I Won't Take Nothing But A Memory From The House That Built Me

Hello there,

At the end of the month of June, I was able to come home for a full week and hang out with a few of my friends. But before I was allowed that week of freedom, I had to endure a weekend of chaos.

On the 23rd of June, I woke up early in the morning knowing exactly what I was going to have to do that day. The clock on my phone said 7:30 a.m, and the last thing I had remembered before shutting my eyes was the numbers 3:45 (a.m) appear across the screen. After finally getting up, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my stuffed animal/child, Danielle. Analyzing her, I noticed all of the mascara tears/scars she had across her body. With every black mark I saw, I knew exactly what memory corresponded with it. I placed her back on the bed and grabbed my journal. My mind was flooded with all sorts of emotions that I wanted to tell my parents about. By the way, my new journal is called "Dear Mom and Dad..." In this book, I tell them about absolutely everything and everyone, kinda as if they were sitting and discussing my day with me in person. Suddenly, my phone started buzzing with excitement - it was my Uncle Jim calling me.

This yellow ball of sunshine is my Uncle Jim. This photo happened a few years ago. He is a lot grungier now.

Brooklyn road was made for people who had a mind full of thoughts. By the time I had made it to Adams house, I had gone through each and every one of my thoughts enough to where I could form a smile across my face when he got into the car. "Are you nervous about meeting two of my uncles, all in one day" was the first thing I said to him as I drove out of his driveway. He looked over at me with a nervous smile and said, "uhhh...a little." I gently patted his knee and said, "don't worry, they are going to love you - pinky promise." He grabbed the "oh snap" handle above his head and we continued our journey.

Once we pulled in my driveway, there were at least six other cars there, only two of which I could recognize. I put the car in park and looked at Adams flushed face and said, "are you ready, cutie?" He looked back at me and said, "I guess so." Little did he know, but that wasn't really a question. By the time he finished his sentence, I was already out of the car and running to my Uncle Jim's arms...something quite similar to a romantic movie. I hadn't seen his face since my mothers funeral, and that particular day was the very time I had seen this tough man cry...I couldn't physically take it. After he gave me a massive hug, I looked into his eyes and whispered, "Uncle Jim - play nice. He is a really really great guy, okay? I can't have you scaring this one off..." About that time, I turned around to find Adam slowly walking towards us. After I introduced them and they shook hands, Uncle Jim started quizzing the poor boy about his future plans in life. Once Adam indicated that the University of Alabama was hopefully in his future, Uncle Jim eased up and gave him a big smile. Before I knew it, we were all sitting on the bridge outside of my house and discussing the 24 guns my uncle had stashed in his car. Truthfully, I am glad Adam was listening and being involved in the conversation, because I always have the hardest time paying attention to what my uncle says. This isn't because I tone him out, it's because I always get lost in the shape of his face and smile. Everything about him is so similar to my dad's, and he is the very last piece of my dad that I have left. I can't help but to get a little fluttery when he is around. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice say my name. My Uncle Jeff was pushing my dresser drawer out of the sunroom to load into the huge U-Haul. He stopped pushing them for a second so he could give me a hug and be introduced to Adam. Before I knew it, all three of them were caught up in a conversation about football and the deadliest animals in Austrailia - I couldn't stop laughing at them. My Aunt Patty joined in on the conversation and switched it back to Mr. Adam. Once she said hello, she grabbed Uncle Jeff and they went back inside, allowing Adam and I a few more minutes with Uncle Jim. He is a real character...and on that day, he basically found a new love - Adam.

