Should I use Lumen?

If it's just a resume website I wouldn't use a framework at all, but if you insist on using then of course go for Lumen. Laravel will be an overkill, it will be like killing a bug with a nuclear bomb :)

I was debating purely static HTML, but then I started thinking about the headache of having to edit nav-menus on every single static page. Since I know a little PHP/laravel (although it isn't my profession per-se) I would much rather use the MVC structure, if anything for the cleaner organization and ease of edits.

I am also assuming that I shouldn't run in to too many issues using templates (pref. blade) and .css ?

I would go for Laravel here, Lumen is really good for APIs and microservices. If you do a lot with views and a small cms behind it, then Laravel would be a better option as far as I know. Laravel is still fast enough for your website.

Like said by others, if it's really that simple don't use a framework at all ;)

And laravel contains Blade, the easy view templates system, and you can deal with it.

If you don't need true dynamic pages have you consider a static site generator? Basicaly they are programs that you run in your computer and it will take a data source (for example a set of Markdown files) and generate your site based on a template and spits out the pages in static HTML which you can upload to your hosting provider.

Barry vd. Heuvel's blog is powered by Jekyll, he even has a GitHub repo for the source pages. There are also a few written in PHP: Sculpin, Phrozn

Thank you guys, for all the suggestions. I am new to the LC community, and very impressed with how helpful you guys are.

With the fact that Lumen doesn't include blade, then I certainly think that it is safe to say that Lumen is not what I am looking for (at least not out of the box). If I am going to have to extend Lumen, then it follows that Laravel would be the better option.

As much as I love the idea of a purely static site. I have been a huge opponent of static site generation since the 90s. Mainly because you have, usually, little to no control over the markup that is generated. I remember cringing at the garbage generated HTML of early WYSIWYG editors.

I am certainly confident that I can quickly develop a solid, and extendable personal website using Laravel. I suppose it may be overkill, but I am certainly thinking about the future of a personal site that is dynamic. Where I can update meaningful experiences via a backend.

I also forgot to mention, I will need to be able to use the Flikr API to showcase my photography hobby.

Another thing that I hope to gain, is to brush up on my Laravel skills, as I get ready to embark upon a separate, but bigger project, which may actually benefit from the use of an API developed by Lumen (in the future)

I am using Laravel for API. bcz i am using responsive with marco function(maybe Lumen added this on current version)

https://github.com/devmark/laravel-angular-cms This Hope can give you some reference.

You can indeed use Blade with Lumen.