merry little christmas

This holiday season has probably been my favorite of my adult life.

I feel like a lot of good and a lot of bad has happened this year and more than ever I was in need of a lovely way to end 2010 and this past week has brought that for me.

I'm so blessed to have been able to spend Christmas at home with my family. My family makes everything better and everything always is 937 times more fun with them.

One of my presents this year was the first season of The Muppet Show. YES! I've always had a place in my heart for the muppets and I think that it was probably my favorite present this year. I popped the dvd in after we opened presents and this beautiful piece with the famous dancer Juliet Prowse came on and I thought I'd share the gem with you....

I hope all of you had a marvelous holiday and I wish the best for the new year.

(Oh and one of my goals of 2011 is to be more frequent with my blog updates I promise!)

P.S. I looooved True Grit and I wish they would start making more movies like it these days.

twenty three and free

I had a strange but beautiful birthday this last friday.

The day consisted of strawberries on sourdough, an awfully incredible art museum that stole my heart, a planetarium, mint limeade and watermelon at a farmers market and of course being in good company.

I feel like twenty three is a weird age, I feel weird, but at the same I have this sneaking suspicion that it's going to be one of my favorite ages.

This weekend I had the sweetest pleasure of meeting my nephew for the very first time. The little guy is almost ten months and is the most precious and happiest thing I have ever seen in all my days. I love him more than anything and it broke my heart that I had to say goodbye to his adorable face and go back to Utah. Oh how I wish he didn't live so far away.

While I was home we all sat down during breakfast and watched our favorite childhood show Rugrats. In that moment I felt like we were all little kids in our old house on our old beige couches laughing hysterically and not having a care in the world. We had the greatest childhood. In one of the episodes we watched, Chuckie said the greatest thing to Tommy....

"Life is so hard, Tommy...sometimes I think it is the hardest thing."

Couldn't agree more Chuckie.

she's a dying breed

Robert Wolders' words on Audrey Hepburn...

"Once she sensed that she could trust somebody, she'd do anything for them. And if she were disappointed in them, it would be the end of the world for her."

if only, if only

Last week I was driving Lucy to the store to get some medicine and juice for her poor tummy ache.
(Lucy is the precious doll that I nanny)
About a block from the store this happened...

Lucy: "Haley?"
Me: "Yes Lucy love?"
Lucy: "Do you want to come live in my parade?"
Me: "Yes yes yes I would love to!"

What a lovely thought, to live in a 2 year old's idea of a parade. I would love to live in Lucy's imagination, I absolutely love the way she thinks and views things. She's just so precious to me.

On another lovely note, I adore the Lindsays in my life.

Lindsay Wright is my one true fetus friend. Well, she's going to be in Utah in a couple weeks and I just can't wait to see her and listen to her laugh because it's my favorite :)

Lindsay Chapman is my favorite redhead. Ever. Today she told me she was going to be in town this weekend and I almost passed out I was so happy. That's not even the best part...she might be moving here in September- greatest news ever!

I can't wait Lindsays, I can't wait.

anyone home?

So today I was driving home and thought to myself "I'll stop by the Wrights and see what they're up to." (The Wrights are basically my second family and they're some of the greatest funnest people)
When I pulled up to their house I knocked and rang the doorbell like 4 times and no answer, so I went back to my car to write a note. I then went back to the door, knocked some more and let myself in. I left the note on their kitchen counter along with some fresh vegetables, I grabbed a snack, went to the bathroom and played with the little dog Buster for a while. When I finally got in my car to leave up comes a big red Jeep with Jeff and Lauren. I told them I came to say hi but no one was here and they looked at me like I was a crazy person and told me Jolene was home. "No way" I said, I've been in there forever and there isn't a soul there. We all went inside to prove the other wrong and who did we find sitting out on the deck reading a book?
Jolene.
How did we not notice each other the whole time?
I thank the lord all the time for things like this that seem to always happen to me. He always finds someway to keep me entertained. You probably would only find this entertaining too if you were there or know the Wrights but I couldn't stop myself from sharing it- it made my day.
I just love the Wrights.

virgo virgo

So all my life I haven't been much into horoscopes or astrology. I mean I've read my horoscopes out of curiosity but never truly thought much of them.