Once we said our goodbyes to Uncle Jim, Adam and I finally walked inside my house. Everything was on display as if we were at walmart, and my memories were just 50 cent pieces of nothingness on a shelf. There were ladies and men everywhere going through my things, picking out stuff to sale for next to nothing, and throwing the other things away. Closing my eyes, I grabbed the back of Adams shirt and allowed him to guide me to my room...which was even worse. All of my things had been taken out and either put in the living room to sale, or were put in the back of the U-Haul to be taken away. I knew this all was bound to happen sometime soon, but I always kept pretending everything was just a lousy dream that I hadn't woken up from quite yet. I had my rude awakening on this particular day - all it said was, "hey girl...this is real life. Now, grab a box..." Aunt Patty and I continued going through things while Uncle Jeff and Adam put their muscles to good use by shoving more of my things in the U-Haul. Finally, we all took a break and decided to go to Arby's for food. When we finally got there, we all ordered, then I practically ran to the bathroom and cried until I heard someone knock on the door. Thinking it was someone who was trying to make sure I wasn't dead, I opened the door with a fake smile on my face. I looked out of the crack I had made in the door and found a little girl looking up at me with big ole eye balls and squeezing her little legs together. She helped me find my smile again as I held open the door for her and watched her run to the potty, not even thinking about locking the door behind her. I smiled as I looked for the rest of my trio, who were all patiently waiting for me at the table so we could all say a blessing before digging in. Luckily, I had no makeup on and my face was already red from working up a sweat, so no one could truly tell that I had been bawling my eyes out. I sat down with a smile on my face and pretended like my whole world was peaches and cornbread.

After we finished eating and went back to my house, everyone else had walked back inside and I stood under the bridge, looking at the beauty of my house. Before I could get caught up in all of my emotions, Adam walked back out the door then said, "Haley...do you wanna fly?" Completely confused by this question, I looked at him and said "absolutely..." He turned around with a smile on his face, then leaned slighty forward and said "jump on." What started out as a piggy back ride then turned out to be a full-on, upside down snow angel." How on earth could you be sad while doing that? Once again, I was reminded where to find my lost smile.



My beautiful house...along with my pool and gas tanks.
I couldn't live without either one of those things.



Once we finished loading the U-Haul hours later, Adam and I both gave Aunt Patty and Uncle Jeff a goodbye hug. As I walked to the car, I heard them say, "take care of her", then listened for his response, which was "I can promise you that I will." I quickly got in my car and turned Maxi on - usually driving her makes me forget everything else. Once Adam got in the passenger seat, I quickly pulled out of the driveway, only looking back to catch one final glimpse of my now old house, then I continued down Cross Creek Road. Suddenly, I completely slammed on the breaks - for the first time ever, I just couldn't drive her. I unbuckled my seatbelt then opened my car door. Adam had the most confused look plastered across his face, then I said, "do you wanna drive? I just don't really feel like it." He went and sat in the drivers seat without asking any questions. Before this particular day, I hadn't allowed Adam to see me cry - 1) I am not a very pretty crier, and 2) I didn't want him to think I wasn't tough. After fighting them as long as I could, all of a sudden the tears started pouring. Looking out of the window, I pretended to be enjoying the song playing in my car. Unfortunately, I didn't fool him one bit. At the stop sign that indicated the end of McCurry Road, he put ole Maxi in park then gently grabbed my face. Shielding all of my emotions, I threw on some sunglasses and said, "OH MY GOSH - the sun is so bright out here. It's making my eyeballs water." Like I said earlier, I didn't fool him for a minute. Without thinking twice, he grabbed on to my hand and drove towards Dairy Queen. I can officially promise you that their frozen lemonade really does mend a broken heart.

The view of my house from my front gate.
Ain't she perty?

That evening, Adam, Anna, Maggie, Shelby, Callie-Marie and myself all went back to the green house on Cross Creek Road and decided to do some adventuring. I wanted the last time I was in there to be a happy one, so we all decided to explore all of the beautiful things she had left inside of her. Not only did I let all of my friends take a piece of my house with them, but also, as our last adventure together under this particular roof, we took one last trip down the yellow slide that resided in the attic of my house. That night was one of the greatest nights that I had experienced in a while...and it somehow happened to fall on the same evening as my hardest day. I truly am thankful for the people in my life. If it weren't for them, the last lingering thought of my house would've been a sad one.

Memory Lane

Ole Maxi playing in the snow a few years back

The view of my front yard during the snow storm.
OH - and that's Fred.

The sign on the front gate - by the way, this was stolen for me.
Teehee :)



Up close view of the flowers over my sunroom.
I loved them...except when I walked into the thorns on their stems everymorning before school.

 

My daddy's beautiful roses!
He had a green thumb, I tell yah!



