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

This Is A Part Of Me That You're Never Gonna Ever Take Away From Me - NO!

Hey there, young-ins!

A few weeks ago, I came back to Tuscaloosa for an incredibly special event: my wisdom teeth removal. Honestly, I have been worried about that particular date in my calendar since I planned to have them removed, which was the day after my birthday. Some present, right? Well, my sister traveled up to ole T-Town so she could go with me when I had them removed and take care of me afterwards - isn't she a sweetie? Don't let her fool you, though...she sent me on a whirlwind the whole time. Truthfully, I don't quite think she knew what she was getting herself into.

On the morning of the big show, my sister woke me up at the butt-crack of dawn.

"Let's go, Haley. You have to be at the doctors office at 7:45...its already 6:40."

After a few minutes, I began to remember where I was. Then glancing at the clock, I put my blanket over my face before saying, "Alysson...what the messticles. I am not putting on any makeup. My hair is already braided out of my face. I laid my t-shirt, sweats, tennis shoes, AND my lucky undies out last night. Oh...AND I'M NOT EATING BREAKFAST! Why in the world are you waking me up an HOUR early!?"
(As you can probably tell, I absolutely love the mornings...just simply love them.)

"Oh, well, I have to eat breakfast, so I figured you wanted to sit downstairs with me and watch me while I did that. Plus...it's gonna take you the rest of the hour to swallow that small pill for your face, so I figured we better get a move on."

"HA - actually, the jokes on you because I wasn't going to swallow that pill, anyways. My happy tail has been chewing them every. single. time. Oh, and why in the world would I want to WATCH you eat breakfast when I can't eat anything...that's just plain mean."

"Haley...chewing your pills? That is really disgusting; you really..."

Before she could finish her sentence, my phone lit up, distracting us both from our conversation. This is just a reminder...it was around 6:50 in the morning, which means everyone in the world is asleep except for me, my sister, my aunt and uncle who were both downstairs, and the hooligan who was calling me. I quickly looked down at my phone and the biggest smile came across my face.




By the way...I love taking pictures of people asleep.
It's an added bonus if you're asleep huging my body pillow, Ethan. :)

 
Answering the phone, I screamed, "HEY ADAM!" I quickly remembered our conversation from the night before. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh crap, I am so sorry! I just remembered that you told me last night how you wanted to leave me a voicemail for me to listen to later. CRAP - I ruined it...I am..."
"Haley...ahaha! It's okay, I'd much rather talk to you, anyways."

"Are you sure? I can just hang..."

"Haley...how are you feeling?"

"Hmmm...I am good, well, I am super duper nervous. I've never done anything like this before. Adam, what if I am like that guy off of the movie Awake? They didn't give him enough sleepy meds, so he felt and heard everything around him..."

"Hahaha, Haley...it's all going to be okay, Besides, you're not Hayden Christensen, so you don't have to worry about being that guy off of that movie, right? That actually would be weird for the both of us if you were. But I have had two surgeries, and look at me- I came out just fine. Anyways, I don't want to keep you...I just wanted to hear your voice before you went under. Stay relaxed and calm, and just pretend I am right there with you. I am thinking about you...forever and always."

"Awwww, Adam! You are going to make me cry over here...and I can't drink any fluids, so I need to retain all the water I can! You really are the sweetest. Thank you for calling me, though - you always know how to lift my spirits. But, I will talk to you later on. OH YEAH! Have a wonderful day."

After we hung up, I rolled out of bed, 007 style, then put on all my clothes that I had placed on the wooden chair before I had fallen asleep. I quickly did a little body shake to get rid of the nerves, then walked downstairs to chew the only thing I could before going to the oral surgeon - a pill that would reduce the swelling in my cheeks after the surgery was over. My sister, Aunt Patty, and Uncle Jeff were all downstairs and smiling at me when I made it to the last step.

Aunt Patty: "Are you ready, Haley? You look great! I mean it...you really look great!"

Me: "Yes ma'am...I am ready as I'll ever be. Ahaha, and thank you. I worked really hard on my outfit and makeup this morning."

