesome gift - it’s sooo appreciated and I smile each time I look at it.

The Little Things – Canoeing

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:00:04 +0000

The calming water, the scenery dotted with ducks and turtles, the smells of fresh trees along the river. Being out in the sunshine, moving around a bit (well, arms at least), and getting some fresh air. All of these things make me appreciate canoeing a whole lot. It always feels like a getaway to me, like I’m on a mini-vacation. Today, Eric and I set sail (Okay, “paddle.” But “sail” sounded much more grandiose.) along the Huron River near Ann Arbor for a couple of hours. It had been a looong time since we’d gone and we may or may not have crashed more times than you can count on one hand, but we both thought it’d be really nice to be able to do it more often. It’s just one of the small things in life that seems to bring a little peace, a little slowness. So, on this fine Sunday, here’s to canoeing – and the peace it brings. And cheers to the little things…