The awesome water fountain!
 That thing weighs 5,000,000 pounds - I picked it up all by myself. :)



Goldfish pond before...

And after.

As you all may know, there is a lot of talk around Andalusia about my house being torn down by its new owners. Without saying too much about that, if I could just talk to them, I know exactly what I would say.

As you drive up our driveway, you will see a complete outline of my house. The green tin on the walls were all part of my parents' plan to live in a luxurious barn - that was always their dream along with twenty two kids, a huge pond, a pool, and to actually be living on a farm. Everything about the house you are looking at was planned down to the "t". As you park, you will see a bridge-like structure. My dad had a clever idea to make a mote around the house. But before he could fulfill this particular dream, he became very ill. This same bridge was also where I spent the night the evening when my father passed away - I couldn't help myself. That was the last place I saw him before they put him in the back of the black hearse. If you look to your left and right, you will see many beautiful shrubs and rose bushes - the tall shrubs surrounded the entire pool until one day my dad got the bright idea to trim half of them, which resulted in a good many of them dying. But the rose bushes, those were his specialty. Every year around his birthday, they would all bloom, allowing us to know that his presence was near. Oh yeah, and we can't forget the pool. After we finally had that bad boy put in, we decided to make the pool into a water slide by placing a few water hoses in the shallow end, allowing the water to drain down the slope to the deep end, and also allowing us to hop on floats and ride them down the slope. It was a sad day in the Moody household when the pool was completely filled. Behind the pool was my dads and moms favorite item around the house : the goldfish pond. My dad spend long, hard hours trying to draw this thing out to create a perfect dream. Not only did we have one pond, but we had two. Between the two ponds was another bridge, a garden, and a waterfall. On days when hours at the hospital stressed my dad to his maximum, I could find him standing between those two ponds, throwing fish food, and watching the orange-ish and white-ish colored fish rise to the surface. My mothers favorite part was when the snakes would slither across the water lilies, allowing her to take pictures of these creepy crawlers. If you look past the pond, you would see a huge sunroom. This had to be one of my favorite features in the house. My father and I used to go inside that room and dance until my mother would order me to bed. The other nights, he and I would just sit in there, dreaming about actually sleeping in there one night when it was raining. We never got to complete that particular dream, but those nights in that room with my dad were some of my favorites that I always look back on and smile about. If you look up in the sunroom, you will see Christmas lights. You are probably thinking that we are rednecks and just never took the time to take those festive lights down. Not to be rude, but you are completely wrong. After my father passed away, I would go into that room and turn those lights on, place his old CDs in the stereo, then dance and pretend he was there standing with me. They would be used at least twice a week. Once you walk inside the actual house, STOP. If you look down, you will see an ocean of tiles underneath your feet. These weren't always there. I used to return from school, having to see my fathers butt-crack, as he was on his hands and knees trying to finish his dream home. Finally, he asked some help to come in and they finished the floors in no time. That nook to the right was the kitchen - my dad cooked in there nearly every single night, and my mother made coffee in there every single morning. I broke many of my fathers mason jars in that kitchen trying to learn how to can random fruits and vegetables. Right before the kitchen is a doorway which leads to the area in which you would find my mother the most. In this room, she did laundry until her fingers gave out. Also, she had plenty of yarn and fabric stored for when she felt compelled to knit me and my friends hats and scarves during the winter. Leaving this room, you enter the dining room area - this place holds some of my happiest memories. We sat down at this table for dinner every single night until my father got sick. After then, this table became the designated trash bin. We forgot what the table cloth looked like until Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. In this house, we have two bathrooms - each of these two rooms contain something incredibly important to my happiness. One of the bathrooms has a shower that could've fooled me for rain, and the other one had a tub that included jets. When my life was difficult or I was just simply alone at the house, I would flip a coin and go to the designated watering hole. All of my pain or sadness would wash down the drain and I would exit as a new and improved girl. These two rooms served as my sanctuary throughout my high school years. Speaking of sanctuary, we can't forget about my bedroom - you may not see this now, but before I had to move out, my walls were completely covered with quotes and pictures that were significant in my life. This room could make even the saddest person smile, and that's exactly what I needed every single night. Before you exit my room, if you look to the left of the doorway, you will see little marks drawn. I used to measure my height until my sister put a huge bookcase in-front of it to refrain me from drawing on the walls like a little child. If you walk out and to your right, you will see that my parents had their own little din, which my mother re-created once my father passed away. If you continue walking to the back you will find a little room to your left - this was my fathers office. I would scare the heebie-jeebies out of my mother every morning when she would be heading out to feed our thousands of animals. Past that room is one of my favorite items in this entire house - the slide. When my dad first told me that he was going to build a yellow slide in the house that went from the attic to the first floor, I thought he was the most amazing man alive. That thought still hasn't changed to this day. To get to this incredible slide, you have to take the stairs on the right. Don't be afraid by the vibrant names on the walls, we did all of this for fun considering how that room was supposed to be turned into a game room. I could keep going and going...but here is the most important thing. I have lived in this house since I was in the first grade. Lots of laughter and tears have been engulfed by these walls that you are so ready to tear down. They may mean absolutely nothing to you...but they mean every little thing to me and my dwindling family. As for my parents, this was their perfect dream. Like every little girl in the world, my mother always had high hopes and a big plan for the perfect home, with the perfect family, and the most perfect animals - daddy gave life to mama's dream. I know I can't do anything to change your decision, but I figured it was only fair to fill you in that you are not only tearing down an empty home, but you are also tearing down some of the happiest memories of four not-so-little children.