Aunt Patty: "Okay, well, y'all be safe. I will be here when you two get back."

Alysson and I walked to her Prius, and I got in and began pressing my face and hands against the glass as if I was going to be locked in there forever. I began looking around, as if this were the very last time I would ever be able to see the world again. My stomach was filled with butterflies and knots, and my nerves were shaking as if I had just drank a frappiccino from Starbucks. To prevent Alysson from seeing me nervous, I rolled down the window and allowed the air to flow across my wisdom teeth one last time - here is a good mental image for you. :)


It was all fun and games until Alysson yanked me back inside the car...
I guess she figured out that I was planning on escaping...out of a moving car's window.




You all should definitely know now that I like each and every one of y'all very much.
Me putting a picture up without makeup on for the WHOLE world to see doesn't happen much...or ever.
This is me in the Pruis, by the way...just riding to my doom.
You would think they would give meds for that, too.



Riding down the road, I looked out the window, admiring the sun, flowers, trees, clouds, and even the not so green grass on the right side of the road.



"So, Alysson...are they gonna put a needle inside of me?"

"Probably so. They have to put you to sleep to do this procedure."

"What!? I really don't like you calling this a "procedure". Can we just call it a shindig...or anything else, please..? Actually, I just really can't do this, Alysson!" At this point, I began unbuckling my seatbelt and rolling down the passenger window. "Can we just go drink some coffee and energy drinks. I am pretty sure that would give the same effect as the crazy-meds they are going to give me to put me to sleep; the only difference being that THERE AREN'T ANY NEEDLES INVOLVED!"

Alysson looked at me and quickly said, "Haley...it is all going to be fine. Try to take a deep breath." I fakely smiled back at her until I suddenly realized exactly where we were. She put the car in park and said, "ready?"

"Ummm...not really...can we drive around or something, pretty pleeease with sugar on top?"

"Actually, that really wasn't meant to be a question. It's already 7:46...so you're late. What I was really saying was...time to get out, because I am about to lock the car door."

"Okay, okay! Don't get your panties in a bundle over there! Wait, did you get my text message from last night?"

"Yes, Haley. You are like a musician; giving me a list of demands before a big event. You are absolutely hilarious, did you know that?"

"Consider it more as "requests", and you are welcome. Give me a brief overview of what I said, because I know exactly how you are, missy..."

"Uh, alrighty. It is going to be really brief because you are L.A.T.E." She pulled her phone out of her purse and began reading my text message. "I have a few requests for tomorrow. Please don't leave me. Take pictures...but make me look cute - I really just don't want to miss out on these memories. Keep Shelby updated - she's like a worried momma...Oh, do the same for Adam - he is like Shelby, minus the momma part. I hope you were just kidding yesterday about making me walk up the stairs to this room by myself...I mean, I accept the challenge, but stay behind me because I really won't need to lose anymore blood. I love you, Alaboo. Thanks for being here to hold my hand."

She smiled at me and I finally got the courage to respond to her first question, "ready..."

We walked inside the doors of the oral surgeons office, and I wondered up to the front desk to fill out the piece of paper stating that I was here and ready for action. My hand was shaking like I was coming down from an AMP high...so my handwriting was messier than usual, which means something to those of you who have seen my John Hancock. I turned around and informed Alysson that she had to sign at the bottom letting them know that she was going to be my caregiver.

"Ha! Alysson, looks like you can't do anything bad to me now...they already know that you are the one who is responsible for me. Actually...let me see that pen again. I am going to put your dang cellphone number, license plate number, social security number, AND your address down, too. You really can't leave me like you said you were going to do, because they have all of your information! The PoPo's gonna find you...." I started to turn to the nurse and let her know how my sister was planning on leaving me here with them, but before I could realize what was happening, Alysson yanked both the piece of paper and pen out of my hands, gave it to the receptionist, then linked her arm with mine and said, "time to go sit down, crazy woman." She was actually patting me on my head, too. I am almost certain that the ladies behind the glass window thought I had rabies or something.