Well, that was then and this is now. I'm not saying I believe every word of it or base my thoughts and actions daily on them, but I've found that my horoscopes as of late have been very helpful. I go check my horoscope like I'm going to an old wise Chinese great grandmother for advice. Lately, more often than not, my horoscope has been pretty accurate in addressing problems I've been facing and then having the best solutions for them. Maybe I am becoming a crystal believing, look to the stars nut but I can't help but find so much comfort in astrology these days.

Here's an example of one that I really needed to read that day...


VIRGO Jul, 15, 2010
Your life may be an open book right now, Virgo. Whether you realize it or not, your emotions and inner turmoil over a certain issue are totally transparent. That doesn't mean you have to confirm anyone's suspicions about your feelings by addressing the problem verbally as well. It's best to let someone guess. Don't worry about an accusation, or about someone's lack of confidence in you. If you simply roll with the punches and be conscientious in all that you do - as is your usual way - the truth will come out when it counts.

Well there you have it folks, the power of the Droid apps and a 50 something year old woman who has a nurturing imagination.
Am I the only one who's crazy?

the washboard

Hello again. Man I've gotten so bad at writing in this which makes me so sad because I love it.
I feel like so much has been going on that I wanted to write about but my mind is all staticky right now.
(Yes staticky is a word- I looked it up I promise.)

First order of business: I finally have a place in salt lake!
I made the decision to do away with roommates and I found the perfect place to try this whole living alone thing out.
I have a two bedroom place in a 4-plex up in the avenues. Now the place is a bit old and has some wear and tear but it has a lot of charm and potential! I am just in love with it.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make the most of the space though. Perhaps I'll put some pictures up and you lovely people can tell me what you think and maybe give me some thoughts on what to do with it...

Second order of business: Unwanted weeding.
I feel like every year I go through a period of losing people that I was close to. Not in a physical sense but in an emotional one. I feel like it's always out of my control and it's a hard thing for me. Well, I've just been through it again but this time there was something different about it. I think maybe I'm finally starting to grow up because in the recent dilemma I did my best to stand my ground and accepted the situation for what it is. I had to let this person go, they needed to figure life for themself and I needed to let go in order to remain my true self. What I've taken from this experience is that you have to let some things fall apart in order to allow other things to build up and grow. Life is just like a washboard sometimes- you have to wash some stains away sometimes to see things for what they truly are.


Well, that's enough rambling for today.

so it goes

Oh hello, yes I'm still alive.

Little update:

I've recently managed to get an amazing nanny job which takes up 78% of my time and the rest of the 22% is pretty much dedicated to sleeping and eating. I'm planning on staying with this job for at least a year and I thought maybe next summer I'd venture off traveling anywhere and everywhere for a couple months. I'm going to see about going back to school-I think I'm just going to go to slcc while I'm here and take some creative writing and dance classes and whatever else sparks an interest.

So, I've had an off week- within the last few days I've managed to...

*run into the corner of a friend's kitchen cabinet resulting in a pretty nice gash on my head (actually really funny)
*smash my ipod in the center console of my car, completely ruining the screen
*shrink my new dress that I've only gotten to wear once

I sure feel intelligent after all of that...

I stole my roommate's copy of slaughterhouse five and started reading it today while I was waiting for the nice men at firestone to change my oil. I read it in high school but remember maybe 2% of it- only getting 45 pages in I already completely regret skimming through it so fast in Mrs. Christ's class. (Yes her name really was Christ)

Anyways here's a part I really really liked...

"The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just that way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever.
When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in bad condition in the particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes.'”

soulmates

femme fatale mood

Kylie showed me this video today and now we want to look like Edie all the time.

I'm so glad to be back in Utah.

I wish I was asleep.

thanks for the adventure.

UP has become one of my family's favorite movies for SO many reasons.

I was so happy to see it win for best original score. My brother and I saw it for the first time late one night and I remember we were just both blown away by all of the incredible music in the movie.