Sincerely,
Haley Danielle Moody - the littlest of those four children.

One of the prettiest days at the Moody Mansion.

This past week, my brother has been moving out of his now old apartment so that he can live in his fraternity house this up coming year. Being the sweet person that I am, I decided to give him a hand. That kind notion was made before I knew that I was going to have to move a massive couch out and carry it to the dumpster. Tyler was really kind for leaving that piece of information out. A few hours and a few cuts later, Tyler was saying sayonara to his old apartment and we were headed back to the Benton household.
"Haley...I just wanted to let you know that I think you are doing a great job in school. Just keep it up so that you don't become like me...working construction all summer. Yes, it has taught me a lot. For instance, it taught me to work harder in school so I don't have to do this crap for the rest of my life."

"I am nooooot doing construction, Tyler. Ever. Ever. Ever..."

"Good...I know that I have a lot of people doubting me, Haley, and that I have royally messed up a lot of things in my life, but I am going to graduate, get an amazing job, be a billionaire, get you that land rover that you want, buy all of our land back from that idiot that bought it, oh and buy his land, too......Haley, you do know that he is going to tear down the house, right?" I looked over at him and gave him a slow nod. "Well, I just wanted to make sure. I don't think you need to go back to Andalusia as much anymore. Mom and dad don't want you seeing all of these things this man is about to do to our house, okay? I know that it's hard, but you have to start moving forward. I know that it was hard for me to go back there and see all of that, so I know that it can't be easy for you. Life is going to kick you in the face and throw thousands of pounds on you all at once. You can't let it get you down though, okay? Keep standing up and throwing some off each and every chance you get. I know you aren't sure what you want to be yet...but you have to do what makes you happiest. Be an Editor...be a Dentist and rip peoples teeth out whenever you want to. It doesn't matter what it is that you choose, mostly, just choose whatever makes you happiest and go for it."

Once he finished his speech, he looked over at me and saw tears flowing from my eyes. At that moment, I was reminded one more time where to find my smile...which was within my brother.

This song was my inspiration

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Please be safe and try to avoid anyone who carries a gun - I cannot bear to hear about another shooting.

Love always,
Haley

"You leave home, you move on,  
And you do the best you can. 
I got lost in this whole world,
And forgot who I am.
 
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it.
This brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else.
I thought that maybe I could find myself..."

The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert



With Eyes Like Sunsets, Baby

Hello everyone,

Okay, I am sure you are all thinking, "she has posted three blogs this week, but before today, we hadn't heard from her since she had her wisdom teeth extracted...in May." Let me just go ahead and apologize for that - it wasn't right of me to keep all of my thoughts and stories locked away. As a result, I am trying to come back in full force! Lately, I have been sitting at work and dreaming, and drooling, about going to the beach. I started thinking about the last time I went, which was May of this year. My heart quickly dropped as I remembered what a memorable day it was.