She rolled her eyes at me and we both went to sit down on the only sofa in the room, which was like sitting on a bench from the stone ages - cold and hard. As I looked around, I realized how gloomy it was in the waiting room, which consisted of my sister, me, and another girl who was sitting with her mom (you may want to remember her...she is quite important.). I started telling Alysson where all my things should go if I didn't return. "Oh, and Justin should get that massive picture of me that was in the living room...I know how much he hates it, so I think it would be perfect for him." Before I could figure out who to give my most prized possesion to, which was my Maxi, a nurse quickly came out of the glass door and said "Haley Moody". I looked at Alysson and said, "OH NOW THEY'RE FAST! Geeze...I didn't find a home for Maxi, or Danielle, or my Sims Games...oh my gosh, my Sims games! Whats gonna happen to them, Alysson?" She gave me a stern look then said, "bye Haley!" I slowly stood up and began tip-toeing to the nurse, almost as if I was taking my very last walk on earth. She held open the door for me like we were about to go on our very first date, which in a way, we were. Before walking completely through the door, I looked back at my sister and screamed, "I'll see you on the other side," then blew her a kiss. I gave her a quick, confident smile, because I didn't really want her knowing how scared I was. I felt her smiling (most likely in embarrassment) as the door completely closed back. This was the point of no return.

After walking through two more doors, the lady sat me down in Exam Room 2, and began asking me all sorts of questions. By the way, for a good visual, this lady looked and acted very simlar to Mrs. Sasser, which is a teacher from my high school for those who didn't know, and could probably care less.

"Have you ever been put to sleep before?"

"No ma'am...this would be my first time."

"We have us a first-timer!" She began frantically grabbing sharp objects out of a box, so my eyes quickly darted to the ceiling. "So, what are you doing up here this summer?"

"Yeaaaaaaaah. Umm...I work for the Action Card Office at the university. I am still considering on the whole 'summer class' thing...so who really knows."

She began by checking my blood pressure then asked me if I was allergic to anything, and before I could fully say "no", she had already pulled out a huge needle and started going for my right arm.

"Umm...ma'am? Do you mind if I make a quick suggestion before you shove that right on in my skin."

"Sure thing."

"They have a hard time finding a vein in that arm, and I am pretty scared right now, so it will probably be even harder to find. Is it okay if you try my left arm instead?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm glad you said something. I really wouldn't want to keep sticking you."

"Yeah...the feeling is mutual..."

I watched her re-tied the rubbery thing around my left arm to help the vein pop, then I looked away before she began the stabbing. Holding my breath, I started picturing myself at the beach, frolicing in the ocean. Suddenly, a jellyfish stung my left arm and my mind quickly came back to reality. Once she finished, all I could do was smile because I kept thinking, "that was the worst of it, right? Heck yeah! I JUST SURVIVED AN I.V. I should probably get a t-shirt for that." She quickly wrote something down on the a piece of paper, then hooked me up to some fluids that reminded me of the taste of my breathing treatment I used to take when I had brochitis, and then she said, "Okay. I will be right back and then we can get started." She walked out of the room and those final words kept running through my head..."then we can get started." I kinda mumbled under my breath, "What? But I am still awake!?" After a long pause, I began laughing so loudly that I startled a few nurses who were walking by. I quickly started praying, but with my eyes open because I was concerned that they were gonna think I was asleep and then begin cutting my mouth open. Right after I said, "amen", the official doctor walked in and asked me how I was doing. By that point, I was super tired of all the small talk. He looked at the piece of paper that the other lady had wrote on, then turned and looked at me before saying, "Alright, Miss Haley. I will be right back, then we can get started." After he exited the room, all the smiles had been completely wiped from my face. It was then that I realized that I was officially going to be awake during this "procedure", so I began mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen to me. "Great! Adam jinxed me...I really am like Hayden Christensen... Okay, Haley, you are a strong, independent woman. STRONG AND INDEPENDENT. He was just a man...on a movie. Of course he was going to act like he was in pain - every movie needs a dramatic effect. Besides, women are stronger than man, anyways!" Wshoo. Before I knew it, both the doctor and the Mrs. Sasser look-alike were walking in the door, laughing at something they were just previously discussing. The doctor looked at me and said, "ready?" I gave him an awkward smile, then said, "uhh...yes sir." A third lady joined our little gathering and watched as the Mrs. Sasser look-alike shot some different drugs in my I.V. that made my chest feel like it was caving in. They were all talking and laughing about something, and I just sat there, looking at the ceiling, trying my hardest to fill my lungs with air; I was almost certain that my ribs were breaking. I closed my eyes and sang a song, right after I did a fist-pump in the air while reminding myself, "you are a strong, independent woman....a strong independent woman...".