My favorite part about UP winning tonight was Michael Giacchino's speech:

“Thank you, guys. When I was… I was nine and I asked my dad, “Can I have your movie camera? That old, wind-up 8 millimeter camera that was in your drawer?” And he goes, “Sure, take it.” And I took it and I started making movies with it and I started being as creative as I could, and never once in my life did my parents ever say, “What you’re doing is a waste of time.” Never. And I grew up, I had teachers, I had colleagues, I had people that I worked with all through my life who always told me what you’re doing is not a waste of time. So that was normal to me that it was OK to do that. I know there are kids out there that don’t have that support system so if you’re out there and you’re listening, listen to me: If you want to be creative, get out there and do it. It’s not a waste of time. Do it. OK? Thank you. Thank you.”

Lucy

Why is she so adorable??

I'm going to miss this little love way too much...

beats that make my heart happy

so so happy <3

have a happy friday :)

caught

This is what happens when you play fugitive on a rainy night...

butterflies are free

I recently have gotten into Goldie Hawn's earlier movies and I came across Butterflies are Free.

I loved it.

Edward Albert plays an attractive blindman (and he won a Golden Globe for this performance), Goldie's just adorable and her wardrobe is marvelous.

If you've never played fugitive-I suggest you find out what it is and play it! Trevor, Elena, Ryan and I played it last night. I got so into it that at one point I went to the extreme of rolling down a hill (in the rain) and crawling through bushes. Sad part is I got caught and didn't make it to the destination but good news is I was covered in mud and bruises and laughing to death!

(fugitive pics to come)

totally terrifying trolls

So I was innocently watching shear genius tonight when something HORRIBLE happened. A commercial came on that scared the living daylights out of me. I don't think I'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

Let me explain why this ad upset me so...

One day when I was just a little girl, still in elementary school, one of my teachers decided to put a scary movie on for Halloween. I was so excited that I got to watch a movie during class-best day ever right? If I could only go back in time and tell that little innocent Haley with the huge bow in her hair to put the candy corn down, fake sick and go home....you see the movie she had us watch was....

Ernest Scared Stupid. Are you kidding me? Watching that movie was one of the most traumatizing moments as a child-I will never be the same and I will now always have an enormous fear of little troll creatures. I guess this fear truly started when I'd have nightmares of the trolls in Disney's Gummy Bears (true story) and when I was frightened by the trolls in David the Gnome, but this movie was all of that fear times 37 for me. So when this commercial came on today, I went into panic mode and now I've had to relive all of those horrible nightmares.

If you too have a phobia of creepy little troll men-DO NOT watch the following...

oh thanks for the fond memories Monster...not

Welp I'm going to go hide under the covers now....

you're from the high plains.

So I just saw Singles for the first time and it was a pretty good movie but can we please talk about Bridget Fonda's wardrobe? OH MY GOODNESS!

Janet Livermore is such a great character and I want all of her clothes in my closet right now please!

(Love this look from stylealchamy)

Oh and Debbie Hunt's dating video? Uh-mazing.

clearest thoughts...

I've been missing so many lovely people lately.

The good news is I will be reunited with most of them in just a matter of weeks!

(p.s. I'm thrilled to be be living with one of my favorite people.)

So I love music-everyone does. There is a song for every friend that I have- whether that song is a favorite of ours or whether the song just reminds me of them-sometimes even an entire album can remind me of an old love or lost friend.

Today one song kept coming to mind which then led me to miss an old friend. In an eerie way it describes our relationship to a tee.

(well in my mind that is.)

The following is a video someone made of this song that is still stuck in my brain.

(Now I like the idea of the video, I just don't think it was executed very well?)

welp, that's what was on my mind at 1:38 in the morning. oh the joys of insomnia...

george's 278th

On this President's Day I thought I'd reflect on some of our greatest commercials.

Some are funny, some are adorable and some are just really creative and put a smile on my face.

._.enjoy._.

On a more serious note I will leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes by Mr. Abraham Lincoln himself...

"Perhaps a man's character was like a tree, and his reputation like its shadow; the shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing."

"I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal."

the greatest love

This year Valentine's day had a completely different meaning for me.

I didn't think once about not having a boyfriend or dreaded on being single, instead I was reminded of the wonderful love that I DO have in my life and am blessed to have forever.