I had just finished paying the toll to receive full access to the gateway of paradise, also known as, Destin. As soon as I rolled up my window and began pressing the accelerator, when suddenly, my favorite song, Into Your Arms by The Maine, began flowing through the sound system in my car. I looked to my right and all I could see was crystal clear waters for miles. In the distance, I saw a familiar building, Emerald Grande, which was the condo that my family and I stayed in when we were escaping from reality after my dad passed away.



It looks like a castle, doesn't it?
Just don't go throwing your hair off of the balconies here like Rapunzel.
You'll catch the wrong type of guys doing that.

 Trying to quickly draw myself back from that memory, I turned to my left. The waters kept getting prettier, and I would've sworn they were screaming my name. "Perfection" was the best way to describe everything that I was seeing. Suddenly, I looked into my rear view mirror and things became even more perfect. I found two of my best friends jamming out in the backseat of my car to this "song" that has kept me going for years. Before I knew it, things got really quiet and I heard all three of these wonderful ladies scream, "She has the most amazing...SMILE!" My mind trailed back to my junior year, sitting in Mr. Ossenforts Chemistry class. Shelby, Grace, Anna, and myself all sat very close to each other. That particular year, I was having a hard time taking anything seriously, because right when I left school, everything that involved me was taken way beyond "too seriously". I spent the latter part of my afternoon being fussed at until tears tears formed behind my eyelids, and simply just waiting for my mother to return from work (these two things had nothing in common with each other, as in, my beautiful mother wasn't the one doing all the fussing). I had "fallen from cloud nine", as Katy Perry would put it, that particular year. At night, I would lay in my bed, unable to sleep, just picturing my life the way I thought it would be, which was full of adventure, and mostly just "happy". As a result, my friends saw beyond my fake smiles and lies about being alright, and they would do anything to help remind me what it was like to truly smile, again. In the middle of class, Shelby and I would randomly make eye contact and she would mouth to me, "She had the most amazing...smile"...then she would draw a happy face with her fingers around her mouth. It truly is the small things in life that make the difference. It's our friends who pick you us and dust us off during the hardest of times.

As my mind trailed back from my high school years to quickly find myself driving over a bridge, I rolled down every window and sunroof in my car, and enjoyed the salty breeze on my skin. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, even with a piece of sandpaper. Suddenly, in the corners of my eyes, I saw my other best friend who was sitting in the passenger seat, throw up her hands and start singing the chorus to this wonderful melody. I remembered back to the first time I let them hear this song - I was as excited as a third grader who had just completed their multiplication tables, and they just simply smiled at me, trying to keep me satisfied. I can honestly say that I made them learn to love that song. Every time we would gather in my car to take an adventure to the unknown, the first song on the play list had to be this song. Its funny how a melody sounds like a memory, right? At this particular moment, I just looked out the front window of my car, smiling like Sandra Bullock at the end of The Blind Side after she had dropped Michael off at college; like her, I couldn't help but to think that I had an impact on these three ladies' lives, and that is truly the only thing that matters in this world.

"Pay close attention to the beautiful things in this world - they may simply be right under your nose."
You may want to get to know these three ladies...
Not only will they change your lives,
but they are also going to do amazing things in this world that you don't want to miss.

I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful Friday. Go outside and take it all in, because you will never get this day back. Have safe and amazing weekends. I am about to pull a Mrs. Wiggins - always wear your seat belts!

Love always,
Haley

"When the tides get too high,
And the sea up underneath get so deep.
And you feel like you're just another person getting lost in the crowd,
Way up high in the nosebleeds.
Uh, because we've both been there, yeah, both of us.
But we still stand tall with our shoulders up.
And even though we always against the odds,
These are the things that've molded us."
Both of Us - B.O.B featuring Taylor Swift

Oooh Boy You Lookin' Like You Like What Yah See

Hey Everyone,

During the week, I work at the Action Card Office for what feels like 24 hours a day. Let me just tell you, I get beyond bored. I have caught myself many times just staring out the window, kinda like that chick in the first Paranormal Activity when she would stand over the bed and stare at her boyfriend for like two hours straight. Yeah...I'm not possessed, though. Anyways, I have to arrive pretty early in the morning, and once I walk my not-so-happy tail in the door, I begin my routine.