Most people usually tell me that they can't remember anything after that point. Me? I remember it all.

During my little "knocked out phase" while they were removing my teeth, everything I saw reminded me of a kaleidoscope from the 70s. The weird part about this was not the fact that I was stuck in a kaleidoscope, but the fact that I could hear everything the doctor and the two nurses were talking about, but I just didn't too much care. They were talking about divorces, mostly within celebrities. I don't know about all of y'all, but I have no idea what celebrity divores has to do with my mouth? I mean, I do have this one particular tooth that looks like J-Lo's butt...bahaha, just kidding. Anyways, as soon as he finished playing around with my teeth, I vaguely remember a lady helping me up out of the operating chair, and walking me over to a recliner. As soon as I sat down, this tall, dark-headed fella came over and started jamming gauze in the back of my mouth. I slowly stummered, "thanksfhdka youdfjks," and smiled while he walked away. Drifting in and out, I could hear another girl, but for some reason, she was bawling her eyes out. Glancing over, I found out it was the same girl who was sitting in the waiting room with her mother earlier (See, I told you she was important). The same tall, dark fella was drying her tears while saying, "it's okay. Sometimes the anestheisa makes people cry. You are going to be fine." I remember smiling while thinking, "Psshhh. I bet he thinks I am freaking wonder woman over here...NOTHING CAN BRING ME DOWN!" As soon as those words travelled through my head, a nasty taste began to form in the back of my mouth. I held on tight to the two arms of the chair and kept telling myself, "there is no way that I am about to throw up in this office, absolutely no way." Every single time a nurse walked by my chair, I would reach out to grab them, but they were always farther away than what I expected - atleast four or five had walked by, and none stopped to aknowledge me. Finally, Mr. Tall and Dark stopped and said, "how are you feeling." I tried to mumble that I felt like I was going to puke, but it came out as, "Isfa Thiskfahsk Thakfasdjl;a Imk Goinjasa Beajshae Sicdjaskldfk..." He cocked his head to the side and said, "I'm sorry, what?" I quickly lifted my hand infront of my mouth to make a vomiting gesture, and he quickly got the jist. He quickly said, "don't do that," then power walked it to the back room with all of the supplies and came back holding a plastic bag and a cold, wet rag. After giving me the bag at the perfect time, he leaned me forward and placed the rag on my neck while watching me suffer. "I bet you feel better now, don't you? It must've been all that gauze I shoved in the back of your mouth." I gave him a big ole smile and mumbled, "uh huh, thank you for that..." I laid back and closed my eyes.

***I really don't know how long I was asleep...but just know that it was wonderful.***

"Miss Haley, do you think you're ready to go home."

After opening my eyes and remembering my whereabouts, I mumbled, " Youuu betcha. Let's do this."

He wheeled me out to Alyssons car, and I suddenly found myself waving uncontrolably at her as if I hadn't seen her since 2004. She waved back and simply watched and laughed as I basically threw myself into the car. Right as Mr. Tall and Dark closed the door, I rolled down the window and said, "thank yooooou", one last time. Suddenly, I looked down and noticed that as I was thanking him, a mixture of blood and saliva had poured out my mouth and landed on my shirt. Him waving back with a horrid look on his face makes a lot more sense now. Alysson started driving off, and before I could figure out the whole gravity situation, she suddenly screamed, "OH SHOOOOT", then slammed on the brakes. At that moment, I suddenly started to cry. I could feel it --- I was about to die. Thankfully, I was only halfway wrong. My sister must've been distracted by my beauty, or by my blood, because she nearly pulled out infront of the on-coming traffic. Lucky for me, she has good brakes. Don't worry, everyone. I made it back to Aunt Patty's with out a scratch; I simply lost a few years off of my life.

