Home Sweet Home

So, I finished my finals on Saturday so I decided to "let Andrew finish his in piece" which was code for I'm going to go to Oregon and play with my mom and sisters. I had a blast!! My nieces and nephews are sooo cute. I miss them already! It was so fun to stay up late with my mom and be able to visit with my sisters IN PERSON! Although I get to talk to them a lot, it is so much better in person. Since I'm going to school Spring and Summer term, I'm not sure when I'll get home again, but I was soooo grateful for the opportunity I had to go home and see everyone. I didn't take many pictures, I was too busy playing, shopping and chatting...but I did catch a few...





a note on the last picture: Elmers is my favorite breakfast place.My mom and I LOVE their HUGE german pancakes!

the word on the street is...

pandora.com is the newest, coolest thing. I would be very ungrateful if I didn't stop right here and thank the one and only Eric "sodapop" Cottrell. He and I both spend a lot of time in the McKay Lab on campus. I ran into him up there on Thursday and knowing that (unlike me) he's intune with the cool stuff going on in the world. So I asked him about some internet radio thing I had heard about. I love listening to music, I don't know the music industry that well and there's not like one artist I love, I just like to have on whatever I'm in the mood for. So he came over to my computer and got pandora up and running. This is the best thing that has happened to my entertainment life since the boyz 2 men concert with my sisters when I was in 3rd grade. It asks you to enter an artist (I put in Norah Jones because I was in the mood for calm and "pretty") then it plays whoever you put in and artists that sound similar. I didn't know the songs it was playing but I loved every single one of them. It even tells you the artist and song it's currently playing so you can look them up if you like them. It's the best! Today I turned it on loud and let it play while I was cleaning the house. If you're like me and have grown out a lot of your cd's, it's a great way to spice up your music life in a super simple way. Try it out!!

Haley needs...

Ok so my friend Karen had this on her blog and it was funny so I thought I'd try it. All you do is google your name with the word "needs" after it. Here's a few of mine...

"Haley needs a sister": funny that this would be the first one to show up! It's true. My sisters are my best friends in the whole wide world. They are together in Portland and somedays it feels like they are worlds away!! Hopefully someday it'll only be a hop skip and a jump to see them! I love and miss them SOOO much!

"Haley needs to get noticed": no way! I have an amazing support system. They are so quick to recognize when I'm working hard and doing good things (and bad things for that matter! I'm the youngest, I'm always being watched) My mother-in-law is especially good at noticing (and thanking me) for my accomplishments, big or small, and for all the little things in my life. Thanks Gayle!!

"Haley needs to grow up": haha. this one couldn't be more true! I have a theory that just because I'm married doesn't mean I have to be an adult yet! well...it sorta does. The adults in my childhood were right, being an adult isn't all fun and games. It is a lot fun and games, but it's a lot of making important decisions and figuring things out on your own. And we're not even in the real world yet! heaven help us! haha.

"Haley needs to keep her hands to herself": don't tell my students cause this was one of my classroom rules during practicuum but it's probably true. I am far more "huggy" and cuddly than Andrew is. He probably wishes we had this as a house rule- consequences and all!

"Haley needs to find some outside interests": it's not about finding them! I have lots, I just need more hours in the day! I would love to perfect my cooking/baking skills, take oprah's new earth classes, do more crafts, and read more-- BUT this whole school and work thing is a little time consuming!

"Haley needs to chillax": yea that fully says chillax! But it's true. Sometimes I find myself getting worked up about the stupidest things! I need to stop more, take a deep breath and let things roll off me! That'll be my mantra for the week.

YOUR TURN!