First, I clock in then get on my blog (I like to see which countries I am most popular in!) Then, I sign on my pinterest so I can design my future house. Next, I sign on Facebook, laugh at the dingalings who appear across my newsfeed expressing their opinions on gossiping, then I start shopping online - no worries, Aunt Patty...I keep the spending to a minimum. On the occasional day where I remember to bring my Chelsea Handler book, I read and laugh out loud - this is an official sorry to all of my co-workers. The reason I say "nothing" when you ask me why I am laughing is because Chelsea is a pretty hilarious lady, but most of the words that appear in her book, well, I don't really feel comfortable repeating.



You see all that hair on her head? Yeah - it's full of secrets...
Well, secrets that she's not afraid to tell.



Well, I was playing around on my facebook, and I came across some notes that I posted a few years back. Y'all remember the little notes tab? People would do those little questionaire things and then randomly tag a billion people in them (including you), and then you just felt compelled to tell everyone what the last thing was that you ate or who the last person that you texted was. Yeah, lets be real...no one SERIOUSLY read those little boogers, but we all did them because we all thought that everyone needed to know that we just went to the potty. Well, I was scrolling through my notes, yes - I was the queen of those questionaires, and I came across one that nearly made me pee my panties...twice. The directions asked me to put my itunes on shuffle and answer the question with whatever song appeared. I decided to re-take it because I wanted to feel young again...let me just say, I am laughing so hard over here that the lady who works with me is trying to figure out what animal I sound most similar to. Ready to make zoo animal noises with me? OH YEAH - I would really love it if you did this quiz, too!

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
*Jasey Rae (Acoustic) - All Time Low

Hmm...I imagine myself in some store with one of my friends asking me how something looks on them. After them asking "IS THIS OKAY", I quickly whip my head around to see what it is they are directing that question to. Without any emotion, I respond "Jasey Rae" and just continue what I was doing.

Hey - atleast "okay" and "Rae" rhymed!

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
*I’m Alright - Jo Dee Messina

Ahahaha, I mean, I don't want to brag or anything...ahahaha, totally kidding...sorta.

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
*Mean - Taylor Swift


Dadgum it - is it really that obvious?

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
*Love Is Here - Tenth Avenue North

OH MY GOSH - this is fantastic. Not their money, or their looks...just their love. AWW, I feel like a big bottle of mush today!

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
*Right There - Nicole Scherzinger

Noooo, actually I am right here...not there. DUH?

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
*Last Kiss - Taylor Swift

I'm not gonna lie - this actually makes me sound like a skankette. I keep thinking that my motto must be to just go around kissing guys ONLY once, then never giving them the time of day, again. DON'T WORRY, ADAM! I am deeeeefinitely not doing that! Ahahaha, I bet you were nervous, huh?

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
*Missing You - Tyler Hilton

NO WAY!!! I am actually missing them...so, can we just call it even?

8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
*Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

I just imagined them sitting on their cloud couch, with their feet kicked up on their cloud coffee table. Ahaha...they are both wearing sneakers, too! White, of course. Yeah - I'd be lost without my imagination.

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN
*Goodbye To You - Michelle Branch

Hmm...I think this referring to the fact that I am ALWAYS coming and going. I am never staying in one spot for too long, which is forcing me to say goodbye more than my body physically wants me too!

10. WHAT IS 2+2?
*Best Days of your life - Kellie Pickler

Uhh, yeaaaaaah! Learning how to work out "2+2" compared to the crap I have to learn to work out now really was the best days of my life. First grade...I miss you. I should've paid more attention, but I was too concerned with trying to get Anna Locklier in trouble because she made it clear she didn't want to sit next to me in class because we talked to much, so then I was placed next to Keyontae Freeney...bahahaha...let me just say that learning how to read a clock was the least of our worries.