As soon as we arrived back at the Benton Household, I began crawling up the stairs to my new bedroom as my sister stood behind and laughed - I told her I accepted the challenge. Once I finally made it to the bed, I instantly fell asleep. Eight hours later, after waking up and taking meds twice, I woke up to another face standing in my room...my brother. I mumbled, "what are you...OH MY GOSH! I CAN FEEL MY FACE, ALYSSON!" I quickly began grabbing my entire jaw, which was a no-no. She reached for my hands as if I were a little toddler who was trying to touch the hot eye on the stove, then pushed them away from my face. Tylers face suddenly dropped, almost like the guy from the Oral Surgeons office who excorted me to the car. Rememebering why his face looked like that, I quickly looked down and realized that unwanted things were dripping from my mouth, yet again. Alysson quickly got me some tea bags and shoved them into my mouth. Let me just tell you...these were supposed to stay in my mouth for fifteen minutes. I couldn't keep them in for seven - THEY MADE MY GUMS FEEL LIKE THEY WERE ON FIRE!


I produced my own tea in my mouth that day...It needed a little more sugar and a little less blood.

 The next day, my sister had to leave because she had a meeting with some ole nursing lady. I totally could've died, but it's whatever. Well, after laying in my bed for two days straight, I quickly realized that I wanted a shower: that was my second bad idea. I nearly fainted twice while I was in there, but boy was it worth it. After a few minutes of being under the water, I suddenly found myself laying in the tub, covered with bubbles. I thought to myself, "I definitely don't remember taking a bubble bath???" Instead of getting up like a normal person, I turned on some music and continued scrubbing my hair and body while singing my Katy Perry songs at the top of my lungs. I am almost certain that my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jeff thought I was dying - thank goodness I locked the door or they would've gotten themselves and unwanted show. ;)

Katy Perry + Liquid Loritab = A complete mess.
I was so excited that day about how huge my muscles were...like I said, a complete mess.

One dry socket and four doctor visits later, I was laying on the chair in the oral surgeons office asking him to check the top two spots where I had my teeth removed because they had been causing me problems, too. After sticking his index finger in my mouth then quickly removing it, he began taking his gloves off while looking at me with a straight face before saying, "OH YEAH - I forgot to tell you that I removed some of your jaw bone when I took out your top two teeth..." I did my very best to get off the chair and tell him thank you as quickly as possible, because I was about to pee my panties from holding in so much laughter. "OH, I forgot?..." What if I needed those pieces of jaw later on in life? I totally think I should've had to sign a piece of paper stating, "YES YOU MAY REMOVE SOME JAW IF NECESSARY." Speaking of...does that count as donating bone marrow?



This was the first of many dental visits...
What happened during this particular visit was something similar to the actual wisdom teeth removal.
The only difference being that I was awake during this one.

 One month later, I am still feeling a little sore in my right, upper corner, but I refuse to go back to the Oral Surgeon. It's nothing I can't handle, and I am just really stubborn... :) I mean, look at that picture above (the one with me in the bathroom)!!! Does it look like I can't handle a little pain? Exactly - just look at those guns! :)


I hope everyone is having an incredible summer so far! Make the best of it - it passes by ever so quickly! Oh yeah, and dont forget the three cardinal rules: 1) Wear sunscreen. 2)Keep your Ta-Tas and Pikachu covered. 3) EAT LOADS OF ICE CREAM - I hear it cures cancer or something...okay, maybe I made that up.

See you on the flip-side!

Love always,
Haley

"Now look at me, I'm sparkling.

A firework, a dancing flame.

You won't ever put me out again,

I'm glowing, oh woah oh."
Part of Me - Katy Perry

To Be Or Not To Be - That Really Is The Question

Hey there!!!