I just read a talk titled "The Great Commandment" by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin and it was the best thing I could've come across on Valentines day because it reminded me of a different kind of love that you can't find on Hallmark cards.

Here is a quote from Elder Wirthlin's talk that I especially found powerful...

"True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming."

wow.

oh thomas

meet trevor.

He makes me laugh all the time.

He is an incredible example to not only me, but everyone around him.

He's the most unselfish person I know.

He is always willing to lend out a helping hand to anyone and everyone.

He is the best brother a girl could have.

I thank my lucky stars every night for him.

"I've got blisters on my fingers!"

So I've been trying to keep busy before I move so I decided to start making some kind of headband that I can sell or just give to friends. I finally have made enough materials that I can start mass producing these darling little braided headbands-nothing fancy of course. I've seriously been sewing my fingers away the last two weeks! The first 3 I've made have gone to the little girls I watch- they boosted my ego a bit by wearing them to disneyland the other day...

I'll post my etsy shop as soon as I'm finished with all of them so if any of you would like one just stay tuned!

adam

I just recently watched this film and I couldn't help but love it.

I really like how they built up Adam's character and I didn't want the movie to end-I just wanted to keep watching him forever.

One of my favorite things about this film were the opening lines...

"My favorite children’s book is about a little prince who came to Earth from a distant astroid. He meets a pilot who's plane has crashed in the desert. The little prince teaches the pilot many things, but mainly about love. My father always told me I was like the little prince but after I met Adam, I realized I was the pilot all along."

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(P.S. I secretly wanted Adam and Beth to end up together forever-is that so wrong?)

shake n' bake

This week I had the great pleasure of visiting my newlywed friend Lindsay. I haven't seen her since the wedding so we had a lot of catching up to do! As of lately poor Lindsay has been on a gluten free diet so we decided to try and make some gluten free sugar cookies. It definitely was an experience baking with gluten free flour but the cookies actually turned out really really good-that is after we added the frosting and sprinkles! Lindsay also just got the new game Just Dance for the Wii so we played that while the cookies were in the oven and it's probably my new favorite form of exercise!

Here are some pics of our baking adventure...

I also stayed up last night making valentine sugar cookies for the two families I babysit and adore. The recipe I used made so much more dough then I expected so after 3 dozen I got tired of cutting out all of those little hearts so I made 4 huge butterflies-one for each little girl-worked out perfect!

I would absolutely LOVE to have my own bakery one day...

need a good laugh?

Someone on facebook posted this on their wall and I laughed forever!

CHECK IT-

uh-mazing

Check it-I was googling hairstyles when I came across this page -

http://nilnnilu.org/forum/n-off-topic/10183-unique-hairstyles-wanna-try.html

How cool is this photoshoot? I'm in love with the giraffe one!

Have a happy sunday!

p.s.

MGMT were my favorite at the Grammys.

I would like all of those outfits in my size please.

sunnyroad

I spent last night and all day with Bettina and Elena.

Elena and Bettina are the kind of friends that I have so much fun with just doing nothing. Cracking jokes here and there, eating bad food, watching CMT movies, cracking some more jokes...I love it.

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._.

I love how it's been raining so I have an excuse to use my adorable umbrella once again.

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I just think this video is oh so cute.

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two birds on a wire

So, so far this year has been amazing!

I started off in New York and New Canaan with the Wrights. I missed my original flight back so I ended up staying an extra week which was the greatest thing that could've happened!

I've decided that I need slash want to be back in utah for a

little bit so I'm moving back first thing in March and I cannot wait!

Trevor and I went to the thrift store and I found a $4 pair of kenneth cole shoes that I am in love with and some way neat sunglasses. I LOVE finding treasures in thrift stores.

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I love my brother and am so excited for him to go on a mission this year!

I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

a feast for your eyes.

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"More than once I've been mistaken for a fox because I'm just so sly."

-Me

start over.

I have a feeling that this year is going to be thirteen hundred times better than last year.

It better be!
Last night and today have been so fun. New Years Eve was fun-met some new people while in the company of 2 of my favorite friends I've had since high school. Elena and I slept in forever and then had a blast eating subway and watching stupid talk shows. It's ridiculous how much I love hanging out with her.
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