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
*Beautiful Girls (Remix) - JoJo

My best friends really are beautiful - guys, they only date one at a time, so you are gonna have to wait in line. UNLESS YOU'RE TAYLOR LAUTNER...you can just go ahead and skip to the front of the line. ;)

12. WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

* Through The Trees - Low Shoulder


Bahahaahaaha...I can't figure out anything to say about the title of this song, BUT...the lowest part of my shoulder is kinda hurting because I slept on Ethan all weird last night...he's a mess.


I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I am back in Middle School, again. Speaking of...



This was from my Middle School days.
I know what you're thinking - "Wow...She is really pale."
I know...but can we just pretend it's the lighting or something?

 HAPPY HUMP DAY, EVERYONE! In honor of this awesome day and the fact that we are all reminiscing about our Middle School days (I am actually sorry about that...ahah, my Middle School years were t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e), I think we should all take jam out to the good ole songs that got us through those years. DON'T EVEN PRETEND LIKE YOU DIDN'T MAKE A NEW PLAYLIST EVERY SINGLE WEEK! Unfortunately, I didn't just make a new playlist, I also burned them on to a new C.D. every week...don't hate!

"Ohh Boy you looking like you like what you see.
Won't you come over and check up on it,
I'm gone let you work up on it.
Ladies let em check up on it,
watch it while he check up on it.
Dip it, pop it, twork it, stop it, check on me tonight."
Check Up On It - Beyonce

 ***Embarassing fact number one about Haley - I actually made a dance to this song...and I still do it when the song comes on. HA!

Love always,
Haley

Have Faith In Your Dreams And Someday Your Rainbow Will Come Smiling Thru

Hello Everyone,

The past few weeks of my hectic life have been somewhat of a blur, mostly because I have just been trying to zone them all out, and because my body thinks it's funny when it doesn't sleep. Well, this morning, I received a phone call that cleared everything up, somewhat like that allergy medicine, Claritin (you guys know the commercial - Claritin Clear!). This particular phone call has already changed my life for forever. Buddy, you may want to wipe all that drool from your face. I know you're excited and everything, but that slobber my fall and fry your keyboard, and I just don't want that to happen.

This morning was like any other morning: I turned three of my four alarm clocks off, resulting in me sleeping a wee bit later than I needed to. After finally throwing myself out of bed and questioning the time on why it passes by so quickly when I close my eyes, I splashed water on my face, then ran downstairs to make me a big bowl of cereal before I put on my war paint for work. Just a little fun fact - trying to walk back up the stairs with a huge bowl of milk and Honey Comb cereal is never a good idea for anyone out there who finds walking to be a challenge, like I do. Thankfully, I decided to get a huge bowl of cereal, so I still had half of the amount left in the bowl for me to eat once I made it back to my room.

While sitting on the ground next to my bed and eating (and spilling) my now small breakfast, my mind trailed back to the three phone conversations that I had the night before. Recently, I have been feeling beyond lost in this ever-expanding world. Being so far away from all of my best friends has left this empty, bitter feeling in my stomach and I haven't found a way to get rid of it - I tried eating it away because I just kept telling myself "oh girl, you must be hungry". Nope - that all went straight to my thunder thighs. I didn't know what the problem was until my mind trailed back to a few weeks ago when I went home. That week, I realized that the strong relationship I had with my friends had deteriorated with time. Everyone always told us, "after graduation, you all will hardly ever hear from eachother again. Each of your lives will lead separate paths and in separate directions." That same day, I looked over at my best friend and we both smiled, knowing that nothing could ever come between us. This morning, I looked in my mirror as I was about to rub mosturizer on my face, realizing that something actually had: life. We all are doing our own things this summer...kinda like the girls from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. That's actually kinda funny because we modeled our graduation picture after the one from their second movie. I know, I know...very creative.



If you think this is a mess, you should've seen all of us that day.
We were all jumping on eachothers backs...in dresses...at a church.
You gotta miss the good ole days.





After many tries, this is what we ended up with.
A picture has a thousand words, but the one that always comes to my mind when I see this is:
Perfection.