Lately, my life has been feeling like a huge hamster wheel, and I am, of course, the hamster. I have been struggling with my "future plans" more than ever, lately. "What do I want to do? Will I be successful at doing it? Will Taylor Swift still be writing and singing songs when I am older?" These are all some of the really important questions that flow through my head continuously...but the most important one, other than wondering about Taylor Swift, is, "will I be happy with the job that I choose?" As a result, I decided to go to the career center and take a, BUMP PA DA DA, career test. Let me just tell you...this was an, uh, experience in itself.

To get a good visual of this whole "career test" thing, picture a huge bologna sandwich; the actual career center itself is the two pieces of wheat bread, because wheat is my all time favorite and I was super excited about beginning this career test process, and then I was more than excited about finishing it. Do you see where I am going with this? Okay, well, the in-between part where the lady was trying to persuade me into something I wasn't all about, then gave me a sheet of paper that led me to a website that had a test that nearly took me five hours to take...yeah, that was total bologna. I bet you are getting my analogy now. Anyways, the very first meeting started out wonderfully. She treated me like I wasn't losing my mind completely. But things were starting to get weird after sitting with her for five minutes. Not weird as in she was trying to bust a move on me...weird as in she wasn't listening to the words that were running out of my mouth! Here is a little piece of the convo:

"Haley, what are you considering to do with your future."

"Actually, that's a great question. I have two "ideas"...but I just don't really know. It doesn't help that I am an indecisive Pisces..."

"Well Haley, what are your two ideas?"

"Okay - I am all about being a dentist; I love teeth. I love smiles - love it. But, I have recently found out that I loooove to write. I'm up all night just writing...writing, writing, writing. But, I don't really know if I am good at it. I don't really know if I would be good at Dentist either...actually, I am almost certain I won't get into Dental School...but I am too stubborn to quit. Wow...no wonder why everyone tells me I am stubborn."

"Well Haley, writing could really look good once you earn your biology degree. You could be hired to write for something concerning biology...like biological journals." I sat there, looking at her...basically confused at the words that just exited her mouth. Honestly, I still am. Biological journals? What!?

"Umm...I am not so sure about that. See, the problem with that is...I am not sure if I am interested enough in biology to continue in its path. I am from such a small town. I don't really know all the possibilities that the world has to offer me, and I just really want to be happy for the rest of my life, you know what I mean?"

"Well Haley, when you earn your degree in biology, you have so many areas to choose from to find a job."

"Maybe...but I really just want to know what else I could be good at...you know...other than something concerning biology..."

*At this point...I was tired of hearing two words: 1)Haley and 2) Biology.*

"You said you were thinking about Dentistry, right Haley?" I nodded as the frustration began to build up like a volcano. "Well, these biology courses can get you there. What do you want to get out of Dentistry." I start looking around...wondering if I was in the wrong room, because the lady wasn't understanding what saying. On the wall, I saw two huge, framed certificates stating that she had graduated with a biology degree. Hmm...it all started to make a little more sense. I decided to give her a piece of her own medicine, and I kinda felt like adding a little humor to her life, which is obviously filled with biology!

"There are so many things I could get out of being a Dentist. There are a ton of Dentists who take their summers off and travel down to places like Africa just so they can help fix the teeth of those who can't afford to pay for it themselves. I would love to do that...just like I love to write. Wait, did I already tell you that I was also considering writing? I don't think I did...ahaha! I must be losing my mind...BIOLOGY seems to do that to me these days, you know! ANYWAYS, I love to write, ma'am. My favorite part about writing is the emotion; I can make someone laugh, cry, cringe...anything. I can make them feel anything other than what they were feeling right before they started reading. And that, that is something that helps me sleep at night...which is not happening because of this "biology" course you are talking about."

She slowly but surely understood what I was trying so desperately to beat in her head without causing her blood to flow out of her skull, then she handed me a piece of paper that directed me to the site with the career test. Let me just tell you this...that dang test sent me on a whirl. The first two questions were, 1.) "What do you want to major in?" and 2.) "What would you like to have as a career once you get a degree?" Ummm, that was the whole point of this whole shenanigan...I had no stinking clue! So, I found an answer choice that said "Writing", clicked it, smiled really big, then continued on with the next 6 pages (it felt like 600). After I finished...I just had to go get a big bowl of ice cream with extra chocolate on top - yeah, it was that serious.

The next day, I had my final meeting with my career adviser. Let me just tell you...she probably thinks I am on some serious drugs. I walked in her office, excited about life because I was drinking a Java Chip Frappuccino (I knew that was the only way I was going to enjoy this meeting), then sat down, staring at her while every single one of my nerves tingled with excitement. She was really good at making sure everything was full of suspense. I counted - it took her like 47 seconds to flip a dang page, and what she printed out could have been a book. I pee'd my pants a little every single time she put her finger on the corner of the page...so, I was basically sitting in an ocean by the time we got to the last page, which was my "Ideal Careers". When she finally flipped to this particular page, I pretty much exploded, and basically ended up in her lap so we could both stare at all of the possibilities together. Yeah, I basically treated her like she was Santa Claus and I was the child begging for the Barbie Airplane for Christmas (okay, yes, I did do this a few years back...but Santa obviously didn't think I needed that particular toy...Thank you, Chris Kringle). Anyways, I finally got out of her lap and went back to my chair. As she printed out a detailed pack of paper to help guide me in my life, I simply sat there...just imagining what I would look like while doing some of the occupations that were listed. Here we go - ready for the fun part?

*Warning - the following items were not all included on the career test. A few of these were added because they were more exciting than most of the other crap that was provided.*


1) Elementary School Teacher


Don't worry - I am nothing like Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher. I will take care of your precious children...maybe.
Also, those are my glasses in my mouth...they were kinda caught in my shirt.


2) Police Woman

This is my favorite!!! Who knows...I may be pulling you over in a few years...or busting your meth lab...
or testing my taser out on you. POW POW POW!

3)Writer

Can you imagine...all of my thoughts being written in a book for the whole world to read?
Wshoooo, that's pretty dangerous...

4)Musician
 

It's time to give Taylor Swift a run for her money...muahahaha.
Actually...
Taylor - if you are reading this...can we be friends?

5)Military Soldier

How would you like it if I was the one protecting your country?
10-4, Good buddy.

6)Chef


I was always told that to keep a man happy, you gotta keep him full...of Turkey.

7)Makeup Artist



That's me doing makeup for people like Katy Perry, Reese Witherspoon, Rachel McAdams...you know, helping the famous people. What can I say - I am a giver.

 8) Dentist

How would you like these hands in your oral cavity?

 9)Stewardess

At night, when you see that flashing light traveling across the sky, you never know...that could be little ole me.

10) Magazine Editor

I don't know why homegirl off of The Devil Wears Prada was so uptight. She had an AWESOME job!
Someone needs to tell her to loosen up her pantyhose.

 

Who knows where I will be in 10 years...but for now, I am just gonna keep doing what I know, "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...what do we do? We swim." Thanks, Dori. Mermaids really do live the good life; the only thing they probably worry about is which dolphin to frolic with during the day. That's easy to fix...FROLIC WITH ALL OF THEM! :)

I am sorry it has taken me over a month to finish this blog. I have been like a traveling child for the past few weeks, and when I finally settled down, it took me a week to get my internet hooked up. BUT DON'T Y'ALL WORRY YOUR PRETTY LITTLE MINDS...I am here and settled and ready to blow each of your minds. Enjoy your summers...don't get too much sun...or you may end up looking like this idiot:

The whole ride home, I kept throwing water on my chest thinking it was on fire...

Be thankful for what you have and where you’re at. Some aren’t so fortunate. Don’t stress.
It always could be worse.

-John O'Callaghan

"Well she wants to live her life,
Then she thinks about her life.
Pulls her hair back, as she screams,
'I don't really wanna live this life'."

Meet Virginia - Train

I have some great stories to tell y'all within the next few weeks, so stay tuned in!

Love always,

Haley