Quickly, I brought myself out of this deep thought process and realized I had to be at work in ten minutes, and I was still wearing my jammies and only had makeup on one eye. I jumped up, threw on everything, stopped and said a quick prayer hoping that I didn't look like a mess, then RAN to my car. If you were wondering how I made it down the stairs this time while running, just know that miracles really do happen. You will truly believe this when I get to the big show.

After blasting my Band Perry C.D. and singing at the top of my lungs the entire way to work, I finally made it to the parking deck; I sat there for a few minutes trying to gather my life before forcing a smile on my face until 5 p.m. I grabbed my hott pink bag and headed for the place that I have recently been referring to as my "new home". Luckily, I made it across the street without being ran over...thanks to my hott pink bag.

I walked inside the Action Card office and went straight up to the front desk where Mrs. Amy was sitting. Me and Mrs. Amy get along perfectly - we only really talk when 1) a customer comes up and fusses at us about a parking ticket - (this is my favorite because we have nothing to do with parking), or when I make a loud grumble while shopping online because I know that the skirt the size-0 model is wearing won't look anything like that on me. Well, right as I sat down, I received a text message from a person that I hadn't talked to since I had my wisdom teeth removed. Here was our conversation:

Lisa Locklier: "I have exciting news 4 u! U have a Guardian Angel! I would like 2 know when we can talk later today. Give me a time 4 later in the day."

I re-read this text message more times than I have fingers on my hands. I am the type of person who over analyzes something before realizing to do the obvious: reply back.

Me: "I get off at five but I don't know if I can wait until then."

Before I could lock my phone, she had already responded "Can I call u now?"

I looked in the back to see how many people were back there trying to get Action Cards made - there was a total of zero. I quickly grabbed my phone, told Mrs. Amy that I had to make a quick phone call, then ran out the door before anyone could ask me to do something for them. I stood outside for a few minutes, then I finally received the phone call I had been waiting for.

Mrs. Locklier: "Hey Haley! How are you doing?"

Me: "I am doing good. How are you, Mrs. Lock?"

Mrs. Locklier: "I have been doing alright. I am up here at the hospital. My father just got out of surgery, so it may get a little loud or the phone may cutt off. BUT - I have something really important I have to tell you. You have a Guardian Angel. This person knew both of your parents very very well, and well, they basically want to help you pay for school."

Right at this moment, she told me the amount and I started crying in front of a hundred strangers. For those of you who don't know me very well, I hate people seeing me cry...absolutely hate it. If I have cried in front of you before, that should feel like an honor, and a curse, because, well, I have a really ugly crying face- I am really sorry about that. I wasn't thinking about my ugly crying face, or the fact that I forgot to wear waterproof mascara...all I was thinking about was the miracles that God has under his sleeves. Here is your perfect example that everything really is going to be alright, so don't waste your time worrying, like me. The only thing that's going to come from that is hair loss - I watch mine wash down the drain every night when I take a shower.

Dear Guardian Angel,

You have changed my life, and I know that I most likely know you, but I was told to pretend like I don't. Is it to early in our relationship to tell you that I love you? I really mean that. You are a blessing. If our paths someday cross in the future, I hope that I could atleast give you a formal thank you, and the biggest hug that anyone has ever recieved in their whole life. Saying thank you will never be enough. Just know that you have re-lit the fire under my hiney, which has made me want to search for my way in this world again. At this current moment, I am unsure what I am going to have a degree in when I graduate, so just know that when you come to my graduation, it will be a surprise to the both of us. Once again, thank you for reminding me that dreams really do come true.
Love, Haley

"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep.
In dreams you lose your heartaches;
Whatever you wish for, you keep.
Have faith in your dreams and someday,
Your rainbow will come smiling thru.
No matter how your heart is grieving.
If you keep on believing,
the dream that you wish will come true."
-Cinderella

Today, all of my worries and stresses have been washed away. Now, my heart is full of happiness and Disney songs. :) Happy Tuesday to you all. Oh yeah - do me a favor? Text your friends...tell them you love them. Even if they don't respond, just know that it will brighten their day.

Love always,
Haley

"Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through.
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams come true."
When You Wish Upon a Star - Disney